[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 32 (Friday, February 19, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10413-10432]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-03354]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
Community Development Financial Institutions Fund
Notice of Funds Availability Inviting Applications for Financial
Assistance Awards or Technical Assistance Grants Under the Native
American CDFI Assistance Fiscal Year 2021 Funding Round
Funding Opportunity Title: Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA)
inviting Applications for Financial Assistance (FA) awards or Technical
Assistance (TA) grants under the Native American CDFI Assistance (NACA
Program) fiscal year (FY) 2021 Funding Round.
Announcement Type: Announcement of funding opportunity.
Funding Opportunity Number: CDFI-2021-NACA.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 21.012.
DATES:
Table 1--FY 2021 NACA Program Funding Round Critical Deadlines for Applicants
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Time (eastern time--
Description Deadline ET) Submission method
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Last day to create an Awards March 22, 2021.............. 11:59 p.m............. AMIS.
Management Information Systems
(AMIS) Account (all Applicants).
Last day to enter EIN and DUNS March 22, 2021.............. 11:59 p.m............. AMIS.
numbers in AMIS (all
Applicants).
Last day to submit SF-424 March 22, 2021.............. 11:59 p.m............. Electronically via
Mandatory (Application for Grants.gov.
Federal Assistance).
Last day to contact NACA Program April 29, 2021.............. 5:00 p.m.............. Service Request \1\ via
staff. AMIS
or
CDFI Fund Helpdesk:
202-653-0421.
Last day to contact AMIS-IT Help May 3, 2021................. 5:00 p.m.............. Service Request via AMIS
Desk (regarding AMIS technical or
problems only). 202-653-0422
or
[email protected]
Last day to submit NACA Program May 3, 2021................. 11:59 p.m............. AMIS.
Application for Financial
Assistance (FA) or Technical
Assistance (TA).
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Executive Summary: Through the NACA Program, the Community
Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund provides (i) FA awards
of up to $1 million to Certified Community Development Financial
Institutions (CDFIs) serving Native American, Alaska Native, or Native
Hawaiian populations or Native American areas defined as Federally-
designated reservations, Hawaiian homelands, Alaska Native Villages and
U.S. Census Bureau-designated Tribal Statistical Areas (collectively,
``Native Communities'') to build their financial capacity to lend to
Eligible Markets and/or their Target Markets, and (ii) TA grants of up
to $150,000 to build Certified, and Emerging CDFIs' organizational
capacity to serve Eligible Markets and/or their Target Markets, and
Sponsoring Entities ability to create
[[Page 10414]]
Certified CDFIs that serve Native Communities. All awards provided
through this NOFA are subject to funding availability.
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\1\ Service Request shall mean a written inquiry or notification
submitted to the CDFI Fund via AMIS.
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I. Program Description
A. History: The CDFI Fund was established by the Riegle Community
Development Banking and Financial Institutions Act of 1994 to promote
economic revitalization and community development through investment in
and assistance to CDFIs. The Native American CDFI Assistance (NACA)
Program made its first awards in 2002, after the CDFI Program began
making awards in 1996.
B. Priorities: Through the NACA Program's FA awards and TA grants,
the CDFI Fund invests in and builds the capacity of for-profit and non-
profit community based lending organizations known as CDFIs. These
organizations, certified as CDFIs by the CDFI Fund, serve Native
Communities.
C. Authorizing Statutes and Regulations: The CDFI Program is
authorized by the Riegle Community Development Banking and Financial
Institutions Act of 1994 (Pub. L. 103-325, 12 U.S.C. 4701 et seq.)
(Authorizing Statute). The regulations governing the NACA Program are
found at 12 CFR parts 1805 and 1815 (the Regulations) and are used by
the CDFI Fund to govern, in general, the NACA Program, setting forth
evaluation criteria and other program requirements. The CDFI Fund
encourages Applicants to review the Regulations; this NOFA; the NACA
Program Application for Financial Assistance or Technical Assistance
(the Application); all related materials and guidance documents found
on the CDFI Fund's website (Application materials); and the Uniform
Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements
for Federal Awards (2 CFR part 1000), which is the Department of the
Treasury's codification of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
government-wide framework for grants management at 2 CFR part 200 (the
Uniform Requirements) for a complete understanding of the NACA Program.
Capitalized terms in this NOFA are defined in the Authorizing Statute,
the Regulations, this NOFA, the Application, Application materials, or
the Uniform Requirements. Details regarding Application content
requirements are found in the Application and Application materials.
D. Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit
Requirements for Federal Awards (2 CFR part 1000): The Uniform
Requirements codify financial, administrative, procurement, and program
management standards that Federal award agencies must follow. When
evaluating Applications, awarding agencies must evaluate the risks
posed by each Applicant, and each Applicant's merits and eligibility.
These requirements are designed to ensure that Applicants for Federal
assistance receive a fair and consistent review prior to an award
decision. This review will assess items such as the Applicant's
financial stability, quality of management systems, the soundness of
its business plan, history of performance, ability to achieve
measurable impacts through its products and services, and audit
findings. In addition, the Uniform Requirements include guidance on
audit requirements and other award compliance requirements for
Recipients.
E. Funding limitations: 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 also reserves the right to
reallocate funds from the amount that is anticipated to be available
through this NOFA to other CDFI Fund initiatives that are designed to
benefit Native Communities, particularly if the CDFI Fund determines
that the number of awards made through this NOFA is fewer than
projected.
II. Federal Award Information
A. Funding Availability:
1. FY 2021 Funding Round: The CDFI Fund expects to award, through
this NOFA, approximately $16.5 million as indicated in the following
table:
Table 2--FY 2021 Funding Round Anticipated Category Amounts
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Estimated Award Amount Estimated Estimate Average
Funding categories (see definition in Table 7 for TA or total amount -------------------------------- number of average amount amount
Table 8 for FA) to be awarded awards for FY awarded in awarded in FY
(millions) Minimum Maximum 2021 FY 2021 2020
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Base-FA................................................. $11.9 $150,000 $1,000,000 23 $517,000 $615,000
Persistent Poverty Counties--Financial Assistance (PPC- 1.6 100,000 300,000 11 145,000 143,750
FA)....................................................
TA...................................................... 3 10,000 $150,000 20 148,000 145,000
Total (Base-FA, PPC-FA, and TA)......................... 16.5 .............. .............. 54 .............. ..............
Disability Funds--Financial Assistance (DF-FA) *........ 3 100,000 500,000 16 187,000 235,000
Healthy Food Financing Initiative--Financial Assistance 22 500,000 5,000,000 14 1,600,000 1,692,000
(HFFI-FA) *............................................
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* DF-FA and HFFI-FA appropriation will be allocated in one competitive round between the NACA and CDFI Program NOFAs.
The CDFI Fund reserves the right to award more or less than the
amounts cited above in each category, based upon available funding and
other factors, as appropriate.
2. Funding Availability for the FY 2021 Funding Round: As of the
date of this NOFA the CDFI Fund is operating under the Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2021 (Pub. L. 116-260).
3. Anticipated Start Date and Period of Performance: The Period of
Performance for TA grants begins with the date of the award
announcement and includes either (i) an Emerging CDFI Recipient's three
full consecutive fiscal years after the date of the award announcement,
or (ii) a Certified CDFI Recipient's two full consecutive fiscal years
after the date of the award announcement, or (iii) a Sponsoring Entity
Recipient's four full years after the date of the award announcement,
during which the Recipient must meet the Performance Goals and Measures
(PG&Ms) set forth in the Assistance Agreement. The Period of
Performance for FA awards begins with the date of the award
announcement and includes a Recipient's three full consecutive fiscal
years after the date of the award announcement, during which time the
Recipient must meet the PG&Ms set forth in the Assistance Agreement.
[[Page 10415]]
B. Types of Awards: Through the NACA Program, the CDFI Fund
provides two types of awards: Financial Assistance (FA) and Technical
Assistance (TA) awards. An Applicant may submit an Application for a TA
grant or an FA award under the NACA Program, but not both. FA Awards
include the Base Financial Assistance (Base-FA) award and the following
awards that are provided as a supplement to the Base-FA award: Healthy
Food Financing Initiative-Financial Assistance (HFFI-FA), Persistent
Poverty Counties-Financial Assistance (PPC-FA), and Disability Funds-
Financial Assistance (DF-FA). The HFFI-FA, PPC-FA, and DF-FA
Applications will be evaluated independently from the Base-FA
Application, and will not affect the Base-FA Application evaluation or
Base-FA award amount.
However, Applicants that qualify for the NACA Program may submit
two Applications: One Application--either for a TA grant or an FA
award, but not both--through the CDFI Program, and one Application--
either for a TA grant or an FA award, but not both--through the NACA
Program. NACA qualified Applicants that choose to apply for awards
through both the CDFI Program and the NACA Program may either apply for
the same type of award under each Program or for a different type of
award under each Program. NACA qualified FA Applicants that choose to
apply for an FA award under both the NACA Program and CDFI Program and
are selected for an award under both Programs will be provided the FA
award under the CDFI Program. NACA qualified TA Applicants that choose
to apply for a TA award under both the NACA Program and CDFI Program
and are selected for an award under both Programs will be provided the
TA award under the NACA Program. NACA qualified Applicants that choose
to apply for a TA award and a FA award under separate programs will be
provided the larger of the two awards. NACA Applicants cannot receive
an award under both Programs within the same funding round.
The Indian Community Economic Enhancement Act of 2020 (Pub. L. 116-
261) permanently waived the Matching Funds \2\ requirement for Native
American CDFIs, \3\ and as a result, Native American CDFI FA Applicants
are not required to provide Matching Funds. Additionally, TA Applicants
are not required to provide Matching Funds.
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\2\ Matching Funds shall mean funds from sources other than the
Federal government as defined in accordance with the CDFI Program
Regulations at 12 CFR 1805.500.
\3\ A Native American CDFI (Native CDFI) is one that Primarily
Serves a Native Community. Primarily Serves is defined as 50% or
more of an Applicant's activities being directed to a Native
Community.
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1. Base-FA Awards: Base-FA awards are provided in the form of a
grant. The CDFI Fund reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to
provide a Base-FA award in an 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.
2. Persistent Poverty Counties--Financial Assistance (PPC-FA)
Awards: PPC-FA awards will be provided as a supplement to Base-FA
awards; therefore, only those Applicants that are selected to receive a
Base-FA award through the NACA Program FY 2021 Funding Round will be
eligible to receive a PPC-FA award. PPC-FA awards are provided in the
form of a grant. The CDFI Fund reserves the right, in its sole
discretion, to provide a PPC-FA award in an 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.
3. Disability Funds--Financial Assistance (DF-FA) Awards: DF-FA
awards will be provided as a supplement to Base-FA awards; therefore,
only those Applicants that have been selected to receive a Base-FA
award through the NACA Program FY 2021 Funding Round will be eligible
to receive a DF-FA award. DF-FA awards are provided in the form of a
grant for Native American CDFIs. The CDFI Fund reserves the right, in
its sole discretion, to provide a DF-FA award in an 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.
4. Healthy Food Financing Initiative--Financial Assistance (HFFI-
FA) Awards: HFFI-FA awards will be provided as a supplement to Base-FA
awards; therefore, only those Applicants that have been selected to
receive a Base-FA award through the NACA Program FY 2021 Funding Round
will be eligible to receive an HFFI-FA award. HFFI-FA awards are
provided in the form of a grant for Native American CDFIs. The CDFI
Fund reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to provide an HFFI-FA
award in an 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.
5. TA Grants: TA is provided in the form of grants. The CDFI Fund
reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to provide a TA grant in an
amount other than that which the Applicant requests; however, the TA
grant amount will not exceed the Applicant's request as stated in its
Application.
