Amendment1_ FY2023 FFPr NOFO 4-5-23.pdf

FOREIGN AGRICULTURAL SERVICE

International Food Assistance Division

Global Programs

FY 2023 Food Assistance Proposal Instructions and Request for Applications

FOOD FOR PROGRESS PROGRAM

NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

3/16/2023

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Foreign Agricultural Service

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) is soliciting applications for the Food for Progress (FFPr) Program for Fiscal Year (FY) 2023. FAS implements this program on behalf of the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC). Acting on behalf of CCC, FAS expects to enter into multiple cooperative agreements under the FFPr Program to make awards totaling up to $226 million, SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY OF FUNDING. Applications for cooperative agreements will be prioritized for the following countries: Bangladesh, Cote d’Ivoire, Lesotho, Mauritania, Nepal, The Gambia, and Togo. FAS will also review submissions for non-prioritized countries. To fulfill its mandate under the Food for Progress Act of 1985, FAS will enter into cooperative agreements with eligible organizations, referred to as recipients, to implement field-based projects that aim to improve agricultural production and expand trade of agricultural products in developing countries. Programs are primarily funded through the sale of donated commodities within the foreign market where the program is implemented. FAS is issuing this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) under the FFPr Program in accordance with the program regulations at 7 CFR part 1499.

Applications must be submitted to USDA through the Food Aid Information System (FAIS) by the Application Submission Deadline of 5:00 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on May 25, 2023. Applications received after this deadline will not be considered. FAS advises Applicants to begin the submission process early to allow time to address any information technology difficulties that may arise. There will be no exceptions to this application deadline.

When an application received by the Application Submission Deadline is found to be incomplete, FAS will contact the Applicant by email. FAS will grant a grace period of three business days from the time of contact for the Applicant to submit omitted content and forms via FAIS. Please see Part D Section 3 b for a list of required content and forms. Any applications remaining incomplete after the grace period will NOT be considered for funding. Refer to Part C Section 1 and Part D Section 3 b for Applicant eligibility and application requirements.

Questions regarding this request for applications should be submitted to ppded@usda.gov.

Questions must be received no later than 5:00:00 P.M. EDT on May 17, 2023 and include “FY2023 Food for Progress NOFO” in the subject line of the email. FAS will consider questions submitted by the deadline to the extent practicable and will post responses weekly until the Friday preceding the application deadline. Applicants may access the weekly responses in the “Related Documents” tab of the grant opportunity page on Grants.gov.

Issuance of this NOFO does not constitute an award commitment on the part of the Government nor does it commit the Government to pay for any costs incurred in the preparation or submission of comments or applications. All preparation and submission costs are at the Applicant’s expense.

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NEW IN FY 2023

1. Updated Technical Focus Areas: The primary technical focus areas for the Food for

Progress Program have been updated for 2023 and subsequent years. These areas are food security, trade enabling environments, and climate smart agriculture.

2. Updated requirements for the Budget: A detailed budget is now required. An excel format template is provided in the Related Documents section of the Grants.gov announcement.

3. Updated instructions on the Strategic Analysis section: The former Introduction and Strategic Analysis section has been replaced by the Strategic Analysis section. An Applicant must now include an introduction in the Cover Sheet.

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS

CAGE Commercial and Government Entity CCC Commodity Credit Corporation CCN Cooperating Country National CFR Code of Federal Regulations CFDA Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance CSA Climate Smart Agriculture CLA Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting COP Chief of Party CPAR Contract Performance Assessment Report CV Curriculum Vitae DID Difference in Difference FAIS Food Aid Information System FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations FAPIIS Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System FAS Foreign Agricultural Service FFPr Food for Progress FTF Feed the Future FSMA Food Safety Modernization Act FY Fiscal Year GAP Good Agricultural Practice GHG Greenhouse Gas GMP Good Manufacturing Practice GoKL Government of the Kingdom of Lesotho GoN Government of Nepal GoT Government of Togo HACCP Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point ICR Indirect Cost Rate IFAD International Food Assistance Division LENAFU Lesotho National Farmer’s Union MEL Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning MT Metric Ton(s) NARI National Agricultural Research Institute NCAGE NATO Commercial and Government Entity NICRA Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement NOFO Notice of Funding Opportunity NUL National University of Lesotho OMB Office of Management and Budget PMP Performance Monitoring Plan PSM Propensity Score Matching RCT Randomized Control Trial RF Results Framework SAM System for Award Management SPOC Single Point of Contact SPS Sanitary and Phytosanitary Regulations

TCN Third Country National TEE Trade Enabling Environment UEI Unique Entity Identifier USAID United States Agency for International Development USDA United States Department of Agriculture USG United States Government WHO World Health Organization

