14048 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 46 / Thursday, March 8, 2001 / Notices

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Cooperative State Research,

Education, and Extension Service

Request for Proposals (RFP):

Community Food Projects Competitive

Grants Program, Fiscal Year 2001

AGENCY: Cooperative State Research,

Education, and Extension Service

(CSREES), USDA.

ACTION: Notice of request for proposals

and request for input.

SUMMARY: The Federal Agriculture

Improvement and Reform Act of 1996

established new authority for a program

of Federal grants to: support the

development of community food

projects designed to meet the food needs

of low-income people; increase the selfreliance of communities in providing for

their own food needs; and promote

comprehensive responses to local food,

farm, and nutrition issues.

This RFP sets out the objectives for

these projects, the eligibility criteria for

projects and applicants, and the

application procedures. Proposals are

requested for projects designed to

increase food security in a community

(termed Community Food Projects).

This RFP contains the entire set of

instructions needed to apply for a Fiscal

Year (FY) 2001 Community Food

Projects Competitive Grants Program

(CFPCGP) grant.

By this notice, CSREES additionally

solicits stakeholder input from any

interested party regarding the FY 2001

Community Food Projects Competitive

Grants Program for use in development

of any future requests for proposals for

this program.

DATES: Proposals must be received on or

before May 18, 2001.

User comments are requested on or

before September 10, 2001. Comments

received after that date will be

considered to the extent practicable.

ADDRESSES: The address for handdelivered proposals or proposals

submitted using an express mail or

overnight courier service is: Community

Food Projects Competitive Grants

Program; c/o Proposal Services Unit;

Cooperative State Research, Education,

and Extension Service; U.S. Department

of Agriculture; Room 1307, Waterfront

Center; 800 9th Street, SW.;

Washington, DC 20024.

Proposals sent via the U.S. Postal

Service must be sent to the following

address: Community Food Projects

Competitive Grants Program; c/o

Proposal Services Unit; Cooperative

State Research, Education, and

Extension Service; U.S. Department of

Agriculture; STOP 2245; 1400

Independence Avenue, SW.;

Washington, DC 20250–2245.

Written user comments should be

submitted by mail to: Policy and

Program Liaison Staff; Office of

Extramural Programs; USDA—CSREES;

STOP 2299; 1400 Independence

Avenue, SW.; Washington, DC 20250–

2299; or via e-mail to: RFPOEP@reeusda.gov. In your comments,

please include the name of the program

and the fiscal year of the RFP to which

you are responding.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr.

Mark R. Bailey, Cooperative State

Research, Education, and Extension

Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture,

STOP 2241, 1400 Independence

Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20250–

2241; telephone: (202) 401–1898;

mbailey@reeusda.gov, or Dr. Elizabeth

Tuckermanty, Cooperative State

Research, Education, and Extension

Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture,

STOP 2241, 1400 Independence

Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20250–

2241, telephone: (202) 205–0241;

etuckermanty@reeusda.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Table of Contents

Stakeholder Input

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Part I—General Information

A. Authorities

B. Purpose, Scope, and Fund Availability

C. Definitions

D. Eligibility

E. Matching Requirements

Part II—Preparation of a Proposal

A. Program Application Material

B. Content of Proposals

C. Submission of Proposals

D. Acknowledgment of Proposals

Part III—Review Process

A. General

B. Evaluation Factors

C. Conflicts of Interest and Confidentiality

Part IV—Additional Information

A. Access to Peer Review Information

B. Grant Awards

C. Use of Funds; Changes

D. Applicable Federal Statutes and

Regulations

E. Confidential Aspects of Proposals and

Awards

F. Regulatory Information

Stakeholder Input

CSREES is requesting comments

regarding the FY 2001 Community Food

Projects Competitive Grants Program

solicitation for applications from any

interested party. In your comments,

please include the name of the program

and the fiscal year solicitation for

applications to which you are

responding. These comments will be

considered in the development of any

future RFP for the program. CSREES has

determined that this program is not an

agricultural research, extension, or

education program for the purposes of

section 103(c)(2) of the Agricultural

Research, Extension, and Education

Reform Act of 1998, 7 U.S.C. 7613(c)(2).

Therefore, CSREES is not required by

statute to solicit stakeholder input

regarding this RFP. CSREES, however,

always welcomes constructive

comments from interested parties

regarding a RFP or particular program.

Comments should be submitted as

provided in the ADDRESSES and DATES

portions of this Notice. The e-mail

address in the ADDRESSES portion is

intended only for receiving comments

regarding the FY 2001 CFPCGP

solicitation, and not for requesting

information or forms.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

This program is listed in the Catalog

of Federal Domestic Assistance under

10.225, Community Food Projects

Competitive Grants Program.

Part I—General Information

A. Authorities

Section 25 of the Food Stamp Act of

1977, as amended by Section 401(h) of

the Federal Agriculture Improvement

and Reform Act of 1996 (Pub. L. No.

104–127) (7 U.S.C. 2034), authorized a

new program of Federal grants to

support the development of community

food projects.

CSREES intends to publish in the near

future proposed regulations governing

the administration of this program.

CSREES anticipates finalizing the

proposed regulations prior to the award

of grants under this RFP. Awards

resulting from this RFP will be subject

to the final regulations.

Currently, the RFP and draft proposed

regulations are consistent. Because of

the nature of the rule making process,

these requirements are subject to change

based upon comments received.

Applicants whose proposals are

recommended for funding must agree to

be bound by the final rule as a condition

of receiving an award under this

program.

B. Purpose, Scope and Fund Availability

1. Purpose and Scope

The purpose of the Community Food

Projects Competitive Grants Program

(CFPCGP) is to support the development

of Community Food Projects with a onetime infusion of Federal dollars to make

such projects self-sustaining.

Community Food Projects should be

designed to: (i) Meet the food needs of

low-income people; (ii) increase the

self-reliance of communities in

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 46 / Thursday, March 8, 2001 / Notices 14049

providing for their own food needs; and

(iii) promote comprehensive responses

to local food, farm, and nutrition issues.

