[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 118 (Wednesday, June 23, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32882-32889]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-13169]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Business-Cooperative Service

[Docket #RBS-21-CO-OP-0017]


Inviting Applications for Socially Disadvantaged Groups Grants

AGENCY: Rural Business-Cooperative Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of funding availability.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces that the Rural Business-Cooperative 
Service (Agency) is announcing fiscal year (FY) 2021 funding for 
applications for the Socially Disadvantaged Groups Grant (SDGG) 
program. The purpose of this program is to provide technical assistance 
to socially disadvantaged groups in rural areas. Eligible applicants 
include cooperatives, groups of cooperatives, and cooperative 
development centers. 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. The 
program funding level for FY 2021 is a total of $3.0 million. Detailed 
information can be found on the SDGG website located at https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/socially-disadvantaged-groups-grant. 
Expenses incurred in developing applications are the responsibility of 
the applicant.

DATES: Completed applications for grants must be submitted 
electronically by no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time August 9, 2021, 
through https://www.grants.gov to be eligible for grant funding. Please 
review the Grants.gov website at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration.html for instructions on the 
process of registering your organization as soon as possible to ensure 
that you are able to meet the electronic application deadline. 
Applications received after the deadline are not eligible for funding 
under this notice and will not be evaluated.

ADDRESSES: You are encouraged to contact your USDA Rural Development 
State Office well in advance of the application deadline to discuss 
your project and ask any questions about the application process. 
Contact information for State Offices can be found at: https://www.rd.usda.gov/contact-us/state-offices.

[[Page 32883]]

    Program guidance as well as application templates may be obtained 
at https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/socially-disadvantaged-groups-grant or by contacting your State Office. To submit an 
electronic application, follow the instructions for the SDGG funding 
announcement located at https://www.grants.gov. You are strongly 
encouraged to file your application early and allow sufficient time to 
manage any technical issues that may arise.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David Chestnut, Branch Chief, Program 
Management Division, Rural Business-Cooperative Service, United States 
Department of Agriculture, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Mail Stop-3226, 
Washington, DC 20250-3226, (202) 720-1400 or by email at: 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#1a7e7b6c737e3479727f696e746f6e5a6f697e7b347d756c"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="bcd8ddcad5d892dfd4d9cfc8d2c9c8fcc9cfd8dd92dbd3ca">[email protected]</span></a>.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Overview

    Federal Agency Name: USDA Rural Business-Cooperative Service.
    Funding Opportunity Title: Socially Disadvantaged Groups Grant.
    Announcement Type: Initial Notice.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 10.871.
    Dates: Application Deadline. Your electronic application must be 
received by https://www.grants.gov no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern 
Time, by August 9, 2021, or it will not be considered for funding.
    The Application Template provides specific, detailed instructions 
for each item of a complete application. The Agency emphasizes the 
importance of including every item and strongly encourages applicants 
to follow the instructions carefully, using the examples and 
illustrations in the Application Template. Prior to official submission 
of applications, applicants may request technical assistance or other 
application guidance from the Agency, as long as such requests are made 
prior to July 23, 2021. Agency contact information can be found in 
section D (Application and Submission Information) of this document.
    Hemp Related Projects: Please note that no assistance or funding 
from this grant can be provided to a hemp producer unless they have a 
valid license issued from an approved State, Tribal or Federal plan as 
per Section 10113 of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, Public 
Law 115-334. Verification of valid hemp licenses will occur at the time 
of award. The purpose of this program is to provide technical 
assistance, so funding for the production of hemp or marketing hemp 
production is not eligible.
    Persistent Poverty Counties: Section 736 of the Consolidated 
Appropriations Act, 2021, Public Law 116-260, designates funding for 
projects in persistent poverty counties. Persistent poverty counties as 
defined in Section 736 is ``any county that has had 20 percent or more 
of its population living in poverty over the past 30 years, as measured 
by the 1990 and 2000 decennial censuses, and 2007-2011 American 
Community Survey 5-year average, or any territory or possession of the 
United States''. Another provision in Section 736 expands the eligible 
population in persistent poverty counties to include any county seat of 
such a persistent poverty county that has a population that does not 
exceed the authorized population limit by more than 10 percent. This 
provision expands the current 50,000 population limit to 55,000 for 
only county seats located in persistent poverty counties. Therefore, 
applicants and/or beneficiaries of technical assistance services 
located in persistent poverty county seats with populations up to 
55,000 (per the 2010 Census) are eligible.
    The Agency will not solicit or consider new scoring or eligibility 
information that is submitted after the application deadline. The 
Agency reserves the right to contact applicants to seek clarification 
on materials contained in the submitted application. See the 
Application Guide for a full discussion of each item. For requirements 
of completed grant applications, refer to Section D (Application and 
Submission Information) of this document.

