Announcement of Availability of Funds for Adolescent Family Life (AFL) Demonstration Projects, 15772-15781 [07-1585]
Download as PDF
15772
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 62 / Monday, April 2, 2007 / Notices
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES
Announcement of Availability of Funds
for Adolescent Family Life (AFL)
Demonstration Projects
Department of Health and
Human Services, Office of the Secretary.
Funding Opportunity Title:
Announcement of Availability of Funds
for Adolescent Family Life (AFL)
Demonstration Projects.
CFDA Number: 93.995.
Announcement Type: Initial
Competitive Grant.
DATES: To receive consideration,
applications must be received by the
Office of Grants Management, Office of
Public Health and Science (OPHS),
Department of Health and Human
Services (DHHS) c/o WilDon Solutions,
Office of Grants Management
Operations Center, 1515 Wilson Blvd.,
Third Floor Suite 310, Arlington, VA
22209, Attention Office Population
Affairs/Office of Adolescent Pregnancy
Programs no later than 5 p.m. eastern
time on June 1, 2007. The application
due date requirement in this
announcement supercedes the
instructions in the OPHS–1 form.
Overview: The Office of Population
Affairs (OPA), Office of Adolescent
Pregnancy Programs (OAPP), requests
applications for evaluation-intensive
Adolescent Family Life (AFL)
prevention demonstration grants, as
authorized by Title XX of the Public
Health Service (PHS) Act, 42 U.S.C.
300z. et seq. These grants are for
prevention demonstration projects to
provide and evaluate innovative
abstinence education activities and
services targeting youth ages 9–18 and
their parents. Under this announcement,
the OAPP is expecting intensive
evaluations of the demonstration
projects it supports. To this end, the
OAPP is requesting applications from
projects that have dedicated 20–25% of
the proposed budget to evaluation
activities. Applicants that do not
propose an intensive evaluation and/or
20–25% of their budget for evaluations
activities will receive a low score on the
evaluation criterium when reviewed by
the external review panel (see
‘‘Application Review Information’’
section).
In addition, successful applicants will
plan on tracking program participants
for at least two years, subject to the
availability of funds. An appropriate
randomized control design or rigorous
quasi-experimental design should be
proposed.
All AFL prevention demonstration
projects must provide ‘‘abstinence
pwalker on PROD1PC71 with NOTICES2
AGENCY:
VerDate Aug<31>2005
18:45 Mar 30, 2007
Jkt 211001
education’’ as defined in section
510(b)(2)(A)–(H) of the Title V of the
Social Security Act (‘‘the A–H criteria’’).
Therefore, prevention demonstration
projects must clearly and consistently
promote premarital abstinence as the
only 100% effective way of preventing
adolescent pregnancy and sexually
transmitted infections (STIs), including
HIV/AIDS. Funds will be available for
approximately 20 projects, which may
be located in any State, the District of
Columbia, and United States territories,
commonwealths and possessions. Faithbased and community-based
organizations are encouraged to apply.
These grants are for community-based
demonstration projects to find effective
means, within the context of the family,
to promote premarital abstinence.
Abstinence education, delivered
through a combination of curricula that
conform to the A–H criteria, and
supportive activities and services that
are proven to motivate youth in healthy
decision making, can be an effective
way to deliver a clear message that
abstinence is the best choice.
Supporting parents in their role as the
primary educators of their children on
issues involving sexuality, particularly
the health and social benefits of
abstinence, is also an important
component of AFL prevention
demonstration projects. See headings
‘‘Prevention Services’’ and ‘‘Supportive
Activities and Services’’ for additional
information.
When explaining the rationale for the
proposed demonstration model,
successful applicants will describe their
experience with other youth prevention
programs, including experience with
state, local or Federal abstinence
education grant programs. In particular,
successful program models will base
their proposed AFL prevention
demonstration project on experiences
and ‘‘lessons learned’’ from previous
youth oriented activities and services.
In this funding announcement, the
OAPP is placing strong emphasis on the
evaluation of the demonstration projects
it supports. Applications under this
announcement are expected to include
a clear and fully developed evaluation
plan. The proposed evaluation team’s
experience, specifically related to
conducting program evaluation using
randomized experimental or quasiexperimental design, should be stated.
A strong evaluation plan should include
a commitment and description of
capacity to track program participants
for at least two years; address both
capacity and intent to use the AFL
prevention core evaluation instrument;
and address both capacity and intent to
participate in the cross-site evaluation
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 4701
Sfmt 4703
of the AFL program scheduled to begin
in August 2008. Capacity to participate
in the cross-site evaluation will entail a
rigorous evaluation design, high quality
data collection procedures, and the
ability to deliver data to OAPP for
inclusion in cross-site analyses.
Please note, successful applicants will
also ensure that program staff are
prepared to address issues of sexual
coercion and exploitation of young
teens. In addition, areas of the country
with high incidences of adolescent
pregnancy, sexually transmitted
infections, poverty rates, as well as
existing gaps in services for youth, will
receive special consideration.
Populations and areas of the country not
currently receiving Title XX funding for
prevention programs will receive
special consideration. If there are
multiple applicants from one State,
agency collaboration is encouraged.
Please note, the Deputy Assistant
Secretary for Population Affairs
(DASPA) may elect to award one grant
per State. Under this announcement,
former AFL grantees and AFL
prevention grantees currently in their
fourth and fifth year of funding are
eligible to apply; all other current AFL
grantees are considered ineligible. See
headings ‘‘Prevention Services’’ and
‘‘Supportive Activities and Services’’ for
additional information.
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Prevention Services
Under the Title XX statute, the
primary purpose of AFL prevention
demonstration programs is to find
effective means, within the context of
the family, of reaching pre-adolescent
and adolescent children before they
become sexually active to encourage
them to abstain from premarital sexual
activity. (The OAPP also encourages
reaching out to those adolescents who
may have already become sexually
active to encourage them to return to
abstinence and support them in doing
so.) Early initiation of sexual activity
brings not only the risk of adolescent
pregnancy, but also substantial health
risks, primarily STIs, including HIV/
AIDS. Adolescent sexual activity is also
associated with a host of other
problems, such as poor school
performance, delinquency, substance
use and depression.
Prevention demonstration program
activities and services must be
consistent with the definition of
‘‘abstinence education,’’ as set out in
section 510(b)(2)(A)–(H) of Title V of the
Social Security Act, as amended.
Proposed program activities and
services, whether educational or
E:\FR\FM\02APN2.SGM
02APN2
pwalker on PROD1PC71 with NOTICES2
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 62 / Monday, April 2, 2007 / Notices
supportive, should address at least one
component of this definition. In
addition, the program as a whole must
adequately address all 8 of the A–H
criteria. Please note, acceptable
individual activities and services may
address one or more of the A–H criteria.
(See ‘‘A–H Compliance Strategies’’ chart
in the application kit). Under this
announcement, ‘‘abstinence education’’
means an educational or motivational
program which:
(A) Has as its exclusive purpose,
teaching the social, psychological, and
health gains to be realized by abstaining
from sexual activity;
(B) Teaches abstinence from sexual
activity outside marriage as the
expected standard for all school age
children;
(C) Teaches that abstinence from
sexual activity is the only certain way
to avoid out-of-wedlock pregnancy,
sexually transmitted diseases, and other
associated health problems;
(D) Teaches that a mutually faithful
monogamous relationship in context of
marriage is the expected standard of
human sexual activity;
(E) Teaches that sexual activity
outside of the context of marriage is
likely to have harmful psychological
and physical effects;
(F) Teaches that bearing children outof-wedlock is likely to have harmful
consequences for the child, the child’s
parents, and society;
(G) Teaches young people how to
reject sexual advances and how alcohol
and drug use increases vulnerability to
sexual advances; and
(H) Teaches the importance of
attaining self-sufficiency before
engaging in sexual activity.
Projects must provide services that
help pre-adolescents and adolescents
acquire knowledge and skills that will
instill healthy attitudes, as well as
provide services that encourage and
support abstinence from premarital
sexual activity. Under the statutory
requirements of Title XX, applicants for
prevention programs are not required to
provide any specific array of services.
However, OAPP encourages the
submission of applications which focus
on educational services relating to
family life and which teach the social,
psychological, and health gains to be
realized by abstaining from sexual
activity. The legislation also permits a
proposal to include any one or more of
the following services as appropriate:
(1) Educational services relating to
family life and problems associated with
adolescent premarital sexual relations
including:
(a) Information about adoption,
VerDate Aug<31>2005
18:45 Mar 30, 2007
Jkt 211001
(b) Education on the responsibilities
of sexuality and parenting,
(c) The development of material to
support the role of parents as the
providers of sex education, and
(d) Assistance to parents, schools,
youth agencies and health providers to
educate adolescents and pre-adolescents
concerning self-discipline and
responsibility in human sexuality;
(2) Appropriate educational and
vocational services;
(3) Counseling for the immediate and
extended family members of the eligible
person;
(4) Transportation;
(5) Outreach services to families of
adolescents to discourage sexual
relations among unemancipated minors;
and
(6) Nutrition information and
counseling.
Supportive Activities and Services
In order to remain abstinent until
marriage, pre-adolescents and
adolescents need to acquire capacity
building, coping, and self-sufficiency
skills that enable them to remain
abstinent in the present and to continue
making healthy decisions as they
transition into adulthood. Therefore,
effective programs take into account
how youth physically and emotionally
develop and how this translates into
appropriate educational and supportive
services. In addition to abstinence
education, research shows that building
upon positive factors (or assets) in the
lives of young people protects youth
from many risky behaviors, including
sexual activity. Strengthening these
factors will help motivate youth to
remain abstinent from sexual activity.
Therefore, successful applicants will
propose approaches that will strengthen
youth assets and implement activities
and services that address the
developmental needs of the target
population. Such approaches place
considerable emphasis on helping youth
to develop their assets and to focus on
where youth are going, helping them to
develop belief in a positive future and
belief in their ability to take actions that
will achieve that future—and also to
avoid actions that will jeopardize it.
Some program components typically
employed in this approach include
mentoring, tutoring, sports, cultural
activities, and community service. All
aspects of the proposed prevention
demonstration project must motivate
youth to remain abstinent until
marriage, must support and be
consistent with the definition of
‘‘abstinence education’’ as set out in the
A–H criteria, and must be within the
scope of Title XX prevention services.
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 4701
Sfmt 4703
15773
Sexual Exploitation
Among young people ages 15 to 24 in
2002, 13 percent of females and 5
percent of males reported that their first
sexual experience occurred at age 15 or
younger with an individual who was
three or more years older. More than
one in four children born to mothers
between the ages of 15 and 17 were
fathered by someone five or more years
older. Successful AFL prevention
demonstration applicants should
thoroughly describe current and
proposed efforts to prevent sexual
coercion and exploitation of teens by
older partners, as well as management
and reporting that comply with State
reporting laws regarding child sexual
abuse, sexual assault (including
statutory rape), incest, or family
violence. These efforts should include
staff training on how to handle abuse/
coercion disclosures appropriately, the
responsibilities as a mandatory reporter,
as well as overall sensitivity to the issue
(of nonconsensual sexual activity among
youth who otherwise would be
abstinent) in program activities, services
and curricula. For more information,
applicants may access the Child Welfare
Information Gateway formerly the
National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse
and Neglect Information at https://
www.childwelfare.gov.
Parental Involvement
Supporting parents in their role as the
primary educators of their children on
issues involving sexuality, particularly
the importance of premarital abstinence,
can be an effective way to strengthen a
prevention intervention. Research has
shown the importance of parental
involvement and open communication
between parent and child in the
prevention of adolescent sexual activity.
Parental involvement and
communication include monitoring and
boundary setting, as well as clearly
transmitting values and beliefs.
Targeted services and resources that
strengthen parental capacity to help
their child avoid sexual activity and
other risk behaviors can take many
forms: Parent workshops or training
sessions; education newsletters; home
based videos; or homework assignments
for parents and children to complete
together. Program content should reflect
specific needs of the population to be
served and might include information
on parenting practices, communication
skills, family life and problem solving
strategies, or adolescent development. It
is essential that programs effectively
communicate to parents the benefits of
abstinence to the health and well-being
of their children. All programming for
E:\FR\FM\02APN2.SGM
02APN2
15774
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 62 / Monday, April 2, 2007 / Notices
parents must be consistent with the A–
H criteria.
Helping young people successfully
negotiate adolescence and avoid
premarital sexual activity, as well as
other health risk behaviors, requires not
only educating and motivating them—it
also requires ensuring that they have
adequate support systems to put what
they learn into practice. Stronger
families, enhanced competencies and
meaningful ties to the community can
provide considerable assistance in
achieving this. To that end, the OAPP
strongly encourages applicants to
incorporate activities and services that
foster youth assets and motivate youth
to remain abstinent, and to include
components that emphasize strong and
viable parental involvement.
