UAIP Webinar Transcript 6-3-2020.pdf

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U.S. Department of Agriculture – Natural Resources Conservation Service Urban Agriculture and Innovation Production (UAIP) Competitive Grants Program Webinar Transcript June 3, 2020

Jen Ryan:

Joseph Heller:

Please stand by for real-time captions.

[Music]

Afternoon everyone, we will get started in a minute. Good afternoon everyone, welcome to today's webinar Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production Competitive Grants Program. My name is Jen Ryan, I'm a natural resources specialist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) at the national technology support center. We will get started with the presentation in just a moment but first a few logistical items. This webinar is being recorded. All participants joining today's webinar are in listen only mode, and all audio is being broadcast to your device’s speakers. Computer or mobile headsets can help with your audio quality and volume. We still want you to be able to participate in today's webinar. Please type your questions or comments into the Q&A pod. You can submit your question or comments throughout the presentation. However, questions will be answered at the end of the question and answer session. If you are having audio challenges, note the closed captioning link that is provided in the links pod panel. The captions open in a new browser window where you can follow along with our presenters’ comments. Please note the status bar indicator to the right of help in the Adobe connect menu. All green is an indicator that your connection is strong. If you wish to make adjustments to your view of the webinar, you can make them using the options in the screen share window. If you choose to view the presentation in full-screen mode, you want to have your cursor at the top of your screen for the options to return to normal view. You will need to be in normal view to see the Q&A pod so you can type in your question.

You can download a PDF of the presentation; they are located in the handouts pod. Finally, this webinar is being recorded and will be posted on the Farmers.gov/urban website. I am pleased now to turn the webinar over to our moderator, Joseph Heller. Joseph is a resource conservationist for the United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and in New York City's Hudson Valley. In New York he provides technical assistance to farmers. Joe is currently on a detail assignment at NRCS National Headquarters, leading a team to establish the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (UAIP), 2018 Farm Bill statute. Joe, you may now begin.

Thank you. Welcome to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production Competitive Grants Program Webinar. I'm Joseph Heller with USDA's Office of Urban Agriculture

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Annie Ceccarini:

and Innovative Production, and the moderator for today's webinar.

This is a newly established grant program under the 2018 Farm Bill, and fiscal year 2020 is the first time USDA is soliciting applications for this funding opportunity. Approximately $3 million is available to fund applications this fiscal year. Applications must be submitted online through Grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. Eastern daylight Time on Monday, July 6th. Applications received after this deadline will not be considered for funding. Once again, please mute your microphone through the presentation. This presentation is being recorded and will be posted on Farmers.gov/urban with closed captions for any viewing.

Today's presentation will be divided into five sections. It will be presented by Annie Ceccarini and Michele Devaney both grants management specialists with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Questions can be submitted through the question and answer box.

Any questions submitted that were not answered during the course of the presentation will be answered at the end of the webinar.

USDA is happy to field any general, high-level inquiries that applicants may have regarding the application process. However, USDA staff is unable to offer specific guidance on how to craft, structure, or write one’s proposal. Part one and part two of today's webinar that provide an overview of the urban agriculture and innovative production competitive grants program and contact information will be presented by any Annie Ceccarini. She works for USDA’s Agricultural Marking Service as a grants management specialist in its grants division and is currently detailed in the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production to assist with its newly established grant program, and other funding opportunities.

Annie, I turn it over to you.

Thanks, Joe. The Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production is new to USDA and was created under the 2018 Farm Bill. USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service is leading the USDA wide effort which includes representatives from several other USDA agencies such as the Farm Service Agency and the Agricultural Marketing Service. The office’s mission is to promote urban and/or other emerging agricultural practices, including community gardens and farms located in urban areas, indoor farms, greenhouses and high-tech vertical technology farms, hydroponic, or aeroponic, and aquaponic farm facilities and other innovations in agricultural production. The Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production works in four areas. Today's webinar will discuss its competitive grant program listed on the bottom right of your screen.

You will hear us refer to this grants program by the acronym UAIP.

The purpose of UAIP is to support the development of urban agriculture and innovative production activities by finding Planning Projects and implementation projects led by nonprofit organizations, local or tribal governments, and schools that serve any of the grades kindergarten through 12 in areas of the United States. USDA's

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Natural Resources Conservation Service is the awarding agency for this grant opportunity.

Projects, whether Planning Projects or implementation projects, should target a single or multiple urban areas, suburbs, or urban clusters in the United States where access to fresh food is limited or unavailable and should include one or more partner organizations to achieve project goals within the target areas. I will further explain these three components over the next few slides.

Let's first address target areas. UAIP project should target a single or multiple urban areas, suburbs, or urban clusters in the United States.

