[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 64 (Monday, April 4, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19115-19117]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-07636]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Commodity Credit Corporation


Notice of Funds Availability: Inviting Applications for the 
Market Access Program

    Announcement Type: New.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 10.601.

SUMMARY: The Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) announces that it is 
inviting proposals for the 2017 Market Access Program (MAP). The 
intended effect of this notice is to solicit applications from eligible 
applicants for fiscal year 2017 and to set out criteria for the award 
of funds under the program in October 2016. The MAP is administered by 
personnel of the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS).

DATES: All applications must be received by 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight 
Time, June 3, 2016. Applications received after this date will not be 
considered.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Entities wishing to apply for funding 
assistance should contact the Program Operations Division, Office of 
Trade Programs, Foreign Agricultural Service by courier: Room 6512, 
1400 Independence Ave. SW., Washington, DC 20250, or by phone: (202) 
720-4327, or by fax: (202) 720-9361, or by email: 
[email protected]. Information is also available on the FAS Web 
site at the following URL address: http://www.fas.usda.gov/programs/market-access-program-map.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    Authority: The MAP is authorized under Section 203 of the 
Agricultural Trade Act of 1978, as amended. MAP regulations appear at 7 
CFR part 1485.
    Purpose: The MAP is designed to create, expand, and maintain 
foreign markets for U.S. agricultural commodities and products through 
cost-share assistance. Financial assistance under the MAP will be made 
available on a competitive basis, and applications will be reviewed 
against the evaluation criteria contained herein and in the MAP 
regulations. All U.S. agricultural commodities, except tobacco, are 
eligible for consideration.
    FAS allocates funds in a manner that effectively supports the 
strategic decision-making initiatives of the Government Performance and 
Results Act (GPRA) of 1993. In deciding whether a proposed project will 
contribute to the effective creation, expansion, or maintenance of 
foreign markets, FAS considers whether the applicant provides a clear, 
long-term agricultural trade strategy and a program effectiveness time 
line against which results can be measured at specific intervals using 
quantifiable product or country goals. FAS also considers the extent to 
which a proposed project targets markets with the greatest growth 
potential. These factors are part of the FAS resource allocation 
strategy to fund applicants who can demonstrate performance and address 
the objectives of the GPRA.

II. Award Information

    Under the MAP, the CCC enters into agreements with eligible 
Participants to share the cost of certain overseas marketing and 
promotion activities. MAP Participants may receive assistance for 
generic or brand promotion activities. For generic activities, funding 
priority is given to organizations that have the broadest possible 
producer representation of the commodity being promoted and that are 
nationwide in membership and scope. For branded activities, only 
nonprofit U.S. agricultural trade organizations, nonprofit state 
regional trade groups (SRTGs), U.S. agricultural cooperatives, and 
state government agencies can participate directly in the brand 
program. The MAP generally operates on a reimbursement basis.

III. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: To participate in the MAP, an applicant 
must be a nonprofit U.S. agricultural trade organization, a nonprofit 
state regional trade group, a U.S. agricultural cooperative, or a state 
government agency. A small-sized U.S. commercial entity may participate 
through a MAP Participant.
    2. Cost Sharing: To participate in the MAP, an applicant must agree 
to contribute resources to its proposed promotional activities. The MAP 
is intended to supplement, not supplant, the efforts of the U.S. 
private sector. In the case of generic promotion, the contribution must 
be at least 10 percent of the value of resources provided by CCC for 
such generic promotion. In the case of brand promotion, the 
contribution must be at least 50 percent of the total cost of such 
brand promotion.
    The degree of commitment of an applicant to the promotional 
strategies contained in its application, as represented by the cost-
share contributions specified therein, is considered by FAS when 
determining which applications will be approved for funding. Cost-share 
may be actual cash invested or in-kind contributions, such as 
professional staff time spent on design and execution of activities. 
The MAP regulations, in section 1485.16, provide a detailed discussion 
of eligible and ineligible cost-share contributions.
    3. Other: Applications should include a justification for funding 
assistance from the program--an explanation as to what specifically 
could not be accomplished without federal funding assistance and why 
participating organization(s) are unlikely to carry out the project 
without such assistance.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address To Request Application Package: Organizations are 
encouraged to submit their MAP applications to FAS through the web-
based Unified Export Strategy (UES) application. The UES allows 
interested applicants to submit a single consolidated and strategically 
coordinated proposal that

