Applications Now Open for Lake MI School Food System Innovation Hub!

Greetings all,

We are excited to announce that grant applications are officially open for the Lake Michigan School Food System Innovation Hub! 

The Lake Michigan School Food System Innovation Hub is a USDA-funded grant-making initiative that reimagines students' meals. We offer funding, training and other assistance to people working to improve meals in schools across our region — especially in areas that don't have equitable access to resources. Our USDA-funded grant-making initiative offers funding, training and other assistance to partnerships that include farmers, food producers, suppliers, distributors, schools and organizations. 

Grants are available from $10,000 to $100,000 per year. Applications are open for two new funding opportunities: the Spark Awards and the Innovation Collaborative Awards. Additional grant cycles will continue through 2028. Learn more about our grant opportunities at InnovateSchoolFood.org.

Best,

Megan

Megan McManus 

(she/her/hers)

Farm to Institution Specialist

MSU Center for Regional Food Systems

480 Wilson Road – Natural Resources Building

East Lansing, MI 48824

e: mcmanu60@msu.edu

w: https://www.canr.msu.edu/foodsystems/​

New Farm to School Events and Resources!

Upcoming webinars, conferences, and more

Check out these new farm to school opportunities and resources! Explore these virtual and in-person events, grant and award opportunities, and resources. Events Lake Michigan School Food System Launch Webinar: Building Connections and Celebrating Cultures and Communities in Your Project Design  The upcoming launch webinar is on Wednesday, February 14 at 2:00 p.m. EST (English) and 3:00 p.m. EST (Spanish). During this webinar we will share info about application logistics and answers to questions for the Innovation Hub’s grants. We’ll also share how to engage diverse communities and celebrate student cultures to demonstrate cultural responsiveness in your project design.  English Webinar Registration Spanish Webinar Registration  Register for the Webinar Michigan Family Farms Conference 2024  Michigan Food & Farming Systems (MIFFS) is convening their annual Michigan Family Farms Conference at Kalamazoo Valley Community College on March 9th. This event offers beginning, small-scale, and culturally diverse farmers a chance to network, learn, and build sustainable family farms. There will be several tracks of breakout sessions, including a special farm to school track for those interested in learning more about selling to schools!  Register for the Conference Grant and Award Opportunities Lake Michigan School Food Systems Innovation Hub  The Innovation Hub is administered by the Illinois Public Health Institute and the Michigan state lead is the MSU Center for Regional Food Systems. Applications will be opening February 2024.  Spark Awards will fund projects that can use a short-term infusion of funds for school food system and marketplace improvements. Awards will range from $10,000 – $75,000. Round 1 Project Timeline: August 1, 2024 – July 31, 2025.  Innovation Collaborative Awards will fund projects that promote systems-level change of the school food system and marketplace. Chosen projects will be awarded $250,000. Round 1 Project Timeline: August 1, 2024 – December 31, 2026.  Learn more about the Innovation Hub  Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition Awards The Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition Awards program offers awards to celebrate schools that have made significant improvements to the nutritional quality of their meals. Administered by Action for Healthy Kids, applications are reviewed on a rolling basis through June 30, 2025.  Learn more about the program and apply Additional Resources New! Amplifying Impact with More Michigan Farms and Foods: 10 Cents a Meal 2021-2022 Evaluation Results  We are pleased to share evaluation findings from the 2021-2022 10 Cents a Meal program, which showcases 10 Cents a Meal’s impact by examining the faceted influence on Michigan kids, farms, and food service programs. This resource can be used to better understand the 10 Cents a Meal program and is available to read as a full report or in separate summaries.  Read the Report  New! Who’s Feeding Our Kids: Adventures in Food Education  The newest 10 Cents a Meal success story by Amanda Brezzell of Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities is now live! The Who’s Feeding Our Kids series explores “people and organizations along the food system who are working to feed our kids, and support the 10 Cents a Meal Program." The latest story features FoodCorps Food Education Service Members.  Read the Story   Introduction to School Food Service Videos  In collaboration with the Michigan Local Food Council Network, the Michigan Farm to School team and the Michigan Department of Education created a series of presentations to introduce the basics of school food service and meal programs. These videos are ideal for anyone new to school food such as food policy council members, parents, teachers, students and more.   Watch the Series  Farm to ECE: How it's growing with Public Health  Farm to Early Care and Education programs align with essential public health services and promotes health equity by improving eating habits and supporting nutrient-dense diets.  Read the Article  About Michigan Farm to School Farm to School centers around efforts to serve local foods in school and early care and education settings. We share ideas, tools and resources to support a range of efforts, from school garden programming to farmer visits and field trips. Visit mifarmtoschool.msu.edu >> FOODSYSTEMS.MSU.EDU ‌ ‌ ‌ You are receiving this email because you are subscribed to the MIFARMTOSCHOOL listserv. Please note that if you unsubscribe from this mailing, you will be removed from the listserv.

