[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 13 (Thursday, January 20, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3605-3608]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-1110]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Rural Business-Cooperative Service
Notice of Solicitation of Applications (NOSA) for Inviting Rural
Business Enterprise Grant Program Applications for Grants To Provide
Technical Assistance for Rural Transportation Systems
AGENCY: Rural Business-Cooperative Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBS), an Agency within
the USDA Rural Development mission area, solicits applications of two
individual grants: one single grant from the passenger transportation
funds appropriated for the Rural Business Enterprise Grant (RBEG)
program and another single grant for Federally Recognized Native
American Tribes' (FRNAT) from funds appropriated for the RBEG program.
RBS will administer these awards under the RBEG program and 7 U.S.C.
1932(c)(2) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2011. Historically, Congress has
appropriated funding for these specific programs. Last year, $500,000
was available for rural transportation projects and $250,000 for rural
transportation projects for FRNAT. This Notice is being issued prior to
passage of a FY 2011 Appropriations Act, which may or may not provide
an appropriation for these programs, to allow applicants sufficient
time to leverage financing, submit applications, and give the Agency
time to process applications within FY 2011. A subsequent notice
identifying the amount received in the appropriations, if any, will be
published. Each grant is to be competitively awarded to a qualified
national non-profit organization. One grant is for the provision of
technical assistance to rural transportation projects. The other grant
is for the provision of technical assistance to rural transportation
projects operated by FRNAT only.
Expenses incurred in developing applications will be at the
applicant's risk.
DATES: The deadline for receipt of applications in the USDA Rural
Development State Office is no later than March 21, 2011. Applications
received at a USDA Rural Development State Office after that date will
not be considered for FY 2011 funding.
ADDRESSES: Entities wishing to apply for assistance should contact the
appropriate USDA Rural Development State Office to receive copies of
the application package. A list of the USDA Rural Development State
Offices addresses and telephone numbers are as 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) 761-7707/TDD (907) 761-8905
Arizona
USDA Rural Development State Office, 230 North First Avenue, Suite 206,
Phoenix, AZ 85003-1706, (602) 280-8702/TDD (602) 280-8705
Arkansas
USDA Rural Development State Office, Federal Building, 700 West Capitol
Avenue, Room 3416, Little Rock, AR 72201-3225, (501) 301-3200/TDD (501)
301-3279
[[Page 3606]]
California
USDA Rural Development State Office, 430 G Street, Agency 4169, Davis,
CA 95616-4169, (530) 792-5800/TDD (530) 792-5848
Colorado
USDA Rural Development State Office, Denver Federal Center, Building
56, Room 2300, P.O. Box 25426, Denver, CO 80225-0426, (720) 544-2903/
TDD (800) 659-3656
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
East Hancock Avenue, Stop 300, 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) 933-8302/TDD (808) 933-8321
Idaho
USDA Rural Development State Office, 9173 West Barnes Drive, Suite A1,
Boise, ID 83709, (208) 378-5601/TDD (208) 378-5644
Illinois
USDA Rural Development State Office, 2118 West Park Court, Suite A,
Champaign, IL 61821, (217) 403-6201/TDD (217) 403-6240
Indiana
USDA Rural Development State Office, 5975 Lakeside Boulevard,
Indianapolis, IN 46278, (317) 290-3100 ext. 4/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 SW First American Place,
Suite 100, Topeka, KS 66604-4040, (785) 271-2777/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) 473-7920/TDD (318) 473-7655
Maine
USDA Rural Development State Office, 967 Illinois Avenue, Suite 4, P.O.
