PL–480 Market Development and Technical Assistance | 2018 08

PL-480 Market Development and Technical Assistance (USDA FAS) - FAQs

1) What is the PL-480 Market Development and Technical Assistance opportunity?

It is a USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) grant program that uses foreign currencies generated under PL-480 (specifically Section 108) to fund projects that (1) expand export markets for U.S. agricultural products and (2) provide agricultural technical assistance through activities like training, outreach, and related technical work.

2) Does this program provide funding in U.S. dollars?

No. Instead of awarding U.S. dollars, FAS makes certain local foreign currencies available to selected participants to carry out eligible activities.

3) What types of activities does the program support?

The notice describes two main purpose areas: market development to expand export markets for U.S. agricultural products, and agricultural technical assistance to strengthen agricultural capabilities through training, outreach, and related technical work.

4) What currencies are available under this announcement?

Two currencies are identified: Tunisian currency (which remains available) and Moroccan currency (which is newly made available under this announcement).

5) Is Tunisian currency being offered for the first time?

No. Tunisian currency remains available as originally invited in a Federal Register notice published January 17, 2003.

6) What is new or different in this announcement?

This announcement newly makes Moroccan currency available and also states that it replaces and overrides earlier announcements for the same program.

7) Do funded activities have to take place in Tunisia if using Tunisian currency?

No. The program explicitly allows activities funded with Section 108 currencies to take place outside the country where the currency originated, so project geography is not automatically restricted to Tunisia.

8) Do funded activities have to take place in Morocco if using Moroccan currency?

No. As with Tunisian currency, the program allows activities to occur outside Morocco even when Moroccan currency is used.

9) How are the local foreign currencies disbursed?

FAS must disburse the local currencies through disbursing officers at U.S. embassies.

10) What is the recipient responsible for regarding currency handling?

The recipient is responsible for arranging how they will receive and use the foreign currency once it is made available through the U.S. embassy disbursement process.

11) Can Moroccan currency be converted into another currency before disbursement?

No. Moroccan currency cannot be converted into another currency prior to disbursement. Proposals using Moroccan funds need to be designed with that limitation in mind.

12) Can Tunisian currency be converted into another currency before disbursement?

Yes. Tunisian currency may be converted into another foreign currency prior to disbursement. If an applicant wants to rely on that option, the proposal needs to clearly request and explain it.

13) If an applicant wants Tunisian currency converted prior to disbursement, what should they do?

They should clearly request and explain the desired conversion approach in the proposal, since the notice indicates this must be explicitly addressed by the applicant.

14) Are awards made by formula or through competition?

Awards are competitive and will be evaluated using the criteria laid out in the notice, rather than being distributed by formula.

15) What is the funding activity category and CFDA number listed for this opportunity?

The opportunity is listed under the agriculture funding activity category, with CFDA 10.617.

16) Who is eligible to apply based on the posted opportunity details?

The posting indicates eligible applicants are private institutions of higher education.

17) What is the award ceiling listed in the posting?

The posting indicates an award ceiling of $7,500,000.

18) How many awards are expected?

The posting states an expectation of around 15 awards.

19) What are the posted creation and closing dates?

The posting indicates it was created on August 16, 2018, with an original closing date of September 30, 2018.

20) What commodities can be promoted or supported under this program?

The program is broadly open across U.S. agricultural commodities with one stated exception: tobacco is not eligible.

21) Is tobacco eligible for support under this program?

No. Tobacco is explicitly not eligible.

22) Does the notice restrict proposals to a narrow set of U.S. agricultural products?

No. Aside from the tobacco prohibition, the notice indicates proposals may focus on essentially any other U.S. agricultural product area, as long as the activities align with market development and/or agricultural technical assistance purposes.

23) What practical considerations should applicants address in proposals that use foreign currencies?

Based on the notice, applicants should account for (1) the U.S. embassy disbursement process, (2) how they will receive and use the local currency, and (3) currency convertibility constraints, especially the rule that Moroccan currency cannot be converted prior to disbursement and that Tunisian currency conversion must be clearly requested and explained if needed.

24) If the currencies originate from Tunisia or Morocco, does that automatically determine where the project must operate?

No. The notice states activities funded with these Section 108 currencies may take place outside the country where the currency originated, so origin does not automatically dictate geography.

25) Does this announcement affect earlier versions of the same program notice?

Yes. The announcement replaces and overrides earlier announcements for the same program.