Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA) Inviting Applications for the Community Development Financial Institutions the Native American CDFI Assistance (NACA) Program FY 2012 Funding Round (the FY 2012 Funding Round), 70535-70544 [2011-29305]

Agencies

• Community Development Financial Institutions Fund
• DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 219 (Monday, November 14, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70535-70544]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-29305]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

Community Development Financial Institutions Fund


Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA) Inviting Applications for the 
Community Development Financial Institutions the Native American CDFI 
Assistance (NACA) Program FY 2012 Funding Round (the FY 2012 Funding 
Round)

    Announcement Type: Announcement of funding opportunity.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 21.020.

    Dates: Applications for Financial Assistance (FA) awards or 
Technical Assistance (TA) grants through the FY 2012 Funding Round of 
the NACA Program must be received by 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time (ET), 
January 18, 2012.
    Executive Summary: Subject to funding availability, this NOFA is 
issued in connection with the FY 2012 Funding Round of the NACA 
Program, administered by the Community Development Financial 
Institutions (CDFI) Fund.

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    A. Award Requirements: Through the NACA program, the CDFI Fund 
provides FA awards and TA grants. FA awards are made to certified 
Native CDFIs and certifiable Native CDFIs that complete and submit a 
NACA Application (Application) and meet the requirements set forth in 
this NOFA, subject to funding availability. In FY 2012, subject to the 
availability of funding, the CDFI Fund will also make FA awards under 
the Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI-FA) to certified CDFIs that 
meet the requirements set forth in this NOFA. TA grants are made to 
certified Native CDFIs, certifiable Native CDFIs, emerging Native 
CDFIs, and Sponsoring Entities that complete and submit the Application 
and meet the requirements set forth in this NOFA.
    B. Program Regulations: The regulations governing the NACA program 
are found at 12 CFR Parts 1805 and 1815 (the Regulations) and provide 
guidance on evaluation criteria and other requirements. Details 
regarding the application content requirements are found in the 
Application and related materials. Each capitalized term in this NOFA 
is more fully defined in this NOFA, the Regulations, or the 
Application, and the CDFI Fund encourages Applicants to review the 
Regulations in addition to this NOFA.
    C. The CDFI Fund reserves the right to fund, in whole or in part, 
any, all, or none of the applications submitted in response to this 
NOFA. The CDFI Fund reserves the right to reallocate funds from the 
amount that is anticipated to be available under this NOFA to other 
CDFI Fund programs, particularly if the CDFI Fund determines that the 
number of awards made under this NOFA is fewer than projected. In 
addition, the CDFI Fund invites applications that propose innovative 
Financial Products and Financial Services to address the current 
difficult economic conditions of our nation.
    D. Coordination with Broader Community Development Strategies: 
Consistent with Federal efforts to promote community revitalization, it 
is important for communities to develop a comprehensive neighborhood 
revitalization strategy that addresses neighborhood assets that are 
essential to transforming distressed neighborhoods into healthy and 
vibrant communities of opportunity. Furthermore, only through the 
development of comprehensive neighborhood revitalization plans that 
embrace the coordinated use of programs and resources in order to 
effectively address the interrelated

[[Page 70536]]

needs within a community will the broader vision of neighborhood 
transformation occur. Although not a requirement for participating in 
the NACA Program, the Federal government believes that a CDFI will be 
most successful when it is part of, and contributing to, an area's 
broader neighborhood revitalization strategy.

II. Award Information

A. Funding Availability

    1. FY 2012 Funding Round: Subject to funding availability, the CDFI 
Fund expects to award, through this NOFA, approximately $12 million in 
NACA awards for FA and TA Applicants and In addition, through this NOFA 
and the CDFI Program NOFA, the CDFI Fund expects to award approximately 
$25 million total in FA awards to HFFI Applicants under the CDFI and 
NACA Programs. The CDFI Fund reserves the right to award more or less 
than the amounts cited above in the FY 2012 Funding Round, based upon 
available funding and other appropriate factors.
    2. Availability of Funds for the FY 2012 Funding Round: Funds for 
the FY 2012 Funding Round have not yet been appropriated. If funds are 
not appropriated for the NACA program, there will not be a NACA FY 2012 
Funding Round. If funds are appropriated, the amount of such funds may 
be greater or less than the amounts set forth above.
    B. Types of Awards: An Applicant may submit an application for a TA 
award or an FA award, which includes NACA Program FA and HFFI-FA
1. FA Awards
    FA awards provide flexible financial support to CDFIs so they may 
achieve the strategies outlined in their Comprehensive Business Plans. 
FA awards can be used in the following six categories: (i) Financial 
Products; (ii) Financial Services; (iii) Development Services; (iv) 
Loan Loss Reserves; (v) Capital Reserves; and/or (vi) Operations. For 
purposes of this NOFA, the six categories mean:

                      Table 1--Six Categories of FA
------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(i) Financial Products............  Loans, grants, equity investments,
                                     and similar financing activities,
                                     including the purchase of loans
                                     that the Applicant originates and
                                     the provision of loan guarantees,
                                     in the Applicant's Target Market,
                                     or for related purposes that the
                                     CDFI Fund deems appropriate
                                     (including administrative funds
                                     used to carry out Financial
                                     Products).
(ii) Financial Services...........  Checking and savings accounts,
                                     certified checks, automated teller
                                     machines services, deposit taking,
                                     remittances, safe deposit box
                                     services, and other similar
                                     services (including administrative
                                     funds used to carry out Financial
                                     Services).
(iii) Development Services........  Activities that promote community
                                     development and help the Applicant
                                     provide its Financial Products and
                                     Financial Services, including
                                     financial or credit counseling,
                                     housing and homeownership
                                     counseling (pre- and post-), self-
                                     employment technical assistance,
                                     entrepreneurship training, and
                                     financial management skill-building
                                     (including administrative funds
                                     used to carry out Development
                                     Services).
(iv) Loan Loss Reserves...........  Funds set aside in the form of cash
                                     reserves, or through accounting-
                                     based accrual reserves, to cover
                                     losses on loans, accounts, and
                                     notes receivable made in the Target
                                     Market, or for related purposes
                                     that the CDFI Fund deems
                                     appropriate (including
                                     administrative funds used to carry
                                     out Loan Loss Reserves).
(v) Capital Reserves..............  Funds set aside as reserves to
                                     support the Applicant's ability to
                                     leverage other capital, for such
                                     purposes as increasing its net
                                     assets or serving the financing
                                     needs of its Target Market, or for
                                     related purposes that the CDFI Fund
                                     deems appropriate (including
                                     administrative funds used to carry
                                     out Capital Reserves).
(vi) Operations...................  Funds used to carry out the
                                     Comprehensive Business Plan, and/or
                                     for related purposes the CDFI Fund
                                     deems appropriate, that are not
                                     used to carry out or administer any
                                     of the foregoing eligible FA uses.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The CDFI Fund may provide FA awards in the form of equity 
investments (including secondary capital in the case of certain Insured 
Credit Unions), grants, loans, deposits, credit union shares, or any 
combination thereof. The CDFI Fund reserves the right, in its sole 
discretion, to provide an FA award in a form and amount other than that 
which the Applicant requests; however, the award amount will not exceed 
the Applicant's award request as stated in its application. FA awards 
must be used to support the Applicant's activities; FA awards cannot be 
used to support the activities of, or otherwise be passed through, 
transferred, or co-awarded to, third-party entities, whether 
Affiliates, Subsidiaries, or others. This includes certified CDFI bank 
holding companies that intend to transfer FA awards to their banks. 
Such transfers are not permitted. The entity that is to carry out the 
responsibilities of the award and deploy the award funds must be the 
entity that applies for the award.
    2. Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) and HFFI-FA awards:
    (i) Overview. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), 
Health and Human Services (HHS), and the United States Department of 
Treasury are working together to support projects that increase access 
to healthy, affordable food in low-income neighborhoods that lack 
access to healthy food options. As part of a coordinated effort called 
the Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI), these three departments 
will aim to expand the availability of nutritious food through the 
establishment of healthy food retail outlets, including developing and 
equipping grocery stores, small retailers, corner stores, and farmers 
markets to help revitalize neighborhoods that currently lack these 
options.
    In addition to the CDFI and NACA Programs, the HFFI includes: (i) 
The New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) Program, also administered by the 
CDFI Fund; (ii) the Community and Economic Development (CED) Program, 
which HHS administers; and (iii) several programs that USDA administers 
including, among others, the Business and Industry (B&I) Program and 
the Intermediary Relending Program (IRP). Each of these programs 
provides a unique mechanism to support initiatives aimed at increasing 
access to healthy food. When these programs are combined, public 
dollars can act far more effectively as a market catalyst by providing 
the full range of financing to local actors--a key step to addressing 
the problem of limited access to affordable and nutritious food. 
Instead of approaching this problem through separate agency and program 
silos, the HFFI will use a collaborative approach

[[Page 70537]]

involving the resources of all three agencies.
    For more information about this initiative, please visit the HFFI 
Web site at www.usda.gov/fooddeserts.
    (ii) HFFI-FA Awards. In FY 2012, subject to appropriations, the 
CDFI Fund may award up to $25 million of HFFI-FA awards through the 
CDFI and NACA Programs. The CDFI Fund expects to make HFFI-FA awards of 
up to $3.5 million to certified CDFIs that submit and complete the 
CDFI/NACA Program Application and the HFFI-FA Supplemental 
Questionnaire. The HFFI-FA Supplemental Questionnaire will only be sent 
to those applicants indicating in their FY 2012 application that they 
intend to apply for an HFFI-FA award. The CDFI Fund reserves the right 
to make awards less than or greater than $3.5 million based upon the 
questionnaires received and the funds available. The FY 2012 HFFI-FA 
supplemental questionnaire will not likely be finalized and made 
available to prospective applicants until after the FY 2012 CDFI 
Program Application deadline. However, a copy of the FY 2011 HFFI-FA 
supplemental questionnaire is available for review on the CDFI Fund's 
Web site at www.cdfifund.gov.
    HFFI-FA awards will be provided as a supplement to FA awards; 
therefore only those applicants that have been selected to receive an 
FA award under the FY 2012 CDFI or NACA Funding Round will be eligible 
to receive an HFFI-FA award. Such applicants will be rated and scored 
separately based upon the HFFI-FA supplemental questionnaire responses. 
HFFI-FA Applicants will be rated, among other elements, on the extent 
of community need, the quality of their HFFI-FA strategy, and their 
capacity to execute that strategy. The CDFI Fund will collaborate with 
the other Federal agencies involved in the HFFI prior to making final 
award selections. The CDFI Fund may, at its discretion, perform 
additional due diligence on Applicants for this initiative. HFFI-FA 
awards must be used to support the Applicant's activities; the awards 
cannot be used to support the activities of, or otherwise be passed 
through, transferred, or co-awarded to, third-party entities, whether 
Affiliates, Subsidiaries, or others. This includes the transfer of an 
award from a Bank Holding Company to a Bank subsidiary.
3. TA Grants
    (a) The CDFI Fund provides NACA TA as a grant and reserves the 
right, in its sole discretion, to provide a grant for uses and amounts 
other than that which the Applicant requests; however, the grant amount 
will not exceed the Applicant's request as stated in its application 
and the applicable budget chart.
    (b) For purposes of this NOFA, TA eligible uses are: (i) Personnel/
salary; (ii) personnel/fringe; (iii) professional services; (iv) 
travel; (v) training; (vi) equipment; (vii) materials/supplies; and 
(viii) other costs. (Please see the Application for details on TA 
uses.) TA grants must be used to support the Applicant's capacity 
building activities. TA grants cannot be used to support the activities 
of, or otherwise be passed through, transferred, or co-awarded to, 
third-party entities, whether Affiliates, Subsidiaries, or others. This 
includes the transfer of an award from a Bank Holding Company to a Bank 
subsidiary.
    C. Assistance Agreement: Each Awardee under this NOFA must sign an 
Assistance Agreement before the CDFI Fund will disburse an award or 
grant. The Assistance Agreement contains the Award's terms and 
conditions. For further information, see Section VI.A of this NOFA.

