This subpart sets forth additional policies and procedures for making Technical Assistance and Training (TAT) grants authorized under Section 306(a)(14)(A) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (CONACT) (7 U.S.C. 1921 et seq., as amended.

The objectives of the program are to:

(a) Identify and evaluate solutions to water and waste problems in rural areas.

(b) Assist applicants in preparing applications for water and waste disposal loans/grants.

(c) Assist associations in improving operation and maintenance of existing water and waste facilities in rural areas.

Grants will be made from not less than 1 percent or not more than 3 percent of any appropriations for grants under Section 306(a)(2) of the CONACT. Funds not obligated by September 1 of each fiscal year will be used for water and waste disposal grants made in accordance with part 1780 of this chapter.

(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.

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) Identify options to enhance the long-term sustainability of rural water and waste systems, including operational practices, revenue enhancements, partnerships, consolidation, regionalization, or contract services.

(f) Address the contamination of drinking water and surface water supplies by emerging contaminants, including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.

(g) Pay the expenses associated with providing the technical assistance and/or training authorized in paragraphs (a) through (f) of this section.

At least 10 percent of available funds will be used for funding single State projects based on the priority criteria.