FY24-12-SNAS The Science of School Meals-Request for Applications.pdf

Information Collection: 0584-0512 Expiration date: 07/31/2025

Behind the Tray – Food Science for School Meals; an Immersive Education Program Cooperative Agreement

Fiscal Year 2024 Request for Applications (RFA) Assistance Listing Number (ALN): 10.585

Release Date: May 13, 2024

Application Due Date: 11:59 pm, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), July 12, Anticipated Award Date: September 2024

OMB BURDEN STATEMENT: This information is being collected to assist the Food and Nutrition Service in furthering food safety support for Child Nutrition programs. This is a voluntary collection and FNS will use the information to award food safety education funds for a cooperative agreement. This collection does not request any personally identifiable information under the Privacy Act of 1974. According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 0584-0512. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 20.00 hours per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, Office of Policy Support, 1320 Braddock Place, 5th Floor, Alexandria, VA 22314 ATTN: PRA (0584-0512). Do not return the completed form to this address.

Form RFA 11-13-2023

Application Checklist

This Application Checklist provides applicants with a list of the required actions and documents that must be completed. However, FNS expects that applicants will read the entire RFA prior to the submission of their application and comply with all requirements outlined in the solicitation.

The Application Checklist is for applicant use only and should not be submitted as part of the Application Package.

Complete the following at least four weeks prior to submission:

Obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number;

Register the UEI number in the System for Award Management (SAM); and, Register in grants.gov.

When preparing your application, ensure:

Application format and narrative meet the requirements included in Section 4 –

Application and Submission Information. This includes page limits, priorities outlined in Section 5 – Application Review Information, and all necessary attachments.

When preparing your budget, ensure the following information is included:

All key staff proposed to be paid by this grant.

The percentage of time the Project Director will devote to the project in full-time equivalents (FTEs).

Your organization’s fringe benefit rate and amount, as well as the basis for the computation.

The type of fringe benefits to be covered with Federal funds.

Itemized travel expenses (including type of travel), travel justification, and basis for lodging estimate.

Types of equipment and supplies, justifications, and estimates, ensuring that the budget is in line with the project description.

Information for all contracts and justification for any sole-source contracts.

Justification, description, and an itemized list of all consultant services.

Indirect cost information (either a copy of a Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement

(NICRA) or if no agreement exists and the applicant has never been approved for a NICRA, they may charge up to 10% de minimis). If an applicant is requesting the de minimis rate or indirect costs are not required, please state this in the budget narrative.

When submitting your application, ensure you have submitted the following:

FNS-906 – Grant Program Accounting System & Financial Capability Questionnaire.

Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (PDF – Upload using the “Add Attachments” button under SF-424 item #15).

AD-3030 – Representations Regarding Felony Conviction and Tax Delinquent Status for

Corporate Applicants (fillable PDF in Grants.gov). This document is only required if your organization is a corporation. The form is located in the optional tab of the grants.gov application package.

Resumes of key staff.

Letters of support/commitment from key staff and partners.

Additional attachments as required.

http://www.grants.gov/

Table of Contents

1. Program Description and Objectives

Executive Summary

Program Description

Key Objectives

2. Federal Award Information

Allowable Costs

Unallowable Costs

3. Eligibility Information

Eligible Applicants

Cost Sharing or Matching Considerations

Pre-Award Screening Requirements

Acknowledgement of USDA Support

4. Application and Submission Information

Content and Form of Application Submission

Special Instructions:

Cooperative Agreement Information:

Cover Sheet

Table of Contents

Application Project Summary

Project Narrative

Activities/Indicators Tracker

Application Budget Narrative

Indirect Cost Rate

Required Grant Application Forms

Submission Date

Preparing for Electronic Application Submission through Grants.gov

How to Submit an Application via Grants.gov

Grants.gov Receipt Requirements and Proof of Timely Submission

Funding Restrictions

5. Application Review Information

Review Criteria

Developing the Curriculum (30 points)

Planning and Delivering the Program (30 points)

Evaluative Approach (20 points)

Staffing and Organizational Expertise (10 points)

Budget and Resource Allocation (10 points)

Possible Bonus Points (5 possible bonus points)

Review and Selection Process

6. Federal Award Administration Information

Federal Award Notice

Administrative and National Policy Requirements

Confidentiality of an Application

Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality of the Review Process

Administrative Regulations

Code of Federal Regulations and Other Government Requirements

Reporting Requirements

Financial Reports

Performance Progress Reports (PPR)

7. Federal Awarding Agency Contacts

8. Other Information

Debriefing Requests

Appendix

RFA Budget Narrative Checklist

FNS-906 Grant Program Accounting System & Financial Capability Questionnaire

FNS-908 Performance Progress Report (PPR)

1. Program Description and Objectives

Executive Summary

The purpose of the Behind the Tray – Food Science for School Meals cooperative agreement, is to develop and implement a week-long in-person science-based food safety education training program. The education program is designed to enhance the food science literacy of school nutrition professionals. Program participants should learn the fundamentals of food science and food processing, with a special emphasis on food safety and food microbiology topics, learn how this information applies to their job, apply this knowledge to their nutrition programs, and how to better communicate these topics to stakeholders.

