26376 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 91 /Tuesday, May 12, 1998 / Notices

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Cooperative State Research,

Education, and Extension Service

Announcement of Availability of Grant

Funds and Request for Proposals

(RFP) for the Community Food

Projects Competitive Grants Program

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP):

Community Food Projects Competitive

Grants Program.

SUMMARY: The Federal Agriculture

Improvement and Reform Act of 1996

established new authority for a program

of Federal grants to support the

development of community food

projects designed to meet the food needs

of low-income people; increase the selfreliance of communities in providing for

their own food needs; and promote

comprehensive responses to local food,

farm, and nutrition issues.

This RFP sets out the objectives for

these projects, the eligibility criteria for

projects and applicants, and the

application procedures. Proposals are

requested for projects designed to

increase food security in a community

(termed Community Food Projects).

This RFP contains the entire set of

instructions needed to apply for a Fiscal

Year (FY) 1998 Community Food

Projects Competitive Grants Program

(CFPCGP) grant. A key change from last

year’s RFP is that there is no solicitation

this fiscal year for training and technical

assistance proposals.

DATE: Applications must be received on

or before June 19, 1998. (See Part IV—

Submission of a proposal below for

information on where and when to

submit an application.) Proposals

received after June 19, 1998 will be

returned without review.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr.

Mark R. Bailey, Cooperative State

Research, Education, and Extension

Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture,

STOP 2241, 1400 Independence

Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250–

2241; telephone: (202) 401–1898;

Internet: mbailey@reeusda.gov., or Dr.

Elizabeth Tuckermanty, Cooperative

State Research, Education, and

Extension Service, U.S. Department of

Agriculture, STOP 2240, 1400

Independence Avenue, S.W.,

Washington, D.C. 20250–2240,

telephone: (202) 205–0241; Internet:

etuckermanty@reeusda.gov

Table of Contents

Part I—General Information

A. Legislative Authority

B. Definitions

C. Eligibility

Part II—Program Description

A. Purpose and Scope of the Program

B. Available Funds and Award Limitations

C. Matching Funds Requirement

Part III—Preparation of a Proposal

A. Program Application Materials

B. Content of a Proposal

Part IV—Submission of a Proposal

A. What to Submit

B. Where and When to Submit

C. Acknowledgment of Proposals

Part V—Selection Process and Evaluation

Criteria

A. Selection Process

B. Evaluation Criteria

PART VI—Supplementary Information:

A. Access to Review Information

B. Grant Awards

C. Use of Funds; Changes

D. Other Federal Statutes and Regulations

that Apply

E. Confidential Aspects of Proposals and

Awards

F. Evaluation of Program

Part I—General Information

A. Legislative Authority

Section 25 of the Food Stamp Act of

1977, as amended by Section 401(h) of

the Federal Agriculture Improvement

and Reform Act of 1996 (Pub. L. No.

104–127) (7 U.S.C. 2034), authorized a

new program of Federal grants to

support the development of community

food projects; $16 million is authorized

over seven years (1996–2002). For FY

1998, approximately $2.5 million is

available ($2.5 million has been

authorized in each subsequent year

through fiscal year 2002). These grants

are intended to assist eligible private

nonprofit entities that need a one-time

infusion of Federal dollars to establish

and sustain a multi-purpose community

food project.

B. Definitions

For the purpose of awarding grants

under this program, the following

definitions are applicable:

(1) Administrator means the

Administrator of the Cooperative State

Research, Education, and Extension

Service and any other officer or

employee of the Department to whom

the authority involved may be

delegated.

(2) Authorized departmental officer

means the Secretary or any employee of

the Department who has the authority to

issue or modify grant instruments on

behalf of the Secretary.

(3) Authorized organizational

representative means the president,

director, or chief executive officer of the

applicant organization or the official,

designated by the president or chief

executive officer of the applicant

organization, who has the authority to

commit the resources of the

organization.

(4) Budget period means the interval

of time (usually 12 months) into which

the project period is divided for

budgetary and reporting purposes.

(5) Cash contributions means the

applicant’s cash outlay, including the

outlay of money contributed to the

applicant by non-Federal third parties.

(6) Community Food Project is a

project that requires a one-time infusion

of Federal assistance to become selfsustaining and is designed to: (i) meet

the food needs of low-income people;

(ii) increase the self-reliance of

communities in providing for their own

food needs; and (iii) promote

comprehensive responses to local food,

farm, and nutrition issues. These

activities help to increase food security

in a community.

(7) Department or USDA means the

United States Department of

Agriculture.

(8) Grant means the award by the

Secretary of funds to a private, nonprofit entity to assist in meeting the

costs of conducting, for the benefit of

the public, an identified Community

Food Project which is intended and

designed to accomplish the purpose of

the CFPCGP as identified in these

guidelines.

(9) Grantee means the organization

designated in the grant award document

as the responsible legal entity to which

a grant is awarded.

(10) Matching means that portion of

project costs not borne by the Federal

Government, including the value of

third party in-kind contributions.

(11) Review experts means a group of

experts qualified by training and

experience in particular fields to give

expert advice on the merit of grant

applications in such fields, and who

evaluate eligible proposals submitted to

this program in their personal and

professional area(s) of expertise.

(12) Prior approval means written

approval evidencing prior consent by an

authorized departmental officer as

defined in (2) above.

(13) Private non-profit entity means

any corporation, trust, association,

cooperative or other organization which

(i) is operated primarily for scientific,

educational, service, charitable, or

similar purposes in the public interest;

(ii) is not organized primarily for profit;

and (iii) uses its net proceeds to

maintain, improve, and/or expand its

operations. The term private nonprofit

organization excludes public entities,

including State, local, and Federally

recognized Indian tribal governments.
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(14) Project means the particular

activity within the scope of the program

supported by a grant award.