III. Eligibility Information

    A. Eligible Applicants: The Regulations specify the eligibility 
requirements each Applicant must meet in order to be eligible to apply 
for assistance under this NOFA. NACA Applicants may apply as either an 
FA applicant or a TA applicant, but not both. If an Applicant applies 
for both types of awards, it is in the sole discretion of the CDFI Fund 
to disqualify the Applicant from competing for either an FA award or a 
TA grant or to decide to give the Applicant either an FA award or a TA 
grant.
    1. FA Applicant Categories: All FA Applicants must meet the 
criteria listed in Table 2.

                    Table 2--NACA Applicant Criteria
------------------------------------------------------------------------
     Applicant type       Criteria of applicant        Maximum award
------------------------------------------------------------------------
FA.....................  A Certified/Certifiable  Up to and including
                          Native CDFI that meets   $750,000 in FA funds
                          all other eligibility    and up to and
                          requirements described   including $3.5
                          in this NOFA.            million in FA funds
                                                   under the HFFI-FA.
TA.....................  A Certified Native       Up to $150,000 for
                          CDFI, a Certifiable      capacity-building
                          Native CDFI, an          activities.
                          Emerging Native CDFI,
                          or a Sponsoring Entity.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    2. CDFI Certification Requirements: For purposes of this NOFA, 
eligible FA Applicants include Certified Native CDFIs and Certifiable 
Native CDFIs; eligible TA Applicants include Certified Native CDFIs, 
Certifiable Native CDFIs, Emerging CDFIs, and Sponsoring Entities under 
the NACA Program, defined as follows:

     Table 3--Native CDFI Certification Requirements and Definitions
------------------------------------------------------------------------
      Requirement/definition                     Description
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(a) Certified Native CDFI.........  An entity the CDFI Fund has
                                     officially notified that it meets
                                     all CDFI certification requirements
                                     as of this NOFA's publication date.
                                     CDFIs that have received official
                                     notification from the CDFI Fund
                                     that their certification has
                                     expired or been terminated are not
                                     eligible to apply as Certified. If
                                     the CDFI Fund has provided
                                     certified CDFIs with written
                                     notification that their
                                     certifications had been extended,
                                     the CDFI Fund will consider the
                                     extended certification dates to
                                     determine whether those certified
                                     CDFIs meet this eligibility
                                     requirement.

[[Page 70538]]

