14276 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 57 / Tuesday, March 25, 1997 / Notices

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND

HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and

Families

[Program Announcement No. 93612–973]

Administration for Native Americans:

Availability of Financial Assistance

AGENCY: Administration for Native

Americans (ANA), ACF, DHHS.

ACTION: Notice of funding availability.

SUMMARY: The Administration for

Native Americans (ANA) announces the

availability of fiscal year 1997 funds for

information dissemination and strategy

development relating to the

implementation of the tribal-specific

provisions of the Personal

Responsibility and Work Opportunity

Reconciliation Act of 1996, Pub. L. 104–

193 (the Act). ANA plans to fund

applicants in six (6) geographic areas to

develop comprehensive TANF

information dissemination and

strategies designed to assist tribal and

community leaders in making informed

decisions relating to participation in the

Temporary Assistance to Needy

Families (TANF) Program. The

Administration for Children and

Families (ACF) is responsible for the

implementation of the Act, including

tribal-specific TANF provisions.

Financial assistance provided by ANA

in support of projects in this area is

intended to promote information

dissemination and strategy development

concerning the TANF program for the

benefit of entities designated in Pub. L.

104–193 as eligible to administer a

TANF program—federally-recognized

tribes, the Metlakatla Indian Community

and the 12 Alaska Native regional nonprofit corporations.

DATES: The closing date for receipt of

applications is May 27, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Application kits, containing

the necessary forms and instructions to

apply for a grant under this program

announcement, may be obtained from:

U.S. Department of Health and Human

Services, Administration for Children

and Families, Administration for Native

Americans, 370 L’Enfant Promenade,

Mail Stop HHH 348F, Washington, DC

20447, Attention: 93612–973,

Telephone: (202) 690–7776.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Deborah Yatsko, Program Specialist,

Administration for Children and

Families, Administration for Native

Americans, 370 L’Enfant Promenade,

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

20447, tel: (202) 690–7843, fax: (202)

690–7441.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Introduction and Purpose

This Announcement describes the

availability of fiscal year 1997 financial

assistance for grants to develop and

disseminate consistent program

information on the legal, fiscal and

administrative requirements of the

TANF Block Grant Program to federallyrecognized tribes, the Metlakatla Indian

Community and the 12 Alaska Native

regional non-profit corporations.

ANA fully supports and assists tribal

and Alaska Native Village governments,

Native American institutions, and local

leadership in exercising local control

and decision-making over their

resources. Consistent with this policy,

ANA will assist federally-recognized

tribes, the Metlakatla Indian Community

and the 12 Alaska Native regional nonprofit corporations in obtaining the

information necessary to make informed

decisions about exercising their options

under TANF; i.e. to administer this

program and apply directly for Federal

funding, participate in TANF through

the State government, form tribal

consortia, or contract for services. This

will be accomplished by funding six (6)

TANF information dissemination and

strategy development grants. Eligibility

for these grants extends to all tribes,

organizations and groups listed in PART

II, Section D ‘‘Eligible Applicants’’.

Funding authorization is provided

under section [803(a) of the Native

American Programs Act of 1974, as

amended (Public Law 93–644, 88 Stat.

2324, 42 U.S.C. 2991b).]

Proposed projects will be reviewed on

a competitive basis against the specific

evaluation criteria presented in this

announcement. Applicants may submit

proposals for more than one geographic

area, but it is anticipated that no single

organization will be awarded a grant for

more than one region. However, should

a shortage of highly ranked

organizations develop, ANA may award

more than one grant to an organization

or may combine regions under one

grant.

This program announcement consists

of three parts:

Part I—ANA Policy and Goals

Provides general information about ANA’s

policies and goals as they relate to TANF

information dissemination and strategy

development grants.

Part II—TANF Information Dissemination

and Strategy Development Grants

Describes the TANF Information

Dissemination and Strategy Development

Grants under which ANA is requesting

applications.

The following sections provide specific

information to be used to develop an

application for ANA funds:

A Purpose and Availability of Funds;

B Background;

C Competitive Geographical Areas of

Consideration

D Eligible Applicants;

E Grantee Share of the Project;

F Review Criteria;

G Application Due Date; and

H Contacts to Obtain Further Information

Part III—General Application Information

and Guidance

Provides important information and

guidance that must be taken into account in

developing an application for one or more of

the six (6) geographical areas. These

geographic areas are defined in PART II,

Section C. ‘‘Competitive Geographic Areas of

Consideration’’.

Part I—ANA Policy and Goals

The mission of the Administration for

Native Americans is to promote the goal

of social and economic self-sufficiency

for American Indians, Alaska Natives,

Native Hawaiians and other Native

American Pacific Islanders. ANA

believes that the responsibility of

achieving self-sufficiency resides with

the governing bodies of Indian tribes,

Alaska Native Villages and in the

leadership of Native American groups.

A community’s progress toward selfsufficiency is based on its efforts to

plan, organize and direct resources in a

comprehensive manner consistent with

its long-range goals. ANA fully supports

and assists tribal and Alaska Native

Village governments, Native American

institutions, and local leadership in

exercising local control and decisionmaking over their resources.

Consistent with this policy, ANA is

offering federal assistance through grant

projects designed to assist federallyrecognized tribes, the Metlakatla Indian

Community and the 12 Alaska Native

regional non-profit corporations to gain

information relating to their options

under the TANF Block Grant Program.

Information and analysis to be provided

through the six (6) ANA grants must

fully address this range of options: to

administer this program and apply

directly for Federal funds; participate

through State governments; form tribal

consortia; or contract for services.

ANA will provide financial assistance

to successful applicants to disseminate

information about the TANF Block

Grant Program in specific geographic

areas. These TANF information

dissemination and strategy development

projects will last for up to one year.

Applicants must describe concrete

strategies to gather, organize and

disseminate program information.

Planning for the project must consider
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 57 / Tuesday, March 25, 1997 / Notices 14277

the maximum use of all available

resources, including: initial

coordination with ACF to ensure that

the TANF information to be provided to

tribes is comprehensive and current;

how resources will be directed to

program information dissemination; and

comprehensive strategies for presenting

the information, such as meetings,

forums, workshops, cluster sessions and

on-site presentations.

An application from a federallyrecognized 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 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 for the

duration of the approved grant period.

Part II—TANF Information

Dissemination and Strategy

Development Grants

This part describes ANA’s funding

authority, priorities, requirements and

review criteria. The standard

requirements necessary for each

application as well as the standard ANA

program guidance and technical

guidance are described in Part III of this

announcement.

A. Purpose and Availability of Funds

This Announcement describes the

availability of fiscal year 1997 financial

assistance for grants to develop and

disseminate consistent program

information on the legal, fiscal and

administrative requirements of the

TANF Block Grant Program to federallyrecognized tribes, the Metlakatla Indian

Community and the 12 Alaska Native

regional non-profit corporations.

Approximately $ 1,200,000 of

financial assistance is anticipated to be

available for TANF information

dissemination and strategy

development. ANA anticipates

awarding six (6) competitive grants to

provide geographic coverage for the

continental United States and Alaska.

B. Background

Recent legislation significantly

changes the administration and delivery

of welfare services by enabling

federally-recognized tribes, the

Metlaketla Indian Community and the

12 Alaska Native regional non-profit

corporations to receive direct Federal

funding to administer social welfare

programs. Pub. L. 104–193 (the Act)

authorizes tribes to apply directly to the

Department of Health and Human

Services to receive funds and administer

TANF Block Grants; participate through

the state government; form tribal

consortia; or to contract for services.

The TANF Block Grant Program

replaces the former Aid to Families

With Dependent Children Program

(AFDC), the Job Opportunity and Basic

Skills Training Program (JOBS) and the

Emergency Assistance (EA) Program.

The new law represents a significant

departure from the previous welfare

laws and contains many provisions of

major consequence to tribes. These

provisions must be implemented in a

relatively short time to maximize the

availability of Federal funds. The

specific references to tribal-specific

TANF provisions are found in sections

412 and 417 (4) of the amended IV-A of

the Social Security Act:

Title I of Pub.L. 104–193 amends part A of

title IV of the Social Security Act by

replacing the Aid to Families with

Dependent Children (AFDC) Program, the Job

Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS)

Program and the Emergency Assistance (EA)

program with the Temporary Assistance for

Needy Families (TANF) Program. Under the

new IV-A, open-ended funding and

guaranteed individual entitlement to public

assistance has been repealed. The purpose of

TANF is to give States and federallyrecognized tribes, the Metlakatla Indian

Community and the 12 Alaska Native

regional non-profit corporations the

opportunity to create a system that promotes

work and responsibility and strengthens

families. Flexibility is now provided to States

and Indian tribes to operate a program

designed to provide assistance to needy

families so that children may be cared for in

their own homes or in the homes of relatives;

reduce dependency on public benefits by

promoting job preparation, work and

marriage, prevent and reduce the incidence

of out-of-wedlock pregnancies; and

encourage the formation and maintenance of

two-parent families. The new statute

provides both challenges and opportunities

to help needy families.

The information to be disseminated

through the six (6) ANA grants will

assist federally-recognized tribes, the

Metlakatla Indian Community, and the

12 Alaska Native regional non-profit

corporations in understanding and

assessing their options under TANF.

Such information may include the

background and statutory requirements

of TANF; data systems and other

administrative requirements to conduct

a TANF program; schematics for

program models and designs, including

intake processing for TANF applicants;

identification of data sources on size

and composition of the TANF-eligible

population; availability of TANF funds;

financial consequences and anticipated

costs for tribes under each option;

requirements for forming consortia or

contracting for services; consideration of

tribal-state cooperative agreements;

participation as part of a State program;

and the relationship of TANF to other

social service programs.

Applications should also address the

mechanisms to be used in gathering

information and assuring that all

information provided to tribes is

authoritative, comprehensive and

current. Proposals should be as specific

as possible in identifying how

information will be disseminated to

tribes and how options will be explored.

Proposals should also clearly identify

the approaches to be taken, such as

meetings, forums, cluster groups, and

on-site presentations. A recognition of

the diversity of local tribal needs and

capabilities should also be fully

articulated.

C. Competitive Geographical Areas of

Consideration

Competitive geographical areas are

approximately equivalent to the federal

regional system, with Alaska as a

separate area. These geographical

divisions are designated according to

the concentration of TANF-eligible

entities (federally-recognized tribes, the

Metlakatla Indian Community and the

12 Alaska Native regional non-profit

corporations) in each area. Eligible

applicants for the six (6) ANA grants (as

listed in Part II, Section D, ‘‘Eligible

Applicants’’) may compete in each of

the following six (6) geographical areas:

Area 1—Federal regions 1–5: CT, ME,

MA, NH, RI, VT, NY, NJ, DE, MD, PA,

AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, TN, IL,

IN, MI, MN, OH, WI, VA, WV

Area 2—Federal regions 6 & 7: AR, LA,

NM, OK, TX, IA, KS, MO, NE

Area 3—Federal region 8: CO, MT, ND,

SD, UT, WY

Area 4—Federal region 9: AZ, CA, NV

Area 5—Federal region 10: ID, OR, WA

Area 6—AK

Applicants may submit one

application per geographical area. An

applicant may receive only one grant,

regardless of the number of geographic

areas in which it competes. Should a

shortage of highly ranked organizations

develop, however, ANA may award

more than one grant to an organization

or may combine regions under one

grant.

D. Eligible Applicants

The following organizations are

eligible to apply under this competitive

area:

• Federally recognized Indian Tribes;
14278 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 57 / Tuesday, March 25, 1997 / Notices

• Consortia of Indian Tribes;

• Incorporated non-Federally

recognized 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;

• 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.

Note: Current ANA grantees are also

eligible to apply under this announcement.

Any non-profit organization

submitting an application must submit

proof of its non-profit status in its

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 is other than a tribe

or an Alaska Native Village government

and 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. An

organization can conclusively establish

that it meets this requirement through a

signed statement or resolution stating

that its duly elected or appointed board

of directors are either Native Americans

or Native Alaskans or a copy of the

organizational charter or by-laws that

clearly states that the organization has a

board drawn from members of those

groups.

E. 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 ACF share and

the non-Federal share.) The non-Federal

share may be met by cash or in-kind

contributions; although applicants are

encouraged to meet their match

requirements through cash

contributions. Therefore, a project

requesting $200,000 in Federal funds

must include a match of at least $50,000

(20% total project cost).

As per 45 CFR Part 74.2, In-Kind

contributions is 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 its

legislation or regulations authorizes

using specific types of funds for a match

and provided the source relates to the

ANA project, as follows:

• 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, must be included in an

application.

If an applicant plans to charge

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.

Note: Applications originating from

American Samoa, Guam, Palau, 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 local matching funds under

$200,000 (including in-kind contributions).

F. Review Criteria

The evaluation criteria are closely

related to each other and are considered

as a whole in judging the overall quality

of an application. Points are awarded

only to applications which are

responsive to this program

announcement. Proposed projects will

be reviewed on a competitive basis

using the following evaluation criteria:

(1) Goals and Available Resources—(10

points)

(a) The application describes the

applicant’s goals and strategy,

including:

• How applicant’s goals relate to the

Tribal-specific provisions of P.L. 104–

193;

• How the applicant intends to

achieve these goals;

Applications must clearly 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 define their

membership and describe how the

organization operates.

(b) 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 or

documents of commitment of resources,

not merely letters of support.

