Progress 06/01/24 to 05/31/25

Outputs
Target Audience: Approximately 90 CFPCGP grantees, whose organizational staff who are on the listserv we created, who attend trainings, project director meetings, and receive other support. Approximately 400 CFPCGP applicants or potential applicants who received assistance, or attended a webinar on writing a CFP grant. NIFA staff, especially those managing the CFPCGP program Approximately 800 individuals who have attended one of our community of practice calls or Wallace Center trainings, or receive information from us about these meetings Approximately 20,000 individuals working on food, nutrition, farming programs whom we target with information about our programs through numerous listservs, social media, and partner communications 1,500 visitors per month so far in 2025 to our website, isedsolutions-cfp.net, and who accessed numerous resources on the site Changes/Problems: In September-October 2024, there was an unusually high demand for our services in supporting CFPCGP applicants, especially at the last minute. We have found that a high percentage of potential applicants do not review our materials nor the RFA, and are not realistic in their expectations of fundability. This puts an unusually high burden on our staff to explain the very basics of federal grants as well as this program. We're modifying our approach for the 2025-2026 cycle to focus on the very basics of federal grant-writing as well as on those areas that especially tripped up grantees, such as budget narratives. Unlike applicants, we were challenged by a general difficulty to communicate with many grantees or to mobilize their attention. We found that a consistently modest number of grantees were hard to reach through email or phone, or that they had changed staff without informing NIFA or us. As a result, we dedicated an inordinate amount of time to trying to reach grantees to attend project director meetings for example. We have developed our own list of grantees and update this information as needed. Similarly, we discovered that most grantees were not available to attend networking or peer to peer meetings, so we shifted our technical assistance approach to focus on expert-led training. These have resonated better with grantees. Our sub-awardee the Wallace Center (FSLN) was scheduled to host the conference in December 2024 in San Diego. A hotel contract was drawn up and ready to be signed, but because of staffing transitions, the Wallace Center had to back out of its role. As a result, that left ISED staff to organize the event. This resulted in an enormous amount of work to be completed by our staff in finding a suitable venue and organizing a combination PD meeting/conference. The opportunity costs have entailed a reduction in time available for grantee assistance. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Training Through their CFP subaward, the Wallace Center's (FSLN) Adaptive Food Systems Leader training has provided 10 hours of intensive training on adaptive leadership for project management with 300 attendees at the first two sessions. This 3-session course covered the traditional components of project management and incorporated Adaptive Leadership, which offers an approach to achieving large-scale impact through complex systems navigation within a shifting and changing landscape. The " Capacity Building through Grant writing" course was held in February 2025 in partnership with Dr. Hunter Goodman from the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture. Participation was limited to 65 participants. The interactive, practical training provided tools and frameworks for building SMART goals, developing partnerships, and developing logic models to enable more effective project design and proposal development. The Real Talk webinar series provided expert guidance on submitting a CFPCGP proposal. Similarly, one on one assistance was provided by ISED's co PI on an individual basis to support applicants grant-writing skills. Professional Development Peer to peer learning sessions connected grantees to their colleagues on a variety of topics such as community food assessments and food hubs. Trainings for CFPCG grantees and others on food hub compliance, on-farm produce safety, collective storytelling, and building local collaborations (May). These reached 135 individuals. Monthly community of practice calls led by the Food Systems Leadership Network focused on resilience, community of practices, action planning, community engagement, grant writing training, and diversified funding. 542 persons were in attendance at these events. The Project Director meeting provided vital information to project directors about implementation of their awards, communication, and reporting. It also provided opportunities for grantees to engage with NIFA staff on specific questions related to their projects. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?This is not a research project and as such the results are not disseminated. They remain internal to the body of applicants and grantees. As stated above, outreach about the CFPCGP was extensive and described above. We do evaluate the annual PD meetings and our applicant assistance. Reports are submitted to NIFA staff on both of these areas. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Obj. 1:Expand current outreach to expand applications for CFP nationally, especially among communities and constituencies with low historical participation. Our plans for the upcoming grant period include: We will distribute the next Request for Applications (RFA) to those applicants who approached us for assistance in 2024; to numerous listservs reaching approximately 20,000 subscribers; through the Wallace center's extensive Food Systems Leadership Network (FSLN), and to over 35 allied groups and networks of national and regional reach. Timing: Within 14 days of the RFA's release. We have identified those states in which few or no CFP awards are currently in place and comparing them to states with obesity and poor nutrition. We will organize two in-person trainings for 20-25 potential applicants in each community. The location will be dependent upon the availability of local partner groups to assist us. Timing: Winter 2026 We will research networks, funders, non-profit associations, and key community food groups in these states to help us do outreach to potential grantees. Once the RFA is released, we will reach out to these groups. Timing: Research, Summer 2025 with distribution of RFA within 14 days of its release Obj. 2:Provide technical assistance to parties eligible to apply for CFP to plan appropriate projects and commensurate fundable proposals. Our plans for the upcoming grant period include: We will update our Planning and Grant-writing guides and release them along with outreach notices. They will also be put up on our website. Timing: August 2025 To facilitate a more efficient assistance process, we have created a new system by which applicants seek our assistance. It includes filling out a form for support, reviewing existing USDA and ISED materials, and required attendance to office hours to gain access to individualized support. We will provide up to 2.5 hours of individual assistance in the form of answering questions about program design, budgets, matching funds, forms, as well as reviewing draft proposal sections. Timing: From release of RFA until grant submission deadline We will develop a variety of new materials to assist applicants that will be available on our and FSLN's website. These include sample budget narratives and budget narrative guide; and a data management plan guidance. Timing: August 2025 We are planning to hold two webinars on the Community Food Projects Grant Program. The first one will discuss the assistance that ISED is able to provide, go over our various resources, and provide instructions on how to access our resources and the application. Timing: Within 2 weeks of the release of the application. The second webinar will more broadly explain the purpose and impact of CFPCGP, with examples from current or previous grantees. Timing: Within 4 weeks of the release of the RFA Obj. 3:Support CFP-funded entities in evaluating their programs and communicating the collective results of all CFP grants to USDA. Our plans for the upcoming grant period include: We will coordinate with NIFA staff on the evaluation requirements for CFPCGP grantees, to better understand how the REEport requirements, RFA requirements, and the annual report guide grantees' data tracking and evaluation. This will ideally be a series of conversations to develop clear protocols for grantees. Timing: ongoing We will produce a report on the collected outputs and impacts of the CFPCGP for fiscal year 2023-2024, based on a survey created in conjunction with NIFA. Timing: Fall 2025 Obj. 4:Build capacities of funded CFP entities to successfully plan and implement their CFP initiatives. Our plans for the upcoming grant period include: We will continue to post information on our website and refer grantees to relevant information clearinghouses at Food Systems Leadership Network, Farmers Market Coalition, and other groups. Timing: On-going. The CFP Community of Practice in Year 3 will continue with the monthly 75-minute interactive session featuring topical content common to CFP initiatives and grant management / project implementation topics identified by CFP grantees. There will be a total of 9 virtual sessions in Year 3. Based on our current experience, we expect 50-75 attendees per session. The CoP will have a dedicated 'discussion group' on the FSLN digital platform where members can communicate, ask questions, share resources, etc. In between the monthly CoP calls. In year 3, we will work to activate this discussion space. Timing: June 2024- November 2024, skipping August. March 2025-May 2025 With FSLN, we will deliver two virtual training/webinar series in Year 3 to build the capacity of food systems leaders and the community-based organizations they work with to successfully implement their CFP projects and programs. The two virtual trainings