[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 72 (Thursday, April 14, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22171-22178]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-07999]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Rural Business-Cooperative Service
[Docket #RBS-22-CO-OP-0008]
Notice of Solicitation of Applications for the Socially
Disadvantaged Groups Grant
AGENCY: Rural Business-Cooperative Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of Solicitation of Applications.
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SUMMARY: This notice announces that the Rural Business-Cooperative
Service (Agency) is inviting fiscal year (FY) 2022 applications for the
Socially Disadvantaged Groups Grant (SDGG) program, 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 2022. The purpose of this program is to provide technical
assistance to socially disadvantaged groups in rural areas. Eligible
applicants include cooperatives, groups of cooperatives, and
cooperative development centers. This program supports Rural
Development's (RD) mission of improving the quality of life for rural
Americans and commitment to directing resources to those who most need
them. Detailed information can be found on the SDGG website located at
https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/socially-disadvantaged-groups-grant. Expenses incurred in developing applications are the
responsibility of the applicant. An announcement on the website at
https://www.rd.usda.gov/newsroom/federal-funding-opportunities will
identify the amount available in FY 2022 for SDGG applications. All
applicants are responsible for any expenses incurred in developing
their applications.
DATES: Completed applications for grants must be submitted
electronically by no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time June 13, 2022,
through https://www.grants.gov to be eligible for grant funding. Please
review the Grants.gov website at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration.html for instructions on the
process of registering your organization as soon as possible to ensure
that you are able to meet the electronic application deadline.
Applications received after the deadline are not eligible for funding
under this notice and will not be evaluated.
ADDRESSES: You are encouraged to contact your USDA Rural Development
State Office well in advance of the application deadline to discuss
your project and ask any questions about the application process.
Contact information for State Offices can be found at: https://www.rd.usda.gov/contact-us/state-offices.
Program guidance as well as application templates may be obtained
at https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/socially-disadvantaged-groups-grant or by contacting your State Office. To submit an
electronic application, follow the instructions for the SDGG funding
announcement located at https://www.grants.gov. You are strongly
encouraged to file your application early and allow sufficient time to
manage any technical issues that may arise.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Arti Kshirsagar, Program Management
Division, Rural Business-Cooperative Service, United States Department
of Agriculture, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Mail Stop-3226,
Washington, DC 20250-3226, (202) 720-1400 or by email at:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Overview
Federal Agency Name: USDA Rural Business-Cooperative Service.
Funding Opportunity Title: Socially Disadvantaged Groups Grant.
Announcement Type: Notice of Solicitation of Applications (NOSA).
Assistance Listing Number: 10.871.
Funding Opportunity Number: RBCS-SDGG-2022.
Dates: Application Deadline. Your electronic application must be
received by https://www.grants.gov no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern
Time, by June 13, 2022, or it will not be considered for funding.
Administrative: The following apply to this NOSA:
(i) Key Priorities. The Agency encourages applicants to consider
projects that will advance the following:
Assisting Rural communities recover economically from the
impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly disadvantaged
communities;
Ensuring all rural residents have equitable access to RD
programs and benefits from RD funded projects; and
Reducing climate pollution and increasing resilience to
the impacts of climate change through economic support to rural
communities.
(ii) Technical Assistance. The Application Template provides
specific, detailed instructions for each item of a complete
application. The Agency emphasizes the importance of including every
item and strongly encourages applicants to follow the instructions
carefully, using the examples and illustrations in the Application
Template. 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 May 16, 2022. Agency
contact information can be found in section D (Application and
Submission Information) of this Notice.
(iii) Hemp Related Projects. Please note that no assistance or
funding from this grant can be provided to a hemp producer unless they
have a valid license issued from an approved State, Tribal or Federal
plan in accordance with Subtitle G of the Agricultural Marketing Act of
1946, as amended (7 U.S.C. 1621 et seq.). Verification of valid hemp
licenses will occur at the time of award. The purpose of this program
is to provide technical assistance, so funding for the production of
hemp or marketing hemp production is not eligible.
(iv) Persistent Poverty Counties. Section 736 of the Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2021, Public Law 116-260, designates funding for
projects
[[Page 22172]]
in persistent poverty counties. Availability of funding in Persistent
Poverty Counties (PPC) is contingent on inclusion of such a provision
in the Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2022 (the ``2022
Appropriations Act''), once enacted. Persistent poverty counties as
defined in Section 736 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 Section 736 expands the eligible
population in persistent 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. This
provision expands the current 50,000 population limit to 55,000 for
only county seats located in persistent poverty counties. Therefore,
applicants and/or beneficiaries of technical assistance services
located in persistent poverty county seats with populations up to
55,000 (per the 2010 Census) are eligible contingent on inclusion in
the 2022 Appropriations Act, once enacted.
