FY24-FSO-RFA-P.pdf

REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS

Food Safety Outreach Program

FUNDING YEAR: Fiscal Year 2024

LETTER OF INTENT DEADLINE:

APPLICATION DEADLINE:

Not Applicable

February 13, 2024

ANTICIPATED PROGRAM FUNDING: $9,600,000

AVERAGE INDIVIDUAL AWARD

RANGE:

$75,000 - $1,000,000

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY NUMBER: USDA-NIFA-FSMA-010336

ASSISTANCE LISTING NUMBER: 10.328

INITIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

National Institute of Food and Agriculture United States Department of Agriculture

Assistance Listing Number (ALN): The Food Safety Outreach Program (FSOP) is listed in the Assistance Listings under number 10.328.

Table 1: Key Dates and Description

Task Description Deadline

Application: 5:00 P.M. Eastern Time, February 13, 2024 Letter of Intent: Not Applicable

Applicants Comments: Within six months from the issuance of this notice (NIFA may not consider comments received after the sixth month)

Advancing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA). The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)recognizes research, education, and extension efforts will have the greatest impacts when programs are grounded in DEIA. NIFA is committed to enhancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility of programs and encourages individuals, institutions, and organizations from underserved communities to apply to funding opportunities as lead, co-lead, or subaward recipient(s), and to engage as leaders in the peer panel review process to support the development of strong networks and collaborations. NIFA encourages applications that engage diverse communities and have broad impacts through research, education, extension, and integrated activities to address current and future challenges.

Stakeholder Input. NIFA seeks comments on all Request for Applications (RFA) so it can deliver programs efficiently, effectively, with integrity, and with a focus on customer service.

NIFA considers comments to the extent possible when developing RFAs, and uses comments to help 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)). Applicants may submit written comments to Policy@usda.gov. Please use the following subject line: Response to the FSOP RFA.

https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:7%20section:7613%20edition:prelim)%20OR%20(granuleid:USC-prelim-title7-section7613)&f=treesort&edition=prelim&num=0&jumpTo=true mailto:Policy@usda.gov

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This RFA is being released prior to the passage of a full appropriations act for FY 2024.

Enactment of a continuing resolution or a full appropriations act, or other authorizing legislation may affect the availability or level of funding for this program. The amount available for grants in FY 2024 is approximately $9,600,000.

This notice identifies the objectives for Food Safety Outreach Program (FSOP) projects, deadlines, funding information, eligibility criteria for projects and applicants, and application forms and associated instructions. NIFA requests applications for the FSOP for fiscal year (FY) 2024 to develop and implement food safety training, education, Extension, outreach and technical assistance projects that address the needs of owners and operators of small to mid-sized farms, beginning farmers, socially-disadvantaged farmers (7 CFR § 760.107) small processors, veteran farmers or ranchers, or small fresh fruit and vegetable merchant wholesalers. These audiences are affected by the food safety guidelines established under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) (www.fda.gov/fsma) as outlined in (7 U.S.C. 7625).

In FY 2024, FSOP will maintain focus on delivery of customized training to members of the target audiences by continuing to solicit Community Outreach Projects, Collaborative Education and Training Projects, and Technical Assistance – Grant writing skills projects. The program is also soliciting proposals for Regional Centers in FY 2024.

https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=f354dcc547d3003512ea65cee051ceaa&mc=true&node=pt7.7.760&rgn=div5#se7.7.760_1107 http://www.fda.gov/fsma https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:7%20section:7625%20edition:prelim)%20OR%20(granuleid:USC-prelim-title7-section7625)&f=treesort&edition=prelim&num=0&jumpTo=true

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. Legislative Authority B. Purpose and Priorities C. Program Area Description

PART II. AWARD INFORMATION

A. Available Funding B. Application Restrictions C. Project and Grant Types D. Ethical Conduct of Funded Projects

PART III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. Eligibility Requirements B. Cost Sharing or Matching

PART IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION

A. Method of Application B. Content and Form of the Application C. Funding Restrictions

PART V. APPLICATION REVIEW REQUIREMENTS

A. NIFA’s Evaluation Process B. Evaluation Criteria C. Organizational Management Information D. Application Disposition

PART VI. AWARD ADMINISTRATION

A. General B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

PART VII. OTHER INFORMATION

A. Use of Funds and Changes in Budget B. Confidential Aspects of Applications and Awards C. Regulatory Information D. Limited English Proficiency

APPENDIX I: AGENCY CONTACT

APPENDIX II: GLOSSARY OF TERMS

APPENDIX III: DEFINITIONS

TABLE OF TABLES

Table 1: Key Dates and Description Table 2: Community Outreach Projects Key Table 3: Collaborative Education and Training Projects Key Information Table 4: Regional Center Projects Key Information Table 5: Technical Assistance-Grant Writing Skills Projects Table 6: Steps to Obtain Application Materials Table 7: Help and Resources Table 8: Key Application Instructions

PART I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. Legislative Authority The National Food Safety Outreach Program (FSOP), which was reauthorized in Public Law 115-334 and codified in 7 U.S.C. 7625. Under 7 U.S.C. 7625, the Secretary make competitive grants to support training, education, extension, outreach, and technical assistance projects that will help improve public health by increasing the understanding and adoption of established food safety standards, guidance, and protocols. Additionally, priority shall be given to projects that target small and medium-sized farms, beginning farmers, socially disadvantaged farmers, veteran farmers, or ranchers (as defined in section 2279(a) of this title), small processors, or small fresh fruit and vegetable merchant wholesalers.

