Cooperative Extension Service

The Cooperative Extension Service (CES) has an important role in reducing the impact of disasters through extension education. The Extension Special Needs program sponsors targeted projects that enable CES to assist in preparing for, providing an educational response to, and recovering from disasters. Education programming funded by this program will help communities, families and individuals become more self-sustaining by strengthening and increasing their resiliency to disaster. Some types of hazards and disaster related events funded in previous years include uncertainties caused by losses of economic infrastructure, severe weather or other natural disasters, security breaches, human disease, or high consequence animal diseases and plant pests. There has been an increase in public awareness regarding the number and severity of disaster type critical incidents involving earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes, wildfire, drought, contagious disease, and terrorist events. The National Academy of Sciences Committee on Environment and Natural Resources and the Subcommittee on Disaster Reduction of the National Science and Technology Council have acknowledged the many effective roles that the Cooperative Extension System (CES) has played in disaster preparedness, response and remediation. Within the states and territories, the CES has repeatedly served as the trusted community organization that has helped to enable families, communities, and businesses to successfully prepare for, respond to and cope with disaster losses and critical incidents. Once a disaster has occurred, the local extension outreach includes: 1) Communicating practical science-based risk information, 2) Developing relevant educational experiences and programs, 3) Working with individuals and communities to open new communication channels, and 4) Mitigating losses and facilitating recovery. Never was this more evident than after hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma in 2005 and during the 2008 Midwestern Summer flooding. During and after these incidents, local Extension agents served as a critical communication node throughout affected urban and rural areas, particularly when traditional communication systems were temporarily overwhelmed or destroyed. The Extension Special Needs RFA encourages proposals that specifically address one or more of the following six key target areas: 1. Education and Technical assistance through inter-disciplinary and multi-state disaster training programs and demonstration projects for problem solving, especially those which build upon already existing strengths, contribute to or expand the EDEN and/or eXtension educational materials related to disaster preparation, mitigation, response and recovery; 2. Collaboration with Federal, state and local agencies and other disaster relief organizations to support education and service activities that enhance recovery of impacted rural communities, schools, businesses and agricultural-based activities; 3. Long range family, community and regional planning projects that will enhance implementation of programs that serve public needs in preparation for, during and after emergency situations within impacted States and across impacted regions; 4. Communication delivery of key information that meets end-users’ needs in a timely fashion with consideration of potentially limited communication channels due to disaster situations; 5. Dissemination of credible, science-based information that is reliable and easily accessible even if electronic access is compromised; and 6. Integrated Research and Extension Planning Projects (up to $15,000) are intended to provide assistance to applicants in bringing together teams for the development of highly competitive grant proposals where extension personnel would apply for large grants (in excess of $250,000) from other grant programs and lead nationally important disaster prevention, protection and mitigation projects. Fundable projects should support education and extension activities which: 1. Reduce risk through planning, disaster preparedness and emergency response by improving communication between the public, community leaders, state and Federal agencies; 2. Develop strategies and educational materials and/or programming in the area of emergency planning, infrastructure design and disaster recovery operation; 3. Develop community networks that provide real-time disaster education information;

ederal
State (includes District of Columbia, public institutions of higher education and hospitals)
Public nonprofit institution/organization (includes institutions of higher education and hospitals)
Other public institution/organization
U.S. Territories and possessions (includes institutions of higher education and hospitals)
Minority group
Private nonprofit institution/organization (includes institutions of higher education and hospitals)
Other private institutions/organizations
Anyone/general public

Applications are subjected to a system of peer and merit review in accordance with section 103 of the Agricultural Research, Extension and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7613) by a panel of qualified scientists and other appropriate persons who are specialists in the field covered by the proposal. Within the limit of funds available for such purpose, the NIFA Authorized Departmental Officer (ADO) shall make grants to those responsible, eligible applicants whose applications are judged most meritorious under the procedures set forth in the RFA. Reviewers will be selected based upon training and experience in relevant scientific, extension, or education fields, taking into account the following factors: (a) The level of relevant formal scientific, technical education, or extension experience of the individual, as well as the extent to which an individual is engaged in relevant research, education, or extension activities; (b) the need to include as reviewers experts from various areas of specialization within relevant scientific, education, or extension fields; (c) the need to include as reviewers other experts (e.g., producers, range or forest managers/operators, and consumers) who can assess relevance of the applications to targeted audiences and to program needs; (d) the need to include as reviewers experts from a variety of organizational types (e.g., colleges, universities, industry, state and Federal agencies, private profit and non-profit organizations) and geographic locations; (e) the need to maintain a balanced composition of reviewers with regard to minority and female representation and an equitable age distribution; and (f) the need to include reviewers who can judge the effective usefulness to producers and the general public of each application. Evaluation Criteria will be delineated in the Competitive Request for Applications (RFA)

Contact the National Program Leader (NPL) regarding dates for specific deadlines, start and end dates, and range of approval/disapproval time. Information is also available via our website and may be obtained via the Grants.gov website. NIFA’s respective links regarding general information are provided below: http://nifa.usda.gov/ http://www.grants.gov.