34838 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 123 / Wednesday, June 30, 2021 / Notices 

[FR Doc. 2021–13892 Filed 6–29–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–EX–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Transit Administration 

Fiscal Year 2021 Competitive Funding 

Opportunity: Areas of Persistent 

Poverty Program 

SUMMARY: Federal Transit 

Administration (FTA), U.S. Department 

of Transportation (DOT). 

SUMMARY: Notice of funding 

opportunity (NOFO). 

SUMMARY: The Federal Transit 

Administration (FTA) announces the 

opportunity to apply for $16,259,614 in 

funding from Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 

($39,614) and FY 2021 ($16,220,000) for 

the Areas of Persistent Poverty Program 

(Federal Assistance Listing: 20.505). As 

required by law, funds will be awarded 

competitively for planning, engineering, 

or development of technical or 

financing plans for projects that assist 

areas of persistent poverty. FTA may 

award additional funds if they are made 

available to the program prior to the 

announcement of project selections. 

DATES: Complete proposals must be 

submitted electronically through the 

GRANTS.GOV ‘‘APPLY’’ function by 

11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on August 30, 

2021. Prospective applicants should 

initiate the process by registering on the 

GRANTS.GOV website immediately to 

ensure completion of the application 

process before the submission deadline. 

Instructions for applying can be found 

on FTA’s website at http://

transit.dot.gov/howtoapply and in the 

‘‘FIND’’ module of GRANTS.GOV. The 

funding opportunity ID is FTA–2021– 

005–TPE. Mail and fax submissions will 

not be accepted. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Tonya P. Holland, FTA Office of 

Planning and Environment, 202–493– 

0283, or tonya.holland@dot.gov. A TDD 

is available at 1–800–877–8339 (TDD/ 

FIRS). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Table of Contents 

A. Program Description 

B. Federal Award Information 

C. Eligibility Information 

D. Application and Submission Information 

E. Application Review Information 

F. Federal Award Administration 

Information 

G. Federal Awarding Agency Contacts 

H. Other Information 

A. Program Description 

The Areas of Persistent Poverty 

Program provides funds to eligible 

recipients or subrecipients under Title 

49 U.S.C. Sections 5307, 5310, or 5311 

located in areas of persistent poverty. 

Funding to implement the Areas of 

Persistent Poverty Program was 

appropriated by the Further 

Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 

(Pub. L. 116–94, Dec. 20, 2019) and the 

Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 

(Pub. L. 116–260, Dec. 27, 2020), and 

will be awarded through a competitive 

process, as described in this notice. This 

funding opportunity is occurring under 

Federal Assistance Listing number 

20.505. 

FTA will award grants to eligible 

applicants for planning, engineering, or 

development of technical or financing 

plans for projects eligible under Chapter 

53 of title 49, United States Code. 

Applicants are encouraged to work with 

non-profits or other entities of their 

choosing to develop an eligible project. 

An eligible project for this NOFO is 

defined as a planning study (including 

a planning and environmental linkages 

study that advances the environmental 

analysis and review process as part of 

the metropolitan planning process), an 

engineering study, a technical study, or 

a financial plan. 

This program supports FTA’s strategic 

goals and objectives through the timely 

and efficient investment in public 

transportation. This program also 

supports the Biden-Harris 

Administration’s agenda to mobilize 

American ingenuity to build modern 

infrastructure and an equitable, clean 

energy future. By supporting increased 

transit access for environmental justice 

(EJ) populations (see FTA Circular 

4703.1), equity-focused community 

outreach, public engagement of 

underserved communities, adoption of 

equity-focused policies, reducing 

greenhouse gas emissions, and 

addressing the effects of climate change, 

FTA’s Areas of Persistent Poverty 

Program advances the goals of Executive 

Order 13985: Advancing Racial Equity 

and Support for Underserved 

Communities Through the Federal 

Government; Executive Order 13990: 

Protecting Public Health and the 

Environment and Restoring Science to 

Tackle the Climate Crisis; and Executive 

Order 14008: Tackling the Climate 

Crisis at Home and Abroad. 

FTA seeks to use the Areas of 

Persistent Poverty Program to encourage 

racial equity in two areas: (1) Planning 

and policies related to racial equity and 

barriers to opportunity; and (2) 

engineering, or development of 

technical or financing plans, for project 

investments that either proactively 

addresses racial equity and barriers to 

opportunity, including automobile 

dependence as a form of barrier, or 

redress prior inequities and barriers to 

opportunity. 

B. Federal Award Information 

FTA intends to award all available 

funding (approximately $16.26 million) 

in the form of grants to selected 

applicants responding to this NOFO. 