B. Purpose and Priorities In FY 2024 FSOP, under Assistance Listing 10.328, will maintain and continue to grow the training, education, outreach, and coordination by soliciting new Community Outreach Projects, Collaborative Education and Training Projects, Regional Center Projects, and Technical Assistance – Grant Writing Skills Projects. This Request for Applications (RFA) will solicit proposals for four project types:

1) Community Outreach Projects (award request: $80,000 - $150,000) - An additional $150,000 may be requested for Collaborative Engagement Supplements, for a total budget request of up to $300,000.

2) Collaborative Education and Training Projects (award request: $200,000 - $400,000) - An additional $150,000 may be requested for Collaborative Engagement Supplements, for a total budget request of up to $550,000.

3) Regional Centers (award request: $800,000; an additional $200,000 awarded to (1) Lead Regional Center for a total budget of up to $1,000,000).

4) Technical Assistance – Grant Writing Skills Projects (award request: $75,000 - $150,000) – An additional $150,000 may be requested for Collaborative Engagement Supplement, for a total budget request of up to $300,000.

Community Outreach Projects will support the development of new food safety education and outreach programs in local communities and expand upon existing food safety education and outreach programs that address the needs of small, specialized audiences. Projects will focus on building the capacity of local groups to identify specific needs within their communities, and to implement customized food safety education and outreach programs to meet those specific needs. Community outreach project funds can be used to develop and/or expand FSMA trainings in communities to ensure they are consistent with new FSMA rules and meet the needs of expanded audiences. Community Outreach Projects also support the growth and expansion of existing food safety education and outreach programs currently offered in local communities. In addition, these projects will enable existing programs to reach a broader target audience, provide technical assistance and/or to expand to new audiences. New audiences may include those from a variety of agricultural production and processing systems.

Collaborative Education and Training Projects will support the expansion and development of multi-county, state-wide or multi-state food safety education and outreach programs that are well established locally. Where community outreach projects support the development of new https://www.congress.gov/115/plaws/publ334/PLAW-115publ334.pdf https://www.congress.gov/115/plaws/publ334/PLAW-115publ334.pdf https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:7%20section:7625%20edition:prelim)%20OR%20(granuleid:USC-prelim-title7-section7625)&f=treesort&edition=prelim&num=0&jumpTo=true local projects, these larger projects expand beyond the county level to state-wide and multi-state.

These projects will support collaborations among states not necessarily located within the same regions, but having common food safety concerns, or addressing common commodities.

Potential applicants must have an established track record of working with target audiences and must be capable of developing and modifying food safety training curricula to meet new FSMA rules for a variety of agricultural production and processing systems.

Regional Center Projects will support the infrastructure of the program by coordinating information within and among the four regions to ensure that best practices for FSMA-related training, education, and technical assistance within local communities are translated to a national audience. Regional Center projects will ensure that there is continued education and training for a cadre of regional FSMA trainers and continue to provide trainings for both growers and processors. Further, the Regional Center projects will focus on development of implementation plans for extending technical assistance to the targeted audiences of farmers, processors, and vendors in the respective regions. Regional centers must partner with 1890, 1994, Alaska Native Hawaiian (ANNH), Hispanic Serving Agricultural Colleges and Universities (HSACUs, Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), and/or Community-based Organizations (CBOs) working with underserved communities within their region. The implementation plan must include collaborations with non-governmental and community-based organizations with an established track record of working with target audiences. Implementation plans must address efforts to develop and modify food safety training curricula to meet FSMA rules for a variety of agricultural production and processing systems. In addition, the implementation plan must include a continuity plan to seamlessly coordinate with currently active Regional Centers to avoid gaps in collaboration and communication across the region.

Regional Center projects will be funded at up to $800,000 each. For an additional $200,000, Regional Center project applicants may include objectives demonstrating an ability to provide a leadership role in coordinating all four of the regional projects by: 1) collecting program outcomes from each of the regions; 2) developing best practices for FSOP based on collated data from the four regions; and 3) review curricula to ensure consistency with FSMA guidelines.

Only one of the Regional Centers will be selected to serve as the Lead Regional Center with a total overall budget of $1,000,000.

The Lead Regional Center will be responsible for identifying outcomes and impacts of the FSOP and communicate and coordinate across all active FSOP projects in the regions. In addition, the Lead Regional Center will serve as a communication and coordination liaison between NIFA, FDA, and FSOP to ensure funded training curricula and resources cover core competencies related to FSMA. Lastly, the Lead Regional Center will develop a mechanism for collecting descriptive data, program outcomes, and best practices for funded projects.