 
(b) Certifiable Native CDFI.......  An entity that has submitted an
                                     application to the CDFI Fund
                                     demonstrating it meets the CDFI
                                     certification requirements but the
                                     CDFI Fund has not yet officially
                                     certified the entity. If the CDFI
                                     Fund is unable to certify an
                                     Applicant and the Applicant is
                                     selected for an FA award, the CDFI
                                     Fund may, in its sole discretion,
                                     terminate the award commitment. The
                                     CDFI Fund will not enter into an
                                     Assistance Agreement or disburse FA
                                     award funds unless and until an
                                     Applicant is Certified. The CDFI
                                     Certification application can be
                                     found on the CDFI Fund's website at
                                     www.cdfifund.gov. Certifiable
                                     Applicants must have submitted a
                                     certification application as of the
                                     date indicated in Section IV.F of
                                     this NOFA to be eligible for FA in
                                     the FY 2012 round.
(c) Emerging Native CDFI..........  An entity that demonstrates to the
                                     CDFI Fund it has an acceptable plan
                                     to become Certified by December 31,
                                     2013, or another date selected by
                                     the CDFI Fund. Emerging CDFIs may
                                     only apply for TA grants; they are
                                     not eligible to apply for FA
                                     awards. Each Emerging CDFI selected
                                     to receive a TA grant will be
                                     required, pursuant to its
                                     Assistance Agreement with the CDFI
                                     Fund, to become certified as a CDFI
                                     by a specified date.
(d) Sponsoring Entities...........  An entity that proposes to create a
                                     separate legal entity that will
                                     become a certified Native CDFI.
                                     Sponsoring Entities include: (a) A
                                     Tribe, Tribal entity, Alaska Native
                                     Village, Village Corporation,
                                     Regional Corporation, Non-Profit
                                     Regional Corporation/Association,
                                     or Inter-Tribal or Inter-Village
                                     organization; or (b) an
                                     organization whose primary mission
                                     is to serve a Native Community
                                     including, but not limited to, an
                                     Urban Indian Center, Tribally
                                     Controlled Community College,
                                     community development corporation
                                     (CDC), training or education
                                     organization, or Chamber of
                                     Commerce, and that primarily serves
                                     a Native Community (meaning, at
                                     least 50 percent of its activities
                                     are directed toward the Native
                                     Community). Sponsoring Entities may
                                     only apply for TA grants; they are
                                     not eligible to apply for FA
                                     awards. Sponsoring entities that
                                     are selected to receive a TA grant
                                     will be required, pursuant to their
                                     Assistance Agreements with the CDFI
                                     Fund, to create a legal entity by a
                                     certain date that will, in turn,
                                     seek Native CDFI certification and
                                     to transfer remaining award funds
                                     to that Native CDFI upon
                                     certification.
(e) Material Events Form..........  Certified applicants must submit a
                                     certification of Material Events
                                     form if they have experienced a
                                     material event. A ``material
                                     event'' is an occurrence that
                                     affects an organization's strategic
                                     direction, mission, or business
                                     operation and, thereby, its status
                                     as a Certified CDFI and/or its
                                     compliance with the terms and
                                     conditions of an Assistance
                                     Agreement. Please see Section IV in
                                     this NOFA for deadlines to submit
                                     material events forms. The material
                                     events form can be found on the
                                     CDFI Fund's website at
                                     www.cdfifund.gov.
(f) Other Targeted Populations as   Other Targeted Populations are
 Target Markets.                     defined as identifiable groups of
                                     individuals in the Applicant's
                                     service area for which there exists
                                     strong evidence that they lack
                                     access to loans, equity
                                     investments, and/or Financial
                                     Services. The CDFI Fund has
                                     determined there is strong evidence
                                     that the following groups of
                                     individuals lack access to such
                                     products and services on a national
                                     level or within their recognized
                                     ancestral areas: (i) Native
                                     Americans or American Indians,
                                     including Alaska Natives living in
                                     Alaska; (ii) Blacks or African
                                     Americans; (iii) Hispanics or
                                     Latinos; (iv) Native Hawaiians
                                     living in Hawaii; and (v) other
                                     Pacific Islanders living in other
                                     Pacific Islands.
                                    An Applicant designating any of the
                                     above-cited Other Targeted
                                     Populations is not required to
                                     provide additional narrative
                                     explaining their lack of access to
                                     loans, equity investments, or
                                     Financial Services. To define these
                                     populations for the purposes of
                                     this NOFA, the CDFI Fund is using
                                     the following definitions, set
                                     forth in the Office of Management
                                     and Budget (OMB) Notice, Revisions
                                     to the Standards for the
                                     Classification of Federal Data on
                                     Race and Ethnicity (October 30,
                                     1997), as amended and supplemented:
                                    (a) American Indian, Native
                                     American, or Alaska Native: a
                                     person having origins in any of the
                                     original peoples of North and South
                                     America (including Central America)
                                     and who maintains Tribal
                                     affiliation or community
                                     attachment;
                                    (b) Black or African American: a
                                     person having origins in any of the
                                     black racial groups of Africa
                                     (terms such as Haitian or Negro can
                                     be used in addition to Black or
                                     African American);
                                    (c) Hispanic or Latino: a person of
                                     Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South
                                     or Central American, or other
                                     Spanish culture or origin,
                                     regardless of race (the term
                                     Spanish origin can be used in
                                     addition to Hispanic or Latino);
                                    (d) Native Hawaiian: a person having
                                     origins in any of the original
                                     peoples of Hawaii; and
                                    (e) Other Pacific Islander: a person
                                     having origins in any of the
                                     original peoples of Guam, Samoa or
                                     other Pacific Islands.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    4. Limitation on Awards: An Applicant may receive only one award 
under this FY 2012 NOFA. An Applicant may receive only one award 
through the FY 2012 CDFI Program Funding Round or the FY 2012 NACA 
Program Funding Round.
    B. Prior Awardees: For purposes of this section, the CDFI Fund will 
consider an Affiliate to be any entity that meets the definition of 
Affiliate in the Regulations or any entity otherwise identified as an 
Affiliate by the Applicant in its funding application and/or its 
myCDFIFund account.
    Prior awardees should note the following:
    $5 Million Funding Cap: Congress waived the $5 million funding cap 
(i.e., the prohibition that an applicant and its Affiliates cannot 
collectively receive more than $5 million in NACA Program awards over a 
three year period) for each of the FY 2009, FY 2010 and the FY 2011 
funding rounds, and it is possible that the $5 million funding cap may 
be waived for the FY 2012 Funding Round. However, as of this NOFA's 
publication date such a waiver has not been enacted into law. 
Accordingly, the CDFI Fund is currently prohibited from obligating more 
than 1. $5 million in assistance, in the aggregate, to any one 
organization and its Subsidiaries and Affiliates during any three-year 
period. In general, the three-year period calculated for the cap 
extends back three years from the Effective Date of the Assistance 
Agreement between the

[[Page 70539]]

Awardee and the CDFI Fund. However, for purposes of this NOFA, because 
the funding cap was waived for 2009, 2010, and 2011, the CDFI Fund will 
only include assistance in the cap that will be provided to an 
Applicant (or its Subsidiaries or Affiliates) in the FY 2012 Funding 
Round. This means if a waiver of the funding cap is not enacted, 
Applicants and their Subsidiaries and Affiliates will be limited to a 
maximum award of $5 million in FA, HFFI-FA, and TA funds in FY 2012. 
The CDFI Fund will assess the $5 million funding cap applicability 
during the award selection phase if a Congressional waiver has not been 
enacted by that time.
    Please see the following table for other Prior Awardee Requirements 
and Considerations:

         Table 4--Prior Awardee Requirements and Considerations
------------------------------------------------------------------------
      Prior awardee situation          Requirements and considerations
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Failure to Meet Reporting           The CDFI Fund will not consider an
 Requirements.                       application if the Applicant or its
                                     Affiliate is a prior Awardee/
                                     Allocatee under any CDFI Fund
                                     program and is not current on the
                                     reporting requirements set forth in
                                     a previously executed assistance,
                                     allocation, or award agreement(s),
                                     as of this NOFA's application
                                     deadline. The CDFI Fund only
                                     acknowledges receipt of reports
                                     that are complete; incomplete
                                     reports or reports that are
                                     deficient of required elements will
                                     not be considered as having been
                                     received.
Pending Resolution of               It is in the CDFI Fund's sole
 Noncompliance.                      discretion to consider the
                                     Applicant's application pending
                                     until full resolution of a
                                     noncompliance issue if the
                                     Applicant, is a prior Awardee/
                                     Allocatee under any CDFI Fund
                                     program and if: (i) The entity has
                                     submitted reports to the CDFI Fund
                                     indicating noncompliance with a
                                     previously executed agreement with
                                     the CDFI Fund, and (ii) the CDFI
                                     Fund has yet to make a final
                                     determination as to whether the
                                     entity is in default of its
                                     previously executed agreement.
Default Status                      The CDFI Fund will not consider an
                                     application if an Applicant is a
                                     prior Awardee/Allocatee under any
                                     CDFI Fund program and is in default
                                     of a previously executed agreement
                                     with the CDFI Fund at the time that
                                     the application is due under this
                                     NOFA. Such entities will be
                                     ineligible to apply for an award
                                     under this NOFA as long as the
                                     Applicant or its Affiliate's prior
                                     award or allocation remains in
                                     default status or such other time
                                     period as the CDFI Fund has
                                     specified in writing.
Termination in Default............  The CDFI Fund will not consider an
                                     Applicant's application that is a
                                     prior Awardee/Allocatee under any
                                     CDFI Fund program if the CDFI Fund
                                     made a final determination that the
                                     Awardee/Allocatee's prior award was
                                     terminated in default: (i) Within
                                     the 12-month period prior to this
                                     NOFA's application deadline, and
                                     (ii) the final reporting period end
                                     date for the applicable terminated
                                     award falls within the 12-month
                                     period prior to this NOFA's
                                     application deadline.
Undisbursed Award Funds...........  The CDFI Fund encourages Applicants
                                     with undisbursed funds to request
                                     the undisbursed funds from the CDFI
                                     Fund at least 10 business days
                                     prior to this NOFA's application
                                     deadline.
                                    The CDFI Fund will not consider an
                                     Applicant's application if the
                                     Applicant Awardee under any CDFI
                                     Fund program and has undisbursed
                                     award funds (as defined below) as
                                     of this NOFA's application
                                     deadline. The CDFI Fund will
                                     include the combined undisbursed
                                     prior awards, as of this NOFAs
                                     application deadline, of the
                                     Applicant and its affiliated
                                     entities, including those in which
                                     the affiliated entity Controls the
                                     Applicant, is Controlled by the
                                     Applicant, or shares common
                                     management officials with the
                                     Applicant as the CDFI Fund
                                     determines.
BEA Program Undisbursed Awards      For the BEA Program, undisbursed
 Calculations.                       award funds will be included in the
                                     calculation of undisbursed awards
                                     for the Applicant and any three to
                                     five calendar years prior to the
                                     end of the calendar year of this
                                     NOFA's application deadline. For
                                     purposes of this NOFA, therefore,
                                     undisbursed awards made in FYs
                                     2006, 2007, and 2008 will be
                                     included in the calculation for the
                                     Applicant's undisbursed award
                                     amounts if the funds have not been
                                     disbursed as of this NOFA's
                                     application deadline.
NACA Program Undisbursed Awards     The NACA Program undisbursed funds
 Calculations.                       will be calculated by adding all
                                     undisbursed award amounts made to
                                     the Applicant two to five calendar
                                     years prior to the end of the
                                     calendar year of this NOFA.
                                     Therefore, undisbursed NACA awards
                                     made in FYs 2006, 2007, 2008, and
                                     2009 will be included in the
                                     undisbursed calculation as of this
                                     NOFA's application deadline.
Undisbursed Award Calculations....  Undisbursed awards cannot exceed
                                     five percent of the total
                                     includable awards for the
                                     Applicant's BEA/CDFI/NACA awards,
                                     as of this NOFA's application
                                     deadline. (The total ``includable''
                                     award amount is the total award
                                     amount from the relevant CDFI Fund
                                     program.) Please refer to an
                                     example of this calculation on the
                                     CDFI Fund's website, found in the
                                     Q&A document for the FY 2012
                                     Funding Round. The ``undisbursed
                                     award funds'' calculation does not
                                     include: (i) Tax credit allocation
                                     authority made available through
                                     the NMTC Program; (ii) award funds
                                     that the Awardee has requested from
                                     the CDFI Fund by submitting a full
                                     and complete disbursement request
                                     before this NOFA's application
                                     deadline; (iii) award funds for an
                                     award that the CDFI Fund has
                                     terminated or de-obligated; or (iv)
                                     award funds for an award that does
                                     not have a fully executed
                                     assistance or award agreement.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    2. Contact the CDFI Fund: Applicants that are prior CDFI Fund 
Awardees are advised to: (i) Comply with requirements specified in 
assistance, allocation, and/or award agreement(s), and (ii) contact the 
CDFI Fund to ensure necessary actions are underway for the disbursement 
or de-obligation of any prior outstanding award balance(s) as 
referenced above. An Applicant that is unsure about the disbursement 
status of any prior award should contact the CDFI Fund by sending an 
email to CDFI.disburseinquiries@cdfi.treas.gov.

