15-nlgca - to post.pdf

Capacity Building Grants for Non-Land Grant Colleges of Agriculture (NLGCA) Program

FY 2015 Request for Applications (RFA)

APPLICATION DEADLINE: June 26, 2015

ELIGIBILITY: See Part III, A of RFA

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE; U.S. DEPARTMENT OF

AGRICULTURE

CAPACITY BUILDING GRANTS FOR NON-LAND GRANT COLLEGES OF

AGRICULTURE PROGRAM (NLGCA)

INITIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE: This program is listed in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance under 10.326.

DATES: Applications must be received by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on June 26, 2015.

Applications received after this deadline will normally not be considered for funding. Comments regarding this request for applications (RFA) are requested within six months from the issuance of this notice. Comments received after that date will be considered to the extent practicable.

STAKEHOLDER INPUT: The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) seeks your comments about this RFA. We will consider the comments when we develop the next RFA for the program, if applicable, and we’ll use them to meet the requirements of section 103(c)(2) of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7613(c)(2)).

Submit written stakeholder comments by the deadline set forth in the DATES portion of this Notice via e-mail to: Policy@nifa.usda.gov. (This e-mail address is intended only for receiving comments regarding this RFA and not requesting information or forms.) In your comments, please state that you are responding to the Capacity Building Grants for Non-Land Grant Colleges of Agriculture Program RFA.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: NIFA requests applications for the Capacity Building Grants for Non-Land Grant Colleges of Agriculture Program (NLGCA) for fiscal year (FY) 2015 to make competitive grants to Non-land Grant Colleges of Agriculture (NLGCA) Institutions to assist the NLGCA Institutions in maintaining and expanding the capacity to conduct education, research, and outreach activities relating to agriculture, renewable resources, and other similar disciplines.

The amount available for support of this program in FY 2015 is approximately $4 million.

This notice identifies the objectives for NLGCA projects, the eligibility criteria for projects and applicants, and the application forms and associated instructions needed to apply for a NLGCA grant.

mailto:Policy@nifa.usda.gov

Table of Contents

PART I—FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. Legislative Authority and Background B. Purpose and Priorities C. Program Category Description

PART II—AWARD INFORMATION

A. Available Funding B. Types of Applications C. Project Types D. Project Duration E. Number and Size of Grant Awards F. Application Submission & Award Limitations G. Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research

PART III—ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. Eligible Applicants B. Cost Sharing or Matching

PART IV—APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

A. Electronic Application Package B. Content and Form of Application Submission C. Submission Dates and Times D. Funding Restrictions E. Other Submission Requirements

PART V—APPLICATION REVIEW REQUIREMENTS

A. General B. Evaluation Criteria C. Conflicts of Interest and Confidentiality

PART VI—AWARD ADMINISTRATION

A. General B. Award Notice C. Administrative and National Policy Requirements D. Expected Program Outputs and Reporting Requirements

PART VII - AGENCY CONTACTS

PART VIII—OTHER INFORMATION

A. Access to Review Information B. Use of Funds; Changes C. Confidential Aspects of Applications and Awards D. Regulatory Information E. Definitions E. Logic Model

PART I—FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. Legislative Authority and Background

Legislative Authority

This program is administered under the provisions of Section 1473F of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (NARETPA), as added by Section 7138 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, (7 USC 3319i).

B. Purpose and Priorities

The Department of Agriculture is designated as the lead Federal Agency that supports higher education in the food and agricultural sciences. In this context, NIFA has specific responsibility to initiate and support projects to strengthen higher education teaching programs in the food and agricultural sciences.

The NLGCA Program is soliciting applications that will align to the mission and goals of the following: Strategic Goal of the United States Department of Agriculture: (1) USDA Strategic Plan (http://www.usda.gov/documents/usda-strategic-plan-fy-2014-2018.pdf). Goal 1 -– Assist rural communities to create posterity so they are self-sustaining, re-populating, and economically thriving; Research, Education and Economics Action Plan (March 2014 version) ) (http://www.ree.usda.gov/ree/news/USDA_REE_Action_Plan_03-2014.pdf) specifically addressing: Goal 6- Education and Science Literacy; and the NIFA Strategic Plan (2014-2018) (http://nifa.usda.gov/sites/default/files/resource/NIFA%20Strategic%20Plan%20FY2014- FY2018.pdf), specifically addressing Strategic Goal No. 1, (Science-Catalyze exemplary and relevant research, education, and extension programs); Subgoal 1.7 – Ensure the development of human capital, communities, and a diverse workforce through research, education and extension and engagement programs in food and agricultural sciences to support a sustainable agriculture system.

