The purpose of this state funded, competitive grant program pilot is to encourage National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and Child Adult Food Care Program (CACFP) sponsors to build capacity, coordinate and execute local food system education and local procurement in Child Nutrition Programs. In recognition that providing experiential, high-quality, culturally and linguistically sustaining learning environments about our local food system cuts across many disciplines and institutional departments, MA FRESH CORP will fund new staff salaries, stipends or consultant fees to ensure local food system activities are strategically integrated into the classroom, cafeteria and community to support institutionalized, sustained programs that promote food literacy.
Competitive priority will be given to schools and licensed early education providers with high percentages of students eligible for free and reduced-price lunch and shall aim to promote geographic equity.
Additional competitive priority will be given to districts and schools in chronically underperforming status and the Strategic Transformation Region as well as to Sponsoring Organizations of Family Day Care providers that provide meals through the Child and Adult Care Feeding Program (CACFP).
DESE will award MA FRESH CORP grants to schools, districts or licensed early education programs whose applications most effectively demonstrate the following conditions for successful implementation:
Current engagement in the farm to school "C"s: Classroom (such as food system curriculum and school garden activities), Cafeteria (such as local menu offerings) and Community (such as farm field trips, family engagement or food system partnerships).
Internal capacity and commitment to institutionalized programming that will exist past the life of the grant program.
Administrative capacity to recruit, hire and on-board a position(s) or conduct a procurement process for a consultant before the end of year one of the grant period — June 30, 2025.
Eligible MA FRESH CORP applicants include licensed early education programs and Sponsoring Organizations of Family Day Care providers that provide meals through CACFP, and schools or school districts that offer meals through NSLP that serve students anywhere between Pre-Kindergarten and 12th grade.
Only one application will be considered per Child Nutrition Program sponsor. Sponsors of both the NSLP and CACFP may only submit one application for consideration.
Application proposals may demonstrate collaboration across multiple NSLP and/or CACFP sponsors, however, only one lead applicant should apply and, if awarded, this lead applicant will be responsible for all administrative and fiscal activities across all NSLP and CACFP sponsors participating in grant activities. NSLP or CACFP sponsors serving as a partner (but not the lead applicant) of a MA FRESH CORP application should only serve as a partner in one application submission in the grant cycle and should not submit a separate application of their own.
If an organization would like to apply to become a sponsor of NSLP or CACFP email Nutrition@doe.mass.edu . For more information on the Department of Early Education and Care's Child Care Program licensing, visit Child Care Program Licensing | Mass.gov.
Eligibility to receive MA FRESH CORP funds is contingent on the applicant's good standing within the DESE Office for Food and Nutrition Programs. Moreover, the impact of grant activities must be associated with the location where NSLP/CACFP meals are served.
Information about your NSLP/CACFP program required for application completion should be obtained from the Food Service Director, Program Operator, ESE Liaison or Business Manager.
State Line Item 7010-1192
Grant awards are contingent upon the grantee being able to certify that it will comply with the Massachusetts General Laws, including G.L. c. 40A, § 3A, the MBTA Communities Act.
Approximately $250,000 is available in FY25, with approximately $575,000 available total in FY25 and FY26. Grants will be awarded at no more than $150,000 total, with awards between $30,000 – $60,000 awarded in FY25.
Only FY25 Competitive awardees are eligible to apply for Continuation funding in FY26.
This RFP is the governing document for these grant funds.
Funding is contingent upon availability. All dollar amounts listed are estimated/approximate and are subject to change. If more funding becomes available it will be distributed under the same guidelines that appear in this RFP document.
MA FRESH CORP is designed to build capacity, coordinate, and execute local food system education and local procurement in Child Nutrition Programs through one or more of the following means:
Creation of a new, full-time, salaried and benefited position
Creation of a new part-time position
Expansion of a current part-time position into a full-time, salaried and benefited position (FRESH CORP funds covering the difference in costs from part-time to full-time position expansion only)
A new or expanded stipending structure that provides compensation to internal educators, nutrition professionals, staff, or families coordinating and implementing local food system educational activities
Hiring of a consultant to provide technical assistance, coaching, professional development, and/or strategic planning consultation to current staff (note: the hiring of a consultant should be in service of cultivating program structures that elevate internal staff capacity and strengths)
Funds should be dedicated to salaries and any associated costs (indirect, fringe, benefits, etc), stipend payments, and/or a consultant contract. In addition, funds may be used to stipend out-of-work staff time attending local food system professional development opportunities and pay associated professional development fees. Additionally, equipment, supply, and infrastructure costs will be capped at 10% of the total budget request. Note: professional development, equipment, supply and/or infrastructure funding must be requested in addition to one of the five capacity building activities listed above.
Salaries, staff or consultant time covered through MA FRESH CORP funds should be used to develop, coordinate or execute local food system educational activities and local procurement in alignment with the Farm to School 3 C's: Classroom, Cafeteria and Community. These activities including, but are not limited to:
Classroom
Cafeteria
Community
Intersection
Schools, districts, licensed early education centers and Sponsoring Organizations of Family Day Cares funded through MA FRESH CORP will be required to:
Funds used for a consultant contracted for over $100,000 must be procured through a formal procurement process per Massachusetts' Chapter 30B Uniform Procurement Act.
Funding may not be used to cover the costs associated with the hiring and on-boarding process of a new position or the process of conducting a procurement for a contractor. Grant awards may not be used to fund existing staff positions, including current Farm to School or Food Literacy Coordinators.
