Q A Responses_Week 5.12-5.22.pdf

McGovern-Dole FY2025 Notice of Funding Opportunity

Questions and Answers

5/12/25-5/22/25

1. Q: Is there a certain amount/percentage of U.S. provided commodities that should be designated under each award?

A: While the U.S. McGovern-Dole legislation, regulations, or NOFO do not specify a certain amount or percentage of McGovern-Dole total funds to go towards purchasing U.S. provided commodities, commodities from American Farmers have always been an integral part of the McGovern-Dole program. Under multiple places in the NOFO, Applicants are encouraged to use U.S. commodities to maximize program reach and we encourage Applicants to dedicate a significant percentage of the project’s proposed budget to go towards U.S. commodities and freight to meet the goals of the McGovern-Dole program. In addition to school meals, past McGovern-Dole projects have been successful in using U.S. commodities to reduce hunger and improve school attendance through take-home rations and activities to support pregnant and lactating women and children under five. Applicants are also encouraged to explore the full authority governing the utilization of U.S. provided commodities, including direct distribution, sale, and/or barter, to meet program objectives and enhance the project’s success in the target country.

2. Q: If I’m a new applicant, when should I be registering for FAIS?

A: Per Section 5.3 Submission Instructions (page 37), USDA will only receive applications through the Food Aid Information System (FAIS). To ensure timely submission of application, new applicants should register in FAIS as soon as possible. Instructions for submitting the application are attached to this NOFO on Grants.gov under Related Documents – FAIS User Manual. Also, please see the FAS website on FAIS for more information.

3. Q: Are for-profit entities or limited liability companies (LLCs) eligible to apply for the USDA McGovern-Dole Food for Education Program? Do these types of organizations count as “Other Organizations” listed under Section 2.1: Eligible Applicants on page 8 of the NOFO?

A: Yes, for-profit companies are eligible to apply for the McGovern-Dole program. For-profit organizations fall under the “Other organizations” category. Please see Part 2.1: ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS in the NOFO and refer to the linked references, as copied below.

In accordance with the McGovern-Dole authorizing legislation, 7 U.S.C. 1736o-1, the following entities are eligible Applicants:

https://www.fas.usda.gov/food-aid-information-system

• Private Voluntary Organizations (see 7 CFR section 1599.2 for the definition of a private voluntary organization)

• Cooperatives

• Intergovernmental Organizations

• Governments of developing countries and their agencies; and

• Other organizations.

Per 7 CFR 1599.2 “’Private voluntary organization’ means a not-for-profit, nongovernmental organization (in the case of a United States organization, an organization that is exempt from Federal income taxes under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986) that receives funds from private sources, voluntary contributions of money, staff time, or in-kind support from the public, and that is engaged in or is planning to engage in voluntary, charitable, or development assistance activities (other than religious activities).”

All applicants must have an active registration in the U.S. Government System for Award Management (www.sam.gov).

4. Q: For Past Performance Reviews (PPR), can a former USDA employee provide a past performance review on a USDA McGovern-Dole Program?

A: Yes, former USDA employees can submit a past performance review. Please note that each application requires a minimum of only one past performance review and up to three past performance reviews. See page 26 of the NOFO for more information on Past Performance Reviews.

5. Q: Can a recently terminated USAID program be used as part of Past Performance Reviews? Can a current or former USAID employee be an evaluator providing a Past Performance Review?

A: The NOFO does not have any restriction Applicants submitting past performance reviews from inactive awards (grants, cooperative agreements, or contracts), drafted by former employees. As written on page 26 of the NOFO, Applicants must identify evaluators for at least one and no more than three awards (grants, cooperative agreements, or contracts) they have implemented. Evaluators are individuals or organizations independent of the Applicant that can provide feedback to USDA/FAS on an Applicant’s performance, achievements, and issues based on the evaluator’s experience overseeing or working alongside the Applicant organization on a project of similar scope, size, or context to the programming in their current application. Please note the restriction that Applicants may not request past performance reviews from current staff in USDA/FAS’s McGovern-Dole Branch; USDA/FAS Foreign Service Officers currently serving in the target country; or State Department (Political and Economic) Officers currently serving in the target country.

https://www.sam.gov/

6. Q: Are USDA/FAS cross-cutting topics the same and should this section still be included in the application?

A: Please refer to page 20 of the NOFO for specific cross-cutting topics USDA has identified in the FY25 McGovern-Dole NOFO posted on Grants.gov on May 9, 2025. Applicants should develop applications that respond to the topics identified in the NOFO.

7. Q: The Development Experience Clearinghouse website is currently down. Where can applicants access evaluations of McGovern-Dole Programs?

A: USDA has made completed external evaluations available for the seven priority countries with previous McGovern-Dole programs under the Related Documents tab in Grants.gov.

8. Q: Does USDA have any ocean freight estimates for U.S. commodities to be sent to the target countries?

A: Please refer to page 31 on Commodity Management and page 35 on Budget of the NOFO.

Applicants must submit an estimated budget for the U.S.-provided commodities (Commodity Cost) and Freight Cost. The estimates must account for changing commodity and freight rates.

USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) publishes quarterly International Commodity Procurement Reports, available here: https://www.ams.usda.gov/reports/international-commodity-procurement-information Additionally, Applicants are encouraged to source U.S.

Flag vessel freight estimates directly from third-party freight forwarding agents.

9. Q: In Pakistan country specific guidance, the NOFO mentions “propose appropriate cooking modalities to guarantee quality and safe food preparation”. Can USDA provide clarity on what this means?

A: Applicants should propose cooking modalities that are appropriate for the context of the target implementation area that will guarantee quality and safe food preparation and handling.

Examples of different school meals/cooking modalities include but are not limited to an in-school cooking model, a catering model, or a centralized kitchen model.

10. Q: The award end date states approximately 9/30/2030. If an academic year ends 2-3 months after 9/30, would USDA consider an end date of 12/31/2030 in order to provide schools meals through the full academic year? Would USDA consider an end date that is less than 60 months?

A: Yes, as allowed in the NOFO, USDA will consider end dates of greater than or less than 60 months depending on the specific context.

https://www.ams.usda.gov/reports/international-commodity-procurement-information

11. Q: In the M&E section, there is guidance for both the Results Framework Graphical and Results Framework Narrative. The Results Framework graphic explains the need for a graphic for Strategic Objective 1, Strategic Objective 2, and LRP. However, the Results Framework Narrative section only describes Strategic Objective 1 and Strategic Objective 2. Was there an omission of LRP for the Results Framework Narrative Section? Can you please clarify, the guidance for what to include in the Results Framework Narrative section?

A: Omitting mention of the LRP framework in the narrative section was not purposeful and does not reflect a difference between what the two sections should address. Both the graphic and the narrative should reflect all activities and desired results of the project, aligned with Strategic Objective 1, Strategic Objective 2, and the LRP framework.

12. Q: Where can applicants find the most recent commodity calculator?

A: USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) publishes quarterly International Commodity Procurement Reports, available here: https://www.ams.usda.gov/reports/international-commodity-procurement-information

13. Q: Based on Mozambique’s Country Specific Guidance (page 56), Applicants should focus on advocacy and capacity building for full handover of some McGovern-Dole target schools, what does USDA mean by “some” is there a percentage or a number that USDA has in mind? If so, kindly provide these details?

A: There is not a specific percentage or number that USDA has in mind, but the project design should align with the overall goals of the McGovern-Dole program to support graduation and lasting impact of project activities, building the foundation to promote the future graduation of all remaining schools with one additional funding cycle at the most as stated on page 57 of the

NOFO.

14. Q: We notice reference to the MGD Learning Agenda is not included in the FY25 NOFO. Has this requirement been dropped?

A: Applicants should develop applications that respond to the content guidance identified in the

NOFO.

15. Q: Can USDA please confirm if an organizational audit is a required attachment for the Organizational Capacity and Staffing section? The ‘Single Audit’ is a mandatory file to be uploaded in FAIS.

A: No, the organizational “single audit” is not a required attachment for the Organizational Capacity and Staffing section and was removed in an effort to lessen the burden on Applicants to provide this document. While we work to update FAIS computer system to recognize that this is no longer a mandatory file, Applicants are encouraged to either voluntarily upload their single audit or a simple document recognizing that this organizational audit is no longer a required document for Applicants to provide.

16. Q. Can the USDA please confirm the anticipated funding selection date and the anticipated award date?

A: Please refer to the NOFO for key dates.

17. Q: Do school kitchens have to be located within schools, or can other options be considered for off-campus meal production?

A: Applicants should propose cooking modalities that are appropriate for the target implementation area’s local context, that will guarantee quality and safe food preparation and handling. Examples of different school meals/cooking modalities include but are not limited to an in-school cooking model, a catering model, or a centralized kitchen model.

18. Q. The Country Specific Guidance for [country] does not mention [topic]. Can USDA please confirm if they would like to see [topic] included in the project design for [country]?

A: Applicants should develop applications that respond to the topics identified in the NOFO.

Applications will be evaluated based on how well the applications respond to the topics identified in the NOFO.

19. Q: If project evaluation uses QED; are incentives provided to schools/participants within the comparison group allowable? If so, does USDA have any guidelines or preferences for what may or may not be provided? Finally, would USDA be amendable to the inclusion of the benefits with later decision made in consultation with USDA prior to the baseline evaluation?

A: Incentives are allowable, and USDA has no guidance on these. Potential incentives should be discussed between the hired external evaluator and the implementer in the context of their evaluation contract. USDA expects contracted evaluators to make recommendations to the implementer that are appropriate to the country and community context, and the evaluation design.

20. Q: Does USDA have a requirement for the inclusion of baseline evaluation research questions within the baseline?

A: USDA does not require research questions at the baseline stage.

21. Can USDA share the baseline/midterm/final evaluation report for [specific McGovern- Dole project] that was not included in the reports that were released with the FY25

NOFO?

A: All reports that have been finalized and approved for public dissemination have been included in the Other Related Documents tab with the NOFO on Grants,gov. If a specific report is missing, it is still being finalized and not yet ready for release to the public.