REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS & APPLICATION GUIDE

ADVANCING DISASTER EDUCATION IN AMERICA 

Download RFA HERE

ELIGIBILITY: Applications may be submitted by Extension professionals employed by land-grant or sea-grant universities that are members of the Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN). For committee-specific awards, at least one individual named in the proposed project must be a committee member. For the larger awards, at least one individual on any proposed project must be an EDEN delegate or Point of Contact.

 

AWARD AMOUNT: Up to nine $5,000 grants are available to all nine eligible EDEN committees, AND Four $10,000 grants AND one $15,000 grant are intended to foster cross-committee/cross-topic engagement 

 

TIMELINE:

• Application Open: April 1, 2024
• Application Deadline: 11:59 pm Pacific on Friday, May 10, 2024
• Award Notification: May 2024
• Award Period: June 1, 2024 – December 31, 2024

The purpose of the Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN) Development Grants Program (“Mini-Grants”) is to invest in the development of innovative educational resources and Extension initiatives that can advance the work of EDEN and support the broader land-grant and sea-grant systems across the nation in addressing the preparation for, response to, and recovery from hazards and disasters. Four mini-grant focus areas have been developed from EDEN’s Strategic Planning process led by the EDEN Executive Committee. This document outlines 1) The types and amounts of mini-grants available, 2) The process(es) for applying for each of those types of mini-grants, and 3) The review, award, and monitoring processes. 

FOCUS AREAS: The EDEN mini-grant process is designed to generate activities and work products that contribute directly to the success of EDEN as an organization. Proposals must address one of the following broad areas of focus: 

1. Production of publicly available EDEN resources and scholarship. Deliverables must increase the scope, variety, and number of disaster-related materials available on the website.
2. Professional Development of EDEN POCs and Delegates. Deliverables must include training, EDEN certificates, and related projects to enhance the personal and professional capacity of EDEN Delegates. 
3. Enhanced membership and participation. Deliverables must include efforts and activities to generate new institutional memberships, increase delegate numbers, and increase participation, particularly among underrepresented groups such as 1890 and 1994 institutions. 
4. Enhancement of partnerships, relationships, and networks on behalf of EDEN. Deliverables would include outreach and engagement activities intended to build new funding relationships with agencies and organizations, including, but not limited to, USDA. 

GRANT TYPES: The mini-grant program comprises cost-reimbursement, noncompetitive, and competitive grants at three different funding levels. 

1. $5,000 – Committee Project: One award of up to $5,000 will be made available to each of the nine eligible EDEN committees. The purpose of each of these noncompetitive awards will be for a committee-specific project that supports one of the four focus areas described above. These are the EDEN committees eligible to apply: 
   1. Agriculture 
   2. Natural Resources 
   3. Professional Development 
   4. Community & Economic Development 
   5. 4-H Youth Development 
   6. Exercise & Training for Disaster Resilience 
   7. Family & Consumer Sciences 
   8. Marketing & Membership 
   9. Annual Conference
2. $10,000 – EDEN Focus Area: Four competitive $10,000 grants—one per focus area outlined above. Deliverables must include activities, outcomes, impacts, and materials specific to the topic area of focus.
3. $15,000 – EDEN Cross-Committee/Cross-Focus Area Engagement: One competitive $15,000 grant intended to foster cross-committee/cross-focus area engagement. Deliverables must address cross-committee activities and EDEN-wide benefits.

 

WHERE TO APPLY

Applications should be filled out through the FADI-EDEN Application Portal provided by Extension Foundation: https://webportalapp.com/sp/eden. For additional information, questions, or clarifications, email gro.noisnetxeobfsctd-4a3eeb@ratokannerb. For a walk-through of how to set up your account in the FADI-EDEN Application Portal and how to submit your application, click here. 

If you have questions about any EDEN Development Grants Program aspect, please contact Fred Schlutt at gro.noisnetxeobfsctd-3c0428@ttulhcsderf.

 

BUDGET AND BUDGET CONSIDERATIONS

The budget should address each of the major cost categories outlined in the Federal SF-424 Research and Related Budget form (see brief outline below).  No match of institutional funds is required. NIFA Federal Assistance Policy Guide (https://nifa.usda.gov/resource/nifa-federal-assistance-policy-guide).