C. Eligible Activities:
1. FA Awards: Base-FA, PPC-FA, DF-FA, and HFFI-FA award funds may
be expended for activities serving Commercial Real Estate, Small
Business, Microenterprise, Community Facilities, Consumer Financial
Products, Consumer Financial Services, Commercial Financial Products,
Commercial Financial Services, Affordable Housing, Intermediary Lending
to Non-Profits and CDFIs, and other lines of business as deemed
appropriate by the CDFI Fund in the following five categories: (i)
Financial Products; (ii) Financial Services; (iii) Loan Loss Reserves;
(iv) Development Services; and (v) Capital Reserves. The FA Budget is
the amount of the award and must be expended in the five eligible
activity categories prior to the end of the Budget Period. \4\ None of
the eligible activity categories will be authorized for Indirect Costs
or an associated Indirect Cost Rate. Base-FA Recipients must meet
PG&Ms, which will be derived from projections and attestations provided
by the Applicant in its Application, to achieve one or more of the
following FA Objectives: (i) Increase Volume of Financial Products in
an Eligible Market(s) and/or in the Applicant's approved Target Market
and/or Increase Volume of Financial Services in an Eligible Market(s)
and/or in the Applicant's approved Target Market; (ii) Serve Eligible
Market(s) or the Applicant's approved Target Market in New Geographic
Area or Areas; (iii) Provide New Financial Products in an Eligible
Market(s) and/or in the Applicant's approved Target Market, Provide New
Financial Services in an Eligible Market(s) and/or in the Applicant's
approved Target Market, or Provide New Development Services in an
Eligible Market(s) and/or in the Applicant's approved Target Market;
and (iv) Serve New Targeted Population or Populations. At the end of
each year of the Period of Performance, 50% or more of the Financial
Products closed by NACA Recipients must be in Native Communities. FA
awards may only be used for Direct Costs associated with an eligible
activity; no indirect expenses
[[Page 10416]]
are allowed. Up to 15% of the FA award may be used for Direct
Administrative Expenses associated with an eligible FA activity.
``Direct Administrative Expenses'' shall mean Direct Costs, as
described in 2 CFR 200.413 of the Uniform Requirements, which are
incurred by the Recipient to carry out the Financial Assistance. Direct
Costs incurred to provide Development Services or Financial Services do
not constitute Direct Administrative Expenses.
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\4\ Budget Period means the time interval from the start date of
a funded portion of an award to the end date of that funded portion
during which Recipients are authorized to expend the funds awarded.
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The Recipient must comply, as applicable, with the Buy American Act
of 1933, 41 U.S.C. 8301-8303 and 2 CFR 200.216 of the Uniform
Requirements, \5\ with respect to any Direct Costs. For purposes of
this NOFA, the five eligible activity categories are defined below:
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\5\ 2 CFR 200.216 prohibits Recipients and Subrecipients from
obligating or expending loan or grant funds to procure or obtain, by
contract or otherwise, equipment, services, or systems that use
``covered telecommunications equipment''. As used herein, ``covered
telecommunications equipment'' is telecommunications equipment
produced by Huawei Technologies Company or ZTE Corporation (or any
Subsidiary or Affiliate of such entities).
Table 3--Base-FA, PPC-FA, DF-FA, and HFFI-FA Eligible Activity
Categories
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Eligible CDFI
FA eligible activity FA eligible activity institution
definition * types
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i. Financial Products......... FA expended as loans, All.
Equity Investments
and similar financing
activities (as
determined by the
CDFI Fund) including
the purchase of loans
originated by
Certified CDFIs and
the provision of loan
guarantees. In the
case of CDFI
Intermediaries,
Financial Products
may also include
loans to CDFIs and/or
Emerging CDFIs, and
deposits in Insured
Credit Union CDFIs,
Emerging Insured
Credit Union CDFIs,
and/or State-Insured
Credit Union CDFIs..
For HFFI-FA, however,
the purchase of loans
originated by
Certified CDFIs, loan
refinancing, or any
type of financing for
prepared food outlets
are not eligible
activities..
ii. Financial Services........ FA expended for Regulated
providing checking, Institutions
savings accounts, \6\ only.
check cashing, money Not applicable
orders, certified for HFFI-FA
checks, automated Recipients.
teller machines,
deposit taking, safe
deposit box services,
and other similar
services.
iii. Loan Loss Reserves....... FA set aside in the All.
form of cash
reserves, or through
accounting-based
accrual reserves, to
cover losses on
loans, accounts, and
notes receivable or
for related purposes
that the CDFI Fund
deems appropriate.
iv. Development Services...... FA expended for All.
activities undertaken
by a CDFI, its
Affiliate or
contractor that (i)
promote community
development and (ii)
prepare or assist
current or potential
borrowers or
investees to use the
CDFI's Financial
Products or Financial
Services. For
example, such
activities include
financial or credit
counseling;.
homeownership
counseling; business
planning; and
management
assistance..
v. Capital Reserves........... FA set aside as Regulated
reserves to support Institutions
the Applicant's only.
ability to leverage Not applicable
other capital, for for DF-FA.
such purposes as
increasing its net
assets or providing
financing, or for
related purposes as
the CDFI Fund deems
appropriate.
vi.
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* All FA eligible activities must be in an Eligible Market or the
Applicant's approved Target Market. Eligible Market is defined as (i)
a geographic area meeting the requirements set forth in 12 CFR
1805.201(b)(3)(ii), or (ii) individuals that are Low-Income, African
American, Hispanic, Native American, Native Hawaiians residing in
Hawaii, Alaska Natives residing in Alaska, or Other Pacific Islanders
residing in American Samoa, Guam or the Northern Mariana Islands.
2. DF-FA Award: DF-FA award funds may only be expended for eligible
FA activities (referenced in Table 3) to directly or indirectly benefit
individuals with disabilities. The DF-FA Recipient must close Financial
Products for the primary purpose of directly or indirectly benefiting
people with disabilities, where the majority of the DF-FA supported
loans or investments benefit individuals with disabilities, in an
amount equal to or greater than 85% of the total DF-FA provided.
Eligible DF-FA financing activities may include, among other
activities, loans to develop or purchase affordable, accessible, and
safe housing; loans to provide or facilitate employment opportunities;
and loans to purchase assistive technology.
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\6\ Regulated Institutions include Insured Credit Unions,
Insured Depository Institutions, State-Insured Credit Unions and
Depository Institution Holding Companies.
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For the purposes of DF- FA, a person with a Disability is a person
who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one
or more major life activities, a person who has a history or record of
such an impairment, or a person who is perceived by others as having
such an impairment, as defined by the American Disabilities Act (ADA)
at https://www.ada.gov/cguide.htm.
3. TA Grants: TA grant funds may be expended for the following
eight eligible activity categories: (i) Compensation--Personal
Services; (ii) Compensation--Fringe Benefits; (iii) Professional
Service Costs; (iv) Travel Costs; (v) Training and Education Costs;
(vi) Equipment; (vii) Supplies; and (viii) Incorporation Costs. Only
Sponsoring Entities may use TA grant funds for Incorporation Costs. The
TA Budget is the amount of the award and must be expended in the eight
eligible activity categories before the end of the Budget Period. None
of the eligible activity categories will be authorized for Indirect
Costs or an associated Indirect Cost Rate. Any expenses that are
prohibited by the Uniform Requirements are unallowable and are
generally found in Subpart E-Cost Principles. The Recipient must
comply, as applicable, with the Buy American Act of 1933, 41 U.S.C.
8301-8303 and 2 CFR 200.216 of the Uniform Requirements, with respect
to any Direct Costs. For purposes of this
[[Page 10417]]
NOFA, the eight eligible activity categories are defined below:
Table 4--TA Eligible Activity Categories, Subject to the Applicable
Provisions of the Uniform Requirements
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(i) Compensation--Personal TA paid to cover all remuneration paid
Services. currently or accrued, for services of
Applicant's employees rendered during
the Period of Performance under the TA
grant in accordance with Sec. 200.430
of the Uniform Requirements.
Any work performed directly but unrelated
to the purposes of the TA grant may not
be paid as Compensation through a TA
grant. For example, the salaries for
building maintenance would not carry out
the purpose of a TA grant and would be
deemed unallowable.
(ii) Compensation--Fringe TA paid to cover allowances and services
Benefits. provided by the Applicant to its
employees as Compensation in addition to
regular salaries and wages, in
accordance with Sec. 200.431 of the
Uniform Requirements. Such expenditures
are allowable as long as they are made
under formally established and
consistently applied organizational
policies of the Applicant.
(iii) Professional Service TA used to pay for professional and
Costs. consultant services (e.g., such as
strategic and marketing plan
development), rendered by persons who
are members of a particular profession
or possess a special skill (e.g., credit
analysis, portfolio management), and who
are not officers or employees of the
Applicant, in accordance with Sec.
200.459 of the Uniform Requirements.
Payment for a consultant's services may
not exceed the current maximum of the
daily equivalent rate paid to an
Executive Schedule Level IV Federal
employee. Professional and consultant
services must build the capacity of the
CDFI. For example, professional services
that provide direct Development Services
to the customers does not build the
capacity of the CDFI to provide those
services and would not be eligible. The
Applicant must comply, as applicable,
with 2 CFR 200.216 of the Uniform
Requirements, with respect to payment of
Professional Service Costs.
(iv) Travel Costs............ TA used to pay costs of transportation,
lodging, subsistence, and related items
incurred by the Applicant's personnel
who are on travel status on business
related to the TA award, in accordance
with Sec. 200.475 of the Uniform
Requirements. Travel Costs do not
include costs incurred by the
Applicant's consultants who are on
travel status. Any payments for travel
expenses incurred by the Applicant's
personnel but unrelated to carrying out
the purpose of the TA grant would be
deemed unallowable. As such,
documentation must be maintained that
justifies the travel as necessary to the
TA grant.
(v) Training and Education TA used to pay the cost of training and
Costs. education provided by the Applicant for
employees' development in accordance
with Sec. 200.473 of the Uniform
Requirements. TA can only be used to pay
for training costs incurred by the
Applicant's employees. Training and
Education Costs may not be incurred by
the Applicant's consultants.
(vi) Equipment............... TA used to pay for tangible personal
property, having a useful life of more
than one year and a per-unit acquisition
cost of at least $5,000, in accordance
with Sec. 200.1 of the Uniform
Requirements. For example, items such as
office furnishings and information
technology systems are allowable as
Equipment costs. The Applicant must
comply, as applicable, with the Buy
American Act of 1933, 41 U.S.C. 8301-
8303 and 2 CFR 200.216 of the Uniform
Requirements, with respect to the
purchase of Equipment.
(vii) Supplies............... TA used to pay for tangible personal
property with a per unit acquisition
cost of less than $5,000 in accordance
with Sec. 200.1 of the Uniform
Requirements. For example, a desktop
computer costing $1,000 is allowable as
a Supply cost. The Applicant must
comply, as applicable, with the Buy
American Act of 1933, 41 U.S.C. 8301-
8303 and 2 CFR 200.216 of the Uniform
Requirements, with respect to the
purchase of Supplies.
(viii) Incorporation Costs TA used to pay for incorporation fees in
(Sponsoring Entities only). connection with the establishment or
reorganization of an organization as a
CDFI, in accordance with Sec. 200.455
of the Uniform Requirements.
Incorporation Costs are allowable for
NACA Program Sponsoring Entity
Applicants only.
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4. HFFI-FA Award: HFFI-FA award funds may only be expended for
eligible FA activities referenced in Table 3. The HFFI-FA investments
must comply with the following guidelines:
a. Recipient must close Financial Products for Healthy Food Retail
Outlets and Healthy Food Non-Retail Outlets in its approved Target
Market in an amount equal to or greater than 100% of the total HFFI
Financial Assistance provided. Eligible financing activities to Healthy
Food Retail Outlets and Healthy Food Non-Retail Outlets require that
the majority of the loan or investment be devoted to offering a range
of Healthy Food choices, which may include, among other activities,
investments supporting an existing retail store or wholesale operation
upgrade to offer an expanded range of Healthy Food choices, or
supporting a nonprofit organization that expands the availability of
Healthy Foods in underserved areas.
b. Recipient must demonstrate that it has closed Financial Products
to Healthy Food Retail Outlets located in Food Deserts in the
Recipient's approved Target Market in an amount equal to 75% of the
total HFFI Financial Assistance provided.
Definitions:
Healthy Foods: Healthy Foods include unprepared nutrient-dense
foods and beverages as set forth in the USDA Dietary Guidelines for
Americans 2020-2025 including whole fruits and vegetables, whole
grains, fat free or low-fat dairy foods, lean meats and poultry (fresh,
refrigerated, frozen or canned). Healthy Foods should have low or no
added sugars, and be low-sodium, reduced sodium, or no-salt-added. (See
USDA Dietary Guidelines: http://www.dietaryguidelines.gov).
Healthy Food Retail Outlets: Commercial sellers of Healthy Foods
including, but not limited to, grocery stores, mobile food retailers,
farmers markets, retail cooperatives, corner stores, bodegas, stores
that sell other food and non-food items along with a range of Healthy
Foods.
