DHHS Invites Grant Applications For Employment Subsidy Projects for
Refugees
[Federal Register: July 9,
2003 (Volume 68, Number
131)] [Notices]
[Page 40985-40991] From the Federal Register Online via GPO
Access
[wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr09jy03-108]
Employment Subsidy
Program for Refugees With Assimilation Difficulties
AGENCY:
Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), ACF, HHS.
ACTION: Notice
of availability of FY 2003 social services discretionary funds for
employment subsidy projects for refugees who have experienced
long-term difficulties with
assimilation.
CFDA Number: The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance number for
this program is 93.576.
SUMMARY: The Office of Refugee
Resettlement invites eligible entities to submit competitive grant
applications for Employment Subsidy Projects for Refugees \1\ who
have experienced long-term difficulties with assimilation. These
grants are intended for localities with concentrations of refugees
who have experienced difficulty integrating economically and
socially into local communities. Applications will be accepted
pursuant to the Director's discretionary authority under section
412(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) (8 U.S.C.
1522(c)(1)(A)), as amended. Applications will be screened and
evaluated as indicated in this program announcement. Awards will
be contingent on the outcome of the competition and the
availability of
funds. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Eligibility for refugee social services includes: (1)
Refugees; (2) asylees; (3) Cuban and Haitian entrants; (4) certain
Amerasians from Vietnam who are admitted to the U.S. as
immigrants; (5) certain Amerasians from Vietnam, including U.S.
citizens; and (6) victims of a severe form of trafficking (see 45
CFR 400.43 and ORR State Letter 01-13 as modified by 02-01 on
trafficking victims). For convenience, the term ``refugee'' is
used in this notice to encompass all such eligible
persons.
DATES: The closing date for submission of applications
is August 8, 2003. See Part IV of this announcement for more
information on submitting applications.
Announcement Availability: This program announcement and related
application materials are available from the ORR Web site at:
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/orr/funding .
FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT: Jane Sommerville, Division of Community
Resettlement, Office of Refugee Resettlement, Administration for
Children and Families, 370 L'Enfant Promenade, SW., Eighth Floor
West, Washington, DC 20447, telephone: (202) 401-4861, e-mail:
MSommerville@acf.hhs.gov or Daphne Weeden, Grants Officer,
Division of Discretionary Grants, Office of Grants Management, 370
L'Enfant Promenade, SW., Fourth Floor West, Washington, DC 20447,
telephone (202) 401-4577, e-mail
DWeeden@acf.hhs.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This program
announcement consists of four parts:
Part I: Background,
legislative authority, funding availability, eligible applicants,
project and budget periods, program purpose and objectives, and
allowable activities Part II: General Instructions for preparing a
full project description and evaluation criteria Part III: The
Review Process--intergovernmental review, initial ACF screening,
and competitive review Part IV: The Application--application forms,
application submission and deadlines, certifications, assurances,
and disclosure required for non- construction programs,
regulations, treatment of program income, and reporting
requirements.
Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995 (Pub. L. 104-13): Public reporting burden for this collection
of information is estimated to average 16 hours per response,
including the time for reviewing instructions, gathering and
maintaining the data needed, and reviewing the collection of
information. The project description is approved under OMB control
number 0970-0139 which expires 12/31/03. An agency may not conduct
or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a
collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB
control number.
Part I: Background
The purpose of this program announcement is to increase rates of
refugee employment and decrease rates of refugee welfare
utilization by providing earned income subsidies to enable
refugees who have experienced long-term difficulties, or who are
likely to experience long-term difficulties, in assimilating into
American communities with positive workforce experiences. These
projects are intended to assist refugees: (1) Who have experienced
long-term difficulties in assimilating into American communities
or (2) who are likely to experience long-term difficulties in
assimilation, including recently arrived refugees with conditions
described below, older refugees, refugees with disabilities or
chronic illnesses, and youth who are not enrolled in school and
have little or no family support structure. These grants will
provide opportunities for subsidized and unsubsidized job
placements that will lead to permanent employment and economic
self-sufficiency. Economic self-sufficiency contributes
significantly to successful integration.
Projects funded under this announcement are intended to assist
communities across this country with concentrations of refugees,
many of whom entered the United States over a decade ago, who
continue to experience difficulty integrating into their
communities and achieving economic self-sufficiency. For some of
these refugees, language skills, cultural barriers, the lack of
financial resources, and years of relying on public assistance
have resulted in isolating them from the mainstream, limiting
their employment opportunities, and hindering their integration
into American communities. Their low rate of assimilation has been
documented in many localities on such key indicators as poverty
levels, welfare utilization, car and home ownership, high school
completion, college attendance or graduation, English language
fluency, employment rates, household income, per capita income,
and naturalization rates. Projects funded under
this announcement are also intended to assist communities with
more recently arrived refugees who are likely to experience
long-term unemployment and difficulties in assimilating. For
instance, some refugees experience difficulties in employment
and
[[Page 40986]]
assimilation due to the long-term
impacts of circumstances such as lengthy stays in refugee camps,
torture, starvation, prolonged malnutrition, or other trauma prior
to their arrival in the U.S. In addition, some refugees are from
environments and cultural backgrounds that are so distinct from
the way of life in the United States that their ability to
assimilate successfully is a greater challenge than that
experienced by some other refugee populations. Finally, older
refugees, refugees with disabilities and/or chronic illnesses, and
youth who are not enrolled in school and have little or no family
support structure encounter additional difficulties in integrating
into the American workforce and American society. These refugees
also may experience long-term difficulties in employment and
assimilation.
Legislative Authority
This program is authorized by section 412(c)(1)(A) of the
Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), as amended, (8 U.S.C.
1522(c)(1)(A)), which authorizes the Director ``to make grants to,
and enter into contracts with, public or private nonprofit
agencies for projects specifically designed--(i) To assist
refugees in obtaining the skills which are necessary for economic
self-sufficiency, including projects for job training, employment
services, day care, professional refresher training, and other
recertification services, (ii) to provide training in English
where necessary (regardless of whether the refugees are employed
or receiving cash or other assistance); and (iii) to provide where
specific needs have been shown and recognized by the Director,
health (including mental health) services, social services,
educational, and other services.''
Funding
Availability
ORR expects to award
approximately $5 million in FY 2003 discretionary social services
funds for 10 to 20 projects in amounts ranging from $200,000 to
$800,000. The award amount range is for planning purposes.
Applications with requested amounts that exceed the upper value of
the dollar range specified will still be considered for review. No
matching or cost sharing by the applicant is required.
Eligible
Applicants
Eligible applicants for these
funds include public and private, nonprofit agencies. Faith-based
and community organizations are eligible to apply for these
grants. Private, non-profit agencies are
encouraged to submit with their applications the optional survey
located under ``Grant Manuals & Forms'' at
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ofs/forms.htm.
Project and
Budget Periods
Under this announcement, ORR
invites applications for project periods of up to three years.
Awards, on a competitive basis, will be for a one-year budget
period, although project periods may be for three
years. Applications for continuation grants
funded under these awards, beyond the first one-year budget period
but within the three-year project period, will be entertained in
subsequent years on a noncompetitive basis, subject to
availability of funds, satisfactory progress and performance of
the grantee, and a determination that continued funding would be
in the best interest of the Government.
Program Purpose and
Objectives
Projects funded under this
announcement will be designed to connect long-term unemployed
refugees to the labor force and to provide, through subsidized
wages, earned income to refugees and their households. The purpose
is to assist these refugees in making a transition to unsubsidized
permanent employment and to full integration in their
communities. Refugees eligible to participate in
projects funded under this announcement must be at least 18 years
of age and must not be enrolled in school on a full-time basis.
Refugee participants must also be unemployed, without earned
income, employed part-time, or members of families receiving
public assistance. Refugees are eligible to participate in this
project if they have resided in the U.S. for a minimum of one year
and have been residents of their communities for a minimum of
three months. Refugees must demonstrate that they have exhausted
other types and sources of employment services and that they are
continuing to experience long-term unemployment.
