27306 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 95 / Monday, May 18, 1998 / Notices

1In addition to persons who meet all

requirements of 45 CFR 400.43, ‘‘Requirements for

documentation of refugee status,’’ eligibility for

targeted assistance includes: (1) Cuban and Haitian

entrants, under section 501 of the Refugee

Education Assistance Act of 1980 (Pub. L. 96–422);

(2) certain Amerasians from Vietnam who are

admitted to the U.S. as immigrants under section

584 of the Foreign Operations, Export Financing,

and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 1988, as

included in the FY 1988 Continuing Resolution

(Pub. L. 100–202); and (3) certain Amerasians from

Vietnam, including U.S. citizens, under title II of

the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and

Related Programs Appropriations Acts, 1989 (Pub.

L. 100–461), 1990 (Pub. L. 101–167), and 1991 (Pub.

L. 101–513). For convenience, the term ‘‘refugee’’ is

used in this notice to encompass all such eligible

persons unless the specific context indicates

otherwise.

Refugees admitted to the U.S. under admissions

numbers set aside for private-sector-initiative

admissions are not eligible to be served under the

targeted assistance program (or under other

programs supported by Federal refugee funds)

during their period of coverage under their

sponsoring agency’s agreement with the Department

of State—usually two years from their date of

arrival or until they obtain permanent resident alien

status, whichever comes first.

This notice is being published less

than 15 days prior to the meeting due

to the urgent need to meet timing

limitations imposed by the review and

funding cycle.

The meeting will be closed in

accordance with provisions set forth in

secs. 552b(c)(4) and 552b(c)(6), Title 5,

U.S.C. The applications and/or

proposals and the discussions could

reveal confidential trade secrets or

commercial property such as patentable

material and personal information

concerning individuals associated with

the applications and/or proposals,

disclosure of which would constitute a

clearly unwarranted invasion of

personal privacy.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Program Numbers: 93.277, Drug Abuse

Research Scientist Development and

Research Scientist Awards; 93.278, Drug

Abuse National Research Service Awards for

Research Training; 93.279, Drug Abuse

Research Program)

Dated: May 12, 1998.

Anna Snouffer,

Acting NIH Committee Management Officer.

[FR Doc. 98–13153 Filed 5–15–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4140–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND

HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and

Families

Refugee Resettlement Program:

Availability of FY 1998 Targeted

Assistance and Social Services

Discretionary Funding

AGENCY: Office of Refugee Resettlement,

ACF, DHHS.

ACTION: Notice of availability of FY 1998

Targeted Assistance discretionary funds

to States and of the availability of FY

1998 Social Services discretionary funds

for services to refugees.

SUMMARY: This program announcement

governs the availability of and award

procedures for $9,900,000 in FY 1998

Targeted Assistance discretionary grants

(TAG) for services to refugees.1 Further,

this announcement governs the

availability of, and award procedures for

approximately $1,300,000 in FY 1998

Social Services discretionary funds for

the Community and Family

Strengthening (CFS) Program.

Applicants may request a project

period of up to two years, with an initial

budget period of one year. Where

awards are for multiple-year project

periods, applications for continuation

grants will be entertained in subsequent

years on a non-competitive basis,

subject to the availability of funds,

successful progress of the project, and

ACF’s determination that this would be

in the best interest of the government.

The Office of Refugee Resettlement

(ORR) will accept competing

applications for grants pursuant to the

Director’s discretionary authority under

section 412(c)(1) of the Immigration and

Nationality Act (INA), as amended by

section 311 of the Refugee Act of 1980

(Pub. L. 96–212), 8 U.S.C. 1522(c);

section 501(a) of the Refugee Education

Assistance Act of 1980 (Pub. L. 96–422),

8 U.S.C. 1522 note, insofar as it

incorporates by reference with respect

to Cuban and Haitian entrants the

authorities pertaining to assistance for

refugees established by section 412(c) of

the INA, as cited above; and the Refugee

Assistance Extension Act of 1986 (Pub.

L. 99–605).

This Program Announcement consists

of three parts:

Part I covers supplemental

information on available funds,

legislative authorities, eligible

applicants, and the priority areas to be

considered.

Part II, Priority Areas Under Which

Grants and Cooperative Agreements

Will Be Awarded, describes the four

priority areas under which ORR is

requesting applications. Grants and

cooperative agreements will be awarded

for the purposes described below under

TAG and under the Social Services CFS

program. ORR will make awards in the

following priority areas:

(1) Targeted assistance

(2) Microenterprise development

(3) Self-sufficiency services to offset the

impact of large refugee families on

local communities

(4) Refugee community and family

strengthening social services.

Each Priority Area below includes the

following sections which provide areaspecific information to be used to

develop an application for ORR funds:

A. Purpose, B. Allowable Activities, and

C. Review Criteria.

Part III, General Application

Information and Guidance, describes

application procedures for Priority

Areas 1 through 4 and should be

consulted in developing an application

for any of the priority areas. It also

contains information on the availability

of forms, where and how to submit an

application, instructions for completing

the SF–424, the intergovernmental

review, and reporting requirements.

CLOSING DATE: The closing date for

submission of applications is July 10,

1998. Applications postmarked after the

closing date will be classified as late

and will not be considered in the

current competition.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION REGARDING

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, CONTACT: Kathy Do,

TAG Program Manager, at (202) 401–

4579 for information regarding Priority

Areas 1, and 3; for Priority Area 2,

please contact Marta Brenden, Refugee

Microenterprise Program Manager, at

(202–205–3589) or e-mail:

mbrenden@acf.dhhs.gov; and for

Priority Area 4, contact Anna Mary

Portz, CFS Program Manager, telephone

(202) 401–1196, or e-mail:

aportz@acf.dhhs.gov. You may address

correspondence to the contact person as

follows: Administration for Children

and Families, ORR/Division of

Community Resettlement, 370 L’Enfant

Promenade, SW, 6th Floor, Washington,

DC 20447.

Part I

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Legislative Authority

Targeted assistance discretionary

grants are awarded under the authority

of section 412(c)(2) of the Immigration

and Nationality Act (INA), as amended

by the Refugee Assistance Extension Act

of 1986 (Pub. L. 99–605), 8 U.S.C.

1522(c); section 501(a) of the Refugee

Education Assistance Act of 1980 (Pub.

L. 96–422), 8 U.S.C. 1522 note, insofar

as it incorporates by reference with

respect to Cuban and Haitian entrants

the authorities pertaining to assistance

for refugees established by section

412(c)(2) of the INA, as cited above;

section 584(c) of the Foreign Operations,

Export Financing, and Related Programs
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 95 / Monday, May 18, 1998 / Notices 27307

Appropriations Act, 1988, as included

in the FY 1988 Continuing Resolution

(Pub. L. 100–202), insofar as it

incorporates by reference with respect

to certain Amerasians from Vietnam the

authorities pertaining to assistance for

refugees established by section 412(c)(2)

of the INA, as cited above, including

certain Amerasians from Vietnam who

are U.S. citizens, as provided under title

II of the Foreign Operations, Export

Financing, and Related Programs

Appropriations Act, 1989 (Pub. L. 100–

461), 1990 (Pub. L. 101–167), 1991 (Pub.

