The funding for Rural America (FRA) provides funds for
rural development programs and for a competitive grant program to support
research, education, and extension activities. CSREES administers the
competitive grant program for the research, education, and extension component
of the Fund for Rural America. The competitive grant program supports unique,
innovative, and high-impact research, education, and extension projects to aid
farmers, ranchers, and rural communities to address changes and challenges
facing agriculture and rural communities as a result of fundamental reforms to
Federal farm programs. The broad range of purposes of these projects are to:
increase international competitiveness, efficiency, and farm profitability;
reduce economic and health risk; conserve and enhance natural resources;
develop new crops, new crop uses, and new agricultural applications of
biotechnology; enhance animal agricultural resources; preserve plant and
animal germplasm; increase economic opportunities in farming and rural
communities; and expand locally- owned, value-added processing. The
information provided under this Catalog entry applies only to the competitive
grant program administered by CSREES for research, education, and extension
activities supported by the Fund for Rural America.
TYPES OF ASSISTANCE:
Project Grants. Place Cursor Here for Definition
USES AND USE RESTRICTIONS:
The CSREES Fund for Rural America competitive grants program will support
applied, developmental, and adaptive research; technology transfer; extension
and related outreach activities; and education. The program will emphasize
biological, physical, and social sciences to address systems-based problems.
This requires involvement of affected parties within the system (such as
producers, commodity groups, environmental interests, rural communities, and
other program beneficiaries); therefore, this program will give priority to
projects that are designed and proposed by eligible grant recipients in
collaboration with institutions, organizations, and communities of interest.
Strong partnerships will be critical to leverage and apply research,
education, and extension investments to address user needs and solve
community-defined problems. The program is segmented into two initiatives: (1)
The Fund Core Initiative, which addresses and links international
competitiveness, profitability; and efficiency; environmental stewardship; and
rural community enhancement; and (2) the Secretary's Initiative to Ensure a
Safe, Competitive, Nutritional and Accessible Food System. Examples of
potential research, education, and extension activities to be funded under the
Fund Core Initiative include, but are not limited to: extension to improve
producers' risk management knowledge, skills, and practices; adaptive research
to develop new strategies for animal waste management to reduce environmental
contaminants in animal waste; and innovations in delivery of education and
information in rural areas. As part of the Fund Core Initiative, CSREES also
intends to provide funding for FRA Center Grants which are aimed at bringing
together individuals, institutions, States, and/or regions in support of
research, education, and extension in a collaborative process towards a common
goal. Initially, CSREES will award FRA Center Planning Grants to support only
the planning stages of FRA Centers, and only those organizations successful in
receiving a FRA Center Planning Grant will be eligible to receive follow-on
funding for a FRA Center. Proposals for FRA Center Planning Grants and for
follow- on FRA Center Grants may be solicited in separate announcements.
Examples of research, education, and extension activities to be funded under
the Secretary's Initiative to Ensure a Safe, Competitive, Nutritional and
Accessible Food System include, but are not limited to: assessment of
educational needs of small and very small meat and poultry processing plants
to achieve Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) implementation;
research, development and on-farm extension education about low-cost
production facilities, such as hoop housing for swine production, combined
with management systems and genetics appropriate to these facilities; research
to create foods that have increased amounts of the beneficial components found
in fruits, vegetables and grains; and research and extension efforts to
develop and implement mechanisms such as community-operated canneries or
dehydration facilities to extend the "shelf-life" of food available
through gleaning and food recovery programs. Funds provided under the CSREES
Fund for Rural America competitive grants program may not be used for the
construction of a new building or for the acquisition, expansion, remodeling,
or alteration of an existing building (including site grading and improvement
and architect fees), or for the purchase of fixed equipment.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:
Applicant Eligibility: Proposals may be submitted by
Federal research agencies, national laboratories, colleges or universities or
research foundations maintained by a college or university, or private
research organizations. National laboratories include Federal laboratories
that are government-owned contractor-operated or government-owned government
operated. If the applicant is a private organization, documentation must be
submitted that the organization has an established and demonstrated capacity
to perform research or technology transfer. A programmatic decision on the
eligibility status of the private organization will be made based on the
information submitted.
Beneficiary Eligibility: The beneficiaries of
this program are expected to be parties affected by the fundamental reforms to
Federal farm programs. These parties include, but are not limited to
producers, commodity groups, environmental interests, and rural communities.
Credentials/Documentation: Organizations must
furnish the information and assurances specified in the program guidelines
and/or proposal solicitation with each proposal it submits. In addition, if a
proposal is recommended for funding and the submitting organization has not
previously received funding from CSREES, that organization will be asked to
furnish specific management information relating to the organization as part
of the pre-award process.
Pre-application Coordination: All proposal
solicitations are published in the Federal Register. Any preapplication
requirements will be specified in the program guidelines and/or proposal
solicitations. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.
Application Procedure: Application procedures are
outlined in the annual program guidelines and/or proposal solicitations.
Award Procedure: Proposals are reviewed and
evaluated by CSREES staff members with the assistance and advice of peer
panels of specialists who are uniquely qualified by training and experience in
their respective fields to render expert advice on the merit of proposals
being reviewed. Proposals are recommended for funding in order of merit to the
extent permitted by available funds. The National Agricultural Research,
Education and Economics Advisory Board will review collective groups of
proposals recommended for funding to ensure the relevance of the work proposed
for funding toward achieving the programmatic goals of the Fund for Rural
America. Proposals recommended for funding as a results of the merit and
programmatic relevance evaluations then undergo a financial and administrative
review. Upon the satisfactory completion of all reviews and evaluations, a
grant award is issued.
