USDA-FNS-CN-FY2021-REGINST_Request for Applications.pdf

Form RFA (01-21)

Farm to School Institute Grants

Fiscal Year 2021 Request for Applications (RFA)

Catalog for Federal Domestic Assistance Number (CFDA): 10.575

Release Date: May 26, 2021 Application Due Date: 11:59 PM, Eastern Standard Time (EST), July 28, 2021 Anticipated Award Date: September 2021

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 45 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.

APPLICATION CHECKLIST

This Application Checklist provides applicants with a list of the required documents. 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 Dun & Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number;

Register the DUNS 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 IV “Application and

Submission Information.” This includes page limits, priorities outlined in Section V, 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 justifications and basis for lodging estimates.

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 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 applicant is requesting the de minimis rate or indirect costs are not requested, please indicate this in the budget narrative.

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

SF-424 – Application for Federal Assistance (fillable PDF in Grants.gov) SF-424A – Budget Information and Instruction Form (fillable PDF in Grants.gov) SF-424B – Assurances for Non-Construction Programs (fillable PDF in Grants.gov) SF-LLL – Disclosure of Lobbying Activities FNS-906 – Grant Program Accounting System & Financial Capability Questionnaire (Appendix) Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (PDF - Upload using the “Add Attachments” button under SF-424 item #15) http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms.html https://apply07.grants.gov/apply/forms/sample/SFLLL_1_2-V1.2.pdf

Application Checklist (continued)

When applicable, application packages are required to include the following documents:

AD-3030 – Representations Regarding Felony Conviction and Tax Delinquent Status for Corporate

Applicants (fillable PDF in Grants.gov) AD-1047 – Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, and Other Responsibility Matters

Primary Covered Transactions AD-1048 – Certification Regarding Department, Suspension, Ineligibility and Voluntary Exclusion

Lower Tier Covered Transactions AD-1049 – Certification Regarding Drug-Free Workplace Requirements (Grants) Alternative I –

For Grantees Other Than Individuals AD-1052 – Certification Regarding Drug-Free Workplace State and State Agencies, Federal Fiscal

Year AD-3031 – Assurance Regarding Felony Conviction or Tax Delinquent Status For Corporate

Applicants https://www.ocio.usda.gov/document/ad3030 https://www.ocio.usda.gov/document/ad3030 https://www.ocio.usda.gov/document/ad-1047 https://www.ocio.usda.gov/document/ad-1047 https://www.ocio.usda.gov/document/ad-1048 https://www.ocio.usda.gov/document/ad-1048 https://www.ocio.usda.gov/document/ad-1049 https://www.ocio.usda.gov/document/ad-1049 https://www.ocio.usda.gov/document/ad-1052 https://www.ocio.usda.gov/document/ad-1052 https://www.ocio.usda.gov/document/ad3031 https://www.ocio.usda.gov/document/ad3031

Table of Contents Application Checklist 2

I. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION & OBJECTIVES 6

Program Description

Key Objectives

II. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION 8

Cooperative Agreement

Allowable Costs

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION 9

Eligible Applicants

Cost Sharing or Matching Considerations

Funding Restrictions

Other Eligibility Criteria

Pre-Award Screening Requirements

Acknowledgement of USDA Support

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION 12

Content and Form of Application Submission

Submission Date

Preparing for Electronic Application Submission through Grants.gov

How to Submit an Application via Grants.gov

Grants.gov Receipt Requirements and Proof of Timely Submission

V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION 19

Evaluation of Grant Application Criteria

1. REVIEW CRITERIA

2. EVALUATION FACTORS AND CRITERIA

3. Review and Selection Process

VI. FEDERAL AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION 21

1. FEDERAL AWARD NOTICE

2. ADMINISTRATIVE AND NATIONAL POLICY REQUIREMENTS

Confidentiality of an Application

Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality of the Review Process

Administrative Regulations

Code of Federal Regulations and Other Government Requirements

3. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

Financial Reports

Performance Progress Report (PPR)

VII.

FEDERAL AWARDING AGENCY CONTACTS 25

VIII.

