P.S. Benepal NIFA/USDA 2011 National Extension and Research Administrative Officers Conference

1. 1890 Capacity Building Grant Program P.S. Benepal NIFA/USDA 2011 National Extension and Research Administrative Officers Conference Anchorage, Alaska May 22-26, 2011

2. Stakeholder Input National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is requesting input regarding 1890 Capacity Building Grant Program. This input will be considered in development of next RFA for the program. You may submit your input by mail to: Policy and Oversight Branch, Office of Extramural Program, NIFA, USDA, Stop 2299, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-2299.

3. Legislative Authority • Authority for this program is contained in section 1417 (b)(4) of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (NARETPA), as amended (7 U.S.C. 3152 (b)(4)) and pursuant to annual appropriations made available specifically for the 1890 Capacity Building Program. Section 7107 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (FCEA) (Pub. L. 110-246) amended the authority for the 1890 Capacity Building Program to allow for extension capacity building, as well as teaching and research. In accordance with the statutory authority, subject to the availability of funds, the Secretary of Agriculture may make competitive grants, for a period not to exceed five (5) years, to design and implement food and agricultural programs to build Teaching, Research and Extension capacity at colleges and universities having significant minority enrollments.

4. Purpose of the Program • To strengthen teaching, research, and extension programs in food and agricultural sciences by building teaching, research, and extension institutional capacity at 1890 Land-Grant Universities.

5. Background • The program was established in 1990 and has awarded to 1890 Institutions on competitive bases $ 215,335,507 during a period of FY 1990 through FY 2010. • The program addresses the need to: • 1) Attract more students from under-represented groups in food and agricultural sciences; • 2) Expand linkages among 1890 institutions and with other colleges and universities; • 3) Strengthen the teaching, research, and extension capacity of 1890 Land-Grant Universities to more firmly establish them as full partners in food and agricultural sciences and education system. • The primary goal of the program is to build partnerships and collaborations between USDA agencies and 1890 Land-Grant Universities.

6. Major Changes in FY 2011 • Number of applications which can be submitted by an institution is limited to twelve; • The main goal of this program is to strengthen teaching, research, and extension capacity of 1890 institutions. It is, therefore, needed to align NIFA’s challenge areas and institutions strategic plan in food and agricultural sciences; • Use of Logic Model is mandated for integrated applications and recommended for single and joint applications; • Applicants may not submit more than one application with the same Project Director (PD)/Principal Investigator (PI); however, there is no limit on the number applications which an individual may serve as CO-PD/CO-PI; • No institution may will receive more than 10% of the available funds; • Within 10% limitation of funds, there is no limit on the number of awarded integrated grants per institution.

7. Program Priority Areas • These high priority areas are for Education, Research or Extension applications. The application should have the potential to encourage regional or national program delivery in one of the priority areas. Applications must address one or more of the following priority areas: • Human health, obesity as it relates to nutrition, and human sciences; • Bio-energy/biofuel and natural resources: • Food safety; • Water quality; • Global food security and Agricultural bio-security: • Rural communities for 21st century (expanded opportunities for small businesses and small farms); • Sustainable agriculture; • Youth and families development; and/or • Global climate change including environmental sciences.

8. Other Areas in General Food & Agricultural Science • This Priority is for innovative applicationsin Education, Research or Extension in areas that address local, regional, or national issues in food and agricultural sciences not included in program priority areas. Projects in this areamay not fit any of the USDA or NIFA Strategic Goals but address an emerging local, regional or national issue.

