Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 72 /Wednesday, April 15, 1998 / Notices 18381

project administration, staff and training

and technical assistance. The average

federal cost per Volunteer Service Year

(VSY) is approximately $4,000 for

standard volunteers and $4,600 for

volunteer leaders.

Grant applicants should demonstrate

their commitment to cost-sharing by

offsetting part of the costs. This support

can be achieved through cash or in-kind

contributions.

Publication of this announcement

does not obligate the Corporation to

award any specific number of grants or

to obligate the entire amount of funds

available, or any part thereof, for grants

under the FGP.

F. Period of Awards

Grants cover twelve months and may

be renewed for up to twenty-four

additional months contingent upon the

continuing need for the projects,

performance and the availability of

appropriations.

G. Submission Requirements

To be considered for funding

applicants must submit five copies of

the following (with original signatures

on items 1 and 2):

(1) An Application for Federal

Assistance, Corporation Form 424–

NSSC (OMB 3045–0035), Parts I through

III;

(2) Signed Assurances (Corporation

Form 424-B) and Certifications

(Corporation Form 424E-G);

(3) Verification of status as a nonprofit organization as described in

Section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal

Revenue Code;

(4) Most recent audit report.

H. General Selection Criteria

The Corporation will initially

determine whether the organization is

eligible and whether the application

contains the information required in the

application materials. All activities

within a proposal should be coordinated

through a well-developed national

strategy and unified programmatically

by a common theme and program

elements, including training and

technical assistance.

To ensure fairness to all applicants,

the Corporation reserves the right to

take action up to and including

disqualification, in the event that a

proposal fails to comply with any

requirements specified in the

application instructions. After this

initial screening, the Corporation will

assess applications based on the

following criteria that will be further

specified in the application instructions:

(1) The capacity of the applicant to

effectively implement the FGP

according to law, regulations and

current Corporation policy, procedures,

and priorities;

(2) The cost-effectiveness of the

proposal; the applicant’s ability to

leverage significant additional resources

from non-federal sources to support and

sustain the project; and the extent to

which the national organization can

demonstrate the capacity of the local

affiliates to continue the projects at the

local level in subsequent years.

The Corporation will take into

consideration the following factors after

the proposals are assessed:

Geographic Location: The Corporation

will assure that local projects include a

mix of urban and rural sites.

Diversity: The Corporation will select

organizations whose local projects have

the capacity to recruit ethnic and racial

minorities, males, and persons with

disabilities.

I. Applicable Regulations

Regulations governing the Foster

Grandparent Program are located in 45

CFR part 1208 (1997).

J. Program Authority

The Corporation’s authority to make

these grants is codified in 42 U.S.C.

5011.

Dated: April 10, 1998.

Thomas L. Bryant,

Associate General Counsel.

[FR Doc. 98–10020 Filed 4–14–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6050–28–P

CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL AND

COMMUNITY SERVICE

Availability of Funds for New Retired

and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP)

Projects—Nationwide

AGENCY: Corporation for National and

Community Service.

ACTION: Notice of Availability of Funds.

SUMMARY: The Corporation for National

and Community Service (hereinafter the

‘‘Corporation’’) announces the

availability of up to $625,000 to support

approximately 1,200 RSVP volunteers in

new RSVP projects in geographic areas

that do not fall within approved service

areas of current RSVP program

sponsors. Approximately $300,000 will

be made available to support each of

two national organizations and three of

their local affiliates. Each national

organization will be expected to provide

coordination, networking and training

and technical assistance to its three

local affiliates. The local affiliates will

be expected to support a total of

approximately 600 RSVP volunteers for

each national organization. Awards will

cover a twelve-month period and can be

renewed for up to twenty-four

additional months contingent upon the

continuing need for the projects,

performance and the availability of

appropriations. This allows the

Corporation to fund multi-state and

multi-site projects that are national in

scope and build on existing networks.

The Corporation is seeking national

organizations that are willing to actively

promote senior service within their

networks and that view older volunteers

as an important resource in

accomplishing their own objectives.

The RSVP provides service

opportunities to adults age 55 and older,

matching their skills, life experiences,

and interests to priority needs in

communities across the nation. Through

this service, RSVP provides

communities with valuable resources to

meet their needs, enhances the lives of

the volunteers and those whom they

serve. The primary focus of volunteer

activities for this twelve-month period

must be on helping children learn to

read and other literacy activities that

support the goals of the America Reads

Challenge.

DATES: Applications must be received

by 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, May

11, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Application instructions

and kits are available from the

Corporation for National and

Community Service, National Senior

Service Corps, 1201 New York Avenue,

NW., Washington, DC 20525, (202) 606–

5000, ext. 261, TDD (202) 565–2799, or

TTY via the Federal Information Relay

Service at 1–(800) 877–8339.

Applications should be submitted to

the Corporation for National and

Community Service, 1201 New York

Avenue, NW., National Senior Service

Corps, Mailstop 9310, Attn: Barbara

Wilson, Washington, DC 20525. The

Corporation will not accept applications

that are submitted via facsimile or email transmission.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

A. Background

The Corporation is a federal

government corporation that encourages

Americans of all ages and backgrounds

to engage in community-based service.

This service addresses the nation’s

educational, public safety,

environmental, and other human needs

to achieve direct and demonstrable

results. In supporting service programs,

the Corporation fosters civic

responsibility, strengthens the ties that

bind us together as a people, and

provides educational opportunity for
18382 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 72 /Wednesday, April 15, 1998 / Notices

those who make a substantial

commitment to service.

The RSVP is authorized by the

Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973,

as amended. (See 42 U.S.C. 5001 et

seq.). The RSVP provides service

opportunities to adults age 55 and older,

matching their skills, life experiences,

and interests to priority needs in

communities across the nation. Through

this service, RSVP provides

communities with valuable resources to

meet their needs, enhances the lives of

the volunteers and those whom they

serve.

The RSVP was launched with 11

RSVP projects in 1971. Today there are

over 450,000 RSVP volunteers serving

almost 80 million hours annually

through a myriad of local community

organizations in over 1,500

communities. They volunteer in

schools, libraries, hospitals, nursing

homes, meals on wheels, senior centers,

public housing, law enforcement

agencies, parks, environmental

organizations, and a wide range of

community organizations. Through

these organizations, they tutor youth,

respond to natural disasters, serve as

citizen patrols, teach parenting skills to

teen parents, get children immunized,

mentor troubled youth, plan community

gardens, help other seniors complete

income tax forms, serve as hospital

aides, conduct groundwater protection

surveys, provide in-home respite care

with the frail elderly, teach computer

classes at elementary schools, test

buildings for radon, read to hospitalized

children, manage grief counseling

groups, set up block watch projects,

bring meals to the terminally ill, test

water for pollutants and track down

their sources, drive the visually

impaired to doctors appointments,

provide a human touch to AIDS babies,

and so much more.

B. Purpose of This Announcement

The Corporation is soliciting

applications from national nonprofit

organizations in order to fund multistate and multi-site projects that are

national in scope and build on existing

networks of the national organizations.

The Corporation is interested in

expanding RSVP to serve new

geographic locations currently unserved

by the program. It is expected that the

new projects, in the first year of

operation, will focus on activities that

support the goals of the America Reads

Challenge.

The goal of the America Reads

Challenge is to mobilize Americans

from all walks of life to ensure that all

children can read well and

independently by the end of third grade.

The America Reads Challenge is a

comprehensive, nationwide effort to

create in-school, after-school, weekend,

and summer tutoring programs in

reading. Working to support the efforts

of teachers and parents, this initiative

calls on all Americans, including

college students, business leaders, and

senior citizens, to work through schools,

libraries, religious organizations,

universities, community and national

groups, and cultural organizations to

ensure that every child can read

independently by the end of third grade.

C. Eligible Applicants

National nonprofit organizations that

operate in more than one state are

eligible to apply. The Corporation

defines a national nonprofit

organization as one whose mission,

membership and activities, or

constituencies are national in scope.

However, an organization described in

section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue

Code of 1986, (26 U.S.C. 501 (c)(4)) that

engages in lobbying activities is not

eligible to apply, serve as a host site for

volunteers, or act in any type of

supervisory role in the program. The

Corporation is seeking national

organizations that are willing to actively

promote senior service within their

networks and that view older volunteers

as an important resource in

accomplishing their own objectives.

The local affiliates of the national

organizations must have or develop

strong partnerships with: (1) entities

planning or operating city, county,

statewide, or multi-state America Reads

initiatives; (2) local governments

planning or operating area-wide

America Reads initiatives; (3) volunteer

centers engaged in recruiting trained

literacy tutors for the America Reads

Challenge and, (4) university servicelearning centers coordinating workstudy and other college students for the

America Reads Challenge.

RSVP sponsors that are currently

funded by the Corporation are not

eligible to receive a grant to expand into

new geographic areas.

D. Award Process and Estimated

Number of Awards

The Corporation will issue a letter of

intent to provide funding to each

approved applicant. This letter will

instruct the national organization to

work with the Corporation to identify

the local affiliates that will serve as

local project sites. The official awards

will be made only after the Corporation

is satisfied that the local sites are

located in currently unserved

geographic areas and that the local

affiliates have the capacity to effectively

implement the program.

The Corporation anticipates making

two awards to national organizations,

and approximately three awards to local

affiliates of each national organization.

E. Scope of Grants

The amount of the grants for the

national organizations will include

funds to cover national coordination,

networking and training and technical

assistance. The amounts of the grants to

the local affiliates will include funds to

cover: Volunteer travel reimbursement;

insurance costs; incentives including

monetary stipends of up to $150 a

month for Volunteer Leaders; and

volunteer support costs including

project administration, staff and training

and technical assistance. The average

federal cost is $300 per volunteer a year

and $2,100 a year for each Volunteer

Leader.

Grant applicants should demonstrate

their commitment to cost-sharing by

offsetting part of the costs. This support

can be achieved through cash or in-kind

contributions.

Publication of this announcement

does not obligate the Corporation to

award any specific number of grants or

to obligate the entire amount of funds

available, or any part thereof, for grants

under the RSVP Program.

F. Period of Awards

Grants cover twelve months and may

be renewed for up to twenty-four

additional months contingent upon the

continuing need for the projects,

performance and the availability of

appropriations.

G. Submission Requirements

To be considered for funding,

applicants must submit five copies of

the following (with original signatures

on items 1 and 2):

(1) An Application for Federal

Assistance, Corporation Form 424–

NSSC (OMB 3045–0035), Parts I through

III;

(2) Signed Assurances (424–B) and

Certifications (424E–G);

(3) Verification of status as a nonprofit organization as described in

Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal

Revenue Code; and

(4) Most recent audit report.

H. General Selection Criteria

The Corporation will initially

determine whether the organization is

eligible and whether the application

contains the information required in the

application materials. All activities

within a proposal should be coordinated

through a well-developed national
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 72 /Wednesday, April 15, 1998 / Notices 18383

strategy and unified programmatically

by a common theme and program

elements, including training and

technical assistance.

To ensure fairness to all applicants,

the Corporation reserves the right to

take action up to and including

disqualification, in the event that a

proposal fails to comply with any

requirements specified in the

application instructions. After this

initial screening, the Corporation will

assess applications based on the

following criteria that will be further

specified in the application instructions:

(1) The capacity of the applicant to

effectively implement RSVP according

to law, regulations and current

Corporation policy, procedures, and

priorities.

(2) The cost-effectiveness of the

proposal; the applicant’s ability to

leverage significant additional resources

from non-federal sources to support and

sustain the project; and the extent to

which the national organization can

demonstrate that local projects have the

capacity to continue in subsequent

years.

The Corporation will take into

consideration the following factors after

the proposals are assessed:

Geographic Location: The Corporation

will assure that local projects include a

mix of urban and rural sites.

Diversity: The Corporation will select

organizations whose local projects have

the capacity to recruit ethnic and racial

minorities, males and persons with

disabilities.

I. Applicable Regulations

Regulations governing the RSVP

Program are located in 45 CFR part 1209

(1997).

J. Program Authority

The Corporation’s authority to make

these grants is codified in 42 U.S.C.

5001.

Dated: April 10, 1998.

Thomas L. Bryant,

Associate General Counsel.

[FR Doc. 98–10021 Filed 4–14–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6050–28–P

CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL AND

COMMUNITY SERVICE

Availability of Funds for New Senior

Companion Projects—Nationwide

AGENCY: Corporation for National and

Community Service.

ACTION: Notice of availability of funds.

SUMMARY: The Corporation for National

and Community Service (‘‘Corporation’’)

announces the availability of up to

$1,000,000 to support one national

organization and five of its local

affiliates to operate new Senior

Companion Projects. The local projects

must be located in geographic areas that

do not fall within approved geographic

service areas of current Senior

Companion program sponsors or urban

areas or large counties where the project

serves only part of the city or county.

The national organization will be

expected to provide coordination,

networking and training and technical

assistance to its five local affiliates who

combined will support a total of 225

Senior Companions. Awards will cover

a twelve-month period and can be

renewed for up to twenty-four

additional months contingent upon the

continuing need for the projects,

performance and the availability of

appropriations. This allows the

Corporation to fund multi-state and

multi-site projects that are national in

scope and build on existing networks.

The Corporation is seeking a national

organization that is willing to actively

promote senior service within its

network and that have the potential to

view older volunteers as an important

resource in accomplishing its own

objectives.

The Senior Companion Program (SCP)

provides opportunities for income

eligible individuals 60 years of age and

over to serve frail adults on a person to

person basis. The SCP provides

essential services that enable frail adults

to continue to live in their own homes,

while also enhancing the lives of the

volunteers and those whom they serve.

DATES: Applications must be received

by 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, May

11, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Application instructions

and kits are available from the

Corporation for National and

Community Service, National Senior

Service Corps, 1201 New York Avenue,

NW., Washington, DC 20525, (202) 606–

5000, ext. 261, TDD (202) 565–2799, or

TTY via the Federal Information Relay

Service at 1–(800) 877–8339.

Applications should be submitted to

the Corporation for National and

Community Service, National Senior

Service Corps, 1201 New York Avenue,

NW., Mailstop 9310, Attn: Barbara

Wilson, Washington, DC 20525. The

Corporation will not accept applications

that are submitted via facsimile or email transmission.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

A. Background

The Corporation is a federal

government corporation that encourages

Americans of all ages and backgrounds

to engage in community-based service.

This service addresses the nation’s

educational, public safety,

environmental, and other human needs

to achieve direct and demonstrable

results. In supporting service programs,

the Corporation fosters civic

responsibility, strengthens the ties that

bind us together as a people, and

provides educational opportunity for

those who make a substantial

commitment to service.

The SCP is authorized by the

Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973,

as amended. (See 42 U.S.C. 5013 et seq.)

The SCP is one of three programs that

comprise the National Senior Service

Corps. All three Senior Corps programs

are based on the premise that seniors are

valuable resources, can be mobilized to

help meet priority community needs,

and through their skills and talents can

have an impact on national problems of

local concern.

The SCP was launched in 1974 with

its first 11 projects. Today there are over

13,000 Senior Companions serving

48,000 frail adults annually. These

Senior Companions provide high

quality and reliable personal support to

adults, primarily frail elderly,

experiencing difficulties with activities

of daily living, allowing them to live

independently in their own homes for

as long as possible. SCP focuses on

those with moderate physical, mental or

emotional impairments who are without

adequate family support and who in the

absence of non-medical support services

would be at risk of institutionalization.

Senior Companions also assist clients in

patient discharge programs at acute

care, mental health, and long-term care

facilities to make the transition to living

in less restrictive community settings,

and some Senior Companions provide

short-term respite for primary care

givers of frail adults in times of special

need.

B. Purpose of This Announcement

The Corporation is soliciting

applications from national nonprofit

organizations in order to fund multistate and multi-site projects that are

national in scope and build on existing

networks of the national organizations.

The Corporation is interested in

expanding the Senior Companion

Program to serve new geographic

locations currently unserved by the

program. The Corporation is interested

in focusing on in-home assignments for

older persons most in need and respite

for family care givers.

Many older adults experience

problems in one or more routine

activities of daily living (ADLs) which