NOTICES
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Pennsylvania Wine Marketing and Research Board; Grant Solicitation and Application Procedures
[49 Pa.B. 3217]
[Saturday, June 22, 2019]The Pennsylvania Wine Marketing and Research Program Board (Board) annually, or more frequently as the availability of fund permits, solicits applications for grants to conduct promotion, marketing and research projects to increase the quality, profitability, production and sale of wines, enhance the wine industry and benefit wine producers of this Commonwealth.
The Board was established by the Department of Agriculture (Department) under 3 Pa.C.S. §§ 4501—4513 (relating to Agricultural Commodities Marketing Act) (ACMA). Its composition, funding and duties were subsequently expanded by section 488.1 of the Liquor Code (47 P.S. § 4-488.1).
The Board makes awards of grants from its own funds generated by the methods set forth in the ACMA and makes recommendations for the awarding of grants by the Liquor Control Board from funds provided through the Liquor Code (47 P.S. §§ 1-101—10-1001).
This notice establishes the procedures by which grant applications will be solicited, reviewed and grants awarded.
1. Grant Solicitation. The Board will be accepting grant applications for the purposes, in the form and according to the schedule set forth herein for a period of not less than 30 days beginning on the date of publication of this notice in the Pennsylvania Bulletin. Additional publication and dissemination of this notice shall be made to applicants who have previously submitted grant applications to, or received grants from, the Board, State universities and State-supported universities located in this Commonwealth, universities with colleges of agricultural science located in this Commonwealth and individuals or entities who have requested notification from the Department or the Board of grant availability.
2. Process Overview. The Board will employ the review process described as follows to select projects: (a) to fund by making a grant from its ACMA funds; or (b) to recommend to the Liquor Control Board for the making of a grant.
a. In the event of an ACMA-funded grant, the terms and conditions of the grant will be governed by a grant agreement between the Board and the applicant which shall be tendered to the applicant for execution, returnable in no more than 30 days.
b. In the event of a recommendation to the Liquor Control Board to make and fund a grant, the decision as to whether to award a grant will be made by the Liquor Control Board. If the Liquor Control Board approves the grant recommendation, the terms and conditions of the grant will be governed by a grant agreement between the Liquor Control Board and the applicant, which shall be tendered to the applicant for execution by the Board on behalf of the Liquor Control Board, returnable in no more than 30 days.
3. Concept Paper and Application Deadlines.
a. Concept Paper. Interested applicants must deliver a one-page concept paper, plus a one-page draft budget, by e-mail by Friday, August 9, 2019, to chariley@pa.gov.
b. Application. Applicants whose concept papers are approved by the Board will be invited to submit a Project Proposal and Grant Application, in the form set forth in paragraph 5 of this notice, to the Board by 4 p.m. on Friday, October 25, 2019. Proposals should be sent electronically to chariley@pa.gov and 16 hard copies must be hand-delivered or sent by United States Mail and postmarked on or before the same date. Applications should be addressed and delivered to the Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Market Development, Attn: Agricultural Commodity Board Grant Program, 2301 North Cameron Street, Harrisburg, PA 17110-9408.
c. Presentations. Applicants must be prepared to provide a brief 3-minute presentation of their proposal to the Board, and answer questions, either in person or by means of conference call, at the Board's next scheduled meeting on Tuesday, November 19, 2019, at 10 a.m. The meeting will be held in Room 202, Agriculture Building, 2301 North Cameron Street, Harrisburg, PA.
4. Format of the Concept Paper. The concept paper shall include:
a. Organization/Business Type. List the applicant's organization/business type.
b. Organization/Business Information. List the organization/business name along with the contact information and the amount of grant funds the entity is requesting.
c. Project Coordinator/Qualifications. Identify the person who will be directing the proposed project and clearly state their qualifications.
d. Organization History. Indicate whether the organization has ever received prior Wine Marketing and Research Program Board or agriculture-related grant funds.
e. Project Purpose. In one or two paragraphs, clearly state the specific issue, problem, interest or need, and how the project will address it. Explain why the project is important and timely.
f. Estimated Timeline. State the estimated timeline for the proposed project.
g. Expected Measurable Outcomes. What are the goals and objectives of the project? How do the objectives support the goals? Goals are long-term broad visions and may take time to achieve. Objectives are significant steps that must be completed to achieve the goal. Objective statements should focus on the outcome, rather than the methods used. Each goal should have one or more objectives. Describe at least one distinct, quantifiable and measurable outcome that directly and meaningfully supports the project's purpose. Typically, outcomes are those measures that are quantifiable, measure direct benefit and are documented through data or information collection.
h. Preliminary Project Work Plan. List the major tasks of the proposed project.
i. Draft Budget. State the budget for the proposed project using guidance from paragraph 5.d. If a project is selected to submit a proposal, more detailed budget information will be required.
