60176 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 168 / Thursday, August 31, 2023 / Notices 

After the public comment period 

ends, the MS TIG will consider all 

comments received and address them in 

the Final RP4 and EA. 

Public Availability of Comments 

Before including your address, phone 

number, email address, or other 

personal identifying information in your 

comment, you should be aware that 

your entire comment—including your 

personal identifying information—may 

be made publicly available at any time. 

While you can ask us in your comment 

to withhold your personal identifying 

information from public review, we 

cannot guarantee that we will be able to 

do so. 

Translation Opportunities 

Vietnamese and Spanish translated 

materials including the Executive 

Summary and project fact sheets are 

posted in the ‘‘News’’ section of the MS 

TIG website: http://

www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/ 

restoration-areas/mississippi. 

Administrative Record 

The documents comprising the 

Administrative Record for the Draft RP4 

and EA can be viewed electronically at 

https://www.doi.gov/deepwaterhorizon/ 

adminrecord under the folder 6.5.6.2.4. 

Authority 

The authority for this action is OPA, 

its implementing NRDA regulations in 

15 CFR part 990, and NEPA (42 U.S.C. 

4321–4347) and its implementing 

regulations in 40 CFR 1500–1508. 

Ronald Howard, 

Senior Technical Advisor, Natural Resource 

Specialist, Natural Resources Conservation 

Service, and U.S. Department of Agriculture, 

Alternate to Principal Representative. 

[FR Doc. 2023–18774 Filed 8–30–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–16–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Rural Housing Service 

[Docket No. RHS–23–CF–0009] 

Announcement of the Availability of 

Fiscal Year 2023 Disaster Relief 

Supplemental Grant Funds for the 

Community Facilities Technical 

Assistance and Training Grant 

Program for Fiscal Year 2023 

AGENCY: Rural Housing Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of funding of availability 

(NOFA). 

SUMMARY: The Rural Housing Service 

(RHS or the Agency), a Rural 

Development (RD) agency of the United 

States Department of Agriculture 

(USDA), announces that it is accepting 

applications under the Consolidated 

Appropriations Act, 2023, for the 

Community Facilities Technical 

Assistance and Training Disaster Repair 

Grant Program to provide technical 

assistance for repairing essential 

community facilities damaged by 

Presidentially declared disasters in 

calendar year 2022. The funding amount 

is up to $2,500,000 and will remain 

available until expended. The grant 

funds will be administered in 

accordance with this notice of funding 

availability and all applicable statutory 

and regulatory requirements of the 

Community Facilities Technical 

Assistance and Training (CF TAT) Grant 

Program. 

DATES: Complete applications for grants 

must be submitted according to the 

following deadlines: 

Paper submissions: Paper submissions 

must be received by the Agency no later 

than 4:00 p.m. local time on November 

29, 2023 to be eligible for funding under 

this grant opportunity. Late or 

incomplete applications will not be 

eligible for funding. 

Electronic submissions: Electronic 

applications will be accepted via 

Grants.gov. The deadline for receipt of 

an electronic application via Grants.gov 

is 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on November 

24, 2023. The application dates and 

times are firm. The Agency will not 

consider any application received after 

the deadline. To submit an electronic 

application, follow the instructions for 

the CF TAT Disaster Repair Grant 

Program funding announcement located 

at http://www.grants.gov. 

Prior to official submission of 

applications, applicants may request 

technical assistance or other application 

guidance from the Agency, as long as 

such requests are made prior to 

November 14, 2023. Technical 

assistance is not meant to be an analysis 

or assessment of the quality of the 

materials submitted, a substitute for 

agency review of completed 

applications, nor a determination of 

eligibility, if such determination 

requires in-depth analysis. The Agency 

will not solicit or consider scoring or 

eligibility information that is submitted 

after the application deadline. The 

Agency reserves the right to contact 

applicants to seek clarification 

information on materials contained in 

the submitted application. 

ADDRESSES: This funding announcement 

will be announced on www.Grants.gov. 

