AFRI Letter Of Intent Instructions
User Manual:
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Page Count: 2
Updated May 7, 2019
Letter of Intent (LOI) Instructions
April 29, 2019: Added EWD Agricultural Workforce Training Grants information on page 2.
May 7, 2019: Added language for conference grant LOIs, accepted year-round.
If a Program Area Priority requires a Letter of Intent, applicants must submit a “Letter of Intent
to Submit an Application” by the Letter of Intent due date specified in the RFA for the AFRI
Program Area Priority of interest. The letter of intent is a prerequisite for the submission of an
application for the Program Area Priorities that require letter of intent. Although a letter of intent
does not enter into the review of a subsequent application, the information that it contains allows
program staff to estimate the potential review workload and plan the review.
Please use the following guidelines for LOI submission:
1. The Letter of Intent must adhere to the following formatting guidelines:
a. Font size must be at least 12 point
b. Margins must be at least one inch in all directions
c. Line spacing must not exceed six lines of text per vertical inch
d. Page size must be letter (i.e., 8.5 inches × 11 inches)
2. The Letter of Intent is limited to three pages for CAP grants and two pages for all other grant
types.
a. On Page 1, provide only the following information:
i. the name, professional title, department, institution, and e-mail address of the
lead project director (PD) and name, professional title, department, and
institution of all collaborating investigators
ii. the Program Area or the Program Area Priority that is most closely addressed
in the application
b. On Page 2 (Pages 2-3 for CAP grants), include:
i. a descriptive title
ii. rationale
iii. overall hypothesis or goal
iv. specific objectives
v. approach
vi. potential impact and expected outcomes
To further clarify LOI instructions for the FY 2019 AFRI Sustainable Agricultural
Systems RFA only, LOIs should also include:
1. description of the goal(s) addressed by the project, including short, medium,
and long-term objectives within the “specific objectives” section of the LOI;
2. description of the scope of systems and justification of components under
investigation within the “approach” section of the LOI;
3. clear descriptions and justification of the methods for the integrated and
transdisciplinary approach to be used to achieve the desired goal(s) also
within the “approach” section of the LOI; and
4. description of the benefits to the food and agricultural system within the
“potential impact and expected outcomes” section of the LOI.
Updated May 7, 2019
To further clarify LOI instructions for the FY 2019 AFRI Education and Workforce
Development RFA (Agricultural Workforce Training Grants only), LOIs should also
include:
1. The Farm Bill Priority area(s) addressed in the application (see RFA Part I, A)
on Page 1;
2. Grant Type (see RFA Part II, C) on Page 1;
3. Project Type (see RFA Part II, C) on Page 1; and
4. The “overall hypothesis or goal” section of the LOI should include the
project’s relevance to workforce training in the food and agricultural sciences
at community, junior, and technical colleges/institutes.
• However, any LOIs for this RFA using the instructions prior to this
clarification will also be accepted.
To further clarify LOI instructions for Conference Grants, LOIs should also include:
• The date(s) of the conference on Page 1.
3. When submitting a Letter of Intent, NIFA will only accept Letter of Intent in the portable
document format (PDF). Attach the PDF Letter of Intent to an e-mail addressed to the
appropriate Program Area e-mail address for Submission of Letter of Intent or Program Area
Priority Contacts (if there is no specific LOI e-mail listed) indicated in the RFA. In the e-mail
subject line, write: Letter of Intent [Program Area Code] _ [PD’s Last Name].
4. A Letter of Intent is required for all grant types if requested by the program area priority.
5. With the exception of Conference Grant LOIs, submission of more than one Letter of Intent
to a program is discouraged.
6. Letters of Intent will be reviewed by scientific program staff in order to plan for appropriate
expertise for the peer review panel and ensure that the proposed project fits appropriately
within the Program Area Priorities.
