National Institute of Food and AgricultureCompetitive and Non-Competitive

Grant Highlights

Mark Poth and Duane Alphs

Changing Times!• President and Congress focused on the national

debt and budget balancing• Congressional earmarks disappearing• Programs viewed by Congress as redundant in

jeopardy• Programs viewed by Congress as parochial in

jeopardy

Changing Times!• Importance of the Plan of Work to show focus,

scale and impact• Plan of work linkages to NIFA Challenge Areas• Relation of state activities to national issues and

problems (not difficult!).• Greater emphasis on competitive (like NSF and

NIH… please note the over 100% growth in their budgets over the last 10 years)

Keys to Competitive Success• Understand NIFA mission• Explore the full range of programs AFRI & others

– Many options (find your advantage!)• Communicate with the National Program Leader

or Leaders in your area of interest• Participate

– Ad hoc Reviewer to Panelist– Grantsmanship Workshops– Applicant to Awardee!

Panel Participation• Faculty from all levels (Assistant, Associate and

Full Professor)• Faculty form all regions of the country• Looking for diversity• You will provide reviews on 10-20 applications• Participate in panel review of 50 to 100

applications• Panel Participation is the best way to understand

what makes for a good application.

Grantsmanship Workshops• Provides overview of programs to applicants• Mock Peer Review Panel• “Face time” with National Program Leaders• Tips on grant-writing from NIFA experts• Travel fellowships for attendees from minority-

serving institutions • Offered twice each year in Washington, D.C.

Agriculture and Food Research Initiative

Five Challenge Area RFAs

1. Childhood Obesity Prevention: $25 M2. Climate Change: $40 M3. Global Food Security: $13 M4. Food Safety: $20 M5. Sustainable Bioenergy: $32 M

Agriculture and Food Research Initiative

Foundational Program RFA: $65 M

1. Plant Health and Production and Plant Products2. Animal Health and Production and Animal Products3. Food Safety, Nutrition, and Health4. Renewable Energy, Natural Resources, and

Environment5. Agriculture Systems and Technology6. Agriculture Economics and Rural Communities

Agriculture and Food Research Initiative

NIFA Fellowships Grant Program RFA: $6 M

1. Offer individual fellowships for pre- and postdoctoral students – NIFA Fellows

2. Focus on the broad Challenge Areas3. Anticipated release in summer

Letters of Intent• Required for most program areas.• Take care to follow the guidelines.• Applications submitted without a prior Letter of

Intent submission will not be reviewed.

AFRI Eligibility: Single-function projects

1. State agricultural experiment stations2. Colleges and universities (including junior colleges

offering associate degrees or higher)3. University research foundations4. Other research institutions and organizations5. Federal agencies and national laboratories6. Private organizations or corporations7. U.S. Citizens, nationals, or permanent residents*Eligible institutions do not include foreign and

international organizations

Integrated Eligibility: Integrated projects

1. Colleges and universities2. 1994 Land-Grant Institutions3. Hispanic-serving agricultural colleges and

universities

FASE Grants:• Pre-doctoral Fellowship Grants – New• Postdoctoral Fellowship Grants• New Investigator Grants (Restricted eligibility)• Strengthening Grants (Restricted eligibility)

– Sabbatical Grants– Equipment Grants– Seed Grants– Strengthening Standard and Strengthening CAP

Grants

Understanding the level of competition in AFRI• Programs get about 100 proposals• Will fund about 20• So my chances of getting funded are about

20%...right?• WRONG! Your chances are much higher if you

are eligible for the AFRI Food and Agricultural Science Enhancement (FASE) Program!

Agriculture and Food Research Initiative: Strengthening Awards-Funded from 7.5% set aside from NRI

appropriation ( that’s 7.5% of $262 million in FY2010! Or over &19 million)

- Eligibility limited to EPSCoR states and small to mid sized institutions (<17,500 enrolled) and limited institutional success (not in the top 100) and Minority Serving Institutions.

