U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health

Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

Notice of Funding Opportunity

Healthy Cooking in Communities

Opportunity Number

HP-DPH-26-001

Application Due Date

August 17, 2026

Table of Contents

SUMMARY

A. ELIGIBIITY INFORMATION

1. Eligible Applicants

2. Application Responsiveness Criteria

3. Cost Sharing or Matching

B. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

1. Expectations for Recipients

2. Implementation Timeline

3. Federal Involvement in the Project

4. Eligibility criteria for project participants

C. AWARD INFORMATION

D. APPLICATION CONTENTS AND FORMAT

1. Format of the Application

2. Content

3. Standard Form SF-424A

4. Budget Narrative with Justification

5. Plan for Recipient Oversight of Federal Award Funds

E. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS AND DATES

1. Obtaining an Application Package

2. Required Registrations

3. Submission Instructions

4. Other Submission Requirements

F. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

1. Responsiveness Review

2. Merit Review Criteria

3. Merit Review and Selection Process

4. Review of Risk Posed by Applicant

G. AWARD NOTICES

H. AWARD REQUIREMENTS AND ADMINISTRATION

1. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

2. Program Specific Terms and Conditions

3. Award Closeout

4. Lobbying Prohibitions

5. Non-Discrimination Requirements

6. Smoke- and Tobacco-free Workplace

7. Acknowledgement of Funding

8. HHS Rights to Materials and Data

9. Trafficking in Persons

10. Efficient Spending

11. Whistleblower Protection

12. Health Information Technology (IT) Interoperability

13. Certain telecommunications and video surveillance services or equipment

14. Human Subjects Protection

15. Research Integrity

16. Reporting

I. CONTACTS

J. OTHER INFORMATION

1. Application Checklist

2. Acronyms

3. Glossary

4. Object Class Descriptions and Required Justifications

BASIC INFORMATION

Opportunity Title

Healthy Cooking in Communities

Program Office

Office of Disease Prevention and Health

Promotion Application Submission and Format

Electronic application submitted via

Grants.gov ONLY. Opportunity Number

HP-DPH-26-001

Award Type

Cooperative Agreement

Application Deadline

August 17, 2026

Announcement Type

Initial

Assistance Listing

93.990

Eligible Applicants (see Section A.1 for full details)

Executive Order 12372 does apply to this NOFO (see section E.3.D)

Estimated Total Funding Available

$9,000,000

Estimated Period of Performance (months)

Estimated Number of Awards

Anticipated Award Date

No later than September 30, 2026

Anticipated Award Funding Range

$3,000,000

Anticipated Project Start Date

No later than September 30, 2026

QUESTIONS?

Additional contact information in Section G

SUMMARY

The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH) Office of Disease Prevention and

Health Promotion (ODPHP) announces the anticipated availability of FY 2026 funding for a cooperative agreement under Section 1701(a)(11) of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act (42

U.S.C. § 300u(a)(11)) and §§ 1703-1704 of the PHS Act (42 U.S.C. § 300u-2 to § 300u–3). The purpose of the cooperative agreement is to establish and implement a nationwide cooking and nutrition education initiative. Through a coordinated network of regional and local implementation partners, the initiative will deliver recurring community cooking demonstrations and hands-on nutrition education designed to help individuals and families develop practical skills for selecting, preparing, and enjoying nutritious meals aligned with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Consistent with the Administration’s Make America Healthy Again goals (available at https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/MAHA-Report-The-White-

House.pdf) and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030 (available at https://cdn.realfood.gov/DGA.pdf), the initiative will promote practical cooking skills, nutrition literacy, preparation of meals using minimally processed, nutrient-dense foods, and healthy dietary patterns that support chronic disease prevention. By helping participants apply nutrition guidance in everyday life, the initiative aims to reduce risk factors associated with chronic diseases and support efforts to prevent, manage, and, in some cases, reverse diet-related chronic conditions.

Through this cooperative agreement, OASH/ODPHP anticipates making three awards. Each recipient will establish and coordinate a network of regional and local implementation partners to conduct a minimum of 600 community cooking demonstrations during a 15-week national activation period by conducting one demonstration per week in each of at least 40 geographic locations. Collectively, recipients will conduct a minimum of 1,800 cooking demonstrations nationwide.

Cooking demonstrations are intended to provide practical, hands-on learning experiences that help participants develop the knowledge, skills, and confidence to prepare healthy meals consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Demonstrations should emphasize nutrition education, meal planning, budgeting, food safety, healthy food selection, and preparation of minimally processed nutrient-dense foods. Where feasible and appropriate, recipients are encouraged to pair cooking demonstrations with complementary whole-health activities, such as preventive health screenings, nutrition counseling, physical activity promotion, chronic disease prevention education, community resource navigation, or other activities that support healthy lifestyles and disease prevention.

