USDA Community Food Projects 2017 RFA
The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) requests applications for the Community Food Projects Competitive Grants Program (CFPCGP) for fiscal year (FY) 2017. The anticipated amount available for NIFA in FY 2017 is approximately $8,640,000.
The CFPCGP 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.
- Promote comprehensive responses to local food, farm, and nutrition issues.
- Meet specific state, local, or neighborhood food and agricultural needs for infrastructure improvement and development.
- Plan for long-term solutions.
- Create innovative marketing activities that mutually benefit agricultural producers and low-income consumers.
Preferred projects also develop linkages between two or more sectors of the food system, support the development of entrepreneurial projects, develop innovative linkages between the for-profit and nonprofit food sectors, encourage long-term planning activities and multisystem, and build long-term capacity of communities to address the food and agricultural problems of communities, such as food policy councils and food planning associations.
These grants are intended to help eligible private nonprofit entities that need a one-time infusion of federal assistance to establish and carry out multipurpose community food projects. Projects are funded from $10,000–$400,000 and from one to four years. They are one-time grants that require a dollar-for-dollar match in resources.
This RFA is being released prior to the passage of an appropriations act for FY 2017. Enactment of additional continuing resolutions or an appropriations act may affect the availability or level of funding for this program. The notice (link enclosed) identifies the objectives for CFPCGP projects, deadline dates, funding information, eligibility criteria for projects and applicants, and application forms and associated instructions needed to apply for a CFPCGP grant. Read the full notice here.