Sheep Production and Marketing Grant Program

 

To develop projects that strengthen and enhance the production and marketing of sheep and sheep products in the United States, including through the improvement of infrastructure, business, resource development, and through the development of innovative approaches to solve long-term needs.

General information about this opportunity
Last Known Status
Active
Program Number
10.173
Federal Agency/Office
Agricultural Marketing Service, Department of Agriculture
Type(s) of Assistance Offered
B - Project Grants
Program Accomplishments
Fiscal Year 2019 Accomplishments can be found at www.ams.usda.gov/grants.
Authorization
Section 12102 of the Agricultural Act of 2014, Public Law 113-79, as amended by section 12102 of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, Public Law 115-343, 7 US Code 1627(a)., Title Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, Public Law 115-343, 7 U.S.C. 1627 (a)
Who is eligible to apply/benefit from this assistance?
Applicant Eligibility
National entities whose mission is consistent with strengthening and enhancing the production and marketing of sheep and sheep products in the United States.
Beneficiary Eligibility
U.S. sheep producers.
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 SS 200 and 2 CFR SS 400 applies to this program. 2 CFR SS 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 Request for Applications (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 CFDA database.
Award Procedure
AMS outlines the application requirements and merit review process in each grant program's RFA. Applicants are required to use the RFA to apply for grant funds. After the application deadline has passed, AMS begins a three-step process to evaluate each application submitted to the grant program and select applications for funding. 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, the application is reviewed to ensure that they met the RFA's basic requirements. Applications that met these basic requirements moved forward to Step 2. Step 2 is the Competitive Review. Applications are evaluated by panels of external peer reviewers. Selected reviewers have diverse 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 also 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 from those application discussions. The panels analyze each application using the RFA's evaluation criteria and instructions prepared by AMS. Individual reviewers evaluate and score their assigned applications and then confer with their team to derive a consensus review. The consensus review serves as the basis for awarding grant funds and focuses on the applications' strengths and weaknesses. 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 the use of Federal funds and monitor the performance associated with these monies. Non-competitive grant programs implemented by AMS are limited to Step 3 in the application review process.
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
Specific details are provided in the RFA.
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?
Funds must be used to support one or more of the following project types as identified in the Request for Applications. Funds must be used in accordance with the requirements of the Request for Applications and 2 CFR 200.
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 90 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. 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 requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.

MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.
Length and Time Phasing of Assistance
Funds are advanced or reimbursed. 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. Method of awarding/releasing assistance: Lump.
Who do I contact about this opportunity?
Regional or Local Office
None/Not specified.
Headquarters Office
John Miklozek
1400 Independence Ave, SW Rm 4534, Mail Stop 0234
Washington, DC 20250 US
john.miklozek@usda.gov
Phone: 2027201403
Website Address
https://www.ams.usda.gov/spmgp
Financial Information
Account Identification
12-8015-0-7-352
Obligations
(Project Grants) FY 18$2,000.00; FY 19 est $2,000,000.00; FY 20 est $0.00; FY 16 est $0.00; FY 17 Estimate Not Available -
Range and Average of Financial Assistance
Not to exceed $2,000,000.
Regulations, Guidelines and Literature
Additional information is posted at www.ams.usda.gov/grants.
Examples of Funded Projects
Fiscal Year 2018 The SPMGP funded project can be found at www.ams.usda.gov/spmgp.

 



Federal Grants Resources