66228 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 210 / Tuesday, November 1, 2005 / Notices 

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND 

URBAN DEVELOPMENT 

[Docket No. FR–5023–N–01] 

Universities Rebuilding America 

Partnerships—Community Design 

Program 

AGENCY: Office of Policy Development 

and Research, HUD. 

ACTION: Notice of Funding Availability 

(NOFA). 

Overview Information 

A. Federal Agency Name: Department 

of Housing and Urban Development, 

Office of Policy Development and 

Research, Office of University 

Partnerships. 

B. Funding Opportunity Title: 

Universities Rebuilding America 

Partnerships—Community Design 

program. 

C. Announcement Type: Initial 

announcement. 

D. Funding Opportunity Numbers: 

The Federal Register number for this 

Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) 

is FR–5023–N–01. The OMB Approval 

number for this program is pending. 

E. Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance (CFDA) Number: The CFDA 

number for this program has not yet 

been assigned. 

F. Dates: The application submission 

date is December 1, 2005. 

G. Additional Overview Content 

Information: 

1. Purpose of the Program: The 

Universities Rebuilding America 

Partnerships (URAP)—Community 

Design program provides funds to 

schools of architecture, urban planning 

and design, or construction at 

accredited two- and four-year colleges 

and universities to establish and operate 

partnerships with and for communities 

affected by Hurricanes Katrina or Rita 

(or both). 

2. Award Information: Approximately 

$2 million in recaptured Urban 

Development Action Grant (UDAG) 

program funds will be made available 

for this program. The maximum amount 

an applicant can request for award is 

$300,000 for a two-year (24-month) 

grant performance period. 

3. Eligible Applicants: Public or 

private nonprofit institutions of higher 

education granting two- or four-year 

degrees in architecture, urban planning 

and design, or construction that are 

accredited by a national or regional 

accrediting agency and recognized by 

the U.S. Department of Education are 

eligible to apply for funding under the 

program. A consortium of eligible 

institutions may also apply for funding 

under this program, as long as one 

institution is designated the lead 

applicant. Institutions that were 

previous Office of University 

Partnerships (OUP) grant recipients are 

eligible to apply for these funds. 

Full Text of Announcement 

I. Funding Opportunity Description 

A. Purpose 

The purpose of the Universities 

Rebuilding America Partnerships 

(URAP)—Community Design program is 

to provide funds to schools of 

architecture, urban planning and design, 

or construction at accredited two- and 

four-year colleges and universities to 

establish and operate partnerships with 

and for communities affected by 

Hurricanes Katrina or Rita (or both) to: 

(1) Develop long-range neighborhood 

designs and plans for local communities 

that address both reconstruction and 

future growth needs within a 

municipality or established 

neighborhood(s) within a larger 

municipality; or 

(2) Develop architectural design 

assessment and rehabilitation/ 

reconstruction planning for housing and 

community amenities damaged or 

eliminated by the hurricanes to address 

resettlement needs. 

B. Authority 

This program is authorized under 

Section 107(b)(5) of the Housing and 

Community Development Act of 1974 

and its implementing regulations found 

at 24 CFR 570.411. 

II. Award Information 

A. Award Amount 

Approximately $2 million in 

recaptured Urban Development Action 

Grant (UDAG) funds will be made 

available for this program. The 

maximum amount an applicant can 

request for award is $300,000 for a twoyear (24-month) grant performance 

period. HUD will not make awards of 

less than $100,000. 

B. Additional Information 

Applicants may apply for only one 

grant to address one of the categories 

described in III.C.1. 

III. Eligibility Information 

A. Eligible Applicants 

Public or private nonprofit 

institutions of higher education granting 

two- and four-year degrees in 

architecture, urban planning and design, 

or construction that are accredited by a 

national or regional accrediting agency 

and recognized by the U.S. Department 

of Education are eligible to apply for 

funding under this program. A 

consortium of eligible institutions may 

also apply for funding under this 

program, as long as one institution is 

designated the lead applicant. 

Institutions that were previous OUP 

grant recipients are eligible to apply for 

these funds. 

B. Cost Sharing or Matching 

None required. 

C. Other 

All activities must be primarily for the 

benefit of low- and moderate-income 

individuals (as described at 24 CFR 

570.208). 

1. Eligible Activities 

a. Neighborhood Design and Planning 

for Reconstruction Activities. Eligible 

activities in this category include, but 

are not limited to, the following: 

(1) Making use of visual simulation, 

Geographic Information Systems, and 

other computer modeling tools in the 

planning process. 

(2) Preparing computer models that 

can simulate growth, market, and 

investment demands as a tool for 

community planning and development 

decision-making. 

(3) Partnering with economists and 

market analysts to determine market 

demands for resettlement and growth, 

and their effect on housing and other 

needs. 

(4) Conducting symposia to do 

outreach with and to educate local 

officials and residents. 

(5) Working with legal and regulatory 

authorities to resolve legal and 

regulatory issues that might limit 

housing resettlement, development, or 

growth options for the area. 

(6) Meeting and entering into 

agreements with local officials and 

community groups to establish priorities 

for plan implementation. 

(7) Conducting focus groups, design 

charettes or other decision-making 

activities that involve communities in 

providing input and responses to 

proposed designs and plans. 

b. Housing Design and Planning for 

Reconstruction Activities. Eligible 

activities for this category of URAP 

awards include, but are not limited to, 

the following: 

(1) Researching and identifying 

housing rehabilitation, resettlement, 

reconstruction, and construction needs 

for one or more target communities. 

(2) Identifying the range of housing 

markets within a community utilizing 

both pre- and post-Hurricane 

demographic trends, including market 

needs of different income groups, as 

Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 210 / Tuesday, November 1, 2005 / Notices 66229 

well as diverse populations such as the 

elderly, persons with disabilities, 

younger families with children, empty 

nesters, racial and ethnic minorities, 

and persons who are homeless. 

(3) Identifying relevant technologies 

that show promise for improving the 

durability, affordability, and 

accessibility of housing, including but 

not limited to advanced technologies 

and building systems that have been 

identified through such sources as the 

PATH program (Partnership for 

Advancing Technology in Housing), 

Energy Star and other sources (See 

www. pathnet.org for further 

information on PATH’s technology 

inventory, and www.energystar.gov for 

information on Energy Star). 

(4) Developing housing rehabilitation 

strategies and housing reconstruction 

designs, as well as construction plans 

that demonstrate innovative 

technologies, energy efficiency, 

accessibility, green building techniques, 

and/or other features of innovative 

design. 

(5) Preparing schematic designs of 

these houses for review by a panel of 

construction and design experts, such as 

builders, developers, and local 

architects. 

(6) Preparing cost analyses of these 

rehabilitation, reconstruction, and 

construction designs that illustrate that 

they are affordable and suitable for one 

or more market segments in the local 

community. 

(7) Conducting extensive focus 

groups, design charettes, or other 

decision-making activities that engage 

residents and community leaders in 

providing input and responses to 

proposed designs and plans. This may 

be done in a method that is sensitive to 

the potential geographic dispersal of 

community residents. 

(8) Preparing final designs and 

construction specifications, including, 

where appropriate, the use of 

industrialized housing systems. 

(9) Identifying the site or sites for 

rehabilitation, reconstruction, and 

construction for submission to local 

officials and potential non-profit and 

private developers and builders. 

(10) Working with local HUD offices, 

other government agencies, and private 

institutions (such as private foundations 

and lending institutions), nonprofit and 

private sector developers to identify 

sources of financing for rehabilitation 

and reconstruction of houses and other 

community structures. 

(11) Identifying regulatory barriers, 

including zoning restrictions, building 

codes, and permitting or inspection 

standards, which inhibit the use of new 

technologies or construction methods; 

assisting communities to eliminate or 

reduce excessive, unnecessary, or 

duplicative regulations; or to eliminate 

processes or policies that restrict the 

development, construction, or 

rehabilitation, or add to the cost of 

affordable housing. 

(12) Implementing an information 

dissemination program for builders, 

investors, and civic leaders that could 

include exhibits of completed 

rehabilitation and reconstruction plans 

and designs in suitable community 

locations, along with symposia, 

community workshops, or other 

activities. 

(13) Providing continuing 

architectural services during the 

construction of the completed design by 

a nonprofit or for-profit developer. 

c. Both Grant Categories. In addition 

to eligible activities in each grant 

category described above, the following 

are eligible activities for both grant 

categories: 

(1) Incorporating relevant housing 

design and planning topics in the 

curriculum of architecture and planning 

schools, by offering design and planning 

courses and studios on relevant topics, 

such as affordable housing, housing 

economics, real estate development, 

accessible design, energy efficient 

housing, and/or metropolitan growth, as 

well as extensive service learning 

components in existing coursework. 

(2) Leases for local office space in 

which to house the program, under the 

following conditions: 

(a) The lease must be for existing 

facilities not requiring rehabilitation or 

construction; 

(b) No repairs or renovations of the 

property may be undertaken with 

program funds; and 

(c) Properties in the Coastal Barrier 

Resource System designated under the 

Coastal Barrier Resources Act (16 U.S.C. 

3501) cannot be leased with Federal 

funds. 

2. Audit Requirements 

Applicants must ensure that their 

most current A–133 audit is on file at 

the Federal Audit Clearinghouse. 

(Applicants are not required to submit 

a copy of the audit with the 

application.) Grantees that expend 

$500,000 or more in Federal financial 

assistance in a single year (this can be 

program year or fiscal year) must be 

audited in accordance with OMB 

requirements as established in 24 CFR 

part 84. Additional information 

regarding this requirement can be 

accessed at the following Web site: 

http://harvester.census.gov/sac. 

3. Threshold Requirements 

All applicants must comply with the 

threshold requirements as defined in the 

General Section of the FY2005 

SuperNOFA (70 FR 13576, March 21, 

2005) and the requirements listed below 

to be evaluated, rated, and ranked. 

