5978 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 25 / Monday, February 7, 2000 / Notices

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND

HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and

Families

[Program Announcement No. 93612–003]

Administration for Native Americans

FY 2000 Availability of Financial

Assistance for Native American

Languages

AGENCY: Administration for Native

Americans (ANA), ACF, DHHS.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The Administration for

Native Americans (ANA) announces the

availability of Fiscal Year 2000 funds

and other available funds for Native

American language projects. Financial

assistance provided by ANA is designed

to assist applicants in designing projects

which will promote the survival and

continuing vitality of Native American

languages.

Special Note: The Administration for

Native Americans advises all applicants that

grant awards made under this announcement

will have a September 30, 2000 project Start

Date. Applicants should, therefore develop

projects that begin no earlier than this date.

Application Kit: Application kits,

approved by the OMB under control

number 0980–0204, which expires

August 31, 2000, containing the

necessary forms and instructions to

apply for a grant under this program

announcement, may be obtained by

calling: The Applicant Help Desk,

Administration for Native Americans,

202–690–7843.

Application kits may also be obtained

from ANA training and technical

assistance providers. ANA employs

contractors to provide short-term

training and technical assistance (T/TA)

to eligible applicants. T/TA is available

under these contracts for a wide range

of grant application needs, however, the

contractors are not authorized to write

applications. The Training and

Technical Assistance (T/TA) is provided

at no cost.

The ANA Providers serve six areas

divided as follows:

Area I, Eastern serves federally

recognized Tribes in AL, AR, CT, DC,

DE, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, LA, MA, MD,

ME, MI, MN, MS, NC, NH, NJ, NY,

OH, PA, RI, SC, TN, VA, VT, WI, and

WV.

Area II, Central serves federally

recognized Tribes in AZ, CO, IA, KS,

ND, NE, NM, MO, MT, OK, SD, UT,

WY, NV, ID, and TX.

Area III, Western serves federally

recognized Tribes in CA, OR, and

WA.

Area IV, Alaska serves all eligible

applicants in AK.

Area V, Pacific serves all eligible

applicants in Hawaii (HI) and the

Pacific Islands of American Samoa

(AS), Guam (GU), Northern Mariana

Islands (MP), and Palau (PW).

Area VI, National serves all eligible

applicants on the mainland United

States not served by providers for

areas 1 through 5. This includes nonfederally recognized Tribes, Urban

Indians, off-reservation rural Indian

communities, Native Americans

served through non-federally

recognized urban and consortia

arrangements and organizations

serving Native Hawaiians and Pacific

Island Natives living on the Mainland.

ANA employs contracting firms to

provide short-term training and

technical assistance (T/TA) to clients in

the six identified, geographical regions

which are served by ANA. The ANA

training and technical assistance (T/TA)

contractors and their Geographic Areas

are:

Geographic Area I

Eastern

Native American Management Services,

Inc., Tonya Parker, Project Director,

6858 Old Dominion Drive, Suite

302, McLean, Va. 22101, (703) 821–

2226, Fax (703) 821–3680 or (703)

821–8626, 1 (800) 388–7670 (Toll

Free), e-mail: nams@namsinc.org.

Geographic Area II

Central

RJS & Associates, Inc., Dr. Robert J.

Swan, C.E.O., RR1, Box 694, Box

Elder, Mt. 59521, (406) 395–4727,

Fax (406) 395–4759, 1 (888) 838–

4757 (Toll Free), Website: http://

www.rjsinc.org/region2.html, email: rjsinc@rjsinc.org.

Geographic Area III

Western

Development Associates, Inc., E. Robles,

Project Director, 1475 North

Broadway, Suite 200, Walnut Creek,

Ca. 94596, (925) 935–9711, 1 (800)

666–9711 (Toll Free), Fax (925)

935–0413, Website: http://

www.devassoc.com/ana/

anaversion2.htm, e-mail:

ana3@devassoc.com.

Geographic Area IV

Alaska

Native American Management Services,

Inc., P.J. Wilkins-Bell, Project

Director, 1515 Tudor Road, Suite

No. #4, Anchorage, Alaska 99519,

(907) 770–6230, Fax (907) 770–

6232, e-mail: pbell@gci.com.

Geographic Area V

Pacific

Please call the ANA Help Desk at (202)

690–7776 to learn the name and

telephone number of the T/TA

Provider for this area. ANA is

issuing a new contract for this

geographic area.

Geographic Area VI

National

RJS & Associates, Inc., Dr. Robert J.

Swan, C.E.O., RR 1, Box 694, Box

Elder, Mt. 59521, (406) 395–4757,

Fax (406) 395–4759, 1 (888) 838–

4757 (Toll Free), Website: http://

www.rjsinc.org/region6.html, email: rjsinc@rjsinc.org.

By World-Wide-Web: Copies of this

program announcement and many of the

required forms may also be obtained

electronically at the ANA World Wide

Web Page: http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/

programs/ana.

The printed Federal Register notice is

the only official program

announcement. Although reasonable

efforts are taken to assure that the files

on the ANA World Wide Web Page

containing electronic copies of this

Program Announcement are accurate

and complete, they are provided for

information only. The applicant bears

sole responsibility to assure that the

copy downloaded and/or printed from

any other source is accurate and

complete.

DATES: The closing date for submission

of applications is March 17, 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr.

Kenneth Ryan, Native American

Program Specialist, Department of

Health and Human Services,

Administration for Children and

Families, Administration for Native

Americans, 370 L’Enfant Promenade,

Mail Stop HHH 348F, Washington, D.C.

20447, telephone: (202) 401–7365 or

(202) 690–7776, telefax: (202) 690–7441,

or e-mail: kryan@acf.dhhs.gov

Part I: Supplementary Information

A. Purpose and Availability of Funds

The purpose of this notice is to

announce the availability of fiscal year

2000 financial assistance to eligible

applicants for the purpose of assisting

Native Americans in assuring the

survival and continuing vitality of their

languages. Financial assistance awards

made under this program

announcement will be on a competitive

basis and the proposals will be reviewed

against the evaluation criteria in this

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 25 / Monday, February 7, 2000 / Notices 5979

announcement. Approximately

$2,000,000 in Fiscal Year 2000 has been

allocated for category I and II grants. For

Category I, Planning Grants (project

length: 12 months), the funding level for

a budget period of 12 months will be up

to $50,000. For Category II, Design and/

or Implementation Grants (project

length: up to 36 months), the funding

level for a budget period of 12 months

will be up to $125,000. In accordance

with current agency policies, ANA may

fund additional highly ranked

applications if additional funds become

available prior to the next competition.

ANA continues a variety of

requirements directed towards enforcing

its policy that an eligible grant recipient

may only have one active ANA grant

awarded from a competitive area at any

time. Therefore, while eligible

applicants may compete for a Native

American language grant in either of the

two categories, an applicant may only

submit one application and no applicant

may receive more than one Native

American language grant.

All applicants must clearly

demonstrate a plan for an employee

fringe benefit package which includes

an employee retirement benefit plan of

.05%. Applicants must also include

within their program budgets adequate

funding to allow two program personnel

to travel and attend post-award grant

management and administration

training which is sponsored by ANA T/

TA providers in their assigned

geographical region.

New for fiscal year 2000, under the

goals of Executive Order 13031 of

October 19, 1996 on Tribally Controlled

Colleges and Universities (TCU’s),

TCU’s may now independently apply

for an ANA Grant without impacting the

eligibility of the Tribe to apply.

