Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2006/02/17/E6-2303/national-historical-publications-and-records-commission-grant-program
Timestamp: 2017-08-18 17:31:12
Document Index: 635240746

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 1206', '§\u20091206', '§\u20091206', '§\u20091206', '§\u20091206', 'art 1206', '§\u20091206']

Federal Register :: National Historical Publications and Records Commission Grant Program
A Proposed Rule by the National Archives and Records Administration on 02/17/2006
Comments are due by April 18, 2006.
71 FR 8551
8551-8556 (6 pages)
3095-AB45
E6-2303
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/E6-2303 https://www.federalregister.gov/d/E6-2303
NARA proposes to revise the regulations relating to the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) grant program to reflect changes in the operation of the NHPRC and to clarify provisions. Beginning in FY 2005, the NHPRC began publishing online grant announcements (linked to Grants.gov). This proposed rule will affect State and local government agencies; United States nonprofit organizations and institutions, including institutions of higher education; Federally acknowledged and State-recognized American Indian tribes or groups; and United States citizens applying for NHPRC grants as individuals.
NARA invites interested persons to submit comments on this proposed rule. Please include “Attn: RIN 3095-AB45” and your name and mailing address in your comments. Comments may be submitted by any of the following methods:
E-mail: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
Nancy Allard at 301-837-1477 or fax number 301-713-7270.
The NHPRC grants program regulations were last updated in 2002. This proposed rule makes the following substantive changes to those regulations:
Clarifying and expanding the scope of eligible publications projects to include electronic editions;
Clarifying the NHPRC's partnership with the States, including specific provisions for grant awards to the states to support statewide archival- and records-related services and regrants; and
Changing application instructions to reflect the Government's e-grant initiatives, particularly the use of Web-based grant opportunity announcements and Grants.gov as a way to prepare and submit applications.
We have also removed or revised outdated provisions and other specific details of the application process that are covered in the grant announcements.
This proposed rule is a not significant regulatory action for the purposes of Executive Order 12866 and has not been reviewed by the Office of Management and Budget. As required by the Regulatory Flexibility Act, I certify that this rule will not have a significant impact on a substantial number of small entities. In fiscal year 2005 the NHPRC made grants to only 88 organizations and entities as defined in the Act, from the 137 applications submitted. The dollar value of all FY 2005 grants ranged from $2,419 to $264,887.
For the reasons set forth in the preamble, NARA proposes to revise part 1206 of title 36, Code of Federal Regulations, to read as follows:
How are these Questions and Answers formatted?
What terms have you defined?
How do you organize the grant program?
How may an applicant apply for an NHPRC grant?
What are the scope and purpose of publications grants?
What type of proposal is eligible for a publications grant?
What is the scope and purpose of records grants?
What are the duties of the deputy state coordinator?
Who is eligible for subgrants?
What rules govern subgrant distribution, cost sharing, grant administration, and reporting?
Does the Commission ever place conditions on its grants?
What must I provide as a formal grant application?
Who reviews and evaluates grant proposals?
Start Printed Page 8552 Subpart F—Grant Administration
Who is responsible for administration of NHPRC grants?
Do I need prior written approval for changes to the grant project?
How do I obtain written approval for changes in my grant project?
What reports am I required to make?
Does the NHPRC have any liability under a grant?
Must I acknowledge NHPRC grant support?
As if you, the reader, were asking us, the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, these questions.
(a) The terms Commission and NHPRC mean members of the National Historical Publications and Records Commission acting as a body.
(b) The term NHPRC staff refers to the Executive Director and the staff of the Commission or the Executive Director of the Commission.
(c) The term guidance refers to a non-binding document published on the NHPRC Web site to clarify or explain Commission policy or to provide procedural details.
(d) The term The Manual of Suggested Practices refers to The Manual of Suggested Practices for State Historical Records Advisory Boards. It is a type of guidance.
(e) The term grant opportunity announcement refers to a document published on the NHPRC Web site, on the Grants.gov Web site, and in the Federal Register that describes a type of grant offered, eligibility requirements, and application instructions.
(f) The term historical records means documentary material having permanent or enduring value, including manuscripts, personal papers, official records, maps, audiovisual materials, and electronic files.
(g) The term historical records repository means organizations whose mission is to acquire, preserve, and promote the use of historical records. They include archives, special collections, museums, and historical societies.
(h) The term State in §§ 1206.40 through 1206.42, means all 50 States of the Union, plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
(i) The term cost sharing means the financial contribution the applicant pledges to the total cost of a project. Cost sharing can include both direct and indirect expenses, provided by the applicant or by third-parties as in-kind or cash contributions, and any income earned directly by the project.
(j) The term direct costs means expenses that are attributable directly to the cost of a project, such as salaries, project supplies, travel expenses, equipment rented or purchased for the project or services procured for the project.