Paper applications must be submitted to 

the USDA Rural Development State 

Office (RDSO) for the State where the 

Applicant is headquartered. For Projects 

involving multiple states, the 

application must be filed in the RDSO 

where the Applicant is located. 

Applicants are encouraged to contact 

their respective RDSO for an address to 

submit an application prior to the 

submission deadline date. Applicants 

may also request paper application 

packages from their respective RDSO. A 

list of the USDA RDSO contacts can be 

found at: https://www.rd.usda.gov/ 

about-rd/state-offices. 

Entities applying for assistance may 

download the application documents 

and requirements delineated in this 

notice from: https://www.Grants.gov. 

Application information for electronic 

submissions may be found at http://

www.Grants.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Nathan Chitwood, Special Projects 

Coordinator at email address 

nathan.chitwood@usda.gov, United 

States Department of Agriculture, Rural 

Development, Business Loop 70 West, 

Suite 235, Columbia, MO 65203; or via 

telephone at: 573–876–0965. For further 

information on submitting program 

applications under this notice, please 

contact the USDA RDSO in the state 

where the applicant’s headquarters is 

located. A list of RDSO contacts is 

provided at the following link: https:// 

www.rd.usda.gov/about-rd/state-offices. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Overview 

Federal Awarding Agency Name: 

Rural Housing Service (RHS). 

Funding Opportunity Title: 

Community Facilities Technical 

Assistance and Training Disaster Repair 

Grant. 

Announcement Type: Notice of 

Funding of Availability (NOFA). 

Funding Opportunity Number: 

USDA–RD–CFDTAT–2023. 

Assistance Listing: 10.766. 

Dates: Applications must be 

submitted using one of the following 

methods: 

• Paper submissions: The deadline 

for receipt of a paper application is 4:00 

p.m. local time, November 29, 2023. 

Applicants intending to mail 

applications must provide sufficient 

time to permit delivery on or before the 

closing deadline date and time. 

Acceptance by the United States Postal 

Service or private mailer does not 

constitute delivery. Facsimile (FAX), 

electronic mail, and postage due 

applications will not be accepted. 

• Electronic submissions: Electronic 

applications will be accepted via 

Grants.gov. The deadline for receipt of 

an electronic application via Grants.gov 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 168 / Thursday, August 31, 2023 / Notices 60177 

is 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on November 

24, 2023. The application dates and 

times are firm. The Agency will not 

consider any application received after 

the deadline. 

Prior to official submission of 

applications, applicants may request 

technical assistance or other application 

guidance from the Agency, as long as 

such requests are made prior to 

November 14, 2023. Technical 

assistance is not meant to be an analysis 

or assessment of the quality of the 

materials submitted, a substitute for 

agency review of completed 

applications, nor a determination of 

eligibility, if such determination 

requires in-depth analysis. The Agency 

will not solicit or consider scoring or 

eligibility information that is submitted 

after the application deadline. The 

Agency reserves the right to contact 

applicants to seek clarification 

information on materials contained in 

the submitted application. 

Rural Development Key Priorities: The 

Agency encourages applicants to 

consider projects that will advance the 

following key priorities (more details 

available at https://www.rd.usda.gov/ 

priority-points): 

• Reducing climate pollution and 

increasing resilience to the impacts of 

climate change through economic 

support to rural communities. 

• Ensuring all rural residents have 

equitable access to RD programs and 

benefits from RD funded projects; and 

• Assisting rural communities recover 

economically through more and better 

market opportunities and through 

improved infrastructure. 

For further information, visit https:// 

www.rd.usda.gov/priority-points. 

A. Program Description 

1. Purpose of the Program. The 

purpose of the CF TAT Disaster Repair 

Grant Program is to provide technical 

assistance and training with respect to 

essential community facilities programs. 