Curricula Review
The grantee shall submit all curricula
and educational materials for use in the
AFL project, whether currently available
or to be developed by the grantee, to the
OAPP for review and approval prior to
use in the project. The review shall
ensure that all the information provided
to the program participants is medically
accurate; consistent with Title XX
policies on religion; in compliance with
the statutory prohibitions against
advocating, promoting, encouraging, or
providing abortions; and consistent with
the definition of ‘‘abstinence
education,’’ as set out in section
510(b)(2) of Title V of the Social
Security Act, as amended.
pwalker on PROD1PC71 with NOTICES2
Note: Curricula and educational materials
should be identified for this application.
Review and approval of curricula and other
educational materials are not done until an
application is approved for funding.
Successful approval of a grant application
does not indicate approval of curricula and
educational materials for use in a funded
project.
Goals and Objectives
The Office of Adolescent Pregnancy
Programs (OAPP) has two cross-site
performance measures for AFL
prevention demonstration programs: (1)
Increase the involvement of parents in
the lives of their children; and (2)
Increase adolescents’ understanding of
the positive health and emotional
benefits of abstaining from premarital
sexual activity. All grantees will be
responsible for reporting on these two
performance measures by using the
required AFL prevention core
instrument. The applicant should
include two program outcome objectives
addressing these two performance
measures. Please note, up to four
additional programmatic outcome
objectives can be proposed using
VerDate Aug<31>2005
18:45 Mar 30, 2007
Jkt 211001
additional data collection instruments.
Applications that include measures of
program effects at 2-year follow-up on
sexual activity are preferred. All
programmatic outcome objectives
should be encompassed by an
overarching program goal.
A goal is a general statement of what
the project hopes to accomplish. It
should reflect the long-term desired
impact of the project on the target
group(s) as well as reflect the program
goals contained in this program
announcement. An outcome objective is
a statement which defines a measurable
result that the project expects to
accomplish (e.g., decrease in sexual
activity among the treatment group,
increase in intent to remain abstinent
among the treatment group). All
outcome objectives, including the two
outcome objectives addressing the above
cross-site performance measures, should
be described in terms that are specific,
measurable, achievable, realistic, and
time-framed (S.M.A.R.T.).
Specific: An objective should specify
one major result directly related to the
program goal, state who is going to be
doing what, to whom, by how much,
and in what time-frame. It should
specify what will be accomplished and
how the accomplishment will be
measured.
Measurable: An objective should be
able to describe in realistic terms the
expected results and specify how such
results will be measured.
Achievable: The accomplishment
specified in the objective should be
achievable within the proposed time
line and as a direct result of program
activities and services.
Realistic: The objective should be
reasonable in nature. The specified
outcomes, expected results, should be
described in realistic terms.
Time-framed: An outcome objective
should specify a target date or time for
its accomplishments. It should state
who is going to be doing what, by when,
etc. The Public Management Institute,
How to Get Grants (1981).
Intensive Evaluation Effort
Section 2006(b)(1) of Title XX
requires each grantee to expend at least
one percent, but not more than five
percent, of the Federal funds received
under Title XX on evaluation of the
project. In cases in which a more
rigorous or comprehensive evaluation
effort is proposed, waivers of the five
percent limit on evaluation may be
granted by OAPP (see sec. 2006(b)(1)).
This is the fourth funding cycle in
which the OAPP is placing strong
emphasis on the evaluation of the
demonstration projects it supports. To
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 4701
Sfmt 4703
that end, it is continuing to request
applications for evaluation-intensive
projects, and will waive the five percent
limit on grant funds for those projects.
Under this announcement, the OAPP is
requesting applications for evaluationintensive projects that have a strong
evaluation design and evaluation plan
utilizing 20–25% of total grant funds. In
addition, OAPP strongly encourages
applicants to be able to track program
participants for at least two years and to
propose a randomized control design in
evaluating project outcomes.
Commensurate with this increased
funding for evaluation, the OAPP
expects applications to include a clear
and fully developed evaluation plan.
Evaluation plans that are not evaluationintensive, according to the following
criteria, will be scored accordingly
during the grant review process.
1. Evaluations will be directly tied to
program objectives and displayed in a
logic model. Research hypotheses will
be clearly stated and reflect the
outcomes the program intends to
achieve.
2. Evaluations will include a process
or implementation evaluation.
Evaluations in their first year will focus
on determining that the intervention is
in place, that it is adequately and
appropriately staffed and that it is
reaching its intended population.
3. Evaluations will have a viable
comparison strategy. Ideally, a true
experimental design with random
assignment will be proposed. For
programs targeting schools, applicants
are encouraged to select a pool of
schools as potential program sites and
include data, in the application,
describing the characteristics of each
school. Applicants are also encouraged
to submit letters from each school
principal committing to participate in
the evaluation if their school is
randomly assigned to either the
treatment or control group. In cases
where an experimental design is not
possible, a rigorous quasi-experimental
design with matched comparison
group(s) would be acceptable.
4. Evaluations will have sufficient
sample size to ensure that any observed
differences between groups are
statistically significant. Inclusion of
power analysis to support the sample
size is recommended.
5. Evaluations will measure dosage.
Youth participation and use of various
service components must be carefully
tracked so that any differences can be
corrected for, or at least taken into
account in discussion of evaluation
results. Treatment and comparison
group respondents who complete
baseline data collection should be re-
E:\FR\FM\02APN2.SGM
02APN2
pwalker on PROD1PC71 with NOTICES2
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 62 / Monday, April 2, 2007 / Notices
surveyed in order to allow for 2 or more
years of follow-up (wherever possible).
6. Evaluations will include evaluation
training activities for program staff and
specific data collection procedures for
the research assistant. It is expected that
a research assistant will be budgeted as
part of the program staff to handle data
collection procedures.
7. Evaluations will employ adequate
data collection procedures. They will
include the assurance of confidentiality,
obtaining active parental consent and
client assent to participate in the survey,
and planning for survey administration
that minimizes bias.
8. Evaluations will employ
appropriate analytic methods.
9. Evaluations will include a followup assessment of program participants
at least six months after the intervention
being tested ends. Including follow-up
at 12 months and 24 months after
baseline data collection will greatly
strengthen an application. This followup assessment should be in the same
format as the pre- and post-testing
instrumentation.
10. Evaluations will include a plan to
disseminate and publish the evaluation
findings by the end of the fifth year of
funding.
Section 2006(b)(2) of Title XX
requires that evaluations of AFL
demonstration projects be conducted by
an organization or entity independent of
the grantee providing services. To
accomplish this, applicants should
collaborate with an evaluator affiliated
with a college or university located in
their State. The OAPP expects each AFL
demonstration project to establish a
strong relationship with its evaluator
and that this relationship be clearly
established prior to funding. The
successful applicant will work with the
evaluator as the application is being
prepared to ensure that the evaluation
plan addresses the proposed project’s
goals and objectives and meets the
evaluation criteria specified above. A
letter of commitment from the evaluator
along with his or her curriculum vitae
should be included in the appendix of
the application. Successful applicants
will select an evaluator with experience
in tracking participants long-term and
conducting random assignment.
The AFL Prevention Core evaluation
instruments have been developed for
use in AFL prevention demonstration
project evaluations. The prevention
instruments were designed to reflect
requirements in the Title XX statute, the
A–H criteria for abstinence education,
and the two OAPP cross-site
performance measures. The Office of
Management and Budget has approved
these instruments and all AFL
VerDate Aug<31>2005
18:45 Mar 30, 2007
Jkt 211001
demonstration projects funded in fiscal
year 2004 and beyond are required to
include them in their evaluation design.
Prevention demonstration projects
funded under this announcement will
be included in this requirement. The
OAPP recognizes that additional
instruments are necessary to measure
additional outcome objectives proposed
and encourages their use to supplement
the core instrument. Copies of the AFL
Prevention core instruments required
for use in these projects can be found at:
https://opa.osophs.dhhs.gov/titlexx/
coreinstruments/. Please note that these
instruments may be revised by OAPP to
incorporate future improvements.
Another important component of
OAPP’s focus on evaluation is the
planning and preparation for a formal
cross-site evaluation of AFL
demonstration projects. It is anticipated
that data collection for the cross-site
evaluation, employing the core
evaluation instruments discussed above,
will begin in August 2008. Projects
funded under this announcement will
be part of the pool to be included in the
cross-site evaluation. Successful
applicants will address both capacity
and intent to participate in this crosssite evaluation.
All proposed prevention
demonstration applicants should
provide information regarding the
evaluation outcomes of previous
programs and should discuss how these
findings relate to the currently proposed
demonstration model. Previous
applicant experience with youth
services and ‘‘lessons learned’’ from
these programs should be included.
II. Award Information
This notice announces the availability
of $7.5 million to support an estimated
20 new prevention demonstration
grants, funded at $300,000 to $400,000
per budget year (maximum five budget
years per grant cycle). Any application
that proposes funding over the
maximum of $400,000 will not be
considered. The OAPP expects that 20–
25% of the budget be allotted for
evaluation activities. Funding for all
approved budget periods beyond the
first year of the grant is contingent upon
the availability of funds, satisfactory
progress of the project, and adequate
stewardship of Federal funds.
Please note, in fiscal year (FY) 2004,
OAPP issued a similar Request for
Applications (RFA) announcing
approximately $3.5 million for new
abstinence education prevention
demonstration projects. In response to
that RFA, OAPP received 161 grant
applications and was able to fund only
14 new projects.
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 4701
Sfmt 4703
15775
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants
Any public or private nonprofit
organization or agency is eligible to
apply for a grant. However, only those
organizations or agencies that
demonstrate the capability of providing
and thoroughly evaluating the proposed
services and which meet the statutory
requirements will be considered for
grant awards. Faith-based and
community-based organizations are
encouraged to apply for AFL grants.
Please note, however, that AFL funds
may not be used for inherently religious
activities, such as worship, religious
instruction, and proselytization. If an
organization engages in such activities,
they must be offered separately in time
or location from the program funded
under the AFL program and
participation must be voluntary for
program beneficiaries. An AFL program,
in providing services and outreach
related to program services, cannot
discriminate against current or
prospective program beneficiaries on
the basis of religion, a religious belief,
a refusal to hold a religious belief, or a
refusal to actively participate in a
religious practice. Please also note that
all adolescents, regardless of race or
religion, shall be eligible to participate
in an AFL program.
Applications will be accepted from
organizations which are currently
operating AFL prevention
demonstration programs that are
completing their funding cycle as of
September 2007, or June 2008, if
modifications are made to enhance
services for a new demonstration project
according to the guidelines specified in
this announcement. Current AFL
prevention demonstration grantees that
are not ending their grant cycles by
these dates are not eligible to apply for
these funds.
2. Cost Sharing
Applicants funded under this
announcement will be required to
match Federal funding provided by the
OAPP. Section 2005(c)(2) of Title XX
states that an AFL grant award may not
exceed 70% of the total costs of the
project for the first and second years,
60% of the total costs for the third year,
50% for the fourth year and 40% for the
fifth year. The AFL non-Federal share of
the project costs may be provided in
cash expenditures or fairly evaluated inkind contributions, including facilities,
equipment and services.
Note that the HHS Grants Policy
Statement provides that: ‘‘Recipient
contributions may be derived from any
non-Federal source; from Federal
E:\FR\FM\02APN2.SGM
02APN2
15776
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 62 / Monday, April 2, 2007 / Notices
sources if received as fees, payments, or
reimbursements for the provision of a
specific service, such as patient care
reimbursements received under
Medicare or Medicaid; or from other
program income, if authorized by
[HHS]. Otherwise, unless there is
specific statutory authority, Federal
funds may not be used to match HHS
grant funds.’’
IV. Application and Submission
Information
1. Address To Request Application
Package
Application kits may be obtained by
accessing Grants.gov at https://
www.grants.gov or the Grant Solutions
system at https://
www.GrantSolutions.gov. To obtain a
hard copy of the application kit, contact
WilDon Solutions at 1–888–203–6161.
Applicants may fax a written request to
WilDon Solutions at (240) 453–8823 or
e-mail the request to
OPHSgrantinfo@teamwildon.com.
Applications must be prepared using
Form OPHS–1, which can be obtained at
the Web sites noted above.
pwalker on PROD1PC71 with NOTICES2
2. Content and Form of Application
Submission
In preparing the application, it is
important to follow ALL instructions
and public policy requirements
provided in the application kit.
Applications must be submitted on the
forms supplied (OPHS–1, Revised 03/
2006) and in the manner prescribed in
the application kits provided by the
OAPP. Applicants are required to
submit an application signed by an
individual authorized to act for the
applicant agency or organization and to
assume for the organization the
obligations imposed by the terms and
conditions of the grant award. The
program narrative must be printed on
81⁄2 by 11 inch white paper, with oneinch margins, double-spaced with an
easily readable 12-point font. All pages
must be numbered sequentially not
including appendices and required
forms. The program narrative should not
exceed 50 double-spaced pages, not
including appendices and required
forms. All pages, figures and tables must
be numbered sequentially. Do not staple
or bind the application package. Use
rubber bands or clips.
