[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 83 (Thursday, April 30, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23958-23985]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-11388]
[[Page 23957]]
_______________________________________________________________________
Part IV
Department of Housing and Urban Development
_______________________________________________________________________
Super Notice of Funding Availability for National Competition Programs
(National SuperNOFA); Notice
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 83 / Thursday, April 30, 1998 /
Notices
[[Page 23958]]
DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT
[Docket No. FR-4361-N-01]
Super Notice of Funding Availability for National Competition
Programs (National SuperNOFA)
AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, HUD.
ACTION: Super Notice of Funding Availability for National Competition
Programs (National SuperNOFA).
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SUMMARY: This National SuperNOFA announces the availability of
approximately $5,050,000 in HUD program funds covering three (3)
National Competition Programs operated and managed by the following HUD
Offices: Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO), Housing, and Lead
Hazard Control. The General Section of this National SuperNOFA contains
the procedures and requirements applicable to all 3 programs. The
Programs Section of this National SuperNOFA contains a description of
the specific programs for which funding is made available under this
National SuperNOFA and additional procedures and requirements that are
applicable to each.
APPLICATION DUE DATES: The information contained in this ``APPLICATION
DUE DATES'' section applies to all programs contained in this National
SuperNOFA. Completed applications must be submitted to HUD no later
than July 7, 1998. Applications may not be sent by facsimile (FAX). The
Program Chart also lists the application due dates.
ADDRESSES AND APPLICATION SUBMISSION PROCEDURES: Addresses. Completed
applications must be submitted to the location specified in the
Programs Section of this SuperNOFA. When submitting your application,
please refer to the program name for which you are seeking funding.
Applications to HUD Headquarters. All applications under this
National SuperNOFA are to be submitted to HUD Headquarters at:
Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 Seventh Street, SW.,
Room ________ (See Program Chart or Programs Section for room
location), Washington DC 20410. Please follow the requirements of the
Programs Section to ensure that you submit your application to the
proper location. HUD requests additional copies in order to
expeditiously review your application and appreciates your assistance
in providing the copies. Please note that timeliness of submission will
be based on the time the application is received at HUD Headquarters.
Applications Procedures--Mailed Applications. Applications will be
considered timely filed if postmarked on or before 12:00 midnight on
the application due date and received by the designated HUD Office on
or within ten (10) days of the application due date.
Applications Sent by Overnight/Express Mail Delivery. Applications
sent by overnight delivery or express mail will be considered timely
filed if received before or on the application due date, or upon
submission of documentary evidence that they were placed in transit
with the overnight delivery service by no later than the specified
application due date.
Hand Carried Applications. For applications submitted to HUD
Headquarters, hand carried applications delivered before and on the
application due date must be brought to the specified location and room
number between the hours of 8:45 am to 5:15 pm, Eastern time.
Applications hand carried on the application due date will be accepted
in the South Lobby of the HUD Headquarters Building at the above
address from 5:15 pm until 12:00 midnight, local time.
FOR APPLICATION KITS, FURTHER INFORMATION AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE: The
information contained in this section is applicable to all programs
contained in this National SuperNOFA.
For Application Kits and SuperNOFA User Guide. HUD is pleased to
provide you with application kits and/or a guidebook to all HUD
programs. When requesting an application kit, please refer to the
program name of the application kit you are interested in receiving.
Please be sure to provide your name, address (including zip code), and
telephone number (including area code).
Requests for application kits should be made immediately to ensure
sufficient time for application preparation. We will distribute
application kits as soon as they become available.
The SuperNOFA Information Center (1-800-HUD-8929) can provide you
with assistance, application kits, and guidance in determining which
HUD Office(s) should receive a copy of your application.
Consolidated Application Submissions. Where an applicant can apply
for funding under more than one program in this National SuperNOFA, the
applicant need only submit one originally signed SF-424 and one set of
original signatures for the other required assurances and
certifications, accompanied by the matrix contained in each application
kit. As long as the applicant submits one originally signed set of
these documents with an application, only copies of these documents may
be submitted with any additional application submitted by the
applicant.
For Further Information. For answers to your questions about this
National SuperNOFA, you have several options. You may call the HUD
Office or Processing Center serving your area at the telephone number
listed in your program area section to this National SuperNOFA, or you
may contact the SuperNOFA Information Center at 1-800-HUD-8929. Persons
with hearing or speech impairment may call the Center's TTY number at
1-800-HUD-2209. Information on this National SuperNOFA also may be
obtained through the HUD web site on the Internet at http://
www.hud.gov.
For Technical Assistance. Before the application due date, HUD
staff will be available to provide general guidance and technical
assistance about this National SuperNOFA. Current law does not permit
HUD staff to assist in preparing the application. Following selection
of applicants, but prior to award, HUD staff will be available to
assist in clarifying or confirming information that is a prerequisite
to the offer of an award or Annual Contributions Contract (ACC) by HUD.
Introduction to the SuperNOFA Process
To further HUD's objective, under the direction of Secretary Andrew
Cuomo, of improving customer service and providing the necessary tools
for revitalizing communities and improving the lives of people within
those communities, HUD will publish three SuperNOFAs, in addition to
this National SuperNOFA, in 1998, which coordinate program funding for
nearly 40 programs and cut across traditional program lines.
(1) The first is the SuperNOFA and consolidated application process
for Housing and Community Development Programs, published in the March
31, 1998, Federal Register, at 63 FR 15490, covering 19 Housing and
Community Development Programs.
(2) The second is the SuperNOFA and consolidated application
process for Economic Development and Empowerment Programs. This second
SuperNOFA includes funding for the following programs and initiatives:
Brownfields; Youthbuild; Economic Development Initiative; Neighborhood
Initiatives; Tenant Opportunity Program; Economic Development and
Supportive Services; Mark to Market Outreach and Training, and Mark to
Market Technical Assistance Intermediaries Grant Administration.
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This second SuperNOFA is published elsewhere in today's Federal
Register.
(3) The third is the SuperNOFA and consolidated application process
for Targeted Housing and Homeless Assistance Programs. This third
SuperNOFA includes the following programs and initiatives: Housing
Opportunities for Persons with Aids; Continuum of Care Assistance;
Section 202 Elderly Housing; Section 811 Disabled Housing; Service
Coordinators; and Elderly Housing Revitalization. This third SuperNOFA
is published elsewhere in today's Federal Register.
All of these SuperNOFAs and consolidated applications, to the
greatest extent possible, given statutory, regulatory and program
policy distinctions, will have one set of rules that, together, offer a
``menu'' of approximately 39 programs. From this menu, communities will
be made aware of funding available for their jurisdictions. Nonprofits,
public housing agencies, local and State governments, tribal
governments and tribally designated housing entities, veterans service
organizations, faith-based organizations and others will be able to
identify the programs for which they are eligible for funding. HUD is
anticipating publishing all three SuperNOFAs before May 1, 1998.
The National Competition SuperNOFA
In addition to the three SuperNOFAs, HUD is publishing this single
NOFA for three national competitions: the Fair Housing Initiatives
Program (FHIP) National Focus Education and Outreach Competition; the
National Housing Counseling Training Program; and the National Lead
Hazard Awareness Campaign.
The Housing and Community Development SuperNOFA
The first SuperNOFA announced the availability of approximately
$1,247,906,870 in HUD program funds covering nineteen (19) Housing and
Community Development Programs operated and managed by the following
HUD Offices: Community Planning and Development (CPD), Public and
Indian Housing (PIH), Housing, Policy Development and Research (PD&R),
Office of Lead Hazard Control, and Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity
(FHEO).
Assisting Communities to Make Better Use of Available Resources.
The SuperNOFA approach represents a marked departure from, and HUD
believes a significant improvement over, HUD's past approach to the
funding process. In the past, HUD has issued as many as 40 separate
NOFAs, all with widely varying rules and application processing
requirements. This individual program approach to funding, with NOFAs
published at various times throughout the fiscal year, did not
encourage and, at times, unintentionally impeded local efforts directed
at comprehensive planning and development of comprehensive local
solutions. Additionally, the old approach seemed to require communities
to respond to HUD's needs rather than HUD responding to local needs.
Secretary Cuomo brings to the leadership of HUD the experience of
successfully implementing a consolidated planning process in HUD's
community development programs. As Assistant Secretary for Community
Planning and Development, Secretary Cuomo consolidated the planning,
application, and reporting requirements of several community
development programs. The Consolidated Plan rule, published in 1995,
established a renewed partnership among HUD, State, and local
governments, public and private agencies, tribal governments, and the
general citizenry by empowering field staff to work with other entities
in fashioning creative solutions to community problems.
The SuperNOFA approach builds upon Consolidated Planning
implemented by Secretary Cuomo in HUD's community development programs,
and also reflects the Secretary's organizational changes for HUD, as
described in the Secretary's management reform plan. On June 26, 1997,
Secretary Cuomo released the HUD 2020 Management Reform Plan, which
provides for significant management reforms at HUD. This plan calls for
significant consolidation of like programs to maximize efficiency and
dramatically improve customer service. The plan also calls for HUD to
improve customer service by adopting a principle of ``menus not
mandates.''
By announcing the funding of groups of related programs in one
NOFA, HUD hopes to assist communities in making better use of available
resources to address their needs and the needs of those living within
the communities in a holistic and effective fashion. These funds are
available for eligible applicants to support individual program
objectives, as well as cross-cutting and coordinated approaches to
improving the overall effective use of available HUD program funds.
To date, HUD has been consolidating and simplifying the submission
requirements of many of its formula grant and discretionary grant
programs to offer local communities a better opportunity to shape
available resources into effective and coordinated neighborhood housing
and community development strategies that will help revitalize and
strengthen their communities, physically, socially and economically. To
complement this overall consolidation and simplification effort, HUD
designed this process to increase the ability of applicants to consider
and apply for funding under a wide variety of HUD programs in response
to a single NOFA. Everyone interested in HUD's assistance programs can
benefit from having this information made available in one NOFA.
Coordination, Flexibility, and Simplicity in the HUD Funding Process
This National SuperNOFA coordinates the application process for
those program activities which successful grantees will be required to
implement on a nationwide, rather than a local or regional, basis. This
nationwide scope is the unique characteristic which distinguishes the
three programs included in this National SuperNOFA. The programs which
make funding available under the other three FY 1998 SuperNOFAs focus
on meeting local housing and community development needs. For those
programs, the SuperNOFAs encourage greater coordination by, and provide
flexibility to, eligible applicants to determine what HUD program
resources best fit a community's needs, as identified in local
Consolidated Plans and Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice
(``Analysis of Impediments'' (AI)).
This National SuperNOFA seeks to implement the same improvements
for nationwide activity grant competitions as the other SuperNOFAs do
for local activity grants: a simplification of the application process;
the promotion of effective and coordinated use of program funds; a
reduction of duplication in the delivery of services and housing and
community development programs; permitting interested applicants to
seek to deliver a wider, more integrated array of services; and an
improvement in the system for potential grantees to be aware of, and
compete for program funds.
HUD encourages eligible applicants to apply for multiple HUD
programs and work together to coordinate and, to the maximum extent
possible, join their activities to form a seamless and comprehensive
program of assistance to meet the nationwide needs addressed by this
National SuperNOFA.
The specific statutory and regulatory requirements of each of the
three separate programs continue to apply to
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each program. The National SuperNOFA reflects, where necessary, the
statutory requirements and differences applicable to the specific
programs. Please pay careful attention to the individual program
requirements that are identified for each program. Also, you will note
that not all applicants are eligible to receive assistance under all
three programs identified in this SuperNOFA.
The National SuperNOFA contains two major sections. The General
Section contains the procedures and requirements applicable to all
applications. The Programs Section describes each program for which
funding is made available in the National SuperNOFA. As in the past,
each program provides a description of eligible applicants, eligible
activities, and any additional requirements or limitations that apply
to the program. An additional feature of this National SuperNOFA is
that it consolidates both the factors for award and application
submission requirements into common elements that apply to all three
national programs. The presentation of a single set of uniform rating
factors and submission requirements further advances the coordination
and simplification of the NOFA process, and demonstrates the
interconnections that can be realized even with programs as diverse as
the three covered under this National SuperNOFA.
Please read carefully both the General Section and the Programs
Section of the SuperNOFA for the program(s) to which you are applying.
This will ensure that you apply for program funding for which your
organization is eligible to receive funds and you fulfill all the
requirements for that program(s).
The Programs of this National SuperNOFA and the Amount of Funds
Allocated
The three programs for which funding availability is announced in
this National SuperNOFA are identified in the following chart. The
approximate available funds for each program are listed as expected
funding levels based on appropriated funds. Should recaptured or other
funds become available for any program, HUD reserves the right to
increase the available program funding amounts by the amount available.
The chart also includes the application due date for each program,
the OMB approval number for the information collection requirements
contained in the specific program, and the Catalog of Federal Domestic
Assistance (CFDA) number.
BILLING CODE 4210-32-P
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[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN30AP98.014
BILLING CODE 4210-32-C
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Paperwork Reduction Act Statement
For those programs listed in the chart which have OMB approval
numbers, the information collection requirements contained in this
National SuperNOFA for those programs have been approved by the Office
of Management and Budget (OMB) in accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520). For those programs listed
in the chart for which an OMB approval number is pending, the approval
number when received will be announced by HUD in the Federal Register.
An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to
respond to, a collection of information unless the collection displays
a valid control number.
General Section of the National SuperNOFA
I. Authority; Purpose; Amount Allocated; Eligible Applicants and
Eligible Activities
(A) Authorities
The authority for Fiscal Year 1998 funding availability under this
National SuperNOFA is the Department of Veterans Affairs and Housing
and Urban Development and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 1998
(Pub.L. 105-65, approved October 27, 1997) (FY 1998 HUD Appropriations
Act). Where applicable, additional authority for each program in this
National SuperNOFA is identified in the Programs Section.
(B) Purpose
The purpose of this National SuperNOFA is to:
(1) Make funding available through a variety of programs to
implement information, outreach and education activities on a
nationwide scale that will empower communities and their residents,
particularly the poor and disadvantaged, to develop viable communities,
provide decent housing and a suitable living environment for all
citizens, without discrimination in order to improve themselves both as
individuals and as a community.
(2) Simplify and streamline the application process for funding
under HUD programs. By making available to eligible applicants the
application requirements for HUD programs with nationwide coverage in
one NOFA, HUD hopes that the result will be a less time consuming and
less complicated application process. This new process also allows an
applicant to submit one application for funds for several programs.
Except where statutory or regulatory requirements or program policy
mandate differences, the National SuperNOFA strives to provide for one
set of rules, standardized rating factors, and uniform and consolidated
application procedures.
(3) Enhance the ability of applicants to make more effective and
efficient use of HUD national funding to implement coordinated
information, outreach and education activities on a nationwide scale.
Through this National SuperNOFA process, applicants are encouraged to
promote methods for developing more coordinated and effective
approaches to dealing with national problems by recognizing the
interconnections among the underlying problems and ways to address them
through layering of available HUD programs;
(4) Promote the ability of eligible applicants to participate in
the programs contained in this National SuperNOFA; provide an increased
opportunity to assist the effort to develop and implement consistent,
national programs which promote fair housing practices and open housing
opportunities; and provide technical assistance and services to improve
program results and increase the productivity of HUD programs in
meeting community needs; and
(5) Recognize and make better use of the expertise that each of the
programs, and organizations eligible for funding under this National
SuperNOFA, can contribute when developing and implementing nationwide
information, outreach and education activities.
(C) Amounts Allocated
The amounts allocated to specific programs in this National
SuperNOFA are based on appropriated funds. Should recaptured funds
become available in any program, HUD reserves the right to increase the
available funding amounts by the amount of funds recaptured.
(D) Eligible Applicants and Eligible Activities
The eligible applicants and eligible activities for each program
are identified and described for the program in the Programs Section of
the National SuperNOFA.
II. Requirements and Procedures Applicable to All Programs
Except as may be modified in the Programs Section of this Super
NOFA, or as noted within the specific provisions of this Section II,
the following principles apply to all programs. Please be sure to read
the program area section of the National SuperNOFA for additional
requirements or information.
(A) Statutory Requirements
All applicants must meet and comply with all statutory and
regulatory requirements applicable to the program for which they are
seeking funding in order to be awarded funds. Copies of the regulations
are available from the SuperNOFA Information Center or through the
Internet at http://www.HUD.gov. HUD may reject an application from
further funding consideration if the activities or projects proposed
are ineligible, or HUD may eliminate the ineligible activities from
funding consideration and reduce the grant amount accordingly.
(B) Threshold Requirements--Compliance with Fair Housing and Civil
Rights Laws
All applicants must comply with all applicable Fair Housing and
civil rights laws, statutes, regulations and executive orders as
enumerated in 24 CFR Sec. 5.105(a). If an applicant (1) has been
charged with a violation of the Fair Housing Act by the Secretary; (2)
is the defendant in a Fair Housing Act lawsuit filed by the Department
of Justice; or (3) has received a letter of noncompliance findings
under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, Section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act, or Section 109 of the Housing and Community
Development Act, the applicant is not eligible to apply for funding
under this National SuperNOFA until the applicant resolves such charge,
lawsuit, or letter of findings to the satisfaction of the Department.
(C) Additional Nondiscrimination Requirements
Applicants must comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act,
and Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972.
(D) Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing
Where applicable, each successful applicant will have a duty to
affirmatively further fair housing. Applicants should include in their
work plans the specific steps that they will take to (1) address the
elimination of impediments to fair housing; (2) remedy discrimination
in housing; or (3) promote fair housing rights and fair housing choice.
Further, applicants have a duty to carry out the specific activities
cited in their responses to the rating factors that address
affirmatively furthering fair housing in this National SuperNOFA.
(E) Forms, Certifications and Assurances
Each applicant is required to submit signed copies of the standard
forms,
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certifications, and assurances, listed in this section, unless the
program requirements in the Programs Section specifies otherwise.
(1) Standard Form for Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424);
(2) Standard Form for Budget Information--Non-Construction Programs
(SF-424A) or Standard Form for Budget Information-Construction Programs
(SF-424C), as applicable;
(3) Standard Form for Assurances--Non-Construction Programs (SF-
424B) or Standard Form for Assurances--Construction Programs (SF-424D),
as applicable;
(4) Drug-Free Workplace Certification (HUD-50070);
(5) Certification and Disclosure Form Regarding Lobbying (SF-LLL);
(Tribes and tribally designated housing entities (THDEs) established by
an Indian tribe as a result of the exercise of the tribe's sovereign
power are not required to submit this certification. Tribes and TDHEs
established under State law are required to submit this certification.)
(6) Applicant/Recipient Disclosure Update Report (HUD-2880);
(7) Certification that the applicant will comply with the
requirements of the Fair Housing Act, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act
of 1964, section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Age
Discrimination Act of 1975, and will affirmatively further fair
housing.
(8) Certification required by 24 CFR 24.510. (The provisions of 24
CFR part 24 apply to the employment, engagement of services, awarding
of contracts, subgrants, or funding of any recipients, or contractors
or subcontractors, during any period of debarment, suspension, or
placement in ineligibility status, and a certification is required.)
(F) OMB Circulars
The policies, guidances, and requirements of OMB Circular No. A-87
(Cost Principles Applicable to Grants, Contracts and Other Agreements
with State and Local Governments) and 24 CFR part 84 (Grants and
Agreements with Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals, and other
Non-Profit Organizations) and 24 CFR part 85 (Administrative
Requirements for Grants and Cooperative Agreements to State, Local, and
Federally recognized Indian tribal governments) apply to the award,
acceptance and use of assistance under the programs of this SuperNOFA,
and to the remedies for noncompliance, except when inconsistent with
the provisions of the FY 1998 HUD Appropriations Act, other Federal
statutes or the provisions of this SuperNOFA. Compliance with
additional OMB Circulars may be specified for a particular program in
the Programs Section of the SuperNOFA. Copies of the OMB Circulars may
be obtained from EOP Publications, Room 2200, New Executive Office
Building, Washington, DC 10503, telephone (202) 395-7332 (this is not a
toll free number).
(H) Prohibition Against Multiple Billing
A recipient may not bill two or more awards for the same work,
materials, or any other expenses.
III. Application Selection Process
(A) General
To review and rate applications, HUD may establish panels including
persons not currently employed by HUD to obtain certain expertise and
outside points of view, including views from other Federal agencies.
(1) Rating. All applications for funding in each program listed in
this National SuperNOFA will be evaluated and rated against the
criteria in this National SuperNOFA. The rating of the ``applicant'' or
the ``applicant's organization and staff'' for technical merit or
threshold compliance, unless otherwise specified, will include any sub-
contractors, consultants, sub-recipients, and members of consortia
which are firmly committed to the project.