Applications that do not meet these 

requirements will be considered 

ineligible for funding and will be 

disqualified: 

a. An applicant must meet the 

eligibility requirements as defined in 

Section III.A. Eligible Applicants. 

b. Only one application can be 

submitted per institution. If multiple 

applications are submitted, all will be 

disqualified. 

c. An applicant must receive a 

minimum score of 75 points to be 

considered for funding. 

d. An applicant must have a DUNS 

number to receive HUD grant funds. 

(The General Section of the FY 2005 

SuperNOFA provides information 

regarding the DUNS requirement.) 

e. Applicants may be part of only one 

consortium or submit only one 

application; otherwise, all of the 

applicant’s applications will be 

disqualified. HUD will hold the 

applicant responsible for ensuring that 

neither the applicant nor any part of 

their institution, including specific 

faculty, participates in more than one 

application. 

4. Program Requirements 

In addition to the requirements listed 

in Section III.C of the General Section, 

applicants must meet the following 

program requirements specific to the 

URAP Community Design Program 

awards: 

a. Employ the research and outreach 

resources of the institution of higher 

education to solve specific problems 

identified by the communities affected 

by Hurricanes Katrina or Rita (or both) 

and served by the program funds; 

b. Establish activities in areas 

identified in the application as the 

communities to be served; 

c. Coordinate activities in 

communities to be served by the 

program funds; 

d. Act as a clearinghouse for 

dissemination of information; 

e. Develop instructional materials and 

provide training for local community 

leaders, when appropriate; and 

f. Exchange information with other 

URAP-funded efforts. 

g. Applicants must have an identified 

partner within the communities affected 

by Hurricanes Katrina or Rita (or both), 

neighborhood, municipality or 

metropolitan area. Applicants must 

66230 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 210 / Tuesday, November 1, 2005 / Notices 

obtain a written agreement with the 

local entity to receive funding under 

this program. Examples of potential 

partners are State and local 

governments; a quasi-government 

agency such as a development 

corporation; public housing authority; 

local or national nonprofit 

organizations, if national organization 

must have a local affiliate; financial 

institutions; foundations; faith-based 

organizations, if national must have a 

local affiliate; institutions of higher 

education; and other community-based 

organizations. 

IV. Application and Submission 

Information 

A. Addresses To Request Application 

Package 

Applicants may submit either a paper 

or electronic application. When 

submitting an electronic application, 

applicants may download the 

instructions to the application found on 

the Grants.gov Web site at http:// 

www.Grants.gov./Apply. The 

instructions contain the General Section 

and Program Section of the published 

NOFA, as well as forms that you must 

complete and attach as a ZIP file to your 

application submission. If you have 

difficulty accessing the information, you 

may call the Grants.gov Support Desk 

toll-free at (800) 518–GRANTS or e-mail 

your questions to Support@Grants.gov. 

The Support Desk staff will assist you 

in accessing the information. Please 

remember that you must complete the 

five-step registration process in order to 

submit an application utilizing 

Grants.gov. Your registration allows you 

to electronically sign the application 

and enables Grants.gov to authenticate 

that the person signing the application 

has the legal authority to submit the 

application on behalf of the applicant. 

Please see the General Section for 

information regarding the registration 

process or ask for registration 

information from the Grants.gov 

Support Desk. Please be aware that the 

registration process is a separate process 

from requesting e-mail notification of 

funding opportunities or downloading 

the application and should be done as 

soon as you download the application 

from the Grants.gov Web site. If you are 

not sure if you are already registered, 

the Grants.gov Support Desk can verify 

that for you. 

A paper application package must be 

submitted to the following address: 

University Partnerships Clearinghouse, 

c/o Danya International, 8737 Colesville 

Road, Suite 1200, Silver Spring, MD 

20910. When submitting an application 

package, please include the following 

information on the outside of the 

envelope: 

a. Office of University Partnerships; 

b. Universities Rebuilding America 

Partnerships (URAP)—Community 

Design program (CDP); 

c. Applicant’s name and mailing 

address (including zip code); and 

d. Applicant’s telephone number 

(including area code). 

A complete paper application package 

must include an original signed 

application, three copies, one computer 

disk of the application (in Word 6.0 or 

higher), and required forms. 

B. Content and Form of Application 

Submission 

1. Forms 

The following forms are required for 

submission. Copies of these forms are 

included in Appendix A of the General 

Section. The electronic version of the 

NOFA contains all forms required for 

submission. 

a. Application for Federal Assistance 

(SF–424); 

b. Survey on Ensuring Equal 

Opportunity for Applicants (SF–424 

Supplement); 

c. Grant Application Detailed Budget 

(HUD–424–CB); 

d. Disclosure of Lobbying Activities 

(SF–LLL); 

e. Americas’ Affordable Communities 

Initiative (HUD–27300); 

f. Applicant/Recipient Disclosure/ 

Update Report (HUD–2880); 

g. Program Logic Model (HUD–

96010); and 

h. Facsmille Transmittal Cover Page 

(HUD–96011). This form must be used 

as part of the electronic application to 

transmit third-party documents and 

other information as described in the 

General Section as part of your 

electronic application submittal (if 

applicable). Applicants are advised to 

download the application package and 

complete the SF–424 first, as it will prepopulate the Transmittal Cover page. 