Previously, only one application was

accepted, either from the Tribe or the

TCU. Now both the Tribe and the TCU

may compete for and receive ANA

grants at the same time, in the same

program(s).

B. Background

The Congress has recognized that the

history of past policies of the United

States toward Indian and other Native

American languages has resulted in a

dramatic decrease in the number of

Native American languages that have

survived over the past 500 years.

Consequently, the Native American

languages Act (Title 1, Pub.L. 101–477)

was enacted to address this decline.

This legislation invested the United

States government with the

responsibility to work together with

Native Americans to ensure the survival

of cultures and languages unique to

Native America. This law declared that

it is the policy of the United States to

‘‘preserve, protect and promote the

rights and freedom of Native Americans

to use, practice and develop Native

American languages.’’ While the

Congress made a significant first step in

passing this legislation in 1990, it

served only as a declaration of policy.

No program initiatives were proposed,

nor any funds authorized to enact any

significant programs in furtherance of

this policy.

In 1992, Congressional testimony

provided estimates that of the several

hundred languages that once existed,

about 150 are still spoken or

remembered today. However, only 20

are spoken by persons of all ages, 30 are

spoken by adults of all ages, about 60

are spoken by middle-aged adults, and

45 are spoken by the most elderly.

In response to this testimony, the

Congress passed the Native American

languages Act of 1992 (the Act), P.L.

102–524, to assist Native Americans in

assuring the survival and continuing

vitality of their languages. Passage of the

Act was an important second step in

attempting to ensure the survival and

continuation of Native languages, as it

provides the basic foundation upon

which the tribal nations can rebuild

their economic strength and rich

cultural diversity.

While the Federal government

recognizes that substantial loss of Native

American languages over the past

several hundred years, the nature and

magnitude of the status of Native

American languages will be better

defined when eligible applicants under

the Act have completed language

assessments.

The Administration for Native

Americans (ANA) believes that the

responsibility for achieving selfsufficiency rests with the governing

bodies of Indian Tribes, Alaska Native

villages, and in the leadership of Native

American groups. This belief supports

the ANA principle that the local

community and its leadership are

responsible for determining goals,

setting priorities, and planning and

implementing programs which support

the community’s long-range goals.

Therefore, since preserving a language

and ensuring its continuation is

generally one of the first steps taken

toward strengthening a group’s identity,

activities proposed under this program

announcement will contribute to the

social development of Native

communities and significantly

contribute to their efforts toward selfsufficiency.

The Administration for Native

Americans recognizes that eligible

applicants must have the opportunity to

develop their own language plans,

technical capabilities, and access to the

necessary financial and technical

resources in order to assess, plan,

develop and implement programs to

assure the survival and continuing

vitality of their languages. ANA also

recognizes that potential applicants may

have specialized knowledge and

capabilities to address specific language

concerns at various levels. This program

announcement reflects these special

needs and circumstances.

C. ANA Program and Administrative

Policies

Applicants must comply with the

following programmatic policies:

• Funds will not be awarded for

projects addressing dead languages. For

purposes of this announcement, dead

languages are those languages that are

no longer spoken by any tribal member

or community member.

• The Commissioner shall determine

the repository for copies of products

from Native American language grants

funded under this program

announcement. At the end of the project

period, products or project models of

Native American languages grants

funded by this program announcement

should be sent to the designated

repository. Federally recognized Indian

Tribes are not required to comply with

this condition.

Applicants must comply with the

following administrative policies:

• Current Native American language

grantees whose grant project period

extends beyond September 30, 2000, or

who have requested an extension of the

grant project beyond that date, are not

eligible to apply for a grant under the

same program area. Current Native

American language grantees with

project periods beyond September 30,

2000, may not compete for additional

Native American language grants.

• Applicants for Category I may

propose 12- to 17-month projects;

applicants for Category II may propose

up to 36-month projects.

• Applicants must describe a locallydetermined strategy to carry out a

proposed project with fundable

objectives and activities.

• An application from a federally

recognized Tribe, Alaska Native Village

or Native American organization must

be from the governing body of the Tribe

or organization.

• ANA will not accept applications

from tribal components which are

tribally-authorized divisions of a larger

Tribe, unless the application includes a

tribal resolution which clearly

demonstrates the Tribe’s support of the

5980 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 25 / Monday, February 7, 2000 / Notices

project and the Tribe’s understanding

that the other applicant’s project

supplants the Tribe’s authority to

submit an application under the Native

American languages program both for

the current competition and for the

duration of the approved grant period,

should the application be funded.

• If a federally recognized Tribe or

Alaska Native village chooses not to

apply, it may support another

applicant’s project (e.g., a tribal

organization) which serves or impacts

their reservation. In this case, the

applicant must include a tribal

resolution which clearly demonstrates

the Tribe’s approval of the project and

the Tribe’s understanding that the other

applicant’s project supplants the Tribe’s

authority to submit an application

under the Native American languages

program both for the current

competition and for the duration of the

approved grant period, should the

application be funded.

• ANA will only accept one

application which serves or impacts a

reservation, Tribe, or Native American

community.

• Any non-profit organization

submitting an application must submit

proof of its non-profit status in the

application at the time of submission.

The non-profit agency can accomplish

this by providing a copy of the

applicant’s listing in the Internal

Revenue Service’s (IRS) most recent list

of tax exempt organizations described in

Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS code or by

providing a copy of the currently valid

IRS tax exemption certificate, or by

providing a copy of the articles of

incorporation bearing the seal of the

State in which the corporation or

association is domiciled.

• If the applicant, other than a Tribe

or an Alaska Native Village government,

is proposing a project benefiting Native

Americans or Native Alaskans, or both,

it must provide assurance that its duly

elected or appointed board of directors

is representative of the community, to

be served. To establish compliance with

the requirement in the regulations for a

Board representative of the community,

applicants should provide information

establishing that at least ninety (90)

percent of the individuals serving on a

non-profit applicant’s board fall into

one or more of the following categories:

(1) A current or past member of the

community to be served; (2) a

prospective participant or beneficiary of

the project to be funded; or (3) have a

cultural relationship with the

community to be served.

• Organizations incorporating in

American Samoa are cautioned that the

Samoan government relies exclusively

upon IRS determinations of non-profit

status; therefore, articles of

incorporation approved by the Samoan

government do not establish non-profit

status for these organizations for the

purpose of eligibility for ANA funds.

• Grantees must provide at least 20

percent of the total approved cost of the

project; i.e., the sum of the ACF share

and the non-Federal share. The nonFederal share may be met by cash or inkind contributions. Therefore, a project

requesting $100,000 in Federal funds

must include a match of at least $25,000

(20% of the total $125,000 project cost).

As per 45 CFR Part 74.2, In-Kind

contributions are defined as ‘‘the value

of non-cash contributions provided by

non-Federal third parties. Third party-in

kind contributions may be in the form

of real property, equipment, supplies

and other expendable property, and the

value of goods and services directly

benefiting and specifically identifiable

to the project or program.’’

In addition it may include other

Federal funding sources where

legislation or regulations authorize

using specific types of funds for match;

examples follow:

• Indian Child Welfare funds,

through the Department of Interior;

• Indian Self-Determination and

Education Assistance funds, through the

Department of Interior and the

Department of Health and Human

Services; and

• Community Development Block

Grant funds, through the Department of

Housing and Urban Development.

An itemized budget detailing the

applicant’s non-Federal share, and its

source(s), must be included in an

application.