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USDA Value Added Producer Grant Seminar

Hello,

 

The USDA Value-added Producer Grant might be a funding tool for growers expanding into Farm to School activities. If appropriate, please share this announcement in your communications, on your social media platforms, etc. Suggested text, social media post(with QR code) and flyer are attached/below for your reference. If you would prefer, you can share this flyer link, USDAVAPG2024 Seminar_.pdf, where the registration link embedded.

 

TEXT:

The MSU Product Center, in partnership with USDA Rural Development, will hold webinars on the USDA Value Added Producer Grant. These free sessions will be held on February 21^st. Register at:   https://events.anr.msu.edu/USDAVAPG2024/

 

 

Thanks,

Wendy

 

 

Wendy Wieland (she, her, hers)

MSU Product Center Innovation Counselor &

MSU Extension Community, Food and Environment Institute

Emmet County MSU Extension

3434 Harbor-Petoskey Road

Harbor Springs, MI 49740

Office: 231-439-8987

Cell: 231-881-6918

wieland5@msu.edu

 

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New Resource: Reviewing 10 Cents a Meal’s expanded impact on kids, farms, and food programs during the '21-'22 school year

An estimated 570k children served in 57 counties

Amplifying Impact with More Michigan Farms and Foods: 10 Cents a Meal 2021-2022 Evaluation Results The 10 Cents a Meal for Michigan’s Kids and Farms (10 Cents a Meal) program continues to reach more children in schools, districts, and childcare sites across Michigan, with the 2021-2022 school year serving the largest number of participating grantees yet. We are pleased to share evaluation findings from the 2021-2022 10 Cents a Meal program, which show that 10 Cents a Meal is making significant progress towards its two main goals to improve daily nutrition for children in school or childcare settings and to invest in the Michigan agriculture economy. During the 2021-2022 program, more children, farms and food business were reached than ever before. An estimated 570,504 K–12 schoolchildren and 15,696 children through early care and education sites could have benefited by the program. Additionally, grantees reported purchases from 222 different farms and food businesses. The full report, Amplifying Impact with More Michigan Farms and Food, showcases 10 Cents a Meal’s impact by examining the faceted impact on Michigan kids, farms, and food service programs. From “What foods were served through 10 Cents?” to “The Big Picture: Does 10 Cents Work?,” this report provides key indicators to determine future opportunities for growth. This resource can be used to better understand the 10 Cents a Meal program and its impact. For food program managers and current 10 Cents a Meal grantees, this resource can be helpful to learn about how 10 Cents a Meal is used by other participants. For advocates and policy makers, these findings illustrate the bigger picture through the potential impacts and reach of the program. Lastly, this report can be used by Michigan farmers and food businesses to learn more about selling to schools and other grantees through the identified market channels and top foods purchased and served. Amplifying Impact with More Michigan Farms and Foods: 10 Cents a Meal 2021-2022 Evaluation Results is available as a full report, as well as available as individual evaluation briefs. Explore and share this resource with your networks! foodsystems.msu.edu/resources/10-cents-a-meal-2021-2022-evaluation-results  For more information, contact: Megan McManus, Farm to School Specialist, mcmanu60@msu.edu   This evaluation work was conducted with support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and 10 Cents administrative funds for organizational partners. Please help us spread the word  Forward this message and share on social media. Please tag @MSUCRFS and @TenCentsMichigan on Facebook and @MSUCRFS and @10CentsMI on Twitter. Social Posts: The results are in! In 2021-2022, @TenCentsMichigan granted funds to 257 sites and served an estimate 570,000+ Michigan children across the state. Check out the full evaluation summary to understand the impact of this matching grant program! foodsystems.msu.edu/resources/10-cents-a-meal-2021-2022-evaluation-results  The 2021-2022 10 Cents a Meal for Michigan’s Kids & Farms program had the largest number of participating grantees yet! This program supports schools to buy and serve more Michigan-grown fruits, vegetables, and dry beans to children. Explore the whole report here: foodsystems.msu.edu/resources/10-cents-a-meal-2021-2022-evaluation-results  For information about the regional distribution of 2021-2022 grantees and grantees over time: 10 Cents a Meal 2021-2022 Grantees and Their Counties by MASA Regions  10 Cents a Meal Grantees Across All Years  About Michigan Farm to School Farm to School centers around efforts to serve local foods in school and early care and education settings. We share ideas, tools and resources to support a range of efforts, from school garden programming to farmer visits and field trips. Visit mifarmtoschool.msu.edu >> FOODSYSTEMS.MSU.EDU ‌ ‌ ‌ You are receiving this email because you are subscribed to the MIFARMTOSCHOOL listserv. Please note that if you unsubscribe from this mailing, you will be removed from the listserv.

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