[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 59 (Monday, March 29, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15406-15411]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-6860]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Business--Cooperative Service


Inviting Applications for Rural Business Opportunity Grants

AGENCY: Rural Business--Cooperative Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Rural Business--Cooperative Service (RBS), an Agency 
within the Rural Development mission area, announces the availability 
of grants under the Rural Business Opportunity Grant (RBOG) program for 
fiscal year (FY) 2010, to be competitively awarded based on the terms 
of this notice and RBOG program regulations found at 7 CFR part 4284, 
subpart G in the following amounts:
    1. Up to $250,000 per application.
    These dollar limits do not apply to Federally Recognized Native 
American Tribes'' (FRNAT), and Rural Economic Area Partnerships, for 
which the RBOG appropriation for FY 2010 provided specific funding.
    Grant applications may be submitted for a work period not to exceed 
two years.
    Applicants are strongly encouraged to review the regulations prior 
to submitting an application.
    While not precluding any of the previous uses of these funds, the 
Agency is particularly interested in recruiting applications that will 
establish ``best practice'' projects in the area of regional economic 
and community development using key strategies of the United States 
Department of Agriculture (USDA). Regions can be either multi-
jurisdictional areas within a State, territory, or Federally-designated 
Tribal land or can cross State, territory, or Tribal boundaries, and 
are herein referred to as ``Great Regions'' applicants. A Great Region 
application focusing on one or more of the key strategies outlined 
below may be eligible for additional discretionary points in the 
application scoring as outlined in the selection criterion in 7 CFR 
4284.639(f). Projects should be

[[Page 15407]]

designed to help rural communities in the region create wealth so they 
are self-sustaining, repopulating and thriving economically, especially 
using any of the following USDA key strategies in sustainable ways:
    1. Local and regional food systems as a strategy for encouraging 
production agriculture and related industries in new wealth creation;
    2. Renewable energy generation, energy conservation, and/or climate 
change adaptation or mitigation as strategies for quality job creation;
    3. Use of broadband and other critical infrastructure as a strategy 
to facilitate local entrepreneurship and expansion of market 
opportunities for small businesses;
    4. Access to capital in rural areas as a strategy to ensure 
continuous business development and job creation/retention; and
    5. Innovative utilization of natural resources as a strategy to 
expand business opportunities.
    Applicants are encouraged to consider all available resources in 
their geographic area that can contribute to supporting their chosen 
strategies * * * After selection, grantees may be provided with 
targeted technical assistance by USDA or other Federal agencies as 
available and appropriate.

DATES: The deadline for the receipt of applications in the respective 
Rural Development State Office is 4 p.m. local time on June 28, 2010. 
Any applications received after that time will not be considered for FY 
2010 funding; however, the Agency reserves the right to extend the 
application deadline.
    Prospective applicants may submit an application for an informal 
eligibility pre-review no later than April 28, 2010. The pre-review is 
intended to provide feedback to the prospective applicant, but is not 
binding on the Agency.

ADDRESSES: Entities wishing to apply for a grant should contact a Rural 
Development State Office for additional information and copies of the 
application package. All applications should be submitted to the Rural 
Development State Office serving the State or territory where the 
project, or a majority of the project, would be located. Electronic 
applications must be submitted through the Grants.gov Web site at: 
http://www.grants.gov, following the instructions found on this Web 
site. Applicants whose projects would serve a multi-State area do not 
need to apply to each State Office. Following is the contact 
information for Rural Development State Offices:

Alabama

USDA Rural Development State Office, Sterling Centre, Suite 601, 
4121 Carmichael Road, Montgomery, AL 36106-3683. (334) 279-3400/TDD 
(334) 279-3495.

Alaska

USDA Rural Development State Office, 800 West Evergreen, Suite 201, 
Palmer, AK 99645-6539. (907) 761-7705/TDD (907) 761-8905.

Arizona

USDA Rural Development State Office, 230 N. 1st Ave., Suite 206, 
Phoenix, AZ 85003. (602) 280-8701/TDD (602) 280-8705.

Arkansas

USDA Rural Development State Office, 700 West Capitol Avenue, Room 
3416, Little Rock, AR 72201-3225. (501) 301-3200/TDD (501) 301-3279.

California

USDA Rural Development State Office, 430 G Street,  4169, 
Davis, CA 95616-4169. (530) 792-5800/TDD (530) 792-5848.

Colorado

USDA Rural Development State Office, 655 Parfet Street, Room E-100, 
Lakewood, CO 80215. (720) 544-2903/TDD (720) 544-2976.

Connecticut (see Massachusetts)

Delaware/Maryland

USDA Rural Development State Office, 1221 College Park Drive, Suite 
200, Dover, DE 19904. (302) 857-3580/TDD (302) 857-3585.

Florida/Virgin Islands

USDA Rural Development State Office, 4440 NW. 25th Place, P.O. Box 
147010, Gainesville, FL 32614-7010. (352) 338-3400/TDD (352) 338-
3499.

Georgia

USDA Rural Development State Office, Stephens Federal Building, 355 
E. Hancock Avenue, Athens, GA 30601-2768. (706) 546-2162/TDD (706) 
546-2034.

Hawaii

USDA Rural Development State Office, Federal Building, Room 311, 154 
Waianuenue Avenue, Hilo, HI 96720. (808) 933-8380/TDD (808) 933-
8321.

Idaho

USDA Rural Development State Office, 9173 West Barnes Drive, Suite 
A1, Boise, ID 83709. (208) 378-5600/TDD (208) 378-5644.

Illinois

USDA Rural Development State Office, 2118 West Park Court, Suite A, 
Champaign, IL 61821. (217) 403-6200/TDD (217) 403-6240.

Indiana

USDA Rural Development State Office, 5975 Lakeside Boulevard, 
Indianapolis, IN 46278. (317) 290-3100/TDD (317) 290-3343.

Iowa

USDA Rural Development State Office, Federal Building, Room 873, 210 
Walnut Street, Des Moines, IA 50309. (515) 284-4663/TDD (515) 284-
4858.

Kansas

USDA Rural Development State Office, 1303 SW. First American Place, 
Suite 100, Topeka, KS 66604-4040. (785) 271-2700/TDD (785) 271-2767.

Kentucky

USDA Rural Development State Office, 771 Corporate Drive, Suite 200, 
Lexington, KY 40503. (859) 224-7300/TDD (859) 224-7422.

Louisiana

USDA Rural Development State Office, 3727 Government Street, 
Alexandria, LA 71302. (318) 473-7921/TDD (318) 473-7655.

Maine

USDA Rural Development State Office, 967 Illinois Avenue, Suite 4, 
P.O. Box 405, Bangor, ME 04402-0405. (207) 990-9160/TDD (207) 942-
7331.

Maryland (see Delaware)

Massachusetts/Rhode Island/Connecticut

USDA Rural Development State Office, 451 West Street, Suite 2, 
Amherst, MA 01002-2999. (413) 253-4300/TDD (413) 253-4590.

Michigan

USDA Rural Development State Office, 3001 Coolidge Road, Suite 200, 
East Lansing, MI 48823. (517) 324-5190/TDD (517) 324-5169.

Minnesota

USDA Rural Development State Office, 375 Jackson Street, Suite 410, 
St. Paul, MN 55101-1853. (651) 602-7800/TDD (651) 602-3799.

Mississippi

USDA Rural Development State Office, Federal Building, Suite 831, 
100 West Capitol Street, Jackson, MS 39269. (601) 965-4316/TDD (601) 
965-5850.

Missouri

USDA Rural Development State Office, 601 Business Loop 70 West, 
Parkade Center, Suite 235, Columbia, MO 65203. (573) 876-0976/TDD 
(573) 876-9480.

Montana

USDA Rural Development State Office, 900 Technology Boulevard, Suite 
B, P.O. Box 850, Bozeman, MT 59771. (406) 585-2580/TDD (406) 585-
2562.

