FY18-F2S-RFA.pdf

Farm to School Grant Program

Fiscal Year 2018 Request for Applications

Catalog for Federal Domestic Assistance Number (CFDA): 10.575

Dates:

Publication Date: October 4, 2017

Application Due Date: 11:59 PM, Eastern Standard Time (EST), December 8, 2017

Estimated Award Date: May 2018

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Program Solicitation Information

Executive Summary:

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA) established 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 HHFKA, effective October 1, 2012, $5 million will be provided to the United States 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.

Designed to increase the availability of local foods in schools, grants can help new farm to school programs get started or expand existing efforts. 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 operation. FNS will competitively award grants to eligible applicants for projects that meet the purpose of the grant program.

Approximately $5 million is available to fund applications under this solicitation. In FY 2017 application cycle, FNS received 274 applications and was able to fund 65 (24%) of the applications.

To be competitive, applications must be complete and of high quality.

Planning and training grant awards range from $20,000 to $50,000, and implementation grant awards range from $50,000 to $100,000. Organizations that have received implementation, support service, or training grants through the Farm to School Grant Program in the last two funding cycles (FY 2016 or FY 2017) are ineligible to apply for FY 2018 funding. Planning grantees may reapply for implementation or training grants. A 25 percent cash or in-kind funding match is required.

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 Monday, October 16, 2017 at 3:00 p.m. ET.

Additional webinars will be scheduled as necessary. Notification of webinar call-in information and schedule will be communicated via the USDA Office of Community Food Systems.

In addition, applicants can find a set of Frequently Asked Questions and summaries of previously awarded projects online via the USDA Office of Community Food Systems website.

We strongly encourage applicants to review the Frequently Asked Questions resource.

http://www.usda.gov/farmtoschool

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2018 Highlights and Changes

Below are highlights of major changes to the program since the last fiscal year. The FY 2018 RFA:

Streamlines grant tracks.

o All eligible entitles may apply for planning and implementation tracks.

o The support service track has been removed as all entities may now apply through the planning and implementation tracks.

o The training track is still available; however, the sub categories for national, regional, and state have been removed.

Revises funding priority and eligibility for Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) operators.

o Removes school-based SFSP and CACFP funding priority from planning, implementation and training tracks. Projects that include CACFP and SFSP are still accepted but are not prioritized for funding.

o For planning and implementation grants, funding is available for school-based programming only. If a proposal seeks to increase local foods in CACFP or SFSP, target sites must be located at a school.

o Allows non-profits, state and local agencies, Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs), and agricultural producers to include SFSP and/or CACFP sponsors that have sites beyond schools in training grant applications.

Includes additional information on FY 2018 funding priorities in Section 1.4.

Specifies from whom letters of support should be solicited for planning and implementation grants.

Provides a definition for State agency.

Provides a definition for agricultural producer.

Training grant applications require one support letter from a prospective training attendee.

Requires USDA acknowledgment on materials and presentations produced by grantees throughout the award period in Section 3.4.

Includes a policy for former or current grantees seeking additional funding.

o Organizations that have received implementation, support service, or training grants through the Farm to School Grant Program in the last two funding cycles (FY 2016 or FY 2017) are ineligible to apply for FY 2018 funding.1 Planning grantees may reapply for implementation or training grants.

Additionally, those reapplying for funding must closeout all current grant work (submit all required documentation) by the estimated award announcement date listed in the RFA.

This policy applies to organizations that are the lead applicant (i.e. the organization that submitted the grant application).

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Application Checklist

This application checklist provides a list of the required documents; however FNS expects that applicants will read 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:

You have at least a 25 percent match and that you have detailed the source of those funds.

All key staff who are 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 for one mandatory face-to-face meeting.

Types of equipment and supplies, justifications, and estimates, ensuring that the budget is in line with the project description.

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 submitted the following:

Farm to School Grant Program Application Cover Sheet 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.

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 Verifying Matching Funds for EACH cash and/or in kind resource (PDF or MS

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

- Upload using the “Add Attachments” button under SF-424 item #15) http://apply07.grants.gov/apply/forms/sample/FSGP-V1.0.pdf http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms.html https://apply07.grants.gov/apply/forms/sample/SFLLL_1_2-V1.2.pdf

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Staff Resumes (PDF or MS Word - Upload using the “Add Attachments” button under SF-424 item #15)

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

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

Corporate Applicants (fillable PDF in Grants.gov).