• If an applicant plans to charge or

otherwise seek credit for indirect costs

in its ANA application, a current copy

of its Indirect Cost Agreement must be

included in the application.

• A request for a waiver of the nonFederal share requirement may be

submitted in accordance with 45 CFR

1336.50(b)(3) of the Native American

Program Regulations.

• Applications originating from

American Samoa, Guam, or the

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana

Islands are covered under Section

501(d) of Public Law 95–134, as

amended (48 U.S.C. 1469a) under which

HHS waives any requirement for

matching funds under $200,000

(including in-kind contributions).

Therefore, for the grants under this

Native American language program, no

match is required for grants to these

insular areas.

D. Proposed Projects to be Funded

Category I—Planning Grants

The purpose of a Planning Grant is to

conduct an assessment and to develop

the plan needed to describe the current

status of the language(s) to be addressed

and to establish community long-range

goal(s) to ensure its survival. Project

activities may include, but are not

limited to:

• Data collection, compilation,

organization and description of current

language status through a ‘‘formal’’

method (e.g. work performed by a

linguist, and/or a language survey

conducted by community members) or

an ‘‘informal’’ method (e.g. a

community consensus of the language

status based on elders, tribal scholars,

and/or other community members);

• Establishment of community longrange language goals; and

• Acquisition of necessary training

and technical assistance to administer

the project and achieve project goal(s).

Category II—Design and/or

Implementation Grants

The purposes of Design and/or

Implementation Grants are (1) So Tribes

or communities may design and/or

implement a language program to

achieve their long-range goal(s); and (2)

To accommodate where the Tribe or

community is in reaching their longterm language goal(s).

Applicants under Category II must be

able to document that:

(a) Language information has been

collected and analyzed, and that it is

current (compiled within 36 months

prior to the grant application);

(b) The community has established

long-range language goals; and

(c) Community representatives are

adequately trained so that the proposed

project goals can be achieved.

Category II applications may include

purchasing specialized equipment

(including audio and video recording

equipment, computers, and software)

necessary to achieve the project

objectives. The applicant must fully

justify the need for this equipment and

explain how it will be used to achieve

the project objectives.

The types of projects ANA may fund

under Category II include, but are not

limited to:

1. Establishment and support of a

community Native American language

project to bring older and younger

Native Americans together to facilitate

and encourage the teaching of Native

American languages skills from one

generation to another;

2. Establishment of a project to train

Native Americans to teach Native

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 25 / Monday, February 7, 2000 / Notices 5981

American languages to others or to

enable them to serve as interpreters or

translators of such languages;

3. Development, printing, and

dissemination of materials to be used for

the teaching and enhancement of Native

American languages;

4. Establishment or support of a

project to train Native Americans to

produce or participate in television or

radio programs to be broadcast in Native

American languages; and

5. Compilation, transcription and

analysis of oral testimony to record and

preserve Native American languages

Eligible Applicants

The following organizations are

eligible to apply under this competitive

area:

• Federally recognized Indian Tribes;

• Consortia of Indian Tribes;

• Incorporated nonprofit multipurpose community-based Indian

organizations;

• Urban Indian Centers;

• National or regional incorporated

nonprofit Native American

organizations with Native American

community-specific objectives;

• Alaska Native villages as defined in

the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act

(ANCSA) and/or nonprofit village

consortia;

• Incorporated nonprofit Alaska

Native multi-purpose community-based

organizations;

• Nonprofit Alaska Native Regional

Corporations/Associations in Alaska

with village specific projects;

• Nonprofit Native organizations in

Alaska with village specific projects;

• Public and nonprofit private

agencies serving Native Hawaiians (The

populations served may be located on

these islands or on the continental

United States);

• Public and nonprofit private

agencies serving native peoples from

Guam, American Samoa, Palau, or the

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana

Islands. The populations served may be

located on these islands or in the United

States; and

• Tribally controlled community

colleges, tribally controlled postsecondary vocational institutions; and,

• Colleges and universities located in

Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa, Palau,

or the Commonwealth of the Northern

Mariana Islands which serve Native

American Pacific Islanders.

• Non-profit Alaska Native

community entities or tribal governing

bodies (Indian Reorganization Act or

traditional Councils) as recognized by

the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Further information on eligibility

requirements is presented in Part I.C,

ANA Program and Administrative

Policy. Some important policies found

in Part I are highlighted as follows:

Current ANA Native American

language grantees whose grant project

period ends on or before September 30,

2000 are eligible to apply for a grant

award under this program

announcement. The Project Period is

noted in Block 9 of the ‘‘Financial

Assistance Award’’ document.

Applicants for new grants may not have

a pending request to extend their

existing grant beyond September 30,

2000.

Any non-profit organization

submitting an application must submit

proof of its non-profit status in the

application at the time of submission.

The non-profit agency can accomplish

this by providing a copy of the

applicant’s listing in the Internal

Revenue Service’s (IRS) most recent list

of tax exempt organizations described in

Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS code or by

providing a copy of the currently valid

IRS tax exemption certificate, or by

providing a copy of the articles of

incorporation bearing the seal of the

State or Tribe in which the corporation

or association is domiciled.

If the applicant, other than a Tribe or

an Alaska Native Village government, is

proposing a project benefiting Native

Americans or Alaska Natives, or both, it

must provide assurance that its duly

elected or appointed board of directors

is representative of the community to be

served. To establish compliance with

the requirement in the regulations for a

Board representative of the community

applicants should provide information

establishing that at least ninety (90)

percent of the individuals serving on a

non-profit applicant’s board fall into

one or more of the following categories:

(1) A current or past member of the

community to be served; (2) A

prospective participant or beneficiary of

the project to be funded; or (3) Have a

cultural relationship with the

community to be served. A list of board

members with this information

including tribal or Village affiliation is

one of the most suitable approaches for

demonstrating compliance with this

requirement.

Under each competitive area, ANA

will only accept one application which

serves or impacts a reservation, Tribe, or

Native American community. If a

federally recognized Tribe or Alaska

Native village chooses not to apply, it

may support another applicant’s project

(e.g., a tribal organization) which serves

or impacts their reservation. In this case,

the applicant must include a tribal

resolution which clearly demonstrates

the Tribe’s approval of the project and

the Tribe’s understanding that the other

applicant’s project supplants the Tribe’s

authority to submit an application

under that specific competitive area

both for the current competition and for

the duration of the approved grant

period.

Participating Organizations: If a tribal

organization, or other eligible applicant,

decides that the objective of its

proposed Native American language

project would be accomplished more

effectively through a partnership

arrangement with a tribal school,

college, or university, the applicant

shall identify such school, college or

university as a participating

organization in its application. Under a

partnership agreement, the applicant

will be responsible for the fiscal,

administrative and programmatic

management of the grant.

F. Grantee Share of the Project

Grantees must provide at least 20

percent of the total approved cost of the

project. The total approved cost of the

project is the sum of the Federal share

and the non-Federal share. Further

information on this requirement is

presented in Part I.C, ANA Program and

Administrative Policy.

Applications originating from

American Samoa, Guam, or the

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana

Islands are covered under Section

501(d) of Public Law 95–134, as

amended (78 U.S.C. 1469a) under which

HHS waives any requirement for

matching funds under $200,000.

(including in-kind contributions).

Therefore, for the ANA grants under

these announced programs, no match is

required for grants to these insular

areas.

G. Review Criteria

The proposed project should address

the purposes of the Native American

languages stated and described in the

section I.B, ‘‘Background’’ of this

announcement.