Nebraska

USDA Rural Development State Office, Federal Building, Room 152, 100 
Centennial Mall North, Lincoln, NE 68508. (402) 437-5551/TDD (402) 
437-5093.

Nevada

USDA Rural Development State Office, 1390 South Curry Street, Carson 
City, NV 89703-5146. (775) 887-1222/TDD (775) 885-0633.

[[Page 15408]]

New Jersey

USDA Rural Development State Office, 8000 Midlantic Drive, 5th Floor 
North, Suite 500, Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054. (856) 787-7700/TDD (856) 
787-7784.

New Hampshire (see Vermont)

New Mexico

USDA Rural Development State Office, 6200 Jefferson Street, NE., 
Room 255, Albuquerque, NM 87109. (505) 761-4950/TDD (505) 761-4938.

New York

USDA Rural Development State Office, The Galleries of Syracuse, 441 
South Salina Street, Suite 357, Syracuse, NY 13202-2541. (315) 477-
6400/TDD (315) 477-6447.

North Carolina

USDA Rural Development State Office, 4405 Bland Road, Suite 260, 
Raleigh, NC 27609. (919) 873-2000/TDD (919) 873-2003.

North Dakota

USDA Rural Development State Office, Federal Building, Room 208, 220 
East Rosser, P.O. Box 1737, Bismarck, ND 58502-1737. (701) 530-2037/
TDD (701) 530-2113.

Ohio

USDA Rural Development State Office, Federal Building, Room 507, 200 
North High Street, Columbus, OH 43215-2418. (614) 255-2400/TDD (614) 
255-2554.

Oklahoma

USDA Rural Development State Office, 100 USDA, Suite 108, 
Stillwater, OK 74074-2654. (405) 742-1000/TDD (405) 742-1007.

Oregon

USDA Rural Development State Office, 1201 NE Lloyd Blvd., Suite 801, 
Portland, OR 97232. (503) 414-3300/TDD (503) 414-3387.

Pennsylvania

USDA Rural Development State Office, One Credit Union Place, Suite 
330, Harrisburg, PA 17110-2996. (717) 237-2299/TDD (717) 237-2261.

Puerto Rico

USDA Rural Development State Office, IBM Building, Suite 601, 654 
Munos Rivera Avenue, San Juan, PR 00918-6106. (787) 766-5095/TDD 
(787) 766-5332.

Rhode Island (see Massachusetts)

South Carolina

USDA Rural Development State Office, Strom Thurmond Federal 
Building, 1835 Assembly Street, Room 1007, Columbia, SC 29201. (803) 
765-5163/TDD (803) 765-5697.

South Dakota

USDA Rural Development State Office, Federal Building, Room 210, 200 
Fourth Street, SW., Huron, SD 57350. (605) 352-1100/TDD (605) 352-
1147.

Tennessee

USDA Rural Development State Office, 3322 West End Avenue, Suite 
300, Nashville, TN 37203-1084. (615) 783-1300.

Texas

USDA Rural Development State Office, Federal Building, Suite 102, 
101 South Main, Temple, TX 76501. (254) 742-9700/TDD (254) 742-9712.

Utah

USDA Rural Development State Office, Wallace F. Bennett Federal 
Building, 125 South State Street, Room 4311, Salt Lake City, UT 
84138. (801) 524-4320/TDD (801) 524-3309.

Vermont/New Hampshire

USDA Rural Development State Office, City Center, 3rd Floor, 89 Main 
Street, Montpelier, VT 05602. (802) 828-6000/TDD (802) 223-6365.

Virgin Islands (see Florida)

Virginia

USDA Rural Development State Office, 1606 Santa Rosa Road, Suite 
238, Richmond, VA 23229-5014. (804) 287-1550/TDD (804) 287-1753.

Washington

USDA Rural Development State Office, 1835 Black Lake Boulevard SW., 
Suite B, Olympia, WA 98512-5715. (360) 704-7740/TDD (360) 704-7760.

West Virginia

USDA Rural Development State Office, 75 High Street, Room 320, 
Morgantown, WV 26505-7500. (304) 284-4860/TDD (304) 284-4836.

Wisconsin

USDA Rural Development State Office, 4949 Kirschling Court, Stevens 
Point, WI 54481. (715) 345-7600/TDD (715) 345-7614.

Wyoming

USDA Rural Development State Office, 100 East B, Federal Building, 
Room 1005, P.O. Box 11005, Casper, WY 82602-5006. (307) 233-6700/TDD 
(307) 233-6733.

U.S. Territories

Guam (see Hawaii)

Western Pacific (see Hawaii)

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:


Overview

    Federal Agency: Rural Business--Cooperative Service (RBS).
    Funding Opportunity Type: Rural Business Opportunity Grants (RBOG).
    Announcement Type: Initial Solicitation Announcement.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 10.773
    Dates: Application Deadline: Unless extended by the Agency, 
completed applications for these funds must be received in the 
respective Rural Development State Office no later than 4 p.m. on June 
28, 2010, to be eligible for FY 2010 grant funding. Any applications 
received after that time will not be considered for FY 2010 funding; 
however, the Agency reserves the right to extend the application 
deadline. Electronic applications must be submitted through the 
Grants.gov Web site at: http://www.grants.gov, following the 
instructions found on this Web site.
    Application pre-review: Prospective applicants may submit an 
application for an informal eligibility pre-review no later than April 
28, 2010. The pre-review is intended to provide feedback to the 
prospective applicant, but is not binding on the Agency.

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    While all of the many eligible purposes for Rural Business 
Opportunity Grants will continue to be considered, the Agency is 
particularly interested in recruiting applications that will establish 
``best practice'' projects in the area of regional economic and 
community development using key strategies of the USDA as identified 
below. To ensure that a broad range of communities have the opportunity 
to benefit from the program, no grant will exceed $250,000. These 
limits do not apply to funding for rural areas designated as FRNATs or 
Rural Economic Area Partnerships.
    Multi-County and Multi-State applicants, referred to as ``Great 
Regions'' applicants, can be either multi-jurisdictional areas within a 
State, territory, or Federally recognized Tribes with land in multiple 
States or a consortium of Federally recognized Tribes.
    Great Regions applications should focus on the economic integration 
and cohesion of their self-defined geographic area. The Great Regions 
approach is intended to combine the resources of the Agency with those 
of State and local governments, educational institutions, and the 
private and nonprofit sectors to implement regional economic and 
community development strategies. Accordingly, the Agency will alert 
the grantee of other potential assistance both within USDA and across 
the Federal government in support of their project including USDA's 
various programs and sources of expertise.
    The Agency encourages applications that promote substantive 
economic growth, including job creation, as well as specifically 
addressing the circumstances of those sectors within the region that 
have fewer prospects and the greatest need for improved economic 
opportunity.
    Applications should demonstrate:

[[Page 15409]]

    A. Clear leadership in organizing and coordinating a regional 
initiative;
    B. Evidence that the applicant region has a common economic basis 
that supports the likelihood of success in implementing its strategy;
    C. Evidence that the participants in the regional plan have the 
capacity to assess their circumstance, determine a long term 
sustainable vision for the region, and implement a comprehensive 
strategic plan, including identifying performance measures and 
establishing a system to collect the data to allow assessment of those 
performance measures;
    D. Evidence that the participants in the regional plan are willing 
to work collaboratively with a broad range of institutions (e.g., 
Federal agencies, State, local, and Tribal governments, non-profits, 
universities and colleges, private firms, philanthropic organizations);
    E. Evidence that the participants in the regional plan will seek 
contributions or investments in the regional strategy from a board 
range of institutions;
    F. Evidence that participants in the regional plan are willing to 
assure broad citizen participation in its regional work;
    G. Evidence of consideration of the demographic diversity within 
the region; and,
    H. Evidence of adequate funding support to disadvantaged 
communities.
    A Great Regions project should be designed to help rural 
communities in the region create prosperity so they are self-
sustaining, repopulating and economically thriving. A Great Region 
application focusing on one or more of the following key strategies may 
be eligible for additional discretionary points in the application 
scoring as outlined in the selection criterion in 7 CFR 4284.639(f).:
    1. Local and regional food systems that encourage agriculture and 
related industries in new wealth creation--Section 6015 of the Food, 
Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (Farm Bill) defines ``locally or 
regionally produced agricultural food products'' to be any agricultural 
food product that is raised, produced, and distributed in:
    (I) The locality or region in which the final product is marketed, 
so that the total distance that the product is transported is less than 
400 miles from the origin of the product; or (II) the State in which 
the product is produced.
    Local or regional food systems are the infrastructure behind 
locally or regionally produced agricultural food products*. This 
includes both the land, buildings, equipment, professional services 
such as veterinary care or crop consulting, and feed, seed, fertilizer 
and other inputs necessary to produce the crops and livestock leading 
to these food products and the harvesting, transportation, processing, 
storage, handling, distribution, and retail networks required to give 
consumers real access to locally or regionally produced food products. 
Best practice projects should acknowledge the role of producers and 
consumers, individually or collectively, including through the creation 
of new or expansion of existing cooperatives.
    *(This definition is included for informational purposes only and 
Applicants should not be constrained by it in formulating their 
geographic boundaries for RBOG application purposes.)
    2. Renewable energy generation and energy conservation as 
strategies for quality job creation as well as climate change reduction 
and mitigation--As America turned from the 19th to the 20th Century, 
rural areas provided much of the workforce and natural resources that 
powered the Industrial Revolution. While those jobs created prosperity 
in rural communities, they often came at the price of worker health and 
the quality of water, air, and soil in the region. As new technologies 
emerge to create power and fuels from renewable sources, rural 
Americans look forward to new opportunities to harness the sun that 
shines on the desert Southwest, the wind that sweeps across the 
heartland, and to turn agricultural wastes and by-products into power 
and fuel sources for generations to come. But, from manufacturing 
photovoltaic films to repairing wind turbines to mastering biomass crop 
production, harvesting, and storage, realizing those opportunities 
requires workforce recruitment and development.
    There are similar job opportunities in energy conservation, from 
conducting energy audits for farmers and other rural business owners to 
jobs in the home improvement business reducing home heating and cooling 
costs. As is often the case in rural areas, though, sparse population 
can make entrepreneurship difficult to support.
    Best practice projects in this area will demonstrate rural/urban 
connections and explore the interface of Federal and State level 
incentives with permitting and regulatory frameworks.
    3. Access to broadband and other critical infrastructure as a 
strategy for facilitating local entrepreneurship and attracting people 
into rural areas--The Rural Utilities Service, another of the agencies 
forming the Rural Development mission area, has been financing 
expansion of electricity into rural areas since 1935 and 
telecommunications since 1949. In both the Farm Bill and the American 
Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Congress modernized USDA's 
telecommunications mission by providing Rural Utilities Service with 
tools to expand access to broadband in rural areas. Availability of 
high-speed Internet access has become one of the factors Americans 
consider in choosing where to live, along with the availability of 
clean water, sanitary sewer systems, and the quality and availability 
of housing, schools, and other essential community facilities. Over its 
75-year history, Rural Utilities Service and its predecessor, the Rural 
Electrification Administration, have improved the quality of life for 
millions of rural Americans and made modern commerce possible. However, 
it is not enough to make fiber-optic cable, wireless services, or even 
satellite capability available to rural communities. For the economic 
promise of broadband technologies to be realized, they must be used. 
Buyers and sellers must be able to find each other quickly and easily 
anywhere and anytime. Health care and other service providers must use 
available technology to improve the quality of the services they offer. 
Employers must use available technology to recruit, train, and retain a 
modern workforce. As changes in whole sectors of the American economy--
from wood products to automotive parts to the poultry industry--ripple 
through supply chains in rural communities, broadband access offers 
hope for new markets and new economic opportunities, but only if it is 
used.
    4. Access to capital in rural areas as a strategy to ensure 
continuous business development and job creation/retention--Like all 
business owners, rural entrepreneurs need access to capital to start or 
expand their businesses. And, like all business owners, rural 
entrepreneurs have two basic choices when they need to raise capital: 
Debt financing through a loan or equity financing through selling a 
stake in the business to investors. But, these tools have not been as 
readily available in many rural areas as they have been in more 
metropolitan areas, even when the overall economy was very strong.
    The Agency offers a variety of tools designed to make debt 
financing more available and more affordable, such as capitalizing 
locally-controlled revolving loan funds through the Intermediary 
Relending Program and reducing lender risk to make more favorable rates 
and terms possible for business owners through the Business & Industry 
Loan Guarantee Program. However, the Farm Bill authorized only one 
equity

[[Page 15410]]

financing program, the Rural Business Investment Program (Section 
6027), and no funding has been requested or appropriated. The Agency is 
particularly interested in recruiting best practice projects that 
identify alternative and replicable equity sources, such as community-
based organizations, private foundations or networks of private 
investors willing to focus on rural economic and community development.
    5. Innovative utilization of natural resources as a strategy to 
expand business opportunities--Creative integration of local natural 
resources can result in multiple avenues for new or enhanced economic 
activity that will increase rural wealth. For example, forest resources 
can be used to encourage eco-tourism resulting in increased demand for 
businesses to provide supporting services or private pasture land can 
be used for hunting. If a region becomes known for its unique features, 
it can create additional sources of income by promoting itself as a 
destination. Once there, visitors can support businesses such as art 
galleries, spas, etc.
    The Agency is particularly interested in recruiting best practice 
projects that identify alternative and replicable innovations of 
natural resource projects as strategies for long term economic 
development. In addition, within the key strategy categories, the 
Agency is also interested in applications that integrate economically 
and environmentally sustainable methods of growth, in particular in 
transportation, housing, and economic development.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Grant.
    Fiscal Year Funds: FY 2010.
    Total Funding: $7.48 million.
    Approximate Number of Awards: 30.
    Maximum Award: $250,000, except as otherwise specifically provided 
herein.
    Anticipated Award Date: September 15, 2010.
    Specially designated places: Tribal lands, Rural Economic Area 
Partnership (REAP) Zones.

III. Eligibility Information

A. Eligible Applicants

    Grants may be made to public bodies, nonprofit corporations, Indian 
Tribes on Federal or State reservations and other Federally-recognized 
Tribal groups, and cooperatives with members who are primarily rural 
residents and that conduct activities for the mutual benefit of the 
members.

B. Cost Sharing or Matching

    Matching funds are not required; however, regulatory selection 
criteria encourage applications that leverage Federal funds.

C. Other Eligibility Requirements

    The purpose of the RBOG program is to facilitate sustainable 
economic development opportunities for rural people.

D. Completeness Eligibility

    Applications must be complete to be considered for FY 2010 funding. 
The required elements of a complete application are in the RBOG program 
regulations at 7 CFR Part 4284, Subpart G. Copies of the regulations 
are available from Rural Development State Offices or can be obtained 
online from the Rural Development Web site:  http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/regs/regs_toc.html.

IV. Fiscal Year 2010 Application and Submission Information

A. Address To Request Application Package

    Applicants should contact the Rural Development State Office 
serving the State, territory, or Tribal lands in which the project, or 
the majority of the project, would be physically located. Contact 
information for Rural Development State Offices is listed above.
    Applications may be submitted in paper format; however, applicants 
are encouraged to submit applications through the Grants.gov Web site 
at  http://www.grants.gov. Applications will not be accepted by 
electronic mail.
    The Grants.gov Web site provides all necessary information about 
how to submit an electronic application through the Web site as well as 
the hours of operation. Users of Grants.gov will be able to download a 
copy of the full application package, complete it offline, and then 
upload and submit the application and all necessary assurances and 
certifications via the Grants.gov Web site. In addition:
     Applicants are strongly encouraged not to wait until the 
final day of application acceptance to begin the Grants.gov process;
     In the event of technical difficulties on the final day of 
application acceptance, an applicant may choose to submit a paper 
application instead; however, the application must be received by the 
respective Rural Development State Office by 4 p.m. on June 28, 2010;
     Applicants must have a Dunn and Bradstreet Universal 
Numbering System (DUNS) number. A DUNS number can be obtained at no 
cost by calling toll-free 1-866-705-5711 or online at: http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform;
     Applicants submitting through the Grants.gov Web site will 
receive an automatic acknowledgement of the submission containing a 
Grants.gov tracking number;
     The Agency may request that an applicant provide original 
signatures on forms at a later date; and
     Applicants can locate the downloadable application package 
for the RBOG program on the Grants.gov Web site by using the Catalog of 
Federal Domestic Assistance Number, which is 10.773, or by searching 
the FedGrants Funding Opportunity Number, which can be found at http://www.fedgrants.gov.
    In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 
information collection requirement contained in this Notice is approved 
by the Office of Management Budget (OMB) under OMB Control Number 0570-
0024.

B. Content and Form of Submission

    An application must be consistent with the statutory requirements 
of the RBOG program, found in 7 U.S.C. 1926(a)(11), as amended. In 
addition, an application must contain all of the required elements 
articulated in the RBOG regulations, found at 7 CFR part 4284, subpart 
G. Each selection criterion outlined in 7 CFR 4284.639 must be 
addressed in the application. Failure to address any of the criteria 
will result in a zero point score for that criterion and will impact 
the overall evaluation of the application. Copies of pertinent 
provisions of the regulations can be obtained from a Rural Development 
State Office listed above or can be obtained electronically from the 
Rural Development Web site: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/regs/regs_toc.html.

C. Submission Dates and Times

    Application Deadline: Completed applications for these funds must 
be received by the respective Rural Development State Office no later 
than 4 p.m. on June 28, 2010 for grant funding. Any applications 
received after that time will not be considered for FY 2010 funding; 
however, the Agency reserves the right to extend the application 
deadline.
    Application pre-review: Prospective applicants may submit an 
application for an informal eligibility pre-review no later than April 
28, 2010. The pre-review is intended to provide feedback to the 
prospective applicant, but is not binding on the Agency.

V. Application Review Information

    The National Office will score applications based on the grant

[[Page 15411]]

selection criteria and point scores contained in 7 CFR part 4284, 
subpart G and will select a grantee subject to the grantee's 
satisfactory submission of any additional items required by 7 CFR part 
4284, subpart G and the RBS Letter of Conditions.

VI. Award Administration Information

A. Award Notices

    Successful applicants will receive notification for funding from 
the Rural Development State Office. Applicants must comply with all 
applicable statutes and regulations before the grant award will be 
approved. Unsuccessful applicants will receive notification, including 
mediation procedures and appeal rights, by mail.

B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

    Additional requirements that apply to grantees selected for this 
program can be found in the RBOG regulations, contained in 7 CFR part 
4284, subpart G. This regulation may be obtained at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/page1.

VII. Agency Contacts

    For general questions about how to apply or to receive an 
application package, please contact the Rural Development State Office 
serving the State or territory where the project, or a majority of the 
project, would be located.
    For specific questions about multi-jurisdictional ``Great Region'' 
applications or information about other programs or agencies in USDA, 
please call 202-720-7558.

Nondiscrimination Statement

    ``The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits 
discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, 
color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, 
marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual 
orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or 
because all or part of an individual's income is derived from any 
public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all 
programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for 
communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, 
etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at 202-720-6382 (TDD). To 
file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of 
Adjudication and Compliance, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, 
DC 20250-9410, or call 800-795-3272 (voice), or 202-720-6382 (TDD). 
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.''

Appeal Process

    All adverse determinations regarding applicant eligibility and the 
awarding of points as part of the selection process are appealable 
pursuant to 7 CFR part 11. Instructions on the appeal process will be 
provide at the time an applicant is notified of the adverse decision.

    Dated: February 18, 2010.
Judith A. Canales,
Administrator, Rural Business-Cooperative Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-6860 Filed 3-26-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-XY-P