[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 144 (Monday, July 28, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40366-40369]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-19711]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Health Resources and Services Administration
Federal Set-Aside Program; Special Projects of Regional and
National Significance; Girl Neighborhood Power Cooperative Agreements
AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).
ACTION: Notice of availability of funds.
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SUMMARY: The HRSA announces that approximately $1.0 million in fiscal
year (FY) 1997 funds is available for five cooperative agreements: one
National Consortium of Girl Neighborhood Power Partners and four
Community-Based Girl Neighborhood Power Partners Programs. All awards
will be made under the program authority of section 502(a) of the
Social Security Act, the MCH Federal Set-Aside Program. The Girl
Neighborhood Power (GNP) Program will be administered through HHS
intra-agency agreements as a Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Special
Project of Regional and National Significance (SPRANS) initiative.
Awards will be made for 5-year periods. Funds for GNP cooperative
agreements are appropriated by Public Law 104-208. Within the HRSA,
SPRANS awards are administered by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau
(MCHB).
The Public Health Service (PHS) is committed to achieving the
health promotion and disease prevention objectives of Healthy People
2000, a PHS-led national activity for setting priority areas. The MCH
Block Grant Federal Set-Aside Program addresses issues related to the
Healthy People 2000 objectives of improving maternal, infant, child and
adolescent health and developing service systems for children with
special health care needs. Potential applicants may obtain a copy of
Healthy People 2000 (Full Report: Stock No. 017-001-00474-0) or Healthy
People 2000 (Summary Report: Stock No. 017-001-00473-1) through the
Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, DC
20402-9325 (telephone: 202-512-1800).
The PHS strongly encourages all grant recipients to provide a
smoke-free workplace and promote the non-use of all tobacco products.
In addition, Public Law 103-227, the Pro-Children Act of 1994,
prohibits smoking in certain facilities (or in some cases, any portion
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of a facility) in which regular or routine education, library, day
care, health care or early childhood development services are provided
to children.
ADDRESSES: Federal Register notices and application guidance for MCHB
programs are available on the World Wide Web via the Internet at
address: http://www.os.dhhs.gov/hrsa/mchb. Click on the file name you
want to download to your computer. It will be saved as a self-
extracting (Macintosh or WordPerfect 5.1) file.
To decompress the file once it is downloaded, type in the file name
followed by a . The file will expand to a WordPerfect 5.1 file.
For applicants for GNP cooperative agreements who are unable to
access application materials electronically, a hard copy (Revised PHS
form 5161-1, approved under OMB clearance number 0937-0189) may be
obtained from the HRSA Grants Application Center. Requests should
specify the category or categories of activities for which an
application is requested so that the appropriate forms, information and
materials may be provided. The Center may be contacted by: Telephone
Number: 1-888-300-HRSA, FAX Number: 301-309-0579, E-mail Address:
[email protected] Completed applications should be returned to:
Grants Management Officer (CFDA #93.110X), HRSA Grants Application
Center, 40 West Gude Drive, Suite 100, Rockville, Maryland 20850.
DATES: The application deadline date is August 26, 1997. Applications
will be considered to have met the deadline if they are either: (1)
Received on or before the deadline date, or (2) postmarked on or before
the deadline date and received in time for orderly processing.
Applicants should request a legibly dated receipt from a commercial
carrier or the U.S. Postal Service, or obtain a legibly dated U.S.
Postal Service postmark. Private metered postmarks will not be accepted
as proof of timely mailing. Late applications will be returned to the
applicant.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for technical or programmatic
information should be directed to: Trina Menden Anglin, M.D., Ph.D.,
Maternal and Child Health Bureau, HRSA, Parklawn Building, Room 18A-39,
5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857, telephone: 301-443-5599.
