Applications due by October 11th.
Open House for questions or support:
Contact Jared Cates at jared@carolinafarmstewards.org.
Learn, explore, and advocate together!
We are now accepting applications to join a 22-month-long ARPA Advocacy Academy. Nine food councils and community groups will come together virtually and in person to learn about local budget processes, effective advocacy with local government, advocacy campaign strategies, etc.
Our team will support your group with strategic advocacy planning and individual coaching for the duration of the grant project if you are accepted into the cohort. Our ultimate goal is to support communities in successfully advocating for local ARPA allocations for food-systems-related projects.
Community Food Strategies has partnered with the NC Budget & Tax Center with funding from the Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation of NC to host an ARPA Advocacy Academy that will support food councils and community groups in advocating for local government allocations of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) local funds** for health-equity-related food system projects.
Here are two examples from NC of health-equity-related food system projects using local ARPA allocations:
- Sustaining local farmers with creative ARPA funds application: nonprofit farmers market has been helping farmers and consumers by doubling the number of SNAP benefits used to purchase locally grown food. The town of Mills River is now using its local ARPA funds to help sustain that practice.
- Guilford County voted to allocate $885,113 to “work collectively with community partners to encourage collaboration and capacity-building throughout Guilford County to improve overall food security throughout the county.”
2022 Timeline
- Sep 6: Applications open
- Sep 20, 3-4 pm: Open House
- Oct 11: Applications Close
- Nov 1: Cohort Announced
- Dec 13: Orientation – Intro to ARPA, cohort goals, timeline, distribution of first round of funding, etc.
ELIGIBILTY REQUIREMENTS
- Food councils, community groups, and local community-based networks, partnerships, or organizations in North Carolina already working on food & health equity-related issues, with priority for those currently working with communities of color and rural communities.
- Food councils and community groups must have 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status or a tax-exempt fiscal agent to receive funds.
- Food councils and community groups must have identified healthy-equity-focused food-system-related projects in their community that they want to develop and implement an advocacy campaign around.
- Food councils and community groups must have two member representatives available to actively participate in monthly trainings and coaching for the duration of the cohort from Nov 2022 to July 2024. We encourage multi-racial teams.
- Member representatives must attend one in-person meeting annually (support provided is mentioned below).
- Member representatives must desire to engage in community engagement, education, strategic planning, and implementation of an advocacy campaign through July 2024.
- Applicants must be willing to potentially engage in a short interview as part of the application process.
SUPPORT & COMPENSATION
- Food councils and community groups selected to participate will receive funding to support their ARPA allocation advocacy campaigns, to be used in any way that promotes your ARPA advocacy goals.
- $5,500 for the first year
- Second-year funding may be distributed through a participatory grantmaking process, as determined by the cohort.
- Both member representatives will receive a $1250 stipend yearly to compensate for travel and time to participate in one annual in-person cohort meeting and monthly virtual trainings or meetings.
2022 - 2024 ARPA Advocacy Academy Timeline
2022
- Sep 6: Applications open
- Sep 20: Host Open House
- Oct 11: Applications Close
- Nov 1: Cohort Announced
- Dec 13: Orientation: Intro to ARPA local dollars, cohort goals, timeline, distribution of first round of funding, etc.
2023
- Jan: Engaging w/ Local Government & Local Budget Processes
- Feb: Strategic Advocacy Planning
- Mar: Strategic Advocacy Planning
- Apr: Individual Coaching / Technical Assistance (TA)
- May: Individual Coaching / TA, cohort check-in call
- Jun: Individual Coaching / TA
- Jul: Individual Coaching / TA
- Aug: In-person cohort debrief and planning session
- Sep: Trainings as identified by the cohort
- Oct: Trainings as identified by the cohort
- Nov: Shared gifting microgrant process
- Dec: Off
2024
- Jan: Strategic Advocacy Planning/group check-in
- Feb: Individual Coaching / TA
- Mar: Individual Coaching / TA
- Apr: Individual Coaching / TA
- May: Individual Coaching / TA
- Jun: Individual Coaching / TA
- Jul: Final in-person debrief and moving forward
ARPA BACKGROUND
**The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (H.R. 1319) (ARPA) included many different funding streams and provisions, one of which is “State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds.” North Carolina received approximately $8.9 billion for state and local government relief through that provision. Of that, the NC General Assembly determined how to allocate $5.4 billion in state aid, and the remaining $3.4 billion was distributed to local governments (county and municipal) via federal formulas. Recipients have until the end of 2024 to allocate their funds and until the end of 2026 to spend them. Within the categories of eligible uses, municipalities have broad flexibility to decide how best to use this funding to meet the needs of their communities.
Vermont Farm to Plate put out a great resource on using ARPA local funds for food system investments.
You can find more information here from the NC Pandemic Recovery Office.