The narrative description of the
project must contain the following using
the specified page limits:
One-page Summary: Briefly provide a
statement of the proposed
demonstration project indicating that it
is a prevention demonstration project
and whether it is for a local or statewide
VerDate Aug<31>2005
18:45 Mar 30, 2007
Jkt 211001
project; type of organization applying
(school, state agency, voluntary agency,
etc.); geographic area to be served
(urban, rural, suburban); description of
target population to be served; brief
description of the proposed prevention
demonstration project; and brief
description of the evaluation-intensive
design.
Description of Applicant Organization
(1–2 pages): Describe the decisionmaking authority and structure (e.g.
relationship to the Board of Directors
and organizational chart), its resources,
experience, existing program units and/
or those to be established if funding is
obtained. This description should cover
personnel, time and facilities and
contain evidence of the organization’s
capacity to provide the rapid and
effective use of resources needed to
conduct the project, collect necessary
data and evaluate it. It is recommended
that applicants place an organizational
chart in the Appendices.
Need Statement (3 pages): Describe
the need for prevention services in the
proposed target area by describing the
geographic area to be served. Document
the incidence of adolescent pregnancy,
sexually transmitted infections, a
description of socio-economic
conditions including income levels,
existing services and unmet needs in the
proposed service area. If the proposed
population has unique challenges and
barriers, these should be addressed as
well.
Rationale (2–4 pages): Describe the
rationale for use of the proposed
approach based upon previous practice
and review of the literature and/or
evaluation findings. This section should
include discussion of previous youth
service experience and how lessons
learned from this experience helped
develop the rationale for the proposed
demonstration model. All previous AFL
grantees should clearly describe their
program and evaluation experience as it
relates to past AFL funding.
Program Outcome Objectives (4
pages): Provide a goal and 4–6 outcome
objectives that clearly state expected
results or benefits of the demonstration
project. Two of the outcome objectives
must address the required OAPP crosssite performance measures. Objectives
should be specific, measurable,
achievable, realistic, and time-framed.
Please see ‘‘Evaluation’’ section for more
information.
Prevention Services Demonstration
Model (8–10 pages): Thoroughly
describe proposed program intervention
activities and services as they relate to
the outcome objectives by describing the
project logic model. This section should
include a description of all proposed
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 4701
Sfmt 4703
curricula, types of supportive asset
building and youth development
activities and services proposed as part
of the model, and a description of the
parental involvement component. It
should also include a clear plan for
recruitment and retention of program
participants, including parents. This
description should clearly relate to
program objectives and should address
intensity of services (dosage). All
components of the intervention must be
consistent with the A–H definition of
abstinence education. How the project
will address the issue of sexual
exploitation and coercion should also be
included.
Workplan and Timetable (1 page):
Provide a year long detailed work plan
and timetable for the first year. Within
this plan include each program activity
associated with the project and the
proposed time frame for the start and
completion of each activity. A separate
and more generalized work plan should
be included in the appendices for the
2nd and 3rd year of program
implementation.
Numbers and Types of Participants (2
pages): Provide estimates of who the
project will serve and how many will be
participating in the proposed
demonstration project. Please describe
how many participants are expected to
participate during the first year and
break out the types of participants into
categories (e.g. pre-adolescents,
adolescents and parents), including the
race and ethnicity of participants to be
served.
Documentation of Community
Support and Commitment (1–2 pages):
Provide documentation of the support
from other community agencies. If a
community agency is partnering with
the applicant to implement the
proposed prevention demonstration
project, a letter of commitment detailing
the level of effort and commitment to
this effort must be included.
Continuation Funding (1 page):
Describe the plan regarding
continuation of services at the
termination of this Federal funding
opportunity. The OAPP cannot
guarantee that funding will be available
annually or at the end of the five-year
grant cycle.
Evaluation Plan (15–20 pages):
Provide a clear and fully developed
evaluation plan in accordance with the
criteria laid out under the ‘‘Evaluation’’
section of this announcement. Include a
letter of commitment and curriculum
vitae from the independent evaluator in
the appendices, how the AFL
prevention core instruments will be
included in the evaluation plan, and the
understanding of the proposed project,
E:\FR\FM\02APN2.SGM
02APN2
pwalker on PROD1PC71 with NOTICES2
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 62 / Monday, April 2, 2007 / Notices
if funded by OAPP, will participate in
a formal cross site evaluation of the AFL
program. Applicants are encouraged to
identify anticipated problems with the
evaluation and recommended solutions.
Inclusion of a proposed 2-year followup based on randomized assignment
will greatly strengthen an applicant’s
evaluation plan.
Appendices: Include: (1) Articles of
incorporation and mission statement for
private nonprofit organizations; (2)
Resumes of key staff and detailed
position descriptions; (3) A program
logic model that ties project objectives
and intervention activities and services
to expected results; (4) A description of
how the A–H criteria are addressed in
the project curricula and supportive
activities and services in chart format
(see ‘‘A–H Compliance Strategies’’ chart
in the application kit for a suggested
format); (5) A description of how the
project will obtain parental consent
including a copy of the proposed
parental consent form, if developed; (6)
Letters of commitment from partnering
agencies; (7) Letters of support from
other community agencies; (8) A letter
of commitment and/or a memorandum
of understanding with the independent
evaluator affiliated with a college or
university located in the applicant’s
State that includes willingness to
participate and their role(s) described;
(9) A copy of the curriculum vitae of the
independent evaluator; (10) Copies of
the table of contents of the proposed
curricula, plus a list of any other
instructional materials that will be an
integral part of the proposed project;
and (11) the workplan and timetable for
years 2 and 3 of the proposed project.
Please note, applicants must be familiar
with Title XX in its entirety to ensure
that they have complied with all
applicable requirements. In addition,
applicants must incorporate the
definition of ‘‘abstinence education,’’ as
set out in section 510(b)(2) of Title V of
the Social Security Act, as amended,
and ensure program activities and
services are consistent and supportive of
this language. A copy of both sets of
legislation is included in the application
kit.
A Dun and Bradstreet Universal
Numbering System (DUNS) number is
required for all applications for Federal
assistance. Organizations should verify
that they have a DUNS number or take
the steps necessary to obtain one.
Instructions for obtaining a DUNS
number are included in the application
package, and may be downloaded from
the OPA Web site
(opa.osophs.dhhs.gov/duns.html).
VerDate Aug<31>2005
18:45 Mar 30, 2007
Jkt 211001
3. Submission Dates and Times
To be considered for review,
applications must be received by the
Office of Public Health and Science,
Office of Grants Management, c/o
WilDon Solutions, by 5 p.m. Eastern
Time on June 1, 2007. Applications will
be considered as meeting the deadline if
they are received on or before the
deadline date. The application due date
requirement in this announcement
supercedes the instructions in the
OPHS–1 form.
Submission Mechanisms
The Office of Public Health and
Science (OPHS) provides multiple
mechanisms for the submission of
applications, as described in the
following sections. Applicants will
receive notification via mail from the
OPHS Office of Grants Management
confirming the receipt of applications
submitted using any of these
mechanisms. Applications submitted to
the OPHS Office of Grants Management
after the deadlines described below will
not be accepted for review. Applications
which do not conform to the
requirements of the grant announcement
will not be accepted for review and will
be returned to the applicant.
While applications are accepted in
hard copy, the use of the electronic
application submission capabilities
provided by the Grants.gov and
GrantSolutions.gov systems is
encouraged. Applications may only be
submitted electronically via the
electronic submission mechanisms
specified below. Any applications
submitted via any other means of
electronic communication, including
facsimile or electronic mail, will not be
accepted for review.
In order to apply for new funding
opportunities which are open to the
public for competition, you may access
the Grants.gov Web site portal. All
OPHS funding opportunities and
application kits are made available on
Grants.gov. If your organization has/had
a grantee business relationship with a
grant program serviced by the OPHS
Office of Grants Management, and you
are applying as part of ongoing grantee
related activities, please access
GrantSolutions.gov.
Electronic grant application
submissions must be submitted no later
than 5 p.m. Eastern Time on the
deadline date specified in the DATES
section of the announcement using one
of the electronic submission
mechanisms specified below. All
required hardcopy original signatures
and mail-in items must be received by
the OPHS Office of Grants Management,
PO 00000
Frm 00007
Fmt 4701
Sfmt 4703
15777
c/o WilDon Solutions (1101 Wootton
Parkway, Suite 550, Rockville, MD
20852) no later than 5 p.m. Eastern
Time on the next business day after the
deadline date specified in the DATES
section of the announcement.
Applications will not be considered
valid until all electronic application
components, hardcopy original
signatures, and mail-in items are
received by the OPHS Office of Grants
Management according to the deadlines
specified above. Application
submissions that do not adhere to the
due date requirements will be
considered late and will be deemed
ineligible.
Applicants are encouraged to initiate
electronic applications early in the
application development process, and to
submit early on the due date or before.
This will aid in addressing any
problems with submissions prior to the
application deadline.
Electronic Submissions via the
Grants.gov Web Site Portal
The Grants.gov Web site Portal
provides organizations with the ability
to submit applications for OPHS grant
opportunities. Organizations must
successfully complete the necessary
registration processes in order to submit
an application. Information about this
system is available on the Grants.gov
Web site, https://www.grants.gov.
In addition to electronically
submitted materials, applicants may be
required to submit hard copy signatures
for certain Program related forms, or
original materials as required by the
announcement. It is imperative that the
applicant review both the grant
announcement, as well as the
application guidance provided within
the Grants.gov application package, to
determine such requirements. Any
required hard copy materials, or
documents that require a signature,
must be submitted separately via mail to
the OPHS Office of Grants Management,
c/o WilDon Solutions, and if required,
must contain the original signature of an
individual authorized to act for the
applicant agency and the obligations
imposed by the terms and conditions of
the grant award. When submitting the
required forms, do not send the entire
application. Complete hard copy
applications submitted after the
electronic submission will not be
considered for review.
Electronic applications submitted via
the Grants.gov Web site Portal must
contain all completed online forms
required by the application kit, the
Program Narrative, Budget Narrative
and any appendices or exhibits. All
required mail-in items must received by
E:\FR\FM\02APN2.SGM
02APN2
15778
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 62 / Monday, April 2, 2007 / Notices
pwalker on PROD1PC71 with NOTICES2
the due date requirements specified
above. Mail-in items may only include
publications, resumes, or organizational
documentation. When submitting the
required forms, do not send the entire
application. Complete hard copy
applications submitted after the
electronic submission will not be
considered for review.
Upon completion of a successful
electronic application submission via
the Grants.gov Web site Portal, the
applicant will be provided with a
confirmation page from Grants.gov
indicating the date and time (Eastern
Time) of the electronic application
submission, as well as the Grants.gov
Receipt Number. It is critical that the
applicant print and retain this
confirmation for their records, as well as
a copy of the entire application package.
All applications submitted via the
Grants.gov Web site Portal will be
validated by Grants.gov. Any
applications deemed ‘‘Invalid’’ by the
Grants.gov Web site Portal will not be
transferred to the GrantSolutions
system, and OPHS has no responsibility
for any application that is not validated
and transferred to OPHS from the
Grants.gov Web site Portal. Grants.gov
will notify the applicant regarding the
application validation status. Once the
application is successfully validated by
the Grants.gov Web site Portal,
applicants should immediately mail all
required hard copy materials to the
OPHS Office of Grants Management,
c/o WilDon Solutions, to be received by
the deadlines specified above. It is
critical that the applicant clearly
identify the Organization name and
Grants.gov Application Receipt Number
on all hard copy materials.
Once the application is validated by
Grants.gov, it will be electronically
transferred to the GrantSolutions system
for processing. Upon receipt of both the
electronic application from the
Grants.gov Web site Portal, and the
required hardcopy mail-in items,
applicants will receive notification via
mail from the OPHS Office of Grants
Management confirming the receipt of
the application submitted using the
Grants.gov Web site Portal.
Applicants should contact Grants.gov
regarding any questions or concerns
regarding the electronic application
process conducted through the
Grants.gov Web site Portal.
Electronic Submissions via the
GrantSolutions System
OPHS is a managing partner of the
GrantSolutions.gov system.
GrantSolutions is a full life-cycle grants
management system managed by the
Administration for Children and
VerDate Aug<31>2005
18:45 Mar 30, 2007
Jkt 211001
Families, Department of Health and
Human Services (HHS), and is
designated by the Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) as one of the three
Government-wide grants management
systems under the Grants Management
Line of Business initiative (GMLoB).
OPHS uses GrantSolutions for the
electronic processing of all grant
applications, as well as the electronic
management of its entire Grant
portfolio.
When submitting applications via the
GrantSolutions system, applicants are
required to submit a hard copy of the
application face page (Standard Form
424) with the original signature of an
individual authorized to act for the
applicant agency and assume the
obligations imposed by the terms and
conditions of the grant award. If
required, applicants will also need to
submit a hard copy of the Standard
Form LLL and/or certain Program
related forms (e.g., Program
Certifications) with the original
signature of an individual authorized to
act for the applicant agency. When
submitting the required forms, do not
send the entire application. Complete
hard copy applications submitted after
the electronic submission will not be
considered for review.
