The National Institute of Food and Agriculture is seeking applications for the Smith-Lever Special Needs Competitive Grants Program (SLSNCGP) to enable the Cooperative Extension System (CES) to assist in preparing for, providing an educational response to, recovering from, and mitigating disasters and disaster threats.
Donor Name: National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)
State: All States
County: All Counties
Territory: American Samoa, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands and Federated States of Micronesia
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 03/07/2024
Size of the Grant: $100,000 to $500,000
Grant Duration: 3 Years
Details:
This program supports innovative, education-based approaches to address disaster preparedness and specific responses related to disasters or disaster threats caused by natural, human-made, or technological hazards, or by other factors that contribute to the exposure or vulnerability of a community.
The goals and objectives of SLSNCGP include supporting quality of life in communities across the U.S. by addressing disaster preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation in food and agricultural systems. The SLSNCGP also seeks to continue to provide information and resources to USDA target audiences, stakeholders, and collaborators to improve decision-making before, during, and after disasters.
Grant funds will support innovative extension education initiatives that address risks, hazards, and threats that may lead to disasters. The SLSNCGP enables the Cooperative Extension System (CES) to assist in preparing for, providing an educational response to, recovering from, and mitigating disasters and disaster threats. Disaster-related projects that were funded in previous years include uncertainties caused by losses of economic infrastructure, extreme weather or other disasters, security breaches, human disease, volunteerism, local coordination, or high consequence animal diseases and plant pests. The SLSNCGP promotes awareness and capacity building of urban and rural communities’ response to disasters by strengthening individual, family, farm, and small business disaster preparedness, particularly for those who have been historically underserved, through education and collaborations with other agencies or volunteer organizations.
Topical Areas
Topical Areas cover the subject areas on which the Cooperative Extension System develops and delivers educational resources and programs to target audiences and stakeholders through science-based education. SLSNCGP projects must address at least one of these Topical Areas:
- Agriculture: Includes but is not limited to row crop and forage health and production; livestock health and production; aquaculture; fruit and vegetable production; food loss and waste; farm and agribusiness management; economics; urban agriculture; farm safety; and agricultural biosecurity.
- Natural Resources: Includes but is not limited to water; forestry; wood sciences; range; waste management; energy, wildlife; recreation; and environmental education.
- Community and Economic Development: Includes but is not limited to small business; workforce development; community planning; placemaking; revitalization; tourism; visioning and strategic planning; leadership development; housing; homeowner education; civic engagement; volunteerism; broadband; and rural life.
- Family and Consumer Sciences: Includes but is not limited to nutrition; food safety; food loss and waste; nutrition security; health management and wellness; health equity; well-being; personal and family finance; child development; early childhood education; individual and family relationships; textiles; and hospitality.
- 4-H and Youth Development: Includes but is not limited to youth development; career exploration; civic engagement; STEM education; and volunteerism.
Strategies
- Strategies represent the plans of action and implementation methods used by the Cooperative Extension System to reach and engage target audiences and stakeholders through science-based education. SLSNCGP projects must address at least one of these Strategies:
- Program and Resource Development: Includes but is not limited to workshops, field days; program series; roundtable sessions; day camps; curricula development; resource guides and factsheet development; and print and/or web-based deliverables.
- Exercise and Training: Includes but is not limited to simulation exercises; tabletop exercises; train-the-trainer programs; technical assistance; and in-person and/or virtual skills-based trainings.
- Communications: Includes but is not limited to new or exploratory ways to reach target audiences and stakeholders; app development; message amplification; social media; and cybersecurity.
- Disaster Planning: Includes but is not limited to needs assessment; all-hazards planning; hazard-specific planning; and evaluation activities.
- Professional Development and Capacity Building: Includes but is not limited to just in-time and/or continually relevant continuing education for Cooperative Extension System professionals and partners; and activities that support the effectiveness and future of an organization or community like volunteer recruitment, leadership succession, gap analysis, and outcome measurement.
Project and Grant Types
The following describes the Project Types and Grant Types that are eligible for funding:
- Project Types. NIFA is soliciting applications for SLSNCGP proposals under the Extension Project type.
- Extension Projects conduct programs and activities that deliver Science-based knowledge and informal educational programs to people, enabling them to make practical decisions.
- Grant Types. Applicants must select the appropriate grant type from below:
- Standard Grant
- Standard awards of Federal funds for this grant will not exceed $115,000. The amount requested will vary depending on the geographic scope of the project and the urgency of the need(s) being addressed.
- Planning Grant
- Planning awards of Federal funds for this grant will not exceed $20,000 and are not renewable. The budget for the planning grant may include an appropriate amount for transportation and subsistence costs for participants and other related costs.
- Standard Grant
Funding Information
- Anticipated Funding: $459,000
- Individual Award Range:
-
- Standard Grant: $20,000 – $115,000
- Planning Grant: $10,000 – $20,000
Grant Duration
- Standard Grant: 12-36 Months
- Planning Grant: 12 months
Eligibility Criteria
Applications may only be submitted by 1862 Land-grant Institutions in the 50 states and the U.S. territories, American Samoa, Guam, Micronesia, Northern Marianas, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.
