Minority Business Development Center (MBDC) Program

Document Type:	Modification to a Previous Grants Notice
Funding Opportunity Number:	DOC-GRANTS-081004-001
Posted Date:	Sep 21, 2004
Original Due Date for Applications:	Sep 21, 2004
	The closing date for submission of applications is September 21, 2004. Completed applications must be received by MBDA no later than 5:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Savings Time at the address below. Applications received after the closing date and time will not be considered. Anticipated time for processing of applications is one hundred twenty (120) days from the date of publication of this notice.  MBDA anticipates that awards for the MBDC program will be made with a start date of January 1, 2005. One signed original plus two (2) copies of the completed applications for the MBDC program should be mailed (USPS postmark) to: Office of Business Development Office of Executive Secretariat, HCHB, Room 5063 Minority Business Development Agency U.S. Department of Commerce 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20230 If the application is hand-delivered by the applicant or his/her representative, one signed original plus two (2) copies of the complete application must be delivered to: U.S. Department of Commerce HCHB, Room 1874 Entrance #10 15th Street, NW Washington, DC (between Pennsylvania and Constitution Avenues) If applying on-line at http://www.mbda.gov, all sections of the application (Program Narrative, SF-424, SF-424A, SF-424B, SF-LLL, CD-346, and CD-511) must be completed in order for the application to be considered. In addition to applying on-line, you must also hand-deliver or mail one original plus two (2) copies of only the pages that require original signatures by the closing date and time stated above. A pre-application teleconference will be held on August 25, 2004, for the MBDC project solicitations. Contact the specified MBDA National Enterprise Center (NEC) for the geographic service area in which the project will be located to receive further information, please contact:   1. MBDC Application: Honolulu. Linda Marmolejo, Regional Director MBDA San Francisco National Enterprise Center 415-744-3001 2. MBDC Application: Oklahoma City. John F. Iglehart, Regional Director MBDA Dallas National Enterprise Center 214-767-8001 3. MBDC Application: Miami/Ft. Lauderdale. Robert Henderson, Regional Director MBDA Atlanta National Enterprise Center 404-730-3300 Picture identification is required for entrance into any Federal building.  Notice of the pre-application conference will be available on the MBDA Portal at www.mbda.gov.
Current Due Date for Applications:	Oct 08, 2004
	The Minority Business Development Agency announces the extension of the closing date for competitive application for the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale Minority Business Development Center (MBDC) Program ONLY. This change is due to the disaster recovery efforts throughout the state of Florida caused by Hurricane Frances. The original closing date September 21, 2004 has been changed to October 8, 2004. No other changes to the program requirements have been made. Please see the original announcement at www.mbda.gov for program information and application requirements. The closing date for submission of the Honolulu MBDC and the Oklahoma City MBDC applications is September 21, 2004. Completed applications must be received by MBDA no later than 5:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Savings Time at the address below. Applications received after the closing date and time will not be considered. Anticipated time for processing of applications is one hundred twenty (120) days from the date of publication of this notice.  MBDA anticipates that awards for the MBDC program will be made with a start date of January 1, 2005. One signed original plus two (2) copies of the completed applications for the MBDC program should be mailed (USPS postmark) to: Office of Business Development Office of Executive Secretariat, HCHB, Room 5063 Minority Business Development Agency U.S. Department of Commerce 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20230 If the application is hand-delivered by the applicant or his/her representative, one signed original plus two (2) copies of the complete application must be delivered to: U.S. Department of Commerce HCHB, Room 1874 Entrance #10 15th Street, NW Washington, DC (between Pennsylvania and Constitution Avenues) If applying on-line at http://www.mbda.gov, all sections of the application (Program Narrative, SF-424, SF-424A, SF-424B, SF-LLL, CD-346, and CD-511) must be completed in order for the application to be considered. In addition to applying on-line, you must also hand-deliver or mail one original plus two (2) copies of only the pages that require original signatures by the closing date and time stated above.
Archive Date:	Nov 08, 2004
Funding Instrument Type:	Cooperative Agreement
Category of Funding Activity:	Business and Commerce
Expected Number of Awards:	3
Estimated Total Program Funding:	$738,750.00
Award Ceiling:	$338,750.00
Award Floor:	$155,000.00
CFDA Number:	11.800 -- Minority Business Development Centers
Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement:	Yes

