BPM007053_Attachments_Blue_Watermelon_Project.pdf

RFGA ATTACHMENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

RFGA NO.: BPM007053

Title Page

TABLE OF CONTENTS 1

ATTACHMENT 1: GRANT APPLICATION 2

ATTACHMENT 2: APPLICANT INFORMATION 3

ATTACHMENT 3: NARRATIVE RESPONSE TO SCOPE OF WORK 4

ATTACHMENT 4: EXPERIENCE AND CAPABILITY 5

ATTACHMENT 5: PROPOSED COSTS AND BUDGET 6

ATTACHMENT 6: DEVIATIONS AND EXCEPTIONS 8

ATTACHMENT 7: CONFIDENTIAL/PROPRIETARY SUBMITTALS .9

ATTACHMENT 8: DESIGNATION OF CONFIDENTIAL, TRADE SECRET AND PROPRIETARY

INFORMATION 10

ATTACHMENT 9: PARTICIPATION IN BOYCOTT OF ISRAEL 12

ATTACHMENT 10: FORCED LABOR OF ETHNIC UYGHURS BAN 13

EXHIBIT 1: CERTIFICATE OF LIABILITY INSURANCE 14

ATTACHMENT 1

GRANT APPLICATION

State of Arizona Department of Education

1535 W. Jefferson Street Phoenix, AZ 85007

The Undersigned hereby applies and agrees to furnish the materials, service(s) or construction in compliance with all the terms, conditions, specifications, and amendments in the Request for Grant Application and any written exceptions in the Application.

Jilliann Sundberg Jilliann Sundberg Applicant’s Name Name of Person Authorized to Sign Application (Please type or print)

PO Box 475 Executive Director Street Address Title of Authorized Person

Scottsdale AZ 85252 9/3/2025 City State Zip Code Signature of Authorized Person Date

Telephone Number: 602-369-5523

E-Mail Address: jilliann@bluewatermelonproject.org

Acknowledgement of Amendment(s): Amendment No. 1 Amendment No. 2 (Applicant acknowledges receipt of amend- Date: 8/7/2025 Date: 8/21/2025 ment(s) to the Request for Grant Application and related documents numbered and dated

ACCEPTANCE OF APPLICATION AND GRANT AWARD

(For State of Arizona Use Only)

Your Application is hereby accepted as described in the Notice of Award. You are now bound to perform based upon the RFGA and your Application, as accepted by the State.

You are hereby cautioned not to commence any billable work or provide any material or service under this Grant until you receive an executed purchase order, Grant release document, or written notice to proceed, if applicable.

Awarded this ________ day of ___________________________2025.

State Government Administrator

ATTACHMENT 2

APPLICANT INFORMATION

1.1. Notices, Correspondence, Reports from the ADE to the Grantee shall be sent to:

Organization: Blue Watermelon Project

Attention: Jilliann Sundberg

Street Address: PO Box 475

City, State and Zip Code: Scottsdale, AZ 85252

Telephone: 602-369-5523

E-Mail: jilliann@bluewatermelonproject.org

1.2. Payments from ADE to the Grantee shall be sent to:

Organization: Blue Watermelon Project

Attention: Jilliann Sundberg

Street Address: PO Box 475

City, State and Zip Code: Scottsdale, AZ 85252

Telephone: 602-369-5523

E-Mail: jilliann@bluewatermelonproject.org

ATTACHMENT 3

NARRATIVE RESPONSE TO SCOPE OF WORK

I. NARRATIVE RESPONSE TO THE SCOPE OF WORK

The Applicant shall provide substantive information about the service or assistance program and its implementation to align with the scope of work. The narrative shall provide a clear and concise description of the service or assistance to be provided, including the target population(s), and/or geographic area(s) to be served.

1. Describe a service or assistance program plan that will:

a. Increase local purchasing capacity for schools and institutions operating Child Nutrition Programs; and/or

b. Provide local food promotional activities and/or nutrition and agriculture education for participating children in CNPs; and/or

c. Strengthen connections and integration of Farm to School and ECE activities statewide.

Include what needs to exist and what is already in place for the service or assistance plan that ensures it will be successfully implemented to benefit multiple entities and/or communities.

Blue Watermelon Project (BWP), established in 2016, was formed to increase access to local and seasonal foods for students in schools. We see a future where all students are poised for academic and social success because they have been given equitable access to nourishing food, the knowledge of where it comes from and the freedom to explore food varieties on their plate. BWP currently serves 50 partner schools in 4 counties in Arizona, employs three full-time staff, and is supported by 13 board members and dozens of volunteers.

BWP has spent the past nine years learning that Arizona students want their school food to be creative, culturally-relevant, scratch-prepared, locally sourced, and delicious. BWP partner chefs, convened by founder Chef Charleen Badman, have collaborated with dozens of food service professionals to bring the student-led recipes onto the serving line. In that time, BWP also learned that as school kitchens implement revisions to cycle menus, develop new recipes, or test new products, barriers often arise. Common barriers to incorporating local, seasonal and scratch prepared school meals include:

understanding how to access local and seasonal food sources, unifying staff around different job duties like preparing new, labor-intensive meal components, navigating procurement regulations and maintaining food safety standards. Through a variety of partnerships, BWP would like to offer a unique set of workshops designed to address these barriers.