The U.S. Census Bureau defines urban and rural areas on the basis of population density. Rural areas comprise open country and settlements with fewer than 2500 residents. USDA is utilizing the U.S. Census Bureau definition of rural to determine an eligible target area. Therefore, UAIP projects that target a rural area with less than 2500 residents are not eligible for funding. UAIP projects that target areas with 2500 or greater residence are eligible.

Second, access to fresh food should be limited or unavailable in the project target areas. Applicants should have experience serving these communities. How can the applicant determine if the project target area lacks access to fresh food? USDA's Economic Research Service is a national leader in measuring the people and places facing barriers to accessing healthy and affordable food. Applicants are not required to use tools developed by USDA's Economic Research Service, such as the USDA Food Access Research Atlas, or the Food Environment Atlas to measure access to fresh food in the target area. However, these data and mapping tools are available and free to use online.

You can go to ers.usda.gov and type in “food access” in the upper right corner to find a list of these resources. There are many ways to measure food access for individuals and for neighborhoods. And many ways to define which areas are food deserts – neighborhoods that lack healthy food sources. Most measures and definitions take into account at least some of the following indicators of access. One, accessibility to sources of healthy food, as measured by distance to a store or the number of stores in an area. Two, individual level resources that may affect accessibility, such as family income or vehicle availability. And three, neighborhood level indicators of resources, such as the average income of the neighborhood and the availability of public transportation. Applicants can use any of these measures or others to measure access to fresh food in their project target area. Third, eligible entities should collaborate with one or more partner organizations to achieve project goals within the target areas. Applicants are encouraged to seek and create partnerships with public or private, nonprofit, or for-profit entities. Only the applicant must meet the eligibility requirement for a UAIP grant.

Thus, non-eligible entities may be partners on a project. The eligible entity that submits the application to the Natural Resources Conservation Service is responsible for receiving and managing the

Page 4 of 25 NRCS: UAIP FY 2020 Webinar Transcript award, if selected. Applicants that apply as partners or other similar grouping must clearly describe the relationship between applicants and the partner parties. Awards will only be made to a single entity.

Letters of intent or support from partners are not required with the application but may be included. There is no competitive advantage for an applicant to provide a letter verifying support from partners.

However, if you wish to include them, simply attach the letter to the application in Grants.gov.

I have gone over the three project components. Let's discuss who is eligible to apply for a UAIP grant. Tribal governments, nonprofit organizations, local governments, and any school that serves any of the grades kindergarten through grade 12 are eligible to apply for UAIP grants and must be located within the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Caribbean area including Puerto Rico and the U.S.

Virgin Islands, and the Pacific Islands area, including Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. We have received many questions about tribal governments, nonprofit organizations, and local governments and their definition. For that reason, I will state their definitions here, which are based on the Office of Management and Budget Uniform Grants Guidance. Tribal governments are defined as governing bodies or governmental agencies of any Indian tribe, band, nation, or other organized group or community or certified by the Secretary of the Interior as eligible for the special programs and services provided through the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The next group is nonprofit organizations, nonprofit organizations are defined as any corporation, trust, association, cooperative or other organization not including institutions of higher education that is operating primarily for scientific, educational, service, charitable, or similar purposes in the public interest and is not organized primarily for profit and uses net proceeds to maintain, improve, or expand the operations of the organization. In addition, nonprofit having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS and nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS are eligible for UAIP grants. Next local governments. Local governments are defined as any unit of government within a state, including a county, borough, municipality, city, town, township, parish, local public authority, including any public housing agency under United States housing act of 1937, special district, school district, intrastate district, council of governments, whether or not incorporated as a nonprofit under State law, and any other agency or instrumentality of a multistate regional, or interstate or local government. The very last category for eligibility as any school that serves any of the grades kindergarten through grade 12. Who is not eligible to apply? For this opportunity, individual such as farmer, gardener, for-profit organizations and small businesses, also institutions of higher education, including any extension programs related to the institution are not eligible to apply for UAIP. Applicants not located within the 50 States, District of Columbia, the Caribbean Area, and the Pacific Islands are not eligible.

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Participation. An eligible applicant can serve as the lead on only one Planning Project or implementation project grant application. You may be listed as a partner on more than one application. So, the proposed project should not duplicate activities from another Federal award and must have specifically different objectives. Can I receive a UAIP grant and also one from a different USDA or Federal agency? Yes, you can, but the projects have to have specifically different objectives. You may want to check with the other Federal programs to ensure you are not violating the terms and conditions of another award you might have with a different USDA agency. We will move on to project types and funding amount. Planning Projects.

