Grant Funding Opportunities

ERS issues cooperative agreements and grant awards, and works with land-grant partners and others on plans of work and other administrative matters. ERS sponsors three major competitive grants and cooperative agreements programs:

• The Consumer Data and Information Program (CDIP) oversees the development of an integrated and comprehensive data and analysis framework for food and nutrition policy analyses. The program uses competitive grants to fund research on behavioral economic strategies to promote healthy eating and obesity prevention. The findings from successful proposals are expected to advance USDA’s effort to ensure a healthy, well-nourished population.
  
  Applications may be submitted electronically through the Grants.gov website, and are DUE July 3, 2008. USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) anticipates awarding up to eight individual grants. The maximum funding level per grant is $30,000 for the duration of the agreement, not to exceed 3 years. For information on the research areas of interest, application procedures, deadlines for submission, and guidance for the application process, go to the Behavioral Health Economics Research Program. For instructions on how to apply, click on the “Application” tab and scroll down to get the document, or download the instructions and application directly. You may also contact Lisa Mancino.
  
  
• The Food Assistance and Nutrition Research Program (FANRP) at ERS funds economic research on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's domestic food assistance and nutrition programs. These programs include the Food Stamp Program; the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); and child nutrition programs, such as the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. The purpose of the research is to meet the critical information needs of the Administration, Congress, program managers, policy officials, clients, the research community, and the public at large. Major research themes of FANRP are diet and nutritional outcomes, food program targeting and delivery, and program dynamics and administration.
  
  FANRP funds extramural research through grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts that are competitively awarded through a tightly run peer review process. The publication Food Assistance and Nutrition Research Program, Final Report: Fiscal 2007 Activities has descriptions of past awards. Information on Research Funding Opportunities describes opportunities to submit proposals for grants and cooperative agreements.

• The Program of Research on the Economics of Invasive Species Management (PREISM) awards grants and cooperative agreements between $50,000 and $250,000. The program is publicly announced and competitively awarded through the use of peer review panels. Information on funded extramural research and current funding opportunities may be found on the PREISM page.

PREISM funds extramural research through grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts that are competitively awarded through a tightly run peer review process. The deadline for submitting proposals for fiscal 2008 has passed.

For information about all Federal funding opportunities, visit www.Grants.gov.

ERS-Issued Significant Guidance Documents

All ERS awards are governed by the appropriate Federal and agency-specific regulations (for example, OMB Circulars and the Code of Federal Regulations). Please refer to the request for applications, the award document, or the content of the regulations for applicable regulatory information or guidance.

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) published two Federal Register Notices on Tuesday, May 11, 2004 (69 FR 26275 and 69 FR 26281). The Notices implement changes affecting the location of policy guidance for grants and other agreements.

In the first notice, OMB established a single title in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) (i.e., title 2 of the CFR) along with two subtitles (i.e., subtitles A and B). Subtitle A of title 2 is to house OMB's guidance to Federal agencies for grants and agreements. Subtitle B of title 2 will house agency regulations implementing the OMB guidance.

By way of the second notice, OMB relocates the existing OMB Circular A-110 to title 2 in the CFR, subtitle A, chapter II, subchapter B, part 215.

Contact Information

Members of the public who wish to request that the agency issue, reconsider, modify, or rescind a significant guidance document, or to complain that the agency is not following the procedures in OMB's Bulletin or is improperly treating a significant guidance document as a binding requirement, may do so by contacting Janet Perry.

See also USDA Significant Guidance Documents

Also visit www.regulations.gov to view and comment on regulations and other actions for Federal agencies.