[[Page 70540]]

C. Matching Funds Requirements

    1. Matching Funds Requirements in General: FA Applicants must 
obtain non-Federal matching funds, on the basis of not less than one 
dollar for each dollar of FA funds the CDFI Fund provides. (This 
requirement pertains to FA Applicants only; matching funds are not 
required for TA Applicants). Matching funds must be comparable in form 
and value to the FA award. This means that if an Applicant is 
requesting an FA award, the Applicant must show it has obtained 
matching funds through commitment(s) from non-Federal sources that are 
equal to the amount requested from the CDFI Fund. Applicants cannot use 
matching funds from a prior FA award under the NACA Program or under 
another federal grant or award program to satisfy the matching funds 
requirement of this NOFA. If an Applicant seeks to use matching funds 
from an organization that was a prior Awardee under the NACA, the CDFI 
Fund will deem such funds as federal funds, unless the funding entity 
establishes and the CDFI Fund agrees, that such funds do not consist, 
in whole or in part, of NACA Program funds or other federal funds. The 
CDFI Fund encourages Applicants to review the Regulations at 12 CFR 
1805.500 et seq. and matching funds guidance materials on the CDFI 
Fund's Web site for further information.
    2. The CDFI Fund will not consider any FA Applicant for an award 
that has no matching funds in-hand or firmly committed as of this 
NOFA's application deadline. Specifically, FA Applicants must meet the 
following matching funds requirements:
    (a) Certified and Certifiable Native CDFIs: A Certified or 
Certifiable Native CDFI Applicant must demonstrate that it has eligible 
matching funds equal to no less than 25 percent of the FA amount 
requested in-hand or firmly committed, on or after January 1, 2010, and 
on or before the application deadline. The CDFI Fund reserves the right 
to rescind all or a portion of an FA award and re-allocate the 
rescinded award amount to other qualified Applicant(s), if an Applicant 
fails to obtain in-hand 100 percent of the required matching funds by 
March 14, 2013 (with required documentation of such receipt received by 
the CDFI Fund not later than March 31, 2013). The CDFI Fund may grant 
an extension of such matching funds deadline for specific Applicants 
selected to receive FA awards, if the CDFI Fund deems it appropriate. 
For any Applicant that demonstrates it has less than 100 percent of 
matching funds in-hand or firmly committed as of the application 
deadline, the CDFI Fund will evaluate the Applicant's ability to raise 
the remaining matching funds by March 14, 2013.
    (b) HFFI-FA Applicants: It is possible that the matching funds 
requirements for HFFI-FA awards may be waived for the FY 2012 Funding 
Round. However, as of this NOFA's publication such a waiver has not 
been enacted. An Applicant requesting an HFFI-FA award that does not 
include matching funds documentation in its application will be deemed 
ineligible for funding under the FY 2012 Funding Round if a matching 
funds waiver is not enacted. An Applicant requesting an HFFI-FA award 
that would not satisfy the matching funds requirements but is otherwise 
eligible under this NOFA may wish to submit an application in the event 
a matching funds waiver is enacted.
    Accordingly, subject to the immediately preceding paragraph: A 
HFFI-FA Applicant must demonstrate that it has eligible matching funds 
equal to no less than 25 percent of the FA amount requested in-hand or 
firmly committed, on or after January 1, 2010, and on or before the 
deadline for the submitting the HFFI-FA supplemental questionnaire. The 
CDFI Fund reserves the right to rescind all or a portion of an FA award 
and re-allocate the rescinded award amount to other qualified 
Applicant(s), if an Applicant fails to obtain in-hand 100 percent of 
the required matching funds by March 14, 2013 (with required 
documentation of such receipt received by the CDFI Fund not later than 
March 31, 2013). The CDFI Fund may grant an extension of such matching 
funds deadline for specific Applicants selected to receive FA awards, 
if the CDFI Fund deems it appropriate. For any Applicant that 
demonstrates it has less than 100 percent of matching funds in-hand or 
firmly committed as of the application deadline, the CDFI Fund will 
evaluate the Applicant's ability to raise the remaining matching funds 
by March 14, 2013.
3. Matching Funds Terms Defined; Required Documentation

                   Table 5--Matching Funds Definitions
------------------------------------------------------------------------
      Type of Matching Funds                     Definition
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(a) Matching funds ``in-hand''....  The Applicant has actually received
                                     disbursement of the matching funds
                                     and provides to the CDFI Fund
                                     acceptable written documentation,
                                     showing the source, form, and
                                     amount of the matching funds (i.e.,
                                     grant, loan, deposit, and equity
                                     investment). Applicants must
                                     provide copies of the following
                                     documentation depending on the type
                                     of award being requested: (i)
                                     Loans--the loan agreement and
                                     promissory note; (ii) grant--the
                                     grant letter or agreement for all
                                     grants of $50,000 or more; (iii)
                                     equity investment--the stock
                                     certificate and any related
                                     shareholder agreement. The
                                     Applicant must also provide
                                     acceptable documentation that
                                     demonstrates receipt of the
                                     matching funds, such as a copy of a
                                     check or a wire transfer statement.
(b) Matching Funds ``firmly         The Applicant has entered into or
 committed''.                        received a legally binding
                                     commitment from the matching funds
                                     source showing the funds will be
                                     disbursed to the Applicant. The
                                     Applicant must also provide
                                     acceptable written documentation
                                     showing the source, form, and
                                     amount of the firm commitment (and,
                                     in the case of a loan, the terms
                                     thereof), as well as the
                                     anticipated disbursement date of
                                     the committed funds.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    4. The CDFI Fund may contact the matching funds source to discuss 
the matching funds and the documentation that the Applicant has 
provided. If the CDFI Fund determines that any portion of the 
Applicant's matching funds is ineligible under this NOFA, the CDFI 
Fund, in its sole discretion, may permit the Applicant to offer 
alternative matching funds as a substitute for the ineligible matching 
funds. In such instances: (i) The Applicant must provide acceptable 
alternative matching funds documentation within two business days of 
the CDFI Fund's request, and (ii) the alternative matching funds 
documentation will not increase

[[Page 70541]]

the total amount of FA the Applicant requested.
    5. Special Rule for Insured Credit Unions: The Regulations allow an 
Insured Credit Union to use retained earnings to serve as matching 
funds for an FA award in an amount equal to: (i) The increase in 
retained earnings that has occurred over the Applicant's most recent 
fiscal year; (ii) the annual average of such increases that has 
occurred over the Applicant's three most recent fiscal years; or (iii) 
the entire retained earnings that have been accumulated since the 
inception of the Applicant, as provided in the Regulations. For 
purposes of this NOFA, if option (iii) is used, the Applicant must 
increase its member and/or non-member shares or total loans outstanding 
by an amount equal to the amount of retained earnings committed as 
matching funds. This increase must occur by the end of the Awardee's 
second performance period, as set forth in its Assistance Agreement, 
and will be based on amounts reported in the Applicant's Audited or 
Reviewed Financial Statements or NCUA Form 5300 Call Report. The CDFI 
Fund will assess the likelihood of this increase during the application 
review process. An award will not be made to any Applicant that has not 
demonstrated in the relevant Financial Statements or NCUA Call Report 
that it has increased shares or loans by at least 25 percent of the 
requested FA award amount between December 31, 2010, and December 31, 
2011.

IV. Application and Submission Information

    A. Application Submission: Under this NOFA, all Applicants must 
submit their applications electronically through Grants.gov. The CDFI 
Fund will not accept applications through myCDFIFund accounts nor will 
applications be accepted via email, mail, facsimile, or other forms of 
communication, except in circumstances approved by the CDFI Fund 
beforehand.
    B. Grants.gov: In compliance with Public Law 106-107 and Section 
5(a) of the Federal Financial Assistance Management Improvement Act, 
the CDFI Fund is required to accept applications submitted through the 
Grants.gov electronic system. The CDFI Fund strongly recommends 
Applicants start the registration process as soon as possible and visit 
www.grants.gov immediately. Applicants that have used Grants.gov in the 
past must verify that their registration is current and active. New 
applicants must properly register, which may take several weeks to 
complete. Pursuant to OMB guidance (68 Federal Register 38402), each 
Applicant must provide, as part of its application submission, a Dun 
and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number. In 
addition, each application must include a valid and current Employer 
Identification Number (EIN). An electronic application that does not 
include either a DUNS or an EIN is incomplete and may not be 
transmitted to the CDFI Fund from Grants.gov. As a result, Applicants 
without a DUNS or EIN should allow sufficient time for the IRS and/or 
Dun and Bradstreet to respond to inquiries and/or requests for 
identification numbers.
    The CDFI Fund will not consider Applicants that fail to properly 
register in Grants.gov or to confirm they are properly registered and 
as a result, are unable to submit their applications before the 
deadline. Applicants are reminded that the CDFI Fund does not maintain 
the Grants.gov registration or submittal process so Applicants must 
contact Grants.gov directly for issues related to that aspect of the 
application submission process. Please see the following link for 
information on getting started on Grants.gov https://grants.gov/applicants/organization_registration.jsp.
    C. myCDFIFund Accounts: myCDFIFund is the CDFI Fund's primary means 
of communication with Applicants. Applicants are responsible for 
ensuring their myCDFIFund account is updated at all times. All 
Applicants must register as an organization and as a user with 
myCDFIFund before the application deadline. Applicants failing to 
properly register and update their myCDFIFund accounts may miss 
important communication with the CDFI Fund that could impact their 
application. For more information on myCDFIFund, please see the 
``Frequently Asked Questions'' link posted at https://www.cdfifund.gov/myCDFI/Help/Help.asp.
    D. Application Content Requirements: The Application and related 
documents can be found on the Grants.gov and the CDFI Fund's Web sites. 
The CDFI Fund anticipates posting the Application and related documents 
to the CDFI Fund's Web site on the same day that the NOFA is released 
or shortly thereafter. Once an application is submitted to Grants.gov, 
the Applicant will not be allowed to change any element of the 
application. The CDFI Fund, however, may contact the Applicant to 
clarify or confirm application information.
    E. Paperwork Reduction Act: Under the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 
U.S.C. chapter 35), an agency may not conduct or sponsor a collection 
of information, and an individual is not required to respond to a 
collection of information, unless it displays a valid OMB control 
number. Pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act, the NACA Program 
funding Application has been assigned the following control number: 
1559-0025.

F. Application Deadlines

    1. Please see the following table for critical deadlines that are 
relevant to the FY 2012 Funding Round:

        Table 6--FY 2012 Funding Round Application Critical Dates
------------------------------------------------------------------------
          Description                  Date due               Time
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Certification application.....  December 21, 2011....  midnight.
Certification Material Events   December 21, 2011....  5 p.m.
 Form.
Last day to contact Program     January 13, 2012.....  5 p.m.
 staff.
Last day to contact Compliance  January 13, 2012.....  5 p.m.
 staff.
NACA Program Application......  January 18, 2012.....  11.59 p.m.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    2. Late Delivery: The CDFI Fund will not accept an application, nor 
any portion of an application, delivered after the application 
deadline. The CDFI Fund will not grant exceptions or waivers. Any 
application that is deemed ineligible or rejected will not be returned 
to the Applicant.
    G. Intergovernmental Review: Not applicable.
    H. Funding Restrictions: For allowable uses of FA proceeds, please 
see the Regulations at 12 CFR 1805.301.

[[Page 70542]]

V. Application Review Information

    A. Format: Applicants must complete, and the CDFI Fund will only 
accept, the Application as provided in Grants.gov and the CDFI Fund's 
Web site. The FY 2012 Application is a fillable electronic PDF form, 
with pre-set text limits and font size restrictions. Applicants should 
not submit information that has not been specifically requested in this 
NOFA or the Application. Applicants should not submit documents such as 
strategic plans or market studies unless the CDFI Fund has specifically 
requested such documents in the Application.

B. Review and Selection Process

    1. Eligibility and Completeness Review: The CDFI Fund will review 
each application to determine whether it is complete and the Applicant 
meets the eligibility requirements described in Section III of this 
NOFA. An incomplete application or one that does not meet eligibility 
requirements will be rejected.
    2. Substantive Review: If the Applicant has submitted a complete 
and eligible application, the CDFI Fund will conduct a substantive 
review in accordance with the criteria and procedures described in the 
Regulations, this NOFA, and the Application guidance. The CDFI Fund 
reserves the right to contact the Applicant by telephone, email, or 
mail for the sole purpose of clarifying or confirming application 
information. If contacted, the Applicant must respond within the CDFI 
Fund's time parameters or run the risk of their application being 
rejected.
3. Application Scoring and Award Selection (FA and TA Applicants)
    (a) Application Scoring: The CDFI Fund will evaluate each 
application on the criteria categories and the scoring scale described 
in the Application. An Applicant must receive a minimum score in each 
evaluation criteria in order to be considered for an award. The CDFI 
Fund will score each part as indicated in the following table:

                  Table 7--Application Scoring Criteria
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                 Scoring
                       Application parts                         points
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                  Financial Assistance (FA) Applicants
------------------------------------------------------------------------
High Impact Narrative.........................................        10
Target Market Needs...........................................        10
Responsiveness to Target Market Needs.........................        40
Delivery Capacity.............................................        40
------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total points..............................................       100
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                  Technical Assistance (TA) Applicants
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Technical Assistance Proposal.................................        20
Target Market Needs...........................................        10
Responsiveness to Target Market Needs.........................        30
Delivery Capacity.............................................        40
                                                               ---------
    Total points..............................................       100
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    (b) Evaluating Prior Award Performance: The CDFI Fund will deduct 
points for any Applicant that is a prior awardee or allocatee of any 
CDFI Fund program if the Applicant: (i) Is noncompliant with any active 
award or award that terminated in the current calendar year by failing 
to meet performance goals and measures, reporting deadlines, or other 
requirements set forth in the CDFI Fund's assistance, allocation, or 
award agreement(s) during the Applicant's two complete fiscal years 
prior to this NOFA's application deadline; (ii) failed to make timely 
loan payments to the CDFI Fund during the Applicant's two complete 
fiscal years prior to this NOFA's application deadline (if applicable); 
and (iii) did not perform on any prior assistance, allocation, or award 
agreement, which is determined during the application review process. 
In addition, the CDFI Fund will deduct points if an FA Applicant had 
funds de-obligated for FA awards issued in FY 2009, 2010 or 2011 if: 
(i) The amount of de-obligated funds is at least $200,000 and (ii) the 
de-obligation occurred within the 12 months prior to this NOFA's 
application deadline. Point deductions for a de-obligation in this 
funding round will not be counted against future FA applications. The 
CDFI Fund has the sole discretion to deduct points from prior Awardees/
Allocates if those Applicants have proceedings instituted against them 
in, by, or before any court, governmental, agency, or administrative 
body and has received a final determination within the last three years 
indicating the Applicant has discriminated on the basis of race, color, 
national origin, disability, age, marital status, receipt of income 
from public assistance, religion, or sex.
    (c) Award Selection: The CDFI Fund will make its final award 
selections based on the Applicants' scores, ranked from highest to 
lowest, and the amount of funds available. In the case of tied scores, 
Applicants will be ranked according to each Applicant's Delivery 
Capacity score. TA Applicants will be grouped and ranked separately. In 
addition, the CDFI Fund may consider the institutional and geographic 
diversity of Applicants when making its funding decisions.
    4. Insured CDFIs: In the case of Insured Depository Institutions 
and Insured Credit Unions, the CDFI Fund will consider the views of the 
Appropriate Federal Banking Agencies. Throughout the award review 
process, the CDFI Fund will consult with the Appropriate Federal 
Banking Agency about the Applicant's financial safety and soundness. If 
the Appropriate Federal Banking Agency identifies safety and soundness 
concerns, the CDFI Fund will assess whether the concerns cause or will 
cause the Applicant to be incapable of undertaking the activities for 
which funding has been requested. If it is determined the Applicant is 
incapable of meeting its obligations, the CDFI Fund reserves the right 
to rescind the award decision. The CDFI Fund also reserves the right to 
require insured CDFI Applicants to improve safety and soundness 
conditions prior to receiving an award disbursement. In addition, the 
CDFI Fund will take into consideration Community Reinvestment Act 
assessments of Insured Depository Institutions and/or their Affiliates.
    5. Award Notification: Each Applicant will be informed of the CDFI 
Fund's award decision through a notification in the Applicant's 
myCDFIFund account. This includes notification to Applicants that have 
not been selected for an award if the decision is based on reasons 
other than completeness or eligibility. Applicants that have not been 
selected for an award will receive a debriefing in their myCDFIFund 
account. The CDFI Fund will provide this feedback in a format and 
within a timeframe dependent on available resources.
    6. Application Rejection: The CDFI Fund reserves the right to 
reject an application if information (including administrative errors) 
comes to the CDFI Fund's attention that either adversely affects an 
Applicant's eligibility for an award