FY24 SNAP Mobile Payments for Authorized Farmers RFA.pdf

Information Collection: 0584-0512

Expiration date: 07/31/2025

Mobile Payments Solution for SNAP Authorized Famers -

Cooperative Agreement

Fiscal Year 2024 Request for Applications (RFA)

Assistance Listing Number (ALN): 10.545

Release Date: July 2, 2024

Application Due Date: August 15, 2024; 11:59 pm, Eastern Daylight

Time (EDT)

Anticipated Award Date: September 30, 2024

OMB BURDEN STATEMENT: This information is being collected to assist the Food and Nutrition

Service in supporting the participation of farmers and farmers’ markets in SNAP. This is a voluntary collection and FNS will use the information to select a grantee whose work aligns with all stated objectives for this grant, as outlined in this RFA. 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 60 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.

Application Checklist

This Application Checklist provides applicants with a list of the required documents. 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 cooperative agreement.

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)

Letters of support/commitment from key staff and partners.

file:///C:/Users/jeewon.chang/OneDrive%20-%20USDA/Desktop/grants.gov

Table of Contents

1. Program Description and Objectives

Program Description

Authorizing Legislation

Key Objectives

2. Federal Award Information

Type of Award

Allowable Costs

Unallowable Costs

3. Eligibility Information

Eligible Applicants

Cost Sharing or Matching Considerations

Other Eligibility Criteria

Pre-Award Screening Requirements

Acknowledgement of USDA Support

4. Application and Submission Information

Content and Form of Application Submission

Special Instructions:

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

Intergovernmental Review

Funding Restrictions

5. Application Review Information

Review Criteria

Project Design (35 points)

Implementation and Monitoring (15 points)

Sustainability (20 points)

Budget Appropriateness and Economic Efficiency (20 points)

Staff Capability Management (10 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

9. Appendix

SNAP Mobile Transaction Processing Application (The App) Requirements

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 USDA Food and Nutrition Service plans to award the Mobile Payments Solution for SNAP

Authorized Farmers, Cooperative Agreement. The purpose of this cooperative agreement is to enable SNAP-authorized Direct Marketing Farmers (DMFs) and Farmers Markets (FMS) , as necessary) to determine, at no or little cost to them, whether adding SNAP to their business model has a positive cost-benefit value, and to provide SNAP recipients with greater access to DMFs operating at physical FM locations and via other direct marketing avenues (e.g., roadside stands, pick-your-own). The cooperator will use resources from this cooperative agreement to facilitate the development of a shared vision and set of approaches for supporting DMFs in becoming SNAP authorized; enabling the processing of EBT transactions through a secure SNAP Mobile

Transaction Processing Application (The App); and assisting under-served farmers with direct marketing opportunities that result in connections with SNAP households and families and participants in other Federal nutrition assistance programs. FNS announces, through this Request for Applications (RFA), the availability of a maximum of $3,500,000 to be used over a 3 year period for a new award as a cooperative agreement. Only non-profit organizations and institutes of higher education are eligible to participate in this competition.

Program Description

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) administers all USDA domestic nutrition assistance programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance

Program (SNAP). SNAP is the cornerstone of USDA’s nutrition assistance programs and is the largest program in the domestic hunger safety net. SNAP provides nutrition assistance benefits via an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card to millions of low-income people. These benefits help supplement household food budgets so recipients can purchase more healthy food.

FNS is directly responsible for the authorization and oversight of retailers who accept

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. This is accomplished jointly by the

Retailer Policy Division (RPD) within SNAP, and the Office of Retailer Operations and Compliance.

Currently, approximately 260,000 retailers are authorized to accept SNAP. Thousands of direct marketing farmers and farmers’ markets (DMFs and FMs) apply for SNAP authorization each year.