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 0570-0052.

A. Program Description

    The SDGG program is authorized by the Consolidated Farm and Rural 
Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932 (e)(11)), as amended by the Agriculture 
Improvement Act of 2018, Public Law 115-334. The primary objective of 
the SDGG program is to provide technical assistance to socially 
disadvantaged groups. Grants are available for cooperative development 
centers, individual cooperatives, or groups of cooperatives (i) that 
serve socially disadvantaged groups and (ii) of which a majority of the 
board of directors or governing board is comprised of individuals who 
are members of socially disadvantaged groups.
Definitions
    The definitions applicable to this notice are as follows:
    Agency--Rural Business-Cooperative Service, an agency of the United 
States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development or a 
successor agency.
    Conflict of interest--A situation in which a person or entity has 
competing personal, professional, or financial interests that make it 
difficult for the person or business to act impartially. Federal 
procurement standards prohibit transactions that involve a real or 
apparent conflict of interest for owners, employees, officers, agents, 
or their immediate family members having a financial or other interest 
in the outcome of the project or that restrict open and free 
competition for unrestrained trade. Specifically, project funds may not 
be used for services or goods going to, or coming from, a person or 
entity with a real or apparent conflict of interest, including, but not 
limited to, owner(s) and their immediate family members. Examples of 
conflicts of interest include using grant funds to pay a member of the 
applicant's board of directors to provide proposed technical assistance 
to socially disadvantaged groups, paying a cooperative member to 
provide proposed technical assistance to other members of the same 
cooperative, and paying an immediate family member of the applicant to 
provide proposed technical assistance to socially-disadvantaged groups.
    Cooperative--A business or organization that is owned and operated 
for the benefit of its members, with returns of residual earnings paid 
to such members on the basis of patronage. Eligible cooperatives for 
the SDGG program are those where a majority of the board of directors 
or governing board is comprised of individuals who are members of 
socially disadvantaged groups.
    Cooperative development center--A nonprofit corporation or 
institution of higher education operated by the grantee for cooperative 
or business development. An eligible cooperative development center for 
the SDGG program is one where a majority of the board of directors or 
governing board is comprised of individuals who are members of socially 
disadvantaged groups. It may or may not be an independent legal entity 
separate from the grantee.
    Feasibility study--An analysis of the economic, market, technical, 
financial, and management feasibility of a proposed project.

[[Page 32884]]