(v) Other. The Agency will not solicit or consider new scoring or
eligibility information that is submitted after the application
deadline. The Agency reserves the right to contact applicants to seek
clarification on materials contained in the submitted application. See
the Application Guide for a full discussion of each item. For
requirements of completed grant applications, refer to Section D
(Application and Submission Information) of this notice.
A. Program Description
1. Purpose of the Program. The primary objective of the SDGG
program is to provide technical assistance to socially disadvantaged
groups. Eligible applicants are cooperative development centers,
individual cooperatives, or groups of cooperatives (i) that serve
socially disadvantaged groups and (ii) of which a majority of the board
of directors or governing board is comprised of individuals who are
members of socially disadvantaged groups.
2. Statutory Authority. The SDGG program is authorized by the
Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(e)(11)).
3. Definitions. The definitions applicable to this notice are as
follows:
Agency--Rural Business-Cooperative Service, an agency of the United
States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development or a
successor agency.
Conflict of interest--A situation in which a person or entity has
competing personal, professional, or financial interests that make it
difficult for the person or business to act impartially. Federal
procurement standards prohibit transactions that involve a real or
apparent conflict of interest for owners, employees, officers, agents
or their immediate family members having a financial or other interest
in the outcome of the project or that restrict open and free
competition for unrestrained trade. Specifically, project funds may not
be used for services or goods going to, or coming from, a person or
entity with a real or apparent conflict of interest, including, but not
limited to, owner(s) and their immediate family members. Examples of
conflicts of interest include using grant funds to pay a member of the
applicant's board of directors to provide proposed technical assistance
to socially disadvantaged groups, paying a cooperative member to
provide proposed technical assistance to other members of the same
cooperative, and paying an immediate family member of the applicant to
provide proposed technical assistance to socially-disadvantaged groups.
Cooperative--A business or organization that is owned and operated
for the benefit of its members, with returns of residual earnings paid
to such members on the basis of patronage. Eligible cooperatives for
the SDGG program are those where a majority of the board of directors
or governing board is comprised of individuals who are members of
socially disadvantaged groups.
Cooperative development center--A nonprofit corporation or
institution of higher education operated by the grantee for cooperative
or business development. An eligible cooperative development center for
the SDGG program is one where a majority of the board of directors or
governing board is comprised of individuals who are members of socially
disadvantaged groups. It may or may not be an independent legal entity
separate from the grantee.
Feasibility study--An analysis of the economic, market, technical,
financial, and management feasibility of a proposed project.
Group of cooperatives--A group of cooperatives whose primary focus
is to provide assistance to socially disadvantaged groups; each
cooperative must meet the eligibility requirements set forth in the
definition of ``cooperative'' herein. One of the cooperatives must be
designated as the lead entity and have legal authority to contract with
the federal government.
Immediate family(ies)--A group of individuals who live in the same
household or who are closely related by blood, marriage, or adoption,
such as a spouse, domestic partner, parent, child, sibling, aunt,
uncle, grandparent, grandchild, niece, nephew, or first cousin.
Operating cost--The day-to-day expenses of running a business; for
example: Utilities, rent on the office space a business occupies,
salaries, depreciation, marketing and advertising, and other basic
overhead items.
Participant support costs--Direct costs for items such as stipends
or subsistence allowances, travel allowances, and registration fees
paid to or on behalf of participants or trainees (but not employees) in
connection with conferences or training projects.
Project--Any activities to be funded by the Socially Disadvantaged
Groups Grant (SDGG).
Rural and rural area--Any area of a state other than (a) a city or
town that has a population of more than 50,000 inhabitants, according
to the latest decennial census of the United States and (b) any
urbanized area contiguous and adjacent to a city or town described in
clause (a), and urbanized areas that are rural in character as defined
by 7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(13)(D). For the purposes of this definition, cities
and towns are incorporated population centers with definite boundaries,
local self-government, and legal powers set forth in a charter granted
by the state. Notwithstanding any other provision of this paragraph,
within the areas of the County of Honolulu, Hawaii, and the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Secretary may designate any part of
the areas as a rural area if the Secretary determines that the part is
not urban in character, other than any area included in the Honolulu
Census Designated Place or the San Juan Census Designated Place.
Rural Development--A mission area within USDA consisting of the
Office of Under Secretary for Rural Development, Rural Business-
Cooperative Service, Rural Housing Service, and Rural Utilities Service
and any successors.
Socially disadvantaged group--A group whose members have been
subjected to racial, ethnic, or gender prejudice because of their
identity as members of a group without regard to their individual
qualities.
State--Includes each of the 50 states, the Commonwealth of Puerto
Rico, the Virgin Islands of the United States, Guam, American Samoa,
the
[[Page 22173]]
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
Technical assistance--An advisory service performed for the purpose
of assisting cooperatives or groups that want to form cooperatives such
as market research, product and/or service improvement, legal advice
and assistance, feasibility study, business planning, marketing plan
development, and training.
