Children and Families Administration 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Pursuant to section 814 of the Native American Programs Act of 1974 (the Act) as amended by 42 U.S.C. 2991 et seq., ANA herein describes its issuance of final interpretive rules, general statements of policy and rules of agency procedure or practice in relation to the Social and Economic Development Strategies (SEDS), Native Language Preservation and Maintenance (hereinafter referred to as Native Language), Environmental Regulatory Enhancement (hereinafter referred to as Environmental), Environmental Mitigation (hereinafter referred to as Mitigation) programs and any Special Initiatives. Under the statute, ANA is required to provide members of the public an opportunity to comment on proposed changes in interpretive rules, statements of general policy and rules of agency procedure or practice and to give notice of the final adoption of such changes at least thirty (30) days before the changes become effective. The notice also provides additional information about ANA's plan for administering the programs.

This notice is to advise the public of ACF's plan to replace the six national data measures used for the CFSR with six data composites addressing the child welfare domains of maltreatment recurrence, maltreatment in foster care, timeliness of adoptions, timeliness of reunifications, placement stability, and permanency for children. The plan to develop data composites is a response to a recommendation made by a consultant under contract with ACF to study the CFSR process. The recommendation is based on input from a CFSR workgroup convened by the consultant at the end of the first round of CFSRs to assist in identifying areas needing improvement. ACF expects that each data composite will incorporate multiple performance areas and measures relevant to a specific domain. ACF plans to use State performance on the data composites as part of its evaluation of a State's substantial conformity with specific outcomes assessed through the CFSR. National standards will be developed for each of the domains represented by the six data composites. ACF's plan to replace existing measures with data composites is consistent with the final CFSR regulation at 45 CFR 1355.34(b)(4) and (5), which authorizes the Secretary of HHS to add, amend, or suspend any of the statewide data indicators when appropriate, and to adjust the national standards when appropriate. The proposed plan also complies with the requirements of section 1123A of the Social Security Act (the Act) for ACF to assess State child welfare agencies' compliance with titles IV-B and IV-E of the Act as implemented in 45 CFR 1355.31 through 1355.37. We invite the public to comment on the data composites, performance areas, and measures proposed in this announcement.

The Secretary of Health and Human Services, by authority of 42 U.S.C. 9836A, Section 641A(b) of the Head Start Act, as amended (5 U.S.C. Appendix 2), has formed the Advisory Committee on Head Start Accountability and Educational Performance Measures (the Committee). The Committee is governed by the provisions of Public Law 92-463, as amended (5 U.S.C. Appendix 2). The function of the Committee is to help assess the progress of HHS in developing and implementing educational measures in the Head Start Program. This includes the Head Start National Reporting System (NRS). The Committee is to provide recommendations for integrating NRS with other ongoing assessments of the effectiveness of the program. The Committee will make recommendations as to how NRS and other assessment data can be included in the broader Head Start measurement efforts found in the Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES), the national Head Start Impact Study, Head Start's Performance Based Outcome System and the ongoing evaluation of the Early Head Start program. Date: November 1, 2005, 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. (Dinner Recess). November 2, 2005, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Place: The Beacon Hotel, 1615 Rhode Island Ave, NW., Washington, DC 20036. Agenda: The Committee will hear presentations related to existing Head Start evaluations and NRS implementation and will continue the discussions begun at the first meeting in June 2005.

The Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Child Care Bureau, herein announces an urgent grant award to the South Plains Community Action Association, Inc. (fiscal agent) on behalf of the South Plains Early Childhood Council (Local Council and Grantee), Levelland, Texas, in the amount of $99,999 for a project period of 12 months. This urgent grant award will assist the Local Council in the emergency provision of child care and early learning opportunities to young children and their families who have been evacuated from Mississippi, Louisiana, and other parts of Texas due to Hurricane Katrina. This service area includes 13,575 square miles of the following counties: Bailey, Cochran, Crosby, Dickens, Floyd, Garza, Hale, Hockley, King, Lamb, Lubbock, Lynn, Motley, Terry, and Yoakum. The South Plains Early Childhood Council is well-situated geographically to provide the needed emergency services, and is well- equipped in terms of program activities and cooperating agencies to add immediately and significantly to the child care and related service needs of the evacuee families. The Council is unique in that it serves such a large multi-county rural area that is receiving evacuees and because it has the existing organizational capacity to take the services directly to the rural communities using the FROG bus [Fun Reading on the Go]. This is especially important since the majority of evacuees have no personal form of transportation and public transportation is limited in this rural area. This emergency grant award will provide early learning opportunities, early literacy activities, and mental health support to children under the age of five years, their parents/guardians, caregivers, and child care providers. Young children currently residing in shelters will be given age- and culturally-appropriate books and will receive supplemental supportive educational and social activities from staff trained in early childhood. Young children and their parents/guardians will also be provided with mental health supports by appropriately trained staff to support the children's social and emotional development, and to promote effective parenting.

