Kentucky Department for Public Health
Healthy Communities Grant Program
Farmers’ Market Mini Grants -Funding Opportunity
Deadline for Applications: Midnight Local Time, Monday, October 12, 2015
INTRODUCTION
The Kentucky Department for Public Health, Healthy Communities Grant Program is seeking applications from local health departments and partners to increase the consumption of fruit and vegetables through improving access at Farmers’ Markets.
Fruits and vegetables (F&V), as part of a healthy diet, are important for optimal child growth, weight management, and chronic disease prevention. Supporting increased F&V access, availability, and reduced price are key strategies to improved F&V consumption.
Farmers markets are a mechanism for purchasing foods from local farms and can augment access to fruit and vegetables from typical retail stores. Farmers’ markets that accept nutrition assistance program benefits improve access to fruit and vegetables for individuals and families with lower incomes.
The key components that make Farmers’ Markets sustainable include:
- An organizational structure that:
- Has clear rules of governance and market operations
- Provides a framework for growth and change
- Supports marketing personnel
- Community support and engagement that:
- Increases sales
- Builds community “brand” and identity
- Improves health and quality of life
- A consistent physical location that:
- Builds costumer base
- Allows for greater access
- Allows for market growth
- Incentive programs and events that increase fresh food access and build community
For more information see Community Farm Alliance’s report, 2014 Farmers Market Support Program, Final Report at: http://cfaky.org/test/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/2014-FMSP-Report-FINAL-2.pdf
Intervention Definition: A farmers market is a recurring gathering of farmers selling their food products directly to consumers at a specific time and place. Other produce markets may include wholesalers and retailers, rather than just farmers. These markets can be:
- held on public or private land, in temporary or permanent structures, or may even be mobile;
- set up in community locations, health clinics, places of worship, schools, hospitals, and workplaces;
- include locally or regionally grown items and farm fresh produce; and
- must have stated days and hours of operation.
Funding is available for eight $3,000 mini grants.
Grant applications will be accepted to engage community partners to:
- increase farmers’ markets that are accessible to underserved areas and/or
- increase farmers’ markets that accept nutrition assistance benefit programs (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), WIC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program or Senior’s Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program).
Criteria:
- Kentucky local health departments must be the fiscal agent
- Convene or join an existing Friend of Farmers’ Market Team. Team members should include, at a minimum, representatives from farmers’ market, local health department, cooperative extension and a community representative
- A letter of collaboration for at least three team members
- A $500.00 cash or in-kind match is required
- Attend Farmers’ Market Training and/or Networking Event with your team (date to be announced)
- Attend Conference Calls/Webinar with program coordinator as needed
- Submit a written plan on how your Farmers’ Market project will increase access to the market, and/or increase access to nutrition assistance benefits programs, and a plan for sustainability
- Provide an evaluation for your project (technical assistance will be provided)
- Be available for one site visit
- Spend funding by June 30, 2016
- Submit final report by August 15, 2016
- Funding cannot be used for construction or food for meeting purposes. Funding can be used for taste testings, tokens, promotion, advertising, educational campaigns or community capacity building activities. A maximum of 50% of grant funds may be used for staff time. Communities can work with more than one farmers’ market.
Please submit application via email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by Midnight Local Time, Monday, October 12, 2015. Notification of award on Thursday, October 22, 2015.
Application for Kentucky Department for Public Health’s Friends of Farmers’ Markets Mini Grant
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Local Health Department: |
Contact person: |
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County: |
Farmers’ Market: |
Developing a Farmers Market Team (5 points)
Grant recipients are expected to convene a Friends of Farmers’ Market team at least 3 times during the year to plan and implement the program. The team should have at least 1 representative from each of these groups: farmers’ market, local health department, cooperative extension and a community representative. Other optional partners may include local official, school, someone with legal expertise or others.