Community Food Projects are

intended to take a comprehensive

approach to developing long-term

solutions that help to ensure food

security in communities by linking the

food production and processing sectors

to community development, economic

opportunity, and environmental

enhancement. Comprehensive solutions

may include elements such as: (i)

Improved access to high quality,

affordable food among low-income

households; (ii) expanded economic

opportunities for community residents

through local businesses or other

economic development, improved

employment opportunities, job training,

youth apprenticeship, school-to-work

transition, and the like, and (iii) support

for local food systems, from urban

gardening to local farms that provide

high quality fresh foods, ideally with

minimal adverse environmental impact.

Any solution proposed must tie into

community food needs.

Project goals should integrate

multiple objectives into their design.

Proposed projects should seek to

address impacts beyond a specific goal

such as increasing food produced or

available for a specific group. Goals and

objectives should integrate economic,

social, and environmental impacts such

as job training, employment

opportunities, small business

expansion, neighborhood revitalization,

open space development, transportation

assistance or other community

enhancements.

Proposed projects should seek

comprehensive solutions to problems

across all levels of the food system, not

only short-term food relief. This point is

emphasized because some proposals

submitted previously were primarily for

expanding applicant efforts in food

relief and assistance, or for connecting

established or partially established

programs (such as community gardens

and farmers’ markets), with little

evidence of strategic planning and

participation by stakeholders in the

proposed project design. Proposals

should emphasize a food system and/or

food security approach and show

evidence of information sharing,

coalition building, and substantial

community linkages.

Applicants should be aware of several

USDA and Federal activities that have

the potential to strengthen the impact

and success of some Community Food

Projects. These include food recovery

and gleaning efforts; connecting lowincome urban consumers with rural

food producers; aiding citizens in

leaving public assistance and achieving

self-sufficiency; and utilizing

microenterprise and/or development

projects related to community food

needs. Other relevant and ongoing

Federal initiatives include: USDA

farmers’ markets; USDA’s Office of

Sustainable Development and Small

Farms; USDA and U.S. Department of

Housing and Urban Development

designated Empowerment Zones and

Enterprise Communities; and the

AmeriCorps National Service Program.

Applicants should recognize the role

played by food and nutrition assistance

programs administered by USDA.

Applicants may choose to discuss, in

their proposals, the utilization of these

programs by the community in

connection with the proposed

Community Food Project. These

programs include: The Food Stamp

Program; child nutrition programs such

as the School Lunch, School Breakfast,

Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)

Supplemental Nutrition, Child and

Adult Care Food, and Summer Food

Service Programs; and commodity

distribution programs.

Resources available from other

Federal programs such as the

Community Food and Nutrition

Program (CFNP) and Job Opportunities

for Low-Income Individuals (JOLI)

program (administered by the Office of

Community Services within the U.S.

Department of Health and Human

Services), may also impact Community

Food Projects.

The primary objectives of the CFPCGP

are to increase the food self-reliance of

communities; promote comprehensive

responses to local food, farm and

nutrition issues; develop innovative

linkages between the public, for-profit,

and nonprofit food sectors; and

encourage long-term planning activities

and comprehensive multi-agency

approaches.

Community Food Projects are

intended to bring together stakeholders

from the distinct parts of the food

system. Solutions to hunger and access

to food should reflect a process that

involves partnership building among

the public, private nonprofit, and forprofit sectors. Together, these parties

can address issues such as: The capacity

of the community to produce food and

support local growers; the need for, and

location of, grocery stores that market

affordable, high quality food;

transportation to provide access to food

supplies; economic opportunities for

residents to increase income, thereby

increasing economic access to high

quality nutritious food; community

development issues; and the

environment. Wherever possible,

Community Food Projects should

support food systems based on strategies

that improve the availability of highquality locally or regionally produced

foods to low-income people.

Community Food Projects should build

on these local experiences

andencourage innovative long-term

efforts. A project should be designed to

endure and outlive the one-time

infusion of Federal funds. Community

Food Projects should be designed to

become self-supporting (or have a

sustainable funding source). Projects

also should have the potential to be a

replicable model. Examples of

previously funded Community Food

Projects may be viewed on the Internet

in the CFPCGP website at http://

www.reeusda.gov/crgam/cfp/

community.htm.

2. Fund Availability

The amount of funds available in FY

2001 for support of grant awards under

this program is approximately

$2,400,000.

Applicants should request a budget

commensurate with the proposed

project. However, no single grant shall

exceed $100,000 in any single year or

more than $250,000 over three years.

Applicants may request one, two, or

three years of funding, but in all cases,

the grant term may not exceed three

years for any one project. A Community

Food Project may be supported by only

a single grant under this program.

Awards will be made based on the

merit of the proposed project with

budgets considered only after the merits

of the project have been determined.

USDA reserves the right to negotiate

final budgets with successful applicants.

The grantee shall perform a substantive

portion of the project. No more than

one-third of a Community Food Project

award, as determined by budget

expenditures, may be subawarded to

for-profit organizations. For additional

knowledge or expertise that is not

available within the applicant

organization, funds for expert

consultation may be included in the

‘‘All Other Direct Costs’’ section of the

proposed budget.

C. Definitions

For the purpose of awarding grants

under this program, the following

definitions are applicable:

Administrator means the

Administrator of CSREES and any other

officer or employee of the Department to

whom the authority involved is

delegated.

Authorized departmental officer

means the Secretary or any employee of

the Department who has the authority to

14050 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 46 / Thursday, March 8, 2001 / Notices

issue or modify grant instruments on

behalf of the Secretary

Authorized organizational

representative means the president,

director, or chief executive officer or

other designated official of the applicant

organization who has the authority to

commit the resources of the

organization.

Budget period means the interval of

time (usually 12 months) into which the

project period is divided for budgetary

and reporting purposes.

Cash contributions means the

applicant’s cash outlay, including the

outlay of money contributed to the

applicant by non-Federal third parties.

