Available funds: up to $350,000 in 2023

Minimum request: $25,000

Maximum request: $100,000

Pesticide Education Resources Collaborative (PERC) is seeking applications for Agricultural Community-Based Projects (AgCBP) that will serve farmworkers, agricultural pesticide handlers, their families, and/or their communities by contributing to the safe use of pesticides and/or working safely in areas where pesticides are used.

The PERC Advisory Board will select up to six projects to be funded by January of 2024, pending amounts requested by successful applicants. Successful applicants will have up to two years to complete their projects (no later than December 31, 2025). We anticipate this funding opportunity to repeat one more time in 2024-2025. Identical projects will not be funded more than once but could be considered if the same project addresses a different target audience or subject matter focus.

Who may apply? Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations as defined by 2 CFR 200.1 “Nonprofit organization.” EPA’s Office of Grants and Debarment has authorized PERC to use the Tax Exempt Organization Search Tool to assist in confirming the nonprofit status of an applying organization. If an applying organization cannot confirm their nonprofit status using this tool, then they should contact the Internal Revenue Service to make certain their entity can eventually be listed there. Some universities are eligible nonprofit organizations and others are not listed. Refer to the tax-exempt search tool provided in the RFA. If the Employer Identification Number (EIN) of your organization appears, then it’s determined to be eligible to apply. Applicants who engage in lobbying activities are not eligible to apply. Collaboration with other organizations is welcome but there can only be a single applicant (lead organization) to receive payments from UC Regents, and that lead organization will handle compensating collaborators as their budget allows. Please make sure the lead organization that applies meets the nonprofit status as required in the RFA. Important: Before applying, organizations must also make certain that they hold a current System for Award Management (SAM) registration and Unique Entity Identifier (UEI.) Information regarding obtaining a UEI and registering in SAM is available here. If an entity lacks a current SAM/UEI, then PERC will not be able to fund their project.

Eligible applicants must:

1. be capable of carrying out a local or regional project with focus on a certain subject and a specific group of participants
2. have experience/expertise related to the health and safety of farmworkers, agricultural pesticide handlers, their families, or communities. An agricultural community might be described by its language, its location, its cropping systems, or other boundaries/definitions. For example, one project might serve Haitian farmworkers near the Gulf Coast, migrant workers that follow a specific “stream” from harvest to harvest, or a group of Russian-speaking vegetable harvesters. Applicants can be national in scope so long as the projects themselves are conducted at the local or regional level
3. have established relationships/trust with the community to be served
4. and must propose a new project that differs from work already being done by your organization.

Potential applicants are encouraged to partner with organizations who have existing relationships or expertise in certain areas (such as pesticide safety, pesticide training, or evaluation experience), if needed.

Key Dates

• RFA Opens / Release Date: February 6, 2023
• RFA Information Session: March 3, 2023 9:00 to 11:00 am PST. Register here - Refer to the PERC website at https://pesticideresources.org/CBP/ for more information.
• RFA Closes / Applications Due: April 3, 2023 by 5:00 pm PST. Applications received after the closing date and time will not be considered for funding.
• Anticipated notification of top ranked applications for interviews: May 9, 2023
• Anticipated selection notification and pre-award processing: June 1, 2023
• Anticipated funding date: December 1, 2023

Desired Outcomes: The term “outcome” means the result, effect or consequence that will occur from carrying out the project. Applicants may choose to perform one of the projects listed OR propose a different project that supports at least one of the following desired outcomes; examples are provided for information only. Outcomes may not necessarily be achievable within the funding period.

Desired Outcome #1*: Educate farmworkers and/or agricultural pesticide handlers on the safe use of pesticides.

Desired Outcome #2: Enhance the capabilities of partners to develop and implement programs/activities that prevent and reduce pesticide risks to communities of farmworkers and agricultural pesticide handlers.

Desired Outcome #3: Protect humans, communities, and ecosystems from illness and injury caused by exposure to pesticides.

*If you belong to the Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs (AFOP) under the National Farmworker Training Program (NFTP), we encourage you to apply for this funding to perform different activities than those supported by NFTP.

Proposed projects are only required to support one of the above desired outcomes, although some projects may support more than one. No additional points will be awarded to organizations meeting more than one of the above outcomes.

This is a national call for applications and the organization does not need to be from a certain region. Applicants can be national in scope so long as the projects themselves are conducted at the local or regional level. There is no predicted advantage for an application if it were to reach multiple states and regions. The community to be served may be small or large.

Grant funds may not pay for activities outside of the United States and its affiliated territories.

There is no requirement that the projects need to focus on the Worker Protection Standard (WPS) or meet employers’ requirements for annual training.

Performance measures help monitor productivity and progress of successful processes, outputs and outcome strategies and provide the basis for developing lessons to inform future projects. The description of performance measures will directly relate to the project outcomes and outputs. For example, recipients may be able to report the rate of behavior change in a target community, intermediate outcomes, changes in health/environmental indicators, “ripple effects” (i.e. relationship-building, partner-driven amplification of messages), and/or program efficiency improvements.

