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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 113 / Tuesday, June 15, 2021 / Rules and Regulations 3 Existing residents of the targeted region will receive direct career training for new employment or upscaling to a high-wage job; 5 points will be awarded.
4 If the identified region has fewer than 50,000 residents according to the most recent decennial census; 5 points will be awarded.
e RISE grant funds requested. A
maximum of 10 points will be awarded for this criterion if:
1 The RISE grant request is for $500,000 to $750,000; 10 points will be awarded.
2 The RISE grant request is for over $750,000 and up to $1,000,000; 5 points will be awarded.
f Regional impact. Points are awarded on a scale of 0 to 5 points for each category, with a total maximum of 20 points being awarded for this criterion. To receive points, the applicant must provide documentation to warrant strength on the following criteria, with points awarded for each:
1 Targeted industryies in the region is classified as an emerging industry;
2 Applicant demonstrates that the targeted industryies in the region hold a competitive advantage or will enhance their competitive advantage through the RISE project;
3 Applicant demonstrates that industry provides significant support of regional assets, including broadband, and provides community and economic development support within the region;
4 The RISE projects forecasted outcomes align with RISE objectives;
and 5 The RISE project will target support to existing industryies, whose significance in the region may be stagnant or on the decline but can be enhanced through the benefits of the RISE project.
g Administrator points. A maximum of 10 points will be awarded, with justification, at the discretion of the Agency Administrator, as announced in a Federal Register notice.
4284.1118 Selecting RISE grant applications for award.

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Unless otherwise provided for in a Federal Register notice, RISE grant applications will be evaluated, assigned priority points as described in 4284.1117 and ranked from highest to lowest score for funding consideration, subject to the availability of funding.
4284.1119 Awarding and Administering RISE Grants.

The Agency will award and administer RISE grants in accordance with departmental regulations and with the procedures and requirements specified in this part.

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a Bonding and insurance. The applicant must provide satisfactory evidence to the Agency that all officers of the applicant organization are authorized to receive and/or disburse Federal funds and are covered by such bonding and/or insurance requirements as are normally required by the applicant.
b Letter of conditions. A letter of conditions will be prepared by the Agency, establishing conditions that must be agreed to by the applicant before any obligation of funds can occur. Upon reviewing the conditions and requirements in the letter of conditions, the applicant must complete, sign, and return the Form RD
194246, Letter of Intent to Meet Conditions, and Form RD 19401, Request for Obligation of Funds, to the Agency if it accepts the conditions of the grant; or if certain conditions cannot be met, the applicant may propose alternate conditions in writing to the Agency. The Agency must resolve or concur with any changes proposed by the applicant to the letter of conditions before the application will be further processed.
c Evidence of matching funds. The applicant is responsible for providing documentation that the required matching funds for the project have been received or remain committed at the date a financial assistance agreement is executed with the Agency.
d SAM requirements. Each applicant applying for grant funds unless an exception, as outlined in 2 CFR
25.110a through d, is approved by the Agency is required to:
1 Be registered in SAM before submitting its application;
2 Provide a valid unique entity identifier in its application; and 3 Continue to maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active Federal award or an application or plan under consideration by a Federal awarding agency.
e Financial assistance agreement.
Once the requirements specified in paragraphs a through d of this section have been met, the financial assistance agreement can be executed by the lead applicant and the Agency. The applicant must abide by all requirements contained in the financial assistance agreement, this subpart, and any other applicable Federal statutes or regulations. Failure to follow these requirements might result in termination of the grant and adoption of other available remedies.
f Grant approval. The lead applicant will be sent an executed copy of the executed Form RD 19401, Obligation
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of Funds, and the financial assistance agreement.
4284.1120

Servicing RISE grants.

The Agency will service RISE grants in accordance with the requirements specified in departmental regulations, the financial assistance agreement, 7
CFR part 1951, subparts E and O, other than 7 CFR 1951.709d1iBiv, and the requirements in 4284.1120, except as specified in paragraphs a through d of this section.
a Inspections. Grantees must permit periodic inspection of the project records and operations by a representative of the Agency.
b Programmatic changes. Grantees may make changes to an approved projects costs, scope, contractor, or vendor subject to the provisions specified in paragraphs b1 through 3 of this section. If the changes result in lowering the projects score to below what would have qualified the application for an award, the Agency will not approve the changes.
1 Prior Agency approval. The grantee must obtain prior Agency approval for any change to the scope, contractor, or vendor of the approved project. Changes in project cost will require Agency approval as outlined in paragraph b1iii of this section.
i Grantees must submit requests for programmatic changes in writing to the Agency for Agency approval.
ii Failure to obtain prior Agency approval of any such change could result in such remedies as suspension, termination, and recovery of grant funds.
iii Prior Agency approval is required for all increases in project costs. Prior Agency approval is required for a decrease in project cost only if the decrease would have a negative effect on the long-term viability of the project.
A decrease in project cost that does not have a negative impact on long-term viability requires Agency notification prior to disbursement of funds. If project costs decrease, the Agency will reduce the grant amount, if necessary, to maintain a maximum grant amount of no greater than 80 percent of total project activities as required in 4284.1114a.
2 Changes in project cost or scope.
If there is a significant change in project cost or any change in project scope, then the grantees funding needs, eligibility, and scoring, as applicable, will be reassessed. Any decreases in Agency funds will be based on revised project costs and other factors, including Agency regulations used at the time of grant approval.

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