Electronic applications submitted via
the GrantSolutions system must contain
all completed online forms required by
the application kit, the Program
Narrative, Budget Narrative and any
appendices or exhibits. The applicant
may identify specific mail-in items to be
sent to the Office of Grants Management
separate from the electronic submission;
however these mail-in items must be
entered on the GrantSolutions
Application Checklist at the time of
electronic submission, and must be
received by the due date requirements
specified above. Mail-in items may only
include publications, resumes, or
organizational documentation. When
submitting the required forms, do not
send the entire application. Complete
hard copy applications submitted after
the electronic submission will not be
considered for review.
Upon completion of a successful
electronic application submission, the
GrantSolutions system will provide the
applicant with a confirmation page
indicating the date and time (Eastern
Time) of the electronic application
submission. This confirmation page will
also provide a listing of all items that
constitute the final application
submission including all electronic
application components, required
hardcopy original signatures, and mailin items, as well as the mailing address
of the OPHS Office of Grants
PO 00000
Frm 00008
Fmt 4701
Sfmt 4703
Management where all required hard
copy materials must be submitted.
As items are received by the OPHS
Office of Grants Management, the
electronic application status will be
updated to reflect the receipt of mail-in
items. It is recommended that the
applicant monitor the status of their
application in the GrantSolutions
system to ensure that all signatures and
mail-in items are received.
Mailed or Hand-Delivered Hard Copy
Applications
Applicants who submit applications
in hard copy (via mail or handdelivered) are required to submit an
original and two copies of the
application. The original application
must be signed by an individual
authorized to act for the applicant
agency or organization and to assume
for the organization the obligations
imposed by the terms and conditions of
the grant award.
Mailed or hand-delivered applications
will be considered as meeting the
deadline if they are received by the
OPHS Office of Grant Management, c/o
WilDon Solutions, on or before 5 p.m.
Eastern Time on the deadline date
specified in the DATES section of the
announcement. The application
deadline date requirement specified in
this announcement supersedes the
instructions in the OPHS–1.
Applications that do not meet the
deadline will be returned to the
applicant unread.
4. Intergovernmental Review
Applications for AFL grants must
meet both of the following requirements
(each year):
(1) Requirements for Review of an
Application by the Governor. Section
2006(e) of Title XX requires that each
applicant shall provide the Governor of
the State in which the applicant is
located a copy of each application
submitted to OAPP for a grant for a
demonstration project for services under
this Title. The Governor has 60 days
from the receipt date in which to
provide comments to the applicant. An
applicant may comply with this
requirement by submitting a copy of the
application to the Governor of the State
in which the applicant is located at the
same time the application is submitted
to OAPP. To inform the Governor’s
office of the reason for the submission,
a copy of this notice should be attached
to the application.
(2) Requirements for Review of an
Application Pursuant to Executive
Order 12372 (SPOC Requirements).
Applications under this announcement
are subject to the review requirements of
E:\FR\FM\02APN2.SGM
02APN2
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 62 / Monday, April 2, 2007 / Notices
E.O. 12372, ‘‘Intergovernmental Review
of Federal Programs,’’ as implemented
by 45 CFR part 100, ‘‘Intergovernmental
Review of Department of Health and
Human Services Programs and
Activities.’’ E.O. 12372 sets up a system
for state and local government review of
proposed Federal assistance
applications. As soon as possible, the
applicant (other than federallyrecognized Indian tribal governments)
should contact the State Single Point of
Contact (SPOC) for each state in the area
to be served. The application kit
contains the currently available listing
of the SPOCs which have elected to be
informed of the submission of
applications. For those states not
represented on the listing, further
inquiries should be made by the
applicant regarding submission to the
relevant SPOC. Information about the
SPOC is located on the OMB Web site
https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/
spoc/html. The SPOC’s comment(s)
should be forwarded to the OPHS Office
of Grants Management, 1101 Wootton
Parkway, Suite 550, Rockville, MD
20852. The SPOC has 60 days from the
closing date of this announcement to
submit any comments.
pwalker on PROD1PC71 with NOTICES2
5. Funding Restrictions
Budget Request: If the total federal
amount requested exceeds $400,000
then the application will be considered
non-responsive and will not be entered
into the review process. The application
will be returned with notification that it
did not meet the submission
requirements.
Grant funds may be used to cover
costs of: Personnel, consultants,
equipment, supplies, grant-related
travel, and other grant-related costs.
Grant funds may not be used for:
building alterations or renovations,
construction, fund raising activities, and
political education and lobbying.
Guidance for completing the application
can be found in the Program Guidelines,
which are included with the complete
application kits.
Applicants for discretionary grants are
expected to anticipate and justify their
funding needs and the activities to be
carried out with those funds in
preparing the budget and accompanying
narrative portions of their applications.
The basis for determining the
allowability and allocability of costs
charged to Public Health Service (PHS)
grants is set forth in 45 CFR parts 74 and
92. If applicants are uncertain whether
a particular cost is allowable, they
should contact the OPHS Office of
Grants Management at (240) 453–8822
for further information.
VerDate Aug<31>2005
18:45 Mar 30, 2007
Jkt 211001
6. Other Submission Requirements
Organizations applying for funds
under the AFL Demonstration Projects
Program must submit documentation of
nonprofit status with their applications.
If documentation is not provided, the
applicant will be considered nonresponsive and will not be entered into
the review process. The organization
will be notified that the application did
not meet the submission requirements.
Any of the following serves as
acceptable proof of nonprofit status:
• A reference to the applicant
organization’s listing in the Internal
Revenue Service (IRS) most recent
listing of tax-exempt organizations
described in section 501(c)(3) of the IRS
Code.
• A copy of a currently valid IRS tax
exemption certificate.
• A statement from a State taking
body, State Attorney General, or other
appropriate State official certifying that
the applicant organization has a
nonprofit status and that none of the net
earnings accrue to any private
shareholders or individuals.
• A certified copy of the
organization’s certificate of
incorporation or similar document that
clearly establishes nonprofit status.
• Any of the above proof for a State
or national organization and a statement
signed by the parent organization that
the applicant organization is a local
nonprofit affiliate.
V. Application Review Information
1. Criteria
Eligible competing grant applications
will be externally reviewed by a multidisciplinary panel of independent
reviewers and subsequently reviewed by
Federal staff. All competing grant
applications will be assessed according
to the following criteria:
(1) Evaluation Plan. The applicant’s
presentation of a detailed evaluation
plan, as described in the ‘‘Evaluation’’
section of this announcement, that is
directly tied to program objectives and
includes: A process or implementation
evaluation; a viable comparison
strategy; sufficient sample size;
measurement of dosage; appropriate
data collection procedures; appropriate
multivariate analytic methods; a plan to
ensure adequate response rates among
both treatment and comparison group
respondents at all waves of data
collection; and a plan for disseminating
findings by the fifth year of funding,
including submission to peer-reviewed
journals. Additionally, discuss how the
AFL core evaluation instruments will be
included in the evaluation plan, and the
applicant’s commitment to participate
PO 00000
Frm 00009
Fmt 4701
Sfmt 4703
15779
in a formal cross-site evaluation of the
AFL program. Demonstrate the
evaluator’s capacity to conduct the
evaluation and disseminate the findings.
(35 points)
(2) Program Model. The applicant’s
presentation of a theory-based rational
for the proposed approach that includes
current literature on how youth remain
abstinent from sexual activity and are
supported in this decision. Based on
this rationale, the thorough description
of the proposed program model (or
approach) should include the
applicant’s clear statement of mission,
goals, measurable outcome objectives,
and a thorough description of the
reasonable methods for achieving the
objectives (program activities),
including a reasonable workplan and
timetable. The program model should
also include a clear description of the
parent component, as well as how the
program will address the issue of
potential sexual exploitation of youth
through insuring appropriate staff
training and pertinent program
materials. All educational and
supportive activities and services
proposed in this project should address
and support the A–H abstinence
education definition, and be consistent
with the Title XX statute. A description
in the narrative as well as a complete
chart in the appendices (example
included in application kit) of how the
program model will incorporate A–H in
the educational and supportive
activities and services should be
included. (25 points)
(3) Need for Project. The applicant’s
presentation of the need for the project,
including incidence of adolescent
pregnancy, sexually transmitted
infections, a description of socioeconomic conditions, existing services
and unmet needs in the proposed
service area. If the proposed population
has unique challenges and barriers, the
applicant’s description of these
challenges and barriers should be
addressed here. (10 points)
(4) Target Population. The applicant’s
clear description of the target
population to be served, including
estimated number and types of
participants to be served in the first
year. In addition, the applicant must
demonstrate the program staff’s
responsiveness in effectively serving the
target population, including staff
training. The recruitment and retention
plan of the target population should be
detailed and realistic. Incentive
strategies and tracking mechanisms for
participants who may drop out of the
project should also be adequately
addressed. (10 points)
E:\FR\FM\02APN2.SGM
02APN2
15780
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 62 / Monday, April 2, 2007 / Notices
pwalker on PROD1PC71 with NOTICES2
(5) Program Capacity and Past
Experience. The applicant’s clear
description of the capacity to implement
the program, including personnel and
other resources. The applicant’s
presentation of experience and expertise
in providing programs for youth as
related to capacity and how it is linked
to the rationale behind the proposed
demonstration model. (10 points)
(6) Community Support. The
applicant’s clear description of the
community commitment to, and
involvement in, planning and
implementation of the project, as
demonstrated by letters of commitment
and willingness to participate in the
project’s implementation, acceptance of
referrals, etc. The applicant should
clearly present commitment and/or
memorandums of agreement from
proposed project partners in the
appendices. (10 points)
Please note, the order of the above
criteria is based on the score weight of
each criteria and is not indicative of
how the program narrative should be
arranged. Please see the application kit
for instructions on how to arrange the
narrative.
2. Review and Selection Process
Final grant award decisions will be
made by the Deputy Assistant Secretary
for Population Affairs (DASPA). In
making these decisions, the DASPA will
take into account the extent to which
applications recommended for approval
will provide appropriate geographic
distribution of resources, the priorities
in sec. 2005(a), and other factors
including:
(1) Recommendations and scores
submitted by the external review panel;
(2) Internal review of application by
Federal staff;
(3) The geographic area to be served
including the reasonableness of the
estimated cost of the project based on
factors such as the incidence of
adolescent pregnancy and Sexually
Transmitted Diseases (STDs) in the
geographic area to be served and the
availability of services for adolescents in
this geographic area; and
(4) The adequacy of the evaluation
plan as detailed in the evaluation
criteria listed in the ‘‘Evaluation’’
section of this announcement and the
demonstrated ability to participate
successfully in the AFL cross-site
evaluation.
Special consideration may be granted
to areas of the country with high need
and lack of resources, as well as
populations not currently receiving
Title XX funding for prevention
programs. The DASPA has the
discretion not to fund applicants in
VerDate Aug<31>2005
18:45 Mar 30, 2007
Jkt 211001
States or areas of the country that are
already funded under the Title XX
program. If there are multiple applicants
in one State, agency collaboration is
encouraged. Please note, the DASPA
may elect to award one grant per State.
3. Anticipated Announcement and
Award
The OAPP anticipates announcing
and awarding grantees under this
announcement by September 1, 2007.
VI. Award Administration Information
1. Award Notices
The OAPP does not release
information about individual
applications during the review process
until final funding decisions have been
made. When these decisions have been
made, the applicant’s authorized
representative will be notified of the
outcome of their application by postal
mail. The official document notifying an
applicant that the application has been
approved for funding is the Notice of
Grant Award, signed by the Grants
Management Officer, which specifies to
the grantee the amount of money
awarded, the purposes of the grant, the
length of the project period, terms and
conditions of the grant award, and the
amount of funding to be contributed by
the grantee to project costs.
2. Administrative and National Policy
Requirements
The regulations set out at 45 CFR
parts 74 and 92 are the Department of
Health and Human Services (HHS) rules
and requirements that govern the
administration of grants. Part 74 is
applicable to all recipients except those
covered by Part 92, which governs
awards to State and local governments.
Applicants funded under this
announcement must be aware of and
comply with these regulations. The CFR
volume that includes parts 74 and 92
may be downloaded from https://
www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/
waisidx_03/45cfrv1_03.html.
When issuing statements, press
releases, requests for proposals, bid
solicitations, and other documents
describing projects or programs funded
in whole or in part with Federal money,
all grantees shall clearly state the
percentage and dollar amount of the
total costs of the program or project
which will be financed with Federal
money and the percentage and dollar
amount of the total costs of the project
or program that will be financed by nongovernmental sources.
3. Reporting Requirements
Applicants funded under this grant
announcement will be required to
PO 00000
Frm 00010
Fmt 4701
Sfmt 4703
electronically submit an End-of-Year
Program, Evaluation and Financial
report 90 days after the grant budget
period ends. Grantees will report
annually on program and evaluation
progress using the AFL Prevention
Demonstration Project End-of-Year
Report template approved by the Office
of Management and Budget (OMB 0990–
300), available at https://
opa.osophs.dhhs.gov/titlexx/eoy/eoyprevention-report-template.pdf.
