[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 66 (Wednesday, April 6, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19842-19851]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-07311]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Business-Cooperative Service

[Docket No: RBS-22-CO-OP-0002]


Inviting Applications for Rural Cooperative Development Grants 
(RCDG)

AGENCY: Rural Business-Cooperative Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of solicitation of applications.

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SUMMARY: This Notice announces that the Rural Business-Cooperative 
Service (Agency) is accepting fiscal year (FY) 2022 applications for 
the Rural Cooperative Development Grant (RCDG) program, subject to the 
availability of funding. This notice is being issued in order to allow 
applicants sufficient time to leverage financing, prepare and submit 
their applications, and give the Agency time to process applications 
within FY 2022. The purpose of this program is to provide financial 
assistance to improve the economic condition of rural areas through 
cooperative development. Eligible applicants are non-profit 
corporations and institutions of higher education. An announcement on 
the website at https://www.rd.usda.gov/newsroom/notices-solicitation-applications-nosas will identify the amount available in FY 2022 for 
RCDG applications. All applicants are responsible for any expenses 
incurred in developing their applications.

DATES: Completed applications must be submitted electronically by no 
later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, June 6, 2022, through Grants.gov, 
to be eligible for grant funding. For instructions on the process of 
registering your organization as soon as possible to ensure that you 
are able to meet the electronic application deadline, please review the 
Grants.gov website at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/register.html. 
Late applications are not eligible for funding under this Notice and 
will not be evaluated.

ADDRESSES: You are encouraged to contact your USDA Rural Development 
(RD) State Office well in advance of the application deadline to 
discuss your project and ask any questions about the RCDG program or 
the application process. Contact information for State Offices can be 
found at http://www.rd.usda.gov/contact-us/state-offices.
    Program guidance as well as application and matching funds 
templates may be obtained at http://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/rural-cooperative-development-grant-program. To submit an electronic 
application, follow the instructions for the RCDG funding announcement 
located at http://www.grants.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lisa Sharp, Program Management 
Division, Rural Business-Cooperative Service, United States Department 
of Agriculture, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Mail Stop-3226, Room 5160-
South, Washington, DC 20250-3226, (202) 720-1400 or email to 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#f29e9b8193dc819a938082b287819693dc959d84"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="0f63667c6e217c676e7d7f4f7a7c6b6e21686079">[email protected]</span></a>.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Overview

    Federal Agency: Rural Business-Cooperative Service.
    Funding Opportunity Title: Rural Cooperative Development Grants 
(RCDG).
    Announcement Type: Notice of Solicitation of Applications.
    Assistance Listing Number: 10.771.
    Funding Opportunity Number: RBCS-RCDG-2022.
    Date: Application Deadline. Electronic applications must be 
received by http://www.grants.gov no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern 
Time, June 6, 2022, or it will not be considered for funding.
    Administrative: The following apply to this Notice:
    (i) Key priorities. The Agency encourages applicants to consider 
projects that will advance the following (more details available at 
https://www.rd.usda.gov/priority-points:
    <bullet> Assisting rural communities recover economically from the 
impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly disadvantaged 
communities;
    <bullet> Ensuring all rural residents have equitable access to RD 
programs and benefits from RD funded projects; and
    <bullet> Reducing climate pollution and increasing resilience to 
the impacts of climate change through economic support to rural 
communities.
    (ii) Technical assistance. The application template provides 
specific, detailed instructions for each item of a

[[Page 19843]]

complete application. The Agency emphasizes the importance of including 
every item and strongly encourages applicants to follow the 
instructions carefully, using the examples and illustrations in the 
application template. 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 
May 6, 2022. Agency contact information can be found in Section D of 
this Notice.
    (iii) Hemp related projects. Please note that no assistance or 
funding can be provided to a hemp producer unless they have a valid 
license issued from an approved State, Tribal or Federal plan as 
defined by the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, Public Law 115-334. 
Verification of valid hemp licenses will occur at the time of award.
    (iv) Persistent poverty counties. Section 736 of the Consolidated 
Appropriations Act, 2021, the appropriations act for Fiscal Year 2021 
(the ``FY 2021 Appropriations Act''), designated funding for projects 
in Persistent Poverty Counties (PPC). Availability of funding in 
Persistent Poverty Counties is contingent on the inclusion of a similar 
provision in the Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2022, once enacted 
(the ``FY 2022 Appropriations Act''). Persistent Poverty Counties is 
defined in Section 736 as ``any county that has had 20 percent or more 
of its population living in poverty over the past 30 years, as measured 
by the 1990 and 2000 decennial censuses, and 2007-2011 American 
Community Survey 5-year average, or any territory or possession of the 
United States.'' Another provision in Section 736 expanded the eligible 
population in Persistent Poverty Counties to include any county seat of 
any Persistent Poverty County that has a population that does not 
exceed the authorized population limit by more than 10 percent. This 
provision expanded the current 50,000 population limit to 55,000 for 
only county seats located in Persistent Poverty Counties. Therefore, in 
the event that the Persistent Poverty County provisions are included in 
the FY 2022 Appropriations Act, once enacted, applicants and/or 
beneficiaries of technical assistance services located in Persistent 
Poverty County seats with populations up to 55,000 (per the 2010 
census) would also be eligible.

