[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 211 (Wednesday, October 31, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54978-54981]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-27396]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE


National Sheep Industry Improvement Center; Inviting Grant 
Proposals for the Sheep and Goat Industry Grant Program

AGENCY: National Sheep Industry Improvement Center, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The National Sheep Industry Improvement Center (NSIIC) 
announces the availability of approximately $200,000 in competitive 
grants for product or business development, producer information or 
education, marketing and promotion for sheep or goats or their 
products, genetic retention or animal health. Funds have been made 
available by the Board of Directors of the National Sheep Industry 
Improvement Center (NSIIC) to be awarded in Fiscal Year (FY) 2002 with 
projects completed by the end of FY 2003. The intent is to fund a 
variety of

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proposals that will benefit the U.S. sheep and goat industries.

DATES: Completed proposals must be received no later than December 31, 
2001. Proposals received after that date will not be considered.

ADDRESSES: Completed proposals and other required materials should be 
submitted to Jay B. Wilson, Executive Director, National Sheep Industry 
Improvement Center, U.S. Department of Agriculture, PO Box 23483, 
Washington, DC 20026-3483 if using the US Postal Service or Room 2117, 
South Agriculture Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, 
DC 20250 if using other carriers. Telephone (202) 690-0632 or (207) 
236-6567.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jay B. Wilson, Executive Director, 
National Sheep Industry Improvement Center, U.S. Department of 
Agriculture, PO Box 23483, Washington, DC 20026-3483 if using the US 
Postal Service or Room 2117, South Agriculture Building, 1400 
Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20250 if using other carriers. 
Telephone (202) 690-0632 or (207) 236-6567.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

General Information

    The Board of Directors of the National Sheep Industry Improvement 
Center (NSIIC) makes this grant program of up to $200,000 available. 
The NSIIC is authorized under section 375 of the Federal Agriculture 
Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 (7 U.S.C. 2008j). A fund is 
established in the Treasury of the United States, without fiscal year 
limitations, to provide funds for the enhancement and marketing of 
sheep or goat products in the United States. Grants are authorized by 
section 375(e)(3)(A) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development 
Act.
    Projects that are submitted in the proposals should be completed in 
a timely fashion as provided in the proposal, but under no 
circumstances later than September 30, 2003. The primary objective of 
the Sheep and Goat Industry Grant Program (SGIG) is to fund a number of 
diverse projects that will benefit the U.S. sheep or goat industries 
through product or business development, producer information or 
education, marketing and promotion for sheep or goats or their 
products, genetic retention or animal health at the regional, national 
or international level. The program is administered through USDA, 
NSIIC.

Eligible Applicants

    An Eligible entity is an organization that promotes the betterment 
of the United States sheep or goat industries that is: (A) A public, 
private, or cooperative organization; (B) an association, including a 
corporation not operated for profit; (C) a federally recognized Indian 
Tribe; or (D) a public or quasi-public agency. Eligible entities must 
have at least 51 percent ownership by those who are either citizens of 
the United States or reside in the United States after being legally 
admitted for permanent residence. Under the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 
1995, an organization described in section 501(c)(4) of the Internal 
Revenue Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C. 501 (c)(4)) which engages in lobbying 
activities, is not eligible to apply.

Use of Funds

    Use of funds should directly impact the U.S. sheep or goat 
industries through product or business development, producer 
information or education, marketing and promotion for sheep or goats or 
their products, genetic retention, or animal health programs. Funds may 
not be used to: (a) Pay costs of preparing the application package; (b) 
pay costs incurred prior to the effective date of the grant; (c) 
conduct duplicative research; or (d) fund political activities. 
Preference will be given to proposals that have over 50 percent of the 
project costs in matching funds, including in kind contributions, and 
no proposal will be funded if the proposed overhead costs exceed 25 
percent.

Available Funds and Award Limitations

    The total amount of funds available for grants in FY 2002 is 
approximately $200,000. It is anticipated that all funds will be 
awarded in FY 2002 for projects that will be completed by September 30, 
2003. It is expected that there will be proposals submitted that 
address a variety of needs related to the U.S. sheep and goat 
industries. Awards will be segregated so that a variety of needs will 
be addressed by the funded proposals. The actual number of grants 
funded will depend on the quality of proposals received and the amount 
of funding requested. A proposal may be partially funded or funded in 
its entirety. The maximum amount of Federal funds through this grant 
program awarded for any one proposal will be $50,000.

