Expansion Projects Grants Overview

Organizations can apply for project support grants to enhance the development, implementation, and evaluation of initiatives that demonstrate measurable outcomes, showcasing an increased capacity for the recovery and distribution of edible food. Applicants must include a brief project concept during the LOI phase for consideration. If invited, they will submit a full application addressing the considerations outlined below, a detailed budget, and supporting documentation.  

Priority Area: Transportation

This funding area supports leasing or purchasing vehicles to enhance food recovery and distribution efforts.

A full application should address the following: 

Cost of the vehicle:

• Provide a cost comparison between purchasing vs. leasing

• Vehicle maintenance partner(s):
  • Provide a general cost estimate of anticipated maintenance and repairs, including a draft schedule for preventative maintenance
• Cost of insurance:
  • Provide an insurance provider or anticipated provider and estimated costs of insurance as part of budget planning
• Use of the vehicle.
  • Provide a detailed plan outlining how you intend to optimize the vehicle’s use
    • How many hours per day will your organization or partner organization use the vehicle for recovery?
    • How many hours per day will your organization or partner organization use the vehicle for distribution?
    • How many hours per day will your organization or partner organization use the vehicle for storage?
    • Where the vehicle will be parked.
    • Who will drive the vehicle (paid drivers or volunteers)?
      • If volunteers drive the vehicle, provide a volunteer driver agreement.
      • If paid drivers will be driving the vehicle, please provide the cost of the driver.
    • The food recovery route for the vehicle.

Priority Area: Repurposing Kitchens

Organizations can apply to establish or enhance a repurposing kitchen. A repurposing kitchen is a commercial kitchen that accepts recovered food to prepare meals for the community. The meals are vacuum-sealed and frozen for easy transport and storage.

A full application should address the following: 

• Details on essential equipment requests, such as vacuum sealers and blast freezers.
• Consultation on operational setup and best practices for food repurposing.
• An estimate of staff time required to support program setup and launch.

Priority Area: Tier 2 Food Recovery Program Support

Organizations can apply to recover food from Tier 2 commercial edible food generators and seek structured support to meet regulatory and operational requirements. Tier 2 commercial edible food generators include hotels, health facilities, schools, large restaurants, large events, large venues, and state agencies. These businesses are required to donate excess edible food if they meet specific criteria. CFAA is particularly interested in finding solutions for this type of food donor, as Tier 2 food recovery is a complex process. A suggested approach is to pilot partnerships with these donors, accepting both shelf-stable and perishable items, but excluding prepared foods.

A full application should address the following: 

Restaurants: Restaurant with 250 or more seats, or a total facility size equal to or greater than 5,000 square feet.

• Hotels: Hotel with an on-site food facility and 200 or more rooms.
• Health Facilities: Health facility with an on-site food facility and 100 or more beds.
• Large Venues: Large venue means a permanent venue facility that annually seats or serves an average of more than 2,000 individuals within the grounds of the facility per day of operation.
• Large Events: Large events means an event, including, but not limited to, a sporting event, a flea market or a festival, that charges an admission price, or is operated by a local agency, and serves an average of more than 2,000 individuals per day of operation of the event, at a location that includes, but is not limited to, a public, nonprofit, or privately owned park, parking lot, golf course, street system, or other open space when being used for an event.
• State Agencies: A state agency with a cafeteria with 250 or more seats or a total cafeteria facility size equal to or greater than 5,000 square feet.
• Local Education Agencies: A local education agency with an on-site food facility. Local education agency means a school district, charter school, or county office of education that is not subject to the control of city or county regulations.

• Funding may support the following types of activities:
  • Funding for initial supply expenses, and staff support during the launch phase
• Training and consultation on how to recover, handle and distribute Tier 2 food, with a strong emphasis on food safety protocols
• Assistance in establishing a pounds-tracking system for recovered food
• Funding for charitable feeding registration expenses.
• Verification that the organization is fully operational
• Support in educating Tier 2 food generators
• Assistance in connecting with food recovery services if needed

*Please note that you can also collaborate with Abound and Sacramento County’s Environmental Management Division to scope and pilot prepared food recovery as a future phase.*  Abound can provide your organization with more information about Tier 2 food recovery protocols and best practices if you are interested. Please email [email protected] to connect with Abound’s outreach team for more information.

Priority Area: Innovative Projects

Organizations can apply for grants to develop, implement, and assess innovative projects with measurable outcomes that demonstrate improved capacity for recovering and distributing edible food.

A full application should address the following: 

Funding for key areas of food recovery capacity expansion

• Support to scale up organizations and collaborations between organizations

• Post Award Management & Requirements

For your awareness, awarded applicants will need to provide reporting and supporting documentation to comply with the award terms.

• Food Safety Compliance:
  • Valid ANSI-accredited food safety certification.
    • Grant funds may be used to obtain the necessary certification if needed
  • Maintain a current health permit or registration
  • Maintain good standing with their most recent EMD inspection
• Data Tracking & Reporting:
  • Organizations must demonstrate the ability to track and report key data related to their program implementation and outcomes, including, but not limited to, the following criteria:
    • Track and report the following information:
      • Pounds of food recovered per month
      • Pounds of food distributed per month
      • Pounds (or volume) of inedible/ non-distributed food per month. We highly encourage weighing food waste. The second most preferred method of assessment is to report your organic waste service levels and provide photos of how full the organics container is on the day of collection. Recipients may also propose their own alternative methods of quantification.
    • Provide Report(s):
      • Recipients are required to provide project reports as outlined in the timeline section. A fillable template will be provided for reporting. A payment and reporting schedule will be included in all final agreements.
    • Measure Community Impact: This is strongly encouraged but not required.
  • Provide a measurement of community impact. The goal is to provide data about the impact of food distribution in your community. For example, this may include a survey of health outcomes and/ or clientele feedback or anonymous clientele data of your choice.