RFA DoD Fresh Program FDPIR.docx

Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) Produce Training Program

Fiscal Year 2023 Request for Applications (RFA) Assistance Listing Number (ALN): 10.594

OMB BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 0584-0512. The estimated average time required to complete this information collection is 54 hours per response, including time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information.

Form RFA 01-23 Application Checklist

This Application Checklist provides applicants with a list of the required actions and documents that must be completed. However, FNS expects that applicants will read the entire RFA prior to the submission of their application and comply with all requirements outlined in the solicitation. The Application Checklist is for applicant use only and should not be submitted as part of the Application Package.

Complete the following at least four weeks prior to submission:

· Obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number;

· Register the UEI number in the System for Award Management (SAM); and,

· Register in grants.gov.

When preparing your application, ensure:

· Application format and narrative meet the requirements included in Section 4 – Application and Submission Information. This includes page limits, priorities outlined in Section 5 – Application Review Information, and all necessary attachments.

When preparing your budget, ensure the following information is included:

· All key staff proposed to be paid by this grant.

· The percentage of time the Project Director will devote to the project in full-time equivalents (FTEs).

· Your organization’s fringe benefit rate and amount, as well as the basis for the computation.

· The type of fringe benefits to be covered with Federal funds.

· Itemized travel expenses (including type of travel), travel justification, and basis for lodging estimate.

· Types of equipment and supplies, justifications, and estimates, ensuring that the budget is in line with the project description.

· Information for all contracts and justification for any sole-source contracts

· Justification, description, and an itemized list of all consultant services.

· Indirect cost information (either a copy of a Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA) or if no agreement exists and the applicant has never been approved for a NICRA, they may charge up to 10% de minimis). If an applicant is requesting the de minimis rate or indirect costs are not required, please state this in the budget narrative.

When submitting your application, ensure you have submitted the following:

· FNS-906 – Grant Program Accounting System & Financial Capability Questionnaire

· Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (PDF - Upload using the “Add Attachments” button under SF-424 item #15)

· Resumes of key staff

Table of Contents

1. Program Description and Objectives Executive Summary

USDA seeks to enter into a cooperative agreement with a Tribal organization, non-profit organization, or an American Indian Tribal College or any other accredited public or private academic institution of higher education with expertise working with Tribal communities to develop, design, and implement a fresh produce safety and handling training for program operators and staff of the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) (hereafter referred to as FDPIR Produce Training Program). A maximum of $500,000 will be made available for the award of this cooperative agreement for the period of performance from September 25, 2023, to September 30, 2025. The training to be developed should model USDA’s Produce Safety University (PSU), a one-week experiential learning program that immerses child nutrition professionals in the fresh produce supply chain, arming graduates with skills to address real life scenarios and critically analyze and respond to food safety issues. PSU is a proven train-the-trainer program, graduating around 150 school nutrition professionals each year that individually go on to train an estimated 42 people, reaching over 70,000 child nutrition staff since it began in 2010. FDPIR, a federal nutrition assistance program that provides 100 percent domestic USDA Foods including fresh fruits and vegetables in a monthly food package, would benefit from a training modeled after PSU and using a culturally relevant curriculum to teach safe and effective receipt, storage, handling, and distribution techniques for fresh produce in the FDPIR setting.

The proposed project is intended to be a collaborative effort between the awardee and USDA, with a 2-year period of performance. The awardee will develop a curriculum within the first 6 months of the award and implement and evaluate an in-person pilot training between months 6 – 10. In months 8 – 18 as determined by the pilot training and evaluation, an additional 3 to 4 in-person trainings will be implemented. The awardee will develop an evaluation report of the training in months 18 - 24 of the award.

Program Description The Supplemental Nutrition and Safety Programs (SNAS) Food Safety and Nutrition Division (FSND) USDA Foods Nutrition Services and Access Branch (NSAB) seeks to award a competitive cooperative agreement to an external agency for a new FDPIR Produce Training Program for FDPIR program operators and staff.

