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Apply for Funding – Farm Loan Program

Technical Assistance Provider Network Funding Opportunity

RFA Timeline:

  • August 30, 2024 – Application Deadline
  • October 11, 2024 – Award Notification
  • November 1, 2024 – Start Date for Funded Projects

The Western Extension Risk Management Education Center, (Western Center), in conjunction with the Southern Center, announces a competitive funding opportunity to create Technical Assistance Provider Networks (TAPN’s) to support producers in accessing  Farm Loans from the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA).

This funding opportunity will help producers to address barriers to agricultural credit by assisting producers to access farm loan programs and to successfully obtain and service Farm Loan Program (FLP) loans. The maximum award will be $400,000 for 3-year projects to be conducted between November 1, 2024, and October 31, 2027.

How to Apply

  1. RFA: Download and read the Farm Loan Program: Technical Assistance Provider Network RFA thoroughly.
  2. Registration Information:  If you are already registered in the RVS, skip to step 3.  To register, use this link to access the Extension Risk Management Education Results Verification System. Select “Create New Account” and complete the form in order to create a new account. An email will be sent to confirm your registration. If you do not receive the confirmation email within 15 minutes, check your spam folder. Click on the link in the email to complete your registration.
  3. RVS: Login to RVS (rvs.umn.edu) using your email address and password, which will take you to the “My Projects” page. To begin a new Application, select “Start New Project Application” to see all available funding opportunities.  Click the “Western ERME” tab to see all Western Center funding opportunities.
  4. Category: Select the grant category “Farm Loan Program: Technical Assistance Provider Network” and click “Apply for this Grant”.  
  5. Enter the project information, including Project Title; Project Director email, Institution Mailing Address, and Financial Contact.  You will have the opportunity to edit or update this information once you have created the application.
  6. Complete each section in the Table of Contents on the left sidebar and follow the Instructions accessible on each page of the application via the question mark (?) icon.

Whenever you wish to continue working on your Proposal, return to the Extension Risk Management Education Results Verification System and login. Your active projects will be listed on the “My Projects” page. You may edit your proposal by clicking on the pencil icon.

Questions or comments regarding the RFA may be directed to Jo Ann Warner, 509-477-2168, warnerj@wsu.edu or Shannon Neibergs, 509-335-6360, sneibergs@wsu.edu.

Budget Detail & Indirect Cost Limitation – IMPORTANT INFORMATION

  • Requested funding amount must be the same in the budget, budget narrative and on the ERME Cover Sheet (SF 424).
  • Make certain that the person(s) in your organization with budget expertise carefully review all aspects of your budget detail for consistency; in particular that the amounts listed in each section of the budget match what is listed in the correlating sections of the budget narrative.
  • If you intend to include sub awards or consultant services as part of your funding request, the required documents must be submitted as part of the proposal submission. Follow the instructions as provided in the RFA and Appendix A of the RFA for uploading these documents into the online application system.

Section 1462(a) and (c) of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (NARETPA) limits indirect costs for the OVERALL award to 30 percent of Total Federal Funds Awarded (TFFA) under a research, education, or extension grant or the grantee’s Federally Negotiated Rate, whichever is less. The cap applies to the prime recipient and all sub-awardees.  Please be aware that when IDC for the recipient and all sub-awardees are totaled, they must not exceed 30% of the TFFA (or 42.857 percent of total direct costs).   If your organization does not have a federally negotiated indirect cost rate, an F&A rate of 10% Modified Total Direct Cost (MTDC) will be allowed.

Any questions regarding the budget may be directed to Jo Ann Warner, Associate Director at 509-477-2168.

Eligibility

This announcement seeks applications from qualified public and private groups, community-based agricultural organizations, and institutions that have demonstrated experience in providing technical and financial expertise necessary to assist producers.   Please see pages 5-8 of the RFA for the designated critical areas for TAPN Project Development in the western region.