These may include, but are not limited to, a timely delivery of one or more of the following:

• A time-bound project plan that includes a plan for tracking and evaluating progress
• High-quality outputs in the format, language, and reading level requested by the target audience
• Completion of requested updates using a stream-lined process
• Data-driven reports that would be of interest/use to others who aim to implement or improve programs that reduce pesticide-related risk
• Evidence of a community need being addressed that has the potential to reduce pesticide-related risk

A collection of example outcomes, outputs and performance measures are listed in TABLE 1 of the RFA.

Terms and Conditions

The recipient agrees to comply with the current EPA General Terms and Conditions available at: https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2022-09/fy_2022_epa_general_terms_and_conditions_effective_october_1_2022_or_later.pdf Please note if selected for funding, the nonprofit organization must have a current System for Award Management (SAM) registration and Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). Information regarding obtaining a UEI and registering in SAM is available here. If an entity lacks a current SAM/UEI designation, then PERC will not be able to fund their project.

Any sub-recipient (Agricultural Community-Based Project subaward recipient) in addition to the recipient (PERC 2.0) must comply with the “EPA Programmatic Terms and Conditions” and the current EPA general terms and conditions available at: https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2022-09/fy_2022_epa_general_terms_and_conditions_effective_october_1_2022_or_later.pdf. These terms and conditions are in addition to the assurances and certifications made as a part of the award and the terms, conditions, or restrictions cited throughout the award.

The recipient (PERC 2.0) must comply with applicable provisions of 2CFR Part 200 and the EPA Subaward Policy, which may be found at: https://epa.gov/grants/epa-subaward-policy.”

Programmatic Conditions

In addition to the EPA General Terms and Conditions that apply to EPA grantees and subawardees, EPA Programmatic Conditions also apply. These include but are not limited to:

• EPA Programmatic Conditions applicable to AgCBP funds awarded by PERC.
• Successful applicants will execute a contractual agreement with the University of California Davis Continuing & Professional Education (UCD CPE), which involves a specific set of fiduciary and programmatic requirements.
• The University of California (UC) Regents will retain the copyright for any new materials created as a result of funded projects. Currently, it is PERC’s policy to share educational materials with anyone according to a noncommercial, share-alike license with attribution. In accordance with 2 CFR 200.315, PERC will make all new programs/resources available at no cost, to the fullest extent possible.
• If applicable, the successful applicant may distribute materials locally using a variety of methods. If transferrable outputs are created for communities, PERC will share them widely in electronic format.
• Successful applicants must agree to collaboratively build project timelines, observe applicable deadlines, provide requested updates/information in a timely manner, and facilitate/host a one-time site visit by PERC staff. Project-related status updates may be shared on the PERC website.
• Funding recipients will be required to provide quarterly reports and a final report on their impacts/performance in terms that are specific and measurable, whether qualitative or quantitative.
• Some activities may involve research using human subjects. For example, a focus group or survey may be considered research. If selected projects involve activities that require human subjects review, then the recipient will be responsible for obtaining independent review of the proposed research methods before initiating research activities.
• Project-related communications with EPA personnel will be led/mediated by the PERC Administrators and not the recipient(s.)
• The following collaborators may represent the project(s) in scholarly and/or public presentations, media interviews, and publications about the project: PERC Administrators, Project Coordinators, and/or grant recipient leads.
• All questions posed by prospective applicants about this funding opportunity during the application period as well as PERC’s responses to the questions will be posted anonymously on the PERC website.
• For this application, PERC is not requesting or accepting letters of support.
• Conflict of Interest (COI): If an applicant has worked with any individuals from the PERC Advisory Board (https://pesticideresources.org/ab.html), UC Davis program staff or Oregon State University program staff in the past or receives federal funding for the same/similar activities listed in their project proposal, this must be disclosed via a brief explanation in their application.

About PERC: PERC is funded from 2021-2026 to coordinate the development of pesticide-related educational resources (i.e., manuals, videos, guides) that meet national needs. See our list of projects completed and in-progress. The PERC Advisory Board meets annually to determine priority needs, and monthly to hear from representatives about emerging needs and to gather feedback about PERC products. The materials produced by PERC are intended for use by non-profit educators. Anyone may print and distribute PERC materials at minimal or no cost to the end-recipients. Non-profit educators may request original files in order to modify PERC materials. See our policy here: using PERC's Works.

Evaluation and Selection Criteria

The PERC Advisory Board will evaluate all applications and will score applications using the Application Scoring Rubric (see TABLE 3 below). Projects will be evaluated and scored against all applications received. The date of the announcement of the grant recipients planned for 2023 is pending the number of applications received and the time needed to review them.

How to Apply. Apply by emailing a PDF document of the application in its entirety to PERCsupport@ucdavis.edu. PERC will email applicants within one business day from the day that we received their completed application. If applicants do not receive a receipt from PERC, then the applicant should conclude PERC did not receive their application. We encourage applicants to apply well before the deadline. Please direct all inquiries to PERCsupport@ucdavis.edu.