Notice is hereby given that a noncompetitive single source program expansion supplement to an ongoing competitive award is being made to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in response to an unsolicited application. The application is not within the scope of any existing or expected to be issued program announcement for the Fiscal Year 2006. USCCB's application is expected to address issues critical to the development and implementation of marriage education programs for refugees by opening three new program sites. In September of 2003, ORR awarded USCCB a grant of $1,000,000,000 to develop a Refugee Family Enrichment program which included technical assistance to subgrantees. Over the past two years, USCCB has established an effective program in sites that have successfully prepared thousands of refugee families for the challenges they will face during resettlement. Because other Refugee Marriage Enrichment grantees are primarily regional in scope, we believe USCCB is uniquely suited to effectively implement this supplemental award. USCCB has affiliates across the country and has no physical or programmatic limitations regarding which ethnic groups they can serve. We believe that by allowing them to increase the number of sites, that it would be a cost-effective way of helping more refugees develop the skills that help their marriages succeed and give their children a better chance of success in the U.S. Without it, these sites might struggle to provide refugee clients with the programs they need in order to achieve self-sufficiency. The proposed project period is 9/30/2005-9/29/2006. Assistance to support grantees in developing better approaches to the delivery of services provided to refugees is authorized by section 412(c)(1)(A) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1522(c)(1)).

This notice establishes the final allocations to States of FY 2005 funds for refugee \1\ social services under the Refugee Resettlement Program (RRP). The final notice reflects amounts adjusted based upon final adjustments to FY 2002, FY 2003 and FY 2004 (0ctober 1, 2001 through September 30, 2004) data submitted to ORR by States.

Notice is hereby given that a noncompetitive single source program expansion supplement to an ongoing competitive award is being made to the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) to provide additional training and technical assistance to organizations implementing Refugee Marriage Enrichment projects. The application is not within the scope of any existing or expected to be issued program announcement for the Fiscal Year 2006. This application is expected to address issues critical to the development and implementation of marriage education programs for refugees by providing valuable on-site training and technical assistance to grantees and sub-grantees that offer marital communication training to refugee couples. In September of 2003, ORR awarded HIAS a grant of $200,000 to develop a Refugee Family Enrichment program which included technical assistance to subgrantees. Because of their success in the development of their marriage enrichment program, in 2004 HIAS was awarded a noncompetitive single source program expansion supplement to an ongoing competitive award to expand its Technical Assistance Services Program to Refugee Family Enrichment project sites specified by ORR. HIAS has since provided over 600 hours of technical assistance to project sites operated by organizations across the country. Their technical assistance primarily supports the work of small Mutual Assistance Associations, and without it, these agencies might struggle to provide refugee clients with the programming they need in order to achieve self sufficiency. The proposed project period is September 30, 2005 September 29, 2006. Technical assistance to support grantees in developing better approaches to the delivery of services provided to refugees is authorized by section 412(c)(1)(A) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1522(c)(1)). ACF received one non-substantive comment from a private citizen which did not impact this grant project specifically.

The Administration for Native Americans (ANA) herein announces an urgent grant award to the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians, Red Lake, Minnesota, in the amount of $311,400 for a project period of 24 months. This urgent grant award will assist the Tribe in mitigating the effects of the tragic events of the school shooting in March 2005 that resulted in the death of students, faculty and staff. The shooting marked the highest death toll in U.S. school shootings since the Columbine High School massacre in April 1999. Due to the devastation created by the high school shooting, ANA is providing urgent financial assistance for minor renovations to the local community centers to support positive community development; funding to hire eleven volunteers to assist youth and members of the community in coping with this event; and building support systems, which will aid in preventing future tragedies.

This notice is to inform interested parties of a correction made to the Head Start Family Literacy program announcement that was published on July 25, 2005. The following correction should be noted: Under Section IV. Application and Submission Information, 1. Address to Request Application Package, please delete the following phone number for The Dixon Group: 1-800-351-2293. Please replace the deleted phone number with the following: 1-866- 796-1591. All other information in this notice of correction is accurate and replaces information specified in the July 25 notice. Applications are still due by the deadline date that was published in the July 25 notice (due date for applications is September 23, 2005).

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Administration on Children, Youth and Families (ACYF) announces the availability of $1,000,000 annually for each of five years to support staff development for all individuals employed in local Head Start, Early Head Start, and other child care programs to increase the understanding and skills necessary to carry out their jobs, as well as professional development leading to credentials and degrees. A cooperative agreement is a form of Federal financial assistance that allows substantial Federal involvement in the activities for which funds are awarded.

The Job Opportunities for Low-Income Individuals (JOLI) Program is authorized under Section 505 of the Family Support Act of 1988, Public Law 100-485, as amended by Section 112 of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, Public Law 104-193, as amended. The Act authorizes the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to enter into agreements with non-profit organizations (including faith-based organizations and community development corporations) for the purpose of conducting projects designed to create employment opportunities for certain low-income individuals (42 U.S.C. 9926).

The Office of Community Services (OCS) within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) announces that competing applications will be accepted for a new grant pursuant to the Secretary's authority under section 678(A) of the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) Act, as amended, by the Community Opportunities, Accountability, and Training and Educational Services (COATES) Human Services Reauthorization Act of 1998 (Pub. L. 105-285). These activities must fund training and technical assistance resources for the Community Services Network to ensure that the needs of eligible entities and programs relating to improving program quality (including quality of financial management practices) are addressed to the maximum extent feasible; and incorporate mechanisms to ensure responsiveness to local needs. The proposed grants will fund training and technical assistance resources for the Community Services Network focusing on improving the quality of programs carried out under the CSBG act and the delivery of healthy marriage strategies among low income people served by local community action agencies. Specifically, OCS will offer one-year grants to fund a one year project period for the creation and dissemination of ``best practice'' technical assistance materials from local community organizations, including those that are faith-based, that have demonstrated success in promoting or sustaining healthy marriages among clients as part of an overall strategy to help low-income people achieve family and child development, and/or self-sufficiency goals. Special emphasis is being placed on the development and dissemination of ``best practice'' materials that focus on a wide range of low-income populations, including racial and ethnic minorities.

This notice is to inform interested parties of changes made to the Funding Opportunity for Projects to Establish Public Assistance Reporting Information System (PARIS) State Partnership Grants published on Monday, April 25, 2005, with a due date for applications of June 24, 2005, which is now extended until August 8, 2005. 1. The following changes are made to Section I, ``Funding Opportunity Description'': a. There will be separate grants awarded to each Member and Partner State, such that a Member State will no longer have fiduciary responsibility for its Partner State [page 21222]; b. The following paragraph is struck: ``After evaluation of all grant applications, and if chosen for an award, the Member state will be awarded a grant under which it will act as a fiduciary agent to the Partner state. The Member state will be responsible for all funding that is provided to its Partner state and will reimburse funding provided hereunder, as costs are incurred, for specific items delineated in its approved grant application budget and in accordance with HHS fiscal and grants management requirements.'' [page 21222] and replaced with: ``Separate applications for a partnership agreement must be submitted by both the Member State and the Partner State with separate budget requests. An application from a Partner State must identify its Member State and an application from a Member State must identify its Partner State. As costs are incurred for specific items delineated in the approved grant application budgets, States must adhere to HHS fiscal and grants management requirements.''; c. The phrase ``Member State'' is struck and replaced with ``State'' in the paragraph that reads: ``This list is meant to be illustrative, not exhaustive of the type of issues the Member state should address when preparing the application.'' [page 21222]; 2. The following changes are made to Section I, ``Funding Opportunity Description,'' under the ``parameters'' list [page 21222]: a. In the first sentence in paragraph (3), the phrase ``the Member State'' is replaced with ``each applicant'' so that the sentence reads, ``Each applicant must provide a proposed budget that includes the resources and associated costs it believes are necessary to participate in the match process.'' The second sentence is revised to read: ``The proposed budgets will be evaluated for adequacy, reasonableness, and to ensure that implementation of the partnership will be both operationally effective and successful''; b. The language in paragraph (5) is struck and replaced with: ``For Member States to be eligible for this funding opportunity they must have participated in at least two of the last six PARIS matches from (February 2004 through May 2005)''; c. The language in paragraph (6) is struck and replaced with: ``Applicants are cautioned that the ceiling for each grant award is $200,000 for a Partner State and $100,000 for a Member State. Applications exceeding the $200,000/$100,000 threshold will be considered non-responsive and will not be eligible for funding under this announcement''; d. The first sentence in paragraph (7) is struck and replaced with: ``Two applications must be submitted for each identified partnership One from a Member State and one from a Partner State.''; e. The language in paragraph (8) is struck and replaced with: ``The Partner State must enroll in the PARIS Project and provide a copy of the PARIS agreement to ACF prior to the grant award issuance in order to document the Partner State's consent to the project. The following link shows the PARIS Agreement: https://www.acf.hhs.gov/nhsitrc/paris/ agreepar.html ''; f. The language in paragraph (10) is struck and replaced with: ``Besides the Interstate and Veterans matches, States are encouraged to participate in any additional matches available, such as the Federal match.''; 3. The following changes are made to Section II, ``Award Information'': The ``Ceiling on the Amount of Individual Awards Per Project Period'' and the ``Average Projected Award Amount Per Project Period'' are revised as follows: ``$200,000 for a Partner State and $100,000 for a Member State'' [page 21223]; 4. The following changes are made to Section III.1, ``Eligibility Information, Additional Information on Eligibility'' [page 21223]: a. The first sentence is struck and replaced with, ``In the context of this grant announcement, eligible applicants include both Member States of PARIS and proposed Partner States as defined in Section I, ``Funding Opportunity Description.'' To be considered an eligible Member State, the State must have participated in at least two of the last six quarterly matches from February 2004 through May 2005.''; b. The sentence reading: ``The following States meet this eligibility factor'' now includes Oregon in the list of eligible Member States; c. The sentence that reads ``* * * and only these Member States may submit applications under this grant'' is struck and replaced with ``only these eligible Member States may qualify to submit applications under this grant announcement as Member States defined in this grant announcement.''; d. The sentence reading, ``The application must include the Partnership agreement as well as the appropriate signed PARIS agreement for the Partner State,'' is struck and replaced with: ``The application need only identify the other State in the Partnership in lieu of attaching the actual agreement; however, a signed PARIS agreement and Partnership agreement must both be provided to ACF prior to the grant award issuance.'' 5. The following changes are made to Section III (3), ``Eligibility Information, Other, Disqualification Factors'' [page 21223]: a. The sentence stating, ``Applications that are not submitted by a Member state,'' is struck and replaced with: ``Applications that are not submitted by a State.'' ; b. The following sentence is struck: ``Applications that fail to include a written Partnership agreement between the Member state and Partner state.''; c. The following sentence is struck: ``Applications that fail to provide a signed PARIS agreement by the Partner state.''; d. In the sentence that reads, ``Applications that fail to specify at least two of the last six quarterly PARIS matches from November 2003 through February 2005 in which the Member state has participated,'' the dates are struck and replaced with ``February 2004'' and ``May 2005'' respectively. 6. The following changes are made to IV.2, ``Application and Submission Information, Content and Form of Application Submission'': a. The sentence, ``Applications must contain a partnership agreement from the Partner State indicating its agreement to team with the Member State for purposes of this grant'' is struck and replaced with: ``Applications should identify what other State, be they a Member State or a Partner State, they are teaming with. The teaming or partnership agreement must be submitted to ACF prior to grant award issuance.'' [page 21223]; b. The sentence, ``Note that the application requires proof of an agreement between the PARIS Member State and its Partner State as well as a signed PARIS agreement (available on the PARIS website)'' is struck and replaced with: ``The proof of agreement between the PARIS Member State and its Partner State, as well as a signed PARIS agreement (available on the PARIS website), must both be submitted to ACF prior to grant award issuance.'' [page 21224]; 7. The following changes are made to Section IV. 3, ``Submission Dates and Times, Due Date for Applications'': The due date for applications is extended from June 24, 2005 to August 8, 2005. [page 21224]; 8. The following changes are made to Section IV.3, the ``Checklist'': Under the ``When to Submit'' column, the language for the PARIS Agreement and Partnership Agreement is replaced with, ``By date of award.'' [page 21225]; 9. The following changes are made to Section V, ``Application Review Information, Evaluation Criteria'' [page 21228]: a. The paragraph under the criterion ``Approach'' is struck and replaced with: ``Applications will be evaluated in terms of the extent to which they include a plan that (1) reflects the understanding of the characteristics, needs and services that are available from the PARIS Project and the potential for a Partnership agreement achieving the provision of services that directly address the fulfillment of the PARIS Project; (2) is appropriate and feasible; (3) can be reliably evaluated; (4) if successfully implemented, can be sustained after Federal funding has ceased.''; b. The point value for the criterion ``Budget and Budget Justification'' is revised from 10 points to 15 points; c. The entire criterion ``Third-Party Agreements'' worth 5 points is struck. 10. The second full paragraph in Section V(2), ``Review and Selection Process'' is revised to read: ``If an insufficient number of acceptable applications, as determined by ACF, are received under this program announcement ACF has the option of negotiating and awarding grant amounts higher than the $200,000 award ceiling for Partner States and $100,000 award ceiling for Member States, set forth in this announcement among those applicants who have submitted acceptable applications.''

