This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER

contains documents other than rules or

proposed rules that are applicable to the

public. Notices of hearings and investigations,

committee meetings, agency decisions and

rulings, delegations of authority, filing of

petitions and applications and agency

statements of organization and functions are

examples of documents appearing in this

section.

Notices Federal Register

62639

Vol. 69, No. 207

Wednesday, October 27, 2004

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Notice of Meeting; Southwest Oregon 

Provincial Advisory Committee

SUMMARY: The Southwest Oregon 

Provincial Advisory Committee will 

meet on Tuesday, November 16, 2004, 

for (1) a review of the Mt Ashland Forest 

Resiliency Project field trip; (2) a 

presentation on Water for Irrigation, 

Streams and Economy; (3) an update on 

the Northern Spotted Owl 5-year 

review; (4) a report on the Northwest 

Forest Plan and the Southwest Oregon 

Implementation Monitoring Report; and 

(5) an update from National Fire Plan 

and Cascade-Siskiyou National 

Monument Livestock study work 

groups. The meeting will be held at the 

Ashland Springs Hotel, 212 E. Main 

Street, Ashland, OR 97520. It begins at 

9 a.m., ends 3:15 p.m., and the open 

public forum begins at 11:30 a.m. with 

a 4-minute limitation per individual 

presentation. Written comments may be 

submitted prior to the meeting and 

delivered to Designated Federal Official, 

Scott Conroy at the Rogue RiverSiskiyou National Forest, PO Box 520, 

Medford, OR 97501.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest 

Acting Public Affairs Officer Virginia 

Gibbons at (541) 858–2214, e-mail: 

vgibbons@fs.fed.us, or USDA Forest 

Service, PO Box 520, 333 West 8th 

Street, Medford, OR 97501.

Dated: October 21, 2004. 

Nancy Rose, 

Acting Forest Supervisor, Rogue RiverSiskiyou National Forest.

[FR Doc. 04–24022 Filed 10–24–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Housing Service 

Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA) 

Inviting Applications for the Rural 

Community Development Initiative 

(RCDI)

AGENCY: Rural Housing Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of solicitation of 

applications. 

SUMMARY: This Notice announces the 

availability of $6 million of grant funds 

for the RCDI program through the Rural 

Housing Service (RHS), herein referred 

to as the Agency. Applicants must 

provide matching funds in an amount at 

least equal to the Federal grant. These 

grants will be made to qualified 

intermediary organizations that will 

provide financial and technical 

assistance to recipients to develop their 

capacity and ability to undertake 

projects related to housing, community 

facilities, or community and economic 

development. This Notice lists the 

information needed to submit an 

application for these funds.

DATES: The deadline for receipt of an 

application is 4 p.m. eastern standard 

time January 25, 2005. The application 

date and time are firm. The Agency will 

not consider any application received 

after the deadline.

ADDRESSES: Entities wishing to apply for 

assistance may download the 

application requirements delineated in 

this Notice from the RCDI Web site: 

http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rhs/rcdi/

index.htm. Applicants may also request 

application packages from: William 

Kenney, Rural Housing Service, Room 

0183, Stop 0787, 1400 Independence 

Ave., SW., Washington, DC 20250–0787, 

Telephone (202) 720–1506, E-mail: 

william.kenney@usda.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

William Kenney, Senior Loan Specialist, 

Community Programs, RHS, USDA, 

STOP 0787, Rm. 0183, 1400 

Independence Ave. SW., Washington, 

DC 20250–0787, Telephone (202) 720–

1506, Facsimile (202) 690–0471, E-mail: 

william.kenney@usda.gov. You may also 

obtain information from the RCDI Web 

site: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rhs/

rcdi/index.htm.

Programs Affected 

This program is listed in the Catalog 

of Federal Domestic Assistance under 

Number 10.446. This program is not 

subject to the provisions of Executive 

Order 12372, which requires 

intergovernmental consultation with 

State and local officials. 

Paperwork Reduction Act 

The paperwork burden has been 

cleared by the Office of Management 

and Budget (OMB) under OMB Control 

Number 0575–0180.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Overview 

Federal Agency: Rural Housing 

Service. 

Funding Opportunity Title: Rural 

Community Development Initiative. 

Announcement Type: Initial 

Announcement. 

Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance (CFDA) Number: 10.446. 

Items in Supplementary Information

I. Funding Opportunity Description: Brief 

Introduction to the RCDI Program 

II. Awards Information: Available Funds 

III. Eligibility Information: Eligible 

Applicants, Program Definitions, Cost 

Sharing or Matching, Program 

Requirements, Eligible Fund Uses, 

Ineligible Fund Uses, Program Example 

IV. Application and Submission Information: 

Address to Request Application Package, 

Content and Form of Application 

Submission, Submission Dates and 

Times, Funding Restrictions 

V. Application Review Information: 

Evaluation Criteria, Review and 

Selection Process 

VI. Award Administration Information: 

General Information, Award Notice, 

Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements, Reporting 

VII. Agency Contacts: Phone, Fax, E-Mail, 

Contact Name 

VIII. Other Information: State Office 

Responsibilities, Grant Amount 

Determination, State Office Contacts, 

Grant Agreement

Part I—Funding Opportunity 

Description 

Congress initially created the RCDI in 

fiscal year (FY) 2000 to develop the 

capacity and ability of nonprofit 

organizations, low-income rural 

communities, or federally recognized 

tribes to undertake projects related to 

housing, community facilities, or 

community and economic development 

in rural areas. Numerous changes have 

been made each year since. 

62640 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 207 / Wednesday, October 27, 2004 / Notices 

Part II—Award Information 

Congress appropriated $6 million in 

FY 2004 for the RCDI. Qualified private, 

non profit and public (including tribal) 

intermediary organizations proposing to 

carry out financial and technical 

assistance programs will be eligible to 

receive the funding. The intermediary 

will be required to provide matching 

funds in an amount at least equal to the 

RCDI grant. The respective minimum 

and maximum grant amount per 

intermediary is $50,000 and $500,000. 

The intermediary must provide a 

program of financial and technical 

assistance to a private nonprofit, 

community-based housing and 

development organization, a lowincome rural community or a federally 

recognized tribe. 

Part III—Eligibility Information 

A. Eligible Applicants 

Qualified private, non profit and 

public (including tribal) intermediary 

organizations. Definitions that describe 

eligible organizations and other key 

terms are listed below:

B. Program Definitions 

Agency—the Rural Housing Service 

(RHS) or its successor. 

Beneficiary—entities or individuals 

that receive benefits from assistance 

provided by the recipient. 

Capacity—the ability of a recipient to 

finance and implement housing, 

community facilities, or community and 

economic development projects. 

Federally recognized tribes—tribal 

entities recognized and eligible for 

funding and services from the Bureau of 

Indian Affairs, based on the Notice in 

the Federal Register published by the 

Bureau of Indian Affairs on December 5, 

2003, (68 FR 68180). Tribally 

Designated Housing Entities are eligible 

RCDI recipients. 

Financial assistance—funds used by 

the intermediary to support the 

recipient’s program, including funds 

that pass through the intermediary to 

the recipient for eligible RCDI purposes. 

Funds—the RCDI grant and matching 

money. 

Intermediary—a qualified private, 

nonprofit, or public (including tribal) 

organization that provides financial and 

technical assistance to multiple 

recipients. 

Low-income rural community—an 

authority, district, economic 

development authority, regional 

council, or unit of government 

representing an incorporated city, town, 

village, county, township, parish, or 

borough. 

Recipient—the entity that receives the 

financial and technical assistance from 

the intermediary. The recipient must be 

a private nonprofit community-based 

housing and development organization, 

a low-income rural community, or a 

federally recognized tribe. 

Rural and rural area—a city or town, 

that has a population of 50,000 

inhabitants or less, other than the 

urbanized area contiguous and adjacent 

to such a city or town. 

Technical assistance—skilled help in 

improving the recipient’s abilities in the 

areas of housing, community facilities, 

or community and economic 

development. The Agency will 

determine whether a specific activity 

qualifies as technical assistance. 

