The New Jersey Community Gardens/Farms Project is a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) New Jersey Office that funds community gardens and urban farms across New Jersey. The program provides financial and technical assistance to establish and improve community food production spaces, supporting local food security and conservation practices.

It is authorized under USDA assistance listing programs and is administered through NRCS's New Jersey office. Eligible applicants include state and local governments, nonprofit organizations, and other qualifying entities operating in New Jersey. Funding amounts vary by project scope.

NRCS NJ Community Gardens/Farm Agreement # NRCS NJ Community Gardens/Farm Agreement # Notice of Funding Opportunity (NFO) # No. USDA-NRCS-NJ-CGARD-24-NOFO0001359 1 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NFO) Federal Awarding Agency Name: U.S. Department of Agriculture – Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), New Jersey Office Notice of Funding Opportunity Title: NRCS NJ Community Gardens/Farm Agreement Notice of Funding Opportunity Number: USDA-NRCS-NJ-CGARD-24-NOFO0001359 Assistance Listing: This program is listed in the Assistance Listings (previously referred to as the Catalog of Federal Financial Assistance) on Sam.

gov under 10. 902 Soil and Water Conservation , which can be found at : https://sam. gov/content/home .

SAM is a web-based, government-wide application that collects, validates, stores, and disseminates business information about the federal government's trading partners in support of the contract awards, grants, and electronic payment processes.

Notice of Funding Opportunity Summary The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), an agency under the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), is announcing the potential availability of funding for the purpose of leveraging NRCS resources to encourage collaboration with partners in providing strategic conservation delivery assistance and/or provide tools or data that enhance the ability of the agency to support conservation activities.

The overall intent of this solicitation is to solicit partnerships to help enhance the implementation of key conservation objectives and priorities outlined in this announcement. Proposals will be accepted from eligible entities for projects located in New Jersey. NRCS anticipates the total amount awarded under this announcement in Federal fiscal year 2024 will be up to $75,000.

00 For new users of Grants. gov, see Section D. of the full Notice of Funding Opportunity for information about steps required before submitting an application via Grants.

gov. Applicants must submit their applications via Grants. gov by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on June 7 th ,2024. For technical issues with Grants.

gov, contact Grants. gov Applicant Support at 1-800-518-4726 or support@grants. gov .

Awarding agency staff cannot support applicants regarding For inquiries specific to the content of the NFO requirements, contact the federal awarding agency contact (section G of this NFO). Please limit questions to those regarding specific 2 information contained in this NFO (such as dates, page numbers, clarification of discrepancies, etc.). Questions related to eligibility, or the merits of a specific proposal will not be addressed.

The agency anticipates making selections by June 24 th , 2024 and expects to execute awards by September 15 th , 2024 . These dates are estimates and are subject to change. Federal Funding Floor and Ceiling Amounts The estimated funding floor for this opportunity is $5,000 and the estimated funding ceiling is $20,000.

The funding floor means the minimum agreement funding amount for the Federal share per agreement awarded. The ceiling is the maximum agreement funding amount for the Federal share per agreement awarded. These numbers refer to the total agreement amount, not any specific budget period.

Federal Financial Assistance Training The funding available through this NFO is Federal financial assistance. Grants 101 Training is highly recommended for those seeking knowledge about Federal financial assistance. The training is free and available to the public via https://www.

cfo. gov/resources/federal-financial- It consists of five modules covering each of the following topics: 1) laws, regulations, and guidance; 2) financial assistance mechanisms; 3) uniform guidance administrative requirements; 4) cost principles; and 5) risk management and single audit. FPAC agencies also apply Federal financial assistance regulations to certain non-assistance awards (e.g., non-assistance cooperative agreements).

3 A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION ............................................................................................. 4 B.

FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION .............................................................................. 6 1. Available Funding ......................................................................................................

6 2. Type of Award ............................................................................................................ 7 C.

ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION ......................................................................................... 7 1. Eligible Applicants .....................................................................................................

7 2. Other .......................................................................................................................... 8 3.

Match .......................................................................................................................... 8 D. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION ...................................................

8 1. Information for New Users of Grants. gov ..............................................................

8 2. Electronic Application Package ............................................................................. 12 3.

Content and Form of Application Submission ..................................................... 12 4. Submission Dates and Times and Correspondence ............................................

20 5. Intergovernmental Review .................................................................................... 20 6.

Funding Restrictions ............................................................................................... 21 E. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION ...................................................................

