FY24-VSGP-RFA-P.pdf

REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS

Veterinary Services Grant Program

FUNDING YEAR: Fiscal Year (FY) 2024

LETTER OF INTENT DEADLINE:

APPLICATION DEADLINE:

Not Applicable

March 21, 2024

ANTICIPATED PROGRAM FUNDING: $3,822,070

AVERAGE INDIVIDUAL AWARD

RANGE:

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY NUMBER:

$75,000-$250,000

USDA-NIFA-VSGP-010340

ASSISTANCE LISTING NUMBER: 10.336

INITIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

VETERINARY SERVICES GRANT PROGRAM (VSGP)

Assistance Listing Number (ALN): The VSGP is listed in the Assistance Listings under the number 10.336.

Table 1: Key Dates and Deadlines Task Description Deadlines

Application: 5:00 P.M. Eastern Time March 21, 2024

Letter of Intent: Not Applicable

SAMS and /UEI Register for a SAM UEI number no later than 5 weeks before application deadline.

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 Requests for Applications (RFAs) so it can deliver programs efficiently, effectively, with integrity, and focused 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 Veterinary Services Grant Program RFA.

https://sam.gov/content/home https://nifa.usda.gov/resource/agricultural-research-extension-and-education-reform-act-1998 https://nifa.usda.gov/resource/agricultural-research-extension-and-education-reform-act-1998 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.

NIFA requests applications for the Veterinary Services Grant Program (VSGP) for fiscal year 2024 to develop, implement and sustain food and large animal veterinary services and relieve veterinary shortage situations in the United States and U.S. Insular Areas. The goals of the VSGP are to fund U.S. American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) – accredited schools and organizations in education, extension, and training (EET) for food animal veterinary medicine, and for rural practice enhancement (RPE) for veterinary clinics that provide services in veterinary shortage situations. The amount available for grants in FY 2024 is approximately $3,822,070.

This notice identifies the objectives for VSGP projects, deadlines, funding information, eligibility criteria for projects and applicants, and application forms and associated instructions.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INITIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

PART I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

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

PART II. AWARD INFORMATION

A. Available Funding B. Types of Application C. Project and Grant Types D. Ethical Conduct of Funded Projects (EET & RPE)

PART III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. Eligibility Requirements B. Cost Sharing or Matching

PART IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION

A. Method of Application (For EET and RPE) B. Content and Form of the Application (EET & RPE) 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

APPENDIX I: AGENCY CONTACT

APPENDIX II: GLOSSARY OF TERMS AND ACRONYMS

APPENDIX III: DEFINITIONS

TABLE OF TABLES

Table 1: Key Dates and Deadlines Table 2: EET Grants VSGP Education Key Information Table 3: RPE Grants VSGP Rural Practice Enhancement Key Information Table 4: Steps to Obtain Application Materials Table 5: Help and Resources Table 6: Key Application Instructions Table 7: EET Project Narrative Table 8: RPE Project Narrative Table 9: Program Names and Codes

PART I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. Legislative Authority The Veterinary Services Grant Program (VSGP) authorized under 7 U.S.C. 3151b., allows the Secretary of Agriculture to make competitive grants to qualified entities, including veterinary clinics/hospitals, that carry out programs in food and large animal veterinarian shortage situation areas and for the purpose of developing, implementing, and sustaining food/large animal veterinary services.

B. Purpose and Priorities Veterinarians play significant roles in assuring food and fiber animal health and wellbeing, food safety and security, public health, and producer profitability, especially in rural areas of the United States where most livestock production occurs. The VSGP, Assistance Listing 10.336 and its companion Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP), authorized by the National Veterinary Medical Services Act (NVMSA), were born out of concerns that long-term maldistributions in the veterinary workforce have left some rural communities with insufficient access to food/large animal veterinary services. The objective of the VSGP is to develop, implement, and sustain food animal veterinary services and relieve veterinarian shortage situations in the United States, which includes Insular Areas (see Appendix III of this RFA for a definition of “Insular Area”).

