How To Apply for APHIS Funding: Getting Started
New to APHIS funding? Preparing early can help you avoid last-minute surprises or obstacles when you apply.
Award Process
Applying for an APHIS funding opportunity generally involves these steps:
- Search for open opportunities.
- Opportunities are sometimes cross-listed on one or more of these sites: grants.gov, research.gov, and ezFedGrants
- Review the funding opportunity to see if you and your organization are eligible for it.
- Apply by following instructions in the funding opportunity.
- Watch for the release of information regarding awards/spending.
- If selected, follow the instructions in your award notification to manage and report on funds.
Get Ready To Apply
These are steps you can take at any time so you're ready to apply when the next funding opportunity opens.
- Register your organization with the U.S. Government System for Award Management (SAM). You must be registered with SAM to apply for Federal funding, including all APHIS opportunities.
- Don't wait! It takes at least 10 business days after you submit your registration for it to become active in SAM, plus at least 1 more day until it's available in other Government systems.
- You can register in SAM at any time, even if you're not applying for funding right away.
- Browse successful projects from past funding opportunities. Many of our funding programs publish their spending plans as well as brief descriptions of funded projects. These examples may give you ideas or help you see which funding program is the best fit for your project.
- Familiarize yourself with the application method for your funding program. Application methods vary; the funding opportunity will always list its application method. Most require you to set up an account and apply through an online system.* The accordions below include details about these systems.
- Review the general application guidance for your funding program. You can find these details in previous opportunities if no opportunities are open right now.
* Exceptions include the National Clean Plant Network and the National Animal Health Laboratory Network funding programs, which accept applications via email.
Application Systems
ezFedGrants is USDA's online system for receiving grant and cooperative agreement applications and managing awards. Most APHIS funding programs use this system. It is not used for proposal applications for the Plant Pest and Disease Management and Disaster Prevention Program; see information in the next section on ServiceNow. You also may use a different system for funding opportunities APHIS offers in partnership with other agencies, such as USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the National Science Foundation (see "Other Application Systems" below).
Before you can access ezFedGrants, you'll need to complete two tasks:
- Create a Login.gov account. This gives you secure access to USDA's online systems and services, including ezFedGrants.
- Note: The use of Login.gov is optional for existing USDA eAuthentication account holders. For more information, visit Login.gov for Existing USDA Customers.
- Establish an account with ezFedGrants. Follow these basic instructions to get started. USDA also offers ezFedGrants training sessions via monthly webinars.
- You'll need to have at least one Grants Administrative Officer and one Signatory Official to set up your account. We recommend identifying these individuals ahead of time to help speed up the process.
For help using the ezFedGrants system, contact the help desk at ezFedGrants@cfo.usda.gov.
The Plant Pest and Disease Management and Disaster Prevention Program (PPDMDPP) uses the ServiceNow platform to manage its suggestion submission process. Within ServiceNow, it is called the "PPA 7721 Suggestion Submission Portal."
You must have a "Level 1" USDA eAuthentication account or a Login.gov account to access this system. With your eAuthentication or Login.gov account, you can go directly to the PPA 7721 portal, and a single-stage login will take you to the start of the suggestion submission process.
Helpful Tips
- ServiceNow works best with Google Chrome, Firefox and Firefox ESR, Microsoft Edge Chromium, and Safari 12.0 and up.
- Close all other programs on your computer, along with any other internet windows, while in ServiceNow to avoid any system disruptions.
- Turn off your pop-up blocker. Many of the content windows in ServiceNow pop up while you're navigating the system.
- ServiceNow has a 30-minute session time-out for inactivity. We recommend composing your project suggestion in a word processing program first to copy/paste into the PPDMDPP Suggestion Submission System form.
Several of our One Health funding opportunities are offered in partnership with other Federal agencies. You'll use the partner agency's system(s) to apply for funding in these cases.
Our current partners include the National Science Foundation and the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (part of USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture [NIFA]).
Read about funding and awards at the National Science Foundation, and explore their grants management system, research.gov.
Learn about applying for grants at NIFA and their preferred application system, grants.gov.
What To Expect After You Apply
- If your application package meets the minimum eligibility requirements, it goes through a merit review process. This process is designed to be fair and impartial. A team of experts reviews the applications and scores them. Scores are based on how well the application meets the evaluation criteria (listed in the funding opportunity announcement).
- The review team makes award recommendations to the agency's awarding official. APHIS (or the awarding agency) considers the review team's recommendations in making final funding decisions.
- If selected, you will be contacted directly when it's time to begin the cooperative agreements process, if not before.
- APHIS issues a press release or other public announcement of all funding awards. Most programs also publish a spending plan and list of funded projects each year.
To make sure you receive announcements about open opportunities and awards, sign up for email updates on topics related to your funding program.
Terms and Conditions
All APHIS funding awards are subject to general terms and conditions for cooperative agreements and grants.
The use of award funds must follow Federal cost principles (2 CFR 200, Subpart E). Additional program-specific cost guidelines (listed in the funding opportunity announcement) may also apply.