Strengthening Award Types• Standard Strengthening (full research grant

$300k to $30 million)• Career Enhancement Award (Sabbatical, “one

year of salary plus travel and supplies”) • Seed grants • Equipment grants (match may be required)

Equipment Grants• Grant limit of $50k (equipment may cost $10-

250k)• Match required (non-Federal.

Seed Grants• To support collection of preliminary data and

develop methods and approach• Builds a stronger foundation for a standard

research proposal• Award up to $150k

Career Enhancement Awards• Also called Sabbatical Awards• Includes one year of salary plus travel and

supplies ($120k)• Can be structured and phased so that it is not a

year away from your home university • Be creative!

Standard Strengthening• A regular research or Integrated proposal

(includes CAPs)• The proposal has two chances to be funded• First chance if the proposal ranks high enough

(top 10-15) it is funded out of the regular program funds

• Second chance from strengthening funds (Awards made according to ranking but of eligible proposals. First eligible proposal may rank substantially below 20.)

Strengthening Eligibility AFRI• Now eligible in research and integrated

programs!• Now eligible every year in research and

integrated programs! • Now only the lead Project Director needs to be

eligible in research and integrated programs!

Strengthening Strategy• Plan your work to link awards and leverage

Capacity Building Grants• Evaluate where you are and what you need• Equipment? Training or a collaborator

(sabbatical award)? Preliminary data (seed/sabbatical)?

• What is you three year plan? (equipment>seed>standard or sabbatical>standard or other)

• Institutional strategy… Do you have one?

Understanding the level of competition in AFRI• Programs is asking for just CAP awards?• Look closer…for your advantage.• All programs will take Strengthening Grant

applications from those eligible • Includes Equipment, Seed, Sabbatical and

Standard strengthening (including CAP) grants• Contact the NPL for your program of interest to

discuss before submission of a LOI

•Meet the Food Needs of Low-income People by Increasing Self-reliance and Promoting A Comprehensive Response to Food, Farm, And Nutrition.

ACEnet Shared-use kitchen Lower Eastside Girl’s Club

East New York Farms

Community Food Program

•Identify and Develop Management Practices to Minimize Potential Risks Associated with Genetically Engineered Animals, Plants, and Microorganisms.

Researchers at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station Examine the Cross-fertilizations Between GM And Non-GM Corn Varieties in Conventional and Organic Ag. Systems

Aylor et al, 2006

Biotechnology Risk Assessment Grants

Explore Competitive Programs• Specialty Crop Research Initiative• Organic Research and Education Initiative• Biomass Research and Development Initiative• Small Business Innovation Research• National Integrated Food Safety Initiative• National Integrated Water Quality Initiative• And others!

Matching• Programs that require matching

– AFRI equipment grants-100%– Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Development

Grants-25%– Biomass Research and Development Initiative-20%

for research and development grants; 50% for demonstration grants

– Challenge Grants• Higher Education-100%• Secondary Education-100%

Matching (cont’d)– Community Food (regular)-100%

• Food Security Learning Center-25%– Critical Ag Materials-100%– Rangeland-50%– Specialty Crop Research Initiative-100%– Women and Minorities in STEM Fields-100% may be

waived

Indirect Costs• Most Competitive NIFA Grants are limited to

22% of Total Federal Funds Awarded by Federal Statute

• A few grant programs are allowed the full negotiated rate, however, universities are usually not eligible to apply for them

• Some programs are not allowed any indirect costs

Non-Competitive Programs

• Special Research Grants• Federal Administration Grants• Formula Grants

Prospects for the Future

?

Questions?• Contact: Mark Poth• Sustainable Bioenergy • Division Director• 202-401-5244• mpoth@nifa.usda.gov

• Thank You!!• Duane Alphs

• OGFM• 202-401-4326• dalphs@nifa.usda.gov