The Transmittal Cover page will contain 

a unique identifier embedded in the 

page that will help HUD associate your 

faxed materials to your application. 

Please download the cover page and 

then make multiple copies to provide to 

any of the entities responsible for 

submitting faxed materials to HUD on 

your behalf. Please be sure to use the 

Facsimile Transmittal Cover Page as the 

cover page to any documents faxed in 

response to this NOFA. HUD will not 

accept entire applications submitted by 

facsimile. 

2. Certifications and Assurances 

Please read the General Section for 

detailed information on all 

Certifications and Assurances. All 

applications submitted through 

Grants.gov constitute an 

acknowledgement and agreement to all 

required certifications and assurances. 

Please include in your application each 

item listed below. Applicants 

submitting paper copy applications 

should submit the application in the 

following order: 

a. SF–424, Application for Federal 

Assistance. Please remember the 

following: 

(1) Include the name, title, address, 

telephone number, facsimile number, 

and e-mail address of the designated 

contact. This is the person who will 

receive the reviewers’ comments; 

therefore, please ensure the accuracy of 

the information; 

(2) The Employer Identification/Tax 

ID; 

(3) The DUNS number; 

(4) The Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance number for this program has 

not yet been assigned; 

(5) The project’s proposed start date 

and completion date. For the purpose of 

this application, the program start date 

should be January 1, 2006; and 

(6) The signature of the Authorized 

Organization Representative (AOR): 

(i) Applicants submitting electronic 

applications. The signature of the AOR 

is the individual who has been 

authenticated by the credential provider 

to submit applications via Grants.gov. 

The AOR must be able to make a 

binding legal agreement with HUD. See 

the General Section for instructions and 

requirements for registration with 

Grants.gov. 

(ii) Applicants submitting paper 

applications. The signature of the Chief 

Executive Officer of the institution or 

his/her assigned designee is the 

individual who has the authority to 

make a binding legal agreement with 

HUD. 

b. Application Checklist. Applicants 

should use the checklist to ensure that 

they have all the elements required in 

their application submission. 

Applicants submitting an electronic 

application do not have to submit the 

checklist in their application. The 

checklist can be found in the NOFA 

(See Attachment A). 

c. Abstract. Applicants must include 

no more than a one-page summary of 

the proposed project. Please include the 

following: 

(1) A clear description of the 

proposed project activities, the 

designated disaster area, and target 

population that will be assisted; 

(2) A statement that the institution is 

an eligible institution because it is a 

two- or four-year fully accredited 

Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 210 / Tuesday, November 1, 2005 / Notices 66231 

institution; the name of the accrediting 

agency; and an assurance that the 

accrediting agency is recognized by the 

U.S. Department of Education; 

(3) The designated contact person, 

including phone number, facsimile 

number, and e-mail address (this is the 

person who will receive the reviewers’

comments; therefore, please ensure the 

accuracy of the information); 

(4) University’s name, department, 

mailing address, telephone number, 

facsimile number, and e-mail address; 

and 

(5) The principal investigator, if 

different from the designated contact 

person, for the project, including phone 

number, facsimile number, and e-mail 

address. 

d. Narrative statement addressing the 

Rating Factors. HUD will use the 

narrative response to the ‘‘Rating 

Factors’’ to evaluate, rate, and rank 

applications. The narrative statement is 

the main source of information. 

Applicants are advised to review each 

factor carefully for program-specific 

requirements. The response to each 

factor should be concise and contain 

only information relevant to the factor, 

but detailed enough to address each 

factor fully. Focus on how well the 

proposal responds to each of the factors. 

In factors where there are subfactors, 

each subfactor must be presented 

separately, with the short title of the 

subfactor presented. Make sure to 

address each subfactor and provide 

sufficient information about every 

element of the subfactor. The narrative 

section of an application must not 

exceed 15 pages, double spaced, in a 

Times Roman 12 point font (excluding 

forms, budget narrative, commitment 

letters, memoranda of understanding, 

agreements, and abstracts). Each page of 

the narrative must include the 

applicant’s name and must be 

numbered. Please note that although 

submitting pages in excess of the page 

limit will not disqualify an applicant, 

HUD will not consider the information 

on any excess pages. This exclusion 

may result in a lower score or failure to 

meet a threshold requirement, resulting 

in ineligibility. 

e. Budget. The budget submission 

must include the following form: 

(1) HUD–424–CB, ‘‘Grant Application 

Detailed Budget.’’ This budget form 

shows the total budget by year and by 

line item for the program activities to be 

carried out with the proposed HUD 

grant. Each year of the program should 

be presented separately. Applicants 

must also submit this form to reflect the 

total cost for the entire grant 

performance period (Grand Total). 

Make sure that the amount shown on 

the SF–424, the HUD–424–CB, and all 

other required program forms is 

consistent and the budget totals are 

correct. Remember to check addition in 

totaling the categories on all forms so 

that all items are included in the total. 

