03-15514. Announcement of Anticipated Availability of Funds for Family Planning Services Grants

AGENCY:

Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Secretary, Office of Public Health and Science, Office of Population Affairs.

ACTION:

Notice.

Authority: Section 1001 of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act.

Executive Summary: The Office of Population Affairs (OPA) announces the anticipated availability of funds for Fiscal Year (FY) 2004 family planning services grants under the authority of title X of the Public Health Service Act and solicits applications for competing grant awards to serve the areas and/or populations listed in Table I. Only applications which propose to serve the populations and/or areas listed in Table I will be accepted for review and possible funding.

DATES:

Application and funding dates vary. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION below.

ADDRESSES:

Application kits may be requested from, and applications submitted to the Office of Public Health and Science (OPHS) Grants Management Office, 1101 Wootton Parkway, Suite 550, Rockville, MD 20852, 301-594-0758. Application kits are also available online at the Office of Population Affairs Web site at http://opa.osophs.dhhs.gov, or by FAX at 301-594-9399.

CFDA: A description of title X Family Planning Services Program can be found at OMB Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 93.217.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title X of the Public Health Service Act, 42 U.S.C. 300, et seq., authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants for projects to provide family planning services to persons from low-income families and others. Section 1001 of the Act, as amended, authorizes grants “to assist in the establishment and operation of voluntary family planning projects which shall offer a broad range of acceptable and effective family planning methods and services (including natural family planning methods, infertility services, and services for adolescents).” The title X Regulations, 42 CFR 59.1, further stipulate that “These projects shall consist of the educational, comprehensive medical, and social services necessary to aid individuals to determine freely the number and spacing of their children.” The broad range of services should include education to encourage abstinence outside a mutually monogamous marriage or union. Section 1001 of the statute also requires that, to the extent practicable, title X service providers shall encourage family participation in family planning services projects.

Section 1008 of the Act, as amended, stipulates that “none of the funds appropriated under this title shall be used in programs where abortion is a method of family planning.”

I. Funding Opportunity Description

This announcement seeks applications from public and non-profit private entities to establish and operate voluntary family planning services projects, which shall provide family planning services to all persons desiring such services. Family planning services include clinical family planning and related preventive health services; information, education, and counseling related to family planning, including abstinence education; and referral services as indicated. Requirements regarding the provision of family planning services under title X can be found in the title X statute, the implementing regulations which govern project grants for family planning services (42 CFR part 59, subpart A), and the “Program Guidelines for Project Grants for Family Planning Services,” published in January 2001. Copies of the title X statute, regulations, and Program Guidelines may be obtained by contacting the Office of Public Health and Science (OPHS) Grants Management Office, or downloaded from the Office of Population Affairs Web site at http://opa.osophs.dhhs.gov. All title X requirements—including those derived from the statute, the regulations, and the Program Guidelines—apply to all activities funded under this announcement. For example, projects must meet the regulatory requirements set out at 42 CFR 59.5 regarding charges to clients, and the funding criteria set out at 42 CFR 59.7 apply to all applicants under this announcement.

II. Award Information

The anticipated FY 2004 appropriation for the title X Family Planning program is approximately $265 million. Of this amount, OPA intends to make available approximately $49 million for competing grant awards in approximately 24 states, populations, and/or areas. (See Table I for competing areas and approximate amount of awards). The remaining funds will be used for continued support of grants and activities which are not competitive in FY 2004. This program announcement is subject to the appropriation of funds and is a contingency action taken to ensure that, should funds become available for this purpose, applications can be processed in an orderly manner, and funds can be awarded in a timely fashion. Grants will be funded in annual increments (budget periods) and are generally approved for a project period of three to five years. Funding for all approved budget periods beyond the first year of the grant is contingent upon the availability of funds, satisfactory progress of the project, and adequate stewardship of Federal funds.

Cost Sharing: Program regulations at 42 CFR 59.7(b) state that “No grant may be made for less than 90 percent of the project's costs, as so estimated, unless the grant is to be made for a project that was supported, under section 1001, for less than 90 percent of its costs in fiscal year 1975. In that case, the grant shall not be for less than the percentage of costs covered by the grant in fiscal year 1975.” Furthermore, § 59.7(c) stipulates that “No grant may be made for an amount equal to 100 percent for the project's estimated costs.”

III. Eligibility Information

Any public or nonprofit private entity located in a State (which includes one of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Guam, Republic of Palau, Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands) is eligible to apply for a grant under this announcement. Faith-based organizations are eligible to apply for these title X family planning services grants.

Awards will be made only to those organizations or agencies which have met all applicable requirements and which demonstrate the capability of providing the proposed services.

IV. Application and Submission Information

Content and Form of Application Submission

Applications must be submitted on the Form OPHS-1 (Revised 6/01) and in the manner prescribed in the application kit. Applications should be limited to 60 double-spaced pages, not including appendices, using an easily readable serif typeface, such as Times Roman, Courier, or GC Times. All pages, charts, figures and tables should be numbered. Appendices may provide curriculum vitae, organizational structure, examples of organizational capabilities, or other supplemental information which supports the application. However, appendices are for supportive information only. All information that is critical to the proposed project should be included in the body of the application. Appendices should be clearly labeled.

Applications must include a one-page abstract of the proposed project. The abstract will be used to provide reviewers with an overview of the application, and will form the basis for the application summary in grants management documents.

Applicants are required to submit an original and two copies of the application. The original application must be signed by an individual authorized to act for the applicant agency or organization and to assume for the organization the obligations imposed by the terms and conditions of the grant award.

Submission Dates

Competing grant applications are invited for the following areas (please note, in order to maximize access to family planning services, one or more grants may be awarded for each area listed):

Table I

States/Populations/Areas to be served	Approximate funding available	Application due date	Approx. grant funding date
Region I:
Massachusetts-Central/Southeast	$1,468,500	09-01-03	01-01-04
Connecticut	1,793,300	09-01-03	01-01-04
Vermont	655,1000	09-01-03	01-01-04
Maine	1,368,300	09-01-03	01-01-04
Region II: Virgin Islands	719,300	05-30-04	09-30-04
Region III: No competitive grants in 2004
Region IV:
Florida, Miami, Dade County and Florida Keys	525,300	05-30-04	09-30-04
Florida, Greater Orlando area (including Orange, Seminole, Osceola and Lake Counties)	525,300	05-30-04	09-30-04
Region V:
Illinois	7,599,000	09-01-03	01-01-04
Wisconsin	3,233,900	11-01-03	03-01-04
Michigan	6,916,100	12-01-03	04-01-04
Ohio	2,056,500	12-01-03	04-01-04
Illinois—Chicago Area	200,250	05-30-04	09-30-04
Region VI:
Texas	11,074,000	12-01-03	04-01-04
Region VII: No competitive grants in 2004
Region VIII:
Colorado	2,887,200	09-01-03	01-01-04
North Dakota	807,000	03-01-04	07-01-04
Utah	1,084,000	03-01-04	07-01-04
Region IX:
Northern Mariana Islands	115,400	09-01-03	01-01-04
Arizona, Navajo Nation	638,300	03-01-04	07-01-04
Samoa	145,600	03-01-04	07-01-04
Nevada (excluding Washoe and Clark Counties)	600,350	03-01-04	07-01-04
Republic of the Marshall Islands	146,400	03-01-04	07-01-04
Region X:
Washington	3,616,000	09-01-03	01-01-04
Alaska, Municipality of Anchorage, Sitka Borough, Kenai Peninsula	665,500	03-01-04	07-01-04
Washington, Seattle area	158,450	07-01-03	10-01-03

Applications will be considered as meeting the deadline if they are postmarked on or before the application due date listed in Table I of this section and received in time for orderly processing. A legibly dated receipt from a commercial carrier or U.S. Postal Service will be accepted in lieu of a postmark. Private metered postmarks will not be accepted as proof of timely mailing. Hand-delivered applications must be received by the OPHS Grants Management Office not later than 4:30 p.m. eastern standard time on the application due date. Applications which are delivered to the OPHS Grants Management Office after the deadline date will not be accepted for review.

Applicants that meet the requirements of this program announcement will be notified by the Office of Grants Management. Applications which do not conform to the requirements of this program announcement or which do not meet the applicable parts of 42 CFR part 59, subpart A, will not be accepted for review, and will be returned to the applicant.

Applications sent via facsimile or electronic mail will not be accepted for review.

Review Under Executive Order 12372

Applicants under this announcement are subject to the review requirements of Executive Order 12372, as implemented by 45 CFR part 100, “Intergovernmental Review of Department of Health and Human Services Programs and Activities.” As soon as possible, the applicant should discuss the project with the State Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for each State to be served. The application kit contains the currently available listing of the SPOCs which have elected to be informed of the submission of applications. For those States not listed, further inquiries regarding the review process designed by their State should be made to the Governor's office of the pertinent State. The SPOC should forward any comment(s) to the Office of Public Health and Science Grants Management Office, 1101 Wootton Parkway, 5th Floor, Rockville, MD 20852. The SPOC has 60 days from the applicable due date as listed in Table I of this announcement to submit any comments.

