ARPA Advocacy Academy (AAA)
Community Food Strategies partnered with BlueCross Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation to host the ARPA Advocacy Academy (AAA) from December 2022 to July 2024. We designed the academy to support community groups in building their capacity to advocate and apply for American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) allocations to fund food systems-related projects and initiatives.
The intensive two-year cohort began with the selection of nine groups, although two groups withdrew due to internal capacity issues. Participating groups received $150,900 in funding and stipends to support their work and participation in the academy. These groups included the Asheville Buncombe Food Policy Council, Men and Women United for Youth and Families, Charlotte Mecklenburg Food Policy Council, Montgomery County Food Security Collaborative, Capital Area Food Network, Pender County Food Coalition, and Craven County Community Gardeners.
Over the 20-month cohort, a team of two people from each group engaged in various activities to enhance their advocacy skills and community engagement. These included three virtual cohort meetings, four virtual trainings, two Shared Gifting sessions, and 16 months of team coaching. Specific trainings included “Engaging with Local Government & Local Budget Processes,” “Strategic Advocacy Planning,” and “Implicit Bias & Shared Gifting.” Each group also received individual monthly coaching from Community Food Strategies team members. The program concluded with an in-person wrap-up meeting in Greensboro, which provided an opportunity for deeper engagement and reflection, reinforcing the importance of being in community together and supporting each other in policy and advocacy engagement.
Three of the seven groups were involved in successfully efforts that obtained over $10 million in additional funding from local and state government to support food systems work in their communities:
- Share the Table, a member of the Pender County Food Coalition, received a $1 million Golden Leaf grant to build and open a new food distribution facility in 2023.
- The Capital Area Food Network received funding as part of $7.2 million in ARPA local funding allocated in 2023 by county commissioners for the Wake County Food Plan. As part of the plan, CAFN is partnering with Wake County Cooperative Extension to facilitate a Food Justice Cohort consisting of experienced BIPOC food practitioners tasked with:
- Developing a streamlined and accessible application process
- Reviewing and making awards to applicants
- Shifting decision-making power from the government to the impacted community
- Members of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Food Policy Council recieved funding in both the second and third rounds of APRA local funding allocated by Mecklenburg County. Hearts and Hands Food Pantry received $967,000 and Freshlist received $1,219,432.
All seven groups were able to create and deepen relationships with local elected officials and departments and build their capacity to engage in equitable, community-centered food system development.
Reflections on the cohort’s activities emphasized the need for fostering deeper connections among members, suggesting more peer-to-peer coaching, regular interactions, and the potential formation of an alum group. Participants highlighted the value of the final in-person meeting for enhancing relationships and building collective action. Despite the process taking some time, participants consistently affirmed the benefits of the Shared Gifting approach, appreciating its contribution to building connections and fostering a collaborative environment.
Overall, the ARPA Advocacy Academy cohort’s experience underscored the significance of sustained engagement, relational learning, and continued support for food coalitions and community groups around local advocacy and community engagement. We look forward to incorporating this learning into future communities of practice offerings!