Availability of Funds for Technical and Administrative Support for the President's Service Scholarship Program

[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 179 (Thursday, September 16, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50274-50276]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-24160]


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CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE


Availability of Funds for Technical and Administrative Support 
for the President's Service Scholarship Program

AGENCY: Corporation for National and Community Service.

ACTION: Notice of availability of funds.

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SUMMARY: The Corporation for National Service (hereinafter the 
``Corporation'') announces the availability of up to $400,000 annually 
over a three year period to provide technical and administrative 
support for the President's Student Service Scholarship Program. The 
program provides recognition and a scholarship to high school juniors 
and seniors engaged in outstanding community service. Students selected 
for recognition receive a locally funded scholarship, matched

[[Page 50275]]

or supplemented with federal funds provided by the Corporation. All 
U.S. high schools are eligible to nominate Scholarship recipients.
    The Scholarship Program is entering its fourth year and, to date, 
over 8,000 scholarships have been awarded. In addition to the 
scholarship winners nominated by high schools, a new agreement has been 
entered into with a major national non-profit membership organization 
to provide a substantial number of scholarships to eligible and 
deserving youth nominated through that organization. The Corporation's 
goal in the President's Student Service Scholarships is to highlight 
the outstanding community service performed by high school students 
across the country, to recognize the particularly noteworthy service 
accomplishments of outstanding young individuals, and to assist those 
individuals in pursuing higher education.
    As part of this effort, the Corporation is interested in selecting 
an organization to provide administrative and technical support related 
to the continuation of this program. The successful applicant will 
implement current program design, conduct outreach and promote the 
program, solicit input from interested nonprofit organizations with 
relevant expertise, work with local schools and other organizations to 
carry out the program, and provide the administrative and technical 
support necessary to accomplish the objectives described above. 
Applicants may use subgrants or other means to fulfill these 
obligations, provided plans for interactions with subgrantees/
subcontractors are described in the application.

DATES: The deadline for submission of applications is October 25, 1999. 
Applications must be received by the Corporation no later than 3:00 
p.m. Eastern Standard Time on that date.

ADDRESSES: Applications must be addressed to: Corporation for National 
Service, 1201 New York Avenue NW, Eighth Floor, Washington, D.C. 20525. 
Attention: Katharine Delo. Applications may not be submitted by 
facsimile.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information, contact Bruce 
Cline at (202) 606-5000, ext. 440. This notice may be requested in an 
alternative format for the visually impaired by calling (202) 606-5000, 
ext. 260. The Corporation's T.D.D. number is (202) 565-2799.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The Corporation is a federal government corporation that encourages 
Americans of all ages and backgrounds to engage in community-based 
service. This service addresses the nation's educational, public 
safety, environmental and other human needs to achieve direct and 
demonstrable results. In doing so, the Corporation fosters civic 
responsibility, strengthens the ties that bind us together as a people, 
and provides educational opportunity for those who make a substantial 
commitment to service.
    Pursuant to the National and Community Service Act of 1990, as 
amended, 42 U.S.C. sec. 12501, et seq. (the Act), the Corporation may 
``support innovative and model programs.'' Under this authority, the 
Corporation conducts a President's Student Service Scholarship Program 
recognizing high school juniors and seniors for outstanding service in 
their communities and providing modest scholarship support in 
recognition of such service.
    Through this notice, the Corporation invites proposals from 
interested applicants to continue the implementation of the program. An 
outline of the program and the expectations of performance are provided 
below.

