To
provide Self Help Technical Assistance Grants to provide financial
assistance to qualified nonprofit organizations and public bodies
that will aid needy very low and low-income individuals and their
families to build homes in rural areas by the self help method.
Any State, political subdivision, private or public nonprofit corporation
is eligible to apply. Section 523 Grants are used to pay salaries,
rent, and office expenses of the nonprofit organization. Pre-development
grants up to $10,000 may be available to qualified organizations.
TYPES
OF ASSISTANCE:
Project Grants. Place Cursor Here for Definition
USES
AND USE RESTRICTIONS:
Eligible
organizations may use technical assistance funds to hire the personnel
to carry out a technical assistance program for self-help housing
in rural areas; to pay necessary and reasonable office and administrative
expenses; to purchase or rent equipment such as power tools for
use by families participating in self-help housing construction;
and to pay fees for training self-help group members in construction
techniques or for other professional services needed. Funds will
not be used to hire personnel to perform any construction work,
to buy real estate or building materials, or pay any debts, expenses
or costs other than previously outlined for participating families
in self-help projects.
ELIGIBILITY
REQUIREMENTS:
Applicant
Eligibility: Must be a State or political subdivision,
public nonprofit corporation or a private nonprofit corporation.
Assistance is authorized for eligible applicants in the United States,
Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Marianas.
Beneficiary
Eligibility: Very low and low-income rural
families, usually in groups of 6 to 10 families.
Credentials/Documentation:
Applicants must furnish evidence of the need for such services,
have legal capacity to incur the obligation and operate the proposed
project, and be unable to obtain the necessary funds from other
sources. This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular
No. A-87.
Pre-application
Coordination: The State Director must request
funding approval from the National office of all requests. A technical
review and analysis must be completed by the Technical and Management
Assistance (T&MA) contractor on all predevelopment, new, and existing
(refunding) grant applications. In addition to the T&MA contractor's
review, Agency personnel must also review and evaluate the feasibility
of the grantee's request and make the appropriate recommendation.
The level of National office review will be based on the amount
of the grant. For grant requests under $300,000 the State Director
should submit: (1) the analysis from the T&MA contractor; (2) statement
indicating whether or not the grant recipient will be working in
Empowerment Zones (EZ), Enterprise Communities (EC) or Rural Economic
Area Partnerships (REAP) and census tract designation of area; (3)
the State Director's recommendation; (4) a copy of the conditions
to be met; (5) a copy of From RD 1940-1, "Request for Obligation
of Funds;" and (6) if the grantee is a marginal performer, specific
information showing actions to correct performance. For grant requests
that equal or exceed $300,000, the complete application docket along
with a statement indicating whether the grant recipient will be
working in an EZ, EC, REAP or tribal community, must be sent to
the National office. $34 million has been appropriated for section
523 Mutual and Self-Help Technical Assistance grants. Of these funds,
$1 million is earmarked for EZ, EC or REAP communities. All section
523 grants will be obligated in the National office. This will enable
the National office staff to monitor fund utilization. For section
523 mutual and self-help site loans and section 524 RH site loans,
State Directors are responsible for developing an outreach program
to increase public awareness of these programs. The State Director
must request funding authority from the national office prior to
obligating loan funds. Preapplication Coordination: The standard
application forms as furnished by the Federal agency and required
by Departmental Regulations 3015 and 3016 must be used for this
program. This program is eligible for coverage under E.O. 12372,
"Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs." An applicant should
consult the office or official designated as the single point of
contact in his or her State for more information on the process
the State requires to be followed in applying for assistance, if
the State has selected the program for review. This program is excluded
from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-102.
Application
Procedure: Form SF-424 is submitted to the
Field office of the Rural Development (RD) , including information
attached to Part IV, fully documenting the applicant's experience,
need for the grant and the proposed amount needed. Attachments
relating to the size of the proposed project, estimated cost,
budget and need are also required. This program is subject to
provisions of Departmental Regulation 3015 and 3016.
Award
Procedure: Award is made by the National office.
Deadlines:
None.
Range
of Approval/Disapproval Time: From 60 to 190
days from the time discussion begins.
Appeals:
Agency regulations providing customers with the rights for an
informal review, mediation or alternative dispute resolution (ADR),
or appeal to the National Appeals Division (NAD) are contained
in 7 CFR Part 3550. NAD regulations are found at 7 CFR Part 11.
Requests for an informal review, mediation and ADR must be received
within 30 days from the date of the adverse decision. Requests
for an appeal to NAD must be received within 30 days of receipt
of the adverse decision.
Renewals:
Applicants may reapply at any time, if need to help low- income
families build homes in rural areas by the mutual self-help method
is clearly evidenced.
ASSISTANCE
CONSIDERATIONS:
Formula
and Matching Requirements: None.
Length
and Time Phasing of Assistance: Grants are
typically for a 2-year period, however, other time periods may
be authorized if appropriate. Applications for assistance far
exceed available funding. There is generally a waiting list for
funding.
POST
ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Reports:
Quarterly progress reports are to be made to the RHS\RD District
Office.
Audits:
Annual audits should be made as part of the recipient's systems
of financial management and internal control to meet terms and
conditions of grants and other agreements.
Records:
Adequate operating records must be maintained by Grantee.
FINANCIAL
INFORMATION:
Account
Identification: 12-2006-0-1-604.
Obligations:
(Grants and Contracts) FY 01 $30,360,000; FY 02 est $34,000,000;
and FY 03 est $34,000,000.
Range
and Average of Financial Assistance:
Fiscal year 2001, is $346,938.
7 CFR Subpart I of Part 1944; Chapter XVIII; RD Instruction 1944-I,
"Self-Help Technical Assistance Grants"; (PA 1254) (no charge).
INFORMATION
CONTACTS:
Regional
or Local Office: Consult your local telephone
directory for Rural Development District Office number. If no listing,
contact the appropriate Rural Development State office listed in
Appendix IV of the Catalog or see our web site at http://www.rurdev.usda.gov.
Headquarters
Office: Director, Single-Family Housing Processing
Division, Rural Housing Service (RHS), Department of Agriculture,
Washington, DC 20250. Telephone: (202) 720-1474.
Web
Site Address: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov
EXAMPLES
OF FUNDED PROJECTS:
An example of a funded project is Self-Help Enterprises, Visalia,
California and the City of Casa Grande, Casa Grande, and Arizona.
CRITERIA
FOR SELECTING PROPOSALS:
The criteria for selecting proposals are the evidence of a clearly
defined need in an area for mutual self-help housing and the families
in the area cannot afford or obtain a modest house by customary
methods, and the applicant possesses the expertise to provide the
technical assistance (TA) required.