B. Federal Award Information
Type of Award: Competitive Grant.
Fiscal Year Funds: FY 2022.
Total Funding: Funding is contingent on the passing of the 2022
Appropriations Act.
Maximum Award: $175,000.
Project Period: 1 year.
Anticipated Award Date: September 30, 2022.
C. Eligibility Information
Applicants must meet all the following eligibility requirements.
Applications which fail to meet any of these requirements by the
application deadline will be deemed ineligible and will not be
evaluated further.
1. Eligible applicants. Grants may be made to individual
cooperatives, groups of cooperatives, or cooperative development
centers that serve socially disadvantaged groups and of which a
majority of the board of directors or governing board of the applicant
is comprised of individuals who are members of socially disadvantaged
groups. You must be able to verify your legal structure in the state or
the tribe under which you are legally organized or incorporated. Grants
may not be made to public bodies or to individuals. Your application
must demonstrate that you meet all definition requirements for one of
the three eligible applicant types as defined above. Federally
recognized tribes have a government-to-government relationship with the
United States. Therefore, tribes may consider using a separate entity,
such as a tribally owned business, tribal authority, tribal non-profit,
tribal college or university to apply for SDGG funding that would
provide technical assistance to members of the tribe. This separate
tribal entity must also demonstrate that it meets all definition
requirements for one of the three eligible applicant types as defined
above.
(i) At the time of application, each applicant must have an active
registration in the System for Award (SAM) before submitting its
application in accordance with 2 CFR part 25. In order to register in
SAM, entities will be required to create a Unique Entity Identifier
(UEI). Instructions for obtaining the UEI are available at https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration. Further information regarding SAM
registration and the UEI can be found in section D 2 of this notice.
(ii) An applicant is ineligible if it has been debarred or
suspended or otherwise excluded from or ineligible for participation in
Federal assistance programs under Executive Order 12549, ``Debarment
and Suspension.'' The Agency will check the Do Not Pay (DNP) system to
determine if the applicant has been debarred or suspended at the time
of application and also prior to funding any grant award. In addition,
an applicant will be considered ineligible for a grant due to an
outstanding judgment obtained by the U.S. in a Federal Court (other
than U.S. Tax Court), is delinquent on the payment of Federal income
taxes, or is delinquent on Federal debt. The applicant must certify as
part of the application that they do not have an outstanding judgment
against them. Applicants are responsible for resolving any issues that
are reported in the `Do Not Pay' System and if issues are not resolved
by deadlines found in this Notice, the Agency may proceed to award
funds to other eligible applicants.
(iii) Any corporation or cooperative (a) that has been convicted of
a felony criminal violation under any Federal law within the past 24
months or (b) 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, is not eligible for financial assistance provided
with funds appropriated by the 2022 Appropriations Act, 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. Certification
of compliance with this provision is now completed during registration
or annual recertification in the System for Awards Management (SAM) at
SAM.gov via the Financial Assistance General Certifications and
Representations.
2. Cost sharing or matching. No matching funds are required.
3. Other eligibility requirements.
(i) Use of funds: Your application must propose technical
assistance that will benefit socially disadvantaged groups. Any
recipient of technical assistance must have a membership that consists
of a majority of members from socially disadvantaged groups. Please
review section D(6) (Funding Restrictions) of this notice carefully.
(ii) Project eligibility: The proposed project must only serve
members of socially disadvantaged groups located in rural areas.
(iii) Grant period eligibility: Your application must include a
grant period of one-year or less or it will not be considered for
funding. The proposed time frame should begin no earlier than October
1, 2022 and end no later than December 31, 2023. Applications that
request funds for a time period ending after December 31, 2023, will
not be considered for funding. You should note that the anticipated
award date is September 30, 2022. Projects must be completed by
December 31, 2023 or within the 12-months of award funding, whichever
is earlier.
The Agency may approve requests to extend the grant period for up
to an additional 12 months at its discretion. However, you may not have
more than one SDGG award during the same grant period. If you extend
the period of performance for your current award, you may be deemed
ineligible to receive a SDGG in the next grant cycle. Further guidance
on grant period extensions will be provided in the award document.
(iv) Satisfactory performance eligibility: If you have an existing
SDGG award, you must be performing satisfactorily to be considered
eligible for a new SDGG award. Satisfactory performance includes being
up to date on all financial and performance reports as prescribed in
the grant award and being current on tasks and timeframes for utilizing
grant and matching funds as approved in the work plan and budget. If
you have any unspent grant funds on SDGG awards from projects prior to
September 30, 2020, your application will not be considered for
funding. If your FY 2021 award has unspent funds of 50 percent or more
than what your approved work plan and budget projected at the time of
evaluation of your FY 2021 application, your FY 2022 application may
not be considered for funding. The Agency will verify the performance
status of any FY 2021 awards and make a determination after the FY 2022
application period closes.
