fy2021-RFA-final-rev.pdf

7891413

Farm to School Grant Program

Fiscal Year 2021 Request for Applications

Catalog for Federal Domestic Assistance Number (CFDA): 10.575

Dates

Publication Date: October 16, 2020

Application Due Date: 11:59 PM, Eastern Standard Time (EST), January 8, 2021

Estimated Award Date: June 2021

OMB BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 0584-0512. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 60 hours per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information.

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Program Solicitation Information

Executive Summary The Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (NSLA) establishes a Farm to School Program in order to assist eligible entities, through grants and technical assistance, in implementing farm to school programs that improve access to local foods in eligible schools.

To fulfill the farm to school mandate in the NSLA, $5 million is provided to the Department of Agriculture (USDA) on an annual basis to support grants, technical assistance, and the Federal administrative costs related to USDA’s Farm to School Program. The USDA Farm to School Grant Program is housed within the Food and Nutrition Services’ (FNS) Office of Community Food Systems (OCFS). Additional funding for the Farm to School Grant Program was made available through agricultural appropriations and, as a result, up to $10 million will be awarded under this solicitation.

Designed to increase the availability of local foods in schools, these grants can help new farm to school programs get started or expand existing efforts. These grants are intended as one-time infusions of funds to help grantees accomplish farm to school objectives that will be sustained in the long term. Funds support a wide range of activities from training, planning, and developing partnerships, to creating new menu items, establishing supply chains, offering taste tests to children, purchasing equipment, planting school gardens, and organizing field trips to agricultural operations.

FNS will competitively award grants to eligible applicants for projects that meet the purpose of the grant program. In the FY 2020 application and award cycle, FNS received 204 eligible applications and funded 159 (78 percent) of the applications. To be competitive, applications must be complete, i.e., fully responsive, and of high quality.

As mandated by the NSLA, selected grant projects will be awarded no more than $100,000 each.

There are three funding tracks available for FY 2021: New Turnkey grants, Implementation grants, and State Agency grants. Each track, along with the related eligibility requirements, is described in more detail below. Please see Section 3.0 for additional eligibility information. State agencies that received a Farm to School Grant in any prior year are eligible to apply for the State Agency track in FY 2021, and State agencies with active farm to school projects may still apply to the State Agency grant track or applicable Turnkey track project. Eligible applicants who received an award in a fiscal year prior to 2018 are encouraged to propose projects that differ from previous awards to the same applicant organization. A 25 percent cash or in-kind funding match is required to receive a Farm to School Grant award and cannot be waived.

Please refer to the FY 2021 Highlights and Changes page in this RFA for more information regarding updates to this funding opportunity.

Webinar Information and FAQ USDA will conduct at least one webinar to review the RFA and address questions regarding the application process. A webinar is scheduled for Tuesday, November 10, 2020 at 2:30 p.m. ET.

Additional webinars will be scheduled as necessary to provide outreach and clarification to particular entities and priority areas. Notification of webinar details and call-in information will be

3 | P a g e communicated via the USDA Office of Community Food Systems (OCFS) Resources for Grant Applicants.

In addition, applicants can find a set of Frequently Asked Questions, summaries of previously awarded projects, and other important information online via the USDA OCFS website. We strongly encourage applicants to review the Frequently Asked Questions resource prior to preparing their application.

https://www.fns.usda.gov/cfs/resources-farm-school-grant-program-applicants https://www.fns.usda.gov/cfs

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FY 2021 Highlights and Changes

Below are highlights of major changes to the FY 2021 Farm to School Grant Program and RFA since the last fiscal year.

• FNS has moved from Planning, Implementation and State Agency grant tracks to the new Turnkey, Implementation, and State Agency tracks.

• While we have removed the specific Planning track from previous years, planning activities are now available through the Turnkey track. Applicants may include planning activities as elements of the Implementation and State Agency tracks. The Turnkey track streamlines the application requirements and process for FY 2021.

o Project requirements are pre-defined and limited to a specific set of key activities. The application features significantly fewer required proposal sections. Applicants are encouraged to apply for the Turnkey track if they want to implement their choice of four projects specified by FNS. Note that certain eligibility requirements still apply depending on entity type.

o The four projects available under the Turnkey track are Action Planning projects;

Agricultural Education Curriculum projects; Edible Garden projects; and Producer Training projects. Proposal templates are provided for each within the RFA.

o A budget narrative template is included in Appendix D of the RFA to assist applicants with completing the budget narrative section of their application.

• Funding is now available for smaller amounts than in previous years via the Turnkey track, as there are no minimum request amounts in the Turnkey track.

• Small- to medium-sized agricultural producers are now eligible for priority consideration.

• Institutions participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) and/or Summer

Food Service Program (SFSP) are now eligible for funding regardless of whether the program is located at a school-based site.

