FY16 BFRDP RFA.pdf

Beginning Farmer and Rancher

Development Program

FY 2016 Request for Applications (RFA)

APPLICATION DEADLINE: January 21, 2016

ELIGIBILITY: See Part III, A of RFA

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

AGRICULTURE

BEGINNING FARMER AND RANCHER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

INITIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE: This program is listed in the

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance under 10.311.

DATES: Applications must be received by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on January 21, 2016.

Applications received after this deadline will normally not be considered for funding (see Part

IV, C. of this RFA). Comments regarding this request for applications (RFA) are requested within 6 months from the issuance of this notice. Comments received after that date will be considered to the extent practicable.

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

Submit written stakeholder comments by the deadline set forth in the DATES portion of this

Notice via e-mail to: Policy@nifa.usda.gov. (This e-mail address is intended only for receiving comments regarding this RFA and not requesting information or forms.) In your comments, please state that you are responding to the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development

Program RFA.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: NIFA requests applications for the Beginning Farmer and

Rancher Development Program (BFRDP) for fiscal year (FY) 2016 to support the delivery of education, mentoring, and technical assistance programs to help beginning farmers and ranchers in the United States (U.S.) and its territories with entering, establishing, building and managing successful farm and ranch enterprises. The anticipated amount available for grants in FY 2016 is approximately $18 million.

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

A webinar will be held on December 2, 2015 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time for potential applicants.

The Adobe Connect link is: http://nifa-connect.nifa.usda.gov/bfrdp16/.

mailto:Policy@nifa.usda.gov http://nifa-connect.nifa.usda.gov/bfrdp16/

Table of Contents

PART I—FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. Legislative Authority and Background

B. Purpose and Priorities

C. Program Area Description

PART II—AWARD INFORMATION

A. Available Funding

B. Types of Applications

C. Project Types

PART III—ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. Eligible Applicants

B. Cost Sharing or Matching

PART IV—APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

A. Electronic Application Package

B. Content and Form of Application Submission

C. Submission Dates and Times

D. Funding Restrictions

E. Other Submission Requirements

PART V—APPLICATION REVIEW REQUIREMENTS

A. General

B. Evaluation Criteria

C. Conflicts of Interest and Confidentiality

D. Organizational Management Information

E. Application Disposition

PART VI—AWARD ADMINISTRATION

A. General

B. Award Notice

C. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

D. Expected Program Outputs and Reporting Requirements

PART VII—AGENCY CONTACTS

PART VIII—OTHER INFORMATION

A. Access to Review Information

B. Use of Funds; Changes

C. Confidential Aspects of Applications and Awards

D. Regulatory Information

E. Definitions

F. Materials Available on the Internet

PART I—FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. Legislative Authority and Background

Section 7405(c) of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (Pub. L. 107-171) (7

U.S.C. 3319f(c)), as amended by section 7410 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of

2008 (FCEA) (Pub. L. 110-246) and section 7409 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (Pub. L. 113-

333), requires the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a competitive grants program to support new and established local and regional training, education, outreach and technical assistance initiatives for beginning farmers or ranchers in the United States (U.S.). Programs and services

(as appropriate) include the following:

A. Basic livestock, forest management, and crop farming practices;

B. Innovative farm, ranch, and private, nonindustrial forest land transfer strategies;

C. Entrepreneurship and business training;

D. Financial and risk management training (including the acquisition and management of agricultural credit);

E. Natural resource management and planning;

F. Diversification and marketing strategies;

G. Curriculum development;

H. Mentoring, apprenticeships, and internships;

I. Resources and referral;

J. Farm financial benchmarking;

K. Assisting beginning farmers or ranchers in acquiring land from retiring farmers and ranchers;

L. Agricultural rehabilitation and vocational training for veterans;

M. Farm safety and awareness; and

N. Other similar subject areas of use to beginning farmers or ranchers.

Section 7405(d) of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 3319f(d)) requires the Secretary of Agriculture to establish beginning farmer and rancher education teams to develop curricula and conduct educational programs and workshops for beginning farmers or ranchers in diverse geographical areas of the United States.

NIFA has invited stakeholder input on BFRDP via webinars, conference calls, and written means every year since the program began in FY 2009. For information about stakeholder input and how it was utilized in the development of the RFA see Part VIII, F.

