Technical Assistance and Training Grant Program

Funds may be used to pay expenses associated with providing technical assistance and/or training (TAT) to: Identify and evaluate solutions to water problems relating to source, storage, treatment, or distribution; identify and evaluate solutions to waste problems relating to collection, treatment, or disposal: assist applicants, that have filed a pre-application with RUS, in the preparation of water and/or waste loan and/or grant applications; and/or provide technical assistance and/or training to water/wastewater system personnel that will improve the management, operation and maintenance of water and waste disposal facilities. Grant funds may not be used to duplicate current services, such as those performed by an association’s consultant in developing a project; fund political or lobbying activities; pay for capital assets; purchase real estate or vehicles; improve or renovate office space, or repair and maintain privately owned property; pay the costs for construction, improvement, rehabilitation, modification or operation and maintenance of water, wastewater, and solid waste disposal facilities; and pay costs incurred prior to effective date of grant.

(a) Entities eligible for grants must be private nonprofit organizations with tax exempt status, designated by the Internal Revenue Service. A nonprofit organization is defined as any corporation, trust, association, cooperative, or other organization that:(1) Is operated primarily for scientific, education, service, charitable, or similar purposes in the public interest.(2) Is not organized primarily for profit.(3) Uses its net proceeds to maintain, improve, and/or expand its operations.(b) Entities must be legally established and located within a state as defined in §1775.2.(c) Organizations must be incorporated by December 31 of the year the application period occurs to be eligible for funds.(d) Private businesses, Federal agencies, public bodies, and individuals are ineligible for these grants.(e) Applicants must also have the proven ability, background, experience (as evidenced by the organization's satisfactory completion of project(s) similar to those proposed), legal authority, and actual capacity to provide technical assistance and/or training on a regional basis to associations as provided in §1775.33. To meet the requirement of actual capacity, an applicant must either:(1) Have the necessary resources to provide technical assistance and/or training to associations in rural areas through its staff, or (2) Be assisted by an affiliate or member organization which has such background and experience, and which agrees, in writing, that it will provide the assistance, or (3) Contract with a nonaffiliated organization for not more than 49 percent of the grant to provide the proposed assistance. Eligible Projects. Grants may be made to organizations as defined in §1775.35 to enable such organizations to assist associations to: (a) Identify and evaluate solutions to water problems of associations in rural areas relating to source, storage, treatment, and/or distribution (b) Identify and evaluate solutions to waste problems of associations in rural areas relating to collection, treatment, and/or disposal (c ) Prepare water and/or waste disposal loan/grant applications (d) Provide technical assistance/training to association personnel that will improve the management, operation, and maintenance of water and waste facilities (e) Pay the expenses associated with providing the technical assistance and/or training authorized in paragraphs (a) through (d) of this section.