WSDA Funding Opportunities Q&A

WSDA Funding Opportunities Q&A responses by Laura Raymond, WSDA

Q: You may know military families face a real issue with food security. How can WSDA help us do a better job of delivery of food to these folks?
A: I’m not sure if that’s a question of engaging veterans more thoroughly in the food systems in general or making food access more available. We Feed WA is an example of a food aid program that has potential to help. That’s a great question for the community.
Q: How do you measure “viability”?
A: We think of it as a farm’s ability to continue. Regional Markets is focused on farms that are engaging in economic activity/commerce. There are a lot of small farms in Washington State that are oriented to homestead and self-sufficiency. We are focused more on farms that are trying to have some business viability. That doesn’t necessarily mean for-profit business, but viability means being sustainable year
after year. Viability may relate to who they market to, types of ag practices they use, etc.
Q: Can you be more specific with examples of goal #2: Bolster infrastructure, ensure adequate food supply, and pursue access improvements within the WSDA Food Assistance contactor network?
A: That goal focuses on our Food Assistance Program work and so is outside of my specific program expertise. That said, my understanding is the goal is focused on improving capacity and infrastructure within the network of food banks and other partners that WSDA’s Food Assistance Program works with, such as coolers or refrigerated trucks that allow food banks the ability to hold and provide a wider range
of products. It also refers to work we are doing to better understand barriers communities and individuals may face in accessing food through existing food assistance programs and to explore changes in program and service delivery to address those barriers. Additionally, this goal refers to new food access roles WSDA has taken on during the pandemic emergency such as direct procurement and storage of foods in additional warehouse space that allows us to manage and ensure supplies of food through the emergency food network, even as national food
supply chains may be disrupted.
Q: Are the WSDA grants you referred to reimbursement grants?
A: Yes
Q: I run a commercial kitchen designed to help local farms process farm products so they can sell value added products during off season. What kind of grants are available for this kind of infrastructure for a private small business owner like me?
A: That type of infrastructure is what the new infrastructure grants are intended to support. There is a real gap in WA State of facilities for producers to use, or co-packing. We haven’t published the guidelines yet and are still collecting input, but the hope is that the grant would be available for just this kind of thing.
We have a survey that is open. Please fill out this WSDA infrastructure grant survey and share your thoughts with us.
There aren’t many grants available directly for businesses for investing in food system infrastructure. One is the USDA’s Value Added Producer Grant which is for farmers who are doing value-added processing, or things like marketing of products, or packaging that adds value. With the exception of the farm to school grant, all of the funding and programs I presented are funded on a one-time basis for this biennium, unless more funding is allocated in the next biennium.
Q: We farm in a remote area without access to processing facilities that would make production of value-added products possible for our small farm. How can these grants assist us?
A: Once the grant guidelines are published, you should be able to determine how the grants might fit with your specific needs. Please fill out the survey to give us input and share any specific ideas/needs you have.
Q: Does the WSDA see a way to fund farmer incentives that lower prices for underserved families, or incentives for mid to low-income consumers to be able to purchase market-priced foods?
A: WA Dept. of Health through their SNAP match and WIC/Senior Farmers Market Incentives programs are working on this model. There may be opportunities to build on successes there at the community level. Contact Alyssa Auvinen at the WA Dept. of Health to learn more about that.
Q: Will the food systems infrastructure grants support land purchases? How can they support land access, which is a challenge for underrepresented folks?
A: The grants will not support land purchases. WA Conservation Commission and their Office of Farmland Preservation are working on land access issues currently. We know this is a key issue and barrier and will be looking at it more closely. That said, land use/land access are generally outside of the realm of WSDA’s charge, so work we do in this area will necessarily be in partnership with other organizations and agencies. Comment: At resilient-veterans.org we are engaged in raising funds to build starter gardens for underserved populations. A free garden gets them growing and supporting themselves. Some may become market gardens at some point.
Q: How does WSDA anticipate defining “infrastructure” … for example the difference between large equipment and facilities?
A: We have not yet defined this. Please share your thoughts on this via the survey.
Q: How can we be involved and/or invite others to be involved in extending these grant opportunities beyond this biennium?
A: The most direct way to extend the grant opportunities into the future is by letting your Washington State legislators know that you appreciate these programs and would like to see them funded in the coming budget.
Q: Is there a way to interact with the Food Policy Forum?
A: Yes, Food Policy Forum meetings are open to the public and all are welcome to participate in discussions at the meetings. Official consensus/voting decisions are reserved for appointed Forum Members.
You can learn more about the Forum and read reports and meeting notes which are posted on the Forum’s webpages here: https://www.scc.wa.gov/food-policy.
If you’d like to be added to the Forum’s email list to know about upcoming meetings, you can contact Alicia McClendon whose information is also listed on the webpage above.
Q: You described Farm to School funding as “ongoing.” Can you define?
A: Our state budget is developed and approved by the legislature on a biennium basis when the state legislature is in its “regular session” every two years. The next time the legislature meets, they will work on the budget that the state will operate under for the next two years (July 2023 – June 2025).
All the information I shared about the budget in the presentation referred to the current biennium (July 2021 – June 2023). When a program is funded by the Washington state budget in an “ongoing” way, that means that the intention is funding for the program into perpetuity. Funds for the program should just automatically be
included in future state budgets. If a program or activity is included in a state budget as “one-time” funding, that means it is funded just for a single two-year budget and it will not be funded again after that, unless specific action is taken by the legislature to identify funding for it and include it in the next budget.
Q: Is there an estimated award range for the infrastructure development grants?
A: Not yet. We’d love to hear your thoughts about this via the survey.