Awards for Planning Projects will not exceed $200,000 in any single year, or $500,000 over three years. Projects may be between 12 and 36 months in duration, one to three years. For Implementation Projects, those awards will not exceed $100,000 in any single year, or $300,000 over three years. Implementation Projects may be between 12 and 36 months in duration. The same time period, 1 to 3 years. The Planning Project budget ranges are higher than Implementation Projects. Planning Projects have a higher minimum and maximum award, because they are new startup projects that may require a greater initial investment, such as research, surveys and investments, development of technology, design planning, and so forth. Funding for Implementation Projects should be used to accelerate existing and emerging efforts and lastly, there is no cost sharing on those requirements.

When trying to decide between applying for a Planning Project or Implementation Project, it's important to consider the following.

Planning Projects support early-stage efforts of farmers, gardeners, citizens, government officials, schools, and other stakeholders in urban agriculture and innovative production and may be designed to develop recommendations, facilitate assessments, or support the development of business plans, feasibility studies, strategies, and municipal planning that consider policies and zoning.

Implementation Projects accelerate existing and emerging models of urban, indoor, and other agricultural practices and improve access to local food. They need to be designed to offer needed resources, such as training, land, equipment, mentoring and other business development assistance. Increase food production, train students for careers in agriculture, or expand operations of community gardens or nonprofit farms. It is significant to note that USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service does not have examples of projects that have been funded under this grant. UAIP is a newly established grant program, and this fiscal year is the first time USDA is soliciting applications for this funding opportunity.

So, what does this grant program fund? It funds activities that encourage and promote urban, indoor, and other emerging agricultural practices, including community gardens and farms located in urban areas, suburbs, and urban clusters, rooftop farms, outdoor vertical production and green walls, indoor farms, Page 6 of 25 NRCS: UAIP FY 2020 Webinar Transcript greenhouses, and high-tech vertical technology farms, hydroponic, aquaponic facilities, and other innovations in agricultural production.

Project activities that can be funded under this grant include production related expenses such as soil, plants, feed, shovels, gardening tools, fish, livestock, bees, and hoop houses or other items necessary to grow and store food. The purchase of a shipping container to grow food is allowable. However, the per unit cost of each supply item must be below $5000. Any item with a per-unit cost of $5000 or above and has a useful life of more than one year is considered equipment.

Construction. Grant funds may be used to construct, alter, or repair buildings, structures, or other property. Erecting a building or making substantial changes to the footprint of a building would be considered a construction project. In addition, funds can be used to expand or improve current operations of an existing greenhouse.

Contractual costs, including labor, contractual costs are expenses associated with purchasing goods and/or procuring services performed by an individual or organization other than the applicant in the form of a procurement relationship. Grant funds may be used for personnel whose time and effort can be specifically identified and easily and accurately traced to project activities. Projects and budgets including the rental or lease and not the purchase of special equipment, vehicles, land, and building space during the length of the grants will be given higher consideration. Any lease or rental agreement must terminate at the end of the grant cycle, special purpose means equipment which is used for the research, medical, scientific, or other technical activities.

Project activities that are not funded under this grant include the production of hemp, any activity related to growing marijuana, which are an illegal Federal activity and not in compliance with Federal law.

The purchase of general-purpose equipment which is equipment not limited to research, medical, scientific, or other technical activities.

Examples include office equipment and furnishings, modular offices, telephone networks, etc. Organized fundraising which includes any financial campaigns, solicitation of gifts and bequests, and similar expenses incurred to raise capital or obtain contributions, regardless of how the funds will be used. This list is not exhaustive, and a more detailed list of funding restrictions is provided in the Notice of Funding Opportunity on Grants.gov.

I discussed the purpose of UAIP, eligible entities, project types, available funding amount, and project lengths and what UAIP does and does not fund. Lastly, let's discuss that an applicant will be given higher consideration if they meet the following four criteria. One, have experience in the area of agriculture or innovative production for three years or more. And have experience serving communities in urban areas, suburbs, or urban clusters where access to fresh foods are limited or unavailable. Two, they demonstrate competency to implement a project, provide fiscal accountability, collect data and

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Michele Devaney:

prepare reports and other necessary documentation. Three, they demonstrate a willingness to share information with researchers, evaluators, practitioners, and other interested parties including a plan for dissemination of results and four collaborate with one or more partner organizations working in the project target areas.

All the overview information I shared can be obtained through the resources that have been made publicly available at Farmers.gov/urban and Grants.gov. We encourage you to visit Farmers.gov/urban to learn more about the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production, and its funding opportunities.

You can reach out to us with any high-level inquiries, about the UAIP program, at the email address UrbanAgriculture@usda.gov. Thank you.

Thank you, Annie. We will be hearing more from Annie during the Q&A. Part three and part four of today's webinar that covers the application, evaluation, and notification process and helpful tips will be presented by Michele Devaney. Michele has worked for the U.S.

Department of Agriculture since 2009 in various capacities, and currently supports NRCS and three other USDA agencies with grants administration. Take it away, Michele.

Thanks, Joe. This slide outlines the process of steps one and two, they are completed by the applicant by 11.59 on July 6th, 2020, which is a Monday, when the applications are due on Grants.gov.

Steps three, four, and five, will be completed by USDA staff. The agency does anticipate notifying successful and unsuccessful applicants by August 31st, 2020 and expects to have Federal awards in place by September 30th. Step one. There are several items that the applicant is responsible for, as it is mentioned in the first presentation if you've not done so already, read the 19 page Notice of Funding Opportunity to make sure you are eligible to apply, and that you understand the instructions. The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NFO) can be found at the Farmers.gov/urban website as well as Grants.gov. There will be screenshots later to show how to find the opportunity. If you determine your organization is eligible to apply, you must follow the instructions in the Notice of Funding Opportunity. Instructions on the NFO include documents you need to submit; you can see them up on the slide. The opportunity package in the Grants.gov opportunity has the standard forms necessary to apply in the most current version. Please do not use old copies of standard forms, you may have used to apply in recent years. Those forms change and I know there was a very recent change to the SF 424 form. Please use the version in the opportunity package or download the most current version from Grants.gov. What is required? First, I will discuss the proposal narrative. The NFO has very specific instructions regarding the proposal, the format of it.

The text must be single spaced, 12 point, Times New Roman, and must not exceed 15 pages. The proposal itself shall not exceed 10 pages of written text, and up to five additional pages for figures and

Page 8 of 25 NRCS: UAIP FY 2020 Webinar Transcript tables. That maximum of 15 pages is to ensure fair and adequate competition. Proposals that do not comply with the required content and format will not be considered for funding. Material exceeding stated page limits and formatting structure will not be considered. In addition, noncompliant proposals will not be considered. Next is the SF 424 application form. There are instructions for this form as well at Grants.gov. Next is the standard forms for budget. To complete the SF 424A, only if the proposal does not include construction. If the proposal includes construction, complete the SF 424C instead of SF 424A. The SF 424C is specific for construction. You will see in the opportunity packaging on Grants.gov that the SF 424A and SF 424C are in the optional category to submit. Grants.gov will actually let you submit your application without one of these, but they are mandatory, according to the Notice of Funding Opportunity. Please make sure that is included. And there's the budget narrative. In a separate narrative titled Budget Narrative, justify all budget items and cost. Detail how the totals on the 424A were determined and demonstrate a clear connection between the costs and the proposed project. And, I think what we can't see on the slide, they're supposed to be another bullet point under if applicable that mentions the Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA). A non-expired NICRA is required to be submitted with the application, if the applicant is requesting indirect costs. It must be in PDF format and attached to the Grants.gov application package.

Next, I will discuss what other steps might need to be taken. This chart is a general overview and includes the main steps any organization that has never applied for a Federal grant must complete outside Grants.gov prior to summiting an application. You will see an estimated timeframe on the slide, so start now if you need to complete any of the steps. Do not wait. Some of these can take longer than the timing that is indicated here on the slide. First is an EIN an Employer Identification Number, which can also be a Federal Tax Identification Number. If your organization does not have one of these, it should allow an additional five weeks to obtain that number from the IRS. Next is obtaining a DUNS number, which is a unique nine-digit identification number for each physical location of your organization. I would like to mention that the DUNS number is free for anyone required to register with the Federal government.

There are a lot of scam websites that charge a fee to help you obtain your DUNS number. Go straight to the DUNS & Bradstreet website to obtain it there. Next is registering with the System for Award Management, SAM is a required step in order for your organization to be able to apply for Federal grants. This registration process is also free. In order to do that, register for your SAM account, you must have either EIN, TIN or a DUNS number. If you don't have a DUNS, you cannot register in SAM. I would also like you to know that even if your organization previously registered in SAM, and you have received Federal grants in the past, check to make sure your organizations account is active. There is an annual certification that is required. Next, is registering with Grants.gov. The