OTHER INFORMATION 26

Debriefing Requests

APPENDIX 27

RFA Budget Narrative Checklist

FNS-908 Performance Progress Report (PPR) – For Reference Only

I. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION & OBJECTIVES

The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) administers the nutrition assistance programs of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The mission of FNS is to work with partners to provide food and nutrition education to people in need in a way that inspires public confidence and supports American agriculture. Among these nutrition assistance programs are the Child Nutrition Programs (CNP), including the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), the School Breakfast Program (SBP), the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP). Administered by State agencies, the CNPs help fight hunger and obesity by reimbursing organizations such as schools, childcare centers, and after school programs for providing nutritionally balanced meals and snacks to children at low or no cost.

Section 18 of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act establishes a Farm to School Program to provide grants and technical assistance to eligible entities implementing programs that improve access to local foods in eligible schools. The Farm to School Program is administered by FNS’s Office of Community Food Systems (OCFS). The OCFS three pillars of work include the Farm to School Grant Program; training and technical assistance; and research and evaluation. Since the first round of farm to school grants in 2013, USDA has awarded over $52 million, funding a total of 719 projects across all 50 States, the District of Columbia, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and Puerto Rico, reaching almost 21 million students in 47,000 schools.

Farm to school activities have expanded exponentially over the past decade. Since 2018, Congress has demonstrated its ongoing support for farm to school by providing additional funding beyond the authorized $5 million in annual grant funds and approximately $4 million in team funding. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2021, Congress authorized an additional $12 million in farm to school funds. These annual increases have greatly expanded the reach of the grant program, as well as increased the need for ongoing technical assistance and support to a growing community of farm to school stakeholders.

Program Description The FY 2021 Agriculture Appropriations Senate Report (S.R. 115-259) directs the Secretary of Agriculture to use $500,000 to form at least one cooperative agreement with an established entity, such as a regional Farm to School institute, for the creation and dissemination of information on farm to school program development and to provide practitioner education, training, ongoing school year coaching, and technical assistance.” This cooperative agreement announces the availability of funds to establish a new three-year cooperative agreement focused on training state or regional level teams, or other teams serving specific populations that may not be bound by geography (such as tribal nations, refugee communities, etc.) to create farm to school institutes for the communities they serve.

FNS awarded two Regional Farm to School Institute Grants in FY 2020. The grantees currently provide and conduct regular, ongoing trainings and technical assistance to schools, school districts, Indian tribal organizations, agricultural producers, and/or non-profit organizations. This is done with the intent to support and enhance eligible CNP (NSLP, SBP, CACFP, SFSP and FFVP) operators in developing robust, sustainable, and integrated Farm to School programs. The intent of this cooperative agreement is to replicate the success of the farm to institute model more widely across the county and provide ongoing technical assistance to new institutes as they are created and implemented.

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

Each objective is described in greater detail below. Please note that for each objective, the applicant must include one or more activities aligned with the objective. Each activity must include the following: an indicator that will permit the applicant to gauge progress towards completion; a timeline that includes start and completion dates at minimum for each activity; a target audience for materials, training, or coaching and a description of how the applicant will recruit their audience; and the individual(s) or group(s) responsible for the activity.

For this Cooperative Agreement, the target audience for training and technical assistance is described as:

1. State/Regional teams, to include:

a. two or more states in geographical proximity and/or similar populations that has the capacity to create a farm to school institute for the state/region they serve; or b.a single state that has the capacity to create a farm to school institute for the communities they serve; or

c. a region within a state or within parts of multiple states that has the capacity to create a farm to school institute in the communities or areas they serve.

2. Sector teams – include other organizations serving specific populations that may not be bound by geography, such as tribal nations, refugee communities, etc. which have the capacity to create farm to school institutes for the communities they serve.

1. Develop a framework to replicate the farm to school institute model: Funding may be used to adapt existing materials and resources or to create new materials to develop a framework for replicating the farm to school institute model. Content created and disseminated under this cooperative agreement must be designed with the intent to replicate the farm to institute model more widely across the county.

Applicants who plan to utilize existing materials and resources must provide a detailed description of the material and/or resource content and how the framework may be used for replicating farm to school institute model. If new materials are developed as a part of this agreement, the application must include a detailed description of the intended content of materials and resources and how the framework may be used for replicating farm to school institute model across the country.

