Notice of Solicitation of Applications for the Section 533 Housing Preservation Grants for Fiscal Year 2020
| Citation | 85 FR 16314 |
| Record Number | 2020-05984 |
| Published date | 23 March 2020 |
| Section | Notices |
| Court | Rural Housing Service |
Federal Register, Volume 85 Issue 56 (Monday, March 23, 2020)
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 56 (Monday, March 23, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16314-16324]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-05984]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Rural Housing Service
[Docket No. RHS-20-MFH-0007]
Notice of Solicitation of Applications for the Section 533
Housing Preservation Grants for Fiscal Year 2020
AGENCY: Rural Housing Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Rural Housing Service (RHS), an Agency within Rural
Development, announces that it is soliciting competitive applications
under its Housing Preservation Grant (HPG) program. This action is
taken to comply with Agency regulations which requires the Agency to
announce the opening and closing dates for receipt of pre-applications
for HPG funds from eligible applicants. The Agency will publish the
amount of funding on its website at https://www.rd.usda.gov/newsroom/notices-solicitation-applications-nosas. Expenses incurred in
developing applications will be at the applicant's risk.
DATES: The closing deadline for receipt of all paper pre-applications
in response to this Notice is 5:00 p.m., local time for each Rural
Development State Office on May 7, 2020. If submitting the pre-
application in electronic format, the closing deadline for receipt is
5:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on May 7, 2020.
Rural Development State Office locations can be found at: http://www.rd.usda.gov/contact-us/state-offices. RHS will not consider any
application that is received after the closing deadline. Applicants
intending to mail applications must provide sufficient time to permit
delivery on or before the closing deadline date and time. Acceptance by
the United States Postal Service or private mailer does not constitute
delivery. Facsimile (FAX) and postage due applications will not be
accepted.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information, applicants
may contact Bonnie Edwards-Jackson, Finance and Loan Analyst, Multi-
Family Housing Preservation and Direct Loan Division, USDA-Rural
Development, STOP 0781, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC
20250-0781, telephone (202) 690-0759 (voice) (this is not a toll-free
number) or (800) 877-8339 (TDD-Federal Information Relay Service) or
via email at, [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Priority Language for Funding Opportunities
The Agency encourages applications that will help improve life in
rural America. See information on the Interagency Task Force on
Agriculture and Rural Prosperity found at: www.usda.gov/ruralprosperity. Applicants are encouraged to consider projects that
provide measurable results in helping rural communities build robust
and sustainable economies through strategic investments in
infrastructure, partnerships and innovation.
Key strategies include:
Achieving e-Connectivity for Rural America
Developing the Rural Economy
Harnessing Technological Innovation
Supporting a Rural Workforce
Improving Quality of Life
To leverage investments in rural property, the Agency also
encourages projects located in rural Opportunity Zones where projects
should provide measurable results in helping communities build robust
and sustainable economies. An Opportunity Zone is an economically-
distressed community where new investments, under certain conditions,
may be eligible for preferential tax treatment. Localities qualify as
Opportunity Zones if they have been nominated for that designation by
the State and that nomination has been certified by the Secretary of
the U.S. Treasury via his delegation of authority to the Internal
Revenue Service.
To combat a key threat to economic prosperity, rural workforce and
quality of life, the Agency also encourages applications that will
support the Administration's goal to reduce the morbidity and mortality
associated with Substance Use Disorder (including opioid misuse) in
high-risk rural communities by strengthening the capacity to address
prevention, treatment and/or recovery at the community, County, State,
and/or Regional levels:
Key strategies include:
Prevention: Reducing the occurrence of Substance Use
Disorder (including opioid misuse) and fatal
[[Page 16315]]
substance-related overdoses through community and provider education
and harm reduction measures such as the strategic placement of overdose
reversing devices, such as naloxone;
Treatment: Implementing or expanding access to evidence-
based treatment practices for Substance Use Disorder (including opioid
misuse) such as medication-assisted treatment (MAT); and
Recovery: Expanding peer recovery and treatment options
that help people start and stay in recovery.
