23888 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 78 / Tuesday, April 23, 2013 / Notices 

technical barriers to the export of U.S. 

specialty crops. 

Certain types of expenses are not 

eligible for reimbursement by the 

program, such as the costs of market 

research, advertising, or other 

promotional expenses, and will be set 

forth in the written program agreement 

between CCC and the participant. CCC 

will also not reimburse unreasonable 

expenditures or any expenditure made 

prior to approval of a proposal. 

5. Other Submission Requirements: 

All Internet-based applications must be 

properly submitted by 5 p.m., Eastern 

Daylight Time, May 28, 2013, in order 

to be considered for funding; late 

submissions received after the deadline 

will be considered only if funding 

remains available. All applications 

submitted by email must be received by 

5 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, May 28, 

2013, at podadmin@fas.usda.gov in 

order to receive the same consideration. 

V. Application Review Information 

1. Criteria: FAS follows the evaluation 

criteria set forth in § 1487.6 of the TASC 

regulations and in this Notice. 

2. Review and Selection Process: FAS 

will review proposals for eligibility and 

will evaluate each proposal against the 

criteria referred to above. The purpose 

of this review is to identify meritorious 

proposals, recommend an appropriate 

funding level for each proposal based 

upon these factors, and submit the 

proposals and funding 

recommendations to the Deputy 

Administrator, Office of Trade 

Programs. FAS may, when appropriate, 

request the assistance of other U.S. 

government subject area experts in 

evaluating the merits of a proposal. 

VI. Award Administration Information 

1. Award Notices: FAS will notify 

each applicant in writing of the final 

disposition of the submitted 

application. FAS will send an approval 

letter and agreement to each approved 

applicant. The approval letter and 

agreement will specify the terms and 

conditions applicable to the project, 

including levels of funding, timelines 

for implementation, and written 

evaluation requirements. 

2. Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements: The agreements will 

incorporate the details of each project as 

approved by FAS. Each agreement will 

identify terms and conditions pursuant 

to which CCC will reimburse certain 

costs of each project. Agreements will 

also outline the responsibilities of the 

participant. Interested parties should 

review the TASC program regulations 

found at 7 CFR part 1487 in addition to 

this announcement. TASC program 

regulations are available at the following 

URL address: http://www.fas.usda.gov/ 

mos/tasc/default.asp. Hard copies may 

be obtained by contacting the Program 

Operations Division at (202) 720–4327. 

3. Reporting: TASC participants will 

be required to submit regular interim 

reports and a final performance report, 

each of which evaluate the TASC 

project using the performance measures 

presented in the approved proposal, as 

set forth in the written program 

agreement. 

VII. Agency Contact 

For additional information and 

assistance, contact the Program 

Operations Division, Office of Trade 

Programs, Foreign Agricultural Service, 

U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

Courier address: Room 6512, 1400 

Independence Ave. SW., Washington, 

DC 20250, or by phone: (202) 720–4327, 

or by fax: (202) 720–9361, or by email: 

podadmin@fas.usda.gov. 

Signed at Washington, DC, on the 28 of 

March, 2013. 

Suzanne E Herman, 

Administrator, Foreign Agricultural Service, 

and Vice President, Commodity Credit 

Corporation. 

[FR Doc. 2013–09469 Filed 4–22–13; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–10–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Commodity Credit Corporation 

Notice of Funds Availability: Inviting 

Applications for the Foreign Market 

Development Cooperator Program 

Announcement Type: New. 

Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance (CFDA) Number: 10.600. 

SUMMARY: The Commodity Credit 

Corporation (CCC) announces that it is 

inviting proposals for the 2014 Foreign 

Market Development Cooperator 

(Cooperator) program. The intended 

effect of this notice is to solicit 

applications from eligible applicants for 

fiscal year 2014 and to set out criteria 

for the award of funds under the 

program in October 2013. The 

Cooperator program is administered by 

personnel of the Foreign Agricultural 

Service (FAS). 

The funding authority for FMD 

expires at the end of fiscal year 2013. 

This notice is being published at this 

time to allow awards to be made early 

in fiscal year 2014, provided that 

program funding is reauthorized prior to 

that time. In the event this program is 

not reauthorized, or is substantially 

modified, FAS will publish a notice in 

the Federal Register rescinding this 

Notice of Funds Availability. 

DATES: All applications must be 

received by 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight 

Time, May 28, 2013. Applications 

received after this date will not be 

considered. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Entities wishing to apply for funding 

assistance should contact the Program 

Operations Division, Office of Trade 

Programs, Foreign Agricultural Service 

by courier address: Room 6512, 1400 

Independence Ave. SW., Washington, 

DC 20250, or by phone: (202) 720–4327, 

or by fax: (202) 720–9361, or by email: 

podadmin@fas.usda.gov. Information is 

also available on the FAS Web site at 

http://www.fas.usda.gov/mos/programs/ 

fmdprogram.asp. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Funding Opportunity Description 

Authority: The Cooperator program is 

authorized by title VII of the 

Agricultural Trade Act of 1978, as 

amended. Cooperator program 

regulations appear at 7 CFR part 1484. 

Purpose: The Cooperator program is 

designed to create, expand, and 

maintain foreign markets for U.S. 

agricultural commodities and products 

through cost-share assistance. Financial 

assistance under the Cooperator 

program will be made available on a 

competitive basis and applications will 

be reviewed against the evaluation 

criteria contained herein and in the 

Cooperator program regulations. All 

U.S. agricultural commodities, except 

tobacco, are eligible for consideration. 

The FAS allocates funds in a manner 

that effectively supports the strategic 

decision-making initiatives of the 

Government Performance and Results 

Act (GPRA) of 1993. In deciding 

whether a proposed project will 

contribute to the effective creation, 

expansion, or maintenance of foreign 

markets, the FAS considers whether the 

applicant provides a clear, long-term 

agricultural trade strategy, and a 

program effectiveness time line against 

which results can be measured at 

specific intervals using quantifiable 

product or country goals. The FAS also 

considers the extent to which a 

proposed project targets markets with 

the greatest growth potential. These 

factors are part of the FAS resource 

allocation strategy to fund applicants 

who can demonstrate performance and 

address the objectives of the GPRA. 

II. Award Information 

Under the Cooperator program, the 

FAS enters into agreements with eligible 

nonprofit U.S. trade organizations to 

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Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 78 / Tuesday, April 23, 2013 / Notices 23889 

share the cost of certain overseas 

marketing and promotion activities. 

Funding priority is given to 

organizations that have the broadest 

possible producer representation of the 

commodity being promoted and that are 

nationwide in membership and scope. 

Cooperators may receive assistance only 

for generic activities that do not involve 

promotions targeted directly to 

consumers. The program generally 

operates on a reimbursement basis. 

III. Eligibility Information 

1. Eligible Applicants: To participate 

in the Cooperator program, an applicant 

must be a nonprofit U.S. agricultural 

trade organization. 

2. Cost Sharing: To participate in the 

Cooperator program, an applicant must 

agree to contribute resources to its 

proposed promotional activities. The 

Cooperator program is intended to 

supplement, not supplant, the efforts of 

the U.S. private sector. The contribution 

must be at least 50 percent of the value 

of resources provided by CCC for 

activities conducted under the project 

agreement. 

The degree of commitment of an 

applicant to the promotional strategies 

contained in its application, as 

represented by the agreed cost-share 

contributions specified therein, is 

considered by the FAS when 

determining which applications will be 

approved for funding. Cost-share may be 

actual cash invested or in-kind 

contributions, such as professional staff 

time spent on design and execution of 

activities. The Cooperator program 

regulations, including sections 1484.50 

and 1484.51, provide detailed 

discussion of eligible and ineligible 

cost-share contributions. 

3. Other: Applications should include 

a justification for funding assistance 

from the program—an explanation as to 

what specifically could not be 

accomplished without federal funding 

assistance and why participating 

organization(s) are unlikely to carry out 

the project without such assistance. 

IV. Application and Submission 

Information 

1. Address to Request Application 

Package: Organizations are encouraged 

to submit their FMD applications to the 

FAS through the Unified Export 

Strategy (UES) application Internet Web 

site. The UES allows applicants to 

submit a single consolidated and 

strategically coordinated proposal that 

incorporates requests for funding and 

recommendations for virtually all of the 

FAS marketing programs, financial 

assistance programs, and market access 

programs. The suggested UES format 

encourages applicants to examine the 

constraints or barriers to trade faced, 

identify activities that would help 

overcome such impediments, consider 

the entire pool of complementary 

marketing tools and program resources, 

and establish realistic export goals. 

Applicants planning to use the 

Internet-based system must contact the 

FAS/Program Operations Division to 

obtain site access information. The 

Internet-based application may be found 

at the following URL address: https:// 

www.fas.usda.gov/ues/webapp/. 

The FAS highly recommends 

applying via the Internet-based 

application as this format virtually 

eliminates paperwork and expedites the 

FAS processing and review cycle. 

However, applicants also have the 

option of submitting an electronic 

version of their application to FAS at 

podadmin@fas.usda.gov. 

