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Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA)  Cooperative Agreement Program

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PROGRAM OVERVIEW

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Purpose and Authorization

The Local Food Purchase Assistance program maintains and improves food and agricultural supply chain resiliency through non-competitive cooperative agreements to State and Federally Recognized Tribal Governments.

States and Tribal Governments will enter into non-competitive cooperative agreements with USDA for the purchase of local domestic food targeting socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers to be distributed targeting underserved communities.

Authorized and funded under Section 1001(b)(4) the American Rescue Plan Act (P.L. 117-2).

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Three Overarching Goals

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Provide an opportunity for States and Tribal Governments to strengthen their local and regional food system.

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Help to support local and socially disadvantaged farmers/producers through building and expanding economic opportunities.

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Establish, strengthen, and broaden partnerships with producers and the food distribution community, local food networks, and non-profits- distributing fresh and nutritious foods in rural, remote, or underserved communities.

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   How it will work

Procurement

State and Tribal Governments will procure domestic, local foods from local farmers and ranchers. 

Targeted purchases from socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers to expand existing local food networks. 

Documented procurement procedures must be in place and consistent with applicable State, local, and tribal laws and regulations, and conform to the procurement standards identified in 2 CFR § through 2 CFR § 200.327. 

Distribution

State and Tribal Governments will distribute the food within their State or region targeting underserved communities.

Distribution to communities not normally served through traditional food distribution networks is encouraged.

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Program Funding

$400 million for 50 states, U.S. territories, and federally recognized tribal governments

Two-year period of performance from the time of award (2022 – 2024) 

Section 2.5 of the Request for Applications (RFA) includes a table with the allocation available by state or territory.

(https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/LFPA_RFA.pdf)

Allocations are based on the FY 2022 The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) formula

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Eligible Applicants

State agencies, commissions, or departments that are responsible for agriculture, procurement, food distribution, emergency response or similar activities within the State. 

Federally recognized Tribal Governments

One award per State or territory; agencies within the State must coordinate if more than one agency wishes to implement this program. 

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Program Timeline

Request for Applications (RFA) released on 12/6/21 

Applications due April 5th, 2022

Awards will be made as they are submitted, reviewed, and approved

Cooperative Agreements will be in place for up to 2 years

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Technical Assistance

Cooperative Agreement support

Cooperative Agreement writing tips

Grants.gov, and ezFedGrants assistance

Implementation Support

Dedicated outreach resource website

Coordination between award recipients to share best practices

Provide contracting expertise

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APPLICATION PROCESS

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Application Package

Registration at both Grants.gov and ezFedGrants.gov 

Standard Form 424 (Fillable PDF in Grants.gov)

Project Narrative Form (not more than 20 additional pages)

Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA) - if applicable

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Proposal Narrative

Executive Summary

Summary of 250 words or less about the project’s purpose and expected outcomes, suitable for dissemination to the public.

Alignment and Intent

List objectives the project hopes to achieve

Project beneficiaries

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Proposal Narrative

Work Plan

Describe how you will meet the objectives of the program. This includes demonstrating that your organization and subrecipients can carry out the procurements with ample:

Planning

Resources 

Financial controls

Reporting ability 

Risk management plans

Timeline & milestones

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Achievability

Data collected will measure the impact of the program.

Outcome 1- Purchases

Number of local farmers/ranchers 

Value of food purchases

Value of food purchased from socially disadvantaged producers

Outcome 2- Recipients

Number of locations for distribution

Value of food distributed

Value of food distributed to underserved communities

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Achievability

Outcome 3 - Applicants will include a narrative estimating the following:

New marking opportunities established by;

Purchasing from local and regional farmers and ranchers.

Socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers.

Purchases distributed beyond current food distribution networks.

Outcome 4 (optional) – Unique outcome not covered by outcomes 1-3

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Project Plan

Additional sections of the narrative to be completed include:

Expertise and Partners

Fiscal Plan and Resources

Budget and Justification

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Indirect/Direct Costs

AMS expects the predominance of the budget be dedicated to the purchase of food.

Applicants may request indirect costs:

Applicants may use their Negotiated Indirect Cost Agreement (NICRA), if one exists.

In lieu of a NICRA, applicants may request a de minimis 10% indirect cost rate.

Applicants may also request direct costs for:

Storage & Distribution – not construction

Administrative expenses

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AWARDING AGREEMENTS

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   The LFPA Award Process

Program funds will be awarded through a noncompetitive process.

Funding will be distributed incrementally to ensure that all interested applicants have an opportunity for an award. 

Initial awards will not exceed 60 percent of the TEFAP allocation to ensure tribal governments are given an opportunity to respond. 

Applications for cooperative agreement will be awarded based on acceptability and ability to meet the goals of the Program.

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REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

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   Quarterly and Annual Reports

Quarterly Report:

Recipients are required to provide quarterly progress and financial reports. Quarterly reports will include:

 data on procurements and distributions to ensure program goals are met. 

Annual and Final Reports:

Recipients are required to provide annual reports at the end of each performance year and final reports are required at the end of the agreement.  The report(s) will include:

a summary of the data from the quarterly progress reports.

narrative addressing the new marketing opportunities for the socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers.

reporting of distributions carried out to reach additional underserved communities.  

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Single Audit Requirement

Federal law requires audits of all entities that spend $750,000 or more in Federal funding within their fiscal year

Evaluates operations and internal controls

Requires financial statement that includes:

Schedule of expenditures

Notes that describe accounting policies

Summary schedule of prior audit findings, if applicable

Corrective action plan for findings

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SUBMITTING AN APPLICATION

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Submitting the Application

Obtain a DUNS Number

Register with System for Award Management (SAM)

Steps 1 and 2 can take up to 3 to 4 weeks

Grants.gov

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Must Register on ezFedGrants.gov (eFG)

Create an eAuth account

https://www.eauth.usda.gov/eauth/b/usda/home

EzfedGrants.gov

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Need Assistance? 

24/7 Grants.gov support

support@grants.gov

 1-800-518-4726

Grants.gov webpage (https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/support.html)

eAuthentication Account Creation

Contact the eAuthentication Help Desk: 

 1-800-457-3642 (Option 1)

 eAuthHelpDesk@ftc.usda.gov

EzfedGrants questions

Help Desk at ezFedGrants-cfo@usda.gov.

External User Onboarding-  https://nfc.usda.gov/FSS/Training/Online/ezFedGrants/Resources/JA-Onboarding_Quick_Reference.pdf

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CONTACTS & RESOURCES

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Outreach Resources

An outreach resources website has been established for the LFPA program that includes:

Resources for states and tribes 

Resources for socially disadvantaged producers

https://www.ams.usda.gov/selling-food-to-usda/lfpacap/outreach-resources

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For more information

LFPA website

https://www.ams.usda.gov/selling-food-to-usda/lfpacap

Additional questions

LFPA@usda.gov

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