[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 28 (Wednesday, February 11, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7566-7570]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-02833]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Office of Advocacy and Outreach

[FOA No.: OAO-00009]


Funding Opportunity Announcement

    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) No.: 10.464--
Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers Policy Research Center.
AGENCY: Office of Advocacy and Outreach (OAO), U.S. Department of 
Agriculture (USDA).

ACTION: Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA).

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability of funds and solicits 
applications from eligible institutions to compete for financial 
assistance in the form of a grant to establish a Socially Disadvantaged 
Farmers and Ranchers Policy Research Center (The Center) at an 1890 
Institution (as defined in 7 U.S.C. 7601).

    Authority: The Agricultural Act of 2014, Title XII, Subtitle B, 
provides funding for a ``Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers 
Policy Research Center.'' Section 12203 directs the Secretary to 
award a grant to a college or university eligible to receive funds 
under the Act of August 30, 1890 [Second Morrill Act] (7 U.S.C. 321 
et seq.), including Tuskegee University, to establish a policy 
research center to be known as the ``Socially Disadvantaged Farmers 
and Ranchers Policy Research Center'' for the purpose of developing 
policy recommendations for the protection and promotion of the 
interests of socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers.

    The Center will collect and analyze data, develop policy 
recommendations, and evaluate policy concerning socially disadvantaged 
farmer and rancher issues. ``Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and 
Ranchers'' is defined in 7 U.S.C. 2279.
    We will award $400,000 in fiscal year (FY) 2015, ending September 
30. Additional funds may be awarded to the successful grantee through 
FY 2018 without further competition.

DATES: Proposals must be received by April 13, 2015, at 5:00 p.m. 
Eastern Standard Time (EST), at www.grants.gov. Proposals received 
after this deadline will not be considered for funding.

ADDRESSES:
    How to File a Complaint of Discrimination: To file a complaint of 
discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint 
Form, which may be accessed online at http://www.ocio.usda.gov/sites/default/files/docs/2012/Complain_combined_6_8_12.pdf, or write a letter 
signed by you or your authorized representative.
    Send your completed complaint form or letter to USDA by mail, fax, 
or email:
    Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Office of 
Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250-9410/.
    Fax: (202) 690-7442.
    Email: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
    Agency Contact: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Advocacy 
and Outreach, Attn: Kenya Nicholas, Program Director, Whitten Building 
Room 520-A, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250, Phone: 
(202) 720-6350, Fax: (202) 720-7136, Email: [email protected].
    Persons with Disabilities: Persons who require alternative means 
for communication (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.), should 
contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Funding/Awards

    The total funding available for this competitive opportunity is 
$400,000. The OAO will award one new grant from this announcement.

Contents of This Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description
II. Award Information
III. Eligibility Information
IV. Proposal and Submission Information
V. Competitive Review and Evaluation Criteria
VI. Award Administration Information

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    USDA's Office of Advocacy and Outreach (OAO) invites submission of 
proposals for a competitive grant award to establish a new USDA 
Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers Policy Research Center (The 
Center). The Center will specialize in policy research impacting 
socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers. Land loss, land retention, 
and access to local, state, and federal programs will be major areas of 
research and policy development. The Center's director and staff will 
have experience and/or education required to understand the socially 
disadvantaged farmers and ranchers communities. The Center will propose 
how they will work with other institutions, as appropriate, inside and 
outside the land grant community.
    Proposed recommendations resulting from the following list of 
activities, including but not limited to, shall be submitted to the 
Director of OAO:
     Analyze current agriculture policy and its implications on 
socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers.
     Collect data on where USDA meetings are being held, and 
how socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers participate.
     Make recommendations on improving participation rates of 
socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers.
     Provide recommendations on how to improve diversity of 
county office staff and committees.
     Provide recommendations on actions to improve USDA program 
agencies' outreach and technical assistance to socially disadvantaged 
farmers and ranchers.
     Collect data on the history of the education of socially 
disadvantaged farmers and ranchers and evaluate the results of past 
educational efforts in the South and the ability of higher education 
institutions to meet the educational needs of socially disadvantaged 
farmers and ranchers today.
     Collect data on how socially disadvantaged farmers and 
ranchers receive agricultural information.
     Determine how many socially disadvantaged farmers and 
ranchers have access to information technology equipment and broadband.
     Determine how many socially disadvantaged farmers and 
ranchers have received training on the use of information technology 
(IT) equipment and provide recommendations on ways to increase the 
utilization of IT for their farming organizations.
     Provide recommendations on improving the application 
approval process for socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers 
applying for USDA assistance. Determine how past discrimination impacts 
access to present programs and provide recommendations to improve 
participation among socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers.
     Collect data on the reasons for the decline of farm, 
ranch, and land ownership by socially disadvantaged farmers and 
ranchers. Provide recommendations on how to track and maintain current 
data on the number and location of socially disadvantaged farmers and 
ranchers.
     Analyze data collected from all sources, and develop 
policy recommendations that will enable socially disadvantaged farmers 
and

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ranchers to stay in farming and to preserve their lands.