Recipients are expected to support implementation through subawards, subcontract agreements, or similar arrangements, prioritizing grocery retailers and community food access locations where practicable. Recipients should provide sufficient resources to support high-quality implementation at each demonstration site. OASH/ODPHP anticipates that award budgets may support demonstration activities at an estimated level of up to $5,000 per event, inclusive of https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/MAHA-Report-The-White-House.pdf https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/MAHA-Report-The-White-House.pdf https://cdn.realfood.gov/DGA.pdf planning, staffing, food and supplies, community outreach, participant engagement materials, venue-related costs, and associated implementation expenses, as appropriate and allowable.

Recipients will support implementation across participating geographic locations by developing and disseminating standardized nutrition education materials, recipe cards, digital assets, outreach resources, signage templates, technical assistance, and other tools that promote consistent nationwide implementation. Recipients will also collect implementation and participation data, share promising practices, and support program evaluation and continuous improvement.

The anticipated period of performance for awards under this NOFO is 12 months. The primary implementation activity will be a 15-week national activation period supported by planning, phased implementation, technical assistance, evaluation, closeout, and potential continuation activities, subject to the availability of funds and program priorities. Given the accelerated timeline, recipients are expected to rapidly mobilize implementation infrastructure and initiate community-based cooking demonstrations and related activities as soon as practicable following award issuance, with the goal of beginning demonstrations in late summer 2026.

The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH) Grants and Acquisitions Management

Division (GAM) will administer this competition in coordination with federal program staff, including senior Department officials or other designated Presidential appointees, consistent with the Executive Order on “Improving Oversight of Federal Grantmaking” (available at https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/08/improving-oversight-of-federal-grantmaking/).

All activities proposed in the application and budget narrative must align with applicable law, including but not limited to statutes, executive orders, federal regulations, and applicable judicial holdings. Accordingly, discretionary awards shall not be used to fund, promote, encourage, subsidize, or facilitate: racial preferences or other forms of racial discrimination by the recipient, including activities where race or intentional proxies for race will be used as a selection criterion for employment or program participation; denial by the recipient of the sex binary in humans, or the belief that sex is a chosen or mutable characteristic; illegal immigration; or any other initiatives that compromise public safety. If an application does not align, the application will not receive funding to the extent permitted by law and applicable court orders.

Applicants should review all program requirements, eligibility information, application format and submission instructions, evaluation criteria, and other information contained in this NOFO to ensure that applications comply with all applicable requirements and instructions.

A. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

1. Eligible Applicants

You must meet all the eligibility requirements for us to review your application.

a) Eligible Entities https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/08/improving-oversight-of-federal-grantmaking/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/08/improving-oversight-of-federal-grantmaking/

Any public or private (profit or nonprofit) entity located in a State (which includes one of the 50

United States, District of Columbia, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Guam, Republic of Palau, Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands) is eligible to apply for an award under this announcement. Community-based organizations, faith-based organizations and American Indian/Alaska Native/Native American (AI/AN/NA) organizations are eligible to apply.

Examples of eligible Organizations include:

• State Governments

• U.S. territories

• County Governments

• City or township governments

• Special district governments

• Independent school districts

• Public and State controlled institutions of higher education

• Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)

• Public Housing authorities/Indian housing authorities

• Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments)

• Nonprofits having 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education

• Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education

• Private institutions of higher education

• For profit organizations, including small businesses.

Applicants must demonstrate sufficient organizational capacity and national implementation experience to carry out the activities described in this NOFO.

b) PD/PI Eligibility

There is no restriction on an individual’s eligibility to be Project Director (PD)/Principal

Investigator (PI) on an application. However, we will not make an award with a PD/PI who has an active government-wide exclusion, suspension, or debarment recorded in SAM.gov.

We expect that throughout the period of performance the PD/PI will be involved in, and have substantial knowledge about, all aspects of the project. Although your organization may recognize co-PD/PIs on team-managed projects, we recognize only a single PD/PI who will be responsible for the programmatic aspects of the project.

c) Other Considerations

Submitting Multiple Applications

You may submit more than one application, but each application must be for a distinctly different project.

If you submit multiple applications for the same project, we will accept only the last application submitted with a Grants.gov timestamp that is before the due date and time. We will disqualify all other versions of the application. See Section F.1.b for all disqualification factors.

Submitting an Application as a Group or Consortium

Multiple entities may collaborate in carrying out activities under this NOFO; however, only one entity may serve as the lead applicant and submit the application.

