[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 80 (Tuesday, April 25, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24175-24177]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-10227]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Business-Cooperative Service


Inviting Preapplications for Rural Cooperative Development Grants

AGENCY: Rural Business-Cooperative Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of funding availability.

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SUMMARY: The Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBS) announces the 
availability of approximately $4 million in competive Rural Cooperative 
Development Grant (RCDG) funds for fiscal year (FY) 2000. Of this 
amount, $1.5 million will be reserved for preapplications whose focus 
is on assistance to small, minority producers through their cooperative 
businesses. The intended effect of this notice is to solicit 
preapplications for FY 2000 and award grants before September 1, 2000.

DATES: The deadline for receipt of a preapplication is June 2, 2000. 
Preapplications received after that date will not be considered. 
Preapplications should be sent to the State Rural Development Offices 
(see attached list for addresses).

ADDRESSES: Entities wishing to apply for assistance should contact 
their USDA Rural Development State office to receive further 
information and copies of the preapplication package.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James E. Haskell, Assistant Deputy 
Administrator, Cooperative Services, Rural Business-Cooperative 
Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Stop 3250, Room 4016, South 
Agriculture Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 
20250-3250. Telephone (202) 720-8460.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Rural Technology and Cooperative 
Development Grants (RTCDG) program is authorized by section 310B(e) of 
the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932) and 
regulations are contained in 7 CFR part 4284, subpart F. The primary 
objective of the RCDG program is to improve the economic condition of 
rural areas through cooperative development. The program is 
administered through USDA Rural Development State offices acting on 
behalf of RBS.
    Grants will be awarded on a competitive basis to nonprofit 
corporations and institutions of higher education based on specific 
selection criteria. The priorities described in this paragraph will be 
used by RBS to rate preapplications. RBS review of preapplications will 
include the complete preapplication package submitted to the Rural 
Development State office. Points will be distributed according to 
ranking with other preapplications.
    (a) Priority will be given to applications that:
    (1) Demonstrate a proven track record in administering a nationally 
coordinated or regionally or State-wide operated project;
    (2) Demonstrate previous expertise in providing technical 
assistance to cooperatives in rural areas;
    (3) Demonstrate the ability to assist in the retention of business, 
facilitate the establishment of cooperatives and new cooperative 
approaches, or generate employment opportunities that will improve the 
economic conditions of rural areas;
    (4) Demonstrate the ability to create horizontal linkages among 
cooperative businesses within and among various sectors in rural areas 
of the United States and vertical linkages to domestic and 
international markets;
    (5) Provide technical assistance and other services to underserved 
and economically distressed rural areas of the United States;
    (6) Commit to providing greater than a 25 percent matching 
contribution with private funds and in-kind contributions;
    (7) Evidence transferability or demonstration value to assist rural 
areas outside of project area; and
    (8) Demonstrate that any cooperative development activity is 
consistent with positive environmental stewardship.

Fiscal Year 2000 Preapplication Submission

    Preapplications must include a clear statement of the goals and 
objectives of the project and a plan which describes the proposed 
project as required by the statute and 7 CFR part 4284, subpart F. Each 
preapplication received in the State office will be reviewed to 
determine if the preapplication is consistent with the eligible 
purposes outlined in 7 CFR part 4284, subpart F. Preapplications 
without supportive data to address selection criteria will not be 
considered. Also, since the cooperative center concept is to provide a 
wide range of technical assistance services, including feasibility 
analysis, to all cooperatives or potential cooperatives within the 
project area, preapplications that focus on a single cooperative will 
not be considered. Copies of 7 CFR part 4284, subpart F, will be 
provided to any interested applicant by making a request to the Rural 
Development State office or RBS National office.

Preapplications must be completed and submitted to the State Rural 
Development office as soon as possible, but no later than June 2, 2000. 
Preapplications received after June 2 will not be considered.

    Preapplications must contain the documentation delineated in 7 CFR 
4284.528. For ease of locating information, please include in each 
preapplication information as follows:
    (a) A detailed Table of Contents containing page numbers for each 
component of the preapplication.
    (b) A project summary of 250 words or less on a separate page. This 
page should include the title of the project and the names of the 
primary project contacts and the applicant organization, followed by 
the summary. The summary should be self-contained and should describe 
the overall goals, relevance of the project, and a listing of all 
organizations involved in the project. The project summary should 
immediately follow the Table of Contents.
    (c) A separate one-page information sheet which lists each of the 
eight evaluation criteria followed by the page

[[Page 24176]]

numbers of all relevant material and documentation contained in the 
preapplication which supports that criteria. This page should 
immediately follow the project summary; and
    (d) For applicants who have received funding under the Rural 
Cooperative Development Grant program in FY 1997, FY 1998, or FY 1999 a 
summation, not to exceed three pages, of progress and results for all 
projects funded fully or partially by the RCDG program in those years, 
including the status of cooperative businesses organized and all 
eligible grant purpose activities listed under 7 CFR 4284.515.
    The National office will score applications based only on the grant 
selection criteria contained in 7 CFR part 4284, subpart F and listed 
above, and will select awardees subject to the availability of funds 
and the awardee's satisfactory submission of a formal application and 
related materials in accordance with subpart F. Entities submitting 
preapplications that are selected for award will be invited by the 
State office to submit a formal application prior to September 1. It is 
anticipated that grant awardees will be selected by September 1, 2000.

    Dated: April 17, 2000.
Dayton Watkins,
Administrator, Rural Business-Cooperative Services.

U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development State Offices (Revised 
00/04/19)

ALABAMA

USDA Rural Development State Office
Sterling Center, Suite 601
4121 Carmichael Road
Montgomery, AL 36106-3683

ALASKA

USDA Rural Development State Office
800 West Evergreen, Suite 201
Palmer, AK 99645-6539

ARIZONA

USDA Rural Development State Office
3003 North Central Avenue, Suite 900
Phoenix, AZ 85012-2906

ARKANSAS

USDA Rural Development State Office
700 West Capitol Ave., Room 3416
Little Rock, AR 72201-3225

CALIFORNIA

USDA Rural Development State Office
430 G Street, Agency 4169
Davis, CA 95616-4169

COLORADO

USDA Rural Development State Office
655 Parfet Street, Room E-100
Lakewood, CO 80215

DELAWARE-MARYLAND

USDA Rural Development State Office
4607 South Dupont Hwy
P.O. Box 400
Camden, DE 19934-9998

GEORGIA

USDA Rural Development State Office
Stephens Federal Building
355 E. Hancock Avenue
Athens, GA 30601-2768

HAWAII

USDA Rural Development State Office
Federal Building, Room 311
154 Waianuenue Avenue
Hilo, HI 96720

IDAHO

USDA Rural Development State Office
9173 West Barnes Dr., Suite A1
Boise, ID 83709

ILLINOIS

USDA Rural Development State Office
Illini Plaza, Suite 103
1817 South Neil Street
Champaign, IL 61820

INDIANA

USDA Rural Development State Office
5975 Lakeside Boulevard
Indianapolis, IN 46278

IOWA

USDA Rural Development State Office
Federal Building, Room 873
210 Walnut Street
Des Moines, IA 50309

KANSAS

USDA Rural Development State Office
1200 SW Executive Drive
P.O. Box 4653
Topeka, KS 66615

LOUISIANA

USDA Rural Development State Office
3727 Government Street
Alexandria, LA 71302

MAINE

USDA Rural Development State Office
444 Stillwater Avenue, Suite 2
P.O. Box 405
Bangor, ME 04402-0405

MASS/RI/CONN

USDA Rural Development State Office
451 West Street
Amherst, MA 01002

MICHIGAN

USDA Rural Development State Office
3001 Coolidge Road, Suite 200
East Lansing, MI 48823

MINNESOTA

USDA Rural Development State Office
410 AgriBank Building
375 Jackson Street
St. Paul, MN 55101-1853

MISSISSIPPI

USDA Rural Development State Office
Federal Building, Suite 831
100 West Capitol Street
Jackson, MS 39269

MISSOURI

USDA Rural Development State Office
601 Business Loop 70 West
Parkade Center, Suite 235
Columbia, MO 65203

FLORIDA/VI

USDA Rural Development State Office
4440 NW 25th Place
P.O. Box 147010
Gainesville, FL 32614-7010

NEBRASKA

USDA Rural Development State Office
Federal Building, Room 152
100 Centennial Mall N
Lincoln, NE 68508

NEVADA

USDA Rural Development State Office
1390 South Curry Street
Carson City, NV 89703-9910

NEW JERSEY

USDA Rural Development State Office
Transfield Plaza, Suite 22
790 Woodlane Road
Mt. Holly, NJ 08060

NEW MEXICO

USDA Rural Development State Office
6200 Jefferson Street NE, Room 255
Albuquerque, NM 87109

NEW YORK

USDA Rural Development State Office
The Galleries of Syracuse
441 South Salina Street Suite 357
Syracuse, NY 13202-2541

NORTH CAROLINA

USDA Rural Development State Office
4405 Bland Road, Suite 260
Raleigh, NC 27609

KENTUCKY

USDA Rural Development State Office
771 Corporate Drive, Suite 200
Lexington, KY 40503

OKLAHOMA

USDA Rural Development State Office
100 USDA, Suite 108
Stillwater, OK 74074-2654

OREGON

USDA Rural Development State Office
101 SW Main Street, Suite 1410
Portland, OR 97204-3222

PENNSYLVANIA

USDA Rural Development State Office
One Credit Union Place, Suite 330
Harrisburg, PA 17110-2996

PUERTO RICO

USDA Rural Development State Office
New San Juan Office Building, Rm. 501
159 Carlos E. Chardon Street
Hato Rey, PR 00918-5481

SOUTH CAROLINA

USDA Rural Development State Office
Strom Thurmond Federal Building
1835 Assembly Street, Room 1007
Columbia, SC 29201

SOUTH DAKOTA

USDA Rural Development State Office
Federal Building, Room 210

[[Page 24177]]

200 4th Street SW
Huron, SD 57350

MONTANA

USDA Rural Development State Office
Unit 1, Suite B
P.O. Box 850
900 Technology Boulevard
Bozeman, MT 59715

UTAH

USDA Rural Development State Office
Wallace F. Bennett Federal Building
125 South State Street, Room 4311
P.O. Box 11350
Salt Lake City, UT 84147-0350

VERMONT/NH

USDA Rural Development State Office
City Center, 3rd Floor, 89 Main Street
Montpelier, VT 05602

VIRGINIA

USDA Rural Development State Office
Culpeper Building, Suite 238
1606 Santa Rosa Road
Richmond, VA 23229

WASHINGTON

USDA Rural Development State Office
1835 Blacklake Boulevard, SW.
Suite B
Olympia, WA 98512-5715

WEST VIRGINIA

USDA Rural Development State Office
75 High Street, Room 320
Morgantown, WV 26505-7500

WISCONSIN

USDA Rural Development State Office
4949 Kirschling Court
Stevens Point, WI 54481

NORTH DAKOTA

USDA Rural Development State Office
Federal Building, Room 208
220 East Rosser, P.O. Box 1737
Bismarck, ND 58502-1737

OHIO

USDA Rural Development State Office
Federal Building, Room 507
200 North High Street
Columbus, OH 43215-2477

TENNESSEE

USDA Rural Development State Office
3322 West End Avenue, Suite 300
Nashville, TN 37203-1084

TEXAS

USDA Rural Development State Office
Federal Building, Suite 102
101 South Main
Temple, TX 76501

WYOMING

USDA Rural Development State Office
100 East B, Federal Building, Rm 1005
P.O. Box 820
Casper, WY 82602

[FR Doc. 00-10227 Filed 4-24-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-XY-P