30102 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 124 / Wednesday, June 27, 2018 / Notices 

must file a request to participate as an 

interested person within 10 days after 

legal notice of objections received has 

been published. Requests must be sent 

to the same email or address identified 

for filing objections, above, and the 

interested person must identify the 

specific issues they have interest in 

discussing. During the objection 

meeting, interested persons will be able 

to participate in discussions related to 

issues on the agenda that they have 

listed in their request to be an interested 

person. 

Responsible Official 

The Regional Forester for the Pacific 

Northwest Region (1220 SW 3rd 

Avenue, Portland, OR 97204, (503) 808– 

2200) is the responsible official who 

will approve the final Records of 

Decision for the Revised Malheur, 

Umatilla, and Wallowa-Whitman Forest 

Plans. 

Reviewing Officer 

The Associate Deputy Chief for the 

National Forest System is the delegated 

reviewing officer for the Chief of the 

Forest Service (36 CFR 219.56(e)(2)). 

Dated: May 30, 2018. 

Chris French, 

Associate Deputy Chief, National Forest 

System. 

[FR Doc. 2018–13792 Filed 6–26–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3411–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Rural Business-Cooperative Service 

Inviting Applications for the Rural 

Business Development Grant Program 

To Provide Technical Assistance for 

Rural Transportation Systems 

AGENCY: Rural Business-Cooperative 

Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: This notice is to invite 

applications for grants to provide 

Technical Assistance for Rural 

Transportation (RT) systems under the 

Rural Business Development Grant 

(RBDG) to provide Technical Assistance 

for RT systems and for RT systems to 

Federally Recognized Native American 

Tribes’ (FRNAT) (collectively 

‘‘Programs’’) and the terms provided in 

such funding. Successful applications 

will be selected by the Agency for 

funding and subsequently awarded from 

funds appropriated for the RBDG 

program. 

DATES: See under SUPPLEMENTARY

INFORMATION section. 

ADDRESSES: Submit applications in 

paper format to the USDA Rural 

Development State Office for the State 

where the Project is located. A list of the 

USDA Rural Development State Office 

contacts can be found at: http://

www.rd.usda.gov/contact-us/stateoffices. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Cindy Mason at (202) 690–1433, 

cindy.mason@wdc.usda.gov, and Sami 

Zarour at (202) 720–9549, sami.zarour@

wdc.usda.gov, Specialty Programs 

Division, Business Programs, Rural 

Business-Cooperative Service, U.S. 

Department of Agriculture, 1400 

Independence Avenue SW, MS 3226, 

Room 4204–South, Washington, DC 

20250–3226, or call 202–720–1400. For 

further information on this notice, 

please contact the USDA Rural 

Development State Office in the State in 

which the applicant’s headquarters is 

located. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Preface 

The Agency encourages applications 

that will support recommendations 

made in the Rural Prosperity Task Force 

report to help improve life in rural 

America. www.usda.gov/ruralprosperity. 

Applicants are encouraged to consider 

projects that provide measurable results 

in helping rural communities build 

robust and sustainable economies 

through strategic investments in 

infrastructure, partnerships and 

innovation. Key strategies include: 

• Achieving e-Connectivity for Rural 

America 

• Developing the Rural Economy 

• Harnessing Technological Innovation 

• Supporting a Rural Workforce 

• Improving Quality of Life 

All applicants are responsible for any 

expenses incurred in developing their 

applications. 

Overview 

Solicitation Opportunity Title: Rural 

Business Development Grants. 

Announcement Type: Initial 

Announcement. 

Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance Number: 10.351. 

Dates: Completed applications must 

be received in the USDA Rural 

Development State Office no later than 

4:30 p.m. (local time) on September 25, 

2018, to be eligible for FY 2018 grant 

funding. Applications received after this 

date will not be eligible for FY 2018 

grant funding. 

A. Program Description 

1. Purpose of the Program. The 

purpose of this program is to improve 

the economic conditions of Rural Areas. 