will be based on needs identified through the CFP Project Directors meeting in summer 2025. Based on learning to date, topics for Year 3 training might include Evaluation, Community Engagement, or Financial Management. Courses will be hosted on FSLN's Zoom, recorded and uploaded to the FSLN digital platform so that they can be accessed for the remainder of the project. Timing: Winter 2026 We will continue to hold monthly trainings, bringing in experts to speak on topics relevant to CFP grantees, such as Community Engagement and Food Safety. We choose the topics based on CFPCGP grantees. Typically, we reach 20-25 grantees/month. Timing: On-going FSLN will continue to facilitate an annual mentorship program to connect emerging and seasoned food systems leaders and provide one-on-one coaching support and professional development. Funding through their CFPCGP subaward will allow the addition of 3 mentors to the existing cohort. FSLN will recruit previous CFP grantees - folks who have demonstrated experience with the program, and match them with current CFP grantees seeking one on one support. Each CFP mentee (9 in total) will receive 8 hours of one on one mentorship. We will evaluate the impact of this activity and consider scaling further in Year 4 of the project. Timing: On-going We will support grantees who experience grant administration challenges, such as budget revisions, no-cost extensions, PD changes, etc. We will offer background guidance individually or through our website. We will connect NIFA with grantees who have specific questions. We will serve as an ombudsman with NIFA to help grantees get their questions answered, as needed. Timing: On-going Obj. 5:Connect parties at the local, regional and national levels to share experiences, learn from each other, and build a cohesive field of practitioners. Our planned activities include: We will organize and host a virtual program director meeting for CFPCGP grantees. We will co-design the agenda and format with NIFA staff and a grantee planning committee. The meeting will include presentations by grantees, informational sessions interspersed by technical assistance offerings. We will contract with a virtual meeting expert to help make the meeting interactive and engaging. Timing: Spring 2026 While our community food systems conference has largely been planned during the 2024-2025 grant year, it will be held on June 22-24, 2025. This event combines a program director meeting with a conference, providing incredible technical assistance, networking, and educational opportunities. In addition to the 100+ CFPCGP grantees, the event is expected to attract another 500 community food system leaders. Timing: June 2025

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Obj. 1: Expand current outreach to expand applications for CFP nationally, especially among communities and constituencies with low historical participation. We provided substantial outreach about the CFPCGP request for applications to a wide variety of listservs and organizations at the local and national levels. We focused extra attention on networks in a few states with higher than average obesity and poor nutrition, and few CFPCGP grants, including West Virginia, Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The outcome of this work was to maintain historically high levels of applications, although actual numbers were not released by NIFA. Obj. 2: Provide technical assistance to parties eligible to apply for CFP to plan appropriate projects and commensurate fundable proposals. The application process for CFPCGP is complex and time consuming. To assist applicants, we developed new systems, created new materials, and provided on-line and one-on-one assistance. We developed the following materials, which were placed on our website with the Food Systems Leadership Network at Wallace Center. Application Checklist and Timeline Budget FAQ Grant Overview Infographic Important Changes to 2025 Community Food Projects Grant Program A Mini Guide to One of the Most Important Parts of Your USDA-NIFA CFPCGP Proposal Videos for forms SF-424, Current and Pending, and Conflict of Interest We supported applicants through: A two-part webinar series to provide guidance to applicants, reaching over 250 unduplicated individuals. Office hours reaching 35 individuals A training for WV groups reaching 15 persons Direct assistance to 272 persons via email, phone, or proposal review, totaling 122.75 hours The "Capacity Building through Grantwriting" course was held in February 2025 in partnership with Dr. Hunter Goodman from the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture. Participation was limited to 65 participants The outcome of these activities has been potentially improved grant proposals, fewer low quality proposals submitted, fewer proposals disqualified for fixable mistakes, and an applicant pool that becomes more knowledgeable about federal grants. Obj. 3: Support CFP funded entities in evaluating their programs and communicating the collective results of all CFP grants to USDA. With the help of evaluation expert, Robert Tornberg, ISED created a survey to identify the outputs and outcomes of CFPCGP grantees from June 2023 to September 2024. We created a report that delineates these outputs, outcomes, completion of Hunger Free Community goals, as well as an analysis of the program. This report was submitted to NIFA in Winter 2025 and is currently under review. We also provided technical assistance to grantees in community engagement and its connection to evaluation through the Whole Measures for Community Food Systems evaluation framework- at the 2024 Project Director meeting and at a separate on-line training. Finally, we supported grantees -upon request- with the REEport system. Obj. 4: Build capacities of funded CFP entities to successfully plan and implement their CFP initiatives. To accomplish this objective, we held the following activities: Peer to peer discussion groups in the Fall 2024 for CFPCGP grantees on food hubs, retail, planning grants, community engagement and food safety reaching 86 attendees. We shifted these peer to peer meetings to trainings, due to a general lack of interest among grantees. Trainings for CFPCG grantees and others on food hub compliance, on-farm produce safety, collective storytelling, and building local collaborations (May). These reached 135 individuals. Site visits by ISED staff to six community food projects A monthly newsletter reaching all CFPCGP grantees on food systems and mental health, community engagement, end of year reflection, conflict resolution, coalition building, and burnout prevention among non-profit staff. These on-line documents were opened 1,118 times from Fall 2024 to May 2025. Held an on-line project director meeting over four days in November, including grantee presentations, NIFA presentations, exploration of technical assistance needs, and opportunities for individual consultations between grantees and NIFA staff The outcomes of this work has been to connect grantees to resources, trainings and experts that can enhance their effectiveness. Obj. 5: Connect parties at the local, regional and national levels to share experiences, learn from each other, and build a cohesive field of practitioners.? We held monthly community of practice calls led by the Food Systems Leadership Network. These 75 minute webinars focused on community of practices, action planning, community engagement, grant writing training, diversified funding, and exploring AI as a tool for grantwriting. In total, 542 persons were in attendance at these events. The "Adaptive Leadership for Project Management" course was held April - May 2025 in partnership with Tina Khan and Kolia Souza, two seasoned food systems leaders and academics who designed and tailored the course for the Community Food Projects grantee (current and prospective) cohort. This 3-session course covered the traditional components of project management and incorporated Adaptive Leadership, which offers an approach to achieving large-scale impact through complex systems navigation within a shifting and changing landscape. 440 people registered for the series and an average of 150 live attendees at each session. We are organizing a national conference on community food systems for June 22-24, 2025 in Portland OR. This meeting will be a hybrid project director meeting with a national conference for over 600 attendees. It includes 30 workshops, three fields, one short course, networking sessions, three keynotes, CFPCGP PD posters and presentations, as well as an additional 14 lightning talks.

Publications

Progress 06/01/23 to 05/31/24

Outputs
Target Audience:1)Approximately 100 Community Food Project grantee organization staff who attended the program director meeting and who are on the listserv we created. 2)Approximately 275 CFPCGP applicants or potential applicants who inquired about the program or our services 3)An unknown number of potential applicants who examined our materials about CFP and read our notices about grant availability through numerous listservs, partner groups, and colleagues. These include non-profit organizations working on food, farming, public health nutrition, gardening, sustainable agriculture, community economic development, planning, and anti-hunger work; academics, tribal entities, public sector and Cooperative Extension organizations in allied fields. Many of these organizations serve low-income communities or communities of color. 4)NIFA staff, especially those managing the CFPCGP and related programs. 