It has been widely acknowledged that there are other important factors that contribute to the maldistribution of veterinarians serving the agricultural sector besides educational debt burden.

Additional factors include limited access to specialized education, extension, and training opportunities for veterinarians and veterinary technicians, and insufficient resources for private practices that provide food/large animal services to enhance services, update equipment, add personnel and expand or improve access for producers in veterinary shortage areas.

The purpose of VSGP is to complement the VMLRP to address this veterinary shortage problem through two types of grants.

1. Education, extension, and training (EET) grants are initiatives that will enable veterinarians, veterinary students, veterinary technicians, and veterinary technician students to gain specialized skills through formal coursework, clinical training, and practice enhancement to mitigate veterinary service shortages more effectively in the United States and Insular Areas.

2. Rural practice enhancement (RPE) grants ultimately bolster the capacity of a private clinic (with or without a veterinarian’s student loan repayment obligation) that can provide food/large animal veterinary services for a designated veterinarian shortage area.

Educational activities, including those in RPE grants as requested in the shortage nomination form, should include broad types of learning and engagement (e.g., hands-on learning, experiential, and innovative methods of teaching and disseminating information), emphasize leadership and development of interpersonal and team skills, and include virtual options, as appropriate.

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Grants will be made available on a competitive basis to:

1. Enhance or expand accredited veterinary education programs, veterinary residency and fellowship programs, or veterinary internship and externship programs carried out in coordination with accredited colleges of veterinary medicine.

2. Provide continuing education and extension, including virtual and other forms of distance-based education, for veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and other health professionals needed to strengthen veterinary programs and enhance food safety and public health,

3. Cover travel and living expenses of veterinary students, veterinary interns, externs, fellows, and residents, and veterinary technician students attending training programs in food safety, public health, or food animal medicine.

4. To expose students in grades 11 and 12 to education and career opportunities in food animal medicine.

5. Expand or enhance private practice capabilities, services, and resources.

The VSGP is aligned with the following:

USDA Strategic Plan FY 2022-2026 goals:

1. Strategic Goal 2: Ensure America’s Agriculture System is Equitable, Resilient, and

Prosperous;

2. Strategic Goal 4: Provide All Americans Safe and Nutritious Food;

3. Strategic Goal 5: Expand Opportunities for Economic Development and Improve Quality of Life in Rural and Tribal Communities

1. USDA Science and Research Strategy, 2023–2026 priorities:

2. Priority 3 – Bolstering Nutrition Security and Health

3. Priority 5 – Translating Research into Action: Education and Workforce Development

The requirements and management of data collection and reporting are addressed in the Data Management Plan section, Part IV. B. of this RFA.

Additional requirements on expected performance goals, indicators and targets may be required as a condition of award.

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

1. Education, Extension and Training (EET) Grants

2. Rural Practice Enhancement (RPE) Grants

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.

Table 2: EET Grants VSGP Education Key Information Title Description

Program Code: VSGPE Program Code Name: VSGP Education

CFDA Number 10.336 Project Type: Education, Extension and Training Grant Type: Regular

Application Deadlines: March 21, 2024 Grant Duration: 36 Months

Anticipated # of Awards: Approximately 10 Maximum Award Amount: $250,000

Table 3: RPE Grants VSGP Rural Practice Enhancement Key Information Title Description

Program Code: VSGPR Program Code Name: VSGP Rural Practice Enhancement

CFDA Number 10.336 Project Type: Rural Practice Enhancement Grant Type: Regular

Application Deadlines: March 21, 2024 Grant Duration: 36 Months

Anticipated # of Awards: Approximately 10 Maximum Award Amount: $125,000

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 VSGP in FY2024 is approximately $3,822,070.

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

B. Types of Application NIFA will evaluate applications using the criteria described in Part V of this RFA. Applications are limited to the following types:

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

2. Resubmitted application: Must include the response to the previous review panel summary and is subject to the same criteria and due dates. 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 funding will be awarded as a standard grant.