Page 9 of 25 NRCS: UAIP FY 2020 Webinar Transcript amount of time to do this can vary, but you should allow up to 14 days to complete all the steps. If your organization does not have a Grants.gov registration, you can learn about any of these steps at the Grants.gov website itself, they have a registration page, and a lot of support there. If you've never gone through that process, you can go straight to Grants.gov for help. Lastly, the UAIP applications must be received by 11:59 p.m., Eastern time, on Monday, July 6, 2020. Only applications submitted through this electronic Grants.gov system will be considered. Okay, who should you contact for help if you need assistance or are having technical difficulties while trying to complete the steps? First would be, the first one on this list, if you are having TIN and/or EIN issues, the IRS is your point of contact there, and you will see the phone numbers to contact them. If you are having any DUNS issue, that is the phone number for DUNS and the email address you can email them. If you're having any SAM.gov issues, there's a help tab at the top of the SAM website. Also, on the Grants.gov website, at the bottom of each page, is a link for DUNS and SAM help. If you are having Grants.gov issues, use these links or the email to contact Grants.gov. I will say that currently, Grants.gov is having a lot of capacity with COVID-19 grants, so if you do need support, I would encourage you to reach out very early in your process. If you're experiencing technical difficulties with Grants.gov they are currently recommending using the email option, over the phone support, because the phone support currently has a very long wait time. If you do contact them, keep a record of any correspondence with the Grants.gov applicant support including any ID or case numbers that are provided to you. At the bottom of each Grants.gov webpage, on the bottom right, there is the phone number and an email address in order to access support. I mentioned that we had some screenshots about how to find these applications. The reason why this contact information is being provided is that these systems are not owned and managed by USDA. You must contact the application listed here for specific assistance and issues. The USDA staff cannot support you with technical issues.

So, back to Grants.gov. I mentioned the 19-page Notice of Funding Opportunity (NFO) and that any related documents can be found directly on the Grants.gov website by using the keyword search for the program, UAIP. You can also put in the CFDA number as 10.935 or you can quickly enter the opportunity number USDA-NRCS-NHQ- UAIP-20-NOFO0001013 and then, once you get into the opportunity, there are four tabs here. The very first tab on the left is the “Synopsis” tab which is an overall view, summary of the grant opportunity. The meat of what you need to know is in the “Related Documents” tab. Download the full announcement, a 19-page Notice of Funding Opportunity with all of the details and instructions that you need to know. There is also the Frequently Asked Questions PDF in there as well, and some other instructions for filling out. So, submitting to Grants.gov. When you are ready to apply, you click on this last tab, “Package.” And click apply here. And just a reminder, Page 10 of 25 NRCS: UAIP FY 2020 Webinar Transcript again, applications must be received by July 6th, 2020 at 11:59 Eastern Time. Applications received after the deadline will not be considered for funding. Late submissions will not be reviewed or considered. The agency does rely on a system generated date and time receipt documentation, to determine whether applications meet the submission deadline. Grants.gov will provide you as an applicant an automatic acknowledgment when the application is received and if it is returned by the agency.

Okay, this slide describes part one of the administrative review process. USDA staff will not accept applications after the deadline.

Each application, whether seeking Planning Projects or Implementation Projects will be evaluated in a two-part process.

First is the administrative part for each application to be screened to ensure they meet the administrative requirements as set forth in the Notice of Funding Opportunity. This means that if an application is not compliant with one of these bullet points, it does not make it to the review panel for consideration and is immediately disqualified.

So, as you're getting together your application, make sure you have complied with all the application requirements when submitting through Grants.gov – that the application is on time, it's not late, the proposal does comply with required content, format, and formatting structure, including the application is complete or compliant, and the application fits the purpose of UAIP. Here are some additional reasons why the applications will not be reviewed or considered. If the proposal includes activities funded by another Federal award, applicants and applications do not meet eligibility criteria including eligible applicant types. Applicant is identified through SAM.gov exclusionary status as ineligible, or restricted, or excluded from receiving Federal funding. And if the applicant has committed fraud, including materially misleading or incorrect information in the application.

Part two of the process, applications that meet the review requirements are to be technically evaluated by a review panel. The Natural Resources Conservation Service and other USDA agency staff will review all applications submitted and are experts from USDA who are qualified to give expert advice on that specific topic.

Reviews will be conducted by teams comprised of three USDA employees, who represent different agencies, subject areas and geographic locations. You can see some information regarding the reviewers and the process in the next slide. It is impossible to predict when application will be reviewed based on the number of proposals received. Therefore, the application review period for UAIP grants is tentatively scheduled for July 13th through July 31st.

Continuing the technical review process, the Notice of Funding Opportunity contains the specific weights and evaluation criteria that reviewers will be considering when evaluating each proposal. Be sure to review the six criteria stated and the Notice of Funding Opportunity so you can understand what you should address in your

Page 11 of 25 NRCS: UAIP FY 2020 Webinar Transcript project and budget narrative. There is a summary of the six criteria on this slide. I'm going to read each one straight from the Notice of Funding Opportunity in its entirety. Number one, consistency with the UAIP purpose and priorities presented here that's 20%.