    Group of cooperatives--A group of cooperatives whose primary focus 
is to provide assistance to socially disadvantaged groups; each 
cooperative must meet the eligibility requirements set forth in the 
definition of ``cooperative'' herein. One of the cooperatives must be 
designated as the lead entity and have legal authority to contract with 
the federal government.
    Immediate family(ies)--A group of individuals who live in the same 
household or who are closely related by blood, marriage, or adoption, 
such as a spouse, domestic partner, parent, child, sibling, aunt, 
uncle, grandparent, grandchild, niece, nephew, or first cousin.
    Operating cost--The day-to-day expenses of running a business; for 
example: utilities, rent on the office space a business occupies, 
salaries, depreciation, marketing and advertising, and other basic 
overhead items.
    Participant support costs--Direct costs for items such as stipends 
or subsistence allowances, travel allowances, and registration fees 
paid to or on behalf of participants or trainees (but not employees) in 
connection with conferences or training projects.
    Project--Any activities to be funded by the Socially Disadvantaged 
Groups Grant.
    Rural and rural area--Any area of a state other than (a) a city or 
town that has a population of more than 50,000 inhabitants, according 
to the latest decennial census of the United States and (b) any 
urbanized area contiguous and adjacent to a city or town described in 
clause (a), and urbanized areas that are rural in character defined by 
7 U.S.C.1991(a)(13)(D). For the purposes of this definition, cities and 
towns are incorporated population centers with definite boundaries, 
local self-government, and legal powers set forth in a charter granted 
by the state. Notwithstanding any other provision of this paragraph, 
within the areas of the County of Honolulu, Hawaii, and the 
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Secretary may designate any part of 
the areas as a rural area if the Secretary determines that the part is 
not urban in character, other than any area included in the Honolulu 
Census Designated Place or the San Juan Census Designated Place.
    Rural Development--A mission area within USDA consisting of the 
Office of Under Secretary for Rural Development, Rural Business-
Cooperative Services, Rural Housing Service, and Rural Utilities 
Service and any successors.
    Socially disadvantaged group--A group whose members have been 
subjected to racial, ethnic, or gender prejudice because of their 
identity as members of a group without regard to their individual 
qualities.
    State--Includes each of the 50 states, the Commonwealth of Puerto 
Rico, the Virgin Islands of the United States, Guam, American Samoa, 
the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and, as may be 
determined by the Secretary to be feasible, appropriate, and lawful, 
the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall 
Islands and the Republic of Palau.
    Technical assistance--An advisory service performed for the purpose 
of assisting cooperatives or groups that want to form cooperatives such 
as market research, product and/or service improvement, legal advice 
and assistance, feasibility study, business planning, marketing plan 
development, and training.

B. Federal Award Information

    Type of Award: Competitive Grant.
    Fiscal Year Funds: FY2021.
    Total Funding: $3,000,000.
    Maximum Award: $175,000.
    Project Period: 1 year.
    Anticipated Award Date: September 30, 2021.

C. Eligibility Information

    Applicants must meet all the following eligibility requirements. 
Applications which fail to meet any of these requirements by the 
application deadline will be deemed ineligible and will not be 
evaluated further.
    1. Eligible applicants. Grants may be made to individual 
cooperatives, groups of cooperatives, or cooperative development 
centers that serve socially disadvantaged groups and of which a 
majority of the board of directors or governing board of the applicant 
is comprised of individuals who are members of socially disadvantaged 
groups. You must be able to verify your legal structure in the state or 
the tribe under which you are legally organized or incorporated. Grants 
may not be made to public bodies or to individuals. Your application 
must demonstrate that you meet all definition requirements for one of 
the three eligible applicant types as defined above. Federally 
recognized tribes have a government-to-government relationship with the 
United States and may have difficulty meeting the definition 
requirements. Therefore, it is recommended that they utilize a separate 
entity, such as a tribally owned business, tribal authority, tribal 
non-profit, tribal college or university to apply for SDGG funding that 
would provide technical assistance to members of the tribe. This 
separate tribal entity must also demonstrate that it meets all 
definition requirements for one of the three eligible applicant types 
as defined above.
    (a) An applicant is ineligible if it has been debarred or suspended 
or otherwise excluded from or ineligible for participation in Federal 
assistance programs under Executive Order 12549, ``Debarment and 
Suspension.'' The Agency will check the System for Award Management 
(SAM) to determine if the applicant has been debarred or suspended at 
the time of application and also prior to funding any grant award. 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 Agency will check the Do Not Pay System to verify 
this information at the time of application and also prior to funding 
any grant award.
    (b) Any corporation or cooperative (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,Public Law 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. Certification of compliance with this provision is now 
completed during registration or annual recertification in SAM.gov via 
the Financial Assistance General Certifications and Representations.
    2. Cost sharing or matching. No matching funds are required.
    3. Other eligibility requirements.
    Use of funds: Your application must propose technical assistance 
that will benefit other socially disadvantaged groups. Any recipient of 
technical assistance must have a membership that consists of a majority 
of members from socially disadvantaged groups. Please review section 
D(6) (Funding Restrictions) of this notice carefully.
    Project eligibility: The proposed project must only serve members 
of

