[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 84 (Friday, April 30, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23725-23727]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-9810]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Economic Development Administration

[Docket No. 991215339-4131-10]


Economic Development Assistance Programs

AGENCY: Economic Development Administration (EDA), Department of 
Commerce (DOC).

ACTION: Notice of Federal Funding Opportunity (FFO).

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SUMMARY: The Economic Development Administration (EDA) announces 
general policies and application procedures for grant-based investments 
that will increase prosperity by advancing comprehensive, 
entrepreneurial, and innovation-based economic development efforts to 
enhance the competitiveness of regional business environments, 
resulting in increased private investment and higher-skill, higher-wage 
jobs.

DATES: Proposals are accepted on a continuing basis and applications 
are invited and processed as received. Normally, two months are 
required for a final decision after the receipt of a completed 
application invited by EDA that meets all requirements.

ADDRESSES: For applicants in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, 
Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina or Tennessee, please send 
proposals to: Economic Development Administration, Atlanta Regional 
Office, 401 West Peachtree Street, NW., Suite 1820, Atlanta, Georgia 
30308-3510, Telephone: (404) 730-3002, Fax: (404) 730-3025.
    For applicants in Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma or 
Texas, please send proposals to: Economic Development Administration, 
Austin Regional Office, 327 Congress Avenue, Suite 200, Austin, Texas 
78701-365, Telephone: (512) 381-8144, Fax: (512) 381-8177.
    For applicants in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio or 
Wisconsin, please send proposals to: Economic Development 
Administration, Chicago Regional Office, 111 North Canal Street, Suite 
855, Chicago, IL 60606, Telephone: (312) 353-7706, Fax: (312) 353-8575.
    For applicants in Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, 
Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah or Wyoming, please send 
proposals to: Economic Development Administration, Denver Regional 
Office, 1244 Speer Boulevard, Room 670, Denver, Colorado 80204, 
Telephone: (303) 844-4715, Fax: (303) 844-3968.
    For applicants in Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, 
Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, 
Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Vermont, U.S. Virgin Islands 
or West Virginia, please send proposals to: Economic Development 
Administration, Philadelphia Regional Office, Curtis Center, 601 Walnut 
Street, Suite 140 South, Philadelphia, PA 19106, Telephone: (215) 597-
4603, Fax: (215) 597-1063.
    For applicants in Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, California, 
Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nevada, Northern 
Mariana Islands, Oregon or Washington, please send proposals to: 
Economic Development Administration, Seattle Regional Office, Jackson 
Federal Building, Room 1890, 915 Second Avenue, Seattle, Washington 
98174, Telephone: (206) 220-7660, Fax: (206) 220-7669.
    The text of the full Federal Funding Opportunity announcement can 
be accessed at EDA's Web site, http://www.eda.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information or for a 
copy of the full funding opportunity announcement for this request for 
proposals, contact the appropriate EDA regional office listed above.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Electronic Access: EDA is not currently able to accept electronic 
submission of proposal packages. However, the full funding opportunity 
announcement for the FY 2004 Economic Development Assistance Programs 
competition is available through EDA's Web site, http://www.eda.gov, 
and through Grants.gov at http://www.grants.gov.
    Funding Availability: Funds in the amount of $285,083,000 have been 
appropriated for EDA programs in FY 2004 and shall remain available 
until expended.
    Statutory Authority: Pub. L. 89-136, 42 U.S.C. 3121, as amended by 
Pub. L. 105-393; Pub. L. 93-618, 98-120, 98-369, 99-272, 99-514, 100-
418, 103-66,

[[Page 23726]]

