2022-08320. Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request: Uniform Grant Application Package for Discretionary Grant Programs

AGENCY:

Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), USDA.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on this revised information collection. This is a revision of a currently approved collection. The purpose of the Uniform Grant Application Package for Discretionary Grant Programs is to provide a standardized format for the development of all Requests for Applications for discretionary grant programs released by the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) Agency and to allow for a more expeditious OMB clearance process. This revision also addresses additional information to be collected for some grant programs as supplemental information beyond the Uniform Grant Application. This notice provides 60 day notice to the public that State Plan information will be submitted in association with this information collection, and program-specific supplemental forms will be used as discussed in this notice.

DATES:

Written comments must be received on or June 21, 2022.

ADDRESSES:

Comments may be sent to: The Grants Management Operations Branch, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1320 Braddock Place, 5th Floor, Alexandria, VA 22314. Comments may also be submitted via email to [e-mail].

Comments will be accepted through the Federal eRulemaking Portal. Go to http://www.regulations.gov, and follow the online instructions for submitting comments electronically.

All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the request for Office of Management and Budget approval. All comments will be a matter of public record.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Requests for additional information or copies of this information collection should be directed to Gregory Walton at 703-305-1575 or [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions that were used; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

Title: Uniform Grant Application Package for Discretionary Grant Programs.

Form Number: SF-424 Form, SF-LLL, FNS-908, FNS-887.

OMB Number: 0584-0512.

Expiration Date: July 31, 2022.

Type of Request: Revision of a currently approved collection.

Abstract: FNS has a number of discretionary grant programs. (Consistent with the definition in 2 CFR part 200, the term “grant” as used in this notice includes cooperative agreements.) The authorities for these grants vary and will be cited as part of each grant application solicitation. The purpose of the revision to the currently approved collection for the Uniform Grant Application Package for Discretionary Grant Programs is to continue the authority for the established uniform grant application package and to update the number of collection burden hours, accounting for noncompetitive grants issued by FNS into this information collection request package. FNS is revising the uniform collection package to allow and account for all of FNS' competitive and noncompetitive discretionary grant programs to collect information from grant applicants that are needed to evaluate and rank applicants and protect the integrity of the grantee selection process. This revision also encompasses the submittal of associated State Plan information and the use of program-specific forms, including but not limited to, Form FNS-887 Farm to School Coversheet, the Farm to School Baseline Report, and Farm to School Final Report. Under certain criteria, all FNS discretionary grant programs will be eligible to use the uniform grant application package. Before soliciting applications for a competitive or noncompetitive discretionary grant program, FNS will decide whether the uniform grant application package will meet the needs of that grant program. If FNS decides to use the uniform grant application package, FNS will note in the grant solicitation that applicants must use the uniform grant application package and that the information collection has already been approved by OMB. If FNS decides not to use the uniform grant application package or determines that it needs grant applicants to provide additional information not contained in the uniform package, then FNS will publish at least a 30-day notice soliciting comments on its proposal to collect different or additional information before making the grant solicitation, if not already discussed in this notice. This notice discusses and gives 60 day notice to the public that State Plan information will be collected in association with grants covered by this information collection and program-specific supplemental forms will also be used, including but not limited to, Form FNS-887 Farm to School Coversheet, the Farm to School Baseline Report, and Farm to School Final Report. State Plans can discuss a wide range of information associated with the use of grant funds including, but not limited to, the goals of the project, the implementation plan, associated schedule for implementation and expected and actual results. Applicants complete Form FNS-887, Farm to School Coversheet, when applying for a farm to school grant. Farm to School grantees will complete the new Farm to School Baseline Report at the start of their grant. The purpose is to collect information about farm to school activities at the start of the grant, which will be compared to the final grant report. In the new Farm to School Final Report, grantees will provide a final update on their specific project activities and respond to the same series of questions from the baseline report in order to capture changes from the beginning of the grant project to the end.

The uniform grant application package will include: General information and instructions; a checklist; a requirement for the program narrative statement describing how the grant goals and objectives will be reached; the Standard Form (SF) 424 series forms (SF-424A and SF-424B) that request basic grant project information, budget information, and a disclosure of lobbying activities certification (SF-LLL); and the Standardized Performance Progress Report (FNS-908). The revised information collection covered by this notice is related to the requirements for the program narrative statement. The requirements for the program narrative statement described in 2 CFR part 200, Appendix I and will apply to all types of grantees—State and Local governments, Indian Tribal organizations (ITOs), Business such as Non-Profit organizations, Institutions of Higher Education, and For-Profit organizations. The information collection burden related to the SF-424 series, and the lobbying certification forms have been separately approved by OMB under OMB Control Numbers: 0584-0512, December 31, 2022.