Since 2012, FNS has supported the participation of DMFs and FMs in their efforts to attract more

SNAP customers. FNS has supported individual DMFs (and FMs on behalf of DMFs), which meet specific requirements, in procuring low- or no-cost wireless Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) point-of-sale (POS) devices through the SNAP EBT Equipment Program. FNS has also awarded grants to provide: a) an e-commerce platform that enables DMFs to accept SNAP benefits online

(SNAP/Federal Nutrition Programs Participation Assistance for Farmers and Farmers’ Markets), and b) a SNAP Mobile Transaction Processing Application and card reader that enable a DMF to accept SNAP by using their own smartphone as a POS device (Mobile Application Cooperative

Agreement, SNAP Farmers and Markets).

The purpose of this cooperative agreement is to enable SNAP-authorized DMFs (and FMs, as necessary) to determine, at no or little cost to them, whether adding SNAP to their business model has a positive cost-benefit value, and to provide SNAP recipients with greater access to DMFs operating at physical FM locations and via other direct marketing avenues (e.g., roadside stands, pick-your-own). The cooperator will use resources from this cooperative agreement to facilitate the development of a shared vision and set of approaches for supporting DMFs in becoming SNAP authorized; enabling the processing of EBT transactions through a secure SNAP Mobile

Transaction Processing Application (The App); and assisting under-served farmers with direct marketing opportunities that result in connections with SNAP households and families and participants in other Federal nutrition assistance programs.

This cooperative agreement opportunity is not intended to support the development of an untested mobile application for SNAP. However, the grantee may collaborate or coordinate with

The App provider to develop additional functionality for The App that would enable the processing of transactions for other Federal nutrition assistance programs.

FNS announces, through this Request for Applications (RFA), the availability of a maximum of

$3,500,000 to be used over a 3year period for a new award as a cooperative agreement. Only non-profit organizations and institutes of higher education are eligible to participate in this competition.

Authorizing Legislation

SNAP is authorized by the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, as amended. This grant is authorized by the

FY24 Consolidated Appropriations Act [H.R.4366; Public Law No: 118-42 (03/08/2024)].

Additionally, Report 115-706 of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations for the 115th Congress, 2nd Session encourages FNS to assist DMFs and FMs to participate in

SNAP and other Federal nutrition assistance programs.

Key Objectives This cooperative agreement opportunity includes 6 (six) Key Objectives and activities that align with these objectives. As noted in Section 4, within the “Activities/Indicators Tracker,” additional activities proposed by the applicant should be clearly aligned to one or more of these objectives and their associated activities.

Application proposals must include and address each of the 6 (six) key objectives.

Note: If awarded, cooperators will be required to report on progress on all key objective(s) using the FNS-908 Performance Progress Report. Carefully considering proposed activities and indicators will prepare grantees for their progress reporting requirements if awarded.

# Key Objectives

1 Objective 1: Facilitate the development of a shared vision and set of approaches for supporting the participation of direct-marketing farmers (DMFs) across stakeholders that are currently working within FNS, as contracted vendors, and as grantees and cooperators. These include, but are not limited to:

• FNS SNAP Retailer Policy Division, SNAP Issuance Policy & Innovation

Division, and Retailer Operations Division;

bookmark://ActivitiesIndicatorsTracker/

• Grantee, FY 2023 Mobile Application Cooperative Agreement, SNAP Farmers and Markets;

• Grantee, FY2021 SNAP Online Purchasing Participation Assistance for

Farmers and Farmers’ Markets;

• Vendor, STARS Legacy;

• Vendor, STARS 3.0 Modernization; and

• SNAP EBT Modernization Technical Assistance Center (SEMTAC)

2 Objective 2: Assist DFMs in becoming SNAP-authorized by completing both of the following:

a. Provide outreach and assistance to DMFs that are not currently SNAP-authorized or are not currently accepting benefits issued through other

Federal nutrition assistance programs (e.g., Gus Schumacher Nutrition

Incentive Program (GusNIP), Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for

Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)) to help them complete the application process for SNAP authorization and become SNAP-authorized and, as relevant, participate in one or more nutrition incentive programs.

b. Guide DMFs in locating SNAP training materials and information and facilitating questions and resolutions with FNS.

