Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 125 / Thursday, June 30, 2022 / Notices 39053 

priorities; the USDA’s Equity 

Commission Designated Federal Officer 

will share an overview of the Equity 

Commission’s priorities; and 

• The Farm Service Agency (FSA) 

will give an operational overview of the 

17 Urban County Committees; and 

OUAIP’s staff will give an overview of 

new urban conservation practices. 

Please check the UAIPAC website for 

the agenda 24 to 48 hours prior to 

Friday, August 5, 2022, via http://

www.farmers.gov/urban. 

Submitting Written Comments 

Comments should focus on specific 

topics pertaining to urban agriculture, 

innovative production, and associated 

USDA programs and services. Written 

public comments will be accepted on or 

before 11:59 p.m. ET on Friday, July 29, 

2022, via the Federal eRulemaking 

Portal: go to https://www.regulation.gov 

and follow the instructions for 

submitting comments. UAIPAC will not 

have adequate time to consider any 

comments submitted after Friday, July 

29, 2022, prior to the meeting. 

In addition, outside of this meeting 

we welcome your comments to the 

UAIPAC email box at UrbanAgriculture

FederalAdvisoryCommittee@usda.gov at 

any time. 

Meeting Accommodation Request 

Instructions for registering for this 

meeting can be obtained by contacting 

Ms. Willis by or before the deadline. 

If you are a person requiring 

reasonable accommodation, please make 

requests in advance for sign language 

interpretation, assistive listening 

devices, or other reasonable 

accommodation, to Ms. Willis as 

identified above. Determinations for 

reasonable accommodation will be 

made on a case-by-case basis. 

Date: June 27, 2022. 

Cikena Reid, 

Committee Management Officer, USDA. 

[FR Doc. 2022–14039 Filed 6–29–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–16–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Rural Business-Cooperative Service 

Rural Housing Service 

Rural Utilities Service 

[Docket No. RBS–22–COOP–0016] 

Notice of Funds Availability for the 

Rural Placemaking Innovation 

Challenge (RPIC) for Fiscal Year 2022 

AGENCY: Rural Business-Cooperative 

Service (RBCS), Rural Utilities Service 

(RUS), Rural Housing Service (RHS), 

USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of funds availability. 

SUMMARY: The Under Secretary for Rural 

Development (RD) is seeking 

applications, for the Rural Development 

Cooperative Agreement Program, herein 

referred to as the Rural Placemaking 

Innovation Challenge (RPIC), from 

eligible entities to provide technical 

assistance and training to rural 

communities for placemaking planning 

and implementation. This funding 

opportunity will be administered by the 

USDA Rural Development Innovation 

Center and is authorized by the 

Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022, 

to provide up to $4 million in 

competitive cooperative agreement 

funds. This announcement lists the 

information needed to submit an 

application. 

DATES: Applications for RPIC 

cooperative agreement(s) must be 

submitted electronically through 

Grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. Eastern 

Daylight Time by August 15, 2022. 

Applications received after 11:59 p.m. 

Eastern Daylight Time on August 15, 

2022 will not be considered. 

ADDRESSES: Application Submission: 

The application system for electronic 

submissions will be available at https:// 

www.grants.gov/. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

USDA Rural Development, Innovation 

Center, via email at: RD.RPIC@usda.gov, 

or via phone at: Gregory Dale (202) 568– 

9558 or Sherri McCarter (615) 982–2078. 

Persons with disabilities who require 

alternative means for communication 

should contact the U.S. Department of 

Agriculture (USDA) Target Center at 

(202) 720–2600 (voice). The last day for 

accepting questions on this notice will 

be August 12, 2022. Questions 

submitted after this deadline cannot be 

guaranteed a timely answer in advance 

of the closing date of this notice. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Authority: This solicitation is 

authorized pursuant to 7 U.S.C. 

2204b(b)(4); Consolidated 

Appropriations Act, 2022. 

Overview 

Federal Agency: Rural BusinessCooperative Service (RBCS), Rural 

Utilities Service (RUS), and Rural 

Housing Service (RHS), (USDA). 

Funding Opportunity Title: Rural 

Placemaking Innovation Challenge 

(RPIC). 

Announcement Type: Notice of Funds 

Availability (NOFA). 

Assistance Listing Number: Rural 

Development Cooperative Agreement 

Program—10.890. 

Due Date for Applications: 

Applications for RPIC cooperative 

agreement(s) must be received by 11:59 

p.m. on August 15, 2022. Applications 

received after 11:59 p.m. Eastern 

Daylight Time on August 15, 2022 will 

not be considered. 

Rural Development: Key Priorities 

The Agency encourages applicants to 

consider projects that will advance the 

following key priorities (more details 

available at https://www.rd.usda.gov/ 

priority-points) 

• Assisting rural communities recover 

economically from the impacts of the 

COVID–19 pandemic, particularly 

disadvantaged communities; 

• Ensuring all rural residents have 

equitable access to RD programs and 

benefits from RD funded projects; and 

• Reducing climate pollution and 

increasing resilience to the impacts of 

climate change through economic 

support to rural communities. 

For further information, visit https:// 

www.rd.usda.gov/priority-points. 

Items in Supplementary Information 

I. Program Overview 

II. Federal Award Information 

III. Definitions 

IV. Eligibility Information 

V. Application and Submission Information 

VI. Application Review Information 

VII. Federal Award Administration 

Information 

VIII. Federal Awarding Agency Contacts 

IX. Other Information 

I. Program Overview 

A. Background 

The Rural Placemaking Innovation 

Challenge (RPIC) provides planning 

support, technical assistance, and 

training to communities to foster 

placemaking activities in rural 

communities. Funds can help enhance 

capacity for broadband access, preserve 

cultural and historic structures, and 

support the development of 

transportation, housing, and 

recreational spaces. Applicants must 

demonstrate existing and proposed 

partnerships with public, private, 

philanthropic, Tribal and community 

partners to provide assistance in 

implementing the placemaking plan. 

This funding announcement supports 

the delivery of technical assistance and 

training in visioning, planning, and 

assisting communities to implement 

placemaking efforts in rural 

communities under the Rural 

Placemaking Innovation Challenge. 


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B. Program Description 

RD is authorized to administer 

cooperative agreement awards in 

accordance with 7 U.S.C. 2204b(b)(4). 

The intention of RPIC is to provide 

cooperative agreement funding to 

eligible applicants working to promote 

public-private, philanthropic 

partnerships in rural and Tribal 

communities that encourage economic 

and social development. These projects 

are intended to support rural America 

and align with the mission of existing 

USDA RD programs to increase rural 

economic growth and improve the 

quality of life in rural America by 

supporting essential services such as 

housing, economic and community 

development, and required 

infrastructure. 

For the purpose of this notice, 

Technical Assistance and Training for 

Placemaking is defined in Part III. 

RPIC operates under the following 

concepts: 

• Creating livable communities is 

important for community developers 

and practitioners who implement these 

strategies in rural communities and 

areas. 

• Placemaking practices include both 

innovative and adaptive as well as 

established technical processes and 

solutions. 

• Partnerships are a key element to 

the RPIC and must be developed with 

public, private, and philanthropic 

organizations creating new collaborative 

approaches, learning together, and 

bringing those learned strategies into 

rural and Tribal communities. 

• Placemaking contributes to longterm investment and therefore supports 

a community’s resiliency, social 

stability, and collective identity. 

• Broadband is an essential 

component to supporting placemaking 

initiatives. 

Placemaking is a collaborative 

engagement process that helps leaders 

from rural and Tribal communities 

create quality places where people will 

want to live, work, play and learn. By 

bringing together partners from public, 

private, Tribal and philanthropic 

communities, and technology sectors, 

placemaking is a wrap-around approach 

to community and economic 

development that incorporates 

creativity, infrastructure initiatives, and 

vibrant public spaces. Key elements of 

quality places can include a mix of uses; 

effective public spaces; broadband 

capacity; preservation of historic places; 

transportation options; diverse house 

options; and a respect of community 

heritage, arts, culture, creativity, 

recreation and green space. 