2. Content and Form of Application 

Submission: To be considered for the 

Cooperator program, an applicant must 

submit to the FAS information required 

by the Cooperator program regulations 

in section 1484.20. In addition, in 

accordance with the Office of 

Management and Budget’s policy (68 FR 

38402 (June 27, 2003)) regarding the 

need to identify entities that are 

receiving government awards, all 

applicants must submit a Dun and 

Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering 

System (DUNS) number. An applicant 

may request a DUNS number at no cost 

by calling the dedicated toll-free DUNS 

number request line at 1–866–705–5711. 

In addition, in accordance with 2 CFR 

Part 25, each entity that applies to the 

Cooperator program and does not 

qualify for an exemption under 2 CFR 

25.110 must: 

(i) Be registered in the CCR prior to 

submitting an application or plan; 

(ii) Maintain an active CCR 

registration with current information at 

all times during which it has an active 

Federal award or an application or plan 

under consideration by CCC; and 

(iii) Provide its DUNS number in each 

application or plan it submits to CCC. 

Similarly, in accordance with 2 CFR 

Part 170, each entity that applies to the 

Cooperator program and does not 

qualify for an exception under 2 CFR 

170.110(b) must ensure it has the 

necessary processes and systems in 

place to comply with the applicable 

reporting requirements of 2 CFR Part 

170 should it receive funding under the 

Cooperator program. Incomplete 

applications and applications that do 

not otherwise conform to this 

announcement will not be accepted for 

review. 

The FAS administers various other 

agricultural export assistance programs, 

including the Market Access Program 

(MAP), the Emerging Markets Program, 

the Quality Samples Program, and the 

Technical Assistance for Specialty 

Crops program. Any organization that is 

not interested in applying for the 

Cooperator program but would like to 

request assistance through one of the 

other programs mentioned should 

contact the Program Operations 

Division. 

3. Submission Dates and Times: All 

applications must be received by 5 p.m. 

Eastern Daylight Time, May 28, 2013. 

All Cooperator program applicants, 

regardless of the method of submitting 

an application, also must submit by the 

application deadline, an original signed 

certification statement as specified in 7 

CFR 1484.20(a)(14) to the Program 

Operations Division, Office of Trade 

Programs, Foreign Agricultural Service, 

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Room 

6512, 1400 Independence Ave. SW., 

Washington, DC 20250. Applications or 

certifications received after this date 

will not be considered. 

4. Funding Restrictions: Certain types 

of expenses are not eligible for 

reimbursement by the program, and 

there are limits on other categories of 

expenses. CCC also will not reimburse 

unreasonable expenditures or 

expenditures made prior to approval. 

Full details are available in the 

Cooperator program regulations, 

including sections 1484.54 and 1484.55. 

V. Application Review Information 

1. Criteria and Review Process: 

Following is a description of the FAS 

process for reviewing applications and 

the criteria for allocating available 

Cooperator program funds. 

(1) Phase 1—Sufficiency Review and 

FAS Divisional Review 

Applications received by the closing 

date will be reviewed by FAS to 

determine the eligibility of the 

applicants and the completeness of the 

applications. These requirements appear 

in sections 1484.14 and 1484.20 of the 

Cooperator program regulations as well 

as in this Notice. Applications that meet 

the requirements then will be further 

evaluated by the appropriate 

Commodity Branch office of the FAS/ 

Cooperator Programs Division. The 

Commodity Branch will review each 

application against the criteria listed in 

section 1484.21 of the Cooperator 

program regulations. The purpose of 

this review is to identify meritorious 

proposals. The Commodity Branch then 

recommends an appropriate funding 

level for each approved application for 

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23890 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 78 / Tuesday, April 23, 2013 / Notices 

consideration by the Office of the 

Deputy Administrator, Office of Trade 

Programs. 

(2) Phase 2—Competitive Review 

Meritorious applications are passed 

on to the Office of the Deputy 

Administrator, Office of Trade 

Programs, for the purpose of allocating 

available funds among those applicants. 

Applicants will compete for funds on 

the basis of the following allocation 

criteria as appropriate (the number in 

parentheses represents a percentage 

weight factor): 

(a) Contribution Level (40) 

• The applicant’s 6-year average share 

(2009–2014) of all contributions under 

the Cooperator program (contributions 

may include cash and goods and 

services provided by U.S. entities in 

support of foreign market development 

activities) compared to; 

• The applicant’s 6-year average share 

(2009–2014) of the funding level for all 

Cooperator program participants. 

(b) Past Export Performance (20) 

• The 6-year average share (2008– 

2013) of the value of exports promoted 

by the applicant compared to; 

• The applicant’s 6-year average share 

(2008–2013) of the funding level for all 

Cooperator participants plus, for those 

groups participating in the MAP 

program, a 6-year average share (2008– 

2013) of all MAP budgets. 