Authority for this project is designated in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 (Public Law 118-42) which provides legislative authority “for necessary expenses to carry out the Richard B.

Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq) and the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1771 et seq.)” of which $4,378,000 are appropriated for food safety education. The USDA FY 2024 Explanatory Budget Notes for the Food and Nutrition Service describe food safety education funding "to help ensure the safety of foods served to school children, including training for State and local staff.”

USDA FNS seeks to enter into a 2-year cooperative agreement with one selected applicant to develop, implement, and evaluate the week-long in-person science-based food safety education training program.

Eligible entities include universities and colleges that are publicly funded and operate under the auspices of state or regional governments, and private institutions of higher education. To be eligible, the entities stated above must also:

1. Demonstrate experience and expertise in developing and delivering in-person adult training programs in food science, nutrition, agricultural science, or similar fields.

2. Demonstrate access to the necessary facilities, equipment, and content experts necessary to develop and deliver the course.

3. Demonstrate successful completion of rigorous research through publication of research in peer-reviewed journals within the food science, nutrition, agricultural sciences, or similar fields.

A total of $600,000 will be available for award (September 2024), contingent on the availability of Federal funds.

Program Description

The FNS Supplemental Nutrition and Safety Programs (SNAS), Food Safety and Nutrition Division (FSND), Food Safety Branch (FSB) promotes food safety practices in USDA FNS child nutrition programs through education, training, and outreach. This RFA cooperative agreement is a new program which provides funding for an immersive, multi-day, food science-based education program aimed at improving food safety knowledge, attitudes, awareness, and communication among school nutrition professionals. In addition to covering food science basics, the program should also address the latest food science and emerging issues with implications to school nutrition programs. The program should be comprised of a series of lectures, hands-on laboratories, field trips to farms and food processing operations, and other immersive food science experiences. The program preferably would be held during convenient times for school https://www.fns.usda.gov/ofs/food-safety nutrition professionals, such as the summer months, and would require selected participants to travel and stay for the week-long duration of the course.

One training session should be held each calendar year (2025 & 2026) of the cooperative agreement's period of performance, with a maximum of 30 participants per session.

The target audience for the program are school or district-level school nutrition program managers and directors. School nutrition professionals (SNPs) typically oversee all aspects of school foodservice, including program administration, procurement, menu planning, training, and more. The roles and responsibilities of SNPs vary, but all SNPs ensure that students receive safe and high-quality meals. The program would also be open to State agency staff involved in administration, training, and technical assistance for school nutrition programs. Participants would be selected through an annual national nomination process. All states and territories would be encouraged to nominate school nutrition professionals to attend. The curriculum should be geared towards the unique nature of school food service operations; this should be clearly demonstrated in project proposals.

Program participants have a wide range of educational and experiential backgrounds. The curriculum should be developed for an audience of school nutrition directors, or those in similar senior-level positions of school nutrition programming. They should have certification(s) with an accredited food handler certification, and appropriate knowledge of food safety and HACCP concepts, as their positions require. Project proposals should clearly outline activities and indicators that address the objectives included below. If the proposal includes any observational components, necessary approvals should be noted, including IRB review and approval for adult human observational methodologies where appropriate. Sub-awards may be considered for aspects of this project, if appropriate.

Foundations of the Curriculum The program should be centered around food safety and cover the basic science and rationale behind food safety practices and behaviors, with special attention to those most relevant in schools and school food service operations. The program should cover at a minimum information about:

Food microbiology and food safety:

• Fundamentals of foodborne pathogens, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites, prions, and their survival, growth, and pathogenesis.

• Foodborne pathogen control in food processing and food service operations.

• Basics of spoilage, spoilage microorganisms, and the differences between spoilage and pathogen control.

• Basics of beneficial microorganisms used in food processing (i.e. fermentation, acidification, preservation).

• Sanitation and personal hygiene, and their application to food processing and food service operations.

• Basics of foodborne outbreak tracking and epidemiological investigations.

• Process approach to HACCP programs for school food service operations.

• Foodborne allergens, allergen controls used in food processing and food service operations, and applicable regulations and labeling for food allergens.

• Principles of food safety and food regulation and those laws related to school food service operations.

• Food safety and risk communication.

• Strategies for the development of a food safety culture.