Technical Assistance – Grant Writing Skills Projects will support the development and refinement of grant writing skills and provide grant writing resources for entities that support individuals or groups that are led by and directly interact with underserved populations including new applicants, CBOs, and Minority Serving Institutions to strengthen applications to the Food Safety Outreach Program from these entities. These projects must work collaboratively with the Regional Centers to ensure broad coverage and outreach to their specific regions and communities to include coordinating and communicating workshops and sessions through the centers as well as utilizing regional center websites, portals, and social media feeds to share toolkits, webinars, and other resources. The grant writing resources developed will significantly increase the number of successful applicants from organizations that support food safety education and training, servicing the FSOP’s target audience.

Global Engagement. NIFA supports global engagement that advances U.S. agricultural goals. NIFA recognizes that collaboration with international partners may be necessary to attain the agency's goals for U.S. agriculture, promote global competence of our nation’s future agricultural workforce, and promote safe and nutritious food security in a growing world. Therefore, although application to this RFA is limited to eligible U.S. institutions, applicants may collaborate with international partners, to include subcontracts to international partners or other institutions. Applications must clearly demonstrate benefits to the United States.

The FSOP is aligned with the following:

1. USDA Strategic Plan FY 2022-2026 goals: Strategic Goal 2 - Ensure America’s Agricultural System is Equitable, Resilient, and Prosperous

2. Strategic Goal 4 - Provide All Americans Safe, Nutritious Food

3. Strategic Goal 5 - Expand Opportunities for Economic Development and Improve

Quality of Life in Rural and Tribal Communities

USDA Science and Research Strategy, 2023–2026 priorities:

1. Priority 1. Accelerating Innovative Technologies and Practices

2. Priority 3. Bolstering Nutrition Security and Health

3. Priority 5. Translating Research into Action

C. Program Area Description NIFA is soliciting applications under the following program areas:

1. Community Outreach Projects

2. Collaborative Education and Training Projects

3. Regional Center Projects

4. Technical Assistance – Grant Writing Skills Projects

Table 2: Community Outreach Projects Key Title Description

Program Code: A4182 Program Code Name: FSOP

CFDA Number 10.328 Project Type: Community Outreach Project

Grant Type: Standard Application Deadline February 13, 2024

Grant Duration: 24 Months Anticipated # of Awards: 6

Maximum Award Amount: $300,000

Community Outreach Projects Community Outreach Projects will support the development of new food safety education and outreach programs in local communities and expand upon existing food safety education and outreach programs that address the needs of small, specialized audiences. Projects will focus on building the capacity of local groups to identify specific needs within their communities, and to implement customized food safety education and outreach programs to meet those specific needs. Community outreach project funds can be used to develop and/or expand FSMA trainings in communities to ensure they are consistent with new FSMA rules and meet the needs of expanded audiences. Community Outreach Projects also support the growth and expansion of existing food safety education and outreach programs currently offered in local communities. In addition, these projects will enable existing programs to reach a broader target audience, provide technical assistance and/or to expand to new audiences. New audiences may include those from a variety of agricultural production and processing systems.

Community Outreach Projects should at least include the following:

1. Focus on developing, implementing, or expanding food safety education to non-traditional, niche, or hard-to-reach audiences.

2. Be led by project teams who demonstrate a record of developing and maintaining community partnerships and working successfully to serve the educational needs of the target audiences identified; and

3. Develop and implement customized food safety education and outreach programs for those working with various agricultural production and processing systems, including conservation systems, sustainable systems, and organic farming systems.

Collaborative Engagement Supplements will be available for applications submitted under Community Outreach Projects that support significant collaboration among 1890s, 1862s, 1994s, Insular Areas, ANNH, HSACUs, HSIs, HBCUs, community-based organizations serving underserved populations. Applications that include significant collaborations will be funded up to $300,000 ($150,000 above the listed budget for Community Outreach Projects). Significant collaborations are defined as a strategic alignment around a common goal while equitably and appropriately sharing resources and responsibilities.

Table 3: Collaborative Education and Training Projects Key Information

Program Code: A4182 Program Code Name: FSOP

CFDA Number 10.328 Project Type: Collaborative Education and Training

Grant Type: Standard Application Deadline February 13, 2024

Grant Duration: 36 Months Anticipated # of Awards: 6

Maximum Award Amount: $550,000

Collaborative Education and Training Projects will support the expansion and development of multi-county, state-wide or multi-state food safety education and outreach programs that are well established locally Where community outreach projects support the development of new local projects, these larger projects expand beyond the county level to state-wide and multi-state.

These projects will support collaborations among states not necessarily located within the same regions, but having common food safety concerns, or addressing common commodities.

Potential applicants must have an established track record of working with target audiences and must be capable of developing and modifying food safety training curricula to meet new FSMA rules for a variety of agricultural production and processing systems. Collaborative Education and Training Projects should at least include the following:

1. Be led by project teams who demonstrate a record of developing and maintaining community partnerships and working successfully to serve the educational needs of the target audiences identified; and

2. Develop and implement customized food safety education and outreach programs for those working with various agricultural production and processing systems, including conservation systems, sustainable systems, and organic farming systems.