(15) Project director means the single

individual designated by the grantee in

the grant application and approved by

the Secretary who is responsible for the

direction and management of the

project.

(16) Project period means the period,

as stated in the award document and

modifications thereto, if any, during

which Federal sponsorship begins and

ends.

(17) Secretary means the Secretary of

Agriculture and any other officer or

employee of the Department to whom

the authority involved may be

delegated.

(18) Third Party in-kind contributions

means non-cash contributions of

property or services provided by nonFederal third parties, including real

property, equipment, supplies and other

expendable property, directly

benefitting and specifically identifiable

to a funded project or program.

C. Eligibility

Grantees under the CFPCGP are

statutorily limited to private, nonprofit

entities. Because proposals for

Community Food Projects must promote

comprehensive responses to local food,

farm, and nutrition issues, applicants

are encouraged to seek and create

partnerships among public, private

nonprofit, and private for-profit entities.

However, no more than one-third of an

award for a Community Food Project

may be subawarded to a for-profit

organization or firm.

To be eligible for a Community Food

Project grant, a private nonprofit

applicant must meet three requirements:

(1) have experience in the area of:

(a) community food work that

involves the provision of food to lowincome people and familiarity with

developing new markets in low-income

communities to enhance their access to

fresher, more nutritious foods; and/or

(b) job training and business

development activities for food-related

activities in low-income communities to

increase the potential for long-term

sustainability in the food security

project being proposed;

(2) demonstrate competency to

implement a project, provide fiscal

accountability and oversight, collect

data, and prepare reports and other

appropriate documentation; and

(3) demonstrate a commitment and

willingness to share information with

researchers, practitioners, and other

interested parties.

The intent of the CFPCGP is to

encourage and support communitybased, grass-roots efforts that enhance

food security. To that end, applicants

are strongly encouraged to link with

academic and/or other appropriate

professionals, and to involve other

relevant community-based organizations

and local government entities, as they

plan for and then develop proposals that

serve the mutual interests that support

community food security projects.

Successful applicants must provide

matching funds, either in cash and/or

third party in-kind, amounting to at

least 50 percent of the total cost of the

project (i.e., an amount equal to or

greater than the amount of Federal

funds being requested) during the term

of the grant award as provided by

section 25(e) of the Food Stamp Act of

1977. The Federal share of the project

costs can be no more than 50 percent of

the total.

Part II—Program Description

A. Purpose and Scope of the Program

Proposals are invited for competitive

grant awards under the CFPCGP for FY

1998. This program is administered by

the Cooperative State Research,

Education, and Extension Service

(CSREES) of the U.S. Department of

Agriculture (USDA). The purpose of this

program is to support the development

of Community Food Projects with a onetime infusion of Federal dollars to make

such projects self-sustaining.

Community Food Projects should be

designed to: (i) meet the food needs of

low-income people; (ii) increase the

self-reliance of communities in

providing for their own food needs; and

(iii) promote comprehensive responses

to local food, farm, and nutrition issues.

Community Food Projects are

intended to take a comprehensive

approach to developing long-term

solutions to an identified community

food need that help to ensure food

security in communities by linking the

food production and processing sectors

to community development, economic

opportunity, and environmental

enhancement. Comprehensive solutions

may include elements such as: (i)

improved access to high quality,

affordable food among low-income

households; (ii) expanded economic

opportunities for community residents

through local businesses or other

economic development, improved

employment opportunities, job training,

youth apprenticeship, school-to-work

transition, and the like, and (iii) support

for local food systems, from urban

gardening to local farms that provide

high quality fresh foods, ideally with

minimal adverse environmental impact.

Any solution proposed must tie into

community food needs.

Project goals should integrate

multiple objectives into their design.

Proposed projects should seek to

address impacts beyond a specific goal

such as increasing food produced or

available for a specific group. Goals and

objectives should integrate economic,

social, and environmental impacts such

as job training, employment

opportunities, small business

expansion, neighborhood revitalization,

open space development, transportation

assistance or other community

enhancements.

B. Available Funds and Award

Limitations

The total amount of funds available in

FY 1998 for support of this program is

approximately $2,500,000. Applicants

should request a budget commensurate

with the project proposed. However,

due to the effort required to properly

evaluate proposals, USDA strongly

urges that the Federal funds requested

for a Community Food Project not be

less than $10,000.

The spirit of the authorizing

legislation is that no one grant should

command a significant portion of the

total funds available and that many

grants be awarded each year. Therefore,

USDA has concluded that no single

grant shall exceed $100,000 in any

single year or more than $250,000 over

the life of the project.

Applicants may request one, two, or

three years of funding, but in all cases,

the grant term may not exceed three

years for any one project. A Community

Food Project may be supported by only

a single grant under this program.

Awards will be made based on the

merit of the proposed project with

budgets considered only after the merits

of the project have been determined.

USDA reserves the right to negotiate

final budgets with successful applicants.

It is intended that the grantee will

perform the substantive effort on the

project. No more than one-third of the

award, as determined by budget

expenditures, may be subawarded to

for-profit organizations. For purposes of

obtaining additional knowledge or

expertise that is not currently within the

applicant organization, funds for expert

consultation may be included in the All

Other Direct Costs section of the

proposed budget.

C. Matching Funds Requirement

Federal funds requested must be

matched, at a minimum, on a dollar-fordollar basis. The Federal share of the

cost of establishing or carrying out a

Community Food Project that receives
26378 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 91 /Tuesday, May 12, 1998 / Notices

assistance under this program, may not

exceed 50 percent of the cost of the

project during the term of the grant.

Grantees may provide for the nonFederal share through cash and/or third

party in-kind contributions, fairly

evaluated, including facilities,

equipment, and services. A grantee may

provide for the non-Federal share of the

funding through State government, local

government, or private sources.

Examples of matching funds include

direct costs such as: rent for office space

used exclusively for the funded project;

duplication or postage costs; and staff

time from an entity other than the

applicant for job training or nutrition

education.

Part III—Preparation of a Proposal

A. Program Application Materials

Program application materials will be

made available to interested entities

upon request. These materials include

information about the purpose of the

program, how the program will be

conducted, and the required contents of

a proposal, as well as the forms needed

to prepare and submit grant applications

under the program. To obtain program

application materials, please contact the

Proposal Services Unit; Office of

Extramural Programs; Cooperative State

Research, Education, and Extension

Service; U.S. Department of Agriculture;

STOP 2245; 1400 Independence

Avenue, S.W.; Washington, D.C. 20250–

2245; Telephone: (202) 401–5048. When

contacting the Proposal Services Unit,

please indicate that you are requesting

application materials for the

Community Food Projects Competitive

Grants Program.

Application materials may also be

requested via Internet by sending a

message with your name, mailing

address (not e-mail) and telephone

number to psb@reeusda.gov that states

that you wish to receive a copy of the

application materials for the FY 1998

Community Food Projects Competitive

Grants Program. The materials will then

be mailed to you (not e-mailed) as

quickly as possible.

You may also download this RFP and

the application forms by contacting the

agency home page at www.reeusda.gov,

and clicking on ‘‘Funding

Opportunities,’’ that brings up ‘‘All

Funding Opportunities,’’ and then click

on ‘‘Community Food Projects

Program.’’

B. Content of a Proposal

(1) General

The proposal should follow these

guidelines, enabling reviewers to more

easily evaluate the merits of each

proposal in a systematic, consistent

fashion:

(a) The proposal should be prepared

on only one side of the page using

standard size (81⁄2′′ x 11′′) white paper,

one inch margins, typed or word

processed using no type smaller than 12

point font, and single spaced. Use an

easily readable font face (e.g., Geneva,

Helvetica, CG Times). Once accepted for

review, your proposal will be read by at

least three expert reviewers. Thus it is

to your advantage to ensure that your

proposal is not difficult to read.

(b) Each page of the proposal,

including the Project Summary, budget

pages, required forms, and appendices,

should be numbered sequentially in the

top right corner.

(c) The proposal should be stapled in

the upper left-hand corner. Do not bind.

An original and 9 copies (10 total) must

be submitted in one package, along with

20 copies of the ‘‘Project Summary’’ as

a separate attachment.

(2) Cover Page

Complete Form CSREES–661,

Application for Funding, in its entirety.

This form is to be utilized as the Cover

Page. In Block 14., note the total amount

of Federal dollars being requested.

(a) Blocks 7., 13., 18., 19., 20., and 21.

have been completed for you.

(b) In Block 8., enter ‘‘Community

Food Project’’. Ignore all references to a

program number.

(c) Note that providing a Social

Security Number is voluntary, but is an

integral part of the CSREES information

system and will assist in the processing

of the proposal.

(d) The original copy of the

Application for Funding form must

contain the pen-and-ink signatures of

the project director(s) and authorized

organizational representative for the

applicant organization.

(e) Note that by signing the

Application for Funding form, the

applicant is providing the required

certifications set forth in 7 CFR Part

3017, as amended, regarding Debarment

and Suspension and Drug-Free

Workplace, and 7 CFR Part 3018,

regarding Lobbying. The three

certification forms are included in this

application package for informational

purposes only. It is not necessary to sign

and submit the forms to USDA as part

of the proposal.

(3) Table of Contents

For ease in locating information, each

proposal must contain a detailed table

of contents just after the Cover Page.

The Table of Contents should include

page numbers for each component of the

proposal. Page numbers, shown in the

top right corner, should begin with the

first page of the project summary.

(4) Project Summary

The proposal must contain a project

summary of 250 words or less on a

separate page. The summary must be

self-contained and describe the overall

goals and relevance of the project. The

summary should also contain a listing of

the major organizations participating in

the project. The Project Summary

should immediately follow the Table of

Contents. In addition to the summary,

this page must include the title of the

project, the name of the applicant

organization, the authorized

organizational representative, and the

project director(s), followed by the

summary.

(5) Project Narrative

PLEASE NOTE: The Project Narrative

shall not exceed 10 pages. This

maximum has been established to

ensure fair and equitable competition.

Reviewers are instructed that they need

to read only the first 10 pages of the

Project Narrative and to ignore

information on additional pages. The

Project Narrative must repeat and

answer each of the following eight

questions [(a) through (h) below]:

(a) What is the community and the

need(s) to be served by the proposed

project? This part of the narrative lays

the foundation as to the significance of

the proposed project.

Succinctly describe critical elements

of the local food economy or food

system, demographics, income, and

geographic characteristics of the area to

be served and any other pertinent

information, such as the community’s

assets and needs.

(b) What organizations will be

involved in carrying out the proposed

project and which segments of the local

food economy or system do they link?

This information will inform the

reviewers on the extent to which the

community is involved.

Include a description of the relevant

experience of the organizations,

including the applicant organization,

that will be involved, and any project

history. Letters from the organizations

involved acknowledging their support

and contributions must be provided in

an appendix to the proposal. Letters

specifying the type and amount of

support, where appropriate, are strongly

encouraged, for this provides evidence

of community involvement. Proposals

should demonstrate extensive

community linkages and coalitions.

If an applicant organization has

received CFPCGP support in the past,

information on the results from that
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 91 /Tuesday, May 12, 1998 / Notices 26379

prior funding is required as an appendix

to this application. This information

will be used in the review of the

proposal and is limited in length to one

page per award. For each award, list the

CFPCGP award number, the amount and

period of support, the title of the

project, a summary of the results of the

completed work, and the long-term

effects of these results, and any

publications resulting from the CFPCGP

award.

(c) What are the goals or purposes to

be achieved by the proposed project?

List these goals and/or purposes of the

project and a justification for the goals

in terms of the needs stated above.

(d) How will the goals be achieved?

Provide a systematic description of

the approach by which the goals will be

accomplished.

(e) What are the major milestones that

will indicate progress toward achieving

the project goals?

Provide a time line or description for

accomplishing major project objectives.

(f) The legislation outlines three major

objectives of the CFPCGP: (i) meet the

food needs of low-income people; (ii)

increase the self-reliance of

communities in providing for their own

food needs; and (iii) promote

comprehensive responses to local food,

farm and nutrition issues.

What measures will be used to assess

project progress toward each of these

three objectives? How will you assess

whether or to what degree the project

achieves these outcomes?

For example, an applicant may

propose to develop a farmers’ market in

a low-income urban area, selling

produce grown by farmers in the

surrounding area, and employing staff

from both the urban and rural

communities. The goals may be to

increase access to fresh produce by

community residents (addresses

objective i), increase employment and

the income of farmers (addresses

objective ii), and reduce the extent of

poor nutrition among low-income

residents (addresses objective iii).

Possible outcome measures are the

change in the consumption of produce

by customers, the number of jobs

created by the market, and the change

in income experienced by the farmers

supplying the market.

Community Food Project proposals

should contain a strong evaluation

component. Innovative evaluation

strategies are especially encouraged.

Evaluations should focus on the

measurement of success in meeting the

major objectives of the CFPCGP.

Through the CFPCGP, USDA also

hopes to learn more about what happens

to make such projects succeed, partially

succeed, or fail. Therefore, proposals are

encouraged that include both process

evaluations (developing and monitoring

indicators of progress towards the

objectives) and outcome evaluations (to

determine whether the objectives were

met). Applicants should seek the help of

experts in evaluation design and

implementation as appropriate.

(g) How does the proposed project

address each of the following issues: (i)

development of innovative linkages and

coalitions between two or more sectors

of the food system; (ii) support for

entrepreneurial and job-training

projects; and (iii) encouragement of both

short-term and long-term planning

activities that encompass many agencies

and organizations with different food

security interests and missions in order

to promote multi-system, interagency

approaches?

Provide a description of how each of

these issues, as appropriate, will be

addressed. Entrepreneurial projects

should provide evidence (e.g., in the

form of a market analysis or the outline

of a business plan) to demonstrate that

it is likely to become self-sustaining and

provide employees with important job

skills.

(h) What are the plans for achieving

self-sustainability?

Describe why a one-time infusion of

Federal funds will be sufficient for the

proposed Community Food Project to

advance local capacity-building and

deliver sustainability.

(6) Supplementary Considerations

In drafting the project narrative,

applicants should keep in mind the

intent of the program. Proposed projects

should seek solutions rather than be

focused on short-term food relief. They

should seek comprehensive solutions to

problems across all levels of the food

system from producer to consumer. This

point is emphasized because many

proposals submitted previously were

primarily for expanding applicant

efforts in food relief and assistance, or

for connecting established or partially

established programs (such as

community gardens and farmers’

markets) with little evidence of strategic

planning and participation by

stakeholders in the proposed project

design. Proposals must emphasize a

food system and/or food security

approach (i.e., an applicant must

describe the large food-related picture in

the community and the place of the

proposed project within it). They must

also show evidence of information

sharing, coalition building, and

substantial community linkages.

Applicants should be aware of several

USDA policy themes and initiatives that

have the potential to strengthen the

impact and success of some community

food projects. These include food

recovery and gleaning efforts;

connecting the low-income urban

consumer with the rural food producer;

aiding citizens in leaving public

assistance and achieving selfsufficiency; and utilizing micro

enterprise and/or development projects

related to community food needs.

Relevant ongoing USDA and other

Federal initiatives include farmers’

markets; CSREES programs and

activities under the Fund for Rural

America; U.S. Department of Housing

and Urban Development designated

Empowerment Zones, Enterprise

Communities, and Champion

Communities; and the AmeriCorps

National Service Program (a potential

source of staff support for Community

Food Projects).

Applicants should also recognize the

role played by food and nutrition

assistance programs administered by

USDA and may want to discuss in their

proposals the utilization of these

programs by the community and the

connection to the proposed Community

Food Project. These programs include:

the Food Stamp Program; child

nutrition programs such as the School

Lunch, School Breakfast, Women,

Infants, and Children (WIC)

Supplemental Nutrition, Child and

Adult Care Food, and Summer Food

Service Programs; and commodity

distribution programs.

Applicants also should be cognizant

of resources available from other

Federal programs with similar or related

goals, such as the Community Food and

Nutrition Program (CFNP) and Job

Opportunities for Low-Income

Individuals (JOLI) program

administered by the Office of

Community Services within the U.S.

Department of Health and Human

Services.

The community, not the individual

per se, is the unit of analysis and

medium for action. Many solutions to

food access problems may come from

beyond a community’s own boundaries,

since most food also comes from

outside. In that context, wherever

possible, Community Food Projects

should support food systems based on

strategies that improve the availability

of high-quality locally or regionally

produced foods to low-income people.

