USDA-FSA-LANDACCESS-22-NOFO0001219.pdf

Increasing Land, Capital, and Market Access Program

Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 Increasing Land, Capital, and Market Access Program National Funding Opportunity (NFO)

No. USDA-FSA-LANDACCESS-22-NOFO0001219

Notice of Funding Opportunity (NFO)

SUMMARY INFORMATION

Federal Awarding Agency Name: U.S. Department of Agriculture – Farm Service Agency (FSA) FSA is part of the Farm Production and Conservation Mission Area (FPAC). FPAC encompasses FSA, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Risk Management Agency, and the FPAC Business Center

Notice of Funding Opportunity Title: Increasing Land, Capital, and Market Access Program

Notice of Funding Opportunity Number: USDA-FSA-LANDACCESS-22-NOFO0001219

Assistance Listing, formerly the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA): This program is listed in the Assistance Listings on Sam.gov under 10.968.

Notice of Funding Opportunity Summary The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is making up to $300,000,000 available for the Increasing Land, Capital, and Market Access Program through this funding opportunity.

USDA is committed to funding projects that support a diverse set of farmers, ranchers, forest landowners, and operators (producers) on the edge of viability, moving them from surviving to thriving as they address core barriers to attain land, capital, and market access.

USDA will achieve this goal by funding cooperative agreements or grants to organizations, to be known as Awardees, that will develop and run programs that are designed to align with and respond to land, capital, and market access needs of the target audience while concurrently providing wraparound technical assistance to ensure that program participants have the information, training, and customized support they require.

USDA is seeking proposals to fund projects across four tiers of effort as described below:

i. Large, national land access projects

ii. Mid-sized, national projects to test innovations in design

iii. Regional projects to test innovations in design

iv. Local, state, territory, county, and community projects to test innovations in design

The primary focus of this funding opportunity is to strengthen land access with additional opportunities to focus on capital access and market access for use in agriculture. The ability to access capital and markets allows landowners and operators to retain access to their lands or seek new lands/expansion of existing operations. These issues are inextricably intertwined. Projects must focus on strengthening land access with at least one of the following related areas of concern:

i. Capital access concerns that affect the ability to access land;

ii. Market access concerns that affect the ability to access land; or

iii. A combination of one or more of land, capital, and market access concerns.

https://sam.gov/content/home

Eligibility for this opportunity is limited to the following domestic entity types:

a. State, County, City, Local, Territorial, and Township governments

b. Public and State-controlled institutions of higher education

c. Not for profit institutions of higher education

d. Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS (other than institutions of higher education), including Foundations and Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs)Native American Tribal governments (Federally or State recognized)

e. Native American Tribal government instrumentalities

f. Native American Tribal organizations (other than Federally or State recognized Tribal governments)

g. Native American Tribal financial institutions

Please refer to Section C.1 of the full funding opportunity for additional eligibility information.

Eligible applicants are domestic entities. Individual persons are not eligible for this funding opportunity. Farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners, will not be eligible to apply to this program directly but must be the ultimate beneficiaries of the awarded projects and may be represented via partnership groups.

Awardees are required to coordinate with USDA and all other awardees in a manner as determined by USDA. Individuals that are the ultimate beneficiaries of the program investments and accompanying technical assistance must be underserved farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners, including veterans, limited resources producers, beginning farmers and ranchers, and/or farmers, ranchers and forest landowners living in high poverty areas.

Funding will be provided through four funding tiers1:

• Large, national land access tier: Proposals from $20,000,000 to $40,000,000 to include large-scale national projects/models that are designed to increase land access for targeted producers across a national landscape. These projects must be for a five-year funding period. We anticipate funding up to two projects at this level.

• Mid-sized national land access tier: Proposals from $10,000,000 to $15,000,000 to include large-scale national projects/models that are designed to increase land access for targeted producers across a national landscape. These projects must be for a five-year funding period.

• Regional land access tier: Proposal from $5,000,000 to $8,500,000 to include regional-scaled projects/models designed to increase land access for targeted producers across a regional landscape. These projects may be for up to a five-year funding period.

• Local/State/Territorial land access tier: Proposals from $250,000 to $2,500,000 to include local/state targeted producers focused on increasing land access within one local area (sub-state/territory), one state, one territory or one Tribal landscape. These projects may be for up to a five-year funding period.

1 Due to the unique nature of land access among Tribal communities, Tribal projects may be either large, national land access tier, mid-sized national tier, regional tier, or local/state/territorial tier in scope. It is expected that territories may be either regional tier or local/state/territorial.

