[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 133 (Tuesday, July 12, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45219-45221]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-16417]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

Community Development Financial Institutions Fund


Information Collection, CDFI and NACA Programs

AGENCY: Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, Treasury.

ACTION: Notice and Request for Public Comment.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of the Treasury, as part of its continuing 
effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general 
public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment 
on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by 
the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A). 
Currently, the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI 
Fund), U.S. Department of the Treasury, is soliciting comments 
concerning the Community Development Financial Institutions Program 
(CDFI Program) and the Native American CDFI Assistance Program (NACA 
Program) Financial Assistance and Technical Assistance Applications for 
the FY 2017-FY 2019 funding rounds (hereafter, the Application or 
Applications). The CDFI Fund is required by law to make the 
Applications publically available for comment prior to submission for a 
new PRA number.

[[Page 45220]]


DATES: Written comments must be received on or before September 12, 
2016 to be assured of consideration.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments via email to Amber Bell, CDFI Program 
and NACA Program Manager, CDFI Fund, at [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Amber Bell, CDFI Program and NACA 
Program Manager, CDFI Fund, U.S. Department of the Treasury, 1500 
Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20220 or email to 
[email protected].
    The Applications may be obtained from the CDFI Program page and 
NACA Program page of the CDFI Fund's Web site https://www.cdfifund.gov/Lists/CDFI%20News/View.aspx.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: CDFI Program and NACA Program Financial Assistance and 
Technical Assistance Applications;
    OMB Number: 1559-0021.
    Abstract: The CDFI Program is authorized by the Riegle Community 
Development Banking and Financial Institutions Act of 1994 (Pub. L. 
103-325, 12 U.S.C. 4701 et seq.). Funding for the CDFI Program and the 
NACA Program is made available by Congress to the CDFI Fund through its 
annual appropriations. The regulations governing the CDFI Program are 
found at 12 CFR parts 1805 and 1815 (the Regulations) and set forth 
evaluation criteria and other program requirements. For a complete 
understanding of the programs, the CDFI Fund encourages Applicants to 
review the Regulations, the Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA) for the 
FY 2016 application round of the CDFI Program (81 Federal Register 
8328, February 18, 2016), the NOFA for the FY 2016 application round of 
the NACA Program (81 Federal Register 8342, February 18, 2016), the 
Application, and the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost 
Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (2 CFR 200) 
(Uniform Administrative Requirements). Capitalized terms in this 
Request for Public Comment are defined in the CDFI Program's 
authorizing statute, the Regulations, the FY 2016 CDFI Program and NACA 
Program NOFAs, the Application, and the Uniform Administrative 
Requirements.
    Through the CDFI Program and NACA Program's Financial Assistance 
awards and Technical Assistance grants, the CDFI Fund invests in and 
builds the capacity of for-profit and nonprofit community based lending 
organizations known as Community Development Financial Institutions 
(CDFIs).
    CDFI Program and NACA Program award Recipients will be 
competitively selected after the CDFI Fund's careful review of their 
Applications. The proposed Financial Assistance Application requires 
the submission of quantitative and qualitative information about the 
Applicant's Business Strategy, Products and Services, Market and 
Competitive Analysis, Management and Staffing, Financial Position, and 
Growth and Financial Projections. The proposed Technical Assistance 
Application requires the submission of quantitative and qualitative 
information about CDFI Certification Qualifications, an Organizational 
Overview, and Use of Funds. Please refer to the FY 2016 CDFI Program 
and NACA Program NOFAs for additional guidance on the review and 
application process for past funding rounds.
    This request for public comment seeks to gather information on the 
CDFI Program and NACA Program Financial Assistance and Technical 
Assistance Applications.
    Current Actions: Renewal of existing Information Collection.
    Type of Review: Regular Review.
    Affected Public: Certified CDFIs and qualified Nonprofit 
Organizations.
    Estimated Number of Respondents for Financial Assistance: 400.
    Estimated Annual Time per Respondent for Financial Assistance: 100.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours for Financial Assistance: 
40,000.
    Estimated Number of Respondents for Technical Assistance: 100.
    Estimated Annual Time per Respondent for Technical Assistance: 50.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours for Technical Assistance: 
5,000.
    Requests for Comments: Comments submitted in response to this 
notice will be summarized and/or included in the request for Office of 
Management and Budget approval. All comments will become a matter of 
public record and may be published on the CDFI Fund's Web site at 
http://www.cdfifund.gov. The CDFI Fund is seeking input on the content 
of the CDFI Program and NACA Program Financial Assistance and Technical 
Assistance Applications. The Applications may be obtained on the CDFI 
Fund's Web site at https://www.cdfifund.gov/Lists/CDFI%20News/View.aspx. CDFI Program and NACA Program Financial Assistance awards 
must be used for Financial Products, Financial Services, and/or 
Development Services for commercial facilities, small businesses, 
microenterprises, community facilities, consumer financial products and 
services, affordable housing, and intermediary lending to nonprofits 
and CDFIs -- so long as those activities allow the Recipient to achieve 
at least one of the following statutorily required Financial Assistance 
activities: Expand operations into a new Investment Area(s); serve a 
new Targeted Population(s); provide additional or new Financial 
Products, Financial Services, and/or Development Services; and/or 
increase the volume of current Financial Products, Financial Services, 
and/or Development Services.
    Comments concerning the Applications are invited on: (a) Whether 
the collection of information is necessary for the proper performance 
of the functions of the agency, including whether the information shall 
have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of 
the burden of the collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the 
quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; (d) 
ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
respondents, including through the use of technology; and (e) estimates 
of capital or start-up costs and costs of operation, maintenance, and 
purchase of services required to provide information.
    In addition, the CDFI Fund requests comments in response to the 
following questions:
    (1) Is the information that is proposed to be collected by the 
Application necessary and appropriate for the CDFI Fund to consider for 
the purpose of making award decisions?
    (2) Are certain questions or tables redundant or unnecessary?
    (3) Should any questions or tables be added to ensure collection of 
relevant information?
    (4) In general, does the data and information requested in the 
Application allow an Applicant to demonstrate its ability to meet the 
eligible uses (commercial facilities, small businesses, 
microenterprises, community facilities, consumer financial products and 
services, affordable housing, and intermediary lending to nonprofits 
and CDFIs) of CDFI Fund Program awards?
    (5) Is the data and information requested in the Application to 
assess proposed Financial Assistance activities adequate to assess 
these different activities?
    (6) What, if any, additional data and information should be 
collected to assess Financial Assistance activities?
    (7) Are any of the questions particularly burdensome or difficult 
to answer? Please be specific to type of CDFI (e.g., regulated, non-
profit, sector)?

