Applicants must show eligibility as one of the four eligible grant recipient types by the deadline of the 2021 Request for Applications. The due date is Tuesday, May 15, 2021 for the 2021 RFA – Youth and Tuesday, June 1, 2021 for the 2021 RFA – General. If an organization is awarded a grant, eligibility must remain valid through the duration of the grant agreement period. Organizations not yet possessing necessary designations (i.e., 501(c)(3) status) are encouraged to work with an eligible partner as opposed to waiting for determination near the deadline. 

NAAF is following several definitions in response to this question. A Native American includes any person who meets one or more of the requirements listed below: 

• Is a member of a Tribe, band, nation, or community, including any Alaska Native village or regional or village corporation (as established in the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act) which is recognized as eligible for the special programs and services provided by the United States to Indians because of their status as Indians, also known as a “federally recognized Tribe,” or 
• Is a member of any Indian group that has been formally recognized as an Indian Tribe by a State legislature or other similar organization vested with State Tribal recognition authority, also known as a “state recognized Tribe,” or 
• Is a member of any Indian Tribe or “Native group” (according to 43 U.S.C. § 1602(c) and (d)) that asked the United States government for Federal recognition 
• NAAF also recognizes that otherwise eligible entities serving the needs of Native Hawaiian farmers and ranchers should be considered eligible for funding through NAAF. 

Yes, NAAF will consider applications from Fast Track and prior NAAF grantees. You are allowed to have a project currently underway and apply to NAAF for funding to continue the work undertaken in the prior project to reach new audiences or to improve original projects. Not all projects need to be brand new, but they must have a new component. Future RFAs may allow for continuation funding as well, but those determinations will be made at a later date. 

Organizations that serve a broader population are eligible to apply; however, grant funds would have to be directed toward the service of Native farmers and ranchers only. For example, a youth program that works to help the next generation of farmers and ranchers nationwide could be eligible if their application proposes funding for a program targeted to Natives, such as youth on a specific reservation, but not for other programs serving non-Natives. 

Yes. Any organization that does not fall into one of the four eligible grant recipient types is not eligible for funding on their own. If your organization has applied for 501(c)(3) designation but not yet received a favorable determination from the IRS, you are allowed to apply utilizing a 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor.

According to the Trust Agreement, only 501(c)(3) organizations, educational organizations, CDFIs and Tribal governments/instrumentalities are allowed to receive grants from NAAF. Individuals are not eligible to receive grants or loans directly from NAAF, but they can seek grants and loans from NAAF grantees. Entities receiving funds will be required to use the funds to provide services important to Native farmers and ranchers, or those seeking to become farmers and ranchers. 

Applicants must be one of the four eligible grant recipients as described in the Trust Agreement Section 8. For-profit entities can be involved in a project as a collaborator as long as the primary applicant is eligible. 

Instrumentalities of Tribes (of state or federally recognized Tribes) can mean any number of things such as Tribal departments of agriculture, food authorities or even food processing or food marketing entities. Tribal governments have the latitude to determine which entities are instrumentalities of their governments; NAAF only needs proper documentation as to that status. If an organization has eligible status as an educational institution or a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, for instance, but wishes to be considered as an instrumentality of a Tribal government, they must secure and submit an authorizing document from their Tribal government to that specific effect. A statement from an organization other than a Tribal government will not suffice for this purpose. 

The Trust Agreement is very specific about eligible entities. Two of the types of organizations are 501(c)(3) and Tribal governments. In order to secure Section 7871 status, applicants must prove that they are an instrumentality of a single Tribe or group of multiple Tribes. Therefore, Section 7871 entities might be able to come under either of these definitions depending on their status. All applicants need to study carefully the language of the Trust Agreement so that you provide necessary documentation of eligibility. If the 7871 organizations can fall under either of these requirements, with or without fiscal sponsors that are clearly qualified under one of the four entities, then they are encouraged to apply. All applicants must include documentation reflecting their eligibility. 

IRS provides some guidance here. They define “charitable” to be activities designed to be scientific, public safety or public benefit oriented, literary and the like; in other words, activities that have a general public benefit. “Educational” can encompass training, instruction, development of capabilities and include doing so through schools, colleges, universities, trade schools, professional schools, publicly available enrichment activities, and the like. 