The evaluation criteria below are

closely inter-related. Points are awarded

only to applications which respond to

these criteria. Proposed projects will be

reviewed on a competitive basis using

the following separate sets of evaluation

criteria; one set for planning grant

applications, the other for design and/or

implementation grant applications:

H. Planning Grants

(1) Current Status of Native American

language(s) (15 points)

• The application fully describes the

current status of Native American

language(s) in the community. Since

5982 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 25 / Monday, February 7, 2000 / Notices

obtaining this data may be part of the

planning grant application being

reviewed, applicants can meet this

requirement by explaining their current

language status and providing a detailed

description of any circumstances or

barriers which have prevented the

collection of community language data.

If documentation exists, describe it in

terms of current language status.

(2) Goals and Available Resources (25

points)

(a) The application describes the

proposed project’s long-range goals and

strategies, including:

• How the specific Native American

long-range community goal(s) relate to

the proposed project; and

• How the goal(s) fit within the

context of the current language status.

(b) The application explains how the

community and the tribal government

(where one exists) intends to achieve

these goals. The type of community

served will determine the type of

documentation necessary to

demonstrate participation. All Tribes

and communities, however, must

indicate in their application how they

intend to involve elders and other

community members in their projects

and include them in development of

language goals and strategies and in

evaluation of project outcomes. Ways to

demonstrate community and tribal

government support for the project

include:

• A resolution from Tribes or tribal

organizations stating that community

involvement has occurred in project

planning;

• Community surveys and

questionnaires, including those

developed to determine the level of

community support for tribal

resolutions; and

• Minutes of community meetings,

tribal presentations and discussion

forums;

Applications from National Indian

and Native organizations must clearly

demonstrate a need for the project,

explain how the project was originated,

state who the intended beneficiaries

will be, and describe how the recipients

will actually benefit from the project.

National Indian and Native

organizations should describe their

membership and define how the

organization operates.

(c) Available resources (other than

ANA and the non-federal share) which

will assist and be coordinated with the

project are described. These resources

should be documented by letters of

commitment of resources, and not

‘‘letters of support’’.

• ‘‘Letters of support’’ merely express

another organization’s endorsement of a

proposed project. Such support letters

and related documentation do not

indicate a binding commitment, do not

establish the authenticity of other

resources, and do not offer or bind

specific resources to the project.

• ‘‘Letters of commitment’’ are

binding and specify the nature, amount

and conditions under which another

agency or organization will support a

project funded with ANA funds. These

resources may be human, natural or

financial, and may include other

Federal and non-Federal resources.

Applicant statements that additional

funding will be sought from other

specific sources are not considered a

binding commitment of outside

resources.

• Non-ANA resources should be

leveraged to strengthen and broaden the

impact of the proposed project in the

community. Project designs should

explain how those parts of projects

which ANA does not fund will be

financed through other sources. For

example, ANA does not fund

construction. Applicants must show the

relationship of non-ANA funded

activities to those objectives and

activities that are funded with ANA

grant funds.

If the applicant proposes to enter into

a partnership arrangement with a

school, college or university,

documentation of this commitment

must be included in the application.

(3) Project Objectives, Approach and

Activities (30 points)

The proposed objectives in the

Objective Work Plan(s) relate to the goal

to ensure the survival and continuing

vitality of Native American language(s).

More specifically, together they will

achieve for the Tribe or community’s

language goals for the proposed project.

Each Objective Work Plan clearly

describes:

• The tribal government’s and

community’s active involvement in the

continuing participation of Native

American language speakers;

• Measurable or quantifiable results

or outcomes;

• How the results or outcomes relate

to the community’s long-range goals or

the establishment of those goals;

• How the project can be

accomplished with the available or

expected resources during the project

period;

• How the main activities will be

accomplished;

• Who specifically will conduct the

activities under each objective; and

• What the next steps may be after the

Planning project is completed.

(4) Organizational capabilities/

Qualifications (20 points)

(a) The management and

administrative structure of the applicant

is explained. Evidence of the applicant’s

ability to manage a project of the

proposed scope is well-defined. The

application clearly demonstrates the

successful management of projects of

similar scope by the organization and or

by the individual designated to manage

the project.

(b) Position descriptions and/or

resumes of key personnel, including

those of consultants, are presented. The

position descriptions and/or resumes

relate specifically to the staff proposed

in the Approach Page and in the

proposed budget of the application.

Position descriptions very clearly

describe the position and its duties and

clearly relate to the personnel staffing

required to achieve the project

objectives. Resumes demonstrate that

the proposed staff are qualified to carry

out the proposed activities. Either the

position descriptions or the resumes

contain the qualifications, and/or

specialized skills, necessary for overall

quality management of the project.

Resumes must be included if

individuals have been identified for

positions in the application.P=’04’≤

Note: Applicants are encouraged to give

preference to Native Americans in hiring staff

and contracting services under an approved

ANA grant.

(5) Budget (10 points)

A detailed and fully explained budget

is provided for each budget period

requested which:

• Identifies and explains each line

item, with a well-written justification,

in the budget categories in Section B of

the Budget Information of the

application, including the applicant’s

non-Federal share and its source.

Applicants from American Samoa,

Guam, and the Northern Mariana

Islands are not required to provide a

20% match for the non-Federal share

since the level of funding available for

the grants would not invoke a required

match for grants to these insular areas.

Therefore, applicants from these insular

areas may not have points reduced for

the lack of matching funds. They are,

however, expected to coordinate and

organize the delivery of any non-ANA

resources they propose for the project,

as are all ANA applicants.

• Includes and justifies sufficient cost

and other necessary details to facilitate

the determination of cost allowability

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 25 / Monday, February 7, 2000 / Notices 5983

and the relevance of these costs to the

proposed project; and

• Requests funds which are

appropriate and necessary for the scope

of the proposed project.

• Includes sufficient funds for

principal representatives from the

applicant organization to travel to one

post-award grant training and technical

assistance conference. This travel and

training should occur as soon as

practical.

• Includes an employee fringe benefit

budget that provides grant-funded

employees with a qualified, selfdirected, portable retirement plan in

addition to Social Security. ANA will

fund at least five (5) percent of the

employer’s share, and up to the full

grant-project Federal share of employer

contributions when based on a program

providing benefits equally to all grantand non-grant employees.

ANA considers a retirement plan to be

a necessary, reasonable and allowable

cost in accordance with OMB rules.

Minimum standards for an acceptable

retirement fringe benefit plan are:

• The plan must be ‘‘qualified’’, i.e.,

approved by the Internal Revenue

Service to receive special tax-favored

treatment.

• The plan exists for the exclusive

benefit of the participants; funds are to

be used for retirement and certain other

pre-retirement needs, not for the

organization’s needs.

• The plan must have a vesting

schedule that does not exceed the initial

budget period of the ANA grant.

• The plan must be a 401(k) for

people who work in corporations or

403(b) plan for people who work for

not-for-profit organizations. An alternate

proposal may be submitted for review

and approval during grant award

negotiations. Alternate proposals may

include the use of Individual Retirement

Accounts, Money Purchase Pension

Plans, Defined Benefit Pension Plans,

Combination Plans, etc. In no case will

a non-qualified deferred compensation

plan, e.g., Supplemental Executive

Retirement Plan (SERPs) or Executive

Bonus Plan be accepted.