Box 405, Bangor, ME 04402-0405, (207) 990-9161/TDD (207) 942-7331
Massachusetts/Rhode Island/Connecticut
USDA Rural Development State Office, 451 West Street, Amherst, MA
01002-2999, (413) 253-4302/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, 410 Farm Credit Service Building,
375 Jackson Street, 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) 965-4211/TDD (601) 965-
5850
Missouri
USDA Rural Development State Office, 601 Business Loop 70 West, Parkade
Center, Suite 235, Columbia, MO 65203, (573) 876-0987/TDD (573) 876-
9480
Montana
USDA Rural Development State Office, 2229 Boot Hill Court, Bozeman, MT
59715, (406) 585-2580/TDD (406) 585-2562
Nebraska
USDA Rural Development State Office, Federal Building, Room 152, 100
Centennial Mall North, Lincoln, NE 68508, (308) 632-2195/TDD (402) 437-
5093
Nevada
USDA Rural Development State Office, 1390 South Curry Street, Carson
City, NV 89703-9910, (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, 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-
6435/TDD (315) 477-6447
North Carolina
USDA Rural Development State Office, 4405 Bland Road, Suite 260,
Raleigh, NC 27609, (919) 873-2015/TDD (919) 873-2003
North Dakota
USDA Rural Development State Office, Federal Building, Room 208, 220
East Rosser Avenue, 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) 255-2390/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 Northeast Lloyd Boulevard,
Suite 801, Portland, OR 97232, (503) 414-3305/TDD (503) 414-3387
Pennsylvania
USDA Rural Development State Office, One Credit Union Place, Suite 330,
Harrisburg, PA 17110-2996, (717) 237-2262/TDD (717) 237-2261
Puerto Rico
USDA Rural Development State Office, 654 Plaza Munoz Rivera Avenue,
Suite 601, San Juan, PR 00936-6106, (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
[[Page 3607]]
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 37203-1071, (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) 524-4321/TDD (801) 524-3309
Vermont/New Hampshire
USDA Rural Development State Office, City Center, 3rd Floor, 89 Main
Street, Montpelier, VT 05602, (802) 828-6080/TDD (802) 223-6365
Virginia
USDA Rural Development State Office, 1606 Santa Rosa Road, Suite 238,
Richmond, VA 23229-5014, (804) 287-1552/TDD (804) 287-1753
Washington
USDA Rural Development State Office, 1835 Black Lake Boulevard SW,
Suite B, Olympia, WA 98512-5715, (360) 704-7715/TDD (360) 704-7760
West Virginia
USDA Rural Development State Office, 1550 Earl Core Road, Suite 101,
Morgantown, WV 26505, (304) 284-4860/TDD (304) 284-4836
Wisconsin
USDA Rural Development State Office, 4949 Kirschling Court, Stevens
Point, WI 54481, (715) 345-7671/TDD (715) 345-7614
Wyoming
USDA Rural Development State Office, P.O. Box 11005, 100 East B Street,
Room 1005, Casper, WY 82601, (307) 233-6703/TDD (307) 233-6733
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information, please
contact the appropriate USDA Rural Development State Office as provided
in the ADDRESSES section of this Notice.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Overview
Federal Agency: Rural Business-Cooperative Service.
Solicitation Opportunity Title: Rural Business Enterprise Grants.
Announcement Type: Initial Solicitation Announcement.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 10.769.
Dates: Application Deadline: Completed applications must be
received in the USDA Rural Development State Office no later than March
21, 2011, to be eligible for FY 2011 grant funding. Applications
received after this date will not be eligible for FY 2011 grant
funding.
I. Funding Opportunity Description
The RBEG program is authorized by section 310B(c)(2) of the
Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (CONACT) (7 U.S.C.
1932(c)(2)). Regulations are contained in 7 CFR part 1942, subpart G.
The primary objective of the program is to improve the economic
conditions of rural areas. The program is administered on behalf of RBS
at the State level by the USDA Rural Development State Offices.
Assistance provided to rural areas under this program may include the
provision of on-site technical assistance to local and regional
governments, public transit agencies, and related non-profit and for-
profit organizations in rural areas; the development of training
materials; and the provision of necessary training assistance to local
officials and agencies in rural areas.
Awards under the RBEG passenger transportation program will be made
on a competitive basis using specific selection criteria contained in 7
CFR part 1942, subpart G, and in accordance with section 310B(c)(2) of
the CONACT. Information required to be in the application package
includes Forms SF 424, ``Application for Federal Assistance;'' RD 1940-
20, ``Request for Environmental Information;'' Scope of Work Narrative;
Income Statement; Balance Sheet or Audit for previous 3 years; AD-1047,
``Debarment/Suspension Certification;'' AD-1048, ``Certification
Regarding Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility and Voluntary
Exclusion;'' AD-1049, ``Certification Regarding Drug-Free Workplace
Requirements;'' SF LLL, ``Disclosure of Lobbying Activities;'' RD 400-
1, ``Equal Opportunity Agreement;'' RD 400-4, ``Assurance Agreement;''
a letter stating Board authorization to obtain assistance; and a letter
certifying citizenship, as referenced in 7 CFR 1942.307(b). For the
FRNAT grant, which must benefit Federally Recognized Native American
Tribes, at least 75 percent of the benefits of the project must be
received by members of Federally Recognized Native American Tribes. The
project that scores the greatest number of points based on the RBEG
selection criteria and the discretionary points will be selected for
each grant. Applications will be tentatively scored by the Rural
Development State Offices and submitted to the Rural Development
National Office for review, final scoring, and selection.
