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<title>Fiscal Year 2017 Capacity Funds Request for Applications Update</title>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">Forwarding on behalf of
</span></i><i><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">Sangita Pawar:<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">View this announcement on the
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NIFA website</a>. <br>
<br>
June 14, 2016</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Fiscal Year 2017 Capacity Funds Request for Applications Update</span></b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Based in part on stakeholder feedback, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) examined its processes to look for better ways to serve its community. As a result, NIFA has been and is releasing request
for applications (RFA) for most of the <a href="http://links.govdelivery.com:80/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTYwNjE0LjYwMjY0MjkxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDE2MDYxNC42MDI2NDI5MSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE3NzE2MjI3JmVtYWlsaWQ9c2FuZ2l0YUBlbWFpbC5hcml6b25hLmVkdSZ1c2VyaWQ9c2FuZ2l0YUBlbWFpbC5hcml6b25hLmVkdSZmbD0mZXh0cmE9TXVsdGl2YXJpYXRlSWQ9JiYm&&&103&&&https://nifa.usda.gov/program/capacity-grants?utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_name=&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term=">
Fiscal Year 2017 capacity funding programs</a> during late June through mid-July 2016. This will allow NIFA to move funds as soon as they are made available to the agency. Most of the applications for these recently released RFAs will be due during August through
September 2016, approximately 30-60 days after NIFA’s release of the RFA. Please refer to the specific RFA for the exact deadline.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">While NIFA awaits the passage of the FY 2017 budget, NIFA will fund capacity grants at a slightly reduced FY 2016 level. The pending budget affects the availability and/or level of funding for some or all of these
programs. Once appropriations for the year are finalized, adjustments will be made to the FY 2017 allocations articulated in the capacity RFAs based on the full year amount of funds available for each program. </span><br>
<br>
<span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">A couple of new changes in the RFAs include: </span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Felony Convictions or Tax Delinquent Status -- See Part V, Section 4.12. of the NIFA Grants.gov Application Guide for instructions regarding mandatory Felony Convictions or Tax Delinquent Status. For capacity programs,
this mandatory information must be included in the Attachment Form. </span><o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo3">
<span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">All 425 financial reports for the awards (not the project financial reports that are submitted in REEport), whether annual or final, will be due Dec. 31 each year. Most programs already have this requirement, but
it was decided that all programs will follow this practice. This will take effect for the FY 2017 awards and everyone will notice a reminder around the September 30, 2017 time frame. Use the ezFedGrants portal to complete 425 reports for FY 2017 capacity
awards instead of emailing them to the NIFA Awards Management Branch, as is the current practice. Detailed instructions on submitting 425s in the ezFedGrants portal will be provided to capacity award recipients as they become available. </span><o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo3">
<span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">ezFedGrants -- NIFA will publish RFAs and applicants will apply as we have been doing all along – NIFA will post directly into Grants.gov, send the information to applicants, and they will apply.</span><o:p></o:p>
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<span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">What will be different is how NIFA pulls the applications and processes the awards. NIFA will pull the applications after we go live with ezFedGrants, pulling directly into the new ezFedGrants system. The current
expectation is that we will go live in late August/September. NIFA will be prepared to allocate FY 2017 funds in ezFedGrants come the beginning of the FY 2017. </span><o:p></o:p></li></ul>
</li></ul>
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<span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Matching Funds -- If matching funds are required as specified under Part III, B. Cost-Sharing or Matching, the matching is an eligibility criteria and you must include the non-federal source documentation with the
application. We will consider this documentation when ascertaining final matching requirements or in determining if required matching can be waived. NIFA retains the right to make final determinations regarding matching requirements.</span><o:p></o:p>
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<span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">The matching documentation must include the non-federal sources (specify whether the source is third party, cash, in-kind, state or non-state, county or non-tax and the amount for each source) and amount of all matching
support including matching from outside the applicant institution and place that information in PDF format (see Part III, Section 3. of the guide for attachment requirements) and include as a separate attachment to the Attachment Form. </span><o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l5 level2 lfo6">
<span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Establish the value of applicant contributions in accordance with applicable cost principles. Refer to 2 CFR Part 200, “Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards,”
for further guidance and other requirements relating to matching and allowable costs.</span><o:p></o:p></li></ul>
</li></ul>
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<span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">FY 16 Appropriations Act Funding under Grants and Cooperative Agreements with Entities Requiring Certain Internal Confidentiality Agreements -- Public Law 114-113 prevents the Federal Government from making grants
or cooperative agreements to entities requiring employees or contractors to sign nondisclosure agreements or statements prohibiting them from reporting waste, fraud or abuse to an investigative or law enforcement representative of the Federal Government. Information
related to the questions on this and other assurances on the SF 424 R&R Cover Sheet form is dealt with in detail in Part V, 2. of the NIFA Grants.gov Application Guide. See Section 2.18 of the NIFA Application Guide which provides that the applicant’s electronic
signature on the SF-424 affirms its agreement with Federal representations and assurances (e.g., Prohibition against FY 2016 Appropriations Act Funding under Grants and Cooperative Agreements with Entities Requiring Certain Internal Confidentiality Agreements).</span><o:p></o:p></li></ul>
<p><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">For questions, contact: Brenda Barnett, Branch Chief, Capacity Branch, via
<a href="mailto:Formulagrantquestions@nifa.usda.gov" target="_blank">Formulagrantquestions@nifa.usda.gov</a>. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
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