Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 121 / Monday, June 28, 2021 / Notices 33969 

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 1621–1627. 

Erin Morris, 

Associate Administrator, Agricultural 

Marketing Service. 

[FR Doc. 2021–13631 Filed 6–25–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Eastern Idaho Resource Advisory 

Committee 

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of meeting. 

SUMMARY: The Eastern Idaho Resource 

Advisory Committee (RAC) will hold a 

virtual meeting by phone and/or video 

conference. The committee is 

authorized under the Secure Rural 

Schools and Community SelfDetermination Act (the Act) and 

operates in compliance with the Federal 

Advisory Committee Act. The purpose 

of the committee is to improve 

collaborative relationships and to 

provide advice and recommendations to 

the Forest Service concerning projects 

and funding consistent with Title II of 

the Act as well as make 

recommendations on recreation fee 

proposals for sites on the CaribouTarghee National Forest within 

Bannack, Bear Lake, Bonneville, 

Caribou, Clark, Franklin, Fremont, 

Madison, 0neida, and Teton County, 

consistent with the Federal Lands 

Recreation Enhancement Act. RAC 

information and virtual meeting 

information can be found at the 

following website: https://

www.fs.usda.gov/main/ctnf/working

together/advisorycommittees. 

DATES: The meeting will be held on July 

27, 2021 at 1:30 p.m., Mountain 

Daylight Time. 

All RAC meetings are subject to 

cancellation. For status of the meeting 

prior to attendance, please contact the 

person listed under FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT. 

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held 

virtually via telephone and/or video 

conference. 

Written comments may be submitted 

as described under SUPPLEMENTARY

INFORMATION. All comments, including 

names and addresses when provided, 

are placed in the record and are 

available for public inspection and 

copying. The public may inspect 

comments received upon request. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bill 

Davis, Committee Coordinator, by 

phone at 208–374–5422 or email at 

william.davis6@usda.gov. 

Individuals who use 

telecommunication devices for the 

hearing-impaired (TDD) may call the 

Federal Information Relay Service 

(FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339 between 8:00 

a.m. and 8:00 p.m., Eastern Daylight 

Time, Monday through Friday. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

purpose of the meeting is to discuss a 

recreation fee proposal and make a 

recommendation for the Jensen Cabin 

located on the Palisades Ranger District 

in Bonneville County, Idaho. 

The meeting is open to the public. 

The agenda will include time for people 

to make oral statements of three minutes 

or less. Individuals wishing to make an 

oral statement should request in writing 

by July 12, 2021, to be scheduled on the 

agenda. Anyone who would like to 

bring related matters to the attention of 

the committee may file written 

statements with the committee staff 

before or after the meeting. Written 

comments and requests for time for oral 

comments must be sent to Bill Davis, 

P.O. Box 46, Dubois, ID 83423; or by 

email to william.davis6@usda.gov. 

Meeting Accommodations: If you are 

a person requiring reasonable 

accommodation, please make requests 

in advance for sign language 

interpreting, assistive listening devices, 

or other reasonable accommodation. For 

access to the facility or proceedings, 

please contact the person listed in the 

section titled FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT. All reasonable 

accommodation requests are managed 

on a case-by-case basis. 

Dated: June 22, 2021. 

Cikena Reid, 

USDA Committee Management Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2021–13682 Filed 6–25–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3411–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Rural Business—Cooperative Service 

[Docket #RBS–21–Business–0023] 

Inviting Applications for Agriculture 

Innovation Demonstration Center 

Grants 

AGENCY: Rural Business—Cooperative 

Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of solicitation of 

applications. 

SUMMARY: This Notice announces that 

the Rural Business-Cooperative Service 

(Agency) is accepting fiscal year (FY) 

2021 applications for the Agriculture 

Innovation Demonstration Center (AIC) 

program. In FY 2021, the program has 

$7,392,479 available for grant funding. 

The purpose of this program is to 

establish and operate Agriculture 

Innovation Centers (Centers) that 

provide technical and business 

development assistance to agricultural 

producers seeking to engage in the 

marketing or the production of ValueAdded products. Eligible applicants 

include nonprofit and for-profit 

corporations, public bodies, and 

institutions of higher education. 

Consortiums are also eligible to apply, 

but they must select a single 

organization to represent the consortium 

as the applicant. Only the applicant 

organization must meet the eligibility 

requirements. This program supports 

Rural Development’s (RD) mission of 

improving the quality of life for rural 

Americans and commitment to directing 

resources to those who most need them. 

DATES: We will offer two training 

sessions for potential applicants 

approximately one month after this 

Notice is published. The training 

sessions will be similar and will be 

offered on different dates and at 

different times to accommodate 

applicants in different time zones. The 

training sessions will provide an 

overview of the requirements for the 

program and address questions posed by 

potential applicants. It is expected that 

the sessions will be offered via webinar 

and will have a duration of 

approximately two hours. Details 

regarding the specific dates, times, and 

access information will be posted at 

least two weeks prior to the sessions on 

the program’s website at: https://

www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/ 

agriculture-innovation-center-program. 

A summary will be posted on the 

website after the sessions are completed. 

Completed applications for grants 

must be submitted electronically by no 

later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, 

September 27, 2021, through Grants.gov. 

Late applications are not eligible for 

funding under this Notice and will not 

be evaluated. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gail 

Thuner, Grants Division, Cooperative 

Programs, Rural Business-Cooperative 

Service, United States Department of 

Agriculture, 1400 Independence Avenue 

SW, MS 3201, Room 5803—South, 

Washington, DC 20250–3250, or call 

202–720–1400, or email cpgrants@

wdc.usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Overview 

Federal Agency Name: USDA Rural 

Business-Cooperative Service. 

Funding Opportunity Title: 

Agriculture Innovation Demonstration 

Center. 


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33970 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 121 / Monday, June 28, 2021 / Notices 

Announcement Type: Initial Notice. 

Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance Number: 10.377. 

Dates: Application Deadline. Your 

application must be received by https:// 

www.grants.gov/ no later than 11:59 

p.m. Eastern Time, September 27, 2021, 

or it will not be considered for funding. 

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 0570–0045. 

A. Program Description 

The AIC program is authorized by 

section 7608 of the Farm Security and 

Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 

1632b) and is implemented by 7 CFR 

part 4284 Subparts A and K, which are 

incorporated by reference into this 

Notice. The primary objective of the AIC 

program is to provide technical 

assistance to agricultural producers to 

market value-added agricultural 

products through Centers. Grants are 

available to public bodies, institutions 

of higher education, nonprofit 

corporations, and for-profit 

corporations. Consortiums are also 

eligible to apply, but they must select a 

single organization to represent the 

consortium as the applicant. Only the 

applicant organization must meet the 

eligibility requirements. It is expected 

that recipients will establish and 

operate independently-governed Centers 

whose boards of directors meet the 

representation requirements described 

in Section D.2(j) of this Notice. 

Definitions 

The terms you need to understand are 

defined and published at 7 CFR 4284.3, 

7 CFR 4284.1004, and 7 CFR 4284.902. 

The term ‘‘you’’ referenced throughout 

this Notice should be understood to 

mean ‘‘you’’ the applicant. Additional 

definitions are included below. 