Table of Contents

A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

1. Issued By

2. Assistance Listing Number – Formerly known as CFDA

3. Assistance Listing Title

4. Notice of Funding Opportunity Title

5. Funding Opportunity Numbers

6. Authorizing Authority for Program

7. Appropriation Authority for Program

8. Announcement Type

9. Program Regulations

10. Program Overview, Objectives, and Priorities

B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

1. Award Amounts, Important Dates, and Extensions

2. Funding Instrument

C. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

1. Eligible Applicants

2. System for Award Management and Unique Entity Identifier

3. Debarment and Suspension

4. Other Submission Requirements and Information

5. Cost Share or Match

D. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

1. Key Dates and Times

2. Application Package

3. Content and Form of Application Submission

a. Application Format

b. Required Content and Forms

c. Food Aid Information System (FAIS)

4. Content Guidance

a. Cover Sheet (1 page)

b. Strategic Analysis (15 pages)

c. Plan of Operation (20 pages)

d. Organizational Capacity and Staffing (4 pages)

e. Monitoring and Evaluation (25 pages)

f. Commodity Management (10 pages)

g. Budget

5. Intergovernmental Review

6. Funding Restrictions

7. Other Submission Requirements

E. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

1. Application Evaluation Criteria

2. Review and Selection Process

a. Review Process

b. Selection Process

c. Review of Applicant Integrity and Performance Information

d. Confidentiality and Conflict of Interest

F. FEDERAL AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

1. Notice of Award

2. Administration and National Policy Requirements

a. Domestic Entities

b. Foreign Entities

3. Reporting

a. Federal Financial Reporting Requirements

b. Program Performance Reporting Requirements

c. Closeout Reporting Requirements

4. Monitoring

5. Other Agreement Requirements

a. Organizational Chart

b. Annual Work Plan

c. Monitoring and Evaluation Requirements

d. Subaward Requirement

e. Audit Compliance

G. AWARDING AGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION

H. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

1. Extensions

2. Prior Approval

3. Budget Revisions

4. Program Income

5. Proprietary Information

APPENDIX A – Application Content Checklist

APPENDIX B – Country Specific Guidance

APPENDIX C – Budget Summary

APPENDIX D – Budget Narrative Example

APPENDIX E – Results Framework and Illustrative Examples of Foundational Results .. 93

APPENDIX F – Past Performance Review Template

APPENDIX G – Potential Available Commodities

A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

1. Issued By

Foreign Agricultural Service, Global Programs, International Food Assistance Division (IFAD)

2. Assistance Listing Number – Formerly known as CFDA

10.606

3. Assistance Listing Title

Food for Progress Program

4. Notice of Funding Opportunity Title

FY 2023 Food Assistance Proposal Instructions and Request for Applications

FOOD FOR PROGRESS PROGRAM NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

5. Funding Opportunity Numbers

USDA-FAS-10.606-0700-23-(609) – Bangladesh USDA-FAS-10.606-0700-23-(530) – Cote d’Ivoire USDA-FAS-10.606-0700-23-(507) – Lesotho USDA-FAS-10.606-0700-23-(557) – Mauritania USDA-FAS-10.606-0700-23-(646) – Nepal USDA-FAS-10.606-0700-23-(577) – The Gambia USDA-FAS-10.606-0700-23-(578) – Togo

Please refer to Appendix B for Country Specific Guidance for each Funding Opportunity Number.

6. Authorizing Authority for Program

The Food for Progress Program is authorized by section 1110 of the Food for Progress Act of 1985, 7 U.S.C. 1736o.

7. Appropriation Authority for Program

The Food for Progress Program will be funded in FY 2023 through the Commodity Credit Corporation, pursuant to section 1110 of the Food for Progress Act of 1985, 7 U.S.C. 1736o, and not through appropriated funds.

8. Announcement Type

New Agreements https://sam.gov/fal/8dd060990f474eb5b0317611b8c98813/view https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml;jsessionid=8994B700ACE1C80B67BF08AB2BD19784?hl=false&edition=prelim&req=granuleid%3AUSC-prelim-title7-section1736o&num=0&saved=%7CKHRpdGxlOjcgc2VjdGlvbjoxNzM2byBlZGl0aW9uOnByZWxpbSk%3D%7C%7C%7C0%7Cfalse%7Cprelim https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml;jsessionid=8994B700ACE1C80B67BF08AB2BD19784?hl=false&edition=prelim&req=granuleid%3AUSC-prelim-title7-section1736o&num=0&saved=%7CKHRpdGxlOjcgc2VjdGlvbjoxNzM2byBlZGl0aW9uOnByZWxpbSk%3D%7C%7C%7C0%7Cfalse%7Cprelim

9. Program Regulations

Awards within this funding opportunity that are made to Applicants other than foreign public entities (as defined in 2 CFR section 200.1) will be subject to the Food for Progress Program regulations, 7 CFR part 1499. As provided in 7 CFR part 1499, awards to Applicants other than foreign public entities will also be subject to 2 CFR part 200, as supplemented by 2 CFR part 400 and 7 CFR part 1499, with the exception that Subpart F of 2 CFR part 200 will not apply to a foreign organization (as defined in 2 CFR section 200.1) or a for-profit entity.