Collaborative Education and Training Projects that support significant collaboration among 1890s, 1862s, 1994s, Insular Areas, ANNH, HSACU, HSIs, HBCUs, and community-based organizations serving underserved populations. Applications that include significant collaborations will be funded up to $550,000 ($150,000 above the listed budget for Collaborative Education and Training Projects). Significant collaborations are defined as a strategic alignment around a common goal while equitably and appropriately sharing resources and responsibilities.

Table 4: Regional Center Projects Key Information

Title Description Program Code: A4182

Program Code Name: FSOP CFDA Number 10.328

Project Type: Regional Center Grant Type: Standard

Application Deadline February 13, 2024 Grant Duration: 36 Months

Anticipated # of Awards: 4 Maximum Award Amount: $1,000,000

Regional Center projects will maintain the infrastructure of the program by coordinating across their region and expand upon the implementation of FSMA-related training, education, and Technical Assistance to the intended audience. Education and training for regional FSMA trainers must be provided, with a focus on extending FSMA related technical assistance to the targeted audiences of farmers, processors, and vendors in the respective regions. Regional Centers are expected to continue to provide trainings and training updates, as appropriate for trainers, growers, and processors.

Regional Center project implementation plan must include:

1. Collaborations with non-governmental and community-based organizations with an established track record of working with target audiences, and the capacity to develop and modify food safety training curricula to meet new FSMA rules for a variety of agricultural production and processing systems.

2. A continuity plan to seamlessly coordinate with currently active Regional Centers to avoid gaps in collaboration and communication across the region.

3. An objective to address the coordination, communication and assessment supplement detailed below. Proposals without a coordination, communication, and assessment objective will not be considered for review.

Regional Center projects will be funded at up to $800,000 each. For an additional $200,000, Regional Center project applicants may include objectives demonstrating an ability to provide a leadership role in coordinating all four of the regional projects by: 1) collecting program outcomes from each of the regions; 2) developing best practices for FSOP based on collated data from the four regions; and 3) reviewing curricula to ensure consistency with FSMA guidelines.

Only one of the Regional Centers will be selected to serve as the Lead Regional Center with a total overall budget of $1,000,000.

The Lead Regional Center will be responsible for identifying outcomes and impacts of the FSOP and communicate and coordinate across all active FSOP projects in the regions. In addition, the Lead Regional Center will serve as a communication and coordination liaison between NIFA, FDA, and FSOP to ensure funded training curricula and resources cover core competencies related to FSMA. Lastly, the Lead Regional Center will develop a mechanism for collecting descriptive data, program outcomes, and best practices for funded projects.

In FY 2021, three Regional Centers and a lead regional center were funded by NIFA. These projects are due to expire by September 2024. A continuity plan is recommended to seamlessly coordinate with the currently active Centers to facilitate a smooth transition.

Table 5: Technical Assistance-Grant Writing Skills Projects

Program Code: A4182 Program Code Name: FSOP

CFDA Number 10.328 Project Type: Technical Assistance – Grant Writing Skills Projects

Grant Type: Standard Application Deadline February 13, 2024

Grant Duration: 36 Months Anticipated # of Awards: 4

Maximum Award Amount: $300,000

Technical Assistance – Grant Writing Skills Projects will support the development and refinement of grant writing skills and provide grant writing resources for entities that support individuals or groups that are led by and directly interact with underserved populations including new applicants, CBOs, and Minority Serving Institutions to strengthen applications to the Food Safety Outreach Program from these entities. These projects must work collaboratively with the Regional Centers to ensure broad coverage and outreach to their specific regions and communities to include coordinating and communicating workshops and sessions through the centers as well as utilizing regional center websites, portals, and social media feeds to share toolkits, webinars, and other resources. The grant writing resources developed will significantly increase the number of successful applicants from organizations that support food safety education and training, servicing the FSOP’s target audience. Technical Assistance – Grant Writing Skills Projects should include the following:

1. Led by project teams that demonstrate a record of developing and maintaining community partnerships and working successfully to serve the educational needs of the target audiences supported by successfully securing competitive federal or state funding with an established track record of collaborating successfully with CBOs, NGOs, or MSIs.

2. Develop and implement novel strategies for recruiting and communicating useful, creative, culturally appropriate, and accessible grant writing training, workshops, courses, webinars, websites, toolkits and other resources for new grant writers and grant writers from minority led and serving CBOs and NGOs and MSIs that serve FSOP’s intended audience.

Technical Assistance – Grant Writing Skills Projects that support significant collaboration among 1890s, 1862s, 1994s, Insular Areas, ANNH, HSACUs, HSIs, HBCUs, and community-based organizations serving underserved populations. Applications that include significant collaborations will be funded up to $300,000 ($150,000 above the listed budget maximum for Technical Assistance – Grant Writing Skills Projects). Significant collaborations are defined as a strategic alignment around a common goal while equitably and appropriately sharing resources and responsibilities.

The Community Outreach, Collaborative Education and Training, Regional Centers, and

Technical Assistance – Grant Writing Skills project types have common programmatic terms and conditions to ensure alignment with the FSOP. To fulfill this purpose, the following communication terms and conditions will be followed:

1. Each successfully funded project team must develop a communication plan to describe how they will interact with their respective Regional Centers and or Lead Regional Center (Regional Center proposals). The communication plan must describe a strategy for collecting data and reporting the outcomes of all Community Outreach Projects, Collaborative Education and Training Projects, Regional Centers, and Technical Assistance – Grant Writing Skills Projects to the respective Regional Centers and/or Lead Regional Center (Regional Center Projects). Project outcomes that are reported to the Regional Centers/Lead Regional Center may include a variety of qualitative (descriptive) and/or quantitative (metrics) measures. Quantitative and qualitative measures may include, but are not limited to: 1) New or novel education, training materials, and resources for specific target audiences; 2) New or novel delivery mechanisms developed and implemented for specific target audiences; 3) Specific commodities or common food safety issues addressed (Community Outreach and Collaborative Education and Training only); 4) Specific target audiences, including niche, hard-to-reach, or underserved audiences identified and trained; 5) Best practices identified and applied by specific target audiences; 6) Number of education and training sessions conducted; 7) Number of participants in training and education programs; and 8) Number and percent of participants reporting changes in knowledge and/or behavior as a result of participation in education and training sessions.

2. The Project Director will be responsible for managing all technical and programmatic aspects of the grant and will be responsible for appropriately acknowledging USDA- NIFA’s funding support in publications, public announcements, news releases, and other media sources.

3. One Project Director for the Community Outreach, Collaborative Education and

Training Project, Regional Centers and Technical Assistance Grant Writing Skills teams will be responsible for attending annual meetings. During the meeting, Project Directors will report on the progress of their projects, share updates on modified training materials or curricula, and report on interim programmatic outcomes.

For a program informational webinar, please visit the NIFA calendar for dates, event registration, and link. If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate in any of the informational webinars listed, please contact the event host listed no later than 10 days prior to the event.

PART II. AWARD INFORMATION

A. Available Funding This RFA is being released prior to the passage of a full appropriations act for FY 2024.

Enactment of a continuing resolution or a full appropriations act, or other authorizing legislation may affect the availability or level of funding for this program. The amount available for the Food Safety Outreach Program (FSOP) in FY 2024 is approximately $9,600,000.

USDA is not committed to fund any particular application or to make a specific number of awards. The Automated Standard Application for Payments, operated by the Department of Treasury, Bureau of Fiscal Service, is the designated payment system for awards resulting from this RFA.

B. Application Restrictions NIFA will evaluate applications using the criteria described in Part V of this RFA.

Applications for FY 2024 are limited to the following application types:

1. New application: New applications will be evaluated using the criteria described in Part V of this RFA and are subject to the due dates herein (see Appendix III for definition).

2. Resubmitted application: Resubmitted applications must include the response to the previous review panel summary and are subject to the same criteria and due dates herein. Resubmitted applicants must enter the NIFA-assigned proposal number of the previously submitted application in the Federal Field (Field 4) on the application form (see Appendix III for definition).

C. Project and Grant Types The following describes the types of projects or grants that are eligible for funding:

Project Types - Community Outreach Projects, Collaborative Education and Training Projects, Regional Center Projects, and Technical Assistance – Grant Writing Skills Projects.

D. Ethical Conduct of Funded Projects In accordance with sections 2, 3, and 8 of 2 CFR Part 422, institutions that conduct USDA-funded extramural research must foster an atmosphere conducive to research integrity, bear primary responsibility for prevention and detection of research misconduct, and maintain and effectively communicate and train their staff regarding policies and procedures. In the event an application to NIFA results in an award, the Authorized Representative (AR) assures, through acceptance of the award that the institution will comply with the above requirements.

Award recipients must, upon request, make available to NIFA the policies, procedures, and documentation to support the conduct of the training. See Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research for further information.

https://www.fiscal.treasury.gov/fsservices/gov/pmt/asap/asap_home.htm https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-B/chapter-IV/part-422#422.2 https://nifa.usda.gov/responsible-and-ethical-conduct-research https://nifa.usda.gov/responsible-and-ethical-conduct-research

PART III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. Eligibility Requirements Entities are eligible to apply to the Food Safety Outreach Program (FSOP) if they meet at least one of the following criteria:

1. The Cooperative Extension Service for a U.S. state or territory;

2. Non-government organizations and/or community-based organizations representing owners and operators of farms, small food processors, or small fruit and vegetable merchant wholesalers that has a commitment to public health and expertise in administering programs that contribute to food safety;

3. Federal, State, local, or tribal agencies;

4. An institution of higher education (as defined in Section 101(a) of the Higher

Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C 1001(a)) or a foundation maintained by an institution of higher education;

5. A collaboration of two or more eligible entities.

Applicants for the FSOP must meet all the requirements discussed in this RFA. Failure to meet the eligibility criteria by the application deadline may result in exclusion from consideration or, preclude NIFA from making an award. For those new to Federal financial assistance, NIFA’s Grants Overview provides highly recommended information about grants and other resources to help understand the Federal awards process.

Duplicate or Multiple Submissions – Duplicate or multiple submissions are not allowed.

NIFA will disqualify both applications if a Project Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) submits multiple submissions. For those new to Federal financial assistance, NIFA’s Grants Overview provides highly recommended information about grants and other resources to help understand the Federal awards process.

B. Cost Sharing or Matching No Match Required - The FSOP has NO matching requirement. NIFA will not factor matching resources into the review process as an evaluation criterion.

https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:20%20section:1001%20edition:prelim)%20OR%20(granuleid:USC-prelim-title20-section1001)&f=treesort&edition=prelim&num=0&jumpTo=true https://nifa.usda.gov/resource/grants-overview

PART IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION

A. Method of Application Applicants must apply to this RFA electronically; no other method or response is accepted. The electronic application for this RFA and additional resources are available on Grants.gov and Grants 101. Table 6 provides instructions on how to obtain an electronic application. Part III of the NIFA Grants Application Guide contains detailed information regarding the Grants.gov registration process. The NIFA Grants Application Guide is contained in the specific funding opportunity package or a sample of the guide can be found here. When applying for a NIFA award, it is important to reference the version of the guide that is included in the specific funding opportunity application package.

Table 6: Steps to Obtain Application Materials

Steps Action

Step One: Register New Users to Grants.gov must register early with Grants.gov prior to submitting an application (Register Here).

Step Two: Download Adobe

Download and Install Adobe Reader (see Adobe Software Compatibility for basic system requirements).

Step Three: Find Application

Using this funding opportunity number USDA-NIFA-FSMA-010336, search for application here: Opportunity Package.

Step Four: Assess Readiness

Contact an AR prior to starting an application to assess the organization’s readiness to submit an electronic application.

Table 7: Help and Resources

Grants.gov Support NIFA Support Grants.gov Online Support Telephone support: 800-518-4726 Toll-Free or 606-545-5035

Email support: support@grants.gov Self-service customer-based support:

Grants.gov iPortal

Key Information: Customer service business Hours 24/7, except federal holidays.

Email: grantapplicationquestions@usda.gov

Key Information: Business hours: Monday thru Friday, 7a.m. – 5p.m. ET, except federal holidays

B. Content and Form of the Application The NIFA Grants Application Guide is part of the corresponding application package for this RFA. The RFA overrides the NIFA Grants Application Guide if there is a discrepancy between the two documents. Applicants that do not meet the application requirements, to include partial applications, risk being excluded from NIFA’s review. NIFA will assign a proposal number to all applications that meet the requirements of this RFA. Applicants must refer to the proposal number when corresponding with NIFA. Table 8 outlines other key instructions for applicants.

https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/learn-grants/grants-101/pre-award-phase.html/ https://www.nifa.usda.gov/nifa-22-001-nifa-grants-application-guide https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.nifa.usda.gov/nifa-22-001-nifa-grants-application-guide https://www.nifa.usda.gov/nifa-22-001-nifa-grants-application-guide https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/register.html https://get.adobe.com/reader/ https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/adobe-software-compatibility.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/adobe-software-compatibility.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/search-opportunity-package.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/support.html mailto:support@grants.gov https://grants-portal.psc.gov/Welcome.aspx?pt=Grants https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/federal-holidays/ https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/snow-dismissal-procedures/federal-holidays/ mailto:grantapplicationquestions@usda.gov https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/federal-holidays/ https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/federal-holidays/ https://www.nifa.usda.gov/nifa-22-001-nifa-grants-application-guide

Table 8: Key Application Instructions Instruction References

(All references are to the NIFA Grants

Application Guide)) Attachments must be in a portable document format (PDF) format.

Part IV

Check the manifest of submitted files to verify attachments are in the correct format.

Part IV

Conduct an administrative review of the application before submission.

Part IV

Follow the submission instructions. Part IV

Provide an accurate email address, where designated, on the SF-424 R&R.

Part V

Contact the Grants.gov helpdesk for technical support and keep a record of the correspondence.

N/A

Contact NIFA if applicant does not receive correspondence from NIFA regarding an application within 30 days of the application deadline.

N/A

SF 424 R&R Cover Sheet. See Part V and Part V of the NIFA Grants Application Guide for the required certifications and assurances.

SF 424 R&R Project/Performance Site Location(s). See Part V of the NIFA Grants Application Guide.

R&R Other Project Information Form. See Part V of the NIFA Grants Application Guide.

1. Field 7. Project Summary (PS)/Abstract. The PS must show how the project goals align with the project goals of the FSOP. The PS must also clearly identify the project type (Community Outreach, Collaborative Education and Training, Regional Center, or Technical Assistance – Grant Writing Skills). See Part V of the NIFA Grants Application Guide for instructions and suggested templates.

