UPDATED 9/4/2015
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Oregon Farm to School & School Garden Grant
(Non-Competitive Oregon Grown & Processed Food Portion)
School Year 2015-2016 & 2016-2017
Contents:
- General
- Eligibility
- Application Process
- Reimbursement Process/Purchasing
- Miscellaneous
1. GENERAL
Q: What is the legislative authority guiding this program?
A: The Oregon Legislature created a Farm to School and School Garden grant in 2011 and allocatedmore funds for the for this grant in the 2013-15 biennium, bringing the total allocation to $1.2 million. For the upcoming (2015-2017) biennium, legislation was introduced to bring the total up to approximately $4,500,000. There will be an amount that will be set aside from this total that will be used for administrative costs, not to exceed 2% of the total budgeted amount.
The legislationalso directs the Oregon Department of Education to award non-competitive grants to all school districts in Oregon for reimbursement of costs incurred in purchasing Oregon food products that meet certain criteria, and competitive grants for funding food-based, agriculture-based and garden-based educational activities.This FAQ deals with the non-competitive food portion of the grant ONLY. For the competitive educational grant portion, please refer to the ODE Farm to School website: and click on the “Grants and Funding Opportunities” tab.
Q: What is the purpose of the Oregon Farm to School Grant?
A: The purpose of the grant is to increase the amount of Oregon food products purchased by Oregon school districts and consumed by Oregon school children. Because purchasing Oregon produced and processed foods can be more expensive than the lowest-cost alternatives, this grant was created to provide school districts with funds for purchasing Oregon agricultural products.
Q: When will the webinar be? If I miss it, where can I access it?
A: SFA’s must either watch a live webinar or a recorded version before opting into the program. Please refer to our website: and click on the “Grants & Funding Opportunities” section for dates and to access the webinars. A recording of the webinar will be posted online soonafter it is completedatthe same area.
Q: What is the timeline of the Farm to School Grant Program?
The timeline for the grant is listed on our website ( on the “Grants & Funding Opportunities “section.
Q: Who (which person specifically) can apply for the grant?
A: This non-competitive food portion of the grant is open to all Oregon School Food Authorities who participate in the National School Lunch Program. Nutrition Services Directors are the ones that will typically fill out the survey application to participate in this grant, although any authorized representative of the School district who has the authority to enter into agreements may do so.
2. ELIGIBILITY
Q: Are private schools eligible for farm to school funds?
A: No.
Q: We are applying now to participate in the National School Lunch and Breakfast Program but do not currently participate. Can we still apply for the grant program since we will be participating next year?
A: No. Part of the application process involves reporting on Free/Reduced Price Meal participation for the previous school year. Without that data, you cannot apply.
Q: Are there any other stipulations that school districts need to be aware of?
A: Yes.The district just has to be currently participating in good standing in the ODE Child Nutrition Programs.
Q: Are matching funds (cash match or in-kind match) required?
A: Formal matching funds are not required. However, Staff time is often necessary to establish new vendor relationships and to implement Farm to School programs, and funding for that staff time is not provided by this grant, so there is an implicit requirement for an in-kind match.
3. APPLICATION PROCESS
Q: Can a larger district choose to focus only on one or two schools within their district in regards to purchasing Oregon-grown or processed food?
A: Yes.
Q: Can I mail in my application?
A: No, only applications submitted via the surveymonkey link(see and click on the “Grants and Funding Opportunities” link) will be accepted.
Q: How will I know ODE received my application?
A: The first question in the application process asks for contact information of the person who is submitting the application. An email confirmation will be sent to that person close to the end of the sign-up period. ODE recommends that you print this confirmation email for your records as proof of timely receipt.
Q: Is there an application checklist?
A: Yes, please see our website ( and click on the “Grants and Funding Opportunities” section
Q: When will the funding decisions be made, and when can we expect to get the grant money?
A: The school districts will need to fill out the application which will be in the form of a very short survey and attend or watch a training webinar. Once this process is complete, it will generate a packet that will be sent to a SFA, electronically. This will contain an agreement to be signed, an excel spreadsheet to submit claims, and a baseline data report. When the signed agreement is returned to ODE SFA’swill be able to start making purchases for reimbursement. The deadline to sign up for the program will be on September 11, 2015
Q: By what date do we have to spend the grant money?
A: All funds must be spent by the end of the school year, June 30, 2016. ODE will repeat the opt-in process for the second year of the grant. Furthermore, adequate progress must be made in spending the funds. If a district has not made adequate progress in spending the funds, the funds WILL BE TAKEN AWAY AND REASSIGNED.
