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[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 66 (Tuesday, April 7, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18596-18598]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-07941]

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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Commodity Credit Corporation

Notice of Funds Availability: Inviting Applications for the 
Market Access Program

SUMMARY: The Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) announces that it is 
inviting proposals for the 2016 Market Access Program (MAP). The 
intended effect of this notice is to solicit applications from eligible 
applicants for fiscal year 2016 and to set out criteria for the award 
of funds under the program in October 2015. 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, June 8, 2015. Applications received after this date will not be 
considered.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Entities wishing to apply for funding 
assistance should contact the Program Operations Division, Office of 
Trade Programs, Foreign Agricultural Service by courier address: Room 
6512, 1400 Independence Ave. SW., Washington, DC 20250, or by phone: 
(202) 720-4327, or by fax: (202) 720-9361, or by email: 
uesadmin@fas.usda.gov. Information is also available on the FAS Web 
site at http://www.fas.usda.gov/programs/market-access-program-map.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

A. Funding Opportunity Description

    Announcement Type: New.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 10.601.
    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 U.S. agricultural commodities and products through 
cost-share 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 and in the MAP 
regulations. All U.S. agricultural commodities, except tobacco, are 
eligible for consideration.
    FAS allocates funds in a manner that effectively supports the 
strategic decision-making initiatives of the Government Performance and 
Results Act (GPRA) of 1993. In deciding whether a proposed project will 
contribute to the effective creation, expansion, or maintenance of 
foreign markets, FAS considers whether the applicant provides a clear, 
long-term agricultural trade strategy and a program effectiveness time 
line against which results can be measured at specific intervals using 
quantifiable product or country goals. 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.

B. Award Information

    Under the MAP, and subject to the availability of funding, the CCC 
enters into agreements with eligible Participants to share the cost of 
certain overseas marketing and promotion activities. MAP Participants 
may receive assistance for generic or brand promotion activities. For 
generic activities, funding priority is given to organizations that 
have the broadest possible producer representation of the commodity 
being promoted and that are nationwide in membership and scope. Only 
non-profit U.S. agricultural trade organizations, nonprofit state 
regional trade groups (SRTGs), U.S. agricultural cooperatives, and 
State government agencies can participate directly in the brand 
program. The MAP generally operates on a reimbursement basis.

C. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants: To participate in the MAP, an applicant 
must be a nonprofit U.S. agricultural trade organization, a nonprofit 
SRTG, a U.S. agricultural cooperative, or a State government agency. A 
small-sized U.S. commercial entity 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 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 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 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 1485.16, 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.

D. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address to Request Application Package: Organizations are 
encouraged to submit their MAP applications to FAS through the Unified 
Export Strategy (UES) application Internet Web site. The UES allows 
interested applicants to submit a single consolidated and strategically 
coordinated proposal that incorporates requests for funding and

[[Page 18597]]

recommendations for virtually all of the FAS marketing programs, 
financial assistance programs, and market access programs. The 
suggested UES format encourages applicants to examine the constraints 
or barriers to trade 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 planning to use the Internet-based 
system must contact the FAS/Program Operations Division to obtain Web 
site access information. The Internet-based application may be found at 
the following URL address: https://www.fas.usda.gov/ues/webapp/.
    FAS highly recommends applying via the Internet-based application, 
as this format virtually eliminates paperwork and expedites the FAS 
processing and review cycle. However, applicants also have the option 
of submitting an electronic version of their application to FAS at 
uesadmin@fas.usda.gov.
    2. Content and Form of Application Submission: To be considered for 
the MAP, an applicant must submit to FAS information required by the 
MAP regulations in section 1485.13.
    In addition, in accordance with 2 CFR part 25, each entity that 
applies to MAP and does not qualify for an exemption under 2 CFR 25.110 
must:
    (i) Provide a valid DUNS number in each application or plan it 
submits to CCC;
    (ii) Be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) prior 
to submitting an application or plan; and
    (iii) Continue to maintain an active SAM registration with current 
information at all times during which it has an active Federal award or 
an application or plan under consideration by CCC.
    Similarly, in accordance with 2 CFR part 170, each entity that 
applies to MAP and does not qualify for an exception under 2 CFR 
170.110(b) must ensure it has the necessary processes and systems in 
place to comply with the applicable reporting requirements of 2 CFR 
part 170 should it receive MAP funding.
    Incomplete applications and applications that do not otherwise 
conform to this announcement and the MAP regulations will not be 
accepted for review.
    FAS administers various other agricultural export assistance 
programs including the Foreign Market Development Cooperator 
(Cooperator) program, the Emerging Markets Program, the Quality Samples 
Program, and the Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops program. Any 
organization that is not interested in applying for the MAP, but would 
like to request assistance through one of the other programs mentioned 
should contact the Program Operations Division.
    3. Submission Dates and Times: All applications must be received by 
5 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, June 8, 2015. All MAP applicants, 
regardless of the method of submitting an application, must also submit 
by the application deadline, an original signed certification statement 
as specified in 7 CFR 1485.13(a)(2)(i)(E) to the Program Operations 
Division, Office of Trade Programs, Foreign Agricultural Service, U.S. 
Department of Agriculture, Room 6512, 1400 Independence Ave. SW., 
Washington, DC 20250. Applications or certifications received after 
this date will not be considered.
    4. Funding Restrictions: Certain types of expenses are not eligible 
for reimbursement by the program, and there are limits on other 
categories of expenses. CCC also will not reimburse unreasonable 
expenditures or expenditures made prior to approval. Full details are 
available in the MAP regulations in section 1485.17.