BWP works at the invitation of school professionals with the aim to build capacity of their internal resources and leverage BWP’s network of external resources. We believe this can make all the difference in helping schools meet their goals. BWP wants to deepen its impact in school meals by partnering with school kitchens to increase meal acceptance.

This can be accomplished by providing training through a workshop series focused on culinary skill development, local and seasonal sourcing, menu design, recipe implementation, and student engagement. With this grant award, BWP will design four to six workshops with the following goals:

Reach ~100 School Kitchen Team Members across Arizona and:

● Maximize opportunities for School Kitchen Teams by adding targeted training that directs various team members to act, increasing capacity for sourcing and serving local, seasonal foods in NSLP, SFSP, or SBP.

● Test short-term planning and mid-term planning activities that guide School Nutrition Teams to tpurchase local and seasonal foods in NSLP, SFSP, or SBP.

● Test the alignment of various nutrition promotion activities with participation in ADE’s Try it Local subsidy, as available.

● Identify gapped resources for School Kitchen Teams with local procurement activities.

Disclaimer: BWP will recruit CNP Directors, Menu Planners, Line Cooks, Chefs, Supervisors and Kitchen Managers to attend this workshop series. While the workshops can be taken in sequence, attendance does not have to be cumulative. Each workshop will be limited to 25 participants to encourage active participation, fostering real-time solutions that are unique to each organization and utilizing expertise from peers and professionals in the room.

2. Detail the expected reach of the service or assistance program. Include a timeline or framework, if known or established. SEE CHART BELOW

Timeline Activity & Anticipated Outcomes Responsibility

October 2025 Develop Short-term Planning Workshop curriculum and evaluation tools

BWP staff & consultants

October 27th, ADE Kick-Off Meeting Project Director

October 27th, 2025 Workshop

25 attendees BWP staff & consultants

Short-term Planning Workshop highlighting Kitchen Creation Recipes for Native American Heritage Month

By November 30, Post-Event Evaluation for October planning workshop (survey, interviews, optional site visits)

BWP staff & consultants

Fall Culinary Workshop 2025

25 attendees BWP staff & culinary consultants

Train-the-trainer Culinary Skills Workshop

By December 31, Review feedback and evaluate Fall Train-the-trainer Culinary Skills Workshop

BWP staff & culinary consultants

January 2026 Q1 Invoice - October 1, 2025 – December 31, Project Director

By February 2026 Develop Mid-term Planning Workshop curriculum and evaluation tools

BWP staff & consultants

February 2026 Workshop

25 attendees BWP staff & consultants

Mid-term Planning Workshop highlighting ADE’s Spring Farm Fresh Challenge

March-April 2026 Post-Event Evaluation for February planning workshop (survey, interviews, optional site visits)

BWP staff & consultants

Spring Culinary Workshop 2026

25 attendees BWP staff & culinary consultants

Train-the-trainer Culinary Skills Workshop

By March 31st, Review feedback and evaluate Spring Train-the-trainer Culinary Skills Workshop 2

BWP staff & culinary consultants

April 1, 2026 Q2 Invoice - January 1, 2026 – March 31, 2026 Project Director

April 2026 Workshop

25 attendees BWP staff & consultants

Long-term Planning Workshop highlighting ADE’s Summer Farm Fresh Challenge

April 15, 2026 Mid-Year Report - October 1, 2025 – March 31, Project Director

By June 30, 2026 Post-Event Evaluation for April planning workshop (survey, interviews, optional site visits)

BWP staff & consultants

July 1, 2026 Q3 Invoice - April 1, 2026 – June 30, 2026 Project Director

September 2026 Workshop

25 attendees BWP staff & consultants

Short-term Planning Workshop highlighting

National Farm to School Month

August-Septembe r 2026

Prepare Final Summary & Impact Report with permissions for marketing collateral, tested and standardized recipes, and relevant procurement tools developed.

BWP staff

September-Octob er 2026

Post-Event Evaluation for September planning workshop (survey, interviews, optional site visits)

BWP staff & consultants

October 1, 2026 Q4 Invoice - July 1, 2026 – September 30, 2026 Project Director

October TBD, ADE F2S Gathering Project Director

October 15, 2026 Summary & Impact Report - October 1, 2025 – September 30, 2026.

Project Director

3. Identify the expected impact or result of the service or assistance.

Data Tool(s) Data Collected Result(s)

Registration Form

SFA demographics, goals for workshop attendance, common barriers

● Increase in wait-listed registrants

Workshop Stories (Live Feedback)

● Tasting Menu

● Logistics for Serving Local

● Nutrition Promotion

● Procurement & Compliance

● Increase engagement among participants throughout workshop activities (goal increase at 10% rate)

Post-Event Survey impact to CNP, effective workshop activities, velocity reports (sales data), meal counting data, optional upload of pictures/marketing collateral, and/or recipes utilized

● Evidence of an increase in local purchases made & placed on CNP menus (goal increase at 10% rate)

● Increased unique workshop attendance (e.g., diversity of SFAs and SFA types, team member types, geographic distribution)

(Optional) Site Visit Invitations

Student & kitchen staff feedback

● Evidence of an increase in local purchases made & placed on CNP menus (goal increase at 10% rate)

Data Tool(s) Data Collected Result(s)

● Increased invitations to site visits (goal increase at 10% rate)

Stakeholder Interviews

Impact to CNPs, impact to farmers/food hubs and additional resources needed

● Increased Meals Served (CNPs)

● Increased sales (farmers)

4. Outline tools to be used and methods planned for measuring the results/outcomes and evaluating activities.

Using Mixed Methods Research (MMR), BWP plans to collect feedback by workshop participants, surveys, velocity reports (sales data), meal counting data, optional site visits, and kitchen staff interviews to measure the results associated with the impact from these workshop series activities.This approach combines both quantitative and qualitative data collection, analysis, and inference in a single study to gain both breadth and depth of understanding, allowing for the integration of data to corroborate findings.