Healthy Food Non-Retail Outlets: Wholesalers of Healthy Foods
including, but not limited to, wholesale food outlets, wholesale
cooperatives, or other non-retail food producers that supply for sale a
range of Healthy Food options; entities that produce or distribute
Healthy Foods for eventual retail sale, and entities that provide
consumer education regarding the consumption of Healthy Foods.
[[Page 10418]]
Food Deserts: Distressed geographic areas where either a
substantial number or share of residents has low access to a
supermarket or large grocery store. For the purpose of satisfying this
requirement, a Food Desert must either: (1) Be a census tract
determined to be a Food Desert by the U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA), in its USDA Food Access Research Atlas; (2) be a census tract
adjacent to a census tract determined to be a Food Desert by the USDA,
in its USDA Food Access Research Atlas; which has a median family
income less than or equal to 120% of the applicable Area Median Family
Income; or (3) be a Geographic Unit as defined in 12 CFR
1805.201(b)(3)(ii)(B), which (i) individually meets at least one of the
criteria in 12 CFR 1805.201(b)(3)(ii)(D), and (ii) has been identified
as having low access to a supermarket or grocery store through a
methodology that has been adopted for use by another governmental or
philanthropic healthy food initiative.
5. PPC-FA Award: PPC-FA award funds may only be expended for
eligible FA activities referenced in Table 3. The PPC-FA Recipient must
close Financial Products in PPC in an Eligible Market or in the
Applicant's approved Target Market in an amount equal to or greater
than 100% of the total PPC Financial Assistance provided. The specific
counties that meet the criteria for ``persistent poverty'' can be found
at: https://www.cdfifund.gov/Documents/CDFIPPCFeb19-2020.xls.
III. Eligibility Information
A. Eligible Applicants: For the purposes of this NOFA, the
following tables set forth the eligibility criteria to receive an award
from the CDFI Fund, along with certain definitions of terms. There are
four categories of Applicant eligibility criteria: (1) CDFI
certification criteria (Table 5); (2) requirements that apply to all
Applicants (Table 6); (3) requirements that apply to TA Applicants
(Table 7); and (4) requirements that apply to FA Applicants (Table 8).
Table 5--CDFI Certification Criteria Definitions
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Certified CDFI.................... An entity that the CDFI
Fund has officially notified that
it meets all CDFI certification
requirements.
Emerging CDFI (TA Applicants)..... A non-Certified entity that
demonstrates to the CDFI Fund in
its Application that it has an
acceptable plan to meet CDFI
certification requirements by the
end of its Period of Performance,
or another date that the CDFI Fund
selects.
An Emerging CDFI that has
prior award(s) must comply with
CDFI certification PG&M(s) stated
in its prior Assistance
Agreement(s).
An Emerging CDFI selected
to receive a TA grant will be
required to become a Certified CDFI
by a date specified in the
Assistance Agreement.
Sponsoring Entity................. Sponsoring Entities include
any legal organization that
primarily serves a Native Community
with ''primary'' meaning, at least
50% of its activities are directed
toward the Native Community.
An eligible organization
that proposes to create a separate
legal organization that will become
a Certified CDFI serving Native
Communities.
Each Sponsoring Entity
selected to receive a TA grant will
be required to create a CDFI and
ensure that this newly created CDFI
becomes certified by the dates
specified in the Assistance
Agreement.
Definition of Native Other The CDFI Fund uses the following
Targeted Population as Target definitions, set forth in the
Market. 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:
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; and
Native Hawaiian (living
in Hawaii): A person having
origins in any of the original
peoples of Hawaii.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table 6--Eligibility Requirements for All Applicants
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Applicant......................... Only the entity that will
carry out the proposed award
activities may apply for an award
(other than Depository Institution
Holding Companies (DIHC) \7\--see
below and Sponsoring Entities).
Recipients may not create a new
legal entity to carry out the
proposed award activities (except
for Sponsoring Entities).
The information in the
Application should only reflect the
activities of the Applicant,
including the presentation of
financial and portfolio
information. Do not include
financial or portfolio information
from parent companies, Affiliates,
or Subsidiaries in the Application
unless it relates to the provision
of Development Services.
An Applicant that applies
on behalf of another organization
will be rejected without further
consideration, other than
Depository Institution Holding
Companies (see below).
Application type and submission Applicants must submit the
overview through Grants.gov and Required Application Documents
Awards Management Information listed in Table 10.
System (AMIS). The CDFI Fund will only
accept Applications that use the
official Application templates
provided on the Grants.gov and AMIS
websites. Applications submitted
with alternative or altered
templates will not be considered.
Applicants undergo a two-
step process that requires the
submission of Application documents
by two separate deadlines in two
different locations: (1) The SF-424
in Grants.gov and (2) all other
Required Application Documents in
AMIS.
Grants.gov and the SF-424:
[cir] Grants.gov: Applicants must
submit the Standard Form (SF) SF-
424, Application for Federal
Assistance.
[cir] All Applicants must
register in the Grants.gov
system to successfully submit an
Application. The Grants.gov
registration process can take 30
days or more to complete. The
CDFI Fund strongly encourages
Applicants to register as early
as possible.
[cir] The CDFI Fund will not
extend the SF-424 application
deadline for any Applicant that
started the Grants.gov
registration process on, before,
or after the date of the
publication of this NOFA, but
did not complete it by the
deadline except in the case of a
Federal government
administrative or technological
error that directly resulted in
a late submission of the SF-424.
[[Page 10419]]
[cir] The SF-424 must be
submitted in Grants.gov on or
before the deadline listed in
Table 1 and Table 12. Applicants
are strongly encouraged to
submit their SF-424 as early as
possible in the Grants.gov
portal.
[cir] The deadline for the
Grants.gov submission is before
the AMIS submission deadline.
[cir] The SF-424 must be
submitted under the NACA Program
Funding Opportunity Number for
the NACA Program Application.
NACA Program Applicants should
be careful to not select the
CDFI Program Funding Opportunity
Number when submitting their SF-
424 for the NACA Program. NACA
Program Applicants that submit
their SF-424 for the NACA
Program Application under the
CDFI Program Funding Opportunity
Number will be deemed ineligible
for the NACA Program
Application.
[cir] If the SF-424 is not
accepted by Grants.gov by the
deadline, the CDFI Fund will not
review any material submitted in
AMIS and the Application will be
deemed ineligible.
AMIS and all other Required
Application Documents listed in
Table 10:
[cir] AMIS is an enterprise-wide
information technology system.
Applicants will use AMIS to
submit and store organization
and Application information with
the CDFI Fund.
[cir] Applicants are only allowed
one NACA Program Application
submission in AMIS.
[cir] Each Application in AMIS
must be signed by an Authorized
Representative.
[cir] Applicants must ensure that
the Authorized Representative is
an employee or officer of the
Applicant, authorized to sign
legal documents on behalf of the
organization. Consultants
working on behalf of the
organization may not be
designated as Authorized
Representatives.
[cir] Only the Authorized
Representative or Application
Point of Contact, included in
the Application, may submit the
Application in AMIS.
[cir] All Required Application
Documents must be submitted in
AMIS on or before the deadline
specified in Tables 1 and 12.
[cir] The CDFI Fund will not
extend the deadline for any
Applicant except in the case of
a Federal government
administrative or technological
error that directly resulted in
the late submission of the
Application in AMIS.
Employer Identification Number Applicants must have a
(EIN). unique EIN assigned by the Internal
Revenue Service (IRS).
The CDFI Fund will reject
an Application submitted with the
EIN of a parent or Affiliate
organization.
The EIN in the Applicant's
AMIS account must match the EIN in
the Applicant's System for Award
Management (SAM) account. The CDFI
Fund reserves the right to reject
an Application if the EIN in the
Applicant's AMIS account does not
match the EIN in its SAM account.
Applicants must enter their
EIN into their AMIS profile on or
before the deadline specified in
Tables 1 and 12.
Dun & Bradstreet, (DUNS) number... Pursuant to OMB guidance
(68 FR 38402), an Applicant must
apply using its unique DUNS number
in Grants.gov.
The CDFI Fund will reject
an Application submitted with the
DUNS number of a parent or
Affiliate organization.
The DUNS number in the
Applicant's AMIS account must match
the DUNS number in the Applicant's
Grants.gov and SAM accounts. The
CDFI Fund will reject an
Application if the DUNS number in
the Applicant's AMIS account does
not match the DUNS number in its
Grants.gov and SAM accounts.
Applicants must enter their
DUNS number into their AMIS profile
on or before the deadline specified
in Tables 1 and 12.
System for Award Management (SAM). SAM is a web-based,
government-wide application that
collects, validates, stores, and
disseminates business information
about the federal government's
trading partners in support of the
contract awards, grants, and
electronic payment processes.
Applicants must register in
SAM as part of the Grants.gov
registration process.
Applicants must have a DUNS
number and an EIN number in order
to register in SAM.
Applicants must be
registered in SAM in order to
submit an SF-424 in Grants.gov.
The CDFI Fund reserves the
right to deem an Application
ineligible if the Applicant's SAM
account expires during the
Application evaluation period, or
is set to expire before September
30, 2021, and the Applicant does
not re-activate, or renew, as
applicable, the account within the
deadlines that the CDFI Fund
communicates to affected Applicants
during the Application evaluation
period.
AMIS Account...................... Each Applicant must
register as an organization in AMIS
and submit all Required Application
Documents listed in Table 10
through the AMIS portal.
The Application of any
organization that does not properly
register in AMIS by the deadline
set forth in Table 1--FY 2021 NACA
Program Funding Round Critical
Deadlines for Applicants--will be
rejected without further
consideration.
The Authorized
Representative and/or Application
Point of Contact must be included
as ``users'' in the Applicant's
AMIS account.
An Applicant that fails to
properly register and update its
AMIS account may miss important
communication from the CDFI Fund
and/or may not be able to
successfully submit an Application.
501 (c)(4) status................. Pursuant to 2 U.S.C. 1611,
any 501(c)(4) organization that
engages in lobbying activities is
not eligible to receive a CDFI or
NACA Program award.
Compliance with Nondiscrimination An Applicant may not be
and Equal Opportunity Statutes, eligible to receive an award if
Regulations, and Executive Orders. proceedings have been instituted
against it in, by, or before any
court, governmental agency, or
administrative body, and a final
determination within the last three
years indicates the Applicant has
violated any of the following laws,
including but not limited to: Title
VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,
as amended (42 U.S.C.2000d);
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation
Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794); the
Age Discrimination Act of 1975, (42
U.S.C. 6101-6107), and Executive
Order 13166, Improving Access to
Services for Persons with Limited
English Proficiency.
Depository Institution Holding In the case where a CDFI
Company Applicant. Depository Institution Holding
Company Applicant intends to carry
out the activities of an award
through its Subsidiary CDFI Insured
Depository Institution, the
Application must be submitted by
the CDFI Depository Institution
Holding Company and reflect the
activities and financial
performance of the Subsidiary CDFI
Insured Depository Institution.
[[Page 10420]]
Authorized Representatives
of both the Depository Institution
Holding Company and the Subsidiary
CDFI Insured Depository Institution
must certify that the information
included in the Application
represents that of the Subsidiary
CDFI Insured Depository
Institution, and that the award
funds will be used to support the
Subsidiary CDFI Insured Depository
Institution for the eligible
activities outlined in the
Application.
Use of award...................... All awards made through
this NOFA must be used to support
the Applicant's activities in at
least one of the FA or TA Eligible
Activity Categories (see Section
II. (C)).
With the exception of
Depository Institution Holding
Company Applicants, awards may not
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, unless done pursuant to a
merger or acquisition or similar
transaction, and with the CDFI
Fund's prior written consent. The
Recipient of any award made through
this NOFA must comply, as
applicable, with the Buy American
Act of 1933, 41 U.S.C. 8301-8303
and 2 CFR 200.216 of the Uniform
Requirements, with respect to any
Direct Costs.
Requested award amount............ An Applicant must state its
requested award amount in the
Application in AMIS. An Applicant
that does not include this amount
will not be allowed to submit an
Application.
Pending resolution of The CDFI Fund will consider
noncompliance. an Application submitted by an
Applicant that has pending
noncompliance issues on any of its
previously executed award
agreement(s), if the CDFI Fund has
not yet made a final compliance
determination.
