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About Household Water Well System Grants
Purpose: The Household Water Well System (HWWS) Grant Program provides grants to qualified private non-profit organizations to establish lending programs for household water wells in rural areas. Homeowners or eligible individuals may borrow money from an organization receiving a HWWS grant so they may construct or upgrade their private well systems. Rural areas are defined as locations other than cities or towns of more than 50,000 people and the contiguous and adjacent urbanized area of such towns and cities.
Eligibility:
1. An organization is eligible to receive a HWWS grant if it:
a. Is a private, non-profit organization.
b. Has a Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number and
c. Has an active registration with current information in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) database.
d. Has the legal capacity and authority to carry out the grant purpose;
e. Has sufficient expertise and experience in lending activities;
f. Has sufficient expertise and experience in promoting the safe and productive use of individually-owned HWWS and ground water;
g. Has no delinquent debt to the Federal Government or no outstanding judgments to repay a Federal debt;
h. Demonstrates that it possesses the financial, technical, and managerial capability to comply with Federal and State laws and requirements.
2. An individual cannot receive a HWWS grant. An individual may receive a loan from an organization receiving a grant award. An individual must apply for loans through non-profit organizations that USDA Rural Development has approved to receive grant funds. The loan limit is $11,000 at 1 percent for 20 years. Application forms will be provided by the organization.
Applications:
June 4, 2012, is the application deadline for the 2012 Fiscal Year. Applications may be filed in either paper or electronic format. Electronic applications must be filed through Grants.gov, the official Federal Government Web site at http://www.grants.gov. All awards will be announced by September 30, 2012.
Fund Uses:
Funds may be used to create a revolving loan fund to provide low-interest loans to eligible individuals to construct, refurbish, and service individually-owned household water well systems. Loans may not be provided for home sewer or septic system projects. Eligible individuals must occupy and own or will own an existing home whose well system will be improved with the proceeds of the HWWS loan.
Requirements:
The non-profit organizations applying for the grant funds must contribute at least 10 percent of the HWWS grant to capitalize the revolving loan fund. The cost-sharing funds may be contributed from an applicant own resources or third-party resources sources other than the proceeds of the HWWS grants. In-kind contributions will not be considered.
Resources:
Program Notice:
All applicants must have a Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number. Any organization that applies for a Household Water Well System grant must provide their DUNS number on the SF-424, "Application for Federal Assistance." DUNS numbers are available without charge.
All applicants must register with the Central Contractor Registration (CCR). Organizations must have a DUNS number in order to register with CCR. If your organization has received previous federal contracts and has already registered with CCR, you should verify that your information is up to date. For more information about CCR, please visit the CCR website at:
https://www.bpn.gov/ccr/default.aspx
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