[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 214 (Monday, November 7, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67010-67013]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-24133]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Business-Cooperative Service

Rural Housing Service

Rural Utilities Service

[Docket No. RBS-22-BUSINESS-0022]


Notice of Solicitation of Applications for the Strategic Economic 
and Community Development Program for FY 2023

AGENCY: Rural Business-Cooperative Service, Rural Housing Service, and 
Rural Utilities Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of solicitation of applications.

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SUMMARY: The Under Secretary for Rural Development (RD) is seeking 
applications for the Strategic Economic and Community Development 
(SECD) priority, as reauthorized by Section 6401 of the Agriculture 
Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 Farm Bill) for projects that support 
multi-jurisdictional and multi-sectoral strategic community investment 
plans. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2023, the Agency will implement SECD by 
reserving loan and/or grant funds from the appropriations of the 
programs covered by this funding priority. This notice describes the 
requirements by which the Agency will consider projects eligible for 
the covered programs' reserved appropriated funds and the information 
needed to submit an application. This NOSA is being issued prior to 
passage of a final appropriations act for FY 2023 to allow potential 
applicants time to submit applications for financial assistance under 
the covered programs and to give the Agency time to process 
applications. Once the FY 2023 funding amounts are determined, the 
Agency will publish them on its website at https://www.rd.usda.gov/newsroom/notices-solicitation-applications-nosas.

DATES: Each of the participating covered programs has a different 
established deadline for receipt of applications. Please refer to the 
Agency website or the appropriate covered program's Federal Register 
notice for application deadline information. All applicants are 
responsible for any expenses incurred in preparing and submitting 
applications. To apply for SECD funding in FY 2023, applicants must 
follow the instructions as published in this notice:
     All applicants must submit the Form RD 1980-88, 
``Strategic Economic and Community Development (Section 6401),'' with 
their program application to the appropriate covered program.
    [ssquf] SECD applications, except for Community Connect Grant 
Program SECD applications, must be submitted electronically to the USDA 
Rural Development Office servicing the area where the project is 
located. A list of the USDA Rural Development State Offices can be 
found at: https://www.rd.usda.gov/about-rd/state-offices.
     Community Connect applicants must submit SECD applications 
electronically at: https://www.rd.usda.gov/community-connect.
     For lenders assigned a OneRD Loan Guarantee Initiative 
Customer Relationship Manager (CRM), SECD applications must be 
submitted to their assigned CRM.

ADDRESSES: SECD applications, except for Community Connect Grant 
Program SECD applications, must be submitted electronically to the USDA 
Rural Development Office servicing the area where the project is 
located. Community Connect applicants must submit SECD applications 
electronically at: https://www.rd.usda.gov/community-connect. For 
lenders assigned a CRM, SECD applications must be submitted to their 
assigned CRM.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For more information, please contact 
your respective Rural Development State Office listed here: https://www.rd.usda.gov/about-rd/state-offices.
    For all other inquiries, you may contact Greg Batson, Rural 
Development Innovation Center, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Stop 
0793, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250-0783, 
Telephone: (573) 239-2945, Email: usda.gov">gregory.batson@usda.gov.
    A checklist of all required application information for regional 
planning priority can be found at: https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/strategic-economic-and-community-development.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Overview

    Federal Awarding Agency Name: Rural Business-Cooperative Service, 
Rural Housing Service, Rural Utilities Service.
    Funding Opportunity Title: Strategic Economic and Community 
Development.
    Announcement Type: Notice of Solicitation of Applications.
    Dates: See information provided in the DATES section of this 
notice.
    Rural Development Key Priorities: The Agency encourages applicants 
to consider projects that will advance the following key priorities of 
Rural Development:
     Assisting rural communities recover economically through 
more and better market opportunities and through improved 
infrastructure;
     Ensuring all rural residents have equitable access to 
USDA--Rural Development programs and benefits from Rural Development 
funded projects; and
     Reducing climate pollution and increasing resilience to 
the impacts of climate change through economic support to rural 
communities.
    For further information, visit Rural Development: Key Priorities 
[verbar] Rural Development (usda.gov), https://www.rd.usda.gov/priority-points.

