4312 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 14 / Friday, January 23, 2009 / Notices 

eligible entities that are legally 

fundable, the highest-ranked 

applications for which funding is 

available, will be conditionally selected 

for eligibility to receive a capital grant 

in accordance with their ranked order 

until funding is expended 

(approximately $12 million). 

Methodology: VA will review all 

capital grant applications in response to 

this notice of funding availability as 

follows: VA will group the applicants 

into the funding priorities categories as 

applicable. Applicants will then be 

ranked within their respective funding 

category based on score and any ranking 

criteria set forth in that funding category 

only if the applicant scores at least 600 

cumulative points and receives points 

under the criteria in paragraphs (b), (c), 

(d), (e) and (i) of section 61.13. 

The highest-ranked application for 

which funding is available, within the 

highest funding category, will be 

conditionally selected in accordance 

with their ranked order until VA 

reaches the projected amount of funding 

for each category. If funds are still 

available after selection of those 

applications in the highest priority 

group VA will continue to conditionally 

select applicants in lower priority 

categories in accordance with the 

selection method set forth in the final 

rule Sec. 61.14. 

Application Requirements: 

Applicants must include a cover letter 

clearly stating under which funding 

priority they wish to be considered. 

Non-profit agencies who apply under 

funding priority two are required to 

provide a letter of assurance from the 

Indian Tribal Government that if funded 

the provision of service will occur on 

Indian Tribal Property. The grant 

application requirements will be 

specified in the application package. 

Applicants should be careful to 

complete the proper application 

package. Submission of the incorrect or 

incomplete application package will 

result in the application being rejected 

at threshold. The packages include all 

required forms and certifications. 

Selections will be made based on 

criteria described in the application, 

Final Rule, and NOFA. Applicants who 

are conditionally selected will be 

notified of any additional information 

needed to confirm or clarify information 

provided in the application. Applicants 

will then be notified of the deadline to 

submit such information. If an applicant 

is unable to meet any conditions for 

grant award within the specified time 

frame, VA reserves the right to not 

award funds and to use the funds 

available for other grant and per diem 

applicants. 

Dated: January 8, 2009. 

Gordon H. Mansfield, 

Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs. 

[FR Doc. E9–1509 Filed 1–22–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 8320–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 

AFFAIRS 

Fund Availability Under VA Homeless 

Providers Grant and Per Diem Program 

AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Department of Veterans 

Affairs (VA) is announcing the 

availability of funds for applications for 

assistance under the Technical 

Assistance Grant component of VA’s 

Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem 

Program. This notice contains 

information concerning the program, 

application process, and amount of 

funding available. 

DATES: An original completed and 

collated grant application (plus three 

completed collated copies) for 

assistance under the VA’s Homeless 

Providers Grant and Per Diem Program 

must be received in the Grant and Per 

Diem Field Office, by 4 p.m. Eastern 

Time on Wednesday, March 25, 2009. 

Applications may not be sent by 

facsimile (FAX). In the interest of 

fairness to all competing applicants, this 

deadline is firm as to date and hour, and 

VA will treat as ineligible for 

consideration any application that is 

received after the deadline. Applicants 

should take this practice into account 

and make early submission of their 

material to avoid any risk of loss of 

eligibility brought about by 

unanticipated delays, computer service 

outages (in the case of Grants.gov), or 

other delivery-related problems. 

For a Copy of the Application 

Package: Download directly from VA’s 

Grant and Per Diem Program Web page 

at: http://www.va.gov/homeless/ 

page.cfm?pg=3 or call the Grant and Per 

Diem Program at (toll-free) 1–877–332– 

0334. In this package is information on 

Grants.gov submission should 

applicants so desire. For a document 

relating to the VA’s Homeless Providers 

Grant and Per Diem Program, see the 

final rule codified at 38 CFR Part 61.0. 

Submission of Application: An 

original completed and collated grant 

application (plus three copies) and a 

cover letter clearly stating under which 

funding priority applicants (see funding 

priorities) wish to be considered must 

be submitted to the following address: 

VA Homeless Providers Grant and Per 

Diem Field Office, 10770 N. 46th Street, 

Suite C–200, Tampa, FL 33617. 

Applications must be received in the 

Grant and Per Diem Field office by the 

application deadline. This includes 

applications submitted through 

Grants.gov. Applications must arrive as 

a complete package. Materials arriving 

separately will not be included in the 

application package for consideration 

and may result in the application being 

rejected or not funded. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. 

Chelsea Watson, VA Homeless 

Providers Grant and Per Diem Program, 

Department of Veterans Affairs, 10770 

North 46th Street, Suite C–200, Tampa, 

FL 33617; or call (toll-free) 1–877–332– 

0334. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This 

notice announces the availability of 

funds for assistance under VA’s 

Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem 

Program for eligible non-profit entities 

with expertise in preparing grant 

applications relating to the provision of 

assistance for homeless veterans to: 

Provide technical assistance to those 

non-profit community-based groups 

with experience in providing assistance 

to homeless veterans in order to help 

such groups apply for grants under the 

final rule, published in the Federal 

Register, September 26, 2003, or to 

apply for other grants from any source 

for addressing the problems of homeless 

veterans. 

Funding applied for under this Notice 

is authorized by the ‘‘Homeless Veterans 

Comprehensive Assistance Act of 

2001,’’ Public Law 107–95, § 5, codified 

as amended at 38 U.S.C. 2011, 2012, 

2013, 2061, 2064. The program is 

implemented by the final rule codified 

at 38 CFR Part 61.0. The regulations can 

be found in their entirety in 38 CFR, 

Sec. 61.0 through 61.82. Funds made 

available under this Notice are subject 

to the requirements of those regulations. 

Funding applied for under this notice 

may be used for: (a) Group or individual 

seminars providing general instructions 

concerning grant applications; (b) Group 

or individual seminars providing 

instructions for applying for a specific 

grant; or (c) Group or individual 

instruction for preparing analyses to be 

included in a grant application. 

Seminars (course of instruction) may be 

delivered in electronic, face-to-face 

(individual or group), and 

correspondence methodologies (e.g., 

Internet based training, video 

teleconferencing, computer media such 

as CD or disk). 

VA’s statutory authority is limited to 

providing grants so that the recipients 

‘‘shall provide technical assistance to 

non-profit community-based groups 

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Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 14 / Friday, January 23, 2009 / Notices 4313 

with experience in providing assistance 

to homeless veterans in order to assist 

such groups in applying for grants 

under this chapter and other grants 

relating to addressing problems of 

homeless veterans’’ (38 U.S.C. 2064). 

Potential applicants should take this 

into consideration when developing 

technical assistance applications to 

ensure their activities as described in 

the application meet the regulatory 

criteria of aiding potential non-profits 

by providing general instructions 

concerning grant applications, 

instruction on completing specific grant 

applications, or providing analyses to be 

used in grant applications (38 CFR 61.50 

(a), (b), (c)). 

Entities that are interested in 

providing technical assistance should be 

aware that historically the Grant and Per 

Diem Program office receives over 1,500 

nationwide inquiries per Notice of Fund 

Availability (NOFA) from prospective 

applicants. It is estimated that an 

additional 1,000 inquiries are received 

nationwide at VA Medical Center 

Homeless Programs. From these 

inquiries, VA has seen an increase in 

the number of applicants each year. 

Approximately 100 to 300 applications 

per funding round have been received 

in past responses to NOFAs under VA’s 

Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem 

Program. Those entities applying to 

provide technical assistance should 

consider not only the numbers but the 

diversity of the service provider seeking 

assistance when establishing their 

service plans. 

The applicant for this funding will be 

expected to develop an integrated 

technical assistance plan, using funds 

for purposes as specified in this NOFA, 

the objectives of the program rules and 

regulations to offer technical assistance 

to agencies in their-specified target area. 

Applicants should take note that they 

will be held accountable to provide to 

VA documentation that demonstrates 

the objectives of technical training are 

being met throughout the course of the 

award cycle and documentation that 

clearly demonstrates the completion of 

technical assistance objectives were 

met, cumulatively, at the end of the 

funding period. Also, VA intends to 

conduct both periodic fiscal and 

performance reviews of the awarded 

agency(s). The technical assistance 

should not only raise the awareness of 

providers regarding the availably of 

funds to assist homeless veterans but 

also increase providers’ proficiency in 

applying for these funds to assist 

homeless veterans. Applicants should 

take the aforementioned into 

consideration when developing a 

technical assistance plan. Outcomes 

measures that are specific and 

measurable should be an integral part of 

the technical assistance plan that is 

submitted in the application. 

