Socially-Disadvantaged Groups Grant

The primary objective of the Socially Disadvantaged Groups Grant program is to provide technical assistance to socially-disadvantaged groups through cooperatives and Cooperative Development Centers. Each fiscal year, applications are requested throug

To provide technical assistance to socially-disadvantaged groups through cooperatives and Cooperative Development Centers. Ultimate beneficiaries must be in rural areas. All available funds are discretionary funds and must be awarded through a national competition.

Eligible applicants are cooperatives, groups of cooperatives, and cooperative development centers that serve socially-disadvantaged groups and whose governing board is comprised of a majority of individuals who are members of a socially-disadvantaged group. Applicants are not eligible if they have been debarred or suspended or otherwise excluded from participation in Federal assistance programs under Executive Order 12549, "Debarment and Suspension." Applicants are not eligible if they have an outstanding judgement obtained by the U.S. in a Federal Court (other than U.S. Tax Court), are delinquent on the payment of Federal income taxes, or are delinquent on a Federal debt. Any corporation that has been convicted of a felony criminal violation under any Federal law within the past 24 months or that has any unpaid Federal tax liability that has been assessed, for which all judicial and administrative remedies have been exhausted or have lapsed, and that is not being paid in a timely manner pursuant to an agreement with the authority responsible for collecting the tax liability, is not eligible for funding.

Ultimate beneficiaries must be located in rural areas, as defined by 7 U.S.C. 1991(a).

To provide technical assistance to socially-disadvantaged groups through cooperatives and Cooperative Development Centers.

Awards are typically made during September each year. The Period of Performance is one year.

Applicants must follow the procedures described in an annual Federal Register notice.

Applications are evaluated based on 5 criteria: (1) Technical Assistance, (2) Experience, (3) Commitment, (4) Work Plan/Budget, (5) Local Support. Applicants should review the annual Federal Register notice for details on how these criteria will be scored.

Applications are evaluated for eligibility for the program. Eligible applications are reviewed by a panel of experts and ranked according to published evaluation criteria. Applications are funded in rank order until available funds have been expended.

Applications are typically approved/disapproved within 60-90 days of receipt.

Applicants may appeal adverse decisions in accordance with 7 CFR Part 11. The Agency provides instructions on how to appeal with each adverse decision.