(2) Ranking. Applicants will be ranked within each program.
Applicants will be ranked only against others that applied for the same
program funding and where there are set-asides within the competition,
the applicant would only compete against applicants in the same set-
aside competition.
(B) Threshold Requirements
HUD will review each application to determine whether the
application meets all of the threshold criteria described for program
funding made available under this National SuperNOFA. Applications that
meet all of the threshold criteria will be eligible to be rated and
ranked, based on the criteria described, and the total number of points
to be awarded.
(C) Factors For Award Used To Evaluate and Rate Applications
(1) For all of the programs for which funding is available under
this National SuperNOFA, the points awarded for the factors total 100.
(2) The Five Standard Rating Factors. In accord with the other
three SuperNOFAS for this year, this National SuperNOFA uses Five
Standard Rating Factors. One of these factors in the other SuperNOFAs,
Rating Factor 2: Need/Extent of the Problem, has been modified to
reflect the national scope of the programs under this National
SuperNOFA. The Need in the other SuperNOFA programs must be identified
by applicants at the local level at which they propose to undertake
activities. In this National SuperNOFA, the need for the eligible
activities has been determined by HUD to exist at the national level.
Therefore, applicants will be expected to address this factor by
describing the basis or rationale they used to determine why the
proposed work activities will best address the needs that HUD has
identified.
The factors for rating and ranking applicants and the maximum
points for each factor are listed in this Section III(C)(2) as follows:
Rating Factor 1: Capacity of the Applicant and Relevant Organizational
Experience (30 Points)
This factor addresses the extent to which the applicant has the
organizational resources necessary to successfully implement the
proposed activities in a timely manner, and the applicant's ability to
develop and implement large information campaigns, community tension
projects, or training programs, as appropriate, on a national scale.
The rating of the ``applicant'' or the ``applicant's organization and
staff'' for technical merit or threshold compliance, unless otherwise
specified, will include any sub-contractors, consultants, sub-
recipients, and members of consortia that are firmly committed to the
project. In rating this factor, HUD will consider the extent to which
the application demonstrates:
(1) General Description of Applicant Organization and Relevant
Experience.
(a) The eligibility and qualifications of the applicant
organization; the type of organization (e.g., public, private, non-
profit, for profit); and the organization's general areas of activity
or line of business.
(b) If the applicant has managed large, complex, interdisciplinary
projects, the applicant must include information on them in its
response.
(c) Awards and major accomplishments of the applicant organization
must be described. HUD will also consider any documented evidence, such
as performance reviews, newspaper articles, or monitoring findings,
that may reflect positively or negatively upon the ability of the
applicant and its proposed staff to perform the work.
(d) The applicant's capability in handling financial resources with
adequate financial control procedures and accounting procedures. In
addition,
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HUD will consider findings identified in applicants' most recent
audits; internal consistency in the application of numeric quantities;
accuracy of mathematical calculations; and other available information
on financial management capability.
(2) Specific Description of Staff for Proposed Activities. The
applicant has sufficient personnel or will be able to quickly access
qualified experts or professionals to deliver the proposed activities
in a timely and effective fashion, including the readiness and ability
of the applicant to immediately begin the proposed work program; the
knowledge and experience of the overall proposed project director and
staff, including the day-to-day program manager, consultants and
contractors in planning and managing programs for which funding is
being requested. To demonstrate that the applicant has sufficient
personnel, the applicant must submit the proposed number of staff hours
for the employees and experts to be allocated to the project, the
titles and relevant professional background and experience of each
employee and expert proposed to be assigned to the project, and the
roles to be performed by each identified employee and expert.
Experience will be judged in terms of at least two years' worth of
recent and relevant experience to undertake eligible program activities
or projects similar in scope or nature and directly relevant to the
work activities proposed.
(3) Specific Description of Experience Relevant to the Proposed
Activities. Applicants must describe their ability to effectively
develop, implement, and manage a media campaign, tension reduction
project for communities, or training program, as appropriate, on a
national scale. Applicants for FHIP program funding must specifically
describe their experience in formulating or crrying out programs to
prevent or eliminate discriminatory housing practices. Applicants must
discuss their knowledge of implementing coordinated national training
programs, reducing community tensions, or marketing national awareness
campaigns, especially in the areas of fair housing, discrimination,
public health, and housing. In responding to this subfactor, the
applicant must describe the extent to which its past activities have
resulted in successful national media campaigns, training programs, or
reduction of tensions in communities, as appropriate, especially with
respect to developing and implementing innovative strategies resulting
in positive public response.
Rating Factor 2: Need/Approach to the Problem (10 Points)
This factor addresses the extent to which the applicant documents
the national need that its proposed activities and methods are intended
to address, and how its proposal offers the most effective approach for
dealing with that national need. In responding to this factor, an
applicant will be evaluated on the following:
(1) The extent to which the applicant describes and documents the
national need the application intends to address, which demonstrates a
grasp of the elements of the problem and its pervasiveness at the
national level. The applicant's description of the national need will
be used to evaluate the depth of the applicant's understanding of the
problem as an indication of ability to address the problem; and
(2) The extent to which the applicant provides a rationale for how
its proposed activities and methods most effectively deal with the
national need described by the applicant in response to subfactor (1),
immediately above. To the extent possible, applicants should
demonstrate effectiveness in terms of scope and cost.
Rating Factor 3: Soundness of Approach (40 Points)
This factor addresses the quality and cost-effectiveness of the
applicant's proposed work plan. In evaluating this factor, HUD will
consider the extent to which:
(1) Work Plan. Applications include work plans that:
(a) Clearly describe the specific tasks and subtasks to be
performed, the sequence in which the tasks are to be performed, noting
areas of work which must be performed simultaneously, estimated
completion dates, and the work and program deliverables to be completed
within the grant period, including specific numbers of quantifiable end
products and program improvements the applicant aims to deliver by the
end of the award agreement period as a result of the work performed;
(b) Provide national coverage, specific protected class focus, as
well as focus on persons traditionally underserved; and
(c) Describe the immediate benefits of the project and how the
benefits will be measured. Applicants must describe the methods they
will use to determine the effectiveness of their national marketing
strategies or training programs.
(2) Budget. Applications include proposed budgets that demonstrate:
(a) Cost estimates of salary levels, staff assignments, number of
staff hours, and all other budget items are reasonable, allowable, and
appropriate for the proposed activities;
(b) The proposed program is cost effective in achieving its
anticipated results, as well as in achieving significant impact;
(3) Proposed activities will be conducted in a manner (e.g.,
languages, formats, locations, distribution, use of minority media)
that will reach and benefit all members of the public, especially
members of target groups identified in the individual program sections
of this National SuperNOFA;
(4) Applications describe how proposed activities will yield long-
term results and innovative strategies or ``best practices'' that can
be readily disseminated to other organizations and State and local
governments; and
(5) The proposed media campaign, community tensions project, or
training program makes activities, training and meeting sites, and
information services and materials in places and formats that are
accessible to all persons including persons with disabilities.
Rating Factor 4: Leveraging Resources (10 Points)
This factor addresses the ability of the applicant to secure other
resources which can be combined with HUD's program resources to achieve
program purposes. In evaluating this factor HUD will consider:
The extent to which the applicant has partnered with other entities
to secure additional resources, including financial resources, to
increase the effectiveness of the proposed program activities.
Resources may include funding or in-kind contributions, such as
services or equipment, allocated to the purpose(s) of the award the
applicant is seeking. Resources may be provided by governmental
entities, public or private nonprofit organizations, for-profit private
organizations, or other entities willing to partner with the applicant.
Applicants must also describe how they plan to use their affiliated
branches, or partner with other organizations, to distribute materials,
training or services developed under this National SuperNOFA for use at
the local level. Applicants may also partner with other program funding
recipients to coordinate the use of resources in the target area or
subject.
Applicants must provide evidence of leveraging/partnerships by
including in the application letters of firm commitment, memoranda of
understanding, or agreements to participate from those entities
identified as partners in the application. Each letter of commitment,
memorandum of
[[Page 23965]]
understanding, or agreement to participate should include the
organization's name, proposed level of commitment and responsibilities
as they relate to the proposed program. The commitment must also be
signed by an official of the organization legally able to make
commitments on behalf of the organization.
Rating Factor 5: Comprehensiveness and Coordination (10 Points)
This factor addresses the extent to which the applicant's program
makes materials, training or services available to local community
programs and implements a coordinated process of addressing the
national need by using HUD funding resources and other available
resources. Applicants must also describe how they plan to use their
affiliated branches, or partner with other organizations, to distribute
materials, training or services developed under this National SuperNOFA
for use at the local level. In evaluating this factor, HUD will
consider:
(1) The extent to which the application demonstrates that project
activities will reach the targeted audience. This includes a discussion
of the applicant's methods or approaches to ensure that activities and
materials are made available to local groups and organizations and a
description of how such activities can enhance or work in tandem with
local activities and materials. At a minimum, the application should
discuss procedures to be used to promote awareness of the services
provided by the proposed project.
(2) The extent to which the application demonstrates that the
applicant, in carrying out program activities, will make communities
and organizations aware of opportunities for linking activities with:
(a) Other HUD funded program activities, proposed or on-going; or
(b) Other proposed or on-going State, Federal, local or privately
funded activities which, taken as a whole, support and sustain a
comprehensive system to address the purposes of these programs.
(D) Negotiation
After all applications have been rated and ranked and a selection
has been made, HUD requires that all winners participate in
negotiations to determine the specific terms of the grant agreement and
budget. In cases where HUD cannot successfully conclude negotiations or
a selected applicant fails to provide HUD with requested information,
awards will not be made. In such instances, HUD may offer an award to
the next highest ranking applicant, and proceed with negotiations with
the next highest ranking applicant.
(E) Adjustments to Funding
HUD reserves the right to fund less than the full amount requested
in any application to ensure the fair distribution of the funds and to
ensure the purposes of the programs contained in this National
SuperNOFA are met. HUD also reserves the right to adjust funding based
on revisions in locations for project activities. HUD may choose not to
fund portions of the applications that are ineligible for funding under
applicable program statutory or regulatory requirements, or which do
not meet the requirements of this General Section of this National
SuperNOFA or the requirements in the Programs Section for the specific
program, and fund eligible portions of the applications.
If funds remain after funding the highest ranking applications, HUD
may fund part of the next highest ranking application in a given
program area. If the applicant turns down the award offer, HUD will
make the same determination for the next highest ranking application.
If funds remain after all selections have been made, remaining funds
may be available for other competitions for each program area where
there is a balance of funds.
Additionally, in the event of a HUD procedural error that, when
corrected, would result in selection of an otherwise eligible applicant
during the funding round of this National SuperNOFA, HUD may select
that applicant when sufficient funds become available.
(F) Performance and Compliance Actions of Grantees
Performance and compliance actions of grantees will be measured and
addressed in accordance with applicable standards and sanctions of
their respective programs.
IV. Application Submission Requirements
As discussed earlier in the introductory section of this National
SuperNOFA, part of the simplification of this funding process is to
reduce the duplication effort involved in completing and submitting
similar applications for HUD funded programs. The application
submission requirements for all three programs under this National
SuperNOFA have been consolidated. In addition to the forms,
certifications and assurances listed in Section II.(E) of the General
Section of this National SuperNOFA, all applications must, at a
minimum, contain the following items:
(A) Transmittal Letter which identifies the SuperNOFA, the program
under the SuperNOFA for which funds are requested, the dollar amount
requested for each program, and the applicant submitting the
application. If applying for more than one program, please indicate in
the letter the location where the original signed application was
submitted.
(B) Budget identifying costs by cost category in accordance with
the following:
(1) Direct Labor by position or individual, indicating the
estimated hours per position, the rate per hour, estimated cost per
staff position and the total estimated direct labor costs;
(2) Fringe Benefits identifying the rate, the salary base the rate
was computed on, and the total estimated fringe benefit cost;
(3) Material Costs indicating the item, unit cost per item, the
number of items to be purchased, estimated cost per item, and the total
estimated material costs;
(4) Transportation Costs, as applicable. Where a local private
vehicle is proposed to be used, costs should indicate the proposed
number of miles, rate per mile of travel identified by item, and
estimated total private vehicle costs. Where air transportation is
proposed, costs should identify the destination(s), number of trips per
destination, estimated air fare and total estimated air transportation
costs. For purposes of estimating travel costs for the Housing
Counseling National Training Program and the FHIP Community Tensions
Project, applicants should project travel costs to the District of
Columbia, San Francisco, Atlanta, Chicago, and New Orleans. The actual
sites of activities will be determined by HUD. If other transportation
costs are listed, the applicant should identify the other method of
transportation selected, the number of trips to be made and
destination(s), the estimated cost, and the total estimated costs for
other transportation costs. In addition, applicants should identify per
diem or subsistence costs per travel day and the number of travel days
included, the estimated costs for per diem/subsistence, other travel
costs, such as those for HUD-sponsored training, as appropriate, and
the total estimated transportation costs;
(5) Equipment Charges, if any. Equipment charges should identify
the type of equipment, quantity, unit costs and total estimated
equipment costs;
(6) Consultant Costs, if applicable. Indicate the type, estimated
number of
[[Page 23966]]
consultant days or hours, rate per day or hour, total estimated
consultant costs per consultant and total estimated costs for all
consultants;
(7) Subcontract Costs, if applicable. Indicate each individual
subcontract and amount. For each proposed subcontract that is in excess
of 10% of the grant amount, a separate budget which identifies costs by
cost categories should be included;
(8) Other Direct Costs listed by item, quantity, unit cost, total
for each item listed, and total direct costs for the award;
(9) Indirect costs should identify the type, approved indirect cost
rate, base to which the rate applies and total indirect costs. The
submission should include the rationale used to determine costs and
validation of fringe and indirect cost rates, if the applicant is not
using an accepted, Federally negotiated indirect cost rate.
(C) Financial Management and Audit Information. Each applicant must
submit a certification from an Independent Public Accountant or the
cognizant government auditor, stating that the financial management
system employed by the applicant meets the applicable prescribed
standards for fund control and accountability required by: OMB Circular
A-133, Audits of States, Local Governments and Non-Profit
Organizations; OMB Circular A-110 (as codified at 24 CFR Part 84),
Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and Agreements With
Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals, and other Non-Profit
Organizations; and/or OMB Circular A-102 (as codified at 24 CFR Part
85) Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and Cooperative
Agreements to State, Local and Federally Recognized Indian Tribal
Governments. This information should contain the name and telephone
number of the Independent Auditor, cognizant Federal auditor, or other
audit agency, as applicable. Copies of the OMB Circulars may be
obtained from EOP Publications, Room 2200, New Executive Office
Building, Washington, DC 10503, telephone (202) 395-7332 (this is not a
toll free number).
(D) Narrative statement addressing the five Rating Factors in
Section III.(C) of the General Section of this National SuperNOFA. Your
narrative response should be numbered in accordance with rating factor
and subfactor identified under Section III.(C) of the General Section.
(E) A Work Plan which incorporates all activities to be funded in
the application and details how the proposed work will be accomplished.
Following a task-by-task format, the Work Plan must identify activities
conducted and how the tasks meet the requirements of Rating Factor 3,
Soundness of Approach, in the General Section of this National
SuperNOFA.
V. Corrections to Deficient Applications
After the application due date, HUD may not, consistent with 24 CFR
part 4, subpart B, consider unsolicited information from an applicant.
HUD may contact an applicant, however, to clarify an item in the
application or to correct technical deficiencies. Applicants should
note, however, that HUD may not seek clarification of items or
responses that improve the substantive quality of the applicant's
response to any eligibility or selection criterion. Examples of curable
technical deficiencies include failure to submit the proper
certifications or failure to submit an application containing an
original signature by an authorized official. In each case, HUD will
notify the applicant in writing by describing the clarification or
technical deficiency. HUD will notify applicants by facsimile or by
return receipt requested. Applicants must submit clarifications or
corrections of technical deficiencies in accordance with the
information provided by HUD within 14 calendar days of the date of
receipt of the HUD notification. If the deficiency is not corrected
within this time period, HUD will reject the application as incomplete.
VI. Findings and Certifications
(A) Environmental Impact
This National SuperNOFA does not direct, provide for assistance or
loan and mortgage insurance for, or otherwise govern or regulate, real
property acquisition, leasing, rehabilitation, alteration, demolition,
or new construction, or establish, revise or provide for standards for
construction or construction materials, manufactured housing, or
occupancy. Accordingly, under 24 CFR 50.19(c)(1), this SuperNOFA is
categorically excluded from environmental review under the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321).
(B) Federalism, Executive Order 12612
The General Counsel, as the Designated Official under section 6(a)
of Executive Order 12612, Federalism, has determined that the policies
contained in this National SuperNOFA will not have substantial direct
effects on States or their political subdivisions, or on the
relationship between the Federal Government and the States, or on the
distribution of power and responsibilities among the various levels of
government. Specifically, the National SuperNOFA solicits applicants to
implement nationwide information, outreach and education activities,
and does not impinge upon the relationships between the Federal
government and State and local governments. As a result, the National
SuperNOFA is not subject to review under the Order.
(C) Prohibition Against Lobbying Activities
Applicants for funding under this National SuperNOFA are subject to
the provisions of section 319 of the Department of Interior and Related
Agencies Appropriation Act for Fiscal Year 1991, 31 U.S.C. 1352 (the
Byrd Amendment), which prohibits recipients of Federal contracts,
grants, or loans from using appropriated funds for lobbying the
executive or legislative branches of the Federal Government in
connection with a specific contract, grant, or loan. Applicants are
required to certify, using the certification found at Appendix A to 24
CFR part 87, that they will not, and have not, used appropriated funds
for any prohibited lobbying activities. In addition, applicants must
disclose, using Standard Form LLL, ``Disclosure of Lobbying
Activities,'' any funds, other than Federally appropriated funds, that
will be or have been used to influence Federal employees, members of
Congress, and congressional staff regarding specific grants or
contracts. (Tribes and tribally designated housing entities (THDEs)
established by an Indian tribe as a result of the exercise of the
tribe's sovereign power are excluded from coverage of the Byrd
Amendment, but tribes and TDHEs established under State law are not
excluded from the statute's coverage.)
(D) Section 102 of the HUD Reform Act; Documentation and Public Access
Requirements
Section 102 of the Department of Housing and Urban Development
Reform Act of 1989 (42 U.S.C. 3545) (HUD Reform Act) and the
regulations codified in 24 CFR part 4, subpart A, contain a number of
provisions that are designed to ensure greater accountability and
integrity in the provision of certain types of assistance administered
by HUD. On January 14, 1992 (57 FR 1942), HUD published a notice that
also provides information on the implementation of section 102. The
documentation, public access, and disclosure requirements of section
102 apply to assistance awarded under this National SuperNOFA as
follows:
[[Page 23967]]
(1) Documentation and public access requirements. HUD will ensure
that documentation and other information regarding each application
submitted pursuant to this National SuperNOFA are sufficient to
indicate the basis upon which assistance was provided or denied. This
material, including any letters of support, will be made available for
public inspection for a 5-year period beginning not less than 30 days
after the award of the assistance. Material will be made available in
accordance with the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552) and HUD's
implementing regulations in 24 CFR part 15.
(2) Disclosures. HUD will make available to the public for 5 years
all applicant disclosure reports (HUD Form 2880) submitted in
connection with this National SuperNOFA. Update reports (also Form
2880) will be made available along with the applicant disclosure
reports, but in no case for a period less than 3 years. All reports--
both applicant disclosures and updates--will be made available in
accordance with the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552) and HUD's
implementing regulations at 24 CFR part 15.
(3) Publication of Recipients of HUD Funding. HUD's regulations at
24 CFR 4.7 provide that HUD will publish a notice in the Federal
Register on at least a quarterly basis to notify the public of all
decisions made by the Department to provide:
(i) Assistance subject to section 102(a) of the HUD Reform Act; or
(ii) Assistance that is provided through grants or cooperative
agreements on a discretionary (non-formula, non-demand) basis, but that
is not provided on the basis of a competition.
(E) Section 103 HUD Reform Act
HUD's regulations implementing section 103 of the Department of
Housing and Urban Development Reform Act of 1989 (42 U.S.C. 3537a),
codified in 24 CFR part 4, apply to this funding competition. The
regulations continue to apply until the announcement of the selection
of successful applicants. HUD employees involved in the review of
applications and in the making of funding decisions are limited by the
regulations from providing advance information to any person (other
than an authorized employee of HUD) concerning funding decisions, or
from otherwise giving any applicant an unfair competitive advantage.
Persons who apply for assistance in this competition should confine
their inquiries to the subject areas permitted under 24 CFR part 4.
Applicants or employees who have ethics related questions should
contact the HUD Ethics Law Division at (202) 708-3815. (This is not a
toll-free number.) For HUD employees who have specific program
questions, the employee should contact the appropriate field office
counsel, or Headquarters counsel for the program to which the question
pertains.
VII. The FY 1998 National SuperNOFA Process and Future HUD Funding
Processes
In FY 1997, Secretary Cuomo took the first step at changing HUD's
funding process to better promote comprehensive, coordinated approaches
to housing and community development. In FY 1997, the Department
published related NOFAs on the same day or within a few days of each
other. In the individual NOFAs published in FY 1997, HUD advised that
additional steps on NOFA coordination may be considered for FY 1998.
The SuperNOFAs published for FY 1998 represent the additional step
taken by HUD to improve HUD's funding process and assist communities to
make better use of available resources through a coordinated approach.
This new SuperNOFA process was developed based on comments received
from HUD clients and the Department believes it represents a
significant improvement over HUD's approach to the funding process in
prior years. For FY 1999, HUD may take even further steps to enhance
this process. HUD welcomes comments from applicants and other members
of the public on this process, and how it may be improved in future
years.
The description of program funding available under this first
National SuperNOFA to implement information, outreach and education
activities on a nationwide scale follows.
Dated: April 23, 1998.
Saul N. Ramirez, Jr.,
Acting Deputy Secretary.
BILLING CODE 4210-32-P
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 83 / Thursday, April 30, 1998 /
Notices
[[Page 23969]]
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN30AP98.015
BILLING CODE 4210-32-C
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 83 / Thursday, April 30, 1998 /
Notices
[[Page 23971]]
Funding Availability for the Fair Housing Initiatives Program,
National Focus Education and Outreach
Program Description: Approximately $3,500,000 is available for the
National Focus Education and Outreach Initiative under the Fair Housing
Initiatives Program (FHIP). This program assists projects and
activities designed to enforce and enhance compliance with the Fair
Housing Act and substantially equivalent State and local fair housing
laws. Under this competition, projects that have a national focus will
be funded under the Education and Outreach Initiative (EOI) as follows:
(1) Nationwide Education Project. Activities funded must provide a
coordinated national education campaign which provides fair housing
information to the public. Efforts must include targeting such
information toward educating all persons about their fair housing
rights, including groups historically underserved, such as new
immigrant groups as well as other protected classes under the Fair
Housing Act about their fair housing rights.
(2) Community Tensions Project. Funded activities must be used to
develop and implement national methodologies that can be used
nationwide as a model for both preventing and responding to the
community tensions that arise from persons exercising their rights of
equal housing choice and opportunity as guaranteed by the Fair Housing
Act (nondiscrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex,
familial status, national origin, and disability). Implementation of
these methodologies must involve sending facilitators to work with
groups in HUD-selected communities to prevent or respond to the
emergence of such community tensions.
Application Due Date: Completed applications must be submitted no
later than 12:00 midnight, Eastern time on July 7, 1998, at HUD
Headquarters. See the General Section of this National SuperNOFA for
specific procedures governing the form of application submission (e.g.,
mailed applications, express mail, overnight delivery, or hand
carried).
Address for Submitting Applications: Completed applications (one
original and five copies) must be submitted to: FHIP/FHAP Support
Division, Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street, SW, Room 5234,
Washington, DC 20410, by mail or hand delivery. When submitting your
application, please refer to FHIP National Focus, and include your
name, mailing address (including zip code) and telephone number
(including area code).
For Application Kits, Further Information, and Technical
Assistance: For Application Kits. For an application kit and
supplemental information please call the HUD SuperNOFA Information
Clearinghouse at 1-800-HUD-8929. Persons with hearing or speech
impairments may call the Center's TTY at 1-800-HUD-2209. The
application kit also will be available on the Internet at: http://
www.HUD.gov. When requesting an application kit, please refer to FHIP
National Focus, and provide your name, address (including zip code),
and telephone number (including area code).
For Further Information. For answers to your questions, you have
several options. You may contact Ivy Davis, Director, FHIP/FHAP Support
Division at 202-708-0800 (this is not a toll-free number). Persons who
use a text telephone (TTY) may call 1-800-290-1617.
Additional Information
I. Authority; Purpose; Amount Allocated; and Eligibility
(A) Authority
Section 561 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1987,
42 U.S.C. 3616 note, established the Fair Housing Initiatives Program
(FHIP). The FHIP regulations are found at 24 CFR part 125.
(B) Purpose
In September 1997, HUD announced a ``crackdown on housing
discrimination'' and pledged to double its enforcement actions. The
projects funded under the FHIP in FY 98 are expected to contribute to
the accomplishment of this goal.
In keeping with the announced crackdown on discrimination, HUD
believes that educating immigrants about fair housing rights and
ensuring enforcement mechanisms to address the specific types of
discrimination they and other underserved populations encounter is
necessary if we are to expand housing opportunities in communities
across this nation. Additionally, HUD continues to move aggressively to
expand opportunities in housing into communities which have not
historically served persons who are most likely to be the victims of
unlawful discrimination. HUD recognizes that community tensions often
arise whenever there are changes or proposed changes in the local
housing market caused by the entry or the departure of persons from a
community or neighborhood. For example, such tensions may be prompted
by a rise in the numbers of a particular immigrant population,
proposals to establish group homes for persons with disabilities, or
persons moving or attempting to move into neighborhoods where persons
of their race or ethnicity have not previously lived or have been
underrepresented. Recognizing that dealing with existing community
tensions as well as working to prevent their development is an
important element of ensuring equal housing opportunity, the Department
seeks to fund a single entity that can (a) develop national
methodologies for both preventing and responding to community tensions
that are related to persons exercising their Fair Housing Act rights
and moving into communities where members of their protected class
either have not previously lived or have been underrepresented, and (b)
respond to or attempt to prevent the emergence of community tensions in
communities that HUD identifies as experiencing high levels of
community tensions or showing a strong likelihood that such tensions
may build up without intervention or preventive measures.
(C) Amount Allocated
The FY 1998 HUD Appropriations Act appropriated $15 million for
activities pursuant to section 561, the Fair Housing Initiatives
Program. Of the $4,500,000 allocated to the EOI, $3,500,000 is being
used for this competition under the EOI for the following projects:
(1) Nationwide Education Project. Of the $3,500,000, $2,000,000 is
available for a single 18-month national EOI project, of which at least
$200,000 will be for activities related to Fair Housing Month.
(2) Community Tensions Project. A total of $1,500,000 will be used
to fund a single 24-month project that will address tensions that arise
in local communities as persons protected under the Fair Housing Act
seek to expand their housing choices.
The remaining funding under this initiative was made available
through the SuperNOFA published on March 31, 1998, which solicited
applications that are regional/local in scope.
The full cost of FY 1998 multi-year awards under the FHIP will be
funded from FY 1998 funds. HUD retains the right to transfer funds
between the FHIP projects listed below, within statutorily prescribed
limitations. The amounts included in this notice are subject to change
based on the availability of funds.
[[Page 23972]]
(D) Eligible Applicants
(1) Nationwide Education Project.
(a) The following organizations are eligible to receive funding
under the EOI--Nationwide Education Project:
(i) Qualified Fair Housing Enforcement Organizations (QFHOs)
(ii) Fair Housing Enforcement Organizations (FHOs), and
(iii) Other non-profit organizations representing groups of persons
protected under the Fair Housing Act.
(b) In addition to meeting the eligible applicant requirement, all
applicants under the EOI--Nationwide Education Project must include as
part of their proposal a subcontract with an established media/
advertising organization which has experience in conducting national
media campaigns. Applicants that fail to include such subcontract
arrangements in their proposals will be ineligible for funding.
(2) Community-Tensions Project. Eligible applicants that have the
organizational infrastructure of affiliate chapters, branch members or
other outreach arms that can be utilized to provide national coverage
and facilitate involvement at the local level in communities to be
selected throughout the nation, and that possess familiarity with local
circumstances and issues in diverse communities, are particularly
encouraged to apply. Applicants that do not have affiliates or the
organizational structure to call upon should describe plans to partner
with other groups or organizations to provide national coverage. In
addition, the Department particularly encourages the submission of
applications from traditional civil rights organizations. The
organizations that are eligible to receive funding under the EOI--
Community-Tensions Project are:
(a) QFHOs;
(b) FHOs;
(c) Public or private non-profit organizations or institutions and
other public or private entities that are formulating or carrying out
programs to prevent or eliminate discriminatory housing practices;
(d) State or local governments; and
(e) FHAP Agencies.
(E) Eligible Activities
(1) Nationwide Education Project. Activities eligible to be funded
under the Nationwide Education Project must provide a centralized,
coordinated effort for the development and implementation of a fair
housing media campaign designed to educate the public of their fair
housing rights. Applications must address at least one of the following
statutory objectives: demonstrated cooperation with real estate
industry organizations; and/or dissemination of educational information
and technical assistance to support compliance with the housing
adaptability and accessibility guidelines contained in the Fair Housing
Amendments Act of 1988. HUD encourages applicants to provide materials
developed under this program to housing counseling agencies and service
providers. HUD anticipates that products will be available in at least
3 languages other than English. Deliverables must include Public
Service Announcements (PSAs) for radio and television, and posters and
other graphic materials. Graphic materials may include, but are not
limited to, enlarged reproductions of several print public service
announcements, separately produced and printed posters for public
dissemination, and the development of ad slicks to market in newspapers
and magazines nationwide. The applicant should plan on using a clipping
service or other appropriate means to collect information on frequency
and scope of the placement of ads.
Applications must include development and dissemination of media
products in languages other than English and a discussion of the
applicant's and/or subcontractors' expertise in languages other than
English and in reaching the informational needs of such non-English
speaking audiences. Applicants should also utilize media targeted to
the outreach group, e.g., minority newspapers.
A minimum of $200,000 in the Nationwide Education Project must be
budgeted for activities and materials developed for future Fair Housing
Month activities, and budgets must clearly break out funds relating to
those activities that support conformity with this requirement.
(2) Community Tensions Project. Activities funded as a community
tensions project must be designed to meet the following objectives:
(a) Prevent the emergence of community tensions that may occur when
persons who are members of classes (race, color, religion, sex,
familial status, and disability) protected by the Fair Housing Act
exercise their right of equal housing opportunity and move into
communities where members of their protected class have not previously
lived or have been underrepresented, and
(b) Respond through interventions when such community tensions
emerge and create volatile situations which harm, or threaten to harm,
those who are exercising their rights to equal housing opportunity.
The applicant would be required to develop a menu of strategies
that communities can use to reduce or prevent tensions within a
community due to protected classes exercising their fair housing
choices and to increase the referral of individuals to file complaints
with HUD when they believe they have been victims of discriminatory
housing practices.
In its community response and preventive work, the applicant should
solicit participation from, and work with, a diverse group of local
organizations and community representatives (such as local elected
officials, schools, police departments, faith-based community groups,
civil rights organizations, community service organizations, FHAP
agencies). It is anticipated that the community response and preventive
work will implement some of the developed strategies and address not
only immediate problems or problems anticipated at that time, but also
the underlying issues which make the existence or prospect of community
tensions a long-term problem. While the application must be submitted
by a single entity, the application can propose a partnership of
multiple organizations, consisting of the applicant and its
subrecipients or subcontractors, in order to accomplish the objectives
of this project.
II. Program Requirements
In addition to the program requirements listed in the General
Section of this National SuperNOFA, grantees must meet the following
program requirements:
(A) Definitions
The additional definitions that apply to this program section of
the National SuperNOFA are as follows:
(1) Fair Housing Assistance Program (FHAP) Agencies means State and
local agencies funded by the Fair Housing Assistance Program (FHAP), as
described in 24 CFR 115.
(2) Fair housing enforcement organization (FHO) means an
organization engaged in fair housing activities as defined at 24 CFR
125.103.
(3) Qualified Fair Housing Enforcement Organization (QFHO) means an
organization engaged in fair housing activities as defined at 24 CFR
125.103.
(4) Traditional Civil Rights Organizations means private, non-
profit organizations or institutions and/or private entities that are
formulating or carrying out programs to prevent or
[[Page 23973]]
eliminate discriminatory housing practices and which have a history and
primary mission of engaging in programs designed to secure civil rights
protections for groups and individuals.
(B) Additional Requirements
The following requirements are applicable to all applications:
(1) All projects must address or have relevance to housing
discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, disability,
familial status, or national origin.
(2) Applications that request FHIP funding in excess of the award
cap will be ineligible.
(3) Projects aimed solely or primarily at research or dependent
upon such data gathering, including but not limited to surveys and
questionnaires, will not be eligible under this program section of the
National SuperNOFA.
(4) All proposals must contain a description of how the activities
or the final products of the projects can be used by other agencies and
organizations and what modifications, if any, would be necessary for
that purpose.
(5) Every Community Tensions Project application must include as
one of its activities a procedure for referring persons with fair
housing complaints to HUD for further enforcement processing. Every
Nationwide Education Project must propose to use HUD toll free Housing
Discrimination Hotline numbers for voice and TTY.
(6) In accordance with 24 CFR 125.104(f), no recipient of
assistance under the FHIP may use any funds provided by the Department
for the payment of expenses in connection with litigation against the
United States.
(7) Applicants Limited to a Single Award. Applicants may apply for
funding for more than one project or activity under one or more
Initiatives. However, applicants are limited to one award under this
program section of the National SuperNOFA. If more than one eligible
application is submitted by an applicant for the program section of the
National SuperNOFA and both are within funding range, the Department
will select the application which the applicant has indicated as its
preference for award.
(8) Independence of Applications. There are no limits on the number
of applications that can be submitted by a single applicant for this
National SuperNOFA. However, each project or activity proposed in an
application must be independent and capable of being implemented
without reliance on the selection of other applications submitted by
the applicant or other applicants. This provision does not preclude an
applicant from submitting a proposal which includes other organizations
as subcontractors to the proposed project or activity.
(9) Project Starting Period. The Department has determined that all
applications must propose that the project will begin immediately upon
issuance of an award.
(10) Page Limitation. Applicants will be limited to 10 pages of
narrative responses for each of the selection factors (this does not
include forms or documents which are required under each factor).
Brochures, news articles, PSAs, posters, and other materials submitted
to document capability will be considered in the evaluation process and
will not count towards the page limitation. Applicants that exceed the
10-page limit for each factor will only have the first 10 pages
evaluated for each factor. Failure to provide narrative responses to
all selection factors will result in an application being ineligible.
(11) Training. All applications must include a training set-aside
of $3,000 for single-year projects and $6,000 (total) for multi-year
projects in all project budgets. HUD will permit grantees to use these
funds to attend both HUD-sponsored and HUD-approved training.
(12) Accessibility Requirements.
All activities funded by FHIP must be accessible to persons with
disabilities and materials must be available in accessible formats.
III. Application Selection Process
(A) Rating and Ranking
(1) General. The selection process is structured to achieve the
objectives set forth in section I.(B) of this program section of the
National SuperNOFA. Awards will be made in rank order, except that the
additional procedures described below will be followed to make awards
out of rank order to achieve the goals outlined below.
Each application for funding will be evaluated competitively. Upon
receipt, the applications will be sorted into two categories: EOI-
Nationwide Education Project and EOI--Community Tensions Project. Then,
in each category, they will be awarded points and assigned a score
based on the Rating Factors identified in section III.(C) of the
General Section of the National SuperNOFA. After eligible applications
are evaluated against the factors for award and assigned a score, they
will be organized by rank order. Awards for each category listed above
will be funded in rank order until all available funds have been
obligated, or until there are no acceptable applications, with the
exception described in section III.(A)(2), immediately below. The final
decision rests with the Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal
Opportunity or designee.
(2) Tie breaking. When there is a tie in the overall total score
and insufficient funding is available to fund all applications with the
tied score, the award will be made to the applicant that has the higher
score under Rating Factor 3 (Soundness of Approach). If these
applications are equal in this respect, the application that receives a
total higher number of points under Rating Factor 1 (Capacity of the
Applicant and Relevant Organizational Experience) will receive the
award.
(3) Applicant Notification and Award Procedures.
(a) Notification. No information will be available to applicants
during the period of HUD evaluation, approximately 90 days, except for
notification in writing or by telephone to those applicants that are
determined to be ineligible or that have technical deficiencies in
their applications that may be corrected. Selectees will be announced
by HUD upon completion of the evaluation process, subject to final
negotiations and award.
(b) Negotiations. After HUD has ranked the applications and
provided notifications to applicants whose scores are within the
funding range, HUD will require that applicants in this group
participate in negotiations to determine the specific terms of the
cooperative agreement. HUD will follow the negotiation procedures
described in Section III.(D) of the General Section of this National
SuperNOFA.
(c) Funding Instrument. HUD expects to award a cost reimbursable
cooperative agreement to each successful applicant. HUD reserves the
right, however, to use the form of assistance agreement determined to
be most appropriate after negotiation with the applicant.
(d) Reduction of Requested Grant Amounts and Special Conditions. As
provided in Section III.(E) of the General Section of this National
SuperNOFA, HUD may approve an application for an amount lower than the
amount requested, fund only portions of an application, withhold funds
after approval, and/or require the grantee to comply with special
conditions added to the grant agreement.
(e) Performance Sanctions. A recipient failing to comply with the
procedures set forth in its grant agreement will be liable for such
sanctions as may be authorized by law, including repayment of
improperly used funds, termination of further
[[Page 23974]]
participation in the FHIP, and denial of further participation in
programs of the Department or of any Federal agency.
(B) Factors for Award Used To Evaluate and Rate Applications
The factors for rating and ranking applicants, and maximum points
for each factor, are provided in Section III.(C) of the General Section
of this National SuperNOFA.
IV. Application Submission Requirements
In addition to the forms, certifications and assurances listed in
Section II.(E) of the General Section of this National SuperNOFA, all
applications must, at a minimum, also contain the items listed in
Section IV. of the General Section.
V. Corrections to Deficient Applications
The General Section of this National SuperNOFA provides the
procedures for corrections to deficient applications.
VI. Environmental Requirements
In accordance with 24 CFR 50.19(b)(9) and (12) of the HUD
regulations, activities assisted under this program are categorically
excluded from the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act
of 1969 and are not subject to environmental review under the related
laws and authorities.
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Funding Availability for the National Housing Counseling Training
Program
Program Description: Approximately $550,000 in housing counseling
funds is available for the Housing Counseling Training (HCT) Program to
train housing counselors of local HUD-approved counseling agencies
nationwide. HUD's HCT Program will cover basic to advanced
comprehensive counseling.
Application Due Date: Completed applications must be received no
later than 12:00 midnight, Eastern time on July 7, 1998, at HUD
Headquarters. See the General Section of this National SuperNOFA for
specific procedures governing the form of application submission (e.g.,
mailed applications, express mail or overnight delivery, or hand
carried).
Address for Submitting Applications: Completed application (one
original and two copies) must be submitted to: The Director, Marketing
and Outreach Division, Office of Single Family Housing, Department of
Housing and Urban Development, 451 Seventh Street, SW, Room 9166,
Washington, DC 20410. When submitting your application, please refer to
the National Housing Counseling Training Program, and include your
name, mailing address (including zip code) and telephone number
(including area code).
For Application Kits, Further Information and Technical Assistance:
For Application Kits. For an application kit and supplemental
information, please call the SuperNOFA Information Center at 1-800-HUD-
8929. Persons with hearing or speech impairments may call the Center's
TTY number at 1-800-HUD-2209. The application kit also will be
available on the Internet through the HUD web site at http://
www.HUD.gov. When requesting an application kit, please refer to the
National Housing Counseling Training Program.
For Further Information and Technical Assistance. You may call the
Marketing and Outreach Division at HUD Headquarters at 202-708-0317.
Before the application deadline, HUD Headquarters staff will be
available to provide general guidance.
Additional Information
I. Authority; Purpose; Amount Allocated; and Eligibility
(A) Authority
HUD's Housing Counseling Program is authorized by section 106 of
the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968 (12 U.S.C. 1701x), and is
generally governed by HUD Handbook 7610.1, REV-4, dated August 9, 1995.
(B) Purpose
Section 106 of the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968
authorizes HUD to provide counseling and advice to tenants and
homeowners with respect to property maintenance, financial management,
and such other matters as may be appropriate to assist tenants and
homeowners in improving their housing conditions and meeting the
responsibilities of tenancy and homeownership.
This includes housing counseling training for housing counselors of
local HUD-approved counseling agencies nationwide to assure that the
counseling being provided is current and accurate. To achieve this
purpose, the training must include instructions to the housing
counselors on (1) how to conduct community outreach to potential first-
time homebuyers, and (2) how to provide counseling to individuals with
the objective of increasing awareness of homeownership opportunities
and improving access of low and moderate income households to sources
of mortgage credit. HUD believes that this training is key to providing
effective counseling which will support the revitalization and
stabilization of low income and minority neighborhoods.
In FY 1998, HUD is requiring applicants to include in their
proposed training, counseling for:
(1) First-time homebuyers by offering Homebuyer Education and
Learning Program (HELP) training sessions;
(2) Eligible persons 62 or older who desire to use the Home Equity
Conversion Mortgage (HECM) in order to convert their equity into a lump
sum payment or an income stream that can be used for such purposes as
home improvements, medical costs, and/or pay living expenses.
(3) Other homebuyers, homeowners and renters.
(C) Amount Allocated
Under this National SuperNOFA program, approximately $550,000 is
available for eligible non-profits or public entities to provide
technical training under the HUD Housing Counseling program, fundable
for a period from twelve (12) to eighteen (18) calendar months. This
funding is available from unused Housing Counseling funds appropriated
in FY 1997. The funding period may begin from the date that the award
is executed by HUD.
(D) Eligible Applicants
(1) Applicants must be public or private non-profit organizations
that are HUD-approved housing counseling agencies with at least 2 years
of relevant training experience. Applicants may propose to provide all,
or a portion of, the eligible activities specified in section I.(E) of
this program section of the National SuperNOFA, below.
(2) Number of Applicants To Be Selected. One or more training
applicants will be selected who are experienced in delivering housing
counseling training on a nationwide basis; receive a high score based
upon the Rating Factors in Section III.(C) of the General Section of
this National SuperNOFA; and satisfy all other criteria in this
National SuperNOFA. They include the following: a HUD-approved local
housing counseling agency; a HUD-approved national, regional, or multi-
state housing counseling intermediary, or affiliate; or, a State
housing finance agency, or affiliate.
(E) Eligible Activities
The applicant(s) funded under this National SuperNOFA program will
deliver comprehensive housing counseling training, or a portion of such
training, which may be conducted on-site, through satellite broadcast,
or by means of CD-ROM computer training software, to cover the
following components:
(1) Homebuyer Education Programs, including HUD's Homebuyer
Education and Learning Program (HELP) and similar programs may be used
in sessions that consist of approximately sixteen (16) hours of
training. Completion of the training may allow graduates to receive
first-time homebuyer incentives, such as the reduction in the FHA
insurance premium. Marketing and outreach personnel at each HUD
Homeownership Center will be available to assist agencies in this
endeavor.
(2) Pre-purchase Homeownership Counseling covering such issues as
purchase procedures, mortgage financing, down payment/closing cost fund
accumulation, accessibility requirements of the property, and if
appropriate, credit improvement, and debt consolidation.
(3) Post-purchase Counseling, including such issues as property
maintenance, and personal money management.
(4) Mortgage delinquency and default resolution counseling
including restructuring debt, arrangement of reinstatement plans, loan
forbearance, and loss mitigation.
(5) Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) counseling that assists
clients, who are 62 years old or older, with the complexity of
converting the equity in
[[Page 23978]]
their home to income that is used to pay such items as living expenses
or medical expenses.
(6) Loss Mitigation Counseling for clients who may be facing
default and foreclosure, and need mortgage default resolution and
foreclosure avoidance counseling.
(7) Outreach Initiatives including providing general information
about housing opportunities within the community and providing
appropriate information to persons with disabilities.
(8) Renter Assistance including information about rent subsidy
programs, rights and responsibilities of tenants, and lease and rental
agreements.
(9) Fair housing counseling that identifies rights, obligations and
requirements under the Fair Housing Act.
(F) Eligible Costs
In addition to the budget items required under the application
submission requirements in Section IV. of the General Section of this
National SuperNOFA, the following costs are eligible:
(1) Equipment Needed At Training. Training sites must have the
equipment necessary for conducting the training, such as overhead
projectors, and microphones. The training program must provide for
training sites, information services, and materials accessible to all
persons, including those with a wide range of disabilities. These costs
must be included in the budget submitted by applicants.
(2) Cost of Training Facilities. The cost is to be included in the
budget unless provided without charge by the hotels or other training
sites.
II. Program Requirements
In addition to the program requirements listed in the General
Section of this National SuperNOFA, grantees must meet the following
program requirements:
(A) Requirements Applicable to Religious Organizations.
Where the applicant is a religious organization, or a wholly
secular organization established by a primarily religious organization,
to provide training, the organization must undertake its
responsibilities under the counseling training program in accordance
with the following principles:
(1) It will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for
employment under the program on the basis of religion and will not
limit employment or give preference in employment to persons on the
basis of religion;
(2) It will not discriminate against any person applying for
counseling under the program on the basis of religion and will not
limit such assistance or give preference to persons on the basis of
religion; and
(3) It will provide no religious instruction or religious
counseling, conduct no religious services or worship, engage in no
religious proselytizing, and exert no other religious influence in the
provision of assistance under the Housing Counseling Program.
(B) On-Site Training
(1) Number of Training Sites. If applying for on-site training,
include the following locations: District of Columbia, San Francisco,
Atlanta, Chicago, and New Orleans.
(2) Number of Workshops at Each Site. There will be one to three
workshops at each site. Approximately 40 to 50 participants will attend
each workshop which will cover approximately from two to three days.
(3) Total Number of Participants. It is estimated that the total
number of participants will vary from an estimated 700 to 1000
participants.
(4) Eligible Participants. Housing counselors on the staff of local
HUD-approved housing counseling agencies may participate. At least one
housing counselor from each local HUD-approved counseling agency will
be invited to attend the training. In some instances, two participants
may participate in the workshop particularly where there is a high
turnover of housing counseling staff and an agency has recently become
HUD-approved. On a case by case basis, agencies applying for HUD-
approval may be authorized by the Government Technical Representative
(GTR) to send staff housing counselors to the workshop. There are
approximately 1250 HUD-approved local housing counseling agencies with
branch offices. One or more housing counselors from the staff of each
may be invited to attend the training.
(C) Reimbursement to Participants
Participants will not be reimbursed for their travel, hotel and
food costs by the grantee. There will be no charge to the participants
for attending the workshop, for the training manual and other materials
and handouts. However, the participants may be reimbursed for their
travel and/or hotel costs by their agencies.
(D) Applicants will use the HUD grant to undertake any of the
eligible housing counseling activities described in this National
Housing Counseling Training Program as included in their proposed
training activities. To the maximum extent possible, applicants may
provide in-kind contributions and seek other private and public sources
of funding for housing counseling training to supplement HUD funding.
(E) Training Manual
The selected grantee(s) will use existing materials from HUD and
other acceptable sources to prepare training materials. The grantee(s)
will be required to update this information and incorporate the updated
material within a training manual. HUD will print and distribute the
training manual to the training sites. In the case of CD-ROM training,
the training manual shall be incorporated on the CD-ROM. In the case of
satellite training, the training manual must be available in text
format via the Internet.
(1) Cost of Packaging, Reproducing, and Mailing to Training Sites.
These costs will be borne by HUD outside of the grant amount.
(2) Use of Color or Black and White for Training Manual. There will
be several programs included in the training manual, including,
Comprehensive Housing Counseling, Risk Loss Mitigation Counseling, and
Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) Counseling. The training manual
must separate sections of the manual to allow trainees to easily
identify each section.
(F) Training Level
The training to be provided under this program is designated
``Basic to Advanced.'' It will include participants from beginners to
experienced.
(G) Training Content
Training will include housing counseling basics: initial interview;
intake and family history; recordkeeping; how to write-up a case; use
of the computer; referrals and follow-ups; and reporting, such as form
HUD-9902; and Housing Counseling Agency Fiscal Year Activity Report.
Intermediate and advanced training will include complex problem solving
covering the counseling components.
(H) In-kind Contributions
Applicant may provide such benefits.
III. Application Selection Process
(A) General
Applications will be evaluated competitively, and ranked against
all other applicants that have applied for the HCT program. However,
after
[[Page 23979]]
selection, the actual amount funded is subject to negotiation and
adjustment as described in the General Section of this National
SuperNOFA.
(B) Factors for Award Used To Evaluate and Rate Applications
The factors for rating and ranking applicants, and maximum points
for each factor, are provided in Section III.(C) of the General Section
of this National SuperNOFA.
IV. Application Submission Requirements
In addition to the forms, certifications and assurances listed in
Section II.(E) of the General Section, all applications must, at a
minimum, also contain the items listed in Section IV of the General
Section.V. Corrections to Deficient Applications.
The General Section of this National SuperNOFA provides the
procedures for corrections to deficient applications.
VI. Environmental Requirements
In accordance with 24 CFR 50.19(b)(9) of the HUD regulations,
activities assisted under this program are categorically excluded from
the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act and are not
subject to environmental review under the related laws and authorities.
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Funding Availability for the National Lead Hazard Awareness
Campaign
Program Description: Approximately $1,000,000 is available to fund
this grant program for a national media campaign to market ``The
Campaign for a Lead-Safe America,'' as well as increase overall lead
awareness on a national scale. Efforts must include developing and
marketing several public service announcements, assisting activities
funded under the Local Lead Hazard Awareness Campaign grant to develop
the infrastructure needed to implement media strategies to successfully
market ``The Campaign for A Lead-Safe America,'' as well as identifying
and implementing media strategies to use print, radio and television to
increase awareness about the dangers of lead-based paint nationally. Up
to $1 million will be awarded on a competitive basis to eligible
organizations with grant awards ranging between $50,000-$1 million.
Application Due Date: Completed applications must be submitted no
later than 12:00 midnight, Eastern time on July 7, 1998, at the address
shown below. HUD reserves the right to republish this program section
of the National SuperNOFA and announce additional due dates, or to make
no awards at all, if proposals are deficient.
Address for Submitting Applications: Completed applications (one
original and two copies) must be submitted to: U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development, Office of Lead Hazard Control, 451 7th
Street, SW, B-133, Washington, DC 20410, by mail or hand delivery. When
submitting your application, please refer to the National Lead Hazard
Awareness Campaign, and include your name, mailing address (including
zip code) and telephone number (including area code).
For Application Kits, Further Information, and Technical
Assistance: For Application Kits. For an application kit and
supplemental information please call the HUD SuperNOFA Information
Clearinghouse at 1-800-HUD-8929. Persons with hearing or speech
impairments may call the Center's TTY at 1-800-HUD-2209. The
application kit also will be available on the Internet at: http://
www.HUD.gov. When requesting an application kit, please refer to
National Lead Hazard Awareness Campaign grant, and provide your name,
address (including zip code), and telephone number (including area
code).
For Further Information and Technical Assistance. Dolline Hatchett,
Community Outreach Officer, Office of Lead Hazard Control, 202-755-
1785, extension 114 (this is not a toll-free number).
Additional Information
I. Authority; Purpose; Amount Allocated; and Eligibility
(A) Authority
The National Lead Hazard Awareness Campaign is authorized under
Title X, The Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act of 1992
of the Housing and Community Development Act 1992, Pub.L. 102-550,
section 1011(g)(1).
(B) Purpose
The Federal government has launched a national public education and
outreach campaign to protect America's children from the health hazards
of lead-based paint. The Campaign for a Lead-Safe America was announced
by Mrs. Tipper Gore, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency at a White
House press conference on November 17, 1997. The National Lead Hazard
Awareness Campaign funding under this program section of the National
SuperNOFA will be awarded to conduct a national media campaign to
market ``The Campaign for a Lead-Safe America''; increase lead hazard
awareness through the use of radio, newspaper, and television public
service announcements; and identify and maximize opportunities to raise
visibility of the lead hazard issue among the general public.
In keeping with the announced public awareness campaign, the
Department has developed partnerships with major national hardware
retailers to display posters in their paint sections and to otherwise
educate consumers about lead hazards. Public service advertisements
have also been developed for various publications throughout the
nation. In addition, Mrs. Tipper Gore has taped two video public
service announcements for the Department to use as part of the Campaign
for A Lead-Safe America under the slogan, ``Take the Lead on Lead.''
The purpose of the campaign is: (1) to identify and maximize
opportunities to raise visibility of the lead issue among the general
public, and invigorate the efforts in both the public and private
sectors to help eradicate the problem, and (2) to increase lead hazard
awareness through education and outreach activities to specific high
risk communities, and other identified audiences such as parents,
caretakers, pediatricians, children, pregnant women, building owners,
and renovation and maintenance personnel.
(C) Amount Allocated
Up to $1 million will be made available on a competitive basis to
eligible organizations with grant awards ranging between $50,000--$1
million. The funding selections will be based on the Rating Factors
described in the General Section of the National SuperNOFA. The amounts
included in this program section of the National SuperNOFA are subject
to change based on funds availability.
(D) Eligible Applicants
The types of organizations listed below are eligible to receive
funding under this program section of the National SuperNOFA.
Partnerships are encouraged, although the application must be made by a
single entity.
(a) Public Relation Firms (PRFs)--For profit firms may not include
a fee or profit in their budget or costs;
(b) Marketing/Advertising Companies (MACs); and
(c) Non-profit organizations--must submit proof of non-profit
status.
(E) Eligible Activities
Eligible activities to be funded under this program section of the
National SuperNOFA shall include but not be limited to developing and
conducting a national media campaign to increase lead awareness on a
national scale to market ``The Campaign for A Lead-Safe America.''
Activities must also work cooperatively with those funded under the
Local Lead Hazard Awareness Campaign NOFA to assist in the development
of the infrastructure needed to implement media strategies to
successfully market ``The Campaign for A Lead-Safe America,'' as well
as conduct public education and outreach for lead awareness in specific
localities. In addition, applicants are encouraged to focus on
innovative methods of marketing several public service announcements,
and using well-known public figures as spokespersons for the campaign,
as well as identifying and implementing media strategies using print,
radio and television to increase awareness about the dangers of lead-
based paint nationally. Eligible activities will also include work with
major national hardware retailers to identify and coordinate
opportunities to increase lead awareness among consumers. Activities
may also include the preparation of additional graphics needed to
maintain store inventories of lead related posters and educational
information. Graphic materials may include, but are not limited to,
enlarged reproductions of several print public service announcements,
separately
[[Page 23984]]
produced and printed posters for public dissemination, and the
development of ad slicks to market in newspapers and magazines
nationwide. The applicant should plan on using a clipping service or
other appropriate means to collect information on frequency and scope
of the placement of ads. Applications which include development and
dissemination of media products in languages other than English must
include a discussion of the applicant's and/or subcontractors'
expertise in languages other than English and in reaching the
informational needs of such non-English speaking audiences. Applicants
should also utilize minority media in an effort to achieve diversity in
its outreach efforts.
The performance measures and deliverables will be negotiated
between the grantee and HUD as part of the executed grant agreement and
will be based upon the applicant's proposal.
II. Program Requirements
In addition to the program requirements listed in the General
Section of this National SuperNOFA, grantees must meet the following
program requirements:
(A) Applicants Limited to a Single Award
Applicants are limited to one FY 1998 award under this program. If
more than one eligible application is submitted by an applicant and
both have an adequate score, the Department will select the application
which the applicant has indicated as its preference for award.
(B) Independence of Applications
There are no limits on the number of applications that can be
submitted by a single applicant. However, each application must be
independent and capable of being implemented without reliance on the
selection of other applications submitted by the applicant or other
applicants. This provision does not preclude an applicant from
submitting a proposal which includes other organizations as
subcontractors to the proposed project or activity.
(C) Project Starting Period
The period of performance will be up to 2 years. The applicant must
be able to commence work immediately.
(D) Page Limitation
Applicants will be limited to 10 pages of narrative responses for
each of the rating factors for a total of no more than 50 pages (this
does not include forms or documents which are required under each
factor). Items such as brochures and news articles or similar items
included in the application will be considered in the evaluation
process and will not count towards the page limitation. Applicants that
exceed the 10-page limit for each factor will only have the first 10
pages evaluated for each factor. Failure to provide narrative responses
to all selection criteria will result in an application being
ineligible.
(E) Payment Contingent on Completion
Payment to grantees will be contingent on the satisfactory
completion of each project activity.
(F) Accessibility Requirements
All activities and materials funded by the grant must be accessible
to persons with disabilities.
(G) Type of Award
HUD reserves the right to award a cooperative agreement that is
cost reimbursable or fixed price.
(H) Funding Requests
Applications that request funding in excess of the stated maximum
award will be ineligible.
(I) Ineligible Projects
Projects aimed primarily at research or data gathering, including
but not limited to surveys and questionnaires, will not be eligible
under this program section of the National SuperNOFA.
(J) Interagency Cooperation and Coordination
All proposals must contain a description of how the activities or
the final products of the projects can be used by other agencies and
organizations and what modifications, if any, are needed to achieve
that purpose.
(K) Minimum Application Score
In order to be funded applicants must have a score of 80 points or
better. If applicants score less than 80 points, they may apply again
later under the republished program section of this National SuperNOFA,
if funds remain available. Not all applicants with scores above 80 will
necessarily receive awards.
(L) Definitions
The definitions that apply to this program section of the National
SuperNOFA are as follows:
High Risk Communities refers to communities which consist of
housing built before 1978.
Media/Advertising Companies (MACs) means private companies that
develop, advertise and market ideas using media strategies to increase
awareness and better understanding about a product, method, idea, or
campaign.
Public Relations Firms (PRFs) means private organizations that
develop and implement public awareness methods by using print,
broadcast and electronic media, or other communication tools to
influence public opinion.
III. Application Selection Process
(A) Rating and Ranking
(1) General. The selection process is structured to achieve the
purpose set forth in Section I(B) of this program section of the
National SuperNOFA. Awards will be made in rank order.
Each application for funding will be evaluated competitively, and
the applicant will be assigned a score based on the Rating Factors used
to evaluate and rate applications identified in Section III.(C) of the
General Section of this National SuperNOFA. After eligible applications
are evaluated based upon the factors for award and assigned a score,
they will be organized by rank order.
(2) Tie breaking. When there is a tie in the overall total score
and insufficient funding is available to fund all applications with the
tied score, the the award will be made to the applicant that has the
higher score under Rating Factor 3 (Soundness of Approach). If these
applications are equal in this respect, the application that receives a
total higher number of points under Rating Factor 1 (Capacity of the
Applicant and Relevant Organizational Experience) will receive the
award.
(B) Factors For Award Used To Evaluate and Rate National Lead
Hazard Awareness Campaign
The factors for rating and ranking applicants, and maximum points
for each factor, are provided in Section III.(C) of the General Section
of this National SuperNOFA.
(C) Applicant Notification and Award Procedures
(1) Notification. No information will be available to applicants
during the period of HUD evaluation of proposals, which is
approximately 90 days, except for HUD notification in writing or by
telephone to those applicants that are determined to be ineligible or
that have technical deficiencies in their applications that may be
corrected. Selectees will be announced by HUD upon completion of the
evaluation process, subject to final negotiations and award.
(2) Funding Instrument. HUD expects to award a fixed price or cost
reimbursable cooperative agreement to each successful applicant. HUD
reserves
[[Page 23985]]
the right, however, to use the form of assistance determined to be most
appropriate after negotiation with the applicant.
(3) Performance Sanctions. A recipient failing to comply with the
procedures set forth in its grant agreement will be liable for such
sanctions as may be authorized by law, including repayment of
improperly used funds, termination of further participation in the
program, and denial of further participation in programs of the
Department or of any Federal agency.
IV. Application Submission Requirements
In addition to the forms, certifications and assurances listed in
Section II.(E) of the General Section, all applications must, at a
minimum, also contain the items listed in Section IV of the General
Section.
V. Corrections to Deficient Applications
The General Section of this National SuperNOFA provides the
procedures for corrections to deficient applications.
VI. Environmental Requirements
In accordance with 24 CFR 50.19(b)(2), (9) and (12) of the HUD
regulations, the assistance provided under this program relates only to
information services, technical assistance and supportive services and
therefore is categorically excluded from the requirements of the
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and is not subject to
environmental review under the related laws and authorities. This
determination is based on the ineligibility of real property
acquisition, construction, rehabilitation, conversion, leasing or
repair for HUD assistance under this program.
[FR Doc. 98-11388 Filed 4-29-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210-32-P