• Objectives for the State Agency and Implementation Grant tracks have been streamlined and the project narrative section of the RFA has been simplified to reflect that Implementation and State Agency applicants will submit their proposal narrative using the same structure.

• The Grantee Gathering first-year training meeting is now a required activity for all Implementation and State Agency grantees. Attendance is optional but encouraged for Turnkey grantees.

o If USDA hosts the Grantee Gathering as an in-person opportunity, the event will take place in the San Diego, CA area. The RFA contains information about how to budget for attendance at the Grantee Gathering.

• A suggested budget narrative template is now available in the RFA, located in Appendix D.

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Application Checklist

This application checklist provides a list of the required documents for a complete Farm to School Grant application; however, FNS expects that applicants will read and comply with the entire RFA prior to the submission of their application.

In order to apply, at least three weeks prior to submission, you must have:

Obtained a Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number;

Registered the DUNS number into the System for Award Management (SAM); and Registered in Grants.gov.

When preparing your application, ensure:

Your application format and narrative meet the requirements included in Section 4 “Application and Submission Information,” including page limits, priorities outlined in Section 1.4, and all necessary attachments.

If applicable, you complete the Optional Priority Group Declaration Checklist – include in project narrative (does not count towards page limit)

When preparing your budget, ensure the following information is included:

At least a 25 percent cash or in-kind match is provided with a detailed description of the source of those funds. All matching funds must comply with 2 CFR Part 200.306.

All key staff who will be paid by this grant.

The percentage of time the project director will devote to the project in full-time equivalents.

Your organization’s fringe benefit amount along with the basis for the computation.

The type of fringe benefits to be covered with Federal funds.

Itemized travel expenses (including type of travel), travel justifications, basis for lodging estimates, and estimates, including expenses to attend a grantee training meeting (the Grantee Gathering) hosted by USDA in the first year of the grant period. USDA may transition to a virtual meeting but encourages applicants to budget for an in-person opportunity in the San Diego, CA area.

Types of equipment and supplies to be purchased with grant funds, including justifications and estimates to ensure that the budget is in line with the project description.

If the sole purpose of equipment and/or supplies is not intended to be used to support Child Nutrition Programs, the applicant must determine what percentage of the good’s time or space will be dedicated to project activities.

Information for all contracts and justification for any sole-source contracts.

Justification, description and itemized list of all consultant services.

Indirect cost information (either a copy of a Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA) or if no agreement exists, the basis of the indirect costs requested). If none requested, please indicate this in the budget narrative.

When submitting your application, ensure you have accurately completed and submitted the following:

Farm to School Grant Program Application Cover Sheet (fillable PDF in Grants.gov) SF-424 – Application for Federal Assistance (fillable PDF in Grants.gov) https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=c5defe6d98d2be50955cbd6a74e19582&mc=true&node=se2.1.200_1306&rgn=div8

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SF-424A – Budget Information and Instruction Form (fillable PDF in Grants.gov) SF-424B – Assurances for Non-Construction Programs (fillable PDF in Grants.gov) FNS-906 – Grant Program Accounting System & Financial Capability Questionnaire (included at the end of the RFA) SF-LLL – Disclosure of Lobbying Activities.

Project Narrative (PDF – Upload using the “Add Attachments” button under SF-424 item #15) Signed Letters of Commitment from Partner Organizations (PDF or MS Word – Upload using the

“Add Attachments” button under SF-424 item #15) Signed Letters Verifying Matching Funds for EVERY cash and/or in kind resource (PDF or MS Word

- Upload using the “Add Attachments” button under SF-424) Staff Resumes for up to three key staff (PDF or MS Word - Upload using the “Add Attachments” button under SF-424 item #15)

When applicable, application packages are required to include the following documents:

AD-3030 – Representations Regarding Felony Conviction and Tax Delinquent Status for Corporate

Applicants (fillable PDF in Grants.gov).

AD-1047 – Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, and Other Responsibility Matters

Primary Covered Transactions AD-1048 – Certification Regarding Department, Suspension, Ineligibility and Voluntary Exclusion

Lower Tier Covered Transactions AD-1049 – Certification Regarding Drug-Free Workplace Requirements (Grants) Alternative I – For

Grantees Other Than Individuals AD-1050 – Certification Regarding Drug-Free Workplace Requirements (Grants) Alternative II – For

Grantees Who Are Individuals AD-1052 – Certification Regarding Drug-Free Workplace State and State Agencies, Federal Fiscal

Year Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (PDF - Upload using the “Add Attachments” button under SF-424 item #15) iInclude 501(c)(3) determination letter issued by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) (Upload using the “Add Attachments” button under SF-424 item #15) https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html https://www.ocio.usda.gov/document/ad-1047 https://www.ocio.usda.gov/document/ad-1048 https://www.ocio.usda.gov/document/ad-1049 https://www.ocio.usda.gov/document/ad-1050 https://www.ocio.usda.gov/document/ad-1052