Additional funds made available for this 

program prior to project selection may 

be allocated to eligible projects. Funds 

will remain available for obligation for 

four fiscal years, not including the year 

in which the funds are allocated to 

projects. 

Only proposals from eligible 

recipients for eligible activities will be 

considered for funding. FTA anticipates 

a maximum grant award not to exceed 

$850,000. 

In response to a NOFO that closed on 

May 4, 2020, FTA received applications 

for 28 eligible projects requesting a total 

of $11,062,307. Of the 28 projects, 25 

projects were selected and funded for a 

total of $8.46 million. 

C. Eligibility Information 

1. Eligible Applicants 

Eligible applicants include States, 

tribes, and designated or direct 

recipients eligible under 49 U.S.C. 5307, 

49 U.S.C. 5310, or 49 U.S.C. 5311 that 

are located in areas of persistent 

poverty. State departments of 

transportation may apply on behalf of 

eligible applicants within their States. 

Applicants are also encouraged to work 

with non-profit organizations. 

For the funding made available in FY 

2021, eligible projects must be located: 

(1) In a county that had greater than or 

equal to 20 percent of the population 

living in poverty over the 30-year period 

preceding the date of enactment of the 

Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 

(Pub. L. 116–260, December 27, 2020), 

as measured by the 1990 and 2000 

decennial census and the most recent 

Small Area Income and Poverty 

Estimates, or (2) in a census tract with 

a poverty rate of at least 20 percent as 

measured by the 2014–2018 five-year 

data series available from the American 

Community Survey of the Bureau of the 

Census; or (3) in any territory or 

possession of the United States. Use this 

link to confirm that your proposed 

project is in an Area of Persistent 

Poverty and document that in the 

Supplemental Form to the application— 

https://datahub.transportation.gov/ 

stories/s/tsyd-k6ij. 


jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 123 / Wednesday, June 30, 2021 / Notices 34839 

For the funding made available in FY 

2020, eligible projects must be located: 

(1) In a county that consistently had 20 

percent or more of the population living 

in poverty over the 30-year period 

preceding the date of enactment of the 

Further Consolidated Appropriations 

Act, 2020 (Pub. L. 116–94, Dec. 20, 

2019), as measured by the 1990 and 

2000 decennial census and the most 

recent Small Area Income and Poverty 

Estimates, or (2) in a census tract with 

a poverty rate of at least 20 percent as 

measured by the 2013–2017 five-year 

data series available from the American 

Community Survey of the Bureau of the 

Census. 

Given the small amount of FY 2020 

funding available, eligible applicants for 

FY 2020 funds must also meet the 

eligibility requirements for funding in 

FY 2021 in order to receive available FY 

2020 funding. Eligible applicants must 

be able to demonstrate the requisite 

legal, financial, and technical 

capabilities to receive and administer 

Federal funds under this program. 

As described in the Appropriations 

Acts, applicants are encouraged to work 

with non-profits or other entities of their 

choosing to develop planning, technical, 

engineering, or financing plans, and 

applicants are encouraged to partner 

with non-profits that can assist with 

making projects low or no emissions. If 

an application that involves such a 

partnership is selected for funding, the 

selection process for the non-profit or 

other nongovernmental partners must 

satisfy the requirements for a 

competitive procurement under 49 

U.S.C. 5325(a). A competitive selection 

process conducted by the applicant 

prior to applying for an Area of 

Persistent Poverty award will be 

deemed to satisfy the requirements of 49 

U.S.C. 5325(a) for the named entities. 

Applicants are advised that any changes 

to the proposed partnership will require 

written FTA approval, must be 

consistent with the scope of the 

approved project, and may necessitate a 

competitive procurement. 

2. Cost Sharing or Matching 

The minimum Federal share for 

projects selected under the Areas of 

Persistent Poverty Program is 90 percent 

of the net total project cost (i.e., the local 

share will be no more than 10 percent 

of the net total project cost, not 10 

percent of the requested grant amount). 

Eligible sources of local match 

include the following: Cash from nonGovernment sources other than 

revenues from providing public 

transportation services; revenues 

derived from the sale of advertising and 

concessions; amounts received under a 

service agreement with a State or local 

social service agency or private social 

service organization; revenues generated 

from value capture financing 

mechanisms; or funds from an 

undistributed cash surplus; replacement 

or depreciation cash fund or reserve; or 

new capital. In addition, transportation 

development credits or documentation 

of in-kind match may be used as local 

match if identified and documented in 

the application. 