II. Award Information

A. Statutory Authority

    The statutory authority for this action is section 2501(i) of the 
Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 
2279(i)), as added by section 12203 of the Agricultural Act of 2014, 
Public Law 113-79, which directs the Secretary of Agriculture to 
``award a grant to a college or university eligible to receive funds 
under the Act of August 30, 1890 (7 U.S.C. 321 et seq.), including 
Tuskegee University, to establish a policy research center to be known 
as the `Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers Policy Research 
Center' for the purpose of developing policy recommendations for the 
protection and promotion of the interests of socially disadvantaged 
farmers and ranchers.''

B. Expected Amount of Funding

    OAO expects to make one award in FY 2015 of $400,000 to fund the 
Center. Institutions shall submit only one proposal.

C. Project Period

    The project period for the award resulting from this solicitation 
will not begin prior to the effective award date. Initial funding will 
be provided for one year. Funding may be extended without further 
competition through FY 2018, provided that performance has been 
satisfactory, appropriations are available for this purpose, and 
continued support would be in the best interest of the Federal 
Government and the public.

D. Award Type

    Funding for the selected proposal will be in the form of a grant 
which must be fully executed no later than September 31, 2015. The 
anticipated Federal involvement will be limited to the following 
activities:
     Approval of awardees' final budget and statement of work 
accompanying the grant agreement;
     Monitoring of awardees' performance through quarterly and 
final reports;
     Evaluation of and feedback on awardees' use of federal 
funds through periodic performance and financial reports and on-site 
visits to ensure that objectives and award conditions are being met; 
and
     Facilitation of communication between the Center and USDA 
program agencies such as the Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources 
Conservation Service, Risk Management Agency, Rural Development, Forest 
Service, Agricultural Research Service and the USDA Office of Tribal 
Relations.

III. Eligibility Information

 Eligible Applicants

    Any 1890 Institution (as defined in 7 U.S.C. 7601) may apply.

Cost-Sharing or Matching

    Matching is not required for this program.

Threshold Eligibility Criteria

    Applications from eligible entities that meet all criteria will be 
evaluated as follows:
    1. Proposals must comply with the submission instructions and 
requirements set forth in Section IV of this announcement. Pages in 
excess of the page limitation will not be considered.
    2. Proposals must be received through www.grants.gov as specified 
in Section IV of this announcement on or before the proposal submission 
deadline. Applicants will receive an electronic confirmation receipt of 
their proposal from www.grants.gov.
    3. Proposals received after the submission deadline will not be 
considered.

IV. Proposal and Submission Information

A. Obtain Proposal Package

    Applicants may download individual grant proposal forms from 
www.grants.gov. For assistance with www.grants.gov, please consult the 
Applicant User Guide at (http://grants.gov/assets/ApplicantUserGuide.pdf).

B. Form of Proposal Submission

    Applicants are required to submit proposals through www.grants.gov. 
Applicants will be required to register through www.grants.gov in order 
to begin the proposal submission process.
    Proposals must be submitted by April 13, 2015, via www.grants.gov 
by 5:00 p.m. EST. Proposals received after this deadline will not be 
considered.