To focus investments in areas with the largest opportunity for
growth in prosperity, the Agency encourages applications that serve the
smallest communities with the lowest incomes, with an emphasis on areas
where at least 20 percent of the population is living in poverty,
according to the American Community Survey data by census tracts.
Overview
Federal Agency Name: Rural Housing Service, USDA.
Funding Opportunity Title: Housing Preservation Grants.
Announcement Type: Notice.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 10.433.
Paperwork Reduction Act
The reporting requirements contained in this Notice have been
approved by the Office of Management and Budget under OMB Number 0575-
0115.
A. Program Description
The HPG program is a grant program, authorized under 42 U.S.C.
1490m and implemented at 7 CFR part 1944, subpart N, which provides
qualified public agencies, private non-profit organizations including,
but not limited to, Faith-Based and neighborhood partnerships, and
other eligible entities; grant funds to assist low- and very low-income
homeowners in repairing and rehabilitating their homes in rural areas.
In addition, the HPG program assists cooperative housing complexes and
rental property owners in rural areas in repairing and rehabilitating
their units if they agree to make such units available to very low- and
low- income persons. Rental property owners can include Section 515
rental properties if the eligibility requirements for the HPG program
are met. In accordance with 7 CFR part 1944.663, rental property owners
must agree to make the units repaired or rehabilitated available for
occupancy to very low- or low-income persons for a period of not less
than 5 years. The minimum 5-year restriction to rent the very low- and
low- income tenants will only apply to the units that are repaired with
the HPG funding. Any units within the property that were not repaired
with HPG funding will not be subject to the 5-year restriction.
B. Federal Award Information
The funding instrument for the HPG program will be a grant
agreement. The term of the grant can vary from 1 to 2 years, depending
on available funds and demand. No maximum or minimum grant levels have
been established at the National level. In accordance with 7 CFR
1944.652, coordination and leveraging of funding for repair and
rehabilitation activities with housing and community development
organizations or activities operating in the same geographic area are
expected, but not required. You should contact the Rural Development
State Office to determine the allocation. HPG applicants who were
previously selected for HPG funds are eligible to submit new
applications to apply for fiscal year (FY) 2020 HPG program funds.
The amount of funding available for the HPG program may be found at
the following link: http://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/housing-preservation-grants. In addition, the Consolidated Appropriations Act,
2019 (Pub. L. 116-6) set-aside for grants located in Rural Economic
Area Partnership Zones (REAP Zones). The State Office will indicate on
the list submitted to the National Office if the application is
eligible for the REAP Zones set-aside. The National Office will then
compile a national list, rank the REAP Zones applicants based on the
point allocations set forth in this Federal Register Notice, and
distribute the HPG REAP Zones set-aside starting with the highest
scoring eligible HPG REAP Zones applicants. Other funds will be
distributed under a formula allocation to States pursuant to 7 CFR part
1940, subpart L, ``Methodology and Formulas for Allocation of Loan and
Grant Program Funds.'' Decisions on funding will be based on pre-
application scores. Anyone interested in submitting an application for
funding under this program is encouraged to consult the Rural
Development website periodically for updated information regarding the
status of funding authorized for this program.
The commitment of program dollars will be made to selected
applicants that have fulfilled the necessary requirements for
obligation.
C. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants. Eligible entities for these competitively
awarded grants include State and local Governments, non-profit
corporations; which may include, but not be limited to Faith-Based and
community organizations, federally recognized Indian Tribes, and
consortia of eligible entities. HPG applicants who were previously
selected for HPG funds are eligible to submit new applications to apply
for FY 2020 HPG program funds. More eligibility requirements can be
found at 7 CFR 1944.658, 1944.661, and 1944.662.