2. Field 8. Project Narrative (PN). The PN for the Collaborative Education and Training Projects, Regional Center, and Lead Regional Center must not exceed 20 1.5 spaced pages of written 12-point font text including tables and figures (the font size for tables should be no smaller than 11-point). The PN for the Community Outreach Projects and Technical Assistance – Grant Writing Skills Projects must not exceed 10 1.5 spaced pages of written 12-point font text including tables and figures (the font size for tables should be no smaller than 11-point). The page limits outlined here ensure fair and equitable competition. Appendices to the PN are allowed if they are directly germane to the proposed project. Do not add appendices to circumvent the page limit. The PN must include all the following:

https://www.nifa.usda.gov/nifa-22-001-nifa-grants-application-guide https://www.nifa.usda.gov/nifa-22-001-nifa-grants-application-guide https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/support.html https://www.nifa.usda.gov/nifa-22-001-nifa-grants-application-guide https://www.nifa.usda.gov/nifa-22-001-nifa-grants-application-guide https://www.nifa.usda.gov/nifa-22-001-nifa-grants-application-guide https://www.nifa.usda.gov/nifa-22-001-nifa-grants-application-guide https://www.nifa.usda.gov/nifa-22-001-nifa-grants-application-guide https://www.nifa.usda.gov/nifa-22-001-nifa-grants-application-guide

a. Introduction;

b. Rationale and significance;

c. Objectives;

d. Approach;

e. Summary of previous work;

f. Response to previous review: The response to previous review must not exceed one

1.5 spaced page 12-point font. This does not count towards the page limit for the PN.

3. Field 12, Add Other Attachments. See Part V of the NIFA Grants Application Guide.

R&R Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded). See Part V of the NIFA Grants Application Guide for profile requirements, details about the biographical sketch, and suggested support templates.

R&R Personal Data. This information is voluntary and is not a precondition of award (see Part V of the NIFA Grants Application Guide).

R&R Budget. See Part V of the NIFA Grants Application Guide.

Match – No Match Required – The FSOP has NO matching requirement. NIFA will not factor matching resources into the review process as an evaluation criterion.

1. Indirect costs (IDC) – See Part IV § C of this RFA for funding restrictions regarding indirect cost, and Part V of the NIFA Grants Application Guide for additional information.

Data Management Plan. A DMP is required for this program. Applicants should clearly articulate how the project director (PD) and co-PDs plan to manage and disseminate the data generated by the project. The DMP will be considered during the merit review process (see Part V, B of this RFA, NIFA’s Data Management Plan).

Supplemental Information Form. See Part V of the NIFA Grants Application Guide

1. Field 2. Program to which the applicant is applying. Enter the program name (FSOP) and the program code (A4182). Accurate entry is critical.

2. Field 8. Conflict of Interest List. See Part V of the NIFA Grants Application Guide.

C. Funding Restrictions Indirect Costs (IDC) not to exceed 30 percent of total Federal funds awarded (TFFA).

Section 1462(a) and (c) of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3310(a) and (c)) limits IDC for the overall award to 30 percent of TFFA under a research, education, or extension grant. The maximum IDC rate allowed under the award is determined by calculating the amount of IDC using:

1. The sum of an institution’s negotiated IDC rate and the IDC rate charged by sub-awardees, if any; or

2. 30 percent of TFFA.

The maximum allowable IDC rate under the award, including the IDC charged by the sub-awardee(s), if any, is the lesser of the two rates above.

https://www.nifa.usda.gov/nifa-22-001-nifa-grants-application-guide https://www.nifa.usda.gov/nifa-22-001-nifa-grants-application-guide https://www.nifa.usda.gov/nifa-22-001-nifa-grants-application-guide https://www.nifa.usda.gov/nifa-22-001-nifa-grants-application-guide https://www.nifa.usda.gov/nifa-22-001-nifa-grants-application-guide https://www.nifa.usda.gov/nifa-22-001-nifa-grants-application-guide https://www.nifa.usda.gov/nifa-22-001-nifa-grants-application-guide https://nifa.usda.gov/resource/data-management-plan-nifa-funded-research-projects https://www.nifa.usda.gov/nifa-22-001-nifa-grants-application-guide https://www.nifa.usda.gov/nifa-22-001-nifa-grants-application-guide https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:7%20section:3310%20edition:prelim)%20OR%20(granuleid:USC-prelim-title7-section3310)&f=treesort&edition=prelim&num=0&jumpTo=true

If the result of number one above is the lesser of the two rates, the grant recipient is allowed to charge the negotiated IDC rate on the prime award and the sub-award(s), if any. Any sub-awards would be subject to the sub-awardee’s negotiated IDC rate. The sub-awardee may charge its negotiated IDC rate on its portion of the award, provided the sum of the IDC rate charged under the award by the prime awardee and the sub-awardee(s) does not exceed 30 percent of the TFFA.

If number two above is the lesser of the two rates, then the maximum IDC rate allowed for the overall award, including any sub-award(s), is limited to 30 percent of the TFFA. That is, the IDC of the prime awardee plus the sum of the IDC charged by the sub-awardee(s), if any, may not exceed 30 percent of the TFFA.

In the event of an award, the prime awardee is responsible for ensuring the maximum IDC allowed for the award is not exceeded when combining IDC for the Federal portion (i.e., prime, and sub-awardee(s)) and any applicable cost-sharing. Amounts exceeding the maximum allowable IDC are considered unallowable. See sections 408 and 410 of 2 CFR 200.

