FYs 19 & 20 BFRDP RFA.pdf

Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP)

Fiscal Years 2019 and 2020 Request for Applications

APPLICATION DEADLINES:

FY 2019: May 16, 2019 FY 2020: February 13, 2020

ELIGIBILITY: See Part III, A of RFA

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE; U.S. DEPARTMENT OF

AGRICULTURE

BEGINNING FARMER AND RANCHER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM (BFRDP)

INITIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE: This program is listed in the Assistance Listings under the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance number 10.311

DATES:

This RFA solicits applications for two funding cycles (FY 2019 or FY 2020). Applications for the FY 2019 funding cycle must be received by 5 p.m. Eastern Time on May 16, 2019, and applications for the FY 2020 funding cycle must be received by 5 p.m. Eastern Time on February 13, 2020. Applications received after these deadlines will normally not be considered for funding (see Part IV, C of this RFA). Comments regarding this request for applications (RFA) are requested within six (6) months from the issuance of this notice. Comments received after that date will be considered to the extent practicable.

STAKEHOLDER INPUT: We at the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) seek your comments about this RFA. We will consider your comments when we develop the next RFA for the program, if applicable, and we’ll use them to 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)). Submit your written stakeholder comments by the deadline set forth in the DATES portion of this notice via email to Policy@nifa.usda.gov. (This email address is only for receiving comments regarding this RFA and not for requesting information or forms.) In your comments, please state that you are responding to the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program’s RFA.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: NIFA requests applications for the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP) for two funding cycles, fiscal years (FY) 2019 and 2020 to support the delivery of education, mentoring, and technical assistance programs to help beginning farmers and ranchers in the United States (U.S.) and its territories with entering, establishing, building and managing successful farm and ranch enterprises. Applicants considering applying to the second year should check the BFRDP Funding Opportunity Web Page at: https://nifa.usda.gov/funding-opportunity/beginning-farmer-and-rancher-development-program-bfrdp. The anticipated amount available for Standard and Educational Team (ET) grants in FY 2019 and FY 2020 is approximately, $14 million for each fiscal year. Up to $200,000 per year for three years for a maximum total of $600,000 will be available for the Curriculum and Training Clearinghouse in FY 2019 ONLY. The Curriculum and Training Clearinghouse will be competed once every three years.

This notice identifies the objectives for BFRDP projects, deadline dates, funding information, eligibility criteria for projects and applicants, and application forms and associated instructions mailto:Policy@nifa.usda.gov https://nifa.usda.gov/funding-opportunity/beginning-farmer-and-rancher-development-program-bfrdp https://nifa.usda.gov/funding-opportunity/beginning-farmer-and-rancher-development-program-bfrdp needed to apply for a BFRDP grant in FY 2019 and FY 2020 and reflects the requirements in the 2018 Agriculture Improvement Act.

Table 1: Prospective BFRDP Applicant Webinar Information

Criteria Details

Date April 16, 2019

Time 2:00 PM until 3:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/227818946

Conference Call Number 1-888-844-9904 Access Code: 6824450

Join by SIP 227818946@zoomcrc.com

The Webinar will be recorded for those that cannot attend. Please go to the BFRDP webpage or contact the National Program Leader listed in Part VII. of this RFA for a copy.

https://zoom.us/j/227818946 mailto:227818946@zoomcrc.com https://nifa.usda.gov/program/beginning-farmer-and-rancher-development-program-bfrdp

Table of Contents

PART I—FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

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

PART II—AWARD INFORMATION

A. Available Funding B. Types of Applications C. Project Types

PART III—ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. Eligible Applicants B. Cost Sharing or Matching

PART IV—APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

A. Electronic Application Package B. Content and Form of Application Submission

PART V—APPLICATION REVIEW REQUIREMENTS

A. General

PART VI—AWARD ADMINISTRATION

A. General

PART VII—AGENCY CONTACTS

PART VIII—OTHER INFORMATION

A. Use of Funds; Changes B. Confidential Aspects of Applications and Awards C. Regulatory Information D. Definitions E. Materials Available on the Internet

Table of Tables

Table 1: Prospective BFRDP Applicant Webinar Information Table 2: Reporting Measures Table 3: Project Narrative Components Table 4: Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program FY 2019 and 2020 Checklist . 23 Table 5: Project Narrative Checklist Table 6: Program Code Names

PART I—FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. Legislative Authority

Section 12301 of Title XII in the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (Pub. L. 115-334) repeals Section 7405 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 3319(f)), and amends 7 U.S.C. 2279 to require the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a competitive grants program to support new and established local and regional training, education, outreach and technical assistance initiatives for beginning farmers or ranchers in the United States (U.S.).

Section 12301(d)(14) of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (Pub. L. 115-334) requires the Secretary of Agriculture to establish beginning farmer and rancher education teams to develop curricula and conduct educational programs and workshops for beginning farmers or ranchers in diverse geographical areas of the United States, or provide training and technical assistance initiatives for beginning farmers or ranchers or for trainers and service providers that work with beginning farmers or ranchers.

