Inviting Applications for Value-Added Producer Grants and Solicitation of Grant Reviewers, 12905-12907 [2021-04687]

Download as PDF 12905 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 42 / Friday, March 5, 2021 / Notices INCOME ELIGIBILITY GUIDELINES—HOUSEHOLD SIZE LARGER THAN 8 [Effective from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022] Federal poverty guidelines—100% Household size Annual Monthly Twicemonthly Bi-weekly Reduced price meals—185% Weekly Annual Monthly Twicemonthly Bi-weekly Weekly 48 Contiguous States, DC, Guam and Territories 9 ................................................................ 10 .............................................................. 11 .............................................................. 12 .............................................................. 13 .............................................................. 14 .............................................................. 15 .............................................................. 16 .............................................................. Each add’l family member add ................. $49,200 53,740 58,280 62,820 67,360 71,900 76,440 80,980 +4,540 $4,100 4,479 4,857 5,235 5,614 5,992 6,370 6,749 +379 $2,050 2,240 2,429 2,618 2,807 2,996 3,185 3,375 +190 $1,893 2,067 2,242 2,417 2,591 2,766 2,940 3,115 +175 $947 1,034 1,121 1,209 1,296 1,383 1,470 1,558 +88 $91,020 99,419 107,818 116,217 124,616 133,015 141,414 149,813 +8,399 $7,585 8,285 8,985 9,685 10,385 11,085 11,785 12,485 +700 $3,793 4,143 4,493 4,843 5,193 5,543 5,893 6,243 +350 $3,501 3,824 4,147 4,470 4,793 5,116 5,439 5,763 +324 $1,751 1,912 2,074 2,235 2,397 2,558 2,720 2,882 +162 1,184 1,293 1,402 1,511 1,621 1,730 1,839 1,948 +110 113,831 124,339 134,847 145,355 155,863 166,371 176,879 187,387 +10,508 9,486 10,362 11,238 12,113 12,989 13,865 14,740 15,616 +876 4,743 5,181 5,619 6,057 6,495 6,933 7,370 7,808 +438 4,379 4,783 5,187 5,591 5,995 6,399 6,804 7,208 +405 2,190 2,392 2,594 2,796 2,998 3,200 3,402 3,604 +203 1,089 1,189 1,289 1,390 1,490 1,590 1,691 1,791 +101 104,673 114,330 123,987 133,644 143,301 152,958 162,615 172,272 +9,657 8,723 9,528 10,333 11,137 11,942 12,747 13,552 14,356 +805 4,362 4,764 5,167 5,569 5,971 6,374 6,776 7,178 +403 4,026 4,398 4,769 5,141 5,512 5,883 6,255 6,626 +372 2,013 2,199 2,385 2,571 2,756 2,942 3,128 3,313 +186 Alaska 9 ................................................................ 10 .............................................................. 11 .............................................................. 12 .............................................................. 13 .............................................................. 14 .............................................................. 15 .............................................................. 16 .............................................................. Each add’l family member add ................. 61,530 67,210 72,890 78,570 84,250 89,930 95,610 101,290 +5,680 5,128 5,601 6,075 6,548 7,021 7,495 7,968 8,441 +474 2,564 2,801 3,038 3,274 3,511 3,748 3,984 4,221 +237 2,367 2,585 2,804 3,022 3,241 3,459 3,678 3,896 +219 Hawaii 9 ................................................................ 10 .............................................................. 11 .............................................................. 12 .............................................................. 13 .............................................................. 14 .............................................................. 15 .............................................................. 16 .............................................................. Each add’l family member add ................. 56,580 61,800 67,020 72,240 77,460 82,680 87,900 93,120 +5,220 The table of this Notice contains the income limits by household size for the 48 contiguous States, the District of Columbia, and all United States Territories, including Guam. Separate tables for Alaska and Hawaii have been included for the convenience of the State agencies because the poverty guidelines for Alaska and Hawaii are higher than for the 48 contiguous States. Authority: 42 U.S.C. 1786. Cynthia Long, Acting Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service, USDA. [FR Doc. 2021–04532 Filed 3–4–21; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3410–30–P DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Rural Business-Cooperative Service jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES [Docket Number: RBS–21–BUSINESS–0003] Inviting Applications for Value-Added Producer Grants and Solicitation of Grant Reviewers Rural Business-Cooperative Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice; amendment. AGENCY: VerDate Sep<11>2014 20:30 Mar 04, 2021 Jkt 253001 4,715 5,150 5,585 6,020 6,455 6,890 7,325 7,760 +435 2,358 2,575 2,793 3,010 3,228 3,445 3,663 3,880 +218 2,177 2,377 2,578 2,779 2,980 3,180 3,381 3,582 +201 The Rural BusinessCooperative Service (Agency) published a notice in the Federal Register on December 21, 2020 inviting applications for the Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) program. Subsequently, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, which provides $35 million in COVID– 19 relief funds, was enacted. Accordingly, a total of $76 million in program funding