Agricultural Commodity Organization 

means an organization that exclusively 

represents a single Agricultural 

Commodity or group of similar 

commodities either on behalf of the 

commodity itself or on behalf of the 

agricultural producers who grow or 

raise it. The representation can be at a 

local, State, regional, or national level. 

Examples are Agricultural Commodity 

Marketing Boards established by States, 

a national association representing corn 

growers, and a regional association 

representing vegetable and berry 

growers. 

Conflict of Interest means 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. 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, 

neither grant nor matching funds may 

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. 

Examples of conflicts of interest include 

using grant or matching funds to pay a 

member of the applicant’s board of 

directors to provide Producer Services 

and using grant or matching funds to 

pay an immediate family member of the 

applicant to provide Producer Services. 

Note that the Conflict of Interest does 

not include cases when the State’s 

Secretary of Agriculture or an employee 

of the State’s Department of Agriculture 

acts as a member of the Board of 

Directors. 

General Agricultural Organization 

means an organization that represents 

agriculture in general, without 

restriction to any specific group, 

commodity, or sector. Representing 

agriculture through policy-making, 

education, and/or marketing must be the 

sole purpose of the organization. The 

organization must represent agricultural 

producers, although it may represent 

processors and other stakeholders as 

well. The representation can occur at 

the State, regional, or national level. 

Examples include organizations that 

represent farmers and ranchers and 

organizations that represent sustainable 

farming. Note that organizations 

representing organic agriculture and 

credit organizations are not considered 

part of this definition. 

Product Development means idea 

generation, concept testing, feasibility 

and cost analysis, product taste-testing, 

demographic and other types of 

consumer analysis, production analysis, 

evaluation of packaging and labeling 

options, and brand development for a 

value-added product. 

Qualified Board of Directors means a 

Board of Directors that includes, but is 

not limited to, representatives from each 

of the following groups: (1) Two General 

Agricultural Organizations with the 

greatest number of members in the State 

in which the Center is located, (2) the 

department of agriculture, or similar 

State department or agency or a State 

legislator, of the State in which the 

Center is located, and (3) four 

Agricultural Commodity Organizations 

representing different commodities 

produced in the State in which the 

Center is located. Note that no 

representative may represent more than 

one group or organization. Board of 

Director representatives must not have 

any Conflicts of Interest. Note that this 

definition supersedes the existing 

definition in 7 CFR 4284.1004 based on 

the revision established by Public Law 

115–334 (the 2018 Farm Bill). 

B. Federal Award Information 

Type of Award: Competitive Grant. 

Fiscal Year Funds: FY 2021. 

Total Funding: $7,392,479. 

Minimum Award: $400,000. 

Maximum Award: $1,000,000. 

Project Period: 2 years. 

Anticipated Award Date: February 23, 

2022. 

C. Eligibility Information 

You must meet all of the following 

eligibility requirements. Applicants 

and/or applications which fail to meet 

any of these requirements by the 

application deadline will not be 

evaluated further or considered for 

funding. 

1. Eligible Applicants. Grants may be 

made to public bodies (including local 

governments, State governments, and 

Federally-Recognized Tribes), 

institutions of higher education, 

nonprofit corporations, and for-profit 

corporations. Consortiums are also 

eligible to apply, but they must select a 

single organization to represent the 

consortium as the applicant. Only the 

applicant organization must meet the 

eligibility requirements. Note that 

applicant organizations must be 

prepared to act as Centers to provide 

Producer Services. Grant awards are not 

made directly to businesses or 

agricultural producers to market ValueAdded products. Organizations that 

propose to use grant award funds to 

earn revenue processing and selling 

value-added products are not eligible. 

(a) An applicant is ineligible if they 

have been debarred or suspended or 

otherwise excluded from or ineligible 

for participation in Federal assistance 

programs under Executive Order 12549, 

‘‘Debarment and Suspension.’’ 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. The 

applicant must certify as part of the 

application that they do not have an 

outstanding judgment against them. The 


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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 121 / Monday, June 28, 2021 / Notices 33971 

Agency will check the Do Not Pay 

system to verify the certification. (See 

also Section D.2.f of this Notice.) 

(b) Any corporation (i) that has been 

convicted of a felony criminal violation 

under any Federal law within the past 

24 months or (ii) 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 Consolidated 

Appropriations Act, 2021 (Pub. L. 116– 

260), 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. (See also Section D.2.e 

of this Notice.) 

2. Cost Sharing or Matching. Matching 

funds are required for at least one-third 

of the total project budget. For example, 

if the total project budget is $1,500,000, 

matching funds must be at least 

$500,000. Matching funds may be 

provided in cash by the applicant or a 

third party or in-kind by a third party. 

They must be available for use during 

the period of performance, and they 

must be used for allowable expenses. 

Applicants may propose to use 

unrecovered indirect costs as matching 

funds, subject to the review and 

approval of the agency, if an award is 

approved. (See also Section D.2.j of this 

Notice.) 

3. Other Eligibility Requirements. 

Independent Governance: The Center 

must be independently governed, 

although it does not have to be a 

separate legal entity from the applicant 

organization. If the applicant is a parent 

organization or institution of higher 

education, you must demonstrate that 

there is a separate Board of Directors for 

the Center and that the Center has 

independent governance. We consider 

the Center to have independent 

governance if it has control over 

personnel decisions, including hiring 

and firing employees and contractors; 

setting policies and procedures, 

including personnel and procurement; 

developing and approving its budget; 

and selecting its own Board of Directors, 

which shall not include any members 

who are affiliated with the parent 

organization. (See also Section D.2.k of 

this Notice.) 

Qualified Board of Directors: The 

Board of Directors for the Center must 

meet the definition for Qualified Board 

of Directors in Sec. A. Definitions of this 

Notice. (See also Section D.2.l of this 

Notice.) 

Existing Capability to Provide 

Services: You must be able to 

demonstrate that you have previously 

provided services similar to the 

Producer Services defined in 7 CFR 

4284.1004 or that you have the 

capability to provide those services. In 

order to be considered qualified, you 

must either demonstrate at least three 

years of experience during the last five 

years providing the same type of 

Producer Services as those proposed in 

the application and show a record of at 

least three positive outcomes or you 

must demonstrate that you currently 

have at least two key personnel 

committed to the project who have the 

same level of experience and positive 

outcomes, even if they have not worked 

for you for at least three years. (See also 

Section D.2.m of this Notice.) 

Support of Agricultural Community: 

You must demonstrate that at least three 

relevant agricultural organizations 

support your project. We will consider 

the support to be relevant if the 

supporting organization is based in the 

State or region in which the project will 

take place and if the organization serves 

the same group of producers (either 

directly or through commodity/ 

marketing efforts) targeted by the 

proposed project. (See also Section 

D.2.n of this Notice.) 

Improving Value-Added Markets: 

Your project must focus on increasing 

and improving the ability of local 

agricultural producers to develop 

markets and processes for Value-Added 

agricultural commodities or products. 

