Community Food Projects Competitive Grants Program

COMMUNITY FOOD PROJECTS
COMPETITIVE GRANTS PROGRAM
Grants to Develop Community
Food Projects for Low-Income Residents

The Community Food Projects Competitive Grants Program is an excellent source of funds to assist farmers' markets. These grants are intended to help eligible private non-profit 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-$300,000 and from one to three years. These are one-time grants that require a dollar for dollar match in resources, either in cash or in-kind contributions.

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. Community Food Projects are 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. Additionally, projects should:

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 non-profit food sectors
encourage long-term planning activities and multi-system, interagency approaches.

Funding
Funds have been authorized at $5 million per year through 2007 pursuant to the 2002 Farm Bill. The 2003 NOFA is expected to announce that this program is awarding $4.6 million in grants.

Next Round of Funding
The next round of funding is expected to be released by the end of January or beginning of February 2003.

Project Examples
The Bayview Community Farmers Market in San Francisco, CA, will receive $130,000 for three years. The grantee organization currently operates a farmers market in the Bayview Hunters' Point section of Southeast San Francisco on a monthly basis. This project proposes to increase the frequency of market days and to expand the scope and selection of products offered at the market. Outreach for utilization of the market will focus on low-income populations, particularly food stamp and WIC Program recipients. Additional activities at the market will feature health screenings, informational displays on health and the environment, attractions for children, and sales opportunities for local entrepreneurs. Federal funding will provide for operational staff, signage, and licenses.

The Bowdoinham's Community Food Project in Bowdoinham, ME will receive $22,000 for three years. The project proposes to create a model community approach for food self- reliance in a rural, agricultural town through community and school agriculture education programs, innovative linkages to support locally grown foods, and the establishment of a community farmers market. Activities will include a "Visiting Farmer" program in school classrooms and cafeterias to promote agricultural literacy, use of locally grown foods in school meals, training for teachers on a "Food, Land, and People" curriculum, the promotion of local produce, and establishment of a farmers market with food recovery practiced at the market.

Developing A Cooperative Community Food Security Network in Mississippi will receive $113,500 for two years. The project seeks to implement a comprehensive community food security strategy initiated by a network of community-based cooperatives in Mississippi that will provide high quality, nutritious, and affordable food on a regular basis to low-income residents and help sustain limited resource and minority farmers. Although there have been several successful attempts to create a more sustainable and socially just food system in this historically disadvantaged region, it is necessary to bridge these activities and create a united effort for achieving greater community food security. This project will involve a collaborative focus on developing marketing channels with farmers' markets and summer feeding programs, increasing participation in an Internet-based marketing project and enhancing local production capacity using sustainable practices. Participating organizations include the Mississippi Association of Cooperatives, its thirteen community-based member organizations, the Rural Coalition, and, for empowerment evaluation, the Missouri Action Research Connection.