444 (Department of Human Services)

The purpose of Farm to Food Bank Projects is to: (a) reduce food waste at the agricultural production, processing, or distribution level through the donation of food, (b) provide food to individuals in need, and (c) build relationships between agricultural producers, processors, and distributors and food banks through the donation of food.

7 CFR 251.10(j)

N/A

N/A

The FTFB program will: (1) acquire and distribute agricultural products from Illinois agricultural entities or aggregators to TEFAP eligible recipients. (2) distribute capacity-building grants for facility upgrades, equipment, or other investments necessary to support the objectives of the program and allow for the proper pickup, storage, or processing of agricultural products that expand the ability of Illinois TEFAP to access these products and better reach underserved areas and underserved populations. (3) target safe, surplus, seconds, or market-grade quality level fruits, vegetables, meat and poultry, dairy, and eggs produced in Illinois. (4) be subject to appropriation and shall dedicate no less than 75% of available funds to acquisition and distribution of food.

No

Farm to Food Bank Project funds can only be used for the costs associated with harvesting, processing, packaging, or transporting privately donated foods, and cannot be used to purchase foods or for agricultural production activities (e.g., purchasing seeds or planting crops). Additionally, these funds may not be used for costs associated with handling USDA Foods provided for distribution through TEFAP. States have discretion in determining how to distribute Farm to Food Bank Project funds and may apply funds to both new initiatives and to existing projects that meet the definition of a Farm to Food Bank Project. CODE of FEDERAL REGULATIONS Title 2: Grants and Agreements PART 200 - Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (2 CFR 200); Grant Accountability and Transparency Act (GATA), 30 ILCS 708/1 This is a USDA grant and this is a NOFO exempt program.

Nonprofit Organizations;

a) Eligible recipients must have the infrastructure to accept, store, and distribute foods through TEFAP in compliance with federal, State, or local health and food safety requirements and with the capacity to serve significant geographic areas within Illinois. b) Foods may be sourced directly from an agricultural entity or via Illinois-based aggregators as long as the foods meet program requirements. c) All food distributed under the program must be distributed in Illinois, regardless of the service area of the program participant.

Illinois agricultural entities including socially disadvantaged farmers; that address the food needs of food insecure, underserved communities in Illinois.

Direct Payments for Specific Use

Human Services

As required by 7 CFR 251.6(a)(5), Farm to Food Bank Projects must be carried out in partnership with one or more EFOs located in the state. Per 7 CFR 251.3(e), an EFO is an eligible recipient agency which provides nutrition assistance to relieve situations of emergency and distress through the provision of food to needy persons, including low-income and unemployed persons. States must have a TEFAP agreement in place with all participating EFOs in a Farm to Food Bank Project before the start of a project. Through agreements, state agencies may also partner with other states to maximize the use of foods donated under any Farm to Food Bank Project. TEFAP state agencies will have the discretion to distribute funds to Farm to Food Bank Project partners as they see fit while ensuring that funds are only expended on allowable Farm to Food Bank Project costs.

State agency communicates with USDA FNS prior to the submission of a formal application.

er 7 CFR 251.6(a)(5)(i) through (iv), state plan amendments must include all of the following requirements: A list of Emergency Food Organization/s (EFOs) within the state/territory that will operate the project in partnership with the state agency; A list of any state agencies that will operate the project as a part of an agreement; A description of the purpose of the Farm to Food Bank Project that includes how the project will: Reduce food waste at the agricultural production, processing, or distribution level through the donation of food; Provide food to individuals in need; and Build relationships between agricultural producers, processors, and distributors and emergency feeding organizations through the donation of food; and The federal fiscal year in which the project will begin operating.