If there is an inconsistency between any 

of the budget forms required, the HUD–

424–CB will be used. All budget forms 

must be fully completed. If an 

application is selected for award, the 

applicant may be required to provide 

greater specificity to the budget during 

grant agreement negotiations. 

(2) Budget Justification. A narrative 

must be submitted that explains how 

the applicant arrived at the cost 

estimates for any line item, including 

match items, over $5,000. The proposed 

cost estimates should be both reasonable 

for the work to be performed and 

consistent with rates established for the 

level of expertise required to perform 

the work proposed. When an applicant 

proposes to use a consultant, the 

applicant must indicate whether there is 

a formal agreement or written 

procurement policy. For each 

consultant, please provide the name, if 

known, hourly or daily rate, and the 

estimated time on the project. For 

equipment, applicants must provide a 

list by type and cost for each item and 

explain how it will be used. 

(3) Indirect costs. Indirect costs, if 

applicable, are allowable based on an 

established approved indirect cost rate. 

Applicants should include a copy of 

their indirect cost rate agreement with 

their application. Please refer to Section 

IV.F of the General Section for 

instructions on how these documents 

are to be submitted to HUD using the 

electronic submission process. 

Applicants who are selected for funding 

that do not have an approved indirect 

cost rate agreement (established by the 

appropriate Federal agency, Certified 

Public Accountant, or auditor) will be 

required to submit an indirect cost 

proposal to the cognizant Federal 

agency to establish a rate. In such cases, 

HUD will issue an award with a 

provisional rate and enter into an 

agreement to have one established. 

f. Appendix. All letters of 

commitment and other required forms 

should be placed in this section. 

Applicants applying as a Consortium 

must include a memorandum of 

understanding or agreement signed by 

each of Chief Executive Officers of the 

institutions involved. The document 

must describe all the members of the 

Consortium, outline each institution’s 

roles and responsibilities, and describe 

how much funding each institution will 

receive from the grant. For applicants 

submitting electronic applications, 

please refer to Section IV.F of the 

General Section for instructions on how 

third-party documents are to be 

submitted to HUD using the electronic 

submission process. An applicant 

SHOULD NOT submit general support 

letters or resumes or other back-up 

materials. If this information is 

included, it will not be considered 

during the review process. The 

additional items will also slow the 

transmission of your application. 

C. Submission Dates and Times 

An electronic application package 

must be received electronically by the 

Grants.gov portal no later than 11:59:59 

p.m. Eastern time on or before December 

1, 2005. Applications may be submitted 

in advance of the submission date. 

Electronic faxes using the Facsimile 

Transmittal (Form HUD–96011) cover 

sheet contained in the electronic 

application may be submitted prior to 

the application submission date and 

must be received no later than 11:59:59 

p.m. Eastern time on the application 

submission date. Please see Section IV.F 

of the General Section for electronic 

application submission instructions and 

timely receipt requirements. 

A paper application package must be 

postmarked on or before 12 midnight on 

the application due date and received 

by the Office of University Partnerships 

Clearinghouse within three (3) calendar 

days of the application due date. 

Applications should be sent using DHL, 

Falcon Carrier, Federal Express (FedEx), 

United Parcel Services (UPS), or the 

United States Postal Services (USPS), as 

access to the clearinghouse by other 

delivery services is not guaranteed. All 

applicants must obtain and save a 

delivery service receipt or certificate of 

mailing to indicate the application was 

submitted for delivery on or before the 

application due date. Hand deliveries 

will not be accepted. 

D. Intergovernmental Review 

This program is excluded from an 

Intergovernmental Review. 

E. Funding Restrictions 

1. Activities such as, but not limited 

to, the following are ineligible for 

funding: 

a. Any type of capital costs for 

construction, rehabilitation, or other 

physical development. 

b. Routine operations and day-to-day 

administration of institutions of higher 

education, local governments, or 

neighborhood groups. 

c. Payment of court fines, judgments 

or fees imposed as a result of a court 

case, or a settlement of a court case. 

66232 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 210 / Tuesday, November 1, 2005 / Notices 

2. Funding may only be provided to 

applicants that meet the standards for 

eligible applicants in Section III.A. 

F. Other Submission Requirements 

1. Application Submission and 

Receipt Procedure. Please read the 

General Section carefully and 

completely for the submission and 

receipt procedures for all applications 

because failure to comply may 

disqualify your application. 

2. Paper applications will be 

accepted. 

V. Application Review Information 

A. Criteria 

1. Rating Factor 1: Capacity of the 

Applicant and Relevant Organizational 

Experience (25 Points) 

This factor addresses the extent to 

which an applicant has the 

organizational resources necessary to 

successfully implement the proposed 

activities in a timely manner. In rating 

this factor, HUD will consider the extent 

to which the proposal demonstrates the 

knowledge and experience of the overall 

proposed project director and staff, 

including the day-to-day program 

manager, consultants, and contractors in 

planning and managing the kind of 

program for which funding is being 

requested. Experience will be judged in 

terms of recent, relevant, and successful 

knowledge and skills of the staff to 

undertake eligible program activities. 

HUD will consider experience within 

the last 5 years to be recent; experience 

pertaining to the specific activities being 

proposed to be relevant; and experience 

producing specific accomplishments to 

be successful. 

Applicants should include 

information on the commitment of 

project staff time to the project. In 

addition, applicants must provide 

position titles and qualifications of 

persons to carry out the proposed 

activities, including academic 

background, training, and relevant 

publications of project staff. 

Applicants must provide information 

that reflects whether they have 

sufficient personnel, if they will be able 

to retain qualified experts or 

professionals to begin the proposed 

project immediately, and to perform 

proposed activities in a timely and 

effective fashion. 

Applicants may submit attachments 

totaling no more than 15 pages over and 

above the narrative statement that 

consists of copies of plans, drawings, 

photographs, award announcements, or 

journal articles that illustrate previous 

projects, both for project staff and/or 

representative studio design projects 

completed by students that illustrate the 

type of design and plans anticipated to 

be carried out as part of the proposed 

activities. Photographs must be 

submitted as a JPEG file. Drawings, 

plans, or articles must be submitted as 

PDF files. HUD is only able to read files 

that are formatted in Microsoft Office, 

Word, and Excel. 

2. Rating Factor 2: Need/Extent of the 

Problem (10 Points) 

This factor addresses the extent to 

which there is a need for the activities 

the applicant proposes to undertake in 

response to this NOFA. An indication of 

urgency of meeting the need to 

participate in the target area is not 

necessary, as this has already been 

identified for the entire region impacted 

by Hurricane Katrina or Rita. On this 

factor, the proposal will be evaluated on 

the extent to which it documents an 

assessment of the need for the proposed 

activities. 

3. Rating Factor 3: Soundness of 

Approach (55 Points) 

This factor addresses the quality and 

cost-effectiveness of the proposed work 

plan. There must be a clear relationship 

among the proposed activities, 

community needs, and the purpose of 

the funding to receive points for this 

factor. The factor will be evaluated 

based on the extent to which the 

proposed work plan will: 

a. (25 Points) Specific Services and/or 

Activities. The work plan must identify 

the services or activities, major tasks, 

milestones, and timelines for the 

activity category proposed. In reviewing 

this subfactor, HUD will consider the 

extent to which the applicant: 

(1) Identifies which activity category 

as discussed in III.C.1 of this NOFA they 

will focus on; 

(2) Describes each proposed activity 

to successfully implement and complete 

the proposed activities; 

(3) Identifies tasks and time frames 

necessary to accomplish the proposed 

activities; 

(4) Describes the measurable 

objectives to be accomplished, 

including short- and long-term 

objectives to be achieved as a result of 

the proposed activities; the tangible and 

measurable impact the activities will 

have on the community in the target 

hurricane disaster area or a population 

in particular; and the relationship of the 

proposed activities to other ongoing or 

proposed efforts to improve the 

economic, social, or living environment 

in the impact area; and 

(5) Identifies who will be responsible 

for the proposed activities and how the 

architecture, urban planning and design, 

or construction school will be involved 

(where appropriate in partnership with 

other disciplines, departments, and 

administrative offices). 

b. (5 Points) Involving the 

communities to be served in a 

partnership for the planning and 

implementation of the proposed 

activities. In reviewing this subfactor, 

HUD will look at the extent to which the 

applicant: 

(1) Involves local citizens directly in 

the decision-making and design 

processes; 

(2) Identifies a partner within the 

Hurricane-impacted community, 

neighborhood, municipality, or 

metropolitan area. Applicants must 

obtain a written agreement with the 

local entity to receive funding under 

this program. Examples of potential 

partners are state and local 

governments; a quasi-government 

agency such as a development 

corporation; public housing authority; 

local or national nonprofit 

organizations, if national must have a 

local affiliate; financial institutions; 

foundations; faith-based, if national 

must have a local affiliate; institutions 

of higher education; and other 

community-based organizations. 

c. (6 Points) Helping to solve or to 

address an urgent problem as identified 

in Rating Factor 2 and will achieve the 

purposes of the proposed activities. In 

reviewing this subfactor, HUD will look 

at the extent to which the activities 

proposed are responsive to pressing and 

urgent needs, as identified in the 

documents described in Rating Factor 2. 

d. (4 Points) Work will yield 

innovative strategies or ‘‘best practices’’

that can be replicated and disseminated 

to other organizations, including 

nonprofit organizations, state and local 

governments and other communities 

impacted by the hurricanes. In 

reviewing this subfactor, HUD will 

assess the applicant’s demonstrated 

ability to disseminate results to other 

universities and communities. 

e. (5 Points) Results in supporting the 

planning and design functions and 

activities of the institution. In rating this 

subfactor, HUD will evaluate the extent 

to which the URAP activities will 

benefit students (because they are part 

of the professional training programs at 

the institution rather than just volunteer 

activities) and support the institution’s 

commitment to faculty and staff to 

continue to work in URAP communities 

and the institution’s local communities 

and neighborhoods or replicate 

successes in other neighborhoods. 

f. (5 points) Involvement of students 

in course work. In rating this subfactor, 

HUD will look at the extent to which 

Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 210 / Tuesday, November 1, 2005 / Notices 66233 

URAP activities are incorporated or 

addressed in student course work, 

including design and planning studios. 