Noncompliance or default status... The CDFI Fund will not
consider an Application submitted
by an Applicant that has a
previously executed award
agreement(s) if, as of the date of
the Application, (i) the CDFI Fund
has made a final determination that
such entity is noncompliant or
found in default with a previously
executed agreement, and (ii) the
CDFI Fund has provided written
notification that such entity is
ineligible to apply for or receive
any future CDFI Fund awards or
allocations. Such entities will be
ineligible to submit an Application
for such time period as specified
by the CDFI Fund in writing.
The CDFI Fund will not
consider any Applicant that has
defaulted on a loan from the CDFI
Fund within five years of the
Application deadline.
Debarment/Do Not Pay Verification. The CDFI Fund will conduct
a debarment check and will not
consider an Application submitted
by an Applicant (or Affiliate of an
Applicant) if the Applicant is
delinquent on any Federal debt.
The Do Not Pay Business
Center was developed to support
Federal agencies in their efforts
to reduce the number of improper
payments made through programs
funded by the Federal government.
The Do Not Pay Business Center
provides delinquency information to
the CDFI Fund to assist with the
debarment check.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\7\ Depository Institution Holding Company or DIHC means a Bank
Holding Company or a Savings and Loan Holding Company.
Table 7--Eligibility Requirements for TA Applicants
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
CDFI certification status......... Certified CDFIs, Emerging CDFIs, or
Sponsoring Entities (see
definitions in Table 5).
Matching Funds.................... Matching Funds
documentation is not required for
TA awards.
Limitation on Awards.............. An Emerging CDFI serving
Native Communities may not receive
more than three TA awards as an
uncertified CDFI.
A Sponsoring Entity is only
eligible to apply for an award if
(i) it does not have an active
prior award or (ii) the
certification goal in its active
award's Assistance Agreement has
been satisfied and it proposes to
create another CDFI that will serve
one or more Native Communities.
Proposed Activities............... Applicants must propose to
directly undertake eligible
activities with TA awards. For
example, an uncertified CDFI
Applicant must propose to become
certified as part of its
Application and a Certified CDFI
Applicant must propose activities
that build its capacity to serve
its Target Market or an Eligible
Market.
With the exception of
Sponsoring Entities, Applicants may
not propose to use a TA award to
create a separate legal entity to
become a Certified CDFI or
otherwise carry out the TA award
activities.
Regulated Institution............. Each Regulated Institution
TA Applicant must have a CAMELS/
CAMEL rating (rating for banks and
credit unions, respectively) or
equivalent type of rating by its
regulator (collectively referred to
as ``CAMELS/CAMEL rating'') of at
least ``4''.
TA Applicants with CAMELS/
CAMEL ratings of ``5'' will not be
eligible for awards.
The CDFI Fund will also
evaluate material concerns
identified by the Appropriate
Federal Banking Agency in
determining the eligibility of
Regulated Institution Applicants.
Target Market..................... TA Applicants must
demonstrate that the Certified
CDFI, Emerging CDFI, or the CDFI to
be created by the Sponsoring Entity
will primarily serve one or more
Native Communities as its Target
Market.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table 8--Eligibility Requirements for FA Applicants
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
CDFI certification status......... Each FA Applicant must be a
Certified CDFI prior to the date of
the release of this NOFA.
The CDFI Fund will consider
an Application submitted by an
Applicant that has pending
noncompliance issues with its
Annual Certification Report if the
CDFI Fund has not yet made a final
compliance determination.
If a Certified CDFI loses
its certification at any point
prior to the award announcement,
the Application will no longer be
considered by the CDFI Fund.
Activities in Native Communities.. For consideration under
this NOFA, each FA Applicant must:
[[Page 10421]]
[cir] Demonstrate that at least
50% of its past activities were
in one or more Native
Communities; and
[cir] Describe how it will target
its lending/investing activities
to one or more Native
Communities.
Target Market..................... For consideration under
this NOFA, an FA Applicant's
certification Target Market must
have one or more of the following
characteristics:
[cir] For qualifying with an
Investment Area, the Applicant
must demonstrate that the
Investment Area approved for
certification is also a
geographic area of Federally-
designated reservations,
Hawaiian homelands, Alaska
Native Villages and U.S. Census
Bureau designated Tribal
Statistical Areas; and/or
[cir] For qualifying with an
Other Targeted Population (OTP),
the applicant's Target Market
approved for certification must
be an OTP of Native Americans or
American Indians, including
Alaska Natives living in Alaska
and Native Hawaiians living in
Hawaii.
Any FA Applicant whose
certification Target Market does
not meet either of the conditions
above will not be eligible for an
FA award under this NOFA.
Community Collaboration........... All FA Applicants must
demonstrate strong community
collaboration with Native
Communities.
Matching Funds documentation...... Native American CDFIs are
not required to provide Matching
Funds.
$5 Million funding cap............ The CDFI Fund is prohibited
from obligating more than $5
million in CDFI and NACA Program
awards, in the aggregate, to any
one organization and its
Subsidiaries and Affiliates during
any three-year period from the
Announcement Date.
For TA Applicants, for
purposes of this NOFA and per final
FY 2021 appropriations language,
the CDFI Fund will include CDFI and
NACA Program final awards in the
cap calculation that were provided
to an Applicant (and/or its
Subsidiaries or Affiliates) under
the FY 2019, and 2020 funding
rounds, as well as the requested FY
2021 award, excluding DF-FA and
HFFI-FA awards.
For FA Applicants, for
purposes of this NOFA and per final
FY 2021 appropriations language,
the CDFI Fund will include CDFI and
NACA Program final awards in the
cap calculation that were provided
to an Applicant (and/or its
Subsidiaries or Affiliates) under
the FY 2019 and 2020 funding
rounds, as well as the requested FY
2021 award, excluding DF-FA and
HFFI-FA awards.
FA Applicants with Community A NACA Applicant can apply
Partners. for assistance jointly with a
Community Partner. The CDFI
Applicant must complete the NACA
Program Application and address the
Community Partnership in its
business plan and other sections of
the Application as specified in the
Application materials.
The CDFI Applicant must be
a Certified CDFI as defined in
Table 5.
An Application with a
Community Partner must:
[cir] Describe how the NACA
Applicant and Community Partner
will each participate in the
partnership and how the
partnership will enhance
eligible activities serving the
Investment Area and/or Targeted
Population.
[cir] Demonstrate that the
Community Partnership activities
are consistent with the
strategic plan submitted by the
NACA Applicant.
Assistance provided upon
approval of an Application with a
Community Partner shall only be
entrusted to the NACA Applicant and
shall not be used to fund any
activity carried out directly by
the Community Partner or an
Affiliate or Subsidiary thereof.
Regulated Institution............. Each Regulated Institution
FA Applicant must have a CAMELS/
CAMEL rating (rating for banks and
credit unions, respectively) or
equivalent type of rating by its
regulator (collectively referred to
as ``CAMELS/CAMEL rating'') of at
least ``3''.
FA Applicants with CAMELS/
CAMEL ratings of ``4 or 5'' will
not be eligible for awards.
The CDFI Fund will also
evaluate material concerns
identified by the Appropriate
Federal Banking Agency in
determining the eligibility of
Regulated Institution Applicants.
PPC-FA............................ All PPC-FA Applicants must:
[cir] Submit a CDFI or NACA
Program FA Application;
[cir] Meet all NACA FA award
eligibility requirements; and
[cir] Provide a PPC-FA award
request amount in AMIS.
DF-FA............................. All DF-FA Applicants must:
[cir] Submit a CDFI or NACA
Program FA Application;
[cir] Meet all NACA FA award
eligibility requirements;
[cir] Submit the DF-FA
Application; and
[cir] Provide a DF-FA award
request amount in AMIS.
HFFI-FA........................... All HFFI-FA Applicants
must:
[cir] Submit a CDFI or NACA
Program FA Application;
[cir] Meet all NACA FA award
eligibility requirements;
[cir] Submit the HFFI-FA
Application; and
[cir] Provide a HFFI-FA award
request amount in AMIS.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
B. Matching Funds Requirements: Native American CDFIs are not
required to provide Matching Funds.
Table 9--Reserved
[[Page 10422]]
IV. Application and Submission Information
A. Address to Request an Application Package: Application materials
can be found on the CDFI Fund's website at www.cdfifund.gov/programs-training/Programs/native-initiatives. Applicants may request a paper
version of any Application material by contacting the CDFI Fund Help
Desk at [email protected]. Paper versions of Application
materials will only be provided if an Applicant cannot access the CDFI
Fund's website.
B. Content and Form of Application Submission: All Applications
must be prepared using the English language, and calculations must be
computed in U.S. dollars. The following table lists the Required
Application Documents for the FY 2021 Funding Round. The CDFI Fund
reserves the right to request and review other pertinent or public
information that has not been specifically requested in this NOFA or
the Application. Information submitted by the Applicant that the CDFI
Fund has not specifically requested will not be reviewed or considered
as part of the Application. Financial data, portfolio, and activity
information provided in the Application should only include the
Applicant's activities. Information submitted must accurately reflect
the Applicant's activities.
Table 10--Required Application Documents
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Application documents Applicant type Submission format
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Active AMIS Account............. All Applicants.... AMIS.
SF-424.......................... All Applicants.... Fillable PDF in
Grants.gov.
NACA Program Application All Applicants.... AMIS.
Components:.
Funding Application
Detail.
Data, Charts, and
Narrative sections as
listed in AMIS and outlined
in Application materials.
PPC-FA Application Components:.. PPC-FA Applicants. AMIS.
Funding Application
Detail
Narratives
AMIS Charts
DF-FA Application Components:... DF-FA Applicants.. AMIS.
Funding Application
Detail.
Narratives.
AMIS Charts.
HFFI-FA Application Components:. HFFI-FA Applicants AMIS.
Funding Application
Detail.
Narratives.
AMIS charts.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
ATTACHMENTS TO THE APPLICATION: Add to ``Related Attachments'' related
list in Application
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Key Staff Resumes............... All Applicants.... PDF or Word
document in AMIS.
Organizational Chart............ All Applicants.... PDF in AMIS.
Audited financial statements for FA Applicants: PDF in AMIS.
the Applicant's Three Most Loan funds,
Recent Historic Fiscal Years. Venture Capital
Funds,\8\ and
other non-
Regulated
Institutions.
TA Applicants, if
available: loan
funds, Venture
Capital Funds,
and other non-
Regulated
Institutions.
Management Letter for the FA Applicants: PDF in AMIS.
Applicant's Most Recent Loan funds,
Historic Fiscal Year. Venture Capital
The Management Letter is Funds, and other
prepared by the Applicant's non-Regulated
auditor and is a communication Institutions.
on internal control over TA Applicants, if
financial reporting, audited financial
compliance, and other matters. statements are
The Management Letter contains available: Loan
the auditor's findings funds, Venture
regarding the Applicant's Capital Funds,
accounting policies and and other non-
procedures, internal controls, Regulated
and operating policies, Institutions.
including any material
weaknesses, significant
deficiencies, and other matters
identified during auditing. The
Management Letter may include
suggestions for improving on
identified weaknesses and
deficiencies and/or best
practice suggestions for items
that may not be considered to
be weaknesses or deficiencies.
The Management Letter may also
include items that are not
required to be disclosed in the
annual audited financial
statements. The Management
Letter is distinct from the
auditor's Opinion Letter, which
is required by Generally
Accepted Accounting Principles
(GAAP). Management Letters are
not required by GAAP, and are
sometimes provided by the
auditor as a separate letter
from the audit itself.
Statement(s) in Lieu of FA Applicants: AMIS.
Management Letter for Loan funds,
Applicant's Most Recent Venture Capital
Historic Fiscal Year issued by Funds, and other
the Board Treasurer or other non-Regulated
Board member using the template Institutions.
provided in the Application TA Applicants, if
materials (required only if audited financial
Management Letters are not statements ARE
available for audited financial available but the
statements). Management
Letters are NOT
available: Loan
funds, Venture
Capital Funds,
and other non-
Regulated
Institutions.
Unaudited financial statements TA Applicants: PDF in AMIS.
for Applicant's Three Most Loan funds,
Recent Historic Years (required Venture Capital
only if audited financial Funds, and other
statements are not available). non-Regulated
Institutions.
[[Page 10423]]
Current Year to Date--December FA and TA PDF in AMIS.
