Farm Service Agency October 24, 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Farm Service Agency (FSA) soliciting applications for competitive cooperative agreement funds for Fiscal Year (FY) 2007 to initiate a credit outreach initiative targeted to American Indian farmers, ranchers and youth residing primarily on Indian reservations within the contiguous United States. FSA anticipates the availability of $1,166,400 in funding. FSA requests proposals from eligible 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, land-grant institutions and federally-recognized Indian tribal governments interested in a competitively-awarded cooperative agreement to create and implement a mechanism that will provide credit outreach and promotion, pre-loan education, one-on-one loan application preparation assistance and other related services as proposed by the successful applicant that are specific to FSA's Agricultural Credit Programs. The successful applicant must provide evidence that it has the capability to put in place a data tracking system that thoroughly records all credit outreach-specific related activities and has the ability to provide detailed statistical information on an ad hoc basis. This database must also be functional on a real-time basis as well as being available online through the Internet. This request for proposals is made prior to passage of a final appropriations bill to allow applicants sufficient time to submit proposals, give the Agency maximum time to process applications, and permit continuity of this program. If actual funding differs from that anticipated ($1,166,400) based on historical funding levels, then the Agency will publish a separate Notice of Funds Availability.