508Compliant_Farm-to-School_FY20_RFA_Final (003).pdf

7891413

Farm to School Grant Program

Fiscal Year 2020 Request for Applications

Catalog for Federal Domestic Assistance Number (CFDA): 10.575

Dates:

Publication Date: October 8, 2019

Application Due Date: 11:59 PM, Eastern Standard Time (EST), December 13, 2019

Estimated Award Date: June 2020

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.

2 | P a g e

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 the FY 2018 and FY 2019 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, grants can help new farm to school programs get started or expand existing efforts. 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 2019 application and award cycle, FNS received 229 eligible applications and funded 126 (55 percent) of the applications. To be competitive, applications must be complete and of high quality.

According to the NSLA, selected grant projects will be awarded no more than $100,000 each. There are three funding tracks available for FY 2020: Farm to School Planning grants, Implementation grants, and State Agency grants (new). Schools, school districts, Indian Tribal Organizations, producers, and nonprofit organizations that have received Implementation, Training, or Support Service grants through the Farm to School Grant Program in the last three funding cycles (FY 2017, 2018, or FY 2019) are not eligible to apply in FY 2020; however, former Planning grantees may apply for the Farm to School Implementation grant after the active Planning grant has been completely closed out. State agencies that received a Farm to School Grant in any prior year are eligible to apply for the State Agency track in FY 2020, and State agencies with active farm to school projects may still apply to the State Agency grant track. Eligible applicants who received an award in a fiscal year prior to 2017 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. Please refer to the FY 2020 Highlights and Changes page in this RFA for more information regarding updates to this funding opportunity.

3 | P a g e

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 Wednesday, October 23, 2019 at 3:00 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 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.

4 | P a g e

FY 2020 Highlights and Changes

Below are highlights of major changes to the Farm to School Grant Program since the last fiscal year. The FY 2020 RFA:

Alters the grant tracks:

o There are three grant tracks available in FY 2020: Farm to School Planning grants, Implementation grants, and a new State Agency grant track.

o There is no longer a Training grant track.

o Please note that entity eligibility varies by grant track.

• Planning and Implementation grants are available to all eligible entities, with the exception of State Agencies.

• The State Agency grant track is available only to State Agencies.

• See section 3.1 for additional details.

Adds project objectives to grant tracks:

o To help proposed projects align with the intent of the Farm to School Grant Program, after selecting a grant track, applicants must propose activities that support the objective for the chosen grant track.

o Please see Section 1.3, “Grant Tracks,” for additional details.

Modifies the policy for former or current grantees seeking additional funding1:

o Schools, school districts, tribes, producers, and nonprofit organizations that have received Implementation, Training, or Support Service grants through the Farm to School Grant Program in any of the last three funding cycles (FY 2017, FY 2018, or FY 2019) are ineligible to apply in FY 2020; however, former Planning grantees may apply for Implementation grants. Farm to School Planning grantees who have not completed closeout activities at the time that the RFA closes will be ineligible for funding.

o State agencies that have received Implementation, Support Service, or Training grants through the Farm to School Grant Program in the last three funding cycles (FY 2017, FY 2018, or FY 2019) are eligible to apply for FY 2020 funding under the State Agency grant track only.

o Furthermore, State agencies with active Farm to School grants are still eligible to apply for FY 2020 funding.

Changes the policy restricting projects to school‐based sites only. Non‐school based Child Nutrition Program operators are now eligible to receive funding via the State Agency track, if a State Agency proposes to distribute sub‐grants to or otherwise partner with non‐school‐ based Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) or Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) operators.

1 These policies apply to organizations that are the lead applicant (i.e. the organization submitting the grant application).

5 | P a g e

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.

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 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 mandatory (for Implementation and Planning grant applicants) in‐person grantee training meeting hosted by USDA in the first year of the grant period.

Types of equipment and supplies purchase 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) SF‐424A – Budget Information and Instruction Form (fillable PDF in Grants.gov) SF‐424B – Assurances for Non‐Construction Programs (fillable PDF in Grants.gov) SF‐LLL Disclosure of Lobbying Activities.