31, 2020 Unaudited financial Applicants: Loan
statements. funds, Venture
Capital Funds,
and other non-
Regulated
Institutions.
Community Partnership Agreement. FA Applicants, if PDF or Word
applicable. document in AMIS.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
C. Application Submission: The CDFI Fund has a two-step process
that requires the submission of Required Application Documents (listed
in Table 10) on separate deadlines and locations. The SF-424 must be
submitted through Grants.gov and all other Required Application
Documents through the AMIS portal. The CDFI Fund will not accept
Applications via email, mail, facsimile, or other forms of
communication, except in extremely rare circumstances that have been
pre-approved in writing by the CDFI Fund. The deadline for submitting
the SF-424 is listed in Tables 1 and 12.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\8\ A Venture Capital Fund is an organization that predominantly
invests funds in businesses, typically in the form of either Equity
Investments or subordinated debt with equity features such as
revenue participation or warrants, and generally seeks to
participate in the upside returns of such businesses in an effort to
at least partially offset the risk of its investments.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
All Applicants must register in the Grants.gov system to
successfully submit the SF-424. The Grants.gov registration process can
take 45 days or longer to complete and the CDFI Fund strongly
encourages Applicants to start the Grants.gov registration process as
early as possible (refer to the following link: http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/register.html). Since the Grants.gov registration process
requires Applicants to have DUNS and EIN numbers, Applicants without
these required numbers should allow for additional time to complete the
Grants.gov registration process. Further, as described in Section IV.
(E) of this NOFA, new requirements for registration in the System for
Awards Management (SAM), which is required as part of the Grants.gov
registration process, may take more time than in recent years. The CDFI
Fund will not extend the Application deadline for any Applicant that
started the Grants.gov registration process but did not complete it by
the deadline. An Applicant that has previously registered with
Grants.gov must verify that its registration is current and active.
Applicants should contact Grants.gov directly with questions related to
the registration or submission process as the CDFI Fund does not
maintain the Grants.gov system.
Each Application must be signed by a designated Authorized
Representative in AMIS before it can be submitted. Applicants must
ensure that an Authorized Representative is an employee or officer and
is authorized to sign legal documents on behalf of the Applicant.
Consultants working on behalf of the Applicant may not be designated as
Authorized Representatives. Only a designated Authorized Representative
or Application Point of Contact, included in the Application, may
submit the Application in AMIS. If an Authorized Representative or
Application Point of Contact does not submit the Application, the
Application will be deemed ineligible.
D. Dun & Bradstreet Universal Numbering System: Pursuant to the
Uniform Requirements, each Applicant must provide as part of its
Application submission, a Dun and Bradstreet Universal Numbering System
(DUNS) number. Applicants without a DUNS number will not be able to
register and submit an Application in the Grants.gov system. Allow
sufficient time for Dun & Bradstreet to respond to inquiries and/or
requests for DUNS numbers.
E. System for Award Management (SAM): Any entity applying for
Federal grants or other forms of Federal financial assistance through
Grants.gov must be registered in SAM before submitting its Application.
Registration in SAM is required as part of the Grants.gov registration
process. The SAM registration process may take one month or longer to
complete. A signed notarized letter identifying the SAM authorized
entity administrator for the entity associated with the DUNS number is
required. This requirement is applicable to new entities registering in
SAM, as well as to existing entities with registrations being updated
or renewed in SAM. Applicants without DUNS and/or EIN numbers should
allow for additional time as an Applicant cannot register in SAM
without those required numbers. Applicants that have previously
completed the SAM registration process must verify that their SAM
accounts are current and active. Each Applicant must continue to
maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all
times during which it has an active Federal award or an Application
under consideration by a Federal awarding agency. The CDFI Fund will
deem ineligible any Applicant that fails to properly register or
activate its SAM account and, as a result, is unable to submit the SF-
424 in Grants.gov or Application in AMIS by the applicable Application
deadlines. These restrictions also apply to organizations that have not
yet received a DUNS or EIN number. Applicants must contact SAM directly
with questions related to registration or SAM account changes as the
CDFI Fund does not maintain this system and has no ability to make
changes or correct errors of any kind. For more information about SAM,
visit https://www.sam.gov.
Table 11_Grants.gov Registration Timeline Summary
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Estimated minimum
Step Agency time to complete
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Obtain a DUNS number............ Dun & Bradstreet.. One (1) Week. *
Obtain an EIN Number............ Internal Revenue Two (2) Weeks. *
Service (IRS).
Register in SAM.gov............. System for Award Four (4) Weeks. *
Management
(SAM.gov).
[[Page 10424]]
Register in Grants.gov.......... Grants.gov........ One (1) Week. **
------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Applicants are advised that the stated durations are estimates only
and represent minimum timeframes. Actual timeframes may take longer.
The CDFI Fund will deem ineligible any Applicant that fails to
properly register or activate its SAM account, has not yet received a
DUNS or EIN number, and/or fails to properly register in Grants.gov.
** This estimate assumes an Applicant has a DUNS number, an EIN number,
and is already registered in SAM.gov.
F. Submission Dates and Times:
1. Submission Deadlines: The following table provides the critical
deadlines for the FY 2021 Funding Round.
Table 12--FY 2021 NACA Program Funding Round Critical Deadlines for Applicants
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Description Deadline Time (eastern time--ET) Submission method
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Last day to create an Awards March 22, 2021............ 11:59 p.m................. AMIS.
Management Information Systems
(AMIS) Account (all Applicants).
Last day to enter EIN and DUNS March 22, 2021............ 11:59 p.m................. AMIS.
numbers in AMIS (all Applicants).
Last day to submit SF-424 March 22, 2021............ 11:59 p.m................. Electronically via
(Application for Federal Grants.gov.
Assistance).
Last day to contact NACA Program April 29, 2021............ 5:00 p.m.................. Service Request via
staff. AMIS
Or CDFI Fund
Helpdesk:
202-653-0421.
Last day to contact AMIS-IT Help May 3, 2021............... 5:00 p.m.................. Service Request via
Desk (regarding AMIS technical AMIS
problems only). Or 202-653-0422 Or
[email protected]
Last day to submit NACA Program May 3, 2021............... 11:59 p.m................. AMIS.
Application for Financial
Assistance (FA) or Technical
Assistance (TA).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Confirmation of Application Submission in Grants.gov and AMIS:
Applicants are required to submit the SF-424, Application for Federal
Assistance through the Grants.gov system, under the NACA Program
Funding Opportunity Number by the applicable deadline. All other
Required Application Documents (listed in Table 10) must be submitted
through the AMIS website by the applicable deadline. Applicants must
submit the SF-424 prior to submitting the Application in AMIS. If the
SF-424 is not successfully accepted by Grants.gov by the deadline, the
CDFI Fund will not review the Application submitted in AMIS, and the
Application will be deemed ineligible.
a. Grants.gov Submission Information: Each Applicant will receive
an email from Grants.gov immediately after submitting the SF-424
confirming that the submission has entered the Grants.gov system. This
email will contain a tracking number for the submitted SF-424. Within
48 hours, the Applicant will receive a second email, which will
indicate if the submitted SF-424 was either successfully validated or
rejected with errors. However, Applicants should not rely on the email
notification from Grants.gov to confirm that their SF-424 was
validated. Applicants are strongly encouraged to use the tracking
number provided in the first email to closely monitor the status of
their SF-424 by contacting the helpdesk at Grants.gov directly. The
Application material submitted in AMIS is not officially accepted by
the CDFI Fund until Grants.gov has validated the SF-424.
b. AMIS Submission Information: AMIS is a web-based portal where
Applicants will directly enter their Application information and add
the required attachments listed in Table 10. AMIS will verify that the
Applicant provided the minimum information required to submit an
Application. Applicants are responsible for the quality and accuracy of
the information and attachments included in the Application submitted
in AMIS. The CDFI Fund strongly encourages Applicants to allow for
sufficient time to review and complete all Required Application
Documents listed in Table 10, and remedy any issues prior to the
Application deadline. Each Application must be signed by an Authorized
Representative in AMIS before it can be submitted. Applicants must
ensure that the Authorized Representative is an employee or officer and
is authorized to sign legal documents on behalf of the Applicant.
Consultants working on behalf of the Applicant may not be designated as
Authorized Representatives. Only an Authorized Representative or an
Application Point of Contact may submit an Application. If an
Authorized Representative or Application Point of Contact does not
submit the Application, the Application will be deemed ineligible.
Applicants may only submit one Base-FA or TA Application under the NACA
Program. Upon submission, the Application will be locked and cannot be
resubmitted, edited, or modified in any way. The CDFI Fund will not
unlock or allow multiple Application submissions.
3. Late Submission: The CDFI Fund will not accept an Application if
the SF-424 is not submitted and accepted by Grants.gov by the SF-424
deadline. Additionally, the CDFI Fund will not accept an Application if
it is not signed by an Authorized Representative and submitted in AMIS
by the Application deadline. In either case, the CDFI Fund will not
review any material submitted, and the Application will be deemed
ineligible.
However, in cases where a Federal government administrative or
technological error directly resulted in a
[[Page 10425]]
late submission of the SF-424 or the Application, Applicants are
provided two opportunities to submit a written request for acceptance
of late submissions. The CDFI Fund will not consider the late
submission of the SF-424 or the Application that was a direct result of
a delay in a Federal Government process, unless such delay was the
result of a Federal government administrative or technological error.
a. SF-424 Late Submission: In cases where a Federal government
administrative or technological error directly resulted in the late
submission of the SF-424, the Applicant must submit a written request
for acceptance of the late SF-424 submission and include documentation
of the error no later than two business days after the SF-424 deadline.
The CDFI Fund will not respond to requests for acceptance of late SF-
424 submissions after that time period. Applicants must submit late SF-
424 submission requests to the CDFI Fund via an AMIS Service Request to
the NACA Program with a subject line of ``Late SF-424 Submission
Request.''
b. Application Late Submission: In cases where a Federal government
administrative or technological error directly resulted in a late
submission of the Application in AMIS, the Applicant must submit a
written request for acceptance of the late Application submission and
include documentation of the error no later than two business days
after the Application deadline. The CDFI Fund will not respond to
requests for acceptance of late Application submissions after that time
period. Applicants must submit late Application submission requests to
the CDFI Fund via an AMIS Service Request to the NACA Program with a
subject line of ``Late Application Submission Request.''
G. Funding Restrictions: Base-FA, PPC-FA, DF-FA, HFFI-FA and TA
awards are limited by the following:
1. Base-FA Awards:
a. A Recipient shall use Base-FA funds only for the eligible
activities described in Section II. (C)(1) of this NOFA and its
Assistance Agreement.
b. With the exception of Depository Institution Holding Company
Applicants, Base-FA awards may not 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,
unless done pursuant to a merger or acquisition or similar transaction,
and with the CDFI Fund's prior written consent.
c. Base-FA funds shall only be paid to the Recipient.
d. The CDFI Fund, in its sole discretion, may pay Base-FA funds in
amounts, or under terms and conditions, which are different from those
requested by an Applicant.
e. The Recipient must comply, as applicable, with the Buy American
Act of 1933, 41 U.S.C. 8301-8303 and 2 CFR 200.216 of the Uniform
Requirements, with respect to any Direct Costs.
2. PPC-FA Awards:
a. A Recipient shall use PPC-FA funds only for the eligible
activities described in Section II. (C)(5) of this NOFA and its
Assistance Agreement.
b. With the exception of Depository Institution Holding Company
Applicants, PPC-FA awards may not 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, unless
done pursuant to a merger or acquisition or similar transaction, and
with the CDFI Fund's prior written consent.
c. PPC-FA funds shall only be paid to the Recipient.
d. The CDFI Fund, in its sole discretion, may pay PPC-FA funds in
amounts, or under terms and conditions, which are different from those
requested by an Applicant.
e. The Recipient must comply, as applicable, with the Buy American
Act of 1933, 41 U.S.C. 8301-8303 and 2 CFR 200.216 of the Uniform
Requirements, with respect to any Direct Costs.
