Iowa Farm to School Newsletter

Grants and Funding

1. Call for Proposals: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Culture of Health Prize
Deadline: July 31
A Culture of Health recognizes that where we live—such as our access to affordable homes, quality schools, good jobs, and reliable transportation—affects how long and how well we live, and that improving health and well-being requires collective efforts to create the conditions to ensure all residents have a fair and just opportunity for health. This request seeks an entity to re-imagine, lead, and manage the next two-year phase of the leadership and management of the national RWJF Culture of Health Prize. Learn more and apply.

2. Pure Farmland™ Pure Growth Project
Deadline: July 31
Pure Farmland believes that good things are grown from the ground up. That’s why they created the Pure Growth Project— an initiative and grant program (ranging from $1,000 to $20,000) that supports community gardens in neighborhoods throughout the country and builds on our longstanding commitment to protect vital American farmland. View the press release. Learn more and apply.

3. Farmers Advocating For Organic (FAFO) Fund
Deadline: August 1 (LOI) and August 15 (Application)
Funded entirely by voluntary contributions from Organic Valley farmers, FAFO is the largest farmer-funded grant program in the U.S. and one of the few focused solely on organic. FAFO awards grants of $5,000-$50,000 to research, education, and advocacy projects that protect and promote the organic industry and the livelihood of organic farmers. Learn more and apply.

4. Mountain Rose Herbs' Grants for Plants
Deadline: August 3
Mountain Rose Herbs will award five grants in the amount of $4,000 each to those who demonstrate that they share our mission-driven philosophy, passion for herbalism, and commitment to taking care of people while protecting the planet. We are looking for grassroots organizers, small businesses (that give back to their community), home herbalists, and nonprofit organizations that are poised to bring their visions to life and make a lasting impact. Learn more and apply.

Webinars and Events

1. EQUITY Webinar: Black Women on Black Food Sovereignty
Webinar Recording
View FoodShare Toronto's conversation featuring four Black women leading the call for Black food sovereignty in Canada, the U.S.A., and the United Kingdom. Hear from the panelists’ uniquely valuable perspectives and experiences on what Black food sovereignty means, why it is important, and how we can collectively work to advance it. View the recording.

2. COVID-19 Lessons From Indigenous Food Models in a Time of Pandemic
Today! July 14 // 2:00PM EST
Join the James Beard Foundation in discussing how the global COVID-19 crisis has exposed structural weaknesses in our dominant food supply chain. In this webinar, learn how Indigenous peoples have survived, thrived, and continued to grow their food systems, culture, and communities in the face of tragedy and countless historical pandemics and epidemics.
Register here.

3. COVID-19 Webinar: USDA Coronavirus Food Assistance Program Producer Webinar
Today! July 14 // 3PM EST
Join the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) on a Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) Producer Webinar to discuss the additional commodities eligible for the program announced July 9. The webinar will also cover adjustments made to the program based on comments received from agricultural producers and organizations and review of market data. FSA is accepting applications for CFAP through Aug. 28, 2020. The CFAP program helps offset price declines and additional marketing costs because of the coronavirus pandemic. Register here.

4. Back to School Leadership Series for K-12 Child Nutrition and College Dining Services Directors
July 14-August 11
This five-week digital educational series by Food Management will feature industry experts, data and research and solutions for gearing back up for service this fall. Sessions for the virtual leadership series include how to start a delivery program on your college campus; revenue-building ideas for child nutrition programs; lunch in the classroom and other new service styles for schools; what’s the future of dining halls; and menu development in a socially distanced world. Learn more and register.

5. Building Sustainable Power for Change: Toolkit for Activism
Every Tuesday in July // 3-4:30pm ET
Join The New School's four-part workshop series on organizing, community building, and how to influence change in the world. Hear from Ted Kerr, Kiara Nagel, A.W. Strouse, and Miski Noor, who will lead the discussions. Workshops will take place every Tuesday in July from 3:00-4:30 p.m. (EST). Presented by the Office of Civic Engagement and Social Justice and the Dean's Office at Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts. Narrative Power in the Time of Uprising (7/14)

6. Webinar: Balancing Academics and Wellbeing as Schools Reopen in 2020
July 17 // 1PM-3PM EST
Please join WholeHealthED to consider how communities can work together to best assist educators, students and families as schools re-open -- however and whenever that takes place -- while facing continued behavioral, social, emotional and learning challenges compounded by COVID-19. Join the Zoom call here. Meeting ID: 689 178 8987

7. 2020 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior (SNEB) Virtual Conference
July 20-July 24
SNEB’s annual conference will imagine and plan for how nutrition education, rooted in food, can move us to a new food future. Conference chair and President-Elect, Pam Koch, chose “What Food Future?” for this year’s conference theme and organized research, program and policy presentations into five highly relevant themes: Building Equity; Future Nutrition Education; Healthy Children & Youth; Planetary Health; and Research & Evaluation. Learn more and register by July 16!

