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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 5 (Wednesday, January 8, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1548-1550]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-00214]

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LEGAL SERVICES CORPORATION

Notice of Availability of Calendar Year 2025 Competitive Grant 
Funds for the Technology Initiative Grant Program

AGENCY: Legal Services Corporation.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Legal Services Corporation (LSC) issues this Notice 
describing the conditions for submitting a pre-application for 2025 
Technology Initiative Grants (TIGs), and for applying under TIG 
categories that do not require pre-applications.

[[Page 1549]]

DATES: The deadline to submit a Pre-Application is 11:59 p.m. eastern 
standard time on Friday, March 21, 2025.

ADDRESSES: Pre-Applications must be submitted electronically via LSC's 
unified grants management system, GrantEase.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Eric Mathison, TIG Special Grants 
Coordinator, Office of Program Performance, Legal Services Corporation, 
3333 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20007; (202) 295-1535 or 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Introduction

    Since 2000, Congress has provided an annual appropriation to LSC to 
award special funding for client self-help and information technology 
projects. LSC's TIG program funds technology tools that help achieve 
LSC's goal of increasing the quantity and quality of legal services 
available to eligible persons. Projects funded under the TIG program 
develop, test, and replicate innovative technologies that can enable 
grant recipients and State justice communities to improve low-income 
persons' access to high-quality legal assistance through an integrated 
and well-managed technology system. The TIG program also supports 
effective technology planning and management at LSC-funded 
organizations through the use of targeted assessment grants focused on 
improvements to technology systems and information security.

II. Funding Opportunity Information

A. Eligible Applicants

    To be eligible for Technology Initiative Grants, applicants must be 
current grantees of LSC Basic Field-General, Basic Field-Migrant, or 
Basic Field-Native American grants. In addition, applicants must 
receive basic field funding of at least a one-year term, be up to date 
on reporting on any existing TIG-funded projects, and not have had a 
previous TIG terminated in the past three years for reporting or other 
performance issues.

B. Technology Initiative Grant Purpose and Key Goals

    Since LSC's TIG program was established in 2000, LSC has made over 
923 grants totaling over $91 million. This grant program encourages 
organizations to use technology in innovative ways to:
    1. Effectively and efficiently provide high-quality legal 
assistance to low-income persons and to promote access to the judicial 
system through legal information, advice, and representation.
    2. Improve service delivery, quality of legal work, and management 
and administration of grantees.
    3. Develop, test, and replicate innovative strategies that can 
enable grantees and State justice communities to improve clients' 
access to high-quality legal assistance.

C. Funding Categories

1. General Technology Initiative Grants
    Projects in this category (1) implement new or innovative 
approaches for using technology in legal services delivery; (2) enhance 
the effectiveness and efficiency of existing technologies so that they 
may be better used to increase the quality and quantity of services to 
clients; or (3) replicate, adapt, or provide added value to the work of 
prior technology projects. This includes, but is not limited to, the 
implementation and improvement of tested methodologies and technologies 
from previous TIG projects. We also encourage replication of proven 
technologies from non-LSC-funded legal aid organizations as well as 
sectors outside the legal aid community. Applicants seeking 
continuation funding for their own existing TIG initiatives may wish to 
apply under the Sustainability, Enhancement, and Adoption (SEA) Grants 
category discussed below.
    LSC recommends a minimum amount for funding requests in this 
category of $40,000, but projects with lower budgets will be 
considered. There is no maximum amount for TIG funding requests that 
are within the total appropriation for TIG.
    All applicants in this category must submit a pre-application 
according to the process and requirements outlined in this notice. LSC 
will open the application system and provide guidance for this project 
category by January 29, 2025. The pre-application deadline is March 21, 
2025, and the full application deadline is June 18, 2025.
2. Technology Improvement Projects
    LSC recognizes that grantees need sufficient technology 
infrastructure in place before they can take on a more innovative TIG 
project. This grant category is for applicants who need to improve 
their basic technology infrastructure or their information security 
posture. The maximum funding amount for this category is $35,000.
    Technology Improvement Projects (TIP) do not require a pre-
application. LSC will open the application system and provide guidance 
for this project category by April 1, 2025. The application deadline 
for Technology Improvement Projects is May 23, 2025.
3. Sustainability, Enhancement, and Adoption Grants
    Sustainability, Enhancement, and Adoption (SEA) Grants allow 
successful TIG grantees to further build upon a specific project and 
its technologies, ensure that their TIG-funded work is effectively 
integrated into the service delivery system, and complete the project 
activities necessary to ensure the initiative's long-term success. 
These grants were formerly known as Adoption, Expansion, and 
Enhancement Grants.
    SEA Grants are available to current TIG recipients and to 
recipients of recently completed TIG projects. Applicants seeking to 
enhance a non-TIG initiative or replicate another organization's 
project should apply under the General category. LSC encourages all 
prospective applicants to meet with their regional TIG program manager 
to discuss whether an SEA Grant may be a good fit. Applicants should be 
able to clearly demonstrate that their current or prior TIG project was 
successful and that they have a reasonable plan for building on that 
success.
    LSC recommends a minimum amount for funding requests in this 
category of $40,000, but projects with lower budgets will be 
considered. There is no maximum amount for TIG funding requests that 
are within the total appropriation for TIG.
    SEA Grants will require a pre-application for 2025. LSC will open 
the application system and provide guidance for this project category 
by January 29, 2025. The pre-application deadline is March 21, 2025, 
and the full application deadline is June 18, 2025.

