Notice of Funding Availability for the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Community Challenge Planning Grants and the Department of Transportation's TIGER II Planning Grants, 36246-36255 [2010-15353]
Download as PDF
36246
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 121 / Thursday, June 24, 2010 / Notices
DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND
URBAN DEVELOPMENT
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
[Docket No. FR–5415–N–12]
Notice of Funding Availability for the
Department of Housing and Urban
Development’s Community Challenge
Planning Grants and the Department of
Transportation’s TIGER II Planning
Grants
emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with NOTICES3
AGENCY: Office of Sustainable Housing
and Communities, Office of the Deputy
Secretary, HUD; and Office of the
Secretary, DOT.
ACTION: Notice of Funding Availability
(NOFA).
SUMMARY: This notice announces the
availability of funding and requests
proposals for the Department of Housing
and Urban Development’s (‘‘HUD’s’’)
Community Challenge Planning Grants
(‘‘Community Challenge Planning
Grants’’) in conjunction with a portion
of the Department of Transportation’s
(‘‘DOT’s’’) National Infrastructure
Investments Grants that can be used for
transportation planning grants.
On December 16, 2009, the President
signed the Consolidated Appropriations
Act, 2010 (Pub. L. 111–117) that
provided $40 million for HUD’s
Community Challenge Planning Grants
and up to $35 million for DOT’s
transportation planning grants to be
awarded as part of the National
Infrastructure Investments program. The
National Infrastructure Investments
program is similar, but not identical to,
the Transportation Investment
Generating Economic Recovery, or
‘‘TIGER Discretionary Grant Program.’’
Because of the similarity in program
structure, DOT is referring to the grants
for National Infrastructure Investments
under the FY 2010 Appropriations Act
as ‘‘TIGER II Discretionary Grants’’ and
the transportation planning grants as
‘‘TIGER II Planning Grants.’’
HUD’s $40 million Community
Challenge Planning Grant Program will
foster reform and reduce barriers to
achieving affordable, economically vital,
and sustainable communities. Such
efforts may include amending or
replacing local master plans, zoning
codes, and building codes, either on a
jurisdiction-wide basis or in a specific
neighborhood, district, corridor, or
sector to promote mixed-use
development, affordable housing, the
reuse of older buildings and structures
for new purposes, and similar activities
with the goal of promoting
sustainability at the local or
neighborhood level. HUD’s Community
VerDate Mar<15>2010
17:29 Jun 23, 2010
Jkt 220001
Challenge Planning Grant Program also
supports the development of affordable
housing through the development and
adoption of inclusionary zoning
ordinances and other activities such as
acquisition of land for affordable
housing projects.
The Community Challenge Planning
Grant Program differs from HUD’s
Sustainable Communities Regional
Planning Grant Program, a $100 million
program also created in the FY2010
Appropriations Act. While the latter
program is designed to support regional
planning efforts, the Community
Challenge Planning Grant Program
focuses on individual jurisdictions and
more localized planning. HUD will
publish a separate NOFA for the
Sustainable Communities Regional
Planning Grant Program.
DOT is authorized to use up to $35
million of the funds available for TIGER
II Discretionary Grants for TIGER II
Planning Grants to fund the planning,
preparation, or design of surface
transportation projects that would be
eligible for funding under the TIGER II
Discretionary Grant program.
DOT and HUD have decided to issue
this NOFA jointly in order to better
align transportation, housing, economic
development, and land use planning
and to improve linkages between DOT
and HUD’s programs. HUD’s funding is
designed to target housing, economic
development, and land use planning
strategies that will increase the
efficiency and effectiveness of a related
transportation project being planned.
Therefore, DOT and HUD believe this
joint effort has the potential to
encourage and reward more holistic
planning efforts that result in better
projects being built with Federal dollars.
The effort is also consistent with the
Obama Administration’s priority on
removing artificial barriers between
Federal programs and barriers to State
and local governmental level
innovation.
On April 26, 2010 (75 FR 21695), DOT
published an interim notice announcing
the availability of funding for TIGER II
Discretionary Grants. Because the
TIGER II Discretionary Grant program is
a new program, the interim notice
requested comments on the proposed
selection criteria and guidance for
awarding TIGER II Discretionary Grants.
In the interim notice, DOT specifically
requested comments on its intention to
conduct a multi-agency evaluation and
award process with HUD for the
Community Challenge Planning Grants
and the TIGER II Planning Grants. DOT
indicated that this multi-agency
approach for the planning grants would
be consistent with DOT and HUD’s
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 4701
Sfmt 4703
participation in the ‘‘Partnership for
Sustainable Communities’’ with the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency
(‘‘EPA’’) to help American families in all
communities—rural, suburban and
urban—gain better access to affordable
housing, more transportation options,
lower transportation costs, and a cleaner
environment. HUD and DOT have
considered the comments that were
submitted in accordance with the
interim notice and decided to conduct
a multi-agency evaluation and award
process. The details of this multi-agency
planning grant program, including
information about eligibility, selection
criteria, and pre-application and
application requirements are included
in this joint notice. The final notice for
the TIGER II Discretionary Grant
program (the ‘‘TIGER II Discretionary
Grant NOFA’’) was published on June 1,
2010 (75 FR 30460). Interested parties
are encouraged to review the TIGER II
Discretionary Grant NOFA for more
information about that program.
DATES: Pre-applications are due by July
26, 2010, at 5 p.m. EDT, and
applications must be submitted by
August 23, 2010, at 5 p.m. EDT. Only
pre-applications received and
applications received through
Grants.gov will be deemed properly
filed. Instructions for submitting preapplications and applications are
included in Section VI.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
further information concerning this
notice please contact the TIGER II
Discretionary Grant program manager
via e-mail at TIGERIIGrants@dot.gov, or
call Robert Mariner at 202–366–8914
(this is not a toll-free number). A TDD
is available for individuals who are deaf
or hearing-impaired, at 202–366–3993
(this is not a toll-free number). In
addition, DOT will regularly post
answers to questions and requests for
clarifications on DOT’s Web site at
https://www.dot.gov/recovery/ost/
TIGERII. Questions regarding HUD’s
Community Challenge Planning Grant
Program should be directed to
sustainablecommunities@hud.gov or
may be submitted through the https://
www.hud.gov/sustainability Web site.
HUD’s contact person is Zuleika K.
Morales-Romero, Office of Sustainable
Housing and Communities, 451 Seventh
Street, SW., Washington, DC 20410–
3000, telephone number 202–402–7683
(this is not a toll-free number) facsimile
202–708–0465, or e-mail:
zuleika.k.morales@hud.gov. For the
hearing- or speech-impaired, contact the
above telephone number via TTY by
dialing the toll-free Federal Information
Relay Service at 1–800–877–8339.
E:\FR\FM\24JNN3.SGM
24JNN3
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 121 / Thursday, June 24, 2010 / Notices
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Table of Contents
emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with NOTICES3
Overview Information
Full Text Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
II. Award Information
III. Eligibility Information
IV. Threshold Requirements
V. Application Review Information
VI. Application and Submission Information
VII. Award Administration Information
VIII. Other Information
Overview Information
A. Federal Agency Name: Office of
Sustainable Housing and Communities,
Office of the Deputy Secretary, HUD;
and Office of the Secretary, DOT.
B. Funding Opportunity Title:
Community Challenge and
Transportation Planning Grants.
C. Funding Opportunity Number: The
funding opportunity number is FR–
5415–N–12. Community Challenge and
Transportation Planning Grant. The
OMB Approval Number is 2501–0025.
D. Catalog of Federal Domestic
Assistance (CFDA) Number: The Catalog
of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA)
numbers for the HUD Community
Challenge and DOT TIGER II Planning
Grant are 14.704 and 20.933,
respectively.
E. Additional Overview Information:
1. Background.
a. TIGER II Planning Grants.
On February 17, 2009, the President
signed the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Pub. L. 111–
05) (Recovery Act), which appropriated
$1.5 billion of discretionary grant funds
to be awarded by DOT for capital
investments in surface transportation
infrastructure. DOT refers to these
grants as Grants for Transportation
Investment Generating Economic
Recovery or ‘‘TIGER Discretionary
Grants.’’ DOT solicited applications for
TIGER Discretionary Grants through a
notice of funding availability published
in the Federal Register on June 17, 2009
(74 FR 28775) (an interim notice was
published on May 18, 2009 (74 FR
23226)). Applications for TIGER
Discretionary Grants were due on
September 15, 2009, and DOT received
more than 1,400 applications with
funding requests totaling almost $60
billion. Funding for 51 projects was
announced on February 17, 2010.
On December 16, 2009, the President
signed the Fiscal Year (FY) 2010
Consolidated Appropriations Act,
which appropriated $600 million to
DOT for National Infrastructure
Investments using language that is
similar, but not identical to, the
language in the Recovery Act
authorizing the TIGER Discretionary
VerDate Mar<15>2010
17:29 Jun 23, 2010
Jkt 220001
Grants. DOT is referring to the grants for
National Infrastructure Investments as
TIGER II Discretionary Grants. The FY
2010 Appropriations Act permits DOT
to use up to $35 million of the funds
available for TIGER II Discretionary
Grants for TIGER II Planning Grants.
The TIGER II Discretionary Grant NOFA
was published on June 1, 2010 (75 FR
30460), and awards will be announced
at the same time as awards made under
this NOFA.
b. Community Challenge Planning
Grants.
The FY 2010 Appropriations Act also
appropriated $40 million to HUD to
establish a Community Challenge
Planning Grant Program ‘‘to foster
reform and reduce barriers to achieve
affordable, economically vital, and
sustainable communities.’’ The
Community Challenge Planning Grant
Program differs from HUD’s Sustainable
Communities Regional Planning Grant
Program, a $100 million program also
created in the FY 2010 Appropriations
Act. While the latter program is
designed to support regional planning
efforts, the Community Challenge
Planning Grant Program focuses on
individual jurisdictions and more
localized planning. HUD will publish a
separate NOFA for the Sustainable
Communities Regional Planning Grant
Program.
2. Available Funds. Up to $75 million,
including $40 million for Community
Challenge Planning Grants and up to
$35 million for TIGER II Planning
Grants.
3. Funding Categories. Given the
range of planning activities that
potential applicants are trying to
accomplish, DOT and HUD will support
a variety of eligible activities spelled out
in Section III.C.1.a–c.
4. Authority. The program was
authorized by the Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2010 (Pub. L. 111–
117, approved December 16, 2009).
5. Application of HUD’s General
Section. All applicants accessing
resources available through HUD’s
Community Challenge Planning Grants
are subject to the requirements of the
General Section to HUD’s FY 2010
NOFAs for discretionary programs.
Applicants for such grants should
carefully review the requirements
described in this NOFA and HUD’s
General Section. HUD’s General Section
is not applicable to applicants accessing
resources available through TIGER II
Planning Grants.
Full Text Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description:
This notice announces DOT’s and
HUD’s intention to offer funding
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 4701
Sfmt 4703
36247
through a competition made available as
a NOFA under its Community Challenge
and TIGER II Planning Grants.
A. The Partnership for Sustainable
Communities. This NOFA is being
initiated in close coordination between
DOT, HUD and the EPA, through the
Partnership for Sustainable
Communities (the Partnership).
The Partnership was conceived to
coordinate Federal housing,
transportation and environmental
investments, protect public health and
the environment, promote equitable
development, and help address the
challenges of climate change.
Recognizing the fundamental role that
public investment plays in achieving
these outcomes, the Administration
charged three agencies whose programs
most directly impact the physical form
of communities—HUD, DOT, and
EPA—to lead the way in reshaping the
role of the Federal government in
helping communities obtain the
capacity to embrace a more sustainable
future.
One of the first acts of the Partnership
was to agree to a set of six ‘‘Livability
Principles’’ to govern the work of the
Partnership and for each of the three
agencies to strive to incorporate into
their policies and funding programs to
the degree possible. In addition, each
agency has clear and defined roles: HUD
will take the lead in funding, evaluating,
and supporting integrated regional
planning for sustainable development,
and will invest in sustainable housing
and community development efforts.
DOT will focus on building the capacity
of transportation agencies to integrate
their planning and investments into
broader plans and actions that promote
sustainable development, and investing
in transportation infrastructure that
directly supports sustainable
development and livable communities.
EPA will provide technical assistance to
communities and States to help them
implement sustainable community
strategies, and develop environmental
sustainability metrics and practices. The
three agencies have made a commitment
to coordinate activities, integrate
funding requirements, and adopt a
common set of performance metrics for
use by grantees.
B. Program Goals.
1. To better align Federal programs to
support the building of projects that
further the six Livability Principles
(listed in rating factor 1 below).
2. To remove artificial or bureaucratic
barriers among Federal programs and
create a more coordinated point of
contact for State and local governments
building innovative projects that
coordinate housing, economic
E:\FR\FM\24JNN3.SGM
24JNN3
36248
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 121 / Thursday, June 24, 2010 / Notices
emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with NOTICES3
development, transportation, and
environmental policies and goals.
