Community Food Projects Competitive Grant Program | USDA NIFA CFP 007953

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NIFA CFP 007953

The Community Food Projects Competitive Grant Program (CFPCGP) is a discretionary grant opportunity run by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) under CFDA 10.225. For FY 2020 and FY 2021, the program funds two related grant types: Community Food Projects (CFP) and Planning Projects (PP). Both tracks are aimed at strengthening community food security, especially in ways that benefit low-income communities and support local agriculture, with an emphasis on practical, community-driven solutions that can last beyond the grant period.

Community Food Projects (CFP) grants are intended to help launch or expand on-the-ground, community-based food initiatives using a one-time infusion of federal funding designed to help the work become self-sustaining over time. In other words, the program is not looking to permanently bankroll ongoing operations; it is looking to invest in projects that can build durable systems, new capacity, and long-term local momentum. Funded CFPs are expected to have clear objectives, activities, and measurable outcomes that align with the program's primary goals, such as reducing food insecurity, improving food access, and strengthening local food systems in underserved areas.

Planning Projects (PP) grants are smaller-scope awards focused on developing a detailed plan to improve community food security. These projects must focus on a clearly defined community and should spell out what planning activities will occur and what products or outcomes will result (for example, a community food assessment, a strategic plan, partnership and governance structures, feasibility analyses, or implementation roadmaps). The idea is to support communities that need time and resources to design a strong, coordinated approach before moving into a full implementation project.

Eligibility is limited to specific applicant types: public food program service providers, tribal organizations, and private nonprofit entities, including gleaners (as defined in the RFA). To qualify for either a CFP or PP award, the applicant organization must meet four core requirements. First, it must have relevant experience in community food work, especially work connected to small and medium-sized farms, providing food to people in low-income communities, and building new or expanded markets in low-income areas for agricultural producers. This experience requirement also includes job training and business development tied to food-related activities in low-income communities, as well as direct efforts to reduce food insecurity, such as food distribution, improving access to services, or coordinating programs. Second, applicants must be able to show they can run the project responsibly, including sound project management, fiscal accountability, data collection, and reporting. Third, they must be willing to share what they learn, including a dissemination plan to communicate results to researchers, evaluators, practitioners, and other interested groups. Fourth, applicants must collaborate with at least one local partner organization in pursuit of at least one hunger-free communities goal referenced in the program materials.

A major requirement of this program is the match: applicants must provide a dollar-for-dollar match for all federal funds requested. This means if an organization requests a certain amount in federal grant funds, it must commit an equal amount in non-federal matching resources, consistent with the rules described in the RFA. Not meeting eligibility requirements by the application deadline can lead to an application being excluded from consideration, so the program places a strong emphasis on compliance and documentation.

While only the lead applicant must meet the eligibility rules, NIFA actively encourages partnerships and collaborations across sectors. Applicants are urged to build relationships with public and private organizations, nonprofits and for-profits, academic institutions (including minority-serving institutions), community-based organizations, and local government entities. Partners do not have to be independently eligible to apply. In addition, award recipients may issue subawards to organizations that are not eligible to apply directly, as long as those subaward partners are necessary to carry out the project successfully and the arrangement follows the RFA rules.

The opportunity also anticipates situations where an applicant cannot receive federal funds directly. In those cases, the application must include a letter explaining that the award would be administered through a fiscal agent, and it must identify that fiscal agent. The letter needs to be countersigned by an authorized representative of the fiscal agent and include basic contact details (point of contact, address, phone, fax, and email). If the project is recommended for funding, NIFA may request additional management information from both the applicant and the fiscal agent to ensure proper oversight.

Key administrative details included in the source listing are that the funding opportunity number is USDA NIFA CFP 007953, the instrument type is a grant, and the activity area is agriculture. The listing shows an award ceiling of $400,000 and an original closing date of May 4, 2021, indicating the maximum amount an applicant could request under that particular competition and the deadline that applied for that cycle.

• The National Institute of Food and Agriculture in the agriculture sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Community Food Projects Competitive Grant Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.225.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2020-12-17.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-05-04. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $400,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for USDA NIFA CFP 007953

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