II. Federal Award Information 

A. Assistance Listing Number: 10.890. 

Assistance Listing Title: Rural 

Development Cooperative Agreement 

Program. 

B. Funds Available 

The amount available for RPIC in FY 

2022 is up to $4 million. Lead 

applicants may not submit more than 

one application but may identify more 

than one community with which they 

are providing placemaking assistance. 

The maximum award amount for any 

one applicant is $250,000. RD reserves 

the right to withhold the awarding of 

any funds if no application receives a 

minimum score of at least 60 points. 

There is no commitment by USDA to 

fund any application that does not 

achieve the minimum score. 

This funding opportunity lists the 

information needed to apply for these 

funds and announces that RD is 

accepting FY 2022 applications to 

support RPIC. Rural Development may 

at its discretion, increase the total level 

of funding available in this funding 

round or in any category in this funding 

round from any available source 

provided the awards meet the 

requirements of the statute which made 

the funding available to the agency. 

C. Approximate Number of Awards 

The Agency anticipates that it may 

select one, multiple, or no award 

recipients from this funding 

opportunity. Applicants may not submit 

more than one application. 

D. Type of Instrument 

RD is authorized to administer 

cooperative agreement awards in 

accordance with 7 U.S.C. 2204b(b)(4) for 

the Rural Placemaking Innovation 

Challenge. 

E. Period of Performance 

The maximum Period of Performance 

is 2 years. Applicants should anticipate 

a Period of Performance beginning 

October 1, 2022 and ending no later 

than September 30, 2024. 

III. Definitions 

The terms and conditions provided in 

this Notice of Funds Availability 

(NOFA) are applicable to and for the 

purposes of this NOFA only. Unless 

otherwise provided in the award 

documents, all financial terms not 

defined herein shall have the meaning 

as defined by Generally Accepted 

Accounting Principles (GAAP). 

Capacity is defined as previous 

experience with state or federal grant 

administration and demonstrated 

experience in economic development 

and placemaking technical assistance. 

Multi-jurisdictional means more than 

one jurisdiction where jurisdiction 

refers to a unit of government or other 

entity with similar powers, such as a 

city, county, district, special purpose 

district, township, town, borough, 

parish, village, state, Tribe, etc. 

Multi-sectoral means intentional 

collaboration between two or more 

sectors (e.g., utility, health, housing, 

community services, etc.) to accomplish 

goals and achieve outcomes in 

communities and regions. 

Placemaking is a collaborative 

engagement process that helps leaders 

from rural communities create quality 

places where people will want to live, 

work, play and learn. By bringing 

together partners from public, private, 

Tribal, philanthropic communities, and 

technology sectors, placemaking is a 

wrap-around approach to community 

and economic development that 

incorporates creativity, infrastructure 

initiatives, and vibrant public spaces. 

Placemaking Plan is a written 

document that describes the strategic 

plan for the community to implement 

the goals and objectives identified 

through the placemaking planning 

process. 

Quality of life means a measure of 

human well-being that can be identified 

though economic and social indicators. 

Modern utilities, affordable housing, 

efficient transportation, and reliable 

employment are economic indicators 

that must be integrated with social 

indicators such as access to medical 

services, public safety, education, and 

community resilience to empower rural 

communities to thrive. 

Region (Four Regions) means: 

• The Northeast includes Maine, New 

Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, 

Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, 

New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, 

Virginia, West Virginia, and 

Pennsylvania. 

• The Midwest includes Ohio, 

Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Illinois, 

Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, North 

Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and 

Kansas. 

• The South includes Kentucky, 

North Carolina, South Carolina, 

Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, 

Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, 

Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands and 

Oklahoma. 

• The West includes Montana, Idaho, 

Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, 

Arizona, Utah, Nevada, California, 

Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Hawaii, 

and U.S. Pacific Island Territories. 

RPIC Cooperative Agreement is the 

instrument used to fund the support of 


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Rural Development’s goals of increasing 

rural economic growth. In a cooperative 

agreement, federal employees 

participate more closely in project 

activities, often working side-by-side 

with the cooperator. Cooperators are 

expected to have expertise in 

placemaking and partnerships that will 

enable a rural community, area, or 

region to implement a placemaking 

strategy and improve the quality of life 

for its citizens. 

Rural area is RBCS’s Rural Area 

definition as described in Section 

343(a)(13)(A) of the Consolidated Farm 

and Rural Development Act which 

defines ‘‘rural area’’ as any area other 

than (1) a city or town that has a 

population of greater than 50,000 

inhabitants and (2) any urbanized area 

contiguous and adjacent to such city or 

town described in subparagraph (1) 

above. 

Rural Partners Network (RPN) is an 

alliance of federal agencies and civic 

partners working to expand rural 

prosperity through job creation, 

infrastructure development, and 

community improvement. More 

information about RPN is available at 

https://www.rural.gov/. 

Rural Partners Network Community 

Networks are community networks 

within the Rural Partners Network 

(RPN) and are identified and described 

on the RPN website, https://

www.rural.gov/. 

Sector means stakeholders from areas 

such as business, health, education, 

and/or workforce; or from organization 

types such as public, Tribal 

communities, private, non-profit, and/or 

philanthropy. 

Substantial involvement means when 

the Recipient and USDA RD participate 

together in the management and/or 

performance of the activity/project 

during post-award. This collaboration is 

programmatic in nature and may 

provide benefits (e.g., technical 

expertise, knowledge, etc.) that would 

otherwise be unavailable to the 

Recipient. 

Technical Assistance (TA) for 

Placemaking means the applicant 

participates in the process of providing 

targeted support for the delivery of 

placemaking planning and 

implementation in partnership with 

identified rural communities. 

Training for Placemaking means the 

applicant provides training to the 

community on the components relating 

to the placemaking planning process, 

and implementation around 

placemaking and community and 

economic development processes. 

Training may be in the form of 

information, workshops, and/or 

mentoring. 

Tribe means the term as defined in the 

Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List 

Act of 1994 (Pub. L. 103–454; 108 Stat. 

4791, 4792). An American Indian or 

Alaska Native Tribe, band, nation, 

pueblo, village, or community that the 

Secretary of the Interior acknowledges 

to exist as an Indian Tribe under the 

Federally Recognized Tribe List Act of 

1994 (25 U.S.C. 479a–1). 

Tribal Entity includes all entities 

falling into the eligible legal structures, 

including but not limited to: Tribal 

owned corporations, intertribal nonprofits and associations, Alaska Native 

Corporations, Native entities within the 

State of Alaska recognized by and 

eligible to receive services from the U.S. 

Department of the Interior’s Bureau of 

Indian Affairs, Native Hawaiian 

organizations including Homestead 

Associations, State recognized tribes/ 

non-profits, and individually-owned 

Native American entities. 

Commonly used Acronyms: 

DCI Distressed Communities Index 

FY Fiscal Year 

HBCU Historically Black Colleges and 

Universities 

LOC Letter of Conditions 

NEPA National Environmental Policy 

Act 

NICRA Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate 

Agreement 

RD Rural Development 

RDCA Rural Development Cooperative 

Agreement 

RPIC Rural Placemaking Innovation 

Challenge 

SAM System for Award Management 

SBA Small Business Administration 

UEI Unique Entity Identifier 

USDA United States Department of 

Agriculture 

CFR Code of Federal Regulation 

SPOC Single Point of Contact 

IV. Eligibility Information 

A. Applicants 

Applicants must meet the following 

eligibility requirements by the 

application deadline. Applications that 

fail to meet any of these requirements by 

the application deadline will be deemed 

ineligible and will not be evaluated 

further and will not receive a federal 

award. Applicants may not submit more 

than one application. 

Applicant Eligibility: Federally 

recognized Tribes and Tribal Entities 

(See Part III); institutions of higher 

education (including 1862 Land-Grant 

Institutions, 1890 Land-Grant 

Institutions, 1994 Land-Grant 

Institutions, Hispanic-Serving 

Institutions, and Historically Black 

Colleges and Universities (HBCU)); 

nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) 

IRS status; public bodies; or small 

private entities meeting the size 

standards established by the U.S. Small 

Business Administration (SBA). 

