Acer Access Development Program

 

To support the efforts of such States, tribal governments, and research institutions to promote the domestic maple syrup industry through the following activities: (1) Promotion of research and education related to maple syrup production. (2) Promotion of natural resource sustainability in the maple syrup industry. (3) Market promotion for maple syrup and maple-sap products. (4) Encouragement of owners and operators of privately held land containing species of trees in the genus Acer- (A) to initiate or expand maple-sugaring activities on the land; or (B) to voluntarily make the land available, including by lease or other means, for access by the public for maple-sugaring activities.

Active 10.174 Agricultural Marketing Service, Department of Agriculture B - Project Grants Fiscal Year 2018 Accomplishments can be found at www.ams.usda.gov/grants.
Fiscal Year 2022 Please see https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/grants/acer/awards 7 U.S.C. 1632c
The Acer Access and Development Program (Acer Program) was authorized by section 12306 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (Public Law 113—79) and amended under section 12501 of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (Public Law 115—334) (7 U.S.C. § 1632c) State agencies, tribal governments, and research institutions. Producers, processors, marketing agencies, and general public. A grant agreement is entered into between AMS and the eligible entity that submits the application. OMB Guidance for Grants Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards at 2 CFR ? 200 and 2 CFR ? 400 applies to this program. 2 CFR ? 200, Subpart E - Cost Principles applies to this program. Preapplication coordination is not applicable. 2 CFR 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards applies to this program. 2 CFR 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards applies to this program. 2 CFR ? 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards applies to this program. AMS only accepts electronic applications which are submitted via Grants.gov in response to specific RFA. Please refer to the RFA for further details for submitting applications. The most current RFAs are available at www.ams.usda.gov/grants. Any specific instructions in the RFAs supersede the general information provided in the Assistance Listing database. AMS outlines the merit review process in each grant program's RFA. After the application deadline has passed, AMS begins a three-step process to evaluate each application. Grant agreements are established with applicants based on the results of this three-step process to ensure compliance with requirement that Federal awarding agencies maintain a fair, unbiased merit review process in selecting competitively awarded grants. The Initial Qualification Screening is Step 1. In this step, each application is reviewed for overall completeness, as well as compliance with eligibility and program requirements. Applications that met these basic requirements moved forward to Step 2. Step 2 is the Technical Review. Applications are evaluated by panels of external peer reviewers with selected expertise representing various entities with programmatic knowledge. To eliminate bias, AMS assigns applications to reviewers outside of their own geographic areas and avoid project assignments associated with reviewer businesses. Each reviewer signs a conflict of interest and confidentiality agreement. Reviewers that indicate a real or perceived conflict do not review the affected application(s) and are removed. The peer review panels evaluate their assigned applications using instructions prepared by AMS officials. Individual reviewers score applications and then confer with other panel members. The scoring and discussion serve as the basis for awarding and allocating grant funds and focuses on strengths and weaknesses of each proposal. The third step is the Administrative Review (Step 3). AMS conducts a final administrative evaluation of each application in the review panels' top rankings and recommendations. In addition to the applications' scores, each award is reviewed to ensure that the recommended applications align with the grant program's statutory purpose and that the budget items were allowable and necessary. AMS also assesses the applicants' ability to account for funds used. Contact the headquarters or regional location, as appropriate for application deadlines Eligible applicants should contact the headquarters office for application deadlines. Annual application deadlines are posted in Grants.gov. More information can be found at www.ams.usda.gov/grants. Not applicable. Not Applicable. Awards are for 3 years in length. A one- year extension to complete the project may be requested. Criteria for selecting proposals are within guidelines established for the program as described in the RFA. The most current RFA is available via Grants.gov or www.ams.usda.gov/grants. Funds must be used to support one or more of the following project types as identified in the Request for Applications. Funds must be used in accordance with the requirements of the Request for Applications and 2 CFR 200. Performance Reports: Annual performance and financial reports are required 90 days after the expiration date of the grant period. A final performance and financial report are required within 120 days after the expiration date of the grant period. See www.ams.usda.gov/grants for more information. In accordance with the provisions of 2 CFR 200, Subpart F - Audit Requirements, nonfederal entities that expend financial assistance of $750,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Non-Federal entities that expend less than $750,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in 2 CFR ? 200.503 For each year that a State receives a grant under this section, the State shall conduct an audit of the expenditures of grant funds by the State in accordance with 2 CFR ? 200, Subpart F- Audit Requirements. This program is also subject to audit by the cognizant Federal audit agency and the USDA Office of Inspector General. Recipients must retain financial and other records relating to grant for a period of three years after the final Federal Financial Report (SF-425) is received by AMS or until final resolution of any audit findings or litigation claims relating to this program. Statutory formula is not applicable to this assistance listing.

Matching requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.

MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. Funds are advanced or reimbursed. Applicants have up to 3 calendar years to use the funds. Method of awarding/releasing assistance: See www.ams.usda.gov/grants for grant agreement award terms and conditions to obtain information on how assistance is awarded/released. Assistance is awarded through a grant agreement. Grant payments are made by electronic fund transfer. USDA AMS ACER 1400 Independence Ave SW, RM 1510-S Washington, DC 20250 SAGPgrants@usda.gov Website: https://www.ams.usda.gov/acer ACER Grant Program Team
1400 Independence Ave SW,
Washington, DC 20250 US
SAGPgrants@usda.gov
Phone: 202-690-1300 https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/grants/acer 12-2501-0-1-352 (Project Grants) FY 22$6,500,000.00; FY 23 est $7,500,000.00; FY 24 Estimate Not Available FY 21$6,000,000.00; FY 20$6,000,000.00; FY 19$4,000,000.00; FY 18$3,000,000.00; FY 17$1,000,000.00; FY 16 Estimate Not Available - Obligation(s) Project Grants Total FY17- $1,000,000 FY18-$3,000,000 FY19 (est.)- $3,000,000 FY20- 6,000,000 Totals FY17- $1,000,000, FY18- $3,000,000 , FY19 (est.)- $3,000,000, FY20- 6,000,000 An RFA is announced each fiscal year via www.grants.gov. Additional information about this program is available at www.ams.usda.gov/grants. Fiscal Year 2018 Acer projects funded in Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 can be found at https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/grants/acer.
Fiscal Year 2019 It is anticipated that $3 million will be available to fund applications in FY 2019. Enactment of additional Federal continuing resolutions or appropriations may affect the availability or level of funding for this program.
Fiscal Year 2020 It is anticipated that $6 million will be available on a yearly basis to fund applications until 2023. Enactment of additional Federal continuing resolutions or appropriations may affect the availability or level of funding for this program.
Fiscal Year 2021 Acer projects funded in Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 can be found at https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/grants/acer.
Fiscal Year 2022 Acer projects funded in Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 can be found at https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/grants/acer.
Fiscal Year 2023 It is anticipated that $6.4 million will be available on a yearly basis to fund applications in FY2023. Funding may be contingent on Federal appropriations actions. USDA does not guarantee minimum funding levels or a specific number of awards.