31266 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 111 / Friday, June 11, 2021 / Notices 

1. Allow for any public comments; 

2. Discuss and approve guiding 

documents; 

3. Discuss the project proposal 

process; 

4. Hear project proposal 

presentations; and 

5. Discuss, recommend, and approve 

projects that have been submitted. 

The meetings are open to the public. 

The agendas will include time for 

people to make oral statements of three 

minutes or less. Individuals wishing to 

make an oral statement should request 

in writing by the Tuesday before each of 

the scheduled meetings to be scheduled 

on the agenda for that particular 

meeting. Anyone who would like to 

bring related matters to the attention of 

the committee may file written 

statements with the committee staff 

before or after the meetings. Written 

comments and requests for time for oral 

comments must be sent to Lejon 

Hamann, RAC Coordinator, 3644 Avtech 

Parkway, Redding, California 96002; or 

by email to lejon.hamann@usda.gov. 

Meeting Accommodations: If you are 

a person requiring reasonable 

accommodation, please make requests 

in advance for sign language 

interpreting, assistive listening devices, 

or other reasonable accommodation. For 

access to the facility or proceedings, 

please contact the person listed in the 

section titled FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT. All reasonable 

accommodation requests are managed 

on a case-by-case basis. 

Dated: June 7, 2021. 

Cikena Reid, 

USDA Committee Management Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2021–12260 Filed 6–10–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3411–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Rural Business-Cooperative Service 

[Docket #: RBS–21–CO–OP–0015] 

Inviting Applications for Rural 

Cooperative Development Grants 

AGENCY: Rural Business-Cooperative 

Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of funding availability. 

SUMMARY: This Notice announces that 

the Rural Business-Cooperative Service 

(Agency) is accepting fiscal year (FY) 

2021 applications for the Rural 

Cooperative Development Grant (RCDG) 

program. The program funding level for 

FY 2021 is a total of $5.8 million. The 

purpose of this program is to provide 

financial assistance to improve the 

economic condition of rural areas 

through cooperative development. 

Eligible applicants are non-profit 

corporations and institutions of higher 

education. 

DATES: Completed applications must be 

submitted electronically by no later than 

11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, August 10, 

2021, through Grants.gov, to be eligible 

for grant funding. Please review the 

Grants.gov website at https://

www.grants.gov/web/grants/ 

register.html for instructions on the 

process of registering your organization 

as soon as possible to ensure that you 

are able to meet the electronic 

application deadline. Late applications 

are not eligible for funding under this 

Notice and will not be evaluated. 

ADDRESSES: You are encouraged to 

contact your USDA Rural Development 

State Office well in advance of the 

application deadline to discuss your 

project and ask any questions about the 

RCDG program or the application 

process. Contact information for State 

Offices can be found at http://

www.rd.usda.gov/contact-us/stateoffices. 

Program guidance as well as 

application and matching funds 

templates may be obtained at http://

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

rural-cooperative-development-grantprogram. To submit an electronic 

application, follow the instructions for 

the RCDG funding announcement 

located at http://www.grants.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lisa 

Sharp, Program Management Division, 

Rural Business-Cooperative Service, 

United States Department of 

Agriculture, 1400 Independence Avenue 

SW, Mail Stop-3226, Room 5160-South, 

Washington, DC 20250–3226, (202) 720– 

1400 or email to lisa.sharp@usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Overview 

Federal Agency: Rural BusinessCooperative Service. 

Funding Opportunity Title: Rural 

Cooperative Development Grants. 

Announcement Type: Initial Notice. 

Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance Number: 10.771. 

Date: Application Deadline. 

Electronic applications must be received 

by http://www.grants.gov no later than 

11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, August 10, 

2021, or it will not be considered for 

funding. 

The Application Template provides 

specific, detailed instructions for each 

item of a complete application. The 

Agency emphasizes the importance of 

including every item and strongly 

encourages applicants to follow the 

instructions carefully, using the 

examples and illustrations in the 

Application Template. Prior to official 

submission of applications, applicants 

may request technical assistance or 

other application guidance from the 

Agency, as long as such requests are 

made prior to July 12, 2021. Agency 

contact information can be found in 

Section D of this document. 

Hemp Related Projects: Please note 

that no assistance or funding can be 

provided to a hemp producer unless 

they have a valid license issued from an 

approved State, Tribal or Federal plan 

as defined by the Agriculture 

Improvement Act of 2018, Public Law 

115–334. Verification of valid hemp 

licenses will occur at the time of award. 

Persistent Poverty Counties: Section 

736 of the Consolidated Appropriations 

Act, 2021, designates funding for 

projects in Persistent Poverty counties. 

Persistent Poverty counties as defined in 

Section 736 is ‘‘any county that has had 

20 percent or more of its population 

living in poverty over the past 30 years, 

as measured by the 1990 and 2000 

decennial censuses, and 2007–2011 

American Community Survey 5-year 

average, or any territory or possession of 

the United States.’’ Another provision in 

Section 736 expands the eligible 

population in Persistent Poverty 

counties to include any county seat of 

such a persistent poverty county that 

has a population that does not exceed 

the authorized population limit by more 

than 10 percent. This provision expands 

the current 50,000 population limit to 

55,000 for only county seats located in 

Persistent Poverty counties. Therefore, 

applicants and/or beneficiaries of 

technical assistance services located in 

Persistent Poverty county seats with 

populations up to 55,000 (per the 2010 

census) are eligible. 

COVID–19 Administrative Relief 

Exceptions: The Agency reviewed the 

Office of Budget and Management’s 

(OMB) Memorandum M–20–17 entitled 

‘‘Administrative Relief for Recipients 

and Applicants of Federal Financial 

Assistance Directly Impacted by the 

Novel Coronavirus (COVID–19) due to 

Loss of Operations’’, and OMB 

Memorandum M–20–11, 

‘‘Administrative Relief for Recipients 

and Applicants of Federal Financial 

Assistance Directly Impacted by the 

Novel Coronavirus (COVID–19)’’, and 

has made every attempt to reduce 

administrative burden within our 

authority. Any reduction in burden will 

be discussed within the requirement. 

Paperwork Reduction Act 

In accordance with the Paperwork 

Reduction Act, the paperwork burden 

associated with this Notice has been 


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approved by the Office of Management 

and Budget (OMB) under OMB Control 

Number 0570–0006. 

A. Program Description 

The RCDG program is authorized 

under section 310B(e) of the 

Consolidated Farm and Rural 

Development Act (CONACT) (7 U.S.C. 

1932(e)), as amended by the Agriculture 

Improvement Act of 2018 (Pub. L. 115– 

334). You are required to comply with 

the regulations for this program 

published at 7 CFR part 4284, subparts 

A and F, which are incorporated by 

reference in this Notice. Therefore, you 

should become familiar with these 

regulations. The primary objective of the 

RCDG program is to improve the 

economic condition of rural areas 

through cooperative development. 

Grants are awarded on a competitive 

basis. The maximum award amount per 

grant is $200,000. Grants are available 

for non-profit corporations and 

institutions of higher education only. 

Grant funds may be used to pay for up 

to 75 percent of the cost of establishing 

and operating centers for rural 

cooperative development. Grant funds 

may be used to pay for 95 percent of the 

cost of establishing and operating 

centers for rural cooperative 

development when the applicant is a 

college identified as a ‘‘1994 

Institution’’ for purposes of the Equity 

in Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 

1994, as defined by 7 U.S.C. 301. The 

1994 Institutions are commonly known 

as Tribal Land Grant Institutions. 

Centers may have the expertise on staff, 

or they can contract out for the expertise 

to assist individuals or entities in the 

startup, expansion or operational 

improvement of rural businesses, 

especially cooperative or mutuallyowned businesses. 

