Family Support Programs Evaluation Plan Development Implementation | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1) What is the Family Support Programs Evaluation Plan Development and Implementation grant opportunity (FY 2014)?

It is a competitive, discretionary funding opportunity administered by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). The program supports projects that assess, design, and carry out evaluation plans for Department of Defense (DoD) family support programs.

2) What is the main purpose of this funding opportunity?

The purpose is to strengthen how DoD family support programs are evaluated so program leaders can better understand what is working, for whom, and under what conditions. The emphasis is on credible evaluation approaches that can measure program performance and outcomes in real-world family support settings.

3) Is this grant meant to operate or expand DoD family support services?

No. The focus of the competition is not on operating or expanding family support services themselves. The focus is on developing and/or implementing structured evaluation methods for those services.

4) What types of activities are expected to be funded?

Funded projects are expected to develop and/or implement structured evaluation approaches. These approaches should be designed to credibly measure program performance and outcomes, using methods appropriate for real-world family support environments.

5) What kind of award instrument is used for this opportunity?

Funding is provided through cooperative agreements.

6) What does it mean that awards are issued as cooperative agreements?

Cooperative agreements typically involve a more hands-on relationship with the federal funding agency than a standard grant. This often includes substantial federal involvement during the project period, such as coordination on evaluation design, reporting expectations, or alignment with broader federal evaluation needs.

7) How much total funding was estimated to be available?

The estimated total funding available for the competition was $1,350,000.

8) Is cost sharing or matching required?

No cost sharing or matching requirement is stated for applicants in the provided information.

9) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is broad and includes institutions and organizations capable of conducting research, education, extension, and evaluation work in areas connected to food and agricultural sciences, consistent with NIFA authorities under CFDA 10.200 (Grants for Agricultural Research, Special Research Grants).

10) What types of organizations are specifically listed as eligible?

The opportunity lists state agricultural experiment stations, state cooperative extension services, colleges and universities, and other research or educational institutions or organizations as eligible applicants.

11) Can non-traditional organizations apply?

The announcement indicates that "any other contractor or recipient, either foreign or domestic" may apply if the proposed work furthers USDA research, extension, or teaching programs in the relevant scientific domains. This suggests a wide range of qualified entities may be considered, as long as they can demonstrate capacity and fit with the program goals.

12) Are foreign applicants allowed?

The provided information indicates that applicants may be "either foreign or domestic" if their proposed work furthers USDA research, extension, or teaching programs in the relevant domains.

13) What is CFDA 10.200 and why does it matter here?

CFDA 10.200 refers to "Grants for Agricultural Research, Special Research Grants." The opportunity is framed under NIFA authorities connected to this listing, and eligibility is described in terms of institutions and organizations that can conduct research, education, extension, and evaluation work in areas connected to food and agricultural sciences.

14) Should applicants look for additional eligibility details beyond the basic description?

Yes. The listing references an "Additional Information on Eligibility" text field for clarification, so applicants would typically confirm finer eligibility points in the full announcement.

15) When was this FY 2014 opportunity posted and when did it close?

It was posted and created on July 30, 2014. The application closing deadline was August 20, 2014.

16) When was the opportunity archived?

The opportunity was archived on September 19, 2014.

17) What do the posted, closing, and archived dates mean for applicants today?

These dates mainly provide historical context now. They also show the original competition had a relatively short turnaround window from posting to closing.

18) What kind of support was available for accessing the full announcement online?

NIFA provided a help desk contact for technical access issues related to obtaining the full announcement online at 202-401-5048 during standard business hours (excluding federal holidays).

19) Was there a contact for questions about application content and program fit?

Yes. The announcement indicates there is a point of contact for questions related to preparing application content, suggesting programmatic guidance was available to help applicants align proposed evaluation plan development and implementation activities with federal expectations and goals.

20) What is the practical emphasis of projects under this opportunity?

The practical emphasis is on building evaluation capacity and rigor for DoD family support programs by creating and/or putting into practice structured evaluation plans that can credibly measure outcomes and performance under real-world conditions.