Apply for Funding -2024 Western Center RFA | Western Extension Risk Management Education Center

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, announces competitive funding opportunities for educational projects designed to help agricultural producers improve their economic viability through targeted risk management strategies. The Center expects to award grants in three program areas – Standard Education Projects, Exploratory Projects, and Producers Underserved by Crop Insurance Projects.

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.

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

RFA: Download and read the 2024 Western Center Request for Applications (RFA) thoroughly depending on your plans for submission.
Resources: View the Application Resources which have been developed to help applicants prepare a successful proposal, and which provide a full explanation for every item requested in the application. Applicants are especially encouraged to utilize the Application Tutorial.
Registration Information: If you are already registered in the RVS, skip to step 4. 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.
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.
Category: Select the appropriate grant category (2024 Education Projects, 2024 Exploratory Projects, or 2024 Producers Underserved by Crop Insurance Projects) and click “Apply for this Grant”.
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.
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).
- SF 424 Instructions
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

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.

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.