9. Program Need Areas • Teaching • Curriculum Design • Faculty Preparation • Instruction Delivery System • Scientific Instrumentation • Student Experiential Learning • Student Recruitment and Retention • Research • Studies and Experimentation in Food and Agricultural Sciences • Centralized Research Support System • Extension • Program Development Systems • Technology Upgrades • Delivery/Methodology

10. USDA Priorities and NIFA Challenge Areas • The FY 2008 Farm Bill identified the following priorities for the United States agriculture: • Plant health and production and plant products; • Animal health and production and animal products; • Food safety, nutrition, and health; • Renewable energy, natural resources, and environment; • Agriculture systems and technology; and • Agriculture economics and rural communities. • From priority areas, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture identified the following Challenge Areas: • Childhood Obesity Prevention • Climate Change • Food Safety • Global Food Security • Sustainable Bioenergy

11. Project Award Amounts

12. Proposals Received in FY 2011

13. Peer Review Panels There were three peer review panels, one each for Teaching, Research , and Extension. These reviews were held on May 9 -17, 2011. The award recommendations are expected to be made by August , 2011.

14. Funding and Award Restrictions a) A single application must be either: a teaching Project, a Research Project, or an Extension Project, or Integrated Project; b) Eligible institutions may submit up to 12 applications per institution in FY 2011; c) An eligible institution may receive Education, research, extension and/or integrated awards up to a maximum of 10 percent (10%) of the available 1890 CBG funds. d) Keeping in mind that funds will be distributed equally between research, teaching and extension areas, awards will be made based on quality of applications. In the absence of enough qualified applications submitted for funding allocated to a particular area, the remaining funds will be redistributed among the other areas based on the quality of applications.

15. Types of Application • New • Resubmitted • Renewal

16. Project Summary Form

17. Recommendation to Improve funding rate • Establish quality control for applications. • Ensure that submitted applications address your capacity building needs. • Each university allowed up to 24 applications, however, quality of applications is more important than number of applications • Institutions should submit their proposals ahead of the deadline. Early submission will provide the applicants with enough time to respond to needed modification, correction or re-submission.

18. Recommendation to Improve funding rate • Ensure that applications have required documentation such as letter of support, budget form and justification. • Check the applications for completion as well as correct documentation prior to submission. • Check program code and discipline codes. • Be sure that applications and all documentation are submitted in specified format identified in the RFA.

19. Issues and Challenges • Reporting: • Progress • Final • Financial • Impact • Quality of Applications • Building capacity and long-range strategic planning

20. Reporting Requirements: • Annual Performance Report (Due 90 days after completion of first year of project, annually thereafter). • Final Performance Report (Due 90 days after the expiration date of the project). • Grantees are required to submit initial project information and annual and summary reports to NIFA’s Current Research Information System (CRIS). It is the responsibility of the PD to ensure submission. However, number of faculty indicated that CRIS report was submitted on time but was held in some office on campus

21. Reporting Requirements • Number of students working on the project (graduates, undergraduates, high school…etc) • Products such as publications, presentations, patents, workshops, developed courses (sample syllabi), developed and modified curriculum • Funds used for student training or other activities, as well as the funds used to purchase equipment

22. Reporting Requirements • These reports are used for congressional hearing, and budget development purposes, education portfolio • Guidelines for preparing termination reports are in your folder • Submission of reports in a timely manner is essential for program success

23. The Impact Statement • Is very important because: • Used for appropriation reports • Used for announcement and publicity • Used to prepare speeches for USDA administrators • Grant Oversight • Portfolio Assessment • Communications • Information for Decision Makers and Stakeholders

24. Convincing Impacts Should Be • Short, concise, and comprehensive • Simple to understand • Have public and National value

25. Use of Funds • PDs must follow Terms and conditions-A to insure approval of their requested changes. • Changes in approved goals or objectives must be approved by NIFA before implementation. Goals must be consistent with scope of original approved project.

26. Use of Funds • Changes in approved PD, replacement or reassignment of other key personnel must be approved by NIFA. • Second Project extension and changes in project Budget must be requested by the awardee and approved by NIFA before instituting such changes.

27. Budget Management • Timely expenditure of Award Funds • Unused Award Balances • Budget Modification at end of Award

28. For Further Information Visit: www.NIFA.usda.gov