This should include students’

developing an understanding of design 

and planning issues associated with the 

project. Please describe the proposed 

relationship between student work and 

the final plans or housing designs. 

g. (5 Points) Commitment to the effort. 

This subfactor addresses the applicant’s 

ability to identify/secure additional 

resources that will aid in project 

implementation. HUD is looking for 

proposed plans to be adopted and 

resources allocated from the community 

to support the plan/development. 

Governmental entities, public or 

private nonprofit organizations, forprofit private organizations, or other 

entities willing to establish partnerships 

with the institution may provide 

resources. In order to receive points 

under this subfactor, applicants must 

submit letters of commitment that 

outline the services/resources 

committed, how the services/resources 

will be utilized, and the involvement of 

the entity in the program. 

4. Rating Factor 4: Achieving Results 

and Program Evaluation (10 Points) 

This factor reflects HUD’s goal to 

embrace high standards of management 

and accountability. It measures the 

applicant’s commitment to assess their 

performance to achieve the program’s 

proposed objectives and goals. 

Applicants are required to develop an 

effective, quantifiable, outcome-oriented 

evaluation plan for measuring 

performance and determining that 

objectives and goals have been 

achieved. The Logic Model is a 

summary of the narrative statements 

presented in Factors 1–3. Therefore, the 

information submitted on the Logic 

Model should be consistent with the 

information contained in the narrative 

statements, but does not have to be as 

detailed. 

‘‘Outcomes’’ are benefits accruing to 

institutions of higher education and/or 

communities during or after 

participation in the URAP—Community 

Design program. Applicants must 

clearly identify the outcomes to be 

measured and achieved. Examples of 

outcomes are increased business startup in the target community by a certain 

percentage, or increased family financial 

stability (e.g., increased assets to 

families and communities through the 

development of incubators). 

In addition, applicants must establish 

interim benchmarks and outputs that 

lead to the ultimate achievement of 

outcomes. ‘‘Outputs’’ are the direct 

products of the program’s activities. 

Examples of outputs are the number of 

new businesses developed, the number 

of students involved in service learning 

activities, and the number of new 

courses an institution developed that 

focus on community outreach activities, 

the number of newly formed 

partnerships that aid in community 

capacity building. Outputs should 

produce outcomes for the program. At a 

minimum, an applicant must address 

the following activities in the evaluation 

plan: 

a. Specific time-phased short- and 

long-term measurable outputs to be 

accomplished. 

b. Measurable outcomes the grant will 

have on the community in general and 

the target area or population. 

c. The impact the grant will have on 

the long-term commitment of the 

university to the faculty and students to 

provide opportunities to continue this 

type of work. 

d. The impact the grant will have on 

assisting the university in obtaining 

additional resources to continue this 

type of work at the end of the grant 

performance period. 

This information must be placed 

under this section on a HUD–96010 

Program Outcome Logic Model form. 

Applicants may submit as many copies 

of this form as required. It will not be 

included in the page count requirement. 

A narrative is not required. However, if 

a narrative is provided, those pages will 

be included in the page count. 

Additional information on this form and 

how to use it can be found in the 

General Section. 

B. Review and Selection Process 

1. Application Selection Process 

Two types of reviews will be 

conducted: 

a. A threshold review to determine an 

applicant’s basic eligibility; and 

b. A technical review for all 

applications that pass the threshold 

review to rate and rank the application 

based on the ‘‘Rating Factors’’ listed in 

Section V.A. Only those applications 

that pass the threshold review will 

receive a technical review and be rated 

and ranked. 

2. Rating Panels 

To review and rate applications, HUD 

may establish panels which may 

include experts or consultants not 

currently employed by HUD. 

3. Ranking 

HUD will fund applications in rank 

order until all available program funds 

are awarded. In order to be funded, an 

applicant must receive a minimum 

score of 75 points out of a possible 100 

points. HUD reserves the right to reduce 

the amount of funding requested in 

order to fund as many highly ranked 

applications as possible. Additionally, if 

funds remain after funding the highest 

ranked applications, HUD may fund 

part of the next highest-ranking 

application. If an applicant turns down 

the award offer, HUD will make the 

same determination for the next highestranking application. 

4. Correction to Deficient Applications 

The General Section provides the 

procedures for correction to deficient 

applications. 

VI. Award Administration Information 

A. Award Notice 

After all selections have been made, 

HUD will notify all winning 

applications in writing. HUD may 

require winning applicants to 

participate in additional negotiations 

before receiving an official award. For 

further discussion on this matter, please 

refer to the General Section. 

B. Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements 

Applicants may meet any of the 

National Policy Requirements listed in 

Section VI.B of the General Section. 

1. Debriefing 

The General Section provides the 

procedures for requesting a debriefing. 

All requests for debriefings must be 

made in writing and submitted ninety 

(90) days after the awards have been 

announced to: Kinnard Wright, Office of 

University Partnerships, Robert C. 

