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Notice2023-27139

Notice of Funds Availability

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Published

December 11, 2023

Issuing agencies

Treasury DepartmentCommunity Development Financial Institutions Fund

Abstract

Through the NACA Program, the Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund provides (i) FA awards of up to $2 million to Certified Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) serving Native American, Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian populations or Native American areas defined as federally- designated reservations, Hawaiian homelands, Alaska Native Villages and U.S. Census Bureau-designated Tribal Statistical Areas (collectively, "Native Communities") to build their financial capacity to lend to Eligible Markets and/or their Target Markets, and (ii) TA awards of up to $300,000 to build Certified, and Emerging CDFIs' organizational capacity to serve Eligible Markets and/or their Target Markets, and Sponsoring Entities' ability to create Certified CDFIs that serve Native Communities. All awards provided through this NOFA are subject to funding availability. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Full Text

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 236 (Monday, December 11, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 236 (Monday, December 11, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 85995-86015]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-27139]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

Community Development Financial Institutions Fund

Notice of Funds Availability

Announcement Type: Announcement of funding opportunity.
Funding Opportunity Title: Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA)
inviting Applications for Financial Assistance (FA) or Technical
Assistance (TA) awards under the Native American CDFI Assistance (NACA
Program) fiscal year (FY) 2024 Funding Round.
Funding Opportunity Number: CDFI-2024-NACA.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (Cfda) Number: 21.012.
Dates:

Table 1--FY 2024 NACA Program Funding Round Critical Deadlines for Applicants
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Description Deadline Time (eastern time--ET) Submission method
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Last day to create an AMIS January 16, 2024............ 11:59 p.m. ET............... AMIS.
Account (all Applicants).
Last day to enter Employer January 16, 2024............ 11:59 p.m. ET............... AMIS.
Identification Number (EIN) and
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)
in AMIS (all Applicants).
Last day to submit SF-424 January 16, 2024............ 11:59 p.m. ET............... Electronically via
Mandatory Form (Application for <a href="http://Grants.gov">Grants.gov</a>.
Federal Assistance).
Last day to contact NACA Program February 13, 2024........... 5 p.m. ET................... Service Request
staff. via AMIS or CDFI
Fund Helpdesk:
202-653-0421.
Last day to contact AMIS-IT Help February 15, 2024........... 5 p.m. ET................... Service Request
Desk (regarding AMIS technical via AMIS or 202-
problems only). 653-0422 or
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#5f1e12160c1f3c3b3936712b2d3a3e2c71383029">[email&#160;protected]</a>.
Last day to submit Title VI February 15, 2024........... 11:59 p.m. ET............... AMIS.
Compliance Worksheet (all
Applicants) \1\.
Last day to submit NACA Program February 15, 2024........... 11:59 p.m. ET............... AMIS.
Application for Financial
Assistance (FA) or Technical
Assistance (TA).
Last day to contact March 1, 2024............... 11:59 p.m. ET............... Service Request\2\
Certification, Compliance via the Awards
Monitoring and Evaluation Management
(CCME) Help Desk regarding CDFI Information
Certification Application for System (AMIS).
uncertified FA Applicants.
Last day to submit CDFI March 5, 2024............... 11:59 p.m. ET............... AMIS.
Certification Applications for
uncertified FA Applicants.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Executive Summary: Through the NACA Program, the Community
Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund provides (i) FA awards
of up to $2 million to Certified Community Development Financial
Institutions (CDFIs) serving Native American, Alaska Native, or Native
Hawaiian populations or Native American areas defined as federally-
designated reservations, Hawaiian homelands, Alaska Native Villages and
U.S. Census Bureau-designated Tribal Statistical Areas (collectively,
``Native Communities'') to build their financial capacity to lend to
Eligible Markets and/or their Target Markets, and (ii) TA awards of up
to $300,000 to build Certified, and Emerging CDFIs' organizational
capacity to serve Eligible Markets and/or their Target Markets, and
Sponsoring Entities' ability to create Certified CDFIs that serve
Native

[[Page 85996]]

Communities. All awards provided through this NOFA are subject to
funding availability.
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\1\ This requirement also applies to Applicants' prospective
sub-recipients that are not direct beneficiaries of Federal
financial assistance (e.g., Depository Institution Holding Companies
and their Subsidiary CDFI Insured Depository Institutions).
\2\ Service Request shall mean a written inquiry or notification
submitted to the CDFI Fund via AMIS.
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I. Program Description

A. History: The CDFI Fund was established by the Riegle Community
Development Banking and Financial Institutions Act of 1994 to promote
economic revitalization and community development through investment in
and assistance to CDFIs. The Native American CDFI Assistance (NACA)
Program made its first awards in 2002, after the CDFI Program began
making awards in 1996.
B. Priorities: Through the NACA Program's FA and TA awards, the
CDFI Fund invests in and builds the capacity of for-profit and non-
profit community based lending organizations known as CDFIs. These
organizations, Certified as CDFIs by the CDFI Fund, serve Native
Communities. C. Authorizing Statutes and Regulations: The CDFI Program
is authorized by the Riegle Community Development Banking and Financial
Institutions Act of 1994 (Pub. L. 103-325, 12 U.S.C. 4701 et seq.)
(Authorizing Statute). The regulations governing the NACA Program are
found at 12 CFR parts 1805 and 1815 (the Regulations) and are used by
the CDFI Fund to govern, in general, the NACA Program, setting forth
evaluation criteria and other program requirements. The CDFI Fund
encourages Applicants to review the Regulations; this NOFA; the NACA
Program Application for Financial Assistance or Technical Assistance
(the Application); all related materials and guidance documents found
on the CDFI Fund's website (Application materials); and the Uniform
Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements
for Federal Awards (2 CFR part 1000), which is the Department of the
Treasury's codification of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
government-wide framework for grants management at 2 CFR part 200 (the
Uniform Requirements) for a complete understanding of the NACA Program.
Capitalized terms in this NOFA are defined in the Authorizing Statute,
the Regulations, this NOFA, the Application, Application materials, or
the Uniform Requirements. Details regarding Application content
requirements are found in the Application and Application materials.
D. Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit
Requirements for Federal Awards (2 CFR part 1000): The Uniform
Requirements codify financial, administrative, procurement, and program
management standards that Federal award agencies must follow. When
evaluating Applications, awarding agencies must evaluate the risks
posed by each Applicant, and each Applicant's merits and eligibility.
These requirements are designed to ensure that Applicants for Federal
assistance receive a fair and consistent review prior to an award
decision. This review will assess items such as the Applicant's
financial stability, quality of management systems, the soundness of
its business plan, history of performance, ability to achieve
measurable impacts through its products and services, and audit
findings. In addition, the Uniform Requirements include guidance on
audit requirements and other award compliance requirements for
Recipients.
E. Funding limitations: The CDFI Fund reserves the right to fund,
in whole or in part, any, all, or none of the Applications submitted in
response to this NOFA. The CDFI Fund also reserves the right to
reallocate funds from the amount that is anticipated to be available
through this NOFA to other CDFI Fund initiatives that are designed to
benefit Native Communities, particularly if the CDFI Fund determines
that the number of awards made through this NOFA is fewer than
projected.

II. Federal Award Information

A. Funding Availability:
1. FY 2024 Funding Round: Subject to final appropriations, the CDFI
Fund expects to award, through this NOFA, approximately $50 million as
indicated in the following table:

Table 2--FY 2024 Funding Round Anticipated Category Amounts
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Estimated Award amount Estimated
total amount -------------------------------- Estimated average Average
Funding categories (see definition in Table 7 for TA or to be awarded number of amount to be amount
Table 8 for FA) (millions) FY Minimum Maximum awards FY awarded FY awarded in FY
2024 2024 2024 2022
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Base-FA................................................. $36.5 $150,000 $2,000,000 20 $1,826,000 $900,000
Persistent Poverty Counties--Financial Assistance (PPC- 6.3 100,000 600,000 11 571,000 280,000
FA)....................................................
TA...................................................... 7.2 10,000 400,000 18 400,000 150,000
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total (Base-FA, PPC-FA, and TA)..................... 50.0 .............. .............. 49 .............. ..............
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Disability Funds--Financial Assistance (DF-FA) *........ 20.0 100,000 1,000,000 20 1,000,000 500,000
Healthy Food Financing Initiative--Financial Assistance 48.0 500,000 10,000,000 10 4,800,000 2,875,000
(HFFI-FA) *............................................
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* DF-FA and HFFI-FA appropriation will be allocated in one competitive round between the NACA and CDFI Program NOFAs.

The CDFI Fund reserves the right to award more or less than the
amounts cited above in each category, based upon available funding and
other factors, as appropriate.
2. Funding Availability for the FY 2024 Funding Round: Funds for
the FY 2024 Funding Round are a combination of appropriations from FY
2023 and FY 2024. FY 2023 funds were appropriated as part of the
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (Pub. L. 117-328), but FY 2024
funds are subject to change based on passage of a final FY 2024
appropriations bill. If Congress does not appropriate funds for FY
2024, the award estimates set forth above may be reduced. If funds are
appropriated for FY 2024, the amount of such funds may be greater or
less than the amounts set forth above. The CDFI Fund reserves the right
to contact Applicants to seek additional information in the event that
final FY 2024 appropriations for the NACA Program change any of the
requirements of this NOFA. As of the date of this NOFA, the CDFI Fund
is operating under a continuing funding resolution as enacted by the
Further Continuing Appropriations and Other Extensions Act, 2024 (Pub.
L. 118-22).
3. Anticipated Start Date and Period of Performance: The Period of
Performance for TA awards begins with the date of the award
announcement and includes either (i) an Emerging CDFI Recipient's three
full consecutive fiscal years after the date of the award announcement,
or (ii) a Certified CDFI

[[Page 85997]]

Recipient's two full consecutive fiscal years after the date of the
award announcement, or (iii) a Sponsoring Entity Recipient's four full
years after the date of the award announcement, during which the
Recipient must meet the Performance Goals and Measures (PG&Ms) set
forth in the Assistance Agreement. The Period of Performance for FA
awards begins with the date of the award announcement and includes a
Recipient's three full consecutive fiscal years after the date of the
award announcement, during which time the Recipient must meet the PG&Ms
set forth in the Assistance Agreement.
B. Types of Awards: Through the NACA Program, the CDFI Fund
provides two types of awards: Financial Assistance (FA) and Technical
Assistance (TA) awards. An Applicant may submit an Application for a TA
award or an FA award under the NACA Program, but not both. FA awards
include the Base Financial Assistance (Base-FA) award and the following
awards that are provided as a supplement to the Base-FA award: Healthy
Food Financing Initiative-Financial Assistance (HFFI-FA), Persistent
Poverty Counties-Financial Assistance (PPC-FA), and Disability Funds-
Financial Assistance (DF-FA). The HFFI-FA, PPC-FA, and DF-FA
Applications will be evaluated independently from the Base-FA
Application, and will not affect the Base-FA Application evaluation or
Base-FA award amount.
However, Applicants that qualify for the NACA Program may submit
two Applications: one Application (either for a TA award or an FA
award, but not both) through the CDFI Program, and one Application
(either for a TA award or an FA award, but not both) through the NACA
Program. NACA qualified Applicants that choose to apply for awards
through both the CDFI Program and the NACA Program may either apply for
the same type of award under each Program or for a different type of
award under each Program. NACA qualified FA Applicants that choose to
apply for an FA award under both the NACA Program and CDFI Program and
are selected for an award under both Programs will be provided the FA
award under the CDFI Program. NACA qualified TA Applicants that choose
to apply for a TA award under both the NACA Program and CDFI Program
and are selected for an award under both Programs will be provided the
TA award under the NACA Program. NACA qualified Applicants that choose
to apply for a TA award and an FA award under separate programs and are
selected for an award under both Programs will be provided the larger
of the two awards. NACA Applicants cannot receive an award under both
Programs within the same funding round.
The Indian Community Economic Enhancement Act of 2020 (Pub. L. 116-
261) permanently waived the Matching Funds \3\ requirement for Native
American CDFIs,\4\ and as a result, Native American CDFI FA Applicants
are not required to provide Matching Funds. Additionally, TA Applicants
are not required to provide Matching Funds.
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\3\ Matching Funds shall mean funds from sources other than the
federal government as defined in accordance with the CDFI Program
Regulations at 12 CFR 1805.500.
\4\ A Native American CDFI (Native CDFI) is one that Primarily
Serves a Native Community. Primarily Serves is defined as 50% or
more of an Applicant's activities being directed to a Native
Community.
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1. Base-FA Awards: Base-FA awards are provided in the form of a
grant. The CDFI Fund reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to
provide a Base-FA award in an amount other than that which the
Applicant requests; however, the award amount will not exceed the
Applicant's award request as stated in its Application.
2. Persistent Poverty Counties--Financial Assistance (PPC-FA)
Awards: PPC-FA awards will be provided as a supplement to Base-FA
awards; therefore, only those Applicants that are selected to receive a
Base-FA award through the NACA Program FY 2024 Funding Round will be
eligible to receive a PPC-FA award. PPC-FA awards are provided in the
form of a grant. The CDFI Fund reserves the right, in its sole
discretion, to provide a PPC-FA award in an amount other than that
which the Applicant requests; however, the award amount will not exceed
the Applicant's award request as stated in its Application.
3. Disability Funds--Financial Assistance (DF-FA) Awards: DF-FA
awards will be provided as a supplement to Base-FA awards; therefore,
only those Applicants that have been selected to receive a Base-FA
award through the NACA Program FY 2024 Funding Round will be eligible
to receive a DF-FA award. DF-FA awards are provided in the form of a
grant to Native American CDFIs. The CDFI Fund reserves the right, in
its sole discretion, to provide a DF-FA award in an amount other than
that which the Applicant requests; however, the award amount will not
exceed the Applicant's award request as stated in its Application.
4. Healthy Food Financing Initiative--Financial Assistance (HFFI-
FA) Awards: HFFI-FA awards will be provided as a supplement to Base-FA
awards; therefore, only those Applicants that have been selected to
receive a Base-FA award through the NACA Program FY 2024 Funding Round
will be eligible to receive an HFFI-FA award. HFFI-FA awards are
provided in the form of a grant to Native American CDFIs. The CDFI Fund
reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to provide an HFFI-FA award
in an amount other than that which the Applicant requests; however, the
award amount will not exceed the Applicant's award request as stated in
its Application.
5. TA Awards: TA is provided in the form of grants. The CDFI Fund
reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to provide a TA award in an
amount other than that which the Applicant requests; however, the TA
award amount will not exceed the Applicant's request as stated in its
Application.
C. Eligible Activities:
1. FA Awards: Base-FA, PPC-FA, DF-FA, and HFFI-FA award funds may
be expended for activities serving Commercial Real Estate, Small
Business, Microenterprise, Community Facilities, Consumer Financial
Products, Consumer Financial Services, Commercial Financial Products,
Commercial Financial Services, Affordable Housing, Intermediary Lending
to Non-Profits and CDFIs, Climate-Centered Financing, and other lines
of business as deemed appropriate by the CDFI Fund in the following
five categories: (i) Financial Products; (ii) Financial Services; (iii)
Loan Loss Reserves; (iv) Development Services; \5\ and (v) Capital
Reserves. The FA Budget is the amount of the award and must be expended
in the five eligible activity categories prior to the end of the Budget
Period.\6\ None of the eligible activity categories will be authorized
for Indirect Costs or an associated Indirect Cost Rate. Base-FA
Recipients must meet PG&Ms, which will be derived from projections and
attestations provided by the Applicant in its Application, to achieve
one of the following FA Objectives: (i) Increase Volume of