is available. The agency is extending the application deadline, increasing available total funding for the program; allowing for application submission through email; eliminating the awarding of points for the Level of Commitment category specified in Section 1(c) of the original notice, and allowing for a reduced cost share match of 10 percent of the grant amount for the $35 million in COVID– 19 relief funds. You should review this notice in its entirety for more specific information on changes that have been made to the original notice. SUMMARY: You must submit your application by May 4, 2021 for it to be considered for funding. Paper applications must be postmarked and mailed, shipped, or sent overnight by this date. You may also email or hand DATES: PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 carry your application to one of our field offices, but applications submitted by this method must be received by 4:30 p.m. local time on May 4, 2021. Applications are permitted via https:// www.grants.gov/ and must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on April 29, 2021. Late applications are not eligible for grant funding under this Notice. To submit a paper application, send it to the State Office located in the State where your project will primarily take place. You can find State Office contact information at https://www.rd.usda.gov/contact-us/ state-offices. To submit an application through email, contact your respective State Office before May 4, 2021 to obtain the Agency email address where you will submit your application. If you want to submit an application through Grants.gov, follow the instructions for the VAPG funding announcement on https://www.grants.gov/. Please review the Grants.gov website at https:// www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/ registration.html for instructions on the process of registering your organization as soon as possible to ensure you are able to meet the Grants.gov application deadline. ADDRESSES: E:\FR\FM\05MRN1.SGM 05MRN1 12906 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 42 / Friday, March 5, 2021 / Notices You should contact your USDA Rural Development State Office if you have questions about eligibility or submission requirements. You are encouraged to contact your State Office well in advance of the application deadline to discuss your project and to ask any questions about the application process. Application materials are available at https://www.rd.usda.gov/programsservices/value-added-producer-grants. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Greg York at (202) 281–5289, gregory.york@ usda.gov, or Mike Daniels at (715) 345– 7637, mike.daniels@usda.gov, Program Management Division, Rural BusinessCooperative Service, United States Department of Agriculture, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Mail Stop 3226, Room—5801–S, Washington, DC 20250–3226, 202–720–1400, or email at CPgrants@usda.gov. SUPPLEMENATARY INFORMATION: Authority: The VAPG program is authorized under section 231 of the Agriculture Risk Protection Act of 2000 (Pub. L. 106–224), as amended by section 10102 of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (Pub. L. 115–334) (see 7 U.S.C. 1627c). Applicants must adhere to the requirements contained in the program regulation, 7 CFR part 4284, subpart J, which is incorporated by reference in this Notice. jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES Paperwork Reduction Act In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, the paperwork burden associated with this Notice has been approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under OMB Control Number 0570–0064. Overview Federal Agency Name: USDA Rural Business-Cooperative Service. Funding Opportunity Title: ValueAdded Producer Grant. Announcement Type: Notice of Solicitation of Applications and Solicitation of Grant Reviewers. Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 10.352. Dates: Application Deadline. You must submit your application by May 4, 2021 for it to be considered for funding. Paper applications must be postmarked and mailed, shipped or sent overnight by this date. You may also email or hand carry your application to one of our field offices, but it must be received by 4:30 p.m. local time on May 4, 2021. Applications are permitted via https:// www.grants.gov/ and must be received before 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on April 29, 2021. Late applications are not eligible for grant funding under this Notice. VerDate Sep<11>2014 20:30 Mar 04, 2021 Jkt 253001 I. Background The Agency published a Notice in the Federal Register on December 21, 2020 (85 FR 83038) (the original notice) announcing the availability of funding for competitive grants to assist eligible agricultural producers in starting or expanding value-added activities related to the processing and marketing of new products. The goals of this program are to generate new products, create and expand marketing opportunities, and increase producer income. Under the original notice, applicants had until March 22, 2021 to submit a paper application and until March 16, 2021 to submit applications through Grants.gov (the new due dates are as specified in Section III(4) below). The original solicitation required the applicant to provide cost sharing match of at least $1 for every $1 in grant funds provided by the