To meet this purpose, the Agency will 

make grants to public bodies and private 

nonprofit corporations, (such as States, 

counties, cities, townships, and 

incorporated towns and villages, 

boroughs, authorities, districts, and 

Indian tribes on Federal and State 

reservations) to provide assistance and/ 

or training with respect to repairing 

essential community facilities. The 

Technical Assistance and/or training 

will assist communities, Indian tribes, 

and nonprofit corporations to identify 

and plan for community facility repairs 

as a result of damages resulting from 

Presidentially declared disasters in 

calendar year 2022, that exist in their 

area. Once those needs have been 

identified, the Grantee can assist in 

identifying public and private resources 

to finance those identified community 

facility needs. 

This NOFA is being issued pursuant 

to the disaster funds made available by 

the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 

2023. Grants will be provided to eligible 

applicants to provide technical 

assistance for repairing eligible essential 

community facilities damaged by 

Presidentially declared disasters in 

calendar year 2022. Subject to any 

updates to the Presidentially Declared 

Disasters, the following states have been 

identified with areas that have been 

impacted by qualifying events during 

CY 2022: Alaska, American Samoa, 

Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, 

Idaho, Illinois,, Kansas, Kentucky, 

Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, 

Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, 

Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, 

New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, 

North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, 

Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South 

Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, 

Texas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Vermont, 

Virginia, Washington, and West 

Virginia. For the most current list of 

Presidentially Declared Disasters, visit 

the United States (U.S.) Department of 

Homeland Security, Federal Emergency 

Management Agency (FEMA) website at 

https://www.fema.gov/disaster/ 

declarations. 

2. Statutory and Regulatory Authority. 

This NOFA is authorized pursuant to 

the CF TAT Grant program in title VI, 

section 6006 of the Agricultural Act of 

2014 (Pub. L. 113–79) and Division N— 

Disaster Relief Supplemental 

Appropriations Act, 2023, of the 

Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, 

Public Law 117–328. Program 

regulations can be found at 7 CFR part 

3570, subpart F. 

3. Definitions. The definitions and 

abbreviations applicable to this Notice 

are published at 7 CFR 3570.252 

(https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/ 

subtitle-B/chapter-XXXV/part-3570/ 

subpart-F/section-3570.252). 

4. Application of Awards. The Agency 

will review, evaluate, and score 

applications received in response to this 

notice based on the provisions found in 

7 CFR part 3570, subpart F, and as 

indicated in this notice. 

The requirements for submitting an 

application can be found at 7 CFR 

3570.267 (https://www.ecfr.gov/current/ 

title-7/subtitle-B/chapter-XXXV/part3570/subpart-F/section-3570.267). All 

applicants can access application 

materials at https://www.Grants.gov. 

Applications must be received by the 

Agency by the due date listed in the 

DATES section of this Notice. 

Applications received after that due 

date will not be considered for funding. 

Paper copies of the applications must be 

submitted to the RDSO in which the 

applicant is headquartered. Electronic 

submissions must be submitted at 

https://www.Grants.gov. A listing of the 

RDSO contacts may be found at https:// 

www.rd.usda.gov/files/CF_State_Office_

Contacts.pdf. Applicants whose 

headquarters are in the District of 

Columbia will submit their application 

to the National Office in care of Shirley 

Stevenson, 1400 Independence Ave. 

SW, STOP 0787, Washington, DC 20250. 

Both paper and electronic applications 

must be received by the Agency by the 

deadlines stated in the DATES section of 

this Notice. The use of a courier and 

package tracking for paper applications 

is strongly encouraged. An applicant 

can only submit one application for 

funding. Application information for 

electronic submissions may be found at 

https://www.Grants.gov. Applications 

will not be accepted via FAX or email. 

The Agency advises all interested 

parties that the applicant bears the 

burden in preparing and submitting an 

application in response to this notice 

whether or not the applicant receives 

any funding as a result of its 

application. 

If the proposal involves large 

increases in employment; hazardous 

waste; a change in use, size, capacity, 

purpose, or location from an original 

facility; or is publicly controversial, the 

following is required: environmental 

documentation in accordance with 7 

CFR part 1970; financial and statistical 

information; and written project 

description. 

B. Federal Award Information 

Type of Awards: Grants. 

