USDA Announces Survey to Evaluate Performance Measures for Grant Programs

Date
March 30, 2020

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is conducting a survey for applicants, recipients, and stakeholders to evaluate existing performance measures for its grant programs. The survey, conducted in partnership with the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture Foundation and Grant Thornton, will be open March 31 through May 12, 2020.

The goal of this collaboration is to identify performance measures that accurately reflect the work and accomplishments of grant recipients and improve AMS’s ability to report grant program impacts. The survey will collect stakeholder feedback about the relevance, achievability and measurability of performance outcomes and indicators. Survey results will help inform the development of performance measures, which will allow AMS to understand the impacts of each grant, harmonize measures across programs where needed, and decrease the burden for grant applicants, recipients, subrecipients, and AMS staff.

The online survey will allow stakeholders to provide feedback on the following grant programs:

  • Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.
  • Specialty Crop Multi-State Program.
  • Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program.
  • Acer Access and Development Program.
  • Dairy Business Innovation Initiatives.
  • Sheep Production and Marketing Program.
  • Federal State Marketing Improvement Program.
  • Regional Food System Partnerships.

Stakeholders are encouraged to provide feedback for the grant programs and performance measures relevant to them. Feedback is requested from experienced AMS grant recipients and stakeholders, as well as interested applicants, to help refine the measures AMS uses to evaluate grant program impacts.

For more information, contact Megan Haidet