Applicants are encouraged to apply for the tier funding level best suited for their project design.

Approved funding levels within each project tier will depend on the quality and scope of the applications received and deemed eligible for funding. Applicants are only allowed to submit one application for this funding opportunity. Multiple applications will not be accepted.

The USDA will work cooperatively with Awardees as they develop and implement programs to increase access to land, capital, and markets while providing technical assistance during the proposed project period of up to five years and as they work towards successful completion of the purposes and activities outlined in the Statement of Work.

For new users of Grants.gov, see Section D.1. for information about steps required before submitting an application via Grants.gov.

Key Dates

Applicants must submit their applications via Grants.gov by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on October 28, 2022.

For technical issues with Grants.gov, contact Grants.gov Applicant Support at 1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov. Awarding agency staff cannot support applicants regarding Grants.gov accounts. Please limit questions to those regarding specific information contained in this NFO (such as dates, page numbers, clarification of discrepancies, etc.). Questions related to eligibility or the merits of a specific proposal will not be addressed.

The agency anticipates making selections by winter 2022/2023 and expects to execute awards by spring 2023.

Federal Funding Floor and Ceiling Amounts

The estimated funding floor for this opportunity is $250,000 and the estimated funding ceiling is $40,000,000. The funding floor means the minimum agreement funding amount for the Federal share per agreement awarded. Each agreement selected for funding will be for a period of no more than five (5) years. The ceiling is the maximum agreement funding amount for the Federal share per agreement awarded. These numbers refer to the total agreement amount, not any specific budget period.

Federal Financial Assistance Training

The funding available through this NFO is Federal financial assistance. Grants 101 Training is highly recommended for those seeking knowledge about Federal financial assistance. The training is free and available to the public via https://www.cfo.gov/grants-training/. It consists of five modules covering each of the following topics: 1) laws, regulations, and guidance; 2) financial assistance mechanisms; 3) uniform guidance administrative requirements; 4) cost principles; and 5) risk management and single audit. FPAC agencies also apply Federal financial assistance regulations to certain non-assistance awards (e.g., non-assistance cooperative agreements).

mailto:support@grants.gov

Table of Contents

A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

1. Available Funding

2. Type of Award

C. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

1. Eligible Applicants

2. Other

D. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

1. Information for New Users of Grants.gov

2. Electronic Application Package

3. Consideration for Successful Project

4. Content and Form of Application Submission

5. Submission Dates and Times and Correspondence

6. Intergovernmental Review

7. Funding Restrictions

8. Indirect costs limitations

E. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

1. Review and Selection Process

2. Merit/Technical Criteria

3. Administrative and Risk Criteria

4. Awards Over the Simplified Acquisition Threshold (if applicable)

F. FEDERAL AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

1. Federal Award Notices

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

3. Reporting

G. FEDERAL AWARDING AGENCY CONTACT

H. OTHER INFORMATION

APPENDIX I: GLOSSARY OF TERMS

APPENDIX II: DEFINITIONS

A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Legislative Authority

The authorizing statute and regulation for this opportunity is Section 1006 of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (hereafter referred to as the Act) (Pub. L 117-2), as amended by Section 22007 of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (Pub. L 117-XX)).

Section 1006(a), as amended, authorizes the establishment of assistance and support to farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners and focuses on addressing the needs of underserved producers through outreach, education, engagement, and technical assistance to increase land, credit, and market access. Section 1006(b), as amended, also provides resources for grants to improve land access, including providing resources related to heirs’ property, highly fractionated land, and related land ownership and land access issues that impact access to USDA programs.

Increasing Land, Capital, and Market Access Details

Land access is critical to the success of agriculture. Land access assistance is particularly important for underserved producers, either based on access to resources, geographic location, choice of crop or livestock production systems or because the producers are underserved in their access to programs and services.

Across the agricultural sector, not all agricultural producers have been provided equal access to specialized technical support that would benefit the launch, growth, resilience and success of their agricultural enterprises. These underserved producers—the target audiences of 1006 as amended —are more likely to operate lower-revenue farms and have weaker credit histories and may lack clear title to their agricultural land, which increases difficulty in securing loans to own or operate their businesses and to ensure the success and resiliency of their operations.