Eligible Applicants

State governments

County governments

City or township governments

Special district governments

Public and State controlled institutions of higher education

Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)

Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)

Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education

Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education

Private institutions of higher education

For profit organizations other than small businesses

Small businesses

Agency Name

Department of Commerce, Minority Business Development Agency

Description

In accordance with Executive Order 11625 and 15 U.S.C. § 1512, MBDA is soliciting competitive applications from organizations to operate MBDCs under its MBDC program in the following geographic service areas: Honolulu, Oklahoma City and Miami/Ft. Lauderdale.
In order to receive consideration, applicants must comply with all information and requirements contained in the Federal Funding Opportunity (please see Link to Full Announcement). For-profit entities (including sole proprietorships and corporations), non-profit organizations, state and local government entities, American Indian Tribes and educational institutions are eligible to operate MBDCs.
The MBDC Program requires MBDC staff to provide standardized business assistance services to rapid growth potential minority businesses directly; to develop a network of strategic partnerships; to charge client fees; and to provide strategic business consulting.  These requirements will be used to generate increased results with respect to financing and contracts awarded to minority-owned firms and thus, are a key component of this program.
The MBDC program will concentrate on rapid growth potential minority business enterprises (MBEs), e.g., those generating $500,000 or more in annual revenues or capable of generating significant employment and long-term economic growth. The MBDC program shall continue to leverage telecommunications technology, including the Internet, and a variety of online computer-based resources to dramatically increase the level of service that the MBDC can provide to minority-owned firms, including micro-enterprises.
The MBDC program incorporates an entrepreneurial approach to building market stability and improving the quality of services delivered.  This strategy expands the reach of the MBDC by requiring project operators to develop and build upon strategic alliances with public and private sector partners, as a means of serving the growing numbers of minority firms with rapid growth potential within the project's geographic service area. In addition, MBDA will establish specialized business consulting training programs to support the MBDC client assistance services. These MBDC training programs are designed specifically to foster growth assistance to its clients.  The MBDC will also encourage increased collaboration and client/non-client referrals among the MBDA-sponsored networks. This will provide a comprehensive approach to serving the emerging sector of the minority business community.
The MBDC will operate through the use of trained professional business consultants who will assist minority entrepreneurs through direct client engagements.
Entrepreneurs eligible for assistance under the MBDC Program are African Americans, Puerto Ricans, Spanish-speaking Americans, Aleuts, Asian Pacific Americans, Asian Indians, Native Americans, Eskimos and Hasidic Jews.
As part of its strategy for continuous improvement, the MBDC shall expand its delivery capacity to all minority firms, with greater emphasis on emerging/rapid growth-potential minority firms capable of impacting economic growth and employment.  MBDA wants to ensure that MBDC clients are receiving a consistent level of service throughout its funded network.  To that end, MBDA will require MBDC consultants to attend a series of training courses designed to achieve standardized services and quality expectations.

Link to Full Announcement

Solicitation of Applications for the Minority Business Development Center Program. In order to receive consideration, applicants must comply with all information and requirements contained in the Federal Funding Opportunity (FFO) at www.mbda.gov.

If you have difficulty accessing the full announcement electronically, please contact:

Gonzalez, Efrain, Program Manager, Phone 202-482-1940, Fax 202-482-2693, Email egonzalez@mbda.gov Gonzalez, Efrain

• DOC MBDA listed by [Posted Date]
• DOC Agencywide listed by [Posted Date]