L. 101–513), and 1998 (Pub. L. 105–

118).

Background

Section 412(c)(1)(A) of the INA

authorizes the Director of ORR ‘‘to make

grants to, and enter into contracts with,

public or private nonprofit agencies for

projects specifically designed—(i) to

assist refugees in obtaining the skills

which are necessary for economic selfsufficiency, including projects for job

training, employment services, day care,

professional refresher training, and

other recertification services; (ii) to

provide training in English where

necessary (regardless of whether the

refugees are employed or receiving cash

or other assistance); and (iii) to provide

where specific needs have been shown

and recognized by the Director * * *

health, social adjustment services, social

services, educational and other

services.’’

The targeted assistance discretionary

program reflects the requirements of

section 412(c)(2)(A) of the INA, which

provides authority for the Director of

ORR ‘‘to make grants to States for

assistance to counties and similar areas

in the States where, because of factors

such as unusually large refugee

populations (including secondary

migration), high refugee concentrations,

and high use of public assistance by

refugees, there exists and can be

demonstrated a specific need for

supplementation of available resources

for services to refugees.’’ Paragraph

(2)(B) states, ‘‘Grants shall be made

available * * * (ii) in a manner that

does not supplant other refugee program

funds and that assures that not less than

95 percent of the amount of the grant

award is made available to the county

or other local entity.’’

The Department’s FY 1998

Appropriation (Pub. L. 104–134)

provides $415,000,000 for refugee and

entrant assistance activities to be

distributed by formula and through

discretionary grants for special projects.

The Office of Refugee Resettlement

has available an additional $5,000,000

in FY 1998 funds for the targeted

assistance discretionary program

through the Foreign Operations, Export

Financing, and Related Programs

Appropriations Act (Pub. L. 104–107).

These funds are to augment the

discretionary program for localities most

impacted by the influx of refugees such

as Laotian Hmong, Cambodians and

Soviet Pentecostals, and are included in

this announcement.

Services Provided Through ORR

Discretionary Programs Are Not

Restricted to Refugees Arriving Within

the Last Five Years

Availability of Funds

Approximately $11.2 million will be

awarded in FY 1998 through this

Announcement. ORR expects to award

approximately $4,300,000 in FY 1998

TAG discretionary funds in Priority

Area 1: Targeted Assistance Grants

(TAG), through 15–20 grants and

cooperative agreements ranging from

$150,000 to $300,000 per budget period.

In Priority Area 2: Microenterprise, ORR

anticipates making three individual new

awards ranging from $150,000 to

$250,000 and totaling approximately

$600,000 from TAG funds. In Priority

Area 3: Self-Sufficiency Services for

Impacted Communities, ORR expects to

make approximately 5 awards totaling

$5 million, with no single grant or

cooperative agreement exceeding

$3,500,000. ORR expects to award a

total of $1,300,000 in FY 1998 Social

Services discretionary funds in Priority

Area 4: Community Family

Strengthening (CFS), to approximately

10 projects ranging from $80,000 to

$250,000.

The Catalog of Federal Domestic

Assistance (CFDA) Number Assigned to

This Announcement is 93.576

The Director reserves the right to

award less, or more, than the funds

described, in the absence of worthy

applications, or under such other

circumstances as may be deemed to be

in the best interest of the government.

Applicants may be required to reduce

the scope of selected projects to

accommodate the amount of the

approved grant award. Where ORR

anticipates substantial involvement

with the grantee during the performance

of the project, the award action will

include a cooperative agreement.

A State may not budget or retain for

State administration more than 5% of a

TAG discretionary grant award. Where

the State chooses to implement the

projects by awarding funds through

county governments, States and

counties may each retain a maximum of

5% of the funds awarded for

administration.

Eligible State applicants may apply

for more than one of Priority Areas 1–

4 as described above; however each

State should submit one application

(e.g. a single SF 424A) with a full

component description labeled by

Priority Area including a budget

justification and narrative for each

distinct project. In addition, component

budgets should be individually detailed

on the SF 424B and the aggregate Total

should correlate to the Estimated

Funding on the SF 424A. Applicants

applying for microenterprise

development activities under Priority

Areas 1 or 3 are referred to Priority 2 of

this announcement for guidance in the

preparation of the relevant section of

their application.

Eligible Applicants and Grantees

States are the eligible recipients of

TAG funds. Therefore, applications in

Priority Areas 1–3 described below are

restricted to States or their

representatives. Applications will be

considered from all States, regardless of

whether any communities in the State

qualify for funding under the formula

TAP grant program.

Eligible TAG applicants are (a) those

agencies of State governments which are

responsible for the refugee program

under 45 CFR 400.5, and (b) an agency

which has State-wide responsibility for

an alternative to the State-administered

program in lieu of the State under a

Wilson/Fish grant.

Eligible Applicants for Priority Area 4

Are any Public or Private, Nonprofit

Organization

Current CFS grantees whose projects

end by September 30, 1998 are

encouraged to participate under Priority

Areas 1, 2, 3 or 4, as appropriate.

Coalitions—Refugee programs and

local organizations, which have not

already done so, are encouraged to build

coalitions for the purpose of providing

services funded under this

announcement. The activities funded by

these grants are intended to serve as a

catalyst to bring the community together

to address the economic and social

problems of refugee families and the

refugee community. The goal in all

cases should be to build and strengthen

the community’s capacity to serve its

members in improving the quality of life

and standard of living for refugee

families.

ORR strongly encourages single

applications from partnerships or

consortia of three or more eligible

organizations. Applicants must

demonstrate that wherever potential
27308 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 95 / Monday, May 18, 1998 / Notices

partners for collaboration exist, the

applicant, at a minimum, has planned

the proposed activities in collaboration

with these potential partners. Partners

may be in the refugee services provider

community of organizations and

institutions or in mainstream services

organizations, e.g., adult basic education

providers, child care coalitions,

women’s shelters. Collaboration might

also include the Mayor’s office, school

parent-teacher groups, local police

departments, and other mainstream

community service organizations.

The process of coalition-building is

key to strengthening cooperation and

coordination among the local service

providers, community leaders, Mutual

Assistance Associations, voluntary

agencies, churches, and other public

and private organizations involved in

refugee resettlement or community

service. ORR intends that this process

will be part of local efforts to build

strategic partnerships among these

groups to expand their capacity to serve

the social and economic needs of

refugees and to give support and

direction to ethnic communities facing

problems in economic independence

and social adjustment.

In this context, ORR is defining

partnership as a formal negotiated

arrangement among organizations that

provides for a substantive collaborative

role for each of the partners in the

planning and conduct of the project.

Applications which represent a

coalition of providers should include a

signed partnership agreement stating a

commitment or an intent to commit or

receive resources from the prospective

partner(s) contingent upon receipt of

ORR funds. The agreement should state

how the partnership arrangement relates

to the objectives of the project. The

applicant should also include:

Supporting documentation identifying

the resources, experience, and expertise

of the partner(s); evidence that the

partner(s) has been involved in the

planning of the project; and a discussion

of the role of the partner(s) in the

implementation and conduct of the

project.

Part I Priority Areas Under Which

Grants and Cooperative Agreements

Will Be Awarded

PRIORITY AREA 1: Targeted Assistance

Grants (TAG)

A. Purpose

The purpose of funding for TAG

grants is to encourage States to address

special services needs which cannot be

met with the formula social services or

targeted assistance grants.

The objective of the activities

proposed should be self-sufficiency for

refugees and refugee families. A project

may include a combination of outcomes

designed to assist families to increase

income and/or to avoid or end reliance

on public assistance. Services should be

linguistically and culturally appropriate

and service providers should

demonstrate staff capacity in this regard.

ORR is particularly interested in

projects which propose to serve special

refugee populations including youth,

women, and Former Political Prisoners.

B. Allowable Activities

Listed below are examples of services.

They are not intended to limit potential

applicants in their consultation with the

refugee communities to plan and design

projects. Where projects include ELT

technical assistance services, for

example, ORR would anticipate

substantial Federal involvement in the

selection of service-recipient agencies

and programs and in the selection of

materials and subjects for the Internet

web-site.

Applicants may propose all or some

combination of the following or may

propose other strategies to address

refugee self-sufficiency:

Specialized English Language Training

(ELT)

—Specialized classes for specific

industries in conjunction with

employers.

—Specialized instruction in preemployment competency-based ELT for

targeted groups, e.g., limited English

speaking individuals with nontransferrable job skills, homebound

women, pre-literate refugees, and the

elderly.

—Occupational and vocational

English language training, particularly

in collaboration with specific employers

and with their active participation; ELT

at sites of employment; ELT as part of

an integrated employment program (e.g.,

one stop services).

Specialized Training and EmploymentRelated Activities

—Training specific to the

employment job opportunities through

an employer or industry in the

community. These activities should be

jointly designed with the employer and

show employer contribution and

commitment to employing the trainees,

e.g., training of bilingual education

aides for the school system, training of

health aides for placement in the health

care system.

—On-the-job training and short-term

skills training targeted to the local job

market;

—Incentives for refugees to seek and

maintain employment and to avoid

welfare;

—Job placement and post-placement

services to help refugees retain

employment or sustain self-sufficiency.

Examples include supportive services,

such as transportation, interpreter

assistance, access to childcare resources

(e.g. kinship day care or care of

dependents in the household), and job

upgrades.

—Income generation through selfemployment projects including

assistance in small business creation or

expansion, business training and

technical assistance, credit in the form

of microloans, and the administrative

costs of managing a microloan fund.

Community Education

—Classes in parenting skills,

including information about U.S.

cultural and legal issues, e.g., corporal

punishment, generational conflict, and

child abuse.

—Assistance to parents in connecting

with the school system and other local

community organizations.

—Orientation to health care and

assistance for accessing low-cost health

service, including orientation on health

insurance, health maintenance

organizations, preventive health

measures, and the availability of health

services for low income families.

Community Centers and Organizing

—Assistance to refugee communities

to enhance their ability to assimilate

and acculturate to their new life in the

U.S.

—Mentoring and Peer Support

Programs, such as, pairing participant

individuals or families with community

volunteers. Programs should target

refugees who are not otherwise

receiving core services, and mentoring

should target identified needs and

provide peer support for resolution of

problems. The purposes are to solve

individual, family, and community

problems with the support of peers and

to solve common problems through

group action.

—Operating community centers for

the delivery of services to refugee

individuals and families. Centers may

also be used for recreation, child care,

information and referral services, and

community gatherings. (Costs related to

construction or renovation will not be

considered, and costs for food or

beverages are not allowable).

Combating Violence in Families

—Information and training in

preventing domestic violence, child

abuse, sexual harassment and coercion,
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 95 / Monday, May 18, 1998 / Notices 27309

roles of men and women in U.S. culture,

and techniques for protection.

—Linkages to mainstream serviceproviders to ensure access to culturally

appropriate services

—Training and providing bi-lingual

staff for women’s shelters.

Crime Prevention/Victimization

—Activities designed to improve

relations between refugees and the law

enforcement communities: (a) Public

service officers or community liaisons;

(b) neighborhood storefronts and/or

watch programs; (c) refugee business

watch program; (d) cross cultural

training for the law enforcement

community (police departments, court

system, mediation/dispute resolution

centers).

Note: Law enforcement activities, such as

hiring sworn police officers (except those

who are public service officers or community

liaison officers), fingerprinting, incarceration,

etc., are outside the scope of allowable

services under the Refugee Act and will not

be considered for funding. Other unallowable

activities are those limited to, or principally

focused on, parole counseling, court

advocacy, and child protection services.

English Language Training (ELT)

Technical Assistance

—For programs and teachers to assess

and improve employment-related ELT

and curriculum, or to develop programs

(e.g., work-site ELT, performance-based

ELT, family literacy).

—Training for ELT teachers in

identifying issues of cultural and social

adjustment, learning disabilities, and

mental health, and in developing

appropriate curricula to accommodate

learning needs of the students.

—Multi-site consultation and

information sharing training sessions

where similar agencies and/or agencies

serving similar groups of refugees can

share experiences. This might include a

component designed to bring together

ELT providers and employment

specialists, case managers, voluntary

agency staff, and public health

professionals, for the purpose of

developing strategies for effective

working relationships.

—Management of an ELT resource

center including an Internet web-site.

All services should be planned

around the refugees’ availability (i.e.,

evening hours or other times not in

conflict with work hours).

C. Priority 1—Applications Review

Criteria

Each application in Priority 1,

regardless of the number of projects

therein, will be rated and scored by an

independent review panel using the

following criteria.

1. Target Population and Strategies (10

points)

Description of the targeted refugee

population and its impact on the overall

community.

The description of the target refugee

population(s) includes their number,

national origin, year of arrival, and other

pertinent information. A comparison of

the size of the target refugee population

in relation to the size of the general

population in the community is

included.

2. Project Design and Approach (25

points)

Quality, appropriateness, and

anticipated impact of proposed services.

Rationale for the proposed activities as

an effective approach in addressing the

problem described.

The applicant clearly describes the

services that will be provided and

documents the extent to which other

sources of funding, including TAP

formula funds and other Federal, State,

or local funding, are not sufficient or

available to address the impact. The

proposal adequately discusses how

requested funds and proposed activities

will relate to other funded services.

3. Timeline and Expected Outcomes (25

points)

Extent to which the timeline and

expected outcomes of the project are

appropriate and reasonable in relation

to the funding cycle and the proposed

activities.

The applicant has clear projected

outcomes, e.g., if employment services

are proposed, the number of refugee

active participants, number expected to

enter employment, the expected average

hourly wage at employment entry, the

number of jobs with health benefits, and

the number who are employed 90 days

following employment entry.

4. Organizational’s Capability (25

points)

Demonstrated organizational

experience, track record, and project

management capability. Staff resumes or

job descriptions are included.

Organizational charts depict agency and

staff roles and responsibilities.

5. Cost Effectiveness (15 points)

Reasonableness of budget proposed.

Detailed budget and narrative

justification, including State and/or

local government administration. Unit

costs for project services and expected

outcomes are justified and reasonable.

Priority Area 2: Microenterprise

Development

A. Purpose

The purpose of this program is to use

microenterprise development to assist

refugees in becoming economically

independent and to help refugee

communities in developing employment

and capital resources.

State applicants will be expected to

have identified local agencies interested

in providing services under this Priority

Area, prior to submitting requests for

microenterprise development funds.

Successful grantees and subgrantees

will be expected to coordinate their

policies and procedures for developing

and administering refugee

microenterprise projects with the

existing refugee microenterprise

services network.

B. Allowable Activities

Microenterprise applicants may

request funds to provide business

technical assistance, business training,

credit in the form of microloans, and

administrative costs for managing a

microloan fund to assist refugees to start

or expand microbusinesses. Business

targets may be start-ups, expansions, or

both.

Microloans consist of small amounts

of credit, generally in sums less than

$10,000, extended to low-income

entrepreneurs for start-up or very small

microentreprises. Typically, refugee

borrowers should have few personal

assets or savings and should not qualify

for commercial loans.

Applicants should be familiar with

and describe a profile of the refugee

participants including employment and

welfare status, length of time in the

United States, interest in

microbusinesses and English language

proficiency. Applicants should be

familiar with the capital needs and

capital market gaps for refugee

entrepreneurs and demonstrate how

they will gain access to credit through

this project.

States intending to subgrant activities

under this category must require the

submission of the following documents

for each subgrantee prior to the award

of a subgrant:

a. A copy of the IRS Tax Exemption

Certificate and identification of IRS

code citation of tax exempt status

(nonprofit agencies only).

b. Copies of the last two fiscal year

financial statements, including balance

sheets and income statements.

c. A monthly cash flow chart for the

loan fund for the three year period

beginning October 1, 1998.
27310 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 95 / Monday, May 18, 1998 / Notices

In addition to the above, States

intending to continue microenterprise

development in agencies which

previously were funded for this purpose

by ORR should include past

microenterprise outcomes, such as

business starts, business survivability,

loan default rates, reductions in clients’

welfare utilization, job creation,

reported business income, and business

expertise acquired through the project’s

intervention.

C. Priority 2—Application Review

Criteria

Each project component in Priority 2

will be rated and scored by an

independent review panel using the

following criteria.

1. Quality of the description of the

prospective refugee participants’ profile

with respect to welfare utilization,

English language proficiency, length of

time in the U.S., interest in

microbusinesses, and the description of

local capital needs and capital market

gaps for refugee microentrepreneurs. (20

points)

2. Adequacy and appropriateness of

the planning process and resulting

program approach or design: project

goals and structure (policies,

procedures, activities); training and

technical assistance; loan fund and

lending criteria and fees, if included in

the design; whether the business targets

are start-ups, expansions, or both;

affiliate agencies; and credit

enhancements, such as loan loss

reserves. (30 points)

3. Demonstrated organizational and

management capacity, and experience

serving refugees and other economically

disadvantaged populations; description

of experience in management of loan

funds, collaboration with the specific

refugee community(ies) and coalition

building among refugee and non-refugee

service providers. (20 points)

4. Extent to which the expected

outcomes and unit costs of the project

are appropriate, consistent with

reported nationwide performance in

microenterprise projects, and reasonable

in relation to the proposed activities; the

impact of loan funds, business income,

and business assets on clients’ welfare

status, if applicable. Projected outcomes

for business income, business

survivability and reductions in welfare

utilization. (20 points)

5. Appropriateness and

reasonableness of the proposed budget,

including the relative distribution of

funds for administrative costs, training

or technical assistance, and loan capital.

Application should include project

timelines and a narrative justification

supporting each budget line item. (20

points)

Priority Area 3: Self-Sufficiency Services

to Offset the Impact of Large Refugee

Families on Local Communities

A. Purpose

The purpose of this priority area is to

promote services which enhance the

ability of large refugee families to gain

increases in household incomes

significantly above the poverty level,

and to reduce or offset the impact of

refugee populations on local

communities in States most heavily

impacted by the influx of Laotian

Hmong, Cambodian or Soviet

Pentecostal refugees. To be competitive

under this section, States must

demonstrate and document a significant

impact on local communities by the

presence of a very large number of

refugees in one of these three

populations. That number is expected to

exceed 15,000 refugees for a State to be

able to substantiate its evidence of local

impact. States may also document a

significantly high proportion of refugees

in one of these three groups relative to

the area’s non-refugee population.

A State that intends to apply for funds

must also present evidence in its

application of the severity of the impact

by this population on a local

community, (e.g., on local school

districts, child care facilities, or family

counseling services).

No State will be awarded more than

$3.5 million for these projects. The

application should present a plan for

the provision of services designed to

assist refugee households in generating

income and alleviating poverty.

Funding decisions will be based on the

quality of the plan and the evidence

presented for likely success in achieving

measurable goals, as well as on the

determination of need in such areas as

refugee impact on community services

and documentation of refugee welfare

dependency.

B. Allowable Activities

The types of projects which ORR may

fund under this competitive area

include, but are not limited to, the

following:

• Employment services, such as job

development, placement, and postplacement services. Projects may target

the non-primary wage earner of families

in a coordinated strategy to achieve a

combined family income in excess of

the poverty level.

• Vocational English Language

Training, on-the-job-training, and skills

training. Services may target assisting

hard-to-place refugees, such as those

over the age of 50, or non-primary wage

earners to gain skills as child care

providers, recreational aides, health care

aides, etc.

• Services to assist refugees in the

generation of income apart from

employment, such as self-employment.

Projects may include assistance in small

business creation and expansion,

business training and technical

assistance, credit in the form of

microloans, and the administrative costs

of managing a microloan fund.

• Projects which enhance the

relationships between refugee

households and services such as schoolto-work programs, teen pregnancy

prevention, domestic violence

intervention, day care development,

parenting, and youth-at-risk programs.

All services must be culturally and

linguistically compatible and be

planned around refugees’ ability to

attend activities (e.g. evening hours or

other times not in conflict with work

hours).

C. Priority 3—Application Review

Criteria

Applications for this priority area will

be reviewed and ranked against the

following criteria:

1. Purpose and Extent of Impact on

Local Community (40 points)

The description of the purposes for

which funding is needed is sufficiently

detailed and appropriate to this priority

area.

Level, extent, and nature of the

impact of Laotian Hmong, Cambodians

and Soviet Pentecostal refugees on the

State or local community targeted and

description of the targeted population.

A description of the extent of the

impact in the State and/or community

for which the project is targeted. For

purposes of this Priority Area only, and

consistent with the purpose described

above, discussions of impact must be

limited to the impact of large

populations of Laotian Hmong,

Cambodians and Soviet Pentecostals.

This impact statement must include a

description of the target refugee

population, including the numbers,

national origins, and other pertinent

information, and geographic location(s)

for which funding is requested. It

should also describe the extent to which

refugees have significantly changed

aspects of community life, with

implications for long-term adjustment.

2. Project Design, Methodology,

Timeline (20 points)

Appropriateness of the project design,

methods of service delivery, and

projected timelines to the needs of the

targeted community(ies). Clear
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 95 / Monday, May 18, 1998 / Notices 27311

description of the activities proposed to

address the impact on local

communities.

Projects which are expected to build

new, or make use of existing,

partnerships with other government or

nonprofit agencies should describe the

partnerships, as well as the partner

agencies and their qualifications for

participation in this program (e.g.,

history of outcomes in similar

programs).

3. Project Outcomes (20 points)

The extent to which the expected

outcomes and unit costs of the project

are appropriate and reasonable in

relation to the proposed activities and

budget. A description of expected

project outcomes and the estimated unit

costs of the services are provided. This

should focus on measurable outcomes,

such as increases in household income,

welfare grant terminations, etc., rather

than on process outcomes, e.g., numbers

of people to be served, number of

sessions to be conducted.

If funding is to be used to expand or

continue an existing project, discuss the

outcomes to date of that project.

14. Budget (20 points)

Reasonableness of budget proposed.

An estimated line-item budget and

narrative justification, including State

and/or local government administration.

Priority Area 4) Community and Family

Strengthening (CFS)

A. Purpose

While employment and economic

independence continue to be ORR’s

primary concern and the focus of the

formula social services and targeted

assistance funding, this Priority Area

provides an opportunity for States and

nonprofit organizations to request

funding for activities which supplement

and complement employment-related

services by strengthening refugee

families and communities.

ORR views the participation of the

target population as particularly

important. Project designing must

include representatives of the target

population. For example, a project

designed to assist single mothers needs

to be designed in consultation with

single mothers.

Cultural and Linguistic Compatibility.

All applicants should demonstrate

existing refugee community support for

their agency and their proposed project.

If the applicant works in an area where

no other organizations work with

refugees, and a coalition with other

organizations is not possible, this

should be explained and documented.

Applicants and all private partners

should provide evidence that their

governing bodies, boards of directors, or

advisory bodies are representative of the

refugee communities being served, and

have both male and female

representation.

In all cases, regardless of the nature of

the organization proposed to provide

services or conduct activities funded

under this announcement, the services/

activities must be conducted by staff

linguistically and culturally compatible

with the refugee families or

communities to be served. In addition,

the applicant must describe how

proposed providers will have access to

the families and to the community to be

served. If interpreters are proposed in

the first budget period, applicant must

demonstrate how these staff will be

used and whether they will be trained

to become bi-lingual service providers

during the project period.

Cost-sharing. This announcement is

intended to encourage service planners

and providers to consider the various

unmet needs of refugee families and

communities relative to existing

services, the capacity of the serviceproviding network, and ultimately the

community’s capacity to continue the

activity without additional ORR

resources beyond the three-year project

period of this announcement. Longrange viability may depend on: Linkages

to activities funded by other sources, the

availability of expertise in the

community, the relatedness of proposed

activities to existing activities, the

willingness of the community to

participate actively in assuring the

success of the activity—including

volunteer commitment, and the

likelihood of tangible results.

Because funding under this program

announcement is limited, applicants are

urged to plan for the use of these funds

in conjunction with other Federal, State,

and private funds available to assist the

target populations and to carry out

similar programs and activities (costsharing). To this end, successful

applicants will propose and commit to

a minimum cost-sharing of 10% of the

original budget period (first year) costs.

In subsequent year continuation

applications, the grantee will be asked

to document receipt of non-Federal

funds from other sources. The

requirement will be not less than 25%

of the full budget for the second year

award. For example, if the original

budget is $150,000, the federal share for

that year may be $135,000 (90%). The

second year the federal award might be

$112,500 and the grantee would be

required to provide at a minimum costsharing of $37,500, 25% of the full

budget, in cash or in-kind support. Only

in unusual circumstances will the

Director of ORR entertain a request from

the grantee to reduce or waive the costsharing requirement.

B. Allowable Activities

ORR will consider applications for

services which an applicant justifies,

based on an analysis of service needs

and available resources, as necessary to

address the social and economic

problems of refugee families and of the

refugee community. It should be clear

how the proposed activity fits into the

existing network of services; how it

responds to the particular needs of

families in that community or to a

broader need of the community of

families; who is committed to do what

in order to accomplish this goal; and

what is the goal or expected outcome of

the activity.

The specific services proposed may be

as diverse as the refugee populations

and the resettlement communities

themselves. Some examples follow

which are not intended to be a

comprehensive list but are intended to

stimulate planning and community

discussion. It will be the task of the

local planning processes to determine

what is needed to address the economic

and social adjustment needs of families

and the community. Activities and

services proposed should be planned in

conjunction with existing services and

should supplement and complement

these services. Special attention should

be given in the planning process to the

services available to all citizens,

including community institutions

which serve the elderly, youth and

special needs populations.

Non-Allowable Activities: Funds will

not be awarded to applicants who

propose to engage in activities of a

distinctly political nature or which are

designed primarily to promote the

preservation of cultural heritage, or

which have an international objective.

ORR supports refugee community

efforts to preserve cultural heritage, but

believes these are activities which

communities should conduct without

recourse to ORR resources.

SOME EXAMPLES OF ALLOWABLE

ACTIVITIES:

Community Education

—Activities designed to inform the

refugee community about issues

essential to effective participation in the

new society.

—Classes in parenting skills,

including information about U.S.

cultural and legal issues, e.g., corporal

punishment, generational conflict, and

child abuse.
27312 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 95 / Monday, May 18, 1998 / Notices

—Assistance to parents in connecting

with the school system and other local

community organizations.

—Orientation to health care and

assistance for accessing low-cost health

service, including orientation on health

insurance, health maintenance

organizations, preventive health

measures, and the availability of health

services for low income families.

Specialized English Language Training

—Specialized classes for specific

industries in conjunction with

employers.

—Specialized classes for groups

outside the regular classes, e.g.,

homebound women, elderly. Use of

volunteers is encouraged. Accessibility

of site and time is important.

Mentoring Programs and Peer Support

—Pairing participant individuals or

families with community volunteers.

Programs should target refugees who are

not otherwise receiving core services,

and mentoring should target needs they

identify.

—Assisting subgroups to form a

common bond for resolution of peerspecific problems. The purposes are to

solve individual, family, and

community problems with the support

of peers and to solve common problems

through group action.

Combating Violence in Families

—Information and training against

domestic violence, child abuse, sexual

harassment and coercion, roles of men

and women in U.S. culture, and

techniques for protection.

