Request for Applications for Competitive Cooperative Agreement Award To Establish a USDA Research Innovation and Development Grants in Economics (RIDGE) Partnership for Food and Nutrition Assistance Research.pdf

Request for Applications for Competitive Cooperative Agreement Award To Establish a USDA Research Innovation and Development

Grants in Economics (RIDGE) Partnership for Food and Nutrition Assistance Research

Request for Applications for Competitive Cooperative Agreement Award To

Establish a USDA RIDGE Partnership for Food and Nutrition Assistance Research

Abstract

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Economic Research Service (ERS), in collaboration with USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), invites applications for a competitively awarded cooperative agreement to establish a research partnership to administer the Research Innovation and Development Grants in Economics (RIDGE) Program. The USDA RIDGE Partnership will:

1. Provide renewed focus on economic aspects of food and nutrition assistance research;

2. Stimulate innovative research on domestic food and nutrition assistance issues by providing small grants for new analyses of the USDA major food and nutrition assistance programs and food security.

3. Broaden the network and diversity of social scientists working to expand the understanding of the economic, nutrition, and health outcomes of participation in USDA’s food assistance programs, as well as of the issues surrounding program implementation and delivery.

ERS anticipates that $750,000 will be awarded in fiscal year 2022 to support this activity. If funding is available, the Research Partner could be asked to fund subsequent rounds of small grants in FY 2023 and FY 2024. This document describes the RIDGE Partnership responsibilities and application requirements. The deadline for submission of applications is August 8, 2022.

Keywords: Food assistance programs, nutrition, economic incentives, CACFP, SNAP, child nutrition, WIC, NSLP, SBP, food security, ERS, USDA ii Request for Applications for Competitive Cooperative Agreement Award To Establish a USDA RIDGE Partnership for Food and

Nutrition Assistance Research

Checklist

All proposals must contain the elements described in this brochure and must be submitted through grants.gov by August 8, 2022. The following checklist has been prepared to help ensure that the proposal is complete and in the proper order:

Application for Federal Domestic Assistance-Short Organizational Form (SF-424)

• Is all required information accurate and complete?

• Is the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number 10.253?

• Has the authorized organizational representative signed the SF-424?

• Is the CFDA Title: “Consumer Data and Nutrition Research (CDNR)”?

• Is the Funding Opportunity Title: “Competitive Cooperative Agreement Award To

Establish a USDA RIDGE Partnership for Food and Nutrition Assistance Research”?

• Have you included a telephone number and e-mail address where a message may be left for you?

• Have you included the requested total funding amount from the budget form?

Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs (Research and Related Budget)

• Are budget items complete?

• Is the budget justification included?

• Is the budget duration within the stated 3-year research cycle?

Proposal and All Attachments in PDF

• Does the proposal conform to all format and page limitations?

• Are all attachments in PDF format?

• Does the proposal conform to deadline requirements?

Program Summary Page

• Is the program title listed at the top?

• Has the Program Summary been included?

• Does the summary include program objectives? Is the summary no more than 250 words?

• Do the name and institution of the proposed RIDGE Partnership Director appear on the page or on the following page?

• Does the page include the total amount requested?

• Does the page include the start and end date?

Table of Contents

• Are page numbers included for each item?

Program Description

• Is the program fully described?

• Does this section adhere to the format and page limitations, as specified?

• Does this section begin on page 1, as specified?

• Does the program description contain a tentative schedule or work plan of major steps of study?

iii Request for Applications for Competitive Cooperative Agreement Award To Establish a USDA RIDGE Partnership for Food and

Vitae and Publications List(s)

• Are vitae included for the proposed Research Partners and key program personnel?

• Are the vitae current, pertinent, and limited to 2 pages for each individual?

• Are the publication lists complete and limited to the last 5 years?

Indirect Cost Rate Schedule (for Reimbursement of Indirect Costs)

• Is a copy included of the applicant’s indirect cost rate schedule that reports the applicant’s federally negotiated audited rate or the form electing the de minimis rate?

(See 7 U.S.C. 3310 for limits).

iv Request for Applications for Competitive Cooperative Agreement Award To Establish a USDA RIDGE Partnership for Food and

Contents

Overview Application Process Using Grants.gov

Important Information for Faculty and Staff of Educational Institutions Deadlines Notice of Intent Closing Date Extension of Deadlines

Authority Eligible Applicants Cost Principles and Administrative Requirements Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number Available Funds in FY 2022 Matching Requirements Program and Budget Period

Program History and Purpose

Awardee Responsibilities for the RIDGE Partnership for Food and Nutrition Assistance Research

Research Program Expanding the Research Base Dissemination of Information Research Area Guidance

ERS Responsibilities

Joint Responsibilities

Application Process General Information Submission Requirements Format and Content of Proposal