6 | P a g e

Grant Program Accounting System & Financial Capability Questionnaire (in Appendix B) 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)

FNS‐906 – Grant Program Accounting System & Financial Capability Questionnaire (Appendix B)

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‐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)

Optional Priority Group Declaration Form – include in project narrative (does not count towards page limit)

7 | P a g e

Table of Contents

Table of Contents Farm to School Grant Program Fiscal Year 2020 Request for Applications Dates: 1

Program Solicitation Information Executive Summary:

Webinar Information and FAQ

FY 2020 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

1.3.1 Planning Grants

1.3.2 Implementation Grants

1.3.3 Farm to School State Agency Grants

1.4 FY 2020 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 Planning and Implementation Grant Eligibility

3.2 State Agency Grant Eligibility

3.3 Additional Eligibility Requirements

3.3.1 Fiscal Sponsors

3.4 Grantee Requirements

4.0 Application and Submission Information

4.1 Application Format

4.2 Application Content: Project Narrative

4.2.1 Planning Grant Proposal Narrative

4.2.2 Implementation Grant Proposal Narrative

4.2.3 State Agency Project Narrative

4.3 Application Content: Budget and Budget Narrative

4.3.1 Budget

Sample Match

4.3.2 Budget Narrative:

4.4 Application Content: Attachments

4.4.1 Required Attachments

All Applicants:

8 | P a g e

4.5 Application Content: Required Grant Application Forms

4.6 Submitting an Application

4.6.1 Submission Date

4.6.2 Electronic Submission Details

4.6.3 More Information on the System for Award Management (SAM)

4.6.4 More Information on Grants.gov

5.0 Application Review Information

5.1 Initial Screening

5.2 Panel Review

5.2.1 Scoring for Planning Grant Applications

5.2.2 Scoring for Implementation Applications

5.2.3 Scoring for State Agency Applications

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

7.2 Non‐selected Applicants

7.2.1 Debriefing Request

7.3.1 Progress Reporting

7.3.2 Financial Reporting

7.3.3 Evaluation and Impact

7.4 Administrative and National Policy Requirements

7.4.1 Confidentiality of an Applicant

7.4.2 Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality of the Review Process

7.4.3 Administrative Regulations

Federal Tax Liabilities Restrictions

8.0 Federal Awarding Agency Contacts

9.0 Other Information

9.1 What is Farm to School?

9.2 A Vision for Health and Economic Opportunity

Appendix A: Urban/Rural Classification Instructions Appendix B: Grant Program Accounting System & Financial Capability Questionnaire

Financial Stability and Quality of Management Systems

Audit Reports and Findings

Applicant Certification

Appendix C: Allowable and Unallowable Costs Appendix D: Optional Priority Group Declaration Form

9 | P a g e

1.0 Program Description

1.1 Legislative Authority

The Richard B. Russell 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 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 Grant Program was made available through the FY 2018 and FY 2019 Agricultural appropriations and, as a result, up to $10 million will be awarded 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.

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.

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

10 | P a g e 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 Planning 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 are not intended to be sequential sources of funding.

1.3.1 Planning Grants

Planning grants are intended to increase the amount of local food in eligible schools by providing funding for the development of an Action Plan designed to initiate or expand farm to school programs. They are intended for eligible entities that are just getting started with farm to school activities. Planning grants should focus primarily on goals and activities that lay a solid foundation for launching or scaling farm to school work.

Objective OCFS seeks proposals that align with the USDA Farm to School Grant Program goals as described in Section I.0: Legislative Authority. Additionally, recipients of Planning grants must develop a comprehensive Farm to School Action Plan, the development and submission of which is a required activity. Applicants may use the Farm to School Planning Toolkit and other technical assistance resources available on the OCFS website and prepared by USDA staff or partners. To help ensure that awarded projects align with the Farm to School Grant Program goals, eligible entities are required to propose project activities that support the following objective:

Objective: Improve access to local foods in eligible schools by developing a comprehensive farm to school program that includes local procurement and agricultural education efforts.

Planning grants will be awarded to entities that can demonstrate support and excitement for starting a farm to school program, but have undertaken few farm to school activities thus far. Over the course of the grant period, Planning grantees will be encouraged to use USDA resources intended to help organize and structure their farm to school efforts for maximum impact by embedding known best practices into early design considerations. Planning grantees are NOT expected to fully realize a comprehensive farm to school program by the end of the Planning 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.

In the Proposal Narrative, applicants will identify the above objective in the Project Work Plan Narrative section and describe how their proposed activities align with the objective. Activities and indicators are required; however, applicants are encouraged to be creative and may include other

11 | P a g e activities not listed below as long as proposed activities align with the objective.