As legislatively reauthorized, the purpose of this program is to assist the NLGCA Institutions in maintaining and expanding their capacity to conduct education, research, and outreach activities relating to agriculture, renewable resources, and other similar disciplines. NLGCA Institutions may use the funds to maintain and expand capacity:

(A) to successfully compete for funds from Federal grants and other sources to carry out educational, research, and outreach activities that address priority concerns of national, regional, State, and local interest;

(B) to disseminate information relating to priority concerns to — (i) interested members of the agriculture, renewable resources, and other relevant communities; (ii) the public;

and (iii) any other interested entity;

(C) to encourage members of the agriculture, renewable resources, and other relevant communities to participate in priority education, research, and outreach activities by providing matching funding to leverage grant funds; and http://www.usda.gov/documents/usda-strategic-plan-fy-2014-2018.pdf http://www.ree.usda.gov/ree/news/USDA_REE_Action_Plan_03-2014.pdf http://nifa.usda.gov/sites/default/files/resource/NIFA%20Strategic%20Plan%20FY2014-FY2018.pdf http://nifa.usda.gov/sites/default/files/resource/NIFA%20Strategic%20Plan%20FY2014-FY2018.pdf

(D) through — (i) the purchase or other acquisition of equipment and other infrastructure (not including alteration, repair, renovation, or construction of buildings); (ii) the professional growth and development of the faculty of the NLGCA Institution; and (iii) the development of graduate assistantships.

For the purpose of NLGCA Program, the following NIFA Priority Areas are considered as the national priorities:

• Agricultural & Natural Resources Science for Climate Variability and Change

• Food Security and Hunger

• Food Safety

• Water for Agriculture

• Childhood Obesity Prevention; and,

• Sustainable Bioenergy.

Under these priorities, priority will be given to those projects that focus on the national challenge to increase the number and diversity of under-represented students entering the food, agriculture and natural resource systems in the United States.

Applicants are encouraged to submit applications that will result in building linkages with other institutions (including other colleges and universities, units of State government, and private sector entities) having a significant ongoing commitment to the food and agricultural sciences generally and to the specific Need Area(s) for which a grant is requested (see below). The goals of such joint initiative should include maximizing the development and use of limited resources (including faculty, facilities, and equipment) by generating a critical mass of expertise and activity focused on a targeted Need Area(s); increasing cost-effectiveness through achieving economies of scale; strengthening the scope and quality of a project’s impact; and promoting coalition building likely to transcend the project’s lifetime and lead to future ventures.

Leadership Skills Development

All projects are required to provide leadership skills opportunities. The development of leadership skills, knowledge and qualities are necessary for preparing students for agricultural related careers in private sector, government and academia. NLGCA-funded projects must demonstrably incorporate a leadership development component to ensure that students are equipped with both technical and leadership abilities upon graduation. Specific activities may include:

• Developing practical applications to increase understanding of leadership roles, including critical thinking, problem solving, and communication skills, ethics and professionalism, and working in teams;

• Connecting the academic classroom experience with daily leadership roles and organizational activities; and,

• Organizing leadership academies, workshops, trainings, etc., and,

• Forming partnerships involving a broad range of diverse institutions to better understand how students learn, how to sustain their interests, and how to acquire those skills and occupational competencies expected by employers.

NLGCA encourages projects that develop content suitable for delivery through the Cooperative Extension System’s eXtension Initiative. Funds may be used to contribute to existing Communities of Practice (COPs) or form new COPs that focus on Stakeholder/Land Grant Institutions Partnership: Integrated Research, Extension and Education. Projects must align with the eXtension vision, mission, and values. A letter of acknowledgement from eXtension is required, and a letter of support may be required from one of the Communities of Practice. For detailed guidance on how to partner with eXtension, go to http://create.extension.org/node/2057.

C. Program Category Description

The four activities, (A) through (D) noted in Part I, B. can be undertaken through a variety of mechanisms, approaches, or strategies, any of which shall be part of an applicant’s response to addressing any two of the three Program Categories (education, research and/or outreach) described below in this subpart. While addressing the legislative intent of this grant program, an applicant may include, but is not limited to, the following activities (listed as discussed in Part I B.):

a) Successfully compete for funds from other sources:

By using NLGCA funds, grantees can -

• Develop pilot projects that may provide preliminary findings to support a full proposal.

• Build partnerships in order to develop collaborative projects that may be competitive for other funding sources.

• Leverage funds to support students and faculty time to work on developing new projects or instructional materials or tools, or

• Pursue other, similar activities to address this category.

b) Disseminate information to relevant groups:

NLGCA funds can be used to reach the relevant communities to increase awareness and participation in activities of high priority to agriculture and renewable resources through -

• Workshops, website development, or on-line discussions/forums, etc., that highlight community practices relevant to promoting partner engagement that advances food and agricultural sciences education, research and outreach opportunities, or

• Pursue other, similar activities to address this category.

c) Encourage relevant groups or communities to participate in education, research and outreach activities:

NLGCA institutions may use funds that will encourage communication, interaction, and participation in activities that will engage various communities and increase their interest in agriculture education, research and outreach through -

• Building partnerships with local communities.

