SCBGP Grant Administration Template.pdf

Please wait...

If this message is not eventually replaced by the proper contents of the document, your PDF viewer may not be able to display this type of document.

You can upgrade to the latest version of Adobe Reader for Windows®, Mac, or Linux® by visiting http://www.adobe.com/go/reader_download.

For more assistance with Adobe Reader visit http://www.adobe.com/go/acrreader.

Windows is either a registered trademark or a trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Mac is a trademark of Apple Inc., registered in the United States and other countries. Linux is the registered trademark of Linus Torvalds in the U.S. and other countries.

Page of ..\..\..\ams-color-lockup-4x.png United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing Service

SPECIALTY CROP BLOCK GRANT PROGRAM

GRANT ADMINISTRATION TEMPLATE

The State department of agriculture must include the following information once at the beginning of the State Plan.

RECIPIENT INFORMATION

STATE PLAN COORDINATOR

List the person at the State department of agriculture directly responsible for administering the grant program.

OUTREACH TO SPECIALTY CROP STAKEHOLDERS TO IDENTIFY FUNDING PRIORITIES

States are encouraged to conduct outreach to specialty crop stakeholders to receive and consider public comment to identify state funding priority needs in enhancing the competitiveness of specialty crops prior to development of your request for proposals or applications.

OUTREACH TO IDENTIFY FUNDING PRIORITIES

Provide the steps you took to conduct outreach to identify funding priorities. Please include examples of the following: industry stakeholders asked to participate; the number and types of meetings or other outreach events conducted; and if any new outreach activities were explored. If outreach is conducted on specific time intervals within the state or territory (for example outreach to identify funding priorities is conducted once every 3 years) indicate N/A in this section, and complete the Outreach Not Conducted (If Applicable) section to explain the state’s policy.

IDENTIFIED FUNDING PRIORITIES

Provide the funding priority needs identified through your outreach to specialty crop stakeholders. Please be sure to number the priorities in order of importance.

Funding Priority

OUTREACH NOT CONDUCTED (IF APPLICABLE)

If outreach was not conducted this fiscal year to identify funding priorities, provide an explanation why it was not conducted. Please include information on how the current funding priorities were identified, your policies and procedures, and when outreach for stakeholder input is next scheduled to occur.

COMPETITIVE REVIEW PROCESS

PROPOSAL SOLICITATION

Describe the methods you used to solicit proposals that met the identified specialty crop funding priority needs. Please include date range for the RFA process, along with any conferences, advertising, or other outreach activities conducted for this process.

GRANT PROPOSALS RECEIVED

APPLICATION REVIEW PANEL (ALL SECTIONS REQUIRED)

REVIEWER SELECTION

Describe how you selected reviewers to ensure the review panel consisted of technical experts from various fields, who were qualified and able to perform high quality and fair reviews.

REPRESENTED FIELDS OF EXPERTISE

Provide the fields of expertise the review panel members represented (i.e., botanists, food nutrition experts, commodity association representatives, etc.).

PREVENTING REAL OR PERCEIVED CONFLICT OF INTEREST

Describe how you documented and ensured reviewers were free from conflicts of interest (i.e., reviewers signed a conflict-of- interest statement).

SHARING THE RESULTS OF COMPETITIVE PROCESS WITH APPLICANTS

Describe how you will provide or did provide results of the peer review panel to the grant applicants while ensuring the confidentiality of the review panel members.

COMPETITIVE PROCESS NOT CONDUCTED (IF APPLICABLE)

If you did not conduct a competitive grant process, provide an explanation as to why you did not, including a discussion of how projects were selected for funding.

OVERALL STATE PLAN BUDGET SUMMARY

Please ensure the total budget equals the State's available grant allocation and that the total indirect costs do not exceed 8 percent of your total grant request. Please number your Project Titles in sequential order beginning with 1 (for example, 1. Evaluating the effects of root rot fungicide treatments on shallow root vegetables.).

Project Title Direct Indirect Total Grant Administration Total

STATE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE OVERSIGHT

If you are using grant funds for direct administration of the grant agreement, provide the start and end dates for the use of these funds and a budget breakdown by year. Budget Breakdown by Year Chart Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Total

GRANT ADMINISTRATION BUDGET NARRATIVE

All expenses described in this Budget Narrative must be associated with administration expenses for the SCBGP. Applicants should review the RFA section on Funding Considerations prior to developing their budget narrative.