C. Cost Sharing or Matching 

Matching funds—cash or confirmed 

funding commitments. Matching funds 

must be at least equal to the grant 

amount. These funds can only be used 

for eligible RCDI activities. In-kind 

contributions cannot be used as 

matching funds. Grant funds and 

matching funds must be used in equal 

proportions. This does not mean funds 

have to be used equally by line item. 

The request for reimbursement and 

supporting documentation must show 

that RCDI fund usage does not exceed 

the cumulative amount of matching 

funds used. Grant funds will be 

disbursed pursuant to relevant 

provisions of 7 CFR parts 3015, 3016, 

and 3019, as applicable. 

Matching funds must be used to 

support the overall purpose of the RCDI 

program. RCDI funds will be disbursed 

on a reimbursable basis only. No 

advances will be made. Matching funds 

cannot be expended prior to execution 

of the RCDI Grant Agreement. No 

reimbursement will be made for any 

funds expended prior to execution of 

the RCDI Grant Agreement unless the 

grantee has requested and received 

written Agency approval of the costs 

prior to the actual expenditure. This 

exception is applicable for up to 90 days 

prior to grant closing and only applies 

to grantees that have received written 

approval but have not executed the 

RCDI Grant Agreement. The Agency 

cannot retroactively approve 

reimbursement for expenditures prior to 

execution of the RCDI Grant Agreement. 

D. Other 

Program Requirements 

1. The recipient and beneficiary, but 

not the intermediary must be located in 

an eligible rural area. The location of the 

low-income rural community office that 

will be receiving the financial and 

technical assistance must be in a 

community with a median household 

income at or below, 80 percent of the 

State or national median household 

income, whichever is lower. The 

applicable Rural Development State 

Office can assist in determining the 

eligibility of an area. A listing of Rural 

Development State Offices is included 

in this Notice. 

2. The recipients must be private 

nonprofit community-based housing 

and development organizations, lowincome rural communities, or federally 

recognized tribes based on the RCDI 

definitions of these groups. 

3. Documentation must be submitted 

to verify recipient eligibility. Acceptable 

documentation varies depending on the 

type of recipient: Private nonprofit 

community-based housing and 

development organizations must 

provide a letter confirming its taxexempt status from the IRS, a certificate 

of incorporation and good standing from 

the Secretary of State, or other similar 

and valid documentation of nonprofit 

status; for low-income rural community 

recipients, the Agency requires: (a) 

Evidence the entity is a public body, 

and (b) census data verifying that the 

median household income of the 

community where the office receiving 

the financial and technical assistance is 

located is at, or below, 80 percent of the 

State or national median household 

income, whichever is lower; for 

federally recognized tribes, the Agency 

needs the page listing their name from 

the current Federal Register list of tribal 

entities recognized and eligible for 

funding services (see the definition of 

federally recognized tribes for details on 

this list). 

4. Individuals cannot be recipients. 

5. The intermediary must provide 

matching funds at least equal to the 

amount of the grant. 

6. The intermediary must provide a 

program of financial and technical 

assistance to the recipient. 

7. The intermediary organization must 

have been organized for a minimum of 

3 years and have at least 3 years prior 

experience working with private 

nonprofit community-based housing 

and development organizationss, lowincome rural communities, or tribal 

organizations in the areas of housing, 

community facilities, or community and 

economic development 

8. Proposals must be structured to 

utilize the grant funds within 3 years 

from the date of the award. 

9. Each intermediary, whether 

singularly or jointly, may only submit 

one application for RCDI funds under 

this NOFA unless the intermediary’s 

Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 207 / Wednesday, October 27, 2004 / Notices 62641

participation is limited to providing all 

or part of the matching funds. 

10. Recipients can participate in more 

than one RCDI application; however, 

after grant selections are made, the 

recipient can only participate in 

multiple RCDI grants if the type of 

financial and technical assistance they 

will receive is not duplicative. 

11. The intermediary and the 

recipient cannot be the same entity. The 

recipient can be a related entity to the 

intermediary, if it meets the definition 

of a recipient.

12. A nonprofit recipient must 

provide evidence that it is a valid 

nonprofit when the intermediary 

applies for the RCDI grant. 

Organizations with pending requests for 

nonprofit designations are not eligible. 

13. If the recipient is a low-income 

rural community, identify the unit of 

government to which the financial and 

technical assistance will be provided, 

e.g., town council or village board. The 

financial and technical assistance must 

be provided to the organized unit of 

government representing that 

community, not the community at large. 

14. Nonprofit recipients located in a 

rural area that is also a census 

designated place (CDP) are eligible. 

15. The indirect cost rate for the 

intermediary will be in accordance with 

OMB Circulars A–87, A–122, and A–

133. 

Eligible Fund Uses 

Fund uses must be consistent with the 

RCDI purpose (see ‘‘Background’’

section of this Notice). A nonexclusive 

list of eligible grant uses includes the 

following: 

1. Provide financial and technical 

assistance to develop recipients’

capacity and ability to undertake 

projects related to housing, community 

facilities, or community and economic 

development, i.e., the intermediary 

hires a staff person to provide technical 

assistance to the recipient or the 

recipient hires a staff person, under the 

supervision of the intermediary, to carry 

out the financial and technical 

assistance provided by the intermediary. 

2. Develop the capacity of recipients 

to conduct community development 

programs, e.g., homeownership 

education or training for business 

entrepreneurs. 

3. Develop the capacity of recipients 

to conduct development initiatives, e.g., 

programs that support micro-enterprise 

and sustainable development. 

4. Develop the capacity of recipients 

to increase their leveraging ability and 

access to alternative funding sources by 

providing training and staffing. 

5. Develop the capacity of recipients 

to provide the financial and technical 

assistance component for essential 

community facilities projects. 

6. Assist recipients in completing predevelopment requirements for housing, 

community facilities, or community and 

economic development projects by 

providing resources for professional 

services, e.g., architectural, engineering, 

or legal. 

7. Improve recipient’s organizational 

capacity by providing training and 

resource material on developing 

strategic plans, board operations, 

management, financial systems, and 

information technology. 

8. Purchase computers, software, and 

printers at the recipient level when 

directly related to the financial or 

technical assistance program being 

undertaken by the intermediary. 

9. Provide funds to recipients for 

training-related travel costs and training 

expenses related to RCDI. 

Ineligible Fund Uses 

1. Funding a revolving loan fund 

(RLF). 

2. Construction (in any form). 

3. Intermediary preparation of 

strategic plans for recipients. 

4. Funding illegal activities. 

5. Grants to individuals. 

6. Funding a grant where there may be 

a conflict of interest, or an appearance 

of a conflict of interest, involving any 

action by the Agency. 

7. Paying obligations incurred before 

the beginning date or after the ending 

date of the grant agreement. 

8. Purchasing real estate. 

9. Improvement or renovation of the 

grantee’s office space or for the repair or 

maintenance of privately owned 

vehicles. 

10. Any other purpose prohibited in 

7 CFR parts 3015, 3016, and 3019, as 

applicable. 

11. Funds cannot be used for 

recipient’s general operating costs. 

12. Using grant or matching funds for 

Individual Development Accounts. 

Program Examples 

The purpose of this initiative is to 

develop or increase the recipient’s 

capacity through a program of financial 

and technical assistance to perform in 

the areas of housing, community 

facilities, or community and economic 

development. Strengthening the 

recipient’s capacity in these areas will 

benefit the communities they serve. The 

RCDI structure requires the 

intermediary (grantee) to provide a 

program of financial and technical 

assistance to recipients. The recipients 

will, in turn, provide programs to their 

communities (beneficiaries). The 

following are examples of eligible and 

ineligible purposes under the RCDI 

program. (These examples are 

illustrative and are not meant to limit 

the activities proposed in the 

application. Activities that meet the 

objective of the RCDI program will be 

considered eligible.)

1. The intermediary must work 

directly with the recipient, not the 

beneficiaries. As an example: the 

intermediary provides training to the 

recipient on how to conduct 

homeownership education classes. The 

recipient then provides ongoing 

homeownership education to the 

residents of the community—the 

ultimate beneficiaries. This ‘‘train the 

trainer’’ concept fully meets the intent 

of this initiative. The intermediary is 

providing financial and technical 

assistance that will build the recipient’s 

capacity by enabling them to conduct 

homeownership education classes for 

the public. This is an eligible purpose. 