105-277, 107-210, 19 U.S.C. 2341-2391 et seq.
    CFDA: 11.300 Grants for Public Works and Economic Development 
Facilities; 11.302 Economic Development--Support for Planning 
Organizations; 11.303 Economic Development--Technical Assistance; 
11.307 Economic Adjustment Assistance; 11.312 Economic Development--
Research and Evaluation; 11.313 Economic Development--Trade Adjustment 
Assistance.
    Eligibility: Eligible applicants for and eligible recipients of EDA 
financial assistance are defined at 13 CFR 300.2. An ``area'' is an 
eligible recipient and is defined at 13 CFR 301.2. One category of the 
areas eligible for financial assistance are those areas meeting the 
``special needs'' criteria as defined in 13 CFR 301.2(b)(3).
    Cost Sharing Requirements: Ordinarily the amount of the EDA grant 
may not exceed 50 percent of the cost of the project. Cash or in-kind 
contributions, fairly evaluated by EDA, including contributions of 
space, equipment, and services, may provide the non-Federal share of 
the project cost. In-kind contributions must be eligible project costs 
and meet applicable Federal cost principles and uniform administrative 
requirements.
    EDA may supplement the Federal share of a grant project where the 
applicant is able to demonstrate that the non-Federal share that would 
otherwise be required cannot be provided because of the overall 
economic situation. Potential applicants should contact the appropriate 
EDA office to make this determination.
    Intergovernmental Review: Applications under this program are 
subject to Executive Order 12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of Federal 
Programs.''
    Evaluation and Selection Procedures: Each pre-application proposal 
is circulated by a project officer to the appropriate regional office 
staff for review, comments, and recommendations. When the necessary 
input and information are obtained, the pre-application proposal is 
considered by the regional office Investment Review Committee (IRC) 
made up of regional office staff. The IRC discusses the proposal and 
all pertinent documentation and evaluates it on two levels of analysis: 
(a) fulfillment of the Investment Policy Guidelines set forth below; 
and (b) the general evaluation criteria set forth at 13 CFR 304.1 and 
304.2 as further defined by the Funding Priorities set forth in this 
notice below, and the program specific criteria provided under 13 CFR 
305.2 for Public Works, 13 CFR 306.2 for Planning Assistance, 13 CFR 
307.2 for Technical Assistance, 13 CFR 307.6 for University Centers, 13 
CFR 307.10 for National Technical Assistance, Training, Research, and 
Evaluation, 13 CFR 308.2 and 308.4 for Economic Adjustment and 13 CFR 
315.5 and 315.6 for Trade Adjustment Assistance for Firms. University 
Center funding proposals will be evaluated pursuant to a separate 
Federal Funding Opportunity notice published on April 15, 2004 (69 FR 
19973).
    After completing its evaluation, the IRC recommends whether or not 
an application should be invited, documenting its recommendation in the 
meeting minutes or in the Investment Proposal Summary and Evaluation 
Form. The IRC analysis of the project's fulfillment of the Investment 
Policy Guidelines is reviewed at EDA headquarters for quality 
assurance. After receiving quality control clearance, the Selecting 
Official (depending on the program, either the Regional Director or the 
Assistant Secretary) selects the applications to be invited after 
considering the evaluations provided by the IRC and the degree to which 
one or more of the Funding Priorities are included (or packaged 
together) in making his/her decision as to which preapplication 
proposals should be invited. The Selecting Official then formally 
invites the successful proponent to submit a formal application. If the 
Selecting Official declines to invite a full application, he/she 
provides written notice to the proponent. In the case of a continuation 
grant, no pre-application proposal is required. Proposals received 
after the date of this notice will be processed in accordance with the 
requirements set forth herein until the next annual FFO is published.
    If a successful proponent submits a formal application, it is 
reviewed by EDA program officials to determine whether it contains any 
deficiencies under EDA regulations at 13 CFR chapter III and the 
requirements of this notice. If deficiencies are noted, the applicant 
is provided a written request to amend the application to resolve any 
deficiencies. If deficiencies are not resolved 30 days after receipt of 
the written notice, the application may be rejected. If the full 
application is accepted, the applicant and EDR are notified and it is 
forwarded for final reviews and processing in accordance with EDA and 
DOC procedures.
    Evaluation Criteria: EDA investment proposals will be competitively 
evaluated primarily on their ability to meet or exceed the following 
Investment Policy Guidelines (each criterion will be given equal 
weight):
    1. Be market-based and results driven. An investment will 
capitalize on a region's competitive strengths and will positively move 
a regional economic indicator measured on EDA's Balanced Scorecard, 
such as: An increased number of higher-skill, higher-wage jobs; 
increased tax revenue; or increased private sector investment.
    2. Have strong organizational leadership. An investment will have 
strong leadership, relevant project management experience, and a 
significant commitment of human resources talent to ensure a project's 
successful execution.
    3. Advance productivity, innovation, and entrepreneurship. An 
investment will embrace the principles of entrepreneurship, enhance 
regional clusters, and leverage and link technology innovators and 
local universities to the private sector to create the conditions for 
greater productivity, innovation, and job creation.
    4. Look beyond the immediate economic horizon, anticipate economic 
changes, and diversify the local and regional economy. An investment 
will be part of an overarching, long term comprehensive economic 
development strategy that enhances a region's success in achieving a 
rising standard of living by supporting existing industry clusters, 
developing emerging new clusters, or attracting new regional economic 
drivers.
    5. Demonstrate a high degree of commitment by exhibiting:

     High levels of local government or non-profit 
matching funds and private sector leverage;
     Clear and unified leadership and support by 
local elected officials; and
     Strong cooperation between the business sector, 
relevant regional partners and local, State and Federal governments.
    Highly rated preapplication proposals may or may not be invited to 
submit full applications based on the following Funding Priorities. 
Generally, all EDA proposals and applications should enhance regional 
competitiveness and support long-term development of the regional 
economy. Further priority will be given to proposals that:
    1. Encourage innovation and regional competitiveness:

    a. Reflect coordination of strong regional leadership committed to 
regional cluster development;
    b. Encourage a formal organization structure and process for 
working on cluster development and maintaining consensus;

[[Page 23727]]

    c. Encourage a common vision and collaboration among firms, 
universities, and training centers to implement a cluster strategy;
    d. Establish research and industrial parks that encourage 
innovation-based competition;
    e. Implement cluster-focused and innovation-focused business 
development efforts; and
    f. Develop or implement coordinated economic and workforce 
development strategies.
    2. Upgrade core business infrastructure such as:

    a. Transportation infrastructure;
    b. Communications infrastructure; and
    c. Specialized training program infrastructure.
    3. Help communities plan and implement economic adjustment 
strategies in response to sudden and severe economic dislocation. 
Specifically, EDA will give highest priority to support manufacturing-
impacted communities by:
    a. Helping communities that experience manufacturing job losses 
(e.g., major layoffs, plant closures or trade impacts); and
    b. Supporting innovation and competitiveness in American 
manufacturing.
    4. Support technology-led economic development, for example, 
proposals that:

    a. Reflect the important role of research and development capacity 
of universities in regional development; and
    b. Create and support technology transfers.
    5. Advance community and faith-based social entrepreneurship in 
redevelopment strategies for areas of chronic economic distress.

The Department of Commerce Pre-Award Notification Requirements for 
Grants and Cooperative Agreements

    The Department of Commerce Pre-Award Notification Requirements for 
Grants and Cooperative Agreements contained in the Federal Register 
notice of October 1, 2001 (66 FR 49917), as amended by the Federal 
Register notice published on October 30, 2002 (67 FR 66109), are 
applicable to this solicitation, and are available on EDA's Web site, 
www.eda.gov.

Paperwork Reduction Act

    This document contains collection-of-information requirements 
subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). The use of Form ED-900P 
has been approved by OMB under the control number 0610-0094. 
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person is required to 
respond to, nor shall any person be subject to a penalty for failure to 
comply with, a collection of information subject to the requirements of 
the PRA unless that collection of information displays a currently 
valid OMB control number.

Executive Order 12866

    This notice has been determined to be not significant for purposes 
of Executive Order 12866.

Executive Order 13132 (Federalism)

    It has been determined that this notice does not contain policies 
with Federalism implications as that term is defined in Executive Order 
13132.

Administrative Procedure Act/ Regulatory Flexibility Act

    Prior notice and an opportunity for public comments are not 
required by the Administrative Procedure Act or any other law for this 
notice concerning grants, benefits and contracts (5 U.S.C. 553(a)(2)). 
Because notice and opportunity for comment are not required pursuant to 
5 U.S.C. 553 or any other law, the analytical requirements of the 
Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) are inapplicable. 
Therefore, a regulatory flexibility analysis has not been prepared.

    Dated: April 22, 2004.
David A. Sampson,
Assistant Secretary for Economic Development.
[FR Doc. 04-9810 Filed 4-29-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-24-P