[[Page 32885]]

socially disadvantaged groups located in rural areas.
    Grant period eligibility: Your application must include a grant 
period of one-year or less or it will not be considered for funding. 
The proposed time frame should begin no earlier than October 1, 2021 
and end no later than December 31, 2022. Applications that request 
funds for a time period ending after December 31, 2022, will not be 
considered for funding. You should note that the anticipated award date 
is September 30, 2021. Projects must be completed by December 31, 2022 
or within the 12-months of award funding, whichever is earlier.
    The Agency may approve requests to extend the grant period for up 
to an additional 12 months at its discretion. However, you may not have 
more than one SDGG award during the same grant period. If you extend 
the period of performance for your current award, you may be deemed 
ineligible to receive a SDGG in the next grant cycle. Further guidance 
on grant period extensions will be provided in the award document.
    Satisfactory performance eligibility: If you have an existing SDGG 
award, you must be performing satisfactorily to be considered eligible 
for a new SDGG award. Satisfactory performance includes being up to 
date on all financial and performance reports as prescribed in the 
grant award and being current on tasks and timeframes for utilizing 
grant and matching funds as approved in the work plan and budget. If 
you have any unspent grant funds on SDGG awards from projects prior to 
September 30, 2019, your application will not be considered for 
funding. If your FY 2020 award has unspent funds of 50 percent or more 
than what your approved work plan and budget projected at the time of 
evaluation of your FY2020 application, your FY 2021 application may not 
be considered for funding. The Agency will verify the performance 
status of any FY 2020 awards and make a determination after the FY 2021 
application period closes.
    Completeness eligibility: Your application must provide all the 
information requested in section D (2) (Content and form of application 
submission) of this notice. Applications lacking sufficient information 
to determine eligibility and scoring criteria will be considered 
ineligible.
    Duplication of current services. Your application must demonstrate 
that you are providing services to new customers or new services to 
current customers. If your work plan and budget is duplicative of your 
existing award, your application will not be considered for funding. If 
your work plan and budget is duplicative of a previous or existing 
Rural Cooperative Development Grant (RCDG) and/or SDGG award, your 
application will not be considered for funding.
    Multiple grant eligibility: You may only submit one SDGG grant 
application each funding cycle. If two applications are submitted 
(regardless of the applicant name) that include the same Executive 
Director and/or advisory boards or committees of an existing 
cooperative or cooperative development center, both applications will 
be determined ineligible for funding.

D. Application and Submission Information

1. Application Template
    The application template to assist you in applying for this funding 
opportunity is located at https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/socially-disadvantaged-groups-grant. Use of the application template is 
strongly recommended to assist you with the application process. You 
may also contact your USDA RD State Office for more information. 
Contact information for State Offices is located at https://www.rd.usda.gov/contact-us/state-offices.
2. Content and Form of Application Submission
    You must submit your application electronically through Grants.gov. 
Your application must contain all required information. To apply 
electronically, you must follow the instructions for this funding 
announcement at https://www.grants.gov. Please 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.
    To use Grants.gov, you must already have a DUNS 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.
    You must submit all application documents electronically through 
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 also contain the following required forms and 
proposal elements:
    (a) Standard Form SF-424, ``Application for Federal Assistance,'' 
to include your DUNS number. You must also provide your SAM Commercial 
and Government Entity (CAGE) Code and expiration date under the 
applicant eligibility discussion in your proposal narrative. If you do 
not include the CAGE code and expiration date and the DUNS number in 
your application, it will not be considered for funding.
    (b) Form SF-424A, ``Budget Information-Non-Construction Programs.'' 
This form must be completed and submitted as part of the application 
package. You no longer must complete the Form SF 424B, ``Assurances--
Non- Construction Programs'' as a part of your application. This 
information is now collected through your registration or annual 
recertification in SAM.gov through the Financial Assistance General 
Certifications and Representation.
    (c) You 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. There is no standard form to complete, but 
to satisfy the certification requirement, you should include this 
statement in your application: ``[INSERT NAME OF APPLICANT] certifies 
that the United States has not obtained an unsatisfied judgment against 
its property, is not delinquent on the payment of Federal income taxes, 
or any Federal debt, and will not use grant funds to pay any judgments 
obtained by the United States.'' A separate signature is not required.
    (d) 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. Page numbers should begin immediately 
following the TOC.
    (e) 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.
    (f) Eligibility Discussion. A detailed discussion, not to exceed 
four pages, must describe how you meet the following requirements:

[[Page 32886]]

    (1) Applicant Eligibility. You must describe how you meet the 
definition of a cooperative, group of cooperatives, or cooperative 
development center. Your application must also show that your 
individual cooperative, group of cooperatives or cooperative 
development center has a majority of its board of directors or 
governing board comprised of individuals who are members of socially 
disadvantaged groups and that the applicant serves socially 
disadvantaged groups. Your application must include a list of your 
board of directors/governing board and the percentage of board of 
directors/governing board that are members of socially disadvantaged 
groups. Note: Your application will not be considered for funding if 
you fail to show that a majority of your board of directors/governing 
board is comprised of individuals who are members of socially 
disadvantaged groups.
    You must verify your incorporation and status in the state that you 
have applied by providing the state's or Tribe's Certificate of Good 
Standing and your Articles of Incorporation. You may also submit your 
Bylaws if they provide additional information not included in your 
Articles of Incorporation that will help verify your legal status. If 
applying as an institution of higher education, documentation verifying 
your legal status is not required; however, you must demonstrate that 
you qualify as an Institution of Higher Education as defined at 20 
U.S.C. 1001. You must apply as only one type of applicant. The 
requested verification documents should be included in Appendix A of 
your application. If they are not included, your application will not 
be considered for funding.
    (2) Use of Funds. You must provide a brief discussion on how the 
proposed project activities meet the definition of technical assistance 
and identify the socially disadvantaged groups that will be assisted.
    (3) Project Area. You must provide specific information that 
details the location of the Project area and explain how the area meets 
the definition of ``rural area.''
    (4) Grant Period. You must provide a time frame for the proposed 
project and discuss how the project will be completed within that time 
frame. Your project must have a time frame of one year or less.
    (5) Indirect Costs. Please indicate if you have a negotiated 
indirect cost rate agreement (NICRA), and if so, the rate. Your 
negotiated indirect cost rate approval does not need to be included in 
your application, but you will be required to provide it if a grant is 
awarded. Approval for indirect costs that are requested in an 
application without an approved indirect cost rate agreement is at the 
discretion of the Agency.
    (g) 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.
    (h) The Agency has established annual performance evaluation 
measures to evaluate the SDGG program. You must provide estimates on 
the following performance evaluation measures as part of your 
narrative:
    (1) Number of cooperatives assisted; and
    (2) Number of socially disadvantaged groups assisted.
3. DUNS Number and SAM
    To be eligible (unless you are excepted under 2 CFR 25.110(b), (c) 
or (d)), you are required to:
    (a) Provide a valid DUNS number in your application, which can be 
obtained at no cost via a toll-free request line at (866) 705-5711;
    (b) Register in SAM before submitting your application. You may 
register in SAM at no cost at: https://sam.gov/SAM/ You must provide 
your SAM CAGE Code and expiration date in the application materials. 
When registering in SAM, you must indicate you are applying for a 
Federal financial assistance project or program or are currently the 
recipient of funding under any Federal financial assistance project or 
program; and
    (c) The SAM registration must remain active with current 
information at all times while the Agency is considering an application 
or while a Federal grant award or loan is active. To maintain the 
registration in the SAM database, the applicant must review and update 
the information in the SAM database annually from date of initial 
registration or from the date of the last update. The applicant must 
ensure that the information in the database is current, accurate, and 
complete. Applicants must ensure they complete the Financial Assistance 
General Certifications and Representations in SAM.
    If you have not fully complied with all applicable DUNS 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) (Administrative and national policy 
requirements) for additional submission requirements that apply to 
grantees selected for this program.
4. Submission Dates and Times
    Application Deadline Date: August 9, 2021.
    Explanation of Deadline: Electronic applications must be RECEIVED 
and accepted by https://www.grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time 
August 9, 2021, to be eligible for funding. Please review the 
Grants.gov website at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration.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 (SPOC) to facilitate this consultation. The Rural 
Development State Office where the project is located will provide 
compliance guidance to applicants.
6. Funding Restrictions
    Grant funds must be used for technical assistance as defined. 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 (48 CFR 1);
    (h) Fund architectural or engineering design 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;

[[Page 32887]]

    (j) Fund research and development;
    (k) Purchase land;
    (l) Duplicate current activities or activities paid for by other 
Federal grant programs;
    (m) Pay costs of the project incurred prior to the date of grant 
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 any operating costs of the cooperative, group of 
cooperatives, or cooperative development center not directly related to 
the project;
    (q) Pay expenses for applicant employee training or professional 
development not directly related to the project;
    (r) Pay for any goods or services from a person or entity who has a 
conflict of interest with the grantee; or
    (s) Pay for technical assistance provided to a cooperative that 
does not have a membership that consists of a majority of members from 
socially disadvantaged groups.
    In addition, your application will not be considered for funding if 
it does any of the following:
    (a) Requests more than the maximum grant amount;
    (b) Proposes ineligible costs that equal more than 10 percent of 
total grant funds requested; or
    (c) Proposes participant support costs that equal more than 10 
percent of total grant funds requested.
    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 and replaced with 
eligible costs before the Agency will make the grant award or the 
amount of the grant award will be reduced accordingly. If we cannot 
determine the percentage of ineligible costs, your application will not 
be considered for funding.
7. Other Submission Requirements
    (a) Applications will not be accepted if the text is less than an 
11-point font. You must submit your application electronically, through 
Grants.gov. You must follow the instructions for this funding 
announcement at https://www.grants.gov. A password is not required to 
access the website.
    (b) 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 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.
    (c) 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 the USDA (7 CFR part 15, subpart A) and Section 504 of the 
Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

E. Application Review Information

    The State Offices will review applications to determine if they are 
eligible for assistance based on requirements in this notice, and other 
applicable Federal regulations. If determined eligible, your 
application will be scored by a panel of USDA employees in accordance 
with the point allocation specified in this notice. A recommendation 
will be submitted to the Administrator to fund applications in highest 
ranking order. 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 or cross-referenced by page number in each 
individual evaluation criterion. SDGG is a competitive program, so you 
will receive scores based on the quality of your responses. Simply 
addressing the criteria will not guarantee higher scores. The total 
points possible for the criteria are 105.
    (a) Technical Assistance (maximum score of 25 points)--Three-page 
limit. A panel of USDA employees will evaluate your application to 
determine your ability to assess the needs of and provide effective 
technical assistance to socially disadvantaged groups. You must discuss 
the:
    (1) Needs of the socially disadvantaged groups to be assisted and 
explain how those needs were determined,
    (2) Proposed technical assistance to be provided to the socially 
disadvantaged groups; and
    (3) Expected outcomes of the proposed technical assistance, 
including how socially disadvantaged groups will benefit from 
participating in the project. You will score higher on this criterion 
if you provide examples of past projects that demonstrate successful 
outcomes in identifying specific needs and providing technical 
assistance to socially disadvantaged groups.
    (b) Work Plan/Budget (maximum of 25 points)--Six-page limit. Your 
work plan must provide specific and detailed descriptions of the tasks 
and the key project personnel that will accomplish the project's goals. 
The budget will be reviewed for completeness. You must list what tasks 
are to be done, when it will be done, who will do it, and how much it 
will cost. Reviewers must be able to understand what is being proposed 
and how the grant funds will be spent. The budget must be a detailed 
breakdown of estimated costs. These costs should be allocated to each 
of the tasks to be undertaken.
    A panel of USDA employees will evaluate your work plan for detailed 
actions and an accompanying timetable for implementing the proposal. 
Clear, logical, realistic, and efficient plans that allocate costs to 
specific tasks using applicable budget object class categories provided 
on the Form SF-424A will result in a higher score. You must discuss at 
a minimum:
    (1) Specific tasks to be completed using grant funds;
    (2) How customers will be identified;
    (3) Key personnel and what tasks they are undertaking; and
    (4) The evaluation methods to be used to determine the success of 
specific tasks and overall project objectives.
    Please provide qualitative methods of evaluation. For example, 
evaluation methods should go beyond quantitative measurements of 
completing surveys or number of evaluations, such as discussion of 
evaluation methods per task.
    (c) Experience (maximum score of 25 points)--Three-page limit. A 
panel of USDA employees will evaluate your experience, commitment, and 
availability for identified staff or consultants in providing technical 
assistance, as defined in this notice. You must describe the technical 
assistance experience for each identified staff member or consultant, 
as well as years of experience in providing that

