Provide
accelerated assistance to rural communities faced with acute economic
problems associated with Federal, State or private sector resource
management decisions and policies and that are located in or near
a national forest and are economically dependent upon forest resources.
Aid is extended to these rural communities to help them develop
strategic action plans to diversify their economic base and to improve
the economic, social, and environmental well-being of rural areas.
TYPES
OF ASSISTANCE:
Project Grants. Place Cursor Here for Definition
Use of Property, Facilities, and Equipment. Place Cursor Here for Definition
Training. Place Cursor Here for Definition
USES AND USE RESTRICTIONS:
Eligible
economically disadvantaged rural areas may request assistance in
identifying opportunities that will promote economic improvement,
diversification and revitalization. Assistance is coordinated through
a community action team and plan. Programs may include upgrade of
existing industries, development of new economic activity in non-forest
related industries, technical assistance, training and education
directed towards meeting the community's planned goals. Assistance
requested will be coordinated with other USDA agencies and targeted
to provide immediate help to those rural communities in greatest
need. Grants and technical assistance are available to those rural
communities meeting the eligibility requirements.
ELIGIBILITY
REQUIREMENTS:
Applicant
Eligibility: Applicant must be a general purpose
local government or tribe represented by a nonprofit corporation
or institution under State or Federal law to promote broad based
economic development having a population of not more than 10,000;
or any county that is not contained within a metropolitan statistical
area. In both cases, the county must derive 15 percent or greater
primary and secondary labor and proprietary income from forestry
and forest related industries, such as recreation and tourism, range,
minerals, and wildlife. In all cases, the community or county must
also be within 100 miles of the boundary of a national forest. Communities
or counties associated solely with national grasslands are not eligible.
Individual businesses are not eligible for direct assistance.
Beneficiary
Eligibility: Rural communities as defined
in the Law.
Credentials/Documentation:
When eligibility criteria are met, communities may request assistance
in identifying opportunities and implementing action that will
promote economic, social, and environmental well-being, including
diversification and sustainable development.
Pre-application
Coordination: This program is excluded from
coverage under E.O. 12372.
Application
Procedure: Not applicable. Contact Regional
or Local Office listed in Appendix IV of the Catalog. No community
grants are reviewed or awarded at the National Office.
Award
Procedure: Established by the Regional Office.
Deadlines:
Communities are requested to submit form SF-424(A) with SF-424
application and other required forms as advised by the Regional
Office.
Range
of Approval/Disapproval Time: The maximum
is 60 days.
Appeals:
Not applicable.
Renewals:
SF-424(A) with SF-424 application is required to amend the allotment
amount or length of commitment. Other requirements may be established
by the regional office.
ASSISTANCE
CONSIDERATIONS:
Formula
and Matching Requirements: The Federal contribution
to the overall implementation of an action plan shall not exceed
80 percent of the total cost of the plan, including administrative
and other costs.
Length
and Time Phasing of Assistance: Financial
assistance will support planned action by the community to diversify
the local economy and to improve their social, economic, and environmental
well-being. Limitation on length of funded projects will be established
at the Regional Office.
POST
ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Reports:
Periodic and final reports are required.
Audits:
In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A- 133 (Revised,
June 24, 1997), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit
Organizations," non federal entities that expend financial assistance
of $300,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a
program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities
that expend less than $300,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt
from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted
in Circular No. A-133.
Records:
State and other generally accepted accounting systems are permissible,
if acceptable to audit and reconciliate. All grantees need to
maintain adequate systems for collecting and recording statistical
data.
FINANCIAL
INFORMATION:
Account
Identification: 12-1105-0-1-302.
Obligations:
(Grants) FY 01 $4,922,000; FY 02 est $3,642,000; and FY 03 est
$9,000,000.
Range
and Average of Financial Assistance: $1,000 to $30,000.
Since the initiation of the Economic Recovery Program, direct assistance
has grown from helping 125 eligible communities in fiscal year 1992
to over 800 in fiscal year 2001. Many of the local action plans
include activities related to tourism, value- added natural resource
enterprises, marketing, special forest products, or building community
capacity through leadership or organizational development and training/education
projects.
REGULATIONS,
GUIDELINES, AND LITERATURE:
Forest Service Implementation Guidelines available in all Forest
Service offices. OMB Circular Nos. A-102 and A-87, are applicable
and USDA Implementing Regulations 7, CFR 3016, 3017, 3018, and 3019.
INFORMATION
CONTACTS:
Regional
or Local Office: Refer to Appendix IV of the
Catalog for Regional and Area State and Private Forestry offices
of the Forest Service and for addresses and telephone numbers of
Regional Foresters and Area Director of the Forest Service.
Headquarters
Office: Deputy Chief, State and Private Forestry,
Forest Service, Department of Agriculture, P.O. Box 96090, Washington,
DC 20090-6090. Telephone: (202) 205-1657. FTS is not available.
Web
Site Address: http://www.fs.fed.us/links/stateandprivate.shtml
EXAMPLES
OF FUNDED PROJECTS:
Training and placing out-of-work loggers into environmental restoration
jobs in northern California, Oregon and Washington. Developing and
implementing an ecosystem management plan which includes commercial
opportunities for utilizing small diameter, second-growth pine in
Montezuma, Delores, and La Plata counties in southwestern Colorado.
Strategic planning resulting in maintaining the rural character,
yet enhancing social and economic benefits of community change in
Wakulla County, Florida. Local development and construction of a
riverfront park in Libby, Montana. Establishment of the Forest Technology
and Training Institute in Clallum County, Washington. Increasing
awareness and development of non-farm industries in the historically
agriculturally based area around Rust College, Mississippi, with
a special emphasis on recreation and tourism opportunities as well
as value-added forest products. Ecotourism training and small business
management in Newton County, Arkansas. Establishing state-of-the-art
computer technology in Wasatch County, Utah, to help revise the
master plan.
CRITERIA
FOR SELECTING PROPOSALS:
Regional Foresters and the Area Director are given the flexibility
to make funding decisions based on their own understanding of community
and regional priorities and in consultation with others, such as
State, tribal and local agencies and organizations.