(See also D.2.s of this Notice.) 

Use of Funds: Grant Award funds may 

be used only to provide the following 

services directly to agricultural 

producers for the purpose of producing 

and marketing a value-added 

agricultural product: 

• Financial advisory services related to 

the development, expansion, or 

operation of a business owned by an 

agricultural producer(s) that will 

produce a value-added agricultural 

product, as long as the assistance is 

not to support forming a joint 

marketing effort by a group of 

producers, such as a farmers market, 

roadside stand, community-supported 

agriculture, and online sales 

• Process development services, 

including: 

• Engineering services, including 

scale-up of production systems (not 

to include cost of renovating or 

constructing a facility or system) 

• Scale production assessments, 

defined as studies that analyze 

facilities, including processing 

facilities, for potential value-added 

activities to determine the size that 

optimizes construction and other 

cost efficiencies 

• Systems development 

• Other technical assistance and 

applied research related to 

development, implementation, 

improvement and operations of 

processes and systems to produce 

and market a value-added 

agricultural product 

• Organizational assistance, including 

legal and technical advisory services 

related to the development, 

expansion, or operation of a business 

owned by an agricultural producer(s) 

that will produce a value-added 

agricultural product, as long as this 

assistance is not provided to support 

forming a joint marketing effort of 

food and food products by a group of 

producers, such as a farmers market, 

roadside stand, community-supported 

agriculture, and online sales 

• Outreach assistance, limited to 

assistance with connecting an 

agricultural producer to a distribution 

system, processing facility, or 

commercial kitchen 

• Technical assistance for product 

development (excluding R&D), where 

product development has the 

following definition: Stages involved 

in bringing a product from idea or 

concept through commercial-scale 

production, including concept testing, 

feasibility and cost analysis, product 

taste-testing, demographic and other 

types of consumer analysis, 

production analysis, and evaluation of 

packaging and labeling options 

• Costs associated with establishing and 

operating a Center, such as legal 

services, accounting services, clerical 

assistance, technical services, hiring 

employees, monitoring contracts, and 

Board of Director travel 

• Grants of $5,000 or less to agricultural 

producers for the above services, 

where the aggregate amount of all 

such matching grants made by the 

Center does not exceed $50,000. Note 

that these ‘‘mini-grants’’ are 

considered pass-through awards. 

Therefore Centers and the 

subrecipients must comply with all 

Federal and programmatic 

requirements for pass-through entities 

and awards, including, but not 

limited to, Pre-Award Requirements, 

Award Requirements, Post-Award 

Requirements, Property Standards, 

Procurement Standards, Performance 

and Financial Monitoring and 

Reporting, Subrecipient Monitoring 

and Reporting, Record Retention and 

Access, Remedies for Noncompliance, 


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33972 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 121 / Monday, June 28, 2021 / Notices 

Closeout, Post-Closeout Adjustments 

and Continuing Responsibilities. PassThrough Entities are responsible for 

acting on behalf of the Federal Agency 

when determining eligibility for the 

mini-grants as well as compliance 

with Federal and program 

requirements. Subrecipients of the 

mini-grants must be eligible to receive 

a Federal award, use grant award and 

matching funds for allowable costs, 

provide at least one-third of the total 

project costs in matching funds, and 

meet all other Federal and program 

requirements for this program. 

In addition to the above uses of Grant 

Award funds, your Matching Funds 

contribution can be used to provide the 

following services directly to 

agricultural producers for the purpose of 

producing and marketing a value-added 

agricultural product: 

• Business development services, such 

as feasibility studies, business plans, 

and other types of technical assistance 

and applied research that support 

business development, including 

support to forming a joint marketing 

effort by a group of producers, such as 

a farmers market, roadside stand, 

community-supported agriculture, 

and online sales 

• Market development and outreach 

services, such as marketing plans, 

branding, and customer identification 

including support to forming a joint 

marketing effort by a group of 

producers, such as a farmers market, 

roadside stand, community-supported 

agriculture, and online sales 

For information on selected items that 

are not allowable for funding under this 

Notice, please review section D(6) of 

this Notice, ‘‘Funding Restrictions.’’ 

Period of Performance. The proposed 

period of performance must be two 

years or less or the application will not 

be considered for funding. Note that in 

the future, any recipients that have 

already received funding through this 

program will be limited to one-year 

project periods while new recipients 

will be allowed up to two years. This 

difference in time is to allow new 

recipients additional time for start-up 

activities. The proposed start date must 

be no earlier than three months after the 

expected award date and no later than 

six months after the expected award 

date. Extensions may be approved on a 

case-by-case basis at our discretion if 

circumstances beyond the recipient’s 

control cause a significant delay in the 

performance of the award. However, in 

no case, will we approve a period of 

performance (including any extension 

period) for longer than two years. 

Satisfactory Performance. We will 

check the Federal Awardee Performance 

and Integrity Information System as 

well as the Do Not Pay system prior to 

awarding funds. These systems track all 

Federal awards. If you have deficiencies 

identified in either system, we may 

either discontinue processing your 

application if the deficiencies are 

significant or indicate a lack of 

capability to accomplish the proposed 

project or we may impose special 

conditions to address the deficiencies. 

Special conditions may include, but are 

not limited to, more frequent reporting, 

more detailed reporting, and the 

addition of benchmarks or checkpoints 

to assess progress. 

Financial Capability. We will assess 

the financial statements from your most 

recent audit to confirm that you possess 

sufficient financial capabilities for the 

proposed project. In particular, you 

must have a current ratio of at least 1:1 

and the ability to provide sufficient cash 

flow to cover at least three months of 

total project costs to account for the lag 

between when expenses are incurred, 

and award funds are disbursed. If you 

do not meet these requirements, you are 

not eligible for funding. We will also 

review your audit and any notes and 

findings, and if we determine that your 

financial capability would preclude you 

from properly managing Federal funds, 

your organization will not be eligible for 

an award. We may also identify any 

concerns that might require special 

conditions if an award is made. (See 

also Section D.2.h.) 

Application Completeness: Your 

application must provide all the 

information requested in Section D.2 of 

this Notice. Applications lacking 

sufficient information to determine 

eligibility and scoring will not be 

considered for funding. 

No Duplication of Current Services. 

Your application must demonstrate that 

you are providing services to new 

customers or new services to current 

customers. (See also Section D.2.s of 

this Notice.) 

Number of Applications. You may 

only submit one application in response 

to this Notice. 

Number of Applicants. Only one 

organization can be listed as an 

applicant on an application, even if the 

project will be completed by a 

consortium or partnership. 

Collaboration and partnerships are 

encouraged, but one organization must 

be responsible for administering the 

award, if approved. Typically, we 

would expect collaborations to involve 

contributions of matching funds or 

procurement contracts. 

Collaboration, Contracts, and 

Subawards. While we support 

collaboration between and among 

Centers, you must limit any contracts or 

subawards with other Centers to 10% or 

less of project costs. We consider 

collaboration to occur when two or 

more Centers work jointly on an 

activity, but each Center controls its 

own budget for its involvement. Any 

collaboration with other Centers must 

be identified in the proposed Work 

Plan. The collaborators or contractors do 

not have to meet the eligibility 

requirements for the program. Only the 

applicant organization is required to 

meet the requirements. 