Fiscal Year Funds: FY 2023. 

Available Funds: The FY 2023 

funding amount is $2,500,000. Up to ten 

percent of the available funds may be 

awarded to the highest scoring Ultimate 

Recipient(s) as long as they score a 

minimum score of at least 70. The 

Agency reserves the right to reduce 

funding amounts based on the Agency’s 

determination of available funding or 

other Agency funding priorities. 

Award Amounts: Grant funds are 

limited and are awarded through a 

competitive process. 

Minimum/Maximum Award Amount: 

Grant awards made to Ultimate 

Recipients will not exceed $50,000. The 

Agency has capped the grant awards for 

Technical Assistance Providers assisting 

Ultimate Recipients to not exceed 

$250,000. This applies even if the 

Technical Assistance Provider covers 


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60178 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 168 / Thursday, August 31, 2023 / Notices 

entities in one county, multiple 

counties, or multiple states. 

Anticipated Award Date: Awards will 

be made on or before March 15, 2024. 

Performance Period: The grant period 

is to be for no more than three years. 

Renewal or Supplemental Awards: At 

this time, the Agency does not 

anticipate supplemental funding for the 

program. 

Type of Assistance Instrument: Grant 

agreement. 

C. Eligibility Information 

1. Eligible Applicants and Project 

Purposes. Both the applicant and the 

use of funds must meet eligibility 

requirements. The applicant eligibility 

requirements can be found at 7 CFR 

3570.262. Eligible project purposes can 

be found at 7 CFR 3570.263. Ineligible 

project purposes can be found at 7 CFR 

3570.264. 

Non-tribal applicants proposing to 

provide Technical Assistance to Tribes 

should provide adequate documentation 

(for example, a letter of support from the 

Tribe or Tribes) that the Technical 

Assistance they are proposing to 

provide is supported by the Tribes they 

plan to serve. 

Any corporation that has been 

convicted of a felony criminal violation 

under any Federal law within the past 

24 months, or that has any unpaid 

Federal tax liability that has been 

assessed, for which all judicial and 

administrative remedies have been 

exhausted or have lapsed, and that is 

not being paid in a timely manner 

pursuant to an agreement with the 

authority responsible for collecting the 

tax liability, is not eligible for financial 

assistance provided with full-year 

appropriated funds, unless a Federal 

agency has considered suspension or 

debarment of the corporation and has 

made a determination that this further 

action is not necessary to protect the 

interests of the Government. 

Debarment and suspension 

information is required in accordance 

with 2 CFR parts 417 (Nonprocurement 

Debarment and Suspension) and 180 

(OMB Guidelines to Agencies on 

Governmentwide Debarment and 

Suspension (Nonprocurement). The 

section heading ‘‘What information 

must I provide before entering into a 

covered transaction with a Federal 

agency?’’ located at 2 CFR 180.335 is 

part of OMB’s Guidance for Grants and 

Agreements concerning 

Governmentwide Debarment and 

Suspension. Applicants are not eligible 

if they have been debarred or suspended 

or otherwise excluded from, or 

ineligible for, participation in Federal 

assistance programs under 2 CFR parts 

180 and 417. 

Technical Assistance Providers may 

be located anywhere within the United 

States. However, Technical Assistance 

Providers must provide technical 

assistance to Ultimate Recipients. The 

eligible Ultimate Recipient’s project 

must be located in a rural area in a 

county with a disaster as declared by 

the President of the United States. The 

term rural or rural area is defined in 

section 343(a)(13)(C) of the 

Consolidated Farm and Rural 

Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(13)) 

as a city, town or, unincorporated area 

that has a population of not more than 

20,000 inhabitants. The boundaries for 

unincorporated areas in determining 

populations will be based on the Census 

Designated Place (CDP.) Data from the 

most recent decennial census of the 

United States will be used in 

determining population. 

2. Eligible use of funds. Grant funds 

must be used to provide technical 

assistance to repair essential community 

facilities damaged by Presidentially 

declared disasters in calendar year 2022. 