The following describes the two project areas that are eligible for VSGP grant funding:

1. Education, Extension, and Training (EET) grants EET grants support the following types of formal coursework, clinical training, and practice enhancement activities:

i. To allow veterinary students, veterinary interns, externs, residents, and veterinary technician students to cover expenses (other than the types of expenses described in the Rural Practice Enhancement program area) of attending training programs in food safety, public health, or food animal medicine.

ii. To modify a course(s) of accredited veterinary education programs that includes but is not limited to updating course materials for in-person or remote learning; faculty recruitment and retention for such a course.

iii. To support training of veterinary residents, interns and externships carried out in coordination with accredited colleges of veterinary medicine.

iv. To provide continuing education and extension, including virtual and other formats for distance-based education, for veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and other health professionals needed to strengthen veterinary programs and enhance food safety.

v. To expose students in grades 11 and 12 to education and career opportunities in food animal medicine.

https://www.fiscal.treasury.gov/fsservices/gov/pmt/asap/asap_home.htm

vi. Although these grants last a minimum of 3 years, they do not have a minimum service commitment to a designated veterinary shortage area.

Examples of activities may include development and implementation of:

i. Traditional or non-traditional learning opportunities;

ii. Non-degree educational training programs;

iii. Courses associated with existing degree programs;

iv. Continuing education.

Research and graduate program activities that are not considered consistent with the overall intent of the program, are not encouraged for applications.

In FY2024, focus will be placed on programs that emphasize one or more of the following:

i. Veterinary students and veterinary technician students enrolled in an AVMA accredited veterinary degree program.

ii. Veterinary interns, externs, fellows, residents, and veterinary technicians.

iii. Early career veterinarians who, at the time they initiate the activities proposed in the application, are within 5 years of graduation from a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) or equivalent degree program.

iv. Students in grades 11 and 12 to expose education and career opportunities in food animal medicine.

Proposals should emphasize educational content that teaches one or more of the following:

i. Veterinary practice enhancement techniques and strategies that benefit the health of agricultural animals,

ii. Best practices for delivering quality food and agricultural animal veterinary services in rural areas,

iii. Veterinary approaches to foster food safety, epidemiology, or veterinary public health,

iv. Practice management and business planning and development skills

v. Career opportunities in food animal medicine.

Note: For the purposes of this RFA, please refer to APPENDIX III: DEFINITIONS of this RFA for definitions of “Educational activity” and “Extension activity.”

Other Program Area Requirements:

i. Applicants are encouraged to collaborate with other qualified entities and to be creative and innovative in their approach.

ii. The purpose of the proposed educational activities must be to substantially relieve veterinary shortage situations or facilitate or support veterinary practices engaged in clinical and public health activities in the United States and Insular areas.

iii. Application narratives must include formal evaluation plans (as described in Part IV. B) to document the anticipated reach and impact(s) of each educational activity. These plans should be participant-centered and implemented during the term of the project.

iv. In FY2024, applications that propose to develop new degree or curriculum programs will not be funded.

2. RPE

Program Area Priority –Rural Practice Enhancement grants will support the development and provision of veterinary services to substantially relieve designated rural (as defined in Part I, B.) veterinary shortage situations (as defined in the following section) in the United States and Insular Areas and support education or extension needs specified in the shortage area nomination. Funds may be used for one or more of the following:

i. Equip veterinary offices. Applicants must explain how requested equipment will be used to provide veterinary care for agricultural animals in veterinary shortage situations.

ii. Purchases for clinical equipment may include, but are not limited to, animal restraints, diagnostic and therapeutic tools, such as chutes, imaging equipment, head gates, hoof trimming instruments, breeding soundness examinations, etc.

iii. Share in reasonable costs of operating an eligible veterinary practice.

iv. Overhead costs may include, but are not limited to, salary and fringe benefits for veterinarian(s), support personnel, office rent, vehicle fuel supporting ambulatory services, maintenance contracts on equipment used to treat food animals, expendable medical and office supplies, computer software, utility expenses, and business consultant fees.

v. Establish mobile veterinary facilities. Mobile veterinary facilities include, but are not limited to, a vehicle equipped to provide mobile veterinary services, mobile restraint devices, veterinary truck inserts, point of care testing equipment, etc.

vi. To support the exposure of students in grades 11 and 12 to education and career opportunities in food/large animal medicine and herd health management.

RPE applicants can only apply to serve one veterinary shortage situation area (see below and

Veterinary Shortage Situation Map). It is imperative that applicants make a compelling case in their Project Narrative (See Part IV, B of this RFA) describing how the equipment, mobile facilities, personnel, or other resources supported by the grant will contribute substantially toward the objectives and/or mitigation of the veterinary service needs described in the specific shortage situation area they are applying to serve.

Other Program Area Requirements:

i. Overhead costs cannot exceed 50% of the total budget. These costs must be associated directly with providing service to a veterinary shortage area.

Applications with budgets that request greater than 50% for overhead costs will not be reviewed.

ii. Requests for overhead support must be justified, item by item, in the Budget Narrative (See Part IV, B of this RFA).

https://nifa.usda.gov/vmlrp-map?state=408&field_status_value=All&field_vsgp_status_value=All&fy%5Bvalue%5D%5Byear%5D=2021&=Apply

iii. Funds cannot be used to construct new buildings or facilities or to acquire, expand, remodel, or alter an existing building or facility, including site grading and improvement and architect fees.

iv. Educational or extension activities must be described in the Project Narrative section and may include experiential learning opportunities for veterinary or veterinary technician students, interns, or externs; courses, seminars, lectures or other events for producer groups, the public, community organizations or academic institutions; or participation in emergency preparedness events.

v. The ID of the shortage situation area the applicant is proposing to serve must be clearly cited in the project title and abstract. Applicants must submit the veterinary shortage situation area nomination form as a pdf document with their application materials.

vi. The percent full-time equivalent (FTE) specified in the shortage situation form (which can be found for each shortage here) does not apply to VSGP.

Awardees are expected to cover requested services described in the shortage area nomination regardless of the number of hours per week.

vii. An applicant may only apply to one shortage area in a given application year.

viii. One award is allowed per veterinary shortage situation each year.

ix. One award is allowed per RPE applicant and clinic.

x. Applicants must provide a copy of a map of the shortage area to which they are applying that details their clinic’s service area and the location of the clinic (example provided on website).

xi. A clinic that has received a VSGP-RPE award can apply for a new VSGP-RPE award five years following the end date of their previous award. A clinic must apply to a current shortage area unless they have an active VMLRP awardee in the clinic.

D. Ethical Conduct of Funded Projects (EET & RPE) 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.

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PART III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. Eligibility Requirements Applicants for the VSGP must meet all the requirements cited 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.

Applications may only be submitted by the entities listed below if they carry out programs or activities that will: 1) substantially relieve veterinary shortage situations; and 2) support or facilitate private veterinary practices engaged in the care of food animals and address food safety and public health concerns for the community.

Eligible Applicants for EET

1. State, regional, or national organization supporting food animal veterinary programs.

2. Allied or professional food animal veterinary organization recognized by the American

Veterinary Medical Association,

3. College or school of veterinary medicine accredited by the American Veterinary Medical

Association,

4. University research foundation or veterinary medical foundation,

5. Department of veterinary science or department of comparative medicine accredited by the U.S. Department of Education,

6. State agricultural experiment station or Research Farm (1890 institutions),

7. State, local, or tribal government agency.

Eligible Applicants for RPE

1. For-profit or non-profit entity located in the United States or an Insular Area, such as a veterinary clinic or hospital, that provides mixed/large animal veterinary services in a rural area, as defined in section 343(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)), within a current VMLRP shortage area. FY2024 veterinary shortage situation areas are found here.

2. Clinic or hospital that employs a current VMLRP awardee with a current service agreement at the time of the application and applies with reference to the single shortage area to which they are obligated to serve. If this is done, the clinic will be obligated to retain that VMLRP awardee for the 36-month duration of the VSGP award or forfeit the awarded funds (with proration for time served) upon their departure.

3. RPE awards are made to clinics, not individuals. Therefore, only a clinic (even if a solo practitioner), may apply for and be awarded an RPE grant.

4. Shortage situations must qualify as rural (as defined in Section 343(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)).

a. VMLRP Type II shortage situations are rural.

b. For Type I shortage situations, use the USDA Rural Development’s Business

Program’s Rural Community Development Initiative (RCDI) map to assess “rural” eligibility. The map can be found here.

(Select Rural Business at top, then the link for RCDI, accept the disclaimer and zoom into the area of interest.)

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Duplicate or Multiple Submissions –For RPE, duplicate or multiple submissions are not allowed. NIFA will disqualify both applications if an RPE applicant submits duplicate or multiple submissions. For EET, multiple submissions are allowed by different departments of eligible institutions. However, only one award will be granted per institution per year. 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.

Multiple Awards For those that have received a RPE award, a clinic can apply for a new VSGP-RPE award five years following the end date of the previous award.

For EET, an institution may have multiple awards that were granted from different years from different departments and different Project Directors.

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

https://nifa.usda.gov/resource/grants-overview

PART IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION

A. Method of Application (For EET and RPE) 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 4 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 4: Steps to Obtain Application Materials Steps Action

Step One:

Register

New Users to Grants.gov must register at least five weeks before the application deadline with Grants.gov prior to submitting an application (Register Here). For RPE applicants, as a requirement for the application process, it is strongly recommended to complete the registration or renewal of Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) through the System for Awards Management (SAM) at least five weeks in advance to the VSGP application deadline. There is no fee associated with receiving a UEI number through SAM.

Step Two:

Download Adobe

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

Step Three: Find Application

Using the funding opportunity number USDA-NIFA-VSGP-010340, locate for the application here: Opportunity Package.

Step Four: Assess Readiness

For EET, contact an Authorized Representative (AR) prior to starting an application to assess the organization’s readiness to submit an electronic application by the deadline.

Table 5: Help and Resources

Grants.gov Support NIFA Support Grants.gov Support Telephone support: 800-518-4726 Toll- Free or 606-545-5035 Email support: support@grants.gov Self-service customer-based online 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 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://www.grants.gov/forms/planned-uei-updates.html https://sam.gov/content/home?api_key=ROEXk2SBBROUbVQ4L38wSJsGEvZ3oWtLxva9h0zV https://sam.gov/content/home?api_key=ROEXk2SBBROUbVQ4L38wSJsGEvZ3oWtLxva9h0zV https://get.adobe.com/reader/ 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/pay-leave/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/

B. Content and Form of the Application (EET & RPE) 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 6 outlines other key instructions for applicants.

Table 6: 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 at VSGP@usda.gov 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. Fill in all areas of the SF 424 R&R cover sheet as it relates to your application. See Part V of the NIFA Grants Application Guide for the required certifications and assurances.

SF 424 R&R Project/Performance Site Location(s). Fill in all areas of the SF 424 R&R project/performance site location(s) as it relates to your application. 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 /Abstract. The project summary must show how the goals of the proposal align with the purpose of VSGP. See Part V of the NIFA Grants Application Guide for instructions and suggested templates. The project summary must be submitted as a PDF document and the following items must be included in the summary (please include underlined text along with your responses):

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a. Project Title (Note: A single shortage area must be included in the proposal title for RPE applications; this will be the shortage ID code, name of the clinic, and a short description for example, DE211_Cherry Creek Clinic: Serving Rural Dairy Producers).

b. Project Director and any Co-Project Director(s): For EET applications include institutional affiliation for each. For RPE applications only the person responsible for managing award funds, typically the applying veterinarian or veterinary practice owner, should be included here.

c. Total Funds Requested.

d. Collaborators: For EET applications only, if applicable.

e. Summary/Abstract Text: Concise (250 words or less) overview of problem(s) being addressed, objectives, approach and relevance to the purpose and goals of VSGP.

See Part V of NIFA Grants Application Guide for further instructions. Use the Project Narrative subheadings in this RFA rather than the template in the guide.

NOTE: The Project Narrative of each successful application will be published by USDA and, therefore, should not contain proprietary or private information.