Agency. The purpose of this Notice is to announce that the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (the FY 2021 Appropriations Act), provides an additional $35 million in funding for COVID–19 relief and allows for a reduced cost-share match of 10 percent of the grant amount (i.e., at least $1 from the applicant for every $10 in Agency grant funds) for these funds during the public health emergency. II. General Funding Information A. Type of Instrument Grant. Maximum award amount for Planning Grant is $75,000; maximum award amount for Working Capital Grant is $250,000. B. Available Funds There is approximately $76 million in available funding. Of this amount, the COVID–19 relief funds constitute $35 million and the other $41 million comes from the FY 2021 Appropriations Act and carryover funding from fiscal year 2020. The $35 million in COVID–19 relief funds may include a reduced cost share match requirement of 10 percent of the grant amount. The other available funds have a statutory cost share match requirement of 100 percent of the grant amount. Please see section III., ‘‘Program Requirements and Changes,’’ for additional information. C. Approximate Number of Awards The number of awards will depend on the number of eligible participants and the total amount of requested funds. III. Program Requirements and Changes To be eligible for an award under this solicitation, applications must meet all the requirements contained in the PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 original notice with the following exceptions for this amended notice: 1. Total available funding for FY 2021 is approximately $76 million. 2. Your application may include a reduced cost-share match of 10 percent of grant funds if you are competing for the $35 million in FY 2021 COVID–19 relief funds. You are not required to demonstrate how your business operations were impacted by the COVID–19 pandemic. Relief funds will be awarded in application scoring rank order until exhausted. If your application for COVID–19 relief funds is not selected for funding through the competitive process, you will have the opportunity to compete for the additional $41 million in funds if your application scores 50 points or above. You will be contacted by the Agency and will be required to submit a revised budget and work plan that includes the standard cost-share match of at least $1 for every $1 in grant funds. Applicants unable to meet the standard cost-share match will be ineligible to compete for the additional funding. 3. For the FY 2021 VAPG cycle, the Level of Commitment assignment of points for in-kind and cash match contributions will be eliminated from Commitments and Support scoring criterion (c). Points for Commitments and Support will be redistributed as follows: (i) 0 points will be awarded if you do not address the criterion. (ii) Independent Producer Commitment: (A) Sole Proprietor (one owner/ producer): 1 point. (B) Multiple Independent Producers (note: in cases where family members, such as husband and wife, are eligible Independent Producers, each family member will count as one Independent Producer): 2 points. (iii) End-user commitment: (A) No or insufficiently documented commitment from end-users: 0 points. (B) Well-documented commitment from one end-user: 2 points. (C) Well-documented commitment from more than one end-user: 4 points. (iv) Third-party commitment: (A) No, or insufficiently documented, commitment from third-parties: 0 points. (B) Well-documented commitment from one third-party: 2 points. (C) Well-documented commitment from more than one third-party: 4 points. 4. You must submit your application by May 4, 2021 for it to be considered for funding. Paper applications must be postmarked and mailed, shipped or sent overnight by this date. You may also E:\FR\FM\05MRN1.SGM 05MRN1 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 42 / Friday, March 5, 2021 / Notices email or hand carry your application to one of our field offices, but it must be received by 4:30 p.m. local time on May 4, 2021. Applications are permitted via https://www.grants.gov/ and must be received before 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on April 29, 2021. Late applications are not eligible for grant funding under this Notice. 5. If you are interested in serving as a non-federal independent grant reviewer, please send a resume addressing relevant qualifications and experience to CPGrants@wdc.usda.gov by April 5, 2021. Program information and revised application templates can also be found at https://www.rd.usda.gov/programsservices/value-added-producer-grants. Mark Brodziski, Acting Administrator, Rural Business— Cooperative Service. [FR Doc. 2021–04687 Filed 3–4–21; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3410–XY–P COMMISSION ON CIVIL RIGHTS Agenda Notice of Public Meeting of the Massachusetts Advisory Committee Commission on Civil Rights. Announcement of meeting. AGENCY: ACTION: Notice is hereby given, pursuant to the provisions of the rules and regulations of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (Commission), and the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), that a meeting of the Massachusetts Advisory Committee to the Commission will convene by conference call on Wednesday, March 24, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. (ET). The purpose of the meeting is to a complete and conclude its project on the water accessibility in Massachusetts and begin plans for its next project topic. DATES: Wednesday, March 24, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. (ET). Public Webex Conference Registration Link (video and audio): https:// tinyurl.com/35ajmnuk. To Join by Phone Only: Dial 1–800– 360–9505; Access code: 199 414 6129. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Evelyn Bohor at ero@usccr.gov or by phone at 202–921–2212. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This meeting is available to the public through the WebEx link above. If joining only via phone, callers can expect to incur charges for calls they initiate over wireless lines, and the Commission will not refund any incurred charges. Individuals who are deaf, deafblind and hard of hearing may also follow the proceedings by first calling the Federal jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES SUMMARY: VerDate Sep<11>2014 20:30 Mar 04, 2021 Jkt 253001 Relay Service at 1–800–877–8339 and providing the Service with the call-in number found through registering at the web link provided above for the meeting. Members of the public are entitled to make comments during the open period at the end of the meeting. Members of the public may also submit written comments; the comments must be received in the Regional Programs Unit within 30 days following the respective meeting. Written comments may be emailed to Barbara Delaviez at ero@ usccr.gov. Persons who desire additional information may contact the Regional Programs Unit at (202) 809– 9618. Records and documents discussed during the meeting will be available for public viewing as they become available at the www.facadatabase.gov. Persons interested in the work of this advisory committee are advised to go to the Commission’s website, www.usccr.gov, or to contact the Regional Programs Unit at the above phone number or email address. Wednesday, March 24, 2021; 2:00 p.m. (ET) 1. Roll call 2. Water Project—final steps 3. Planning Next Project 4. Public Comment 5. Other Business 6. Adjourn Dated: March 1, 2021. David Mussatt, Supervisory Chief, Regional Programs Unit. [FR Doc. 2021–04539 Filed 3–4–21; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Foreign-Trade Zones Board [S–3–2021] Approval of Subzone Status; Coating Place, Inc., Verona, Wisconsin On January 6, 2021, the Executive Secretary of the Foreign-Trade Zones (FTZ) Board docketed an application submitted by Dane County, Wisconsin, grantee of FTZ 266, requesting subzone status subject to the existing activation limit of FTZ 266, on behalf of Coating Place, Inc., in Verona, Wisconsin. The application was processed in accordance with the FTZ Act and Regulations, including notice in the Federal Register inviting public comment (86 FR 2382, January 12, 2021). The FTZ staff examiner reviewed the application and determined that it meets the criteria for approval. Pursuant PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 12907 to the authority delegated to the FTZ Board Executive Secretary (15 CFR 400.36(f)), the application to establish Subzone 266B was approved on March 2, 2021, subject to the FTZ Act and the Board’s regulations, including Section 400.13, and further subject to FTZ 266’s 648-acre activation limit. Dated: March 2, 2021. Andrew McGilvray, Executive Secretary. [FR Doc. 2021–04571 Filed 3–4–21; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–DS–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Foreign-Trade Zones Board [B–14–2021] Foreign-Trade Zone (FTZ) 24—Pittston, Pennsylvania; Notification of Proposed Production Activity; Merck & Co., Inc. (Pharmaceutical Products); Riverside, Pennsylvania Merck & Co., Inc. (Merck), submitted a notification of proposed production activity to the FTZ Board for its facility in Riverside, Pennsylvania. The notification conforming to the requirements of the regulations of the FTZ Board (15 CFR 400.22) was received on February 24, 2021. Merck already has authority to produce pharmaceutical products within Subzone 24B. The current request would add finished products and foreign status materials to the scope of authority. Pursuant to 15 CFR 400.14(b), additional FTZ authority would be limited to the specific foreignstatus materials and specific finished products described in the submitted notification (as described below) and subsequently authorized by the FTZ Board. Production under FTZ procedures could exempt Merck from customs duty payments on the foreign-status materials used in export production. On its domestic sales, for the foreign-status materials/components noted below and in the existing scope of authority, Merck would be able to choose the duty rates during customs entry procedures that apply to PRIMAXIN intermediate (imipenem and cilastatin bulk) and INVANZ intermediate (ertapenem sodium) (duty-free). Merck would be able to avoid duty on foreign-status components which become scrap/waste. Customs duties also could possibly be deferred or reduced on foreign-status production equipment. The materials sourced from abroad include: imipenem input; cilastatin input; ertapenem sodium input; BIS (2, E:\FR\FM\05MRN1.SGM 05MRN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 42 (Friday, March 5, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12905-12907]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-04687]


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

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Business-Cooperative Service

[Docket Number: RBS-21-BUSINESS-0003]


Inviting Applications for Value-Added Producer Grants and 
Solicitation of Grant Reviewers

AGENCY: Rural Business-Cooperative Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice; amendment.

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

SUMMARY: The Rural Business-Cooperative Service (Agency) published a 
notice in the Federal Register on December 21, 2020 inviting 
applications for the Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) program. 
Subsequently, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, which provides 
$35 million in COVID-19 relief funds, was enacted. Accordingly, a total 
of $76 million in program funding is available. The agency is extending 
the application deadline, increasing available total funding for the 
program; allowing for application submission through email; eliminating 
the awarding of points for the Level of Commitment category specified 
in Section 1(c) of the original notice, and allowing for a reduced cost 
share match of 10 percent of the grant amount for the $35 million in 
COVID-19 relief funds. You should review this notice in its entirety 
for more specific information on changes that have been made to the 
original notice.

DATES: You must submit your application by May 4, 2021 for it to be 
considered for funding. Paper applications must be postmarked and 
mailed, shipped, or sent overnight by this date. You may also email or 
hand carry your application to one of our field offices, but 
applications submitted by this method must be received by 4:30 p.m. 
local time on May 4, 2021. Applications are permitted via https://www.grants.gov/ and must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on 
April 29, 2021. Late applications are not eligible for grant funding 
under this Notice.

ADDRESSES: To submit a paper application, send it to the State Office 
located in the State where your project will primarily take place. You 
can find State Office contact information at https://www.rd.usda.gov/contact-us/state-offices. To submit an application through email, 
contact your respective State Office before May 4, 2021 to obtain the 
Agency email address where you will submit your application. If you 
want to submit an application through Grants.gov, follow the 
instructions for the VAPG funding announcement on https://www.grants.gov/. Please review the Grants.gov website at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/registration.html for instructions 
on the process of registering your organization as soon as possible to 
ensure you are able to meet the Grants.gov application deadline.

[[Page 12906]]

    You should contact your USDA Rural Development State Office if you 
have questions about eligibility or submission requirements. You are 
encouraged to contact your State Office well in advance of the 
application deadline to discuss your project and to ask any questions 
about the application process. Application materials are available at 
https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/value-added-producer-grants.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Greg York at (202) 281-5289, 
[email protected], or Mike Daniels at (715) 345-7637, 
[email protected], Program Management Division, Rural Business-
Cooperative Service, United States Department of Agriculture, 1400 
Independence Avenue SW, Mail Stop 3226, Room--5801-S, Washington, DC 
20250-3226, 202-720-1400, or email at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENATARY INFORMATION: Authority:
    The VAPG program is authorized under section 231 of the Agriculture 
Risk Protection Act of 2000 (Pub. L. 106-224), as amended by section 
10102 of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (Pub. L. 115-334) (see 
7 U.S.C. 1627c). Applicants must adhere to the requirements contained 
in the program regulation, 7 CFR part 4284, subpart J, which is 
incorporated by reference in this Notice.

Paperwork Reduction Act

    In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, the paperwork 
burden associated with this Notice has been approved by the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) under OMB Control Number 0570-0064.

Overview

    Federal Agency Name: USDA Rural Business-Cooperative Service.
    Funding Opportunity Title: Value-Added Producer Grant.
    Announcement Type: Notice of Solicitation of Applications and 
Solicitation of Grant Reviewers.
    Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 10.352.
    Dates: Application Deadline. You must submit your application by 
May 4, 2021 for it to be considered for funding. Paper applications 
must be postmarked and mailed, shipped or sent overnight by this date. 
You may also email or hand carry your application to one of our field 
offices, but it must be received by 4:30 p.m. local time on May 4, 
2021. Applications are permitted via https://www.grants.gov/ and must 
be received before 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on April 29, 2021. Late 
applications are not eligible for grant funding under this Notice.

I. Background

    The Agency published a Notice in the Federal Register on December 
21, 2020 (85 FR 83038) (the original notice) announcing the 
availability of funding for competitive grants to assist eligible 
agricultural producers in starting or expanding value-added activities 
related to the processing and marketing of new products. The goals of 
this program are to generate new products, create and expand marketing 
opportunities, and increase producer income.
    Under the original notice, applicants had until March 22, 2021 to 
submit a paper application and until March 16, 2021 to submit 
applications through Grants.gov (the new due dates are as specified in 
Section III(4) below). The original solicitation required the applicant 
to provide cost sharing match of at least $1 for every $1 in grant 
funds provided by the Agency.
    The purpose of this Notice is to announce that the Consolidated 
Appropriations Act, 2021 (the FY 2021 Appropriations Act), provides an 
additional $35 million in funding for COVID-19 relief and allows for a 
reduced cost-share match of 10 percent of the grant amount (i.e., at 
least $1 from the applicant for every $10 in Agency grant funds) for 
these funds during the public health emergency.

II. General Funding Information

A. Type of Instrument

    Grant. Maximum award amount for Planning Grant is $75,000; maximum 
award amount for Working Capital Grant is $250,000.

B. Available Funds

    There is approximately $76 million in available funding. Of this 
amount, the COVID-19 relief funds constitute $35 million and the other 
$41 million comes from the FY 2021 Appropriations Act and carryover 
funding from fiscal year 2020. The $35 million in COVID-19 relief funds 
may include a reduced cost share match requirement of 10 percent of the 
grant amount. The other available funds have a statutory cost share 
match requirement of 100 percent of the grant amount. Please see 
section III., ``Program Requirements and Changes,'' for additional 
information.

C. Approximate Number of Awards

    The number of awards will depend on the number of eligible 
participants and the total amount of requested funds.

III. Program Requirements and Changes

    To be eligible for an award under this solicitation, applications 
must meet all the requirements contained in the original notice with 
the following exceptions for this amended notice:
    1. Total available funding for FY 2021 is approximately $76 
million.
    2. Your application may include a reduced cost-share match of 10 
percent of grant funds if you are competing for the $35 million in FY 
2021 COVID-19 relief funds. You are not required to demonstrate how 
your business operations were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Relief 
funds will be awarded in application scoring rank order until 
exhausted. If your application for COVID-19 relief funds is not 
selected for funding through the competitive process, you will have the 
opportunity to compete for the additional $41 million in funds if your 
application scores 50 points or above. You will be contacted by the 
Agency and will be required to submit a revised budget and work plan 
that includes the standard cost-share match of at least $1 for every $1 
in grant funds. Applicants unable to meet the standard cost-share match 
will be ineligible to compete for the additional funding.
    3. For the FY 2021 VAPG cycle, the Level of Commitment assignment 
of points for in-kind and cash match contributions will be eliminated 
from Commitments and Support scoring criterion (c).
    Points for Commitments and Support will be redistributed as 
follows:
    (i) 0 points will be awarded if you do not address the criterion.
    (ii) Independent Producer Commitment:
    (A) Sole Proprietor (one owner/producer): 1 point.
    (B) Multiple Independent Producers (note: in cases where family 
members, such as husband and wife, are eligible Independent Producers, 
each family member will count as one Independent Producer): 2 points.
    (iii) End-user commitment:
    (A) No or insufficiently documented commitment from end-users: 0 
points.
    (B) Well-documented commitment from one end-user: 2 points.
    (C) Well-documented commitment from more than one end-user: 4 
points.
    (iv) Third-party commitment:
    (A) No, or insufficiently documented, commitment from third-
parties: 0 points.
    (B) Well-documented commitment from one third-party: 2 points.
    (C) Well-documented commitment from more than one third-party: 4 
points.
    4. You must submit your application by May 4, 2021 for it to be 
considered for funding. Paper applications must be postmarked and 
mailed, shipped or sent overnight by this date. You may also

[[Page 12907]]

email or hand carry your application to one of our field offices, but 
it must be received by 4:30 p.m. local time on May 4, 2021. 
Applications are permitted via https://www.grants.gov/ and must be 
received before 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on April 29, 2021. Late 
applications are not eligible for grant funding under this Notice.
    5. If you are interested in serving as a non-federal independent 
grant reviewer, please send a resume addressing relevant qualifications 
and experience to [email protected] by April 5, 2021.
    Program information and revised application templates can also be 
found at https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/value-added-producer-grants.

Mark Brodziski,
Acting Administrator, Rural Business--Cooperative Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-04687 Filed 3-4-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-XY-P
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