Examples of technical assistance may 

include identifying public and private 

funding resources, assisting 

communities in identifying and 

planning for repairs needed, and 

preparing applications for financial 

assistance. FEMA must have provided a 

notice declaring the disaster 

3. Cost Sharing or Matching. Matching 

funds are not required. Matching funds 

must be in the form of cash. Up to 10 

points may be awarded for applications 

that contain matching funds as provided 

in 7 CFR 3570.273(g). 

4. Other. All submitted applications 

must meet the eligibility requirements 

in this notice and at 7 CFR part 3570 

subpart F (https://www.ecfr.gov/current/ 

title-7/part-3570/subpart-F), and 

application requirements noted in 7 

CFR 3570.267 (https://www.ecfr.gov/ 

current/title-7/subtitle-B/chapterXXXV/part-3570/subpart-F/section3570.267. 

Applications will not be considered 

for funding if they do not provide 

sufficient information to determine 

eligibility or are missing required 

elements. 

D. Application and Submission 

Information 

1. Address to Request Application 

Package. For further information on the 

CF TAT Grant Program, entities that 

want to apply for assistance should 

contact the USDA RDSO provided in the 

ADDRESSES section of this notice to 

obtain copies of the application 

package. Application information is also 

available at https://www.grants.gov/. If 

you require alternative means of 

communication for program information 

(e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) 

please contact USDA’s TARGET Center 

at (202) 720–2600 (voice and TDD) or 

the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877– 

8339. Prior to official submission of 

applications, applicants may request 

technical assistance or other application 

guidance from the Agency, as long as 

such requests are made prior to 

November 14, 2023. Technical 

assistance is not meant to be an analysis 

or assessment of the quality of the 

materials submitted, a substitute for 

agency review of completed 

applications, nor a determination of 

eligibility, if such determination 

requires in-depth analysis. 

The Agency will not solicit or 

consider scoring nor eligibility 

information that is submitted after the 

application deadline. The Agency 

reserves the right to contact applicants 

to seek clarification information on 

materials contained in the submitted 

application. 

2. Content and Form of Application 

Submission. An application must 

contain all of the required elements 

outlined in 7 CFR 3570.267. Each 

application must address the applicable 

scoring criteria presented in 7 CFR 

3570.273 for the type of funding being 

requested. The applicant must provide 

documentation that the Ultimate 

Recipient is located within an eligible 

disaster area. 

3. System for Award Management and 

Unique Entity Identifier. At the time of 

application, each applicant must have 

an active registration in the System for 

Award Management (SAM) before 

submitting its application in accordance 

with 2 CFR part 25. In order to register 

in SAM, entities will be required to 

request a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). 

Instructions for obtaining the UEI are 

available at https://sam.gov/content/ 

entity-registration. 

a. Applicant must maintain an active 

SAM registration, with current, accurate 

and complete information, at all times 

during which it has an active Federal 

award or an application under 

consideration by a Federal awarding 

agency. 

b. Applicant must ensure they 

complete the Financial Assistance 

General Certifications and 

Representations in SAM. 

c. Applicants must provide a valid 

UEI in its application, unless 

determined exempt under 2 CFR 25.110. 

d. The Agency will not make an 

award until the applicant has complied 

with all SAM requirements including 

providing the UEI. If an applicant has 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
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not fully complied with the 

requirements by the time the Agency is 

ready to make an award, the Agency 

may determine that the applicant is not 

qualified to receive a Federal award and 

use that determination as a basis for 

making a Federal award to another 

applicant. 

4. Submission Dates and Times. 

Application Funding Submission 

Deadlines: 

a. Paper submissions: The deadline 

for receipt of a paper application is 4:00 

p.m. local time, November 29, 2023. 

b. Electronic submissions: Electronic 

applications will be accepted via 

Grants.gov. The deadline for receipt of 

an electronic application via Grants.gov 

is 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on November 

24, 2023. 