B. Purpose and Priorities

The primary goal of BFRDP is to help beginning farmers and ranchers in the U.S. and its territories enter and/or improve their successes in farming, ranching, and management of nonindustrial private forest lands, through support for projects that provide education, mentoring, and technical assistance to give beginning farmers and ranchers the knowledge, skills, and tools needed to make informed decisions for their operations, and enhance their sustainability. The term “farmer” is used in the broadest sense and may be interpreted to include agricultural farmers, ranchers, and non-industrial private forest owners and managers.

Applications from partnerships and collaborations that are led by or include nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), community-based organizations (CBOs), and school-based agricultural educational organizations (SAEOs) with expertise in new agricultural producer training and outreach will be given priority in funding. Legislative Priorities as defined by the 2018 Farm Bill are as follows:

a) Basic livestock, forest management, and crop farming practices;

b) Innovative farm, ranch, and private, nonindustrial forest land transfer and succession strategies;

c) Entrepreneurship and business training;

d) Technical assistance to help beginning farmers or ranchers acquire land from retiring farmers and ranchers;

e) Financial and risk management training, including the acquisition and management of agricultural credit);

f) Natural resource management and planning;

g) Diversification and marketing strategies;

h) Curriculum development;

i) Mentoring, apprenticeships, and internships;

j) Resources and referral;

k) Farm financial benchmarking;

l) Agricultural rehabilitation and vocational training for veteran farmers and ranchers;

m) Farm safety and awareness;

n) Food safety and recordkeeping, and

o) Other similar subject areas of use to beginning farmers or ranchers

Target Audience - The target audience for BFRDP is farmers and ranchers who have not operated a farm or ranch, or have operated a farm or ranch for no more than ten (10) years. In addition, a portion of BFRDP funding is a targeted set aside for projects that address the needs of two (2) subsets of beginning farmers and ranchers:

A. At least five percent (5%) of the program funds available for standard BFRDP projects will be allocated to address the needs of limited resource beginning farmers and ranchers;

socially disadvantaged beginning farmers or ranchers; and/or farm workers (including immigrants) desiring to become beginning farmers or ranchers.

B. At least five percent (5%) of the program funds available for standard BFRDP projects will be allocated to address the needs of beginning farmers and ranchers who are military veterans. A recipient of such a grant may coordinate with a recipient of a grant from the AgrAbility program http://www.agrability.org/in addressing the needs of veteran farmers and ranchers with disabilities.

Please note: Not all applications need to address the needs of these two (2) subsets of the beginning farmers and ranchers.

Priority may be given to applications that address any of the two (2) subsets, if necessary to achieve the targets, by awarding funding to the highest-ranked proposals that meet the set-aside.

A. For applications to be considered under any of the two (2) subsets, they must: Identify the target audience of any of the groups identified above and state what percentage of the project budget will be allocated to serving these group(s);

B. Explain how the beginning farmers and ranchers in the identified target audience will be recruited and provided with appropriate training, education, outreach and mentoring;

C. Provide evidence of the ability to serve the needs of the identified audience, e.g., involvement of partner(s) with expertise and a strong track record of having previously done so.

The BFRDP program directly aligns with the FY 2018 – 2022 USDA Strategic Plan, specifically Goal 2: Maximize the Ability of American Agricultural Producers to Prosper by Feeding and Clothing the World. Objective 2.1: Provide an effective Financial Safety Net for Farmers and Ranchers to Sustain Economically Viable Agricultural Production and Support Rural Jobs and Economic Growth. Objective 2.2: Increase Agricultural Opportunities and Support Economic Growth by Creating New Markets and Supporting a Competitive Agricultural System.

Priority Topics for FY 2019 and FY 2020:

To achieve program goals, BFRDP projects will be expected to conduct training and assistance for beginning farmers and ranchers on one (1) or more of the topics listed in Part I. A. items A- O. Applicants should carefully consider the topics that will be addressed by the proposed project, i.e., clearly identify the topics in the project narrative, and why those topics are the most appropriate for the project’s audience. Evidence of farmer input on topic selection is very important. Applicants should make use of existing curriculum (whether USDA funded or not), including entries in the BFRDP curriculum and training clearinghouse: FarmAnswers.org (https://farmanswers.org/ ). New curriculum should be proposed only if the need can be clearly justified. Applications that seek to develop coursework for credit for four-year degrees at colleges and universities are not appropriate for this program and will not be accepted for http://www.agrability.org/ https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/usda-strategic-plan-2018-2022.pdf https://farmanswers.org/ review. Applications that seek to educate students for careers in agriculture other than as farmers or ranchers will not be accepted for review.