Entities are not eligible if they have 

been debarred or suspended or 

otherwise excluded from, or ineligible 

for, participation in federal assistance 

programs under 2 CFR parts 180 and 

417. In addition, an applicant will be 

considered ineligible for a cooperative 

agreement due to an outstanding 

judgment obtained by the U.S. in a 

federal court (other than U.S. Tax Court) 

or if the applicant is delinquent on the 

payment of federal income taxes or 

federal debt. 

B. Eligible Project 

The proposed project must include a 

component that allows for active 

participation by the Cooperator and 

substantial involvement by RD in the 

specified tasks outlined in the 

applicant’s project proposal. Examples 

of measurable substantial involvement 

include, but are not limited to, the 

following: joint convenings of 

community members, partners, and 

stakeholders; joint delivery of training 

for RD programs; and the development 

of training sessions and outreach 

materials. It is the intent of this project 

to engage RD staff in the placemaking 

process, and it is the responsibility of 

the applicant to identify specific tasks 

where RD staff can provide measurable, 

substantial involvement in the project. If 

tasks are not identified, the application 

will not be eligible for funding. 

The project must also directly benefit 

a rural area. All ultimate beneficiaries 

and/or subrecipients must be located in 

rural areas, and any activities or tasks 

must occur in rural areas. 

Duplication of services is not allowed. 

Applicants must demonstrate that they 

are providing services either to new 

customers or new services to current 

customers. If the applicant’s workplan 

and budget are duplicative of a previous 

and/or existing RPIC award, the 

application will not be considered for 

funding. RD will make this 

determination. 

C. Cost Sharing and Matching Funds 

Verification 

(1) A minimum 15 percent match of 

the federal grant amount requested for 

the cooperative agreement award is 

required for all applications. Matching 

commitments may be made in cash by 

the applying organization, or a 

combination of cash and confirmed 

funding commitments with third-party 

in-kind contributions as defined in 2 


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CFR 200.306. This minimum match of at 

least 15 percent of the federal amount 

requested must be committed for a 

period of not less than the cooperative 

agreement performance period. Cost 

sharing/matching must be committed at 

the time of application submission. 

(2) Applicants may recruit one or 

more private, philanthropic, and/or 

eligible public partner(s) to provide the 

matching 15 percent (in cash and/or inkind contributions) of the applicant’s 

proposed federal funding request (i.e., 

the federal grant amount requested), or 

the applicant can provide the full match 

as its own cash contribution. It is 

permissible to provide a combination of 

third-party in-kind contribution (as 

defined in 2 CFR 200.306) from a 

partner and cash contribution from the 

applicant, but it is not permissible for 

the applicant to provide its own in-kind 

contribution as part of the match 

combination. If the applicant is going to 

provide its own match contribution, that 

match must be documented as a cash 

contribution. 

(3) RPIC Project Verification of 

Matching Funds: The RPIC Matching 

Funds Letter must be signed by the 

donating organization’s authorized 

representative on the organization’s 

letterhead and must identify the amount 

of matching funds or in-kind services/ 

goods, the time period during which 

matching contribution will be available, 

and the source of the funds, as 

applicable (e.g., cash on hand, bank 

statement(s) etc.). 

• If providing an in-kind match, the 

third-party contributor must provide 

details on how those in-kind sources 

will be identified and tracked by the 

contributor. 

• The contributor must also attach/ 

stipulate the value of each of the goods 

or services (including the indirect/direct 

costs) being offered. 

• If using calculated hours for 

estimating any in-kind service, the 

contributor must also provide how the 

value was arrived at for calculating the 

total cost for the in-kind match and 

associated personnel, as applicable. 

Additional details about cost sharing 

or matching funds/contributions are 

located at 2 

CFR 200.306. Applicant matching 

funds must be included in the budget 

justification. For matching funds offered 

by project partners, a separate Matching 

Funds Letter is required for each cash 

and/or third-party in-kind match 

contribution. Matching Funds Letters 

must be signed by the authorized 

organizational representative of the 

contributing organization and the 

applicant organization, which must 

include: 

• the name, address, and telephone 

number of the contributor, 

• the name of the applicant 

organization, 

• the title of the project for which the 

contribution is made, 

• the dollar amount of the 

contribution, and 

• a statement that the contributor 

commits to furnish the contribution 

during the cooperative agreement 

period. 

Applications without signed written 

commitments are considered 

incomplete and will be ineligible. The 

value of applicant contributions to the 

project is established according to 

Federal cost principles. Applicants 

should refer to 2 CFR 200.306 for 

additional guidance on matching funds, 

in-kind contributions, and allowable 

costs. 

(4) Optional Seed Grant Matching 

Funds Contribution and Verification: 

The applicant MUST provide 

documentation of a third-party 

matching funds contribution if 

participating in the Optional Seed Grant 

scoring criteria. These matching funds 

are separate from the verified matched 

funds required for the RPIC application. 

The Matching Funds Letter for the 

optional seed grants MUST specifically 

state that the funds are being allocated 

to the Innovation Seed Grant. The letter 

may be conditioned to the applicant 

receiving the award. (Failing to provide 

verification of match for the optional 

seed grant disqualifies the applicant 

from this optional scoring criteria). 

D. Funding Restrictions 

The following funding restrictions 

also apply to this program: 

(1) Pre-award costs are not authorized. 

(2) Use of Funds. Award funds should 

be calculated based on the federal 

amount requested by the applicant. A 

minimum of 15 percent match is 

required (refer to Part IV, Section C, 

Cost Sharing and Matching Funds 

Verification). 

(3) The applicant may not use its 

administrative overhead or indirect 

costs as any part of its matching funds 

contribution. Using an indirect cost rate 

or administrative overhead for a 

matching fund contribution will be 

deemed as an ineligible use of funds for 

the cooperative agreement. 

(4) Program Income. If you expect to 

earn Program Income during the Period 

of Performance, you must identify the 

amount and how you expect to use it 

(e.g., matching funds) in your 

application. If your application is 

funded, unexpected Program Income or 

Program Income earned in excess of the 

amount you identify in your application 

will be deducted from the Federal share 

of the project in accordance with 2 CFR 

200.307(e)(1). 

E. Ineligible Application Information 

(1) In addition to costs identified as 

unallowable by 2 CFR part 200 or 400, 

the following costs are prohibited for 

this program. Neither award funds nor 

matching funds can be used to pay for 

the following types of expenses (this is 

not a comprehensive list of unallowable 

costs, see 2 CFR part 200): 

(a) Construction (in any form). 

(b) Intermediary preparation of 

strategic plans for recipients. 

(c) Grants to individuals. 

(d) Funding a grant where there may 

be a conflict of interest, or an 

appearance of a conflict of interest, 

involving any action by the Agency. 

(e) Purchasing real estate. 

(f) Using cooperative agreement 

assistance or matching funds for 

individual development accounts. 

(g) Purchasing vehicles. 

(h) To pay an outstanding judgment 

obtained by the United States in a 

federal court (other than in the United 

States Tax court), which has been 

recorded. An applicant will be ineligible 

to receive an award until the judgment 

is paid in full or otherwise satisfied. 

(2) Applications will first be reviewed 

to determine if applicants meet the 

eligibility requirements and compliance 

with the funding restrictions in this 

notice. If we determine that your 

application is ineligible, we will 

discontinue processing it, which means 

that we will not evaluate it further nor 

provide any scoring information. 

V. Application and Submission 

Information 

A. Electronic Application and 

Submission 

Applications must be submitted 

electronically using Grants.gov. No 

other form of application will be 

accepted. Application and supporting 

materials are available at Grants.gov. 

Your application must contain all 

required information. 

To apply electronically, you must 

follow the instructions for this funding 

announcement at Grants.gov. Please 

note that we will not 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 Assistance Listing 

Number for this program. 

When you enter the https://

www.grants.gov/ website, you will find 


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information about applying 

electronically through the site as well as 

the hours of operation. 

To use Grants.gov, you must already 

have a Unique Entity Identifier. At the 

time of application, each applicant must 

have an active registration in the System 

for Award Management (SAM) before 

submitting its application in accordance 

with 2 CFR part 25. To register in SAM, 

entities will be required to create a 

Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). 

Instructions for obtaining the UEI are 

available at https://sam.gov/content/ 

entity-registration. We strongly 

recommend that you do not wait until 

the application deadline date to begin 

the application process through 

Grants.gov. 

RD is not responsible for any 

technical malfunction or website 

problems related to Grants.gov. If issues 

are encountered with Grants.gov, please 

contact the Grants.gov help desk at (800) 

518–4726 or support@grants.gov. The 

applicant assumes the risk of any delays 

in application submission through 

Grants.gov. 

Submitting an application through 

Grants.gov requires completing a variety 

of tasks and steps. There are also several 

preliminary registration steps before the 

applicant can submit the application. It 

is recommended that the instructions 

for registering be reviewed as soon as 

possible but at least two weeks before 

the planned application submission 

date. 

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. 

B. Content and Form of Application 

Submission 

For an application to be considered 

complete, the applicant must complete 

and submit the forms and supporting 

documentation contained in this section 

in addition to the written narrative 

proposal information in Part VI. 

Each page must be on numbered, 

letter-sized (8 1⁄2′′ × 11′′) paper utilizing 

a white background that has 1′′ margins, 

and the text of the application must be 

typed, single spaced, black, and in a 

font no smaller than 12 point. 

(1) Applicants must complete and 

submit the following forms to apply for 

an RPIC cooperative agreement: 

(a) Standard Form 424, ‘‘Application 

for Federal Assistance—Nonconstruction.’’ 

(b) Standard Form 424A, ‘‘Budget 

Information—Non-Construction 

Programs.’’ 

(c) Standard Form 424B, 

‘‘Assurances—Non-Construction 

Programs.’’ 

(d) Execute Form RD 400–1 ‘‘Equal 

Opportunity Agreement.’’ 

(2) All applications shall be 

accompanied by the following 

supporting documentation in concise 

written narrative form: 

(a) Civil Rights Compliance 

Requirements: All awards made under 

this notice are subject to Title VI of the 

Civil Rights Act of 1964 as required by 

7 CFR part 15, subpart A, section 504 of 

the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the 

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) 

of 1990, and the Age Discrimination Act 

of 1975. 

(b) Evidence of applicant’s legal 

existence and authority in the form of 

organizational documents such as: 

Articles of Incorporation, By-Laws, or 

Charter. 

(c) Evidence of tax-exempt status from 

the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), if 

applicable. 

(d) List of current principals and 

consultants, including first and last 

names. 

(e) Applicants applying as a small 

private entity must provide a written 

self-certification which includes the 

entity’s NAICS code or industry, 

number of employees or average annual 

revenue, and how the applicant meets 

the U.S. SBA small business size 

standards for their industry (https://

www.sba.gov/size-standards). 

(f) Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate 

Agreement, if applicable. 

(g) Written Proposal—The written 

proposal should be assembled into one 

or more pdf file(s) and should conform 

to the order in which the Evaluation 

Criteria are presented in Part VI Section 

B. The completed pdf file(s) should be 

uploaded into Grants.gov as an 

attachment to the application. The 

maximum limit for the written narrative 

section is 25 pages. Information 

exceeding 25 pages for the written 

narrative may not be considered for 

evaluation by the scoring panel. 

C. System for Award Management 

(SAM) and Unique Entity Identifier 

To be eligible (unless you are 

excepted under 2 CFR 25.110(b), (c) or 

(d)), you are required to do the 

following: 

(1) At the time of application, each 

applicant must have an active 

registration in the System for Award 

Management (SAM) before submitting 

its application in accordance with 2 

CFR part 25. To register in SAM, entities 

will be required to create a Unique 

Entity Identifier (UEI). Instructions for 

obtaining the UEI are available at 

https://sam.gov/content/entityregistration. 

(2) Register in SAM before submitting 

your application. You may register in 

SAM at no cost at https://www.sam.gov/ 

portal/public/SAM/. You must provide 

your SAM CAGE Code and expiration 

date. Entities registering for the first 

time will also be assigned a UEI as part 

of the registration process. 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 

(3) Maintain active and current SAM 

registration. The SAM registration must 

remain active with current information 

at all times while the Agency is 

considering an application or while a 

federal grant/cooperative agreement 

award or loan is active. To maintain the 

registration in the SAM database, the 

applicant must review and update the 

information in the SAM database 

annually from the date of initial 

registration or from the date of the last 

update. The applicant must ensure that 

the information in the database is 

current, accurate, and complete. 

Applicants must ensure they complete 

the Financial Assistance General 

Certifications and Representations in 

SAM. 

The Agency will not make an award 

until the applicant has complied with 

all SAM requirements including 

providing the UEI. If an applicant has 

not fully complied with the 

requirements by the time the Agency is 

ready to make an award, the Agency 

may determine that the applicant is not 

qualified to receive a Federal award and 

use that determination as a basis for 

making a Federal award to another 

applicant. 

D. Submission Dates and Times 

In order to be considered for funds 

under this notice, applications must be 

deemed complete and must be received 

by Grants.gov by the deadline specified 

in the DATES section of this notice. 

E. 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 


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established a Single Point of Contact 

(SPOC) to facilitate this consultation. 

For a list of states that maintain a SPOC, 

please see the White House website: 

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

20.pdf 

Submit one copy of the application to 

the SPOC, if one has been designated, at 

the same time as application submission 

to the Agency. If the project is located 

in more than one state, submit a copy 

to each applicable SPOC. Any 

comments obtained through the SPOC 

must be provided to the individuals 

identified in the ‘‘FOR FURTHER 

INFORMATION CONTACT’’ section of 

this Notice for consideration as part of 

your application. If your state has not 

established a SPOC you may submit 

your application directly to the Agency. 

Tribes are exempt from this 

requirement. 

F. Compliance with Other Federal 

Statutes and Other Submission 

Requirements 

(1) Other Federal Statutes. The 

applicant must certify to compliance 

with other Federal Statutes and 

regulations by completing the Financial 

Assistance General Certification and 

Representations in SAM, including, but 

not limited to the following: 

(a) 7 CFR part 15, subpart A— 

Nondiscrimination in Federally 

Assisted Programs of the Department of 

Agriculture—Effectuation of Title VI of 

the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Civil Rights 

compliance includes, but is not limited 

to the following: 

(i) Collect and maintain data provided 

by ultimate recipients on race, sex, and 

national origin and ensure that ultimate 

recipients collect and maintain this 

data. 

(ii) Race and ethnicity data will be 

collected in accordance with Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) Federal 

Register Notice, ‘‘Revisions of the 

Standards for the Classification of 

Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity’’ 

(published October 30, 1997, at 62 FR 

58782); Sex data will be collected in 

accordance with Title IX of the 

Education Amendments of 1972. These 

items should not be submitted with the 

application but should be available 

upon request by RD. 

(b) The applicant and the ultimate 

recipient must comply with Title VI of 

the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of 

the Education Amendments of 1972, the 

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), 

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 

1973, the Age Discrimination Act of 

1975, Executive Order 12250, and 7 CFR 

part 1901, subpart E. 

(c) 2 CFR parts 200 and 400 (Uniform 

Administrative Requirements, Cost 

Principles and Audit Requirements for 

Federal Awards), or any successor 

regulation. 

(d) Executive Order 13166, 

‘‘Improving Access to Services for 

Persons with Limited English 

Proficiency.’’ For information on limited 

English proficiency and agency-specific 

guidance, go to https://www.lep.gov/. 

(e) Federal Obligation Certification on 

Delinquent Debt. 

(2) Risk Review: RD may request 

additional documentation from selected 

applicants in order to evaluate the 

financial, management, and 

performance risk posed by awardees as 

required by 2 CFR 200.206. Based on 

this risk review, RD may apply special 

conditions that correspond to the degree 

of risk assessed. 

(3) 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 National Environmental Policy Act 

(NEPA) regulation found at 7 CFR 

1970.53(f). It has been determined that 

this Funding opportunity does not 

constitute a major Federal action 

significantly affecting the quality of the 

human environment. 