Explanation of Dates: The application 

dates and times are firm. If the due date 

falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or Federal 

holiday, the application is due the next 

business day. The Agency will not 

consider any application received after 

the deadline. 

Note: Applicants intending to mail 

applications must provide sufficient time to 

permit delivery on or before the closing 

deadline date and time. Acceptance by the 

United States Postal Service or private mailer 

does not constitute delivery. Facsimile 

(FAX), electronic mail, and postage due 

applications will not be accepted. Prior to 

official submission of applications, 

applicants may request technical assistance 

or other application guidance from the 

Agency, as long as such requests are made 

prior to November 14, 2023. 

5. Intergovernmental Review. This 

program is subject to Executive Order 

12372, which requires 

intergovernmental consultation with 

state and local officials. RD conducts 

intergovernmental consultation as 

implemented with 2 CFR 415 subpart C. 

Not all States have chosen to participate 

in the intergovernmental review 

process. A list of participating States 

(SPOC List) is available at the following 

website: https://www.whitehouse.gov/ 

omb/management/office-federalfinancial-management/. 

E. Application Review Information 

1. Criteria. All eligible and complete 

applications will be evaluated and 

scored based on the selection criteria 

and weights contained in 7 CFR 

3570.273 (see, https://www.ecfr.gov/ 

current/title-7/subtitle-B/chapterXXXV/part-3570/subpart-F/section3570.273). Failure to address any one of 

the criteria by the application deadline 

will result in the application being 

determined ineligible, and the 

application will not be considered for 

funding. 

All applications that are complete and 

eligible will be scored and ranked 

competitively. The categories for scoring 

criteria used are the following: 

The Agency will score each 

application using the following scoring 

factors unless otherwise provided in an 

annual Notice in the Federal Register: 

(a) Experience: Applicant Experience 

at developing and implementing 

successful technical assistance and/or 

training programs: 

(1) More than 10 years—40 points. 

(2) More than 5 years to 10 years—25 

points. 

(3) 3 to 5 years—10 points. 

(b) No prior grants received: 

(1) Applicant has never received a CF 

TAT Grant—5 points. 

(c) Population: The average 

population of proposed area(s) to be 

served: 

(1) 2,500 or less—15 points. 

(2) 2,501 to 5,000—10 points. 

(3) 5,001 to 10,000—5 points. 

(d) MHI: The average median 

household income (MHI) of proposed 

area to be served is below the higher of 

the poverty line or: 

(1) 60 percent of the State’s MHI—15 

points. 

(2) 70 percent of the State MHI—10 

points. 

(3) 90 percent of the State’s MHI—5 

points. 

(e) Multi-jurisdictional: The proposed 

technical assistance or training project a 

part of a Multi-jurisdictional project 

comprised of: 

(1) More than 10 jurisdictions—15 

points. 

(2) More than 5 to 10 jurisdictions— 

10 points. 

(3) 3 to 5 jurisdictions—5 points. 

(f) Soundness of approach: Up to 10 

points. 

(1) Needs assessment: The problem/ 

issue being addressed is clearly defined, 

supported by data, and addresses the 

needs; 

(2) Goals & objectives are clearly 

defined, tied to the need as defined in 

the work plan, and are measurable; 

(3) Work plan clearly articulates a 

well thought out approach to 

accomplishing objectives & clearly 

identifies who will be served by the 

project; 

(4) The proposed activities are needed 

in order for a complete Community 

Facilities loan and/or grant application. 

(g) Matching funds: 

(1) There is evidence of the 

commitment of other cash funds of 20% 

of the total project costs 10 points. 

(2) There is evidence of the 

commitment of other cash funds of 10% 

of the total project costs 5 points. 

(h) State Director discretionary points. 

The State Director may award up to 10 

discretionary points for the highest 

priority project in each state, up to 7 

points for the second highest priority 

project in each state and up to 5 points 

for the third highest priority project that 

address unforeseen exigencies or 

emergencies, such as the loss of a 

community facility due to an accident 

or natural disaster, or other areas of 

need in their particular state. The State 

Director will place written 

documentation in the project file each 

time the State Director assigns these 

points—Up to 10 points. 

(i) Administrator discretionary points. 

The Administrator may award up to 20 

discretionary points for projects to 

address geographic distribution of 

funds, emergency conditions caused by 

economic problems, natural disasters 

and other initiatives identified by the 

Secretary—Up to 20 points. 

2. Review and Selection Process. The 

Rural Development State Offices will 

review applications to determine if 

applications are eligible for assistance 

based on requirements contained in 7 

CFR 3570, subpart F. If determined 

eligible, your application will be 

submitted to the National Office. 

Funding of projects is subject to the 

intermediary’s satisfactory submission 

of the additional items required by that 

subpart and the USDA RD Letter of 

Conditions. Discretionary priority 

points, under § 3570.273 (see, 

§ 3570.273(h) and § 3570.273(i)), may be 

awarded with documented justification 

for the following categories: 

• Assisting rural communities to 

recover economically through more and 

better market opportunities and through 

improved infrastructure. 

• Ensuring all rural residents have 

equitable access to RD programs and 

benefits from RD funded projects. 

• Reducing climate pollution and 

increasing resilience to the impacts of 

climate change through economic 

support to rural communities. 

F. Federal Award Administration 

Information 

1. Federal Award Notices. Successful 

applicants will receive notification for 

funding from the RDSO. Applicants 

must comply with all applicable statutes 

and regulations before the grant award 

can be approved. If an application is 

withdrawn by the applicant, it can be 

resubmitted and will be evaluated as a 

new application, provided the 

application is resubmitted before the 

submission deadline as stated in section 

D4 of this notice. 

2. Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements. Additional requirements 

that apply to Grantees selected for this 

Program can be found in 7 CFR part 


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3570, subpart F (https://www.ecfr.gov/ 

current/title-7/part-3570/subpart-F). 

Awards are subject to USDA grant 

regulations at 2 CFR part 400 (https://

www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/part-400) 

which incorporate the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) 

regulations at 2 CFR part 200 (https://

www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/part-200). 

If the applicant wishes to consider 

beginning their project performance 

prior to the grant being officially closed, 

all pre-evaluation award costs must be 

approved in writing and in advance by 

the Agency. 

In addition, all recipients of Federal 

financial assistance are required to 

report information about first-tier subawards and executive compensation 

(see, 2 CFR part 170 (https://

www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/part-170). 

The applicant will be required to have 

the necessary processes and systems in 

place to comply with the Federal 

Funding Accountability and 

Transparency Act of 2006 (Pub. L. 109– 

282) and reporting requirements (see, 2 

CFR 170.200(b) (https://www.ecfr.gov/ 

current/title-2/section-170.200#p170.200(b)), unless the recipient is 

exempt under 2 CFR 170.110(b) (https:// 

www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/section170.110#p-170.110(b)). 

The following additional 

requirements apply to Grantees selected 

for these Programs: 

(a) Form RD 1940–1, ‘‘Request for 

Obligation of Funds.’’ 

(b) Form RD 1942–46, ‘‘Letter of 

Intent to Meet Conditions.’’ 

(c) Form SF–LLL, ‘‘Disclosure of 

Lobbying Activities,’’ if applicable. 

(d) Form SF–270, ‘‘Request for 

Advance or Reimbursement.’’ 

(e) Form RD 400–4, ‘‘Assurance 

Agreement’’ must be completed by the 

applicant and each prospective ultimate 

recipient. 

(f) Grantees must collect and maintain 

data provided by ultimate recipients on 

race, sex, and national origin and ensure 

ultimate recipients collect and maintain 

this data. 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’’ (62 

FR 58782), 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. 

(e) The applicant and the ultimate 

recipient must comply with title VI of 

the Civil Rights Act of 1964, title IX of 

the Education Amendments of 1972, 

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), 

section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 

1973, Age Discrimination Act of 1975, 

Executive Order 12250, Executive Order 

13166 Limited English Proficiency 

(LEP), and 7 CFR part 1901, subpart E. 

