SUMMARY: The Farm Service Agency (FSA) is requesting applications for
competitive cooperative agreement funds for Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 for
the credit outreach initiative targeted to American Indian farmers,
ranchers, and youth residing primarily on Indian reservations within
the contiguous United States. Subject to the availability of
appropriations, FSA anticipates the availability of up to $1,135,000 in
funding and the award to one successful applicant through a Cooperative
Agreement. This request for applications is being made prior to passage
of an FY 2010 appropriations bill to allow applicants sufficient time
to submit proposals, give the Agency maximum time to process
applications, and permit continuity of this program. There is no
certainty that there will be appropriated funds to fund these
applications, so applicants submitting applications prior to the
availability of appropriated funds do so at the risk that there may be
no funding. FSA requests proposals from eligible nonprofit
organizations, land-grant institutions, and federally-recognized Indian
tribal governments interested in a competitively-awarded cooperative
agreement to create and implement a mechanism that will provide credit
outreach and promotion, pre-loan education, and one-on-one loan
application preparation assistance to American Indian farmers,
ranchers, and youth. Successful proposals may include other innovative
services intended to enhance participation by American Indians in
specific FSA Agricultural Credit Programs.