Selection Criteria

    The proposal will initially be reviewed to determine whether the 
entity submitting the proposal meets the eligibility requirements and 
whether the proposal application contains the information required. 
After this initial evaluation, the following criteria will be used to 
rate and rank proposals received in response to this notice of funding 
availability. Failure to address any one of the criteria will 
disqualify the proposal. Equal weight shall be given to each of the 
criterion listed below and points will be awarded to each criterion on 
a scale of 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. A score of 5 indicates that the proposal was 
judged to be highly relevant to the criteria and a score of 1 indicates 
that the proposal was judged not to sufficiently address the criteria. 
A proposal with an average score from the NSIIC evaluation panel of 
less than 2 for any one criterion will disqualify the proposal.
    Each proposal criteria area will be evaluated and judged on its own 
merits using the following criteria:
    1. Potential Industry Impact--Describe the proposed project and 
demonstrate how it will stimulate the U.S. sheep or goat industries. 
Provide a detailed analysis of the sheep or goat industry issue that is 
being addressed by the proposal by including the: (A) Product or group 
that will be impacted by the proposal (B) geographic area affected (C) 
target audience or end user; (D) and expected results. Is the industry 
issue and need well-defined? Does the proposed project provide an 
effective and efficient approach to resolving the identified need?
    2. Industry Commitment--Describe the commitment of the producers, 
processor, end-users or other involved parties in participating in the 
proposed project. This may include, but is not limited to, individual 
producers, producer groups, processors, seminar participants, local 
organizations, local or state governments or trade associations. Is 
there a commitment from all who are expected to participate and benefit 
from the proposed project?
    3. Business Soundness--Provide a timetable and objectives along 
with a quantifiable benchmark and expected results. Does the proposal 
include: (A) A clear objective; (B) well-defined tasks that will 
accomplish the objectives; (C) realistic benchmarks; (D) a realistic 
timetable for the completion of the proposed tasks? Has the business 
strategy been adequately developed?
    4. Financial Feasibility--Provide a well-defined budget for the 
proposal. Are the funding requirements and budget for the project well 
defined and financially feasible? Are matching funds or other resources 
that will be used to leverage the requested funds in the proposal 
identified?

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    5. Management Ability--Identify the management team needed to 
complete the proposal objectives and describe their qualifications. Is 
the management team identified, and are they capable of implementing 
the proposal?

Selection Process

    The Board of Directors of the NSIIC will evaluate proposal 
applications. Applications will be evaluated competitively and points 
awarded as specified in the Selection Criteria section of this notice. 
Grants will be awarded on a competitive basis to eligible entities. A 
proposal may be partially funded. After assigning points based upon 
those criteria, applications will be funded in rank order until all 
available funds have been expended. The Board of Directors reserves the 
right to award up to five additional points in order to provide a 
diversity of projects targeting various situations, geographic areas or 
subject matter distribution of funded projects. Projects that are 
approved for further processing will be subject to the grant terms that 
are negotiated between the applicant and the Board of Directors 
including, but not limited to, the amount to be funded, project goals, 
timetables, completion date or other terms as deemed necessary.

Proposal Submission

    All proposals, except for forms, are to be submitted on standard 
8.5" x 11" paper with typing on one side of the page only. In addition, 
margins must be at least 1", type must be 12 characters per inch (12 
pitch or 10 point) or larger, no more than 6 lines per inch, and there 
should be no page reductions.

Content of a Proposal

    A proposal should contain the following:
    1. Form SF-424 ``Application for Federal Assistance.''
    2. Form SF-424A ``Budget Information-Non Construction Programs.''
    3. Form SF-424B ``Assurances-Non Construction Programs.''
    4. Table of Contents--For ease of locating information, each 
proposal must contain a detailed Table of Contents immediately 
following the required forms. The Table of Contents should include page 
numbers for each component of the proposal. Page numbering should begin 
immediately following the Table of Contents.
    5. Project Summary: The proposal must contain a project summary of 
1 page or less on a separate page. This page must include the title of 
the project and the names of the primary project contacts and the 
applicant organization, followed by the summary. The summary should be 
self-contained and should describe the overall goals and relevance of 
the project. The summary should also contain a listing of all 
organizations involved in the project. The Project Summary should 
immediately follow the Table of Contents.
    6. Project Narrative: The narrative portion of the Project Proposal 
is limited to 10 pages of text and should contain the following:
    a. Introduction. A clear statement of the goals and objectives of 
the project. The problem should be set in context of the present-day 
situation. Summarize the body of knowledge which substantiates the need 
for the proposed project.
    b. Rationale and Significance. Substantiate the need for the 
proposed project. Describe the impact of the project on the U.S. sheep 
or goat industry. Describe the project's specific relationship to the 
segment of sheep or goat industry issue, product or market being 
addressed.
    c. Objectives and Approach. Discuss the specific objectives to be 
accomplished under the project. A detailed description of the approach 
must include: (1) Techniques or procedures used to carry out the 
proposed activities and for accomplishing the objectives; (2) The 
results expected.
    d. Time Table. Tentative schedule for conducting the major steps of 
the project.
    e. Evaluation. Provide a plan for assessing and evaluating the 
accomplishments of the stated objectives during the project and 
describe ways to determine the effectiveness (impact) of the end 
results upon conclusion of the project. Awardees will be required to 
submit written project performance reports on a semi-annual basis.
    f. Coordination and Management Plan. Describe how the project will 
be coordinated among various participants and the nature of the 
collaborations. Describe plans for management of the project to ensure 
its proper and efficient administration.

What To Submit

    An original and 10 copies must be submitted. Each copy must be 
stapled in the upper left-hand corner. (DO NOT BIND). All copies of the 
proposal must be submitted in one package.

Other Federal Statutes and Regulations That Apply

    Several Federal statutes and regulations apply to proposals 
considered for review and to grants awarded under this program. These 
include but are not limited to:
7 CFR part 1.1--USDA implementation of the Freedom of Information Act. 
of 1964.
7 CFR part 15a--USDA implementation of title VI of the Civil Rights Act 
of 1964.
7 CFR part 3015--USDA Uniform Federal Assistance Regulations.
7 CFR part 3016--Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and 
Cooperative Agreements to State and Local Governments.
7 CFR part 3017--Governmentwide Debarment and Suspension 
(nonprocurement) and Governmentwide Requirements for drug-free 
workplace (grants).
7 CFR part 3018--New Restrictions on Lobbying.
7 CFR part 3019--Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and 
Agreements with Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals, and Other 
Nonprofit Organizations.
7 CFR part 3052--Audits of State, Local Governments, and Non-Profit 
Organizations.

Public Burden in This Notice

    Form SF-424, ``Application for Federal Assistance'' This form is 
used by applicants as a required face sheet for applications for 
Federal assistance.
    Form SF-424A, ``Budget Information-Non Construction Programs'' This 
form must be completed by applicants to show the project's budget 
breakdown, both as to expense categories and the division between 
Federal and non-Federal sources.
    Form SF-424B, ``Assurances-Non Construction Programs'' The 
applicant must complete this form to give the Federal government 
certain assurances that the applicant has the legal authority to apply 
for Federal assistance and the financial capability to pay the non-
Federal share of project costs. The applicant also gives assurance it 
will comply with various legal and regulatory requirements as described 
in the form.

Reporting Requirements

    Awardees will be required to submit written project performance 
reports on a semi-annual basis and a final report at the completion of 
the project. The project performance report and final report shall 
include, but need not be limited to: (1) A comparison of timeline, 
tasks and objectives outlined in the proposal as compared to the actual 
accomplishments; (2) If report varies from the stated objectives or 
they were

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not met, the reasons why established objectives were not met; (3) 
Problems, delays, or adverse conditions which will materially affect 
attainment of planned project objectives; (4) Objectives established 
for the next reporting period; and (5) Status of compliance with any 
special conditions on the use of awarded funds.

    Dated: October 26, 2001.
Jay B. Wilson,
Executive Director, National Sheep Industry Improvement Center.
[FR Doc. 01-27396 Filed 10-30-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 135100001-P