If awarded, the lead applicant will serve as the recipient of record and will be responsible for all administrative, financial, and programmatic oversight responsibilities, including management of subawards, subcontracts, and coordination with partner entities.

The Department may make multiple awards under this NOFO.

Partner organizations may participate in the project as subrecipients, contractors, or other implementation partners, as appropriate.

Groups may form a consortium, partnership, or other legally recognized entity for the purpose of applying for this opportunity and carrying out any awarded project. The resulting entity must exist and be legally recognized when it applies and must have an active registration in SAM.gov.

We will conduct a risk assessment on the applying entity (Section F.4) prior to making any award.

Eligibility Documentation

We do not require you to submit documentation of your eligibility (e.g., proof of 501(c)(3) status as determined by the Internal Revenue Service or an authorizing tribal resolution) when you submit your application. It is important that your organization is correctly classified in your

SAM registration (Section E.2.a).

During our review of your application, we might request additional documentation to support your eligibility. This request means only that your application is under review and not that you will receive an award.

More specific information on the type of documentation that we might request specific to this opportunity appears in Section E.4.b.

Application Disqualification

We will disqualify applications that fail to meet the eligibility, responsiveness, formatting, and submission requirements (Sections F.1.b) prior to conducting merit review. Disqualified applications will not undergo further review.

We will notify disqualified applicants at the end of the competition when we announce the award recipients.

2. Application Responsiveness Criteria

We will review applications to determine whether they meet the responsiveness criteria below. Applications that do not meet the responsiveness criteria will be disqualified and will not proceed beyond the initial screening.

The responsiveness criteria are as follows:

• Submission by an eligible applicant;

• Submission of the application by the established deadline;

• Inclusion of all required application components;

• Demonstration of organizational capacity to coordinate implementation activities across at least 40 geographic locations during the 15-week national activation period;

• Proposal to conduct a minimum of 600 in-person cooking demonstrations during the 15-week activation period, consisting of one cooking demonstration per week in each of at least 40 geographic locations over 15 consecutive weeks;

• Demonstration of the ability to identify, establish, and oversee a network of regional and local implementation partners capable of delivering community-based cooking demonstrations and related whole-health activities;

• Inclusion of required subaward or subcontract management and oversight responsibilities;

• Consistency of proposed activities and budget with the purposes and requirements of this

NOFO; and

• Compliance with applicable page limitations and formatting requirements sufficient to permit adequate review of the application.

3. Cost Sharing or Matching

Cost sharing or matching is not required under this NOFO.

Applicants are encouraged to seek philanthropic, private-sector, or other non-federal contributions to expand the reach, scope, sustainability, or duration of proposed activities where feasible.

B. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH), Office of Disease Prevention and

Health Promotion (ODPHP) announces the anticipated availability of funds for Fiscal Year (FY)

2026 grants under the authority of Section 1701(a)(11) of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act

(42 U.S.C. § 300u(a)(11)) and §§ 1703-1704 of the PHS Act (42 U.S.C. § 300u-2 to § 300u–3).

The primary focus of OASH/ODPHP is to promote health and well-being across the lifespan.

Activities funded through this NOFO will:

• Increase public understanding and awareness of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans;

• Increase understanding and use of Nutrition Facts Labels to support chronic disease prevention and management;

• Encourage meal preparation using minimally processed nutrient-dense ingredients;

• Increase familiarity with affordable, healthy, and culturally relevant recipes and meal preparation practices;

• Promote practical cooking skills, nutrition literacy, and hands-on food preparation;

• Provide opportunities for individuals and families to practice healthy cooking techniques and build confidence in preparing nutritious meals at home;

• Strengthen local partnerships and community engagement focused on nutrition, wellness, and chronic disease prevention that can be sustained after federal funding ends; and

• Advance the Department's vision that nutrition is a cornerstone of health — empowering

Americans with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to use food as a tool to help prevent, manage, and reverse chronic disease.

Background

Consistent with the Administration’s goal to Make America Healthy Again, this initiative will help Americans eat real, whole foods more consistently by promoting practical cooking skills, increasing nutrition literacy, encouraging preparation of meals using minimally processed, nutrient-dense foods, and strengthening community engagement around preventive health.

Poor diet quality and diet-related chronic disease remain significant public health challenges in the United States. Many Americans do not meet recommendations in the Dietary Guidelines for

Americans, including recommendations related to fruit and vegetable consumption and reduction of excess sodium, added sugars, and highly processed foods. At the same time, many individuals and families face barriers related to food access, nutrition literacy, meal preparation confidence, time constraints, and limited exposure to practical cooking skills and healthy meal preparation strategies.