Food harvesting, processing, and manufacturing:

• Food processing concept basics, including canning, freezing, drying, pasteurizing, etc.

• Meat science and meat processing basics.

• Grain science and grain processing basics.

• Dairy science and dairy processing basics.

• Fruit and vegetable farming and processing basics.

• Basics of food packaging.

• Basics of food product formulation, ingredient sourcing, preservatives, additives, flavors, colors, food processing aides, and reading product labels.

• Current trends in the food industry (i.e. clean label, organic, antibiotic free, gluten free, local, etc.), and consumer focus on pesticides, hormones, and other processing aids.

• Navigating social media and news reporting on food related issues and events.

Food supply chain:

• Basics of the food industry supply chain and distribution.

• USDA Foods & USDA DOD Fresh procurement and distribution.

• Food safety considerations of imported foods, as related to the Buy American Act.

While some basics of fruit and vegetable farming and processing should be addressed, USDA FNS also delivers a companion program called Produce Safety University, which covers all aspects of produce safety from farm to fork.

Award Vehicle USDA FNS seeks to enter into a new cooperative agreement with an entity capable of developing, planning, delivering, and evaluating the program. The curriculum could include but is not limited to the use of slide presentations and lectures from content experts, videos, group and hands on activities, scientific laboratory exercises, field trips to farms, food processing facilities, and food distribution centers, and other educational or immersive experiences used to enhance the participant knowledge, attitudes, and awareness on the curriculum topics. The curriculum should also be developed with the intent and ability to be continually re-evaluated and revised.

Participant nomination and selection will be a collaborative process between the awarded applicant and USDA FNS; the awardee will manage the nomination process and propose a list of program participants for USDA FNS to review and approve. The applicant should incorporate any staff or administrative costs for this process into their budget proposal.

Training Logistics Travel logistics associated with delivering participants to the training and their housing will be handled through a separate contract managed by USDA FNS, however costs associated with field trips or other immersive experiences during the course should be incorporated into the project budget. Applicants should include information about coffee, refreshments, and viable lunch options for participants during the training. Breakfast and dinner per diem will be handled through the same contract as travel logistics. The applicant should also plan to provide on-site meal options inclusive of dietary restrictions and allergies in accordance with the amount of funding available for meal per diems.

Legislative Authority The Legislative Authority for this project comes from Public Law 118-42, the Consolidations Appropriations Act, 2024 which provides authority “for necessary expenses to carry out the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq) and the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1771 et seq.)” of which $4,378,000 are appropriated for food safety education.

The USDA FY 2024 Explanatory Budget Notes for the Food and Nutrition Service describe food safety education funding "to help ensure the safety of foods served to school children, including training for State and local staff.”

Program Development

Develop a Comprehensive Curriculum All applications should provide a thorough plan outlining the process to develop a comprehensive science-based curriculum of appropriate rigor, that addresses the learning objectives of the course (outlined below). The plan should also outline the proposed pedagogical approaches.

Applicants are encouraged to propose additional curricula based on their expertise in program development and delivery, in addition to the foundational topics provided in the program description.

Learning Objectives Upon completing this program, at a minimum the participants will be able to:

1. Demonstrate increased knowledge of foodborne pathogen risks and food safety challenges within the food supply chain.

2. Demonstrate increased knowledge of foodborne pathogen control, sanitation, and personal hygiene processes used to protect the food supply chain.

3. Connect basic food microbiology to HACCP principles and operational decisions, such as developing and implementing a school food safety program.

4. Demonstrate a positive change in attitude towards using food safety principles and processes within the school food service operation.

5. Understand the flow of fruits and vegetables, meat and dairy, and grain commodities from farm to fork.

6. Describe basic food processing methods.

7. Understand the purpose of specific food ingredients, including preservatives, flavors, colors, processing aids, and other additives used in common food products.

8. Describe the differences between assessing the quality of foods and the microbiological or food safety condition of foods.

9. Identify regulatory agencies, laws, and rules and regulations that protect the food supply.

10. Implement and communicate food safety culture principles and strategies to develop a food safety focused school food service operation.

11. Assume an advocate and leadership-type role for ensuring food safety.

12. Assess scientifically supported and unbiased food safety information.

13. Objectively evaluate current food related news and media.

14. Clearly communicate unbiased food safety information to program stakeholders.

15. Understand the history, purpose, and operations of USDA Foods and USDA DOD Fresh.

https://www.gsa.gov/travel/plan-book/per-diem-rates

Applicants are encouraged to refine the learning objectives based on their expertise in program development and delivery.

