Applicant FAQs

You can find grant opportunities on our website at: https://foundationfar.org/grants-funding/open-opportunities/

Application deadlines, as well as other details about each opportunity, are listed in the specific funding opportunity RFA or description.

Each funding announcement includes information about eligibility. In general, we welcome applications from all U.S. institutions of higher education, nonprofit and for-profit organizations, government-affiliated researcher and domestic and international organizations. Any individual(s) with the skills, knowledge and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) is invited to work with their organization to develop an application for support. FFAR requires that all research benefits the US food and agriculture system.

Our Funding & Approval process outlines how we develop research programs and fund research through those programs. Our Grants & Funding webpage includes information on How to Apply to different funding opportunities. Applicants should submit complete applications in response to a FFAR request for application through our online grants management system.

FFAR publicly announces funding opportunities as they arise. To be notified of all future funding announcements, feel free to subscribe to our newsletter.

No, you do not need a SAM Registration. FFAR is a non-profit organization who receives funding from the federal government but is not a federal agency

Please use the “start new application” link at the top of the specific funding opportunity page.

Unless otherwise stated in the RFA, organizations may submit more than one application. However, an individual may not serve as lead PI on more than one application.

The institutional limit applies to the entire University. Different campuses will be considered as separate entities if each has a unique Tax ID/EIN number.

International institutions are eligible for many of FFAR’s programs. Please check the eligibility guidelines of the specific RFA for the grant opportunity you are interested in. FFAR requires that all research benefits the US food and agriculture system and that all correspondence be in English.

Unless otherwise indicated in the RFA, funding opportunities are open to U.S. Government scientists. All grant applicants, including U.S. government scientists, are subject to the same non-federally sourced matching funds requirement.

Yes, we encourage researchers at all stages of their career with bold scientific ideas to apply for our open opportunities. We offer specific Scientific Workforce programs designed to support the future scientific workforce.

Research experience is considered on a case-by-case basis. Please email the Scientific Program Director (SPD) overseeing the specific funding opportunity.

FFAR considers tenure-track equivalent positions to be full-time positions at research institutions that do not have tenure-track.

Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on funding opportunities. We also publish all open solicitations on our Open Opportunities page.

Although matching funds may be optional for some funding opportunities, they are always encouraged and sometimes required. Please review the RFA of a specific open opportunity for eligibility requirements.

You can view our Matching Guidelines here: https://foundationfar.org/grants-funding/resources/matching-funds/.

No, though we strongly encourage applicants to have the matching funds in-hand or have a solid commitment by the application deadline to prevent delays, if the proposal is selected for funding. If funded, FFAR does not disburse funds until matching funds are secured and certified from all project funders. We certify matching funds annually until the project is complete.

You only need to submit matching documentation forms if you are providing match.

If match is not required for a funding opportunity, optional match provided does not need to adhere to the 50% cash-match requirement.

Unless otherwise stated in the RFA, FFAR requires a 1:1 match but encourages applicants to provide more than a 1:1 match, if possible.

Please review the FFAR Matching Guidelines on our website. Matching funds that do not meet the guidelines will not be accepted as a match.

Yes. All matching requirements must be met prior to issuing a FFAR award. The award recipient must show verification to FFAR that the match has been secured. Please note that upon an administrative review of the grant, some matching may be deemed unallowable and therefore additional matching resources may be required. In addition, matching certification from each matching partner will be required prior to issuing an award agreement.

Cash Match – is a cash contribution from the awardee’s cash outlay (cash, check, electronic funds transfer, credit card, payroll deduction), including outlay from non-federal third-party organizations. To meet FFAR’s matching requirements, at least fifty percent (50%) of the total match must be cash contributions. Examples of a cash match include cost to purchase new equipment, salaries for project personnel effort on the proposed project, tuition remission, related project travel costs, cost for supplies directly associated with, and necessary for the proposed project. These costs must be reasonable and necessary to achieve the objectives of the proposed project, and well documented.

In-Kind Match – is the value of non-cash contributions of goods and services to a proposed project. In-kind match MUST NOT be more than 50% in a proposed FFAR project. Contributions offered as in-kind match MUST have a cash equivalent value, be reasonable and necessary, and directly benefiting the proposed project. Examples of in-kind match include donation of equipment, supplies, non-expendable property, volunteered professional time or service, donated use of facilities by a third party.

No. The award recipient must have all match secured to be considered as a match share. No contingencies – unsecured, anticipated funds – will be considered. However, if additional match is obtained once the project is underway, FFAR will work with the awardee to revise the project budget to include additional funds.

No. All FFAR matching contributions must come from non-federal sources.

No. Funding already dedicated for a different sponsored activity cannot be offered and will not be accepted as a match. However, FFAR accepts rededicated match if sponsors can certify in writing that said funds will be designated as match for the FFAR proposal.