G. Indirect Costs 

Organizations that have an active 

Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement 

(NICRA) with the Federal Government 

must use the rate identified in the 

NICRA to determine the indirect costs to 

be charged to this funding. Current 

NICRAs must be uploaded under Other 

Attachments (listed as an Optional 

Form) in the Grants.gov Opportunity 

Application Package. Entities without a 

NICRA may use a de minimis rate of up 

to 10 percent indirect costs rate. (Refer 

to 2 CFR 200.414 for additional 

information regarding indirect costs). 

VI. Application Review Information 

A. General 

The projects should address how 

existing assets can be leveraged in 

support of a placemaking vision and 

how the projects will be evaluated (e.g., 

how projects are evaluated for funding 

strategies and sources, construction of 

new assets to be identified in the 

planning process). Awardees will be 

Cooperators and are required to 

participate substantially in the project 

alongside RD staff to bring expertise in 

placemaking technical assistance, to 

bring partnerships that will enable a 

rural community, area, or region to 

ultimately implement a placemaking 

strategy, and to improve the quality of 

life for its citizens. 

Applicants are expected to provide 

proposals under this notice that include 

cooperation through substantial and 

measurable involvement by both the 

Cooperator and USDA RD staff. 

Proposals will support multi-sectoral or 

multi-jurisdictional projects in rural 

communities and demonstrate how 

placemaking technical assistance will be 

provided to develop implementation 

plans that can be aligned with the 

mission of USDA RD to improve quality 

of life and economic growth. The 

proposal must provide a detailed 

description of (i) the area to be served 

and (ii) how such area fits the definition 

of a region, multi-sectoral, or multijurisdictional rural area. Applicants 

must identify which Region or Regions 

are included in their proposal. If 

applicants propose to serve more than 

one Region, they must identify a 

primary Region. 

Applicants for RPIC should be 

prepared to develop, be in the process 

of developing, or have developed a 

placemaking plan in partnership with 

public, private, Tribes, or philanthropic 

partners with the focus on local or 

regional revitalization towards 

economic vitality and quality of life 

impacts. The plans should identify 

potential projects that can be funded 

through RD programs and other federal, 

state, local or private sector resources. 

Placemaking plans developed through 

this funding opportunity should focus 

on one or more of the quality-of-life 

indicators as defined in Part III. 

Applicants are expected to submit 

placemaking proposals under this notice 

that include multi-sectoral or multijurisdictional planning partnerships 

within at least one Region (as defined in 

Part III) that will provide measurable 

results in helping rural communities 

create greater social and cultural vitality 

in rural communities. RPIC projects 

should also support rural communities’ 

ability to qualify for priority funding 

under Section 379H of the Consolidated 

Farm and Rural Development Act, 

‘‘Strategic Economic and Community 

Development,’’ (7 U.S.C. 2008v). 

For the purpose of RPIC, rural 

placemaking is: (1) rooted in 

emphasizing partnerships and 

collaboration among multiple public, 

private, Tribal, philanthropic and 


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community partners; (2) focused on 

combining federal, Tribal, state, and 

local resources to make wide-ranging 

quality-of-life impacts as opposed to 

separate, piecemeal, incremental 

improvements; and (3) based on 

placemaking processes to create quality 

places where people want to live, work, 

play and learn. The goal is to create 

greater social and cultural vitality in 

rural communities. Key elements of 

quality places may include a mix of 

uses; effective public spaces; broadband 

capability; transportation options; 

multiple housing options; disposition 

and rehabilitation of vacant structures; 

preservation of historic properties; and 

respect of community heritage, arts, 

culture, creativity, recreation, and green 

space. 

Additionally, the applications will be 

reviewed for completeness. For an 

application to be considered complete, 

the applicant must complete and submit 

the written narrative proposal 

information and the required forms 

contained in Parts V and VI of this 

NOFA. If we determine that your 

application is not complete, we will 

discontinue processing it, which means 

that we will not evaluate it further nor 

provide any scoring information. 

B. Scoring Process 

If your application is determined to be 

eligible and complete, we will further 

evaluate it based on the scoring criteria 

listed in Part VI, Section B. All 

applications will be competitively 

scored and ranked. The minimum score 

requirement for a cooperative agreement 

award under this funding opportunity is 

60 points. 

(1) Number of Awards: The Agency 

anticipates that it may select one, 

multiple, or no award recipients from 

this funding opportunity. The Agency 

reserves the right to withhold the 

awarding of any funds if no application 

receives a minimum score of at least 60 

points. 

(2) Evaluation Criteria: (refer to 

Summary Table of Evaluation Criteria) 

Proposed projects will be evaluated 

based only on information provided in 

the application. Points will be given 

only for factors that are well 

documented in the application package 

and, in the opinion of RD, meet the 

objectives outlined in each of the 

evaluation criteria. References to 

websites or publications will not be 

reviewed. Full documentation and 

support of application criteria is 

encouraged. 

(3) The entire written narrative 

proposal includes the following sections 

in this order: 

(a) Executive Summary—Provide the 

applicant entity name, duration of 

project (in months), amount of federal 

funding requested, amount of nonfederal cost-share/match funding 

committed, and project title. Identify 

geographic locations (including the 

primary region in which the applicant 

determines where the most significant 

work takes place) and describe, in nontechnical language, the placemaking 

approach to be used including the 

objectives and strategies to be utilized; 

the public, private, Tribal and 

philanthropic partnerships developed or 

to be developed; the approach to be 

employed (including the role of 

participating partners); how impact will 

be quantified; and the predicted benefits 

or deliverables of the project(s). 

(b) Work Plan—Soundness of 

Approach (0–35 points). The applicant 

can receive up to 35 points for 

soundness of placemaking approach in 

their work plan. The maximum 35 

points for this criterion will be based on 

the following: 

(i) Work Plan Approach—project 

objectives/background/tasks with 

timeline and timeframes 

• Project Objective(s): Description of 

objective(s)—clearly defined. 

• Project Background: Description of 

the types and general locations of rural 

communities to be served through this 

project—Geographic Location or Project 

Areas (include Region description). 

• Describe project area(s) as multisectoral or multi-jurisdictional. 

Applicants must include their ability to 

support rural planning activities on a 

multi-sectoral or multi-jurisdictional 

basis and how they will effectively serve 

these communities based on key 

personnel, established timeframes, and 

budget. 

• Project Key Tasks with Timeline 

and Timeframes: 

—Applicants are required to include 

Work Plan Chart(s) that lists major 

task(s) by key personnel involved, 

time period of the task(s), substantial 

involvement of RD staff, expected 

deliverables, and budget associated 

with tasks. 

—Applicants may provide timelines to 

demonstrate how the technical 

assistance will be delivered to rural 

communities and describe any 

supporting innovative and/or 

traditional placemaking approaches 

associated to tasks. 

(ii) Implementation of Workplan— 

Planning through the Implementation 

Phase 

• Project Implementation: 

Applicant should include details on 

how the technical assistance will be 

provided for the placemaking planning 

process and how it will coach/mentor 

the community to bring the plan to full 

implementation. 

(iii) Alignment of Budget/Budget 

Justification to Workplan 

• Detailed Budget Justification should 

align with the tasks detailed in the 

workplan. Discuss how the budget 

specifically supports the proposed 

activities discussed in the Project Key 

Tasks (as described above). Justify 

project costs including personnel and 

any limited consultant salaries with 

description of duties. The budget 

justification should include both the 

federal funds requested and the 

applicant’s matching funds. The format 

of the budget’s narrative can be in a 

chart, spreadsheet, table, etc., but it 

should be readable on letter-size, 

printable pages. The information needs 

to be presented in such a way that the 

reviewers can readily understand what 

expenses are incurred to support the 

project. Statement(s) of work for any 

subcontractors and consultants must be 

included as part of the application. 

(Note: consultants and subcontracts 

must only be used on a limited basis 

where not more than 49% of the federal 

grant amount requested can be 

contracted out to provide the proposed 

assistance. The majority of the primary 

work under the cooperative agreement 

MUST be performed by the applicant). 

