[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 242 (Wednesday, December 16, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 81445-81449]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-27627]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Business-Cooperative Service

[Docket No. RBS-20-BUSINESS-0036]


Notice of Solicitation for Inviting Applications for the Rural 
Microentrepreneur Assistance Program for Fiscal Year 2021

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 Microentrepreneur Assistance Program (RMAP) for fiscal 
year (FY) 2021, subject to the availability of funding. This notice is 
being issued in order to allow applicants sufficient time to leverage 
financing, prepare and submit their applications, and give the Agency 
time to process applications within FY 2021. Successful applications 
will be selected by the Agency for funding and subsequently awarded to 
the extent that funding may ultimately be made available through 
appropriations. RMAP provides the following types of support: Loan 
only, combination loan and technical assistance grant, and subsequent 
technical assistance grants to Microenterprise Development 
Organizations (MDO). An announcement on the website at https://www.rd.usda.gov/newsroom/notices-solicitation-applications-nosas will 
identify the amount of funding received in the appropriations. All 
applicants are responsible for any expenses incurred in developing 
their applications or costs incurred prior to the obligation date.

DATES: The deadline for completed applications to be received in the 
USDA Rural Development State Office for

[[Page 81446]]

quarterly funding competitions is no later than 4:30 p.m. (local time) 
on: First Quarter, September 30, 2020; Second Quarter, December 31, 
2020; Third Quarter, March 31, 2021 and Fourth Quarter, June 30, 2021.
    The subsequent microlender technical assistance grant (existing 
MDOs with a microentrepreneur revolving loan fund) will be made, non-
competitively, based on the microlender's microlending activity and 
availability of funds. The Agency will use the microlender's 
outstanding balance of microloans as of June 30, 2021 to determine 
their microlender technical assistance grant award for FY 2021 from 
available funds. Only MDOs that are eligible for an annual grant in 
compliance with 7 CFR 4280.313(a) may apply.

ADDRESSES: Applications must be submitted to the USDA Rural Development 
State Office for the State where the Project is located. Applications 
may be submitted in paper or electronic format to the appropriate Rural 
Development State Office and must be received by 4:30 p.m. local time 
on the deadline date(s). Applicants are encouraged to contact their 
respective State Office for an email contact to submit an electronic 
application prior to the submission deadline date(s). A list of the 
USDA Rural Development State Office contacts can be found at: http://www.rd.usda.gov/contact-us/state-offices.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Shamika Johnson at (202) 720-1495, 
[email protected] or David Chestnut at (202) 692-5233, 
[email protected], Program Management Division, Business 
Programs, Rural Business-Cooperative Service, U.S. Department of 
Agriculture, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, MS 3226, Room 4202--South, 
Washington, DC 20250-3226, or call (202) 720-1400. For further 
information on this notice, please contact the USDA Rural Development 
State Office in the State in which the applicant's headquarters is 
located. A list of Rural Development State Office contacts is provided 
at the following link: http://www.rd.usda.gov/contact-us/state-offices.

Overview

    Solicitation Opportunity Title: Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance 
Program.
    Announcement Type: Initial Solicitation Announcement.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number (CFDA): 10.870.
    Dates: The deadline for completed applications to be received in 
the USDA Rural Development State Office for quarterly funding 
competitions is no later than 4:30 p.m. (local time) on: First Quarter, 
September 30, 2020; Second Quarter, December 31, 2020; Third Quarter, 
March 31, 2021 and Fourth Quarter, June 30, 2021.

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    A. Purpose of the Program. The purpose of RMAP is to support the 
development and ongoing success of rural microentrepreneurs and 
microenterprises as defined in 7 CFR 4280.302.
    B. Statutory Authority. RMAP is authorized by Section 379E of the 
Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2008s). 
Regulations are contained in 7 CFR part 4280, subpart D. Assistance 
provided to rural areas under this program may include the provision of 
loans and grants to rural MDOs for the provision of microloans to rural 
microenterprises and microentrepreneurs; provision of business-based 
training and technical assistance to rural microborrowers and potential 
microborrowers; and other such activities as deemed appropriate by the 
Secretary to ensure the development and ongoing success of rural 
microenterprises. Awards are made on a competitive basis using specific 
selection criteria contained in 7 CFR part 4280, subpart D.
    C. Definition of Terms. The definitions applicable to this Notice 
are published at 7 CFR 4280.302.
    D. Application Awards. The Agency will review, evaluate, and score 
applications received in response to this Notice based on the 
provisions found in 7 CFR part 4280, subpart D, and as indicated in 
this Notice. However, the Agency advises all interested parties that 
the applicant bears the burden in preparing and submitting an 
application in response to this Notice whether or not funding is 
appropriated for this program in FY 2021. Information required to be in 
the application is specified in 7 CFR 4280.315. For entities applying 
for program loan funds to become an RMAP microlender only, the 
following items are required: (1) Form RD 1910-11, ``Applicant 
Certification Federal Collection Policies for Consumer or Commercial 
Debts;'' (2) Demonstration that the applicant is eligible to apply for 
participation in this program; (3) Certification by the applicant that 
it cannot obtain sufficient credit elsewhere to fund the activities 
called for under this program with similar rates and terms;
    Subsequent annual microlender technical assistance grants are 
subject to funding availability, in accordance with 7 CFR 
4280.313(b)(2). Awards will be determined non-competitively based on 
Agency appropriations for the fiscal year. The MDO must submit a 
prescribed worksheet, listing the outstanding balance of their 
microloans and unexpended grant funds as of the date of their request 
and a letter certifying that their organization still meets all the 
requirements set forth in 7 CFR part 4280, subpart D, and that no 
significant changes have occurred within the last year that would 
affect its ability to carry out the MDO functions. In addition, all 
MDOs who request Subsequent Annual Microlender Technical Assistance 
Grants must complete their reporting into the Lenders Interactive 
Network Connection (LINC) for the Federal fiscal quarter ending June 
30, 2021. The deadline for reporting into LINC and requesting a TA 
grant is no later than 4:30 p.m. (local time) on July 31, 2021.

II. Award Information

    Type of Awards: Loans and/or Grants.
    Fiscal Year Funds: FY 2021.
    Available Funds. Anyone interested in submitting an application for 
funding under these Programs are encouraged to consult the Rural 
Development Notices of Solicitation of Applications website at http://www.rd.usda.gov/newsroom/notices-solicitation-applications-nosas.
    Maximum Award: The Agency anticipates the following maximum amounts 
per award: Loans--$500,000; Grants--$100,000.
    Application Dates: Funding competitions will be held for 
applications received no later than: First Quarter, September 30, 2020; 
Second Quarter, December 31, 2020; Third Quarter, March 31, 2021 and 
Fourth Quarter, June 30, 2021.

III. Eligibility Information

    A. Eligible Applicants. To be eligible for this program, the 
applicant must meet the eligibility requirements in 7 CFR 4280.310. All 
applications must meet the definition of ``rural'' or ``rural area'' as 
described in 7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(13) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 
Development Act (Pub. L. 115-334), as amended. The Further Consolidated 
Appropriations Act, 2020 (Pub. L. 116-94), sec. 740 designates funding 
for projects in Persistent Poverty counties. Persistent Poverty 
counties as defined in sec. 740 is ``any county that has had 20 percent 
or more of its population living in poverty over the past 30 years, as 
measured by the 1990 and 2000 decennial censuses, and 2007-2011 
American Community Survey 5-year average, or any territory or 
possession of the United States''. Another provision in sec. 740 
expands the eligible population in Persistent

