Create a Cooperative Marketing Network In WNC | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

Create a Cooperative Marketing Network In WNC (Funding Opportunity Number USDA FS 3301 WFM 1FHC) is a discretionary grant offered by the USDA Forest Service under CFDA 10.680 (Forest Health Protection). The opportunity was designed around economic recovery goals, specifically to put unemployed and underemployed forest products workers back to work in Western North Carolina while simultaneously strengthening the region's forest products sector so businesses are better prepared to scale up efficient production when market demand returns. The project scope is broad enough to include both timber and non-timber forest products, and it anticipates hiring or supporting not only producers and woods workers but also people who can help build markets and coordination, such as marketing specialists, community organizers, and forest products advisors.

Funding is substantial but competitive, with one expected award and an estimated total funding amount of $1,974,000. Individual awards were expected to fall between a floor of $500,000 and a ceiling of $1,974,000, and notably there was no cost-sharing or matching requirement stated. A wide range of applicants were eligible, including nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status, small businesses, individuals, local governments (city/township and county), state governments, and both public/state-controlled and private institutions of higher education. The solicitation was posted on September 24, 2009, created on September 28, 2009, and had an application deadline of October 23, 2009 (with the archive date listed as November 22, 2009), indicating it was a time-limited Recovery Act-era effort focused on near-term employment and readiness-building.

The Forest Service emphasized a clear, structured proposal package with defined page limits and a strong focus on management capacity. Applicants were required to submit a cover page with contact information for the project leader and lead submitting entity, and that cover page had to include the signature of someone authorized to commit the organization to the proposed work. The main narrative was limited to no more than ten pages and needed to explain project management and the proposed approach to forest products business development. Within that narrative, proposals were expected to spell out objectives, the approach and work plan, the projected workforce to be employed or supported, key cooperators, the qualifications of the team, and a general budget. In addition, up to twenty pages of attachments could be included for supporting material such as resumes or biographical information for key personnel; descriptions of participating organizations, businesses, or other entities involved in completing the project; partner descriptions including their roles and approximate level of effort; and examples of similar recent work. One of the strongest priorities signaled in the instructions was the applicant's demonstrated ability to manage large sums of money in a way that complies with federal requirements, so concrete examples of handling significant federal or federally compliant funds were positioned as a major factor in competitiveness.

In terms of what the project could actually do, the solicitation provided a set of example approaches that reveal the intended outcomes: building local and regional demand channels, strengthening business skills, and improving coordination across the supply chain. Suggested activities included connecting local producers of forest products with local consumers, training producers in sustainable production practices and effective local marketing, and helping producers explore niche markets and diversify their operations. The Forest Service also explicitly encouraged the support and formation of marketing cooperatives, both by strengthening existing forest products marketing cooperatives and organizing new ones where there is demonstrated demand among producers or consumers. Importantly, the solicitation did not limit cooperation to formal co-ops; it also encouraged practical collaboration among practitioners, such as shared equipment or shared facilities, when a formal cooperative structure might not be necessary. Another highlighted area was improving communication across the practitioner community by arranging opportunities for better information-sharing, coordination, and relationship-building. The agency also left the door open to other approaches, as long as they clearly advanced the solicitation's goals of employment, business development, and market readiness for the forest products sector in Western North Carolina.

Administrative details in the announcement identify the Forest Service as the awarding agency and point applicants to a full Request for Grant Proposals hosted on the Southern Research Station website. For access issues, the listed point of contact was Susan Fox, Assistant Director for Research at the Southern Research Station (phone 828-257-4309).

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