“The first wealth is health.” 

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

Maintaining a healthy and balanced diet helps prevent many chronic non-communicable diseases, such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.¹ Ensuring our communities are educated on the importance of incorporating healthy food into their diet is essential.

USFCR presents the following opportunities that highlight the significance of healthy foods and nutrition education:

Got Organic? Organic Valley’s Farmers Advocating for Organic (FAFO) Program provides farmers the opportunity to address the future of organic agriculture and offer long-term solutions that satisfy the needs of the organic market. In their production of organic foodstuffs, farmers design their practices to meet the following goals:

• Cut pollution;
• Improve soil and water quality;
• Enable natural farm animals’ behavior;
• Promote a self-sustaining cycle of resources on a farm; and
• Provide safe, healthy places for farm animals to live.²

There is also evidence that organic foodstuffs have lower levels of synthetic fertilizers, pesticide residues, and toxic metabolites, as well as reduced exposure to antibiotic-resistant bacteria, alongside other benefits.³ A greater portion of the population can benefit by having access to such organic products and have a better impact on their overall health.

Organic Valley will award grants ranging from $5,000 to $50,000 in correspondence to the project’s scope and impact. The average grant award is $20,000. Also, administrative overhead costs must not exceed 5% of the full amount requested. Multi-year grants and funding requests exceeding $50,000 are considered under extraordinary circumstances by invitation only.

Organic Valley is currently accepting letters of interest (LOIs) via its online grant portal. After the submission of an applicant's LOI, Organic Valley grantors will assess and reply with a decision within two weeks. If approved, the applicant will be officially invited to submit a full application by the Winter deadline, October 4, 2024. The next application deadline will be announced in January 2025. Be aware that only academic or research institutions and nonprofit organizations are eligible to apply at this time.

Interested applicants must focus on the following project categories:

• Research: Projects conducting credible scientific research related to organic farmers, organic farming practices, and organic food;
• Education: Projects that provide organic agricultural education for farmers, or educate consumers and other key stakeholders on the benefits of organic food and farming; or
• Advocacy: Policy or consumer advocacy projects meant to protect organic integrity, organic standards, the organic marketplace, or the livelihood of organic farmers.

Funding Priorities

• Projects that benefit family farmers who produce organic dairy, eggs, meat, produce, and grain/forage;
• Projects that focus on organic soil health and biology;
• Projects that strengthen CROPP Cooperative (internal); or
• Projects that may not address one of these priorities, but still align with the FAFO mission.

The Lilah Hilliard Fisher Foundation, administered by Hillman Family Foundations, is committed to supporting organizations for nutrition education and regenerative agriculture projects. Through the Nutrition Coalition and Global Food Justice Alliance, the Lilah Hilliard Fisher Foundation currently advocates for knowledge of nutrition-related chronic disease in America and expanding nutritional knowledge to reduce food insecurity for in-need families. The Foundation’s other areas of giving are responsive to community needs and at the discretion of the board:

• Arts & Culture
• Human Services
• Health & Medicine
• Energy & Environment
• Community & Economic Development

For the 2024 cycle, applications will be accepted until October 31, 2024. All applications received after this date will be reviewed in the first quarter of the following year. Furthermore, applications can be used for program grants, capital grants, or annual funds. At this time, nonprofits and other organizations are eligible to apply. The Foundation does not fund individuals. 

Be aware that applicants must first register their organization to the Foundation’s application portal before the application process. The process will typically take 24-48 hours to approve the registration.

Recent grants have ranged from $3,000 to $60,000, though some applications have received greater funding. Further questions regarding the application process should be directed to the website contact form.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is currently offering almost $2 million worth of total funding to promote agricultural education and enhance children’s nutritional health. This program is intended to work closely with local or regional producers and expand existing farm-to-school projects and other food and agriculture experiential learning initiatives (i.e. training, technical assistance, curriculum development, evaluation activities, etc.). Preference will be given to applicants who:

• Work in underserved rural and urban communities; 
• Hold a proven track record in carrying out the purposes of FASLP;
• Engage children in experiential learning about agriculture, gardening, nutrition, cooking, where food comes from, how to reduce food loss and food waste; and
• Facilitate a connection between elementary schools, secondary schools, and agricultural producers in the local and regional areas.

Eligible Applicants:

• Individuals;
• National laboratories;
• Federal agencies; 
• State agricultural experiment stations;
• Colleges & universities; 
• University research foundations;
• Other research institutions and organizations;
• Private organizations;
• Nonprofit organizations, foundations, or corporations; or
• Any group consisting of two or more entities described herein.

The maximum award amount that applicants will receive is $240,000. No cost match is required, and the duration of a project shall not exceed three years. This opportunity will run until December 5, 2024.

Looking for Grants?

If you require assistance regarding these opportunities, finding other grants that fit your organization’s needs, or any additional services, please contact USFCR’s Grant Writing Team at (877) 252-2700 and complete the grant assessment below for further assistance. We look forward to working with you!

Don't miss out on the funding that could elevate your project to the next level!

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SOURCES

 1.  World Health Organization. “Healthy diet.” 2024.  https://www.who.int/initiatives/behealthy/healthy-diet

2.  Mayo Clinic Staff. “Organic Foods: Are they safer? More nutritious?” Mayo Clinic. April 22, 2022. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/organic-food/art-20043880

3.  Mie A, Andersen HR, Gunnarsson S, Kahl J, Kesse-Guyot E, Rembiałkowska E, Quaglio G, Grandjean P. “Human health implications of organic food and organic agriculture: a comprehensive review.” Environmental Health. 2017 Oct 27; 16(1):111. doi: 10.1186/s12940-017-0315-4.