ORR anticipates that refugees targeted for these programs would
include long-term recipients of public assistance (12 months or
more), refugees who face termination from Temporary Assistance for
Needy Families (TANF) within the 12 month period following
enrollment in this project, and refugees who have experienced
unusually difficult circumstances in employment and in
assimilation. Refugee populations such as older workers, refugees
with disabilities, and at-risk youth who are at least 18 years of
age, who are not enrolled in school, and who have little or no
family support structure may be included as
well. Subsidized positions may be in either
public or private sector organizations. Grantees must establish a
network of relationships with appropriate public or private
employers to identify and develop suitable subsidized positions.
Through written contractual agreements, grantees may use funds to
reimburse employers for up to 100 percent of the employment wage
(including fringe benefits), for a maximum of nine months. In
exchange for the salary subsidy, the employer agrees to provide
the refugee employee additional supervisory assistance in learning
the job and to retain the refugee employee in this position after
the wage subsidy has ended. If insufficient funds are available to
continue the position, the employer agrees to assist the refugee
employee in securing other employment.
Applicants should identify the types and number of employment
positions to be included in their project, including job
descriptions, qualifications, salary levels, and benefits. Project
participants must be paid an hourly wage equivalent to the
prevailing rates of pay for persons employed in similar
occupations by the same employer. No wage should be lower than the
Federal minimum wage. Refugee employees must be eligible for all
benefits available to all other employees at the work
site. Wage subsidies must be used for a net
increase in the number of positions within a given organization
and may not be used to replace currently funded positions.
Refugees employed as a result of this project may not displace
employed workers or workers on layoff.
Allowable
Activities
Allowable activities may include,
but are not limited to, the following:
[sbull] Placement of long-term unemployed refugees in subsidized
positions; [sbull] Placement of long-term
unemployed refugees in unsubsidized
placements; [sbull] On-the-job training for
refugee participants to obtain professional skills at the
workplace; i.e. core office skills, office protocol, notification
of sick leave, time and attendance procedures,
etc.; [sbull] Vocational English language
training in conjunction with a specific
position; [sbull] Technical assistance to
employers working with refugee participants;
[sbull] On-site mentoring programs between refugees and other
employees; [sbull] Provision of support
services to refugees which may include: on-site
[[Page
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technical assistance, employment counseling, job
retention counseling and activities, and work-related incidental
expenses for such items as work shoes, uniforms, glasses, public
transportation passes, etc., if these are not available from other
sources; [sbull] Technical assistance to
vocational and educational instructors working with refugees;
and [sbull] Provision of specialized services to
address the specific needs of the refugee population being
assisted. To be successful in this competition,
applicants must demonstrate their capacity to implement and manage
new and financially complex projects. Applicants must also
describe their agency's links to the refugee populations to be
assisted through this program. Finally, applicants must
demonstrate a specific need for supplementation of available
employment resources to place refugees with difficulties in
assimilating into permanent employment.
Part II: General
Instructions for Preparing a Full Project
Description
Purpose
The project
description provides a major means by which an application is
evaluated and ranked to compete with other applications for
available assistance. The project description should be concise and
complete and should address the activity for which Federal funds
are being requested. Supporting documents should be included where
they can present information clearly and succinctly. In preparing
your project description, all information requested through each
specific evaluation criteria should be provided. Awarding offices
use this and other information in making their funding
recommendations. It is important, therefore, that this information
be included in the application.
General
Instructions
ACF is particularly interested
in specific factual information and statements of measurable goals
in quantitative terms. Project descriptions are evaluated on the
basis of substance, not length. Extensive exhibits are not
required. Cross-referencing should be used rather than repetition.
Supporting information concerning activities that will not be
directly funded by the grant or information that does not directly
pertain to an integral part of the grant-funded activity should be
placed in an appendix. Pages should be numbered
and a table of contents should be included for easy reference.
Pages should be numbered sequentially, including any attachments
or appendices. The application narrative should be in a 12-pitch
font. An executive summary should be included. Tabs should not be
used.
Introduction
Applicants
required to submit a full project description shall prepare the
project description statement in accordance with the following
instructions and the specified evaluation criteria. The
instructions give a broad overview of what your project
description should include while the evaluation criteria expands
and clarifies more program-specific information that is
needed.
Project Summary/Abstract
Provide a summary of the project description (a page or less) with
reference to the funding request.