Grantees are required to submit a
continuation application to renew
funding for the next budget period
before the project period ends.
VII. Agency Contacts
Administrative and Budgetary Contacts
Requirements
For application kits, submission of
applications, and information on budget
and business aspects of the application,
please contact: WilDon Solutions, Office
of Grants Management Operations
Center, 1515 Wilson Blvd., Third Floor
Suite 310, Arlington, VA 22209 at 1–
888–203–6161, e-mail
OPHSgrantinfo@teamwildon.com, or fax
703–351–1138.
Program Contacts Requirements
For information related to the OAPP
program requirements, the OAPP staff
are available at 240–453–2828 to answer
questions and provide technical
assistance on the preparation of grant
applications. Questions may also be
directed to OAPP staff via e-mail at
oapp@hhs.gov. If contacting OAPP by email, please include the phrase ‘‘AFL
Prevention Question’’ in the subject
heading.
VIII. Other Information
Protection of Human Subjects
Regulations
The applicant must comply with the
HHS Protection of Human Subjects
regulations (which require obtaining
Institutional Review Board approval),
set out at 45 CFR part 46, if applicable.
General information about Human
Subjects regulations can be obtained
through the Office for Human Research
Protections (OHRP) at https://
www.hhs.gov/ohrp,
ohrp@osophs.dhhs.gov, or toll free at
866–447–4777.
Technical Assistance
The OAPP is committed to providing
technical assistance to assist prospective
applicants at no cost. The OAPP
anticipates offering in-person technical
assistance workshops at several
locations across the country and two
interactive on-line/teleconference
E:\FR\FM\02APN2.SGM
02APN2
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 62 / Monday, April 2, 2007 / Notices
pwalker on PROD1PC71 with NOTICES2
workshops to provide such assistance.
These one-day workshops will assist the
public in learning more about the
purposes and requirements of the Title
XX program, the application process,
budgeting information, and
considerations that might help to
improve the quality of grant
applications. The OAPP encourages
applicants to have appropriate agency
staff members and a financial
representative participate in one of the
workshops. In order to participate in the
online/teleconferencing workshops,
participants must have a computer with
internet access and a telephone.
Participants will be able to ask
questions and receive pertinent
feedback during one of these workshops
via the computer.
With respect to both the in-person
and interactive online workshops,
applicants should check the OPA Web
site at https://opa.osophs.dhhs.gov. All
participants must pre-register for the
workshops using the form at https://opa/
osophs.dhhs.gov. Participants that do
not have access to the Internet may call
the OAPP at 240–453–2828 to request a
registration form. Written requests for
registration forms may be faxed to 240–
VerDate Aug<31>2005
18:45 Mar 30, 2007
Jkt 211001
15781
453–2829. Completed registration forms
should be faxed to ATTN: OAPP RFA
Workshop at 240–453–2829, or you may
insert OAPP RFA Workshop into the
subject line and e-mail the form to
oapp@hhs.gov. Upon receipt of the
applicant’s request, the specific
workshop information and logistical
information will be faxed or emailed for
the workshop specified by the
participant.
The OAPP anticipates conducting
four in-person technical workshops as
well as two live interactive online
workshops in April, 2007. If a
prospective applicant cannot attend the
live or interactive online workshops, the
transcripts of the online workshops will
be available online at https://
opa.osophs.dhhs.gov until the closing of
this announcement. Applicants should
visit the OPA Web site https://
opa.osophs.dhhs.gov for further
information on location, dates, and
times or call 240–453–2828.
specifies that the Project Director and
Evaluator are expected to attend the
annual conference. In addition, the
OAPP offers technical assistance and
training to improve the caliber of
professionalism of front-line staff. The
Project Director, Evaluator and frontline staff are expected to participate in
OAPP sponsored technical assistance
workshops.
Annual Conference and Regional
Technical Assistance Training
Each year, the OAPP hosts an annual
grantee conference for prevention
demonstration grantees. The Terms and
Conditions of the Notice of Grant Award
Dated: March 26, 2007.
Evelyn M. Kappeler,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Population
Affairs.
[FR Doc. 07–1585 Filed 3–30–07; 8:45 am]
PO 00000
Frm 00011
Fmt 4701
Sfmt 4703
Evaluation Dissemination and
Publishing
The OAPP anticipates that all
Prevention demonstration grantees will
disseminate and publish information
about their projects, including in peerreviewed journals, by or shortly after the
5th year. When selecting an evaluator,
he/she should have experience
publishing and presenting at
professional conferences. The evaluator
should also have the college/university
support to disseminate such findings to
the field.
BILLING CODE 4150–30–P
E:\FR\FM\02APN2.SGM
02APN2
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 62 (Monday, April 2, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15772-15781]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 07-1585]
[[Page 15771]]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Part II
Department of Health and Human Services
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Announcement of Availability of Funds for Adolescent Family Life (AFL)
Demonstration Projects; Notice
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 62 / Monday, April 2, 2007 /
Notices
[[Page 15772]]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Announcement of Availability of Funds for Adolescent Family Life
(AFL) Demonstration Projects
AGENCY: Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the
Secretary.
Funding Opportunity Title: Announcement of Availability of Funds
for Adolescent Family Life (AFL) Demonstration Projects.
CFDA Number: 93.995.
Announcement Type: Initial Competitive Grant.
DATES: To receive consideration, applications must be received by the
Office of Grants Management, Office of Public Health and Science
(OPHS), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) c/o WilDon
Solutions, Office of Grants Management Operations Center, 1515 Wilson
Blvd., Third Floor Suite 310, Arlington, VA 22209, Attention Office
Population Affairs/Office of Adolescent Pregnancy Programs no later
than 5 p.m. eastern time on June 1, 2007. The application due date
requirement in this announcement supercedes the instructions in the
OPHS-1 form.
Overview: The Office of Population Affairs (OPA), Office of
Adolescent Pregnancy Programs (OAPP), requests applications for
evaluation-intensive Adolescent Family Life (AFL) prevention
demonstration grants, as authorized by Title XX of the Public Health
Service (PHS) Act, 42 U.S.C. 300z. et seq. These grants are for
prevention demonstration projects to provide and evaluate innovative
abstinence education activities and services targeting youth ages 9-18
and their parents. Under this announcement, the OAPP is expecting
intensive evaluations of the demonstration projects it supports. To
this end, the OAPP is requesting applications from projects that have
dedicated 20-25% of the proposed budget to evaluation activities.
Applicants that do not propose an intensive evaluation and/or 20-25% of
their budget for evaluations activities will receive a low score on the
evaluation criterium when reviewed by the external review panel (see
``Application Review Information'' section).
In addition, successful applicants will plan on tracking program
participants for at least two years, subject to the availability of
funds. An appropriate randomized control design or rigorous quasi-
experimental design should be proposed.
All AFL prevention demonstration projects must provide ``abstinence
education'' as defined in section 510(b)(2)(A)-(H) of the Title V of
the Social Security Act (``the A-H criteria''). Therefore, prevention
demonstration projects must clearly and consistently promote premarital
abstinence as the only 100% effective way of preventing adolescent
pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV/
AIDS. Funds will be available for approximately 20 projects, which may
be located in any State, the District of Columbia, and United States
territories, commonwealths and possessions. Faith-based and community-
based organizations are encouraged to apply.
These grants are for community-based demonstration projects to find
effective means, within the context of the family, to promote
premarital abstinence. Abstinence education, delivered through a
combination of curricula that conform to the A-H criteria, and
supportive activities and services that are proven to motivate youth in
healthy decision making, can be an effective way to deliver a clear
message that abstinence is the best choice. Supporting parents in their
role as the primary educators of their children on issues involving
sexuality, particularly the health and social benefits of abstinence,
is also an important component of AFL prevention demonstration
projects. See headings ``Prevention Services'' and ``Supportive
Activities and Services'' for additional information.
When explaining the rationale for the proposed demonstration model,
successful applicants will describe their experience with other youth
prevention programs, including experience with state, local or Federal
abstinence education grant programs. In particular, successful program
models will base their proposed AFL prevention demonstration project on
experiences and ``lessons learned'' from previous youth oriented
activities and services.
In this funding announcement, the OAPP is placing strong emphasis
on the evaluation of the demonstration projects it supports.
Applications under this announcement are expected to include a clear
and fully developed evaluation plan. The proposed evaluation team's
experience, specifically related to conducting program evaluation using
randomized experimental or quasi-experimental design, should be stated.
A strong evaluation plan should include a commitment and description of
capacity to track program participants for at least two years; address
both capacity and intent to use the AFL prevention core evaluation
instrument; and address both capacity and intent to participate in the
cross-site evaluation of the AFL program scheduled to begin in August
2008. Capacity to participate in the cross-site evaluation will entail
a rigorous evaluation design, high quality data collection procedures,
and the ability to deliver data to OAPP for inclusion in cross-site
analyses.
Please note, successful applicants will also ensure that program
staff are prepared to address issues of sexual coercion and
exploitation of young teens. In addition, areas of the country with
high incidences of adolescent pregnancy, sexually transmitted
infections, poverty rates, as well as existing gaps in services for
youth, will receive special consideration. Populations and areas of the
country not currently receiving Title XX funding for prevention
programs will receive special consideration. If there are multiple
applicants from one State, agency collaboration is encouraged. Please
note, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Population Affairs (DASPA) may
elect to award one grant per State. Under this announcement, former AFL
grantees and AFL prevention grantees currently in their fourth and
fifth year of funding are eligible to apply; all other current AFL
grantees are considered ineligible. See headings ``Prevention
Services'' and ``Supportive Activities and Services'' for additional
information.
I. Funding Opportunity Description
Prevention Services
Under the Title XX statute, the primary purpose of AFL prevention
demonstration programs is to find effective means, within the context
of the family, of reaching pre-adolescent and adolescent children
before they become sexually active to encourage them to abstain from
premarital sexual activity. (The OAPP also encourages reaching out to
those adolescents who may have already become sexually active to
encourage them to return to abstinence and support them in doing so.)
Early initiation of sexual activity brings not only the risk of
adolescent pregnancy, but also substantial health risks, primarily
STIs, including HIV/AIDS. Adolescent sexual activity is also associated
with a host of other problems, such as poor school performance,
delinquency, substance use and depression.
Prevention demonstration program activities and services must be
consistent with the definition of ``abstinence education,'' as set out
in section 510(b)(2)(A)-(H) of Title V of the Social Security Act, as
amended. Proposed program activities and services, whether educational
or
[[Page 15773]]
supportive, should address at least one component of this definition.
In addition, the program as a whole must adequately address all 8 of
the A-H criteria. Please note, acceptable individual activities and
services may address one or more of the A-H criteria. (See ``A-H
Compliance Strategies'' chart in the application kit). Under this
announcement, ``abstinence education'' means an educational or
motivational program which:
(A) Has as its exclusive purpose, teaching the social,
psychological, and health gains to be realized by abstaining from
sexual activity;
(B) Teaches abstinence from sexual activity outside marriage as the
expected standard for all school age children;
(C) Teaches that abstinence from sexual activity is the only
certain way to avoid out-of-wedlock pregnancy, sexually transmitted
diseases, and other associated health problems;
(D) Teaches that a mutually faithful monogamous relationship in
context of marriage is the expected standard of human sexual activity;
(E) Teaches that sexual activity outside of the context of marriage
is likely to have harmful psychological and physical effects;
(F) Teaches that bearing children out-of-wedlock is likely to have
harmful consequences for the child, the child's parents, and society;
(G) Teaches young people how to reject sexual advances and how
alcohol and drug use increases vulnerability to sexual advances; and
(H) Teaches the importance of attaining self-sufficiency before
engaging in sexual activity.
Projects must provide services that help pre-adolescents and
adolescents acquire knowledge and skills that will instill healthy
attitudes, as well as provide services that encourage and support
abstinence from premarital sexual activity. Under the statutory
requirements of Title XX, applicants for prevention programs are not
required to provide any specific array of services. However, OAPP
encourages the submission of applications which focus on educational
services relating to family life and which teach the social,
psychological, and health gains to be realized by abstaining from
sexual activity. The legislation also permits a proposal to include any
one or more of the following services as appropriate:
(1) Educational services relating to family life and problems
associated with adolescent premarital sexual relations including:
(a) Information about adoption,
(b) Education on the responsibilities of sexuality and parenting,
(c) The development of material to support the role of parents as
the providers of sex education, and
(d) Assistance to parents, schools, youth agencies and health
providers to educate adolescents and pre-adolescents concerning self-
discipline and responsibility in human sexuality;
(2) Appropriate educational and vocational services;
(3) Counseling for the immediate and extended family members of the
eligible person;
(4) Transportation;
(5) Outreach services to families of adolescents to discourage
sexual relations among unemancipated minors; and
(6) Nutrition information and counseling.