[[Page 32888]]

assistance. You must also discuss the commitment and the availability 
of identified staff, consultants, or other professionals to be hired 
for the project--especially those who may be consulting on multiple 
SDGG/RCDG projects. If staff or consultants have not been selected at 
the time of application, you must provide specific descriptions of the 
qualifications required for the positions to be filled. In addition, 
resumes for each individual staff member or consultant must be included 
as an attachment in Appendix B. The attachments will not count toward 
the maximum page total. We will compare the described experience in 
this section and in the resumes to the work plan to determine relevance 
of the experience. Applications that do not include the attached 
resumes will not be considered for funding. Applications that 
demonstrate strong credentials, education, capabilities, experience, 
and availability of project personnel that will contribute to a high 
likelihood of project success will receive more points than those that 
demonstrate less potential for success in these areas.
    Points will be awarded as follows:
    (1) 0 points will be awarded if you do not substantively address 
the criterion.
    (2) 1-9 points will be awarded if qualifications and experience of 
some, but not all, staff is addressed and, if necessary, qualifications 
of unfilled positions are not provided.
    (3) 10-14 points will be awarded if (ii) is met, plus all project 
personnel are identified but do not demonstrate qualifications or 
experience relevant to the project.
    (4) 15-19 will be awarded if (ii) and (iii) are met, plus most, but 
not all, key personnel demonstrate strong credentials and/or 
experience, and availability indicating a reasonable likelihood of 
success.
    (5) 20-25 points will be awarded if (ii)-(iv) are met, plus all 
personnel demonstrate strong, relevant credentials or experience and 
availability indicating a high likelihood of project success.
    (d) Commitment (maximum of 10 points)--Three-page limit. A panel of 
USDA employees will evaluate your commitment to providing technical 
assistance to socially disadvantaged groups in rural areas. You must 
list the number and location of socially disadvantaged groups that will 
directly benefit from the assistance provided. You must also define and 
describe the underserved and economically distressed areas within your 
service area and provide current and relevant statistics that support 
your description of the service area. Projects located in persistent 
poverty counties as defined in Section 736 of the Consolidated 
Appropriations Act, 2021, Public Law 116-260, will score higher on this 
factor.
    (e) Local support (maximum of 10 points)--Three-page limit. A panel 
of USDA employees will evaluate your application for local support of 
the technical assistance activities. Your discussion on local support 
should include previous and/or expected local support and plans for 
coordinating with other developmental organizations in the proposed 
service area or with tribal, State, and local government institutions. 
You will score higher if you demonstrate strong support from potential 
beneficiaries and other developmental organizations. You may also 
submit a maximum of 10 letters of support or intent to coordinate with 
the application to verify your discussion.
    Points will be awarded as follows:
    (1) 0 points are awarded if you do not adequately address this 
criterion.
    (2) A range of 1-5 points are awarded if you demonstrate support 
from potential beneficiaries and other developmental organizations in 
your discussion but do not provide letters of support.
    (3) Additional 1 point is awarded if you provide 2-3 support 
letters that show support from potential beneficiaries and/or support 
from local organizations.
    (4) Additional 2 points are awarded if you provide 4-5 support 
letters that show support from potential beneficiaries and/or support 
from local organizations.
    (5) Additional 3 points are awarded if you provide 6-7 support 
letters that show support from potential beneficiaries and/or support 
from local organizations.
    (6) Additional 4 points are awarded if you provide 8-9 support 
letters that show support from potential beneficiaries and/or support 
from local organizations.
    (7) Additional 5 points are awarded if you provide 10 support 
letters that show support from potential beneficiaries and/or support 
from local organizations.
    You may submit a maximum of 10 letters of support. Support letters 
should be signed and dated after the notice publication date and come 
from potential beneficiaries and other local organizations. Letters 
received from Congressional members and technical assistance providers 
will not be included in the count of support letters received. 
Additionally, identical form letters signed by multiple potential 
beneficiaries and/or local organizations will not be included in the 
count of support letters received. Support letters should be included 
as an attachment to the application in Appendix C and will not count 
against the maximum page total. Additional letters from industry 
groups, commodity groups, Congressional members, and similar 
organizations should be referenced, but not included in the application 
package. When referencing these letters, provide the name of the 
organization, date of the letter, the nature of the support, and the 
name and title of the person signing the letter.
    (f) Administrator Discretionary Points (maximum of 10 points)--In 
the event two projects have the same score; the Administrator may award 
points to the applicant that has not received SDGG funds in the past. 
The Administrator may also award points to applications to increase the 
geographic diversity of socially disadvantaged groups served by 
approved projects.
2. Review and Selection Process
    Applications will be reviewed in the State Offices to determine if 
they are eligible for assistance based on requirements in this notice, 
and other applicable Federal regulations. If determined eligible, your 
application will be scored by a panel of USDA employees in accordance 
with the point allocation specified in this notice. The review panel 
will convene to reach a consensus on the scores for each of the 
eligible applications. The Administrator may choose to award up to 10 
Administrator priority points based on criterion (f) in section E(1) 
(Scoring Criteria) of this notice. These points will be added to the 
cumulative score for a total possible score of 105. Applications will 
be funded in highest ranking order until the funding limitation has 
been reached. Applications that cannot be fully funded may be offered 
partial funding at the Agency's discretion. 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 notice 
of Federal award by postal or electronic mail, containing instructions 
on requirements necessary to proceed with execution and performance of 
the award.
    If you are not selected for funding, you will be notified in 
writing via postal or electronic mail and informed of any review and 
appeal rights. Funding of successfully appealed applications will be 
limited to available FY 2021 funding.