A. Program Description

    1. Purpose of the program. The primary objective of the RCDG 
program is to improve the economic condition of rural areas through 
cooperative development. Grants are awarded on a competitive basis and 
are available for non-profit corporations and institutions of higher 
education only. Grant funds may be used to pay for up to 75 percent of 
the cost of establishing and operating centers for rural cooperative 
development. Grant funds may be used to pay for 95 percent of the cost 
of establishing and operating centers for rural cooperative development 
when the applicant is a college identified as a ``1994 Institution'' 
for purposes of the Equity in Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 
1994, as defined by 7 U.S.C. 301. The 1994 Institutions are commonly 
known as Tribal Land Grant Institutions. Centers may have the expertise 
on staff, or they can contract out for the expertise to assist 
individuals or entities in the startup, expansion or operational 
improvement of rural businesses, especially cooperative or mutually-
owned businesses.
    2. Statutory authority. The RCDG program is authorized under 
section 310B(e) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act 
(CONACT) (7 U.S.C. 1932(e)), as amended by the Agriculture Improvement 
Act of 2018 (Pub. L. 115-334). You are required to comply with the 
regulations for this program published at 7 CFR part 4284, subparts A 
and F, which are incorporated by reference in this Notice. Therefore, 
you should become familiar with these regulations.
    3. Definitions. Certain terms relating to the RCDG program that you 
will need to understand are defined at 7 CFR 4284.3 and 7 CFR 4284.504. 
In addition, the terms ``rural'' and ``rural area,'' defined at section 
343(a)(13) of the CONACT (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(13)), are incorporated by 
reference, and will be used for this program instead of the definition 
of ``Rural and rural area'' currently published at 7 CFR 4284.3. The 
term ``you'' referenced throughout this Notice should be understood to 
mean ``you'' the applicant. Finally, there has been some confusion 
about the Agency's interpretation of the terms ``conflict of interest'' 
and ``mutually-owned business'' because they are not defined in the 
CONACT or in the regulations used for the program. Therefore, the 
Agency is clarifying those terms for the purpose of this program as 
follows:
    Conflict of interest--A situation in which a person or entity has 
competing personal, professional, or financial interests that make it 
difficult for the person or business to act impartially. Regarding use 
of both grant and matching funds, Federal procurement standards 
prohibit transactions that involve a real or apparent conflict of 
interest for owners, employees, officers, agents, or their immediate 
family members having a financial or other interest in the outcome of 
the project; or that restrict open and free competition for 
unrestrained trade. Specifically, project funds may not be used for 
services or goods going to, or coming from, a person or entity with a 
real or apparent conflict of interest, including, but not limited to, 
owner(s) and their immediate family members. An example of a conflict 
of interest occurs when an employee of the grantee, an individual on 
the grantee's board of directors, or an immediate family member of 
either, has the appearance of a professional or personal financial 
interest in the recipients receiving the benefits or services of the 
grant.
    Mutually-owned business--An organization owned and governed by 
members who are its consumers, producers, employees, or suppliers.

B. Federal Award Information

    Type of Award: Competitive Grant.
    Fiscal Year Funds: FY 2022.
    Total Funding: Funding is contingent on the passage of the FY 2022 
Appropriations Act.
    Anticipated Maximum Award: $200,000.
    Anticipated Award Date: September 30, 2022.

C. Eligibility Information

    Applicants must meet all of the following eligibility requirements. 
Applications that fail to meet any of these requirements by the 
application deadline will be deemed ineligible and will not be 
evaluated further.
    1. Eligible applicants. You must be a nonprofit corporation or an 
institution of higher education to apply for this program. Public 
bodies and individuals cannot apply for this program. See 7 CFR 
4284.507. You must also meet the following requirements:
    (i) At the time of application, each applicant must have an active 
registration in the System for Award (SAM) before submitting its 
application in accordance with 2 CFR part 25. In order to register in 
SAM, entities will be required to create a Unique Entity Identifier 
(UEI). Instructions for obtaining the UEI are available at https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration. Further information regarding SAM 
registration and the UEI can be found in section D 2 of this notice.
    (ii) An applicant is ineligible if it has been debarred or 
suspended or is otherwise excluded from or ineligible for participation 
in Federal assistance programs under Executive Order 12549,

[[Page 19844]]

``Debarment and Suspension.'' The Agency will check the Do Not Pay 
system at the time of application and also prior to funding any grant 
award to determine if the applicant has been debarred or suspended. 
Applicants are responsible for resolving any issues that are reported 
in the `Do Not Pay' System and if issues are not resolved by deadlines 
found in this Notice, the Agency may proceed to award funds to other 
eligible applicants. In addition, an applicant will be considered 
ineligible for a grant due to an outstanding judgment obtained by the 
U.S. in a Federal Court (other than U.S. Tax Court), is delinquent on 
the payment of Federal income taxes, or is delinquent on Federal debt. 
See 7 CFR 4284.6. Applicants must certify as part of the application 
that they do not have an outstanding judgment against them.
    (iii) The FY 2021 Appropriations Act provided that 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 funds appropriated by the FY 
2021 Appropriations Act, 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. It is possible that the FY 2022 Appropriations Act, 
once enacted, will include a similar prohibition.
    (iv) Applications will be deemed ineligible if the application 
includes any funding restrictions identified under Section D.6(i) or 
(ii) of this Notice. The inclusion of funding restrictions outlined in 
Section D.6(i) or (ii) of this Notice precludes the Agency from making 
a federal award to the applicant.
    (v) Applications will be deemed ineligible if the application is 
deemed incomplete in accordance with the requirements stated in Section 
C.3.
    2. Cost sharing or matching. A match of at least 25 percent of the 
total project cost is required for the application. (5 percent for 1994 
Institutions). See 7 CFR 4284.508. When calculating the matching funds 
requirement, please round up or down to whole dollars as appropriate. 
An example of how to calculate your matching funds is as follows:
    (i) Take the amount of grant funds requested and divide it by .75. 
This will provide the total project cost.

Example: $200,000 (grant amount)/.75 (percentage for use of grant 
funds) = $266,667 (total project cost)

    (ii) Subtract the amount of grant funds requested from the total 
project cost. This will provide the matching funds requirement.

Example: $266,667 (total project cost)-$200,000 (grant amount) = 
$66,667 (matching funds requirement)

    (iii) A quick way to confirm the correct amount of matching funds 
is to take the total project cost and multiply it by .25.

Example: $266,667 (total project cost) x .25 (maximum percentage of 
matching funds requirement) = $66,667 (matching funds requirement)