Program Planning A comprehensive timeline for the development, planning, delivery, and evaluation of one training session to be held each calendar year (2025 & 2026) of the cooperative agreement's period of performance, with a maximum of 30 participants per session, should be included in project proposals. Applicants should provide a preliminary plan for all proposed supplemental activities supporting the main educational programming such as field trips, hands-on activities, scientific laboratory exercises, or other activities in their proposals. The program relies on a diverse learning experience to successfully convey the course’s objectives. It should be clear that there is adequate time for all required activities. It should also be clear where USDA FNS review and approval will be incorporated at each stage in the proposal.

Proposals should include basic descriptions of all facilities, equipment, and services required for the training sessions and their purpose (which should also be included in the budget proposal).

Applicants should include an overview of all instructors, consultants, and supporting staff (including students) involved in the project to include a brief biography, higher education attainment, applicable expertise to the program, and what role they will serve. Instructors, consultants, and supporting staff should have appropriate subject matter expertise for their roles and responsibilities in developing, delivering, and evaluating the program. It is important that the project team has adequate knowledge in food science, nutrition, agricultural sciences, or similar fields.

Program Delivery Applicants should plan to complete all stages of program planning, logistical planning, scheduling, preparation, delivery, and evaluation of the program. Proposals should provide sufficient detail regarding the implementation of all project plans to deliver the training successfully.

Program Evaluation and Outcomes Evaluation is a critical component of the program; it is important to determine the program’s success and quantify the changes in participants’ knowledge and attitudes. Information about the delivery, areas of improvement, and how participants used content and materials in their roles in school nutrition should also be gathered. A preliminary plan should be included outlining the proposed methodology to evaluate the program and measure its successes and areas of improvement. The evaluation plan should be rigorous, reliable, and:

• quantify short- and long-term changes in participant knowledge and attitudes associated with the learning objectives,

• evaluate the delivery of the training program,

• provide sufficient information to improve the training program, and

• provide information about how participants integrate knowledge learned in their professional roles and responsibilities following completion of the program.

Applicants should describe plans to provide an after-action report providing the results of the evaluation and internal assessment of the successes and areas of improvement for future training for USDA FNS review and approval in their proposals. Applicants should clearly articulate recommendations about how to revise the training program based on the results of the evaluation and recommendations included in their after-action report.

A preliminary plan to document, report, and publish report(s) and manuscript(s) related to the project should be included in project proposals. USDA FNS anticipates this to be a collaborative effort; more information regarding USDA FNS substantial involvement is included in the “cooperative agreement information” in Section 4 of this RFA.

Key Objectives

Below is a list of the Program Objectives. As noted in Section 4, within the “Activities/Indicators Tracker,” proposed activities should be clearly aligned to these objectives and their associated activities and indicators.

Application proposals must include all of the objectives identified below. Note that if awarded, grantees will be required to report on progress towards activities aligned with the required objective(s) and must use the FNS-908 Performance Progress Report. Carefully considering proposed activities and indicators will prepare grantees for their progress reporting requirements if awarded. Proposals should demonstrate an understanding that the program will be developed, delivered, evaluated, and improved each year of the cooperative agreement.

Final Deliverable(s) The project proposal should address how the findings will be disseminated to program stakeholders. At a minimum, the Grantee shall prepare and deliver to USDA FNS one final report integrating all the information learned from all work funded by this project in an acceptable format for USDA FNS to circulate publicly (e.g., on the USDA FNS website). If appropriate, the Grantee may submit peer-reviewed journal articles for publication based on research using grant funds. All materials that will be published on USDA FNS websites must be 508-compliant. Please see http://www.section508.gov/ for more information. USDA FNS recognizes that the journal article may not be published by the end of the grant period, but a submitted draft is required.

USDA FNS reserves the right to utilize, disseminate, or share any deliverables and products produced with funding under this grant project in accordance with 2 CFR part 200 (including, but not limited to, tools developed by sub-grantees using grant funds).

# Objectives 1 Develop a comprehensive curriculum that successfully achieves the learning objectives for

USDA FNS review and approval including all curriculum lectures, educational, experiential activity, and supporting materials (“Develop a Comprehensive Curriculum”)

2 Successfully plan for the in-person delivery of the program, including creating comprehensive timelines, securing adequate facilities, equipment, and appropriate personnel, planning and executing a national nomination process to be reviewed and approved by USDA FNS, and planning supplemental experiential activities (“Program Planning”)

3 Successful delivery of the program (“Program Delivery”) 4 Evaluate the success of the program using a comprehensive and rigorous approach and provide an after-action report with recommendations for improvements (“Program Evaluation and Outcomes”) http://www.section508.gov/

Meetings In meetings with USDA FNS, the Grantee shall provide an overview of the activities conducted since the last meeting, major accomplishments with completion dates and budget, deviations from the proposed plan, lessons learned, and challenges encountered, solutions developed to overcome difficulties, preliminary findings, assistance needed from USDA FNS on technical issues, and major planned activities for the next quarter. Should a major issue arise between meetings, the Grantee shall contact the USDA FNS Grants and Program Officers immediately. Meetings with USDA FNS shall occur at least monthly. The Grantee shall provide USDA FNS with an agenda a minimum 3 business days prior to each meeting.

