Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 45 / Wednesday, March 7, 2001 / Notices 13771

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND

HUMAN SERVICES (DHHS)

Administration for Children and

Families (ACF)

[Program Announcement CFDA Number

93.604]

Discretionary Funds for Assistance for

Treatment of Torture Survivors

AGENCY: Office of Refugee Resettlement

(ORR), ACF, DHHS.

ACTION: Request for applications for

services to victims of torture including

medical, psychological, legal and social

services; and research and training for

health care providers outside of

treatment centers to enable the

provision of services to victims of

torture.

SUMMARY: The Office of Refugee

Resettlement (ORR), Administration for

Children and Families (ACF),

announces that competing applications

will be accepted for ‘‘Treatment and

Services for Torture Survivors’’ grants to

provide assistance to victims of torture,

including treatment for the physical and

psychological effects of torture and

social and legal services, and to provide

research and training for health care

providers outside of treatment centers to

provide rehabilitation services.

DATES: The closing date for submission

of applications is May 7, 2001. See Part

III of this announcement for more

information on submitting applications.

Announcement Availability: The

program announcement and the

application materials are available from

Marta Brenden, Office of Refugee

Resettlement (ORR) 370 L’Enfant

Promenade, SW., Washington DC 20447

and from the ORR website at

www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/orr

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Marta Brenden, Refugee Program

Specialist, Division of Community

Resettlement, Office of Refugee

Resettlement, Tel (202) 205–3589, Fax

(202) 401–5772,

MBrenden@ACF.DHHS.GOV.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This

program announcement consists of four

parts:

Part I: Background and General

Information—background, legislative

authority, funding availability, CFDA

Number, eligible applicants, project and

budget periods, purpose and objectives,

allowable activities, and review criteria.

Part II. The Review Process—

intergovernmental review, initial ACF

screening, and competitive review.

Part III: The Application—application

development: application forms,

application submission and deadlines,

late applications, extension of

deadlines, certifications, general

instructions for preparing a full project

description, and length of applications.

Part IV: Post-award—applicable

regulations, treatment of program

income and reporting requirements.

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995

(Pub. L. 104–13)

Public reporting burden for this

collection of information is estimated to

average 30 hours per response,

including the time for reviewing

instructions, gathering and maintaining

the data needed, and reviewing the

collection information. The following

information collections are included in

the program announcement: OMB

control number 0970–0139, ACF

UNIFORM PROJECT DESCRIPTION

(UPD) which expires 12/31/2003. 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.

Part I. Background and General

Information

Background

Torture and Torture Victims

The psychosocial and health

consequences of violence and traumatic

stress have emerged as one of the public

health problems of our time. Torture

constitutes one of the most extreme

forms of trauma, with the potential for

long-term psychological and physical

suffering. The term torture has been

defined in different ways by various

organizations for multiple purposes.

This program authorized by the

‘‘Torture Victims Relief Act of 1998’’

uses the definition of torture found in

18 U.S.C. 2340 (1) and ‘‘includes the use

of rape and other forms of sexual

violence by a person acting under the

color of law upon another person under

his custody or physical control.’’ The

definition of ‘‘torture’’ at 18 U.S.C. 2340

(1) provides that:

‘torture’ means an act committed by a

person under the color of law

specifically intended to inflict severe

physical or mental pain or suffering

(other than pain or suffering incidental

to lawful sanctions) upon another

person within his custody or physical

control.

This provision also defines the term

‘‘severe mental pain or suffering’’ as: the

prolonged mental harm caused by or

resulting from—

(A) the intentional infliction or

threatened infliction of severe physical

pain or suffering;

(B) the administration or application,

or threatened administration or

application, of mind-altering substances

or other procedures calculated to

disrupt profoundly the senses or the

personality;

(C) the threat of imminent death; or

(D) the threat that another person will

imminently be subjected to death,

severe physical pain or suffering, or the

administration or application of mindaltering substances or other procedures

calculated to disrupt profoundly the

senses or personality.

It should be emphasized that, for

purposes of this announcement, the

experience of torture may include

specific characteristics of torture as

documented in personal testimony or in

clinical, medical, or detention settings.

Some specific examples of physical and

psychological types of torture are:

systemic beating, sexual torture,

electrical torture, suffocation, burning,

bodily suspension, pharmacological

torture, mutilations, dental assaults,

deprivation and exhaustion, threats

about the use of torture, witnessing the

torture of others, humiliation, and

isolation.

Estimates of the number of torture

survivors have been established

primarily by extrapolating from the

major populations at risk—refugees and

internally displaced persons. In 1997,

there were estimated to be more that

13,600,000 refugees and asylum seekers

in the world and 20 million internally

displaced persons. The estimates of

refugees, asylum seekers and displaced

persons who have been tortured vary

widely from 5% to 35%. This

announcement, which focuses on

health, social and legal services for

torture survivors, as well as education

and training of providers, recognizes

that torture may have been an

experience of many members of groups

residing in the United States, including

refugees, asylees, immigrants, other

displaced persons, and U.S. citizens.

Using data cited above, it has been

estimated that there may be more than

400,000 torture survivors in the United

States.

Consequences of Torture and Services

for Torture Survivors

Physical consequences of torture may

be extensive and severe. Specific

neuropsychological symptoms are often

difficult to diagnose because of head

injuries and the multiplicity of

symptoms. Post-traumatic stress

disorder, depression, substance abuse,

and other anxiety disorders are common

diagnoses among torture survivors.

Therefore, for many severely tortured

individuals, access to medical

13772 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 45 / Wednesday, March 7, 2001 / Notices

practitioners and sophisticated

diagnostic instruments and testing (e.g.,

neuro-imaging, cognitive functions,

etc.), for the purpose of differential

diagnosis, is paramount.

A high percentage of torture survivors

are in need of social and legal services.

Access to legal and immigration services

is usually a priority. Social services,

such as employment assistance and

training, are also extremely important

and correlate with successful

psychosocial adjustment and wellbeing. From the national experience

with refugees and survivors of wartime

violence, it has been demonstrated that

early and adequate access to social and

legal services may also preclude the

need for more specialized psychological

treatment services.

The torture rehabilitation and

treatment center movement, which was

established in Denmark in the 1970’s,

and adopted in the US, Canada, France

and other countries, has led to the

growth of specialized torture survivor

treatment centers in select parts of the

nation. Although the treatment center

movement has created opportunities for

treatment and training in specific urban

areas, many torture survivors do not

have access to these highly specialized

programs. Medical, social and legal

services for torture survivors are needed

in areas and in settings and institutions

wherever torture survivors will seek

assistance. Thus there is also a national

need for more broad-based training of

medical and mental health practitioners

in the identification, diagnosis and

treatment of torture survivors.

Torture survivors, now in the United

States, should be provided with the

rehabilitation services which would

enable them to become productive

community members. The Torture

Victims Relief Act of 1998 provides for

services for the treatment of the

psychological and physical effects of

torture, social and legal services for

torture survivors, and research and

training for health care providers.

Legislative Authority

In October 1998, Congress enacted the

‘‘Torture Victims Relief Act of 1998,’’

Pub. Law 105–320 (22 U.S.C. 2152

note). Sec. 5 (a) of the law provides:

Assistance for Treatment of Torture

Victims—The Secretary of Health and

Human Services may provide grants to

programs in the United States to cover

the cost of the following services:

(1) Services for the rehabilitation of

victims of torture, including treatment

of the physical and psychological effects

of torture.

(2) Social and legal services for

victims of torture.

(3) Research and training for health

care providers outside of treatment

centers, or programs for the purpose of

enabling such providers to provide the

services described in paragraph (1).

In November 1999, Congress enacted

the ‘‘Torture Victims Relief

Reauthorization Act of 1999,’’ Pub. Law

106–87 (22 U.S.C. 2151 note).

Funding Availability

Congress appropriated $10,000,000

for carrying out section 5 of the Torture

Victims Relief Act of 1998 for the

second year of implementation of FY

2001 Consolidated Appropriations Act,

2001, as enacted into law by section 1

(a)(1) of Public Law 106–554.

ORR anticipates that this increase in

funding will permit the award of 4–6

new grants during FY 2001 at a total

amount of approximately $2,000,000.

The Director will award the new awards

as well as the continuation awards

subject to availability of funds,

satisfactory progress of the FY 2000

awards, and a determination that the

awards are in the best interest of the

Government.

The ORR 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.

It is important to make torture treatment

available to the greatest number of

victims of torture and for that reason,

the ORR Director reserves the right to

award applications that will cover the

largest number of geographic areas.

Applications for subsequent year

continuation grants funded under these

awards will be entertained on a noncompetitive basis, subject to the

availability of funds, satisfactory

progress of the grantee, and a

determination that continued funding

would be in the best interest of the

Government.

CFDA Number: 93.604

Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants are public or

private organizations and institutions.

Project and Budget Periods

This announcement invites

applications for project periods up to

three years. Awards, on a competitive

basis, will be for a one-year budget

period although project periods may be

for three years. Applications for

continuation grants funded under these

awards, beyond the one-year budget

period but within the three-year project

period, will be entertained in

subsequent years on a noncompetitive

basis, subject to availability of funds,

satisfactory progress of the grantee and

a determination that continued funding

would be in the best interest of the

Government.

Purpose and Objectives

Through this announcement, the

Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR),

Administration for Children and

Families (ACF) intends to fund grant

applications for 4–6 organizations to

provide assistance to victims of torture.

The purpose of the torture treatment

program is to provide services to

persons who have experienced torture.

It is also to conduct research and

training for health care providers

outside of treatment centers so that

these providers may also provide

rehabilitative services to victims of

torture.

The persons who have been tortured

may have one of several immigration

statuses: they may be legally admitted as

refugees or asylees, while others may be

seeking asylum. Still other persons may

be U.S. citizens. The services funded

under this announcement should

respond to the diversity of populations

to be targeted in the project area

whether they are immigrants, asylum

seekers, asylees, refugees admitted

under the U.S. refugee program, or

citizens of the United States.

However, not all torture survivors

have the same medical, psychological,

social, or legal needs. It is encouraged

that, within the clinical, social and legal

service domains, proposals are

encouraged that will address a broad

menu of services for any of the torture

victims in the project’s specified

geographic area. The applications may

include several organizations in

collaborative relationships in order to

have all the services necessary for the

clients. Partnerships are encouraged

among organizations in order to reach

all the torture victims in that area and

to provide a comprehensive program of

services. For example, an organization

that currently provides legal advice to

detained asylum seekers, who are

torture survivors, might collaborate with

a social service or treatment center

organization to pool resources and

expand their range of services for their

clients.

Allowable Activities

Applicants may propose one or more

of the following activities listed in the

legislation: (1) services for the

rehabilitation of victims of torture,

including treatment of the physical and

psychological effects of torture; (2)

social and legal services for victims of

torture; (3) research and training for

health care providers outside of

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 45 / Wednesday, March 7, 2001 / Notices 13773

treatment centers. For example,

applications may propose programs in

treatment centers to provide medical,

psychological, social and legal services.

Applications may also propose

programs for the purpose of enabling

health care providers outside the

treatment centers to provide medical,

psychological, social and legal services.

Applications should provide the

rationale for activities describing how

these activities meet the needs of the

victims of torture to be served in the

geographic area to be served.

Review Criteria

1. Objectives and Need for Assistance.

The application clearly demonstrates

experience with and knowledge of

victims of torture and an assessment of

their presence in the proposed

geographic area of service. There is a

clear description of the process by

which the client has access to treatment

and to the other allowable services.

Where research and training activities

are proposed, applicant clearly

demonstrates interest and willingness of

service providers outside the treatment

centers to attend training. (15 Points)

2. Approach. The application

provides a clear and feasible strategy for

assisting torture survivors that

demonstrates knowledge of the clients,

experience in serving these clients, and

community resources and has planned

with other collaborative organizations to

assist the clients in an effective and

efficient manner. The service plan and

collaborative relationships are

reasonable, substantiated with

appropriate documents, have a

likelihood of success and provide a

feasible strategy to work with the torture

survivor in becoming a productive

member of the community. Where

research and training activities are

proposed, applicant provides a plan for

research and training demonstrating

interest in the service providers to

attend the training activities. (25 points)

3. Organization Profiles. The

application demonstrates the

organization’s capacity to provide

assistance appropriate to torture

survivors (and, if appropriate to the

activities in the approach, the service

providers to be trained) that includes:

(a.) agency mission and organizational

chart; (b.) resumes of project staff

demonstrating linguistic and cultural

access for clients; (c.) history of

experience with torture survivors, such

as experience as a treatment center or an

organization that provides social and

legal services to survivors of torture; (d.)

management plan for the project

contains systems of client records,

program records, and financial

management; and (e.) timeline for

implementation of project activities. (25

points)

4. Results or Expected Benefits. The

outcomes and benefits of the assistance

and training are clearly explained and

are reasonable. There are clear and

understandable outcome measures for

the services, and a reasonable plan for

reporting the outcomes to ORR. (25

points)

5. Budget and Budget Justification.

The budget is reasonable and clearly

justified. The methodologies for

estimating the number of client/patients

to be served are reasonable. The plan for

program income generated by fees,

including, Medicaid, Refugee Medical

Assistance (RMA), and private health

coverage for client fees for treatment,

when available, is appropriate,

reasonable and viable. (10 points)

Part II. The Review Process

Intergovernmental Review

This program is covered under

Executive Order 12372,

‘‘Intergovernmental Review of Federal

Programs,’’ and 45 CFR Part 100,

‘‘Intergovernmental Review of

Department of Health and Human

Services Program and Activities.’’ Under

the Order, States may design their own

processes for reviewing and

commenting on proposed Federal

assistance under covered programs.

Please Note: All States and Territories

except Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado,

Connecticut, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas,

Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota,

Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York,

Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania,

South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia,

Washington, Wyoming, American Samoa and

Palau have elected to participate in the

Executive Order process and have

established Single Points of Contact (SPOCs).

Applicants from these twenty-eight

jurisdictions need take no action regarding

E.O. 12372. Applicants for projects to be

administered by Federally-recognized Indian

Tribes are also exempt from the requirements

of E.O. 12372. Otherwise, applicants should

contact their SPOCs as soon as possible to

alert them of the prospective applications

and receive any necessary instructions.

Applicants must submit any required

material to the SPOCs as soon as possible so

that the program office can obtain and review

SPOC comments as part of the award process.

It is imperative that the applicant submit all

required materials, if any, to the SPOC and

indicate the date of this submittal (or indicate

‘‘not applicable’’ 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, OCSE Office of

Grants Management, 370 L’Enfant

Promenade, S.W., 4th floor East,

Washington, D.C. 20447.

A list of the Single Points of Contact

for each participating State and

Territory can be found on the web at:

http//www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/

spoc.html

Initial ACF Screening

Each application submitted under this

program announcement will undergo a

pre-review to determine that (1) the

application was received by the closing

date and submitted in accordance with

the instructions in this announcement

and (2) the applicant is eligible for

funding.

Competitive Review and Evaluation

Criteria

The applications that pass the initial

ACF screening will be evaluated and

rated by an independent review panel

on the basis of evaluation criteria

specified in Part I. The evaluation

criteria are designed to assess the

quality of a proposed project, and to

determine the likelihood of its success.

The evaluation criteria are closely

related and are considered as a whole in

judging the overall quality of an

application. Points are awarded only to

applications that are responsive to the

evaluation criteria within the context of

this program announcement.

Part III. Application

Application Development

In order to be considered for a grant

under this program announcement, an

application must be submitted on the

forms supplied and in the manner

prescribed by ACF. Application

materials including forms and

instructions are available from the

contact named under the

‘‘Announcement Availability’’ section

in the preamble of this announcement.

Selected elements of the ACF Uniform

Project Description (UPD) relevant to

this program announcement are

attached as Appendix A.

13774 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 45 / Wednesday, March 7, 2001 / Notices

Application Forms

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. Application materials

including forms and instructions are

also available from the Contact named

in the ‘‘Announcement Availability’’

section of this announcement.

Application Submission and Deadlines

An application with an original

signature and two clearly identified

copies is required.

The closing date for submission of

applications is May 7, 2001. Mailed

applications postmarked after the

closing date will be classified as late.

Mailed applications shall be

considered as meeting an announced

deadline if they are either received on

or before the deadline date or sent on or

before the deadline date and received by

ACF in time for the independent review

to: U.S. Department of Health and

Human Services, Administration for

Children and Families, Office of Refugee

Resettlement, Attention: Ms. Daphne

Weeden.

Applicants must ensure that a legibly

dated U.S. Postal Service postmark or a

legibly dated, machine produced

postmark of a commercial mail service

is affixed to the envelope/package

containing the application(s). To be

acceptable as proof of timely mailing, a

postmark from a commercial mail

service must include the logo/emblem

of the commercial mail service company

and must reflect the date the package

was received by the commercial mail

service company from the applicant.

Private Metered postmarks shall not be

acceptable as proof of timely mailing.

(Applicants are cautioned that express/

overnight mail services do not always

deliver as agreed.)

Applications hand-carried by

applicants, applicant couriers, or by

other representatives of the applicant

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., EST,

at the U.S. Department of Health and

Human Services, Administration for

Children and Families, the Office of

Refugee Resettlement, 6th Floor,

Aerospace Building, 901 D Street, SW,

Washington, DC 20447 between Monday

and Friday (excluding Federal

holidays). The address must appear on

the envelope/package containing the

application with the note ‘‘Attention:

Ms. Daphne Weeden.’’ (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.

Late Applications

Applications that 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.

Extension of Deadlines

ACF may extend application

deadlines when circumstances such as

acts of God (floods, hurricanes, etc.)

occur, or when there are widespread

disruptions of mail service.

Determinations to extend or waive

deadline requirements rest with the

Chief Grants Management Officer.

For Further Information on

Application Deadlines Contact: Ms.

Daphne Weeden, Administration for

Children and Families, Office of Refugee

Resettlement, 370 L’Enfant Promenade

SW, 6th Floor, Washington, DC 20447,

Telephone: (202) 401–4577.

Certifications, Assurances, And

Disclosure Required For Non

Construction Programs

Applicants requesting financial

assistance for non-construction projects

must file the Standard Form 424B,

‘‘Assurances: Non-Construction

Programs.’’ Applicants must sign and

return the Standard Form 424B with

their applications.

Applicants must provide a signed

certification regarding lobbying with

their applications, when applying for an

award in excess of $100,000. Applicants

who have used non-Federal funds for

lobbying activities in connection with

receiving assistance under this

announcement shall complete a

disclosure form to report lobbying.

Applicants must make the appropriate

certification of their compliance with

the Drug Free Workplace Act of 1988.

By signing and submitting the

application, the applicant is providing

the certification and need not mail back

the certification with the applications.

Applicants must make the appropriate

certification that they are not presently

debarred, suspended or otherwise

ineligible for an award. By signing and

submitting the application, the

applicant is providing the certification

and need not mail back the certification

with the applications.

General Instructions for Preparing a Full

Project Description

The project description provides a

major means by which an application is

evaluated and ranked to compete with

other applications for available

assistance. The project description

should be concise and complete and

should address the activity for which

Federal funds are being requested.

Supporting documents should be

included where they can present

information clearly and succinctly.

Applicants are encouraged to provide

information on their organizational

structure, staff, related experience, and

other information considered relevant.

Awarding offices use this and other

information to determine whether the

applicant has the capability and

resources necessary to carry out the

proposed project. It is important,

therefore, that this information be

included in the application. However,

in the narrative the applicant must

distinguish between resources directly

related to the proposed project from

those that will not be used in support

of the specific project for which funds

are requested. Please refer to the UPD

sections in appendix A.

Length of Applications

Each application narrative portion

should not exceed 25 double-spaced

pages in a 12-pitch font. Attachments

and appendices should not exceed 25

pages and should be used only to

provide supporting documentation such

as maps, administration charts, position

descriptions, resumes, and letters of

intent for partnership agreements.

Please do not include books or video

tapes as they are not easily reproduced

and are therefore, inaccessible to the

reviewers. Each page should be

numbered sequentially, including the

attachments or appendices.

Part IV. Post-award—Applicable

Regulations and Reporting

Requirements

Applicable Regulations

Applicable DHHS regulations can be

found in 45 CFR Part 74 or Part 92.

Treatment of Program Income

Program income from activities

funded under this program may be

retained by the recipient and added to

the funds committed to the project and

used to further program objectives.

Reporting Requirements

Grantees are required to file the

Financial status Report (SF–269) and

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 45 / Wednesday, March 7, 2001 / Notices 13775

Program Performance Reports on a semiannual basis. Funds issued under these

awards must be accounted for and

reported upon separately from all other

grant activities. ORR does not expect the

proposed components/projects to

include evaluation activities, however,

it does expect grantees to maintain

adequate records to track and report on

project outcomes. The official receipt

point for all reports and correspondence

is the ORR Grants Officer. An original

and one copy of each report shall be

submitted within 30 days of the end of

each reporting period directly to the

Grants Officer. The mailing address is:

Ms. Daphne Weeden, Administration for

Children and Families, Office of Refugee

Resettlement, 370 L’Enfant Promenade

SW, 6th 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: February 28, 2001.

Carmel Clay-Thompson,

Acting Director, Office of Refugee

Resettlement.

Appendix A—Uniform Project

Description Overview OMB No. 0970–

0139

The project description is approved under

OMB control number 0970–0139 which

expires 12/31/2003.

Part I The Project Description Overview

Purpose

The project description provides a major

means by which an application is evaluated

and ranked to compete with other

applications for available assistance. The

project description should be concise and

complete and should address the activity for

which Federal funds are being requested.

Supporting documents should be included

where they can present information clearly

and succinctly. In preparing your project

description, all information requested

through each specific evaluation criteria

should be provided. Awarding offices use

this and other information in making their

funding recommendations. It is important,

therefore, that this information be included

in the application.

General Instructions

ACF is particularly interested in specific

factual information and statements of

measurable goals in quantitative terms.

Project descriptions are evaluated on the

basis of substance, not length. Extensive

exhibits are not required. Cross referencing

should be used rather than repetition.

Supporting information concerning activities

that will not be directly funded by the grant

or information that does not directly pertain

to an integral part of the grant funded activity

should be placed in an appendix.

Pages should be numbered and a table of

contents should be included for easy

reference.

Part II General Instructions for Preparing a

Full Project Description

Introduction

Applicants required to submit a full project

description shall prepare the project

description statement in accordance with the

following instructions and the specified

evaluation criteria. The instructions give a

broad overview of what your project

description should include while the

evaluation criteria expands and clarifies

more program-specific information that is

needed.

Project Summary/Abstract

Provide a summary of the project

description (a page or less) with reference to

the funding request.

Objectives and Need for Assistance

Clearly identify the physical, economic,

social, financial, institutional, and/or other

problem(s) requiring a solution. The need for

assistance must be demonstrated and the

principal and subordinate objectives of the

project must be clearly stated; supporting

documentation, such as letters of support and

testimonials from concerned interests other

than the applicant, may be included. Any

relevant data based on planning studies

should be included or referred to in the

endnotes/footnotes. Incorporate demographic

data and participant/beneficiary information,

as needed. In developing the project

description, the applicant may volunteer or

be requested to provide information on the

total range of projects currently being

conducted and supported (or to be initiated),

some of which may be outside the scope of

the program announcement.

Results or Benefits Expected

Identify the results and benefits to be

derived. For example, the application would

describe the torture victims to be treated, the

number expected to use the service and the

measures of improvement expected in the

clients as a result of the treatment. Similarly,

where research and training activities are

proposed, the application would describe the

training schedule and curriculum as well as

the number expected to attend the training

and the measures of information to be gained

from the training.

Approach

Outline a plan of action which describes

the scope and detail of how the proposed

work will be accomplished. Account for all

functions or activities identified in the

application. Cite factors which might

accelerate or decelerate the work and state

your reason for taking the proposed approach

rather than others. Describe any unusual

features of the project such as design or

technological innovations, reductions in cost

or time, or extraordinary social and

community involvement.

Provide quantitative monthly or quarterly

projections of the accomplishments to be

achieved for each function or activity in such

terms as the number of people to be served

and the number of activities accomplished.

For example, applicants might project the

number of torture victims to be enrolled for

services with the number of clinical hours,

social services and legal hours to be

provided. Where the application proposes

training, applicants might project frequency

of training activities, the content of training,

projected attendance and knowledge gained.

When accomplishments cannot be quantified

by activity or function, list them in

chronological order to show the schedule of

accomplishments and their target dates.

If any data is to be collected, maintained,

and/or disseminated, clearance may be

required from the U.S. Office of Management

and Budget (OMB). This clearance pertains to

any ‘‘collection of information that is

conducted or sponsored by ACF.’’

List organizations, cooperating entities,

consultants, or other key individuals who

will work on the project along with a short

description of the nature of their effort or

contribution.

Geographic Location

Describe the precise location of the project

and boundaries of the area to be served by

the proposed project. Maps or other graphic

aids may be attached.

Staff and Position Data

Provide a biographical sketch for each key

person appointed and a job description for

each vacant key position. A biographical

sketch will also be required for new key staff

as appointed.

Organizational Profiles

Provide information on the applicant

organization(s) and cooperating partners such

as organizational charts, financial statements,

audit reports or statements from CPAs/

Licensed Public Accountants, Employer

Identification Numbers, names of bond

carriers, contact persons and telephone

numbers, child care licenses and other

documentation of professional accreditation,

information on compliance with Federal/

State/local government standards,

documentation of experience in the program

area, and other pertinent information. Any

non-profit organization submitting an

application must submit proof of its nonprofit status in its application at the time of

submission.

The non-profit agency can accomplish this

by providing a copy of the applicant’s listing

in the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) most

recent list of tax-exempt organizations

described in Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS

code, or by providing a copy of the currently

valid IRS tax exemption certificate, or by

providing a copy of the articles of

incorporation bearing the seal of the State in

which the corporation or association is

domiciled.

Dissemination Plan

Provide a plan for distributing reports and

other project outputs to colleagues and the

public. Applicants must provide a

description of the kind, volume and timing

of distribution.

Third-Party Agreements

Include written agreements between

grantees and subgrantees or subcontractors or

other cooperating entities. These agreements

must detail scope of work to be performed,

work schedules, remuneration, and other

13776 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 45 / Wednesday, March 7, 2001 / Notices

terms and conditions that structure or define

the relationship.

Letters of Support

Provide statements from community,

public and commercial leaders that support

the project proposed for funding. All

submissions should be included in the

application OR by application deadline.

Budget and Budget Justification

Provide line item detail and detailed

calculations for each budget 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 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 non-Federal resources shall be

detailed and justified in the budget and

narrative justification. For purposes of

preparing the budget and budget justification,

‘‘Federal resources’’ refers only to the ACF

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

Description: Costs of employee salaries and

wages.

Justification: Identify the project director or

principal investigator, if known. 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 or of specific project(s) or

businesses to be financed by the applicant.

Fringe Benefits

Description: Costs of employee fringe

benefits unless treated as part of an 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

Description: 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-sponsored workshops

should be detailed in the budget.

Equipment

Description: ‘‘Equipment’’ means an article

of nonexpendable, tangible personal property

having a useful life of more than one year

and an acquisition cost which equals or

exceeds the lesser of (a) the capitalization

level established by the organization for the

financial statement purposes, or (b) $5,000.

(Note: Acquisition cost means the net invoice

unit price of an item of equipment, including

the cost of any modifications, attachments,

accessories, or auxiliary apparatus necessary

to make it usable for the purpose for which

it is acquired. Ancillary charges, such as

taxes, duty, protective in-transit insurance,

freight, and installation shall be included in

or excluded from acquisition cost in

accordance with the organization’s regular

written accounting practices.)

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. An

applicant organization that uses its own

definition for equipment should provide a

copy of its policy or section of its policy

which includes the equipment definition.

Supplies

Description: 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

Description: Costs of all contracts for

services and goods except for those which

belong under other categories such as

equipment, supplies, construction, etc.

Third-party evaluation contracts (if

applicable) and contracts with secondary

recipient organizations, including delegate

agencies and specific project(s) or businesses

to be financed by the applicant, 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. Recipients and

subrecipients, other than States that are

required to use Part 92 procedures, must

justify any anticipated procurement action

that is expected to be awarded without

competition and exceed the simplified

acquisition threshold fixed at 41 U.S.C.

403(11) currently set at $100,000. Recipients

might be required to make available to ACF

pre-award review and procurement

documents, such as request for proposals 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,

food, medical and dental costs

(noncontractual), professional services costs,

space and equipment rentals, printing and

publication, computer use, training costs,

such as tuition and stipends, staff

development costs, and administrative costs.

Justification: Provide computations, a

narrative description and a justification for

each cost under this category.

Indirect Charges

Description: Total amount of 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 (HHS) or another cognizant

Federal agency.

Justification: An applicant that will 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

program, the authorized representative of the

applicant organization must submit a signed

acknowledgement that the applicant is

accepting a lower rate than allowed.

Program Income

Description: 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.

Total Direct Charges, Total Indirect Charges,

Total Project Costs

Self-explanatory.

[FR Doc. 01–5510 Filed 3–6–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4184–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND

URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR–4655–N–07]

Notice of Proposed Information

Collection: Comment Request;

Multifamily Contractor’s, Mortgagor’s,

Borrower’s Cost Breakdown and

Certification

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant

Secretary for Housing, HUD.