5. Format of the Project Proposal and Grant Application. The project proposal and grant application shall be formatted as follows:
a. A cover page, titled Pennsylvania Wine Marketing and Research Program—Project Proposal and Grant Application, providing: the title of the proposed project; the name and address of the applicant; the name, address, telephone number and e-mail address of the applicant's principal contact person for matters relating to the application; and the total maximum grant amount sought for the proposed project or program.
b. Section 1, titled Statement of Purpose, explaining or presenting: the purpose for which the grant funds would be utilized; details of the proposed project, including a statement of expected impact of outcomes, staffing for the project, and objectives and methodologies; and whether, how and to what anticipated extent the proposed promotion, marketing or research project increases the quality, profitability, production and sale of wines, enhances the wine industry and benefits wine producers of this Commonwealth.
c. Section 2, titled Statement of Need, explaining the need for the grant funds sought, and identifying the presence of any additional funding partners and the extent of that funding.
d. Section 3, titled Budget, presenting a detailed budget for the proposed project or program, including an itemized breakdown of: all personnel by name devoted to the project, their professional qualifications, the amount of time calculated by hours and the tasks to be performed by each of the named personnel; each and every item of direct expense to be incurred in the project separately set forth, including all purchases of consumable or non-consumable goods or equipment, listing the disposition of all non-consumable goods or equipment upon completion of the project; all travel by dates, purpose, destination, mode of transportation and rate; a full breakdown of other costs, if any, and the method used to calculate those costs. See also paragraph 10.
e. Section 4, titled Criteria for Measuring Outcomes, identifying methods for measuring outcomes.
f. Section 5, titled Industry Involvement, describing the extent of any support, participation and funding from this Commonwealth's wine industry, including any written confirmation of that support, participation or funding.
6. Scoring of Applications. The Board will evaluate each complete and timely-filed project proposal and grant application it receives, which shall include a 100-point scale assessing:
a. Up to 20 points for the project needs statement.
b. Up to 20 points for the expected impact of project outcomes.
c. Up to 20 points for the promotion, marketing or research methodology.
d. Up to 20 points for overall project evaluation.
e. Up to 20 points for support and participation from industry.
7. Scores. Upon completion of evaluations, the Board will prepare a record identifying each complete and timely-filed project proposal and grant application received and the numerical score assigned to each. In the event of an ACMA-funded grant, the Board will award grants based upon its evaluation and scoring. In the event of one or more recommendations to the Liquor Control Board to make and fund a grant, the Board will transmit to the Liquor Control Board the project proposal and grant application, along with the score assigned to it by the Board and any other information deemed relevant by the Board or requested by the Liquor Control Board. Request will be made by the Board that the Liquor Control Board respond to all recommendations for grant approval within 30 days.
8. Term of Grants. Applications should be submitted for projects to begin after July 1, 2019, on a date within Fiscal Year 2019-2020 (July 1, 2019—June 30, 2020). Anticipated completion dates will be dictated by the project scope and parameters and may exceed 12 months from commencement if the project so warrants. The Board may award, or recommend that the Liquor Control Board approve, grant funding for multiyear projects or extensions of an on-going project, if the Board identifies that a multiyear term or an extension advances the grant's objectives. Requests for extensions of ongoing projects shall be made, evaluated and processed in accordance with all the requirements of this notice. Progress reports are to be delivered by e-mail to chariley@pa.gov no later than October 1 and April 1 every year for the duration of the project, or as requested by the Board. Final reports and invoice should be submitted within 90 days of contract end date.
9. Notice of Award. Applicants shall be notified by mail of the decision on their grant applications by the Board. Best efforts will be made to do so within 60 days of the application deadline.
10. Grant Agreement. With the mailed grant award notice, the Board will provide applicants with a grant agreement for execution and return within 30 days. The Board will obtain the required signature on the grant agreements, including the Liquor Control Board, if necessary, and any other required Commonwealth entities, and return a copy to the applicant. No grant agreement is effective and work should not begin until all required signatures have been applied to the grant agreement. Among the terms of the grant agreement shall be a requirement that the grant recipient provide the Board full and complete access to all records relating to the performance of the project and submit information as the Board may require.
11. Nonmatching Cost-Reimbursement Grant and Indirect Costs Cap. Grants made hereunder do not require the applicant secure or devote a matching sum to the project. Payment of grant funds will occur on a reimbursement basis only. Grant awards will include an allowance for indirect costs of 10%. In the case of graduate student participation, reasonable stipends will be allowed, and tuition will not be allowed.
RUSSELL C. REDDING,
Secretary
[Pa.B. Doc. No. 19-931. Filed for public inspection June 21, 2019, 9:00 a.m.]
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