3 Objective 3: Provide access to a secure SNAP Mobile Transaction Processing

Application (The App) to SNAP-authorized DMFs. The App must meet all requirements specified in Section 9, Appendix, as well as all the requirements below:

a. Be in use in the current SNAP EBT environment;

b. Adhere to all EBT security requirements, including encrypted PIN-entry as specified in Section 9, Appendix;

c. Be certified and able to conduct all required SNAP transaction types as specified in Section 9, Appendix;

d. Have the ability to be enhanced to fully support farmer participation in and process EBT transactions for other Federal nutrition assistance and nutrition-incentive programs (e.g., Special Supplemental Nutrition

Program for Women, Infants, and Children – WIC, Gus Schumacher

Nutrition Incentive Program – GusNIP); and

e. Have the ability to capture GPS data to identify the location of the device, and enable the transmission of GPS data to FNS as part of the transaction message at a future date, as determined by FNS.

Successful applicants for this cooperative agreement will identify The App that will be used and describe how each requirement in Section 9, Appendix will be satisfied.

The cooperator will enter into a formal agreement with a provider of The App to provide newly authorized DMFs with access to The App at no cost to the FM for up to one year. The App provider must meet requirements as specified in Section 9, Appendix. The formal agreement will specify all costs and terms for the participation of a DMF receiving access to The App on an annualized basis.

DMFs will provide their own mobile device and cellular and data services necessary for transaction processing. Under this cooperative agreement, the cost of The App https://gbc-word-edit.officeapps.live.com/we/wordeditorframe.aspx?ui=en-US&rs=en-US&wopisrc=https%3A%2F%2Fusdagcc.sharepoint.com%2Fsites%2FFNS-RMIB%2F_vti_bin%2Fwopi.ashx%2Ffiles%2Fef67bfb062314e62927de96d1d5872a3&wdenableroaming=1&mscc=1&hid=6BCA2FA1-A046-5000-CB0A-CBEC1C134E9D.0&uih=sharepointcom&wdlcid=en-US&jsapi=1&jsapiver=v2&corrid=8334cea3-6bac-ac86-d95d-af413d779a5e&usid=8334cea3-6bac-ac86-d95d-af413d779a5e&newsession=1&sftc=1&uihit=docaspx&muv=1&cac=1&sams=1&mtf=1&sfp=1&sdp=1&hch=1&hwfh=1&dchat=1&sc=%7B%22pmo%22%3A%22https%3A%2F%2Fusdagcc.sharepoint.com%22%2C%22pmshare%22%3Atrue%7D&ctp=LeastProtected&rct=Normal&wdorigin=Teams-HL.Sharing.DirectLink.Copy&wdhostclicktime=1717625806895&instantedit=1&wopicomplete=1&wdredirectionreason=Unified_SingleFlush#_SNAP_Mobile_Transaction and any related licenses will be covered for participating DMFs for 1 (one) year from the initial date of DMF’s participation in this cooperative agreement and may be renewed on an annual basis if the DMF demonstrates SNAP redemptions of a minimum of $500 per year.

After the one-year, no-cost option, and for any subsequent year that the DMF does not maintain SNAP redemptions of a minimum of $500 for the year in question, the grantee will assist that DMF in transitioning their agreement from no-cost

(participation in this grant) to full-cost (by sharing information related to licensing through a third-party vendor), or will facilitate transition to the State SNAP Agency

SNAP-only alternative that serves the jurisdiction(s) where the FM is located.

