Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NIFA EXCA 005335
Apply for USDA NIFA EXCA 005335
- The National Institute of Food and Agriculture in the agriculture sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cost Benefit/Effectiveness Analysis of Army Community Service (ACS)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.500 Cooperative Extension Service.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jul 28, 2015 and posted on Jul 28, 2015.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 17, 2015. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $498,597.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $498,597.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
- Applications may be submitted by State agricultural experiment stations, State cooperative extension services, all colleges and universities, other research or educational institution or organization, and any other contractor or recipient, either foreign or domestic, to further research, extension, or teaching programs in food, agriculture, natural resources and human sciences.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Cost Benefit/Effectiveness Analysis of Army Community Service (ACS) grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number USDA NIFA EXCA 005335) was a discretionary federal funding solicitation administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). It was offered as a cooperative agreement, meaning the agency anticipated an active partnership role with the selected recipient rather than a hands-off pass-through award. Although the listing sits under NIFA's broader activity category of Agriculture and is tied to CFDA 10.500 (Cooperative Extension Service), the substance of the project focus is human services and military family readiness: evaluating the value and outcomes of the Army Community Service program.
The purpose of the opportunity was to support a rigorous cost benefit and/or cost effectiveness analysis of ACS. ACS is described as providing a balanced suite of services to Soldiers, Army Civilians, and their Families across all Army components. The services are positioned as both compliance-driven (meeting statutory and regulatory requirements) and mission-driven, with stated goals that include promoting self-reliance, delivering prevention-focused services, and providing life skills education and training. In practical terms, the analysis sought by this opportunity would be intended to connect ACS activities to measurable impacts such as Soldier retention, readiness, morale, and overall Family preparedness, and then relate those impacts to the costs of delivering ACS services. A project under this solicitation would likely be expected to quantify program costs, identify relevant outcomes, and translate outcomes into comparable metrics so decision makers can judge whether ACS delivers value for money and which elements appear most effective relative to their cost.
The opportunity had an estimated total funding amount of $498,597, with an award ceiling equal to $498,597, suggesting a single award at or near that level. There was no cost sharing or matching requirement, which reduced barriers for applicants and allowed organizations to propose the full project cost within the federal funding amount. The posting and creation date were July 28, 2015, with an original and final closing date of August 17, 2015, and the opportunity was archived on September 16, 2015. These dates indicate a relatively short application window, typical of some targeted evaluation or analysis needs where an agency is seeking a specific capability on a defined timeline.
Eligibility was broad and included State agricultural experiment stations, State cooperative extension services, colleges and universities, and other research or educational institutions or organizations, as well as other contractors or recipients, domestic or foreign, as long as the work advanced research, extension, or teaching programs in food, agriculture, natural resources, and human sciences. Even though the ACS subject matter is not a traditional agriculture topic, it aligns with NIFA's human sciences and extension-related capacity, especially where family support, education, and community-based programming are involved. The "Others (see text field...)" eligibility tag signals that a wide range of institutions with evaluation, economics, public policy, or human services research capacity could be appropriate applicants, provided they could credibly conduct the required analysis.
From an applicant perspective, the key deliverable implied by the title and description is a defensible analytical assessment that helps the Army and stakeholders understand the economic and practical payoff of ACS. A cost benefit approach would aim to monetize benefits where possible (for example, reduced turnover costs associated with improved retention, avoided costs from prevention programs, or productivity/readiness impacts), while a cost effectiveness approach would compare costs to non-monetized outcomes (for example, cost per participant served, cost per improved readiness indicator, or cost per successful training completion) when benefits cannot be reliably converted to dollars. Because ACS serves Soldiers, civilians, and families, an evaluation might also need to consider different beneficiary groups, different service lines, and variation across Army components and locations.
The contact information provided points to the NIFA Help Desk (202-401-5048) for technical difficulties accessing the full announcement, with business hours listed as Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time, excluding federal holidays. The announcement also notes that additional questions related to preparing application content could be directed appropriately, implying that the full notice would have included programmatic points of contact and more specific application instructions, required formats, and evaluation criteria.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the "Cost Benefit/Effectiveness Analysis of Army Community Service (ACS)" funding opportunity?
It is a discretionary federal funding solicitation administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). The opportunity is identified as Funding Opportunity Number USDA NIFA EXCA 005335 and focuses on supporting a rigorous cost benefit and/or cost effectiveness analysis of the Army Community Service (ACS) program.
Which federal agency administered this opportunity?
The opportunity was administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), specifically through NIFA (National Institute of Food and Agriculture).
What type of award was expected (grant vs. cooperative agreement)?
The opportunity was offered as a cooperative agreement. This indicates the agency anticipated an active partnership role with the selected recipient rather than a hands-off, pass-through style award.
What is the main purpose of the project to be funded?
The purpose was to support a rigorous analysis of ACS that connects ACS activities to measurable outcomes and compares those outcomes to the costs of delivering ACS services. The intent is to help decision makers judge whether ACS provides value for money and identify which elements appear most effective relative to their cost.
What program is being evaluated under this solicitation?
The project focus is on evaluating Army Community Service (ACS), which is described as providing a balanced suite of services to Soldiers, Army Civilians, and their Families across all Army components.
What kinds of services does ACS provide (as described in the opportunity)?
ACS services are characterized as both compliance-driven (meeting statutory and regulatory requirements) and mission-driven. The stated goals include promoting self-reliance, delivering prevention-focused services, and providing life skills education and training.
What is meant by "cost benefit analysis" in this context?
A cost benefit approach would aim to monetize benefits where possible and compare them to program costs. Examples mentioned or implied include monetizing reduced turnover costs associated with improved retention, avoided costs from prevention programs, or productivity/readiness impacts.
What is meant by "cost effectiveness analysis" in this context?
A cost effectiveness approach would compare program costs to outcomes that may not be reliably converted into dollars. Examples mentioned or implied include cost per participant served, cost per improved readiness indicator, or cost per successful training completion.
What types of outcomes was the analysis expected to connect to ACS activities?
The opportunity indicates the analysis would be intended to connect ACS to measurable impacts such as Soldier retention, readiness, morale, and overall Family preparedness, and then relate those impacts to the costs of delivering ACS services.
What deliverable was implied by the opportunity description?
The key implied deliverable is a defensible analytical assessment of ACS value and outcomes, including quantification of program costs, identification of relevant outcomes, and translation of outcomes into comparable metrics to support decision making.
How much funding was available under this opportunity?
The estimated total funding amount was $498,597.
What was the maximum award amount (award ceiling)?
The award ceiling was $498,597, which suggests a single award at or near that level.
Was cost sharing or matching required?
No. The opportunity stated there was no cost sharing or matching requirement.
When was the opportunity posted?
The posting and creation date was July 28, 2015.
What was the application deadline?
The original and final closing date was August 17, 2015.
When was the opportunity archived?
The opportunity was archived on September 16, 2015.
How long was the application window?
Based on the dates provided (July 28, 2015 to August 17, 2015), the application window was relatively short, which is consistent with targeted evaluation or analysis needs on a defined timeline.
What CFDA number was associated with this opportunity?
The opportunity is tied to CFDA 10.500 (Cooperative Extension Service).
Why is this opportunity listed under an agriculture-related category if the topic is ACS and military family readiness?
The listing sits under NIFA's broader activity category of Agriculture and is tied to Cooperative Extension (CFDA 10.500), but the substance is described as human services and military family readiness. The alignment is described as fitting within NIFA's human sciences and extension-related capacity, particularly where family support, education, and community-based programming are involved.
Who was eligible to apply?
Eligibility was broad and included State agricultural experiment stations, State cooperative extension services, colleges and universities, and other research or educational institutions or organizations. It also included other contractors or recipients, domestic or foreign, as long as the work advanced research, extension, or teaching programs in food, agriculture, natural resources, and human sciences.
Does the opportunity allow foreign applicants?
Yes. The eligibility description indicates applicants could be domestic or foreign, provided the work advanced the relevant research, extension, or teaching programs described in the opportunity.
What does the "Others (see text field...)" eligibility tag imply?
It signals that a wide range of institutions with relevant capacity (for example, evaluation, economics, public policy, or human services research capability) could be appropriate applicants, as long as they could credibly conduct the required cost benefit and/or cost effectiveness analysis.
What kinds of analytical elements would a project likely need to cover?
Based on the description, a project would likely need to (1) quantify the costs of delivering ACS services, (2) identify outcomes tied to ACS activities, and (3) translate those outcomes into comparable metrics so that value and relative effectiveness can be assessed.
Would the analysis need to consider different populations served by ACS?
Yes. The opportunity notes ACS serves Soldiers, Army Civilians, and their Families, and implies the evaluation might need to consider different beneficiary groups.
Would the analysis need to consider variation in services or locations?
Possibly. The description suggests an evaluation might need to consider different service lines and variation across Army components and locations.
Who was listed as the contact for technical difficulties accessing the full announcement?
The NIFA Help Desk was listed for technical difficulties accessing the full announcement.
What is the NIFA Help Desk phone number provided?
The phone number provided was 202-401-5048.
What were the NIFA Help Desk business hours?
The listed hours were Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time, excluding federal holidays.
Where should applicants direct questions about preparing application content?
The announcement notes that additional questions related to preparing application content could be directed appropriately, implying the full notice would have included programmatic points of contact and more detailed instructions.
Did the summary include specific formatting requirements, evaluation criteria, or required application components?
No. The information provided indicates that those details would likely have been included in the full notice (such as required formats, specific instructions, and evaluation criteria), but they are not included in the summary here.
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