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Poverty counties to include any county seat of such a persistent 
poverty county that has a population that does not exceed the 
authorized population limit by more than 10 percent.
    In addition to the requirements in 7 CFR 4280.310, applicants must 
not be delinquent on any Federal debt or otherwise disqualified from 
participation in this program to be eligible to apply. All other 
restrictions in this Notice will apply.
    The Agency requires sufficient information to make an eligibility 
determination through application materials. Potential microlenders 
must provide evidence that it: (1) Has demonstrated experience in the 
management of a revolving loan fund; or (2) Certifies that it, or its 
employees, have received education and training from a qualified 
microenterprise development training entity so that the applicant has 
the capacity to manage such a revolving loan fund; or (3) Is actively 
and successfully participating as an intermediary lender in good 
standing under the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Microloan 
Program or other similar loan programs as determined by the 
Administrator. Applicants must also provide an attorney's opinion 
regarding the potential microlender's legal status and its ability to 
enter into program transactions at the time of initial entry into the 
program. Subsequent to acceptance into the program, an attorney's 
opinion will not be required unless the Agency determines significant 
changes to the microlender have occurred.
    B. Cost Sharing or Matching. The Federal share of the eligible 
project cost of a microborrower's project funded under this Notice 
shall not exceed 75 percent. The cost share requirement shall be met by 
the microlender in accordance with the requirements specified in 7 CFR 
4280.311(d).
    The MDO is required to provide a match of not less than 15 percent 
of the total amount of the grant in the form of matching funds, 
indirect costs, or in-kind goods or services.
    C. Other Eligibility Requirements. Applications will only be 
accepted from eligible MDOs and will be awarded a program score in 
compliance with 7 CFR 4280.316. Eligible MDOs must score a minimum of 
70 points out of 100 available points to be considered to receive an 
award. Awards for each Federal fiscal quarter will be based on ranking 
with the highest-ranking applications being funded first, subject to 
available funding.
    None of the funds made available by this or any other Act may be 
used to enter into a contract, memorandum of understanding, or 
cooperative agreement with, make a grant to, or provide a loan or loan 
guarantee to, any corporation that has any unpaid Federal tax liability 
that has been assessed, for which all judicial and administrative 
remedies have been exhausted or have lapsed, and that is not being paid 
in a timely manner pursuant to an agreement with the authority 
responsible for collecting the tax liability, where the awarding agency 
is aware of the unpaid tax liability, unless a Federal agency has 
considered suspension or debarment of the corporation and has made a 
determination that this further action is not necessary to protect the 
interests of the Government.
    None of the funds made available by this or any other Act may be 
used to enter into a contract, memorandum of understanding, or 
cooperative agreement with, make a grant to, or provide a loan or loan 
guarantee to, any corporation that was convicted of a felony criminal 
violation under any Federal law within the preceding 24 months, where 
the awarding agency is aware of the conviction, unless a Federal agency 
has considered suspension or debarment of the corporation and has made 
a determination that this further action is not necessary to protect 
the interests of the Government.
    D. Completeness Eligibility. All applications must be submitted as 
a complete application, in one package. Applications will not be 
considered for funding if they do not provide sufficient information to 
determine eligibility or are unbound, not received in one package, are 
missing required elements or are otherwise not suitable for evaluation. 
Such applications will be withdrawn with notification provided to the 
applicant of such action.

IV. Fiscal Year 2021 Application and Submission Information

    A. Requesting an Application Package: For further information, 
entities wishing to apply for assistance should contact the Rural 
Development State Office as identified in the ADDRESSES section of this 
Notice to obtain copies of the application package. Applicants must 
submit an original complete application to the USDA Rural Development 
State Office in the State where the applicant's project is located.
    An MDO may submit an initial application for a loan with a 
microlender technical assistance grant, or an initial or subsequent 
loan-only (without a microlender technical assistance grant). Loan 
applications may be submitted in paper or electronic format to the 
appropriate Rural Development State Office and must be received by 4:30 
p.m. local time on the deadline date(s). Applicants are encouraged to 
contact their respective State Office for an email contact to submit an 
electronic application prior to the submission deadline date(s). Loan 
applications must be organized in the same order set forth in 7 CFR 
4280.315. To ensure timely delivery, applicants are strongly encouraged 
to submit their paper applications using an overnight, express, or 
parcel delivery service.
    B. Content and Form of Submission: An application must contain all 
of the required elements outlined in 7 CFR 4280.315. Each application 
must address the applicable scoring criteria presented in 7 CFR 
4280.316 for the type of funding being requested.
    C. Submission Dates and Times: The original complete application 
for quarterly funding competitions must be received by the USDA Rural 
Development State Office no later than 4:30 p.m. (local time) on: First 
Quarter, September 30, 2020; Second Quarter, December 31, 2020; Third 
Quarter, March 31, 2021 and Fourth Quarter, June 30, 2021, regardless 
of the postmark date, in order to be considered for funds available in 
that Federal 2021 fiscal quarter.
    Unless withdrawn by the applicant, completed applications that 
receive a score of at least 70 (the minimum required to be considered 
for funding), but have not yet been funded, will be retained by the 
Agency for consideration in subsequent reviews through a total of four 
consecutive quarterly reviews. Applications that remain unfunded after 
four quarterly reviews, including the initial quarter in which the 
application was competed, will not be considered further for an award. 
The applicant must submit a new application at that time if it desires 
further funding consideration.
    D. Explanation of Dates: Applications must be in the USDA Rural 
Development State Office by the deadline dates and times as indicated 
above. If the due date falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or Federal holiday, 
the application is due the next business day.

V. Application Review Information

    A. Criteria. All eligible and complete applications will be 
evaluated and scored based on the selection criteria and weights 
contained in 7 CFR part 4280, subpart D. Failure to address any one of 
the criteria by the application deadline will result in the application 
being determined ineligible and the

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application will not be considered for funding. An application must 
receive at least 70 points to be considered for funding in the quarter 
in which it is scored and competing.
    B. Review and Selection Process. The State Offices will review 
applications to determine if they are eligible for assistance based on 
requirements contained in 7 CFR part 4280, subpart D. If determined 
eligible, the application will be submitted to the National Office, 
where it will be reviewed and prioritized by ranking in highest to 
lowest score order with each application competing in that quarter. All 
eligible applications will be funded until funds have been exhausted 
for each funding cycle. Funding of projects is subject to the MDO's 
satisfactory submission of the additional items required by that 
subpart and the USDA Rural Development Letter of Conditions.

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 
award will be approved. Provided the application and eligibility 
requirements have not changed, an application not selected will be 
reconsidered for 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. Unsuccessful 
applications after four quarterly competitions will receive 
notification by mail, detailing why the application was unsuccessful.
    B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements. Additional 
requirements that apply to MDOs selected for this program can be found 
in 7 CFR part 4280, subpart D. The USDA and the Agency have adopted the 
USDA grant regulations at 2 CFR chapter IV. This regulation 
incorporates the new Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations 
2 CFR 200 and 2 CFR 400.1 to 400.18 for monitoring and servicing RMAP 
funding.
    C. Reporting. In addition to any reports required by 2 CFR 200 and 
2 CFR 400.1 to 400.18, the MDO must provide reports as required by 7 
CFR part 4280, subpart D. MDOs must collect and maintain data provided 
by Ultimate Recipients on race, sex, and national origin and ensure 
Ultimate Recipients collect and maintain this data. Race and ethnicity 
data will be collected in accordance with OMB Federal Register notice, 
``Revisions to the Standards for the Classification of Federal Data on 
Race and Ethnicity'' (62 FR 58782), October 30, 1997. Sex data will be 
collected in accordance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 
1972. These items should not be submitted with the application but 
should be available upon request by the Agency.
    The applicant and the Ultimate Recipient must comply with Title VI 
of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments 
of 1972, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 of the 
Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Age Discrimination Act of 1975, Executive 
Order 12250, Executive Order 13166 Limited English Proficiency (LEP), 
and 7 CFR part 1901, subpart E.

VII. Agency Contacts

    For general questions about this Notice, please contact your USDA 
Rural Development State Office as provided in the ADDRESSES section of 
this Notice.

VIII. Paperwork Reduction Act

    In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 
information collection requirements associated with the Rural 
Microentrepreneur Assistance Program, as covered in this Notice, has 
been approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under OMB 
Control Number 0570-0062.

IX. Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act

    To be eligible (unless you are exempted under 2 CFR 25.110(b), (c) 
or (d)), you are required to:
    (a) Provide a valid DUNS number in your application, which can be 
obtained at no cost via a toll-free request line at (866) 705-5711;
    (b) Register in SAM before submitting your application. You may 
register in SAM at no cost at https://www.sam.gov/SAM/. You must 
provide your SAM CAGE Code and expiration date. When registering in 
SAM, you must indicate you are applying for a Federal financial 
assistance project or program or are currently the recipient of funding 
under any Federal financial assistance project or program; and
    (c) The SAM registration must remain active with current 
information at all times while the Agency is considering an application 
or while a Federal grant award or loan is active. To maintain the 
registration in the SAM database the applicant must review and update 
the information in the SAM database annually from date of initial 
registration or from the date of the last update. The applicant must 
ensure that the information in the database is current, accurate, and 
complete. Applicants must ensure they complete the Financial Assistance 
General Certifications and Representations in SAM.
     If you have not fully complied with all applicable DUNS 
and SAM requirements, the Agency may determine that the applicant is 
not qualified to receive a Federal award and the Agency may use that 
determination as a basis for making an award to another applicant. In 
accordance with OMB Memoranda M-20-11 and M-20-26, the Agency can 
accept an application without an active SAM registration. However, the 
registration must be completed before an award is made.

X. Nondiscrimination Statement

    In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of 
Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its 
Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or 
administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on 
race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including 
gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital 
status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance 
program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil 
rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA 
(not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing 
deadlines vary by program or incident.
    Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of 
communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, 
audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible 
Agency or USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or 
contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. 
Additionally, program information may be made available in languages 
other than English.
    To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA 
Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html and at any USDA office or 
write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all the 
information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint 
form, call (866) 632-9992.
    Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:
    (1) Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant 
Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 
20250-9410;
    (2) Fax: (202) 690-7442; or

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    (3) Email: [email protected].

Rebeckah Adcock,
Administrator, Rural Business-Cooperative Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-27627 Filed 12-15-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-XY-P