Deadlines: All proposal submission deadlines are
announced in the program guidelines and/or proposal solicitations, which are
published in the Federal Register.
Range of Approval/Disapproval Time: From 90 to
180 days from proposal submission.
Appeals: None.
Renewals: None.
ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS:
Formula and Matching Requirements: A grant awarded
for applied research that is commodity-specific and that is not of national
scope must be matched by the grant recipient with equal funds from a
nonfederal source. The matching requirement may be met through allowable costs
incurred by the recipient or subrecipient and through third party in-kind
contributions.
Length and Time Phasing of Assistance: From 6
months to 4 years.
POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Reports: Annual and final technical and financial
reports must be submitted to CSREES in accordance with the terms and
conditions of a grant award.
Audits: In accordance with the provisions of OMB
Circular No. A- 133 (Revised, June 24, 1997), "Audits of States, Local
Governments, and Nonprofit Organizations," nonfederal entities that
expend financial assistance of $300,000 or more in Federal awards will have a
single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal
entities that expend less than $300,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt
from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in Circular No.
A-133.
Records: Grantees must maintain separate records
for each grant to ensure that funds are used for the purpose for which the
grant was made. Grantees must maintain records, which are subject to
inspection by CSREES, the cognizant Federal audit agency, or the USDA Office
of Inspector General, three years beyond the expiration date of a grant or
longer if there are any pending litigation or unresolved audit findings.
FINANCIAL INFORMATION:
Account Identification: 12-0012-0-1-999.
Obligations: (Grants) FY 01 $9,480,000; FY 02 est
$0; and FY 03 est $0.
Range and Average of Financial Assistance: The
range of assistance is $25,000 to $600,000; the average amount for Standard
Grants is $271,000; the average amount for Center Planning Grants is $25,000.
The development of information infrastructure for post-secondary programs that
will expand American Indian agricultural and natural resources programs; the
development of a center for decentralized rural wastewater treatment; and the
demonstration and promotion of the economic development potentials of farmers'
markets and their effects on vendors and host communities.
REGULATIONS, GUIDELINES, AND LITERATURE:
As indicated in the terms and conditions of any resulting grant award, the
applicable regulations, guidelines, and literature include, but are not
limited to: 7 CFR Part 3015 - USDA Uniform Federal Assistance Regulations; 7
CFR Part 3017, as amended - USDA Implementation of Government wide Debarment
and Suspension (Nonprocurement) and Government wide Requirements for Drug-Free
Workplace (Grants); 7 CFR Part 3018 - USDA Implementation of New Restrictions
on lobbying; 7 CFR Part 3019 - USDA Implementation of OMB Circular No. A-110,
Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and Agreements with
Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals, and Other Nonprofit
Organizations; 7 CFR Part 3052 - USDA Implementation of OMB Circular No. A-133
(revised June 24, 1997) regarding audits of States, local governments, and
nonprofit organizations; 7 CFR Part 3407 - CSREES procedures to implement the
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended.
INFORMATION CONTACTS:
Regional or Local Office: None.
Headquarters Office: Deputy Administrator,
Competitive Research Grants and Awards Management, the Cooperative State
Research, Education, and Extension Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture,
Washington, DC 20250. Telephone: (202) 401-1761.
Web Site Address: http://www.reeusda.gov
EXAMPLES OF FUNDED PROJECTS:
Planning for Native American Rural Development; Food Losses from the Farm to
the Consumer; Competition for Land on the Urban-Rural Interface; Value-Added
Composites from the Rural Southwestern United States.
CRITERIA FOR SELECTING PROPOSALS:
Proposals are initially reviewed to ensure that they meet the requirements set
forth in the program guidelines/proposal solicitations. Standard Project Grant
proposals then undergo technical evaluations using the following criteria: (1)
Merit - scientific, technical, or educational merit; well defined problem;
clearly defined objectives; appropriateness of approach (including selection
of proper approach to address systems, multifaceted, or multidisciplinary
problems); demonstrated integration of components (such as research,
education, and extension components); degree of feasibility; soundness and
effectiveness of management plan; (2) Quality - creativity and innovativeness
in addressing problems and issues; selection of most appropriate and qualified
individuals to address problem; competence and experience of personnel;
effective utilization of knowledge base in addressing problems; potential to
contribute solutions to stated problem; identified potential for technology
transfer and information dissemination; (3) relevance - proposal advances
purposes for federally-supported research, education, and extension as
referenced or stated in the solicitation; potential to contribute solutions to
priority problems in agriculture; identification and involvement of
stakeholders; involvement of communities of interest and stakeholders in the
identification of problems set forth in the proposal; partnership with those
affected by the outcome. FRA Center Planning Grant proposals will be judged
using the following criteria: (1) Merits of the FRA Center concept; (2)
relevance of the proposed FRA Center to the purposes of the Fund for Rural
America; (3) appropriateness of planning activities in assembling a follow-on
proposal for funding of the proposed FRA Center; and (4) competence of
identified participants. Criteria used to judge FRA Center Grant proposals
will be published in the FRA Center Grant solicitation.
