Attachment D - Mini Grant Sample Application~2.pdf

Attachment D - 2025-2027 Farm to Child Nutrition Education Grant RFA

Attachment D Mini Grant

Sample Application

Directions: Please type in the required information after each question using the blue font and Calibri, 12 point font. Please keep the formatting numbers the same. Handwritten applications will not be accepted.

Background Information. This section is not scored.

A Name, title and contact information for person completing application.

Name

Organization Title

Email Phone Number

B Legal name of the organization the funds will go to (multiple organizations may collaborate with each other, but a check will go to ONE main organization in charge of the project) NOTE: the name should match what is in the Oregon Business Registry.

Organization MUST be registered with the State of Oregon Business Registry before they can be awarded a Grant Agreement.

Answer

C Business address of the above Answer

D Type of the organization that is applying for the funds. Please choose one. Any of these groups are eligible to apply, provided that the intended group(s) of students receiving the education participates in the Oregon Child Nutrition Programs (NSLP, SFSP or CACFP).

☐ School District ☐ Educational Service District (ESD) ☐ Nonprofit organization ☐ Commodity Commission or Commodity Council ☐ Federally Recognized Indian Tribe. Please specify. Check all that apply.

☐ Burns Paiute Tribe ☐ Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians ☐ Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians ☐ Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians ☐ Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde ☐ Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation ☐ Coquille Indian Tribe

☐ Klamath Tribes ☐ Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs ☐ School overseen by the Bureau of Indian Education (Nixwa’aii or Chemawa)

☐ Soil and Water Conservation District ☐ Providers of center-based programs for children in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)

☐ Producers of food produced or processed in Oregon, including farmer, rancher, hunter, gatherer, seafood harvester and food manufacturer

E School District, districts or CACFP sponsor organization where educational activities will occur or where students who are participating attend:

Answer

F List each school or site that will benefit from grant-funded activities. If all schools in the district(s) will be participating, you may simply write “all schools”. If only some schools will be receiving special programming, please list those schools.

Answer G In five sentences or less, please give an overview of your project. This will be the first thing the Selection committee looks at, and if you’re successful in obtaining an award, it will be what we use in the press release to list everyone’s project:

Answer

H EGMS INFORMATION: Three separate people must be listed:

a. Name and contact information of this Grant’s PROJECT DIRECTOR (person who oversees and manages this grant) Name

Title Email Phone Number

b. Name and contact information of this Grant’s Fiscal Manager (in schools, this is usually someone in the school district business office who deals with the Electronic Grant Management System (“EGMS”) used by ODE to disperse funds for this grant, for other organization it may be your financial manager or whoever will be submitting claims and requesting funds through EGMS.)

Name Title

Email Phone Number

c. Name and contact information of this Grant’s AGENCY HEAD (typically the Superintendent or Business Manager in schools, or the Executive Director in a non-profit organization)

Name Title

Email Phone Number

I Total amount of funding requested between $2,000 to $15,000 (must match budget) How much funding are you requesting?

Answer $ J How many youths will benefit from this project? This question is not scored.

Oregon Department of Education gets asked all the time “How many students benefit from or are engaged in grant-funded activities?” We know your proposed project is likely only funding a portion of your overall project. Thinking just about the activities that will be funded by this grant, how many students do you anticipate will benefit from this proposed project?

Answer:

How did you arrive at that number?

K Where will this project take place?

In what county, counties, tribe, and/or statewide areas will these activities take place?

List specific counties and tribal areas.

APPLICATION – Questions for Points Awarded. Each section includes how many points will be scored.

1 Proposed Project & Activity Design

A. Background: Successful projects and activities are supported by the principal, tribal leader, or other administrators. They are also integrated across the classroom, cafeteria, and community, and bring to life educational standards. Consider asking the principal, tribal leader, or other administrators how this project can align with their priorities for the school. Sample priorities principals, tribal leaders, or other administrators may have might include:

o Increasing attendance.

o Decreasing behavioral issues.

o Increasing meal participation because if students’ stomachs are full they are more ready to learn.

o Ensuring the school garden and the cafeteria provide educational experiences and are not just there to serve food.