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    (8) Are the character limitations for narrative responses 
appropriate? Should certain questions allow additional or fewer 
characters?
    (9) Are there questions that lack clarity as to intent or purpose? 
If so, which questions, and what needs to be clarified in order to 
provide a comprehensive response?
    (10) Are there questions that would require additional guidance in 
order to respond adequately? If so, which questions, and what type of 
instructions would be helpful in order to be able to provide a 
response?
    (11) Is the financial data that is intended to be collected 
adequate to assess an Applicant's financial and portfolio performance?
    (12) Is there other information not requested in the Application 
that could demonstrate an Applicant's financial and portfolio 
performance?
    (13) Tables in Questions 6 a-d ask for certain data and information 
that will be used to assess an Applicant's projected Financial 
Assistance activities. Is the data collected in these tables adequate 
to assess an Applicant's projected Financial Assistance activities?
    (14) Is there other information not requested in the Application 
that would demonstrate an Applicant's projected Financial Assistance 
activities?
    (15) Are there requests for data in the Application that Applicants 
do not have readily available or that are burdensome to obtain and/or 
calculate?
    (16) Do the questions in the Technical Assistance Application allow 
the Applicant to clearly answer the evaluation criteria if the CDFI 
Program and NACA Program were to evaluate Technical Assistance Awards 
by the applicant's ability to achieve the following for each applicant 
category type:
    (a) Emerging and Certifiable CDFI: Achieve certification for the 
Applicant;
    (b) Sponsoring Entity: Create and certify a new CDFI; and
    (c) Certified CDFI: Build the capacity of the Applicant to expand 
operations, offer new products or services, or increase the volume of 
current business?

    Authority:  Pub. L. 110-289, 12 CFR 1807.

Mary Ann Donovan,
Director, Community Development Financial Institutions Fund.
[FR Doc. 2016-16417 Filed 7-11-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4810-70-P