2024-2025 Let's Eat Healthy Community Grants Request for Proposal

Request for Proposals Period: September 27 to October 31, 2024


Overview

The Let’s Eat Healthy Community Grant program advances the activation of Dairy Council of California’s Let’s Eat Healthy initiative, engaging champions to empower healthier children and families by investing in great ideas and partnerships to meet the needs of local communities. This funding program advances innovative and collaborative solutions to improve nutrition education, dairy agricultural literacy and access to nutritious foods that include milk and dairy.


Criteria

• Proposals must be consistent with the values of Let’s Eat Healthy and align to at least one Let's Eat Healthy Strategic Framework goal and objective. 
• Projects must address at least one of the following focus areas:
  • Improve nutrition security through accessibility of milk and dairy foods as part of any of the following: federal child nutrition programs, school environment or community setting.
  • Food literacy that supports dairy agricultural literacy as part of farm-to-school efforts.
  • Nutrition education that focuses on integrating educational programs as part of food access programs.
  • Nutrition education that focuses on enhancing nutrition programming within any of the following settings: school environment, child care or community. Projects may address the following:
    • Campaign activation promoting milk and dairy foods.
    • Promotion of milk and dairy foods through cultural foods, traditions and food literacy programming.
  • Engagement of youth ambassadors leading nutrition education, dairy agricultural literacy and/or nutrition security projects that promote dairy.
  • Engagement of a university dietetic program supporting a school wellness, nutrition education and/or nutrition security project that promotes dairy.
• Projects must demonstrate effective utilization of solutions and educational tools provided by Dairy Council of California. 
• Projects must be completed by December 31,2025 which includes implementation and submission of evaluation data and final report.  

Eligibility

• Applicants must represent a legal entity in California (school, district, nonprofit, local government, community organization, university, etc.).
• Applicants must align to the values of Let’s Eat Healthy that guide the collective impact of the Let’s Eat Healthy community.
• Applicants must either represent or collaborate with organizations that align with at least one of the following sectors outlined in the Request for Proposals’ funding tracks: Child Nutrition, Community Health and School Wellness (see below).

Funding Track: Child Nutrition 

Let’s Eat Healthy believes the Universal Meals Program and other federal child nutrition programs (e.g. CACFP, Summer Meals, etc.)  are essential nutrition security programs that provide children access to vital nutrients to support optimal growth and development and academic achievement. Federal nutrition standards provide children access to a variety of wholesome foods, including milk and dairy, vegetables, fruits, whole grains and lean protein, through healthy, culturally inclusive meals offered at schools and child care centers.

Proposal areas of particular interest include:

• Nutrition security projects that enhance the accessibility of milk and dairy foods as part of federal child nutrition programs or within the school environment.
  • Proposals may include projects that implement Smarter Lunchrooms Movement of California or Smarter Mealtimes Movement of California strategies, or support establishment or enhancement of school pantries that include access to milk and dairy foods.
• Food literacy projects that support dairy agricultural literacy as part of farm-to-school efforts.
  • Proposals may include projects that implement Let’s Eat Healthy Together: Explore Dairy or farm-to-you programs and activities promoted by Dairy Council of California, or support professional development of dairy’s role in sustainable nutrition and health.
• Nutrition education projects that focus on enhancing nutrition programming within the school setting or child care environment.
  • Proposals may include expanding access to science-based nutrition education, promoting nutrition, activating Let’s Eat Healthy campaigns or implementing a food literacy program inclusive of milk and dairy foods.
• Engagement of youth ambassadors leading nutrition education, dairy agricultural literacy and/or nutrition security projects that support dairy.
  • Proposals may include projects that target activation of student nutrition advisory councils or school student body, or engagement of Career Technical Education programs including culinary or agriculture education.
• Engagement of a university dietetic program in the school environment supporting a nutrition education, dairy agricultural literacy and/or nutrition security project that promotes dairy.
  • Proposals may include school meal transformation projects, activation of nutrition-focused local school wellness strategies, activation of a Let’s Eat Healthy campaign, coordination and/or delivery of direct nutrition education, etc.

Funding Track: Community Health 

Let’s Eat Healthy believes community-based nutrition interventions play a vital role in supporting the health and well-being of diverse populations. By incorporating culturally informed and evidence-based strategies within nutrition education and food access programs, individuals are supported in developing and maintaining health-promoting behaviors across the life span.

