The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) issues grants and cooperative agreements to a variety of entities including, but not limited to, colleges and universities, other Federal agencies, and individuals in support of agricultural research, education, and extension programs. The Agency's administrative provisions in 7 CFR part 3430, Competitive and Noncompetitive Non-formula Federal Assistance Programs, contain elements common to all competitive and noncompetitive grant programs it administers in subparts A through E. Subpart F and thereafter apply to specific grant programs.  These regulations do not, however, currently apply to any of the formula grant programs administered by NIFA. Therefore, NIFA will amend the regulations to expand the scope of 7 CFR part 3430 to include these programs and to rename the part Competitive, Noncompetitive, and Capacity Federal Assistance Programs.

At the time 7 CFR part 3430 was established, NIFA planned to eliminate some of its existing program-specific regulations in title 7 and incorporate their provisions into part 3430.  Accordingly, this rule will remove 7 CFR parts 3402 (Food and Agricultural Sciences National Needs Graduate and Postgraduate Fellowship Grants Program), 3405 (Higher Education Challenge Grants Program), 3406 (1890 Institution Capacity Building Grants Program), and 3415 (Biotechnology Risk Assessment Research Grants Program) and incorporate their provisions into part 3430 as subparts N, R, S, and T.