2. Cost Sharing or Matching. Pursuant to 7 CFR 1944.652, grantees
are expected to coordinate and leverage funding for repair and
rehabilitation activities; as well as replacement housing, with housing
and community development organizations or activities operating in the
same geographic area. While HPG funds may be leveraged with other
resources, cost sharing or matching is not a requirement for the HPG
applicant as the HPG applicant would not be denied an award of HPG
funds if all other project selection criteria have been met.
3. Other. Awards made under this Notice are subject to the
provisions contained in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2019 (Pub.
L. 116-6) sections 744 and 745 regarding Corporate Felony Convictions
and Corporate Federal Tax Delinquencies. To comply with these
provisions, only applicants that are or propose to be corporations will
submit this form as part of their pre-application. Form AD-3030,
``Representations Regarding Felony Conviction and Tax Delinquent Status
for Corporate Applicants,'' can be found here: http://www.ocio.usda.gov/document/ad3030.
D. Application and Submission Information
1. Address to Request Application Package: Applicants wishing to
submit a paper application in response to this Notice must contact the
Rural Development State Office serving the State of the proposed HPG
housing project in order to receive further information and copies of
the paper application package. You may find the addresses and contact
information for each State Office following this link: http://www.rd.usda.gov/contact-us/state-offices. Rural Development will date
and time stamp incoming paper applications to evidence timely receipt
and; upon request, will provide the applicant with a written
acknowledgment of receipt. You may access the electronic grant pre-
application for Housing Preservation Grants at: http://www.grants.gov.
[[Page 16316]]
2. Content and Form of Application: 7 CFR part 1944, subpart N
provides details on what information must be contained in the pre-
application package. Entities wishing to apply for assistance should
contact the Rural Development State Office to receive further
information, the State allocation of funds, and copies of the pre-
application package. Unless otherwise noted, applicants wishing to
apply for assistance must make its statement of activities available to
the public for comment. The applicant(s) must announce the availability
of its statement of activities for review in a newspaper of general
circulation in the project area and allow at least 15 days for public
comment. The start of this 15-day period must occur no later than 16
days prior to the last day for acceptance of pre-applications by the
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)-Rural Development.
Federally recognized Indian Tribes, pursuant to 7 CFR 1944.674, are
exempt from the requirement to consult with local leaders including
announcing the availability of its statement of activities for review
in a newspaper.
All applicants will file an original and two copies of Standard
Form (SF)-424, ``Application for Federal Assistance,'' and supporting
information with the appropriate Rural Development State Office. A pre-
application package; including SF-424, is available in any Rural
Development State Office. All pre-applications shall be accompanied by
the following information which Rural Development will use to determine
the applicant's eligibility to undertake the HPG program and to
evaluate the pre-application under the project selection criteria of 7
CFR 1944.679.
(a) A statement of activities proposed by the applicant for its HPG
program as appropriate to the type of assistance the applicant is
proposing, including:
(1) A complete discussion of the type of and conditions for
financial assistance for housing preservation, including whether the
request for assistance is for a homeowner assistance program, a rental
property assistance program, or a cooperative assistance program;
(2) The process for selecting recipients for HPG assistance,
determining housing preservation needs of the dwelling, performing the
necessary work, and monitoring/inspecting work performed;
(3) A description of the process for coordinating with other public
and private organizations and programs that provide assistance in
rehabilitation of historic properties in accordance with 7 CFR
1944.673;
(4) The development standard(s) the applicant will use for the
housing preservation work; and, if not the Rural Development standards
for existing dwellings, the evidence of its acceptance by the
jurisdiction where the grant will be implemented;
(5) The time schedule for completing the program;
(6) The staffing required to complete the program;
(7) The estimated number of very low- and low-income minority and
nonminority persons the grantee will assist with HPG funds; and, if a
rental property or cooperative assistance program, the number of units
and the term of restrictive covenants on their use for very low- and
low-income;
(8) The geographical area(s) to be served by the HPG program;
(9) The annual estimated budget for the program period based on the
financial needs to accomplish the objectives outlined in the proposal.