Research and Related Budget Program Summary Page Table of Contents Program Description Citations to Program Description Budget Justification Vitae and Publications List Indirect Cost Rate Schedule Current and Pending Support What/When/Where To Submit

Federal Award Administration Information

Review and Evaluation Process

Intergovernmental Review Initial Screening v Request for Applications for Competitive Cooperative Agreement Award To Establish a USDA RIDGE Partnership for Food and

Competitive Review and Evaluation Criteria Evaluation Criteria

(1) Approach and Program Plan (30 points)

(2) Expanding the Research Base and Development of Data (20 points)

(3) Dissemination of Information (10 points)

(4) Quality of Staffing and Organizational Arrangements (25 points)

(5) Quality of Budget and Resource Allocation (15 points)

Proposal Disposition and Award Administration Notifications Duration of Award Notice of Award Management Information Financial Obligations Release of Information

How To Obtain Application Materials and Support v

Request for Applications for Competitive Cooperative Agreement Award To Establish a USDA RIDGE Partnership for Food and Nutrition

Assistance Research

Overview

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Economic Research Service (ERS), in collaboration with USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), invites applications from university-based institutions for a competitive cooperative agreement award to establish a RIDGE Partnership for Food and Nutrition Assistance Research. Started in 1998, RIDGE has been extremely effective in providing small grants for new research on major USDA programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), Child Nutrition Programs, including the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program, and smaller, less-studied programs like the Summer Food Service Program and the Child and Adult Care Food Program. The program has resulted in nearly 300 studies by more than 250 researchers located at over 100 educational and research institutions. In addition to research grants, RIDGE has supported studies by Ph.D. candidates through its Doctoral Dissertation Research Grant Program and other activities. These activities support the RIDGE Program goals to expand the research base, reach beyond established researchers to target Ph.D. candidates and new postdoctoral scholars to encourage inclusion of food assistance issues in their studies, and introduce new investigators to the research performed at ERS and FNS.

As a major activity, the RIDGE Partner will administer a program of grants to researchers at universities and other institutions and will oversee the application, peer review, sub-grant award, and quality assurance processes of RIDGE. The institute awarded with the RIDGE Partnership will support food and nutrition assistance research at the national level as well as for specific populations, such as households with elderly or disabled members, racial and ethnic subgroups, people living in rural areas, or residents in areas with limited access to healthy foods. This institute will establish a system to creatively disseminate research findings to a diverse stakeholder audience, including other researchers, policy and program officials, and the general public.

ERS expects to fund the RIDGE Partnership beginning September 16, 2022. The anticipated funding will be approximately $750,000. Subject to the availability of funds, ERS may be able to provide a comparable level of funding to the RIDGE Partnership in FY 2023 and FY 2024. The present application should focus on the FY 2022 award.

There are no matching-fund requirements from the RIDGE Partner’s institution over the term of the agreement.

Application Process Using Grants.gov

Applications for this announcement must be submitted electronically through the Grants.gov website at www.grants.gov. The Grants.gov website is the single access point to electronically find and apply for competitive Federal funding opportunities and manage grants from all Federal grant-making agencies. For an overview of the Grants.gov application process see https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants.html

First-time users of Grants.gov should go to the “Applicants” tab on the Grants.gov website and carefully read and follow the steps listed to apply. Your organization will need to have a Dun and Bradstreet Universal Data Numbering System (DUNS) number, be registered with the http://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants.html

Request for Applications for Competitive Cooperative Agreement Award To Establish a USDA RIDGE Partnership for Food and Nutrition

Federal System for Award Management (SAM), and have established an Authorized Organizational Representative to apply for funding.

Important Information for Faculty and Staff of Educational Institutions

To submit your application via Grants.gov, you should first check with your Office of Sponsored Programs to verify that your organization is registered with Grants.gov. The Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) of your organization is responsible for registering the educational institution or applicant organization. Most applications by faculty, staff, or other principal investigators are actually submitted on behalf of the institution at which they are employed; awards are made to the institution. All registration steps for the institution are completed by the AOR; likewise, the AOR is the person who must submit the application to Grants.gov. Questions about Grants.gov should be directed first to your Office of Sponsored Programs, which will assist you in preparing your application for submission. Please provide that office with sufficient notice of your intent to apply through Grants.gov.

The posted notice through www.grants.gov is the only official program announcement. Any corrections to this announcement will be published on both the ERS website at www.ers.usda.gov and the www.grants.gov website. The applicant bears sole responsibility for ensuring that the copy downloaded and/or printed from any other source is up to date, accurate, and complete.

Deadlines

Notice of Intent

Please email Alana Rhone at Alana.Y.Rhone@usda.gov by July 18, 2022 to inform ERS of your intent to submit an application. Include the name of your organization. Providing notice of intent to submit is not a requirement for submitting an application. However, a notice of intent to submit will help ERS in the planning for the review process.

Closing Date

The closing date for submitting applications under this announcement is midnight, August 8, 2022.

Applications that are not received by the time stated are considered late applications. ERS will notify each late applicant that its application will not be considered in the current competition.

Extension of Deadlines

ERS may extend an application deadline when circumstances warrant (such as widespread disruptions of Internet service). Determinations to extend or waive deadline requirements rest with Alana Rhone, USDA, ERS, Food Economics Division.

http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.ers.usda.gov/ mailto:Alana.Y.Rhone@usda.gov

Request for Applications for Competitive Cooperative Agreement Award To Establish a USDA RIDGE Partnership for Food and Nutrition

Authority

The Authority for this program is contained in 7 U.S.C. 292, 411, 427, 1441a, 1621-1627, 1704, 1761-68, 2201, 2202, 3103, 3291, 3311, 3504; 22 U.S.C. 3101; 42 U.S.C. 1891-93; 44 U.S.C.

3501-11; 50 U.S.C. 2061 et seq., 2251 et seq.; 2 CFR Part 415; 2 CFR Part 416; 7 U.S.C. 3318;

and 7 U.S.C 3310.

Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants for the USDA RIDGE Partnership for Food and Nutrition Assistance Research are restricted to public or private institutions of higher education.

Cost Principles and Administrative Requirements

Regulations and guidelines applicable to this announcement include (a) 2 CFR Part 200 Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards; (b) 2 CFR Part 400 Uniform Administrative Requirements Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards; (c) 2 CFR 415 General Program Administrative Regulations; (d) 2 CFR Part 416 General Program Administrative Regulations for Grants and Cooperative Agreements to State and Local Governments, 2 CFR Part 417 Nonprocurement Debarment and Suspension; 2 CFR Part 418 New Restrictions on Lobbying; 2 CFR Part 421 Requirements for Drug-Free Workplace; and 2 CFR Part 422 Research Institutions Conducting USDA Funded Extramural Research; Research Misconduct.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number

The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number for this program is 10.253. The CFDA Title is Consumer Data and Nutrition Research.

Available Funds in FY 2022

ERS anticipates having available a total of approximately $750,000 to the host of the RIDGE Partnership for Food and Nutrition Assistance Research in FY 2022. Nothing in this announcement restricts the ability of ERS to make no awards or lesser or greater awards. Awards and the distribution of awards are contingent on adequate funding, the needs of ERS, and the quality of the applications received. Subject to availability of funds, there may be additional funds in subsequent years.

Matching Requirements

None.

Request for Applications for Competitive Cooperative Agreement Award To Establish a USDA RIDGE Partnership for Food and Nutrition

Program and Budget Period

ERS expects to fund the USDA RIDGE Partnership for Food and Nutrition Assistance Research in fiscal year (FY) 2022 and, subject to the availability of funds, to provide a comparable level of funding to the host of the RIDGE Program in one or two subsequent years. The award pursuant to this announcement will be made on or about September 16, 2022.

Program History and Purpose

USDA, through FNS, administers 15 domestic food and nutrition assistance programs that work both individually and collectively to provide children and low-income adults with food or the means to purchase food. USDA's domestic food and nutrition assistance programs affect the daily lives of millions of Americans and represent a significant investment, accounting for over two-thirds of USDA’s annual budget. Approximately 1 in 4 Americans participate in at least 1 of the 15 food and nutrition assistance programs at some point during a given year, making these programs fundamental to the nutritional well-being of millions of Americans. These diverse activities share the common goal of improving the nutrition, food security, and health of American consumers.

Because of the importance of the food and nutrition assistance programs to both program participants and taxpayers, sound research is needed to ensure that the programs operate effectively and efficiently. Using a strong economic framework to guide its research, ERS is the premier source of economic research on these programs. The goal of ERS research is to meet the critical information needs of USDA, Congress, policy officials, program participants, the research community, and the public at large. To address the needs of this diverse group, ERS conducts a multifaceted research plan consisting of both intramural and extramural research. The intramural program, conducted by ERS research staff, takes advantage of the staff’s experience and specialized knowledge. At the same time, ERS funds extramural research, often conducted jointly with ERS staff, that draws on the multidisciplinary expertise of nationally recognized social and nutrition science researchers and the resources of numerous noted institutions.

It is central to the mission of ERS to build research capacity and networks by supporting established researchers and mentoring emerging scholars whose interests focus on economic aspects of food and nutrition assistance. To stimulate new and innovative research on food assistance and nutrition issues and to broaden the participation of social science scholars in these issues, ERS, with support from FNS, sponsors the Research Innovation and Development Grants in Economics (RIDGE) Program. RIDGE supports both quantitative and qualitative research methods to explore food security, economic and nutritional status, health and overall well-being of participants in USDA’s food and nutrition assistance programs, as well as issues surrounding program implementation and delivery. In recent years, the RIDGE Program has provided grants to researchers in the range of $15,000 to $50,000 for a single project. Since its inception in 1998, RIDGE has funded more than 250 researchers at over 100 higher education institutions across the Nation, in keeping with the program’s emphasis on making better use of State and local research expertise to understand food and nutrition assistance programs’ performance and outcomes. The local focus of some RIDGE projects is particularly important as States often add unique features to their assistance programs to accommodate local needs. Understanding such variation is important to the achievement of health equity across population subgroups. Thus, Request for Applications for Competitive Cooperative Agreement Award To Establish a USDA RIDGE Partnership for Food and Nutrition

RIDGE provides an opportunity to study national programs that may operate differently across States to address local needs while focusing on the same outcome. For more information on the RIDGE Program see: https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-assistance-data-collaborative-research-programs/ridge-program/

The competitive cooperative agreement award in this announcement funds the establishment of a RIDGE Partnership to (1) provide renewed focus on economic aspects of food and nutrition assistance research, (2) stimulate new and innovative research on food and nutrition assistance issues, (3) broaden the support of both established and emerging scholars to increase the number and diversity of researchers who collaborate in tackling the unique food and nutrition challenges that exist across communities, regions, and States, and (4) achieve cost savings through administration of program activities at a single center.

No research projects awarded by the previous RIDGE Program will be continued under this award.

Applications are to include a budget estimate for a 3-year research cycle covered by the FY 2022 award. For an example of a 3-year research cycle, see section: Research and Related Budget.

Funding to support additional research cycles beginning in FY 2023 and FY 2024 is subject to future appropriations and approval of ERS. The award pursuant to this announcement will be made on or about September 16, 2022

Awardee Responsibilities for the host of the RIDGE Program for Food and

The RIDGE Partnership will have the primary and lead responsibility to solicit, review, and select research proposals for RIDGE subawards in the form of grants. RIDGE subawards should reflect the diverse goals of the RIDGE Program, which are to promote the development of innovative ideas and approaches, encourage established researchers not involved in food and nutrition assistance research to enter the field, and nurture new and diverse talent. Consequently, RIDGE subawards may fall into categories such as research grants to (1) experienced investigators, both those involved in food and nutrition issues or other areas, (2) recent Ph.D.

graduates, or (3) Ph.D. candidates who are mentored by established researchers.

The RIDGE Partnership is expected to perform the tasks summarized below.

Research Partnership

The RIDGE Partnership for Food and Nutrition Assistance Research is expected to initiate and maintain a subawards program to foster new and innovative research that may include small-scale, economic, behavioral, and policy-related projects, including pilot research projects and feasibility studies; development, testing, and refinement of research techniques; secondary analysis of available data sets; or similar research projects. RIDGE subawards should include an appropriately balanced agenda of basic and applied, quantitative and qualitative, and primary and secondary analyses. Further, the RIDGE Partnership should provide intellectual leadership in the national research community by establishing links with a broad range of established scholars https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-assistance-data-collaborative-research-programs/ridge-program/ https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-assistance-data-collaborative-research-programs/ridge-program/

Request for Applications for Competitive Cooperative Agreement Award To Establish a USDA RIDGE Partnership for Food and Nutrition from other institutions.

Expanding the Research Base

The RIDGE Partnership is expected to broaden the network of researchers who collaborate in investigating food and nutrition challenges that exist throughout the Nation by:

• Developing and expanding a diverse group of researchers who will focus their career goals on analyzing economic aspects of food and nutrition assistance issues to ensure that USDA’s nutrition programs operate effectively and efficiently. The RIDGE Partner will be expected to provide subawards to support established researchers, new postdoctoral scholars, and Ph.D. candidates. The Program leader(s) will be expected to provide direction to RIDGE awardees by encouraging them in the analysis of economic aspects of issues, in expanding research through participation in professional meetings and seminars, and in developing analyses for publication in social science and nutrition journals;

• Encouraging experienced researchers in other areas to add a food and nutrition assistance perspective to their research;

• Promoting innovative research methods and new data sources to further build research capacity, and;

• Developing the capacity and expertise to examine regional and local food and nutrition assistance issues.

Dissemination of Information

Making knowledge and information available to policy officials, program participants, the research community, and the public is an important responsibility of the RIDGE Partner. The RIDGE Partner is expected to develop and maintain a system to disseminate results of RIDGE-funded studies through print or electronic methods, including, but not limited to, creative use of web-based technologies, infographics, social media, newsletters, working papers, special reports, and webinars.

The RIDGE Partnership leadership and subawardees are also required to participate in a RIDGE Conference arranged by ERS in Washington, DC, or Kansas City, MO, to present findings of completed projects. All costs to attend the conference shall be included in the cooperative agreement to the RIDGE Partnership and should be specified as part of the subsequent subawards granted to researchers. ERS is not responsible for conference travel arrangements and other incidental expenses for RIDGE Partnership staff or subawardees. Conference facilities may be provided by ERS.

The RIDGE Partnership will also require subawardees to prepare an Executive Summary of each funded project and furnish ERS with a publishable copy for inclusion in the electronic database of RIDGE projects (https://data.ers.usda.gov/FANRP-ridge-project-summaries.aspx).

https://data.ers.usda.gov/FANRP-ridge-project-summaries.aspx

Request for Applications for Competitive Cooperative Agreement Award To Establish a USDA RIDGE Partnership for Food and Nutrition

Research Area Guidance

ERS has suggested areas of interest, summarized below, for investigation through RIDGE subawards. The RIDGE Partner is expected to develop additional research topics.

I. Food Choices: Economic Determinants and Consequences Food choices depend on food assistance and nutrition program benefits, household income, and consumer preferences, as well as prices and other market factors. ERS is interested in research on the economic determinants and consequences of food choices, including the effects of food access, time use, the relationships among program participation, food choices, and weight status of children and low-income families, and how these may vary across population subgroups, with implications for health equity.

II. Food Assistance as an Economic Safety Net Food assistance programs are a major component of the economic safety net buffering the effects of low income and lack of assets and protecting target populations against income losses and unexpected expenses. Food assistance programs and the broader U.S. safety net continue to evolve in response to new economic shocks, like the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Studies examining the overall impacts of these programs and impacts on subpopulations, with implications for equity and nutritional security, are essential to understanding how they work to provide an economic safety net. Examples of research questions of interest include:

• How do economic shocks, such as unemployment and inflation, and in particular, the COVID- 19 pandemic shock, affect the number of people who are eligible and who participate in the food and nutrition assistance programs, food security, household spending choices, food choices, and diet quality? (For example, to what extent do rising food, energy, and housing costs affect food spending and food security?) Alternatively, how do nutrition assistance program policies and operational choices impact a household’s ability to deal with economic disruption beyond food security and diet quality?

• How did the changes to food assistance programs and in response to the COVID-19 pandemic impact participation, food and nutrition security, and other food related outcomes?

• How did states and localities use program waivers and flexibilities to address need among school children, the elderly or disabled, and other special populations of interest and what impact did these flexibilities have on participation and food related outcomes?

• How did the use of online application and online food shopping impact food assistance program participation and food outcomes? To what extent were they available to populations most impacted, such as the disabled, elderly and those with poor store access?

• To what extent do food and nutrition assistance programs affect the level and stability of spending patterns of different types of households (such as elderly households, households with and without children, single-adult households, and households with earnings)?

• How well are Disaster-SNAP, other emergency food assistance programs, and private food assistance programs performing in response to more frequent natural disasters and other major disrupting events?

• What factors are associated with reduced participation in food and nutrition assistance programs among individuals eligible for emergency food assistance programs?

Request for Applications for Competitive Cooperative Agreement Award To Establish a USDA RIDGE Partnership for Food and Nutrition

Food Assistance Programs in the Context of the Broader Safety Net

• What share of households participate in multiple food assistance programs versus only one or none of the programs for which they are eligible, what factors influence these participation decisions, and how do the programs work individually and collectively to create a safety net?

• How did changes in other social safety net programs (e.g. pandemic Unemployment Insurance, Expanded Child Tax Credit) in response to the pandemic impact food assistance program participation, food security, and other food outcomes?

III. Economic Incentives in Food Assistance Programs ERS is interested in research aimed at comparing the economic costs and benefits of alternative policy choices on the behavior of food and nutrition assistance program participants and others, and in improving the use of administrative data for evaluation purposes. For example, topics may include, but are not restricted to:

Macroeconomic Factors

• What are the characteristics of the relationship between unemployment and participation in SNAP (e.g., in terms of timing and magnitude)? What is the impact of inflation on food assistance program participation and food security?

• How do changes in food and nutrition assistance policies impact economic activity and household income across the U.S. economy and in various industry sectors, regions, and markets?

Improving Evaluation Methodology Through Existing Data

• How can administrative data, collected at the local, State, or national level, be used for evaluation research, either alone or linked to survey data? Examples of potentially useful administrative data include State and school-district data on school meal participation, food purchases, and other local policies and programs related to school meals; SNAP application and recertification processes, EBT transaction data and SNAP Quality Control data; SNAP- Ed (formerly Food Stamp Nutrition Education, or FSNE) data collected for State and national reporting; WIC State food instrument issuance or redemption data; birth certificate data containing WIC and Medicaid participation information; and store scanner data.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

• How has the recent revision to the Thrifty Food Plan impacted participation, food security, food spending, and nutrition security, as indicated by diet quality or other measures, such as food spending?

• What are the costs and benefits of alternative policy choices aimed at improving program access (such policy options intended to reduce client burden), program targeting (e.g., working poor), and program integrity?

• To what extent do SNAP rules on eligibility and program operations affect household decisions regarding employment, education and training, household formation, childbearing, or savings?

• How has expanded online shopping options impacted SNAP participation, equity in the program, and access to healthy food?

Request for Applications for Competitive Cooperative Agreement Award To Establish a USDA RIDGE Partnership for Food and Nutrition

• Are there disparities (e.g., racial/ethnic) in SNAP access and delivery? If so, what factors are associated with any identified disparities?

Child Nutrition Programs

• State and local school districts have adopted a wide range of policies intended to promote nutrition, wellness, and expand participation (for example, expanded nutrition education and restrictions on vending and other non-USDA foods for sale in schools, Breakfast in the Classroom or other policies to make School Breakfast Program participation more convenient).

After-school Supper Programs may promote food and nutrition security among vulnerable populations. What is the effectiveness of State and local policies intended to promote child food security, nutrition, and wellness in terms of how they affect program participation, children’s food consumption, and/or other outcomes?

• How has the Community Eligibility Provision in school meals programs affected children’s food and nutrition security? How has it helped school food operations, and what are the barriers to schools in adapting it?

• What have been the effects of the COVID-19 waivers (and their subsequent removal) on children’s food security and school food operations? Have there been systematic differences in the effectiveness of such waivers and special programs such as Pandemic- EBT across different subgroups?

WIC

• What factors, including demographic and economic, explain changes in WIC participation? How have policy or programmatic changes to WIC and to other related programs, including Medicaid, impacted WIC participation?

• Ηοw does the food retail market influence WIC participation and redemptions, program costs, and other market outcomes? Ηow has inflation impacted WIC cost containment efforts, such as with infant formula costs?

• How does WIC participation and other program features influence initiation and duration of breastfeeding? What program features influence racial disparities in breastfeeding?

IV. Food and Nutrition Security

• Food insecurity and vulnerable populations: What are the trends, gaps, determinants, and outcomes of food insecurity for vulnerable subpopulations (racial/ethnic groups, those with disabilities, military households, veterans, children, elderly, etc.)?

• How does participation in Federal nutrition assistance affect food security and nutrition security; and do those impacts vary across vulnerable subpopulations?

ERS Responsibilities

Beyond identifying the broad topical areas of research and making sure that a balanced portfolio of research proposal have been selected, ERS will not participate in direct evaluation of research proposals. In addition, ERS will not participate in, direct/guide, or otherwise be involved in the conduct of research grants or any data collection by subawardees. Subawardees own the findings and results of their research unconditionally. To assist the RIDGE Partner as they develop the call for research proposals, ERS will only provide the RIDGE Partner statements of ERS food

Request for Applications for Competitive Cooperative Agreement Award To Establish a USDA RIDGE Partnership for Food and Nutrition and nutrition assistance research priorities. ERS will review RIDGE Partner quarterly reports to ensure that objectives and award conditions are being met.

Joint Responsibilities

ERS will work with the RIDGE Partner in jointly establishing broad research priorities and planning strategies to accomplish the objectives of this announcement. The RIDGE Partner and ERS will jointly host a 1-day conference in Washington, DC or Kansas City, MO, for RIDGE subaward recipients and attendees to discuss results of food and nutrition assistance studies funded through the program. Conference facilities may be provided by ERS at no cost to the RIDGE Partner.

Application Process

General Information

The guidelines below are provided to assist you in preparing a proposal. Please read these guidelines carefully before preparing your submission.

A checklist is provided at the beginning of this document to help you provide the necessary information for completing a proposal. An Application for Federal Domestic Assistance Form (SF-424) and a Research and Related Budget are required for the proposal. These forms (from the Short Organizational family of forms) are included in the application package, downloadable from www.grants.gov. A checklist is provided on page ii of this document to help you provide the necessary information for completing a proposal.

Submission Requirements

The purpose of a proposal is to persuade ERS and members of the review panel that the proposal is worthy of support under the evaluation criteria listed below. The application should clearly present the merits of the proposed program and be written with care and thoroughness. It is important that all the essential information for a comprehensive review be included. Omissions often result in processing delays and may jeopardize funding opportunities.

The submission through Grants.gov must contain an Application for Federal Domestic Assistance-Short Organizational (SF-424), including authorized electronic signatures from your organization.

In preparing the proposal, applicants are urged to ensure that the name of the proposed RIDGE Partnership Director and, where applicable, the name of the submitting institution are included on the Application for Federal Domestic Assistance Form (SF-424).