II. Award Information
A. Award Size. For both Community
Challenge Planning Grants and TIGER II
Planning Grants, there is no minimum
grant size, but the maximum grant size
is $3 million.
B. Type of Awards. All awards will be
made in the form of Cooperative
Agreements. HUD and DOT anticipate
having substantial involvement in the
work being conducted under this award
to ensure the purposes of the grant
program are being carried out and that
entities are following through on their
commitments. This includes making
progress in meeting established
performance metrics, and ensuring
consistency in projects in participating
jurisdictions that are funded through
other HUD, DOT, and EPA programs so
that they are implemented in a manner
consistent with the Livability
Principles.
C. Period of Performance. The period
of performance shall not exceed 36
months from the date the funds are
obligated. All funds awarded must be
obligated by September 30, 2012.
D. Statutory Distributional
Requirements Only Applicable to TIGER
II Funds. This joint notice was
developed and is being published in
conjunction with the TIGER II
Discretionary Grants NOFA. The
selection process for TIGER II Planning
Grants will be conducted in parallel
with the selection process for TIGER II
Discretionary Grants, and awards of
TIGER II Planning Grants are subject to
several distributional requirements
under the FY 2010 Appropriations Act.
These requirements do not apply to
HUD Community Challenge Planning
Grants. First, no more than 25 percent
of the funds made available for TIGER
II Discretionary Grants (or $150
million), including any funding used for
TIGER II Planning Grants, may be
awarded to projects in a single State.
Additionally, not less than $140 million
of the funds provided for TIGER II
Discretionary Grants, including TIGER II
Planning Grants, is to be used for
projects located in rural areas. For
purposes of this notice, DOT is
generally defining ‘‘rural area’’ as any
area not in an Urbanized Area, as such
term is defined by the Census Bureau1
and will consider a project to be in a
1 For the 2000 Census, the Census Bureau defined
an Urbanized Area (UA) as an area that consists of
densely settled territory that contains 50,000 or
more people. Updated lists of UAs are available on
the Census Bureau Web site. Urban Clusters (UCs)
will be considered rural areas for purposes of this
NOFA.
VerDate Mar<15>2010
17:29 Jun 23, 2010
Jkt 220001
rural area if all or the majority of a
project is located in a rural area. Finally,
on awarding TIGER II Discretionary
Grants, including TIGER II Planning
Grants, DOT must take measures to
ensure an equitable geographic
distribution of grant funds, an
appropriate balance in addressing the
needs of urban and rural areas, and
investment in a variety of transportation
modes.
TIGER II Discretionary Grants,
including TIGER II Planning Grants,
may be used for up to 80 percent of the
costs of a project; however, applications
will be more competitive to the extent
they include significant non-Federal
financial contributions. The minimum
and maximum grant sizes established by
the FY 2010 Appropriations Act for
TIGER II Discretionary Grants do not
apply to TIGER II Planning Grants.
III. Eligibility Information
A. Eligible Applicants. State and local
governments, including U.S. territories,
tribal governments, transit agencies,
port authorities, metropolitan planning
organizations (MPOs), other political
subdivisions of State or local
governments, and multi-State or
multijurisdictional groupings.
B. Cost Sharing or Leveraging
Resources. For those seeking TIGER II
Planning Grants, a 20 percent match is
required. DOT will consider any nonFederal funds as a local match for
purposes of this program, whether such
funds are contributed by the public
sector (State or local) or the private
sector. However, DOT will not consider
funds already expended as a local
match. The 20 percent matching
requirement does not apply to projects
in rural areas. For those seeking HUD
Community Challenge Planning Grants,
applicants must provide 20 percent of
the requested funding amount in
leveraged resources in the form of cash
and/or verified in-kind contributions or
a combination of these sources. In-kind
contributions may be in the form of staff
time, donated materials, or services. All
assistance provided to meet this
requirement must be identified by their
dollar equivalent based upon accepted
salary or regional dollar values. Cash
contributions may come from any
combination of local, state and/or
Federal funds, and/or private and
philanthropic contributions dedicated
to the express purposes of this proposal.
Applicants will receive credit for
leveraging or matching resources greater
than 20 percent of the requested amount
as described in Rating Factor 4. If an
applicant does not include the
minimum 20 percent leveraged or
matched resources with its appropriate
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 4701
Sfmt 4703
supporting documentation, that
application will be considered
ineligible.
C. Other Requirements.
1. Eligible Activities. In order to
explain the variety of activities eligible
for funding under this joint notice, the
activities are described in three
groupings:
a. TIGER II Planning Grants:
Activities related to the planning,
preparation, or design of surface
transportation projects, including, but
not limited to:
(1) Highway or bridge projects eligible
under Title 23, United States Code;
(2) Public transportation projects
eligible under Chapter 53 of Title 49,
United States Code;
(3) Passenger and freight rail
transportation projects; and
(4) Port infrastructure investments.
b. Community Challenge Planning
Grants: Activities related to the
following:
(1) Development of master plans or
comprehensive plans that promote
affordable housing co-located and/or
well-connected with retail and business
development and discourage
development not aligned with
sustainable transportation plans or
disaster mitigation analyses;
(2) Development and implementation
of local, corridor or district plans and
strategies that promote livability and
sustainability (see the Livability
Principles in Section V);
(3) Revisions to zoning codes,
ordinances, building standards, or other
laws to remove barriers and promote
sustainable and mixed-use development
and to overcome the effects of
impediments to fair housing choice in
local zoning codes and other land use
laws, including form-based codes and
inclusionary zoning ordinances to
promote accessible, permanently
affordable housing that reduces racial
and poverty housing concentration and
expands fair housing choice for lowincome minorities;
(4) Revisions to building codes to
promote the energy-efficient
rehabilitation of older structures in
order to create affordable and healthy
housing;
(5) Strategies for creating or
preserving affordable housing for low-,
very low-, and extremely low-income
families or individuals in mixedincome, mixed-use neighborhoods along
an existing or planned transit corridor;
(6) Strategies to bring additional
affordable housing to areas that have
few affordable housing opportunities
and are close to suburban job clusters;
and
E:\FR\FM\24JNN3.SGM
24JNN3
emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with NOTICES3
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 121 / Thursday, June 24, 2010 / Notices
(7) Planning, establishing, and
maintaining acquisition funds and/or
land banks for development,
redevelopment, and revitalization that
reserve property for the development of
affordable housing within the context of
sustainable development
c. Combination of TIGER II Planning
Grant and Community Challenge
Planning Grant activities. There are a
variety of projects that may include
eligible activities under both the TIGER
II Planning Grants and the Community
Challenge Planning Grants programs.
Rather than have applicants proceed
through two separate grant application
procedures, this joint NOFA is intended
to create one point of entry to Federal
resources to support related components
of a single project. To illustrate the
possible combination of activities,
please consider the following examples:
(1) Planning activities related to the
development of a particular
transportation corridor or regional
transportation system, that promotes
mixed-use, transit-oriented
development with an affordable housing
component.
(2) Planning activities related to the
development of a freight corridor that
seeks to reduce conflicts with
residential areas and with passenger and
non-motorized traffic. In this type of
project, DOT might fund the
transportation planning activities along
the corridor, and HUD may fund
changes in the zoning code to support
appropriate siting of freight facilities
and route the freight traffic around town
centers, residential areas, and schools.
(3) Developing expanded public
transportation options, including
accessible public transportation and
para-transit services for individuals
with disabilities, to allow individuals to
live in diverse, high opportunity
neighborhoods and communities and to
commute to areas with greater
employment and educational
opportunities.
DOT and HUD are expecting to award
the TIGER II Planning Grants and the
Community Challenge Planning Grants
for planning activities that ultimately
lead to the development of projects that
integrate transportation, housing and
economic development components.
DOT and HUD plan to make joint
awards, where appropriate. However,
we also expect DOT to make awards for
TIGER II Planning Grant activities alone
and for HUD to make awards for
Community Challenge Planning Grants
alone. Applicants may apply for funding
from only TIGER II Planning Grants or
from only Community Challenge
Planning Grants. To the extent that an
application has a project that has linked
VerDate Mar<15>2010
17:29 Jun 23, 2010
Jkt 220001
activities and would benefit from
funding and associated activities in both
DOT and HUD’s programs, applicants
should indicate that in their application
and the agencies may both award
funding to the project, with DOT and
HUD each awarding its funds for the
eligible activities under its own
respective program. However, only one
application per project will be accepted
(see Threshold Requirements, Section
IV.C.).
IV. Threshold Requirements
Evaluation teams from DOT and HUD
will review each pre-application that is
received on or prior to the PreApplication Deadline and will be
responsible for analyzing whether the
pre-application satisfies the following
key threshold requirements:
A. The project and the applicant are
eligible for funding under the TIGER II
Planning Grant or Community
Challenge Planning Grant program; and
B. Local leveraging, or matching funds
are committed to support 20 percent or
more of the costs of the transportation
planning activities to be funded; this
requirement is not applicable to
transportation planning projects located
in rural areas.
C. Only one application per project
will be accepted for review. An
applicant that submits more than one
application per project may have some
or all of the submissions deemed
ineligible.
D. Resolution of Outstanding Civil
Rights Matters for Applicants for HUD
Funding. If you, the applicant:
1. Have received a charge from HUD
concerning a systemic violation of the
Fair Housing Act or a cause
determination from a substantially
equivalent state or local fair housing
agency concerning a systemic violation
of a substantially equivalent state or
local fair housing law proscribing
discrimination based on race, color,
religion, sex, national origin, disability
or familial status;
2. Are a defendant in a Fair Housing
Act lawsuit filed by the Department of
Justice alleging a pattern or practice of
discrimination pursuant to 42 U.S.C.
3614(a);
3. Have received a letter of findings
identifying systemic noncompliance
under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of
1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation
Act of 1973, or Section 109 of the
Housing and Community Development
Act of 1974;
4. Have received a cause
determination from a substantially
equivalent state or local fair housing
agency concerning a systemic violation
of provisions of a state or local law
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 4701
Sfmt 4703
36249
proscribing discrimination in housing
based on sexual orientation or gender
identity; or
5. Have received a cause
determination from a substantially
equivalent state or local fair housing
agency concerning a systemic violation
of a state or local law proscribing
discrimination in housing based on
lawful source of income; and
a. The charge, cause determination,
lawsuit, or letter of findings referenced
in subparagraphs (1), (2), (3), (4), or (5)
above has not been resolved to HUD’s
satisfaction before the application
deadline, then you, the applicant, are
ineligible for funding. HUD will
determine if actions to resolve the
charge, cause determination, lawsuit, or
letter of findings taken before the
application deadline are sufficient to
resolve the matter.
b. Examples of actions that would
normally be considered sufficient to
resolve the matter include, but are not
limited to:
c. Current compliance with a
voluntary compliance agreement signed
by all the parties;
(1) Current compliance with a HUDapproved conciliation agreement signed
by all the parties;
(2) Current compliance with a
conciliation agreement signed by all the
parties and approved by the State or
local administrative agency with
jurisdiction over the matter;
(3) Current compliance with a consent
order or consent decree; or
(4) Current compliance with a final
judicial ruling or administrative ruling
or decision.
V. Application Review Information
A. Criteria.
1. Rating Factor 1—Purpose and
Outcomes (35 points): An applicant’s
score on this rating factor will be based
on a clear statement of the existing
condition that the proposed project is
intended to address and the proposed
project’s alignment with the six
‘‘Livability Principles.’’ Applicants that
demonstrate that their project aligns
well with the Livability Principles and
are consistent with any existing region
wide plans that consider transportation,
economic development, housing, water,
and other infrastructure needs and
investments will receive a higher score.
The Livability Principles are as follows:
a. Provide More Transportation
Choices. Develop safe, reliable and
affordable transportation choices to
decrease household transportation costs,
reduce energy consumption and
dependence on foreign oil, improve air
quality, reduce greenhouse gas
emissions, and promote public health.
E:\FR\FM\24JNN3.SGM
24JNN3
emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with NOTICES3
36250
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 121 / Thursday, June 24, 2010 / Notices
b. Promote equitable, affordable
housing. Expand location- and energyefficient housing choices for people of
all ages, incomes, races, and ethnicities
to increase mobility and lower the
combined cost of housing and
transportation.
c. Enhance Economic
Competitiveness. Improve economic
competitiveness through reliable and
timely access to employment centers,
educational opportunities, services and
other basic needs by workers, as well as
expanded business access to markets.
d. Support Existing Communities.
Target Federal funding toward existing
communities—through strategies like
transit oriented, mixed-use
development, and land recycling—to
increase community revitalization and
the efficiency of public works
investments and safeguard rural
landscapes.
e. Coordinate Policies and Leverage
Investment. Align Federal policies and
funding to remove barriers to
collaboration, leverage funding, and
increase the accountability and
effectiveness of all levels of government
to plan for future growth, including
making smart energy choices such as
locally generated renewable energy.
f. Value Communities and
Neighborhoods. Enhance the unique
characteristics of all communities by
investing in healthy, safe, and walkable
neighborhoods—rural, urban, or
suburban.
In order for points to be awarded,
applicants shall also provide data to
support outcomes of the proposed
project claimed in the application.
Based on the project being proposed, the
applicant shall identify the Livability
Principle(s) that will be addressed and
detail how that success will be
documented. For example, if the
proposed program intends to expand the
presence of equitable, affordable
housing, the applicant should provide
data to support this claim.
As there is a wide range of projects
that can be supported through this
notice, not every project is expected to
address all six Livability Principles.
Points will be awarded based on the
extent to which the proposed project
furthers the specifically identified
principles supported with data.
The applicant is required to clearly
identify the benefits or outcomes of its
proposed program. Because this
application seeks support to develop a
plan for a specific project, all of the
outcomes will not be realized during the
duration of the grant period. Rather,
applicants will be evaluated on their
ability to identify the outcomes they
seek to achieve, the clarity with which
VerDate Mar<15>2010
17:29 Jun 23, 2010
Jkt 220001
they articulate the elements of their plan
that will help achieve those outcomes,
and the specificity of the benchmarks
that they establish to measure progress
toward a completed product that guides
all of the necessary work.
Applicants that receive awards will be
expected to report on the progress of the
project and outcomes realized at the
mid-way point and at the end of the
term of the grant. Where outcomes have
been realized, they should be detailed
and backed with data. For projects that
must go to construction for many
benefits to be realized, benchmarks will
focus more on the progress of plan
development, any changes in the scope
of the work that occur during the
planning process, and how those
changes might impact the anticipated
outcomes.
For projects that must go to
construction for benefits to be realized,
benchmarks will focus more on the
progress of plan development, any
changes in scope that occur, and how
those changes might impact the
anticipated outcomes.
DOT and HUD recognize that each
project is unique. As such, the agencies
are allowing significant latitude to the
applicant to set the desired outcomes
that will result from implementation of
the project. DOT and HUD have
identified six possible outcomes, listed
below, from which each applicant must
select a minimum of two outcomes that
it must pursue and report on during its
period of performance.
a. Travel changes, such as changes in
mode share or vehicle miles traveled per
capita.
b. Impact on affordability and
accessibility, including the supply of
affordable housing units, household
transportation costs, or proportion of
low- and very-low income households
within a 30-minute transit commute of
major employment centers.
c. Economic development, including
infill development or recycled parcels of
land or private sector investment along
a project or corridor.
d. Improvement to the state of repair
of infrastructure.
e. Environmental benefits, such as
greenhouse gas or criteria pollutants
emissions, oil consumption and
recreational areas or open space
preserved.
f. Increased participation and
decision-making in developing and
implementing a plan, code,
development strategy, or project by
populations traditionally marginalized
in public planning processes.
2. Rating Factor 2—Work Plan (35
points): An applicant’s score on this
rating factor will be based on how well
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 4701
Sfmt 4703
the application addresses the quality
and cost effectiveness of the proposed
work plan. Applicants must develop a
work plan that includes specific
deliverables, and measurable, timephased objectives for each major
activity.
This factor also addresses the
performance metrics that will be used to
measure the success of the proposed
activities. For a proposed project to
achieve results, expected outcomes and
outputs must be clearly defined, and
evaluation must take place to ensure
that those outcomes and outputs are
met. Outcomes are the ultimate
objectives of a project, and outputs are
the interim activities or products that
lead to the achievement of those
objectives. To track progress toward the
outputs and outcomes, a project must be
evaluated based upon performance
measures. Performance measures should
be objectively quantifiable, and allow
one to assess the degree of actual
achievement against the expected
outputs and outcomes. Applications
that demonstrate how outputs and
outcomes are fully defined and easily
measured will receive a higher score.
The applicant’s budget proposal
should thoroughly estimate all
applicable costs (direct, indirect, and
administrative), and be presented in a
clear and coherent format. The
applicant must thoroughly document
and justify all budget categories, costs,
and all major tasks, for the applicant,
sub-recipients, joint venture
participants, or other contributing
resources to the project.
3. Rating Factor 3—Leveraging and
Collaboration (15 points): An
applicant’s score on this rating factor
will be based on how well the
application demonstrates the project’s
ability to obtain other community, local,
State, private, and Federal support, as
applicable, and resources that can be
combined with DOT and HUD program
resources to achieve program objectives.
Resources may include cash or in-kind
contributions of services, equipment, or
supplies allocated to the proposed
program. In evaluating this factor, HUD
and DOT will consider the extent to
which the applicant has established
working partnerships with other entities
to get additional resources or
commitments to increase the
effectiveness of the proposed program
activities.
When evaluating this factor, HUD and
DOT will take into account two
considerations: the amount of resources
leveraged or matched that exceeds the
required 20 percent, and per capita
income in the applicable jurisdiction
relative to the metropolitan average.
E:\FR\FM\24JNN3.SGM
24JNN3
emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with NOTICES3
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 121 / Thursday, June 24, 2010 / Notices
Data must be provided for the indicator
when responding to this rating factor.
The 20 percent of leveraged or matched
resources that are a threshold
requirement will not count as points
toward this rating factor. To score points
in this rating factor, resources may be
provided by governmental entities,
public or private organizations, and
other entities. Other resources from the
private sector or other sources
committed to the program that exceed
the required 20 percent leveraged or
matched resources will be given extra
weight for this rating factor. The
applicant should provide supporting
documentation of all committed funds.
Please refer to Section VI., Application
and Submission, for more details.
4. Rating Factor 4—Capacity (15
points): An applicant’s score on this
rating factor will be based on how well
the application demonstrates the
applicant’s capacity to successfully
implement the proposed activities in a
timely manner. The applicant will
provide specific examples of previous
projects similar to the proposed effort
that demonstrate its capacity to
implement the proposed work plan.
DOT and HUD will give priority to
applications that demonstrate the prior
experience to bring this type of
project(s) that is the subject of the
planning activities to completion.
Priority will also be given to
applications that demonstrate strong
collaboration among a broad range of
participants, including public, private
and nonprofit entities.
The applicant shall designate the staff
that is anticipated to manage the
proposed project, as well as other staff
anticipated to contribute to the project’s
completion. Ratings under this factor
are based on the capacity of the
applicant’s organization, and its team,
as applicable, and should include an
assessment of the capacity of subcontractors, consultants, sub-recipients,
community-based organizations, and
any other entities that are part of the
project application, as applicable.
Applicants should be prepared to
initiate eligible activities within 120
days of the effective date of the grant
award. DOT and HUD reserve the right
to terminate the grant if sufficient
personnel or qualified experts are not
retained within these 120 days. In rating
this factor, DOT and HUD will consider,
among other factors, the extent to which
the application demonstrates that the
applicant has an adequate number of
key staff or the ability to procure
individuals with the knowledge and
recent experience in the proposed
activity.
VerDate Mar<15>2010
17:29 Jun 23, 2010
Jkt 220001
All applicants for HUD funding are
subject to the requirements to
Affirmatively Further Fair Housing.
HUD will award additional points to
applicants that prioritize additional
measures to advance civil rights, such as
Executive Order 12898, Federal Actions
to Address Environmental Justice in
Minority Populations and Low-Income
Populations, and Executive Order
13166, Improving Access to Services for
Persons with Limited English
Proficiency.
Applicants should indicate if, and
describe how, the following policy
priorities will be addressed: (1) Capacity
Building and Knowledge Sharing and
(2) Expand Cross-Cutting Policy
Knowledge. One point will be awarded
for each policy priority. Identify specific
activities, outputs and outcomes that
further these policy priorities over the
period of performance.
a. Capacity Building and Knowledge
Sharing.
HUD recognizes that successful
program implementation can only occur
in partnership with effectively prepared
grantees. It is therefore critical to
strengthen the capacity of each
consortium by developing partnerships
that will advance the objectives of
proposed programs. HUD’s Strategic
Plan emphasizes the importance of
strengthening the capacity of state and
local partners to implement HUD
programs, participate in decisionmaking and planning processes, and
coordinate on cross-programmatic,
place-based approaches through grant
making and technical assistance. To
receive policy priority points,
applicants are expected to describe how
they will achieve the following
outcomes:
(1) Increase the skills and technical
expertise of partner organizations to
manage Federal awards, provide solid
financial management, and perform
program performance assessment and
evaluation. The applicant must describe
the methods that will be used to achieve
this outcome. Examples include inservice trainings, online information
provision (e.g., webinars, podcasts, etc.),
and structured observation of best
practices. According to the proposed
methods, the applicant should identify
the anticipated outputs (e.g., number of
people trained, number of training
events, volume of easily accessible
training materials for targeted
capacities, etc.) during the 3-year period
of performance.
(2) Share knowledge among partners
so that key personnel responsible for
grant implementation coordinate crossprogrammatic, placed-based
approaches. The applicant must
PO 00000
Frm 00007
Fmt 4701
Sfmt 4703
36251
describe the outreach methods that will
be used to achieve this outcome.
Examples include establishing regular
partner dialogues, and structured peer
exchange. According to the proposed
methods, the applicant should establish
and specify the anticipated outputs (e.g.,
number of meetings, Web postings,
number of participating partners, total
staff exposed to new learning and
promising practice, number of briefings,
issuance of monthly fact sheets, etc.)
during the 3-year period of performance.
HUD will work with grantees to support
knowledge sharing and innovation by
disseminating best practices,
encouraging peer learning, publishing
data analysis and research, and helping
to incubate and test new ideas.
b. Expand Cross-Cutting Policy
Knowledge.
Broadening the use of successful
models to other communities requires
definitive evidence of which policies
work and how, and a plan for public
dissemination of this information.
To achieve full points, the applicant
must indicate what data they and/or
partner organizations will collect on
outcomes for the defined target area
(e.g., changes in commuting time,
improved health outcomes, VMT
measures, etc.). The grantee must
document a plan to engage credible
policy researchers to assist in the
analysis of that data in order to measure
policy impact, and clarify the extent of
data that will be made available to those
researchers through a data-sharing
agreement.
(1) For household-level data, this may
be an agreement with a university or
other policy research group that
regularly produces peer-reviewed
research publications.
(2) For parcel-related data, this
agreement may be with a regional
planning, non-profit, or government
agency that provides consolidated local
data on a regular basis to the public for
free.
The applicant should specifically
describe how they intend to disseminate
policy lessons learned during the
planning process to a diverse range of
potential audiences, including
policymakers, other regional consortia,
and interested community leadership.
The collection method and specific data
elements will not be prescribed by HUD,
but may be determined by the applicant.
The applicant must establish and
provide the anticipated outputs within
the period of performance. Examples
include the number of policy
publications, number of research
studies, anticipated distribution of
findings, etc.
B. Evaluation and Selection Process.
E:\FR\FM\24JNN3.SGM
24JNN3
36252
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 121 / Thursday, June 24, 2010 / Notices
emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with NOTICES3
1. Rating and Ranking.
Evaluation teams made up of a
representative from DOT, HUD, and
EPA initially will evaluate each
application as to how well it scores
against the ‘‘Rating Factors’’ identified
below, and will assign it a score on a
scale of 1–100. The scoring system will
not determine the specific projects that
will be selected for funding; rather, the
scoring system will be used to generate
a list of highly recommended projects.
The highly recommended projects will
then be forwarded to a senior-level
review team for review, and the seniorlevel review team will make funding
recommendations to the Secretaries of
DOT and HUD, based on how the
project performed under the four rating
factors, how each project addresses the
Program Goals identified in Section I.B,
and statutory distributional
considerations required in the National
Infrastructure Investments provision of
the FY 2010 Consolidated
Appropriations Act for the DOT
Planning Grants. The review teams will
include senior-level representatives
from the three Partnership for
Sustainable Communities agencies:
DOT, HUD, and EPA.
VI. Application and Submission
Information
A. Address To Request Application
Package. Applications are available on
the Federal Web site www.Grants.gov.
To find this funding opportunity at
Grants.gov, go to https://www.grants.gov/
applicants/find_grant_opportunities.jsp
at the www.Grants.gov Web site, where
you can search by agency and/or
perform a Basic Search. Additional
information on applying through
Grants.gov is available at https://
www.grants.gov.
B. Content and Form of Application
Submission. Applicants eligible to apply
under this NOFA are to follow the
submission requirements described
below:
1. Pre-Application. Unless otherwise
indicated in this joint notice, applicants
should submit pre-applications and
applications in accordance with the
procedures specified in the TIGER II
Discretionary Grant NOFA. To submit
an application, please access https://
www.dot.gov/recovery/ost/tigerii/
index.html or https://www.hud.gov/
sustainability. Pre-applications must be
submitted by the Pre-Application
Deadline, which is July 26, 2010, at 5
p.m. EDT. The pre-application system
will be hosted by DOT, on behalf of
DOT and HUD, and will open no later
than June 23, 2010, to allow prospective
applicants to submit pre-applications.