Question to complete: A principal, tribal leader, or other administrator must sign off on this project if applicable (scored as Complete or Incomplete). If a signature is not applicable, please explain below.

The principal, tribal leader, or other administrators at school(s) where activities will take place has reviewed the project for this school and supports it.

Name:

Title:

Signature (Electronic signatures are ok)

If this question does not apply to your project, check this box and explain why.

☐ Not Applicable. Please explain why a principal or educational administrator's involvement in this project is not applicable.

For schools applying separately from their district:

The district representative overseeing Child Nutrition Programs at schools across the district is aware of your application for this grant (not scored).

☐ Yes ☐ Not a school Name of district contact:

Title:

B. Background: Projects are more likely to succeed if you know from the beginning what the grant requirements are and who is responsible for completing them. Please refer to the Grant Guidelines for an explanation of grant requirements and timelines. Please write the name and title of who will be responsible for each of the grant requirements.

Questions to complete: Who will participate in the mandatory grant management training on 12/15/2025 (1 point)?

Answer (name, title)

Who will make purchases for this grant (1 point)? All funds must be spent by 6/30/2027, and all funds must be processed in Electronic Grant Management System (“EGMS”) by 7/24/2027.

Answer (name, title) Who will submit reimbursement claims for this grant (1 point)? Answer (name, title)

Who will be responsible for submitting one-page impact summary to share lessons learned at mid point (9/30/2026) (1 point)?

Answer (name, title)

C. Background: Effective food, garden, and agricultural-based educational programs tell their story. ODE recognizes that applicants' time is limited. To support grantees communicating to others about their impact, final reporting requirements will be in the format of an impact summary. Impact summaries may be shared with your community, the legislature, and others. The impact summary should include (1) the number of students participating, (2) types of activities, (3) photos, and (4) quotes from youth and educators.

Questions to complete: Who will complete the one-page impact summary by 9/30/2027?

(1 point) Answer (name, title)

For projects that involve building, revitalizing or teaching in a school garden, completion of Oregon’s School garden survey will also be required by 9/30/2025. Who will complete Oregon’s school garden survey by 1/15/ 2026? (pass/fail/not applicable with an explanation) Answer (name, title) If this question does not apply to your project, check this box:

☐ Not Applicable. We are not building or revitalizing a physical school garden space with these grant funds.

D. Background: School gardens can support youths’ academic achievement, health and wellness, and other positive impacts. However, if school gardens are left unattended, they can also be perceived as an eyesore and drain on limited community resources.

Successful projects plan for long-term maintenance, not just the initial work of building often fueled by enthusiasm.

For example, many school gardens struggle especially during the summer months. Having a plan in place before the end of the academic year in Spring makes a big difference in whether the garden space is used when school resumes in Fall. If your project is going to build a new school garden or revitalize an already existing garden, please identify who will be responsible for organizing the maintenance of the physical space both during and after the grant period.

There are lots of different models for summer maintenance including engaging volunteers, youth corps, and summer camps. Looking for inspiration on how to do this? Check out this resource on summer maintenance from Growing Gardens. (Link:

https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/2079/2016/03/Summer-in-the-School-Garden.pdf) https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2023gardensurvey

Question to complete: Who will be responsible for maintaining, or organizing the maintenance of the school garden during the grant period 2025-2027? (pass/fail/not applicable with an explanation)

Answer (name, title) Answer (email, phone)

If this question does not apply to your project, check this box:

☐ Not Applicable. We are not building or revitalizing a physical space with these grant funds.

E. Background: Effective activities are those that use evidence-based educational and/or social marketing materials. “Evidence-based” simply identifies activities that are effective at doing what they are meant to do. At their best, evidence-based materials are culturally relevant to the students being served and are those that were developed with the intended audience, reviewed by peers and youth, piloted, and refined.

Question to complete: Which evidence-based educational and social marketing materials will you be using (Please check all that apply). (1 point)

☐ SB13 - Tribal History/Shared History ☐ Ag in the classroom ☐ A Taste of African Heritage ☐ Cooking Matters ☐ FoodCorps Lesson Plans ☐ Food Hero ☐ Food Hero Cultural Toolkits ☐ Grow This!

☐ Growing Healthy Kids ☐ Oregon Harvest for Schools ☐ Pre-K Harvest for Healthy Kids ☐ Tend, Gather, Grow ☐ USDA Grow It, Try It, Like It ☐ Other (please specify) Answer:

☐ Not applicable (please describe why this question is not applicable) Answer:

F. Background: Successful projects manage costs and submit timely reimbursements. We know costs change over time. Make your best effort now to anticipate costs. Be as specific as possible as this will help you more accurately scope your project and allow reviewers to determine if your proposed budget is reasonable, necessary, and allowable as defined in the Grant Guidelines (9 points). Questions to complete: Submit Excel budget worksheet.

https://www.oregon.gov/ode/students-and-family/equity/NativeAmericanEducation/Pages/Senate-Bill-13-Tribal-HistoryShared-History.aspx https://agclassroom.org/matrix/ https://snapedtoolkit.org/interventions/programs/a-taste-of-african-heritage/#%3A%7E%3Atext%3DA%20Taste%20of%20African%20Heritage%20(ATOAH)%20is%20a%20direct%20education%2Cin%20the%20African%20American%20community https://cookingmatters.org/ https://foodcorps.org/lesson-plans/ https://foodhero.org/ https://www.oregon.gov/ode/students-and-family/childnutrition/F2S/Pages/OregonHarvestforSchoolsCulturalToolkits.aspx https://www.foodhero.org/growthis https://www.foodhero.org/growing-healthy-kids https://www.oregon.gov/ode/students-and-family/childnutrition/F2S/Pages/OregonHarvestforSchools.aspx http://www.harvestforhealthykids.org/ https://www.goodgrub.org/tend-gather-grow https://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/grow-it

G. Background: Please note that beyond this grant, the Oregon Department of Education and community partners have numerous resources to support food, agricultural and garden-based education. Here are links to the Oregon Farm to School and School Garden Resource People and the Oregon Farm to School & School Garden Network Regional Hubs. No points scored and no questions to complete.

2 Promotion of Healthy Food Activities

A. Background: Engaging, hands-on garden and agricultural education may positively influence students’ relationship to food. Successful projects are ones that provide a variety of experiences over time for youth to engage with a variety of foods in culturally affirming ways.

Each school and Early Childhood Education (“ECE”) site is unique and in a different phase of development. Please describe your program and what this grant will enable you to do.

Check below if your project will develop or maintain physical infrastructure and/or provide hands-on, place-based, and/or experiential activities. Then describe in more detail how you will accomplish that.

Questions to complete: Scored as Complete or Incomplete. One or both boxes must be checked:

☐ The project will develop and/ or maintain the physical infrastructure for hands-on or experiential activities for students such as building or maintaining the school or indoor classroom gardens.

and/or ☐ The project will provide hands-on, place-based, and/or experiential activities for students. Such as educational activities in school gardens, classrooms, cafeterias as well as off-site activities including but not limited to FFA, butchering, tastings, classroom activities, gathering, hunting or farm field trips.

Questions to complete:

(1) What is the impact your project seeks to have, and how will the grant funds enable you to achieve that impact? (3 points) Limit to one page of text.

(2) What is your plan for completing the proposed activities? (3 points) Limit to one page of text.

