[Federal Register: March 12, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 47)]
[Notices]
[Page 10710-10713]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr12mr09-26]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Rural Business-Cooperative Service
Inviting Applications for Rural Business Opportunity Grants
AGENCY: Rural Business-Cooperative Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBS), an Agency within
the Rural Development mission area, announces the availability of
grants of up to $50,000 per application from the Rural Business
Opportunity Grant (RBOG) program for fiscal year (FY) 2009, to be
competitively awarded. For multi-state projects, grant funds of up to
$150,000 will be available on a competitive basis. These limits do not
apply to specific funding for certain specifically designated rural
areas as discussed below. This notice is being issued prior to passage
of a final
[[Page 10711]]
appropriations bill, which may or may not provide funding for this
program, to allow applicants sufficient time to apply for and obtain
leverage financing, submit applications, and give the Agency time to
process applications within the current fiscal year. The Agency will
publish a subsequent notice identifying the amount received in the
appropriations, if any. Expenses incurred in developing applications
will be at the applicant's risk.
DATES: The deadline for the receipt of applications in the Rural
Development State Office is March 31, 2009. The RBOG appropriation for
FY 2009 may provide specific funding for rural areas designated:
Federally Recognized Native American Tribes' (FRNAT), Empowerment
Zones, Enterprise Communities, and Rural Economic Area Partnerships,
and these applications must also be received in the Rural Development
State Office by March 31, 2009. The Agency reserves the right to extend
this application deadline. Any applications received at a Rural
Development State Office after these dates for this type of assistance
will not be considered for FY 2009 funding.
ADDRESSES: Entities wishing to apply for assistance should contact a
Rural Development State Office for 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 Office addresses and telephone
numbers are as follows:
District of Columbia
USDA Rural Development, Specialty Lenders Division, 1400
Independence Avenue, SW., Room 6867, STOP 3225, Washington, DC
20250-3225, (202) 720-1400.
A list of Rural Development State Offices follows:
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 E-100,
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 Drive, Suite
A1, Boise, ID 83709, (208) 378-5600/TDD (208) 378-5644.
Illinois
USDA Rural Development State Office, 2118 West 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 West 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 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.
[[Page 10712]]
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, 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 (RBS).
Funding Opportunity Type: Rural Business Opportunity Grants.
Announcement Type: Initial Solicitation Announcement.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 10.773.
Dates: Application Deadline: Completed applications for these funds
must be received in the Rural Development State Office no later than
March 31, 2009, to be eligible for FY 2009 grant funding. Applications
received after this date will not be eligible for FY 2009 grant
funding.
I. Funding Opportunity Description
The RBOG program is authorized under section 306(a)(11) of the
Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (CONACT) (7 U.S.C.
1926(a)(11)). The Rural Development State Offices administer the RBOG
program on behalf of USDA Rural Development at the State level. The
primary objective of the program is to improve the economic conditions
of rural areas. Assistance provided to rural areas under this program
may include technical assistance for business development and economic
development planning. To ensure that a broad range of communities have
the opportunity to benefit from the program, no grant will exceed
$50,000, unless it is a multi-State project where funds may not exceed
$150,000. As indicated in the summary, these limits do not apply to
specified funding for rural areas designated: FRNAT's, Empowerment
Zones, Enterprise Communities, and Rural Economic Area Partnerships.
Awards are made on a competitive basis using specific selection
criteria contained in 7 CFR part 4284, subpart G. Information required
to be in the application package include an SF-424, ``Application for
Federal Assistance;'' applicant's organizational documents; Scope of
Work Narrative; Income Sheet; Balance Sheet or current audit if
available; AD-1047, ``Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension,
and Other Responsibility Matters--Primary Covered Transactions;'' AD-
1048, ``Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility
and Voluntary Exclusion--Lower Tier Covered Transactions;'' AD-1049,
``Certification Regarding Drug-Free Workplace Requirements;''
Restrictions on Lobbying, RD 400-1, ``Equal Opportunity Agreement;''
and RD 400-4, ``Assurance Agreement.'' See 7 CFR 4284.639 for
additional application requirements. Information required to be in the
application package are contained in 7 CFR part 4284, subpart G. The
State Director may assign up to 15 discretionary points to an
application, and the Agency Administrator may assign up to 20
additional discretionary points for projects funded from the National
Office reserve. Discretionary points awarded by the State Director or
Administrator must be based on geographic distribution of funds,
special importance for implementation of a strategic plan in
partnership with other organizations, or extraordinary potential for
success due to superior project plans or qualifications of the grantee.
To ensure the equitable distribution of funds, a maximum of two
projects from each State that score the greatest number of points based
on the selection criteria and discretionary points will be considered
by the National Office for funding. Applications will be tentatively
scored by the State Offices and submitted to the National Office for
final review and selection.
The National Office will review the scores based on the grant
selection criteria and weights contained in 7 CFR part 4284, subpart G.
All applicants will be notified by USDA Rural Development of the
Agency's decision on the awards.
Definitions
The definitions are published at 7 CFR 4284.603.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Grant.
Fiscal Year Funds: FY 2009.
Total Funding: To be determined by appropriations bill, if any.
Approximate Number of Awards: To be determined by amount received
in appropriations bill, if any.
Maximum Award: $50,000 (except as otherwise specifically provided
herein).
[[Page 10713]]
Anticipated Award Date: June 30, 2009.
III. Eligibility Information
A. Eligible Applicants
Grants may be made to public bodies, nonprofit corporations, Indian
tribes on Federal or State reservations and other federally recognized
tribal groups, and cooperatives with members that are primarily rural
residents and that conduct activities for the mutual benefit of the
members.
B. Cost Sharing or Matching
Matching funds are not required.
C. Other Eligibility Requirements
Applications will only be accepted for projects to assist in
promoting sustainable economic development in rural communities.
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
notice 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
offline, 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. 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 RBOGs and all necessary assurances and certifications.
After electronically submitting an application through the
Web site, the applicant will receive an automatic acknowledgment 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.fedgrants.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
application received in a Rural Development State Office will be
reviewed to determine if it is consistent with the eligible purposes
contained in section 306 of the CONACT. Each selection priority
criterion outlined in 7 CFR 4284.639, 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 4284, subpart G,
will be provided to any interested applicant making a request to a
Rural Development State Office listed in this notice, or can be
obtained at the Rural Development Web link: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/
regs/regs_toc.html.
C. Submission Dates and Times
Application Deadline date: March 31, 2009.
Explanation of Deadlines: Applications for funds must be in the
Rural Development State Office by the deadline date.
V. Application Review Information
The National Office will score applications based on the grant
selection criteria and weights contained in 7 CFR part 4284, subpart G
and will select a grantee subject to the grantee's satisfactory
submission of the additional items required by 7 CFR part 4284, subpart
G and the RBS 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 grant award will be
approved. Unsuccessful applications will receive notification by mail.
B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements
Additional requirements that apply to grantees selected for this
program can be found in the 7 CFR part 4284, subpart G.
VII. Agency Contacts
For general questions about this announcement, please contact your
USDA Rural Development State Office identified in this notice.
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: March 4, 2009.
Pat Fiala,
Acting Administrator, Rural Business-Cooperative Service.
[FR Doc. E9-5407 Filed 3-11-09; 8:45 am]
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