[[Page 85998]]

Financial Products in an Eligible Market(s) and/or in the Applicant's
approved Target Market and/or Increase Volume of Financial Services in
an Eligible Market(s) and/or in the Applicant's approved Target Market;
(ii) Serve Eligible Market(s) or the Applicant's approved Target Market
in New Geographic Area or Areas; (iii) Provide New Financial Products
in an Eligible Market(s) and/or in the Applicant's approved Target
Market; and (iv) Serve New Targeted Population or Populations. At the
end of each year of the Period of Performance, 50% or more of the
Financial Products closed by NACA Recipients must be in Native
Communities. FA awards may only be used for Direct Costs associated
with an eligible activity; no indirect expenses are allowed. Up to 15%
of the FA award may be used for Direct Administrative Expenses
associated with an eligible FA activity. ``Direct Administrative
Expenses'' shall mean Direct Costs, as described in section 2 CFR
200.413 of the Uniform Requirements, which are incurred by the
Recipient to carry out the Financial Assistance. Direct Costs incurred
to provide Development Services or Financial Services do not constitute
Direct Administrative Expenses.
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\5\ Although some financial education for youth under 18 years
old do not fall under the definition of Development Services and
thus is not eligible to support Certification, the CDFI Fund allows
FA award funds to be used to provide such financial education.
Financial education for youth means education designed to prepare
youth to engage with the financial system. This includes accessing
Financial Products when they are legally able to and accessing
Financial Services offered by the Applicant or a third party.
\6\ Budget Period means the time interval from the start date of
a funded portion of an award to the end date of that funded portion
during which Recipients are authorized to expend the funds awarded.
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The Recipient must comply, as applicable, with the Buy American Act
of 1933, 41 U.S.C. 8301-8303 and section 2 CFR 200.216 of the Uniform
Requirements,\7\ with respect to any Direct Costs. For purposes of this
NOFA, the five eligible activity categories are defined in Table 3.
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\7\ Sec. 200.216 Prohibition on certain telecommunications and
video surveillance services or equipment.
(a) Recipients and Subrecipients are prohibited from obligating
or expending loan or grant funds to:
(1) Procure or obtain;
(2) Extend or renew a contract to procure or obtain; or
(3) Enter into a contract (or extend or renew a contract) to
procure or obtain, equipment, services, or systems that uses covered
telecommunications equipment or services as a substantial or
essential component of any system, or as critical technology as part
of any system. As described in Public Law 115-232, section 889,
covered telecommunications equipment is telecommunications equipment
produced by Huawei Technologies Company or ZTE Corporation (or any
Subsidiary or Affiliate of such entities).
\8\ Regulated Institutions include Insured Credit Unions,
Insured Depository Institutions, State-Insured Credit Unions and
Depository Institution Holding Companies.

Table 3--Base-FA, PPC-FA, DF-FA, and HFFI-FA Eligible Activity
Categories
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eligible CDFI
FA Eligible activity FA eligible activity institution
definition * types
------------------------------------------------------------------------
i. Financial Products............ FA expended as All.
loans, Equity
Investments and
similar financing
activities (as
determined by the
CDFI Fund)
including the
purchase of loans
originated by
Certified CDFIs and
the provision of
loan guarantees. In
the case of CDFI
Intermediaries,
Financial Products
may also include
loans to CDFIs and/
or Emerging CDFIs,
and deposits in
Insured Credit
Union CDFIs,
Emerging Insured
Credit Union CDFIs,
and/or State-
Insured Credit
Union CDFIs.
For HFFI-FA,
however, financing
for prepared food
outlets are not
eligible
activities,
including the
purchase of loans
originated by
Certified CDFIs,
loan refinancing,
or any other type
of financing for
prepared food
outlets.
ii. Financial Services........... FA expended for Regulated
providing checking, Institutions
savings accounts, \8\ only. Not
check cashing, applicable for
money orders, HFFI-FA
certified checks, Recipients.
automated teller
machines, deposit
taking, safe
deposit box
services, and other
similar services.
iii. Loan Loss Reserves.......... FA set aside in the All.
form of cash
reserves, or
through accounting-
based accrual
reserves, to cover
losses on loans,
accounts, and notes
receivable or for
related purposes
that the CDFI Fund
deems appropriate.
iv. Development Services......... FA expended for All.
activities
undertaken by a
CDFI, its Affiliate
or contractor that
(i) promote
community
development and
(ii) prepare or
assist current or
potential borrowers
or investees to use
the CDFI's
Financial Products
or Financial
Services. For
example, such
activities include
financial or credit
counseling;
homeownership
counseling;
business planning;
and management
assistance.
v. Capital Reserves.............. FA set aside as Regulated
reserves to support Institutions
the Applicant's only. Not
ability to leverage applicable for
other capital, for DF-FA.
such purposes as
increasing its net
assets or providing
financing, or for
related purposes as
the CDFI Fund deems
appropriate.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
* All FA eligible activities must be in an Eligible Market or the
Applicant's approved Target Market. Eligible Market is defined as (i)
a geographic area meeting the requirements set forth in 12 CFR
1805.201(b)(3)(ii), or (ii) individuals that are Low-Income, African
American, Hispanic, Native American, Native Hawaiian, Alaska Native,
Other Pacific Islander, Filipino, Vietnamese, or Persons with
Disabilities.

2. DF-FA Award: DF-FA award funds may only be expended for eligible
FA activities (referenced in Table 3) to directly or indirectly benefit
individuals with disabilities. The DF-FA Recipient must close Financial
Products for the primary purpose of directly or indirectly benefiting
people with disabilities, where the majority of the DF-FA supported
loans or investments benefit individuals with disabilities, in an
amount equal to or greater than 85% of the total DF-FA provided.
Eligible DF-FA financing activities may include, among other
activities, loans to develop or purchase affordable, accessible, and
safe housing; loans to provide or facilitate employment opportunities;
and loans to purchase assistive technology.
For the purposes of DF-FA, a person with a disability is a person
who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one
or more major life activities, a person who has a record of such an
impairment, or a person who is regarded as having such an impairment,
as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), 42 U.S.C.
12102.
3. HFFI-FA Award: HFFI-FA award funds may only be expended for
eligible FA activities referenced in Table 3. The HFFI-FA investments
must comply with the following guidelines:
a. Recipient must close Financial Products for Healthy Food Retail
Outlets and Healthy Food Non-Retail Outlets in its approved Target
Market in an amount equal to or greater than 100% of the total HFFI
Financial Assistance provided. Eligible financing activities to Healthy
Food Retail Outlets and Healthy Food Non-Retail Outlets require that
the majority of the loan or investment be devoted to offering a range
of Healthy Food choices, which may include, among other activities,
investments supporting an existing retail store or wholesale operation
upgrade to offer an expanded range of Healthy Food choices, or
supporting a nonprofit organization that expands the availability of
Healthy Foods in underserved areas.
b. Recipient must demonstrate that it has closed Financial Products
to

[[Page 85999]]

Healthy Food Retail Outlets located in Food Deserts in the Recipient's
approved Target Market in an amount equal to 75% of the total HFFI
Financial Assistance provided.
Definitions:
Healthy Foods: Healthy Foods include unprepared nutrient-dense
foods and beverages as set forth in the USDA Dietary Guidelines for
Americans 2020-2025 including whole fruits and vegetables, whole
grains, fat free or low-fat dairy foods, lean meats and poultry (fresh,
refrigerated, frozen or canned). Healthy Foods should have low or no
added sugars, and be low-sodium, reduced sodium, or no-salt-added. (See
USDA Dietary Guidelines: <a href="http://www.dietaryguidelines.gov">http://www.dietaryguidelines.gov</a>).
Healthy Food Retail Outlets: Commercial sellers of Healthy Foods
including, but not limited to, grocery stores, mobile food retailers,
farmers markets, retail cooperatives, corner stores, bodegas, stores
that sell other food and non-food items along with a range of Healthy
Foods.
Healthy Food Non-Retail Outlets: Wholesalers of Healthy Foods
including, but not limited to, wholesale food outlets, wholesale
cooperatives, or other non-retail food producers that supply for sale a
range of Healthy Food options; entities that produce or distribute
Healthy Foods for eventual retail sale, and entities that provide
consumer education regarding the consumption of Healthy Foods.
Food Deserts: Distressed geographic areas where either a
substantial number or share of residents has low access to a
supermarket or large grocery store. For the purpose of satisfying this
requirement, a Food Desert must either: (1) be a census tract
determined to be a Food Desert by the U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA), in its USDA Food Access Research Atlas; (2) be a census tract
adjacent to a census tract determined to be a Food Desert by the USDA,
in its USDA Food Access Research Atlas; which has a median family
income less than or equal to 120% of the applicable Area Median Family
Income; or (3) be a Geographic Unit as defined in 12 CFR part
1805.201(b)(3)(ii)(B), which (i) individually meets at least one of the
criteria in 12 CFR part 1805.201(b)(3)(ii)(D), and (ii) has been
identified as having low access to a supermarket or grocery store
through a methodology that has been adopted for use by another
governmental or philanthropic healthy food initiative.
4. PPC-FA Award: PPC-FA award funds may only be expended for
eligible FA activities referenced in Table 3. The PPC-FA Recipient must
close Financial Products in PPC: 1) in an Eligible Market or in the
Applicant's approved Target Market and 2) in an amount equal to or
greater than 100% of the total PPC-FA award. The specific counties that
meet the criteria for ``persistent poverty'' can be found at: <a href="https://www.cdfifund.gov/sites/cdfi/files/2023-03/PPC_2020_ACS_Jan20_2023.xlsx">https://www.cdfifund.gov/sites/cdfi/files/2023-03/PPC_2020_ACS_Jan20_2023.xlsx</a>.
5. TA Awards: TA award funds may be expended for the following
eight eligible activity categories: (i) Compensation--Personal
Services; (ii) Compensation--Fringe Benefits; (iii) Professional
Service Costs; (iv) Travel Costs; (v) Training and Education Costs;
(vi) Equipment; (vii) Supplies; and (viii) Incorporation Costs. Only
Sponsoring Entities may use TA award funds for Incorporation Costs. The
TA Budget is the amount of the award and must be expended in the eight
eligible activity categories before the end of the Budget Period. None
of the eligible activity categories will be authorized for Indirect
Costs or an associated Indirect Cost Rate. Any expenses that are
prohibited by the Uniform Requirements are unallowable and are
generally found in Subpart E-Cost Principles. The Recipient must
comply, as applicable, with the Buy American Act of 1933, 41 U.S.C.
8301-8303 and section 2 CFR 200.216 of the Uniform Requirements, with
respect to any Direct Costs. For purposes of this NOFA, the eight
eligible activity categories are defined in Table 4.

Table 4--TA Eligible Activity Categories, Subject to the Applicable
Provisions of the Uniform Requirements
------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------
(i) Compensation--Personal TA paid to cover all remuneration
Services. paid currently or accrued, for
services of Applicant's employees
rendered during the Period of
Performance under the TA award, in
accordance with section 2 CFR
200.430 of the Uniform
Requirements, is allowed.
Any work performed directly but
unrelated to the purposes of the TA
award may not be paid as
Compensation through a TA award.
For example, the salaries for
building maintenance would not
carry out the purpose of a TA award
and would be deemed unallowable.
(ii) Compensation--Fringe Benefits TA paid to cover allowances and
services provided by the Applicant
to its employees as Compensation in
addition to regular salaries and
wages, in accordance with section 2
CFR 200.431 of the Uniform
Requirements, is allowed. Such
expenditures are allowable, as long
as they are made under formally
established and consistently
applied organizational policies of
the Applicant.
(iii) Professional Service Costs.. TA paid to cover professional and
consultant services (e.g., such as
strategic and marketing plan
development), rendered by persons
who are members of a particular
profession or possess a special
skill (e.g., credit analysis,
portfolio management), and who are
not officers or employees of the
Applicant, in accordance with
section 2 CFR 200.459 of the
Uniform Requirements, is allowed.
Payment for a consultant's services
may not exceed the current maximum
of the daily equivalent rate paid
to an Executive Schedule Level IV
federal employee. Professional and
consultant services must build the
capacity of the CDFI. For example,
professional services that provide
direct Development Services to the
customers do not build the capacity
of the CDFI to provide those
services and would not be eligible.
The Applicant must comply, as
applicable, with section 2 CFR
200.216 of the Uniform
Requirements, with respect to
payment of Professional Service
Costs.
(iv) Travel Costs................. TA paid to cover costs of
transportation, lodging,
subsistence, and related items
incurred by the Applicant's
personnel who are on travel status
on business related to the TA
award, in accordance with section 2
CFR 200.475 of the Uniform
Requirements, is allowed. Travel
Costs do not include costs incurred
by the Applicant's consultants who
are on travel status. Any payments
for travel expenses incurred by the
Applicant's personnel but unrelated
to carrying out the purpose of the
TA award would be deemed
unallowable. As such, documentation
must be maintained that justifies
the travel as necessary to the TA
award.
(v) Training and Education Costs.. TA paid to cover the cost of
training and education provided by
the Applicant for employees'
development, in accordance with
section 2 CFR 200.473 of the
Uniform Requirements, is allowed.
TA can only be used to pay for
training costs incurred by the
Applicant's employees. Training and
Education Costs may not be incurred
by the Applicant's consultants.

