Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production Competitive Grants Program (UAIP)

The primary goal of the UAIP pilot project is to support the development of urban agriculture and innovative production. The two types of UAIP grants being made available for application under this NFO are Planning Projects and Implementation Projects. Planning Projects are for supporting the development of projects that will either initiate, build upon, or expand the efforts of farmers, gardeners, citizens, government officials, schools, members of tribal communities, and other stakeholders in areas where access to fresh foods are limited or unavailable. Implementation Projects are for accelerating existing and emerging models of urban and/or innovative agricultural practices that serve multiple farmers or gardeners. Innovation may include new and emerging, as well as traditional or indigenous, agricultural practices.

Planning Projects support one or more of the following

• Assessments of community needs within the local food system to identify how food is grown, distributed, or marketed and what existing needs related to food access, nutrition education, conservation, and economic development can be addressed by urban and/or innovative agriculture.

• Planning activities and community partnerships to improve how food is grown, distributed, or marketed in the target area using urban and/or innovative agriculture.

• Business planning, feasibility studies, and other strategies, such as community resource development, that support new and beginning farmers, particularly within socially disadvantaged and underserved communities.

• Policy development to make municipal policies and zoning laws in the target area more supportive of the needs of urban and/or innovative agriculture.

• Creating educational materials and programs that will increase knowledge about food and agriculture and encourage careers in agriculture and innovative production in the target community;

Implementation Projects support one or more of the following

• Increasing food production in small, urban, and indoor spaces, including through the use of emerging technology.

• Promoting agricultural businesses through job training and providing resources to help communities access land and equipment, mentoring, and other assistance to new and beginning farmers in the local community.

• Implementation of activities to address food access, zoning, compost, land access, soil health, emerging technologies, infrastructure needs (such as access to water and utilities) at the State, local, municipal, or school level to meet the needs of target community and local agricultural producers.

• Educating the target community about food systems, nutrition, agricultural production, and environmental impacts by:

  • Operating community gardens or nonprofit farms that offer training in farming or gardening through hands-on, virtual, or web-based formats

  • Providing K-12 schools with educational resources or programs that increase student knowledge of and access to locally grown foods, emphasize the importance of consuming nutritious and locally grown foods, and train students for careers in agriculture or innovative production.

Eligibility for this opportunity is limited to the following entity types:

• Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS (other than institutions of higher education)

• A unit of local government, including:

  • City, township, or county governments

  • School districts

  • Soil and Water Conservation districts

• A Tribal Government, including

  • Native American Tribal Governments (federally recognized)

  • Native American Tribal organizations (other than Federally-recognized tribal governments)

• A school serving grades Kindergarten through grade 12

There is no cost sharing or matching requirement for this opportunity. There is no competitive advantage to applicants who voluntarily provide a match.

To apply, carefully read the Notice of Funding Opportunity on grants.gov and follow the instructions to submit an application.

In preparation for applying, you will need to take the following (free) steps, if you haven't already:

• Obtain an EIN from the IRS

• Register with SAM.gov

• Obtain a Unique Entity Number (UEN) from SAM.gov

• Register an account with Grants.gov

• Opportunity on grants.gov (Includes Notice of Funding Opportunity)

• SAM.gov