(v) Completeness eligibility: Your application must provide all the
information requested in section D(2) (Content and form of application
submission) of this notice. Applications lacking sufficient information
to determine eligibility and scoring criteria will be considered
ineligible.
[[Page 22174]]
(vi) Duplication of current services. Your application must
demonstrate that you are providing services to new customers or new
services to current customers. If your work plan and budget is
duplicative of your existing award, your application will not be
considered for funding. If your work plan and budget is duplicative of
a previous or existing Rural Cooperative Development Grant (RCDG) and/
or SDGG award, your application will not be considered for funding.
(vii) Multiple grant eligibility: You may only submit one SDGG
grant application each funding cycle. If two applications are submitted
(regardless of the applicant name) that include the same Executive
Director and/or advisory boards or committees of an existing
cooperative or cooperative development center, both applications will
be determined ineligible for funding.
D. Application and Submission Information
1. Application template. The application template to assist you in
applying for this funding opportunity is located at https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/socially-disadvantaged-groups-grant.
Use of the application template is strongly recommended to assist you
with the application process. You may also contact your USDA RD State
Office for more information. Contact information for State Offices is
located at https://www.rd.usda.gov/contact-us/state-offices.
2. Content and form of application submission. You must submit your
application electronically through Grants.gov. Your application must
contain all required information. To apply electronically, you must
follow the instructions for this funding announcement at https://www.grants.gov. Please note that we cannot accept applications through
mail or courier delivery, in-person delivery, email, or fax.
You can locate the Grants.gov downloadable application package for
this program by using a keyword, the program name, Assistance Listing
number, or the Funding Opportunity Number for this program.
When you enter the Grants.gov website, you will find information
about applying electronically through the site, as well as the hours of
operation. Users of Grants.gov must already have a Unique Entity
Identifier (UEI) number and you must also be registered and maintain
registration in SAM. The UEI is assigned by SAM and replaces the
formerly known Dun & Bradstreet D-U-N-S Number. The UEI number must be
associated with the correct tax identification number of the RCDG
applicant. 2 CFR part 25 requires registration in SAM. We strongly
recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline date to
begin the application process through Grants.gov.
You must submit all application documents electronically through
Grants.gov. Applications must include electronic signatures. Original
signatures may be required if funds are awarded.
After applying electronically through Grants.gov, you will receive
an automated acknowledgement from Grants.gov that contains a Grants.gov
tracking number.
Your application must also contain the following required forms and
proposal elements:
(i) Standard Form SF-424, ``Application for Federal Assistance,''
to include your UEI number. You must also provide your SAM Commercial
and Government Entity (CAGE) Code and expiration date under the
applicant eligibility discussion in your proposal narrative. If you do
not include the CAGE code and expiration date and the UEI number in
your application, it will not be considered for funding.
(ii) Form SF-424A, ``Budget Information-Non-Construction
Programs.'' This form must be completed and submitted as part of the
application package. You no longer must complete the Form SF 424B,
``Assurances--Non-Construction Programs'' as a part of your
application. This information is now collected through your
registration or annual recertification in SAM.gov through the Financial
Assistance General Certifications and Representation.
(iii) Federal Debt and Judgement Certification. You must certify
that there are no current outstanding Federal judgments against your
property and that you will not use grant funds to pay for any judgment
obtained by the United States. You must also certify that you are not
delinquent on the payment of Federal income taxes, or any Federal debt.
There is no standard form to complete, but to satisfy the certification
requirement, you should include this statement in your application:
``[INSERT NAME OF APPLICANT] certifies that the United States has not
obtained an unsatisfied judgment against its property, is not
delinquent on the payment of Federal income taxes, or any Federal debt,
and will not use grant funds to pay any judgments obtained by the
United States.'' A separate signature is not required.
(iv) Table of Contents. Your application must contain a detailed
Table of Contents (TOC). The TOC must include page numbers for each
part of the application. Page numbers should begin immediately
following the TOC.
(v) Executive Summary. A summary of the proposal, not to exceed one
page, must briefly describe the project, tasks to be completed, and
other relevant information that provides a general overview of the
project.
(vi) Eligibility Discussion. A detailed discussion, not to exceed
four pages, must describe how you meet the following requirements:
(a) Applicant Eligibility. You must describe how you meet the
definition of a cooperative, group of cooperatives, or cooperative
development center. Your application must also show that your
individual cooperative, group of cooperatives or cooperative
development center has a majority of its board of directors or
governing board comprised of individuals who are members of socially
disadvantaged groups and that the applicant serves socially
disadvantaged groups. Your application must include a list of your
board of directors/governing board and the percentage of board of
directors/governing board that are members of socially disadvantaged
groups. Note: Your application will not be considered for funding if
you fail to show that a majority of your board of directors/governing
board is comprised of individuals who are members of socially
disadvantaged groups.
