[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 30 (Monday, February 14, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8334-8337]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-3198]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Business-Cooperative Service


Inviting Applications for the Rural Economic Development Loan and 
Grant Program for Fiscal Year 2011

AGENCY: Rural Business-Cooperative Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This Notice is to invite applications for loans and grants 
under the Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant (REDLG) program 
pursuant to 7 CFR part 4280, subpart A for Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 
subject to the availability of funding. The commitment of program 
dollars will be made to applicants of selected responses that have 
fulfilled the necessary requirements for obligation. Expenses incurred 
in developing applications will be at the applicant's risk. 
Historically, on an annual basis, Congress has appropriated $33 million 
for loans and $10 million for grants for these programs. 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 
will be published, if any.

DATES: The deadline for receipt of applications in the USDA Rural 
Development State Office is: Third Quarter, March 31, 2011; and Fourth 
Quarter, June 30, 2011.

ADDRESSES: Submit applications in paper format to the USDA Rural 
Development State Office in the state where your project is located. 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.

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) 403-6200/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) 271-2700/TDD (785) 271-2767.

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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) 990-9160/TDD (207) 942-
7331.

Massachusetts/Rhode Island/Connecticut

USDA Rural Development State Office, 451 West Street, 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) 965-4211/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, 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 Northeast Lloyd Blvd., 
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 Munos Rivera Avenue, Suite 
601, San Juan, PR 00918-6106, (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.

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) 704-7740/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) 345-7600/TDD (715) 345-7614.

Wyoming

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

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The Rural Development State Office 
identified in this Notice where the project will be located.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Overview

    Federal Agency: Rural Business-Cooperative Service.
    Funding Opportunity Type: Rural Economic Development Loans and 
Grants.
    Announcement Type: Initial Announcement.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 10.854.
    Dates: Application Deadline: Completed applications must be 
received in the State Office as follows: Third Quarter, March 31, 2011; 
and Fourth Quarter, June 30, 2011.

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    The regulations for these programs are at 7 CFR part 4280, subpart 
A. The primary objective of the program is to promote rural economic 
development and job creation projects. Assistance provided to rural 
areas, as defined, under this program may include business startup 
costs, business expansion, business incubators, technical assistance 
feasibility studies, advanced telecommunications services and computer 
networks for medical, educational, and job training services and 
community facilities projects for economic development. Awards are made 
on a competitive basis using specific selection criteria contained in 7 
CFR part 4280, subpart A. Information

[[Page 8336]]

required to be in the application includes an SF-424, ``Application for 
Federal Assistance;'' a Resolution of the Board of Directors; AD-1047, 
``Debarment/Suspension Certification;'' Assurance Statement for the 
Uniform Act; Restrictions on Lobbying, AD 1049, ``Certification 
Regarding Drug-Free Workplace Requirements;'' Form RD 400-1, ``Equal 
Opportunity Agreement;'' Form RD 400-4, ``Assurance Agreement;'' 
Seismic Certification (if construction); Form RD 1940-20, ``Request for 
Environmental Information;'' RUS Form 7,``Financial and Statistical 
Report;'' and RUS Form 7a, ``Investments, Loan Guarantees, and Loans,'' 
or similar information; and written narrative of project description. 
Applications will be tentatively scored by the State Offices and 
submitted to the National Office for review.

Definitions

    The definitions are published at 7 CFR 4280.3.

II. Award Information

    Type of Awards: Loans and Grants.
    Fiscal Year Funds: FY 2011.
    Maximum Anticipated Award: This amount depends on the amount 
Congress appropriates, but the Agency anticipates the following 
amounts: Loans--$740,000; Grant--$300,000.
    Anticipated Award Dates: Third Quarter, June 15, 2011; and Fourth 
Quarter, September 15, 2011.

III. Eligibility Information

A. Eligible Applicants

    Loans and grants may be made to any entity that is identified by 
USDA Rural Development as an eligible borrower under the Rural 
Electrification Act. In accordance with 7 CFR 4280.13, applicants that 
are not delinquent on any Federal debt or otherwise disqualified from 
participation in these programs are eligible to apply. An applicant 
must be eligible under 7 U.S.C. 940c.

B. Cost Sharing or Matching

    For loans, either the Ultimate Recipient or the Intermediary must 
provide supplemental funds for the project equal to at least 20 percent 
of the loan to the Intermediary. For grants, the Intermediary must 
provide supplemental funds for the project equal to at least 20 percent 
of the grant to the Intermediary.

C. Other Eligibility Requirements

    Applications will only be accepted for projects that promote rural 
economic development and job creation.

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 Rural Development State Office identified in 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. To use Grants.gov, 
applicants 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.
     You may submit all documents electronically through the 
Web site, including all information typically included on the 
application for REDLGs 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 must 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.

B. Content and Form of Submission

    An application must contain all of the required elements. Each 
selection priority criterion outlined in 7 CFR 4280.42(b), 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 4280, 
subpart A, will be provided to any interested applicant making a 
request to a Rural Development State Office listed in this notice.

C. Submission Dates and Times

    Application Deadline Dates: Third Quarter, March 31, 2011, and 
Fourth Quarter, June 30, 2011.
    Explanation of Deadlines: Applications must be in the Rural 
Development State Office by the deadline dates as indicated above.

V. Application Review Information

    The National Office will score applications based on the grant 
selection criteria and weights contained in 7 CFR part 4280, subpart A, 
and will select an Intermediary subject to the Intermediary's 
satisfactory submission of the additional items required by 7 CFR part 
4280, subpart A and the USDA Rural Development 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 loan/grant award will be 
approved. Provided the application requirements have not changed, an 
application not selected will be reconsidered in three subsequent 
funding competitions for a total of four competitions. If an 
application is withdrawn, it can be resubmitted and will be evaluated 
as a new application.

B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

    Additional requirements that apply to Intermediary's selected for 
this program can be found in 7 CFR part 4280, subpart A. Applicable 
provisions of 7 CFR parts 3015, 3019, and 3052 also apply.

VII. Agency Contacts

    For general questions about this announcement, please contact your

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Rural Development State Office identified in this Notice.

VIII. Paperwork Reduction Act

    In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 
information collection requirement contained in this Notice is approved 
by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under OMB Control Number 
0570-0024.

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: February 1, 2011.
Judith A. Canales,
Administrator, Rural Business-Cooperative Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-3198 Filed 2-11-11; 8:45 am]
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