II. Design and/or Implementation

Grants

(1) Current Status of Native American

Language(s) (10 points)

(a) The application fully describes the

current status of the Native American

language to be addressed; current status

is defined as data compiled within the

previous 48 months. The description of

the current status minimally includes

the following information:

• Number of speakers

• Age of speakers

• Gender of speakers

• Level(s) of fluency

• Number of first language speakers

(Native language as the first language

acquired)

• Number of second language

speakers (Native language as the second

language acquired)

• Where Native language is used (e.g.

home, court system, religious

ceremonies; church, media, school,

governance and cultural activities)

• Source of data (formal and/or

informal)

• Rate of language loss or gain

(b) the application fully describes

existing community language or

language training programs and projects,

if any, in support of the Native

American language to be addressed by

the proposed project. Existing programs

and projects may be formal (e.g., work

by a linguist, and/or language survey

conducted by community members) or

‘‘informal’’ (e.g., a community

consensus of the language status based

on elders, tribal scholars, and/or other

community members).

The description should answer the

following: has applicant had a

community language or language

training program within the last 48

months? (2) Within the last 10 years? If

so, fully describe the program(s), and

include the following:

• Program goals

• Number of program participants

• Number of speakers

• Age range of participants (e.g., 0–5,

6–10, 11–18, etc.)

• Number of language teachers

• Criteria used to acknowledge

competency of language teachers

• Resources available to the applicant

(e.g. valid grammars, dictionaries, and/

or thographics or describe other suitable

resources)

• Program achievements

If applicant has never had a language

program, a detailed explanation of what

barriers or circumstances prevented the

establishment of a community language

program should be included.

(2) Goals and Available Resources (20

points)

(a) The application describes the

proposed project’s long-range goals and

strategies, including:

• How the specific Native American

long-range community goal(s) relate to

the proposed project; and

• How the goal(s) fit within the

context of the current language status;

• A clearly delineated strategy to

assist in assuring the survival and

continued vitality of the Native

American languages addressed in the

community.

(b) The application explains how the

community and the tribal government

(where one exists) intends to achieve

these goals. The type of community

served will determine the type of

documentation necessary to

demonstrate participation. All Tribes

and communities, however, must

indicate in their application how they

intend to involve elders and other

community members in their projects

and include them in development of

language goals and strategies and in

evaluation of project outcomes. Ways to

demonstrate community and tribal

government support for the project

include:

• A resolution from Tribes or tribal

organizations stating that community

involvement has occurred in project

planning;

• Community surveys and

questionnaires, including those

developed to determine the level of

community support for tribal

resolutions; and

• Minutes of community meetings,

tribal presentations and discussion

forums;

Applications from National Indian

and Native organizations must clearly

demonstrate a need for the project,

explain how the project was originated,

state who the intended beneficiaries

will be, and describe how the recipients

will actually benefit from the project.

National Indian and Native

organizations should describe their

membership and define how the

organization operates.

(c) Available resources (other than

ANA and the non-federal share) which

will assist and be coordinated with the

project are described. These resources

should be documented by letters of

commitment of resources, and not

‘‘letters of support’’.

• ‘‘Letters of support’’ merely express

another organization’s endorsement of a

proposed project. Such support letters

and related documentation do not

indicate a binding commitment, do not

establish the authenticity of other

resources, and do not offer or bind

specific resources to the project.

• ‘‘Letters of commitment’’ are

binding and specify the nature, amount

and conditions under which another

agency or organization will support a

project funded with ANA funds. These

resources may be human, natural or

financial, and may include other

Federal and non-Federal resources.

Applicant statements that additional

funding will be sought from other

specific sources are not considered a

binding commitment of outside

resources.

5984 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 25 / Monday, February 7, 2000 / Notices

• Non-ANA resources should be

leveraged to strengthen and broaden the

impact of the proposed project in the

community. Project designs should

explain how those parts of projects

which ANA does not fund will be

financed through other sources. For

example, ANA does not fund

construction. Applicants must show the

relationship of non-ANA funded

activities to those objectives and

activities that are funded with ANA

grant funds.

If the applicant proposes to enter into

a partnership arrangement with a

school, college or university,

documentation of this commitment

must be included in the application.

(3) Project Objectives, Approach and

Activities (30 points)

The proposed objectives in the

Objective Work Plan(s) relate to the goal

to ensure the survival and continuing

vitality of Native American language(s).

More specifically, together they will

achieve for the Tribe or community’s

language goals for the proposed project.

If the project is for more than one year,

the application includes Objective Work

Plans for each year (budget period)

proposed.

Each Objective Work Plan clearly

describes:

• The tribal government’s and

community’s active involvement in the

continuing participation of Native

American language speakers;

• Measurable or quantifiable results

or outcomes;

• How they relate to the community’s

long-range goals or the establishment of

those goals;

• How the project can be

accomplished with the available or

expected resources during the project

period;

• How the main activities will be

accomplished;

• Who specifically will conduct the

activities under each objective; and

• How the project will be completed,

become self-sustaining, or be financed

by other than ANA funds at the end of

the project period.

(4) Organizational capabilities/

Qualifications (15 points)

(a) The management and

administrative structure of the applicant

is explained. Evidence of the applicant’s

ability to manage a project of the

proposed scope is well-defined. The

application clearly demonstrates the

successful management of projects of

similar scope by the organization and/

or by the individual designated to

manage the project.

(b) Position descriptions and/or

resumes of key personnel, including

those of consultants, are presented. The

position descriptions and/or resumes

relate specifically to the staff proposed

in the Approach Page and in the

proposed budget of the application.

Position descriptions very clearly

describe the position and its duties and

clearly relate to the personnel staffing

required to achieve the project

objectives. Resumes demonstrate that

the proposed staff are qualified to carry

out the proposed activities. Either the

position descriptions or the resumes

contain the qualifications, and/or

specialized skills, necessary for overall

quality management of the project.

Resumes must be included if

individuals have been identified for

positions in the application.

Note: Applicants are encouraged to give

preference to Native Americans in hiring staff

and contracting services under an approved

ANA grant.

(5) Budget (10 points)

A detailed and fully explained budget

is provided for each budget period

requested which:

• Identifies and explains each line

item, with a well-written justification,

in the budget categories in Section B of

the Budget Information of the

application, including the applicant’s

non-Federal share and its source.

Applicants from American Samoa,

Guam, and the Northern Mariana

Islands are not required to provide a

20% match for the non-Federal share

since the level of funding available for

the grants would not invoke a required

match for grants to these insular areas.

Therefore, applicants from these insular

areas may not have points reduced for

the lack of matching funds. They are,

however, expected to coordinate and

organize the delivery of any non-ANA

resources they propose for the project,

as are all ANA applicants.

• Includes and justifies sufficient cost

and other necessary details to facilitate

the determination of cost allowability

and the relevance of these costs to the

proposed project.

• Requests funds which are

appropriate and necessary for the scope

of the proposed project.

• Includes sufficient funds for

principal representatives from the

applicant organization to travel to one

post-award grant training and technical

assistance conference. This travel and

training should occur as soon as

practical.

• Includes an employee fringe benefit

budget that provides grant-funded

employees with a qualified, selfdirected, portable retirement plan in

addition to Social Security. ANA will

fund at least five (5) percent of the

employer’s share, and up to the full

grant-project Federal share of employer

contributions when based on a program

providing benefits equally to all grantand non-grant employees.

ANA considers a retirement plan to be

a necessary, reasonable and allowable

cost in accordance with OMB rules.