B. Purpose and Priorities

The Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program is aligned with the USDA Research, Education, and Economics Action Plan

(http://www.ree.usda.gov/ree/news/USDA_2014_REE_Action_Plan_08-2014_Final.pdf), and specifically addresses Goal 6 – Education and Science Literacy, by providing educational and training opportunities to beginning farmers and ranchers. BFRDP is aligned with the NIFA Strategic plan (http://nifa.usda.gov/about/pdfs/strat_plan_2014.pdf), and specifically addresses Strategic Goal

1 (Science), by advancing our ability to fight hunger and ensure global food security (Subgoal 1.1).

http://www.ree.usda.gov/ree/news/USDA_2014_REE_Action_Plan_08-2014_Final.pdf http://nifa.usda.gov/about/pdfs/strat_plan_2014.pdf

The primary goal of BFRDP is to help beginning farmers and ranchers in the U.S. and its territories to enter and/or improve their success in farming, ranching, and management of nonindustrial private forest lands, through support for projects that provide education, mentoring, and technical assistance to give beginning farmers the knowledge, skills, and tools needed to make informed decisions for their operations, and enhance their sustainability. The term “farmer” is used in the broadest sense and should be interpreted to include agricultural farmers, ranchers, and non-industrial private forest owners and managers. Applications from partnerships and collaborations that are led by or include nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), community-based organizations

(CBOs), and school-based agricultural educational organizations (SAEOs) with expertise in new agricultural producer training and outreach will be given priority in funding.

1. Target Audience:

The target audience for BFRDP is farmers and ranchers who have not operated a farm or ranch, or have operated a farm or ranch for not more than 10 years. In addition, a portion of BFRDP funding is set aside for projects that address the needs of two subsets of beginning farmers and ranchers:

• At least 5 percent (5%) of the program funds available for standard BFRDP projects will be allocated to address the needs of limited resource beginning farmers and ranchers;

socially disadvantaged beginning farmers or ranchers; and/or farm workers (including immigrants) desiring to become beginning farmers or ranchers.

• At least 5 percent (5%) of the program funds available for standard BFRDP projects will be allocated to address the needs of beginning farmers and ranchers who are military veterans. A recipient of such a grant may coordinate with a recipient of a grant from the

AgrAbility program (http://www.agrability.org/ ) in addressing the needs of veteran farmers and ranchers with disabilities.

Please note: Not all applications need to address the needs of these two set-aside categories.

Priority may be given to applications that address the two categories, if necessary to achieve the targeted set-asides, by awarding funding to the highest-ranked proposals that meet the set-aside.

For applications to be considered under either set-aside audience category, they must:

a. Identify the target audience of any of the groups identified above and state what percentage of the project budget will be allocated to serving these group(s);

b. Explain how the beginning farmers and ranchers in the identified target audience will be recruited and provided with appropriate training, education, outreach and/or mentoring;

and

c. Provide evidence of the ability to serve the needs of the identified audience, e.g., a strong track record of having previously done so.

SPECIAL NOTE:

Identified priorities are factors that will be given additional weight in the evaluation of proposals. In instances where proposals are found to be equally meritorious with the application purpose and priorities, based on peer review, selection for funding will be weighed in favor of applicants meeting the BFRDP grants program priorities.

http://www.agrability.org/

2. Priority Topics for FY 2016:

To achieve program goals, BFRDP projects will be expected to conduct training and assistance for beginning farmers and ranchers on one or more of the topics listed in Part I. A, items A-N.

Applicants should carefully consider the topics that will be addressed by the proposed project and clearly identify the topics that will be addressed in the project narrative, and why those topics are the most appropriate for the project’s audience. Evidence of farmer input on topic selection is very important. Applicants should make use of existing curriculum (whether USDA funded or not), including entries in the BFRDP curriculum and training clearinghouse

FarmAnswers.org (http://farmanswers.org/), and justify the decision to develop new curriculum if needed.

NIFA is soliciting applications for the BFRDP under two areas: Standard Grants, and

Educational Enhancement Teams (EETs). There are three types of EETs: Evaluation, Assistance, and Other.

(1) Standard Grants and/or

(2) Educational Enhancement Teams (EETs)

a. Evaluation

b. Assistance

c. Other

C. Program Area Description

(1) Standard Grants

Program Code: BFRDA

Program Code Name: Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program, Standard

Maximum Award: $200,000 per year for up to three (3) years for large standard grants; $80,000 per year for up to three years for small standard grants

Both small and large standard BFRDP projects support new and established local and regional training, education, outreach and technical assistance initiatives for beginning farmers and ranchers, on the priority topics listed above. They differ in their scale. Most of the funding in the BFRDP will be directed to Standard Grants. The primary goal of Standard

Grants is to increase the number of beginning farmers and ranchers and enhance their success and sustainability by providing them and their families the knowledge, skills, and tools needed to make informed decisions. Standard Grant applications are expected to identify the audience of beginning farmers and ranchers that they aim to serve, describe their characteristics and needs, demonstrate knowledge and experience in educational and assistance methods that are appropriate and effective in engaging the audience and meeting their needs, and propose an ambitious yet achievable plan of work that will accomplish meaningful and measurable success in enhancing the number and success of beginning farmers and ranchers. Most successful standard grant applicants provide training and assistance on business and financial management as well as production and marketing topics from the priority list above (Part 1.A. Items A thru N).

http://farmanswers.org/

Small and large standard grants will be reviewed by the panel, but will be discussed as two different groups and ranked separately within each group to provide equitable evaluation.