You must verify your incorporation and status in the state that you
have applied by providing the state's or Tribe's Certificate of Good
Standing and your Articles of Incorporation. You may also submit your
Bylaws if they provide additional information not included in your
Articles of Incorporation that will help verify your legal status. If
applying as an institution of higher education, documentation verifying
your legal status is not required; however, you must demonstrate that
you qualify as an Institution of Higher Education as defined at 20
U.S.C. 1001. You must apply as only one type of applicant. The
requested verification documents should be included in Appendix A of
your application. If they are not included, your application will not
be considered for funding.
(b) Use of Funds. You must provide a brief discussion on how the
proposed project activities meet the definition of technical assistance
and identify the socially disadvantaged groups that will be assisted.
(c) Project Area. You must provide specific information that
details the
[[Page 22175]]
location of the Project area and explain how the area meets the
definition of ``rural area.''
(d) Grant Period. You must provide a time frame for the proposed
project and discuss how the project will be completed within that time
frame. Your project must have a time frame of one year or less.
(e) Indirect Costs. Please indicate if you have a negotiated
indirect cost rate agreement (NICRA), and if so, the rate. Your
negotiated indirect cost rate approval does not need to be included in
your application, but you will be required to provide it if a grant is
awarded. Approval for indirect costs that are requested in an
application without an approved indirect cost rate agreement is at the
discretion of the Agency.
(vii) Scoring Criteria. Each of the scoring criteria in this notice
must be addressed in narrative form, with a maximum of three pages for
each individual scoring criterion, unless otherwise specified. Failure
to address each scoring criteria will result in the application being
determined ineligible.
(viii) The Agency has established annual performance evaluation
measures to evaluate the SDGG program. You must provide estimates on
the following performance evaluation measures as part of your
narrative:
(a) Number of cooperatives assisted; and
(b) Number of socially disadvantaged groups assisted.
3. System for Awards Management (SAM) and assigned Unique Entity
Identifier (UEI). Each applicant applying for grant funds must be
registered in SAM before submitting its application and provide a valid
UEI, unless determined exempt under 2 CFR 25.110(b), (c) or (d).
(i) Applicants register in SAM at no cost at: https://sam.gov/SAM/.
You must provide your SAM CAGE Code and expiration date in the
application materials. 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
(ii) 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.
(iii) The Agency will not make an award until the applicant has
complied with all applicable SAM and UEI requirements. If an applicant
has not fully complied with the requirements by the time the Agency is
ready to make an award, 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.
Please refer to section F(2) (Administrative and national policy
requirements) for additional submission requirements that apply to
grantees selected for this program.
4. Submission Dates and Times. Electronic applications must be
received and accepted by https://www.grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. Eastern
Time June 13, 2022, to be eligible for funding. Please review the
Grants.gov website at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration.html for instructions on the process of
registering your organization as soon as possible to ensure you can
meet the electronic application deadline. Grants.gov will not accept
applications submitted after the deadline.
5. Intergovernmental Review. Executive Order (E.O.) 12372,
``Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs,'' applies to this
program. This E.O. requires that Federal agencies provide opportunities
for consultation on proposed assistance with State and local
governments. Many states have established a Single Point of Contact
(SPOC) to facilitate this consultation. The Rural Development State
Office where the project is located will provide compliance guidance to
applicants.
6. Funding Restrictions. Grant funds must be used for technical
assistance as defined.
(i) No funds made available under this notice shall be used to:
(a) Plan, repair, rehabilitate, acquire, or construct a building or
facility, including a processing facility;
(b) Purchase, rent, or install fixed equipment, including
processing equipment;
(c) Purchase vehicles, including boats;
(d) Pay for the preparation of the grant application;
(e) Pay expenses not directly related to the funded Project;
(f) Fund political or lobbying activities;
(g) Fund any activities considered unallowable by the applicable
grant cost principles, including 2 CFR part 200, subpart E and the
Federal Acquisition Regulation (48 CFR part 1);
(h) Fund architectural or engineering design work for a specific
physical facility;
(i) Fund any direct expenses for the production of any commodity or
product to which value will be added, including seed, rootstock, labor
for harvesting the crop, and delivery of the commodity to a processing
facility;
(j) Fund research and development;
(k) Purchase land;
(l) Duplicate current activities or activities paid for by other
Federal grant programs;
(m) Pay costs of the project incurred prior to the date of grant
approval;
(n) Pay for assistance to any private business enterprise that does
not have at least 51 percent ownership by those who are either citizens
of the United States or reside in the United States after being legally
admitted for permanent residence;
(o) Pay any judgment or debt owed to the United States;
(p) Pay any operating costs of the cooperative, group of
cooperatives, or cooperative development center not directly related to
the project;
(q) Pay expenses for applicant employee training or professional
development not directly related to the project;
(r) Pay for any goods or services from a person or entity who has a
conflict of interest with the grantee; or
(s) Pay for technical assistance provided to a cooperative that
does not have a membership that consists of a majority of members from
socially disadvantaged groups.
