The Food System Capacity Building Grant provides funds to Connecticut organizations and groups involved in food system policy and/or creating innovative, localized, programming in their respective communities to increase food access and address food insecurity.
Donor Name: Connecticut Department of Agriculture
State: Connecticut
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 03/06/2024
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: 2 Years
Details:
The Food System Capacity Building Grant is intended to support Connecticut communities, projects, or programs that:
- Increase the use of, awareness of, and access to healthy food;
- Support stakeholders in collaborative work to address local food system issues;
- Support the creation or continuation of local food policy councils, anti-hunger coalitions, and similar working groups or networks focused on food systems, food access, food sovereignty, and/or community food security; or
- Support projects that include community-driven solutions to create a more just food system that empowers communities to grow, process, prepare, sell, and eat culturally preferred healthy foods.
Grant Categories
- Creation or Continuance of a Local Food Policy Council or Food Working Group
- This grant category provides financial resources to cover costs of development and/or implementation of food working groups or local food policy councils to address food insecurity in Connecticut municipalities.
- Examples of eligible projects in this category:
- Building the framework for the creation or continuance of a local food policy council/food network, including training of staff.
- Conducting a community needs assessment.
- Increasing capacity to conduct community outreach, hold meetings and build community momentum.
- Developing a local food action plan and/or food policy agenda.
- Equipment
- This grant category provides financial resources to cover costs of equipment associated with projects that would create and/or further food access to underserved communities.
- Examples of eligible projects in this category:
- Purchasing equipment that will enable the applicant to process and store CT Grown farm products during the height of the growing season to increase availability of CT Grown fruits, vegetables, dairy, meat, and other farm products in underserved neighborhoods.
- Local Food Access Purpose
- To expand access to local food buying opportunities in food insecure and low food access communities. This could be done through efforts such as creating mobile or pop-up 8 farmers markets at strategic locations, increasing acceptance and redemption of nutrition assistance benefits at farmer’s markets, and increasing community outreach and marketing of available resources and opportunities.
- Examples of eligible projects in this category:
- Perform outreach to farmers to accept benefit programs at farmers’ markets.
- Purchase of SNAP processing infrastructure for producers and markets.
- Creation of/supporting mobile farmers markets and pop-up markets.
- Development of programs and materials to increase accessibility and/or education on the value of consuming fresh fruits and vegetables at markets.
- Taste testing and hands on culinary and nutrition education using CT Grown products. Under this category, a portion of the funds can be used for the purchase of CT Grown ingredients. • Develop events and opportunities that encourage the use of SNAP, Farmers Market Nutrition Program, and other food benefits programs at farmers’ markets including outreach and promotion up to 15% of the total grant award.
- Food Waste and Recovery
- To support projects that reduce food loss and waste, recovery efforts, and recycling programs.
- Examples of eligible projects in this category:
- Promote food waste diversion solutions.
- Expand outreach through research and education efforts such as incorporating food waste and food security into curriculums and engaging students in and out of classroom settings.
- Develop or expand composting programs.
- Aid in development of gleaning programs to recover unused foods from producers.
Funding Information
The maximum amount awarded to any applicant through the Connecticut Food Policy Grant shall not exceed $20,000.00 for an 18-month grant period.
Eligibility Criteria
The following entities are eligible to apply for the FSCB Grant:
- Local Food Policy Councils and/or food working groups
- Agricultural producers, singularly or jointly, provided such producers are owners of existing agribusiness within the State of Connecticut
- Food pantries
- Farmers’ markets, singularly or jointly
For more information, visit Connecticut Department of Agriculture.