Both large and small proposals will be evaluated using the same evaluation criteria (see Part

V.B), including priority for partnerships and collaborations that are led by or include nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), community-based organizations (CBOs), or school-based agricultural educational organizations (SAEOs) with expertise in beginning agricultural producer training and outreach. The expectations for smaller projects, however, will be commensurate with their size (e.g., smaller audiences, more limited geographic reach, less complex collaborative arrangements) and provide an opportunity for smaller or less experienced organizations to propose projects that have smaller budgets and less complex administration.

(2) Educational Enhancement Teams (EETs)

Program Code: BFRDB

Program Code Name: Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program, Enhancement

Maximum Award: $150,000 for one (1) year for EET-Evaluation

$250,000 over two (2) years for EET-Assistance

$200,000 per year for up to three (3) years for EET-Other

The purpose of an Educational Enhancement Team (EET) grant is to fund a team of experts to review beginning farmer and rancher curricula and programs (including review and evaluation of previously-funded BFRDP projects), identify gaps, and develop, disseminate and facilitate the use of materials and tools to address these gaps. Educational Enhancement

Teams are not designed to train beginning farmers and ranchers directly, but rather to train-the-trainers and help enhance funded and non-funded beginning farmer and rancher education programs in the nation. Applicants interested in applying for an EET grant are strongly encouraged to confer with the Programmatic Contacts listed in Part VII to discuss the suitability of the topic prior to submitting an application.

In FY 2016, NIFA is particularly interested in EET applications which will:

Evaluate the portfolio of all completed BFRDP standard projects, to identify and summarize short- and long-term outcomes and impacts; analyze factors contributing to success; and communicate results. Proposals should include analyzing quantitative and qualitative data from annual and final project reports. The portfolio is comprised of approximately 140 completed projects and 65 active projects. Further, follow-up is required with a sample of projects to assess long-term impacts. EET-Evaluation applications are limited to a total of $150,000 for one (1) year. In addition, NIFA may choose to invite and consider funding additional follow-on work by the successful applicant.

And/or

Work with NIFA to assist less experienced applicants to understand and meet the requirements of a successful BFRDP grant application. Proposals should include assessing the most common errors and points of confusion for applicants; working with

NIFA to develop outreach and training tools; and communicating with organizations who may apply for BFRDP grants in FY 2017 and FY 2018. EET-Assistance applications are limited to a total of $250,000 over a period of two (2) years. In addition, NIFA may choose to invite and consider funding additional follow-on work by the successful applicant.

NIFA is also soliciting proposals designed to enhance beginning farmer efforts based on a particular topic, region, or audience. Such EET-Other applications should complement previously-funded EETs, which have addressed environmental management and leadership, regional networks, farmer-to-farmer curricula, financial management, and individual development accounts; and currently active EETs, which are addressing immigrant farming incubators, land access, and women farmers. Topical, regional, or audience-focused EETs should involve educational teams of experts with diverse backgrounds (e.g., NGO, CBO, SAEO, farmers, university, government) to

(1) identify, collect, and assess existing curricula and programs;

(2) identify gaps and develop and deliver curricula and train-the-trainer programs to fill the identified gaps; and

(3) collaborate with the BFRDP Clearinghouse (http://farmanswers.org) and BFR education providers to enhance successful use of the EET curricula and programs.

EET-Other applications are limited to $200,000 per year for up to three (3) years.

Applicants are encouraged to coordinate efforts with their StrikeForce area coordinators and/or partnering entities. USDA’s StrikeForce for Rural Growth and Opportunity Initiative is part of our commitment to growing economies, increasing investments and creating opportunities in poverty-stricken rural communities. See www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?navid=STRIKE_FORCE for more information.

http://farmanswers.org/ http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?navid=STRIKE_FORCE

PART II—AWARD INFORMATION

A. Available Funding

The anticipated amount available for grants in FY 2016 is approximately $18 million. The funds for Standard Projects will be awarded through grants. The funds for Educational Enhancement

Teams (EETs) may be awarded through a cooperative agreement, which includes substantial involvement of NIFA staff. There is no commitment by USDA to fund any particular application or to make a specific number of awards.

Awards issued as a result of this RFA will have designated the Automated Standard Applications for Payment System (ASAP), operated by the Department of Treasury’s Bureau of the Fiscal

Service, as the payment system for funds. For more information see http://fms.treas.gov/index1.html.

B. Types of Applications

In FY 2016, applications may be submitted to the BFRDP Program as one of the following types of requests:

New application. This is a project application that has not been previously submitted to BFRDP

Program. We will review all new applications competitively using the selection process and evaluation criteria described in Part V—Application Review Requirements. Project Directors

(PDs) and Co-PDs of active BFRDP awards are strongly discouraged from applying, unless that active award is in its final year.

Resubmitted application. This is an application that had previously been submitted to BFRDP

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

C. Project Types

Applications will be accepted for two (2) project types: (1) Standard BFRDP Projects; and/or (2)

Educational Enhancement Team Projects (EETs). There are three sub-types of EETs:

Evaluation, Assistance, and Other.