Legislative Authority: FDPIR is authorized under Section 4(b) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (as amended in the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, P.L. 115-334). FDPIR is authorized through fiscal year 2023. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (P.L. 117-328) appropriates $998,000 for the provision of “nutrition education services to State agencies and Federally Recognized Tribes participating in the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations” as part of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Discretionary Other Program Costs for FDPIR Nutrition Education. Federal regulations governing the program at 7 CFR Part 253.5(g) describe nutrition education as including “how commodities may be properly stored” while regulations throughout 7 CFR Part 253.10 describe the requirements for commodity control, storage, and distribution, which includes the control, storage, and distribution of produce. Creation and implementation of an FDPIR Produce Training Program will educate administering agency staff on how to properly store produce distributed through FDPIR while supporting adherence to regulations governing commodity distribution. Of the $998,000 appropriated for FY 2023, a maximum total of award not to exceed $500,000 will be made available for the execution of this cooperative agreement for the period of performance from September 25, 2023, to September 30, 2025.

FDPIR provides USDA Foods to income-eligible households living on Indian reservations and to Native American households residing in designated areas near reservations or in Oklahoma. FDPIR is an alternative to the Supplemental Assistance Program (SNAP) and provides healthy food and nutrition education to program participants. FDPIR supports nutrition security efforts in Indian Country by providing a variety of nutritious foods that align with the recommendations outlined in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs). Additionally, FDPIR provides traditional foods that are indigenous to many Tribal communities further supporting cultural traditions and activities commonly observed.

To offer a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables in FDPIR, programs order fresh produce directly from the USDA DoD Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (USDA DoD Fresh). USDA DoD Fresh provides FDPIR with high-quality, domestically grown and produced fresh fruits and vegetables in quantities that support the needs of tribal communities. The primary objective of the proposed FDPIR Produce Training Program is to provide experiential learning opportunities for FDPIR program operators in receiving and distributing appealing and nutritious USDA DoD Fresh produce. By meeting the objective listed in the next section, the goal of this cooperative agreement is to develop and implement a culturally relevant training that ensures FDPIR operators receiving fresh produce have the tools needed to properly assess fresh produce and safely distribute it to program participants to improve overall customer satisfaction.

In collaboration between USDA and the award grantee, the FDPIR Produce Training Program curriculum will be developed and designed within the first 6 months of the period of performance. The training will be closely modeled after USDA’s PSU, which will provide the initial framing and concept. An understanding of FDPIR program operations, including the produce offered in the program, warehouse characteristics, and cultural considerations will inform the contents of the training curriculum including hands-on activities, field trips, and written resources. The awardee will be required to review the curriculum and data from previous PSU trainings as well as incorporate feedback from current FDPIR program staff who have attended PSU in the past and public health and nutrition professionals who work directly with FDPIR. All produce handling standards will be set forth by the USDA and will reflect the distinct distribution models commonly operated in FDPIR (i.e., warehouse model, grocery store concept, mobile deliveries, and home deliveries). After the curriculum is developed, a pilot training will be held at one site between months 6 – 10, which will be used to evaluate effectiveness and cultural appropriateness of the curriculum and will help inform the subsequent trainings during the period of performance. All trainings will be conducted in-person at locations mutually agreed upon with USDA and the awardee. Evaluative methods must be developed and utilized as part of the curriculum and a summary report of findings including recommendations for future adaptations are key deliverables of this funding opportunity.

Highlights

· Develop, design, and implement a multi-day FDPIR Produce Training Program for FDPIR program operators and staff based on the existing PSU training model.

· All curriculum and training materials designed will be culturally relevant and suitable for FDPIR using a multi-component approach.

· Implement one pilot training in fiscal year 2024 and three to four trainings thereafter during the period of performance. A schedule will be determined in collaboration with USDA.

· Deliverables: review and analyze existing PSU training and current list of produce offered in the program, develop fresh produce and food safety training curriculum, evaluate training participants, and summarize key findings and future recommendations.

Key Objectives Below is a list of the Program Objectives. As noted in Section 4, within the “Activities/Indicators Tracker,” proposed activities should be clearly aligned to these objectives and their associated activities and indicators.

Application proposals must include how the applicant will meet the four objectives identified below. Note that if awarded, grantees will be required to report on progress towards activities aligned with the required objective(s) and must use the FNS-908 Performance Progress Report. Carefully considering proposed activities and indicators will prepare grantees for their progress reporting requirements if awarded.

2. Federal Award Information

The following information is intended to provide applicants with information to help make informed decisions about proposal submissions.

· Total amount of funding expected to award: $500,000

· Anticipated number of awards: 1

· Maximum award amount (award ceiling): $500,000

· Anticipated award announcement date: September 2023

· Anticipated period of performance (start and end date of the award): September 25, 2023 -September 30, 2025.

· Application due date: 08/21/2023

Please note:

· Grant awards are subject to the availability of funding and/or appropriations of funds.

· FNS reserves the right to use this solicitation and competition to award additional grants this year or the subsequent fiscal year, should additional funds become available.

Allowable Costs Travel: The awardee must travel to the location determined for all FDPIR Produce Training Program, including the pilot training, implemented during the execution of this cooperative agreement. Trainings for FDPIR program operators must be held in-person, as this has been determined to be the method of training preferred by program operators. All travel costs must comply with 2 CFR 200.475.

Unallowable Costs Entertainment: Costs of entertainment, including amusement, diversion, and social activities and any associated costs are unallowable per 2 CFR 200.438 (such as mascot costumes, promotional items, etc.) unless there is a programmatic purpose and prior approval is granted by FNS.

All costs proposed in the budget and detailed in the budget narrative must be allowable, reasonable, necessary, and allocable. Refer to 2 CFR Part 200 Subpart E – Cost Principles for a detailed description of all allowable and unallowable costs.

3. Eligibility Information Eligible Applicants Proposals may be submitted by any of the following:

1. Any nonprofit or private organization, including community-based organizations, networks, or coalition of community-based organizations that:

a. Can demonstrate experience, within their application, in providing food safety and/or food handling education or other nutrition or food service-related services to Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs), Federally recognized Tribes, and their members; and

b. Can provide documentary evidence of work with, and on behalf of Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs), Federally recognized Tribes, and their members during the three-year period preceding the submission of a proposal under this program within their application.

Experience as required in 1.a. and 1.b. can be demonstrated through the submission of work products from past projects, the curriculum vitae of persons who will be chosen to staff the proposed project, and letters of support.

2. An American Indian Tribal community college or an Alaska Native cooperative college that can demonstrate, within their application, experience in providing food safety and/or food handling education or other nutrition or food service-related services to Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs), Federally recognized Tribes, and their members.

Experience can be demonstrated through the submission of work products from past projects, the curriculum vitae of persons who will be chosen to staff the proposed project, and letters of support.

3. Any other accredited public or private academic institution of higher education (as defined in 20 U.S.C. §1001) that can demonstrate, within their application, experience in providing food safety and/or food handling education or other nutrition or food service-related services to Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs), Federally recognized Tribes, and their members in a region.

As required in in 1.a. and 1.b., experience can be demonstrated through the submission of work products from past projects, the curriculum vitae of persons who will be chosen to staff the proposed project, and letters of support.

4. Eligible tribal entities as defined in 25 U.S.C. § 5304 or a national tribal organization that can demonstrate experience, within their application, in providing food safety and/or food handling education or other nutrition or food service-related services to Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs), Federally recognized Tribes, and their members in a region.

Experience can be demonstrated through the submission of work products from past projects, the curriculum vitae of persons who will be chosen to staff the proposed project, and letters of support.

Ineligible Applicants

· Entities not meeting the eligibility requirements listed above, to include:

· Entities that are not able to demonstrate, within their application and through documentary evidence, experience in providing food safety and/or food handling education and training or other nutrition or food service-related services to Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs), Federally recognized Tribes, and their members will not be considered.

· International (non-U.S. or non-U.S. territories) entities, child care facilities, K-12 schools and school districts are not eligible to apply.

Pre-Award Screening Requirements In reviewing applications in any discretionary grant competition, prior to making a Federal award, Federal awarding agencies, in accordance with 2 CFR 200.205, are required to review information available through any OMB-designated repositories of government-wide eligibility qualifications or financial integrity information. Additionally, Federal awarding agencies are required to have a framework in place for evaluating the risks posed by applicants before they receive Federal awards. The FNS review of risk posed by applicants will be based on the following:

· SAM.gov, the System for Award Management, the Official U.S. Government system that consolidated the capabilities of CCR/FedReg, ORCA, and EPLS

· FAPIIS, the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System that has been established to track contractor misconduct and performance

· FNS Risk Assessment Questionnaire

· Applicants must complete the Grant Program Accounting System & Financial Capability Questionnaire that allows FNS to evaluate aspects of the applicant’s financial stability, quality of management systems, and history of performance, reports, and findings from audits. The questionnaire contains a number of questions that may be an indicator of potential risk.

The evaluation of the information obtained from the designated systems and the risk assessment questionnaire may result in FNS imposing special conditions or additional oversight requirements that correspond to the degree of risk assessed.

Acknowledgement of USDA Support As outlined in 2 CFR 415.2, grant recipients shall include acknowledgement of USDA Food and Nutrition Service support on any publications written or published with grant support and, if feasible, on any publication reporting the results of, or describing, a grant-supported activity. Recipients shall include acknowledgement of USDA Food and Nutrition Service support on any audiovisual which is produced with grant support, and which has a direct production cost of over $5,000.

· When acknowledging USDA support, use the following language: "This material is based upon work that is supported by the Food and Nutrition Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture.” Grantees should follow the USDA Visual Standards Guide when using the USDA logo.

· Grant recipients may be asked to host USDA officials for a site visit during the course of their grant award. All costs associated with the site visit will be paid for by USDA and are not expected to be included in grant budgets.

4. Application and Submission Information Content and Form of Application Submission FNS strongly encourages eligible applicants interested in applying to this program to adhere to the following applicant format. The proposed project plan should be presented on 8 ½” x 11” white paper with at least 1-inch margins on the top and bottom. All pages should be single-spaced in 12-point font. The project description with relevant information should be capture on no more than 15 pages, not including the cover sheet, table of content, resumes, letter(s) of commitment, endorsement letter(s), budget narrative(s), appendices, and required forms. All pages, excluding form pages must be numbered.

Special Instructions:

· Late application submission will not be considered in this competition. FNS will not consider additions or revisions to applications unless they are submitted via Grants.gov by the deadline. No additions or revisions will be accepted after the deadline.

· Letters of support must be submitted with the application through grants.gov. Letters submitted via email will not be considered.

· Applications submitted without the required supporting documents, forms, certification will not be considered.

· Applications missing a written proposal or budget narrative will not be considered and deemed nonresponsive.

· FNS reserves the right to request clarification on any application submitted in response to this solicitation.

· Applications not submitted via Grants.gov will not be considered.

· If multiple application packages are submitted through Grants.gov by the same applicant in response to this solicitation, FNS will accept the latest application package successfully submitted. All other packages submitted by the applicant will be removed from this competition.

Cover Sheet The cover page should include, at a minimum:

· Applicant’s name and mailing address

· Primary contact’s name, job title, mailing address, phone number and e-mail address

· Grant program title and subprogram title (if applicable)

Table of Contents The Table of Contents should include relevant sections, subsections, and associated page numbers.

Application Project Summary The application should clearly describe the proposed project activities and anticipated outcomes that would result if the proposal were to be funded.

Project Narrative The project narrative should clearly identify what the applicant is proposing and how it will address a solution, the expected results and/or benefits once the solution is achieved, and how it will meet the RFA program scope and objectives. The proposed project methodology should describe the project design, address program specific methodology needs, procedures, timetables, monitoring/oversight, and the organization’s project staffing.

Activities/Indicators Tracker Proposed Activities and indicators measuring success must be mapped to Program Objectives (as described in Section 1 – Program Description) in the below format (note that additional Activities/Indicators can be added as needed).

Note: Indicators are defined as any metric you anticipate will be able to be tracked during the period of performance of the grant. Common examples include Number of People Attended, Number of People Impacted, Number of Conferences Delivered, Number of Materials Created, Number of Trainings, Number of People Trained.

Example

2) To ensure curriculum is being developed through a cultural lens, at least 3 tribal partners with a background in public health, nutrition, and/or food safety and familiarity with FDPIR will review content prior to the pilot training.

3) Develop evaluative methods that obtain data from instructors, observers, and participants will be designed, implemented, and analyzed.

2) Based on feedback and other evaluative data, as applicable, received from pilot training, amend curriculum to reflect recommended enhancements.

2) Conduct evaluations during each training.

2) Create a summary report which documents how the curriculum was developed, modified after the pilot course, implemented, and results of both the pilot and implementation course evaluations.

Application Budget Narrative The budget narrative, formatted as a table, should correspond with the proposed project narrative and application budget. The narrative must justify and support the bona fide needs of the budget’s direct cost. The budget and budget narrative must be in line with the proposed project description. If the budget includes indirect costs, the applicant must provide a copy of its most recently approved Federal indirect cost rate agreement. Budget categories in this table must match those listed on the SF-424A form. If the budget table is created in a spreadsheet, it must be formatted to fit on an 8.5 x 11-inch page, with a font no smaller than 11-point Times New Roman. All funding requests must be in whole dollars.

Indirect Cost Rate A current approved Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA), negotiated with a cognizant Federal agency, should be used to charge indirect costs. Indirect costs may not exceed the negotiated rate. If a NICRA is used, the percentage and base should be indicated. If the applicant does not have, and has never been approved for, a NICRA, they may charge up to 10% de minimis. In this instance, the applicant must indicate they are requesting the de minimis rate. An applicant may elect not to charge indirect costs and instead use all grant funds for direct costs. If indirect costs are not charged, the phrase “none requested” should be stated in the budget narrative. For questions related to the indirect cost rate, please work with the Grant Officer as noted in Section 7 of this RFA.

Note: Each organization is assigned to a single federal agency (by the Office of Management and Budget) that acts on behalf of all federal agencies in indirect cost rate negotiations and is referred to as the “cognizant agency.”

Required Grant Application Forms The required grants.gov forms may be previewed at grants.gov/web/grants/forms/forms-repository.html. These forms are part of the grants.gov Workspace application.

· Non-Construction Grant Projects Forms: SF-424 Family

· Application and Instruction for Federal Assistance (SF-424)

· Budget Information and Instructions (SF-424A)

· Assurance-Non-Construction Programs (SF-424B)

· SF LLL (Disclosure of Lobbying Activities)

· Indicate on your form whether your organization intends to conduct lobbying activities. If you organization does not intend to lobby, write “Not Applicable” in boxes required to be completed.

· Additional Required Information

· Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number. Please see below for further information

· SAM registration. Please see below for further information.

Submission Date Complete grant applications must be uploaded to grants.gov by 11:59 PM EST on the due date listed on the cover page Applications must be submitted via grants.gov. Mailed, emailed, or hand-delivered application packages will not be accepted. For further instructions, see the “Preparing for Electronic Application Submission through Grants.gov” below.

· Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.

· FNS will not consider additions or revisions to applications unless they are submitted via grants.gov by the deadline. No additions or revisions will be accepted after the deadline.

· If multiple application packages are submitted through grants.gov by the same applicant in response to this solicitation, FNS will accept the latest application package successfully submitted. All other packages submitted by the applicant will be removed from this competition.

FNS strongly encourages applicants to begin the registration process at least four weeks before the due date and to submit applications tgrants.gov at least one week before the deadline to allow time to troubleshoot any issues should they arise. Please note that upon submission, grants.gov may send multiple confirmation notices. Applicants should ensure receipt of confirmation that the application was accepted.

FNS will not accept applications outside of grants.gov. Applicants experiencing difficulty submitting applications through grants.gov should contact applicant support via the toll-free number 1-800-518-4726 and email at support@grants.gov. This service is available 24/7.

Preparing for Electronic Application Submission through Grants.gov Applicants must register with grants.gov and SAM.gov in order to submit an application to FNS via grants.gov as required.

In order to submit an application, you must:

1. Obtain a UEI number

What is a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)?

A UEI is a unique number assigned to all entities (public and private companies, individuals, institutions, or organizations) who register to do business with the federal government. For more information, visit the U.S. General Services Administration website.

Where do I go to learn more about the UEI?

The U.S. General Services Administration Unique Entity Identifier Update page contains the most up-to-date information about the UEI.

Note: After April 4, 2022, entities can register in SAM.gov and will be assigned their “SAM UEI.” They will no longer obtain or use a “DUNS UEI” for entity registration or reporting. For additional information on the UEI process, please visit SAM.gov.

2. Register in the System for Award Management (SAM)

· On April 4, 2022, the UEI used across the federal government changed from the DUNS number to the UEI (generated by SAM.gov).

· SAM combines federal procurement systems and the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance into one system. Visit SAM.gov for additional information.

· To register, you must have your organization’s UEI, the organization’s Tax ID Number (TIN), and taxpayer name (as it appears on the last tax return). It may take up to 5 to 7 business days or more to register and/or complete the migration of permissions and/or the renewal of an entity record.

· All applicants must have current SAM status at the time of application submission and throughout the duration of a Federal Award in accordance with 2 CFR Part 25.

· FNS strongly encourages applicants to begin this process at least 3 weeks before the due date of the grant solicitation.

3. Create a Grants.gov Account

The next step in the registration process is to create an account with grants.gov. Applicants must know their organization’s Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) to complete this process. For more detailed instruction about creating a profile on grants.gov, visit grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/registration.html.

How to Submit an Application via Grants.gov Applicants must apply online using Workspace. Workspace is a shared, online environment where members of a grant team may simultaneously access and edit different web forms within an application. For each funding opportunity announcement or RFA, you can create individual instances of a workspace.

For additional training resources, including video tutorials, visit grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-training.html.

Applicant Support: Grants.gov provides applicants 24/7 support via the toll-free number 1-800-518-4726 and email at support@grants.gov. If you are experiencing difficulties with your submission, it is best to contact grants.gov support and get a ticket number. The Support Center ticket number will assist the Center with tracking your issue.

For questions related to the specific grant opportunity, please contact the Grant Officer noted in Section 7 – Federal Awarding Agency Contacts of this RFA.

NOTICE: Special Characters and Naming Conventions All applicants must follow grants.gov guidance on file naming conventions. To avoid submission issues, please follow the guidance provided by grants.gov (per the grants.gov Frequently Asked Questions or FAQ).

Are there restrictions on file names for any attachment I include with my application package?

File attachment names longer than approximately 50 characters can cause problems processing packages. Please limit file attachment names. Also, do not use any special characters (e.g., ! @ # $ % ^ & * - ‘). This includes periods (.) and spacing followed by a dash in the file. To separate words in naming a file, use underscore (_). For example, Attached_File.pdf.

If these guidelines for file names are not followed, your application will be rejected. FNS will not accept any application rejected from the grants.gov portal due to incorrect naming conventions.

Additional information can be found at grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-faqs.html#attachments.

Grants.gov Receipt Requirements and Proof of Timely Submission All applications must be received by 11:59 PM EDT on the due date listed on the cover page, as detailed in Section 4 – Submission Date. Proof of timely submission is automatically recorded by grants.gov. An electronic date/time stamp is generated within the system when the application is successfully received by grants.gov. The applicant Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) will receive an acknowledgement of receipt and a tracking number (e.g., GRANTXXXXXXXX) from grants.gov with the successful transmission of their application. Applicant AORs will also receive the official date/time stamp and a grants.gov tracking number in an email serving as proof of their timely submission.

When FNS successfully retrieves the application from grants.gov and acknowledges the download of submissions, grants.gov will provide an electronic acknowledgement of receipt of the application to the email address of the applicant with the AOR role. Again, proof of timely submission shall be the official date and time that grants.gov receives your application. Applications received by grants.gov after the established due date for the program will be considered late and will not be considered for FNS funding.

Applicants using slow internet, such as dial-up connections, should be aware that transmission could take some time before grants.gov receives your application. Again, grants.gov will provide either an error or a successfully received transmission in the form of an email sent to the applicant with the AOR role. The grants.gov Support Center reports that some applicants end the transmission because they think that nothing is occurring during the transmission process. Please be patient and give the system time to process the application.

Funding Restrictions

· Construction

· Pre-award costs will not be permitted for this cooperative agreement.

5. Application Review Information Review Criteria

FNS will pre-screen all applications to ensure the applicants are eligible entities and are in compliance with all Program regulations. FNS will not approve any waivers from Program regulations for any projects submitted in response to this solicitation.

Project Design and Implementation (35 points)

· Goals, approach, and activities are clearly identified and appropriate for the proposed project. The applicant followed directions in the RFA for goals, activities, and timeline. Activities are reasonable and appropriate for proposed goals.

· The timeline is included and appears reasonable and feasible given proposed activities.

· The application documents methods that will determine progress and successes and the number of participants reached through activities as well as how participants will be reached.

· The method(s) selected to monitor progress and success is sufficient to determine if goals are accomplished.

· Applicant clearly describes how training will be evaluated and how evaluation tools will be developed for the trainings.

· All application content requirements, as listed in Application Checklist of this RFA, are included.

Budget Appropriateness (15 points)

· The application contains the budget narrative format required with instructions and details for documenting the expenditure of grant funds.

· The budget is consistent with project goals and activities.

· Calculations of all costs are correct.

· Funding requested is allowable, economical, and reasonable in relation to the proposed scope and effort of the proposed project.

Staff Experience and Management and Partner Capability (25 points)

· Demonstrates that key personnel have an understanding of FDPIR, proper food safety and handling concepts, and describes the specific skills and experience that qualifies such personnel for their proposed roles. Greater consideration will be given to applicants with personnel and partners who have expertise working with FDPIR and with American Indian/Alaskan Native populations.

· Includes resumes and/or job descriptions for key personnel in management, administration, and technical assistance. Supporting documentation (i.e., resume/vita and position descriptions for vacant positions and key personnel as well as organizational chart) is included.

· Describes the roles of staff and partners clearly as well as a management plan to ensure quality control and coordination of activities.

· Demonstrates time commitment and availability of key personnel.

· Provides a contingency plan for the loss of key personnel.

Organizational Experience and Past Performance (25 points)

· Demonstrates success in past performance of training projects by providing a description of the projects’ size, scope, cost, and timely completion. Supporting documentation (i.e., references from past projects) is included for past projects.

Bonus Points (up to 20 points)

· Demonstrates that staff and partners have experience training the American Indian and Alaskan Native or FDPIR community. Please list this experience and provide evidence that supports the request to earn bonus points. (10 Points)

· Demonstrates experience with using innovative methods while training nutrition education paraprofessionals who are American Indians and Alaskan Native adults. Please list this experience and provide evidence that supports the request to earn bonus points. (10 Points)

Total Points Available: 120 (100 evaluation criteria points; 20 potential bonus points ) Review and Selection Process Following the initial screening process, FNS will assemble a panel group to review and determine the technical merits of each application. The panel will evaluate the proposals based on how well they address the required application components and array the applications from highest to lowest score. The panel members will recommend applications for consideration for a grant award based on the evaluation scoring. FNS may request information from the applicant not clearly addressed in their proposal. The Selecting Official reserves the right to accept the panel’s recommendation or to select an application for funding out of order to meet agency priorities, program balance, geographical representation, or project diversity. . FNS reserves the right to use this solicitation and competition to award additional grants in the next fiscal year should additional funds be made available.

6. Federal Award Administration Information Federal Award Notice The Government is not obligated to make any award as a result of this RFA. Unless an applicant receives a signed award document with terms and conditions, any contact from a FNS Grants or Program Officer should not be considered as a notice of a grant award. No pre-award or pre-agreement costs incurred prior to the effective start date are allowed unless approved and stated on FNS’ signed award document (FNS-529). Only the recognized FNS authorized signature can bind the USDA, Food and Nutrition Service to the expenditure of funds related to an award’s approved budget.

Administrative and National Policy Requirements Confidentiality of an Application When an application results in an award, it becomes a part of the record of FNS transactions, available to the public upon specific request. Information that the Secretary determines to be of a confidential, privileged, or proprietary nature will be held in confidence to the extent permitted by law. Therefore, any information that the applicant wishes to have considered as confidential, privileged, or proprietary should be clearly marked within the application. Any application that does not result in an award will be not released to the public. An application may be withdrawn at any time prior to the final action thereon.