Community Food Project is a

community-based project that requires a

one-time infusion of Federal assistance

to become self-sustaining and is

designed to increase food security in a

community by: (i) Meeting the food

needs of low-income people; (ii)

increasing the self-reliance of

communities in providing for their own

food needs; and (iii) promoting

comprehensive responses to local food,

farm, and nutrition issues.

Department or USDA means the

United States Department of

Agriculture.

Expert reviewers means individuals

selected from among those recognized

as uniquely qualified by training and

experience in their respective fields to

give expert advice on the merit of grant

applications in such fields who evaluate

eligible proposals submitted to this

program in their respective area(s) of

expertise.

Grant means the award by the

Secretary of funds to an eligible entity

to assist in meeting the costs of

conducting, for the benefit of the public,

an identified Community Food Project.

Grantee means the organization

designated in the grant award document

as the responsible legal entity to which

a grant is awarded.

Matching means that portion of

project costs not borne by the Federal

Government, including the value of inkind contributions.

Prior approval means written

approval evidencing prior consent by an

authorized departmental officer.

Private non-profit entity means any

nongovernmental corporation, trust,

association, cooperative or other

organization which: (i) Is operated

primarily for scientific, educational,

service, charitable, or similar purposes

in the public interest; (ii) is not

organized primarily for profit; and (iii)

uses its net proceeds to maintain,

improve, and/or expand its operations.

Project means the particular activity

within the scope of the program

supported by a grant award.

Project director (PD) means the single

individual designated by the grantee in

the grant application and approved by

the Secretary who is responsible for the

direction and management of the

project.

Project period means the period, as

stated in the award document, during

which Federal sponsorship begins and

ends.

Secretary means the Secretary of

Agriculture and any other officer or

employee of the Department of

Agriculture to whom the authority

involved is delegated.

Third party in-kind contributions

means non-cash contributions of

property or services including real

property, equipment, supplies and other

expendable property, provided by nonFederal third parties and directly

benefitting and specifically identifiable

to the project.

D. Eligibility

Private, nonprofit entities meeting the

following three requirements are eligible

to receive a Community Food Project

grant:

a. Have experience in the area of:

i. Community food work, particularly

concerning small and medium-size

farms, including the provision of food to

people in low-income communities and

the development of new markets in lowincome communities for agricultural

producers; or

ii. Job training and business

development activities for food-related

activities in low-income communities;

b. Demonstrate competency to

implement a project, provide fiscal

accountability, collect data, and prepare

reports and other necessary

documentation; and

c. Demonstrate a willingness to share

information with researchers,

practitioners, and other interested

parties.

2. Partners and Collaborators

Applicants are encouraged to seek

and create partnerships with public or

private, nonprofit or for-profit entities,

including links with academic and/or

other appropriate professionals,

community-based organizations, and

local government entities. Only the

applicant must meet the eligibility

requirements. Project partners and

collaborators need not meet the

eligibility requirements.

E. Matching Requirements

Successful Community Food Project

applicants must provide matching funds

amounting to at least 50 percent of the

total cost of the project during the term

of the grant award. The Federal share of

Community Food Project costs can be

no more than 50 percent of the total.

Community Food Project grantees

may provide matching funds through

cash and/or in-kind contributions,

including third-party in-kind

contributions, fairly evaluated,

including facilities. The non-Federal

share of the funding may come from

State government, local government,

other non-profit entities, or private

sources. Examples of qualifying

matching contributions may include

direct costs such as: rent for office space

used exclusively for the funded project;

duplication or postage costs; and staff

time from an entity other than the

applicant for job training or nutrition

education.

Part II—Preparation of a Proposal

A. Program Application Materials

Program application materials are

available at the CFPCGP website (http:/

/www.reeusda.gov/crgam/cfp/

community.htm). Program application

materials also are available from the

Proposal Services Unit, Office of

Extramural Programs, USDA/CSREES at

(202) 401–5048. These materials may

also be requested via Internet by

sending a message with your name,

mailing address (not e-mail) and phone

number to psb@reeusda.gov. If calling or

sending e-mail, please indicate that you

want a copy of the application materials

for the Fiscal Year 2001 Community

Food Projects Competitive Grants

Program.

B. Content of Proposals

1. General

The proposal should follow these

guidelines, enabling reviewers to more

easily evaluate the merits of each

proposal in a systematic, consistent

fashion:

(a) The proposal should be prepared

on only one side of the page using

standard size (81⁄2′′ x 11′′) white paper,

one inch margins, typed or word

processed using no type smaller than 12

point font, and single or double spaced.

Use an easily readable font face (e.g.,

Geneva, Helvetica, Times Roman).

(b) Each page of the proposal,

beginning after the Project Summary,

and including the budget pages,

required forms, and any appendices,

should be numbered sequentially in the

top right hand corner.

(c) The proposal should be stapled in

the upper left-hand corner. Do not bind.

An original and 8 copies (9 total) must

be submitted in one package.

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 46 / Thursday, March 8, 2001 / Notices 14051

2. Cover Page

Each copy of each grant proposal

must have as its cover page an

‘‘Application for Funding,’’ Form

CSREES–661. One copy of the

application, preferably the original,

must contain the pen-and-ink

signature(s) of the proposing project

director(s) (PD) and the authorized

organizational representative who

possesses the necessary authority to

commit the organization’s time and

other relevant resources to the project.

Any proposed PD or co-PD whose

signature does not appear on Form

CSREES–661 will not be listed on any

resulting grant award. Complete both

signature blocks located at the bottom of

the ‘‘Application for Funding’’ form.

Form CSREES–661 serves as a source

document for the CSREES grant

database; it is therefore important that it

be completed accurately. The following

items are highlighted as having a high

potential for errors or

misinterpretations:

(a) Title of Proposed Project (Block 6).

The title of the proposed project must be

brief (80-character maximum), yet

represent the major thrust of the effort

being proposed.

(b) Blocks 7., 13., 18., 19., 20., and 21.

have been completed for you.

(c) In Block 8., enter ‘‘Community

Food Project.’’

