Organic Certification Cost Share Programs | USDA FSA SND AMA 2020

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA FSA SND AMA 2020

The Organic Certification Cost Share Programs opportunity is a USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) grant announcement for fiscal year 2020 that funds two related programs: the National Organic Certification Cost Share Program (NOCCSP) and the Agricultural Management Assistance (AMA) Organic Certification Cost Share Program. Together these are referred to as the Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP). The basic goal is straightforward: reduce the financial burden on organic producers and handlers by helping cover the costs tied to obtaining and keeping USDA organic certification.

Funding is awarded by FSA to eligible State Agencies, which then act as the on-the-ground administrators for the cost-share reimbursements. For FY 2020, the notice indicates about $6 million is available for NOCCSP and $931,000 for AMA. These grants are discretionary and fall under the agriculture funding activity category (CFDA 10.171). The eligible applicants for the grant are state governments, with "State Agencies" defined broadly to include the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and five U.S. territories: Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands. While FSA provides the funding and overall program rules, the State Agencies handle reimbursements to individual certified organic operations.

The reimbursement structure is designed as a partial cost-share rather than full coverage. Certified organic operations can be reimbursed for 50% of their total allowable certification costs, up to a maximum of $500 per certification scope. The announcement lists the certification scopes as crops, livestock, wild crops, and handling (which includes processing), and it also allows reimbursement for State Organic Program fees where applicable. In practice, this means an operation with multiple scopes could potentially receive up to $500 for each scope, as long as the costs are allowable and properly documented, and as long as funds remain available through the State Agency administering the program.

The grant notice also sets the eligible cost window and the timing expectations for reimbursement requests. Certification costs must have been incurred between October 1, 2019, and September 30, 2020, to qualify under this FY 2020 funding cycle. Organic operations are allowed to request reimbursement through November 2, 2020, unless a particular State Agency requests and receives approval to use a different deadline. The document emphasizes that this is the initial request for applications and lays out eligibility and performance criteria for State Agencies seeking NOCCSP and AMA allocations for the year.

Administrative details in the source data include an opportunity creation date of August 6, 2020, and an original closing date of September 9, 2020, which applies to State Agency applications for the grant funding. The listed award ceiling is $931,000 (which aligns with the AMA funding amount noted in the description), and the opportunity anticipates awards to as many as 50 entities, consistent with broad participation by states and eligible territories. Finally, the notice leaves room for adjustments if Congress or USDA authorizes additional funding: FSA and participating State Agencies may amend FY 2020 grant agreements to add funds and potentially increase payment amounts available to certified operations.

• The Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service in the agriculture sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Organic Certification Cost Share Programs" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.171.
• This funding opportunity was created on Aug 06, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 09, 2020. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $931,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 50 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments.

Apply for USDA FSA SND AMA 2020

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