—Linkages to mainstream serviceproviders to ensure access to culturally

appropriate services.

—Training and/or bi-lingual staff for

women’s shelters.

Crime Prevention/Victimization

—Activities designed to improve

relations between refugees and the law

enforcement communities: (a) Public

service officers or community liaisons;

(b) neighborhood storefronts and/or

watch programs; (c) refugee business

watch programs; (d) cross cultural

training for the law enforcement

community (police departments, court

system, mediation or dispute

management centers).

Note: Law enforcement activities, such as

hiring sworn police officers (except those

who are public service officers or community

liaison officers), fingerprinting, incarceration,

etc., are outside the scope of allowable

services under the Refugee Act and will not

be considered for funding. Other unallowable

activities are those limited to, or principally

focused on, parole counseling, court

advocacy, and child protection services.

Refugee Community Centers and

Organizing

—Operating community centers for

the delivery of services to refugee

individuals and families. Centers may

also be used for recreation, information

and referral services, childcare, and

community gatherings. (Costs related to

construction or renovation will not be

considered, and costs for food or

beverages are not allowable).

—Communities might be organized

for housing cooperatives, for youth

activities, for services to elderly, for

volunteer mentoring services, for crime

prevention.

The above are only examples of

services. They are not intended to limit

potential applicants in community

planning.

These examples are listed and

generically described without regard to

the population to be served. It will be

necessary in the application to describe

more specifically the target population.

For example, one activity might be

appropriately designed to serve only

homebound women. Another might be

designed for teenagers and their parents.

Another might be for elderly. Some

might be targeted for all members of the

family. Applications should correlate a

planned activity with specific target

audiences and discuss the relationship

between the proposed activities and the

target population.

C. Application Review Criteria

1. Need and Scope (25 points)

Profile of refugee community and

target population by geographic area or

ethnic group of the refugee community

to be served, including numbers,

ethnicity, welfare utilization pattern,

number of refugee families in the

community, family characteristics, and

an assessment of attitudes of the

refugees and the general community

toward each other. Clarity of description

and soundness of rationale for selection

of targeted community or population.

Adequacy and quality of data

provided and quality of the analysis of

data provided in the application with

special regard to ethnic group, refugee

families, women, youth, or the aged.

Clarity and comprehensiveness of

needs identification and problem

statement and of the description of the

local context in which grant activities

are proposed.

Comprehensiveness of description of

existing services and community

network and explanation of how the

proposed services complement what is

already in place.

Evidence of consultation with target

population.

2. Proposed Strategy and Program

Design (30 points)

Soundness of strategy and program

design for meeting identified needs.

Identification of projected

performance outcomes and proposed

milestones measuring progress, as

appropriate to the services proposed by

the end of the first budget period and

over the entire requested project period.

(ORR encourages applicants, to the

extent possible, to develop innovative

quantifiable measures related to the

desired service impact for purposes of

monitoring and project assessment.)

The quality of the outcomes proposed

and the potential for achieving the

outcomes within the grant’s project

period. The potential of the project to

have a positive impact on the quality of

the lives of refugee families and

communities.

Adequate detail in the description of

linkages with other providers and roles

of collaborating agencies in project

implementation.

Extent to which the need described is

expected to be met and/or to which the

services will be augmented,

supplemented, or integrated with

existing services.

The extent to which the award is

projected to be augmented or

supplemented by other funding during

and beyond (i.e., in the second and any

subsequent year of) the grant period, or

can be integrated into other existing

service systems.

3. Applicant/Coalition Capability (25

points)

Validity and reasonableness of the

proposed coalition arrangement to

perform the proposed activities.

Commitment of coalition partners in

implementing the activities as

demonstrated by letters or the terms of

the signed agreement among

participants. (Where potential coalition

partners are documented to be

unavailable, the applicant will not be

penalized under this criteria. However,

the applicant should describe any

consultation efforts undertaken and

consultation with the refugee

community.)

Experience of the applicant coalition

in performing the proposed services.

Adequacy of gender balance and

constituent representatives of board

members of participant organizations or

of the proposed project’s advisory

board.

Adequacy of assurance that proposed

services will be delivered by staff

linguistically and culturally appropriate

to the target population.

Qualifications of the individual

organization staff and any volunteers.
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 95 / Monday, May 18, 1998 / Notices 27313

Detailed description of the

administrative and management features

of the project including a plan for fiscal

and programmatic management of each

activity, proposed start-up times,

ongoing timelines, major milestones or

benchmarks, a component/project

organization chart, and a staffing chart.

A description of information

collection (participant and outcome

data) and monitoring proposed.

4. Budget and Financial Management

(20 points)

Reasonableness of budget and

narrative justification in relation to the

proposed activities and anticipated

results.

Adequacy of proposed monitoring

and information collection.

Realistic plan for the continuation of

services with a phase-out of ORR grant

funding over the multi-year project

period. Extent to which the application

makes provision for cost-sharing (e.g.

leveraging ORR funds with non-Federal

funds or in-kind support) to maintain

the full budget during the overall

project. If available, the value of such

leveraged funds or in-kind support and

any preliminary commitments.

Part III. General Application

Information and Guidance Forms and

Certifications

Applicants for financial assistance

under this announcement must file the

Standard Form (SF) 424, Application for

Federal Assistance; SF–424A, Budget

Information—Non-Construction

Programs; SF–424B, Assurances—NonConstruction Programs. The forms may

be reproduced for use in submitting

applications. An application with an

original signature and two copies is

required.

If an application represents a

consortium (that is, the applicant

includes other types of agencies among

its membership), the single organization

identified as applicant by the

Authorized Representative’s signature

on the SF–424, Box 18.d, will be the

grant recipient and will have primary

administrative and fiscal

responsibilities. An applicant entity

must be a public or private nonprofit

organization.

All applications which meet the

stipulated deadline and other

requirements will be reviewed

competitively and scored by an

independent review panel of experts in

accordance with ACF grants policy and

the criteria stated above. The results of

the independent review panel scores

and explanatory comments will assist

the Director of ORR in considering

competing applications. Reviewers’

scores will weigh heavily in funding

decisions but will not be the only

factors considered. Applications

generally will be considered in order of

the average scores assigned by the

reviewers. Highly ranked applications

are not guaranteed funding since other

factors are taken into consideration,

including: Comments of reviewers and

of ACF/ORR officials; previous program

performance of applicants; compliance

with grant terms under previous DHHS

grants; audit reports; and investigative

reports. Final funding decisions will be

made by the Director of ORR.

Availability of Forms and Certifications

ORR published a copy of the Standard

Form 424 with instructions for

submitting an Application for Federal

Assistance in the Federal Register,

December 9, 1997 (FR Vol. 62, No. 236,

pgs. 64870–64883). Copies of the

Federal Register are available on the

Internet and at most local libraries and

Congressional District Offices for

reproduction. The SF424 is also

available through the ACF Internet at

http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/ (at ‘‘Select a

Topic,’’ choose ‘‘Grant Related Forms

and Documents,’’ then click on ‘‘Go’’).