Activities Activities supported by Planning grants should contribute to the development of a comprehensive farm to school program that includes both local procurement and agricultural education efforts.

Please note that creating an Action Plan is a required activity for all Planning grants, as is attending a mandatory in‐person grantee training meeting hosted by USDA in the first year of the grant period. Other activities that may be incorporated into a Planning grant include, but are not limited to:

Aligning the Farm to School Action Plan with the agency’s, organization’s, farm’s, school district(s)’ or school(s)’ existing operations, goals and commitments, integrating farm to school concepts in local wellness policies or school board resolutions, and identifying key internal and external allies;

Assessing a state, community, farm’s, school district(s)’ or school(s)’ need and readiness for development of a farm to school program and determining the tools, training, and technical assistance needed to create a farm to school program;

Engaging a wide variety of internal and external collaborators and forming a leadership team with the purpose of designing a Farm to School Action Plan;

Identifying obstacles and gaps in resources, training, and knowledge and exploring options for addressing existing barriers to launching or expanding farm to school activities;

Hosting stakeholder meetings, conducting trainings, and/or attending professional development conferences and seminars;

Conducting menu audits and/or issue surveys to determine reasonable first or intermediate steps school districts, schools, or school‐based SFSP/ CACFP sponsors can take to offer locally sourced foods;

Researching garden, farm, or classroom‐based educational curriculum that integrates farm to school concepts;

Developing a garden or farm‐based food safety plan that aligns with the needs and expectations of Child Nutrition Program operators (e.g., schools, districts, child care centers, summer feeding sites, etc.);

Visiting nearby model programs to learn about potential opportunities, partners, activities and lessons‐learned;

Piloting specific farm to school program elements to assess feasibility, cost, and effectiveness; and

Assessing local or regional product availability and identifying key supply chain relationships necessary for successful implementation of a farm to school program.

Required Activities Please note that the activities below are required for all Planning grantees. Each of the below activities must be clearly indicated in the “Project Work Plan Narrative” and “Project Work Plan Table” sections of the proposal narrative. Failure to indicate one or both of the below activities may result in a reduced score during review.

Developing a Farm to School Action Plan that includes goals, activities, and timelines necessary to develop and implement a farm to school program or project, identifying

12 | P a g e responsible parties for each activity. The creation of a Farm to School Action Plan is a required activity for all awarded Planning grant projects, and applicants should budget ample staff time, staff, and resources for its completion. Sample action plans are available on the USDA website.

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

1.3.2 Implementation Grants

Implementation grants are intended to increase the amount of local food in eligible schools by providing funding for eligible entities to scale up or further develop existing farm to school initiatives. Implementation grants are appropriate for eligible entities with established partnerships, a defined farm to school objective or objectives, and/or past success implementing farm to school activities. Applicants may focus on a relatively discrete set of schools as direct recipients of project activities, or may provide products and services that have national, regional, or statewide relevance and scope.

Objective OCFS seeks proposals that are in line with the USDA Farm to School Grant Program goals as described in Section I.0: Legislative Authority. To assist with this alignment, eligible entities are required to propose project activities that support the following objective:

Objective: Improve access to local foods in eligible schools by implementing or expanding a comprehensive farm to school program that includes local procurement and agricultural education efforts.

Eligible entities applying for Implementation grants may design any project or program that aims to make local food products available on the menu of the eligible school and incorporate experiential activities in curriculum planning that encourage the participation of school children in farm and/or garden‐based agricultural education activities. Please note that eligible entities selecting this grant track will be 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 above objective in the Project Work Plan Narrative section and describe how their proposed activities align with the objective. 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 objective.

Activities Activities supported by Implementation grants include, but are not limited to:

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, school‐based SFSP or school‐based CACFP;

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

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

13 | P a g e 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;

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).

Required Activities Please note that the activity below is required for all Implementation 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 in‐person grantee training meeting hosted by USDA in the first year of the grant period.

1.3.3 Farm to School State Agency Grants

State Agency grants are intended to increase the amount of local food served in eligible schools by funding State agencies to support and grow farm to school efforts in their states. Eligible State agencies include any State‐level agency working to promote farm to CNP activities in eligible schools, 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 support from the relevant CNP‐administering State agency. Eligible State agencies are not eligible for any other grant track.