All new materials developed must be provided to FNS upon finalization, to be made available free of charge to the public on the OCFS or other appropriate website. All new materials developed under this agreement must be in compliance with section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (https://www.section508.gov/training/508-training). The goal is to share and make these materials widely available and accessible to all eligible CN practitioners and other farm to school stakeholders.

# Objectives

Develop a framework to replicate a farm to school institute model

Recruit and form state/regional/sector teams

3 Provide education and training on the model to state/regional/sector teams

4 Provide ongoing technical assistance to state/regional/sector teams on implementation and evaluation https://www.section508.gov/training/508-training

USDA/FNS reserves a royalty-free, nonexclusive, and irrevocable license to reproduce, publish or otherwise use, and authorize others to use for Federal government purposes, any materials developed using funding from the grant.

2. Recruit and form state/regional/sector teams: Funding may be used to adapt existing materials and resources or to create new materials and conduct activities for the purpose of recruiting and forming state/regional/sector teams to create a farm to school institute for the communities that they serve. Applicants must include a comprehensive description of the proposed process for recruiting and forming teams. Application should specify each step involved in the process, such as the recruitment plan, the strategy development, and the evaluation plan.

3. Provide education and training on the model to state/regional/sector teams: Applicants must include a comprehensive description of the proposed education and training, including content, format(s), and materials used to deliver proposed training to the intended state/regional/sector teams.

Grantees may use the grant funds to develop and deliver the training themselves or collaborate with other partnering organization/affiliate for training development and/or delivery. Each partnering organization/affiliate must be identified in the grant application and submit a letter of commitment with the application.

The education and training may utilize any format or combination of formats, including, but not limited to, in-person trainings or workshops; online learning modules; webinars; videos; web-based applications; and/or blended learning (i.e., an educational program that combines online/web based digital media or modules with traditional face-to-face instruction).

4. Provide ongoing technical assistance to state/regional/sector teams on implementation and evaluation: Applicants must provide technical assistance to teams as they implement the model and evaluate the project. The applicant must provide ongoing coaching and technical assistance at least once during the program operational period; however, the applicant may determine such factors as the frequency, scope, and intensity of any proposed coaching and/or technical assistance sessions within the operational period. Applicants must include a comprehensive description of the proposed ongoing technical assistance and the strategies employed to identify and respond to technical assistance needs and evaluate the effectiveness of the technical assistance.

II. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

Cooperative Agreement

This award will be issued in the form of a cooperative agreement. This agreement is a legal instrument reflecting a relationship between the Federal government and the Applicant. Cooperative agreements are assistance mechanisms and subject to the same administrative requirements as grants; however, they are different from a grant or a contract. Cooperative agreements allow more involvement and collaboration by FNS in the project compared to a grant, and they provide greater flexibility in direction of project activities than a contract. The roles and responsibilities of both the Applicant and FNS will be clearly stated in the cooperative agreement. FNS’s involvement in this cooperative agreement will include, but is not limited to, reviewing and providing feedback on proposed deliverables, and approving the deliverables/benchmarks before implementation.

This cooperative agreement will be awarded and administered in accordance with 7 U.S.C. 3318(b) and applicable documents can be found in Terms and Conditions of Award. The electronic Code of Federal Regulations can be found at http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/ECFR?page=browse.

http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/ECFR?page=browse

For an electronic copy of the general Terms and Conditions, please contact the FNS grants Officer at:

Anna Arrowsmith, Grant Officer, Grants and Fiscal Policy Division U.S. Department of Agriculture, FNS

Anna.Arrowsmith@usda.gov

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

• Total amount of funding expected to award: $500,000.00

• Anticipated number of awards: 1

• Anticipated award announcement date: September 15, 2021

• Expected amount of funding per individual Federal award: up to $500,000.00

• Anticipated period of performance: September 30, 2021 – September 30, 2023/2024 (projects may be 2-3 years in duration)

• Estimated funding per award: Up to $500,000

• Application due date: July 28, 2021

Please note:

Grant awards are subject to the availability of funding and/or appropriation 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 All costs must be allowable, allocable, necessary, and reasonable, in accordance with 2 CFR part 200, as appropriate. Allowable use of funds includes, but is not limited to; personnel costs, office and research supplies, travel, and technology necessary for conducting the training.

