2013 Community Impact Grants Program Overview Key Dates to Note Introduction Program Overview Please Note We do not provide specific feedback

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1 2013 Community Impact Grants Program Overview Key Dates to Note: Grant Period: June 2013 May 2014 LOI Submission Period: January 7 28, 2013 Notification of Promotion to RFP: February 26, 2013 Full Application Submission Period: February 26 March 15, 2013 Award Notification: April 12, 2013 Award Acceptance Deadline: April 19, 2013 Introduction Thank you for your interest in the 2013 ConAgra Foods Foundation Community Impact Grants (CIG) Program. The Foundation seeks to partner with impactful, grassroots organizations that leverage innovation and creativity to address childhood hunger and nutrition needs in local communities across the country. Nearly 17 million children remain at risk of not knowing where they will get their next meal. This puts increased demand for services on the many nonprofit organizations across the country that seeks to provide food assistance and meal support to kids throughout the year. We understand how important it is to put effective solutions to child hunger and nutrition education within reach of the children who need them most. The Foundation is committed to partnering with high quality organizations to close service gaps and increase children s access to food and nutrition resources so they can live happy, healthful lives. Program Overview There are many more worthy endeavors than the Foundation can fund. Therefore, we use a two-step process to identify organizations that best align with the Foundation s funding guidelines and criteria. Any organization interested in receiving a Community Impact Grant must complete an eligibility survey and submit a Letter of Interest (LOI). The LOI will provide the Foundation with the opportunity to learn more about each proposed project, its intended results, and its strategic alignment with funding priorities. Grant awards will range from $10,000-$75,000 with an average grant size of $35,000. Approximately 30 organizations will be invited to submit a full application for funding and will be awarded a grant. Paper applications are not accepted by the ConAgra Foods Foundation; all LOIs and proposals must be received through the online grant application process. In addition, the Foundation will not accept or review unsolicited applications received in hard-copy or outside the pre-determined timelines established for CIG program. Please Note: The Foundation will notify organizations if their application will or will not advance to the full application phase. We do not provide specific feedback to applicants that are not extended an invitation to respond to the RFP. Organizations that do not advance to the full application phase are

2 encouraged to reapply for a Community Impact Grant during the next funding cycle, which will be available in January Grantee Eligibility All grant recipients must be non-profit, charitable organizations tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Religious organizations such as churches, mosques and synagogues may qualify only if their outreach programs are offered to the general population regardless of religious affiliation AND they have established a separate 501(c)(3) organization to operate the funded program(s). ConAgra Foods Foundation does not fund: o Organizations that lack a 501(c)(3) designation o Social, labor, alumni or fraternal organizations (e.g., higher education alumni groups, sororities, fraternities, workers' unions, exclusive membership clubs limited to a specific constituency, etc.) o Professional or amateur sports organizations and teams, or athletic events and programs o Political organizations o Terrorist organizations or those not compliant with the USA Patriot Act o Fundraising events (e.g. galas, golf tournaments, annual awards ceremonies, raffles, telethons, walk-a-thons or auctions)* o Emergency funding o Loans, debt reduction or operating deficits o Individuals o Endowments o Capital campaigns o Memorial campaigns o Elementary and secondary education *Corporate sponsorship of fundraising events or capital campaigns is awarded at the discretion of the company. Program Guidelines As a grantmaking program of the Nourish Today, Flourish Tomorrow initiative, the Foundation seeks to provide funding support through the CIG Program in alignment with the following giving strategies: Help organizations implement high-impact, innovative meal assistance, hunger relief, and nutrition education programs that serve children (Direct Service). Strengthen the internal capabilities, operations, and expertise of organizations to reach as many hungry and food insecure children as possible in the quickest, most effective way (Capacity Building). Mobilize resources to heighten public awareness and understanding of the interrelated issues, root causes and effects of child hunger and poor nutrition (Advocacy).

