[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 13 (Thursday, January 20, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3605-3608]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-1110]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Business-Cooperative Service


Notice of Solicitation of Applications (NOSA) for Inviting Rural 
Business Enterprise Grant Program Applications for Grants To Provide 
Technical Assistance for Rural Transportation Systems

AGENCY: Rural Business-Cooperative Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBS), an Agency within 
the USDA Rural Development mission area, solicits applications of two 
individual grants: one single grant from the passenger transportation 
funds appropriated for the Rural Business Enterprise Grant (RBEG) 
program and another single grant for Federally Recognized Native 
American Tribes' (FRNAT) from funds appropriated for the RBEG program. 
RBS will administer these awards under the RBEG program and 7 U.S.C. 
1932(c)(2) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2011. Historically, Congress has 
appropriated funding for these specific programs. Last year, $500,000 
was available for rural transportation projects and $250,000 for rural 
transportation projects for FRNAT. This Notice is being issued prior to 
passage of a FY 2011 Appropriations Act, which may or may not provide 
an appropriation for these programs, to allow applicants sufficient 
time to leverage financing, submit applications, and give the Agency 
time to process applications within FY 2011. A subsequent notice 
identifying the amount received in the appropriations, if any, will be 
published. Each grant is to be competitively awarded to a qualified 
national non-profit organization. One grant is for the provision of 
technical assistance to rural transportation projects. The other grant 
is for the provision of technical assistance to rural transportation 
projects operated by FRNAT only.
    Expenses incurred in developing applications will be at the 
applicant's risk.

DATES: The deadline for receipt of applications in the USDA Rural 
Development State Office is no later than March 21, 2011. Applications 
received at a USDA Rural Development State Office after that date will 
not be considered for FY 2011 funding.

ADDRESSES: Entities wishing to apply for assistance should contact the 
appropriate USDA Rural Development State Office to receive copies of 
the application package. A list of the USDA Rural Development State 
Offices addresses and telephone numbers are as follows:

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) 761-7707/TDD (907) 761-8905

Arizona

USDA Rural Development State Office, 230 North First Avenue, Suite 206, 
Phoenix, AZ 85003-1706, (602) 280-8702/TDD (602) 280-8705

Arkansas

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

[[Page 3606]]

California

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

Colorado

USDA Rural Development State Office, Denver Federal Center, Building 
56, Room 2300, P.O. Box 25426, Denver, CO 80225-0426, (720) 544-2903/
TDD (800) 659-3656

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 
East Hancock Avenue, Stop 300, 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) 933-8302/TDD (808) 933-8321

Idaho

USDA Rural Development State Office, 9173 West Barnes Drive, Suite A1, 
Boise, ID 83709, (208) 378-5601/TDD (208) 378-5644

Illinois

USDA Rural Development State Office, 2118 West Park Court, Suite A, 
Champaign, IL 61821, (217) 403-6201/TDD (217) 403-6240

Indiana

USDA Rural Development State Office, 5975 Lakeside Boulevard, 
Indianapolis, IN 46278, (317) 290-3100 ext. 4/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) 271-2777/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) 473-7920/TDD (318) 473-7655

Maine

USDA Rural Development State Office, 967 Illinois Avenue, Suite 4, P.O. 
Box 405, Bangor, ME 04402-0405, (207) 990-9161/TDD (207) 942-7331

Massachusetts/Rhode Island/Connecticut

USDA Rural Development State Office, 451 West Street, Amherst, MA 
01002-2999, (413) 253-4302/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, 410 Farm Credit Service Building, 
375 Jackson Street, 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) 965-4211/TDD (601) 965-
5850

Missouri

USDA Rural Development State Office, 601 Business Loop 70 West, Parkade 
Center, Suite 235, Columbia, MO 65203, (573) 876-0987/TDD (573) 876-
9480

Montana

USDA Rural Development State Office, 2229 Boot Hill Court, Bozeman, MT 
59715, (406) 585-2580/TDD (406) 585-2562

Nebraska

USDA Rural Development State Office, Federal Building, Room 152, 100 
Centennial Mall North, Lincoln, NE 68508, (308) 632-2195/TDD (402) 437-
5093

Nevada

USDA Rural Development State Office, 1390 South Curry Street, Carson 
City, NV 89703-9910, (775) 887-1222/TDD (775) 885-0633

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 Mexico

USDA Rural Development State Office, 6200 Jefferson Street, 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-
6435/TDD (315) 477-6447

North Carolina

USDA Rural Development State Office, 4405 Bland Road, Suite 260, 
Raleigh, NC 27609, (919) 873-2015/TDD (919) 873-2003

North Dakota

USDA Rural Development State Office, Federal Building, Room 208, 220 
East Rosser Avenue, 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) 255-2390/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 Northeast Lloyd Boulevard, 
Suite 801, Portland, OR 97232, (503) 414-3305/TDD (503) 414-3387

Pennsylvania

USDA Rural Development State Office, One Credit Union Place, Suite 330, 
Harrisburg, PA 17110-2996, (717) 237-2262/TDD (717) 237-2261

Puerto Rico

USDA Rural Development State Office, 654 Plaza Munoz Rivera Avenue, 
Suite 601, San Juan, PR 00936-6106, (787) 766-5095/TDD (787) 766-5332

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

[[Page 3607]]

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 37203-1071, (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) 524-4321/TDD (801) 524-3309

Vermont/New Hampshire

USDA Rural Development State Office, City Center, 3rd Floor, 89 Main 
Street, Montpelier, VT 05602, (802) 828-6080/TDD (802) 223-6365

Virginia

USDA Rural Development State Office, 1606 Santa Rosa Road, Suite 238, 
Richmond, VA 23229-5014, (804) 287-1552/TDD (804) 287-1753

Washington

USDA Rural Development State Office, 1835 Black Lake Boulevard SW, 
Suite B, Olympia, WA 98512-5715, (360) 704-7715/TDD (360) 704-7760

West Virginia

USDA Rural Development State Office, 1550 Earl Core Road, Suite 101, 
Morgantown, WV 26505, (304) 284-4860/TDD (304) 284-4836

Wisconsin

USDA Rural Development State Office, 4949 Kirschling Court, Stevens 
Point, WI 54481, (715) 345-7671/TDD (715) 345-7614

Wyoming

USDA Rural Development State Office, P.O. Box 11005, 100 East B Street, 
Room 1005, Casper, WY 82601, (307) 233-6703/TDD (307) 233-6733

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information, please 
contact the appropriate USDA Rural Development State Office as provided 
in the ADDRESSES section of this Notice.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Overview

    Federal Agency: Rural Business-Cooperative Service.
    Solicitation Opportunity Title: Rural Business Enterprise Grants.
    Announcement Type: Initial Solicitation Announcement.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 10.769.
    Dates: Application Deadline: Completed applications must be 
received in the USDA Rural Development State Office no later than March 
21, 2011, to be eligible for FY 2011 grant funding. Applications 
received after this date will not be eligible for FY 2011 grant 
funding.

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    The RBEG program is authorized by section 310B(c)(2) of the 
Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (CONACT) (7 U.S.C. 
1932(c)(2)). Regulations are contained in 7 CFR part 1942, subpart G. 
The primary objective of the program is to improve the economic 
conditions of rural areas. The program is administered on behalf of RBS 
at the State level by the USDA Rural Development State Offices. 
Assistance provided to rural areas under this program may include the 
provision of on-site technical assistance to local and regional 
governments, public transit agencies, and related non-profit and for-
profit organizations in rural areas; the development of training 
materials; and the provision of necessary training assistance to local 
officials and agencies in rural areas.
    Awards under the RBEG passenger transportation program will be made 
on a competitive basis using specific selection criteria contained in 7 
CFR part 1942, subpart G, and in accordance with section 310B(c)(2) of 
the CONACT. Information required to be in the application package 
includes Forms SF 424, ``Application for Federal Assistance;'' RD 1940-
20, ``Request for Environmental Information;'' Scope of Work Narrative; 
Income Statement; Balance Sheet or Audit for previous 3 years; AD-1047, 
``Debarment/Suspension Certification;'' AD-1048, ``Certification 
Regarding Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility and Voluntary 
Exclusion;'' AD-1049, ``Certification Regarding Drug-Free Workplace 
Requirements;'' SF LLL, ``Disclosure of Lobbying Activities;'' RD 400-
1, ``Equal Opportunity Agreement;'' RD 400-4, ``Assurance Agreement;'' 
a letter stating Board authorization to obtain assistance; and a letter 
certifying citizenship, as referenced in 7 CFR 1942.307(b). For the 
FRNAT grant, which must benefit Federally Recognized Native American 
Tribes, at least 75 percent of the benefits of the project must be 
received by members of Federally Recognized Native American Tribes. The 
project that scores the greatest number of points based on the RBEG 
selection criteria and the discretionary points will be selected for 
each grant. Applications will be tentatively scored by the Rural 
Development State Offices and submitted to the Rural Development 
National Office for review, final scoring, and selection.
    Applicants must be qualified national non-profit organizations with 
experience in providing technical assistance and training to rural 
communities for the purpose of improving passenger transportation 
service or facilities. To be considered ``national,'' RBS requires a 
qualified organization to provide evidence that it operates rural 
transportation assistance programming in multiple States. There is not 
a requirement to use the grant funds in a multi-State area. Under this 
Notice, grants will be made to qualified, private, non-profit 
organizations for the provision of technical assistance and training to 
rural communities for the purpose of improving passenger transportation 
services or facilities.