Reports and Products Review All reports and products generated by efforts funded through this cooperative agreement are subject to review and approval by USDA FNS before publication. This includes reviews of communications materials meant for general audiences, presentations and all training materials, final reports, and other items associated with the cooperative agreement. All materials that will be published on USDA FNS websites or delivered to subgrantees must be Section 508-compliant.

Please refer to the following website for more information: http://www.section508.gov/. The Grantee is responsible for delivering 508-compliant documents to USDA FNS for publication. All deliverables funded by this cooperative agreement must be provided in an acceptable format for USDA FNS to publish on its websites and project findings shall be prepared for presentation at one or more national conferences. USDA FNS typically requires 2 weeks to review reports and products, but additional time may be required based on the level of review.

2. Federal Award Information The following information is intended to provide applicants with information to help make informed decisions about proposal submissions.

• Total amount of funding expected to award: USDA FNS anticipates awarding up to $600,000, contingent on the availability of the Federal funds.

• Anticipated number of awards: 1

• Minimum award amount (award floor): $0

• Maximum award amount (award ceiling): $600,000

• Anticipated award announcement date: September 2024

• Anticipated period of performance: September 2024 to September 2026

• Application due date: July, 12 2024

Please note:

• Grant awards are subject to the availability of funding.

• USDA FNS reserves the right to use this solicitation and competition to award additional grants this year or the subsequent fiscal year, should additional funds become available.

Allowable Costs

All costs proposed in the budget and detailed in the budget narrative must be allowable, reasonable, necessary, and allocable. Refer to 2 CFR Part 200 Subpart E – Cost Principles for a detailed description of all allowable and unallowable costs.

http://www.section508.gov/ https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-E

Supplies: Supplies necessary to complete the proposed project are an allowable expense with prior approval by USDA FNS. USDA FNS reserves the right to approve/disapprove any expenditures requested for supplies based upon the proposed project, the needs of the Agency, and funding availability.

Travel: Expenditures associated with travel to and from the program sessions for project staff, including airfare, per diem, and other travel-related expenses are allowable with prior approval by USDA FNS. While these expenditures are allowable, USDA FNS reserves the right to approve/disapprove these expenditures based upon the needs of the Agency and the proposed project. Travel expenditures must be in accordance with the Federal Travel Regulation (FTR) contained in 2 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Chapter 200, and the Federal Acquisition Regulations.

Meals and Refreshments: Funding may be requested for the purchase of meals for program participants when meals are a necessary and integral part of the training (e.g. a working lunch or speaker during lunch) provided that meal costs are not duplicated in participants’ per diem allowances. Per 2 CFR 200.432, discretion and judgment must be use to ensure meals costs are appropriate, necessary and managed in a manner that minimizes costs to the Federal award.

When meal costs are justified by the applicant as appropriate and necessary as an integral part of a conference, funds may be requested and approved as part of the budget.

Software and Licensing: Software and licensing costs shall be justified based on the project activities and specified for all years of the project if applicable.

Unallowable Costs

Equipment: Equipment as defined in 2 CFR 200.1 is not an allowable expense.

3. Eligibility Information

Eligible Applicants

The following are eligible entities, which are described in more detail below:

Eligible entities include universities and colleges that are publicly funded and operate under the auspices of state or regional governments, and private institutions of higher education. To be eligible, the entities stated above must also:

1. Demonstrate experience and expertise in developing and delivering in-person adult training programs in food science, nutrition, agricultural science, or similar fields.

2. Demonstrate access to the necessary facilities, equipment, and content experts necessary to develop and deliver the course.

3. Demonstrate successful completion of rigorous research through publication of research in peer-reviewed journals within the food science, nutrition, agricultural sciences, or similar fields.

Entities not meeting the eligibility definitions and requirements above will be deemed ineligible and removed from competition without further consideration.

NOTE: Applicants must submit all required information with their application package, as described in Section 4 of this RFA. Those applicants who fail to submit any required elements, https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/section-200.432 document, or form, will be deemed nonresponsive and therefore ineligible and removed from further consideration.

Cost Sharing or Matching Considerations

• There are no cost sharing or matching requirements for this award.

