Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NIFA FBMB 008821
The Farm Business Management and Benchmarking (FBMB) Competitive Grants Program is a discretionary grant opportunity run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA NIFA). Its central purpose is to strengthen the farm management abilities of agricultural producers by supporting the maintenance and expansion of a national, publicly available farm financial management database. In practical terms, the program funds work that collects, organizes, and shares farm financial and management data in a way that helps producers, educators, researchers, and advisors compare performance, identify trends, and make better-informed business decisions. The emphasis is not only on data collection, but also on building a robust benchmarking resource that improves how farm businesses plan, evaluate risk, and measure financial health over time.
The opportunity is listed under Funding Opportunity Number USDA NIFA FBMB 008821 and is categorized as a grant (Funding Instrument Type: Grant) within the Agriculture funding activity area. The associated CFDA number is 10.319. The notice indicates an award ceiling of $500,000, meaning proposals can request up to that maximum amount per award under this announcement. The original closing date for applications was April 8, 2022, and the opportunity record shows a creation date of January 19, 2022. While the summary does not specify the number of awards expected, it frames the program as a competitive grant, so applications are evaluated against the published Request for Applications (RFA) requirements and selection criteria.
Eligibility is broad but still governed by the statute referenced in the announcement (7 U.S.C. 3157(b)(7)) and by the specific RFA requirements. Eligible applicants include state agricultural experiment stations; colleges and universities; university research foundations; other research institutions and organizations; federal agencies; national laboratories; private organizations or corporations; individuals; and partnerships or groups consisting of two or more of those eligible entity types. In other words, applicants can come from public, private, academic, and governmental settings, and collaborative applications are explicitly allowed. The announcement also notes that award recipients may subcontract to organizations that are not themselves eligible to apply, as long as those subcontractors are necessary to carry out the project. This provides flexibility for grantees to bring in specialized technical providers, data services, software developers, or other partners needed to maintain or expand the database and related benchmarking functions.
A key compliance point is that applicants must meet all eligibility and application requirements laid out in the RFA by the deadline. The announcement makes clear that failing to satisfy the eligibility criteria on time can lead to an application being excluded from consideration or prevent NIFA from making an award. It also points new applicants to NIFA's grants overview resources, signaling that the program follows standard federal financial assistance rules and expectations around submission, documentation, and award management. Overall, the FBMB program is designed to support a national-scale farm financial benchmarking capability, with the ultimate goal of improving farm business decision-making and management outcomes through better data access and comparability.Apply for USDA NIFA FBMB 008821
- The National Institute of Food and Agriculture in the agriculture sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Farm Business Management and Benchmarking Competitive Grants Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.319.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2022-01-19.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-04-08. (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 $500,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Others.
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Farm Business Management and Benchmarking (FBMB) Competitive Grants Program FAQs
What is the Farm Business Management and Benchmarking (FBMB) Competitive Grants Program?
The Farm Business Management and Benchmarking (FBMB) Competitive Grants Program is a discretionary, competitive grant program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA NIFA). It supports projects that strengthen farm business management by maintaining and expanding a national, publicly available farm financial management database used for benchmarking and trend analysis.
What is the main purpose of this grant opportunity?
The central purpose is to improve agricultural producers' farm management capabilities by funding work that builds and sustains a national benchmarking resource. The program emphasizes not only collecting farm financial and management data, but organizing and sharing it in ways that help compare performance, identify trends, evaluate risk, and measure financial health over time.
What types of activities does the program fund?
Based on the opportunity summary, the program funds efforts to collect, organize, and share farm financial and management data for a national, publicly available farm financial management database. The intent is to enable benchmarking that supports better-informed business decision-making for producers and useful analysis for educators, researchers, and advisors.
Who is expected to benefit from the funded work?
The database and benchmarking outputs are intended to help agricultural producers, as well as educators, researchers, and advisors, by improving the ability to compare business performance, spot trends, and support stronger farm planning and financial decision-making.
Which agency runs this program?
This program is run by USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA NIFA).
Is this a competitive grant?
Yes. The opportunity is described as a competitive grants program. Applications are evaluated against the requirements and selection criteria published in the program's Request for Applications (RFA).
What is the funding opportunity number for this program?
The Funding Opportunity Number is USDA NIFA FBMB 008821.
What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?
The associated CFDA number is 10.319.
What is the funding instrument type?
The Funding Instrument Type is Grant.
What is the funding activity area?
The funding activity area is Agriculture.
What is the maximum award amount that can be requested?
The notice lists an award ceiling of $500,000, meaning proposals may request up to $500,000 per award under this announcement.
Does the opportunity summary say how many awards will be made?
No. The summary does not specify the number of awards expected.
What was the application closing date listed in the opportunity record?
The original closing date for applications was April 8, 2022.
What is the creation date shown for the opportunity record?
The opportunity record shows a creation date of January 19, 2022.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad but must follow the statute referenced in the announcement (7 U.S.C. 3157(b)(7)) and the RFA requirements. Eligible applicants include:
- State agricultural experiment stations
- Colleges and universities
- University research foundations
- Other research institutions and organizations
- Federal agencies
- National laboratories
- Private organizations or corporations
- Individuals
- Partnerships or groups consisting of two or more eligible entity types
Are partnerships or collaborative applications allowed?
Yes. The eligibility description explicitly includes partnerships or groups consisting of two or more eligible entity types, indicating that collaborative applications are allowed.
Can an award recipient subcontract parts of the work?
Yes. The announcement states that award recipients may subcontract to organizations that are not themselves eligible to apply, as long as those subcontractors are necessary to carry out the project.
Does a subcontractor need to be eligible to apply directly to the program?
Not necessarily. While prime applicants must be eligible under the statute and RFA, the announcement notes that award recipients may subcontract to organizations that are not eligible to apply, as long as those subcontractors are necessary for the project.
What kinds of subcontractors might be involved?
The summary notes flexibility to bring in specialized providers needed to maintain or expand the database and benchmarking functions, such as technical providers, data services, software developers, or other partners.
What statute governs eligibility for this program?
The announcement references 7 U.S.C. 3157(b)(7) as the statute tied to eligibility, along with the specific requirements in the RFA.
What happens if an applicant does not meet eligibility or application requirements by the deadline?
The announcement states that failing to satisfy eligibility criteria and application requirements by the deadline can cause an application to be excluded from consideration or prevent NIFA from making an award.
Where are the detailed requirements and selection criteria defined?
The opportunity indicates that detailed requirements and selection criteria are provided in the Request for Applications (RFA). Applicants must follow the RFA to meet program expectations.
Is the program focused only on data collection?
No. The emphasis is both on data collection and on building a robust, publicly available benchmarking resource. The goal is to improve how farm businesses plan, evaluate risk, and track financial health over time through better data access and comparability.
What is the intended end result of the FBMB program?
The program is designed to support a national-scale farm financial benchmarking capability that improves farm business decision-making and management outcomes by making farm financial and management data more accessible, comparable, and useful over time.
Are there any notes for new applicants?
The announcement points new applicants to NIFA's grants overview resources and indicates the program follows standard federal financial assistance rules and expectations related to submission, documentation, and award management.
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