3. DF-FA Awards:
a. A Recipient shall use DF-FA funds only for the eligible
activities described in Section II. (C)(2) of this NOFA and its
Assistance Agreement.
b. With the exception of Depository Institution Holding Company
Applicants, DF-FA awards may not 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, unless
done pursuant to a merger or acquisition or similar transaction, and
with the CDFI Fund's prior written consent.
c. DF-FA funds shall only be paid to the Recipient.
d. The CDFI Fund, in its sole discretion, may pay DF-FA funds in
amounts, or under terms and conditions, which are different from those
requested by an Applicant.
e. The Recipient must comply, as applicable, with the Buy American
Act of 1933, 41 U.S.C. 8301-8303 and 2 CFR 200.216 of the Uniform
Requirements, with respect to any Direct Costs.
2. HFFI-FA Awards:
a. A Recipient shall use HFFI-FA funds only for the eligible
activities described in Section II. (C)(4) of this NOFA and its
Assistance Agreement.
b. With the exception of Depository Institution Holding Company
Applicants, HFFI-FA awards may not 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,
unless done pursuant to a merger or acquisition or similar transaction,
and with the CDFI Fund's prior written consent.
c. HFFI-FA funds shall only be paid to the Recipient.
d. The CDFI Fund, in its sole discretion, may pay HFFI-FA funds in
amounts, or under terms and conditions, which are different from those
requested by an Applicant.
e. The Recipient must comply, as applicable, with the Buy American
Act of 1933, 41 U.S.C. 8301-8303 and 2 CFR 200.216 of the Uniform
Requirements, with respect to any Direct Costs.
3. TA Grants:
a. A Recipient shall use TA funds only for the eligible activities
described in Section II. (C) (3) of this NOFA and its Assistance
Agreement.
b. A Sponsoring Entity Recipient must create the Emerging CDFI as a
legal entity no later than the end of the first year of the Period of
Performance. Upon creation of the Emerging CDFI, the Sponsoring Entity
must request the CDFI Fund to amend the Assistance Agreement to add the
Emerging CDFI as a co-Recipient. The Sponsoring Entity must add the
Emerging CDFI as a co-Recipient within 90 days the end of the first
year of the Period of Performance. The Sponsoring Entity must then
transfer any remaining balances and/or assets derived from the TA award
to the Emerging CDFI.
c. With the exception of Depository Institution Holding Company
Applicants, TA awards may not 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, unless done
pursuant to a merger or acquisition or similar transaction, and with
the CDFI Fund's prior written consent.
d. TA funds shall only be paid to the Recipient.
e. The CDFI Fund, in its sole discretion, may pay TA funds in
amounts, or under terms and conditions, which are different from those
requested by an Applicant.
f. The Recipient must comply, as applicable, with the Buy American
Act of 1933, 41 U.S.C. 8301-8303 and 2 CFR 200.216 of the Uniform
Requirements, with respect to any Direct Costs.
[[Page 10426]]
V. Application Review Information
A. Criteria: If the Applicant has submitted an eligible
Application, the CDFI Fund will conduct a substantive review in
accordance with the criteria and procedures described in the
Regulations, this NOFA, the Application guidance, and the Uniform
Requirements. The CDFI Fund reserves the right to contact the Applicant
by telephone, email, or mail for the purpose of clarifying or
confirming Application information. If contacted, the Applicant must
respond within the time period communicated by the CDFI Fund or risk
that its Application will be rejected. The CDFI Fund will review the
Base-FA, DF-FA, PPC-FA, HFFI-FA, and TA Applications in accordance with
the process below. All internal and external reviewers will complete
the CDFI Fund's conflict of interest process. The CDFI Fund's
Application conflict of interest policy is located on the CDFI Fund's
website.
1. Base-FA Application Scoring, Award Selection, Review, and
Selection Process: The CDFI Fund will evaluate each Application using a
five-step review process illustrated in the sections below. Applicants
that meet the minimum criteria will advance to the next step in the
review process. Applicants applying as a Community Partnership must
describe the partnership in the Application pursuant to the
requirements set forth in Table 8, and will be evaluated in accordance
with the review process described below.
a. Step 1: Eligibility Review: The CDFI Fund will evaluate each
Application to determine its eligibility status pursuant to Section III
of this NOFA.
b. Step 2: Financial Analysis and Compliance Risk Evaluation:
i. Step 2: Financial Analysis: For Regulated Institutions, the CDFI
Fund will consider financial safety and soundness information from the
Appropriate Federal or State Banking Agency. As detailed in Table 8,
each Regulated Institution FA Applicant must have a CAMELS/CAMEL rating
of at least ``3'' and/or no significant materials concerns from its
regulator. For non-regulated Applicants, the CDFI Fund will evaluate
the financial health and viability of each non-regulated Applicant
using financial information provided by the Applicant. For the
Financial Analysis, each non-regulated Applicant will receive a Total
Financial Composite Score on a scale of one (1) to five (5), with one
(1) being the highest rating. The Total Financial Composite Score is
based on the analysis of twenty-three (23) financial indicators.
Applications will be grouped based on the Total Financial Composite
Score. Applicants must receive a Total Financial Composite Score of one
(1), two (2), or three (3) to advance to Step 3. Applicants that
receive an initial Total Financial Composite Score of four (4) or five
(5) will be re-evaluated and re-scored by CDFI Fund staff. If the Total
Financial Composite Score remains four (4) or five (5) after CDFI Fund
staff review, the Applicant will not advance to Step 3.
ii. Step 2: Compliance Risk Evaluation: For the compliance
analysis, the CDFI Fund will evaluate the compliance risk of each
Applicant using information provided in the Application as well as an
Applicant's reporting history, reporting capacity, and performance risk
with respect to the CDFI Fund's PG&Ms. Each Applicant will receive a
Total Compliance Composite Score on a scale of one (1) to five (5),
with one (1) being the highest rating. Applicants that receive an
initial Total Compliance Composite Score of four (4) or five (5) will
be re-evaluated by CDFI Fund staff. If the Applicant is deemed a high
compliance risk after CDFI Fund staff review, the Applicant will not
advance to Step 3.
c. Step 3: Business Plan Review: Applicants that proceed to Step 3
will be evaluated on the soundness of their comprehensive business
plan. Two external non-CDFI Fund Reviewers will conduct the Step 3
evaluation. Reviewers will evaluate the Application sections listed in
Table 13. All Applications will be reviewed in accordance with standard
reviewer evaluation materials. Applications will be ranked based on
Total Business Plan Scores, in descending order. In order to advance to
Step 4, Applicants must receive a Total Business Plan Score that is
either (1) equal to receiving a point score equivalent to a ``Good''
out of a ranking scale in descending order of Excellent, Good, Fair,
Limited or Poor, in each section listed in Table 13, or (2) within the
top 70% of the NACA FA Applicant pool, whichever is greater. In the
case of tied Total Business Plan Scores that would prevent an Applicant
from moving to Step 4, all Applicants with the same score will progress
to Step 4. Lastly, the CDFI Fund may consider the geographic diversity
of Applicants when determining the Step 4 Applicant pool.
Table 13--Step 3: Base-FA Business Plan Review Scoring Criteria
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Score needed to
Base-FA application sections Possible score advance
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Executive Summary............ Not Scored......... N/A.
Business Strategy............ 12................. N/A.
Market and Competitive 7.................. N/A.
Analysis.
Products and Services........ 12................. N/A.
Management and Track Record.. 12................. N/A.
Growth and Projections....... 7.................. N/A.
Total Business Plan Score 50................. NACA Applicants: Top
70% of all NACA
Applicant Step 3
Scores.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
d. Step 4: Policy Objective Review: The CDFI Fund internal
reviewers will evaluate each Application to determine its ability to
meet policy objectives of the CDFI Fund. Each Applicant will be
evaluated in each of the categories listed in Table 14 below, and will
receive a Total Policy Objective Review Composite Score on a scale of
one (1) to five (5), with one (1) being the highest score. Applicants
are then grouped according to Total Policy Objective Review Scores.
The CDFI Fund also conducts a due diligence review for Applications
that includes an analysis of programmatic risk factors including, but
not limited to: history of performance in managing Federal awards
(including timeliness of reporting and compliance); ability to meet FA
Objective(s) selected by Base-FA Applicants in their Applications;
reports and findings from audits; and the Applicant's ability to
effectively implement Federal requirements, each of which could impact
the Total Policy Objective Review Score.
[[Page 10427]]
Table 14--Step 4: Base-FA Policy Review Scoring Criteria
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Section Possible scores High score Score needed to advance
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Economic Distress............. 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5............ 1 N/A.
Economic Opportunities........ 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5............ 1 N/A.
Community Collaboration....... 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5............ 1 N/A.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total Policy Objective 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5............ 1 All Scores Advance.
Review Composite Score.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
e. Step 5: Award Amount Determination: The CDFI Fund determines an
award amount for each Application based on the Step 4 Total Policy
Objective Review Score, the Applicant's request amount, and on certain
other factors, including but not limited to, an Applicant's deployment
track record, minimum award size, and funding availability. Award
amounts may be reduced from the requested award amount as a result of
this analysis. For NACA FA Applicants, the award cannot exceed 100% of
the Applicant's total portfolio outstanding as of the Applicant's most
recent historic fiscal year end. \9\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\9\ For the purposes of this NOFA, an Applicant's most recent
historic fiscal year end is determined as follows.
(A) Applicants with a 3/31 fiscal year end date will treat FY
2020 as their most recent historic fiscal year and FY 2021 as their
current year.
(B) Applicants with a 6/30 fiscal year end date will treat FY
2020 as their most recent historic fiscal year and FY 2021 as their
current year.
(C) Applicants with a 9/30 fiscal year end date and a completed
FY 2020 audit will treat FY 2020 as their most recent historic
fiscal year and FY 2021 as their current year.
(D) Applicants with a 9/30 fiscal year end date but without a
completed FY 2020 audit will treat FY 2019 as their most recent
historic fiscal year and FY 2020 as their current year.
(E) Applicants with a 12/31 fiscal year end date, with or
without a completed FY 2020 audit, will treat FY 2019 as their most
recent historic fiscal year and FY 2020 as their current year.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Healthy Food Financing Initiative-FA (HFFI-FA) Application
Scoring, Award Selection, Review, and Selection Process: A CDFI Fund
internal reviewer will evaluate each HFFI-FA Application associated
with a Base-FA Application that progresses to Step 4 of the FA
Application review process. The reviewer will evaluate the Application
sections listed in Table 15 and assign a Total HFFI- FA Score up to 60
points. The CDFI Fund will make awards to the highest scoring
Applicants first. All Applications will be reviewed in accordance with
standard reviewer evaluation materials. Applicants that fail to receive
a Base-FA award will not be considered for a HFFI-FA award.
The CDFI Fund conducts additional levels of due diligence for
Applications that are under consideration for an HFFI-FA award. Award
amounts may be reduced from the requested award amount as a result of
this analysis. The CDFI Fund may reduce awards sizes from requested
amounts based on certain variables, including but not limited to, an
Applicant's loan disbursement activity, total portfolio outstanding, or
compliance with prior HFFI-FA awards. Lastly, the CDFI Fund may
consider the geographic diversity of Applicants when making its funding
decisions.
Table 15--Step 4 HFFI-FA Application Scoring Criteria
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Possible score
Sections (points)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Target Market Profile................................... 10
Healthy Food Financial Products......................... 10
Projected HFFI-FA Activities............................ 15
HFFI Track Record....................................... 20
Management Capacity for Providing Healthy Food Financing 5
---------------
Total HFFI-FA Possible Score........................ 60
------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Persistent Poverty Counties--Financial Assistance (PPC-FA)
Application Scoring, Award Selection, Review, and Selection Process: A
CDFI Fund internal reviewer will evaluate the PPC-FA request of each
associated Base-FA Application that progresses to Step 4 of the FA
Application review process. PPC-FA requests are not scored. PPC-FA
award amounts will be determined based on the total number of eligible
Applicants and funding availability, the Applicant's requested amount,
and on certain factors, including but not limited to, an Applicant's
overall portfolio size, historical track record of deployment in PPC,
pipeline of projects in PPC, minimum award size, and funding
availability. Applicants that fail to receive a Base-FA award will not
be considered for a PPC-FA award.
4. Disability Funds-Financial Assistance (DF-FA) Application
Scoring, Award Selection, Review, and Selection Process: A CDFI Fund
internal reviewer will evaluate each DF-FA Application associated with
a Base-FA Application that progresses to Step 4 of the FA Application
review process. The reviewer will evaluate the Application and assign a
Total DF- FA Score on a scale of one (1) to three (3), with one (1)
being the highest score. Applicants are then grouped according to Total
DF- FA Score. All Applications will be reviewed in accordance with
standard reviewer evaluation materials. Applicants that fail to receive
a Base-FA award will not be considered for a DF-FA award. Award amounts
will be determined on the basis of the Total DF-FA Score, the
Applicant's requested amount, and on certain factors, including but not
limited to, an Applicant's deployment track record, minimum award size,
and funding availability. Award amounts may be reduced from the
requested award amount as a result of this analysis. The
[[Page 10428]]
CDFI Fund will make awards to the highest scoring Applicants first.
Table 16--Step 3 DF-FA Application Scoring Criteria
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Section Possible scores High score
------------------------------------------------------------------------
DF-FA Narrative Questions....... 1, 2, or 3............ 1
---------------------------------------
Total DF-FA Score........... 1, 2, or 3............ 1
------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. Technical Assistance (TA) Application Scoring, Award Selection,
Review, and Selection Process: The CDFI Fund will evaluate each
Application to determine its eligibility pursuant to Section III of
this NOFA. If the Application satisfies the eligibility criteria, the
CDFI Fund will evaluate the TA Application. Sponsoring Entity or
Emerging CDFI Applicants must receive a rating of Low Risk or Medium
Risk in Section I of the TA Business Plan Review to progress to Section
II of the TA Business Plan Review. Sponsoring Entity, or Emerging CDFI
Applicants that receive a rating of High Risk in Section I of the TA
Business Plan Review will not be considered for an award. Section I of
the TA Business Plan Review is not applicable for Certified CDFI
Applicants. Sponsoring Entity, Emerging CDFI, and Certified CDFI
Applicants must receive a rating of Low Risk or Medium Risk in Section
II of the TA Business Plan Review to be considered for an award.
Applicants that receive a rating of High Risk in Section II of the TA
Business Plan Review will not be considered for an award.
An Applicant that is a Certified CDFI will be evaluated on the
demonstrated need for TA funding to build the CDFI's capacity, further
the Applicant's strategic goals, and achieve impact within the
Applicant's Target Market. An Applicant that is an Emerging CDFI will
be evaluated on the Applicant's demonstrated capability and plan to
achieve CDFI certification within three years, or if a prior Recipient,
the certification PG&M stated in its prior Assistance Agreement. An
Applicant that is an Emerging CDFI will also be evaluated on its
demonstrated need for TA funding to build the CDFI's capacity and
further its strategic goals. An Applicant that is a Sponsoring Entity
will be rated on its demonstrated capability to create a separate legal
entity within one year that will achieve CDFI certification within four
years. An Applicant that is a Sponsoring Entity will also be rated on
its demonstrated need for TA funding to build the CDFI's capacity and
further its strategic goals.
The CDFI Fund will rate each part of the TA Business Plan Review as
indicated in Table 17.
Table 17--TA Business Plan Review
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Business plan review component Applicant type Ratings
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Section I: ...................... ................
Primary Mission........... Sponsoring Entity and ................
Emerging CDFI
Applicants.
Financing Entity.......... Sponsoring Entity and ................
Emerging CDFI
Applicants.
Target Market............. Sponsoring Entity and Low Risk, Medium
Emerging CDFI Risk, or High
Applicants. Risk.
Accountability................ Sponsoring Entity and ................
Emerging CDFI
Applicants.
Development Services.......... Sponsoring Entity and ................
Emerging CDFI
Applicants.
Section II:
Target Market Needs & Sponsoring Entity, Low Risk, Medium
Strategy. Emerging CDFI, and Risk, or High
Certified Applicants. Risk.
Organizational Capacity... Sponsoring Entity,
Emerging CDFI, and
Certified Applicants.
Management Capacity....... Sponsoring Entity,
Emerging CDFI, and
Certified Applicants.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Each TA Application will be evaluated by one internal CDFI Fund
reviewer. All Applications will be reviewed in accordance with CDFI
Fund standard reviewer evaluation materials for the Business Plan
Review.
The CDFI Fund conducts additional levels of due diligence for
Applications that are under consideration for an award. This due
diligence includes an analysis of programmatic and financial risk
factors including, but not limited to, financial stability, history of
performance in managing Federal awards (including timeliness of
reporting and compliance), reports and findings from audits, and the
Applicant's ability to effectively implement Federal requirements. The
CDFI Fund will also evaluate the compliance risk of each Applicant
using information provided in the Application as well as an Applicant's
reporting history, reporting capacity, and performance risk with
respect to the CDFI Fund's PG&Ms. Each Applicant will receive a Total
Compliance Composite Score on a scale of one (1) to five (5), with one
(1) being the highest rating. Applicants that receive an initial Total
Compliance Composite Score of four (4) or five (5) will be re-evaluated
by CDFI Fund staff. If the Applicant is deemed a high compliance risk
after CDFI staff review, the Applicant will not be considered for an
award. The CDFI Fund will also evaluate the Applicant's ability to meet
certification criteria of being a legal entity and a non-government
entity. Award amounts may be reduced as a result of the due diligence
analysis in addition to consideration of the Applicant's funding
request and similar factors. Lastly, the CDFI Fund may consider the
geographic diversity of Applicants when making its funding decisions.
6. Regulated Institutions: The CDFI Fund will consider safety and
soundness information from the Appropriate Federal or State Banking
Agency. If the Applicant is a CDFI Depository Institution Holding
Company, the CDFI Fund will consider
[[Page 10429]]
information provided by the Appropriate Federal or State Banking
Agencies about both the CDFI Depository Institution Holding Company and
the Certified CDFI Subsidiary Insured Depository Institution that will
expend and carry out the award. If the Appropriate Federal or State
Banking Agency identifies safety and soundness concerns, the CDFI Fund
will assess whether such concerns cause or will cause the Applicant to
be incapable of undertaking the activities for which funding has been
requested.
7. Non-Regulated Institutions:
The CDFI Fund must ensure, to the maximum extent practicable, that
Recipients which are non-regulated CDFIs are financially and
managerially sound, and maintain appropriate internal controls (12
U.S.C. 4707(f)(1)(A) and 12 CFR 1805.800(b)). Further, the CDFI Fund
must determine that an Applicant's capacity to operate as a CDFI and
its continued viability will not be dependent upon assistance from the
CDFI Fund (12 U.S.C. 4704(b)(2)(A)). If it is determined that the
Applicant is incapable of meeting these requirements, the CDFI Fund
reserves the right to deem the Applicant ineligible or terminate the
award.
B. Anticipated Award Announcement: The CDFI Fund anticipates making
NACA Program award announcement before September 30, 2021. However, the
anticipated award Announcement Date is subject to change without
notice.
C. 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: Adversely affects an
Applicant's eligibility for an award; Adversely affects the Recipient's
certification as a CDFI (to the extent that the award is conditional
upon CDFI certification); adversely affects the CDFI Fund's evaluation
or scoring of an Application; or indicates fraud or mismanagement on
the Applicant's part. If the CDFI Fund determines any portion of the
Application is incorrect in a material respect, the CDFI Fund reserves
the right, in its sole discretion, to reject the Application. The CDFI
Fund reserves the right to change its eligibility and evaluation
criteria and procedures, if the CDFI Fund deems it appropriate. If the
changes materially affect the CDFI Fund's award decisions, the CDFI
Fund will provide information about the changes through its website.
The CDFI Fund's award decisions are final, and there is no right to
appeal decisions.
D. External Non-CDFI Fund Reviewers: All external non-CDFI Fund
reviewers are selected based on criteria that includes a professional
background in community and economic development finance, and
experience reviewing the financial statements of all CDFI institution
types. Reviewers must complete the CDFI Fund's conflict of interest
process and be approved by the CDFI Fund. The CDFI Fund's Application
reader conflict of interest policy is located on the CDFI Fund's
website.
VI. Federal Award Administration Information
A. Award Notification: Each successful Applicant will receive an
email ``notice of award'' notification from the CDFI Fund stating that
its Application has been approved for an award. Each Applicant not
selected for an award will receive an email stating that a debriefing
notice has been provided in its AMIS account.
B. Assistance Agreement: Each Applicant selected to receive an
award must enter into an Assistance Agreement with the CDFI Fund in
order to receive a payment(s). The Assistance Agreement will set forth
the award's terms and conditions, including but not be limited to the:
(i) Award amount; (ii) award type; (iii) award uses; (iv) eligible use
of funds; (v) PG&Ms; and (vi) reporting requirements. FA Assistance
Agreements have three-year Periods of Performance. TA Assistance
Agreements have two-year Periods of Performance for Certified CDFIs,
three-year Periods of Performance for Emerging CDFIs, and four-year
Periods of Performance for Sponsoring Entity Recipients. Upon creation
of the Emerging CDFI, the Sponsoring Entity must request the CDFI Fund
to amend the Assistance Agreement and add the Emerging CDFI as a party
thereto. The Emerging CDFI, as co-Recipient, will be subject to all of
the terms and conditions of the Assistance Agreement, including all
PG&Ms.
1. Certificate of Good Standing: All FA and TA Recipients that are
not Regulated Institutions will be required to provide the CDFI Fund
with a certificate of good standing from the secretary of state for the
Recipient's jurisdiction of formation prior to closing. This
certificate can often be acquired online on the secretary of state
website for the Recipient's jurisdiction of formation and must
generally be dated within 180 days prior to the date the Recipient
executes the Assistance Agreement. Due to potential backlogs in state
government offices, Applicants are advised to submit requests for
certificates of good standing no later than 60 days after they submit
their Applications.
2. Closing: Pursuant to the Assistance Agreement, there will be an
initial closing at which point the Assistance Agreement and related
documents will be properly executed and delivered, and an initial
payment of FA or TA may be made. The first payment is the estimated
amount of the award that the Recipient states in its Application that
it will use for eligible FA or TA activities in the first 12 months
after the award announcement. The CDFI Fund reserves the right to
increase the first payment amount on any award to ensure that any
subsequent payments are at least $25,000 for FA and $5,000 for TA
awards.
The CDFI Fund will minimize the time between the Recipient
incurring costs for eligible activities and award payment(s) in
accordance with the Uniform Requirements. Advanced payments for
eligible activities will occur no more than one year in advance of the
Recipient incurring costs for the eligible activities. Following the
initial closing, there may be subsequent closings involving additional
award payments. Any documentation in addition to the Assistance
Agreement that is connected with such subsequent closings and payments
shall be properly executed and timely delivered by the Recipient to the
CDFI Fund.
3. Requirements Prior to Entering into an Assistance Agreement: If,
prior to entering into an Assistance Agreement, information (including
administrative errors) comes to the CDFI Fund's attention that:
Adversely affects the Recipient's eligibility for an award; adversely
affects the Recipient's certification as a CDFI (to the extent that the
award is conditional upon CDFI certification); adversely affects the
CDFI Fund's evaluation of the Application; indicates that the Recipient
is not in compliance with any requirement listed in the Uniform
Requirements; indicates that the Recipient is not in compliance with a
term or condition of a prior CDFI Fund award; indicates the Recipient
has failed to execute and return a prior round Assistance Agreement to
the CDFI Fund within the CDFI Fund's deadlines; or indicates fraud or
mismanagement on the Recipient's part, the CDFI Fund may, in its
discretion and without advance notice to the Recipient, terminate the
award or take such other actions as it deems appropriate. The CDFI Fund
reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to rescind an award if the
Recipient fails to return the Assistance Agreement, signed by the
Authorized Representative of the Recipient, and/or provide the
[[Page 10430]]
CDFI Fund with any requested documentation, within the CDFI Fund's
deadlines.
In addition, the CDFI Fund reserves the right, in its sole
discretion, to terminate and rescind the Assistance Agreement and the
award made under this NOFA pending the criteria described in the
following table:
Table 18--Requirements Prior to Executing an Assistance Agreement
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Requirement Criteria
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Failure to meet reporting If a Recipient received a prior
requirements. award under any CDFI Fund program and is
not in compliance with the reporting
requirements of the previously executed
agreement(s), the CDFI Fund may delay
entering into an Assistance Agreement or
disbursing an award until such reporting
requirements are met. If the Recipient
is unable to meet the requirement(s)
within the timeframe specified by the
CDFI Fund, the CDFI Fund may terminate
and rescind the Assistance Agreement and
the award made under this NOFA.
The automated systems the CDFI
Fund uses only acknowledge a report's
receipt and are not a determination of
meeting reporting requirements.
Failure to maintain CDFI An FA Recipient must be a
certification. Certified CDFI.
