WEP-TAT FOA FY22 FINAL.pdf

FEDERAL AWARDING AGENCY NAME: United States Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Rural Utilities Service (RUS).

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY TITLE: Technical Assistance and Training Grant Program.

ANNOUNCEMENT TYPE: Solicitation of Applications.

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY NUMBER: TAT FY22.

CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE (CFDA) NUMBER: 10.761.

The Rural Utilities Service (RUS), an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), herein referred to as RUS or the Agency, announces its Technical Assistance and Training (TAT) Grant Program application window for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022.

APPLICATION DUE DATE: December 31, 2021.

SUBMISSIONS: Applications will only be accepted through Grants.gov. Electronic submissions must be submitted no later than 11:59 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, on December 31, 2021, to be eligible for FY 2022 grant funding. Late or incomplete applications will not be eligible for this grant opportunity.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Questions about this announcement can be directed to Lorrie A. Davis, Community Programs Specialist, Water and Environmental Programs, Rural Utilities Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, telephone: (202) 720-1938 or via email: lorrie.davis@usda.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

A. Program Description

The TAT Grants Program is designed to help qualified, private nonprofit organizations provide technical assistance and training to identify and evaluate solutions to water and waste problems, help applicants prepare applications for water and waste disposal loans/grants, and assist associations with improving the operation and maintenance of water and waste facilities in eligible rural areas. The grants are awarded through a competitive process. The regulation for the TAT Grant Program can be found at 7 CFR 1775, Technical Assistance Grants.

Applicants should use the appropriate Fiscal Year Application Guide to aid in developing a complete application. All applicants should carefully review and prepare their applications according to instructions in 7 CFR 1775, the Application Guide, and sample materials. Expenses incurred in developing applications will be at the applicant’s own risk. The regulation and Application Guide can be found at https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/water-waste-disposal-technical-assistance-training-grants.

Rural Utilities Service encourages applicants to consider projects that will advance the following key priorities (more details are available at https://www.rd.usda.gov/priority-points)

• Assisting Rural communities in their efforts to recover economically from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly disadvantaged communities.

• Ensuring all rural residents have equitable access to RD programs and benefits from RD funded projects.

• Reducing climate pollution and increasing resilience to the impacts of climate change through economic support to rural communities.

B. Federal Award Information

Rural Utilities Service will make awards and successful applicants will be required to execute appropriate documents before funding will be advanced. Award documents specify the term of each award. Prior TAT grants cannot be renewed; however, existing TAT Grant Program awardees can submit applications for new projects which will be evaluated as new applications.

C. Eligibility Information

To be considered an eligible organization, entities must meet the eligibility requirements of 7 CFR 1775.35, Eligibility. All submitted proposals must meet the intent outlined in 7 CFR 1775.33, Objectives. To be determined an eligible project, grant requests must be made for the purposes listed within 7 CFR §1775.36, Purpose.

D. Application and Submission Information

The FY 2022 Application Guide provides specific, detailed instructions for each item of a complete application. RUS emphasizes the importance of including every required item and strongly encourages applicants to follow the instructions carefully, using the examples and illustrations in the FY 2022 Application Guide. Applicants should ensure they are using the most updated version of the Application Guide before submitting an application. Any updates to the Application Guide will be posted at https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/water-waste-disposal-technical-assistance-training-grants.

RUS contact information can be found in Section G of this document. RUS will not solicit or consider new scoring or eligibility information that is submitted after the application deadline; however, RUS reserves the right to contact applicants to seek clarification on materials contained in the submitted application. See the FY 2022 Application Guide for a full discussion of each required item. For requirements of completed grant applications, refer to 7 CFR 1775.10, Applications. The application and any materials sent with it become federal records by law and cannot be returned to you.

https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/water-waste-disposal-technical-assistance-training-grants https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/water-waste-disposal-technical-assistance-training-grants https://www.rd.usda.gov/priority-points https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/water-waste-disposal-technical-assistance-training-grants

(a) Location of TAT Grant Program Information. The FY 2022 Application Guide, copies of necessary forms and samples, and the TAT Grant Program regulation are available at https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/water-waste-disposal-technical-assistance-training-grants. Application information is also available at https://www.grants.gov/.

(b) Content and Form of Application Submission.

(1) Carefully review this document, the FY 2022 TAT Grant Program Application

Guide, and 7 CFR part 1775, which detail all required items for a complete application.

The items at § 1775.10(c)(3), (4), and (5) are no longer required to be submitted as paper forms but are covered under the applicant’s sam.gov General Certifications and Representations (see item (2)(i) below).

(2) Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) and System for

Awards Management (SAM). Grant applicants must obtain a Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number and register in the System for Award Management (SAM). Similarly, all recipients of federal financial assistance are required to report information about first tier subawards and executive compensation in accordance with 2 CFR part 170. So long as an entity applicant does not have an exception under 2 CFR 170.110(b), the applicant must have the necessary processes and systems in place to comply with the reporting requirements should the applicant receive funding. An applicant, unless excepted under 2 CFR 25.110(b), (c), or (d), is required to:

(i) Be registered in SAM before submitting its application,

(ii) Complete the Financial Assistance General Certifications and Representations in

SAM,

(iii) Provide a valid DUNS number in its application,

(iv) Continue to 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 or plan under consideration by a federal awarding agency.

The federal awarding agency may not make a federal award to an applicant until the applicant has complied with all applicable DUNS and SAM requirements. If an applicant has not fully complied with the requirements by the time the federal awarding agency is ready to make a federal award, the federal awarding 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. As required by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), all grant applications must provide a DUNS number when applying for federal grants, on or after October 1, 2003. Organizations can receive a DUNS number at no cost by calling the dedicated toll-free number at 1–866–705–5711 or via internet at http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform. Additional information concerning this requirement can be obtained on the Grants.gov website at http://www.grants.gov.

https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/water-waste-disposal-technical-assistance-training-grants https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/water-waste-disposal-technical-assistance-training-grants https://www.grants.gov/ http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform http://www.grants.gov/

Applicants may register for SAM at www.sam.gov/SAM or by calling 1–866–606–8220.

The applicant must provide a DUNS number and documentation of registration in SAM with their application. If the applicant does not provide documentation that they are registered in SAM and their DUNS number, the application will not be considered for funding. You will need the following information when requesting a DUNS number:

(A) Legal name of the applicant

(B) Headquarters' name and address of the applicant

(C) The names under which the applicant is doing business as (dba) or other name by which the organization is commonly recognized

(D) Physical address of the applicant

(E) Mailing address (if separate from headquarters and/or physical address) of the applicant

(F) Telephone number

(G) Contact name and title

(H) Number of employees at the physical location

3. Application submittal.

(a) Applications must be submitted electronically. To file an electronic application over the internet, please visit https://www.grants.gov. Applications and supporting material will not be accepted via courier, fax, or email.

(b) You must be registered with Grants.gov before you can submit a grant application. 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. You will need a DUNS number to access or register at any of the services. The registration processes may take several business days to complete. Follow the instructions at Grants.gov for registering and submitting an electronic application. 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.

4. Submission Dates and Times.

(a) Electronic grant applications must be received no later than 11:59 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, on December 31, 2021, to be eligible for FY 2022 funding. Late or incomplete applications will not be eligible for FY 2022 grant funding.

http://www.sam.gov/SAM https://www.grants.gov/

(b) Applications and/or supporting information will not be accepted via paper, fax, electronic mail, or any other medium other than Grants.gov.

(c) If the submission deadline falls on Saturday, Sunday, or a federal holiday, the application is due the next business day.

E. Application Review Information

(a) Review Standards. RUS will acknowledge the application’s receipt via an email to the applicant. The following actions will be taken:

(1) 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 and the application will be returned.

(2) Complete, eligible applications will be evaluated competitively by a review team, composed of at least two RUS employees selected from the Water Programs Division. They will make overall recommendations based on the program elements found in 7 CFR part 1775 and the review criteria presented in this notice. They will award points as described in the scoring criteria in 7 CFR 1775.11, Priority, 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 duplication of other federal efforts.

(3) Applications will be ranked, and grants awarded based upon the scoring results and funding availability. Projects scoring too low may not be awarded funding even if funding remains available at RUS’s discretion.

(4) Regardless of the score an application receives, if RUS determines that the project is technically infeasible, RUS will notify the applicant, in writing, and the application will be returned with no further action.

(b) Evaluation Criteria. All applications that are complete and eligible will be scored and ranked competitively. The categories for scoring criteria used are the following:

Criteria No. Criteria Points 1 Applicant Status:

National Organization 10 points Multi-State Organization 5 points Single-State / Area Organization 2 points 2 Applicant experience at developing and implementing successful technical assistance and/or training programs:

More than ten years 5 points Six to ten years 2 points Up to five years 1 point 3 Applicant resources – organizational staff versus contract personnel to carry out the technical assistance and/or training:

At least 75% staff 10 points 50% to 74.99% staff 5 points Less than 50% staff* (See

Regulatory Requirement) Ineligible

4 Population of proposed area(s) to be served:

Less than 2,500 Up to 15 points Less than 5,500 Up to 10 points 5,500 or more 0 points 5 MHI of proposed area(s) to be served

(based on American Community Survey data from 2006-2010 5-year period):

Less than 80% of the State Non-metropolitan Median Household Income (SNMHI)

Up to 10 points

80% to 100% of the SNMHI Up to 5 points More than 100% of the SNMHI 0 points 6 Project Duration:

Projects providing technical assistance and/or training that accomplish the objective within a 12 month or less time frame

5 points

Over 12 months 0 points 7 Needs Assessment - The problem/issue(s) being addressed is clearly defined, supported by data, and addresses the need.

Up to 15 points

8 Goals and objectives are clearly defined, tied to the need as defined in the work plan, and are measurable.

Up to 15 points

9 Work plan - Clearly articulates a well thought out approach to accomplishing objectives; clearly identifies who will be served by project.

Up to 40 points

10 Actual assistance provided: (Projects using multiple methods may receive a maximum total score of 30 points for this criterion):

Up to 30 points

Applicant is providing “hands on” technical assistance and/or training primarily to water and waste systems managers/operators.

10 points and/or

Applicant is providing technical assistance primarily through the distribution of educational materials and other outreach methods.

10 points and/or

Applicant is providing technical assistance through a demonstration project.

5 points and/or

Applicant is providing technical assistance to address the contamination of drinking water and surface water supplies by emerging contaminants, including per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

5 points and/or

11 Evaluation methods are specific to the activity, clearly defined, measurable, with expected project outcomes.

Up to 20 points

12 In-Kind Support:

Demonstrated commitment of non-federal resources of more than 25% of total budget.

10 points

Demonstrated commitment of non-federal resources 10- 25% of total budget.

5 points

Less than 10% of non-federal resources.

0 points

13 Sustainability: Applicant demonstrates ability to sustain project without federal award using a thorough financial analysis to include: cash on hand, projected revenues, outside source contributions, and show a steady increase to sustainability within 5 years.

Up to 10 points

14 Administrator Discretion: RUS Administrator may provide additional points based on the following factors:

geographic, economic, agency priority issues.**

Up to 30 points

* 7 CFR 1775.35, Eligibility - (e) (3) Applicants may contract with a nonaffiliated organization for not more than 49 percent of the grant to provide the proposed assistance.

RUS’s definition of an affiliated organization is as follows:

In corporate law and taxes, an affiliate is a company that is related to another company, usually by being in the position of a member or a subordinate role (must be verified by organizational documentation). Two companies may be affiliated if one company has control over the other or if both are controlled by a third company. One corporation can be affiliated with another corporation by shareholdings, by holding a minority interest, or one corporation might be a subsidiary of another.

**Administrative Points – In order to be considered for Administrative Points the applicant’s work plan must include a separate section titled: “Administrative Points.” In this section the TAT Grant Program applicant will address one or more of the following factors:

• Assisting rural communities recover economically from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly disadvantaged communities. Direct technical assistance to a project located in or serving one of the top 10% of counties or county equivalents based upon county risk score in the United States. Information and data on this priority may be found at: https://www.rd.usda.gov/priority-points (5 points)

• Ensuring all rural residents have equitable access to RD programs and benefits from

RD funded projects. Direct technical assistance to a project located in or serving a community with a score 0.75 or above on the CDC Social Vulnerability Index.

Information and data on this priority may be found at:

https://www.rd.usda.gov/priority-points (5 points)

• Reduce climate pollution and increasing resilience to the impacts of climate change through economic support to rural communities. Direct technical assistance to a project addressing climate impacts shown as either quantitative or qualitative.

Additional information and data on this priority may be found at:

https://www.rd.usda.gov/priority-points (5 points) o Quantitative: Project is located in or serving coal, oil and gas, and power plant communities whose economic well-being ranks in the most distressed tier of the Distressed Communities Index.

o Qualitative: Demonstrating how proposed climate-impact projects improve the livelihoods of community residents and meet pollution mitigation or clean energy goals.

The administrative points will be awarded solely on the aforementioned factors, up to a total of 15 points.

F. Federal Award Administration Information

(a) Application Outcomes. There are four possible outcomes following the submission of an application under the TAT 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 fewer funds than requested,

(3) Eligible but not selected for funding, or

(4) Ineligible for the grant https://www.rd.usda.gov/priority-points

(b) Award Notices. Applicants selected for funding will be sent an award letter, accompanied by a grant agreement, which outlines the terms and conditions of the award.

Pursuant to the grant agreement, grant funds may 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. The grant agreement may also include reporting and pre-approval requirements consistent with 7 CFR part 1775 which if not met, may result in a delay in reimbursement, disallowance of expense, or a suspension of the grant.

(c) Payments/Reimbursements Grantees will be reimbursed as delineated at 7 CFR

1775.18, Fund Disbursement, and the Grant Agreement.

(d). Scope of Services. Any change in the scope of the project, budget adjustments, or other modifications must get written prior approval in accordance with 7 CFR 1775.19, Grant cancellation or major changes, and the Grant Agreement.

(e) Prevailing Wages. All laborers, apprentices and mechanics employed by contractors and subcontractors on projects funded directly by or assisted in whole or in part by and through the Federal Government pursuant to this Act shall be paid wages at rates not less than those prevailing on projects of a character similar in the locality as determined by the Secretary of Labor in accordance with subchapter IV of chapter 31 of title 40, United States Code. Further details on eligible applicants and projects may be found in the relevant regulations listed in Section C.

(f) Reporting. Performance reporting, including applicable forms, narratives, and other documentation, are to be completed and submitted in accordance with the provisions of 7 CFR 1775.20, Reporting. Further, all grantees must submit an audit or financial information covering the defined period of performance as outlined in 7 CFR 1775.21, Audit or financial statements, and the Grant Agreement.

G. Federal Awarding Agency Contacts

(a) Web site: https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/water-waste-disposal-technical-assistance-training-grants. The RUS Web site maintains up-to-date resources and contact information for the Technical Assistance and Training Grant Program.

(b) Telephone: 202-720-1938

(c) Email: lorrie.davis@usda.gov

(d) Main point of contact: Lorrie Davis, Community Programs Specialist, Water and

Environmental Programs, Rural Utilities Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture.

H. Other Information

USDA Non-Discrimination Statement mailto:lavonda.pernell@wdc.usda.gov

In accordance with Federal civil rights laws and U.S. Department of Agriculture (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; the USDA TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY); or the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877- 8339.

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 https://www.ocio.usda.gov/document/ad-3027, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the 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.

National Environmental Policy Act

All recipients under this Notice are subject to the requirements of 7 CFR part 1970.

However, awards for technical assistance and training under this Notice are classified as a Categorical Exclusion according to 7 CFR 1970.53(b), and usually do not require any additional documentation. RUS will review each grant application to determine its https://www.ocio.usda.gov/document/ad-3027 https://www.ocio.usda.gov/document/ad-3027 compliance with 7 CFR part 1970. The applicant may be asked to provide additional information or documentation to assist RUS with this determination.