GRANTS

Micro-Grants for Food Security

We are extremely pleased to announce that the Micro-Grants for Food Security has been awarded! After carefully considering over one thousand applications, the Division of Agriculture has notified 234 projects of their acceptance. Now contracting can begin. All applicants received an email sent out on December 14, 2021, from the SmartSimple platform, informing them of their status.

We do understand the disappointment of that those who were not selected. Our Expert Review Committee did the best job possible at funding as many qualifying and eligible projects. If you missed the opportunity to apply or your application this year was declined, the Division of Agriculture will offer the next opportunity to apply for Micro-Grants for Food Security in the first quarter of 2022. The next application period will be announced on this webpage, on Facebook live, through a Statewide Press Release, and on the Alaska Grown Facebook page.

For those interested in the results of the grant awards:

Below is the link for The Micro-Grants for Food Security Program statute, which lists program requirements, eligible entities and project types:

https://old.govregs.com/uscode/title7_chapter102_section7518

For those interested in the priorities and criteria used to review this year’s grant, they are listed below:

FY20 Micro-Grant for Food Security Program Evaluation and Priority Criteria:

Micro-Grant Objectives: 50 points

• The proposed project demonstrates that it will:
• Increase access to the quantity and quality of locally grown food for food insecure individuals, families, neighborhoods, and communities through small-scale gardening, herding, livestock operations, and/or the ability to safely store food.
• Occur in or assist areas of Alaska that have significant levels of food insecurity and import a significant quantity of food and/ or in an area of the state where access to safe storage of food, central provisions, and food hubs are limited.

Alaska Food Security Need/Project Impact: 25 points

• The proposed project responds to the need to increase food security in the applicant’s community or region and demonstrates the ability to impact that need.
• At least one expected measurable outcome had been identified.
• The project provides a method to measure success. As an example, this may include the number of individuals or families that benefit from the project, amount of increased food in the community, amount of new storage, amount of new acreage in production, or number of individuals completing a safety food handling course.

Priority Consideration: 25 points

• Have not previously received a subaward under this program.
• Further, prioritizing criteria to be considered will be:
  • eligibility of the proposal per the farm bill legislation,
  • the ability of the proposed activity to increase the production and/or storage capacity in the local community,
  • the level of food insecurity in the applicant’s region, and;
  • other relevant information as to the capacity and purpose of the applicant(s).

Aggregated proposals with multiple individuals or qualifying organizations with a coordinated proposal addressing the priorities listed above are encouraged.

Please note that we have limited staff for individual phone calls or questions.

** Please note that email is the preferred method of contact.**

Email: dnr.ag.grants@alaska.gov

Specialty Crop Block Grant

The next year’s round of Specialty Crop Block Grants is not yet ready for release. We will have a notice out in early 2022 when details become available.