Established in 1862, the Department of Agriculture serves all Americans through anti-hunger efforts, stewardship of nearly 200 million acres of national forest and rangelands, and through product safety and conservation efforts. The USDA opens markets for American farmers and ranchers and provides food for needy people around the world.
The funds derived from the interest on the Endowment Fund will be used to support grants for teaching programs in the food and agricultural sciences.
Uses and Use Restrictions
Public Law 103-382 established an endowment fund corpus, the interest of which was to be used to benefit the 1994 Land-Grant Institutions.
Funds may be used to support teaching programs in the food and agricultural sciences in the targeted need areas of: (1) Curricula design and instructional materials development; (2) faculty development and preparation for teaching; (3) instruction delivery systems; (4) student experiential learning; (5) equipment and instrumentation for teaching; and, (6) student recruitment and retention.
Eligibility Requirements
Applicant Eligibility
Bay Mills Community College, Black feet Community College, Cankdeska Cikana Community College, Cheyenne River Community College, Dine Community College, D-Q University, Dull knife Memorial College, Fond Du Lac Community College, Fort Belknap Community College, Fort Berthold Community College, Fort Peck Community College, LacCourte Orielles Ojibwa Community College, Little Big Horn Community College, Nebraska Indian Community College, Northwest Indian College, Oglala Lakota College, Salish Kootenai College, Sinte Gleska University, Sisseton Wahpeton Community College, Sitting Bull College, Stone child Community College, Turtle Mountain Community College, United Tribes Technical College, Southwest Indian Polytechnic Institute, Institute of American Indian Arts, Crown point Institute of Technology, Haskell Indian Nations University, Leech Lake Tribal College, College of the Menominee Nation; and Little Priest College.
Beneficiary Eligibility
The 1994 Institutions--Bay Mills Community College, Black feet Community College, Cankdeska Cikana Community College, Cheyenne River Community College, Dine Community College, D-Q University, Dull knife Memorial College, Fond Du Lac Community College, Fort Belknap Community College, Fort Berthold Community College, Fort Peck Community College, LacCourte Orielles Ojibwa Community College, Little Big Horn Community College, Nebraska Indian Community College, Northwest Indian College, Oglala Lakota College, Salish Kootenai College, Sinte Gleska University, Sisseton Wahpeton Community College, Sitting Bull College, Stone child Community College, Turtle Mountain Community College, United Tribes Technical College, Southwest Indian Polytechnic Institute, Institute of American Indian Arts, Crown point Institute of Technology, Haskell Indian Nations University, Leech Lake Tribal College, and College of the Menominee Nation; and Little Priest College.
Credentials/Documentation
Guidelines include: 7 CFR Part 1, Subpart A; 7 CFR Part 3; 7 CFR Part 15, Subpart A; 7 CFR Part 3015; 7 CFR Part 3017; 7 CFR Part 3018; 7 CFR Part 3019; 7 CFR Part 3052; 29 U.S.C. 794, Section 504 and 7 CFR Part 15b; 35 U.S.C. 200 et seq., and 37 CFR Part 401.
Aplication and Award Process
Preapplication Coordination
None.
This program is excluded from coverage under E.O.
12372.
Application Procedures
None.
Award Procedures
The Indian student count for the 1994 institutions (as defined in Section 390(3) of the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act) will be furnished to the agency by the American Indian Higher Education Consortium. Using the formula specified, grant payments will be made through the office of Extramural Programs to each of the institutions by the electronic transfer system or by Treasury check.
Deadlines
The information for the Indian student count is to be received by August 1. Interest will be disbursed within 45 days from termination of the fiscal year and notification of availability of interest funds.
Authorization
Equity in Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 1994, Public Law 103-382, 7 U.SC. 301 note, as amended; Public Law 105-185.
Range of Approval/Disapproval Time
None.
Appeals
None.
Renewals
None.
Assistance Considerations
Formula and Matching Requirements
The interest from the Endowment Fund Corpus will be distributed, after adjustment for administrative cost, as follows: (1) Sixty percent distributed on a pro rata basis based upon the Indian student count for each institution for the prior fiscal year; and, (2) Forty percent distributed in equal shares to the 1994 Institutions. There are no matching requirements.
Length and Time Phasing of Assistance
The grant will be awarded for a 12-month period of assistance.
Post Assistance Requirements
Reports
Annual technical and financial report will be due by December 31 of the year following that in which funds were received.
Audits
In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133 (Revised, June 27, 2003), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Nonprofit Organizations," nonfederal entities that expend financial assistance of $500,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $500,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in Circular No. A-133.
Records
Grantees are expected to maintain records three years beyond the life of the grant or longer if there are any pending litigation or unresolved audit findings. Separate records for each grant must be maintained. Records are subject to inspection during the life of the grant and for three years thereafter.
Financial Information
Account Identification
12-1500-0-1-352.
Obigations
(Grants) FY 07 $3,119,628; FY 08 est $3,264,000; and FY 09 est not reported.
Range and Average of Financial Assistance
$7,932 to $40,191. Average: $14,943.
Regulations, Guidelines, and Literature
7 CFR 301 note; 7 CFR Part 1.1, USDA implementation of Freedom of Information Act; 7 CFR Part 3, USDA implementation of OMB Circular No. A-129 regarding debt collection; 7 CFR Part 15, Subpart A, USDA implementation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended; 7 CFR Part 3015, USDA Uniform Federal Assistance Regulations; 7 CFR Part 3017, Government-wide Debarment and Suspension (Nonprocurement) and Government-wide Requirements for Drug-Free Workplace (Grants); 7 CFR Part 3018, Restrictions on Lobbying; 7 CFR Part 3019, USDA implementation of OMB Circular No. A-110, Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and Agreements with Institutions of Higher Education, Hospital, and Other Nonprofit Organizations; 7 CFR Part 3407, Agency Procedures to Implement the National Environmental Policy Act; 7 CFR Part 3052, Audits of States, Local Governments, and Nonprofit Organizations; 29 U.S.C. 794, Section 504, Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and 7 CFR Part 15b (USDA implementation of statute), prohibiting discrimination based upon physical or mental handicap in Federally assisted programs; and 35 U.S.C. 200 et seq., Bayh-Dole Act, controlling allocation of rights to inventions made by employees of small business firms and domestic nonprofit organizations, including universities, in Federally assisted programs (implementing regulations are contained in 37 CFR Part 401).
Information Contacts
Regional or Local Office
None.
Headquarters Office
Higher Education Programs, Science and Education Resources Development, CSREES, USDA, Room 3901 Waterfront Centre, Washington DC 20250-2251. Telephone: (202) 720-1973.
Criteria for Selecting Proposals
None.
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