Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA GRANTS 040212 001
Apply for USDA GRANTS 040212 001
- The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service in the agriculture sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "National Clean Plant Network Request for Applications" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.025 Plant and Animal Disease, Pest Control, and Animal Care.
- This funding opportunity was created on May 21, 2012 and posted on Apr 2, 2012.
- Applicants must submit their applications by May 25, 2012 There is an important development affecting Grants.gov beginning May 23, 2012. In order to submit an application through Grants.gov for NCPN funding you must be registered in Grants.gov, which currently includes registration in the Central Contractor Registry (CCR). The CCR will be going down on May 23, 2012 and will not return into service until the afternoon of May 29, 2012. Grants.gov will be open during the CCR down time, but any new CCR registrations must be completed before May 23. The deadline for submitting proposals to NCPN for consideration this year is May 25, 2012 (Friday) 500 pm east. So please note that anyone applying for NCPN funding via Grants.gov must have a current CCR registration before May 23. NCPN has decided that the deadline for submitting proposals to NCPN will not change and remains May 25 (Friday) by 500 pm east. IMPORTANT SUGGESTION If you run into submission problems because of the CCR system down time, as a backup process for this year (as also permitted by the NCPN RFA) you may want to consider also submitting a back up copy of your full application packet as a scanned or other formatted submission to us directly at NCPN. You may do this by several means 1) By attachment to an e mail sent to NCPN@aphis.usda.gov and copy to Erich.S.Rudyj@aphis.usda.gov 2) By Express Mail or regular post to the address as mentioned here Ms. Tammy Kolt, Administrative Support National Clean Plant Network USDA, APHIS, PPQ, Plant Health Programs (PHP) 4700 River Road Unit 60, Room 4A.03.13 Riverdale, MD 20737 Phone (301) 851 2160 In both back up cases above, the e mail submission or other mail submissions must be postmarked not later than May 25, 2012 at 500 pm eastern time..
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $4,500,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 10 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
- Land Grant Universities, Non Land Grant Colleges of Agriculture, State or Local Governments, Federal Agencies
[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal:
Opportunity Summary:
The National Clean Plant Network Request for Applications is a USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) cooperative agreement funding opportunity that continued FY 2012 support authorized by the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (the 2008 Farm Bill), Section 10202. The program focuses on protecting U.S. specialty crop industries by ensuring the availability of high-quality, asexually propagated plant material that is free from targeted pathogens and pests. In practical terms, the goal is to reduce economic losses tied to plant diseases and pests, limit environmental impacts that come with outbreaks and control measures, and help specialty crop producers remain competitive in global markets by improving the health status and reliability of planting stock.
The opportunity emphasizes building and sustaining a coordinated national system, rather than isolated projects. Priority activities include creating and supporting network governance and the administrative backbone needed to run a functioning clean plant system; funding the operational work required to rapidly and safely bring in plant material (from both domestic and foreign sources), diagnose it for targeted pathogens and pests, apply treatments or therapies when needed, establish and maintain foundation blocks, and ultimately release clean material for commercial use. Another major priority is methods development, which includes improving and validating diagnostic tests, refining therapies, and developing or supporting crop-specific guidelines and standards that underpin certification and long-term maintenance of clean status. The program also prioritizes partnerships and outreach, especially coordination with land-grant and other universities, extension programs, state departments of agriculture, commercial nurseries, industry associations, and producers, so that clean plant practices and materials are connected to real-world production needs. In addition, the program explicitly calls for audit functions and quality control systems, signaling that funded work should include measurable controls to ensure consistency, traceability, and credibility across the network.
Funding was structured as discretionary cooperative agreements (not formula grants), with an estimated total of $4,500,000 and an anticipated 10 awards. The CFDA number listed for the program is 10.025 (Plant and Animal Disease, Pest Control, and Animal Care). No cost sharing or matching requirement was indicated, meaning applicants were not required to provide matching funds as a condition of receiving an award. Applications were given priority when they were based on specialty crop-specific coordinated plans that contribute to a comprehensive, cohesive, and efficient network. That preference underscores that APHIS was looking for proposals aligned with broader network strategies and shared standards, rather than stand-alone efforts that would not integrate well with NCPN goals.
Eligible applicants included Land Grant Universities, Non Land Grant Colleges of Agriculture, State Agricultural Experiment Stations, state governments (and more broadly state or local government entities as described), and federal agencies to the extent that supporting federal clean plant centers was consistent with stakeholder needs. This eligibility scope reflects the program's intent to fund institutions that can operate or coordinate clean plant centers, conduct diagnostics and therapy work, maintain foundation plantings, and provide extension and industry-facing support.