Supportive Activities and Services
In order to remain abstinent until marriage, pre-adolescents and
adolescents need to acquire capacity building, coping, and self-
sufficiency skills that enable them to remain abstinent in the present
and to continue making healthy decisions as they transition into
adulthood. Therefore, effective programs take into account how youth
physically and emotionally develop and how this translates into
appropriate educational and supportive services. In addition to
abstinence education, research shows that building upon positive
factors (or assets) in the lives of young people protects youth from
many risky behaviors, including sexual activity. Strengthening these
factors will help motivate youth to remain abstinent from sexual
activity. Therefore, successful applicants will propose approaches that
will strengthen youth assets and implement activities and services that
address the developmental needs of the target population. Such
approaches place considerable emphasis on helping youth to develop
their assets and to focus on where youth are going, helping them to
develop belief in a positive future and belief in their ability to take
actions that will achieve that future--and also to avoid actions that
will jeopardize it. Some program components typically employed in this
approach include mentoring, tutoring, sports, cultural activities, and
community service. All aspects of the proposed prevention demonstration
project must motivate youth to remain abstinent until marriage, must
support and be consistent with the definition of ``abstinence
education'' as set out in the A-H criteria, and must be within the
scope of Title XX prevention services.
Sexual Exploitation
Among young people ages 15 to 24 in 2002, 13 percent of females and
5 percent of males reported that their first sexual experience occurred
at age 15 or younger with an individual who was three or more years
older. More than one in four children born to mothers between the ages
of 15 and 17 were fathered by someone five or more years older.
Successful AFL prevention demonstration applicants should thoroughly
describe current and proposed efforts to prevent sexual coercion and
exploitation of teens by older partners, as well as management and
reporting that comply with State reporting laws regarding child sexual
abuse, sexual assault (including statutory rape), incest, or family
violence. These efforts should include staff training on how to handle
abuse/coercion disclosures appropriately, the responsibilities as a
mandatory reporter, as well as overall sensitivity to the issue (of
nonconsensual sexual activity among youth who otherwise would be
abstinent) in program activities, services and curricula. For more
information, applicants may access the Child Welfare Information
Gateway formerly the National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect
Information at https://www.childwelfare.gov.
Parental Involvement
Supporting parents in their role as the primary educators of their
children on issues involving sexuality, particularly the importance of
premarital abstinence, can be an effective way to strengthen a
prevention intervention. Research has shown the importance of parental
involvement and open communication between parent and child in the
prevention of adolescent sexual activity. Parental involvement and
communication include monitoring and boundary setting, as well as
clearly transmitting values and beliefs.
Targeted services and resources that strengthen parental capacity
to help their child avoid sexual activity and other risk behaviors can
take many forms: Parent workshops or training sessions; education
newsletters; home based videos; or homework assignments for parents and
children to complete together. Program content should reflect specific
needs of the population to be served and might include information on
parenting practices, communication skills, family life and problem
solving strategies, or adolescent development. It is essential that
programs effectively communicate to parents the benefits of abstinence
to the health and well-being of their children. All programming for
[[Page 15774]]
parents must be consistent with the A-H criteria.
Helping young people successfully negotiate adolescence and avoid
premarital sexual activity, as well as other health risk behaviors,
requires not only educating and motivating them--it also requires
ensuring that they have adequate support systems to put what they learn
into practice. Stronger families, enhanced competencies and meaningful
ties to the community can provide considerable assistance in achieving
this. To that end, the OAPP strongly encourages applicants to
incorporate activities and services that foster youth assets and
motivate youth to remain abstinent, and to include components that
emphasize strong and viable parental involvement.
Curricula Review
The grantee shall submit all curricula and educational materials
for use in the AFL project, whether currently available or to be
developed by the grantee, to the OAPP for review and approval prior to
use in the project. The review shall ensure that all the information
provided to the program participants is medically accurate; consistent
with Title XX policies on religion; in compliance with the statutory
prohibitions against advocating, promoting, encouraging, or providing
abortions; and consistent with the definition of ``abstinence
education,'' as set out in section 510(b)(2) of Title V of the Social
Security Act, as amended.
Note: Curricula and educational materials should be identified
for this application. Review and approval of curricula and other
educational materials are not done until an application is approved
for funding. Successful approval of a grant application does not
indicate approval of curricula and educational materials for use in
a funded project.
Goals and Objectives
The Office of Adolescent Pregnancy Programs (OAPP) has two cross-
site performance measures for AFL prevention demonstration programs:
(1) Increase the involvement of parents in the lives of their children;
and (2) Increase adolescents' understanding of the positive health and
emotional benefits of abstaining from premarital sexual activity. All
grantees will be responsible for reporting on these two performance
measures by using the required AFL prevention core instrument. The
applicant should include two program outcome objectives addressing
these two performance measures. Please note, up to four additional
programmatic outcome objectives can be proposed using additional data
collection instruments. Applications that include measures of program
effects at 2-year follow-up on sexual activity are preferred. All
programmatic outcome objectives should be encompassed by an overarching
program goal.
A goal is a general statement of what the project hopes to
accomplish. It should reflect the long-term desired impact of the
project on the target group(s) as well as reflect the program goals
contained in this program announcement. An outcome objective is a
statement which defines a measurable result that the project expects to
accomplish (e.g., decrease in sexual activity among the treatment
group, increase in intent to remain abstinent among the treatment
group). All outcome objectives, including the two outcome objectives
addressing the above cross-site performance measures, should be
described in terms that are specific, measurable, achievable,
realistic, and time-framed (S.M.A.R.T.).
Specific: An objective should specify one major result directly
related to the program goal, state who is going to be doing what, to
whom, by how much, and in what time-frame. It should specify what will
be accomplished and how the accomplishment will be measured.
Measurable: An objective should be able to describe in realistic
terms the expected results and specify how such results will be
measured.
Achievable: The accomplishment specified in the objective should be
achievable within the proposed time line and as a direct result of
program activities and services.
Realistic: The objective should be reasonable in nature. The
specified outcomes, expected results, should be described in realistic
terms.
Time-framed: An outcome objective should specify a target date or
time for its accomplishments. It should state who is going to be doing
what, by when, etc. The Public Management Institute, How to Get Grants
(1981).
Intensive Evaluation Effort
Section 2006(b)(1) of Title XX requires each grantee to expend at
least one percent, but not more than five percent, of the Federal funds
received under Title XX on evaluation of the project. In cases in which
a more rigorous or comprehensive evaluation effort is proposed, waivers
of the five percent limit on evaluation may be granted by OAPP (see
sec. 2006(b)(1)). This is the fourth funding cycle in which the OAPP is
placing strong emphasis on the evaluation of the demonstration projects
it supports. To that end, it is continuing to request applications for
evaluation-intensive projects, and will waive the five percent limit on
grant funds for those projects. Under this announcement, the OAPP is
requesting applications for evaluation-intensive projects that have a
strong evaluation design and evaluation plan utilizing 20-25% of total
grant funds. In addition, OAPP strongly encourages applicants to be
able to track program participants for at least two years and to
propose a randomized control design in evaluating project outcomes.
Commensurate with this increased funding for evaluation, the OAPP
expects applications to include a clear and fully developed evaluation
plan. Evaluation plans that are not evaluation-intensive, according to
the following criteria, will be scored accordingly during the grant
review process.
1. Evaluations will be directly tied to program objectives and
displayed in a logic model. Research hypotheses will be clearly stated
and reflect the outcomes the program intends to achieve.
2. Evaluations will include a process or implementation evaluation.
Evaluations in their first year will focus on determining that the
intervention is in place, that it is adequately and appropriately
staffed and that it is reaching its intended population.
3. Evaluations will have a viable comparison strategy. Ideally, a
true experimental design with random assignment will be proposed. For
programs targeting schools, applicants are encouraged to select a pool
of schools as potential program sites and include data, in the
application, describing the characteristics of each school. Applicants
are also encouraged to submit letters from each school principal
committing to participate in the evaluation if their school is randomly
assigned to either the treatment or control group. In cases where an
experimental design is not possible, a rigorous quasi-experimental
design with matched comparison group(s) would be acceptable.
4. Evaluations will have sufficient sample size to ensure that any
observed differences between groups are statistically significant.
Inclusion of power analysis to support the sample size is recommended.
5. Evaluations will measure dosage. Youth participation and use of
various service components must be carefully tracked so that any
differences can be corrected for, or at least taken into account in
discussion of evaluation results. Treatment and comparison group
respondents who complete baseline data collection should be re-
[[Page 15775]]
surveyed in order to allow for 2 or more years of follow-up (wherever
possible).
6. Evaluations will include evaluation training activities for
program staff and specific data collection procedures for the research
assistant. It is expected that a research assistant will be budgeted as
part of the program staff to handle data collection procedures.
7. Evaluations will employ adequate data collection procedures.
They will include the assurance of confidentiality, obtaining active
parental consent and client assent to participate in the survey, and
planning for survey administration that minimizes bias.
8. Evaluations will employ appropriate analytic methods.
9. Evaluations will include a follow-up assessment of program
participants at least six months after the intervention being tested
ends. Including follow-up at 12 months and 24 months after baseline
data collection will greatly strengthen an application. This follow-up
assessment should be in the same format as the pre- and post-testing
instrumentation.
10. Evaluations will include a plan to disseminate and publish the
evaluation findings by the end of the fifth year of funding.
Section 2006(b)(2) of Title XX requires that evaluations of AFL
demonstration projects be conducted by an organization or entity
independent of the grantee providing services. To accomplish this,
applicants should collaborate with an evaluator affiliated with a
college or university located in their State. The OAPP expects each AFL
demonstration project to establish a strong relationship with its
evaluator and that this relationship be clearly established prior to
funding. The successful applicant will work with the evaluator as the
application is being prepared to ensure that the evaluation plan
addresses the proposed project's goals and objectives and meets the
evaluation criteria specified above. A letter of commitment from the
evaluator along with his or her curriculum vitae should be included in
the appendix of the application. Successful applicants will select an
evaluator with experience in tracking participants long-term and
conducting random assignment.
The AFL Prevention Core evaluation instruments have been developed
for use in AFL prevention demonstration project evaluations. The
prevention instruments were designed to reflect requirements in the
Title XX statute, the A-H criteria for abstinence education, and the
two OAPP cross-site performance measures. The Office of Management and
Budget has approved these instruments and all AFL demonstration
projects funded in fiscal year 2004 and beyond are required to include
them in their evaluation design. Prevention demonstration projects
funded under this announcement will be included in this requirement.
The OAPP recognizes that additional instruments are necessary to
measure additional outcome objectives proposed and encourages their use
to supplement the core instrument. Copies of the AFL Prevention core
instruments required for use in these projects can be found at: https://
opa.osophs.dhhs.gov/titlexx/coreinstruments/. Please note that these
instruments may be revised by OAPP to incorporate future improvements.
Another important component of OAPP's focus on evaluation is the
planning and preparation for a formal cross-site evaluation of AFL
demonstration projects. It is anticipated that data collection for the
cross-site evaluation, employing the core evaluation instruments
discussed above, will begin in August 2008. Projects funded under this
announcement will be part of the pool to be included in the cross-site
evaluation. Successful applicants will address both capacity and intent
to participate in this cross-site evaluation.
All proposed prevention demonstration applicants should provide
information regarding the evaluation outcomes of previous programs and
should discuss how these findings relate to the currently proposed
demonstration model. Previous applicant experience with youth services
and ``lessons learned'' from these programs should be included.
II. Award Information
This notice announces the availability of $7.5 million to support
an estimated 20 new prevention demonstration grants, funded at $300,000
to $400,000 per budget year (maximum five budget years per grant
cycle). Any application that proposes funding over the maximum of
$400,000 will not be considered. The OAPP expects that 20-25% of the
budget be allotted for evaluation activities. Funding for all approved
budget periods beyond the first year of the grant is contingent upon
the availability of funds, satisfactory progress of the project, and
adequate stewardship of Federal funds.
Please note, in fiscal year (FY) 2004, OAPP issued a similar
Request for Applications (RFA) announcing approximately $3.5 million
for new abstinence education prevention demonstration projects. In
response to that RFA, OAPP received 161 grant applications and was able
to fund only 14 new projects.
III. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants
Any public or private nonprofit organization or agency is eligible
to apply for a grant. However, only those organizations or agencies
that demonstrate the capability of providing and thoroughly evaluating
the proposed services and which meet the statutory requirements will be
considered for grant awards. Faith-based and community-based
organizations are encouraged to apply for AFL grants. Please note,
however, that AFL funds may not be used for inherently religious
activities, such as worship, religious instruction, and
proselytization. If an organization engages in such activities, they
must be offered separately in time or location from the program funded
under the AFL program and participation must be voluntary for program
beneficiaries. An AFL program, in providing services and outreach
related to program services, cannot discriminate against current or
prospective program beneficiaries on the basis of religion, a religious
belief, a refusal to hold a religious belief, or a refusal to actively
participate in a religious practice. Please also note that all
adolescents, regardless of race or religion, shall be eligible to
participate in an AFL program.