10. Program Overview, Objectives, and Priorities

a. Overview

The Food for Progress (FFPr) Program provides for the donation of U.S. agricultural commodities to developing countries and emerging democracies committed to introducing and expanding free enterprise in the agricultural sector. The commodities are generally sold on the local market and the proceeds are used to support agricultural development activities.

b. Objectives

Food for Progress has two high-level strategic objectives: (1) increase agricultural productivity and (2) expand trade of agricultural products (domestically, regionally, and internationally).

c. Priorities

In FY 2023, USDA has prioritized the following technical areas for the FFPr Program:

1. Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA): USDA seeks to strengthen FFPr Program projects to align with the USDA Climate initiatives. FAS is requiring Applicants for awards under the FFPr Program to incorporate climate smart agricultural components into all their projects wherever appropriate and respond to the increasing risks which climate change presents both to farmers and to a livable global environment.

2. Trade Enabling Environment (TEE): USDA seeks to continue its work through the FFPr Program in Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS), food safety, and trade facilitation including the simplification modernization, and harmonization of processes for the export, import, and transit of agricultural goods. To ensure long lasting impact of their proposed agricultural development interventions, Applicants should: (a) consider agricultural sectors with end market opportunities which require consistent safety and quality measures, and (b) seek to assure that their work in SPS and Trade Facilitation is science-based and contributes to the three pillars of food security in target countries (access to, affordability of, and utilization of safe and nutritious food).

3. Strengthening Food Security: USDA contributes to the global poverty and hunger initiative of the U.S. Government (USG) by aligning USDA’s international food assistance with the USG’s https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200#p-200.1(Foreign%20public%20entity) https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=9dfff371eeaeee4cef83c4cee94eeee5&mc=true&node=pt7.10.1499&rgn=div5 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=9dfff371eeaeee4cef83c4cee94eeee5&mc=true&node=pt7.10.1499&rgn=div5 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=8791260e8297f002cfa5c269b8b0cd40&mc=true&tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title02/2cfr200_main_02.tpl https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=b8d3f086737f4b170ffb10a5a97561cf&mc=true&tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title02/2chapterIV.tpl https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=b8d3f086737f4b170ffb10a5a97561cf&mc=true&tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title02/2chapterIV.tpl https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=9dfff371eeaeee4cef83c4cee94eeee5&mc=true&node=pt7.10.1499&rgn=div5 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=8791260e8297f002cfa5c269b8b0cd40&mc=true&tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title02/2cfr200_main_02.tpl https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200#p-200.1(Foreign%20organization) https://www.fas.usda.gov/climate#:%7E:text=The%20Foreign%20Agricultural%20Service%20leads,capacity%20building%2C%20and%20related%20issues.

Feed the Future (FTF) initiative. The Global Food Security Act of 2016 and corresponding FTF initiative affirm the United States’ commitment to ending global hunger, poverty, and child malnutrition. Through the FFPr Program, USDA will continue its work in food security by assisting farmers to increase their income through diversification, stronger market linkages and adoption of good agriculture practices. Applicants are encouraged to align proposed interventions with the objectives found in the FTF results framework, where appropriate, and are required to ensure that proposed activities are complementary and not duplicative.

Table 1: Country and Priority Areas Country Priority Area Bangladesh CSA Cote d’Ivoire CSA/TEE The Gambia CSA/Food Security/TEE Lesotho Food security Mauritania CSA/Food Security Nepal CSA/Food Security Togo CSA/Food Security

In addition, USDA supports the recommendations proposed by the Consultative Group to Eliminate the Use of Child Labor and Forced Labor in Imported Agricultural Products. All proposals for country and priority areas in the NOFO that are identified in the U.S. Department of Labor’s report—List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor—must include a child and/or forced labor analysis. The distinct NOFO Country Guidance sections will provide further direction on how the proposals should address the technical areas and country specific goals.

B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

1. Award Amounts, Important Dates, and Extensions

Available funding for the NOFO: Up to $226,000,000 (total) in FY 2023, Subject to the availability of funding Total award funding: Up to $226,000,000 Estimated number of awards: 7 Estimated funding per award: $20,000,000 - $39,000,000

Please refer to Appendix B, Country Guidance, for specific budget ranges for each country. Each Country Guidance includes the Award Value (Total commodity cost + CCC admin funds + freight) as well as the Anticipated Operating Budget (Monetization proceeds + CCC admin funds). This Anticipated Operating Budget may also be supplemented by any cost share Applicant proposes, which is not included in the default Anticipated Operating Budget figure provided in the Country Guidance.

https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ILAB/legacy/files/20120314CGDraftRPTRECS.pdf

Funding for all projects in this announcement is subject to the availability of funding. Issuance of this solicitation does not constitute an award or commitment on the part of the USG to make awards, nor does it commit the USG to pay for costs incurred in the preparation and submission of a concept note or full application.

