Flexible Funding Model-Infrastructure Development and Maintenance for State Manufactured Food Regulatory Programs (U2F) Clinical Trials Not Allowed
Grant Opportunity Analysis
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is forecasting a funding opportunity for a cooperative agreement aimed at enhancing infrastructure development and maintenance for state manufactured food regulatory programs under the Flexible Funding Model. This initiative seeks to support state, tribal, and territorial food safety programs that either currently hold FDA food safety inspection contracts or are willing to enter into such contracts, with a focus on advancing the Integrated Food Safety System (IFSS) through the Manufactured Food Regulatory Program Standards (MFRPS). The funding will be categorized into two tracks: MFRPS Development, allowing applicants to request up to $300,000 per year, and MFRPS Maintenance, with awards ranging from $340,000 to $1,285,000, depending on the applicant's previous funding history. Interested applicants can contact Terrin Brown at terrin.brown@fda.hhs.gov or (240) 402-7610 for further details, with the fiscal year for this opportunity being 2024.
Eligible Applicants
Governments• U.S. Territory or PossessionThis opportunity is only available to the following State, Tribal or Territorial food safety programs:Manufactured food regulatory programs with current the FDA food safety inspection contracts (providing funding to state agency food protection regulatory programs), or those that meet the eligibility requirements and agree to enter into a food safety inspection contract with the FDA at the earliest possible date, are eligible to apply for funding under this cooperative agreement. Competition is limited to state, tribal and territorial manufactured food regulatory programs because the foundational work conducted under the current FDA food safety inspection contracts is necessary for the completion of significant improvements in an IFSS.Applicants will be categorized under one of two funding tracks: MFRPS Development or MFRPS Maintenance (see eligibility criteria below). Within each funding track, an applicant may apply for additional funding options for which they meet the eligibility criteria (below).The applicant must hold a long-term food nonpublic information sharing agreement with the FDA pursuant to 20 CFR §20.88 (“20.88 agreement”) or agree to enter into a 20.88 agreement with the FDA by the end of grant year one (June 30, 2025).Applicants are encouraged to apply for cooperative agreement assistance that reflects their jurisdiction’s needs both in terms of amounts of funding and number of project years.To ascertain an applicant's tier’s funding level, please consult Section II. Award Information.Funding Track 1: MFRPS DevelopmentState programs are eligible for Funding Track 1 if they have received less than five (5) years funding under a past MFRPS cooperative agreement or have never received a MFRPS cooperative agreement.Applicants may request up to $300,000/year for this funding option.State programs will move to MFRPS Maintenance funding levels in the sixth year of funding under MFRPS cooperative agreements. Applicants with less than five (5) years funding under a past MFRPS cooperative agreement may elect to count years of MFRPS enrollment under the FDA Food Inspection Contract towards the five (5) years MFRPS funding eligibility requirement when determining the entry date for Funding Track 2 (MFRPS Maintenance).2018-19 MFRPS Cooperative Agreement Recipients (RFA-FD-18-001): State programs who began receiving MFRPS cooperative agreement funding in 2018 and/or 2019 are not eligible for Funding Track 1 of this cooperative agreement. These state programs must request funding under Funding Track 2 (MFRPS Maintenance).2020 MFRPS Cooperative Agreement Recipients: State programs who began receiving MFRPS cooperative agreement funding in 2020 are only eligible to receive funding under Funding Track 1 (MFRPS Development) for year 1 of this two-year cooperative agreement.2021-22 MFRPS Cooperative Agreement Recipients: State programs who began receiving MFRPS cooperative agreement funding in 2021 and/or 2022 are eligible to receive funding under Funding Track 1 for years 1 and 2 of this cooperative agreement. See section titled, "MFRPS Funding Track 2" for variable funding levels and additional funding options.Programs who meet the eligibility requirements for Funding Track 1 (MFRPS Development):• Are also eligible to apply for a FPTF option.• Are not eligible to apply for Dietary Supplements or Special Projects funding options.Funding Track 2: MFRPS Maintenance State programs are eligible for Funding Track 2 if they have received five (5) years funding under a past MFRPS cooperative agreement. Applicants with less than five (5) years funding under a past MFRPS cooperative agreement may elect to count years of MFRPS enrollment under the FDA Food Inspection Contract towards the five (5) years MFRPS funding eligibility requirement when determining the entry date for Funding Track 2 (MFRPS Maintenance).