AMS encourages all grant recipients to include the grant administrative funds in their budget narrative, which can be used for costs such as monitoring subrecipients, ensuring grant recipient and subrecipient compliance with regulations and requirements, and grant management training. Grant recipients are encouraged to conduct periodic site visits to review project accomplishments and monitor progress, to review financial and performance records, organizational procedures, and financial control systems and to provide technical assistance to subrecipients as required. These recommended site visits are meant to support accountability, compliance with regulations and requirements, and achievements of subrecipients.

Please review previous State Plans to ensure that you are not requesting grant administration costs for the same activities for the same period as previously awarded. The Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) will not fund duplicative costs. Total award administrative costs, defined as indirect costs, are limited to 8 percent of the total Federal funds provided under the award per section 101(k)(2) of the Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act of 2004 (7 U.S.C. § 1621 note), Farm Bill, as amended by section 10107 of the Farm Bill. Budget Summary is automated and will automatically calculate funds requested based on inputs made in the subsections of the budget narrative.

Budget Summary Expense Category Funds Requested Personnel Fringe Benefits Travel Equipment Supplies Contractual Other Direct Costs Sub-Total Indirect Costs Total Budget

PERSONNEL

List the organization’s employees whose time and effort can be specifically identified and easily and accurately traced to project activities that enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops. If the listed employee’s salary/position will not be paid with SCBGP funds list $0.00 in the Funds Requested column. Refer to the RFA sections Presenting Direct and Indirect Costs Consistently; and Allowable and Unallowable Costs and Activities for further guidance. Fill personnel information in space below as needed.

Personnel Name/Title Level of Effort (# of hours OR % FTE) Funds Requested Personnel Subtotal

PERSONNEL JUSTIFICATION

For each individual listed in the above table, describe the activities to be completed by name/title including approximately when activities will occur. Add more personnel by copying and pasting the existing listing or deleting personnel that aren't necessary. If the salary/position of the person responsible for the grant isn’t being paid with SCBGP funds, please include their name and provide their job description.

FOR EXAMPLE:

Personnel 1: Description and justification Personnel 2: Description and justification

FRINGE BENEFITS

Provide the fringe benefit rates, in percentages, for each of the employees described in the Personnel section that will be paid with SCBGP funds.

Fringe Benefits Name/Title Fringe Benefit Rate (%) Funds Requested Fringe Subtotal

TRAVEL

Explain the purpose for each Trip Request. Please note that travel costs are limited to those allowed by formal organizational policy; in the case of air travel, project participants must use the lowest reasonable commercial airfares. For recipient organizations that have no formal travel policy and for-profit recipients, allowable travel costs may not exceed those established by the Federal Travel Regulation, issued by GSA, including the maximum per diem for lodging and meals and incidental expenses (M&IE) and mileage rates prescribed in those regulations. This information is available at http://www.gsa.gov/travel. Refer to the RFA section on Allowable and Unallowable Costs and Activities, Travel and Foreign Travel topics for further guidance. For all trips, please list each cost item (airfare, car rental, meals, hotel, etc.) associated with that trip number on a separate line. Please do not combine costs like airfare and hotels on the same line.

Trip Destination Type of Expense (e.g., airfare, car rental, hotel, etc.)

Unit of Measure (e.g., days, nights, miles) Number of Units Cost per Unit Number of Travelers Claiming Expense Funds Requested Travel Subtotal

TRAVEL JUSTIFICATION

For each trip listed in the above table, describe the purpose of this trip and how it will achieve the objectives and outcomes of the project. Be sure to include approximately when and where the trip will occur and who will be traveling. If the location is not yet known, please use TBD. If you are not using GSA rates, please include how you arrived at the rate numbers. For example, it might be including tax for the hotel or University travel policy. Add more trips by copying and pasting the existing listing or delete trips that aren't necessary.

FOR EXAMPLE:

Trip 1: (Approximate Date of Travel MM/YYYY), justification Trip 2: (Approximate Date of Travel MM/YYYY), justification

CONFORMING WITH YOUR TRAVEL POLICY

EQUIPMENT

Describe any special purpose equipment to be purchased or rented under the grant. "Special purpose equipment" is tangible, nonexpendable, personal property having a useful life of more than one year and an acquisition cost that equals or exceeds $10,000 per unit and is used only for research, medical, scientific, or other technical activities. Refer to the RFA section on Allowable and Unallowable Costs and Activities, Equipment - Special Purpose for further guidance. If the acquisition cost of the item is less than $10,000 then the item is considered a supply and should be listed later in that section. Rental of "general purpose equipment" must also be described in this section. Purchase of general purpose equipment is not allowable under this grant. Refer to the RFA section on Allowable and Unallowable Costs and Activities, Equipment - General Purpose and Rental or Lease Costs of Buildings, Vehicles, Land and Equipment for further information.