3 The Foundation s funding priorities include: Increasing enrollment and ongoing participation in Federal Nutrition Assistance Programs in communities (both urban and rural) where there are high concentrations of children at risk of hunger, gaps in enrollment, or lack of awareness of eligibility requirements. The programs of greatest interest to the Foundation include: o School-based or out-of-school meal programs such as the School Breakfast Program, Child and Adult Care Food Program, National School Lunch Program and Summer Food Service Program; and o Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Replicating or piloting innovative programs to support children s increased access to nutritious meals or nutrition education resources, including programs that incorporate financial literacy and management skills into nutrition education (e.g., budgeting, food resource management, unit pricing, bulk purchasing, etc.). Nutrition education programs must be grounded in a research-based framework or guidelines such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture s MyPlate to be considered for funding. Geographic Reach and Other Considerations ConAgra Foods Foundation will accept applications for Community Impact Grants for organizations working in states with both 22 percent and greater child food insecurity rates, according to Feeding America s Map to the Meal Gap, and states where ConAgra Foods has a large employee presence. Those states include: AR, CA, CO, GA, ID, IL, IN, LA, MI, MO, OH, OR, TN and WA. Organizations that received a Community Impact Grant in 2012 are eligible to apply in this year s funding cycle. Special preference will be given to those organizations which are: o Serving child populations disproportionately affected by child hunger including, but not limited to: African American, Hispanic and Native American o Leveraging evidence-based approaches in program design and execution o Incorporating culturally sensitive methodologies and interventions o Fostering multi-disciplinary or cross-sector collaboration to improve outreach community organizing, advocacy, and service coordination in local communities to more effectively service children at risk of hunger Additionally, the Foundation prefers to fund programs impacting counties where there are 100 or more ConAgra Foods Employees and/or the rate of child good insecurity is 30% or greater. Program Restrictions The Foundation requests that applicants apply for support that will benefit one specific project or program. Please note that the total annual budget for that project or program must not exceed $750,000. The Foundation is a national sponsor of Feeding America s signature programs: Child Hunger Corps and Summer Feeding Initiative. These programs provide funding opportunities for local food bank affiliates. Organizations awarded Community Impact Grants for the Foundation s

4 FY14 fiscal year (June 2013-May 2014) are ineligible to apply for a grant from Feeding America for programs sponsored by ConAgra Foods; this includes food banks that currently have a Child Hunger Corps member in residence. No organization can receive more than three years of consecutive funding. The following types of programs are ineligible for funding through the CIG program: backpack programs, food purchase programs, gardening, research, and Kids Cafes. No more than 10 percent (not including measurement) can be allocated to overhead expenses. Measurement and Evaluation ConAgra Foods Foundation expects grant recipients to provide a report on activities and project outcomes at the conclusion of the grant period. At a minimum, grant recipients will be asked to measure the following outputs, if applicable to the proposed project: Number of meals served Number of people (or children, 0-18) served Zip codes served Amount of Federal funding leveraged as a result of participation Number of sites where program is operating Number of volunteers/volunteer hours associated with the program Number of types of nutrition education collateral created (as well as number distributed per type) Number of classes and class hours taught to program recipients Number of programs training trainers Number of grantee media placements featuring ConAgra Foods Number of media placements featuring the ConAgra Foods-funded program Number of participants at conferences/events hosted as part of a ConAgra Foods-funded program Qualitative data (stories, pictures, videos, etc.) In addition, organizations will be expected to work with the Foundation to determine other relevant outputs or points of measurement. The Foundation has an evaluation process in place to measure the effectiveness and results of its charitable investments. Organizations awarded a grant will be asked to participate in the process and will have the ability to allocate up to 5 percent of their grant award to support evaluation activities, if necessary. Communications The Foundation is proud of all of its partners and looks forward to announcing the grant award winners through traditional public relations channels as well as social and digital media channels. All organizations who are elevated to the application stage will receive information on best practices in grantee communications, and will be expected to develop a communications plan to acknowledge and celebrate their partnership with the ConAgra Foods Foundation.

5 Timeline Letters of Interest (LOI) accepted January 7 January 28, 2013 (5:00pm EST) RFP extended to select organizations; proposals accepted February 26 March 15, 2013 (5:00pm EST) Webinar: Application FAQs and Troubleshooting March 7, 2013 Award notification April 12, 2013 Award acceptance deadline April 19, 2013 Webinar: Next Steps April 23, 2013 Awards distributed to recipients June 2013 Technical Difficulties and Other Assistance If you are experiencing technical difficulties, please send an inquiry to foundation@conagrafoods.com. Foundation staff will make every effort to respond to your within 48 hours. Please note that Foundation staff will not review or discuss proposed projects but will be happy to answer questions on how to navigate the Cybergrants system. Additionally, the Foundation will host a webinar for organizations during the application writing stage to assist with questions regarding crafting a winning application, as well as a webinar after awards have been accepted to discuss next steps including communications.