Yes, it is different than a federal tax ID. Getting a Unique Entity ID validates your legal business name and address as an organization or individual in order to receive federal funds. You can get a Unique Entity ID from the federal System for Award Management (SAM.gov) and view an instructional video if needed.
No, you do not need to state all farmers you will be supporting. The lead applicant needs to be clearly stated and at least one partner must be identified. However, you don’t need to confirm where you will be sourcing all of the food if the farms are not going to be direct partners.
If a project does not involve one or more partners who identify as a socially disadvantaged and/or emerging you will have to, at the time of the application, have identified at least one socially disadvantaged and/or emerging farmer you plan to work with. This farm will need to provide a letter of support acknowledging their intent to supply food as part of the proposed project. In addition, if you are planning to source more than $10,000 of product from any one farm, that farm would have to submit a letter of support.
No, you do not need to state all farmers you will be supporting. The lead applicant needs to be clearly stated and at least one partner must be identified. However, you don’t need to confirm where you will be sourcing all of the food if the farms are not going to be direct partners.
If a project does not involve one or more partners who identify as a socially disadvantaged and/or emerging you will have to, at the time of the application, have identified at least one socially disadvantaged and/or emerging farmer you plan to work with. This farm will need to provide a letter of support acknowledging their intent to supply food as part of the proposed project. In addition, if you are planning to source more than $10,000 of product from any one farm, that farm would have to submit a letter of support.
A lead applicant needs to have a UEI in place at the time that they apply. If that applicant is awarded funding, they will need to follow federal requirements for serving as a pass-through entity. The people they partner with will also need to get a UEI if they are receiving funding as a partner. This is because the disbursement of funds to a partner is considered a subaward to a subrecipient who has programmatic decision-making and is helping the awardee carry out a part of the Federal award. In contrast, collaborators do not need a UEI. If a collaborator is receiving funding they are considered to be doing so as a contractor.
Yes, it is different than a federal tax ID. Getting a Unique Entity ID validates your legal business name and address as an organization or individual in order to receive federal funds. You can get a Unique Entity ID from the federal System for Award Management (SAM.gov) and view an instructional video if needed.
No, you do not need to state all farmers you will be supporting. The lead applicant needs to be clearly stated and at least one partner must be identified. However, you don’t need to confirm where you will be sourcing all of the food if the farms are not going to be direct partners.
If a project does not involve one or more partners who identify as a socially disadvantaged and/or emerging you will have to, at the time of the application, have identified at least one socially disadvantaged and/or emerging farmer you plan to work with. This farm will need to provide a letter of support acknowledging their intent to supply food as part of the proposed project. In addition, if you are planning to source more than $10,000 of product from any one farm, that farm would have to submit a letter of support.
No, letters of support are not required from collaborators, unless there aren’t any socially disadvantaged and emerging farmers included in the project partners. In that case you’d need a letter from a farmer who identifies as such. You’d also need a letter of support from anyone planning to supply more than $10,000 worth of food.
To understand how many letters of support you need to submit, start by identifying who you are working with and whether they are considered partners or collaborators as per the definitions on page 10 of the Request for Applications. (See page 7 for additional information on partners and collaborators.)
Any individual or entity named as a partner must submit a letter of support. This letter must demonstrate the partner understands their role regarding decision-making and management of the project. If the farmers are partners on the project and will assist with decision-making and project management, each farm business named as a partner must submit a letter of support.
Collaborators are not required to submit letters of support unless there aren’t any socially disadvantaged and emerging farmers included as project partners. If that is the case, then you must include one letter of support from a socially disadvantaged and emerging farmer who you are intending to source food from as a part of the project. An example of a collaborator would be a farmer who is supplying food for a project but not involved in decision-making or project management.
In addition, if you are planning to source more than $10,000 of product from any one farm, that farm would have to submit a letter of support.
If there are questions about if/how the “socially disadvantaged” and “emerging farmer” terms apply to farmers you intend to work with, farmers should be given an opportunity to self-identify. If that is not possible as a part of the application process, lead applicants may provide reasonable estimates in the “Outcomes” section of the application (e.g. when identifying the % of all food purchasing funds that will be directed towards farm businesses that identify as socially disadvantaged and emerging). Awardees will be asked to provide farmers an opportunity to self-identify and provide voluntary demographic data as part of the reporting process.
It is free to get a Unique Entity ID (UEI) through SAM.gov website. It appears that certain companies have created businesses that charge a fee and claim to help you manage SAM.gov services. SAM.gov does not charge a fee and offers two services: 1) UEIs and 2) entity registrations. You do not need to get an entity registration. You only need to get a UEI, as a UEI is required to receive a subaward of federal funds. An instructional video on how to get a UEI is available if needed.
You must go through the process to get a UEI if you intend to apply for the MN LFPA program. If you submit the information needed to receive a UEI but experience delays receiving your 12-digit UEI, please let us know at that point.
When providing an example as part of your application to demonstrate previous work sharing power, the example does not have to involve all proposed partners. It can involve the lead applicant or partner(s) as applicable and can be an example from non-food distribution related work. There does not need to be an example provided for each partner.
No, a nonprofit organization is not considered an individual for this question. Nonprofits should answer “no.”
A typed name on a letter of support is fine.