Achievability is number two. Quality of the plan to effectively support the development of urban agriculture and innovative production activities such as gardens and farms, rooftop farms, outdoor vertical production, green walls, and/or farms, greenhouses, high-tech, vertical technology farms, and hydroponic, aeroponic, and aquaponic farm facilities within the targeted area, that is also 20%.

The third one here, 20%, the projected measurable outcome.

Potential for positive impact in targeted urban and suburban areas with limited access to healthy, fresh food as listed in the USDA food access research Atlas. Number four, also 20%, expertise and technical merit, internal and external organizational support for execution of the project, including experience and expertise of key personnel, and agriculture and innovative protection of. The fifth one, 10%, collaboration and partners is the quality of the plan for information sharing, in creating partnerships with public or private, nonprofit, or profit entities including links to academic institutions, and/or other appropriate professional community-based organizations, and local government entities to achieve project objectives and outcomes. The sixth and final one is also worth 10%.

Projects with budgets not including the purchase of special-purpose equipment, vehicles, land, and building space during the length of the grant. After the technical review process that we are speaking about has been completed, both the Planning Projects and Implementation Projects that are recommended for funding will be submitted to the approving official, who for this opportunity, is the Chief of USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service. He will make the final award decision.

Here is a recap of the timeline. Again, steps one and two must be completed by the applicant by Monday, July 6, 11:59 p.m. That's when the applications are due in Grants.gov. I will note you won’t be able to physically click the apply button after 11:59 p.m. EST on July 6th at Grants.gov. And then moving on to steps three and four, USDA will complete the review process from July 13th to July 31st. And the last which is the award notification, which is anticipated by August 31st, 2020. With Federal awards expected to be in place by September 30th.

This is the last content slide with some helpful tips. Don't wait until the last minute. In case you missed the slide with requirements outside of Grants.gov, those can take a lot of time. Even if you are just renewing your annual SAM registration, that's generally faster than the new registration, this still can take some time, so do not underestimate time. Make sure you read that 19-page Notice of Funding Opportunity and understand what's in it. Ensure your organization is eligible. Make sure you align your project proposal narrative and the budget narratives, ensure your budget narrative

Page 12 of 25 NRCS: UAIP FY 2020 Webinar Transcript matches the amounts that are on those standard forms, the SF 424, and the SF 424A, or the SF 424C. And make sure your proposal coincides with the required content and format in the Notice of Funding Opportunity, including page limits, fonts, and I will note that project narrative headings are different for the Planning Projects and the Implementation Projects. Lastly, make sure you get some input from partners. If you have not inquired with them by now, I would suggest doing so. And just a final note, that was mentioned in the very beginning, USDA staff is unable to offer specific advice and guidance on how to craft structure or write one’s proposal. So, do not go down to your local USDA service office and inquire for assistance with this opportunity. The service centers have a great wealth of knowledge, but questions regarding this opportunity need to be directed at the email address UrbanAgriculutre@usda.gov.

Alright. And now, I think we are on to the Q&A session, Joe.

Thank you, everyone. Thank you, both of our presenters who you will be hearing from on the questions and answers. You may hear some pauses in between the Q&A today because we are receiving quite a number of them, a substantial number of questions and all excellent questions and we hope we can answer all of them. We are trying to group similar questions together. If your question is a little different, we're hoping we can answer them simultaneously. So, at this time, we will answer any questions that were submitted in the question and answer box and not answered during the course of the presentation. As a reminder, USDA staff is unable to offer specific guidance on how to craft, structure, or write each proposal. All questions and responses from today's presentation will be added to the urban agriculture and innovative production Frequenting Asked Questions document and posted online at Grants.gov and at Farmers.gov/urban. The recording, along the close captioning of this presentation will also be posted on the website, Farmers.gov/urban and on Grants.gov for any time viewing. We plan to have both posted within a week, and possibly sooner. If we are unable to get to your question, send to the email account UrbanAgriculture@usda.gov. At this time, I'm going to start asking the questions which will be responded to by our speakers today, Annie and Michelle.

The first question is: Will a copy of the presentation slide be sent via email later?

A PDF of this presentation is available in today's handout pod in the Adobe connect meeting. The presentation will be uploaded to Grants.gov, just a copy of the slides. It will not be emailed, however.

Can Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) apply for this grant?

No. Institutions of Higher Education are not eligible. Annie, you want to add anything?

