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Food Secure Communities (FSC) Implementation Fund - Criteria and application process

The following organisations were successful in their application for the Food Secure Communities Implementation Fund:

What is the Food Secure Communities Implementation Fund?

The Food Secure Communities Implementation Fund is for communities to implement or scale up sustainable initiatives which will increase access to affordable and healthy kai within low-income communities and/or enable Māori to exercise tino rangatiratanga over food systems that feed and nourish whānau. In doing so, this helps reduce the dependency on foodbanks and food hardship grants.

The total funding available is $2 million over nine months from September 2021 to 30 June 2022.

There is no set grant amount, but estimate funding approximately 50 initiatives with grants averaging $20,000 each, and 20 initiatives with grants averaging $50,000 each.

What is involved in a Food Secure Communities initiative?

Food Secure Communities initiatives focus on people, whānau and communities who experience the highest levels of food insecurity. These include beneficiaries and low-income earners; those living in emergency, social or rental housing; Māori, Pacific peoples, women parenting alone and disabled people.

The initiatives reduce the dependency of people and whānau on foodbanks and food hardship grants.

To do this, Food Secure Communities initiatives:

  • Increase access to healthy and affordable kai in low income communities, and/or
  • Enable Māori to exercise tino rangatiratanga over food systems that feed and nourish whānau.

Food Secure Communities initiatives can differ widely and include things such as food co-operatives, urban farms, backyard food production training, upcycling of surplus kai etc. Because this is one-off grant funding, social enterprise is encouraged (within not-for-profit legal entities), or other models that ensure sustainability beyond the length of the funding.

Useful resources include:

Who can apply?

We are seeking applications from organisations that are:

  • Registered as a Charitable Trust, Incorporated Society or other not for profit legal entity.
  • Able to articulate how their governance and management structures are reflective of the makeup of the communities in which they operate.
  • Able to demonstrate the organisation and initiative have strong and ongoing connections to mana whenua, and groups in their community that are experiencing food insecurity.
  • Able to demonstrate that the initiative will have a significant impact and benefit low income communities and other groups experiencing food insecurity.
  • Able to demonstrate that the initiative will be sustainable beyond the length of the grant funding.
  • Able to demonstrate how they are actively working together with others in their community.
  • Able to demonstrate how they will coordinate and implement the initiative, and how it will be measured and evaluated.
  • Able to demonstrate a fair and reasonable budget that is linked to outcomes and is value for money.

Note: If applicant has received previous Food Secure Communities grant funding or Community Food Response grant funding, they will need to be up-to-date on their reporting requirements to be eligible to apply for this fund, and will need to demonstrate that the initiative and budget build from previous funding.

Eligible costs

This grant fund is intended to focus on the implementation of sustainable food security initiatives in low income communities, or that are otherwise food insecure. We recognise that initiatives will differ widely across communities and between as each have different needs. This is a limited fund and so projects which require targeted investment which will be sustainable and achieve a significant impact will be prioritised.

This flexible approach recognises the different operating models and cost structures of community providers.

Ineligible costs

The following are examples of costs which are NOT eligible:

  • Business-as-usual costs, such as usual staffing costs and overheads
  • General restocking of food and supplies for foodbanks/pataka

Expected outcomes

The successful applicant will implement initiatives which are sustainable and will increase food security within their community. This will vary by community, but in general will be working towards:

  • Communities which are food secure, where everyone has access to affordable, healthy kai.
  • Māori exercise tino rangatiratanga over food systems that feed and nourish whānau.
  • Reduced dependency on foodbanks and food hardship grants.

Assessment criteria

We acknowledge that this is a relatively modest grant fund and we expect to be oversubscribed with applications. As such our assessment panel will make difficult decisions about which initiatives to fund. The panel will assess each application against the following criteria:

  1. Strength and capability of applicants (/5)
  2. Strength and impact of project proposal (/5)
  3. Focus on communities experiencing food insecurity (/5)
  4. Detail of project implementation (/5)
  5. Budget and estimated costs (/5)

Total (/25)

Do ensure that your application gives detailed and clear responses to ensure the panel can assess your application against the criteria above.

Reporting requirements

A written report will be required at the completion of the funding period and the provider will maintain a relationship with MSD Food Secure Community relationship managers which will include at least one site visit.

Your questions

If you have any questions, please email them to foodsecure@msd.govt.nz

We will also regularly update our FAQs page with your commonly asked questions.

How can applications be made?

Applications open on 24 May 2021 and close on 25 July 2021 at 11.59pm. Applicants will be informed of the outcome of their application by mid-September 2021.

Please edit the document in MS Word, save changes and submit to MSD Food Secure Communities mailbox: foodsecure@msd.govt.nz

Please note, you DO NOT need to print, sign, and scan the application form.

How many grants are likely to be distributed from this fund, and what will be the average size of the grants?

The assessment panel will allocate this fund according to need (as mapped across Aotearoa by an allocation model), the quality of each application, and their understanding of the impact each initiative will have. There is no set grant amount but we estimate funding approximately 50 initiatives with grants averaging $20,000 each, and 20 initiatives with grants averaging $50,000 each.

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