    The applicant must verify that all matching funds are available 
during the grant period and provide this documentation with your 
application in accordance with requirements identified in Section 
D.2.iv.h. If awarded a grant, additional verification documentation may 
be required to confirm the availability of matching funds.
    Other rules for matching funds that you must follow are listed 
below.
    (a) They must be spent on eligible expenses during the grant 
period.
    (b) They must be from eligible sources.
    (c) They must be spent in advance or as a pro-rata portion of grant 
funds being spent.
    (d) They must be provided by either the applicant or a third party 
in the form of cash or an in-kind contribution.
    (e) They cannot include board/advisory council member's time.
    (f) They cannot include other Federal grants unless provided by 
authorizing legislation.
    (g) They cannot include cash or in-kind contributions donated 
outside of the grant period.
    (h) They cannot include over-valued, in-kind contributions.
    (i) They cannot include any project costs that are ineligible under 
the RCDG program.
    (j) They cannot include any project costs that are restricted or 
unallowable under 2 CFR part 200, subpart E, and the Federal 
Acquisition Regulation (for-profits) or successor regulation.
    (k) They can include loan funds from a Federal source.
    (l) They can include travel and incidentals for board/advisory 
council members if the organization has established written policies 
explaining how these costs are normally reimbursed, including rates. 
The applicant must include an explanation of this policy in the 
application or the contributions will not be considered as eligible 
matching funds.
    (m) The applicant must be able to document and verify the number of 
hours worked and the value associated with any in-kind contribution 
being used to meet a matching funds requirement.
    (n) In-kind contributions provided by individuals, businesses, or 
cooperatives which are being assisted by you cannot be provided for the 
direct benefit of their own projects as USDA Rural Development 
considers this to be a conflict of interest or the appearance of a 
conflict of interest.
    3. Other eligibility requirements. The following apply to this 
Notice:
    (i) Completeness. Your application will not be considered for 
funding if it fails to meet all eligibility criteria by the application 
deadline or does not provide sufficient information to determine 
eligibility and scoring. You must include in one submission to the 
Agency all of the forms and proposal elements as discussed in the 
program regulation and as clarified further in this Notice. Incomplete 
applications will not be reviewed by the Agency. For more information 
on what is required for a complete application, see 7 CFR 4284.510.
    (ii) Purpose eligibility. Your application must propose the 
establishment or continuation of a cooperative development center 
concept. You must use project funds, including grant and matching 
funds, for eligible purposes only (see 7 CFR 4284.508). In addition, 
project funds may also be used for programs providing for the 
coordination of services and sharing of information among the centers 
(see 7 U.S.C 1932(e)(4)(C)(vi)).
    (iii) Project eligibility. All project activities must be for the 
benefit of a rural area.
    (iv) Multiple applications deemed ineligible. Only one application 
can be submitted per applicant. If two applications are submitted 
(regardless of the applicant name) that include the same Executive 
Director and/or advisory boards or committees of an existing center, 
both applications will be determined ineligible for funding.
    (v) Grant period. Your application must include no more than a one-
year grant period, or it will not be considered for funding. The grant 
period should begin no earlier than October 1, 2022, and no later than 
January 1, 2023.

[[Page 19845]]

Applications that request funds for a grant period ending after January 
1, 2024, will not be considered for funding. Projects must be completed 
within a one-year timeframe. Prior approval is needed from the Agency 
if you are awarded a grant and desire the grant period to begin earlier 
or later than previously approved.
    (vi) Satisfactory performance. You must be performing 
satisfactorily on any outstanding RCDG award to be considered eligible 
for a new award. Satisfactory performance includes being up-to-date on 
all financial and performance reports as prescribed in the grant award, 
and current on all tasks and timeframes for utilizing grant and 
matching funds as approved in the work plan and budget. If you have any 
unspent grant funds on RCDG awards prior to fiscal year 2021, your 
application will not be considered for funding. If your prior award(s) 
has unspent funds of 50 percent or more than what your approved work 
plan and budget projected at the time that your Fiscal year 2022 
application is being evaluated, your application will not be considered 
for funding. The Agency will verify the performance status of the 
applicant's prior awards and make a determination after the FY 2022 
application period closes.
    (vii) Duplication of current services. Your application must 
demonstrate that you are providing services to new customers or new 
services to current customers. If your work plan and budget is 
duplicative of your existing award, your application will not be 
considered for funding. If your workplan and budget is duplicative of a 
previous or existing RCDG and/or Socially Disadvantaged Groups Grant 
(SDGG) award, your application will not be considered for funding. The 
Agency will make this determination in its sole discretion. Please note 
that the Agency only allows one active award to a grantee to ensure 
that there is no duplication of services.
    (viii) Indirect costs. Your negotiated indirect cost rate approval 
does not need to be included in your application, but you will be 
required to provide it if a grant is awarded. Approval for indirect 
costs that are requested in an application without an approved indirect 
cost rate agreement is at the discretion of the Agency.

D. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address to request application package. For further information, 
you should contact your State Office at http://www.rd.usda.gov/contact-us/state-offices. Program materials may also be obtained at http://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/rural-cooperative-development-grant-program.
    2. Content and form of application submission. You must submit your 
application electronically through Grants.gov. You are encouraged, but 
not required to utilize the application template found at http://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/rural-cooperative-development-grant-program.
    (i) Electronic submission. An optional-use Agency application 
template is available online at http://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/rural-cooperative-development-grant-program. To apply 
electronically, you must use the Grants.gov website at http://
www.Grants.gov. You may not apply electronically in any way other than 
through Grants.gov.
    You can locate the Grants.gov downloadable application package for 
this program by using a keyword, the program name, Assistance Listing 
Number or the Funding Opportunity Number for this program.
    When you enter the Grants.gov website, you will find information 
about applying electronically through the site. Users of Grants.gov 
must already have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number and must also 
be registered and maintain registration in SAM in accordance with 2 CFR 
part 25. The UEI is assigned by SAM and replaces the formerly known Dun 
& Bradstreet D-U-N-S Number. The UEI number must be associated with the 
correct tax identification number of the RCDG applicant. We strongly 
recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline date to 
begin the application process through Grants.gov.
    You must submit all your application documents electronically 
through Grants.gov. Applications must include electronic signatures. 
Original signatures may be required if funds are awarded.
    After electronically applying through Grants.gov, you will receive 
an automated acknowledgement from Grants.gov that contains a Grants.gov 
tracking number.
    (ii) Supplemental information. Your application must contain all 
the required forms and proposal elements described in 7 CFR 4284.510 
and as otherwise described in this Notice. Specifically, your 
application must include: the required forms as described in 7 CFR 
4284.510(b) and the required proposal elements as described in 7 CFR 
4284.510(c). If your application is incomplete, it is ineligible to 
compete for funds. Applications lacking sufficient information to 
determine eligibility and scoring will be considered ineligible. 
Information submitted after the application deadline will not be 
accepted.
    (iii) Clarifications on forms.
    (a) Your UEI number should be identified in the ``Organizational 
DUNS'' field on Standard Form (SF) 424, ``Application for Federal 
Assistance.'' You must also provide your SAM Commercial and Government 
Entity (CAGE) Code and expiration date under the applicant eligibility 
discussion in your proposal narrative. If you do not include the CAGE 
code and expiration date and the UEI number in your application, it 
will not be considered for funding.
    (b) You no longer must complete the Form SF 424B, ``Assurances--
Non- Construction Programs'' as a part of your application. This 
information is now collected through your registration or annual 
recertification in SAM.gov through the Financial Assistance General 
Certifications and Representation.
    (c) You can voluntarily fill out and submit the ``Survey on 
Ensuring Equal Opportunity for Applicants,'' as part of your 
application if you are a nonprofit organization.
    (iv) Clarifications on proposal elements.
    (a) You must include the title of the project as well as any other 
relevant identifying information on the Title Page.
    (b) You must include a Table of Contents with page numbers for each 
component of the application to facilitate review.
    (c) Your Executive Summary must include the items in 7 CFR 
4284.510(c)(3) and discuss the percentage of work that will be 
performed among organizational staff, consultants, or other 
contractors. It should not exceed two pages.
    (d) Your Eligibility Discussion must cover how you meet the 
applicant eligibility requirements, matching funds, and other 
eligibility requirements. It must not exceed two pages.
    (e) Your Proposal Narrative must not exceed 40 pages using at least 
11-point font and should describe the essential aspects of the project.
    (1) You are required to only have one title page for the proposal.
    (2) If you list the evaluation criteria on the Table of Contents 
and then specifically and individually address each criterion in 
narrative form, it is not necessary for you to include an Information 
Sheet. Otherwise, the

[[Page 19846]]

Information Sheet is required under 7 CFR 4284.510(c)(5)(ii).
    (3) You must include the following under Goals of the Project:
    (i) A statement that substantiates that the Center will effectively 
serve rural areas in the United States;
    (ii) A statement that the primary objective of the Center will be 
to improve the economic condition of rural areas through cooperative 
development;
    (iii) A description of the contributions that the proposed 
activities are likely to make to the improvement of the economic 
conditions of the rural areas for which the Center will provide 
services. Expected economic impacts should be tied to tasks included in 
the work plan and budget; and
    (iv) A statement that the Center, in carrying out its activities, 
will seek, where appropriate, the advice, participation, expertise, and 
assistance of representatives of business, industry, educational 
institutions, the Federal government, and State and local governments.
    (4) The Agency has established annual performance evaluation 
measures to evaluate the RCDG program. You must provide estimates on 
the following performance evaluation measures:
    (i) Number of groups assisted who are not legal entities.
    (ii) Number of businesses assisted that are not cooperatives.
    (iii) Number of cooperatives assisted.
    (iv) Number of businesses incorporated that are not cooperatives.
    (v) Number of cooperatives incorporated.
    (vi) Total number of jobs created as a result of assistance.
    (vii) Total number of jobs saved as a result of assistance.
    (viii) Number of jobs created for the Center as a result of RCDG 
funding.
    (ix) Number of jobs saved for the Center as a result of RCDG 
funding.
    It is permissible to have a zero in a performance element. When you 
calculate jobs created, estimates should be based upon actual jobs to 
be created by your organization because of the RCDG funding or actual 
jobs to be created by cooperative businesses or other businesses as a 
result of assistance from your organization. When you calculate jobs 
saved, estimates should be based only on actual jobs that would have 
been lost if your organization did not receive RCDG funding or actual 
jobs that would have been lost without assistance from your 
organization.
    (5) You can also suggest additional performance elements, for 
example, where job creation or jobs saved may not be a relevant 
indicator (e.g., housing). These additional criteria should be 
specific, measurable performance elements that could be included in an 
award document.
    (6) You must describe in the application how you will undertake 
each of the following and prefer that you describe these undertakings 
within the noted proposal evaluation criteria to reduce duplication in 
your application. The specific proposal evaluation criterion where you 
should address each undertaking is noted below.
    (i) Take all practicable steps to develop continuing sources of 
financial support for the Center, particularly from sources in the 
private sector (should be presented under proposal evaluation criterion 
x., utilizing the specific requirements of Section E.1.x.);
    (ii) Make arrangements for the Center's activities to be monitored 
and evaluated (should be addressed under proposal evaluation criterion 
`viii.' utilizing the specific requirements of Section E.1.viii.); and
    (iii) Provide an accounting for the money received by the grantee 
in accordance with 7 CFR part 4284, subpart F and 2 CFR part 200. This 
should be addressed under proposal evaluation criterion `i.', utilizing 
the specific requirements of Section E.1.i.
    (7) You should present the Work Plan and Budget proposal element 
under proposal evaluation criterion `viii.', utilizing the specific 
requirements of Section E.1.viii. of this Notice to reduce duplication 
in your application.
    (8) You should present the Delivery of Cooperative development 
assistance proposal element under proposal evaluation criterion `ii', 
utilizing the specific requirements of Section E.1.ii. of this Notice.
    (9) You should present the Qualifications of Personnel proposal 
element under proposal evaluation criterion `ix', utilizing the 
specific requirements of Section E.1.ix. of this Notice.
    (10) You should present the Local Support and Future Support 
proposal elements under proposal evaluation criterion `x', utilizing 
the requirements of Section E.1.x. of this Notice.
    (11) Your application will not be considered for funding if you do 
not address all of the proposal evaluation criteria. See Section E.1. 
of this Notice for a description of the proposal evaluation criteria.
    (12) Only appendices A-C will be considered when evaluating your 
application. You must not include resumes of staff or consultants in 
the application.
    (f) You must certify that there are no current outstanding Federal 
judgments against your property and that you will not use grant funds 
to pay for any judgment obtained by the United States. To satisfy the 
certification requirement, you should include this statement in your 
application: ``[INSERT NAME OF APPLICANT] certifies that the United 
States has not obtained an unsatisfied judgment against its property, 
is not delinquent on the payment of Federal income taxes, or any 
Federal debt, and will not use grant funds to pay any judgments 
obtained by the United States.'' A separate signature relating to this 
certification is not required.
    (g) You must certify that matching funds will be available at the 
same time grant funds are anticipated to be spent and that expenditures 
of matching funds are pro-rated or spent in advance of grant funding, 
such that for every dollar of the total project cost, not less than the 
required amount of matching funds will be expended. Please note that 
this certification is a separate requirement from the Verification of 
Matching Funds requirement. To satisfy the certification requirement, 
you should include this statement in your application: ``[INSERT NAME 
OF APPLICANT] certifies that matching funds will be available at the 
same time grant funds are anticipated to be spent and that expenditures 
of matching funds shall be pro-rated or spent in advance of grant 
funding, such that for every dollar of the total project cost, at least 
25 cents (5 cents for 1994 Institutions) of matching funds will be 
expended.'' A separate signature relating to this certification is not 
required.
    (h) You must provide documentation in your application to verify 
all of your proposed matching funds. The documentation must be included 
in Appendix A of your application and will not count towards the 40-
page limitation. Template letters are available for each type of 
matching funds contribution at: http://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/rural-cooperative-development-grant-program.
    (1) If matching funds are to be provided in cash, the following 
requirements must be met:
    (i) If the matching funds are being provided by the applicant, the 
application must include a statement verifying (A) the amount of the 
cash and (B) the source of the cash. You may also provide a bank 
statement dated 30 days or less from the application deadline date to 
verify your cash match.
    (ii) If the matching funds are being provided by a third-party, the 
application must include a signed letter from the third party verifying 
(A) how much cash will be donated and (B) that it will be available 
corresponding to the