Program Requirements and Application Content

Program Priorities

The following priorities represent the overarching goals for the title X program. In developing a proposal, each applicant should describe how the proposed project will address each priority.

1. Assuring continued high quality clinical family planning and related preventive health services that will improve the overall health of individuals;

2. Assuring access to a broad range of high quality clinical family planning and related preventive health services that include the following: provision of highly effective contraceptive methods; breast and cervical cancer screening and prevention; STD and HIV prevention education, counseling, and testing; extramarital abstinence education and counseling; and other preventive health services. The broad range of services does not include abortion as a method of family planning;

3. Encouraging family participation in the decision of minors to seek family planning services, including activities that promote positive family relationships;

4. Improving the health of individuals and communities by partnering with community-based organizations (CBOs), faith-based organizations (FBOs), and other public health providers that work with vulnerable or at-risk populations;

5. Promoting individual and community health by emphasizing clinical family planning and related preventive health services for hard-to-reach populations, such as uninsured or underinsured individuals, males, persons with limited English proficiency, adolescents, and other vulnerable or at-risk populations.

Legislative Mandates

The following legislative mandates have been part of the title X appropriations for each of the last several years. In developing a proposal, each applicant should describe how the proposed project will address each of these legislative mandates.

• “None of the funds appropriated in this Act may be made available to any entity under title X of the Public Health Service Act unless the applicant for the award certifies to the Secretary that it encourages family participation in the decision of minors to seek family planning services and that it provides counseling to minors on how to resist attempts to coerce minors into engaging in sexual activities;” and
• “Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no provider of services under title X of the Public Health Service Act shall be exempt from any State law requiring notification or the reporting of child abuse, child molestation, sexual abuse, rape, or incest.”

Other Key Issues

In addition to the Program Priorities and Legislative Mandates, the following Key Issues have implications for title X services projects and should be acknowledged in the program plan:

1. The increasing cost of providing family planning services;

2. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Service priorities, initiatives, and Healthy People 2010 objectives as they relate to family planning and reproductive health (http://www.health.gov/​healthypeople);

3. Departmental initiatives and legislative mandates such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA); Infant Adoption Awareness Program; providing adolescents with information, skills and support to encourage delay of sexual activity; serving persons with limited English proficiency;

4. Integration of HIV/AIDS services in Family Planning, specifically, HIV/AIDS education, counseling and testing either on-site or by referral should be provided in all title X funded programs. Education regarding the prevention of HIV/AIDS should incorporate the “ABC” message. That is, for adolescents and unmarried individuals, the message is “A” for abstinence; for married or individuals in committed relationships, the message is “B” for being faithful; and, for individuals who engage in behavior that puts them at risk for HIV, the message is “C” for condom use.

5. Utilization of electronic technologies such as e-Grants, the OPA electronic grants management system (Training for grantees will be provided as needed);

6. Data collection and reporting which is responsive to the Family Planning Annual Report and other information needs for monitoring and improving family planning services;

7. Service delivery improvement through utilization of research outcomes focusing on family planning and related population issues; and

8. Utilizing practice guidelines and recommendations developed by recognized professional organizations and other Federal agencies in the provision of evidence-based title X clinical services.

Characteristics of a Successful Proposal

As mentioned above, proposed projects must adhere to all requirements of the title X statute, regulations, and program guidelines. Successful proposals will fully describe how the project will address the requirements, and should include the following:

1. A clear description of the need for the services proposed;

2. A description of the geographic area and population to be served;

3. Evidence that the applicant organization has experience in providing clinical health services and the capacity to undertake the clinical family planning and related preventive health services required;

4. Evidence that the proposed services are consistent with the requirements of title X. Use of title X funds is prohibited in programs where abortion is a method of family planning;

5. A project plan which describes the services to be provided, the location(s) and hours of clinic operations, and projected numbers of clients to be served;

6. A staffing plan which is reasonable and adheres to the title X regulatory requirement that family planning medical services will be performed under the direction of a physician with special training or experience in family planning. Staff providing clinical services should be licensed and function within the applicable professional practice acts for the State;