Final applications must be submitted
VerDate Mar<15>2010
17:29 Jun 23, 2010
Jkt 220001
through Grants.gov by the Application
Deadline, which is August 23, 2010, at
5 p.m. EDT. The Grants.gov ‘‘Apply’’
function will open on July 30, 2010,
allowing applicants to submit
applications. While applicants are
encouraged to submit pre-applications
in advance of the Pre-Application
Deadline, pre-applications will not be
reviewed until after the Pre-Application
Deadline. Similarly, while applicants
are encouraged to submit applications
in advance of the Application Deadline,
applications will not be evaluated until
after the Application Deadline. Awards
will not be made until after September
15, 2010.
To apply for funding through
Grants.gov, applicants must be properly
registered. Complete instructions on
how to register and submit applications
can be found at www.grants.gov. Please
be aware that the registration process
usually takes 2–4 weeks and must be
completed before an application can be
submitted. If interested parties
experience difficulties at any point
during the registration or application
process, please call the toll free
Grants.gov Customer Support Hotline at
1–800–518–4726, Monday to Friday
from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. EDT.
Applicants must submit a preapplication as Stage 1, which qualifies
applicants to submit an application in
Stage 2. An application submitted
during Stage 2 that does not correlate
with a properly completed Stage 1 preapplication will not be considered.
2. Contents of Pre-Applications. An
applicant for a TIGER II Planning Grant
or a Community Challenge Planning
Grant should provide in its preapplication form, all of the information
requested below in its pre-application
form. DOT and HUD reserve the right to
ask any applicant to supplement the
data in its pre-application but expect
pre-applications to be complete upon
submission. Applicants must complete
the pre-application form and submit it
electronically on or prior to the PreApplication Deadline, in accordance
with the instructions specified at
https://www.dot.gov/recovery/ost/
TIGERII. The pre-application form must
include the following information:
a. Name of applicant (if the
application is to be submitted by more
than one entity, a lead applicant must
be identified);
b. Applicant’s DUNS (Data Universal
Numbering System) number;
c. Type of applicant (State
government, local government, U.S.
territory, Tribal government, transit
agency, port authority, metropolitan
planning organization, or other unit of
government);
PO 00000
Frm 00008
Fmt 4701
Sfmt 4703
d. State(s) where the project is
located;
e. County(s) where the project is
located;
f. City(s) where the project is located;
g. Zip code(s) where the project is
located;
h. Project title (descriptive);
i. Project type: specify eligible
activities proposed for funding, such as
transportation planning activity, site
area plan, corridor plan, land assembly
or acquisition, etc.;
j. Project description: describe the
project in plain English terms that
would be generally understood by the
public, using no more than 50 words;
this should be purely descriptive, not a
discussion of the project’s benefits,
background, or alignment with the
selection criteria in this description;
k. Total cost of the project;
l. Total amount of TIGER II Planning
Grant and Community Challenge
Planning Grant funds requested;
m. Contact name, telephone number,
email address, and physical address of
the applicant;
n. Type of jurisdiction where the
project is located (urban or rural); and
o. An assurance that local matching
funds are committed to support 20
percent or more of any transportation
planning activities to be funded. (This
requirement does not apply to projects
located in rural areas).
3. Applications. An application for a
TIGER II Planning Grant or a
Community Challenge Planning Grant
should include all of the information
requested below. DOT and HUD reserve
the right to ask any applicant to
supplement the data in its application,
but expect applications to be complete
upon submission.
a. Standard Form SF–424,
Application for Federal Assistance.
Please see www07.grants.gov/assets/
SF424Instructions.pdf for instructions
on how to complete the SF–424, which
is part of the standard Grants.gov
submission. Additional clarifying
guidance and Frequently Asked
Questions (FAQs) to assist applicants in
completing the SF–424 will be available
at https://www.dot.gov/recovery/ost/
TIGERII by July 30, 2010, when the
‘‘Apply’’ function within Grants.gov
opens to accept applications under this
notice.
b. In Responding to the First and
Second Rating Factor. (Attachment to
SF–424). A TIGER II Planning Grant and
HUD Community Challenge Grant
application must include information
required for DOT and HUD to assess
each of the rating factors specified in
Section III (Application Review and
Rating Factors). Applicants are
E:\FR\FM\24JNN3.SGM
24JNN3
emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with NOTICES3
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 121 / Thursday, June 24, 2010 / Notices
encouraged to demonstrate the
responsiveness of a project to any and
all of the rating factors with the most
relevant information that applicants can
provide, regardless of whether such
information has been specifically
requested, or identified, in this notice.
In order to fulfill the requirements of
the first rating factor, an applicant must:
(1) Submit a narrative describing how
the applicant will use the funding
sought to achieve its desired outcomes
and how the desired outcomes support
the six Livability Principles. The
narrative should also state the problems
or barriers the project seeks to address,
why they are an impediment to
promoting a more sustainable future for
the applicant community, and the
outcomes the project seeks to achieve.
(2) Submit data supporting any
assertions made about the expected
outcomes, as well as the nature and the
extent of the problems or barriers the
project seeks to remove.
In responding to the second rating
factor, applicants must provide a
narrative to discuss their project
outcomes, outputs, and performance
measures. Applicants should also
identify important milestones (e.g., the
end of specific phases in a multiphase
project), which should also be clearly
indicated in the proposal timeline.
Applicants should also identify
potential obstacles in meeting outcomes
and outputs and related performance
measures and discuss steps they would
take to respond to these obstacles.
Finally, applicants should describe how
project evaluation information will be
obtained, documented, and reported.
Applicants should submit a work plan
that includes the following:
(1) Proposed Activities. Briefly
describe the overall activity you propose
to undertake, including any coordinated
components that will not be directly
funded under the TIGER II Planning
Grant Program or the Community
Challenge Planning Grant Program.
Describe the regional or local
significance of the project and whether
it is a part of a comprehensive regional
plan. Include public outreach and
participation activities, including
minority and disadvantaged
populations.
(2) Uses of Funds/Budget. Indicate
how you will use the grant funds you
are seeking by providing a list or table
showing the amount of funds budgeted
for each activity you will undertake to
achieve your desired result. Indicate the
entity responsible for each use and
activity, including any elected bodies or
bodies appointed by elected officials.
Specify administrative costs.
VerDate Mar<15>2010
17:29 Jun 23, 2010
Jkt 220001
(3) Project Completion Schedule.
Briefly describe the project completion
schedule, including milestones in each
month for the critical management
actions for you and any other entity
whose cooperation or assistance is
necessary to achieve your desired result,
including the end dates of each required
action and your expected metrics and
results.
(4) Performance Measures. List the
performance measures you will use to
evaluate the success of your project or
activity, as well as the benchmarks you
expect to reach during the term of the
grant and a timeline for reaching them.
c. In Responding to the Third Rating
Factor. Applicants will not receive full
points if they do not submit evidence of
a firm commitment and the appropriate
use of leveraged or matched resources
under the grant program. Such evidence
must be provided in the form of letters
of firm commitment, memoranda of
understanding, or other signed
agreements to participate from those
entities identified as partners in the
application. Each letter of commitment,
memorandum of understanding, or
agreement to participate should include
the organization’s name, the proposed
level of commitment, and the
organization’s responsibilities as they
relate to the proposed project. The
commitment must be signed and dated
by an official of the organization legally
able to make commitments on behalf of
the organization. Applicants should
describe how they will ensure that
commitments to sub-grantees will be
honored and executed, contingent upon
an award from DOT or HUD.
(1) Applicants must support each
source of contributions, cash or in-kind,
both for the required minimum and
additional amounts, by a letter of
commitment from the contributing
entity, whether a public or private
source. The letter must describe the
contributed resources that you will use
in the program and their designated
purpose. Staff in-kind contributions
should be given a monetary value based
on the local market value of the staff
skills. If you do not provide letters from
contributors specifying details and the
amount of the actual contributions,
those contributions will not be counted.
d. In Responding to the Fourth Rating
Factor. DOT and HUD will consider
how the applicant entity is organized
and how it will function in
implementing the grant. The application
should include a description of the
leadership responsibilities and
procedures for allocating resources,
setting goals, and settling disputes. It
should also include an explanation of
the capacity and relevant, recent
PO 00000
Frm 00009
Fmt 4701
Sfmt 4703
36253
experience of the applicant entity. The
application should also include a
description of the applicant’s
experience in outreach efforts involving
low-income persons, particularly those
living in revitalization areas where
funds are proposed to be used, residents
of public housing, minorities, socially
and economically disadvantaged
individuals, non-English speaking
persons, and persons with disabilities.
Applicants should demonstrate that
they either have sufficient personnel or
the ability to procure qualified experts
or professionals, with the knowledge,
skills, and abilities with relevant
experience to carry out the proposed
activity.
Contact information is requested as
part of the SF–424. This information
will be used in order to inform parties
of the selection of projects for funding,
as well as to contact parties in the event
additional information is needed.
e. Page Limit. Applications should be
limited to a total of 15 pages. HUD and
DOT will not refer to Web sites for
information pertinent to the narrative
response. All applications should
include a detailed description of the
proposed project and geospatial data for
the project, including a map of the area
to be planned and where other work
will occur.
C. Submission Dates and Times. All
pre-applications must be submitted in
accordance with the instructions
specified at https://www.dot.gov/
recovery/ost/TIGERII. The preapplication system will be hosted by
DOT, on behalf of DOT and HUD. Final
applications must be submitted
electronically through Grants.gov. Preapplications are due by July 26, 2010, at
5 p.m. EDT, and applications must be
submitted by August 23, 2010, at 5 p.m.
EDT.
D. Funding Restrictions. Applicants
should also be aware that DOT is
accepting applications for capital
expenditures associated with surface
transportation projects in the TIGER II
Discretionary Grant notice (Docket No.
DOT–OST–2010–0076). As part of that
program, applicants may request
planning funds associated with their
capital request. If DOT awards planning
funding to an applicant to the TIGER II
Discretionary Grant program, the
funding available through this notice
will be lessened by that amount.
Further, DOT has the option to use less
than the $35 million permitted in the
statute and may do so based on
distributional requirements or the need
to fund highly recommended capital
grant applications.
E:\FR\FM\24JNN3.SGM
24JNN3
36254
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 121 / Thursday, June 24, 2010 / Notices
emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with NOTICES3
VII. Award Administration Information
A. Award Notices.
1. Applicants Selected for Award.
Projects selected for a TIGER II Planning
Grant will be administered by one of
DOT’s modal administrations, pursuant
to a grant agreement between the TIGER
II Planning Grant recipient and the DOT
modal administration.
HUD awardees will be required to
negotiate a final statement of work and
will enter into a Cooperative Agreement
with HUD. The Cooperative Agreement
will also contain an agreed upon Logic
Model identifying specific activities and
performance criteria to be reported
against over a period of time. HUD
grantees must meet the requirements
contained in the General Section to
HUD’s FY 2010 Funding Notices.
2. Adjustment of Funding. DOT and
HUD reserve the right to fund less than
the full amount requested in an
application based on the availability of
funds, geographic diversity, and to
ensure that the maximum number of
grants may be made.
3. HUD grant recipients must comply
with applicable Federal requirements,
including compliance with the Fair
Housing and Civil Rights Laws
applicable to all Federal awards.
B. Administrative and National Policy
Requirements.
1. Environmental Requirements. All
applicants that are proposing to use
grant funds for land acquisition must
comply with HUD’s environmental
procedures. In accordance with 24 CFR
50.19(b)(1), (9), and (16), all other
eligible activities assisted by HUD funds
under this NOFA are categorically
excluded from environmental review
under the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969 and are not subject
to environmental review under the
related laws and authorities. For
applicants requesting grant funds for
transportation planning, NEPA is not
typically triggered (and even if
triggered, categorical exclusions
typically exist). However, if any projects
planned with funding under this NOFA
move to the construction phase and
Federal funds are later sought for
construction, all appropriate NEPA
analyses will need to be completed prior
to any Federal expenditures.
Under HUD’s environmental
procedures, for those applications
involving land acquisition activities
requiring environmental review, the
notification of award to a selected
applicant will constitute a preliminary
approval by HUD, subject to the
completion of an environmental review
of the proposed site(s), and the
execution by HUD and the recipient of
VerDate Mar<15>2010
17:29 Jun 23, 2010
Jkt 220001
a Grant Agreement. Selection for
participation (preliminary approval)
does not constitute approval of the
proposed site(s). Each proposal will be
subject to a HUD environmental review,
in accordance with 24 CFR part 50, and
the proposal may be modified or the
proposed sites rejected as a result of that
review.
Submission of an application
involving a project requiring an
environmental review will constitute an
assurance that the applicant shall assist
HUD in complying with 24 CFR part 50
and shall:
(1) Supply HUD with all available,
relevant information necessary for HUD
to perform for each property any
environmental review required by 24
CFR part 50;
(2) Carry out mitigating measures
required by HUD or select alternate
eligible property; and
(3) Not acquire, rehabilitate,
demolish, convert, lease, repair, or
construct property, nor commit or
expend HUD or local funds for these
program activities with respect to any
eligible property, until HUD approval of
the property is received.
