[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 6 (Monday, January 11, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1920-1923]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-00290]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Housing Service

[Docket No. RHS-21-CF-0001]


Community Facilities Technical Assistance and Training Grant for 
Fiscal Year 2021

AGENCY: Rural Housing Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of Solicitation of Applications.

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SUMMARY: This Notice announces that the Rural Housing Service (Agency) 
is accepting Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 applications for the Community 
Facilities Technical Assistance and Training (TAT) Grant program. The 
Agency will publish the amount of funding received in the final 
appropriations act on its website at https://www.rd.usda.gov/newsroom/notices-solicitation-applications-nosas. Awards will be made from 
available

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funding on or before September 15, 2021.

DATES: The Agency must receive applications in paper postmarked and 
mailed, shipped, or sent overnight by 4:00 p.m. local time on March 29, 
2021. Electronic applications must be submitted via grants.gov by 
Midnight Eastern time on March 22, 2021. Prior to official submission 
of applications, applicants may request technical assistance or other 
application guidance from the Agency, as long as such requests are made 
prior to March 17, 2021. Technical assistance is not meant to be an 
analysis or assessment of the quality of the materials submitted, a 
substitute for agency review of completed applications, nor a 
determination of eligibility, if such determination requires in-depth 
analysis. The Agency will not solicit or consider scoring or 
eligibility information that is submitted after the application 
deadline. The Agency reserves the right to contact applicants to seek 
clarification information on materials contained in the submitted 
application.

ADDRESSES: Applications will be submitted to the USDA Rural Development 
State Office in the state where the applicant's headquarters is 
located. A listing of each State Office can be found at https://www.rd.usda.gov/files/CF_State_Office_Contacts.pdf. If you want to 
submit an electronic application, follow the instructions for the TAT 
funding announcement on http://www.grants.gov. For those applicants 
located in the District of Columbia, applications will be submitted to 
the National Office in care of Shirley Stevenson, 1400 Independence 
Ave. SW, STOP 0787, Washington, DC 20250. Electronic applications will 
be submitted via http://www.grants.gov. All applicants can access 
application materials at http://www.grants.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The Rural Development office in which 
the applicant is located. A list of the Rural Development State Office 
contacts can be found at https://www.rd.usda.gov/files/CF_State_Office_Contacts.pdf. Applicants located in Washington, DC can 
contact Shirley Stevenson at (202) 205-9685 or via email at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Agency encourages applications that will 
help improve life in rural America. (See information on the Interagency 
Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity found at www.usda.gov/ruralprosperity.) Applicants are encouraged to consider projects that 
provide measurable results in helping rural communities build robust 
and sustainable economies through strategic investments. Key strategies 
include:
 Achieving e-Connectivity for Rural America
 Developing the Rural Economy
 Harnessing Technological Innovation
 Supporting a Rural Workforce
 Improving Quality of Life
    To combat a key threat to economic prosperity, rural workforce and 
quality of life, the Agency also encourages applications that will 
support the Administration's goal to reduce the morbidity and mortality 
associated with Substance Use Disorder (including opioid misuse) in 
high-risk rural communities by strengthening the capacity to address 
prevention, treatment and/or recovery at the community, county, state, 
and/or regional levels. See https://www.cdc.gov/pwid/vulnerable-counties-data.html. Key strategies include:
     Prevention: reducing the occurrence of Substance Use 
Disorder (including opioid misuse) and fatal substance-related 
overdoses through community and provider education and harm reduction 
measures, such as the strategic placement of overdose reversing 
devices;
     Treatment: implementing or expanding access to evidence-
based treatment practices for Substance Use Disorder (including opioid 
misuse), such as medication-assisted treatment (MAT); and
     Recovery: expanding peer recovery and treatment options 
that help people start and stay in recovery.
    State Director and Administrator discretionary points will be 
awarded to applications that address these Agency Goals.

Paperwork Reduction Act

    The paperwork burden has been approved by the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) under OMB Control Number 0575-0198.

Overview

    Federal Agency: Rural Housing Service.
    Funding Opportunity Title: Community Facilities Technical 
Assistance and Training Grant.
    Announcement Type: Notice of Solicitation of Applications (NOSA).
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 10.766.
    Dates: To apply for funds, the Agency must receive mailed-in 
applications by 4:00 p.m. local time on March 29, 2021. Electronic 
applications must be submitted via grants.gov by Midnight Eastern time 
on March 22, 2021. The Agency will not consider any application 
received after this deadline. Prior to official submission of 
applications, applicants may request technical assistance or other 
application guidance from the Agency, as long as such requests are made 
prior to March 17, 2021. Technical assistance is not meant to be an 
analysis or assessment of the quality of the materials submitted, a 
substitute for agency review of completed applications, nor a 
determination of eligibility, if such determination requires in-depth 
analysis. The Agency will not solicit or consider scoring or 
eligibility information that is submitted after the application 
deadline. The Agency reserves the right to contact applicants to seek 
clarification information on materials contained in the submitted 
application.
    Availability of Notice: This Notice is available through the USDA 
Rural Development site at: https://www.rd.usda.gov/newsroom/notices-solicitation-applications-nosas.