(k) The term indirect costs means costs incurred for common or joint objectives of an applicant's organization and therefore not attributable to a specific project or activity. Typically, indirect costs include items such as overhead for facilities maintenance and accounting services.
(l) The term board refers to a State historical records advisory board.
(m) The term coordinator means the coordinator of a State historical records advisory board.
The National Historical Publications and Records Commission, a statutory body affiliated with the National Archives and Records Administration, supports a wide range of activities to preserve, publish, and encourage the use of primary documentary sources. Through our grant programs, training programs, and special projects, we offer advice and assistance to state and local government agencies, non-Federal nonprofit organizations and institutions, Federally-acknowledged or State-recognized Native American tribes or groups, and individuals committed to the preservation, publication, or use of United States documentary resources.
(c) To assure fair treatment of every application, all members of the Commission and its staff follow conflict-of-interest rules.
(e) The Archivist of the United States makes the final grant award upon the recommendation of the Commission.
(b) The NHPRC staff prepares grant opportunity announcements consisting of all information necessary to apply for each grant and publishes the announcements on the NHPRC Web site (http://www.archives.gov/​nhprc) at least four months before the final application due date.
(c) The NHPRC staff also publishes notice of each announcement in the Federal Register and on http://www.Grants.gov, a Federal government Internet site widely available to the public, at least four months before the final application due date.
(a) Comply with all Federal regulations related to grants administration.
(e) Comply with conditions set by the Commission according to § 1206.52.
(a) We do not support:
(b) Other programmatic limitations established by the Commission are found in the grant opportunity announcements.
(a) The Commission provides grants to historical records repositories for locating, preserving and encouraging use of records held by state, local, and other governmental units and private archives and collections of papers maintained in nonfederal, nonprofit repositories and special collections relating to the study of American history.
(b) The Commission provides support to historical records repositories, other institutions, and individuals for:
In addition to other programmatic limitations established by the Commission as found in the grant opportunity announcements, we do not support proposals:
(a) Each State is eligible to receive NHPRC grants to support the work of the State Historical Records Advisory Board (Board); to operate statewide historical records services; and to make subgrants to eligible organizations and individuals within the state in support of historical records activities.
(a) Responsibilities. The Board is the central advisory body for historical records coordination within the state and for NHPRC state and local records projects within the state. The Board engages in planning; it develops, revises, and submits to the Commission a state plan including priorities for state historical records projects following The Manual of Suggested Practices. The Board reviews all state and local records projects within the state and makes recommendations for state projects to the Commission. Start Printed Page 8554
(b) Appointments. Each state participating in the NHPRC state program must adopt an appointment process and appoint a Board following The Manual of Suggested Practices. The appointment process and membership must be reported at least annually to the Commission. A majority of members should have recognizable experience in the administration of records, manuscripts, or archives. The Board should be as broadly representative as possible of the public and private archives, records offices, and research institutions and organizations in the state.
(a) Duties. The state coordinator (coordinator) is the officer responsible for the NHPRC state program. He or she reports the state Board appointment process, membership and recommendations to the NHPRC at least on an annual basis and may serve as chair of the Board and may perform other duties following applicable state statute or regulation and The Manual of Suggested Practices.
(c) Replacement. In the event that the coordinator position is vacant or the coordinator is otherwise unable to serve, a deputy coordinator, if one has been designated, serves as acting coordinator until another coordinator is appointed. In the absence of a deputy coordinator, the state board may select an acting coordinator until another coordinator is appointed, in order to conduct the necessary business of the Board.
All organizations and individuals located within a State that has an active State Historical Records Board and defined in § 1206.54 may be eligible as determined by the Board.
(1) The distribution of regrant funds;
(b) Each participating state is responsible for ensuring that the subgrantees comply with Federal grant administration and reporting requirements.
(c) Each participating state must annually prepare a report to the NHPRC on its subgrant program, following the requirements outlined in § 1206.80.
(1) Matching grant. A matching grant is a Federal grant awarded only after the applicant raises its share of nonfederal support for a project. We will only match funds raised from nonfederal sources, either monies provided by the applicant's own institution specifically for the project or from a nonfederal third-party source. The Commission does not ordinarily make matching grants.
(b) Cost sharing.
(1) Cost sharing consists of the applicant's contribution to the cost of the project. The Commission ordinarily expects the applicant to provide cost sharing in an amount equal to the amount of the Federal grant award. Exceptions to the one-to-one cost sharing requirement may be set by the Commission in specific grant opportunity announcements.
(3) We prefer the applicant cover indirect costs through cost sharing.
Yes, the Commission may place certain conditions on its grants. We describe applicable conditions in each grant opportunity announcement.
The Commission will consider applications from State government agencies in states where there is an active Board, local government agencies, United States nonprofit organizations and institutions, including institutions of higher education, Federally-acknowledged and State-recognized American Indian tribes or groups, and United States citizens applying as individuals. Federal agencies are not eligible to apply.
(a) The Commission generally meets twice a year, and we consider grant proposals postmarked by the deadlines set by the Commission and published in each grant opportunity and through Grants.gov. All proposals must be postmarked or submitted by those deadlines.
(b) Some State boards have established pre-submission review deadlines for records proposals; further information is available from each state coordinator.
(a) Contact the NHPRC staff. We encourage you to discuss your proposal through correspondence, by phone, or in person with NHPRC staff.
(b) Contact your State Historical Records Advisory Board as appropriate. We encourage you to discuss your proposal with your State historical records coordinator at all stages of your proposal's development and before you submit the proposal.
(i) Your proposal is for national publications or subvention projects;
(ii) You are an American Indian applying as an individual or applying as an American Indian tribe; or
(iii) Your project will largely take place in more than one state, or your project is primarily of national significance.
(2) You will find the staff contacts and a list of State historical records coordinators on our Web site at http://www.archives.gov/​nhprc.
(3) The Commission encourages you to submit electronic applications and may at its discretion require electronic applications. Application options are included with each grant opportunity announcement.
The forms and other documents you must submit are listed with each grant opportunity announcement on the NHPRC Web site. OMB Control Number Start Printed Page 85553095-0013 has been assigned to this information collection.
(d) NHPRC staff. NHPRC staff analyzes the reviewers' comments, and considers the appropriateness of the project toward fulfilling Commission goals, the proposal's completeness and conformity to application requirements. The staff, through a questions letter or e-mail to you, raises issues and concerns and allows you the opportunity to respond. The staff makes recommendations to the Commission.
(a) The formal grant award document is sent to successful applicants from the Archivist of the United States. The document and attachments specify terms of the grant. NHPRC staff notifies project directors informally of awards and any conditions soon after the Commission recommends the grant to the Archivist of the United States.
The grantee institution and the institution-designated project director share primary responsibility for the administration of grants. In the case of grants made to individuals, the project director has sole responsibility for the administration of the grant.
(a) In addition to this part 1206, NARA has issued other regulations that apply to NHPRC grants in 36 CFR ch. XII, subchapter A. NARA also applies the principles and standards in the following Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circulars for NHPRC grants:
(b) The OMB Circulars are available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/​omb/​circulars/​index.html.
(c) Additional policy guidance related to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, regarding persons with limited English proficiency, is provided in Commission guidance at http://www.archives.gov/​nhprc/​ and from the NHPRC staff.
You must obtain prior written approval from the Commission for most changes in the grant project and terms of the grant. Detailed instructions are found in How to Administer an NHPRC Grant available at http://www.archives.gov/​NHPRC or from the NHPRC staff.
(a) Requests for changes in the project must be submitted in writing and signed by grantee's authorized representative. The signed, written response of the Commission's Executive Director, or the Executive Director's designee, will constitute approval for the change.
(b) Requests for extensions of the grant period should be signed by the grantee's authorized representative and submitted not more than two months before the scheduled end of the grant period. We will not allow extensions unless a project is up-to-date in its submission of financial and narrative reports.
(a) Grant recipients are generally required to submit annual financial status reports and semi-annual narrative progress reports, as well as final financial and narrative reports at the conclusion of the grant period. The grant award document will specify the dates on which your reports are due. In order to fulfill its oversight and monitoring responsibilities, the NHPRC or Commission may require additional reports or information at any time during the grant. OMB Control Number 3095-0013 has been assigned to this information collection.
(b) Detailed reporting requirements are found in How to Administer an NHPRC Grant available at http://www.archives.gov/​NHPRC or from the NHPRC staff.
Grant recipients must submit financial reports on Standard Form 269, if there is program income to report, or Standard Form 269A (Short Form), and have them signed by the grantee's authorized representative or by an appropriate institutional fiscal officer. If cost-sharing figures are less than 80 percent of the amount anticipated in the project budget, you must explain the reason for the difference.
(a) Interim narrative reports should state briefly the performance objectives and activities for the entire grant and then focus on those accomplished during the reporting period. The report should include a summary of project activities; whether the project proceeded on schedule; any revisions of the work plan, staffing pattern, or budget; any Web address created by the project; and any other press releases articles or presentations relating to the grant project or its products. It should include an analysis of the objectives met during the reporting period and any objectives for the period that were not accomplished. For documentary editing projects, it also must include information about the publication of volumes and the completion of finding aids, as well as any work that is pending with publishers.
(c) The project director must sign final narrative reports.
Start Printed Page 8556
You must submit the materials determined by the Commission as found in the NHPRC grant announcements or specified in the grant award.
No, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and the Commission cannot assume any liability for accidents, illnesses, or claims arising out of any work undertaken with the assistance of the grant.
§ 1206.90
[FR Doc. E6-2303 Filed 2-16-06; 8:45 am]