Deadline: 13-Dec-21
The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is pleased to announce Food Safety Outreach Program (FSOP) to maintain and continue to grow the training, education, outreach, and coordination by soliciting new Community Outreach Projects and Collaborative Education and Training Projects.
The Food Safety Outreach Program will complement and expand the national infrastructure of the National Food Safety Training, Education, Extension, Outreach, and Technical Assistance Competitive Grants Program.
The Food Safety Outreach Program will build upon that national infrastructure, with a sustained focus on delivery of customized training to members of the target audiences. Awardees will develop and implement food safety training, education, extension, outreach and technical assistance projects that address the needs of owners and operators of small to mid-sized farms, beginning farmers, socially-disadvantaged farmers, small processors, or small fresh fruit and vegetable merchant wholesalers.
Grant applications will be solicited directly from those in local communities to include those from community-based organizations, non-governmental organizations, food hubs, farm cooperatives, extension, and other local groups.
Strategic Goals
The FSOP is aligned with the following USDA Strategic Goals:
- Strategic Goal 1: Ensure USDA Programs Are Delivered Efficiently, Effectively, With Integrity and a Focus on Customer Service.
- Strategic Goal 2: Maximize the Ability of American Agricultural Producers to Prosper by Feeding and Clothing the World.
- Strategic Goal 4: Facilitate Rural Prosperity and Economic Development.
- Strategic Goal 7: Provide all Americans Access to a Safe, Nutritious, and Secure Food Supply.
Types of Projects
This Request for Applications (RFA) will solicit proposals for two project types:
- Community Outreach Projects: will support the development of new food safety education and outreach programs in local communities and expand upon existing food safety education and outreach programs that address the needs of small, specialized audiences whose education needs have not previously been adequately addressed. Projects will focus on building the capacity of local groups to identify very specific needs within their communities, and to implement appropriately customized food safety education and outreach programs to meet those specific needs.
- Collaborative Education and Training Projects: will support the development of multicounty, state-wide or multi-state food safety education and outreach programs. For example, these projects will support collaborations among states not necessarily located within the same regions, but having common food safety concerns, or addressing common commodities. Potential applicants must have an established track record of working with target audiences and must be capable of developing and modifying food safety training curricula to meet new FSMA rules for a variety of agricultural production and processing systems.
Funding Information
- The anticipated amount available for the National Food Safety and Outreach Program (FSOP) in FY 2022 is approximately $10,000,000.
- Community Outreach Projects (award requests: $80,000 – $150,000) – An additional $150,000 may be requested for Collaborative Engagement Supplements, for a total budget request of up to $300,000.
- Grant Duration: 24 Months
- Collaborative Education and Training Projects (awards request: $200,000 – $400,000) – An additional $150,000 may be requested for Collaborative Engagement Supplements, for a total budget request of up to $550,000.
- Grant Duration: 36 Months
Eligibility Criteria
- Entities are eligible to apply to the National Food Safety and Outreach Program (FSOP) if they meet at least one of the following criteria:
- The Cooperative Extension Service for a U.S. state or territory;
- Non-government organizations and/or community-based organizations representing owners and operators of farms, small food processors, or small fruit and vegetable merchant wholesalers that has a commitment to public health and expertise in administering programs that contribute to food safety;
- Federal, State, local, or tribal agencies;
- An institution of higher education (as defined in Section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)) or a foundation maintained by an institution of higher education;
- A collaboration of two or more eligible entities
- Applicants for the FSOP must meet all the requirements discussed in this RFA. Failure to meet the eligibility criteria by the application deadline may result in exclusion from consideration or, preclude NIFA from making an award. For those new to Federal financial assistance, NIFA’s Grants Overview provides highly recommended information about grants and other resources to help understand the Federal awards process.
For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=336355