Definitions 

Certain terms relating to the RCDG 

program that you will need to 

understand are defined at 7 CFR 4284.3 

and 7 CFR 4284.504. In addition, the 

terms ‘‘rural’’ and ‘‘rural area,’’ defined 

at section 343(a)(13) of the CONACT (7 

U.S.C. 1991(a)(13)), are incorporated by 

reference, and will be used for this 

program instead of the definition of 

‘‘Rural and rural area’’ currently 

published at 7 CFR 4284.3. The term 

‘‘you’’ referenced throughout this Notice 

should be understood to mean ‘‘you’’ 

the applicant. Finally, there has been 

some confusion about the Agency’s 

interpretation of the terms ‘‘conflict of 

interest’’ and ‘‘mutually-owned 

business’’ because they are not defined 

in the CONACT or in the regulations 

used for the program. Therefore, the 

Agency is clarifying those terms for the 

purpose of this program as follows: 

Conflict of interest—A situation in 

which a person or entity has competing 

personal, professional, or financial 

interests that make it difficult for the 

person or business to act impartially. 

Regarding use of both grant and 

matching funds, Federal procurement 

standards prohibit transactions that 

involve a real or apparent conflict of 

interest for owners, employees, officers, 

agents, or their immediate family 

members having a financial or other 

interest in the outcome of the project; or 

that restrict open and free competition 

for unrestrained trade. Specifically, 

project funds may not be used for 

services or goods going to, or coming 

from, a person or entity with a real or 

apparent conflict of interest, including, 

but not limited to, owner(s) and their 

immediate family members. An example 

of a conflict of interest occurs when an 

employee of the grantee, an individual 

on the grantee’s board of directors, or an 

immediate family member of either, has 

the appearance of a professional or 

personal financial interest in the 

recipients receiving the benefits or 

services of the grant. 

Mutually-owned business—An 

organization owned and governed by 

members who are its consumers, 

producers, employees, or suppliers. 

B. Federal Award Information 

Type of Award: Competitive Grant. 

Fiscal Year Funds: FY 2021. 

Total Funding: $5,800,000. 

Maximum Award: $200,000. 

Anticipated Award Date: September 

30, 2021. 

C. Eligibility Information 

Applicants must meet all of the 

following eligibility requirements. 

Applications which fail to meet any of 

these requirements by the application 

deadline will be deemed ineligible and 

will not be evaluated further. 

1. Eligible Applicants 

You must be a nonprofit corporation 

or an institution of higher education to 

apply for this program. Public bodies 

and individuals cannot apply for this 

program. See 7 CFR 4284.507. You must 

also meet the following requirements: 

a. An applicant is ineligible if they 

have been debarred or suspended or 

otherwise excluded from or ineligible 

for participation in Federal assistance 

programs under Executive Order 12549, 

‘‘Debarment and Suspension.’’ The 

Agency will check the System for 

Award Management (SAM) at the time 

of application and also prior to funding 

any grant award to determine if the 

applicant has been debarred or 

suspended. In addition, an applicant 

will be considered ineligible for a grant 

due to an outstanding judgment 

obtained by the U.S. in a Federal Court 

(other than U.S. Tax Court), is 

delinquent on the payment of Federal 

income taxes, or is delinquent on 

Federal debt. See 7 CFR 4284.6. The 

applicant must certify as part of the 

application that they do not have an 

outstanding judgment against them. The 

Agency will check the Do Not Pay 

System at the time of application and 

also prior to funding any grant award to 

verify this information. 

b. Any corporation that has been 

convicted of a felony criminal violation 

under any Federal law within the past 

24 months or that has any unpaid 

Federal tax liability that has been 

assessed, for which all judicial and 

administrative remedies have been 

exhausted or have lapsed, and that is 

not being paid in a timely manner 

pursuant to an agreement with the 

authority responsible for collecting the 

tax liability, is not eligible for financial 

assistance provided with funds 

appropriated by the Consolidated 

Appropriations Act, 2021 (Pub. L. 116– 

260), unless a Federal agency has 

considered suspension or debarment of 

the corporation and has made a 

determination that this further action is 

not necessary to protect the interests of 

the Government. Note: You no longer 

must complete the Form AD 3030, 

‘‘Representation Regarding Felony 

Corporations and Tax Delinquent Status 

for Corporate Applicants’’ as a part of 

your application. This information is 

now collected through your registration 

or annual recertification in SAM.gov via 

the Financial Assistance General 

Certifications and Representations. 

c. Applications will be deemed 

ineligible if the application includes any 

funding restrictions identified under 

Section D.6(a) or (b) of this Notice. The 

inclusion of funding restrictions 

outlined in Section D.6(a) or (b) of this 

Notice precludes the Agency from 

making a federal award to the applicant. 

d. Applications will be deemed 

ineligible if the application is deemed 

incomplete in accordance with the 

requirements stated in Section C.3. 

2. Cost Sharing or Matching 

Your matching funds requirement is 

at least 25 percent of the total project 

cost (5 percent for 1994 Institutions). 

See 7 CFR 4284.508. When you 

calculate your matching funds 

requirement, please round up or down 

to whole dollars as appropriate. An 

example of how to calculate your 

matching funds is as follows: 


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a. Take the amount of grant funds you 

are requesting and divide it by .75. This 

will give you your total project cost. 

Example: $200,000 (grant amount)/.75 

(percentage for use of grant funds) 

= $266,667 (total project cost) 

b. Subtract the amount of grant funds 

you are requesting from your total 

project cost. This will give you your 

matching funds requirement. 

Example: $266,667 (total project cost) ¥ 

$200,000 (grant amount) = $66,667 

(matching funds requirement) 

c. A quick way to double check that 

you have the correct amount of 

matching funds is to take your total 

project cost and multiply it by .25. 

Example: $266,667 (total project cost) × 

.25 (maximum percentage of 

matching funds requirement) = 

$66,667 (matching funds 

requirement) 

You must verify that all matching 

funds are available during the grant 

period and provide this documentation 

with your application in accordance 

with requirements identified in Section 

D.2.e.8. If you are awarded a grant, 

additional verification documentation 

may be required to confirm the 

availability of matching funds. 

Other rules for matching funds that 

you must follow are listed below. 

• They must be spent on eligible 

expenses during the grant period. 

• They must be from eligible sources. 

• They must be spent in advance or 

as a pro-rata portion of grant funds 

being spent. 

• They must be provided by either 

the applicant or a third party in the form 

of cash or an in-kind contribution. 

• They cannot include board/ 

advisory council member’s time. 

• They cannot include other Federal 

grants unless provided by authorizing 

legislation. 

• They cannot include cash or inkind contributions donated outside of 

the grant period. 

• They cannot include over-valued, 

in-kind contributions. 

• They cannot include any project 

costs that are ineligible under the RCDG 

program. 

• They cannot include any project 

costs that are restricted or unallowable 

under 2 CFR part 200, subpart E, and 

the Federal Acquisition Regulation (forprofits) or successor regulation. 

• They can include loan funds from 

a Federal source. 

• They can include travel and 

incidentals for board/advisory council 

members if you have established written 

policies explaining how these costs are 

normally reimbursed, including rates. 

You must include an explanation of this 

policy in your application or the 

contributions will not be considered as 

eligible matching funds. 

• You must be able to document and 

verify the number of hours worked and 

the value associated with any in-kind 

contribution being used to meet a 

matching funds requirement. 

• In-kind contributions provided by 

individuals, businesses, or cooperatives 

which are being assisted by you cannot 

be provided for the direct benefit of 

their own projects as USDA Rural 

Development considers this to be a 

conflict of interest or the appearance of 

a conflict of interest. 

