Frequently Asked Questions
Access to Food Fund Guidelines
Access to Food Fund Application
Accessibility Survey Questions
Access to Food Fund Guidelines
Question: We serve people with disabilities. Can we use this money to buy food for our program?
Answer: No. Access to Food Funds are specifically designated for accessibility improvements to food bank and food pantries’ facilities and programs.
What do you mean by an “accessibility improvement project”?
The Access to Food fund is designed to remove physical and/or programmatic barriers that make it difficult or impossible for people with disabilities to receive service, volunteer, or work at California’s food banks and food pantries. Potential projects can be identified by completing one or more of our access surveys.
Can you share examples of possible accessibility improvement projects?
Examples of possible accessibility improvement projects include (but are not limited to): building a ramp, widening a doorway, transferring materials into Braille and/or large print, modifying an existing bathroom stall to make it accessible, buying a communication device for volunteers or clients who are hard of hearing.
The Access to Food Fund is designed to make specific access improvements to your facilities and programs. It does NOT support purchasing food, routine maintenance, facilities’ expansion, rent, or overhead costs.
Can we use Access to Food Funds to pay our staff?
Access to Food funds cannot pay for staff time except under very specific circumstances. The money is specifically designated to directly fund the cost of your proposed accessibility improvement project. If you feel you must include staff time in order to complete your proposed project, please contact us before applying.
Do we have to distribute food directly to people in order to receive funding?
Not necessarily. Food banks that distribute food to local food pantries and other emergency food distribution sites can also apply for Access to Food funding.
Access to Food Fund Application
Question: What is the Access to Food Fund application deadline?
Answer: Access to Food Fund applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Applications will be accepted beginning in December 2008. The $200,000 fund must be disseminated no later than May 31, 2010. Funds may be depleted before this date. For this reason, we encourage all interested organizations to submit their applications for consideration as early as possible in our project timeline.
Question: When will I know if funding is approved?
Answer: The Access Fund Committee meets on a quarterly basis. After the committee selects the projects to fund, they are forwarded to the Vitamin Cases Consumer Settlement Fund Administrator for final approval. Upon the administrator’s approval, the successful organizations will be notified.
Question: What is a Board Resolution and why do we need to include one with our application?
Answer: A Board Resolution demonstrates that your organization’s Board of Directors is supportive of your Access to Food Fund application. See the sample board resolution form.
Question: Does your organization need to have 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status to receive a grant from the Access to Food Fund?
Answer: Yes, the funding is limited to organizations with 501(c)(3) status.
Question: Can we use any of the grant money for indirect costs?
Answer: No, the funding must be used only for direct costs to complete the proposed accessibility project.
Question: Do we have to complete and send all three access surveys with our funding application?
Answer: You only need to send in the completed survey identifying the access barrier that your proposed accessibility project would improve. You do not need to send the other two surveys.
Accessibility Survey Questions
Question: How can we test the accessibility of our organization’s website?
Answer: The World Wide Web Access Initiative (http://www.w3.org/WAI/) sets standards for web site accessibility. You can test your website with a number of online services and learn what part(s) of your website may need improvements. Learn more about web accessibility at www.webaim.org .
Why do we have to complete and submit an accessibility survey with our Access to Food Fund application?
Completing one or more accessibility surveys helps you learn how accessible your organization is to staff, volunteers and community members with disabilities. After determining your organization’s current level of accessibility, you can then decide what to do to become even more accessible to the disability communities you serve. These areas for improvement may lead your organization to request a free training from Access to Food or you may decide to apply to the Access to Food Fund. The surveys drive the assessment process, and the Access Fund Committee requests a copy of your completed survey with your funding application to ensure that you completed all of the steps in the process.
Can any and all weak accessibility areas identified in the survey qualify for a project?
The accessibility surveys are tools to help you identify how to make your programs and facilities more accessible to people with disabilities. You may be able to correct accessibility barriers through a variety of means. See “Step 3” on the Access to Food project homepage for more information on the different options available to make your organization more accessible.