Weaver Federal Building, 451 Seventh 

Street, SW., Room 8106, Washington, 

DC 20410–6000. Applicants may also 

write to Mr. Wright via e-mail at 

Kinnard_D._Wright@hud.gov. 

2. Administrative 

Grants awarded under this NOFA will 

be governed by the provisions of 24 CFR 

part 84 (Grants and Agreements with 

Institutions of Higher Education, 

Hospitals and Other Non-Profit 

Organizations), A–21 (Cost Principles 

for Educational Institutions), and A–133 

(Audits of States, Local Governments, 

and Non-Profit Organizations). 

Applicants can access the OMB 

circulars at the White House Web site at: 

http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/ 

circulars/index.html. 

3. OMB Circulars and Government-Wide 

Regulations Applicable to Financial 

Assistance Programs 

The General Section provides further 

discussion. 

66234 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 210 / Tuesday, November 1, 2005 / Notices 

4. Code of Conduct 

See the General Section for further 

discussion. 

5. Recovered Materials 

The General Section provides further 

discussion. 

6. Environmental Requirements 

In accordance with 24 CFR 50.19(b) of 

HUD regulations, activities assisted 

under this NOFA are categorically 

excluded from the requirements of the 

National Environmental Policy Act and 

are not subject to environmental review 

under related laws and authorities. 

C. Reporting 

All grant recipients under this NOFA 

are required to submit semi-annual 

progress reports. The progress reports 

shall consist of two components, a 

narrative that must reflect the activities 

undertaken during the reporting period 

and a financial report, as well as a 

cumulative summary of costs incurred 

during the reporting period. 

For each reporting period, as part of 

the required report to HUD, grant 

recipients must include a completed 

Logic Model (HUD–96010), which 

identifies output and outcome 

achievements. 

VII. Agency Contacts 

Applicants may contact Kinnard 

Wright at (202) 708–3061, extension 

7495, or Susan Brunson at (202) 708–

3061, extension 3852. Persons with 

speech or hearing impairments may call 

the Federal Information Relay Service 

(TTY) at (800) 877–8339. Except for the 

‘‘800’’ number, these numbers are not 

toll-free. Applicants may also reach Mr. 

Wright via e-mail at 

Kinnard_D._Wright@hud.gov, and/or 

Ms. Brunson at 

Susan_S._Brunson@hud.gov. 

VIII. Other Information 

A. Paperwork Reduction Act 

The information collection 

requirements contained in this 

document have been approved by the 

Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) under the Paperwork Reduction 

Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501–3520) and 

assigned OMB control number is 

pending. In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act, HUD may not 

conduct or sponsor, and a person is not 

required to respond to, a collection of 

information unless the collection 

displays a currently valid OMB control 

number. Public reporting burden for the 

collection of information is estimated to 

average 144 hours per annum per 

respondent for the application and grant 

administration. This includes the time 

for collecting, reviewing, and reporting 

the data for the application, quarterly, 

semi-annual, and final reports. The 

information will be used for grantee 

selection and monitoring the 

administration of funds. Response to 

this request for information is required 

in order to receive the benefits to be 

derived. 

B. Modification of the Definition of 

Institution of Higher Learning 

For this URAP—Community Design 

program NOFA, HUD is modifying the 

definition of Institution of Higher 

Learning provided for in 24 CFR 

570.411(b). Although HUD generally 

publishes regulatory changes for 

comment before issuing the regulation 

for effect, HUD may issue a regulatory 

change when good cause allows the 

Department to omit advance notice and 

comment, in accordance with HUD’s 

rules at 24 CFR part 10. The good cause 

requirement is satisfied when prior 

public procedure is ‘‘impractical, 

unnecessary, or contrary to the public 

interest’’ (see 24 CFR 10.1). Because of 

the widespread devastation caused by 

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the 

urgency to provide assistance to persons 

affected by these natural disasters, HUD 

has determined that it would be 

contrary to the public interest to delay 

the effectiveness of this regulatory 

change in order to solicit prior public 

comment. Therefore, for grants awarded 

pursuant to this NOFA, colleges or 

universities granting 2-year degrees and 

accredited by a national or regional 

accrediting agency recognized by the 

U.S. Department of Education will be 

considered eligible applicants. The 

modification is limited to grants 

awarded under this NOFA and does not 

extend to any other program or grant. 

C. Environmental Impacts 

This NOFA provides funding under, 

and does not alter the environmental 

requirements of, 24 CFR 570.411. 

Accordingly, under 24 CFR 50.19(c)(5), 

this NOFA is categorically excluded 

from environmental review under the 

National Environmental Policy Act of 

1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321) (NEPA). Activities 

under this NOFA are subject to the 

environmental review provisions set out 

at 24 CFR 570.411(n). However, as 

indicated in Sec. VI of this NOFA, 

activities assisted under this NOFA are 

categorically excluded from the 

requirements of NEPA and are not 

subject to environmental review under 

related laws and authorities. 

Dated: October 24, 2005. 

Darlene F. Williams, 

Assistant Secretary for Policy Development 

and Research. 

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