D. Application and Submission 

Information 

1. Web Address To Access Application 

Package 

The application template for applying 

for this funding opportunity is located 

at https://www.rd.usda.gov/programsservices/agriculture-innovation-centerprogram. Use of the application 

template is strongly recommended to 

assist you with the application process. 

2. Content and Form of Application 

Submission 

Your application must be submitted 

electronically through Grants.gov. Your 

application must contain all required 

information. You must follow the 

instructions for this funding 

announcement at https://

www.grants.gov/. Note that we cannot 

accept applications through mail or 

courier delivery, in-person delivery, 

email, or fax. 

You can locate the Grants.gov 

downloadable application package for 

this program by using a keyword, the 

program name, or the Catalog of Federal 

Domestic Assistance Number for this 

program. 

When you enter the Grants.gov 

website, you will find information about 

applying electronically through the site, 

as well as the hours of operation. We 

have included additional information 

about how to register and use the 

Grants.gov website in our Application 

Guide. 

To use Grants.gov, you must already 

have a Unique Entity Identifier number 

and you must also be registered and 

maintain registration in SAM. We 

strongly recommend that you do not 

wait until the application deadline date 

to begin the application process through 

Grants.gov because it can take up to four 

weeks to complete the registration 

process. 

You must submit all application 

documents electronically through 


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Grants.gov. Applications must include 

electronic signatures. Original 

signatures may be required if funds are 

awarded. 

After applying electronically through 

Grants.gov, you will receive an 

automatic acknowledgement from 

Grants.gov that contains a Grants.gov 

tracking number. 

Your application must contain the 

following required forms and other 

components: 

(a) Standard Form SF–424, 

‘‘Application for Federal Assistance,’’ to 

include your Unique Entity Identifier 

and SAM Commercial and Government 

Entity (CAGE) code and expiration date. 

If you do not include your DUNS 

number and your CAGE code or your 

DUNS number or Cage code is inactive 

or expired, we will not consider your 

application for funding. 

(b) Form SF–424A, ‘‘Budget 

Information-Non-Construction 

Programs.’’ This form must be 

completed and submitted as part of the 

application package. 

(c) 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. 

You must also certify that you are not 

delinquent on the payment of Federal 

income taxes, or any Federal debt. To 

satisfy the Certification requirement, 

you must 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 is not 

required. 

(d) Certification on Lobbying. Your 

authorized representative must sign a 

certification which contains the entire 

statement from 2 CFR part 418, 

Appendix A. 

(e) Financial Capability. You must 

include your most recent audit 

(including the Letter to the Managers). 

(f) Applicant Eligibility. You must 

verify your legal status and demonstrate 

your eligibility for the program. 

• Public bodies must provide the 

legal citation that authorizes their 

organization. 

• Non-profit and for-profit 

corporations must submit the State’s 

Certificate of Good Standing (or the 

equivalent tribal documentation if 

incorporated under tribal law) and your 

Articles of Incorporation. 

• Institutions of Higher Education 

must demonstrate that you qualify as an 

Institution of Higher Education as 

defined at 20 U.S.C. 1001. The most 

common way to demonstrate this 

qualification is to provide the legal 

citation that authorizes the institution. 

(g) Verification of Matching Funds. 

Matching funds must be provided for at 

least one-third of the total project cost. 

For example, if your total project cost is 

$1,500,000, you must provide at least 

$500,000 in matching funds. Matching 

funds can be provided in cash by the 

applicant organization or a third-party. 

They can also be provided in-kind by a 

third-party organization. You must 

verify the amount of funds to be 

contributed, the source of the funds, the 

availability of the funds, and the 

purpose for which the funds will be 

used. All verification must be done on 

an organization’s letterhead and be 

signed by the organization’s authorized 

representative. 

(h) Governance Structure of the 

Center. The Center does not need to be 

an independent legal entity; however, it 

must be independently governed. You 

must provide an explanation of how the 

governance of the Center works (or will 

work if it hasn’t been established at the 

time of application). In particular, you 

must address how the Center carries out 

personnel decisions, including hiring 

and firing employees and contractors; 

sets its policies and procedures, 

including personnel and procurement; 

develops and approves its budget; and 

selects its own Board of Directors. 

(i) Board of Directors. You must 

provide the following information: 

For the representatives from the two 

General Agricultural Organizations with 

the greatest number of members in your 

State, you must identify the 

representatives, the organizations, their 

purposes, and the number of members 

they have in your State. You must also 

explain how you determined that the 

organizations have the most (or second 

most) members. Acceptable sources for 

this information can include the state 

Department of Agriculture, or its 

equivalent, or a third-party, reliable 

source, such as a trade journal or 

university agriculture department. 

For the representative from the State 

Department of Agriculture (or 

equivalent) or State legislator, you must 

identify the representative and include 

the person’s title and job responsibility 

if from the Department of Agriculture or 

identify the district the State legislator 

represents. 

For representatives from four 

Agricultural Commodity Organizations, 

you must identify each representative 

and the organization they represent. 

You must use data from the State 

Department of Agriculture, or its 

equivalent, to demonstrate that the 

commodities are produced in your state 

and provide a copy of the information 

used. 

You must also submit a signed 

statement from each representative 

stating that they either are currently on 

the Center’s Board of Directors or that 

they commit to being on the Center’s 

Board of Directors during the proposed 

period of performance. 

If your application is selected for 

funding, we will confirm the Board of 

Directors still meets the requirements. If 

at any time, the Center’s Board of 

Directors does not meet the 

requirements during the period of 

performance, the award will either be 

suspended until the requirements can 

be met or it will be terminated if the 

requirements can no longer be met. 

(j) Existing Capability to Provide 

Services. The applicant organization 

must be able to demonstrate that it has 

previously provided services similar to 

the Producer Services defined in 7 CFR 

4284.1004 or that it has the capability to 

provide those services. 

To demonstrate previously providing 

services, you must include a chart or 

narrative that describes the services 

provided during the last three to five 

years, as needed, to show that you can 

meet the requirement. The description 

must include the specific type of service 

provided, the role of the Center in 

providing the service, how many times 

it has been provided, and the outcomes 

of the services provided (preferably with 

quantitative measurements). 

If the Center does not have at least 

three years of experience providing 

Producer Services during the last five 

years, you must provide a chart or 

narrative that describes the key 

personnel’s experience with providing 

Producer Services during the last three 

to five years, as needed, to show that 

you can meet the requirement. The 

narrative must include a description of 

the services provided, the role of the key 

personnel in providing the service, how 

many times it has been provided, and 

the outcomes of the services provided 

(preferably with quantitative 

measurements). 

We will assess the capability of each 

applicant organization based only on 

what is submitted with the application. 