 

• Personnel Costs (R&R Sections A&B)
  • Compensation in the form of Salaries and Wages for the faculty, technicians, research associates and assistants, postdoctoral associates, and other technical personnel necessary to meet the project’s goals, computed as either percent effort, hourly wages, or person-months.
  • Fringe Benefits typically encompass employer contributions for social security, employee life, health, unemployment, worker’s compensation insurance, and pension plan costs related to the personnel charged to the project. Costs must be expressed as a percentage of salaries and wages in the proposal budget based on negotiated Federal rates applicable to each person or role.
• Equipment Costs: Capital equipment (R&R Section C) is defined as tangible personal property (including information technology systems) having a useful life of more than one year and an acquisition cost of $5,000 or more per unit. Total unit cost per item includes the cost of the item, sales tax, and shipping. Requests must include item description, justification of use for equipment on the project, quote to substantiate the equipment cost, and plan for equipment disposal at the end of the performance period. Agency approval must be obtained before awarded funds may be released. Equipment is considered noncapital if both cost and useful life criteria are unmet (see Other Direct Costs below).
• Travel Costs (R&R Section D): Employee transportation, lodging, and subsistence costs that directly support the project’s aims. In the budget justification, include the destination, number of people traveling, and dates or duration of each stay for all anticipated travel.
• Participant Support Costs (R&R Section E): Direct costs for items such as stipends or honoraria, subsistence allowances, travel allowances, and registration fees paid to or on behalf of participants or trainees (but not employees) in connection with conferences or training projects. NIFA considers payments to non-participants, e.g., organizers, recruiters, influencers, trainers, coaches, etc., who encourage or assist participants to be Participant Support. Payments made to defray the cost of participation, e.g., for travel and meals, are also allowed in accordance with institutional policies and documentation requirements.
• Other Direct Costs (R&R Section F):
  • Materials and Supplies: Consumables to be used in the performance of the proposed project, e.g., laboratory items and data processing supplies.
  • Non-Capital Equipment: Equipment that does not meet both capitalization criteria above. Note that such items are indistinguishable from other supplies.
  • Consultants/Independent Contractors: Consultants who provide expertise or service to a particular project consistent with their normal course of business.
  • Subawards: A contract specifically creating a Federal assistance relationship with a subrecipient to carry out part of a Federal award received by the project applicant. A subrecipient is typically assigned responsibility for programmatic decision-making, and subsequent performance is measured concerning whether assigned project objectives were met.
  • Tuition Remission: Mandatory benefit for students employed as Graduate Research Assistants/Associates (GRAs) that is separate and distinct from other employee fringe benefits.
  • Other Costs: Various items such as vendor contracts for ancillary goods and services, publication, and meeting costs. It also may include items that are normally indirect, e.g., telephone long distance and photocopy costs, that are directly related and assignable with a high degree of accuracy.
• Indirect costs (R&R Section H): Whereas Direct Costs (R&R Sections A-F) can be identified specifically with the performance of a project, Indirect (aka Facilities and Administrative) Costs are incurred for common or joint objectives and, therefore, cannot be identified readily and specifically with any project. Indirect Costs are quantified as a percentage of a predefined Direct Cost base: Total Direct Costs (TDC), Modified Total Direct Costs (MTDC), or Salaries and Wages (S&W) that may or may not include Fringe Benefits. Note that Indirect Cost rates remain unchanged for the life of the project. Applicants will be allowed a maximum of a 10% indirect cost rate in their budget.

 

REPORTING

Each project will be required to provide monthly check-in updates and submit a progress report mid-funding cycle (August, 2024) and a final programmatic report within 30 days of the end date of the award period (January 30, 2025). The report will outline the project and describe its outcomes/impact. It will be submitted through the FADI-EDEN Application Portal.

Each project will be required to submit a quarterly financial report due within 30 days of the end of the quarter and a final financial report due within 60 days of the end of the award period. 

 

AWARD REVIEW PROCESS

The EDEN Development Grants Program takes seriously the need for a sound and unbiased peer-review process for all proposals submitted.  Review panels will evaluate each award type and convene to identify funding selections.  

Proposals will be evaluated on the following criteria: 

• The proposed project’s merit and its intended impact on the Extension community.
• The proposed project’s relevance in addressing one or more of the Critical Focus Areas. 
• The soundness of the methodology being proposed.
• The project’s potential contribution to the research literature is to inform policy discussions at federal, regional, state, and/or local levels and/or to improve food assistance/nutrition-related program outreach/delivery activities. 
• The qualifications of the individual or team that will provide leadership to the research effort. 

 

APPLICATION FORM FIELDS

The application form fields are meant to provide guidance for the opportunity and the resources available to frame your proposal. Although the individual questions are listed below, with space available to craft your responses, the proposal must be submitted using the FADI-EDEN Application Portal at https://webportalapp.com/sp/eden