Minimum standards for an acceptable

retirement fringe benefit plan are:

• The plan must be ‘‘qualified’’, i.e.,

approved by the Internal Revenue

Service to receive special tax-favored

treatment.

• The plan exists for the exclusive

benefit of the participants; funds are to

be used for retirement and certain other

pre-retirement needs, not for the

organization’s needs.

• The plan must have a vesting

schedule that does not exceed the initial

budget period of the ANA grant.

• The plan must be a 401(k) for

people who work in corporations or

403(b) plan for people who work for

not-for-profit organizations. An alternate

proposal may be submitted for review

and approval during grant award

negotiations. Alternate proposals may

include the use of Individual Retirement

Accounts, Money Purchase Pension

Plans, Defined Benefit Pension Plans,

Combination Plans, etc. In no case will

a non-qualified deferred compensation

plan, e.g., Supplemental Executive

Retirement Plan (SERPs) or Executive

Bonus Plan be accepted.

(6) Evaluation, Sharing and Preservation

Plans (15 points)

The application should include the

following three plans:

(a) An ‘‘evaluation plan’’ with a

baseline to measure project outcomes,

including, but not limited to, describing

effective language growth in the

community (e.g., an increase of Native

American language use). This plan will

be the basis for evaluating the

community’s progress in achieving its

language goals and objectives.

(b) A ‘‘sharing plan’’ that identifies

how the project’s methodology, research

data, outcomes or other products can be

shared and modified for use by other

Tribes or communities. If this is not

feasible or culturally appropriate,

provide the reasons. The goal is to

provide opportunities to ensure the

survival and the continuing vitality of

Native languages.

(c) A ‘‘plan to preserve project

products’’ describes how the products of

the project will be preserved through

archival or other culturally appropriate

methods, for the benefit of future

generations.

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 25 / Monday, February 7, 2000 / Notices 5985

I. Application Due Date

The closing date for submission of

applications under this program

announcement is March 17, 2000.

Special Note: The Administration for

Native Americans advises all applicants that

grant awards made under this announcement

will have a September 30, 2000 project start

date. Applicants should, therefore develop

projects that begin no earlier than this date.

J. For Further Information Contact

Dr. Kenneth Ryan, Native American

Program Specialist, Department of

Health and Human Services,

Administration for Children and

Families, Administration for Native

Americans, 370 L’Enfant Promenade,

Mail Stop HHH 348F, Washington, D.C.

20447, telephone: (202) 401–7365 or

(202) 690–7776; telefax: 202–690–7441;

e-mail: kryan@acf.dhhs.gov.

Part II: General Guidance to Applicants

The following is provided to assist

applicants to develop a competitive

application.

A. Definitions

• ‘‘Language preservation’’ is the

maintenance of a language so that it will

not decline into non-use.

• ‘‘Language vitality’’ is the active use

of a language in a wide range of

domains of human life.

• ‘‘Language replication’’ is the

application of a language program

model developed in one community to

other linguistically similar

communities.

• ‘‘Language survival’’ is the

maintenance and continuation of

language from one generation to another

in a wide range of aspects of community

life.

• A ‘‘multi-purpose community-based

Native American organization’’ is an

association and/or corporation whose

charter specifies that the community

designates the Board of Directors and/or

officers of the organization through an

elective procedure and that the

organization functions in several

different areas of concern to the

members of the local Native American

community. These areas are specified in

the by-laws and/or policies adopted by

the organization. They may include, but

need not be limited to, economic,

artistic, cultural, and recreational

activities, and the delivery of human

services such as health care, day care,

counseling, education, and training.

• A ‘‘multi-year project’’ is a project

on a single theme that requires more

than 12 months to complete and affords

the applicant an opportunity to develop

and address more complex and in-depth

strategies than can be completed in one

year. A multi-year project cannot be a

series of unrelated objectives with

activities presented in chronological

order over a two or three year period.

• ‘‘Budget Period’’ is the interval of

time (usually 12 months) into which the

project period is divided for budgetary

and funding purposes.

• ‘‘Core administration’’ is funding

for staff salaries for those functions that

support the organization as a whole, or

for purposes unrelated to the actual

management or implementation of work

conducted under an ANA approved

project. However, functions and

activities that are clearly project related

are eligible for grant funding. For

example, the management and

administrative functions necessary to

carry out an ANA approved project are

not considered ‘‘core administration’’

and are, therefore, eligible costs.

Additionally, ANA will fund the

salaries of approved staff for time

actually and reasonably spent to

implement a funded ANA project.

• ‘‘Real Property’’ means land,

including land improvements,

structures and appurtenances thereto,

excluding movable machinery and

equipment.

• ‘‘Construction’’ is the term which

specifies a project supported through a

discretionary grant or cooperative

agreement, to support the initial

building of a facility.

B. Activities That Cannot Be Funded

The Administration for Native

Americans does not fund:

• Projects that operate indefinitely or

require ANA funding on a recurring

basis.

• Projects in which a grantee would

provide training and/or technical

assistance (T/TA) to other Tribes or

Native American organizations which

are otherwise eligible to apply to ANA

(‘‘third party T/TA’’). However, the

purchase of T/TA by a grantee for its

own use or for its members’ use (as in

the case of a consortium), where T/TA

is necessary to carry out project

objectives, is acceptable.

• The support of on-going social

service delivery programs or the

expansion, or continuation, of existing

social service delivery programs.

• ANA will not fund the purchase of

real property.

• ANA will not fund construction.

• Objectives or activities for the

support of core administration of an

organization.

• Costs of fundraising, including

financial campaigns, endowment drives,

solicitation of gifts and bequests, and

similar expenses incurred solely to raise

capital or obtain contributions are

unallowable under a grant award.

However, even though these costs are

unallowable for purposes of computing

charges to Federal awards, they must be

treated as direct costs for purposes of

determining indirect cost rates and be

allocated their share of the

organization’s indirect costs if they

represent activities which (1) Include

the salaries of personnel, (2) Occupy

space, and (3) Benefit from the

organization’s indirect costs.

Projects or activities that generally

will not meet the purposes of this

announcement are discussed further in

Section H, ‘‘General Guidance to

Applicants’’, below.

C. Multi-Year Projects

Only Category II ‘‘Design and/or

Implementation’’ projects may be

developed as multi-year projects, i.e. for

up to three years. The information in

this section is not applicable to Category

I, planning projects.

A multi-year project is a project on a

single theme that requires more than 12

to 17 months to complete. It affords the

applicant an opportunity to develop and

address more complex and in-depth

strategies. A multi-year project cannot

be a series of unrelated objectives with

activities presented in chronological

order over a two or three year period.

Initial awards, on a competitive basis,

will be for a one-year budget period (up

to 17 months), although project periods

may be for 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 one-year budget

period, but within a two-to-three year

project period, will be funded in

subsequent years on a non-competitive

basis, subject to the availability of

funds, satisfactory progress of the

grantee and determination that

continued funding would be in the best

interest of the Government. Therefore,

this program announcement does not

apply to current ANA grantees with

multi-year projects that apply for

continuation funding for their second or

third year budget periods.

D. Intergovernmental Review of Federal

Programs

This program is not covered by

Executive Order 12372 or 45 CFR Part

100.

E. The Application Process

1. Application Submission by Mail

One signed original, and two copies,

of the grant application, including all

5986 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 25 / Monday, February 7, 2000 / Notices

attachments, must be mailed on or

before the closing date to: U.S.

Department of Health and Human

Services, Administration for Children

and Families, ACYF/Office of Grants

Management, 370 L’Enfant Promenade,

SW, Mail Stop HHH 326–F,

Washington, DC 20447–0002, Attention:

Lois B. Hodge, ANA No. 93612–992.

2. Application Submission by Courier

Applications hand-carried by

applicants, applicant couriers, or by

overnight express mail couriers shall be

considered as meeting an announced

deadline if they are received on or

before the deadline date, between the

hours of 8 am and 4 pm at: U.S.

Department of Health and Human

Services, Administration for Children

and Families, ACYF/Office of Grants

Management, ACF Mail Room, Second

Floor Loading Dock, Aerospace Center,

901 D Street, SW, Washington, DC

20024, Attention: Lois B. Hodge, ANA

No. 93612–992.

3. Application Consideration

The ANA Commissioner determines

the final action to be taken on each grant

application received under this program

announcement.

The following points should be taken

into consideration by all applicants:

• Incomplete applications and

applications that do not conform to this

announcement will not be accepted for

review. Applicants will be notified in

writing of any such determination by

ACF. An incomplete application is one

that is:

• Missing Form SF 424.

• Does not have a signature on Form

SF 424.

• Does not include proof of non-profit

status, if applicable.

• The application (Form 424) must be

signed by an individual authorized (1)

To act for the applicant Tribe or

organization, and (2) To assume the

applicant’s obligations under the terms

and conditions of the grant award,

including Native American Program

statutory and regulatory requirements.

• Complete applications that conform

to all the requirements of this program

announcement are subjected to a

competitive review and evaluation

process. Independent review panels

consisting of reviewers familiar with

American Indian Tribes and Native

American communities and

organizations, and Native American

languages evaluate each application

using the published criteria in this

announcement.

As a result of the review, a

normalized numerical score will be

assigned to each application.

• Each Tribe, Native American

organization, or other eligible applicant

may compete for one grant award under

this program announcement.

• The Administration for Native

Americans will accept only one

application for this program

announcement from any one applicant.

If an eligible applicant sends in two

applications for this program

announcement, the one with the earlier

postmark will be accepted for review

unless the applicant withdraws the

earlier application.

• The Commissioner’s funding

decision is based on the review panel’s

analysis of the application,

recommendation and comments of ANA

staff, State and Federal agencies having

contract and grant performance related

information, and other interested

parties.

• The Commissioner makes grant

awards consistent with the purpose of

the Act, all relevant statutory and

requires this program announcement,

and the availability of funds.

• Successful applicants are notified

through an official Financial Assistance

Award (FAA) document. The FAA will

state the amount of Federal funds

awarded, the purpose of the grant, the

terms and conditions of the grant award,

the effective date of the award, the

project period, the budget period, and

the amount of the non-ACF matching

share requirement.

Special Note: The Administration for

Native Americans advises all applicants that

grant awards made under this announcement

will have a September 30, 2000 project start

date. Applicants should, therefore develop

projects that begin no earlier than this date.

F. The Review Process

1. Initial Application Review

Applications submitted by the closing

date and verified by the postmark under

this program announcement will

undergo a pre-review to determine that:

• The applicant is eligible in

accordance with the Eligible Applicants

Section of this announcement; and,

• The application is signed and

submitted by the deadline; and,

• The application narrative, forms

and materials submitted are adequate to

allow the review panel to undertake an

in depth evaluation and the project

described is an allowable type. (All

required materials and forms are listed

in the Grant Application Checklist in

the Application Kit).

Applications subjected to the prereview described above which fail to

satisfy one or more of the listed

requirements will be ineligible or

otherwise excluded from competitive

evaluation.

2. Competitive Review of Accepted

Applications

Applications which pass the prereview will be evaluated and rated by an

independent review panel on the basis

of the specific evaluation criteria listed

in Part II. These criteria are used to

evaluate the quality of a proposed

project, and to determine the likelihood

of its success.

• ANA staff cannot respond to

requests for information regarding

funding decisions prior to the official

notification to the applicants.

• After the Commissioner has made

decisions on all applications funded

with fiscal year 2000 funds,

unsuccessful applicants are notified in

writing within 30 days. The notification

will be accompanied by a critique

including recommendations for

improving the application.

3. Appeal of Ineligibility

Applicants who are initially excluded

from competitive evaluation because of

ineligibility, may appeal an ANA

decision of applicant ineligibility.

Likewise, applicants may also appeal an

ANA decision that an applicant’s

proposed activities are ineligible for

funding consideration. The appeals

process is stated in the final rule

published in the Federal Register on

August 19, 1996 (61 FR 42817).

G. General Guidance to Applicants

The following information is provided

to assist applicants in developing a

competitive application.

1. Program Guidance

• The Administration for Native

Americans funds projects that

demonstrate the strongest prospects for

addressing the stated purposes of this

program announcement.

• Projects will not be ranked on the

basis of general financial need.

• In discussing the goals, strategy,

and problems being addressed in the

application, include sufficient

background and/or history of the

community concerning these issues

and/or progress to date, as well as the

size of the population to be served. This

material will assist the reviewers in

determining the appropriateness and

potential benefits of the proposed

project.

• In the discussion of communitybased, long-range goals, non-Federally

recognized and off-reservation groups

are encouraged to include a description

of what constitutes their specific

‘‘community.’’

• Applicants must document the

community’s support for the proposed

project and explain the role of the

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 25 / Monday, February 7, 2000 / Notices 5987

community in the planning process and

implementation of the proposed project.

For Tribes, a current signed resolution

from the governing body of the Tribe

supporting the project proposal stating

that there has been community

involvement in the planning of this

project will suffice as evidence of

community support/involvement. For

all other eligible applicants, the type of

community you serve will determine

the type of documentation necessary.

For example, a tribal organization may

submit resolutions supporting the

project proposal from each of its

members Tribes, as well as a resolution

from the applicant organization. Other

examples of documentation include:

community surveys; minutes of

community meetings; questionnaires;

tribal presentations; and/or discussion/

position papers.

• Applications from National Indian

and Native American organizations

must demonstrate a need for the project,

explain how the project was originated,

state who the intended beneficiaries

will be, and describe how the recipients

will actually benefit from the project.

• An application should describe a

clear relationship between the proposed

project, language goals, and the

community’s long-range goals or plan.

• The project application, including

the Objective Work Plans, must clearly

identify in measurable terms the

expected results, benefits or outcomes of

the proposed project, and the positive or

continuing impact that the project will

have on the community.

• Supporting documentation,

including letters of support, if available,

or other testimonies from concerned

interests other than the applicant should

be included to demonstrate support for

the feasibility of the project and the

commitment of other resources to the

proposed project.

• In the ANA Project Narrative,

Section A of the application package,

‘‘Resources Available to the Proposed

Project,’’ the applicant should describe

any specific financial circumstances

which may impact on the project, such

as any monetary or land settlements

made to the applicant, and any

restrictions on the use of those

settlements. When the applicant appears

to have other resources to support the

proposed project and chooses not to use

them, the applicant should explain why

it is seeking ANA funds and not

utilizing these resources for the project.

• Applications which were not

funded under a previous years closing

date and for resubmission should make

a reference to the changes, or reasons for

not making changes, in their current

ANA application which are based on

ANA panel review comments.

2. Technical Guidance

• It is strongly suggested that the

applicant follow the Supplemental

Guide included in the ANA application

kit to develop an application. The Guide

provides practical information and

helpful suggestions, and is an aid to

help applicants prepare ANA

applications.

