FY22 UAIP Webinar PPT_Final.pdf

Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production

Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (UAIP) Competitive Grants Program

Presented by Kimberly McCabe and Jose Victor Jimenez usda.gov/urban

Part I: Overview of the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (OUAIP)

Part II: Description of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production Grants (UAIP)

Part III: UAIP Grants: Application, Evaluation and Notification Process

Part IV: Helpful Tips

Part V: Submit Questions to urbanagriculture@usda.gov

Agenda mailto:urbanagriculture@usda.gov

What is Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (OUAIP)?

OUAIP is an office within USDA managed by the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Mission: to encourage and promote urban, indoor, and other emerging agricultural practices, including community composting and food waste reduction.

UAIP Competitive Grants Program

Is to support the development of urban agriculture and innovative production.

The two types of UAIP grants being made available for application under this NFO are Planning Projects and Implementation Projects.

• Planning Projects are for supporting the development of projects that will either initiate, build upon, or expand the efforts of farmers, gardeners, citizens, government officials, schools, members of tribal communities, and other stakeholders in areas where access to fresh foods are limited or unavailable.

• Implementation Projects are for accelerating existing and emerging models of urban and/or innovative agricultural practices that serve multiple farmers or gardeners. Innovation may include new and emerging, as well as traditional or indigenous, agricultural practices.

UAIP Competitive Grants

UAIP grants support projects designed to improve access to local foods in areas where access to fresh, healthy food is limited or unavailable through urban and/or innovative agricultural practices, including, but not limited to, community gardens, urban farms, rooftop farms, urban agroforest, food forests, orchards, outdoor vertical production, green walls, indoor farms, greenhouses, high-tech vertical technology farms, and hydroponic, aeroponic, and aquaponic farm facilities.

Both Planning Projects and Implementation Projects must be:

1) designed to support multiple farmers or gardeners;

2) target areas lacking access to fresh, healthy foods; and

3) promote urban and/or innovative agricultural practices.

UAIP Competitive Grants

• A UAIP Grant is financial assistance from USDA to an eligible entity to carry out urban agriculture and innovative production activities.

• A grant does not provide for substantial involvement between USDA and the recipient in carrying out a UAIP grant.

• The recipient will be responsible to carry out all aspects of the grant.

Alignment with USDA Priorities

• Executive Order 12985: Advancing Racial Equity and Support to Underserved Communities

• Executive Order 14008: Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad

• Executive Order 13990: Protecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science to Tackle the Climate Crisis

Planning Projects (PP) support one or more of the following:

• Assessments of the community needs within the local food system to identify how food is grown, distributed, or marketed and what existing needs related to food access, nutrition education, conservation, and economic development can be addressed by urban and /or innovative agriculture.

• Planning activities and community partnerships to improve how food is grown, distributed, or marketed in the target area using urban and/ or innovative agriculture.

• Business planning, feasibility Studies , and other strategies such as community resource development, that support new and beginning farmers.

• Policy development to make municipal policies and zoning laws in the target area more supportive of the needs of urban and/or innovative agriculture.

• Creating educational materials and programs that will increase knowledge about food and agriculture and encourage careers in agriculture and innovative production in the target community.

Implementation Projects (PP)support one or more of the following:

• Increase food production in small, urban, and indoor spaces.

• Promoting agricultural business through job training and providing resources to help communities access land, equipment, mentoring, and other assistance for new and beginning farmers.

• Implementation of best practices to address food access, zoning, compost, land access, soil health, emerging technologies and infrastructure needs for the targeted community and agricultural producers.

• Educating the target community about food systems, nutrition, agricultural production, and environmental impacts.

Deciding to Apply for PP or IP?

Planning Projects (PP) Implementation Projects (IP)

Funds are used as an early-stage investment in new, startup projects

• Surveys

• Assessments

• Development of technology

• Design and Planning

• Developing recommendations and strategies

• Creating business plans

• Feasibility studies

• Municipal planning regarding policies and zoning

• Produce education material

• NO IMPLEMENTATION PROJECT ACTIVITIES

Funds are used to accelerate or expand the work of an existing project

• Job training

• Mentoring

• Business development assistance

• Increasing food production

• Training students for careers in agriculture

• Expand operations of community gardens or nonprofit farms

• NO PLANNING PROJECT ACTIVITIES

RESEARCH PROPOSALS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED OR CONSIDERED

Eligibility Entity Types:

• Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS

• Units of local government, including:

• City, township, or county government

• School districts

• Soil and Water Conservation Districts

• Tribal Governments, including:

• Native American Tribal Governments (federally recognized)

• Native American Tribal organizations (including organizations that are not federally recognized Tribal Governments)

• Schools serving grades Kindergarten through 12

Eligibility, continued

State designated Indian Tribes should select “Native American tribal organization (other than federally-recognized tribal government)” when completing the SF-424 block 9.

• Individuals such as a farmer or gardener, for-profit organizations and small businesses, state governments, and Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) including extension programs are not eligible to apply for a UAIP Grants.

• Applicants not located within the 50 United States, the District of Columbia, the Caribbean Area (Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands), and the Pacific Islands Area (Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands) are not eligible.

Participation in UAIP

• Applicants must choose between submitting a grant application for a Planning Project or Implementation Project

• An eligible applicant can serve as the lead on only one Planning Project or Implementation Project Grant application. Applicants may be listed as a partner on more than one application.

• The proposed project should not duplicate activities from another federal award and have specifically different objectives.