Period of Performance: 36–60 months Projected Period of Performance Start Date: 10/01/2023 Projected Period of Performance End Date: 09/30/2028

Food for Progress Program awards may be eligible for extensions to their period of performance.

Refer to Part H Section 1, Extensions.

2. Funding Instrument

FAS will make all awards in the form of a cooperative agreement and will be substantially involved in the award period of performance. FAS’s involvement may include:

• Close monitoring of the successful Applicant’s performance to verify the achievement of expected results.

• Specification of the manner, method, performance, or timing of the work in an approved work plan.

• Review and approval of one stage of work before a subsequent stage may begin during the performance period;

• Review and approval of a monetization plan;

• Review and approval of proposed subawards and contracts;

• Review of proposed procurement, in accordance with 2 CFR 200.325

• Review and approval of an evaluation plan;

• Participation in the selection and approval of the individuals or organizations that will conduct all required evaluations;

• Participation in data collection, analysis, and review and comment, as appropriate, for required evaluations, performance reports, and other reports prepared under the cooperative agreement;

• Approval of an organizational chart identifying the names, roles, and responsibilities of all of the Applicant’s Key Personnel and any subsequent changes or absences (USDA will not select the recipient’s employees or contractors but will disallow costs for specific individuals where required by statute or regulation); and

• Provision of specific direction or redirection of the work during the period of performance

Recipients may award procurement contracts or subawards under this cooperative agreement.

Procurement contracts must have an operational or administrative objective and subawards must be related to achieving objectives of project activities. Please note that a recipient may not include its own personnel costs in any contract or subaward under the cooperative agreement.

C. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

1. Eligible Applicants

In accordance with the Food for Progress Act of 1985 (7 U.S.C. 1736o), the following entities are eligible Applicants (see 7 CFR section 1499.2 for definitions):

• The government of an emerging agricultural country

• An intergovernmental organization

• A private voluntary organization

• A nonprofit agricultural organization or cooperative

• A nongovernmental organization

• A college or university

• Any other private entity

2. System for Award Management and Unique Entity Identifier

Unless an exception in 2 CFR section 25.110 applies, and the exception is confirmed in writing by FAS, Applicants are required to:

• Register in the System for Award Management (SAM) before the closing date of this announcement;

• Assent to the federal assistance certifications in the SAM platform;

• Provide a valid unique entity identifier (UEI) in its application; and

• Maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which the Applicant has an active Federal award or an application or plan under consideration by FAS.

All Applicants who do not have a written confirmation by FAS of an exception must have an active registration in the SAM database at www.sam.gov – pending or expired registrants do not meet this requirement. This requirement must be met by the closing date of the announcement and will not be waived. Please contact ppded@usda.gov if you have questions about this requirement. An application from an Applicant without an active SAM registration will NOT be considered for funding.

Applicants must include a valid UEI in the organizational unit section of Block 8 of the SF-424.

All subrecipients listed in the proposal must have a current UEI number. Organizations that do not have a UEI number can obtain a UEI number at no cost by using the web-based form available at: https://sam.gov/content/home.

SAM.gov Registration Instructions If you have never done business with the Federal Government, you will need to register your organization in SAM.gov. SAM.gov registration requires several weeks to process and cannot be expedited; prospective applicants should therefore ensure that registrations are submitted timely.

If you do not have a SAM.gov account, then you will create an account using login.gov to complete your SAM.gov registration. SAM.gov registration is FREE. The process for entity registrations includes obtaining a UEI, a 12-character alphanumeric ID assigned an entity by SAM.gov, and requires submitting assertions, representations and certifications, and other information about your organization. Please review Sam.gov for details on this process.

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A foreign entity (defined in 2 CFR section 200.1 as a “foreign organization” or a “foreign public entity”) must obtain a NATO Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE) Code prior to registering in SAM.gov. You can submit your request for an NCAGE Code by going to the NATO Support and Procurement Activity (NSPA) NCAGE Request Tool at CAGE/NCAGE Code Request, which contains detailed instructions. You can complete the SAM.gov registration once you enter your NCAGE Code.

If you have done business with the Federal Government previously, you can check your entity status using your government issued UEI to determine if your registration is active. SAM.gov requires you to renew your registration every 365 days to keep it active.

An organization should ensure that its SAM.gov registration includes a current e-Business (EBiz) point of contact name and email address. The EBiz point of contact is critical for Grants.gov registration and system functionality.

Please note that SAM.gov registration is different than obtaining a UEI only. Obtaining an UEI only validates your organization’s legal business name and address. Please review the Frequently Asked Questions at the Federal Service Desk for additional information about the difference between registering in SAM.gov and obtaining a UEI only.

3. Debarment and Suspension

An Applicant will be considered ineligible to receive an award and will be prohibited from making a subaward to or entering into a contract with another entity, under the FFPr Program if the Applicant or other entity or one of its principals has been debarred or suspended from USG-funded procurements or non-procurement transactions or is otherwise prohibited by applicable U.S. law or executive order or U.S. policies. See 2 CFR parts 180 and 417. FAS will review the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS.gov) and System for Award Management (SAM.gov) to verify that the Applicant, potential subrecipients and contractors, and their principals have not been debarred or suspended.