Objective OCFS seeks proposals that are in line with the USDA Farm to School Grant Program goals as described in Section I.0: Legislative Authority. To assist with this alignment, State agencies are required to propose project activities that align with the following objective:

Objective: Improve access to local foods in eligible Child Nutrition Programs (CNPs) by supporting comprehensive farm to CNP programming that includes local procurement and agricultural education efforts.

In the Proposal Narrative, applicants must identify the objective above 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. While Implementation and Planning award recipients must travel to a

14 | P a g e mandatory in‐person grantee training meeting hosted by USDA in the first year of the grant period, attendance will be optional for State Agency award recipients. State Agency grant applicants may choose to use grant funds to pay for travel to and from the event.

Eligible State agencies may design any project or program that aims to make local food products available on the menu of the eligible child nutrition operator 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.

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

Hiring staff to support statewide farm to school, farm to summer, and/or farm to early care & education efforts;

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

Developing or enhancing state‐level farm to school, farm to summer, and/or farm to early care & education 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 statewide marketing campaign or recognition programs;

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.2

Attend the in‐person grantee training meeting hosted by USDA in the first year of the grant period (mandatory for Implementation and Planning grantees, optional for State Agency grantees).

1.4 FY 2020 Funding Priorities

In addition to the general program purpose and priorities outlined above, USDA considers the following priorities for FY 2020:

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.

2 Recipients of sub‐grants in the State Agency track may be any eligible entity for the FY 2019 Farm to School Grant, as well as any Child Nutrition Program operator, including non‐school based SFSP and CACFP sites.

15 | P a g e

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.

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 name(s) of the school(s) or school district(s) the project will serve on the Farm to School Coversheet.

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 and the applicant would like to be considered for 10 bonus priority points added to the review score of their application, please complete the form included in Appendix D of this RFA, entitled “Fiscal Year 2020 Priority Group Declaration Form” and include the completed form with the Project Narrative. The Priority Group Declaration Form does not count towards the narrative page limit. Applicants that do not complete the Priority Group Declaration Form will not be eligible to receive bonus points. If USDA is unable to verify information declared on the Priority Group Declaration Form, 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 grant award/letter of credit process, via electronic transfer of funds, or by another payment method as determined by USDA, 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.

2.2 Award Amounts and Period of Performance

Planning grant awards will range from $20,000 ‐ $50,000. 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.

The period of performance for the FY 2020 USDA Farm to School Grant Program will be as follows, beginning from the date of the award:

16 | P a g e

Grant Track Award Period Eligible Entities Award Amounts

Planning grants 12 months Schools and/or school districts, Nonprofit organizations, Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs) Agricultural producers, local agencies

$20,000 ‐ $50,000

Implementation grants 12 or 24 months Schools and/or school districts, Nonprofit organizations, Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs) Agricultural producers, local agencies

$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 Planning 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 C 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.

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

17 | P a g e 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; however, purchasing local products should not be a primary use of grant funds. Food purchases should be limited to educational purposes, 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.

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, nonprofit 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

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

18 | P a g e 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 not subject to the three document limit, and are considered separate from letters of commitment described in Sections 3.1 and 4.2. 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 authorizing language specifies the following eligible entities that are described in more detail below:

Eligible schools and school districts;

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. If USDA cannot determine the applicant to be an eligible entity based on information contained within the application, the applicant may be subject to removal from consideration.

Eligible schools are defined as pre‐K‐12 School Food Authorities (SFAs), non‐profit private schools, charter schools, Indian tribal schools, and others that participate in the National School Lunch or Breakfast Programs. Eligible SFAs may apply for funding that spans the entire SFA, for a specific group of schools (e.g. only K‐5 schools within an SFA), or for an individual school. The school(s) that comprise the primary target audience for or beneficiary of the grant project must participate in the National School Lunch Program and/or School Breakfast Program. The application must come from the SFA, and only one application per SFA is allowed.

Funding for Implementation and Planning grants is available to support school‐based programs only. If a proposal seeks to increase local foods in the CACFP or the SFSP, target sites must be located at an eligible school. If a proposal from a non‐school entity seeks to target school(s) with farm to school activities, schools benefiting from the project must be eligible as defined earlier in this paragraph. For the purposes of this grant program, any non‐profit private or charter school must apply as a school or school district, regardless of 501(c)(3) status.