Growing evidence demonstrates that dietary improvements are essential not only to preventing chronic disease, but to improving health outcomes and restoring the health of individuals suffering from diet-related conditions such as obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Community-based nutrition education and cooking demonstrations can help individuals and families apply nutrition guidance in practical and culturally relevant ways. Hands-on demonstrations may increase familiarity with healthy ingredients, improve understanding of

Nutrition Facts Labels and healthy food selection, strengthen meal preparation skills, and support healthier eating behaviors through practical application of nutrition concepts in community settings. When paired with complementary whole-health activities such as preventive health screenings, health education, community resource navigation, or chronic disease prevention services, community-based events can also serve as important entry points for broader health promotion and disease prevention efforts.

This NOFO will support a coordinated national initiative to deliver large-scale community-based cooking demonstrations, nutrition education, and related whole-health activities across the

United States. OASH anticipates making three awards under this NOFO. Each recipient will conduct a minimum of 600 community cooking demonstrations during a 15-week national activation period by implementing one demonstration per week in each of at least 40 geographic locations. Collectively, recipients are expected to conduct a minimum of 1,800 cooking demonstrations nationwide.

Through regional and local implementation partners, recipients will deliver recurring public events featuring practical, affordable, nutritious, and culturally relevant recipes that help individuals and families apply the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Demonstrations should emphasize hands-on learning opportunities that build participant knowledge, skills, and confidence related to food selection, meal planning, food preparation, budgeting, and healthy cooking practices. Recipients are encouraged to coordinate demonstrations with complementary whole-health activities that support preventive health and chronic disease prevention when practicable.

OASH/ODPHP, in alignment with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, will provide the foundation for national messaging, reinforce educational themes, and support public engagement activities intended to promote healthier eating behaviors and practical meal preparation strategies.

1. Expectations for Recipients

Recipients are expected to demonstrate the organizational capacity, implementation infrastructure, partnership networks, and operational capabilities necessary to rapidly establish and coordinate a large-scale national initiative consisting of at least 600 community-based cooking demonstrations during a 15-week activation period. Recipients must be able to mobilize implementation partners, establish demonstration sites across at least 40 geographic locations, and initiate community-based activities promptly following award issuance.

The primary responsibilities of recipients under this NOFO are to:

• Identify, coordinate, and support at least 40 geographic locations that will participate in the

15-week activation period;

• Rapidly identify, onboard, and oversee implementation partners capable of conducting recurring community-based cooking demonstrations and related whole-health activities;

• Develop and disseminate standardized implementation materials and resources to support consistent activities across participating geographic locations;

• Develop, adapt, procure, and provide nutrition education materials, recipes, demonstration curricula, and participant resources that emphasize practical skill building and preparation of healthy meals consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans;

• Provide technical assistance, training, and implementation support to participating partners to support project launch, operational readiness, and program fidelity; and

• Collect implementation and evaluation data from participating sites.

Standardized implementation resources may include nutrition education materials, recipe cards, digital assets, signage and outreach templates, training resources, implementation guidance, participant engagement materials, and other resources intended to support efficient, high-quality, and coordinated local implementation.

Identify Geographic Locations and Implementation Partners

The recipient must use a data-driven approach to identify and support at least 40 geographic locations in which recurring community cooking demonstrations and related activities will be conducted through local implementation partners. Each selected location must be capable of supporting one cooking demonstration per week during the 15-week national activation period.

The recipient will coordinate with OASH/ODPHP on proposed geographic strategies, site selection approaches, and implementation plans.

Priority should be given to rural and suburban communities with elevated rates of obesity, diet-related chronic disease, poor diet quality indicators, declining rates of home cooking, and limited access to affordable, healthy foods. Recipients are encouraged to identify locations where cooking demonstrations may be paired with complementary whole-health activities, such as preventive health screenings, health education, community resource navigation, or other activities that support healthy lifestyles and chronic disease prevention.

Applicants should describe the methodology they will use to identify and prioritize target locations and implementation partners. Methodologies may include a public health priority index incorporating factors such as:

• Obesity prevalence;

• Diabetes prevalence;

• Cardiovascular disease burden;

• Indicators of limited access to affordable, healthy foods, including limited access to grocery retail, fresh produce, or other nutritious food options;

• Low fruit and vegetable consumption; and

• Rural and suburban demographic characteristics.

Applicants should also describe the criteria they will use to identify implementation partners capable of conducting recurring community-based cooking demonstrations, delivering hands-on nutrition education and skill-building activities, and supporting participant engagement throughout the activation period.

