FUNDING LEVELS AND MATCHING FUNDS
1. Size of grant requests
About $5 million is available for all projects funded this year and the RFA states that approximately five percent ($250,000) may be awarded for Planning Projects. The maximum allowable grant for a regular CFP is $300,000 over the lifetime of the project and $125,000 in any single year. The maximum grant for Planning Projects is $25,000 over the lifetime of the project.
2. Matching funds requirements
Community Food Projects legislation requires that the federal funds awarded be matched dollar-for- dollar by non-federal resources. Specifically, this can be achieved through “cash and/or in-kind contributions, including third-party in-kind contributions, fairly evaluated” (pages 18-19 of the RFA). Third party in-kind contributions means non-cash contributions of property or services including real property, equipment, or supplies, provided by non-Federal third parties and directly benefiting and specifically identifiable to the project. More information on meeting and documenting matching funds may be found in section G.4. below.
ASSESSING READINESS TO APPLY
The Community Food Projects (CFP) grant process is very competitive. In recent years, about one in six applications submitted has been funded. So applicants, whether considering a community food assessment to identify needs, bolstering an existing project to have greater impact, or proposing a new and untested project, must have all resources lined up and be sure their project reflects CFP guidelines.
Prospective applicants must review the RFA and decide if their proposed project is appropriate. But even if the project appears to fit many of the guidelines, applicants must assess whether their organization and collaborators are ready to apply this round. They should consider whether they have a solid project plan and strong partnerships, strong community support and involvement, the required match, and the ability to develop a complex proposal before the deadline. If not, applicants may want to consider implementing additional planning, organizing, or assessment work and applying the following year. Another option is to submit a Planning Project grant, especially if the project is still in the relatively early stages of planning and development. (See separate guide to developing Planning Project grants, available on the CFSC website at: http://www.nacaa.net/cfp_help.html.
The application instructions allow applicants to indicate whether a proposal is a “New Application” or a “Resubmission.” In practical terms, the difference is negligible as reviewers approach both types of applications in the same way. Resubmitted applications give the applicant an opportunity to respond to reviewer comments from the previous year and show where improvements have been made to address reviewer concerns.
The program does not perceive resubmission as a negative; indeed, many grantees apply several times before finding a winning approach that earns CFP funding. Further guidance may be found in summaries of successful applications and past grants available on the USDA website at: http://www.nifa.usda.gov/nea/food/sri/hunger_sri_awards.html and in the Food Security Learning Center database of CFP projects at: http://www.whyhunger.org/programs/fslc.html.
The summaries provided give an overall sense of the types of activities that get funded as well as the amounts awarded. Further examples of highly rated CFP proposals and case studies of CFP-funded projects are available on the CFSC website at: http://www.nacaa.net/funding.html#samples.