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[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 159 (Monday, August 18, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43995-43997]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-21734]

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CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE

Availability of Funds for Grants To Support the Martin Luther 
King, Jr. Service Day Initiative

AGENCY: Corporation for National and Community Service.

ACTION: Notice of availability of funds.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the King Holiday and Service Act of 1994, which 
amended the National and Community Service Act of 1990, the Corporation 
for National and Community Service (the

[[Page 43996]]

Corporation) seeks to mobilize more Americans to observe the Martin 
Luther King, Jr. Federal Holiday as a day of service in communities and 
to bring people together around the common focus of service to others.
    Specifically, under Section 12653(s) of the National and Community 
Service Act of 1990, as amended, the Corporation is authorized to pay 
for the Federal share of the cost of planning and carrying out service 
opportunities in conjunction with the Federal legal holiday honoring 
the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. on January 19, 1998.
    Accordingly, the Corporation announces the availability of 
individual grants up to $5,000 for service projects under the Martin 
Luther King, Jr., Day of Service initiative. The Corporation plans to 
provide a total of between $100,000 and $225,000 in grants depending 
upon the quality of applications.

DATES: The deadline for submission of applications is September 30, 
1997. Applications, one with original signature and two copies, must be 
received by the Corporation at the address listed below no later than 
5:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on that date. Applications may not be 
submitted by facsimile.

ADDRESSES: Applications may be obtained from, and must be submitted to, 
the following address: MLK Day of Service, The Corporation for National 
Service, 1201 New York Avenue, NW, 8th Floor, Washington, DC 20525.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information, contact 
Rhonda Taylor at 202-606-5000 ext. 282. 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 and is 
operational between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight 
Time.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The Corporation is a Federal government corporation that engages 
Americans of all ages and backgrounds in community-based service. This 
service addresses the nation's education, public safety, environmental, 
or other human needs to achieve direct and demonstrable results with 
special consideration to service that effects the needs of children. 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. The 
Corporation supports a range of national service programs including 
AmeriCorps, Learn and Serve America, and the National Senior Service 
Corps.
    Pursuant to the National and Community Service Act of 1990, as 
amended, the Corporation may make grants to share the cost of planning 
and carrying out service opportunities in conjunction with the Federal 
legal holiday honoring the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. The 
Corporation intends that the activities supported by these grants will 
(1) get necessary things done in communities, (2) strengthen the 
communities engaged in the service activity, (3) reflect the life and 
teaching of Martin Luther King, Jr., and (4) begin or occur in 
significant part on the Federal legal holiday.
    By ``getting things done,'' initiatives will help communities meet 
education, public safety, environmental, or human needs through direct 
and demonstrable service through effective citizen action. Accordingly, 
the Corporation expects an initiative sponsor to identify an unmet need 
that is important to the community and design a project that produces a 
demonstrable impact on that community need or issue. Special 
consideration will be given to service projects in literacy as well as 
those which benefit the children and young people. To the maximum 
extent possible, young people should be included as service providers 
and resources in project planning, not just as the recipients of 
service.
    By ``strengthening communities'' through sustained service, 
projects should be collaborations that bring people together in pursuit 
of a common objective that is of value to the community. Initiatives 
should engage a full range of local partners in the communities served. 
Service projects should be designed, implemented, and evaluated with 
these partners, including national service programs (AmeriCorps, Learn 
and Serve America, National Senior Service Corps), community-based 
agencies, local and state King Holiday Commissions, schools and school 
districts, volunteer organizations, communities of faith, businesses 
and foundations, state and local governments, labor organizations, and 
colleges and universities.
    By ``reflecting the life and teaching of Martin Luther King'', 
initiatives should demonstrate his proposition that ``Everybody can be 
great because everybody can serve,'' through the types of service 
activities listed above.
    By ``begin or occur in significant part on the Federal legal 
holiday'', a portion of the community service activities supported by 
the grant must occur on the holiday itself to strengthen the link 
between the observance of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday, the 
Federal legal holiday (January 19, 1998), and service that reflects his 
life and teaching. Although celebrations and reflections may be a part 
of the activities planned on the holiday, for the purposes of this 
grant, celebrations and reflections alone do not constitute direct 
service.
    Service opportunities to be considered for this program ``shall 
consist of activities reflecting the life and teachings of Martin 
Luther King, Jr., such as cooperation and understanding among racial 
and ethnic groups, nonviolent conflict resolution, equal economic and 
educational opportunities, and social justice.'' 42 U.S.C. 12653(s)(1).
    Project areas for which grant applications will be considered 
include, but are not limited to, the following types of service 
activities: a day of service plan that is designed to produce a 
sustained service commitment; community-wide servathons that bring a 
broad cross-section together in one day of service, including schools 
or school districts that seek to involve all students and teachers; 
service-learning projects that link student service in schools and 
universities with community-based organizations; faith-based service 
collaborations that bring together communities of faith and secular 
human service programs (subject to the limitations listed below); 
community-wide initiatives that are making a sustained effort to 
mentor, protect, nurture, teach, or inspire to serve a targeted group 
of young people, with a special emphasis on those most in need (in line 
with the goals and initiatives that stem from the Presidents' Summit 
for America's Future); or intense efforts to help solve a narrowly 
defined community problem with a burst of one-day energy. A priority 
objective of the grant is to engage young people in service. 
Particularly important is the enlistment of young people for one 
hundred hours a year, one of the special goals proposed at the 
Presidents' Summit.
    The grants supported under this announcement may be made for up to 
$5,000 each. Grant funding will be available on a one-time, non-
renewable basis for a budget period not to exceed seven months, 
beginning not sooner than November 1, 1997 and ending not later than 
June 30, 1998. Grants provided for this program, together with all 
other Federal funds used to plan or carry out the service opportunity, 
may not exceed 30 percent of the cost of planning and carrying out the 
service opportunity. In determining the non-

[[Page 43997]]

 Federal share of the costs of the program supported by the grant, the 
Corporation may consider in-kind contributions (including facilities, 
equipment, and services) made to plan and carry out the service 
opportunity. Grants under this program constitute Federal assistance 
and therefore may not be used primarily to inhibit or advance religion 
in a material way.

Eligible Applicants

    By law, any entity otherwise eligible for assistance under the 
national service laws shall be eligible to receive a grant under this 
announcement. The applicable laws include the National and Community 
Service Act of 1990, as amended, and the Domestic Volunteer Service Act 
of 1973, as amended.
    Eligible applicants include, but are not limited to: nonprofit 
organizations, State Commissions, state and local governments, 
institutions of higher education, local education agencies, educational 
institutions, private organizations that intend to utilize volunteers 
in carrying out the purposes of this program, and foundations.
    The Corporation especially invites applications from organizations 
with the experience and commitment to fostering service on Martin 
Luther King, Jr. Day, including applicable State Martin Luther King, 
Jr. Commissions, local education agencies, faith-based partnerships, 
Volunteer Centers of the Points of Light Foundation, and United Ways 
and other community-based agencies.
    Grant recipients from the 1997 Martin Luther King, Jr., Day of 
Service Initiative will be eligible only if in compliance with the 
terms of that grant award.
    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.

Overview of Application Requirements

    To be considered for funding applicants should submit the following 
in the required format:

1. An Application for Federal Assistance, Standard Form 424.
2. A Project Narrative in the prescribed format describing:
    a. Clearly-defined service activities being planned in observance 
of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, some of which must take place on the 
legal Federal holiday (January 19, 1998), but which may extend for the 
budget period (November 1, 1997 through June 30, 1998).
    b. The partnerships in the local community that are being engaged 
in support of the day and/or a description of sustained service 
activities over a period of time.
    c. The organization's background and capacity to carry out this 
program.
    d. The proposed staffing of the activity.
3. A Budget Form.
4. A Budget Narrative.
5. A signed Certification and Assurances form relating to conditions 
attendant to the receipt of federal funding.
6. Three complete copies (one original and two copies) of the 
application.

Narrative

    The narrative portion of the application may be no longer than 15 
single-sided pages and must: (1) Be typed double-spaced in font no 
smaller than 12 point on 8\1/2\ by 11 inch paper; (2) have one inch 
margins at the top, bottom, left, and right; and (3) have each page of 
the narrative numbered. All applications must be received by 5:00 p.m. 
Eastern Daylight Time, September 30, 1997 at the following address: MLK 
Day of Service, Corporation for National Service, 1201 New York Avenue, 
NW, 8th Floor, Washington, DC 20525
    To ensure fairness to all applicants, the Corporation reserves the 
right to take remedial action, up to and including disqualification, in 
the event an application fails to comply with the requirements relating 
to page limits, line spacing, font size, and application deadlines.

Budget

    Budget information should show projected costs starting no earlier 
than November 1, 1997, and extending no later than June 30, 1998. 
Proposed start and end dates must be shown in section 13 of the 
Application for Federal Assistance, Standard Form 424. See the attached 
instructions for budget in the Standard Form 424 for further guidance 
in completing the Budget Form and Budget Narrative.

Selection Process and Criteria

    The applications will be reviewed initially 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 their responsiveness to the objectives included 
in this announcement based on the following criteria listed below (in 
descending order of importance):
    1. Quality. The proposal must demonstrate the applicant's ability 
to: meet community needs through meaningful service activities, 
establish strong community partnerships, fulfill the goals of Martin 
Luther King Jr.'s teaching with preference given to projects that also 
serve young people.
    2. Organizational Capacity. The application must demonstrate the 
organization's ability to carry out the activities described in the 
proposal, including the use of high quality staff.
    3. Cost. The applicant must demonstrate how this small grant will 
be used, including the sources and uses of matching support.

Awards

    The Corporation anticipates making awards under this announcement 
no later than November 15, 1997.

    Dated: August 12, 1997.
Stewart Davis,
Acting General Counsel, Corporation for National and Community Service.
[FR Doc. 97-21734 Filed 8-15-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6050-28-P
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