Distribute and Manage Subawards

The recipient may identify and engage regional and local implementation partners, including through subawards, subcontract agreements, or similar arrangements, to:

• Conduct recurring community-based cooking demonstrations and related whole-health activities;

• Deliver hands-on nutrition education and food preparation skill-building opportunities;

• Provide nutrition education materials and participant resources;

• Provide training, technical assistance, and implementation support to participating partners;

and

• Support outreach, participant recruitment, communications, dissemination of educational materials, and related initiative activities.

The recipient must establish and manage an implementation and oversight structure capable of supporting at least 40 geographic locations and a minimum of 600 cooking demonstrations during the 15-week national activation period. The recipient may select a single implementation partner to support an individual geographic location or may engage multiple partners within a geographic location, as appropriate to support local needs, population reach, operational capacity, and community engagement objectives. Regional grocers and other community food access entities should serve as primary organizing partners where practicable.

The recipient is responsible for ensuring that all implementation partners:

• Carry out activities in accordance with applicable federal requirements and the terms and conditions of the cooperative agreement;

• Conduct one community cooking demonstration per week throughout the 15-week activation period at each participating location, consistent with recipient implementation plans;

• Conduct demonstrations that emphasize practical cooking skills, healthy meal preparation, nutrition literacy, and preparation of meals aligned with the Dietary Guidelines for

Americans;

• Incorporate hands-on learning opportunities that build participant knowledge, skills, and confidence related to food selection, meal planning, budgeting, and healthy food preparation;

• Coordinate, where feasible and appropriate, complementary whole-health activities such as preventive health screenings, health education, community resource navigation, or other chronic disease prevention activities;

• Prioritize demonstration locations that maximize accessibility, visibility, and community participation, including locations with high foot traffic and regular food purchasing or food distribution activity, where practicable;

• Implement standardized program messaging, educational materials, and participant engagement resources;

• Maintain food safety procedures and operational safeguards;

• Coordinate activities in accordance with the established timeline;

• Maintain oversight, reporting, performance monitoring, and financial management procedures; and

• Establish written processes and criteria for partner selection, oversight, monitoring, and performance management to support consistent implementation across participating geographic locations.

Prioritized regional and local implementation partners include:

• Regional and local grocery retailers;

• Community food access organizations;

Recognizing that effective implementation may require engagement through a variety of community settings, recipients may also partner with other regional and local organizations based on community needs and context, including:

• Restaurants and culinary organizations;

• Schools;

• Food banks;

• Health systems and community health centers;

• Faith-based organizations; and

• Tribal organizations.

Cooking Demonstrations and Community Nutrition Education Activities

The recipient must ensure that community cooking demonstrations and related nutrition education activities are conducted in at least 40 geographic locations during the 15-week activation period through regional and local implementation partners.

Each recipient must conduct a minimum of 600 cooking demonstrations during the activation period, consisting of one cooking demonstration per week in each of at least 40 geographic locations over a 15-week period. Collectively, recipients funded under this NOFO are expected to conduct a minimum of 1,800 cooking demonstrations nationwide.

Given the implementation timeline associated with this initiative, a phased implementation approach may be utilized during the initial weeks of the activation period to support rapid project launch and timely initiation of community-based activities. However, recipients are expected to achieve full implementation across participating locations as early as practicable.

Cooking demonstrations should provide practical, hands-on learning experiences that help participants develop knowledge, skills, and confidence related to healthy food selection, meal planning, budgeting, food preparation, and preparation of meals aligned with the Dietary

Guidelines for Americans. Recipients are encouraged, where feasible and appropriate, to coordinate cooking demonstrations with complementary whole-health activities, such as preventive health screenings, health education, community resource navigation, chronic disease prevention programming, or other activities that support healthy lifestyles and preventive health.

Recipients will:

• Develop, adapt, procure, and disseminate standardized nutrition education materials, recipe cards, digital assets, signage templates, outreach materials, implementation guidance, and related resources to support consistent implementation across participating sites;

• Coordinate recurring cooking demonstrations aligned with the Dietary Guidelines for

Americans, including dissemination of recipes, ingredient lists, meal preparation guidance, and practical cooking techniques;

• Incorporate approved nutrition education materials, including education related to Nutrition

Facts Labels, healthy food selection, preparation of minimally processed nutrient-dense foods, meal planning, and practical food preparation skills;

• Support coordination of complementary whole-health activities, where feasible and appropriate;

• Provide technical assistance and implementation support to participating regional and local partners, including support related to outreach, communications, and local promotion activities;

• Engage local media outlets, community partners, and other stakeholders to support public awareness and participation throughout the initiative; and

• Collect implementation and evaluation data from participating sites.

2. Implementation Timeline

The goal is to begin community cooking demonstrations in late summer (2026).

Planning and Preparation Phase Recipients will implement an accelerated planning and preparation process intended to support rapid project launch and timely initiation of activities during the national activation period.

