COLLABORATIVE FUNDING OPPORTUNITY: CALL FOR LETTERS OF INTEREST

 

The National Agricultural Law Center is seeking formal collaboration with individuals, organizations, and institutions to conduct research and outreach activities that support the delivery of objective agricultural and food law research and information to the nation’s agricultural community. The announcement below sets out information pertaining to funding availability, the application process and timelines and other related information. Questions and inquiries about this opportunity should be directed to Elizabeth Rumley, Senior Staff Attorney, National Agricultural Law Center, at erumley@uark.edu.

 

Key dates:

  • February 15, 2019 (by 5:00 PM CST): Letters of Interest due
  • February 28, 2019: Notification of applicant selection for full proposal
  • March 15, 2019 (by 5:00 PM CST): Full proposals due
  • April 4, 2019: Notification of selected proposals
  • August 15, 2019: Project work completed

National Agricultural Law Center Background:

The National Agricultural Law Center serves as the nation’s leading source of agricultural and food law research and information. A unit of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, the Center also works in close partnership with the USDA Agricultural Research Service, National Agricultural Library.  Objective and neutral, the research and information produced by the Center is available free of charge to the nation’s vast agricultural community of producers, attorneys, state and federal policymakers, Cooperative Extension Service professionals, and others at the local, state, regional, and national levels.    Additionally, the Center collaborates with partners throughout the nation such as the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture and members of the Center-led Agricultural & Food Law Consortium.

As part of its mission, the Center hosts monthly webinars on timely and important agricultural and food law topics, provides outreach to stakeholder groups throughout the United States, and supports and organizes conferences such as the annual Mid-South Agricultural and Environmental Law Conference.  For more information, visit the Center’s website at www.nationalaglawcenter.org.

2019 Funding Priorities

Through this initiative, the Consortium seeks formal collaboration with individuals, organizations, and institutions on a range of agricultural and food law topics.  Letters of Interest may relate to any topic related to agricultural and food law.  However, priority consideration will be given to Letters of Interest that focus on the following topical areas:

  • Ag Finance: Ex: bankruptcy, statutory/ag liens, Article 9
  • Ag Labor
  • Bankruptcy
  • Farm Bill: Ex: Dairy, Hemp

The Center disseminates information through a variety of outreach activities, including web-based resources, webinars, written work product, and/or in-person conferences.  Examples of the type of projects that will receive priority consideration for the 2019 initiative include:

  • Preparing PowerPoint slides and appropriate reference materials for a one-hour webinar to be included in the Consortium webinar series;
  • Drafting white papers, fact sheets, and guidance documents on discrete legal topics, including practical information and suggestions useful to producers and attorneys;
  • Drafting handbooks, manuals, or guides on relevant topics, including practical information and suggestions useful to producers and attorneys; and
  • Organizing and hosting legal education programs for attorneys and non-attorneys.

The estimated range for individual project funding awards is $500 – $10,000. Funding levels will vary based on the needs of selected projects. The funding mechanism (i.e., honorarium, grant, cost reimbursement, or other appropriate method) that is implemented will be determined following selection of proposals based on all applicable university policies and the proposal design.

Letter of Interest Requirements and Submission Deadline

To be considered, applicants must submit Letters of Interest for each proposed project by 5:00 CST on February 15, 2019.  Letters must be submitted via email in letter format (PDF) to Elizabeth Rumley at erumley@uark.edu.  Letters of interest are limited to two pages. Letters must set forth the specific interests and relevant expertise of the applicant(s), a narrative description of proposed project, anticipated month-by-month timelines for deliverables, and proposed funding needs. In addition, they must clearly indicate the agricultural and food law topic that will be addressed and the specific type of deliverable(s) that will be undertaken during the course of the project. Finally, letters should assume that a project selected for funding will begin as soon after notification at possible.  Proposed projects must conclude by August 15, 2019, although an earlier completion date is encouraged.

Additional Information:

Each Letter will be evaluated for the purpose of selecting the applicants that will be invited to submit full proposals. Invitations for full proposals will be sent via email to the applicant on or before February 28, 2019.

Requirements for the full proposals will be included with the invitation to submit full proposals.

Full proposals are due by 5:00 PM CST on March 15, 2019.

 

A pdf version of this request is located here.