No. If it is unallowable for federal funds, it would be unallowable as a match share. Although FFAR is not a Federal agency, it is subjected to a GAO Audit, and thus, the rules on managing federal award funds are best practices to follow in managing FFAR award funds.

It depends. Existing equipment already owned by the award recipient or grantee institution cannot be offered as a match share. New equipment purchased specifically to accomplish the goals of a proposed FFAR project can be a cash match. Equipment donated to support the proposed FFAR award by a third-party may be offered as an in-kind match. For equipment donated by third parties, only the depreciated or project use charges may be offered as match. If the applicant would have otherwise paid for the use of the equipment, it will qualify as cash match; if the equipment is just donated, it will qualify as in-kind contribution. Also, if the equipment is loaned to the award recipient to support specific FFAR proposed award activities, then the depreciation or use charges may be offered as an in-kind match.

It depends. Supplies are generally considered expendable equipment below the $5,000 capitalization requirement. General office, laboratory, classroom, or workshop supplies MUST NOT be offered as a match share because they are treated as an F&A expense. However, when the supplies are purchased specifically and directly to support a FFAR sponsored project, said supplies can be offered as a cash match. If said supplies are donated, they will count as in-kind match. Examples of supplies are, laboratory or computation notebooks, specialty tape for lab set up or sample labeling, chemicals, glassware, etc.

Yes. Project personnel effort/salary can be offered as a cash match. The award recipient must provide documentation of each personnel’s hourly rate, total hours on the project, and role/task to be completed on the proposed project. Charging salaries over the NIH salary cap is unallowable by the e-CFR. Therefore, project personnel salary over the NIH cap cannot be offered as a match.

No, this is unallowable under the e-CFR. A university staff’s 100% effort is comprised of activities they are paid for by the institution. Unpaid summer months are not within the staff’s 100% effort, therefore, cannot be offered as a match share.

It depends. Effort by professional unpaid personnel can be offered as a third-party in-kind match. The value of their professional services, hours spent on the project, and role on the project must be necessary to accomplish the goals of the project and adequately documented. Professional services are services that require specialized training, such as, legal, medical, accounting, or engineering services. Unpaid personnel services that do not require specialized skills cannot be offered as a match. Rates paid for such services should be comparable to the fair market value for similar services in the labor market. These employees must be crucial to achieving the goals of the proposed project.

Travel expenses can be offered as a cash match only if the travel is reasonable and necessary to accomplish the goals and objectives of the proposed FFAR award.

No. This cost is already included in the (10%) F&A allotment.

No. The difference between FFAR’s ten percent (10%) indirect cost allotment and the awardees federally negotiated indirect cost rate cannot be offered as a match.

Tuition is unallowable as match. Any costs that are unallowable under the Federal budget cannot be offered as a matching contribution. Please refer to the e-CFR Uniform Guidance 2 CFR 200 Subpart E, for detailed information on the various costs.

Yes. Since tuition remission for graduate students serving at least one-third of their time as project assistant, research assistant, or teaching assistant is a portion of their total compensation package, it can be offered as a cash match. Note that FFAR will only reimburse tuition remission in the proportion of effort spent on the FFAR award by the graduate student.

Yes. Match contributions committed by sub-awardees must be included in the subaward budget. Sub-award recipients must also track and document and fulfill their match commitment. The prime award recipient is responsible for making sure that subawardees fulfill their match commitments.

The fair market value of space donated by a third-party that is reasonable and specifically benefits the proposed project can be offered as an in-kind contribution. The value must be comparable to similar private rental properties in the same area.

All forms regarding match verification and certification can be found on FFAR’s Applicant Forms & Examples webpage, under the For Potential Awardees section.

FFAR supports bold research in food and agriculture that aligns with our mission. While we allow researchers to submit research concepts, strong preference is given to concepts that fall within one or more of our Priority Areas. Please also note that FFAR research fills critical knowledge gaps and advance science and although FFAR is an independent nonprofit, FFAR complements and advances the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) mission and builds programs that are of mutual interest to USDA and the agricultural community at-large.

The legislation that created FFAR allows us to fund domestic and international research which will be specified within each specific funding opportunity. FFAR requires that all funded research benefits the US food and agriculture system.

All research concepts must be submitted through our Research Concepts webpage found under Open Opportunities.

A Research Concept is not an application but a general concept idea being vetted for further action. Submitting a research concept neither commits FFAR to launching programs in the proposed area nor entitles the submitter to receive funds from FFAR should a program be launched in that concept area.

There are no limits to the size and scope of concepts that may be proposed; however, reasonable justification should be provided.

FFAR typically responds within 30 days only if we are interested in pursuing the submitted research concept.

The size and scope of a research project are up to the principal investigator’s discretion but expected to be commensurate with the proposed research scope.