(k) Support of the Agricultural 

Community. You must include at least 

three letters of support from agricultural 

organizations, other than the applicant 

organization, that are relevant to the 

project. Evidence of support includes 

contributions of cash or in-kind 

matching funds. Other examples of 

support include referring clients and 

intent to collaborate. We will consider 


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the support to be relevant if the 

organization is based in the State or 

region in which the project will take 

place and if the organization serves the 

same group of producers (either directly 

or through commodity/marketing 

efforts) targeted by the proposed project. 

Note that support from organizations 

that are not agricultural in nature (such 

as local chambers of commerce) is not 

considered relevant for the purpose of 

meeting this requirement. 

(l) Strategic Coordination and 

Alliances. Describe arrangements in 

place or planned with end users (for 

example, processing and distribution 

companies and regional grocers) as well 

as with entities that have technical 

research capabilities, broad support 

from the agricultural community in the 

State or region, significant coordination 

with end users, strategic alliances with 

entities having technical research 

capabilities and a focused delivery plan 

for reaching out to the producer 

community. 

(m) Title Page. Your application must 

contain a Title Page. It is recommended 

that your Title Page include a short title 

for your proposed project as well as 

contact information or other application 

identifying information. 

(n) Table of Contents. Your 

application must contain a detailed 

Table of Contents (TOC). The TOC must 

include page numbers for each part of 

the application, including each 

evaluation criterion. Page numbers 

should begin immediately following the 

TOC. 

(o) Executive Summary. A summary 

of the proposal, not to exceed one page, 

must briefly describe the Project, tasks 

to be completed, and other relevant 

information that provides a general 

overview of the Project. 

(p) Goals of the Project. You must 

include a listing of each Producer 

Service to be offered during the project. 

You must also identify one or more 

specific goals relating to increasing and 

improving the ability of identified local 

agricultural producers to develop a 

market or process for Value-Added 

agricultural commodities or products. 

(q) Work Plan. You must include a 

description of your proposed work for 

the project, including how your project 

focuses on increasing and improving the 

ability of local agricultural producers to 

develop markets and processes for 

Value-Added agricultural commodities 

or products. This description must 

include the actions that will be taken in 

order for the Producer Services to be 

available from the Center. Each action 

should include a target date for 

completion. General start-up tasks 

should be listed, followed by specific 

tasks listed for each Producer Service to 

be offered. Tasks associated with the 

start-up of the Center should include a 

focused marketing and delivery plan 

directed at the local agricultural 

producers that were identified in the 

Goals section of your application. The 

actions to be taken should include steps 

for identifying customers, hiring key 

personnel (if not already hired), 

contracting for services for the Center, 

and making arrangements for strategic 

alliances. Each defined task needs to 

have a description, assigned key 

personnel, and an expected time frame 

for accomplishment. You must also 

clearly demonstrate how your project 

will provide services to new customers 

or provide new services to existing 

customers. 

Note that the work you propose to 

accomplish must be allowable based on 

Sec. C.3 of this Notice. Funding 

restrictions are described in Sec. D.6. 

(r) Budget Justification. You must 

provide additional information 

regarding the budget you submit on the 

SF–424A, including your matching 

funds. This additional information must 

describe each category of expense and 

what specific costs are included in each 

category as well as how your Matching 

Funds will be used. For example, the 

Salaries justification must include the 

names of each staff member (not just key 

personnel) who will be paid and how 

much they will be paid. The Fringe 

Benefits category must include a 

description of how fringe benefits are 

calculated and what is included. The 

Contracts category must identify the 

contractors by name (if known) as well 

as the amounts expected for each 

contract and the purpose of each 

contract. The Other category must 

include the expected expenses (e.g., 

supplies) that will be included. The 

Travel category must identify specific 

trips that will be taken, who will be 

traveling, and the reason for the travel. 

Additionally, if there are any unusual 

expenses, you should describe them and 

why they are appropriate for the award. 

(s) Scoring Criteria. Each of the 

scoring criteria in this Notice must be 

addressed in narrative form, with a 

maximum of three pages for each 

individual scoring criterion, unless 

otherwise specified. Failure to address 

each scoring criteria will result in the 

application being determined ineligible. 

3. Unique Entity Identifier and SAM 

System for Awards Management. All 

program applicants must be registered 

in the System for Awards Management 

(SAM) prior to submitting an 

application, unless determined exempt 

under 2 CFR 25.110. Grant recipients 

must maintain an active SAM 

registration with current information at 

all times during which it has an active 

Federal award or an application under 

consideration by the Agency. 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. 

To be eligible, you are required to: 

(a) Provide a valid Unique Entity 

Identifier (formerly known as the DUNS 

number) in your application, which can 

be obtained at no cost via a toll-free 

request line at (866) 705–5711 or at 

http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform. 

(b) Register in SAM at no cost at 

https://sam.gov/content/home before 

submitting your application and provide 

your SAM CAGE Code and expiration 

date. 

(c) Continue to maintain an active 

SAM registration with current 

information at all times during which 

you have an active Federal award or an 

application or plan under consideration 

by a Federal awarding agency. 

If you have not fully complied with 

all applicable Unique Entity Identifier 

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 for additional submission 

requirements that apply to grantees 

selected for this program. 

4. Submission Dates and Times 

Application Deadline Date: 

September 27, 2021. 

Explanation of Deadlines: 

Applications must be RECEIVED by 

https://www.grants.gov/ by midnight 

Eastern Time September 27, 2021, to be 

eligible for funding. Please review the 

Grants.gov website at https://

www.grants.gov/web/grants/ 

applicants.html for instructions on the 

process of registering your organization 

as soon as possible to ensure you can 

meet the electronic application 

deadline. Grants.gov will not accept 

applications submitted after the 

deadline. 

5. Intergovernmental Review 

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 


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(SPOC) to facilitate this consultation. 

For a list of States that maintain a SPOC, 

please see the White House website: 

https://www.whitehouse.gov/wpcontent/uploads/2020/04/SPOC-4-13- 

20.pdf. 

If your State has a SPOC, you may 

submit a copy of the application directly 

for review. Any comments obtained 

through the SPOC must be provided to 

us 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, we will submit your 

application to the SPOC or other 

appropriate agency or agencies. 

6. Funding Restrictions 

No funds made available under this 

solicitation shall be used to: 

(a) Plan, repair, rehabilitate, acquire, 

or construct a building or facility, 

including a processing facility; 

(b) Purchase, rent, or install fixed 

equipment, including processing 

equipment; 

(c) Purchase vehicles, including boats; 

(d) Pay for the preparation of the grant 

application; 

(e) Pay expenses not directly related 

to the funded Project; 

(f) Fund political or lobbying 

activities; 

(g) Fund any activities considered 

unallowable by the applicable grant cost 

principles, including 2 CFR part 200, 

subpart E and the Federal Acquisition 

Regulation; 

(h) Fund architectural work for a 

specific physical facility; 

(i) Fund any direct expenses for the 

production of any commodity or 

product to which value will be added, 

including seed, rootstock, labor for 

harvesting the crop, and delivery of the 

commodity to a processing facility; 

(j) Fund manufacturing or processing 

expenses; 

(k) Purchase land; 

(l) Duplicate current activities or 

activities paid for by another Federal 

grant program; 

(m) Pay costs of the Project incurred 

prior to the date of award approval; 

(n) Pay for assistance to any private 

business enterprise that does not have at 

least 51 percent ownership by those 

who are either citizens of the United 

States or reside in the United States 

after being legally admitted for 

permanent residence; 

(o) Pay any judgment or debt owed to 

the United States; 

(p) Pay for Research and 

Development; or 

(q) Pay for any goods or services from 

a person who has a Conflict of Interest 

with the recipient. 