The budget should include proposed direct and indirect administrative
costs, such as personnel, fringe benefits, travel, equipment, supplies,
contracts, and other cost categories, detailing those costs for which
the grantee proposes to use the HPG grant separately from non-HPG
resources, if any. The applicant budget should also include a schedule
(with amounts) of how the applicant proposes to draw HPG grant funds,
i.e., monthly, quarterly, lump sum for program activities, etc.;
(10) A copy of an indirect cost proposal when the applicant has
another source of Federal funding in addition to the Rural Development
HPG program;
(11) A brief description of the accounting system to be used;
(l2) The method of evaluation to be used by the applicant to
determine the effectiveness of its program which encompasses the
requirements for quarterly reports to Rural Development in accordance
with 7 CFR 1944.683(b) and the monitoring plan for rental properties
and cooperatives (when applicable) according to 7 CFR 1944.689;
(13) The source and estimated amount of other financial resources
to be obtained and used by the applicant for both HPG activities and
housing development and/or supporting activities;
(14) The use of program income; if any, and the tracking system
used for monitoring same;
(15) The applicant's plan for disposition of any security
instruments held by them as a result of its HPG activities in the event
of its loss of legal status;
(16) Any other information necessary to explain the proposed HPG
program; and
(17) The outreach efforts outlined in 7 CFR 1944.671(b).
(b) Complete information about the applicant's experience and
capacity to carry out the objectives of the proposed HPG program.
(c) Evidence of the applicant's legal existence, including, in the
case of a private non-profit organization, which may include, but not
be limited to, Faith-Based and community organizations, a copy of, or
an accurate reference to, the specific provisions of State law under
which the applicant is organized; a certified copy of the applicant's
Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws or other evidence of corporate
existence; certificate of incorporation for other than public bodies;
evidence of good standing from the State when the corporation has been
in existence one year or more; and the names and addresses of the
applicant's members, directors and officers. If other organizations are
members of the applicant-organization, or the applicant is a
consortium, pre-applications should be accompanied by the names,
addresses, and principal purpose of the other organizations. If the
applicant is a consortium, documentation showing compliance with
paragraph (4)(ii) under the definition of ``organization'' in 7 CFR
1944.656 must also be included.
(d) For a private non-profit entity, which may include, but not be
limited to, Faith-Based and community organizations, the most recent
audited statement and a current financial statement dated and signed by
an authorized officer of the entity showing the amounts and specific
nature of assets and liabilities together with information on the
repayment schedule and status of any debt(s) owed by the applicant.
(e) A brief narrative statement which includes information about
the area to be served and the need for improved housing (including both
percentage and the actual number of both low-income and low-income
minority households and substandard housing), the need for the type of
housing preservation assistance being proposed, the anticipated use of
HPG resources for historic properties, the method of evaluation to be
used by the applicant in determining the effectiveness of its efforts.
(f) A statement containing the component for alleviating any
overcrowding as defined by 7 CFR 1944.656.
(g) A signed copy of the documentation in accordance with 7
[[Page 16317]]
CFR 1944.673 (as a companion to (a)(3) above);
(h) The applicant must submit written statements and related
correspondence reflecting compliance with 7 CFR 1944.674(a) and (c)
regarding consultation with local Government leaders in the preparation
of its program and the consultation with local and State Government
pursuant to the provisions of Executive Order 112372.
(i) The applicant is to make its statement of activities available
to the public for comment prior to submission to Rural Development
pursuant to 7 CFR 1944.674(b). The application must contain a
description of how the comments (if any were received) were addressed.
(j) The applicant must submit an original and one copy of Form RD
400-1, ``Equal Opportunity Agreement'' and Form RD 400-4, ``Assurance
Agreement'' in accordance with 7 CFR 1944.676.
Applicants should review 7 CFR part 1944, subpart N for a
comprehensive list of all application requirements.
3. Address Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award
Management: As part of the application, all applicants, except for
individuals or agencies excepted under 2 CFR 25.110(d), must be: (1)
registered in the System for Award Management (SAM); (2) provide a
valid unique entity identifier in its applications; and (3) maintain an
active SAM registration with current information at all times during
which it has an active Federal award or application. An award may not
be made to the applicant until the applicant has complied with the
unique entity identifier and SAM requirements.
4. Intergovernmental Review: The HPG program is subject to the
provisions of Executive Order 12372, which requires intergovernmental
consultation with State and local officials.
5. Funding Restrictions: There are no limits on proposed direct and
indirect costs. Expenses incurred in developing pre-applications will
be at the applicant's risk.
6. Other Submission Requirements: To comply with the President's
Management Agenda, USDA is participating as a partner in the
Government-wide grants.gov site. Housing Preservation Grants [Catalog
of Federal Domestic Assistance #10.433] is one of the programs included
at this website. If you are an applicant under the HPG program, you may
submit your pre-application to the Agency in either electronic or paper
format. Please be mindful that the pre-application deadline for
electronic format differs from the deadline for paper format. The
electronic format deadline will be based on Eastern Standard Time. The
paper format deadline is local time for each Rural Development State
Office.
Users of Grants.gov will be able to download a copy of the pre-
application package, complete it off line, and then upload and submit
the application via the Grants.gov site. You may not email an
electronic copy of a grant pre-application to USDA Rural Development;
however, the Agency encourages your participation in Grants.gov.
The following are useful tips and instructions on how to use the
website:
When you enter the Grants.gov site, you will find
information about submitting an application electronically through the
website 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 DUNS number.
You may submit all documents electronically through the
website, including all information typically included on the
Application for Housing Preservation Grants, and all necessary
assurances and certifications.
After you electronically submit your application through
the website, you will receive an automatic acknowledgement from
Grants.gov that contains a Grants.gov tracking number.
RHS may request that you provide original signatures on
forms at a later date.
If you experience technical difficulties on the closing
date and are unable to meet the 5:00 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time)
deadline, print out your application and submit it to your State
Office; you must meet the closing date and local time deadline.
Please note that you must locate the downloadable
application package for this program by the CFDA Number or FedGrants
Funding Opportunity Number, which can be found at http://www.grants.gov.
In addition to the electronic pre-application at: http://www.grants.gov website, all applicants must complete and submit the FY
2020 pre-application package, detailed later in this Notice, for the
Section 533 HPG program. A copy of a suggested coversheet is included
with this Notice. Applicants are encouraged to submit this pre-
application coversheet electronically by accessing the website: http://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/housing-preservation-grants. Click on
the Forms & Resources tab to access the ``FY 2020 Pre-Application for
Section 533 Housing Preservation Grants (HPG).''
Applicants are encouraged; but not required, to also provide an
electronic copy of all hard copy forms and documents submitted in the
pre-application/application package as requested by this Notice. The
forms and documents must be submitted as read-only Adobe Acrobat PDF
files on an electronic media such as CDs, DVDs or USB drives. For each
electronic device that you submit, you must include a Table of Contents
listing all of the documents and forms on that device. The electronic
medium must be submitted to the local Rural Development State Office
where the project will be located.
Please Note: If you receive a loan or grant award under this
Notice, USDA reserves the right to post all information that is not
protected by the Privacy Act submitted as part of the pre-application/
application package on a public website with free and open access to
any member of the public.
E. Application Review Information
1. Criteria. All paper applications for Section 533 HPG funds must
be filed with the appropriate Rural Development State Office and all
paper or electronic applications must meet the requirements of this
Notice and 7 CFR part 1944, subpart N. Pre-applications determined not
eligible and/or not meeting the selection criteria will be notified by
the Rural Development State Office.