NIFA is soliciting applications for the BFRDP under the following areas:

(1) Standard Grants;

(2) Educational Teams (ETs); and

(3) Curriculum and Training Clearinghouse

C. Program Area Description

Standard Grants

Program Code: BFRDA Program Code Name: Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program, Standard Maximum Award: $200,000 per year for up to three (3) years for large standard grants;

$100,000 per year for up to three (3) years for small standard grants; and less than $50,000 for a simplified standard grant application process for one (1) year.

Both small and large standard BFRDP projects support new and established local and regional training, education, outreach and technical assistance initiatives for beginning farmers and ranchers, on the priority topics listed in Part I. A. items A-O. They differ in their scale. Most of the funding in the BFRDP will be directed to Standard Grants. The primary goal of Standard Grants is to increase the number of beginning farmers and ranchers and enhance their successes and sustainability by providing them and their families with the knowledge, skills, and tools needed to make informed decisions. Standard Grant applications are expected to identify the audience of beginning farmers and ranchers they aim to serve; describe their characteristics and needs; demonstrate knowledge and experience in educational and assistance methods that are appropriate and effective in engaging the audience and meeting their needs; and propose an ambitious yet achievable plan of work that will accomplish meaningful and measurable success in enhancing the number and success of beginning farmers and ranchers. Most successful standard grant applicants provide training and assistance with business and financial management, as well as production and marketing topics aligned with the priority list in (Part 1.A. Items A - O).

Small and large standard grants will be reviewed by the same panel, and funding requests can go up to a three years project duration; applications will be discussed as two (2) different groups and ranked separately within each group to provide an equitable evaluation.

Small grants are a standard grant of up to $100,000 for three (3) year project duration. We will also offer simplified standard grants of less than $50,000 for applicants with limited capacities to enhance their portfolios in their abilities to create and sustain beginning farmers and ranchers.

Evaluation criteria for reviewing the simplified grants will be different from those utilized for reviewing small and large standard grants. Both small and large standard grant proposals will be evaluated using the same evaluation criteria (see Part V.B), including priority for partnerships and collaborations that are led by or include nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), community-based organizations (CBOs), or school-based agricultural educational organizations (SAEOs) with expertise in beginning agricultural producer training and outreach. The expectations for smaller projects, however, will be commensurate with their size (e.g., smaller audiences, more limited geographic reach, less complex collaborative arrangements) and provide an opportunity for smaller or less experienced organizations to propose projects that have smaller budgets and less complex administration.

Under the new authority at 7 U.S.C. 2279(e), NIFA is offering simplified standard grants.

Simplified standard grants can be utilized to develop action plans to address societal challenges;

strengthen program ideas to develop a full proposal; curriculum development; develop apprenticeship programs and hands-on materials; as well as develop an advisory committee to strengthen future program activities.

Educational Team (ET)

Program Code: BFRDB Program Code Name: Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program, Enhancement Maximum Award: $200,000 per year for up to three (3) years

The purpose of an Educational Team (ET) grant is to enhance beginning farmer efforts based on a particular topic, region, or audience. Such applications should complement previously-funded ETs, which have addressed environmental management and leadership, regional networks, farmer-to-farmer curricula, financial management, and individual development accounts; as well as currently active ETs, which are addressing immigrant farming incubators, land access, women farmers, apprenticeships, alternative energy, and the Farm Beginnings curriculum. ETs should involve Educational Teams of experts with diverse backgrounds (e.g., NGO, CBO, SAEO, farmers, university, and government) to do the following:

1. Identify, collect, and assess existing curricula and programs;

2. Identify gaps and develop and deliver curricula and train-the-trainer programs to fill the identified gaps; and

3. Collaborate with the BFRDP Curriculum and Training Clearinghouse

(http://farmanswers.org) and BFR education providers to enhance successful use of the ET curricula and programs.

Applicants interested in applying for an ET grant are strongly encouraged to confer with the Programmatic Contacts listed in Part VII to discuss the suitability of the topic prior to submitting an application.

Curriculum and Training Clearinghouse

Program Code: BFRDC Program Code Name: Curriculum and Training Clearinghouse for the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Maximum Award: $200,000 per year for three (3) years

The general purpose of the online Clearinghouse is to make available to beginning farmers or ranchers educational curricula and training materials and programs, which may include online courses for direct use by beginning farmers or ranchers. It does so in large part by collaborating and facilitating coordination and sharing across all BFRDP programs (both standard and ET projects) and other collaborators. Duties of the Clearinghouse are as follows:

1. Maintain and enhance an online accessible library for beginning Farmer and Rancher education, training, mentoring, and outreach materials produced from projects funded through the BFRDP program and through other sources.