I. Funding Opportunity Description

A. Purpose

    Congress authorized the Community Facilities Technical Assistance 
and Training Grant program in Title VI, Section 6006 of the 
Agricultural Act of 2014 (Pub. L. 113-79). Program regulations can be 
found at 7 CFR part 3570, subpart F, referenced in this Notice. The 
purpose of this Notice is to seek applications from entities that will 
provide technical assistance and/or training with respect to essential 
community facilities programs. It is the intent of this program to 
assist entities in rural areas in accessing funding under the Rural 
Housing Service's Community Facilities Programs in accordance with 7 
CFR part 3570, subpart F. Funding priority will be made to private, 
nonprofit or public organizations that have experience in providing 
technical assistance and training to rural entities.

II. Award Information

    Type of Awards: Grants will be made to eligible entities who will 
then provide technical assistance and/or training to eligible ultimate 
recipients.
    Fiscal Year Funds: FY 2021 Technical Assistance Training (TAT) 
Grant funds.
    Available Funds: The Agency is publishing the amount of funding 
received in the appropriations act on its website at https://www.rd.usda.gov/newsroom/notices-solicitation-applications-nosas. Up to 
ten percent of the available funds may be awarded to

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the highest scoring Ultimate Recipient(s) as long as they score a 
minimum score of at least 70.
    Award Amounts: Grant awards for Technical Assistance Providers 
assisting Ultimate Recipients within one state may not exceed $150,000. 
Grant awards made to Ultimate Recipients will not exceed $50,000. The 
Agency reserves the right to reduce funding amounts based on the 
Agency's determination of available funding or other Agency funding 
priorities.
    Award Dates: Awards will be made from available funding on or 
before September 15, 2021.

III. Eligibility Information

    Both the applicant and the use of funds must meet eligibility 
requirements. The applicant eligibility requirements can be found at 7 
CFR 3570.262. Eligible project purposes can be found at 7 CFR 3570.263. 
Ineligible project purposes can be found at 7 CFR 3570.264. 
Restrictions substantially similar to Sections 744 and 745 outlined in 
Division C, Title VII, ``General Provisions--Government-Wide'' of the 
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 (Pub. L. 116-93) will apply 
unless noted on the Rural Development website (https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/community-facilities-technical-assistance-and-training-grant).
    Any corporation that has been convicted of a felony criminal 
violation under any Federal law within the past 24 months; or 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; is not eligible for financial assistance provided with full-
year appropriated funds, 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.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    The requirements for submitting an application can be found at 7 
CFR 3570.267. All Applicants can access application materials at http://www.grants.gov. Applications must be received by the Agency by the due 
date listed in the DATES section of this Notice. Applications received 
after that due date will not be considered for funding. Paper copies of 
the applications will be submitted to the State Office in which the 
applicant is headquartered. Electronic submissions should be submitted 
at http://www.grants.gov. A listing of the Rural Development State 
Offices may be found at https://www.rd.usda.gov/files/CF_State_Office_Contacts.pdf. For applicants whose headquarters are in 
the District of Columbia, they will submit their application to the 
National Office in care of Shirley Stevenson, 1400 Independence Ave. 
SW, STOP 0787, Washington, DC 20250. Both paper and electronic 
applications must be received by the Agency by the deadlines stated in 
the DATES section of this Notice. The use of a courier and package 
tracking for paper applications is strongly encouraged. An applicant 
can only submit one application for funding.
    Application information for electronic submissions may be found at 
http://www.grants.gov.
    Applications will not be accepted via FAX or electronic email.

V. Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) and System 
for Awards Management (SAM)

