Rural Cooperative Development Grant

Funding Opportunity Number:	RDBCP-11-01-RCDG
Opportunity Category:	Discretionary
Posted Date:	Jun 12, 2011
Creation Date:	Jun 12, 2011
Original Closing Date for Applications:	Jul 22, 2011 You may submit completed applications for grants on paper or electronically by July 22, 2011. Late applications are not eligible for FY 2011 grant funding.
Current Closing Date for Applications:	Jul 22, 2011 You may submit completed applications for grants on paper or electronically by July 22, 2011. Late applications are not eligible for FY 2011 grant funding.
Archive Date:	Oct 03, 2011
Funding Instrument Type:	Grant
Category of Funding Activity:	Agriculture
Category Explanation:	You may submit completed applications for grants on paper or electronically by July 22, 2011. Late applications are not eligible for FY 2011 grant funding.
Expected Number of Awards:	35
Estimated Total Program Funding:	$7,400,000
Award Ceiling:	$225,000
Award Floor:
CFDA Number(s):	10.771 -- Rural Cooperative Development Grants
Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement:	Yes

Eligible Applicants

Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education

Additional Information on Eligibility:

Agency Name

Business and Cooperative Programs

Description

Provides grant funds to establish or operate a Center to assist individuals or entities in the startup, expansion or operational improvement of cooperative business.

Link to Full Announcement

Application and Submission Information

New Ag initiative to address food, ag policies

[from Philanthropy News Digest] With the global population expected to pass nine billion by 2050 and resources becoming ever more constrained, eight leading foundations have announced the launch of an initiative designed to address long-term food and agricultural policy challenges.

Sponsored by the Gates, Hewlett, Packard, Walton Family, Kellogg, McKnight, Ford, and Rockefeller foundations, the AGree initiative aims to spur discussion and consideration of solutions to global food and agriculture problems across multiple sectors, including health, energy, rural economies, and the environment. To that end, the initiative will commission research and facilitate discussion among a diverse set of stakeholders, including conventional and organic farmers, ranchers, nutritionists, energy experts, environmentalists, financiers, international aid veterans, and public health specialists.

The launch of AGree comes at a pivotal moment for food and agriculture policy. Experts predict that over the next four decades the global population will increase 38 percent, swelling the ranks of the 925 million people worldwide who currently suffer from under-nutrition or hunger. What's more, the challenges associated with feeding all those people are likely to be exacerbated by the limited amount of accessible arable land, increasing pressures on fresh water quality and availability, and accelerating environmental degradation.

"AGree will elevate the agriculture and food policy conversation," said Dan Glickman, who served as security of the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the Clinton administration. "We will make it clear to leaders and policy makers that, while difficult, solving food and agriculture issues is of utmost importance and can help solve other pressing problems including public health and the need for economic growth."

“New Initiative to Provide Path Forward for Transforming Food and Ag Policy.” AGree Press Release 5/03/11.

Supporting Local Farmers and Providing Nutritious Food

[From Senator Casey's website] : As I am a Member of the Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee and the Chair of the Subcommittee on Hunger, Nutrition and Family Farms, I know that by supporting Pennsylvania farmers we can also provide nutritious, fresh food for Pennsylvania’s growing children and for all of our residents. With over 1.2 million citizens in Pennsylvania at risk for hunger, we need to ensure this food is available to them.

Low-income Pennsylvanians enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, will soon have greater access to fresh, locally grown produce at farmers market stands across Pennsylvania, while supporting local farmers at the same time. SNAP, a program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service, puts healthy food on the tables of more than 40 million Americans each month. Pennsylvania's agriculture department facilitates the national program, in addition to several other food programs, through the Bureau of Food Distribution. Pennsylvanians can apply for SNAP benefits using the online application COMPASS, or by filing an application at a local county assistance office.

Farmers markets or farm stands can apply for one of the 145 wireless machines that are being made available with a federal grant through the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. Machines will be available on a first come-first served basis. The grant funding is made possible by the Farmers Market Promotion Program, which was reauthorized in the 2008 Farm Bill.

Applications are available at http://agriculture.state.pa.us by searching "EBT Wireless Terminal Application" or from Heidi Crager at 717-787-4956. The machines can also be used for credit card purchases, and training will be offered by the company providing the devices. Card-readers will be distributed until gone. Completed applications can be sent to the Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Food Distribution, 2301 N. Cameron Street, Harrisburg, PA 17110.

