[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 188 (Wednesday, September 27, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58090-58091]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-24717]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families


Grant to National Adoption Center, Inc. ACF/ACY/CB-2000-03

AGENCY: Administration on Children, Youth and Families (ACYF), ACF, 
DHHS.

ACTION: Notice of award.

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[[Page 58091]]

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that ACYF will award grant funds 
without competition to the National Adoption Center, Inc. (NAC), 
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This grant is a sole source award which 
will support the operation of the National Adoption Information 
Exchange and the continued development, expansion and implementation of 
a national Internet-based photo-listing activity. This award is made 
noncompetitively after our review of a proposal submitted by the NAC.

Background

    In 1983, the National Adoption Center (then doing business as the 
Adoption Center of Delaware Valley) received a competitive grant award 
for a field-initiated proposal to develop a computerized database of 
children freed for adoption and waiting placement from state child 
welfare agencies. This database activity became known as the National 
Adoption Exchange and had been authorized in law in 1978 with the 
passage of the Adoption Opportunities Act. Currently, children are 
entered into the database by caseworkers from 44 States, though all 50 
States are members of the exchange system and may enter information on 
adoptable children into the database. Subsequent to the development of 
the database/exchange in the mid-1990s, NAC developed a small internet-
based listing, with accompanying photographs, of some of the children, 
using privately generated funds and in-kind expert services from 
computer software corporations. Currently, this photo listing has 
expanded to include children from 43 State child welfare agencies.
    In 1998, President Clinton announced an initiative to mount a 
national internet-based photo listing of children adoptable from public 
child welfare agencies. In FY 2000, the Congressional Conference Report 
Language included a reference to NAC by saying, ``The conference 
agreement includes $400,000 for the National Adoption Center to develop 
a national adoption photo listing service on the Internet.'' The Senate 
Report Language also referenced NAC by saying ``The Committee 
recognizes that, under the Adoption and Safe Families Act, States are 
required to use all available resources to find homes for children. The 
Committee is aware that the National Adoption Center operates a multi-
state, technology-based adoption clearinghouse to facilitate placement 
of needy children with adoptive parents. The Committee understands that 
the Department plans to implement a national adoption photo listing 
service on the Internet to help increase the number of adoptions. The 
Committee supports the idea that a national web site could include all 
youngsters available in public adoptions and will increase the 
likelihood that children will find loving, stable homes. The National 
Adoption Center has been at the forefront of developing and 
implementing technology-based resources to help facilitate adoptions 
and could be instrumental in creating a national adoption web site.''
    Following our review of the proposal submitted by the NAC for these 
activities, this award is made noncompetively. The NAC proposal 
presents a unique opportunity to produce important progress on a set of 
tasks of significant interest to the Department.
    The project period will be for 24 months, beginning September 29, 
2000 and ending September 30, 2001. The grantee will be awarded 
$900,000 during the first twelve months of the project period. The 
grantee may, in the second twelve months of the project period, be 
awarded additional noncompetitive continuation funding of up to $1.6 
million, depending on the availability of funds, satisfactory 
performance by the grantee, and a determination that such continued 
funding would be in the best interest of the government.

    Authority: This award will be made pursuant to the Adoption 
Opportunities: Title II of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment 
and Adoption Reform Act of 1978, as amended [42 U.S.C. 5111]. (CFDA 
93.652).


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sally Flanzer, Children's Bureau, 
Administration on Children, Youth and Families, 330 C Street, SW, Room 
2429, Washington, D.C. 20447; Telephone: (202) 205-8914.

    Dated: September 20, 2000.
Patricia Montoya,
Commissioner, Administration on Children, Youth and Families.
[FR Doc. 00-24717 Filed 9-26-00; 8:45 am]
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