(ii) Your application will not be considered for funding if it does
any of the following:
(a) Requests more than the maximum grant amount;
(b) Proposes ineligible costs that equal more than 10 percent of
total grant funds requested; or
(c) Proposes participant support costs that equal more than 10
percent of total grant funds requested.
(iii) We will consider your application for funding if it includes
ineligible costs of 10 percent or less of total grant funds requested
if it is determined eligible otherwise. However, if your application is
successful, those ineligible costs must be removed and replaced with
eligible costs before the Agency will make the grant award or the
amount of the grant award will be reduced accordingly. If we cannot
determine the percentage of ineligible costs, your application will not
be considered for funding.
7. Other Submission Requirements. Applications will not be accepted
if the
[[Page 22176]]
text is less than an 11-point font. You must submit your application
electronically, through Grants.gov. You must follow the instructions
for this funding announcement at https://www.grants.gov. A password is
not required to access the website.
E. Application Review Information
The State Offices will review applications to determine if they are
eligible for assistance based on requirements in this notice, and other
applicable Federal regulations. If determined eligible, your
application will be scored by a panel of USDA employees in accordance
with the point allocation specified in this notice. A recommendation
will be submitted to the Administrator to fund applications from
highest ranking order. Applications that cannot be fully funded may be
offered partial funding at the Agency's discretion.
1. Scoring Criteria. All eligible and complete applications will be
evaluated based on the following criteria. Evaluators will base scores
only on the information provided or cross-referenced by page number in
each individual evaluation criterion. SDGG is a competitive program, so
you will receive scores based on the quality of your responses. Simply
addressing the criteria will not guarantee higher scores. The total
points possible for the criteria are 105.
(i) Technical Assistance (maximum score of 25 points). Three-page
limit. A panel of USDA employees will evaluate your application to
determine your ability to assess the needs of and provide effective
technical assistance to socially disadvantaged groups. You must discuss
the:
(a) Needs of the socially disadvantaged groups to be assisted and
explain how those needs were determined,
(b) Proposed technical assistance to be provided to the socially
disadvantaged groups; and
(c) Expected outcomes of the proposed technical assistance,
including how socially disadvantaged groups will benefit from
participating in the project. You will score higher on this criterion
if you provide examples of past projects that demonstrate successful
outcomes in identifying specific needs and providing technical
assistance to socially disadvantaged groups.
(ii) Work Plan/Budget (maximum of 25 points). Six-page limit. Your
work plan must provide specific and detailed descriptions of the tasks
and the key project personnel that will accomplish the project's goals.
The budget will be reviewed for completeness. You must list what tasks
are to be done, when it will be done, who will do it, and how much it
will cost. Reviewers must be able to understand what is being proposed
and how the grant funds will be spent. The budget must provide a
detailed breakdown of estimated costs. These costs should be allocated
to each of the tasks to be undertaken.
A panel of USDA employees will evaluate your work plan for detailed
actions and an accompanying timetable for implementing the proposal.
Clear, logical, realistic, and efficient plans that allocate costs to
specific tasks using applicable budget object class categories provided
on the Form SF-424A will result in a higher score. You must discuss at
a minimum:
(a) Specific tasks to be completed using grant funds;
(b) How customers will be identified;
(c) Key personnel and what tasks they are undertaking; and
(d) The evaluation methods to be used to determine the success of
specific tasks and overall project objectives.
Please provide qualitative methods of evaluation. For example,
evaluation methods should go beyond quantitative measurements of
completing surveys or number of evaluations, such as discussion of
evaluation methods per task.
(iii) Experience (maximum score of 25 points). Three-page limit. A
panel of USDA employees will evaluate your experience, commitment, and
availability for identified staff or consultants in providing technical
assistance, as defined in this notice. You must describe the technical
assistance experience for each identified staff member or consultant,
as well as years of experience in providing that assistance. You must
also discuss the commitment and the availability of identified staff,
consultants, or other professionals to be hired for the project--
especially those who may be consulting on multiple SDGG/RCDG projects.
If staff or consultants have not been selected at the time of
application, you must provide specific descriptions of the
qualifications required for the positions to be filled. In addition,
resumes for each individual staff member or consultant must be included
as an attachment in Appendix B. The attachments will not count toward
the maximum page total. We will compare the described experience in
this section and in the resumes to the work plan to determine relevance
of the experience. Applications that do not include the attached
resumes will not be considered for funding. Applications that
demonstrate strong credentials, education, capabilities, experience,
and availability of project personnel that will contribute to a high
likelihood of project success will receive more points than those that
demonstrate less potential for success in these areas.
Points will be awarded as follows:
(a) 0 points will be awarded if you do not substantively address
the criterion.
(b) 1-9 points will be awarded if qualifications and experience of
some, but not all, staff is addressed and, if necessary, qualifications
of unfilled positions are not provided.
(c) 10-14 points will be awarded if (b) is met, plus all project
personnel are identified but do not demonstrate qualifications or
experience relevant to the project.
(d) 15-19 will be awarded if (b) and (c) are met, plus most, but
not all, key personnel demonstrate strong credentials and/or
experience, and availability indicating a reasonable likelihood of
success.
(e) 20-25 points will be awarded if (b)-(d) are met, plus all
personnel demonstrate strong, relevant credentials or experience and
availability indicating a high likelihood of project success.
(iv) Commitment (maximum of 10 points). Three-page limit. A panel
of USDA employees will evaluate your commitment to providing technical
assistance to socially disadvantaged groups in rural areas. You must
list the number and location of socially disadvantaged groups that will
directly benefit from the assistance provided. You must also define and
describe the underserved and economically distressed areas within your
service area and provide current and relevant statistics that support
your description of the service area. Projects located in Persistent
Poverty Counties as defined in 2022 Appropriations Act, if included,
will score higher on this factor.
(v) Local support (maximum of 10 points). Three-page limit. A panel
of USDA employees will evaluate your application for local support of
the technical assistance activities. Your discussion on local support
should include previous and/or expected local support and plans for
coordinating with other developmental organizations in the proposed
service area or with tribal, State, and local government institutions.
You will score higher if you demonstrate strong support from potential
beneficiaries and other developmental organizations. You may submit a
maximum of 10 letters of support with the application.
Points will be awarded as follows:
(a) 0 points are awarded if you do not adequately address this
criterion.
(b) A range of 1-5 points are awarded if you demonstrate support
from
[[Page 22177]]
potential beneficiaries and other developmental organizations in your
discussion but do not provide letters of support.
(c) Additional 1 point is awarded if you provide 2-3 support
letters that show support from potential beneficiaries and/or support
from local organizations.
(d) Additional 2 points are awarded if you provide 4-5 support
letters that show support from potential beneficiaries and/or support
from local organizations.
(e) Additional 3 points are awarded if you provide 6-7 support
letters that show support from potential beneficiaries and/or support
from local organizations.
(f) Additional 4 points are awarded if you provide 8-9 support
letters that show support from potential beneficiaries and/or support
from local organizations.
(g) Additional 5 points are awarded if you provide 10 support
letters that show support from potential beneficiaries and/or support
from local organizations.
You may submit a maximum of 10 letters of support. Support letters
should be signed and dated after the publication date of this notice
and should come from potential beneficiaries and other local
organizations. Letters received from Congressional members and
technical assistance providers will not be included in the count of
support letters received. Additionally, identical form letters signed
by multiple potential beneficiaries and/or local organizations will not
be included in the count of support letters received. Support letters
should be included as an attachment to the application in Appendix C
and will not count against the maximum page total. Additional letters
from industry groups, commodity groups, Congressional members, and
similar organizations should be referenced, but not included in the
application package. When referencing these letters, provide the name
of the organization, date of the letter, the nature of the support, and
the name and title of the person signing the letter.
(vi) Administrator Discretionary Points (maximum of 10 points). In
the event two projects have the same score, the Administrator may award
points to the applicant that has not received SDGG funds in the past.
In addition, the Administrator may choose to award points to
applications that:
(a) Increase the geographic diversity of socially disadvantaged
groups served by approved projects.
(b) Advance the key priorities addressed in the Supplemental
Section of this notice. Data sources for the key priorities are found
at: https://www.rd.usda.gov/priority-points.
2. Review and Selection Process. Applications will be reviewed in
the State Offices to determine if they are eligible for assistance
based on requirements in this notice, and other applicable Federal
regulations. If determined eligible, your application will be scored by
a panel of USDA employees in accordance with the point allocation
specified in this notice. The review panel will convene to reach a
consensus on the scores for each of the eligible applications. The
Administrator may choose to award up to 10 Administrator priority
points based on criterion (vi) in section E(1) (Scoring Criteria) of
this notice. These points will be added to the cumulative score for a
total possible score of 105. Applications will be funded from highest
ranking order until the funding limitation has been reached.
Applications that cannot be fully funded may be offered partial funding
at the Agency's discretion. If your application is ranked and not
funded, it will not be carried forward into the next competition.
F. Federal Award Administration Information
1. Federal award notices. If you are selected for funding, you will
receive a signed notice of Federal award by postal or electronic mail,
containing instructions on requirements necessary to proceed with
execution and performance of the award.
If you are not selected for funding, you will be notified in
writing via postal or electronic mail and informed of any review and
appeal rights. Funding of successfully appealed applications will be
limited to available FY 2022 funding.
