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The fiscal year (FY) 2025 Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant Program request for applications (RFAs) are now open. To apply, visit Grants.gov and follow the instructions found in each FY 2025 RFA. This year the RFA has been split into three separate solicitations:
Implementation Grant
State Agency Grant
Turnkey GrantUpcoming Webinars for potential applicants:
Introduction to the Farm to School Grant Program Request for Applications (RFA) - Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2:00 p.m. ET: The FY 2025 Patrick Leahy Farm to School grant program has opened three RFAs for potential grant applicants to consider. This informative webinar will help grant applicants choose the solicitation that is the best fit for them and help attendees understand grant eligibility, funding priorities, and grant objectives. Please register even if you cannot attend; the Farm to School team will send all registrants a link to watch the recording at a later date.
Submitting a Complete Grant Package - Wednesday, Nov. 6 - 2:00 p.m. ET: This webinar will help potential FY 2025 grant applicants understand the components of a complete application and learn how to submit a responsive application that meets all the requirements to be considered for an award. Please register even if you cannot attend; the Farm to School team will send all registrants a link to watch the recording at a later date.Recorded webinars:
Creating Successful Assessment Plans: This webinar provides guidance on how to create successful assessment plans for your grant proposals and projects.
Planning Sustainable Projects: This webinar provides an overview of how to create a sustainable farm to school project along with resources and examples. It highlights how to write an application that showcases a project’s sustainability, encouraging projects to outlast farm to school grant funds and initiate a permanent impact in the community. This information may be used both during the grant planning process and as a general project planning resource.
Identifying & Calculating Match: This webinar reviews the match requirements of the Farm to School grant program which includes identifying cash match sources, defining in-kind match, how to calculate a match and federal request amount, what are allowable and unallowable match sources, and a walk through of critical budget components of the Farm to School grant application.
Preparing an Effective Grant Proposal: Farm to School Grant Program presents....the "Preparing an Effective Grant Proposal" webinar. This webinar will take you through strategies you can use to write an effective grant proposal, meaning it is aligned with the intent of the program and responsive to requirements, while communicating the intent of your project. -
Spark Good Local GrantsApplications due December 31, 2024
Each year, Walmart U.S. stores, Sam’s Clubs and Distribution Centers award local cash grants ranging from $250 to $5000. These local grants are designed to address the unique needs of communities where stores operate. Spark Good Local Grants are awarded through an open application process to eligible organizations operating locally and directly benefiting the service area of the facility from when they are requesting funding.The next round of funding is open November 1 through December 31st, 2024.
Go to the Application Portal for More Details.Organization Eligibility
Organizations must have a Spark Good account and be verified by Deed, Walmart’s third-party verification service provider.
If recommended for funding, the organization must provide electronic payment information to complete the approval process. All grants are disbursed through electronic payment.
Organizations applying must meet one of following criteria:
An organization holding a current tax-exempt status as a public charity under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, listed on the IRS Master File and conducting activities within the United States, classified as a public charity under Section 509(a)(1), (2) or (3) (Types I or II); and Deed verified.
A recognized government entity: state, county or city agency, including law enforcement or fire departments, that are requesting funds exclusively for public purposes and Deed verified.
A K-12 public or nonprofit private school, charter school, community/junior college, state/private college or university; or a church or other faith-based organization with a proposed project that benefits the community at large, such as food pantries, soup kitchens and clothing closets and Deed verified.
Note: Non-charities, including organizations recognized as 501(c)(4)s, (c)(6)s, and (c)(19)s like homeowner’s associations, civic leagues, or volunteer fire companies, are not eligible at this time. -
We kicked off the 2024 Farm to School Month Celebration with a 5-day virtual webinar series, Breaking Ground on Farm to School Month: A Community Speaker Series. Whether you attended live or watched the recordings, this is your space to keep the conversation going! Use this thread to share your reflections, ask questions, and share resources.
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This is HUGE news y'all. With funding made available from the CCC, USDA is providing:
- $1.2 billion to support local food purchases with schools, childcare facilities, food banks, and other institutions; and
- $500 million to purchase domestic commodities for emergency food providers.
We're all patiently waiting to learn more about the role out of these funds but in the meantime, I wanted to create this thread for celebrations, comments, questions, etc.
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From Cassandra Bull, National Farm to School Network:
Hello NFSN Partners!
How can we eliminate the administrative burden of tracking local food purchases and increase the accuracy of local purchasing data? Join the National Farm to School Network for a cutting edge webinar featuring Rhode Island Department of Education Child Nutrition Program leadership, consultants, developers, and a participating food service director as they introduce FoodTrails, an innovative local food purchasing tracking platform designed specifically for schools. See the details below:
FoodTrails: Rhode Island's Pilot Local Food
Tracking Software for SchoolsDate:
October 8th, 2024
Time:
3-4pm ET (12-1pm PT)
Presenters:
Max Bernstein, KK&P
Shayna Cohen, KK&P
Jessica Patrolia, Rhode Island Department of Education
Jesse Skeets, FoodTrails
Neil Klissus, FoodTrails
Register Here:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcucOirrj8oHNE8zYmI2e5OfjQbgQ8SqiZZ
Description:
Join the National Farm to School Network for a cutting edge webinar featuring Rhode Island Department of Education Child Nutrition Program leadership, consultants, developers, and a participating food service director as they introduce FoodTrails, an innovative local food purchasing tracking platform designed specifically for schools. The webinar will showcase the history of the platform’s development, a live demonstration of its features, and provide a glimpse into the experience of the first months of the platform’s pilot with four school districts. This is a unique opportunity to explore how automation and technology are being leveraged to improve farm to school procurement tracking in schools and to ask questions directly to the developers and users of the system.
This public webinar follows last year's closed discussion with statewide practitioners as the project was just beginning. I'm excited to learn about the progress and new pilot phase and look forward to seeing everyone there!
Breaking Ground on Farm to School Month
FY25 USDA Farm to School Grant RFA is Open!!
Spark Good Local Grants Applications due
Breaking Ground on Farm to School Month
More Money for LFS! USDA Invests $1.7 Billion to Support Farmers, Deliver Nutrition Assistance, and Bolster Rural Economies
Webinars!
Webinars!
Apache County
Greelee County
La Paz County
