2024-06313. Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment Request; AmeriCorps Program Life Cycle Evaluation-Puerto Rico Bundled Evaluation

AGENCY:

Corporation for National and Community Service.

ACTION:

Notice of information collection; request for comment.

SUMMARY:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Corporation for National and Community Service (operating as AmeriCorps) is proposing a new information collection.

DATES:

Written comments must be submitted to the individual and office listed in the ADDRESSES section by May 28, 2024.

ADDRESSES:

You may submit comments, identified by the title of the information collection activity, by any of the following methods:

(1) Electronically through www.regulations.gov (preferred method)

(2) By mail sent to: AmeriCorps, Attention Jehyra M. Asencio-Yace, 250 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20525.

(3) By hand delivery or by courier to the AmeriCorps mailroom at the mail address given in paragraph (2) above, between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

Comments submitted in response to this notice may be made available to the public through regulations.gov. For this reason, please do not include in your comments information of a confidential nature, such as sensitive personal information or proprietary information. If you send an email comment, your email address will be automatically captured and included as part of the comment that is placed in the public docket and made available on the internet. Please note that responses to this public comment request containing any routine notice about the confidentiality of the communication will be treated as public comment that may be made available to the public, notwithstanding the inclusion of the routine notice.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Dr. Jehyra M. Asencio Yace, 202–956–9736, or by email at [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title of Collection: AmeriCorps Program Life Cycle Evaluation—Puerto Rico Bundled Evaluation.

OMB Control Number: 3045–NEW.

Type of Review: New.

Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals and households (national service members, national service member alumni, community members), businesses and organizations (grantee and sponsor organization project director and staff, partner organization staff, non-supported organizations), and State, local, or Tribal governments (the Puerto Rico service commission staff).

Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 558 responses.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 424 hours.

Abstract: The purpose of this evaluation is to provide insight on the context, implementation, and outcomes of 13 AmeriCorps-supported organizations in Puerto Rico with AmeriCorps State and National formula grants (funded through the Puerto Rico service commission, Comisión de Voluntariado y Servicio Comunitario), as well as those that have both AmeriCorps State and National grants and AmeriCorps VISTA projects. The evaluation will also explore the effectiveness of evaluation capacity-building workshops to be provided to the bundle participants.

AmeriCorps will conduct a 15-month-long bundled evaluation of grantees and sponsors in Puerto Rico. Bundling combines programs and projects in a similar place into a single evaluation. The bundled evaluation will use surveys, interviews, and focus groups with a wide range of stakeholders, including grantee and sponsor organization project directors and staff, national service members, national service member alumni, community members, partner organization staff, non-supported organizations, and the Puerto Rico service commission staff. This is a new information collection.

Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized and/or included in the request for OMB approval. Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology; and (e) estimates of capital or start-up costs and costs of operation, maintenance, and purchase of services to provide information. Burden means the total time, effort, or financial resources expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain, disclose or provide information to or for a Federal agency. This includes the time needed to review instructions; to develop, acquire, install and utilize technology and systems for the purpose of collecting, validating and verifying information, processing and maintaining information, and disclosing and providing information; to train personnel and to be able to respond to a collection of information, to search data sources, to complete and review the collection of information; and to transmit or otherwise disclose the information. All written comments will be available for public inspection on regulations.gov.

Mary Hyde,

Director, Office of Research and Evaluation.