Q: what do you mean by “Adequate Progress?”
A: A school district needs to demonstrate that they are using the grant funds by submitting consistent claims. Although there are no set monthly claims in this grant, we don’t want school districts to wait too long to get started in this, only to not be able to use the funds. If this happens, there won’t be time to reassign the funds to other districts. ODE needs to ensure that ALL funds are spent in order to justify this program and ensure it continues. ODE will monitor progress on this, providing spending reports to each district in order to help districts plan for their spending.
- REIMBURSEMENT PROCESS/PURCHASING
Q: Can this grant be used for summer lunch, childcare snacks, breakfast, or CACFP?
A: Yes. This grant can be used in any Child Nutrition Program meal program.
Q: Can these funds be used for Fresh Fruit and Veggie Program (FFVP) or the Pilot for Procurement of Processed Fruit and Veggie Program?
A: A school district may NOT use the funds for these programs AND also get reimbursed for the Farm to School grant as well. A school district can either be reimbursed for this grant or the other programs, but NOT BOTH. .
Q: What documentation will be required to prove the reimbursement?
A: ODE will need a record oflocal purchases that were purchased during the award period if/when the school district is selected for an administrative review. School Districts need to retain good records and be able to show receipts of purchases of reimbursed items. These receipts need to include documentation that the products were grown or processed in Oregon. Specifically, copies of invoices with highlighted items that list “local” items are preferred, if your distributor is willing or able to do so. If the distributor is unable to list the local item, the District would still need to highlight the item and save the copy of the invoice. In these cases where the Distributor has been unable to list the items on the invoice, they have been able to provide a list of local item that could be matched up to the invoice. It is up to the District to ensure they communicate with their supplier(s) when they order their products to be able to document local purchases.
Q: If a Food Service Management Company (FSMC) is at the district that gets awarded the grant, would the Food Service Management Company (FSMC) be reimbursed or the School District?
A: The school district would be reimbursed. The FSMC would then need to generate an invoice to be reimbursed by the school district, since the FSMC purchases the food with the FSMC’s funds. The reimbursement is going to happen through EGMS (Electronic Grant Management System). The district will need to keep track of all invoices, which need to be highlighted or marked with items that are local.
Q: Are there any special purchasing requirements for this grant?
A: SFA’s still need to follow regular purchasing guidelines that they would normally do via the CNP programs.
Q: How is “local” defined for the Farm to School Grant Program?
A: For the purposes of the grant program, it means food produced (i.e. grown, raised or caught) or processed (i.e. milled, frozen, dried, or canned) in Oregon. That can include products grown, raised or caught outside of Oregon but processed in Oregon. However, Federal procurement regulations apply to these grant funds. For example, canned processed items from Oregon purchased through a formal bid process are subject to the USDA’s local preference criteria and therefore would not be eligible for reimbursement under this grant program.
Q: My school district is close to good growing regions of Washington, Idaho, or California. Can we buy “local” food from those areas?
A: Not with these funds. The Oregon Legislature created this program in order to support children, farmers, and processors in Oregon. Therefore, funds can only be used for Oregon products, even if that is not your closest option.
Q: Does Oregon harvested seafood quality as part of this program?
A: Yes! Do not restrict yourself to fruits and vegetables for purchasing local products. Last year there were many successful applicants who featured “boat to school,” local beef, pork, grains, etc.
Q: I’m purchasing cantaloupe out of Arizona, that’s cut in a distributor/facility in Portland. Does this count as being locally processed?
A: Yes. For the purposes of this grant, any food that is PROCESSED in Oregon is eligible. However, food from outside of the US (i.e. Mexico) would not be eligible for reimbursement, even if it was processed in Oregon, due to requirements of the NSLP.
Q: If fish for this grant is caught in Alaska, but processed in Oregon, will that work?
A: Yes, food that is grown (or caught, in this case) in the United States, but is processed in Oregon counts for reimbursement in this Grant.
REIMBURSEMENT:
Q: Please explain how the reimbursement works!
A: This year, the process for reimbursement has been simplified:
- Purchase items from a vendor.
- Make a copy of the receipt, highlight any Oregon-grown or Oregon-processed item.
- Keep all copies of receipts in a separate file for the claim for that month
- Fill out the excel worksheet, listing each item on it (will go over this process in the online training)
- Email the excel worksheet to . DO NOT send invoices or copies of invoices to ODE/Rick!
