USDA-NIFA-VSGP-00894: 2023 Veterinary Services Grant Program (VSGP) - Rural Practice Enhancement (RPE) Grants

No applicants.

No applicants // Limit: 1 // Tickets Available: 1 

UA may submit one proposal to the Rural Practice Enhancement (RPE) Grants program.
For Education, Extension and Training (EET) Grants multiple submissions are allowed by different departments of eligible institutions. However, only one award will be granted per institution per year.

NIFA requests applications for the Veterinary Services Grant Program (VSGP) for fiscal years 2022 and 2023 to develop, implement and sustain veterinary services and relieve veterinary shortage situations in the United States and U.S. Insular Areas.

NIFA is soliciting applications under the following program areas:
1. Education, Extension and Training (EET) Grants
2. Rural Practice Enhancement (RPE) Grants

Grants will be made available on a competitive basis to:
1. Establish or expand accredited veterinary education programs, veterinary residency and fellowship programs, or veterinary internship and externship programs carried out in coordination with accredited colleges of veterinary medicine.
2. Provide continuing education and extension, including veterinary telemedicine and other distance-based education, for veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and other health professionals needed to strengthen veterinary programs and enhance food safety and public health,
3. Cover travel and living expenses of veterinary students, veterinary interns, externs, fellows, and residents, and veterinary technician students attending training programs in food safety, public health, or food animal medicine.
4. To expose students in grades 11 and 12 to education and career opportunities in food animal medicine.
5. Expand or enhance private practice capabilities, services, and resources.
 

Rural Practice Enhancement (RPE) Grants
Program Area Priority –Rural Practice Enhancement grants will support the development and provision of veterinary services to substantially relieve designated rural (as defined in Part I, B.) veterinary shortage situations (as defined in the following section) in the United States and Insular areas and support education or extension needs of the area. Funds may be used for one or more of the following:

i. Equip veterinary offices. Applicants must explain how requested equipment will be used to provide veterinary care for agricultural animals in veterinarian shortage situations.

ii. Equipment purchases may include, but are not limited to animal restraints, diagnostic and therapeutic tools, such as chutes, imaging equipment, head gates, hoof trimming, breeding soundness examinations, etc.

iii. Share in reasonable costs of operating an eligible veterinary practice:

iv. Overhead costs may include but are not limited to salary and fringe benefits for veterinarian(s), support personnel, office rent, vehicle fuel supporting ambulatory services, maintenance contracts on equipment used to treat food animals, expendable medical and office supplies, computer software, utility expenses, and business consultant fees.

v. Establish mobile veterinary facilities. Mobile veterinary facilities include, but are not limited to a vehicle equipped to provide mobile veterinary services, mobile restraint devices, veterinary truck inserts, point of care testing equipment, etc.

vi. To support the exposure of students in grades 11 and 12 to education and career opportunities in food/large animal medicine and herd health management.

RPE applicants can only apply to serve one specific veterinary shortage situation area which can be located on the Veterinary Shortage Situation Map. It is imperative that applicants make a compelling case in their Project Narrative (See Part III, B (3)(b) of this RFA) describing how the equipment, mobile facilities, personnel, or other resources supported by the grant will contribute substantially toward the objectives and/or mitigation of the veterinary service needs described in the specific shortage situation area they are applying to serve.