Pre-Award Screening Requirements

In reviewing applications in any discretionary grant competition, prior to making a Federal award, Federal awarding agencies, in accordance with 2 CFR 200.205, are required to review information available through any OMB-designated repositories of government-wide eligibility qualifications or financial integrity information. Additionally, Federal awarding agencies are required to have a framework in place for evaluating the risks posed by applicants before they receive Federal awards. The USDA FNS review of risk posed by applicants will be based on the following:

• SAM.gov, the System for Award Management, the Official U.S. Government system that consolidated the capabilities of CCR/FedReg, ORCA, and EPLS

• FAPIIS, the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System that has been established to track contractor misconduct and performance

• USDA FNS Risk Assessment Questionnaire o Applicants must complete the Grant Program Accounting System & Financial

Capability Questionnaire that allows USDA FNS to evaluate aspects of the applicant’s financial stability, quality of management systems, and history of performance, reports, and findings from audits. The questionnaire contains a number of questions that may be an indicator of potential risk.

The evaluation of the information obtained from the designated systems and the risk assessment questionnaire may result in USDA FNS imposing special conditions or additional oversight requirements that correspond to the degree of risk assessed.

Acknowledgement of USDA Support

As outlined in 2 CFR 415.2, grant recipients shall include acknowledgement of USDA Food and Nutrition Service support on any publications written or published with grant support and, if feasible, on any publication reporting the results of, or describing, a grant-supported activity.

Recipients shall include acknowledgement of USDA Food and Nutrition Service support on any audiovisual which is produced with grant support, and which has a direct production cost of over $5,000.

• When acknowledging USDA support, use the following language: "This material is based upon work that is supported by the Food and Nutrition Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture.” Grantees should follow the USDA Visual Standards Guide when using the USDA logo.

• Grant recipients may be asked to host USDA officials for a site visit during the course of their grant award. All costs associated with the site visit will be paid for by USDA and are not expected to be included in grant budgets.

https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/visual-standards-guide-january-2013.pdf

4. Application and Submission Information

Content and Form of Application Submission

USDA FNS strongly encourages eligible applicants interested in applying to this program to adhere to the following applicant format. The proposed project plan should be presented on 8 ½” x 11” white paper with at least 1-inch margins on the top and bottom. All pages should be single-spaced in 12-point font. The project description with relevant information should be captured on no more than 15 pages, not including the cover sheet, table of contents, resumes, letter(s) of commitment, endorsement letter(s), budget narrative), appendices, and required forms. All pages, excluding form pages must be numbered.

Special Instructions:

• Late application submission will not be considered in this competition. USDA FNS will not consider additions or revisions to applications unless they are submitted via Grants.gov by the deadline. No additions or revisions will be accepted after the deadline.

• Letters of support must be submitted with the application through grants.gov. Letters submitted via email will not be considered.

• Applications submitted without the required supporting documents and forms will not be considered.

• Applications missing a written proposal or budget narrative will not be considered and will be deemed nonresponsive, and removed from further consideration.

• USDA FNS reserves the right to request clarification on any application submitted in response to this solicitation.

• Applications not submitted via Grants.gov will not be considered.

• If multiple application packages are submitted through Grants.gov by the same applicant in response to this solicitation, USDA FNS will accept the latest application package successfully submitted. All other packages submitted by the applicant will be removed from this competition.

• Include each of the following as separate appendices: curriculum vitae for key personnel, including a listing of related peer-reviewed research publications in the last 5 years (not to exceed 3 pages total per person); letters of support from cooperating departments; copies of agreements or memoranda of understanding with other organizations.

Cooperative Agreement Information:

USDA FNS and the recipient will work to accomplish the following:

1. The recipient will work with USDA FNS to develop the scope of the work until agreed upon by both parties. Changes to the agreed scope of work must be approved by USDA

FNS.

2. Continuous communication between USDA FNS and the recipient will occur for the duration of the cooperative agreement.

3. After awarded, USDA FNS will initiate a first meeting and project staff introductions.

4. USDA FNS and the recipient will collectively identify a monthly time for regularly scheduled calls.

5. The recipient shall be responsible for keeping USDA FNS updated on project timelines and objectives, and USDA FNS or recipient may request any needed ad hoc meetings to address specific questions or concerns about the project while in development and review.

6. Project and research instruments, methodologies, and materials will be reviewed by

USDA FNS and agreed upon by both parties at appropriate intervals.

7. Any publications, posters, presentations, or other materials presented to the public as a product of project data collection, analysis, conclusions, or other project components shall be developed in collaboration with applicable USDA FNS staff as collaborating authors, unless determined by USDA FNS staff to be unrequired. USDA FNS reserves the right to utilize all developed project components for use in future programs, training, publications, or other research tools.

Cover Sheet The cover page should include, at a minimum:

• Applicant’s name and mailing address;

• Primary contact’s name, job title, mailing address, phone number and e-mail address; and

• Grant program title and subprogram title (if applicable).

