[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 249 (Monday, December 29, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 79438-79440]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-30731]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Rural Business-Cooperative Service
Inviting Applications for the Rural Economic Development Loan and
Grant Program for Fiscal Year 2009
AGENCY: Rural Business-Cooperative Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: This Notice is to invite applications for loans and grants
under the Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant (REDLG) program
pursuant to 7 CFR part 4280, subpart A for fiscal year (FY) 2009
subject to the availability of funding. Funding to support $35.8
million in loans and $10 million in grants is currently available. The
commitment of program dollars will be made to applicants of selected
responses that have fulfilled the necessary requirements for
obligation. Expenses incurred in developing applications will be at the
applicant's risk.
ADDRESSES: For further information, entities wishing to apply for
assistance should contact a Rural Development State Office to receive
further information and copies of the application package. Submit
applications to the USDA Rural Development State Office in the state
where your project is located. A list of the USDA Rural Development
State Offices addresses and telephone numbers are as follows:
District of Columbia
USDA Rural Development, Specialty Lenders Division, 1400
Independence Avenue, SW., STOP 3225, Room 6867, Washington, DC
20250-3225, (202) 720-1400.
Alabama
USDA Rural Development State Office, Sterling Centre, Suite 601,
4121 Carmichael Road, Montgomery, AL 36106-3683, (334) 279-3400/TDD
(334) 279-3495.
Alaska
USDA Rural Development State Office, 800 West Evergreen, Suite
201, Palmer, AK 99645-6539, (907) 761-7705/TDD (907) 761-8905.
Arizona
USDA Rural Development State Office, 230 N. 1st Ave., Suite 206,
Phoenix, AZ 85003, (602) 280-8701/TDD (602) 280-8705.
Arkansas
USDA Rural Development State Office, 700 West Capitol Avenue,
Room 3416, Little Rock, AR 72201-3225, (501) 301-3200/TDD (501) 301-
3279.
California
USDA Rural Development State Office, 430 G Street,
4169, Davis, CA 95616-4169, (530) 792-5800/TDD (530) 792-5848.
Colorado
USDA Rural Development State Office, 655 Parfet Street, Room
E100, Lakewood, CO 80215, (720) 544-2903/TDD (720) 544-2976.
Delaware-Maryland
USDA Rural Development State Office, 1221 College Park Drive,
Suite 200, Dover, DE 19904, (302) 857-3580/TDD (302) 857-3585.
Florida/Virgin Islands
USDA Rural Development State Office, 4440 NW 25th Place, P.O.
Box 147010, Gainesville, FL 32614-7010, (352) 338-3400/TDD (352)
338-3499.
Georgia
USDA Rural Development State Office, Stephens Federal Building,
355 E. Hancock Avenue, Athens, GA 30601-2768, (706) 546-2162/TDD
(706) 546-2034.
Hawaii
USDA Rural Development State Office, Federal Building, Room 311,
154 Waianuenue Avenue, Hilo, HI 96720, (808) 933-8380/TDD (808) 933-
8321.
Idaho
USDA Rural Development State Office, 9173 West Barnes Dr., Suite
A1, Boise, ID 83709, (208) 378-5600/TDD (208) 378-5644.
Illinois
USDA Rural Development State Office, 2118 W. Park Court, Suite
A, Champaign, IL 61821, (217) 403-6200/TDD (217) 403-6240.
Indiana
USDA Rural Development State Office, 5975 Lakeside Boulevard,
Indianapolis, IN 46278, (317) 290-3100/TDD (317) 290-3343.
Iowa
USDA Rural Development State Office, Federal Building, Room 873,
210 Walnut Street, Des Moines, IA 50309, (515) 284-4663/TDD (515)
284-4858.
Kansas
USDA Rural Development State Office, 1303 S.W. First American
Place, Suite 100, Topeka, KS 66604-4040, (785) 271-2700/TDD (785)
271-2767.
Kentucky
USDA Rural Development State Office, 771 Corporate Drive, Suite
200, Lexington, KY 40503, (859) 224-7300/TDD (859) 224-7422.
Louisiana
USDA Rural Development State Office, 3727 Government Street,
Alexandria, LA 71302, (318) 473-7921/TDD (318) 473-7655.
Maine
USDA Rural Development State Office, 967 Illinois Avenue, Suite
4, P.O. Box 405, Bangor, ME 04402-0405, (207) 990-9160/TDD (207)
942-7331.
Massachusetts/Rhode Island/Connecticut
USDA Rural Development State Office, 451 West Street, Suite 2,
Amherst, MA 01002-2999, (413) 253-4300/TDD (413) 253-4590.
Michigan
USDA Rural Development State Office, 3001 Coolidge Road, Suite
200, East Lansing, MI 48823, (517) 324-5190/TDD (517) 324-5169.
Minnesota
USDA Rural Development State Office, 375 Jackson Street, Suite
410, St. Paul, MN 55101-1853, (651) 602-7800/TDD (651) 602-3799.
Mississippi
USDA Rural Development State Office, Federal Building, Suite
831, 100 W. Capitol Street, Jackson, MS 39269, (601) 965-4316/TDD
(601) 965-5850.
Missouri
USDA Rural Development State Office, 601 Business Loop 70 West,
Parkade Center, Suite 235, Columbia, MO 65203, (573) 876-0976/TDD
(573) 876-9480.
Montana
USDA Rural Development State Office, 900 Technology Boulevard,
Suite B, P.O. Box 850, Bozeman, MT 59771, (406) 585-2580/TDD (406)
585-2562.
Nebraska
USDA Rural Development State Office, Federal Building, Room 152,
100 Centennial Mall North, Lincoln, NE 68508, (402) 437-5551/TDD
(402) 437-5093.
Nevada
USDA Rural Development State Office, 1390 South Curry Street,
Carson City, NV
[[Page 79439]]
89703-5146, (775) 887-1222/TDD (775) 885-0633.
New Jersey
USDA Rural Development State Office, 8000 Midlantic Drive, 5th
Floor North, Suite 500, Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054, (856) 787-7700/TDD
(856) 787-7784.
New Mexico
USDA Rural Development State Office, 6200 Jefferson Street, NE.,
Room 255, Albuquerque, NM 87109, (505) 761-4950/TDD (505) 761-4938.
New York
USDA Rural Development State Office, The Galleries of Syracuse,
441 South Salina Street, Suite 357, Syracuse, NY 13202-2541, (315)
477-6400/TDD (315) 477-6447.
North Carolina
USDA Rural Development State Office, 4405 Bland Road, Suite 260,
Raleigh, NC 27609, (919) 873-2000/TDD (919) 873-2003.
North Dakota
USDA Rural Development State Office, Federal Building, Room 208,
220 East Rosser, P.O. Box 1737, Bismarck, ND 58502-1737, (701) 530-
2037/TDD (701) 530-2113.
Ohio
USDA Rural Development State Office, Federal Building, Room 507,
200 North High Street, Columbus, OH 43215-2418, (614) 255-2400/TDD
(614) 255-2554.
Oklahoma
USDA Rural Development State Office, 100 USDA, Suite 108,
Stillwater, OK 74074-2654, (405) 742-1000/TDD (405) 742-1007.
Oregon
USDA Rural Development State Office, 1201 NE Lloyd Blvd., Suite
801, Portland, OR 97232, (503) 414-3300/TDD (503) 414-3387.
Pennsylvania
USDA Rural Development State Office, One Credit Union Place,
Suite 330, Harrisburg, PA 17110-2996, (717) 237-2299/TDD (717) 237-
2261.
Puerto Rico
USDA Rural Development State Office, IBM Building, Suite 601,
654 Munos Rivera Avenue, San Juan, PR 00918-6106, (787) 766-5095/TDD
(787) 766-5332.
South Carolina
USDA Rural Development State Office, Strom Thurmond Federal
Building, 1835 Assembly Street, Room 1007, Columbia, SC 29201, (803)
765-5163/TDD (803) 765-5697.
South Dakota
USDA Rural Development State Office, Federal Building, Room 210,
200 Fourth Street, SW., Huron, SD 57350, (605) 352-1100/TDD (605)
352-1147.
Tennessee
USDA Rural Development State Office, 3322 West End Avenue, Suite
300, Nashville, TN 37203-1084, (615) 783-1300.
Texas
USDA Rural Development State Office, Federal Building, Suite
102, 101 South Main, Temple, TX 76501, (254) 742-9700/TDD (254) 742-
9712.
Utah
USDA Rural Development State Office, Wallace F. Bennett Federal
Building, 125 South State Street, Room 4311, Salt Lake City, UT
84138, (801) 524-4320/TDD (801) 524-3309.
Vermont/New Hampshire
USDA Rural Development State Office, City Center, 3rd Floor, 89
Main Street, Montpelier, VT 05602, (802) 828-6000/TDD (802) 223-
6365.
Virginia
USDA Rural Development State Office, 1606 Santa Rosa Road, Suite
238, Richmond, VA 23229-5014, (804) 287-1550/TDD (804) 287-1753.
Washington
USDA Rural Development State Office, 1835 Black Lake Boulevard
SW., Suite B, Olympia, WA 98512-5715, (360) 704-7740/TDD (360) 704-
7760.
West Virginia
USDA Rural Development State Office, Federal Building, 75 High
Street, Room 320, Morgantown, WV 26505-7500, (304) 284-4860/TDD
(304) 284-4836.
Wisconsin
USDA Rural Development State Office, 4949 Kirschling Court,
Stevens Point, WI 54481, (715) 345-7600/TDD (715) 345-7614.
Wyoming
USDA Rural Development State Office, 100 East B, Federal
Building, Room 1005, P.O. Box 11005, Casper, WY 82602-5006, (307)
233-6700/TDD (307) 233-6733.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Overview
Federal Agency: Rural Business-Cooperative Service.
Funding Opportunity Type: Rural Economic Development Loans and
Grants.
Announcement Type: Initial Announcement.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 10.854.
Dates: Application Deadline: Completed applications must be
received in the State Office as follows: For First Quarter, September
30, 2008, Second Quarter, December 31, 2008, Third Quarter, March 31,
2009, and Fourth Quarter, June 30, 2009.
I. Funding Opportunity Description
The Regulations for these programs are at 7 CFR part 4280, subpart
A. The primary objective of the program is to promote rural economic
development and job creation projects. Assistance provided to rural
areas, as defined, under this program may include business startup
costs, business expansion, business incubators, technical assistance
feasibility studies, advanced telecommunications services and computer
networks for medical, educational, and job training services and
community facilities projects for economic development. Awards are made
on a competitive basis using specific selection criteria contained in 7
CFR part 4280, subpart A. Information required to be in the application
includes an SF-424, ``Application for Federal Assistance;'' a
Resolution of the Board of Directors; AD-1047, ``Debarment/Suspension
Certification;'' Assurance statement for the Uniform Act; Restrictions
on Lobbying, AD 1049; ``Certification Regarding Drug-Free Workplace
Requirements;'' Seismic certification (if construction); Form RD 1940-
20, ``Request for Environmental Information;'' RUS Form 7; ``Financial
and Statistical Report;'' and RUS Form 7a, ``Investments, Loan
Guarantees, and Loans,'' or similar information; and written narrative
of project description. Applications will be tentatively scored by the
State Offices and submitted to the National Office for review.
Definitions
The definitions are published at 7 CFR 4280.3.
II. Award Information
Type of Awards: Loans and Grants.
Fiscal Year Funds: FY 2009.
Maximum Anticipated Award: Loans--$740,000; Grant--$300,000.
Anticipated Award Dates: First Quarter, December 15, 2008, Second
Quarter, March 16, 2009, Third Quarter, June 15, 2009, and Fourth
Quarter, September 15, 2009.
III. Eligibility Information
A. Eligible Applicants
Loans and grants may be made to any entity that is identified by
USDA Rural Development as an eligible borrower under the Rural
Electrification Act. In accordance with 7 CFR 4280.13, applicants that
are not delinquent on any Federal debt or otherwise disqualified from
participation in these programs are eligible to apply. An applicant
must be eligible under 7 U.S.C. 940c.
B. Cost Sharing or Matching
For loans, either the Ultimate Recipient or the Intermediary must
provide supplemental funds for the project equal to at least 20 percent
of the loan to the Intermediary. For grants, the Intermediary must
provide supplemental funds for the project equal
[[Page 79440]]
to at least 20 percent of the grant to the Intermediary.