If copies are not available at these

sources, they may be obtained by

sending a written or faxed request to the

following: Office of Refugee

Resettlement, 370 L’Enfant Promenade

SW., Washington, DC 20447, Telephone:

(202) 401–9251, Fax: (202) 401–5487.

Budget and Budget Justification

Provide line item detail and detailed

calculations for each project budget by

object class identified on the Budget

Information form. Detailed calculations

must include estimation methods,

quantities, unit costs, and other similar

quantitative detail sufficient for the

calculation to be duplicated. The

detailed budget must also include a

breakout by the funding sources

identified in Block 15 of the SF–424.

Provide a narrative budget

justification with each project that

describes how the categorical costs are

derived. Discuss the necessity,

reasonableness, and allocability of the

proposed costs.

General

The following guidelines are for

preparing the budget and budget

justification. Both Federal and nonFederal resources shall be detailed and

justified in the budget and narrative

justification. According to the

instructions for completing the SF–

424A and the preparation of the budget

and budget justification, ‘‘Federal

resources’’ refers only to the ACF/ORR

grant for which you are applying. NonFederal resources are all other Federal

and non-Federal resources. It is

suggested that budget amounts and

computations be presented in a

columnar format: First column, object

class categories; second column, Federal

budget; next column(s), non-Federal

budget(s), and last column, total budget.

The budget justification should be a

narrative.

Personnel: Costs of employee salaries

and wages. Justification—Identify the

project director and for each staff

person, provide the title, time

commitment to the project (in months),

time commitment to the project (as a

percentage or full-time equivalent),

annual salary, grant salary, wage rates,

etc. Do not include the costs of

consultants or personnel costs of

delegate agencies.

Fringe Benefits: Costs of employee

fringe benefits unless treated as part of

approved indirect cost rate.

Justification—Provide a breakdown of

the amounts and percentages that

comprise fringe benefit costs such as

health insurance, FICA, retirement

insurance, taxes, etc.

Travel: Costs of project-related travel

by employees of the applicant

organization (does not include costs of

consultant travel). Justification—For

each trip, show the total number of

traveler(s), travel destination, duration

of trip, per diem, mileage allowances, if

privately owned vehicles will be used,

and other transportation costs and

subsistence allowances. Travel costs for

key staff to attend ACF/ORR-sponsored

meetings should be detailed in the

budget.

Equipment: Costs of tangible, nonexpendable, personal property, having a

useful life of more than one year and an

acquisition cost of $5,000 or more per

unit. Justification—For each type of

equipment requested, provide a

description of the equipment, the cost

per unit, the number of units, the total

cost, and a plan for use on the project,

as well as use or disposal of the

equipment after the project ends.

Supplies: Costs of all tangible

personal property other than that

included under the Equipment category.

Justification—Specify general categories

of supplies and their costs. Show

computations and provide other

information which supports the amount

requested.

Contractual: Costs of all contracts for

services and goods except for those

which belong under other categories

such as equipment, supplies, etc.

Contracts with secondary recipient

organizations, including delegate
27314 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 95 / Monday, May 18, 1998 / Notices

agencies (if applicable), should be

included under this category.

Justification—All procurement

transactions shall be conducted in a

manner to provide, to the maximum

extent practical, open and free

competition. If procurement

competitions were held or if

procurement without competition is

being proposed, attach a list of proposed

contractors, indicating the names of the

organizations, the purposes of the

contracts, the estimated dollar amounts,

and the award selection process. Justify

any anticipated procurement action that

is expected to be awarded without

competition and to exceed the

simplified acquisition threshold fixed at

41 USC 403(11). Recipients might be

required to make available to ACF preaward review and procurement

documents, such as requests for

proposal or invitations for bids,

independent cost estimates, etc.

Note: Whenever the applicant intends to

delegate part of the project to another agency,

the applicant must provide a detailed budget

and budget narrative for each delegate

agency, by agency title, along with the

required supporting information referred to

in these instructions.

Other: Enter the total of all other

costs. Such costs, where applicable and

appropriate, may include but are not

limited to insurance, professional

services costs, space and equipment

rentals, printing and publication,

computer use, training costs, such as

tuition and stipends, staff development,

and administrative costs.

Justification—Provide computations,

a narrative description and a

justification for each cost under this

category.

Indirect Costs: This category should

be used only when the applicant

currently has an indirect cost rate

approved by the Department of Health

and Human Services or another

cognizant Federal agency.

Justification—An applicant proposing

to charge indirect costs to the grant must

enclose a copy of the current rate

agreement. If the applicant organization

is in the process of initially developing

or renegotiating a rate, it should

immediately upon notification that an

award will be made, develop a tentative

indirect cost rate proposal based on its

most recently completed fiscal year in

accordance with the principles set forth

in the cognizant agency’s guidelines for

establishing indirect cost rates, and

submit it to the cognizant agency.

Applicants awaiting approval of their

indirect cost proposals may also request

indirect costs. It should be noted that

when an indirect cost rate is requested,

those costs included in the indirect cost

pool should not also be charged as

direct costs to the grant. Also, if the

applicant is requesting a rate which is

less than what is allowed under the

agreement, the authorized

representative of the applicant

organization must submit a signed

acknowledgement that the applicant is

accepting a lower rate than allowed.

Program Income: The estimated

amount of income, if any, expected to be

generated from this project.

Justification—Describe the nature,

source and anticipated use of program

income in the budget or refer to the

pages in the application which contain

this information.

Non-Federal Resources: Amounts of

non-Federal resources that will be used

to support the project as identified in

Block 15 of the SF–424.

Justification—The firm commitment

of these resources must be documented

and submitted with the application in

order to be given credit in the review

process. A detailed budget must be

prepared for each funding source.

Certifications

Applicants must provide the

following certifications.

a. Certification regarding lobbying if

anticipated award exceeds $100,000.

b. Certification regarding

environmental tobacco smoke. By

signing and submitting the applications,

applicant provides certification that

they will comply with the requirements

of the Pro-Children Act of 1994 (Pub. L.

103–227, Part C-Environmental Tobacco

Smoke) and need not mail back the

certification with the application.

c. Certification regarding debarment,

suspension, and other Ineligibility. By

signing and submitting the applications,

applicant provides certification that

they are not presently debarred,

suspended or otherwise ineligible for

this award and therefore need not mail

back the certification with the

application.

d. Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988.

Deadline

1. Mailed applications shall be

considered as meeting this announced

deadline if they are sent on or before the

deadline date and received by ORR in

time for the independent review.

Applications should be mailed to: Office

of Refugee Resettlement, Administration

for Children and Families, Division of

Community Resettlement, 370 L’Enfant

Promenade, SW., Sixth Floor,

Washington, DC. 20447, Attention:

TAG/CFS.

Applicants must ensure that a legibly

dated U.S. Postal Service postmark, or a

legibly dated, machine produced

postmark of a commercial mail service

appears on the envelope/package

containing the application(s). An

acceptable postmark from a commercial

carrier is one which includes the

carrier’s logo/emblem and shows the

date the package was received by the

commercial mail service. Private

metered postmarks shall not be

acceptable as proof of timely mailing.

