At the discretion of the Agency and on a case-by-case basis, an obligation of funds established for an Applicant may be transferred to a different (substituted) Applicant provided:

(a) The substituted Applicant:

(1) Is eligible;

(2) Has a close and genuine relationship with the original Applicant; and

(3) Has the authority to receive the assistance approved for the original Applicant; and

(b) The project continues to meet all product, purpose, and reserved funds eligibility requirements so that the need, purpose(s), and scope of the project for which the Agency funds will be used remain substantially unchanged.