[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 49 (Monday, March 14, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13598-13600]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-5712]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Foreign Agricultural Service
Notice of Funding Availability: Inviting Applications for
McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition
Program's Micronutrient-Fortified Food Aid Products Pilot
Announcement Type: New.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 10.608.
Summary: The Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) announces it is
inviting proposals for the McGovern-Dole International Food for
Education and Child Nutrition (McGovern-Dole) Program Micronutrient-
Fortified Food Aid Products Pilot (MFFAPP). Up to $9 million of funding
is available for the MFFAPP. Eligible applicants may submit proposals
through June 10, 2011. The MFFAPP is administered through FAS's
McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition
(McGovern-Dole) Program.
Dates: All applications must be received by 5 p.m. Eastern Standard
Time, June 10, 2011. Applications received after this date will not be
considered.
For Further Information Contact: Food Assistance Division, Office
of Capacity Building and Development, Foreign Agricultural Service,
Portals Office Building, Suite 400, 1250 Maryland Avenue, SW.,
Washington, DC 20024; by phone: (202) 720-4221; by fax: (202) 690-0251;
or by e-mail at [email protected].
Supplementary Information:
I. Funding Opportunity Description
A. Authority: The MFFAPP uses the authority of the McGovern-Dole
Program, which is authorized by the Farm Security and Rural Investment
Act of 2002, as amended.
B. Purpose: Under the MFFAPP, participants will have access to
resources to introduce and field test new or improved micronutrient-
fortified food aid products. FAS defines micronutrient-fortified food
aid products as foods used for direct feeding that are nutritionally
enhanced with vitamin or mineral additions to address the micronutrient
deficiencies of a population or group. The food aid products must be
designed to meet the energy and nutrient needs of populations served by
the McGovern-Dole Program, including school-aged children, children
under 5 years of age, pregnant and lactating mothers, and infants. The
process of micronutrient fortification must take place in the United
States and use U.S. origin products. The participant may develop a new
product or improve an existing product, either directly or by
contracting with another party. This pilot does not support field
testing for products that already exist or have been recently
developed.
Through this pilot, FAS hopes to identify new products that provide
the most improvement in nutrition for the targeted beneficiaries in the
most cost-effective manner. FAS will examine each proposal for its
appropriateness to the beneficiary population and targeted country
context, its intended impact on the nutrition of program beneficiaries,
and the expected outcomes of the pilot project.
C. Priorities: 1. FAS is seeking to maximize the cost effectiveness
of implementing this pilot. Therefore, FAS will give priority
consideration to otherwise acceptable proposals that will develop and
field test food aid products in conjunction with current or already-
approved future activities under the McGovern-Dole Program in the
following countries: Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Bolivia,
Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Chad, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Guinea-
Bissau, Haiti, Kenya, Lao PDR, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali,
Mozambique, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Pakistan, Republic of Congo,
Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Uganda.
2. FAS will also consider, but will give a lower priority to,
proposals for projects to develop and field test food aid products,
whether or not in conjunction with current or already-approved future
activities under the McGovern-Dole Program, in countries other than
those listed in Section I.C.1., provided that the project is short term
and supports sustainability efforts and the country meets the following
criteria:
[[Page 13599]]
a. Low or Lower Middle Income Country--according to World Bank data
(2008 World Bank);
b. Greater than 20 percent prevalence of stunting (World Health
Organization);
c. Adult literacy rate below 80 percent;
d. Government support for education;
e. Absence of civil conflict; and
f. FAS has a representative covering the country who can provide
the ability for oversight of program activities.
3. If an applicant for funding under the MFFAPP proposes to develop
and field test a food aid product in conjunction with the current or
approved activities of another entity under the McGovern-Dole Program,
the applicant must obtain the agreement of such entity that the
applicant may develop and field test the food aid product in
conjunction with its activities. The applicant does not have to be the
entity that is carrying or will carry out the current or approved
activities under the McGovern-Dole Program.
4. Please note that the focus of this pilot is on developing and
field testing new products and not on providing school meals on a large
scale.
II. Award Information
A. Award Size: FAS has approximately $9 million available for the
development, improvement, and field testing of micronutrient-fortified
food products. The limited funds will generally preclude FAS from
approving a project costing more than $3 million, although there is no
minimum or maximum amount set for each MFFAPP-funded project.
B. Type of Award: All awards will be made in the form of
competitive grants.
III. Eligibility Information
For eligibility requirements, see the McGovern-Dole Program
regulations (7 CFR 1599.3).
IV. Application and Submission Information
A. Application content: An applicant for funding under the MFFAPP
shall submit an application that contains the information specified in
7 CFR 1599.4, which includes a completed form SF-424, an Introductory
Statement, and a Plan of Operation. Guidance on preparing the
Introductory Statement and Plan of Operation can be found at the
following address: http://www.fas.usda.gov/excredits/FoodAid/FFE/FFE.asp. In addition, the application shall include the following:
1. Information on the micronutrient-fortified food aid products to
be introduced, including:
a. A description of the new micronutrient-fortified food aid
product to be developed and delivered, and an explanation of how the
newly developed food aid product will be field tested and evaluated; or
a description of the already existing, but improved, micronutrient-
fortified food aid product to be delivered, and an explanation of how
the food aid product will be field tested and evaluated;
b. An explanation of the need for the micronutrient-fortified food
aid product in the targeted country and information regarding the
country's current direct distribution operations, if they already
exist, including a description of any micronutrient-fortified foods
distributed and current funding resources;
c. Reasons for selecting the type of micronutrient-fortified food
aid product;
d. The intended beneficiaries' health or nutritional deficiencies
that could be alleviated by the micronutrient-fortified food product;
and
e. The impact on the targeted beneficiaries, including an
explanation of how the identified health or nutritional deficiencies
will be addressed by introducing new or improved micronutrient-
fortified food aid.
