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Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Program Descriptions

10.217:  Higher Education Challenge Grants

Objectives:  To increase institutional capacities to respond to State, regional, national, or international educational needs by strengthening college and university teaching programs in the food and agricultural sciences.

PROGRAM AND AWARD	FINANCIAL AND INFORMATION CONTACTS
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS	FINANCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFO.
APPLICATION AND AWARD PROCESS	INFORMATION CONTACTS
RELATED PROGRAMS	ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS
PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS	POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS

10.217 ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

10.217 APPLICATION AND AWARD PROCESS:

Preapplication Coordination:  All proposals/solicitations are published in the Federal Register. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.

Application Procedure:  Formal proposals should be submitted to the Office of Extramural Programs, CSREES, as outlined in the solicitation of applications. Application procedures are contained in the program regulations and required forms are contained in the Grant Application Kit. This program is subject to the regulatory provisions of USDA, 7 CFR Part 3015, et seq., and all successor regulations.

Award Procedure:  Proposals are reviewed and evaluated by CSREES staff members with the assistance and advice of peer panels of qualified educators, administrators, industrialists, and other appropriate persons who are specialists in the fields covered by the proposals. Proposals are supported in order of merit to the extent permitted by available funds. Grant payments may be made by the electronic transfer system, advance by Treasury check, or reimbursement by Treasury check.

Deadlines:  All deadlines are announced in the Federal Register. The deadline for submission of fiscal year 2000 proposals is February 14, 2000.

Range of Approval/Disapproval Time:  From 90 to 180 days.

Appeals:  None.

Renewals:  None.

Criteria for Selecting Proposals:  Proposals are evaluated using the following criteria: Intrinsic merit, overall approach and cooperative linkages, originality, personnel, institutional commitment and resources; and overall quality of proposal.

Examples of Funded Projects:  Graduate Discovery Program for Minorities in Agriculture; Food Processing Management Computer Simulation; A Systems Approach for Internationalizing Undergraduate Agricultural Curricula; and Valuing Diversity; Faculty and Student Activities to Enhance Education.

Range and Average of Financial Assistance:  $47,936 to $152,000; $89,479.

10.217 RELATED PROGRAMS:

• 10.210 Food and Agricultural Sciences National Needs Graduate Fellowship Grants;
• 10.216 1890 Institution Capacity Building Grants.

10.217 PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

10.217 FINANCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFO:

Federal Agency:  COOPERATIVE STATE RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND EXTENSION SERVICE, (DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE )

Type of Assistance:  Project Grants.

Obligations:  (Grants) FY 99 $4,176,000; FY 00 est $4,176,000; and FY 01 est $5,760,000.

Budget Account Number:  12-1500-0-1-352.

Authorization:  National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977, Section 1417(b)(1), as amended, Public Law 95-113, 7 U.S.C. 3152.

Regulations, Guidelines, and Literature:  7 CFR Part 3015, USDA Uniform Federal Assistance Regulations (implementing the provisions of OMB Circular Nos. A-21 and A-110); 7 CFR Part 3017, Government wide Debarment and Suspension (Nonprocurement) and Government wide Requirements for Drug-Free Workplace (Grants); 7 CFR Part 3018, Restrictions on Lobbying; 7 CFR part 3019, Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and Agreements with Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals, and Other Non-Profit Organizations; 7 CFR Part 3405, Higher Education Challenge Grants, Administrative Provisions, and Grant Application Kit.

10.217 INFO CONTACTS:

Regional or Local Office:  None.

Headquarters Office:  Grant Programs Manager, Higher Education Programs, Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Room 3912, South Bldg., Washington, DC 20250-2251. Phone: (202) 720-7854. (Home Page)

(See Appendix IV for more contact info.)

10.217 ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS:

Formula and Matching Requirements:  Dollar-for-dollar matching funds from non-Federal sources is required.

Length and Time Phasing of Assistance:  Grants are awarded for a 1 to 3-year period and may receive no-cost extensions as appropriate up to a maximum of 5 years.

Uses and Use Restrictions:  Funds may be used only in targeted areas, e.g., curricula design and materials development, faculty preparation and enhancement for teaching, instruction delivery systems, scientific instrumentation for teaching, student experiential learning, and student recruitment and retention, as cited in the annual program announcement in the Federal Register.

10.217 POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS:

Reports:  Annual progress reports. Quarterly financial reports. Final progress and financial reports are due within 90 days after project expiration.

Audits:  Audits will be conducted in accordance with guidelines established in the revised OMB Circular No. A-133, "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations," and implemented in 7 CFR Part 3052.

Records:  Grantees are expected to maintain separate records for each grant to ensure that funds are expended for authorized purposes. Grant related records must be retained at least 3 years; records must be retained beyond the 3-year period if litigation is pending or audit findings have not been resolved.