Answer:

3 Project has Clear Educational Activities https://www.oregon.gov/ode/students-and-family/childnutrition/F2S/Documents/OR_resource_people.docx https://oregonfarmtoschool.org/regional-hubs/ https://oregonfarmtoschool.org/regional-hubs/

A. Background: Effective educational activities provide multiple opportunities for youth to develop and practice skills related to food production, preparation, preservation, distribution, and/or consumption. For example, skills related to food production could include fishing, hunting, planting, soil testing, seed starting, transplanting, watering, composting, weed management, pruning, pest management, harvesting, canning, storing, seed saving, companion planting, permaculture, gathering, pollination, tool care, etc.

Question to Complete: How will youth in your program learn and/or practice specific skills related to food production, preparation, preservation, distribution, and/or consumption (Up to 2 points)? Limit to one page of text.

4 Community and Parent/Guardian Involvement

A. Background: Effective food, agriculture, and garden-based education connects the classroom and community and makes it easy for lots of different people to participate.

Programs for youth are improved when guided by multiple community voices. Caring adults, producers, local businesses, media, and so many others are ready and willing to support youth through your project if they know about it and are able to participate.

To engage more people, consider all the ways you can inform folks about it. In sending out communications you can consider literacy levels, language, culture, availability, and skill of using the technology of your community members.

You can also consider when and where events and meetings are held and how much they may cost to participate. For example, if meetings or activities are held at the same time on the same day of the week, some folks will not be able to get off work. Fluctuating locations and times may mean a wider group of folks can be a part of the project.

Furthermore, while you may not charge for activities, there may be a hidden cost, such as childcare, that limits engagement. Ask around and think through what may be holding community members back from coming.

Question to complete: Please check off the outreach activities you intend to engage in and/or inform the community about this project (1 point maximum for at least one choice).

☐ Host garden Workdays ☐ Host school garden “open house” ☐ Invite chaperones ☐ Invite guest speakers ☐ Facilitate Garden Committee ☐ Share at AgFest or agricultural event in your community ☐ Share with Commodity Commissions

☐ Share at farmers market booth ☐ Share with PTO/PTA ☐ Share with Tribal Council(s) ☐ Share with Wellness Committee ☐ Send home information in school/class newsletters ☐ Other (please explain) Answer:

Question to complete: Please check all the ways you are making it easy for community members to participate in your activities. Please check all that apply (One point for at least one choice).

☐ Bilingual translators, such as Spanish language or American Sign Language, etc.

☐ Creating shared paper or electronic files based on what the community needs ☐ Listening sessions ☐ Mixing up meeting days and/or times ☐ Mixing up meeting locations ☐ Surveys ☐ Providing childcare ☐ Providing transportation ☐ Other (please explain) Answer:

5 Educational activities are tied to school district’s or sponsor’s farm to school procurement activities

A. Background: Effective food, agricultural, and garden-based education connects the classroom and the cafeteria. It is important that those operating the Child Nutrition Program are aware of your proposed project. Consider asking Nutrition Services what their priorities are and how this project can align with their priorities.

Priorities Nutrition Services may have could include:

• Buying local foods, such as maximizing ODE Reimbursement Grant dollars and other funding including USDA Pilot, Fresh Fruit and Vegetable.

• Decreasing plate waste.

• Ensuring the school garden and the cafeteria are integral parts of the education process.

• Farm field trips for youth and/or nutrition services.

• Generating positive perceptions of school food services within the schools and communities they serve.

• Highlighting local producers in cafeteria promotions and/or tasting tables

• Improving student consumption.

• Increasing meal participation.

Question to complete: Please collect the Nutrition Services Director, or other lead nutrition administrator's signature on the application below indicating they are aware of this project and support it (scored as Complete or Incomplete). If a signature is not applicable, please explain below.

If you need help with who in school nutrition services to contact and how please contact the SPC, Bethany Moreland, at bethany.moreland@ode.oregon.gov.

Director of Nutrition Services or other lead nutrition services administrator Name:

Title:

Signature (Electronic signatures are ok)

If this question does not apply to your project, check this box and explain why.

☐ Not Applicable. Please explain why a principal or educational administrator's involvement in this project is not applicable. Answer:

mailto:bethany.moreland@ode.oregon.gov