REGISTER HERE: http://2013piedmontgrownmtg.eventbrite.com/ 

For information about “Innovative Approaches to Local Foods Markets” (no fee) (agenda below), contact  debbie.hamrick@ncfb.org

Organized by the North Carolina Local Sustainable Foods Advisory Council Subcommittee on Economic Development & Infrastructure in cooperation with the NCSU Agricultural and Resource Economics Department and NCSU/NCA&T Cooperative Extension.
There is no charge to attend “Innovative Approaches to Local Foods Markets.”

Farm to School Grant Program 
CDFA #: 10.575

Farm to School Grant Program

USDA Announces Request for Applications for FY 2014 Farm to School Grants 

FY 2014 Request for Applications (pdf)
FY 2014 Request for Applications (doc)

Program Description 
The purpose of the USDA Farm to School Grant Program is to assist eligible entities in implementing farm to school programs that improve access to local foods in eligible schools. On an annual basis, USDA awards up to $5 million in competitive grants for training, supporting operations, planning, purchasing equipment, developing school gardens, developing partnerships, and implementing farm to school programs. 

In this funding round, USDA is soliciting applications for three types of grants:

1.     Planning grants are intended for school districts or schools just starting to incorporate farm to school program elements into their operations.

2.     Implementation grants are intended for school districts or schools to help scale or further develop existing farm to school initiatives.

3.     Support Service grants are intended for state and local agencies, Indian tribal organizations, agricultural producers or groups of agricultural producers, and non-profit entities working with school districts or schools to further develop existing farm to school initiatives and to provide broad reaching support services to farm to school initiatives.

Proposals are due at midnight EST, April 24, 2013. In all cases, a 25% cash or in-kind match of the total project cost is required. 

Important Dates and Deadlines

• February 6, 2013: Request for Applications Released
• April 24, 2013: Proposals Due (Midnight EST)
• October 2013: Awards Announced and Funds Available (Pending the Availability of Federal Funds)

Webinars to Learn More 
To assist eligible entities in preparing proposals, USDA will host a series of webinars related to the application process:

• March 5, 2013, 1:00 EST – Planning Grants
• March 6, 2013, 1:00 EST – Implementation Grants
• March 7, 2013, 1:00 EST – Support Service Grants
• Coming soon – grants.gov webinar

Information on how to access the webinars will be available soon on this webpage and will be distributed via the Farm to School E-letter. 

Sample Proposals 
To assist applicants in preparing their grant submissions, USDA has shared winning proposals from the FY2013 round of funding. Each grant application will be unique to the applicant and the community it is intended to serve; the samples below should not be considered as templates or guides. They are illustrative only.

• Sample proposal: Planning Grant
• Sample proposal: Implementation Grant
• Example proposal: Support Service Grant
• Example budget narrative

Frequently Asked Questions  

You can access a list of FY 2013 USDA Farm to School Grant recipients here.

Contact Us 
For all questions pertaining to the USDA Farm to School Grant Program, please contact us via email at farmtoschool@fns.usda.gov. And to receive information and updates about USDA’s Farm to School Program, please sign up for our Farm to School E-letter.