C. Content of Proposal Package Submission

    These guidelines are provided to assist you in preparing a 
proposal. Please read them carefully before preparing your submission.
    All submissions must contain completed and electronically signed 
original application forms, as well as the attachments described below:
     Forms. The listed forms can be found in the proposal 
package at www.grants.gov.
    1. Standard Form 424, Application for Federal Assistance;
    2. Standard Form 424A, Budget Information--Non-Construction 
Programs;
    3. Standard Form 424B, Non-Construction Programs
     Attachments. These elements are required for all grant 
proposals and are included in the proposal package at www.grants.gov as 
fillable PDF templates. Applicants must download and complete these 
attachments and save the completed PDF files to the application 
submission portal at www.grants.gov. NOTE: Please number each page of 
each attachment and indicate the total number of pages per attachment 
(i.e., 1 of 10, 2 of 10, etc.).
    [cir] Attachment 1: Program Summary Page. The proposal must contain 
a Program Summary Page, which must follow immediately after the budget 
form, and should not be numbered. The program summary is limited to 250 
words. The program summary should be a self-contained, specific 
description of the activities to be undertaken. The summary should 
focus on the overall program goals and supporting objectives and plans 
to accomplish the goals. The importance of a concise, informative 
program summary cannot be overemphasized.
    [cir] Attachment 2: Statement of Work. The statement of work format 
should be 25 double-spaced pages or less, one-inch margins, and 12-
point font. The overall application may not exceed 45 pages, including 
attachments. The proposal should be assembled so that the statement of 
work immediately follows the Program Summary. To clarify page 
limitation requirements, page numbering for the statement of work 
should start with 1 and should be placed on the bottom of the page. All 
proposals are to be formatted for standard 8\1/2\'' x 11'' paper. The 
statement of work must address the following components:
(1) Active Research
    A plan discussing the kind of socially disadvantaged farmer and 
rancher activities needed to inform important issues in the development 
of agriculture policy impacts to socially disadvantaged farmers and 
ranchers. The plan should demonstrate the applicant's deep knowledge of 
policy issues, past research projects and their impacts, and how 
current and future studies can contribute to the current knowledge 
base. The plan should describe how the Center will implement and 
develop the capacity to conduct research on issues relevant to 
agricultural policy. The plan should outline a strategy for

[[Page 7568]]

collaborating with OAO and USDA program agencies for the purpose of 
identifying topics and making recommendations on agricultural policy 
relating to socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers.
(2) Staffing and Organizational Plan
    The application must include a staffing and organizational proposal 
for the Center, including an analysis of the types of background needed 
among staff members. The application should discuss the Center's 
capacity to collaborate and issue sub-awards to researchers outside of 
the Center. Full resumes (2 page maximum) of proposed staff members 
should be included as a separate appendix to the application.
    [cir] Attachment 3: Budget Narrative. The budget narrative should 
identify and describe the costs associated with the proposed Center, 
including sub-awards or contracts and indirect costs. Other funding 
sources may also be identified in this attachment. Each cost indicated 
must be fully allowable under the Federal Cost Principles in order to 
be funded. The budget narrative should not exceed 2 pages.
    Funds may be requested under any of the budget categories listed 
below, provided that the item or service requested is identified as 
necessary for successful conduct of the proposed program, allowable 
under applicable Federal cost principles, and not prohibited under any 
applicable Federal statute or regulation.
    Budget items include:

 Personnel
 Fringe benefits
 Travel
 Equipment
 Supplies
 Contractual items
 Other direct costs
 Indirect charges

    Salaries of faculty members and other personnel who will be working 
on the program may be requested in proportion to the effort they will 
devote to the program.
    Indirect costs are limited by Federal statute to the federally 
recognized audited rate for the institution. For reimbursement of 
indirect costs, the applicant must include with the application a copy 
of its indirect cost rate schedule that reports the applicant's 
federally negotiated audited rate.
    Electronic copies of the standard budget form and general 
instructions are available at www.grants.gov as part of the application 
package.
    [cir] Attachment 4: Appendices. Letters of Commitment, Letters of 
Support, and approvals or other actions are encouraged but not required 
documentation for this funding opportunity. However, applicants can 
consolidate all supplemental materials into one additional attachment. 
Do not include sections from other attachments as an Appendix.

D. Sub-Awards and Partnerships

    The OAO awards funds to one eligible applicant as the awardee. 
Please indicate a lead applicant as the responsible party if other 
eligible applicants are named as partners or co-applicants or members 
of a coalition or consortium. The awardee is accountable to the OAO for 
the proper expenditure of all funds.
    Funding may be used to provide sub-awards, which includes using 
sub-awards to fund partnerships; however, the awardee must utilize at 
least 50 percent of the total funds awarded, and no more than three 
subcontracts will be permitted. All sub-awardees must comply with 
applicable requirements for sub-awards. Applicants must compete for 
services, contracts, and products, including consultant contracts, and 
conduct cost and price analyses to the extent required by applicable 
procurement regulations.

E. Submission Dates and Times

    The closing date and time for receipt of proposal submissions is 
April 13, 2015, by 5:00 p.m., EST via www.grants.gov. Proposals 
received after the submission deadline will be considered late and will 
not be evaluated.

F. Confidential Information

    In accordance with 7 CFR 2500.017, the names of entities submitting 
proposals, as well as proposal content and evaluations, will be kept 
confidential to the extent permissible by law. If an applicant chooses 
to include confidential or proprietary information in the proposal, it 
will be treated in accordance with Exemption 4 of the Freedom of 
Information Act (FOIA). Exemption 4 of the FOIA protects trade secrets, 
and commercial and financial information obtained from a person that is 
privileged or confidential.

G. Pre-Submission Proposal Assistance

     The OAO cannot assist individual applicants by reviewing 
draft proposals or providing advice on how to respond to evaluation 
criteria. However, the OAO will respond to questions from individual 
applicants regarding eligibility criteria, administrative issues 
related to the submission of the proposal, and requests for 
clarification regarding the announcement.
     The OAO will post questions and answers (Q&A's) relating 
to this funding opportunity during its open period at www.grants.gov on 
the following Web page: http://www.outreach.usda.gov/grants/. The OAO 
will update the Q&A's on a weekly basis and conduct webinars on an as-
needed basis. Questions should be submitted to: 
[email protected].

V. Competitive Review and Evaluation Criteria

A. Competitive Review

    Only eligible entities whose proposals meet the threshold criteria 
in Section III of this announcement will be reviewed according to the 
evaluation criteria set forth below. Applicants should explicitly and 
fully address these criteria as part of their proposal package. Each 
proposal will be reviewed under the regulations established under 7 CFR 
part 2500 Subpart C.
    Applications for the Center that meet the initial screening 
requirements will be evaluated and rated by an independent technical 
review panel. The panel will use the evaluation criteria listed below 
to score each application. The evaluation criteria are designed to 
assess the quality of the proposed program and to determine the 
probability of its success. The evaluation criteria are closely related 
and are considered as a whole in judging the overall quality of an 
application. Points are awarded only to applications that are 
responsive to the evaluation criteria within the context of this 
program announcement. These review results will be the primary element 
used by the OAO in making funding decisions. Reviewers will determine 
the strengths and weaknesses of each application in terms of the 
evaluation criteria listed below and assign numerical scores out of a 
possible 100 points. A summary of all applicant scores and strengths/
weaknesses and recommendations will be prepared. A preliminary funding 
recommendation will be provided to the designated approving official 
who will make the final funding decision.

B. Evaluation Criteria

    The point value following each criterion heading indicates the 
maximum numerical relative weight that each section will be given in 
the review process. Applicants should take care to ensure that all 
criteria are fully addressed in the applications.

[[Page 7569]]



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                          Criteria                              Points
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(1) Active Research........................................           50
    The applicant demonstrates a proven record of research,
     outreach, and community involvement within socially
     disadvantaged communities. The applicant will discuss
     the activities proposed to address important issues in
     the development of agricultural policy impacting
     socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers. The
     applicant demonstrates knowledge of policy issues and
     past research projects on socially disadvantaged
     farmers and ranchers. The applicant describes in
     detail how the Center will implement its statement of
     work to develop capacity to conduct research and
     provide recommendations on agricultural policy
     relevant to socially disadvantaged farmers and
     ranchers. The applicant outlines a strategy for
     collaborating with OAO and USDA program agencies on
     agricultural policy relating to socially disadvantaged
     farmers and ranchers..................................
(2) Staffing and Organizational Arrangements...............           25
    The applicant's proposed Center Director and staff
     demonstrate appropriate levels of experience,
     administrative skills, public administration
     experience, and relevant technical expertise. The
     applicant demonstrates an adequate level of Center
     Director and staff time commitments to the Center. The
     applicant demonstrates an ability to work in
     collaboration with other practitioners as well as
     existing or planned relationships with researchers at
     other institutions. The applicant demonstrates the
     nature and extent of the organization's support for
     research. The applicant demonstrates the commitment of
     the university (and proposed institutional unit that
     will contain the Center) to support the Center's major
     activities............................................
(3) Budget and Resource Allocation.........................           25
    The applicant provides a budget that yields an
     efficient and effective allocation of funds to achieve
     the objectives of this announcement, as well as core
     administrative functions necessary to carry out the
     Center's mission. The application includes a narrative
     description and justification for proposed budget line
     items and demonstrates that the project's costs are
     adequate, reasonable, and necessary for the activities
     or personnel to be supported. The budget and narrative
     demonstrate a clear relationship to the approach. The
     applicant demonstrates the manner in which funds will
     be allocated to best serve the Center's goals,
     including but not limited to, the level of indirect
     costs: (1) Charged by the Center and (2) allowed to
     the institutions of researchers receiving sub-awards..
------------------------------------------------------------------------

C. Selection of Reviewers

    Reviewers will be selected based upon training and experience in 
relevant fields including, outreach, technical assistance, cooperative 
extension services, education, statistical, and ethnographic data 
collection and analysis, and agricultural programs. Reviewers will be 
drawn from a diverse group of experts to create balanced review panels. 
More information on the selection of reviewers can be found in 7 CFR 
2500.023.