2. Statutory Authority. This program 

is authorized under section 310B(c) of 

the Consolidated Farm and Rural 

Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(c)). 

Regulations are contained in 7 CFR part 

4280, subpart E. The program is 

administered on behalf of Rural 

Business-Cooperative Service (RBS) at 

the State level by the USDA Rural 

Development State Offices. Assistance 

provided to Rural Areas under the 

program has historically included the 

provision of on-site Technical 

Assistance to local and regional 

governments, public transit agencies, 

and related nonprofit and for-profit 

organizations in Rural Areas; the 

development of training materials; and 

the provision of necessary training 

assistance to local officials and agencies 

in Rural Areas. 

Awards under the RBDG passenger 

transportation program will be made on 

a competitive basis using specific 

selection criteria contained in 7 CFR 

part 4280, subpart E, and in accordance 

with section 310B(c) of the Consolidated 

Farm and Rural Development Act (7 

U.S.C. 1932(c)). Information required to 

be in the application package includes 

Standard Form (SF) 424, ‘‘Application 

for Federal Assistance;’’ environmental 

documentation in accordance with 7 

CFR part 1970, ‘‘Environmental Policies 

and Procedures;’’ Scope of Work 

Narrative; Income Statement; Balance 

Sheet or Audit for previous 3 years; AD– 

1047, ‘‘Debarment/Suspension 

Certification;’’ AD–1048, ‘‘Certification 

Regarding Debarment, Suspension, 

Ineligibility and Voluntary Exclusion;’’ 

AD–1049, ‘‘Certification Regarding 

Drug-Free Workplace Requirements;’’ 

SF LLL, ‘‘Disclosure of Lobbying 

Activities;’’ RD 400–1, ‘‘Equal 

Opportunity Agreement;’’ RD 400–4, 

‘‘Assurance Agreement;’’ and a letter 

providing Board authorization to obtain 

assistance. For the FRNAT grant, which 

must benefit FRNATs, at least 75 

percent of the benefits of the Project 

must be received by members of 

FRNATs. The Project that scores the 

greatest number of points based on the 

RBDG selection criteria and the 

discretionary points will be selected for 

each grant. 

For the funding for Technical 

Assistance for RT systems, applicants 

must be qualified national organizations 

with experience in providing Technical 

Assistance and training to rural 

communities nationwide for the 

purpose of improving passenger 


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transportation service or facilities. To be 

considered ‘‘national,’’ RBS requires a 

qualified organization to provide 

evidence that it can operate RT 

assistance programming nation-wide. 

An entity can qualify if they can work 

in partnership with other entities to 

fulfill the national requirement as long 

as the applicant will have ultimate 

control of the grant administration. For 

the funding for RT systems to FRNATs, 

an entity can qualify if they can work in 

partnership with other entities to 

support all federally recognized tribes in 

all states, as long as the applicant will 

have ultimate control of the grant 

administration. There is not a 

requirement to use the grant funds in a 

multi-State area. Grants will be made to 

qualified national organizations for the 

provision of Technical Assistance and 

training to Rural communities for the 

purpose of improving passenger 

transportation services or facilities. 

3. Definition of Terms. The definitions 

applicable to this notice are published 

at 7 CFR 4280.403. 

4. Application Awards. The Agency 

will review, evaluate, and score 

applications received in response to this 

notice based on the provisions in 7 CFR 

4280, subpart E and as indicated in this 

notice. However, the Agency advises all 

interested parties that the applicant 

bears the burden in preparing and 

submitting an application in response to 

this notice. 

B. Federal Award Information 

Type of Award: Grants. 

Fiscal Year Funds: FY 2018. 

Available Funds: Anyone interested 

in submitting an application for funding 

under this program is encouraged to 

consult the Rural Development Web 

Newsroom website at http://

www.rd.usda.gov/newsroom/noticessolicitation-applications-nosas for 

funding information. 

Approximate Number of Awards: To 

be determined based on the number of 

qualified applications received. 

Historically two awards have been 

made. 

Expected Amounts of Individual 

Awards and Amount of Funding per 

Federal Award: $500,000 and $250,000 

depending on the number of applicants. 

Maximum Awards: A total of 

$500,000 will be awarded for technical 

assistance for rural transportation 

systems and a maximum of $250,000 for 

FRNATs. 

Award Date: Prior to September 30, 

2018. 

Performance Period: October 1, 2018, 

through September 30, 2019. 

Renewal or Supplemental Awards: 

None. 

C. Eligibility Information 

1. Eligible Applicants. 

To be considered eligible, an entity 

must be a qualified national 

organization serving Rural Areas as 

evidenced in its organizational 

documents and demonstrated 

experience, per 7 CFR part 4280, 

subpart E. Grants will be competitively 

awarded to qualified national 

organizations. 

The Agency requires the following 

information to make an eligibility 

determination that an applicant is a 

national organization. These 

applications must include, but are not 

limited to, the following: 

(a) An original and one copy of SF 

424, ‘‘Application for Federal 

Assistance (for non-construction);’’ 

(b) Copies of applicant’s 

organizational documents showing the 

applicant’s legal existence and authority 

to perform the activities under the grant; 

(c) A proposed scope of work, 

including a description of the proposed 

Project, details of the proposed activities 

to be accomplished and timeframes for 

completion of each task, the number of 

months for the duration of the Project, 

and the estimated time it will take from 

grant approval to beginning of Project 

implementation; 

(d) A written narrative that includes, 

at a minimum, the following items: 

(i) An explanation of why the Project 

is needed, the benefits of the proposed 

Project, and how the Project meets the 

grant eligible purposes; 

(ii) Area to be served, identifying each 

governmental unit, i.e., tribe, town, 

county, etc., to be affected by the 

Project; 

(iii) Description of how the Project 

will coordinate Economic Development 

activities with other Economic 

Development activities within the 

Project area; 

(iv) Businesses to be assisted, if 

appropriate, and economic development 

to be accomplished; 

(v) An explanation of how the 

proposed Project will result in newly 

created, increased, or supported jobs in 

the area and the number of projected 

new and supported jobs within the next 

3 years; 

(vi) A description of the applicant’s 

demonstrated capability and experience 

in providing the proposed Project 

assistance, including experience of key 

staff members and persons who will be 

providing the proposed Project activities 

and managing the Project; 

(vii) The method and rationale used to 

select the areas and businesses that will 

receive the service; 

(viii) A brief description of how the 

work will be performed, including 

whether organizational staff or 

consultants or contractors will be used; 

and 

(ix) Other information the Agency 

may request to assist it in making a 

grant award determination. 

(e) The latest 3 years of financial 

information to show the applicant’s 

financial capacity to carry out the 

proposed work. If the applicant is less 

than 3 years old, at a minimum, the 

information should include all balance 

sheet(s), income statement(s), and cash 

flow statement(s). A current audited 

report is required if available; 

(f) Documentation regarding the 

availability and amount of other funds 

to be used in conjunction with the funds 

from RBDG; 

(g) A budget which includes salaries, 

fringe benefits, consultant costs, indirect 

costs, and other appropriate direct costs 

for the Project. 

2. Cost Sharing or Matching. Matching 

funds are not required. 

3. Other. 

Applications will only be accepted 

from qualified national organizations to 

provide Technical Assistance for RT. 

There are no ‘‘responsiveness,’’ or 

‘‘threshold’’ eligibility criteria for these 

grants. There is no limit on the number 

of applications an applicant may submit 

under this announcement. In addition to 

the forms listed under program 

description, Form AD–3030 

‘‘Representations Regarding Felony 

Conviction and Tax Delinquent Status 

for Corporate Applicants,’’ must be 

completed in the affirmative. 

None of the funds made available may 

be used to enter into a contract, 

memorandum of understanding, or 

cooperative agreement with, make a 

grant to, or provide a loan or loan 

guarantee to, any corporation 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, where the awarding agency 

is aware of the unpaid tax liability, 

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. 

None of the funds made available may 

be used to enter into a contract, 

memorandum of understanding, or 

cooperative agreement with, make a 

grant to, or provide a loan or loan 

guarantee to, any corporation that was 

convicted of a felony criminal violation 

under any Federal law within the 


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preceding 24 months, where the 

awarding agency is aware of the 

conviction, 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. 

4. Completeness Eligibility. 

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, entities 

wishing to apply for assistance should 

contact the USDA Rural Development 

State Office provided in the ADDRESSES

section of this notice to obtain copies of 

the application package. 

Prior to official submission of grant 

applications, applicants may request 

technical assistance or other application 

guidance from the Agency, as long as 

such requests are made prior to August 

16, 2018. 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. 

Applications must be submitted in 

paper format. Applications submitted to 

a USDA Rural Development State Office 

must be received by the closing date and 

local time. 

2. Content and Form of Application 

Submission. 

An application must contain all of the 

required elements. Each application 

received in a USDA Rural Development 

State Office will be reviewed to 

determine if it is consistent with the 

eligible purposes contained in section 

310B(c) of the Consolidated Farm and 

Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 

1932(c)). Each selection priority 

criterion outlined in 7 CFR 4280.435 

must be addressed in the application. 

Failure to address any of the criterion 

will result in a zero-point score for that 

criterion and will impact the overall 

evaluation of the application. Copies of 

7 CFR part 4280, subpart E, will be 

provided to any interested applicant 

making a request to a USDA Rural 

Development State Office. 

All Projects to receive Technical 

Assistance through these passenger 

transportation grant funds are to be 

identified when the applications are 

submitted to the USDA Rural 

Development State Office. Multiple 

Project applications must identify each 

individual Project, indicate the amount 

of funding requested for each individual 

Project, and address the criteria as 

stated above for each individual Project. 

For multiple-Project applications, the 

average of the individual Project scores 

will be the score for that application. 

The applicant documentation and 

forms needed for a complete application 

are located in the Program Description 

section of this notice, and 7 CFR part 

4280, subpart E. 

(a) There are no specific formats, 

specific limitations on number of pages, 

font size and type face, margins, paper 

size, number of copies, and the 

sequence or assembly requirements. 

(b) The component pieces of this 

application should contain original 

signatures on the original application. 

(c) Since these grants are for 

Technical Assistance for transportation 

purposes, no additional information 

requirements other than those described 

in this notice and 7 CFR part 4280, 

subpart E are required. 

3. Unique entity identifier and System 

for Award Management. 

All applicants must have a Dun and 

Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering 

System (DUNS) number which can be 

obtained at no cost via a toll-free request 

line at (866) 705–5711 or at http://

fedgov.dnb.com/webform. Each 

applicant (unless the applicant is an 

individual or Federal awarding agency 

that is excepted from the requirements 

under 2 CFR 25.110(b) or (c) or has an 

exception approved by the Federal 

awarding agency under 2 CFR 25.110(d) 

is required to: (i) Be registered in the 

System for Award Management (SAM) 

before submitting its application; (ii) 

provide a valid unique entity identifier 

in its application; 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 a Federal awarding 

agency. The Federal awarding agency 

may not make a Federal award to an 

applicant until the applicant has 

complied with all applicable unique 

entity identifier and SAM requirements 

and, if an applicant has not fully 

complied with the requirements by the 

time the Federal awarding agency is 

ready to make a Federal award, the 

Federal awarding 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. 

(a) Application Deadline Date: No 

later than 4:30 p.m. (local time) on 

September 25, 2018. 

Explanation of Deadlines: 

Applications must be in the USDA 

Rural Development State Office by the 

local deadline date and time as 

indicated above. If the due date falls on 

a Saturday, Sunday, or Federal holiday, 

the application is due the next business 

day. 

(b) The deadline date means that the 

completed application package must be 

received in the USDA Rural 

Development State Office by the 

deadline date established above. All 

application documents identified in this 

notice are required. 

(c) If complete applications are not 

received by the deadline established 

above, the application will neither be 

reviewed nor considered under any 

circumstances. 

(d) The Agency will determine the 

application receipt date based on the 

actual date postmarked. 

(e) This notice is for RT Technical 

Assistance grants only and therefore, 

intergovernmental reviews are not 

required. 

(f) These grants are for RT Technical 

Assistance grants only, no construction 

or equipment purchases are permitted. 

If the grantee has a previously approved 

indirect cost rate, it is permissible, 

otherwise, the applicant may elect to 

charge the 10 percent indirect cost 

permitted under 2 CFR 200.414(f) or 

request a determination of its Indirect 

Cost Rate. Due to the time required to 

evaluate Indirect Cost Rates, it is likely 

that all funds will be awarded by the 

time the Indirect Cost Rate is 

determined. No foreign travel is 

permitted. Pre-Federal award costs will 

only be permitted with prior written 

approval by the Agency. 

(g) Applicants must submit 

applications in hard copy format as 

previously indicated in the Application 

and Submission Information section of 

this notice. If the applicant wishes to 

hand deliver its application, the 

addresses for these deliveries can be 

located in the ADDRESSES section of this 

notice. 

(h) 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). 

E. Application Review Information 

1. Criteria. 


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All eligible and complete applications 

will be evaluated and scored based on 

the selection criteria and weights 

contained in 7 CFR 4280.435 and will 

select grantees subject to the grantees’ 

satisfactory submission of the additional 

items required by 7 CFR part 4280, 

subpart E and the USDA Rural 

Development Letter of Conditions. 

Failure to address any one of the criteria 

in 7 CFR 4280.435 by the application 

deadline will result in the application 

being determined ineligible, and the 

application will not be considered for 

funding. The amount of an RT grant 

may be adjusted, at the Agency’s 

discretion, to enable the Agency to 

award RT grants to the applications 

with the highest priority scores in each 

category. 

2. Review and Selection Process. 

The State Offices will review 

applications to determine if they are 

eligible for assistance based on 

requirements contained in 7 CFR 

4280.416 and 4280.417. If determined 

eligible, your application will be 

submitted to the National Office. 

Funding of Projects is subject to the 

applicant’s satisfactory submission of 

the additional items required by that 

subpart and the USDA Rural 

Development Letter of Conditions. The 

Agency reserves the right to award 

additional discretionary points under 7 

CFR 4280.435(k). 

In awarding discretionary points, the 

Agency scoring criteria regularly assigns 

points to applications that direct loans 

or grants to Projects based in or serving 

census tracts with poverty rates greater 

than or equal to 20 percent. This 

emphasis will support Rural 

Development’s mission of improving the 

quality of life for Rural Americans and 

commitment to directing resources to 

those who most need them. 

F. Federal Award Administration 

Information 

1. Federal Award Notices. 

Successful applicants will receive 

notification for funding from their 

USDA Rural Development State Office. 

Applicants must comply with all 

applicable statutes and regulations 

before the grant award will be approved. 

Unsuccessful applications will receive 

notification by mail. 

2. Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements. 

Additional requirements that apply to 

grantees selected for this program can be 

found in 7 CFR 4280.408, 4280.410, and 

4280.439. Awards are subject to USDA 

Departmental Grant Regulations at 2 

CFR Chapter IV which incorporates the 

new Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) regulations at 2 CFR part 200. 

All successful applicants will be 

notified by letter, which will include a 

Letter of Conditions, and a Letter of 

Intent to Meet Conditions. This letter is 

not an authorization to begin 

performance. If the applicant wishes to 

consider beginning performance prior to 

the grant being officially closed, all preaward costs must be approved in 

writing and in advance by the Agency. 

The grant will be considered officially 

awarded when all conditions in the 

Letter of Conditions have been met and 

the Agency obligates the funding for the 

Project. 

Additional requirements that apply to 

grantees selected for this program can be 

found in 7 CFR part 4280, subpart E; the 

Grants and Agreements regulations of 

the U.S. Department of Agriculture 

codified in 2 CFR Chapter IV, and 

successor regulations. 

