State Support Program Guidelines

The main participants in the Support Programs include Cotton Incorporated, the Cotton Board, and the Support Committees. The main roles are described below:

Importer and Producer State Support Programs
Major Roles of Organizations and Committees

Project Development and Implementation Process

Criteria for Program Qualification

All projects proposed by the Support Program Committee(s) must adhere to the overall objective of the Cotton Research and Promotion Program. Essentially, that the overall objective is to improve the profit opportunities of U.S. cotton producers and importers through programs that:

Program Management

All projects will require Cotton Incorporated staff supervision and involvement, including oversight and, as appropriate, collaboration ideas to optimize project results.

Support Program Committee Organization, Function and Responsibilities
Structure and Function of Producer State Support Committees

It is recommended that each Producer State Support Program Committee elect a Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary to serve as officers and develop a simple set of bylaws or guidelines to govern activities of the committee. It is also recommended that all members should be eligible to hold office, but the committees should elect those who are deemed most capable to administer the Producer State Support Program. It is also suggested that in those cases where the Producer State Support Program Committee is of considerable size, an Executive Committee and/or Subcommittees be appointed or elected to expedite the operations of the Producer State Support Program Committee.

The Dispute Resolution Process

PROGRAM SUPPORT COMMITTEE	Step 1. Disagreements regarding programs and projects should be discussed within the committee, using the guidelines of the Producer State Support Programs as a basis for resolution.
PROGRAM SUPPORT EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE	Step 2. If the committee cannot resolve the issue, then the Cotton Incorporated Executive Committee will adjudicate the dispute.
President, COTTON BOARD President, COTTON INCORPORATED	Step 3. If the issue is still not resolved, the Cotton Incorporated Executive Committee shall present the issue to the Presidents of the Cotton Board and Cotton Incorporated.
USDA	Step 4. Only after steps one through three have been pursued completely should the Presidents of the Cotton Board and Cotton Incorporated present the issue to USDA for final resolution.

Items for Inclusion in Producer State Support Program Proposals

Each project submitted must include:

• Descriptive title of the project
• Name of the Principal Investigator and Cooperators
• Name of the Performing Institution, Company, or Organization
• Name of the Responsible Financial Officer
• Objective
• Justification
• If appropriate, a review of related research
• An outline of the plan of work
• A budget
• Qualifications of the principle investigator and cooperators

Timetable

Producer State Support Program Requirements

1. Funding and technical support are provided by the Cotton Research and Promotion Program as conducted by Cotton Incorporated and administered by the Cotton Board through the Cotton Incorporated Support Program(s). Therefore, all Request for Proposals (RFP) should so state.
2. Proposals received from a Producer State Support Program RFP should be forwarded to Cotton Incorporated for review. In their review, the appropriate Cotton Incorporated staff should comment on the appropriateness of the research, possibility of duplication, technical feasibility, status of the project if a renewal is proposed, and the amount of funding requested. An explanation must be given by staff to justify a recommendation of “to fund” or “not to fund” a proposal.
3. The Producer State Support Committee will select and finalize all proposals.
4. The Cotton Board and Cotton Incorporated staff advisors to the Producer State Support Program Committee(s) or their representative should be present at Producer State Support Program Committee meetings.
5. Funding for programs should be on an individual project basis and not a lump sum transmitted to an intermediary organization. Approved projects will be funded for one year at a time, but Cotton Incorporated encourages multi-year planning for projects that require more than one year to complete.
6. As directed through a resolution by the Cotton Board, performing institutions are not allowed to charge indirect or overhead costs on research projects funded by the Producer State Support Program.
7. Cooperative Agreements or Contracts will be initiated by Cotton Incorporated for projects chosen by the Producer State Support Program Committees, and these Agreements will be subject to the same handling and processing within Cotton Incorporated as are Core Budget Project Agreements.
8. Producer State Support Committees may elect to partner with other states to fund coordinated, regional research or if appropriate to fund cooperators at institutions in states other than their own.
9. All Cooperative Agreements or Contracts should be made directly between Cotton Incorporated and the performing institution unless prior agreements have been formalized.
10. Each principle investigator, as specified in the Agreement or Contract, will submit progress reports to Cotton Incorporated and if requested, copies to State Support Program Committee/Subcommittees and others designated by the Support ProgramCommittee/Subcommittees.
11. Acknowledgement must be given to the Cotton Research and Promotion Program as conducted by Cotton Incorporated and administered by the Cotton Board on all publications and all oral presentations where the results of a project are discussed.
12. Program funds should be used for projects and not the purchase of assets, unless the purchase of assets is specified in the original project plan and budget or is approved in a subsequent addendum.
13. If assets must be purchased to support a project, the assets become the property of Cotton Incorporated.

Disbursement Procedures

Following approval of projects of the Producer State Support Program, Cotton Incorporated must follow specific procedures when disbursing the allocated funds.

Cotton Incorporated must disburse the funds for the approved projects during the fiscal period designated by the Cotton Board. Funds will be disbursed upon presentation of the required reimbursement documents. Reports of progress should be presented on a quarterly basis (or as specified in the project contract) by the cooperator.

The actual timing of the disbursement during a given fiscal period will depend on the nature of the approved project and should be described in the proposed project budget. No disbursement will be made by Cotton Incorporated beyond 45 days of the end of the fiscal period designated by the Cotton Board. All disbursements will carry standard right-to-audit provisions.

Funds can be carried over for multi-year projects or for annual projects that become delayed for acceptable reasons and become multi-year arrangements. Carryover is limited to one year and for funds amounting to $1,000 or greater. Any request for carryover requires approval by the Cotton Incorporated project manager and the respective Producer State Support Committee.

Producer State Support Project Options

The Producer State Support Program Committees may choose any of the following options in developing proposals for utilizing Support Program funds.

If there are questions regarding the appropriateness of projects under consideration, it is suggested that the committee contact the Cotton Incorporated State Support liaison appointed for that state for direction or clarification.