Signed Letter(s) Stating Evidence of Critical Resources and Infrastructure (PDF or MS Word -

Upload using the “Add Attachments” button under SF-424 item #15) Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (PDF - Upload using the “Add Attachments” button under SF-424 item #15)

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Table of Contents

1.0 Program Description

1.1 Legislative Authority

1.2 Defining Local Foods

1.3 Grant Tracks

1.4 FY 2018 Funding Priorities

2.0 Federal Award Information

2.1 Type of Federal Assistance

2.2 Award Amounts and Period of Performance

2.4 Allowable Costs

2.5 Match Requirements and Cost Sharing

3.0 Eligibility Information

3.1 Planning and Implementation Grant Eligibility

3.2 Training Grant Eligibility

3.3 Additional Eligibility Requirements

3.4 Grantee Requirements

4.0 Application and Submission Information

4.1 Application Format

4.2 Application Content: Proposal Narrative

4.3 Application Content: Budget and Budget Narrative

4.4 Application Content: Attachments

4.5 Application Content: Required Grant Application Forms

4.6 Submitting an Application

5.0 Application Review Information

5.1 Initial Screening

5.2 Panel Review

5.3 Selection Process

5.4 Determination of Award Amounts

6.0 Accounting System & Financial Capability Questionnaire

7.0 Federal Award Administration Information

7.1 Federal Award Notice

7.2 Non-selected Applicants

7.3 Reporting Requirements

7.4 Administrative and National Policy Requirements

8.0 Federal Awarding Agency Contacts

9.0 Other Information

9.1 What is Farm to School?

9.2 A Vision for Health and Economic Opportunity

Appendix A: Urban/Rural Classification Instructions

Appendix B: Grant Program Accounting System & Financial Capability Questionnaire 39

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1.0 Program Description

1.1 Legislative Authority

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA) amended Section 18 of the Richard B.

Russell National School Lunch Act (NSLA) to establish 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 HHFKA, $5 million is provided to the United States 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).

Authorizing language in the HHFKA directed the Secretary of Agriculture to award competitive grants for:

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 HHFKA to ensure geographical diversity and equitable treatment of urban, rural, and tribal communities, 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 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 Program Grant, each grant 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.

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1.2 Defining Local Foods

Local and regional food systems typically centralize within a specific region where all activities associated with producing, processing, distributing, and marketing foods take place. How one defines “local” or “regional” – which are often used interchangeably, and will be for the purposes of this request for applications – can depend on geographic, social, governmental, physical, or economic parameters, seasonality, or other factors. USDA fully expects applicants of this RFA to have varying definitions of “local” specific to their individual contexts.

1.3 Grant Tracks

Grant funds will be made available on a competitive basis, subject to availability of Federal funds, using three grants tracks: Planning, Implementation, and Training. Applicant eligibility varies across grant type, for further clarification see Section 3.0, Eligibility Information. The grant tracks are independently awarded and are not intended to be sequential sources of funding. For example, a district that has been awarded a Planning Grant is not automatically eligible for or awarded an Implementation Grant. The grant tracks exist to provide diverse funding for a wide range of farm to school constituents in different stages of farm to school development.

1.3.1 Planning Grants

Planning grants are intended for eligible entities that are just getting started with farm to school activities. Planning grants should primarily focus on goals and objectives that lay a solid foundation for launching or scaling up farm to school work. Key activities for a planning grant proposal include (but are not limited to): collecting data; engaging stakeholders; identifying gaps in knowledge and resources; and pinpointing and developing solutions for obstacles that hinder farm to school programming for a particular community.

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.

Recipients of planning grants must complete a comprehensive Farm to School Action Plan, the submission of which will be required in final reporting documents. Applicants may use the Farm to School Planning Toolkit and other technical assistance resources prepared by USDA staff.

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

Developing a Farm to School Action Plan that includes goals, activities, and timelines for implementation and responsible parties for each activity. This is a required activity for all awarded planning grant projects, and applicants should budget ample staff time for its completion. Sample action plans are available are available on the USDA website:

https://www.fns.usda.gov/farmtoschool/resources-current-grantees

Aligning the Farm to School Action Plan with the agency’s, organization’s, school district(s)’ or school(s)’ existing goals and commitments, integrating farm to school concepts in local wellness policies or school board resolutions, and identifying key https://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/f2s/F2S-Planning-Kit.pdf https://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/f2s/F2S-Planning-Kit.pdf https://www.fns.usda.gov/farmtoschool/resources-current-grantees

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Assessing a state, community, 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 SFSP sponsors can take to offer locally- or regionally-sourced foods; and, Assessing local or regional product availability and identifying key supply chain relationships necessary for successful implementation of a farm to school program.