Format and Content of Proposal

The proposal and all attachments must be submitted in portable document format (pdf). Using pdf allows applicants to preserve the formatting of their documents. To save a document as a pdf, the applicant will need to use pdf generator software. Grants.gov has published training

Request for Applications for Competitive Cooperative Agreement Award To Establish a USDA RIDGE Partnership for Food and Nutrition resources and videos that the applicant can use:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-training.html

Research and Related Budget

A budget is required detailing requested support for the duration of the 3-year research cycle covered by the FY 2022 award. Funding levels accepted are up to $750,000 for the RIDGE Partner, inclusive of indirect costs (see 7 U.S.C. 3310 below) where applicable. For example, milestones of a 3-year research cycle may include:

• Cooperative agreement awarded by ERS, September 2022

• RIDGE Partner Request for Proposals for research projects released, February 2023

• Subawards for research projects announced, May 2023

• Research conducted, May 2023 to September 2024

• Research findings presented at RIDGE Conference, October 2024

• Executive summaries of research projects submitted, January 2025

Funds may be requested under any of the budget categories listed, provided that the item or service requested is identified as necessary for successful conduct of the proposed program, allowable under applicable Federal cost principles, and not prohibited under any applicable Federal statute or regulation.

Budget items include:

• Personnel

• Fringe benefits

• Travel

• Equipment

• Supplies

• Contractual items

• Other direct costs

• Indirect charges https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-training.html

Request for Applications for Competitive Cooperative Agreement Award To Establish a USDA RIDGE Partnership for Food and Nutrition

Statutory Authority 7 U.S.C. 3310 limits indirect costs to not exceed 22 percent of the total Federal funds provided (or 28.2 percent of total direct costs) under each award. Therefore, when preparing budgets, you should limit your request for the recovery of indirect costs to the lesser of your institution’s official negotiated indirect cost rate or the equivalent of 22 percent of total Federal funds awarded.

Salaries of faculty members and other personnel who will be working on the program may be requested in proportion to the effort they will devote to the program.

Electronic copies of the standard budget form and general instructions are available at www.grants.gov as part of the application package.

Program Summary Page

The proposal must contain a Program Summary Page, which must follow immediately after the budget form and should not be numbered. The name and institution of the proposed RIDGE Partnership Director should be listed on the summary page. The program summary is limited to 250 words. The program summary should be a self-contained, specific description of the activities to be undertaken and should focus on the overall program goals and supporting objectives and plans to accomplish the goals. The importance of a concise, informative program summary cannot be overemphasized.

Table of Contents

A Table of Contents, unpaginated, should be placed immediately after the Program Summary Page. This table should direct the reader to the pages for all sections of the proposal, beginning with the Program Description.

Program Description

The Program Description may not exceed 15 pages (single-spaced) of written text, and the overall application may not exceed 45 pages including attachments. The proposal should be assembled so that the Program Description immediately follows the Program Summary. To clarify page-limitation requirements, page numbering for the Program Description should start with 1 and should be placed on the bottom of the page. All proposals are to be formatted for standard 8½” x 11” paper. In addition, margins must be at least 1 inch, type size must be 12-point (equivalent to this size for some printers is 10 pitch or 10 characters per inch, which is also acceptable), line count should be no more than 6 lines per inch, and pages should not be reduced.

The program description must address the following components (see also, Review and Evaluation Process, Evaluation Criteria):

(1) Approach and Program Plan

A 3-year program plan should be included that discusses the kind of research activities needed to prepare for potential future policy debates on important food assistance and nutrition issues and the role of the proposed RIDGE Partner in http://www.grants.govas/

Request for Applications for Competitive Cooperative Agreement Award To Establish a USDA RIDGE Partnership for Food and Nutrition carrying out those activities. The plan should demonstrate the applicant’s grasp of the policy and research significance of past food assistance and nutrition analyses on which current and future studies may build to advance policy knowledge and choices related to food assistance and nutrition programs. The applicant should describe approaches and tools (e.g., electronic mailing list management systems, web postings, or other electronic methods) to solicit research proposals to build research capacity and methods, such as panels, advisory committees, or other systems, to review and select proposed studies for RIDGE subawards.

(2) Expanding the Research Base

The proposal should (1) describe methods to attract experienced researchers to food and nutrition assistance research and (2) present a training and mentoring plan for emerging scholars that describes how new researchers will benefit from participation in the RIDGE Partnership, particularly the benefits provided by the RIDGE Partnership. The discussion should include the expected number and types of emerging scholars to be supported, the level of support anticipated, and methods to ensure diversity.

(3) Dissemination of Findings

The application must also include a detailed plan that describes the methods of disseminating RIDGE-supported analyses to interested parties through use of web-based technologies such as webinars, infographics, and social media, as well as by other media, including newsletters, working papers, or special reports.

(4) Staffing and Organizational Plan

The application must include a staffing and organizational proposal for the RIDGE Partnership, including an analysis of the types of background needed among staff members. The applicant shall identify the Director and key staff and the percent of time allocated to RIDGE activities. Full resumes (two-page maximum) of proposed staff members shall be included as a separate appendix to the application. The time commitment to RIDGE and other existing commitments for the Director and each proposed staff member should be clearly indicated in chart form.