[[Page 67011]]

A. Program Description

1. Purpose of the Program

    SECD supports projects that promote and partially or completely 
implement strategic community investment plans. These plans use the 
unique strengths of rural communities to advance prosperity. USDA Rural 
Development helps finance and/or fund these projects to build community 
prosperity by using community assets, identifying resources, convening 
partners and leveraging Federal, state, local or private funding.
    In FY 2023, the Agency plans to implement SECD through reserving 
funds from the covered programs' appropriations as provided in 7 CFR 
part 1980, subpart K. This notice provides requirements to applicants 
submitting applications for the covered programs' reserved funds and 
establishes the above-mentioned priority effective upon the publication 
of this notice.

2. Statutory Authority

    These funds are made available under the Authority of Section 6401 
of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (Pub. L. 115-334); 
Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2008v).

3. The Covered Programs

    Section 6401 of the 2018 Farm Bill (7 U.S.C. 2008v), authorizes any 
program under the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (Pub. L. 
87-128), as determined by the Secretary, to give priority to 
applications that support the implementation of multi-jurisdictional 
and multi-sectoral strategic community investment plans.
    Accordingly, the Agency is giving priority to projects implementing 
strategic community investment plans in FY 23 through the following 
Rural Development programs:
     Community Facility Loans; see 7 CFR part 1942, subpart A.
     Community Facilities Grants; see 7 CFR part 3570, subpart 
B.
     Community Facilities Guaranteed Loans; see 7 CFR part 
5001.
     Water and Waste Disposal Programs Guaranteed Loans; see 7 
CFR part 5001.
     Water and Waste Loans and Grants; see 7 CFR part 1780.
     Rural Business Development Grants; see 7 CFR part 4280, 
subpart E.
     Community Connect Grants; see 7 CFR part 1739.

4. Application of Awards

    The Agency will review, evaluate, and score each application based 
on the criteria specified in 7 CFR 1980.1020, to award points for each 
program's competition for the SECD reserved funds.

B. Federal Award Information

    Type of Awards: Guaranteed loans, direct loans and grants.
    Fiscal Year Funds: FY 2023 appropriated funds.
    Available Funds: The amount of reserved funds available for SECD 
projects is dependent on the amount of available appropriated funding 
provided to each of the covered programs during the fiscal year. The 
NOSA is being issued prior to passage of a final appropriations act for 
FY 2023. Once the FY 2023 funding amount is determined, the Agency will 
publish it on its website at https://www.rd.usda.gov/newsroom/notices-solicitation-applications-nosas.
    For FY 2023 applications, the following table specifies the 
percentage of funds being reserved:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                              Percentage
                                                               of funds
                          Program                              reserved
                                                               for SECD
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Community Facility Loans...................................           10
Community Facilities Grant Program.........................            5
Community Facilities Guaranteed Loans......................            5
Water and Waste Disposal Programs Guaranteed Loans.........           10
Water and Waste Loans......................................            5
Water and Waste Grants.....................................            3
Rural Business Development Grants..........................            5
Community Connect Grant Program............................           10
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Award Amounts: Guaranteed loans, direct loans and grants will be 
awarded in amounts consistent with each applicable covered program.
    Anticipated Award Dates: Awards for SECD applications submitted to 
the covered programs in FY 23 will be obligated on or before June 30, 
2023, except Community Connect. Community Connect SECD awards will be 
obligated upon completion of all required programmatic reviews. The 
Agency will return any reserved funds that are not obligated by the 
obligation deadline to each covered program's regular funding account 
for obligation of eligible projects in that program.
    Performance Period: Performance period will vary by covered 
program.
    Renewal or Supplemental Awards: N/A.
    Type of Assistance Instrument: Grants, loans and loan guarantees.

C. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants

    To be considered for SECD reserved funds, both the applicant and 
project must meet the eligibility requirements of the covered program. 
These requirements vary among the covered programs and applicants 
should refer to the regulations for those programs, which are 
referenced in A.2. of this notice.
    The agency supports community and regional planning through the 
SECD regulation without making any changes to the applicant eligibility 
requirements of the covered programs. The SECD regulation includes 
three criteria that a project must meet in order to be considered for 
the SECD reserve funding (see 7 CFR 1980.1010):
    The first criterion, as noted above, is that the project meets the 
applicable eligibility requirements of the covered program for which 
the applicant is applying.
    The second criterion is that the project is ``carried out in a 
rural area'' as defined in 7 CFR 1980.1005. As defined, this means 
either the entire project is physically located in a rural area, or all 
the beneficiaries of the service(s) provided through the project must 
either reside in or be located in a rural area. Note that the 
definition of ``rural'' varies among the covered programs and the 
Section 6401 regulation does not change those definitions. Therefore, 
the applicable program regulations as outlined in A.2. should be 
reviewed as necessary.
    The third criterion is that the project supports partial or 
complete implementation of a strategic community investment plan on a 
multi-jurisdictional and multi-sectoral basis as defined in 7 CFR 
1980.1005.
    In order to be considered for the reserved funds from covered 
programs in FY 2023, applicants must (1) meet all requirements of the 
covered program; (2) meet all requirements in accordance with 7 CFR 
part 1980, subpart K (see 7 CFR 1980.1010); and (3) submit Form RD 
1980-88 and the supporting documentation required in 7 CFR 1080.1015 
with their program application which includes:
     Sufficient information to show that the project will be 
carried out in a rural area, as defined by the appropriate covered 
program; and
     Identification of any current or previous applications the 
applicant has submitted for funds from the covered programs.

[[Page 67012]]

2. Cost Sharing or Matching

    All cost sharing, matching, and cost participation requirements of 
the applicable covered program apply to projects seeking SECD reserved 
funds.

3. Other

    All other eligibility requirements (beyond those identified in C.1 
of this notice) found in the covered programs' regulations applying to 
applicants, their projects, and the beneficiaries of those projects are 
unchanged by either this notice or the regulations for the SECD program 
(7 CFR part 1980 subpart K).

D. Application and Submission Information

1. Address To Request Application Package

    Information on how to submit applications is provided in the 
ADDRESSES section of this notice.

2. Content and Form of Application Submission

    Applicants must submit the Form RD 1980-88, ``Strategic Economic 
and Community Development (Section 6401),'' with their program 
application to the appropriate covered program.

3. System for Award Management (SAM) and Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)

    (a) At the time of application, each applicant must have an active 
registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) before submitting 
its application in accordance with 2 CFR part 25 (https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-I/part-25). To register in SAM, 
entities will be required to create Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). 
Instructions for obtaining the UEI are available at https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration.
    (b) Applicant must maintain an active SAM registration, with 
current, accurate and complete information, at all times during which 
it has an active Federal award or an application under consideration by 
a Federal awarding agency.
    (c) Applicant must ensure they complete the Financial Assistance 
General Certifications and Representations in SAM.
    (d) Applicant must provide a valid UEI in its application, unless 
determined exempt under 2 CFR 25.110 (https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-I/part-25/subpart-A/section-25.110).
    (e) The Agency will not make an award until the applicant has 
complied with all SAM requirements including providing the UEI. 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 use that 
determination as a basis for making a Federal award to another 
applicant.

4. Application Submission Deadlines

    Each of the participating covered programs has different 
established deadlines for receipt of applications. Please refer to the 
agency website or the appropriate covered program's Federal Register 
notice for application deadline information.

5. Intergovernmental Review

    This notice is not subject to Executive Order 12372, 
``Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.''

6. Funding Restrictions

    All applicants are responsible for any expenses incurred in 
preparing and submitting applications.

7. Other Submission Requirements

    (a) SECD applications, except for Community Connect Grant Program 
SECD applications, must be submitted electronically to the USDA Rural 
Development Office servicing the area where the project is located. 
Rural Development State Offices can be found here: https://www.rd.usda.gov/about-rd/state-offices.
    (b) Community Connect applicants must submit SECD applications 
electronically to: https://www.rd.usda.gov/community-connect.
    (c) For lenders assigned an OneRD Loan Guarantee Initiative 
Customer Relationship Manager (CRM), SECD applications must be 
submitted to their assigned CRM.