Objectives and Need for
Assistance
Clearly identify the physical,
economic, social, financial, institutional, and/or other
problem(s) requiring a solution. The need for assistance must be
demonstrated and the principal and subordinate objectives of the
project must be clearly stated; supporting documentation, such as
letters of support and testimonials from concerned interests other
than the applicant, may be included. Any relevant data based on
planning studies should be included or referred to in the
endnotes/footnotes. Incorporate demographic data and
participant/beneficiary information, as needed. In developing the
project description, the applicant may volunteer or be requested
to provide information on the total range of projects currently
being conducted and supported (or to be initiated), some of which
may be outside the scope of the program
announcement.
Results or Benefits
Expected
Identify the results and benefits
to be derived. For example, ORR is particularly interested
in: [sbull] Numbers, types, and average salaries
of initial and subsequent subsidized and unsubsidized job
placements; [sbull] The degree to which employee
benefits, including medical coverage, are available for subsidized
and unsubsidized positions; [sbull] The cost per
placement into subsidized and unsubsidized
positions; [sbull] Hours per week of
unsubsidized/subsidized job placements; [sbull]
Number of transitions from subsidized to unsubsidized positions,
and job retention; [sbull] Total funds used for
subsidies. The application may include other
performance outcomes, as
appropriate.
Approach
Outline a
plan of action which describes the scope and detail of how the
proposed work will be accomplished. Account for all functions or
activities identified in the application. Cite factors which might
accelerate or decelerate the work and state your reason for taking
the proposed approach rather than others. Describe any unusual
features of the project such as design or technological
innovations, reductions in cost or time, or extraordinary social
and community involvement. Provide quantitative
monthly or quarterly projections of the accomplishments to be
achieved for each function or activity in such terms as the number
of people to be served and the number of activities accomplished.
When accomplishments cannot be quantified by activity or function,
list them in chronological order to show the schedule of
accomplishments and their target dates. If
any data is to be collected, maintained, and/or disseminated,
clearance may be required from the U.S. Office of Management and
Budget (OMB). This clearance pertains to any ``collection of
information that is conducted or sponsored by
ACF.'' List organizations, cooperating entities,
consultants, or other key individuals who will work on the project
along with a short description of the nature of their effort or
contribution.
Geographic Location
Describe the precise location of the project and boundaries of the
area to be served by the proposed project. Maps or other graphic
aids may be attached.
Additional
Information
Following are requests for
additional information that need to be included in the
application:
Staff and Position Data
Provide a biographical sketch for each key person appointed and a
job description for each vacant key position. A biographical
sketch will also be required for new key staff as
appointed.
Organizational Profiles
Provide information on the applicant organization(s) and
cooperating partners such as organizational charts, financial
statements, audit reports or statements
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from CPAs/Licensed Public Accountants, Employer
Identification Numbers, names of bond carriers, contact persons
and telephone numbers, child care licenses and other documentation
of professional accreditation, information on compliance with
Federal/State/local government standards, documentation of
experience in the program area, and other pertinent information.
Any non-profit organization submitting an application must submit
proof of its non-profit status in its application at the time of
submission. The non-profit agency can accomplish
this by including in the application: a. A
reference to the applicant organization's listing in the Internal
Revenue Service's (IRS) most recent list of tax-exempt
organizations described in the IRS Code. b.
A copy of a currently valid IRS tax exemption
certificate. c. A statement from a State taxing
body, State attorney general, or other appropriate State official
certifying that the applicant organization has a non-profit status
and that none of the net earning accrue to any private
shareholders or individuals. d. A certified copy
of the organization's certificate of incorporation or similar
document that clearly establishes non-profit
status. e. Any of the items in the above for
a State or national parent organization and a statement signed by
the parent organization that the applicant organization is a local
non-profit affiliate. Private, non-profit
organizations are encouraged to submit with their applications the
optional survey located under ``Grant Manuals & Forms'' at
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ofs/forms.htm.
Third-Party
Agreements
Include written agreements
between grantees and subgrantees or subcontractors or other
cooperating entities. These agreements must detail scope of work
to be performed, work schedules, remuneration, and other terms and
conditions that structure or define the relationship.