(c) Organizational Capacity & 

Qualifications (0–20 points). The 

applicant can receive up to 20 points 

based on organizational capacity and 

qualifications. The maximum 20 points 

for this criterion will be based on the 

following: 

(i) The applicant should specify years 

of experience in placemaking activities, 

types of communities previously served, 

and experience in performance 

evaluation. 

(ii) The applicant’s proposal should 

demonstrate that the applicant has 

identified appropriate key personnel, 

both in terms of number of personnel 

and qualifications of personnel and 

should provide specific detail of 

qualifications of key personnel relating 

to placemaking. Capacity of personnel 

to access data for needs assessments and 

access to planners and other technical 

experts will be evaluated. 

(iii) All eligible applicants must 

demonstrate the capacity to deliver and 

support rural placemaking planning 

activities within at least one of the four 

regions found in Part III. Capacity is 

defined as previous experience with 

federal grant administration and 

demonstrated experience in economic 

development and placemaking technical 

assistance. 


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(d) Partnerships (0–25 points). The 

applicant can receive up to 25 points for 

quantity and quality of the applicant’s 

existing public, private, Tribal, and 

philanthropic partnerships and 

proposed new partnerships for this 

effort. The applicant should 

demonstrate their ability to leverage 

new partners that have had limited 

engagement with RD projects or 

priorities to leverage resources, enhance 

technical assistance, and/or increase 

reach to target areas. The maximum 25 

points for this criterion will be based on 

the following: 

(i) The applicant should provide a list 

of existing and/or potential partners 

who will commit to the project as well 

as a description of the sectors they 

represent (i.e., public, private, Tribal, 

philanthropic), and 

(ii) The applicant should describe in 

detail how they will engage with these 

partners to support the project, 

including how they will leverage 

partner resources. 

(e) Targeted Impact: Planning for 

Broadband Infrastructure, Deployment, 

and/or Access. (0–10 points). The 

applicant can receive up to 10 points for 

focusing on the following Targeted 

Impact. The applicant should propose 

how the project will plan for broadband 

infrastructure and/or e-connectivity 

opportunities within targeted areas. 

Please note that construction is not an 

allowable cost within the RPIC program. 

(A) Describe how the applicant’s 

proposal will help one or more of the 

targeted communities plan for 

broadband infrastructure around the 

USDA–RD ReConnect Program or other 

RD Broadband programs (provided that 

community is eligible for that program); 

or 

(B) If one or more of the targeted 

communities have a USDA–RD 

ReConnect funded project, or other RD 

Broadband projects, describe how the 

applicant’s proposal will provide 

follow-up and support for future 

broadband development or deployment; 

or 

(C) If none of the targeted 

communities are participating in any RD 

Broadband programs, describe how the 

applicant will work with stakeholders to 

address broadband development and 

deployment, or broadband access or econnectivity. 

(f) Performance Measures (0–10 

points). The applicant can receive up to 

10 points based on the proposed 

performance measures to evaluate the 

progress and impact of the proposed 

project. 

The criterion will be based on the 

applicant’s proposal and should include 

a description for how the results of the 

technical assistance will be measured, 

including the quality-of-life indicators 

(set forth in Part III) and the benchmarks 

to be used for measuring effectiveness. 

Indicators to be used should be specific 

and be quantifiable. 

(g) Optional Innovation Seed Grant 

(0–5 or 0–10 points) To foster public, 

private, Tribal and philanthropic 

engagement, not only through RPIC but 

for the community itself, the Innovation 

Seed Grant must be matched by no less 

than 50% match with additional 

external funding to support the 

community’s project. The external funds 

can be from public, private, Tribal, 

philanthropic, or other federal, state, 

and local partners. There are two ways 

to be scored based on how an applicant 

plans to implement the Innovation Seed 

Grant: the applicant could receive either 

up to 5 points, or up to 10 points. Note 

that Cooperators that implement seed 

grants as a part of their proposal will be 

subject to the relevant subaward/ 

subrecipient components from 2 CFR 

part 200. 

(i) Scoring the Innovation Seed Grant: 

• The applicant must specify Option 

1 or 2. 

• The applicant should provide a 

brief narrative of how the Innovation 

Seed Grant will be developed, 

administered, and implemented. 

• It is expected that the Cooperators, 

in collaboration with the communities 

they are serving, will develop criteria 

for evaluating the Innovation Seed Grant 

for approval by a Seed Grant Committee. 

For evaluation of these criteria, 

applicants may provide sample criteria 

on how Seed Grants could be evaluated 

for: 

—Innovation, 

—Whether the project has been 

highlighted in the Placemaking Plan, 

and 

—The probability of success and 

sustainability with identified 

outcomes to be achieved. 

• The applicant MUST provide 

documentation of third-party matching 

funds contributions. These matching 

funds are separate from the verified 

matched funds required for the RPIC 

application. The Matching Funds Letter 

for the seed grants MUST specifically 

state that the funds are being allocated 

to the Innovation Seed Grant. The letter 

may state that the match is contingent 

on the applicant receiving the award. 

(Failing to provide verification of match 

disqualifies the applicant from this 

optional scoring criteria). 

(ii) Option 1—0 to 5 points Innovation 

Seed Grant: 

• Applicants may receive up to 5 

points in scoring if their proposal and 

budget provide for a system of funding 

an Innovation Seed Grant. The seed 

grants are to be utilized to fund a new 

and innovative project that is 

highlighted in the placemaking plan. 

These seed grants are considered small 

financial awards for the purpose of 

getting a specific project implemented 

in the plan. The applicant can set aside, 

from the applicant’s award, funds for an 

Innovation Seed Grant. The maximum 

RPIC funds that can be set-aside for this 

purpose is 10 percent. 

• Individual Innovation Seed Grants 

may be no more than $5,000 from RPIC 

funds, to an ultimate recipient in a 

community or for an entity applying for 

the grant. The seed grant must have 

matching funds (CASH MATCH ONLY) 

of at least 50 percent from public, 

private, Tribal or philanthropic support; 

however, the applicant may have 

contributions from partnerships in 

excess of the minimum 50 percent 

match requirement. 

OR 

(iii) Option 2—0 to 10 points 

Innovation Seed Grant: 

• Applicants may receive up to 10 

points in scoring if their proposal and 

budget provide for a system of funding 

an Innovation Seed Grant that funds a 

new and innovative project that is 

highlighted in the placemaking plan and 

focuses on the Targeted Impact listed in 

Part VI, Section B (e) (Targeted Impact). 

The system should describe how the 

seed grant promotes and connects to the 

Targeted Impact. These seed grants are 

considered small financial awards for 

the purpose of getting a specific project 

implemented. The applicant can set 

aside, from the applicant’s award, funds 

for an Innovation Seed Grant. The 

maximum RPIC funds that can be setaside for this purpose is 10 percent. 

• Individual Seed Grants may be no 

more than $5,000 from RPIC funds, to 

an ultimate recipient in a community or 

for an entity applying for the grant. The 

Seed Grant must have matching funds of 

at least 50 percent from public, private, 

Tribal or philanthropic support; 

however, the applicant may have 

contributions from partnerships in 

excess of the minimum 50 percent 

match requirement. 

(h) Agency Discretionary Points (0–10 

points): 

The Agency may choose to award up 

to 10 points to an application that seeks 

to advance one or more of the USDA 

Rural Development Key Priorities (RD 

Key Priorities) as the set forth at: https:// 

www.rd.usda.gov/priority-points, and 

described in the SUPPLEMETARY

INFORMATION, Overview section of this 


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notice. These points will be assigned as 

follows: 

i. The applicant may receive 3 points, 

if it is determined that the applicant 

plans to advance one of the RD Key 

Priorities. 

ii. The applicant may receive 6 points 

if it is determined that the applicant 

plans to advance two of the RD Key 

Priorities. 

iii. The applicant may receive 10 

points if it is determined that the 

applicant plans to advance three of the 

RD Key Priorities. 

The applicant does not need to 

provide additional information under 

this category. Information in the 

applicant’s proposal will be used to 

score this category, if applicable. 

The Agency may, in individual cases, 

make an exception to any requirement 

or provision of this notice, which is 

determined to be in the Government’s 

interest. 