Equipment Item Description Rental or Purchase Acquisition Date Funds Requested Equipment Subtotal

EQUIPMENT JUSTIFICATION

For each Equipment item listed in the above table describe how this equipment will be used to achieve the objectives and outcomes of the project. Please be sure to address the allowability criteria for each equipment item as indicated in the most recent version of the AMS Terms and Conditions.

FOR EXAMPLE:

Equipment 1: Description and justification Equipment 2: Description and justification

SUPPLIES

List the materials, supplies, and fabricated parts costing less than $10,000 per unit and describe how they will support the purpose and goal of the proposal and enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops. If the actual cost per unit or number of units is not known, please use your best estimate. This will assist Grants Management Specialists to better determine allowability. Refer to the RFA section on Allowable and Unallowable Costs and Activities, Supplies and Materials, Including Costs of Computing Devices for further information.

Supplies Item Description Cost per Unit Number of Units Acquisition Date Funds Requested Supplies Subtotal

SUPPLIES JUSTIFICATION

Describe the purpose of each supply listed in the table above and how it is necessary for the completion of the project's objective(s) and outcome(s). If it comes as a set, please include that in the justification. If you are combining costs (for example combining 15 items into one cost, you will need to provide a breakdown of items and how you arrived at the price listed in the table above).

FOR EXAMPLE:

Supply 1: Description and justification Supply 2: Description and justification

CONTRACTUAL/CONSULTANT

Contractual/consultant costs are the expenses associated with purchasing goods and/or procuring services performed by an individual or organization other than the applicant in the form of a procurement relationship. If there is more than one contractor or consultant, each must be described separately. Create a new line for each contractor/consultant. Provide a list of contractors/consultants, detailing out the name, hourly or flat rate, and overall cost of the services performed. Please note that any statutory limitations on indirect costs also apply to contractors and consultants.

Contractual Name/Organization Hourly Rate/Flat Rate Rate Value Funds Requested Contractual/Consultant Subtotal

CONTRACTUAL JUSTIFICATION

Provide for each of your real or anticipated contractors listed above a description of the project activities each will accomplish to meet the objectives and outcomes of the project. Each section should also include a justification for why contractual/consultant services are to be used to meet the anticipated outcomes and objectives. Include timelines for each activity. If contractor employee and consultant hourly rates of pay exceed the salary of a GS-15 step 10 Federal employee in your area, provide a justification for the expenses. This limit does not include fringe benefits, travel, indirect costs, or other expenses. See the RFA sections referring to the Allowable and Unallowable Costs and Activities, Contractual and Consultant Costs for acceptable justifications. If the Contractor has not yet been identified or is still to be determined (TBD), please indicate how you will announce the opportunity, evaluate candidates, and select the contractor for the position/work to be completed.

FOR EXAMPLE:

Contractual 1: Description and justification Contractual 2: Description and justification

CONFORMING WITH YOUR PROCUREMENT STANDARDS

OTHER

Include any expenses not covered in any of the previous budget categories. Be sure to break down costs into cost per unit and number of units. Expenses in this section include, but are not limited to, meetings and conferences, communications, rental expenses, advertisements, publication costs, and data collection.

Other Item Description Cost per Unit Number of Units Acquisition Date Funds Requested Other Subtotal

OTHER JUSTIFICATION

Describe the purpose of each item listed in the table above purchased and how it is necessary for the completion of the project's objective(s) and outcome(s). For meals, the costs must be reasonable, and a justification must be included to show that such activity maintains the continuity of the meeting and to do otherwise will impose arduous conditions on the meeting participants.

FOR EXAMPLE:

Other 1: Description and justification Other 2: Description and justification

INDIRECT COSTS

The indirect cost rate must not exceed 8 percent of the total Federal funds provided under the award per section 101(k)(2) of the Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act of 2004 (7 U.S.C. § 1621 note), as amended by section 10107 of the Farm Bill. Indirect costs are any costs that are incurred for common or joint objectives “which”, cannot be readily identified with an individual project, program, or organizational activity. They generally include facilities operation and maintenance costs, depreciation, and administrative expenses. See the RFA sections referring to the Limit on Administrative Costs and Presenting Direct and Indirect Costs Consistently for further guidance.

Indirect Cost Rate (Max of 8% of total award amount) Funds Requested Indirect Subtotal 11.0.9.20201112.2.940716.934558 SCBGP Grant Administration Template