1. Standard BFRDP Projects:

The long-term goals of the Standard BFRDP projects are to enhance the sustainability of beginning farmers and ranchers through education, training, mentoring and outreach programs that enhance self-employment in farming, ranching and forestry opportunities. Applications that seek to develop coursework for credit at Colleges and Universities offering four-year degree programs are not appropriate for this program and will not be accepted for review. Applications http://fms.treas.gov/index1.html that seek to educate students for careers in agriculture other than as farmers or ranchers will not be accepted for review.

All work must be completed within three (3) years. The Statutory time limitation for this project is three (3) years from the project start date on the Award Face Sheet (Form NIFA-2009).

Extensions of time beyond the three (3) years will not be permitted.

2. Educational Enhancement Team Projects:

The long-term goals of the Educational Enhancement Team (EET) projects are to identify gaps in beginning farmer and rancher training by evaluating all existing programs, and to develop and conduct train-the-trainer projects to address these gaps. In 2016, applications are invited for three types of EETs: Evaluation, Assistance, and Other.

EETs are awarded for up to three years, and may continue into a fourth year with a no-cost extension of time. However in 2016, each of the three types of EET proposals has a different maximum budget and duration (see Program Description in section I.C.2 and the chart below).

The following are NIFA funding estimates for FY 2016, number of awards anticipated, maximum project budgets, and acceptable project periods for each of the Project Types.

Project Type

Number of

Awards

Anticipated

Maximum

Project Budget

Acceptable

Project Period

Standard Grant –

Program Code BFRDA 30-35 $200,000/yr. 2-3 yrs.

Educational Enhancement Team

Program Code BFRDB

EET - Evaluation 1 $150,000 total 1 yr.

EET - Assistance 1 $250,000 total 2 yrs.

EET – Other 0-2 $200,000/yr. 2-3 yrs.

Applications that include requests for annual project budgets in excess of the maximum annual project budgets established above, or propose project periods outside the acceptable project ranges above, for the applicable Program Area, will be at risk of being excluded from NIFA review.

PART III—ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. Eligible Applicants

Applications may only be submitted by a collaborative state, tribal, local, or regionally-based network or partnership of qualified public and/or private entities. These collaborations may include the following entities: State Cooperative Extension Services; Federal, State, or tribal agencies; community based organizations (CBOs); nongovernmental organizations (NGOs);

junior and four-year colleges or universities or foundations maintained by a college or university;

private for-profit organizations. Inclusion of beginning and/or non-beginning farmers and ranchers as part of the collaborative group is strongly encouraged.

Applications submitted by individuals, or by organizations that do not involve other entities in a network or partnership, are not eligible for consideration under any category applicable to the

BFRDP.

Award recipients may subcontract to organizations not eligible to apply provided such organizations are necessary for the conduct of the project. Failure to meet an eligibility criterion by the time of application deadline may result in the application being excluded from consideration or, even though an application may be reviewed, will preclude NIFA from making an award.

B. Cost Sharing or Matching

Pursuant to the authorizing legislation for the BFRDP, NIFA requires that in order to receive an award under this program, the recipient must provide a match in the form of cash or in-kind contributions in an amount at least equal to 25 percent (25%) of the federal funds provided by the award. The matching funds must be from non-Federal sources except when authorized by statute. An award will not be issued unless all matching funds over the life of the grant are secured with pledge letters. See Part IV, B, 6 of this RFA for requirements for pledge letters.

There can be no stipulations on the matching amount.

PART IV—APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

A. Electronic Application Package

Only electronic applications may be submitted via Grants.gov to NIFA in response to this RFA.

We urge you to submit early to the Grants.gov system. This is a complicated application, and if you wait until the last few days before the due date to start entering your application, you risk missing the deadline. For an overview of the Grants.gov application process see http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/grant-application-process.html.

New Users of Grants.gov

Prior to preparing an application, we recommend that the Project Director/Principal Investigator

(PD/PI) first contact an Authorized Representative (AR, also referred to as Authorized

Organizational Representative or AOR) to determine if the organization is prepared to submit electronic applications through Grants.gov. If not (e.g., the institution/organization is new to the electronic grant application process through Grants.gov), then the one-time registration process must be completed PRIOR to submitting an application. It can take as long as 2 weeks to complete the registration process so it is critical to begin as soon as possible. In such situations, the AR should go to “Register” in the top right corner of the Grants.gov web page (or go to http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/register.html) for information on registering the institution/organization with Grants.gov. Part II.1. of the NIFA Grants.gov Application Guide contains detailed information regarding the registration process. Refer to item 2. below to locate the “NIFA Grants.gov Application Guide”.

Steps to Obtain Application Package Materials

To receive application materials:

1. You must download and install a version of Adobe Reader compatible with Grants.gov to access, complete, and submit applications. For basic system requirements and download instructions, see http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/support/technical-support/software/adobe-reader-compatibility.html. Grants.gov has a test package that will help you determine whether your current version of Adobe Reader is compatible.