Upon Approval – 6/30/2025. If Applicable, pending appropriation and the meeting of grant requirements, awarded grantees may be eligible for a continuation grant in Fiscal Year 2026. Only FY25 Competitive awardees are eligible to apply for Continuation funding in FY26.
Office for Food and Nutrition Programs
Maggie Nowak
(781) 338-6475
Friday, January 17, 2025*
Proposals must be received at the Department by 5:00 p.m. Eastern on the date due.
Competitive grant applications are considered submitted when the grant application is submitted by the Superintendent or their designee through the "LEA Superintendent / Chief Executive Approved" step in GEM$. In order to be considered for competitive funding, applicants must submit a grant application through the LEA Superintendent Approved stage by the due date and time listed in the RFP.
All responses must be submitted through proper steps and received by the due date/time listed above. Failure to do so will result in disqualification. Responses not received on time will not be reviewed. Applicants applying after the due date may be notified their application was received late and will not be reviewed. Applications must be submitted as directed in the Submissions Instructions below. Failure to do so may result in disqualification. If you need assistance with submitting your application, please reach out to the contact person listed on this funding opportunity.
Please use the budget to illustrate grant spending over the grant period. Projects can last up to 18 months. Please be sure to budget separately for each fiscal year:
Fiscal Year 1 (FY25): Upon Approval through June 30, 2025 (minimum award: $15,000; maximum award: up to $60,000 available)
Fiscal Year 2 (FY26): July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026 (up to $90,000)
Questions and Answers — Please submit questions via email to Grant Contact Maggie Nowak by Friday, December 20th. Responses will be posted to the Office for Food and Nutrition Programs website here by Friday, January 3rd.
Child Nutrition Program Sponsor awardees will adhere to all Federal, State, and Local procurement laws and standards, including, if applicable, as found in 7 CFR Part 210.21 and 2 CFR 200.317 through 2 CFR 200.326
The 0723 MA Farming Reinforces Education and Student Health with Coordination and Optimization of Resources and Partnerships (FRESH CORP) will be submitted in GEM$ system.
Grants for Education Management System (GEM$)
A FY25 FC 0723 MA FRESH CORP Planning Template , outlining the questions asked in the GEM$ "Required Grant Questions" section, can be found on the GEM$ Home Page > DESE Resources > Competitive Grants - Planning Templates and Documents . While the FY25 FC 0723 MA FRESH CORP Planning Template may be used as a planning and organizing tool, responses to the questions in the "Required Grant Questions" section of the application must be submitted through GEM$ in order to be reviewed.
New Organizations: Grant Submission requires applicants to have their organization established in GEM$. Entities that do not have an organization established in GEM$ must contact the Office for Food and Nutrition Programs Grant Contact, Maggie Nowak, at a minimum 5 business days prior to the grant due date for temporary organization access.
New organizations that do not have an established LEA with DESE skip to Step 3.
Step 1: Establish and assign proper roles before the grant due date/time. Grant Submission at the LEA level requires roles to be established for Grant writer for the specific fund code, LEA fiscal for financial review/approval, and Superintendent/Chief Executive sign off.
All roles should be established prior to the grant due date and all appropriate forms should be either uploaded to GEM$, maintained at the LEA level or sent in to the DESE RFP contact as described on the individual forms. The user guidance documents and forms are found on the GEM$ homepage under DESE Resources. These forms can be accessed without logging in to the system.
Step 2: Submit the grant through all LEA steps in GEM$. There are three LEA steps a competitive grant must be submitted through by the due date and time to be considered for funding:
Grantwriter Submitted
LEA Fiscal Representative Approved
LEA Superintendent / Chief Executive Approved
Competitive grant applications are considered submitted once the grant application is submitted by the Superintendent or their designee through the "LEA Superintendent / Chief Executive Approved" step in GEM$. In order to be considered for competitive funding, applicants must submit a grant application through the LEA Superintendent Approved stage by the due date and time listed in the RFP. Please plan accordingly.
The Superintendent / Chief Executive Approved Step allows for the organization lead to review and approve the grant application. Removing the requirement for the Part I Standard Contract Form, this step signifies Superintendent /Chief Executive sign off. Any grant budget changes requiring signature, will re-execute this step when amended signifying the organization lead is approving these changes.
Step 3: (If applicable) New organizations request temporary organization access. New organizations are entities that have not been established as an LEA in GEM$. Entities that do not have an organization established in GEM$ must contact the DESE Program Unit issuing this grant at a minimum 5 business days prior to the grant due date for temporary organization access.
Temporary Access will need to be created by DESE before you can then assign the proper roles and submit the grant as outlined in Steps 1 and 2.
Failure to provide DESE with GEM$ Temp Organization Access Request at least 5 business days prior to the due date may result in not meeting the submission due date listed above. DESE cannot accept or review applications after the due date.
Failure to provide DESE with GEMS Request Form at least 5 business days prior to the due date may result in not meeting the submission due date listed above. DESE cannot accept or review applications after the due date.
Please Note: Grant Submission at the LEA level requires roles to be established for Grant writer for the specific fund code, LEA fiscal for financial review/approval, and Superintendent/Chief Executive sign off. All these roles should be established prior to the grant due date and all appropriate forms should be either uploaded to GEM$, maintained at the LEA level or sent in to the DESE RFP contact as described on the individual forms. The user guidance documents and forms are found on the GEM$ homepage under DESE Resources. These forms can be accessed without logging in to the system.
Last Updated: November 22, 2024
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 135 Santilli Highway, Everett, MA 02149
Voice: (781) 338-3000 TTY: (800) 439-2370
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