This notice is to inform interested parties of a clarification made to Services to Unaccompanied Alien Children funding announcement published on Monday, June 17, 2005. The following clarifications should be noted: Section I, Group I, Chart I on Page 32345:

The purpose of these grants is to support a fourth implementation phase of the Consortium for Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect, which is conducting and coordinating prospective studies of young children who are at risk or who have already experienced maltreatment. These studies are expected to contribute to the knowledge of the etiology and consequences of child maltreatment, and provide new insights into the prevention, identification and treatment of maltreatment.

Notice is hereby given that noncompetitive grant awards are being made to multiple organizations to conduct demonstration and implement service provision projects on a wide range of issues relating to social services. The number of grants is 114 for a total amount of $20,083,653. These noncompetitive awards were recommended by the Congress and were listed in the FY 2005 Senate-House conference agreement.

The Children's Bureau announces the availability of funds and requests applications to develop, implement, evaluate and disseminate a training curriculum for public child welfare agency supervisors. This curriculum will strengthen supervision of staff interventions with older youth who are in foster care and/or in independent living programs. These youth, mostly ages 16 to 21, need assistance in making a successful transition to adulthood, as well as achieving self-sufficiency to avoid long-term dependency on the social welfare system. These youth often face decisions with regard to personal housing, transportation, employment and education. They need workers who can guide them and who understand these challenges. The target youth also need workers who have a working knowledge of adolescent transition programs. ``In the continuing work of the Muskie School of Public Service, University of Southern Maine and National Resource Center for Youth Services, College of Continuing Education University of Oklahoma, four core principles have emerged as essential in order for adolescent transitional living programs to be successful.'' It is the thinking of current experts in the field that programs for youth are more likely to be successful when these four principles are incorporated into the program design regardless of the type of services provided. The principles are: (1) Positive youth development; (2) Collaboration; (3) Cultural competence; and (4) Permanent connections.

The Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Child Care Bureau (CCB) announces the availability of funds and request for applications for its FY 2005 Early Learning Opportunities Act (ELOA) grants. Funds will be awarded to eligible Local Councils that have been designated as the Local Council for the purposes of applying for an ELOA grant, as evidenced in a letter of designation, signed by an entity of local government, an Indian Tribe, Regional Corporation, or Native Hawaiian entity.

This notice is to inform interested parties of a clarification to the Community-Based Abstinence Education Announcement that was published on May 20, 2005. The following clarification must be noted: FYSB recognizes that abstinence education, as it has been so successfully implemented across the country, achieves a very beneficial impact on the development of youth in every aspect. Applicants should note that Community-Based Abstinence Education applications will only be evaluated on the extent to which they satisfy the specific eligibility criteria outlined in Section III. Eligibility and the evaluation criteria outlined in Section V.I Evaluation Criteria, which include an agency's experience and commitment to Abstinence Education as defined by Section 510(b)(2) of Title V of the Social Security Act. Curricula developed or selected for implementation in the Community- Based Abstinence Education grant program must be responsive to the eight elements of the Section 510 abstinence education definition (elements A through H) and may not be inconsistent with any aspect of this definition. For the purposes of this announcement, a Positive Youth Development approach shall mean programs that help young people to abstain from sexual activity until marriage. For further information about this clarification or any aspects thereof related to the Community-Based Abstinence Education program please contact Jeffrey Trimbath, Director, Abstinence Education, Family and Youth Services Bureau at 1-866-796-1591.

The purpose of this funding opportunity is to provide financial support to develop or replicate and test a model of policies and procedures that implement the new provisions of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) regarding substance exposed newborns. Applicants may choose to develop new models, replicate existing models or replicate key components of existing models of policies and procedures for identifying and serving families with children prenatally exposed to illegal drugs, and to test the effectiveness of the model in other settings. The projects funded under this priority area will incorporate features and components that hold promise for contributing to an expansion of the knowledge base about the development of effective policies and procedures for states and communities to use in identifying and providing services to these children and their families.

The Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), by authority of 42 U.S.C. 9836A; Section 641A(b) of the Head Start Act, as amended, has formed the Advisory Committee on Head Start Accountability and Educational Performance Measures. The Committee is governed by the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, Public Law 92-463, as amended (5 U.S.C. appendix 2). The function of this Committee is to help assess HHS' progress in developing and implementing educational measures in the Head Start Program. This includes the Head Start National Reporting System (NRS). The Committee is to provide recommendations for integrating NRS with other ongoing assessments of the effectiveness of the program. The Committee will work in coordination with the existing Technical Work Group (TWG) which helped develop NRS, and make recommendations for how NRS data can be included in the broader Head Start measurement found in the Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES), the national Head Start Impact Study, Head Start's Performance Based Outcome System, and the going evaluation of the Early Head Start program.

The Office of Community Services Program Announcement for Community Services Block Grant Program; Community Economic Development; Discretionary Grant ProgramOperational Projects, Volume 70, Federal Register page number 20126 April 18, 2005, II. Award Information is hereby modified to reflect that the Length of Project Periods is modified as follows: Applications for operational projects exclusively for construction may have budget and project periods for up to five (5) years with use of funds consistent with the workplan. Applications for non-construction projects may have budget and project periods for up to three (3) years consistent with the work plan. Applicants must indicate their expected project period for the proposed project. In addition, the Anticipated Number of Awards will be approximately 24. Note that the President's 2006 budget does not include funding for the Community Economic Development program.

This announcement governs the proposed award of formula grants under the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) to private non-profit State domestic violence coalitions. The purpose of these grants is to assist in the conduct of activities to promote domestic violence intervention and prevention and to increase public awareness of domestic violence issues. This announcement sets forth the application requirements, the application process, and other administrative and fiscal requirements for grants in fiscal year (FY) 2005. C.F.D.A. Number: 93.591, Family Violence Prevention and Services Due Dates: Applications for FY 2005 State domestic violence coalition grant awards meeting the criteria specified in this instruction must be received no later than July 1, 2005.

The Administration for Native Americans, within the Administration for Children and Families, announces the availability of fiscal year (FY) 2005 funds for projects that include approaches to improve child well-being by removing barriers associated with forming and sustaining healthy families and marriages in Native American communities. The Administration for Native Americans (ANA's) FY 2005 goals and program areas of interest are focused on strengthening children, families, and communities through financial assistance to community-based organizations including faith-based organizations, Tribes, and Village governments. The Program Areas of Interest are projects that ANA considers supportive to Native American communities. Eligibility for funding is restricted to projects of the type listed in this program announcement and these Program Areas of Interest are ones which ANA sees as particularly beneficial to the development of healthy Native American communities. The primary objectives of these projects are pre-marital education, marriage education and relationship skills for youth, adults, and couples. Project components may include but are not limited to: Healthy relationship skills, communication skills, conflict resolution, foster parenting, marital counseling, abstinence education, and fatherhood accountability. Financial assistance under this program is provided utilizing a competitive process in accordance with the Native American Programs Act of 1974, as amended. The purpose of this Act is to promote the goal of social self-sufficiency for American Indians, Native Hawaiians, Alaskan Natives, and other Native American Pacific Islanders, including American Samoa natives.

The Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) is accepting applications to provide support to public and private entities for the development and implementation of the Community-Based Abstinence Education Program for adolescents, ages 12 through 18, in communities across the country. This funding opportunity targets the implementation of community-based abstinence educational programs designed to: (a) Reduce the proportion of adolescents who engage in premarital sexual activity, including but not limited to sexual intercourse; (b) reduce the incidence of out-of-wedlock pregnancies among adolescents; and (c) reduce the incidence of sexually transmitted diseases among adolescents. Priority funding will be given to those entities that demonstrate a strong record of providing abstinence education among adolescents as defined by Section 510(b)(2) of Title V of the Social Security Act, which promotes a strong abstinence until marriage message to youth.

This notice is to inform interested parties of corrections made to the CCF Demonstration Program published on Friday, April 29, 2005. The following corrections should be noted: Under IV.6 Other Submission Requirements, the correct address to mail and hand deliver applications is: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Attention: Eduardo Hernandez, Administration for Children and Families Office of Community Services, Operations Center, Compassion Capital Fund Demonstration Program, 1515 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 100, Arlington, Virginia 22209. Phone: 1-800-281-9519. E-mail: OCS@lcgnet.com. The only changes to the CCF Demonstration Program Announcement are explicitly stated in this Notice of Correction. All applications must still be sent on or before the deadline date of June 13, 2005. For further information contact the OCS Grants Operations Center at the above phone number or address.

The Office of Community Services (OCS) within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) announces that competing applications will be accepted for a new grant pursuant to the Secretary's authority under section 674(b) of the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) Act, as amended, by the Community Opportunities, Accountability, and Training and Educational Services (COATES) Human Services Reauthorization Act of 1998 (Pub. L. 105-285). The proposed grant program, the Special State Technical Assistance Program,will fund 12 to 15 State CSBG Lead Agenciesand/or State Community Action Associations to develop and support interventions in cases where an eligible entity is in a crisis situation.

The Administration on Developmental Disabilities (ADD) in the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announces the availability of fiscal year (FY) 2005 funds for grants authorized under title II, subtitle D, part 2, section 291 (42 U.S.C. 15461) of the Help America Vote Act of 2002. Under this subtitle, funds will be awarded to provide training and technical assistance to Protection and Advocacy Systems (P&A's) in: Promoting full participation in the electoral process for individuals with disabilities, including registering to vote, casting a vote, and accessing polling places; Developing proficiency in the use of voting systems and technologies as they affect individuals with disabilities; Demonstrating and evaluating the use of such systems and technologies by individuals with disabilities (including blindness) in order to assess the availability and use of such systems and technologies for such individuals; and, Providing training and technical assistance for non-visual access. (At least one grant recipient will be expected to provide training and technical assistance in this area.) Objectives: This announcement pertains to discretionary funds available for the purpose of providing training and technical assistance to the Protection and Advocacy (P & A) Systems in their promotion of self-sufficiency and protection of the rights of individuals with disabilities as this affects the establishment or improvement of access to full participation in the voting process.

The Office of Community Services (OCS) within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) announces that competing applications will be accepted for a new grant pursuant to the Secretary's authority under section 674(b) of the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) Act, as amended, by the Community Opportunities, Accountability, and Training and Educational Services (COATES) Human Services Reauthorization Act of 1998, (Pub. L. 105-285). The proposed grant will fund up to 10 capacity-building collaborations that create or expand asset formation and financial literacy services offered by eligible entities funded under the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) Program in support of national community action Goal 1 (``Low Income People Become More Self- sufficient'').

Funds are provided for the creation of an American Indian Alaska Native (AI-AN) Head Start Research Center that will provide leadership and collaborate with researchers with diverse areas of expertise in order to facilitate early childhood research within the Head Start AI-AN context, engage in capacity building, and establish model research partnerships between local researchers, Head Start American Indian Alaska Native program staff and members of tribal communities. This cooperative agreement is part of a larger Head Start research effort. Three other grant funding mechanisms are being offered concurrently with the one described in this announcement. They include: (1) American Indian-Alaska Native Head Start Research Center, (2) Head Start Graduate Student Research Grants, and (3) Head Start Graduate Student Research Partnership Development Grants. For more information, please see these other Head Start Research announcements listed in the Federal Register or listed on https://www.Grants.gov.

The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) has supported the field of microenterprise development since 1991 with discretionary grants to various State governments, community economic development agencies, community action and other human service agencies, local mutual assistance associations, and voluntary agencies. Organizations with successful programs have typically been those with a long-term commitment to microenterprise, particularly access to lending, and to its adaptation to the refugee experience. They have committed agency resources to support refugee programs; and their work in refugee microenterprise development has been consistent with the overall agency mission. A public or private non-profit agency interested in receiving funding under this announcement must have the organizational capacity to work with refugees who have low incomes, limited English-language proficiency, and neither assets nor American business experience. Many newly arrived refugees do not qualify for commercial loans or for admission into mainstream microenterprise development programs for these reasons. Organizations that cannot support in-house lending and essential loan-servicing responsibilities may experience difficulties in implementing a microenterprise project. Refugees bring positive attributes to microenterprise development projects, including a diverse and rich array of business ideas, skills, experiences, and ambitions. These characteristics have been largely responsible for the success of the ORR program. During the last 14 years, refugees have started or expanded more than 1,800 micro- businesses (with a business survival rate of over 88 percent). ORR grantees have provided over $4 million in financing to these entrepreneurs and clients have used these loans to leverage an additional $4,500,000 in loans from other sources. The loan repayment rate is close to 100 percent. Additionally, 2,666 new jobs have been created. Over 10,500 refugees have gained new entrepreneurial skills and knowledge; and the additional business income is helping refugee families to achieve economic self-sufficiency. By commonly accepted measures of performance (business survival rates, loan default rates, etc.), the ORR-funded programs have excelled and frequently led the field in achievement. Building on the experience of the last 14 years, ORR seeks in this announcement to continue support to this field, particularly on behalf of those refugees who, because of language and cultural barriers, are unlikely to gain access to commercial loans or business training through other programs. To be successful in this competition, refugee- serving organizations must demonstrate their organization's capacity to provide the technical expertise necessary to help refugees start, expand, or strengthen businesses, and to provide access to credit. Economic development agencies must show how they will modify their existing programs to serve refugees effectively. The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) invites eligible entities to submit competitive grant applications for microenterprise development projects for refugees.\1\ Applications will be accepted pursuant to the Director's discretionary authority under section 412(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) (8 U.S.C. 1522(c)), as amended. Applications will be screened and evaluated as indicated in this program announcement. Awards will be contingent on the outcome of the competition and the availability of funds.