22 1. Review and Selection Process ............................................................................... 22 2.

Merit/Technical Criteria ........................................................................................ 22 3. Administrative and Risk Criteria ...........................................................................

23 4. Awards Over the Simplified Acquisition Threshold (if applicable) .................... 24 F.

FEDERAL AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION ......................................... 24 1. Federal Award Notices ...........................................................................................

24 2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements ............................................. 25 3.

Reporting .................................................................................................................. 26 4. Audit Requirements ................................................................................................

26 G. FEDERAL AWARDING AGENCY CONTACT ............................................................. 26 H.

OTHER INFORMATION ................................................................................................ 26 APPENDIX A - Instructions for Completing SF424 APPENDIX B – Instructions for Completing SF424A APPENDIX C – Budget Narrative Guidance 4 The authorizing statutes and regulations for this opportunity are 16 U.S.C. 590a-590f, 590q, 7 CFR part 610 (CFDA No.10.

902). The objectives of this program are: 1. Provide conservation learning experiences and/or outreach activities related to conservation implementation to urban and underserved communities.

2. Support The People’s Garden Initiative at established People’s Gardens by implementing conservation activities that cover one or more of the following: a. Conservation and climate-smart agriculture demonstrations b.

Storm water control or water quality improvement c. Soil protection from erosion d. Habitat for wildlife, including pollinators 3.

Leverage non-federal resources to achieve positive natural resource conservation outcomes. 4. Provide a method to follow-up with the historically underserved growers to measure rate of success of their participation in both technical and financial assistance by NRCS staff.

5. Provide outreach to increase participation among historically underserved participants in NRCS conservation programs and services.

Historically underserved producers are defined as the following: Beginning Farmer or Rancher is a farmer or rancher who has not operated a farm or ranch, or who has operated a farm or ranch for not more than 10 consecutive years, and who will materially and substantially participate in the operation of the farm or ranch.

In the case of a contract with an individual, individually or with the immediate family, material and substantial participation requires that the individual provide substantial day-today labor and management of the farm or ranch, consistent with the practices in the county or State where the farm is located.

Limited Resource Farmer or Rancher is a farmer or rancher who has direct or indirect gross farm sales not more than the current indexed value in each of the previous two years, and who has a total household income at or below the national poverty level for a family of four, or less than 50 percent of county median household income in each of the previous two years.

5 Socially Disadvantaged Farmer or Rancher is a farmer or rancher who is a member of one or more of the following groups whose members have been subjected to racial or ethnic prejudice because of their identity as members of a group without regard to their individual qualities.

Groups include, but are not limited to: Veteran Farmer or Rancher (VFR) is a farmer or rancher who served in the United States Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard, including the reserve components thereof, and who was discharged or released therefrom under conditions other than dishonorable and who also meets the definition of beginning farmer or rancher (BFR).

The VFR must: a) not have operated a farm or ranch; or b) not have operated a farm or ranch for more than 10 consecutive years. Funding, under this announcement is available as follows: Cooperative agreements of $5,000. 00 to $20,000 will be available to fund projects that align with the above project objectives.

Financial resources are to be utilized for necessary supplies which can include tools, seeds, fertilizer, soil and soil additives, irrigation material, rain harvesting materials, temporary structures for plant heath, and educational/workshop related materials.

Funding for gardening supplies and conservation activities are limited to established People’s Gardens unless there is a demonstration/educational component involved as listed in the above program objectives. Technical assistance by NRCS staff may be available to help determine site, slope, placement, etc. The USDA People’s Garden Initiative is a program launched in 2009 to promote community gardens, urban agriculture, and green spaces.

People’s Gardens must meet the following criteria: 1. Join the People’s Garden community by registering a garden at www. usda.

gov/peoplesgarden. 2. Grow the garden using sustainable practices that benefit people and wildlife.

6 3. Teach about gardening and resilient, local food systems. 4.

The intent is that these gardens result from a collaborative process among NRCS, other USDA agencies, conservation districts, and other partners. The gardens must be accessible to the public. The New Jersey NRCS is a federal agency that works with the people of New Jersey to bring about effective conservation and sustainable use of land, water, wildlife, and related resources.

The New Jersey Community Gardens/Farms Project is an effort to challenge local Conservation Districts, non-profit organizations, non-government organizations, institutions of higher learning and other community partners to establish community and pollinator gardens across New Jersey.