- ODE will review the worksheet and notify you within two working days to proceed with putting the dollar amount into EGMS.
- Retain the file of invoices to support the claim in the event you are chosen for a review.
Q: Can the grant be used to pay for items we get regularly that are local or do they need to be new Items only?
A: The intent of the grant is to support new items, so that children are increasing their exposure to Oregon foods, and that Oregon producers and processors are expanding their markets. Any Oregon grown or processed productscan qualify for reimbursement, whether it is the first time you have purchased them or not, but programs showing a high level of NEW local purchasing will score higher. Also, although a school district can and will get reimbursed for processed items, it is not the intent to simply reimburse for bread and chopped salad ONLY. ODE wants to encourage purchasing new items that they wouldn’t be able to do without this grant, and not to bet reimbursed for items they normally get (and not get any new items).
Q: How many years do we need to keep invoices?
A: ODE requires that you keep all records associated with their programs the current year plus three additional years. For the purposes of this program, it’s highly recommended that you make a separate copy of any invoices pertaining to this grant, and store them in a separate place from your other invoices. If/when ODE reviews your operation and this grant; you will want to be able to access everything in one place, without doing an exhaustive search for records.
Q: Does all of the food have to be served by the end of the school year?
A: You need to physically RECEIVE the products within the grant period. You cannot use the funds for forward contracting beyond the grant period. The intention is that the items are served for meals during the grant period.
Q: Are there HCAAP/GAP/Food Safety Certification requirements for vendors?
A: It is up to you to make sure you are purchasing from safe and reputable sources. There are no requirements from this grant or ODE that you have to have the above certifications.
Q: Can a school use the funds to pay for food for the meal program from its own gardens, farm or FFA program?
A: Yes. Buying food from your school garden is REALLY local. If you propose to purchase food produced on site, make realistic goals and explain clearly how you will achieve them.
- MISCELLANEOUS
Q: Can we use grant funds to pay for membership in a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, ifthe CSA is food is served as part of the NSLP? .
A: Sort of. Calculating reimbursement per meal for a CSA could be quite complicated but is not forbidden. You can only be reimbursed for the amount which covers the cost of the food during the grant period.
Q: What if a school district opts out of the grant? Will there be more funds available to the other school districts that are awarded the grant?
A: If a school district opts out before the end of the grant period, fundscan/will be divided between the remaining participating school districts based on criteria such as the funding formula used to determine the original allocation amount, and the performance/track record of school districts currently in the grant program.
Q: How do I plan my menu for these local items? Do I have to change my whole menu plan?
A: You will need to plan ahead to utilize local items in the “menuing” process. It may be easiestto start with items you already purchase that could be purchased from a local source. Districts new to Farm to School” are encouraged to set modest and achievable goals, such as including local items in one or two lunches per week. Many recipe suggestions, for using local foods, are available through the Oregon Harvest for Schools materials, available at:
Q: Where can I get more help if I still have questions about the Farm to School program or application?
A: We request that you familiarize and read the items on the grant website, located at under the “Grants and Funding Opportunities” section before you make a call to ODE. If you still have questions after reading materials, you can forward your question to:
Rick Sherman
Farm to School / School Garden Coordinator
Child Nutrition Programs
Office of Learning | Child Nutrition Department
Oregon Department of Education
Phone: (503) 947-5863
Email:
For more information on ODE’s Farm to School activities, or to access resources associated with Farm to School, please visit
Questions from webinars and emails:
Q: Are Youth Correctional Facilities eligible for this?
A: (UPDATED 9/21/15) Only school districts and Charter schools recognized by ODE are eligible. Private nonprofit entities are not eligible for this award.
Q: How much money per meal served would be granted?
A: The entire $4.5M award (minus a 2% administration figure) is divided by 80% for this non-competitive portion. We’ll put half of that aside for SY 2016-17. Once we determine all of the SFA’s who will opt in to this grant, we will take their lunches served from last year; divide that by the award amount to get a cents per meal figure. We will then take each SFA’s total lunch count from last year and multiply it by the cents per meal figure to get the award amount for each SFA. Anticipating that not many SFA’s will opt out of this grant, we have an estimate of slightly less than .04 cents per lunch for this figure.
Q: CanOregon milk be reimbursed under this grant?
A: No, milk is the only Oregon grown/processed item that does not qualify for this.
Q: If our celery comes from California, but is cleaned and chopped by our local produce company. Would that be OR processed?