Table of Contents The Table of Contents should include relevant sections, subsections and associated page numbers.

Application Project Summary The application should clearly describe the proposed project activities and anticipated outcomes that would result if the proposal were to be funded.

Project Narrative The project narrative should clearly identify what the applicant is proposing and how it will address a solution, the expected results and/or benefits once the solution is achieved, and how it will meet the RFA program scope and objectives. The proposed project methodology should describe the project design, address program specific methodology needs, procedures, timetables, monitoring/oversight, and the organization’s project staffing.

Activities/Indicators Tracker Proposed Activities and indicators measuring success must be mapped to Program Objectives (as described in Section 1 – Program Description) in the below format (note that additional Activities/Indicators can be added as needed).

Note: Indicators are defined as any metric you anticipate will be able to be tracked during the period of performance of the grant. Common examples include Number of People Attended, Number of People Impacted, Number of Conferences Delivered, Number of Materials Created, Number of Trainings, Number of People Trained.

Example

Objective # 1. Develop a comprehensive curriculum to successfully achieve the learning objectives based on the proposed pedagogical approaches for USDA FNS review and approval including all curriculum lectures, educational, experiential activity, and supporting materials (“Develop a Comprehensive Curriculum”)

Activity Development of a comprehensive curriculum

Indicator(s) Detailed and appropriate curriculum document reviewed and approved by USDA FNS

Activity Description of the pedagogical approaches Indicator(s) Documented discussion of, review, and approval of pedagogical approaches incorporated in the curriculum Activity Detailed information, including original files, about the lectures, educational and experiential activities, and supporting materials that have been developed for the curriculum

Indicator(s) Number of materials created; original files, including lectures (PowerPoint/PDF), educational and experiential activities (word/PDF), and supporting material (word/PDF) files

Objective # Activity Indicator(s)

Objective # Activity Indicator(s)

Application Budget Narrative The budget narrative, and budget formatted as a table, should correspond with the proposed project narrative and application budget. The narrative must justify and support the bona fide needs of the budget’s direct cost. The budget and budget narrative must be in line with the proposed project description. If the budget includes indirect costs, the applicant must provide a copy of its most recently approved Federal indirect cost rate agreement. Budget categories in the budget table must match those listed on the SF-424A form. If the budget table is created in a spreadsheet, it must be formatted to fit on an 8.5 x 11-inch page, with a font no smaller than 11-point Times New Roman. All funding requests must be in whole dollars.

Indirect Cost Rate A current Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA), negotiated with a cognizant Federal agency, should be used to charge indirect costs. Indirect costs may not exceed the negotiated rate. If a NICRA is used, the percentage and base should be indicated. If the applicant does not have, and has never been approved for, a NICRA, they may charge up to 10% de minimis. In this instance, the applicant must indicate they are requesting the de minimis rate. An applicant may elect not to charge indirect costs and instead use all grant funds for direct costs. If indirect costs are not charged, the phrase “none requested” should be stated in the budget narrative. For questions related to the indirect cost rate, please work with the Grant Officer as noted in Section 7 of this RFA.

Note: Each organization is assigned to a single federal agency (by the Office of Management and Budget) that acts on behalf of all federal agencies in indirect cost rate negotiations and is referred to as the “cognizant agency.”

Required Grant Application Forms The required grants.gov forms may be previewed at grants.gov/web/grants/forms/forms-repository.html. These forms are part of the grants.gov Workspace application.

• Non-Construction Grant Projects Forms: SF-424 Family o Application and Instruction for Federal Assistance (SF-424) o Budget Information and Instructions (SF-424A) o Assurance-Non-Construction Programs (SF-424B)

• SF LLL (Disclosure of Lobbying Activities) o Indicate on your form whether your organization intends to conduct lobbying activities. If you organization does not intend to lobby, write “Not Applicable” in boxes required to be completed.

• Additional Required Forms and Information o FNS-906 Grant Program Accounting System & Financial Capability Questionnaire o Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number. Please see below for further information o SAM registration. Please see below for further information.

Submission Date

Complete grant applications must be uploaded to grants.gov by 11:59 PM EDT on the due date listed on the cover page.

• Applications must be submitted via grants.gov. Mailed, emailed, or hand-delivered application packages will not be accepted. For further instructions, see the “Preparing for Electronic Application Submission through Grants.gov” below.

• Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.

• FNS will not consider additions or revisions to applications unless they are submitted via grants.gov by the deadline. No additions or revisions will be accepted after the deadline.

• If multiple application packages are submitted through grants.gov by the same applicant in response to this solicitation, USDA FNS will accept the latest application package successfully submitted. All other packages submitted by the applicant will be removed from this competition.

