Q&A - RFA 092-BEN27

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In reference to "shovel-ready" listed throughout the guidelines: do MOBILE food programs (or, more specifically, purchasing additional mobile units to expand accessibility to food) fall under the eligibility of this grant?

No. Vehicles are considered as an unallowable expense under this funding opportunity.

We are not a food bank, farmers market, nor school, but we serve fresh fruits and vegetables to food banks, tribes, and schools as we are a local food hub aggregating and delivering fresh produce on behalf of local farmers across the state. We are a nonprofit organization. Would we qualify to apply for this grant?

No. Food hubs are not a focus of this funding opportunity because the public does not have access to these types of sites.

What qualifies as a "construction project"? Can requests be made for capital improvements that enable a new project? In our case, a farmers market?

The RFA is for existing, already established farmers' markets rather than creating a new farmers' market.

Are improvements to a meal site allowable? People access food through our organization both by coming on site and via street outreach and home delivery, but there are site improvements that would make that distribution much easier and more effective.

The RFA’s focus is on existing farmers' markets, food pantries, and school sites and settings. Sites specifically engaged in meal preparation and/or meal consumption are outside the focus of the RFA.

"Regarding track 2- We will be applying as a non-profit and obtaining MOU agreements for our proposal with cities/towns for the placement of this project. Our project plan encompasses implementing the project in more than one town, providing multiple MOU agreements with each planned location at the time of submission.

Per RFP: "The project area or property where the project is to be located must be owned by the applicant at the time of submitting the grant application."-- would this then exclude our project from consideration, even if MOUs are in place for the specified time period and the equipment purchased for the project remains owned/operated by our non-profit?"

"Yes, the MOU arrangement you proposed excludes your project from consideration for two reasons:
1) the RFP under the Key Terms section, page 5, indicates "The project area or property where the project is to be located must be owned by the applicant at the time of submitting the grant application."
2) The RFP under the Project Service Area section, page 13, indicates “All projects must take place and serve only populations within Oklahoma. Each application may include one or more projects when all projects are located on a single project site, or when two sites are connected, adjacent, or contiguous to one another. Applications with projects that span across separate, detached sites, such as infrastructure improvements for two unconnected, distinct farmers’ markets will not be considered for review.”"

"For the public accessibility requirement on page 15, how does this apply to a food pantry located at a public university? Our food pantry currently serves enrolled students. Would we be required to open pantry services to the general public in order to meet this requirement, or can we continue serving our established student population as long as the facility itself meets the public accessibility requirements?

I also have a question about the shovel-ready requirement. As a public university, construction projects may require approval from our governing board before construction can begin. Does that approval have to be completed before we submit the application, or can it still be in progress as long as we are able to receive approval and begin construction within 75 days of the grant start date?"

"Answer to question 1: No, the service must be available to the public.

Answer to question 2: The applicant must have governing authority approval at the time the application is submitted. Without such approval, TSET has no guarantee the applicant will follow through with the project."

When calculating the required match amount for a nonprofit organization, should we use the unduplicated number of clients or the duplicated number?

For nonprofits that directly serve clients, use the unduplicated number of clients served annually to calculate the required match for the grant.

Would construction of a new cafeteria at a K12 school be an eligible project?
Is a new exercise facility at a K12 school with access to healthy snacks an eligible project?

"Question 1: Funding Track 3 supports PreK–12 school-based built environment projects that increase access to healthy foods and beverages, including cafeteria renovations, refurbishing existing cooking areas and spaces, and other improvements to cafeterias and eating areas. In this context, “renovation” can be understood as making improvements, modifications, or upgrades to existing school cafeterias, kitchens, cooking areas, or eating spaces that enhance the school’s ability to provide and increase students’ access to healthy food and beverages.

Question 2: No. Funding track 3 focuses on increasing access to healthy foods and beverages within school settings (PK-12th grade) through construction and infrastructure improvements. Because the primary purpose of the funding is to improve the physical environment in ways that support the availability, preparation, serving, and accessibility of healthy foods and beverages, the development of a new exercise facility would not align with the intent or allowable project activities under this funding opportunity."

We are considering developing a community wellness/practice gym that would provide a safe, accessible space for students and community members to participate in physical activity and health-focused programming.

To ensure the project aligns with TSET's built-environment grant requirements, we are considering incorporating the following components into the facility:

*A commercial-grade refrigerator/freezer to increase access to fresh produce and nutritious foods and support healthy food distribution.
*A hydration station/water bottle filling station to promote water consumption and provide easy access to healthy beverages.
*Dedicated storage for food-access programs and nutritious food distribution activities.
*Nutrition education incorporated into the daily Health and Physical Education curriculum, including instruction on healthy eating, food choices, nutrition, and healthy lifestyles.
*Community health screenings conducted at the facility in partnership with healthcare or community health organizations.
*Annual student athletic physicals provided at the facility to increase access to preventive health services for students.
*Use of the facility by students, families, and community members for physical activity, wellness programming, and health-related activities.

Our goal is to create a facility that goes beyond being a traditional practice gym and instead serves as a community wellness and healthy-living center that improves access to nutritious foods, promotes physical activity, provides health education and preventive services, and offers a safe and accessible space for the community.

Would incorporating these components into the proposed facility make the project eligible for consideration under the TSET built-environment grant requirements, particularly the requirement to positively transform and improve healthy food access for Oklahomans?

Additionally, would the combination of healthy food access, nutrition education, hydration, physical activity, community health screenings, and preventive health services meet TSET's requirements for an impactful, project.

The types of infrastructure improvements in school settings (PreK-12th grade) that apply to the RFA are listed on page 22 and include a few of the items you have mentioned.

Submission of an application does not guarantee the award of a grant. The Board of Directors may assign preference to a class of applicants for any application. The final decision to award is made at the sole discretion of the TSET Board of Directors.

The information provided about components you would incorporate in the proposed facility does not help to clarify how “impactful” the actual implementation might be.

Would a Senior Center where they feed seniors and deliver meals on a daily basis work for this?

At this stage of the process, the little information provided in your question about a prospective project does not help to clarify or provide sufficient context about whether the work mentioned is a good fit.

Would a membership-based stationary daily free meal program qualify for this type of funding?

We are a veterans resource nonprofit with a small food pantry, would we be able good candidate to apply for this funding opportunity?

The RFA is for farmers’ markets and food pantries. Your question mentions a food pantry. Please read the RFA to determine whether you qualify. The little information provided in your question about a prospective project does not help to clarify or provide sufficient context about whether the work mentioned is a good fit.

Would an established Tribal food distribution program that distributes food directly to eligible Tribal citizens and their households qualify as an "established food pantry", despite the program having eligibility requirements based on Tribal citizenship/CDIB and other program criteria?

How does TSET interpret the requirement that projects be available to all Oklahomans regardless of income when the applicant is a Tribal nation operating a food distribution program with eligibility requirements specific to Tribal citizens?

Question 1: No, the service must be available to the public.

Question 2: The RFA's public accessibility requirement is not waived or modified based on applicant type. While Tribal nations are an eligible applicant category, the requirement that funded projects be "available to all Oklahomans regardless of income" and "open and accessible to the public during reasonable usage hours" applies to the project itself, separately from who is eligible to apply for the grant.

The RFA's only stated exception is for income-based barriers, which applicants can satisfy through free access, a sliding fee scale, etc..

The RFA does not provide an exception for citizenship or membership-based eligibility criteria. Therefore, a Tribal nation applicant with a food distribution program restricted to Tribal citizens would need to demonstrate that the TSET-funded component of the project is accessible to non-citizens as well as tribal citizens.

Can a municipality apply for a track 3 project on behalf of a school, for onsite greenhouse restoration, and the funding of a botany club? Would the municipality or the school be considered the partner in that instance?

No, municipalities are not eligible for Track 3 Healthy Students in Schools (PreK-12th Grade). Eligible applicants for Track 3 Healthy Students in Schools (PreK-12th Grade) include:
- PK-12 public school district or individual PK-12 public school
site
- Non-profit 501(c)3 organization that operates as a school
site for specific populations
- Tribal nations that operate a school site
Municipalities can partner with a school on a project, but cannot serve as the applicant.

Additionally, funding track 3 focuses on increasing access to healthy foods and beverages within school settings (PK-12th grade) through construction and infrastructure improvements. Because the primary purpose of the funding is to improve the physical environment in ways that support the availability, preparation, serving, and accessibility of healthy foods and beverages, the development of a botany club would not align with the intent or allowable project activities under this funding opportunity.

Construction Track 3 – Healthy Students in Schools: The RFA identifies walk-in coolers/freezers and construction/infrastructure improvements as allowable project examples. If a school proposes installation of a walk-in freezer, may the project budget include a permanently installed backup generator sized to support the freezer/refrigeration equipment during electrical outages, when the generator is necessary to protect the healthy food inventory stored in the TSET-funded freezer?

Yes.

We are looking at doing a partial remodel to our cafeteria in increase our capacity to feed students more efficiently and effectively. Part of this project would include purchasing an additional walk in freezer and a walk in cooler. Our kitchen is at max capacity so we would like to propose building a structure to the east of our cafeteria to house dry storage and walk in freezer and cooler space. This would be a separate freestanding building with roll up doors that would provide the dry storage space, and then house the freezer and cooler to keep them out of the weather. Would this building and freezer/cooler purchase qualify under Track 3?

The items you mention align with the examples in Construction Track 3 Strategy Scope of Work. As a reminder, the maximum award is up to $200,000 per year for up to 2 years and there may be a match requirement depending on student enrollment as mentioned on page 9 of the RFA.

Submission of an application does not guarantee the award of a grant. The Board of Directors may assign preference to a class of applicants for any application. The final decision to award is made at the sole discretion of the TSET Board of Directors.

We are currently looking for funding to create a permanent farmers' market in our downtown community. Currently, our vendors simply set up along a street sidewalk. We are very interested in applying, but our biggest hurdle is timing. The area in which we are hoping to install our market is currently owned by the railroad. Together with the City of Ada, we are already in the process of swapping land parcels so that we may obtain this piece of land. With that being said, we do believe that we will have this property acquired by April, but not at the time of this application. With this information, do you believe we are a good candidate at this time? We appreciate your assistance navigating through this process!

No. The Project Service Area section of the RFA, page 13, states that “The project area or property where the project is to be located must be owned by the applicant at the time of submitting the grant application.”

Would a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating an in-person early childhood and school-age educational site such as SSA qualify under Track 3, or must the school site currently appear on one of the Oklahoma public or charter school lists identified in the RFA?

If SSA does not qualify under Track 3, we would appreciate guidance on whether another provision or track within this RFA could accommodate the proposed project.

"Question 1: Would a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating an in-person early childhood and school-age educational site such as SSA qualify under Track 3, or must the school site currently appear on one of the Oklahoma public or charter school lists identified in the RFA?
Answer to Q1: No, Sustainable Science Academy (SSA) does not qualify as eligible for the grant since it does not appear on one of the Oklahoma public or charter school lists on page 12 of the RFA.

Question 2: If SSA does not qualify under Track 3, we would appreciate guidance on whether another provision or track within this RFA could accommodate the proposed project.
Answer to Q2: No, no other Track within this RFA addresses any of the items listed within the paragraph that mentions a built environment project."

We need a trailer to transport the food from the delivery truck to our church, but our trailer was stolen a couple of years ago. Would the cost of a trailer be covered?

This RFA funds construction projects. It does not fund equipment purchases such as a trailer.

Would a 501c3 Food Pantry housed in a building owned by the city of Pauls Valley with a 25-year lease be eligible for this grant opportunity?

We're not in need of construction or renovation on our existing food pantry. We're not in need of expanding storage, installing shelves, or purchasing walk-in coolers or freezers. What we need are funds to pay for food for the increasing numbers of people seeking emergency food assistance and for rising costs associated with providing emergency food assistance services? Please advise.

This RFA does not fund food purchases.

We are a 501c3 food pantry, and soup kitchen. The soup kitchen provides a meal weekly for the community that suffer from food insecurity. They both are housed in the same building, and share refrigerator and freezer space.

Even though they both are within the same building, can we still apply for the grant for the food pantry?

Yes, you may apply regardless of the food pantry and soup kitchen being co-located in the same building. Co-location does not affect eligibility of the applicant.

On the other hand, the organization applying must own the building and property. The Project Service Area section of the RFA, page 13, states that “The project area or property where the project is to be located must be owned by the applicant at the time of submitting the grant application.”

The proposed construction or infrastructure improvements project must be exclusively for the areas/spaces of the food pantry. All funding must be dedicated to the food pantry. Any space and equipment shared by the food pantry and soup kitchen, such as refrigeration and freezer space, bathrooms, shelving, etc., is not eligible for funding.

For Construction Track 2 Access to Healthy Foods - Food Pantries, in the Strategy of Scope of Work, would a whole building generator, like a Generac, (which would allow us to protect our food in a power outage) qualify for the grant?

Yes

For Construction Track 2 Access to Healthy Foods - Food Pantries, in the Strategy of Scope of Work, would doing foundation repair and/or electrical updates qualify?

Yes

We have a Farmers Market Hub and one of our vendors is our own Community Garden. The Garden is in need of a retractable shade structure to support our 47 raised beds of produce and herbs through the brutal Oklahoma summers. Would the shade structure be an eligible expense?

No. The RFA is only for farmers' markets, pantries, and schools. It is not for work associated with community gardens

I am a farm looking to add a farm stand that would include bike station and free book library, would this type of project be appropriate for this grant?

No. Track 1 Access to Healthy Foods – Farmers' Markets aims to to improve the infrastructure of established farmers’ markets and thereby facilitate the public’s access to fresh and healthy foods at markets.

In order to be considered for funding, applicants should have in place the following prior to submitting a grant application:
• Guidelines, bylaws, articles of incorporation, food safety rules, operating procedures, etc.
• Staffing plan—employees and volunteers.
• Minimum of June-August market operations.
• At least four regular raw food product vendors (produce, meat, eggs, dairy, honey, nuts, food-bearing plants).

Eligible applicant organizations include:
• Institution of common and higher education
• Oklahoma local government (city, town, or county)
• Non-Profit 501(c)3 organization
• Tribal nation
• State government agency

Would an oven for a school cafeteria be an allowable expense? Thank you

Yes.

For Construction Track 2 – Access to Healthy Foods/Food Pantry, if the project property is personally owned by the founders of the applicant 501(c)(3) nonprofit, can the property satisfy the RFA requirement that it be owned or under the control of the applicant?

Our organization does not have employees, all people who work here are volunteer and we do not have worker's comp insurance. What should be attached as Attachment A?

If your organization is exempt from the Oklahoma Administrative Workers’ Compensation Act, you must submit to TSET a statement sworn under penalty of perjury, dated and signed by the applicant, establishing the factual basis for an exemption under any of the exemptions provided for in the Workers’ Compensation Act under Title 85A O.S. Section 2(18)(b)(1-11).

Page 7 of Appendix A: Terms and Conditions outlines other requirements related to insurance which includes obtaining and retaining insurance, including, as applicable, workers' compensation, automobile insurance, medical malpractice, and general liability as required by state or federal law prior to receiving TSET funds. Organizations that receive funding shall timely renew the policies to be carried and shall provide TSET with evidence of such insurance and renewals. Any combination of primary and excess or umbrella insurance may be used to satisfy the limits of coverage for Commercial General Liability, Auto Liability, and Employers’ Liability. The required insurance limits shall not be construed to limit a grantee's liability. The minimum acceptable limits of liability are as follows:
- Workers’ Compensation and Employer’s Liability Insurance in accordance with and to the extent required by applicable law;
- Commercial General Liability Insurance covering the risks of personal injury, bodily injury (including death) and property damage, including coverage for contractual liability, with a limit of liability of not less than $2,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate;
- Automobile Liability Insurance with limits of liability of not less than $1,000,000 combined single limit each accident and a $1,000,000 aggregate;
- Directors and Officers Insurance which shall include Employment Practices Liability as well as Contractor’s Computer Errors and Omissions Coverage, if information technology services are provided under the contract, with limits not less than $1,000,000 per occurrence;
- Security and Privacy Liability insurance, including coverage for failure to protect confidential information and failure of the security of Contractor’s computer systems that results in unauthorized access to TSET data with limits $1,000,000 per occurrence.

We are looking at Track 3 for funding: We are a charter school Prek-8 grade. We have no facilities to serve hot and nutritious lunches in so we are looking for help in this area. Currently we have an MOU with the municipality of the town to use the new Nature Center that is being constructed. We would be using a commercial kitchen in that facility and also additional rooms for classrooms. Can the kitchen equipment and meal prep area be considered for this grant? We are looking at around May of 2027 for the new building to be completed so should fit within the time frame of the award.

We are hoping to renovate parts of our cafeteria and add a small handwashing/restroom area, as there currently is not one in the building. Would the TSET Built Environment funding potentially allow us to make this type of addition, including the necessary plumbing and running water lines? We are also interested in adding a water station/drinking fountain to improve access to water for students. I wanted to see if these types of improvements could potentially fit within the scope of the grant.

Yes, the items you mention are within the strategy’s scope of work for schools (Pre-K-12th grade).

Two questions:
(1) May a non-profit 501(c)(3) church that fully houses a non-profit 501(c)(3) community food bank (which is affiliated with the Regional Food Bank) apply as a Grantee?
(2) If so, does using funds to continue a construction project that has already begun but has a lot more to go, qualify for an award (assuming the construction to be done complies with Construction Track 2 of the RFA found on pages 21 and 22)?

No. The RFA is strictly for farmers' markets, food pantries, and schools. Your first question mentions a community food bank. By definition, a community food bank stores and distributes supplies to other organizations and does not serve the individuals and families directly, while a food pantry is a local site that distributes food directly to individuals and families in need of food.

We recently started a local farmers market with no budget or funds of any sort.
We have less than 4,000 residents in our rural county. Just wanting to confirm funding is allowed to hire and pay Farmer Market Managers, Project Managers and for education?

This RFA funds construction projects. Full or part-time staff should already be hired and in place since the RFA on pages 14-15 requires applicants “to identify an experienced Project Manager or Construction Project Manager.” This means allocating a portion of an existing Project Manager’s time to oversee and support construction project management activities and requesting TSET funding for the Project Manager’s time in performing those specific activities. The RFA goes on to say, “Funding may be requested to support project management activities; however, applicants must ensure that personnel costs are reasonable and appropriate for the anticipated level of effort. Because project management activities, including project oversight and site visits, are not expected to require a full-time role, personnel costs must be proportionate and should not exceed the direct costs associated with construction-related activities and services.” The primary intent of this RFA is to support construction projects that transform and improve public health through infrastructure enhancements and other built environment improvements.

For the Farmers’ Market funding track, does the proposed project have to be directly tied to a construction/physical improvement project, or could funding support the ongoing operation of an established farmers’ market?

Yes, the proposed project must be a construction project. No, funding is not available for the ongoing operation of an established market.

The primary intent of the RFA is to support construction projects that transform and improve public health through infrastructure enhancements and other built environment improvements.

Funding is available for small to medium-size construction projects (defined in Key Terms) that make changes to the built environment to increase the public’s access to healthy foods/beverages in farmers’ markets, food pantries, or school settings.

Section K of the RFA lists several required attachments for funding Track 1. However, when I log into the online application, I’m only seeing upload fields for the first few attachments listed in the RFA and do not see a place to upload the remaining required documents (Market guidelines, bylaws, articles of incorporation, food safety rules and operating procedures, proof of market operations, proof of at least 4 regular raw food product vendors).
Could you please clarify whether there is another section of the online application where the remaining required attachments should be uploaded?

Section K of the application includes two questions specific to the funding tracks that require additional attachments. Upload fields will appear once the appropriate drop-down option is selected. For Track 1, the question "Are you applying for Construction Track 1: Access to Health Foods - Farmers Market" must be answered "yes" in order for the upload fields to populate.

Our nonprofit has a garden that produces 19,000 pounds of fresh produce every year which is distributed to families in need free of charge. We back up all of the produce and take it to sites for individuals will pick up. As you can imagine, refrigeration is always needed for our organization. We can stabilize produce and keep it fresh longer with refrigeration on your truck. Would a truck with refrigeration be something we could apply for?

No. The funding limitations section of the RFA, pages 15-16 states that vehicles are unallowable expenses.

We are not located in Oklahoma City currently leasing from a corporate entity. We have been in the Oklahoma City area for over 25 years in the same location. We have a long-term lease. Would we be eligible to apply for this grant if we do not own the land?

Or, could we qualify if the items we built were movable ( I.e greenhouse, outdoor cooler stations a d wash stations, etc.) and the corporate entity agreed to move those items to our new location if and when the lease ever ended?