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Annie Ceccarini

Sure. We will go back to the eligibility slide, because I think that will help answer some of the eligibility questions that are in the chat. The slide is discussing -- Who is not eligible to apply. Individuals such as a farmer or gardener, for-profit organization for small businesses, and institutions of higher education including extension programs are not eligible.

Thank you. So, here's a question that I'm going to lump. Can funds awarded be used to create opportunities for both nonprofits and for-profit businesses, and are 501(c)4 eligible for these grants?

I will answer the 501(c)4. I believe those are organizations that are specifically agriculture and horticulture and tax-exempt. We will provide a final answer on the Q&A document, but the NFO does state that not having your 501(c)(3) status are eligible. What was the first part, Joe? I'm sorry.

That's okay. Can funds awarded be used to create subgrant opportunities for both nonprofits and for-profit businesses?

Annie, do you want to take that one? We are still looking into the answer for that. It will be provided in the Q&A. My assumption is the question is regarding -- That is a question we will be answering in the Q&A. Right now, we can tell you that noneligible entities, such as for-profit and individuals, they can be a partner, a partner on a project.

Correct.

Question that is related to that, is our for-profit businesses eligible for this funding opportunity?

They are not.

I'm going to go through the next question. What a state department of agriculture be considered an eligible local government?

A State department of agriculture is not considered a unit of local government and are therefore not eligible.

May an organization apply on behalf of a school district serving multiple schools?

I think maybe the question is perhaps the applicant would be the school district and may be having projects at various sites? If that is the case, the answer would be yes.

Okay. Are land-grant universities and cooperative extension services eligible under this funding opportunity?

They're not eligible under this funding opportunity and can be a partner on a project.

Page 14 of 25 NRCS: UAIP FY 2020 Webinar Transcript

Okay. Where can we get the get definitions of the organizations that are eligible to apply?

The definition of the organizations that are eligible to apply are provided in the Frequently Asked Questions document for this funding opportunity. That is posted on Grants.gov as well as Farmers.gov/urban.

Next question. While there is no cost sharing requirements, is preference given to proposals who can and are willing to provide a match?

There is no competitive advantage to providing a match.

Next question. Can you receive a Planning Project and an Implementation Project together?

No. No, this slide right here, applicants must choose between submitting a grant application for a Planning Project, or an Implementation Project.

Next question. What is the maximum allowable cost of equipment and supplies that can be purchased under the Implementation Projects?

I would say, there is no maximum threshold, I'm struggling to go back to the presentation to find the criteria. So, if a single supply item, has a per-unit cost at $5000 or above, and has a useful life of more than one year, it is considered equipment. Projects including a budget for rental or lease of special purpose equipment will receive preference.

Special purpose equipment is defined as equipment that is used only for research, medical, scientific, or other technical activity. General purpose equipment, which is not associated with specific activities related to research, medical, scientific, or technical activities is not allowed under this funding opportunity.

Does this grant fund, urban composting and food waste recycling efforts?

That's a great question. The Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production has a separate funding opportunity called the Community Compost and Food Reduction Pilot Project. We have a webinar on that tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

What a new, nonprofit farm, with a business plan but that has not started operating be able to apply for an Implementation Project, or would that still be considered a Planning Project?

We cannot provide specific guidance on your project. What you are saying, you're talking about your eligibility and not so much your project activities. So, nonprofits are eligible to apply for either

Page 15 of 25 NRCS: UAIP FY 2020 Webinar Transcript project type, and you would have to determine which you want to apply for.

Can grant funds be used to purchase land?

Project whose budget includes the rental or lease of land, vehicles, building space, and special purpose equipment during the length of the grant will be given higher consideration. So, the rental or lease over purchase.

Would the UAIP funds provide funding for personnel for nutrition, education, or cooking classes that encourage or teach the use of foods grown in an urban garden?

Under UAIP it is allowable to fund personnel whose time and effort can be specifically identified and easily and accurately traced to project activities. So yes.

Does the prohibition of growing marijuana, sorry, marijuana extend to policy or code clarifications that may be a portion of a Planning Project or scope of work?

I'm not sure I quite understand the question. I think we might have to save that one to posting in the Q&A.

Okay. I can probably rephrase that. It appears as if the question is asking if they are working on a Planning Project that incorporates the growing of marijuana, would that still be considered in eligible?

Marijuana is a Federal controlled substance, and therefore activities related to it would not be funded under this opportunity.

Can you clarify the extent of limited, fresh food access? How far should the project be from these sources?

I do not have an answer for that.

I was going back to -- So, we went over in the beginning, but projects that target a single or multiple urban areas, suburbs, or urban clusters in the United States where access to fresh food is limited or unavailable. That means your project target area should be within those communities - where fresh food is limited or unavailable.