5)Roughly 250 individuals working on food and farming projects or similar efforts who attended our Community of Practice webinars. Changes/Problems: It has taken longer to establish technical assistance for grantees and to expend some expected Year 1 funds for the following reasons: Our CFP grant started earlier than we had anticipated. Our experience is that historically most CFP grants had started either October 1 or September 1. We had expected it to do the same. The relatively short time between being notified of the award and the start date led to project co-director Fisher only being partially available in July-September, and not fully available until October. Coming from another position where he was executive director, he needed adequate transition time to leave his prior organization in a place to succeed. The early start date of the grant was compounded by the immediacy of finding a suitable venue for the December CN PD meeting and the release of the RFA in August. Both of these efforts took up much of our time in 2023. The PD meeting was highly expedited, as usually we would expect an additional three to six months to plan such an event. That urgency resulted in less time to take on other tasks. In addition, the RFA received an unusually high response for assistance from applicants. We had anticipated about 100 requests for assistance based on previous experience with New Entry and CFSC. However, we received over 270 requests, which significantly ate into our ability to accomplish other tasks, or to establish any systems or conduct planning. We were unaware of the 2023 grantee class until later in the fall, when we were immersed in PD meeting planning. The tight scheduling of the PD meeting also left us with limited time to do any discussions with the grantees about their technical assistance needs. With regards to underspending the grant, administrative requirements led to $500,000 being allocated to the first year, when we had anticipated our budget to be roughly $300,000, or one quarter of the $1.25 million award. In addition, the cooperative agreement of $64,299 from GusNIP to support our work in organizing the PD meeting resulted in much lower staffing expenditures for the project directors than budgeted. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Describe opportunities for training and professional development provided to anyone who worked on the project or anyone who was involved in the activities supported by the project. Training activitiesare those in which individuals with advanced professional skills and experience assist others in attaining greater proficiency. Training activities may include, for example, courses or one-on-one work with a mentor. Professional developmentactivities result in increased knowledge or skill in one's area of expertise and may include workshops, conferences, seminars, study groups, and individual study. Include participation in conferences, workshops, and seminars not listed under major activities. Professional development: The NIFA Community Nutrition Program Director provided information on grants management, communication, food loss and waste, and related topics for the 390 attendees, coming from CFP, FASLP and GUSNIP awarded projects. Through a peer to peer process, the meeting also provided very helpful information about other grantees' works to each other. Finally, a keynote talk from Zella Palmer of Dillard University informed attendees about the historic contributions to Creole cuisine from Black women across the past three centuries. Professional development: The Community of Practice calls hosted in conjunction with the Wallace Center took place in February, March, April and May and covered topicsrelated to land access, shared leadership, cooperatives, and the long term impact of CFP. In the two that have taken place as of this writing, 125 persons have attended. Training: We helped 270+ potential and actual applicants learn about the CFP grant program, their eligibility, aspects of the proposal process, what makes for a successful project and proposal, and grant management and budgeting processes and requirements. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?This is not a research project and as such the results are not disseminated. They remain endemic to the body of applicants and grantees. As stated above, outreach about the CFPCGP was extensive and described above. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?? Obj. 1:Expand current outreach to expand applications for CFP nationally, especially among communities and constituencies with low historical participation. We will distribute the next Request for Applications (RFA) to applicants who approached us for assistance in 2023; to listservs reaching approximately 20,000 subscribers; on Wallace Center's website; on ISED's website; and to over 35 allied groups and networks of national and regional reach.Timing: Within 14 days of release of RFA We will research networks, funders, non-profit associations, and key community food groups in these states to help us do outreach to potential grantees.Timing: Research, Summer 2024 with distribution of RFA within 14 days of its release Obj. 2:Provide technical assistance to parties eligible to apply for CFP to plan appropriate projects and commensurate fundable proposals. We will update our Planning and Grantwriting guides and release them along with outreach notices.Timing: Within 14 days of release of RFA We will create a new system by which applicants seek our assistance. Applicants will fill in an intake form, and will be asked to review existing USDA materials and our new materials (see below). We will offer one-on-one consultation to applicants, depending upon their needs and for up to 2.5 hours. Assistance consists of answering questions about program design, budgets, matching funds, forms, as well as reviewing draft proposal sections.Timing: From release of RFA until grant submission deadline We will develop a variety of new materials to assist applicants. These include an FAQ, and separate documents including instructions for various NIFA-required forms and budgets.Timing: Summer 2024 We are planning to hold two webinars on the CFP Grant Program. One will discuss the assistance ISED is able to provide, and go over our various resources.Timing: Within 4 weeks of the release of the application.The second will explain the purpose and impact of CFPCGP, with examples from current or previous grantees.Timing: Winter 2025 Four grantsmanship webinars are planned in conjunction with Wallace Center, to provide broad training in federal grantwriting.Timing: Summer-Fall 2024 Obj. 3:Support CFP funded entities in evaluating their programs and communicating the collective results of all CFP grants to USDA. We are hiring Robert Tornberg, formerly of the University of Syracuse, as our evaluation consultant. He will help develop a survey instrument grantees will use to report on their previous year's outputs and outcomes. We are working from indicators developed by the previous TA grantee, New Entry.Timing: June 2024 The survey will be sent to current grantees, ideally with NIFA's assistance. Grantees will be invited to attend a Zoom meeting to ask any questions about the survey.Timing: Summer 2024 A draft of the report will be presented to NIFA for feedback, with a final version completed by September 2024. We will modify the survey and data collection process for 2025, with the goal of completing the final report by May 2025. Obj. 4:Build capacities of funded CFP entities to successfully plan and implement their CFP initiatives. We will continue to post information on our website and refer grantees to relevant information clearinghouses at Wallace Center, Farmers Market Coalition, and other groups.Timing: On-going. Based on a survey completed by CFPCGP grantees, we have identified priorities for technical assistance: grant reporting, grant management matters, evaluation, financial sustainability/fundraising, food policy, community food assessments.See details below for details on how we intend to meet these goals. We will be continuing the on-line CFPCGP Community of Practice monthly calls until the end of 2024. Future topics include financial sustainability, community engagement, land access, shared leadership, building collaborations, equity and evaluation, and project management tools. These calls take place on the fourth Tuesday of the month. After the last call in November, Wallace Center and ISED will re-evaluate this strategy and decide on potential topics and changes for 2025.Timing: June 2024- November 2024, skipping August. March 2025-May 2025 We had planned a national conference in San Diego in December. However, staffing transitions at our partner Wallace Center forced us to abandon this plan. Instead, ISED plans to host a national food systems conference for 300-400 persons at location TBD.Timing: Spring 2025 We are planning on holding curbside consulting opportunities at the national conference and possibly during breaks in the virtual program director meeting.Timing: Fall 24/ Spring 25 Obj. 5:Connect parties at the local, regional and national levels to share experiences, learn from each other, and build a cohesive field of practitioners. At NIFA's request, we will support the virtual community nutrition program director meeting through finding a virtual meeting platform, managing registration, assisting with the agenda, and other logistical support.Timing: Fall 2024 We will propose workshops on CFP with grantees for at least one large conference to build attention for the program, ideally in locations where CFP is underrepresented.Timing: Fall 24-Winter 25 We will continue posting information on our website and refer grantees toinformation clearinghouses at Wallace Center, Farmers Market Coalition, and other groups.Timing: On-going. Details on TA to Grantees Based on the results of the March grantee survey, we will prioritize the following areas. Reporting Grantees are struggling to use REEport. NIFA staff are best positioned to help out grantees. We will ask NIFA staff to hold a webinar, or do office hours, or hold a support call(s) to troubleshoot with whomever needs help in this area. If they are unable to do so, we may need to find a contractor who has experience in this area. Timing: Starting in Spring 2024 and on an on-going basis NIFA related questions These includebudget revises, no-cost extensions, PD changes, etc. We will inquire as to how NIFA can support these folks, sharing what we have learned in these surveys. We will connect NIFA with grantees with specific questions. We will ask NIFA to hold informal calls/office hours on specific topics. Timing: Starting