Proposal areas of particular interest include:

• Nutrition security projects that enhance the accessibility of milk and dairy foods in the community setting.
  • Proposals may include enhancing food access programs for children and/or families.
• Nutrition education projects that focus on integrating educational programs as part of food access programs.
  • Proposals may include expanding access to science-based nutrition education, promoting nutrition, activating Let’s Eat Healthy campaigns or implementing a food literacy program.
• Nutrition education projects that focus on cultural foods, traditions and food literacy projects that include milk and dairy foods.
  • Proposals may include utilization of any of the following resources: Cooking With Families: A Creative Twist on Familiar Foods, Let’s Eat Healthy Together: Explore Dairy, and Let’s Eat Healthy Together video episodes.
• Engagement of youth ambassadors leading nutrition education, dairy agricultural literacy, and/or nutrition security projects that support dairy.
  • Proposals may include a food literacy project and activation of at least one of the following required campaigns: National Dairy Month (June 2025) or World School Milk Day (September 24, 2025).
  • Proposals may include implementation of the following resources: Let’s Eat Healthy Together: Explore Dairy or farm-to-you programs and activities.
• Engagement of a university dietetic program in the community setting supporting a wellness program, nutrition education and/or nutrition security project that promotes dairy.
  • Proposals may include coordinating or leading a food access project, delivering direct nutrition education to the community, etc.

Funding Track: School Wellness

Let’s Eat Healthy empowers school communities and partners to strengthen local school wellness policies and systems in California to support student whole child health and academic achievement. Promoting and preserving practices that establish healthy school nutrition environments and access to nutritious food—including milk and dairy—help support nutrition security.

Proposal areas of particular interest include:

• Nutrition education projects that focus on integrating educational programs as part of food access programs.
  • Proposals may include expanding access to science-based nutrition education, promoting nutrition, activating Let’s Eat Healthy campaigns or implementing a food literacy program as part of a food access program.
• Nutrition education projects that focus on cultural foodways and food literacy to demonstrate dairy’s cultural inclusivity.
  • Proposals may include utilization of any of the following resources: Cooking With Families: A Creative Twist on Familiar Foods, Let’s Eat Healthy Together: Explore Dairy, and Let’s Eat Healthy Together video episodes.
• Nutrition education projects that foster environments that support healthy eating through campaign activation promoting milk and dairy, including the activation of at least one of the following required campaigns: National Dairy Month (June 2025) or World School Milk Day (September 24, 2025).
  • Proposals may include supplemental Let’s Eat Healthy campaigns and resources.
• Engagement of youth ambassadors leading nutrition education, dairy agricultural literacy and/or nutrition security projects that promote dairy.
  • Proposals may include projects that target activation of student nutrition advisory councils or school student body, or engagement of Career Technical Education programs including culinary or agriculture education.
• Engagement of a university dietetic program in the school environment supporting a nutrition education, dairy agricultural literacy and/or nutrition security project that promotes dairy.
  • Proposals may include activation of nutrition-focused local school wellness strategies, activation of a Let’s Eat Healthy campaign or coordination and/or delivery of direct nutrition education. 

Selection Process

• Completed online applications must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. PDT, Thursday, October 31, 2024.
• All applications will go through a panel review including Dairy Council of California staff and partners.
• Selected applicants will be required to schedule one phone interview at the discretion of Dairy Council of California. Phone interviews will be scheduled between November 18, 2024, and December 9, 2024. Eligible final applicants will be contacted by email the week of November 11, 2024, to schedule the phone interview.
• Applicants will be notified via email of their acceptance status by the week of January 6, 2025.
• Dairy Council of California will manage funding disbursement for accepted proposals. The disbursement funding formula may be subject to change at the discretion of Dairy Council of California. Funding will be issued in three payments:
  • Payment #1: 50% of awarded funding to be issued by January 24, 2025
  • Payment #2: 25% of awarded funding to be issued by May 5, 2025
  • Payment #3: 25% of awarded funding to be issued by October 24, 2025

Funding Availability

• $30,000 total is available to be awarded. Dairy Council of California plans to fund 3-6 awards.
• Proposals for community grants may request up to $10,000.

Questions? Contact Sonia Fernandez Arana, Let’s Eat Healthy Program Manager at SFernandez@DairyCouncilofCA.org