3. Other Eligibility Requirements 

a. Completeness 

Your application will not be 

considered for funding if it fails to meet 

all eligibility criteria by the application 

deadline or does not provide sufficient 

information to determine eligibility and 

scoring. You must include in one 

submission to the Agency all of the 

forms and proposal elements as 

discussed in the program regulation and 

as clarified further in this Notice. 

Incomplete applications will not be 

reviewed by the Agency. For more 

information on what is required for a 

complete application, see 7 CFR 

4284.510. 

b. Purpose Eligibility 

Your application must propose the 

establishment or continuation of a 

cooperative development center 

concept. You must use project funds, 

including grant and matching funds, for 

eligible purposes only (see 7 CFR 

4284.508). In addition, project funds 

may also be used for programs 

providing for the coordination of 

services and sharing of information 

among the centers (see 7 U.S.C 

1932(e)(4)(C)(vi)). 

c. Project Eligibility 

All project activities must be for the 

benefit of a rural area. 

d. Multiple Applications Deemed 

Ineligible 

Only one application can be 

submitted per applicant. If two 

applications are submitted (regardless of 

the applicant name) that include the 

same Executive Director and/or advisory 

boards or committees of an existing 

center, both applications will be 

determined ineligible for funding. 

e. Grant Period 

Your application must include no 

more than a one-year grant period, or it 

will not be considered for funding. The 

grant period should begin no earlier 

than October 1, 2021, and no later than 

January 1, 2022. Applications that 

request funds for a grant period ending 

after January 1, 2023, will not be 

considered for funding. Projects must be 

completed within a one-year timeframe. 

Prior approval is needed from the 

Agency if you are awarded a grant and 

desire the grant period to begin earlier 

or later than previously approved. 

The Agency may approve requests for 

a one-time extension of the grant period 

of up to 12 months at its discretion. 

However, you may not have more than 

one active RCDG during the same grant 

period. Further guidance on grant 

period extensions will be provided in 

the award document. The Agency 

understands that fiscal year 2019 or 

2020 recipients may have had loss of 

operations due to COVID–19 and the 

Agency will work with them in 

accordance with OMB Memorandum 

M–20–17 and 2 CFR 200.308 to 

determine an acceptable grant period if 

they are awarded RCDG funds in fiscal 

year 2021. 

f. Satisfactory Performance 

You must be performing satisfactorily 

on any outstanding RCDG award to be 

considered eligible for a new award. 

Satisfactory performance includes being 

up-to-date on all financial and 

performance reports as prescribed in the 

grant award, and current on all tasks 

and timeframes for utilizing grant and 

matching funds as approved in the work 

plan and budget. If you have any 

unspent grant funds on RCDG awards 

prior to fiscal year 2019, your 

application will not be considered for 

funding. If your prior award(s) has 

unspent funds of 50 percent or more 

than what your approved work plan and 

budget projected at the time that your 

fiscal year 2021 application is being 

evaluated, your application will not be 

considered for funding. The Agency will 

verify the performance status of the 

applicant’s prior awards and make a 

determination after the FY 2021 

application period closes. 

g. Duplication of Current Services 

Your application must demonstrate 

that you are providing services to new 

customers or new services to current 

customers. If your work plan and budget 

is duplicative of your existing award, 

your application will not be considered 

for funding. If your workplan and 

budget is duplicative of a previous or 

existing RCDG and/or Socially 

Disadvantaged Groups Grant (SDGG) 

award, your application will not be 

considered for funding. The Agency will 

make this determination in its sole 


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discretion. Please note that the Agency 

only allows one active award to a 

grantee to ensure that there is no 

duplication of services. The Agency will 

work with FY 2019 and FY 2020 

recipients who requested an extension 

of their award due to COVID–19 loss of 

operations to determine an acceptable 

grant period if they are awarded grant 

funds in fiscal year 2021 in accordance 

with OMB Memorandum M–20–17 and 

2 CFR 200.343. Thus, requesting an 

extension on a previous award is not 

cause for deeming a FY 2021 

application ineligible. 

h. Indirect Costs 

Your negotiated indirect cost rate 

approval does not need to be included 

in your application, but you will be 

required to provide it if a grant is 

awarded. Approval for indirect costs 

that are requested in an application 

without an approved indirect cost rate 

agreement is at the discretion of the 

Agency. 

D. Application and Submission 

Information 

1. Address To Request Application 

Package 

For further information, you should 

contact your State Office at http://

www.rd.usda.gov/contact-us/stateoffices. Program materials may also be 

obtained at http://www.rd.usda.gov/ 

programs-services/rural-cooperativedevelopment-grant-program. 

2. Content and Form of Application 

Submission 

You must submit your application 

electronically through Grants.gov. You 

are encouraged, but not required to 

utilize the application template found at 

http://www.rd.usda.gov/programsservices/rural-cooperative-developmentgrant-program. 

a. Electronic Submission 

An optional-use Agency application 

template is available online at http://

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

rural-cooperative-development-grantprogram. To apply electronically, you 

must use the Grants.gov website at 

http://www.Grants.gov. You may not 

apply electronically in any way other 

than through Grants.gov. 

You can locate the Grants.gov 

downloadable application package for 

this program by using a keyword, the 

program name, or the Catalog of Federal 

Domestic Assistance Number for this 

program. 

When you enter the Grants.gov 

website, you will find information about 

applying electronically through the site, 

as well as the hours of operation if the 

system is undergoing maintenance. 

To use Grants.gov, you must already 

have a DUNS number and you must also 

be registered and maintain registration 

in SAM. We strongly recommend that 

you do not wait until the application 

deadline date to begin the application 

process through Grants.gov. 

You must submit all your application 

documents electronically through 

Grants.gov. Applications must include 

electronic signatures. Original 

signatures may be required if funds are 

awarded. 

After electronically applying through 

Grants.gov, you will receive an 

automatic acknowledgement from 

Grants.gov that contains a Grants.gov 

tracking number. 

b. Supplemental Information 

Your application must contain all the 

required forms and proposal elements 

described in 7 CFR 4284.510 and as 

otherwise described in this Notice. 

Specifically, your application must 

include: The required forms as 

described in 7 CFR 4284.510(b) and the 

required proposal elements as described 

in 7 CFR 4284.510(c). If your 

application is incomplete, it is ineligible 

to compete for funds. Applications 

lacking sufficient information to 

determine eligibility and scoring will be 

considered ineligible. Information 

submitted after the application deadline 

will not be accepted. 

c. Clarifications on Forms 

• Your DUNS number should be 

identified in the ‘‘Organizational 

DUNS’’ field on Standard Form (SF) 

424, ‘‘Application for Federal 

Assistance.’’ You must also provide 

your SAM Commercial and Government 

Entity (CAGE) Code and expiration date 

under the applicant eligibility 

discussion in your proposal narrative. If 

you do not include the CAGE code and 

expiration date and the DUNS number 

in your application, it will not be 

considered for funding. In accordance 

with OMB Memorandum M–20–17, the 

Agency can accept an application 

without an active SAM registration. 

However, the registration must be 

completed before an award is made. 

Current registrants in SAM with active 

registrations expiring before July 31, 

2021 will be afforded a one-time 

extension of 60 days. 

• You no longer must complete the 

Form SF 424B, ‘‘Assurances—NonConstruction Programs’’ as a part of 

your application. This information is 

now collected through your registration 

or annual recertification in SAM.gov 

through the Financial Assistance 

General Certifications and 

Representation. 

• You can voluntarily fill out and 

submit the ‘‘Survey on Ensuring Equal 

Opportunity for Applicants,’’ as part of 

your application if you are a nonprofit 

organization. 

d. Clarifications on Proposal Elements 

1. You must include the title of the 

project as well as any other relevant 

identifying information on the Title 

Page. 

2. You must include a Table of 

Contents with page numbers for each 

component of the application to 

facilitate review. 

3. Your Executive Summary must 

include the items in 7 CFR 

4284.510(c)(3) and discuss the 

percentage of work that will be 

performed among organizational staff, 

consultants, or other contractors. It 

should not exceed two pages. 

4. Your Eligibility Discussion must 

cover how you meet the applicant 

eligibility requirements, matching 

funds, and other eligibility 

requirements. It must not exceed two 

pages. 

5. Your Proposal Narrative must not 

exceed 40 pages using at least 11-point 

font and should describe the essential 

aspects of the project. 

i. You are required to only have one 

title page for the proposal. 

ii. If you list the evaluation criteria on 

the Table of Contents and then 

specifically and individually address 

each criterion in narrative form, it is not 

necessary for you to include an 

Information Sheet. Otherwise, the 

Information Sheet is required under 7 

CFR 4284.510(c)(5)(ii). 

iii. You must include the following 

under Goals of the Project: 

A. A statement that substantiates that 

the Center will effectively serve rural 

areas in the United States; 

B. A statement that the primary 

objective of the Center will be to 

improve the economic condition of rural 

areas through cooperative development; 

C. A description of the contributions 

that the proposed activities are likely to 

make to the improvement of the 

economic conditions of the rural areas 

for which the Center will provide 

services. Expected economic impacts 

should be tied to tasks included in the 

work plan and budget; and 

D. A statement that the Center, in 

carrying out its activities, will seek, 

where appropriate, the advice, 

participation, expertise, and assistance 

of representatives of business, industry, 

educational institutions, the Federal 

government, and State and local 

governments. 


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iv. The Agency has established annual 

performance evaluation measures to 

evaluate the RCDG program. You must 

provide estimates on the following 

performance evaluation measures: 

• Number of groups assisted who are 

not legal entities. 

• Number of businesses assisted that 

are not cooperatives. 

• Number of cooperatives assisted. 

• Number of businesses incorporated 

that are not cooperatives. 

• Number of cooperatives 

incorporated. 

• Total number of jobs created as a 

result of assistance. 

• Total number of jobs saved as a 

result of assistance. 

• Number of jobs created for the 

Center as a result of RCDG funding. 

• Number of jobs saved for the Center 

as a result of RCDG funding. 

It is permissible to have a zero in a 

performance element. When you 

calculate jobs created, estimates should 

be based upon actual jobs to be created 

by your organization because of the 

RCDG funding or actual jobs to be 

created by cooperative businesses or 

other businesses as a result of assistance 

from your organization. When you 

calculate jobs saved, estimates should 

be based only on actual jobs that would 

have been lost if your organization did 

not receive RCDG funding or actual jobs 

that would have been lost without 

assistance from your organization. 

v. You can also suggest additional 

performance elements, for example, 

where job creation or jobs saved may 

not be a relevant indicator (e.g., 

housing). These additional criteria 

should be specific, measurable 

performance elements that could be 

included in an award document. 

vi. You must describe in the 

application how you will undertake 

each of the following and prefer that 

you describe these undertakings within 

the noted proposal evaluation criteria to 

reduce duplication in your application. 

The specific proposal evaluation 

criterion where you should address each 

undertaking is noted below. 

A. Take all practicable steps to 

develop continuing sources of financial 

support for the Center, particularly from 

sources in the private sector (should be 

presented under proposal evaluation 

criterion j., utilizing the specific 

requirements of Section E.1.j.); 

B. Make arrangements for the Center’s 

activities to be monitored and evaluated 

(should be addressed under proposal 

evaluation criterion ‘ h.’ utilizing the 

specific requirements of Section E.1.h.); 

and 

C. Provide an accounting for the 

money received by the grantee in 

accordance with 7 CFR part 4284, 

subpart F and 2 CFR part 200. This 

should be addressed under proposal 

evaluation criterion ‘ a.’, utilizing the 

specific requirements of Section E.1.a. 

vii. You should present the Work Plan 

and Budget proposal element under 

proposal evaluation criterion ‘ h.’, 

utilizing the specific requirements of 

Section E.1.h. of this Notice to reduce 

duplication in your application. 

viii. You should present the Delivery 

of Cooperative development assistance 

proposal element under proposal 

evaluation criterion ‘ b’, utilizing the 

specific requirements of Section E.1.b. 

of this Notice. 

ix. You should present the 

Qualifications of Personnel proposal 

element under proposal evaluation 

criterion ’ ’’, utilizing the specific 

requirements of Section E.1.i. of this 

Notice. 

x. You should present the Local 

Support and Future Support proposal 

elements under proposal evaluation 

criterion ‘ j ’, utilizing the requirements 

of Section E.1.j. of this Notice. 

xi. Your application will not be 

considered for funding if you do not 

address all of the proposal evaluation 

criteria. See Section E.1. of this Notice 

for a description of the proposal 

evaluation criteria. 

xii. Only appendices A–C will be 

considered when evaluating your 

application. You must not include 

resumes of staff or consultants in the 

application. 

6. You must certify that there are no 

current outstanding Federal judgments 

against your property and that you will 

not use grant funds to pay for any 

judgment obtained by the United States. 

To satisfy the certification requirement, 

you should include this statement in 

your application: ‘‘[INSERT NAME OF 

APPLICANT] certifies that the United 

States has not obtained an unsatisfied 

judgment against its property, is not 

delinquent on the payment of Federal 

income taxes, or any Federal debt, and 

will not use grant funds to pay any 

judgments obtained by the United 

States.’’ A separate signature relating to 

this certification is not required. 

7. You must certify that matching 

funds will be available at the same time 

grant funds are anticipated to be spent 

and that expenditures of matching funds 

are pro-rated or spent in advance of 

grant funding, such that for every dollar 

of the total project cost, not less than the 

required amount of matching funds will 

be expended. Please note that this 

certification is a separate requirement 

from the Verification of Matching Funds 

requirement. To satisfy the certification 

requirement, you should include this 

statement in your application: ‘‘[INSERT 

NAME OF APPLICANT] certifies that 

matching funds will be available at the 

same time grant funds are anticipated to 

be spent and that expenditures of 

matching funds shall be pro-rated or 

spent in advance of grant funding, such 

that for every dollar of the total project 

cost, at least 25 cents (5 cents for 1994 

Institutions) of matching funds will be 

expended.’’ A separate signature 

relating to this certification is not 

required. 

8. You must provide documentation 

in your application to verify all of your 

proposed matching funds. The 

documentation must be included in 

Appendix A of your application and 

will not count towards the 40-page 

limitation. Template letters are available 

for each type of matching funds 

contribution at: http://www.rd.usda.gov/ 

programs-services/rural-cooperativedevelopment-grant-program. 

a. If matching funds are to be 

provided in cash, the following 

requirements must be met: 

• If the matching funds are being 

provided by the applicant, the 

application must include a statement 

verifying (1) the amount of the cash and 

(2) the source of the cash. You may also 

provide a bank statement dated 30 days 

or less from the application deadline 

date to verify your cash match. 

• If the matching funds are being 

provided by a third-party, the 

application must include a signed letter 

from the third party verifying (1) how 

much cash will be donated and (2) that 

it will be available corresponding to the 

proposed grant period or donated on a 

specific date within the grant period. 

b. If matching funds are to be 

provided by an in-kind donation, you 

must meet the following requirements: 

• If the in-kind donation is being 

provided by the applicant, the 

application must include a signed letter 

from you or your authorized 

representative verifying (1) the nature of 

the goods and/or services to be donated 

and how they will be used, (2) when the 

goods and/or services will be donated 

(i.e., corresponding to the proposed 

grant period or to specific dates within 

the grant period), and (3) the value of 

the goods and/or services. Please note 

that most applicant contributions for the 

RCDG program are considered applicant 

cash match in accordance with this 

Notice. If you are unsure, please contact 

your State Office because identifying 

your matching funds improperly can 

affect your scoring. 

• If the in-kind donation is being 

provided by a third-Party, the 

application must include a signed letter 

from the third party verifying (1) the 


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nature of the goods and/or services to be 

donated and how they will be used, (2) 

when the goods and/or services will be 

donated (i.e., corresponding to the 

proposed grant period or to specific 

dates within the grant period), and (3) 

the value of the goods and/or services. 

To ensure that you are identifying and 

verifying your matching funds 

appropriately, please note the following: 

• If you are paying for goods and/or 

services as part of the matching funds 

requirement, the expenditure is 

considered a cash match, and you must 

verify it as such. Universities must 

verify the goods and services they are 

providing to the project as a cash match 

and the verification must be approved 

by the appropriate approval official (i.e., 

sponsored programs office or 

equivalent). 

• If you have already received cash 

from a third-party (e.g., a foundation) 

before the start of your proposed grant 

period, you must verify this as your own 

cash match and not as a third-party cash 

match. If you are receiving cash from a 

third-party during the grant period, then 

you must verify the cash as a third-party 

cash match. 

• Board resolutions for a cash match 

must be approved at the time of 

application. 

• You can only consider goods or 

services for which no expenditure is 

made as an in-kind contribution. 

• If a non-profit or another 

organization contributes the services of 

affiliated volunteers, they must follow 

the third-party, in-kind donation 

verification requirement for each 

individual volunteer. 

• Expected program income may not 

be used to fulfill your matching funds 

requirement at the time you submit your 

application. However, if you have a 

contract to provide services in place at 

the time you submit your application, 

you can verify the amount of the 

contract as a cash match. 

• The valuation processes used for inkind contributions does not need to be 

included in your application, but you 

must be able to demonstrate how the 

valuation was derived if you are 

awarded a grant. The grant award may 

be withdrawn, or the amount of the 

grant reduced if you cannot demonstrate 

how the valuation was derived. 

Successful applicants must comply 

with requirements identified in Section 

F, Federal Award Administration 

Information. 

3. Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal 

Numbering System (DUNS) and System 

for Awards Management (SAM) 

To be eligible (unless you are 

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

(d)), you are required to: 

(a) Provide a valid DUNS number in 

your application, which can be obtained 

at no cost via a toll-free request line at 

(866) 705–5711; 

(b) Register in SAM before submitting 

your application. You may register in 

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

SAM/. You must provide your SAM 

CAGE Code and expiration date in the 

application materials. When registering 

in SAM, you must indicate you are 

applying for a Federal financial 

assistance project or program or are 

currently the recipient of funding under 

any Federal financial assistance project 

or program, and 

(c) The SAM registration must remain 

active with current information at all 

times while RBCS is considering an 

application or while a Federal grant 

award or loan is active. To maintain the 

registration in the SAM database the 

applicant must review and update the 

information in the SAM database 

annually from date of initial registration 

or from the date of the last update. The 

applicant must ensure that the 

information in the database is current, 

accurate, and complete. Applicants 

must ensure they complete the 

Financial Assistance General 

Certifications and Representations in 

SAM. 

If you have not fully complied with 

all applicable DUNS and SAM 

requirements, the Agency may 

determine that the applicant is not 

qualified to receive a Federal award and 

the Agency may use that determination 

as a basis for making an award to 

another applicant. In accordance with 

OMB Memorandum M–20–17, the 

Agency can accept an application 

without an active SAM registration. 

However, the registration must be 

completed before an award is made. 

Current registrants in SAM with active 

registrations expiring before July 31, 

2021, will be afforded a one-time 

extension of 60 days. Please refer to 

Section F.2. for additional submission 

requirements that apply to grantees 

selected for this program. 

4. Submission Date and Time 

Explanation of Deadline: Completed 

applications must be submitted 

electronically by no later than 11:59 

p.m. Eastern Time, August 10, 2021, 

through Grants.gov, to be eligible for 

grant funding. Please review the 

Grants.gov website at https://

www.grants.gov/web/grants/ 

register.html for instructions on the 

process of registering your organization 

as soon as possible to ensure that you 

can meet the electronic application 

deadline. Grants.gov will not accept 

applications submitted after the 

deadline. 

The Agency will not solicit or 

consider new scoring or eligibility 

information that is submitted after the 

application deadline. The Agency 

reserves the right to contact applicants 

to seek clarification on materials 

contained in the submitted application. 

See the Application Template for a full 

discussion of each item. For 

requirements of completed grant 

applications, refer to Section D of this 

document. 

5. Intergovernmental Review of 

Applications 

Executive Order (E.O.) 12372, 

‘‘Intergovernmental Review of Federal 

Programs,’’ applies to this program. This 

E.O. requires that Federal agencies 

provide opportunities for consultation 

on proposed assistance with State and 

local governments. Many States have 

established a Single Point of Contact 

(SPOC) to facilitate this consultation. 

For a list of States that maintain a SPOC, 

please see the White House website: 

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

20.pdf. If your State has a designated 

point of contact (SPOC), you may 

submit a copy of the application directly 

to the SPOC for review. Any comments 

obtained through the SPOC must be 

provided to your State Office for 

consideration as part of your 

application. If your State has not 

established a SPOC, or if you do not 

want to submit a copy of the application 

to the SPOC for a review, our State 

Offices will submit your application to 

the SPOC or other appropriate agency or 

agencies. 

6. Funding Restrictions 

a. Project funds, including grant and 

matching funds, cannot be used for 

ineligible grant purposes (see 7 CFR 

4284.10). Also, you shall not use project 

funds for the following: 

• To purchase, rent, or install 

laboratory equipment or processing 

machinery; 

• To pay for the operating costs of 

any entity receiving assistance from the 

Center; 

• To pay costs of the project where a 

conflict of interest exists; 

• To fund any activities prohibited by 

2 CFR part 200; or 

• To fund any activities considered 

unallowable by 2 CFR part 200, subpart 


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E, ‘‘Cost Principles,’’ and the Federal 

Acquisition Regulation (for-profits) or 

successor regulations. 

b. In addition, your application will 

not be considered for funding if it does 

any of the following: 

• Focuses assistance on only one 

cooperative or mutually-owned 

business; 

• Requests more than the maximum 

grant amount; or 

• Proposes ineligible costs that equal 

more than 10 percent of total project 

costs. The ineligible costs will NOT be 

removed at this stage to proceed with 

application processing. For purposes of 

this determination, the grant amount 

requested plus the matching funds 

amount constitutes the total project 

costs. 

We will consider your application for 

funding if it includes ineligible costs of 

10 percent or less of total project costs, 

if the remaining costs are determined 

eligible otherwise. However, if your 

application is successful, those 

ineligible costs must be removed and 

replaced with eligible costs before the 

Agency will make the grant award, or 

the amount of the grant award will be 

reduced accordingly. If we cannot 

determine the percentage of ineligible 

costs, your application will not be 

considered for funding. 

7. Other Submission Requirements 

a. You should not submit your 

application in more than one format. 

You must submit your application 

electronically. Note that we cannot 

accept applications through mail or 

courier delivery, in-person delivery, 

email, or fax. To submit an application 

electronically, you must follow the 

instruction for this funding 

announcement at http://

www.grants.gov. 

b. National Environmental Policy Act: 

All recipients under this Notice are 

subject to the requirements of 7 CFR 

part 1970. However, technical assistance 

awards under this Notice are classified 

as a Categorical Exclusion according to 

7 CFR 1970.53(b), and usually do not 

require any additional documentation. 

