National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture

Community Food Projects Competitive Grants Program

2002 Farm Bill-Section 4125

Program Description

Community Food Projects are projects designed to increase food security in communities by bringing the whole food system together to assess strengths, establish linkages, and create systems that improve the self-reliance of community members over their food needs. The program is designed to: meet the needs of low-income people by increasing their access to fresher, more nutritious food supplies; increase the self-reliance of communities in providing for their own food needs; and promote comprehensive responses to local food, farm, and nutrition issues. Planning grants for comprehensive, multi-stakeholder solutions including policy councils, small infrastructure grants, support for innovative marketing solutions and a new national clearinghouse on "Innovative Programs to Address Common Community Problems" (IPACCP) were added to the program this year. (Note: the IPACCP clearinghouse has already been funded (.5 million) and the contractor is World Hunger Year)

Program Administration

The program is administered by the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES). Grantees are chosen through an annual peer review process in the spring. Awards are announced before the end of the summer.

Program Status

This is an established program created by the 1996 FAIR act. It was reauthorized in the 2002 Farm Bill and its funding was doubled. Changes made to the program in the 2002 Farm Bill have already been made in the language of the Request for Application (RFA).

How the Program is Funded

The program will receive approximately $4.5 million mandatory funding each year for the six years of the Farm Bill. Projects are funded up to $300,000 from one to three years. These are one-time grants that require a 50% match in non-federal funding or in-kind contributions. Though the Community Food Grants are one-time grants, there are technical assistance funds available to help groups that want to apply for community food grants for planning at a regional level.

Application Procedures

Each year the Community Food Projects program guidelines are published in the Federal Register. Land Grant Universities and the Extension System receive notice of the Request for Applications when it is available each year. You may ask to be placed on this mailing list by calling (202) 401-5048 or sending an e-mail message to psu@reeusda.gov.

Criteria for Eligibility

To be eligible for a grant, a private nonprofit applicant must meet three mandatory requirements.

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; Demonstrate competency to implement a project, provide fiscal accountability and oversight, collect data, and prepare reports and other appropriate documentation; and
Demonstrate a willingness to share information with researchers, practitioners, and other interested parties.

Proposals may be submitted by private nonprofit entities for projects that benefit low-income people. Because projects must promote comprehensive responses to local food, farm, and nutrition issues, applicants are encouraged to seek and create partnerships among public, private nonprofit and private for-profit organizations or firms.

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:

Improved access to high quality, affordable food among low-income households;
Support for local food systems, from urban gardening to local farms that provide high quality fresh food, ideally with minimal adverse environmental impact; and
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 address community food needs.

Who to Contact

Community Food Security Coalition
Provides technical assistance and training to prepare for successful CFP projects. Contact Kai Siedenburg at (831) 429-8202or by e-mail at kai@foodsecurity.org

The Community Food Security Coalition's "Guide to Community Food Projects" can be found on the web at http://www.foodsecurity.org/cfsc_case_studies.pdf

U.S. Department of Agriculture
Liz Tuckermanty, Administrator of USDA Competitive Grants Programs, 202-205-0241, etuckermanty@reeusda.gov

CSREES's Community Food Projects Competitive Grants Program: http://www.reeusda.gov/1700/funding/rfacfp_03.htm