McGovern Dole - Q A Responses Week of April 8-12 2024.pdf

McGovern-Dole FY2024 Notice of Funding Opportunity Questions and Answers

Week of April 8-12

1. Q: Pages 44 and 45 of the NOFO offer guidance on how to budget for indirect costs. When applicants and sub applicants do not have a NICRA, is it allowable to direct bill all costs (including proportional office rent and similar costs that might typically be included as indirect costs)?

A: Please reference page 44 of the NOFO under Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement

(NICRA).

Organizations applying to the McGovern-Dole NOFO that have never had a NICRA may elect to:

• Charge a de minimis rate of 10 percent of modified total direct costs, which may be used indefinitely. As provided in 2 CFR section 200.403, Factors Affecting Allowability of Costs, the Applicant must consistently charge costs as either indirect or direct costs but not double charge or inconsistently charge as both. If the Applicant choses this methodology, it must use it consistently for all federal awards until such time as the Applicant chooses to negotiate for a rate, which it may apply to do at any time. For more information, see 2 CFR section 200.414.

• Develop a negotiated rate, upon notification that USDA/FAS will make an award. In this case, the Applicant should develop a tentative indirect cost rate application based on its most recently completed fiscal year, in accordance with the cognizant agency's guidelines for establishing indirect cost rates and submit it to the cognizant agency. Applicants awaiting approval of their indirect cost rate applications may also request indirect costs.

When an Applicant requests an indirect cost rate, it must not charge costs that it includes in the indirect cost pool to the award’s direct costs.

Applicants must also provide an Excel spreadsheet demonstrating how NICRA rates were applied to the budget.

USDA/FAS does not have a direct relationship with subrecipients, our relationship is with the pass-through entity 2 CFR 200.1 “Pass-through entity (PTE).

Applicants should review the Cost Principles of 2 CFR 200 Subpart E, for the regulatory requirements of classification of costs, direct costs, and indirect costs.

2. Q: Given that the Malawi Programming Priorities specifically expect applicants to build on past McGovern-Dole successes and support the graduation of schools and communities served under the current project ending in September 2024, can USDA/FAS share (i) a list of the https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-E/subject-group-ECFRd93f2a98b1f6455/section-200.414 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-A#p-200.1(Pass-through%20entity%20(PTE)) schools, early childhood development centers, communities and districts currently supported, and

(ii) key preliminary findings from the ongoing external project evaluation (January-June 2024)?

A: Applicants are expected to provide their own assessment of current country context and need.

Please reference page 23 of the NOFO, a. Introduction and Strategic Analysis, Strategic Objective 1: Literacy and Education (S01). “Overview of Context and Need: Applicants should provide context regarding education, literacy, teacher training, parent-teacher associations, and community infrastructure in the country target area. Applicants should describe any education-related programs, policies, interventions, and strategies that other stakeholders (including target country government, USG and other public and private donors, private sector, and other USG Agencies involved in the USG Strategy on 24 International Basic Education) are implementing.”

Regarding requesting project evaluations, see question #2 from the Week of March 4-8, 2024, McGovern-Dole FY2024 Notice of Funding Opportunity Questions and Answers:

Not all approved evaluations are currently available on the Development Experience Clearinghouse (DEC); USDA is experiencing a posting backlog. USDA will prioritize posting evaluations for priority countries over the next few months and recommends that organizations continue to check the DEC regularly. However, organizations may also request copies of the evaluations by emailing the address available in the McGovern-Dole NOFO (PPDED@usda.gov). If available, USDA can directly send approved evaluations to any requestor, should they not be posted publicly yet.