[[Page 32889]]

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements
    Additional requirements that apply to grantees selected for this 
program can be found in 2 CFR parts 200, 215, 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)).
    The following additional requirements apply to grantees selected 
for this program:
    (a) Execution of an Agency approved Grant Agreement.
    (b) Acceptance of a written Letter of Conditions.
    (c) Submission of Form RD 1940-1, ``Request for Obligation of 
Funds.''
    (d) Submission of Form RD 1942-46, ``Letter of Intent to Meet 
Conditions.''
    (e) Assurance Agreement. By signing the Financial Assistance 
General Certifications and Representations in SAM, grant recipients 
affirm that they will operate the program free from discrimination. The 
grant recipients will maintain the race and ethnic data on their board 
members and the beneficiaries of the program. The grant recipient will 
provide alternative forms of communication to persons with limited 
English proficiency. The Agency will conduct civil rights compliance 
reviews on grant 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.
3. Reporting
    After grant approval and through grant completion, you will be 
required to provide the following:
    (a) An SF-425, ``Federal Financial Report,'' and a project 
performance report will be required on a semiannual basis (due 30 
calendar days after end of the semiannual period). The project 
performance reports shall include a comparison of actual 
accomplishments to the objectives established for that period;
    (b) A statement providing reasons why established objectives were 
not met, if applicable;
    (c) A statement providing 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) A final project and financial status report within 90 days 
after the expiration or termination of the grant in accordance to 2 CFR 
200.344; and
    (f) Outcome project performance reports and final deliverables.

G. Agency Contacts

    For general questions about this announcement and for program 
technical assistance, please contact the appropriate State Office at 
https://www.rd.usda.gov/contact-us/state-offices. You may also contact 
the David Chestnut, Branch Chief, Program Management Division, Rural 
Business-Cooperative Service, USDA at (202) 720-1400 or by email at 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#a4c0c5d2cdc08ac7ccc1d7d0cad1d0e4d1d7c0c58ac3cbd2"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="9efaffe8f7fab0fdf6fbedeaf0ebeadeebedfaffb0f9f1e8">[email protected]</span></a>.

H. 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-a-program-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;
    (2) Email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#abe4eae8ebded8cfca85ccc4dd"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="2f606e6c6f5a5c4b4e01484059">[email protected]</span></a>.

Mark Brodziski,
Acting Administrator, Rural Business-Cooperative Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-13169 Filed 6-22-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-XY-P


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