Yes. We recorded the February 28 webinar and it’s available to view on YouTube. There’s also a transcript (PDF) of the webinar.
Yes, it is allowable to apply using a fiscal sponsor, so long as both you and the fiscal sponsor are eligible to apply. The fiscal sponsor, rather than the sponsored organization or project, is the applicant. This means the fiscal sponsor will be responsible for entering into a grant contract agreement with the MDA and must ensure all project activities and costs, including activities and costs of the sponsored organization, comply with applicable state and federal rules and regulations.
As the applicant, the fiscal sponsor — not the sponsored organization or project — will also be the organization that determines your eligibility to claim the 25% reduced match. Proposals that involve a fiscal sponsorship must clearly disclose the arrangement and all parties that are involved within the application. Additionally, any fees charged for fiscal sponsorship are not allowed to be charged as a direct cost to the grant, but fiscal sponsorship fees may be allowable as part of your indirect costs so long as they are charged consistently with the sponsor organization’s established policies.
Yes, it is allowable to apply using a fiscal sponsor, so long as both you and the fiscal sponsor are eligible to apply. The fiscal sponsor, rather than the sponsored organization or project, is the applicant. This means the fiscal sponsor will be responsible for entering into a grant contract agreement with the MDA and must ensure all project activities and costs, including activities and costs of the sponsored organization, comply with applicable state and federal rules and regulations.
As the applicant, the fiscal sponsor — not the sponsored organization or project — will also be the organization that determines your eligibility to claim the 25% reduced match. Proposals that involve a fiscal sponsorship must clearly disclose the arrangement and all parties that are involved within the application. Additionally, any fees charged for fiscal sponsorship are not allowed to be charged as a direct cost to the grant, but fiscal sponsorship fees may be allowable as part of your indirect costs so long as they are charged consistently with the sponsor organization’s established policies.
No, your project must be based in Minnesota to be eligible for Minnesota RFSI grant funds. But other states are also running their own RFSI grant programs. You can check which other states are currently accepting grant applications and if you’d be eligible to apply to their grant program on the USDA’s State Infrastructure Grants website.
No, your project must be based in Minnesota to be eligible for Minnesota RFSI grant funds. But other states are also running their own RFSI grant programs. You can check which other states are currently accepting grant applications and if you’d be eligible to apply to their grant program on the USDA’s State Infrastructure Grants website.
To be eligible for RFSI, your project must be focused on food intended for human consumption. Food ingredients that can be used for applications besides food are eligible, but you must describe in your proposal how the project will focus on food meant for human consumption, rather than the other applications of the ingredient.
To be eligible for RFSI, your project must be focused on food intended for human consumption. Food ingredients that can be used for applications besides food are eligible, but you must describe in your proposal how the project will focus on food meant for human consumption, rather than the other applications of the ingredient.
There is no specific definition of local or regional foods or producers provided for the RFSI program, but USDA Agricultural Marketing Services talks about local food as a “food product that is raised, produced, aggregated, stored, processed, and distributed in the locality or region in which the final product is marketed.” Some other USDA programs use a definition of less than 400 miles from the origin of the product or within the state in which the product is produced, but these definitions haven’t been applied to the RFSI program.
Because no specific definition was provided, there are no specific sourcing requirements for RFSI and the eligibility of the food products you use in your project will not be determined based on where they are sourced from. However, your application will be scored based on how well it addresses the goals of the RFSI program, which include expanding capacity in the middle of the food supply chain for “Minnesota food products and producers.” Because RFSI focuses on both local and regional foods, reviewers may take into consideration the regionality of products sourced from nearby states, but priority points are specifically available to products involving Minnesota-produced dairy, annual/perennial grains, fruits/vegetables, dry beans, or aquaculture.
There is no specific definition of local or regional foods or producers provided for the RFSI program, but USDA Agricultural Marketing Services talks about local food as a “food product that is raised, produced, aggregated, stored, processed, and distributed in the locality or region in which the final product is marketed.” Some other USDA programs use a definition of less than 400 miles from the origin of the product or within the state in which the product is produced, but these definitions haven’t been applied to the RFSI program.
Because no specific definition was provided, there are no specific sourcing requirements for RFSI and the eligibility of the food products you use in your project will not be determined based on where they are sourced from. However, your application will be scored based on how well it addresses the goals of the RFSI program, which include expanding capacity in the middle of the food supply chain for “Minnesota food products and producers.” Because RFSI focuses on both local and regional foods, reviewers may take into consideration the regionality of products sourced from nearby states, but priority points are specifically available to products involving Minnesota-produced dairy, annual/perennial grains, fruits/vegetables, dry beans, or aquaculture.
In the application, you will be asked to explain how your project will impact Minnesota agricultural products and to list your current or anticipated sources of Minnesota agricultural products and the estimated amounts you will use per year during your project. You are not required to submit any type of documentation with your application to demonstrate your use of local or regional foods. You may opt to provide letter(s) of support from farmers or vendors of the food products you use to help demonstrate project impact, but it is not required.