A.    Proposals are accepted via overnight delivery services although early submission by standard mail is encouraged. Standard or express delivery is accepted as long as completed proposal packets are received by the Kraft Community Nutrition Program’s March 14, 2008 deadline.

A.    Kraft will inform all applicants of grantmaking decisions by December 31, 2008. The review process extends approximately nine months due to the comprehensive and competitive nature of the process.

A.    No, applicants do not need to be a member of America’s Second Harvest. The Kraft Community Nutrition RFP is open to food banks and other food-rescue organizations that meet Kraft’s general eligibility criteria listed in the guidelines.

A.    Proof of your organization’s adherence to America’s Second Harvest and/or Department of Agriculture food safety guidelines is sufficient.

A.    Use the most recent 12 month reporting period that works best for you. You can report on a calendar year, fiscal year, or a rolling 12 month period, i.e. November 2006 to November 2007. Please be sure to use a consistent reporting period across food categories. If you have received a Kraft grant in the past, we ask that you use the same 12-month period as you used in your previous materials so that we can make coherent comparisons.

A.    The “amount of food collected” includes donated food only. Do not include purchased food. Kraft is looking for increases in donated food, not purchased. Also, do not include food that is part of an “enabler” program.

A.    An enabler program is one where a food recovery organization matches recipient agencies with sources of nearby food. In these partnerships, agencies go directly to sources to collect food for distribution. Sources of food near agencies often include grocery retail stores.

A.    No, you do not. If you do not handle a certain category of food, just indicate “Not Handled.”

A.    Yes, if the agency is receiving food from the food bank, and if the equipment isn’t used exclusively for the enabler program.

A.    We recommend that for each category of food you take a sample period and perform a hand count. This sample period will be the basis for estimating your non-shelf stable food pounds collected over a 12 month period. Please explain in a narrative how you determined the estimates.

A.    Yes, Kraft wants organizations to report on their collection of raw food coming in, whatever it’s eventual destination. Be sure to count food only once.

A.    If you plan to apply for a 2008 Kraft Community Nutrition grant, you need to include an interim report on your 2007 grant award in your application package. Explain the time period between your receipt of Kraft’s 2007 award and the end of the reporting period covered by your interim report.
Your organization’s progress against the 2007 goals will influence your ability to receive a 2008 grant.

A.    No; it is not uncommon for grantees to receive a grant award in an amount less than originally applied for in the application. The grantee award letter invites applicants to restate their goals to a level that is commensurate with their funding amount, if they wish to do so.