Community Food Projects are

intended to bring together stakeholders

from the distinct parts of the food

system. Solutions to hunger and access

to food should reflect a process that

involves partnership building among

the public, private nonprofit, and
26380 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 91 /Tuesday, May 12, 1998 / Notices

private for-profit sectors. Together, these

parties can address issues such as: the

capacity of the community to produce

food and support local growers; the

need for, and location of, grocery stores

that market affordable, high quality

food; transportation constraints;

economic opportunities for residents to

increase income, thereby increasing

access to high quality nutritious food;

community development issues; the

environment; and so on.

Community Food Projects should not

be designed to merely support

individual food pantries, farmers’

markets, community gardens or other

established projects. Rather, proposed

Community Food Projects should build

on these experiences and encourage

innovative long-term efforts. A project

should be designed to endure and

outlive the one-time infusion of

government and other matching funds.

Community Food Projects should be

intended to become self-supporting (or

have a sustainable funding source) and

expand or prove to be a replicable

model.

The primary objectives of the CFPCGP

are to increase the food self-reliance of

communities; promote comprehensive

responses to local food, farm and

nutrition issues; develop innovative

linkages between the public, for-profit,

and nonprofit food sectors; and

encourage long-term planning activities

and multi-system inter-agency

approaches. The following are some

examples of these objectives in practice:

• Developing a working link between

a food bank and area farmers to market

fresh produce to a community through

community-supported agriculture.

Community members provide the

financial support while the project

develops links to institutions such as

restaurants, food pantries, schools, and

other institutions. The process increases

community awareness and commitment

to local agriculture, while providing

farmers a local market for their goods,

thereby expanding the supply of and

access to high-quality food.

• Implementing a comprehensive

strategic plan for a lower-income

neighborhood to increase residents’

access to high-quality, affordable food

through farmers’ markets, community

gardens, supermarkets, and other food

programs. Such a plan should include

transportation assistance, business

development, and/or neighborhood

improvement. As with other sector

planning, the community participates in

identifying its food-related priorities

and works with institutions through a

collaborative interagency process to

meet its objectives.

• Developing a system of community

farm stands sponsored by neighborhood

organizations and managed by youth

that sell locally grown produce in lowincome communities. The project

provides skills training and/or jobs and

aims to become self-supporting within a

reasonable time. It increases

participants’ understanding of the food

system, including food production and

distribution, expands interest in good

nutrition, and provides entrepreneurial

training opportunities for young people.

• A local food policy council may

develop and implement a plan that

creates several new food ventures,

including a new supermarket in a lowincome neighborhood. The council

serves as the planning and coordinating

entity that brings together local farmers,

for-profit food operators such as

restaurants, processors, and retailers

with low-income neighborhood

development organizations and job

training groups, emergency food

providers, city hall, and other

community service entities.

• Developing a comprehensive

community response to job and food

needs by creating job opportunities in

food-related activities that respond to

the needs of local businesses, building

technical expertise that leads to wellpaid jobs. It will be necessary to bring

together resources that facilitate the

development of work skills, work ethics,

education completion and that respond

to community food and nutrition needs.

(7) Key Personnel

Identify the key personnel to be

involved in the project, including the

project director, if known. (An

organizational chart may be included if

available.) What is their relevant

experience? Include resumes or vitae

that provide adequate information for

proposal reviewers to make an informed

judgment as to the capabilities and

experience of the key personnel. For

new positions in the project or for

positions that are currently unfilled, a

job description should be provided.

(8) Budget

(a) Budget Form: Prepare the budget

form in accordance with instructions

provided with the form. A budget form

is required for each year of requested

support. In addition, a cumulative

budget is required detailing the

requested total support for the overall

project period. (For example, for a threeyear project, the proposal would include

four budget forms; one for each of the

three years of the project and one

cumulative budget for the full three

years.) The budget form may be

reproduced as needed by applicants.

Funds may be requested under any of

the categories listed on the form,

provided that the item or service for

which support is requested is allowable

under the authorizing legislation, the

applicable Federal cost principles, and

these program guidelines, and can be

justified as necessary for the successful

conduct of the proposed project.

Applicants must also include a budget

explanation sheet to explain and justify

their budgets.

We judge the relative merits of each

proposal without initially considering

proposed budgets. Once proposals are

ranked based on the evaluation criteria,

we then examine budgets closely. Thus,

applicants should attach an explanation

for all budget items to the budget form.

Such information is useful to the

reviewers and CSREES staff in making

final budget recommendations to the

Administrator.

(b) Matching Funds

(1) Proposals should include written

verification of commitments of

matching support (including both cash

and in-kind contributions) from third

parties. Written verification means:

(i) For any third party cash

contributions, a separate pledge

agreement for each donation, signed by

the authorized organizational

representatives of the donor

organization and the applicant

organization, which must include: (a)

the name, address, and telephone

number of the donor; (b) the name of the

applicant organization; (c) the title of

the project for which the donation is

made; (d) the dollar amount of the cash

donation; and (e) a statement that the

donor will pay the cash contribution

during the grant period; and

(ii) For any third party in-kind

contributions, a separate pledge

agreement for each contribution, signed

by the authorized organizational

representatives of the donor

organization and the applicant

organization, which must include: (a)

the name, address, and telephone

number of the donor; (b) the name of the

applicant organization; (c) the title of

the project for which the donation is

made; (d) a good faith estimate of the

current fair market value of the third

party in-kind contribution; and (e) a

statement that the donor will make the

contribution during the grant period.

(2) The sources and amount of all

matching support from outside the

applicant institution should be

summarized on a separate page and

placed in the proposal immediately

following the budget form. All pledge

agreements must be placed in the

proposal immediately following the

summary of matching support.
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 91 /Tuesday, May 12, 1998 / Notices 26381

(3) Applicants should refer to OMB

Circulars A–110, Uniform

Administrative Requirements for Grants

and Other Agreements With Institutions

of Higher Education, Hospitals and

Other Non-profit Organizations, and A–

122, Cost Principles for Non-Profit

Organizations, for further guidance and

other requirements relating to matching

and allowable costs.

(9) Current and Pending Support

All proposals must list any other

current public or private support

(including in-house support) to which

key personnel identified in the proposal

have committed portions of their time,

whether or not salary support for

person(s) involved is included in the

budget. Analogous information must be

provided for any pending proposals that

are being considered by, or that will be

submitted in the near future to, other

possible sponsors, including other

USDA programs or agencies. Concurrent

submission of identical or similar

proposals to other possible sponsors

will not prejudice proposal review or

evaluation by the Administrator for this

purpose. However, a proposal that

duplicates or overlaps substantially

with a proposal already reviewed and

funded (or that will be funded) by

another organization or agency will not

be funded under this program. The

application material includes Form

CSREES–663, Current and Pending

Support, which is suitable for listing

current and pending support. Note that

the project being proposed should be

included in the proposed section of the

form.

(10) Compliance with the National

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)

As outlined in 7 CFR Part 3407 (the

Cooperative State Research, Education,

and Extension Service regulations

implementing NEPA), the

environmental data for any proposed

project is to be provided to CSREES so

that CSREES may determine whether

any further action is needed. In most

cases, based on previously funded

projects, the preparation of

environmental data is not usually

required. Certain categories of actions

are excluded from the requirements of

NEPA.

In order for CSREES to determine

whether any further action is needed

with respect to NEPA, pertinent

information regarding the possible

environmental impacts of a particular

project is necessary; therefore, Form

CSREES–1234, NEPA Exclusions Form,

must be included in the proposal

indicating whether the applicant is of

the opinion that the project falls within

a categorical exclusion and the reasons

therefor. If it is the applicant’s opinion

that the proposed project falls within

the categorical exclusions, the specific

exclusion must be identified. Form

CSREES–1234 and supporting

documentation should be the last page

of the proposal.

Even though a project may fall within

the categorical exclusions, CSREES may

determine that an Environmental

Assessment or an Environmental Impact

Statement is necessary for an activity.

This will be the case if substantial

controversy on environmental grounds

exists or if other extraordinary

conditions or circumstances are present

which may cause such activity to have

a significant environmental effect.

However, this rarely occurs.

Part IV—Submission of a Proposal

A. What to Submit

An original and nine copies of the

complete proposal must be submitted.

Each copy of the proposal must be

stapled in the upper left-hand corner.

DO NOT BIND. In addition, submit 20

copies of the proposal’s Project

Summary. All copies of the proposal

and Project Summary must be submitted

in one package.

B. Where and When to Submit

Proposals must be received by June

19, 1998. Proposals that are handdelivered, delivered by courier, or sent

via overnight delivery services must be

sent or delivered to: Community Food

Projects Competitive Grants Program c/

o Proposal Services Unit, Office of

Extramural Programs, USDA/CSREES,

Room 303, Aerospace Center 901 D

Street, SW, Washington, DC 20024,

Telephone: (202) 401–5048.

Note: Applicants are strongly encouraged

to submit their completed proposals via

overnight mail or delivery services to ensure

timely receipt by the USDA.

Proposals sent via the U.S. Postal

Service must be sent to the following

address: Community Food Projects

Competitive Grants Program c/o

Proposal Services Unit, Office of

Extramural Programs, USDA/CSREES,

STOP 2245, 1400 Independence

Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250–

2245, Telephone: (202) 401–5048

C. Acknowledgment of Proposals

The receipt of all proposals will be

acknowledged in writing and this

acknowledgment will contain an

identifying proposal number. Once your

proposal has been assigned an

identification number, please cite that

number in future correspondence.

Part V—Selection Process and

Evaluation Criteria

A. Selection Process

Proposals must be received on or

before June 19, 1998. Since the award

process must be completed by

September 30, 1998, applicants should

submit fully developed proposals that

meet all the requirements set forth in

this RFP and have fully developed

budgets as well. However, USDA does

retain the right to conduct discussions

with applicants to resolve technical

and/or budget issues as it deems

necessary.

Each proposal will be evaluated in a

two-part process. First, each proposal

will be screened to ensure it meets the

basic eligibility requirements as set forth

in this RFP. Proposals not meeting the

requirements as set forth in this RFP

will be returned without review.

Second, each proposal that meets the

eligibility requirements will be

evaluated and judged on its merits by

expert reviewers.

A number of individual experts will

review and evaluate each proposal that

is accepted for review basing their

evaluation on the stated criteria. The

reviewers will be selected from among

those recognized as uniquely qualified

by training and experience in their

respective fields to render expert advice

on the merit of proposals being

reviewed. These reviewers will be

drawn from a number of areas, among

them government, universities, and

other pertinent entities involved

primarily in community food security

organizations or activities. The views of

the individual reviewers will be used by

CSREES to determine which proposals

will be recommended to the

Administrator for funding.

Proposals will be ranked relative to all

those received, and ranking will be

based on how well the applicant

answered the eight questions in the

Project Narrative, the potential for

achieving project goals and objectives,

the extent to which appropriate

community organizations are involved,

and whether, in the judgment of the

reviewers, the project will become selfsustaining. Final approval for those

proposals recommended for an award

will be made by the agency

Administrator (or designee).

There is no commitment by USDA to

fund any particular proposal or to make

a specific number of awards. Care will

be taken to avoid actual, potential, and/

or the appearance of conflicts of interest

among reviewers. Evaluations will be

confidential to USDA staff members,

expert reviewers, and the project
26382 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 91 /Tuesday, May 12, 1998 / Notices

director(s), to the extent permitted by

law.

B. Evaluation Criteria

The evaluation of proposals will be

based on the following criteria,

weighted relative to each other as noted

in the parentheses following each

criteria discussion.

(1) The degree to which the proposed

project addresses the three statutory

objectives of the CFPCGP, namely i)

meet the food needs of low-income

people; ii) increase the self-reliance of

communities in providing for their own

food needs; and iii) promote

comprehensive responses to local food,

farm, and nutrition issues (25);

(2) The food security problem(s) being

discussed, including an informative

description of the community, its

characteristics, assets, and needs (15);

(3) The goals and purposes of the

project and how these goals will be

achieved. The Secretary, in accordance

with the legislation authorizing this

program, will give preference to

proposed projects that include one or

more of the following goals, which will

be given equal weight: (i) developing

linkages between two or more sectors of

the food system; (ii) supporting the

development of entrepreneurial

activities as part of the proposed project;

(iii) developing innovative linkages

between the for-profit and nonprofit

food sectors; and (iv) encouraging longterm planning activities and multisystem, interagency approaches (25);

(4) A discussion of the organizations,

including the applicant entity, to be

involved in the proposed project,

highlighting their relevant experience

and extent of support. The extent to

which an applicant private, nonprofit

organization can demonstrate a history

of commitment to and direct

involvement in food security projects in

low income communities or in

communities with low income groups is

an important evaluation element. In

addition, the ability of applicants to

meet the objectives of prior CFPCGP

grants will be considered. (See PART

III,B.,(5)(b), Project Narrative.) The

qualifications of staff involved with the

proposed project and/or organizational

leadership should reflect the expertise

necessary to carry out the proposed

activities or similar types of activities.

Experience in and connections with the

community will be considered as

important as academic or professional

credentials in this regard (15);

(5) The viability of plans for achieving

self-sufficiency with a one-time infusion

of federal funds (15);

(6) The strength of the proposed

project’s evaluation component (3); and

(7) The time line for accomplishing

project goals and objectives (2).

Part VI—Supplementary Information

A. Access to Review Information

Copies of summary reviews will be

sent to all applicant project directors

automatically, as soon as possible after

the review process has been completed.

The identity of the individual expert

reviewers will not be provided.

B. Grant Awards

(1) General

Within the limit of funds available for

such purpose, the awarding official of

CSREES shall make grants to those

responsible, eligible applicants whose

proposals are judged most meritorious

under the procedures set forth in this

request for proposals. The date specified

by the Administrator as the effective

date of the grant shall be no later than

September 30 of the Federal fiscal year

in which the project is approved for

support and funds are appropriated for

such purpose, unless otherwise

permitted by law. It should be noted

that the project need not be initiated on

the grant effective date, but as soon

thereafter as practical so that project

goals may be attained within the funded

project period. All funds granted by

CSREES under this request for proposals

shall be expended solely for the purpose

for which the funds are granted in

accordance with the approved

application and budget, the regulations,

the terms and conditions of the award,

the applicable Federal cost principles,

and the Department’s assistance

regulations (parts 3015, 3016, and 3019

of 7 CFR).

(2) Organizational Management

Information

Specific management information

relating to an applicant shall be

submitted on a one-time basis as part of

the responsibility determination prior to

the award of a grant identified under

this part if such information has not

been provided previously under this or

another program for which the

sponsoring agency is responsible.

Copies of forms recommended for use in

fulfilling the requirements contained in

this section will be provided by the

sponsoring agency as part of the

preaward process.

(3) Grant Award Document and Notice

of Grant Award

The grant award document shall

include at a minimum the following:

(a) Legal name and address of

performing organization or institution to

whom the Administrator has awarded a

grant under the terms of this request for

proposals;

(b) Title of project;

(c) Name(s) and address(es) of project

director(s) chosen to direct and control

approved activities;

(d) Identifying grant number assigned

by the Department;

(e) Project period, specifying the

amount of time the Department intends

to support the project without requiring

recompetition for funds;

(f) Total amount of Departmental

financial assistance approved by the

Administrator during the project period;

(g) Legal authority(ies) under which

the grant is awarded;

(h) Approved budget plan for

categorizing allocable project funds to

accomplish the stated purpose of the

grant award; and

(i) Other information or provisions

deemed necessary by CSREES to carry

out its respective granting activities or

to accomplish the purpose of a

particular grant.

The notice of grant award, in the form

of a letter, will be prepared and will

provide pertinent instructions or

information to the grantee that is not

included in the grant award document.

CSREES will award standard grants to

carry out this program. A standard grant

is a funding mechanism whereby

CSREES agrees to support a specified

level of effort for a predetermined time

period without additional support at a

future date.

C. Use of Funds; Changes

(1) Delegation of Fiscal Responsibility

The grantee may not in whole or in

part delegate or transfer to another

person, institution, or organization the

responsibility for use or expenditure of

grant funds.

(2) Reporting Requirements

The grantee must prepare an annual

report that details all significant

activities towards achieving the goals

and objectives of the project. The

narrative should be succinct and be no

longer than five pages, using 12-point,

single-spaced type. A budget summary

should be attached to this report, which

will provide an overview of all monies

spent during the reporting period.

