RFP - FY24- NOFO - App Extension.pdf

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Utilities Service

Notice of Funding Opportunity for Revolving Funds for Financing Water and Wastewater

Projects Grant Program for Fiscal Year 2024

AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA

Revolving Funds for Financing Water and Wastewater Projects

ACTION: Notice

SUMMARY: The Rural Utilities Service (RUS or the Agency), a Rural Development (RD) mission area of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), announces the acceptance of applications under the Revolving Funds for Financing Water and Wastewater Projects

(Revolving Fund Program or RFP) Grant Program for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024. These grant funds will be awarded to eligible applicants to create a revolving fund to finance predevelopment costs for water and wastewater projects, and for other purposes. Capital projects should consider energy efficiency, resiliency, and water reuse technologies. This program is anticipated to have

$1,000,000 available for FY 2024. All applicants are responsible for any expenses incurred in developing their application.

ADDRESSES: All applicants must file their application electronically through www.grants.gov.

Instructions and additional resources, to include an application guide, are available at www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/water-environmental-programs/revolving-funds-financing-water-and-wastewater-projects under the “To Apply” tab.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christina Cerio, Community Programs Deleted: Penny Douglas http://www.grants.gov/ https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/water-environmental-programs/revolving-funds-financing-water-and-wastewater-projects https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/water-environmental-programs/revolving-funds-financing-water-and-wastewater-projects

Specialist, Water and Environmental Programs, RUS, USDA, by email at Water-RD@usda.gov or by phone at (315) 403-3112. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American

Sign Language) should contact the responsible Mission Area, agency, or staff office; or the 711

Relay Service.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Overview

Federal Awarding Agency Name: Rural Utilities Service

Funding Opportunity Title: Revolving Funds for Financing Water and Wastewater Projects

Grant Program

Announcement Type: Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO or Notice)

Funding Opportunity Number: RDRUS-24-RFP

Assistance Listings: 10.864

Dates: RFP Grant Program applications will start being accepted on April 1, 2024. Completed electronic applications must be submitted through www.grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time

(ET) on May 6, 2024. Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted.

Rural Development Key Priorities: The Agency encourages applicants to consider projects that will advance the following key priorities (more details available at www.rd.usda.gov/priority-points):

• Addressing Climate Change and Environmental Justice; Reducing climate pollution and increasing resilience to the impacts of climate change through economic support to rural communities

• Advancing Racial Justice, Place-Based Equity, and Opportunity; Ensuring all rural

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Deleted: 1 mailto:Water-RD@usda.gov http://www.grants.gov/ https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rd.usda.gov%2Fpriority-points&data=04%7C01%7C%7C745c9875e40a4f783cc508d967c93b9d%7Ced5b36e701ee4ebc867ee03cfa0d4697%7C0%7C0%7C637654936272365989%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=OAimYld0IAG78KMTUBnrLlwbARlYYJpfb0YZ8cd2q3k%3D&reserved=0 https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rd.usda.gov%2Fpriority-points&data=04%7C01%7C%7C745c9875e40a4f783cc508d967c93b9d%7Ced5b36e701ee4ebc867ee03cfa0d4697%7C0%7C0%7C637654936272365989%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=OAimYld0IAG78KMTUBnrLlwbARlYYJpfb0YZ8cd2q3k%3D&reserved=0 residents have equitable access to RD programs and benefits from RD funded projects.

• Creating More and Better Market Opportunities; Assisting rural communities recover economically through more and better market opportunities and through improved infrastructure.

A. Program Description

1. Purpose of the Program. The RFP Grant Program is designed to help qualified nonprofits create revolving loan funds that can provide financing to extend and improve water and wastewater disposal systems in rural areas. Grant recipients will set up a revolving loan fund to provide loans to finance predevelopment costs of water or wastewater projects, or short-term small capital projects not part of the regular operation and maintenance of current water and wastewater systems. Capital projects should consider energy efficiency, resiliency, and water reuse technologies. The total amount of loan financing to an eligible entity shall not exceed

$200,000 or 75 percent of the project cost (whichever is less) and shall be repaid in a term not to exceed 10 years. The interest rate shall be determined by the grant recipient and approved by

RUS. The total outstanding balance for all loans under this program to any one entity shall not exceed $200,000.