4. Other Submission Requirements and Information

For an application to be considered complete, the Applicant must submit in FAIS all required content and forms as listed in Part D Section 3 b, Required Content and Forms, by the Application Submission Deadline set forth in Part D Section 1. If an Applicant has submitted an application that is incomplete as of the Application Submission Deadline, FAS will notify the Applicant by email that its application is incomplete and that FAS will grant a grace period of three business days, ending at 5:00 P.M. EDT on the third business day after the date of the FAS email, for the Applicant to submit any omitted content and forms via FAIS. FAS will not consider applications that remain incomplete after the grace period. As specified in this NOFO, an Applicant must also submit required information to ppded@usda.gov and SAM.gov. There is no limit on the number of applications per Applicant.

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FAS will not consider an application that it determines is not in substantial compliance with the application submission instructions and requirements set forth in Part D Section 3 b, Required Content and Forms, and Part D Section 4, Content Guidance.

All Applicants and subrecipients must comply with the conflict of interest requirements in 2 CFR section 400.2.

Note: FAS’s application requirements vary depending on whether an Applicant is a domestic entity, a foreign organization, or a foreign public entity. An Applicant must submit all of the forms that are required to be submitted by the category of entity to which it belongs.

5. Cost Share or Match

FAS encourages, but does not require, cost sharing or matching to maximize lasting program impacts and engender in-country sustainability. If an Applicant chooses to provide cost share or matching, the Applicant must identify and explain any cost share or match in the budget summary and narrative (7 CFR section 1499.4(b)(4)(i)). Applicants should include cost share and in-kind contributions as part of the total award value on the SF–424 and other required budget documents. Cost share may not be used to reach the three percent minimum monitoring and evaluation budget.

Refer to Part E Section 1, Application Evaluation Criteria, for details on how FAS will evaluate cost share or match. FAS’s review panel will consider awarding bonus points to an application that includes a cost share. An Applicant that receives an award will be responsible for obtaining and providing any cost share and in-kind contributions that are included in the agreement. Award recipients shall not procure these resources with FAS funding.

D. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

1. Key Dates and Times

Application Start Date: March 16, 2023

Question Submission Deadline: May 17, 2023 FAS will consider questions regarding this NOFO to the extent practicable. Submit questions to ppded@usda.gov and include “FY23 Food for Progress NOFO” in the subject line of your email.

FAS will endeavor to post responses to questions at grants.gov on a weekly basis.

Application Submission Deadline: May 25, 2023, prior to 5:00:00 P.M. EDT FAS will run a report from the FAIS system showing all applications that were submitted prior to 5:00:00 P.M. EDT on May 25, 2023. FAS will not consider late applications. See additional submission requirements in Part C Section 4. There will be no exceptions to the application deadline. The date of the Application Submission Deadline is also the closing date of this announcement.

Anticipated Funding Selection Date: July 31, 2023 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=09d93ea422877b968183214c81dfed25&mc=true&node=pt2.1.400&rgn=div5#se2.1.400_12 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=09d93ea422877b968183214c81dfed25&mc=true&node=pt2.1.400&rgn=div5#se2.1.400_12 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=9dfff371eeaeee4cef83c4cee94eeee5&mc=true&node=pt7.10.1499&rgn=div5#se7.10.1499_14

Anticipated Award Date: September 1, 2023

2. Application Package

This NOFO, including its appendices, constitutes the full application package, and instructions for submitting the application are available on the FAIS homepage. Before you can view the FAIS homepage, you must first establish a FAIS account. See the following website for more information: https://www.fas.usda.gov/food-aid-information-system. These documents are also located on www.grants.gov. However, all applications must be submitted via FAIS. If an Applicant does not have access to the internet or experiences trouble accessing the FAIS homepage, the Applicant can request a hardcopy of the full NOFO by calling (202) 531-0216 between 9:00 A.M. and 5:00 P.M. EDT or by contacting FAS in writing at:

Food for Progress Branch Director 1400 Independence Ave. SW, Room 6958 Washington, DC 20250

3. Content and Form of Application Submission

a. Application Format

Applications must:

• Be completed in English.

Applications should:

• Applicants are advised that readability is of paramount importance and should take precedence in choice of application format, including selecting a legible font type and size for use in the application.

• Use 12-point font; tables and graphs may use 10-point font where appropriate

• Be typed on standard 8.5” x 11” sized paper with 1-inch margins, single spaced, left aligned.

• Be paginated with each page consecutively numbered in the footer.

• Be submitted as PDF files, unless otherwise specified in the NOFO.

• Cite source information and/or provide an explanation of the analysis undertaken throughout proposal.

• Adhere to the maximum page limits in Part D Section 3b, Required Content and Forms

• Be reduced in file size to the greatest extent that is reasonable.

• Be unlocked and without password protection.

Important Note: If an application exceeds the page limit for any section, the application will be reviewed, but the review of that section will be restricted to the section’s page limit.

b. Required Content and Forms https://apps.fas.usda.gov/fais/webapp/files/Instructions%20for%20Submitting%20Proposals%20in%20the%20FAIS.pdf https://apps.fas.usda.gov/fais/webapp/files/Instructions%20for%20Submitting%20Proposals%20in%20the%20FAIS.pdf https://www.fas.usda.gov/food-aid-information-system http://www.grants.gov/

An Application Content Checklist can be found in Appendix A.

All applications must include the following content and forms to be considered complete:

• Cover Sheet – 1 page

• Strategic Analysis – 15 pages

• Plan of Operation – 20 pages

• Organizational Capacity and Staffing – 4 pages o Capacity and Staffing o Organizational Chart o In-Country Registration o Curriculum Vitae for Chief of Party (4 page maximum; excluded from Organizational

Capacity and Staffing page count) o Project-Specific Commitment Letters from anticipated subrecipients (if subrecipients are proposed) (no page limit restrictions; excluded from Organizational Capacity and Staffing page count) o Past Performance Records (no page limit restrictions; excluded from Organizational Capacity and Staffing page count)

• Monitoring and Evaluation – 25 pages o Project-Level Results Framework – 6 pages o Performance Indicators – 5 pages o Evaluation Plan – 14 pages

• Commodity Management – 10page maximum

• Budget o Budget Summary – 1 page o Detailed Budget – no page limit restrictions o Budget Narrative – 20 page maximum o Applicant’s most recent approved NICRA agreement (no page limit restrictions) (See

Part D Section 3 c vi, Budget, for more on indirect costs)

• SF-424 (https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html)

• SF–LLL Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (Required if Applicant is involved in lobbying activities.)

• Single Audit (Applicant’s most recent; no page limit restrictions)

Additional details on the content of each section of the proposal are found below in Part D Section 4, Content Guidance. Applicants should review this guidance to determine which sections require data input directly into FAIS and which sections may be submitted as attachments. FAS strongly discourages, and will not consider, any materials submitted by or on behalf of the Applicant other than those materials specifically requested in this NOFO.

c. Food Aid Information System (FAIS)

Due to the technical limitations of FAIS, data must be input into the following fields in order for an application to be successfully submitted in FAIS:

• Introduction Section https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html https://www.gsa.gov/Forms/TrackForm/33144 o Introduction Details: complete these fields.

o Key Personnel (indicate where this information can be found)

• Result Section o Results (indicate where this information can be found) o Activities (indicate where this information can be found) o Activity Mapping (indicate where this information can be found) o Other Details (indicate where this information can be found)

• Commodity Section o Commodity List (complete these fields) o Special Needs & Distribution Methods (indicate where this information can be found) o Monetization (indicate where this information can be found)

• Budget Section o Budget Narrative (indicate where this information can be found)

To reduce the administrative burden of submitting an application and minimize duplicative information in the application, Applicants may enter language referencing the location of the information in the application in the Results, Commodity, and Budget fields in FAIS. For example: “See Attachment X: Project Level Results Framework” could be entered in the field for Results.

For any requested element of the proposal that does not have a specific dropdown menu tag, Applicants should upload using the dropdown tag of “generic” and include the document title in the comments.

4. Content Guidance

All FFPr Program applications must include the following as attachments in FAIS:

a. Cover Sheet (1 page)

Applicants must provide an introductory cover sheet with the following information:

• Applicant organization name

• Subrecipient organization(s) name(s)

• Priority country

• Award funding request, itemized by commodities, freight and admin, and operating budget.

• Number of direct beneficiaries

• A paragraph summary of the project’s technical approach

b. Strategic Analysis (15 pages)

Applicants must provide evidence of their understanding of the priority area and local context and respond to the priorities outlined in the Country Specific Guidance. This should not be general background information, but a current situational analysis of the country under the technical area and all the key agricultural conditions in the country. The Applicant should not merely repeat what is already described in the Country Guidance but should convincingly describe how the Applicant proposes to achieve the Goal and Priorities as written in the Country Specific Guidance, detailing the results to be achieved and the methodology employed.

Applicants must identify what needs to be addressed within the priority country and thematic area. Applicants must also provide a clear, cost-effective strategy on the proposed interventions and why those interventions are important for achieving the objectives of the project. In this section, Applicants should also:

• Describe where opportunities for lasting impact exist and why interventions at those points are the most appropriate, context specific, and replicable for creating sustainable change after the proposed project ends. Applicants should demonstrate an understanding of potential end-markets for any targeted value chains.

• Introduce the target geographic area(s) and the beneficiary group(s) and the justification of the selected areas. Applicants may include illustrations such as geographic maps, value chain maps, climate vulnerability maps, or other visualizations to support strategic analysis.

• Showcase an understanding of key private sector actors as well as existing USG and other donor funded projects and why collaboration with these various actors will contribute to the success of the proposed project.

• Highlight interventions to increase the role of youth, women, minorities, and indigenous communities in the priority area(s) to advance gender and racial justice and equality.

Explain why such interventions would increase opportunities for these groups.

• Provide an analysis of climate conditions and pre-existing climate smart approaches in the priority sector(s) and why new or further climate smart interventions would be beneficial to sector growth and combatting climate change.

c. Plan of Operation (20 pages)

This section must build off the Strategic Analysis (see subsection b above) and expand on how the Applicant will implement the chosen interventions to meet the needs identified in the Strategic Analysis. Applicants should convincingly articulate how proposed activities, which will accomplish the goal presented in the country guidance, are technically and politically feasible within five years. Applicants should deploy diverse and innovative approaches that are designed for the local context. While describing proposed activities in this section, Applicants should:

• Establish target geographic areas and beneficiaries per activity – Clearly indicate the target geographic area(s) and beneficiaries for each activity.

• Show clear process – Provide detailed steps for the implementation of each activity. This should include major milestones and anticipated activity completion dates.

• Create Economies of Scale – Highlight how economies of scale in both input purchases and sales can be achieved for individual smallholder farmers, such as through farmer organizations, to create more broad-based growth. Explain how chosen activities create efficiencies in the priority sector(s) that benefit smallholders.

• Foster Local Capacity, Self-Reliance, and Sustainability – Clearly outline how proposed activities will foster local capacity and national self-reliance and ensure sustainability well beyond the life of the project, including linking to end-markets.

• Partner with the private sector – Explain how they will seek to develop partnerships with responsible private sector firms while implementing the activities.

• Embrace Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting (CLA) principles – Coordinate and collaborate activities with a broad set of appropriate local actors; test promising new approaches in a continuous search for improvement; and build on what works, while eliminating what does not.

• Address Climate Change – Highlight the integration of climate change solutions and adaptations into the activities.

• Advance Racial Justice, Equity, and Opportunity – Include explicit efforts to promote gender and racial equity and incorporate critical gender issues in project implementation.

Ensure that women, minorities, and indigenous communities are able to participate in proposed activities and there is equitable access to resources, especially in financing.

• Leverage Other Investments – Specify how they will work with other USG and development partners in implementing activities. Activities should complement ongoing projects on the ground. The project should not operate in isolation.

• Explain Subrecipients’ Roles – Clearly state subrecipients’ roles and responsibilities in these activities and provide justification for their inclusion in the project.

d. Organizational Capacity and Staffing (4 pages)

Applicants must clearly demonstrate their organizational capacities to implement the proposed project across all aspects of project management. Current and past experience in agricultural projects, especially within the priority area or targeted geographic area(s), must be included in this section.

The Organizational Capacity and Staffing section should also include a staffing plan that demonstrates the technical and geographic expertise required for efficient and effective project implementation, administration, and management. The staffing plan should include a brief description of all long-term staff positions and required levels of experience. The Applicant should avoid excessive staffing and be as cost effective as possible. FAS may request changes to the final staffing plan during award negotiation or project implementation.

Applicants must also identify any proposed subrecipients and provide a description of each subrecipient’s responsibilities and capabilities. Subrecipient means an entity that enters into a sub-agreement with the Applicant for the purpose of implementing in the target country activities described in an agreement. Such an entity would receive commodities, CCC-provided funds, program income, sale proceeds, or other resources from the Applicant to use for this purpose and would be accountable to the Applicant for the use of such commodities, funds, program income, sale proceeds, or resources. The UEI number for each subrecipient must be included in the description. Applicants are encouraged to include U.S. minority- and women-owned small businesses.

In addition to the Organizational Capacity and Staffing narrative described just above, Applicants should provide the following items at the end of the Organizational Capacity and Staffing section (included in the page count):

• Organizational Chart and Key Personnel – Applicants must include an appropriate and adequate organizational chart that identifies Key Personnel positions. The Key Personnel would be managers with general responsibilities for implementation of an agreement, such as the country director, finance director, and Chief of Party, as well as critical technical staff for specific activities under an agreement. Should the application be selected for funding, the information on key personnel will be added to the Plan of Operation in the agreement. If subrecipient(s) are proposed, they should be identified in the organizational chart so that a clear reporting structure between the subrecipient(s) and the Applicant is established.

• In-Country Registration – The Applicant must disclose its registration status in the target country. Applicants not registered must include a plan to become registered and a timeline to complete the registration process.

Applicants must provide the following items related to the Organizational Capacity and Staffing section. Each item will be submitted as a separate attachment to, and excluded from the page count of, the section:

• Curriculum Vitae (CV) for Chief of Party (4-page limit) – The Applicant must attach, as part of the proposal, the CV for the proposed project lead, the Chief of Party. This person will provide major oversight of the proposed FFPr Program project. The CV must clearly demonstrate the project lead’s relevant work experience and qualifications.

• Subrecipient Letters of Commitment (no page limit) – A project-specific commitment letter from each proposed subrecipient should be included. Letters of support from entities that are not subrecipients should not be included with the application.

• Past Performance Reviews (no page limit) – Applicants should identify references for at least one and no more than three grants, cooperative agreements, or contracts implemented by the organization. For projects without a Contractor Performance Assessment Report (CPAR) on CPARS.gov, each reference should complete a Past Performance Review form (see Appendix F) and submit it to ppded@usda.gov by the closing date of this announcement. For any reference projects with an existing CPAR on CPARS.gov, the Applicant may provide that CPAR as a substitute for submitting a Past Performance Review form. Please share the CPAR information (contract number, assessment date, and UEI) in an email to ppded@usda.gov.

When selecting references to submit past performance review forms, Applicants are encouraged to select references with knowledge of the Applicant’s past performance of projects that are similar in scope and size to the programming in the Applicant’s proposal, including those projects specifically mentioned in the Strategic Analysis section of the Applicant’s proposal. An Applicant is strongly encouraged to include at least one review from a reference with knowledge of its performance of a past or active award outside of USDA’s international food assistance programs.

If a proposed subrecipient will receive 20% or more of the proposed operating budget for the project, the Applicant must submit one Past Performance Review from a reference for the subrecipient to ppded@usda.gov by the closing date of this announcement.

e. Monitoring and Evaluation (25 pages)

FAS requires an Applicant to submit three monitoring and evaluation documents in its proposal:

1) a Results Framework (RF) (graphic and narrative), 2) a Performance Indicators table, and 3) an Evaluation Plan.

Results Framework (6-page limit) The project-level RF must clearly identify how the proposed project will contribute to the Food for Progress program-level results framework, as shown in Appendix E. A project-level RF has two components:

1. A graphical representation of the project’s theory of change. The suggested length of the graphical RF is 2 pages. A strong graphical RF should:

• Use the FFPr program-level RF as the basis of the project-level RF.

• Identify which results the proposed project will contribute to, and which the proposed project will NOT contribute to.

o A single project is not expected to contribute to all of the results in the program-level RF. Projects typically contribute to a subset of program-level results, and may also contribute to custom results, reflecting the specific country and programmatic context of the proposed project. The number of results contributed to will not be a factor in proposal evaluation.

• Display the project’s proposed activities and align each with the result(s) the activity will help achieve. Applicants should use short, descriptive activity titles so that readers have enough information to understand how a proposed activity will logically lead to a result.

• Include the names of any external entities with whom the Applicant proposes to coordinate to achieve a result, e.g., USAID or a target country government ministry.

Applicants are responsible for subrecipients’ work, so proposed subrecipients need not be separately identified in the project-level RF.

• Add custom results, beyond what is available in the program-level RF, to communicate additional results the proposed project is designed to achieve. This is particularly important for projects such as Trade Enabling Environment focused projects that typically work towards results not already displayed on the program-level RF.

2. A narrative text, articulating the project’s theory of change, describing the cause-and-effect linkages outlined in the Strategic Analysis. The suggested length of the narrative is 4 pages. A strong narrative should:

• Reference existing research to support the described causal linkages.

• Identify critical assumptions that support the theory of change. Critical assumptions are external conditions that are necessary for success of the project, but over which the project implementers have little or no control. Critical assumptions that have a high probability of occurring and, if realized, will prohibit the project from achieving its desired results are defined as “killer assumptions.” Generally, projects should not have killer assumptions.

• For each FFPr program-level result that the proposed project will not contribute to, explain why.

• Provide a convincing argument that the project’s theory of change will achieve the intermediate and highest-level results and these results will be sustained beyond project completion.

o A strong narrative will tie desired results into the sustainable impact of activities proposed in the Plan of Operation. An applicant should have a plan to develop local ownership of the project and develop sustainable partnerships to maximize the potential for the benefits of the project to endure over time.

Overall, the project-level RF should reflect sound, causal thinking. The project logic should follow a chain of cause-and-effect relationships. There should be no significant causal gaps or large leaps from one level in the causal hierarchy to the next. Proposed activities should be sufficient to produce outputs, achieve initial and intermediate results, and contribute to the strategic objectives. If activities do not align with results, Applicants should remove them and revise the proposal to include activities that directly support results.

Performance Indicators (5-page limit) Applicants must submit a table of standard and custom performance indicators for their proposed project results. Performance indicators identify how to recognize the success of the project and help to clarify results. For each indicator, the Applicant must identify a baseline value (where possible), annual targets for each year of the project, and a life of project target. Applicants should include, at a minimum, these columns in the table: Performance Indicator, Standard or Custom, Baseline Value, Year X Target, Year Y Target, etc. (numbers to correspond to each year in the project), and Life of Project Target.

Standard FFPr Program performance indicators are required, where appropriate. Each result included in the proposed project should have one or more corresponding indicators in the indicator table.