(c) Past Demand Expansion Performance 

(20) 

• The 6-year average share (2008– 

2013) of the total value of world trade 

of the commodities promoted by the 

applicant compared to; 

• The applicant’s 6-year average share 

(2008–2013) of all Cooperator program 

expenditures plus, for those groups 

participating in the MAP program, a 6- 

year average share (2008–2013) of all 

MAP expenditures. 

(d) Future Demand Expansion Goals 

(10) 

• The projected total dollar value of 

world trade of the commodities being 

promoted by the applicant for the year 

2019 compared to; 

• The applicant’s requested funding 

level. 

(e) Accuracy of Past Demand Expansion 

Projections (10) 

• The actual dollar value share of 

world trade of the commodities being 

promoted by the applicant for the year 

2012 compared to; 

• The applicant’s past projected share 

of world trade of the commodities being 

promoted by the applicant for the year 

2012, as specified in the 2009 

Cooperator program application. 

The Commodity Branches’ 

recommended funding levels for each 

applicant are converted to percentages 

of the total Cooperator program funds 

available and then multiplied by each 

weight factor to determine the amount 

of funds allocated to each applicant. 

2. Anticipated Announcement Date: 

Announcements of funding decisions 

for the Cooperator program are 

anticipated during October 2013. 

VI. Award Administration Information 

1. Award Notices: The FAS will notify 

each applicant in writing of the final 

disposition of its application. The FAS 

will send an approval letter and project 

agreement to each approved applicant. 

The approval letter and project 

agreement will specify the terms and 

conditions applicable to the project, 

including the levels of Cooperator 

program funding, and cost-share 

contribution requirements. 

2. Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements: Interested parties should 

review the Cooperator program 

regulations, which are available at the 

following URL address: http:// 

www.fas.usda.gov/mos/programs/ 

fmdprogram.asp. Hard copies may be 

obtained by contacting the Program 

Operations Division. 

3. Reporting: The FAS requires 

various reports and evaluations from 

Cooperators. Reporting requirements are 

detailed in the Cooperator program 

regulations in sections 1484.53, 1484.70, 

and 1484.72. 

VII. Agency Contact(s) 

For additional information and 

assistance, contact the Program 

Operations Division, Office of Trade 

Programs, Foreign Agricultural Service, 

U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

Courier address: Room 6512, 1400 

Independence Ave. SW., Washington, 

DC 20250, or by phone: (202) 720–4327, 

or by fax: (202) 720–9361, or by email: 

podadmin@fas.usda.gov. 

Signed at Washington, DC, on the 28 of 

March, 2013. 

Suzanne E. Heinen, 

Administrator, Foreign Agricultural Service, 

and Vice President, Commodity Credit 

Corporation. 

[FR Doc. 2013–09461 Filed 4–22–13; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–10–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Commodity Credit Corporation 

Notice of Funds Availability: Inviting 

Applications for the Emerging Markets 

Program 

SUMMARY: The Commodity Credit 

Corporation (CCC) announces that it is 

inviting proposals for the 2014 

Emerging Markets Program (EMP). The 

intended effect of this notice is to solicit 

applications from the private sector and 

from government agencies for fiscal year 

2014 and to set out criteria for the award 

of funds under the program in October 

2013. The EMP is administered by 

personnel of the Foreign Agricultural 

Service (FAS). 

The statutory authority for EMP 

expires at the end of fiscal year 2013. 

This notice is being published at this 

time to allow awards to be made early 

in fiscal year 2014, provided that the 

program is reauthorized prior to that 

time. In the event this program is not 

reauthorized, or is substantially 

modified, FAS will publish a notice in 

the Federal Register rescinding this 

Notice of Funds Availability. 

DATES: To be considered for funding, 

applications must be received by 5 p.m. 

Eastern Daylight Time, May 28, 2013. 

Any applications received after this 

time will be considered only if funds are 

still available. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Entities wishing to apply for funding 

assistance should contact the Program 

Operations Division, Office of Trade 

Programs, Foreign Agricultural Service 

by courier address: Room 6512, 1400 

Independence Ave. SW., Washington, 

DC 20250, or by phone: (202) 720–4327, 

or by fax: (202) 720–9361, or by email: 

podadmin@fas.usda.gov. Information is 

also available on the Foreign 

Agricultural Service Web site at http:// 

www.fas.usda.gov/mos/em-markets/emmarkets.asp. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Funding Opportunity Description 

Announcement Type: New. 

Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance (CFDA) Number: 10.603. 

Authority: The EMP is authorized by 

section 1542(d)(1) of the Food, 

Agriculture, Conservation and Trade 

Act of 1990 (The Act), as amended. The 

EMP regulations appear at 7 CFR part 

1486. 

1. Purpose. The EMP assists U.S. 

entities in developing, maintaining, or 

expanding exports of U.S. agricultural 

commodities and products by funding 

activities that improve emerging 

markets’ food and rural business 

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