USDA Farm to School Grant Program RFA is now open!

Greetings,

Please see information below about the request for applications (RFA) for the next round of USDA Farm to School Grants! Proposals are due by January 10, 2022.

 

Best,

 

Colleen Matts

(she, her, hers)

Director, Farm to Institution Programs

Coordinator, Michigan Farm to Institution Network

Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems

matts@msu.edu | 517.432.0310

foodsystems.msu.edu | cultivatemichigan.org | mifarmtoschool.msu.edu

 

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems team members are working remotely. Our response time may be a bit slower than normal due to family and community responsibilities. 

 

 

From: Lacy Stephens <lacy@farmtoschool.org>
Date: Friday, October 22, 2021 at 7:54 PM
Subject: [NFSN Partners] USDA Farm to School Grant RFP Now Open!

The fiscal year (FY) 2022 Farm to School Grant Program Request for Applications (RFA) is now available! The solicitation officially opened October 22, 2021 and will remain open until 11:59pm ET on January 10, 2022. FNS seeks to award up to $12 million this fiscal year.

 

Eligible schools, institutions operating the Child and Adult Care Food Program and Summer Food Service Program, State and local agencies, Indian Tribal Organizations, small- to medium-sized agricultural producers or groups of small- to medium-sized agricultural producers, and non-profit organizations are eligible for Farm to School grants. Priority scoring incentives return for applicants who meet certain criteria, including new priority consideration for organizations led by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and serving BIPOC communities, and organizations located in and serving rural areas. Please see the RFA for full details.

 

The RFA includes three tracks—Implementation, State Agency, and Turnkey. Each track provides funding for a specific range of activities:

• The Implementation Track works well for eligible entities with prior farm to school experience, helping scale up or further develop existing farm to school initiatives
• The State Agency Track helps States seeking to improve access to local food served in eligible CNPs by incorporating local procurement and agricultural education activities.
• The Turnkey Track simplifies the application process for applicants interested in choosing from four projects: (1) Action Planning, (2) Agricultural Education Curriculum, (3) Edible Garden, and (4) Producer Focused Training. Specific eligibility varies by track and project type

Also new this year, pending Congressional appropriations action, FNS will consider proposals of up to $500,000 from State agencies and other eligible organizations proposing projects that are multi-state or national in scope. Please see the RFA for additional eligibility requirements and details for each available track and project.

 

The RFA can be accessed here: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=336252

 

The Office of Community Food Systems will host webinars  Monday, November 8th, 2021 and Tuesday, November 9th, 2021, each at 2:30pm ET, to help interested applicants learn more about the RFA and put together a grant package, respectively. A Frequently Asked Questions document will also be available through the Farm to School Grant Applicant Resources Page of the FNS website.

 

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	Lacy Stephens, MS, RDN  (she/her/hers) Senior Program Manager, National Farm to School Network
	816.914.0597  | Based in Missouri*
	lacy@farmtoschool.org
	www.farmtoschool.org

* I acknowledge that I live, learn, and work on the traditional territories of the Kiikaapoi (Kickapoo), Washtáge Moⁿzháⁿ (Kaw / Kansa), and Očhéthi Šakówiŋ, (Sioux), and Wazhazhe Maⁿzhaⁿ (Osage) people. Learn more: https://native-land.ca/.

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