In addition, your application will not 

be considered for funding if it does any 

of the following: 

• Requests less than the minimum or 

more than the maximum grant amount; 

• Focuses assistance on only one 

agriculture producer or business; 

• Proposes ineligible costs that equal 

more than 10 percent of total grant 

funds requested; 

• Earns revenue from processing or 

selling a product as part of the project. 

Centers may charge fees for services 

provided, but they cannot earn revenue 

on actually processing a product or from 

sales associated with a product they 

helped develop; or 

• Provides services to entities other 

than Agricultural Producers on behalf of 

and at the request of Agricultural 

Producers. 

We will consider your application for 

funding if it includes ineligible costs of 

10 percent or less of total grant funds 

requested, if it is determined eligible 

otherwise. However, if your application 

is successful, those ineligible costs must 

be removed. If time permits, the Agency 

may allow those ineligible costs to be 

replaced with allowable costs. 

Otherwise, 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 

(a) National Environmental Policy 

Act. This Notice has been reviewed in 

accordance with 7 CFR part 1970, 

‘‘Environmental Policies and 

Procedures.’’ We have determined that 

an Environmental Impact Statement is 

not required in connection with the 

issuance of this Notice because the 

issuance of regulations and instructions, 

as well as amendments to them, 

describing administrative and financial 

procedures for processing, approving, 

and implementing the Agency’s 

financial programs is categorically 

excluded in the Agency’s National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 

regulation found at 7 CFR 1970.53(f). 

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. 

(b) 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. 

E. Application Review Information 

We will review applications to 

determine if they are eligible for 

assistance based on requirements in this 

Notice, and other applicable Federal 

laws and regulations. If we determine 

that your application is eligible for 

assistance, your application will be 

scored by a panel of USDA employees 

based on the Scoring Criteria specified 

in this Notice. The highest scoring 

application will be funded up to the 

maximum amount available. Additional 

applications that cannot be fully funded 

may be offered partial funding at the 

Agency’s discretion. 

1. Scoring Criteria 

All eligible and complete applications 

will be evaluated based on the following 

criteria. Evaluators will base scores only 

on the information provided in the 

application. This is a competitive 

program, so you will receive scores 

based on the quality of the information 

provided. Simply addressing the criteria 

will not guarantee higher scores. The 

total points possible for the criteria are 

80. 

(a) Ability to Deliver (maximum score 

of 15 points). The application will be 

evaluated as to whether it evidences 

unique abilities to deliver Producer 

Services so as to create sustainable 

Value-Added ventures. Abilities that are 

transferable to a wide range of 

agricultural Value-Added commodities 

are preferred over highly specialized 

skills. Strong skills must be 

accompanied by a credible and 

thoughtful plan. 

Points will be awarded as follows: 

(i) 0 points will be awarded if you do 

not substantively address the criterion. 

(ii) 1–4 points will be awarded for 

unique abilities, that is, abilities that are 

not available through other 

organizations in the Center’s service 

area. 

(iii) 1–4 points will be awarded for 

the expected sustainability of the ValueAdded ventures supported by the 

project. For example, applications that 

propose to work with ventures where 

the expected sustainability has been 

assessed will receive more points than 

applications that do not address 

expected sustainability. By 

sustainability, we mean that the venture 

assisted will generate wealth (e.g., if the 

project adds retained earnings to the 

balance sheet, not just an increase in 

cash flow). 

(iv) 1–4 points will be awarded for the 

transferability of the abilities identified. 

Abilities that are transferable to a wide 


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range of commodities will receive more 

points. 

(v) 1–3 points will be awarded for 

plans to accomplish work that are 

thoughtful and seem reasonable. For 

example, do the services the Center will 

provide match the stated goals (from 

Section D.2.q). Are the results 

measurable and attainable within the 

proposed project period? 

(b) Successful Track Record 

(maximum score of 15 points). The 

applicant organization’s track record in 

achieving Value-Added successes will 

be evaluated. 

Points will be awarded as follows: 

(i) 0 points will be awarded if you do 

not substantively address the criterion. 

(ii) 1–3 points will be awarded if the 

applicant has more than three years of 

experience in accomplishing ValueAdded successes. More points will be 

given for more years of experience, 

based on the distribution of what all 

eligible applicants submit. No credit 

will be given for activities that did not 

directly result in a Value-Added 

success. Note that we consider a success 

to include working with an organization 

and providing coaching to indicate that 

the proposed venture is not feasible. 

(iii) 1–4 points will be awarded based 

on the number of Value-Added 

successes. More points will be given for 

higher numbers, based on the 

distribution of what eligible applicants 

submit. 

(iv) 1–4 points will be awarded based 

on the significance of Value-Added 

successes. More points will be given for 

more significant successes, based on the 

distribution of what eligible applicants 

submit. 

(v) 1–4 points will be awarded based 

on the complexity of the role that the 

applicant organization played in the 

Value-Added successes. 

(c) Work Plan/Budget (maximum of 

15 points). We will review the work 

plan for detailed actions and an 

accompanying timetable for 

implementing the proposed work. We 

will review budgets for completeness 

and the strength of non-Federal funding 

commitments. Note that there is no 

additional information required for this 

criterion. We will use the Work Plan 

and Budget Justification for our 

evaluation. 

Points will be awarded as follows: 

(i) 0 points will be awarded if you do 

not substantively address this criterion. 

(ii) 1–6 points will be awarded for 

work plans that describe each task, 

including objectives and potential 

outcomes, and how that task connects to 

the goal of the project. More points will 

be awarded for work plans that 

completely describe tasks and show 

measurable outcomes as well as for 

work plans that show a cohesive plan 

for the achievement of the goal(s) of the 

project. 

(iii) 1–3 points will be awarded for 

work plans that show a reasonable and 

differentiated timetable for the proposed 

tasks. For example, a work plan that 

shows a schedule for how a Center will 

begin operation, then market its 

services, and then provide its services 

would be awarded more points that a 

work plan that simply states all 

Producer Services will be offered for 12 

months. We will also consider how you 

will identify customers. Applications 

with a specific description of customer 

identification will receive more points. 

(iv) 1–3 points will be awarded for the 

budget justification. More points will be 

awarded for justifications that 

completely describe all categories of 

cost, including indirect costs. We 

consider that a complete description 

includes identification of key personnel 

(including any contractors) and the 

salaries and fringe benefits associated 

with their time on the project as well as 

identification of all travel events 

(including who will be traveling and 

what the purpose of the trip is), 

individual contract amounts and 

purposes, and items that are 

categorized, such as computers, 

printers, scanners, copiers, and other 

office items. 

