The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), through Section 1006 of the American Rescue Plan, is authorized to establish technical assistance and other programs to ensure improved understanding of USDA programs and services.
The goal of this program is to fund organizations, to be known as Cooperators, that will collaborate with USDA on the delivery of targeted technical assistance and related activities to achieve future outcomes of improved equitable participation of farmers, ranchers and forest land owners in USDA programs and services.
The funded Cooperators will provide ongoing coordination and substantial involvement with USDA to ensure that the plans for program development, curriculum development, deployment, and evaluation of impact are closely coordinated with USDA. Cooperators are required to coordinate with all other recipients of Section 1006 technical assistance resources in a manner as determined by USDA. Individuals and groups that are the ultimate recipients of the technical assistance must be economically distressed and/or underserved communities, including socially disadvantaged producers, farmers and ranchers with limited access to resources, veterans, and other key targeted individuals and communities.
This RFA solicits Cooperative Agreement applications. This notice identifies the objectives for the American Rescue Plan Technical Assistance Investment Program including program priorities, deadline dates, funding information, eligibility criteria for projects and applicants, and application forms and associated instructions needed to apply for an American Rescue Plan Technical Assistance Investment Program cooperative agreement.
The primary goal of American Rescue Plan Technical Assistance Investment Program is to ensure improved understanding of and equitable participation in the full range of USDA programs and services among underserved farmers, ranchers, forest land owners and operators through supporting the organizational delivery of technical assistance projects and establishment of technical assistance networks. USDA is authorized to support and facilitate the establishment of technical assistance projects toward this goal. Projects must provide a range of technical assistance services to underserved agricultural producers. The term “agricultural producer” is used to refer to agricultural farmers, ranchers, and private forest land owners and operators.
Duplicate or Multiple Submissions – duplicate or multiple submissions are not allowed. Only one submission is allowed per eligible organization. NIFA will disqualify both applications if an organization submits duplicate or multiple submissions. Interested applicants from within Duke should contact dukeiln@duke.edu as early as possible.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: June 1, 2022
Applicants must be domestic nonprofit entities or institutions for higher education (see Definitions in Part VIII, D).
Only the applicant must meet the eligibility requirement. Project partners and collaborators need not meet the eligibility requirement. Award recipients may subcontract to organizations not eligible to apply provided such organizations are necessary for the successful completion of the project, with the exception of individuals and non-domestic entities. Current Cooperators under Section 1006 of the Act are not eligible to apply as a lead applicant to this funding opportunity, but may serve as cooperators, collaborators and sub-contractors to lead applicants, provided their activities are new, non-duplicative activities. Individuals, non-domestic entities and private, for profit organizations are not eligible to apply to this funding opportunity.
AVERAGE AWARD RANGE: $500,000 minimum and up to $3,500,000 maximum for 5 years.