The simple act of planting a garden or creating a pollinator habitat can help unite neighbors in a common effort and inspire locally led solutions to some of the challenges facing local communities within the state. Addressing hunger and health, while inspiring beautification projects, a community garden can positively unite communities.

As part of the USDA’s Urban Agriculture toolkit, the New Jersey NRCS Community Gardens/Farms Project will provide technical and financial assistance to eligible entities to establish community gardens for food production. Eligible projects can be located in any New Jersey County. Entities must have control of the land (i.e. own/lease) where the project will be established for the duration of the agreement.

The applicant is responsible for maintaining the project once it is installed for the duration of the agreement. Proposals will be screened for completeness and compliance under the provisions of this notice. Incomplete and/or noncompliant proposals may be eliminated from competition, and notification of elimination will be sent to the applicant.

Evaluated proposals will be forwarded to the NRCS State Conservationist who will make the final selections. Proposed projects must be performed in New Jersey. B.

FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION The Federal funding agency expects to award approximately $75,000 through this opportunity. However, the agency retains the discretion to award a larger or lesser amount. b.

Start Dates and Performance Periods Projects may be between 1 and 3 years in duration. Applicants should plan their projects based on an estimated project start date of September 15 th , 2024. The agency expects to make up to 10 award(s).

7 The agency plans to award cooperative agreements pursuant to this opportunity. Depending on the nature of a particular proposal received, the agency may elect to negotiate an alternate award type with the selected applicant. The agency will be substantially involved in the work performed under the agreement and will undertake activities such as the following: a.

Authority to suspend work if specifications or work statements are not met b. Review and approval of one stage of work before another may begin c. Review and approval of substantive provisions of proposed subawards or contracts beyond existing Federal policy d.

Agency and recipient collaboration or joint participation e. Project monitoring to permit specified kinds of direction or redirection of the work because of interrelationships with and impacts on other projects f. Highly prescriptive agency requirements that limit recipient discretion g.

Review and approval of key personnel h. Direct agency operational involvement or participation during the activity The agency does not expect to award procurement contracts associated with this NFO. c.

Eligibility of Renewal or Supplemental Project Applications Applications for renewal or supplementation of existing projects are eligible to compete with applications for new Federal awards. An application for renewal means an application submitted to continue an existing agreement that meets the objectives and requirements of this NFO.

An application for supplementation of an existing project means an application to add components to an existing agreement so that it would meet the objectives and requirements in this NFO. C. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION Applicants and applications must meet eligibility criteria by the application deadline to be considered for award.

Eligible applicant type is determined by the implementing program statute. Applicant entities identified in the SAM. gov exclusions database as ineligible, prohibited/restricted, or excluded from receiving Federal contracts and certain Federal assistance and benefits will not be considered for Federal funding, as applicable to the funding being requested under this Federal program (2 CFR 200.

206(d)). Neither foreign entities nor individuals are eligible to apply for this opportunity. Eligibility for this opportunity is limited to the following entity types a.

City or township governments c. Independent school districts d. Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) e.

Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) f. Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS (other than institutions of higher education) g. Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS (other than institutions of higher education) h.

Private institutions of higher education i. Public and State-controlled institutions of higher education j. Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities k.

Special district governments Any award made pursuant to this NFO will be made to a single entity. Applicants that apply as “partnerships” or other similar groupings must clearly describe the relationship between the applicant and the “partner” parties. In all but exceptional cases, it must be reflected in the award as an awardee/sub awardee relationship.

An applicant organization may submit more than one application for different projects or proposing different approaches. In the case of applications submitted as revisions or corrections to a previously submitted application under this NFO, the agency will consider the last application submitted prior to the established deadline.

Awards made pursuant to this NFO are not Farm Bill incentive contracts; therefore, the awards in and of themselves are not limited by the payment limitation in 16 USC Chapter 58.

However, any agricultural producers receiving a payment through participation in a project awarded under this NFO must meet the eligibility requirements of 7 CFR Part 12 and 7 CFR Part 1400 and have control of the land involved for the term of the proposed award period. There is no match requirement for this opportunity. There is no competitive advantage to applicants who voluntarily provide a match.

D. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION 1. Information for New Users of Grants.

gov While a Grants. gov account is not required to download an NFO and related documents, it is required to submit an application. If your organization has never submitted an application via Grants.

gov, please be aware that there are several steps you must take to register your organization before you can submit an 9 application. Completing those steps can take a significant amount of time, plan accordingly. b.