Funds must be used by the applicant to establish entity for the creation and dissemination of information on farm to school program development and to provide practitioner education, training, ongoing school year coaching, and technical assistance. Expenditures must conform to the project design and budget identified in the Applicant’s approved proposal. Funds expended by the Applicant may be used to pay sub-contractors for specific elements of the project as described in the approved proposal. Sub-contractors are also subject to the applicable cost principles and uniform administrative regulations

Cooperative agreements provided through this RFA are intended to provide training, coaching and technical assistance as determined by FNS. A project’s proposed budget cannot include:

• Any pre-award cost as defined in 2 CFR 200.458; or

• Payments to contracted sub-contractors not directly specified by the Applicant or associated with the project goals described in this RFA.

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

Eligible Applicants

This is a competitive, limited solicitation. The cooperative agreement is only open to non-profit organizations with 501(c)(3) status. Special consideration will be given to applicants with established relationships and experience with farm to school stakeholders and farm to school activities. The selected applicant will also have experience in operating a farm to school institute, including the mailto:Anna.Arrowsmith@usda.gov creation and dissemination of information on farm to school program development, providing practitioner education, training, and ongoing coaching, and technical assistance.

This cooperative agreement will be made on a competitive basis. An award may be made to more than one entity. The applicants may sub award, by contract or sub-grant, tasks to other organizations to complete or provide aspects of training and technical assistance.

Applicants must provide a 501(c)(3) Determination Letter to indicate nonprofit status, as well as a current copy of the organization’s bylaws that details, at a minimum, the organization’s official name, mission, and purpose. Applicants must clearly describe how their organization(s) satisfies the criteria for an “eligible entity” as stated above.

Cost Sharing or Matching Considerations

There is no cost sharing, or matching, requirements.

Funding Restrictions

• Pre-award costs will not be awarded for this project.

Other Eligibility Criteria

Suspended or debarred organizations are ineligible to submit applications in response to this grant solicitation.

Letters of Commitment

Any known sub-contract must submit a Letter of Commitment to the applicant, for inclusion with the application, which describes its role in this project, the amount of time it intends to commit to this project, and an affirmation that it will cooperate with the applicant in implementing this project. If the applicant plans to work with an unknown sub-contractor, that sub-contractor must have prior experience working with the federal government and must share reference to prior performance The Letters of Commitment should be on the respective companies or organization’s letterhead and should be addressed to the prospective applicant.

Application Screening Requirements

In reviewing applications in any discretionary grant competition, Federal Awarding Agencies, in accordance with 2 CFR part 200, are required, prior to making a Federal award, to review information available through various OMB-designated repositories for eligibility qualification or financial integrity, and to have in place a framework for evaluating the risks posed by applicants before they receive Federal awards. The evaluation of the information obtained from the designated repository systems and the risk assessment may result in FNS imposing special conditions that correspond to the degree of risk assessed.

The Federal repository systems FNS will review include:

1. SAM, the System for Award Management, the official U.S. Government system that consolidated the capabilities of CCR/RedReg, ORCA, and EPLS;

2. FAPIIS, the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System, is a database that has been established to track contractor misconduct and performance;

3. Dun and Bradstreet, the system where applicants establish a DUNS number, which is used by the Federal government to better identify related organizations that are receiving funding under grants and cooperative agreements, and to provide consistent name and address data for electronic grant application systems. The Federal government requires that all applicants for

Federal grants and cooperative agreements with the exception of individuals other than sole proprietors have a DUNS number.

4. U.S. Department of Agriculture, AD-3030, Representations regarding Felony Conviction and Tax Delinquent Status for Corporate Applicants.

Applicants must also respond to the application assessment questions at the end of this solicitation to allow FNS to evaluate aspects of the applicant’s financial stability, quality of management systems, and history of performance, reports and findings from audits. A questionnaire containing these questions has been provided to facilitate the process. Applicants must answer all of the pre-application questions. The consideration and evaluation of these questions is only an indicator of potential risk and may result in additional oversight requirements or special conditions should an award be made. Decisions regarding additional oversight requirements will take into consideration the total number of risks identified.

