First Nations Development Institute (First Nations) is now accepting proposals for our Native American Food Security grant project under its Native Agriculture and Food Systems Initiative (NAFSI). The purpose of the Native American Food Security project is to support Native organizations working to eliminate food insecurity among tribal elders in rural and/or reservation-based Native American communities in Arizona, Louisiana, New Mexico and Oklahoma.
With the generous support of the AARP Foundation, the Native American Food Security project will assist organizations in ensuring adequate food supplies for the senior population of their communities, with a particular focus on locally-grown, healthy foods, and assist in the development or expansion of locally-controlled and locally-based food systems that provide healthy foods to senior community members while also supporting local food producers and the local economy.
Under this project, First Nations will award 4-5 grants, ranging from $20,000-$25,000, to support projects working to eliminate food insecurity among tribal elders. Examples of projects may include but are not limited to community gardens, food banks and or food pantries or other projects related to expanding Native community control of food systems. Moreover, projects can focus on increasing food access to tribal elders, food affordability, ensuring sufficient food quality and adequacy and/or food appropriateness.
Beyond financial assistance to selected organizations, First Nations will also provide onsite technical assistance to selected grant recipients. Technical assistance will largely focus on organizational capacity building to ensure that selected grantees can continue to administer, grow and develop their programs to meet the needs of their constituents.Selected organizations must send two team members to a technical assistance and training event to be hosted by First Nations. To that end, each applicant must set aside a minimum of $2,000 of its proposed requested funds for attendance at this mandatory technical assistance and training event. These funds will be used for travel, lodging and other travel related expenses for attendance at First Nations technical assistance and training event. This amount must be included in the applicants’ budget with the total amount requested not to exceed $25,000.
Each grantee will also be required to participate in an evaluation designed to highlight new approaches on eliminating food insecurity among Native elders in Native communities and best practices to address Native elders' food access, affordability, adequacy and appropriateness. Finally, one representative from each selected organization will attend the Community Food Security Coalition Conference -- typically held in November of each year with First Nations to cover grantee travel costs for this event.
Organizations must be located in and serving Native elders in Native communities within the following states: Arizona, Louisiana, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. The applicant organization’s target population must be primarily Native elders. Urban groups that work solely with off-reservation populations are not likely to receive funding.
Organizations eligible to apply include :
All applicants must fully complete the First Nations ONLINE Grant Application, including the submission of all necessary attachments. The following attachments must be uploaded during the submission process:
Proposals are due March 9, 2012 at 5:00 PM (MST). Please allow yourself enough time to submit a complete application. Partial, faxed, emailed, mailed or applications that are not received on time due to user error will not be considered.
Funding Priorities, Decisions and Award Notification
Proposals that do not focus on eliminating food insecurity among Native elders in Native communities in the states of Arizona, Louisiana, New Mexico and Oklahoma will not be considered for funding. Eliminating food insecurity may include: ensuring adequate food supplies for the senior populations in Native communities; food affordability; ensuring sufficient food quality; adequacy; and/or food appropriateness. These areas of food security should also have a focus on 1) locally-grown, healthy foods or 2) developing or expanding locally-controlled and locally-based food systems that provide healthy foods to senior community members, while also supporting local food producers and the local economy. Funded proposals will explicitly make the connection between program goals, design and outcomes and eliminating food insecurity among the senior population in their Native community. Finally, First Nations will give preference to programs that have broader implications for replication in other Native communities.
All applicants will be notified on or before April 2, 2012. First Nations will review completed applications submitted by eligible entities by the noted deadline. First Nations may request additional information from applicants and conduct due diligence when deemed necessary.
Grant Period
The 2012 NAFSI grant period will commence April 1, 2012 and end March 31, 2013.
Optional Conference Calls for Interested Applicants
First Nations staff will host two conference calls for interested applicants. Conference calls are an opportunity for applicants to ask questions about the application, proposal criteria or other proposal related questions before the application deadline. Participation is NOT mandatory; however applicants are encouraged to participate. Applicants can participate in one or both calls.
The call in number for both calls is: 1-877-427-7602 (toll-free). The Conference Code is 7315891721.
Questions
Please email Raymond Foxworth, Policy and Research Program Officer, at rfoxworth@firstnations.org with any questions.
Additional Resources
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