Letters
of Support
Provide statements from
community, public and commercial leaders that support the project
proposed for funding. All submissions should be included in the
application OR by application deadline.
Budget and Budget
Justification
Provide line item detail and
detailed calculations for each budget object class identified on
the Budget Information form. Detailed calculations must include
estimation methods, quantities, unit costs, and other similar
quantitative detail sufficient for the calculation to be
duplicated. The detailed budget must also include a breakout by the
funding sources identified in Block 15 of the
SF-424. Provide a narrative budget justification
that describes how the categorical costs are derived. Discuss the
necessity, reasonableness, and allocability of the proposed
costs.
General
The following
guidelines are for preparing the budget and budget justification.
Both Federal and non-Federal resources shall be detailed and
justified in the budget and narrative justification. For purposes
of preparing the budget and budget justification, ``Federal
resources'' refers only to the ACF grant for which you are
applying. Non-Federal resources are all other Federal and
non-Federal resources. It is suggested that budget amounts and
computations be presented in a columnar format: first column,
object class categories; second column, Federal budget; next
column(s), non-Federal budget(s), and last column, total budget.
The budget justification should be a
narrative.
Personnel
Description:
Costs of employee salaries and wages.
Justification: Identify the project director or principal
investigator, if known. For each staff person, provide the title,
time commitment to the project (in months), time commitment to the
project (as a percentage or full-time equivalent), annual salary,
grant salary, wage rates, etc. Do not include the costs of
consultants or personnel costs of delegate agencies or of specific
project(s) or businesses to be financed by the
applicant.
Fringe Benefits
Description: Costs of employee fringe benefits unless treated as
part of an approved indirect cost rate.
Justification: Provide a breakdown of the amounts and percentages
that comprise fringe benefit costs such as health insurance, FICA,
retirement insurance, taxes,
etc.
Travel
Description: Costs of
project-related travel by employees of the applicant organization
(does not include costs of consultant travel).
Justification: For each trip, show the total number of traveler(s),
travel destination, duration of trip, per diem, mileage
allowances, if privately owned vehicles will be used, and other
transportation costs and subsistence allowances. Travel costs for
key staff to attend ACF- sponsored workshops should be detailed in
the budget.
Equipment
Description:
``Equipment'' means an article of nonexpendable, tangible personal
property having a useful life of more than one year and an
acquisition cost which equals or exceeds the lesser of (a) the
capitalization level established by the organization for the
financial statement purposes, or (b) $5,000. (Note: Acquisition
cost means the net invoice unit price of an item of equipment,
including the cost of any modifications, attachments, accessories,
or auxiliary apparatus necessary to make it usable for the purpose
for which it is acquired. Ancillary charges, such as taxes, duty,
protective in-transit insurance, freight, and installation shall
be included in or excluded from acquisition cost in accordance
with the organization's regular written accounting
practices.) Justification: For each type of
equipment requested, provide a description of the equipment, the
cost per unit, the number of units, the total cost, and a plan for
use on the project, as well as use or disposal of the equipment
after the project ends. An applicant organization that uses its
own definition for equipment should provide a copy of its policy
or section of its policy which includes the equipment
definition.
Supplies
Description:
Costs of all tangible personal property other than that included
under the Equipment category. Justification:
Specify general categories of supplies and their costs. Show
computations and provide other information that supports the
amount requested.
Contractual
Description: Costs of all contracts for services and goods except
for those which belong under other categories such as equipment,
supplies, construction, etc. Third-party evaluation contracts (if
applicable) and contracts with secondary recipient organizations,
including delegate agencies and specific project(s) or businesses
to be financed by the applicant, should be included under this
category. Justification: All procurement
transactions shall be conducted in a manner to provide, to the
maximum extent practical, open and free competition. Recipients
and sub-
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recipients, other than States
that are required to use Part 92 procedures, must justify any
anticipated procurement action that is expected to be awarded
without competition and exceed the simplified acquisition
threshold fixed at 41 U.S.C. 403(11) currently set at $100,000.
Recipients might be required to make available to ACF pre- award
review and procurement documents, such as request for proposals or
invitations for bids, independent cost estimates,
etc.
Note: Whenever the applicant intends to
delegate part of the project to another agency, the applicant must
provide a detailed budget and budget narrative for each delegate
agency, by agency title, along with the required supporting
information referred to in these
instructions.
Other
Enter the total
of all other costs. Such costs, where applicable and appropriate,
may include but are not limited to insurance, food, medical and
dental costs (non-contractual), professional services costs, space
and equipment rentals, printing and publication, computer use,
training costs, such as tuition and stipends, staff development
costs, and administrative costs.
Justification: Provide computations, a narrative description and a
justification for each cost under this category.
Indirect
Charges
Description: Total amount of
indirect costs. This category should be used only when the
applicant currently has an indirect cost rate approved by the
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) or another cognizant
Federal agency. Justification: An applicant that
will charge indirect costs to the grant must enclose a copy of the
current rate agreement. If the applicant organization is in the
process of initially developing or renegotiating a rate, it should
immediately upon notification that an award will be made, develop
a tentative indirect cost rate proposal based on its most recently
completed fiscal year in accordance with the principles set forth
in the cognizant agency's guidelines for establishing indirect
cost rates, and submit it to the cognizant agency. Applicants
awaiting approval of their indirect cost proposals may also
request indirect costs. It should be noted that when an indirect
cost rate is requested, those costs included in the indirect cost
pool should not also be charged as direct costs to the grant.
Also, if the applicant is requesting a rate which is less than
what is allowed under the program, the authorized representative
of the applicant organization must submit a signed acknowledgment
that the applicant is accepting a lower rate than
allowed.
Program Income
Description:
The estimated amount of income, if any, expected to be generated
from this project. Justification: Describe the
nature, source and anticipated use of program income in the budget
or refer to the pages in the application that contain this
information.
Total Direct Charges, Total Indirect Charges,
Total Project Costs
Self-explanatory.
Evaluation Criteria
1. Approach--(25 points) The applicant provides a clear explanation
of a feasible, appropriate, and complete plan for establishing
subsidized employment opportunities for refugee participants,
including evidence of subsequent permanent employment. The
proposed activities and timeframes are reasonable and feasible.
The applicant has described the planning and/or consultation
efforts undertaken. The applicant identifies local employers who
have made commitments to the project and describes them (e.g.,
number and types of jobs, supportive services and training,
qualifications, and salary levels, etc.) The applicant includes a
description of the proposed plan for recruitment and for selecting
refugees for participation. There is a clear description of the
availability and planned use of other community services and
resources for refugee employment. The strategy and plan are likely
to achieve proposed results and lead to increased permanent
employment opportunities for refugees. 2.
Results or Benefits Expected--(20 points) The outcomes and
benefits proposed are reasonable and reflect the objectives of
this announcement. The applicant clearly identifies the results
and benefits to be derived for refugees and their families as well
as for the community. Proposed outcomes are measurable and
achievable within the grant project period, and the proposed
monitoring, information collection, and documentation are
appropriately designed to assess project
performance. 3. Organizational Profiles--(20
points) Applicant organization and staff and partner organizations
are well qualified and have demonstrated the capability to
implement and manage new programs, to recruit and work with the
refugee population, and to manage employment programs for
refugees. The administrative and management features of the
project, including a plan for fiscal and programmatic management of
each activity and planning activities, are described in detail
with proposed start-up times, ongoing timelines, major milestones
or benchmarks, a component/project organization chart, and a
staffing chart. The qualifications of project staff are
documented. The applicant has provided a copy of its most recent
audit report. If appropriate, written agreements between grantees
and sub-grantees or other cooperating entities, detailing work to
be performed, remuneration, and other terms and conditions that
structure or define the relationship to this project, are
provided. 4. Budget and Budget
Justification--(20 points) The budget and narrative justification
are reasonable, clearly presented, and cost- effective in relation
to the proposed activities and anticipated results. The
methodologies for estimating the number of refugee participants
are reasonable. The projected cost per job placement is
reasonable. 5. Objectives and Need for
Assistance--(15 points) The applicant identifies and documents the
characteristics of the refugee population and/or community to be
assisted and clearly describes the need for subsidized employment
for this population. Indicators of the need for assistance and of
low rates of assimilation may include reliance on public
assistance, incomes below 200 percent of the Federal poverty
level, and low rates of employment, education, access to financial
institutions, and car and home ownership.
Part III: The
Review Process
Intergovernmental
Review
This program is covered under
Executive Order 12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of Federal
Programs,'' and 45 CFR part 100, ``Intergovernmental Review of
Department of Health and Human Services Programs and Activities.''
Under the Order, States may design their own processes for
reviewing and commenting on proposed federal assistance under
covered programs. All States and Territories
except Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii,
Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana,
Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Palau,
Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia,
Washington, and Wyoming have elected not to participate in the
Executive Order process. Applicants from these twenty-six
jurisdictions need take no action
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regarding E.O. 12372. Applicants for projects to be
administered by Federally recognized Indian Tribes are also exempt
from the requirements of E.O. 12372. Applicants should contact
their Single- Points-of-Contact (SPOC) as soon as possible to alert
them of the prospective applications and receive any necessary
instructions. Applicants from participating jurisdictions must
submit any required material to the SPOCs as soon as possible so
that the program office can obtain and review SPOC comments as
part of the award process. The applicant must submit all required
materials, if any, to the SPOC and indicate the date of this
submittal (the date of contact) on the Standard Form 424, item
16a. Under 45 CFR 100.8(a)(2), a SPOC has 60
days from the application deadline to comment on proposed new or
competing continuation awards. SPOCs are
encouraged to eliminate the submission of routine endorsements as
official recommendations. Additionally, SPOCs are requested to
clearly differentiate between mere advisory comments and those
official State process recommendations which may trigger the
``accommodate or explain'' rule. When
comments are submitted directly to ACF, they should be addressed
to: Daphne Weeden, Grants Officer, U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of
Grants Management, Division of Discretionary Grants, 370 L'Enfant
Promenade SW., Fourth Floor West, Washington, DC
20447. A list of the Single Points of Contact
for each participating State and Territory can be found on the web
at:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/spoc.html .
Initial ACF Screening--Each application submitted under this
program announcement will undergo a pre-review to determine that
(1) the application was received by the closing date and submitted
in accordance with the instructions in this announcement; and (2)
the applicant is eligible for funding.
Competitive Review--Applications which pass the initial ACF
screening will be evaluated and rated by an independent review
panel on the basis of evaluation criteria specified below. The
evaluation criteria were designed to assess the quality of a
proposed project and to determine the likelihood of its success.
The evaluation criteria are closely related and are considered as
a whole in judging the overall quality of an application. Points
are awarded only to applications that are responsive to the
evaluation criteria within the context of this program
announcement.
Part IV: The
Application
Application Forms--In order to
be considered for a grant under this program announcement, an
application must be submitted on the forms supplied and in the
manner prescribed by ACF. Applicants requesting financial
assistance under this announcement must file the Standard Form
(SF) 424, Application for Federal Assistance; SF 424A, Budget
Information--Non-construction Programs; SF 424B,
Assurances--Non- Construction Programs. The forms may be reproduced
for use in submitting applications. Application materials,
including forms and instructions, are available from the ORR Web
site at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/orr/funding. The
application materials are also available from the Contact named in
the preamble of this announcement. Please do
not include books or videotapes as they are not easily reproduced
and are, therefore, inaccessible to the
reviewers. Application Submission and
Deadlines--An application with an original signature and two
clearly identified copies are required. Applicants must clearly
indicate on the SF 424 the grant announcement number under which
the application is submitted. Applicants have the option of
omitting from the application copies (not from the original)
specific salary rates or amounts for individuals specified in the
application budget. The copies may include summary salary
information. The closing time and date for
receipt of applications is 4:30 p.m. (Eastern Time Zone) on August
8, 2003. Mailed or handcarried applications received after 4:30
p.m. on the closing date will be classified as
late. Mailed applications shall be considered as
meeting an announced deadline if they are received on or before
the deadline date and received by ACF in time for the independent
review to: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,
Administration for Children and Families, Office of Grants
Management, Attention: Daphne Weeden, Grants Officer, 370 L'Enfant
Promenade, SW., Fourth Floor West, Washington, DC 20447. ACF will
acknowledge receipt of applications. Receipt of applications will
be acknowledged by letter. Applicants are cautioned that
express/ overnight mail services do not always deliver as
agreed. Applications handcarried by applicants,
by applicant couriers, or by other representatives of the
applicant shall be considered as meeting an announced deadline if
they are received on or before the deadline date, between the
hours of 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., EDT, at the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and
Families, Office of Grants Management, ACF Mailroom, Second Floor
(near loading dock), Aerospace Building, 901 D Street, SW.,
Washington, DC 20024, between Monday and Friday (excluding Federal
holidays). The address must appear on the envelope/package
containing the application with the note ``Attention: Daphne
Weeden, Grants Officer.'' ACF cannot
accommodate transmission of applications by fax or through other
electronic media. Therefore, applications transmitted to ACF
electronically will not be accepted regardless of date or time of
submission and time of receipt. Late
applications--Applications that do not meet the criteria above are
considered late applications. ACF shall notify each late applicant
that its application will not be considered in the current
competition. Extension of deadlines--ACF may
extend application deadlines when circumstances such as acts of
God (e.g., floods, hurricanes, etc.) occur or when there are
widespread disruptions of mail service.
Determinations to extend or waive deadline requirements rest with
the Chief Grants Management Officer. For
Further Information on Application Deadlines, Contact: Daphne
Weeden, Grants Officer, Administration for Children and Families,
Office of Grants Management, Division of Discretionary Grants, 370
L'Enfant Promenade SW., Fourth Floor West, Washington, DC 20447,
Telephone: (202) 401-4577. Certifications,
Assurances, and Disclosure Required for Non- Construction
Programs--Applicants requesting financial assistance for
non-construction projects must file the Standard Form 424B,
``Assurances: Non-Construction Programs.'' Applicants must sign
and return the Standard Form 424B with their
applications. Applicants must provide a signed
certification concerning lobbying. Prior to receiving an award in
excess of $100,000, applicants should furnish an executed copy of
the lobbying certification (approved by the Office of Management
and Budget under control number 0348-0046). Applicants must sign
and return the certification with their
application. Applicants must make the
appropriate certification of their compliance with the Drug Free
Workplace Act of 1988.
[[Page 40991]]
By signing and
submitting the application, applicants are providing the
certification and need not mail back the certification with the
application. Applicants must make the
appropriate certification that they are not presently debarred,
suspended, or otherwise ineligible for the award. By signing and
submitting the application, applicants are providing the
certification and need not mail back the certification with the
application. Applicants must also understand
that they will be held accountable for the smoking prohibition
included within Pub. L. 103-227, Part C Environmental Tobacco
Smoke (also known as the Pro-Children's Act of 1994). A copy of
the Federal Register notice that implements the smoking
prohibition is included with the forms. By signing and submitting
the application, applicants are providing the certification and
need not mail back the certification with the
application. Administrative Grant
Regulations--Applicable U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services regulations can be found in 45 CFR part 74 or part
92. Treatment of Program Income--Program income
from activities funded under this program may be retained by the
recipient and added to the funds committed to the project, and
used to further program objectives. Program income must be
reported semi-annually on the Financial Status Report
(SF-269). Post-Award Reporting
Requirements--Grantees are required to file the Financial Status
Report (SF-269) semi-annually and the Program Performance Reports
quarterly. The Program Performance Reports should provide adequate
data to assess the extent to which the grantee is achieving the
goals of this grant announcement. Funds issued under these awards
must be accounted for, and reported upon, separately from all
other grant activities. The official receipt point for all reports
and correspondence is the Grants Officer, Administration for
Children and Families, Office of Grants Management, 370 L'Enfant
Promenade SW., Fourth Floor West, Washington, DC 20447, Telephone:
(202) 401-4577. An original and one copy of each report shall be
submitted within 30 days of the end of each reporting period
directly to the Office of Grants Management.
A final Financial Status Report and Program Performance Report
shall be due 90 days after the project expiration date or
termination of federal budget support.
Dated: July 1, 2003. Nguyen Van Hanh, Director, Office of
Refugee Resettlement. [FR Doc. 03-17398 Filed 7-8-03; 8:45
am] BILLING CODE 4184-01-P