(v) 1–3 points will be awarded for 

higher quality matching funds. We 

consider cash match to be of higher 

quality than in-kind. Thus, we will 

award more points for applications that 

have a larger percentage of matching 

funds coming from cash, based on the 

distribution of what is submitted by 

applicants. 

(d) Qualifications of Key Personnel 

(maximum of 15 points). Describe the 

qualifications of the key personnel for 

the project. Key personnel may include 

employees of the Center or consultants/ 

contractors, but they do not include 

administrative or financial staff whose 

purpose is to support the administrative 

requirements of the award. Your 

description should include the number 

of years of experience that a person has 

doing the type of work that will be 

assigned during the project as well as 

metrics indicating the number of times 

the person has provided the assistance 

and the outcomes of that assistance. You 

must also include the total hours that 

will be contributed to the project by 

each person. Points will be awarded as 

follows: 

(i) 0 points will be awarded if you do 

not adequately address this criterion. 

(ii) 1–5 points based on the 

percentage of work that will be carried 

out by Center employees. We will 

calculate the percentage by adding the 

hours of the key personnel and dividing 

the number of hours from Center 

employees by the total hours. 

a. 1 point for 10–20% of the work 

carried out by Center employees; 

b. 2 points for 21–40% of the work 

carried out by Center employees; 

c. 3 points for 41–60% of the work 

carried out by Center employees; 

d. 4 points for 61–80% of the work 

carried out by Center employees; and 

e. 5 points for 81–100% of the work 

carried out by Center employees. 

(iii) 1–10 points based on the 

qualifications of the key personnel. 

More points will be awarded in cases 

where the key personnel are assigned to 

specific tasks that match their 

experience and skills. 

(e) Local support (maximum of 5 

points). You must show that the Center 

has local support from and coordination 

with other developmental organizations 

in the proposed service area and with 

tribal, state, and local institutions. 

Support documentation should include 

recognition of rural values that balance 

employment opportunities with 

environmental stewardship and other 

rural amenities. 

Points will be awarded as follows: 

(i) 0 points are awarded if you do not 

adequately address this criterion or if 

you do not provide at least three letters 

of support. 

(ii) 1 point will be awarded for a 

support letter from a developmental 

organization in the proposed service 

area that shows coordination with your 

project. 

(iii) 1 point will be awarded for a 

support letter from a state institution. 

(iv) 1 point will be awarded for a 

support letter from a tribal institution. 

(v) 1 point will be awarded for a 

support letter from a local institution. 

(vi) 1 point will be awarded for 

support that includes recognition of 

rural values that balance employment 

opportunities with environmental 

stewardship and other rural amenities. 

You may submit a maximum of 3 

letters of support for this criterion (or 

you may reference other letters 

submitted with the application). When 

awarding points for this criterion, we 

will only consider support letters from 

developmental organizations in the 

proposed service area, and state and 

local institutions. Additionally, 

identical form letters signed by multiple 

organizations will not be included in 

the count of support letters received. 

Support letters must be included as an 

attachment to the application. 

(f) Future support (maximum of 15 

points). Describe the vision for funding 


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Center operations for future years, 

including diversification of funding 

sources and building in-house technical 

assistance capacity. 

Points will be awarded as follows: 

(i) 0 points will be awarded if you do 

not substantively address the criterion. 

(ii) 1–5 points will be awarded for 

applications that describe a specific 

plan for obtaining future funding for the 

Center. More points will be awarded for 

plans that show concrete actions for at 

least 3 years into the future. 

(iii) 1–5 points will be awarded for 

applications that show a diversification 

of funding sources. Possible funding 

sources include Federal awards, tribal, 

state and local awards, private 

donations, and pay-for-service plans. 

More points will be awarded for plans 

that include multiple, committed 

funding sources. You may summarize 

the funding sources/support in a chart 

or narrative and you must include the 

following information for each source: 

Name of the organization, the amount of 

funds committed, the expected time 

period for commitment, and the purpose 

for which the funds can be used. 

(iv) 1–5 points will be awarded for 

applications that show how in-house 

capacity for providing technical 

assistance will be improved. More 

points will be awarded for Centers that 

have a specific plan for training and 

hiring in-house technical assistance 

experts. 

2. Review and Selection Process 

We will review applications to 

determine if they are eligible for 

assistance based on requirements in this 

Notice, and other applicable Federal 

laws and regulations. If we determine 

that your application meets the 

requirements, it will be scored by a 

panel of USDA employees in 

accordance with the Scoring Criteria 

and point allocation specified in this 

Notice. The review panel will convene 

to reach a consensus on the scores for 

each of the eligible applications. 

Applications will be ranked solely 

based on the points awarded, and they 

will be funded in rank order until 

available funds are expended or a 

minimum score of 40 points is reached. 

If an application cannot be fully funded, 

we will offer partial funding to the 

extent funds are available. If the 

applicant offered partial funding does 

not accept, we will offer the funding to 

the next highest-ranked applicant until 

we find an applicant that accepts the 

funding or no additional eligible 

applicants exist. 

If your application is ranked and not 

funded, it will not be carried forward 

into the next competition. 

F. Federal Award Administration 

Information 

1. Federal Award Notices 

If you are selected for funding, you 

will receive a signed Letter of 

Conditions containing instructions on 

requirements necessary to proceed with 

execution and performance of the 

award. If you are able to meet the 

conditions of the award within the 

specified time frame (typically up to 90 

calendar days), we will proceed with 

approving an award. If you are not able 

to meet the conditions of the award, we 

may terminate consideration of your 

application at our discretion and choose 

to award the funds to the next highestranked applicant. 

If you are not selected for funding, 

you will be notified in writing and 

informed of any review and appeal 

rights. Funding of successfully appealed 

applications will be limited to available 

FY 2021 funding. 

2. Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements 

Additional requirements that apply to 

grantees selected for this program can be 

found in 2 CFR parts 200, 400, 415, 417, 

418, and 421. 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 reporting 

requirements (See 2 CFR 170.200(b), 

unless you are exempt under 2 CFR 

170.110(b)). These regulations may be 

obtained at: The following link: https:// 

ecfr.io/. 

Applicants selected for this program 

will be required to execute the following 

additional documentation: 

• Agency-approved Grant Agreement. 

• Form RD 1940–1, ‘‘Request for 

Obligation of Funds.’’ 

• Form RD 1942–46, ‘‘Letter of Intent 

to Meet Conditions.’’ 

• Form RD 400–4, ‘‘Assurance 

Agreement.’’ By signing Form 400–4, 

Assurance Agreement, recipients affirm 

that they will operate the program free 

from discrimination. The recipient will 

maintain the race and ethnic data on the 

board members and beneficiaries of the 

program. The Recipient will provide 

alternative forms of communication to 

persons with limited English 

proficiency. The Agency will conduct 

Civil Rights Compliance Reviews on 

recipients to identify the collection of 

racial and ethnic data on Program 

beneficiaries. In addition, the 

Compliance review will ensure that 

equal access to the Program benefits and 

activities are provided for persons with 

disabilities and language barriers. 

• SF LLL, ‘‘Disclosure of Lobbying 

Activities,’’ if applicable. 

