Supporting the Use of Traditional Indigenous Foods in the Child Nutrition Programs Cooperative Agreement

Over $2 million was awarded to five organizations to provide training and technical assistance to school nutrition professionals on procurement, preparation, and crediting of traditional Indigenous foods.

The cooperators, with FNS guidance and approval, will also develop culturally relevant nutrition education materials for students to accompany the traditional Indigenous foods that are served, and the cooperators will train school nutrition professionals and other school staff on providing nutrition education to students.

The period of performance for this funding opportunity is two years. For more information, please contact TeamNutrition@USDA.gov.

FY 24 Awardees

Center for Popular Research, Education and Policy (C-PREP)
C-PREP is located on the Wind River Indian Reservation, located in Central Wyoming, and home to members of the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho tribes. The organization is working toward community self-sufficiency and racial equity. C-PREP, in partnership with St. Stephens Indian School and the University of Wyoming, will address the gap between producers and school food authorities (SFA) to facilitate procurement and preparation of fresh, healthy traditional Indigenous foods grown by native farmers, ranchers, and harvesters in the four SFAs on the reservation.

Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA)
In partnership with Na Lei Na’auao or the Native Hawaiian Charter Schol Alliance (NLN), ‘Aina Aloha Economic Futures (AAEF), and the Hawaii Public Health Institute (HPHI), CNHA will work with native food producers, vendors, and school nutrition staff to expand the use of traditional Indigenous foods in the child nutrition programs and nutrition education for students in eight charter schools (each with its own SFA) across six Hawaiian Islands. Their project will focus on reinstating canoe crops as a staple in Hawaii’s child nutrition programs providing new opportunities for procurement relationships, supply chain coordination, recipe development, and other opportunities for partnerships. Each of the eight SFAs will be awarded a sub-grant of $5,000 to be used for professional development and materials for activities and curriculum specific for traditional Indigenous foods in their regions.

North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems (NATIFS)
Located in Minnesota, NATIFS will expand the reach of their Indigenous Food Lab, a professional Indigenous kitchen and training center covering all aspects of food service; research and development; Indigenous food identification, gathering, cultivation, and preparation. In partnership with the Red Cloud Indian school, tribal communities, organizations, and stakeholders, as well as the Minnesota Department of Education, they will provide training and technical assistance to 24 SFAs serving many of the 11 sovereign nations within Minnesota and neighboring states. NATIFS plans to develop and make public an Indigenous Foods Toolkit to include standardized recipes, equipment lists, procurement tips, and nutrition education materials for school and home.

Powhatan Confederacy
The Powhatan Confederacy cultivates relationships with Indigenous farmers, seed keepers, chefs, and educators to fill the gap in Indigenous food literacy and food system pathways in the mid-Atlantic region, home to many Federally Recognized Tribes including the Chickahominy, Eastern Chickahominy, Nansemond, Monacan, Pamunkey, Rappahannock, Upper Mattaponi, and Lumbee. Powhatan Confederacy will partner with William & Mary Institute for Integrative Conservation, the Baltimore City Public Schools Indigenous Programs Liaison, and professional Indigenous chefs to work with school nutrition staff at five SFAs in Maryland, Virginia, and North and South Carolina. Training and technical assistance will focus on recipe development and Indigenous cooking styles. The project will also create culturally relevant nutrition education that includes both classroom and exploratory learning.

The Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and the Fond du Lac Ojibwe School
The Fond du Lac Reservation is part of the Lake Superior Chippewa Band of Tribes and there are other bands of Chippewa Tribes throughout Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan that will be served by this project. The Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and the Fond du Lac Ojibwe School have successfully integrated traditional Indigenous foods into their child nutrition programs utilizing thousands of pounds of local foods. They will build on their success to provide training and technical assistance to nutrition and other school staff in six SFAs on food sovereignty, Indigenous food procurement and preparation, and nutrition education.