Regional Centers for Food Safety Training

USDA’s National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) has issued a Request for Applications (RFA) that will provide nearly $6.6 million in funding, roughly half of which will be reserved for maintaining the Regional Centers for Food Safety Training.

RFA Details

This year’s RFA provides over $3 million in funding for Regional Centers for Food Safety Training, and also modifies the expected role of the Regional Centers by requiring an implementation plan be put in place to extend technical assistance to producers. According to the RFA, the Regional Centers must: (1) include collaborations with non-governmental and community-based organizations, and (2) address efforts to develop and modify food safety training curricula, including by providing review of and technical assistance to pilot and community outreach projects awarded in their region.

In order to facilitative true collaboration between local partners and the Regional Centers, tangible resources for local partners must also be included. In total, $3.4 million is set aside for the Regional Centers; this funding includes one Lead Regional Center that will coordinate the others, presumably taking the place of the existing National Coordination Center.

The remaining FSOP funding will go toward on-the-ground outreach and education projects with a focus on funding for local communities, community-based organizations, non-governmental organizations, and other local groups. These projects might include efforts to modify and expand existing training and technical assistance programs (“Community Outreach Projects”), or develop new food safety outreach and education programs for underserved or small, specialized audiences whose education needs have not been adequately addressed (“Pilot Projects”).

Applications for FSOP grants are due by June 7, 2018

According to the RFA, new FY 2018 projects should focus on (though are not limited to) providing training and/or technical assistance that addresses knowledge and resource gaps for the target audience in the areas of pre- and post-harvest water testing and sampling, soil amendments, developing supply chain programs, and/or developing food safety plans. NIFA also encourages projects that address bilingual and culturally sensitive training resources.

Successful applicants will be expected to report to and coordinate their activities with the Regional Centers for FSMA Training.

Pilot Projects

Awards between $25,000 and $75,000 will be made available for up to 13 Pilot Projects.

Pilots projects will:

• Support the development of food safety education and outreach programs in local communities that address the needs of small, specialized audiences whose education needs have not previously been adequately addressed.
• Focus on building the capacity of local groups to identify very specific needs within their communities, and on implementing customized food safety education and outreach programs to meet those specific needs. For example, Pilot Projects may target non-traditional, niche, or hard-to-reach audiences. In addition, they may target audiences for whom English is a second language.

Where needed, Regional Centers will provide support and assistance for Pilot Project teams by aiding in the development of mechanisms for reporting program outcomes and providing food safety technical assistance.

Community Outreach Projects

Awards between $80,000 and $150,000 will be made available for Community Outreach Projects that:

• Support the growth and expansion of already-existing food safety education and outreach programs offered in local communities, including previously funded, successful Pilot Projects.
• Enable existing programs to reach a broader target audience, provide technical assistance, and/or expand to new audiences.
• Enable existing education and training curricula to be modified to ensure that they are consistent with new FSMA guidelines, and that they meet the needs of expanded audiences.

Community Outreach Projects should be led by project teams who demonstrate a record of developing and maintaining community partnerships and working successfully to serve the educational needs of target audiences.

Matching Requirement

Technically, non-governmental and community-based organizations that apply to FSOP are required to provide a 100 percent match (cash or in-kind) in order to receive federal funding. However, NIFA is authorized to waive the match requirement for these entities because the activities proposed to be carried out under this RFA are consistent with the existing National Agricultural Research, Education, Extension and Economics Advisory Board (NAREEEAB) priority of food safety extension activities. In order to qualify for the exemption, proposals need to include a justification in their budget narrative. An example of such a justification can be as simple as stating: “we propose that NIFA grant us a waiver form the match requirement because it is consistent the NAREEEAB food safety priority.”

Please contact Grant Management Associates for grant writing assistance.

kcarter@grantmanagementassoc.com