• ‘‘Letters of support’’ merely express

another organization’s endorsement of a

proposed project. Support letters are not

binding commitment letters or do not

factually establish the authenticity of

other resources.

• ‘‘Letters and other documents of

commitment’’ are binding when they

specifically state the nature, the amount,

and conditions under which another

individual, 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.)

Note: Applicants from the Native American

Pacific Islands are not required to provide a

20% match for the non-Federal share if it is

under $200,000 and may not have points

reduced for this policy. They are, however,

expected to coordinate non-ANA resources

for the proposed project, as are all ANA

applicants.
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 57 / Tuesday, March 25, 1997 / Notices 14279

(2) Organizational Capabilities and

Qualifications—(30 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 demonstrated. The

application clearly shows the successful

management of projects of similar scope

by the organization, and/or by the

individuals 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 each 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 project 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 strongly encouraged

to give preference to Native Americans in

hiring staff and subcontracting services under

an approved ANA grant.

(3) Project Objectives, Approach and

Activities.—(30 points)

The application proposes specific

project Objective Work Plans with

activities related to each specific

objective.

The Objective Work Plan(s) in the

application includes project objectives

and activities for the budget period and

demonstrates that each of the objectives

and its activities:

• identifies the basic approach to be

used in collecting, disseminating and

presenting TANF information; includes

initial coordination with ACF;

• includes strategies and methods for

analyzing options available to federally

recognized tribes, the Metlakatla Indian

Community and the 12 Alaska Native

regional non-profit corporations

regarding participating in TANF

programs.

• is measurable and/or quantifiable in

terms of results or outcomes;

• clearly relates to the applicant’s

goals and strategies;

• can be accomplished with the

available or expected resources during

the proposed project period;

• indicates when the objective, and

major activities under each objective,

will be accomplished;

• specifies who will conduct the

activities under each objective;

(4) Results or Benefits Expected—(15

points)

Completion of the proposed objectives

will result in specific, measurable

results. The specific information

provided in the narrative and objective

work plans on expected results or

benefits for each objective is the

standard upon which its achievement

can be evaluated at the end of the

project.

(5) Budget—(15 points)

A detailed and fully explained budget

is provided for the budget period

requested which:

• Justifies each line item, with a wellwritten 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;

• 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; and

• Requests funds which are

appropriate and necessary for the scope

of the proposed project.

Note: (Applicants from the Native

American Pacific Islands are exempt from the

$200,000 non-Federal share requirement).

Part III—General Application

Information and Guidance

A. General Considerations

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.

Applicants must show the relationship

of non-ANA funded activities to those

objectives and activities that are funded

with ANA grant funds.

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.

All projects funded by ANA must be

completed by the end of the project

period. ‘‘Completed’’ means that the

project ANA funded is finished, and the

desired result(s) have been attained.

B. Activities That Cannot Be Funded By

ANA

The Administration for Native

Americans does not fund projects that

operate indefinitely or require ANA

funding on a recurring basis. The

Administration for Native Americans

does not fund objectives or activities for

the core administration of an

organization. ‘‘Core administration’’ is

funding for staff salaries for those

functions which 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 2

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.

Projects or activities that generally

will not meet the purposes of this

announcement are discussed further in

Part III, Section H, General Guidance to

Applicants, below.

C. Length of Projects

Awards, on a competitive basis, will

be for a one-year project and budget

period.

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. Availability of application forms. In

order to be considered for a grant under

this program announcement, an

application must be submitted on the

forms supplied and in the manner

prescribed by ANA. The application kits

containing the necessary forms and

instructions may be obtained from:

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.
14280 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 57 / Tuesday, March 25, 1997 / Notices

20447, Attention: 93612–973,

Telephone: (202) 690–7776.

2. Application submission. One

signed original, and two copies, of the

grant application, including all

attachments, must be mailed on or

before the closing date to: Department of

Health and Human Services,

Administration for Children and

Families, Division of Discretionary

Grants, 370 L’Enfant Promenade, S.W.,

Mail Stop 6C–462, Washington, D.C.

20447, Attention: William J. McCarron,

ANA No. 93612–973.

Hand delivered applications are

accepted between the hours of 8:00 a.m.

to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, on

or prior to the established closing date

at: Administration for Children and

Families, Division of Discretionary

Grants, ACF Mailroom, 2nd Floor

Loading Dock, Aerospace Center, 901 D

Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20024.

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.

Each eligible applicant may compete

in all geographic areas. However, it can

receive a grant award in only one of the

geographic areas under this

announcement. The Administration for

Native Americans will accept only one

application per geographic area from

any one applicant. If an eligible

applicant sends in two applications for

the same geographic area, the one with

the earlier postmark will be accepted for

review unless the applicant withdraws

the earlier application.

Six (6) separate ranking lists, one for

each geographic area, will be utitilized

in the decision process.

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

ANA.

• Complete applications that conform

to all the requirements of this program

announcement are subjected to a

competitive review and evaluation

process (discussed in section F below).

Independent review panels consisting of

reviewers familiar with American

Indian Tribes, Native American

communities and organizations, and

Pub. L. 104–193, evaluate each

application using the published criteria.

As a result of the review, a numerical

score will be assigned to each

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

regulatory requirements, this program

announcement, and the availability of

funds.

• After the Commissioner has made

decisions on all applications,

unsuccessful applicants are notified in

writing within approximately 30 days.

Successful applicants are notified

through an official Financial Assistance

Award (FAA) document. ANA staff

cannot respond to requests for

information regarding funding decisions

prior to the official notification to the

applicants. 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.

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 explained in

section I, Receipt of Applications, of

this announcement.

2. Competitive review of accepted

applications. Applications which pass

the pre-review 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.

3. Appeal of ineligibility. Applicants

who are initially rejected 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.

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 funded on the basis of need

alone.

• In discussing the goals, strategy,

and problems being addressed in the

application, present sufficient

background concerning these issues,

including TANF requirements. This

material will assist the reviewers in

determining the appropriateness and

potential benefits of the proposed

project.

• Applicants must document the

community’s support for the proposed

project and explain the role of the

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.

• 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.

2. Technical Guidance

• 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.
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 57 / Tuesday, March 25, 1997 / Notices 14281

• For purposes of developing an

application, applicants should plan for

a project start date approximately 90

days after the closing date under which

the application is submitted.

• 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 may not

yet be 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.

• Eligible applicants may submit one

application per geographic area. If an

eligible applicant sends in two

applications for the same geographic

area, the one with the earlier postmark

will be accepted for review unless the

applicant withdraws the earlier

application.

• An application from a 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 triballyauthorized divisions of a larger tribe,

unless the application includes a Tribal

resolution which clearly demonstrates

the Tribe’s support of the project and

the Tribe’s understanding that the other

applicant’s project supplants the Tribe’s

authority to submit an application for

the duration of the approved grant

period.

• 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

be provided. Simple tabbing of the

sections of the application is also

helpful to the reviewers.

• 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 Approach page (Section B of

the ANA Program Narrative) for each

Objective Work Plan proposed should

be of sufficient detail to become a

monthly staff guide for project

responsibilities if the applicant is

funded.

• Line 15a of the Form 424 must

specify the Federal funds requested for

the Budget Period.

• The Administration for Native

Americans will critically evaluate

applications in which the acquisition of

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 more 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 not

deemed 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. Projects or Activities That Generally

Will Not Meet the Purposes of This

Announcement

• The support of on-going social

service delivery programs or the

expansion, or continuation, of existing

social service delivery programs.

• 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.

• Proposals from consortia of tribes

that are not specific with regard to

support from, and roles of, member

tribes.

• Projects that will not be completed

by the end of the project period.

• ANA will not fund the purchase of

real estate (see 45 CFR 1336.50 (e)) or

construction (see ACF Grants

Administration Manual § 3.12).

• 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. Information collection

through this Program Announcement,

including the program narrative

statement, are approved by the OMB

under control number 0980–0204,

which expires August 31, 1999.

I. Receipt of Applications

The closing date for the submission of

applications is May 27, 1997.

Applications postmarked after the

closing date will be classified as late.

1. Deadline

• 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 Division of

Discretionary Grants, 370 L’Enfant

Promenade, SW., Mail Stop 6C–462

Washington, D.C. 20447.

• 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 handcarried 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, 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, Division of Discretionary

Grants, ACF Mailroom, 2nd Floor

Loading Dock, Aerospace Center, 901 D

Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 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.

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 the deadline for all

applicants because of acts of God such

as floods, hurricanes, etc., widespread

disruption of the mails, or when it is

anticipated that many of the

applications will come from rural or

remote areas. However, if ACF does not

extend the deadline for all applicants, it

may not waive or extend the deadline

for any applicant.
14282 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 57 / Tuesday, March 25, 1997 / Notices

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Program Number: 93.612 Native American

Programs)

Dated: March 18, 1997.

Gary N. Kimble,

Commissioner, Administration for Native

Americans.

[FR Doc. 97–7522 Filed 3–24–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4184–01–P