The application for this round of planning assistance from Local Foods, Local Places closed on November 6, 2016. The information here is for reference only.

Background

Local Foods, Local Places helps communities create more livable neighborhoods by promoting local foods. The program is supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Department of Transportation, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Appalachian Regional Commission, and the Delta Regional Authority.

Local Foods, Local Places aims to support projects that do all of the following:

• Create livable, walkable, economically vibrant main streets and mixed-use neighborhoods.
• Boost economic opportunities for local farmers and main street businesses.
• Improve access to healthy, local food, especially among disadvantaged populations.

See the main Local Foods, Local Places page to learn about past projects.

The Local Foods, Local Places program will provide selected communities planning assistance that centers around a two-day community workshop. At the workshop, a team of experts will help community members develop an implementable action plan that promotes local food and neighborhood revitalization. Click here to see examples of action plans from past community workshops organized through this assistance. This assistance is not a grant, and the program does not provide money directly to communities.

Eligibility and Special Considerations

Eligible applicants include local governments, Indian tribes, and nonprofit institutions and organizations proposing to work in a neighborhood, town, or city of any size anywhere in the United States. We expect that many of the communities we select will be economically challenged and in the early phases of their efforts to promote local foods and community revitalization. We also expect that at least two of the selected communities will be designated colonias in the United States-Mexico border region.

Communities that are selected for the program and are located in the federally designated Appalachia region or the federally designated Delta region might be eligible for additional implementation support beyond what is provided through the planning assistance.

How to Apply

Download and complete the fillable PDF form at the bottom of this page. You must use the latest version of the free Adobe Acrobat Reader software Exit to save the fillable form. Please save the form using the file name: City State PointOfContact’sLastName LOI. For example: Washington DC Smith LOI  

Letters of support are not required in order to be selected for the Local Foods, Local Places Program. However, some applicants might wish to have partner organizations or local elected officials submit letters verifying statements in the application or pledging to support the process and implementation of the resulting action plan. All letters of support must be emailed along with the original (not scanned) application form by the application due date. Please send all letters of support in a single file (separate from the application form) using the file name: City State PointOfContact’sLastName LOS. For example: Washington DC Smith LOS

Do not include any additional materials (e.g., city master plan, market strategies, event flyers, etc.).

Email the completed application and optional letter(s) of support to lflp@epa.gov by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on November 6, 2016.

We will contact all selected and non-selected communities upon completion of the review process in early 2017.

If you have questions about the Local Foods, Local Places Program or the application process, please read the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About Local Foods, Local Places. If your question is not answered there, please email lflp@epa.gov.

• 2016-2017 Local Foods Local Places Fillable Application (PDF)(2 pp, 3 MB)