• Building partnerships with land grant institutions.

• Reaching out to underrepresented and underserved groups, or

• Pursuing other, similar activities to address this category.

http://create.extension.org/node/2057

d) Increase NLGCA infrastructure capacity:

Grant funds can be used to support the capacity building of NLGCA institutions through -

• Purchasing equipment that may be used for research or instructional materials.

• Building library collections (including on-line subscription) to keep content knowledge of faculty and build research background of students.

• Supporting professional development for faculty through research sabbaticals, exchange or visiting scientists programs, etc., or

• Pursuing other, similar activities to address this category.

Applications submitted to the NLGCA Program must be Integrated Project Applications, meaning that projects must include at least two (2) of the three (3) components of research, education, or outreach. The resulting Integrated Project Application activities shall be interwoven throughout the life of the project, and shall complement and reinforce each other.

Authorizing language for this grants program encourages “…members of the agriculture, renewable resources, and other relevant communities to participate in priority education, research, and outreach activities…,” therefore, Integrated Project Applications are expected to strengthen the capacity of NLGCA Institutions through close collaboration among one or more of the communities/partners as mentioned above. A NLGCA-funded project must address at least two of the following three Program Categories: C.1, Education; C.2, Research; or, C.3, Outreach or Applied Projects Category.

1. Education Program Category:

Applications with an education focus must address at least one of the following, six Education Need Areas (C. 1. a- f) listed directly below, and applications must demonstrate how this chosen Need Area will support the legislatively authorized purpose of this program, listed in Part I. B.

Proposed education-focused activities shall support for-credit coursework (academic curriculum), leading to a degree within the broadly defined food and agricultural sciences disciplines. Projects shall address a documented issue/problem/challenge in education of national, regional, State, or local interest; be innovative; have potential for adoption by other academic institutions; exhibit broad-based applicability beyond a single course or an individual instructor; have a strong potential for institutionalization; and must be supported by evidence-based studies, publications or practices.

Education Need Areas:

a) Curriculum Design, Materials Development, Library Resources and Instruction Delivery Systems This Need Area promotes developing new (or adapting existing) curricula and related instructional materials and library resources to meet changes anticipated within the food and agricultural sciences system. Projects shall encourage integration and be multidisciplinary.

Learner-centered instructional techniques, or other improvements in teaching and student learning are encouraged, and are expected to demonstrate how the project will reach large audiences efficiently and effectively, provide hands-on learning experiences, extend learning beyond the classroom, reinforce recent research on how to motivate students to learn, retain, apply, and transfer knowledge, skills, and competencies, and integrate and synthesize knowledge.

The purpose of this Need Area is to enhance the NLGCA Institution’s capacity to promote new and improved curricula, instructional materials, and other learning resources to increase the quality of, and continuously renew, curricula in order to attract, recruit, and retain students in the food and agricultural sciences fields. The overall objective is to stimulate the development and use of exemplary education models and materials incorporating the most recent advances in subject matter and research on teaching and learning theory. Projects may emphasize, but are not limited to: the development of courses of study, degree programs, and instructional materials;

incorporating alternative instructional methodologies that respond to differences in student learning styles; inter-institutional collaborations that deliver instruction in ways that maximize program quality and reduce unnecessary duplication; the use of new approaches to the study of traditional subjects; the introduction of new subjects, or new applications of knowledge pertaining to agriscience and agribusiness content. The end goal is to have these activities fully institutionalized so they can be sustained and not just a one-time activity, in order to show impacts on the institution’s educational capacity.

The choice for which strategy to employ shall be based on the most current research or studies and references shall be included. Examples of eligible projects in this Education Need Area may include, but are not limited to, the following strategies:

• Designing course content around overarching and unifying concepts, skills and competencies, including innovative ways to integrate scientific research experiences, within the postsecondary curricula;

• Creating model curricula, laboratory, or student research experiences, especially activities that expand students’ career interests in the food and agricultural sciences through mentoring or professional shadowing activities, internships or practicums including international learning experiences, visiting lecturers, or other similar experiential learning activities such as hands-on, remote, and virtual laboratories;

• Developing internet-based approaches and systems for multi-institutional delivery and sharing of curriculum content to improve effectiveness and efficiencies; and

• Implementing other approaches to achieve the legislatively authorized purpose of the NLGCA program.

b) Scientific Instrumentation for Teaching and Research

This Need Area is to provide students and faculty in science-oriented courses with suitable, up-to-date equipment in order to involve them in work essential to scientific understanding and progress. Applications may emphasize, but are not limited to acquiring new, state-of-the-art instructional, laboratory, classroom, and research scientific equipment to help assure the achievement and maintenance of outstanding food and agricultural sciences education programs, upgrading existing equipment, or replacing non-functional or clearly obsolete equipment.

c) Student Recruitment, Retention, and Educational Equity This Need Area is to enhance educational equity for under-represented students, and to strengthen student recruitment and retention programs in order to promote the future strength of the Nation’s specific, professional, and technical workforce in the food and agricultural sciences.