Stakeholder groups have reported, and data have shown, that many underserved producers and would-be producers have lower awareness of capital access options and lending requirements, which in turn limits land access. These producers are also less likely to have access to technical assistance to develop business plans or be in communities with specialized agricultural tax expertise, particularly beginning farmersand ranchers. Limited resource producers also often bear the greatest financial burden for accessing land for their operations and disproportionately suffer from heirs’ property and fractionated land title issues, which also negatively impact agriculture operations.

In addition, USDA has few programs directed at supporting specialty crop production, which is a predominant production system for many of these underserved producers, and existing livestock programs may not always be designed to focus on the needs of small, diversified farms and ranches. Common barriers experienced by these underserved producers include challenges with accessing Federal agricultural programs including communication about programs, problems with the application process, lack of https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/1319/text standardization and transparency, limited knowledge on qualification requirements for all programs, lack of mentorship programs, reduced technical assistance, and complicated reporting requirements.

Through the Increasing Land, Capital, and Market Access Program, USDA seeks to address the limited support provided to these producers through cooperative agreements and grants, as complementary activities to existing loan programs. Projects must provide more than technical assistance services to underserved producers. For this funding opportunity applicants should focus on increasing land access.

Priority points will be awarded to projects that focus on increasing land access, mitigating and preventing land loss, providing specialized project design and focus to address the challenges with land access, innovative ways to connect available land to underserved producers who have challenges in accessing land, or restore lands into the hands of those who have been underserved.

Goals of the Increasing Land, Capital, and Market Access Program

Through the funds provided by Section 1006 as amended, USDA will provide resources to entities to address land access issues that underserved producers face including land title concerns resulting from heirs property and highly fractionated land issues.

Successful applicants must ultimately benefit the underserved producer for selected and funded projects. This includes on-farm, on-ranch impacts for underserved producers and on-forest impacts for private forest landowners.

Awardees will work collaboratively with USDA and with other Section 1006 cooperators to deliver targeted outreach and technical assistance programs designed to address and meet the needs of underserved agricultural producers. No agreement activities may be duplicative of other activities currently undertaken by Awardees that are supported financially by USDA.

USDA is seeking applications from eligible entities with specialized expertise and a proven track record in effectively working with underserved producers in providing land access, capital access, and/or market access technical assistance.

Intended Overarching Outcomes

USDA will fund projects that address core barriers to attain land, including capital and market access.

With the funding provided by USDA, through cooperative agreements, a robust team of cooperators can assist USDA in addressing these barriers. USDA will fund submissions that are focused on designing and/or deploying new programs or expanding successful existing models to address the three major barriers (land access, capital access, or market access), or a combination of those barriers, to producer and landowner success, resiliency, and viability.

Projects will achieve but are not limited to the following outcomes:

• Increased access to farm ownership opportunities

• Increased access and improved results for heirs’ property and fractionated land access

• Increased land ownership, land succession, and agricultural business planning

• Increased access to markets and capital that affect the ability to access land

B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

1. Available Funding

a. Estimated Funding

The Farm Service Agency (FSA) expects to award up to $300,000,000 through this opportunity. However, FSA retains the discretion to award a larger or lesser amount.

Projects may span up to five years in duration. Applicants should plan their projects based on an estimated project start date of March 01, 2023.

2. Type of Award

a. Type of Federal Award

FSA plans to award cooperative agreements or grants pursuant to this opportunity. FSA will be substantially involved in the work performed under the agreement and will undertake activities which include but are not limited to the following:

i. Authority to suspend work if specifications or work statements are not met

ii. Review and approval of one stage of work before another may begin

iii. Review and approval of substantive provisions of proposed subawards or contracts beyond existing Federal policy

iv. FSA and awardees collaboration or joint participation

v. Project monitoring to permit specified kinds of direction or redirection of the work because of interrelationships with and impacts on other projects

vi. Highly prescriptive agency requirements that limit recipient discretion

vii. Review and approval of key personnel

viii. Direct agency operational involvement or participation during the activity

b. Procurement Contracts

FSA does not expect to award procurement contracts associated with this NFO.

c. Eligibility of Renewal or Supplemental Project Applications USDA will also entertain project applications that extend or expand existing projects that are distinct and complementary to existing USDA programs.

Applications for renewal or supplementation of existing projects are not eligible to compete with applications for new Federal awards.

C. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

1. Eligible Applicants Applicants and applications must meet eligibility criteria by the application deadline to be considered for award. Eligible applicant type is determined by the implementing program statute. Applicant entities identified in the SAM.gov exclusions database as ineligible, prohibited/restricted, or excluded from receiving Federal contracts and certain Federal assistance and benefits will not be considered for Federal funding, as applicable to the funding being requested under this Federal program (2 CFR 200.206(d)).