However, if the intermediary directly 

provided homeownership education 

classes to individuals in the recipient’s 

service area, this would not be an 

eligible purpose because the recipient 

would be bypassed. 

2. If the intermediary is working with 

a low-income community as the 

recipient, the intermediary must 

provide the financial and technical 

assistance to the entity that represents 

the low-income community and is 

identified in the application. Examples 

of entities representing a low-income 

community are a village board or a town 

council. If the intermediary provides 

technical assistance to the board of 

directors of the low-income community 

on how to establish a cooperative, this 

would be an eligible purpose. However, 

if the intermediary works directly with 

individuals from the community to 

establish the cooperative, this is not an 

eligible purpose. The recipient’s 

capacity is built by learning skills that 

will enable them to support sustainable 

economic development in their 

communities on an ongoing basis. 

3. The intermediary may provide 

technical assistance to the recipient on 

how to create and operate a RLF. The 

intermediary may not monitor or 

operate the RLF. RCDI funds, including 

matching funds, cannot be used to fund 

RLFs. 

Part IV—Application and Submission 

Information 

A. Address To Request Application 

Package 

Entities wishing to apply for 

assistance may download the 

62642 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 207 / Wednesday, October 27, 2004 / Notices 

application requirements delineated in 

this Notice from the RCDI Web site: 

http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rhs/rcdi/

index.htm. Applicants may also request 

application packages from: William 

Kenney, Rural Housing Service, Room 

0183, Stop 0787, 1400 Independence 

Ave. SW., Washington, DC 20250–0787, 

Telephone (202) 720–1506, E-mail: 

william.kenney@usda.gov.

B. Content and Form of Application 

Submission 

A complete application for RCDI 

funds must include the following: 

1. A summary page, double-spaced 

between items, listing the following: 

(This information should not be 

presented in narrative form.) 

a. Applicant’s name, 

b. Applicant’s address, 

c. Applicant’s telephone number, 

d. Name of applicant’s contact person 

and telephone number, 

e. Applicant’s fax number, 

f. County where applicant is located, 

g. Congressional district number 

where applicant is located, 

h. Amount of grant request, 

i. Applicant’s Tax Identification 

Number, 

j. Date Universal Numbering System 

(DUNS) number. (Applicant Only) 

k. Number of recipients, and 

l. Source and amount of matching 

funds. 

2. A detailed Table of Contents 

containing page numbers for each 

component of the application. 

3. A project overview, no longer than 

five pages, including the following 

items, which will also be addressed 

separately and in detail under ‘‘Building 

Capacity’’ of the ‘‘Evaluation Criteria.’’

a. The type of financial and technical 

assistance to be provided and how it 

will be implemented. 

b. How the capacity and ability of the 

recipients will be improved. 

c. The overall goal to be 

accomplished. 

d. The benchmarks to be used to 

measure the success of the program. 

4. Organizational documents, such as 

a certificate of incorporation and good 

standing from the Secretary of State 

where the applicant is incorporated and 

other similar and valid documentation 

of non-profit status, for the intermediary 

that confirms it has been legally 

organized for a minimum of 3 years as 

the applicant entity. 

5. Verification of matching funds, i.e., 

a copy of a bank statement if matching 

funds are in cash or a copy of the 

confirmed funding commitment from 

the funding source. The applicant will 

be contacted by the Agency prior to 

grant award to verify that the matching 

funds continue to be available. The 

applicant will have 10 working days 

from the date of contact to submit 

verification of matching funds. If the 

applicant is unable to provide the 

verification within that timeframe, the 

application will be considered 

ineligible. 

6. Applicant should verify that they 

have a DUNS number or take the steps 

needed to obtain one as soon as 

possible. Applicant can receive a DUNS 

number at no cost by calling the 

dedicated toll-free DUNS Number 

request line at 1–866–705–5711. 

7. The following information for each 

recipient: 

a. Recipient’s entity name, 

b. Complete address (mailing and 

physical location, if different), 

c. County where located, 

d. Number of congressional district 

where recipient is located, 

e. Contact person’s name and 

telephone number, and 

f. Documentation on the population 

composition of the service area of the 

recipient. 

8. Submit evidence each recipient 

entity is eligible: 

a. Nonprofits—provide a valid letter 

from the IRS, confirming certificate from 

the Secretary of State, or other valid 

documentation of nonprofit status of 

each recipient. 

b. Low-income rural community—

provide a copy of the 2000 census data 

to verify the population and evidence 

that the median household income is at, 

or below, 80 percent of either the State 

or national median household income, 

whichever is lower. We will only accept 

data from http://www.census.gov. The 

specific instructions to retrieve data 

from this site are detailed under the 

‘‘Evaluation Criteria’’ for ‘‘Population’’

and ‘‘Income.’’

c. Federally recognized tribes—

provide the page listing their name from 

the current Federal Register list of tribal 

entities published on December 5, 2003, 

(68 FR 68180).

8. Each of the ‘‘Evaluation Criteria’’

must be addressed specifically and 

individually by category. Present these 

criteria in narrative form. 

Documentation must be limited to three 

pages per criterion with the exception of 

attachments for ‘‘Population’’ and 

‘‘Income.’’

9. A timeline identifying specific 

activities and proposed dates for 

completion. 

10. A detailed project budget that 

includes the RCDI grant amount and 

matching funds for the duration of the 

grant. This should be a line-item budget, 

by category. Categories such as salaries, 

administrative, other, and indirect costs 

that pertain to the proposed project 

must be clearly defined. Supporting 

documentation listing the components 

of these categories must be included. 

11. Form SF–424, ‘‘Application for 

Federal Assistance.’’ (Do not complete 

Form SF–424A, ‘‘Budget Information.’’

A separate line-item budget should be 

presented as described in No. 10 of this 

section.) The budget should be dated: 

year 1, year 2, year 3. 

12. Form SF–424B, ‘‘Assurances—

Non-Construction Programs.’’

13. Form AD–1047, ‘‘Certification 

Regarding Debarment, Suspension, and 

Other Responsibility Matters—Primary 

Covered Transactions.’’

14. Form AD–1048, ‘‘Certification 

Regarding Debarment, Suspension, 

Ineligibility and Voluntary Exclusion—

Lower Tier Covered Transactions.’’

15. Form AD–1049, ‘‘Certification 

Regarding Drug-Free Workplace 

Requirements.’’

16. Certification of Non-Lobbying 

Activities. 

17. Standard Form LLL, ‘‘Disclosure 

of Lobbying Activities,’’ if applicable. 

18. Form RD 400–4, ‘‘Assurance 

Agreement,’’ for the applicant and each 

recipient. 

19. Identify and report any association 

or relationship with Rural Development 

employees. 

The required forms and certifications 

can be downloaded from the RCDI Web 

site at: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rhs/

rcdi/index.htm.

C. Submission Dates and Times 

The original application package must 

be submitted to: William Kenney, Rural 

Housing Service, STOP 0787, 1400 

Independence Ave. SW., Washington, 

DC 20250–0787, and a copy of the 

application must be submitted to the 

Rural Development State Office where 

the applicant is located. A listing of 

Rural Development State Offices is 

included in this Notice. Applications 

sent electronically or by facsimile will 

not be accepted. 

The deadline for receipt of an 

application is 4 p.m. eastern standard 

time on January 25, 2005. The 

application deadline date and hour are 

firm and apply to submission of the 

original application to the National 

Office in Washington, DC. The Agency 

will not consider any application 

received after the deadline. A listing of 

Rural Development State Offices, their 

addresses, telephone numbers, and 

person to contact is provided elsewhere 

in this Notice. 

D. Funding Restrictions 

Meeting expenses. In accordance with 

31 U.S.C. 1345, ‘‘Expenses of Meetings,’’

Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 207 / Wednesday, October 27, 2004 / Notices 62643

appropriations may not be used for 

travel, transportation, and subsistence 

expenses for a meeting. RCDI grant 

funds cannot be used for these meetingrelated expenses. Matching funds may 

be used to pay for these expenses. RCDI 

funds may be used to pay for a speaker 

as part of a program, equipment to 

facilitate the program, and the actual 

room that will house the meeting. RCDI 

funds can be used for travel, 

transportation, or subsistence expenses 

for training and technical assistance 

purposes. Any meeting or training not 

delineated in the application must be 

approved by the Agency to verify 

compliance with 31 U.S.C. 1345. Travel 

and per diem expenses will be similar 

to those paid to Agency employees. 

Rates are based upon location. Rate 

information can be accessed on the 

Internet at http://policyworks.gov/

perdiem.

Grantees and recipients will be 

restricted to traveling coach class on 

common carrier airlines. Grantees and 

recipients may exceed the Government 

rate for lodging by a maximum of 20 

percent. Meals and incidental expenses 

will be reimbursed at the same rate used 

by Agency employees. Mileage and gas 

reimbursement will be the same rate 

used by Agency employees. The current 

mileage and gas reimbursement rate is 

37.5 cents per mile. 

Part V—Application Review 

Information 

A. Evaluation Criteria 

Applications will be evaluated using 

the following criteria and weights: 

1. Building Capacity—Maximum 60 

Points 

The applicant must demonstrate how 

they will improve the recipients’

capacity, through a program of financial 

and technical assistance, as it relates to 

the RCDI purposes. Capacity-building 

technical assistance should provide new 

functions to the recipients or expand 

existing functions that will enable the 

recipients to undertake projects in the 

areas of housing, community facilities, 

or community and economic 

development that will benefit the 

community. The program of financial 

and technical assistance provided, how 

the program is delivered, and the 

measurability of the program’s 

effectiveness will determine the merit of 

the application. All applications will be 

competitively ranked with the 

applications providing the most 

improvement in capacity development 

and measurable activities being ranked 

the highest. Capacity-building technical 

assistance may include, but is not 

limited to: training to conduct 

community development programs, e.g., 

homeownership education, or the 

establishment of minority business 

entrepreneurs, cooperatives, or microenterprises; organizational 

development, e.g., assistance to develop 

or improve board operations, 

management, and financial systems; 

instruction on how to develop and 

implement a strategic plan; instruction 

on how to access alternative funding 

sources to increase leveraging 

opportunities; staffing, e.g., hiring a 

person at intermediary or recipient level 

to provide technical or financial 

assistance to recipients; and purchase 

technology equipment at the recipient 

level, e.g., computers, printers, and 

software. 

The narrative response must: 

a. Describe the type of financial and 

technical assistance to be provided to 

the recipients and the activities that will 

be conducted to deliver the financial 

and technical assistance; 

b. Explain how financial and 

technical assistance will develop or 

increase the recipient’s capacity. 

Indicate whether a new function is 

being developed or if existing functions 

are being expanded or performed more 

effectively; 

c. Identify which RCDI purpose areas 

will be addressed with this assistance: 

housing, community facilities, or 

community and economic development; 

and

d. Describe how the results of the 

financial and technical assistance will 

be measured. What benchmarks will be 

used to measure effectiveness? 

e. Scoring—maximum of 60 points, 

broken down as follows: 

1. Type of financial and technical 

assistance and implementation 

activities. 0–35 points. 

a. How well defined is the purpose of 

this proposal? 

b. Are the implementation activities 

specifically defined? 

c. Will the proposed implementation 

activities actually develop the 

recipient’s capacity? 

2. How financial and technical 

assistance will develop capacity. 0–10 

points. 

a. Is a new function being developed 

and will it build capacity at the 

recipient level? 

b. Is an existing function being 

expanded or performed more effectively 

and will it build capacity at the 

recipient level? 

3. RCDI purpose. 0–5 points. 

a. Housing, 

b. Community facilities, or 

c. Community and economic 

development. 

4. Measuring outcomes. 0–10 points. 

a. What benchmarks will be used to 

measure outcomes and effectiveness? 

b. Are the proposed benchmarks an 

effective measurement for the type of 

financial and technical assistance 

provided? 

2. Expertise—Maximum 30 Points 

The applicant must demonstrate that 

it has conducted programs of financial 

and technical assistance and achieved 

measurable results in the areas of 

housing, community facilities, or 

community and economic development 

in rural areas. Provide the name, contact 

information, and amount of the 

financial and technical assistance the 

applicant organization has provided to 

the following for the last 5 years: 

a. Nonprofit organizations in rural 

areas. 

b. Low-income communities in rural 

areas, (also include the type of entity, 

e.g., city government, town council, or 

village board). 

c. Federally recognized tribes or any 

other culturally diverse organizations. 

d. Organization synopsis. Scoring—

maximum 30 points. 

1. The applicant has worked with 

groups in at least one of the three 

categories. 0–6 points. 

2. The types of financial and technical 

assistance provided are similar to the 

RCDI purposes. 0–15 points. 

3. The applicant demonstrates 

experience in working with the types of 

entities listed as recipients in the 

application. 0–9 points. 

3. Population—Maximum 30 Points 

Population is based on the 2000 

census data for the community in which 

the recipient is located. Community is 

defined for scoring purposes as a city, 

town, village, county, parish, borough, 

or census-designated place where the 

recipient’s office is physically located. 

The applicant must submit a copy of the 

census data from the following Web site 

to verify the population figures used for 

each recipient. The data can be accessed 

on the Internet at http://

www.census.gov; click on ‘‘American 

FactFinder’’ from the left menu; click on 

‘‘Fact Sheet’’ from the left menu; at the 

right, fill in one or more fields and click 

‘Go’; print the Fact Sheet for submission 

for each recipient location. The average 

population of the recipient locations 

will be used and will be scored as 

follows:

Population Scoring 

5,000 or less .......................... 30 points. 

5,001 to 10,000 ...................... 20 points. 

10,001 to 20,000 .................... 10 points. 

62644 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 207 / Wednesday, October 27, 2004 / Notices 

Population Scoring 

20,001 to 50,000 .................... 5 points. 

4. Income—Maximum 30 Points 

The average of the median household 

income for the communities where the 

recipients are physically located will 

determine the points awarded. 

Applicants may compare the average 

recipient median household income to 

the State median household income or 

the national median household income, 

whichever yields the most points. The 

national median household income to 

be used is $41,994. The applicant must 

submit a copy of the income data from 

the following Web site to verify the 

income for each recipient. The data 

being used is from the 2000 census. The 

data can be accessed on the Internet at 

http://www.census.gov; click on 

‘‘American FactFinder’’ from the left 

menu; click on ‘‘Fact Sheet’’ from the 

left menu; at the right, fill in one or 

more fields and click ‘Go’; Income data 

for the recipient location can be 

highlighted on the Fact Sheet submitted 

for population. Points will be awarded 

as follows:

Average recipient median income is: Scoring 

Less than 60 percent of the State or national median household income .......................................................................................... 30 points. 

Between 60 and 70 percent of the State or national median household income ................................................................................ 20 points. 

Greater than 70 percent of the State or national median household income ...................................................................................... 10 points. 

5. Innovative Approach—Maximum 20 

Points 

The applicant must demonstrate that 

it has developed an innovative approach 

that can be used by other organizations 

as a model. To be considered 

innovative, the approach must propose 

an easily replicated new or useful 

service or method of providing services 

to recipients that builds their capacity to 

improve their communities in the areas 

of housing, community facilities, or 

community and economic development. 

Points will be awarded to applications 

that have the highest score on the 

following factors: 

a. Ease of replication by private 

nonprofit community-based housing 

and development organizations, lowincome rural communities, or federally 

recognized tribes; 

b. Uniqueness of proposal;

c. Financial return to rural 

communities; and 

d. Need by private nonprofit 

community-based housing and 

development organization, low-income 

rural community, or federally 

recognized tribe. 

If warranted, up to 20 applicants will 

be eligible to receive points in this 

category. The application ranking and 

scoring are:

Ranking Scoring 

10 highest-ranking applications for this criterion .................................................................................................................................. 20 points. 

Next 10 highest-ranking applications for this criterion .......................................................................................................................... 10 points. 

If there is a tied score, it will be 

resolved by using the format listed 

under ‘‘Rating and Ranking’’ under 

‘‘Application Selection Process’’

elsewhere in this Notice. 

