Recently, I received a letter announcing an RFA (request for application)
announced by the US Agency for International Development. This organization
is apparently planning to fund a major, global initiative for "technical
services in the area of breastfeeding and realted complementary feeding and
maternal nutrition in the developing world". The possible time period for
funding is two five-year periods, assuming all periods are funded.

Of interest to me is the following:

a) absence of information pertaining to the cost of any
organizations/institutions seeking to make application for said funding.

It is my understanding that the application process itself is quite costly:
figures I have heard mentioned in the past is $25,000 or more! If an
organization is asked to make such application, does it not make sense to
inquire if the organization members WANT their membership dues to be spent
in this manner (keeping in mind that no guarantee of acceptance of such
application is implied in the invitation to submit application)?

b) invitation to submit cv's by members to support institutional
application implies that the persons who send cv's would, in some way, be
involved in the project to be implemented should funding occur.

I have, in the past, participated in several different research studies,
some of which were supported/sustained by federally provided funding. At
that time, all of us whose cv's were part of the package submitted had
specific roles in the project. Yet, nothing is mentioend about the expected
role(s) of individuals whose cv's are sought.  Does not such information
need to be conveyed BEFORE asking for cv's?

c) Information sought is listed but not provided on a particular form. In
the past, the US government has always REQUIRED use of particular forms for
specific elements of grant applications and replies to RFA invitations.
That being the case, why were such forms not provided? Most funding
agencies (in my experience, this includes the US govt in spades) refuse to
accept materials NOT placed on the appropriate forms.

To request such information in a form not consistent for all cv's
submissions seems a waste of time and effort insofar as the information
would not be accepted and thus would place the application in jeopardy
unless, of course, the association/organization/institution in question
plans to pay one or more individuals lots of money to take all that
information and put it into the correct format on the right forms.

MY QUESTION: Have others received similar information? Anyone on LACTNET
who is currently associated with the US government--can you tell us if said
forms are no longer required? Can you verify the cost of application
itself? Finally, in many cases in the past, RFAs have been written by an
applicant which has already contacted the govt with an interest in doing
the work. Obviously, said applicant has a clear advantage in making formal
application after having written the RFA. To what degree do we know WHO
wrote the RFA in question? (Please write me privately so as to avoid
wasting other Lactnetters' time. Many thanks in advance.)




Def. of LC service: "We are all faced with a series of great opportunities
brilliantly disguised as impossible situations."
Kathleen G. Auerbach,PhD, IBCLC (Homewood, IL)- [log in to unmask]
WEB PAGE: http://www.mcs.com/~auerbach/lactation.html