1. National Institute of Food and Agriculture Competitive and Non-Competitive Grant Highlights Mark Poth and Duane Alphs

2. 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

3. 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)

4. 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!

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Five Challenge Area RFAs 1.Childhood Obesity Prevention: $25 M 2.Climate Change: $40 M 3.Global Food Security: $13 M 4.Food Safety: $20 M 5.Sustainable Bioenergy: $32 M

8. Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Foundational Program RFA: $65 M 1.Plant Health and Production and Plant Products 2.Animal Health and Production and Animal Products 3.Food Safety, Nutrition, and Health 4.Renewable Energy, Natural Resources, and Environment 5.Agriculture Systems and Technology 6.Agriculture Economics and Rural Communities

9. 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 Areas 3.Anticipated release in summer

10. 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.

11. AFRI Eligibility: Single-function projects 1.State agricultural experiment stations 2.Colleges and universities (including junior colleges offering associate degrees or higher) 3.University research foundations 4.Other research institutions and organizations 5.Federal agencies and national laboratories 6.Private organizations or corporations 7.U.S. Citizens, nationals, or permanent residents *Eligible institutions do not include foreign and international organizations

12. Integrated Eligibility: Integrated projects 1.Colleges and universities 2.1994 Land-Grant Institutions 3.Hispanic-serving agricultural colleges and universities

13. 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

14. 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!

15. 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.

16. 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)

17. Equipment Grants Grant limit of $50k (equipment may cost $10- 250k) Match required (non-Federal.

18. 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

19. 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!

20. 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.)

21. 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!

22. 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?

23. 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

24. 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

25. 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

26. 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!

27. 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%

28. 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

29. 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

30. Non-Competitive Programs Special Research Grants Federal Administration Grants Formula Grants

31. Prospects for the Future ?

32. Questions? Contact: Mark Poth Sustainable Bioenergy Division Director 202-401-5244 mpoth@nifa.usda.gov@nifa.usda.gov Thank You!! Duane Alphs OGFM 202-401-4326 dalphs@nifa.usda.gov