Key administrative details included the funding opportunity number USDA GRANTS 040212 001, with a posted date of April 2, 2012, and an application deadline of May 25, 2012 at 5:00 pm Eastern. The announcement also highlighted a time-sensitive Grants.gov submission issue: because Grants.gov registration at the time depended on the Central Contractor Registry (CCR), and CCR was scheduled to be unavailable from May 23 until the afternoon of May 29, applicants needed an active CCR registration completed before May 23 to submit through Grants.gov. The deadline itself did not change. As a contingency, the program suggested submitting a backup copy of the full application packet directly to NCPN either by email attachment to NCPN@aphis.usda.gov (with a copy to Erich.S.Rudyj@aphis.usda.gov) or by mail to the NCPN administrative support contact at USDA APHIS PPQ Plant Health Programs in Riverdale, Maryland, with the backup submission postmarked no later than May 25, 2012 at 5:00 pm Eastern.
For applicants needing assistance, the notice listed an APHIS Agreements Services Center webpage as an additional information link and provided a contact for difficulty accessing the full announcement electronically: Eileen Berke, Management Analyst, at 301-851-2856. Overall, the opportunity was designed to strengthen the national infrastructure for producing, validating, and distributing clean planting stock for specialty crops, with a strong emphasis on coordinated planning, standardized methods, and quality assurance across a multi-institution network.
National Clean Plant Network (NCPN) Request for Applications (USDA APHIS) - FAQs
1) What is the National Clean Plant Network Request for Applications?
It is a USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) cooperative agreement funding opportunity to support the National Clean Plant Network (NCPN). The opportunity continued FY 2012 support authorized by the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (the 2008 Farm Bill), Section 10202.
2) What is the main purpose of this funding opportunity?
The purpose is to protect U.S. specialty crop industries by ensuring the availability of high-quality, asexually propagated plant material that is free from targeted pathogens and pests. The program aims to reduce economic losses from plant diseases and pests, limit environmental impacts associated with outbreaks and control measures, and improve the health status and reliability of planting stock so specialty crop producers can remain competitive in global markets.
3) What kinds of plant material does the program focus on?
The program focuses on asexually propagated plant material (planting stock) for specialty crops, with an emphasis on ensuring that material is free from targeted pathogens and pests.
4) Is this program intended to fund stand-alone projects or coordinated network efforts?
The opportunity emphasizes building and sustaining a coordinated national system rather than isolated projects. Applications were given priority when they were based on specialty crop-specific coordinated plans that contribute to a comprehensive, cohesive, and efficient network.
5) What are the priority activities supported by this opportunity?
Priority activities described in the announcement include:
- Creating and supporting network governance and the administrative backbone needed to operate a functional clean plant system.
- Funding operational work to rapidly and safely bring in plant material (domestic and foreign sources).
- Diagnosing plant material for targeted pathogens and pests.
- Applying treatments or therapies when needed.
- Establishing and maintaining foundation blocks.
- Releasing clean material for commercial use.
- Methods development (improving and validating diagnostic tests, refining therapies).
- Developing or supporting crop-specific guidelines and standards that underpin certification and long-term maintenance of clean status.
- Partnerships and outreach with universities, extension, state departments of agriculture, commercial nurseries, industry associations, and producers.
- Audit functions and quality control systems with measurable controls to ensure consistency, traceability, and credibility across the network.
6) What does "methods development" mean in this program?
Methods development refers to improving and validating diagnostic tests, refining therapies, and developing or supporting crop-specific guidelines and standards that support certification and the long-term maintenance of clean plant status.
7) Does the opportunity support diagnostic and therapy work?
Yes. The announcement highlights diagnosing plant material for targeted pathogens and pests and applying treatments or therapies when needed, along with refining therapies and validating diagnostic tests under methods development.
8) Does the program support foundation blocks and release of clean material?
Yes. Priority operational activities include establishing and maintaining foundation blocks and ultimately releasing clean material for commercial use.
9) Does the opportunity support bringing in plant material from outside the U.S.?
Yes. The announcement specifies operational work to rapidly and safely bring in plant material from both domestic and foreign sources, then diagnose and treat as needed before establishing foundation material and releasing clean stock.
10) What role do partnerships and outreach play in this opportunity?
Partnerships and outreach are explicitly prioritized. The opportunity emphasizes coordination with land-grant and other universities, extension programs, state departments of agriculture, commercial nurseries, industry associations, and producers so that clean plant practices and materials align with real-world production needs.
11) Are audit and quality control activities required or encouraged?
The program explicitly calls for audit functions and quality control systems. Funded work was expected to include measurable controls to ensure consistency, traceability, and credibility across the network.
12) What type of funding instrument is this?
This opportunity is a discretionary cooperative agreement funding opportunity administered by USDA APHIS.
13) Is this a formula grant?
No. The funding was structured as discretionary cooperative agreements, not formula grants.
14) How much total funding was available, and how many awards were anticipated?
