Request for Applications Under the Office of Community Services' Fiscal Year 1999 Family Violence Prevention and Services Discretionary Program

A. Program Announcement

The Application Kit for the FY 1999 FVPS will not be published in the Federal Register. Rather, OCS is publishing FY 1999 Program Announcement OCS-99-06 in the Federal Register. Program Announcement OCS-99-06 contains the following information for the FVPS: Program Contact Person; Availability Date of Application Kit; Application Deadline; Legislative Authority; FY 1999 Family Violence Priority Areas; Eligible Applicants and Availability of Funds; Matching Requirements; Type of Awards; and Review Criteria.

B. General Instructions

In order to be considered for a grant under this OCS FVPS program announcement, an application must be submitted on the forms supplied and in the manner prescribed by OCS in the FVPS Application Kit. When requesting an Application Kit, the applicant must specify the Family Violence Prevention and Services Program Application Kit. This is to ensure receipt of all necessary forms and information, including any program-specific evaluation criteria. Application Kits, including all of the necessary forms and instructions, will be available for reading and downloading from the Internet at the OCS Website at: https:// www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/ocs

C. Application Submission

Mailed applications shall be considered as meeting an announced deadline if they are either received on or before the deadline date or sent 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/ OCSE, 4th Floor Aerospace, 370 L'Enfant Promenade, SW, Washington, DC 20447; with the note: Attention: Application for Family Violence Prevention and Services Program or CFDA No. 93-592. Applicants must ensure that a legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark or a legibly dated, machine produced postmark of a commercial mail service is affixed to the envelope/package containing the application(s). To be acceptable as proof of timely mailing, a postmark from a commercial mail service must include the logo/emblem of the commercial mail service company and must reflect the date the package was received by the commercial mail service company from the applicant. Private Metered postmarks shall not be acceptable as proof of timely mailing. (Applicants are cautioned that express/overnight mail services do not always deliver as agreed.) Applications handcarried by applicants, 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., EST, at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Grants Management/OCSE, ACF Mailroom, 2nd Floor Loading Dock, Aerospace Center, 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: Family Violence Prevention and Services Program or CFDA No. 93-592. 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. Applications, once submitted, are considered final and no additional materials will be accepted. Late applications: Applications, which 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 (floods, hurricanes, etc.) occur, or when there are widespread disruptions of the mail service. Determinations to extend or waive deadline requirements rest with ACF's Chief Grants Management Officer.

D. Details for This Program Announcement

Pertinent information of concern for potential applicants for the Family

Violence Prevention and Services Program is set forth below:

(CFDA No. 93.592) Deadline Date: May 3, 1999

(1) Program Contact Persons: Sunni Knight (202) 401-5319; James Gray (202) 401-5705; or William Riley (202) 401-5529. (2) Date of Application Kit: February 17, 1999. (3) Application Deadline: Applications must be POSTMARKED by May 3, 1999. Detailed application submission instructions are included in the Application Kit. (4) Legislative Authority: Title III of the Child Abuse Amendments of 1984, (Pub. L. 98-457, 42 U.S.C. 10401, et seq.) is entitled the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (the Act). The Act was first implemented in FY 1986, was reauthorized and amended in 1992 by Pub. L. 102-295, and was amended and reauthorized for fiscal years 1996 through 2000 by Pub. L. 103-322, the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (the Crime Bill). The Act was most recently amended by Pub L. 104-235, the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act Amendment of 1996. (5) FY 1999 Family Violence Priority Areas: (a) Priority Area Number FV-01-99, Improving the Health Care Response to Domestic Violence; (b) Priority Area Number FV-02-99, Training Grant Stipends in Domestic Violence for Historically Black, Hispanic-Serving and Tribal Colleges and Universities; and (c) Priority Area Number FV-03-99, Public Information Community Awareness Campaign Projects for the Prevention of Family Violence. (6) Eligible Applicants and Availability of Funds (a) FV-01-99: Eligible applicants are State and local domestic violence coalitions or domestic violence advocacy programs; State and local health agencies, State and local health professional associations or societies; nonprofit health care facilities; and State or local entities with experience in the field of family violence prevention. The eligible applicant must represent a team of organizations from both the domestic violence and health care communities. The maximum federal share for this project is not to exceed $75,000. The length of the project should not exceed a 17-month project period. Applications for lesser amounts will also be considered under this priority area. It is anticipated that 4 projects may be funded; more may be funded depending on the number of acceptable applications received for lesser amounts. (b) FV-02-99: Eligible applicants are: Historically Black Colleges and Universities; Hispanic/Latino Institutes of Higher Education; and American Indian Tribally-controlled Community Colleges and Universities. (Fiscal Year 1998 recipients of Family Violence Training Grant Stipend awards are not eligible applicants.) The institution must be fully accredited by one of the regional institutional accrediting commissions recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council on Social Work Education; This competitive program provides stipends for a maximum amount not to exceed $300,000 per project period (the project period is 36 months). This amount includes direct and indirect costs per college or university. The federal share will fund, per each 12 month budget period, up to 5 student candidates at a maximum of $11,250 each and will fund 1 faculty coordinator of the project at $43,750. It is anticipated that 8 projects will be funded yearly at $100,000 each. Applications for lesser amounts will also be considered for this priority area. (c) FV-03-99: Eligible applicants are: State and local public agencies, Territories, and Native American Tribes and Tribal Organizations who are, or have been, recipients of Family Violence Prevention and Services Act grants; State and local private non-profit agencies experienced in the field of family violence prevention; and public and private non-profit educational institutions, community organizations and community-based coalitions, and other entities that have designed and implemented family violence prevention information activities or community awareness strategies. The maximum federal share of the project is not to exceed $35,000 for the 1-year project period. Applications for lesser amounts also will be considered under this priority area. It is anticipated, subject to the availability of funds, that 4 projects will be funded at the maximum level; more than 4 projects may be funded depending on the number of acceptable applications for lesser amounts which are received. (7) Matching Requirements: Successful applicants must provide at least 25 percent of the total cost of the project. The approved total cost of the project is the sum of the ACF share and the non-federal share. The non-federal share may be met by cash or in-kind contributions, although applicants are encouraged to meet their match requirements through cash contributions. Therefore, a project requesting $50,000 in federal funds (based on an award of $50,000 per budget period) must include a match of at least $16,666 (25% of the total project cost) for a total budget of $66,666. Therefore, a project requesting $100,000 in federal funds (based on an award of $100,000 per budget period) must include a match of at least $33,333 (25% of the total project cost) for a total budget of $133,333. If approved for funding, grantees will be held accountable for commitments of non- federal resources and failure to provide the required amount will result in a disallowance of unmatched Federal funds. This matching requirement applies to all 3 Priority Areas. (8) Type of Awards: Grants. (9) Review Criteria for Family Violence Prevention and Services Competitive Discretionary Grants: Using the appropriate criteria below, a panel of at least three reviewers (primarily experts from outside the Federal government) will review each application. Applicants should ensure that they address each minimum requirement in the priority area description under the appropriate section of the Program Narrative Statement. Reviewers will determine the strengths and weaknesses of each application in terms of the appropriate evaluation criteria listed below, provide comments and assign numerical scores. The point value following each criterion heading indicates the maximum numerical weight that each section may be given in the review process: (a) Need for the Project (10 Points) The extent to which the need for the project and the problems it will address have national significance; the applicability of the project to coordination efforts by national, Tribal, State and local governmental and non-profit agencies, and its ultimate impact on domestic violence prevention services and intervention efforts, policies and practice; the relevance of other documentation as it relates to the applicant's knowledge of the need for the project; and the identification of the specific topic or program area to be served by the project. Maps and other graphic aids may be attached; (b) Goals and Objectives (10 Points) The extent to which the specific goals and objectives have national or local significance, the clarity of the goals and objectives as they relate to the identified need for and the overall purpose of the project, and their applicability to policy and practice. The provision of a detailed discussion of the objectives and the

extent to which the objectives are realistic, specific, and achievable; (c) Approach (30 Points) The extent to which the application outlines a sound and workable plan of action pertaining to the scope of the project, and details how the proposed work will be accomplished; relates each task to the objectives and identifies the key staff member who will be the lead person; provides a chart indicating the timetable for completing each task, the lead person, and the time committed; cites factors which might accelerate or decelerate the work, giving acceptable reasons for taking this approach as opposed to others; describes and supports any unusual features of the project, such as design or technological innovations, reductions in cost or time, or extraordinary social and community involvements, and provides for projections of the accomplishments to be achieved. The extent to which, when applicable, the application describes the evaluation methodology that will be used to determine if the needs identified and discussed are being met and if the results and benefits identified are being achieved; (d) Results and Benefits (20 Points) The extent to which the application identifies the results and benefits to be derived, the extent to which they are consistent with the objectives of the application, the extent to which the application indicates the anticipated contributions to policy, practice, and theory, and the extent to which the proposed project costs are reasonable in view of the expected results. Identify, in specific terms, the results and benefits, for target groups and human service providers, to be derived from implementing the proposed project. Describe how the expected results and benefits will relate to previous demonstration efforts; and (e) Level of Effort: (30 Points) Staffing pattern--Describe the staffing pattern for the proposed project, clearly linking responsibilities to project tasks and specifying the contributions to be made by key staff. Competence of staff--Describe the qualifications of the project team including any experiences working on similar projects. Also, describe the variety of skills to be used, relevant educational background and the demonstrated ability to produce final results that are comprehensible and usable. One or two pertinent paragraphs on each key member are preferred to resumes. However, resumes may be included in the ten pages allowed for attachments/appendices. Adequacy of resources--Specify the adequacy of the available facilities, resources and organizational experience with regard to the tasks of the proposed project. List the financial, physical and other resources to be provided by other profit and nonprofit organizations. Explain how these organizations will participate in the day to day operations of the project. Budget--Relate the proposed budget to the level of effort required to obtain project objectives and provide a cost/benefit analysis. Demonstrate that the project's costs are reasonable in view of the anticipated results. Collaborative efforts--Discuss in detail and provide documentation for any collaborative or coordinated efforts with other agencies or organizations. Identify these agencies or organizations and explain how their participation will enhance the project. Letters from these agencies and organizations discussing the specifics of their commitment must be included in the application. Authorship--The authors of the application must be clearly identified together with their current relationship to the applicant organization and any future project role they may have if the project is funded. Applicants should note that non-responsiveness to the section designated as ``Minimum Requirements for Project Design'' in the applicable priority areas, will result in a low evaluation score by the panel of expert reviewers. Applicants must clearly identify the specific priority area under which they wish to have their applications considered, and tailor their applications accordingly. Previous experience has shown that an application which is broad and more general in concept than outlined in the priority area description is less likely to score as well as one which is more clearly focused and directly responsive to the concerns of that specific priority area. Additional Requirements: Applicants for grants must also meet the following requirements:

A. Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 #0970-0062

Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13, the Department is required to submit to OMB for review and approval any reporting and record keeping requirements in regulations, including Program Announcements. 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. This Program Announcement does not contain information collection requirements beyond those approved for ACF grant announcements/applications under OMB Control Number 0970-0062.

B. Intergovernmental Review

The Family Violence Prevention and Services 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.

Note: State/Territory participation in the Intergovernmental Review process does not signify applicant eligibility for financial assistance under a program. A potential applicant must meet the eligibility requirements of the program for which it is applying prior to submitting an application to its SPOC, if applicable, or to ACF.

As of September 1998, a number of jurisdictions have elected not to participate in the Executive Order process. Applicants from these jurisdictions or for projects administered by federally recognized Indian Tribes need take no action in regard to E.O. 12372. A list of these non-participating jurisdictions can be found in the Application Kit for the Family Violence Prevention and Services Program. Although the non-participating jurisdictions no longer participate in the process, entities which have met the eligibility requirements of the program are still eligible to apply for a grant even if a State, Territory, Commonwealth, etc. does not have a SPOC. All remaining jurisdictions participate in the Executive Order process and have established SPOCs. Applicants from participating jurisdictions should contact their SPOCs as soon as possible to alert them of the prospective applications and receive instructions. Applicants 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 (or the date of contact if no submittal is required) 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: Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Grants Management/OCSE, 4th Floor, 370 L'Enfant Promenade, SW., Washington, DC 20447.

Dated: February 10, 1999. Donald Sykes, Director, Office of Community Services. [FR Doc. 99-3874 Filed 2-16-99; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4184-01-P