Specialized Outreach Demonstration Projects for Services to Underserved and Diverse Populations: In order to further the commitment to bring diverse voices and approaches to the discussions on the elimination of domestic violence, the Administration on Children, Youth and Families announces grant funds to support projects that convene researchers, activists, survivors of domestic violence, and practitioners who have been advocates of a more culturally appropriate and familial orientation to the elimination of domestic violence. The Administration on Children, Youth and Families seeks to support coordinated outreach efforts to underserved and diverse communities, of which each effort is staffed and/or supported by expert and multi- disciplined teams that are culturally responsive and competent in regard to the issue of domestic violence in their particular communities. On a nationwide basis the expertise assembled within the Special Outreach projects will offer assistance on resource accumulation and information, capacity building within community organizations, policy analysis and review, training, and technical assistance for public and private organizations providing service in the domestic violence community. This assistance will be available to the entire domestic violence community as well as the specific communities to be served by these demonstration projects. Domestic Violence/Runaway and Homeless Youth Collaborations on the Prevention of Adolescent Dating Violence: The collaboration of the Runaway Youth and Domestic Violence communities will foster the development and implementation of effective strategies and program requirements for the use of domestic violence prevention services concurrently with services provided through Basic Center, Transitional Living and Street Outreach Projects. These collaborations will help to eliminate adolescent dating violence. These collaborative efforts will focus on the youth who are identified within the domestic violence and runaway and homeless youth communities as individuals that may be responsive to a collaborative set of interventions that are useful as effective prevention and intervention strategies. Minority Training Grant Stipends in Domestic Violence for Historically Black, Hispanic-Serving, and Tribal Colleges and Universities: The Minority Training Grant Stipends to Historically Black, Hispanic Serving, and Tribal Colleges and Universities will assist in generating skill-building and training opportunities in domestic violence prevention and services. These projects will be particularly responsive to issues of cultural content and designed to increase the extent to which minority groups participate in the domestic violence service community. A substantial proportion of the domestic violence that occurs in the general population involves underserved populations, including populations that are underserved because of ethnic, racial, cultural, language diversity or geographic isolation. The purpose of this effort and priority area is to increase the numbers and the capacity of the advocates and allies to do the work that is needed in these communities to prevent domestic violence.

In compliance with the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended by Public Law 100-503, the Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act of 1988, we are publishing a notice of a computer matching program that OCSE will conduct on behalf of itself and State Agencies administering Unemployment Compensation programs under Federal or State law to facilitate the administration of such programs. The match will utilize National Directory of New Hires (NDNH) records and State Unemployment Compensation (UC) records.

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Community Services (OCS) announces that applications will be accepted for new grants pursuant to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary's Compassion Capital Fund (CCF) authorized under section 1110 of the Social Security Act governing Social Services Research and Demonstration activities and the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2005, Public Law 108-447. Pursuant to this announcement, OCS will award funds to help build the capacity of faith-based and community organizations that address the needs of distressed communities. A ``distressed community'' is defined as a neighborhood or geographic community with an unemployment rate and/or poverty rate equal to or greater than the state or national rate. Priority areas of need include at-risk youth; the homeless; marriage education and preparation services to help couples who choose marriage for themselves develop the skills and knowledge to form and sustain healthy marriages; or social services to those living in rural communities.

Funds are provided for Graduate Student Research Grants to Support field-initiated research activities. This grant program is part of a larger set of Head Start research announcements. Three other grant funding mechanisms are being offered concurrently with the one described in this announcement. They include: (1) Head Start Graduate Student Research Partnership Development Grants, (2) Head Start-University Partnership Research Grants: Curriculum Development and Enhancement for Head Start and Early Head Start Programs, and (3) American Indian-Alaska Native Head Start- University Partnerships. For more information, please see these other Head Start Research announcements listed in the Federal Register or listed on https://www.Grants.Gov, or send an inquiry to the e-mail address listed above. Funding for this grant program is shared with the Head Start Graduate Student Research Partnership Development Grants. Relative funding for the two sets of Head Start Graduate Student Research Grants is contingent upon the results of the review process.

The Head Start Bureau is announcing the availability of funds and request for applications for professional development and training grants for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in partnership with Head Start and Early Head Start programs to improve staff training and to thereby enhance services to Head Start and Early Head Start children and families. Through this announcement, the Administration on Children, Youth and Families (ACYF) is making available up to $1,500,000 annually for each of five years to support Head Start Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Partnerships. These partnerships are designed to improve the quality and long-term effectiveness of Head Start and Early Head Start grantees by developing academic training models to increase the number of Head Start/Early Head Start teachers with BA degrees in early childhood education.

The Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) Act, as amended, authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make funds available under several programs to support program activities that will result in direct benefits targeted to low-income people. This program announcement covers the grant authority found at Section 681 of the Community Services Block Grant Act, (The Act) (Pub. L. 97-35) as amended by the Community Opportunities, Accountability, and Training and Educational Services Act of 1998 (Pub. L. 105-285), Community Food and Nutrition Program. The Act authorizes the Secretary to award grants on a competitive basis to eligible entities for community-based, local, statewide and national programs including programs benefiting Indians (as defined in section 677(e) of the CSBG Act) and migrant farm workers. Grant funds are provided to: (1) Coordinate private and public food assistance resources, wherever the grant recipient involved determines such coordination to be inadequate, to better serve low-income populations; (2) assist low-income communities to identify potential sponsors of child nutrition programs and to initiate such programs in underserved or unserved areas; and (3) develop innovative approaches at the State and local level to meet the nutrition needs of low-income individuals. Office of Community Services views this program as a capacity building program, rather than a food delivery program. OCS encourages eligible applicants with programs addressing obesity to submit applications. Eligible applicants with programs benefiting Native Americans and migrant or seasonal farm workers are also encouraged to submit applications. Public and non-profit agencies, faith-based and community-based organizations reaching underserved populations are encouraged to apply.

The Head Start Bureau is announcing the availability of funds and requesting applications for professional development and training grants for Tribally Controlled Land Grant Colleges and Universities (TCUs). These grants are provided in partnership with Head Start and Early Head Start programs to improve staff training and to thereby enhance services to Head Start and Early Head Start children and families. Through this announcement, the Administration on Children, Youth and Families (ACYF) is making available up to $1,500,000 annually for each of five years to support Tribally Controlled Land Grant Colleges and Universities (TCUs) partnerships. These partnerships seek to increase the number of Head Start teachers with degrees in early childhood education, in order to improve the quality and long-term effectiveness of Head Start and Early Head Start grantees.

This notice sets forth Fiscal Year (FY) 2006 individual allotments and percentages of the total appropriation to States administering the State Developmental Disabilities Councils and Protection and Advocacy programs, pursuant to Section 122 and Section 142 of the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act (Act). The allotment amounts are based on the FY 2006 President's Budget request and are contingent on congressional appropriations for FY 2006. If the Congress enacts a different appropriation amount in FY 2006, these allotments will be adjusted accordingly. The State allotments are available on the ADD homepage on the Internet: https:// www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/add/.

In compliance with the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended by Pub. L. 100-503, the Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act of 1988, we are publishing a notice of a computer matching program that OCSE will conduct on behalf of itself and the District of Columbia Department of Human Services, Income Maintenance Administration (IMA) for verification of continued eligibility for Public Assistance. The match will utilize National Directory of New Hire (NDNH) records and IMA records. The purpose of the computer matching program is to exchange personal data for purposes of identifying individuals who are employed and also are receiving payments pursuant to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefit program administered by IMA.

This announcement governs the proposed award of formula grants under the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act to States (including Territories and Insular Areas). The purpose of these grants is to assist States in establishing, maintaining, and expanding programs and projects to prevent family violence and to provide immediate shelter and related assistance for victims of family violence and their dependents. This announcement sets forth the application requirements, the application process, and other administrative and fiscal requirements for grants in fiscal year (FY) 2005. CFDA Number: 93.671, Family Violence Prevention and Services.

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) invites eligible applicants to submit competitive grant applications for special improvement projects, which further the national child support mission, vision, and goals. For FY 2005, OCSE is looking for projects that reflect the goals of the new FY 2005-2009 strategic plan including the goals that all children have parentage established; and all children in IV-D (child support) cases have support orders established, have medical coverage and receive financial support from parents as ordered. The last goal of the strategic plan is that the IV-D program will be efficient and responsive in its operations. Applications will be screened and evaluated as indicated in this program announcement. Awards will be contingent upon the outcome of the competition and the availability of funds. For FY 2005, approximately $1.8 million is available for all priority areas. A non-Federal match is not required. The anticipated start date for the new awards is August 1, 2005; projects under Priority 1 may run through December 31, 2006, for a period of up to 17 months; projects under Priorities 2, 4 and 5 may run through July 31, 2007, for a period of up to 24 months and projects under Priority 3 may run through July 31, 2008, for a period of up to 36 months. Legislative Authority: Section 452(j) of the Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. 652(j), provides Federal funds for information dissemination and technical assistance to States, training of Federal and State staff to improve child support programs, and research, demonstration, and special projects of regional or national significance relating to the operation of State child support enforcement programs.