Grant applicants may not receive 

assistance to replace funds provided by 

any State or local government for the 

same purpose. 

Authority: Funding applied for under this 

Notice is authorized by the ‘‘Homeless 

Veterans Comprehensive Assistance Act of 

2001,’’ Public Law 107–95, § 5, codified as 

amended at 38 U.S.C. 2011, 2012, 2013, 2061, 

2064. The program is implemented by the 

final rule codified at 38 CFR Part 61.0. The 

regulations can be found in their entirety in 

38 CFR, Sec. 61.0 through 61.82. Funds made 

available under this Notice are subject to the 

requirements of those regulations. 

Allocation: Approximately $3 million 

is available for the technical assistance 

grant component of this program. 

Funding will be for a period beginning 

on October 1, 2009 and ending on 

September 30, 2011. Not more than 

$500,000.00 per year per technical 

assistance provider will be awarded. 

Applicants should take into 

consideration the 24-month period of 

award when calculating and submitting 

their budgets for this NOFA. 

Funding Priorities: Feedback from 

previous technical assistance users’ and 

documented outcomes from previous 

technical assistance providers indicates 

a demand and preference for face-to-face 

group seminars to deliver technical 

assistance information. In order to meet 

this demand VA establishes the 

following funding priorities. 

Funding priority 1. Eligible entities 

that will provide 45 face-to-face group 

grant writing seminars, nationwide, per 

year, specific to the Grant / Per Diem 

Program will be placed in funding 

priority one. 

With these criteria, of those eligible 

entities in the first funding priority, that 

are legally fundable, the highest scoring 

applicant will be funded first followed 

by the second highest scoring applicant 

until $1 million is funded. Of this group 

not more than one (1) technical 

assistance grant will be awarded to the 

same technical assistance recipient 

(defined by tax identification number). 

Using the guidance above, should the 

goal not be met and if funding is still 

available, remaining funding will go to 

the second funding priority. 

Funding priority 2. Should funding 

still be available, eligible entities 

providing general technical assistance 

activities as stated in the regulations 

will be placed in the second funding 

priority. Of this group not more than 

one (1) technical assistance grant will be 

awarded to the same technical 

assistance recipient (defined by tax 

identification number). Of those eligible 

entities in the second funding priority, 

that are legally fundable, the highest 

scoring applicants will be funded first 

until funding is expended. 

Application Requirements: 

Applicants must provide a cover letter 

indicating which funding priority they 

are applying under. The specific grant 

application requirements will be 

specified in the application package. 

The package includes all required forms 

and certifications. Selections will be 

made based on criteria described in the 

application. Applicants who are 

selected will be notified of any 

additional information needed to 

confirm or clarify information provided 

in the application. Applicants will then 

be notified of the time in which to 

submit such information. If an applicant 

is unable to meet any conditions for 

grant award within the specified time 

frame, VA reserves the right to not 

award funds and to use the funds 

available for other grant and per diem 

applicants. 

Dated: January 13, 2009. 

James B. Peake, 

Secretary of Veterans Affairs. 

[FR Doc. E9–1507 Filed 1–22–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 8320–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 

AFFAIRS 

Fund Availability Under VA Homeless 

Providers Grant and Per Diem Program 

AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Department of Veterans 

Affairs (VA) is announcing the 

availability of funds for currently 

operational VA Grant and Per Diem 

Special Need Grant Recipients in 

conjunction with their collaborative VA 

Special Need partners and currently 

operational VA Grant and Per Diem 

Special Need Grant Recipients which do 

not involve a collaborative effort to 

make re-applications for assistance 

under the Special Need Grant 

Component of VA’s Homeless Providers 

Grant and Per Diem (GPD) Program. The 

focus of this NOFA is to encourage 

applicants to continue to deliver 

services to the homeless Special Need 

veteran population. This Notice 

contains information concerning the 

program, application process, and 

amount of funding available. 

DATES: An original completed and 

collated grant application (plus three 

completed collated copies) for 

assistance under the VA’s Homeless 

Providers Grant and Per Diem Program 

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