If an FA Recipient fails to
maintain CDFI certification, the CDFI
Fund will terminate and rescind the
Assistance Agreement and the award made
under this NOFA.
If a TA Recipient is a Certified
CDFI at the time of award announcement,
it must maintain CDFI certification.
If a Certified CDFI TA Recipient
fails to maintain CDFI certification,
the CDFI Fund may terminate and rescind
the Assistance Agreement and the award
made under this NOFA.
Pending resolution of The CDFI Fund will delay
noncompliance. entering into an Assistance Agreement
with a Recipient that has pending
noncompliance issues with any of its
previously executed CDFI award
agreement(s), if the CDFI Fund has not
yet made a final compliance
determination.
If the Recipient is unable to
satisfactorily resolve the compliance
issues, the CDFI Fund may terminate and
rescind the Assistance Agreement and the
award made under this NOFA.
Noncompliance or default If, at any time prior to
status. entering into an Assistance Agreement,
the CDFI Fund determines that a
Recipient is noncompliant or found in
default with any previously executed
award agreement(s), and the CDFI Fund
has provided written notification that
the Recipient is ineligible to apply for
or receive any future awards or
allocations for a time period specified
by the CDFI Fund in writing, the CDFI
Fund may delay entering into an
Assistance Agreement until the Recipient
has cured the noncompliance by taking
actions the CDFI Fund has specified
within such specified timeframe. If the
Recipient is unable to cure the
noncompliance within the specified
timeframe, the CDFI Fund may terminate
and rescind the Assistance Agreement and
the award made under this NOFA.
Compliance with Federal civil If prior to entering into an
rights requirements. Assistance Agreement under this NOFA,
the Recipient receives a final
determination, made within the last
three years, in any proceeding
instituted against the Recipient in, by,
or before any court, governmental, or
administrative body or agency, declaring
that the Recipient has violated the
following laws: Title VI of the Civil
Rights Act of 1964, as amended (42
U.S.C. 2000d); Section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C.
794); the Age Discrimination Act of
1975, (42 U.S.C. 6101-6107), and
Executive Order 13166, Improving Access
to Services for Persons with Limited
English Proficiency, the CDFI Fund will
terminate and rescind the Assistance
Agreement and the award made under this
NOFA.
Do Not Pay................... The Do Not Pay Business Center
was developed to support Federal
agencies in their efforts to reduce the
number of improper payments made through
programs funded by the Federal
government.
The CDFI Fund reserves the
right, in its sole discretion, to
rescind an award if the Recipient (or
Affiliate of a Recipient) determined to
be ineligible based on data in the Do
Not Pay database.
Safety and soundness......... If it is determined the
Recipient is, or will be, incapable of
meeting its award obligations, the CDFI
Fund will deem the Recipient to be
ineligible, or require it to improve its
safety and soundness prior to entering
into an Assistance Agreement.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
C. Reporting:
1. Reporting requirements: On an annual basis during the Period of
Performance, the CDFI Fund may collect information from each Recipient
including, but not limited to, an Annual Report with the following
components (Annual Reporting Requirements):
Table 19--Annual Reporting Requirements *
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Financial Statement Audit A Non-profit Recipient (including Insured
Report (Non-profit Recipient Credit Unions and State-Insured Credit
including Insured Credit Unions) must submit a Financial
Unions and State-Insured Statement Audit (FSA) Report in AMIS,
Credit Unions). along with the Recipient's statement of
financial condition audited or reviewed
by an independent certified public
accountant, if any are prepared.
Under no circumstances should this be
construed as the CDFI Fund requiring the
Recipient to conduct or arrange for
additional audits not otherwise required
under Uniform Requirements or otherwise
prepared at the request of the Recipient
or parties other than the CDFI Fund.
Financial Statement Audit For-profit Recipients must submit an FSA
Report (For-Profit Report in AMIS, along with the
Recipient). Recipient's statement of financial
condition audited or reviewed by an
independent certified public accountant.
Financial Statement Audit If the Recipient is a Depository
Report (Depository Institution Holding Company or an
Institution Holding Company Insured Depository Institution, it must
and Insured Depository submit a FSA Report in AMIS.
Institution).
[[Page 10431]]
Financial Statement Audit A Sponsoring Entity must submit a FSA
Report (Sponsoring Entities). Report in AMIS, along with a statement
of financial condition audited or
reviewed by an independent certified
public accountant, if any are prepared.
Under no circumstances should this be
construed as the CDFI Fund requiring the
Sponsoring Entity to conduct or arrange
for additional audits not otherwise
required under Uniform Requirements or
otherwise prepared at the request of the
Sponsoring Entity or parties other than
the CDFI Fund.
Single Audit Report (Non- A non-profit Recipient must complete an
Profit Recipients, if annual Single Audit pursuant to the
applicable). Uniform Requirements (see 2 CFR Subpart
F-Audit Requirements) if it expends
$750,000 or more in Federal awards in
its fiscal year, or such other dollar
threshold established by OMB pursuant to
2 CFR 200.501. If a Single Audit is
required, it must be submitted
electronically to the Federal Audit
Clearinghouse (FAC) (see 2 CFR Subpart F-
Audit Requirements in the Uniform
Requirements) and optionally through
AMIS.
Transaction Level Report The Recipient must submit a TLR to the
(TLR). CDFI Fund through AMIS.
If the Recipient is a Depository
Institution Holding Company that deploys
all or a portion of its Financial
Assistance through its Subsidiary CDFI
Insured Depository Institution, that
Subsidiary CDFI Insured Depository
Institution must also submit a TLR.
Furthermore, if the Depository
Institution Holding Company itself
deploys any portion of the Financial
Assistance, the Depository Institution
Holding Company must submit a TLR.
The TLR is not required for TA
Recipients.
Uses of Award Report......... The Recipient must submit the Uses of
Award Report to the CDFI Fund in AMIS.
If the Recipient is a Depository
Institution Holding Company that deploys
all or a portion of its Financial
Assistance through its Subsidiary CDFI
Insured Depository Institution, that
Subsidiary CDFI Insured Depository
Institution must also submit a Uses of
Award Report. Furthermore, if the
Depository Institution Holding Company
itself deploys any portion of the
Financial Assistance, the Depository
Institution Holding Company must submit
a Uses of Award Report.
Performance Progress Report.. The Recipient must submit the Performance
Progress Report through AMIS.
If the Recipient is a Depository
Institution Holding Company that deploys
all or a portion of its Financial
Assistance through its Subsidiary CDFI
Insured Depository Institution, that
Subsidiary CDFI Insured Depository
Institution must also submit a
Performance Progress Report.
Furthermore, if the Depository
Institution Holding Company itself
deploys any portion of the Financial
Assistance, the Depository Institution
Holding Company must submit a
Performance Progress Report.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is information, which if
lost, compromised, or disclosed without authorization, could result in
substantial harm, embarrassment, inconvenience, or unfairness to an
individual. Although Applicants are required to enter addresses of
individual borrowers/residents of Distressed Communities in AMIS,
Applicants should not include the following PII for the individuals
who received the Financial Products or Financial Services in AMIS or
in the supporting documentation (i.e., name of the individual, Social
Security Number, driver's license or state identification number,
passport number, Alien Registration Number, etc.). This information
should be redacted from all supporting documentation.
Each Recipient is responsible for the timely and complete
submission of the Annual Reporting Requirements. Sponsoring Entities
with co-Recipients will be informed of any changes to reporting
obligations at the time the Emerging CDFI is joined to the Assistance
Agreement. The CDFI Fund reserves the right to contact the Recipient
and additional entities or signatories to the Assistance Agreement to
request additional information and/or documentation. The CDFI Fund will
use such information to monitor each Recipient's compliance with the
requirements of the Assistance Agreement and to assess the impact of
the NACA Program. The CDFI Fund reserves the right, in its sole
discretion, to modify these reporting requirements, including
increasing the scope and frequency of reporting, if it determines it to
be appropriate and necessary; however, such reporting requirements will
be modified only after notice to Recipients.
2. Financial Management and Accounting: The CDFI Fund will require
Recipients to maintain financial management and accounting systems that
comply with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions
of the Federal award. These systems must be sufficient to permit the
preparation of reports required by the CDFI Fund to ensure compliance
with the terms and conditions of the NACA Program, including the
tracing of funds to a level of expenditures adequate to establish that
such funds have been used in accordance with Federal statutes,
regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award.
The cost principles used by Recipients must be consistent with
Federal cost principles and support the accumulation of costs as
required by the principles, and must provide for adequate documentation
to support costs charged to the NACA Program award. In addition, the
CDFI Fund will require Recipients to: Maintain effective internal
controls; comply with applicable statutes, regulations, and the
Assistance Agreement; evaluate and monitor compliance; take appropriate
action when not in compliance; and safeguard personally identifiable
information.
VII. Agency Contacts
A. The CDFI Fund will respond to questions concerning this NOFA and
the Application between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Eastern
Time, starting on the date that the NOFA is published through the date
listed in Table 1 and Table 12. The CDFI Fund strongly recommends
Applicants submit questions to the CDFI Fund via an AMIS Service
Request to the NACA Program, Office of Certification, Compliance
Monitoring and Evaluation, or IT Help Desk. The CDFI Fund will post on
its website responses to reoccurring questions received about the NOFA
and Application. Other information regarding the CDFI Fund and its
programs may be obtained from the CDFI Fund's website at http://www.cdfifund.gov. Table 20 lists CDFI Fund contact information:
[[Page 10432]]
Table 20--Contact Information
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Telephone number (not
Type of question Preferred method toll free) Email addresses
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NACA Program......................... Service Request via 202-653-0421, option 1. [email protected]
AMIS.
CCME................................. Service Request via 202-653-0423........... [email protected]
AMIS.
AMIS--IT Help Desk................... Service Request via 202-653-0422........... [email protected]
AMIS.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
B. Information Technology Support: For IT assistance, the preferred
method of contact is to submit a Service Request within AMIS. For the
Service Request, select ``Technical Issues'' from the Program dropdown
menu of the Service Request. People who have visual or mobility
impairments that prevent them from using the CDFI Fund's website should
call (202) 653-0422 for assistance (this is not a toll free number).
C. Communication with the CDFI Fund: The CDFI Fund will use the
contact information in AMIS to communicate with Applicants and
Recipients. It is imperative, therefore, that Applicants, Recipients,
Subsidiaries, Affiliates, and signatories maintain accurate contact
information in their accounts. This includes information such as
contact names (especially for the Authorized Representative), email
addresses, fax and phone numbers, and office locations.
D. Civil Rights and Diversity: Any person who is eligible to
receive benefits or services from the CDFI Fund or Recipients under any
of its programs is entitled to those benefits or services without being
subject to prohibited discrimination. The Department of the Treasury's
Office of Civil Rights and Diversity enforces various Federal statutes
and regulations that prohibit discrimination in financially assisted
and conducted programs and activities of the CDFI Fund. If a person
believes that s/he has been subjected to discrimination and/or reprisal
because of membership in a protected group, s/he may file a complaint
with: Associate Chief Human Capital Officer, Office of Civil Rights,
and Diversity, 1500 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20220 or (202)
622-1160 (not a toll-free number).
E. Statutory and National Policy Requirements: The CDFI Fund will
manage and administer the Federal award in a manner so as to ensure
that Federal funding is expended and associated programs are
implemented in full accordance with the U.S. Constitution, Federal Law,
statutory, and public policy requirements: Including but not limited
to, those protecting free speech, religious liberty, public welfare,
the environment, and prohibiting discrimination.
VIII. Other Information
A. 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. If applicable, the CDFI Fund may inform Applicants that they do
not need to provide certain Application information otherwise required.
Pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act, the CDFI Program, and NACA
Program Application has been assigned the following control number:
1559-0021 inclusive of PPC-FA, DF-FA, and HFFI-FA.
B. Application Information Sessions: The CDFI Fund may conduct
webinars or host information sessions for organizations that are
considering applying to, or are interested in learning about, the CDFI
Fund's programs. For further information, visit the CDFI Fund's website
at http://www.cdfifund.gov.
Authority: 12 U.S.C. 4701, et seq.; 12 CFR parts 1805 and 1815;
2 CFR part 200.
Jodie L. Harris,
Director, Community Development Financial Institutions Fund.
[FR Doc. 2021-03354 Filed 2-18-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4810-70-P