2. Statutory and Regulatory Authority. The RFP Grant Program is authorized by the

Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (CONACT), Section 306(a)(2)(B), and 7 U.S.C.

1926(a)(2)(B). The RFP Grant Program is implemented by 7 CFR part 1783.

3. Definitions. The definitions applicable to this Notice are published at 7 CFR 1783.3.

4. Application of Awards. The Agency will review, evaluate, and score applications received in response to this Notice based on the provisions found in 7 CFR 1783.9 and as indicated in this

Notice. Awards under the RFP Grant Program will be made on a competitive basis using https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/subtitle-B/chapter-XVII/part-1783 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/section-1783.3 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/section-1783.9 specific selection criteria contained in 7 CFR 1783.9 and this Notice. The Agency advises all interested parties that the applicant bears the full burden in preparing and submitting an application in response to this Notice regardless of whether or not funding is appropriated for the

RFP Grant Program in FY 2024.

B. Federal Award Information

Type of Award: Grants

Fiscal Year Funds: FY 2024

Available Funds: Anticipated to be $1,000,000 through annual appropriations. RUS may, at its discretion, increase the total level of funding available in this funding round from any available source provided the awards meet the requirements of the statute which made the funding available to the Agency.

Award Amounts: No minimum or maximum award amount.

Anticipated Award Date: September 30, 2024

Performance Period: October 1, 2024, to September 30, 2025

Renewal or Supplemental Awards: Prior RFP grants will not be renewed. Existing RFP awardees can submit applications for new projects which will be evaluated as new applications.

Grant applications must be submitted during the application window.

Type of Assistance Instrument: Grant Agreement

C. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants. Eligible applicants must meet the eligibility requirements of 7 CFR

1783.5.

2. Cost Sharing or Matching. Applicants must comply with the applicant contribution requirements outlined in 7 CFR 1783.9(b)(3). A 20 percent cost sharing or matching https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/section-1783.9 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/section-1783.5 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/section-1783.5 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/part-1783#p-1783.9(b)(3) requirement is associated with this grant.

3. Other. All submitted proposals must meet the intent outlined in 7 CFR 1783.1 and 1783.12, and be in conformance with 7 CFR 1783.13 and 1783, Subpart C. Non-tribal applicants proposing to serve households on tribal lands must submit a tribal resolution of support with their application from the Tribe, or Tribes, that have jurisdiction over those lands.

D. Application and Submission Information

1. Address to Request Application Package. Application information is available at www.grants.gov. The NOFO, FY 2024 RFP Application Guide, copies of necessary forms and samples, and the RFP regulation are available at https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/water-environmental-programs/revolving-funds-financing-water-and-wastewater-projects.

2. Content and Form of Application Submission. To be considered for funding, applicants must be an eligible entity and must submit a complete application by the deadline date. Applicants should consult the cost principles and general administrative requirements for grants pertaining to their organizational type to prepare the budget and complete other parts of the application.

Applicants should prepare their applications in accordance with the requirements of this

NOFO and 7 CFR part 1783. The Agency has developed the FY 2024 RFP Application Guide for this program, which is available at https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/water-environmental-programs/revolving-funds-financing-water-and-wastewater-projects. The Agency emphasizes the importance of including every item and strongly encourages applicants to follow the instructions carefully, using the examples and illustrations in the application guide.

Applicants should ensure they are using the most updated version of the application guide before submitting an application.

