Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2008/02/05/E8-2002/inviting-applications-for-rural-business-opportunity-grants
Timestamp: 2018-03-19 11:31:10
Document Index: 492030947

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 4284', 'art 4284', 'art 4284', 'art 4284', 'art 4284', 'art 4284']

A Notice by the Rural Business-Cooperative Service on 02/05/2008
The deadline for the receipt of applications in the Rural Development State Office is March 31, 2008. The RBOG appropriation for FY 2008 provides specific funding for Native American, Empowerment Zones, Enterprise Communities, and Rural Economic Area Partnerships, and these applications must also be received in the Rural Development State Office by March 31, 2008. The Agency reserves the right to extend this application deadline. Any applications received at a Rural Development State Office after these dates for this type of assistance will not be considered for FY 2008 funding.
73 FR 6692
6692-6696 (5 pages)
E8-2002
IV. Fiscal Year 2008 Application and Submission Information:
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/E8-2002 https://www.federalregister.gov/d/E8-2002
The Rural Business-Cooperative Service, an Agency within Start Printed Page 6693the Rural Development mission area, announces the availability of grants of up to $50,000 per application from the Rural Business Opportunity Grant (RBOG) program for fiscal year (FY) 2008, to be competitively awarded. For multi-state projects, grant funds of up to $150,000 will be available on a competitive basis. These limits do not apply to specific funding as discussed below.
Cindy Mason, Loan Specialist, USDA Rural Development, STOP 3225, Room 6866, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20250-3225. Telephone: (202) 690-1433.
For further information, entities wishing to apply for assistance should contact a Rural Development State Office to receive copies of the application package. Potential applicants located in the District of Columbia must send their applications to the National Office at:
USDA Rural Development, Specialty Lenders Division, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Room 6867, STOP 3225, Washington, DC 20250-3225, (202) 720-1400.
USDA Rural Development State Office 9173 West Barnes Drive, Suite A1 Boise, ID 83709 (208) 378-5600/TDD (208) 378-5644
USDA Rural Development State Office, Federal Building, Suite 831, 100 West Capitol Street, Jackson, MS 39269, (601) 965-4316/TDD (601) 965-5850.
USDA Rural Development State Office, Federal Building, Room 152, 100 Centennial Mall North, Lincoln, NE 68508, (402) 437-5551/TDD (402) 437-5093. Start Printed Page 6694
USDA Rural Development State Office, 6200 Jefferson Street NE., Room 255, Albuquerque, NM 87109, (505) 761-4950/TDD (505) 761-4938.
Dates: Application Deadline: Completed applications for these funds must be received in the Rural Development State Office no later than March 31, 2008, to be eligible for FY 2008 grant funding. Applications received after this date will not be eligible for FY 2008 grant funding.
The RBOG program is authorized under section 306(a)(11) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (CONACT) (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)(11)). The Rural Development State Offices administer the RBOG program on behalf of USDA Rural Development at the State level. The primary objective of the program is to improve the economic conditions of rural areas. Assistance provided to rural areas under this program may include technical assistance for business development and economic development planning. To ensure that a broad range of communities have the opportunity to benefit from the program, no grant will exceed $50,000, unless it is a multi-State project where funds may not exceed $150,000. As indicated in the summary, these limits do not apply to specified funding for Native American, Empowerment Zones, Enterprise Communities, and Rural Economic Area Partnerships.
Awards are made on a competitive basis using specific selection criteria contained in 7 CFR part 4284, subpart G. Information required to be in the application package include an SF-424, “Application for Federal Assistance;” applicant's organizational documents; Scope of Work Narrative; Income Sheet; Balance Sheet or current audit if available; AD-1047, “Debarment/Suspension Certification;” AD-1048, “Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility and Voluntary Exclusion;” AD-1049, “Certification Regarding Drug-Free Workplace Requirements;” Restrictions on Lobbying, RD 400-1, “Equal Opportunity Agreement;” and RD 400-4, “Assurance Agreement.” See 7 CFR 4284.639 for additional application requirements. Information required to be in the application package are contained in 7 CFR part 4284, subpart G. The State Director may assign up to Start Printed Page 669515 discretionary points to an application, and the Agency Administrator may assign up to 20 additional discretionary points for projects funded from the National Office reserve. Discretionary points awarded by the State Director or Administrator must be based on geographic distribution of funds, special importance for implementation of a strategic plan in partnership with other organizations, or extraordinary potential for success due to superior project plans or qualifications of the grantee. To ensure the equitable distribution of funds, a maximum of two projects from each State that score the greatest number of points based on the selection criteria and discretionary points will be considered by the National Office for funding.
Applications will be tentatively scored by the State Offices and submitted to the National Office for final review and selection.
The National Office will review the scores based on the grant selection criteria and weights contained in 7 CFR part 4284, subpart G. All applicants will be notified by USDA Rural Development of the Agency's decision on the awards.
The definitions are published at 7 CFR 4284.603.
Total Funding: $655,110 for regular RBOG; $990,000 for Native American and $990,000 for Empowerment Zones, Enterprise Communities, and Rural Economic Area Partnerships.
Approximate Number of Awards: 13 for regular RBOG and 19 for Native American and 19 Empowerment Zones, Enterprise Communities, and Rural Economic Area Partnerships.
Average Award: $50,000.
Anticipated Award Date: June 30, 2008.
Grants may be made to public bodies, nonprofit corporations, Indian tribes on Federal or State reservations and other federally recognized tribal groups, and cooperatives with members that are primarily rural residents and that conduct activities for the mutual benefit of the members.
Applications will only be accepted for projects to assist in promoting sustainable economic development in rural communities.
When you enter the Grants.gov Web site, you will find information about submitting an application electronically through the site as well as the hours of operation. USDA Rural Development strongly recommends that you do not wait until the application deadline date to begin the application process through Grants.gov. To use Grants.gov, applicants must have a Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number which can be obtained at no cost via a toll-free request line at 1-866-705-5711.
You may submit all documents electronically through the Web site, including all information typically included on the application for RBOGs and all necessary assurances and certifications.
Please note that applicants must locate the downloadable application package for this program by the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number or FedGrants Funding Opportunity Number, which can be found at http://www.fedgrants.gov.
An application must contain all of the required elements. Each application received in a Rural Development State Office will be reviewed to determine if it is consistent with the eligible purposes contained in section 306 of the CONACT.
Each selection priority criterion outlined in 7 CFR 4284.639, must be addressed in the application. Failure to address any of the criteria will result in a zero-point score for that criterion and will impact the overall evaluation of the application. Copies of 7 CFR part 4284, subpart G, will be provided to any interested applicant making a request to a Rural Development State Office listed in this notice.
Explanation of Deadlines: Applications for funds must be in the Rural Development State Office by the deadline date.
The National Office will score applications based on the grant selection criteria and weights contained in 7 CFR part 4284, subpart G and will select a grantee subject to the grantee's satisfactory submission of the additional items required by 7 CFR part 4284, subpart G and the USDA Rural Development Letter of Conditions.
Successful applicants will receive notification for funding from the Rural Development State Office. Applicants must comply with all applicable statutes and regulations before the grant award will be approved. Unsuccessful applications will receive notification by mail. Start Printed Page 6696
Additional requirements that apply to grantees selected for this program can be found in the 7 CFR 4284, subpart G.
For general questions about this announcement, please contact your Rural Development State Office identified in this notice.
To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250-9410, or call (800) 795-3272 (voice), or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.”
[FR Doc. E8-2002 Filed 2-4-08; 8:45 am]