Community Food Project Competitive Grant Program Now Accepting Applications

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The Community Food Projects (CFP) Request for Applications for FY2010 is out!

The Community Food Projects (CFP) Competitive Grants Program is the major funding source for community-based food and agriculture projects in the U.S.* The Fiscal Year 2010 Request for Applications (RFA) was released September 23, with a deadline of November 19.

The CFP Request for Applications describes what is funded and how to apply: https://www.csrees.usda.gov/funding/rfas/community_food.html. There is no Letter of Intent process, so all applicants must submit a full proposal to be considered for funding.

All proposals must be submitted electronically.  If you plan to apply this year and are not already registered with grants.gov, it is important to start that process immediately, since it can take up to two months.  More information and technical support contacts are available at: https://www.csrees.usda.gov/funding/electronic.html.

Free Assistance Available to CFP Applicants

The Community Food Security Coalition (CFSC) sponsor technical assistance (TA) specialists who can provide you with free assistance with your CFP proposal.  They can clarify CFP program guidelines, help you decide whether or not to apply for a grant, provide feedback on project plans, review draft proposals, and/or help you develop an evaluation plan.  CFSC will sponsor up to 60 minutes of one-on-one assistance per grant applicant at no cost.  Additional time may be available at an hourly rate.

See https://www.foodsecurity.org/cfp_help.html for details on how to access this service. Starting early is important to ensure that you will be able to receive timely assistance.

Community Food Projects Planning Guide and Other Materials

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

Community Food Projects Program Goals

The primary goals of the CFP Program are to:

• Meet the food needs of low-income individuals;
• Increase the self-reliance of communities in providing for the food needs of the communities;
• Promote comprehensive responses to local food, farm, and nutrition issues; and
• Meet specific state, local, or neighborhood food and agricultural needs including needs relating to:
  

Infrastructure improvement and development;
Planning for long-term solutions; or
The creation of innovative marketing activities that mutually benefit agricultural producers and low-income consumers.