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

• Dun & Bradstreet, the system where applicants establish a DUNS number that is used by the Federal government to better identify related organizations that are receiving funding under grants and cooperative agreements

• U.S. Department of Agriculture, AD-3030, Representations Regarding Felony Conviction and Tax Delinquent Status for Corporate Applicants

• FNS Risk Assessment Questionnaire o 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 https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/visual-standards-guide-january-2013.pdf 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.

IV. 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 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 captured on no more than 20 pages, not including the cover sheet, table of contents, resumes, letter of commitment(s), endorsement letter(s), budget narrative(s), appendices, and required forms. All pages, excluding the 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.

• 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.

• 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

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.

Experience Briefly describe experience with operating a farm to school institute including creating and disseminating information on farm to school program development, providing practitioner education and training, and ongoing school year coaching and technical assistance. Explicitly state the number of years’ experience the applicant has working across the farm to school supply chain to institutionalize farm to school within Child Nutrition Program operators’ systems, structures, and operations. Provide evidence of impact and history of previous success with at least one piece of outcome data demonstrating an increase in the quantity and quality of farm to school programs.

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.

The project narrative should also list any relevant partnerships or sub-grants. Describe the role of each partner in the larger project and how the applicant will collaborate and communicate with partners during the project. If the applicant plans to award sub-grants, or sub-contracts, include a description of how the applicant will structure the competitive process for doing so (if applicable). Include a table with anticipated timeframes for sub-grant, or sub-contract, RFP posting, proposal due dates, and start dates.

The project narrative should provide a clear description of previous farm to school institute experience creating and disseminating information on farm to school program development and providing training, ongoing coaching, and technical assistance completed within the last five years.

The project narrative should provide a clear description of the applicant’s previous experience working with farm to school stakeholders, such as schools, child-care centers, food producers, State and local government agencies, etc.

Project Work Plan Narrative Describe the proposed project and how the activities will contribute to the development of the creation and dissemination of farm to school development focused on training state level teams, or other organizations serving specific populations that may not be bound by geography (such as tribal nations, refugee communities, etc.) to create local farm to school institutes for the communities they serve.

Include a comprehensive description of the proposed education and training approach, including formats and materials used to deliver proposed training to the intended target audience. Where possible, specify such factors as the frequency, scope, and intensity of any proposed coaching and/or technical assistance sessions within the operational period.

List the activities, start and completion dates, target audiences, required resources, and responsible parties needed to achieve each objective. Ensure that the content of this section is reflected in the Project Work Plan Table section. Where dates are included, activities should not begin before October 1, 2021.

Note whether the project will use existing materials or if resources will be developed as part of the proposed project. If new materials are to be developed, the application must include a detailed description of the intended content of materials and resources and how practitioners may apply the information to help support and advance farm to school efforts in their CNPs.

Activities/Indicators Tracker Proposed Activities and indicators measuring success must be mapped to Program Objectives (as described in Section I – 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 tracking 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, etc.

(Example) Objective # 1. Develop a framework to replicate farm to school institute model

Activity 1.1 Create a comprehensive framework team

Indicator(s) Number of meetings

Activity 1.2 Create a web page where resources and tools are available for download

Indicator(s) Number of page views and/or downloads

Objective #

Activity

Indicator(s)

Objective #

Activity

Indicator(s)

Applicants are encouraged to copy and paste the project work plan table into their application and may add or remove as many rows as necessary to complete the table. The Project Work Plan Table should address the entire lifetime of the cooperative agreement cycle. Please include in the table any activities mentioned in the Project Work Plan Narrative section and ensure that the information in the table matches the information provided in the narrative.

Project Work Plan Table Please ensure that content in this table aligns with the Project Work Plan Narrative.

Objective Activity Indicator Anticipated Start Date (Month, Year)

Anticipated Completion

Date (Month, Year)

Target Audience

Responsible Party (Name, Title, Organization)

Objective Activity Indicator Anticipated Start Date (Month, Year)

Anticipated Completion

Date (Month, Year)

Target Audience

Responsible Party (Name, Title, Organization)

Staffing, Partnerships, Management, and Quality Assurance Describe the management approach (staffing, procurement of contractors [if applicable], quality assurance planning, tracking timelines, monitoring progress) that will be used for the project. Describe your plan for coordination, data sharing, and reporting among members of the project team and stakeholder groups. Provide a clear description of staff or partners’ relevant experience as it relates to the proposed project. Identify key partner or collaborator organizations involved with the project.