Farmers’ Market Team (fill in the name of the representative and contact information for each category)
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Local Health Department: |
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Cooperative Extension: |
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Farmers’ Market: |
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Community: |
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Other: |
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Other: |
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Other: |
Letters of Collaboration ( 15 points)
A minimum of 3 letters of collaborations are required to ensure Friends of Farmers’ Market team members are committed to supporting activities. Letters of collaboration should include specific activities that they are willing to participate in and willingness to attend Farmers’ Market Training on date to be announced in location to be determined
Application (50 points)
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Current number of farmers markets in your community |
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Describe Farmers Market Location |
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Estimated number of people shopping at market |
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Estimated population in community |
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Current status of acceptance of nutrition assistance benefits (SNAP, WICFMNP, Sr. FMNP) and EBT |
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Number of farm vendors at the market in 2014 |
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Established Farmers’ Market Board |
ÿ Yes ÿ No |
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Business Plan, Incorporated, By-Laws Market Rules |
ÿ Yes ÿ No |
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Market Manager |
ÿ Yes ÿ No |
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Marketing Plan |
ÿ Yes ÿ No |
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Financial resources for markets, farmers |
ÿ Yes ÿ No |
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Incentive programs |
ÿ Yes ÿ No If yes, please describe |
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Describe how your project will engage community members and partners to increase access to the market, and/or increase access to nutrition assistance benefits programs, and a plan for sustainability (1000 word limit) |
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Recommended activities:
Infrastructure:
- Attend Farmers’ Market Support Program or Networking Event
- Accept nutrition benefits or electronic benefit transfer (EBT) debit cards
- Improve market management strategies
Community Engagement
- Required: Community engagement with community partners and target audience
- Consumer education on the use and storage of fresh produce
- Provide cooking demonstrations and/or sampling
- Advertising/promotion
- Events held at the market
- Attending events to promote the market
Location
- Identify or assess best location for market to reach underserved areas
- Establish a mobile market
- Improve access by increasing consumer transportation
- Work with a health system (health practitioners, hospitals, clinics) to locate markets near or onsite.
Incentives
- Develop incentive programs:
- Double Dollars - provide financial incentives or to promote programs that give customers using nutrition assistance benefits a financial incentive towards the purchase of fruits and vegetable
- Kids’ Bucks – provide financial incentives, for the purchase of fruits and vegetables, to children who attend a nutrition education program
- Veggie Rx or “Farmacy” - Work with health care system to provide prescription for fruit and vegetables, can be attached to financial incentives
- Partner with businesses to provide coupons to employees as a worksite wellness incentive
- Hold Summer Feeding Programs at the Farmers’ Market
Resources:
CDC State Indicator Report on Fruits and Vegetables
http://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/downloads/State-Indicator-Report-Fruits-Vegetables-2013.pdf
CDC - Healthy Places – Healthy Food – Farmers Markets http://www.cdc.gov/healthyplaces/healthtopics/healthyfood/markets.htm
The CDC Guide To Fruit and Vegetable Strategies to Increase Access, Availability and Consumption
http://www.cdph.ca.gov/SiteCollectionDocuments/StratstoIncreaseFruitVegConsumption.pdf
Kentucky Department of Agriculture Farmers’ Market Manual and Resources
http://www.kyagr.com/marketing/farmers-market.html
Center TRT Health Bucks http://www.centertrt.org/?p=intervention&id=1109
Best Practices for Sampling at Farmers Markets, University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension
http://www2.ca.uky.edu/cmspubsclass/files/extensionpubs/2012-19.pdf
University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Food and Nutrition Programs
http://www2.ca.uky.edu/HES/index.php?p=1086
University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Publication List for Nutrition Education Programs
http://www2.ca.uky.edu/hes/index.php?p=1087
Partnership for a Fit Kentucky
Memorandum of Agreement
I understand that by accepting the Farmers’ Market mini-grant I am agreeing:
- To convene or join an existing Farmers’ Market team with representatives from farmers’ market, cooperative extension and a community member that will meet at least 3 times during the grant period
- To attend Farmers’ Market Training and/or Networking Event with you team (date to be announced)
- To submit a written plan on how your Farmers’ Market project will increase access to the market, and/or increase access to nutrition assistance benefits programs, and a plan for sustainability
- To attend conference calls/webinars with the program director as needed
- Be available for one (1) site visit
- To spend funding by June 30, 2016
- Submit a brief report by August 15, 2016
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Signature/Title of Grant recipient Date
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Signature of Farmers’ Market Representative Date
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Signature of Grant Administrator Date