(i) Verification of Matching Funds. 

The applicant must include Matching 

Commitment Letters signed by the 

donating organization’s authorized 

representative on the organization’s 

letterhead that identifies the amount of 

matching funds or in-kind services, the 

time period during which matching 

funds will be available, and the source 

of the funds (e.g., cash on hand). See 

Part IV, Section C (Cost Sharing and 

Matching Funds Verification) for more 

information. If participating in the 

Optional Innovation Seed Grant, the 

applicant must submit separate 

Matching Funds Commitment Letters 

that specifically annotate that the funds 

are allocated to the Innovation Seed 

Grant. The funds are a cash commitment 

to the seed grant. 

(j) Letters of Support (e.g., additional 

resource commitment from partners); 

(k) Appendix—Graphics, References, 

Citations, Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate 

Agreement (NICRA) if applicable, 

organizational documents, selfcertifications, etc. (Note: material added 

in this section may not be evaluated as 

part of the competitive scoring process). 

SUMMARY TABLE OF EVALUATION CRITERIA

Criteria Points 

1. Work Plan/Soundness of Approach .................................................................................................................................... 0–35 points 

a. Work Plan Approach-project objectives/background/tasks with timelines and timeframes .........................................

b. Implementation of workplan .........................................................................................................................................

c. Alignment of budget/budget justification to workplan ...................................................................................................

2. Organizational Capacity/Qualifications ................................................................................................................................ 0–20 points 

a. Years of experience and processes employed in placemaking activities ...................................................................

b. Key personnel/number and qualifications relating to placemaking-access to data for needs assessments ..............

c. Capacity to deliver placemaking planning, grant administration experience ...............................................................

3. Partnerships ......................................................................................................................................................................... 0–25 points 

a. Extent of existing partnerships (# of partners/public, private, Tribal, philanthropic partners) ............................................

b. Value that partnerships will bring to placemaking project, including existing partners and leveraging new partners 

for the proposed project.

4. Targeted Impact .................................................................................................................................................................. 0–10 points 

Planning for Broadband Infrastructure/Deployment/Access ............................................................................................

5. Performance Measures ....................................................................................................................................................... 0–10 points 

Measures used for evaluating quality of life indicators and benchmarks used for measuring effectiveness .................

Optional Innovation Seed Grant .............................................................................................................................................. 0–10 points 

Option—1 Innovation Seed Grant—offering seed grants for new and innovative projects highlighted in the 

Placemaking Plan; or.

Option—2 Innovation Seed Grant—offering seed grants for new and innovative projects highlighted in the 

Placemaking Plan that specifically address the Targeted Impact priority.

Agency Discretionary Points (Note: Applicant does not need to provide additional information for this category) ........ 0–10 points 

C. Review and Selection Process 

(1) Incomplete or ineligible 

applications. Applications that are 

incomplete or ineligible will not be 

considered for funding (Reference Part 

V and Part VI). 

(2) The Reviewers. All eligible 

applications will be evaluated by an 

Application Review Panel using the 

criteria described in Part VI of this 

notice. Panel members will be 

appointed by RD and will be qualified 

to evaluate the applications based on 

the type of work proposed by the 

applicant. 

(3) Selection of Qualifying 

Applications. Applications will be 

selected in the following order: 

(a) First, the highest scoring 

application in each of the four Regions 

will be selected. 

(b) Second, the highest scoring Tribe 

or Tribal Entity Application, which has 

not already been selected as one of the 

highest scoring applications in one of 

the regions, will be selected. 

(c) Third, up to four of the highest 

scoring Applications serving one or 

more communities within the Rural 

Partners Network (RPN) Community 

Networks can be selected. (RPN 

Community Networks are listed on the 

RPN website: Rural Partners Network | 

Rural.gov). 

(d) Fourth, the remaining 

applications, regardless of Region, 

Tribal status, or RPN community, will 

be selected starting with the highest 

scoring application, until all available 

funds are exhausted. 

(e) Applications, at or near the 

funding line, may be funded in part, if 

RD believes an appropriate benefit can 

result from partial funding and if the 

applicant agrees to the amount of partial 

funding. In the event RD considers 

partial funding to be appropriate, the 

applicant will be contacted to negotiate 

the final work plan and budget prior to 

award approval. 

(4) Appeal Request. The applicant 

will be notified in writing regarding the 

reason(s) for any adverse decisions and 

will be provided a description of the 

options for review. 

(5) Cooperative Agreement. 

Applicants selected for funding will 

complete a Cooperative/Grant 

agreement suitable to the Agency, which 

outlines the terms and conditions of the 

Cooperative Agreement award. Pursuant 

to the agreement, funds will be released 

over the course of the Cooperative 

Agreement period in the form of a 

reimbursement for the performance of 

eligible, approved activities. The 

agreement may also include reporting 

requirements which, if not met, may 

result in a delay in reimbursement, 


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39062 Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 125 / Thursday, June 30, 2022 / Notices 

disallowance of expenses, or a 

suspension of the Agreement. 

(6) Reimbursement. 

(a) SF–270, ‘‘Request for Advance or 

Reimbursement,’’ will be completed by 

the cooperator and submitted to RD 

along with supporting documentation. 

(b) Upon receipt of a properly 

completed SF–270, payment will 

ordinarily be made within 30 days. 

(c) Any change in the scope of the 

project, budget adjustments of more 

than 10 percent of the total budget, or 

any other significant change in the 

project must be reported to and 

approved by the approving official. Any 

change not approved may be cause for 

termination of the Cooperative 

Agreement. 

VII. Federal Award Administration 

Information 

A. Federal Award Notices 

(1) Successful applicants will be 

notified in writing by the Agency with 

a Letter of Conditions (LOC). The LOC 

is a notice of selection and does not 

indicate that an award has been 

approved, nor is it an authorization to 

begin performance on the award. While 

there may be special conditions that 

apply on a case-by-case basis, the 

conditions as stated in Part VII, Section 

B (Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements) are standard for all 

successful applicants. 

(2) Once the conditions described in 

the LOC have been met, the award will 

be approved through the execution of 

Form RD 4280–2 in conjunction with 

the Rural Development Cooperative 

Agreement (RDCA) Program 

Attachment. If an applicant is unable to 

meet the conditions of the award within 

90 calendar days, the award will be 

withdrawn. 

B. Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements 

(1) The following requirements apply 

to grantees selected for this program: 

(a) Complete Form RD 1942–46, 

‘‘Letter of Intent to Meet Conditions.’’ 

(b) Complete Form RD 1940–1, 

‘‘Request for Obligations of Funds.’’ 

(c) Complete FMMI Vendor Code 

Request Form. 

(d) Provide a copy of your 

organization’s Negotiated Indirect Cost 

Rate Agreement, if applicable. 

(e) Certify that all work completed for 

the award will benefit a rural area. 

(f) Certify that you will comply with 

the Federal Funding Accountability and 

Transparency Act of 2006 and report 

information about subawards and 

executive compensation. 

(g) Certify that the U.S. has not 

obtained an outstanding judgement 

against your organization in a Federal 

Court (other than in the United States 

Tax Court). 

(h) Execute Form SF–424B, 

‘‘Assurance—Non-Construction 

Programs.’’ 

(i) Execute Form SF–LLL, ‘‘Disclosure 

Form to Report Lobbying,’’ if applicable, 

or certify that your organization does 

not lobby. 

(2) The applicant must provide 

evidence of compliance with other 

federal statutes, including, but not 

limited to, the following: 

(a) Debarment and suspension 

information as required in accordance 

with 2 CFR part 417 (Non-procurement 

Debarment and Suspension) 

supplemented by 2 CFR part 180, if 

applicable. The information required 

under section heading: ‘‘What 

information must I provide before 

entering into a covered transaction with 

a Federal agency?’’ located at 2 CFR 

180.335 is part of OMB’s Guidance for 

Grants and Agreements concerning 

Government-wide Debarment and 

Suspension. 