1.3.2 Implementation Grants

Implementation grants are intended for eligible entities to scale up or further develop existing farm to school initiatives. 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. As such, eligible activities may include: training and technical assistance; supply-chain development; evaluation activities; curriculum development;

creation of promotional materials or campaigns; and formation of networks or coalitions; among other activities. In addition to these activities, state agencies are well-positioned to develop strategic plans and coordinate efforts among schools and with other states. Working at the state level offers opportunities to incorporate farm to school strategies in trainings and professional development opportunities, while also identifying barriers and exploring options for addressing existing barriers at the state and school levels.

Implementation grants are appropriate for entities with established partnerships and initial implementation success. Proposals must be responsive to the USDA Farm to School Grant Program goals as described in Section I.0: Legislative Authority.

Activities supported by implementation grants may 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 or regional products into t h e S c h o o l Breakfast Program, school-based SFSP or school-based CACFP;

Operating service projects (e.g. AmeriCorps, VISTA, FoodCorps, local service corps programs, etc.) that support farm to school initiatives in schools;

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

Improving infrastructure to accommodate new ingredients or menu items;

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

Developing promotional campaigns in support of farm to school initiatives;

Strategic planning efforts to expand or coordinate efforts across multiple districts;

Conducting farm to school evaluation efforts;

Solving distribution bottlenecks that limit the feasibility of sourcing more regionally produced items;

Establishing new or strengthening existing community partnerships (e.g. working with culinary schools on training or menu development; partnerships with extension personnel to identify appropriate suppliers, etc.);

Encouraging increased consumption of fruits and vegetables through promotional activities, taste tests, and other activities;

Expanding experiential or agriculture-based learning opportunities, such as creation of school gardens, support to ag/food clubs, or increased exposure to on-farm activities; and, Developing integrated curriculum to reinforce food and nutrition-based learning throughout the school environment.

Activities in state agency proposals may include, but are not limited to: hiring of staff to support statewide farm to school, school-based farm to summer, and/or school-based farm to childcare efforts; creation of statewide marketing campaigns or harvest of the month initiatives; and formation of statewide coalitions or taskforces.

1.3.3 Training grants

Training grants are intended to support eligible entities to conduct state, regional, and national-level trainings that strengthen farm to school supply chains and/or increase trainees’ knowledge and capacity related to local procurement, food safety, school gardens, culinary education, and/or integration of agriculture‐based curricula. Applications that have a specific emphasis on developing supply chain relationships by connecting local producers to school food buyers will also be considered.

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

Technical assistance trainings that address buying local foods for the federal child nutrition programs;

Training events that bring together stakeholders from across the supply chain, (including producers, manufacturers, distributors, buyers, educators, etc.), e.g. statewide producer‐ buyer meetings designed to stimulate cross learning and business connections;

Trainings on school garden development and food and agriculture curricula integration;

Culinary training or educational activities, e.g. a “Junior Chef” competition where local products are incorporated into school meal programs; and, National, state, or regional trainings to support information sharing, networking, or the professional development of farm to school practitioners.

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1.4 FY 2018 Funding Priorities

In addition to the general program purpose and priorities outlined above, across all grant categories, USDA considers the following priorities for FY 2018:

Applications from school districts (i.e. the school district is the lead applicant2): schools or school districts will receive at least 50 percent of the overall number of planning and implementation awards.

Applications from Indian Tribal Organizations and entities serving Native communities.

Applications from state agencies (i.e. the state agency is the lead applicant).

Projects that reach more than one school.

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

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

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 and training grant awards will range from $20,000 - $50,000, and implementation grants will range from $50,000 - $100,000. Training grant applications to conduct state-level training are encouraged to cap their grant funding requests at $25,000. While USDA sets specific award amounts for each grant track, please note that the total project costs (including the non-USDA portion) may exceed these amounts.

