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The following news item is being sent to DACF subscribers as a courtesy.
School Food System Innovation Grant Application Open
Applications for the School Food System Innovation Grant, funded by USDA Food & Nutrition Service?s Healthy Meals Incentives Initiative and administered in Maine by Full Plates Full Potential, are now being accepted.
The grant application period closes on May 1, 2024.
There will be an in-depth informational webinar on the grant this Thursday, March 7.
About the School Food System Innovation Grant:
School Food System Innovation Grants were created to ensure that Maine schools have the necessary support to make significant and sustainable increases in the amount of Maine-sourced foods they are using. Due to the short growing season, limited capacity of school food authorities (SFAs), and Maine?s rural nature, many SFAs throughout the state face challenges when trying to incorporate products from Maine into their menus.
This grant will fund pilot projects that address one or more of the focus areas listed below. Funding decisions will prioritize new initiatives and/or groups that represent historically underserved and/or underfunded communities.
- Collaboration
- Distribution
- Processing
- Procurement
- Team Support
Who is eligible?
Applications must have 1 Lead Partner and at least 2 Partner Organizations.
The Lead Partner must be a Maine-based food system partner. This includes:
- SFAs
- Growers and producers (e.g., farms, fisheries)
- Food processors
- Food aggregators (e.g., food hubs)
- Food distributors
- Food support organizations, including food systems-focused nonprofits
- Public sector agencies (e.g., local, county, or state government agency or department)
- Other Maine-based food system partners
- At least one Partner Organization must be a Maine SFA participating in the National School Lunch Program and/or an association representing Maine school nutrition programs and at least one other partner must be from the food industry.
What sorts of activities can the grant be used for?
Eligible projects can include, but are not limited to:
- Developing a streamlined, statewide online ordering system for SFAs to order food from Maine growers, producers, processors, and fisheries
- Developing a statewide and/or regional distribution and storage infrastructure to address the challenge of food access for SFAs in all regions of the state
- Developing a food processing infrastructure to create minimally processed and value-added products that meet the nutritional requirements of the school meal programs.?
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