Applications may emphasize, but are not limited to: initiating new projects or supplementing current efforts to attract increased number of students from under-represented groups, or communities/collaborators/partners to engage in a robust exchange of ideas on more effective use of the full breadth of the Nation’s intellectual resources; agricultural and science literacy program at high school level to attract students to college and careers in the food and agricultural sciences; and, mentoring programs and other initiatives for student retention.

d) Student Experiential Learning

This Need Area is to further the development of student scientific and professional competencies through experiential learning programs including but not limited to:

• Fostering student experiential learning opportunities where students are placed in team-oriented, problem-solving, decision-making situations in the context of real-world situations. Experiential learning in laboratory research or field-based internships is encouraged, but any activity shall expose students to experiences directly supporting topics within the food and agricultural sciences. Such experiences must: (1) demonstrate how the experience will help meet students’ career goals or produce ‘society-ready’ graduates, and (2) contain an evaluation process—involving the faculty and/or employer or mentor to assure that students meet project objectives;

• Establishing and promoting instructional methodologies to improve students’ retention of subject content, develop students’ analytical, interpersonal, leadership, communications, problem-solving, computational, and decision-making skills and abilities. These may take the form of undergraduate research opportunities, service learning, case studies, or other experiential learning activities;

• Creating career placement or higher education academic counseling activities, with the expected outcome of encouraging postsecondary graduates to pursue higher degrees, especially those that support the food and agricultural sciences. Also refer to Leadership Skills Development mentioned above.

e) Professional Development for Faculty Members

This Need Area promotes postsecondary-focused activities that improve faculty members’ teaching competencies and subject matter expertise in order to address emerging student demographic composition and learning styles. Developmental activities may include both formal training and informal continuing education.

The purpose of this Need Area is to enhance the NLGCA Institution’s capacity to advance faculty development in the areas of teaching competency and leadership, subject matter expertise, or student recruitment and advising skills, in order to better advise and provide students the experience or knowledge that will encourage them to pursue advanced postsecondary degrees in the food and agricultural sciences, or prepare them for the food and agricultural sciences workforce. Training of targeted faculty recipients shall be intentional and relevant to the identified educational needs of the students, who will be the beneficiaries of such faculty development. Proposals may emphasize, but are not limited to: obtaining experience with recent developments and new applications in a discipline supporting the food and agricultural sciences, expanding competence using innovative technologies and new methods of instructional delivery, or in improving student advising skills.

Any faculty recipient of support must meet the requirements of an eligible participant. The choice for which strategy to employ shall be based on the most current research or studies and references shall be included. Examples of eligible projects in this Education Need Area may include, but are not limited to, the following strategies:

• Developing a self-sustaining model for faculty professional development that better prepares new faculty for teaching careers, or provides retraining for experienced faculty;

• Promoting teaching and advising strategies to increase faculty understanding of how to recruit and retain students, especially within populations and cultures traditionally underrepresented in the food and agricultural sciences workforce;

• Developing faculty awareness of the importance of increasing the number, quality and diversity of postsecondary-level students enrolled in agricultural education degree programs, and engaging these students (and/or existing faculty in agricultural education) to more effectively interact with K-14 programs, especially to increase food and agriculture sciences education and career awareness among secondary and two-year postsecondary students and teachers;

• Creating assessments that document student learning outcomes, or that identify conceptual areas or skills particularly challenging to students, followed by appropriate changes in instructional approaches to effectively address these issues;

• Establishing systems that improve student learning across a curriculum, and identifying ways to redesign curricula to meet goals for achieving improved student learning and competencies;

• Integrating current science and pedagogy into the teacher preparation curriculum or professional development program (this may involve actual hands-on research experiences for teachers, and as applicable, may be gained from partner institutions with strong research infrastructure and carried out as a summer sabbatical);

• Exploring Internet-based approaches for faculty professional development; or

• Supporting other approaches to achieve the legislatively authorized purpose of the

NLGCA program.

f) Collaborative Interaction with Other Academic Institutions

This Need Area promotes postsecondary-focused activities and linkages between secondary, two-year postsecondary, and/or baccalaureate degree-granting institutions to maximize the development and use of resources supporting instruction within the food and agricultural sciences.

