# BILLING CODE (3410-XY-U)

# 

# DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

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# Rural Business-Cooperative Service

# 

# Inviting Applications for Rural Business Opportunity Grants

**AGENCY:** Rural Business-Cooperative Service, USDA

**ACTION:** Notice

**SUMMARY:** The Rural Business-Cooperative Service, 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) 2008, 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 as discussed below.

**DATES:** The deadline for the receipt of applications in the Rural
Development State Office is March 31, 2008. The RBOG appropriation for
FY 2008 provides specific funding for Native American, 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, 2008. 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 2008 funding.

**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:** Cindy Mason, Loan Specialist, USDA
Rural Development, STOP 3225, Room 6866, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW.,
Washington, DC 20250-3225. Telephone: (202) 690-1433.

**ADDRESSES:** For further information, entities wishing to apply for
assistance should contact a Rural Development State Office to receive
copies of the application package. Potential applicants located in the
District of Columbia must send their applications to the National Office
at:

## 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

5^th^ 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

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 INFORMATON:**

**Overview**

*Federal Agency:* Rural Business-Cooperative Service

*Funding Opportunity Type:* Rural Business Opportunity Grants

*Announcement Type:* Initial 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, 2008, to be eligible for

FY 2008 grant funding. Applications received after this date will not be
eligible for

FY 2008 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 Native American, 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, "Debarment/Suspension Certification;" AD-1048, "Certification
Regarding Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility and Voluntary Exclusion;"
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 2008

*Total Funding:* \$655,110 for regular RBOG; \$990,000 for Native
American and \$990,000 for Empowerment Zones, Enterprise Communities,
and Rural Economic Area Partnerships.

*Approximate Number of Awards:* 13 for regular RBOG and 19 for Native
American and 19 Empowerment Zones, Enterprise Communities, and Rural
Economic Area Partnerships.

*Average Award:* \$50,000

*Anticipated Award Date:* June 30, 2008.

**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 2008 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](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 RBOGs 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.fedgrants.gov](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.

*C. Submission Dates and Times*

*Application Deadline date:* March 31, 2008.

*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 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 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 4284, subpart G.

**VII. Agency Contacts**

For general questions about this announcement, please contact your 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 Civil Rights, 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."

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

BEN ANDERSON DATE

Administrator

Rural Business-Cooperative Service