CDFA workshop details FREP grant priorities, deadlines and award sizes

A presenter from the California Department of Food and Agriculture summarized the Fertilizer Research and Education Program (FREP) grant process during a workshop, saying FREP typically supports four to six full proposals per funding cycle and funds projects that advance nutrient and irrigation management practices in California agriculture.

"FREP's mission is to advance agricultural nutrient and irrigation management practices through research, education, and outreach to promote agricultural productivity and protect human and environmental health in California," the presenter said.

The presenter said FREP is an industry-funded program that receives money through a mill assessment on fertilizer sales and serves farmers, ranchers, crop advisers, technical assistance providers, agricultural workers, supply and service professionals and academic communities. FREP does not fund proprietary product development, testing or promotion, and it does not accept applications from entities outside California.

Applicants are advised to consult the FREP grants webpage and the request for preproposals (RFP) for specific deadlines and instructions. The presenter said preproposals are due in April and full proposals are due in July; applicants will receive notification on preproposals in February and notifications for full proposals in October. If a proposal is recommended for funding, grant work may begin Jan. 1 after a completed grant agreement; FREP funding cannot cover expenses incurred before the official project start date.

Award sizes and project length: FREP typically supports proposals that run one to three years. Outreach and education projects may receive up to $75,000 per year, while research projects may receive up to $100,000 per year. The program also may consider requests for additional time or funding on a case-by-case basis.

The presenter described two funding categories: (1) outreach, education and training, which includes priorities such as materials for non-English speakers and technical training for field staff; and (2) research and demonstration, which focuses on innovative practices, technologies and understanding nutrient loss pathways and crop-specific management knowledge gaps.

On the review process, the presenter said preproposals are sent to the fertilizer inspection advisory board’s technical advisory subcommittee (the task), an expert scientific panel that includes members from academia, the fertilizer industry, public and government agencies, and the agricultural community. The task evaluates preproposals on whether they address program priorities, scientific or educational merit, clarity of overview, and correct use of the preproposal template, and it decides which teams to invite to submit full proposals. Applicants who submit preproposals will receive feedback and successful applicants are encouraged to incorporate that feedback into full proposals.

Full proposals are similarly reviewed against criteria including justification, clear objectives and hypothesis, an appropriate work plan and methods, applicant expertise and resources, and a reasonable detailed budget. The task recommends proposals for funding to the fertilizer inspection advisory board.

Grantee responsibilities include submitting progress reports and invoices for payment, conducting at least three outreach events per year (examples included presentations at industry meetings, field days or trade publication articles), and contributing an interpretive summary and at least one presentation at the annual FREP conference.

To submit a preproposal, the presenter instructed applicants to use the provided preproposal template and to email submissions to cdfa.FREPgrants@CDFA.CA.gov. Applicants are told to expect an acknowledgement within 24 hours; late or incomplete submissions will not be accepted. For general questions the presenter provided frep@cdfa.ca.gov.

The workshop closed with the presenter encouraging attendees to review the RFP and submit preproposals in April.