Definitions

    The definitions are published at 7 CFR 1942.304.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Grant.
    Fiscal Year Funds: FY 2011.
    Total Funding: If funding exists, it will be determined by the FY 
2011 appropriations bill. The amount of grant funds available in FY 
2011 will be announced in a separate Federal Register notice.
    Approximate Number of Awards: Two
    Average Award: Will be determined by amount received in the FY 2011 
appropriations bill. The average of grant funds available in FY 2011 
will be announced in a separate Federal Register notice.
    Anticipated Award Date: May 5, 2011, subject to the availability of 
funding.

III. Eligibility Information

A. Eligible Applicants

    To be considered eligible, an entity must be a private non-profit 
corporation serving rural areas. Grants will be competitively awarded 
to one or more qualified national organizations.

B. Cost Sharing or Matching

    Matching funds are not required.

C. Other Eligibility Requirements

    Applications will only be accepted from qualified national 
organizations to provide technical assistance for rural transportation.

[[Page 3608]]

D. Completeness Eligibility

    Applications will not be considered for funding if they do not 
provide sufficient information to determine eligibility or are missing 
required elements.

IV. Fiscal Year 2011 Application and Submission Information

A. Address To Request Application Package

    For further information, entities wishing to apply for assistance 
should contact the USDA Rural Development State Office provided in the 
ADDRESSES section of this Notice to obtain copies of the application 
package.
    Applicants are encouraged to submit applications through the 
Grants.gov Web site at: http://www.grants.gov. Applications may be 
submitted in either electronic or paper format. Users of Grants.gov 
will be able to download a copy of the application package, complete it 
off line, and then upload and submit the application via the Grants.gov 
Web site. Applications may not be submitted by electronic mail.
     When you enter the Grants.gov web site, you will find 
information about submitting an application electronically through the 
site as well as the hours of operation. USDA Rural Development strongly 
recommends that you do not wait until the application deadline date to 
begin the application process through Grants.gov.
     You may submit all documents electronically through the 
Web site, including all information typically included on the 
application and all necessary assurances and certifications.
     After electronically submitting an application through the 
Web site, the applicant will receive an automatic acknowledgement from 
Grants.gov that contains a Grants.gov tracking number.
     USDA Rural Development may request that the applicant 
provide original signatures on forms at a later date.
     If applicants experience technical difficulties on the 
closing date and are unable to meet the deadline, you may submit a 
paper copy of your application to your respective Rural Development 
State Office. Paper applications submitted to a Rural Development State 
Office must meet the closing date and local time deadline.
     Please note that applicants can locate the downloadable 
application package for this program by the Catalog of Federal Domestic 
Assistance Number or FedGrants Funding Opportunity Number, which can be 
found at http://www.Grants.gov.
    All applicants, whether filing applications through www.Grants.gov 
or by paper, must have a Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering 
System (DUNS) number which can be obtained at no cost via a toll-free 
request line at 1-866-705-5711 or at http://www.dnb.com.

B. Content and Form of Submission

    An application must contain all of the required elements. Each 
application received in a USDA Rural Development State Office will be 
reviewed to determine if it is consistent with the eligible purposes 
contained in section 310B(c)(2) of the CONACT. Each selection priority 
criterion outlined in 7 CFR 1942.305(b)(3), 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 7 CFR part 1942, subpart G, 
will be provided by any interested applicant making a request to a USDA 
Rural Development State Office provided in the ADDRESSES section of 
this Notice.
    All projects to receive technical assistance through these 
passenger transportation grant funds are to be identified when the 
applications are submitted to the USDA Rural Development State Office. 
Multiple project applications must identify each individual project, 
indicate the amount of funding requested for each individual project, 
and address the criteria as stated above for each individual project.
    For multiple-project applications, the average of the individual 
project scores will be the score for that application.

C. Submission Dates and Times

    Application Deadline Date: March 21, 2011
    Explanation of Deadlines: Applications must be in the USDA Rural 
Development State Office by the deadline date.

V. Application Review Information

    The Rural Development National Office will score applications based 
on the grant selection criteria and weights contained in 7 CFR part 
1942, subpart G and will select a grantee subject to the grantee's 
satisfactory submission of the additional items required by 7 CFR part 
1942, subpart G and the USDA Rural Development Letter of Conditions.

VI. Award Administration Information

A. Award Notices

    Successful applicants will receive notification for funding from 
the USDA Rural Development State Office. Applicants must comply with 
all applicable statutes and regulations before the grant award will be 
approved. Unsuccessful applications will receive notification by mail. 
Grantees must further comply with applicable provisions of 7 CFR parts 
3015, 3016, 3019, and 3052.

VII. Agency Contacts

    For general questions about this announcement, please contact your 
USDA Rural Development State Office provided in the ADDRESSES section 
of this Notice.

VIII. Paperwork Reduction Act

    In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, the paperwork 
burden has been cleared by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
under OMB Control Number 0570-0022.

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) 720-2600 (voice and 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.''

    Dated: January 7, 2011.
Judith A. Canales,
Administrator, Rural Business--Cooperative Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-1110 Filed 1-19-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-XY-P