3. Eligibility Criteria 

i. Eligible Activities 

Under the Areas of Persistent Poverty 

Program, eligible projects are planning, 

engineering, or development of 

technical or financing plans for projects 

eligible under Chapter 53 of title 49, 

United States Code. For example, these 

activities may include planning, 

engineering, or development of 

technical or financing plans for 

improved transit services; new transit 

routes; engineering for transit facilities 

and improvements to existing facilities; 

innovative technologies; low or no 

emission buses or a new bus facility or 

intermodal center that supports transit 

services; integrated fare collections 

systems; or coordinated public transit 

human service transportation plans to 

improve transit service in an area of 

persistent poverty or to provide new 

service such as transportation for 

services to address the opioid epidemic, 

as well as increase access to 

environmental justice populations, 

while reducing greenhouse gas 

emissions and the effects of climate 

change. An eligible project also may be 

a planning and environmental linkages 

study that advances the environmental 

analysis and review process as part of 

the metropolitan planning process. 

ii. Ineligible Activities 

It is important to note that capital, 

maintenance, or operating costs of any 

type are, not eligible for funding under 

the Areas of Persistent Poverty Program. 

Procurement of vehicles or equipment 

and support of the operation and 

maintenance of systems also are 

ineligible activities. 

D. Application and Submission 

Information 

1. Address To Request Application 

Package 

The application package may be 

obtained from GRANTS.GOV. 

Applications must be submitted 

electronically through GRANTS.GOV. 

General information for submitting 

applications through GRANTS.GOV can 

be found at https://www.grants.gov/web/ 

grants/applicants.html, along with 

specific instructions for the forms and 

attachments required for submission. 

The Standard Form 424 (SF–424), 

Application for Federal Assistance, 

which must be included with every 

application, can be downloaded from 

GRANTS.GOV. Mail and fax 

submissions will not be accepted. 

A complete proposal submission 

consists of two forms: The SF–424 

Application for Federal Assistance 

(downloaded from GRANTS.GOV) and 

the Supplemental Form for the FY 2021 

Areas of Persistent Poverty Program 

(downloaded from GRANTS.GOV or the 

FTA website at https://

www.transit.dot.gov). Failure to submit 

the information as requested can delay 

review or disqualify the application. 

2. Content and Form of Application 

Submission 

Proposals must include a completed 

SF–424 Application for Federal 

Assistance form and the following 

attachments to the completed SF–424: 

i. A completed Applicant and 

Proposal Profile supplemental form for 

the Areas of Persistent Poverty Program 

(Supplemental Form) found on the FTA 

website at https://www.transit.dot.gov. 

The information on the Supplemental 

Form will be used to determine 

applicant and project eligibility for the 

program, and to evaluate the proposal 

against the selection criteria described 

in part E of this notice; 

ii. A map of the proposed study area 

with which to confirm alignment 

between the proposed study area and 

areas of persistent poverty; 

iii. Documentation of any 

partnerships between the applicant and 

other organizations to carry out the 

proposed activities. Documentation may 

consist of a memorandum of agreement 

or letter of intent signed by all parties 

that describes the parties’ roles and 

responsibilities in the proposed project; 

and 

iv. Documentation of any funding 

commitments for the proposed work. 

FTA will accept only one 

Supplemental Form per SF–424 

submission. FTA encourages States and 

other applicants to consider submitting 

a single Supplemental Form that 

includes multiple activities to be 

evaluated as a consolidated proposal. If 

a State or other applicant chooses to 

submit separate proposals for individual 

consideration by FTA, each proposal 

must be submitted using a separate SF– 

424 and Supplemental Form. 

Applicants may attach additional 

supporting information to the SF–424 

submission, including but not limited to 

letters of support, project budgets, fleet 


jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES
34840 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 123 / Wednesday, June 30, 2021 / Notices 

status reports, or excerpts from relevant 

planning documents. Supporting 

documentation must be described and 

referenced by file name in the 

appropriate response section of the 

Supplemental Form, or it may not be 

reviewed. 

Information such as the applicant’s 

name, Federal amount requested, local 

match amount, and description of the 

study area are requested in varying 

degrees of detail on both the SF–424 

form and Supplemental Form. 

Applicants must fill in all fields unless 

stated otherwise on the forms. 

Applicants should use both the ‘‘Check 

Package for Errors’’ and the ‘‘Validate 

Form’’ buttons on both forms to check 

all required fields and to ensure that the 

Federal and local amounts specified are 

consistent. In the event of errors with 

the Supplemental Form, FTA 

recommends saving the form on your 

computer and ensuring that JavaScript 

is enabled in your PDF editor. The 

information listed below MUST be 

included on the SF–424 and 

Supplemental Form for Areas of 

Persistent Poverty Program funding 

applications. 

The SF–424 Mandatory Form and the 

Supplemental Form will prompt 

applicants for the following items: 

1. Provide the name of the lead 

applicant and, if applicable, the specific 

co-sponsors submitting the application. 

2. Provide the applicant’s Dun and 

Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering 

System (DUNS) number. 