All RFAs have specific eligibility criteria and should be reviewed for the the specific funding opportunity you are interested in. You can find our grant open opportunities at: https://foundationfar.org/grants-funding/open-opportunities/

Please reference the program’s Key Dates on the first page of the RFA.

There can only be one lead PI, but Co-PIs and Key Personnel are allowed.

The AOR (Authorized Organizational Representative) is the designated official of the applicant organization who has the authority to enter into contracts on behalf of the organization and commit the resources of the organization.

A Grant Administrator is an individual designated by the organization with varying duties that can range from managing reporting requirements and ensuring accounting principles have been maintained, this person may also serve as the AOR.

No, you do not need to split the word limit evenly between bullet points as long as the overall answer does not exceed the total limit.

Biosketches can be up to five pages per biosketch for required personnel (PI/Program Director, co-PI and key personnel).

These are approvals typically provided by an ethics committee within the applicant organization for research projects involving human subjects, animal use, fetal tissue, rDNA, or hazardous materials.

If you do not have Current and Pending support, and the current funding opportunity requires the attachment, please upload a blank form with “N/A”.

Please use the budget justification to tell us what you about the anticipated spending and match of your project. We expect the budget numbers used in a pre-proposal to be an estimate of the funding requested and do not need a fully detailed breakdown. However, this would be a great place to tell us about any exciting partnerships you have formed or are working toward, and the main activities which justify your preliminary budget request.

Both sections should address the match requirement but with different purposes. On the technical side, reviewers will consider the matching partner(s)’ role(s) in the project and their significance to the project’s outcomes.

Please contact the SPD (Scientific Program Director) overseeing the program. You can find the SPD responsible for each program in the specific program webpage or RFA.

Please use www.grants.foundationfar.org to create an account.

All users must have an account however, there can only be one account holder who can provide view access to others or transfer the application for review and submission by another.

Please contact us at grants@foundaitonfar.org , and we will send you an email with a link to reset your password.

You can make changes before the deadline. Please email us with your request and we will send the application back for editing. It is the applicant’s responsibility to resubmit by the deadline. Alternatively, you may submit another application with the correct information, and we will delete the original submission once notified.

You will be able to see the Full Proposal within the Applications tab once logged in to your BBGM account.

Resubmissions may be allowed at the discretion of the SPD (Scientific Program Director). Please contact the SPD or the Grants Team at grants@foundationfar.org for assistance.

If you are not able to log in due to a forgotten password, please click the “Forgot Password” option under user name to reset your password. For any other issue, please do not hesitate to contact the grants team via email at grants@foundationfar.org.

You will receive your first disbursement about 2-3 weeks after your Agreement is fully executed.

All press releases must be coordinated with and approved by FFAR’s communications department. They can be contacted via email at communications@foundationfar.org

You you access all intent to fund forms under the For Potential Awardees section of our Applicants Forms & Examples website.

Yes, all applications that require a budget  must use the FFAR budget template found in the For Applicants section of our Applicant Forms & Examples webpage.

The budget form is working as intended. FFAR allows applicants to use up to ten percent (10%) of the total funds requested from FFAR, and up to ten percent (10%) of the required one-to-one institution matching funds towards indirect costs. FFAR’s indirect cost allotment is an overall allotment from the Total Funds Requested, also known as Total Project Costs, to be used for indirect costs by the institution. This means 90% of the total funds requested must go directly to the proposed research. Additionally, FFAR considers all subaward costs, including indirect costs, to be a direct cost to the main award.

We allow up to 10% of the total project costs to be used for IDC. the budget form calculates IDC based on the total direct costs, which is 11.11111%.

If you need more subawards in your budget form, please email us your current budget form and the total number of subawards you require. We will create additional tabs for you and email the form back. Note that there are no limits to the size and scope of concepts that may be proposed; however, you will need to provide reasonable justification.

FFAR follows the NIH’s salary cap. Salary can be charged to a FFAR project proportionate to professional time spent on the project not superseding the cap.

Yes, your budget can change between the application stages, Please email us at grants@foundationfar.org if changes are to be made.

Yes. It is the grantees responsibility to ensure all subawards adhere to FFAR’s policies and guidance.

Yes, student salaries are considered direct cost.

Please check the RFA to determine the allotted money you can request.

Tuition remission may be offered as cash match; however, tuition is not an allowable match.

Yes, please email us at grants@foundationfar.org to obtain a template with your specification.

Our budget template changes the color of match cells when match calculations are incorrect or missing. Please ensure the match being requested aligns with the match being accounted for in the Matching Details tab of the budget template. If match is not required for a specific funding opportunity, please ignore the color changed cells.

Please email us at grants@foundationfar.org with your current budget form, and we will add additional lines for you.

The budget template is locked intentionally to protect formulas and cost limits. If a justified need arises (IDC edits, subaward additions, etc.), please contact us at grants@foundationfar.org to work with a team member on the specific edits needed.