[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