EVENTS
& GRANT OPPORTUNITIES
12. Healthy Lives Symposium, May 24
Lansing Community College
Attached please find information regarding the Capitol Area
Health Alliance-Healthy Lifestyle Symposium scheduled for Thursday, May 24,
2007 at Lansing Community College. This should be an excellent
opportunity to share your ideas regarding concrete steps that the tri-county
area can take to encourage establishing a culture supportive of the pursuit and
maintenance of healthy lifestyles for people who live in our communities.
I hope at least some of you will be able to attend this important
dialogue. Please feel free to share this brochure widely with other
health promotion colleagues across campus and in the community. This is a free,
one-day workshop but you must register to attend. You can fax, email or mail
your registration that is enclosed in following link. Please see this link for
the full schedule of sessions being offered.
13. Value Added Producer Grant Applications Due May 17
Helping farm producers move into value-added agricultural
enterprises
The window for submitting
applications for the Value-Added Producer Grant is now open. Please visit the
link below for more details. Farmers’ who are seeking an opportunity to
create a new value added product and are interested in writing a grant to fund
this endeavor may wish to visit the USDA web site and check out this
opportunity.
Formerly
known as the Value-Added Development Grants Program, the Value-Added Producer
Grant Program (VAPG) is a competitive grants program administered by the Rural
Business Cooperative Service at USDA.
Some
examples of previous funded projects are:
The
definition of a value-added product includes:
The
definition of value-added product includes any agricultural product or
commodity used to produce renewable energy on a farm or ranch.
Project
Examples
Application
and Financial Information
The most recent information on funding availability and applications
is available through each state's USDA Rural Development Office. A list of
every state office is printed at www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/coops/vadgstateoffice.html.
When
applying for a grant, applicants must choose between two different types of
activities for funding:
Applicants
are eligible to apply for only one of these two types of grants each grant
cycle The maximum grant award is $500,000, but smaller grants have priority.
The
request for proposal (RFP) includes a list of evaluation criteria that are used
to score applications for strength and merit. Reviewers award points to each
application based on how well the applicant has addressed the requirements
spelled out in the evaluation criteria. The program requires a one-to-one
match. A cash match is defined as actual funds dedicated to the project. An
in-kind match includes time, equipment, space, staff salaries, etc.
Applicants
are advised to contact their State USDA Rural Development Office to discuss a
proposed project and ask for information about the VAPG program. Completed
applications are submitted to that state USDA office for review. Prospective
applicants should also be in touch with the marketing divisions of their state
Departments of Agriculture, many of which offer workshops on how best to apply
for the program. Such workshops can provide information, applications, and
guidance on when and how to apply for a grant.
14. SARE
(Sustainable Ag Research and Extension) Grants
Farmer/Rancher
Grant Due apx Dec 1, 2007
1) North
Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Farmer Rancher
Grant Program (NCR SARE FRGP). You can find a description of that program
at http://ncr.sare.org/prod.htm
Typically the call for proposals is issued around Labor Day each year and the
proposals are due just after Thanksgiving. The grants in this program are
to support farmer research and/or education that helps farms enhance their
sustainability. You will see examples on line.
. Does the proposal identify a problem and have a specific innovative plan
for solving it? Here are
some questions to ask about your idea and proposal for this grant.
1. How well does
the proposal make use of existing knowledge of the identified problem(s)? On a
scale from 1 (little use)
to 5 (high use), how would you rate the proposal?
2. Outcome: How well does
the proposal evaluate economic, environmental, and social impacts of the
project? On a scale of 1 (low) to 5 (high), how would you rate the proposal?
3. Is the budget
appropriate for the work to be done (expenses are for project work), and
affordable for other producers? You do not need to scrutinize the budget for
items that can and cannot be funded since University accountants will do that.
We can correct budget errors, so do not disqualify people for errors like asking
for more than the grant allows. Please look only at overall appropriateness.
On a scale from 1 (not appropriate) to 5
(appropriate), how would you rate the proposal?
4. Outreach: Does the proposal include a plan to share information with
others (via workshops, field days, meetings, publications, etc.)? Does
it include cooperation with farmers, ranchers, or organizations that can help
with outreach? On a scale from 1 (low) to 5 (high), how would you rate the
proposal?
5. Will
the proposal make a meaningful contribution toward advancing sustainable
agriculture? On a scale of 1 (none) to 5 (abundant), how would you rate the
proposal?
Vicki Morrone
Organic Vegetable and Crop Outreach Specialist
Michigan State University
C.S. Mott Sustainable Food Systems
303 Natural Resources Bldg.
East Lansing, MI 48824
517-353-3542
517-282-3557 (cell)
517-353-3834 (fax)
http://www.MichiganOrganic.msu.edu/
http://www.mottgroup.msu.edu/