The estimated total funding was $4,500,000, with an anticipated 10 awards.
15) Is cost sharing or matching required?
No cost sharing or matching requirement was indicated. Applicants were not required to provide matching funds as a condition of receiving an award.
16) What is the CFDA number for this program?
The CFDA number listed is 10.025 (Plant and Animal Disease, Pest Control, and Animal Care).
17) Who is eligible to apply?
Eligible applicants included:
- Land Grant Universities
- Non Land Grant Colleges of Agriculture
- State Agricultural Experiment Stations
- State governments (and more broadly state or local government entities as described)
- Federal agencies, to the extent that supporting federal clean plant centers was consistent with stakeholder needs
18) What types of organizations was this opportunity designed to support?
The eligibility scope reflects an intent to fund institutions that can operate or coordinate clean plant centers, conduct diagnostics and therapy work, maintain foundation plantings, and provide extension and industry-facing support.
19) What kinds of applications were prioritized?
Applications were given priority when they were based on specialty crop-specific coordinated plans that contribute to a comprehensive, cohesive, and efficient network. This preference indicates APHIS was looking for proposals aligned with broader network strategies and shared standards rather than stand-alone efforts that would not integrate with NCPN goals.
20) What is the funding opportunity number?
The funding opportunity number is USDA GRANTS 040212 001.
21) When was the opportunity posted?
The posted date was April 2, 2012.
22) What was the application deadline?
The application deadline was May 25, 2012 at 5:00 pm Eastern.
23) Was there any warning about Grants.gov submission timing?
Yes. The announcement noted that Grants.gov registration depended on the Central Contractor Registry (CCR) at the time, and CCR was scheduled to be unavailable from May 23 until the afternoon of May 29. Applicants needed an active CCR registration completed before May 23 to submit through Grants.gov, and the deadline did not change.
24) Did the application deadline change because of the CCR outage?
No. The notice stated the deadline itself did not change.
25) What backup submission option was suggested if Grants.gov submission was impacted?
As a contingency, applicants were advised to submit a backup copy of the full application packet directly to NCPN either by email attachment or by mail.
26) What email addresses were provided for submitting a backup application by email?
The notice suggested emailing the backup application as an attachment to NCPN@aphis.usda.gov with a copy to Erich.S.Rudyj@aphis.usda.gov.
27) What was the backup submission mailing option and deadline?
The notice suggested mailing a backup copy to the NCPN administrative support contact at USDA APHIS PPQ Plant Health Programs in Riverdale, Maryland. The backup submission needed to be postmarked no later than May 25, 2012 at 5:00 pm Eastern.
28) Where could applicants find additional administrative information?
The notice listed an APHIS Agreements Services Center webpage as an additional information link.
29) Who was the contact for help accessing the full announcement electronically?
Applicants with difficulty accessing the full announcement electronically were directed to contact Eileen Berke, Management Analyst, at 301-851-2856.
30) What is the overall goal of NCPN as described in this opportunity?
The overall goal is to strengthen the national infrastructure for producing, validating, and distributing clean planting stock for specialty crops, with an emphasis on coordinated planning, standardized methods, and quality assurance across a multi-institution network.
Browse more opportunities from the same category: Agriculture
Next opportunity: Great Plains Landscape Conservation Cooperative Prairie Fish Science Research Fiscal Year 2012
Previous opportunity: Initiative for Conservation in the Andean Amazon Phase II
USGrants.org Applicant Portal:
Are you interested in learning about about how to apply for this government funding opportunity? You can create a free applicant account and receive instant access to our applicant portal that many business owners like you have benefited from.
Apply for USDA GRANTS 040212 001
[Watch] how do funding administrators access proposals?
Applicants also applied for:
Applicants who have applied for this opportunity (USDA GRANTS 040212 001) also looked into and applied for these:
| Funding Opportunity |
|---|
| Smith Lever Special Needs Competitive Grants Program Apply for USDA NIFA SLBCD 003741 Funding Number: USDA NIFA SLBCD 003741 Agency: National Institute of Food and Agriculture Category: Agriculture Funding Amount: $120,000 |
| 2012 Farmers Market Promotion Prorgam Grants Apply for USDA AMS FMPP 2012 Funding Number: USDA AMS FMPP 2012 Agency: Agricultural Marketing Service Category: Agriculture Funding Amount: $100,000 |
| Common Bean Productivity Research for Global Food Security Competitive Grants Program Apply for USDA NIFA CBPR 003745 Funding Number: USDA NIFA CBPR 003745 Agency: National Institute of Food and Agriculture Category: Agriculture Funding Amount: $2,000,000 |
| 2012 Washington State NRCS Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) Announcement Apply for USDA NRCS WA 12 01 Funding Number: USDA NRCS WA 12 01 Agency: Washington State Office Category: Agriculture Funding Amount: $50,000 |
| Resilience and Economic Growth in the Arid Lands Improving Resilience (REGAL IR) in Kenya Apply for SOL 623 12 000008 Funding Number: SOL 623 12 000008 Agency: Kenya USAID Nairobi Category: Agriculture Funding Amount: $49,000,000 |
| Notice of Funds Availability Emerging Markets Program Apply for FAS OTP EMP04232012 Funding Number: FAS OTP EMP04232012 Agency: Foreign Agricultural Service Category: Agriculture Funding Amount: $10,000,000 |
| Notice of Funds Availability Foreign Market Development Program Apply for FAS OTP FMD04232012 Funding Number: FAS OTP FMD04232012 Agency: Foreign Agricultural Service Category: Agriculture Funding Amount: $34,500,000 |
| Notice of Funds Availability Market Access Program Apply for FAS OTP MAP04232012 Funding Number: FAS OTP MAP04232012 Agency: Foreign Agricultural Service Category: Agriculture Funding Amount: $200,000,000 |
| Notice of Funds Availability Quality Samples Program Apply for FAS OTP QSP04232012 Funding Number: FAS OTP QSP04232012 Agency: Foreign Agricultural Service Category: Agriculture Funding Amount: $75,000 |
| Notice of Funds Availability Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops Program Apply for FAS OTP TASC04232012 Funding Number: FAS OTP TASC04232012 Agency: Foreign Agricultural Service Category: Agriculture Funding Amount: $500,000 |
| Small Socially Disadvantaged Producer Grant Apply for RDBCP 12 01 SSDPG Funding Number: RDBCP 12 01 SSDPG Agency: Business and Cooperative Programs Category: Agriculture Funding Amount: $175,000 |
| Pacific Islands Area Conservation Innovation Grant Apply for USDA NRCS HI 12 01 Funding Number: USDA NRCS HI 12 01 Agency: Hawaii State Office Category: Agriculture Funding Amount: $75,000 |
| South Sudan Cattle Program Apply for AFPG AFUSSES 12 006 Funding Number: AFPG AFUSSES 12 006 Agency: Bureau of African Affairs Category: Agriculture Funding Amount: $2,000,000 |
| Weed Management and Restoration Apply for P12AC10551 Funding Number: P12AC10551 Agency: National Park Service Category: Agriculture Funding Amount: $52,000 |
| Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Food Safety Apply for USDA NIFA AFRI 003850 Funding Number: USDA NIFA AFRI 003850 Agency: National Institute of Food and Agriculture Category: Agriculture Funding Amount: $800,000 |
| Accelerating the Dispersal and Impact of the Predatory beetle Laricobius nigrinus against Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, Adelges tsugae in the 7 County High Country Region of Northwestern North Carolina Apply for USDA GRANTS 070312 001 Funding Number: USDA GRANTS 070312 001 Agency: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Category: Agriculture Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Chesapeake Bay Watershed Initiative Technical Assistance Apply for USDA NRCS 12 MD 003 Funding Number: USDA NRCS 12 MD 003 Agency: Maryland State Office Category: Agriculture Funding Amount: $50,000 |
| Global Hunger and Food Security Research Strategy Climate Resilience, Nutrition, and Policy Apply for RFA OAA 12 000036 Funding Number: RFA OAA 12 000036 Agency: Agency for International Development Category: Agriculture Funding Amount: $75,000,000 |
| DRAFT PD FOR SUPPORT TO VULNERABLE HOUSEHOLDS Apply for NIGERIA DRAFT PD 620 13 00001 Funding Number: NIGERIA DRAFT PD 620 13 00001 Agency: Nigeria USAID Abuja Category: Agriculture Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Feed the Future Agriculture Technology Transfer Project Apply for USAD GHANA RFA 641 13 000001 Funding Number: USAD GHANA RFA 641 13 000001 Agency: Ghana USAID Accra Category: Agriculture Funding Amount: $15,500,000 |
Grant application guides and resources
It is always free to apply for government grants. However the process may be very complex depending on the funding opportunity you are applying for. Let us help you!
Apply for Grants
Premium leads for funding administrators, grant writers, and loan issuers
Thousands of people visit our website for their funding needs every day. When a user creates a grant proposal and files for submission, we pass the information on to funding administrators, grant writers, and government loan issuers.
If you manage government grant programs, provide grant writing services, or issue personal or government loans, we can help you reach your audience.
Subscribe to Leads
Request more information:
Would you like to learn more about this funding opportunity, similar opportunities to "USDA GRANTS 040212 001", eligibility, application service, and/or application tips? Submit an inquiry below:
Don't forget to subscribe to our grant alerts mailing list to receive weekly alerts on new and updated grant funding opportunities like this one in your email.