• Certification of Lobbying. Your 

authorized representative must sign a 

certification which contains the entire 

statement from 2 CFR part 418, 

Appendix A. 

3. Reporting 

After award approval, you will be 

required to provide the following: 

a. A SF–425, ‘‘Federal Financial 

Report,’’ and a project performance 

report will be required on a quarterly 

basis (due 30 calendar days after end of 

each quarter) for the first year of the 

project to ensure that all recipients are 

able to complete start-up activities and 

begin providing technical assistance. 

Recipients may submit financial and 

performance reports on a semi-annual 

basis for the second year of the project, 

provided they are on schedule for 

project completion. For the purposes of 

this program, quarters end on March 31, 

June 30, September 30, and December 

31. The project performance reports 

shall include a comparison of actual 

accomplishments to the objectives 

established for that period. 

b. Reasons why established objectives 

were not met, if applicable. 

c. 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. 

d. Objectives and timetable 

established for the next reporting 

period. 

e. Provide a final project and financial 

status report within 90 calendar days 

after the expiration or termination of the 

award. 

f. Provide outcome project 

performance reports and final 

deliverables. 

G. Agency Contacts 

For general questions about this 

announcement and for program 

Technical Assistance, please contact 

National Office staff: Gail Thuner, 

Management and Program Analyst, 

cpgrants@wdc.usda.gov, or call 202– 

720–1400. 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
33978 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 121 / Monday, June 28, 2021 / Notices 

H. Other Information 

Non-Discrimination Statement 

In accordance with Federal civil 

rights law and U.S. Department of 

Agriculture (USDA) civil rights 

regulations and policies, the USDA, its 

Agencies, offices, and employees, and 

institutions participating in or 

administering USDA programs are 

prohibited from discriminating based on 

race, color, national origin, religion, sex, 

gender identity (including gender 

expression), sexual orientation, 

disability, age, marital status, family/ 

parental status, income derived from a 

public assistance program, political 

beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior 

civil rights activity, in any program or 

activity conducted or funded by USDA 

(not all bases apply to all programs). 

Remedies and complaint filing 

deadlines vary by program or incident. 

Persons with disabilities who require 

alternative means of communication for 

program information (e.g., Braille, large 

print, audiotape, American Sign 

Language, etc.) should contact the 

responsible Agency or USDA’s TARGET 

Center at (202) 720–2600 (voice and 

TTY) or contact USDA through the 

Federal Relay Service at (800) 877–8339. 

Additionally, program information may 

be made available in languages other 

than English. 

To file a program discrimination 

complaint, complete the USDA Program 

Discrimination Complaint Form, AD– 

3027, found online at https://

www.usda.gov/oascr/how-to-file-aprogram-discrimination-complaint and 

at any USDA office or write a letter 

addressed to USDA and provide in the 

letter all of the information requested in 

the form. To request a copy of the 

complaint form, call (866) 632–9992. 

Submit your completed form or letter to 

USDA by: 

(1) Mail: U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, Office of the Assistant 

Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 

Independence Avenue SW, 

Washington, DC 20250–9410; 

or 

email: OAC@usda.gov. 

Mark Brodziski, 

Acting Administrator, Rural BusinessCooperative Service. 

[FR Doc. 2021–13675 Filed 6–25–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–XY–P 

COMMISSION ON CIVIL RIGHTS 

Notice of Public Meeting of the New 

York Advisory Committee; Correction 

AGENCY: U.S. Commission on Civil 

Rights. 

ACTION: Notice; correction to meeting 

purpose, time, and access information. 

SUMMARY: The Commission on Civil 

Rights published a notice in the Federal 

Register of Thursday, June 4, 2021, 

concerning a meeting of the New York 

Advisory Committee. The document 

contained an incorrect purpose, meeting 

time, and access information. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Mallory Trachtenberg at 

mtrachtenberg@usccr.gov or (202) 809– 

9618. 

Correction: In the Federal Register of 

Thursday, June 4, 2021, in FR Doc. 

2021–11713, on pages 29997–29998, 

correct the purpose, time, web-link and 

dial-in information to read: The purpose 

of the meeting is to hear testimony and 

debrief the Committee’s briefings on 

potential racial discrimination in 

eviction policies and enforcement in 

New York. When: Friday, July 16, 2021, 

from 1:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m. EST at web 

conference link: https://bit.ly/3j4f7J8 

password is USCCR; to join by phone 

only, dial: 1–800–360–9505; Access 

code: 199 338 2002. 

Dated: June 22, 2021. 

David Mussatt, 

Supervisory Chief, Regional Programs Unit. 

[FR Doc. 2021–13650 Filed 6–25–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

Census Bureau 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities; Submission to the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) for 

Review and Approval; Comment 

Request; 2021 Business Enterprise 

Research and Development Survey 

AGENCY: Census Bureau, Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of information collection, 

request for comment. 

SUMMARY: The Department of 

Commerce, in accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 

1995, invites the general public and 

other Federal agencies to comment on 

proposed, and continuing information 

collections, which helps us assess the 

impact of our information collection 

requirements and minimize the public’s 

reporting burden. The purpose of this 

notice is to allow for 60 days of public 

comment on the proposed revision of 

2021 Business Enterprise Research and 

Development Survey, prior to the 

submission of the information collection 

request (ICR) to OMB for approval. 

DATES: To ensure consideration, 

comments regarding this proposed 

information collection must be received 

on or before August 27, 2021. 

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are 

invited to submit written comments by 

email to Thomas.J.Smith@census.gov. 

Please reference 2021 Business 

Enterprise Research and Development 

Survey in the subject line of your 

comments. You may also submit 

comments, identified by Docket Number 

USBC–2021–0015, to the Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://

www.regulations.gov. All comments 

received are part of the public record. 

No comments will be posted to http:// 

www.regulations.gov for public viewing 

until after the comment period has 

closed. Comments will generally be 

posted without change. All Personally 

Identifiable Information (for example, 

name and address) voluntarily 

submitted by the commenter may be 

publicly accessible. Do not submit 

Confidential Business Information or 

otherwise sensitive or protected 

information. You may submit 

attachments to electronic comments in 

Microsoft Word, Excel, or Adobe PDF 

file formats. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Requests for additional information or 

specific questions related to collection 

activities should be directed to Michael 

Flaherty, U.S. Census Bureau, Chief, 

Research, Development & Innovation 

Surveys Branch, 301–763–7699, 

michael.j.flaherty@census.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract 

The U.S. Census Bureau, with support 

from the National Center for Science 

and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) 

within the National Science 

Foundation, plans to conduct the 

Business Enterprise Research and 

Development Survey (BERD) for the 

2021–2023 survey years. BERD covers 

all domestic, non-farm, for-profit 

businesses with at least 10 paid 

employees. BERD provides the only 

comprehensive national data on 

Research and Development (R&D) costs 

and detailed expenses by type and 

industry. 

The Census Bureau has conducted an 

R&D survey since 1957, collecting 

primarily financial information on the 

systematic work companies undertake 

to discover new knowledge or use 


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