C. Other Eligibility Requirements
Applications will only be accepted for projects that promote rural
economic development and job creation.
D. Completeness Eligibility
Applications will not be considered for funding if they do not
provide sufficient information to determine eligibility or are missing
required elements.
IV. Fiscal Year 2009 Application and Submission Information
A. Address To Request Application Package
For further information, entities wishing to apply for assistance
should contact the Rural Development State Office identified in this
NOFA to obtain copies of the application package.
Applicants are encouraged to submit applications through the
Grants.gov Web site at: http://www.grants.gov. Applications may be
submitted in either electronic or paper format. Users of Grants.gov
will be able to download a copy of the application package, complete it
off line, and then upload and submit the application via the Grants.gov
Web site. Applications may not be submitted by electronic mail.
When you enter the Grants.gov Web site, you will find
information about submitting an application electronically through the
site as well as the hours of operation. USDA Rural Development strongly
recommends that you do not wait until the application deadline date to
begin the application process through Grants.gov. To use Grants.gov,
applicants must have a Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering
System (DUNS) number which can be obtained at no cost via a toll-free
request line at 1-866-705-5711.
You may submit all documents electronically through the
Web site, including all information typically included on the
application for REDLGs and all necessary assurances and certifications.
After electronically submitting an application through the
Web site, the applicant will receive an automatic acknowledgement from
Grants.gov that contains a Grants.gov tracking number.
USDA Rural Development may request that the applicant
provide original signatures on forms at a later date.
If applicants experience technical difficulties on the
closing date and are unable to meet the deadline, you may submit a
paper copy of your application to your respective Rural Development
State Office. Paper applications submitted to a Rural Development State
Office must meet the closing date and local time deadline.
Please note that applicants must locate the downloadable
application package for this program by the Catalog of Federal Domestic
Assistance Number or FedGrants Funding Opportunity Number, which can be
found at http://www.grants.gov. In accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995, the information collection requirement contained
in this Notice is approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
under OMB Control Number 0570-0024.
B. Content and Form of Submission
An application must contain all of the required elements. Each
selection priority criterion outlined in 7 CFR 4280.42(b), must be
addressed in the application. Failure to address any of the criteria
will result in a zero-point score for that criterion and will impact
the overall evaluation of the application. Copies of 7 CFR part 4280,
subpart A, will be provided to any interested applicant making a
request to a Rural Development State Office listed in this notice.
C. Submission Dates and Times
Application Deadline Dates: First Quarter, September 30, 2008,
Second Quarter, December 31, 2008, Third Quarter, March 31, 2009, and
Fourth Quarter, June 30, 2009.
Explanation of Deadlines: Applications must be in the Rural
Development State Office by the deadline dates as indicated above.
V. Application Review Information
The National Office will score applications based on the grant
selection criteria and weights contained in 7 CFR part 4280, subpart A
and will select an Intermediary subject to the Intermediary's
satisfactory submission of the additional items required by 7 CFR part
4280, subpart A and the USDA Rural Development Letter of Conditions.
VI. Award Administration Information
A. Award Notices
Successful applicants will receive notification for funding from
the Rural Development State Office. Applicants must comply with all
applicable statutes and regulations before the loan/grant award will be
approved. Provided the application requirements have not changed, an
application not selected will be reconsidered in three subsequent
funding competitions for a total of four competitions. If an
application is withdrawn, it can be resubmitted and will be evaluated
as a new application.
B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements
Additional requirements that apply to Intermediary's selected for
this program can be found in the 7 CFR part 4280, subpart A.
VII. Agency Contacts
For general questions about this announcement, please contact your
Rural Development State Office identified in this NOFA.
Nondiscrimination Statement
``The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits
discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race,
color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex,
marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual
orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or
because all or part of an individual's income is derived from any
public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all
programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for
communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape,
etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and
TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director,
Office of Adjudication and Compliance, 1400 Independence Avenue SW.,
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, or call (800) 795-3272 (voice), or (202)
720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and
lender.''
Dated: December 16, 2008.
Ben Anderson,
Administrator, Rural Business-Cooperative Service.
[FR Doc. E8-30731 Filed 12-24-08; 8:45 am]
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