Requests for information concerning business management issues should
be directed to: Sandra Perry, Grants Management Officer (GMO), Maternal
and Child Health Bureau, 5600 Fishers Lane, Room 18-12, Rockville,
Maryland 20857, telephone: 301-443-1440.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Program Background and Objectives
Girl Neighborhood Power!: Building Bright Futures for Success is a
collaborative, multi-phase, effort by the Department of Health and
Human Services (HHS) and America's communities to help encourage and
empower 9 to 14 year-old girls to make the most of their lives. As part
of the Secretary's Girl Power Campaign and the Administration's
strategy to prevent teen pregnancy, and as a response to the
President's charge to promote volunteerism and forge coalitions for
America's children, the Secretary of HHS is challenging America's
communities to become active partners in assisting 9 to 14 year-old
girls to successfully navigate adolescence by: Rejecting tobacco,
alcohol, and illicit drugs; and embracing physical activity, nutrition,
abstinence, education, mental health, social development, and strong
futures. Major objectives of GNP include: To give girls the information
and clear messages they need to stay away from risky behaviors, to
avoid teen pregnancy and to make responsible decisions about their
lives; help support and guide parents, peers, siblings, neighbors, and
other adults involved with the lives of America's girls; and teach
skills that build confidence for girls and help them develop and
sustain a broad range of interests in academics, arts, sports, music,
volunteerism, and other positive activities that help build healthy
girls and communities.
The GNP program addresses the unique needs, interests, and
challenges faced by 9 to 14 year-old girls. The initiative takes a
comprehensive approach by looking at the many challenges girls face and
addressing them not only with targeted health messages about behaviors
they should avoid, but also by giving them positive messages,
meaningful opportunities, and skills to move through adolescence and
build healthy futures. To accomplish this, the initiative will build
strong partnerships that galvanize parents, schools, communities,
religious organizations, media, health providers, businesses, local
governments, and other caring adults. It will also challenge Americans
to organize both at the national level and in local neighborhoods.
The GNP initiative will support challenge grants and create ``power
partners'' who will enter into cooperative efforts with public, private
and community organizations that have a demonstrated commitment to:
contributing to strengthening career and family roles; providing
opportunities for community service; fostering access to diverse
communities; including participants in the planning and implementation
of efforts; and involving key leaders who are in a position to make a
difference in effecting positive change.
Challenge grants will take the form of cooperative agreements to
support special projects that: Plan and implement innovative and cost-
effective approaches for directing resources to promote community-
defined preventive health, educational, social, and developmental
objectives; foster and promote cooperation among volunteers, community
organizations, individuals, agencies, businesses, and families; and
build community and statewide partnerships among volunteers,
professionals in health, education, social services, government, and
business to achieve self-sustaining programs. Within the broad scope of
improving the well-being of girls and their families, a multitude of
project foci may be acceptable. It is expected that the issues to be
addressed as well as the specific approaches to be used will be
selected by the applicant. However, each grantee will be expected to
support at least four neighborhood programs for girls.
Eligible Applicants
Any public or private entity, including an Indian tribe or tribal
organization (as defined at 25 U.S.C. 450(b), is eligible to apply for
cooperative agreements covered by this announcement.
Funding
Two categories of GNP special projects are open for competition in
FY 1997: (1) One cooperative agreement for a National Consortium of
Girl Neighborhood Power Partners; and (2) four cooperative agreements
for Community-Based Girl Neighborhood Power Partners projects. Awards
will be made for 5-year periods.
No first-year award in either category requires grantee matching.
In the second through the fifth years Community-Based Girl Neighborhood
Power Partners Project grantees will be required to provide matching
equal to 25 percent, 50 percent, 75 percent and 100 percent,
respectively, of the amount of the federal grant in order to
demonstrate sustainability of project effort.
It is anticipated that substantial Federal programmatic involvement
will be required in these cooperative
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agreements. This means that after award, awarding office staff provide
technical assistance and guidance to, or coordinate and participate in,
certain programmatic activities of award recipients beyond their normal
stewardship responsibilities in the administration of grants. Federal
involvement may include, but is not limited to, planning, guidance,
coordination and participation in programmatic activities. Periodic
meetings, conferences, and/or communications with the award recipient
are held to review mutually agreed upon goals and objectives and to
assess progress. Details on the scope of Federal programmatic
involvement in cooperative agreements included in this Notice,
consistent with HRSA grants administration policy, are included in the
application kit for each cooperative agreement category.
Category 1: National Consortium of Girl Neighborhood Power Partners
Narrative Description of this Competition: The purpose of
this cooperative agreement is to assemble Federal, State, and local
governments, professional organizations, social and religious
institutions, schools and universities, community groups, foundations,
media, corporate leaders, families, and young people as an ongoing
``national neighborhood caucus.'' The mission of this body is to
provide overall direction and galvanize a national commitment to the
initiative. Participants will collaborate, share knowledge and
expertise, serve as advisors to the Community-based Girl Neighborhood
Power Partners Projects, and secure resources sufficient to plan,
organize, implement, staff, and otherwise support the consortium,
establish a framework for mutual problem solving, and attain program
goals.
Estimated Amount of this Competition: $200,000.
Number of Expected Awards: 1.
Funding Priorities and/or Preferences: Preference for
funding will be given to a single national nonprofit organization or a
coalition of organizations with a history of service to young people,
particularly girls 9 to 14 years of age.
Evaluation Criteria: See Criteria for Review; applications
will be reviewed, in addition, on the basis of the extent to which: (a)
The project will contribute to the improvement to the health,
education, and well being of 9 to 14 year old girls; and (b) the
project is responsive to HHS policy concerns applicable to the GNP
program.
Category 2: Community-Based Girl Neighborhood Power Partners Projects
Narrative Description of this Competition: The purpose of
these projects is to combine public and private resources at the
community level to implement neighborhood efforts addressing the
health, education, and psychosocial needs of girls 9 to 14 years of
age. These local efforts will include community service and at least
two of the following additional program elements: mentoring; before/
after school activities; health education; and career development.
Projects are challenged to achieve a lasting and sustained investment
by enabling communities to use existing resources, including,
volunteers, in a collaborative and mutually supportive way.
Estimated Amount of this Competition: $800,000.
Number of Expected Awards: 4.
Funding Priorities and/or Preferences: Priority for
funding in this category, in the form of a 1.0 point favorable
adjustment in the priority score in a 4.0 point range, will be given to
projects serving low income communities. An additional 0.5 point
favorable adjustment will be given to projects serving any federally
designated Empowerment Zone or Enterprise Community area and
coordinating with the local Empowerment Zone or Enterprise Community
lead entity organization. (A list of the Empowerment Zone and
Enterprise Community sites will be included with the program guidance.)
In addition, preference for funding will be given to national/regional/
local, nonprofit organizations, with a successful history of both
service to young people, particularly girls 9 to 14 years of age, and
local community presence and commitment.
Evaluation Criteria: See Criteria for Review; applications
will be reviewed, in addition, on the basis of the extent to which: (a)
The project will contribute to the improvement to the health,
education, and well being of 9 to 14 year old girls; (b) the project is
responsive to the mission of the GNP program; and (c) the project will
be integrated with the administration of other federal community grants
in addition to the MCH Block Grant, State primary care plans, public
health, and prevention programs, ACF's Community Schools programs, the
Empowerment Zone and Enterprise Community Initiative and other related
programs in the respective communities.
Special Concerns
HRSA places special emphasis on improving service delivery to
women, children and youth from communities with limited access to
comprehensive care. To assure access and cultural competence, projects
will involve individuals from the populations to be served in the
planning and implementation of the project. The intent is to ensure
that the broadest possible representation of culturally distinct and
historically under-represented groups is assured through programs and
projects sponsored by the MCHB. This same emphasis applies to improving
service delivery to children with special health care needs.