[[Page 86000]]

(vi) Equipment.................... TA paid to cover tangible personal
property, having a useful life of
more than one year and a per-unit
acquisition cost of at least
$5,000, in accordance with section
2 CFR 200.1 of the Uniform
Requirements, is allowed. For
example, items such as office
furnishings and information
technology systems are allowable as
Equipment costs. The Applicant must
comply, as applicable, with the Buy
American Act of 1933, 41 U.S.C.
8301-8303 and section 2 CFR 200.216
of the Uniform Requirements, with
respect to the purchase of
Equipment.
over tangible personal property
with a per unit acquisition cost
of less than $5,000, in
accordance with section 2 CFR
200.1 of the Uniform
Requirements, is allowed. For
example, a desktop computer
costing $1,000 is allowable as a
Supply cost. The Applicant must
comply, as applicable, with the
Buy American Act of 1933, 41
U.S.C. 8301-8303 and section 2
CFR 200.216 of the Uniform
Requirements, with respect to the
purchase of Supplies..
(viii) Incorporation Costs TA paid to cover incorporation fees
(Sponsoring Entities only). in connection with the
establishment or reorganization of
an organization as a CDFI, in
accordance with section 2 CFR
200.455 of the Uniform
Requirements, is allowed.
Incorporation Costs are allowable
for NACA Program Sponsoring Entity
Applicants only.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

III. Eligibility Information

A. Eligible Applicants: For the purposes of this NOFA, Table 5
through Table 8 set forth the eligibility criteria to receive an award
from the CDFI Fund, along with certain definitions of terms. There are
four categories of Applicant eligibility criteria: (1) CDFI
Certification criteria (Table 5); (2) requirements that apply to all
Applicants (Table 6); (3) requirements that apply to TA Applicants
(Table 7); and (4) requirements that apply to FA Applicants (Table 8).

Table 5--CDFI Certification Criteria Definitions
------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Certified CDFI.................... An entity that the CDFI Fund has
officially notified that it meets
all CDFI Certification
requirements.
Certifiable CDFI (FA Applicants).. <bullet> An FA Applicant that has
submitted a CDFI Certification
Application to the CDFI Fund by the
deadline specified in this NOFA
demonstrating that it meets the
CDFI Certification requirements,
but has not yet been officially
Certified. (See Table 12 for
Application submission deadlines.)
<bullet> The CDFI Fund will not
enter into an Assistance Agreement
unless the Applicant's pending CDFI
Certification Application is
approved by the CDFI Fund prior to
the award announcement date.
<bullet> The CDFI Fund will make
CDFI Certification determinations
for all Applicants that are
Certifiable CDFIs prior to the
award announcement date. If the
CDFI Certification Application is
denied, the Applicant will not be
eligible to receive an FA award.
There is no right to appeal an
Award denial based on denial of the
pending CDFI Certification
Application.
Emerging CDFI (TA Applicants)..... <bullet> A non-Certified entity that
demonstrates to the CDFI Fund in
its Application that it has an
acceptable plan to meet CDFI
Certification requirements by the
end of its Period of Performance,
or another date that the CDFI Fund
selects.
<bullet> An Emerging CDFI may or may
not have a pending CDFI
Certification Application with the
CDFI Fund.
<bullet> An Emerging CDFI that has
prior award(s) must comply with
CDFI Certification PG&M(s) stated
in its prior Assistance
Agreement(s).
<bullet> An Emerging CDFI selected
to receive a TA award will be
required to become a Certified CDFI
by a date specified in the
Assistance Agreement.
Sponsoring Entity................. <bullet> Sponsoring Entities include
any legal organization that
primarily serves a Native Community
with ''primary'' meaning, at least
50% of its activities are directed
toward the Native Community.
<bullet> An eligible organization
that proposes to create a separate
legal organization that will become
a Certified CDFI serving Native
Communities.
<bullet> Each Sponsoring Entity
selected to receive a TA award will
be required to create a CDFI and
ensure that this newly created CDFI
becomes Certified by the dates
specified in the Assistance
Agreement.
Definition of Native Other The CDFI Fund uses the following
Targeted Population as Target definitions, set forth in the
Market. Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) Notice, Revisions to the
Standards for the Classification of
Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity
(October 30, 1997), as amended and
supplemented:
<bullet> American Indian, Native
American, or Alaska Native: A
person having origins in any of the
original peoples of North and South
America (including Central America)
and who maintains tribal
affiliation or community
attachment; and
<bullet> Native Hawaiian: A person
having origins in any of the
original peoples of Hawaii.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Table 6--Eligibility Requirements for All Applicants
------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Applicant......................... <bullet> An Applicant must be duly
organized as a legal entity (within
the United States or its
territories).
<bullet> Only the entity that will
carry out the proposed award
activities may apply for an award
(other than Depository Institution
Holding Companies (DIHC) \9\--see
below, and Sponsoring Entities).
Recipients may not create a new
legal entity to carry out the
proposed award activities (except
for Sponsoring Entities).

[[Page 86001]]

<bullet> The information in the
Application should only reflect the
activities of the Applicant,
including the presentation of
financial and portfolio information
(other than DIHCs see below). Do
not include financial or portfolio
information from parent companies,
Affiliates, or Subsidiaries in the
Application unless it relates to
the provision of Development
Services.
<bullet> An Applicant that applies
on behalf of another organization
will be rejected without further
consideration, other than DIHCs
(see below).
Application type and submission <bullet> Applicants must submit the
overview through <a href="http://Grants.gov">Grants.gov</a> and Required Application Documents
Awards Management Information listed in Table 10.
System (AMIS). <bullet> The CDFI Fund will only
accept Applications that use the
official Application templates
provided on the <a href="http://Grants.gov">Grants.gov</a> and AMIS
websites. Applications submitted
with alternative or altered
templates will not be considered.
<bullet> Applicants undergo a two-
step process that requires the
submission of Application documents
by two separate deadlines in two
different systems: (1) the SF-424
in <a href="http://Grants.gov">Grants.gov</a> and (2) all other
Required Application Documents in
AMIS.
<bullet> <a href="http://Grants.gov">Grants.gov</a> and the SF-424:
[cir] <a href="http://Grants.gov">Grants.gov</a>: Applicants must
submit the Standard Form (SF) SF-
424, Application for Federal
Assistance.
[cir] All Applicants must
register in the <a href="http://Grants.gov">Grants.gov</a>
system to successfully submit an
Application. The <a href="http://Grants.gov">Grants.gov</a>
registration process can take 30
days or more to complete. The
CDFI Fund strongly encourages
Applicants to register as early
as possible.
[cir] The CDFI Fund will not
extend the SF-424 application
deadline for any Applicant that
started the <a href="http://Grants.gov">Grants.gov</a>
registration process on, before,
or after the date of the
publication of this NOFA, but
did not complete it by the
deadline except in the case of a
federal government
administrative or technological
error that directly resulted in
a late submission of the SF-424.
[cir] The SF-424 must be
submitted in <a href="http://Grants.gov">Grants.gov</a> on or
before the deadline listed in
Table 1 and Table 12. Applicants
are strongly encouraged to
submit their SF-424 as early as
possible in the <a href="http://Grants.gov">Grants.gov</a>
system.
[cir] The deadline for the
<a href="http://Grants.gov">Grants.gov</a> submission is before
the AMIS submission deadline.
[cir] The SF-424 must be
submitted under the NACA Program
Funding Opportunity Number for
the NACA Program Application.
NACA Program Applicants should
be careful to not select the
CDFI Program Funding Opportunity
Number when submitting their SF-
424 for the NACA Program. NACA
Program Applicants that submit
their SF-424 for the NACA
Program Application under the
CDFI Program Funding Opportunity
Number will be deemed ineligible
for the NACA Program
Application.
[cir] If the SF-424 is not
accepted by <a href="http://Grants.gov">Grants.gov</a> by the
deadline, the CDFI Fund will not
review any material submitted in
AMIS and the Application will be
deemed ineligible.
<bullet> AMIS and all other Required
Application Documents listed in
Table 10:
[cir] AMIS is an enterprise-wide
information technology system.
Applicants will use AMIS to
submit and store organization
and Application information with
the CDFI Fund.
[cir] Applicants are only allowed
one NACA Program Application
submission in AMIS.
[cir] Each Application in AMIS
must be signed by an Authorized
Representative.
[cir] Applicants must ensure that
the Authorized Representative is
an employee or officer of the
Applicant, authorized to sign
legal documents on behalf of the
organization. Consultants
working on behalf of the
organization may not be
designated as Authorized
Representatives.
[cir] Only the Authorized
Representative or Application
Point of Contact, included in
the Application, may submit the
Application in AMIS.
[cir] All Required Application
Documents must be submitted in
AMIS on or before the deadline
specified in Tables 1 and 12.
The CDFI Fund will not extend
the deadline for any Applicant
except in the case of a federal
government administrative or
technological error that
directly resulted in the late
submission of the Application in
AMIS.
Employer Identification Number <bullet> Applicants must have a
(EIN). unique EIN assigned by the Internal
Revenue Service (IRS).
<bullet> The CDFI Fund will reject
an Application submitted with the
EIN of a parent or Affiliate
organization.
<bullet> The EIN in the Applicant's
AMIS account must match the EIN in
the Applicant's System for Award
Management (SAM) account. The CDFI
Fund reserves the right to reject
an Application if the EIN in the
Applicant's AMIS account does not
match the EIN in its SAM account.
<bullet> Applicants must enter their
EIN into their AMIS profile on or
before the deadline specified in
Tables 1 and 12.
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI).... <bullet> The transition from the Dun
and Bradstreet Universal Numbering
System (DUNS) to UEI is a federal
government-wide initiative.
<bullet> An Applicant must apply
using its UEI in <a href="http://Grants.gov">Grants.gov</a>.
<bullet> The CDFI Fund will reject
an Application submitted with the
UEI of a parent or Affiliate
organization.
<bullet> The UEI in the Applicant's
AMIS account must match the UEI in
the Applicant's <a href="http://Grants.gov">Grants.gov</a> and SAM
accounts. The CDFI Fund will reject
an Application if the UEI in the
Applicant's AMIS account does not
match the UEI in its <a href="http://Grants.gov">Grants.gov</a> and
SAM accounts.
<bullet> Applicants must enter their
UEI into their AMIS profile on or
before the deadline specified in
Tables 1 and 12.
System for Award Management (SAM). <bullet> SAM is a web-based,
government-wide application that
collects, validates, stores, and
disseminates business information
about the federal government's
trading partners in support of the
contract awards, grants, and
electronic payment processes.
<bullet> Applicants must register in
SAM as part of the <a href="http://Grants.gov">Grants.gov</a>
registration process.
<bullet> Applicants that have an
active SAM registration have been
assigned a UEI. Applicants must
also have an EIN in order to
register in SAM.
<bullet> Applicants must be
registered in SAM in order to
submit an SF-424 in <a href="http://Grants.gov">Grants.gov</a>.
<bullet> The CDFI Fund reserves the
right to deem an Application
ineligible if the Applicant's SAM
account expires during the
Application evaluation period, or
is set to expire before September
30, 2024, and the Applicant does
not re-activate, or renew, as
applicable, the account within the
deadlines that the CDFI Fund
communicates to affected Applicants
during the Application evaluation
period.
AMIS Account...................... <bullet> Each Applicant must
register as an organization in AMIS
and submit all Required Application
Documents listed in Table 10
through the AMIS system.
<bullet> The Application of any
organization that does not properly
register in AMIS by the deadline
set forth in Table 1--FY 2024 NACA
Program Funding Round Critical
Deadlines for Applicants--will be
rejected without further
consideration.
<bullet> The Authorized
Representative and/or Application
Point of Contact must be included
as ``users'' in the Applicant's
AMIS account.
<bullet> An Applicant that fails to
properly register and update its
AMIS account may miss important
communication from the CDFI Fund
and/or may not be able to
successfully submit an Application.
501(c)(4) status.................. <bullet> Pursuant to 2 U.S.C. 1611,
any 501(c)(4) organization that
engages in lobbying activities is
not eligible to receive a CDFI or
NACA Program award.

[[Page 86002]]

Compliance with Nondiscrimination <bullet> An Applicant * may not be
and Equal Opportunity Statutes, eligible to receive an award if
Regulations, and Executive Orders. proceedings have been instituted
against it in, by, or before any
court, governmental agency, or
administrative body, and a final
determination has been issued
within the time period beginning
three years prior to the
publication of this NOFA until the
execution of the Assistance
Agreement that indicates the
Applicant has violated any federal
civil rights laws or regulations,
including: Title VI of the Civil
Rights Act of 1964, as amended (42
U.S.C. 2000d); Fair Housing Act (42
U.S.C. 3601 et seq.); Equal Credit
Opportunity Act (15 U.S.C. 1691 et
seq.); Section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29
U.S.C. 794); and the Age
Discrimination Act of 1975, (42
U.S.C. 6101-6107).
<bullet> Applicants * will be
required to submit the Title VI
Compliance Worksheet (Worksheet)
once annually to assist the CDFI
Fund in determining whether
Applicants are compliant with the
Treasury regulations implementing
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act
(Title VI), set forth in 31 CFR
part 22. These requirements are set
forth in the United States
Department of the Treasury
regulations implementing Title VI
located in 31 CFR part 22,
Nondiscrimination on the Basis of
Race, Color, or National Origin in
Programs or Activities Receiving
Federal Financial Assistance from
the Department of the Treasury.
<bullet> In addition, an Applicant *
must be compliant with federal
civil rights requirements in order
to be deemed eligible to receive an
award from the CDFI Fund. The CDFI
Fund will consider an Application
submitted by an Applicant that has
pending Title VI noncompliance
issues, if the CDFI Fund has not
yet made a final compliance
determination.
<bullet> The Title VI Compliance
Worksheet and program award terms
and conditions do not impose
antidiscrimination requirements on
Tribal governments beyond what
would otherwise apply under federal
law.
Depository Institution Holding <bullet> In the case where a CDFI
Company Applicant. Depository Institution Holding
Company Applicant intends to carry
out the activities of an award
through its Subsidiary CDFI Insured
Depository Institution, the
Application must be submitted by
the CDFI Depository Institution
Holding Company and reflect the
activities and financial
performance of the Subsidiary CDFI
Insured Depository Institution.
<bullet> If a Depository Institution
Holding Company and its Certified
CDFI Subsidiary Insured Depository
Institution (through which it will
carry out the activities of the
award) both apply for an award
under this NOFA, only the
Depository Institution Holding
Company will receive an award, not
both. In such instances, the
Subsidiary Insured Depository
Institution will be deemed
ineligible.
<bullet> Authorized Representatives
of both the Depository Institution
Holding Company and the Subsidiary
CDFI Insured Depository Institution
must certify that the information
included in the Application
represents that of the Subsidiary
CDFI Insured Depository
Institution, and that the award
funds will be used to support the
Subsidiary CDFI Insured Depository
Institution for the eligible
activities outlined in the
Application.
Use of award...................... <bullet> All awards made through
this NOFA must be used to support
the Applicant's activities in at
least one of the FA or TA Eligible
Activity Categories (see Section
II. (C)).
<bullet> With the exception of
Depository Institution Holding
Company Applicants and Sponsoring
Entities, awards may not be used to
support the activities of, or
otherwise be passed through,
transferred, or co-awarded to,
third-party entities, whether
Affiliates, Subsidiaries, or
others, unless done pursuant to a
merger or acquisition or similar
transaction, and with the CDFI
Fund's prior written consent. The
Recipient of any award made through
this NOFA must comply, as
applicable, with the Buy American
Act of 1933, 41 U.S.C. 8301-8303
and section 2 CFR 200.216 of the
Uniform Requirements, with respect
to any Direct Costs.
Requested award amount............ <bullet> An Applicant must state its
requested award amount in the
Application in AMIS. An Applicant
that does not include this amount
will not be allowed to submit an
Application.
Pending resolution of <bullet> If an Applicant that is a
noncompliance. prior Recipient or allocatee under
any CDFI Fund program: (i) has
demonstrated it has been in
noncompliance and/or default with a
previous Assistance Agreement,
Award Agreement, Allocation
Agreement, bond loan agreement, or
agreement to guarantee and (ii) the
CDFI Fund has yet to make a final
determination as to whether the
entity is in noncompliance with or
default of its previous agreement,
the CDFI Fund will consider the
Applicant's Application under this
NOFA pending full resolution, in
the sole determination of the CDFI
Fund, of the noncompliance and/or
default.
Noncompliance or default status... <bullet> The CDFI Fund will not
consider an Application submitted
by an Applicant that is a prior
CDFI Fund award recipient or
allocatee under any CDFI Fund
program if, as of the AMIS
Application deadline in this NOFA,
(i) the CDFI Fund has made a final
determination in writing that such
Applicant is in noncompliance with
or default of a previously executed
Assistance Agreement, Award
Agreement, Allocation Agreement,
bond loan agreement, or agreement
to guarantee, and (ii) the CDFI
Fund has provided written
notification that such entity is
ineligible to apply for or receive
any future CDFI Fund awards or
allocations. Such entities will be
ineligible to submit an Application
for such time period as specified
by the CDFI Fund in writing.
<bullet> The CDFI Fund will not
consider any Applicant that has
defaulted on a loan from the CDFI
Fund within five years of the
Application deadline.
Debarment/Do Not Pay Verification. <bullet> The CDFI Fund will conduct
a debarment check and will not
consider an Application submitted
by an Applicant (or Affiliate of an
Applicant) if the Applicant is
delinquent on any Federal debt.
<bullet> The Do Not Pay Business
Center was developed to support
federal agencies in their efforts
to reduce the number of improper
payments made through programs
funded by the federal government.
The Do Not Pay Business Center
provides delinquency information to
the CDFI Fund to assist with the
debarment check.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
* This requirement also applies to Applicants' prospective sub-
recipients that are not direct beneficiaries of Federal financial
assistance (e.g., Depository Institutions Holding Companies and their
Subsidiary CDFI Insured Depository Institutions).