(5) Budget Justification

The application’s budget justification must link the core management functions, research, mentoring, and dissemination program to the RIDGE Partnership for Food and Nutrition Assistance Research funding level. This section should discuss how the budget for the 3-year research cycle covered by the FY 2022 cooperative agreement supports proposed research, training, and dissemination activities. Discussion should include the appropriateness of the level and distribution of funds to the successful completion of the research, training, and dissemination plans. In addition, the judicious use of funds is desired—that is, providing the highest level of funding for direct costs to researchers while containing indirect cost to institutions. Applications that address indirect- cost containment will be viewed more favorably than those that do not.

Request for Applications for Competitive Cooperative Agreement Award To Establish a USDA RIDGE Partnership for Food and Nutrition

Citations to Program Description

All references cited should be complete, including titles and all co-authors, and should conform to an accepted journal format.

Budget Justification

The application’s budget must be supported with a justification that links the core management functions, research, mentoring, and dissemination program to the RIDGE Partnership for Food and Nutrition Assistance Research funding level. This section should discuss how the budget supports proposed research, training, and dissemination activities and describe how funds will be distributed across the 3-year research cycle.

Vitae and Publications List

To assist reviewers in assessing the competence and experience of the proposed program staff, the proposal must include a short curriculum vitae and publication list for the proposed RIDGE Partnership Director and any other individual who expects to do significant work on the program, whether or not funds are sought for his or her support. Vitae are limited to two pages for each individual, and the publications list should focus on the past 5 years.

Indirect Cost Rate Schedule

For reimbursement of indirect costs, the applicant must include with the application a copy of the approved negotiated indirect-cost rate agreement that provides the applicants federally negotiated audited rate.

Current and Pending Support The proposal must list any other current public or private research support (including in-house support) to the proposed RIDGE Partnership Director and key staff, whether or not salary support for the person(s) involved is included in the budget.

Analogous information must be provided for any pending proposals, including this proposal, that are now being considered by, or that will be submitted in the near future to other possible sponsors, including other USDA programs or agencies. Note that this proposal must be listed as Pending.

Applicants should include a brief statement of research objectives or project summaries for all projects listed in Current and Pending Support. Concurrent submission of identical or similar proposals to other possible sponsors will not prejudice proposal review or evaluation.

Please include the following information under the heading “Current and Pending Support”:

Request for Applications for Competitive Cooperative Agreement Award To Establish a USDA RIDGE Partnership for Food and Nutrition

• Record information for active and pending projects in separate sections by name, supporting agency, total funding amount, effective start and expiration dates, percentage of time committed, and title of project.

• All current research to which the proposed RIDGE Partnership Director and key staff have committed a portion of their time must be listed, whether or not salaries for the persons involved are included in the budgets of the various projects.

What/When/Where To Submit

All applications must be submitted electronically through www.grants.gov. Applicants may submit paper-copy applications under extenuating circumstances, such as outages of the Grants.gov website that can be substantiated by a valid case number with the Grants.gov support center.

Every effort should be made to ensure that the proposal contains all pertinent information when originally submitted. Prior to submitting, the applicant is urged to compare the application with the checklist on page ii of this announcement.

Late proposals will not be considered unless extenuating circumstances are documented with Grants.gov.

Federal Award Administration Information

In addition to requirements listed in Cost Principles and Administrative Requirements, applicants must complete and submit Assurances - Non-Construction Programs, SF-424B, Representations Regarding Felony Conviction and Tax Delinquent Status for Corporate Applicants, AD-3030, and any other required certification forms pertaining to listed assurances, which can be found at http://www.afm.ars.usda.gov/agreements/ersforms/

In addition to the SF-424B Assurances for Non-Construction Programs, the following laws, regulations, and Federal Executive Orders, including, but not limited to the following, are applicable to the proposed award:

2 CFR Part 200 Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards

2 CFR Part 400 Uniform Administrative Requirements Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards

2 CFR 415 General Program Administrative Regulations

2 CFR Part 416 General Program Administrative Regulations for Grants and Cooperative Agreements to State and Local Governments http://www.afm.ars.usda.gov/agreements/ersforms/

Request for Applications for Competitive Cooperative Agreement Award To Establish a USDA RIDGE Partnership for Food and Nutrition

2 CFR Part 417 Nonprocurement Debarment and Suspension

2 CFR Part 418 New Restrictions on Lobbying

2 CFR Part 421 Requirements for Drug-Free Workplace

2 CFR Part 422 Research Institutions Conducting USDA Funded Extramural Research;

Research Misconduct

2 CFR Part 25 - Universal Identifier and System of Award Management

2 CFR Part 170 - Reporting Subaward and Executive Compensation Information

2 CFR Part 180 - OMB…