The period of performance for the FY 2018 USDA Farm to School Grant Program will be as follows, beginning from the date of the award:

Grant Track Award Period Eligible Entities Award Amounts

Implementation 12 or 24 months Schools, Nonprofits, ITOs, Ag producers, state/local agencies

$50,000 - $100,000

Planning 12 or 24 months Schools, Nonprofits, ITOs, Ag producers, state/local agencies

$20,000 - $50,000

The lead applicant is the organization that submitted the grant application.

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Training Grants 12 months Nonprofits, ITOs, Ag producers, state/local agencies

$20,000 - $50,000

Applicants should expect the grant life cycle to include start-up activities, execution, and close- out activities (final financial and program reports, accounting, etc.). Applicants are expected to plan accordingly in order to achieve project deliverables within the award period selected.

All grant funds must be obligated, and all program activities under the grant (other than activities relating to the close out of the grant) must be completed by the end of the award period. The close-out 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 progress reports are due to USDA no later than 90 days following the end of the award period.

2.4 Allowable Costs

Among other costs, budgets may include expenses related to personnel, contractors, equipment and supplies, meeting expenses, travel, and trainings.

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, and ovens) and supplies (e.g., knives, cutting boards, and food processors) are allowable expenses only for implementation grants. Salad bars are also an allowable expense. Equipment is an unallowable cost for planning grants.

Food Expenses: No more than 10 percent of the grant funds may be used for food purchases in the grant budget. The ultimate goal of funded projects should be to make local food products available on school menus; however, purchasing local products should not be a primary use of grant funds. Food purchases should be limited to educational purposes, including: 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 a sub-grantee or line item contractor. Please be sure to provide a rationale for the partner(s)’ services.

2.5 Match Requirements and Cost Sharing

For all grant types, federal funds should constitute no more than 75 percent of the total project budget. 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.).

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In-kind contributions are generally defined as the value of goods or services provided by a third-party for the benefit of the grant program, where no funds transferred hands. Applicants may not use Federal funds of any kind, including Federal food service funds, as a match for this grant program. The 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. The basis for determining the value of cash and in-kind contributions must be in accordance with 2 CFR 200.306.

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. A sample match calculation can be found on page 21.

3.0 Eligibility Information

The authorizing language specifies the following eligible entities:

Eligible schools;

State3 and local agencies;

Indian tribal organizations;

Agricultural producers or groups of agricultural producers; and Non-profit entities.

Please note that the Office of Community Food Systems seeks to award funding to agricultural producers who operate small- to medium-sized farms. 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. Or a small to medium farm is any place with land acreage measuring less than 1,582 acres that produced and sold, or normally would have sold agricultural products.

3.1 Planning and Implementation Grant Eligibility

Eligible schools, state and local agencies, Indian tribal organizations, agricultural producers or groups of agricultural producers, and non-profit entities are eligible to receive planning and implementation grants.

Eligible schools are defined as pre-K-12 School Food Authorities (SFAs), non-profit private

For the purposes of this RFA, a state agency is considered as 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, state commodity commission).

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2014-title2-vol1/xml/CFR-2014-title2-vol1-sec200-306.xml http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2014-title2-vol1/xml/CFR-2014-title2-vol1-sec200-306.xml

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Funding is available to support school-based programs only. If a proposal seeks to increase local foods in the Child and Adult Care Program or the Summer Food Service Program, target sites must be located at a school.

Proof of existing community and school support: Applicants must show evidence of existing community support and engagement with at least three letters of support. Applications which do not include at least three letters of support may be subject to a reduced score in the review process. It is strongly recommended that support letters come from the following partners:

School administration, such as a principal or superintendent;

Key food service personnel, such as the school nutrition director;

Local producers or ranchers or distributors who may be providing the school meal programs with local foods; and/or

Other key partners that show support for the objectives listed in the proposal.

Please carefully review sections 3.0 and 3.3 before proceeding with preparing a proposal.

3.2 Training Grant Eligibility

Only state and local agencies, Indian Tribal Organizations, agricultural producers or groups of agricultural producers, and non-profit entities are eligible to receive training grant funds.

Unlike planning and implementation grants, training grants may support projects that impact CACFP and SFSP operators that have sites beyond schools.

Proof of existing community and school support: Applicants must show evidence of existing community support in the form of a support letter from a stakeholder the applicant intends to train. Applications which do not have a support letter from a potential training attendee may be subject to a reduced score in the review process.

Please carefully review sections 3.0 and 3.3 before proceeding with preparing a proposal.