(d) Principal Investigator(s)/Project

Director(s) (PI/PD) (Block 15). Note that

providing a Social Security Number is

voluntary, but is an integral part of the

CSREES information system and will

assist in the processing of the proposal.

(e) Other Funding Agencies (Block

22). List the names or acronyms of all

other public or private funding agencies,

including other agencies within USDA,

and other programs funded by CSREES

to whom your application has been or

might be sent. In the event you decide

to send your application to another

organization or agency at a later date,

you must inform the identified CSREES

Program Director as soon as practicable.

Submitting your proposal to other

potential funding agencies will not

prejudice its review by CSREES;

however, duplicate support for the same

project will not be provided.

3. Table of Contents

For consistency and ease in locating

information, each proposal must contain

a detailed Table of Contents just after

the cover page. The Table of Contents

should contain page numbers for each

component of the proposal.

4. Project Summary

The Project Summary must be 250

words or less, on a separate page which

should be placed immediately after the

Table of Contents and should not be

numbered. The names and organizations

of all PDs and co-PDs should be listed

on this form, in addition to the title of

the project. The summary should be a

self-contained, specific description of

the activity to be undertaken and should

focus on overall project goal(s) and

supporting objectives, and plans to

accomplish the project goal(s). The

importance of a concise, informative

Project Summary cannot be

overemphasized.

5. Prior CFPCGP Funding

If an applicant has previously

received CFPCGP support, information

on the results from prior funding must

be included. For each award received,

list the CFPCGP award number, the title

of the project, the amount and period of

support, a brief summary of the results

completed, and the actual and

anticipated long-term effects of these

results. This information should be

provided on a separate page,

immediately following the project

summary.

6. Project Narrative

For Community Food Project

Proposals, the Project Narrative shall

not exceed 10 single- or double-spaced

pages of written text. To ensure fair and

equitable competition, reviewers are

instructed to read only the first 10 pages

of a project narrative and may ignore

information on additional pages. The

Project Narrative must repeat and

respond to the eight points in (a)

through (h) below:

a. The Community To Be Served and

the Needs To Be Addressed. Identify

and succinctly describe the critical

elements and needs of the local food

economy or food system, including

demographics, income, and geographic

characteristics of the area to be served.

b. The Organizations Involved in the

Project. List the organizations to be

involved in carrying out the proposed

project and the segments of the local

food economy or system they link.

Include a description of the relevant

experience of each organization,

including the applicant organization,

that will be involved, and any project

history. Proposals should demonstrate

extensive community linkages and

coalitions. Letters from the

organizations involved acknowledging

their support and contributions must be

provided in an appendix to the

proposal. Letters specifying the type and

amount of support, where appropriate,

are strongly encouraged to provide

evidence of community involvement.

c. Project Goals and Purposes. List the

goals and/or purposes of the project and

a justification for the goals in terms of

the identified need(s).

d. Activities to Achieve the Goals.

Discuss how the goals will be achieved.

Provide a systematic description of the

approach by which the goals will be

accomplished.

e. Timeline. Identify the major

milestones that will indicate progress

toward achieving the project goals.

Provide a timeline or systematic

description of the approach for

accomplishing major project objectives.

f. Relationship to Program Objectives.

Discuss how the project will make

progress toward addressing the three

major objectives of the CFPCGP. Each

Community Food Project, by definition,

must be designed to: (i) meet the food

needs of low-income people; (ii)

increase the self-reliance of

communities in providing for their own

food needs; and (iii) promote

comprehensive responses to local food,

farm and nutrition issues.

In addressing the objectives,

applicants may want to describe how

the project fosters: innovative linkages

and coalitions between two or more

sectors of the food system;

entrepreneurial, job training, and

microenterprise opportunities; and

short-term and long-term planning to

promote community food security

through multiple activities conducted in

collaboration with other entities.

g. Evaluation. Community Food

Project proposals should contain a

strong evaluation component.

Innovative evaluation strategies are

especially encouraged. Evaluations

should focus on the measurement of

success in meeting the three objectives

of the CFPCGP.

Through CFPCGP project operations

and an evaluation of them, USDA also

hopes to learn more about what happens

to make such projects succeed, partially

succeed, or fail. Therefore, proposals are

encouraged that include both process

evaluations (developing and monitoring

indicators of progress towards the

objectives) and outcome evaluations (to

determine whether the objectives were

met). Applicants should seek the help of

experts in evaluation design and

implementation, as appropriate.

h. Self-Sustainability. Describe how a

one-time infusion of Federal funds will

be sufficient for the proposed

Community Food Project to advance

local capacity-building and achieve

sustainability. Entrepreneurial projects

should provide evidence (e.g., a market

analysis or the outline of a business

plan) to demonstrate that it is likely to

14052 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 46 / Thursday, March 8, 2001 / Notices

become self-sustaining and provide

employees with important job skills.

7. Key Personnel

Identify the key personnel to be

involved in the project, including the

project director, if known, and describe

their relevant experience. In the

Appendix, include resumes or vitae that

provide adequate information for

reviewers to make an informed

judgment as to the capabilities and

experience of the key personnel. For

new positions in the project or for

positions that are currently unfilled, a

job description should be provided. An

applicant should include an

organizational chart, if available,

detailing where the project fits in the

overall organization.

8. Collaborative and/or Subcontractual

Arrangements

If it will be necessary to enter into

formal consulting or collaborative

arrangements with others, such

arrangements should be fully explained

and justified. Evidence, in the form of

a letter, signed and dated, from the

collaborator/subcontractor that details

the services that will be provided, and

a budget and a budget narrative, should

be provided as an appendix to the grant

application. If the need for consultant

services is anticipated, the proposal

narrative should provide a justification

for the use of such services, a statement

of work to be performed, the rate of pay,

and a resume or curriculum vita for

each consultant. For purposes of

proposal development, informal day-today contacts between key project

personnel and outside experts are not

considered to be collaborative

arrangements and thus do not need to be

detailed.