If the applicant does not have a negotiated rate and NIFA is the cognizant agency, the applicant may request an IDC rate. Applicants are not required to complete the IDC package during the application process and need only to calculate a rate to serve as a basis for requesting IDC. If awarded, the applicant will be required to submit a complete IDC proposal package to obtain a negotiated rate.

Organizations that do not have a current negotiated (including provisional) rate, may elect the De Minimis rate (2 CFR 200.414). The Uniform Guidance offers the option of electing to charge a de Minimis rate of 10 percent of modified total indirect costs (MTDC) which may be used indefinitely. As described above and in 2 CFR 200.403, costs must be charged consistently as either indirect or direct costs but may not be double charged or inconsistently charged as both. If elected, this methodology must be used consistently for all Federal awards until such time as a non-Federal entity chooses to negotiate for a rate, which it may do at any time.

See NIFA Indirect Costs for information including additional resources and NIFA Indirect Cost Guidance Chart.

https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=d01057b6a46f45341b4180c996049e3c&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5#se2.1.200_1408 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=d01057b6a46f45341b4180c996049e3c&mc=true&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5#se2.1.200_1410 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-E/subject-group-ECFRd93f2a98b1f6455/section-200.414 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-E/subject-group-ECFRea20080eff2ea53/section-200.403 https://www.nifa.usda.gov/grants/regulations-and-guidelines/indirect-costs https://www.nifa.usda.gov/grants/regulations-and-guidelines/indirect-costs/indirect-cost-additional-resources https://www.nifa.usda.gov/grants/regulations-and-guidelines/indirect-costs/nifa-19-009-indirect-cost-chart https://www.nifa.usda.gov/grants/regulations-and-guidelines/indirect-costs/nifa-19-009-indirect-cost-chart

PART V. APPLICATION REVIEW REQUIREMENTS

A. NIFA’s Evaluation Process NIFA evaluates each application in a two-part process. First, we screen each application to ensure that it meets the administrative requirements set forth in this RFA. All administrative requirements must be met in order for the application to proceed to the next level of review.

Second, a scientific peer-review process will be used to technically evaluate applications that have met the administrative requirements using a review panel (see NIFA Peer Review Process).

Scientific Peer Review Process:

NIFA selects reviewers for the review panel based upon their training and experience in relevant scientific, extension, or education fields, taking into account the following factors:

1. The level of relevant formal scientific, technical education, or extension experience of the individual, as well as the extent to which an individual is engaged in relevant research, education, or extension activities.

2. The need to include experts from various areas of specialization within relevant scientific, education, or extension fields.

3. The need to include other experts (e.g., producers, range or forest managers/operators, researchers, public health practitioners, educators, consumers, and commercial reviews) who can assess relevance of the applications to targeted audiences and to program needs.

4. The need to include experts from a variety of organizational types (e.g., colleges, universities, industry, state and Federal agencies, and private profit and non-profit organizations) and geographic locations.

5. The need to maintain a balanced composition with regard to race, ethnicity, gender representation, and an equitable age distribution.

6. The need to include reviewers who can judge the effective usefulness of each application to producers and the general public.

If you are interested in serving on the FY 2024 FSOP peer-review panel, you can provide your contact information by visiting NIFA’s Peer Review System and clicking on the “Panelist Recruitment” link in the “Volunteer” section. You will be asked to provide your contact information and expertise.

After each peer review panel has completed its deliberations, the responsible program staff of NIFA will recommend that your project is either approved for support from currently available funds or declined due to insufficient funds or unfavorable review.

NIFA reserves the right to negotiate with the PD/PI and/or the submitting organization or institution regarding project revisions (e.g., reductions in the scope of work, funding level, period, or method of support) prior to recommending any project for funding. After the review process has been completed, NIFA sends copies of reviews, not including the reviewers’ identity, and a summary (if applicable) of the review panel comments to the PD.

Conflicts of interest. NIFA takes extreme care to prevent any actual or perceived conflicts of interest that may influence the review or evaluation (see NIFA Peer Review Process for https://nifa.usda.gov/sites/default/files/resource/NIFA-Peer-Review-Process-for-Competitive-Grant-Applications_0.pdf https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fprs.nifa.usda.gov%2Fprs%2FpreLogin.do&data=04%7C01%7C%7C93595f13f454456809be08d96ee5b200%7Ced5b36e701ee4ebc867ee03cfa0d4697%7C0%7C0%7C637662755071124774%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=MMgGd43zgq4tclMgcFd%2B0f%2B9ndqbeIeZG18sJ6miJG8%3D&reserved=0 https://nifa.usda.gov/resource/nifa-peer-review-process-competitive-grant-applications

Competitive Grant Applications).

B. Evaluation Criteria The following evaluation criteria will be used to evaluate applications for Community Outreach Projects submitted in response to this RFA:

1. Objectives This criterion is used to assess how well the Community Outreach Projects:

a. Identify and justify specific food safety education and training needs and other resources for various target audiences within local communities;

b. Support the…