The purpose of this Need Area is to enhance the NLGCA institution’s capacity to promote partnerships with secondary, two-year postsecondary, or other postsecondary academic institutions to support postsecondary instruction (i.e., providing coursework targeted at undergraduate students, but that may also be available for advanced placement credit for secondary students; for transfer credit from associate-degree programs into baccalaureate-level programs; or for postsecondary faculty development that includes research sabbaticals). The intent of these activities is to encourage and facilitate transfer and matriculation into postsecondary programs within the food and agricultural sciences. Emphasis between secondary and higher education institutions may focus on, but is not limited to, the development and use of articulation agreements, 2+2 or 2+2+2 arrangements, advanced placement credit transfer, or the sharing of faculty and facilities. Partnerships, collaborative arrangements and shared resources between institutions (including course credit sharing arrangements) are encouraged.

Projects shall contribute to the academic community’s understanding about how new strategies are transferred to diverse settings and about how they impact student learning. Evaluation plans shall explore opportunities for adapting new strategies in diverse educational settings. Projects that specifically address challenges to achieving widespread adoption of proven practice are especially encouraged.

The choice for which strategy to employ shall be based on the most current research or studies and references shall be included. Examples of eligible projects in this Education Need Area may include, but are not limited to, the following strategies:

• A project that focuses on developing and implementing comprehensive, multi-institutional practices proven to recruit and retain K-14 level graduates, with a focus on cultivating those students to pursue a postsecondary degree (Note: NLGCA grant funding may not be used to provide student scholarships or other tuition-remission activity);

• A collaborative project between faculty from K-12, two-year postsecondary, and baccalaureate-level schools that develops a functional plan facilitating seamless transfer of course credit between institutions;

• An activity promoting faculty exchanges to help update course content or to encourage increased, hands-on student research experiences;

• A pilot project that explores the practical aspects of using remote laboratories; moving research into the classroom; or instruction among several institutions;

• A program to reduce duplication of similar educational resources across institutions and to increase instructional efficiencies. Examples may include multi-institutional or interstate approaches to curriculum development, faculty sharing, cross enrollments, joint degrees, regionalization of academic programs, regional and national workshops and symposia, and similar methodologies;

• A project to establish and implement programs or procedures (faculty sharing, articulation agreements, electronic exchange of coursework, etc.) to disseminate curricula, instructional methods, or training practices to faculty across the state or region;

or

• Other approaches to achieve the legislatively authorized purpose of this program.

2. Research Program Category:

Applications with a research focus must address at least one of the following two Research Need Areas (C. 2. a-b) listed directly below, and applications must demonstrate how this chosen Need Area will support the legislatively authorized purpose of this program, listed in Part I. B.

Projects shall address a demonstrated, documented issue/problem/challenge in research of national, regional, State, or local interest within the broadly defined food and agricultural sciences.

Either Research Need Area may encourage graduate assistantships. Such student learning opportunities shall emphasize team-oriented, problem-solving, decision-making situations in the context of addressing real-world research experiences. Experiential learning in laboratory research or other internships with business and industry, community organizations, federal agencies and other domains that provide knowledge and skills for graduate study shall be given priority. Projects addressing graduate assistantships must: (1) demonstrate how the experience will produce qualified and well trained graduates, (2) contain an evaluation process involving both the faculty or mentor to assure that students meet project objectives, and (3) document that the field of science under consideration is experiencing a shortage of scientific and professional personnel, and how the project plans to address this deficiency. Individual students may be supported under this experiential learning opportunity for up to three (3) years (including summers, semesters, or semester breaks). Requested grant funds may be used as stipends for students while they are working in research/field settings. (However, a NLGCA grant may not fund student scholarships or other tuition-remission activity). Students shall be required to prepare written and oral summaries of the experiential learning gained through this opportunity.

To attract high-caliber students, stipends should be competitive with alternative employment options. A modest amount of funds may be requested for materials/supplies to facilitate a student’s broad exposure to research/field techniques and methodologies. Grant recipients are encouraged to take advantage of any related paid internship opportunities provided by state, county, federal, business and industry sources.

Research Need Areas:

a) Studies and Experimentation in Food and Agricultural Sciences The purpose of this Need Area (or initiative) is to advance the body of knowledge within the food and agricultural sciences. Projects addressing this Need Area are encouraged to focus on multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research activities addressing critical issues rather than single, discipline-specific research studies.

