Community Food Projects

The primary goals of the Community Food Projects Competitive Grant Program (CFPCGP) are as follows (7 U.S.C. 2034(b)): a. Meet the food needs of low-income individuals through food distribution, community outreach to assist in participation in Federa

The CFPCGP is intended to bring together stakeholders from distinct parts of the food system and to foster understanding of national food security trends and how they might improve local food systems. Understanding that low-income individuals experience disproportionate access to healthy foods, projects are to address food and nutrition insecurity, particularly among our nation's most vulnerable populations. Nutrition Security is defined as having consistent access, availability, and affordability of foods and beverages that promote well-being. Communities that are partially or fully located in Opportunity Zones are particularly encouraged to apply.

Proposals may be submitted by private nonprofit entities. Because projects must promote comprehensive responses to local food, farm, and nutrition issues, applicants are encouraged to seek and create partnership among public, private nonprofit To be further eligible for a grant, a private nonprofit applicant must meet three mandatory requirements: 1. Have experience in the area of: (a) community food work, particularly concerning small and medium-sized farms, including the provision of food to people in low-income communities and the development of new markets in low-income communities for agricultural producers; or (b) job training and business development activities in low-income communities; 2. demonstrate competency to implement a project, provide fiscal accountability and oversight, collect data, and prepare reports and other appropriate documentation; and 3. demonstrate a willingness to share information with researchers, practitioners, and other interested parties.

Low income people.

Community food projects are intended to take a comprehensive approach to developing long-term solutions that help to ensure food security in communities by linking the food sector to community development, economic opportunity, and environmental enhancement. Comprehensive solutions may include elements such as: (1) Improved access to high quality, affordable food among low-income households; (2) support for local food systems, from urban gardening to local farms that provide high quality fresh food, ideally with minimal adverse environmental impact; and (3) expanded economic opportunities for community residents through local business or other economic development, improved employment opportunities, job training, youth apprenticeship, school-to-work transition, and the like. Any solution proposed must tie into community food needs.

The term of competitive project grants and/or cooperative agreements under this program may not exceed three (3) years. In accordance with statutory time limits, project periods, including no-cost extensions of time, are not to exceed five (5) years. Further details are provided in the Award document Form NIFA-2009 and the NIFA General Terms and Conditions Grants and Cooperative Agreements. Please refer to the Competitive Request for Applications (RFAs) for specific and pertinent details.

All NOFOs are published on Grants.gov. Applicants must complete the Grants.gov registration process. Please see the following Grants.gov link for more information: http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp.

Within guidelines established for the program as described in the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). 1. The applicability and merit of the proposed project in regard to its ability to: Meet the food needs of low-income people in the proposed community for providing for its own food needs; and promote comprehensive responses to local food, farm, and nutrition needs; 2. the capacity to become self-sustaining once Federal funding ends; and 3. organizational and staff qualifications and experience; and 4. additional criteria will be considered relative to the extent the proposed project contributes to: (a) developing linkages between two or more sectors of the food system; (b) supporting the development of entrepreneurial projects; (c) developing innovative linkages between the for-profit and nonprofit food sectors; (d) encouraging long-term planning activities and multi-system, interagency approaches; and (e) incorporating linkages to one or more ongoing USDA themes or initiatives referred to in the program guidelines and/or annual proposal solicitation. Within guidelines established for the program as described in the Competitive Request for Application Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) are available via: https://nifa.usda.gov/funding-opportunity/community-food-projects-cfp-competitive-grants-program

Applications are subjected to a system of peer and merit review in accordance with section 103 of the Agricultural Research, Extension and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7613) by a panel of qualified scientists and other appropriate persons who are specialists in the field covered by the proposal. Within the limit of funds available for such purpose, the NIFA Authorized Departmental Officer (ADO) shall make grants to those responsible, eligible applicants whose applications are judged most meritorious under the procedures set forth in the NOFO. Reviewers will be selected based upon training and experience in relevant scientific, extension, or education fields, taking into account the following factors: (a) The level of relevant formal scientific, technical education, or extension experience of the individual, as well as the extent to which an individual is engaged in relevant research, education, or extension activities; (b) the need to include as reviewers experts from various areas of specialization within relevant scientific, education, or extension fields; (c) the need to include as reviewers other experts (e.g., producers, range or forest managers/operators, and consumers) who can assess relevance of the applications to targeted audiences and to program needs; (d) the need to include as reviewers experts from a variety of organizational types (e.g., colleges, universities, industry, state and Federal agencies, private profit and non-profit organizations) and geographic locations; (e) the need to maintain a balanced composition of reviewers with regard to minority and female representation and an equitable age distribution; and (f) the need to include reviewers who can judge the effective usefulness to producers and the general public of each application. Evaluation Criteria will be delineated in the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO).