SRMEC 2018 Grant Applicant Training SRMEC Grant Applicant Trainin… · • Upload the following as...

SRMEC 2018 Grant

Applicant Training

Extension Risk Management Education

(ERME) Program

Ronald Rainey

Director

Southern Risk Management Education Center

University of Arkansas

Website: http://srmec.uaex.edu/

Email: srmec@uaex.edu

http://extensionrme.org

http://srmec.uaex.edu

SRMEC RFA• RFA Released: SRMEC RFA was released on

Monday, Sept. 17th.

• Proposals due Nov. 15th, 2018 5:00 p.m. CST

– Educational Project (18-month project),

maximum award $50,000. Traditional educational

outreach project that educates producers in

managing risks.

– Exploratory project, capped at $5,000: This

category supports small exploratory project awards

for up to $5,000 for planning, development, or

piloting efforts.

• Performance Period: April 1, 2019 – Sept.

30, 2020.

Extension Risk Management

Education Areas

•Production

•Marketing

•Financial

•Legal

•Human

ERME Funded Project

Focus: 2002-17

Since 2002, ERME has funded over 9oo projects with at least one project being

funded in every state/territory of U.S.

Extension Risk Management

Education Goals

• ERME’s five risk areas give farmers and

ranchers a process to seek technical

assistance, identify resources and make

informed decisions.

• ERME Aspirational Goals: Enhance

farm and ranch operations and

profitability by successfully managing

agricultural risks.

ERME Aspirational Goals

• PRODUCTION: Enhance understanding of

yield variability, insurance products,

technology, diversification and management

systems to control costs and improve farm or

ranch income.

• MARKETING: Improve producer

understanding and use of commodity price risk

management, product (niche) marketing

strategies, differentiated (branding) marketing

focus and relationship marketing to enhance

farm or ranch viability.

ERME Aspirational Goals

• FINANCE: Grow farmer and rancher capacity

to address strategic business planning,

production cost management, recordkeeping

analysis, asset management and financial

planning to enhance cash flow, profitability and

financial performance.

• LEGAL: Cultivate farmer and rancher ability to

address business organization, contracts,

regulatory policies and liability issues to

manage businesses’ legal risk exposure.

ERME Aspirational Goals

• HUMAN: Develop farmer and rancher

understanding of employee recruitment,

retention and management; internal and

external business communication; business

transition and farm safety systems to improve

business and worker success.

SRMEC Regional Priorities1. Develop and deliver programs and decision tools to help

producers evaluate and implement a transition to new

enterprises or production systems, including enterprise

budgets to evaluate niche markets for specialty crops or

livestock.

2. Teach producers to develop and implement marketing

strategies using appropriate tools such as futures and

options, crop insurance, contracts, direct marketing,

social media, etc.

3. Train producers to understand and implement Food

Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) compliance & Good

Agricultural Practices (GAP) certification for small and/or

family farms.

SRMEC Regional Priorities

4. Develop and deliver programs to help producers

attract, train, and retain employees.

5. Aid producers in avoiding, diagnosing, and

managing financial stress, including financial

stress testing, maintaining access to capital, and

accessing personal & family counseling services.

6. Create programs and tools to aid producers in

water management decisions related to

legislation and regulatory policy, water quality

and quantity, and changing weather patterns.

SRMEC Regional Priorities7. Educate producers to implement effective, safe,

legal, and sustainable use of integrated pest

(insect, disease, weeds) management systems.

8. Assist producers in managing legal risk including

contracts, leasing, labor, liability, and direct

marketing regulatory compliance.

9. Create programs targeting underserved

producers with education and information on the

full scope of USDA agricultural programs as well

as public and private sources of capital and

agricultural technology.

SRMEC Priorities • Listing of these regional priorities does not

reflect a ranking, ALL areas are equally important.

• Projects should focus on a single Aspirational Goal and align project activities that result in producer impacts.

• Projects with clear evaluation plans (qualitative & quantitative) that capture higher level producer impacts (i.e. implement versus understand across the ERME spectrum of producer actions) are ranked relatively higher.

Proposed Results &

Producer Actions

▪ Five levels of producer actions in order of

increasing producer engagement:

1. Understand

2. Analyze

3. Develop

4. Decide

5. Implement

……..KnowledgeShort Term

……….ActionsIntermediate

……….ConditionsLong Term

Focused on Results/Outcomes

• The results based process, including the grant

selection, reporting, and management system,

– increases the probability that the programs we

fund will improve the risk management skills

of the farmers and ranchers who participate,

– is designed to improve the capacity and

quality of the programs we fund,

– increases the opportunities to improve the

economic viability of the farm and ranch

family participants.

Return on Investment

• If the “Return on Investment” of grant dollars

awarded are the risk management

improvements that producers will make…

• Then measuring producer results/outcomes

becomes an integral component of program

planning and design, not an afterthought!

Evaluation Best Practices

• Focus on producer results & outcomes.

• Measure & verify producer results throughout

the life of project (type and timing of

evaluation(s).

• Commit to helping producers reach their risk

management goals (clearly aligned project

activities).

• Document the reported results & outcomes;

capture success stories and quotes.

Ability to Measure

Results/Outcomes• Improve effectiveness by looking at your project

from start to finish in terms of results or outcomes for participants.

• Demonstrate participant achievement of risk management tools and strategies for viewing in a public reporting system (Final reports available on the ExtensionRME.org site and in the Ag Risk Education Library)

• Move the bar higher for the effectiveness (longer term impacts) of risk management education

Extension Risk

Management Education

Mission: Educating America’s farmers

and ranchers to manage the unique

risks of producing food for the world’s

table.• “Investing in Producer Results!”

• “Empower Producers to Manage Risk!”

(Southern)

Success Stories

SRMEC Grant Applicant Training

Budget and Budget Narrative Guidelines

for 2019 RFA

Erica Barnes Fields, MBA

Project Manager

Southern Risk Management Education Center

University of Arkansas

Website: http://srmec.uaex.edu

Email: efields@uaex.edu

Overview of Budget Line Items

• Salaries

• Fringe Benefits

• Travel

• Other Direct Costs

• Indirect Costs

• Unallowable Costs

Budget Section A&B

Salaries• Base Salary (all senior/key/other)

– Number of Work Months Paid from Grant

– Calendar or academic/summer year

• Rate of Pay (Executive Level IV)- maximum pay is

$77.84/hour or $161,900/year

– This rate does not include any fringe benefits,

general & administrative or overhead expenses.

– Only persons employed by the recipient

organization should be listed

in this category.

Salaries: Administrative Staff• The salaries of administrative and clerical staff should

normally be treated as indirect (F&A) costs.

• Direct charging of administrative and clerical staff may be

appropriate only if all of the following conditions are met:

1) Administrative or clerical services are integral to a

project or activity;

2) Individuals involved can be specifically identified

3) These costs are explicitly included in the budget or

have the prior written approval of SRMEC;

4) The costs are not recovered as indirect

costs.

Salaries: Student Workers

• Students can be paid an hourly wage

• Students can not be paid for an assistantship

• This grant can not be used to pay a student’s tuition.

Salaries: Fringe Benefits

• Include the total of allowable fringe benefits

Budget Section C: Equipment

Equipment

• The purchase of equipment is not allowed

under the program.

• Equipment is defined as:

• equal to or in excess of $5,000

• having a useful life of more than one year

Budget Section D: Travel

Travel• Provide the following information when you estimate travel

cost:

– Destination

– Purpose

– Number of Travelers

– Estimated Cost Per Trip

Travel, cont.

• Use the GSA Domestic Per Diem Rate Schedule

https://www.gsa.gov/travel/plan-book/per-diem-rates

– Travel and subsistence should be in accordance with

organizational policy.

– Allowances for airfare should not exceed round trip

jet economy air accommodations.

Budget Section E:

Participant/Trainee Support Costs

Budget Section F: Other Direct Costs

(ODC)

ODC: Materials and Supplies

• List the estimated costs of the materials and

supplies

• Materials and Supplies includes:

• Printing of program materials

• Software

• Educational Supplies

• Field Supplies

• Office Supplies

ODC: Publication Costs

• Not Allowed under this program

• Publication Costs includes:

• Costs related to the publishing of articles in

scientific or technical journals

ODC: ConsultantsA CONSULTANT IS SOMEONE WHO RENDERS EXPERT ADVICE

IN HIS/HER FIELD.

• The budget narrative should include the following:

- Consultant’s name

- His/her organization

- A breakdown of the amount being charged to the project

e.g., number of days of service, rate of pay per hour, travel, per diem, etc.).

• Upload the following as part of the application in PDF format:

-Signed Letter of Commitment that also outlines

their Scope of Work, rate of pay, # of hours to

be paid, travel, etc.;

- An abbreviated resume or vita no more than

2 pages in length

ODC: Computer (ADP) Services

• Computer Services are not allowed under the program

• Charges for Internet access are permitted in this category.

ODC:

Sub-Awards/Consortium/Contractual Costs

• Sub-awards are allowed

• Sub-awards should not exceed 49 percent of

the total funds awarded.

ODC:

Sub-Awards/Consortium/Contractual Costs, Cont.

• When a portion of the work proposed will be performed by

outside sources, include the following in the budget

narrative:

– List the total amount of requested funding

• Also provide the following documentation to be uploaded as

part of the application:

– A signed letter of commitment

– A clear Scope of Work outlining their portion of the work

to be completed;

– Separate Budget for their portion of the funding; and

– A detailed Budget Narrative supporting their portion of

the budget.

Other Direct Costs, cont.

– Rental of equipment for the meeting

– Rental of facilities

– Speakers/trainers fees

– Honorariums fees

ODC: Equipment Rental

• For Equipment Rental provide the following

in the budget narrative:

– Information regarding the type of equipment to be

rented;

– The purpose related to the project;

– The length of time needed; and,

– The rental rate

ODC: Facility Rentals

• For Facility Rental costs, provide the following in

the budget narrative:

– Normal monthly rental charge and

– How the rent is pro-rated for the project.

Other Direct Costs

• Communications (mailings, postage, faxes,

telephone)

• Photocopying of materials associated with the

program

• Service/Maintenance Contracts

– Provide details and amount for the service contract

Other Direct Costs, cont.• Conference/Meetings

– Details of costs for each conference or meeting should be broken

out and provided in the budget narrative.

• Speaker/Trainer Fees

– Include the fee and a description of the services they are

providing

• Honorariums Fees

– Provide information regarding the honorarium amount (rate of

pay)

– A brief statement regarding what the person is doing to earn the

honorarium.

Budget Section H:

Indirect costs• Indirect costs may not exceed the lesser of the

institution’s official federally negotiated

indirect cost rate or 30% of the total Federal

funds awarded.

• If the organization does not have a federally

negotiated rate, an F&A rate of 10%

Modified Total Direct Cost (MTDC)

will be allowed.

Cost Sharing/Matching

• This program does not allow cost share or

matching funds.

Unallowable Costs• Alcohol

• Entertainment Costs

• Promotional Items/Giveaways

• Incentives given to entice participation in program

• Rent for grantee owned facilities

• Award Ceremonies

• Receptions

• Proposal Writing Costs

• Meals generally unallowed

Required Documents

• A completed and signed ERME Cover sheet

(SF424)

• ERME Budget Form with Budget Narrative

• Letters of commitment from:

– project collaborators

– consultants and

– sub awards

https://srmec.uaex.edu/Funding/default.aspx

How to Apply

http://extensionrme.org/verification/media.htm

ERME Applicant Resources

https://rvs.umn.edu/Home.aspx

Dates to Remember

• Applications must be submitted by

November 15, 2018 by 5:00:59 pm (CST)

• Successful and unsuccessful applicants will be

notified by February 15, 2019.

• Successful applicants, with finalized sub award

agreements, will begin working on their project by

April 1, 2019

Contact Information

Erica B. Fields, MBA

SRMEC Project Manager

(501) 671-2146

efields@uaex.edu

https://srmec.uaex.edu/