Examples of studies and experiments considering integrated or multidisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary research activities that address this Research Need Area include, but not limited to:

• Conceiving, designing, and evaluating new bio-processing techniques for eliminating undesirable constituents from, or adding desirable ones to, food products;

• Developing bio-energy/fuel alternatives;

• Conducting plant or animal breeding programs to develop higher yielding and improved quality products and improved disease resistance;

• Proposing and evaluating methods to enhance utilization of the capabilities and resources of food and agricultural institutions to promote rural development (e.g., exploitation of new technologies by small rural businesses);

• Identifying control factors that influence consumer demand for agricultural products;

• Analyzing social, economic, and physiological aspects of nutrition and health, food choices, and life-style choices, and community strategies for meeting the changing needs of different population groups;

• Advancing the body of knowledge in highly important scientific, food and agriculture program areas such as human nutrition, food safety, sustainable agriculture, global climate change, natural resources management and the environment, biotechnology and genomics, newly developed research areas such as proteomics, metabolimics, nanotechnology, pharmaceutical qualities of medicinal plants, agribusiness management and marketing, integrated pest management, and the human sciences.

• Addressing other research areas of critical need within the food and agricultural sciences.

b) Centralized Research Support Systems

The purpose of this Need Area is to establish centralized research support systems that: (1) meet national needs or serve regions of NLGCA institutions; or (2) provide research support more economically, thereby freeing up resources for other research uses. Examples of projects that address this Research Need Area include, but are not limited to:

• Storing, maintaining, characterizing, evaluating and enhancing germplasm for use by animal and plant breeders, including those using the techniques of biotechnology;

• Establishing computerized data banks of important scientific information (e.g., human nutrition, epidemiological, demographic, weather, economic, crop yields);

• Establishing expert service centers for sophisticated and highly specialized methodologies (e.g., evaluation of organoleptic and nutritional quality of foods, toxicology, taxonomic identifications, consumer preferences demographics, and efficacy of medicinal plants);

• Enhancing technology and instrumentation for research and instruction; and

• Supporting other approaches to achieve the legislatively authorized purpose of this program.

3. Outreach or Applied Projects Category:

In addition to the Education and Research Need Areas, applications may choose to develop studies that have relevancy and application within the communities that these institutions serve.

Outreach or Applied Projects Category applications must demonstrate how this chosen Need Area will support the legislatively authorized purpose of this program, listed in Part I. B.

a) Applied Studies in the Food and Agricultural Sciences

The purpose of this Need Area is to apply the body of knowledge in those natural and social sciences that comprise the food and agricultural sciences to address real-world problems, including applied research activities focusing on community and economic development issues related to food, nutrition, conservation, and renewable natural resources. Illustrative examples, include, but are not limited to:

• Conduct plant or animal breeding programs to develop better crops, forests, or livestock (e.g., more disease resistant, more productive, yielding higher quality products);

• Conceive, design, and evaluate new bio-processing techniques for eliminating undesirable constituents from or adding desirable ones to food products;

• Propose and evaluate ways to enhance utilization of the capabilities and resources of

NLGCA institutions to promote rural development (e.g. exploitation of new technologies by small rural businesses);

• Identify control factors influencing consumer demand for agricultural products;

• Analyze social, economic, and physiological aspects of nutrition, housing, and lifestyle choices, and of community strategies for meeting the changing needs of different population groups; and,

• Study other identified State, regional, community, national and global problems such as human nutrition and obesity prevention, sustainable agriculture, bio-energy, climate change, food safety, food security, biotechnology, agribusiness management and marketing, and aquaculture (see Part I.B on areas of priorities).

b) Applied Research Support Systems

The purpose of this Need Area is to establish centralized support systems to meet State, regional, or community needs, or serve clientele that cannot otherwise afford or no not have ready access to the support in question, or to provide such support more economically thereby freeing up resources for other applied research uses. Examples include, but are not limited to:

(i) Storage, maintenance, characterization, evaluation, and enhancement of germplasm for use by animal and plant breeders (including those using the techniques of biotechnology):

(ii) Computerized data banks of important scientific information (e.g., epidemiological, demographic, nutrition, weather, economic, crop yields, animal migration patterns); and,

(iii) Expert service centers for sophisticated and highly specialized methodologies (e.g., evaluation of nutritional quality of foods, toxicology, taxonomic identifications, consumer preferences and demographics).

c) Technology-based Information Delivery Systems

The purpose of this Need Area is to promote innovations and improvements in the delivery of benefits of food and agricultural sciences to producers and consumers, particularly those who are currently disproportionately low in receipt of such benefits. Examples include, but are not limited to:

(i) Computer-based decision support systems to assist small-scale farmers, ranchers, herders, or fishermen to take advantage of relevant technologies, programs, policies, etc.; and,

(ii) Efficacious delivery systems for nutrition information or for resource management assistance for low income families and individuals.

d) Other Applied Research and Community Development Applications

The purpose of this Need Area is to encourage other creative projects, outside areas previously outlined, that are designed to provide needed enhancement to the capacity of NLGCA institutions to conduct applied research and related community development projects.