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Table of Contents

Table of Contents Farm to School Grant Program

Fiscal Year 2021 Request for Applications Program Solicitation Information

Executive Summary Webinar Information and FAQ

FY 2021 Highlights and Changes Application Checklist Table of Contents

1.0 Program Description

1.1 Legislative Authority

1.2 Defining Local Foods

1.3 Grant Tracks

1.4 FY 2021 Funding Priorities

2.0 Federal Award Information

2.1 Type of Federal Assistance

2.2 Award Amounts and Period of Performance

2.3 Allowable Costs

2.4 Match Requirements and Cost Sharing

3.0 Eligibility Information

3.1 Turnkey Grant Eligibility

3.2 Implementation Grant Eligibility

3.3 State Agency Grant Eligibility

3.4 Additional Eligibility Requirements

3.5 Grantee Requirements

4.0 Application and Submission Information

4.1 Application Format

4.2 Turnkey Application Content: Project Narrative

4.3 Implementation Track and State Agency Track Application Content: Project Narrative

4.4. Application Content: Budget and Budget Narrative

4.5 Application Content: Attachments

4.6 Application Content: Required Grant Application Forms

4.7 Submitting an Application

5.0 Application Review Information

5.1 Initial Screening

5.2 Panel Review

5.3 Selection Process

5.4 Determination of Award Amounts

6.0 Accounting System & Financial Capability Questionnaire

7.0 Federal Award Administration Information

7.1 Federal Award Notice

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7.2 Non-selected Applicants

7.3 Reporting Requirements

7.4 Administrative and National Policy Requirements

8.0 Federal Awarding Agency Contacts

9.0 Other Information

9.1 What is Farm to School?

9.2 Moving Families Forward - Promoting Health and Economic Opportunity Through Farm to

School Appendix A: Urban/Rural Classification Instructions Appendix B: Allowable and Unallowable Costs Appendix C: Optional Priority Group Declaration Checklist Appendix D: Budget Narrative Template

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1.0 Program Description

1.1 Legislative Authority

The Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (NSLA) (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.) establishes a Farm to School Program in order to assist eligible entities, through grants and technical assistance, in implementing farm to school programs that improve access to local foods in eligible schools.

To fulfill the farm to school mandate in the NSLA, $5 million is provided to the USDA on an annual basis to support grants, technical assistance, and the Federal administrative costs related to USDA’s Farm to School Program. The USDA Farm to School Grant Program is housed within the FNS OCFS.

Additional funding for the Farm to School Program was made available through the FY 2018 through FY 2020 agricultural appropriations and, as a result, FNS expects to award approximately $10 million under this solicitation.

Authorizing language in the NSLA directed the Secretary of Agriculture to award competitive grants, designed to improve access to local foods in eligible schools, for activities such as:

• Training;

• Supporting operations;

• Planning;

• Purchasing equipment;

• Developing school gardens;

• Developing partnerships; and,

• Implementing farm to school programs.

The Secretary of Agriculture was also directed through the NSLA to ensure geographical diversity and equitable treatment of urban, rural, and tribal communities in the distribution of grant awards, as well as give the highest priority to funding projects that, as determined by the Secretary –

• Make local food products available on the menu of the eligible school;

• Serve a high proportion of children who are eligible for free or reduced price lunches;

• Incorporate experiential nutrition education activities in curriculum planning that encourage the participation of school children in farm and garden-based agricultural education activities;

• Demonstrate collaboration between eligible schools, nongovernmental and community-based organizations, agricultural producer groups, and other community partners;

• Include adequate and participatory evaluation plans;

• Demonstrate the potential for long-term program sustainability; and,

• Meet any other criteria that the Secretary determines appropriate.

In addition to legislatively mandated priorities, FY 2021 Farm to School Grant awards will offer priority scoring incentives to applications serving at least 40% of students who are eligible for free or reduced price meals; applications from Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs) and entities serving tribal communities; applications from agricultural producers and groups of agricultural producers; and projects located in or targeting Opportunity Zones. Specific information about FY 2021 funding priorities is available in Section 1.4 FY 2021 Funding Priorities.

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Authorizing language also states that as a condition of receiving a USDA Farm to School Grant, each recipient shall provide matching support in the form of cash or in- kind contributions, and agree to cooperate in an evaluation of the program carried out using grant funds. Please refer to Section 2.4 for a discussion of matching and in-kind requirements.

1.2 Defining Local Foods

USDA expects applicants to this RFA to have varying definitions of “local” that align with their particular needs and goals, as there is no Federal definition of “local.” Local and regional food systems are typically defined as areas where all activities associated with producing, processing, distributing, and marketing foods take place. How one defines “local” or “regional” – which are used interchangeably in this RFA – can depend on geographic, social, governmental, physical, or economic parameters, seasonality, and/or other factors. Local procurement options differ greatly across communities depending on district and school size, proximity to agricultural areas, growing season, and demographics.