4 Objective 4: Train and provide technical support for DMFs in use of technology associated with SNAP participation. The grantee will:

a. Train DMFs on installing, operating and maintaining The App;

b. Help troubleshoot issues, and provide technical assistance through the term of the no-cost agreement; and

c. Support outreach that includes a web presence that clearly details the

App, technical assistance provided by the grantee, and how to access both. Social media presence must regularly point to the web information and clearly direct interested DMFs to the services offered.

5 Objective 5: Monitor progress, including achievements, milestones, risks and issues.

At a minimum , the grantee must monitor and track the following metrics:

• the success of outreach activities and training,

• the number of participating DMFs using The App;

• the number and amounts of transactions being processed through the App for all tender types;

• the success of transitioning DMFs to SNAP EBT chip card acceptance; and

• the integration of incentive functionality.

6 Objective 6: Assist under-served farmers with direct marketing opportunities that result in connections with SNAP households and families and participants in other

Federal nutrition assistance programs. Conduct targeted outreach to special populations and entities that are under-served by SNAP or other Federal nutrition assistance programs in up to five marginalized and/or high food insecurity communities such as:

• Tribal Nations and/or surrounding tribal communities.

• Rural communities as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau.

• Persistent poverty counties, as defined by USDA ERS Poverty Area

Measures

• Low-income and low access census tracts, as defined by the USDA ERS

Food Access Research Atlas

This objective can be fulfilled through the work of one to three third-party organizations through sub-grants, however the subgrants under this objective should represent an amount proportionate to the total of objectives listed in this section.

https://mtgis-portal.geo.census.gov/arcgis/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=49cd4bc9c8eb444ab51218c1d5001ef6 https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/poverty-area-measures/ https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/poverty-area-measures/ https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ers.usda.gov%2Fdata-products%2Ffood-access-research-atlas%2F&data=05%7C01%7C%7Cba1036beeb4d4fc0b0c708daed980afa%7Ced5b36e701ee4ebc867ee03cfa0d4697%7C0%7C0%7C638083534514786715%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=eT9S2SPSwsQqlqb4O5wTRRlu%2FUWVarFVoOWkxCZmYu0%3D&reserved=0 https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ers.usda.gov%2Fdata-products%2Ffood-access-research-atlas%2F&data=05%7C01%7C%7Cba1036beeb4d4fc0b0c708daed980afa%7Ced5b36e701ee4ebc867ee03cfa0d4697%7C0%7C0%7C638083534514786715%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=eT9S2SPSwsQqlqb4O5wTRRlu%2FUWVarFVoOWkxCZmYu0%3D&reserved=0

Under this Objective, the grantee will also coordinate with the National Association of Farmers’ Markets Nutrition Programs in its work as the grantee for FY 2023 Mobile

Application Cooperative Agreement, SNAP Farmers and Markets, which also includes this Objective.

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: $3,500,000

• Anticipated number of awards: 1

• Minimum award amount (award floor): $1

• Maximum award amount (award ceiling): $3,500,000

• Anticipated award announcement date: September 2024

• Anticipated period of performance (start and end date of the award): September 2024 to September 2027

• Anticipated funding of individual awards: $3,500,000

• Application due date: August 15, 2024

Please note:

• Grant awards are subject to the availability of funding and/or appropriations of funds.

• 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.

Type of Award

FNS will award this grant in the form of a cooperative agreement to enable collaboration between FNS and the grantee during project development and project execution. Examples of FNS participation include:

• Evaluation of quarterly progress reports and financial reports to monitor the grantee’s project activities and ensure that the objectives, terms and conditions of the agreement are met; and

• Periodic on-site and off-site technical assistance to provide evaluation and guidance on project activities and outputs as they relate to FNS objectives, including:

o Review of project plans and milestones;

o Evaluation of technology improvements; and o Other technical assistance related to project objectives.

• Periodic collaborative meetings.

FNS will provide funding for approved cooperative agreements through the Grant Award/Letter of

Credit process, upon receipt of a properly executed cooperative agreement and subject to the availability of funds.

