Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA FNS OEMCOE 11
Apply for USDA FNS OEMCOE 11
- The Food and Nutrition Service in the food and nutrition sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Center of Excellence for School Food Safety Research" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.585 FNS Food Safety Grants.
- This funding opportunity was created on Apr 14, 2010 and posted on Apr 14, 2010.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 11, 2010. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $800,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $800,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
- Institutions of higher education
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Opportunity Summary:
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), through its Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), offered a discretionary grant opportunity to create a single university-based Center of Excellence for School Food Safety Research. The purpose of the Center is to provide practical, science-based support that improves the safety of foods served through FNS nutrition assistance programs, with particular emphasis on meals and snacks provided in school and child care environments. In plain terms, the Center is meant to function as a research hub that can quickly focus on real-world food safety questions affecting cafeterias, central kitchens, and other institutional foodservice settings that serve children.
This opportunity was structured as a cooperative agreement, which signals that FNS expected to be actively involved in the work rather than simply funding a stand-alone research project. Center staff would be expected to work closely with FNS food safety personnel (FSS) to shape research priorities, carry out specific projects, and deliver usable results on timelines that support program operations. The announcement also notes that FSS could participate as technical advisors and, where appropriate, even serve as co-principal investigators on particular projects, reinforcing the applied and collaborative nature of the Center.
The host institution had to be an institution of higher education and, importantly, needed to be able to assemble an interdisciplinary team capable of addressing food safety from multiple angles. The expertise areas highlighted go well beyond laboratory microbiology alone and include food safety and food microbiology, foodservice management, agricultural production for both animal and plant systems, and social and behavioral fields like psychology and sociology. The inclusion of research design and statistics underscores that the Center was expected to produce rigorous, defensible studies, while the presence of management and behavioral disciplines points to an expectation that the work would also address how safety practices are adopted, maintained, and improved in real kitchens with real staffing and resource constraints.
In terms of scope and expectations, the Center was expected to respond to food safety research needs identified jointly by FNS and Center personnel, remain flexible as new needs emerge, and maintain enough staffing capacity to provide timely deliverables. Rather than locking the Center into a narrow set of predefined experiments, FNS emphasized the ability to pivot as agency priorities, emerging hazards, operational changes, or incident-driven questions arise. Performance and day-to-day work would take place at the funded university, essentially making the university the operational base for this national-level support function.
Funding was planned for a minimum of two years, with the possibility of continued support depending on both the availability of federal funds and the Center's performance. The annual funding level was described as contingent on the level of funding provided to the FSS, and the Center was encouraged, once established, to seek additional funding from other sources as long as it remained consistent with the Center's mission. This suggests FNS wanted the Center to develop longer-term sustainability and broaden its research support base while still keeping its core focus on improving food safety in nutrition assistance settings.
Administratively, this was a single-award competition (ExpectedAwards: 1) under CFDA 10.585 (FNS Food Safety Grants), with no cost-sharing or matching requirement. The estimated total funding was listed as $800,000, with an award ceiling of $800,000 and an award floor of $0, indicating up to $800,000 was available for the selected applicant. The opportunity was posted April 14, 2010, with a closing date of June 11, 2010, and an archive date of July 11, 2010, meaning it is a historical funding announcement rather than a currently open competition.
Eligible applicants were institutions of higher education (with the eligible applicant category also shown as "Others" with clarification in the full text), reflecting that the Center needed the academic infrastructure and faculty depth to support interdisciplinary, applied research. For access issues or administrative questions, the announcement directed applicants to contact the Grants Officer, Gregory Walton, by phone at 703-305-1575, and referenced an "Omnibus File Folder for 2010 Center of Excellence" as the additional information link for the full announcement materials.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is this grant opportunity about?
This USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) discretionary grant supported the creation of a single, university-based Center of Excellence for School Food Safety Research. The Center was intended to operate as a practical, science-based research hub focused on improving the safety of foods served through FNS nutrition assistance programs, especially meals and snacks in school and child care settings.
What is the main purpose of the Center of Excellence?
The Center's purpose was to provide applied, science-based support that improves food safety in institutional foodservice environments serving children, such as cafeterias and central kitchens. The Center was expected to focus on real-world questions and produce usable results on timelines that support program operations.
Which federal agency offered this funding?
The funding was offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) through its Food and Nutrition Service (FNS).
What type of award was it?
The opportunity was structured as a cooperative agreement. That format indicates FNS expected to be actively involved in the work rather than simply providing funds for an independent, stand-alone research project.
What does "cooperative agreement" mean in this context?
Based on the announcement description, it meant the Center would work closely with FNS food safety personnel (FSS) to shape research priorities, carry out projects, and deliver timely, operationally useful results. FSS could participate as technical advisors and, where appropriate, serve as co-principal investigators on specific projects.
How many awards were expected?
This was a single-award competition with an expected number of awards equal to 1, meaning one institution would host the Center.
Who was eligible to apply?
Eligible applicants were institutions of higher education. The posting also referenced an eligible applicant category of "Others" with clarification in the full text, but the core requirement described was that the host be a university (institution of higher education) capable of supporting an interdisciplinary Center.
What kind of team or expertise was the university expected to assemble?
The Center was expected to be interdisciplinary. The expertise areas specifically highlighted included:
- Food safety and food microbiology
- Foodservice management
- Agricultural production for animal and plant systems
- Social and behavioral fields such as psychology and sociology
- Research design and statistics
This combination suggests the Center was expected to address both scientific hazard questions and the practical realities of implementing and sustaining safe practices in real kitchens.
What settings or programs were emphasized for the Center's work?
The Center emphasized foods served through FNS nutrition assistance programs, with particular focus on meals and snacks provided in school and child care environments.
Was the Center expected to focus on a fixed research plan or adapt over time?
The Center was expected to remain flexible and be able to pivot as new needs emerged. Research needs were to be identified jointly by FNS and Center personnel, and the Center needed enough staffing capacity to provide timely deliverables as priorities changed.
Where would the day-to-day work be performed?
Performance and day-to-day work would take place at the funded university, which would serve as the operational base for the Center.
How long was the funding expected to last?
Funding was planned for a minimum of two years, with the possibility of continued support depending on the availability of federal funds and the Center's performance.
How much funding was available?
The estimated total funding was listed as $800,000, with an award ceiling of $800,000 and an award floor of $0. This indicates up to $800,000 was available for the selected applicant.
Was there a cost-sharing or matching requirement?
No. The announcement stated there was no cost-sharing or matching requirement.
Were annual funding levels guaranteed?
The announcement described the annual funding level as contingent on the level of funding provided to FNS food safety staff (FSS). Continued support also depended on federal funds availability and Center performance.
Could the Center seek other funding in addition to this award?
Yes. The Center was encouraged, once established, to seek additional funding from other sources as long as it remained consistent with the Center's mission. This reflects an expectation of longer-term sustainability while keeping the focus on improving food safety in nutrition assistance settings.
What is the CFDA number for this program?
The opportunity was listed under CFDA 10.585 (FNS Food Safety Grants).
When was this opportunity posted and when did it close?
The opportunity was posted on April 14, 2010. The closing date was June 11, 2010. The archive date was July 11, 2010.
Is this opportunity currently open?
No. The provided dates (including an archive date in 2010) indicate this is a historical funding announcement rather than a currently open competition.
Who was the point of contact for administrative or access questions?
Applicants were directed to contact the Grants Officer, Gregory Walton, by phone at 703-305-1575.
Where could applicants find the full set of announcement materials?
The announcement referenced an additional information link described as an "Omnibus File Folder for 2010 Center of Excellence" for the full materials.
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| Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 WIC Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) Project Implementation Grant Apply for USDA FNS WICEBTIMP 11 Funding Number: USDA FNS WICEBTIMP 11 Agency: Food and Nutrition Service Category: Food and Nutrition Funding Amount: $10,000,000 |
| Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 WIC Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) Planning Grant Apply for USDA FNS WICEBTPLN 11 Funding Number: USDA FNS WICEBTPLN 11 Agency: Food and Nutrition Service Category: Food and Nutrition Funding Amount: $5,000,000 |
| Fiscal Year (FY) 2011Technical Innovation and Standardization Project Grants Apply for USDA FNS WICTECHSTD 11 Funding Number: USDA FNS WICTECHSTD 11 Agency: Food and Nutrition Service Category: Food and Nutrition Funding Amount: $10,000,000 |
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