All Applicants are required to submit a complete application package that is comprised of all of the elements in this section.

(a) Application forms. The application must include all forms listed in the annually published notice for the program. The following application forms (or their successor forms) must be completed when applying for a grant under this subpart.

(1) “Application for Federal Assistance.”

(2) “Budget Information-Non-Construction Programs.”

(3) “Assurances—Non-Construction Programs.”

(4) All Applicants (including individuals and sole proprietorships) are required to have a DUNS number and maintain registration with the System for Award Management (SAM).

(b) Application content. The following content items must be completed when applying for a grant under this subpart:

(1) Eligibility discussion. The Applicant must demonstrate in detail how the:

(i) Applicant eligibility requirements in §§4284.920 and 4284.921 are met;

(ii) Project eligibility requirements in §4284.922 are met;

(iii) Eligible use of grant and Matching Funds requirements in §§4284.925 and 4284.926 are met; and

(iv) Funding limitation requirements in §4284.927 are met.

(2) Evaluation criteria. Using the format prescribed by the application package, the Applicant must address each evaluation criterion identified below.

(i) Performance Evaluation Criteria. The overall goal of this program and the projects it supports is to create and serve new markets, with a resulting increase in jobs, customer base and revenues returning to the producer. Applicants must provide specific information about plans to track and evaluate progress toward these outcomes as a way for the Agency to ascertain whether or not the primary program goals and project goals proposed in the work plan are likely to be accomplished during the project period. The application package will provide additional instruction to assist Applicants when responding to this criterion. The required data, including accomplishments as outlined in §4284.960 and Applicant-suggested performance criteria, will be incorporated into the Applicant's semi-annual and final reporting requirements if selected for award, and will be specified in the grant agreement associated with each award. At a minimum, data included in each application submission must include both target outcomes and timeframes for achieving results:

(A) The number of jobs anticipated to be created or saved as a direct result of the project.

(B) The current baseline number of customers.

(C) The estimated expansion of customer base as a direct result of the project.

(D) The current baseline of revenue.

(E) The estimated increase in revenue as a direct result of the project.

(F) Applicants for both Working Capital and Planning Grants are invited to suggest additional benchmarks for evaluation that are specific to proposed project activities or outcomes and the corresponding timeframes for accomplishing them; these should be informed by the program objectives, stated above, related to new markets, expansion of customer base, and revenues returning to producer Applicants; as well as to the practical and/or logistical activities and tasks to be accomplished during the project period.

(ii) Proposal evaluation criteria. Applicants for both Planning and Working Capital Grants must address each proposal evaluation criterion identified in §4284.942 in narrative form, in the application package.

(3) Certification of Matching Funds. Using the format prescribed by the application package, Applicants must certify that:

(i) Cost-share Matching Funds will be spent in advance of grant funding, such that for every dollar of grant funds disbursed, not less than an equal amount of Matching Funds will have been expended prior to submitting the request for reimbursement; and

(ii) If Matching Funds are proposed in an amount exceeding the grant amount, those Matching Funds must be spent at a proportional rate equal to the match-to-grant ratio identified in the proposed budget.

(4) Verification of cost-share Matching Funds. Using the format prescribed by the application package, the Applicant must demonstrate and provide authentic documentation from the source to confirm the eligibility and availability of both cash and in-kind contributions that meet the definition requirements for Matching Funds and Conflict of Interest in §4284.902, as well as the following criteria:

(i) Except as provided at §4284.925(a) and (b), Matching Funds are subject to the same use restrictions as grant funds, and must be spent on eligible project expenses during the grant funding period.

(ii) Matching Funds must be from eligible sources without a real or apparent Conflict of Interest.

(iii) Matching Funds must be at least equal to the amount of grant funds requested, and combined grant and Matching Funds must equal 100 percent of the Total Project Costs.

(iv) Unless provided by other authorizing legislation, other Federal grant funds cannot be used as Matching Funds.

(v) Matching Funds must be provided in the form of confirmed Applicant cash, loan, or line of credit; or provided in the form of a confirmed Applicant or family member in-kind contribution that meets the requirements and limitations specified in §4284.925(a) and (b); or provided in the form of confirmed third-party cash or eligible third-party in-kind contribution; or non-federal grant sources (unless otherwise provided by law).

(vi) Examples of ineligible Matching Funds include funds used for an ineligible purpose, contributions donated outside the proposed grant funding period, applicant and third-party in-kind contributions that are over-valued, or are without substantive documentation for an independent reviewer to confirm a valuation, conducting activities on behalf of anyone other than a specific Independent Producer or group of Independent Producers, expected program income at time of application, or instances where a real or apparent Conflict of Interest exists, except as detailed in §4284.925(a) and (b).

(5) Business plan. For Working Capital Grant applications, Applicants must provide a copy of the Business Plan that was completed for the proposed value-added Venture, except as provided for in §§4284.922(b)(6) and 4284.932. The Agency must concur in the acceptability or adequacy of the Business Plan. For all planning grant applications including those proposing product eligibility under “Produced in a Manner that Enhances the Value of the Agricultural Commodity,” a Business Plan is not required as part of the grant application.

(6) Feasibility study. As part of the application package, Applicants for Working Capital Grants must provide a copy of the third-party Feasibility Study that was completed for the proposed value-added project, except as provided for at §§4284.922(b)(6) and 4284.932. The Agency must concur in the acceptability or adequacy of the Feasibility Study.