in Spring 2024 and on an on-going basis Evaluation We will help grantees track their accomplishments, understand the differences between outputs and outcome, support their data collection, and work with them on principles-based evaluation strategies. The new evaluation consultant may provide a course over a series of videocalls, or as part of the virtual PD meeting. We may be able to provide some limited amount of one on one mentoring. Timing: Plan developed Summer 2024 with implementation in Summer/Fall 2024. Repeat trainings with new grantees in Winter 2025. Food Policy We will work with Mark Winne to develop best strategies for meeting grantees' needs, such as holding office hours for organizations to meet with Mark and problem solve, or via curbside consulting. Launch technical assistance as decided. Timing: Summer 2024- On-going Community food assessments(CFA) ISED staff to identify previous CFP grantees who have done superior CFAs and provide stipends to them to lead a series of calls for grantees. Timing: Summer- Fall 2024 Fundraising/Sustainability Grantees are looking for support in identifying additional funding for their projects as well as to continue their projects after their CFP grants run out. FSLN is doing a series of grantsmanship webinars in the summer open to all. We will encourage them to attend these sessions. We will provide mentoring/ one on one support with TBD fundraising consultant, including up to five hours for projects whose grants are ending. Timing: Summer 2024- Fall 2024

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Obj. 1:Expand current outreach to expand applications for CFP nationally, especially among communities and constituencies with low historical participation. Previous to our TA grant, the number of applications received by CFP had declined from historical highs. In 2023, we conducted outreach widely through listservs and partner groups both nationally and in targeted locations. This list reaches tens of thousands of individuals and organizations. The primary outcome of this outreach was a dramatic increase in the number of CFP grant applications. Exact numbers have not been released by NIFA yet. We have identified those states in which few or no CFP awards are currently in place and comparing them to states with the highest rates of obesity and food insecurity. This will give us direction as to where we should direct extra outreach in the next year. Obj. 2:Provide technical assistance to parties eligible to apply for CFP to plan appropriate projects and commensurate fundable proposals. The application process for CFPCGP is complex and time-consuming. Community groups are challenged by the multiple requirements, language, and forms. To assist them in navigating the system, we did the following: We updated our planning and grant writing guides from previous versions. These documents were placed on the Wallace Centerwebsite, and widely distributed to applicants requesting our assistance. We provided assistance to 272 organizations interested in applying for a CFP grant, totaling 122.75 hours. Our report on lessons learned provides an analysis of the type of help groups requested, their challenges in applying for a CFP grant, as well as recommendations for changes in the RFA. We participated in the NIFA-run CFP webinar in Fall 2023. We are planning 4 grantsmanship webinars with Wallace Center for Summer 2024, and by the close of this grant period, will have dates, speakers, topics, and a curriculum developed. The outcomes of this process include less stress on applicants as evidenced by their gratitude for our assistance; potentially better applications (although without a baseline of information, this is challenging to prove); and potentially a more competitive grant-making process.Similarly, another outcome would be fewer ineligible proposals, as a percentage of total grants, due to these being informed of their ineligibility. Obj. 3:Support CFP funded entities in evaluating their programs and communicating the collective results of all CFP grants to USDA. ISED's role is to support USDA's annual report to Congress on the impacts of CFP.Given the heterogeneity of the CFPCGP, collecting outputs and outcomes can be challenging. We are building off the good work done by our predecessors, who created a comprehensive set of indicators to guide this reporting. We have modified this survey instrument, aligning it with the priorities stated in the RFA, and are ready to launch this survey by the end of May. The target audience is the set of current CFP grantees. We are also in the process of contracting with an evaluator to develop outcome-based indicators, and in the next grant period to help train them in data collection. As this work is still in progress, outcomes will be forthcoming in the next grant period. Obj. 4:Build capacities of funded CFP entities to successfully plan and implement their CFP initiatives. Many CFP programmatic activities are complex in nature and require programmatic support. Many grantees are small organizations, with limited access to organizational resources. Finally, the complex nature of NIFA requirements, and in many cases the fact that a CFP grant may be their first NIFA award, all point to the need for comprehensive technical assistance. To better understand these needs, we surveyed CFP grantees at the Program Director meeting in New Orleans. Subsequently in March, we sent them a more detailed survey to which 50% of grantees responded. To summarize these responses, we found the following: Grantees are most interested in support on evaluation, reporting (REEport), fundraising, community food assessments, food policy, and grant oriented issues such as budgeting/meeting deliverables. They would like assistance through regular consultations with TA providers, webinars, and to a lesser extent written reports and guides. We are also currently in the process of conducting short interviews with every CFP awardee from 2023. By the end of this process in May, we will have a summary that will inform our 2024-2025 technical assistance strategy. By the end of the grant period: We completed extensive planning to hold a national conference with the Wallace Center for San Diego, December 10-13, 2024. Unfortunately, at the last minute, because of staff transitions at the Wallace Center, they had to pull out of hosting the event.Between now and the end of May, we will identify a new venue, new budget, in which ISED/TSNE is the primary sponsor, and Wallace Center plays a backing role. Starting in February, ISED and Wallace Center have held monthly videocalls as part of a year-long community of practice. These 75-minute calls feature CFP grantees. They are directed at CFP grantees and applicants to help them understand the program, as well as to cover a variety of topics which will help them implement better programs. These include past and future events: 2/28. The Impacts of Community Food Projects with former grantees, Pam Roy, Farm to Table, and Doria Robinson, Urban Tilth. 48 pp 3/27. Cooperatives for Food Sovereignty, with CFP grantees Steph Wiley, Brooklyn Packers; and Dr. Reggie Flynn, North Flint Reinvestment Corporation.82 pp 4/24. Land Access. With CFP applicant Steve Schwartz, Interfaith Sustainable Food Collaborative, and grantee Margaret DeVos, Southside Community Land Trust 5/22. Shared Leadership. With CFP grantee, Heather Fenney, Maira Quintanilla, Cristian Marroquin, Community Services Unlimited Distributed REEport guide and video to the grantee listserv. We will ask NIFA staff to troubleshoot with whomever needs help in this area. With regards to NIFA related matters, such asbudget revises, no-cost extensions, PD changes, etc,we will inquire as to how NIFA can support these folks. With regards to food policy, we will hold an informational call with interested grantees to assess their interests and needs. As part of this call, they will connect grantees with the food policy networks listserv, on-line resources, and network. We will work with TA providers to develop best strategies for meeting grantees' needs. With regards to community food assessments, ISED staff will send the assessment guidebook "What's Cooking in Your Food System" and other documents to the CFP listserv. ISED staff will provide ad hoc support to new grantees informed by the above-mentioned interviews. The outcomes of these activities to date have been to better understand the nature of existing CFP projects and their technical assistance needs. Future outcomes, manifested in the subsequent grant period are expected to include improved functioning of CFP projects, fewer challenges to the completion of deliverables and navigating the NIFA granting system, as well as enhanced ability for grantees to meet their stated outcomes. Obj. 5:Connect parties at the local, regional and national levels to share experiences, learn from each other, and build a cohesive field of practitioners. The target audience for this objective is both CFP grantees and their colleagues who may be applicants or potential applicants.To help build these connections, we have completed the following: Established a listserv for CFP grantees By the end of May, our website will be live. It will enable applicants to access technical assistance as well as USDA and ISED resources. We played a key role in supporting NIFA's Community Nutrition Program Director meeting in NOLA in December. Approximately 390 persons attended.

Publications

• Type: Other Status: Submitted Year Published: 2023 Citation: Updated CFP Grantwriting Guide: We updated a previously-written grantwriting guide for applicants interested in applying to the CFP program to address new elements of the request for applications. This guide was made available to all applicants who approached us for help.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2023 Citation: Updated CFP Planning Grants Guide. Similar to the grantwriting guide, this document provides key information on the planning grants and what makes for a successful grant application. This guide was made available to all planning grant applicants who approached us for help.