(a) The Department of Agriculture and the Nation depend upon sound programs in the food and agricultural sciences at the Nation's colleges and universities to produce well trained professionals for careers in the food and agricultural sciences. The capacity of institutions to offer suitable programs in the food and agricultural sciences to meet the Nation's need for a well trained work force in the food and agricultural sciences is a proper concern for the Department.

(b) Historically, the Department has had a close relationship with the 1890 colleges and universities, including Tuskegee University. Through its role as administrator of the Second Morrill Act, the Department has borne the responsibility for helping these institutions develop to their fullest potential in order to meet the needs of students and the needs of the Nation.

(c) The institutional capacity building grants program is intended to stimulate development of quality education and research programs at these institutions in order that they may better assist the Department, on behalf of the Nation, in its mission of providing a professional work force in the food and agricultural sciences.

(d) This program is designed specifically to build the institutional teaching and research capacities of the 1890 land-grant institutions through cooperative programs with Federal and non-Federal entities. The program is competitive among the 1890 Institutions and encourages matching funds on the part of the States, private organizations, and other non-Federal entities to encourage expanded linkages with 1890 Institutions as performers of research and education, and as developers of scientific and professional talent for the United States food and agricultural system. In addition, through this program, NIFA will strive to increase the overall pool of qualified job applicants from underrepresented groups in order to make significant progress toward achieving the objectives of work force diversity within the Federal Government, particularly the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The Department strongly encourages and may require non-Federal matching support for this program. In the annual program solicitation, NIFA will announce any incentives that may be offered to applicants for committing their own institutional resources or securing third party contributions in support of capacity building projects. NIFA may also announce any required fixed dollar amount or percentage of institutional cost sharing, if applicable.

(a) Each application must provide documentation that at least one USDA agency or office has agreed to cooperate with the applicant institution on the proposed project. The documentation should describe the expected benefits of the partnership venture for the USDA agency and for the 1890 Institution, and describe the partnership effort between USDA and the 1890 Institution in regard to the proposed project. Such USDA agency cooperation may include, but is not limited to, assisting the applicant institution with proposal development, identifying possible sources of matching funds, securing resources, implementing funded projects, providing technical assistance and expertise throughout the life of the project, participating in project evaluation, and disseminating project results.

(b) The designated NIFA agency contact can provide suggestions to institutions seeking to secure a USDA agency cooperator on a particular proposal.

(c) USDA 1890 Liaison Officers, and other USDA employees serving on the campuses of the 1890 colleges and universities, may assist with proposal development and project execution to satisfy the cooperator requirement, in whole or in part, but may not serve as project directors or principal investigators.

(d) Any USDA office responsible for administering a competitive or formula grants program specifically targeted to 1890 Institutions may not be a cooperator for this program.

This program supports both teaching project grants and research project grants. Such grants are intended to strengthen the teaching and research capabilities of applicant institutions. Each 1890 Institution may submit one or more grant applications for either category of grants (as allowed by the annual program notice). However, each application must be limited to either a teaching project grant proposal or a research project grant proposal.

Applicants are encouraged to submit joint project proposals as defined in § 3406.2, which address regional or national problems and which will result overall in strengthening the 1890 university system. The goals of such joint initiatives should include maximizing the use of limited resources by generating a critical mass of expertise and activity focused on a targeted need area(s), increasing cost-effectiveness through achieving economies of scale, strengthening the scope and quality of a project's impact, and promoting coalition building likely to transcend the project's lifetime and lead to future ventures.

Institutions may submit proposals that are complementary in nature as defined in § 3406.2. Such complementary project proposals may be submitted by the same or by different eligible institutions.

Under the 1890 Institution Capacity Building Grants Program, the use of grant funds to plan, acquire, or construct a building or facility is not allowed. With prior approval, in accordance with the cost principles set forth in 2 CFR part 200, some grant funds may be used for minor alterations, renovations, or repairs deemed necessary to retrofit existing teaching or research spaces in order to carry out a funded project. However, requests to use grant funds for such purposes must demonstrate that the alterations, renovations, or repairs are incidental to the major purpose for which a grant is made.