To
support the development of community food projects designed to meet
the food needs of low-income people; increase the self- reliance
of communities in providing for their own needs; and promote comprehensive
responses to local food, farm, and nutrition issues.
TYPES
OF ASSISTANCE:
Project Grants. Place Cursor Here for Definition
USES
AND USE RESTRICTIONS:
Community
food projects are intended to take a comprehensive approach to developing
long-term solutions that help to ensure food security in communities
by linking the food sector to community development, economic opportunity,
and environmental enhancement. Comprehensive solutions may include
elements such as: (1) Improved access to high quality, affordable
food among low-income households; (2) support for local food systems,
from urban gardening to local farms that provide high quality fresh
food, ideally with minimal adverse environmental impact; and (3)
expanded economic opportunities for community residents through
local business or other economic development, improved employment
opportunities, job training, youth apprenticeship, school-to-work
transition, and the like. Any solution proposed must tie into community
food needs. Successful applicants must provide matching funds, either
in cash or in-kind amounting to at least 50 percent of the total
cost of the project during the term of the grant award.
ELIGIBILITY
REQUIREMENTS:
Applicant
Eligibility: Proposals may be submitted by private
nonprofit entities. Because projects must promote comprehensive
responses to local food, farm, and nutrition issues, applicants
are encouraged to seek and create partnership among public, private
nonprofit and private for-profit organizations or firms. To be further
eligible for a grant, a private nonprofit applicant must meet three
mandatory requirements: 1. Have experience in the area of: (a) community
food work, particularly concerning small and medium-sized farms,
including the provision of food to people in low-income communities
and the development of new markets in low-income communities for
agricultural producers; or (b) job training and business development
activities in low-income communities; 2. demonstrate competency
to implement a project, provide fiscal accountability and oversight,
collect data, and prepare reports and other appropriate documentation;
and 3. demonstrate a willingness to share information with researchers,
practitioners, and other interested parties.
Beneficiary
Eligibility: Low income people.
Credentials/Documentation:
Prior to the award of a grant, a prospective grantee organization
must furnish information about the organization upon request from
USDA. This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular
No. A-87.
Pre-application
Coordination: All proposal solicitations are
published in the Federal Register. This program is excluded from
coverage under OMB Circular No. A-102 and E.O. 12372.
Application
Procedure: Formal proposal submission to the
Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service in
accordance with the Community Food Projects program guidelines
which will be issued annually.
Award
Procedure: Proposals are reviewed and evaluated
by CSREES staff members with the assistance and advice of peer
panels of specialists who are uniquely qualified by training and
experience in their respective fields to render expert advice
on the merit of proposals being reviewed. Proposals are supported
in order of merit to the extent permitted by available funds.
Proposals recommended for funding as a result of the merit review
then undergo a financial and administrative review. Upon completion
of all reviews, a grant award is issued.
Deadlines:
All proposal submission deadlines are announced in the proposal
solicitation published in the Federal Register.
Range
of Approval/Disapproval Time: From 90 to 180
days.
Appeals:
None.
Renewals:
None.
ASSISTANCE
CONSIDERATIONS:
Formula
and Matching Requirements: There is a matching
requirement of 50 percent Federal and 50 percent nonfederal support
of the project during the term of the grant. The nonfederal share
may be provided through payment in cash or in-kind contributions
in the form of fairly evaluated facilities, equipment, or services.
The nonfederal share may be derived from State or local governments,
or from private sources.
Length
and Time Phasing of Assistance: From 1 to
3 years.
POST
ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Reports:
Quarterly financial reports, annual progress reports, and final
financial and final summary progress reports.
Audits:
In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A- 133 (Revised,
June 24, 1997), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Nonprofit
Organizations," nonfederal entities that expend financial assistance
of $300,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a
program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities
that expend less than $300,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt
from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted
in Circular No. A-133.
Records:
Grantees must maintain separate records for each grant to ensure
that funds are used for the purpose for which the grant was made.
All matching contributions must be verifiable in the grantee organization's
records. Records are subject to inspection during the life of
the grant and for 3 years thereafter.
FINANCIAL
INFORMATION:
Account
Identification: 12-3505-0-1-605.
Obligations:
(Grants) FY 01 $2,400,000; FY 02 est $2,400,000; and FY 03 est
$2,400,000.
Range
and Average of Financial Assistance: $10,000 to $250,000.
During 2001, 16 grants were awarded for projects designed to increase
food security in communities by bringing the whole food system together
to assess strengths, establish linkages, and create systems that
improve the self-reliance of community members over their food needs.
REGULATIONS,
GUIDELINES, AND LITERATURE:
As set forth in the program guidelines and any resulting grant award,
including 7 CFR Part 3015 (USDA Uniform Federal Assistance Regulations);
7 CFR Part 3017 (Government wide Debarment and Suspension-Nonprocurement,
and Government wide Requirements for Drug-Free Workplace-Grants);
7 CFR Part 3018 (New Restrictions on Lobbying); 7 CFR Part 3019
(Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and Agreements with
Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals and Other Nonprofit
Organizations); and 7 CFR Part 3052 (Audits of States, Local Governments,
and Nonprofit Organizations).
INFORMATION
CONTACTS:
Regional
or Local Office: None.
Headquarters
Office: Deputy Administrator, Competitive
Research Grants and Awards Management, Cooperative State Research,
Education, and Extension Service, Department of Agriculture, Washington,
DC 20250. Telephone: (202) 401-1761.
Web
Site Address: http://www.reeusda.gov
EXAMPLES
OF FUNDED PROJECTS:
Family Gardens and Neighborhood Markets-Three New Communities; Patchwork
Family Farms; Value-Added Processing for Community Food Security;
Native American Food Systems Project; Lowell Farming and Food Project.
CRITERIA
FOR SELECTING PROPOSALS:
1. The applicability and merit of the proposed project in regard
to its ability to: Meet the food needs of low-income people in the
proposed community for providing for its own food needs; and promote
comprehensive responses to local food, farm, and nutrition needs;
2. the capacity to become self-sustaining once Federal funding ends;
and 3. organizational and staff qualifications and experience; and
4. additional criteria will be considered relative to the extent
the proposed project contributes to: (a) developing linkages between
two or more sectors of the food system; (b) supporting the development
of entrepreneurial projects; (c) developing innovative linkages
between the for-profit and nonprofit food sectors; (d) encouraging
long-term planning activities and multi-system, interagency approaches;
and (e) incorporating linkages to one or more ongoing USDA themes
or initiatives referred to in the program guidelines and/or annual
proposal solicitation.
