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Mentorship opportunities are available to every jurisdiction applying for a NEHA-FDA RFFM grant for the 2025 calendar year.

Benefits of a Mentorship Grant

• Network and collaborate with other retail food regulatory jurisdictions.
• As a mentor - share experiences and tips for making progress in the Retail Program Standards (the Standards). Mentors also propose projects to advance in their own Standards conformance while supporting mentees.
• As a mentee - leverage the expertise of an experienced jurisdiction to increase your own expertise and make rapid progress with Retail Standards conformance. Mentors will work with mentees to review project plans and develop customized support to achieve realistic goals throughout the project period.
• Fixed funding awards allow applicants to expend funds in ways that support the specific needs of their jurisdiction.
• Mentorship participants benefit from building collaborative relationships with similar programs with the focus of achieving conformance with the Retail Program Standards. Both mentees and mentors will participate in sharing sessions, site visits, webinars, and an end-of-year meeting.
• Mentorship Program participants will also benefit from outcomes that may include:
  • increased staff familiarity with the Retail Program Standards;
  • increased retail food regulatory program capacity for implementing continuous quality assurance and quality improvement for retail food regulatory programs; and
  • improved inspection and oversight of retail and food service establishments under the jurisdiction of the retail food regulatory program;
  • increased likelihood to achieve conformance with more Standards (compared with programs not participating in mentorship).

For Track 1 and Track 2 Development Base and Track 3 Maintenance and Advancement Base Grant Applicants

• When applying for a Track 1 or Track 2 Development Base Grant or a Track 3 Maintenance and Advancement Base Grant, choosing the Mentee Optional Add-On offers the perfect opportunity to quickly increase your expertise. As a mentee, you will be paired with a skilled mentor program who will work directly with you throughout the year.
• Jurisdictions new to the Standards can benefit from having a more experienced jurisdiction help them complete their Self-Assessment of All Nine Standards and Comprehensive Strategic Improvement Plan. More experienced applicants will receive assistance in making progress in Retail Program Standards conformance.
• Grant applicants who choose to select the Mentee Optional Add-On, and are selected for an award, will receive fixed funding of up to $10,000 based on deliverables met.

For Track 2 Development Base Grant Applicants and Track 3 Maintenance and Advancement Base Grant Applicants

• Track 2 Development Base and Track 3 Maintenance and Advancement Base Grant applicants who do not select the Mentee Optional Add-On in their base application can choose to apply for the Mentorship Optional Add-On Grant to be a mentor to receive up to $24,000 in funding.
  
  • Consider becoming a mentor if you are experienced in one or more specific areas of the Standards – completing a Self- Assessment of All Nine Standards, completing a Comprehensive Strategic Improvement Plan, completing any of the Standards or Elements for Standards 1-8, or working on Standard 9– you don't need to be an expert in all areas to help another jurisdiction!
  • Mentors can support between 1 and 5 jurisdictions, depending on their availability. Maximum funding is based on the number of mentees assigned: up to $12K for one mentee, up to $15K for two, up to $18K for three, up to $21K for four, and up to $24K for five. All mentorship funding will be provided as fixed funding based on deliverables met. See the CY 2025 Grant Guidance for details.
• Although in Tracks 2 and 3, base grant applicants can qualify to be either a mentor or a mentee in a single year, jurisdictions will have to choose to be one or the other for each one-year award. Qualified jurisdictions will have the opportunity to make this choice each year during the three-year duration of the NEHA-FDA RFFM Grant Program Cooperative Agreement.

Can you choose your mentor or mentees?

Within the Mentorship Grant application, mentees will be able to request a specific mentor and justify why the proposed choice will be best for the jurisdiction. Similarly, mentors will be able to request specific mentees and justify why the proposed choice(s) will be best for all involved. Final assignments, however, will depend on the numbers and qualifications of both mentor and mentee applications, and will be made by NEHA-FDA RFFM project leadership (with input from FDA, NACCHO, and NEHA).

Can I submit a revised mentorship work plan after receiving the notice of award?

Yes! We understand that once paired, mentorship work plans may need to be revised to reflect the actual needs of the assigned mentees. Mentors will work with mentees to create work plans that reflect achievable goals forthe project period.