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

\9\ Depository Institution Holding Company or DIHC means a Bank
Holding Company or a Savings and Loan Holding Company.

Table 7--Eligibility Requirements for TA Applicants
------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------
CDFI Certification status......... Certified CDFIs, Emerging CDFIs, or
Sponsoring Entities (see
definitions in Table 5).
If a TA Applicant is a Certified
CDFI at the time of application but
loses its CDFI Certification at any
point prior to the award
announcement, the Application will
be deemed ineligible and no longer
be considered by the CDFI Fund.
Matching Funds.................... <bullet> Matching Funds
documentation is not required for
TA awards.
Limitation on Awards.............. <bullet> An Emerging CDFI serving
Native Communities may not receive
more than three TA awards as an
uncertified CDFI.
<bullet> A Sponsoring Entity is only
eligible to apply for an award if
(i) it does not have an active
prior award or (ii) the CDFI
Certification goal in its active
award's Assistance Agreement has
been satisfied and it proposes to
create another CDFI that will serve
one or more Native Communities.

[[Page 86003]]

$5 Million funding cap............ <bullet> The CDFI Fund is prohibited
from obligating more than $5
million in CDFI and NACA Program
awards, in the aggregate, to any
one organization and its
Subsidiaries and Affiliates during
any three-year period from the
announcement date.
<bullet> The CDFI Fund will include
CDFI and NACA Program final awards
in the cap calculation that were
provided to an Applicant (and/or
its Subsidiaries or Affiliates)
under the FY 2022 funding round, as
well as the requested FY 2024
award, excluding DF-FA and HFFI-FA
awards.
Proposed Activities............... <bullet> Applicants must propose to
directly undertake eligible
activities with TA awards. For
example, an uncertified CDFI
Applicant must propose to become
Certified as part of its
Application and a Certified CDFI
Applicant must propose activities
that build its capacity to serve
its Target Market or an Eligible
Market.
<bullet> With the exception of
Sponsoring Entities, Applicants may
not propose to use a TA award to
create a separate legal entity to
become a Certified CDFI or
otherwise carry out the TA award
activities.
Regulated Institution............. <bullet> Each Regulated Institution
TA Applicant must have a CAMELS/
CAMEL rating (rating for Insured
Depository Institutions and Credit
Unions, respectively) or equivalent
type of rating by its regulator
(collectively referred to as
``CAMELS/CAMEL rating'') of at
least ``4''.
<bullet> TA Applicants with CAMELS/
CAMEL ratings of ``5'' will not be
eligible for awards.
<bullet> The CDFI Fund will not
approve a TA award for an Applicant
that has a Community Reinvestment
Act (CRA) assessment rating of
below ``Satisfactory'' on its most
recent examination.
<bullet> In the case of a Depository
Institution Holding Company
Applicant that intends to carry out
the award through a Subsidiary
Insured Depository Institution, the
CAMELS/CAMEL rating eligibility
requirements noted above apply to
both the Depository Institution
Holding Company Applicant as well
as the Subsidiary Insured
Depository Institution.
<bullet> The CDFI Fund will also
evaluate material concerns
identified by the Appropriate
Federal Banking Agency in
determining the eligibility of
Regulated Institution Applicants.
Target Market..................... <bullet> TA Applicants must
demonstrate that the Certified
CDFI, Emerging CDFI, or the CDFI to
be created by the Sponsoring Entity
will primarily serve one or more
Native Communities as its Target
Market.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Table 8--Eligibility Requirements for FA Applicants
------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------
CDFI Certification status......... <bullet> Each FA Applicant must be a
Certified CDFI prior to the date of
award announcement.
<bullet> If a CDFI is uncertified as
of the date of NOFA publication, it
must have submitted an application
for CDFI Certification by the
applicable deadline in Table 12 or
it will be deemed ineligible to
receive an FA award. The CDFI Fund
will not extend the deadline for
any uncertified Applicant that did
not submit the Certification
Application by the deadline, except
in the case of a federal government
administrative or technological
error that directly resulted in a
late submission of the CDFI
Certification Application.
<bullet> The CDFI Fund will make
CDFI Certification determinations
for Certifiable Applicants prior to
the award announcement date. If the
CDFI Certification Application is
denied, the Applicant will not be
eligible to receive an FA award.
<bullet> The CDFI Fund will consider
an Application submitted by an
Applicant that has pending
noncompliance issues with its
Annual Certification and Data
Collection Report (ACR) if the CDFI
Fund has not yet made a final
compliance determination.
<bullet> If a Certified CDFI loses
its CDFI Certification at any point
prior to the award announcement,
the Application will be deemed
ineligible and no longer be
considered by the CDFI Fund.
Activities in Native Communities.. <bullet> For consideration under
this NOFA, each FA Applicant must:
[cir] Demonstrate that at least 50%
of its past activities were in one
or more Native Communities; and
[cir] Describe how it will target
its lending/investing activities
to one or more Native
Communities.
Target Market..................... <bullet> For consideration under
this NOFA, an FA Applicant's CDFI
Certification Target Market must
have one or more of the following
characteristics:
[cir] For qualifying with an
Investment Area, the Applicant
must demonstrate that the
Investment Area approved for
CDFI Certification is also a
geographic area of federally-
designated reservations,
Hawaiian homelands, Alaska
Native Villages and U.S. Census
Bureau designated Tribal
Statistical Areas; and/or
[cir] For qualifying with an
Other Targeted Population (OTP),
the applicant's Target Market
approved for CDFI Certification
must be an OTP of Native
Americans or American Indians,
including Alaska Natives and
Native Hawaiians.
<bullet> Any FA Applicant whose CDFI
Certification Target Market does
not meet either of the conditions
above will not be eligible for an
FA award under this NOFA.
Community Collaboration........... <bullet> All FA Applicants must
demonstrate strong community
collaboration with Native
Communities.
Matching Funds documentation...... <bullet> Native American CDFIs are
not required to provide Matching
Funds.
$5 Million funding cap............ <bullet> The CDFI Fund is prohibited
from obligating more than $5
million in CDFI and NACA Program
awards, in the aggregate, to any
one organization and its
Subsidiaries and Affiliates during
any three-year period from the
announcement date.
<bullet> The CDFI Fund will include
CDFI and NACA Program final awards
in the cap calculation that were
provided to an Applicant (and/or
its Subsidiaries or Affiliates)
under the FY 2022 funding round, as
well as the requested FY 2024
award, excluding DF-FA and HFFI-FA
awards.
FA Applicants with Community <bullet> A NACA Applicant can apply
Partners. for assistance jointly with a
Community Partner. The CDFI
Applicant must complete the NACA
Program Application and address the
Community Partnership in its
business plan and other sections of
the Application as specified in the
Application materials.
<bullet> The CDFI Applicant must be
either a Certified or Certifiable
CDFI as defined in Table 5.
<bullet> An Application with a
Community Partner must:
[cir] Describe how the NACA
Applicant and Community Partner
will each participate in the
partnership and how the
partnership will enhance
eligible activities serving the
Investment Area and/or Targeted
Population.
[cir] Demonstrate that the
Community Partnership activities
are consistent with the
strategic plan submitted by the
NACA Applicant.
<bullet> Assistance provided upon
approval of an Application with a
Community Partner shall only be
entrusted to the NACA Applicant and
shall not be used to fund any
activity carried out directly by
the Community Partner or an
Affiliate or Subsidiary thereof.
Regulated Institution............. <bullet> Each Regulated Institution
FA Applicant must have a CAMELS/
CAMEL rating (rating for Insured
Depository Institutions and Credit
Unions, respectively) or equivalent
type of rating by its regulator
(collectively referred to as
``CAMELS/CAMEL rating'') of at
least ``3''.
<bullet> FA Applicants with CAMELS/
CAMEL ratings of ``4 or 5'' will
not be eligible for awards.
<bullet> The CDFI Fund will not
approve an FA award for an
Applicant that has a Community
Reinvestment Act (CRA) assessment
rating of below ``Satisfactory'' on
its most recent examination.
<bullet> In the case of a Depository
Institution Holding Company
Applicant that intends to carry out
the award through a Subsidiary
Insured Depository Institution, the
CAMELS/CAMEL rating eligibility
requirements noted above apply to
both the Depository Institution
Holding Company Applicant as well
as the Subsidiary Insured
Depository Institution.

[[Page 86004]]

<bullet> The CDFI Fund will also
evaluate material concerns
identified by the Appropriate
Federal Banking Agency in
determining the eligibility of
Regulated Institution Applicants.
PPC-FA............................ <bullet> All PPC-FA Applicants must:
[cir] Submit a CDFI or NACA
Program FA Application;
[cir] Meet all NACA FA award
eligibility requirements; and
[cir] Provide a PPC-FA award
request amount in AMIS.
DF-FA............................. <bullet> All DF-FA Applicants must:
[cir] Submit a CDFI or NACA
Program FA Application;
[cir] Meet all NACA FA award
eligibility requirements;
[cir] Submit the DF-FA
Application; and
[cir] Provide a DF-FA award
request amount in AMIS.
HFFI-FA........................... <bullet> All HFFI-FA Applicants
must:
[cir] Submit a CDFI or NACA
Program FA Application;
[cir] Meet all NACA FA award
eligibility requirements;
[cir] Submit the HFFI-FA
Application; and
[cir] Provide a HFFI-FA award
request amount in AMIS.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

B. Matching Funds Requirements: Native American CDFIs are not
required to provide Matching Funds.

Table 9--Reserved

IV. Application and Submission Information

A. Address to Request an Application Package: Application materials
can be found on the CDFI Fund's website at <a href="http://www.cdfifund.gov/programs-training/Programs/native-initiatives">www.cdfifund.gov/programs-training/Programs/native-initiatives</a>. Applicants may request a paper
version of any Application material by contacting the CDFI Fund Help
Desk at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#2c4f484a454449405c6c4f484a4502585e494d5f024b435a">[email&#160;protected]</a>. Paper versions of Application
materials will only be provided if an Applicant cannot access the CDFI
Fund's website.
B. Content and Form of Application Submission: All Applications
must be prepared using the English language, and calculations must be
computed in U.S. dollars. The following table lists the Required
Application Documents for the FY 2024 Funding Round. The CDFI Fund
reserves the right to request and review other pertinent or public
information that has not been specifically requested in this NOFA or
the Application. Information submitted by the Applicant that the CDFI
Fund has not specifically requested will not be reviewed or considered
as part of the Application. Financial data, portfolio, and activity
information provided in the Application should only include the
Applicant's activities. Information submitted must accurately reflect
the Applicant's activities (other than Depository Institution Holding
Companies--see Table 6).

Table 10--Required Application Documents
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Submission
Application documents Applicant type format
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Active AMIS Account........... All Applicants........ AMIS.
SF-424........................ All Applicants........ Fillable PDF in
<a href="http://Grants.gov">Grants.gov</a>.
Title VI Compliance Worksheet. All Applicants........ AMIS.
NACA Program Application All Applicants........ AMIS.
Components:
<bullet> Funding
Application Detail.
<bullet> Data, Charts, and
Narrative sections as
listed in AMIS and
outlined in Application
materials.
PPC-FA Application Components: PPC-FA Applicants..... AMIS.
<bullet> Funding
Application Detail.
<bullet> Narratives.
<bullet> AMIS Charts.
DF-FA Application Components: DF-FA Applicants...... AMIS.
<bullet> Funding
Application Detail.
<bullet> Narratives.
<bullet> AMIS Charts.
HFFI-FA Application HFFI-FA Applicants.... AMIS.
Components:
<bullet> Funding
Application Detail,
<bullet> Narratives.
<bullet> AMIS charts.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Attachments to the Application
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Key Staff Resumes............. All Applicants........ PDF or Word
document in
AMIS.
Organizational Chart.......... All Applicants........ PDF in AMIS.
Completed, final audited FA Applicants and TA PDF in AMIS.
financial statements for the Applicants, if
Applicant's Three Most Recent available: loan
Historic Fiscal Years. funds, Venture
Capital Funds *, and
other non-Regulated
Institutions.
Unaudited financial statements FA and TA Applicants, PDF in AMIS.
for Applicant's Three Most if available: loan
Recent Historic Years funds, Venture
(required if available, and Capital Funds, and
only if audited financial other non-Regulated
statements are not available). Institutions.
Current Year to Date-- FA and TA Applicants: PDF in AMIS.
September 30, 2023 Unaudited loan funds, Venture
financial statements. Capital Funds, and
other non-Regulated
Institutions.