• Those applicants who fail to submit any required elements, documents, or forms will be deemed NONRESPONSIVE, and therefore will be INELIGIBLE to participate in the competition and removed from further consideration.

USDA FNS strongly encourages applicants to begin the registration process at least four weeks before the due date and to submit applications to grants.gov at least one week before the deadline to allow time to troubleshoot any issues should they arise. Please note that upon submission, grants.gov may send multiple confirmation notices. Applicants should ensure receipt of confirmation that the application was accepted.

FNS will not accept applications outside of grants.gov. Applicants experiencing difficulty submitting applications through grants.gov should contact applicant support via the toll-free number 1-800-518-4726 and email at support@grants.gov. This service is available 24/7.

Preparing for Electronic Application Submission through Grants.gov

Applicants must register with grants.gov and SAM.gov in order to submit an application to FNS via grants.gov as required.

In order to submit an application, you must:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/forms-repository.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/forms-repository.html http://www.grants.gov/ mailto:support@grants.gov http://www.grants.gov/ https://sam.gov/content/home

1. Obtain a UEI number

What is a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)?

A UEI is a unique number assigned to all entities (public and private companies, individuals, institutions, or organizations) who register to do business with the federal government. For more information, visit the U.S. General Services Administration website.

Where do I go to learn more about the UEI?

The U.S. General Services Administration Unique Entity Identifier Update page contains the most up-to-date information about the UEI.

Note: After April 4, 2022, entities can register in SAM.gov and will be assigned their “SAM UEI.” They will no longer obtain or use a “DUNS UEI” for entity registration or reporting.

For additional information on the UEI process, please visit SAM.gov.

2. Register in the System for Award Management (SAM)

• On April 4, 2022, the UEI used across the federal government changed from the DUNS number to the UEI (generated by SAM.gov).

• SAM combines federal procurement systems and the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance into one system. Visit SAM.gov for additional information.

• To register, you must have your organization’s UEI, the organization’s Tax ID Number (TIN), and taxpayer name (as it appears on the last tax return). It may take up to 5 to 7 business days or more to register and/or complete the migration of permissions and/or the renewal of an entity record.

• All applicants must have current SAM status at the time of application submission and throughout the duration of a Federal Award in accordance with 2 CFR Part 25.

• USDA FNS strongly encourages applicants to begin this process at least 3 weeks before the due date of the grant solicitation.

3. Create a Grants.gov Account

The next step in the registration process is to create an account with grants.gov.

Applicants must know their organization’s Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) to complete this process. For more detailed instruction about creating a profile on grants.gov, visit grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/registration.html.

How to Submit an Application via Grants.gov

Applicants must apply online using Workspace. Workspace is a shared, online environment where members of a grant team may simultaneously access and edit different web forms within an application. For each funding opportunity announcement or RFA, you can create individual instances of a workspace.

For additional training resources, including video tutorials, visit grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-training.html.

Applicant Support: Grants.gov provides applicants 24/7 support via the toll-free number 1-800- 518-4726 and email at support@grants.gov. If you are experiencing difficulties with your https://www.gsa.gov/about-us/organization/federal-acquisition-service/technology-transformation-services/office-of-systems-management/integrated-award-environment-iae/iae-systems-information-kit/unique-entity-identifier-update?gsaredirect=entityid https://www.gsa.gov/about-us/organization/federal-acquisition-service/technology-transformation-services/office-of-systems-management/integrated-award-environment-iae/iae-systems-information-kit/unique-entity-identifier-update?gsaredirect=entityid https://sam.gov/content/home https://sam.gov/content/home http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/registration.html https://www.grants.gov/applicants/workspace-overview.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-training.html mailto:support@grants.gov submission, it is best to contact grants.gov support and get a ticket number. The Support Center ticket number will assist the Center with tracking your issue.

For programmatic and financial-related questions regarding this specific grant opportunity, please contact the Grant Officer noted in Section 7 – Federal Awarding Agency Contacts of this

RFA.

NOTICE: Special Characters and Naming Conventions All applicants must follow grants.gov guidance on file naming conventions. To avoid submission issues, please follow the guidance provided by grants.gov (per the grants.gov Frequently Asked Questions or FAQ).

Are there restrictions on file names for any attachment I include with my application package?

File attachment names longer than approximately 50 characters can cause problems processing packages. Please limit file attachment names. Also, do not use any special characters (e.g., ! @ # $ % ^ & * - ‘). This includes periods (.) and spacing followed by a dash in the file. To separate words in naming a file, use underscore (_). For example, Attached_File.pdf.

If these guidelines for file names are not followed, your application will be rejected. USDA FNS will not accept any application rejected from the grants.gov portal due to incorrect naming…