Before submitting an application, the applicant must review the summary/abstract attachment to ensure compliance with the specified word limit, PDF format, and shortage code (only for RPE applications). All summary text exceeding 250 words will not be reviewed.

2. Field 8. Project Narrative for EET applications. The project narrative must not exceed 12, 1.5 spaced, pages of written text and up to 3, 1.5 spaced, additional pages for figures and tables (the font size for tables should be no smaller than 11-point Times New Roman). The page limits outlined here ensure fair and equitable competition. Appendices to the project narrative are allowed if they are directly relevant to the proposed project.

Do not add appendices to circumvent the page limit.

The EET Project Narrative must include the following:

a. Problem Identification and Significance: Clearly state the specific problem to be addressed and its importance to relieving veterinary shortage situations.

b. Background: Include a clear statement of the long-term goal(s) and supporting objectives of the proposed activities. Summarize the body of knowledge or other past activities that substantiate the need for the proposed project. Describe ongoing or recently completed significant activities that relate to the proposed project including the work of key project personnel. Include preliminary data/information pertinent to the proposed project. In addition, this section should include in-depth information on the following, when applicable:

i. Estimates of the magnitude of the issues to be addressed and their relevance to livestock producers and other stakeholders, and to ongoing local community, state, and Federal food and agricultural education and extension programs or needs.

ii. The role of public and private stakeholders in problem identification, planning, implementation, and evaluation as appropriate.

iii. Reasons for the work being done by the proposed entity(ies).

c. Objectives: All applications must include a statement(s) of specific aims of the proposed effort in clear, concise, complete, and logically arranged terms.

d. Methods: Explicitly state the procedures or methodology you will apply to the proposed effort. This section should include, but not necessarily be limited to, descriptions of:

i. Stakeholder involvement in problem identification, planning, implementation, and evaluation (if working with 11th and 12th grade students, the secondary school(s) and/or school district(s) should be included);

ii. If applicable, plans for coordination and/collaboration with other qualified entities and their roles and responsibilities (see item f. Management and Collaboration Plan below)

iii. Proposed project activities listed sequentially.

iv. Techniques to be employed in this project, including their feasibility and rationale.

v. Plans to communicate results to stakeholders and the public.

vi. Pitfalls that might be encountered, and

vii. Limitations to proposed procedures.

e. Project Evaluation Plan: Explicitly state the outputs and outcomes expected from the proposed project. Explain the data gathering procedures (qualitative and/or quantitative) that will be used to monitor and assess progress toward intended project outcomes. When describing the measurement instruments, you plan to use (surveys, interviews, focus groups, measures of class performance, cost-benefit analyses, etc.), be sure to mention why they are appropriate to gauging success. Evaluation plans must contain baseline data when available or describe how baseline data will be obtained for monitoring outcomes. A plan for tracking students/trainees after graduation and/or to assess the communities they will be serving to measure impact your project has on addressing shortage situations should be described. Finally, the Evaluation Plan should contain measures of the following:

i. student/trainee learning or engagement

ii. the number of students/trainees/teachers impacted by your project as a result of the proposed activities.

iii. the number of students/trainees serving or planning to serve veterinary shortage situations, and

iv. return on investment i.e., the trainee’s impacts relieving veterinary shortage situations.

f. Management and Collaboration Plan: Applicants are encouraged to use approximately two of the 12 pages for this section. It is critical to have a clearly articulated management plan that describes the roles and functions of all key personnel and, where applicable, partners, collaborators, and organizations, as related to the proposed project. For projects proposing coordination between two or more entities, include: time allocated by each partner for attainment of objectives; key roles of each partner and collaborator; and plan for administration of the proposed project and its maintenance and partnerships. Describe the plans for coordination, communication, data sharing and reporting among members of the project team and stakeholder groups. Describe the commitment of the organization and partners to this project; and how the collaboration and its impact will be sustained beyond the period of the award. An applicant’s failure to provide the requested information in the Management and Collaboration Plan may preclude NIFA from making an award. In addition, letters of commitment signed by the Authorized Representative (AR) of the partnering organizations demonstrating that the partners involved have agreed to abide by the Management Plan should be provided (see “Other Attachments” below).

g. Project Timetable: The proposal should outline all important phases and major milestones as a function of time, year by year, for the entire project, including periods beyond the grant funding period.

The following Table summarizes the section of the project narrative for EET applications, suggests an approximate number of pages to allocate to each section, and shows the evaluation criteria most relevant to each section:

Table 7: EET Project Narrative Narrative Section Suggested

# of Pages Related Evaluation Criteria (see Part V, B. of this RFA)

Problem Identification and Significance 1 Relevancy Background 1.5 Relevancy; Expertise, Experience, and Institutional Resources

Objectives 1 Relevancy; Technical Merit Methods 4 Technical Merit;

Collaborations;

Achievability

Project Evaluation Plan 2 Technical Merit Management and Collaboration Plan 2 Achievability; Expertise, Experience, and Institutional Resources

Project Timetable 0.5 Achievability Figures and Tables (optional) 3 Must be relevant to proposed project; extended narrative in these 3 pages will be rejected

Field 8. Project Narrative for RPE applications. The project narrative must not exceed 7, 1.5 spaced, pages of written text and up to 2, 1.5 spaced, additional pages for figures and tables (the font size for tables should be no smaller than 11-point, Times New Roman). The page limits outlined here ensure fair and equitable competition. Appendices to the project narrative are allowed if they are directly related to the proposed project. Use Table 10 as a guideline for organizing the project narrative. Applications will be evaluated based upon what is included in this section. Do not add appendices to circumvent the page limit.

The RPE project narrative must include all the following:

a. Problem Identification: Clearly state the perceived problem(s) occurring in the veterinary shortage situation you are applying to serve as stated by the State Animal Health Officials (SAHO) or from your professional knowledge. (Note that veterinary shortage situation nominations clearly state the specific problems and needs on pages 2 and 3 of the shortage nomination form).

b. Introduction and background: Describe the scope of the clinic’s current practice (# of clients, # of farms, # of herds, # of farm calls weekly, monthly, and yearly, how it is equipped, etc.). State why the clinic is professionally, geographically, and functionally poised to effectively relieve the veterinary shortage area to which the clinic is applying to serve. Provide supporting information that substantiates the need for the proposed resources.

c. Objectives: Include a clear statement of the goal(s) and supporting objectives of the proposed services. All applications must include a statement(s) of overarching aims, and goals and corresponding specific objectives of the proposed effort in clear, concise, complete, and logically arranged terms. For example, describe what is expected to be accomplished in each of the three years of the grant project period. Objectives should focus on the project period and may also consider any potential long-term impacts beyond the period of funding.

d. Approach: The proposed services should match the needs specified in the shortage nomination form. Explicitly describe the strategies, tactics and/or business plan you will employ, using the resources specifically acquired through support from this grant, to achieve stated goals and objectives. Where applicable, this section may include, but not necessarily be limited to, descriptions of:

i. Planned stakeholder/client involvement in veterinary service prioritization, planning, implementation, and evaluation; include a description of the relationships with local community leaders and producers in identifying best strategies to mitigate veterinary service shortages, and most effective methods of evaluating and effectiveness of strategies employed;

ii. Describe proposed activities over the three-year grant period;

iii. Justification of expense for equipment and its clinical use, tracking number of clients, farms, or number of animals that the new equipment will provide enhancement of services;

iv. Business or veterinary services (including consultants) to be employed, including feasibility and rationale;

v. Education or extension activities that will be offered including the amount of time that will be devoted to these activities;

vi. Methods used to collect, analyze, and interpret evaluation/impact data;

vii. Plans to communicate increased/ enhanced services to clients in the veterinary shortage situation area;

viii. Plans to communicate results to stakeholders and the public;

ix. Pitfalls that might be encountered, and

x. Limitations to proposed activities.

e. Anticipated Results Estimate the magnitude of the impact of the proposed practice enhancements on local livestock, livestock operators, and local economic vitality and to ongoing state-federal interests including health of animal populations, food safety, food security, and public health. For example, describe how the funds will help you serve more clients. These estimates should be supported by appropriate metrics (e.g., percent increase in clientele base or service radius; increase in number of livestock served; decreased rates of morbidity or mortality, or other measures of animal health and productivity; number of community outreach events presented and number of attendees; projected impact on clientele profits and/or sustainability; projected return on investment from equipment purchased or staff supported).

f. Project Timetable

The proposal should outline important phases and major milestones as a function of time, year by year, for the entire project, including periods beyond the grant funding period.

