[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 85 (Friday, May 2, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25098-25100]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-10084]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Business-Cooperative Service


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 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development mission 
area, announces the availability of two individual grants: one single 
$500,000 grant from the rural transportation funds appropriated for the 
Rural Business Enterprise Grant (RBEG) program and another single 
$250,000 grant for Federally Recognized Native American Tribes' 
(FRNATs) (collectively ``Programs'') 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) 2014. Each grant is to be 
competitively awarded to an eligible applicant which is a qualified 
national non-profit organization. One grant is for the provision of 
technical assistance to rural transportation (RT) projects and the 
other grant will be for the provision of technical assistance to RT 
projects operated by FRNAT's only.
    All applicants are responsible for any expenses incurred in 
developing their applications.

DATES: The deadline for receipt of applications in the USDA Rural 
Development State Office is no later than 4:30 p.m. (local time) on 
July 1, 2014. Applications received at a USDA Rural Development State 
Office after that date will not be considered for FY 2014 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 can be found online at: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/StateOfficeAddresses.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Please contact the USDA Rural 
Development State Office in the State in which the project will be 
located.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Overview

    Federal Agency: Rural Business-Cooperative Service.

[[Page 25099]]

    Solicitation Opportunity Title: Rural Business Enterprise Grants.
    Announcement Type: Initial 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 4:30 
p.m. (local time) on July 1, 2014, to be eligible for FY 2014 grant 
funding. Applications received after this date will not be eligible for 
FY 2014 grant funding.

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    A. Purpose of the Program. The purpose of this program is to 
improve the economic conditions of rural areas.
    B. Statutory Authority. This program is authorized under section 
310B(c) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (CONACT) (7 
U.S.C. 1932(c)). Regulations are contained in 7 CFR part 1942, subpart 
G. 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 the 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;'' Form 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 FRNATs, at least 
75 percent of the benefits of the project must be received by members 
of FRNATs. 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.
    Applicants must be qualified national non-profit organizations with 
experience in providing technical assistance and training to rural 
communities Nation-wide 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 RT assistance programming Nation-wide. There is not a 
requirement to use the grant funds in a multi-State area. Grants will 
be made to qualified national 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

    C. Definition of Terms. The definitions applicable to this Notice 
are published at 7 CFR 1942.304.
    D. Application awards. The Agency will review, evaluate, and score 
applications received in response to this Notice based on the 
provisions in 7 CFR part 1942, subpart G and as indicated in this 
Notice.

II. Award Information

    Type of Award: Grant.
    Fiscal Year Funds: FY 2014.
    Total Funding: $750,000.
    Approximate Number of Awards: Two.
    Average Award: One single $500,000 grant and another single 
$250,000 grant for FRNAT's.
    Award Date: August 15, 2014, subject to the availability of 
funding.

III. Eligibility Information

A. Eligible Applicants

    To be considered eligible, an entity must be a qualified national 
non-profit organization serving rural areas as evidenced in its 
organizational documents and demonstrated experience. Grants will be 
competitively awarded to qualified national non-profit organizations.

B. Cost Sharing or Matching

    Matching funds are not required.

C. Other Eligibility Requirements

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

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 2014 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 begin the 
application process through Grants.gov in sufficient time to complete 
the application before the deadline date.
     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

[[Page 25100]]

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.
    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: No later than 4:30 p.m. (local time) 
July 1, 2014
    Explanation of Deadlines: Applications must be in the USDA Rural 
Development State Office by the deadline date.

V. Application Review Information

    RBS will score applications based on the grant selection criteria 
and weights contained in 7 CFR part 1942, subpart G and will select 
grantees subject to the grantees satisfactory submission of the 
additional items required by 7 CFR part 1942, subpart G and the USDA 
Rural Development Letter of Conditions. The amount of an RT grant may 
be adjusted, in the RBS's discretion, to enable RBS to award RT grants 
to the two applications with the highest priority scores.

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.

B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

    Additional requirements that apply to grantees selected for this 
program can be found in 7 CFR part 1942, subpart G. 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.
Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act
    All applicants, in accordance with 2 CFR part 25, must have a DUNS 
number, which can be obtained at no cost via a toll-free request line 
at 1-866-705-5711 or online at http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform. 
Similarly, all applicants must be registered in the System for Award 
Management (SAM) prior to submitting an application. Applicants may 
register for the SAM at http://www.sam.gov. All recipients of Federal 
financial assistance are required to report information about first-
tier sub-awards and executive total compensation in accordance with 2 
CFR part 170.
    Nondiscrimination Statement:
    The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination 
against its customers, employees, and applicants for employment on the 
bases of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, gender 
identity, religion, reprisal, and where applicable, political beliefs, 
marital status, familial or parental status, sexual orientation, or all 
or part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance 
program, or protected genetic information in employment or in any 
program or activity conducted or funded by the Department. (Not all 
prohibited bases will apply to all programs and/or employment 
activities.)
    If you wish to file a Civil Rights program complaint of 
discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form 
(PDF), found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, or at any USDA office, or call (866) 632-9992 to request the 
form. You may also write a letter containing all of the information 
requested in the form. Send your completed complaint form or letter to 
us by mail at U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Office of 
Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250-9410, 
by fax (202) 690-7442 or email at [email protected].
    Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech 
disabilities and wish to file either an EEO or program complaint may 
contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339 or 
(800) 845-6136 (in Spanish).
    Persons with disabilities, who wish to file a program complaint, 
please see information above on how to contact us by mail directly or 
by email. If you require alternative means of communication for program 
information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) please 
contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD).

    Dated: April 25, 2014.
Lillian E. Salerno,
Administrator, Rural Business-Cooperative Service.
[FR Doc. 2014-10084 Filed 5-1-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-XY-P