Please note that the Care Share/Equity+ Network is not affiliated with this opportunity. The purpose of this post is to share resources.
Albemarle Regional Health Services: Partnership to Improve Community Health – Youth Involvement in Increasing Healthy Food Access in Northeastern North Carolina
Overall Goal:
Do you have innovative ideas for involving youth in your area in increasing healthy food access? This request for proposals (RFP) is requesting project proposals to fund up to 15 mini-grants (maximum of $5000) to northeastern North Carolina agencies to develop, implement, and evaluate healthy food access projects. For the purposes of this RFP, youth are defined as any children residing in the counties of interest who are 0 – 18 years of age.
The goal is to incorporate youth perspectives into action-oriented projects that improve healthy food access in northeastern North Carolina.
Types of Projects:
This funding opportunity would support the following types of activities, all of which must have a youth component:
- Projects on the individual-level such as culinary courses or local conferences on healthy food access.
- Projects on a policy and environmental-level, such as local county government involvement, advocacy, and policy change to improve healthy food access.
- Projects related to school or community gardens that involve youth.
- Projects related to enhancing local farmers’ markets that involve youth.
- Provision of healthy food boxes or community-supported agriculture shares to local youth, along with recipes describing how to prepare the food.
Eligible Agencies:
- Any non-profit or for-profit agency in the following 18 Northeastern North Carolina counties: Beaufort, Bertie, Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Dare, Edgecombe, Gates, Halifax, Hertford, Hyde, Martin, Northampton, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Tyrrell, Washington.
- There must be a youth component to all projects. This includes youth involvement in data collection, project planning, project evaluation, or other youth involvement.
- Individuals may not apply for this funding opportunity.
Funding Restrictions:
- Printing, postage, supplies, and small equipment purchase may be eligible for funding.
- Salaries, construction, large equipment, and paying off debt generally are not eligible for funding.
Process and Deadline for Applying:
- Interested agencies should submit a 1-page description of their project proposal.
- The proposal should be formatted as follows: 1-page, double-spaced, 12-point Calibri font, 1-inch margins.
- The proposal must include the following sections:
- Rationale for the project (2-3 sentences)–Describe the reasons this project should be completed and how it will improve healthy food access in your area.
- Description of youth involvement (2-3 sentences)–Describe how youth (any child ages 0 – 18 years) will be involved in the project.
- A brief overview of current healthy food access, including data if possible.
- Description of how the agency will evaluate the success of the project–Describe any ways you will evaluate the project, such as surveys or focus groups to determine impact, counts of numbers of individuals receiving services, or records of types of produce grown in a garden.
- Description of agency leader’s support (1 sentence)—Describe how the agency leader will support the proposed project.
- Timeline for proposed project: Explain the planned timeline for completing the project.
- Budget and budget justification – Include a line item budget and include the final amount requested, up to $5000.
- 1-page proposals must be submitted via email to Emily Lewis at emily.lewis@arhs-nc.org.
- Projects will be funded on a first come, first serve basis. However, all applications must be received by March 15, 2024.
- A review board will make funding decisions. Applicants will be notified of funding decisions within 3-weeks of submission.
- There will be an outside evaluation conducted by East Carolina University. Agencies must be willing to work with the outside evaluation project throughout the project period.
- All funding must be spent by November 30, 2024.
- A 1-page final report will be required by December 15, 2024.
Review Criteria:
- Funded projects must have a youth component.
- Funded projects must be from an agency located in one of the 18 counties of focus.
- Funded projects must address healthy food access.
- **Activities that promote systems and policy changes to improve healthy food access will receive funding priority.
Questions:
- Please contact Emily Lewis at emily.lewis@arhs-nc.org or call 252-338-4460 (this is a front desk number – ask for Emily Lewis and leave a voicemail and your call will be returned as promptly as possible).
In order to receive the funds, grantees will need to submit a completed W-9 form for their organization and a signed grant agreement (that ARHS will provide).