Please refer to the full RFA for all information.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is there an anticipated informational webinar about the Agricultural Community-Based Project for the 2023 RFA?
A: The Agricultural Community-Based Project 2023 RFA webinar is scheduled for 3/3/23 at 9am Pacific/12 noon Eastern. You may register for the questions-and-answers session here. Please check the PERC website at https://pesticideresources.org/CBP/ to confirm dates, times, and sign-ups as circumstances occasionally change.

Q: How does the interview process work for the 2023 RFA round of funding?
A: Top-scoring finalists will be offered the opportunity to interview with PERC and discuss their organization, team, project, and application. PERC staff will ask any questions needed for clarity, and finalists will have the chance to ask any questions they may have. Selections will be made after the interview process.

Q: If I have questions during any part of the 2023 RFA process, where should I go for help?
A: Please review the PERC website at https://pesticideresources.org/CBP/ to review the RFA and application instructions. If questions still remain, please email percsupport@ucdavis.edu.

Q: When will 2023 RFA awardees be allowed to begin their projects if selected?
A: Once 2023 RFA awardees are selected, and all contracts are signed and approved, projects may begin. This is most likely to occur at the end of Fall 2023.

Q: Will our organization be notified if we are not selected for funding?
A: PERC will notify all organizations about funding decisions by June 2023. Applicants will be given the opportunity to have a debrief and be offered feedback on their application.

Q: If our organization is not selected for funding, will there be other opportunities to apply in the future?
A: We anticipate the Agricultural Community-Based Projects funding opportunity to repeat one more time in 2024-2025.

Q: How do I propose a project and make it clear to funders that our program can be done as a small startup pilot for less money or has the option to be funded for a full project for more money, given the availability of funds?
A: Please choose the scale you are proposing and apply for funding. Please note in your application if you are flexible in the scale of the operation and briefly how that might change your program/budget/people reached and timeline (i.e., would the budget be doubled, and the position hired full time/more people served).

Q: It does not appear in the recent RFP that “addressing historically underserved populations” is a requirement—is this true?
A: We confirm the 2023 Request for Proposals does not specifically require addressing a historically underserved population.

Q: Who are the interviews to be conducted with?
A: Interviews will be offered to the top-scoring applicants. Applicants can decide who they would like to select from their non-profit to attend the interview. More than one person is allowed to attend. The PERC panel will include Suzanne Forsyth, Kaci Buhl, and Emily Ripken.

Q: If our non-profit is partnering with another organization to recruit participants, would they be a part of the interview process?
A: The applicant may decide to invite others that support their project but inviting representation from each partnering entity is not required.

Q: Will our collaborators in our project be required to interview with our team if selected?
A: A representative from the top-scoring non-profit applying is invited to interview. There is no expectation that collaborators must attend the interview. However, it is at the discretion of the applicant if they would like to include them or others in the interview process.

Q: Does the application require you have a System for Award Management (SAM) registration to submit the proposal?
A: Please include on the cover page of your application an attestation that your organization holds a current System for Award Management (SAM) registration.

Q: Do universities or academic organizations qualify as a primary applicant?
A: If the academic organization or university's EIN can be found in the IRS tool, then they are eligible to apply. If it is not in the tool, then they can be a named a subrecipient on the application. Please see the website below to access the IRS tool:
https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/tax-exempt-organization-search

Q: How can a university employee be supported as a consultant if they do not qualify as a non-profit entity?
A: University employees can partner with non-profits and offer expertise for collaboration and receive payment for their efforts outside their usual activities. Applicants would be able to list the university consultant as a subcontractor (individual) or the university (as a subrecipient) on their application and explain how their efforts/collaboration would benefit the project.

Q: Would state-led agencies be eligible to apply as a subrecipient if the non-profit is a primary?
A: A state lead pesticide agency would be eligible to be a subrecipient and receive funds from an eligible non-profit subaward recipient.

Q: Is an applicant able to apply for organizational finance and administrative fees (i.e. overhead)?
A: Finance and administrative fees are allowable in this reward and would need to be included in the budget and budget justification within the application.

Q: Can this request for applications be used to extend a program to train farmworkers about pesticides exposure?
A: The award would allow an applicant to train a new group of farmworkers about pesticide exposure. This funding is meant to fund new projects. Projects could include offering the same training for a new group or training on a new topic with the same group.

Q: How involved will the funder be in ongoing grant support in terms of technical assistance or connecting with other grantees?
A: The funder (PERC) will be available to answer questions and provide guidance on administrative processes (such as quarterly reporting or invoicing). The funder will not be connecting grantees, but they are free to connect once funding announcements have been released.

Q: If funding is awarded, will you have any marketing guidance on how to mention PERC in social media and blogs?
A: PERC has a marketing specialist who provides assistance with press releases and social media postings. Through consultation with our marketing specialist, we can offer creative ideas on how to mention PERC and feature funded projects.

Q: Is it possible to work locally in our state as well as simultaneously within Puerto Rico for our project?
A: Puerto Rico is part of the United States and would qualify as an applicable location for a project. Funding is available for projects throughout the United States, including federally recognized tribes and territories.