Value-added agriculture activities allow farmers or ranchers or food champions to capture a larger share of the consumer food dollar. These activities often refer to some sort of processing activity that increases the value of raw food products. For instance, taking strawberries and turning them into jam is considered a value-added activity; so is taking corn and making corn bread mix; taking wheat and turning it into flour. This can also mean taking food products and marketing them through special “branding” of the product, such as through placing a logo on the packaging. Sometimes this is differentiating your product (producing something differently, such as through organic, grass-fed, or regeneratively produced activities to name a few). Agritourism is also considered value-added if the activity of encouraging and promoting tourism incorporates food or agriculture-related activities. 

NAAF takes a broad approach in defining the audience targeted in the Youth category and is interested in how various Native communities view it. Typically, participants in youth programs will be early childhood to 18 years old, but we encourage you to make a clear case on how your project will define youth. 

There are many needs in Native communities and many worthy organizations seeking to meet those needs. However, these funds must be expended in accordance with the terms of the NAAF Trust Agreement which provides that grants must only be used for the benefit of Native farmers and ranchers to support their involvement with agriculture. Thus, programs which address non-agricultural issues, such as housing, would not become eligible just because some of the individuals served happen to be Native farmers or ranchers. However, an organization that serves a broader Native population but will use award funds specifically for Native farmers and ranchers may be eligible. For example, a community development financial institution (CDFI) that makes low-interest loans to small businesses generally could receive an award if the funds were going to be used solely for making such loans to Native farmers and ranchers, but the loans must support agricultural activity. 

The following types of applicants or uses of funds are NOT eligible under this 2021 Request for Applications: 

• Entities that do not provide business assistance, agriculture education, technical support, or advocacy services to Native farmers and ranchers 
• Work based outside the United States or its territories 
• Projects that do not provide assistance and/or resources designed to impact and further assist in the success of Native farmers and ranchers 
• Projects that seek funding predominately to provide outreach on USDA programs and services; resources for those types of activities are already provided by USDA, therefore use of NAAF funds to provide redundant activity support is unallowable 
• Projects that assist individual Native farmers and ranchers, but the services are not agriculture-related 
• Projects that identify an individual or individuals who will be served by the proposed grant activities. References to those in the service population should not include personally identifiable information. 
• Use of funds that are not restricted exclusively to charitable and educational purposes described in IRS Section 170(c)(2)(B) 
• Use of funds for litigation; however, offering of legal services important to Native farmers and ranchers is allowable and can include (but isn’t limited to): estate planning, land purchase agreements, understanding of legal rights, contract negotiation, assistance with administrative appeals, and other typical legal or advisory services important to those engaged in agriculture 
• Use of funds for lobbying, political activity or influencing legislation as defined by the IRS (other forms of public issues education and public issues advocacy may be eligible activities) 

Note: Only Tribal governments may apply for industrial hemp project funding. All applications including requests for industrial hemp support are required to strictly follow the guidance on page 16 of the 2021 RFA Overview. Non-profit, educational or CDFI organizations are not allowed to submit proposals for funding in this subject matter area. 

Activities funded through NAAF do not explicitly allow for the purchase of land. There are other resources available for land purchase through federal lending programs and non-federal lending and granting programs. NAAF resources are to focus on business assistance, technical support, agricultural education and advocacy and while we are not opposed to land leasing, land improvement for farming or ranching or purchasing costs to be included within an applicable budget for a project that focuses on one of those four areas listed previously, we are not interested in funding projects that are solely involved in land purchase, land improvement or land rental. In addition, we are interested, should those items be included in a proposed budget, to know how those budget items will improve the success of Native farming and ranching enterprises or the individual farmers or ranchers themselves.

Allowable capital expenditures are those that have a clear link to direct service provided to Native farmers and ranchers or project costs that directly improve or impact the resources available to Native farming and ranching enterprises or improvement of Native food systems. Capital expenditures can take many forms but are normally considered to be money spent by an organization on acquiring or maintaining fixed assets, such as land, buildings or equipment of some kind. 

Non-litigation legal services that assist Native farmers and ranchers are eligible for funding under NAAF. This includes, for example, legal services related to contract review and formation, property transactions, estate planning, credit repair, advice on farm programs, administrative appeals and general policy analysis or policy education activities and the like. 

In order for food processing activities to be covered, there would have to be a direct involvement of Native farmers and ranchers, not simply supporting a food processing business that might buy its inputs from Native farmers and ranchers. Thus, if a farmer wanted to expand into processing some of his or her own produce for higher market value items, or if ranchers wanted to organize a cooperatively owned processing facility, then such activities could be supported with NAAF funds so long as the applicant is an eligible entity identified in the Trust Agreement. If a processing plant or food hub or other processing facility making value-added food products seeks funding, the application must specifically state the involvement of Native farmers and ranchers throughout the processing activities and the benefit Native farmers and ranchers will gain by participating with the processing facility. All other eligibility requirements must also be met. 

Projects that focus only on research will not be considered for funding during this program cycle. Projects that focus only on health-related issues will also not be considered for funding during this program cycle. NAAF will allow curriculum development to occur within a funded project scope, but only if delivery of the curriculum during the project period occurs. Stand-alone curriculum development projects will not be funded; delivery to Native farmers and ranchers is essential. NAAF is looking for projects that deliver developed content with practical application to the success of Native farmers and ranchers. 

Yes, production or harvest activities focused on providing a medicinal product would be considered under the umbrella of agricultural activity. That said, we do not provide support for medicinal, recreational, or CBD related cannabis projects. 

Yes. The RFA describes the types of COVID-19 related activities for which NAAF is seeking project proposals. 

Faculty can apply, but individuals who are on staff but are not technically faculty in an institution can also apply. Sometimes projects or activities are led by individuals who do not have full time faculty appointments but are considered staff of educational institutions or affiliated staff. So long as the person has an employment or staff relationship with the educational institution or agricultural extension office, they are eligible to apply on behalf of the entity. If awarded, the authorized official for the organization will have to sign the grant agreement on behalf of the organization. 

Agriculture certificate or degree programs are encouraged but not required. Educational institutions can seek funding for work that is community based and does not result in a certificate or degree, so long as the activity strives to improve the skills or knowledge or support provided by the institutions within the community, related to food and agriculture issues. Partnerships between various educational organizations are encouraged but not required.

An organization is allowed to submit one application, but the application itself can include funding requests for multiple categories, so long as the applicant is an eligible entity for the project described and so long as a separate narrative of the project and a separate budget and budget justification are included for each component of the project is included in the application. 

There are seven categories in the 2021 RFA – General and one category in the 2021 RFA Process – Youth. You may apply for as many categories as you are eligible but can only submit one project budget for each category. 

No, all applications must be submitted through the online grant portal 

You can ‘Save’ and then later submit your application. The system will autosave every 100 characters typed or every time you click out of a field. If you have problems, please contact our NAAF team to work through any technical issues associated with your application. 

No. NAAF staff, the review panel and the NAAF Board of Trustees must remain completely unbiased in their work, which will ultimately lead to funding recommendations and final funding decisions. Therefore, the only assistance NAAF can provide is to a) help organizations determine whether or not they and their programs are eligible entities, and b) how to use the website to submit an application, or c) specific questions providing details regarding submittal or the RFA. NAAF staff, reviewers or Trustees will not comment on or strategize with applicants concerning their particular project. 

If the applicant must secure a Tribal or board resolution prior to submitting proposals for funding, then those resolutions should be included in the application. If the applicant organization does not require a resolution to apply, it is not necessary for our application. Limited waivers of sovereign immunity are a different matter. Please see NAAF’s guidance on this in the 2021 RFA Overview. 

The project narrative is the meat of your proposal. It should supply all the details of the project including the problem or opportunity, methods or procedures, and expected outcomes. Clearly and explicitly state the connection between the problem/opportunity and your proposed actions. A subsequent question will ask you to outline objectives. Applicants are allowed a maximum of 10,000 characters for their response, but there is no requirement to fill all available space. 

Yes. Since the text section does not allow for visuals, you will need to save them all as a PDF (only one file allowed) and upload it at the end under “Optional Uploads”. Please alert reviewers to refer to these visuals in your application. 

Smaller project budgets can be just as impactful as larger project budgets. The work you want to do should match the budget you think is necessary to reach your goals and outcomes. All requests should follow the minimum and maximum request guidelines for each category.

Indirect costs of up to 15% on personnel and direct costs are allowed. NAAF reserves the right to raise or lower indirect costs allowed within future RFA processes, based on stakeholder comments and the successes or challenges faced by successful applicants during implementation of their project. Please see NAAF’s 2021 RFA Budget Guidelines for more information. 

Indirect costs represent the expenses of doing business that are not readily identified in specific activities but are necessary for the general operation of the organization or to support the conduct of the activities. This can include accounting or legal expenses, office expenses, rent, telephone expenses, utilities and the like. Indirect costs can apply to more than one activity within an organization while project-specific costs (or direct costs) are specific to the unique activity you are trying to accomplish. Please see NAAF’s 2021 RFA Budget Guidelines for more information. 