[[Page 19847]]

proposed grant period or donated on a specific date within the grant 
period.
    (2) If matching funds are to be provided by an in-kind donation, 
you must meet the following requirements:
    (i) If the in-kind donation is being provided by the applicant, the 
application must include a signed letter from you or your authorized 
representative verifying (A) the nature of the goods and/or services to 
be donated and how they will be used, (B) when the goods and/or 
services will be donated (i.e., corresponding to the proposed grant 
period or to specific dates within the grant period), and (C) the value 
of the goods and/or services. Please note that most applicant 
contributions for the RCDG program are considered applicant cash match 
in accordance with this Notice. If you are unsure, please contact your 
State Office because identifying your matching funds improperly can 
affect your scoring.
    (ii) If the in-kind donation is being provided by a third-Party, 
the application must include a signed letter from the third party 
verifying (A) the nature of the goods and/or services to be donated and 
how they will be used, (B) when the goods and/or services will be 
donated (i.e., corresponding to the proposed grant period or to 
specific dates within the grant period), and (C) the value of the goods 
and/or services.
    (3) To ensure that you are identifying and verifying your matching 
funds appropriately, please note the following:
    (i) If you are paying for goods and/or services as part of the 
matching funds requirement, the expenditure is considered a cash match, 
and you must verify it as such. Universities must verify the goods and 
services they are providing to the project as a cash match and the 
verification must be approved by the appropriate approval official 
(i.e., sponsored programs office or equivalent).
    (ii) If you have already received cash from a third-party (e.g., a 
foundation) before the start of your proposed grant period, you must 
verify this as your own cash match and not as a third-party cash match. 
If you are receiving cash from a third-party during the grant period, 
then you must verify the cash as a third-party cash match.
    (iii) Board resolutions for a cash match must be approved at the 
time of application.
    (iv) You can only consider goods or services for which no 
expenditure is made as an in-kind contribution.
    (v) If a non-profit or another organization contributes the 
services of affiliated volunteers, they must follow the third-party, 
in-kind donation verification requirement for each individual 
volunteer.
    (vi) Expected program income may not be used to fulfill your 
matching funds requirement at the time you submit your application. 
However, if you have a contract to provide services in place at the 
time you submit your application, you can verify the amount of the 
contract as a cash match.
    (vii) The valuation processes used for in-kind contributions does 
not need to be included in your application, but you must be able to 
demonstrate how the valuation was derived if you are awarded a grant. 
The grant award may be withdrawn, or the amount of the grant reduced if 
you cannot demonstrate how the valuation was derived.
    Successful applicants must comply with requirements identified in 
Section F, Federal Award Administration Information.
    3. System for Awards Management (SAM) and assigned Unique Entity 
Identifier (UEI). You must be registered in SAM before submitting your 
application and provide a valid UEI, unless you are determined exempt 
under 2 CFR 25.110(b), (c) or (d)).
    (i) You may register in SAM at no cost at https://www.sam.gov/SAM/. 
You must provide your SAM CAGE Code and expiration date in the 
application materials. When registering in SAM, you must indicate you 
are applying for a Federal financial assistance project or program or 
are currently the recipient of funding under any Federal financial 
assistance project or program, and
    (ii) The SAM registration must remain active with current 
information at all times while RBCS is considering an application or 
while a Federal grant award or loan is active. To maintain the 
registration in the SAM database the applicant must review and update 
the information in the SAM database annually from the date of initial 
registration or from the date of the last update. The applicant must 
ensure that the information in the database is current, accurate, and 
complete. Applicants must ensure they complete the Financial Assistance 
General Certifications and Representations in SAM.
    (iii) If you have not fully complied with all applicable UEI and 
SAM requirements, the Agency may determine that the applicant is not 
qualified to receive a Federal award and the Agency may use that 
determination as a basis for making an award to another applicant. 
Please refer to Section F.2. of this Notice for additional submission 
requirements that apply to grantees selected for this program.
    4. Submission date and time. Completed applications must be 
submitted electronically no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, June 6, 
2022, through Grants.gov, to be eligible for grant funding. Please 
review the Grants.gov website at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/register.html for instructions on the process of registering your 
organization as soon as possible to ensure that you can meet the 
electronic application deadline. Grants.gov will not accept 
applications submitted after the deadline.
    The Agency will not solicit or consider new scoring or eligibility 
information that is submitted after the application deadline. The 
Agency reserves the right to contact applicants to seek clarification 
on materials contained in the submitted application. See the 
Application Template for a full discussion of each item. For 
requirements of completed grant applications, refer to Section D of 
this Notice.
    5. Intergovernmental review of applications. Executive Order (E.O.) 
12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs,'' applies to 
this program. This E.O. requires that Federal agencies provide 
opportunities for consultation on proposed assistance with State and 
local governments. Many States have established a Single Point of 
Contact (SPOC) to facilitate this consultation. For a list of States 
that maintain a SPOC, please see the White House website: https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/SPOC-4-13-20.pdf. If your 
State has a designated point of contact (SPOC), you may submit a copy 
of the application directly to the SPOC for review. Any comments 
obtained through the SPOC must be provided to your State Office for 
consideration as part of your application. If your State has not 
established a SPOC, or if you do not want to submit a copy of the 
application to the SPOC for a review, our State Offices will submit 
your application to the SPOC or other appropriate agency or agencies.
    6. Funding restrictions.
    (i) Project funds, including grant and matching funds, cannot be 
used for ineligible grant purposes (see 7 CFR 4284.10). Also, you shall 
not use project funds for the following:
    (A) To purchase, rent, or install laboratory equipment or 
processing machinery;
    (B) To pay for the operating costs of any entity receiving 
assistance from the Center;
    (C) To pay costs of the project where a conflict of interest 
exists;