(b) All of your organization’s known 

workplaces by including the actual 

addresses of buildings (or parts of 

buildings) or other sites where work 

under the award takes place. Workplace 

identification is required under the 

drug-free workplace requirements in 

Subpart B of 2 CFR part 421, which 

adopts the Governmentwide 

implementation (2 CFR part 182) of the 

Drug-Free Workplace Act. 

(c) 2 CFR parts 200 and 400 (Uniform 

Administrative Requirements, Cost 

Principles and Audit Requirements for 

Federal Awards). 

(d) 2 CFR part 182 (Governmentwide 

Requirements for Drug-Free Workplace 

(Financial Assistance)) and 2 CFR part 

421 (Requirements for Drug Free 

Workplace (Financial Assistance)). 

(e) Executive Order 13166, 

‘‘Improving Access to Services for 

Persons with Limited English 

Proficiency.’’ For information on limited 

English proficiency and agency-specific 

guidance, go to https://www.lep.gov. 

(3) The following forms for 

acceptance of a federal award are now 

collected through your registration or 

annual recertification in SAM.gov in the 

Financial Assistance General 

Certifications and Representations 

section: 

• Form RD 400–4, ‘‘Assurance 

Agreement.’’ 

• Form AD–1047, ‘‘Certification 

Regarding Debarment, Suspension, and 

Other Responsibility Matters-Primary 

Covered Transactions.’’ 

• Form AD–1048, ‘‘Certification 

Regarding Debarment, Suspension, 

Ineligibility and Voluntary Exclusion. 

Lower Tier Covered Transactions.’’ 

• Form AD–1049, ‘‘Certification 

Regarding Drug-Free Workplace 

Requirements (Grants).’’ 

• Form AD–3031, ‘‘Assurance 

Regarding Felony Conviction or Tax 

Delinquent Status for Corporate 

Applicants.’’ 

C. Reporting 

Grantees shall constantly monitor 

performance to ensure that time 

schedules are being met, projected work 

by time periods are being accomplished, 

and other performance objectives are 

being achieved. 

(1) SF–PPR ‘‘Performance Progress 

Report,’’ must be submitted quarterly 

based on the following time periods: 

January 1—March 31, April 1—June 30, 

July 1—September 30, and October 1— 

December 31. Quarterly reports are due 

within 30 calendar days of the end of 

the reporting period. A final report is 

due within 90 calendar days of the 

completion of the project or the end of 

the period of performance, whichever 

comes first. Both quarterly and final 

performance reports must be submitted 

electronically to RD. 

(2) Financial Report: Form SF–425, 

‘‘Federal Financial Report’’ must be 

submitted quarterly based on the 

following time periods: January 1— 

March 31, April 1—June 30, July 1— 

September 30, October 1—December 31. 

Quarterly reports are due within 30 

calendar days of the end of the reporting 

period. A final report is due within 90 

calendar days of the completion of the 

project or the end of the period of 

performance, whichever comes first. 

Both quarterly and final reports must be 

submitted electronically to RD. 

(3) Report Suitable for Public 

Distribution: A report suitable for public 

distribution that describes the 

accomplishments of the project is due 

within 90 calendar days of the 

completion of the project. There is no 

format prescribed for this report, but it 

is expected that it will be 1–2 pages in 

length and describe the project in such 

a way that a member of the public not 

familiar with the project would gain an 

understanding of the impact of the 

project. 

VIII. Federal Awarding Agency 

Contacts 

For further information, contact: 

Gregory Dale (202) 568–9558 or Sherri 

McCarter (615) 982–2078, email: 

RD.RPIC@usda.gov. Persons with 

disabilities who require alternative 

means for communication should 

contact the USDA Target Center at (202) 

720–2600 (voice). 


jspears on DSK121TN23PROD with NOTICES1
Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 125 / Thursday, June 30, 2022 / Notices 39063 

1See Truck and Bus Tires from the People’s 

Republic of China: Preliminary Results of 

Countervailing Duty Administrative Review, 

Rescission of Review in Part, and Intent to Rescind 

in Part; 2020, 87 FR 12929 (March 8, 2022) 

(Preliminary Results). 

2See Memorandum, ‘‘Issues and Decision 

Memorandum for the Final Results of the 

Countervailing Duty Administrative Review of 

Truck and Bus Tires from the People’s Republic of 

China,’’ concurrently with, and hereby adopted by, 

this notice. 

IX. Other Information 

A. Paperwork Reduction Act 

In accordance with the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995, the information 

collection requirement contained in this 

notice is approved by the Office of 

Management and Budget under OMB 

Control Number 0570–0074. 

B. Nondiscrimination 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, 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) 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 http://

www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_

cust.html, 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) Fax: (202) 690–7442; or 

(3) Email: program.intake@usda.gov. 

USDA is an equal opportunity 

provider, employer, and lender. 

Justin Maxson, 

Deputy Under Secretary, Rural Development, 

U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

[FR Doc. 2022–14028 Filed 6–29–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–XY–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

Foreign-Trade Zones Board 

[Order No. 2126] 

Expansion of Foreign-Trade Zone 79 

under Alternative Site Framework, 

Tampa, Florida 

Pursuant to its authority under the 

Foreign-Trade Zones Act of June 18, 

1934, as amended (19 U.S.C. 81a–81u), 

the Foreign-Trade Zones Board (the 

Board) adopts the following Order: 

Whereas, the Foreign-Trade Zones 

(FTZ) Act provides for ‘‘. . . the 

establishment . . . of foreign-trade 

zones in ports of entry of the United 

States, to expedite and encourage 

foreign commerce, and for other 

purposes,’’ and authorizes the Board to 

grant to qualified corporations the 

privilege of establishing foreign-trade 

zones in or adjacent to U.S. Customs 

and Border Protection ports of entry; 

Whereas, the Board adopted the 

alternative site framework (ASF) (15 

CFR 400.2(c)) as an option for the 

establishment or reorganization of 

zones; 

Whereas, the City of Tampa, grantee 

of Foreign-Trade Zone 79, submitted an 

application to the Board (FTZ Docket B– 

76–2021, docketed November 16, 2021) 

for authority to expand existing magnet 

Site 5 under the ASF to include 

additional acreage, in or adjacent to the 

Tampa U.S. Customs and Border 

Protection port of entry; 

Whereas, notice inviting public 

comment was given in the Federal 

Register (86 FR 66521–66522, 

November 23, 2021) and the application 

has been processed pursuant to the FTZ 

Act and the Board’s regulations; and, 

Whereas, the Board adopts the 

findings and recommendations of the 

examiners’ report, and finds that the 

requirements of the FTZ Act and the 

Board’s regulations are satisfied; 

Now, therefore, the Board hereby 

orders: 

The application to expand FTZ 79 

under the ASF is approved, subject to 

the FTZ Act and the Board’s regulations, 

including Section 400.13, to the Board’s 

standard 2,000-acre activation limit for 

the zone. 

Dated: June 25, 2022. 

Lisa W. Wang, 

Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and 

Compliance, Alternate Chairman, ForeignTrade Zones Board. 

[FR Doc. 2022–14023 Filed 6–29–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–DS–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

International Trade Administration 

[C–570–041] 

Truck and Bus Tires From the People’s 

Republic of China: Final Results of the 

Countervailing Duty Administrative 

Review; 2020 

AGENCY: Enforcement and Compliance, 

International Trade Administration, 

Department of Commerce. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of 

Commerce (Commerce) determines that 

certain exporters/producers of truck and 

bus tires from the People’s Republic of 

China (China) received countervailable 

subsidies during the period of review 

(POR) January 1, 2020, through 

December 31, 2020. Additionally, we 

are rescinding the review for eight 

companies with no shipments of subject 

merchandise to the United States during 

the POR. 

DATES: Applicable June 30, 2022. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Brontee Jeffries or Theodore Pearson, 

AD/CVD Operations, Enforcement and 

Compliance, International Trade 

Administration, U.S. Department of 

Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue 

NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone: 

(202) 482–4656 or (202) 482–2631, 

respectively. 

Background 

Commerce published the Preliminary 

Results of this administrative review on 

March 8, 2022,1 and invited comments 

from interested parties. For a complete 

description of the events that occurred 

since the Preliminary Results, see the 

Issues and Decision Memorandum.2


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