3. Reporting. The Grantee must 

provide reports as required by 7 CFR 

part 3570, subpart F. A financial status 

report, SF 425 ‘‘Federal Financial 

Report,’’ and a project performance 

report will be required as provided in 

the grant agreement. 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 

report. Grantees shall constantly 

monitor performance to ensure that time 

schedules are being met and projected 

goals by time periods are being 

accomplished. Applicants may find the 

reporting requirements for this grant at 

7 CFR 3570.276 (https://www.ecfr.gov/ 

current/title-7/subtitle-B/chapterXXXV/part-3570/subpart-F/section3570.276) in addition to any reports 

required by 2 CFR part 200 (https://

www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/part-200) 

and 2 CFR 400.1 (https://www.ecfr.gov/ 

current/title-2/section-400.1) to 400.2 

(https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/ 

section-400.2), and 2 CFR parts 415 to 

422 (https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title2/section-415). 

G. Federal Awarding Agency Contact(s) 

For general questions about this 

announcement, please contact your 

USDA RDSO as provided in the 

ADDRESSES section of this notice or the 

program website at: https://

www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/ 

community-facilities/communityfacilities-direct-loan-grant-program. 

H. Other Information 

(1) Civil Rights Requirements. All 

grants made under this Notice are 

subject to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act 

of 1964 as required by the USDA (7 CFR 

part 15, subpart A) and Section 504 of 

the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title VIII 

of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, Title IX, 

Executive Order 13166 (Limited English 

Proficiency), Executive Order 11246, 

and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 

1974. 

(2) Paperwork Reduction Act. In 

accordance with the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995, the information 

collection requirement contained in this 

notice has been approved by OMB 

under OMB Control Number 0575–0198. 

(3) National Environmental Policy 

Act. All recipients under this notice are 

subject to the requirements of 7 CFR 

1970, available at: https://rd.usda.gov/ 

resources/environmental-studies/ 

environmental-guidance. 

(4) Nondiscrimination Statement. In 

accordance with Federal civil rights 

laws and USDA civil rights regulations 

and policies, the USDA, its Mission 

Areas, agencies, staff offices, employees, 

and institutions participating in or 

administering USDA programs are 

prohibited from discriminating based on 

race, color, national origin, religion, sex, 

gender identity (including gender 

expression), sexual orientation, 

disability, age, marital status, family/ 

parental status, income derived from a 

public assistance program, political 

beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior 

civil rights activity, in any program or 

activity conducted or funded by USDA 

(not all bases apply to all programs). 

Remedies and complaint filing 

deadlines vary by program or incident. 

Program information may be made 

available in languages other than 

English. Persons with disabilities who 

require alternative means of 

communication to obtain program 

information (e.g., Braille, large print, 

audiotape, American Sign Language) 

should contact the responsible Mission 

Area, agency, staff office; or the Federal 

Relay Service at (800) 877–8339. 

To file a program discrimination 

complaint, a complainant should 

complete a Form AD–3027, USDA 

Program Discrimination Complaint 

Form, which can be obtained online at 

https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/ 

files/documents/ad-3027.pdf, from any 

USDA office, by calling (866) 632–9992, 

or by writing a letter addressed to 

USDA. The letter must contain the 

complainant’s name, address, telephone 

number, and a written description of the 

alleged discriminatory action in 

sufficient detail to inform the Assistant 

Secretary for Civil Rights about the 

nature and date of an alleged civil rights 

violation. 

The completed AD–3027 form or 

letter must be submitted to USDA by: 

(1) Mail: U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, Office of the Assistant 

Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 

Independence Avenue SW, Washington, 

DC 20250–9410; or 

(2) Fax: (833) 256–1665 or (202) 690– 

7442; or 

(3) Email: program.intake@usda.gov. 

USDA is an equal opportunity 

provider, employer, and lender. 

Joaquin Altoro, 

Administrator, Rural Housing Service. 

[FR Doc. 2023–18800 Filed 8–30–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–XV–P 


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