    Grant applicants must obtain a Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal 
Numbering System (DUNS) number and register in the System for Award 
Management (SAM) prior to submitting an application pursuant to 2 CFR 
25.200(b). In addition, an entity applicant must maintain registration 
in SAM at all times during which it has an active Federal award or an 
application or plan under consideration by the Agency. 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. 
Similarly, all recipients of Federal financial assistance are required 
to report information about first-tier subawards and executive 
compensation in accordance to 2 CFR part 170. So long as an entity 
applicant does not have an exception under 2 CFR 170.110(b), the 
applicant must have the necessary processes and systems in place to 
comply with the reporting requirements should the applicant receive 
funding. See 2 CFR 170.200(b).
    An applicant, unless excepted under 2 CFR 25.110(b), (c), or (d), 
is required to:
    (a) Be registered in SAM before submitting its application;
    (b) Provide a valid DUNS number in its application; and
    (c) 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 a Federal awarding 
agency.
    The Federal awarding agency may not make a federal award to an 
applicant until the applicant has complied with all applicable DUNS and 
SAM requirements and, if an applicant has not fully complied with the 
requirements by the time the Federal awarding agency is ready to make a 
Federal award, the Federal awarding agency may determine that the 
applicant is not qualified to receive a Federal award and use that 
determination as a basis for making a Federal award to another 
applicant.
    As required by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), all grant 
applications must provide a DUNS number when applying for Federal 
grants, on or after October 1, 2003. Organizations can receive a DUNS 
number at no cost by calling the dedicated toll-free number at 1-866-
705-5711 or via internet at http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform. Additional 
information concerning this requirement can be obtained on the 
Grants.gov website at http://www.grants.gov. Similarly, applicants may 
register for SAM at https://www.sam.gov or by calling 1-866-606-8220.
    The applicant must provide documentation that they are registered 
in SAM and their DUNS number. If the applicant does not provide 
documentation that they are registered in SAM and their DUNS number, 
the application will not be considered for funding.

VI. Application Processing

    Applications will be processed and scored in accordance with this 
NOSA and 7 CFR 3570.273. Those applications receiving the highest 
points using the scoring factors found at 7 CFR 3570.273 will be 
selected for funding. Up to 10% of the available funds may be awarded 
to the highest scoring Ultimate Recipient(s) as long as they score a 
minimum score of at least 70. In the case of a tie, the first tie 
breaker will go to the applicant who scores the highest on matching 
funds. If two or more applications are still tied after using this tie 
breaker, the next tie breaker will go to the applicant who scores the 
highest in the multi-jurisdictional category.
    Once the successful applicants are announced, the State Office will 
be responsible for obligating the grant funds, executing all obligation 
documents, and the grant agreement, as provided by the agency.

[[Page 1923]]

VII. Federal Award Administration Information

    1. Federal Award Notice. Within the limit of funds available for 
such purpose, the awarding official of the Agency shall make grants in 
ranked order to eligible applicants under the procedures set forth in 
this Notice and the grant regulation 7 CFR 3570, subpart F.
    Successful applicants will receive a letter in the mail containing 
instructions on requirements necessary to proceed with execution and 
performance of the award. This letter is not an authorization to begin 
performance. In addition, selected applicants will be requested to 
verify that components of the application have not changed at the time 
of selection and on the award date, if requested by the Agency.
    The award is not approved until all information has been verified, 
and the awarding official of the Agency has signed Form RD 1940-1, 
``Request for Obligation of Funds'' and the grant agreement.
    Unsuccessful and ineligible applicants will receive written 
notification of their review and appeal rights.
    2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements. Grantees will 
be required to do the following:
    (a) Execute a Grant Agreement.
    (b) Execute Form RD 1940-1.
    (c) Use Form SF 270, ``Request for Advance or Reimbursement'' to 
request reimbursement. Provide receipts for expenditures, timesheets, 
and any other documentation to support the request for reimbursement.
    (d) Provide financial status and project performance reports as set 
forth at 7 CFR 3570.276.
    (e) Maintain a financial management system that is acceptable to 
the Agency.
    (f) Ensure that records are maintained to document all activities 
and expenditures utilizing CF TAT grant funds and any matching funds, 
if applicable. Receipts for expenditures will be included in this 
documentation.
    (g) Provide audits or financial information as set forth in 7 CFR 
3570.277.
    (h) 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.
    (i) Provide a final performance report as set forth at 7 CFR 
3570.276(a)(7).
    (j) Identify and report any association or relationship with Rural 
Development employees.
    (k) 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. The grantee must 
comply with policies, guidance, and requirements as described in the 
following applicable Code of Federal Regulations and any successor 
regulations:
    (1) 2 CFR parts 200 and 400 (Uniform Administrative Requirements, 
Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards).
    (2) 2 CFR parts 417 and 180 (Government-wide Debarment and 
Suspension (Nonprocurement)).
3. Reporting
    Reporting requirements for this grant as set forth at 7 CFR 
3570.276.

VIII. Federal Awarding Agency Contact

    Contact the Rural Development state office in the state where the 
applicant's headquarters is located. A list of Rural Development State 
Offices can be found at: https://www.rd.usda.gov/files/CF_State_Office_Contacts.pdf. For Applicants located in Washington, DC, 
please contact Shirley Stevenson at (202) 205-9685 or via email at 
[email protected].

IX. 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 of 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) By 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
    (3) Email: [email protected].

Elizabeth Green,
Acting Administrator, Rural Housing Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-00290 Filed 1-8-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-XV-P