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). You 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) reporting requirements (see 2 CFR 

170.200(b), unless you are exempt under 

2 CFR 170.110(b)). 

The following additional 

requirements apply to grantees selected 

for this program: 

(a) Form RD 4280–2 ‘‘Rural BusinessCooperative Service Financial 

Assistance Agreement.’’ 

(b) Letter of Conditions. 

(c) Form RD 1940–1, ‘‘Request for 

Obligation of Funds.’’ 

(d) Form RD 1942–46, ‘‘Letter of 

Intent to Meet Conditions.’’ 

(e) Form AD–1047, ‘‘Certification 

Regarding Debarment, Suspension, and 

Other Responsibility Matters–Primary 

Covered Transactions.’’ 

(f) Form AD–1048, ‘‘Certification 

Regarding Debarment, Suspension, 

Ineligibility and Voluntary Exclusion– 

Lower Tier Covered Transactions.’’ 

(g) Form AD–1049, ‘‘Certification 

Regarding a Drug-Free Workplace 

Requirement (Grants).’’ 

(h) Form AD–3030, ‘‘Assurance 

Regarding Felony Conviction or Tax 

Delinquent Status for Corporate 

Applicants.’’ Must be signed by 

corporate applicants who receive an 

award under this notice. 

(i) Form RD 400–4, ‘‘Assurance 

Agreement.’’ Each prospective recipient 

must sign Form RD 400–4, Assurance 

Agreement, which assures USDA that 

the recipient is in compliance with Title 

VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 7 CFR 

part 15, and other Agency regulations. 

That no person will be discriminated 

against based on race, color or national 

origin, in regard to any program or 

activity for which the recipient receives 

Federal financial assistance. That 

nondiscrimination statements are in 

advertisements and brochures. 

Collect and maintain data provided by 

recipients on race, sex, and national 

origin and ensure 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. 

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. 

(j) SF LLL, ‘‘Disclosure of Lobbying 

Activities,’’ if applicable. 

(k) Form SF 270, ‘‘Request for 

Advance or Reimbursement.’’ 

3. Reporting. 

(a) A Financial Status Report and a 

Project performance activity report will 

be required of all grantees on a quarterly 

basis until initial funds are expended 

and yearly thereafter, if applicable, 

based on the Federal fiscal year. The 

grantee will complete the Project within 

the total time available to it in 

accordance with the Scope of Work and 

any necessary modifications thereof 

prepared by the grantee and approved 

by the Agency. A final Project 

performance report will be required 

with the final Financial Status Report. 

The final report may serve as the last 

quarterly report. The final report must 

provide complete information regarding 

the jobs created and supported as a 

result of the grant if applicable. Grantees 

must continuously monitor performance 

to ensure that time schedules are being 

met, projected work by time periods is 

being accomplished, and other 

performance objectives are being 

achieved. Grantees must submit an 

original of each report to the Agency no 

later than 30 days after the end of the 

quarter. The Project performance reports 

must include, but not be limited to, the 

following: 


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(1) A comparison of actual 

accomplishments to the objectives 

established for that period; 

(2) Problems, delays, or adverse 

conditions, if any, which have affected 

or will affect attainment of overall 

Project objectives, prevent meeting time 

schedules or objectives, or preclude the 

attainment of particular Project work 

elements during established time 

periods. This disclosure shall be 

accompanied by a statement of the 

action taken or planned to resolve the 

situation; 

(3) Objectives and timetable 

established for the next reporting 

period; 

(4) Any special reporting 

requirements, such as jobs supported 

and created, businesses assisted, or 

Economic Development which results in 

improvements in median household 

incomes, and any other specific 

requirements, should be placed in the 

reporting section in the Letter of 

Conditions; and 

(5) Within 90 days after the 

conclusion of the Project, the grantee 

will provide a final Project evaluation 

report. The last quarterly payment will 

be withheld until the final report is 

received and approved by the Agency. 