Eligibility for this opportunity is limited to the following domestic entity types:

a. State, County, City, Local, Territorial, and Township governments

b. Public and State-controlled institutions of higher education

c. Not for profit institutions of higher education

d. Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS (other than institutions of higher education), including Foundations and Community Development Financial Institutions

e. Native American Tribal governments (Federally or State recognized)

f. Native American Tribal government instrumentalities

g. Native American Tribal organizations (other than Federally or State recognized

Tribal governments)

h. Native American Tribal financial institutions

Only the applicant must meet the eligibility requirement. Project partners and collaborators need not meet the eligibility requirement. Award recipients may subcontract to organizations not eligible to apply provided such organizations are necessary for the successful completion of the project, except for individuals and non-domestic entities. Current Cooperators under Section 1006 of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) are eligible to apply as a lead applicant to this funding opportunity, provided their activities are new, non-duplicative activities. Current Cooperators under Section 1006 of ARPA may serve as cooperators, collaborators, and sub-contractors to lead applicants, provided their activities are new, non-duplicative activities. Individuals are not eligible to apply to this funding opportunity.

Applicants for the Increasing Land, Capital, and Market Access Program must meet all the requirements outlined in this NFO. Failure to meet an eligibility criterion by the application deadline will result in the application being excluded from consideration.

2. Other Any award made pursuant to this NFO will be made to a single entity. Applicants that apply as “partnerships” or other similar groupings must clearly describe the relationship between the applicant and the “partner” parties. In all but exceptional cases, it must be reflected in the award as an awardee/sub-awardee relationship.

Duplicate or multiple submissions are not allowed. Only one submission is allowed per eligible entity.

In the case of applications submitted as revisions or corrections to a previously submitted application under this NFO, FSA will consider the last application submitted unless the applicant requests otherwise.

Awards made pursuant to this NFO are not Farm Bill incentive contracts; therefore, the awards in and of themselves are not limited by the payment limitation in Chapter 58 of 16 U.S.C.

3. Cost Sharing or Matching There is no cost sharing or matching requirement for this opportunity. There is no match required and there is no competitive advantage to applicants who voluntarily provide a match.

D. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

1. Information for New Users of Grants.gov

a. Overview

While a Grants.gov account is not required to download an NFO and related documents, it is required to submit an application. If your organization has never submitted an application via Grants.gov, please be aware that there are several steps you must take to register your organization before you can submit an application. Completing those steps takes a significant amount of time.

For information about the Grants.gov pre-award phase of the grant lifecycle see https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/learn-grants/grants-101/pre-award-phase.html.

b. Register to Apply through Grants.gov

Carefully review the registration steps and gather information requested prior to beginning the registration process to avoid last-minute searches for required information. For assistance with the registration process, contact Grants.gov Applicant Support at 1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov.

Organizations must complete all steps to register (steps i. through v. below).

Complete organization instructions are included on Grants.gov here:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration.html.

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/learn-grants/grants-101/pre-award-phase.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration.html

Although creating a Grants.gov account online can take only minutes, SAM registrations may take several weeks. Therefore, organizations should begin the process early to ensure they have sufficient time to complete registration and meet required application submission deadlines.

c. Steps to Register:

i. Register with SAM: All organizations must register with System for Award Management (SAM) in order to apply online through Grants.gov. SAM registration must be renewed annually. Part of the SAM registration process includes designating an Electronic Business Point of Contact (EBiz POC).

The EBiz POC plays an integral part in the organization’s Grants.gov registration and application process. The individual in that role must authorize all other roles in Grants.gov. For more detailed instructions for registering with SAM, refer to:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-2-register-with-sam.html

ii. Create a Grants.gov Account: From the Grants.gov webpage (https://www.grants.gov/), click “Register” in the top right-hand corner and follow the on-screen instructions or refer to the detailed instructions here:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/registration.html

iii. Add an Organization Applicant Profile to a Grants.gov Account: A profile in Grants.gov corresponds to a single applicant organization the user represents (i.e., an applicant) or an individual applicant. If you work for or consult with multiple organizations and have a profile for each, you may log in to one Grants.gov account to access all of your grant applications. To add an organizational profile to your Grants.gov account. For more detailed instructions about creating a profile on Grants.gov, refer to:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/registration/add-profile.html

iv. EBiz POC Authorized Profile Roles: After you register with Grants.gov and create an Organization Applicant Profile, you must establish roles for individuals in the organization. The Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) role is critical; it gives an individual permission to complete and submit applications on behalf of the organization. Without this role, the organization cannot submit any applications. The request for role assignment will be routed to the organization’s EBiz POC for approval.

