[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 44 (Tuesday, March 7, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11376-11379]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-3170]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Utilities Service


Announcement of Grant Application Deadlines and Funding Levels

AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of funding availability and solicitation of 
applications.

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SUMMARY: USDA Rural Development administers rural utilities programs 
through the Rural Utilities Service. USDA Rural Development announces 
additional Fiscal Year (FY) 2006 funding available through its 
Technical Assistance and Training Grant Program (TAT). An additional 
$500,000 in emergency funding will be made available, pursuant to the 
Secretary's determination of extreme need, to conduct Water Resource 
Studies in the states affected by hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and/or 
Wilma (Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas).

DATES: You may submit completed applications for the Water Resource 
Studies grant(s) from the date of announcement to 30 days after this 
announcement appears in the Federal Register.

ADDRESSES: You may obtain application guides and materials for the 
Water Resource Studies grants the following ways:
     The Internet at USDA Rural Development Web site: http://www.usda.gov/rus/water/.
     You may also request application guides and materials by 
contacting the USDA Rural Development, WEP at (202) 720-9586.
    You may submit:
     Completed paper applications for Water Resource Studies 
grants to the USDA Rural Development, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 
1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Room 2233, STOP 1570, Washington, DC 
20250-1570. Applications should be marked ``Attention: Assistant 
Administrator, Water and Environmental Programs.''
     Electronic grant applications at http://www.grants.gov/ 
(Grants.gov), following the instructions you find on that Web site.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anita O'Brien, Loan Specialist, Water 
Program Division, USDA Rural Development, telephone: (202) 690-3789, 
fax: (202) 690-0649.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Overview

    Federal Agency: Rural Utilities Service.
    Funding Opportunity Title: Water Resource Studies Grants.
    Announcement Type: Funding Level Announcement and Solicitation of 
Applications.
    Authority: 7 U.S.C. 1926(a)(14); Pub.L. 109-97, 119 Stat. 2120.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 10.761.
    Dates: You may submit completed application for a TAT grant from 
the date of announcement to 30 days after this announcement appears in 
the Federal Register.
    Reminder of competitive grant application deadline: Applications 
must be mailed, shipped or submitted electronically through Grants.gov 
no later than 30 days after this announcement appears in the Federal 
Register to be eligible for funding.

Items in Supplementary Information

I. Funding Opportunity: Brief introduction to the Water Resource 
Studies Grants;
II. Award Information: Available funds, maximum amounts;
III. Eligibility Information: Who is eligible, what kinds of 
projects are eligible, what criteria determine basic eligibility;
IV. Application and Submission Information: Where to get application 
materials; what constitutes a completed application; how and where 
to submit applications; deadlines; and, items that are eligible;
V. Application Review Information: Considerations and preferences; 
scoring criteria; review standards; and selection information;
VI. Award Administration Information: Award notice information and 
award recipient reporting requirements;
VII. Agency Contacts: Web, phone, fax, email, and contact name.

I. Funding Opportunity

    Drinking water systems are basic and vital to both health and 
economic development. Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma severely 
damaged water systems in the states of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, 
Louisiana, and Texas. Without dependable water supply, rural 
communities in these states will not attract families and businesses to 
return and invest in the hurricane damaged communities.
    USDA Rural Development supports the sound development of rural 
communities and the growth of our economy without endangering the 
environment. It provides financial and technical assistance to help 
communities bring safe drinking water and sanitary, environmentally 
sound waste disposal facilities to rural Americans in greatest need. 
The additional funding for Water Resource Studies will allow rural 
communities to better plan and secure dependable water supplies for 
rebuilding their community's health and economic development. Qualified 
private non-profit organizations may apply to receive a grant to 
conduct Water Resource Studies to evaluate sources of dependable water 
supplies for communities in the hurricane affected states.

II. Award Information

    Available funds: $500,000 is available for Water Resource Study 
grants in FY 2006.

III. Eligibility Information

A. What are the basic eligibility requirements for applying?

    The applying entity (Applicant) must:
    1. Be a private, non-profit organization that has tax-exempt status 
from the United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS);
    2. Be legally established and located within one of the following:
    a. A state within the United States.
    b. The District of Columbia.
    c. The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
    d. Insular possession of the United States.
    3. Have the legal capacity and authority to carry out the grant 
purpose;

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    4. Have no delinquent debt to the Federal Government or no 
outstanding judgments to repay Federal debt.

B. What are the basic eligibility requirements for a project?

    The project must be a Water Resource Study that will evaluate and 
recommend sources of dependable water supply that can be developed and 
used by rural communities in one or more of the hurricane affected 
states of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas.

IV. Application and Submission Information

 A. Where to get application Information

    The grant application guide, copies of necessary forms and samples, 
and the Technical Assistance Grants regulation (7 CFR 1775) are 
available from these sources:
     The Internet: http://www.usda.gov/rus/water/,
     http://www.grants.gov. or,
     For paper copies of these materials: call (202) 720-9586.
    1. You may file an application in either paper or electronic 
format. Whether you file a paper or an electronic application, you will 
need a Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) 
number. You must provide your DUNS number on the SF-424, ``Application 
for Federal Assistance.''
    To verify that your organization has a DUNS number or to receive 
one at no cost, call the dedicated toll-free request line at 1-866-705-
5711 or access the Web site http://www.dunandbradstreet.com. You will 
need the following information when requesting a DUNS number:
    a. Legal Name of the Applicant;
    b. Headquarters name and address of the Applicant;
    c. The names under which the Applicant is doing business (e.g. dba) 
or any other name(s) by which the Applicant is commonly recognized;
    d. Physical address of the Applicant;
    e. Mailing address (if separate from headquarters and/or physical 
address of the Applicant);
    f. Telephone number;
    g. Contact name and title;
    h. Number of employees at the physical location.
    2. Send or deliver paper applications via the U.S. Postal Service 
(USPS) or courier delivery services to the USDA Rural Development 
receipt point set forth below. Applications will not be accepted by fax 
or e-mail. For paper applications mail or ensure delivery of an 
original paper application (no stamped, photocopied, or initialed 
signatures) and two copies by the deadline date to the following 
address:
    Assistant Administrator--Water and Environmental Programs, USDA 
Rural Development, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., STOP 1548, Room 5145 
South, Washington, DC 20250-1548. The application and any materials 
sent with it become Federal records by law and cannot be returned to 
you.
    3. For electronic applications, you must file an electronic 
application at the Web site: http://www.grants.gov. You must be 
registered with Grants.gov before you can submit a grant application. 
If you have not used Grants.gov before, you will need to register with 
the Central Contractor Registry (CCR) and the Credential Provider. You 
will need a DUNS number to accomplish such registration and later 
access any of the services.
    The CCR registers your organization, maintains your organizational 
information and allows Grants.gov to use it to verify your identity. 
You may register with CCR by calling the CCR Assistance Center at 1-
888-227-2423 or you may register online at: http://www.ccr.gov.
    The Credential Provider gives you or your representative a username 
and password, as part of the Federal Government's e-Authentication to 
ensure a secure transaction. You will need the username and password 
when you register with Grants.gov or use Grants.gov to submit your 
application. You must register with the Central Provider through 
Grants.gov: https://apply.grants.gov/OrcRegister.
    The registration processes may take several business days to 
complete. Follow the instructions at Grants.gov for registering and 
submitting an electronic application. Original signatures on 
electronically submitted documents may be requested at a later date.

