FY 2021 AMS Local Food Grant Overview
The Consolidated Appropriations Act (COVID-19 Stimulus) provided AMS with additional appropriations for several grant programs and changed match requirements during a public health emergency. The Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program (FMLFPP), Regional Food System Partnerships Program (RFSP), and the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) will have significant increases in funding this year. In addition, the legislation lowered the match requirements for certain programs.
Congress also created a new program for meat and poultry plants seeking to obtain federal inspection or state-inspection (if that state is part of the cooperative interstate shipment program). AMS is partnering with USDA Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) to design the grant. More information will be available soon.
The FMLFPP and RFSP Request for Applications (RFAs) will open in early spring. While the RFAs are not available yet, it’s not too early to start preparing:
- Review past RFAs;
- Review past and current grant recipients;
- Review application requirements;
- Initiate or update your profile in Grants.gov; and,
- Initiate or update your SAM.gov registration.
Not interested in applying but have relevant expertise? Consider signing up to be a reviewer. Our competitive grants are peer reviewed and we rely on skilled reviewers to make funding recommendations.
New Innovation Briefs Highlight COVID-19 Adaptations
 Healthcare CSAs and Local Retail Outlets
This brief highlights how healthcare facilities implemented and expanded local food initiatives during the pandemic to effectively feed and care for healthcare constituents while also investing in the local food economy. Healthcare organizations leveraged existing partnerships and value chains to serve their stakeholders through onsite retail (e.g. grocery) locations and expanded community supported agriculture (CSA) or produce subscription programs while continuing to support local food producers whose markets were also impacted by the pandemic.
From Food Hubs to CSAs
According to the 2019 Food Hub Survey, 39% of the hubs surveyed rely primarily on wholesale markets. Only 10% of all sales that hubs reported were from direct to consumer market channels. When these wholesale channels dried up overnight at the start of the pandemic, many hubs had inventory sitting in warehouses that needed to be redirected, and farmers weren’t sure if they should harvest the crops that had been planted to supply their partner hubs. At the same time, there was a huge surge in food insecurity. Many hubs took elements of a Community Supported Agriculture model—which guarantees a market for farmers, provides customers a food box on a regular schedule, and strives to match the needs of farmers and growers.
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Lee Initiative Restaurant Reboot Relief Program
COVID-19-related restaurant closures have left farmers without important buyers and restaurant workers without employment. The Restaurant Reboot Relief Program (RRRP) was designed to help maintain and strengthen the relationships between independent restaurants and local farmers. To maintain these relationships, and to create the foundation for a more resilient restaurant industry, the LEE Initiative provided stipends to local farms in 20 regions across the U.S. to ensure continued food production for restaurants. The LEE Initiative donated over $1,000,000 to farmers in 20 different regions of the U.S. These farmers gave high quality products to restaurants for use in their normal operations as well as in their temporary conversion to food relief kitchens.
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James Beard Foundation’s Response to COVID-19
In-person industry programs and events were a primary source of revenue and a substantial portion of the James Beard Foundation’s (JBF) calendar before COVID-19. Prior to COVID-19, JBF hosted around 200 events a year at the Beard House, as well as events in other venues in the New York City area and across the country. That included the national dining tour Taste America presented by Capital One®, the annual Gala Dinner and Auction, and Friends of James Beard Benefit® dinners. JBF is currently offering virtual events and programming, which includes the Open for Good industry resource hub, an ongoing webinar series, and a redesigned Taste America, which was converted from a national event series into a virtual event.
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Seeds of Success: Digging into Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program
Each month we’re highlighting the work of Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion grant recipients.
Check out all the stories!
Alchemist Community Development Corporation
 Alchemist Community Development Corporation (CDC) is a non-profit based in Sacramento, California that provides access to fresh local foods through incentive programs such as Calfresh, Market Match, and its Fruit and Vegetable Prescription Program (FVRx), which operates in partnership with the Sacramento Native American Health Center. These programs help create a healthier community through education and promotion of local food. With a Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP) grant, Alchemist CDC was able to effectively plan for the Alchemist Kitchen, a two-phase food business incubator program. Alchemist CDC developed a business plan for the two-phase Alchemist Kitchen project:
- The Alchemist Microenterprise Academy (AMA), which teaches participants the fundamentals of starting and growing a food business over 12 weeks and
- The Incubator Program for AMA graduates, which offers technical assistance, business planning and kitchen space.
Lutheran Services in Iowa
Lutheran Services in Iowa (LSI) a Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP) grant to help refugees navigate language and cultural barriers and gain skills in marketing methods, land acquisition, social media, food safety, and business planning. Over the course of their grant, LSI:
- Trained 47 refugee farmers on topics ranging from food safety, business planning, and English as a second language;
- Helped farmers increase their ability to promote their products at farmers’ markets and CSA programs; and
- Reached low-income populations and highlighted benefit of food benefit programs through social media.
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Building Sustainable Farms, Ranches and Communities: A Guide to
Federal Programs
It can be difficult for farmers and ranchers to navigate the wide range of USDA resources and stay up to date with program changes after each Farm Bill. Thanks to the newly updated Building Sustainable Farms, Ranches and Communities, producers, researchers, nonprofits and landowners can easily find USDA programs that can help them achieve their goals.
The 101-page guide covers 62 government programs and has been updated to include program updates from the 2018 Farm Bill. Each program listing provides a description of the program’s available resources, information on how to apply, and in some cases, examples of how the funding has been used. The guide also includes basic information on how to design sound projects, find appropriate programs and write grant applications.
The guide was produced through the collaboration of Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE), the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute (MFAI), the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT), and the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC). Funding was provided by SARE, the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), and the McKnight Foundation.
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The Food and Agriculture Service Program, funded by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, increases knowledge of agricultural sciences and improves the nutritional health of children. The program focuses on increasing the capacity for food, garden, and nutrition education within host organizations, such as school cafeterias and classrooms, while fostering community engagement between farms and school systems. This initiative is part of a broader effort to increase access to school meals for low-income children and greatly improve meal quality.
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USDA Seeks Members for Advisory Committee on Urban Agriculture
USDA is seeking members for a new advisory committee on urban agriculture, part of a broader effort to focus on the needs of urban farmers. The 12-person committee will advise the Secretary of Agriculture on the development of policies and outreach relating to urban, indoor and other emerging agricultural production practices as well as identify any barriers to urban agriculture. Interested individuals or organization may nominate themselves or others by March 5, 2021.
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