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/section-1783.1 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/section-1783.12 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/section-1783.13 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/part-1783/subpart-C http://www.grants.gov/ https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/water-environmental-programs/revolving-funds-financing-water-and-wastewater-projects https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/water-environmental-programs/revolving-funds-financing-water-and-wastewater-projects https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/water-environmental-programs/revolving-funds-financing-water-and-wastewater-projects https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/subtitle-B/chapter-XVII/part-1783 https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/water-environmental-programs/revolving-funds-financing-water-and-wastewater-projects https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/water-environmental-programs/revolving-funds-financing-water-and-wastewater-projects

3. System for Award Management and Unique Entity Identifier.

(a) At the time of application, each applicant must have an active registration in the

System for Award Management (SAM) before submitting its application in accordance with 2

CFR part 25. In order to register in SAM, entities will be required to obtain a Unique Entity

Identifier (UEI). Instructions for obtaining the UEI are available at https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration.

(b) Applicants must maintain an active SAM registration, with current, accurate and complete information, at all times during which it has an active Federal award or an application under consideration by a Federal awarding agency.

(c) Applicant must ensure it completes the Financial Assistance General Certifications and Representations in SAM.

(d) Each applicant must provide a valid UEI in its application, unless determined exempt under 2 CFR 25.110.

(e) The Agency will not make an award until the applicant has complied with all SAM requirements including providing the UEI. If an applicant has not fully complied with the requirements by the time the Agency is ready to make an award, the Agency may determine that the applicant is not qualified to receive a Federal award and use that determination as a basis for making a Federal award to another applicant.

4. Submission Dates and Times.

Application Deadline Date. RFP Grant Program will start accepting applications on

April 1, 2024. Completed electronic applications must be submitted through www.grants.gov by

11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on May 6, 2024. Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted. If the submission deadline falls on Saturday, Sunday, or a Federal holiday, the

Deleted: 1 https://drafting.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-I/part-25 https://drafting.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-I/part-25 https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-I/part-25/subpart-A/section-25.110 http://www.grants.gov/ application is due the next business day.

The Agency will not solicit or consider new scoring or eligibility information that is submitted after the application deadline. RUS also reserves the right to ask applicants for clarifying information and additional verification of assertions in the application.

5. Intergovernmental Review. Executive Order (EO) 12372, “Intergovernmental Review of

Federal Programs,” does not apply to this program.

6. Funding Restrictions. Applications must be for eligible uses outlined in 7 CFR 1783.12. No administrative expenses may be paid with grant funds, as outlined in 7 CFR 1783.13.

7. Other Submission Requirements.

(a) As referenced in this Notice, the Agency will only accept applications electronically through www.grants.gov. RUS may request original signatures on electronically submitted documents later. All electronic documents must be submitted in Excel, Word, or PDF format. If system errors or technical difficulties occur, use the customer support resources available at the

Grants.gov website.

(b) Applicants must be registered with Grants.gov before a grant application can be submitted. If you have not used Grants.gov before, you will need to register in SAM. SAM registers your organization and stores your organizational information, which allows Grants.gov to use it to verify your identity. The registration process may take up to 10 business days to complete. Follow the instructions at Grants.gov for registering and submitting an electronic application.

E. Application Review Information

1. Criteria. All eligible and complete applications will be evaluated and scored competitively based on the scoring criteria and weights contained in 7 CFR 1783.9 and this Notice. Failure to https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/section-1783.12 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/section-1783.13 http://www.grants.gov/ address any of the application criteria by the application deadline will result in the application being determined ineligible, and the application will not be considered for funding.

In order to be considered for administrative points, the applicant’s work plan must include a separate section titled, “Administrative Points.” Applications may be awarded up to a total of 10 points (7 CFR 1783.9(b)(7)) for the following three priorities:

(a) Assisting rural communities recover economically through more and better market opportunities and through improved infrastructure. (4 points) Applicants would receive priority points if the project is located in or serving a rural community whose economic well-being ranks in the most distressed tier (distress score of 80 or higher) of the Distressed Communities Index using the Distressed Communities Look-Up Map available at www.rd.usda.gov/priority-points.

(b) Ensuring all rural residents have equitable access to RD programs and benefits from

RD funded projects. (3 points) Using the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) Look-Up Map

(available at www.rd.usda.gov/priority-points), an applicant would receive priority points if the project is:

• Located in or serving a community with score 0.75 or above on the SVI;

• A Federally recognized tribe, including Tribal instrumentalities and entities that are wholly owned by Tribes; or

• A project where at least 50 percent of the project beneficiaries are members of

Federally Recognized Tribes and non-Tribal applicants include a Tribal

Resolution of Consent from the Tribe or Tribes that the applicant is proposing to serve.

(c) Reducing climate pollution and increasing resilience to the impacts of climate change through economic support to rural communities. (3 points) Using the Disadvantaged https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/part-1783#p-1783.9(b)(7) https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/part-1783#p-1783.9(b)(7) https://www.rd.usda.gov/priority-points https://www.rd.usda.gov/priority-points

Community and Energy Community Look-Up Map (available at https://www.rd.usda.gov/priority-points), applicants will receive priority in three ways:

• If the project is located in or serves a Disadvantaged Community as defined by the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST), from the White

House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ);

• If the project is located in or serves an Energy Community as defined by the

Inflation Reduction Act (IRA); or, o If the applicant demonstrates through written narrative how proposed climate-impact project improves the livelihood of community residents and meets pollution mitigation or clean energy goals.

• See the website, www.rd.usda.gov/priority-points, for options.

2. Review and Selection Process. RUS will provide the applicant written acknowledgement of receipt of application. The following actions will be taken:

(a) Incomplete or ineligible applications as of the deadline for submission will not be considered. If an application is determined to be incomplete or ineligible, the applicant will be notified in writing.

(b) Complete, eligible applications will be evaluated competitively by a review team, composed of at least three RUS employees from the Water and Environmental Programs. They will make overall recommendations based on the criteria provided in 7 CFR part 1783.9 and this

Notice. Each application will receive a score based on the averages of the reviewers’ scores and discretionary points awarded by the RUS Administrator. RUS reserves the right to request additional information once an application is determined to be complete to minimize the risk of https://www.rd.usda.gov/priority-points http://www.rd.usda.gov/priority-points duplication of other federal efforts. The Agency reserves the right to offer the applicant less than the grant funding requested. At the discretion of RUS, low-scoring projects may not be awarded funding even if funding remains available.

(c) Applications will be ranked and grants awarded based upon the scoring results and funding availability. Regardless of the score an application receives, if RUS determines that the project is technically infeasible or ineligible, RUS will notify the applicant in writing and the application will be returned with no further action.

F. Federal Award Administration Information

1. Federal Award Notices.

(a) Award Outcomes. There are four possible outcomes following the submission of an application under the RFP Grant Program. RUS reserves the right to make no grant awards if all applications are ineligible, incomplete, and/or do not meet the established program objectives and priorities. RUS may determine that the application is:

(1) Eligible and selected for funding,

(2) Eligible but offered less funds than requested,

(3) Eligible but not selected for funding due to ranking of all applications by score, or

(4) Ineligible for the grant.

(b) Award Notices. RUS will notify applicants selected for funding by an award letter accompanied by a grant agreement, which outlines the terms and conditions for the grant. Successful applicants will be required to execute documents appropriate to the project before funding will be advanced. Award documents specify the term of each award.

(c) Payments and Reimbursements. Pursuant to the grant agreement, grant funds will be released over the course of the grant period in reimbursement for the performance of eligible, approved activities, which do not duplicate similar federal efforts or tasks. Funding requests may be submitted for allowable costs up to monthly and must include the appropriate supporting documentation. The grant agreement will also include reporting and outline actions containing pre-approval requirements consistent with 7 CFR part 1783 and 2 CFR part 200 which if not met, may result in a delay in reimbursement, disallowance of expense, or a suspension of the grant.

(d) Scope of Work. The approved scope of work will be attached to the executed grant agreement. The grantee is responsible for ensuring that all contractual, legal, and program requirements are met prior to starting work. Any change in the scope of the project, budget adjustments of more than ten (10) percent of the total budget, or any other significant change in the project must be reported to and approved prior to the change by the Agency approval official by written amendment to the grant agreement. Any change not approved may be cause for termination of the grant.

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements. Applications should be prepared in conformance with departmental and other applicable regulations including 2 CFR parts 25, 170, 180, 200, 400, 415 subparts A and B, 417, 418, 421, and any successor regulations.

3. Reporting. Performance reporting, including applicable forms, narratives, and other documentation, are to be completed and submitted in accordance with the provisions of 7 CFR part 1783, 2 CFR part 170, and 2 CFR part 200, as well as the grant agreement. It will be the grantee’s responsibility to demonstrate how the costs are associated to the goals and objectives of the award. Further, all grantees must submit an audit or financial information covering the defined period of performance as outlined in 2 CFR part 200.

G. Federal Awarding Agency Contacts – For general questions about this Notice, please see https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/part-1783 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/subtitle-B/chapter-XVII/part-1783 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/subtitle-B/chapter-XVII/part-1783 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-I/part-170 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200 point of contact listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this

Notice.

H. Other Information

1. Paperwork Reduction Act. In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44

U.S.C. chapter 35), the information collection requirements associated with the programs, as covered in this Notice, have been approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under OMB Control Number 0572-0138.

2. National Environmental Policy Act. All recipients under this Notice are subject to the requirements of 7 CFR part 1970. However, awards for financial assistance whereby the applicant is a primary recipient of a multi-tier program providing financial assistance to secondary or ultimate recipients are categorically excluded under 7 CFR 1970.51(a)(3). The relending nature of this program may require compliance via 7 CFR 1970.55 which applies to multi-tier actions or relending actions. RUS will review each grant application to determine its compliance with 7 CFR part 1970. The applicant may be asked to provide additional information or documentation to assist RUS with this determination or enter into a multi-tier action environmental compliance agreement. The multi-tier action environmental compliance agreement will detail the recipient’s responsibilities in meeting the Agency’s Environmental

Policies and Procedures. The multi-tier action environmental compliance agreement acknowledges that further “tiered” environmental review is required and coordinated by the recipient prior to approving subrecipient applications for re-lending purposes.

3. Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act. All applicants, in accordance with 2

CFR part 25, must be registered in SAM and have a UEI number as stated in Section D.3 of this https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/subtitle-B/chapter-XVIII/subchapter-H/part-1970 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/section-1970.55 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/subtitle-B/chapter-XVIII/subchapter-H/part-1970 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-I/part-25 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-I/part-25

Notice. All recipients of Federal financial assistance are required to report information about first-tier sub-awards and executive total compensation in accordance with 2 CFR part 170.

4. Civil Rights Act. All grants made under this Notice are subject to Title VI of the Civil Rights

Act of 1964 as required by the USDA 7 CFR part 15 Subpart A and Section 504 of the

Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, Title IX, Executive Order

13166 (Limited English Proficiency), Executive Order 11246, and the Equal Credit Opportunity

Act of 1974.

5. Nondiscrimination Statement. In accordance with Federal civil rights laws and USDA civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Mission Areas, agencies, staff offices, employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information

(e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language) should contact the responsible

Mission Area, agency, or staff office or the 711 Relay Service.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a complainant should complete a Form AD-

3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, which can be obtained online at www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ad-3027.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling

(866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-I/part-170 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/subtitle-A/part-15/subpart-A http://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ad-3027.pdf complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights

(ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

(1) Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights

1400 Independence Avenue, SW

Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or

(2) Fax: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or

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

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

mailto:program.intake@usda.gov