Other Background and General Questions
Although lot of the current growing season is already planned, there are other less seasonal local food products that are eligible beyond fruits and vegetables. This is also an opportunity to think about plans for 2024 since the grant goes through September 15, 2024. The grant asks applicants to identify as a part of their budget how much they will spend in year one versus year two. If the bulk of expenses come in year two, that isn’t a problem.
Although lot of the current growing season is already planned, there are other less seasonal local food products that are eligible beyond fruits and vegetables. This is also an opportunity to think about plans for 2024 since the grant goes through September 15, 2024. The grant asks applicants to identify as a part of their budget how much they will spend in year one versus year two. If the bulk of expenses come in year two, that isn’t a problem.
Anyone is welcome to advertise the needs or services they have regarding this grant by sharing their information through an online directory form. The responses to this form are public and automatically updated. We recognize that this tool will not be an effective resource for everyone and there are reasons some people may not feel comfortable sharing this information. Potential buyers and distributors who do not have existing contacts with farmers may be able to establish connections through events or services where farmers gather, such as through farmers’ markets and/or food hubs. For those looking to connect with additional partners or collaborators, community meetings, food policy councils, local and regional governments and non-profit organizations may be places to find connections.
Farmers and others who would like to share their contact information and need assistance filling out the Google form are welcome to contact MN LFPA staff for support.
Anyone is welcome to advertise the needs or services they have regarding this grant by sharing their information through an online directory form. The responses to this form are public and automatically updated. We recognize that this tool will not be an effective resource for everyone and there are reasons some people may not feel comfortable sharing this information. Potential buyers and distributors who do not have existing contacts with farmers may be able to establish connections through events or services where farmers gather, such as through farmers’ markets and/or food hubs. For those looking to connect with additional partners or collaborators, community meetings, food policy councils, local and regional governments and non-profit organizations may be places to find connections.
Farmers and others who would like to share their contact information and need assistance filling out the Google form are welcome to contact MN LFPA staff for support.
Although lot of the current growing season is already planned, there are other less seasonal local food products that are eligible beyond fruits and vegetables. This is also an opportunity to think about plans for 2024 since the grant goes through September 15, 2024. The grant asks applicants to identify as a part of their budget how much they will spend in year one versus year two. If the bulk of expenses come in year two, that isn’t a problem.
Anyone is welcome to advertise the needs or services they have regarding this grant by sharing their information through an online directory form. The responses to this form are public and automatically updated. We recognize that this tool will not be an effective resource for everyone and there are reasons some people may not feel comfortable sharing this information. Potential buyers and distributors who do not have existing contacts with farmers may be able to establish connections through events or services where farmers gather, such as through farmers’ markets and/or food hubs. For those looking to connect with additional partners or collaborators, community meetings, food policy councils, local and regional governments and non-profit organizations may be places to find connections.
Farmers and others who would like to share their contact information and need assistance filling out the Google form are welcome to contact MN LFPA staff for support.
No, there is no match requirement.
Applicants can apply for up to $100,000. Applicants can also indicate as part of their application if they are interested in additional funding, up to $40,000. Additional funding is contingent on MDA securing additional LFPA Plus funding from USDA. That funding may allow for changes such as increasing the size of the awards or more awardees.
USDA has indicated that they are wanting to work toward a long-term picture. They are doing so in part by collecting success stories from participating states, tribal nations, and territories, in addition to quarterly reports. They are also asking questions about the relationships that are being established and if new food items are being provided that haven’t typically been available in the hunger relief system. However, there is not a formal long-term commitment to the program at this point.
The metrics and data we are asking grantees for as part of their quarterly reports mirror our USDA grant reporting requirements. An example quarterly report is available in Excel. Examples of information to be collected include how many socially disadvantaged farmers are providing food, if the distribution location is underserved, and the general food categories provided. Based on public input and suggestions, the MN LFPA program will also facilitate an evaluation cohort for grantees to share feedback about their experience with the program overall.
Grantees will not be asked to collect or share the names of people receiving the food. It is a requirement of the program that data collection not create barriers to people receiving food.
Food safety training is not required MN LFPA eligibility, but food safety training and/or practices are encouraged, as evidenced by the MN LFPA scoring rubric. Food safety training is not an eligible expense for the grant, however.
If participants are interested in food safety-related training, appropriate trainings will vary depending on the foods being purchased and handled as a part of the project. Projects that are purchasing and aggregating food from multiple suppliers may be required to be licensed and may have accompanying training requirements. For example, entities that have a food handler license may be required to have someone from their operation complete certified food protection manager (CFPM) training. The Minnesota Department of Health maintains a list of approved CFPM courses. Please contact the MDA Food and Feed Safety Division’s Licensing Liaison (651-201-6081) if you are unsure whether your project needs a license.
The University of Minnesota Extension offers virtual and in-person Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) trainings for produce farmers. These optional courses focus on on-farm food safety practices, and include some information on best practices for post-harvest handling and storage. Courses are typically available in the wintertime but can also be made available by request to Annalisa Hultberg (hultb006@umn.edu). Individuals/organizations that purchase produce are also welcome to participate in GAPs trainings. Additional information for buyers on how to talk to produce farmers about their food safety practices is available on the Extension “Food safety for farm to school programs” webpage.
