Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA FD 23 031
This funding opportunity is a federal cooperative agreement from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), specifically through the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN). It is titled "Renewal-Local Food Producer Outreach, Education and Training to Enhance Food Safety and FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Compliance (U01) Clinical Trial Not Allowed" (Funding Opportunity Number RFA-FD-23-031; CFDA 93.103). The program focuses on improving food safety practices and strengthening compliance with FSMA among local food producers and processors, especially small and mid-size farms and businesses that may face unique operational, resource, and regulatory challenges.
At its core, the award supports a renewal effort that builds on earlier work already conducted in this area. The intent is not to start from scratch, but to extend and deepen previous research, needs assessments, and field experience related to training local food operations. The FDA is looking for a recipient that can take what has been learned so far about gaps in understanding, barriers to compliance, and practical constraints faced by local and regional producers, then translate that knowledge into targeted education and assistance that leads to measurable improvements in food safety outcomes and regulatory readiness.
A central component of the project is direct outreach, education, and training. The funded organization is expected to actively engage the target audience and deliver training opportunities that help participants understand and apply federal food safety requirements in real-world settings. This includes providing practical guidance to owners and operators whose operations may include on-farm production, packing, holding, or processing activities tied to local and regional food markets. The emphasis is on helping operations move from general awareness of FSMA to concrete, day-to-day implementation of food safety practices that align with applicable regulations.
Another major expectation is the development and adaptation of training materials, including alternate curricula, to improve how federal food safety regulations are integrated and understood by the intended audience. In practice, this means tailoring educational content so it is usable for diverse types of farms and businesses, rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all approach. The announcement explicitly notes the importance of accounting for diversified, sustainable, organic, and identity-preserved production and processing practices. That signals an expectation that training and resources should reflect the realities of mixed-crop farms, small-scale processing, specialty products, and value chains where identity preservation and production methods matter to marketing and handling.
The project also includes a technical assistance and guidance role, aimed at helping small and mid-size operations interpret what FSMA requires and how to comply in ways that fit their scale and production model. This guidance is meant to support decision-making and implementation, not just provide information. In other words, the funded partner is expected to help producers and processors figure out how regulations apply to them and what steps they can take to meet expectations, considering operational constraints and the nuances of different farming and processing systems.
A distinctive feature of this opportunity is the explicit requirement to evaluate the program through research activities, including data collection and analysis. The recipient is expected to assess the impact of the outreach, education, and technical assistance provided, which implies building an evaluation framework that can measure changes in knowledge, behaviors, implementation of food safety practices, and potentially other indicators tied to improved compliance readiness. The evaluation component is meant to generate evidence about what works, for whom, and under what conditions, so the approach can be improved and outcomes can be demonstrated.
Structurally, this is a cooperative agreement (U01), which typically means FDA anticipates substantial involvement in the project rather than a hands-off grant relationship. While the specific roles are not detailed in the summary text provided, cooperative agreements generally involve collaboration on priorities, coordination, and oversight consistent with the agency's public health and regulatory mission. The opportunity is categorized under discretionary funding, with activity areas spanning agriculture, consumer protection, and food and nutrition, reflecting its intersection of farming practices, public health protection, and regulatory compliance.
The funding details indicate an award ceiling of $1,000,000 and an expectation of one award, meaning the agency planned to fund a single organization or lead applicant to carry out the work at the scale envisioned. The opportunity opened May 11, 2023, with an original closing date of July 11, 2023. Eligibility is listed broadly as "Others," with additional eligibility details referenced in the full announcement, suggesting that applicants could include certain nontraditional or specialized entities that fit the program's needs, such as nonprofits, academic institutions, extension-type organizations, or other groups with demonstrated capacity to deliver training and evaluate outcomes.
Finally, the notice specifies "Clinical Trial Not Allowed," which clarifies that the project should not propose clinical trials as defined by federal standards. The work is firmly oriented toward education, outreach, curriculum development, technical assistance, and program evaluation related to food safety systems and FSMA compliance for local food producers and processors.Apply for RFA FD 23 031
- The Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration in the agriculture, consumer protection, food and nutrition sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Renewal-Local Food Producer Outreach, Education and Training to Enhance Food Safety and FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Compliance (U01) Clinical Trial Not Allowed" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.103.
- This funding opportunity was created on May 11, 2023.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 11, 2023. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,000,000.00 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).
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| OMHHE Educational Funding Opportunity: Expanding education on skin lightening products (U01) Clinical Trials Not Allowed Apply for RFA FD 24 023 Funding Number: RFA FD 24 023 Agency: Food and Drug Administration Category: Agriculture, Consumer Protection, Food and Nutrition Funding Amount: $250,000 |
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