2. To obtain the application package from Grants.gov, go to http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/apply-for-grants.html. Under Step 1 click on “Download a Grant Application Package,” and enter the funding opportunity number

Funding Opportunity Number: USDA-NIFA-BFR-005436 in the appropriate box and click “Download Package.” From the search results, click “Download” to access the application package.

Contained within the application package is the “NIFA Grants.gov Application Guide.”

This guide contains an introduction and general Grants.gov instructions, information about how to use a Grant Application Package in Grants.gov, and instructions on how to complete the application forms.

http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/grant-application-process.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/register.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/support/technical-support/software/adobe-reader-compatibility.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/support/technical-support/software/adobe-reader-compatibility.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/apply-for-grants.html

If you require assistance to access the application package (e.g., downloading or navigating Adobe forms) or submitting the application, refer to resources available on the Grants.gov website (http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-resources.html). Grants.gov assistance is also available at:

Grants.gov customer support

800-518-4726 Toll-Free or 606-545-5035

Business Hours: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Closed on federal holidays.

Email: support@grants.gov

Grants.gov iPortal (see https://grants-portal.psc.gov/Welcome.aspx?pt=Grants):

Top 10 requested help topics (FAQs), Searchable knowledge base, self-service ticketing and ticket status, and live web chat (available 7 a.m. - 9 p.m. ET). Get help now!

Have the following information available when contacting Grants.gov:

Funding Opportunity Number (FON)

Name of agency you are applying to

Specific area of concern

B. Content and Form of Application Submission

You should prepare electronic applications following Parts V and VI of the NIFA Grants.gov

Application Guide. This guide is part of the corresponding application package (see Section A.

of this Part). The following is additional information needed to prepare an application in response to this RFA. If there is discrepancy between the two documents, the information contained in this RFA is overriding.

Note the attachment requirements (e.g., PDF) in Part III section 3. of the guide. ANY

PROPOSALS THAT ARE NON-COMPLIANT WITH THE REQUIREMENTS (e.g., content format, PDF file format, file name restrictions, and no password protected files)

WILL BE AT RISK OF BEING EXCLUDED FROM NIFA REVIEW. Grants.gov does not check for NIFA required attachments or that attachments are in PDF format; see Part

III section 6.1 of the guide for how to check the manifest of submitted files. Partial applications will be excluded from NIFA review. We will accept subsequent submissions of an application until close of business on the closing date in the RFA (see Part V, 2.1 of the

NIFA Grants.gov Application Guide for further information).

For any questions related to the preparation of an application, review the NIFA Grants.gov

Application Guide and the applicable RFA. If assistance is still needed for preparing application forms content, contact:

Email: electronic@nifa.usda.gov

Phone: 202-401-5048

Business hours: Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. – 5 p.m. ET, excluding federal holidays.

http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-resources.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-resources.html http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/snow-dismissal-procedures/federal-holidays/ mailto:support@grants.gov https://grants-portal.psc.gov/Welcome.aspx?pt=Grants https://grants-portal.psc.gov/Welcome.aspx?pt=Grants https://grants-portal.psc.gov/Welcome.aspx?pt=Grants mailto:electronic@nifa.usda.gov

1. SF 424 R&R Cover Sheet

Information related to the questions on this form is dealt with in detail in Part V, 2. of the NIFA

Grants.gov Application Guide.

2. SF 424 R&R Project/Performance Site Location(s)

Information related to the questions on this form is dealt with in detail in Part V, 3. of the NIFA

3. R&R Other Project Information Form

Information related to the questions on this form is dealt with in detail in Part V, 4. of the NIFA

a. Field 7. Project Summary/Abstract. The following items should be included in the summary:

1. Project Title;

2. List of Project Directors (PDs) and Co-PDs and their institutions/organizations;

3. Concise (250 words or less) description of the project;

4. List of other collaborating institutions/organizations;

5. Percent of total federal funds requested that are allocated to nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), community-based organizations (CBOs), and school-based agricultural educational organizations (SAEOs);

6. For applications to be considered under either of the target audience set-asides:

a. Percent of budget allocated to serving military veterans; and/or

b. Percent of budget allocated to serving socially disadvantaged, limited-resource, or farmworker audiences; and

7. List of any previous or current BFRDP projects that PD or co-PDs have been a part of leading (list project director and award number (20XX-#####-#####); see Part VIII.F for a link to the full list of abstracts of previously funded projects)

See Part V. 4.7 of NIFA Grants.gov Application Guide for further instructions and a link to a suggested template.

b. Field 8. Project Narrative.

NOTE: The Project Narrative must not exceed 16 pages of written text regardless of whether it is single- or double-spaced. This total includes pages for figures and tables. We have established this maximum (16 pages) to ensure fair and equitable competition. The Project Narrative must include all of the following clearly-defined sections. Organizing your proposal in this way, clearly labeling each section and sequencing them as indicated below, will help reviewers find the information to evaluate your proposal. A table of contents is not required, but if included, will not count in this page limit.

