PL-480 Market Development and Technical Assistance

Through this program, FAS makes foreign currencies available to eligible applicants to provide assistance in market development and agricultural technical assistance activities. Countries in which funding is available will be announced in the NOFO. FAS disburses the local currencies to program participants through the disbursing officers at U.S. embassies. It is the responsibility of the recipient to arrange for the receipt and use of the foreign currencies made available through the program. All funding will be provided in the local currency. It is the responsibility of the recipient to arrange for the use of the funding in the local currency, as the funding cannot be converted to U.S. dollars. Activities funded with Section 108 currencies are not limited to the country in which the currency originated. Financial assistance under the Section 108 program will be made available on a competitive basis and applications will be reviewed against the evaluation criteria contained in the NOFO. All U.S. agricultural commodities, except tobacco, are eligible for consideration. Under the Section 108 program, FAS enters into agreements with eligible organizations to support certain overseas marketing and promotion activities. Applicants may receive assistance only for generic activities that benefit a U.S. agricultural commodity. Applications should include a justification for funding assistance from the program – an explanation as to what specifically could not be accomplished without Federal funding assistance and why the participating organization(s) would be unlikely to carry out the project without such assistance.