All anticipated subcontractual

arrangements also should be explained

and justified in this section. A proposed

statement of work and a budget and

budget narrative for each arrangement

involving the transfer of substantive

programmatic work or the providing of

financial assistance to a third party must

be provided.

If you expect to enter into

subcontractual arrangements, please

note that the provisions contained in 7

CFR part 3019, USDA Uniform

Administrative Requirements for Grant

and Agreements with Institutions of

Higher Education, Hospitals, and Other

Non-Profit Organizations, and the

general provisions contained in 7 CFR

part 3015.205, USDA Uniform Federal

Assistance Regulations, flow down to

subrecipients. In addition, required

clauses from Sections 40–48

(‘‘Procurement Standards’’) and

Appendix A (‘‘Contract Provisions’’) to

7 CFR part 3019 should be included in

final contractual documents, and it is

necessary for the subawardee to make a

certification relating to debarment/

suspension.

9. Budget

a. Budget Form—Prepare the

Community Food Projects Competitive

Grants Program budget form in

accordance with instructions provided.

A separate budget form is required for

each year of requested support. In

addition, a cumulative budget and

budget narrative (see section b. below)

is required detailing the total support

requested for the overall project period.

The budget form may be reproduced as

needed by applicants. Funds may be

requested under any of the categories

listed on the form, provided that the

item or service for which support is

requested is allowable under the

authorizing legislation, the applicable

Federal cost principles, and these

program guidelines, and can be justified

as necessary for the successful conduct

of the proposed project.

The following guidelines should be

used in developing your proposal

budget(s):

1. Salaries and Wages. Salaries and

wages are allowable charges and may be

requested for personnel who will be

working on the project in proportion to

the time such personnel will devote to

the project. If salary funds are requested,

the number of Senior and Other

Personnel and the number of CSREESFunded Work Months must be shown in

the spaces provided. Grant funds may

not be used to augment the total salary

or rate of salary of project personnel or

to reimburse them for time in addition

to a regular full-time salary covering the

same general period of employment.

Salary funds requested must be

consistent with the normal policies of

the institution.

2. Fringe Benefits. Funds may be

requested for fringe benefit costs if the

usual accounting practices of your

organization provide that organizational

contributions to employee benefits

(social security, retirement, etc.) be

treated as direct costs. Fringe benefit

costs may be included only for those

personnel whose salaries are charged as

a direct cost to the project.

3. Nonexpendable Equipment.

Nonexpendable equipment means

tangible nonexpendable personal

property including exempt property

charged directly to the award having a

useful life of more than one year and an

acquisition cost of $5,000 (or lower,

depending on institutional policy) or

more per unit. As such, items of

necessary instrumentation or other

nonexpendable equipment should be

listed individually by description and

estimated cost in the Budget Narrative.

This applies to revised budgets as well,

as the equipment item(s) and amount(s)

may change.

4. Materials and Supplies. The types

of expendable materials and supplies

which are required to carry out the

project should be indicated in general

terms with estimated costs in the Budget

Narrative. Please do not use words such

as ‘‘miscellaneous items.’’

5. Travel. The type and extent of

travel and its relationship to project

objectives should be described briefly

and justified. Airfare allowances

normally will not exceed round-trip jet

economy air accommodations. U.S. flag

carriers must be used when available.

See 7 CFR part 3015.205(b)(4) for further

guidance.

6. All Other Direct Costs. Anticipated

direct project charges not included in

other budget categories must be

itemized with estimated costs and

justified in the Budget Narrative. This

also applies to revised budgets, as the

item(s) and dollar amount(s) may

change. Examples may include space

rental at remote locations,

subcontractual costs, postage and

printing costs, and charges for

consulting services, telephone,

facsimile, shipping costs, and fees

necessary for laboratory analyses. You

are encouraged to consult the

‘‘Instructions for Completing the

Community Food Projects Competitive

Grants Program Budget’’ for additional

guidance relating to this budget

category. Form AD–1048 must be

completed by each subcontractor or

consultant and retained by the grantee.

7. Indirect Costs. If available, the

current rate negotiated with the

cognizant Federal negotiating agency

should be used. Indirect costs may not

exceed the negotiated rate. If a

negotiated rate is used, the percentage

and base should be indicated in the

space allotted under item K. on the

Budget Form. If no rate has been

negotiated, a reasonable dollar amount

for indirect costs may be requested,

which will be subject to approval by

USDA. In the latter case, if a proposal

is recommended for funding, an indirect

cost rate proposal must be submitted

prior to award to support the amount of

indirect costs requested. CSREES will

request an indirect cost rate proposal

and provide instructions, as necessary.

A proposer may elect not to charge

indirect costs and, instead, use all grant

funds for direct costs. If indirect costs

are not charged, the phrase ‘‘None

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 46 / Thursday, March 8, 2001 / Notices 14053

requested’’ should be written in this

space.

b. Budget Narrative. All budget

categories, with the exception of

Indirect Costs for which funding is

requested, must be individually listed

(with costs) and justified on a separate

sheet of paper and placed immediately

behind the cumulative Budget Form.

c. Matching Funds. As stated in part

I.E., matching funds are mandatory for

Community Food Projects. All the

applicants matching support should be

shown on the original budget in the

appropriate categories (salary, material

and supplies, equipment, etc.) A budget

narrative for these items should also be

included. Proposals should include

written verification of commitments of

matching support (including both cash

and in-kind contributions) from third

parties. Written verification means:

(i) For any third party cash

contributions, a separate pledge

agreement for each donation, signed by

the authorized organizational

representatives of the donor

organization and the applicant

organization, which must include: (1)

The name, address, and telephone

number of the donor; (2) the name of the

applicant organization; (3) the title of

the project for which the donation is

made; (4) the dollar amount of the cash

donation; (5) a statement that the donor

will pay the cash contribution during

the grant period; and (6) whether the

applicant can designate cash as the

applicant deems necessary or the cash

contribution has been designated to a

particular budget item; and

(ii) For any third party in-kind

contributions, a separate pledge

agreement for each contribution, signed

by the authorized organizational

representatives of the donor

organization and the applicant

organization, which must include: (1)

The name, address, and telephone

number of the donor; (2) the name of the

applicant organization; (3) the title of

the project for which the donation is

made; (4) a good faith estimate of the

current fair market value of the third

party in-kind contribution; and (5) a

statement that the donor will make the

contribution during the grant period.