B. What constitutes a completed application?

    1. To be considered for assistance, you must be an eligible entity 
and must submit a complete application by the deadline date. You must 
consult the cost principles and general administrative requirements for 
grants pertaining to their organizational type in order to prepare the 
budget and complete other parts of the application. You also must 
demonstrate compliance (or intent to comply), through certification or 
other means, with a number of public policy requirements.
    2. Applicants must complete and submit the following forms to apply 
for a Water Resource Study grant:
    (a) Standard Form 424, ``Application for Federal Assistance.''
    (b) Standard Form 424A, ``Budget Information--Non-Construction 
Programs.''
    (c) Standard Form 424B, ``Assurances--Non-Construction Programs.''
    (d) Standard Form LLL, ``Disclosure of Lobbying Activity.''
    (e) Form RD 400-1, ``Equal Opportunity Agreement.''
    (f) Form RD 400-4, ``Assurance Agreement (Under Title VI, Civil 
Rights Act of 1964).
    3. The project proposal should outline the project in sufficient 
detail to provide a reader with a complete understanding of how the 
proposed Water Resource Study will address the water supply needs of 
the study area. The proposal should contain:
    a. A brief project overview. Explain the purpose of the project, 
how it relates to USDA Rural Development purposes, how the Applicant 
will carry out the project, what the project will produce, and who will 
direct it.
    b. A statement describing the necessity of the project. Describe 
why the project is necessary. Describe how eligible rural communities 
will benefit from the study. Describe the service area. Address water 
needs of rural communities within the study area.
    c. A statement of the study goals.. The statement should clearly 
describe the goals and be concrete and specific enough to be 
quantitative or observable. They should also be feasible and relate to 
the purpose of the proposed Water Resource Study.
    d. A project evaluation which must describe how the results will be 
evaluated, consistent with the study's objectives.
    e. The following supplementary materials must be submitted:
    (i) Evidence that the Applicant is legally recognized under state 
and Federal law. Satisfactory documentation includes, but is not 
limited to, certificates from the Secretary of State, or copies of 
state statutes or laws under which the Applicant was established. 
Letters from the IRS awarding tax-exempt status are not considered 
adequate evidence.
    (ii) A certified list of directors and officers with their 
respective terms.
    (iii) Evidence of tax exempt status from the Internal Revenue 
Service.
    (iv) Disclosure of debarment and suspension information required in 
accordance with 7 CFR 3017.335, if it applies. The section heading is 
``What information must I provide before entering into a covered 
transaction with the Department of Agriculture?'' It is

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part of the Department of Agriculture's rules on Government-wide 
Debarment and Suspension.
    (v). Identification of all of the Applicant's known workplaces 
including the actual address of buildings location within buildings; or 
other sites where work under the award takes place. Workplace 
identification is required under the drug-free workplace requirements 
in accordance with 7 CFR 3021.230. The section heading is ``How and 
when must I identify workplaces?'' It is part of the Department of 
Agriculture's rules on Government-wide Requirements for Drug-Free 
Workplace (Financial Assistance).
    (vi) The most recent audit of the Applicant.

V. Application Review Information

    A. Within 30 days of receiving the application, USDA Rural 
Development will acknowledge receipt by letter to the Applicant. The 
application will be reviewed for completeness to determine if it 
contains all of the items required. If the application is incomplete or 
ineligible, it will be returned to the Applicant with an explanation.
    B. A review team, composed of at least two members, will evaluate 
all applications and proposals. They will make overall recommendations 
based on factors such as eligibility, application completeness, and 
conformity to application requirements. They will score the 
applications based on criteria in the next section.
    C. All applications that are complete and eligible will be ranked 
competitively based on the following scoring criteria

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          Scoring criteria                          Points
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1. Degree of expertise.............  Up to 30 points.
2. Percentage of Applicant's         Up to 20 points.
 contributions.
3. Needs Assessment: Extent that     Up to 15 points.
 problems/issues are clearly
 defined and supported by data.
4. Goals/Objectives: Goals/          Up to 15 points.
 objectives are clearly defined,
 are tied to need, and are
 measurable.
5. Extent to which the work plan     Up to 50 points.
 clearly articulates a well thought-
 out approach to accomplishing
 objectives; and clearly defines
 those served by the study.
 6. Description of the service       Up to 15 points.
 area, particularly the
 demographics of the rural
 communities being served
 (population and Median Household
 Income of the communities).
7. Extent to which the evaluation    Up to 20 points.
 methods are specific to the
 program, clearly defined,
 measurable, with the expected
 project outcomes.
8. Administrator's discretion......  Up to 15 points.
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VI. Award Administration Information