VI. Award Administration Information

A. Award Notices

Proposal Notifications and Feedback
    1. The successful applicant will be notified by the OAO via 
telephone, email, or postal mail. The notification will advise the 
applicant that its proposed project has been evaluated and recommended 
for award. The notification will be sent to the original signer of the 
SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance. The award notice will be 
forwarded to the grantee for execution and returned to the OAO grants 
officer, who is the authorizing official. Once grant documents are 
executed by all parties, authorization to begin work will be given.
    2. The OAO will send notification to unsuccessful applicants via 
email or postal mail. The notification will be sent to the original 
signer of the SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance.
    3. Applicant feedback will be provided using the procedures 
established by 7 CFR 2500.026.

B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

    All awards resulting from this FOA will be administered in 
accordance with the OAO assistance regulations codified at 7 CFR part 
2500. A listing and description of general federal regulations and cost 
principles applicable to the award of assistance agreements under this 
FOA can be found in 7 CFR 2500.003.
    Applicable Federal statutes, regulations, and guidelines include 
the following: (a) OAO Federal Financial Assistance Programs--General 
Award Administrative Procedures, guidelines to be followed when 
submitting grant proposals and cooperative agreements and rules 
governing the evaluation of proposals, 7 CFR part 2500; (b) the Uniform 
Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements 
for Federal Awards, 2 CFR part 200, as adopted and supplemented by 2 
CFR part 400; and (c) the USDA General Program Administrative 
Regulations, 2 CFR part 415.

C. Data Universal Numbering System, System for Award Management, and 
Central Contractor Registry Registration

    In accordance with the Federal Funding Accountability and 
Transparency Act (FFATA) and the USDA implementation, all applicants 
must obtain and provide an identifying number from Dun and Bradstreet's 
(D&B) Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS). Applicants can receive a 
DUNS number, at no cost, by calling the toll-free DUNS Number request 
line at 1-866-705-5711, or visiting the D&B Web site at www.dnb.com.
    In addition, FFATA requires applicants to register with the Central 
Contractor Registry (CCR) and the System for Award Management (SAM). 
This registration must be maintained and updated annually. Applicants 
can register or update their profile, at no cost, by visiting the SAM 
Web site at www.sam.gov which will satisfy both the CCR and SAM 
registration requirements.

D. Reporting Requirement

    In accordance with 7 CFR 2500.045 and 2500.046, the following 
reporting requirements will apply to awards provided under this FOA. 
The OAO reserves the right to revise the schedule and format of 
reporting requirements as necessary in the award agreement.
    1. Quarterly progress reports and financial reports will be 
required.
     Quarterly Progress Reports. The awardee must submit the 
OMB-approved Performance Progress Report form (SF-PPR, Approval Number: 
0970-0334). For each report, the awardee must complete fields 1 through 
12 of the SF-PPR. To complete field 10, the awardee is required to 
provide a detailed narrative of project performance and activities as 
an attachment, as described in the award agreement. Quarterly progress 
reports must be submitted to the designated OAO official within 30 
calendar days after the end of each calendar quarter.
     Quarterly Financial Reports. The awardee must submit the 
Standard Form 425, Federal Financial Report. For each report, the 
awardee must complete both the Federal Cash Transaction

[[Page 7570]]

Report and the Financial Status Report sections of the SF-425. 
Quarterly financial reports must be submitted to the designated OAO 
official within 30 calendar days after the end of each calendar 
quarter.
    2. Final progress and financial reports will be required upon 
project completion. The final progress report should include a summary 
of the project or activity throughout the funding period, achievements 
of the project or activity, and a discussion of problems experienced in 
conducting the project or activity. The final financial report should 
consist of a complete SF-425 indicating the total costs of the project. 
Final progress and financial reports must be submitted to the 
designated OAO official within 90 calendar days after the completion of 
the award period.

    Signed this 5th day of February, 2015.
Carolyn C. Parker,
Director, Office of Advocacy and Outreach.
[FR Doc. 2015-02833 Filed 2-10-15; 8:45 am]
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