The 2024 Western Center Request for Applications period is now OPEN!
2024 Western Center Request For Applications (RFA)
2024 RFA Timeline:
- November 16, 2023 – Application Deadline
- February 9, 2024 – Award Notification
- April 1, 2024 – Start Date for Funded Projects
The Western Extension Risk Management Education Center, (Western Center), in conjunction with the Northeast, Southern, and North Central Centers is announcing three competitive funding opportunities for educational projects designed to help agricultural producers improve their economic viability through targeted risk management strategies.
1. Standard Education Projects
This funding opportunity focuses on educational projects designed to help agricultural producers improve their economic viability through targeted risk management strategies. Proposed programs need to address any of the five areas of risk: production, marketing, financial, legal or human. The maximum amount of requested funding shall not exceed $75,000 for 18-month projects to be conducted between April 1, 2024, and September 30, 2025.
2. Exploratory Projects
These smaller, simplified grants are for the purpose of initiating new ideas through producer education programs which address farmer/rancher risk management education needs. Exploratory projects can be used to organize and host a producer education workshop or conference; or be used for development projects that lead to application for a Standard Education project in a future year. The maximum award will be $10,000 for 18-month projects to be conducted between April 1, 2024, and September 30, 2025.
3. Producers Underserved by Crop Insurance Projects
This funding opportunity is specifically designated for the delivery of risk management education to agricultural producers underserved by the Federal crop insurance program; with proposed educational programming that aligns with one or more of the five areas of risk: production, marketing, financial, legal or human. The maximum amount of requested funding shall not exceed $100,000 for 18-month projects to be conducted between April 1, 2024 and September 30, 2025.
Eligibility: This announcement seeks applications from qualified public and private groups, organizations, and institutions; including land grant colleges and universities, Cooperative Extension, other colleges and universities, and public and private entities with a demonstrated capacity to develop and deliver results/impact-based risk management education projects for agricultural producers and their families. The Western Center serves Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Alaska, Hawaii, and the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands. RFA’s have been concurrently released for each regional ERME Center – please visit the respective websites for additional information.
Applicant Webinar – Wednesday September 27th at 1:00PM PDT. No pre-registration is required and there is no fee to participate. Zoom meeting details will be posted on the Western Center’s website; as well as an email announcement will be sent prior to the meeting.
How to Apply
Online Application System and Registration: The online application system includes a user-based access within the Results Verification System (RVS). If you have not yet created your account, click “Create New Account”. Enter your email address, which will be used to login to the system and access your project. Fill out the rest of the information and then click “Create RVS Account” at the bottom of the form. You will receive an email registration confirmation. 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.
Login: After registration, or if you already have an existing account, log in to the Results Verification System (RVS) using your email address and password which will take you to “My Projects”. To begin a new Proposal, select “Start New Application” and then “Western ERME” from the orange boxes across the top. Make sure you choose the correct funding opportunity. Click “Apply for this Grant”. Instructions for each section of the application may be accessed by clicking on the orange tab labeled “Instructions” located in the upper right portion of each page of the application. Multiple users may be given access to your project by entering their email address. This is explained in detail in the “Project People” section of the Application Tutorial.
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.
Project Director Training – Details will be shared following the award announcements.
Eligibility
If you are unsure if you can meet the eligibility criteria for an organization as it relates to the requirements for Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards – specifically 2 CFR, Part 200 (RFA – Appendix A), please do not hesitate to call us.
Proposal Resources:
There are proposal resources which can help you develop and write a successful proposal. You are encouraged to use these tutorials and the “Introduction to Risk Management” which can lead you through the development and identification of a stronger set of participant results/outcomes, as well as to strengthen your program delivery, should your proposal be funded. Do take the time to read “Documenting Success through Performance Measures” – a short article tutorial on how to plan and design your program; which includes a solid rational for your effort and how you intend to measure the achievement of producer results across the life of the project.