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incorporates requests for funding for virtually all of the FAS 
marketing programs, financial assistance programs, and market access 
programs. The suggested UES format encourages applicants to examine the 
constraints or barriers to trade that they face, identify activities 
that would help overcome such impediments, consider the entire pool of 
complementary marketing tools and program resources, and establish 
realistic export goals. Applicants planning to use the web-based system 
must contact FAS' Program Operations Division to obtain site access 
information. The web-based application may be found at the following 
URL address: https://www.fas.usda.gov/ues/webapp/.
    FAS highly recommends applying via the web-based application, as 
this format virtually eliminates paperwork and expedites the FAS 
processing and review cycle. However, applicants also have the option 
of submitting an electronic version of their application to FAS at 
[email protected].
    2. Content and Form of Application Submission: To be considered for 
the MAP, an applicant must submit to FAS information required by 
section 1485.13 of the MAP regulations. In addition, in accordance with 
the Office of Management and Budget's policy (68 FR 38402 (June 27, 
2003)) regarding the need to identify entities that are receiving 
government awards, all applicants must submit a Dun and Bradstreet Data 
Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number. An applicant may request a 
DUNS number at no cost by calling the dedicated toll-free DUNS number 
request line at (866) 705-5711.
    In addition, in accordance with 2 CFR part 25, each entity that 
applies to the MAP and does not qualify for an exemption under 2 CFR 
25.110 must:
    (i) Provide a valid DUNS number in each application or plan it 
submits to CCC;
    (ii) Be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) prior 
to submitting an application or plan; and
    (iii) Continue to maintain an active SAM registration with current 
information at all times during which it has an active Federal award or 
an application or plan under consideration by CCC.
    Similarly, in accordance with 2 CFR part 170, each entity that 
applies to MAP and does not qualify for an exception under 2 CFR 
170.110(b) must ensure it has the necessary processes and systems in 
place to comply with the applicable reporting requirements of 2 CFR 
part 170 should it receive MAP funding.
    Incomplete applications and applications that do not otherwise 
conform to this announcement and the MAP regulations will not be 
accepted for review.
    FAS administers various other agricultural export assistance 
programs including the Foreign Market Development Cooperator 
(Cooperator) program, the Emerging Markets Program, the Quality Samples 
Program, and the Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops program. Any 
organization that is not interested in applying for the MAP, but would 
like to request assistance through one of the other programs mentioned, 
should contact the Program Operations Division.
    3. Submission Dates and Times: All applications must be received by 
5 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, June 3, 2016. By the application 
deadline, all MAP applicants, regardless of the method of submitting an 
application, must also submit a signed certification statement as 
specified in 7 CFR 1485.13(a)(2)(i)(E) to the Program Operations 
Division, Office of Trade Programs, Foreign Agricultural Service, U.S. 
Department of Agriculture, Room 6512, 1400 Independence Ave. SW., 
Washington, DC 20250. Applications or certifications received after 
this date will not be considered.
    4. Funding Restrictions: Certain types of expenses are not eligible 
for reimbursement by the program, and there are limits on other 
categories of expenses. CCC also will not reimburse unreasonable 
expenditures or expenditures made prior to approval. Full details are 
available in the MAP regulations in section 1485.17.

V. Application Review Information

    1. Criteria and Review Process: Following is a description of the 
FAS process for reviewing applications and the criteria for allocating 
available MAP funds.
    (1) Phase 1--Sufficiency Review and FAS Divisional Review:
    Applications received by the closing date will be reviewed by FAS 
to determine the eligibility of the applicants and the completeness of 
the applications. These requirements appear in sections 1485.12 and 
1485.13 of the MAP regulations. Applications that meet the requirements 
then will be further evaluated by the appropriate Commodity Branch 
office of FAS' Cooperator Programs Division. The Commodity Branch will 
review each application against the criteria listed in section 
1485.14(b) and (c) of the MAP regulations as well as in this Notice. 
The purpose of this review is to identify meritorious proposals and to 
recommend an appropriate funding level for each application based upon 
these criteria.
    (2) Phase 2--Competitive Review:
    Meritorious applications then will be passed on to the Office of 
the Deputy Administrator, Office of Trade Programs, for the purpose of 
allocating available funds among the applicants. Applicants will 
compete for funds on the basis of the following allocation criteria as 
applicable (the number in parentheses represents a percentage weight 
factor):
(a) Applicant's Contribution Level (40)
     The applicant's 4-year average share (2014-2017) of all 
contributions under the MAP (cash and goods and services provided by 
U.S. entities in support of overseas marketing and promotion 
activities) compared to the applicant's 4-year average share (2014-
2017) of the funding level for all MAP Participants.
(b) Past Performance (30)
     The 3-year average share (2013-2015) of the value of 
exports promoted by the applicant compared to the applicant's 2-year 
average share (2015-2016) of the funding level for all MAP Participants 
plus, for those groups participating in the Cooperator program, the 2-
year average share (2015-2016) of all Cooperator program budgets.
(c) Projected Export Goals (15)
     The total dollar value of projected exports promoted by 
the applicant for 2017 compared to the applicant's requested funding 
level.
(d) Accuracy of Past Projections (15)
     Actual exports for 2015 as reported in the 2017 MAP 
application compared to past projections of exports for 2015 as 
specified in the 2015 MAP application.
    The Commodity Branches' recommended funding levels for each 
applicant are converted to percentages of the total MAP funds available 
and then multiplied by each weight factor as described above to 
determine the amount of funds allocated to each applicant.
    2. Anticipated Announcement Date: Announcements of funding 
decisions for the MAP are anticipated during October 2016.

VI. Award Administration Information

    1. Award Notices: FAS will notify each applicant in writing of the 
final disposition of its application. The FAS will send an approval 
letter and program agreement to each approved applicant. The approval 
letter and program agreement will specify the

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terms and conditions applicable to the project, including the levels of 
MAP funding and cost-share contribution requirements.
    2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: Interested 
parties should review the MAP regulations, which are available at the 
following URL address: http://www.fas.usda.gov/programs/market-access-program-map. Hard copies may be obtained by contacting the Program 
Operations Division.
    3. Reporting: FAS requires various reports and evaluations from MAP 
Participants. Reporting requirements are detailed in sections 1485.22 
and 1485.23 of the MAP regulations.

VII. Agency Contact(s)

    For additional information and assistance, contact the Program 
Operations Division, Office of Trade Programs, Foreign Agricultural 
Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture by courier: Room 6512, 1400 
Independence Ave. SW., Washington, DC 20250, or by phone: (202) 720-
4327, or by fax: (202) 720-9361, or by email: [email protected].

    Signed at Washington, DC, on the 25th of March, 2016.
Bryce Quick,
Acting Administrator, Foreign Agricultural Service, and Vice President, 
Commodity Credit Corporation.
[FR Doc. 2016-07636 Filed 4-1-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-10-P