19 | P a g e

State agencies are considered any statewide government agency that administers or works in partnership with the agency that administers the Federal Child Nutrition Programs (e.g. Office of Public Instruction, Department of Education, Department of Agriculture, Department of Health, etc.). State agencies applying to the State Agency track are eligible to work with non‐school based Child Nutrition Program operators that participate in a program under the NSLA, such as community‐based SFSP sites and CACFP sponsors.

Local agencies are considered to be any unit of government within a state, including a: county, borough, municipality, city, town, township, parish, special district, or council of governments.

Indian Tribal Organizations (ITO) include an Indian tribe, band, or group recognized by the Department of the Interior or an intertribal council or group which is an authorized representative of Indian tribes, bands or groups recognized by the Department of the Interior and which has an ongoing relationship with such tribes, bands or groups for other purposes and has contracted with them to administer a Federal Child Nutrition Program located in an eligible school.

Agricultural producers are defined as any individual or entity that produces an agricultural commodity or agricultural food product. Please note that agricultural producers are not limited to those producing fruits and vegetables but also include fishers, ranchers and those raising other livestock for consumption. For the purposes of this grant program, an eligible agricultural producer is any individual or entity who operates a small‐ to medium‐sized farm. A small‐ to medium‐sized farm is any place from which up to $1 million (gross) of agricultural products were produced and sold, or normally would have been sold, during the previous calendar year. Alternatively, a small‐ to medium‐sized farm is any place with land acreage measuring less than 1,582 acres that produced and sold, or normally would have sold agricultural products.

Groups of agricultural producers are defined as cooperatives, food hubs, or non‐profit membership organizations that represent independent producers whose mission includes working on behalf of independent producers and the majority of whose membership and board of directors is comprised of independent producers representing eligible agricultural producers. Groups of agricultural producers must represent small‐ to medium‐sized agricultural producers as their primary stakeholders.

Non‐profit entities are defined as any corporation, trust, association, cooperative, or other organization which: (1) Is operated primarily for scientific, educational, service, charitable, or similar purposes in the public interest; (2) Is not organized primarily for profit; and (3) Uses its net proceeds to maintain, improve, and/or expand its operations. For this purpose, the term “non‐ profit organization” excludes colleges and universities, hospitals, state, local, and Federally‐ recognized Indian tribal governments, and those non‐profit organizations which are excluded from coverage of this part in accordance with §230.20(c) (2 CFR Part 230.25). For the purposes of this grant program, non‐profit entities are required to have 501(c)(3) status.

3.1 Planning and Implementation Grant Eligibility

Eligible schools (defined as pre‐K‐12 School Food Authorities (SFAs), non‐profit private schools, charter schools, Indian tribal schools, and others that participate in the National School Lunch or Breakfast Programs), local agencies, Indian tribal organizations, small‐ and medium‐sized agricultural producers or groups of small‐ and medium‐sized agricultural producers, and non‐profit entities are eligible to receive Planning and Implementation grants. State agencies are ineligible to

20 | P a g e apply to Planning and Implementation grants.

Funding is available to support school‐based programs only. If a proposal seeks to increase local foods in the CACFP or the SFSP, target sites must be located at an eligible school. If a proposal seeks to target school(s), schools discussed in the project proposal as benefiting from the project must be eligible as defined in section 3.0.

3.2 State Agency Grant Eligibility

Only State agencies are eligible to apply to the State Agency grant track. Departments of Education, Department of Agriculture, and Departments of Health are all examples of eligible State agencies.

Eligibility is not restricted to the State agency that administers the Child Nutrition Programs. Local government agencies, such as city and county governmental agencies, are not eligible to apply to this track, but may apply for the Implementation or Planning track.

Projects supported by the State Agency grant track may target non‐school based Child Nutrition Programs, such as non‐school based SFSP sites and CACFP sponsors or sites. If a State Agency proposes to sub‐grant to entities that are not eligible for Implementation or Planning grants, the applicant must indicate the process for determining awards. Please note that if the State agency submitting an application for the State Agency track does not administer the CNP(s), then the applicant must include a letter of commitment from the relevant CNP‐administering State agency.

3.3 Additional Eligibility Requirements

One grant application per entity: Applicants must choose between submitting a Planning, Implementation, or State Agency grant request and may only submit one application.

Current and previous Implementation, Support Service, and Training grantees: In order to ensure diversity among awardees, organizations that have received Implementation, Support Service, or Training grants though the USDA Farm to School Grant Program in the last three funding cycles (FY 2017 ‐ FY 2019) are ineligible to apply…