The Montgomery County Office of Food Systems Resilience (OFSR), in partnership with the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and Manna Food Center (Manna), is soliciting grant applications for the County’s FY24 Food System Infrastructure Grant Program from non-profit and for- profit entities currently engaged in both food security initiatives that benefit underserved communities in Montgomery County, and County-based food recovery AND/OR local food purchasing efforts.
Donor Name: Montgomery County Office of Food Systems Resilience (OFSR)
State: Maryland
County: Montgomery County (MD)
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 04/10/2024
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: 1 Year
Details:
Priorities
The goal of this program is to fund projects that address gaps in cold storage infrastructure to support engagement with food security initiatives that are connected to local food production and/or food recovery efforts. Priorities for this funding include:
- Alignment with the programs and recommendations of the Strategic Plan to End Childhood Hunger, including the FY24 School-Based Food Assistance and FY24 “Food as Medicine” grant programs;
- Alignment with the County’s food system resilience and food sovereignty goals:
- Equity-Efforts address social injustice and racial disparities to build equity in community and make progress toward food sovereignty;
- Systems-Based- Strategies focus on identifying, maximizing, and addressing the interconnections of food issue areas, simultaneously contextualizing their benefits and their impacts on production, access, natural resources, education, and economy
- Innovative- To transform food system, novel approaches, creative ideas, and best practices models from other jurisdictions are used to inform projects; and o Data-Driven: Intentional and reliable data collection and analysis, and solutions with clearly defined success metrics and measurable impact, are the foundation for proposals.
- Geographically diverse investments in areas of the County that are currently lacking cold-storage infrastructure;
- Collaborative approaches that would allow for capacity building amongst the broad network of food system stakeholders.
Other considerations include:
- Climate impacts of infrastructure and equipment, including the energy source, project implementation considerations, and long-term use of infrastructure;
- Ability to leverage external investment and/or resources to support the success of the proposed project.
Prioritization will also be given to proposals that:
- Propose medium-to-large scale cold storage projects that will advance local food aggregation and/or food processing opportunities;
- Include multiple partners that will have shared access to the cold storage infrastructure and/or will allow for food to be distributed to multiple recipient organizations;
- Include a budget that is well-researched and reflects a realistic cost of purchasing, installing, and operating the cold-storage equipment/ infrastructure, including any necessary utility upgrades, repairs, and/or other related capital costs;
- Describe in detail the project timeline from start to finish, including:
- Purchase, installation, and electricity hook-ups for cold storage infrastructure;
- Clearly defined usage strategy that supports food recovery and/or local sourcing to address food insecurity; and
- Any partners involved will be accessing or benefiting from the cold storage infrastructure.
- Include a data collection, analysis, and reporting strategy with comprehensive and achievable performance metrics related to the project’s impact on food security and access in Montgomery County, AND impact on food recovery AND/OR local sourcing for both short-term (1 year) and long-term (2 years) post-award periods.
Target Population
According to the 2023 Hunger Report from Capital Area Food Bank, an estimated 27% of households in Montgomery County “experienced food insecurity at some point in the last year.” The target population served through this grant program are Montgomery County residents living in underserved communities, who are experiencing food insecurity and are accessing food assistance services through providers that are engaged in local food recovery and/or local sourcing initiatives.
Funding Information
Applicants may request a minimum of $5,000 and a maximum of $75,000; final funding amounts may be lower than $5,000. The grants are anticipated to have a 12-month performance period from on/about April 29, 2024, through on/about April 28, 2025.
Eligibility Criteria
Lead applicants may only submit one application, and must meet all of the following conditions
- The organization must be a nonprofit or for-profit organization based in Montgomery County that is engaged in both 1) food security initiatives that benefit underserved communities in Montgomery County, and 2) County-based food recovery AND/OR local food purchasing efforts;
- The organization must be currently registered and in Good Standing with the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT);
- The organization’s principal place of business must be located in Montgomery County; if a national or regional organization, it must have a location in Montgomery County through which it provides related services
- All activities and expenditures under this grant program must be provided in Montgomery County
- Current Montgomery County contract or grant award winners must be current on all reporting obligations for other awards and those reports must reflect substantial progress towards the goals of their awards; and
- Proposed expenses must be for a new activity, expansion of existing activities, or a combination of both. Grant funding cannot be used for: any purchase which has already been made; purchases or activities unnecessary to accomplish grant purposes as determined by Montgomery County; prior obligations of and/or fines; debts and penalties imposed on the grantee; lobbying expenses; alcoholic beverages; or supplanting (replacing) other funds.
For more information, visit OFSR.