Prior to making commodities or administrative funds available, State agencies, or eligible recipient agencies to which the State agency has delegated responsibility for the distribution of TEFAP commodities or administrative funds, must ensure that an organization applying for participation in the program meets the definition of an “eligible recipient agency” under § 251.3(d). In addition, applicant organizations must meet the following criteria: (1) Agencies distributing to households. Organizations distributing commodities to households for home consumption must limit the distribution of commodities provided under this part to those households which meet the eligibility criteria established by the State agency in accordance with paragraph (b) of this section. (2) Agencies providing prepared meals. Organizations providing prepared meals must demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the State agency, or eligible recipient agency to which they have applied for the receipt of commodities or administrative funds, that they serve predominantly needy persons. State agencies may establish a higher standard than “predominantly” and may determine whether organizations meet the applicable standard by considering socioeconomic data of the area in which the organization is located, or from which it draws its clientele. State agencies may not, however, require organizations to employ a means test to determine that recipients are needy, or to keep records solely for the purpose of demonstrating that its recipients are needy. (3) Tax-exempt status. Private organizations must— (i) Be currently operating another Federal program requiring tax-exempt status under the Internal Revenue Code (IRC), or (ii) Possess documentation from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recognizing tax-exempt status under the IRC, or(iii) If not in possession of such documentation, be automatically tax exempt as “organized or operated exclusively for religious purposes” under the IRC, or (iv) If not in possession of such documentation, but required to file an application under the IRC to obtain tax-exempt status, have made application for recognition of such status and be moving toward compliance with the requirements for recognition of tax-exempt status. If the IRS denies a participating organization's application for recognition of tax-exempt status, the organization must immediately notify the State agency or the eligible recipient agency, whichever is appropriate, of such denial, and that agency will terminate the organization's agreement and participation immediately upon receipt of such notification. If documentation of IRS recognition of tax-exempt status has not been obtained and forwarded to the appropriate agency within 180 days of the effective date of the organization's approval for participation in TEFAP, the State agency or eligible recipient agency must terminate the organization's participation until such time as recognition of tax-exempt status is actually obtained, except that the State agency or eligible recipient agency may grant a single extension not to exceed 90 days if the organization can demonstrate, to the State agency's or eligible recipient agency's satisfaction, that its inability to obtain tax-exempt status within the 180 day period is due to circumstances beyond its control. It is the responsibility of the organization to document that it has complied with all IRS requirements and has provided all information requested by IRS in a timely manner.

Reimbursement is based on Periodic Financial Reporting monthly submission.

To be eligible for funds to carry out a Farm to Food Bank Project in FY 2024, state agencies must submit an amendment to their state plan to their FNS regional office by Oct. 6, 2023. State agencies wishing to fund multi-year Farm to Food Bank projects must submit an updated state plan Amendment each fiscal year reconfirming the ongoing operation of the project.

N/A Once approved, State plans are permanent

In accordance with GATA Administrative Rules, Section 350, Merit Based Review of Grant Applications, a merit-based application review is required for competitive Grants and Cooperative Agreements, unless prohibited by State or Federal statute. The following was approved by omb.gata.exceptions on 11/8/23:CFDA #*93.667, which covers the Social Services Block Grant Program (SSBG), specifies that assistance under this listing is exempt from the identified 2 CFR policy requirements. The appeals process is set forth in section 7000.350 available here: http://www.ilga.gov/commission/jcar/admincode/044/044070000D03500R.html

Funding for Farm to Food Bank Projects beyond FY 2023 is not guaranteed and is subject to Congressional action. However, FNS will collect state plan amendments for FY 2024. If funding is appropriated for FY 2024, all state agencies that have submitted a plan will be considered for this funding.

As per TEFAP regulations at 7 CFR 251.10(j)(4), the federal share of a Farm to Food Bank Project shall not exceed 50 percent of the total cost of the project. Therefore, all federal funds utilized for Farm to Food Bank Projects must be matched by non-federal funds. The match requirement must be met through a cash or in-kind contribution from either the state or partner EFOs. Match funds must be used for allowable Farm to Food Bank project costs. While funds or in-kind contributions from non-federal sources expended to administer a project count toward the match requirement, donated foods, including the value of foods donated as a part of a Farm to Food Bank project, cannot count toward the match requirement. Additional guidance on allowable cash and in-kind match contributions for Farm to Food Bank projects can be found at 7 CFR 25.

