15578 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 61 / Friday, March 30, 2007 / Notices 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Commodity Credit Corporation 

Notice of Funds Availability: Inviting 

Applications for the Market Access 

Program 

Announcement Type: New. 

Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance (CFDA) Number: 10.601. 

SUMMARY: The Commodity Credit 

Corporation (CCC) announces that it is 

inviting proposals for the 2008 Market 

Access Program (MAP). The intended 

effect of this notice is to solicit 

applications from eligible applicants 

and award funds in October 2007. The 

MAP is administered by personnel of 

the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS). 

DATES: All applications must be 

received by 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight 

Time, May 14, 2007. Applications 

received after this date will not be 

considered. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Entities wishing to apply for funding 

assistance should contact the Program 

Policy Staff, Foreign Agricultural 

Service, Portals Office Building, Suite 

400, 1250 Maryland Avenue, SW., 

Washington, DC 20024, phone: (202) 

720–4327, fax: (202) 720–9361, e-mail: 

ppsadmin@fas.usda.gov. Information is 

also available on the Foreign 

Agricultural Service Web site at http:// 

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

map.asp. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Funding Opportunity Description 

Authority: The MAP is authorized 

under Section 203 of the Agricultural 

Trade Act of 1978, as amended. MAP 

regulations appear at 7 CFR part 1485. 

Purpose: The MAP is designed to 

create, expand and maintain foreign 

markets for United States’ agricultural 

commodities and products through costshare assistance. Financial assistance 

under the MAP will be made available 

on a competitive basis and applications 

will be reviewed against the evaluation 

criteria contained herein. All 

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 and the USDA’s 

Food and Agricultural Policy (FAP). In 

deciding whether a proposed project 

will contribute to the effective creation, 

expansion, or maintenance of foreign 

markets, the FAS seeks to identify 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 and FAP. 

II. Award Information 

Under the MAP, the CCC enters into 

agreements with eligible participants to 

share the costs of certain overseas 

marketing and promotion activities. 

MAP participants may receive 

assistance for either generic or brand 

promotion activities. The program 

generally operates on a reimbursement 

basis. 

III. Eligibility Information 

1. Eligible Applicants. To participate 

in the MAP, an applicant must be: a 

nonprofit U.S. agricultural trade 

organization, a nonprofit state regional 

trade group (i.e., an association of State 

Departments of Agriculture), a U.S. 

agricultural cooperative, or a State 

agency. A small-sized U.S. commercial 

entity (other than a cooperative or 

producer association) may participate 

through a MAP participant. 

2. Cost Sharing. To participate in the 

MAP, an applicant must agree to 

contribute resources to its proposed 

promotional activities. The MAP is 

intended to supplement, not supplant, 

the efforts of the U.S. private sector. In 

the case of generic promotion, the 

contribution must be stated in dollars 

and be at least 10 percent of the value 

of resources provided by CCC for such 

generic promotion. In the case of brand 

promotion, the contribution must be 

stated in dollars and be at least 50 

percent of the total cost of such brand 

promotion. 

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 MAP regulations, in 

section 1485.13 (c), 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 that are 

interested in applying for MAP funds 

are encouraged to submit their requests 

using the Unified Export Strategy (UES) 

format. The UES allows interested 

entities to submit a consolidated and 

strategically coordinated single proposal 

that incorporates requests for funding 

and recommendations for virtually all 

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 that they 

face, 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 are not required, however, to 

use the UES format. Organizations can 

submit applications in the UES format 

by two methods. The first allows an 

applicant to submit information directly 

to the FAS through the UES application 

Internet Web site. The FAS highly 

recommends applying via the Internet, 

as this format virtually eliminates 

paperwork and expedites the FAS 

processing and review cycle. Applicants 

also have the option of submitting 

electronic versions (along with two 

paper copies) of their applications to the 

FAS on compact disc. 

Applicants planning to use the 

Internet-based system must contact the 

FAS Program Policy Staff on (202) 720– 

4327 to obtain site access information. 

The Internet-based application, 

including a Help file containing step-bystep instructions for its use, may be 

found at the following URL address: 

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

cooperators.html. 

Applicants who choose to submit 

applications on a compact disk can 

obtain an application format by 

contacting the Program Policy Staff on 

(202) 720–4327. 

2. Content and Form of Application 

Submission. To be considered for the 

MAP, an applicant must submit to the 

FAS information required by the MAP 

regulations in section 1485.13. In 

addition, in accordance with the Office 

of Management and Budget’s issuance of 

a final policy (68 FR 38402 (June 

27,2003)) regarding the need to identify 

entities that are receiving government 

awards, all applicants must submit a 


jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES3
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 61 / Friday, March 30, 2007 / Notices 15579 

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. 

Incomplete applications and 

applications which do not otherwise 

conform to this announcement will not 

be accepted for review. 

The FAS administers various other 

agricultural export assistance programs 

including the Foreign Market 

Development Cooperator (Cooperator) 

Program, Cochran Fellowships, the 

Emerging Markets Program, the Quality 

Samples Program, the Technical 

Assistance for Specialty Crops Program 

and several Export Credit Guarantee 

programs. Any organization that is not 

interested in applying for the MAP but 

would like to request assistance through 

one of the other programs mentioned 

should contact the Program Policy Staff 

on (202) 720–4327. 