D. Available Funds for 2025 Grants

    The amount of funds available for TIG awards for FY2025 depends on 
LSC's final appropriation. LSC currently operates under a Continuing 
Resolution for FY2025, which funds the Federal Government through March 
14, 2025. The Continuing Resolution maintains funding at $5,000,000. 
TIG award decisions for FY2025 will be made in the summer of 2025. LSC 
anticipates publicizing the total amount available for TIG awards when 
Congress enacts the FY2025 appropriation.
    LSC will not designate fixed or estimated amounts for the three 
different funding categories and will make grant awards within the 
total amount of funding available.

[[Page 1550]]

E. Grant Terms

    Applicants to the TIG program may propose grant terms between 12 
and 36 months for general category projects and between 12 and 18 
months for Technology Improvement Projects. For SEA Grants, the grant 
term is set at 24 months. The grant terms for projects in the General 
TIG and SEA categories will begin on January 1, 2026. TIP Grants will 
have a start date of October 1, 2025. Alternate start dates may be 
available.

III. Grant Application Process

A. Technology Initiative Grant Application Process

    The TIG application process will be administered in LSC's unified 
grants management system, GrantEase. Applicants in the General TIG and 
SEA categories must first submit a pre-application to LSC in GrantEase 
by March 21, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. ET, to be considered for a grant. 
After review by LSC staff, LSC's president decides which applicants 
will be asked to submit a full application. Applicants will be notified 
of approval to submit a full application by late April 2025. Full 
applications are due to LSC in the GrantEase system on June 18, 2025, 
at 11:59 p.m. ET. Once received, full applications will undergo a 
rigorous review by LSC staff. LSC's president makes the final decisions 
on funding for the TIG program.
    As noted above, applicants applying for TIP funding are not 
required to submit pre-applications. LSC will launch the online 
application system for TIP by April 1, 2025, and set a submission 
deadline of May 23, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. ET. LSC follows a similar 
review process for applications in these categories, which includes LSC 
staff conducting a rigorous review of all proposals and the LSC 
president making final funding decisions.

B. Late or Incomplete Applications

    LSC may consider a request to submit a pre-application after the 
deadline, but only if the applicant has submitted an email to 
[email protected] explaining the circumstances that caused the delay 
prior to the pre-application deadline. Communication with LSC staff, 
including assigned program liaisons, is not a substitute for sending a 
formal request and explanation to [email protected]. At its 
discretion, LSC may consider incomplete applications. LSC will 
determine whether it will consider late or incomplete applications on a 
case-by-case basis.

C. Multiple Pre-Applications

    Applicants may submit multiple pre-applications. If applying for 
multiple grants that require pre-applications, applicants should submit 
separate pre-applications for each funding request.

D. Additional Information and Guidelines

    Additional guidance and instructions on the pre-application and 
application processes for Technology Initiative Grants will be 
available and regularly updated at https://www.lsc.gov/grants/technology-initiative-grant-program.

(Authority: 42 U.S.C. 2996g(e).)

    Dated: January 3, 2025.
Stefanie Davis,
Deputy General Counsel, Legal Services Corporation.
[FR Doc. 2025-00214 Filed 1-7-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7050-01-P
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