Register to Apply through Grants. gov Applicants should read the registration instructions carefully and prepare the information requested before beginning the registration process. Reviewing and assembling the required information before beginning the registration process will alleviate last-minute searches for required information.

For assistance with the registration process, contact Grants. gov Applicant Support, available 24/7, at 1-800-518-4726 or support@grants. gov .

Organizations must complete all steps to register (steps i. through v. below).

Complete organization instructions are included on Grants. gov here: https://www. grants.

gov/applicants/applicant-registration/ Although creating a Grants. gov account online can be completed online in minutes, SAM registrations may take several weeks. Therefore, organizations should begin the process early to ensure they have sufficient time to complete registration and meet required application submission deadlines.

Individuals (those submitting on their own behalf) are not subject to the Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) or SAM requirement and may begin with step iii. , Create a Grants. gov Account, listed below.

(Note: Individuals are not eligible for all opportunities.) i. Obtain a UEI: All entities applying for funding must have a UEI issued by SAM.

gov. Applicants must enter the UEI in the data entry field labeled "UEI" on the SF-424 form. ii. Register with SAM: All organizations (entities) must register with System for Award Management (SAM) to apply online through Grants.

gov. Failure to register with SAM will prevent your organization from applying through Grants. gov. SAM registration must be renewed annually. Part of the SAM registration process includes designating an Electronic Business Point of Contact (EBiz POC).

The EBiz POC plays an integral part in the organization’s Grants. gov registration and application process. The individual in that role must authorize all other roles in Grants.

gov. For more detailed instructions for registering with SAM, refer to https://www. grants. gov/applicants/applicant-registration/ iii.

Create a Grants. gov Account: From the Grants. gov webpage (https://www.

grants. gov/ ), click “Register” in the top right-hand corner and follow the on-screen instructions. 10 v.

EBiz POC Authorized Profile Roles: After you register with Grants. gov and create an Organization Applicant Profile, you must establish roles for individuals in the organization. The Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) role is critical; it gives an individual permission to complete and submit applications on behalf of the organization.

Without this role, the organization cannot submit any applications. The request for role assignment will be routed to the organization’s EBiz POC for approval. Once approved, the AOR can submit an application online.

For more detailed instructions about creating a EBiz POC authorized profile on Grants. gov, refer to https://www. grants.

gov/applicants/applicant-registration/ebiz-poc-authorizes-profile-roles Track Role Status: To track your role request, refer to https://www. grants. gov/applicants/applicant-registration/track-profile-role- When applications are submitted through Grants.

gov, the name of the organization applicant with the AOR role that submitted the application is inserted into the signature line of the application, serving as the electronic signature. The EBiz POC must authorize people who are able to make legally binding commitments on behalf of the organization as a user with the AOR role. This step (step c.

v. above) is often missed, and it is crucial for valid and timely submissions. Workspace is a shared, online environment where members of a grant team may simultaneously access and edit different webforms within an application.

For each NFO, you can create individual instances of a workspace. An applicant can start an application in Workspace and return to work on it later within Workspace. 11 Applicants using unreliable internet connections should be aware that the process of completing the Workspace can take some time.

Therefore, applicants should allow enough time to prepare and submit the application before the package closing date. f. Apply for an Opportunity Below is an overview of applying on Grants.

gov. For complete instructions on how to apply for opportunities, refer to https://www. grants. gov/applicants/workspace- If the Apply button in the opportunity is not active (greyed out), the user does not have the appropriate permissions or has an incomplete applicant registration.

For additional information, refer to https://grantsgovprod. wordpress. com/2023/06/08/unlock-the-mystery-of-the- scenarios/#:~:text=The%20Apply%20button%20will%20be,to%20view%20the% i.

Create a Workspace: Creating a workspace allows you to complete an application online and route it through your organization for review before submitting. ii. Complete a Workspace: Add participants to the workspace to work on the application together, complete all the required forms online or by downloading PDF versions, and check for errors before submission.

The Workspace progress bar will display the status of your application process as you apply. As you apply using Workspace, you may click the blue question mark icon near the upper-right corner of each page to access context-sensitive help. • Adobe Reader: If you decide not to apply by filling out webforms you can download individual PDF forms in Workspace.

The individual PDF forms can be downloaded and saved to your local device storage, network drive(s), or external drives, then accessed through Adobe Reader. NOTE: Visit the Adobe Software Compatibility page on Grants. gov to download the appropriate version of the software at https://www.

grants. gov/applicants/adobe-software-compatibility • Mandatory Fields in Forms: In the forms, you will note fields marked with an asterisk and a different background color. These fields are mandatory fields that must be completed to successfully submit your application.