Guidelines for what is considered matching or in-kind funds can vary funder to funder. Some organizations require applicants to provide cash match; some organizations require applicants to provide in-kind match. In-kind is a form of matching dollars and can refer to such things as personnel, goods or services that are identified by applicants as being contributed to the overall support of a project. NAAF does not require matching (cash or in-kind); however, NAAF funds (if your application is funded) can be used as federal match because NAAF funds are considered private in nature. 

No. Cost share, in-kind or matching funds is not required for NAAF funding. However, while not required, these funds can be noted in the grant application. In-kind, third party contributions are encouraged but not required. An application will be reviewed to see if the entity applying has the capacity to responsibly manage an award. An organization should seek funding commensurate with its capacity. Please note that NAAF funds, if awarded, are not considered federal funds and as such may be used to meet federal matching funds required, as appropriate. 

Yes, maximum 15%. We understand that effective programs require some overhead for staff and other expenses. However, we also must ensure that as much of these funds as possible is put to work directly benefitting Native farmers and ranchers.

Applicants for intermediary funding must demonstrate a record of successfully assisting nonprofits and communities, normally including experience in grantmaking, scholarships or loans, and that they have the ability to provide adequate due diligence for a re-granting, loan or scholarship program. 

Yes, as long as the departments work together to submit only one application from the Tribe per grant cycle (i.e., one application for 2021 RFA General and one application for 2021 RFA Youth). Tribal departments may collaborate on the same project, or they may pursue independent projects under separate focus areas. For example, the economic development department could apply for an agriculture infrastructure grant while the natural resources department seeks a climate resilience and conservation grant. In this case, the Tribal government would have a single application in which the two departments pursue independent projects in distinct focus areas. NAAF only allows one project per focus area. 

Yes, as long as each instrumentality seeking to apply is a distinct legal entity (i.e., files taxes separately). In this case, the instrumentalities would put forth separate applications, but they could not seek funding for the same exact project (double-dipping). 

Yes, as long as each instrumentality seeking to apply is a distinct legal entity (i.e., files taxes separately). In this case, the instrumentalities would put forth separate applications, but they could not seek funding for the same exact project (double-dipping). 

Applications will be screened first to determine whether the applicant is an eligible entity. If the applicant is an eligible entity their application will be reviewed by the review panel. All applications will be reviewed by the review panel unless they have been disqualified for one of three reasons: 1) failure to provide evidence of eligible entity status; 2) failure to include all required forms and information within their submitted application; or 3) failure to submit their application by the relevant closing deadline. The review panel will consider all evaluation criteria factors when deciding which organizations to submit to the Board of Trustees for final decisions for possible funding. 

No. There is a limited amount of money available during the 2021 RFA process and applications could exceed the total funds available to distribute. NAAF Board of Trustees will determine how much funding to release for project funding during each subsequent year. The funding levels for which applications will be sought, and the types of applications which will be sought may change from year to year. 

Please see page 27 of the 2021 RFA Overview for details. 

Access to capital can be improved by a variety of ways: improved access to technology; improved record-keeping skills; credit repair activities; business planning skills improvement; marketing planning skills improvement; advocating on behalf of Native farmers and ranchers so that their access to banking and financial services is improved; and activities that help people analyze and plan for mitigating risks they might face, to name a few. Please see the 2021 RFA Overview and our video for more details. 

Yes. All NAAF staff and all NAAF Board of Trustee members are required to comply with Conflict of Interest policies. Anyone involved in evaluating the applications will recuse themselves from evaluating any applications from entities with which they have a conflict of interest or an appearance of a conflict of interest. 

All information and documents received during this process are held in confidence and will become a part of the records of NAAF. All current and former applicants will have access to their former applications in a secure dashboard found on NAAF’s online grant portal. 

The maximum grant size depends on the eligible grant recipient type. In 2021, 501(c)(3) organizations, educational organizations and Tribes/instrumentalities are limited to requests in the range of $150,000 – $200,000 per category, while CDFIs have no lower/upper limit on requests. 

Funding for specific, eligible programs may be requested for expenditures expected to be made within 24 months (2 years) of receipt of a grant. NAAF will consider future requests for no-cost extensions of time to complete the funded project deliverables/activities. Applicants are free to request projects of a less than 2-year time frame (12 months or 18 months). Your application and related documents (budget and budget narrative) must be clear as to the length of time your project will utilize for implementation. 

Grants will expire at the end of the grant performance period. Grantees may apply for similar activities in future RFAs. 

All successful applicants will be required to provide quarterly (every three months) update reports through an online system. Those update reports will be required by deadlines outlined in the grant agreement which all successful applicants will be required to execute with NAAF before funds are transferred.