This collection also encompasses requirements for States to prepare and submit State Plans as part of, or in follow-up to, the application process for grants covered under OMB number 0584-0512, as well as the use of program-specific forms including but not limited to Form FNS-887 Farm to School Coversheet, the Farm to School Baseline Report, and Farm to School Final Report. This collection has two different affected public, State, Local & Tribal government as well as Business-for-profit and not-for-profit organizations. The respondent type for Business are usually Higher Education and Universities.

FNS is requesting 6,155 total respondents (5,517 for SLT and 638 for Business', we are also seeking 429,994 total annual burden hours and 139,229 total annual responses and since generic clearance are granted three years of burden upfront, this renewal is requesting 1,500,000 burden hours and 417,687 annual responses for next three years. This includes 428,954 total burden hours for reporting and 41,598 total burden hours for recordkeeping.

The estimates below are for pre and post-award reporting and post-award recordkeeping for competitive and non-competitive grant opportunities for State, Local or Tribal government (known as Indian Tribal Organizations or ITOs). Below are the breakdowns for each affected public, for each type of grants available (competitive and non-competitive) for the reporting and recordkeeping burden activities involved before and then after grants are awarded to these affected publics.

Reporting—(Competitive) Pre Award

Affected Public (Competitive): State and Local governments, Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs).

Estimated Number of Respondents: 3,276.

Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 8.

Estimated Total Annual Responses: 26,208.

Estimated Average Hours per Response: 6.05586081.

Estimated Total Annual Reporting Burden Hours: 158,712.

Reporting—(Competitive) Post Award

Affected Public: State and Local governments, Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs).

Estimated Number of Respondents: 2,324.

Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 5.

Estimated Total Annual Responses: 11,620.

Estimated Average Hours per Response: 5.6.

Estimated Total Annual Reporting Burden Hours: 65,072.

Recordkeeping—Post Award Only

Affected Public (Competitive): State and Local governments, Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs).

Estimated Number of Recordkeepers: 2,324.

Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 9.

Estimated Total Annual Responses: 20,916.

Estimate Average Hours per Response: 0.025.

Estimated Annual Hours per Recordkeeper: 522.9.

Reporting—Pre Award

Affected Public (Competitive): Business—Non-Profit organizations, Institutions of Higher Education, and For-Profit organizations.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 300.

Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 9.

Estimated Total Annual Responses: 2,700.

Estimated Average Hours per Response: 6.26148148.

Estimated Total Annual Reporting Burden Hours: 16,906.

Reporting—Post Award

Affected Public (Competitive): Business—Non-Profit organizations, Institutions of Higher Education, and For-Profit organizations.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 95.

Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 5.

Estimated Total Annual Responses: 475.

Estimated Average Hours per Response: 5.6.

Estimated Total Annual Reporting Burden Hours: 2,660.

Recordkeeping—Post Award Only

Affected Public (Competitive): Business Non-Profit organizations, Institutions of Higher Education, and For-Profit organizations.

Estimated Number of Recordkeepers: 95.

Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 9.

Estimated Total Annual Responses: 855.

Estimate Average Hours per Response: 0.0245615.

Estimated Annual Hours per Recordkeeper: 21.

Reporting—Pre-Award

Affected Public (Noncompetitive): State and Local governments, Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs).

Estimated Number of Respondents: 2,241.

Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 8.

Estimated Total Annual Responses: 17,928.

Estimated Average Hours per Response: 5.9549866.

Estimated Total Annual Reporting Burden Hours: 106,761.

Reporting—Post Award

Affected Public (Noncompetitive): State and Local governments, Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs).

Estimated Number of Respondents: 1,796.

Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 5.

Estimated Total Annual Responses: 16,164.

Estimate Average Hours per Response: .025000.

Estimated Total Annual Burden Reporting Hours: 404.

Recordkeeping—Post Award Only

Affected Public (Noncompetitive): State and Local governments, Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs).

Estimated Number of Respondents: 1,796.

Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 5.

Estimated Total Annual Responses: 16,164.

Estimate Average Hours per Response: .025000.

Estimated Total Annual Burden Reporting Hours: 404.

Reporting—Pre-Award

Affected Public (Noncompetitive): Business Non-Profit organizations, Institutions of Higher Education, and For-Profit organizations.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 338.

Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 9.

Estimated Total Annual Responses: 3,042.

Estimated Average Hours per Response: 5.64069691.

Estimated Total Annual Reporting Burden Hours: 17,159.

Reporting—Post Award

Affected Public (Noncompetitive): Business Non-Profit organizations, Institutions of Higher Education, and For-Profit organizations.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 301.

Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 5.

Estimated Total Annual Responses: 1,505.

Estimate Average Hours per Response: 5.6.

Estimated Total Annual Burden Reporting Hours: 8,428.

Recordkeeping—Post Award Only

Affected Public (Noncompetitive): Business Non-Profit organizations, Institutions of Higher Education, and For-Profit organizations.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 301.

Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 9.

Estimated Total Annual Responses: 2,709.

Estimate Average Hours per Response: 0.02510151.

Estimated Total Annual Burden Reporting Hours: 68.

Reporting—State Plans (Competitive) Pre-Award

Affected Public (Competitive): State and Local governments, Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs).

Estimated Number of Respondents: 1,092.

Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 8.

Estimated Total Annual Responses: 8,736.

Estimated Average Hours per Response: 5.8.

Estimated Total Annual Reporting Burden Hours: 50,687.

Reporting—State Plans (Competitive) Post Award

Affected Public (Competitive): State and Local governments, Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs).

Estimated Number of Respondents: 1,092.

Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 5.

Estimated Total Annual Responses: 5,460.

Estimated Average Hours per Response: 5.6.

Estimated Total Annual Reporting Burden Hours: 30,576.

Recordkeeping—State Plans (Competitive Post Award)

Affected Public (Competitive): State and Local governments, Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs).

Estimated Number of Respondents: 1,092.

Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 9.

Estimated Total Annual Responses: 9,828.

Estimated Average Hours per Response: .02503053.

Estimated Total Annual Reporting Burden Hours: 246.

Reporting—State Plans (Non-Competitive) Pre-Award

Affected Public (Non-Competitive): State and Local governments, Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs).

Estimated Number of Respondents: 1,092.

Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 8.

Estimated Total Annual Responses: 8,736.

Estimated Average Hours per Response: 5.8375.

Estimated Total Annual Reporting Burden Hours: 50,996.

Reporting—State Plans (Non-Competitive) Post Award

Affected Public (Non-Competitive): State and Local governments, Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs).

Estimated Number of Respondents: 1,092.

Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 5.

Estimated Total Annual Responses: 5,460.

Estimated Average Hours per Response: 5.6.

Estimated Total Annual Reporting Burden Hours: 30,576.

Recordkeeping—State Plans (Non-Competitive Post Award)

Affected Public (Non-Competitive): State and Local governments, Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs).

Estimated Number of Respondents: 1,092.

Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 9.

Estimated Total Annual Responses: 9,828.

Estimated Average Hours per Response: 0.02503053.

Estimated Total Annual Reporting Burden Hours: 246.

Appendix—Grant; Affected public	Pre-award RFA		Pre-award forms	Pre-award reporting forms burden (~6.4/6.7 hours time per grantee)	Total pre-award burden	Post award forms		Total post award reporting	Recordkeeping		Total
	Estimated number of annual respondents (applicants)	Total estimated pre-award burden hours	Pre-award reporting forms responses (8 per SLT; 9 per business IC)			Post award forms responses (5 per grantee)	Post award reporting burden (14 hours time per grantee)	Post award hours	Record- keeping responses (9 per grantee)	Record- keeping burden (~.2 hours per grantee)	Total reporting burden hours (pre & post award)	Total responses	Grand total burden hours (reporting & record- keeping)
COMPETITIVE GRANT OPPORTUNITIES
Subtotal for Competitive State, Local & Tribal Government Agencies	3,276	137,665	26,208	21,047	158,712	11,620	32,536	65,072	21,870	547	226,752	73,224	227,299
COMPETITIVE BUSINESS GRANT OPPORTUNITIES
Sub total for Competitive Business Grant Opportunities	300	14,906	2,700	2,000	16,906	475	1,330	2,660	855	21	19,566	4,710	19,587
NONCOMPETITIVE GRANT OPPORTUNITIES
Subtotal for Noncompetitive State, Local & Tribal	2,241	91,801	17,928	14,960	106,761	8,980	25,144	50,288	16,164	404	157,049	52,497	157,453
NONCOMPETITIVE BUSINESS GRANT OPPORTUNITIES
Subtotal for Non Competitive Businesses	338	14,978	3,042	2,181	17,159	1,505	4,214	8,428	2,709	68	25,587	8,798	25,655
Grand Total SLT & Bus (competitive and non competitive)	6,155	259,350	49,878	40,188	299,538	23,110	64,708	129,416	41,598	1,040	428,954	139,229	429,994

Cynthia Long,

Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.