Administration for Children and Families April 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This notice announces to LIHEAP grantees the estimated median income of four-person families in each State and the District of Columbia for FFY 2012 (October 1, 2011, to September 30, 2012). LIHEAP grantees that choose to base their income eligibility criteria on these State median income (SMI) estimates may adopt these estimates (up to 60 percent) on the estimates' date of publication in the Federal Register or on a later date as discussed below. This enables these grantees to implement this notice during the period between the heating and cooling seasons. However, by October 1, 2011, or the beginning of the grantees' fiscal years, whichever is later, these grantees must adjust their income eligibility criteria so that such criteria are in accord with the FFY 2012 SMI. This listing of 60 percent of SMI provides one of the maximum income criteria that LIHEAP grantees may use in determining a household's income eligibility for LIHEAP. LIHEAP appropriations for FFY 2009 through FFY 2010 raised this criterion from 60 percent of SMI to 75 percent of SMI for those years. The Continuing Resolutions covering FFY 2011 through the date of this publication have maintained this criterion at 75 percent of SMI. This criterion will remain at 75 percent SMI for FFY 2011 unless Congress acts otherwise after the date of this publication. This criterion will return to 60 percent of SMI for FFY 2012 unless Congress acts otherwise in providing FFY 2012 appropriations after the publication of this notice. This is because no change to the LIHEAP authorizing statute has been made.

In FY 2011, the Office of Community Services (OCS) will coordinate with the Administration on Native Americans (ANA) to implement the Native Asset Building Initiative, through which the two offices will support Tribes and Native organizations in planning and implementing comprehensive asset-building projects. The initiative will feature special grants through the Assets for Independence (AFI) program. These grants will be in addition to the annual AFI grants that OCS will award in FY 2011. In contrast to the annual awards, though, the eligibility criteria to be listed for these AFI grants in the ``Native Asset Building Initiative'' will vary from the annual AFI awards' eligibility criteria. This is because the criteria used to determine eligibility for these special initiative awards will be more consistent with those used to determine eligibility in the ANA grant program with which OCS is coordinating. Consequently, the eligibility for the special AFI grants will be limited to Native 501(c)(3) non- profits serving Native Americans; Federally recognized Tribal governments or Alaska Native Villages, as defined in the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, that are joint applicants with a 501(c)(3) Native non-profit organization; and Native non-profit organizations designated by the Secretary of the Treasury as Community Development Financial Institutions and Native non-profit credit unions designated by the National Credit Union Administration as low-income credit unions that demonstrate a collaborative relationship with a local community based organization whose activities are designed to address poverty and the needs of community members for economic independence and stability. Other entities will not be eligible for awards under this initiative, but will continue to be eligible for awards under the annual AFI funding opportunity announcement that was published issued for FY 2011 through FY 2013 on February 24, 2011 on https://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/ open/foa/view/HHS-2011-ACF-OCS-EI-0137. It is estimated that OCS will award up to 10 AFI program grants under Native Asset Building Initiative, with overall funding of approximately $2,500,000 toward the initiative. It is anticipated that each recipient of these special AFI grants will also receive a separate ANA award for their project. In addition to these special AFI awards, we estimate that $15,000,000 in grants will be awarded in FY 2011 under the annual AFI funding opportunity announcement published on February 24, 2011.