FUNDING OPPORTUNITY: Healthy Foodservice Grant
DEADLINE EXTENDED: November 20, 2020
SUBMISSION & QUESTIONS: mpaskey@isdh.in.gov
Through this funding opportunity, the Indiana Department of Health (IDOH) Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity (DNPA) will administer seven to ten, $8,000-$10,000 grants to Local Education Agencies (LEAs) over an 18-month period, to support the foodservice directors (FSDs) and their staff in a transition to a scratch cooking model. This grant program is made possible through a 2020 USDA Farm to School Grant, of which the IDOH-DNPA is a recipient, and supports the overall mission of the Indiana Grown for Schools Network (IGFSN), Indiana’s statewide farm to school network. The IGFSN Steering Committee will select the applicants to be funded and will participate in the oversight and administration of the Healthy Foodservice Grant program.
The Healthy Foodservice Grant is offered in partnership with the Whole Kids Foundation (WKF), a non-profit operated by Whole Foods, to provide scratch-cooking classes to the selected grantees. These classes, part of WKF’s Healthy Foodservice Program, will be instructed by Chef Dan Marek, and consist of an intensive, hands-on, 1-day training (with a virtual option), to be held during the 2021-2022 school year. Along with basic scratch cooking methods, grantees can also identify certain topic areas to focus on that suit their individual situation and needs. Topics such as freezing/preserving, processing, safety and sanitation, knife skills, etc. support the increased access to local foods in LEAs by developing capacity to implement fresh food preparation.
In addition to the trainings provided by the WKF, selected grantees can use their funding to purchase the supplies necessary to support their transition to a scratch-cooking model. Selected grantees will be required to work up to an outcome goal (such as “At least two locally sourced fruit and vegetable sides will be served each week), that will be defined as part of the grant application. IDOH and IGFSN will provide ongoing technical assistance to the grantees, particularly around local product procurement.
***Important note on COVID-19 pandemic***
Due to the new challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, the timeline for the scratch-cooking training has been pushed to 2021-2022. However, we plan to distribute funds to selected grantees beginning February, 2021. Each grantee will be permitted to spend up to 50% of their funding on immediate needs related to COVID-19. If planning to use a portion of the funding for COVID-19 response, please provide a detailed explanation in the grant application narrative. Applicants whose COVID-19 purchases connect to a larger farm to school initiative will be highly prioritized.