Evaluation Protocol
All SPRANS projects, including any project awarded as part of the
GNP initiative, are expected to incorporate a carefully designed
protocol capable of documenting measurable progress toward achieving
the project's stated goals. The protocol should be based on a clear
rationale relating the grant activities, the project goals, and the
evaluation measures. The measurements of progress toward goals should
focus on health outcome indicators, rather than on intermediate
measures such as process or outputs. A project lacking a complete and
well-conceived evaluation protocol may not be funded.
Data Reporting Requirements
All SPRANS grantees are required to report annually to HHS (under
OMB No. 0915-0169) the number of persons served or trained (by race and
ethnicity), evaluations performed, Healthy People 2000 Objectives
addressed, and related information. Data forms for this purpose are
sent to all grantees during the first grant year, and annually
thereafter.
Project Review and Funding
The GNP special projects will be administered as SPRANS cooperative
agreements under the MCH Block Grant's SPRANS authority. Program
policy, grantee selection, program oversight, and evaluation will be
carried out by MCHB/HRSA with full participation by the following HHS
agencies: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
(OS); Office of Public Health and Science (OS); Office of Population
Affairs (OS); Office on Women's Health (OS); Administration on Children
and Families; Bureau of Primary Health Care (HRSA); National Center for
Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (CDC); National
Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NIH); and the Health
Care Financing Administration.
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Criteria for Review
The criteria which follow are used, as pertinent, to review and
evaluate applications for awarding all SPRANS grants and cooperative
agreements. Further guidance regarding review criteria specific to the
GNP program is supplied in application materials, which will specify
final criteria.
--The quality of the project plan or methodology.
--The extent to which the project will contribute to the advancement of
maternal and child health and/or improvement of the health of children
with special health care needs.
--The extent to which the project is responsive to policy concerns
applicable to MCH grants and to program objectives, requirements,
priorities and/or review criteria for specific project categories, as
published in program announcements or guidance materials.
--The extent to which the estimated cost to the Government of the
project is reasonable, considering the anticipated results.
--The extent to which the project personnel are well qualified by
training and/or experience for their roles in the project and the
applicant organization has adequate facilities and personnel.
--The extent to which, insofar as practicable, the proposed activities,
if well executed, are capable of attaining project objectives.
--The adherence of the project's evaluation plans to the requirements
of the Evaluation Protocol.
--The extent to which the project will be integrated with the
administration of the Maternal and Child Health Services block grants,
State primary care plans, public health and prevention programs, State
and local Medicaid agencies, and other related programs in the
respective State(s).
--The extent to which the application is responsive to the special
concerns and program priorities specified in this notice.
Public Health System Reporting Requirements
This program is subject to the Public Health System Reporting
Requirements (approved under OMB No. 0937-0195). Under these
requirements, the community-based nongovernmental applicant must
prepare and submit a Public Health System Impact Statement (PHSIS). The
PHSIS is intended to provide information to State and local health
officials to keep them apprised of proposed health services grant
applications submitted by community-based nongovernmental organizations
within their jurisdictions.
Community-based nongovernmental applicants are required to submit
the following information to the head of the appropriate State and
local health agencies in the area(s) to be impacted no later than the
Federal application receipt due date:
(a) A copy of the face page of the application (PHS 5161-1).
(b) A summary of the project (PHSIS), not to exceed one page, which
provides:
(1) A description of the population to be served.
(2) A summary of the services to be provided.
(3) A description of the coordination planned with the appropriate
State and local health agencies.
Executive Order 12372
The MCH Federal set-aside program has been determined to be a
program which is not subject to the provisions of Executive Order 12372
concerning intergovernmental review of Federal programs. The OMB
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance number is 93.110X.
Dated: July 22, 1997.
Claude Earl Fox,
Acting Administrator.
[FR Doc. 97-19711 Filed 7-25-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-15-P