UAIP Project Types and Funding Amounts

Project Level Planning Project Implementation Projects Level 1 $50,000-$100,000 $50,000-$100,000 Level 2 $100,001-$300,000 $100,001-$300,000

• Estimated funding floor for this opportunity is $50,000.00

• Estimated Funding ceiling is $300,000.00

• Projects will be categorized and ranked according to “project level” where level is determined according to the federal funding amount requested.

• The proposed project should not duplicate activities from another Federal award and have specifically different objectives.

• Applicants are expected to complete projects within the required timeframe of 1-3 years.

• There is no cost sharing or matching requirement for this opportunity.

Suitable UAIP Projects include

• Activities that encourage and promote urban, indoor, and other emerging agricultural practices, including community gardens and farms located in urban areas, suburbs, and urban clusters; rooftop farms, outdoor vertical production, and green walls; urban agroforestry, food forests, orchards; indoor farms, greenhouses, and high-tech vertical technology farms; hydroponic, aeroponic, and aquaponic farm facilities; and other innovations in agricultural production.

Suitable UAIP Projects include

Activities may include but are not limited to:

• Production-related expenses such as materials, supplies, and other costs related to rooftop farms, outdoor vertical production, green walls, urban agroforestry, food forests, orchards; indoor farms, greenhouses, high-tech vertical technology farms, hydroponic, aeroponic, and aquaponic farms, and other innovations in agricultural production;

• Construction;

• Building a non-permanent, temporary or moveable structure;

• Building a permanent structure;

• Contractual including labor costs;

• Personnel costs; and

• Lease or rental of special purpose equipment, vehicles, land, and building space

Activities Not Eligible for UAIP

• Production of hemp or marijuana;

• Purchase of general-purpose equipment or lease agreement to own (i.e., lease-to-own or rent-to-own) such equipment;

• Contributions or donations, including cash, property, and services, from the recipient to other entities; and

• Organized fundraising, including financial campaigns, solicitation of gifts and bequests, and similar expenses incurred to raise capital or obtain contributions.

Application, Evaluation and Notification Process

Find on Grants.gov

Find the UAIP funding opportunity and related documents on Grants.gov by searching:

Program: UAIP

CFDA Number: 10.935

Funding Opportunity Number:

USDA-NRCS-NHQ-UAIP-22-NOFO0001178

View on grants.gov

Read the NFO

• Read the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NFO)

• Download from Grants.gov

• Make sure you are eligible to apply.

• Understand and follow the application instructions and submission requirements of the NFO.

Complete Required Steps

Required Action Timing

Obtain a Tax Identification Number/Employer Identification Number (TIN/EIN) from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) (if your organization does not have one)

Up to 35 days (refer to IRS for timeframe)

Obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number (if you organization does not have one)

1-2 business days (refer to sam.gov for timeframe)

Register with sam.gov (if your organization does not have an active account)

7-10 business days (refer to sam.gov for timeframe)

Register with Grants.gov, add profile and authorize and Authorized Organization Representative (AOR)

Up to 14 days

Submit UAIP Application in Grants.gov 11:59 p.m. EDT on due date listed in grant.gov

Need Technical Assistance?

• IRS TIN/EIN issues:

• Businesses: 1-800-829-4933

• Non-profit taxes: 1-877-829-5500

• Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) issues:

• 1-866-606-8220 (U.S.) or Sam.gov

• Sam.gov issues:

• Grants.gov issues:

• 1-800-518-4726 (U.S.) or support@grants.gov

Prepare UAIP Application Forms

Required:

Project Proposal(PDF or MS Word Attachment) Standard Form-424 – Application for Federal Assistance (on Grants.gov) Standard Form-424A – Budget Information, Non-Construction (on

Grants.gov) Budget Narrative Certification and Disclosure of Lobbying Activities

If Applicable:

Form SF-424C – Budget Information, Construction (on Grants.gov) Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (PDF Attachment)

Submit on grants.gov

• Applications must be received by due date listed in grants.gov

Application Timeline

1.NFO posted to grants.gov-Applicants prepare project proposal and application documents

2. Applicant submits application package to grants.gov by 11:59 pm ET by due date

3. Agency administrative review of applications received

4. Agency peer review and evaluation of applications

5. Award notification by 9/30/2022

Agency Administrative Review

Applications will not be reviewed or considered further if:

• Application is not submitted through Grants.gov

• Application is submitted late

• Proposal does not comply with the required content, format and formatting structure including page length.

• Application is incomplete or noncompliant

• Application does not fit the purpose of UAIP

Agency Administrative Review, Continued

Applications will not be reviewed or considered further if:

• Proposal includes activities funded by another Federal award

• Applicants and applications do not meet eligibility criteria including eligible applicant type

• Applicant is identified in the sam.gov exclusions database as ineligible, prohibited/restricted or excluded from receiving federal funding.

• Applicant has committed fraud, including materially misleading or incorrect information in the application.

Agency Peer Review and Evaluation

Evaluation Criteria:

• Consistency with Purpose and Priorities of UAIP (30 points)

• Internal Organization Support and Partnerships (20 points)

• Project Workplan (20 points)

• Budget (25 points)

• Data and Information Sharing (5 points)

Helpful Tips

• Don’t wait until the last minute!

• Read the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NFO).

USDA-NRCS-NHQ-UAIP-22-NOFO0001178

• Align your Project Proposal Narrative and Budget Narrative.

• Make sure your proposal complies with the required content and format including page limits.

• Get input from collaborators and partners.

Contact Us

• For more information, visit:

www.farmers.gov/urban

• Have questions? Email:

Urbanagriculture@usda.gov http://www.farmers.gov/urban mailto:Urbanagriculture@usda.gov

Thank You!

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender.