7566 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 28 / Wednesday, February 11, 2015 / Notices 

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 71–87k. 

Larry Mitchell, 

Administrator, Grain Inspection, Packers and 

Stockyards Administration. 

[FR Doc. 2015–02744 Filed 2–10–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–KD–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Office of Advocacy and Outreach 

[FOA No.: OAO–00009] 

Funding Opportunity Announcement 

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 

(CFDA) No.: 10.464—Socially Disadvantaged 

Farmers and Ranchers Policy Research 

Center. 

AGENCY: Office of Advocacy and 

Outreach (OAO), U.S. Department of 

Agriculture (USDA). 

ACTION: Funding Opportunity 

Announcement (FOA). 

SUMMARY: This notice announces the 

availability of funds and solicits 

applications from eligible institutions to 

compete for financial assistance in the 

form of a grant to establish a Socially 

Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers 

Policy Research Center (The Center) at 

an 1890 Institution (as defined in 7 

U.S.C. 7601). 

Authority: The Agricultural Act of 2014, 

Title XII, Subtitle B, provides funding for a 

‘‘Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and 

Ranchers Policy Research Center.’’ Section 

12203 directs the Secretary to award a grant 

to a college or university eligible to receive 

funds under the Act of August 30, 1890 

[Second Morrill Act] (7 U.S.C. 321 et seq.), 

including Tuskegee University, to establish a 

policy research center to be known as the 

‘‘Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and 

Ranchers Policy Research Center’’ for the 

purpose of developing policy 

recommendations for the protection and 

promotion of the interests of socially 

disadvantaged farmers and ranchers. 

The Center will collect and analyze 

data, develop policy recommendations, 

and evaluate policy concerning socially 

disadvantaged farmer and rancher 

issues. ‘‘Socially Disadvantaged Farmers 

and Ranchers’’ is defined in 7 U.S.C. 

2279. 

We will award $400,000 in fiscal year 

(FY) 2015, ending September 30. 

Additional funds may be awarded to the 

successful grantee through FY 2018 

without further competition. 

DATES: Proposals must be received by 

April 13, 2015, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern 

Standard Time (EST), at 

www.grants.gov. Proposals received 

after this deadline will not be 

considered for funding. 

ADDRESSES: 

How to File a Complaint of 

Discrimination: To file a complaint of 

discrimination, complete the USDA 

Program Discrimination Complaint 

Form, which may be accessed online at 

http://www.ocio.usda.gov/sites/default/

files/docs/2012/Complain_combined_6_

8_12.pdf, or write a letter signed by you 

or your authorized representative. 

Send your completed complaint form 

or letter to USDA by mail, fax, or email: 

Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, 

Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 

Independence Avenue SW., 

Washington, DC 20250–9410/. 

Fax: (202) 690–7442. 

Email: program.intake@usda.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Agency Contact: U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, Office of Advocacy and 

Outreach, Attn: Kenya Nicholas, 

Program Director, Whitten Building 

Room 520–A, 1400 Independence 

Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250, 

Phone: (202) 720–6350, Fax: (202) 720– 

7136, Email: OASDVFR2015@

osec.usda.gov. 

Persons with Disabilities: Persons who 

require alternative means for 

communication (Braille, large print, 

audiotape, etc.), should contact USDA’s 

TARGET Center at (202) 720–2600 

(voice and TDD). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Funding/Awards 

The total funding available for this 

competitive opportunity is $400,000. 

The OAO will award one new grant 

from this announcement. 

Contents of This Announcement 

I. Funding Opportunity Description 

II. Award Information 

III. Eligibility Information 

IV. Proposal and Submission Information 

V. Competitive Review and Evaluation 

Criteria 

VI. Award Administration Information 

I. Funding Opportunity Description 

USDA’s Office of Advocacy and 

Outreach (OAO) invites submission of 

proposals for a competitive grant award 

to establish a new USDA Socially 

Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers 

Policy Research Center (The Center). 

The Center will specialize in policy 

research impacting socially 

disadvantaged farmers and ranchers. 

Land loss, land retention, and access to 

local, state, and federal programs will be 

major areas of research and policy 

development. The Center’s director and 

staff will have experience and/or 

education required to understand the 

socially disadvantaged farmers and 

ranchers communities. The Center will 

propose how they will work with other 

institutions, as appropriate, inside and 

outside the land grant community. 

Proposed recommendations resulting 

from the following list of activities, 

including but not limited to, shall be 

submitted to the Director of OAO: 

• Analyze current agriculture policy 

and its implications on socially 

disadvantaged farmers and ranchers. 

• Collect data on where USDA 

meetings are being held, and how 

socially disadvantaged farmers and 

ranchers participate. 

• Make recommendations on 

improving participation rates of socially 

disadvantaged farmers and ranchers. 

• Provide recommendations on how 

to improve diversity of county office 

staff and committees. 

• Provide recommendations on 

actions to improve USDA program 

agencies’ outreach and technical 

assistance to socially disadvantaged 

farmers and ranchers. 

• Collect data on the history of the 

education of socially disadvantaged 

farmers and ranchers and evaluate the 

results of past educational efforts in the 

South and the ability of higher 

education institutions to meet the 

educational needs of socially 

disadvantaged farmers and ranchers 

today. 

• Collect data on how socially 

disadvantaged farmers and ranchers 

receive agricultural information. 

• Determine how many socially 

disadvantaged farmers and ranchers 

have access to information technology 

equipment and broadband. 

• Determine how many socially 

disadvantaged farmers and ranchers 

have received training on the use of 

information technology (IT) equipment 

and provide recommendations on ways 

to increase the utilization of IT for their 

farming organizations. 

• Provide recommendations on 

improving the application approval 

process for socially disadvantaged 

farmers and ranchers applying for 

USDA assistance. Determine how past 

discrimination impacts access to present 

programs and provide recommendations 

to improve participation among socially 

disadvantaged farmers and ranchers. 

• Collect data on the reasons for the 

decline of farm, ranch, and land 

ownership by socially disadvantaged 

farmers and ranchers. Provide 

recommendations on how to track and 

maintain current data on the number 

and location of socially disadvantaged 

farmers and ranchers. 

• Analyze data collected from all 

sources, and develop policy 

recommendations that will enable 

socially disadvantaged farmers and 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 28 / Wednesday, February 11, 2015 / Notices 7567 

ranchers to stay in farming and to 

preserve their lands. 

II. Award Information 

A. Statutory Authority 

The statutory authority for this action 

is section 2501(i) of the Food, 

Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade 

Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 2279(i)), as added 

by section 12203 of the Agricultural Act 

of 2014, Public Law 113–79, which 

directs the Secretary of Agriculture to 

‘‘award a grant to a college or university 

eligible to receive funds under the Act 

of August 30, 1890 (7 U.S.C. 321 et seq.), 

including Tuskegee University, to 

establish a policy research center to be 

known as the ‘Socially Disadvantaged 

Farmers and Ranchers Policy Research 

Center’ for the purpose of developing 

policy recommendations for the 

protection and promotion of the 

interests of socially disadvantaged 

farmers and ranchers.’’ 

B. Expected Amount of Funding 

OAO expects to make one award in 

FY 2015 of $400,000 to fund the Center. 

Institutions shall submit only one 

proposal. 

C. Project Period 

The project period for the award 

resulting from this solicitation will not 

begin prior to the effective award date. 

Initial funding will be provided for one 

year. Funding may be extended without 

further competition through FY 2018, 

provided that performance has been 

satisfactory, appropriations are available 

for this purpose, and continued support 

would be in the best interest of the 

Federal Government and the public. 

D. Award Type 

Funding for the selected proposal will 

be in the form of a grant which must be 

fully executed no later than September 

31, 2015. The anticipated Federal 

involvement will be limited to the 

following activities: 

• Approval of awardees’ final budget 

and statement of work accompanying 

the grant agreement; 

• Monitoring of awardees’ 

performance through quarterly and final 

reports; 

• Evaluation of and feedback on 

awardees’ use of federal funds through 

periodic performance and financial 

reports and on-site visits to ensure that 

objectives and award conditions are 

being met; and 

• Facilitation of communication 

between the Center and USDA program 

agencies such as the Farm Service 

Agency, Natural Resources Conservation 

Service, Risk Management Agency, 

Rural Development, Forest Service, 

Agricultural Research Service and the 

USDA Office of Tribal Relations. 

III. Eligibility Information 

• Eligible Applicants 

Any 1890 Institution (as defined in 7 

U.S.C. 7601) may apply. 

Cost-Sharing or Matching 

Matching is not required for this 

program. 

Threshold Eligibility Criteria 

Applications from eligible entities 

that meet all criteria will be evaluated 

as follows: 

1. Proposals must comply with the 

submission instructions and 

requirements set forth in Section IV of 

this announcement. Pages in excess of 

the page limitation will not be 

considered. 

2. Proposals must be received through 

www.grants.gov as specified in Section 

IV of this announcement on or before 

the proposal submission deadline. 

Applicants will receive an electronic 

confirmation receipt of their proposal 

from www.grants.gov. 

3. Proposals received after the 

submission deadline will not be 

considered. 

IV. Proposal and Submission 

Information 

A. Obtain Proposal Package 

Applicants may download individual 

grant proposal forms from 

www.grants.gov. For assistance with 

www.grants.gov, please consult the 

Applicant User Guide at (http://

grants.gov/assets/

ApplicantUserGuide.pdf). 

B. Form of Proposal Submission 

Applicants are required to submit 

proposals through www.grants.gov. 

Applicants will be required to register 

through www.grants.gov in order to 

begin the proposal submission process. 

Proposals must be submitted by April 

13, 2015, via www.grants.gov by 5:00 

p.m. EST. Proposals received after this 

deadline will not be considered. 

C. Content of Proposal Package 

Submission 

These guidelines are provided to 

assist you in preparing a proposal. 

Please read them carefully before 

preparing your submission. 

All submissions must contain 

completed and electronically signed 

original application forms, as well as the 

attachments described below: 

• Forms. The listed forms can be 

found in the proposal package at 

www.grants.gov. 

1. Standard Form 424, Application for 

Federal Assistance; 

2. Standard Form 424A, Budget 

Information—Non-Construction 

Programs; 

3. Standard Form 424B, NonConstruction Programs 

• Attachments. These elements are 

required for all grant proposals and are 

included in the proposal package at 

www.grants.gov as fillable PDF 

templates. Applicants must download 

and complete these attachments and 

save the completed PDF files to the 

application submission portal at 

www.grants.gov. NOTE: Please number 

each page of each attachment and 

indicate the total number of pages per 

attachment (i.e., 1 of 10, 2 of 10, etc.). 

Æ Attachment 1: Program Summary 

Page. The proposal must contain a 

Program Summary Page, which must 

follow immediately after the budget 

form, and should not be numbered. The 

program summary is limited to 250 

words. The program summary should be 

a self-contained, specific description of 

the activities to be undertaken. The 

summary should focus on the overall 

program goals and supporting objectives 

and plans to accomplish the goals. The 

importance of a concise, informative 

program summary cannot be 

overemphasized. 

Æ Attachment 2: Statement of Work. 

The statement of work format should be 

25 double-spaced pages or less, oneinch margins, and 12-point font. The 

overall application may not exceed 45 

pages, including attachments. The 

proposal should be assembled so that 

the statement of work immediately 

follows the Program Summary. To 

clarify page limitation requirements, 

page numbering for the statement of 

work should start with 1 and should be 

placed on the bottom of the page. All 

proposals are to be formatted for 

standard 81⁄2′′ x 11′′ paper. The 

statement of work must address the 

following components: 

(1) Active Research 

A plan discussing the kind of socially 

disadvantaged farmer and rancher 

activities needed to inform important 

issues in the development of agriculture 

policy impacts to socially disadvantaged 

farmers and ranchers. The plan should 

demonstrate the applicant’s deep 

knowledge of policy issues, past 

research projects and their impacts, and 

how current and future studies can 

contribute to the current knowledge 

base. The plan should describe how the 

Center will implement and develop the 

capacity to conduct research on issues 

relevant to agricultural policy. The plan 

should outline a strategy for 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
7568 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 28 / Wednesday, February 11, 2015 / Notices 

collaborating with OAO and USDA 

program agencies for the purpose of 

identifying topics and making 

recommendations on agricultural policy 

relating to socially disadvantaged 

farmers and ranchers. 

(2) Staffing and Organizational Plan 

The application must include a 

staffing and organizational proposal for 

the Center, including an analysis of the 

types of background needed among staff 

members. The application should 

discuss the Center’s capacity to 

collaborate and issue sub-awards to 

researchers outside of the Center. Full 

resumes (2 page maximum) of proposed 

staff members should be included as a 

separate appendix to the application. 

Æ Attachment 3: Budget Narrative. 

The budget narrative should identify 

and describe the costs associated with 

the proposed Center, including subawards or contracts and indirect costs. 

Other funding sources may also be 

identified in this attachment. Each cost 

indicated must be fully allowable under 

the Federal Cost Principles in order to 

be funded. The budget narrative should 

not exceed 2 pages. 

Funds may be requested under any of 

the budget categories listed below, 

provided that the item or service 

requested is identified as necessary for 

successful conduct of the proposed 

program, allowable under applicable 

Federal cost principles, and not 

prohibited under any applicable Federal 

statute or regulation. 

Budget items include: 

• Personnel 

• Fringe benefits 

• Travel 

• Equipment 

• Supplies 

• Contractual items 

• Other direct costs 

• Indirect charges 

Salaries of faculty members and other 

personnel who will be working on the 

program may be requested in proportion 

to the effort they will devote to the 

program. 

Indirect costs are limited by Federal 

statute to the federally recognized 

audited rate for the institution. For 

reimbursement of indirect costs, the 

applicant must include with the 

application a copy of its indirect cost 

rate schedule that reports the 

applicant’s federally negotiated audited 

rate. 

Electronic copies of the standard 

budget form and general instructions are 

available at www.grants.gov as part of 

the application package. 

Æ Attachment 4: Appendices. Letters 

of Commitment, Letters of Support, and 

approvals or other actions are 

encouraged but not required 

documentation for this funding 

opportunity. However, applicants can 

consolidate all supplemental materials 

into one additional attachment. Do not 

include sections from other attachments 

as an Appendix. 

D. Sub-Awards and Partnerships 

The OAO awards funds to one eligible 

applicant as the awardee. Please 

indicate a lead applicant as the 

responsible party if other eligible 

applicants are named as partners or coapplicants or members of a coalition or 

consortium. The awardee is accountable 

to the OAO for the proper expenditure 

of all funds. 

Funding may be used to provide subawards, which includes using subawards to fund partnerships; however, 

the awardee must utilize at least 50 

percent of the total funds awarded, and 

no more than three subcontracts will be 

permitted. All sub-awardees must 

comply with applicable requirements 

for sub-awards. Applicants must 

compete for services, contracts, and 

products, including consultant 

contracts, and conduct cost and price 

analyses to the extent required by 

applicable procurement regulations. 

E. Submission Dates and Times 

The closing date and time for receipt 

of proposal submissions is April 13, 

2015, by 5:00 p.m., EST via 

www.grants.gov. Proposals received 

after the submission deadline will be 

considered late and will not be 

evaluated. 

F. Confidential Information 

In accordance with 7 CFR 2500.017, 

the names of entities submitting 

proposals, as well as proposal content 

and evaluations, will be kept 

confidential to the extent permissible by 

law. If an applicant chooses to include 

confidential or proprietary information 

in the proposal, it will be treated in 

accordance with Exemption 4 of the 

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). 

Exemption 4 of the FOIA protects trade 

secrets, and commercial and financial 

information obtained from a person that 

is privileged or confidential. 

G. Pre-Submission Proposal Assistance 

• The OAO cannot assist individual 

applicants by reviewing draft proposals 

or providing advice on how to respond 

to evaluation criteria. However, the 

OAO will respond to questions from 

individual applicants regarding 

eligibility criteria, administrative issues 

related to the submission of the 

proposal, and requests for clarification 

regarding the announcement. 

• The OAO will post questions and 

answers (Q&A’s) relating to this funding 

opportunity during its open period at 

www.grants.gov on the following Web 

page: http://www.outreach.usda.gov/

grants/. The OAO will update the Q&A’s 

on a weekly basis and conduct webinars 

on an as-needed basis. Questions should 

be submitted to: OASDVFR2015@

osec.usda.gov. 

V. Competitive Review and Evaluation 

Criteria 

A. Competitive Review 

Only eligible entities whose proposals 

meet the threshold criteria in Section III 

of this announcement will be reviewed 

according to the evaluation criteria set 

forth below. Applicants should 

explicitly and fully address these 

criteria as part of their proposal 

package. Each proposal will be reviewed 

under the regulations established under 

7 CFR part 2500 Subpart C. 

Applications for the Center that meet 

the initial screening requirements will 

be evaluated and rated by an 

independent technical review panel. 

The panel will use the evaluation 

criteria listed below to score each 

application. The evaluation criteria are 

designed to assess the quality of the 

proposed program and to determine the 

probability of its success. The 

evaluation criteria are closely related 

and are considered as a whole in 

judging the overall quality of an 

application. Points are awarded only to 

applications that are responsive to the 

evaluation criteria within the context of 

this program announcement. These 

review results will be the primary 

element used by the OAO in making 

funding decisions. Reviewers will 

determine the strengths and weaknesses 

of each application in terms of the 

evaluation criteria listed below and 

assign numerical scores out of a possible 

100 points. A summary of all applicant 

scores and strengths/weaknesses and 

recommendations will be prepared. A 

preliminary funding recommendation 

will be provided to the designated 

approving official who will make the 

final funding decision. 

B. Evaluation Criteria 

The point value following each 

criterion heading indicates the 

maximum numerical relative weight 

that each section will be given in the 

review process. Applicants should take 

care to ensure that all criteria are fully 

addressed in the applications. 


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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 28 / Wednesday, February 11, 2015 / Notices 7569 

Criteria Points 

(1) Active Research ................................................................................................................................................................................. 50 

The applicant demonstrates a proven record of research, outreach, and community involvement within socially disadvantaged 

communities. The applicant will discuss the activities proposed to address important issues in the development of agricultural policy impacting socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers. The applicant demonstrates knowledge of policy issues 

and past research projects on socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers. The applicant describes in detail how the Center will implement its statement of work to develop capacity to conduct research and provide recommendations on agricultural policy relevant to socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers. The applicant outlines a strategy for collaborating with 

OAO and USDA program agencies on agricultural policy relating to socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers.

(2) Staffing and Organizational Arrangements ........................................................................................................................................ 25 

The applicant’s proposed Center Director and staff demonstrate appropriate levels of experience, administrative skills, public 

administration experience, and relevant technical expertise. The applicant demonstrates an adequate level of Center Director and staff time commitments to the Center. The applicant demonstrates an ability to work in collaboration with other practitioners as well as existing or planned relationships with researchers at other institutions. The applicant demonstrates the 

nature and extent of the organization’s support for research. The applicant demonstrates the commitment of the university 

(and proposed institutional unit that will contain the Center) to support the Center’s major activities.

(3) Budget and Resource Allocation ....................................................................................................................................................... 25 

The applicant provides a budget that yields an efficient and effective allocation of funds to achieve the objectives of this announcement, as well as core administrative functions necessary to carry out the Center’s mission. The application includes 

a narrative description and justification for proposed budget line items and demonstrates that the project’s costs are adequate, reasonable, and necessary for the activities or personnel to be supported. The budget and narrative demonstrate a 

clear relationship to the approach. The applicant demonstrates the manner in which funds will be allocated to best serve 

the Center’s goals, including but not limited to, the level of indirect costs: (1) Charged by the Center and (2) allowed to the

institutions of researchers receiving sub-awards.

C. Selection of Reviewers 

Reviewers will be selected based 

upon training and experience in 

relevant fields including, outreach, 

technical assistance, cooperative 

extension services, education, 

statistical, and ethnographic data 

collection and analysis, and agricultural 

programs. Reviewers will be drawn from 

a diverse group of experts to create 

balanced review panels. More 

information on the selection of 

reviewers can be found in 7 CFR 

2500.023. 

VI. Award Administration Information 

A. Award Notices 

Proposal Notifications and Feedback 

1. The successful applicant will be 

notified by the OAO via telephone, 

email, or postal mail. The notification 

will advise the applicant that its 

proposed project has been evaluated 

and recommended for award. The 

notification will be sent to the original 

signer of the SF–424, Application for 

Federal Assistance. The award notice 

will be forwarded to the grantee for 

execution and returned to the OAO 

grants officer, who is the authorizing 

official. Once grant documents are 

executed by all parties, authorization to 

begin work will be given. 

2. The OAO will send notification to 

unsuccessful applicants via email or 

postal mail. The notification will be sent 

to the original signer of the SF–424, 

Application for Federal Assistance. 

3. Applicant feedback will be 

provided using the procedures 

established by 7 CFR 2500.026. 

B. Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements 

All awards resulting from this FOA 

will be administered in accordance with 

the OAO assistance regulations codified 

at 7 CFR part 2500. A listing and 

description of general federal 

regulations and cost principles 

applicable to the award of assistance 

agreements under this FOA can be 

found in 7 CFR 2500.003. 