Outreach Need Areas:

Applications with an outreach focus must address at least one of the following six Outreach Need Areas (C. 3. a-f) listed directly below, and applications must demonstrate how this chosen Need Area will support legislatively authorized purpose of this program listed in Part I. B.

Outreach-focused projects generally result in a primary, target beneficiary consisting of individuals and communities outside of a formal, academic program setting. Projects shall address a demonstrated, documented issue/problem/challenge in outreach of national, regional, State, or local interest within the broadly defined food and agricultural sciences.

a) 4-H, or Other, Similar Youth Development Activity The purpose of this Need Area is to cultivate important life skills in youth that build character and assist them in making appropriate life and career choices. At-risk youth targeted in such projects shall be encouraged to participate in academic retention and enrichment programs.

b) Food and Agricultural Sciences The purpose of this Need Area is to increase research and educational programs that help individuals learn new ways to produce income through alternative enterprises, to improve marketing strategies and management skills, and to assist farmers, ranchers, and foresters to improve productivity through sound resource management strategies, including controlling crop pests, soil testing, livestock production practices, and marketing.

c) Leadership Development The purpose of this Need Area is to train outreach professionals and volunteers to deliver programs in agriculture, gardening, health and safety, family and consumer issues, and to support Agriculture in the Classroom, 4-H youth development, or other similar programs that encourage greater involvement and leadership roles within the community.

d) Natural Resources The purpose of this Need Area is to inform landowners and homeowners how to use natural resources wisely and to protect the environment with educational programs in water quality, timber management, composting, lawn waste management, and recycling.

e) Human, Family and Consumer Sciences The purpose of this Need Area is to help families become resilient and healthy by teaching nutrition, food preparation skills, positive child care, parenting, family communication, financial management, and health care strategies.

f) Community and Economic Development

The purpose of this Need Area is to assist local governments, community, and non-profit organizations to investigate and create viable options for economic and community development, such as improved job creation and retention, small- and medium-sized business development, effective and coordinated emergency response, solid waste disposal, tourism development, workforce education, and land-use planning, as well as to help with the development of small family owned businesses.

PART II—AWARD INFORMATION

A. Available Funding

The amount available for support of this program in FY 2015 is approximately $4 million.

The funds will be awarded through a grant. There is no commitment by USDA to fund any particular application or to make a specific number of awards.

Awards issued as a result of this RFA will have designated the Automated Standard Applications for Payment System (ASAP), operated by the Department of Treasury’s Financial Management Service, as the payment system for funds. For more information see http://fms.treas.gov/index1.html.

B. Types of Applications

Applications may only be submitted as:

(1) New application. This is a project application that has not been previously submitted to the NLGCA Program. All new applications will be reviewed competitively using the selection process and evaluation criteria described in Part V—Application Review Requirements.

(2) Resubmitted application. This is a project application that had previously been submitted to the NLGCA Program but not funded. Project Directors (PDs) must respond to the previous review panel summary (see Response to Previous Review, Part IV). Resubmitted applications must be received by the relevant due dates, will be evaluated in competition with other pending applications in appropriate area to which they are assigned, and will be reviewed according to the same evaluation criteria as new applications.

C. Project Types

Applicants may submit one of the following four types of projects:

1. Conference/Planning Proposal

Applicants in this Project Type may request up to $30,000 (total conference, not per year) to facilitate strategic planning session(s) required of faculty, industry, professional association, community leaders, or other necessary participants for the specific purpose of developing a formal plan leading to a subsequent submission of either a Joint, or a Large-scale (state or regional) comprehensive initiatives (LCI), Project Proposal, as described directly below in C.3.

or C.4. A Conference/Planning grant application may not be submitted in the same year for which a Joint or LCI application for the same project is also submitted.

2. Regular Project Proposal (Single Institution/Organization) Applicants may request up to $150,000 (total, not per year) for a Regular Project Proposal. In a Regular Project Proposal, the applicant executes the project without the requirement of sharing grant funds with other project partners.

http://fms.treas.gov/index1.html

3. Joint Project Proposal (Applicant + One or more Partners) Applicants may request up to $300,000 (total, not per year) for a Joint Project Proposal. In a Joint Project Proposal, the applicant executes the project with assistance from at least one additional partner. The partner(s) must share grant funds (see explanation of required funds distribution percentage among partners in the definition of a Joint Project Proposal in Part VIII, E.). [Note: This ‘Joint Project Proposal’ Project Type may be dropped entirely in future NLGCA grant competitions and replaced by the Large-scale (state or regional) comprehensive initiatives (LCI) described directly below in item C.4.]

