Pre-Launch Webinar 1/24: Lake MI School Food Systems Innovation Hub

Hi all,

I'm sharing details about the upcoming pre-launch webinar for the Lake Michigan School Food System Innovation Hub this Wednesday, January 24th at 11:00 am EST. In case you missed it in our Farm to School Newsletter, this webinar will be an opportunity to come together and learn more about the Innovation Hub grants. There will be webinars in both English and Spanish available!

Registration info: bit.ly/InnovatePrelaunch

The Innovation Hub's grant program provides USDA funding and other support to collectives of farmers, food producers, school food authorities and others working to improve school meals in IL, MI, WI and IN. Grants range from $10K-$250K and applications open February 1st. This new grant-making initiative, funded by the USDA and convened by the Illinois Public Health Institute, will support ideas, both large and small, that contribute to a more local, nourishing and culturally relevant school food system. Learn more at: innovateschoolfood.org

Hope to see you there!

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/​

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FoodCorps application for '24-'25 is open - please spread the word!

Hello!

FoodCorps partners with schools and communities to nourish kids' health, education, and sense of belonging. Please spread the word about recruitment for our next cohort (Aug '24-July '25) of AmeriCorps Service Members.

Each year, we have Public Health AmeriCorps Service Members partner with K-12 schools for a full school year teaching kids to grow, cook, and love the nourishing foods that celebrate their cultures and communities—and help schools serve more of those foods, too. FoodCorps recruits talented leaders into full-time, paid public service, where they grow healthy school food environments in diverse communities through hands-on, experiential food education. 

Most of the time is spent teaching in the classroom and garden, but there are opportunities to work with food service directors to support districtwide food systems change (local procurement, scratch cooking, culturally responsive meals) as well. 

We have sites in Michigan (Detroit, Petoskey, Flint, and near Alpena) and throughout the country. Service Members enter their time with FoodCorps from a variety of fields and often use this opportunity as a launching point for a career in food systems, public health, law, nutrition, agriculture, policy/advocacy, and education. Our applications are open through March 29, 2024 for next year's cohort (August '24-July '25). 

Benefits of service in Michigan include a $33,000 stipend paid bi-weekly (this is a full-time, 11 month commitment), a $7,395 Segal Education Award upon successful completion of service, health, dental and vision insurance, as well as student loan forbearance. Please see the attached flyer with more details. 

Here is the link with more details and to apply: https://foodcorps.org/apply/. 

Questions can be directed to erin.wenk@foodcorps.org.

Feel free to share posts on Instagram or Facebook!

Referral Program: 

We ALSO have a referral program where if you refer someone to apply, and they serve for at least 90 days, you will receive a $250 as a thank you (you can expect this gift typically in Nov-Dec 2024). Please make sure to let anyone know who you are referring to include your name and contact information on the application to be eligible for the referral thank you!

Thank you in advance for your help! 

--

Seema Jolly | she/her/hers

FoodCorps | Impact & Partnerships Lead, Michigan

(269) 352-6224 (cell)

foodcorps.org | @foodcorps

MIFARMTOSCHOOL is a listserv that links farm-to-school stakeholders and practitioners in Michigan, from school food service directors and school administrators to growers and distributors. Content posted to MIFARMTOSCHOOL does not necessarily reflect the views of Michigan State University or the Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems.

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Lake Michigan School Food System Innovation Hub Launches in Michigan to Fuel Change for Our Region’s School Food System

Application opens on February 1; interested grant applicants can now register for launch event

Lake Michigan School Food System Innovation Hub Launches in Michigan to Fuel Change for Our Region’s School Food System Application opens on February 1; interested grant applicants can now register for launch event Photo Credit: Sarah Rypma East Lansing, MI, Jan. 10, 2024 — Lake Michigan School Food System Innovation Hub announced today that it will open funding opportunities for collaborations of local food system leaders who want to ensure that school meals better reflect our region’s harvests and cultural diversity. This is particularly important as over 843,000 kids in Michigan eat school lunch every day according to the State of Childhood Obesity. Grant applications open on Feb. 1, 2024. A few days earlier, on Jan. 24, the Hub will host a kick-off introductory webinar.      Funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and convened by the Illinois Public Health Institute (IPHI), this new initiative offers grants up to $250,000 to build pathways for local and nutritious food to reach more schools across Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and Indiana — especially in areas that don’t have equitable access to resources. The Innovation Hub seeks applicants who have ideas to strengthen our local school food system and want to join collaborative teams to bring those ideas to life.   “We’re looking forward to seeing the Innovation Hub bring people across Michigan together — from farmers and food suppliers to community-based program leaders to school food service directors and 10 Cents a Meal grantees — to help children's school meal be more local, culturally, relevant, nutritious, and loved,” said Megan McManus, Farm to Institution Specialist, Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems, a state lead for the Innovation Hub. “These grants can help address historical inequities in our school food system by providing opportunities to better serve our communities’ unique needs.”   Grants from $10,000 to $250,000 are available to teams that may include farmers, food suppliers, food service directors, community-based program leaders and more. The Innovation Hub will invest in community-driven ideas of all sizes and scopes — from hyper-local projects to multistate collaborations — as long as projects direct more resources to students, schools and local economies. The Innovation Hub will prioritize investments in communities that have experienced racism and discrimination and/or communities that have been underserved. This includes Black or African American, American Indian/Alaskan Native, Hispanic or Latine, Asian or Pacific Islander, or other people of color; people who live in rural areas; and people with limited incomes. More information about eligible applicants can be found at innovateschoolfood.org/what-we-fund.  “I brought my experience as a small farmer to the creation of the Innovation Hub applications, and I’m thrilled to see this initiative come to life,” said Angie Kuehl, Pomona, IL. “It is critical for students that we celebrate our cultures at home and at school, and I believe the community will come together with new, innovative ideas to provide more comfort and nourishment to school meals. We look forward to strengthening old relationships and building new ones as funding becomes available to address racism, discrimination and historically underserved communities.”   “IPHI is thrilled to have the opportunity to work with partners in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin to fund innovative school meal projects across the region,” said Elissa Bassler, CEO of the IPHI. “Communities are the best designers of innovative projects that will help students get the nourishing meals they need to thrive. We can’t wait to see — and support — innovations that will transform the school food system and address historical inequities in ways that better serve Midwest communities.”   The Innovation Hub is hosting a kick-off introductory webinar to provide interested participants with an overview of the grant opportunity and website, and it will get applicants connected to grant application support. The webinar will be held on Jan. 24, 2024, at 10 a.m. CST / 11 a.m. EST. Registration is now open at this link (in English) or this link (in Spanish). Additionally, a representative from MSU Center for Regional Food Systems is available to help guide prospective grantees from idea to application submission.    “Schools meals are vital to the health and well-being of our nation’s children, providing critical nutrition to tens of millions of students every school day,” said Cindy Long, administrator of USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service. “The Innovation Hub is a prime example of USDA’s deep commitment to ensuring schools have all the support and tools they need to continue to rise to that task. We are excited to fund innovative ideas that will strengthen the local food supply chain and help ensure students throughout the Midwest have better access to nutritious and appealing foods.”   For more information, contact Megan McManus, MSU Center for Regional Food Systems at mcmanu60@msu.edu or visit InnovateSchoolFood.org. Register for the introductory webinar at this link (in English) or this link (in Spanish). About the Lake Michigan School Food System Innovation Hub   Lake Michigan School Food System Innovation Hub nurtures community-driven collaborations that reimagine students’ meals. By working together, we’re building pathways for local, nutritious and culturally relevant food to reach more schools across Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and Indiana — especially in areas that don’t have equitable access to resources. We offer funding, training and other help to collectives of schools, school districts, organizations, farmers, producers, suppliers and distributors who are transforming our school food system to better serve our communities. We are funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and convened by the Illinois Public Health Institute. Organizations leading the initiative include Seven Generations Ahead (Illinois), Michigan State University’s Center for Regional Food Systems (Michigan), NWI Food Council (Indiana), Kids Forward (Wisconsin), healthTIDE (Wisconsin), National Farm to School Network, Chicago Food Policy Action Council and Action for Healthy Kids. InnovateSchoolFood.org   About Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems The Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems (CRFS) unites the knowledge of diverse food systems stakeholders with that of MSU faculty and staff to advance regionally-rooted food systems through applied research, education, and outreach. Our work fosters a thriving economy, equity, and sustainability for Michigan, the nation, and the planet by increasing understanding of and engagement with systems that produce food that is healthy, green, fair, and affordable. foodsystems.msu.edu 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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Upcoming Farm to School Opportunities!

Learn more about PLANTS, SCALES, Spark Awards, and more

We’re excited to begin the new year by sharing several farm to school opportunities! Nationally, the USDA Healthy Meals Incentives for Schools has several School Food System Transformation Challenge Sub-Grants opportunities available/coming soon! Partnerships for Local Agriculture & Nutrition Transformation in Schools (PLANTS)  PLANTS is administered by the Chef Ann Foundation and the deadline to apply is January 22, 2024.  Grant funding will go towards projects led by groups of 3-5 local partners within 250 miles of the lead partner. One of the partners must be a school food authority (SFA).  8 projects will be awarded grants between $500,000 and $600,000. Match funding is not required.  Learn more about PLANTS Supporting Community Agriculture & Local Education Systems (SCALES)  SCALES is administered by Boise State University and the deadline to apply is January 26, 2024.  Grant funding is only eligible to rural SFAs.  Up to 70 grants will be awarded through 2 cohorts of 35 awardees.   Grants will last for two years and provide up to $150,000 for each SFA to engage in projects to increase local procurement.  Learn more about SCALES 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. Projects will be awarded $250,000. Round 1 Project Timeline: August 1, 2024 – December 31, 2026.  Save the date! The first pre-launch webinar is on Wednesday, January 24 at 11:00 to 11:45 a.m. EST (English) and 12:00 p.m. CST (Spanish). During this webinar we will come together to learn more about the Innovation Hub and meet your state leads.  English Language Registration Spanish Language Registration Learn more about the Innovation Hub Please note that for all of the opportunities above, once a school food authority (SFA) is the lead applicant on one grant (ex. PLANTS), they cannot receive funding as the lead applicant through another (ex. SCALES). They can however be a supporting partner or secondary applicant on another grant project. Schools cannot receive two funding sources for the same project.  Additional Resources 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.   The application deadline for the USDA Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant Program is approaching! This competitive grant program supports “planning, developing and implementing farm to school programs”. Make sure you submit applications by Friday, January 12, 2024!  The 2023 USDA Farm to School Census is open! All public, charter, and private school food authorities (SFAs) that participate in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) in Michigan should have received an email earlier this month with a link to the Census and instructions (from Farm2SchoolCensus@dir-online.com). All SFAs are encouraged to participate, whether or not you participate in farm to school activities. Please complete this national survey to be sure that Michigan is well represented!   New resource! 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 at https://www.canr.msu.edu/resources/school-food-basics-series-for-mlfcn.  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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