1.3 Grant Tracks

Grant funds will be made available on a competitive basis, subject to availability of Federal funds, using three grant tracks: Farm to School Turnkey grants, Implementation grants, and State Agency grants. Applicant eligibility varies by grant track; for further clarification see Sections 3.0 through 3.3 of the RFA. The grant tracks are independently awarded and applicants may only submit one application. . Applicants should carefully read the entire RFA to determine which grant track is best for their situation before submitting an application.

1.3.1 Turnkey Grant

The Turnkey grant is a new opportunity available for all eligible applicants, intended to streamline and simplify the application process by requiring that all Grantees must engage in specific, prescribed activities needed to complete each Grant. FNS has identified the activities prescribed by the Turnkey grant as model programs that organizations can replicate with sufficient customization to meet the unique needs of their communities. To submit a Turnkey proposal, applicants must submit a proposal narrative summarizing the background and need and explaining how the applicant will complete specific activities required by FNS. A template for each Turnkey application narrative is contained in Section 4.2 of this RFA and will be provided online through the Resources for Grant Applicants webpage. Please note that all Turnkey applicants, except for State agencies, are required to submit school or site information using the Farm to School Coversheet. Turnkey applications that require school or site information but that do not include it on the coversheet will be removed from consideration.

Applicants applying to the Turnkey track agree to conduct specific activities defined by FNS.

Applicants interested in the Turnkey track may choose from one of four projects: (1) Farm to School Action Plan Development; (2) Agricultural Education Curriculum development and delivery; (3) Edible Garden projects; or (4) USDA Farm to School Producer Training. The required activities for each Turnkey proposal are listed below; when submitting a Turnkey application, applicants must commit to completing all of the required activities listed. Applicants are encouraged to utilize or follow the corresponding proposal narrative template provided in Section 4.2 Turnkey Application Content:

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Proposal Narrative, as failure to do so may significantly weaken the proposal. The pre-selected activities are already populated in the proposal narrative template to simplify the application process.

Additional activities added by the applicant will not be considered, and may weaken the applicant’s proposal.

Applicants may only apply to one Turnkey project, and applicants may not apply to more than one grant track in the same year. Turnkey applications prescribe specific activities and may not offer the best fit for every applicant; therefore, the Implementation or State Agency tracks may be a better fit for applicants with an interest in innovative, original proposals and/or proposals that cover a broad range of activities. More information about the Implementation and State Agency tracks is available in Section 1.4.2 below.

Please note that if awarded, grantees are required to report on progress towards completing the objectives and activities specified in their application using the FNS-908 Performance Progress Report form provided by FNS.

Required Activities: Farm to School Action Plan The Farm to School Action Plan project focuses on activities that will lay a solid foundation for launching or scaling farm to school work. Recipients of these grants must develop a comprehensive Farm to School Action Plan document, the submission of which is required at the end of the period of performance.

Please note that the activities below are required for all Action Planning Project grantees. Applicants must indicate in the proposal narrative that they will conduct all of the following activities and provide a brief explanation of how they will conduct the activities, responsible parties, and the proposed timeline. Applicants are encouraged to use the proposal narrative template provided in Section 4.2.1 Action Planning Project Narrative Template, where all activities are pre-populated for the applicant. Failure to respond to one or more of the below activities may result in a reduced score during review.

• Identify and regularly convene the farm to school planning team.

• Identify at least one gap or need in the community that the project will address.

• Establish a vision and goals.

• Define “local.”

• Identify and include both local procurement and agricultural education activities in the plan.

• Identify any State and/or local health requirements with which the participating organizations must comply.

• Determine how local foods will be incorporated at the eligible school(s).

• Determine how delivery, processing, and storage of local foods will take place.

• Determine how project partners will promote the farm to school program.

• Identify diverse funding to ensure the project’s sustainability.

• Develop an evaluation plan.

More information on submitting a proposal is available in section 4.0 Application and Submission Information. Please note that Action Planning project grantees are NOT expected to fully realize a

12 | P a g e comprehensive farm to school program by the end of the grant period, but rather are expected to have a plan in place for how to implement farm to school activities after the conclusion of the grant period.

Required Activities: Agricultural Education Curriculum Development and Delivery The Agricultural Education Curriculum Development and Delivery project focuses on connecting students with their food and/or preparing them for careers in agriculture through thoughtful and relevant agricultural education. The below activities are required for applicants to the Agricultural Education Curriculum Development and Delivery project. Applicants must indicate in the proposal narrative that they will conduct all of the following activities and provide a brief explanation of how they will conduct the activities, responsible parties, and the proposed timeline. Applicants are encouraged to use the proposal narrative template provided in Section 4.2.2 Agricultural Education Curriculum Project Narrative Template, where all activities are pre-populated for the applicant.

Failure to respond to one or more of the below activities may result in a reduced score during review.

• Establish a curriculum planning team.

• Establish a vision, goals, and objectives for the curriculum.