Applications hand-carried by

applicants, applicant couriers, or by

overnight/express mail couriers shall be

considered as meeting an announced

deadline if they are received on or

before the deadline date, between the

hours of 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., at the

Administration for Children and

Families, Office of Refugee

Resettlement, 901 D Street, SW.,

Washington, DC 20024, between

Monday and Friday (excluding Federal

holidays). (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: ACF may

extend the deadline for applicants

affected by acts of God such as floods

and hurricanes, or when there is

widespread disruption of the mails. A

determination to waive or extend

deadline requirements rests with the

Chief Grants Management Officer.

4. Once an application has been

submitted, it is considered as final and

no additional materials will be accepted

by ACF.

Nonprofit Status

Applicants other than public agencies

must provide evidence of their

nonprofit status with their applications.

Either of the following is acceptable

evidence: (1) A copy of the applicant

organization’s listing in the Internal

Revenue Service’s most recent list of

tax-exempt organizations described in

section 501(c)(3) of the IRS Code; or (2)

a copy of the currently valid IRS tax

exemption certificate.

Intergovernmental Review

This program is covered under

Executive Order 12372,

‘‘Intergovernmental Review of Federal

Programs,’’ and 45 CFR part 100,
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 95 / Monday, May 18, 1998 / Notices 27315

‘‘Intergovernmental Review of

Department of Health and Human

Services Programs and Activities.’’

As of June 15, 1997, the following

jurisdictions have elected not to

participate in the Executive Order

process. Applicants from these

jurisdictions need take no action in

regard to E.O. 12372: Alabama, Alaska,

Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Idaho,

Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts,

Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New

Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon,

Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee,

Vermont, Virginia, Washington,

American Samoa, and Palau.

All remaining jurisdictions participate

in the E.O. process and have established

Single Points of Contact (SPOCs).

Applicants from participating

jurisdictions should contact their SPOCs

as soon as possible to alert them to the

prospective applications and receive

instructions. Applicants must submit

any required material to the SPOCs as

soon as possible so that ORR can obtain

and review SPOC comments as part of

the award process. The applicant must

submit all required materials, if any, to

the SPOC and indicate the date of this

submittal (or the date of contact if no

submittal is required) on the Standard

Form 424, item 16a.

Under 45 CFR 100.8(a)(2), a SPOC has

60 days from the application deadline to

comment on proposed new or

competing continuation awards. SPOCs

are encouraged to eliminate the

submission of routine endorsements as

official recommendations.

Additionally, SPOCs are requested to

clearly differentiate between mere

advisory comments and those official

State process recommendations which

may trigger the ‘‘accommodate or

explain’’ rule. When comments are

submitted directly to ACF, they should

be addressed to: Department of Health

and Human Services, Administration for

Children and Families, Office of Refugee

Resettlement, Division of Community

Resettlement, 6th Floor, 370 L’Enfant

Promenade, SW., Washington, DC.

20447.

The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995

(Pub. L. 104–13)

All information collections within

this Program Announcement are

approved under the following currently

valid OMB control numbers: 424 (0348–

0043); 424A (0348–0044); 424B (0348–

0040); Disclosure of Lobbying Activities

(0348–0046); Uniform Project

Description (0970–0139) Expires

10/31/00.

Public reporting burden for this

collection of information is estimated to

average 80 hours per response,

including the time for reviewing

instructions, gathering and maintaining

the data needed, and reviewing the

collection of information.

An agency may not conduct or

sponsor, and a person is not required to

respond to, a collection of information

unless it displays a currently valid OMB

control number.

Applicable Regulations

Applicable DHHS regulations can be

found in 45 CFR part 74 or 92.

Reporting Requirements

Grantees are required to file the

Financial Status Report (SF–269) semiannually and Quarterly Program

Performance Reports (OMB Approval

No. 0970–0036). Funds issued under

these awards must be accounted for and

reported upon separately from all other

grant activities.

Although ORR does not expect the

proposed components/projects to

include evaluation activities, it does

expect grantees to maintain adequate

records to track and report on project

outcomes and expenditures by budget

line item.

The official receipt point for all

reports and correspondence is the ORR

Division of Community Resettlement.

An original and one copy of each report

shall be submitted within 30 days of the

end of each reporting period directly to

the Project Officer named in the award

letter. The mailing address is: ORR, 370

L’Enfant Promenade SW, Sixth Floor,

Washington, DC 20447.

A final Financial and Program Report

shall be due 90 days after the budget

expiration date or termination of grant

support.

Dated: May 6, 1998.

Lavinia Limon,

Director, Office of Refugee Resettlement.

[FR Doc. 98–13099 Filed 5–15–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4184–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force

Meeting

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

SUMMARY: This notice announces the

Spring 1998 meeting of the Great Lakes

Panel on Aquatic Nuisance Species of

the Aquatic Nuisance Species Task

Force. Topics to be addressed during the

meeting are identified.

DATES: The Great Lakes Panel on

Aquatic Nuisance Species will meet

from 1:00 p.m., Tuesday, June 9, 1998,

to 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 10,

1998.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at

the Holiday Inn—North Campus, 3600

Plymouth Road, Ann Arbor, Michigan.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Matt

Doss, Great Lakes Commission at 734–

665–9135, or Bob Peoples, Executive

Secretary, Aquatic Nuisance Species

Task Force, at 703–358–2025.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant

to section 10(a)(2) of the Federal

Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.

I), this notice announces a meeting of

the Great Lakes Panel on Aquatic

Nuisance Species of the Aquatic

Nuisance Species Task Force. The Task

Force was established by the

Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance

Prevention and Control Act of 1990.

Topics to be covered during the

meeting include: reports of ANS Task

Force activities nationally and Federal

legislation; reports on several ANS

issues and initiatives such as the Great

Lakes Ballast demonstration project,

model guidelines for ANS prevention

and control, proposed national

voluntary ballast water guidelines, and

the Chicago Waterways, Dispersal

Barrier Project; a review of panel

funding for fiscal year 1999; breakout

sessions of the Panel’s Information/

Education, Research Coordination, and

Policy and Legislation Committees to

develop 1999 work plans; model State

ANS legislation; and reports from Panel

members.

Minutes of the meeting will be

maintained by the Executive Secretary,

Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force,

Suite 840, 4401 North Fairfax Drive,

Arlington, Virginia 22203–1622, and the

Great Lakes Commission, 400 Fourth

Street, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48103–

4816, and will be available for public

inspection during regular hours,

Monday through Friday, within 30 days

following the meeting.

Dated: May 12, 1998.

Gary Edwards,

Co-Chair, Aquatic Nuisance Species Task

Force Assistant Director-Fisheries.

[FR Doc. 98–13076 Filed 5–15–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–M

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs

Receipt of Petition for Federal

Acknowledgment of Existence as an

Indian Tribe

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs.

ACTION: Notice.