2. Information about the applicant's past activities in fortifying
food products and food aid distribution projects, if any.
3. Information about the costs and logistics that would be involved
in carrying out the applicant's proposal, including:
a. A complete description of the costs to develop, or contract to
develop, and transport the new or improved food aid product to be
introduced, and a budget proposal for funding these items; and
b. A description of the distribution process, storage, and
handling, including shelf life, of the new or improved product.
4. If the proposal is to develop and field test a food aid product
in conjunction with current or approved activities under the McGovern-
Dole Program, a written statement from the entity that is carrying or
will carry out such activities that it has agreed to work with the
applicant as outlined in its proposal.
5. Information about the level of government and community support
for maternal, child, and student health, and nutrition in the targeted
country.
6. A detailed description of the methodology, rationale, and
proposed timeline to be used to field test and evaluate the impact of
the new or improved micronutrient-fortified food aid product on the
intended beneficiaries as compared to traditional food assistance
commodities.
7. A detailed description of how the project will be evaluated and
a completed report submitted to FAS.
B. Method of Submission: The entire application package must be
submitted electronically either to FAS's online proposal entry system
located at http://www.fas.usda.gov/excredits/FoodAid/FFE/ApplyForProgram.asp, which is the preferred method, or by e-mail at
[email protected].
C. Deadline for Submission: All applications must be received by 5
p.m. Eastern Standard Time, June 10, 2011. Applications received after
this date will not be considered.
V. Proposal Review Criteria
A. Review Process: FAS will review all responsive proposals that
are submitted by the deadline. FAS will invite comments from other U.S.
governmental agencies on its award recommendations, but FAS will make
the final determination about which proposals to fund. After the
initial evaluations, FAS will undertake an additional review to ensure
that activities funded under this pilot will be conducted in multiple
geographic regions.
B. Criteria: After prioritizing the proposals using the McGovern-
Dole Program and country criteria outlined in Section I.C., FAS will
review and evaluate each proposal using the following criteria:
1. Need for the micronutrient-fortified food aid product (20
percent).
a. Is the need clearly established with statistics on food
deficiencies, malnutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and the effects
of these conditions on the intended beneficiaries?
b. Does the targeted country clearly demonstrate commitment to
reducing the prevalence of malnutrition and under-nutrition in the
country with education and other support?
2. Focus on the product to be developed or improved (30 percent).
a. To what extent would the fortified food aid product provide a
benefit by ameliorating or preventing a nutritional deficiency disease?
b. Are the costs to produce or improve the product reasonable?
c. How easy would it be to transport and use the product, and would
the shelf life be long enough?
d. Are there adequate measures in place to distribute, store, and
handle the product within the targeted country?
e. Is the product appropriate to address the nutritional needs of
the
[[Page 13600]]
beneficiaries in the context of the targeted country?
3. Organizational experience and capability (20 percent).
a. Does the proposal clearly demonstrate the organization's
capability and effectiveness in implementing previous food aid
programs, particularly ones targeting school-aged children, children
under age 5, or maternal and infant health?
b. Does the proposal provide evidence that the organization has the
knowledge, expertise, ability, and resources to successfully implement
the project, including evidence of its timeliness and quality of
reporting on past food aid activities?
c. Does the proposal demonstrate that the organization has an
experienced management team that can properly implement, monitor, and
evaluate the project?
4. Monitoring and evaluation (30 percent).
a. Are the baselines and target goals well developed, recent, and
clear?
b. Is the monitoring and evaluation criteria and process clearly
described and sufficient to provide FAS with an evaluation report that
would clearly indicate the benefit and drawbacks of the new product to
the population?
c. What are the qualifications of the evaluation team?
d. Is the organization's plan to develop and submit a final
evaluation report to FAS clear and well defined?
e. What is the quality of the project's performance measures, and
the degree to which they relate to the objectives, deliverables, and
proposed approach and activities?
VI. Award Administration Information
1. Award Notices: FAS will notify each applicant in writing of the
final disposition of its application. FAS will send a letter to each
approved applicant that will specify the amount of funding. Once the
approved applicant receives this letter, FAS will begin negotiations
with the program participant to develop a grant agreement. The
agreement will incorporate the details of the project as approved by
FAS and in accordance with the McGovern-Dole Program regulations, 7 CFR
part 1599. Approved applicants will not receive funding under the
MFFAPP until the agreement negotiation is complete and the agreement
has been signed by authorized representatives of the applicant and FAS.
2. Reporting: An organization receiving funding under the MFFAPP
will be required to provide quarterly financial reports, semi-annual
logistics and monitoring reports, and a final evaluation report, as
provided in the grant agreement. In its final evaluation report, the
organization will be required to use supporting evidence gathered
during the pilot to describe the benefits and drawbacks of the new
product to the population and to address the benefits or drawbacks of
the new or improved product as compared to traditional food assistance
commodities. Changes in the original project timelines and adjustments
within project budgets must be approved by FAS prior to their
implementation.
3. Monitoring and Evaluation: A program participant shall submit to
FAS, in the manner specified in the agreement, an annual financial
audit in accordance with 7 CFR 1599.13(d). If FAS requires an annual
financial audit with respect to a particular agreement, and FAS
provides funds for this purpose, the participant shall arrange for such
audit and submit it to FAS, in the manner specified in the agreement.
The participant shall provide to FAS additional information or reports
relating to the agreement if requested by FAS.
Signed at Washington, DC on the 24th of January 2011.
John D. Brewer,
Administrator, Foreign Agricultural Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-5712 Filed 3-11-11; 8:45 am]
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