Maintain a national “one-stop” source of beginning farmer and rancher education and training materials and information that can be accessed online. The online database needs to provide access or linkages to beginning farmer and rancher education and training materials developed by projects funded through the BFRDP program and those developed through other funding sources. These materials could have been developed by Extension and land-grant universities, Community Based Organizations, nongovernmental organizations, other Federal and state agencies, and/or Federally funded activities (such as the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Learning Center, National Agricultural Library, Ag Risk & Farm Management Library, eXtension (existing or new Communities of Practice), etc.) containing content useful to beginning farmers and ranchers and organizations that work with them.

2. Facilitate Sharing, Collaboration and Use of Curricula and Information

• Throughout the project, collaborate with all funded Educational Team (ET) projects, Standard projects in identifying content for the Online Clearinghouse, knowledge gaps, needs, and other appropriate issues;

• Provide training and assistance to funded ET and Standard grantees in providing their curricula, tools, success stories and other information to the Clearinghouse, and in accessing the information and materials provided by others;

• Provide regular opportunities for sharing and collaborative learning among ET and Standard projects, such as topical webinars (at least monthly); and

• Enhance communication among BFRDP projects through regular communications such as a monthly e-newsletter

3. Assist in Enhancing Outcome-Based Reporting

• Collaborate with NIFA and all BFRDP grantees to assist in identifying and improving ways to document outcomes of funded projects and in data collection concerning outcomes and results of BFRDP-supported activities;

• Operate the electronic tool that helps grantees organize and document the results of BFRDP projects. This system provides public access to reports and accomplishments of BFRDP projects funded by NIFA as well as projects already in existence. The system should allow Educational Enhancement Projects, non-profit organizations and other interested parties to learn from existing projects and build upon successful programs and materials;

• Develop appropriate communication tools to disseminate information on successful BFRDP programs, Educational Team Projects activities and other items of interest to the BFRDP national community; working in close coordination with NIFA leadership, all Standard BFRDP projects, and Educational Team projects.

PART II—AWARD INFORMATION

A. Available Funding

The anticipated amount available for BFRDP grants in FY 2019 and FY 2020 is approximately $14 million for each fiscal year. There is no commitment by USDA to fund any particular application or to make a specific number of awards. The Automated Standard Applications for Payment System (ASAP), operated by the Department of Treasury’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service, is the designated payment system for awards resulting from this RFA. For more information see Automated Standard Application for Payments.

B. Types of Applications

In FY 2019 and FY 2020, applications may be submitted to the BFRDP Program as one (1) of the following types of requests: All applications for FY 2019 and FY 2020 should state September 15 project starting dates on all applications.

New application. This is a project application that has not been previously submitted to the BFRDP Program or an application from a previously funded BFRDP project that has completed its project work and is applying for a continuation or starting a completely new project. We will review all new applications competitively using the screening for administrative requirements, review panel evaluation of proposals using evaluation criteria, and selection process described in Part V—Application Review Requirements. Applications from previously funded and terminated BFRDP projects seeking grant funds to start new BFRDP projects are also considered new applications. The new applications from a Project Director (PD) who has received a prior BFRDP award must contain the same information as required for new applications; they also must contain an additional one-page “Accomplishment-Based” narrative (see Project Narrative, Part IV). All previously funded and terminated BFRDP project applications must be received by the relevant due date, will be evaluated in competition with other pending applications in the area to which they are assigned, and will be reviewed according to the same evaluation criteria as new applications, plus based on performance during the previous BFRDP grant(s) and adequacy of plans for continuous improvement. Evaluation of performance during the previous BFRDP grant(s) will include the outcomes achieved and (where appropriate) contributions to the BFRDP Clearinghouse and Project Directors’ Annual Meeting.

In order to meet legislative requirement of geographical distribution to achieve regional balance, Project Directors (PDs) of active BFRDP awards are strongly discouraged from applying, unless that active award is in its final year.

Resubmitted application. This is an application that had previously been submitted to BFRDP Program but not funded. Project Directors (PDs) must respond to the previous review panel summary (see Response to Previous Review, Part IV). Resubmitted applications must be received by the relevant due dates, will be evaluated in competition with other pending applications in appropriate area to which they are assigned, and will be reviewed according to the same evaluation criteria as new applications. Addressing previous comments is important, but since each year is a new competition, resubmitting applicants should strengthen their proposals in every way possible.

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

C. Project Types

Applications will be accepted for 3 project types:

1. Standard BFRDP Projects; and/or

2. Educational Team (ET) Projects; and

3. Curriculum and Training Clearinghouse.

Standard BFRDP Projects

The long-term goals of the Standard BFRDP projects are to enhance the sustainability of beginning farmers and ranchers through education, training, mentoring and outreach programs that enhance self-employment in farming, ranching and forestry opportunities. The maximum award for a standard grant is $200,000 per year for up to three (3) years. All work must be completed within three (3) years. The Statutory time limitation for this project is three (3) years from the project start date on the Award Face Sheet/Notice of Award. Extensions of time beyond the three (3) years will not be permitted. The program will also accept applications for smaller grants of no more than $100,000 for the three (3) years of project duration and simplified standard grants of less than $50,000 for one (1) year of project duration. Due to statutory requirements, extensions of time beyond the three (3) years will not be permitted.