8. Horizon Summer Camp - Farming Video Series
July 2020
Horizon Organic is opening up the barn doors for Summer Camp! Kids and families are invited to tune-in to this summer camp video series to get a behind-the-scenes look at farm life. Throughout July, Horizon will be sharing fun and education activities - like creative ways to upcycle milk cartons, how to milk a cow, and a farm tour - on their YouTube page. Check-in weekly to see what's new at camp! Watch the summer camp video series here: www.youtube.com/HorizonDairy

9. Sustainable Agriculture Education Association 2021 Conference Preview
July 17// 3PM-5PM EST
The theme for the 2021 SAEA Conference is AgriCultural Crossroads: Social and Ecological Convergence in the Heartland. Ohio currently is the seventh most populous state in the nation but spread across a relatively uniform distribution of urban centers ringed with rural land. This patchwork of rural and urban, connected by highways, provides abundant opportunities for field trips that allow participants to experience the diversity inherent in Ohio agriculture. This convening will preview the 2021 conference connecting participants with experiences across the rural-urban continuum and explore the endless possibilities for expanding sustainable agriculture education across the country. Register here.

10. COVID-19 USDA Adapting SNAP-Ed to COVID-19 Webinar Series
The SNAP-Ed Connection and the SNAP-Ed Toolkit invite you to join us for a 3-part webinar series where we’ll hear from state and local SNAP-Ed programs who are creating, innovating, and delivering SNAP-Ed remotely in the COVID-19 era. Register here.
July 28, 2020* 1:00 – 2:30 PM EST Adapting SNAP-Ed Programming to Remote Delivery
August 4, 2020* 1:00 - 2:30 PM EST Measuring and Evaluating Impact
August 11, 2020* 1:00 - 2:30 PM EST Collecting and Reporting Data

11. Webinar: Growing Opportunities for Farm to School in New York: Lessons Learned from the 30% Initiative After Year One
Aug 3 // 2-3pm ET
In January 2020, American Farmland Trust/FINYS released the Growing Opportunities report evaluating the New York State Farm to School Incentive’s effectiveness in helping schools buy more New York grown food. This webinar is for state and federal policymakers, school administrators and food service staff, and farm to school support organizations to learn more about where the New York’s farm to school incentive program has succeeded and where more work needs to be done. Register here.

1. EQUITY Indigenous Futures Survey Research Project

Deadline: August 1

IllumiNative, Native Organizers Alliance, and Aspen Institute’s Center for Native American Youth are partnering with acclaimed researchers Dr. Stephanie Fryberg (Tulalip) of the University of Michigan and Dr. Arianne Eason of the University of California, Berkeley, to conduct the Indigenous Futures Survey -- a groundbreaking research project for Native peoples by Native peoples. The 15-20 minute survey launched Tuesday, June 23, 2020 and will close on August 1, 2020. IFS researchers are looking to reach as many Native relatives as possible, and are seeking to partner with organizations and tribal leaders to help disseminate the survey to at least 2,000 participants 18 years of age and older. IFS disseminating organizations and tribes can request access to data collected from the survey to be helpful to their future work. To participate in the IFP survey dissemination, or have questions regarding the survey, please email indigenousfuture@aspeninstitute.org or call (202) 736-2905. Learn more and take the survey.

2. A Set of Critical Analyses on US Farm Bill: Policy, Politics & Potential
View the special issue published in the Renewable Agriculture & Food Systems Journal titled, "US Farm Bill: Policy, Politics & Potential." This is a far-reaching set of 15 critical analyses of major titles, themes, histories, crises, contexts, inequities, and opportunities at work in this omnibus piece of agri-food legislation. All fifteen articles are Open Access this summer and can be viewed here.

3. COVID-19 USDA Team Nutrition's School Feeding Resources
View a compilation of resources by USDA to support food service programs during the summer and in transitioning to the school year:
- Child Nutrition Program Meal Service During Coronavirus (COVID-19)
- Feeding Kids When Schools Are Closed Due to Coronavirus (COVID-19)
- CACFP: Providing Multiple Meals at a Time During the Coronavirus Pandemic

- For Summer Food Services Program
- For National School Lunch Program-Seamless Summer Option
- Team Nutrition Handwashing and Cleaning Resources

4. Healthy Food, Healthy Kids Colorado Facebook Group by Chef Ann Foundation
The Chef Ann Foundation recently launched Healthy Food, Healthy Kids, a Facebook group for families invested in the health and nutrition of K-12 kids. Join the group for tips and tricks, recipes, inspiration, and opportunities to interact with their resident nutritionist. This group is focused on Colorado families, but is open to members nationwide. Click here to join. Click here for messaging for sharing on social media.

5. EQUITY ASAP Growing Mind's Equity, Inclusion & Anti-Bias Resources
Children begin to develop racial awareness and bias at a very young age. In an effort to create learning environments that are more diverse, inclusive, and reflective of our culturally diverse society, farm to school programs should follow equity-minded best practices. Visit the ASAP Growing Minds Farm to School website for our Equity, Inclusion and Anti-Bias resources page, to find children’s books (including farm to school literature) that celebrate diverse voices, and access recommended external resources that can be used by both teachers and parents to teach children about race, diversity, and inclusion.