Foreign Market Development Cooperator Program

Foreign Agricultural Service

Notice of Funding Availability: Inviting

Applications for the Foreign Market Development Cooperator Program

SUMMARY: The Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) announces that it is inviting proposals for the 2019 Foreign Market Development Cooperator (Cooperator) program. The Cooperator program is administered by personnel of the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS)  on behalf of CCC. The intended effect of this notice is to solicit applications from eligible applicants for fiscal year 2019 and to set out criteria for the awarding  of funds under the  program.

DATES: All applications must be received by 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, on Friday, June 8, 2018.

Applications  received  after  this  date will not be considered. FAS  anticipates that  the  initial  funding  selections  will be made by the end of October 2018,  with the initial award dates estimated to be by the end of December 2018.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION  CONTACT:

Applicants needing assistance should contact the Program Operations Division, Office of Trade Programs, Foreign Agricultural Service by courier: Room 6512, 1400 Independence Ave SW, Washington, DC 20250, or by phone: (202) 720–4327, or by fax: (202) 720–9361, or by email: uesadmin@ fas.usda.gov. Information, including a copy of the program regulations, is also available on the FAS website at the following URL address: http:// www.fas.usda.gov/programs/foreign- market-development-program-fmd.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

A.  Funding Opportunity Description

Announcement Type: New. Award Instrument: Grant. Catalog of Federal Domestic

Assistance (CFDA) Number: 10.600.

Authority: The Cooperator program is authorized by Title VII of the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 5722), as amended. Cooperator program regulations appear at 7 CFR part 1484.

Purpose: The Cooperator program is designed to maintain and develop foreign markets for United States agricultural commodities and products through cost-share assistance. Financial assistance under the Cooperator program will be made available on a competitive basis and applications will be reviewed against the evaluation criteria contained herein and in the Cooperator program regulations.  All