6. Soundness of Approach—Maximum 

50 Points 

The applicant can receive up to 50 

points for soundness of approach. The 

overall proposal will be considered 

under this criterion. Applicants must 

list the page numbers in the application 

that address these factors. 

a. The ability to provide the proposed 

financial and technical assistance based 

on prior accomplishments has been 

demonstrated. 0–5 points. 

b. The proposed financial and 

technical assistance program is clearly 

stated and the applicant has defined 

how this proposal will be implemented. 

The plan for implementation is viable. 

0–20 points. 

c. Cost effectiveness will be evaluated 

based on the budget in the application. 

The proposed grant amount and 

matching funds should be utilized to 

maximize capacity building at the 

recipient level. 0–15 points. 

d. The proposal fits the objectives for 

which applications were invited. 0–10 

points. 

7. Geographic Distribution Points—20 

Points. 

The applicant must provide a map 

that specifically describes the areas 

covered by the recipients. After 

applications have been evaluated and 

awarded points under the first 6 criteria, 

the Agency may award 20 points per 

application to promote a broad 

geographic distribution of RCDI funds. 

8. Purpose Distribution Points—20 

Points 

The applicant must state the primary 

purpose of the application, i.e., housing, 

community facilities, or community and 

economic development. After 

applications have been evaluated and 

awarded points under the first 6 criteria, 

the Agency may award 20 points per 

application to promote diversity of RCDI 

purposes. 

9. Proportional Distribution Points—20 

Points 

The applicant must state the amount 

of the grant request. After applications 

have been evaluated and awarded 

points under the first 6 criteria, the 

Agency may award 20 points per 

application to promote distribution of 

grant awards between the range of 

$50,000 to $500,000. 

B. Review and Selection Process 

Rating and ranking. Applications will 

be rated and ranked by a review panel 

based on the ‘‘Evaluation Criteria and 

Weights’’ contained in this Notice. If 

there is a tied score after the 

applications have been rated and 

ranked, the tie will be resolved by 

reviewing the scores for ‘‘Building 

Capacity’’ and the applicant with the 

highest score in that category will 

receive a higher ranking. If the scores for 

‘‘Building Capacity’’ are the same, the 

scores will be compared for the next 

criterion, in sequential order, until one 

highest score can be determined. 

Initial screening. The Agency will 

screen each application to determine 

eligibility during the period 

immediately following the application 

deadline. Listed below are many of the 

reasons for rejection from the previous 

funding rounds to help the applicant 

prepare a better application. The 

following reasons for rejection are not 

all inclusive; however, they represent 

Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 207 / Wednesday, October 27, 2004 / Notices 62645

the majority of the applications 

previously rejected. 

1. Recipients were not located in 

eligible rural areas based on the 

definition in this Notice. 

2. Applicants failed to provide 

evidence of recipient’s status, i.e., 

documentation supporting nonprofit 

evidence of organization. 

3. Application did not follow the 

RCDI structure with an intermediary 

and recipients. 

4. Recipients were not identified in 

the application. 

5. Intermediary did not provide 

evidence it had been incorporated for at 

least 3 years as the applicant entity. 

6. Applicants failed to address the 

‘‘Evaluation Criteria.’’

7. The purpose of the proposal did not 

qualify as an eligible RCDI purpose. 

8. Funds cannot be used for 

construction or renovations. 

9. Financial and technical assistance 

cannot be provided directly to 

individuals. 

Part VI—Award Administration 

Information 

A. General Information 

Within the limit of funds available for 

such purpose, the awarding official of 

the Agency shall make grants to those 

responsible, eligible applicants whose 

applications are judged meritorious 

under the procedures set forth in this 

Notice. 

B. Award Notice 

Applicant will be notified of selection 

by letter. In addition, applicant will be 

requested to verify that components of 

the application have not changed. The 

award is not approved until all 

information has been verified, and the 

awarding official of the Agency has 

signed Form RD 1940–1, ‘‘Request for 

Obligation of Funds.’’

C. Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements 

Grantees will be required to do the 

following: 

1. Execute a Rural Community 

Development Initiative Grant 

Agreement, which is published at the 

end of this NOFA.

2. Execute Form RD 1940–1, ‘‘Request 

for Obligation of Funds.’’

3. Use Form SF 270, ‘‘Request for 

Advance or Reimbursement,’’ to request 

reimbursements. 

4. Provide financial status and project 

performance reports on a quarterly basis 

starting with the first full quarter after 

the grant award. 

5. Maintain a financial management 

system that is acceptable to the Agency. 

6. Ensure that records are maintained 

to document all activities and 

expenditures utilizing RCDI grant funds 

and matching funds. Receipts for 

expenditures will be included in this 

documentation. 

7. Provide annual audits or 

management reports on Form RD 442–

2, ‘‘Statement of Budget, Income, and 

Equity,’’ and Form RD 442–3, ‘‘Balance 

Sheet,’’ depending on the amount of 

Federal funds expended and the 

outstanding balance. 

8. Collect and maintain data provided 

by recipients on race, sex, and national 

origin and ensure recipients collect and 

maintain the same data on beneficiaries. 

Race and ethnicity data will be collected 

in accordance with OMB Federal 

Register notice, ‘‘Revisions to the 

Standards for the Classification of 

Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity,’’

Vol. 62, No. 210, October 30, 1997. Sex 

data will be collected in accordance 

with Title IX of the Education 

Amendments of 1972. These items 

should not be submitted with the 

application, but should be available 

upon request by the Agency. 

9. Provide a final project performance 

report. 

10. Identify and report any association 

or relationship with Rural Development 

employees on a format provided by the 

Agency. 

11. A Civil Rights Impact Analysis 

Certification must be completed by the 

Agency prior to grant approval. 

12. A pre-award compliance review 

will be conducted by the Agency prior 

to closing the grant. 

13. The intermediary and recipient 

must comply with Title VI of the Civil 

Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the 

Education Amendments of 1972, 

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 

1973, and Executive Order 12250. 

14. The grantee must comply with 

policies, guidance, and requirements as 

described in the following applicable 

OMB Circulars and Code of Federal 

Regulations: 

a. OMB Circular No. A–87 (Cost 

Principles Applicable to Grants, 

Contracts and Other Agreements with 

State and Local Governments); 

b. OMB Circular No. A–122 (Cost 

Principles for Nonprofit Organizations); 

c. OMB Circular No. A–133 (Audits of 

States, Local Governments, and NonProfit Organizations); 

d. 7 CFR part 3015 (Uniform Federal 

Assistance Regulations); 

e. 7 CFR part 3016 (Uniform 

Administrative Requirements for Grants 

and Cooperative Agreements to State 

and Local Governments); and 

f. 7 CFR part 3019 (Uniform 

Administrative Requirements for Grants 

and Agreements with Institutions of 

Higher Education, Hospitals, and Other 

Nonprofit Organizations). 

D. Reporting 

Reporting requirements can be found 

in the Grant Agreement included in this 

Notice. 

Part VII—Agency Contact 

William Kenney, Rural Housing 

Service, Room 0183, Stop 0787, 1400 

Independence Ave. SW., Washington, 

DC 20250–0787, Telephone (202) 720–

1506, E-mail: william.kenney@usda.gov. 

Part VIII—Other Information 

Rural Development State Office 

Responsibilities During the Application 

Process 

The State Office will review the 

application and provide the State 

Director’s written comments and 

recommendations to the National Office. 

Comments must include the following: 

1. Determine if each recipient listed in 

the application is located in an eligible 

rural area based on the RCDI definition 

of rural. 

2. Consult with other program areas 

regarding their experience with the 

intermediary or recipients, if any. 

3. Determine the compatibility of the 

application with the goals of the State’s 

strategic plan. 

4. Provide comments or 

recommendations pertaining to the 

application. 

Comments must be submitted to 

William Kenney within 3 weeks from 

the RCDI application deadline. 

Grant Amount Determination

In the event the applicant is awarded 

a grant that is less than the amount 

requested, the applicant will be required 

to modify its application to conform to 

the reduced amount before execution of 

the grant agreement. The Agency 

reserves the right to reduce or withdraw 

the award if acceptable modifications 

are not submitted by the awardee within 

15 working days from the date the 

request for modification is made. Any 

modifications must be within the scope 

of the original application. 

Rural Development State Office 

Contacts

Note: Telephone numbers listed are not 

toll-free.