See above chart for data tools.

5. Outline how the proposed services/assistance plans and anticipated results can be shared to benefit the public and Arizona’s Farm to School/ECE community.

BWP will prepare an impact report, documenting the findings observed through this 12-month experiment-based project. Additionally, any standardized recipes that have been tested in K-12 environments will be shared as an addendum to this report, along with any marketing collateral that BWP has permission to share. This report will review progress made on the following goals:

Reach ~100 School Kitchen Team Members across Arizona through this workshop series and:

● Maximize training opportunities for School Kitchen Teams by adding targeted training that directs various team members to take action, increasing capacity for sourcing and serving local, seasonal foods in NSLP, SFSP, or SBP.

● Test short-term, mid-term and long-term planning activities that guide School Nutrition Teams to purchase local and seasonal foods in NSLP, SFSP, or SBP.

● Test the alignment of various nutrition promotion activities with participation in ADE’s Try it Local subsidy, as available.

● Identify gapped resources for School Kitchen Teams with local procurement activities.

ATTACHMENT 4

EXPERIENCE AND CAPABILITY

II. EXPERIENCE AND CAPABILITY

The Applicant shall describe how their organization is positioned to address the current issues or barriers to advancing farm to school programming amongst producers, food hubs, distributors, schools, and early care institutions.

6. Describe the applicant’s experience in designing and/or delivering effective evidence-based programming around your proposed service or assistance program.

Chef Charleen Badman founded BWP after being invited to cook with children in one elementary school. This experience revealed the benefits of hands-on taste exploration.

This premise grew over time to include a diverse group of chefs, farmers, and food advocates that make up the BWP community today. In 2017, BWP held the inaugural Feeding the Future (FTF) culinary competition, originally guided through the national competition, Cooking up Change. In January 2026, BWP will host its 8th iteration of the contest. The goal of FTF is to pair Arizona chefs with student teams to create healthy, great-tasting meals that meet the nutritional and budgetary requirements of federal programs. The event celebrates school food professionals and connects the broader community to their work. Following the competition, students work with their cafeterias to bring their contest recipes to life. For example, if you visit Perry High School, you might be served a “Deconstructed Lumpia Bowl with Broccoli Slaw,” a recipe created by student Charlie Tugade during the 2024 FTF contest.

Professional chefs are cross-sector partners who play a pivotal role in the food system.

Their knowledge and experience with food safety, prep efficiency, taste profiles and innovation are valuable to school nutrition operations. Their skills and expertise uniquely position them to support staff in increasing scratch-preparation practices improving student acceptance of school meals, which strengthens the success of school food programs. BWP Chef partners have committed to being a part of BWP’s workshop series to train school food professionals on their specific goals. In addition to Charleen Badman, BWP partner chefs include Tamara Stanger and Tracy Dempsey. Please note that confirmation of specific chefs on specific dates is subject to scheduling and availability, to be determined at the time of this application.

Two Arizona Food Hubs will serve as the local producer partners: Pivot Produce and Sun Produce Cooperative. This workshop series will test short-term and mid-term crop planning activities that aim to get schools the exact products that they are looking for with demonstrated success for their students, their teams, and for meal service numbers.

Both Sun Produce Cooperative and Pivot Produce have direct experience with crop-planning models and school collaboration.

Sun Produce Cooperative is a multi-stakeholder agricultural and marketing organization that includes agricultural producers, distributors, buyers and market specialists.

Established in 2017, Sun Produce Co-op’s (SPC) mission is to expand access to fresh, healthy, local food, particularly to vulnerable children and adults, while increasing the viability of Arizona’s smaller-scale producers. Their work promotes children's and adults’ ability to make healthy food choices, strengthens relationships between producers and consumers, and acts as a community economic generator by facilitating new income for smaller-acreage producers. The co-op model supports its members to combine product volume and variety as well as resources and expertise in order to expand their reach into new markets, including schools.

Pivot Produce has 7+ years of experience operating a successful southern Arizona Farm to Institution (F2I) model using a value chain approach to coordinate farmers’ planning with institutional purchasing demands. This has included crop-planning and forward purchase contracts with schools. Taking lessons learned, a toolkit of the F2I model will be presented for inspiration and adaptation to the workshop attendees.

7. Describe the applicant’s experience and strategies in working effectively with the population your service or assistance intends to reach.

BWP chefs have worked with school food professionals through the Feeding the Future competition, mentoring over 60 teams in the past nine years. Following the contest, chefs also support kitchen staff in developing menus and serving the student-designed meals. In the 2025 spring semester, 2,738 Arizona students tasted a Feeding the Future recipe in their school cafeteria and 1,038 of those meals were served as fully reimbursable.

In addition, Chefs Charleen Badman and Tamara Stanger worked in-depth with four SFAs on ADE’s Kitchen Creations project through kitchen site visits, on-site recipe demonstrations and instruction, and additional video instruction. See below for more details about the Kitchen Creations project.