3. Provide contact information 

including: Contact name, title, address, 

phone number, and email address. 

4. Specify the Congressional district(s) 

where the planning project will take 

place. 

5. Identify the project title and project 

scope to be funded, including 

anticipated substantial deliverables and 

the milestones for when they will be 

provided to FTA. 

6. Identify and describe the eligible 

project that meets the requirements of 

Section C, subsection 3 of this notice, 

including a detailed description of the 

need for planning, engineering, or 

development of technical, or financial 

planning activities. 

7. Address each evaluation criterion 

separately, demonstrating how the 

project responds to each criterion as 

described in Section E and how the 

project will support the Areas of 

Persistent Poverty Program objectives. 

8. Provide a line-item budget for the 

project, with enough detail to indicate 

the various key components of the 

project. 

9. Identify the Federal amount 

requested. 

10. Document the matching funds, 

including the amount and source of the 

match (may include local or private 

sector financial participation in the 

project). Describe whether the matching 

funds are committed or planned, and 

include documentation of the 

commitments. 

11. Provide an explanation of the 

scalability of the project. 

12. Address whether other Federal 

funds have been sought or received for 

the comprehensive planning project. 

13. Provide a schedule and process for 

the project that includes anticipated 

dates for incorporating the project into 

the region’s unified planning work 

program, completing major tasks and 

substantial deliverables, and completing 

the project. 

14. Describe how the proposed project 

advances the metropolitan 

transportation plan of the metropolitan 

planning organization or the statewide 

long-range plan prepared by the State 

department of transportation. 

15. Propose performance criteria for 

the development and implementation of 

the proposed activities funded under 

the Areas of Persistent Poverty Program. 

16. Identify potential State, local, or 

other impediments to the deliverables of 

the Areas of Persistent Poverty-funded 

work and their implementation, and 

how the impediments will be addressed. 

17. Describe how the proposed 

activities address climate change. 

Applicants should identify any air 

quality nonattainment or maintenance 

areas under the Clean Air Act in the 

planning or study area. Nonattainment 

or maintenance areas should be limited 

to the following applicable National 

Ambient Air Quality Standards criteria 

pollutants: Carbon monoxide, ozone, 

and particulate matter 2.5 and 10. The 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 

Green Book (available at https://

www.epa.gov/green-book) is a publiclyavailable resource for nonattainment 

and maintenance area data. This 

consideration will further the goals of 

Executive Order 13990: Protecting 

Public Health and the Environment and 

Restoring Science to Tackle the Climate 

Crisis, and Executive Order 14008: 

Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and 

Abroad. 

18. Describe how the proposed 

activities address environmental justice 

populations, racial equity, and barriers 

to opportunity. 

3. Unique Entity Identifier and System 

for Award Management (SAM) 

Each applicant is required to: (1) Be 

registered in SAM before submitting an 

application; (2) provide a valid unique 

entity identifier in its application; and 

(3) continue to maintain an active SAM 

registration with current information at 

all times during which the applicant has 

an active Federal award or an 

application or plan under consideration 

by FTA. FTA may not make an award 

until the applicant has complied with 

all applicable unique entity identifiers 

and SAM requirements. If an applicant 

has not fully complied with the 

requirements by the time FTA is ready 

to make an award, FTA may determine 

that the applicant is not qualified to 

receive an award and use that 

determination as a basis for making a 

Federal award to another applicant. 

These requirements do not apply if the 

applicant is an individual or has an 

exemption approved by FTA or the U.S. 

Office of Management and Budget 

pursuant to 2 CFR 25.110(c) or (d). SAM 

registration takes approximately 3–5 

business days, but FTA recommends 

allowing ample time, up to several 

weeks, for completion of all steps. For 

additional information on obtaining a 

unique entity identifier, please visit 

https://www.sam.gov. 

Non-Federal entities that have 

received a Federal award are required to 

report certain civil, criminal, or 

administrative proceedings to SAM 

(currently the Federal Awardee 

Performance and Integrity Information 

System (FAPIIS) to ensure registration 

information is current and to comply 

with federal requirements. Applicants 

should refer to 2 CFR 200.113 for more 

information. 

4. Submission Dates and Times 

Project proposals must be submitted 

electronically through GRANTS.GOV by 

11:59 p.m. eastern time August 30, 

2021. GRANTS.GOV attaches a 

timestamp to each application at the 

time of submission. Proposals submitted 

after the deadline will be considered 

only under extraordinary circumstances 

not under the applicant’s control. Mail 

and fax submissions will not be 

accepted. 

Within 48 hours after submitting an 

electronic application, the applicant 

should receive two email messages from 

GRANTS.GOV: (1) Confirmation of 

successful transmission to 

GRANTS.GOV; and (2) confirmation of 

successful validation by GRANTS.GOV. 

FTA will then validate the application 

and will attempt to notify any 

applicants whose applications could not 

be validated. If the applicant does not 

receive confirmation of successful 

validation or a notice of failed 

validation or incomplete materials, the 

applicant must address the reason for 

the failed validation, as described in the 

email notice, and resubmit before the 


jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 123 / Wednesday, June 30, 2021 / Notices 34841 

submission deadline. If making a 

resubmission for any reason, include all 

original attachments regardless of which 

attachments were updated, and check 

the box on the Supplemental Form 

indicating this is a resubmission. An 

application that is submitted at the 

deadline and cannot be validated will 

be marked as incomplete, and such 

applicants will not receive additional 

time to re-submit. 

FTA urges applicants to submit their 

applications at least 96 hours prior to 

the due date to allow time to receive the 

validation messages and to correct any 

problems that may have caused a 

rejection notification. GRANTS.GOV 

scheduled maintenance and outage 

times are announced on the 

GRANTS.GOV website. Deadlines will 

not be extended due to scheduled 

maintenance or outages. 

Applicants are encouraged to begin 

the registration process on the 

GRANTS.GOV site well in advance of 

the submission deadline. Registration in 

GRANTS.GOV is a multi-step process, 

which may take several weeks to 

complete before an application can be 

submitted. Applicants who are already 

registered in GRANTS.GOV may be 

required to take steps to keep their 

registration up to date before 

submissions can be made successfully: 

(1) Registration in the System for Award 

Management (SAM) is renewed 

annually, and (2) persons making 

submissions on behalf of the Authorized 

Organization Representative (AOR) 

must be authorized in GRANTS.GOV by 

the AOR to make submissions. 

5. Funding Restrictions 

See Section C of this NOFO for 

detailed eligibility requirements. Funds 

under this NOFO cannot be used to 

reimburse applicants for otherwise 

eligible expenses incurred prior to an 

FTA award of a grant agreement unless 

FTA has issued pre-award authority for 

selected projects. Refer to Section C.3 of 

this NOFO (Eligible Projects) for 

information on activities that are 

eligible for funding under this grant 

program. Allowable direct and indirect 

expenses must be consistent with the 

government-wide Uniform 

Administrative Requirements and Cost 

Principles (2 CFR part 200) and FTA 

Circular 5010.1E. 

6. Other Submission Requirements 

The minimum Federal share for 

projects selected under the Areas of 

Persistent Poverty Program is 90 percent 

of the net total project cost (i.e., the local 

share will be no more than 10 percent 

of the net total project cost, not 10 

percent of the requested grant amount). 

Applicants are encouraged to identify 

scaled funding options in case 

insufficient funding is available to fund 

a project at the full requested amount. 

If an applicant indicates that a project 

is scalable, the applicant must provide 

either (1) a minimum Federal funding 

amount (not less than 90 percent of the 

net total project cost); or (2) a reduced 

net total project cost and minimum 

Federal funding amount (not less than 

90 percent of the reduced net total 

project cost) that will fund an eligible 

project that achieves the objectives of 

the program and meets all relevant 

program requirements. The applicant 

must provide a clear explanation of how 

the project would be affected by a 

reduced award. FTA may award a lesser 

amount whether a scalable option is 

provided. 

All applications must be submitted 

via the GRANTS.GOV website. FTA 

does not accept applications on paper, 

by fax machine, email, or other means. 

For information on application 

submission requirements, please see 

Section D.1., Address to Request 

Application, and Section D.4., 

Submission Dates and Times. 

E. Application Review Information 

1. Criteria 

Project proposals will be evaluated 

primarily on the responses provided in 

the Supplemental Form. Additional 

information may be provided to support 

the responses; however, any additional 

documentation must be directly 

referenced on the Supplemental Form, 

including the file name where the 

additional information can be found. 

Applications will be evaluated based on 

the quality and extent to which the 

following evaluation criteria are 

addressed. 

a. Demonstration of Need 

Applications will be evaluated based 

on the quality and extent to which they 

demonstrate how the proposed activities 

will support planning, engineering, or 

development of technical or financing 

plans that would result in a project 

eligible for funding under Chapter 53 of 

Title 49, United States Code. 

b. Demonstration of Benefits 

Applications will be evaluated based 

on how well they describe how the 

proposed planning, engineering, or 

development of technical or financing 

plans address the existing condition of 

the transit system, improve the 

reliability of transit service for its riders, 

enhance access and mobility within the 

service area, accelerate innovation in 

areas of persistent poverty to serve 

unmet needs, promote emissions 

reductions, reduce barriers to affordable 

housing, address racial equity and 

reduce barriers to opportunity, and 

support environmental justice 

populations. The following factors will 

be considered: 

i. System Condition. FTA will 

evaluate the potential for the planning, 

engineering, or development of 

technical or financing plans to lead to 

an improvement in the condition of the 

transit system in areas of persistent 

poverty. 

ii. Service Reliability. FTA will 

evaluate the potential for the planning, 

engineering, or development of 

technical or financing plans to lead to 

a reduction in the frequency of 

breakdowns or other service 

interruptions caused by the age and 

condition of the agency’s transit vehicle 

fleet, and improve system reliability. 

iii. Enhanced Access and Mobility. 

