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The New Era Rural Technology Competitive Grants Program will make grants available to community colleges or advanced technological centers, located in a rural area, for technology development, applied research, and training necessary to produce graduates capable of strengthening the Nation's technical, scientific and professional workforce in the fields of bioenergy, pulp and paper manufacturing, and agriculture-based renewable energy resources. (Note: see definitions of these terms in Part VIII. E., of the Request for Applications (RFA) document to ensure eligibility).

Eligible Applicants

Opplications may be submitted by either: (1) public or private nonprofit community colleges, or (2) postsecondary, degree-granting advanced technological centers, either of which must:
a. be located in a rural area (see definition in Part VIII, E.); and
b. have been in existence as of June 18, 2008; and
c. participate in agricultural or bioenergy research and applied research; and
d. have a proven record of development and implementation of programs to meet the needs
of students, educators, business, and industry to supply the agriculture-based, renewable
energy or pulp and paper manufacturing fields with certified technicians; as determined
by the Secretary and
e. have the ability to leverage existing partnerships and occupational outreach and training
programs for secondary schools, 4-year institutions, and relevant nonprofit organizations.

Applicant Eligibility Verification: To verify the applicant institution is located in a rural area and is eligible to receive RTP funding, NIFA requires a signed statement from the Authorized Representative (AR) of the applicant institution that signifies compliance with the rural area definition in Part VIII. E. Please submit this verification on signed letterhead as an attachment in Field 12 of the Other Project
Information Form.

Applicant institutions/organizations must demonstrate capacity for and a significant ongoing commitment to, the teaching of agriscience or agribusiness generally, and to the specific need and/or discipline(s) for which this grants program supports.

Award recipients may subcontract portions of the project to organizations not eligible to apply directly for funding, provided such organizations are necessary for the conduct of the project.

In accordance with 7 CFR Part 3430, for community colleges, as defined in this RFA, applying as an Eligible Applicant, individual branches of a State university system or public system of higher education that are separately accredited by nationally recognized accrediting agencies or associations as degree granting institutions are treated as separate institutions, and are thereforeeligible for RTP. Separate branches or campuses of a college not individually accredited as degree-granting institutions are not treated as separate institutions.

If an institution/organization cannot accept Federal funds directly, it must submit a letter stating that it will accept the award, but that funds must be administered through a fiscal agent organization. This agent must be identified in the letter from the applicant and the letter must be countersigned by an authorized representative of the fiscal agent organization. The letter should include the fiscal agent’s point of contact, address, telephone number, fax number and e-mail address. Both the fiscal agent organization and the applicant school or institution/organization must submit complete management
information (see Part V, D.). Nevertheless, the legal recipient of the award [as identified on the applicant’s SF 424 (R&R) Cover Sheet] must be an eligible public or private nonprofit community college, or postsecondary, degree-granting advanced technological center, as defined above. [Submission of fiscal agent information (above) is not requested at the time the application is submitted. However, the information will be required before an award is made.]

Available Funding

There is no commitment by USDA to fund any particular application or to make a specific number of awards. It is anticipated that approximately will be $875,000 is available to fund projects in FY 2011.

Awards issued as a result of this RFA will have designated the Automated Standard Applications for Payment System (ASAP), operated by the Department of Treasury’s Financial Management Service, as the payment system for funds. For more information see http://www.nifa.usda.gov/ business/method_of_payment.html.

Types of Applications

In FY 2011, applications for the RTP may only be submitted as one of the following types of
requests:

(1) New application. This is a project application that has not been previously submitted to the RTP. All new applications will be reviewed competitively using the selection process and evaluation criteria described in Part V—Application Review Requirements.

(2) Resubmitted application. This is an application that had previously been submitted to the RTP; but not funded. Applicants must respond to the previous review panel summary [use R&R Other Project Information, (Field 12- Other Attachments) on the Form]. Resubmitted applications must be received by the relevant due dates, will be evaluated in competition with other pending applications in appropriate area to which they are assigned, and will be reviewed according to the same evaluation criteria as new applications. All resubmitted applications will be reviewed competitively using the selection process and evaluation criteria described in Part V—Application Review Requirements.

C. Project Types

Applicants may submit one of the following three types of projects:

1. Regular Project Proposal (Single Institution/Organization) Applicants may request up to $125,000 (total project period, not per year) for a Regular Project Proposal. In a Regular Project Proposal, the applicant executes the project without the requirement of sharing grant funds with other project partners.

2. Joint Project Proposal (Applicant plus One or more Partners) Applicants may request up to $300,000 (total project period, not per year) for a Joint Project Proposal. In a Joint Project Proposal, the applicant executes the project with assistance from at least one (1) additional partner. The applicant must share grant funds with the additional partner(s). Please see explanation of required funds distribution percentage among partners in the definition of a Joint Project Proposal in Part VIII, E.

Note: Joint Projects must include both the R&R Budget and the R&R Subaward Budget Attachment Forms. The forms should clearly identify the total grant funding anticipated for the applicant and each partner to demonstrate the required sharing percentage. (See Part VIII, E. definition of joint project proposal.) All expenditures for the applicant and all partners should be further itemized in the Budget Justification. Funds do not have to be divided equally among project years.

3. Conference/Planning Grant
As described in Part I, C. 1.e., of this RFA, applicants may request up to $10,000 (total conference, not per year) to facilitate strategic planning session(s) required of faculty, industry, professional association, community leaders, or other necessary participants from the targeted rural community, to develop a formal plan to improve specific bioenergy, pulp and paper manufacturing, or agriculture-based renewable energy workforce opportunities critical to rural communities. A Conference/Planning grant application may not be submitted in the same year for which a RTP application for the same project is also submitted. Indirect costs for Conference/Planning grants are not allowed.

D. Project Duration
Project periods may range from eighteen (18) to thirty-six (36) months. Projects should conclude no sooner than eighteen (18) months after the award date to allow sufficient time to evaluate the results and report the impacts.

E. Number and Size of Grant Awards
The total number of grants awarded by this grant program will depend on the number and type of meritorious applications submitted in response to this RFA. There is no predetermined number of either Regular or Joint Project Proposals that may be awarded in any competition.

Based on the project scope and budget of all applications selected for awards, the actual, individual grant amounts awarded by NIFA under this program may differ from the funds requested by the applicant. In such cases, revised budgets and revised plans of work may be required by NIFA before an award is made.

F. Application Submission & Award Limitations
There is no limit on the number of applications that may be submitted by an Eligible Applicant. However, a successful applicant institution/organization will be awarded a maximum of two (2) grants per year under this program.

G. Funding Limitations per Institution
Contingent upon future funding, there are no limits on the total grant program funds that may be awarded to any one institution/organization in successive years of this competition. Successful award recipients may apply for additional awards in subsequent years either as a lead applicant or as a joint partner on a project.

Agency Name

National Institute of Food and Agriculture