For Standard Grants and EETs-Other applications:

1) Introduction. The introduction should include a clear statement of the long-term goal(s) of the proposed project. Justify the need for the program by identifying the target audience and explaining their needs (size, region, value of sales, structure of the industry (the number of small, medium and large farms), critical barriers, etc.); and by briefly summarizing all the other similar beginning farmer and rancher education and training programs that are available for the identified target audience. If necessary, provide a map of the region. Show evidence that beginning farmers and ranchers were involved in conceptualizing the project and designing the activities. If the project type is Educational

Enhancement Team, present the rationale for the geographic, topic or other appropriate focus of the Team and the Team’s composition. All works cited should be referenced (see

7(i) Bibliography & References Cited in this section). Applicants are encouraged to use approximately 2 of the 16 pages for this section. (Related evaluation criteria (see Part V.B):

Relevancy.)

2) Objectives and Outcomes. Concisely present the goals, associated objectives and expected outputs and outcomes of the project in relation to the audience and needs identified in the introduction. Provide numbers of beginning farmers and ranchers that will be served.

Estimate how many of them will attain specific, anticipated knowledge gains or actions

(e.g., starting farming; improving production practices; entering new markets) and project the expected resulting impacts of those gains and actions on the success of their operations.

Discuss whether and how this program can be adapted to other regions, communities and/or agricultural systems. Applicants are encouraged to use approximately 2 of the 16 pages for this section. (Related evaluation criteria: Technical merit.)

3) Approach. The activities proposed to achieve each objective must be clearly stated and the approaches being applied clearly described. Applicants are encouraged to use approximately 6 of the 16 pages for this section. Specifically, this section must include:

a) A description of the activities proposed for each objective.

b) A timeline of the proposed project. The timeline should include activities and major outputs and associated outcomes for each year of the project.

c) Discuss how and where the activities will be provided and the appropriateness of the approach for the target audience.

d) For Standard BFRDP Projects: how will the beginning farmers and ranchers be recruited for this training?

e) For Education Enhancement Team Projects, how will Beginning Farmer And

Rancher Curricula and Programs be identified and evaluated? How will you help guide curriculum and program development and delivery in future years?;

f) How will the project, and its partnerships and collaborations, be sustained beyond the life of the grant (e.g., plans for eventual self-support or institutionalization or other sources of support)? If there are not plans to sustain the effort, explain why not, and how the impact of the project will be lasting.

g) Any novel ideas or contributions of the proposed project.

h) Pitfalls that may be encountered and limitations to proposed procedures. For

Standard BFRDP Projects, please identify possible challenges to your proposed strategy for participant recruitment and how you plan to address those challenges.

(Related evaluation criteria: Technical merit; Achievability.)

4) Personnel and Resources: Describe in detail the Key Personnel’s experience in serving the identified or other audiences of beginning farmers and ranchers and ability to provide the appropriate (e.g., effective, socio-economically and culturally sensitive, etc.) education, training, outreach and mentoring programs for the target audience. Describe ongoing or recently completed significant activities related to the proposed project, and their impacts.

This information may include: the years and locations of prior activities; number of training assistance or education activities previously carried out; number of participants and graduates from the program; success rate in completing the program; percentage of graduates who are still in farming; and/or percentages of those who improved their operations. It is recommended that applicants use approximately 2 of the 16 pages (for the

Project Narrative) for this section. (Related evaluation criteria: Expertise and track record;

Adequacy of available or obtainable support personnel.)

5) Plan for Outcome Based Reporting. Clearly identify a minimum of two expected outcomes within the life of the project, and explain the plan to document and evaluate them. Third-party evaluators are strongly recommended but not required. Participatory evaluation, and formative as well as summative evaluation, are encouraged. All projects must describe methods and resources for documenting and evaluating their outcomes and impacts. Because of the diversity in the types of BFRDP projects funded, it is not possible to require all applicants to report on identical measurable outcomes. However, all Standard

BFRDP applicants should consider using (1) the expected number of new farm startups that would result from their project as one of the outcomes, and (2) the expected number of new farmers (i.e., those who are already farming but in their first 10 years of operation) who will make beneficial changes as a result of the project. All projects should have measures of the degree of change or strength of impact or benefit to participants. The identified outcomes and impacts must be measurable: a total number, percentage of participation, or percentage change (e.g., percentage increase in the value of sales of beginning farmers and ranchers, or percentage of participants who improve their business or production practices).