The sources and amounts of all

matching support from outside the

applicant institution should be

summarized on a separate page and

placed in the proposal immediately

following the Budget Narrative. All

pledge agreements must be placed in the

proposal immediately following the

summary of matching support.

The value of applicant contributions

to the project shall be established in

accordance with applicable cost

principles. Applicants should refer to

the following for further guidance and

other requirements relating to matching

and allowable costs: 7 CFR part 3019,

Uniform Administrative Requirements

for Grants and Agreements With

Institutions of Higher Education,

Hospitals, and Other Nonprofit

Organizations; OMB Circular A–21, Cost

Principles for Educational Institutions;

OMB Circular A–122, Cost Principles

for Non-Profit Organizations; Federal

Acquisition Regulations (48 CFR

subpart 31.2, Principles for determining

costs with profitmaking firms and those

nonprofit organizations that are

specifically excluded from the

provisions of OMB Circular No. A–122);

and 7 CFR part 3015, the USDA

Uniform Federal Assistance

Regulations.

10. Current and Pending Support

All proposals must contain Form

CSREES–663 listing other current

publicly or privately supported

(including in-house) projects to which

key personnel identified in the proposal

have committed portions of their time,

whether or not salary support for

person(s) involved is included in the

budget for this proposed project.

Analogous information must be

provided for any pending proposals

including, Community Food Projects,

that are being considered by, or that will

be submitted in the near future to other

possible sponsors, including other

USDA Programs or agencies. Concurrent

submission of identical or similar

proposals to other possible sponsors

will not prejudice proposal review or

evaluation by CSREES for this purpose.

However, a proposal that duplicates or

overlaps substantially with a proposal

already reviewed and funded (or to be

funded) by another organization or

agency will not be funded under this

program. Note that the project being

proposed should be included in the

pending section of the form.

11. Certifications

By signing Form CSREES–661 the

applicant is providing the certifications

required by 7 CFR part 3017, regarding

Debarment and Suspension and Drug

Free Workplace, and 7 CFR part 3018,

regarding Lobbying. The certification

forms are included in the application

package for informational purposes

only. These forms should not be

submitted with the proposal since by

signing form CSREES–661 your

organization is providing the required

certifications. If the project will involve

a subcontractor or consultant, the

subcontractor/consultant should submit

a form AD–1048 to the grantee

organization for retention in their

records. This form should not be

submitted to USDA.

12. Compliance With the National

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Form

CSREES–1234

As outlined in 7 CFR part 3407

(CSREES supplemental regulations

implementing NEPA), the

environmental data for any proposed

project is to be provided to CSREES so

that CSREES may determine whether

any further action is needed. In most

cases, however, the preparation of

environmental data may not be

required. Certain categories of actions

are excluded from the requirements of

NEPA.

In order for CSREES to determine

whether any further action is needed

with respect to NEPA, pertinent

information regarding the possible

environmental impacts of a particular

project is necessary; therefore, Form

CSREES–1234, ‘‘NEPA Exclusions

Form,’’ must be included in the

proposal indicating whether the

applicant is of the opinion that the

project falls within a categorical

exclusion, the specific exclusion, and

the reasons therefore. Form CSREES–

1234 and supporting documentation

should be included as the last

component of the proposal.

Even though a project may fall within

the categorical exclusions, CSREES may

determine that an Environmental

Assessment or an Environmental Impact

Statement is necessary for an activity.

This will be the case in rare instances

when substantial controversy on

environmental grounds exists or other

extraordinary conditions or

circumstances are present which may

cause such activity to have a significant

environmental effect.

C. Submission of Proposals

1. When To Submit (Deadline Date)

Proposals must be received on or

before May 18, 2001. Proposals received

after this date will not be considered for

funding.

2. What To Submit

An original and eight copies must be

submitted. All copies of the proposal

must be submitted in one package.

3. Where To Submit

Applicants are strongly encouraged to

submit completed proposals via

overnight mail or delivery service to

ensure timely receipt by the USDA. The

address for hand-delivered proposals or

proposals submitted using an express

mail or overnight courier service is:

Community Food Projects Competitive

14054 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 46 / Thursday, March 8, 2001 / Notices

Grants Program; c/o Proposal Services

Unit; Cooperative State Research,

Education, and Extension Service; U.S.

Department of Agriculture; Room 1307,

Waterfront Centre; 800 9th Street, S.W.;

Washington, DC 20024.

Proposals sent via the U.S. Postal

Service must be sent to the following

address: Community Food Projects

Competitive Grants Program; c/o

Proposal Services Unit; Cooperative

State Research, Education, and

Extension Service; U.S. Department of

Agriculture; STOP 2245; 1400

Independence Avenue, SW.,

Washington, DC 20250–2245.

D. Acknowledgment of Proposals

The receipt of proposals will be

acknowledged by e-mail. Therefore,

applicants are encouraged to provide email addresses, where designated, on

the Form CSREES–661. If the

applicant’s e-mail address is not

indicated, CSREES will acknowledge

receipt of the proposal by letter.

Once the proposal has been assigned

an identification number, please cite

that number on all future

correspondence. If the applicant does

not receive an acknowledgment within

60 days of the submission deadline,

please contact the Program Director.

Part III—Review Process

A. General

Each proposal will be evaluated in a

two-part process. First, each proposal

will be screened to ensure it meets the

basic eligibility requirements as set forth

in this RFP. Proposals not meeting the

eligibility requirements will be returned

without review. Second, each proposal

that meets the eligibility requirements

will be evaluated and judged on its

merits by expert reviewers.

Since the award process must be

completed by September 30, 2001,

applicants should submit fully

developed proposals that meet all the

requirements set forth in this RFP and

have fully developed budgets as well.

However, USDA does retain the right to

conduct discussions with applicants to

resolve technical and/or budget issues

as it deems necessary.

A number of expert reviewers will

conduct the merit review based on the

evaluation criteria. These reviewers will

be drawn from a number of areas,

among them government, universities,

non-profit organizations, and other

pertinent entities involved in

community food security or similar

activities. The views of the individual

reviewers will be used by CSREES to

determine which proposals will be

recommended to the Administrator for

funding. Evaluated proposals will be

ranked based on merit. Final approval

for those proposals recommended for an

award will be made by the

Administrator.

There is no commitment by USDA to

fund any particular proposal or to make

a specific number of awards. Care will

be taken to avoid actual, potential, and

the appearance of conflicts of interest

among reviewers. Evaluations will be

confidential to USDA staff members,

expert reviewers, and the project

director(s), to the extent permitted by

law.

B. Evaluation Factors

The evaluation of Community Food

Project proposals by expert reviewers

will be based on the following criteria,

weighted relative to each other, and

assigned a point value, as noted in the

parentheses following each criteria

discussion.

1. How well the proposed project

addresses the three statutory CFPCGP

objectives of: (i) meeting the food needs

of low-income people; (ii) increasing the

self-reliance of communities in

providing for their own food needs; and

(iii) promoting comprehensive

responses to local food, farm, and

nutrition issues (20 points);

2. How significant are the food

security issues that will be addressed by

the proposed project, and is there an

informative description of the

community, its characteristic, assets,

and needs (15 points);

3. The appropriateness of the goals

and purposes of the project and how

these goals will be achieved. Proposed

project activities should be designed to

address one or more of the following

goals, which will be given equal weight:

(i) Developing linkages between two or

more sectors of the food system; (ii)

supporting the development of

entrepreneurial activities; (iii)

developing innovative linkages between

the for-profit and nonprofit food sectors;

and (iv) encouraging long-term planning

activities and multi-system, interagency

approaches (20 points);

4. The relevance of the experience of

the organizations that are involved in

the proposed project, including the

applicant entity, and the type and extent

of support that other organizations will

be providing. Applicant organizations

should demonstrate a history of

commitment to and direct involvement

in food security projects in low-income

communities or in communities with

low-income groups. The qualifications

of staff involved with the proposed

project and/or organizational leadership

should reflect the expertise necessary to

carry out the proposed activities or

similar types of activities. Experience in

and connections with the community

will be considered as important as

academic or professional credentials in

this regard (15 points);

5. The viability of plans for

realistically achieving self-sufficiency

with a one-time infusion of Federal

funds. Entrepreneurial projects should

provide evidence (e.g., a market analysis

or the outline of a business plan) to

demonstrate that it is likely to become

self-sustaining. Other projects should

identify actual or potential funding

sources for continuation of the project

after Federal funding has ended (15

points);

6. The strength of the proposed

project’s evaluation component and

how it will contribute to the evaluation

of the CFPCGP on a national basis (10

points); and

7. The time line for accomplishing

project goals and objectives is realistic

and achievable (5 points).

C. Conflicts-of-Interest and

Confidentiality

During the evaluation process,

extreme care will be taken to prevent

any actual or perceived conflicts-ofinterest that may impact review or

evaluation. For the purpose of

determining conflict-of-interest the

academic and administrative autonomy

of an institution shall be determined by

reference to the January 1998 issue of

the Codebook for Compatible Statistical

Reporting of Federal Support to

Universities, Colleges, and Nonprofit

Institutions, prepared by Quantum

Research Corporation for the National

Science Foundation.

Names of submitting institutions and

individuals, as well as proposal content

and evaluations, will be kept

confidential, except to those involved in

the review process, to the extent

allowed by law. In addition, the

identities of expert reviewers will

remain confidential throughout the

entire review process. Therefore, the

names of reviewers will not be released

to applicants.

Part IV—Additional Information

A. Access to Review Information

Copies of summary reviews, not

including the identity of reviewers, will

be sent to the applicant PD after the

review process has been completed.

B. Grant Awards

(1) General

Within the limit of funds available for

such purpose, the awarding official of

CSREES shall make grants to those

responsible, eligible applicants whose

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 46 / Thursday, March 8, 2001 / Notices 14055

proposals are judged most meritorious

under the procedures set forth in this

RFP. The date specified by the

Administrator as the effective date of

the grant shall be no later than

September 30. It should be noted that

the project need not be initiated on the

grant effective date, but as soon

thereafter as practical so that project

goals may be attained within the funded

project period. All funds granted by

CSREES under this RFP shall be

expended solely for the purpose for

which the funds are granted in

accordance with the approved

application and budget, the regulations,

the terms and conditions of the award,

the applicable Federal cost principles,

and the Department’s assistance

regulations (parts 3015, 3016, and 3019

of 7 CFR).

(2) Organizational Management

Information

Specific management information

relating to an applicant shall be

submitted on a one-time basis as part of

the responsibility determination prior to

the award of a grant identified under

this RFP, if such information has not

been provided previously under this or

another CSREES program. CSREES will

provide copies of forms recommended

for use in fulfilling these requirements

as part of the preaward process.

(3) Grant Award Document and Notice

of Grant Award

The grant award document shall

include at a minimum the following:

(a) Legal name and address of

performing organization or institution to

whom the Administrator has awarded

the grant;

(b) Title of project;

(c) Name(s) and address(es) of project

director(s) chosen to direct and control

approved activities;

(d) Identifying grant number assigned

by the Department;

(e) Project period, specifying the

amount of time the Department intends

to support the project;

(f) Total amount of Departmental

financial assistance approved by the

Administrator during the project period;

(g) Legal authority(ies) under which

the grant is awarded;

(h) Approved budget plan for

categorizing allocable project funds to

accomplish the stated purpose of the

grant award; and

(i) Other information or provisions

deemed necessary by CSREES to carry

out its respective granting activities or

to accomplish the purpose of a

particular grant.

The notice of grant award, in the form

of a letter, will be prepared and will

provide pertinent instructions or

information to the grantee that is not

included in the grant award document.