List partnerships and/or sub-grants with relevant stakeholders that will allow the target audience to be reached. Describe the role of each partner in the larger project and how the applicant will collaborate and communicate with partners during the project. If the applicant plans to award sub-grants, include a description of how the applicant will structure the competitive process for doing so (if applicable).

Include a table with anticipated timeframes for sub-grantee RFP posting, sub-grantee proposal due date, sub-grantee start dates, webinar and conference timeframes with FNS approval, and all other deliverables and events (as applicable).

Attach resumes of key project staff, partnerships and/or sub-grants, and letters of commitment from key partners to your application within Grants.gov using the “Add Attachments” button under SF-424 item #15. If a key position has not been filled, a job description no more than one page in length, which includes desired knowledge, skills, and education may be included in the application in lieu of a resume.

Evaluation Plan

Briefly describe your organization’s ability to track progress on project activities and how the overall impact will be evaluated. Detail any relevant experience your organization or partner has conducting evaluations.

Awardees will be required to report data indicating progress towards completing their proposed activities. The evaluation plan will describe the evaluation activities you will conduct to measure your program against each required objective. Identify the indicator(s) that will be used for each activity.

Indicate the date and frequency of the proposed activities. Lastly, identify a person or organization responsible for overseeing the evaluation plan.

For the overall impact of the project, indicate how the effectiveness of materials, training, or coaching developed or provided will be determined. Emphasize any outcome measures that will be used to evaluate whether activities funded by the grant result in a measurable impact, such as an increase in farm to school participation or activities.

For more information on evaluation resources, please see the Farm to School Applicant Resource page.

Sustainability https://www.fns.usda.gov/farmtoschool/resources-farm-school-grant-program-applicants

Describe if and how the project will continue beyond the period of performance (without additional USDA Farm to School grant funds). Indicate which project components will require continued funding and identify potential sources of such funding (e.g. other grants, in-kind donations, volunteers, integration into organization’s long-term budget etc.). Discuss partners’ and staff’s roles in continuing farm to school efforts past the grant period.

Application Budget Narrative The budget narrative 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. If the budget includes indirect costs, the applicant must provide a copy of its most recently approved Federal indirect cost rate agreement. All non-profit organizations must include their 501(c)(3) determination letter issued by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). All funding requests must be in whole dollars.

Briefly describe how the total amount for that line item was determined. If key partner(s) are receiving a portion of grant funds to provide essential services, justify the organizations’ participation in the project by describing their experience, expertise, and specific services to be provided. Ensure that all budget line items, and partner services align with the activities described in the Project Work Plan Table above. Proposed costs must be necessary, reasonable, and allocable to carry out the project’s goals and objectives.

Indirect Cost Rate A current Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA), negotiated with a Federal negotiating 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 VII of this RFA.

Required Grant Application Forms

Please refer to the Application Checklist for a list of required grant forms.

Submission Date Complete grant applications must be uploaded to www.grants.gov by 11:59 PM EST on the due date listed on the cover page.

• Applications must be submitted via Grants.gov. Mailed, e-mailed or hand-delivered application packages will not be accepted. For further instructions, go here.

• 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 to Grants.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 http://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ send multiple confirmation notices; applicants should ensure receipt of confirmation that the application was accepted. Applicants experiencing difficulty submitting applications to Grants.gov should contact the Grant Officer noted in the Agency Contacts (Section VII) of this RFA. FNS will evaluate submission issues on a case-by-case basis.

Preparing for Electronic Application Submission through Grants.gov Applicants must register with Grants.gov, Dun and Bradstreet and Sam.gov in order to submit an application to FNS via Grants.gov, as required. FNS strongly encourages applicants to begin the registration process at least four weeks before the due date.

In order to submit an application, you must:

1. Obtain a DUNS number

• If your organization does not have a DUNS number, or if you are unsure of your organization’s DUNS, contact Dun & Bradstreet at https://fedgov.dnb.com/webform or by calling 1-888-814-1435, Monday thru Friday, 8am-9pm ET. There is no fee associated with obtaining a DUNS number.