7. Goal statement(s) and related outcome objectives that are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-framed (S.M.A.R.T.);

8. Description of how the applicant will address title X Program Priorities and Key Issues.

9. Evidence of formal agreements for referral services (e.g., required clinical services, if not provided by the applicant), and collaborative agreements with other service providers in the community, where appropriate;

10. Evidence of the capability of providing the required program data for the title X annual data collection system;

11. Evidence of a system for assuring quality family planning services, including adherence to program requirements;

12. A budget and budget justification narrative for year one of the project that is detailed, reasonable, adequate, cost efficient, and that is derived from proposed activities. Budget projections for each of the continuing years should be included. Funding Restrictions: In order to claim indirect costs as part of a budget request, an applicant organization must have an indirect cost rate which has been negotiated with the Federal government. The Health and Human Services Division of Cost Allocation (DCA) Regional Office that is applicable to your State can provide information on how to receive such a rate. A list of DCA Regional Offices is included in the application kit for this announcement.

V. Application Review Information

Each regional office is responsible for evaluating applications and setting funding levels according to criteria in 42 CFR 59.7. Eligible applications will be reviewed by a panel of independent reviewers and will be evaluated based on the following criteria (42 CFR 59.7(a)):

(1) The degree to which the project plan adequately provides for the requirements set forth in the title X regulations at 42 CFR part 59, subpart A (20 points);

(2) The extent to which family planning services are needed locally (20 points);

(3) The number of patients, and, in particular, the number of low-income patients to be served (15 points);

(4) The adequacy of the applicant's facilities and staff (15 points);

(5) The capacity of the applicant to make rapid and effective use of the Federal assistance (10 points);

(6) The relative availability of non-Federal resources within the community to be served and the degree to which those resources are committed to the project (10 points); and

(7) The relative need of the applicant (10 points).

In addition to the independent review panel, there will be staff reviews of each application for programmatic and grants management compliance.

Final grant award decisions will be made by the Regional Health Administrator (RHA) for the applicable PHS Region. In making grant award decisions, the RHA will fund those projects which will, in his/her judgement, best promote the purposes of section 1001 of the Act, within the limits of funds available for such projects.

VI. Award Administration Information

Award Notices

The OPA does not release information about individual applications during the review process. When final funding decisions have been made, each applicant will be notified by letter of the outcome. The official document notifying an applicant that a project application has been approved for funding is the Notice of Grant Award. This document specifies to the grantee the amount of money awarded, the purposes of the grant, the length of the project period, terms and conditions of the grant award, and the amount of funding, if any, to be contributed by the grantee to project costs.

Administrative Requirements

The successful applicant will be responsible for the overall management of activities within the scope of the approved project plan. The Office of Public Health and Science (OPHS) requires all grant recipients to provide a smoke-free workplace and to promote the non-use of all tobacco products. This is consistent with the OPHS mission to protect and advance the physical and mental health of the American people.

Reporting

Each grantee is required to submit a Family Planning Annual Report (FPAR) each year. The information collections (reporting requirements) and format for this report have been approved by the Office of Management and Budget and assigned OMB No. 0990-0221. The FPAR contains a brief organizational profile and seven tables to report data on users, service use, and revenue for the reporting year.

VII. Agency Contacts

Administrative and Budgetary Requirements

For information related to administrative and budgetary requirements, contact the OPHS Grants Management Office, 1101 Wootton Parkway, 5th Floor, Rockville, MD 20852, 301-594-0758.

Program Requirements

For information related to family planning program requirements, contact the Regional Program Consultant for Family Planning in the applicable Regional Office listed below:

Region I (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont)—Suzanne Theroux, 617-565-1063;

Region II (New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands)-Robin Lane, 212-264-3935;

Region III (Delaware, Washington, DC, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia)—Louis Belmonte, 215-861-4641;

Region IV (Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina)—Cristino Rodriguez, 404-562-7900;

Region V (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin)—Janice Ely, 312-886-3864;

Region VI (Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas)—Evelyn Glass, 214-767-3088;

Region VII (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska)—Elizabeth Curtis, 816-426-2924;

Region VIII (Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming)— Jill Leslie, 303-844-7856;

Region IX (Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Guam, Republic of Palau, Federal States of Micronesia, Republic of the Marshall Islands)—Nadine Simons, 415-437-7984;

Region X (Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington)—Janet Wildeboor, 206-615-2776.

Dated: June 13, 2003.

Alma L. Golden,

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Population Affairs.