• Rapidly finalize geographic locations, implementation sites, and demonstration schedules;

• Coordinate with OASH/ODPHP as they develop their nutrition education and implementation plans;

• Identify, recruit, onboard, and train implementation partners and supporting personnel;

• Develop outreach, communications, participant engagement, and implementation plans;

• Develop or procure standardized educational materials, recipes, demonstration resources, and implementation tools; and

• Establish systems for partner oversight, technical assistance, performance monitoring, and data collection.

National Activation Period

Recipients will rapidly launch and scale coordinated community cooking demonstration activities across participating geographic locations during the national activation period.

• Conduct phased implementation of community cooking demonstrations across participating locations, as necessary to support rapid project launch;

• Achieve full implementation across participating locations as early as practicable during the activation period;

• Conduct one cooking demonstration per week in each participating location throughout the activation period, resulting in a minimum of 600 demonstrations per recipient;

• Provide ongoing technical assistance and implementation support to participating partners;

• Conduct outreach and public engagement activities to support participation in demonstrations and related activities; and

• Collect participation, implementation, and evaluation data.

The primary national activation period is anticipated to last approximately 15 weeks.

Evaluation and Closeout Phase

• Conduct program evaluation and analysis of implementation, participation, and performance data collected throughout the activation period;

• Assess implementation successes, challenges, lessons learned, and promising practices associated with conducting community cooking demonstrations and related nutrition education activities across multiple geographic locations;

• Submit final reports, evaluation findings, and sustainability recommendations;

• Identify opportunities to strengthen partnerships, community engagement, and long-term implementation capacity beyond the period of federal support; and

• Provide recommendations regarding future continuation, replication, or expansion of the initiative.

3. Federal Involvement in the Project

If awarded, recipients will be responsible for all programmatic and administrative activities carried out under the cooperative agreement. Recipients are encouraged to consult with federal staff when implementation or operational issues arise; however, responsibility for day-to-day project management and operational decisions remains with the recipient.

Awards issued under this NOFO will be cooperative agreements. Cooperative agreements are a form of federal assistance that include substantial involvement between the federal program office and the recipient throughout the project period.

Federal involvement under this initiative may include:

• Coordination with recipients regarding national nutrition education themes and key program messaging;

• Coordination with recipients regarding proposed geographic strategies, implementation approaches, and activation planning;

• Review and feedback regarding implementation plans, educational materials, outreach approaches, and evaluation activities;

• Provision of technical assistance related to implementation, outreach, communications, evaluation, reporting, and performance monitoring activities;

• Coordination regarding collection and reporting of implementation, participation, and evaluation data; and

• Ongoing monitoring of recipient progress and implementation activities throughout the project period.

4. Eligibility criteria for project participants

You must not restrict participation in the project on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, age, or another protected characteristic (See Section H.5).

C. AWARD INFORMATION

Budget period(s)

We expect to fund awards with a 12-month budget period and an anticipated period of performance of up to 12 months.

The primary implementation activity under this NOFO is anticipated to be an approximately 15-week national activation period. The remainder of the performance may support planning, phased implementation, technical assistance, evaluation, reporting, closeout, and potential continuation activities beyond the initial activation period, subject to the availability of funds and programmatic priorities.

Budget periods may vary because of the timing of award issuance or other administrative factors.

Continuation activities beyond the initial activation period are subject to the availability of funds, satisfactory recipient performance, and programmatic priorities.

D. APPLICATION CONTENTS AND FORMAT

1. Format of the Application

You must prepare your application using the forms and information described in this NOFO.

The official online application package on Grants.gov contains all necessary forms and guidance for preparing an application. This package includes but is not limited to:

• Full Text of the NOFO

• Standard forms (required) and their instructions o SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance o SF-424A Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs o SF-LLL Disclosure of Lobbying Activities o Project Abstract Summary

• Sample templates, if available.

In addition to the four standard forms in the application package, your application will consist of

3 sections of materials you prepare:

1. Project Narrative

2. Appendices to the Project Narrative

3. Budget Package.

We strongly encourage you to read all instructions for the application format and content to avoid disqualification of your application. An application checklist is available in Section J.1.

a. Project Narrative – Formatting

Following the formatting instructions below will help ensure that your application is readable for review process. Acceptable electronic file formats are in Section E.3.a.

Names of Individuals

We encourage you to use individuals’ full names (first, middle, last) on the standard forms and any other documents, such as résumés/curricula vitae/biographical sketches, to distinguish them for verification in the SAM exclusion records. Delays may result in award processing if full names are not provided.

You should avoid submitting personally identifiable information such as personal contact information (e.g., home address and telephone number) on résumés/curricula vitae/biographical sketches. Do not submit social security numbers.

If you receive an award, only one Project Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) will be named on the award documents. (Section A.1.b) Avoid using a placeholder or honorary

PD/PI. If you have not hired an individual to be the PD/PI, you should name an interim

PD/PI, and your application should clearly identify that person as such.

We typically expect the PD/PI to be named on the SF-424 in box 8.f. Avoid naming grant writers in box 8.f unless they have the expertise to respond to technical questions about the proposed project in a timely manner.

Identify other personnel who are essential or key to the execution of the proposed project clearly in your project narrative.

If you receive an award, a request for a change in PD/PI or key personnel under any circumstance requires prior approval of the grants management officer before becoming effective. We may disallow any costs incurred as a result of that change prior to our approval. See Section H.1.c.

Page Formatting

If you submit documents that do not conform to the following instructions, GAM will disqualify your application during the review process (SectionF.1.b).

Use an easily readable typeface, such as Times New Roman or Arial.

Use a 12-point font.

Use an 8.5” X 11” page size. Any other size page (e.g., A4, legal) will disqualify your application.

You must double-space the Project Narrative pages, or we will disqualify your application. You may single-space tables or use alternate fonts, but you must ensure the tables are easy to read.

Do not number pages or include a table of contents. Our grants management system will generate page numbers once your application is complete.

You must submit your application in the English language and in terms of U.S. dollars (2

C.F.R. §200.111).

Page Limits

Your project narrative and appendices must adhere to these page limits.

The page limits do not include the budget package (Section D.2.c)

The page limits do not include the required forms (SF-424, SF-424A, SF-LLL, and the

Project Abstract Summary)

If your application exceeds the specified page limits when printed on 8.5” X 11” page, we will not review your application further.

We encourage you to print out your application before submitting it to ensure that it is within the page limits and is easy to read. Do not reduce pages to fit multiple pages on a single sheet to avoid exceeding the page limitation.

Do not hyperlink documents or sites outside of your application to augment your application. Reviewers will not be permitted to follow links to external content during their assessment of your application. The one exception to this is a link to your internal controls as part of your budget package (Section D.2.c.3).

Page Limit

Project Narrative 15 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/section-200.111 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/section-200.111

Project Narrative plus Appendices 20

Labeling Proprietary Information

Proprietary information includes patentable ideas, trade secrets, privileged or confidential commercial or financial information, the disclosure of which may harm the applicant.

You should include proprietary information in your application only to the extent that it is essential to the reviewers’ understanding of the project. Proprietary information should not appear in your Project Abstract Summary.

If your application contains proprietary information, you should clearly label the top of the first page of the project narrative. For example, Contains proprietary or confidential information that [Your Organization Name] requests are not released to persons outside the government, except for purposes of review and evaluation.

Awarded applications are subject to release under the Freedom of Information Act

(FOIA) with redactions as the FOIA statute permits.

b. Appendices to the Project Narrative – Formatting

Your appendices should include any specific items outlined in Section D.2.b. Your documents should be easy to read.

You should use the same formatting specified for the Project Narrative. However, documents such as résumés/curricula vitae/biographical sketches, organizational charts, tables, Memoranda of Agreement (MOAs) or Letters of Commitment (LOCs) may have formatting common to those documents, so long as the pages are easy to read. For example, resumes, MOAs and LOCs may be single-spaced.

You must upload all your appendices as a single, consolidated file in the Attachments section of your Grants.gov application. You must use an acceptable file format (Section E.3.a). We strongly encourage you to convert your file(s) to PDF format before uploading, and review them to ensure accurate conversion.

Your Project Narrative plus the Appendices may not exceed the total number of pages for the application (Section D.1.a).

c. Budget Package - Formatting

The budget narrative should use the formatting required of the project narrative for the explanatory text. Budget tables may be single-spaced but should be laid out in an easily readable format and within the printable margins of an 8.5” x 11” page. You must use an acceptable file format (Section E.3.a). We do not accept Excel or other similar spreadsheet formats.

The application page limit does not include the SF-424A or the budget narrative (including budget tables).

We recommend you present budget amounts and computations in a columnar format: first column, object class categories; second column, federal funds requested; third column, non-federal resources; and last column, total budget.

Object Class Federal Funds

Requested

Non-Federal

Resources Total Budget

Personnel $100,000 $25,000 $125,000

2. Content

a. Project Narrative - Content

The Project Narrative is the primary component of the application and will be used to evaluate the extent to which the proposed project addresses the requirements and objectives of this

NOFO.

Applicants should provide a clear and concise description of the proposed project and address each of the components below. Organizing the Project Narrative using the section headings below is strongly encouraged.

