[Community_garden] Community Food Projects (CFP) grant cycle will begin soon; free assistance is available

[Betsy Johnson]

There are also a few more spots available on the  ACGA teleconference
workshop on Thursday, Jan. 11 at 4 PM eastern that will also be about the
Community Food Projects grants.  Send an email to
betsyjohnson at communitygarden.org <mailto:betsyjohnson at communitygarden.,org>
if you want to join the workshop.

 

Betsy Johnson

Executive Director

American Community Gardening Assoc.

617-267-5280  betsyjohnson at communitygarden.org

 

 

COMMUNITY FOOD PROJECTS 2007 GRANT CYCLE WILL BEGIN SOON

PROPOSALS WILL NEED TO BE SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY 

FREE ASSISTANCE IS AVAILABLE TO APPLICANTS 


The Community Food Projects (CFP) Competitive Grants Program provides the
major funding source for community-based food and agriculture projects in
the U.S. Approximately $4.6 million in funds will be available in 2007, with
a Request for Applications (RFA) expected to be released in mid-January. 

Brief letters of intent will be due about one month after the release of the
RFA. Based on a review of these letters, some applicants will be invited to
submit a full proposal, due about two months later. The timeline and
procedures will be announced in the RFA. 

The key change expected for 2007 is that electronic submission of proposals
will be required. Letters of intent will be submitted by regular email, but
those invited to submit a full proposal will need to go through a
complicated electronic submission process, and should start the registration
process well before the grant deadline at http://www.grants.gov. More
information and technical support contacts are available online at:
http://www.csrees.usda.gov/fo/funding.cfm

The Community Food Security Coalition (CFSC) Offers Free Assistance to CFP
Applicants

CFSC's technical assistance (TA) specialists can help you decide whether or
not to apply, clarify CFP program guidelines, address technical questions,
provide feedback on program plans or proposal drafts, and help you develop
an evaluation plan. CFSC will sponsor up to 75 minutes of one-on-one
assistance per grant applicant at no cost.  Additional time may be available
at an hourly rate. 

If you would like to use this service, begin by reviewing the Guide
described below, and then contact the TA provider by email. See
http://www.foodsecurity.org/cfp_help.html
<http://www.foodsecurity.org/cfp_help.html for details. Starting early is
important to ensure that you will be able to receive timely assistance.

Community Food Projects Planning Guide and Other Materials

CFSC also offers a CFP Planning Guide with a wealth of information about CFP
program guidelines and how to develop a strong proposal. It is available for
free at http://www.foodsecurity.org/cfp_help.html
<http://www.foodsecurity.org/cfp_help.html (scroll down to bottom of page).
The CFSC website also includes guides to developing a letter of intent and
planning proposals, examples of successful CFP grant proposals, and other
information helpful to CFP applicants. 

The 2007 guides will be posted soon after the RFA is released, but in the
meantime the 2006 guides can be used for planning since most of the
information will be the same. 

Community Food Projects Program Goals

The CFP Program supports projects that:

-Help meet the food needs of low-income people, 
-Increase the self-reliance of communities in providing for their own food
needs, 
-Promote comprehensive responses to local food, farm, and nutrition issues,
and
-Meet specific state, local, or neighborhood food and agriculture needs for
infrastructure improvement and development, long-term planning, or the
creation of innovative marketing activities that mutually benefit
agricultural producers and low-income consumers.
 
The CFP Request for Applications will soon be available. The 2006 version is
posted at: 
http://www.csrees.usda.gov/fo/fundview.cfm?fonum=1080 

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