    A. USDA Rural Development will rank all qualifying applications by 
their final score. Applications will be selected for funding based on 
the highest scores and the availability of funding for the Water 
Resource Studies grants. Each applicant will be notified in writing of 
the score its application receives.
    B. In making a decision regarding an application, USDA Rural 
Development may determine that an application is:
    1. Eligible and selected for funding,
    2. Eligible but offered fewer funds than requested,
    3. Eligible but not selected for funding, or
    4. Ineligible for the grant.
    C. In accordance with 7 CFR part 1900, subpart B, the Applicant 
generally has the right to appeal adverse decisions. Some adverse 
decisions cannot be appealed. For example, if the Applicant is denied 
funding due to a lack of funds available for the grant program, this 
decision cannot be appealed. However, the Applicant may make a request 
to the National Appeals Division (NAD) to review the accuracy of our 
finding that the decision cannot be appealed. The appeal must be in 
writing and filed at the appropriate Regional Office, which can be 
found at http://www.nad.usda.gov/offices.htm or by calling (703) 305-
1166.
    D. Applicants selected for funding (Grantees) will complete a grant 
agreement, which outlines the terms and conditions of the grant award.
    E. Grantees will be reimbursed as follows:
    1. SF-270, ``Request for Advance or Reimbursement,'' will be 
completed by the Grantee and submitted to either the State or National 
Office not more frequently than monthly.
    2. Upon receipt of a properly completed SF-270, payment will 
ordinarily be made within 30 days.
    3. Grantees are encouraged to use women- and minority-owned banks 
(a bank which is owned at least 50 percent by women or minority group 
members) for the deposit and disbursement of funds.
    F. Any change in the scope of the project, budget adjustments of 
more than 10 percent of the total budget, or any other significant 
change in the project must be reported to and approved by the 
appropriate USDA Rural Development official by written amendment to the 
grant agreement. Any change not approved may be cause for termination 
of the grant.
    G. Project reporting.
    1. Grantees shall constantly monitor performance to ensure that 
time schedules are being met, projected work is being accomplished 
within the established time periods, and other performance objectives 
are being achieved.
    2. SF-269, ``Financial Status Report (short form),'' and a project 
performance activity report will be required of all grantees on a 
quarterly basis, due 30 days after the end of each quarter.
    3. A final project performance report will be required with the 
last SF-269, due 90 days after the end of the last quarter in which the 
project is completed. The final report may serve as the last quarterly 
report.
    4. All multi-state Grantees are to submit an original of each 
report to the National Office. Grantees serving only one State are to 
submit an original of each report to the State Office. The project 
performance reports should detail, preferably in a narrative format, 
activities that have transpired for the specific time period.
    H. The Grantee will provide an audit report or financial 
statement(s) as follows:
    1. Grantees expending $500,000 or more Federal funds per fiscal 
year will submit an audit conducted in accordance with OMB Circular A-
133. The audit will be submitted within 9 months after the end of the 
Grantee's fiscal year. Additional audits may be required if the project 
period covers more than one fiscal year.
    2. Grantees expending less than $500,000 will provide annual 
financial statements covering the grant period, consisting of the 
Grantee's statement of income and expense and balance sheet signed by 
an appropriate official of the Grantee. Financial statements will be 
submitted within 90 days after the Grantee's fiscal year.

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VII. Agency Contacts

    A. Web site: http://www.usda.gov/rus/water. The USDA Rural 
Development's Web site maintains up-to-date resources and contact 
information for the Technical Assistance Grants program.
    B. Phone: (202) 720-9586.
    C. Fax: (202) 690-0649.
    D. E-mail: [email protected].
    E. Main point of contact: Anita O'Brien, Loan Specialist, Water and 
Environmental Programs, Water Programs Division, USDA Rural 
Development.

    Dated: February 24, 2006.
James M. Andrew,
Administrator, Rural Utilities Service.
[FR Doc. E6-3170 Filed 3-6-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-15-P