Applications will be accepted from organizations which are
currently operating AFL prevention demonstration programs that are
completing their funding cycle as of September 2007, or June 2008, if
modifications are made to enhance services for a new demonstration
project according to the guidelines specified in this announcement.
Current AFL prevention demonstration grantees that are not ending their
grant cycles by these dates are not eligible to apply for these funds.
2. Cost Sharing
Applicants funded under this announcement will be required to match
Federal funding provided by the OAPP. Section 2005(c)(2) of Title XX
states that an AFL grant award may not exceed 70% of the total costs of
the project for the first and second years, 60% of the total costs for
the third year, 50% for the fourth year and 40% for the fifth year. The
AFL non-Federal share of the project costs may be provided in cash
expenditures or fairly evaluated in-kind contributions, including
facilities, equipment and services.
Note that the HHS Grants Policy Statement provides that:
``Recipient contributions may be derived from any non-Federal source;
from Federal
[[Page 15776]]
sources if received as fees, payments, or reimbursements for the
provision of a specific service, such as patient care reimbursements
received under Medicare or Medicaid; or from other program income, if
authorized by [HHS]. Otherwise, unless there is specific statutory
authority, Federal funds may not be used to match HHS grant funds.''
IV. Application and Submission Information
1. Address To Request Application Package
Application kits may be obtained by accessing Grants.gov at https://
www.grants.gov or the Grant Solutions system at https://
www.GrantSolutions.gov. To obtain a hard copy of the application kit,
contact WilDon Solutions at 1-888-203-6161. Applicants may fax a
written request to WilDon Solutions at (240) 453-8823 or e-mail the
request to OPHSgrantinfo@teamwildon.com. Applications must be prepared
using Form OPHS-1, which can be obtained at the Web sites noted above.
2. Content and Form of Application Submission
In preparing the application, it is important to follow ALL
instructions and public policy requirements provided in the application
kit. Applications must be submitted on the forms supplied (OPHS-1,
Revised 03/2006) and in the manner prescribed in the application kits
provided by the OAPP. Applicants are required to submit an application
signed by an individual authorized to act for the applicant agency or
organization and to assume for the organization the obligations imposed
by the terms and conditions of the grant award. The program narrative
must be printed on 8\1/2\ by 11 inch white paper, with one-inch
margins, double-spaced with an easily readable 12-point font. All pages
must be numbered sequentially not including appendices and required
forms. The program narrative should not exceed 50 double-spaced pages,
not including appendices and required forms. All pages, figures and
tables must be numbered sequentially. Do not staple or bind the
application package. Use rubber bands or clips.
The narrative description of the project must contain the following
using the specified page limits:
One-page Summary: Briefly provide a statement of the proposed
demonstration project indicating that it is a prevention demonstration
project and whether it is for a local or statewide project; type of
organization applying (school, state agency, voluntary agency, etc.);
geographic area to be served (urban, rural, suburban); description of
target population to be served; brief description of the proposed
prevention demonstration project; and brief description of the
evaluation-intensive design.
Description of Applicant Organization (1-2 pages): Describe the
decision-making authority and structure (e.g. relationship to the Board
of Directors and organizational chart), its resources, experience,
existing program units and/or those to be established if funding is
obtained. This description should cover personnel, time and facilities
and contain evidence of the organization's capacity to provide the
rapid and effective use of resources needed to conduct the project,
collect necessary data and evaluate it. It is recommended that
applicants place an organizational chart in the Appendices.
Need Statement (3 pages): Describe the need for prevention services
in the proposed target area by describing the geographic area to be
served. Document the incidence of adolescent pregnancy, sexually
transmitted infections, a description of socio-economic conditions
including income levels, existing services and unmet needs in the
proposed service area. If the proposed population has unique challenges
and barriers, these should be addressed as well.
Rationale (2-4 pages): Describe the rationale for use of the
proposed approach based upon previous practice and review of the
literature and/or evaluation findings. This section should include
discussion of previous youth service experience and how lessons learned
from this experience helped develop the rationale for the proposed
demonstration model. All previous AFL grantees should clearly describe
their program and evaluation experience as it relates to past AFL
funding.
Program Outcome Objectives (4 pages): Provide a goal and 4-6
outcome objectives that clearly state expected results or benefits of
the demonstration project. Two of the outcome objectives must address
the required OAPP cross-site performance measures. Objectives should be
specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-framed. Please
see ``Evaluation'' section for more information.
Prevention Services Demonstration Model (8-10 pages): Thoroughly
describe proposed program intervention activities and services as they
relate to the outcome objectives by describing the project logic model.
This section should include a description of all proposed curricula,
types of supportive asset building and youth development activities and
services proposed as part of the model, and a description of the
parental involvement component. It should also include a clear plan for
recruitment and retention of program participants, including parents.
This description should clearly relate to program objectives and should
address intensity of services (dosage). All components of the
intervention must be consistent with the A-H definition of abstinence
education. How the project will address the issue of sexual
exploitation and coercion should also be included.
Workplan and Timetable (1 page): Provide a year long detailed work
plan and timetable for the first year. Within this plan include each
program activity associated with the project and the proposed time
frame for the start and completion of each activity. A separate and
more generalized work plan should be included in the appendices for the
2nd and 3rd year of program implementation.
Numbers and Types of Participants (2 pages): Provide estimates of
who the project will serve and how many will be participating in the
proposed demonstration project. Please describe how many participants
are expected to participate during the first year and break out the
types of participants into categories (e.g. pre-adolescents,
adolescents and parents), including the race and ethnicity of
participants to be served.
Documentation of Community Support and Commitment (1-2 pages):
Provide documentation of the support from other community agencies. If
a community agency is partnering with the applicant to implement the
proposed prevention demonstration project, a letter of commitment
detailing the level of effort and commitment to this effort must be
included.
Continuation Funding (1 page): Describe the plan regarding
continuation of services at the termination of this Federal funding
opportunity. The OAPP cannot guarantee that funding will be available
annually or at the end of the five-year grant cycle.
Evaluation Plan (15-20 pages): Provide a clear and fully developed
evaluation plan in accordance with the criteria laid out under the
``Evaluation'' section of this announcement. Include a letter of
commitment and curriculum vitae from the independent evaluator in the
appendices, how the AFL prevention core instruments will be included in
the evaluation plan, and the understanding of the proposed project,
[[Page 15777]]
if funded by OAPP, will participate in a formal cross site evaluation
of the AFL program. Applicants are encouraged to identify anticipated
problems with the evaluation and recommended solutions. Inclusion of a
proposed 2-year follow-up based on randomized assignment will greatly
strengthen an applicant's evaluation plan.
Appendices: Include: (1) Articles of incorporation and mission
statement for private nonprofit organizations; (2) Resumes of key staff
and detailed position descriptions; (3) A program logic model that ties
project objectives and intervention activities and services to expected
results; (4) A description of how the A-H criteria are addressed in the
project curricula and supportive activities and services in chart
format (see ``A-H Compliance Strategies'' chart in the application kit
for a suggested format); (5) A description of how the project will
obtain parental consent including a copy of the proposed parental
consent form, if developed; (6) Letters of commitment from partnering
agencies; (7) Letters of support from other community agencies; (8) A
letter of commitment and/or a memorandum of understanding with the
independent evaluator affiliated with a college or university located
in the applicant's State that includes willingness to participate and
their role(s) described; (9) A copy of the curriculum vitae of the
independent evaluator; (10) Copies of the table of contents of the
proposed curricula, plus a list of any other instructional materials
that will be an integral part of the proposed project; and (11) the
workplan and timetable for years 2 and 3 of the proposed project.
Please note, applicants must be familiar with Title XX in its entirety
to ensure that they have complied with all applicable requirements. In
addition, applicants must incorporate the definition of ``abstinence
education,'' as set out in section 510(b)(2) of Title V of the Social
Security Act, as amended, and ensure program activities and services
are consistent and supportive of this language. A copy of both sets of
legislation is included in the application kit.
A Dun and Bradstreet Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number is
required for all applications for Federal assistance. Organizations
should verify that they have a DUNS number or take the steps necessary
to obtain one. Instructions for obtaining a DUNS number are included in
the application package, and may be downloaded from the OPA Web site
(opa.osophs.dhhs.gov/duns.html).
3. Submission Dates and Times
To be considered for review, applications must be received by the
Office of Public Health and Science, Office of Grants Management, c/o
WilDon Solutions, by 5 p.m. Eastern Time on June 1, 2007. Applications
will be considered as meeting the deadline if they are received on or
before the deadline date. The application due date requirement in this
announcement supercedes the instructions in the OPHS-1 form.
Submission Mechanisms
The Office of Public Health and Science (OPHS) provides multiple
mechanisms for the submission of applications, as described in the
following sections. Applicants will receive notification via mail from
the OPHS Office of Grants Management confirming the receipt of
applications submitted using any of these mechanisms. Applications
submitted to the OPHS Office of Grants Management after the deadlines
described below will not be accepted for review. Applications which do
not conform to the requirements of the grant announcement will not be
accepted for review and will be returned to the applicant.
While applications are accepted in hard copy, the use of the
electronic application submission capabilities provided by the
Grants.gov and GrantSolutions.gov systems is encouraged. Applications
may only be submitted electronically via the electronic submission
mechanisms specified below. Any applications submitted via any other
means of electronic communication, including facsimile or electronic
mail, will not be accepted for review.
In order to apply for new funding opportunities which are open to
the public for competition, you may access the Grants.gov Web site
portal. All OPHS funding opportunities and application kits are made
available on Grants.gov. If your organization has/had a grantee
business relationship with a grant program serviced by the OPHS Office
of Grants Management, and you are applying as part of ongoing grantee
related activities, please access GrantSolutions.gov.
Electronic grant application submissions must be submitted no later
than 5 p.m. Eastern Time on the deadline date specified in the DATES
section of the announcement using one of the electronic submission
mechanisms specified below. All required hardcopy original signatures
and mail-in items must be received by the OPHS Office of Grants
Management, c/o WilDon Solutions (1101 Wootton Parkway, Suite 550,
Rockville, MD 20852) no later than 5 p.m. Eastern Time on the next
business day after the deadline date specified in the DATES section of
the announcement.
Applications will not be considered valid until all electronic
application components, hardcopy original signatures, and mail-in items
are received by the OPHS Office of Grants Management according to the
deadlines specified above. Application submissions that do not adhere
to the due date requirements will be considered late and will be deemed
ineligible.
Applicants are encouraged to initiate electronic applications early
in the application development process, and to submit early on the due
date or before. This will aid in addressing any problems with
submissions prior to the application deadline.
Electronic Submissions via the Grants.gov Web Site Portal
The Grants.gov Web site Portal provides organizations with the
ability to submit applications for OPHS grant opportunities.
Organizations must successfully complete the necessary registration
processes in order to submit an application. Information about this
system is available on the Grants.gov Web site, https://www.grants.gov.
In addition to electronically submitted materials, applicants may
be required to submit hard copy signatures for certain Program related
forms, or original materials as required by the announcement. It is
imperative that the applicant review both the grant announcement, as
well as the application guidance provided within the Grants.gov
application package, to determine such requirements. Any required hard
copy materials, or documents that require a signature, must be
submitted separately via mail to the OPHS Office of Grants Management,
c/o WilDon Solutions, and if required, must contain the original
signature of an individual authorized to act for the applicant agency
and the obligations imposed by the terms and conditions of the grant
award. When submitting the required forms, do not send the entire
application. Complete hard copy applications submitted after the
electronic submission will not be considered for review.
Electronic applications submitted via the Grants.gov Web site
Portal must contain all completed online forms required by the
application kit, the Program Narrative, Budget Narrative and any
appendices or exhibits. All required mail-in items must received by
[[Page 15778]]
the due date requirements specified above. Mail-in items may only
include publications, resumes, or organizational documentation. When
submitting the required forms, do not send the entire application.
Complete hard copy applications submitted after the electronic
submission will not be considered for review.
Upon completion of a successful electronic application submission
via the Grants.gov Web site Portal, the applicant will be provided with
a confirmation page from Grants.gov indicating the date and time
(Eastern Time) of the electronic application submission, as well as the
Grants.gov Receipt Number. It is critical that the applicant print and
retain this confirmation for their records, as well as a copy of the
entire application package.
All applications submitted via the Grants.gov Web site Portal will
be validated by Grants.gov. Any applications deemed ``Invalid'' by the
Grants.gov Web site Portal will not be transferred to the
GrantSolutions system, and OPHS has no responsibility for any
application that is not validated and transferred to OPHS from the
Grants.gov Web site Portal. Grants.gov will notify the applicant
regarding the application validation status. Once the application is
successfully validated by the Grants.gov Web site Portal, applicants
should immediately mail all required hard copy materials to the OPHS
Office of Grants Management, c/o WilDon Solutions, to be received by
the deadlines specified above. It is critical that the applicant
clearly identify the Organization name and Grants.gov Application
Receipt Number on all hard copy materials.
Once the application is validated by Grants.gov, it will be
electronically transferred to the GrantSolutions system for processing.
