FUNDING OPPORTUNITY: Healthy Foodservice Grant Round 2

Healthy Foodservice Grant

Through this funding and technical assistance opportunity, the Indiana Department of Health (IDOH) Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity (DNPA) will administer two to three $8,000-$10,000 grants to Local Education Agencies (LEAs) and an undetermined number of technical assistance grants, over a 12-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 will include virtual scratch-cooking training as part of the award for both funded and technical assistance track grantees. This training will need to be completed during the grant cycle (January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022) and serves as a complement to the requested equipment. Topics that will be covered will include processing, safety and sanitation, knife skills, etc. to support the increased access to local foods in LEAs by developing capacity to implement fresh food preparation. 

In addition to the training, selected grantees for the funding track can use their funding to purchase the supplies necessary to support their transition to a scratch-cooking model. All 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 DNPA and IGFSN will provide ongoing technical assistance to the grantees, particularly around local product procurement.

The work that we do at DNPA is rooted in Health Equity* principles. Applications, for both the funding and technical assistance tracks, will need to demonstrate how this grant tackles the issue of health equity within their LEA. For those applying in the funding track, demonstration of a population with a minimum of 50 percent free and reduced lunch is required.

*The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation defines health equity as "… everyone has a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible. This requires removing obstacles to health such as poverty, discrimination, and their consequences, including powerlessness and lack of access to good jobs with fair pay, quality education and housing, safe environments, and health care."

Grant Eligibility

To qualify for this grant, applicants must meet the following criteria:

·       Must be a public or private Local Education Agency (LEA) in Indiana that participates in the National School Lunch Program

·       Must show minimum level of readiness to transition to scratch-cooking model (outlined in grant application narrative)

·       Application must include Principal or Superintendent approval

·       If applying for the funding track, must show minimum of 50 percent free and reduced lunch status

Grant Requirements

·       Complete the Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity’s (DNPA) Healthy Foodservice Grant Application, which includes a letter of intent to describe farm to school readiness and commitment to local food procurement, as well as a budget section to show breakdown of costs.

·       Establish a working relationship with the DNPA’s Community Food Systems and Farm to School Coordinator throughout the life of the grant to utilize technical assistance services. The recipient must submit regular updates to the DNPA.

·       Participate in scratch-cooking training.

·       Participate in a required procurement workshop with other grantees.

·       Commit to membership of the Indiana Grown for Schools Network and regularly participate in network and/or project team calls.

·       Submit all legal agreement and required forms; as a grant recipient, an organization is considered a vendor to the state, therefore, a Vendor form, Direct Deposit Form and W-9 must be completed.