Once approved, the AOR can submit an application online. For more detailed instructions about creating a EBiz POC authorized profile on Grants.gov, refer to:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/registration/authorize-roles.html

Track Role Status: To track your role request, refer to:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/registration/track-role-status.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-2-register-with-sam.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-2-register-with-sam.html https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/registration.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/registration/add-profile.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/registration/authorize-roles.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/registration/authorize-roles.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/registration/track-role-status.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/registration/track-role-status.html

d. Electronic Signature.

When applications are submitted through Grants.gov, the name of the organization applicant with the AOR role that submitted the application is inserted into the signature line of the application, serving as the electronic signature. The EBiz POC must authorize people who are able to make legally binding commitments on behalf of the organization as a user with the AOR role.

e. Workspace.

Workspace is a shared, online environment where members of an applicant team may simultaneously access and edit different webforms within an application. For each NFO, you can create individual instances of a workspace. An applicant can start an application in Workspace and return to work on it later within Workspace.

f. Apply for an Opportunity.

Below is an overview of applying on Grants.gov. For complete instructions on how to apply for opportunities, refer to:

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

i. Create a Workspace: Creating a workspace allows you to complete an application online and route it through your organization for review before submitting.

ii. Complete a Workspace: Add participants to the workspace to work on the application together, complete all the required forms online or by downloading PDF versions, and check for errors before submission. The Workspace progress bar will display the status of your application process as you apply. As you apply using Workspace, you may click the blue question mark icon near the upper-right corner of each page to access context-sensitive help.

• Adobe Reader: If you decide not to apply by filling out webforms you can download individual PDF forms in Workspace. The individual PDF forms can be downloaded and saved to your local device storage, network drive(s), or external drives, then accessed through Adobe Reader.

NOTE: Visit the Adobe Software Compatibility page on Grants.gov to download the appropriate version of the software at:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/adobe-software-compatibility.html

• Mandatory Fields in Forms: In the forms, you will note fields marked with an asterisk and a different background color. These fields are mandatory fields that must be completed to successfully submit your application.

• Complete SF-424 Fields First: The forms are designed to fill in common required fields across other forms, such as the applicant name, address, and DUNS Number/UEI. Once it is completed, the information will transfer (i.e., prepopulate) to the other forms.

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

iii. Submit a Workspace: An application may be submitted through workspace by clicking the Sign and Submit button on the Manage Workspace page, under the Forms tab. Grants.gov recommends submitting your application package at least 24-48 hours prior to the close date to provide you with time to correct any potential technical issues that may disrupt the application submission.

iv. Track a Workspace Submission: After successfully submitting a workspace application, a Grants.gov Tracking Number (GRANTXXXXXXXX) is automatically assigned to the application. The number will be listed on the Confirmation page that is generated after submission. Using the tracking number, access the Track My Application page under the Applicants tab or the Details tab in the submitted workspace.

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

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

2. Electronic Application Package Applicants interested in submitting an application in response to this NFO must submit it via Grants.gov; the agency will not accept applications submitted via email or any other method. Applicants are urged to submit early to the Grants.gov system.

For technical issues with Grants.gov, contact Grants.gov Applicant Support at 1-800- 518-4726 or support@grants.gov. Awarding agency staff cannot support applicants regarding Grants.gov accounts.

Address to Request Application Package All information necessary to apply for this opportunity is included in the Grants.gov opportunity announcement.

3. Consideration for Successful Project

Agricultural producers require access to land and access to capital and markets that afford producers opportunities so that they can be successful in their farm, ranching, and forestry operations. The ultimate beneficiaries of projects which will be funded through this opportunity are underserved farmers, ranchers, and private forest landowners who lack access to the land, capital, and markets needed to support resiliency in their agricultural operations and strengthen their agricultural communities. This group of producers may be at risk of losing their agricultural business in the near future. USDA seeks to answer: What will it take for producers on the edge of viability to move from surviving to thriving? This general statement of need will guide proposals funded under this opportunity which should be designed on the following assumptions:

• Land access is the most fundamental need to strengthen agricultural producers.

• One method to support and increase access to land is to provide wrap around technical assistance and support services such as business development, tax training, legal services for resolution of land title issues, etc. which are essential to effectively provide meaningful and sustained access to land, capital, and markets.

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

• To date, non-profit organizations that work with underserved producers generally have not received adequate or sustained support enabling them increase their capacity to support underserved producers’ needs and help them overcome the barriers to land access. USDA- partner organizations must have a strong working knowledge of the breadth of USDA programs and services.

Program Requirements This program is seeking applications for funding that will focus on land access, capital access, and market access, specifically, or a combination of one or more of these focus areas. When delivering programs meant to increase land access, capital access or market access, technical assistance is quite often embedded in the program design and approach.

For the purposes of this program, technical assistance is defined as targeted services and support collectively designed to improve understanding of and equitable participation in the full range of USDA programs and services among underserved farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners and operators through a range of activities, including but not limited to:

strategies to identify unique needs and gaps in access, knowledge, and services;

specialized consultation; training; coaching; capacity building; and mentoring focused on relevant topics that will improve effectively accessing land, capital, and markets.

Understanding USDA programs, market planning, risk analysis, mediation, cooperative development, legal and tax issues, and business planning, are usually critical components of effective technical assistance necessary to aid individuals in more effectively accessing land, capital, and markets.

Such technical assistance may be delivered at the individual or organizational levels through one-on-one consultation, small group facilitation, or large group meetings in person or by phone, email, or other online methods. Technical assistance can and often does exist alongside community financial resource opportunities, such as through targeted community financial institutions or programs designed to provide relending services, micro-lending services, re-granting services, and related access to capital bundled with wrap-around technical capacity building.

Outreach, in contrast, helps the target audience identify the programs and services at USDA that are appropriate for their farming, ranching, or forest land operations.

Technical assistance, as described above, more deeply connects the programs and services to the needs of the producer and their operation and goes beyond merely identifying available services. The applicant may build in ongoing needs assessments of their target audience as an output/activity of their funded project.

To increase the likelihood of effectiveness, the development of the proposed technical assistance activities should be guided by the following set of principles:

a. Collaborative. Foster engagement and close collaborations with community leaders, agricultural organizations, and relevant stakeholders to develop and implement targeted activities. The applicant will determine their relevant stakeholder communities and connect community needs to targeted activities. The project will also embed collaboration with USDA in new ways to meet the needs of the targeted audience.

b. Systematic. Utilize a sequential, progressive approach to service delivery that addresses the needs of the target audience as identified through on-going technical support.

c. Targeted. Determine where technical assistance will have the greatest impact.

d. Adaptive. Allow for flexibility in service delivery as new needs or challenges emerge.

e. Customized. Respond to the unique needs of the targeted audiences and organizations.

f. Results-driven. Identify measures that indicate success toward goals that will lead to greater success of the target group to access land, credit, and markets, including greater access to Federal programs and services.

Cooperator Responsibilities As part of a team of interrelated USDA Awardees, the applicant must agree to provide an array of services and technical assistance specialized services, appropriate for the targeted audiences. The Awardees must discuss in their application for funding how they will achieve metrics for their activities. Metrics shall include, but not be limited to:

• identification of the target group who were reached through the Awardee’s efforts;

• the impact made upon the target group which could include the number of new programs that the target group has engaged with, increased participation from the target group with existing programs, etc.;

• the measurable increase in knowledge and understanding of the target group with whom they engage;

• the improvements to business stability, markets, land; and

• other related metrics they determine are central to improving their farming, ranching or forest land enterprises and operations and ability to gain access to programs and services operated by USDA and other Federal programs.

Each applicant will propose metrics within their application for funding, and, if selected for funding, will engage with USDA to finalize project and program metrics. Each applicant will also focus on whether their proposed project is a new model or an expansion of an existing model and how their model can be replicated within other communities or within USDA funding authorities.

The Awardee will be expected to participate in ongoing coordination with USDA.

Substantial involvement from USDA will ensure that the plans for technical assistance, program development, curriculum development, deployment, and evaluation of impact are closely coordinated. USDA will substantially engage with the Awardee in the planning and delivery of their activities with the targeted audience. The Awardee must describe how they will coordinate with USDA to facilitate the use of USDA programs with underserved producers. The Awardee is also required to coordinate with all other recipients of Section 1006 as amended technical assistance resources in a manner as determined by USDA. USDA will actively engage with the Awardees as they provide enhanced outreach and technical assistance towards completion of the purposes and activities outlined in the proposal.

In addition, Awardees will be expected to contribute in the following ways, and the project applicant must discuss each of these expectations and identify how the expectations will be met through their program approach and design:

a. Provide specific assistance in collaboration with USDA and other cooperators that informs equitable program implementation for current producers and responds to the unique needs of farmers, ranchers and forest landowners and operators.

b. Demonstrate how the Awardee’s technical assistance model worked to reduce barriers that underserved producers face in accessing desired technical Federal assistance through a sound evaluation plan, or how their model is being designed to address the needs of the target producers and landowners and operators.

c. Assist USDA in addressing longstanding systemic discrimination and barriers to program delivery; responding to the immediate need for direct agricultural business and market planning support to individual underserved producers impacted by the uncertainty around the COVID-19 pandemic; responding to debt and access to capital issues, land use and land tenure issues; and minimizing the impacts of supply chain disruptions to market access.

d. Enhance existing cooperator technical assistance services to respond to persistent issues with land access, technical support services, program access, financial planning, and market development. This can be, coupled with concerns related agriculture and food system supply chain concerns that impact underserved producers.

e. Share Awardee expertise and experiences with other cooperators and USDA to better inform the USDA approach to outreach and technical assistance services and engage in ongoing collaborative activities with USDA and other cooperators.

The Awardee’s workplan must include strategies for increasing land access and program development, curriculum development, deployment, and evaluation of impact in each area of the planned activities for which the applicant is providing narrative discussion.

The Awardee must also include an evaluation plan outlining how the outcomes of the proposed program activities will be measured through both quantitative and qualitative methods. The evaluation plan must include outcomes which specify how ultimate beneficiaries will benefit from this award.

4. Content and Form of Application Submission The agency may choose not to consider applications that fail to comply with the required content, format, and page limits, or those that are incomplete.

To be considered for funding under this opportunity, an application must contain the documents in a-e below.

a. Project Narrative Each page must be numbered and have one-inch margins. The text of the project narrative must be single spaced and typed in a standard typeface (e.g., Times New Roman, Arial, Courier) with no smaller than 12-point font. The project narrative must not exceed 20 pages. This page limitation applies to the project narrative only.

Introduction and justification: The introduction should include a clear statement of the goal(s) of the proposed project. Justify the need for the program by identifying the target audience and explaining their needs (critical barriers to knowledge of and access to Federal agricultural programs), programmatic gaps in existing programs the proposed project intends to address, and any evidence that members of the target audience were or will be involved in conceptualizing the project and designing technical assistance activities. The introduction must also include a discussion of the known agriculture census data concerning the proposed project target audience within the targeted project geographic area(s) of service. The introduction must also capture how the work contemplated in the project design will meet the needs of underserved producers, landowners and operators who are on the edge of viability.

Objectives and Outcomes2: Concisely present the goals, associated objectives and expected outputs and outcomes of the project in relation to the target audience and the target audience needs as identified in the introduction and justification. Cooperators must provide a discussion of the metrics that will be gathered and reported related to their project efforts. Reporting tied to the metrics identified in the application is required on a timetable as determined by USDA.

As applicable, metrics must be provided for the following in addition to any other metrics planned for the project:

i. Area of focus for the project, namely:

• Land access concerns

• Capital access concerns

• Market access concerns

• A combination of one or more of land, capital, or market access

ii. The number of underserved producers to be served as well as their geographic, demographic, and socioeconomic status;

2 To ensure that applicants and grantees of this program are not burdened with additional administrative work or new reporting requirements, USDA will complete any administrative requirements associated with this program being included in Justice40 at Headquarters. For this program, at this time, there will be no change for funding applications or reporting requirements.

iii. Number, type, and dates of outreach and technical assistance to be conducted (in person workshops, virtual meetings, etc.) as well as the number of producers reached;

iv. Budget including detailed requested and allocated amounts for outreach or technical assistance activities;

v. Expected and actual outcomes including increased knowledge and application of knowledge concerning access to land, capital, and markets and improved viability resulting from increased access to land, capital, and markets; and

vi. Number of underserved producers who are seeking and participating in USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service programs, Farm Service Agency farm loan programs, Rural Development loan or grant programs or any other programs and services administered by USDA.

vii. Justice 40 Criteria

Approach: The activities proposed to achieve each objective must be clearly stated and the approaches being applied to achieve each objective must be clearly described. Specifically, this section must include:

i. Description of Activities and Approach: A description of the activities proposed for each objective. Discuss how and where the activities will be provided and the appropriateness of the approach for the target audience.

ii. A timeline of the proposed project. The timeline should include major outputs and associated outcomes for each year of the project.

iii. Innovation: Include any novel ideas or models or contributions of the proposed project to technical support providers working within the agriculture sector. Innovative activities are not required but are encouraged by potential applicants.

iv. Recruitment and Reach: How will members of the target audience be reached/ recruited / retained in the context of the project activities?

v. Sustainability: How will the project, and its partnerships and collaborations, be sustained beyond the life of the agreement (e.g., plans for organizational support or future resource development)? If there are no plans to sustain the effort, explain why not, and how the impact of the project will be lasting.

vi. Scalability: Discuss whether and how the approaches and efforts within this project can be adapted or scaled for use across other communities and/or agricultural systems, states, regions, or nationally.

vii. Potential Challenges: Describe pitfalls that may be encountered and limitations to proposed procedures, and how you will address the identified or anticipated challenges or pitfalls. Identify possible challenges to your proposed strategy for participant recruitment and how you plan to address those challenges.

Personnel and Resources: Describe in detail the Key Personnel associated with the project and their experience and track record in serving underserved producers. In addition, discuss their ability to provide effective technical assistance, training, education, and outreach relevant to improve understanding of and equitable participation in the full range of USDA programs and services among underserved producer communities. Describe in detail the Key Personnel experience in providing financial and business planning technical services, market planning services, mediation services, cooperative development services, and the specific activities identified in the project. For underserved farmers, ranchers and forest landowners, it is very important to have partner(s) who have knowledge and experience working with underserved producers, and that such partner(s) be involved in the leadership of the project. Provide evidence of Key Personnel accomplishments and impact relevant to this project and experience with working with identified target audience in this area. Please also describe the organizational and partner resources available to improve the success of the project. Note that if Key Personnel have no or limited experience in working with underserved producers, the application will not be funded. Experience with underserved producers is required.

Outcome Evaluation Plan and Reporting: All projects must describe methods and resources for documenting and evaluating their outcomes and impacts. Clearly identify a minimum of two expected outcomes within the life of the project and explain the plan to document and evaluate these outcomes.

At a minimum, the plan should include:

i. A description of anticipated outcomes, their significance, and potential beneficiaries.

ii. A list and description of project performance measures and metrics (also referred to as indicators of success) by which your progress will be measured and success determined.

iii. Identify who will be responsible for overseeing and measuring performance for the project and link to the overall project plan and timeline for completion.

iv. Indicate the amount of funding that will be set aside for monitoring and performance measurement.

v. Plans for reporting, and the communication of findings and results within the target audience and relevant stakeholders.

vi. Plans for collaboration and commitment to engage with USDA programs and staff to meet technical assistance needs for target audience/s.

(Related evaluation criteria: Relevancy; Adequacy of plans for evaluation, data management plan, and the communication of findings and results beyond the immediate target audience.)

Management and Partnership Plan: A clear management plan must be provided that describes the roles and functions of all partnerships, collaborators and organizations involved in the proposed project. Strong partnerships among complementary organizations, with shared leadership, are essential to successful and sustainable projects. Include time allocated by each partner for attainment of objectives, key roles of each partner and collaborator, and the plan for administration of the proposed project. Describe the plans for coordination, communication, data-sharing and reporting among members of the project team and stakeholder groups. Describe the commitment of the project team to this project, and how the partnership and its impact will be sustained beyond the period of the award.

Letters of commitment must be provided from all partners (signed by the Authorized Representative of the partnering organization) stating that the partners involved have agreed to their stated roles in the project. Letters from other organizations or people whose participation is important to the success of the project, committing those collaborators to specific roles, are also encouraged. Title the attachment(s) as ‘Letter of Commitment – Organization Name’ in the document header and save file as ‘Letter of Commitment Organization Name’. Upload the letter(s) under the “Other Attachments” under the Optional Forms in grants.gov. The strength, specific roles, and nature of these partnerships, as described in these letters, will be carefully scrutinized by the panel with particular weight given to those that demonstrate equity and long-term sustainability of the partnerships. Other, more general letters of support (i.e., from those who are not committing to a specific role in the project), are not needed and should not be included.

Data sharing, protection, and public access – describe your data access and sharing procedures during and after the grant. Name specific repositories and catalogs as appropriate.