Alabama State Office, Suite 601, 

Sterling Centre, 4121 Carmichael Road, 

Montgomery, AL 36106–3683, (334) 

279–3400, TDD (334) 279–3495, James 

B. Harris. 

Alaska State Office, 800 West 

Evergreen, Suite 201, Palmer, AK 99645, 

62646 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 207 / Wednesday, October 27, 2004 / Notices 

(907) 761–7705, TDD (907) 761–8905, 

Dean Stewart. 

Arizona State Office, Phoenix 

Corporate Center, 3003 N. Central Ave., 

Suite 900, Phoenix, AZ 85012–2906, 

(602) 280–8747, TDD (602) 280–8705, 

Leonard Gradillas. 

Arkansas State Office, 700 W. Capitol 

Ave., Rm. 3416, Little Rock, AR 72201–

3225, (501) 301–3250, TDD (501) 301–

3200, Jesse G. Sharp. 

California State Office, 430 G Street, 

Agency 4169, Davis, CA 95616–4169, 

(530) 792–5810, TDD (530) 792–5848, 

Janice Waddell. 

Colorado State Office, 655 Parfet 

Street, Room E100, Lakewood, CO 

80215, 720–544–2903, TDD 720–544–

2976, Scott Dare. 

Connecticut, Served by Massachusetts 

State Office. 

Delaware and Maryland State Office, 

4607 South DuPont Highway, P.O. Box 

400, Camden, DE 19934–0400, (302) 

697–4300, TDD (302) 697–4303, James 

E. Waters. 

Florida & Virgin Islands State Office, 

4440 NW. 25th Place, P.O. Box 147010, 

Gainesville, FL 32614–7010, (352) 338–

3440, TDD (352) 338–3499, Michael 

Langston. 

Georgia State Office, Stephens Federal 

Building, 355 E. Hancock Avenue, 

Athens, GA 30601–2768, (706) 546–

2171, TDD (706) 546–2034, Jerry M. 

Thomas. 

Guam, Served by Hawaii State Office. 

Hawaii, Guam, & Western Pacific 

Territories State Office, Room 311, 

Federal Building, 154 Waianuenue 

Avenue, Hilo, HI 96720, (808) 933–

8380, TDD (808) 933–8321, Ted Matsuo. 

Idaho State Office, 9173 West Barnes 

Dr., Suite A1, Boise, ID 83709, (208) 

378–5617, TDD (208) 378–5600, Daniel 

H. Fraser. 

Illinois State Office, 2118 West Park 

Court, Suite A, Champaign, IL 61821, 

(217) 403–6200, TDD (217) 403–6240, 

Gerald A. Townsend. 

Indiana State Office, 5975 Lakeside 

Boulevard, Indianapolis, IN 46278, (317) 

290–3100 (ext. 431), TDD (317) 290–

3343, Gregg Delp. 

Iowa State Office, 873 Federal 

Building, 210 Walnut Street, Des 

Moines, IA 50309, (515) 284–4663, TDD 

(515) 284–4858, Dorman Otte. 

Kansas State Office, 1303 SW. First 

American Place, Suite 100, Topeka, KS 

66604–4040, (785) 271–2730, TDD (785) 

271–2767, Gary L. Smith.

Kentucky State Office, 771 Corporate 

Drive, Suite 200, Lexington, KY 40503, 

(859) 224–7415, TDD (859) 224–7300, 

Vernon Brown. 

Louisiana State Office, 3727 

Government Street, Alexandria, LA 

71302, (318) 473–7940, TDD (318) 473–

7920, Danny H. Magee. 

Maine State Office, 967 Illinois Ave., 

Suite 4, P.O. Box 405, Bangor, ME 

04402–0405, (207) 990–9106, TDD (207) 

942–7331, Ron Lambert. 

Maryland, Served by Delaware State 

Office. 

Massachusetts, Connecticut, & Rhode 

Island State Office, 451 West Street, 

Amherst, MA 01002, (413) 253–4300, 

TDD (413) 253–7068, Daniel R. 

Beaudette. 

Michigan State Office, 3001 Coolidge 

Road, Suite 200, East Lansing, MI 

48823, (517) 324–5192, TDD (517) 337–

6795, Philip H. Wolak. 

Minnesota State Office, 410 AgriBank 

Building, 375 Jackson Street, St. Paul, 

MN 55101–1853, (651) 602–7800, TDD 

(651) 602–3799, Rick Jackson. 

Mississippi State Office, Federal 

Building, Suite 831, 100 W. Capitol 

Street, Jackson, MS 39269, (601) 965–

4316, TDD (601) 965–5850, Bette Oliver. 

Missouri State Office, 601 Business 

Loop 70 West, Parkade Center, Suite 

235, Columbia, MO 65203, (573) 876–

0995, TDD (573) 876–9480, D. Clark 

Thomas. 

Montana State Office, 900 Technology 

Blvd., Suite B, Bozeman, MT 59771, 

(406) 585–2530, TDD (406) 585–2562, 

Mitchell Copp. 

Nebraska State Office, Federal 

Building, Room 152, 100 Centennial 

Mall N., Lincoln, NE 68508, (402) 437–

5559, TDD (402) 437–5551, Denise 

Brosius-Meeks. 

Nevada State Office, 1390 South 

Curry Street, Carson City, NV 89703–

9910, (775) 887–1222 (ext. 26), TDD 

(775) 885–0633, Mike Holm. 

New Hampshire State Office, Concord 

Center, Suite 218, Box 317, 10 Ferry 

Street, Concord, NH 03301–5004, (603) 

223–6055, TDD (603) 223–6083, Everett 

Bailey. 

New Jersey State Office, 8000 

Midlantic Drive, 5th Floor North, Suite 

500, Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054, (856) 787–

7750, Michael P. Kelsey. 

New Mexico State Office, 6200 

Jefferson St. NE., Room 255, 

Albuquerque, NM 87109, (505) 761–

4950, TDD (505) 761–4938, Clyde F. 

Hudson. 

New York State Office, The Galleries 

of Syracuse, 441 S. Salina Street, Suite 

357, Syracuse, NY 13202–2541, (315) 

477–6400, TDD (315) 477–6447, Gail 

Giannotta. 

North Carolina State Office, 4405 

Bland Road, Suite 260, Raleigh, NC 

27609, (919) 873–2000, TDD (919) 873–

2003, Phyllis Godbold. 

North Dakota State Office, Federal 

Building, Room 208, 220 East Rosser, 

P.O. Box 1737, Bismarck, ND 58502–

1737, (701) 530–2037, TDD (701) 530–

2113, Donald Warren. 

Ohio State Office, Federal Building, 

Room 507, 200 North High Street, 

Columbus, OH 43215–2418, (614) 255–

2400, TDD (614) 255–2554, David M. 

Douglas.

Oklahoma State Office, 100 USDA, 

Suite 108, Stillwater, OK 74074–2654, 

(405) 742–1000, TDD (405) 742–1007, 

Michael W. Schrammel. 

Oregon State Office, 101 SW. Main, 

Suite 1410, Portland, OR 97204–3222, 

(503) 414–3300, TDD (503) 414–3387, 

Joe Sahlfeld. 

Pennsylvania State Office, One Credit 

Union Place, Suite 330, Harrisburg, PA 

17110–2996, (717) 237–2299, TDD (717) 

237–2261, Gary Rothrock. 

Puerto Rico State Office, IBM 

Building—Suite 601, 654 Munos Rivera 

Avenue, Hato Rey, PR 00918–6106, 

(787) 766–5095, TDD (787) 766–5332, 

Ramon Melendez. 

Rhode Island, Served by 

Massachusetts State Office. 

South Carolina State Office, Strom 

Thurmond Federal Building, 1835 

Assembly Street, Room 1007, Columbia, 

SC 29201, (803) 253–5163, TDD (803) 

765–5697, Larry D. Floyd. 

South Dakota State Office, Federal 

Building, Room 210, 200 Fourth Street, 

SW., Huron, SD 57350, (605) 352–1100, 

TDD (605) 352–1147, Sandra Mencke. 

Tennessee State Office, Suite 300, 

3322 West End Avenue, Nashville, TN 

37203–1084, (615) 783–1300, TDD (615) 

783–1397, Keith Head. 

