Federal-State Marketing Improvement Program

 

To assist in exploring new market opportunities for U.S. food and agricultural products and to encourage research and innovation aimed at improving the efficiency and performance of the U.S. marketing system.

General information about this opportunity
Last Known Status
Active
Program Number
10.156
Federal Agency/Office
Agricultural Marketing Service, Department of Agriculture
Type(s) of Assistance Offered
B - Project Grants
Program Accomplishments
Fiscal Year 2018 Accomplishments can be found at www.ams.usda.gov/grants.
Fiscal Year 2020 FY 20 (est) – Obligation: - Project Grants (for specified projects) Total $1,000.000 $25,000 to $1,000,000. Average: $148,000
Fiscal Year 2022 Please see https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/grants/fsmip
Authorization
Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946, Section Section 204b, Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 U.S.C. Section 204b, 7 U.S.C. 1623(B)
Who is eligible to apply/benefit from this assistance?
Applicant Eligibility
State Departments of Agriculture, State Agricultural Experiment Stations and other appropriate State agencies including State universities, State colleges, and State government entities such as State departments of forestry, natural resources, or energy.
Beneficiary Eligibility
Farmer/Rancher/Agriculture Producer, Consumer, State Producers, processors, marketing agencies, and general public.
Credentials/Documentation
A grant agreement is entered into between the AMS and the eligible entity that submits the application. OMB Guidance for Grants Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards at 2 CFR ? 200 and 2 CFR ? 400 applies to this program. 2 CFR ? 200, Subpart E - Cost Principles applies to this program.
What is the process for applying and being award this assistance?
Pre-Application Procedure
Preapplication coordination is not applicable.
Application Procedure
2 CFR 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards applies to this program. 2 CFR ? 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards applies to this program. AMS only accepts electronic applications which are submitted via Grants.gov in response to specific RFA. Please refer to the RFA for further details for submitting applications. The most current RFAs are available at www.ams.usda.gov/grants. Any specific instructions in the RFAs supersede the general information provided in the Assistance Listing database.
Award Procedure
AMS outlines the merit review process in each grant program's RFA. After the application deadline has passed, AMS begins a three-step process to evaluate each application. Grant agreements are established with applicants based on the results of this three-step process to ensure compliance with requirement that Federal awarding agencies maintain a fair, unbiased merit review process in selecting competitively awarded grants. The Initial Qualification Screening is Step 1. In this step, each application is reviewed for overall completeness, as well as compliance with eligibility and program requirements. Applications that met these basic requirements moved forward to Step 2. Step 2 is the Technical Review. Applications are evaluated by panels of external peer reviewers with selected expertise representing various entities with programmatic knowledge. To eliminate bias, AMS assigns applications to reviewers outside of their own geographic areas and avoid project assignments associated with reviewer businesses. Each reviewer signs a conflict of interest and confidentiality agreement. Reviewers that indicate a real or perceived conflict do not review the affected application(s) and are removed. The peer review panels evaluate their assigned applications using instructions prepared by AMS officials. Individual reviewers score applications and then confer with other panel members. The scoring and discussion serve as the basis for awarding and allocating grant funds and focuses on strengths and weaknesses of each proposal. The third step is the Administrative Review (Step 3). AMS conducts a final administrative evaluation of each application in the review panels' top rankings and recommendations. In addition to the applications' scores, each award is reviewed to ensure that the recommended applications align with the grant program's statutory purpose and that the budget items were allowable and necessary. AMS also assesses the applicants' ability to account for use of funds.
Deadlines
Contact the headquarters or regional location, as appropriate for application deadlines
Approval/Disapproval Decision Time
Eligible applicants should contact the headquarters office for application deadlines. Annual application deadlines are posted in Grants.gov. More information can be found at www.ams.usda.gov/grants.
Appeals
Not applicable.
Renewals
Not applicable.
How are proposals selected?
Criteria for selecting proposals are within guidelines established for the program as described in the RFA. The most current RFA is available via Grants.gov or www.ams.usda.gov/grants.
How may assistance be used?
Proposals may deal with barriers, challenges or opportunities at any stage of the marketing chain including direct, wholesale, and retail. Proposals may involve small, medium or large scale agricultural entities but should potentially benefit multiple producers. Proprietary proposals that benefit one business or individual will not be considered. Proposals that address issues of importance at the State, regional or national level are appropriate for FSMIP. FSMIP also seeks unique proposals on a smaller scale that may serve as pilot projects or case studies useful as a model for others. Of particular interest are proposals that reflect a collaborative approach between the States, academia, the farm sector and other appropriate entities and stakeholders.
What are the requirements after being awarded this opportunity?
Reporting
Performance Reports: Annual performance and financial reports are required. A final performance and financial report are required within 120 days after the expiration date of the grant period. See www.ams.usda.gov/grants for more information.
Auditing
In accordance with the provisions of 2 CFR 200, Subpart F - Audit Requirements, nonfederal entities that expend financial assistance of $750,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Non-Federal entities that expend less than $750,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in 2 CFR ? 200.503 For each year that a State receives a grant under this section, the State shall conduct an audit of the expenditures of grant funds by the State in accordance with 2 CFR ? 200, Subpart F- Audit Requirements. This program is also subject to audit by the cognizant Federal audit agency and the USDA Office of Inspector General.
Records
Recipients must retain financial and other records relating to grant for a period of three years after the final Federal Financial Report (SF-425) is received by AMS or until final resolution of any audit findings or litigation claims relating to this program.
Other Assistance Considerations
Formula and Matching Requirements
Statutory formula is not applicable to this assistance listing.

Matching is mandatory. 100%. This program has no statutory formula. Matching Requirements: Percent: 100%. MOE requirements are not applicable to this program

MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.
Length and Time Phasing of Assistance
Funds are advanced or reimbursed. Applicants have up to 3 calendar years to use the funds. Method of awarding/releasing assistance: See www.ams.usda.gov/grants for grant agreement award terms and conditions to obtain information on how assistance is awarded/released. Funds are advanced or reimbursed. Applicants have up to 3 calendar years to use the funds. Method of awarding/releasing assistance: See www.ams.usda.gov/grants for grant agreement award terms and conditions to obtain information on how assistance is awarded/released.
Who do I contact about this opportunity?
Regional or Local Office
USDA AMS FSMIP 1400 Independence Ave SW, RM 1510-S Washington, DC 20250 SAGPgrants@usda.gov Website: https://www.ams.usda.gov/fsmip
Headquarters Office
FSMIP Grant Program Team
1400 Independence Avenue, SW - Room 1510, Mail Stop 0264
Washington, DC 20250 USA
SAGPgrants@usda.gov
Phone: 202-260-8449; 202-690-1300
Website Address
https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/grants/fsmip
Financial Information
Account Identification
12-2501-0-1-352
Obligations
(Project Grants (for specified projects)) FY 22$1,235,000.00; FY 23 est $1,235,000.00; FY 24 est $1,235,000.00; FY 21$1,235,000.00; FY 20$1,235,000.00; FY 19$1,235,000.00; FY 18$1,223,000.00; FY 17$981,682.00; FY 16$1,235,000.00; -
Range and Average of Financial Assistance
As provided for in the applicable Request for Applications.
Regulations, Guidelines and Literature
An RFA is announced each fiscal year via www.grants.gov. Additional information about this program is available at www.ams.usda.gov/grants.
Examples of Funded Projects
Fiscal Year 2018 FSMIP projects funded in Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 can be found at www.ams.usda.gov/fsmip.
Fiscal Year 2019 It is anticipated that $1 million will be available to fund applications in FY 2019. Enactment of additional Federal continuing resolutions or appropriations may affect the availability or level of funding for this program.
Fiscal Year 2020 *Fiscal Year 2018: FSMIP projects funded in Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 can be found at www.ams.usda.gov/fsmip. *Fiscal Year 2019: FSMIP projects funded in Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 can be found at www.ams.usda.gov/fsmip. *Fiscal Year 2020: FSMIP funded $1 million to applications in FY2020. FSMIP projects funded in Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 can be found at www.ams.usda.gov/fsmip.
Fiscal Year 2023 Fiscal Year 2023: It is anticipated that $1.1 million will be available to fund applications in FY 2023. Funding may be contingent on Federal appropriations actions. USDA does not guarantee minimum funding levels or a specific number of awards.

 



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