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UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Agriculture & Natural Resources Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education Program |
Request for Proposals Available as PDFREQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
2006 SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY FOOD SYSTEMS GRANTS
PROPOSALS DUE: March 15, 2006
WHO MAY APPLY
This Request for Proposals is targeted to County-based UC Cooperative Extension personnel (CE Advisors and Directors). Applicants must partner with community-based organizations (e.g., grower groups, consumer groups, local governmental agencies or others) to show community engagement. Letters of support from community partners are required. Cooperation with campus faculty is also encouraged.
FUNDING AVAILABILITY
Total funding available is approximately $60,000. We are interested in funding a variety of projects, with typical awards of $5,000 - $10,000 ($10,000 limit). Due to the limited funds available, only one-year projects will be considered.
SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY FOOD SYSTEMS ISSUES
A sustainable community food system is a collaborative network that integrates sustainable food production, processing, distribution, consumption and waste management in order to enhance the environmental, economic and social health of a particular place. Farmers, consumers and communities partner to create a more locally based, self-reliant food economy. One of the most important aspects of sustainable community food system projects is that they increase resident participation to achieve the following goals:
- A stable base of family farms that use sustainable production practices and emphasizes local inputs;
- Marketing and processing practices that create more direct links between farmers and consumers;
- Improved access by all community members to an adequate, affordable, nutritious diet;
- Food and agriculture-related businesses that create jobs and recirculate financial capital within the community;
- Improved living and working conditions for farm and food system labor;
- Creation of food and agriculture policies that promote local or sustainable food production, processing and consumption, and
- Adoption of dietary behaviors that reflect concern about individual, environmental and community health.
Examples of fundable projects include, but are not limited to those that: help to create and strengthen links between urban consumers and the agricultural community, supply farm fresh foods to the public in all income categories, educate community residents about where their food comes from, or support economic development opportunities for communities and economic stability for growers. Projects are also needed that assess the current impact or future potential of new food marketing/distribution approaches.
CRITERIA/ REQUIREMENTS
All proposals will be judged according to the following criteria:
A. Relevance to Sustainable Community Food System Issues
- Describe how your project helps address SAREP's sustainable community food systems issues as stated above.
B. Relevance to Target Audience (Justification)
- Define the target audience(s)/community for the project.
- Describe the importance of the proposed research or project to this audience
- Describe how the target audience/community will be involved in the development and implementation of the project.
- Describe how the results/outcomes of the project will contribute to the sustainability of the targeted food system.
- Cite results of other related projects or activities-either your own or that of other investigators, and describe how your proposed project will build upon and extend this prior work.
C. Goals and Objectives
- Based on the needs of your target audience, state the realistic goal(s) for the project. Goals are purpose statements about what you want the project to accomplish. (They are not activities.)
- Under each goal, state measurable, outcome-oriented objectives that are necessary to reach that goal.
D. Methods/Activities/Timetable
- Provide a plan that states how the project goals and objectives will be achieved.
- Include a timetable linked to the various activities and phases of the project.
E. Evaluation/Lessons Learned
- Describe how you plan to evaluate and measure whether your stated objectives were met.
- Describe your plans for maintaining or expanding your project in the future.
- Describe how information and results from this project will be extended to the target audience/community, and beyond to other potential statewide audiences.
- Projects should include a tangible product (publication or other outreach tool, research report, workshop and related materials)
G. Capabilities of Investigators and Cooperators
- Describe the specific roles and capabilities of each project participant.
- Provide an abbreviated CV (one-page limit) for each investigator including past experience with similar projects/activities.
- Provide a letter of support from each cooperating organization, agency, or business. Letters should state how the organization will participate in the project.
- Provide a complete budget in the indicated format; show how line items are calculated. Funds requested must be realistic given the objectives of the project. ($10,000 limit)
- Prepare a budget table in the following format. Projects may begin as soon as funding is received, no later than June 30, 2006.
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Requested Funds |
A. Personnel
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Employee Benefits |
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B. Supplies and Expenses (1) |
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C. Permanent Equipment (2) |
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D. Travel (3) |
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TOTALS |
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(1) List by major category, with total cost for each category and how amount was calculated.
(2) List specific items and their cost. Equipment requests are scrutinized carefully, and are generally not approved unless the equipment is crucial to the project and access is not available by means other than purchase.
(3) Indicate destination(s), number of travelers, estimated number of trips and cost of each.
FORMAT REQUIREMENTS
All proposals should be submitted as an email attachment, either as a Word document or as PDF. The email with the proposal attached MUST come from the Principal Investigator / Project Leader; this email will serve as your electronic signature.
Proposal must be in 12 pt. font size with one inch margins. Please observe the word and page limits stated below. Refer to CRITERIA/REQUIREMENTS section for description of what should be in each part of section II and III.
Section I.
A. Cover Page (1 page) - Use the cover page provided below, or an exact duplicate, for the requested information.
B. Title and Project Description -150 words or less (The project description and budget together should fit on 1 page).
C. Budget - (see H. Budget format under Criteria/Requirements above)
Section II. Body of Proposal - must not exceed four single-spaced pages (12 pt. font)
A. Relevance to SAREP's Sustainable Community Food Systems priorities
B. Relevance to Target Audience (Justification)
C. Goals and Objectives
D. Methods/Activities/Timetable
E. Evaluation/Lessons Learned
F. Education/Outreach
G. Capabilities of Investigators and Cooperators (CV’s go in Section III. Appendices)
Section III. Required Appendices
A. Literature Cited
B. CVs
C. Letters of support (Should be on official letterhead). Letters must be included in proposal (scanned or electronic copy). Letters should not be sent separately to SAREP.
SUBMITTAL AND REVIEW SCHEDULE
Complete proposals, including all required appendices, must be submitted by email as a Word or PDF attachment. Proposals should be sent to Gail Feenstra: gwfeenstra@ucdavis.edu The email with the proposal attached MUST come from the Principal Investigator/Project Leader; this email will serve as your electronic signature.
Proposals must be received by 5 p.m., Wednesday, March 15, 2006. Proposals received after this deadline will not be considered for review. Proposals will not be accepted via FAX or hardcopy.
All proposals will be reviewed by a committee of ANR personnel with experience in community food systems and members of SAREP's staff. Successful applicants will be notified of awards by April 15, 2006.
If you have any questions, please call Gail Feenstra, food systems analyst, at (530) 752-8408 or gwfeenstra@ucdavis.edu; Please consult SAREP's Project Database on the Web (www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/grants/database/) for examples of previously funded projects.
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Cover Page
UC SAREP 2006 Sustainable Community Food Systems Grants
Project Title:
Principal Investigator (main contact):
Name:
Title, affiliation:
Mailing Address:
Telephone Email FAX
Financial Account Manager:
Name:
Mailing Address:
Telephone Email FAX
Other Investigators:
Name & Affiliation---------------Mailing Address---------------Telephone-------------------Email
Cooperators:
Name & Affiliation---------------Mailing Address---------------Telephone-------------------Email
Budget Total: (Total requested from SAREP)
County(ies) and Region project would be conducted in :