The Agency will review each grant 

application to determine its compliance 

with 7 CFR part 1970. The applicant 

may be asked to provide additional 

information or documentation to assist 

the Agency with this determination. 

c. Civil Rights Compliance 

Requirements: All grants made under 

this Notice are subject to Title VI of the 

Civil Rights Act of 1964 as required by 

USDA (7 CFR part 15, subpart A) and 

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 

1973. 

E. Application Review Information 

The State Offices will review 

applications to determine if they are 

eligible for assistance based on 

requirements in 7 CFR part 4284, 

subparts A and F, this Notice, and other 

applicable Federal regulations. If 

determined eligible, your application 

will be scored by a panel of USDA 

employees in accordance with the point 

allocation specified in this Notice. 

Applications will be funded in rank 

order until the funding limitation has 

been reached. Applications that cannot 

be fully funded may be offered partial 

funding at the Agency’s discretion. 

1. Scoring Criteria 

Scoring criteria will follow statutory 

criteria in 7 U.S.C. 1932(e) and the 

criteria published in the program 

regulations at 7 CFR 4284.513 as 

described below. You should also 

include information as described in 

Section D.2.e.5.vi. if you choose to 

address these items under the scoring 

criteria. Evaluators will base scores only 

on the information provided or crossreferenced by page number in each 

individual evaluation criterion. The 

maximum amount of points available is 

110. Newly established or proposed 

Centers that do not yet have a track 

record on which to evaluate the 

following criteria should refer to the 

expertise and track records of staff or 

consultants expected to perform tasks 

related to the respective criteria. 

Proposed or newly established Centers 

must be organized well-enough at the 

time of application to address its 

capabilities for meeting these criteria. 

a. Administrative capabilities 

(maximum score of 10 points). A panel 

of USDA employees will evaluate your 

demonstrated track record in carrying 

out activities in support of development 

assistance to cooperatively and 

mutually owned businesses. At a 

minimum, you must discuss the 

following administrative capabilities: 

1. Financial systems and audit 

controls; 

2. Personnel and program 

administration performance measures; 

3. Clear written rules of governance; 

and 

4. Experience administering Federal 

grant funding no later than the last 5 

years, including but not limited to past 

RCDG awards. Please list the name of 

the Federal grant program(s), the 

amount(s), and the date(s) of funding 

received. 

You will score higher on this criterion 

if you can demonstrate that the Center 

has independent governance. For 

applicants that are universities or parent 

organizations, you should demonstrate 

that there is a separate board of directors 

for the Center. 

b. Technical assistance and other 

services (maximum score of 10 points). 

A panel of USDA employees will 

evaluate your demonstrated expertise no 

later than the last 5 years in providing 

technical assistance and accomplishing 

effective outcomes in rural areas to 

promote and assist the development of 

cooperatively and mutually owned 

businesses. At a minimum, you must 

discuss: 

1. Your potential for delivering 

effective technical assistance; 

2. The types of assistance provided; 

3. The expected effects of that 

assistance; 

4. The sustainability of organizations 

receiving the assistance; and 

5. The transferability of your 

cooperative development strategies and 

focus to other areas of the United States. 

A chart or table showing the outcomes 

of your demonstrated expertise based 

upon the performance elements listed in 

Section D.2.e.5.iv. or as identified in 

your award document on previous 

RCDG awards is recommended. At a 

minimum, please provide information 

for FY 2017 to FY 2019 awards. You 

may also include any performance 

outcomes from an FY 2020 RCDG 

award. We prefer that you provide one 

chart or table for each award year. The 

intention here is for you to provide 

actual performance numbers based upon 

award years (fiscal year) even though 

your grant period for the award was 

implemented during the next calendar 

or fiscal year. Please provide a narrative 

explanation if you have not previously 

received an RCDG award. 

You will score higher on this criterion 

if you provide more than 3 years of 

outcomes and can demonstrate that the 

organizations you assisted within the 

last 5 years are sustainable. Additional 

outcome information should be 

provided on RCDG grants awarded 

before FY 2017. Please describe specific 

project(s) when addressing items 1–5 of 

paragraph b. To reduce duplication, 

descriptions of specific projects and 

their impacts, outcomes and roles can 

be discussed once under criterion b or 

c. However, you must cross-reference 

the information under the other 

criterion. 

c. Economic development (maximum 

score of 10 points). A panel of USDA 

employees will evaluate your 

demonstrated ability to facilitate: 

1. Establishment of cooperatives or 

mutually owned businesses; 

2. New cooperative approaches (i.e., 

organizing cooperatives among 

underserved individuals or 


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communities; an innovative market 

approach; a type of cooperative 

currently not in your service area; a new 

cooperative structure; novel ways to 

raise member equity or community 

capitalization; conversion of an existing 

business to cooperative ownership); and 

3. Retention of businesses, generation 

of employment opportunities or other 

factors, as applicable, that will 

otherwise improve the economic 

conditions of rural areas. 

You will score higher on this criterion 

if you provide quantifiable economic 

measurements showing the impacts of 

your past development projects no later 

than the last 5 years and identify your 

role in the economic development 

outcomes. 

d. Past performance in establishing 

legal business entities (maximum score 

of 10 points). A panel of USDA 

employees will evaluate your 

demonstrated past performance in 

establishing legal cooperative business 

entities and other legal business entities 

since October 1, 2016. Provide the name 

of the organization(s) established, the 

date(s) of formation, and your role(s) in 

assisting with the incorporation(s) 

under this criterion. In addition, 

documentation verifying the 

establishment of legal business entities 

must be included in Appendix C of your 

application and will not count against 

the 40-page limit for the narrative. The 

documentation must include proof that 

organizational documents were filed 

with the Secretary of State’s Office (i.e., 

Certificate of Incorporation or 

information from the State’s official 

website naming the entity established 

and the date of establishment); or if the 

business entity is not required to 

register with the Secretary of State, a 

certification from the business entity 

that a legal business entity has been 

established and when. Please note that 

you are not required to submit articles 

of incorporation to receive points under 

this criterion. You will score higher on 

this criterion if you have established 

legal cooperative businesses. If your 

State does not incorporate cooperative 

business entities, please describe how 

the established business entity operates 

like a cooperative. Due to extenuating 

circumstances of COVID–19, the Agency 

will utilize information in the narrative 

to score this criterion. Documentation to 

verify past performance in establishing 

legal entities will be required before an 

award is made. 

e. Networking and regional focus 

(maximum score of 10 points). A panel 

of USDA employees will evaluate your 

demonstrated commitment to: 

1. Networking with other cooperative 

development centers, and other 

organizations involved in rural 

economic development efforts, and 

2. Developing multi-organization and 

multi-State approaches to addressing 

the economic development and 

cooperative needs of rural areas. 

You will score higher on this criterion 

if you can demonstrate the outcomes of 

your multi-organizational and multiState approaches. Please describe the 

project(s), partners and the outcome(s) 

that resulted from the approach. 

f. Commitment (maximum score of 10 

points). A panel of USDA employees 

will evaluate your commitment to 

providing technical assistance and other 

services to underserved and 

economically distressed areas in rural 

areas of the United States. You will 

score higher on this criterion if you 

define and describe the underserved 

and economically distressed areas 

within your service area, provide 

economic statistics, and identify past or 

current projects within or affecting these 

areas, as appropriate. Projects identified 

in the work plan and budget that are 

located in persistent poverty counties as 

defined in Section 736 of the 

Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, 

will score even higher on this criterion. 

g. Matching Funds (maximum score of 

10 points). A panel of USDA employees 

will evaluate your commitment for the 

25 percent (5 percent for 1994 

Institutions) matching funds 

requirement. A chart or table should be 

provided to describe all matching funds 

being committed to the project. 

However, formal documentation to 

verify all the matching funds must be 

included in Appendix A of your 

application. You will be scored on the 

total amount and how you identify your 

matching funds. 

1. If you meet the 25 percent (5 

percent for 1994 Institutions) matching 

funds requirement, points will be 

assigned as follows: 

• In-kind only—1 point; 

• Mix of in-kind and cash—3–4 

points (maximum points will be 

awarded if the ratio of cash to in-kind 

is 30 percent or more); or 

• Cash only—5 points. 

2. If you exceed the 25 percent (5 

percent for 1994 Institutions) matching 

funds requirement, points will be 

assigned as follows: 

• In-kind only—2 points; 

• Mix of in-kind and cash—6–7 

points (maximum points will be 

awarded if the ratio of cash to in-kind 

is 30 percent or more); or 

• Cash only—up to 10 points. 

h. Work Plan/Budget (maximum score 

of 10 points). A panel of USDA 

employees will evaluate your work plan 

for detailed actions and an 

accompanying timetable for 

implementing the proposal. The budget 

must present a breakdown of the 

estimated costs associated with 

cooperative and business development 

activities as well as the operation of the 

Center and allocate these costs to each 

of the tasks to be undertaken. Matching 

funds as well as grant funds must be 

accounted for in the budget. 

You must discuss at a minimum: 

1. Specific tasks (whether it be by 

type of service or specific project) to be 

completed using grant and matching 

funds; 

2. How customers will be identified; 

3. Key personnel; and 

4. The evaluation methods to be used 

to determine the success of specific 

tasks and overall objectives of Center 

operations. Please provide qualitative 

methods of evaluation. For example, 

evaluation methods should go beyond 

quantitative measurements of 

completing surveys or number of 

evaluations. 

You will score higher on this criterion 

if you present a clear, logical, realistic, 

and efficient work plan and budget. 

i. Qualifications of those Performing 

the Tasks (maximum score of 10 points). 

A panel of USDA employees will 

evaluate your application to determine 

if the personnel expected to perform key 

tasks have experience: 

1. Developing positive solutions for 

complex cooperative development and/ 

or marketing problems; and 

2. Conducting accurate feasibility 

studies, business plans, marketing 

analysis, or other activities relevant to 

your success as determined by the tasks 

identified in the work plan. 

Your application must indicate 

whether the personnel expected to 

perform the tasks are full/part-time 

employees of your organization or are 

contract personnel. You will score 

higher on this criterion if you 

demonstrate commitment and 

availability of qualified personnel 

expected to perform the tasks. 

j. Local and Future Support 

(maximum score of 10 points). A panel 

of USDA employees will evaluate your 

application for local and future support. 

Support should be discussed directly 

within the response to this criterion. 

1. Discussion of local support should 

include previous and/or expected local 

support and plans for coordinating with 

other developmental organizations in 

the proposed service area or with state 

and local government institutions. You 

will score higher if you demonstrate 

strong support from potential 

beneficiaries and formal evidence of 

intent to coordinate with other 

developmental organizations. You may 


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also submit a maximum of 10 letters of 

support or intent to coordinate with the 

application to verify your discussion. 

These letters should be included in 

Appendix B of your application and 

will not count against the 40-page limit 

for the narrative. Due to the extenuating 

circumstances of COVID–19, the Agency 

will utilize information in the narrative 

to score this criterion. Documentation to 

verify local support will be required 

before an award is made. 

2. Discussion on future support will 

include your vision for funding 

operations in future years. You should 

document: 

(i) New and existing funding sources 

that support your goals; 

(ii) Alternative funding sources that 

reduce reliance on Federal, State, and 

local grants; and 

(iii) The use of in-house personnel for 

providing services versus contracting 

out for that expertise. Please discuss 

your strategy for building in-house 

technical assistance capacity. 

You will score higher if you can 

demonstrate that your future support 

will result in long-term sustainability of 

the Center, including the use and 

building of in-house personnel for 

providing services. 

k. Administrator Discretionary Points 

(maximum of 10 points). The 

Administrator may choose to award up 

to 10 points to an eligible non-profit 

corporation or institution of higher 

education that has never previously 

been awarded an RCDG grant. 

2. Review and Selection Process 

The State Offices will review 

applications to determine if they are 

eligible for assistance based on 

requirements in 7 CFR part 4284, 

subparts A and F, this Notice, and other 

applicable Federal regulations. If 

determined eligible, your application 

will be scored by a panel of USDA 

employees in accordance with the point 

allocation specified in this Notice. The 

Administrator may choose to award up 

to 10 Administrator priority points 

based on criterion (k) in section E.1. of 

this Notice. These points will be added 

to the cumulative score for a total 

possible score of 110. Applications will 

be funded in highest ranking order until 

the appropriations funding limitation 

for the RCDG program has been reached. 

Applications that cannot be fully 

funded may be offered partial funding at 

the Agency’s discretion. If your 

application is evaluated, but not funded, 

it will not be carried forward into the 

competition for any subsequent fiscal 

year program funding. Successful 

applicants must comply with 

requirements identified in Section F, 

Federal Award Administration 

Information. 

F. Federal Award Administration 

Information 

1. Federal Award Notices 

If you are selected for funding, you 

will receive a signed notice of Federal 

award by postal or electronic mail from 

the State Office where your application 

was submitted, containing instructions 

and requirements necessary to proceed 

with execution and performance of the 

award. You must comply with all 

applicable statutes, regulations, and 

notice requirements before the grant 

award will be funded. 

If you are not selected for funding, 

you will be notified in writing via postal 

or electronic mail and informed of any 

review and appeal rights. See 7 CFR part 

11 for USDA National Appeals Division 

(NAD) procedures. Note that rejected 

applicants that are successful in their 

NAD appeals will not receive funding in 

the event that all FY 2021 RCDG 

program funding has already been 

awarded and obligated to other 

applicants. 

2. Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements 

Additional requirements that apply to 

grantees selected for this program can be 

found in 7 CFR part 4284, subpart F; the 

Grants and Agreements regulations of 

the Department of Agriculture codified 

in 2 CFR parts 180, 200, 400, 415, 417, 

418, 421; 2 CFR parts 25 and 170; and 

48 CFR part 31 (subpart 31.2), and 

successor regulations to these parts. 

In addition, all recipients of Federal 

financial assistance are required to 

report information about first-tier 

subawards and executive compensation 

(see 2 CFR part 170). You will be 

required to have the necessary processes 

and systems in place to comply with the 

Federal Funding Accountability and 

Transparency Act of 2006 (Pub. L. 109– 

282) reporting requirements (see 2 CFR 

170.200(b), unless you are exempt under 

2 CFR 170.110(b)). 

The following additional 

requirements apply to grantees selected 

for awards within this program: 

a. Execution of an Agency-approved 

Grant Agreement; 

b. Acceptance of a written Letter of 

Conditions; and submission of the 

following Agency forms: 

• Form RD 1940–1, ‘‘Request for 

Obligation of Funds.’’ 

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

to Meet Conditions.’’ 

• SF LLL, ‘‘Disclosure of Lobbying 

Activities,’’ if applicable. 

3. Reporting 

After grant approval and through 

grant completion, you will be required 

to provide an SF–425, ‘‘Federal 

Financial Report,’’ and a project 

performance report on a semiannual 

basis (due 30 working days after end of 

the semiannual period). The project 

performance reports shall include the 

following: 

a. A comparison of actual 

accomplishments to the objectives 

established for that period; 

b. Reasons why established objectives 

were not met, if applicable; 

c. Reasons for any problems, delays, 

or adverse conditions, if any, which 

have affected or will affect attainment of 

overall project objectives, prevent 

meeting time schedules or objectives, or 

preclude the attainment of particular 

objectives during established time 

periods. This disclosure shall be 

accompanied by a statement of the 

action taken or planned to resolve the 

situation; and 

d. Objectives and timetable 

established for the next reporting 

period. 

The grantee must provide a final 

project and financial status report 

within 90 days after the expiration or 

termination of the grant with a summary 

of the project performance reports and 

final deliverables to closeout a grant in 

accordance to 2 CFR 200.344. 

G. Agency Contacts 

If you have questions about this 

Notice, please contact the appropriate 

State Office at http://www.rd.usda.gov/ 

contact-us/state-offices. Program 

guidance as well as application and 

matching funds templates may be 

obtained at http://www.rd.usda.gov/ 

programs-services/rural-cooperativedevelopment-grant-program. You may 

also contact National Office Program 

Management Division: RCDG Program 

Lead, cpgrants@wdc.usda.gov, or call 

the main line at 202–720–1400. 

Applicants must follow the instructions 

for the RCDG funding announcement 

located at http://www.grants.gov. 

H. 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, and employees, and 

institutions participating in or 

administering USDA programs are 

prohibited from discriminating based on 

race, color, national origin, religion, sex, 

gender identity (including gender 

expression), sexual orientation, 

disability, age, marital status, family/ 


jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 111 / Friday, June 11, 2021 / Notices 31275 

1See Mattresses from the People’s Republic of 

China: Preliminary Intent To Rescind the 2020 

Antidumping Duty New Shipper Review, 86 FR 

11924 (March 1, 2021) (Preliminary Results); see 

also Memorandum, ‘‘Preliminary Bona Fide Sales 

Analysis for Shanghai Sunbeauty Trading Co., 

Ltd.,’’ dated February 18, 2021. 

2See Sunbeauty’s Letter, ‘‘Sunbeauty’s Case 

Brief,’’ dated March 31, 2021. 

parental status, income derived from a 

public assistance program, political 

beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior 

civil rights activity, in any program or 

activity conducted or funded by USDA 

(not all bases apply to all programs). 

Remedies and complaint filing 

deadlines vary by program or incident. 

Persons with disabilities who require 

alternative means of communication for 

program information (e.g., Braille, large 

print, audiotape, American Sign 

Language, etc.) should contact the 

responsible Agency or USDA’s TARGET 

Center at (202) 720–2600 (voice and 

TTY) or contact USDA through the 

Federal Relay Service at (800) 877–8339. 

Additionally, program information may 

be made available in languages other 

than English. 

To file a program discrimination 

complaint, complete the USDA Program 

Discrimination Complaint Form, AD– 

3027, found online at https://

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

at any USDA office, or write a letter 

addressed to USDA and provide in the 

letter all of the information requested in 

the form. To request a copy of the 

complaint form, call (866) 632–9992. 

Submit your completed form or letter to 

USDA by: 

(1) Mail: U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, Office of the Assistant 

Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 

Independence Avenue SW, Washington, 

DC 20250–9410; or 

(2) Email: OAC@usda.gov. 

USDA is an equal opportunity 

provider, employer, and lender. 

Mark Brodziski, 

Acting Administrator, Rural BusinessCooperative Service. 

[FR Doc. 2021–12292 Filed 6–10–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–XY–P 

COMMISSION ON CIVIL RIGHTS 

Agenda and Notice of Public Meeting 

of the Rhode Island Advisory 

Committee 

AGENCY: Commission on Civil Rights. 

ACTION: Announcement of public 

meeting. 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given, 

pursuant to the provisions of the rules 

and regulations of the U.S. Commission 

on Civil Rights (Commission), and the 

Federal Advisory Committee Act 

(FACA), that the Rhode Island State 

Advisory Committee to the Commission 

will convene a meeting on Thursday, 

June 24, 2021 at 3:00 p.m. (ET). The 

purpose of the meeting is to discuss a 

potential statement by the Committee on 

Covid–19 and vaccinations for Black, 

Indigenous, and People of Color in 

Rhode Island. 

DATES: June 24, 2021, Thursday, from 

3:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m. ET. 

To join by web conference: https://

bit.ly/3dHqovG 

• Password if prompted: USCCR 

• If you wish to remain anonymous, 

please enter an alias when joining 

the meeting so your name does not 

appear in the WebEx participant list 

To join by phone only, dial: 1–800–360– 

9505; Access Code: 199 607 1840 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Mallory Trachtenberg at 

mtrachtenberg@usccr.gov or by phone at 

(202) 809–9618. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

meeting is available to the public 

through the web link above. If joining 

only via phone, callers can expect to 

incur charges for calls they initiate over 

wireless lines, and the Commission will 

not refund any incurred charges. 

Individuals who are deaf, deafblind and 

hard of hearing. Individuals may also 

follow the proceedings by first calling 

the Federal Relay Service at 1–800–877– 

8339 and providing the Service with 

conference details found through 

registering at the web link above. To 

request additional accommodations, 

please email mtrachtenberg@usccr.gov 

at least 7 days prior to the meeting. 

Members of the public are entitled to 

make comments during the open period 

at the end of the meeting. Members of 

the public may also submit written 

comments; the comments must be 

received in the Regional Programs Unit 

within 30 days following the meeting. 

Written comments may be emailed to 

Mallory Trachtenberg at 

mtrachtenberg@usccr.gov. Persons who 

desire additional information may 

contact the Regional Programs Unit at 

(202) 809–9618. Records and documents 

discussed during the meeting will be 

available for public viewing as they 

become available at 

www.facadatabase.gov. Persons 

interested in the work of this advisory 

committee are advised to go to the 

Commission’s website, www.usccr.gov, 

or to contact the Regional Programs Unit 

at the above phone number or email 

address. 

Agenda 

June 24, 2021, Thursday, from 3:00–4:00 

p.m. (ET) 

I. Welcome and Roll Call 

II. Announcements and Updates 

III. Approval of Minutes from the Last 

Meeting 

IV. Discussion: Potential Statement of 

Concern on Contingent Faculty 

V. Public Comment 

VI. Next Steps 

VII. Adjournment 

Dated: June 7, 2021. 

David Mussatt, 

Supervisory Chief, Regional Programs Unit. 

[FR Doc. 2021–12285 Filed 6–10–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

International Trade Administration 

[A–570–092] 

Mattresses From the People’s Republic 

of China: Rescission of 2020 

Antidumping Duty New Shipper 

Review 

AGENCY: Enforcement and Compliance, 

International Trade Administration, 

Department of Commerce. 

SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce 

(Commerce) finds that the sale made by 

Shanghai Sunbeauty Trading Co., Ltd. 

(Sunbeauty) is a non-bona fide sale. 

Therefore, we are rescinding this new 

shipper review (NSR). 

DATES: Applicable June 11, 2021. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Jesse Montoya, AD/CVD Operations, 

Office IV, Enforcement and Compliance, 

International Trade Administration, 

Department of Commerce, 1401 

Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, 

DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482–8211. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

Commerce published its Preliminary 

Results in this NSR on March 1, 2021.1

Subsequently, Sunbeauty filed a case 

brief on March 31, 2021 2 and Brooklyn 

Bedding, Corsicana Mattress Company, 

Elite Comfort Solutions, FXI, Inc., 

Innocor, Inc., Kolcraft Enterprises, Inc., 

Leggett & Platt, Incorporated, the 

International Brotherhood of Teamsters, 

and United Steel, Paper and Forestry, 

Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied 

Industrial and Service Workers 

International Union, AFL–CIO (the 

petitioners) filed a rebuttal brief on 


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