• Determine the desired outcomes and competencies to be achieved from the curriculum.

• Identify state standards connected to the curriculum.

• Identify the student population who will participate in the curriculum.

• Develop or procure the curriculum.

• Determine how the agricultural education curriculum will be integrated into participating schools.

• Incorporate the agricultural education curriculum into school activities.

• Identify strategies for ensuring the curriculum remains integrated with school/district activities beyond the period of performance.

• Conduct an evaluation of the project.

More information on submitting a proposal is available in Section 4.0 Application and Submission Information.

Required Activities: Edible Garden Project The Edible Garden Project focuses on developing food-producing gardens based at schools and/or CACFP/SFSP sites. Please note, for the purposes of this opportunity, “Edible Garden” includes any food production operation based at an eligible school, including gardens, farms, aquaponics, livestock, etc. The below activities are required for applicants to the Turnkey grant for Edible Garden Projects. Applicants must indicate in the proposal narrative that they will conduct all of the following activities and provide a brief explanation of how they will conduct the activities, responsible parties, and the proposed timeline. Applicants are encouraged to use the proposal narrative template provided in Section 4.2.3 Edible Garden Project Narrative Template, where all activities are pre-populated for the applicant. Failure to respond to one or more of the below activities may result in a reduced score during review.

• Establish an edible garden planning committee.

• Establish a vision, goals, and objectives for the edible garden project.

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• Identify and comply with any applicable Federal, State, and/or local regulations.

• Develop a garden food safety plan.

• Determine how processing, storage, and ultimate use of school garden foods will take place.

• Procure supplies for installing the edible garden(s).

• Install the edible garden(s).

• Develop a sustainability plan that identifies how activities will continue beyond the grant period of performance.

• Conduct an evaluation of the project.

More information on submitting a proposal is available in Section 4.0 Application and Submission Information.

Required Activities: Producer Training The Producer Training project funds State agencies interested in developing the farm to school market for agricultural producers through training and technical assistance, using the Bringing the Farm to School: Agricultural Producers Training curriculum provided by USDA. Please note that all applicants who agree to host a Bringing the Farm to School: Agricultural Producers Training must attend a Regional Train the Trainer Workshop; however, applicants are not required to use Farm to School Grant Funds to pay for attendance at the Regional Train the Trainer Workshop. If an applicant agrees to use Farm to School Grant funds to pay for attendance to the Regional Workshop, the applicant is then required to host its own Bringing the Farm to School: Agricultural Producers Training.

All State agencies are eligible for this project, but State agencies that do not administer Child Nutrition Programs (CNPs) must include a letter of commitment from the CNP-administering agency.

No other entity type is eligible for this project. The below activities are required for applicants to the Producer Training project. Applicants must indicate in the proposal narrative that they will conduct all of the following activities and provide a brief explanation of how they will conduct the activities, responsible parties, and the proposed timeline. Applicants are encouraged to use the proposal narrative template provided in Section 4.2.4 Producer Training Project Narrative Template, where all activities are pre-populated for the applicant. Failure to respond to one or more of the below activities may result in a reduced score during review.

• Assemble a training team.

• Attend the Regional Train-the-Trainer workshop hosted in your FNS Region.

• Schedule a date to host your own Bringing the Farm to School: Agricultural Producers’

Training.

• Identify and reserve a location for the Bringing the Farm to School: Agricultural Producers’

Training.

• Promote the Bringing the Farm to School: Agricultural Producers’ Training opportunity in your

State using the outreach and marketing guide provided by FNS.

• Host at least one Bringing the Farm to School: Agricultural Producers’ Training using the curriculum materials provided by FNS.

• Conduct an evaluation of your training according to the requirements in the USDA curriculum and using the survey tools provided.

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More information on submitting a proposal is available in Section 4.0 Application and Submission Information. Please note that State agencies are not eligible for any other Turnkey project.

1.3.2 Implementation and State Agency Tracks

The Implementation and State Agency tracks return from the FY 2020 Farm to School Grant Program opportunity. These tracks provide an opportunity for applicants to propose projects that support innovative, original ideas, and/or encompass a broader scope than the discrete, pre-designed activities prescribed under the Turnkey track.

Please note that if awarded, grantees are required to report on progress towards completing the objectives and activities specified in their application using the FNS-908, Performance Progress Report form provided by FNS.

Required Objective and Activities OCFS seeks proposals that align with the USDA Farm to School Grant Program goals as described in Section I.0: Legislative Authority. Grant activities must support the following objective:

• Objective: Improve access to local foods in eligible schools through comprehensive farm to school programming that includes local procurement and agricultural education efforts.

If an applicant chooses to apply through the Implementation or State Agency track, the proposed activities must support the above objective. Applicants to Implementation or State Agency grants must therefore clearly indicate in their proposal narrative how proposed activities align with the required objective. More information is available in Section 4.3 Implementation and State Agency Application Content: Project Narrative.

Required Activities Please note that the activity below is required for all Implementation and State Agency grantees. The below activity must be clearly indicated in the “Project Work Plan Narrative” and “Project Work Plan Table” sections of the proposal narrative. Failure to indicate the below activity may result in a reduced score during review.

• Attend a mandatory grantee training meeting hosted by USDA in the first year of the grant period.

Implementation Grants Applicants to the Implementation track may propose any combination of activities that align with the required Farm to School Grant Program objective stated above. Examples of activities supported by Implementation grants include, but are not limited to:

• Conducting a regional farm to school institute;

• Bringing more unprocessed and value-added, minimally processed, regionally-sourced meal components into the cafeteria;

• Expanding farm to school programs beyond lunch to bring local products into the School

Breakfast Program, SFSP, or CACFP;

• Operating service projects that support farm to school initiatives in eligible schools;

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• Readying producers to participate in the school food market by providing training on procurement regulations, Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and other food safety-related topics;

• Improving infrastructure to accommodate new local ingredients or local menu items;

• Providing technical support in the form of face-to-face trainings, consultations, webinars, etc.;

• Developing promotional campaigns in support of farm to school initiatives;

• Solving distribution bottlenecks that limit the feasibility of sourcing more regionally produced items by working closely with distributors or serving as a broker to develop business relationships between farmer(s), schools, and aggregation entities such as food hubs or food distributors;

• Encouraging increased consumption of fruits and vegetables through promotional activities, taste tests, and other activities featuring local products;

• Expanding experiential learning opportunities, such as creation of school gardens, developing school-based farmers markets, providing support to ag/food clubs, and/or increasing exposure to local farms and on-farm activities; and,

• Developing and implementing integrated curriculum to reinforce food and nutrition-based learning throughout the school environment or on a local farm(s).

Please note that applicants interested in a limited project to conduct Action Planning, Agricultural Education Curriculum, or Edible Garden projects are recommended to apply using the Turnkey track.

State Agency Grants State Agency grants are intended to increase the amount of local food served in eligible facilities participating in CNPs by funding State agencies to support and grow farm to CNP efforts in their States. Eligible State agencies include any State-level agency working to promote farm to CNP activities in facilities participating in CNPs, such as State Departments of Education, Health, or Agriculture. The State agency does not need to administer the Child Nutrition Programs in order to be eligible for this track; however, the State agency applicant must include a letter of commitment from the relevant CNP-administering State agency. Eligible State agencies are not eligible for the Implementation track.

Eligible State agencies applying to the State Agency track may design any project or program that aims to make local food products available on the menu of the eligible CNP facility and incorporate experiential nutrition education activities that encourage the participation of children in farm and garden-based agricultural education activities. Please note that awarded State agencies are required to report data indicating progress towards completing their proposed activities. Applicants are encouraged to design projects that can be sustained after the end of the grant period.

In the Proposal Narrative, applicants must identify the required objective from Section 1.3.2 in the Project Work Plan Narrative section. Activities and indicators are required; however, applicants are encouraged to be creative and may include other activities not listed below as long as proposed activities align with the required objective. Please note that failure to identify the required objective may result in a reduced score during review.

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Activities supported by State Agency grants may include, but are not limited to:

• Supporting a regional farm to school institute;

• Hosting a Bringing the Farm to School: Agricultural Producer Training as one component of a project containing other activities aligned with the required objective;

• Hiring staff to support statewide farm to school, farm to summer, and/or farm to CACFP efforts;

• Building, expanding, and/or regularly convening a network of key partners;

• Developing or enhancing State-level farm to school, farm to summer, and/or farm to CACFP strategic and/or evaluation plans;

• Offering training and technical assistance to Child Nutrition Program operators on local procurement, school gardens, or agricultural education strategies;

• Developing a statewide marketing campaign or recognition program(s);

• Developing, implementing, or enhancing local procurement, garden, and/or agricultural education tracking systems;

• Facilitate peer-to-peer learning among program operators or with other States or agencies to improve program efficiency and learn best practices;

• Supporting the expansion, tracking, and marketing of local foods to School Food Authorities

(SFAs) through USDA Foods and USDA DOD Fresh programs;

• Hosting State or regional farm to Child Nutrition Program gatherings or buyer-grower meetings;

• Developing State-level curriculum, toolkits, templates, and resources featuring local foods, gardens, and/or agricultural-education;

• Administering sub-grants to Child Nutrition Program operators within the State to initiate or enhance their Farm to School, Farm to Summer, or Farm to CACFP programs.1

1.4 FY 2021 Funding Priorities

In addition to the general program purpose and priorities outlined in Section 1.1 above, USDA emphasizes the following priorities for FY 2021:

• Applications that serve a high proportion of children (at least 40 percent or more) who are eligible for free or reduced price meals.

• Applications from Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs) and entities serving tribal communities.

• Applications from small- to medium-sized agricultural producers or groups of small- to medium-sized agricultural producers. Please refer to the specific eligibility criteria in Section 3.0 for the definition of an eligible small- to medium-sized agricultural producer.

• Projects located in or targeting Opportunity Zones, as defined by 26 USC Subtitle A, CHAPTER 1, Subchapter Z: Opportunity Zones and identified in IRS Notice 2018-48, 2018–28 Internal Revenue Bulletin 9, July 9, 2018, and IRS Notice 2019-42, 2019–29 Internal Revenue Bulletin, July 15, 2019.

o In order to qualify for Opportunity Zone consideration, the proposed project must target at least one school or school district that contains part or all of at least one Opportunity Zone. Applicants can check a list of Opportunity Zones at https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-irbs/irb18-28.pdf. Applicants claiming the Opportunity Zone priority must provide the

1 Recipients of sub-grants in the State Agency track may be any eligible entity for the FY 2021 Farm to School Grant.

https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/opportunity-zones-frequently-asked-questions https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title26/subtitleA/chapter1/subchapterZ&edition=prelim https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title26/subtitleA/chapter1/subchapterZ&edition=prelim https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-irbs/irb18-28.pdf https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-irbs/irb18-28.pdf https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-irbs/irb19-29.pdf https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-irbs/irb18-28.pdf https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-irbs/irb18-28.pdf

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In selecting successful applicants, USDA, to the maximum extent practicable, will seek to ensure geographical diversity and equitable treatment of urban, rural, and tribal communities.

If an applicant’s project reaches one or more priority groups as outlined above and the applicant would like to be considered for an additional 10 bonus priority points to be added to the scoring of their application, please fill out the checklist included in Appendix D of this RFA, entitled “Fiscal Year 2021 Priority Group Declaration Checklist” and include the completed statement with the Project Narrative. The Priority Group Declaration Checklist does not count towards the narrative page limit.

Applicants that do not complete the Priority Group Declaration Checklist will not be eligible for consideration of these bonus points. If USDA is unable to verify information declared on the Priority Group Declaration Checklist, the applicant will not be eligible to receive bonus points.

2.0 Federal Award Information

2.1 Type of Federal Assistance

Funding of applications will be provided through the letter of credit process, upon receipt of a properly executed grant agreement and subject to the availability of funding. USDA expects to make funds available to the grantee in advance of need. The submission of an application does not guarantee funding. FNS may announce awards at different times.

2.2 Award Amounts and Period of Performance

Turnkey grant awards will range up to $50,000 for Action Planning, Edible Garden, and Agricultural Education Curriculum projects, with no minimum award amount. Turnkey grant awards will range up to $25,000 for the Producer Training project, available to State agencies only, with no minimum award amount. Implementation and State Agency grants will range from $50,000 - $100,000. While USDA sets specific Federal award amounts for each grant track, please note that the total project costs (comprised of the Federal award and the non-USDA match portion) may exceed these amounts.

Applicants should anticipate grant requirements including start-up activities, execution, and closeout activities (final financial and program reports, accounting, etc.). Applicants are expected to plan accordingly to achieve project deliverables within award period.

Please note that periods of performance and award amounts vary by grant track. The period of performance for the FY 2021 USDA Farm to School Grant Program will be as follows, beginning from the date of the award:

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Grant Track Award Period Eligible Entities Award Amounts

Turnkey Grant (Action Planning and Edible Garden projects ONLY)

12 months Schools or institutions that participate in CACFP, SFSP, NSLP, and/or the National School Breakfast Program; local agencies; ITOs; agricultural producers; and non-profit entities

Up to $50,000

Turnkey Grant (Agricultural Education Curriculum project ONLY)

12 or 24 months Schools or institutions that participate in CACFP, SFSP, NSLP, and/or the National School Breakfast Program; local agencies; ITOs; agricultural producers; and non-profit entities

Up to $50,000

Turnkey grant (Producer Training project ONLY)

12 or 24 months State agencies (Departments of Education, Agriculture, Health, etc.)

Up to $25,000

Implementation grants 12 or 24 months Schools or institutions that participate in CACFP, SFSP, NSLP, and/or the National School Breakfast Program; local agencies; ITOs; agricultural producers; and non-profit entities

$50,000 - $100,000

State Agency grants 12 or 24 months State agencies (Departments of Education, Agriculture, Health, etc.)

$50,000 - $100,000

Applicants may not choose any grant period other than 12 months or 24 months. All grant funds must be obligated, and all program activities under the grant (other than activities relating to the closeout of the grant) must be completed by the end of the award period. The closeout of the grant must occur no later than 90 days following the end of the award period, and all obligations incurred under the grant must be liquidated by this date. Any funds that are not used within 90 days following the end of the award period must be returned to USDA. In addition, final reports are due to USDA no later than 90 days following the end of the award period. For Action Planning Turnkey grantees, the Farm to School Action Plan is due no later than 90 days following the end of the award period.

2.3 Allowable Costs

Among other costs, budgets may include expenses related to personnel, contractors, equipment and supplies, meeting expenses, travel, and trainings. Please see Appendix B for more information about allowable costs. Allowable costs and other financial requirements will be provided in the Terms and Conditions of the grant award materials, if an applicant is awarded a grant.

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Equipment and Supplies: Expenditures for both equipment (i.e., items of personal property having a useful life of more than one year and a cost of $5,000 or more such as walk-in freezers, coolers, processing equipment, hoop houses, and ovens) and supplies (e.g., knives, cutting boards, gardening or farming supplies, and food processors) are allowable expenses. Salad bars are also an allowable expense.

Equipment and supplies purchased using Farm to School Grant Program funds must be used during the grant period for the sole purpose of accomplishing the stated project objective. If purchased equipment or supplies are not fully dedicated to the grant project objective, including beyond the grant period end date, the applicant must determine what percentage of the good’s time or space will be dedicated to project activities. This percentage must then be applied to the value of the good in order to determine the amount of Federal funds that can be used to purchase said good.

For example:

• Purchase large walk-in freezer that will store local foods for Child Nutrition Program but will also store food for the community food pantry.

• Walk-in Freezer total cost: $8,000

• 25% of freezer space used to store food that will be served in the Child Nutrition Programs

• $8,000 x 25% = $2,000 (amount of Federal funds that can used to make this purchase)

Food Expenses: No more than 10 percent of the federal share of grant funds may be used for food purchases, and the use must be clearly delineated in the grant budget. The ultimate goal of funded projects should be to make local food products available on menus long-term; therefore, purchasing local products should not be a primary use of grant funds. Food purchases should be limited to educational purposes only, such as: farm to school sample tables, taste tests, or promotional use.

Food costs related to conducting a test run of a new local or regional product are also deemed an appropriate use of funds. Any food purchase, as well as any expenditures associated with food purchases, must be clearly identified within the submitted budget narrative.

Partnerships: Partners essential to the proposed project that may require funding from USDA to participate in the proposed project can be included in applicant budgets as sub-grantees or line item contractors. Please be sure to describe the specific services provided and provide a rationale for the partner(s)’ services in both the Project Narrative and Budget Narrative. Please see the Section 4.2 Project Narrative for more information.

2.4 Match Requirements and Cost Sharing

For all grant types, Federal funds should constitute no more than 75 percent of the total project budget. Applicants may not use any federal funds as the source of any part of their match. The grant recipient must show evidence of matching support of at least 25 percent of the total budget in the form of cash or in-kind contributions, including facilities, equipment, or services provided by State and local governments, non-profit organizations, and private sources as defined in The Richard B.

Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.).

Federal Funds (no more than 75% of total) + Match funds (No less than 25% of total) = Project total

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In-kind contributions are generally defined as the value of goods or services provided by a third-party for the benefit of the grant program, where no funds transferred hands. Applicants may not use Federal funds of any kind, including Federal food service funds, as a match for this grant program. The host agency contribution for AmeriCorps service members, including FoodCorps service members, is unallowable as a match because both AmeriCorps and FoodCorps are federally funded programs. The match contributions reflected in the submitted grant proposal must be documented, including the basis for the value determination, as well as be reasonable, allocable, and allowable under the criteria for this grant award.

Matching funds may be in the form of allowable direct or indirect costs. For example, the value of buildings and/or property are unallowable costs for the Farm to School Grant, and therefore unallowable as a source of matching funds. Additional information about allowable and unallowable costs is available in Appendix C. The basis for determining the value of cash and in-kind contributions must be in accordance with 2 CFR 200.306. A sample match calculation can be found in Section 4.3.1.

All applicants are required to submit signed match letters verifying matching funds for each cash and/or in kind resource. Match letters are considered separate from letters of commitment described in Sections 3.1 and 4.5, and match letters are not subject to the three document limit that applies to letters of commitment. An applicant must include a signed letter verifying matching funds for every cash and/or in-kind resource included in the budget.

The grantee must maintain written records to support all allowable costs, which are claimed as being its contribution to participation, as well as costs paid by the Federal Government. In the event the grantee does not provide the minimum amount of cost share, as described in the budget, the Government’s contribution will be reduced in proportion to the grantee’s contribution. These requirements will be described in more detail in the Terms and Conditions provided upon award.

3.0 Eligibility Information

The following eligible entities, which are described in more detail below:

• Institutions, including schools, school districts, and non-school based sites, that operate the

National School Lunch and/or Breakfast Program(s), CACFP, and/or SFSP. On the coversheet, any applicant to whom this definition applies should select “Eligible school” for entity type;

• State agencies;

• Local agencies;

• Indian tribal organizations;

• Agricultural producers or groups of agricultural producers; and

• Non-profit entities.

Entity type must be clearly indicated and unambiguous in all application materials.