[[Page 86005]]

Community Partnership FA Applicants, if PDF or Word
Agreement. applicable. document in
AMIS.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
* A Venture Capital Fund is an organization that predominantly invests
funds in businesses, typically in the form of either Equity
Investments or subordinated debt with equity features such as revenue
participation or warrants, and generally seeks to participate in the
upside returns of such businesses in an effort to at least partially
offset the risk of its investments.

C. Application Submission: The CDFI Fund has a two-step process
that requires the submission of Required Application Documents (listed
in Table 10) on separate deadlines and locations. The SF-424 must be
submitted through <a href="http://Grants.gov">Grants.gov</a> and all other Required Application
Documents through the AMIS system. The CDFI Fund will not accept
Applications via email, mail, facsimile, or other forms of
communication, except in extremely rare circumstances that have been
pre-approved in writing by the CDFI Fund. The deadline for submitting
the SF-424 is listed in Tables 1 and 12.
All Applicants must register in the <a href="http://Grants.gov">Grants.gov</a> system to
successfully submit the SF-424. The <a href="http://Grants.gov">Grants.gov</a> registration process can
take 45 days or longer to complete and the CDFI Fund strongly
encourages Applicants to start the <a href="http://Grants.gov">Grants.gov</a> registration process as
early as possible (refer to the following link: <a href="http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/register.html">http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/register.html</a>). Since the <a href="http://Grants.gov">Grants.gov</a> registration process
requires Applicants to have a UEI and an EIN, Applicants without these
required items should allow for additional time to complete the
<a href="http://Grants.gov">Grants.gov</a> registration process. The CDFI Fund will not extend the
Application deadline for any Applicant that started the <a href="http://Grants.gov">Grants.gov</a>
registration process but did not complete it by the deadline. An
Applicant that has previously registered with <a href="http://Grants.gov">Grants.gov</a> must verify
that its registration is current and active. Applicants should contact
<a href="http://Grants.gov">Grants.gov</a> directly with questions related to the registration or
submission process as the CDFI Fund does not maintain the <a href="http://Grants.gov">Grants.gov</a>
system.
Each Application must be signed by a designated Authorized
Representative in AMIS before it can be submitted. Applicants must
ensure that an Authorized Representative is an employee or officer and
is authorized to sign legal documents on behalf of the Applicant.
Consultants working on behalf of the Applicant may not be designated as
Authorized Representatives. Only a designated Authorized Representative
or Application Point of Contact, included in the Application, may
submit the Application in AMIS. If an Authorized Representative or
Application Point of Contact does not submit the Application, the
Application will be deemed ineligible.
D. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): The UEI has replaced the Dun and
Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number. The UEI,
generated in the System for Award Management (<a href="http://SAM.gov">SAM.gov</a>), has become the
official identifier for doing business with the federal government.
This transition allows the federal government to streamline the entity
identification and validation process, making it easier and less
burdensome for entities to do business with the federal government. If
an entity is registered in <a href="http://SAM.gov">SAM.gov</a> today, its UEI has already been
assigned and is viewable in <a href="http://SAM.gov">SAM.gov</a>, including inactive registrations.
New registrants will be assigned a UEI as part of their SAM
registration.
E. System for Award Management (SAM): Any entity applying for
Federal grants or other forms of Federal financial assistance through
<a href="http://Grants.gov">Grants.gov</a> must be registered in SAM before submitting its Application.
When accessing <a href="http://SAM.gov">SAM.gov</a>, users will be asked to create a <a href="http://Login.gov">Login.gov</a> user
account (if they don't already have one). Going forward, users will use
their <a href="http://Login.gov">Login.gov</a> username and password every time when logging into
<a href="http://SAM.gov">SAM.gov</a>. Registration in SAM is required as part of the <a href="http://Grants.gov">Grants.gov</a>
registration process. The SAM registration process may take one month
or longer to complete. An original, signed notarized letter identifying
the authorized entity administrator for the entity associated with the
UEI is required. This requirement is applicable to new entities
registering in SAM or an existing registration where there is no
existing entity administrator. Existing entities with registered entity
administrators do not need to submit an annual notarized letter.
Applicants without an EIN should allow for additional time as an
Applicant cannot register in SAM without an EIN. Applicants that have
previously completed the SAM registration process must verify that
their SAM accounts are current and active. Each Applicant must continue
to maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all
times during which it has an active Federal award or an Application
under consideration by a federal awarding agency. The CDFI Fund will
deem ineligible any Applicant that fails to properly register or
activate its SAM account and, as a result, is unable to submit the SF-
424 in <a href="http://Grants.gov">Grants.gov</a> or Application in AMIS by the applicable Application
deadlines. These restrictions also apply to organizations that have not
yet received a UEI or EIN by the established deadline. Applicants must
contact SAM directly with questions related to registration or SAM
account changes as the CDFI Fund does not maintain this system and has
no ability to make changes or correct errors of any kind. For more
information about SAM, visit <a href="https://www.sam.gov">https://www.sam.gov</a>.

Table 11_Grants.gov Registration Timeline Summary
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Step Agency Estimated minimum time to complete
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Obtain an EIN........................... Internal Revenue Service (IRS).. Two (2) Weeks.*
Register in <a href="http://SAM.gov">SAM.gov</a>..................... System for Award Management Four (4) Weeks.*
(<a href="http://SAM.gov">SAM.gov</a>). This step will
include obtaining a UEI.

[[Page 86006]]

Register in <a href="http://Grants.gov">Grants.gov</a>.................. <a href="http://Grants.gov">Grants.gov</a>...................... One (1) Week.**
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Applicants are advised that the stated durations are estimates only and represent minimum timeframes. Actual
timeframes may take longer. The CDFI Fund will deem ineligible any Applicant that fails to properly register
or activate its SAM account, has not yet received a UEI or EIN, and/or fails to properly register in
<a href="http://Grants.gov">Grants.gov</a>.
** This estimate assumes an Applicant has a UEI, an EIN, and is already registered in <a href="http://SAM.gov">SAM.gov</a>.

F. Submission Dates and Times:
1. Submission Deadlines: The following table provides the critical
deadlines for the FY 2024 Funding Round.

Table 12--FY 2024 NACA Program Funding Round Critical Deadlines for Applicants
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Description Deadline Time (eastern time--ET) Submission method
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Last day to create an Awards January 5, 2024............. 11:59 p.m. ET............... AMIS.
Management Information Systems
(AMIS) Account (all Applicants).
Last day to enter EIN and UEI in January 5, 2024............. 11:59 p.m. ET............... AMIS.
AMIS (all Applicants).
Last day to submit SF-424 January 5, 2024............. 11:59 p.m. ET............... Electronically via
(Application for Federal <a href="http://Grants.gov">Grants.gov</a>.
Assistance).
Last day to contact Febuary 2, 2024............. 11:59 p.m. ET............... Service Request
Certification, Compliance via AMIS.
Monitoring and Evaluation
(CCME) Help Desk regarding CDFI
Certification Applications for
uncertified FA Applicants.
Last day to contact NACA Program February 2, 2024............ 5 p.m. ET................... Service Request
staff. via AMIS Or CDFI
Fund Helpdesk:
202-653-0421.
Last day to contact AMIS-IT Help February 6, 2024............ 5 p.m. ET................... Service Request
Desk (regarding AMIS technical via AMIS Or 202-
problems only). 653-0422 Or
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#84c5c9cdd7c4e7e0e2edaaf0f6e1e5f7aae3ebf2">[email&#160;protected]</a>.
Last day to submit CDFI Febuary 6, 2024............. 11:59 p.m. ET............... AMIS.
Certification Applications for
uncertified FA Applicants.
Last day to submit Title VI February 6, 2024............ 11:59 p.m. ET............... AMIS.
Compliance Worksheet (all
Applicants) *.
Last day to submit NACA Program February 6, 2024............ 11:59 p.m. ET............... AMIS.
Application for Financial
Assistance (FA) or Technical
Assistance (TA).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* This requirement also applies to Applicants' prospective sub-recipients that are not direct beneficiaries of
Federal financial assistance (e.g., Depository Institution Holding Companies and their Subsidiary CDFI Insured
Depository Institutions).

2. Confirmation of Application Submission in <a href="http://Grants.gov">Grants.gov</a> and AMIS:
Applicants are required to submit the SF-424, Application for Federal
Assistance through the <a href="http://Grants.gov">Grants.gov</a> system, under the NACA Program
Funding Opportunity Number by the applicable deadline. All other
Required Application Documents (listed in Table 10) must be submitted
through the AMIS website by the applicable deadline. Applicants must
submit the SF-424 prior to submitting the Application in AMIS. If the
SF-424 is not successfully accepted by <a href="http://Grants.gov">Grants.gov</a> by the deadline, the
CDFI Fund will not review the Application submitted in AMIS, and the
Application will be deemed ineligible.
a. <a href="http://Grants.gov">Grants.gov</a> Submission Information: Each Applicant will receive
an email from <a href="http://Grants.gov">Grants.gov</a> immediately after submitting the SF-424
confirming that the submission has entered the <a href="http://Grants.gov">Grants.gov</a> system. This
email will contain a tracking number for the submitted SF-424. Within
48 hours, the Applicant will receive a second email, which will
indicate if the submitted SF-424 was either successfully validated or
rejected with errors. However, Applicants should not rely on the email
notification from <a href="http://Grants.gov">Grants.gov</a> to confirm that their SF-424 was
validated. Applicants are strongly encouraged to use the tracking
number provided in the first email to closely monitor the status of
their SF-424 by contacting the helpdesk at <a href="http://Grants.gov">Grants.gov</a> directly. The
Application material submitted in AMIS is not officially accepted by
the CDFI Fund until <a href="http://Grants.gov">Grants.gov</a> has validated the SF-424.
b. AMIS Submission Information: AMIS is a web-based system where
Applicants will directly enter their Application information and add
the required attachments listed in Table 10. AMIS will verify that the
Applicant provided the minimum information required to submit an
Application. Applicants are responsible for the quality and accuracy of
the information and attachments included in the Application submitted
in AMIS. The CDFI Fund strongly encourages Applicants to allow for
sufficient time to review and complete all Required Application
Documents listed in Table 10, and remedy any issues prior to the
Application deadline. Each Application must be signed by an Authorized
Representative in AMIS before it can be submitted. Applicants must
ensure that the Authorized Representative is an employee or officer and
is authorized to sign legal documents on behalf of the Applicant.
Consultants working on behalf of the Applicant may not be designated as
Authorized Representatives. Only an Authorized Representative or an
Application Point of Contact may submit an Application. If an
Authorized Representative or Application Point of Contact does not

[[Page 86007]]

submit the Application, the Application will be deemed ineligible.
Applicants may only submit one Base-FA or TA Application under the NACA
Program. Upon submission, the Application will be locked and cannot be
resubmitted, edited, or modified in any way. The CDFI Fund will not
unlock or allow multiple Application submissions.
3. Late Submission or AMIS Account Creation: The CDFI Fund will not
accept an Application if the SF-424 is not submitted and accepted by
<a href="http://Grants.gov">Grants.gov</a> by the SF-424 deadline listed in Table 1 and Table 12.
Additionally, the CDFI Fund will not accept an Application if it is not
signed by an Authorized Representative and submitted in AMIS by the
Application deadline or if an Applicant did not submit the required
Title VI Compliance Worksheet by the Application deadline listed in
Table 1 and Table 12. The CDFI Fund will also not accept an Application
from an Applicant that failed to create an AMIS account by the
deadlines specified in Table 1 and Table 12. In these cases, the CDFI
Fund will not review any material submitted, and the Application will
be deemed ineligible.
However, in cases where a federal government administrative or
technological error directly resulted in precluding an Applicant from
submitting the SF-424, the Application, or creating an AMIS account, or
precluding an Applicant from submitting the Title VI Compliance
Worksheet by the deadlines stated in this NOFA, Applicants are provided
the opportunity to submit a written request for acceptance of late
submissions. Be aware that unexpected delay in a federal government
process does not in and of itself constitute a federal government
administrative or technological error. The CDFI Fund will only approve
the late submission of the SF-424, the Application, the Title VI
Compliance worksheet, or the late creation of an AMIS account if the
Applicant demonstrates that an unexpected delay was the direct result
of a federal government administrative or technological error.
a. Creation of AMIS Account: In cases where a federal government
administrative or technological error directly resulted in precluding
an Applicant from creating an AMIS account by the required deadline,
the Applicant must submit a written request for approval to create its
AMIS account after the deadline, and include documentation of the
error, no later than two business days after the AMIS account creation
deadline. The CDFI Fund will not respond to requests for creating an
AMIS account after that time. Applicants must submit such request via
an AMIS Service Request to the CDFI Program or an email to
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#96f5f2f0fffef3fae6d6f5f2f0ffb8e2e4f3f7e5b8f1f9e0">[email&#160;protected]</a> with a subject line of ``AMIS Account Creation
Deadline Extension Request.''
b. SF-424 Late Submission: In cases where a federal government
administrative or technological error directly resulted in precluding
an Applicant from submitting the SF-424 by the required deadline, the
Applicant must submit a written request for acceptance of the late SF-
424 submission and include documentation of the error no later than two
business days after the SF-424 deadline. The CDFI Fund will not respond
to requests for acceptance of late SF-424 submissions after that time
period. Applicants must submit late SF-424 submission requests to the
CDFI Fund via an AMIS Service Request to the NACA Program with a
subject line of ``Late SF-424 Submission Request.''
c. Title VI Compliance Worksheet Late Submission: In cases where a
federal government administrative or technological error directly
precluded an Applicant from submitting the Title VI Compliance
Worksheet by the required deadline, the Applicant must submit a written
request for approval to submit the Worksheet after the deadline, and
include documentation of the error, no later than two business days
after the Title VI Compliance Worksheet submission deadline. The CDFI
Fund will not respond to requests for submitting a Title VI Compliance
Worksheet after that time. Applicants must submit such request via an
AMIS Service Request to the CDFI Program with a subject line of ``CDFI
Program--Title VI Compliance Worksheet Deadline Extension Request.''
d. AMIS Application Late Submission: In cases where a federal
government administrative or technological error directly resulted in
precluding an Applicant from submitting the Application in AMIS by the
required deadline, the Applicant must submit a written request for
acceptance of the late Application submission and include documentation
of the error no later than two business days after the Application
deadline. The CDFI Fund will not respond to requests for acceptance of
late Application submissions after that time period. Applicants must
submit late Application submission requests to the CDFI Fund via an
AMIS Service Request to the NACA Program with a subject line of ``Late
Application Submission Request.''
G. Funding Restrictions: Base-FA, PPC-FA, DF-FA, HFFI-FA and TA
awards are limited by the following:
1. Base-FA Awards:
a. A Recipient shall use Base-FA award funds only for the eligible
activities described in Section II. (C)(1) of this NOFA and its
Assistance Agreement.
b. With the exception of Depository Institution Holding Company
Applicants, Base-FA awards may not be used to support the activities
of, or otherwise be passed through, transferred, or co-awarded to,
third-party entities, whether Affiliates, Subsidiaries, or others,
unless done pursuant to a merger or acquisition or similar transaction,
and with the CDFI Fund's prior written consent.
c. Base-FA award funds shall only be paid to the Recipient.
d. The CDFI Fund, in its sole discretion, may pay Base-FA award
funds in amounts, or under terms and conditions, which are different
from those requested by an Applicant.
e. The Recipient must comply, as applicable, with the Buy American
Act of 1933, 41 U.S.C. 8301-8303 and section 2 CFR 200.216 of the
Uniform Requirements, with respect to any Direct Costs.
2. PPC-FA Awards:
a. A Recipient shall use PPC-FA award funds only for the eligible
activities described in Section II. (C)(5) of this NOFA and its
Assistance Agreement.
b. With the exception of Depository Institution Holding Company
Applicants, PPC-FA awards may not be used to support the activities of,
or otherwise be passed through, transferred, or co-awarded to, third-
party entities, whether Affiliates, Subsidiaries, or others, unless
done pursuant to a merger or acquisition or similar transaction, and
with the CDFI Fund's prior written consent.
c. PPC-FA award funds shall only be paid to the Recipient.
d. The CDFI Fund, in its sole discretion, may pay PPC-FA award
funds in amounts, or under terms and conditions, which are different
from those requested by an Applicant.
e. The Recipient must comply, as applicable, with the Buy American
Act of 1933, 41 U.S.C. 8301-8303 and section 2 CFR 200.216 of the
Uniform Requirements, with respect to any Direct Costs.
3. DF-FA Awards:
a. A Recipient shall use DF-FA award funds only for the eligible
activities described in Section II. (C)(2) of this NOFA and its
Assistance Agreement.