For assistance, contact the HUD
Environmental Review Officer in the
HUD Field Office serving your area.
Contact information is requested as
part of the SF–424. DOT will use this
information to inform parties of DOT’s
decision regarding selection of projects,
as well as to contact parties in the event
that DOT needs additional information
about an application.
2. Administrative and Indirect Cost
Requirements. For reference to the
Administrative Cost requirements and
Indirect cost requirements, please see
OMB Circulars A–21, A–87, and A–122,
as applicable.
C. Reporting Requirements. HUD
Award Agreements will include the
terms and conditions of the award
including the reporting requirements.
1. Final Work Plan and Logic Model.
Final work plan and completed Logic
Model are due 60 days after the effective
date of the grant agreement. See the
General Section for detailed information
on the use of the ‘‘Master’’ eLogic Model.
2. Successful applicants will be
required to submit bi-annual and final
program reports according to the
requirements of the award agreement.
Your bi-annual and final report must
include a completed Logic Model, form
HUD–96010, approved and
incorporated into your award
agreement, showing specific outputs
and outcome results against those
proposed and accepted as part of your
approved grant agreement.
PO 00000
Frm 00010
Fmt 4701
Sfmt 4703
3. Financial reporting requirements
include, but are not limited to, the
submission of the financial status
report, SF–425, bi-annually.
VIII. Other Information
A. Compliance with Fair Housing and
Civil Rights Laws and Affirmatively
Furthering Fair Housing for Community
Challenge Planning Grant Applicants
Fair Housing and Civil Rights Laws:
1. With the exception of Federally
recognized Indian tribes and their
instrumentalities, applicants and their
sub-recipients must comply with all
applicable fair housing and civil rights
requirements in 24 CFR 5.105 (a),
including, but not limited to, the Fair
Housing Act, Title VI of the Civil Rights
Act of 1964, and the Rehabilitation Act
of 1973.
2. If you are a federally recognized
Indian tribe, you must comply with the
nondiscrimination provisions
enumerated at 24 CFR 1000.12, as
applicable. See the General Section for
further instructions on this requirement.
3. Affirmatively Furthering Fair
Housing: Section 808(e)(5) of the Fair
Housing Act imposes a duty on HUD to
affirmatively further the purposes of the
Fair Housing Act in its housing and
urban development programs. This
obligation further applies generally to
recipients of HUD funds, including
those awarded and announced under
HUD’s FY 2010 funding notices. Your
application must include a discussion
on how your proposed plans
affirmatively further fair housing;
applications that include specific
activities and outcomes that address this
requirement will be rated higher.
Applicants for Community Challenge
Planning Grants that are tribal
governments are not subject to the
affirmatively furthering fair housing
submission requirement in the General
Section.
B. Additional Environmental
Requirements. A Finding of No
Significant Impact (FONSI) with respect
to the environment has been made for
this NOFA in accordance with HUD
regulations at 24 CFR part 50, which
implement section 102(2)(C) of the
National Environmental Policy Act of
1969 (42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C)). The FONSI
is available for public inspection
between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays in
the Regulations Division, Office of
General Counsel, Department of
Housing and Urban Development, 451
Seventh Street, SW., Room 10276,
Washington, DC 20410–0500. Due to
security measures at the HUD
Headquarters building, an advance
appointment to review the FONSI must
E:\FR\FM\24JNN3.SGM
24JNN3
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 121 / Thursday, June 24, 2010 / Notices
be scheduled by calling the Regulations
Division at 202–708–3055 (this is not a
toll-free number).
Dated: June 18, 2010.
Ray LaHood,
Secretary, Department of Transportation.
Shaun Donovan,
Secretary, Department of Housing and Urban
Development.
[FR Doc. 2010–15353 Filed 6–21–10; 4:15 pm]
emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with NOTICES3
BILLING CODE 4210–67–P
VerDate Mar<15>2010
17:29 Jun 23, 2010
Jkt 220001
PO 00000
Frm 00011
Fmt 4701
Sfmt 9990
E:\FR\FM\24JNN3.SGM
24JNN3
36255
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 121 (Thursday, June 24, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36246-36255]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-15353]
[[Page 36245]]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Part V
Department of Health and Human Services
Department of Transportation
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Notice of Funding Availability for the Department of Housing and Urban
Development's Community Challenge Planning Grants and the Department of
Transportation's TIGER II Planning Grants; Notice
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 121 / Thursday, June 24, 2010 /
Notices
[[Page 36246]]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
[Docket No. FR-5415-N-12]
Notice of Funding Availability for the Department of Housing and
Urban Development's Community Challenge Planning Grants and the
Department of Transportation's TIGER II Planning Grants
AGENCY: Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities, Office of the
Deputy Secretary, HUD; and Office of the Secretary, DOT.
ACTION: Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability of funding and requests
proposals for the Department of Housing and Urban Development's
(``HUD's'') Community Challenge Planning Grants (``Community Challenge
Planning Grants'') in conjunction with a portion of the Department of
Transportation's (``DOT's'') National Infrastructure Investments Grants
that can be used for transportation planning grants.
On December 16, 2009, the President signed the Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2010 (Pub. L. 111-117) that provided $40 million
for HUD's Community Challenge Planning Grants and up to $35 million for
DOT's transportation planning grants to be awarded as part of the
National Infrastructure Investments program. The National
Infrastructure Investments program is similar, but not identical to,
the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery, or ``TIGER
Discretionary Grant Program.'' Because of the similarity in program
structure, DOT is referring to the grants for National Infrastructure
Investments under the FY 2010 Appropriations Act as ``TIGER II
Discretionary Grants'' and the transportation planning grants as
``TIGER II Planning Grants.''
HUD's $40 million Community Challenge Planning Grant Program will
foster reform and reduce barriers to achieving affordable, economically
vital, and sustainable communities. Such efforts may include amending
or replacing local master plans, zoning codes, and building codes,
either on a jurisdiction-wide basis or in a specific neighborhood,
district, corridor, or sector to promote mixed-use development,
affordable housing, the reuse of older buildings and structures for new
purposes, and similar activities with the goal of promoting
sustainability at the local or neighborhood level. HUD's Community
Challenge Planning Grant Program also supports the development of
affordable housing through the development and adoption of inclusionary
zoning ordinances and other activities such as acquisition of land for
affordable housing projects.
The Community Challenge Planning Grant Program differs from HUD's
Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant Program, a $100 million
program also created in the FY2010 Appropriations Act. While the latter
program is designed to support regional planning efforts, the Community
Challenge Planning Grant Program focuses on individual jurisdictions
and more localized planning. HUD will publish a separate NOFA for the
Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant Program.
DOT is authorized to use up to $35 million of the funds available
for TIGER II Discretionary Grants for TIGER II Planning Grants to fund
the planning, preparation, or design of surface transportation projects
that would be eligible for funding under the TIGER II Discretionary
Grant program.
DOT and HUD have decided to issue this NOFA jointly in order to
better align transportation, housing, economic development, and land
use planning and to improve linkages between DOT and HUD's programs.
HUD's funding is designed to target housing, economic development, and
land use planning strategies that will increase the efficiency and
effectiveness of a related transportation project being planned.
Therefore, DOT and HUD believe this joint effort has the potential to
encourage and reward more holistic planning efforts that result in
better projects being built with Federal dollars. The effort is also
consistent with the Obama Administration's priority on removing
artificial barriers between Federal programs and barriers to State and
local governmental level innovation.
On April 26, 2010 (75 FR 21695), DOT published an interim notice
announcing the availability of funding for TIGER II Discretionary
Grants. Because the TIGER II Discretionary Grant program is a new
program, the interim notice requested comments on the proposed
selection criteria and guidance for awarding TIGER II Discretionary
Grants. In the interim notice, DOT specifically requested comments on
its intention to conduct a multi-agency evaluation and award process
with HUD for the Community Challenge Planning Grants and the TIGER II
Planning Grants. DOT indicated that this multi-agency approach for the
planning grants would be consistent with DOT and HUD's participation in
the ``Partnership for Sustainable Communities'' with the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (``EPA'') to help American families in
all communities--rural, suburban and urban--gain better access to
affordable housing, more transportation options, lower transportation
costs, and a cleaner environment. HUD and DOT have considered the
comments that were submitted in accordance with the interim notice and
decided to conduct a multi-agency evaluation and award process. The
details of this multi-agency planning grant program, including
information about eligibility, selection criteria, and pre-application
and application requirements are included in this joint notice. The
final notice for the TIGER II Discretionary Grant program (the ``TIGER
II Discretionary Grant NOFA'') was published on June 1, 2010 (75 FR
30460). Interested parties are encouraged to review the TIGER II
Discretionary Grant NOFA for more information about that program.
DATES: Pre-applications are due by July 26, 2010, at 5 p.m. EDT, and
applications must be submitted by August 23, 2010, at 5 p.m. EDT. Only
pre-applications received and applications received through Grants.gov
will be deemed properly filed. Instructions for submitting pre-
applications and applications are included in Section VI.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information concerning
this notice please contact the TIGER II Discretionary Grant program
manager via e-mail at TIGERIIGrants@dot.gov, or call Robert Mariner at
202-366-8914 (this is not a toll-free number). A TDD is available for
individuals who are deaf or hearing-impaired, at 202-366-3993 (this is
not a toll-free number). In addition, DOT will regularly post answers
to questions and requests for clarifications on DOT's Web site at
https://www.dot.gov/recovery/ost/TIGERII. Questions regarding HUD's
Community Challenge Planning Grant Program should be directed to
sustainablecommunities@hud.gov or may be submitted through the https://www.hud.gov/sustainability Web site. HUD's contact person is Zuleika K.
Morales-Romero, Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities, 451
Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20410-3000, telephone number 202-
402-7683 (this is not a toll-free number) facsimile 202-708-0465, or e-
mail: zuleika.k.morales@hud.gov. For the hearing- or speech-impaired,
contact the above telephone number via TTY by dialing the toll-free
Federal Information Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339.
[[Page 36247]]
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Table of Contents
Overview Information
Full Text Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
II. Award Information
III. Eligibility Information
IV. Threshold Requirements
V. Application Review Information
VI. Application and Submission Information
VII. Award Administration Information
VIII. Other Information
Overview Information
A. Federal Agency Name: Office of Sustainable Housing and
Communities, Office of the Deputy Secretary, HUD; and Office of the
Secretary, DOT.
B. Funding Opportunity Title: Community Challenge and
Transportation Planning Grants.
C. Funding Opportunity Number: The funding opportunity number is
FR-5415-N-12. Community Challenge and Transportation Planning Grant.
The OMB Approval Number is 2501-0025.
D. Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: The
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) numbers for the HUD
Community Challenge and DOT TIGER II Planning Grant are 14.704 and
20.933, respectively.
E. Additional Overview Information:
1. Background.
a. TIGER II Planning Grants.
On February 17, 2009, the President signed the American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Pub. L. 111-05) (Recovery Act), which
appropriated $1.5 billion of discretionary grant funds to be awarded by
DOT for capital investments in surface transportation infrastructure.
DOT refers to these grants as Grants for Transportation Investment
Generating Economic Recovery or ``TIGER Discretionary Grants.'' DOT
solicited applications for TIGER Discretionary Grants through a notice
of funding availability published in the Federal Register on June 17,
2009 (74 FR 28775) (an interim notice was published on May 18, 2009 (74
FR 23226)). Applications for TIGER Discretionary Grants were due on
September 15, 2009, and DOT received more than 1,400 applications with
funding requests totaling almost $60 billion. Funding for 51 projects
was announced on February 17, 2010.
On December 16, 2009, the President signed the Fiscal Year (FY)
2010 Consolidated Appropriations Act, which appropriated $600 million
to DOT for National Infrastructure Investments using language that is
similar, but not identical to, the language in the Recovery Act
authorizing the TIGER Discretionary Grants. DOT is referring to the
grants for National Infrastructure Investments as TIGER II
Discretionary Grants. The FY 2010 Appropriations Act permits DOT to use
up to $35 million of the funds available for TIGER II Discretionary
Grants for TIGER II Planning Grants. The TIGER II Discretionary Grant
NOFA was published on June 1, 2010 (75 FR 30460), and awards will be
announced at the same time as awards made under this NOFA.
b. Community Challenge Planning Grants.
The FY 2010 Appropriations Act also appropriated $40 million to HUD
to establish a Community Challenge Planning Grant Program ``to foster
reform and reduce barriers to achieve affordable, economically vital,
and sustainable communities.'' The Community Challenge Planning Grant
Program differs from HUD's Sustainable Communities Regional Planning
Grant Program, a $100 million program also created in the FY 2010
Appropriations Act. While the latter program is designed to support
regional planning efforts, the Community Challenge Planning Grant
Program focuses on individual jurisdictions and more localized
planning. HUD will publish a separate NOFA for the Sustainable
Communities Regional Planning Grant Program.
2. Available Funds. Up to $75 million, including $40 million for
Community Challenge Planning Grants and up to $35 million for TIGER II
Planning Grants.
3. Funding Categories. Given the range of planning activities that
potential applicants are trying to accomplish, DOT and HUD will support
a variety of eligible activities spelled out in Section III.C.1.a-c.
4. Authority. The program was authorized by the Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2010 (Pub. L. 111-117, approved December 16, 2009).
5. Application of HUD's General Section. All applicants accessing
resources available through HUD's Community Challenge Planning Grants
are subject to the requirements of the General Section to HUD's FY 2010
NOFAs for discretionary programs. Applicants for such grants should
carefully review the requirements described in this NOFA and HUD's
General Section. HUD's General Section is not applicable to applicants
accessing resources available through TIGER II Planning Grants.
Full Text Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description: This notice announces DOT's and
HUD's intention to offer funding through a competition made available
as a NOFA under its Community Challenge and TIGER II Planning Grants.
A. The Partnership for Sustainable Communities. This NOFA is being
initiated in close coordination between DOT, HUD and the EPA, through
the Partnership for Sustainable Communities (the Partnership).
The Partnership was conceived to coordinate Federal housing,
transportation and environmental investments, protect public health and
the environment, promote equitable development, and help address the
challenges of climate change. Recognizing the fundamental role that
public investment plays in achieving these outcomes, the Administration
charged three agencies whose programs most directly impact the physical
form of communities--HUD, DOT, and EPA--to lead the way in reshaping
the role of the Federal government in helping communities obtain the
capacity to embrace a more sustainable future.
One of the first acts of the Partnership was to agree to a set of
six ``Livability Principles'' to govern the work of the Partnership and
for each of the three agencies to strive to incorporate into their
policies and funding programs to the degree possible. In addition, each
agency has clear and defined roles: HUD will take the lead in funding,
evaluating, and supporting integrated regional planning for sustainable
development, and will invest in sustainable housing and community
development efforts. DOT will focus on building the capacity of
transportation agencies to integrate their planning and investments
into broader plans and actions that promote sustainable development,
and investing in transportation infrastructure that directly supports
sustainable development and livable communities. EPA will provide
technical assistance to communities and States to help them implement
sustainable community strategies, and develop environmental
sustainability metrics and practices. The three agencies have made a
commitment to coordinate activities, integrate funding requirements,
and adopt a common set of performance metrics for use by grantees.
B. Program Goals.
1. To better align Federal programs to support the building of
projects that further the six Livability Principles (listed in rating
factor 1 below).
2. To remove artificial or bureaucratic barriers among Federal
programs and create a more coordinated point of contact for State and
local governments building innovative projects that coordinate housing,
economic
[[Page 36248]]
development, transportation, and environmental policies and goals.
II. Award Information
A. Award Size. For both Community Challenge Planning Grants and
TIGER II Planning Grants, there is no minimum grant size, but the
maximum grant size is $3 million.
B. Type of Awards. All awards will be made in the form of
Cooperative Agreements. HUD and DOT anticipate having substantial
involvement in the work being conducted under this award to ensure the
purposes of the grant program are being carried out and that entities
are following through on their commitments. This includes making
progress in meeting established performance metrics, and ensuring
consistency in projects in participating jurisdictions that are funded
through other HUD, DOT, and EPA programs so that they are implemented
in a manner consistent with the Livability Principles.
C. Period of Performance. The period of performance shall not
exceed 36 months from the date the funds are obligated. All funds
awarded must be obligated by September 30, 2012.
D. Statutory Distributional Requirements Only Applicable to TIGER
II Funds. This joint notice was developed and is being published in
conjunction with the TIGER II Discretionary Grants NOFA. The selection
process for TIGER II Planning Grants will be conducted in parallel with
the selection process for TIGER II Discretionary Grants, and awards of
TIGER II Planning Grants are subject to several distributional
requirements under the FY 2010 Appropriations Act. These requirements
do not apply to HUD Community Challenge Planning Grants. First, no more
than 25 percent of the funds made available for TIGER II Discretionary
Grants (or $150 million), including any funding used for TIGER II
Planning Grants, may be awarded to projects in a single State.
Additionally, not less than $140 million of the funds provided for
TIGER II Discretionary Grants, including TIGER II Planning Grants, is
to be used for projects located in rural areas. For purposes of this
notice, DOT is generally defining ``rural area'' as any area not in an
Urbanized Area, as such term is defined by the Census Bureau\1\ and
will consider a project to be in a rural area if all or the majority of
a project is located in a rural area. Finally, on awarding TIGER II
Discretionary Grants, including TIGER II Planning Grants, DOT must take
measures to ensure an equitable geographic distribution of grant funds,
an appropriate balance in addressing the needs of urban and rural
areas, and investment in a variety of transportation modes.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ For the 2000 Census, the Census Bureau defined an Urbanized
Area (UA) as an area that consists of densely settled territory that
contains 50,000 or more people. Updated lists of UAs are available
on the Census Bureau Web site. Urban Clusters (UCs) will be
considered rural areas for purposes of this NOFA.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
TIGER II Discretionary Grants, including TIGER II Planning Grants,
may be used for up to 80 percent of the costs of a project; however,
applications will be more competitive to the extent they include
significant non-Federal financial contributions. The minimum and
maximum grant sizes established by the FY 2010 Appropriations Act for
TIGER II Discretionary Grants do not apply to TIGER II Planning Grants.
III. Eligibility Information
A. Eligible Applicants. State and local governments, including U.S.
territories, tribal governments, transit agencies, port authorities,
metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), other political
subdivisions of State or local governments, and multi-State or
multijurisdictional groupings.
B. Cost Sharing or Leveraging Resources. For those seeking TIGER II
Planning Grants, a 20 percent match is required. DOT will consider any
non-Federal funds as a local match for purposes of this program,
whether such funds are contributed by the public sector (State or
local) or the private sector. However, DOT will not consider funds
already expended as a local match. The 20 percent matching requirement
does not apply to projects in rural areas. For those seeking HUD
Community Challenge Planning Grants, applicants must provide 20 percent
of the requested funding amount in leveraged resources in the form of
cash and/or verified in-kind contributions or a combination of these
sources. In-kind contributions may be in the form of staff time,
donated materials, or services. All assistance provided to meet this
requirement must be identified by their dollar equivalent based upon
accepted salary or regional dollar values. Cash contributions may come
from any combination of local, state and/or Federal funds, and/or
private and philanthropic contributions dedicated to the express
purposes of this proposal.
Applicants will receive credit for leveraging or matching resources
greater than 20 percent of the requested amount as described in Rating
Factor 4. If an applicant does not include the minimum 20 percent
leveraged or matched resources with its appropriate supporting
documentation, that application will be considered ineligible.
C. Other Requirements.
1. Eligible Activities. In order to explain the variety of
activities eligible for funding under this joint notice, the activities
are described in three groupings:
a. TIGER II Planning Grants: Activities related to the planning,
preparation, or design of surface transportation projects, including,
but not limited to:
(1) Highway or bridge projects eligible under Title 23, United
States Code;
(2) Public transportation projects eligible under Chapter 53 of
Title 49, United States Code;
(3) Passenger and freight rail transportation projects; and
(4) Port infrastructure investments.
b. Community Challenge Planning Grants: Activities related to the
following:
(1) Development of master plans or comprehensive plans that promote
affordable housing co-located and/or well-connected with retail and
business development and discourage development not aligned with
sustainable transportation plans or disaster mitigation analyses;
(2) Development and implementation of local, corridor or district
plans and strategies that promote livability and sustainability (see
the Livability Principles in Section V);
(3) Revisions to zoning codes, ordinances, building standards, or
other laws to remove barriers and promote sustainable and mixed-use
development and to overcome the effects of impediments to fair housing
choice in local zoning codes and other land use laws, including form-
based codes and inclusionary zoning ordinances to promote accessible,
permanently affordable housing that reduces racial and poverty housing
concentration and expands fair housing choice for low-income
minorities;
(4) Revisions to building codes to promote the energy-efficient
rehabilitation of older structures in order to create affordable and
healthy housing;
(5) Strategies for creating or preserving affordable housing for
low-, very low-, and extremely low-income families or individuals in
mixed-income, mixed-use neighborhoods along an existing or planned
transit corridor;
(6) Strategies to bring additional affordable housing to areas that
have few affordable housing opportunities and are close to suburban job
clusters; and
[[Page 36249]]
(7) Planning, establishing, and maintaining acquisition funds and/
or land banks for development, redevelopment, and revitalization that
reserve property for the development of affordable housing within the
context of sustainable development
c. Combination of TIGER II Planning Grant and Community Challenge
Planning Grant activities. There are a variety of projects that may
include eligible activities under both the TIGER II Planning Grants and
the Community Challenge Planning Grants programs. Rather than have
applicants proceed through two separate grant application procedures,
this joint NOFA is intended to create one point of entry to Federal
resources to support related components of a single project. To
illustrate the possible combination of activities, please consider the
following examples:
(1) Planning activities related to the development of a particular
transportation corridor or regional transportation system, that
promotes mixed-use, transit-oriented development with an affordable
housing component.
(2) Planning activities related to the development of a freight
corridor that seeks to reduce conflicts with residential areas and with
passenger and non-motorized traffic. In this type of project, DOT might
fund the transportation planning activities along the corridor, and HUD
may fund changes in the zoning code to support appropriate siting of
freight facilities and route the freight traffic around town centers,
residential areas, and schools.
(3) Developing expanded public transportation options, including
accessible public transportation and para-transit services for
individuals with disabilities, to allow individuals to live in diverse,
high opportunity neighborhoods and communities and to commute to areas
with greater employment and educational opportunities.
DOT and HUD are expecting to award the TIGER II Planning Grants and
the Community Challenge Planning Grants for planning activities that
ultimately lead to the development of projects that integrate
transportation, housing and economic development components.
DOT and HUD plan to make joint awards, where appropriate. However,
we also expect DOT to make awards for TIGER II Planning Grant
activities alone and for HUD to make awards for Community Challenge
Planning Grants alone. Applicants may apply for funding from only TIGER
II Planning Grants or from only Community Challenge Planning Grants. To
the extent that an application has a project that has linked activities
and would benefit from funding and associated activities in both DOT
and HUD's programs, applicants should indicate that in their
application and the agencies may both award funding to the project,
with DOT and HUD each awarding its funds for the eligible activities
under its own respective program. However, only one application per
project will be accepted (see Threshold Requirements, Section IV.C.).
IV. Threshold Requirements
Evaluation teams from DOT and HUD will review each pre-application
that is received on or prior to the Pre-Application Deadline and will
be responsible for analyzing whether the pre-application satisfies the
following key threshold requirements:
A. The project and the applicant are eligible for funding under the
TIGER II Planning Grant or Community Challenge Planning Grant program;
and
B. Local leveraging, or matching funds are committed to support 20
percent or more of the costs of the transportation planning activities
to be funded; this requirement is not applicable to transportation
planning projects located in rural areas.
C. Only one application per project will be accepted for review. An
applicant that submits more than one application per project may have
some or all of the submissions deemed ineligible.
D. Resolution of Outstanding Civil Rights Matters for Applicants
for HUD Funding. If you, the applicant:
1. Have received a charge from HUD concerning a systemic violation
of the Fair Housing Act or a cause determination from a substantially
equivalent state or local fair housing agency concerning a systemic
violation of a substantially equivalent state or local fair housing law
proscribing discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex,
national origin, disability or familial status;
2. Are a defendant in a Fair Housing Act lawsuit filed by the
Department of Justice alleging a pattern or practice of discrimination
pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 3614(a);
3. Have received a letter of findings identifying systemic
noncompliance under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section
504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, or Section 109 of the Housing
and Community Development Act of 1974;
4. Have received a cause determination from a substantially
equivalent state or local fair housing agency concerning a systemic
violation of provisions of a state or local law proscribing
discrimination in housing based on sexual orientation or gender
identity; or
5. Have received a cause determination from a substantially
equivalent state or local fair housing agency concerning a systemic
violation of a state or local law proscribing discrimination in housing
based on lawful source of income; and
a. The charge, cause determination, lawsuit, or letter of findings
referenced in subparagraphs (1), (2), (3), (4), or (5) above has not
been resolved to HUD's satisfaction before the application deadline,
then you, the applicant, are ineligible for funding. HUD will determine
if actions to resolve the charge, cause determination, lawsuit, or
letter of findings taken before the application deadline are sufficient
to resolve the matter.
b. Examples of actions that would normally be considered sufficient
to resolve the matter include, but are not limited to:
c. Current compliance with a voluntary compliance agreement signed
by all the parties;
(1) Current compliance with a HUD-approved conciliation agreement
signed by all the parties;
(2) Current compliance with a conciliation agreement signed by all
the parties and approved by the State or local administrative agency
with jurisdiction over the matter;
(3) Current compliance with a consent order or consent decree; or
(4) Current compliance with a final judicial ruling or
administrative ruling or decision.
V. Application Review Information
A. Criteria.
1. Rating Factor 1--Purpose and Outcomes (35 points): An
applicant's score on this rating factor will be based on a clear
statement of the existing condition that the proposed project is
intended to address and the proposed project's alignment with the six
``Livability Principles.'' Applicants that demonstrate that their
project aligns well with the Livability Principles and are consistent
with any existing region wide plans that consider transportation,
economic development, housing, water, and other infrastructure needs
and investments will receive a higher score. The Livability Principles
are as follows:
a. Provide More Transportation Choices. Develop safe, reliable and
affordable transportation choices to decrease household transportation
costs, reduce energy consumption and dependence on foreign oil, improve
air quality, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and promote public
health.
[[Page 36250]]
b. Promote equitable, affordable housing. Expand location- and
energy-efficient housing choices for people of all ages, incomes,
races, and ethnicities to increase mobility and lower the combined cost
of housing and transportation.
c. Enhance Economic Competitiveness. Improve economic
competitiveness through reliable and timely access to employment
centers, educational opportunities, services and other basic needs by
workers, as well as expanded business access to markets.
d. Support Existing Communities. Target Federal funding toward
existing communities--through strategies like transit oriented, mixed-
use development, and land recycling--to increase community
revitalization and the efficiency of public works investments and
safeguard rural landscapes.
e. Coordinate Policies and Leverage Investment. Align Federal
policies and funding to remove barriers to collaboration, leverage
funding, and increase the accountability and effectiveness of all
levels of government to plan for future growth, including making smart
energy choices such as locally generated renewable energy.
f. Value Communities and Neighborhoods. Enhance the unique
characteristics of all communities by investing in healthy, safe, and
walkable neighborhoods--rural, urban, or suburban.
In order for points to be awarded, applicants shall also provide
data to support outcomes of the proposed project claimed in the
application. Based on the project being proposed, the applicant shall
identify the Livability Principle(s) that will be addressed and detail
how that success will be documented. For example, if the proposed
program intends to expand the presence of equitable, affordable
housing, the applicant should provide data to support this claim.
As there is a wide range of projects that can be supported through
this notice, not every project is expected to address all six
Livability Principles. Points will be awarded based on the extent to
which the proposed project furthers the specifically identified
principles supported with data.
The applicant is required to clearly identify the benefits or
outcomes of its proposed program. Because this application seeks
support to develop a plan for a specific project, all of the outcomes
will not be realized during the duration of the grant period. Rather,
applicants will be evaluated on their ability to identify the outcomes
they seek to achieve, the clarity with which they articulate the
elements of their plan that will help achieve those outcomes, and the
specificity of the benchmarks that they establish to measure progress
toward a completed product that guides all of the necessary work.
Applicants that receive awards will be expected to report on the
progress of the project and outcomes realized at the mid-way point and
at the end of the term of the grant. Where outcomes have been realized,
they should be detailed and backed with data. For projects that must go
to construction for many benefits to be realized, benchmarks will focus
more on the progress of plan development, any changes in the scope of
the work that occur during the planning process, and how those changes
might impact the anticipated outcomes.
For projects that must go to construction for benefits to be
realized, benchmarks will focus more on the progress of plan
development, any changes in scope that occur, and how those changes
might impact the anticipated outcomes.
DOT and HUD recognize that each project is unique. As such, the
agencies are allowing significant latitude to the applicant to set the
desired outcomes that will result from implementation of the project.
DOT and HUD have identified six possible outcomes, listed below, from
which each applicant must select a minimum of two outcomes that it must
pursue and report on during its period of performance.
a. Travel changes, such as changes in mode share or vehicle miles
traveled per capita.
b. Impact on affordability and accessibility, including the supply
of affordable housing units, household transportation costs, or
proportion of low- and very-low income households within a 30-minute
transit commute of major employment centers.
c. Economic development, including infill development or recycled
parcels of land or private sector investment along a project or
corridor.
d. Improvement to the state of repair of infrastructure.
e. Environmental benefits, such as greenhouse gas or criteria
pollutants emissions, oil consumption and recreational areas or open
space preserved.
f. Increased participation and decision-making in developing and
implementing a plan, code, development strategy, or project by
populations traditionally marginalized in public planning processes.
2. Rating Factor 2--Work Plan (35 points): An applicant's score on
this rating factor will be based on how well the application addresses
the quality and cost effectiveness of the proposed work plan.
Applicants must develop a work plan that includes specific
deliverables, and measurable, time-phased objectives for each major
activity.
This factor also addresses the performance metrics that will be
used to measure the success of the proposed activities. For a proposed
project to achieve results, expected outcomes and outputs must be
clearly defined, and evaluation must take place to ensure that those
outcomes and outputs are met. Outcomes are the ultimate objectives of a
project, and outputs are the interim activities or products that lead
to the achievement of those objectives. To track progress toward the
outputs and outcomes, a project must be evaluated based upon
performance measures. Performance measures should be objectively
quantifiable, and allow one to assess the degree of actual achievement
against the expected outputs and outcomes. Applications that
demonstrate how outputs and outcomes are fully defined and easily
measured will receive a higher score.
The applicant's budget proposal should thoroughly estimate all
applicable costs (direct, indirect, and administrative), and be
presented in a clear and coherent format. The applicant must thoroughly
document and justify all budget categories, costs, and all major tasks,
for the applicant, sub-recipients, joint venture participants, or other
contributing resources to the project.
3. Rating Factor 3--Leveraging and Collaboration (15 points): An
applicant's score on this rating factor will be based on how well the
application demonstrates the project's ability to obtain other
community, local, State, private, and Federal support, as applicable,
and resources that can be combined with DOT and HUD program resources
to achieve program objectives. Resources may include cash or in-kind
contributions of services, equipment, or supplies allocated to the
proposed program. In evaluating this factor, HUD and DOT will consider
the extent to which the applicant has established working partnerships
with other entities to get additional resources or commitments to
increase the effectiveness of the proposed program activities.
When evaluating this factor, HUD and DOT will take into account two
considerations: the amount of resources leveraged or matched that
exceeds the required 20 percent, and per capita income in the
applicable jurisdiction relative to the metropolitan average.
[[Page 36251]]
Data must be provided for the indicator when responding to this rating
factor. The 20 percent of leveraged or matched resources that are a
threshold requirement will not count as points toward this rating
factor. To score points in this rating factor, resources may be
provided by governmental entities, public or private organizations, and
other entities. Other resources from the private sector or other
sources committed to the program that exceed the required 20 percent
leveraged or matched resources will be given extra weight for this
rating factor. The applicant should provide supporting documentation of
all committed funds. Please refer to Section VI., Application and
Submission, for more details.
4. Rating Factor 4--Capacity (15 points): An applicant's score on
this rating factor will be based on how well the application
demonstrates the applicant's capacity to successfully implement the
proposed activities in a timely manner. The applicant will provide
specific examples of previous projects similar to the proposed effort
that demonstrate its capacity to implement the proposed work plan. DOT
and HUD will give priority to applications that demonstrate the prior
experience to bring this type of project(s) that is the subject of the
planning activities to completion. Priority will also be given to
applications that demonstrate strong collaboration among a broad range
of participants, including public, private and nonprofit entities.
The applicant shall designate the staff that is anticipated to
manage the proposed project, as well as other staff anticipated to
contribute to the project's completion. Ratings under this factor are
based on the capacity of the applicant's organization, and its team, as
applicable, and should include an assessment of the capacity of sub-
contractors, consultants, sub-recipients, community-based
organizations, and any other entities that are part of the project
application, as applicable.
Applicants should be prepared to initiate eligible activities
within 120 days of the effective date of the grant award. DOT and HUD
reserve the right to terminate the grant if sufficient personnel or
qualified experts are not retained within these 120 days. In rating
this factor, DOT and HUD will consider, among other factors, the extent
to which the application demonstrates that the applicant has an
adequate number of key staff or the ability to procure individuals with
the knowledge and recent experience in the proposed activity.
All applicants for HUD funding are subject to the requirements to
Affirmatively Further Fair Housing. HUD will award additional points to
applicants that prioritize additional measures to advance civil rights,
such as Executive Order 12898, Federal Actions to Address Environmental
Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations, and
Executive Order 13166, Improving Access to Services for Persons with
Limited English Proficiency.
Applicants should indicate if, and describe how, the following
policy priorities will be addressed: (1) Capacity Building and
Knowledge Sharing and (2) Expand Cross-Cutting Policy Knowledge. One
point will be awarded for each policy priority. Identify specific
activities, outputs and outcomes that further these policy priorities
over the period of performance.
a. Capacity Building and Knowledge Sharing.
HUD recognizes that successful program implementation can only
occur in partnership with effectively prepared grantees. It is
therefore critical to strengthen the capacity of each consortium by
developing partnerships that will advance the objectives of proposed
programs. HUD's Strategic Plan emphasizes the importance of
strengthening the capacity of state and local partners to implement HUD
programs, participate in decision-making and planning processes, and
coordinate on cross-programmatic, place-based approaches through grant
making and technical assistance. To receive policy priority points,
applicants are expected to describe how they will achieve the following
outcomes:
(1) Increase the skills and technical expertise of partner
organizations to manage Federal awards, provide solid financial
management, and perform program performance assessment and evaluation.
The applicant must describe the methods that will be used to achieve
this outcome. Examples include in-service trainings, online information
provision (e.g., webinars, podcasts, etc.), and structured observation
of best practices. According to the proposed methods, the applicant
should identify the anticipated outputs (e.g., number of people
trained, number of training events, volume of easily accessible
training materials for targeted capacities, etc.) during the 3-year
period of performance.
(2) Share knowledge among partners so that key personnel
responsible for grant implementation coordinate cross-programmatic,
placed-based approaches. The applicant must describe the outreach
methods that will be used to achieve this outcome. Examples include
establishing regular partner dialogues, and structured peer exchange.
According to the proposed methods, the applicant should establish and
specify the anticipated outputs (e.g., number of meetings, Web
postings, number of participating partners, total staff exposed to new
learning and promising practice, number of briefings, issuance of
monthly fact sheets, etc.) during the 3-year period of performance. HUD
will work with grantees to support knowledge sharing and innovation by
disseminating best practices, encouraging peer learning, publishing
data analysis and research, and helping to incubate and test new ideas.
b. Expand Cross-Cutting Policy Knowledge.
Broadening the use of successful models to other communities
requires definitive evidence of which policies work and how, and a plan
for public dissemination of this information.
To achieve full points, the applicant must indicate what data they
and/or partner organizations will collect on outcomes for the defined
target area (e.g., changes in commuting time, improved health outcomes,
VMT measures, etc.). The grantee must document a plan to engage
credible policy researchers to assist in the analysis of that data in
order to measure policy impact, and clarify the extent of data that
will be made available to those researchers through a data-sharing
agreement.
(1) For household-level data, this may be an agreement with a
university or other policy research group that regularly produces peer-
reviewed research publications.
(2) For parcel-related data, this agreement may be with a regional
planning, non-profit, or government agency that provides consolidated
local data on a regular basis to the public for free.
The applicant should specifically describe how they intend to
disseminate policy lessons learned during the planning process to a
diverse range of potential audiences, including policymakers, other
regional consortia, and interested community leadership. The collection
method and specific data elements will not be prescribed by HUD, but
may be determined by the applicant.
The applicant must establish and provide the anticipated outputs
within the period of performance. Examples include the number of policy
publications, number of research studies, anticipated distribution of
findings, etc.
B. Evaluation and Selection Process.
[[Page 36252]]
1. Rating and Ranking.
Evaluation teams made up of a representative from DOT, HUD, and EPA
initially will evaluate each application as to how well it scores
against the ``Rating Factors'' identified below, and will assign it a
score on a scale of 1-100. The scoring system will not determine the
specific projects that will be selected for funding; rather, the
scoring system will be used to generate a list of highly recommended
projects. The highly recommended projects will then be forwarded to a
senior-level review team for review, and the senior-level review team
will make funding recommendations to the Secretaries of DOT and HUD,
based on how the project performed under the four rating factors, how
each project addresses the Program Goals identified in Section I.B, and
statutory distributional considerations required in the National
Infrastructure Investments provision of the FY 2010 Consolidated
Appropriations Act for the DOT Planning Grants. The review teams will
include senior-level representatives from the three Partnership for
Sustainable Communities agencies: DOT, HUD, and EPA.
VI. Application and Submission Information
A. Address To Request Application Package. Applications are
available on the Federal Web site www.Grants.gov. To find this funding
opportunity at Grants.gov, go to https://www.grants.gov/applicants/find_grant_opportunities.jsp at the www.Grants.gov Web site, where
you can search by agency and/or perform a Basic Search. Additional
information on applying through Grants.gov is available at https://www.grants.gov.
B. Content and Form of Application Submission. Applicants eligible
to apply under this NOFA are to follow the submission requirements
described below:
1. Pre-Application. Unless otherwise indicated in this joint
notice, applicants should submit pre-applications and applications in
accordance with the procedures specified in the TIGER II Discretionary
Grant NOFA. To submit an application, please access https://www.dot.gov/recovery/ost/tigerii/ or https://www.hud.gov/sustainability.
Pre-applications must be submitted by the Pre-Application Deadline,
which is July 26, 2010, at 5 p.m. EDT. The pre-application system will
be hosted by DOT, on behalf of DOT and HUD, and will open no later than
June 23, 2010, to allow prospective applicants to submit pre-
applications. Final applications must be submitted through Grants.gov
by the Application Deadline, which is August 23, 2010, at 5 p.m. EDT.
The Grants.gov ``Apply'' function will open on July 30, 2010, allowing
applicants to submit applications. While applicants are encouraged to
submit pre-applications in advance of the Pre-Application Deadline,
pre-applications will not be reviewed until after the Pre-Application
Deadline. Similarly, while applicants are encouraged to submit
applications in advance of the Application Deadline, applications will
not be evaluated until after the Application Deadline. Awards will not
be made until after September 15, 2010.
To apply for funding through Grants.gov, applicants must be
properly registered. Complete instructions on how to register and
submit applications can be found at www.grants.gov. Please be aware
that the registration process usually takes 2-4 weeks and must be
completed before an application can be submitted. If interested parties
experience difficulties at any point during the registration or
application process, please call the toll free Grants.gov Customer
Support Hotline at 1-800-518-4726, Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 9
p.m. EDT.
Applicants must submit a pre-application as Stage 1, which
qualifies applicants to submit an application in Stage 2. An
application submitted during Stage 2 that does not correlate with a
properly completed Stage 1 pre-application will not be considered.
2. Contents of Pre-Applications. An applicant for a TIGER II
Planning Grant or a Community Challenge Planning Grant should provide
in its pre-application form, all of the information requested below in
its pre-application form. DOT and HUD reserve the right to ask any
applicant to supplement the data in its pre-application but expect pre-
applications to be complete upon submission. Applicants must complete
the pre-application form and submit it electronically on or prior to
the Pre-Application Deadline, in accordance with the instructions
specified at https://www.dot.gov/recovery/ost/TIGERII. The pre-
application form must include the following information:
a. Name of applicant (if the application is to be submitted by more
than one entity, a lead applicant must be identified);
b. Applicant's DUNS (Data Universal Numbering System) number;
c. Type of applicant (State government, local government, U.S.
territory, Tribal government, transit agency, port authority,
metropolitan planning organization, or other unit of government);
d. State(s) where the project is located;
e. County(s) where the project is located;
f. City(s) where the project is located;
g. Zip code(s) where the project is located;
h. Project title (descriptive);
i. Project type: specify eligible activities proposed for funding,
such as transportation planning activity, site area plan, corridor
plan, land assembly or acquisition, etc.;
j. Project description: describe the project in plain English terms
that would be generally understood by the public, using no more than 50
words; this should be purely descriptive, not a discussion of the
project's benefits, background, or alignment with the selection
criteria in this description;
k. Total cost of the project;
l. Total amount of TIGER II Planning Grant and Community Challenge
Planning Grant funds requested;
m. Contact name, telephone number, email address, and physical
address of the applicant;
n. Type of jurisdiction where the project is located (urban or
rural); and
o. An assurance that local matching funds are committed to support
20 percent or more of any transportation planning activities to be
funded. (This requirement does not apply to projects located in rural
areas).
3. Applications. An application for a TIGER II Planning Grant or a
Community Challenge Planning Grant should include all of the
information requested below. DOT and HUD reserve the right to ask any
applicant to supplement the data in its application, but expect
applications to be complete upon submission.
a. Standard Form SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance. Please
see www07.grants.gov/assets/SF424Instructions.pdf for instructions on
how to complete the SF-424, which is part of the standard Grants.gov
submission. Additional clarifying guidance and Frequently Asked
Questions (FAQs) to assist applicants in completing the SF-424 will be
available at https://www.dot.gov/recovery/ost/TIGERII by July 30, 2010,
when the ``Apply'' function within Grants.gov opens to accept
applications under this notice.
b. In Responding to the First and Second Rating Factor. (Attachment
to SF-424). A TIGER II Planning Grant and HUD Community Challenge Grant
application must include information required for DOT and HUD to assess
each of the rating factors specified in Section III (Application Review
and Rating Factors). Applicants are
[[Page 36253]]
encouraged to demonstrate the responsiveness of a project to any and
all of the rating factors with the most relevant information that
applicants can provide, regardless of whether such information has been
specifically requested, or identified, in this notice.
In order to fulfill the requirements of the first rating factor, an
applicant must:
(1) Submit a narrative describing how the applicant will use the
funding sought to achieve its desired outcomes and how the desired
outcomes support the six Livability Principles. The narrative should
also state the problems or barriers the project seeks to address, why
they are an impediment to promoting a more sustainable future for the
applicant community, and the outcomes the project seeks to achieve.
(2) Submit data supporting any assertions made about the expected
outcomes, as well as the nature and the extent of the problems or
barriers the project seeks to remove.
In responding to the second rating factor, applicants must provide
a narrative to discuss their project outcomes, outputs, and performance
measures. Applicants should also identify important milestones (e.g.,
the end of specific phases in a multiphase project), which should also
be clearly indicated in the proposal timeline. Applicants should also
identify potential obstacles in meeting outcomes and outputs and
related performance measures and discuss steps they would take to
respond to these obstacles. Finally, applicants should describe how
project evaluation information will be obtained, documented, and
reported.
Applicants should submit a work plan that includes the following:
(1) Proposed Activities. Briefly describe the overall activity you
propose to undertake, including any coordinated components that will
not be directly funded under the TIGER II Planning Grant Program or the
Community Challenge Planning Grant Program. Describe the regional or
local significance of the project and whether it is a part of a
comprehensive regional plan. Include public outreach and participation
activities, including minority and disadvantaged populations.
(2) Uses of Funds/Budget. Indicate how you will use the grant funds
you are seeking by providing a list or table showing the amount of
funds budgeted for each activity you will undertake to achieve your
desired result. Indicate the entity responsible for each use and
activity, including any elected bodies or bodies appointed by elected
officials. Specify administrative costs.
(3) Project Completion Schedule. Briefly describe the project
completion schedule, including milestones in each month for the
critical management actions for you and any other entity whose
cooperation or assistance is necessary to achieve your desired result,
including the end dates of each required action and your expected
metrics and results.
(4) Performance Measures. List the performance measures you will
use to evaluate the success of your project or activity, as well as the
benchmarks you expect to reach during the term of the grant and a
timeline for reaching them.
c. In Responding to the Third Rating Factor. Applicants will not
receive full points if they do not submit evidence of a firm commitment
and the appropriate use of leveraged or matched resources under the
grant program. Such evidence must be provided in the form of letters of
firm commitment, memoranda of understanding, or other signed agreements
to participate from those entities identified as partners in the
application. Each letter of commitment, memorandum of understanding, or
agreement to participate should include the organization's name, the
proposed level of commitment, and the organization's responsibilities
as they relate to the proposed project. The commitment must be signed
and dated by an official of the organization legally able to make
commitments on behalf of the organization. Applicants should describe
how they will ensure that commitments to sub-grantees will be honored
and executed, contingent upon an award from DOT or HUD.
(1) Applicants must support each source of contributions, cash or
in-kind, both for the required minimum and additional amounts, by a
letter of commitment from the contributing entity, whether a public or
private source. The letter must describe the contributed resources that
you will use in the program and their designated purpose. Staff in-kind
contributions should be given a monetary value based on the local
market value of the staff skills. If you do not provide letters from
contributors specifying details and the amount of the actual
contributions, those contributions will not be counted.
d. In Responding to the Fourth Rating Factor. DOT and HUD will
consider how the applicant entity is organized and how it will function
in implementing the grant. The application should include a description
of the leadership responsibilities and procedures for allocating
resources, setting goals, and settling disputes. It should also include
an explanation of the capacity and relevant, recent experience of the
applicant entity. The application should also include a description of
the applicant's experience in outreach efforts involving low-income
persons, particularly those living in revitalization areas where funds
are proposed to be used, residents of public housing, minorities,
socially and economically disadvantaged individuals, non-English
speaking persons, and persons with disabilities.
Applicants should demonstrate that they either have sufficient
personnel or the ability to procure qualified experts or professionals,
with the knowledge, skills, and abilities with relevant experience to
carry out the proposed activity.
Contact information is requested as part of the SF-424. This
information will be used in order to inform parties of the selection of
projects for funding, as well as to contact parties in the event
additional information is needed.
e. Page Limit. Applications should be limited to a total of 15
pages. HUD and DOT will not refer to Web sites for information
pertinent to the narrative response. All applications should include a
detailed description of the proposed project and geospatial data for
the project, including a map of the area to be planned and where other
work will occur.
C. Submission Dates and Times. All pre-applications must be
submitted in accordance with the instructions specified at https://www.dot.gov/recovery/ost/TIGERII. The pre-application system will be
hosted by DOT, on behalf of DOT and HUD. Final applications must be
submitted electronically through Grants.gov. Pre-applications are due
by July 26, 2010, at 5 p.m. EDT, and applications must be submitted by
August 23, 2010, at 5 p.m. EDT.
D. Funding Restrictions. Applicants should also be aware that DOT
is accepting applications for capital expenditures associated with
surface transportation projects in the TIGER II Discretionary Grant
notice (Docket No. DOT-OST-2010-0076). As part of that program,
applicants may request planning funds associated with their capital
request. If DOT awards planning funding to an applicant to the TIGER II
Discretionary Grant program, the funding available through this notice
will be lessened by that amount. Further, DOT has the option to use
less than the $35 million permitted in the statute and may do so based
on distributional requirements or the need to fund highly recommended
capital grant applications.
[[Page 36254]]
VII. Award Administration Information
A. Award Notices.
1. Applicants Selected for Award. Projects selected for a TIGER II
Planning Grant will be administered by one of DOT's modal
administrations, pursuant to a grant agreement between the TIGER II
Planning Grant recipient and the DOT modal administration.
HUD awardees will be required to negotiate a final statement of
work and will enter into a Cooperative Agreement with HUD. The
Cooperative Agreement will also contain an agreed upon Logic Model
identifying specific activities and performance criteria to be reported
against over a period of time. HUD grantees must meet the requirements
contained in the General Section to HUD's FY 2010 Funding Notices.
2. Adjustment of Funding. DOT and HUD reserve the right to fund
less than the full amount requested in an application based on the
availability of funds, geographic diversity, and to ensure that the
maximum number of grants may be made.
3. HUD grant recipients must comply with applicable Federal
requirements, including compliance with the Fair Housing and Civil
Rights Laws applicable to all Federal awards.
B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements.
1. Environmental Requirements. All applicants that are proposing to
use grant funds for land acquisition must comply with HUD's
environmental procedures. In accordance with 24 CFR 50.19(b)(1), (9),
and (16), all other eligible activities assisted by HUD funds under
this NOFA are categorically excluded from environmental review under
the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and are not subject to
environmental review under the related laws and authorities. For
applicants requesting grant funds for transportation planning, NEPA is
not typically triggered (and even if triggered, categorical exclusions
typically exist). However, if any projects planned with funding under
this NOFA move to the construction phase and Federal funds are later
sought for construction, all appropriate NEPA analyses will need to be
completed prior to any Federal expenditures.
Under HUD's environmental procedures, for those applications
involving land acquisition activities requiring environmental review,
the notification of award to a selected applicant will constitute a
preliminary approval by HUD, subject to the completion of an
environmental review of the proposed site(s), and the execution by HUD
and the recipient of a Grant Agreement. Selection for participation
(preliminary approval) does not constitute approval of the proposed
site(s). Each proposal will be subject to a HUD environmental review,
in accordance with 24 CFR part 50, and the proposal may be modified or
the proposed sites rejected as a result of that review.
Submission of an application involving a project requiring an
environmental review will constitute an assurance that the applicant
shall assist HUD in complying with 24 CFR part 50 and shall:
(1) Supply HUD with all available, relevant information necessary
for HUD to perform for each property any environmental review required
by 24 CFR part 50;
(2) Carry out mitigating measures required by HUD or select
alternate eligible property; and
(3) Not acquire, rehabilitate, demolish, convert, lease, repair, or
construct property, nor commit or expend HUD or local funds for these
program activities with respect to any eligible property, until HUD
approval of the property is received.
For assistance, contact the HUD Environmental Review Officer in the
HUD Field Office serving your area.
Contact information is requested as part of the SF-424. DOT will
use this information to inform parties of DOT's decision regarding
selection of projects, as well as to contact parties in the event that
DOT needs additional information about an application.
2. Administrative and Indirect Cost Requirements. For reference to
the Administrative Cost requirements and Indirect cost requirements,
please see OMB Circulars A-21, A-87, and A-122, as applicable.
C. Reporting Requirements. HUD Award Agreements will include the
terms and conditions of the award including the reporting requirements.
1. Final Work Plan and Logic Model. Final work plan and completed
Logic Model are due 60 days after the effective date of the gr