2. Review and Selection Process. The Rural Development State
Offices will utilize the following threshold project selection criteria
for applicants in accordance with 7 CFR 1944.679:
(a) Providing a financially feasible program of housing
preservation assistance. ``Financially feasible'' is defined as
proposed assistance which will be affordable to the intended recipient
or result in affordable housing for very low- and low-income persons.
(b) Serving eligible rural areas with a concentration of
substandard housing for households with very low- and low-income.
(c) Being an eligible applicant as defined in 7 CFR 1944.658.
(d) Meeting the requirements of consultation and public comment in
accordance with 7 CFR 1944.674.
(e) Submitting a complete pre-application as outlined in 7 CFR
1944.676.
3. Scoring. For applicants meeting all of the requirements listed
above, the Rural Development State Offices will use weighted criteria
in accordance with 7 CFR part 1944, subpart N as selection
[[Page 16318]]
for the grant recipients. Each pre-application and its accompanying
statement of activities will be evaluated and, based solely on the
information contained in the pre-application, the applicant's proposal
will be numerically rated on each criteria within the range provided.
The highest-ranking applicant(s) will be selected based on allocation
of funds available to the State.
(a) Points are awarded based on the percentage of very low-income
persons that the applicant proposes to assist, using the following
scale:
(1) More than 80%: 20 points
(2) 61% to 80%: 15 points
(3) 41% to 60%: 10 points
(4) 20% to 40%: 5 points
(5) Less than 20%: 0 points
(b) The applicant's proposal may be expected to result in the
following percentage of HPG fund use (excluding administrative costs)
to total cost of unit preservation. This percentage reflects maximum
repair or rehabilitation with the least possible HPG funds due to
leveraging, innovative financial assistance, owner's contribution or
other specified approaches. Points are awarded based on the following
percentage of HPG funds (excluding administrative costs) to total
funds:
(1) 50% or less: 20 points
(2) 51% to 65%: 15 points
(3) 66% to 80%: 10 points
(4) 81% to 95%: 5 points
(5) 96% to 100%: 0 points
(c) The applicant has demonstrated its administrative capacity in
assisting very low- and low-income persons to obtain adequate housing
based on the following:
(1) The organization or a member of its staff has at least one or
more years' experience successfully managing and operating a
rehabilitation or weatherization type program: 10 points.
(2) The organization or a member of its staff has at least one or
more years' experience successfully managing and operating a program
assisting very low- and low-income persons obtain housing assistance:
10 points.
(3) If the organization has administered grant programs, there are
no outstanding or unresolved audit or investigative findings which
might impair carrying out the proposal: 10 points.
(d) The proposed program will be undertaken entirely in rural areas
outside Metropolitan Statistical Areas, also known as MSAs, identified
by Rural Development as having populations below 10,000 or in remote
parts of other rural areas (i.e., rural areas contained in MSAs with
less than 5,000 population) as defined in 7 CFR 1944.656: 10 points.
(e) The program will use less than 20 percent of HPG funds for
administration purposes:
(1) More than 20%: Not eligible
(2) 20%: 0 points
(3) 19%: 1 point
(4) 18%: 2 points
(5) 17%: 3 points
(6) 16%: 4 points
(7) 15% or less: 5 points
(f) The proposed program contains a component for alleviating
overcrowding as defined in 7 CFR 1944.656: 5 points.
In the event more than one pre-application receives the same amount
of points, those pre-applications will then be ranked based on the
actual percentage figure used for determining the points in item (a) in
the ``Scoring'' section of this Notice (7 CFR 1944.679(b)(1)).
Example of 1st tie-break:
Both Applicants score 80 points
Applicant X's percentage in ``Scoring'' section item (a) is 65%
Applicant B's percentage in ``Scoring'' section item (a) is 75%
Applicant B is ranked higher than Applicant X
Applicant B will be funded before Applicant X
Further, in the event that pre-applications are still tied, then
those pre-applications still tied will be ranked based on the
percentage figures used for determining the points in item (b) in the
``Scoring'' section of this Notice (7 CFR 1944.679(b)(2)).