Applicable Federal statutes, 

regulations, and guidelines include the 

following: (a) OAO Federal Financial 

Assistance Programs—General Award 

Administrative Procedures, guidelines 

to be followed when submitting grant 

proposals and cooperative agreements 

and rules governing the evaluation of 

proposals, 7 CFR part 2500; (b) the 

Uniform Administrative Requirements, 

Cost Principles, and Audit 

Requirements for Federal Awards, 2 

CFR part 200, as adopted and 

supplemented by 2 CFR part 400; and 

(c) the USDA General Program 

Administrative Regulations, 2 CFR part 

415. 

C. Data Universal Numbering System, 

System for Award Management, and 

Central Contractor Registry Registration 

In accordance with the Federal 

Funding Accountability and 

Transparency Act (FFATA) and the 

USDA implementation, all applicants 

must obtain and provide an identifying 

number from Dun and Bradstreet’s 

(D&B) Data Universal Numbering 

System (DUNS). Applicants can receive 

a DUNS number, at no cost, by calling 

the toll-free DUNS Number request line 

at 1–866–705–5711, or visiting the D&B 

Web site at www.dnb.com. 

In addition, FFATA requires 

applicants to register with the Central 

Contractor Registry (CCR) and the 

System for Award Management (SAM). 

This registration must be maintained 

and updated annually. Applicants can 

register or update their profile, at no 

cost, by visiting the SAM Web site at 

www.sam.gov which will satisfy both 

the CCR and SAM registration 

requirements. 

D. Reporting Requirement 

In accordance with 7 CFR 2500.045 

and 2500.046, the following reporting 

requirements will apply to awards 

provided under this FOA. The OAO 

reserves the right to revise the schedule 

and format of reporting requirements as 

necessary in the award agreement. 

1. Quarterly progress reports and 

financial reports will be required. 

• Quarterly Progress Reports. The 

awardee must submit the OMBapproved Performance Progress Report 

form (SF–PPR, Approval Number: 0970– 

0334). For each report, the awardee 

must complete fields 1 through 12 of the 

SF–PPR. To complete field 10, the 

awardee is required to provide a 

detailed narrative of project 

performance and activities as an 

attachment, as described in the award 

agreement. Quarterly progress reports 

must be submitted to the designated 

OAO official within 30 calendar days 

after the end of each calendar quarter. 

• Quarterly Financial Reports. The 

awardee must submit the Standard 

Form 425, Federal Financial Report. For 

each report, the awardee must complete 

both the Federal Cash Transaction 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
7570 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 28 / Wednesday, February 11, 2015 / Notices 

Report and the Financial Status Report 

sections of the SF–425. Quarterly 

financial reports must be submitted to 

the designated OAO official within 30 

calendar days after the end of each 

calendar quarter. 

2. Final progress and financial reports 

will be required upon project 

completion. The final progress report 

should include a summary of the project 

or activity throughout the funding 

period, achievements of the project or 

activity, and a discussion of problems 

experienced in conducting the project or 

activity. The final financial report 

should consist of a complete SF–425 

indicating the total costs of the project. 

Final progress and financial reports 

must be submitted to the designated 

OAO official within 90 calendar days 

after the completion of the award 

period. 

Signed this 5th day of February, 2015. 

Carolyn C. Parker, 

Director, Office of Advocacy and Outreach. 

[FR Doc. 2015–02833 Filed 2–10–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Office of Advocacy and Outreach 

[FOA No.: OAO–00008] 

Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance (CFDA) No.: 10.443— 

Outreach and Assistance for Socially 

Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers 

and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers 

Program 

AGENCY: Office of Advocacy and 

Outreach, USDA. 

ACTION: Funding opportunity 

announcement (FOA). 

SUMMARY: This notice announces the 

availability of funds and solicits 

applications from eligible entities to 

compete for financial assistance through 

the Outreach and Assistance for Socially 

Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers 

and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers 

Program (hereinafter the ‘‘2501 

Program’’). 

The overall goal of the 2501 Program 

is to assist socially disadvantaged and 

veteran farmers and ranchers in owning 

and operating farms and ranches while 

increasing their participation in 

agricultural programs and services 

provided by the U.S. Department of 

Agriculture (USDA). This program will 

assist eligible community-based and 

non-profit organizations, higher 

education institutions, and tribal 

entities in providing outreach and 

technical assistance to socially 

disadvantaged and veteran farmers and 

ranchers. 

DATES: Proposals must be received by 

April 13, 2015, at 5:00 p.m. EST, at 

www.grants.gov. Proposals received 

after this deadline will not be 

considered for funding. 

ADDRESSES: How to File a Complaint of 

Discrimination: To file a complaint of 

discrimination, complete the USDA 

Program Discrimination Complaint 

Form, which may be accessed online at: 

http://www.ocio.usda.gov/sites/default/

files/docs/2012/Complain_combined_6_

8_12.pdf, or write a letter signed by you 

or your authorized representative. 

Send your completed complaint form 

or letter to USDA by mail, fax, or email: 

Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, 

Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 

Independence Avenue SW., 

Washington, DC 20250–9410. 

Fax: (202) 690–7442. 

Email: program.intake@usda.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Agency Contact: U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, DM—Office of Advocacy 

and Outreach, Attn: Kenya Nicholas, 

Program Director, Whitten Building 

Room 520–A, 1400 Independence 

Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250, 

Phone: 202–720–6350, Fax: 202–720– 

7136, Email: OASDVFR2015@

osec.usda.gov. 

Persons with Disabilities: Persons who 

require alternative means for 

communication (Braille, large print, 

audiotape, etc.), should contact USDA’s 

TARGET Center at (202) 720–2600 

(voice and TDD). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Funding/Awards: The total funding 

potentially available for this competitive 

opportunity is $9.1 million. The Office 

of Advocacy and Outreach (OAO) will 

award new grants from this 

announcement, subject to availability of 

funds and the quality of applications 

received. All applications will be 

considered new projects and will 

compete based on the applicant’s entity 

type (i.e., community-based 

organization, higher education 

institution, etc.), as described below. 

The maximum amount of requested 

federal funding for projects shall not 

exceed $400,000. The maximum project 

period is one (1) year. 

Funding will be awarded based on 

peer competition within the three (3) 

categories listed below. The amount of 

funding that OAO anticipates awarding 

within each category is identified 

below; however, OAO reserves the 

discretion to make available more or 

less than those anticipated amounts 

depending on the number and quality of 

applications received. There is no 

commitment by OAO to fund any 

particular application or to make a 

specific number of awards within each 

category. 

1. Category #1: Eligible entities 

described in Sections III.A.2, III.A.3, 

and III.A.4 (1890, 1994, and HispanicServing Institutions of higher education, 

American Indian tribal community 

colleges, and Alaska Native cooperative 

colleges). 

Anticipated amount of total funding: 

$4,000,000. 

2. Category #2: Eligible entities 

described in Sections III.A.1 and III.A.6 

(i.e., community-based organizations, 

including a network or a coalition of 

community-based organizations, Indian 

tribes (as defined in 25 U.S.C. 450b), 

and national tribal organizations). 

Anticipated amount of total funding: 

$4,000,000. 

3. Category #3: Eligible entities 

described in Sections III.A.5 and III.A.7 

(i.e., all other institutions of higher 

education and other organizations or 

institutions, including those that 

received funding under this program 

before January 1, 1996). 

Anticipated amount of total funding: 

$1,100,000. 

Contents of This Announcement 

I. Funding Opportunity Description 

II. Award Information 

III. Eligibility Information 

IV. Proposal and Submission Information 

V. Application Review Information 

VI. Award Administration Information 

I. Funding Opportunity Description 

A. Background 

The 2501 Program, administered by 

the OAO, is committed to ensuring 

equitable participation in USDA 

programs. Community-based and nonprofit organizations, higher education 

institutions, and eligible tribal entities 

can play a critical role in addressing the 

unique difficulties socially 

disadvantaged and veteran farmers and 

ranchers face. Differences in 

demographics, culture, economics, and 

other factors preclude a single approach 

to identifying solutions that can benefit 

farmers and ranchers by connecting 

them with resources available from 

USDA. 

1. The 2501 Program was authorized 

by the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, 

and Trade Act of 1990. The Food, 

Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 

expanded the authority of the Secretary 

of Agriculture (the Secretary) to provide 

awards under the program and 

transferred the administrative authority 

to OAO. The 2014 Farm Bill further 

expanded the program to include 

outreach and assistance to veterans. The 


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