Simplified Standard Grants Simplified Standard Grants are intended to assist organizations: (1) to sustain and enhance important collaborations and innovative activities relevant to beginning farmer and rancher programs; and (2) to initiate and develop beginning farmer and rancher project ideas to lead to future program success or success in obtaining other grants for beginning farmer and rancher education.

Letters of reference or any additional application materials not submitted with application package by the application deadline are considered late and will not be accepted for application consideration.

Educational Team (ET) Projects:

The long-term goals of the Educational Team (ET) projects are to identify gaps in beginning farmer and rancher training by evaluating all existing programs, and to develop and conduct train-the-trainer projects to address these gaps.

The maximum award for an ET is $200,000 per year for up to three (3) years. ETs are awarded for up to three (3) years. Due to statutory requirements, extensions of time beyond the three (3) years will not be permitted.

Applications that include requests for annual project budgets in excess of the maximum annual project budgets established above, or that propose project periods outside the acceptable project ranges above, will be at risk of being excluded from NIFA review.

Curriculum and Training Clearinghouse:

The purpose of the Online Clearinghouse is to serve as an online platform and library for curricula, training materials, technical assistance materials and any other appropriate information for beginning farmers and ranchers. The Online Clearinghouse assists NIFA leadership in developing and providing an outcome based results verification system appropriate for use by the BFRDP, provides archival support for all materials and curricula on beginning farmer education and training, organizes appropriate meetings (both in-person and electronic, i.e., webinars, conference calls) under the direction of NIFA leadership and collaborates with BFRDP grantees as needed. The clearinghouse award is for three years. Due to statutory requirements, extensions of time beyond the three (3) years will not be permitted.

PART III—ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. Eligible Applicants

Applications may only be submitted by a collaborative state, tribal, local, or regionally-based network or partnership of qualified public and/or private entities. These collaborations may include the following entities: State Cooperative Extension Services; Federal, State, municipal or tribal agencies; community based organizations (CBOs); nongovernmental organizations (NGOs); junior and four-year colleges or universities or foundations maintained by a college or university; and private for-profit organizations. Inclusion of beginning and/or non-beginning farmers and ranchers as part of the collaborative group is strongly encouraged.

Applications submitted by individuals, or by organizations that do not involve other entities in a network or partnership, are not eligible for consideration under any category applicable to the BFRDP and will be excluded from review.

Multiple awards will not be made to the same organization or Project Director in the same calendar year. Further, organizations that have received a standard grant in the last two funding cycles (FY 2017 or FY 2018) are ineligible to apply for FY 2019 funding. For FY 2020, organizations that have received awards in FY 2018 or FY 2019, are ineligible to apply. ET awards and the Clearinghouse award are exempt from this restriction. An organization with a current ET award may receive a standard grant, and an organization with a current standard grant may receive one (1), but no more than one, concurrent ET grant.

Failure to meet an eligibility criterion by the application deadline may result in the application being excluded from consideration or, even though an application may be reviewed, will preclude NIFA from making an award. Award recipients may subcontract to organizations not eligible to apply provided such organizations are necessary for the conduct of the project.

B. Cost Sharing or Matching

For FY 2019 and FY 2020, for the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Grant program, grantees must provide a match from non-Federal sources in the form of cash or in-kind contributions in an amount equal to 25 percent of the funds provided by the grant or cooperative agreement.

NIFA may waive the matching funds requirement for a grant if NIFA determines that such a waiver or modification is necessary to effectively reach an underserved area or population. (See Part IV, B., R&R Budget Federal and Non-Federal, for details on requesting a match waiver.)

The matching funds must be from non-Federal sources except when authorized by statute.

An award will not be issued unless all matching funds over the life of the grant are secured with match support documentation, which will be requested of applicants at the time they are recommended for an award. There can be no contingencies on the matching amount.

The Budget Justification must list matching sources along with the identification of the entity(ies) providing the match as well as the total dollar amount being pledged. NIFA is no longer requiring written verification of commitments of matching support (a pledge agreement).

However, you are still subject to documentation, valuing and reporting requirements, etc. as specified in 2 CFR Part 200, “Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (the Uniform Guidance),” 7 CFR 3430, “Competitive and Noncompetitive Non-Formula Federal Assistance Programs – General Award Administrative Provisions,” and program-specific regulations, as applicable. In instances where match is required, any resulting award will require the signature of an AR. Only when NIFA receives the award signed by the AR will award funds be released and available for drawdown.

The applicant must establish the value of matching contributions in accordance with applicable cost principles. Refer to 2 CFR Part 200, “Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards,” for further guidance and other requirements relating to matching and allowable costs.

PART IV—APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

A. Electronic Application Package

Only electronic applications may be submitted via Grants.gov to NIFA in response to this RFA.

We urge you to submit early to the Grants.gov system. This is a complex application, and if you wait until the last few days before the due date to enter your application, you risk missing the deadline. We encourage inexperienced applicants to submit their applications several days or a week before the deadline, and then submit a subsequent application with improvements if there is time before the deadline. For information about the pre-award phase of the grant life cycle see https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/learn-grants/grants-101/pre-award-phase.html.

New Users of Grants.gov

Prior to preparing an application, we recommend that the Project Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) first contact an Authorized Representative (AR, also referred to as Authorized Organizational Representative, or AOR) to determine if the organization is prepared to submit electronic applications through Grants.gov. If not (e.g., the institution/organization is new to the electronic grant application process through Grants.gov), then the one-time registration process must be completed PRIOR to submitting an application. It can take as long as two (2) weeks to complete the registration process so it is critical to begin as soon as possible. In such situations, the AR should go to “Register,” in the top right corner of the Grants.gov web page (or go to https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/register.html), for information on registering the institution/organization with Grants.gov. Part II, 1 of the NIFA Grants.gov Application Guide contains detailed information regarding the registration process. Refer to item 2, below, to locate the “NIFA Grants.gov Application Guide.”

Steps to Obtain Application Package Materials

To receive application materials:

1. You must download and install a version of Adobe Reader compatible with Grants.gov to access, complete, and submit applications. For basic system requirements and download instructions, see https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/adobe-software-compatibility.html. Grants.gov has a test package that will help you determine whether your current version of Adobe Reader is compatible.

2. To obtain the application package from Grants.gov, go to https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/download-application-package.html and enter the funding opportunity number where appropriate.

Funding Opportunity Number: USDA-NIFA-BFR-006742.

Click “Search” on the display page, click the corresponding link to continue.

A Grant Application Package is tied to a particular funding opportunity. You may move forms amongst different Grant Application Packages but you may ONLY submit an https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/learn-grants/grants-101/pre-award-phase.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/learn-grants/grants-101/pre-award-phase.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/register.html https://get.adobe.com/reader/ https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/adobe-software-compatibility.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/adobe-software-compatibility.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/download-application-package.html application to the particular funding opportunity to which the Grant Application Package is associated.

Contained within the application package is the “NIFA Grants.gov Application Guide.”

This guide contains an introduction and general Grants.gov instructions, information about how to use a Grant Application Package in Grants.gov, and instructions on how to complete the application forms.

If you require assistance to access the application package (e.g., downloading or navigating Adobe forms) or submitting the application, refer to resources available on the Grants.gov website: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/support.html. Grants.gov assistance is also available at:

Grants.gov customer support 800-518-4726 Toll-Free or 606-545-5035

Business Hours: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Closed on federal holidays.

Email: support@grants.gov

Grants.gov iPortal (see https://grants-portal.psc.gov/Welcome.aspx?pt=Grants):

Top 10 requested help topics (FAQs), Searchable knowledge base, self-service ticketing and ticket status, and live web chat (available 7 a.m. - 9 p.m. ET).

Have the following information available when contacting Grants.gov:

• Funding Opportunity Number (FON)

• Name of agency you are applying to

• Specific area of concern

B. Content and Form of Application Submission

You should prepare electronic applications following Parts V and VI of the NIFA Grants.gov Application Guide. This guide is part of the corresponding application package (see Section A of this part). The following is additional information you need to prepare an application in response to this RFA. If there is discrepancy between the two (2) documents, the information contained in this RFA is overriding.

Note the attachment requirements (e.g., PDF) in Part III, Section 3 of the guide. ANY PROPOSALS THAT ARE NON-COMPLIANT WITH THE REQUIREMENTS (e.g., content format, PDF file format, file name restrictions, and no password protected files) WILL BE AT RISK OF BEING EXCLUDED FROM NIFA REVIEW. Grants.gov does not check for NIFA required attachments or whether attachments are in PDF format; see Part III, Section 6.1 of the guide for how to check the manifest of submitted files. Partial applications will be excluded from NIFA review. We will accept subsequent submissions of an application until close of business on the closing date in the RFA (see Part V, 2.1 of the NIFA Grants.gov Application Guide for further information).

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/support.html http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/snow-dismissal-procedures/federal-holidays/ mailto:support@grants.gov https://grants-portal.psc.gov/Welcome.aspx?pt=Grants

For any questions related to the preparation of an application, review the NIFA Grants.gov Application Guide and the applicable RFA. If assistance is still needed for preparing application forms content, contact:

• Email: electronic@nifa.usda.gov

• Phone: 202-401-5048

• Business hours: Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. – 5 p.m. ET, excluding federal holidays.