The roles and responsibilities of the selected applicant and of FNS are as follows:

Selected Applicant

The selected applicant will:

- Fulfill all grant objectives as outlined in the RFA.

- Report on relevant grant activities and metrics through required quarterly and final reporting.

- Meet bimonthly with an FNS Program Analyst to discuss project progress.

FNS

FNS will:

- Meet with grant awardees bimonthly to discuss project activities.

- Identify any challenges or obstacles FNS may be able to mitigate on behalf of the grantee.

- Review submitted grant reporting materials for completeness and project progress/outcomes.

Allowable Costs

Among other costs, budgets may include expenses related to personnel, contractors, equipment and supplies, meeting expenses, travel, and trainings.

Equipment and Supplies: Expenditures for both equipment (i.e., items of personal property having a useful life of more than one year and a cost of $5,000 or more) are allowable expenses with prior approval by FNS. Supplies are an allowable expenditure but does not require prior approval.

FNS reserves the right to approve/disapprove these equipment expenditures based upon the needs of the Agency and the proposed project.

Procurement Contracts: Grantees may use grant funds to procure contracts for goods and services.

Unallowable Costs

State Collaboration: Grant funds may not be used to provide no-cost EBT equipment to States to fulfill the State’s requirement to provide a no-cost EBT only option to farmers (and markets as needed). The grantee may collaborate with States on providing a mobile solution as part of the

States’ responsibility, however, the grantee may not use grant funds for those 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.

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

3. Eligibility Information

Eligible Applicants

Eligible entities are:

• Nonprofit entities, which are any organization or institution with current Internal Revenue

Service (IRS)-designated 501(c)(3) status.

• Accredited institutions of higher education, i.e., Eligible Educational Institutes via a list maintained by the IRS.

All applicant organizations must be domestic entities and shall be owned, operated, and located within the 50 United States, the District of Columbia, Guam, or the United States Virgin Islands.

Cost Sharing or Matching Considerations

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

Other Eligibility Criteria

Each eligible applicant may only submit one (1) application in response to this grant solicitation.

Suspended or debarred organizations are ineligible to submit applications in response to this grant solicitation.

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 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

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

Capability Questionnaire that allows 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 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.

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

4. Application and Submission Information

Content and Form of Application Submission

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 capture on no more than 50 pages, not including the cover sheet, table of content, resumes, letter(s) of commitment, endorsement letter(s), budget narrative(s), appendices, and required forms. All pages, excluding form pages must be numbered.

Special Instructions:

• Late application submission will not be considered in this competition. 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, forms, certification will not be considered.

• Applications missing a written proposal or budget narrative will not be considered and deemed nonresponsive.

• 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, FNS will accept the latest application package successfully submitted. All other packages submitted by the applicant will be removed from this competition.

• FNS reserves the right to use this solicitation to fund awards in this or the subsequent fiscal year should additional funds become available.

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

• 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 # Objective 1: Facilitate the development of a shared vision and set of approaches for supporting the participation of direct-marketing farmers

(DMFs) across stakeholders that are currently working within FNS, as contracted vendors, and as grantees and cooperators.

Activity Hold bi-weekly Informational Meetings among the FNS SNAP Retailer

Policy Division, grantee, and Vendors

Indicator(s) Strategic plan with clear goals, responsible entities, and deadlines for completion (or repeated occurrence)

Activity Review Key Objectives of grants that are related to the participation of farmers or markets.

Indicator(s) List of critical tasks and documented assignment of lead and backup responsibility for taking action on those tasks

Objective #

Activity

Indicator(s)

Objective #

Activity

Indicator(s)

Application Budget Narrative

The budget narrative, 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 this 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.

Required Grant Application Forms

The required grants.gov forms are located at grants.gov/web/grants/forms/forms-repository.html.

• 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.

• Copy of the IRS Determination Letter of 501(c)(3) status from the Internal Revenue Service

• Additional Required Forms and Information 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.

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/forms-repository.html file:///C:/Users/jeewon.chang/OneDrive%20-%20USDA/Desktop/grants.gov

• 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, FNS will accept the latest application package successfully submitted. All other packages submitted by the applicant will be removed from this competition.

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:

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)

• 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 mailto:support@grants.gov file:///C:/Users/jeewon.chang/OneDrive%20-%20USDA/Desktop/grants.gov https://sam.gov/content/home 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 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.

• 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/register.html.

How to Submit an Application via Grants.gov

Applicants can 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 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 questions related to the 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. FNS will not accept any application rejected from the grants.gov portal due to incorrect naming conventions.

Additional information can be found at grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-faqs.html#attachments.

https://www.grants.gov/register.html https://www.grants.gov/applicants/workspace-overview.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-training.html mailto:support@grants.gov file:///C:/Users/jeewon.chang/OneDrive%20-%20USDA/Desktop/grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-faqs.html%23attachments file:///C:/Users/jeewon.chang/OneDrive%20-%20USDA/Desktop/grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-faqs.html%23attachments

Grants.gov Receipt Requirements and Proof of Timely Submission

All applications must be received by 11:59 PM EDT on the due date listed on the cover page, as detailed in Section 4 – Submission Date. Proof of timely submission is automatically recorded by grants.gov. An electronic date/time stamp is generated within the system when the application is successfully received by grants.gov. The applicant AOR will receive an acknowledgement of receipt and a tracking number (e.g., GRANTXXXXXXXX) from grants.gov with the successful transmission of their application. Applicant AORs will also receive the official date/time stamp and a grants.gov tracking number in an email serving as proof of their timely submission.

When FNS successfully retrieves the application from grants.gov and acknowledges the download of submissions, grants.gov will provide an electronic acknowledgement of receipt of the application to the email address of the applicant with the AOR role. Again, proof of timely submission shall be the official date and time that grants.gov receives your application.

Applications received by grants.gov after the established due date for the program will be considered late and will not be considered for FNS funding.

Applicants using slow internet, such as dial-up connections, should be aware that transmission could take some time before grants.gov receives your application. Again, grants.gov will provide either an error or a successfully received transmission in the form of an email sent to the applicant with the AOR role. The grants.gov Support Center reports that some applicants end the transmission because they think that nothing is occurring during the transmission process. Please be patient and give the system time to process the application.

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 (This includes periods (.) and spacing followed by a dash in the file. To separate words in naming a file, use an underscore.

Funding Restrictions

• This cooperative agreement opportunity is not intended to support the development of an untested mobile application for SNAP. However, the grantee may collaborate or coordinate with The App provider to develop additional functionality for The App that would enable the processing of transactions for other Federal nutrition assistance programs.

• Pre-award costs will not be awarded for this cooperative agreement.

5. Application Review Information

Review Criteria

FNS will pre-screen all applications to ensure the applicants are eligible entities and are in compliance with all Program regulations. FNS will not approve any waivers from Program regulations for any projects submitted in response to this solicitation. If an application does not include all required documentation, FNS will consider the application to be non-responsive and will eliminate it from further evaluation. See Section 4, “Application and Submission Information” for additional details.

The review committee will evaluate proposals against the criteria below. The project narrative sections include a point value to indicate the importance of each section.

Project Design (35 points)

1. The proposal clearly describes the overall approach and the general techniques that will be used to facilitate the development of a shared vision and set of approaches for supporting the participation of direct-marketing farmers (DMFs) across stakeholders that are currently working within FNS, as contracted vendors, grantees, or cooperators

(Objective 1).

2. The proposal clearly describes the process for assisting DFMs in becoming SNAP-authorized by (Objective 2):

a. Providing outreach and assistance to DMFs that are not currently SNAP-authorized or are not currently accepting benefits issued through other Federal nutrition assistance programs (e.g., Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP), Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)) to help them complete the application process for SNAP authorization and become

SNAP-authorized and, as relevant, participate in one or more nutrition incentive programs; and

b. Guiding DMFs in locating SNAP training materials and information and facilitating questions and resolutions with FNS.

3. The proposal clearly describes how the grantee will provide access to a secure SNAP

Mobile Transaction Processing Application (The App) to SNAP-authorized DMFs. The proposal will also describe how the grantee will assist that DMF in transitioning their agreement from no-cost (participation in this grant) to full-cost (by sharing information related to licensing through a third-party vendor), or will facilitate transition to the State

SNAP Agency SNAP-only alternative that serves the jurisdiction(s) where the FM is located. The App must meet all requirements specified in Section 9, Appendix (Objective

3).

4. The proposal clearly describes how it will train and provide technical support for DMFs in use of technology associated with SNAP participation. (Objective 4).

5. The proposal clearly describes the proposed project’s plan for monitoring progress, including achievements, milestones, and risks and issues (Objective 5).

6. The proposal clearly describes how the grantee will assist under-served farmers with direct marketing opportunities that result in connections with SNAP households and families and participants in other Federal nutrition assistance programs. It details how the project will conduct targeted outreach to special populations and entities that are under-served by SNAP or other Federal nutrition assistance programs in up to five marginalized and/or high food insecurity communities as noted below and as addressed in Objective 6:

a. Tribal Nations and/or surrounding tribal communities.

b. Rural communities as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau.

c. Persistent poverty counties, as defined by USDA ERS Poverty Area Measures

d. Low-income and low access census tracts, as defined by the USDA ERS Food

Access Research Atlas

Implementation and Monitoring (15 points)

1. The proposal includes a project timeline that outlines proposed tasks/activities, including sufficient time allotted for each task/activity, and demonstrates agility in progressing from planning and development to implementation.

2. The proposal describes a well-thought-out, organized performance measurement and assessment process that will measure whether the project’s objectives have been achieved and to what extent, assesses lessons learned, and describes new or enhanced approaches to improving performance. The proposal should describe:

a. who will measure and assess the project’s objectives;

b. how the objectives will be measured and assessed; and

c. when the objectives will be measured.

3. The proposal should include a communication plan for communicating internally with FNS, other grantees, vendors, and cooperators, and externally with DMFs and other project stakeholders.

4. The proposal should include sample report templates for summarizing the number of participating farmers (and markets) as well as the participating in training and outreach.

Sustainability (20 points)

1. The proposal shows that the project is very likely to be sustained after the cooperative agreement period ends. The proposal should clearly demonstrate that there is a business plan to enable the continued participation of DMFs and FMs who no longer qualify to participate under the grant.

Budget Appropriateness and Economic Efficiency (20 points)

1. The proposal includes:

a. A line item budget;

b. A narrative that demonstrates how funds will be spent, by whom and for what purpose. The narrative should provide enough detail for reviewers to easily understand how costs were determined and how they relate to the objectives of the project. There should be adequate justification for budget costs based on current industry costs/standards;

c. A copy of the approved negotiated indirect cost rate agreement (NICRA) must be attached if indirect costs are shown as a budget expense to the project; and

d. If applicable, the budget must show how the costs are going to be allocated among the various fees for processing EBT transactions, credit/debit transactions, and other associated fees. It should demonstrate that this grant is only going to fund approved costs.

2. The proposal should be cost effective; it must demonstrate that the anticipated results are commensurate with the cost of the project.

3. Proposals that include hiring a consultant or contracting of work must provide the following information:

a. Consultant’s name and description of service;

b. Itemized list of all direct costs and fees;

c. Salaries must have the number of personnel including the position title;

d. Specialty and specialized qualifications as appropriate to the salary;

e. Number of estimated hours times hourly wage;

f. All expenses and fees directly related to the proposed services to be rendered to the project; and

g. Applications that are required to issue a bid should provide a narrative…