Texas State Office, Federal Building, 

Suite 102, 101 South Main, Temple, TX 

76501, (254) 742–9700, TDD (254) 742–

9712, Francesco Valentin. 

Utah State Office, Wallace F. Bennett 

Federal Building, 125 South State 

Street, Room 4311, P.O. Box 11350, Salt 

Lake City, UT 84147–0350, (801) 524–

4326, TDD (801) 524–3309, Bonnie 

Carrig. 

Vermont State Office, City Center, 3rd 

Floor, 89 Main Street, Montpelier, VT 

05602, (802) 828–6000, TDD (802) 223–

6365, Rhonda Shippee. 

Virgin Islands, Served by Florida 

State Office. 

Virginia State Office, Culpeper 

Building, Suite 238, 1606 Santa Rosa 

Road, Richmond, VA 23229, (804) 287–

1550, TDD (804) 287–1753, Carrie 

Schmidt. 

Washington State Office, 1835 Black 

Lake Boulevard, SW., Suite B, Olympia, 

WA 98512–5715, (509) 664–0203, Sandi 

Boughton. 

Western Pacific Territories, Served by 

Hawaii State Office. 

West Virginia State Office, Federal 

Building, 75 High Street, Room 320, 

Morgantown, WV 26505–7500, (304) 

284–4860, TDD (304) 284–4836, Dianne 

Crysler. 

Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 207 / Wednesday, October 27, 2004 / Notices 62647

Wisconsin State Office, 4949 

Kirschling Court, Stevens Point, WI 

54481, (715) 345–7614, TDD (715) 345–

7610, Mark Brodziski. 

Wyoming State Office, Federal 

Building, Room 1005, 100 East B, P.O. 

Box 820, Casper, WY 82602, (307) 261–

6300, TDD (307) 261–6333, Jack Hyde.

Dated: October 9, 2004. 

Russell T. Davis, 

Administrator, Rural Housing Service.

OMB NO. 0575–0180 

United States Department of Agriculture, 

Rural Housing Service, Rural Community 

Development Initiative Grant Agreement 

THIS GRANT AGREEMENT (Agreement), 

effective the date the Agency official signs 

the document, is a contract for receipt of 

grant funds under the Rural Community 

Development Initiative (RCDI).

BETWEEN lllllllllllllll

a private or public or tribal organization, 

(Grantee or Intermediary) and the United 

States of America acting through the Rural 

Housing Service (the Agency), Department of 

Agriculture, (Grantor), for the benefit of 

recipients listed in Grantee’s application for 

the grant.

WITNESSETH:

The principal amount of the grant is 

$llll (Grant Funds). Matching funds, in 

an amount equal to the grant funds, will be 

provided by Grantee. The Grantee and 

Grantor will execute Form RD 1940–1, 

‘‘Request for Obligation of Funds.’’

Whereas,

Grantee will provide a program of financial 

and technical assistance to develop the 

capacity and ability of nonprofit 

organizations, low-income rural 

communities, or federally recognized tribes 

to undertake projects related to housing, 

community facilities, or community and 

economic development in rural areas; 

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act 

of 1995, no persons are required to respond 

to a collection of information unless it 

displays a valid OMB control number. The 

valid OMB control number for this 

information collection is 0575–0180. The 

time required to complete this information 

collection is estimated to average 30 minutes 

per response, including the time for 

reviewing instructions, searching existing 

data sources, gathering and maintaining the 

data needed, and reviewing the collection of 

information. 

Now, therefore, in consideration of the 

grant; 

Grantee agrees that Grantee will: 

A. Provide a program of financial and 

technical assistance in accordance with the 

proposal outlined in the application, (see 

Attachment A), the terms of which are 

incorporated with this Agreement and must 

be adhered to. Any changes to the approved 

program of financial technical assistance 

must be approved in writing by the Grantor; 

B. Use Grant Funds only for the purposes 

and activities specified in the application 

package approved by the Agency including 

the approved budget. Any uses not provided 

for in the approved budget must be approved 

in writing by the Agency in advance; 

C. Charge expenses for travel and per diem 

that will not exceed the rates paid Agency 

employees for similar expenses. Grantees and 

recipients will be restricted to traveling 

coach class on common carrier airlines. 

Lodging rates may exceed the Government 

rate by a maximum of 20 percent. Meals and 

incidental expenses will be reimbursed at the 

same rate used by Agency employees, which 

is based upon location. Mileage and gas will 

be reimbursed at the existing Government 

rate. Rates can be accessed on the Internet at 

http://policyworks.gov/perdiem;

D. Charge meeting expenses in accordance 

with 31 U.S.C. 1345. Grant funds may not be 

used for travel, transportation, and 

subsistence expenses for a meeting. Matching 

funds may be used to pay these expenses. 

Any meeting or training not delineated in the 

application must be approved by the Agency 

to verify compliance with 31 U.S.C. 1345.

E. Request quarterly reimbursement for 

grant activities during the previous quarter. 

Reimbursement will be made on a pro rata 

basis with matching funds. Form SF 270, 

‘‘Request for Advance or Reimbursement,’’

will be used to request reimbursement. A 

project performance report, in narrative form, 

and a financial report, reflecting the activities 

conducted, must accompany the request for 

reimbursement. Matching fund usage must be 

included in all reports. 

F. Provide periodic reports as required by 

the Grantor. A financial status report and a 

project performance report will be required 

on a quarterly basis (due 30 working days 

after each calendar quarter). The financial 

status report must show how grant funds and 

matching funds have been used to date. A 

final report may serve as the last quarterly 

report. Grantees shall constantly monitor 

performance to ensure that time schedules 

are being met and projected goals by time 

periods are being accomplished. The project 

performance reports shall include, but are 

not limited to, the following: 

1. Describe the activities that the funds 

reflected in the financial status report were 

used for; 

2. A comparison of actual 

accomplishments to the objectives for that 

period; 

3. Reasons why established objectives were 

not met, if applicable; 

4. Problems, delays, or adverse conditions 

which will affect attainment of overall 

program objectives, prevent meeting time 

schedules or objectives, or preclude the 

attainment of particular objectives during 

established time periods. This disclosure 

shall be accomplished by a statement of the 

action taken or planned to resolve the 

situation; 

5. Objectives and timetables established for 

the next reporting period; 

6. If available, a summary of the race, sex, 

and national origin of the recipients and a 

summary from the recipients of the race, sex, 

and national origin of the beneficiaries; and 

7. The final report will also address the 

following: 

(a) What have been the most challenging or 

unexpected aspects of this program? 

(b) What advice would you give to other 

organizations planning a similar program? 

Please include strengths and limitations of 

the program. If you had the opportunity, 

what would you have done differently? 

(c) Are there any post-grant plans for this 

project? If yes, how will they be financed? 

(d) If an innovative approach was used 

successfully, the grantee must describe their 

program in detail for replication by other 

organizations and communities. 

G. Consider potential recipients without 

discrimination as to race, color, religion, sex, 

national origin, age, marital status, sexual 

orientation, or physical or mental disability; 

H. Ensure that any services or training 

offered by the recipient, as a result of the 

financial and technical assistance received, 

must be made available to all persons in the 

recipient’s service area without 

discrimination as to race, color, religion, sex, 

national origin, age, marital status, sexual 

orientation, or physical or mental disability 

at reasonable rates, including assessments, 

taxes, or fees. Programs and activities must 

be delivered from accessible locations. The 

recipient must ensure that, where there are 

non-English speaking populations, materials 

are provided in the language that is spoken;

I. Ensure recipients are required to place 

nondiscrimination statements in 

advertisements, notices, pamphlets and 

brochures making the public aware of their 

services. The Grantee and recipient are 

required to provide widespread outreach and 

public notification in promoting any type of 

training or services that are available through 

grant funds; 

J. The Grantee must collect and maintain 

data on recipients by race, sex, and national 

origin. The grantee must ensure that their 

recipients also collect and maintain data on 

beneficiaries by race, sex, and national origin 

as required by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act 

of 1964 and must be provided to the Agency 

for compliance review purposes; 

K. Upon any default under its 

representations or agreements contained in 

this instrument, Grantee, at the option and 

demand of Grantor, will immediately repay 

to Grantor any legally permitted damages 

together with any legally permitted interest 

from the date of the default. At Grantor’s 

election, any default by the Grantee will 

constitute termination of the grant thereby 

causing cancellation of Federal assistance 

under the grant. The provisions of this 

Agreement may be enforced by Grantor, 

without regard to prior waivers of this 

Agreement, by proceedings in law or equity, 

in either Federal or State courts as may be 

deemed necessary by Grantor to ensure 

compliance with the provisions of this 

Agreement and the laws and regulations 

under which this grant is made; 

L. Provide Financial Management Systems 

that will include: 

1. Accurate, current, and complete 

disclosure of the financial results of each 

grant. Financial reporting will be on an 

accrual basis; 

2. Records that identify adequately the 

source and application of funds for grantsupported activities. Those records shall 

contain information pertaining to grant 

awards and authorizations, obligations, 

unobligated balances, assets, liabilities, 

outlays, and income related to Grant Funds 

and matching funds; 

62648 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 207 / Wednesday, October 27, 2004 / Notices 

3. Effective control over and accountability 

for all funds, property, and other assets. 

Grantees shall adequately safeguard all such 

assets and shall ensure that they are used 

solely for authorized purposes; 

4. Accounting records supported by source 

documentation; and 

5. Grantee tracking of fund usage and 

records that show matching funds and grant 

funds are used in equal proportions. The 

grantee will provide verifiable 

documentation regarding matching fund 

usage, i.e., bank statements or copies of 

funding obligations from the matching 

source. 

M. Retain financial records, supporting 

documents, statistical records, and all other 

records pertinent to the grant for a period of 

at least three years after grant closing except 

that the records shall be retained beyond the 

three-year period if audit findings have not 

been resolved. Microfilm or photocopies or 

similar methods may be substituted in lieu of 

original records. The Grantor and the 

Comptroller General of the United States, or 

any of their duly authorized representatives, 

shall have access to any books, documents, 

papers, and records of the Grantee’s which 

are pertinent to the specific grant program for 

the purpose of making audits, examinations, 

excerpts, and transcripts; 

N. Provide an A–133 audit report if 

$500,000 or more of Federal funds are 

expended in a 1-year period. If Federal funds 

expended during a 1-year period are less than 

$500,000 and there is an outstanding loan 

balance of $500,000 or more, an audit in 

accordance with generally accepted 

government auditing standards is required. If 

Federal funds expended during a 1-year 

period are less than $500,000 and there is an 

outstanding loan balance of less than 

$500,000, a management report may be 

submitted on Forms RD 442–2, ‘‘Statement of 

Budget, Income and Equity,’’ and 442–3, 

‘‘Balance Sheet’’; 

O. Not encumber, transfer, or dispose of 

the equipment or any part thereof, acquired 

wholly or in part with Grantor funds without 

the written consent of the Grantor; and 

P. Not duplicate other program activities 

for which monies have been received, are 

committed, or are applied to from other 

sources (public or private). 

Grantor agrees that: 

A. It will make available to Grantee for the 

purpose of this Agreement funds in an 

amount not to exceed the Grant Funds. The 

funds will be disbursed to Grantee on a pro 

rata basis with the Grantee’s matching funds; 

and 

B. At its sole discretion and at any time 

may give any consent, deferment, 

subordination, release, satisfaction, or 

termination of any or all of Grantee’s grant 

obligations, with or without valuable 

consideration, upon such terms and 

conditions as Grantor may determine to be: 

1. Advisable to further the purpose of the 

grant or to protect Grantor’s financial interest 

therein; and 

2. Consistent with both the statutory 

purposes of the grant and the limitations of 

the statutory authority under which it is 

made. 

Both Parties Agree:

A. Extensions of this grant agreement may 

be approved by the Agency, in writing, 

provided in the Agency’s sole discretion the 

extension is justified and there is a likelihood 

that the grantee can accomplish the goals set 

out and approved in the application package 

during the extension period; 

B. The Grantor must approve any changes 

in recipient or recipient composition; 

C. The Grantor has agreed to give the 

Grantee the Grant Funds, subject to the terms 

and conditions established by the Grantor: 

Provided however, That any Grant Funds 

actually disbursed and not needed for grant 

purposes be returned immediately to the 

Grantor. This agreement shall terminate 3 

years from this date unless extended or 

unless terminated beforehand due to default 

on the part of the Grantee or for convenience 

of the Grantor and Grantee. The Grantor may 

terminate the grant in whole, or in part, at 

any time before the date of completion, 

whenever it is determined that the Grantee 

has failed to comply with the conditions of 

this Agreement or the applicable regulations; 

D. As a condition of the Agreement, the 

Grantee certifies that it is in compliance 

with, and will comply in the course of the 

Agreement with, all applicable laws, 

regulations, Executive Orders, and other 

generally applicable requirements, which are 

incorporated into this agreement by 

reference, and such other statutory 

provisions as are specifically contained 

herein. The Grantee will comply with title VI 

of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, section 504 

of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and 

Executive Order 12250; 

E. The Grantee will ensure that the 

recipients comply with title VI of the Civil 

Rights Act of 1964, section 504 of the 

Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Executive 

Order 12250. Each recipient must sign Form 

RD 400–4, ‘‘Assurance Agreement’’; 

F. The provisions of 7 CFR part 3015, 

‘‘Uniform Federal Assistance Regulations,’’

part 3016, ‘‘Uniform Administrative 

Requirements for Grants and Cooperative 

Agreements to State and Local 

Governments,’’ or part 3019, ‘‘Uniform 

Administrative Requirements for Grants and 

Agreements with Institutions of Higher 

Education, Hospitals, and Other Nonprofit 

Organizations,’’ and the fiscal year 2003 

‘‘Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA) 

Inviting Applications for the Rural 

Community Development Initiative (RCDI)’’

are incorporated herein and made a part 

hereof by reference; and 

G. This Agreement may be terminated for 

cause in the event of default on the part of 

the Grantee or for convenience of the Grantor 

and Grantee prior to the date of completion 

of the grant purpose. Termination for 

convenience will occur when both the 

Grantee and Grantor agree that the 

continuation of the program will not produce 

beneficial results commensurate with the 

further expenditure of funds. 

In Witness Whereof, Grantee has this day 

authorized and caused this Agreement to be 

executed by

lllllllllllllllllllll

Attest

lllllllllllllllllllll

By lllllllllllllllllll

(Grantee)

(Title) lllllllllllllllll

Date llllllllllllllllll

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA RURAL 

HOUSING SERVICE

By lllllllllllllllllll

(Grantor) (Name) (Title)

Date llllllllllllllllll

Attachment A 

[Application proposal submitted by 

grantee.]

[FR Doc. 04–24013 Filed 10–26–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–XV–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

[I.D. 102104E]

Submission for OMB Review; 

Comment Request

The Department of Commerce has 

submitted to the Office of Management 

and Budget (OMB) for clearance the 

following proposal for collection of 

information under the provisions of the 

Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 

Chapter 35).

Agency: National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Title: Southwest Region Vessel 

Identification Requirements.

Form Number(s): None.

OMB Approval Number: 0648–0361.

Type of Request: Regular submission.

Burden Hours: 1,130.

Number of Respondents: 1,481.

Average Hours Per Response: 45 

minutes.

Needs and Uses: Vessels in the West 

Coast Highly Migratory Species fishery 

would be required to display the 

vessel’s official number in three 

locations (port and starboard sides of 

the deckhouse or hull, and on an 

appropriate weather deck). The 

requirement is necessary to aid 

enforcement of fishery regulations.

Affected Public: Business or other forprofit organizations, and individuals or 

households.

Frequency: Third party disclosure.

Respondent’s Obligation: Mandatory.

OMB Desk Officer: David Rostker, 

(202) 395-3897.

Copies of the above information 

collection proposal can be obtained by 

calling or writing Diana Hynek, 

Departmental Paperwork Clearance 

Officer, (202) 482–0266, Department of 

Commerce, Room 6625, 14th and 

Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, 

DC 20230 (or via the Internet at 

dHynek@doc.gov).

Written comments and 

recommendations for the proposed 

information collection should be sent