1. SF 424 R&R Cover Sheet Information related to the questions on this form is dealt with in detail in Part V, 2 of the NIFA Grants.gov Application Guide. See Part V, Section 2.18 of the NIFA Grants.gov Application Guide for the required certifications and assurances (e.g., Prohibition Against Entities Requiring Certain Internal Confidentiality Agreements).

2. SF 424 R&R Project/Performance Site Location(s) Detailed information related to the questions on this form is available in Part V, 3 of the NIFA Grants.gov Application Guide.

3. R&R Other Project Information Form Detailed information related to the questions on this form is available in Part V, 4 of the NIFA Grants.gov Application Guide.

Field 7. Project Summary/Abstract. The summary must also include the relevance of the project to the goals of BFRDP. See Part V. 4.7 of NIFA Grants.gov Application Guide for further instructions and a link to a suggested template. The following items should be included in the summary:

1. Project Title;

2. List of Project Directors (PDs) and Co-PDs and their institutions/organizations;

3. Concise (250 words or less) description of the project;

4. List of other collaborating institutions/organizations/farmer and rancher groups;

5. Percent of total federal funds requested that are allocated to nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), community-based organizations (CBOs), and school-based agricultural educational organizations (SAEOs);

6. For applications to be considered under either of the target audience set-asides:

a. Percent of budget allocated to serving military veterans; and/or

b. Percent of budget allocated to serving socially disadvantaged, limited-resource, or farmworker audiences; and

7. List of any previous or current BFRDP projects that PD or co-PDs have been a part of leading (list project director and award number (20XX-XXXXX-XXXXX); see Part VIII.F for a link to the full list of abstracts of previously funded projects)

Since there are relevant questions needing response when you complete the project summary, you are strongly encouraged to use the BFRDP Project Summary Format (template) provided at https://nifa.usda.gov/resource/bfrdp-project-summary-format-0 mailto:electronic@nifa.usda.gov https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/snow-dismissal-procedures/federal-holidays/ https://nifa.usda.gov/resource/bfrdp-project-summary-format-0

You are strongly encouraged to include key words most relevant to your topic area in the project summary so as to better make a distinct connection with the topic being addressed in your application. Spaces occupied by these key words will not count against the 250-word limit in your project summary. Your application will not be reviewed if you include a project summary that is not relevant to your objectives outlined in your project narrative.

Field 8. Project Narrative

A. For Small and Large Standard Grants, Educational Team Grants and Clearinghouse Grant Applications

NOTE: The Project Narrative shall not exceed 18 pages of written text, regardless of whether it is single- or double-spaced, using font no smaller than 12 point and with at least 1-inch margins.

This total includes figures and tables. We have established this maximum (18 pages) to ensure fair and equitable competition. Organizing your proposal, clearly labeling each section and sequencing them as indicated below, will help reviewers find the information to evaluate your proposal. It is encouraged that you include a one-page table of contents in the project narrative, which will not count towards the narrative’s 18-page limitation. The Project Narrative must include all of the following clearly-defined sections:

Introduction. The introduction should include a clear statement of the long-term goal(s) of the proposed project. Justify the need for the program by identifying the target audience and explaining their needs (size, region, value of sales, structure of the industry (the number of small, medium and large farms), critical barriers, etc.); and by briefly summarizing all the other similar beginning farmer and rancher education and training programs that are available for the identified target audience, including all programs at FarmAnswers.org. If necessary, provide a map of the region. Show evidence that beginning farmers and ranchers were involved in conceptualizing the project and designing the activities. If the project type is Educational Team, present the rationale for the geographic, topic or other appropriate focus of the Team and the Team’s composition. If this application is for the Curriculum and Training Clearinghouse, briefly describe the technology that will be used to operate the online library and the applicant’s experience in developing and maintaining such a system. All works cited must be referenced (see 7(i) Bibliography & References Cited in this section). Applicants are encouraged to use approximately two (2) of the 18 pages for this section. (Related evaluation criteria (see Part V.B): Relevancy.)

1) Objectives and Outcomes. Concisely present the goals, associated objectives and expected outputs and outcomes of the project in relation to the audience and needs identified in the introduction. Provide numbers of beginning farmers and ranchers that will be served. Estimate how many of them will attain specific, anticipated knowledge gains or actions (e.g., starting farming; improving production practices; entering new markets) and project the expected resulting impacts of those gains and actions on the success of their operations. Discuss whether and how this program can be adapted to other regions, communities and/or agricultural systems. Applicants are encouraged to use approximately two (2) of the 18 pages for this section. (Related evaluation criteria:

Technical merit.)

