Veterinary Services Grant Program

1) Annually award competitive Education, Extension, and Training (EET) projects to relieve veterinary shortage situations and support veterinary services in rural areas, 2) Annually award Rural Practice Enhancement (RPE) projects to relieve veterinar

The purpose of the Veterinary Services Grant Program (VSGP) is to relieve veterinarian shortage situations and support veterinary services. The Secretary shall carry out a program to make competitive grants to qualified entities that carry out programs or activities for the purpose of developing, implementing, and sustaining veterinary services through education, training, recruitment, placement, and retention of veterinarians and veterinary students. Grants will also be made to establish or expand veterinary practices.

A qualified entity shall be eligible to receive a grant described in paragraph (1) if the entity carries out programs or activities that the Secretary determines will: (A) Substantially relieve veterinarian shortage situations; (B) Support or facilitate private veterinary practices engaged in public health activities; or (C) support or facilitate the practices of veterinarians who are providing or have completed providing services under an agreement entered into with the Secretary under section 1415A(a)(2). The term 'qualified entity' means: (A) A for-profit or nonprofit entity located in the United States that, or an individual who, operates a veterinary clinic providing veterinary services: (i) In a rural area, as defined in section 343(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)); and (ii) In a veterinarian shortage situation; (B) A State, national, allied, or regional veterinary organization or specialty board recognized by the American Veterinary Medical Association; (C) A college or school of veterinary medicine accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association; (D) A university research foundation or veterinary medical foundation; (E) A department of veterinary science or department of comparative medicine accredited by the Department of Education; (F) A State agricultural experiment station; or (G) A State, local, or tribal government agency. The term 'veterinarian shortage situation' means a veterinarian shortage situation as determined by the Secretary under section 1415A

A qualified entity shall be eligible to receive a grant described in paragraph (1) if the entity carries out programs or activities that the Secretary determines will: (A) Substantially relieve veterinarian shortage situations; (B) Support or facilitate private veterinary practices engaged in public health activities; or (C) support or facilitate the practices of veterinarians who are providing or have completed providing services under an agreement entered into with the Secretary under section 1415A(a)(2). The term 'qualified entity' means: (A) A for-profit or nonprofit entity located in the United States that, or an individual who, operates a veterinary clinic providing veterinary services: (i) In a rural area, as defined in section 343(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)); and (ii) In a veterinarian shortage situation; (B) A State, national, allied, or regional veterinary organization or specialty board recognized by the American Veterinary Medical Association; (C) A college or school of veterinary medicine accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association; (D) A university research foundation or veterinary medical foundation; (E) A department of veterinary science or department of comparative medicine accredited by the Department of Education; (F) A State agricultural experiment station; or (G) A State, local, or tribal government agency. The term 'veterinarian shortage situation' means a veterinarian shortage situation as determined by the Secretary under section 1415A

Grants awarded under this Program shall be considered to be competitive research, extension, or education grants. . USES: Funds provided may be used for any of the following purposes: (A) To promote recruitment (including for programs in secondary schools), placement, and retention of veterinarians, veterinary technicians, students of veterinary medicine, and students of veterinary technology. (B) To allow veterinary students, veterinary interns, externs, fellows, and residents, and veterinary technician students to cover expenses (other than the types of expenses described in section 1415A(c)(5)) to attend training programs in food safety or food animal medicine. (C) To establish or expand accredited veterinary education programs (including faculty recruitment and retention), veterinary residency and fellowship programs, or veterinary internship and externship programs carried out in coordination with accredited colleges of veterinary medicine. (D) To provide continuing education and extension, including veterinary telemedicine and other distance-based education, for veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and other health professionals needed to strengthen veterinary programs and enhance food safety. (E) To provide technical assistance for the preparation of applications submitted to the Secretary for designation as a veterinarian shortage situation under this section or section 1415A.

In accordance with statutory time limits, project periods, including no-cost extensions of time, are not to exceed five (5) years. Further details are provided in the Award document Form NIFA-2009 and the NIFA General Terms and Conditions Grants and Cooperative Agreements (dated October 2016) at: https://nifa.usda.gov/resource/nifa-general-terms-and-conditions-grants-and-cooperative-agreements-october-2016. SPECIAL NOTE: Please refer to the Competitive Request for Applications (RFAs) for specific and pertinent details. The most current RFAs are available via: https://www.nifa.usda.gov/grants/funding-opportunities/veterinary-services-grant-program-vsgp RFAs are generally released annually. Hence, the RFAs provide the most current and accurate information available. Any specific instructions in the Competitive RFAs supersede the general information provided in the CFDA database. Method of awarding/releasing assistance: NIFA utilizes the Automated Standard Application for Payments (ASAP), a secure, web-based electronic payment and information system that allows federal agencies to administer funds. Currently, ASAP is the only payment source for new NIFA grantees.

The Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs) will identify the criteria to be evaluated for selection. COORDINATION PREFERENCE: In selecting recipients of grants to be used for any of the purposes described in subsection (d)(1), the Secretary shall give a preference to qualified entities that provide documentation of coordination with other qualified entities.

Applications are subjected to a system of peer and merit review in accordance with section 103 of the Agricultural Research, Extension and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7613) by a panel of qualified scientists and other appropriate persons who are specialists in the field covered by the proposal. Within the limit of funds available for such purpose, the NIFA Authorized Departmental Officer (ADO) shall make grants to those responsible, eligible applicants whose applications are judged most meritorious under the procedures set forth in the NOFO. Reviewers will be selected based upon training and experience in relevant scientific, extension, or education fields, taking into account the following factors: (a) The level of relevant formal scientific, technical education, or extension experience of the individual, as well as the extent to which an individual is engaged in relevant research, education, or extension activities; (b) the need to include as reviewers experts from various areas of specialization within relevant scientific, education, or extension fields; (c) the need to include as reviewers other experts (e.g., producers, range or forest managers/operators, and consumers) who can assess relevance of the applications to targeted audiences and to program needs; (d) the need to include as reviewers experts from a variety of organizational types (e.g., colleges, universities, industry, state and Federal agencies, private profit and non-profit organizations) and geographic locations; (e) the need to maintain a balanced composition of reviewers with regard to minority and female representation and an equitable age distribution; and (f) the need to include reviewers who can judge the effective usefulness to producers and the general public of each application. Evaluation Criteria will be delineated in the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). 2 CFR 200 - Subpart C and Appendix I and 2 CFR part 400 apply to this Program.

From 30 to 180 days. Contact the Program Staff regarding dates for specific deadlines, start and end dates, and range of approval/disapproval time.

Specific details are provided in the Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs), which are generally published annually. The most current NOFO is available via: https://www.nifa.usda.gov/grants/funding-opportunities/veterinary-services-grant-program-vsgp