As used in this part:

Capacity funds means agricultural extension and research funds provided by formula to the eligible institutions under sections 1444 and 1445 of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (NARETPA), as amended, or under sections 3(b) and (c) of the Smith-Lever Act, 7 U.S.C. 343(b) and (c) or under section 3 of the Hatch Act of 1887, 7 U.S.C. 361c.

Eligible institution means a college or university eligible to receive funds under the Act of August 30, 1890 (7 U.S.C. 321 et seq.) (commonly known as the Second Morrill Act), including Central State University, Tuskegee University, and West Virginia State University (1890 land-grant institutions), and a college or university designated under the Act of July 2, 1862 (7 U.S.C. 301, et seq.) (commonly known as the First Morrill Act) and located in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the insular areas of American Samoa, Guam, Micronesia, Northern Marianas, and the U.S. Virgin Islands (1862 land-grant institutions in insular areas).

Matching funds means funds from non-Federal sources, including those made available by the State to the eligible institutions, for programs or activities that fall within the purposes of agricultural research and cooperative extension under: sections 1444 and 1445 of NARETPA; the Hatch Act of 1887; and the Smith-Lever Act.

Non-Federal sources means funds made available by the State to the eligible institution either through direct appropriation or under any authority (other than authority to charge tuition and fees paid by students) provided by a State to an eligible institution to raise revenue, such as gift acceptance authority or user fees.

Secretary means the Secretary of Agriculture and any other officer or employee of the Department of Agriculture to whom the authority involved may be delegated.

State means the government of any one of the fifty States, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of Northern Marianas, the Virgin Islands of the United States, the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia.

(a) 1890 land-grant institutions. The distribution of capacity funds are subject to a matching requirement. Matching funds will equal not less than 100% of the capacity funds to be distributed to the institution.

(b) 1862 land-grant institutions in insular areas. The distribution of capacity funds are subject to a matching requirement. Matching funds will equal not less than 50% of the capacity funds to be distributed to the institution.

(c) For fiscal year 2002 and each fiscal year thereafter, the matching funds shall equal not less than 50 percent of the formula funds to be distributed to the eligible institution.

(a) 1890 land-grant institutions: The Secretary may waive the matching funds requirement in § 3419.2 above the 50% level for any fiscal year for an eligible institution of a State if the Secretary determines that the State will be unlikely to satisfy the matching requirement.

(b) 1862 land-grant institutions in insular areas: The Secretary may waive up to 100% of the matching funds requirements in § 3419.2 for any fiscal year for an eligible institution in an insular area.

(c) The criteria to waive the applicable matching requirement for 1890 land-grant institutions and 1862 land-grant institutions in insular areas is demonstration of one or more of the following:

(1) Impacts from natural disaster, flood, fire, tornado, hurricane, or drought;

(2) State and/or institution facing a financial crisis; or

(3) Lack of matching funds after demonstration of good faith efforts to obtain funds.

(d) Approval or disapproval of the request for a waiver will be based on the application submitted, as defined under § 3419.4.

Application for waivers for both 1890 land-grant institutions and 1862 land-grant institutions in insular areas. The president of the eligible institution must submit any request for a waiver for matching requirements. A waiver application must include the name of the eligible institution, the type of Federal capacity funds (i.e. research, extension, Hatch, etc.), appropriate fiscal year, the basis for the request (e.g. one or more of the criteria identified in § 3419.3); current supporting documentation, where current is defined as within the past two years from the date of the letter requesting the waiver; and the amount of the request.

Prior to the distribution of capacity funds each fiscal year, each eligible institution must certify as to the availability of matching funds. Eligible institutions may revise their certification of matching funds through July 1 of the fiscal year in which funds are appropriated.

The required matching funds for the capacity programs must be used by an eligible institution for the same purpose as Federal award dollars: Agricultural research and extension activities that have been approved in the plan of work required under sections 1445(c) and 1444(d) of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977, section 7 of the Hatch Act of 1887, and section 4 of the Smith-Lever Act. For all programs, tuition dollars and student fees may not be used as matching funds.

Institutions will report all capacity matching funds expended annually using Standard Form (SF) 425, in accordance with 7 CFR 3430.56(a).

Unmatched research and extension funds will be reapportioned in accordance with the research and extension statutory distribution formulas applicable to the 1890 and 1862 land-grant institutions in insular areas, respectively. Any redistribution of funds must be subject to the same matching requirement under § 3419.2.