Therefore, plan to take baseline measurements before the work of a project or each measured event. Additionally, capture total numbers used to develop percentages for each measurement. All Educational Enhancement Team applicants should consider using the anticipated number of users of information products created as a result of their Educational

Enhancement Team activities as one of their metrics. Include a table summarizing the 2-5 primary outcome targets and related measurements:

Outcome Target # How Measured

# new farm start-ups

# new farmers who will…[describe change/benefits]

(if EET) # users of [describe info/product(s)]

Many expected outcomes may occur beyond the grant period. Hence, also identify measurable outputs for each of the expected outcomes. Outputs for Standard BFRDP

Projects may include:

(a) Number of beginning farmers and ranchers to receive significant training or assistance;

and

(b) Number of courses developed.

Outputs for Educational Enhancement Teams (EETs) may include:

(a) Number of trainers trained;

(b) Number of training programs offered; and/or

(c) Number of BFRDP organizations assisted.

See the “Outcomes Guide for BFRDP Grants” under Section VIII.F. Applicants are encouraged to use approximately 2 of the 16 pages for this section. (Related evaluation criteria: Adequacy of plans for the participatory evaluation process.)

6) Management and Collaboration Plan. It is critical to have a clearly articulated management plan that describes the roles and functions of all partners, collaborators and the organizations, as related to the proposed project. See “Definitions” (Part VIII.E) for definitions of Partner and Collaborator. Include time allocated by each partner for attainment of objectives; key roles of each partner and collaborator; and plan for administration of the proposed project and its maintenance and partnerships. Describe the plans for coordination, communication, data sharing and reporting among members of the project team and stakeholder groups. Describe the commitment of the organization and partners to this project; and how the collaboration and its impact will be sustained beyond the period of the award. An applicant’s failure to provide the requested information in the

Management and Collaboration Plan may preclude NIFA from making an award.

Applicants are encouraged to use approximately 2 of the 16 pages for this section. In addition, letters of commitment signed by the AR of the partnering organization demonstrating that the partners involved have agreed to abide by the Management Plan should be provided (see “Other Attachments” below). (Related evaluation criteria:

Partnerships and collaboration; Achievability.)

7) The following situations represent exceptions, and require Additional Narrative Pages.

In addition to the 16-page limit for the above sections of Narrative, proposals should use additional pages to provide the sections specified below if the proposals fall into the following categories:

i. Response to Previous Review – Required for “Resubmitted Applications” as described under Part II, B of this RFA, “Types of Applications”. PDs must respond to the previous review panel summary. The Response to Previous Review should be limited to one (1) page. Use the subheading “Response to Previous Review”. (Related evaluation criteria: Responsiveness to previous comments.)

ii. Prior BFRDP Accomplishments – If the Project Director (PD) and/or Co-PDs have been involved in leading prior BFRDP project(s), list those projects in the Project

Summary (see 3.A above) and add to the narrative a brief description of what was learned from the past project(s), what can be improved upon, and how those lessons and improvements are being incorporated into the current application to make the ongoing project more effective and successful at meeting program goals. This information should be added at the end of the narrative, in no more than one page, under a subheading

“Prior BFRDP Accomplishments”. (Related evaluation criteria: Prior performance;

Adequacy of plans for continuous improvement.)

The following table summarizes the sections of the Project Narrative for Standard Grant and

EET-Other applications, suggests an approximate number of pages to allocate to each section, and shows the evaluation criteria most relevant to each section:

Narrative Section Suggested

# Pages

Related Evaluation Criteria

(see Part V, B. of this RFA)

Introduction 2 of 16 Relevancy

Objectives and Outcomes 2 of 16 Technical merit

Approach 6 of 16 Technical merit; Achievability

Personnel and Resources 2 of 16 Expertise and track record of the applicants;

Adequacy of available or obtainable support personnel, facilities and instrumentation

Plan for Outcome Based

Reporting

2 of 16 Adequacy of plans for the participatory evaluation process, outcome-based reporting, and the communication of findings and results beyond the immediate target audience

Management and

Collaboration Plan

2 of 16 Partnerships and collaboration; Achievability

Response to Previous

Review (if resubmission)

Limit of 1 add’l page

Responsiveness to previous comments and recommendations by reviewers

Prior BFRDP Accom-plishments (if applicable)

Limit of 1 add’l page

Performance during the previous BFRDP grant(s); Adequacy of plans for continuous improvement

For EET-Evaluation applications:

1) Project Team: Describe the proposed team lead, partners, and other collaborators. The team should be led by person(s) with strong expertise in program evaluation and include person(s) with strong expertise in beginning farmer education, mentoring, and technical assistance. Describe the roles and responsibilities of each member of the team, and summarize their relevant expertise and experience. Provide a hyper-link to a sample report written by the lead evaluator.

2) Objectives: The overall purpose of the EET evaluation is to identify and summarize the short- and long-term outcomes and impacts; and to analyze factors contributing to success, of the completed BFRDP standard grants to date (i.e., projects funded in 2009-2012).

Results are intended to provide suggestions for improvements to both NIFA management and grantee performance in BFRDP. Propose specific objectives that are both achievable and most useful to that overall purpose.

3) Approach: Describe the proposed methods and activities for collecting and analyzing data

(quantitative and qualitative), including, but not limited to, the data in the BFRDP project reports (see the link to Abstracts of Funded Projects in section VIII.F of this RFA).

4) Deliverables: Provide plans for summarizing and communicating results, including written products, verbal communications (e.g., monthly check-ins), and presentations. Suggested written deliverables include:

a) quarterly reports;

b) a draft cumulative report; and

c) a final report with an executive summary that integrates, summarizes, and interprets key findings of the study.

The report should be written for a non-technical audience and relate the narrative discussion to descriptive statistics, analyses, graphs, maps, and tables where appropriate. One or more journal articles may also be proposed. The grantee will provide NIFA with all relevant data compiled during the project, and metadata (field name description, definition, source, source date, and equation if computed) for all raw and computed data fields. Suggested presentations include: in-person and/or webinar presentations to NIFA program staff and leadership, and to BFRDP grantees at annual

PD meeting. Include a timeline with milestones and deliverables.

For EET-Assistance applications:

1) Project Team: Describe the proposed team lead, partners, and other collaborators. The team should be led by person(s) with strong expertise in assisting organizations with grant programs and include person(s) with strong expertise in beginning farmer education, mentoring, and technical assistance. Describe the roles and responsibilities of each member of the team, and summarize their relevant expertise and experience.

2) Objectives: The overall purpose of this project is to assist inexperienced applicants to understand and meet the requirements of a successful BFRDP grant application. Propose specific objectives to identify the most common errors, points of confusion, or other obstacles to successful applications for inexperienced applicants, and to work with NIFA to develop outreach and training tools and communicate with those who may apply to

BFRDP in future years. Propose outcome measures and targets for each objective.

3) Approach: Describe the proposed methods and activities for achieving the proposed objectives. Provide evidence that the proposed methods are appropriate to the needs of the audience. Describe plans for regular, participatory evaluation to ensure that the project is achieving its objectives and performance targets.

4) Deliverables: Summarize a set of proposed written products, tools, webinars, in-person presentations, and other deliverables to the target audience and to NIFA. Include a timeline with milestones and deliverables.

The following table summarizes the sections of the Project Narrative and related evaluation criteria most relevant to each section for EET-Evaluation and EET-Assistance applications:

Narrative Section Suggested #

Pages

Related Evaluation Criteria

(see Part V, B. of this RFA)

Project Team 2-3 of 16 Expertise and track record of the applicants

Objectives 2-3 of 16 Technical merit

Approach 4-8 of 16 Technical merit

Deliverables 2-4 of 16 Technical merit

c. Field 9. Bibliography & References Cited – PDF attachment. No page limit. if any references were cited in the Narrative, include their citations in this attachment. Title the attachment “Bibliography and References” in the document header and save the file as

‘Bibliography’.

d. Field 12. Other Attachments

1) Commitment Letters – PDF attachment(s). No page limit. Letters of commitment from all partners (signed by the AR of the partnering organization) stating that the partners involved have agreed to their stated roles in the project and have agreed to abide by the Management Plan. Letters from other organizations or people whose participation is important to the success of the project, committing those collaborators to specific roles, are also encouraged. Title the attachment(s) as ‘Letter of Commitment –

Organization Name’ in the document header and save file as

‘LetterofCommitment_OrganizationName’. Other more general letters of support (i.e., from those who are not committing to a specific role in the project) are not needed and should not be included. See Part VIII.F for an example of a commitment letter. If an organization is also providing a pledge of matching support (see part IV, B, 6 of this

RFA), the information required in the letter of commitment may be added to the pledge agreement in one combined letter, as long as the required elements of both the commitment letter and the pledge agreement are included.

4. R&R Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) Information related to the questions on this form is dealt with in detail in Part V, 5. of the NIFA

Grants.gov Application Guide. This section of the Guide includes information about the people who require a Senior/Key Person Profile, and details about the Biographical Sketch and the

Current and Pending Support, including a link to a suggested template for the Current and

Pending Support.

5. R&R Personal Data

As noted in Part V, 6. of the NIFA Grants.gov Application Guide, the submission of this information is voluntary and is not a precondition of award.

6. R&R Budget Federal and Non-Federal

This form (accompanied by the required Budget Narrative attachment) contains the itemized listing and description of your project’s budget. Complete all applicable fields for each 12-month period. Include the travel costs for the Project Director and any other key staff member(s) to attend the annual Project Director meeting beginning in the first year of funding and during each year of the project. Information related to the questions on this form is dealt with in detail in Part V, 7. of the NIFA Grants.gov Application Guide.

Matching: As stated in Part III, B of this RFA, all applicants are required to provide from non-

Federal sources (unless otherwise specified by law) cash or in-kind contributions in an amount at least equal to twenty-five percent (25%) of the Federal funds requested. All matching contributions must be specifically for the project objectives as proposed.

The Budget Narrative should include written verification of commitments of matching support

(including both cash and in-kind…