[[Page 19848]]

    (D) To fund any activities prohibited by 2 CFR part 200; or
    (E) To fund any activities considered unallowable by 2 CFR part 
200, subpart E, ``Cost Principles,'' and the Federal Acquisition 
Regulation (for-profits) or successor regulations.
    (ii) In addition, your application will not be considered for 
funding if it does any of the following:
    (A) Focuses assistance on only one cooperative or mutually-owned 
business;
    (B) Requests more than the maximum grant amount; or
    (C) Proposes ineligible costs that equal more than 10 percent of 
total project costs. The ineligible costs will NOT be removed at this 
stage to proceed with application processing. For purposes of this 
determination, the grant amount requested plus the matching funds 
amount constitutes the total project costs.
    (iii) We will consider your application for funding if it includes 
ineligible costs of 10 percent or less of total project costs, if the 
remaining costs are determined eligible otherwise. However, if your 
application is successful, those ineligible costs must be removed and 
replaced with eligible costs before the Agency will make the grant 
award, or the amount of the grant award will be reduced accordingly. If 
we cannot determine the percentage of ineligible costs, your 
application will not be considered for funding.
    7. Other submission requirements. You should not submit your 
application in more than one format. You must submit your application 
electronically. Note that we cannot accept applications through mail or 
courier delivery, in-person delivery, email, or fax. To submit an 
application electronically, you must follow the instruction for this 
funding announcement at http://www.grants.gov.

E. Application Review Information

    The State Offices will review applications to determine if they are 
eligible for assistance based on requirements in 7 CFR part 4284, 
subparts A and F, this Notice, and other applicable Federal 
regulations. If determined eligible, your application will be scored by 
a panel of USDA employees in accordance with the point allocation 
specified in this Notice. Applications will be funded in rank order 
until the funding limitation has been reached. Applications that cannot 
be fully funded may be offered partial funding at the Agency's 
discretion.
    1. Scoring criteria. Scoring criteria will follow statutory 
criteria in 7 U.S.C. 1932(e) and the criteria published in the program 
regulations at 7 CFR 4284.513 as described below. You should also 
include information as described in Section D.2.iv.e.6. if you choose 
to address these items under the scoring criteria. Evaluators will base 
scores only on the information provided or cross-referenced by page 
number in each individual evaluation criterion. The maximum amount of 
points available is 110. Newly established or proposed Centers that do 
not yet have a track record on which to evaluate the following criteria 
should refer to the expertise and track records of staff or consultants 
expected to perform tasks related to the respective criteria. Proposed 
or newly established Centers must be organized well-enough at the time 
of application to address their capabilities for meeting these 
criteria.
    (i) Administrative capabilities (maximum score of 10 points). A 
panel of USDA employees will evaluate your demonstrated track record in 
carrying out activities in support of development assistance to 
cooperatively and mutually owned businesses. At a minimum, you must 
discuss the following administrative capabilities:
    (a) Financial systems and audit controls;
    (b) Personnel and program administration performance measures;
    (c) Clear written rules of governance; and
    (d) Experience administering Federal grant funding no later than 
the last 5 years, including but not limited to past RCDG awards. Please 
list the name of the Federal grant program(s), the amount(s), and the 
date(s) of funding received.
    You will score higher on this criterion if you can demonstrate that 
the Center has independent governance. For applicants that are 
universities or parent organizations, you should demonstrate that there 
is a separate board of directors for the Center.
    (ii) Technical assistance and other services (maximum score of 10 
points). A panel of USDA employees will evaluate your demonstrated 
expertise no later than the last 5 years in providing technical 
assistance and accomplishing effective outcomes in rural areas to 
promote and assist the development of cooperatively and mutually owned 
businesses. At a minimum, you must discuss:
    (a) Your potential for delivering effective technical assistance;
    (b) The types of assistance provided;
    (c) The expected effects of that assistance;
    (d) The sustainability of organizations receiving the assistance; 
and
    (e) The transferability of your cooperative development strategies 
and focus to other areas of the United States.
    A chart or table showing the outcomes of your demonstrated 
expertise based upon the performance elements listed in Section 
D.2.iv.e.4. or as identified in your award document on previous RCDG 
awards is recommended. At a minimum, please provide information for FY 
2018 to FY 2020 awards. You may also include any performance outcomes 
from a FY 2021 RCDG award. We prefer that you provide one chart or 
table for each award year. The intention here is for you to provide 
actual performance numbers based upon award years (fiscal year) even 
though your grant period for the award was implemented during the next 
calendar or fiscal year. Please provide a narrative explanation if you 
have not previously received a RCDG award.
    You will score higher on this criterion if you provide more than 3 
years of outcomes and can demonstrate that the organizations you 
assisted within the last 5 years are sustainable. Additional outcome 
information should be provided on RCDG grants awarded before FY 2018. 
Please describe specific project(s) when addressing items a-e of 
paragraph ii. To reduce duplication, descriptions of specific projects 
and their impacts, outcomes and roles can be discussed once under 
criterion ii or iii. However, you must cross-reference the information 
under the other criterion.
    (iii) Economic development (maximum score of 10 points). A panel of 
USDA employees will evaluate your demonstrated ability to facilitate:
    (a) Establishment of cooperatives or mutually owned businesses;
    (b) New cooperative approaches (i.e., organizing cooperatives among 
underserved individuals or communities; an innovative market approach; 
a type of cooperative currently not in your service area; a new 
cooperative structure; novel ways to raise member equity or community 
capitalization; conversion of an existing business to cooperative 
ownership); and
    (c) Retention of businesses, generation of employment opportunities 
or other factors, as applicable, that will otherwise improve the 
economic conditions of rural areas.
    You will score higher on this criterion if you provide quantifiable 
economic measurements showing the impacts of your past development 
projects no later than the last five (5) years and identify your role 
in the economic development outcomes.
    (iv) Past performance in establishing legal business entities 
(maximum score

[[Page 19849]]

of 10 points). A panel of USDA employees will evaluate your 
demonstrated past performance in establishing legal cooperative 
business entities and other legal business entities since October 1, 
2016. Provide the name of the organization(s) established, the date(s) 
of formation, and your role(s) in assisting with the incorporation(s) 
under this criterion. In addition, documentation verifying the 
establishment of legal business entities must be included in Appendix C 
of your application and will not count against the 40-page limit for 
the narrative. The documentation must include proof that organizational 
documents were filed with the Secretary of State's Office (i.e., 
Certificate of Incorporation or information from the State's official 
website naming the entity established and the date of establishment); 
or if the business entity is not required to register with the 
Secretary of State, a certification from the business entity that a 
legal business entity has been established and when. Please note that 
you are not required to submit articles of incorporation to receive 
points under this criterion. You will score higher on this criterion if 
you have established legal cooperative businesses. If your State does 
not incorporate cooperative business entities, please describe how the 
established business entity operates like a cooperative. Due to 
extenuating circumstances of COVID-19, the Agency will utilize 
information in the narrative to score this criterion. Documentation to 
verify past performance in establishing legal entities will be required 
before an award is made.
    (v) Networking and regional focus (maximum score of 10 points). A 
panel of USDA employees will evaluate your demonstrated commitment to:
    (a) Networking with other cooperative development centers, and 
other organizations involved in rural economic development efforts, and
    (b) Developing multi-organization and multi-State approaches to 
addressing the economic development and cooperative needs of rural 
areas.
    You will score higher on this criterion if you can demonstrate the 
outcomes of your multi-organizational and multi-State approaches. 
Please describe the project(s), partners and the outcome(s) that 
resulted from the approach.
    (vi) Commitment (maximum score of 10 points). A panel of USDA 
employees will evaluate your commitment to providing technical 
assistance and other services to underserved and economically 
distressed areas in rural areas of the United States. You will score 
higher on this criterion if you define and describe the underserved and 
economically distressed areas within your service area, provide 
economic statistics, and identify past or current projects within or 
affecting these areas, as appropriate. To the extent that the 
Persistent Poverty Counties provisions from the FY 2021 Appropriations 
Act are included in the FY 2022 Appropriations Act, once enacted, 
projects identified in the work plan and budget that are located in 
Persistent Poverty Counties, will score even higher on this criterion.
    (vii) Matching funds (maximum score of 10 points). A panel of USDA 
employees will evaluate your commitment for the 25 percent (5 percent 
for 1994 Institutions) matching funds requirement. A chart or table 
should be provided to describe all matching funds being committed to 
the project. However, formal documentation to verify all the matching 
funds must be included in Appendix A of your application. You will be 
scored on the total amount and how you identify your matching funds.
    (a) If you meet the 25 percent (5 percent for 1994 Institutions) 
matching funds requirement, points will be assigned as follows:
    (1) In-kind only--1 point;
    (2) Mix of in-kind and cash--3-4 points (maximum points will be 
awarded if the ratio of cash to in-kind is 30 percent or more); or
    (3) Cash only--5 points.
    (b) If you exceed the 25 percent (5 percent for 1994 Institutions) 
matching funds requirement, points will be assigned as follows:
    (1) In-kind only--2 points;
    (2) Mix of in-kind and cash--6-7 points (maximum points will be 
awarded if the ratio of cash to in-kind is 30 percent or more); or
    (3) Cash only--up to 10 points.
    (viii) Work plan/budget (maximum score of 10 points). A panel of 
USDA employees will evaluate your work plan for detailed actions and an 
accompanying timetable for implementing the proposal. The budget must 
present a breakdown of the estimated costs associated with cooperative 
and business development activities as well as the operation of the 
Center and allocate these costs to each of the tasks to be undertaken. 
Matching funds as well as grant funds must be accounted for in the 
budget.
    You must discuss at a minimum:
    (a) Specific tasks (whether it be by type of service or specific 
project) to be completed using grant and matching funds;
    (b) How customers will be identified;
    (c) Key personnel; and
    (d) The evaluation methods to be used to determine the success of 
specific tasks and overall objectives of Center operations. Please 
provide qualitative methods of evaluation. For example, evaluation 
methods should go beyond quantitative measurements of completing 
surveys or number of evaluations.
    You will score higher on this criterion if you present a clear, 
logical, realistic, and efficient work plan and budget.
    (ix) Qualifications of those performing the tasks (maximum score of 
10 points). A panel of USDA employees will evaluate your application to 
determine if the personnel expected to perform key tasks have 
experience:
    (a) Developing positive solutions for complex cooperative 
development and/or marketing problems; and
    (b) Conducting accurate feasibility studies, business plans, 
marketing analysis, or other activities relevant to your success as 
determined by the tasks identified in the work plan.
    Your application must indicate whether the personnel expected to 
perform the tasks are full/part-time employees of your organization or 
are contract personnel. You will score higher on this criterion if you 
demonstrate commitment and availability of qualified personnel expected 
to perform the tasks.
    (x) Local and future support (maximum score of 10 points). A panel 
of USDA employees will evaluate your application for local and future 
support. Support should be discussed directly within the response to 
this criterion.
    (a) Discussion of local support should include previous and/or 
expected local support and plans for coordinating with other 
developmental organizations in the proposed service area or with state 
and local government institutions. You will score higher if you 
demonstrate strong support from potential beneficiaries and formal 
evidence of intent to coordinate with other developmental 
organizations. You may also submit a maximum of 10 letters of support 
or intent to coordinate with the application to verify your discussion. 
These letters should be included in Appendix B of your application and 
will not count against the 40-page limit for the narrative. Due to the 
extenuating circumstances of COVID-19, the Agency will utilize 
information in the narrative to score this criterion. Documentation to 
verify local support will be required before an award is made.
    (b) Discussion on future support will include your vision for 
funding operations in future years. You should document:

[[Page 19850]]