3.3 Additional Eligibility Requirements

One grant application per entity: Applicants must choose between submitting a planning, implementation, or training 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 two funding cycles (FY 2016 and FY 2017) are ineligible to apply for FY 2018 funding.

Past planning grantees: While being a past planning grant recipient does not guarantee an implementation award, previous planning grantees that have completed their projects may

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Past implementation, support service and training grantees: Organizations that have received implementation, support service, or training grants though the Farm to School Grant Program in the last two funding cycles (FY 2016 or FY 2017) are ineligible to apply for any FY 2018 Farm to School Grant Program funding.

Cooperative Extension Service4 programs and institutions of higher learning are ineligible to apply for these grant projects as the lead applicant.

3.3.1 Fiscal Sponsors

Eligible applicants may use fiscal sponsors/agents in their effort to attain and administer a grant award. Such applicants seeking to implement a Farm to School Grant project may utilize a fiscal sponsor/agent to apply for an award on behalf of the implementing organization. By doing so, the sponsor/agent accepts all financial and legal liabilities for that organization at the time the award is made. Fiscal sponsors/agents must submit the application as the applicant organization, and the Authorized Organizational Representative responsible for all grant decisions should be listed as an employee of the fiscal sponsor/agent. Fiscal sponsors/agents are bound by the same requirements mentioned in this RFA as other applicant organizations.

An applicant organization cannot accept an award and later transfer the award to a fiscal sponsor/agent. Distinct eligible applicants that use the same fiscal sponsor may submit applications during the same round of funding.

3.4 Grantee Requirements

All grant recipients must:

Participate in an orientation call.

Complete standardized evaluation activities as determined by USDA which includes baseline and final reporting, an annual grantee satisfaction report, as well as quarterly progress and final reports.

Acknowledge USDA support: As outlined in 2 CFR 415.2, grant recipients shall include acknowledgement of USDA Food and Nutrition Service support on any publications written or published with grant support and, if feasible, on any publication reporting the results of, or describing, a grant-supported activity. Recipients shall include acknowledgement of USDA Food and Nutrition Service support on any audiovisual which is produced with grant support and which has a direct production cost of over $5,000.

o When acknowledging USDA support, use the following language: "This material is based upon work that is supported by the Food and Nutrition Service, U.S.

Department of Agriculture.” Whenever practical, FNS also expects that grantees use the Office of Community Food Systems identifier in publications, posters, websites and presentations resulting from their award. Grantees are asked to follow the USDA Visual Standards Guide when using the USDA logo.

Grant recipients may be asked to host USDA officials for a site visit during the course of their grant award or during the training event. All costs associated with the site visit will be paid for

Cooperative Extension Service is defined by USDA NIFA as “a nationwide, non-credit educational network that addresses public needs by providing non-formal higher education and learning activities to farmers, ranchers, communities, youth, and families throughout the nation.” https://nifa.usda.gov/cooperative-extension-system https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/visual-standards-guide-january-2013.pdf

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3.4.1 Planning and Implementation Grantee Requirements

Planning and Implementation grant recipients must:

Participate in webinars and regularly scheduled training and technical assistance throughout the course of the grant period.

Engage in periodic one-on-one consultations with USDA personnel.

Attend at least one face-to-face meeting with USDA personnel and fellow grantees to provide exposure to farm to school best practices and networking opportunities, discuss project progress, explore opportunities for collaborative efforts, and enhance dissemination of exemplary methods.

Applicants must include travel costs for at least one and no more than two project representatives, preferably including the project director, in their grant budgets to attend this meeting. Applicants should estimate three full days of travel including hotel, airfare, meals, etc.

Planning grantees must create a Farm to School Action Plan using USDA’s Farm to School Planning Toolkit.

3.2.1 Training Grant Requirements

Make best faith efforts to include USDA FNS Regional Farm to School personnel, time permitting, in the planning process.

Where relevant, disseminate USDA Farm to School Program fact sheets and other relevant resource materials.

Place the USDA logo on all training materials and reference USDA as a training event sponsor in all promotional materials including websites.

Use standardized USDA evaluation questions to monitor the effectiveness of any programming.

Submit results from all evaluations to USDA.

Submit meeting agendas, presentations, and other training materials to USDA.