Specialty Crop Block Grant Program - Farm Bill

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announces the availability of approximately $55 million in grant funds, less USDA administrative costs, to solely enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops. Specialty crops are defined as fruits and vegetables, dried fruit, tree nuts, horticulture and nursery crops (including floriculture). State departments of agriculture interested in obtaining grant program funds are invited to submit applications to USDA. State departments of agriculture, meaning agencies, commissions, or departments of a State government responsible for agriculture within the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands are eligible to apply. Please contact your local State department of agriculture if you are not eligible to apply. State contacts can be found at www.ams.usda.gov/scbgp. State departments of agriculture are encouraged to conduct outreach regarding the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program - Farm Bill to specialty crop stakeholders, socially disadvantaged, and beginning farmers and conduct a competitive grant proposal process. Applications must be submitted by July 13, 2011.

Organic Farming grants

The Organic Farming Research Foundation is now accepting grant applications. Proposal deadlines in 2011 will be Monday, May 16, 2011 and Tuesday, November 15, 2011.

OFRF issues two separate requests for proposals:

Request for research proposals; and
Request for education and outreach proposals

If you have questions regarding grant applications, contact Jane Sooby, OFRF's Grants Progam Director, at 831-426-6606 or by email at jane@ofrf.org

Biomass Research and Development Initiative

For fiscal year 2011, applicants seeking BRDI funding must propose projects that integrate science and engineering research in the following three technical areas that are critical to the broader success of alternative biofuels production:

• Feedstock Development
  Funding will support research, development and demonstration activities for improving biomass feedstocks and their supply, including the harvest, transport, preprocessing, and storage necessary to produce biofuels and biobased products.
• Biofuels and Biobased Products Development
  Research, development and demonstration activities will support cost-effective technologies to increase the use of cellulosic biomass in the production of biofuels and/or biobased products. Funding will also support the development of a wide range of technologies to produce various biobased products, including animal feeds and chemicals that can potentially increase the economic viability of large-scale fuel production in a biorefinery.
• Biofuels Development Analysis
  Projects will develop analytic tools that improve the sustainability, environmental quality, cost effectiveness, security, and rural economic development of renewable biomass technologies. Funding will also be used to develop new tools to better evaluate the impact of expanded biofuel production on the environment and to assess the potential of using federal land resources to sustainably increase feedstock production for biofuels and biobased products.

Integrating multiple technical areas in each project will encourage collaborative problem-solving approaches, enable grantees to identify and address knowledge gaps, and facilitate the formation of research consortia. The agencies are also seeking projects that demonstrate the use of biodiesel in farming equipment and processing facility operations that are used to produce grain and/or cellulosic ethanol.

Subject to annual appropriations, USDA plans to invest up to $25 million with DOE contributing up to $5 million for this year's Biomass Research and Development Initiative. This funding is expected to support five to ten projects over three to four years. A description of the solicitation, eligibility requirements, and application instructions can be found on the FedConnect website, Fedconnect.net and the Grants.gov website under Reference Number DE-FOA-0000510. Pre-applications are due on May 31, 2011 and must be submitted electronically. It is anticipated that applicants who are encouraged to submit full applications will be notified by August 3, 2011.

Food / Ag Sciences Grad/Post grad Fellowship grants

The fellowships supported through the Food and Agricultural Sciences National Needs Graduate and Postgraduate Fellowship Grants Program (NNF) are intended to encourage outstanding and committed students to pursue and complete graduate degrees in critical areas of national need, through graduate programs at eligible institutions. The support provided through this NNF program, is a student stipend for the Fellow and a cost-of-education allowance to the institution. The typical period of performance for an award is five years, although a few programs may specify shorter (maximum of five years) periods. For the FY 2011 award cycle, NIFA intends to support graduate Fellowship training grants for both Master’s and doctoral levels of study. Also, Special International Study or Thesis/Dissertation Research Travel Allowances (IRTA) awards will provide support for eligible USDA Fellows to conduct thesis/dissertation research or to undertake studies at sites outside of the United States. IRTA awards for eligible USDA Fellows will only be available as provided for within this announcement. IRTA for current, eligible NNF Fellows must be requested as a stand-alone application. Applicants provide clarity about the philosophy of their graduate training, and relevance to USDA mission science, NIFA priorities and recommendations presented by the National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences, projected work force needs from the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the National Science Foundation, Survey of Earned Doctorates. Each funded proposal is expected to increase the understanding, development of 21st Century skills, research-based knowledge, assessment, and utilization of technology and resources to advance a first class next-generation, diverse work force in USDA mission sciences. Post-doctoral Fellowships will not be awarded, under this grant announcement. Further, NIFA supports Pre-doctoral and Post-doctoral fellowships in the Agricultural and Food Research Initiative (see, http://nifa.usda.gov/funding/afri/afri.html).

Link to Full Announcement

Food And Agricultural Sciences National Needs Graduate Fellowship Grants

Current Closing Date for Applications: Jun 01, 2011

Estimated Total Program Funding:	$3,600,000
Award Ceiling:	$262,500
Award Floor:	$4,500