E. 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 1--Sufficiency Review and FAS Divisional Review

    Applications received by the closing date will be reviewed by FAS 
to determine the eligibility of the applicants and the completeness of 
the applications. These requirements appear in sections 1485.12 and 
1485.13 of the MAP regulations. Applications that meet the requirements 
then will be further evaluated by the appropriate Commodity Branch 
office of the FAS/Cooperator Programs Division. The Commodity Branch 
will review each application against the criteria listed in section 
1485.14(b) and (c) of the MAP regulations as well as in this Notice. 
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. Applicants will 
compete for funds on the basis of the following allocation criteria as 
applicable (the number in parentheses represents a percentage weight 
factor):
(a) Applicant's Contribution Level (40)
     The applicant's 4-year average share (2013-2016) of all 
contributions under the MAP (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 (2013-2016) of the 
funding level for all MAP Participants.
(b) Past Performance (30)
     The 3-year average share (2012-2014) of the value of 
exports promoted by the applicant compared to;
     The applicant's 2-year average share (2014-2015) of the 
funding level for all MAP Participants plus, for those groups 
participating in the Cooperator program, the 2-year average share 
(2014-2015) of all Cooperator program budgets.
(c) Projected Export Goals (15)
     The total dollar value of projected exports promoted by 
the applicant for 2016 compared to;
     The applicant's requested funding level;
(d) Accuracy of Past Projections (15)
     Actual exports for 2014 as reported in the 2016 MAP 
application compared to;
     Past projections of exports for 2014 as specified in the 
2014 MAP application.
    The Commodity Branches' recommended funding levels for each 
applicant are converted to percentages of the total MAP funds available 
and 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 2015.

F. Federal Award Administration Information

    1. Award Notices: FAS will notify each applicant in writing of the 
final disposition of its application. The FAS will send an approval 
letter and program agreement to each approved applicant. The approval 
letter and program 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

[[Page 18598]]

review the MAP regulations, which are available at the following URL 
address: http://www.fas.usda.gov/programs/market-access-program-map. 
Hard copies may be obtained by contacting the Program Operations 
Division.
    3. Reporting: FAS requires various reports and evaluations from MAP 
Participants. Reporting requirements are detailed in the MAP 
regulations in section 1485.22 and 1485.23.

G. Federal Agency Contact(s)

    For additional information and assistance, contact the Program 
Operations Division, Office of Trade Programs, Foreign Agricultural 
Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
    Courier address: Room 6512, 1400 Independence Ave. SW., Washington, 
DC 20250, or by phone: (202) 720-4327, or by fax: (202) 720-9361, or by 
email: uesadmin@fas.usda.gov.

    Signed at Washington, DC, on the 1st of April 2015.
Asif Chaudhry,
Acting Administrator, Foreign Agricultural Service, and Vice President, 
Commodity Credit Corporation.
[FR Doc. 2015-07941 Filed 4-6-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE CODE 3410-10-P
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