Upon receipt of both the electronic application from the Grants.gov Web
site Portal, and the required hardcopy mail-in items, applicants will
receive notification via mail from the OPHS Office of Grants Management
confirming the receipt of the application submitted using the
Grants.gov Web site Portal.
Applicants should contact Grants.gov regarding any questions or
concerns regarding the electronic application process conducted through
the Grants.gov Web site Portal.
Electronic Submissions via the GrantSolutions System
OPHS is a managing partner of the GrantSolutions.gov system.
GrantSolutions is a full life-cycle grants management system managed by
the Administration for Children and Families, Department of Health and
Human Services (HHS), and is designated by the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) as one of the three Government-wide grants management
systems under the Grants Management Line of Business initiative
(GMLoB). OPHS uses GrantSolutions for the electronic processing of all
grant applications, as well as the electronic management of its entire
Grant portfolio.
When submitting applications via the GrantSolutions system,
applicants are required to submit a hard copy of the application face
page (Standard Form 424) with the original signature of an individual
authorized to act for the applicant agency and assume the obligations
imposed by the terms and conditions of the grant award. If required,
applicants will also need to submit a hard copy of the Standard Form
LLL and/or certain Program related forms (e.g., Program Certifications)
with the original signature of an individual authorized to act for the
applicant agency. When submitting the required forms, do not send the
entire application. Complete hard copy applications submitted after the
electronic submission will not be considered for review.
Electronic applications submitted via the GrantSolutions system
must contain all completed online forms required by the application
kit, the Program Narrative, Budget Narrative and any appendices or
exhibits. The applicant may identify specific mail-in items to be sent
to the Office of Grants Management separate from the electronic
submission; however these mail-in items must be entered on the
GrantSolutions Application Checklist at the time of electronic
submission, and must be received by the due date requirements specified
above. Mail-in items may only include publications, resumes, or
organizational documentation. When submitting the required forms, do
not send the entire application. Complete hard copy applications
submitted after the electronic submission will not be considered for
review.
Upon completion of a successful electronic application submission,
the GrantSolutions system will provide the applicant with a
confirmation page indicating the date and time (Eastern Time) of the
electronic application submission. This confirmation page will also
provide a listing of all items that constitute the final application
submission including all electronic application components, required
hardcopy original signatures, and mail-in items, as well as the mailing
address of the OPHS Office of Grants Management where all required hard
copy materials must be submitted.
As items are received by the OPHS Office of Grants Management, the
electronic application status will be updated to reflect the receipt of
mail-in items. It is recommended that the applicant monitor the status
of their application in the GrantSolutions system to ensure that all
signatures and mail-in items are received.
Mailed or Hand-Delivered Hard Copy Applications
Applicants who submit applications in hard copy (via mail or hand-
delivered) are required to submit an original and two copies of the
application. The original application must be signed by an individual
authorized to act for the applicant agency or organization and to
assume for the organization the obligations imposed by the terms and
conditions of the grant award.
Mailed or hand-delivered applications will be considered as meeting
the deadline if they are received by the OPHS Office of Grant
Management, c/o WilDon Solutions, on or before 5 p.m. Eastern Time on
the deadline date specified in the DATES section of the announcement.
The application deadline date requirement specified in this
announcement supersedes the instructions in the OPHS-1. Applications
that do not meet the deadline will be returned to the applicant unread.
4. Intergovernmental Review
Applications for AFL grants must meet both of the following
requirements (each year):
(1) Requirements for Review of an Application by the Governor.
Section 2006(e) of Title XX requires that each applicant shall provide
the Governor of the State in which the applicant is located a copy of
each application submitted to OAPP for a grant for a demonstration
project for services under this Title. The Governor has 60 days from
the receipt date in which to provide comments to the applicant. An
applicant may comply with this requirement by submitting a copy of the
application to the Governor of the State in which the applicant is
located at the same time the application is submitted to OAPP. To
inform the Governor's office of the reason for the submission, a copy
of this notice should be attached to the application.
(2) Requirements for Review of an Application Pursuant to Executive
Order 12372 (SPOC Requirements). Applications under this announcement
are subject to the review requirements of
[[Page 15779]]
E.O. 12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs,'' as
implemented by 45 CFR part 100, ``Intergovernmental Review of
Department of Health and Human Services Programs and Activities.'' E.O.
12372 sets up a system for state and local government review of
proposed Federal assistance applications. As soon as possible, the
applicant (other than federally-recognized Indian tribal governments)
should contact the State Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for each state
in the area to be served. The application kit contains the currently
available listing of the SPOCs which have elected to be informed of the
submission of applications. For those states not represented on the
listing, further inquiries should be made by the applicant regarding
submission to the relevant SPOC. Information about the SPOC is located
on the OMB Web site https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/spoc/html. The
SPOC's comment(s) should be forwarded to the OPHS Office of Grants
Management, 1101 Wootton Parkway, Suite 550, Rockville, MD 20852. The
SPOC has 60 days from the closing date of this announcement to submit
any comments.
5. Funding Restrictions
Budget Request: If the total federal amount requested exceeds
$400,000 then the application will be considered non-responsive and
will not be entered into the review process. The application will be
returned with notification that it did not meet the submission
requirements.
Grant funds may be used to cover costs of: Personnel, consultants,
equipment, supplies, grant-related travel, and other grant-related
costs. Grant funds may not be used for: building alterations or
renovations, construction, fund raising activities, and political
education and lobbying. Guidance for completing the application can be
found in the Program Guidelines, which are included with the complete
application kits.
Applicants for discretionary grants are expected to anticipate and
justify their funding needs and the activities to be carried out with
those funds in preparing the budget and accompanying narrative portions
of their applications. The basis for determining the allowability and
allocability of costs charged to Public Health Service (PHS) grants is
set forth in 45 CFR parts 74 and 92. If applicants are uncertain
whether a particular cost is allowable, they should contact the OPHS
Office of Grants Management at (240) 453-8822 for further information.
6. Other Submission Requirements
Organizations applying for funds under the AFL Demonstration
Projects Program must submit documentation of nonprofit status with
their applications. If documentation is not provided, the applicant
will be considered non-responsive and will not be entered into the
review process. The organization will be notified that the application
did not meet the submission requirements.
Any of the following serves as acceptable proof of nonprofit
status:
A reference to the applicant organization's listing in the
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) most recent listing of tax-exempt
organizations described in section 501(c)(3) of the IRS Code.
A copy of a currently valid IRS tax exemption certificate.
A statement from a State taking body, State Attorney
General, or other appropriate State official certifying that the
applicant organization has a nonprofit status and that none of the net
earnings accrue to any private shareholders or individuals.
A certified copy of the organization's certificate of
incorporation or similar document that clearly establishes nonprofit
status.
Any of the above proof for a State or national
organization and a statement signed by the parent organization that the
applicant organization is a local nonprofit affiliate.
V. Application Review Information
1. Criteria
Eligible competing grant applications will be externally reviewed
by a multi-disciplinary panel of independent reviewers and subsequently
reviewed by Federal staff. All competing grant applications will be
assessed according to the following criteria:
(1) Evaluation Plan. The applicant's presentation of a detailed
evaluation plan, as described in the ``Evaluation'' section of this
announcement, that is directly tied to program objectives and includes:
A process or implementation evaluation; a viable comparison strategy;
sufficient sample size; measurement of dosage; appropriate data
collection procedures; appropriate multivariate analytic methods; a
plan to ensure adequate response rates among both treatment and
comparison group respondents at all waves of data collection; and a
plan for disseminating findings by the fifth year of funding, including
submission to peer-reviewed journals. Additionally, discuss how the AFL
core evaluation instruments will be included in the evaluation plan,
and the applicant's commitment to participate in a formal cross-site
evaluation of the AFL program. Demonstrate the evaluator's capacity to
conduct the evaluation and disseminate the findings. (35 points)
(2) Program Model. The applicant's presentation of a theory-based
rational for the proposed approach that includes current literature on
how youth remain abstinent from sexual activity and are supported in
this decision. Based on this rationale, the thorough description of the
proposed program model (or approach) should include the applicant's
clear statement of mission, goals, measurable outcome objectives, and a
thorough description of the reasonable methods for achieving the
objectives (program activities), including a reasonable workplan and
timetable. The program model should also include a clear description of
the parent component, as well as how the program will address the issue
of potential sexual exploitation of youth through insuring appropriate
staff training and pertinent program materials. All educational and
supportive activities and services proposed in this project should
address and support the A-H abstinence education definition, and be
consistent with the Title XX statute. A description in the narrative as
well as a complete chart in the appendices (example included in
application kit) of how the program model will incorporate A-H in the
educational and supportive activities and services should be included.
(25 points)
(3) Need for Project. The applicant's presentation of the need for
the project, including incidence of adolescent pregnancy, sexually
transmitted infections, a description of socio-economic conditions,
existing services and unmet needs in the proposed service area. If the
proposed population has unique challenges and barriers, the applicant's
description of these challenges and barriers should be addressed here.
(10 points)
(4) Target Population. The applicant's clear description of the
target population to be served, including estimated number and types of
participants to be served in the first year. In addition, the applicant
must demonstrate the program staff's responsiveness in effectively
serving the target population, including staff training. The
recruitment and retention plan of the target population should be
detailed and realistic. Incentive strategies and tracking mechanisms
for participants who may drop out of the project should also be
adequately addressed. (10 points)
[[Page 15780]]
(5) Program Capacity and Past Experience. The applicant's clear
description of the capacity to implement the program, including
personnel and other resources. The applicant's presentation of
experience and expertise in providing programs for youth as related to
capacity and how it is linked to the rationale behind the proposed
demonstration model. (10 points)
(6) Community Support. The applicant's clear description of the
community commitment to, and involvement in, planning and
implementation of the project, as demonstrated by letters of commitment
and willingness to participate in the project's implementation,
acceptance of referrals, etc. The applicant should clearly present
commitment and/or memorandums of agreement from proposed project
partners in the appendices. (10 points)
Please note, the order of the above criteria is based on the score
weight of each criteria and is not indicative of how the program
narrative should be arranged. Please see the application kit for
instructions on how to arrange the narrative.
2. Review and Selection Process
Final grant award decisions will be made by the Deputy Assistant
Secretary for Population Affairs (DASPA). In making these decisions,
the DASPA will take into account the extent to which applications
recommended for approval will provide appropriate geographic
distribution of resources, the priorities in sec. 2005(a), and other
factors including:
(1) Recommendations and scores submitted by the external review
panel;
(2) Internal review of application by Federal staff;
(3) The geographic area to be served including the reasonableness
of the estimated cost of the project based on factors such as the
incidence of adolescent pregnancy and Sexually Transmitted Diseases
(STDs) in the geographic area to be served and the availability of
services for adolescents in this geographic area; and
(4) The adequacy of the evaluation plan as detailed in the
evaluation criteria listed in the ``Evaluation'' section of this
announcement and the demonstrated ability to participate successfully
in the AFL cross-site evaluation.
Special consideration may be granted to areas of the country with
high need and lack of resources, as well as populations not currently
receiving Title XX funding for prevention programs. The DASPA has the
discretion not to fund applicants in States or areas of the country
that are already funded under the Title XX program. If there are
multiple applicants in one State, agency collaboration is encouraged.
Please note, the DASPA may elect to award one grant per State.
3. Anticipated Announcement and Award
The OAPP anticipates announcing and awarding grantees under this
announcement by September 1, 2007.
VI. Award Administration Information
1. Award Notices
The OAPP does not release information about individual applications
during the review process until final funding decisions have been made.
When these decisions have been made, the applicant's authorized
representative will be notified of the outcome of their application by
postal mail. The official document notifying an applicant that the
application has been approved for funding is the Notice of Grant Award,
signed by the Grants Management Officer, which specifies to the grantee
the amount of money awarded, the purposes of the grant, the length of
the project period, terms and conditions of the grant award, and the
amount of funding to be contributed by the grantee to project costs.
2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements
The regulations set out at 45 CFR parts 74 and 92 are the
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) rules and requirements
that govern the administration of grants. Part 74 is applicable to all
recipients except those covered by Part 92, which governs awards to
State and local governments. Applicants funded under this announcement
must be aware of and comply with these regulations. The CFR volume that
includes parts 74 and 92 may be downloaded from https://
www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/45cfrv1_03.html.
When issuing statements, press releases, requests for proposals,
bid solicitations, and other documents describing projects or programs
funded in whole or in part with Federal money, all grantees shall
clearly state the percentage and dollar amount of the total costs of
the program or project which will be financed with Federal money and
the percentage and dollar amount of the total costs of the project or
program that will be financed by non-governmental sources.
3. Reporting Requirements
Applicants funded under this grant announcement will be required to
electronically submit an End-of-Year Program, Evaluation and Financial
report 90 days after the grant budget period ends. Grantees will report
annually on program and evaluation progress using the AFL Prevention
Demonstration Project End-of-Year Report template approved by the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB 0990-300), available at https://
opa.osophs.dhhs.gov