[[Page 86008]]

b. With the exception of Depository Institution Holding Company
Applicants, DF-FA awards may not be used to support the activities of,
or otherwise be passed through, transferred, or co-awarded to, third-
party entities, whether Affiliates, Subsidiaries, or others, unless
done pursuant to a merger or acquisition or similar transaction, and
with the CDFI Fund's prior written consent.
c. DF-FA award funds shall only be paid to the Recipient.
d. The CDFI Fund, in its sole discretion, may pay DF-FA award funds
in amounts, or under terms and conditions, which are different from
those requested by an Applicant.
e. The Recipient must comply, as applicable, with the Buy American
Act of 1933, 41 U.S.C. 8301-8303 and section 2 CFR 200.216 of the
Uniform Requirements, with respect to any Direct Costs.
4. HFFI-FA Awards:
a. A Recipient shall use HFFI-FA award funds only for the eligible
activities described in Section II. (C)(4) of this NOFA and its
Assistance Agreement.
b. With the exception of Depository Institution Holding Company
Applicants, HFFI-FA awards may not be used to support the activities
of, or otherwise be passed through, transferred, or co-awarded to,
third-party entities, whether Affiliates, Subsidiaries, or others,
unless done pursuant to a merger or acquisition or similar transaction,
and with the CDFI Fund's prior written consent.
c. HFFI-FA award funds shall only be paid to the Recipient.
d. The CDFI Fund, in its sole discretion, may pay HFFI-FA award
funds in amounts, or under terms and conditions, which are different
from those requested by an Applicant.
e. The Recipient must comply, as applicable, with the Buy American
Act of 1933, 41 U.S.C. 8301-8303 and section 2 CFR 200.216 of the
Uniform Requirements, with respect to any Direct Costs.
5. TA Awards:
a. A Recipient shall use TA award funds only for the eligible
activities described in Section II. (C) (3) of this NOFA and its
Assistance Agreement.
b. A Sponsoring Entity Recipient must create the Emerging CDFI as a
legal entity no later than the end of the first year of the Period of
Performance. Upon creation of the Emerging CDFI, the Sponsoring Entity
must request the CDFI Fund to amend the Assistance Agreement to add the
Emerging CDFI as a co-Recipient. The Sponsoring Entity must add the
Emerging CDFI as a co-Recipient within 90 days the end of the first
year of the Period of Performance. The Sponsoring Entity must then
transfer any remaining balances and/or assets derived from the TA award
to the Emerging CDFI.
c. With the exception of Depository Institution Holding Company
Applicants, TA awards may not be used to support the activities of, or
otherwise be passed through, transferred, or co-awarded to, third-party
entities, whether Affiliates, Subsidiaries, or others, unless done
pursuant to a merger or acquisition or similar transaction, and with
the CDFI Fund's prior written consent.
d. TA award funds shall only be paid to the Recipient.
e. The CDFI Fund, in its sole discretion, may pay TA award funds in
amounts, or under terms and conditions, which are different from those
requested by an Applicant.
f. The Recipient must comply, as applicable, with the Buy American
Act of 1933, 41 U.S.C. 8301-8303 and section 2 CFR 200.216 of the
Uniform Requirements, with respect to any Direct Costs.

V. Application Review Information

A. Criteria: If the Applicant has submitted an eligible
Application, the CDFI Fund will conduct a substantive review in
accordance with the criteria and procedures described in the
Regulations, this NOFA, the Application guidance, and the Uniform
Requirements. The CDFI Fund reserves the right to contact the Applicant
by telephone, email, or mail for the purpose of clarifying or
confirming Application information. If contacted, the Applicant must
respond within the time period communicated by the CDFI Fund or risk
that its Application will be rejected. The CDFI Fund will review the
Base-FA, DF-FA, PPC-FA, HFFI-FA, and TA Applications in accordance with
the process below. All internal and external reviewers will complete
the CDFI Fund's conflict of interest process. The CDFI Fund's
Application conflict of interest policy is located on the CDFI Fund's
website.
1. Base-FA Application Scoring, Award Selection, Review, and
Selection Process: The CDFI Fund will evaluate each Application using a
five-step review process illustrated in the sections below. Applicants
that meet the minimum criteria will advance to the next step in the
review process. Applicants applying as a Community Partnership must
describe the partnership in the Application pursuant to the
requirements set forth in Table 8, and will be evaluated in accordance
with the review process described below.
a. Step 1: Eligibility Review: The CDFI Fund will evaluate each
Application to determine its eligibility status pursuant to Section III
of this NOFA.
b. Step 2: Financial Analysis and Compliance Risk Evaluation:
i. Step 2: Financial Analysis: For Regulated Institutions, the CDFI
Fund will consider financial safety and soundness information from the
Appropriate Federal or State Banking Agency. As detailed in Table 8,
each Regulated Institution FA Applicant (including a subsidiary
Depository Institution that will expend and carry out the activities of
an award on behalf of a Depository Institution Holding Company
Applicant) must have a CAMELS/CAMEL rating of at least ``3'' and/or no
significant material concerns from its regulator and a CRA assessment
rating of at least ``Satisfactory''.
For non-regulated Applicants, the CDFI Fund will evaluate the
financial health and viability of each non-regulated Applicant using
financial information provided by the Applicant. For the financial
analysis, each non-regulated Applicant will receive a Total Financial
Composite Score on a scale of one (1) to five (5), with one (1) being
the highest rating. The Total Financial Composite Score is based on the
analysis of twenty-three (23) financial indicators. Applications will
be grouped based on the Total Financial Composite Score. Applicants
must receive a Total Financial Composite Score of one (1), two (2), or
three (3) to advance to Step 3. Applicants that receive an initial
Total Financial Composite Score of four (4) or five (5) will be re-
evaluated and re-scored by CDFI Fund staff. If the Total Financial
Composite Score remains four (4) or five (5) after CDFI Fund staff
review, the Applicant will not advance to Step 3.
ii. Step 2: Compliance Risk Evaluation: For the compliance
analysis, the CDFI Fund will evaluate the compliance risk of each
Applicant using information provided in the Application as well as an
Applicant's reporting history, reporting capacity, and performance risk
with respect to meeting the PG&Ms set forth in the Assistance
Agreement. Each Applicant will receive a Total Compliance Composite
Score on a scale of one (1) to five (5), with one (1) being the highest
rating. Applicants that receive an initial Total Compliance Composite
Score of four (4) or five (5) will be re-evaluated by CDFI Fund staff.
If the Applicant is deemed a high compliance risk after CDFI Fund staff
review, the Applicant will not advance to Step 3.

[[Page 86009]]

c. Step 3: Business Plan Review: Applicants that proceed to Step 3
will be evaluated on the soundness of their comprehensive business
plan. Two external non-CDFI Fund Reviewers will conduct the Step 3:
Business Plan Review. Reviewers will evaluate the Application sections
listed in Table 13. All Applications will be reviewed in accordance
with standard reviewer evaluation materials. At the conclusion of the
Step 3 evaluation, Applications will be ranked based on Total Business
Plan Scores, in descending order from highest Total Business Plan Score
to lowest Total Business Plan Score. An amount up to but not exceeding
the highest scoring 70% of NACA FA Applicants in the NACA FA Applicant
pool will progress to Step 4. If a tie in Total Business Plan Scores
would prevent an Applicant from moving to Step 4, all Applicants with
the same score will progress to Step 4. Lastly, the CDFI Fund may
consider the geographic diversity of Applicants based on primary
geographic market served (Major Urban Area, Micropolitan Area, Minor
Urban Area, and Rural Area) when determining the Step 4 Applicant pool.
Based on funding availability for NACA Base-FA Applicants, the CDFI
Fund reserves the right to limit the number of Applicants that progress
from Step 3 to Step 4 to ensure that the CDFI Program can meaningfully
vary award amounts among Applicants with different Step 4 Policy
Objective scores, while maintaining minimum award amounts specified in
Table 2. In cases where funding availability is not sufficient to
progress all Applicants within the top 70% of the NACA FA Applicant
pool from Step 3 to Step 4, priority will be given to Applicants that
score highest on the Total Business Plan Score.

Table 13--Step 3: Base-FA Business Plan Review Scoring Criteria
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Base-FA application sections Possible score Score needed to advance
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mission and Community Needs....................... Scored as a component of the N/A.
other Base-FA Application
Sections.
Business Strategy................................. 12........................... N/A.
Market and Competitive Analysis................... 7............................ N/A.
Products and Services............................. 12........................... N/A.
Management and Track Record....................... 12........................... N/A.
Growth and Projections............................ 7............................ N/A.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Total Business Plan Score..................... 50........................... NACA Applicants: Up to but
not exceeding top 70% of all
NACA Applicants.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

d. Step 4: Policy Objective Review: The CDFI Fund internal
reviewers will evaluate each Application to determine its ability to
meet policy objectives of the CDFI Fund. Each Applicant will be
evaluated in each of the categories listed in Table 14, and will
receive a Total Policy Objective Review Score on a scale of one (1) to
five (5), with one (1) being the highest score. Applicants are then
grouped according to Total Policy Objective Review Scores.
The CDFI Fund also conducts a due diligence review for Applicants
that includes an analysis of programmatic risk factors including, but
not limited to: history of performance in managing Federal awards
(including timeliness of reporting and compliance); ability to meet FA
Objective(s) selected by Base-FA Applicants in their Applications;
reports and findings from audits; and ability to effectively implement
federal requirements, each of which could impact the Total Policy
Objective Review Score.

Table 14--Step 4: Base-FA Policy Review Scoring Criteria
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
High
Section Possible scores score Score needed to advance
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Economic Distress...................... 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5................... 1 N/A.
Economic Opportunities................. 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5................... 1 N/A.
Community Collaboration................ 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5................... 1 N/A.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total Policy Objective Review 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5................... 1 All Scores Advance.
Composite Score.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

e. Step 5: Award Amount Determination: The CDFI Fund determines an
award amount for each Application based on the Step 4 Total Policy
Objective Review Score, the Applicant's request amount, and on certain
other factors, including, but not limited to, the Applicant's
deployment track record, minimum award size, and funding availability.
Applicants may have award amounts reduced from the requested award
amount or not funded as a result of this analysis. Based on funding
availability for NACA Base-FA, the CDFI Fund reserves the right to not
award all Applicants that advance to Step 5. In cases where funding
availability is not sufficient to award all Applications, priority will
be given to Applicants that score highest on the Step 4 Policy
Objective Review: For NACA FA Applicants, the award cannot exceed 100%
of the Applicant's total portfolio outstanding as of the Applicant's
most recent historic fiscal year end,\9\ or the minimum award size

[[Page 86010]]

as noted in Table 2, whichever is greater.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

\9\ For the purposes of this NOFA, an Applicant's most recent
historic fiscal year end is determined as follows:
(A) Applicants with a 3/31 fiscal year end date will treat FY
2023 as their most recent historic fiscal year and FY 2024 as their
current year.
(B) Applicants with a 6/30 fiscal year end date and a completed
FY 2023 audit will treat FY 2023 as their most recent historic
fiscal year and FY 2024 as their current year.
(C) Applicants with a 6/30 fiscal year end date but without a
completed FY 2023 audit will treat FY 2022 as their most recent
historic fiscal year and FY 2023 as their current year.
(D) Applicants with a 9/30 fiscal year end date will treat FY
2022 as their most recent historic fiscal year and FY 2023 as their
current year.
(E) Applicants with a 12/31 fiscal year end date will treat FY
2022 as their most recent historic fiscal year and FY 2023 as their
current year.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

2. HFFI-FA Application Scoring, Award Selection, Review, and
Selection Process: A CDFI Fund internal reviewer will evaluate each
HFFI-FA Application associated with a Base-FA Application that
progresses to Step 4 of the FA Application review process. The reviewer
will evaluate the Application sections listed in Table 15 and assign a
Total HFFI- FA Score up to 60 points. The CDFI Fund will make awards to
the highest scoring Applicants first. All Applications will be reviewed
in accordance with standard reviewer evaluation materials. Applicants
that fail to receive a Base-FA award will not be considered for a HFFI-
FA award.
The CDFI Fund conducts additional levels of due diligence for
Applications that are under consideration for an HFFI-FA award. Award
amounts may be reduced from the requested award amount as a result of
this analysis. The CDFI Fund may reduce awards sizes from requested
amounts based on certain variables, including but not limited to, an
Applicant's loan disbursement activity, total portfolio outstanding, or
compliance with prior HFFI-FA awards. Lastly, the CDFI Fund may
consider the geographic diversity of Applicants when making its funding
decisions.

Table 15--Step 4 HFFI-FA Application Scoring Criteria
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Possible score
Sections (points)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Target Market Profile................................ 10
Healthy Food Financial Products...................... 10
Projected HFFI-FA Activities......................... 15
HFFI Track Record.................................... 20
Management Capacity for Providing Healthy Food 5
Financing...........................................
------------------
Total HFFI- FA Score............................. 60
------------------------------------------------------------------------

3. PPC-FA Application Scoring, Award Selection, Review, and
Selection Process: A CDFI Fund internal reviewer will evaluate the PPC-
FA request of each PPC-FA Application associated with a Base-FA
Application that progresses to Step 4 of the FA Application review
process. PPC-FA requests are not scored. PPC-FA award amounts will be
determined based on the total number of eligible Applicants and funding
availability, the Applicant's requested amount, and on certain factors,
including but not limited to, an Applicant's overall portfolio size,
historical track record of deployment in PPC, pipeline of projects in
PPC, minimum award size, and funding availability. Applicants that fail
to receive a Base-FA award will not be considered for a PPC-FA award.
4. DF-FA Application Scoring, Award Selection, Review, and
Selection Process: A CDFI Fund internal reviewer will evaluate each DF-
FA Application associated with a Base-FA Application that progresses to
Step 4 of the FA Application review process. The reviewer will evaluate
the Application and assign a Total DF-FA Score on a scale of one (1) to
three (3), with one (1) being the highest score. Applicants are then
grouped according to Total DF-FA Score. All Applications will be
reviewed in accordance with standard reviewer evaluation materials.
Applicants that fail to receive a Base-FA award will not be considered
for a DF-FA award. Award amounts will be determined on the basis of the
Total DF-FA Score, the Applicant's requested amount, and on certain
factors, including but not limited to, an Applicant's deployment track
record, minimum award size, and funding availability. Award amounts may
be reduced from the requested award amount as a result of this
analysis. The CDFI Fund will make awards to the highest scoring
Applicants first.

Table 16--Step 3 DF-FA Application Scoring Criteria
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Section Possible scores High score
------------------------------------------------------------------------
DF-FA Narrative Questions.... 1, 2, or 3............... 1
------------------------------------------
Total DF-FA Score........ 1, 2, or 3............... 1
------------------------------------------------------------------------

5. TA Application Scoring, Award Selection, Review, and Selection
Process: The CDFI Fund will evaluate each Application to determine its
eligibility pursuant to Section III of this NOFA. If the Application
satisfies the eligibility criteria, the CDFI Fund will conduct the TA
Business Plan Review in two parts. Sponsoring Entity or Emerging CDFI
Applicants must receive a rating of Low Risk or Medium Risk in Part I
of the TA Business Plan Review to progress to Part II of the TA
Business Plan Review. Sponsoring Entity, or Emerging CDFI Applicants
that receive a rating of High Risk in Part I of the TA Business Plan
Review will not be considered for an award. Part I of the TA Business
Plan Review is not applicable for Certified CDFI Applicants. Sponsoring
Entity, Emerging CDFI, and Certified CDFI Applicants must receive a
rating of Low Risk or Medium Risk in Part II of the TA Business Plan
Review to be considered for an award. Applicants that receive a rating
of High Risk in Part II of the TA Business Plan Review will not be
considered for an award.
An Applicant that is a Certified CDFI will be evaluated on the
demonstrated need for a TA award to build the CDFI's capacity, further
the Applicant's strategic goals, and achieve impact

[[Page 86011]]

within the Applicant's Target Market. An Applicant that is an Emerging
CDFI will be evaluated on the Applicant's demonstrated capability and
plan to achieve CDFI CDFI Certification within three years, or if a
prior Recipient, the CDFI Certification PG&M stated in its prior
Assistance Agreement. An Applicant that is an Emerging CDFI will also
be evaluated on its demonstrated need for a TA award to build the
CDFI's capacity and further its strategic goals. An Applicant that is a
Sponsoring Entity will be rated on its demonstrated capability to
create a separate legal entity within one year that will achieve CDFI
Certification within four years. An Applicant that is a Sponsoring
Entity will also be rated on its demonstrated need for a TA award to
build the CDFI's capacity and further its strategic goals. The CDFI
Fund will rate each part of the TA Business Plan Review as indicated in
Table 17.

Table 17--TA Business Plan Review
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Business plan review component Applicant type Ratings
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part I:
Primary Mission........... Sponsoring Entity and Low Risk, Medium
Emerging CDFI Risk, or High
Applicants. Risk.
Financing Entity.......... Sponsoring Entity and
Emerging CDFI
Applicants.
Target Market............. Sponsoring Entity and
Emerging CDFI
Applicants.
Accountability............ Sponsoring Entity and
Emerging CDFI
Applicants.
Development Services...... Sponsoring Entity and
Emerging CDFI
Applicants.
Part II:
Target Market Needs & Sponsoring Entity, Low Risk, Medium
Strategy. Emerging CDFI, and Risk, or High
Certified CDFI Risk.
Applicants.
Organizational Capacity... Sponsoring Entity,
Emerging CDFI, and
Certified CDFI
Applicants.
Management Capacity....... Sponsoring Entity,
Emerging CDFI, and
Certified CDFI
Applicants.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Each TA Application will be evaluated by one internal CDFI Fund
reviewer. The Business Plan Reivew of all Applications will be reviewed
in accordance with CDFI Fund standard reviewer evaluation materials.
The CDFI Fund conducts additional levels of due diligence for
Applications that are under consideration for an award. This due
diligence includes an analysis of programmatic and financial risk
factors including, but not limited to, financial stability, history of
performance in managing Federal awards (including timeliness of
reporting and compliance), reports and findings from audits, and the
Applicant's ability to effectively implement federal requirements. The
CDFI Fund will also evaluate the compliance risk of each Applicant
using information provided in the Application as well as an Applicant's
reporting history, reporting capacity, and performance risk with
respect to meeting the PG&Ms set forth in the Assistance Agreement.
Each Applicant will receive a Total Compliance Composite Score on a
scale of one (1) to five (5), with one (1) being the highest rating.
Applicants that receive an initial Total Compliance Composite Score of
four (4) or five (5) will be re-evaluated by CDFI Fund staff. If the
Applicant is deemed a high compliance risk after CDFI staff review, the
Applicant will not be considered for an award. The CDFI Fund will also
evaluate the Applicant's ability to meet CDFI Certification criteria of
being a legal entity and a non-government entity. Award amounts may be
reduced as a result of the due diligence analysis in addition to
consideration of the Applicant's funding request and similar factors.
Lastly, the CDFI Fund may consider the geographic diversity of
Applicants when making its funding decisions.
6. Regulated Institutions: The CDFI Fund will consider safety and
soundness information from the Appropriate Federal or State Banking
Agency. If the Applicant is a CDFI Depository Institution Holding
Company, the CDFI Fund will consider information provided by the
Appropriate Federal or State Banking Agencies about both the CDFI
Depository Institution Holding Company and the Certified CDFI
Subsidiary Insured Depository Institution that will expend and carry
out the award. If the Appropriate Federal or State Banking Agency
identifies safety and soundness concerns (including any concerns for
Subsidiary Depository Institutions carrying out the activities of an
award on behalf of a CDFI Depository Institution Holding Company), the
CDFI Fund will assess whether such concerns cause or will cause the
Applicant to be incapable of undertaking the activities for which
funding has been requested.
7. Non-Regulated Institutions: The CDFI Fund must ensure, to the
maximum extent practicable, that Recipients which are non-regulated
CDFIs are financially and managerially sound, and maintain appropriate
internal controls (12 U.S.C. 4707(f)(1)(A) and 12 CFR 1805.800(b)).
Further, the CDFI Fund must determine that an Applicant's capacity to
operate as a CDFI and its continued viability will not be dependent
upon assistance from the CDFI Fund (12 U.S.C. 4704(b)(2)(A)). If it is
determined that the Applicant is incapable of meeting these
requirements, the CDFI Fund reserves the right to deem the Applicant
ineligible or terminate the award.
B. Anticipated Award Announcement: The CDFI Fund anticipates making
the NACA Program award announcement before September 30, 2024. However,
the anticipated award announcement date is subject to change without
notice.
C. Application Rejection: The CDFI Fund reserves the right to
reject an Application if information (including administrative errors)
comes to the CDFI Fund's attention that: adversely affects an
Applicant's eligibility for an award; adversely affects the Recipient's
CDFI Certification (to the extent that the award is conditional upon
CDFI Certification); adversely affects the CDFI Fund's evaluation or
scoring of an Application; or indicates fraud or mismanagement on the
Applicant's part. If the CDFI Fund determines any portion of the
Application is incorrect in a material respect, the CDFI Fund reserves
the right, in its sole discretion, to reject the Application. The CDFI
Fund reserves the right to change its eligibility and evaluation
criteria and procedures, if the CDFI Fund deems it appropriate. If the
changes materially affect the CDFI Fund's award decisions, the CDFI
Fund will provide information about the changes through its website.
The CDFI Fund's award decisions are

[[Page 86012]]

final, and there is no right to appeal decisions.
D. External Non-CDFI Fund Reviewers: All external non-CDFI Fund
reviewers are selected based on criteria that includes a professional
background in community and economic development finance, and
experience reviewing the financial statements of all CDFI institution
types. Reviewers must complete the CDFI Fund's conflict of interest
process and be approved by the CDFI Fund. The CDFI Fund's Application
reader conflict of interest policy is located on the CDFI Fund's
website.

VI. Federal Award Administration Information

A. Award Notification: Each successful Applicant will receive an
email ``notice of award'' notification from the CDFI Fund stating that
its Application has been approved for an award. Each Applicant not
selected for an award will receive an email stating that a debriefing
notice has been provided in its AMIS account.
B. Assistance Agreement: Each Applicant selected to receive an
award must enter into an Assistance Agreement with the CDFI Fund in
order to receive a payment(s). The Assistance Agreement will set forth
the award's terms and conditions, including but not be limited to the:
(i) award amount; (ii) award type; (iii) award uses; (iv) eligible use
of award funds; (v) PG&Ms; and (vi) reporting requirements. FA
Assistance Agreements have three-year Periods of Performance. TA
Assistance Agreements have two-year Periods of Performance for
Certified CDFIs, three-year Periods of Performance for Emerging CDFIs,
and four-year Periods of Performance for Sponsoring Entity Recipients.
Upon creation of the Emerging CDFI, the Sponsoring Entity must request
the CDFI Fund to amend the Assistance Agreement and add the Emerging
CDFI as a party thereto. The Emerging CDFI, as co-Recipient, will be
subject to all of the terms and conditions of the Assistance Agreement,
including all PG&Ms.
1. Certificate of Good Standing: All FA and TA Recipients that are
not Regulated Institutions will be required to provide the CDFI Fund
with a certificate of good standing from the secretary of state for the
Recipient's jurisdiction of formation prior to closing. This
certificate can often be acquired online on the secretary of state
website for the Recipient's jurisdiction of formation and must
generally be dated within 180 days prior to the Federal Award Date of
the Assistance Agreement. Due to potential backlogs in state government
offices, Applicants are advised to submit requests for certificates of
good standing no later than 60 days after they submit their
Applications.
2. Closing: Pursuant to the Assistance Agreement, there will be an
initial closing at which point the Assistance Agreement and related
documents will be properly executed and delivered, and an initial
payment of FA or TA may be made. The first payment is the estimated
amount of the award that the Recipient states in its Application that
it will use for eligible FA or TA activities in the first 12 months
after the award announcement. The first payment request amount entered
in the Application must be greater than zero. The CDFI Fund reserves
the right to increase the first payment amount on any award to ensure
that any subsequent payments are at least $25,000 for FA and $5,000 for
TA awards.
The CDFI Fund will minimize the time between the Recipient
incurring costs for eligible activities and award payment(s) in
accordance with the Uniform Requirements. Advanced payments for
eligible activities will occur no more than one year in advance of the
Recipient incurring costs for the eligible activities. Following the
initial closing, there may be subsequent closings involving additional
award payments. Any documentation in addition to the Assistance
Agreement that is connected with such subsequent closings and payments
shall be properly executed and timely delivered by the Recipient to the
CDFI Fund.
3. Requirements Prior to Entering into an Assistance Agreement: If,
prior to entering into an Assistance Agreement, information (including
administrative errors) comes to the CDFI Fund's attention that:
adversely affects the Recipient's eligibility for an award; adversely
affects the Recipient's CDFI Certification (to the extent that the
award is conditional upon CDFI Certification); adversely affects the
CDFI Fund's evaluation of the Application; indicates that the Recipient
is not in compliance with any requirement listed in the Uniform
Requirements; indicates that the Recipient is not in compliance with a
term or condition of any prior Award Agreement, Assistance Agreement,
and/or Allocation Agreement from the CDFI Fund; indicates the Recipient
has failed to execute and return a prior round Assistance Agreement to
the CDFI Fund within the CDFI Fund's deadlines; or indicates fraud or
mismanagement on the Recipient's part, the CDFI Fund may, in its
discretion and without advance notice to the Recipient, terminate the
award or take such other actions as it deems appropriate. The CDFI Fund
reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to rescind an award if the
Recipient fails to return the Assistance Agreement, signed by the
Authorized Representative of the Recipient, and/or provide the CDFI
Fund with any requested documentation, within the CDFI Fund's
deadlines.
In addition, the CDFI Fund reserves the right, in its sole
discretion, to terminate and rescind the Assistance Agreement and the
award made under this NOFA pending the criteria described in Table 18.

Table 18--Requirements Prior to Executing an Assistance Agreement
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Requirement Criteria
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Failure to meet reporting <bullet> If a Recipient received a
requirements. prior award or allocation under any
CDFI Fund program and is not
current on the reporting
requirements set forth in the
previously executed assistance,
award, allocation, bond loan
agreement(s), or agreement to
guarantee, as of the date of the
notice of award, the CDFI Fund
reserves the right, in its sole
discretion, to delay entering into
an Assistance Agreement and/or to
delay making a payment of award,
until said prior Recipient or
allocatee is current on the
reporting requirements in the
previously executed assistance,
award, allocation, bond loan
agreement(s), or agreement to
guarantee.
<bullet> If such a prior Recipient
or allocatee is unable to meet this
requirement within the timeframe
set by the CDFI Fund, the CDFI Fund
reserves the right, in its sole
discretion, to terminate and
rescind the notice of award and the
award made under this NOFA.
<bullet> Please note that automated
systems employed by the CDFI Fund
for receipt of reports submitted
electronically typically
acknowledge only a report's
receipt; such acknowledgment does
not warrant that the report
received was complete, nor that it
met reporting requirements.

[[Page 86013]]

Failure to maintain CDFI <bullet> An FA Recipient must be a
Certification. Certified CDFI prior to the award
announcement date.
<bullet> If an FA Recipient fails to
maintain CDFI Certification, the
CDFI Fund will not execute the
Assistance Agreement and will
terminate and rescind the award
made under this NOFA
<bullet> If a TA Recipient is a
Certified CDFI at the time of award
announcement, it must maintain CDFI
Certification.
<bullet> If a Certified CDFI TA
Recipient fails to maintain CDFI
Certification, the CDFI Fund will
not execute the Assistance
Agreement and will terminate and
rescind the award made under this
NOFA
Pending resolution of <bullet> The CDFI Fund will delay
noncompliance. entering into an Assistance
Agreement with a prior Recipient or
allocatee that has pending
noncompliance or default issues
with any of its previously executed
CDFI Fund award(s), allocation(s),
bond loan agreement(s), or
agreement(s) to guarantee.
<bullet> If said prior Recipient or
allocatee is unable satisfactorily
resolve the compliance issues, the
CDFI Fund reserves the right, in
its sole discretion, to terminate
and rescind the notice of award and
the award made under this NOFA.
Noncompliance or default status... <bullet> If, at any time prior to
entering into an Assistance
Agreement, the CDFI Fund determines
that a Recipient is noncompliant or
found in default with any
previously executed CDFI Fund
award(s), allocation(s), bond loan
agreement(s), or agreement(s) to
guarantee, and the CDFI Fund has
provided written notification that
the Recipient is ineligible to
apply for or receive any future
awards or allocations for a time
period specified by the CDFI Fund
in writing, the CDFI Fund may delay
entering into an Assistance
Agreement until the Recipient has
cured the noncompliance and/or
default by taking actions the CDFI
Fund has specified within such
specified timeframe. If the
Recipient is unable to cure the
noncompliance and/or default within
the specified timeframe, the CDFI
Fund may terminate and rescind the
Assistance Agreement and the award
made under this NOFA.
Compliance with federal civil <bullet> If, within the period
rights requirements. starting three years prior to this
NOFA and through the date of the
Assistance Agreement, the Recipient
received a final determination, in
any proceeding instituted against
the Recipient in, by, or before any
court, governmental, or
administrative body or agency,
declaring that the Recipient
violated any federal civil rights
laws or regulations, including:
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of
1964, as amended (42 U.S.C. 2000d
et seq.); Fair Housing Act (42
U.S.C. 3601 et seq.); Equal Credit
Opportunity Act (15 U.S.C. 1691 et
seq.); Section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29
U.S.C. 794); and the Age
Discrimination Act of 1975 (42
U.S.C. 6101-6107), the CDFI Fund
may terminate and rescind the
Assistance Agreement and the award
made under this NOFA. The CDFI Fund
will delay entering into an
Assistance Agreement with a
Recipient that has pending Title VI
noncompliance issues, if the CDFI
Fund has not yet made a final
compliance determination.
<bullet> If the Recipient is unable
to satisfactorily resolve the Title
VI noncompliance issues, the CDFI
Fund may terminate and rescind the
Assistance Agreement and the award
made under this NOFA.
<bullet> The Title VI Compliance
Worksheet and program award terms
and conditions do not impose
antidiscrimination requirements on
Tribal governments beyond what
would otherwise apply under federal
law.
Do Not Pay........................ <bullet> The Do Not Pay Business
Center was developed to support
federal agencies in their efforts
to reduce the number of improper
payments made through programs
funded by the federal government.
<bullet> The CDFI Fund reserves the
right, in its sole discretion, to
rescind an award if the Recipient
(or Affiliate of a Recipient) is
determined to be ineligible based
on data in the Do Not Pay database.
Safety and soundness.............. <bullet> If it is determined the
Recipient is, or will be, incapable
of meeting its award obligations,
the CDFI Fund will deem the
Recipient to be ineligible or
require it to improve its safety
and soundness prior to entering
into an Assistance Agreement.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

C. Reporting:
1. Reporting requirements: On an annual basis during the Period of
Performance, the CDFI Fund may collect information from each Recipient
including, but not limited to, an Annual Report with the following
components (Annual Reporting Requirements):

Table 19--Annual Reporting Requirements *
------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Financial Statement Audit Report (Non- A Non-profit Recipient (including
profit Recipient including Insured Insured Credit Unions and State-
Credit Unions and State-Insured Insured Credit Unions) must
Credit Unions). submit a Financial Statement
Audit (FSA) Report in AMIS,
along with the Recipient's
statement of financial condition
audited or reviewed by an
independent certified public
accountant, if any are prepared.
Under no circumstances should
this be construed as the CDFI
Fund requiring the Recipient to
conduct or arrange for
additional audits not otherwise
required under Uniform
Requirements or otherwise
prepared at the request of the
Recipient or parties other than
the CDFI Fund.
Financial Statement Audit Report (For- For-profit Recipients must submit
Profit Recipient). an FSA Report in AMIS, along
with the Recipient's statement
of financial condition audited
or reviewed by an independent
certified public accountant.
Financial Statement Audit Report If the Recipient is a Depository
(Depository Institution Holding Institution Holding Company or
Company and Insured Depository an Insured Depository
Institution). Institution, it must submit an
FSA Report in AMIS.
Financial Statement Audit Report A Sponsoring Entity must submit
(Sponsoring Entities). an FSA Report in AMIS, along
with a statement of financial
condition audited or reviewed by
an independent certified public
accountant, if any are prepared.
Under no circumstances should
this be construed as the CDFI
Fund requiring the Sponsoring
Entity to conduct or arrange for
additional audits not otherwise
required under Uniform
Requirements or otherwise
prepared at the request of the
Sponsoring Entity or parties
other than the CDFI Fund.

[[Page 86014]]

Single Audit Report (Non-Profit A non-profit Recipient must
Recipients, if applicable). complete an annual Single Audit
pursuant to the Uniform
Requirements (see 2 CFR Subpart
F-Audit Requirements) if it
expends $750,000 or more in
Federal awards in its fiscal
year, or such other dollar
threshold established by OMB
pursuant to 2 CFR 200.501. If a
Single Audit is required, it
must be submitted electronically
to the Federal Audit
Clearinghouse (FAC) (see 2 CFR
Subpart F-Audit Requirements in
the Uniform Requirements) and
optionally through AMIS.
Federal Financial Report/OMB Standard The Recipient must annually
Form 425 (SF 425). submit the SF-425 Federal
Financial Report to the CDFI
Fund through AMIS to disclose
how much of the CDFI Program
award funds were expended during
the federal government's fiscal
year of October 1 through
September 30.
Transaction Level Report (TLR)....... The Recipient must submit a TLR
to the CDFI Fund through AMIS.
If the Recipient is a Depository
Institution Holding Company that
deploys all or a portion of its
Financial Assistance through its
Subsidiary CDFI Insured
Depository Institution, that
Subsidiary CDFI Insured
Depository Institution must also
submit a TLR. Furthermore, if
the Depository Institution
Holding Company itself deploys
any portion of the Financial
Assistance, the Depository
Institution Holding Company must
submit a TLR.
The TLR is not required for TA
Recipients.
Uses of Award Report................. The Recipient must submit the
Uses of Award Report to the CDFI
Fund in AMIS.
If the Recipient is a Depository
Institution Holding Company that
deploys all or a portion of its
Financial Assistance through its
Subsidiary CDFI Insured
Depository Institution, that
Subsidiary CDFI Insured
Depository Institution must also
submit a Uses of Award Report.
Furthermore, if the Depository
Institution Holding Company
itself deploys any portion of
the Financial Assistance, the
Depository Institution Holding
Company must submit a Uses of
Award Report.
Performance Progress Report.......... The Recipient must submit the
Performance Progress Report
through AMIS.
If the Recipient is a Depository
Institution Holding Company that
deploys all or a portion of its
Financial Assistance through its
Subsidiary CDFI Insured
Depository Institution, that
Subsidiary CDFI Insured
Depository Institution must also
submit a Performance Progress
Report. Furthermore, if the
Depository Institution Holding
Company itself deploys any
portion of the Financial
Assistance, the Depository
Institution Holding Company must
submit a Performance Progress
Report.
Annual Certification and Data TA Recipients that are Certified
Collection Report (ACR). at the time of award
announcement and all FA
Recipients must submit the ACR
to the CDFI Fund through AMIS.
If a TA Recipient is an
uncertified CDFI at the time of
award announcement, it must
submit the ACR to the CDFI Fund
through AMIS subsequent to
obtaining CDFI Certification, as
per the ACR reporting schedule.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is information, which if
lost, compromised, or disclosed without authorization, could result in
substantial harm, embarrassment, inconvenience, or unfairness to an
individual. Although Applicants are required to enter addresses of
individual borrowers/residents of Distressed Communities in AMIS,
Applicants should not include the following PII for the individuals
who received the Financial Products or Financial Services in AMIS or
in the supporting documentation (i.e., name of the individual, Social
Security Number, driver's license or state identification number,
passport number, Alien Registration Number, etc.). This information
should be redacted from all supporting documentation.

Each Recipient is responsible for the timely and complete
submission of the Annual Reporting Requirements. Sponsoring Entities
with co-Recipients will be informed of any changes to reporting
obligations at the time the Emerging CDFI is joined to the Assistance
Agreement. The CDFI Fund reserves the right to contact the Recipient
and additional entities or signatories to the Assistance Agreement to
request additional information and/or documentation. The CDFI Fund will
use such information to monitor each Recipient's compliance with the
requirements of the Assistance Agreement and to assess the impact of
the NACA Program. The CDFI Fund reserves the right, in its sole
discretion, to modify these reporting requirements, including
increasing the scope and frequency of reporting, if it determines it to
be appropriate and necessary; however, such reporting requirements will
be modified only after notice to Recipients.
2. Financial Management and Accounting: The CDFI Fund will require
Recipients to maintain financial management and accounting systems that
comply with federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions
of the Federal award. These systems must be sufficient to permit the
preparation of reports required by the CDFI Fund to ensure compliance
with the terms and conditions of the NACA Program, including the
tracing of award funds to a level of expenditures adequate to establish
that such award funds have been used in accordance with federal
statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal
award.
The cost principles used by Recipients must be consistent with
federal cost principles and support the accumulation of costs as
required by the principles, and must provide for adequate documentation
to support costs charged to the NACA Program award. In addition, the
CDFI Fund will require Recipients to: maintain effective internal
controls; comply with applicable statutes, regulations, and the
Assistance Agreement; evaluate and monitor compliance; take appropriate
action when not in compliance; and safeguard personally identifiable
information.

VII. Agency Contacts

A. The CDFI Fund will respond to questions concerning this NOFA and
the Application between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern Time,
starting on the date that the NOFA is published through the date listed
in Table 1 and Table 12. The CDFI Fund strongly recommends Applicants
submit questions to the CDFI Fund via an AMIS Service Request to the
NACA Program, Certification, Compliance Monitoring and Evaluation
(CCME), or IT Help Desk. The CDFI Fund will post on its website
responses to reoccurring questions received about the NOFA and
Application. Other information regarding the CDFI Fund and its programs
may be obtained from the CDFI Fund's website at <a href="http://www.cdfifund.gov">http://www.cdfifund.gov</a>. Table 20 lists CDFI Fund contact information:

Table 20--Contact Information
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type of question Preferred method Telephone number (not toll free) Email addresses
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NACA Program......................... Service Request via AMIS.................. 202-653-0421, option 1........... <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#6f0c0b0906070a031f2f0c0b0906411b1d0a0e1c41080019">[email&#160;protected]</a>.
Compliance Monitoring and Evaluation. Service Request via AMIS.................. 202-653-0423..................... <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#95f6f6f8f0d5f6f1f3fcbbe1e7f0f4e6bbf2fae3">[email&#160;protected]</a>.
CDFI Certification................... Service Request via AMIS.................. 202-653-0423..................... <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#5734343a32173433313e79232532362479303821">[email&#160;protected]</a>.

[[Page 86015]]

AMIS--IT Help Desk................... Service Request via AMIS.................. 202-653-0422..................... <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#c0818d899380a3a4a6a9eeb4b2a5a1b3eea7afb6">[email&#160;protected]</a>.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

B. Information Technology Support: For IT assistance, the preferred
method of contact is to submit a Service Request within AMIS. For the
Service Request, select ``Technical Issues'' from the Program dropdown
menu of the Service Request. People who have visual or mobility
impairments that prevent them from using the CDFI Fund's website should
call (202) 653-0422 for assistance (this is not a toll free number).
C. Communication with the CDFI Fund: The CDFI Fund will use the
contact information in AMIS to communicate with Applicants and
Recipients. It is imperative, therefore, that Applicants, Recipients,
Subsidiaries, Affiliates, and signatories maintain accurate contact
information in their accounts. This includes information such as
contact names (especially for the Authorized Representative), email
addresses, fax and phone numbers, and office locations.
D. Civil Rights and Equal Employment Opportunity: Any person who is
eligible to receive benefits or services from the CDFI Fund or
Recipients under any of its programs is entitled to those benefits or
services without being subject to prohibited discrimination. The
Department of the Treasury's Office of Civil Rights and Equal
Employment Opportunity enforces various federal statutes and
regulations that prohibit discrimination in financially assisted and
conducted programs and activities of the CDFI Fund. If a person
believes that s/he has been subjected to discrimination and/or reprisal
because of because of race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex,
marital status, familial status, disability and/or reprisal, s/he may
file a complaint with: Director, Office of Civil Rights and Equal
Employment Opportunity, 1500 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20230
or (202) 622-1160 (not a toll-free number).
E. Statutory and National Policy Requirements: The CDFI Fund will
manage and administer the Federal award in a manner to ensure that
Federal funding is expended and associated programs are implemented in
full accordance with the U.S. Constitution, federal law, and public
policy requirements: including but not limited to, those protecting
free speech, religious liberty, public welfare, the environment, and
prohibiting discrimination.

VIII. Other Information

A. Paperwork Reduction Act: Under the Paperwork Reduction Act (44
U.S.C. chapter 35), an agency may not conduct or sponsor a collection
of information, and an individual is not required to respond to a
collection of information, unless it displays a valid OMB control
number. If applicable, the CDFI Fund may inform Applicants that they do
not need to provide certain Application information otherwise required.
Pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act, the CDFI Program, and NACA
Program Application has been assigned the following control number:
1559-0021 inclusive of PPC-FA, DF-FA, and HFFI-FA.
B. Application Information Sessions: The CDFI Fund may conduct
webinars or host information sessions for organizations that are
considering applying to, or are interested in learning about, the CDFI
Fund's programs. For further information, visit the CDFI Fund's website
at <a href="http://www.cdfifund.gov">http://www.cdfifund.gov</a>.
Authority: 12 U.S.C. 4701, et seq.; 12 CFR parts 1805 and 1815; 2
CFR part 200.

Marcia Sigal,
Acting Director, Community Development Financial Institutions Fund.
[FR Doc. 2023-27139 Filed 12-8-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4810-05-P

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