FTA will evaluate the potential for the 

planning, engineering, or development 

of technical or financing plans to lead 

to improved access and mobility for the 

transit riding public, such as through 

increased reliability, improved 

headways, creation of new 

transportation choices, or eliminating 

gaps in the current route network. 

iv. Accelerating Innovation. FTA will 

evaluate the potential for the planning, 

engineering, or development of 

technical or financing plans to 

accelerate the introduction of innovative 

technologies or practices such as 

integrated fare payment systems 

permitting complete trips or 

advancements to propulsion systems. 

Innovation can also include practices 

such as new public transportation 

operational models, financial or 

procurement arrangements, or value 

capture strategies. 

v. Emissions Reductions. FTA will 

evaluate the potential for the planning 

study, engineering study, or 

development of technical or financing 

plans to identify proposed actions that 

will reduce greenhouse gas and other 

harmful pollutants and/or improve 

resilience to climate change. 

vi. Barriers to Low Income Housing. 

FTA will evaluate the degree to which 

the planning study, engineering study, 

or development of technical or financial 

plans identify proposed actions that 

reduce regulatory barriers that 

unnecessarily raise the costs of housing 

development or impede the 

development of affordable housing. 

vii. Racial Equity and Barriers to 

Opportunity. FTA will evaluate the 

extent to which the planning study, 

engineering study, or development of 

technical or financial plans either 


jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES
34842 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 123 / Wednesday, June 30, 2021 / Notices 

proactively address racial equity and 

barriers to opportunity, including 

automobile dependence as a form of 

barrier, or redress prior inequities and 

barriers to opportunity. FTA also will 

consider the extent to which 

applications incorporate such activities 

as equity-focused community outreach 

and public engagement of underserved 

communities in the planning process, 

and adoption of an equity and inclusion 

program/plan or equity-focused 

policies. 

viii. Environmental Justice. FTA will 

evaluate the extent to which the 

planning study, engineering study, or 

development of technical or financial 

plans will support increased access to 

transit for environmental justice 

populations and engages such 

populations in plan or study 

development. See FTA Circular 4703.1, 

‘‘Environmental Justice Policy Guidance 

For Federal Transit Administration 

Recipients.’’ 

ix. Regional Support. Applicants 

should provide evidence of regional or 

local support for the proposed project. 

Documentation may include support 

letters from local and regional planning 

organizations, local governmental 

officials, public agencies, and/or nonprofit or private sector partners attesting 

to the need for the project. 

c. Funding Commitments 

Applicants must identify the source of 

the non-Federal cost-share and describe 

whether such funds are currently 

available for the project, or will need to 

be secured if the project is selected for 

funding. FTA will consider the 

availability of the local cost-share as 

evidence of local financial commitment 

to the project. Additional consideration 

will be given to those projects for which 

local funds have already been made 

available or reserved. Applicants should 

submit evidence of the availability of 

funds for the project (e.g., by including 

a board resolution, letter of support 

from the State, a budget document 

highlighting the line item or section 

committing funds to the proposed 

project, or other documentation of the 

source of non-Federal funds). 

d. Project Implementation Strategy 

FTA will evaluate the strength of the 

work plan, schedule, and process 

included in an application based on the 

following factors: 

i. Extent to which the schedule 

contains sufficient detail, identifies all 

steps needed to implement the work 

proposed, and is achievable; 

ii. Extent of partnerships, including 

with non-public sector entities; and 

iii. The partnerships’ technical 

capability to develop, adopt, and 

implement the plans, based on FTA’s 

assessment of the applicant’s 

description of the policy formation, 

implementation, and financial roles of 

the partners, and the roles and 

responsibilities of proposed staff. 

e. Technical, Legal, and Financial 

Capacity 

Applicants must demonstrate that 

they have the technical, legal, and 

financial capacity to undertake the 

project. FTA will review relevant 

oversight assessments and records to 

determine whether there are any 

outstanding legal, technical, or financial 

issues with the applicant that would 

affect the outcome of the proposed 

project. Applicants with unresolved 

legal, technical or financial compliance 

issues from an FTA compliance review 

or Federal grant-related Single Audit 

finding must explain how corrective 

actions taken will mitigate negative 

impacts on the proposed project. 

2. Review and Selection Process 

In addition to other FTA staff that 

may review the proposals, a technical 

evaluation committee will verify each 

proposal’s eligibility and evaluate 

proposals based on the published 

evaluation criteria. Members of the 

technical evaluation committee and 

other FTA staff may request additional 

information from applicants, if 

necessary. Taking into consideration the 

findings of the technical evaluation 

committee, the FTA Administrator will 

determine the final selection of projects 

for program funding. 

Among the factors in determining the 

allocation of program funds, FTA may 

consider geographic diversity and the 

applicant’s receipt of other competitive 

awards. FTA may also consider capping 

the amount a single applicant may 

receive. 

3. Federal Awardee Performance and 

Integrity Information System Check 

Prior to making an award, FTA is 

required to review and consider any 

information about the applicant that is 

in the Federal Awardee Performance 

and Integrity Information Systems 

(FAPIIS) accessible through SAM. An 

applicant may review and comment on 

information about itself that a Federal 

awarding agency previously entered. 

FTA will consider any comments by the 

applicant, in addition to the other 

information in the designated integrity 

and performance system, in making a 

judgment about the applicant’s integrity, 

business ethics, and record of 

performance under Federal awards 

when completing the review of risk 

posed by applicants as described in 2 

CFR 200.206 Federal awarding agency 

review of risk posed by applicants. 

F. Federal Award Administration 

Information 

1. Federal Award Notice 

The FTA Administrator will 

announce the final project selections on 

the FTA website. Project recipients 

should contact their FTA Regional 

Offices for additional information 

regarding allocations for projects under 

the Areas of Persistent Poverty Program. 

i. Pre-Award Authority 

FTA will issue specific guidance to 

recipients regarding pre-award authority 

at the time of selection. FTA does not 

provide pre-award authority for 

competitive funds until projects are 

selected and even then, there are 

Federal requirements that must be met 

before costs are incurred. Funds under 

this NOFO cannot be used to reimburse 

applicants for otherwise eligible 

expenses incurred prior to FTA award 

of a Grant Agreement until FTA has 

issued pre-award authority for selected 

projects, or unless FTA has issued a 

‘‘Letter of No Prejudice’’ for the project 

before the expenses are incurred. For 

more information about FTA’s policy on 

pre-award authority, please see the most 

recent Apportionment Notice at: https:// 

www.transit.dot.gov. 

ii. Grant Requirements 

If selected, awardees will apply for a 

grant through FTA’s Transit Award 

Management System (TrAMS). 

Recipients of Areas of Persistent Poverty 

Program funds are subject to the grant 

requirements of the Section 5303 

Metropolitan Planning program, 

including those of FTA Circular 

8100.1D and Circular 5010.1E. All 

competitive grants, regardless of the 

award amount, will be subject to the 

Congressional Notification and release 

process. Technical assistance regarding 

these requirements is available from 

each FTA regional office. 

When applying for an award under 

this Program, eligible applicants and 

sub-recipients who are not direct 

recipients, or who have limited 

experience or access to FTA’s Transit 

Award Management System (TrAMS), 

must secure the commitment of an 

active FTA direct recipient to apply for 

funding on their behalf through TrAMS 

if they are selected for an Areas of 

Persistent Poverty funding award. 

Documentation of such a commitment 

must be included in the application. 


jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 123 / Wednesday, June 30, 2021 / Notices 34843 

2. Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements 

i. Planning 

FTA encourages applicants to notify 

the appropriate metropolitan planning 

organizations in areas likely to be served 

by the funds made available under this 

program. Selected projects must be 

incorporated into the unified planning 

work programs of metropolitan areas 

before they are eligible for FTA funding 

or pre-award authority. 

ii. Standard Assurances 

The applicant assures that it will 

comply with all applicable Federal 

statutes, regulations, executive orders, 

directives, FTA circulars, and other 

Federal administrative requirements in 

carrying out any project supported by 

the FTA grant. The applicant 

acknowledges that it is under a 

continuing obligation to comply with 

the terms and conditions of the grant 

agreement issued for its project with 

FTA. The applicant understands that 

Federal laws, regulations, policies, and 

administrative practices might be 

modified from time to time and may 

affect the implementation of the project. 

The applicant agrees that the most 

recent Federal requirements will apply 

to the project unless FTA issues a 

written determination otherwise. The 

applicant must submit the Certifications 

and Assurances before receiving a grant 

if it does not have current certifications 

on file. 

iii. Disadvantaged Business Enterprise 

FTA requires that its recipients 

receiving planning, capital, and/or 

operating assistance that will award 

prime contracts exceeding $250,000 in 

FTA funds in a Federal fiscal year 

comply with Department of 

Transportation Disadvantaged Business 

Enterprise (DBE) program regulations 

(49 CFR part 26). Applicants should 

expect to include any funds awarded, 

excluding those to be used for vehicle 

procurements, in setting their overall 

DBE goal. 

3. Reporting 

Post-award reporting requirements 

include submission of Federal Financial 

Reports and Milestone Progress Reports 

in FTA’s electronic grants management 

system on a quarterly basis. Applicants 

should include any goals, targets, and 

indicators referenced in their 

application to the project in the 

Executive Summary of the TrAMS 

application. Awardees must also submit 

copies of the substantial deliverables 

identified in the work plan to the FTA 

regional office at the corresponding 

milestones. 

As part of completing the annual 

certifications and assurances required of 

FTA grant recipients, a successful 

applicant must report on the suspension 

or debarment status of itself and its 

principals. If the award recipient’s 

active grants, cooperative agreements, 

and procurement contracts from all 

Federal awarding agencies exceed 

$10,000,000 for any period of time 

during the period of performance of an 

award made pursuant to this Notice, the 

recipient must comply with the 

Recipient Integrity and Performance 

Matters reporting requirements 

described in Appendix XII to 2 CFR part 

200. 

G. Federal Awarding Agency Contacts 

For program-specific questions, please 

contact Tonya P. Holland, Office of 

Planning and Environment, (202) 493– 

0283, email: Tonya.Holland@dot.gov. A 

TDD is available at 1–800–877–8339 

(TDD/FRS). Any addenda that FTA 

releases on the application process will 

be posted at https://www.transit.dot.gov. 

To ensure applicants receive accurate 

information about eligibility or the 

program, the applicant is encouraged to 

contact FTA directly, rather than 

through intermediaries or third parties. 

FTA staff may also conduct briefings on 

the FY 2021 competitive grants 

selection and award process upon 

request. Contact information for FTA’s 

regional offices can be found on FTA’s 

website at https://www.transit.dot.gov/ 

about/regional-offices/regional-offices. 

H. Other Program Information 

This program is not subject to 

Executive Order 12372, 

‘‘Intergovernmental Review of Federal 

Programs.’’ 

For assistance with GRANTS.GOV 

please contact GRANTS.GOV by phone 

at 1–800–518–4726 or by email at 

support@grants.gov. 

Nuria I. Fernandez, 

Administrator. 

[FR Doc. 2021–13980 Filed 6–29–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–57–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY 

Bureau of the Fiscal Service 

Proposed Collection of Information: 

Claim Against the United States for the 

Proceeds of a Government Check 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: The Department of the 

Treasury, as part of its continuing effort 

to reduce paperwork and respondent 

burden, invites the general public and 

other Federal agencies to take this 

opportunity to comment on proposed 

and/or continuing information 

collections, as required by the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. 

Currently the Bureau of the Fiscal 

Service within the Department of the 

Treasury is soliciting comments 

concerning the Claim Against the 

United States for the Proceeds of a 

Government Check. 

DATES: Written comments should be 

received on or before August 30, 2021 

to be assured of consideration. 

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments 

and requests for additional information 

to Bureau of the Fiscal Service, Bruce A. 

Sharp, Room #4006–A, P.O. Box 1328, 

Parkersburg, WV 26106–1328, or 

bruce.sharp@fiscal.treasury.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Title: Claim Against the United States 

for the Proceeds of a Government Check. 

OMB Number: 1530–0010. 

Form Number: FS Form 1133 and FS 

Form 1133–A. 

Abstract: The forms are used to 

collect information needed to process an 

individual’s claim for non-receipt of 

proceeds from a U.S. Treasury check. 

Once the information is analyzed, a 

determination is made and a 

recommendation is submitted to the 

program agency to either settle or deny 

the claim. 

Current Actions: Extension of a 

currently approved collection. 

Type of Review: Regular. 

Affected Public: Individuals or 

Households. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

51,640. 

Estimated Time per Respondent: 10 

minutes. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden 

Hours: 8,609. 

Request for Comments: Comments 

submitted in response to this notice will 

be summarized and/or included in the 

request for OMB approval. All 

comments will become a matter of 

public record. Comments are invited on: 

1. Whether the collection of information 

is necessary for the proper performance 

of the functions of the agency, including 

whether the information shall have 

practical utility; 2. the accuracy of the 

agency’s estimate of the burden of the 

collection of information; 3. ways to 

enhance the quality, utility, and clarity 

of the information to be collected; 4. 

ways to minimize the burden of the 

collection of information on 

respondents, including through the use 


jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES