Assistance program
Cooperative Extension Service
$510.9 Million committed in FY2018–FY2026
- Agency
- National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Agriculture, Department of
- Assistance
- Formula Grants;Project Grants
- CFDA number
- 10.500
- What it does
- The Cooperative Extension Service (CES) has an important role in reducing the impact of disasters through extension education. The Extension Special Needs program sponsors targeted projects that enable CES to assist in preparing for, providing an educational response to, and recovering from disasters. Education programming funded by this program will help communities, families and individuals become more self-sustaining by strengthening and increasing their resiliency to disaster. Some types of hazards and disaster related events funded in previous years include uncertainties caused by losses of economic infrastructure, severe weather or other natural disasters, security breaches, human disease, or high consequence animal diseases and plant pests. There has been an increase in public awareness regarding the number and severity of disaster type critical incidents involving earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes, wildfire, drought, contagious disease, and terrorist events. The National Academy of Sciences Committee on Environment and Natural Resources and the Subcommittee on Disaster Reduction of the National Science and Technology Council have acknowledged the many effective roles that the Cooperative Extension System (CES) has played in disaster preparedness, response and remediation. Within the states and territories, the CES has repeatedly served as the trusted community organization that has helped to enable families, communities, and businesses to successfully prepare for, respond to and cope with disaster losses and critical incidents. Once a disaster has occurred, the local extension outreach includes: 1) Communicating practical science-based risk information, 2) Developing relevant educational experiences and programs, 3) Working with individuals and communities to open new communication channels, and 4) Mitigating losses and facilitating recovery. Never was this more evident than after hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma in 2005 and during the 2008 Midwestern Summer flooding. During and after these incidents, local Extension agents served as a critical communication node throughout affected urban and rural areas, particularly when traditional communication systems were temporarily overwhelmed or destroyed. The Extension Special Needs RFA encourages proposals that specifically address one or more of the following six key target areas: 1. Education and Technical assistance through inter-disciplinary and multi-state disaster training programs and demonstration projects for problem solving, especially those which build upon already existing strengths, contribute to or expand the EDEN and/or eXtension educational materials related to disaster preparation, mitigation, response and recovery; 2. Collaboration with Federal, state and local agencies and other disaster relief organizations to support education and service activities that enhance recovery of impacted rural communities, schools, businesses and agricultural-based activities; 3. Long range family, community and regional planning projects that will enhance implementation of programs that serve public needs in preparation for, during and after emergency situations within impacted States and across impacted regions; 4. Communication delivery of key information that meets end-users’ needs in a timely fashion with consideration of potentially limited communication channels due to disaster situations; 5. Dissemination of credible, science-based information that is reliable and easily accessible even if electronic access is compromised; and 6. Integrated Research and Extension Planning Projects (up to $15,000) are intended to provide assistance to applicants in bringing together teams for the development of highly competitive grant proposals where extension personnel would apply for large grants (in excess of $250,000) from other grant programs and lead nationally important disaster prevention, protection and mitigation projects. Fundable projects should support education and extension activities which: 1. Reduce risk through planning, disaster preparedness and emergency response by improving communication between the public, community leaders, state and Federal agencies; 2. Develop strategies and educational materials and/or programming in the area of emergency planning, infrastructure design and disaster recovery operation; 3. Develop community networks that provide real-time disaster education information;