• Complete SF-424 Fields First: The forms are designed to fill in common required fields across other forms, such as the applicant name, address, and UEI. Once it is completed, the information will transfer (i.e., prepopulate) to the other forms. 12 iii.

Submit a Workspace: An application may be submitted through workspace by clicking the Sign and Submit button on the Manage Workspace page, under the Forms tab. Grants. gov recommends submitting your application package at least 24-48 hours prior to the close date to provide you with time to correct any potential technical issues that may disrupt the application submission.

iv. Track a Workspace Submission: After successfully submitting a workspace application, a Grants. gov Tracking Number (GRANTXXXXXXXX) is automatically assigned to the application.

The number will be listed on the Confirmation page that is generated after submission. Using the tracking number, access the Track My Application page under the Applicants tab or the Details tab in the submitted workspace. For additional training resources, including video tutorials, refer to https://www.

grants. gov/applicants/applicant-training 2. Electronic Application Package Applicants interested in submitting an application in response to this NFO must submit it via Grants.

gov; the agency will not accept applications submitted via email or any other method. No exceptions will be made for applicants experiencing issues with Grants. gov unless a known system wide Grants.

gov issue is identified, in which case the deadline will be extended for all applicants, as appropriate. Applicants are urged to submit early to the Grants. gov system.

For technical issues with Grants. gov, contact Grants. gov Applicant Support, available 24/7, at 1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.

gov . Awarding agency staff cannot support applicants regarding Grants. gov accounts.

Address to Request Application Package All information necessary to apply for this opportunity is included in the Grants. gov opportunity announcement. 3.

Content and Form of Application Submission The agency may choose not to consider applications that fail to comply with the required content, format, and page limits, or those that are incomplete. Do not submit video files or files larger than 10MB. File names of attachments must be limited to 50 characters, may not include special characters (e.g., &,–,*,%,/,#), periods (.)

, blank spaces or accent marks, and must be unique (i.e., no other attachment may have the same file name). An underscore (example: my_Attached_File. pdf) may be used to separate a file name.

Attachments must NOT be password protected. To be considered for funding under this opportunity, an application must contain the documents in a-g below. (Standard Form 424 Application for Federal Assistance) See Instructions for Completing SF 424 located in the appendices section.

Each page must be numbered and have one-inch margins. The text of the project narrative must be single spaced and typed in a standard typeface (e.g., Times New Roman, Arial, Courier) with no smaller than 12-point font. The project narrative must not exceed 6 pages.

This page limitation applies to the project narrative only. Project narratives must include: ii. Project Director/contact name and contact information (including address, email, and telephone number) iii.

Institutional background. (One (1) page narrative maximum.) This section should introduce your organization to the reviewer and lend credibility to your organization’s ability to successfully manage a federal agreement.

The response should be succinct, offer a good balance between quantitative and qualitative information, and be free of unnecessary verbiage. It should include a brief history of the organization, including its mission statement and objectives, important past events or accomplishments, a description of your clientele, including demographic information, organizational funding sources.

Describe your history of successfully managing these federal and non-federal agreements, including meeting and complying with reporting requirements, submitting final acceptable technical reports, and reporting on progress made in achieving the results under those agreements. iv. Partnerships.

List and describe any partner agencies, groups, and other entities that may assist in implementing this project. v. Problem statement/needs assessment.

(One (1)-page maximum.) The problem statement, or needs assessment, is critical to the success of your application. It is the justification for your proposal and should focus on the condition that your proposal will address.

Use care to ensure your proposal make no unsupported assumptions.

Your Needs Assessment should demonstrate the tie-in to the organizational mission and objectives, describe the issue or problem, and the history of, and need for, the proposed innovation, provide statistical and authoritarian evidence that clearly supports the need identified in the proposal and supports a high probability for success, and make a compelling case for the project funding based demonstrated client needs.

Documents the 14 problem or need with hard data, linking it to the funding source’s objectives (See Section A: Program Description). What is the situation that is causing concern? Why is it happening?

vi. Program objectives. (One (1)-page maximum.

Identifies anticipated outcomes and benefits in measurable terms. How is the situation expected to change as a result of the award? This section of the proposal should demonstrate project outcomes, not project activities.

You should be using language that supports increasing, decreasing, or reducing the problems identified in the need’s assessment. This section should describe any impact on underserved communities. Avoid including topics that pertain to providing, establishing, or developing a method to address the problem.