All grants awarded under this program

will be awarded using a funding

mechanism whereby CSREES agrees to

support a specified level of effort for a

predetermined time period without

additional support at a future date.

C. Use of Funds; Changes

(1) Delegation of Fiscal Responsibility

Unless the terms and conditions of

the grant state otherwise, the grantee

may not in whole or in part delegate or

transfer to another person, institution,

or organization the responsibility for use

or expenditure of grant funds.

(2) Changes in Project Plans

(a) The permissible changes by the

grantee, PD(s), or other key project

personnel in the approved project grant

shall be limited to changes in

methodology, techniques, or other

aspects of the project to expedite

achievement of the project’s approved

goals. If the grantee or the PD(s) is

uncertain as to whether a change

complies with this provision, the

question must be referred to the CSREES

Authorized Departmental Officer (ADO)

for a final determination.

(b) Changes in approved goals or

objectives shall be requested by the

grantee and approved in writing by the

CSREES ADO prior to effecting such

changes. In no event shall requests for

such changes be approved which are

outside the scope of the original

approved project.

(c) Changes in approved project

leadership or the replacement or

reassignment of other key project

personnel shall be requested by the

grantee and approved in writing by the

awarding official of CSREES prior to

effecting such changes.

(d) Transfers of actual performance of

the substantive programmatic work in

whole or in part and provisions for

payment of funds, whether or not

Federal funds are involved, shall be

requested by the grantee and approved

in writing by the ADO prior to effecting

such transfers, unless prescribed

otherwise in the terms and conditions of

the grant.

(e) Changes in Project Period: The

project period may be extended by

CSREES without additional financial

support, for such additional period(s) as

the ADO determines may be necessary

to complete or fulfill the purposes of an

approved project. Any extension of time

shall be conditioned upon prior request

by the grantee and approval in writing

by the ADO, unless prescribed

otherwise in the terms and conditions of

a grant, but in no case shall a grant

period of performance exceed three (3)

years.

(f) Changes in Approved Budget:

Changes in an approved budget must be

requested by the grantee and approved

in writing by the ADO prior to

instituting such changes if the revision

will involve transfers or expenditures of

amounts requiring prior approval as set

forth in the applicable Federal cost

principles, Departmental regulations, or

in the grant award.

D. Applicable Federal Statutes and

Regulations

Several other Federal statutes and

regulations apply to grant proposals

considered for review and to grants

awarded under this program. These

include but are not limited to:

7 CFR part 1.1—USDA

implementation of the Freedom of

Information Act.

7 CFR part 3—USDA implementation

of OMB Circular No. A–129 regarding

debt collection.

7 CFR part 15, subpart A—USDA

implementation of Title VI of the Civil

Rights Act of 1964, as amended.

7 CFR part 3015—USDA Uniform

Federal Assistance Regulations,

implementing OMB directives, (e.g.,

Circulars Nos. A–21 and A–122) and

incorporating provisions of 31 U.S.C.

6301–6308, as well as general policy

requirements applicable to recipients of

Departmental financial assistance.

7 CFR part 3016—Uniform

Administrative Requirements for Grants

and Cooperative Agreements to State

and Local Governments.

7 CFR part 3017—USDA

implementation of Governmentwide

Debarment and Suspension

(Nonprocurement) and

Governmentwide Requirements for

Drug-Free Workplace (Grants).

7 CFR part 3018—USDA

implementation of Restrictions on

Lobbying. Imposes on recipients of

Federal contracts, grants, cooperative

agreements, and loans prohibitions and

requirements for disclosure and

certification related to lobbying.

7 CFR part 3019—USDA

implementation of OMB Circular A–

110, Uniform Administrative

Requirements for Grants and

Agreements With Institutions of Higher

Education, Hospitals, and Other

Nonprofit Organizations.

7 CFR part 3052—USDA

implementation of OMB Circular No. A–

133, Audits of States, Local

Governments, and Non-profit

Organizations.

14056 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 46 / Thursday, March 8, 2001 / Notices

7 CFR part 3407—CSREES

supplemental regulations for

implementation of the National

Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as

amended.

29 U.S.C. 794 (section 504,

Rehabilitation Act of 1973) and 7 CFR

Part 15d (USDA implementation of

statute)—prohibiting discrimination

based upon physical or mental handicap

in Federally assisted programs.

35 U.S.C. 200, et seq., Bayh-Dole Act,

controlling allocation of rights to

inventions made by employees of small

business firms and domestic nonprofit

organizations, including universities, in

Federally assisted programs

(implementing regulations are contained

in 37 CFR part 401).

E. Confidential Aspects of Proposals

and Awards

(1) When a proposal results in a grant,

it becomes a part of the record of the

Agency’s transactions, available to the

public upon specific request.

Information that the Secretary

determines to be of a confidential,

privileged, or proprietary nature will be

held in confidence to the extent

permitted by law. Therefore, any

information that the applicant wishes to

have considered as confidential,

privileged, or proprietary should be

clearly marked within the proposal.

(2) When a proposal does not result in

a grant the original copy will be retained

by the CSREES for a period of one year.

Other copies will be destroyed. Such a

proposal will be released only with the

consent of the applicant or to the extent

required by law. A proposal may be

withdrawn at any time prior to the final

action thereon.

F. Regulatory Information

For the reasons set forth in the final

Rule-related Notice to 7 CFR part 3015,

subpart V (48 FR 29115, June 24, 1983),

this program is excluded from the scope

of the Executive Order 12372 which

requires intergovernmental consultation

with State and local officials. Under the

provisions of the Paperwork Reduction

Act of 1995 as amended (44 U.S.C.

chapter 35), the collection of

information requirements contained in

this Notice have been approved under

OMB Document No. 0524–0022.

Done at Washington, DC, this 1st day of

March, 2001.

Colien Hefferan,

Administrator, Cooperative State Research,

Education, and Extension Service.

[FR Doc. 01–5592 Filed 3–7–01; 8:45 am]

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