8. Describe the qualifications, experience working with the proposed population, and previous experience with the types of services to be provided for each of the Key Personnel listed on Key Personnel Table of question 10.

Applicants shall attach a resume for each of the key personnel proposed.

Resumes or curriculum vitae (CV) that includes personal information such as home address, phone numbers, social security numbers, etc., should be redacted as documentation will become public information after award of a contract.

Jilliann Sundberg, M.Ed., has been the Executive Director of BWP since 2024. In this role, she develops and manages the organization's programs, impact, partnerships, and budget, guided by the strategic plan and in collaboration with the Board of Directors. She spent 10 years in Phoenix as a bilingual elementary educator and school garden specialist, serving up change alongside hardworking community members. She has managed grants from the service branch of the Mexican federal government, Whole Kids

Foundation, FoodCorps and Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation. She oversees the two BWP staff members, convenes partners, ensures milestones are met, tracks outcomes and manages the budget. She excels at resource management, strategic planning and stakeholder engagement. She is leveraging these skills to advance the mission of Blue Watermelon Project, as it grows across Arizona and works towards its 10-year milestones in 2026-2027.

Erin Fang has been the Head of Programs at BWP since 2024. In this role she manages program design, implementation and evaluation to ensure high-quality and innovative results, while managing sustainable relationships with partners and volunteers. Prior to joining the BWP team she led training teams at Arizona State University creating content to match specific training goals, worked as a nonprofit coordinator and taught middle school English.

Kayla LaLone has been the Project Manager at BWP since 2024. In this role she plans, schedules, tracks and supports school partners administering BWP programs. Prior to joining the BWP team, she spent 9 years in school nutrition departments in Arizona and California as a Site Coordinator, Menu Planner, and farm-to-school advocate.

Charleen Badman began her culinary career as a high school student and uses this life experience to connect with the hundreds of Arizona children she cooks with each year.

Charleen and her Scottsdale restaurant FnB have won numerous awards, including a James Beard award for Best Chef of the Southwest 2019. She founded Blue Watermelon Project in 2016.

Tamara Stanger has spent her culinary career connecting modern techniques to ancient traditions, highlighting foraged ingredients, both native and naturalized, and local agriculture from small farms. She was the Executive Chef at Helio Basin Brewery in Phoenix, Cotton & Copper in Tempe, Hells Backbone Grill & farm in Utah and Shift in Flagstaff. She collaborated on Utah’s Farm to Fork where she led bison cooking workshops in Utah schools. Tamara is on the Food & Health Committee Advisory for the Native American Food Sovereignty Alliance (NAFSA) and has volunteered with Blue Watermelon Project since 2016.

Tracy Demsey completed Scottsdale Community College’s culinary program in 2000 after a career teaching French and ESL at several universities. Her early career found her baking and making desserts of the Valley’s best restaurants including Lon’s at the Hermosa Inn, Restaurant Hapa, Gregory’s World Bistro, Cowboy Ciao, Kazimierz, Sea Saw and Digestif. In 2009, Tracy opened her own business, Tracy Dempsey Originals, a producer of wholesale packaged desserts and baked goods. She has volunteered with Blue Watermelon project since 2016.

Erik Stanford is the founder and CEO of the Pivot Produce, a Southern Arizona food hub now celebrating its 10th year of strengthening the region’s local food system. With this decade of experience building connections between small-scale farms and institutions, Erik has been a driving force in creating equitable pathways for local food distribution.

Under his leadership, Pivot has become recognized as the trusted local sourcing solution for restaurants, school districts, food banks, and residents across Tucson. In addition to leading Pivot, Erik serves as the current Farm Advocacy Chair for the Arizona Farm to School Network, where he leverages his deep insight into institutional purchasing systems, strong relationships with Arizona food producers, and hands-on experience supporting farm-to-school initiatives statewide to drive meaningful, scalable change in local food procurement.

Cindy Gentry is a founding member and current President and Manager for Sun Produce Cooperative, established in 2017. With almost forty years’ experience implementing emergency and long-term solutions to advance community food security, she has worked statewide to nurture local food production, distribution, and access capacities, and to support local farmers’markets, including spearheading the work to establish the Phoenix Public Market. Activities and achievements include developing the resources to establish the Arizona Farmers Market Nutrition Program and the SNAP (Food Stamps) at the Market Project, which allow low-income children, adults, and seniors to access better nutrition by shopping for fresh vegetables at local farmers’ markets while bringing new income to Arizona producers. She continues to work with local, regional, and national stakeholders to expand supply and demand for Farm to School /Farm to Institution in Arizona.

9. Describe two major accomplishments that demonstrate the Applicant’s effectiveness and capacity to provide services or assistance as described in the narrative.

Blue Watermelon Project has purchased Arizona-grown fruits and vegetables from Sun Produce producers since 2019. In 2020, the organizations collaborated with the Arizona Farm to School Network on local procurement projects where over 25,000 students in Phoenix were served Armenian cucumbers and rainbow carrots grown by Arizona producers. Working together in unexpected conditions, the organizations problem-solved during the pandemic to send fresh, local produce through curbside service.