3. Submission Dates and Times. All 

applications must be received by 5 p.m. 

Eastern Daylight Time, May 14, 2007. 

All MAP applicants, regardless of the 

method of submitting an application, 

also must submit by the application 

deadline, via hand delivery or U.S. mail, 

an original signed certification 

statement as specified in 7 CFR 1485.13 

(a)(2)(i)(G). 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 will not reimburse 

unreasonable expenditures or 

expenditures made prior to approval. 

Full details are available in the MAP 

regulations in section 1485.16. 

5. Other Submission Requirements 

and Considerations. All Internet-based 

applications must be properly submitted 

by 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, May 

14, 2007. Signed certification statements 

also must be received by that time at 

one of the addresses listed below. 

All applications on compact disc 

(with two accompanying paper copies 

and a signed certification statement) and 

any other form of application must be 

received by 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight 

Time, May 14, 2007, at one of the 

following addresses: 

Hand Delivery (including FedEx, 

DHL, UPS, etc.): U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural 

Service, Program Policy Staff, Portals 

Office Building, Suite 400, 1250 

Maryland Ave., SW., Washington, DC 

20024. 

U.S. Postal Delivery: U.S. Department 

of Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural 

Service, Program Policy Staff, Stop 

1042, 1400 Independence Ave., SW., 

Washington, DC 20250–1042. 

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 MAP 

funds. 

(1) Phase I—Sufficiency Review and 

FAS Divisional Review 

Applications received by the closing 

date will be reviewed by the FAS to 

determine the eligibility of the 

applicants and the completeness of the 

applications. These requirements appear 

at sections 1485.12 and 1485.13 of the 

MAP regulations. Applications that 

meet the requirements then will be 

further evaluated by the proper 

Commodity Branch in FAS’ Market 

Development and Grants Management 

Division. The Commodity Branch will 

review each application against the 

criteria listed in section 1485.14 of the 

MAP regulations. The purpose of this 

review is to identify meritorious 

proposals and to recommend an 

appropriate funding level for each 

application based upon these criteria. 

(2) Phase 2—Competitive Review 

Meritorious .applications then will be 

passed on to the Office of the Deputy 

Administrator, Office of Trade 

Programs, for the purpose of allocating 

available funds among the applicants. 

Applications will compete for funds on 

the basis of the following allocation 

criteria (the number in parentheses 

represents a percentage weight factor): 

(a) Applicant’s Contribution Level (40) 

* The applicant’s 4-year average 

share (2004–2008) of all contributions 

(cash and goods and services provided 

by U.S. entities in support of overseas 

marketing and promotion activities) 

compared to 

* The applicant’s 4-year average 

share (2004–2008) of the funding level 

for all MAP participants. 

(b) Past Performance (30) 

* The 3-year average share (2004–

2006) of the value of exports promoted 

by the applicant compared to 

* The applicant’s 2-year average 

share (2005–2007) of the funding level 

for all MAP applicants plus, for those 

groups participating in the Cooperator 

program, the 2-year average share 

(2006–2007) of Cooperator marketing 

plan budgets, and the share for 2005 of 

foreign overhead provided for colocation within a U.S. agricultural 

office; 

(c) Projected Export Goals (15) 

* The total dollar value of projected 

exports promoted by the applicant for 

2007 compared to 

* The applicant’s requested funding 

level; 

(d) Accuracy of Past Projections (15) 

* Actual exports for 2005 as reported 

in the 2007 MAP application compared 

to 

* Past projections of exports for 2005 

as specified in the 2005 MAP 

application. 

The Commodity Branches’

recommended funding levels for each 

applicant are converted to percentages 

of the total MAP funds available then 

multiplied by each weight factor as 

described above to determine the 

amount of funds allocated to each 

applicant. 

2. Anticipated Announcement Date. 

Announcements of funding decisions 

for the MAP are anticipated during 

October 2007. 

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 agreement will 

specify the terms and conditions 

applicable to the project, including the 

levels of MAP funding and cost-share 

contribution requirements. 

2. Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements. Interested parties should 

review the MAP regulations which are 

available at the following URL address: 

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

map.asp. Hard copies may be obtained 

by contacting PPS at (202) 720–4327. 

3. Reporting. The FAS requires 

various reports and evaluations from 

MAP participants. Reporting 

requirements are detailed in the MAP 

regulations in section 1485 .20(b) and 

(c). 

VII. Agency Contact(s) 

For additional information and 

assistance, contact the Program Policy 

Staff, Foreign Agricultural Service, U.S. 

Department of Agriculture, Portals 

Office Building, Suite 400, Stop 1042, 

1250 Maryland Avenue, SW., 

Washington, DC 20024, phone: (202) 

720–4327, fax: (202) 720–9361, e-mail: 

ppsdmin@fas.usda.gov. 

W. Kirk Miller, 

Administrator, Foreign Agricultural Service, 

and Vice President, Commodity Credit 

Corporation. 

[FR Doc. 07–1590 Filed 3–29–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–10–M 


jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES3