[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 87 (Wednesday, May 6, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25049-25054]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-11963]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Office of the Secretary


Supporting Field Initiated Teen Pregnancy Prevention Evaluation

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation; 
DHHS.

ACTION: Announcement of the availability of funds and request for 
applications to enhance existing evaluations on teen pregnancy 
prevention programs.

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SUMMARY: The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and 
Evaluation (ASPE) announces that applications are being accepted for 
funding to augment existing evaluations of teen pregnancy prevention 
interventions that are rigorous in design and already have funding. The 
primary goal of the proposed grants is to further the understanding of 
teen pregnancy prevention interventions and the extent to which these 
interventions meet their goal of reducing teenage pregnancies. Federal 
funding under this announcement is intended to support evaluation 
exclusively, not program operation or service provision. Projects 
funded under this announcement are

[[Page 25050]]

intended to complement other aspects of the Department's National 
Strategy to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.
    Organizations eligible to apply for this federal funding include 
public entities; private for profit organizations (if fee is waived); 
and public or private nonprofit organizations, including universities 
that are either in the process of conducting a rigorous evaluation of a 
teen pregnancy prevention program or that have completed an evaluation 
of such program within the past three years and would be appropriate 
for a follow-up.
    It is anticipated that two to three grants totaling approximately 
$300,000 will be awarded. Project duration is 12 months from date of 
award.

Legislative Authority

    This grant is authorized by section 1110 of the Social Security Act 
(42 U.S.C).

CLOSING DATE: The closing date for submitting applications under this 
announcement is July 6, 1998.

MAILING ADDRESS: Application instructions and forms should be requested 
from and submitted to: Grants Officer, Office of the Assistant 
Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, Department of Health and Human 
Services, 200 Independence Avenue, SW., Room 405F, Hubert H. Humphrey 
Building, Washington, DC 20201, Phone (202) 690-8794. Copies of this 
program announcement and many of the required forms may also be 
obtained electronically at the ASPE World Wide Web Page <a href="http://
aspe.os.dhhs.gov">http://
aspe.os.dhhs.gov</a>. You may fax your request to (202) 690-6518 to the 
attention of the Grants Officer. Application submissions may not be 
faxed or sent electronically.
    The printed Federal Register notice is the only official program 
announcement. Although reasonable efforts are taken to assure that the 
files on the ASPE 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. Requests for forms and questions (administrative 
and technical) will be accepted and responded to up to 30 days prior to 
closing date of receipt of applications.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Technical questions should be directed to 
Barbara Broman DHHS, ASPE, Telephone, (202) 690-6461 or E-Mail, 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#67050515080a06092708140614170249030f0f1449000811"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="92f0f0e0fdfff3fcd2fde1f3e1e2f7bcf6fafae1bcf5fde4">[email protected]</span></a>. Questions may also be faxed to (202) 690-5514. 
Written technical questions should be addressed to Ms. Broman at the 
following address: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and 
Evaluation, Department of Health and Human Services, 200 Independence 
Ave, SW, Room 450G, Washington, DC 20201.

Part I. Background

    Although teen birth rates in the United States are declining, the 
teen birth rate continues to range between two and seven times higher 
than the teen birth rate in comparable Western industrialized nations. 
However, before large scale pregnancy prevention initiatives can be 
implemented, the current knowledge base on pregnancy prevention 
programs must be expanded to delineate which strategies are the most 
promising, which aspects of which programs demonstrate the strongest 
impact, and which programs are successful in affecting behavior across 
various communities and population characteristics, such as ethnicity 
and socioeconomic status. This project is designed to augment existing 
rigorous evaluations of teen pregnancy prevention interventions to 
further the understanding of the extent to which these interventions 
meet their goal of reducing teenage pregnancy.
    The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act 
of 1996 (Pub. L. 104-193) signed by President Clinton on August 22, 
1996 called for additional efforts to prevent teenage pregnancies and 
to assure that communities engage in local efforts to prevent teen 
pregnancy. DHHS responded to this call from Congress and the President 
by releasing the National Strategy to Prevent Teen Pregnancy in January 
1997. The National Strategy builds on existing public and private-
sector efforts and on initiatives in the new welfare law by helping 
provide the tools needed to develop more strategic and targeted 
approaches to preventing teen pregnancies. The goals of the Strategy 
include: Strengthening ongoing efforts across the nation through 
increasing opportunities through welfare reform; supporting promising 
approaches; building partnerships; improving data collection, research, 
and evaluation; and disseminating information on innovative and 
effective practices.
    The Department supports a variety of programs to help communities 
develop teen pregnancy prevention strategies. However, since the 
multiple challenges adolescents face are often interrelated, programs 
that emphasize other high-risk behaviors (e.g., alcohol and drug abuse, 
school dropout) are also related to teen pregnancy prevention. Current 
Department efforts include family planning grants, maternal and child 
health programs, abstinence education, adolescent health programs, 
runaway and homeless youth programs, and alcohol and drug abuse 
prevention programs.
    Department research, evaluation, and data activities in this area 
are extensive. Agencies involved include the Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention/National Center Health Statistics (NCHS), 
National Institutes of Health /National Institute of Child Health and 
Human Development (NICHD), and ASPE. Specifically, in 1995, ASPE funded 
Child Trends, Inc. to do a comprehensive review of the most recent 
literature on teen sexual behavior, pregnancy, and parenthood and the 
effectiveness of teen pregnancy prevention programs (Beginning Too 
Soon: Adolescent Sexual Behavior, Pregnancy and Parenthood). ASPE, 
along with NICHD and NCHS, also prepared the September 1995 Report to 
Congress on Out-of-Wedlock Childbearing requested by Senator Moynihan. 
The report includes the current status and trends in nonmarital 
childbearing and presents a series of supplemental papers from experts 
from various social science disciplines. DHHS' statistical and 
surveillance activities provide much needed data that support research 
throughout the country. However, there is still a great need to know 
more about which programs focused on preventing teen pregnancy change 
sexual behavior and what makes them achieve their program goals.
    Numerous programs have been implemented, ranging from abstinence 
education to comprehensive, multi-faceted interventions that offer 
education, counseling, and a variety of support services. As documented 
in the Child Trends report referenced above, several broad conclusions 
can be drawn about the current state of the field of pregnancy 
prevention programs. First, interventions have generally not been 
informed by basic research studies or by theory, and this accounts for 
the incomplete state of the current knowledge regarding the success of 
interventions intended to affect adolescent sexual behavior and 
pregnancy. Second, most of the evaluations that have been conducted 
have been lacking in methodological and statistical rigor. Douglas 
Kirby's 1997 report No Easy Answers, prepared for the National Campaign 
to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, also concludes there is a need to continue 
to explore, develop and rigorously evaluate promising

[[Page 25051]]

approaches. This announcement looks to build on current evaluation 
studies, such as those included in the reports noted above, that are 
based on theory and existing research, using rigorous methods.

Part II--Purpose and Project Design

A. Purpose

    The primary purpose of this announcement is to enhance existing 
teen pregnancy prevention program evaluations. As part of the DHHS' 
National Strategy to Prevent Teen Pregnancy we strive to better 
understand the effects of these programs by providing additional 
support to evaluations already in place. We are primarily interested in 
supporting enhancements to existing evaluations (e.g., follow-up to 
completed studies or nearly completed studies or enhanced data 
analysis). We do not expect to provide full funding for any study.

B. Project Design

    Funding under this announcement is expected to be used to support 
existing rigorous evaluations of teen pregnancy prevention 
interventions. Given that we know there is no ``magic bullet'' in 
preventing teen pregnancy, ASPE does not prescribe specific types of 
interventions for evaluation, but rather invites varied approaches to 
advance understanding of teen pregnancy prevention efforts. While the 
methods for evaluations may differ, projects must be well designed and 
the methods must be adequate and appropriate to address the questions 
identified.
    As discussed below in the Evaluation Criteria section, applicants 
must demonstrate prior experience in conducting evaluations of the 
scope, scale and topic area proposed. In making funding decisions, ASPE 
will consider an applicant organization's experience and the 
qualifications of researchers and staff.
    There is a wide range of teen pregnancy prevention programs aimed 
at delaying the initiation of sexual activity, improving contraceptive 
use among sexually active adolescents, and preventing subsequent births 
among adolescent parents. Programs targeting each of these issues range 
from traditional sex education programs and interventions designed to 
improve an adolescent's decisionmaking and interpersonal skills, to 
contraceptive services programs designed to meet needs of young 
clients, to multi-faceted initiatives targeting a wide range of 
adolescent needs. Regardless of the type of approach, ASPE is 
interested in two main questions: First, have the targeted behaviors 
changed during the time period under study for the population targeted? 
Second, are there other possible causes for the behavior changes, if 
any are noted?
    ASPE also seeks evidence as to which aspects of which programs 
demonstrate the strongest impact, and which programs are successful in 
affecting behavior across various populations that are diverse with 
respect to ethnicity and socioeconomic status.
    As indicated above, we expect to provide funding to augment 
existing evaluations which already examine a specific type of teen 
pregnancy prevention intervention. However, ASPE does not intend to 
fund evaluations of abstinence-only programs under this announcement, 
given that a competitive contract award will be made to conduct an 
intensive rigorous evaluation of a selected number of abstinence-only 
programs funded under Section 510 of the Maternal and Child Health 
Block Grant. We are seeking to enhance evaluations of other programs 
including for example: curriculum-based sex education, school-based 
health centers, multi-component or youth development programs. These 
approaches are meant for illustrative purposes and to demonstrate our 
desire for additional evaluation information on a wide variety of teen 
pregnancy interventions.
    Grantees must deliver a final report to ASPE at the completion of 
the project that can be disseminated by ASPE or its designee(s). The 
report must be reviewed for quality of content, formatting, and 
readability. The report, at a minimum, should contain a table of 
contents, executive summary, and full report.
    In addition to the printed copies required under this grant, the 
contents of all reports must be delivered in a digital form that is 
reproducible on personal computers and office printers.
    Electronic copy shall be delivered on 3\1/2\'' disks formatted in 
the DOS (FAT) format.
    Text shall be entered and formatted in any of the commonly 
available commercial word processing programs marketed by the 
IBM<SUP></SUP>, Corel<SUP></SUP>, or Microsoft<SUP></SUP> 
Corporations. Lengthy documents should be organized into chapters and a 
separate file should be provided for each chapter. The title page, 
table of contents, and other front matter shall be in a separate file.
    Tables of data shall be delivered in a commonly available 
commercial spreadsheet program marketed by the IBM<SUP></SUP>, 
Corel<SUP></SUP>, or Microsoft<SUP></SUP> Corporations. Each table 
shall be delivered as a separate file on the disk and not embedded in 
the word processing file even though tables may have been merged with 
the text to form a single file for printing purposes. File names should 
contain consecutive numbers that correspond to the numerical labels 
used in the printed version. For example, Chapter 4, Table 7 could be 
designated C4T7.tbl.
    Graphic figures such as bar and line charts, diagrams, and other 
drawings shall be delivered in the Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) or 
the JPG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) format. Even though the 
graphical elements may have been merged with the text to form a single 
file for printing purposes, each graphical image shall be delivered as 
a separate file on the disk and must not be embedded in a word 
processing, spreadsheet, slide show or other composite file.
    Documents that have been designed to include visually complex 
elements, two or more colors, specialized drawings, photographic 
images, or other artwork, or which have been specially prepared for 
offset printing, shall be delivered in electronic form as one or more 
Postscript<SUP></SUP> files. All the files necessary for reproduction 
shall be provided including templates, indices, etc.

C. Eligible Applicants and Funding

    ASPE anticipates providing up to a total of $300,000 for two to 
three approved projects in FY 98, subject to the availability of funds. 
All grants will be awarded by September 30, 1998. We expect to make 
one-time awards for projects. There are currently no budgeted future 
year costs to this initiative, though if funding becomes available in 
FY 1998 or FY 1999 additional grants could be funded or some of this 
year's grants could be extended to allow additional analysis.
    Applications may be submitted by for-profit and non-profit 
organizations, public and private, such as universities, colleges, 
hospitals, laboratories, units of State and local governments, health 
boards, public health departments, volunteer organizations or clinics 
that are either in the process of conducting an evaluation of a teen 
pregnancy prevention intervention or that have completed an evaluation 
of such program within the past three years and would be appropriate 
for follow-up. However, to reach scientifically valid conclusions about 
effectiveness, evaluations most appropriate for this funding should 
include the following criteria: (1) A sufficiently large sample size, 
(2) long-term follow-up, (3) measures of behavior rather than just 
attitudes and beliefs, (4) a comparison or control group (5) proper 
statistical

[[Page 25052]]

analyses, and 6) independent evaluators. Applicant should explain 
further in narrative if any of these criteria are not met.
    ASPE does not expect to fully fund a new evaluation. To maximize 
the benefit of the Federal investment to advance knowledge about teen 
pregnancy prevention, applicants must provide evidence of other sources 
of funding for the project (e.g, applicant resources or private 
foundation funding). The applicant should provide budget statements 
from previous  awards that contribute to the completion of the 
evaluation. The applicant should describe the level, sources and 
duration of non-Federal funds or resources committed to the project, 
and should clearly state how ASPE funds will be used to enhance the 
evaluation.

Part III. Application Preparation and Evaluation Criteria

    This section contains information on the preparation of 
applications for submission under this announcement, on the forms 
necessary for submission, and on the evaluation criteria under which 
the applications will be reviewed. Potential applicants should read 
this section carefully in conjunction with information provided above. 
The application must contain the required federal forms, title page, 
table of contents, and the sections listed below. All pages of the 
narrative should be numbered. The application should include the 
following elements:
    1. Abstract: A one page summary of the proposed project.
    2. Goals and objectives of the project: An overview that describes 
(1) specific research questions to be investigated, (2) the project and 
methods to be employed, and (3) knowledge and information to be gained 
from the project by the applicant, the government, and the research 
community.
    3. Methodology and Design: Provide a description and justification 
of how the proposed evaluation enhancement will be implemented, 
including methodologies, chosen approach, data, and proposed evaluation 
and analytic plans including a description of the overall project and 
how the enhancement relates to the overall project. Address the ability 
to generalize the findings from this study to the national problem. 
Identify theoretical or empirical basis for the methodology and 
approach proposed. Specify how the study will protect the 
confidentiality of subjects and the information they provide. Describe 
how the project will address potential difficulties in studying the 
youth population such as recruitment and retention as well as language 
and cultural differences, if applicable. Indicate the types of 
assurances that are provided regarding protection of human subjects, in 
areas like confidentiality, informed consent, etc.
    4. Experience, capacity, qualifications, and use of staff: Briefly 
describe the applicant's organizational capabilities and experience in 
conducting pertinent evaluation projects. Identify key staff who are 
expected to carry out the proposed evaluation enhancement and provide a 
curriculum vita for each person. Provide a discussion of which key 
staff are already involved in the existing evaluation project and a 
detailed description of additional responsibilities of that staff for 
the enhancement or additional staff, if applicable. If the applicant 
plans to contract for outside staff for this project, the relationship 
and commitment of these people to the applicant organization should be 
demonstrated. Applicants should demonstrate access to computer hardware 
and software for storing and analyzing their data necessary to complete 
this project.
    5. Work plan: A work plan should be included which describes the 
start and end dates of the overall project and the proposed 
enhancement, the responsibilities of each of the key staff, and a time 
line which indicates the sequence of tasks necessary for the completion 
of the overall evaluation and the proposed enhancement. It should 
identify other time commitments of key staff members such as other 
projects and/or teaching or managerial responsibilities. The work plan 
should include a discussion of plans for dissemination of the results 
of the study including the findings from the enhancement, e.g., 
articles in journals and presentations at conferences.
    6. Budget: Applicants must submit a request for federal funds using 
Standard Form 424A and include a detailed breakdown of Federal line 
items. A narrative explanation of the budget should be included which 
explains fund usage in more detail. The applicant should clearly state 
how the funds associated with this announcement will be used and 
describe how these funds will be used for purposes that would not 
otherwise be incorporated within the project. The applicant should 
document equipment purchase, if applicable. The applicant should also 
document the level of funding from other sources and how these funds 
have been or will be utilized. The applicant should provide budget 
statements from previous
award/s that contribute to the completion of the evaluation.

Review Process and Funding Information

    A independent review panel will review and score all applications 
that are submitted by the deadline date and which meet the screening 
criteria (all information and documents as required by this 
Announcement.) The panel will review the application using the 
evaluation criteria listed below to score each application. These 
review results will be the primary element used by the Assistant 
Secretary in making funding decisions. The Department reserves the 
option to discuss applications with other Federal or State staff, 
specialists, experts and the general public. Comments from these 
sources, along with those of the reviewers, will be kept from 
inappropriate disclosure and may be considered in making an award 
decision

State Single Point of Contact (E.O. 12372)

    DHHS has determined that this program is not subject to Executive 
Order 12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs,'' because 
it is a program that is national in scope and does not directly affect 
State and local governments. Applicants are not required to seek 
intergovernmental review of their applications within the constraints 
of E.O. 12372.