Your objectives should include at least one objective for each problem identified in the Needs Assessment. Each objective must be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and contain a timeline for completion. An example objective would be: At the end of the 3-day workshop, 70% of participants will demonstrate at least a 30% increase or better in pre/post-test exams.

Be sure to describe how the outcomes will be measured. vii. Project geographic area/location of impact (where application activities will take place) viii.

Methods/implementation. Describes the activities that directly support the achievement of the objectives. A timeline may be included in this section as well as a description of staffing needs.

This section demands clarity and justification in describing how the objectives will be met. Use care to present a reasonable number of activities that can be completed within the agreement period. Provide a detailed description of the how the project will be organized and managed.

Include a list of key project personnel, their relevant education or experience, and their anticipated contributions to the project. ix. Evaluation plan.

(One half (1/2)-page maximum.) This section should clarify your objectives, define the ease with which they can be measured, and clearly state the criteria for how success will be measured using quantifiable methods. Your evaluation methods should determine the extent to which the program has achieved its stated objectives and the extent to which the objectives contributed to the program success.

Further, your evaluation should determine whether the delivered program was consistent with the initial plan and identify which program activities individually contributed to the effectiveness of the program. x. Project Deliverables.

Discuss reports/and or other deliverables that can help to measure project success. Use care to present a reasonable 15 number of activities that can be completed within the agreement period. Clearly describe the program client and the program activities, their sequence, and explain your reason for choosing this combination of activities.

Provide a detailed description of how the project will be organized and managed. Include a list of key project personnel, their relevant education or experience, and their anticipated contributions to the project. Explain the level of participation required in the project by government and non-government entities and identify who will participate in monitoring and evaluating the project.

The following documents do not count toward the above stated page limit. Declaration of previous projects and Past Performance Is this same proposal being submitted for another active funding opportunity? If yes, include in the Current and Pending Support document.

Response does not affect the competitive selection process. c. Standard Form (SF) 424A, Budget Information - Non-Construction Programs Fill in all spaces as appropriate.

Section B, Item 6, Column 1 should reflect the agency funds, and Column 2 should reflect the applicant’s matching funds. This form is the summary budget for the project and should include the full project totals on pages one and two. See Instructions for Completing SF 424A located in the appendices section.

Refer to Section D of this opportunity for information regarding indirect costs. Errors in the SF-424A regarding classifying costs may be negotiated after selection. In a separate document titled “Budget Narrative,” explain and justify all requested budget items/costs.

(Refer to the budget narrative guidance located in the appendices section.) Detail how the totals on the SF-424A were determined and demonstrate a clear connection between costs and the proposed project activities. For personnel salary costs, include the base-line salary figures and the estimates of time (as percentages) to be directly charged to the project.

Describe any item that under the applicable Federal cost principles requires the agency’s approval and estimate its cost. The pages included as the budget narrative to not count toward the page limit. Errors in the budget narrative regarding classifying costs may be negotiated after selection.

Refer to the Budget Narrative Guidance located at the end of this document regarding procurement standards when including contracts for goods or services. Sole-source contracting is prohibited without proper justification. See Procurement Standards located at 2 CFR 200.

317-327. 16 i. Build America, Buy American.

“Buy America” preference applies to Federal financial assistance awards that include construction components, even if it is funded by both Federal and non-Federal funds under the award. Subawards should conform to the terms and conditions of the Federal award from which they flow. A Buy America preference only applies to articles, materials, and supplies that are consumed in, incorporated into, or affixed to a construction project.

Refer to the General Terms and Conditions for additional information: https://www. fpacbc. usda.

gov/about/grants-and-agreements/award- terms-and-conditions/index. html ii. Indirect Costs Recovery.

If requesting indirect costs, provide the calculation specifying the amounts used in applying the base (the base specified in the applicable rate agreement) by the applicable rate. The calculation can be displayed in different formats but must capture the components (i.e., amounts used in determining the base and the rate applied to the base). A.

To be eligible to recover any indirect costs under a Federal award, recipients must either 1) have a current negotiated indirect cost rate agreement (NICRA) with a Federal agency that has not expired; or 2) qualify for use of the de minimis rate authorized by 2 CFR 200. 414(f) and described below. For-profit entities (if eligible to apply) must obtain a NICRA from their cognizant agency.

USDA will not accept an indirect cost agreement that is not a NICRA, for example, those negotiated or approved by the Defense Contract