    (1) New and existing funding sources that support your goals;
    (2) Alternative funding sources that reduce reliance on Federal, 
State, and local grants; and
    (3) The use of in-house personnel for providing services versus 
contracting out for that expertise. Please discuss your strategy for 
building in-house technical assistance capacity.
    You will score higher if you can demonstrate that your future 
support will result in long-term sustainability of the Center, 
including the use and building of in-house personnel for providing 
services.
    (xi) Administrator Discretionary Points (maximum of 10 points). The 
Administrator may choose to award up to 10 points to an eligible non-
profit corporation or institution of higher education that has never 
previously been awarded an RCDG grant or whose application seeks to 
advance the key priorities addressed in the Supplemental Section of 
this notice. Data sources for the key priorities are found at: https://www.rd.usda.gov/priority-points. Points will be assigned as follows:

I. Applicant has never received a RCDG award--5 points
II. Applicant seeks to advance one or more key priorities addressed in 
the Supplemental Section of this notice--5 points

    2. Review and selection process. The State Offices will review 
applications to determine if they are eligible for assistance based on 
requirements in 7 CFR part 4284, subparts A and F, this Notice, and 
other applicable Federal regulations. If determined eligible, your 
application will be scored by a panel of USDA employees in accordance 
with the point allocation specified in this Notice. The Administrator 
may choose to award up to 10 Administrator priority points based on 
criterion (xi) in section E.1. of this Notice. These points will be 
added to the cumulative score for a total possible score of 110. 
Applications will be funded in highest ranking order until the 
appropriations funding limitation for the RCDG program has been 
reached. Applications that cannot be fully funded may be offered 
partial funding at the Agency's discretion. If your application is 
evaluated, but not funded, it will not be carried forward into the 
competition for any subsequent fiscal year program funding. Successful 
applicants must comply with requirements identified in Section F, 
Federal Award Administration Information.

F. Federal Award Administration Information

    1. Federal award notices. If you are selected for funding, you will 
receive a signed notice of Federal award by postal or electronic mail 
from the State Office where your application was submitted, containing 
instructions and requirements necessary to proceed with execution and 
performance of the award. You must comply with all applicable statutes, 
regulations, and notice requirements before the grant award will be 
funded.
    If you are not selected for funding, you will be notified in 
writing via postal or electronic mail and informed of any review and 
appeal rights. See 7 CFR part 11 for USDA National Appeals Division 
(NAD) procedures. Note that rejected applicants that are successful in 
their NAD appeals will not receive funding in the event that all FY 
2022 RCDG program funding has already been awarded and obligated to 
other applicants.
    2. Administrative and national policy requirements. Additional 
requirements that apply to grantees selected for this program can be 
found in 7 CFR part 4284, subpart F; the Grants and Agreements 
regulations of the Department of Agriculture codified in 2 CFR parts 
180, 200, 400, 415, 417, 418, 421; 2 CFR parts 25 and 170; and 48 CFR 
part 31 (Subpart 31.2), and successor regulations to these parts.
    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 awards within this program:
    (i) Execution of an Agency-approved Grant Agreement;
    (ii) Acceptance of a written Letter of Conditions; and submission 
of the following Agency forms:
    (i) Form RD 1940-1, ``Request for Obligation of Funds.''
    (ii) Form RD 1942-46, ``Letter of Intent to Meet Conditions.''
    (iii) SF LLL, ``Disclosure of Lobbying Activities,'' if applicable.
    3. Reporting. After grant approval and through grant completion, 
you will be required to provide an SF-425, ``Federal Financial 
Report,'' and a project performance report on a semiannual basis (due 
30 working days after the end of the semiannual period). The project 
performance reports shall include the following:
    (i) A comparison of actual accomplishments to the objectives 
established for that period;
    (ii) Reasons why established objectives were not met, if 
applicable;
    (iii) Reasons for any 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 objectives during established time 
periods. This disclosure shall be accompanied by a statement of the 
action taken or planned to resolve the situation; and
    (iv) Objectives and timetable established for the next reporting 
period.
    The grantee must provide a final project and financial status 
report within 90 days after the expiration or termination of the grant 
with a summary of the project performance reports and final 
deliverables to closeout a grant in accordance with 2 CFR 200.344.

G. Agency Contacts

    If you have questions about this Notice, please contact the 
appropriate State Office at http://www.rd.usda.gov/contact-us/state-offices. Program guidance as well as application and matching funds 
templates may be obtained at http://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/rural-cooperative-development-grant-program. You may also contact 
National Office Program Management Division: RCDG Program Lead, 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#95f6e5f2e7f4fbe1e6d5e2f1f6bbe0e6f1f4bbf2fae3"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="7310031401121d0700330417105d060017125d141c05">[email protected]</span></a>, or call the main line at 202-720-1400. 
Applicants must follow the instructions for the RCDG funding 
announcement located at http://www.grants.gov.

H. Other Information

    1. Paperwork Reduction Act. In accordance with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act, the paperwork burden associated with this Notice has 
been approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under OMB 
Control Number 0570-0006.
    2. National Environmental Policy Act. All funding activities under 
this notice must comply with the National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA), and its implementing regulations in 7 CFR part 1970. All 
recipients under this Notice are subject to the requirements of 7 CFR 
part 1970. However, technical assistance awards under this Notice are 
classified as a Categorical Exclusion according to 7 CFR 1970.53(b), 
and usually do not require any additional

[[Page 19851]]

documentation. We have determined that this notice does not constitute 
a major Federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human 
environment.
    The Agency will review each grant application to determine its 
compliance with 7 CFR part 1970. The applicant may be asked to provide 
additional information or documentation to assist the Agency with this 
determination. A review for NEPA compliance is required prior to the 
award of grant funds.
    3. Civil Rights Compliance Requirements. All grants made under this 
Notice are subject to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as 
required by USDA (7 CFR part 15, subpart A) and Section 504 of the 
Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
    4. Nondiscrimination Statement. In accordance with Federal civil 
rights law 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 or staff office, the USDA's TARGET 
Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) 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 USDA Discrimination Complaint Form, 
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 (ASCR) 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: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#d9a9abb6beabb8b4f7b0b7adb8b2bc99acaabdb8f7beb6af"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="b1c1c3ded6c3d0dc9fd8dfc5d0dad4f1c4c2d5d09fd6dec7">[email protected]</span></a>.
    USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

Karama Neal,
Administrator, Rural Business-Cooperative Service.
[FR Doc. 2022-07311 Filed 4-5-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-XY-P


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