• Applicants are encouraged to have

someone other than the author apply the

evaluation criteria in the program

announcement and score the

application prior to its submission, in

order to gain a better sense of the

application’s quality and potential

competitiveness in the ANA review

process.

• For purposes of developing an

application, applicants should plan for

a project start date approximately 120

days after the closing date under which

the application is submitted.

• The Administration for Native

Americans will not fund essentially

identical projects serving the same

constituency.

• If a project could be supported by

other Federal funding sources, the

applicant should fully explain its

reasons for not pursuing other Federal

funds for the project.

• For purposes of this announcement,

ANA is using the Bureau of Indian

Affairs’ list of federally recognized

Indian Tribes which includes nonprofit

Alaska Native community entities or

tribal governing bodies (IRA or

traditional councils). Other federally

recognized Indian Tribes which are not

included on this list (e.g., those Tribes

which have been recently recognized or

restored by the United States Congress)

are also eligible to apply for ANA funds.

• The Objective Work Plan proposed

should be of sufficient detail to become

a monthly staff guide for project

responsibilities if the applicant is

funded.

• Applicants proposing multi-year

projects under Category II must fully

describe each year’s project objectives

and activities. Separate Objective Work

Plans (OWPs) must be presented for

each project year and a separate

itemized budget of the Federal and nonFederal costs of the project for each

budget period must be included.

• Applicants for multi-year projects

under Category II must justify the entire

time-frame of the project (i.e., why the

project needs funding for more than one

year) and clearly describe the results to

be achieved for each objective by the

end of each budget period of the total

project period.

• The Administration for Native

Americans will critically evaluate

applications in which the acquisition

equipment is a major component of the

Federal share of the budget. ‘‘Equipment

is tangible, non-expendable personal

property having a useful life of more

than one year and an acquisition cost of

$5,000 or month per ‘‘unit.’’ During

negotiation, such expenditures may be

deleted from the budget of an otherwise

approved application, if not fully

justified by the applicant and deemed

not appropriate to the needs of the

project by ANA.

• Applicants are encouraged to

request a legibly dated receipt from a

commercial carrier or U.S. Postal

Service as proof of timely mailing.

3. Grant Administrative Guidance

• The application’s Form 424 must be

signed by the applicant’s representative

authorized to act with full authority on

behalf of the applicant.

• The Administration for Native

Americans recommends that the pages

of the application be numbered

sequentially and that a table of contents

and tabbing of the sections be provided.

• An application with an original

signature and two additional copies are

required.

• The Cover Page (included in the

Kit) should be the first page of an

application, followed by the one-page

abstract.

• The applicant should specify the

entire project period length on the first

page of the Form 424, Block 13, not the

length of the first budget period. Should

the application propose one length of

project period and the Form 424 specify

a conflicting length of project period,

ANA will consider the project period

specified on the Form 424 as the

request. ANA may negotiate a reduction

of the project period. The approved

project period is shown on block 9 of a

Financial Assistance Award.

• Line 15a of the Form 424 must

specify the Federal funds requested for

the first Budget Period, not the entire

project period.

• Applicants may propose up to a 17

month project period under Category I

and up to a 36 month project period

under Category II.

4. Projects or Activities That Generally

Will Not Meet The Purposes of This

Announcement

• Core administration functions, or

other activities, which essentially

support only the applicant’s on-going

administrative functions.

• Project goals which are not

responsive to this program

announcement.

5988 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 25 / Monday, February 7, 2000 / Notices

• Proposals from consortia of Tribes

that are not specific with regard to

support from, and roles of, member

Tribes. ANA expects an application

from a consortium to have goals and

objectives that will create positive

impacts and outcomes in the

communities of its members. Proposals

from consortia of Tribes should have

individual objectives which are related

to the larger goal of the proposed

project. Project objectives may be

tailored to each consortia member, but

within the context of a common goal for

the consortia. In situations where both

tribal consortia and a Tribe who belongs

to the consortia receives ANA funding,

ANA expects that consortia groups will

not seek funding that duplicates

activities being conducted by their

member Tribes.

• Projects that will not be completed,

self-sustaining, or supported by other

than ANA funds, at the end of the

project period. All projects funded by

ANA must be completed, or selfsustaining or supported with other than

ANA funds at the end of the project

period. ‘‘Completed’’ means that the

project ANA funded is finished, and the

desired result(s) have been attained.

‘‘Self-sustaining’’ means that a project

will continue without outside resources.

‘‘Supported by other than ANA funds’’

means that the project will continue

beyond the ANA project period, but will

be supported by funds other than

ANA’s.

• Renovation or alteration unless it is

essential for the project. Renovation or

alteration costs may not exceed the

lesser of $150,000 or 25 percent of the

total direct costs approved for the entire

budget period.

• Projects originated and designed by

consultants who provide a major role for

themselves in the proposed project and

are not members of the applicant

organization, Tribe or village.

H. Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995

Under the Paperwork Reduction Act

of 1995, Pub. L. 104–13, the Department

is required to submit to the Office of

Management and Budget (OMB) for

review and approval any reporting and

record keeping requirements in

regulations including program

announcements. This program

announcement does not contain

information collection requirements

beyond those approved for ANA grant

applications under the Program

Narrative Statement by OMB.

I. Receipt of Applications

Applications must either be hand

delivered or mailed to the address in

Section E, The Application Process. The

Administration for Native Americans

cannot accommodate transmission of

applications by fax or through other

electronic media. Therefore,

applications transmitted to ANA

electronically will not be accepted

regardless of date or time of submission

and time of receipt. Videotapes and

cassette tapes may not be included as

part of a grant application for panel

review.

Applications and related materials

postmarked after the closing date will be

classified as late.

1. Deadlines

• 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, ACYF/Office of

Grants Management, 370 L’Enfant

Promenade, SW, Mail Stop HHH 326–F,

Washington, DC 20447–0002 Attention:

Lois B. Hodge ANA No. 93612–992

• Applicants are cautioned to request

a legibly dated U.S. Postal Service

postmark or to obtain a legibly dated

receipt from a commercial carrier or the

U.S. Postal Service. Private metered

postmarks shall not be acceptable as

proof of timely mailing.

• Applications hand carried by

applicants, applicant couriers, or by

overnight/express mail couriers shall be

considered as meeting an announced

deadline if they are received on or

before the deadline date or postmarked

on or before the deadline date, Monday

through Friday (excluding Federal

holidays), between the hours of 8:00 am

and 4:30 pm at: U.S. Department of

Health and Human Services,

Administration for Children and

Families, ACYF/Office of Grants

Management, ACF Mailroom, 2nd Floor

Loading Dock, Aerospace Center, 901 D

Street, SW, Washington, DC 20024.

(Applicants are cautioned that express/

overnight mail services do not always

deliver as agreed.)

• 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.

• No additional material will be

accepted, or added to an application,

unless it is postmarked by the deadline

date.

2. 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.

3. Extension of deadlines

The Administration for Children and

Families may extend an application

deadline for applicants affected by acts

of God such as floods and hurricanes, or

when there is a widespread disruption

of the mails. A determination to extend

or waive deadline requirements rests

with the Chief Grants Management

Officer.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Program Numbers: 93.612 Native American

Programs; and 93.587 Promoting the Survival

and Continuing Vitality of Native American

languages)

Dated: January 20, 2000.

Gary N. Kimble,

Commissioner, Administration for Native

Americans.

[FR Doc. 00–2602 Filed 2–4–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4184–01–P