Safeguarding Personally Identifiable Information Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is any information that can be used to distinguish or trace an individual’s identity, such as name, social security number, date and place of birth, mother’s maiden name, or biometric records, and any other information that is linked or linkable to an individual, such as medical, educational, financial, and employment information (National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) SP 800-122, Guide to Protecting the Confidentiality of Personally Identifiable information, April 2010).

Applicants submitting applications in response to this RFA must recognize that confidentiality of PII and other sensitive data is of paramount importance to the USDA Food and Nutrition Service. All federal and non-federal employees (e.g., contractors, affiliates, or partners) working for or on behalf of FNS are required to acknowledge understanding of their responsibilities and accountability for using and protecting FNS PII in accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974; Office of Management and Budget Memorandum; M-17-12, Preparing for and Responding to a Breach of Personally Identifiable Information; Circular A-130, Managing Information as a Strategic Resource; and the NIST Special Publication (SP) 800-122, Guide to Protecting the Confidentiality of Personally Identifiable Information.

By submitting an application in response to this RFA, applicants are assuring that all data exchanges conducted throughout the application submission and pre-award process (and during the performance of the grant, if awarded) will be conducted in a manner consistent with applicable Federal laws. By submitting a grant application, applicants agree to take all necessary steps to protect PII, including the following: (1) ensuring that PII and sensitive data developed, obtained or otherwise associated with UDSA FNS funded grants is securely transmitted. Transmission of applications through Grants.gov is secure; (2) ensuring that PII is not transmitted to unauthorized users, and that PII and other sensitive data is not submitted via email; and (3) Data transmitted via approved file sharing services (WatchDox, ShareFile, etc.), CDs, DVDs, thumb drives, etc., must be encrypted.

Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality of the Review Process The agency requires all panel reviewers to sign a conflict of interest and confidentiality form to prevent any actual or perceived conflicts of interest that may affect the application review and evaluation process. Names of applicants, including States and tribal governments, submitting an application will be kept confidential, except to those involved in the review process, to the extent permitted by law. In addition, the identities of the reviewers will remain confidential throughout the entire process. Therefore, the names of the reviewers will not be released to applicants.

Administrative Regulations Federal Tax Liabilities Restrictions None of the funds made available by this or any other Act may be used to enter into a contract, memorandum of understanding, or cooperative agreement with, make a grant to, or provide a loan or loan guarantee to, any corporation that has any unpaid Federal tax liability that has been assessed, for which all judicial and administrative remedies have been exhausted or have lapsed, and that is not being paid in a timely manner pursuant to an agreement with the authority responsible for collecting the tax liability, where the awarding agency is aware of the unpaid tax liability, unless a Federal agency has considered suspension or debarment of the corporation and has made a determination that this further action is not necessary to protect the interests of the Government.

Felony Crime Conviction Restrictions None of the funds made available by this or any other Act may be used to enter into a contract, memorandum of understanding, or cooperative agreement with, make a grant to, or provide a loan or loan guarantee to, any corporation that was convicted of a felony criminal violation under any Federal law within the preceding 24 months, where the awarding agency is aware of the conviction, unless a Federal agency has considered suspension or debarment of the corporation and has made a determination that this further action is not necessary to protect the interests of the Government.

Debarment and Suspension 2 CFR Part 180 and 2 CFR Part 417 A recipient chosen for an award shall comply with the non-procurement debarment and suspension common rule implementing Executive Orders (E.O.) 12549 and 12689, “Debarment and Suspension,” codified at 2 CFR Part 180 and 2 CFR Part 417. This common rule restricts sub-awards and contracts with certain parties that are debarred, suspended or otherwise excluded from or ineligible for participation in Federal assistance programs or activities. The approved grant recipient will be required to ensure that all sub-contractors and sub-grantees are neither excluded nor disqualified under the suspension and debarment rules prior to approving a sub-grant award by checking the System for Award Management (SAM) at SAM.gov.

Universal Identifier and Central Contractor Registration 2 CFR Part 25 Requirement for System for Award Management. Unless you are exempted from this requirement under 2 CFR 25.110, you as the recipient must maintain current information in the SAM. This includes information on your immediate and highest-level owner and subsidiaries, as well as on all of your predecessors that have been awarded a Federal contract or Federal financial assistance within the last three years, if applicable, until you submit the final financial report required…