Notice Inverting Applications for New Award for Fiscal Year 1999 Grants To Determine Trends in Demand for Emergency Services

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Office of the Secretary

Notice Inverting Applications for New Award for Fiscal Year 1999

Grants To Determine Trends in Demand for Emergency Services

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, The Office of the Assistant Secretary

for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE), HHS.

ACTION: Announcement of the availability of funds and request for

applications from State, local, non-profit or for-profit (provided that

grant funds may not be paid as profit) research institutions to

determine the trends in and status of demand for emergency assistance

services during the period of falling welfare caseloads since 1993 and

any impact on that demand from implementation of Temporary Assistance

to Needy Families (TANF).

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SUMMARY: The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and

Evaluation (ASPE) announces the availability of funds and invites

applications for research to determine the trends in and status of

demand for emergency assistance services (e.g., emergency and

transitional shelters, soup kitchens, food pantries) during the period

of falling

[[Page 32052]]

welfare caseloads and TANF implementation. Grant applicants are

expected to conduct empirical analyses using existing provider-level

data sources (e.g., homeless and other emergency provider management

information systems) in conjunction with socio-economic (e.g., average

income, unemployment rates) and caseload data (e.g., number of TANF

recipients, number of Food Stamp recipients) to explore trends and

relationships in the data associated with the demand for emergency

assistance services. Applicants are expected to provide local

descriptive data (e.g., labor markets, housing availability) to provide

a context for their analyses. Applicants also may propose additional

methods for supplementary studies, including surveys, qualitative

analyses, or other methods as appropriate to explore particular trends

identified in historical data. The funds could either support a newly

designed project or could be used to add new data sources and analyses

to an existing project.

CLOSING DATE: The deadline for submission of applications under this

announcement is July 30, 1999.

MAILING ADDRESS: Application instructions and forms should be requested

from and submitted to: Adrienne Little, Grants Officer, Office of the

Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, Department of Health

and Human Services, Room 405F, Hubert H. Humphrey Building, 200

Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20201. Telephone: (202) 690-

8794. Requests for forms and administrative questions will be accepted

and responded to up to ten (10) working days prior to the closing date.

Copies of this program announcement and many of the required forms

may also be obtained electronically at the ASPE World Wide Web Page:

hppt://aspe.hhs.gov (see section on available grants and contracts.)

You may fax your request to the attention of the Grants Officer at

(202) 690-6518. Application submissions may not be faxed or submitted

electronically.

The printed Federal Register notice is the only official program

announcement. Although reasonable efforts are taken to assure that the

file on the ASPE World Wide Web Page containing electronic copies of

this program announcement are accurate and complete, they are provided

for information only. The applicant bears sole responsibility to assure

that the copy downloaded and/or printed from any other source is

accurate and complete.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Administrative questions should be

directed to the Grants Officer at the address or phone number listed

above. Technical questions should be directed to Davy Norris or Mary

Ellen O'Connell, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and

Evaluation, Department of Health and Human Services, Room 404E, Hubert

H. Humphrey Building, 200 Independence Avenue, SE, Washington, DC

20201. Telephone: 202-401-6643 (Davy) or 202-260-0391 (Mary Ellen).

Questions may be faxed to 202-690-6562 or e-mailed to

[email protected] and [email protected].

Supplementary Information:

Legislative Authority

This grant is authorized by section 1110 of the Social Security Act

(42 U.S.C. 1310) and awards will be made from funds appropriated under

Pub. L. 105-277, Department of Health and Human Services Appropriations

Act, 1999.

Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants include state or local units of local

government, and public or private nonprofit organizations, including

universities and other institutions of higher education Private for-

profit organizations may apply, with the recognition that grant funds

may not be paid as profit (any amount in excess of allowable direct or

indirect costs of the recipient) to any recipient of a grant or

subgrant.

Available Funds

Approimately $310,000 is available from ASPE, in funds appropriate

for fiscal year 1999. ASPE anticipate providing two to four grant

awards. If additional funding becomes available in fiscal years 1999 or

2000, further projects may be funded. Applications for funding under

this announcement should projects that can be completely carried to

with fifteen months of funding at the above anticipated level. No

federal funds received as a result of this announcement can be used to

purchase computer equipment.

Background

Welfare caseload have declined precipitously in recent years. Since

January 1993, the number of people receiving federally funded

assistance under Title IV-A of the Social Security Act has fallen from

14.1 million to just under 8 million recipients, a reduction of 44

percent. This decline has occurred partly in response to the strong

economy, the Administration's grants of Federal waivers to 43 States,

and the provisions of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity

Reconciliation Act of 1996 (Pub. L. 104-193). In response to the demand

from the public and policymakers, many studies have been and are

currently being carried out to study the circumstances of the large

numbers of people who have left welfare. However, significantly fewer

projects are underways to investigate the impact that declining

caseloads and welfare reform may have on the demand for and utilization

of services from the perspective of community-level emergency

assistance providers, and reasons for any changes in the composition of

clients using such services. Clients served by these programs are those

most likely to be missed by studies which track current or former TANF

recipients. This grant announcement contributes to a triangulation

approach to the Department's portfolio of welfare research. ASPE-

sponsored data-linkage or research efforts in this area include

projects involving linking of administrative data, research on state

diversion programs, and two rounds of grants to States and large

counties to study the outcomes of welfare reform.