Would breeding activities be eligible under these grants?

I think for that, is just important to mention that activities that encourage and promote urban, indoor, and other emerging agricultural practices, with a focus and purpose of this grant program, a part of your project that aligns with the UAIP purpose, potentially that could be considered.

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If a project is awarded funding, what is the program start date, October 2020, or January 2021?

Start date would be September of 2020.

Are documents for this Notice of Funding Opportunity available in or offered in Spanish?

Not at this time.

Okay. What the grants cover the cost of transporting students to project sites?

If it's necessary to complete the objectives and scope of the object, yes.

Is the SF 424 and the SF 424A both required, even if we are not completing construction projects?

Yes, the SF 424 is required for all applications. And all applications must include either the SF 424A (non-construction), or the SF 424C (construction)

Would you please repeat the indirect costs?

What I can say about that, if an organization is requesting indirect costs that they are negotiating indirect costs into the agreement. A current agreement that can't be expired must be included in their application.

Is a tax identification number or employee identification number required to complete any of the steps? If so, how do we meet the July 6th deadline?

Yes, I think Annie is moving slides. There we go. First step would be you have to have a TIN and/or EIN, because you cannot complete the two subsequent steps, if you don't first have those numbers. In fact, I'm not even sure you can register with Grants.gov so yes, you must first have that TIN or EIN.

Have a tie in question to that. Is the same requirement, Systems for Award Management, being waived for this grant? Ours has been processing for weeks, and some agencies are waiving it. This is from the question those are words from the question.

Yes, I understand. Currently, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, OMB has offered some flexibility to the SAM registration requirements.

Right now, the awarding agency can relax the requirement to have the SAM registration at the time of application. Currently, Grants.gov will accept applications without that. However, to do so, you must contact the Grants.gov applicant support. The most important thing I

Page 17 of 25 NRCS: UAIP FY 2020 Webinar Transcript would like to state is that the delay or the absence of an active SAM registration must be related to COVID-19. It has to be due to a loss of operation. It can't just be, we started the application process late.

And just to further add to that, when this flexibility will end is an open target. It's possible that flexibility could end before the July 6th deadline per the memorandum that was issued by OMB on March 19th, 2020, and it is set for consideration, 90 days after that date, which would be prior to the July 6th deadline, unfortunately.

For a Planning Project grant, can you apply for less than $2000?

Sorry, the slides got away from me. I wanted to make sure on this next slide, that you saw this. So, for a Planning Project, the budget cannot exceed $200,000 in any single year. Or $500,000 over three years. The minimum budget is $200,000 and the maximum is $500,000. For Implementation Projects, it's the same. It cannot exceed $100,000 in a single year or $300,000 over three years. These are the ranges of the funding amounts.

There's a question about promise zones. Do we need a letter of support from our promise zone lead agency?

We do not.

Okay. This is where pausing a little bit because we have additional questions that came in. I'm just scrolling through. Is there an advantage to submitting before July 6th?

No.

Go ahead. I will let you finish and ask the next question.

I know you asked an open-ended, indirect cost question and I do see one in here asking about the de minimis. Yes. You can submit a 10% de minimis rate indirect cost agreement.

Okay. Is this a one-time funding opportunity, or will there be future opportunities for this program?

At this time, we don't have an answer.

Can collaborators be listed as sub awardees? Will the sub awardee be entitled to receive indirect costs from the project?

I was just going to say, we are going to add the subaward questions to the FAQ document.

I was going to say the same. Joe, I saw that there's a clarifying question about the slides up on the screen, someone is asking if the minimum funding for organizations

Page 18 of 25 NRCS: UAIP FY 2020 Webinar Transcript can request is $200,000 for Planning Projects and $100,000 for Implementation Projects, and that is correct.

Yes, I'm at the point where there were new questions that came in. If my peers here want to step in and look through and answer questions as well, while I'm sorting through, questions that have not been answered, that can be helpful as well.

There's another one in here about indirect cost. If your organization does not have an agreement, are you eligible to use a de minimis rate? Yes, you can use indirect cost rates of 10% of modified total direct costs. You can put that right in your budget. If you are selected for an award, you will be required to execute a 10% de minimis rate with the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

If an organization has an application for FMLFPP program, which is another Federal program the question is will this application not be considered because they are receiving other grant awards and it relates to slide 30?

Okay. I think they are asking about the Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program, which is in AMS program. And so, the proposed project, the proposed UAIP project that you would be submitting should not duplicate activities from another Federal award and have specifically different objectives.

Does this grant allow for funding of an architect, or consultant, under the Planning Project grant type?

I'm sorry, what?

Does this…