4. Large-scale (state or regional) comprehensive initiatives (LCI) (Applicant + Two or more Partners)

Applicants may request up to $750,000 (total, not per year) for a large-scale (state or regional) comprehensive initiative (LCI) Project Proposal. In a LCI Project Proposal, the applicant executes the project with assistance from at least two additional partners. Additional partners must share grant funds (see explanation of required funds distribution percentage among partners in the definition of a LCI Project Proposal in Part VIII, E.). An LCI project differs from a Joint Project Proposal in project scope and impact. LCI Project Proposals must support a multi-partner approach to solving a major state or regional challenge facing the agricultural sciences at the postsecondary level. LCI Project Proposals are characterized by multiple partners (each providing a specific expertise) organized and led by a strong applicant with documented project management ability to organize and carry out the initiative.

Note: LCI Projects must include both the R&R Budget and the R&R Subaward Budget Attachment Forms. The forms shall clearly identify the total grant funding anticipated for the applicant and each partner to demonstrate the required sharing percentage. All expenditures for the applicant and all partners shall be further itemized in the Budget Justification. LCI Project Proposal funds do not have to be divided equally among project years, nor do they need to be divided equally among project partners.

Impacts for all LCI Projects: In addition to addressing the Evaluation Plan section of this program expected impacts from a LCI Project must include, but are not limited to:

• An assessment of significant progress toward addressing the national challenge of increasing the number of under-represented students and the diversity of food and agriculture sciences graduates, while addressing the specific state or regional opportunity defined in the grant application;

• Documented expansion of the number of students who enroll in postsecondary courses in the food or agricultural sciences disciplines;

• Documented enhanced retention rates of students exposed to LCI Project activities;

• A comprehensive project evaluation, with indicators and methods defined in this grants program, which informs the undergraduate food and agriculture sciences community and others about the effectiveness of this LCI Project. (Please refer to

Part V.B. for specific details regarding Evaluation Criteria and the Part VIII.F – Logic Model.);

• A description of completed or ongoing activities supported by this LCI Project, and a description of those same activities that will be sustained once grant funds end; and

• A description of any related activities expected to occur as an outgrowth of this funded project.

D. Project Duration

Project periods may range from twenty-four (24) to thirty-six (36) months. Projects shall conclude no sooner than twenty-four (24) months after the award start date to allow the applicant sufficient time to evaluate the results and report the impacts. LCI projects are expected to use the full, 36-month period. Conference projects may range between twenty-four (24) and thirty-six

(36) months. The statutory limitation for this program is five (5) years.

E. Number and Size of Grant Awards

The number of grants awarded in FY 2015 will depend on the number and type of meritorious applications submitted in response to this notice. Based on the project scope and budget of all applications selected for awards, the actual, individual grant amounts awarded by NIFA under this grants program may differ from the funds requested by the applicant. In such cases, applicants may be required by NIFA to submit revised budgets and revised plans of work before an award is made.

F. Application Submission & Award Limitations

NLGCA applicants may submit (as the lead applicant) any number of applications in response to this RFA; however, your institution will be limited to a maximum of two (2) grant awards, as the lead (applicant) institution. Your institution may participate in any number of NLGCA-funded projects as a partner institution in any given year.

G. Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research

The responsible and ethical conduct of research (RCR) is critical for excellence, as well as public trust, in science and engineering. Consequently, we consider education in RCR essential to the preparation of future scientists. In accordance with sections 2, 3, and 8 of 2 CFR Part 422, institutions that conduct USDA-funded extramural research must foster an atmosphere conducive to research integrity, bear primary responsibility for prevention and detection of research misconduct, and maintain and effectively communicate and train their staff regarding policies and procedures. In the event an application to NIFA results in an award, the Authorized Representative (AR) assures, through acceptance of the award that the institution will comply with the above requirements. Per award terms and conditions, grant recipients shall, upon request, make available to NIFA the policies, procedures, and documentation to support the conduct of the training.

Note that the training referred to herein shall be either on-campus or off-campus training. The general content of the ethics training will, at a minimum, emphasize three key areas of research ethics: authorship and plagiarism, data and research integration, and reporting misconduct. Each institution will be responsible for developing its own training system, as schools will need flexibility to develop training tailored to their specific student needs. Grantees should consider the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) program for RCR (https://www.citiprogram.org/rcrpage.asp). Typically this RCR education addresses the topics of:

Data Acquisition and Management - collection, accuracy, security, access; Authorship and Publication; Peer Review; Mentor/Trainee Responsibilities; Collaboration; Conflict of Interest;

Research Misconduct; Human Subject Research; and Use of Animals in Research.

https://www.citiprogram.org/rcrpage.asp

PART III—ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. Eligible Applicants

Applications may only be submitted by a Non-Land Grant College of Agriculture (NLGCAs) certified as such by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture.