Public Markets - Upcoming Funding Announcement!

This is an alert that Project for Public Spaces, Inc. (PPS) will release a Request for Pre-proposals in mid-October with approximately $1 million in collaborative funding from the Ford Foundation and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. This grants initiative is being undertaken in partnership with the Farmers Market Coalition, a program of the North American Farmers Direct Marketing Association (NAFDMA/FMC). The grant program will strategically support public markets, especially in low-income communities, to become more economically sustainable and community-centered, with a specific focus on farmers markets.

If you currently receive emails from PPS, an official announcement will be sent to you when the RFP is released. The RFP will also be posted on PPS's website at www.pps.org/PublicMarkets.

If you are not on PPS's mailing list, you can sign up for updates on the RFP below:

<br />

Turnaround time for Pre-proposals will be approximately 30 days from the date of the release, with Pre-proposals due in Mid-November. Applicants will submit short pre-proposals for evaluation; highly ranked applicants will be requested to submit full proposals by the end of January. Grants are expected to be awarded on or about March 1, 2006.

Grants will be awarded to individual farmers markets as well as market systems or networks. In addition, grants will be provided for state and regional farmers markets associations. Areas of interest to be explored in this round of grants include:

1. Addressing the broader goals and needs of communities by building partnerships with organizations and agencies relating to community development, health and nutrition, neighborhood and downtown interests, transit, food systems organizations, agricultural organizations, and smart growth groups, to name a few.
2. Building better places and communities so that markets become important community focal points -- new civic squares that will create stronger draws for customers and help catalyze revitalization in surrounding areas.
3. Making the market work better for small farmers and food entrepreneurs, expanding economic opportunities for farmers and low income urban entrepreneurs, especially women, immigrants, refugees and minorities -- while strengthening the ability of boards and staff to more effectively operate and manage their markets.