Applicants must be qualified national non-profit organizations with
experience in providing technical assistance and training to rural
communities for the purpose of improving passenger transportation
service or facilities. To be considered ``national,'' RBS requires a
qualified organization to provide evidence that it operates rural
transportation assistance programming in multiple States. There is not
a requirement to use the grant funds in a multi-State area. Under this
Notice, grants will be made to qualified, private, non-profit
organizations for the provision of technical assistance and training to
rural communities for the purpose of improving passenger transportation
services or facilities.
Definitions
The definitions are published at 7 CFR 1942.304.
II. Award Information
Type of Award: Grant.
Fiscal Year Funds: FY 2011.
Total Funding: If funding exists, it will be determined by the FY
2011 appropriations bill. The amount of grant funds available in FY
2011 will be announced in a separate Federal Register notice.
Approximate Number of Awards: Two
Average Award: Will be determined by amount received in the FY 2011
appropriations bill. The average of grant funds available in FY 2011
will be announced in a separate Federal Register notice.
Anticipated Award Date: May 5, 2011, subject to the availability of
funding.
III. Eligibility Information
A. Eligible Applicants
To be considered eligible, an entity must be a private non-profit
corporation serving rural areas. Grants will be competitively awarded
to one or more qualified national organizations.
B. Cost Sharing or Matching
Matching funds are not required.
C. Other Eligibility Requirements
Applications will only be accepted from qualified national
organizations to provide technical assistance for rural transportation.
[[Page 3608]]
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 2011 Application and Submission Information
A. Address To Request Application Package
For further information, entities wishing to apply for assistance
should contact the USDA Rural Development State Office provided in the
ADDRESSES section of 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
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.
You may submit all documents electronically through the
Web site, including all information typically included on the
application 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 can 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.
All applicants, whether filing applications through www.Grants.gov
or by paper, 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 or at http://www.dnb.com.
B. Content and Form of Submission
An application must contain all of the required elements. Each
application received in a USDA Rural Development State Office will be
reviewed to determine if it is consistent with the eligible purposes
contained in section 310B(c)(2) of the CONACT. Each selection priority
criterion outlined in 7 CFR 1942.305(b)(3), 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 1942, subpart G,
will be provided by any interested applicant making a request to a USDA
Rural Development State Office provided in the ADDRESSES section of
this Notice.
All projects to receive technical assistance through these
passenger transportation grant funds are to be identified when the
applications are submitted to the USDA Rural Development State Office.
Multiple project applications must identify each individual project,
indicate the amount of funding requested for each individual project,
and address the criteria as stated above for each individual project.
For multiple-project applications, the average of the individual
project scores will be the score for that application.
C. Submission Dates and Times
Application Deadline Date: March 21, 2011
Explanation of Deadlines: Applications must be in the USDA Rural
Development State Office by the deadline date.
V. Application Review Information
The Rural Development National Office will score applications based
on the grant selection criteria and weights contained in 7 CFR part
1942, subpart G and will select a grantee subject to the grantee's
satisfactory submission of the additional items required by 7 CFR part
1942, subpart G and the USDA Rural Development Letter of Conditions.
VI. Award Administration Information
A. Award Notices
Successful applicants will receive notification for funding from
the USDA 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.
Grantees must further comply with applicable provisions of 7 CFR parts
3015, 3016, 3019, and 3052.
VII. Agency Contacts
For general questions about this announcement, please contact your
USDA Rural Development State Office provided in the ADDRESSES section
of this Notice.
VIII. Paperwork Reduction Act
In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, the paperwork
burden has been cleared by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
under OMB Control Number 0570-0022.
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, DC 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or
(202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider,
employer, and lender.''
Dated: January 7, 2011.
Judith A. Canales,
Administrator, Rural Business--Cooperative Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-1110 Filed 1-19-11; 8:45 am]
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