2) Approach. The activities proposed to achieve each objective must be clearly stated and the approaches being applied clearly described. Applicants are encouraged to use approximately six (6) of the 18 pages for this section. Specifically, this section must include:

a) A description of the activities proposed for each objective.

b) A timeline of the proposed project. The timeline should include activities and major outputs and associated outcomes for each year of the project.

c) Discuss how and where the activities will be provided and the appropriateness of the approach for the target audience.

d) For Standard BFRDP Projects: how will the beginning farmers and ranchers be recruited for this training?

e) For Education Team Projects: how will beginning farmer and rancher curricula and programs be identified and evaluated? How will you help guide curriculum and program development and delivery in future years?

f) How will the project, and its partnerships and collaborations, be sustained beyond the life of the grant (e.g., plans for eventual self-support or institutionalization or other sources of support)? If there are no plans to sustain the effort, explain why not, and how the impact of the project will be lasting.

g) The inclusion of a logic model or other tool as you deem appropriate to guide program planning, implementation and evaluation. One page of your project narrative must be utilized for any grant type being applied for. Use graphical depiction to show the relationships between the various elements leading to the outcomes.

h) Any novel ideas or contributions of the proposed project.

i) Pitfalls that may be encountered and limitations to proposed procedures, and how you will address them. For Standard BFRDP Projects, identify possible challenges to your proposed strategy for participant recruitment and how you plan to address those challenges. (Related evaluation criteria: Technical merit;

Achievability.)

3) Personnel and Resources. Describe in detail the Key Personnel’s experience in serving the identified or other audiences of beginning farmers and ranchers and ability to provide effective education, training, outreach and mentoring programs for the identified audience.

For any audience, but particularly for socially disadvantaged audiences and/or veterans, it is very important to have partner(s) who have knowledge and experience working with such audiences, and that such partner(s) be involved in the leadership of the project (see “Management and Collaboration Plan” below). Describe ongoing or recently completed significant activities related to the proposed project, and their impacts. This information may include: the years and locations of prior activities; number of training assistance or education activities previously carried out; number of participants and graduates from the program;

success rate in completing the program; percentage of graduates who are still in farming;

and/or percentages of those who improved their operations. Applicants are encouraged to use approximately two (2) of the 18 pages (of the Project Narrative) for this section. (Related evaluation criteria: Expertise and track record; Adequacy of available or obtainable support personnel.)

4) Plan for Outcome Based Reporting. Clearly identify a minimum of two (2) expected project specific outcomes within the life of the project, and explain the plan to document and evaluate these outcomes. Third-party evaluators are strongly recommended but not required.

Participatory evaluation, and formative as well as summative evaluation, are encouraged.

All projects must describe methods and resources for documenting and evaluating their outcomes and impacts. Because of the diversity in the types of BFRDP projects funded, it is not possible to require all applicants to report on identical measurable outcomes. However, all Standard BFRDP applicants should consider using as their outcomes:

1) The expected number of new farm startups that would result from their project, and

2) The expected number of new farmers (i.e., those who are already farming but in their first ten (10) years of operation) who will make beneficial changes (and describe those changes) as a result of the project.

Additionally, more specific outcomes, may include the number of new farmers who will learn and/or act on their learning (e.g. develop a business plan, and adopt a new production or marketing practice). Reporting of evaluation measures is managed through the Results Verification System at https://sites.google.com/a/umn.edu/rvs-bfrdp-help/ For greater detail on appropriate evaluation measurement for a BFRDP grant, please see the Outcomes Guide:

https://nifa.usda.gov/sites/default/files/resource/Outcomes%20Based%20Reporting%20Guid e%20for%20BFRDP_2.pdf. All Educational Team applicants must consider using the anticipated number of users of information products created as a result of their Educational Team activities as one (1) of their metrics. Include a table summarizing the two (2) to five (5) primary outcome targets and related measurements:

Table 2: Reporting Measures Outcome Target

Number How Measured

Number of new farm start-ups Number of new farmers who will…[describe action and/or condition change]

Number of new farmers who will…[describe another action and/or condition change]

(if ET) Number of users of [describe info/product(s)] (if ET) Number of trainers trained or # of organizations assisted who will then [describe actions taken]

Applicants for Standard grants that include instruction in farm financial management are also strongly encouraged to employ the applicable evaluation instruments available in the Farm Business Health Assessment tool. Applicants are encouraged to use approximately two (2) of the 18 pages for the outcome based reporting section. (Related evaluation criteria:

Adequacy of plans for the participatory evaluation process.)

5) Management and Collaboration Plan. It is critical to have a clearly articulated management https://sites.google.com/a/umn.edu/rvs-bfrdp-help/ https://nifa.usda.gov/sites/default/files/resource/Outcomes%20Based%20Reporting%20Guide%20for%20BFRDP_2.pdf https://nifa.usda.gov/sites/default/files/resource/Outcomes%20Based%20Reporting%20Guide%20for%20BFRDP_2.pdf plan that describes the roles and functions of all partners, collaborators and the organizations, as related to the proposed project. Strong partnerships among complementary organizations (e.g. NGOs, CBOs, SAEOs and universities) with shared leadership are essential to most successful BFRDP projects, see “Definitions” (Part VIII.E) for definitions of Partner and Collaborator.