Refer to Article VII of the Uniform Grant Agreement for requirements related to allowable e costs. Refer to the Uniform Grant Agreement for restrictions. Refer to the Uniform Grant Budget for total allowable costs and allowable costs by budget expenditure category. The Department's program staff may have additional policies/requirements applicable to the program. CODE of FEDERAL REGULATIONS Title 2: Grants and Agreements PART 200 - Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (2 CFR 200)

All state agencies that receive funds to carry out Farm to Food Bank projects in FY 2024 must provide semiannual financial reports via the Food Programs Reporting System (FPRS). The SF-425 must be used for these reports. A report titled “TEFAP-F2F-Bank-TEFAP Farm to Food Bank Projects” in FPRS has been established for this purpose. A first report must be submitted by April 30, 2024, and reflect Farm to Food Bank project funds expended from the start of the performance period to March 31, 2024. A second report must be submitted by Oct. 30, 2024, and reflect funds expended from April 1, 2024 to Sept. 30, 2024. A final report must be submitted within 90 days after the grant expires that reflect funds expended during the period of performance. Please see 7 CFR 251.10(j)(6) for more information on reporting requirements. Farm to Food Bank project funds should be reported under the TEFAP administrative funding Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number, 10.568. Administering entities must provide an Annual report that summarizes the activity from the prior year, including meeting the capacity-building and equity goals of the program.

N/A Feeding Illinois, the administering entity, is the direct beneficiary of the funds.

In accordance with 7 CFR 246, each Local Agency shall maintain full and complete records of Program operations in compliance with Federal and State records retention requirements. All records shall be retained for three (3) years following the close of the fiscal year to which the records pertain. An agency (e.g., any court and all parts, boards, departments, bureaus, and commissions of any county, municipal corporation or political subdivision) shall comply with the Local Records Act, which regulates the destruction and preservation of public records within the State of Illinois. The Federal Agency or Department may require longer retention of records and/or submission of such records to these agencies if the records cover a time period still open to audit.

Appropriations code: 124/53507 FAIN: 242IL051Y8613 Account ID: 202424Y861342

GRANT PERIOD FROM: 10/01/2023 GRANT PERIOD TO: 09/30/2025 $220,032

FY 24 Initial Potential Allocation for Farm to Food Bank Projects $ 148,633.00 FY 24 Additional Allocation for Farm to Food Bank Projects (using FY24 formula) $71,399.00 Total (Combined Initial + Additional) $220,032

The Illinois Department of Human Services has been using Farm to Food Bank Project funds to support a state-wide program intended to expand the quantity and quality of fresh, locally sourced foods available to food-insecure families and individuals through the state’s food bank network. On behalf of the state, Feeding Illinois coordinates this program, working to rescue excess farm fresh food and redirect it to food banks. Funds are used to reimburse contributing agricultural entities for pick and pick out costs associated with the products being donated. This project is a continuation of their FY 23 Farm to Food Bank project.

Section 4018(b) of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (PL 115-334, the 2018 Farm Bill) amended Section 203D of the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 to provide funding for TEFAP state agencies to pay for projects to harvest, process, package, or transport commodities donated by agricultural producers, processors, or distributors for use by emergency feeding organizations (EFOs). These projects are known as Farm to Food Bank Project

Springfield

IDHS, 823 East Monroe, Springfield, IL 62701

https://www.fns.usda.gov/tefap/farm-to-food-bank-project-grants

The 2018 Farm Bill provided $4 million each year for Farm to Food Bank Projects from FY 2019 through FY 2023. The first round of Farm to Food Bank Project grants were issued in May 2020, using funds appropriated in FY 2019 and the second round of Farm to Food Bank grants were issued in December 2020, using funds appropriated in FY 2020. A third round of Farm to Food Bank grants, issued in November 2021, used funds appropriated in FY 2021 and FY 2022. In FY 2023, FNS issued the remaining funds provided by the 2018 Farm Bill: $3,772,000 (one year of funding after rescission).

Please see FY 2021 Farm to Food Bank Project Summaries (https://www.fns.usda.gov/tefap/fy-2021-farm-food-bank-project-summaries) to read about how TEFAP state agencies have utilized Farm to Food Bank Project funding in past fiscal years.

8/27/2021

FY 2021 : $263,529
FY 2022 : $224,203
FY 2023 : $193,180
FY 2025 : $220,032