4.0 Application and Submission Information

4.1 Application Format

Applications should meet the following formatting guidelines:

Include a table of contents (not counted towards any page limit);

5-page maximum length for Planning and Training grant narrative response; or

10-page maximum length for Implementation grant narrative response.

Page restrictions apply only to content of the narrative proposals and do not apply to other required forms, the budget, or supporting documents (however, supporting documents should be limited to no more than 10 pages for all application types). Pages

17 | P a g e exceeding the stated page limits may be omitted during the review process.

8 ½” by 11” paper;

12 point Times New Roman font size (smaller font may be used in tables, charts and graphs as long as they are clearly readable);

Single-spaced;

At least 1 inch margins on the top and bottom of the page; and, Numbered pages.

4.2 Application Content: Proposal Narrative

4.2.1 Planning Grant Proposal Narrative (Maximum 5 pages)

In preparing your proposal narrative, provide the information requested, in the order presented below.

Farm to School Background and Readiness: Describe your school(s) and the number of students that will benefit from this project. Briefly describe the state of your farm to school efforts to date, including any local foods procurement and how many schools your project will reach. Note any early successes, lessons learned, or challenges as well as how challenges can be overcome. If your school, district, or organization does not have farm to school related experience, please note any experience, conditions, or resources (e.g. health and wellness initiatives, etc.) are in place to help your school district or organization implement a successful farm to school program. Clearly indicate why your site is ready for this planning process.

Need: Describe your school and/or community and why there is a need for such a program at your site. When possible, use relevant quantitative or qualitative data, (e.g.

Farm to School Census data, demographic information, levels of access to healthy foods, poverty statistics, public health information such as obesity rates in your city/county, school meal participation rates, Census of Agriculture information, etc.), to support your justification.

Objectives, Activities, and Timeline: All objectives should lead to the end goal of having a comprehensive Farm to School Action Plan in place by the end of the grant period. Action plan corresponds to Farm to School legislative priorities outline in Section 1.1. Use “SMART” objectives (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound) to describe what you hope to accomplish. Your project timeline should start no earlier than June 1, 2018. If awards are made after the expected award date the timeline may be shifted appropriately.

(Example) Objective: By September 2018, identify supply chain partners we could work with to increase our procurement of regional foods by 20%.

Activities:

Identify X n u m b e r o f local farmers and regional supply chain actors

• Who: Bob Jones (By: June 2018) Host initial meeting w/ potential supply chain partners

• Who: Bob Jones (By: July 2018) Follow up w/ supply chain partners one-on-one

• Who: Bob Jones (By: July-August 2018)

Evaluation: Evaluating your farm to school progress, both from a quantitative and a

18 | P a g e qualitative perspective, and then assessing your program’s overall impact, will be critical. Please describe how you would monitor your proposed activities and how you would evaluate progress against stated objectives throughout the grant period. Outline the roles and responsibilities of the staff, volunteers, or contractors involved in monitoring and evaluating success. For more information on evaluation resources, see http://www.usda.gov/farmtoschool.

Sustainability. How will you ensure your Farm to School Action Plan is executed regardless of whether you receive future funding? Please share which other funding opportunities will be pursued to initiate your action plan. Mention the current and future roles of any partners and stakeholders in this section, and include how planned activities will be integrated into the organization’s regular, ongoing operations and/or local policies.

Staffing, Project Management, and Quality Assurance. Describe your approach to managing the project to ensure that project activities are completed on time, within budget, and with quality results. Note any relevant experience in managing similar planning activities, such as a feasibility study or action planning process. Identify the staff (or contractors) who will manage the project. Describe roles and responsibilities of these employees or contractors, as well as relevant qualifications and experience.

4.2.2 Implementation Grant Proposal Narrative (Maximum 10 pages)

Farm to School Experience

Organizational Information and Past Experience in Farm to School Initiatives. Describe the type of organization you operate, including your line of business and the product(s) or the services you provide. Describe Your Experience in Farm to School Initiatives.

Address any previous experience and success in providing support for farm to school procurement strategies, promotional efforts, hands-on learning, training, curriculum development, planning, and evaluation. Note any successes, lessons learned, or challenges as well as any potential challenges and how those can be overcome. Discuss conditions or resources in place to support the expansion of farm to school activities.

Need

Need: Describe your school and/or community and why there is a need for such a program at your site. When possible, use relevant quantitative or qualitative data, (e.g. Farm to School Census data, demographic information, levels of access to healthy foods, poverty statistics, public health information such as obesity rates in your city/county, school meal participation rates, Census of Agriculture information, etc.), to support your justification.

