2019 Market Access Program (MAP) | 2018 09871

Opportunity Information: Apply for 2018 09871

The 2019 Market Access Program (MAP) is a competitive grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), administered through the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) Office of Trade Programs, aimed at helping U.S. agricultural interests build and grow overseas markets. The program is authorized under Section 203 of the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 5623), as amended, and is governed by regulations at 7 CFR part 1485. In practical terms, MAP is built around cost-sharing: FAS enters into agreements with selected participants to share the expenses of eligible international marketing and promotional activities intended to increase demand for U.S. agricultural commodities and products abroad.

The core purpose of MAP is to encourage the development, maintenance, and expansion of commercial export markets for U.S. agricultural goods. Nearly all U.S. agricultural commodities and products can be considered, with tobacco specifically excluded. Rather than funding general domestic operations, the program is oriented toward overseas market development work, such as promotional campaigns and related marketing efforts in foreign countries. The emphasis is on activities that can reasonably be tied to export market outcomes and that support long-term trade growth for U.S. agriculture.

Awards are made through a competitive process, with applications evaluated using criteria described in the notice and in the MAP regulations. A key theme in the evaluation approach is performance and measurable impact, aligning with the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) of 1993. FAS looks for applicants that present a clear, long-term trade strategy and a workable timeline, along with concrete ways to measure results at specific intervals. Strong applications are expected to include quantifiable goals, such as product-specific or country-specific targets, and to show how the proposed work will contribute to creating new markets, expanding existing ones, or maintaining established markets. FAS also places weight on whether proposals are aimed at markets that offer the strongest potential for growth, reflecting an overall resource allocation strategy focused on funding applicants that can demonstrate performance and alignment with GPRA-related objectives.

Eligibility for this opportunity includes state governments, federally recognized Native American tribal governments, and nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education). The funding instrument is a grant, listed under CFDA 10.601, and the opportunity is categorized as discretionary within the agriculture funding activity area. The issuing agency is USDA, Office of Trade Programs.

In terms of funding, MAP historically had statutory authority providing up to $200 million annually through fiscal year (FY) 2018, and the opportunity materials reference an award ceiling of $200,000,000 with an expectation of around 70 awards. However, for FY 2019, Congress had not yet set the program funding level at the time this notice of funding opportunity (NOFA) was released. Because of that, USDA explicitly noted that publishing the NOFA in advance of an appropriation did not guarantee funding for any specific application, did not guarantee a specific number of awards, and did not commit the agency to make awards at any particular level if appropriations were reduced or delayed.

Key administrative details from the announcement include a creation date of May 10, 2018, and an original closing date of June 8, 2018, under Funding Opportunity Number 2018 09871. Overall, the MAP opportunity is best understood as a performance-oriented, cost-share export promotion grant program designed to help eligible U.S. organizations expand foreign demand for U.S. agricultural products through targeted, measurable, and strategically justified overseas marketing efforts.

• The Department of Agriculture, Office of Trade Programs in the agriculture sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "2019 Market Access Program (MAP)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.601.
• This funding opportunity was created on May 10, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 08, 2018. (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 $200,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 70 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.

Apply for 2018 09871

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