Even though the grantee may request 

reimbursement on a monthly basis, the 

last 3 months of reimbursements will be 

withheld until a final Project, Project 

performance, and financial status report 

are received and approved by the 

Agency. 

G. Federal Awarding Agency Contact(s) 

For general questions about this 

announcement, please contact your 

USDA Rural Development State Office 

provided in the ADDRESSES section of 

this notice. 

H. 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. 

I. Other Information 

Paperwork Reduction Act 

In accordance with the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995, the information 

collection requirement contained in this 

notice is approved by OMB under OMB 

Control Number 0570–0070. 

Federal Funding Accountability and 

Transparency Act 

All applicants, in accordance with 2 

CFR part 25, must have a DUNS 

number, which can be obtained at no 

cost via a toll-free request line at (866) 

705–5711 or online at http://

fedgov.dnb.com/webform. Similarly, all 

applicants must be registered in SAM 

prior to submitting an application. 

Applicants may register for the SAM at 

http://www.sam.gov. All recipients of 

Federal financial assistance are required 

to report information about first-tier 

sub-awards and executive total 

compensation in accordance with 2 CFR 

part 170. 

Nondiscrimination Statement 

In accordance with Federal civil 

rights law and U.S. Department of 

Agriculture (USDA) civil rights 

regulations and policies, the USDA, its 

Agencies, offices, and 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. 

Persons with disabilities who require 

alternative means of communication for 

program information (e.g., Braille, large 

print, audiotape, American Sign 

Language, etc.) should contact the 

responsible Agency or USDA’s TARGET 

Center at (202) 720–2600 (voice and 

TTY) or contact USDA through the 

Federal Relay Service at (800) 877–8339. 

Additionally, program information may 

be made available in languages other 

than English. 

To file a program discrimination 

complaint, complete the USDA Program 

Discrimination Complaint Form, AD 

3027, found online at http://

www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_

cust.html and at any USDA office or 

write a letter addressed to USDA and 

provide in the letter all of the 

information requested in the form. To 

request a copy of the complaint form, 

call (866) 632–9992. Submit your 

completed form or letter 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; 

(2) Fax: (202) 690–7442; or 

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

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, 

employer, and lender. 

Dated: June 20, 2018. 

Bette B. Brand, 

Administrator, Rural Business-Cooperative 

Service. 

[FR Doc. 2018–13752 Filed 6–26–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–XY–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Rural Housing Service 

Notice of Solicitation of Applications 

for Section 514 Farm Labor Housing 

Loans and Section 516 Farm Labor 

Housing Grants for Off-Farm Housing 

for Fiscal Year 2018 

AGENCY: Rural Housing Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Rural Housing Service 

(RHS) announces the timeframe to 

submit pre-applications for Section 514 

Farm Labor Housing (FLH) loans and 

Section 516 FLH grants for the 

construction of new off-farm FLH units 

and related facilities for domestic farm 

laborers and for the purchase and 

substantial rehabilitation of non-FLH 

property. The intended purpose of the 

loans and grants are to increase the 

number of available housing units for 

domestic farm laborers. This Notice 

describes the method used to distribute 

funds, the application process, and 

submission requirements. 

The Agency will publish the amount 

of funding received from the 

Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 

(Pub. L. 115–141, March 23, 2018) on its 

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

newsroom/notices-solicitationapplications-nosas. Expenses incurred 

in developing applications will be at the 

applicant’s risk. 

Pursuant to section 759 of the 

Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 

(Pub. L. 115–141, March 23, 2018), the 

Agency will set aside 10 percent of the 

FLH funds for project proposals in 

persistent poverty counties. The Agency 

will also assign additional points to preapplications for projects based in or 

serving census tracts with poverty rates 

equal to or greater than 20 percent over 

the last 30 years. This emphasis will 

support Rural Development’s mission of 

improving the quality of life for rural 

Americans and commitment to directing 

resources to those who most need them. 

DATES: The deadline for receipt of all 

applications in response to this Notice 

is 5:00 p.m., local time to the 

appropriate Rural Development State 


daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES