The Budget Narrative Checklist serves as a guide for grant applicants to ensure their budget narrative aligns with project descriptions for federal funding. This checklist emphasizes the importance of detailing project expenses, including personnel, fringe benefits, travel, equipment, supplies, contractual services, and indirect costs. For each category, applicants must provide justifications and itemized costs, ensuring clarity on the bona fide needs tied to project objectives. Additionally, it specifies requirements for consultants, including detailed descriptions of services and associated costs. Applicants are also reminded to present any negotiated indirect cost agreements or, if unavailable, to utilize a de minimis rate of 10%. The overarching aim is to provide a comprehensive and transparent financial layout that substantiates all funding requests in accordance with Federal guidelines.

The document provides instructions for classifying locations as urban or rural using the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Locale Lookup tool. Users are guided through a step-by-step process to search for a school, district, or town by name, address, or relevant criteria. After selecting a location from the dropdown suggestions, the user is instructed to click on a gray dot on the map representing their search, which will turn red, displaying the locale code in the upper left. This two-digit code (e.g., 11, 12, 31) must then be recorded on the Coversheet. For comprehensive definitions of the classifications, the document refers users to the NCES website. This guidance is critical for accurately categorizing institutions in the context of federal grants and RFPs.

The document serves as a checklist for applicants seeking priority points in the context of federal funding opportunities, particularly those associated with the USDA. It outlines the criteria for earning bonus points based on the project's alignment with specified racial equity priorities and organization type priorities. Applicants can earn up to seven points for addressing racial equity, with eligibility dependent on the applicant being an organization led by or serving specific racial or ethnic groups. Additionally, applicants can obtain one point for each organization type priority met, with a cap of three points, totaling a maximum of ten bonus points. Key areas of focus include serving communities eligible for free or reduced-price meals, and being a small- to medium-sized agricultural producer or situated in rural areas. The document emphasizes the requirement to submit the completed checklist along with the application to be considered for the bonus points and warns of potential disqualification if eligibility is not verifiable.

The Samplesville School District expresses its commitment to serve as a program site and implementation partner for the Samplesville Garden Club's project, “Growing Samplesville Together.” This initiative aims to expand gardening efforts across all six schools in the district and enhance local sourcing for school meals. The district plans to provide garden locations at each school and allocate at least 10 hours per month of staff time to support the project. Furthermore, the school nutrition program director will collaborate with the Garden Club to source locally produced foods to enrich school meals, complementing garden-based educational activities. The district operates the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program, catering to 1,234 K-12 students. The initiative is anticipated to positively impact both students and the broader Samplesville community, emphasizing the partnership's potential benefits.

The Samplesville Garden Club is formally committing to provide $4,500 in in-kind matching funds for its project titled “Growing Samplesville Together.” This commitment is directed to Erica Antonson of the Grants Management Operations Branch and is in support of the project under the Implementation track. The $4,500 will be allocated through volunteer time, contributed by five volunteers working 60 hours each at a rate of $15 per hour. This effort will take place during the project’s performance period, which spans from September 2023 to July 2024. For any inquiries regarding this commitment, John Samples, the Executive Director, can be contacted via email or phone. This letter serves as part of the necessary documentation to secure federal funding, showcasing the club's support for the grant application process while fulfilling local engagement in community efforts.

The Farm to School Implementation Grant Program for Fiscal Year 2025, overseen by the USDA, aims to enhance local food procurement and agricultural education in schools through grants of up to $500,000 for qualified applicants. The program requires at least 25% matching funds and encourages comprehensive projects that include local sourcing and educational activities linking students to local food systems. Eligible entities encompass schools, child care institutions, non-profit organizations, and agricultural producers, while federal funds can only account for up to 75% of total project costs. Applications must adhere to formatting guidelines and submit all required documents by January 10, 2025, with anticipated funding decisions in July 2025. The initiative reflects a commitment to facilitating greater access to local foods, boosting community engagement, and addressing equity issues in underserved populations. Successful projects are expected to generate measurable outcomes, such as increased local food purchases and enhanced nutritional education, with structured oversight and evaluation. This grant underscores the government's focus on improving child nutrition and supporting local agriculture as part of larger food systems reform.

The FY 2025 Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant Program provides a framework for organizations to apply for funding aimed at improving access to local foods for eligible Child Nutrition Program (CNP) sites. Applications are categorized into three grant tracks: Implementation Grants, Turnkey Grants, and State Agency Grants, each designed for different types of applicants and project scopes. Implementation Grants target those with established farm to school programs, supporting activities that include local sourcing and agricultural education, with funding ranging from $50,000 to $500,000. Turnkey Grants assist applicants with less experience or specific project ideas, offering funding between $5,000 and $50,000 and focusing on actionable planning, edible gardens, or agricultural education integration. State Agency Grants, available to state agencies, emphasize promoting agricultural education and increasing local food service, with funding from $50,000 to $500,000. All projects require a minimum 25% funding match from non-federal sources and must include commitment from participating child nutrition organizations if an applicant does not directly operate CNPs. The document serves as a resource to help applicants select the correct grant track and outlines essential eligibility criteria and funding parameters for potential projects. Detailed information can be found in the respective Requests for Applications.