Successful proposals should include the following:

1. Organizational Capacity and Experience

• Demonstrated capacity to rapidly mobilize implementation infrastructure, deployment partners, and operational support systems under accelerated implementation timelines;

• Experience managing large-scale national public health, nutrition, communications, community engagement, or event-based initiatives across multiple geographic locations;

• Demonstrated ability to coordinate, monitor, and support concurrent implementation activities across numerous locations and implementation partners;

• Strength of proposed partnerships and stakeholder coordination strategies;

• Experience administering subawards, subcontracts, or managing regional implementation partnerships;

• Existing partnerships and stakeholder relationships, including relationships with grocery retailers, community food access organizations, culinary organizations, health systems, media partners to help publicize events, or other community-based implementation partners; and

• Organizational infrastructure, staffing capacity, financial management systems, data management capabilities, and prior performance relevant to supporting implementation across at least 40 geographic locations and conducting a minimum of 600 community cooking demonstrations during the 15-week activation period.

2. Geographic Targeting and Data Methodology

• Methodology for identifying at least 40 target geographic locations;

• Data sources, prioritization criteria, and proposed public health priority index or similar methodology;

• Plans for reaching rural and suburban communities;

• Strategies for geographic coverage, accessibility, and community engagement;

• Proposed approach for prioritizing high-impact community cooking demonstration locations, including locations with high community visibility or food access activity;

• Approach for identifying implementation partners capable of conducting recurring cooking demonstrations, hands-on nutrition education, and related whole-health activities; and

• Approach for coordinating proposed geographic strategies and regional implementation approaches with OASH/ODPHP.

3. Program Implementation Plan

• Proposed approach for rapidly coordinating and launching the 15-week national activation period, including any phased implementation strategy;

• Proposed approach for conducting one cooking demonstration per week in each participating location throughout the activation period, resulting in a minimum of 600 demonstrations;

• Approach for identifying, recruiting, supporting, and overseeing regional and local implementation partners, including subaward or subcontract management and monitoring procedures;

• Approach for developing, adapting, procuring, disseminating, or otherwise utilizing standardized nutrition education materials, recipe cards, digital assets, outreach materials, signage templates, training resources, and implementation guidance, including through partnerships or subcontract arrangements where appropriate;

• Plans for technical assistance and implementation support provided to participating implementation partners to support rapid operational readiness and activation of activities;

• Communications, outreach, media engagement, and public awareness strategies;

• Approaches for ensuring food safety, compliance with applicable permits and local venue requirements, and effective event operations;

• Plans for implementation data collection and reporting; and

• Proposed approach for coordination with OASH/ODPHP throughout the project period.

Applicants are not required to independently possess all implementation, communications, or dissemination capabilities described in this NOFO. Applicants may satisfy these responsibilities through subawards, subcontract arrangements, partnerships, or other collaborative implementation structures, as appropriate, provided the applicant maintains overall responsibility for programmatic oversight, coordination, and compliance with the terms and conditions of the cooperative agreement.

4. Data, Evaluation, and Sustainability Plan

• Proposed performance measures, indicators, baselines, and targets;

• Data collection methods and reporting procedures;

• Approaches for measuring participation, reach, implementation activities, and knowledge, skill, or confidence gains;

• Quality assurance procedures; and

• Sustainability planning, partnership development, and recommendations for future continuation or expansion activities.

b. Appendices to the Project Narrative – Content

All appendix materials described in this section count toward the total application page limit and must be submitted as a single electronic file uploaded to the Attachments section of the

Grants.gov application.

Samples and optional templates for certain appendix materials may be available under the

Related Documents tab for this NOFO on Grants.gov.

Applicants should limit appendices to materials directly relevant to the proposed project, evaluation criteria, and implementation requirements described in this NOFO.

Applicants are not required to identify all regional or local implementation partners at the time of application submission. However, applicants should demonstrate existing national, regional, or community-based partnerships and organizational relationships relevant to successful implementation of the activities described in this NOFO.

Appendices may include the following:

• Organizational chart and staffing plan;

• Sample implementation timeline;

• Letters of commitment, memoranda of understanding, or partnership documentation;

• Subaward and partner oversight plan;

• Sample outreach, communications, or implementation materials, if available;

• Maps, data summaries, or geographic targeting methodologies relevant to the proposed implementation strategy; and

• Additional materials directly relevant to demonstrating organizational capacity, implementation readiness, or partnership infrastructure.

c. Budget Package - Content

A complete budget package consists of the following required components:

• SF-424A “Budget Information Non-Construction Programs”

• Budget narrative with detailed justification by cost category/object class, and

• Plan for oversight of federal funds.

You should…