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This page provides an overview of the processes and activities associated with FNS'
discretionary grant opportunities. Please note that grants administration in the Federal
Government is undergoing a major technological advance. As you read this, arrangements
are being made for all Federal grant applications to be submitted
centrally through electronic means. Within the Department of
Agriculture, FNS is one of the first agencies attempting to implement this
process.
FNS Discretionary Grants
The entire FNS grant application process is described
and the necessary forms are available from another page:
Helpful information to consider when completing a
grant application can be found at:
Announcements -- Solicitations for Applications
FNS announces discretionary grant opportunities on
its own web pages (below) as well as on fedgrants.gov.
Fedgrants.gov is the centralized
system for grant announcements for the entire Federal Government. At
some point Fedgrant.gov will become part of Grants.gov.
Grants.gov is the centralized system for applying for
Federal grants. This system includes the functionality to
sign up for notification of grant opportunities, browse available
opportunities and apply electronically. This system is not complete
but is in operation; Agencies are working to acquire
the necessary capabilities.
FNS announces grant availability at various times
throughout the year. The status of FNS' grant opportunities can be found on our solicitations
web pages:
The Award Process
FNS carefully and fairly evaluates the grant
applications of all eligible grantees.
After selections are made, applicants are generally notified within
60-90 days of the closing date of the announcement. Applicants will need to confirm that they
accept the award and terms of the grant award.
General and Historical Information
FNS awarded approximately $48,000,000 in
discretionary grant funds in FY 2003. Many of those grants were awarded directly to States, in accordance
with Federal law. Some grant funds
were earmarked for certain organizations by law. There were also grant funds available to a variety of other entities such
as Faith-Based Organizations (FBOs), Community-Based Organizations (CBOs),
non-profits, municipal agencies, etc. A number of charts and
graphs showing these grant funds have been developed and are accessible from
other web pages:
There are many terms of art in the grants management
field. FNS has compiled a list of
these terms on a separate page. If there are others you think
should be added, please send them to our FM
Web Page Coordinator:
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Administrative Responsibilities
Compliance with cost principles
Grantees must use care in the administration of
Federal funds. The Office of
Management and Budget determines the policies regarding allowable and
unallowable costs for grant funds. Grantees
should familiarize themselves with documents called “OMB Circulars”
which affect their use of Federal funds. The OMB Circulars relating
to the grants are:
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A-102, Grants and Cooperative Agreements With
State and Local Governments
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A-110, Uniform Administrative Requirements for
Grants and Other Agreements with Institutions of Higher Education,
Hospitals and Other Non-Profit Organizations
These and all other Circulars can be found on the OMB
website at
Audits
Individual
Grantees may be subject to the Single Audit Act if they
receive Federal funds in excess of $300,000. To learn more about the single audit process, click on the
Frequently Asked Questions link on the Federal Single-Audit Clearing House
website.
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