Purpose and Design of the President's Student Service Scholarship 
Program

    The purpose of this program is to highlight the outstanding 
community service performed by high school students across the country, 
to recognize the particularly noteworthy service accomplishments of 
outstanding young individuals, and to assist those individuals in 
pursuing higher education.
    The President's Student Service Scholarship program is implemented 
by local schools, communities, and community-based organizations across 
the country according to the following guidelines and procedures:
    (1) Each high school or national youth-serving organization should 
designate one junior and one senior whose volunteer activities 
demonstrate sustained effort over a period of no less than one year, an 
effort of at least 100 hours in one year, and significant impact in 
meeting the needs of the local community.
    (2) The awarding of the scholarship should be made by a local 
organization in recognition of the individuals' community service in 
accordance with procedures that are equitable and provide the 
opportunity for consideration of all eligible candidates.
    (3) This program may be connected with service-learning programs of 
the school district.
    (4) The selection process should be strictly non-partisan and non-
political.
    (5) The scholarship recipient should be acknowledged by the 
community and school in an appropriate fashion, such as at a high 
school graduation awards ceremony.
    (6) The local portion of the scholarship should be provided by 
private funding sources, and shall be a minimum of $500.
    While payment of the scholarship may be made separately by the 
Corporation and the private organization(s), the President's Student 
Service Scholarship exists for the sole purpose of contributing to 
paying the cost of a student's higher education. The matching amount 
provided by the Corporation will be paid directly to an institution of 
higher education, in the name of the student.

Eligible Applicants

    To be eligible, applicants must be a non-profit organization or 
educational institution. Pursuant to the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 
1995, an organization described in section 501(c)(4) of the Internal 
Revenue Code of 1986, 26 U.S.C. 501(c)(4), which engages in lobbying 
activities, is not eligible.

Required Activities of the Successful Applicant

    The organization selected will:
    (1) Follow and fulfill the program design approved by the 
Corporation;
    (2) Publicize the program through media and events to local school 
districts, state agencies, and other affected parties through their own 
efforts or through partnerships with appropriate agencies with the goal 
of increasing the utilization of available funds;
    (3) Submit a thorough annual report;
    (4) Provide monthly updates on activities including status of 
awards and number of awards made, outreach, etc.;
    (5) In high-activity periods, provide weekly updates;
    (6) Create and maintain a database of all applicants that is 
sortable, searchable and accessible (must be accessible by the 
Corporation);
    (7) Develop and maintain a separate website specifically for the 
President's Student Service Scholarships, the website should contain 
detailed information necessary to answer most questions about the 
program--the website should also serve as a marketing and outreach tool 
and should be developed accordingly;
    (8) Set up and staff a toll free number for inquiries related to 
the program;
    (9) Work closely with Corporation liaison;

[[Page 50276]]

    (10) Work closely with all streams of national service;
    (11) Provide administrative and technical support to the 
Corporation at all phases of the program;
    (12) Send representatives to Corporation-sponsored training events;
    (13) Respond to inquiries from all parties in timely fashion.

Corporation Involvement

    Substantial involvement is expected between the Corporation and the 
successful applicant when carrying out the program. Corporation staff 
may make substantial changes to the requirements or operation of the 
program, as needed. The cooperative agreement party is expected to work 
with other Corporation departments, contractors, and others to market 
the program and ensure that the program maintains alignment with 
Corporation goals. The Corporation provides sufficient staff to support 
this effort and to oversee the provision of Corporation funds. The 
applicant must keep relevant Corporation staff informed of its 
activities; work with Corporation staff during development, delivery 
and assessment of services provided; and attend meetings/conferences at 
the Corporation's request.

Project Duration

    The Corporation anticipates entering into a cooperative agreement 
covering a project period of approximately three years, with annual 
renewal based on performance, need, and the availability of funds at 
the discretion of the Corporation.

Overview of Application Requirements

    The application should include a narrative section describing the 
organization's background and capacity to provide the technical and 
administrative support for this program, a narrative project plan, an 
implementation timeline, a staffing plan, and a certification that it 
will comply with all conditions attendant on the receipt of federal 
funding. The application may be no longer than 20 single-sided pages 
double-spaced in 12 point font.
    Initially all applications will be reviewed to confirm that the 
applicant is an eligible recipient and to ensure that the application 
contains the information required. The Corporation will assess 
applications based on the criteria listed below (in descending order of 
importance):

(1) Quality
(2) Organizational Capacity
(3) Proposed Costs

    The Corporation reserves the right to request additional written 
information from applicants subsequent to the submission of initial 
applications.

    Dated: September 10, 1999.
Thomas L. Bryant,
Associate General Counsel.
[FR Doc. 99-24160 Filed 9-15-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6050-28-U