2. Administrative and national policy requirements. Additional
requirements that apply to grantees selected for this program can be
found in 2 CFR parts 200, 215, 400, 415, 417, 418, and 421. All
recipients of Federal financial assistance are required to report
information about first tier subawards and executive compensation (See
2 CFR part 170). You will be required to have the necessary processes
and systems in place to comply with the Federal Funding Accountability
and Transparency Act reporting requirements (See 2 CFR 170.200(b),
unless you are exempt under 2 CFR 170.110(b)).
The following additional requirements apply to grantees selected
for this program:
(i) Execution of an Agency approved Grant Agreement.
(ii) Acceptance of a written Letter of Conditions.
(iii) Submission of Form RD 1940-1, ``Request for Obligation of
Funds.''
(iv) Submission of Form RD 1942-46, ``Letter of Intent to Meet
Conditions.''
(v) Assurance Agreement. By signing the Financial Assistance
General Certifications and Representations in SAM, grant recipients
affirm that they will operate the program free from discrimination. The
grant recipients will maintain the race and ethnic data on their board
members and the beneficiaries of the program. The grant recipient will
provide alternative forms of communication to persons with limited
English proficiency. The Agency will conduct civil rights compliance
reviews on grant recipients to identify the collection of racial and
ethnic data on program beneficiaries. In addition, the compliance
review will ensure that equal access to the program benefits and
activities are provided for persons with disabilities and language
barriers.
3. Reporting. After grant approval and through grant completion,
you will be required to provide the following:
(i) An SF-425, ``Federal Financial Report,'' and a project
performance report will be required on a semiannual basis (due 30
calendar days after the end of the semiannual period). The project
performance reports shall include a comparison of actual
accomplishments to the objectives established for that period;
(ii) A statement providing reasons why established objectives were
not met, if applicable;
(iii) A statement providing reasons for any problems, delays, or
adverse conditions, if any, which have affected or will affect
attainment of overall project objectives, prevent meeting time
schedules or objectives, or preclude the attainment of particular
objectives during established time periods (This disclosure shall be
accompanied by a statement of the action taken or planned to resolve
the situation);
(iv) Objectives and timetable established for the next reporting
period;
(v) A final project and financial status report within 90 days
after the expiration or termination of the grant in accordance to 2 CFR
200.344; and
(vi) Outcome project performance reports and final deliverables.
G. Agency Contacts
For general questions about this announcement and for program
technical assistance, please contact the appropriate State Office at
https://www.rd.usda.gov/contact-us/state-offices. You may also contact
Arti
[[Page 22178]]
Kshirsagar, Program Management Division, Rural Business-Cooperative
Service, USDA at (202) 720-1400 or by email at
[email protected].
H. Other Information
(1) Paperwork Reduction Act. In accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act, the paperwork burden associated with this notice has
been approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under OMB
Control Number 0570-0052.
(2) National Environmental Policy Act. All funding activities under
this notice must comply with the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA), and its implementing regulations as outlined in 7 CFR part
1970. This notice has been reviewed in accordance with 7 CFR part 1970,
``Environmental Policies and Procedures.'' We have determined that an
Environmental Impact Statement is not required because the issuance of
regulations and instructions, as well as amendments to them, describing
administrative and financial procedures for processing, approving, and
implementing the Agency's financial programs is categorically excluded
in the Agency's National Environmental Policy Act regulation found at 7
CFR 1970.53(f). We have determined that this notice does not constitute
a major Federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human
environment. The Agency will review each grant application to determine
its compliance with 7 CFR part 1970. The applicant may be asked to
provide additional information or documentation to assist the Agency
with this determination. A review for NEPA compliance is required prior
to the award of grant funds.
(3) Civil Rights Compliance Requirements. All grants made under
this notice are subject to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,
USDA's nondiscrimination regulation (7 CFR part 15, subpart A), and
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
(4) Non-Discrimination Statement. In accordance with Federal civil
rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights
regulations and policies, the USDA, its Mission Areas, agencies, staff
offices, 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.
Program information may be made available in languages other than
English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of
communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large
print, audiotape, American Sign Language) should contact the
responsible Mission Area, agency, or staff office, the USDA TARGET
Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or the Federal Relay Service
at (800) 877-8339.
To file a program discrimination complaint, a complainant should
complete a Form AD 3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form,
which can be obtained online at https://www.ocio.usda.gov/document/ad-3027, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a
letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant's
name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the
alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the
Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date
of the alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or
letter must be submitted to USDA by:
(i) Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant
Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC
20250-9410; or
(ii) Fax: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
(iii) Email: [email protected].
Karama Neal,
Administrator, Rural Business-Cooperative Service, Rural Development.
[FR Doc. 2022-07999 Filed 4-13-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-XY-P