Deadline for Submission of Applications

    The closing date for submission of applications under this 
announcement is July 6, 1998. Applications must be postmarked or hand 
delivered to the application receipt point no later than 5 p.m. on July 
6, 1998. Hand-delivered applications will be accepted Monday through 
Friday, excluding federal holidays, prior to and on July 6, 1998, 
during the working hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the lobby of the Hubert 
H. Humphrey building located at 200 Independence Avenue, SW. in 
Washington, DC. When hand-delivering an application, call (202) 690-
8794 from the lobby for pick up. A staff person will be available to 
receive applications.
    An application will be considered as meeting the deadline if it is 
either: (1) Received at, or hand-delivered to, the mailing address on 
or before July 6, 1998, or (2) postmarked before midnight of the 
deadline date, July 6, 1998 and received in time to be considered 
during the competitive review process.
    When mailing applications, applicants are strongly advised to 
obtain a legibly dated receipt from a

[[Page 25053]]

commercial carrier (such as UPS, Federal Express, etc.) or from the 
U.S. Postal Service as proof of mailing by the deadline date 
(Applicants are cautioned that express/overnight mail services do not 
always deliver as agreed). If there is a question as to when an 
application was mailed, applicants will be asked to provide proof of 
mailing by the deadline date. When proof is not provided, an 
application will not be considered for funding. Private metered 
postmarks are not acceptable as proof of timely mailing.

A. Late Applications

    Applications which do not meet the July 6, 1998 deadline are 
considered late applications and will not be considered or reviewed in 
the current competition. DHHS will send a letter to this effect to each 
late applicant.

B. Extension of Deadlines

    DHHS reserves the right to extend the deadline for all proposals 
due to acts of God, such as floods, hurricanes, or earthquakes; or if 
there is a widespread disruption of the mail; or if DHHS determines a 
deadline extension to be in the best interest of the government. 
However, DHHS will not waive or extend the deadline for any applicant 
unless the deadline is waived or extended for all applicants.

C. Initial Screening

    Applications will be initially screened for compliance with the 
timeliness, completeness, and cost-sharing requirements. If judged in 
compliance, the application then will be reviewed by government 
personnel, augmented by outside experts where appropriate.

Mailing Address and Application Forms

    Application instructions and forms should be requested from and 
submitted to: Grants Officer, Office of the Assistant Secretary for 
Planning and Evaluation, Department of Health and Human Services, 200 
Independence Avenue, SW., Room 405F, Hubert H. Humphrey Building, 
Washington, DC 20201, Phone (202) 690-8794. Copies of this program 
announcement and many of the required forms may also be obtained 
electronically at the ASPE World Wide Web Page http://aspe.os.dhhs.gov. 
You may fax your request to (202) 690-6518 to the attention of the 
Grants Officer. Application submissions may not be faxed or sent 
electronically.
    The printed Federal Register notice is the only official program 
announcement. Although reasonable efforts are taken to assure that the 
files on the ASPE 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. Requests for forms and questions (administrative 
and technical) will be accepted and responded to up to 30 days prior to 
closing date of receipt of applications.
    Also see section entitled ``Components of a Complete Application.'' 
All of these documents must accompany the application package.

Length of Application

    Applications should be as brief as possible but should assure 
successful communication of the applicant's proposal to the reviewers. 
In no case shall an application (excluding the resumes, appendix and 
other appropriate attachments) be longer than 20 single spaced pages. 
Applications should be neither unduly elaborate nor contain voluminous 
supporting documentation. Videotapes and cassette tapes may not be 
included as part of a grant application for panel review. A signed 
original and two (2) copies of each application are required. 
Applicants are encouraged to send an additional four (4) copies of 
their application to ease processing, but applicants will not be 
penalized if these extra copies are not included. The application's 
Form 424 must be signed by the applicant's representative authorized to 
act with the full authority on behalf of the applicant

Review Process and Evaluation Criteria

    Selection of the successful applicant will be based on the 
technical and financial criteria described in this announcement. 
Reviewers will determine the strengths and weaknesses of each 
application in terms of the evaluation criteria listed below, provide 
comments and assign numerical scores. The review panel will prepare a 
summary of all applicant score and strengths/weaknesses and 
recommendations and submit it to ASPE for final decisions on the award.
    The point value following each criterion heading indicates the 
maximum numerical weight that each section will be given in the review 
process. An unacceptable rating on any individual criterion may render 
the application unacceptable. Consequently, applicants should take care 
to ensure that all criteria are fully addressed in the applications. 
Applications will be judged according to the criteria set forth below:
    1. Goals, Objectives, and Potential Usefulness of the Analyses (20 
points). The potential usefulness of the project and how the 
anticipated results of the proposed project will advance knowledge and 
development in the field of teen pregnancy prevention. Applicants will 
be judged on the extent to which the proposed evaluative approach 
addresses the interests of ASPE and whether findings will contribute to 
the current knowledge base on teen pregnancy prevention programs and 
which strategies are the most promising.
    2. Quality and Soundness of Methodology and Evaluation Design (40 
points). The appropriateness, soundness, and cost effectiveness of the 
methodology, including the evaluation design, statistical techniques, 
analytical strategies, selection of existing data sets, and other 
procedures. Reviewers will judge the overall program/intervention that 
is being evaluated, the existing evaluation design and the proposed 
enhancement to that evaluation funded by this announcement. Reviewers 
will consider the following about the program/intervention: (1) Period 
of time the program has been in existence, (2) target population, (3) 
theoretical base of program, (4) geographical location, and (5) 
intensiveness.
    Reviewers will consider the following in assessing the existing 
evaluation and the proposed enhancement to the evaluation: (1) A 
sufficiently large sample size, (2) long-term follow-up, (3) measures 
of behavior rather than just attitudes and beliefs, (4) a comparison or 
control group (5) proper statistical analyses, and an (6) independent 
evaluators. Applicant should explain further if any of these criteria 
are not met.
    Reviewers will also judge the ability of the applicant's proposed 
methodology to reliably attribute impacts. Reviewers will consider if 
the types of assurances regarding protection of human subjects, in 
areas like confidentiality, informed consent, etc. are provided.
    3. Qualifications of Personnel and Organizational Capacity (20 
points). The qualifications of the project personnel for conducting the 
proposed evaluation as evidenced by professional training and 
experience, and the capacity of the organization to provide the 
infrastructure and support necessary for the project. Reviewers will 
evaluate the applicant's principal investigator and staff on evaluation 
experience and their demonstrated evaluation skills. Principal 
investigator and staff time

[[Page 25054]]

commitments also will be a factor in the evaluation.
    4. Ability of the Work Plan and Budget to Successfully Achieve the 
Project's Objectives (20 points). Reviewers will examine if the work 
plan and budget are reasonable and sufficient to ensure timely 
implementation and completion of the evaluation enhancement and whether 
the applicant demonstrates an adequate level of understanding by the 
applicant of the practical problems of conducting such a project. 
Reviewers will judge whether there is an ``added benefit'' from 
providing these funds. In other words, is the applicant using federal 
funds for purposes that would not otherwise be funded? Reviewers will 
also consider whether the budget assures an efficient and effective 
allocation of funds to achieve the objectives of this solicitation and 
whether the application has additional funding from other sources. 
Eligible projects must document sufficient funding for program 
operation during the period of the evaluation and also document 
sufficient funding for the existing evaluation component. The applicant 
should provide budget statements from previous award/s that contribute 
to the completion of the evaluation. Applicants without these funds or 
the documentation that certifies these funds will be ineligible to 
receive any points in this category. Reviewers will judge if the 
applicant has adequately demonstrated its ability to present findings 
and produce a final report that can be widely disseminated by ASPE or 
its designee (s).

Disposition of Applications

1. Approval, Disapproval, or Deferral

    On the basis of the review of the application, the Assistant 
Secretary will either: (a) Approve the application as a whole or in 
part; (b) disapprove the application; or defer action on the 
application for such reasons as lack of funds or a need for further 
review. However, nothing commits the Assistant Secretary to making an 
award or limits the ability to make multiple award.

2. Notification of Disposition

    The Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation will notify the 
applicants of the disposition of their applications. If approved, a 
signed notification of the grant award will be sent to the business 
office named in the ASPE checklist.

Federal Domestic Assistance Catalog

    The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance number is 93-239.

Components of a Complete Application

    A complete application consists of the following items in this 
order:

1. Application for Federal Assistance (Standard Form 424);
2. Budget Information--Non-construction Programs (Standard Form 424A);
3. Assurances--Non-construction Programs (Standard Form 424B);
4. Table of Contents;
5. Budget Justification for Section B Budget Categories;
6. Proof of Non-Profit Status, if appropriate;
7. Copy of the applicant's Approved Indirect Cost Rate Agreement;
8. Project Narrative Statement;
9. Any appendices or attachments;
10. Certification Regarding Drug-Free Workplace;
11. Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, or other 
Responsibility Matters;
12. Certification and, if necessary, Disclosure Regarding Lobbying;
13. Supplement to Section II--Key Personnel
14. Application for Federal Assistance Checklist

Margaret A. Hamburg,
Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation.
[FR Doc. 98-11963 Filed 5-5-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4151-04-P


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