• It may take 2-3 business days to obtain a DUNS number.

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

• SAM.gov combines Federal procurement systems and the Catalog of Federal Domestic

Assistance into one system. For additional information regarding SAM.gov, see the following link: https://www.sam.gov/SAM

• To register with SAM.gov, you must have your organization’s DUNS, Tax ID Number (TIN), and taxpayer name (as it appears on last tax return). It may take 3-5 business days to register in SAM.gov; however, in some instances the SAM process to complete the migration of permissions and/or the renewal of the entity record will require 5-7 days or more.

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

• We strongly encourage applicants to begin the 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 DUNS number to complete this process. Completing this process automatically triggers an email request for applicant roles to the organization's E-Business Point of Contact (EBiz POC) for review. The EBiz POC is a representative from your organization who is the contact listed for SAM.gov. To apply for grants on behalf of your organization, you will need the Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) role.

For more detailed instructions about creating a profile on Grants.gov, refer to https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/grantors/grantor-registration.html

4. Authorize Grants.gov Roles:

After creating an account on Grants.gov, the EBiz POC receives an email notifying them of your registration and request for roles. The EBiz POC will then log in to Grants.gov and authorize the appropriate roles, which may include the AOR role, thereby giving you permission to complete and submit applications on behalf of the organization. You will be able to submit your application online any time after you have been approved as an AOR.

For more detailed instructions about creating a profile on Grants.gov, refer to https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/workspace-overview/workspace-roles.html https://www.grants.gov/ https://fedgov.dnb.com/webform https://www.sam.gov/SAM https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/grantors/grantor-registration.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/workspace-overview/workspace-roles.html

5. Track Role Status: To track your role request, refer to https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/workspace-overview/workspace-roles.html

Electronic Signature: When applications are submitted through Grants.gov, the name of the organization's AOR that submitted the application is inserted into the signature line of the application, serving as the electronic signature. The EBiz POC must authorize individuals who are able to make legally binding commitments on behalf of the organization as an AOR; this step is often missed and it is crucial for valid and timely submissions.

How to Submit an Application via Grants.gov Grants.gov applicants can 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 (FOA) or RFA, you can create individual instances of a workspace.

For additional training resources, including video tutorials, refer to:

https://www.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 call the Grants.gov Support Center and get a ticket number. The Support Center ticket number will assist the Center with tracking your issue and understanding background information on the issue.

For application questions related to the specific grant opportunity, please contact the Grant Officer noted in the Agency Contacts (Section VII) of this RFA. If you are experiencing application submission problems, please contact grants.gov at the number above.

Grants.gov Receipt Requirements and Proof of Timely Submission All applications must be received by 11:59 PM EST on the due date listed on the cover page, as detailed here. 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 AOR will receive an acknowledgement of receipt and a tracking number (GRANTXXXXXXXX) from Grants.gov with the successful transmission of their application.

Applicant AORs will also receive the official date/time stamp and 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 acknowledgment 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.

Additional Information on Grants.gov and the Registration Process:

NOTICE: Special Characters and Naming Conventions All applicants MUST follow Grants.gov guidance on file naming conventions. To avoid submission https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-training.html mailto:support@grants.gov issues, please follow the guidance provided by Grants.gov (per the Grants.gov Frequently Asked Questions (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 (examples: & – * % / # ’ -). This includes periods (.) and spacing followed by a dash in the file. To separate words in naming a file, use underscore, as in the following example: Attached_File.pdf.

Please note that if these guidelines are not followed, your application will be rejected. FNS will not accept any application rejected from www.grants.gov portal due to incorrect naming conventions.

Additional information and applicant resources are available at:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/workspace-overview.html

V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

Evaluation of Grant Application Criteria

1. 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.

After initial screening, USDA will convene an evaluation panel to consider the merit of each grant application. Each application that passes initial screening will be given to the panel to be evaluated and scored according to how well it addresses each application component. Each section of the narrative is evaluated independently according to the required evaluation factors and criteria.

2. EVALUATION FACTORS AND CRITERIA

The following selection criteria will be used to evaluate applications…