(3) Changes in Project Plans

(a) The permissible changes by the

grantee, project director(s), or other key

project personnel in the approved

project grant shall be limited to changes

in methodology, techniques, or other

aspects of the project to expedite

achievement of the project’s approved

goals. If the grantee and/or the project
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 91 /Tuesday, May 12, 1998 / Notices 26383

director(s) are uncertain as to whether a

change complies with this provision,

the question must be referred to the

CSREES Authorized Departmental

Officer (ADO) for a final determination.

(b) Changes in approved goals or

objectives shall be requested by the

grantee and approved in writing by the

CSREES ADO prior to effecting such

changes. In no event shall requests for

such changes be approved which are

outside the scope of the original

approved project.

(c) Changes in approved project

leadership or the replacement or

reassignment of other key project

personnel shall be requested by the

grantee and approved in writing by the

awarding official of CSREES prior to

effecting such changes.

(d) Transfers of actual performance of

the substantive programmatic work in

whole or in part and provisions for

payment of funds, whether or not

Federal funds are involved, shall be

requested by the grantee and approved

in writing by the ADO prior to effecting

such transfers.

(e) Changes in Project Period: The

project period may be extended by

CSREES without additional financial

support, for such additional period(s) as

the ADO determines may be necessary

to complete or fulfill the purposes of an

approved project. Nevertheless, the total

duration of any grant, including any

period(s) of extension, may not exceed

3 years. Any extension of time shall be

conditioned upon prior request by the

grantee and approval in writing by the

ADO, unless prescribed otherwise in the

terms and conditions of a grant.

(f) Changes in Approved Budget:

Changes in an approved budget must be

requested by the grantee and approved

in writing by the ADO prior to

instituting such changes if the revision

will involve transfers or expenditures of

amounts requiring prior approval as set

forth in the applicable Federal cost

principles, Departmental regulations, or

in the grant award.

D. Other Federal Statutes and

Regulations That Apply

Several other Federal statutes and

regulations apply to grant proposals

considered for review and to project

grants awarded under this program.

These include but are not limited to:

7 CFR Part 1, as amended—USDA

implementation of the Freedom of

Information Act.

7 CFR Part 3, as amended—USDA

implementation of OMB Circular No. A–

129 regarding debt collection.

7 CFR Part 15, subpart A—USDA

implementation of Title VI of the Civil

Rights Act of 1964, as amended.

7 CFR Part 3015, as amended—USDA

Uniform Federal Assistance

Regulations, implementing OMB

directives (i.e., Circular Nos. A–21 and

A–122) and incorporating provisions of

31 U.S.C. 6301–6308 (formerly the

Federal Grant and Cooperative

Agreement Act of 1977, Pub. L. 95–224),

as well as general policy requirements

applicable to recipients of Departmental

financial assistance.

7 CFR Part 3016, as amended—

Uniform Administrative Requirements

for Grants and Cooperative Agreements

to State and Local Governments.

7 CFR Part 3017—USDA

implementation of Governmentwide

Debarment and Suspension

(Nonprocurement) and

Governmentwide Requirements for

Drug-Free Workplace (Grants).

7 CFR Part 3018—USDA

implementation of Restrictions on

Lobbying. Imposes prohibitions and

requirements for disclosure and

certification related to lobbying on

recipients of Federal contracts, grants,

cooperative agreements, and loans.

7 CFR Part 3019, as amended—USDA

implementation of OMB Circular A–

110, Uniform Administrative

Requirements for Grants and Other

Agreements With Institutions of Higher

Education, Hospitals, and Other

Nonprofit Organizations.

7 CFR Part 3052 (62 Federal Register

45947)—USDA implementation of OMB

Circular No. A–133, Audits of States,

Local Governments, and Non-profit

Organizations.

7 CFR Part 3407—CSREES procedures

to implement the National

Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as

amended.

29 U.S.C. 794 (section 504,

Rehabilitation Act of 1973) and 7 CFR

Part 15B (USDA implementation of

statute)—prohibiting discrimination

based upon physical or mental handicap

in Federally assisted programs.

35 U.S.C. 200 et seq.—Bayh-Dole Act,

controlling allocation of rights to

inventions made by employees of small

business firms and domestic nonprofit

organizations, including universities, in

Federally assisted programs

(implementing regulations are contained

in 37 CFR Part 401).

E. Confidential Aspects of Proposals

and Awards

When a proposal results in a grant, it

becomes a part of the record of the

Agency’s transactions, available to the

public upon specific request.

Information that the Secretary

determines to be of a privileged nature

will be held in confidence to the extent

permitted by law. Therefore, any

information that the applicant wishes to

have considered as privileged should be

clearly marked as such and sent in a

separate statement, two copies of which

should accompany the proposal. The

original copy of a proposal that does not

result in a grant will be retained by the

Agency for a period of one year. Other

copies will be destroyed. Such a

proposal will be released only with the

consent of the applicant or to the extent

required by law. A proposal may be

withdrawn at any time prior to the final

action thereon.

F. Evaluation of Program

Section 25(h) of the Food Stamp Act

of 1977, as amended, requires USDA to

provide for an evaluation of the success

of community food projects supported

under this authority. All grantees shall

be expected to assist USDA by

providing relevant information on their

respective projects. Applicants need to

plan for their own internal selfassessments and evaluations to measure

the effectiveness of each project.

Done at Washington, D. C., this 6th day of

May 1998.

Colien Hefferan,

Acting Administrator, Cooperative State

Research, Education, and Extension Service.

[FR Doc. 98–12460 Filed 5–11–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–22–P