Explain why the timing fits for your proposed project.

Project

Proposed Project. Describe your proposed project and specific farm to school activities you will conduct. What overall goal are you trying to achieve and what impact are you seeking for your target audience? Discuss how the project and its proposed outcomes will address the objectives of the Farm to School Grant Program (outlined in Section 1.1). Describe in http://www.usda.gov/farmtoschool.

19 | P a g e detail the procurement aspect of your approach, i.e. do you plan to purchase via existing distributors, DoD Fresh, direct from farms, school garden or orchard, etc.?

Objectives, Activities and Timeline: Use “SMART” objectives (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound) to describe what you hope to accomplish. Your project timeline should start no earlier than June 1, 2018. If awards are made after the expected award date the timeline may be shifted appropriately.

(Example) Objective: By August 31, 2018, freeze at least XXX lbs of local fruit for use in lunch program.

Activities:

• Query food service staff regarding type of fruit preferred along with preferences for receipt of product (size pouch, amount of pre-cutting, etc.)

• Who: Sarah Johnson, District (By: August/September 2018)

• Identify 3-5 test products

• Who: Sarah Johnson, District, and Bob Jones, Mid-Valley Growers (By: January 2018)

Evaluation Plan: Please describe how you plan to monitor activities and evaluate your success in accomplishing objectives. Who will be responsible for data gathering and evaluation? When and how will this information be collected? To what extent do you have experience conducting process evaluations (qualitative and quantitative indicators of progress toward the objectives, accomplishment of activities) and to what extent do you have experience conducting outcome evaluations (to determine whether the objectives were met and what impact they had)? Note that USDA reserves the option to provide further detail regarding specific metrics and evaluation expectations at the time grants are awarded.

Sustainability: USDA funds are envisioned as a one-time infusion of capital. Describe which aspects or components of the project will continue beyond the end of the project period. How will your farm to school program be sustained over the long-term?

Is farm to school, specifically or in concept, included in your district’s Local Wellness Policy, Administrative Rules or other guidance documents or policies? Is there an oversight committee or other formal governance body to guide efforts? If so, who participates and how frequently does the group meet? Do you have specific farm to school goals for this school year or next. How will your efforts continue past the grant period? How will your efforts be integrated into ongoing operations and structures?

Staffing and Project Management and Quality Assurance: Briefly describe how your farm to school program is staffed and organized. Identify the staff (or contractors) who will manage the project. Describe roles and responsibilities of these employees or contractors as it relates to the goals and objectives of your project, as well as relevant qualifications and experience. As applicable, list the organizations, schools, and businesses involved in carrying out this project. Include a description of the relevant experience each will bring and roles and responsibilities.

4.2.3 Training Grant Proposal Narrative (Maximum 5 pages)

Farm to School Background Information. Briefly describe the state of your farm to school efforts to date. Describe any resources, infrastructure, or systems/processes already in

20 | P a g e place that will help your organization host a successful farm to school training. Note any successes, lessons learned, or challenges. Describe how this experience relates to your training proposal. Describe your or your partners’ experience providing training on farm to school or related topics. Clearly indicate why the timing is right for this investment.

Discuss what conditions or resources are in place to support a successful farm to school training.

Need: Describe your target audience and why there is a need for such a training. When possible, use any relevant quantitative or qualitative data, (e.g. Farm to School Census data, demographic information, levels of access to healthy foods, poverty statistics, public health information such as obesity rates in your city/county, school meal participation rates, Census of Agriculture information, etc.), to support your justification. Attach a letter of support from an intended audience member of the proposed training. Make sure to include the name, affiliation, and contact information for this intended audience member in the Need section as well.

Proposed Training: Describe the training, including:

Scope (state, regional, or national);

Date and location;

Organizers or planning committee (describe a n y partners that will play a substantive role in putting on the event);

Topics to be addressed, including how this need was determined;

Primary goals of the event;

Attendees (what types and how many people do you expect at your event?);

A draft agenda (the draft agenda will not be counted against the page limit.); and, Focus (farm to school, school-based farm to summer, and/or school-based farm to

CACFP).

If the event includes a procurement focus, include whether the trainer has participated in USDA’s train- the-trainer program for buying local in federal child nutrition programs.