E. Application Review Information

1. Criteria

    All FY 2023 applications for covered programs will be reviewed, 
evaluated, and scored based on the covered program's scoring criteria. 
This notice does not affect that process. This notice only affects the 
scoring of SECD applications competing for a covered program's SECD 
reserve funds.
    For applicants wishing to be considered for reserved SECD funds in 
FY 23, the Agency will review, evaluate, and score each application 
based on the criteria specified in 7 CFR 1980.1020, to award points for 
each covered program's SECD reserved funds.

2. Review and Selection Process

    The Agency will prioritize applications competing for a covered 
program's reserved funds based on the covered program's awarded points 
plus the SECD earned points to determine which projects receive 
reserved funds. SECD points awarded are added to the covered program's 
application score to elevate and prioritize projects for accessing 
reserved funds.

F. Federal Award Administration Information

1. Federal Award Notices

    The Agency will notify SECD applicants who receive funding in a 
manner consistent with award notifications for the covered program.

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

    Any and all additional requirements of the applicable covered 
programs apply to projects receiving funding in response to this 
notice. Please see the regulations for the applicable covered program.

3. Reporting Requirements

    Any and all post-award covered program reporting requirements apply 
to all projects receiving reserved funds in response to this notice.

G. Federal Awarding Agency Contact(s)

    For general questions about this notice, please contact your 
respective Rural Development State Office listed at: https://www.rd.usda.gov/about-rd/state-offices and other points of contact 
provided in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this notice.

H. Buy America

    Awards under this announcement for Infrastructure projects to Non-
Federal entities, defined pursuant to 2 CFR 200.1 as any State, local 
government, Indian tribe, Institution of Higher Education, or nonprofit 
organization, shall be governed by the requirements of Section 70914 of 
the Build America, Buy America Act (BABA) within the Infrastructure 
Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), and its implementing regulations. The 
Act requires the following Buy America preference:
    (1) All iron and steel used in the project are produced in the 
United States. This means all manufacturing processes, from the initial 
melting stage through the application of coatings, occurred in the 
United States.
    (2) All manufactured products used in the project are produced in 
the United States. This means the manufactured

[[Page 67013]]

product was manufactured in the United States, and the cost of the 
components of the manufactured product that are mined, produced, or 
manufactured in the United States is greater than 55 percent of the 
total cost of all components of the manufactured product, unless 
another standard for determining the minimum amount of domestic content 
of the manufactured product has been established under applicable law 
or regulation.
    (3) All construction materials are manufactured in the United 
States. This means that all manufacturing processes for the 
construction material occurred in the United States.
    The Buy America preference only applies to articles, materials, and 
supplies that are consumed in, incorporated into, or affixed to an 
infrastructure project. As such, it does not apply to tools, equipment, 
and supplies, such as temporary scaffolding, brought to the 
construction site and removed at or before the completion of the 
infrastructure project. Nor does a Buy America preference apply to 
equipment and furnishings, such as movable chairs, desks, and portable 
computer equipment, that are used at or within the finished 
infrastructure project but are not an integral part of the structure or 
permanently affixed to the infrastructure project.

I. Other Information

Paperwork Reduction Act

    In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 
information collection requirements contained in 7 CFR part 1980, 
subpart K, have been approved by Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
under OMB Control Number 0570-0068.

Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act

    All applicants, in accordance with 2 CFR part 25, must have an UEI 
number and must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) 
prior to submitting an application. Applicants may register for the SAM 
and locate or register for a UEI number at https://www.sam.gov/SAM. All 
recipients of Federal financial grant assistance are required to report 
information about first-tier sub-awards and executive total 
compensation in accordance with 2 CFR part 170. Applicants must ensure 
they complete the Financial Assistance General Certifications and 
Representations in SAM.

Civil Rights

    Programs referenced in this Notice are subject to applicable Civil 
Rights Laws. These laws include the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, Title 
VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act 
of 1968, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Nondiscrimination Statement

    In accordance with Federal civil rights laws 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 an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or 
letter must be submitted to USDA by:

(1) Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant 
Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 
20250-9410; or
(2) Fax: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
(3) Email: usda.gov">program.intake@usda.gov.

    USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

Xochitl Torres Small,
Under Secretary, Rural Development.
[FR Doc. 2022-24133 Filed 11-4-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-XY-P