Timetable must meet the minimum 3 years.

The following table summarizes the sections of the project narrative for RPE applications, suggests an approximate number of pages to allocate to each section, and shows the evaluation criteria most relevant to each section:

Table 8: RPE Project Narrative Narrative Section Suggested

# of Pages Related Evaluation Criteria (see Part V, B. of this RFA)

Problem Identification 0.5 Technical Merit Introduction and Background 1 Expertise and

Experience; Technical Merit

Objectives 1 Technical Merit Approach 3 Technical Merit Anticipated Results 1 Technical Merit Project Timeline 0.5 Technical Merit Figures and Tables (optional) 2 Must be relevant to proposed project; extended narrative in these 2 pages will be rejected

3. Field 12, Add Other Attachments. See Part V of the NIFA Grants Application Guide. Other attachments may include the following documents.

A. Resubmitted applications for RPE and EET. If you submitted this same or a similar application in the past and it was declined for an award you are required to submit a response to the previous review and must check box number 8 “resubmission” on the SF

424. The response to previous review must not exceed 1, 1.5 spaced, page titled:

“RESPONSE TO PREVIOUS REVIEW” and saved as: “ResponsetoPreviousReview.”

This is a response to the stated weaknesses and should include how you made adjustments based on the previous panel’s summary of your proposal. If desired, additional comments may be included in the text of the project narrative subject to the page limitations of that section. The response to previous review must be saved as a PDF and uploaded as an additional document.

B. For EET applications. Commitment Letters – PDF attachment(s). No page limits. For projects proposing partnering, collaboration or coordination, letters of commitment from all participating parties (signed by the AR of the collaborating organization) stating that the collaborators involved have agreed to their stated roles in the project and have agreed to abide by the Management and Collaboration Plan. Letters from other organizations or people whose participation is important to the success of the project, committing those collaborators to specific roles, are also encouraged. Title the attachment(s) as ‘Letter of Commitment – Organization Name’ in the document header and save file as ‘Letter of Commitment _ Organization Name’. Other more general letters of support (i.e., from those who are not committing to a specific role in the project) are not needed and should not be included.

C. For all RPE applications. RPE applicants must submit the shortage area information for the veterinary shortage situation they wish to serve as an additional attachment. To do this, review the Veterinary Shortage Situation Map for the correct fiscal year you are applying. Once the detailed information is viewable select the print option to either save as a pdf or print. You will upload the veterinary shortage situation information as a PDF attachment with your application materials. All RPE applicants must submit a map that clearly identifies the location of the practice, the service area of the practice, and the counties of service identified on the veterinary shortage situation nomination form. The map must be submitted as a PDF. Two example maps are provided on the Veterinary Services Grant Program webpage.

D. For Type I shortage area applications. Type I shortage areas may not be located exclusively in rural areas as Type II shortage areas are. Therefore, a second map is required for applicants to Type I veterinary shortage situation areas. This map must display that the Type I veterinary shortage situation is eligible as rural on the USDA Property Eligibility Map. To search eligibility, enter the street, City, and state of the center of the veterinary shortage situation area the practice will serve. The search will indicate if the Type I shortage is in an eligible area. Select the print option on the webpage to save the map as a PDF. This map must be included with your application as a

PDF.

For EET and RPE. R&R Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded). Fill in all required fields as they apply to your grant application. See Part V of the NIFA Grants Application Guide for profile requirements, details about the biographical sketch, and suggested support templates.

4. For EET and RPE. R&R Personal Data. This information is voluntary and is not a precondition of award…