CQI press release photo.
The nonprofit Coffee Quality Institute (CQI) announced an expanded 2026 Global Coffee Fund program, saying it aims to mobilize $500,000 to expand access to coffee quality education and related initiatives.
Announced Feb. 5 at the African Fine Coffees Association, the fund expansion includes a continued commitment of up to $100,000 in grants for projects that “enhance access to coffee education and promote the development of educators in areas that lack sufficient local representation.”
New in 2026, the fund includes matching grants for co-investments with partners whose work aligns with CQI’s mission, according to the announcement. CQI plans to provide a dollar-for-dollar match of up to $200,000 in total matching grants, resulting in up to $400,000 in new investments.
CQI, which launched its Global Coffee Fund in 2022 to provide modest but targeted grants in the coffee sector, said it will accept applications for both funding programs on a rolling basis.
“CQI knows that the coffee sector is facing extraordinary challenges, and the Global Coffee Fund is one way we are working to address them,” CQI CEO Michael Sheridan said in a press release from the group. “At a time when the public sector is disinvesting in coffee communities, CQI is tripling our commitment to the Global Coffee Fund and inviting the industry to co-invest.”
CQI press release photo.
The fund expansion comes as CQI is celebrating its 30th anniversary. The organization has been a pioneering force in coffee quality development across the global coffee sector.
Last April, the Specialty Coffee Association announced it was taking over CQI’s flagship education and certification program, known as The Q. That transition, which included a $250,000 annual licensing fee plus a 5% share of SCA education revenue paid to CQI, was completed in October 2025.
CQI has subsequently maintained that it is renewing its focus on post-harvest processing education and other producer-connected activities.
“The addition of the matching grant program will enable CQI to leverage and expand our global partnerships and network of coffee experts to increase impact at the producer level,” T.J. Ryan, managing director of programs at CQI, said in today’s announcement. “More than just a financial match, the fund will seek partners with whom we have shared objectives to build a more resilient coffee sector.”
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