In October 2020, the USDA awarded ADE a Team Nutrition Training Grant, aimed at developing school meal recipes. They initiated their Kitchen Creations recipe project, inviting schools to submit entree or side dish recipes that incorporate cultural cuisines and locally sourced indigenous ingredients. Among those ingredients are blue corn, tepary beans, Hopi winter squash and White Sonora wheat berries. BWP Chefs Charleen Badman and Tamara Stanger were hired as consultants to assist with recipe development, recipe training, and on-site recipe demonstration.

Additionally, BWP has contributed to other impactful school food projects, such as training through Brigaid (2020), ADE’s Culinary Training for upLIFT participants (2021), Recipe Development for Shamrock (2023) and ADE’s Farm to School Work Group (2024).

10. List all key personnel by name, position and/or title, responsibilities and percent of time to be assigned to this Grant. Key personnel is defined as staff involved in the planning, administration, operation, or monitoring of this Grant.

Full Name Position/Title Responsibilities Time Jilliann Sundberg BWP

Executive Director

Jilliann will serve as the Project Director, and oversee the budget, subgrantee contracts and grant reporting. She will oversee project management and ensure deliverables are met on time.

10% FTE

Erin Fang BWP Head of Programs

Erin will serve as the Evaluation lead for the workshops. She will design and collect surveys, conduct interviews, evaluate metrics, and facilitate small groups.

18% FTE

Kayla LaLone BWP Project Manager

Kayla will serve as the Project Coordinator and oversee recruitment, material development and advertising.

She will support workshop logistics, conduct site visits, and facilitate small groups.

18% FTE

Charleen Badman Tracy Dempsey Tamara Stanger

Chef Consultants

Chef Consultants will deliver menu development, taste test menu, culinary demos and participate in site visits (as appropriate).

64 hours each

Cindy Gentry Erik Standford

Food Hub & Local Food Logistics Consultants

Food Hub & Local Food Logistics Consultants will deliver crop-planning activities and logistics training on sourcing local and seasonal foods through the Arizona Food Hub Pipeline.

20-52 hours each

To-be-hired School Nutrition & Procurement Consultant

School Nutrition & Procurement Consultant will develop and deliver procurement training and tools that aim to support participants in meeting their purchasing goals and meeting local, state, and federal compliance rules.

162 hours

ATTACHMENT 5

PROPOSED COSTS AND BUDGET

III. PROPOSED COSTS AND BUDGET

The Applicant shall provide sufficient detail to outline the costs associated with the service to be provided and explain the relative proportion of costs to the expected reach and impact on the target population.

11. Provide a detailed budget narrative that describes how category costs are derived and justifies the proposed costs over the period of performance for the grant.

1. Personnel: Total budget for BWP staff is $32,582. BWP staff will be overseeing workshop development, evaluation, and conducting site visits and interviews with participants.Required ADE meetings, reporting, and fiscal oversight will be managed by BWP’s Executive Director, Accountant and Finance & Fundraising Committee, as appropriate.

a. Executive Director: $87,500/year @10% = $8,750. Jilliann will serve as the Project

Director, and oversee the budget, subgrantee contracts and grant reporting. She will oversee project management and ensure deliverables are met on time.

b. Head of Programs: $70,000/year @18% = $12,600. Erin will serve as the Evaluation lead for the workshops. She will design and collect surveys, conduct interviews, evaluate metrics, and facilitate small groups.

c. Program Manager: $62,400/year @18% = $11,232. Kayla will serve as the Project Coordinator and oversee recruitment, material development and advertising. She will support workshop logistics, conduct site visits, and facilitate small groups.

2. Fringe: Total budget for fringe is $5,206. Fringe rate of 16% covers staff benefits including, but not limited to medical benefits, home-office stipend, workman's compensation, and leave/PTO.

a. Executive Director: $8,700 salary associated with project time @ 16% = $1,392.

b. Head of Programs: $12,600 salary associated with project time @ 16% = $2,016.

c. Program Manager: $11,232 salary associated with project time @ 16% = $1,798.

3. Travel: Staff travel for this project will be minimal at $7,758, with most workshops held within the Phoenix area. BWP anticipates that 10-20 site visits may exceed BWP’s travel policy of 50 miles from headquarters. One food hub consultant and one chef consultant will also travel more than 50 miles from headquarters to attend workshops.

a. Mileage

i. Travel to ADE Required Meetings $0 minimal travel

ii. Travel to Workshops 20/trip x 6 workshops x mileage for employees using personal vehicles at the state rate $0/67/mile. = $240

iii. Travel to 20 Site Visits x average 500/trip x mileage for employees using personal vehicles at the state rate $0/67/mile. = $6,700

iv. Chef Consultant Tamara Stanger 300/trip x mileage for employees using personal vehicles at the state rate $0/67/mile. = $201

v. Food Hub Consultant Erik Stanford 230/trip x 4 workshops x mileage for employees using personal vehicles at the state rate $0/67/mile. = $617

b. Meals: $0 minimal travel required

c. Lodging:$0 minimal travel required

4. Supplies: Supplies for this project will be minimal to host each workshop, $4,000 in total, to cover costs associated with printing and food prep for each workshop format.

a. Food and Serving Supplies

i. For culinary workshops $750 x 2 workshops = $1,500

ii. For planning workshop demos $250 x 4 workshops = $1,000

b. Printing Costs

i. Workshop Materials agenda, procurement tools, availability catalogs, tasting menu matrix, sample recipes etc, $250 x 6 workshops = $1,500

5. Other: Consultants and rental space for this workshop series totals $47,740. Due to the format for short-term and mid-term planning workshops, facility space for these 4 workshops will be in-kind.

a. Rent/Meeting Space

i. Ignite Kitchen, $1,000 x 6 workshops = $6,000

b. Workshop Marketing and recruitment

i. SNAAZ conference November 8th, 2025, Tier 2 exhibitor table = $1,450

c. Consultant Contracts

i. 4 Chef Consultants: $100/hour x 8 hours/per workshop + 10 prep/eval meetings x 2hours + 2 Chef site visits each x 2 hours =

1. Charleen Badman = $125 x 64 Hours = $8,000

2. Tamara Stanger = $125 x 64 Hours = $8,000

3. Tracy Dempsey = $125 x 64 Hours = $8,000

4. Chef assistant/s = $50 x 6 hours x 6 workshops = $1,800

ii. 2 Food Hub & Local Food Logistics Consultants: $100/hour x 8 hours/4 workshops + 10 prep/eval meetings x 2hours

1. Erik Standford $100/ hour x 52 hours = $5,200

2. Cindy Gentry $100/hour x 20 hours = $2,000

iii. 1 School Nutrition & Procurement Consultant: $45/hour x 8 hours/4 workshops + 10 prep/eval meetings x 2hours + 5 site visits each x 2 hours + tool development/analysis estimated at 100 hours

1. To-Be-Hired $45/hour x 162 hours = $7,290

6. Indirect: BWP does not have an indirect cost rate for grant projects. In lieu, BWP is using the current federal de minimis rate of 15%. Total $13,993

● Total Direct Costs totaling $93,286 x 15% (De minimis Rate) =$13,993

Total Project Cost= $ 107,279

12. Describe the Applicant’s accounting practices, including how expenses will be tracked and reported in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles

(GAAP).

BWP committed to the highest standards of financial management, transparency, and accountability in the administration of all grants. Our robust internal control system ensures that grant funds are used exclusively for their intended educational purpose, as outlined in each grant agreement. We adhere to all applicable local, state, and federal regulations and follow grant-specific guidelines from our funders.

Blue Watermelon Project contracts with Monica J. Stern CPA PLLC for bookkeeping and accounting services. Grant funds are tracked in a dedicated accounting system, keeping them separate from unrestricted funds. A monthly budget-to-actual analysis is performed to monitor spending against the approved grant budget, allowing for prompt identification and investigation of any variances. Our Board of Directors receives monthly reports on our financial position and grant-funded activities, and has adopted a clear policy on conflicts of interest. BWP has another CPA firm perform a review on our financial statements annually.

For 2026/2027, we anticipate having an audit of our financial statements.

Lastly, BWP maintains a secure, centralized archive of all grant documents, including proposals, award letters, contracts, financial reports, and critical communication with funders, to ensure audit readiness at all times.

Complete the Proposed Costs and Budget table below.

Proposed Costs and Budget Template NOTE: Allowable costs are located at 2 CFR Part 200, Subpart E Equipment with acquisition costs of $10,000 or more is unallowable.

1. PERSONNEL TOTAL $32,582 BRIEF EXPLANATION

1a. PERSONNEL $ 8,750 Fiscal & Personnel oversight 1b. PERSONNEL $ 12,600 Evaluation & workshop design 1c. PERSONNEL $ 11,232 Workshop content & coordination

2. PERSONNEL-RELATED

EXPENSE/BENEFITS TOTAL $5,206

BRIEF

EXPLANATION (Applicant Organization’s fringe benefits policy)

2a. PERSONNEL 1a $ 1,392 16% of salary 2b. PERSONNEL 1b. $ 2,016 16% of salary 2c. PERSONNEL 1c. $ 1,798 16% of salary

3. TRAVEL TOTAL $ 7,758 BRIEF EXPLANATION

3a. Mileage $ 7,758 Travel for out-of-town travel estimated 500 miles/trip

3b. Meals & Incidentals $ 0 3c. Lodging $ 0

4. SUPPLIES

TOTAL $4,000 BRIEF EXPLANATION (Less than or equal to a unit cost of $10,000.

4a. Food & Serving Supplies $ 2,500 Food and serving supplies for culinary demos and tasting menu

4b. Printing $ 1,500

Printing for workshop materials -agenda, procurement tools, availability catalogs, tasting menu matrix, sample recipes etc.

5. OTHER PURCHASED

SERVICES/PROFESSIONAL

SERVICES

TOTAL $47,740 BRIEF EXPLANATION

5a. Workshop Rent $ 6,000 Fee for rental culinary studio/kitchen facilities

5b. Workshop Marketing $ 1,450 SNAAZ Tier 2 Exhibitor Table 5ci1. Charleen Badman $ 8,000

Workshop design and consulting services 5ci2. Tamara Stanger $ 8,000

5ci4. Tracy Dempsey $ 8,000 5ci5. Chef assistant/s $ 1,800 Workshop presenting

5cii1. Erik Standford $ 5,200 Workshop design, consulting services, and presenting

5cii2. Cindy Gentry $ 2,000 Workshop design and consulting services

5ciii1. CNP Procurement Consultant (to-be-hired) $7,290 Workshop design and consulting services

6. COSTS TOTAL $ 107,279 BRIEF EXPLANATION

Direct Costs $ 93,286 Indirect Costs $ 13,993 De minimis rate 15%; 200.14 Total Budget Request $107,279 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-E/subject-group-ECFRd93f2a98b1f6455/section-200.414

ATTACHMENT 6

DEVIATIONS AND EXCEPTIONS

State of Arizona Department of Education

Solicitation No.: BPM007053 Description: Arizona Farm to School Assistance and Services

Offeror Name: Blue Watermelon Project

Offeror shall indicate any and all exceptions taken to the provisions or specifications or scope of work in this solicitation document.

Exceptions (mark one):

_____X_____ No exceptions

__________ Exceptions taken (describe –attach additional pages if needed)

***Exceptions taken that ADE considers a material change or a large number of exceptions will impact Offeror’s susceptibility for award.***

The Undersigned hereby acknowledges that there are no deviations/exceptions to this solicitation other than those noted.:

Firm

Authorized Signature

Blue Watermelon Project

ATTACHMENT 7

CONFIDENTIAL/PROPRIETARY SUBMITTALS

State of Arizona Department of Education

Offeror Name: Blue Watermelon Project

Confidential/Proprietary Submittals (mark one):

_____X_____ No confidential/proprietary materials have been included with this offer

__________ Confidential/Proprietary materials included. Offerors should identify below any portion of their offer deemed confidential or proprietary (see Uniform Terms and Conditions, paragraph 19). Identification in this section does not guarantee that disclosure will be prevented but that the item will be subject to review by the Offeror and the ADE Representative prior to any public disclosure.

***Requests to hold the entire offer or price as confidential will result in the Offer being deemed Not Susceptible for Award.***

Firm

Authorized Signature

ATTACHMENT 8

DESIGNATION OF CONFIDENTIAL, TRADE

SECRET AND PROPRIETARY INFORMATION

State of Arizona Department of Education

All materials submitted as part of a response to a solicitation are subject to Arizona public records law and will be disclosed if there is an appropriate public records request at the time of or after the award of the contract.

Recognizing there may be materials included in a solicitation response that is proprietary or a trade secret, a process is set out in A.A.C. R2-7-103 (attached) that will allow qualifying materials to be designated as confidential and excluded from disclosure. For purposes of this process the definition of “trade secret” will be the same as that set out in A.A.C. R2-7-101(52).

This form must be completed and returned with the response to the solicitation and any supporting information to assist the State in making its determination as to whether any of the materials submitted as part of the solicitation response should be designated confidential because the material is proprietary or a trade secret and therefore not subject to disclosure.

All offerors must select one of the following:

___X_ My response does not contain proprietary or trade secret information. I understand that my entire response will become public record in accordance with A.A.C. R2-7-C317.

My response does contain trade secret information because it contains information that:

1. Is a formula, pattern, compilation, program, device, method, technique or process, AND

2. Derives independent economic value, actual or potential, from not being generally known to, and not being readily ascertainable by proper means by, other persons who can obtain economic value from its disclosure or use; AND

3. Is the subject of efforts by myself or my organization that are reasonable under the circumstances to maintain its secrecy.

Please note that failure to attach an explanation may result in a determination that the information does not meet the statutory trade secret definition. All information that does not meet the definition of trade secret as defined by A.A.C. R2-7-101(52) will become public in accordance with A.A.C. R2-7-C317. The State reserves the right to make its own determination of Proposer’s trade secret materials through a written determination in accordance with A.A.C. R2-7-103.

If the State agrees with the proposer’s designation of trade secret or confidentiality and the determination is challenged, the undersigned hereby agrees to cooperate and support the defense of the determination with all interested parties, including legal counsel or other necessary assistance.

By submitting this response, proposer agrees that the entire offer, including confidential, trade secret and proprietary information may be shared with an evaluation committee and technical advisors during the evaluation process.

Proposer agrees to indemnify and hold the State, its agents and employees, harmless from any claims or causes of action relating to the State’s withholding of information based upon reliance on the above representations, including the payment of all costs and attorney fees incurred by the State in defending such an action.

Blue Watermelon Project Company Name Signature of Person Authorized to Sign

PO Box 475 85252 Jilliann Sundberg Address Printed Name

ATTACHMENT 8

DESIGNATION OF CONFIDENTIAL, TRADE

SECRET AND PROPRIETARY INFORMATION

State of Arizona Department of Education

Scottsdale AZ 85252 Executive Director City State Zip Title

R2-7-103. Confidential Information

A. If a person wants to assert that a person's offer, specification, or protest contains a trade secret or other proprietary information, a person shall include with the submission a statement supporting this assertion. A person shall clearly designate any trade secret and other proprietary information, using the term "confidential."

Contract terms and conditions, pricing, and information generally available to the public are not considered confidential information under this Section.

B. Until a final determination is made under subsection (C), an agency chief procurement officer shall not disclose information designated as confidential under subsection (A) except to those individuals deemed by an agency chief procurement officer to have a legitimate state interest.

C. Upon receipt of a submission, an agency chief procurement officer shall make one of the following written determinations:

1. The designated information is confidential and the agency chief procurement officer shall not disclose the information except to those individuals deemed by the agency chief procurement officer to have a legitimate state interest;

2. The designated information is not confidential; or

3. Additional information is required before a final confidentiality determination can be made.

D. If an agency chief procurement officer determines that information submitted is not confidential, a person who made the submission shall be notified in writing. The notice shall include a time period for requesting a review of the determination by the state procurement administrator.

E. An agency chief procurement officer may release information designated as confidential under subsection (A) if:

1. A request for review is not received by the state procurement administrator within the time period specified in the notice; or

2. The state procurement administrator, after review, makes a written determination that the designated information is not confidential.

SURA

ATTACHMENT 9

PARTICIPATION IN BOYCOTT OF ISRAEL

State of Arizona Department of Education

All materials submitted as part of a response to a solicitation are subject to Arizona public records law and will be disclosed if there is an appropriate public records request at the time of or after the award of the contract. Recently legislation has been enacted to prohibit the state from contracting with companies currently engaged in a boycott of Israel. To ensure compliance with A.R.S. §35-393.01 This form must be completed and returned with the response to the solicitation and any supporting information to assist the State in making its determination of compliance.

As defined by A.R.S. §35-393.01:

1."Boycott" means engaging in a refusal to deal, terminating business activities or performing other actions that are intended to limit commercial relations with Israel or with persons or entities doing business in Israel or in territories controlled by Israel, if those actions are taken either:

(a) In compliance with or adherence to calls for a boycott of Israel other than those boycotts to which 50 United States Code section 4607(c) applies.

(b) In a manner that discriminates on the basis of nationality, national origin or religion and that is not based on a valid business reason.

2. "Company" means a sole proprietorship, organization, association, corporation, partnership, joint venture, limited partnership, limited liability partnership, Limited Liability Company or other entity or business association, and includes a wholly owned subsidiary, majority-owned subsidiary, parent company or affiliate.

3. "Direct holdings" means all publicly traded securities of a company that are held directly by the state treasurer or a retirement system in an actively managed account or fund in which the retirement system owns all shares or interests.

4."Indirect holdings" means all securities of a company that are held in an account or fund, including a mutual fund, that is managed by one or more persons who are not employed by the state treasurer or a retirement system, if the state treasurer or retirement system owns shares or interests either:

(a) together with other investors that are not subject to this section.

(b) that are held in an index fund.

5.”Public entity" means this State, a political subdivision of this STATE or an agency, board, commission or department of this state or a political subdivision of this state.

6.”Public fund" means the state treasurer or a retirement system.

7. "Restricted companies" means companies that boycott Israel.

8. "Retirement system" means a retirement plan or system that is established by or pursuant to title 38.

All offerors must select one of the following:

X My company does not participate in, and agrees not to participate in during the term of the contract a boycott of

Israel in accordance with A.R.S. §35-393.01. I understand that my entire response will become public record in accordance with A.A.C. R2-7-C317.

My company does participate in a boycott of Israel as defined by A.R.S. §35-393.01. :

By submitting this response, proposer agrees to indemnify and hold the State, its agents and employees, harmless from any claims or causes of action relating to the State’s action based upon reliance on the above representations, including the payment of all costs and attorney fees incurred by the State in defending such an action.

Company Name Signature of Person Authorized to Sign

PO Box 475

Jilliann Sundberg Address Printed Name

ATTACHMENT 9

PARTICIPATION IN BOYCOTT OF ISRAEL

State of Arizona Department of Education

Scottsdale AZ 85252 Executive Director

City State Zip Title

ATTACHMENT 10

FORCED LABOR OF ETHNIC UYGHURS BAN

Department of Education

Forced Labor of Ethnic Uyghurs Ban

Please note that if any of the following apply to the Contractor, then the Contractor shall select the “Exempt Contractor” option below:

● Contractor is a sole proprietorship;

● Contractor has fewer than ten (10) employees; OR

● Contractor is a non-profit organization.

Pursuant to A.R.S. § 35-394, written certification is required to show that the company entering into a contract with a public entity does not use the forced labor, or use any contractors, subcontractors or suppliers that use the forced labor or any goods or services produced by the forced labor or any goods or services produced by the forced labor, of ethnic Uyghurs in the People's Republic of China.

Under A.R.S. § 35-394:

1. "Company" means an organization, association, corporation, partnership, joint venture, limited partnership, limited liability partnership, limited liability company or other entity or business association, including a wholly owned subsidiary, majority-owned subsidiary, parent company or affiliate, that engages in for-profit activity and that has ten or more full-time employees.

2. "Public entity" means this State, a political subdivision of this State or an agency, board, commission or department of this State or a political subdivision of this State.

In compliance with A.R.S. § 35-394, all Contractors must select one of the following:

☐ The Company does not use, and agrees not to use during the term of the contract, any of the following:

● Forced labor of ethnic Uyghurs in the People’s Republic of China;

● Any goods or services produced by the forced labor of ethnic Uyghurs in the People’s Republic of

China; or

● Any Contractors, Subcontractors, or suppliers that use the forced labor or any goods or services produced by the forced labor of ethnic Uyghurs in the People’s Republic of China.

☐ The Company does participate in the use of Forced Uyghurs Labor as described in A.R.S. § 35-394.

☐ Exempt Contractor: Select all statements that apply to the Contractor:

☐ Contractor is a sole proprietorship;

☐ Contractor has fewer than ten (10) employees; and/or ☐ Contractor is a non-profit organization.

Company name Signature of person authorized to sign

PO Box 475 Jilliann Sundberg, Executive Director Address Printed name and Title

Scottsdale, AZ 85252 jilliann@bluewatermelonproject.org 602-369-5523

City, State, ZIP Contact email address Contact phone number

EXHIBIT 1

CERTIFICATE OF LIABILITY INSURANCE

State of Arizona Department of Education