Example of 2nd tie-break:
Both Applicants score 80 points
Both Applicants percentage in ``Scoring'' section item (a) is 65%
Applicant X's percentage in ``Scoring'' section item (b) is 55%
Applicant B's percentage in ``Scoring'' section item (b) is 60%
Applicant X is ranked with a lower percentage than Applicant B
Applicant X will be funded before Applicant B
Further, 7 CFR 1944.679(c), for applications where HPG assistance
to rental properties or co-ops is proposed, those still tied will be
further ranked based on the number of years the units are available for
occupancy under the program (a minimum of five years is required). For
this part, ranking will be based from most to least number of years.
Example of 3rd tie-break:
Both Applicants score 80 points
Both Applicants percentage in ``Scoring'' section item (a) is 65%
Both Applicants percentage in ``Scoring'' section item (b) is 55%
Applicant X's rental unit will be available for occupancy under the
program for 10 years
Applicant B's rental unit will be available for occupancy under the
program for 5 years
Applicant X is ranked higher than Applicant B
Applicant X will be funded before Applicant B
If any of the applicants that remain tied after the 1st and 2nd
tie-breaks are offering to assist single family owners, then the 3rd
tie-break would not be applicable, and a lottery would be used to
select the applicant to be funded.
If there is still a tie after the first two [or three, when
applicable] tie-breaks, then a lottery system will be used to select
the applicant to be funded. The lottery will be conducted at the
National Office. The lottery will consist of the names of each
application with equal scores printed onto a same size piece of paper,
which will then be placed into a receptacle that fully obstructs the
view of the names. The Director of the Preservation and Direct Loan
Division, in the presence of two witnesses, will draw a piece of paper
from the receptacle. The name on piece of paper drawn will be the
applicant to be funded.
After the award selections are made, all applicants will be
notified of the status of their applications by mail with form AD-622
Form, ``Notice of Pre-Application Review Action.'' Applicants will be
given their review rights or appeal rights in accordance with 7 CFR
1944.682.
F. Federal Award Administration Information
1. Federal Award Notices. The Agency will notify; in writing,
applicants whose pre-applications have been selected for funding. At
the time of notification, the Agency will advise the applicant what
further information and documentation is required along with a timeline
for submitting the additional information. If the Agency determines it
is unable to select the application for funding, the applicant will be
informed in writing. Such notification will include the reasons the
applicant was not selected. The Agency will advise applicants, whose
pre-applications did not meet eligibility and/or selection criteria, of
their review rights or appeal rights in accordance with 7 CFR 1944.682.
2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements. Rural
Development is encouraging applications for projects that will support
rural areas with persistent poverty and in Opportunity Zones. This
emphasis will support Rural Development's mission of
[[Page 16319]]
improving the quality of life for Rural Americans and commitment to
directing resources to those who most need them.
3. Reporting. Post-award reporting requirements can be found in the
Grant Agreement.
G. Non-Discrimination Statement
In accordance with Federal civil rights law and USDA civil rights
regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and
employees and institutions participating in or administering USDA
programs are prohibited from discrimination based on race, color,
national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, (including gender
expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status,
family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance
program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil
rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA
(not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing
deadlines vary by program or incident.
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of
communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print,
audiotape, American Sign Language, 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 (PDF), found online at: http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, and at any USDA office or
write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the
information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint
form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA
by:
(1) Mail: United States Department of Agriculture, Office of the
Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue SW,
Washington, DC 20250-9410;
(2) Fax: (202) 690-7442; or
(3) Email: [email protected].
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.
Bruce W. Lammers,
Administrator, Rural Housing Service.
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[FR Doc. 2020-05984 Filed 3-20-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-XV-C