Homeless shelters, soup kitchens and food pantries are among the

most prevalent emergency assistance providers. Administrators of these

programs, local and national coalitions whose members include these

providers, and to a lesser extent, researchers, have reported that

provisions of the TANF program, and other recent changes to welfare

programs, have led to an increase in the number of people requesting

services from emergency assistance providers, an increase in the number

of people requesting services who report recent loss of benefits, and

related signs of hardship. In other cases, providers have identified

changes in the case-mix of their clients and have attributed it to

changes in TANF policies. For example, Milwaukee has witnessed an

increased in the number of women requesting emergency shelter at

shelters for single adults. They attribute this increase to loss of

benefits and women either having their children taken away or being

forced to place them with family or friends. Limited systematic

analyses have been conducted, however, to test these hypotheses.

Purpose and Responsibilities

Purpose

The purpose of this announcement is to support the efforts of state

or local

[[Page 32053]]

research organizations to examine the question of whether declining

welfare caseloads and TANF implementation have led to a shift in the

demand and/or utilization of emergency assistance programs, and to

explore some of the reasons this may be occurring. ASPE anticipates

that applicants will use an analysis of provider data (# e.g., of

service requests, # of people served, demographics of people served) in

conjunction with socio-economic (e.g., employment rates, housing data)

and caseload (e.g., # of TANF recipients, # of food stamp recipients)

data over time to describe and analyze trends in demand for and use of

emergency assistance providers. ASPE also expects to support state or

local efforts to explore reasons for these trends.

Each Grantee will be expected to use data from multiple emergency

assistance programs over time. A proposed study should include data

from as many emergency assistance providers in the community as

possible. Preference will be given to those applicants who propose to

include service request and/or utilization data from a comprehensive

number of emergency assistance providers, relative to their local

community. However, applications which propose to analyze data from a

single type of provider will also be considered. Applications which

propose analyzes of a single provider will not be considered.

Applicants may propose analyses of data from a single community or

multiple communities. Applications which include multiple communities

will receive a single rating.

In addition to changes in the TANF program, shifts in the

utilization of emergency assistance providers may be explained by

numerous factors, such as changes in the local economy or job market,

the local housing market, or availability of emergency assistance or

other services. Applicants will be expected to analyze socio-economic

and caseload data in conjunction with provider data to enrich

interpretation of data trends and relationships. Socio-economic data

might include: employment rates, wage rates, housing costs, and housing

availability. The comprehensiveness of the proposed community-level

socio-economic data and its relevance to the proposed analysis will be

an important criterion under which proposals are evaluated. Applicants

also will be expected to provide other descriptive information such as

local demographics, local industry and occupational make-up and

characteristics of the TANF system to provide a context for and to

enhance the analysis.

Applicants are expected to utilize historical provider, socio-

economic and caseload data to establish a baseline for the analysis and

to propose meaningful and sufficiently frequent intervals (e.g.,

quarterly) to analyze trends. In addition, applicants are expected to

analyze data at these same intervals for one year from the date of

grant award.

Applicants for the ASPE grants may propose to supplement their

administrative provider, socio-economic and caseload data with client

survey data or other data sources to explore reasons for identified

trends, or impact on clients. For example, surveys of clients

requesting services can provide insights into the reasons they are

requesting emergency assistance.

To enable applicants to include up to a year of new data,

applicants may submit proposals for studies lasting up to fifteen

months from the date the grant is awarded.

ASPE understands that there is substantial variation in the

distribution of emergency assistance providers within States and

localities, and in the amount and type of data available. Topical areas

that applicants may wish to address, with examples of potential policy

questions, are listed below. Again, comprehensiveness of data is

strongly encouraged and will be an important criterion under which

proposals are evaluated. It is not expected that all applicants will

propose supplementary studies on the impacts on clients.

1. Trends in Demand for Emergency Assistance Services

Has there been a shift in demand for emergency assistance services

during the recent period of welfare caseload decline and TANF

implementation? Has there been a shift toward a particular type of

emergency assistance? How does the shift relate to changes in the TANF

program or state waivers? Has there been an increase in the number of

people requesting services who can not be served? Are services provided

by emergency assistance providers more or less costly than public

benefits? Is there a shift in the demographics of clients requesting or

receiving services?

2. Community Socioeconomic Considerations

What local factors are related to shifts in demand for emergency

assistance (e.g., changes in the local economy, wage rates, housing

availability)? Are TANF caseloads changing in a pattern consistent with

changes in demand for or utilization of emergency assistance? Is there

a relationship between utilization of emergency assistance and the

availability of these or other services?

3. Impacts on Clients (Supplementary Analyses)

What factors explain shifts in clients demographics? What reasons

do first-time users of emergency assistance give for needing this

service?

Grantee Responsibilities

1. No later than thirty (30) days after the award, the Grantee

shall submit a final work plan, including a proposed analysis strategy

and dissemination plan. The final work plan will update the work plan

submitted in the original application to incorporate suggestions from

the ASPE project officers.

2. No later than ninety (90) days after the date of award, the

Grantee shall submit an initial progress report. Subsequent progress

reports shall be submitted on a quarterly basis.

3. After completing the analysis, the Grantee shall prepare a final

report describing the results of the study, including the procedures

and methodology used to conduct the analysis, the research questions

answered, the knowledge and information gained from the project, and

any barriers encountered in completing the project. A draft of this

report shall be delivered to the Federal Project Officer no later than

thirty (30) days before the completion of the project. After receiving

comments on the draft report from the Federal Project Officer, the

Grantee shall deliver at least three (3) copies of a final report to

the Grants Officer before the completion of the project. One of these

copies must be unbound, suitable for photocopying; if only one is the

original (has the original signature, is attached to a cover letter,

etc.), it should not be this copy. The report also must be submitted on

a 3\1/2\''disk.

4. The Grantee should budget for one meeting in Washington, DC

during the grant period to meet with ASPE project officers.

ASPE Responsibilities

1. ASPE shall provide consultation and professional advice in the

planning and operation of grant activities, including providing

comments on the data analysis plan and other components of the work

plan, progress reports, and draft report.

2. ASPE shall assist in information exchange and the dissemination

of reports to appropriate Federal, State, and local entities.

3. ASPE shall plan and organize a grantee meeting.

[[Page 32054]]

Application Preparation and Evaluation Criteria

This section contains information on the preparation of

applications for submission under this announcement, the forms

necessary for submission, and the evaluation criteria under which the

applications will be reviewed. Potential grant applications should read

this section carefully in conjunction with the information provided

above. The application must contain the required Federal forms, title

page, table of contents, and sections listed below. All pages of the

narrative should be numbered.

The application should include the following elements:

1. Abstract: A one page summary of the proposed project.

2. Goals and Objectives of the Project: An overview that describes

(1) the project; (2) the specific research questions to be investigated

and data sources to be used; and (3) knowledge and information to be

gained from the project by the applicant, Federal, State and/or local

government, and the research community. The proposed project should

demonstrate an understanding of the range of variables that may affect

trends in the utilization of emergency assistance services. If the

proposal builds on any current project, the application should describe

how funding under this announcement will enhance, not substitute for,

current efforts.

3. Methodology and Design: Provide a description and justification

of how the proposed research project will be implemented, including

methodologies, chosen approach, specification of emergency assistance

providers included, description of provider and socio-economic data,

data sources, and a research plan that is consistent with the available

data. The proposed research plan should:

(a) Describe the components of the emergency assistance system to

be included in the study, the criteria for selection, and provide data

to be utilized. Applicants should include one or more of the following:

Homeless shelters (emergency and/or transitional) soup kitchens, food

pantries, utility and/or rent assistance programs, and clothing banks.

Applications should describe the emergency assistance system within the

state or locality to be studied, the proportion of that system covered

by available data, and any changes in the size or configuration of this

system during the period of the study. This will provide reviewers an

understanding of the emergency system generally and the

comprehensiveness of the study. Applicants should also describe the

format and method by which the data is to be obtained and specify

whether permission has already been obtained from providers to utilize

the data.

(b) Describe in detail the socio-economic and caseload data to be

used as part of the analysis, the criteria for selection, and how the

data will be obtained. In this description, identify important issues

for which data currently are not available, and strategies for dealing

with this lack of data when it pertains to the research questions in

the proposal.

(c) Describe the time period to be used as a baseline and the

reason this time period was chosen. Specify the data intervals to be

used for the analysis.

(d) Describe the descriptive data to be used to frame the analysis

and why it is relevant to the proposed analysis.

(e) If survey data collection is planned, identify and describe the

methodology used to gather survey data. In particular, identify the

sampling plan and the survey mode (e.g., telephone, in-person, mail),

provide a description of the questions to be asked (as an alternative,

applicants may provide a draft of their proposed survey instrument as a

supplement to the application) and the steps that will be taken to

address any biases inherent in each. These should include steps planned

to ensure a high response rate, such as a mixed mode design, multiple

attempts to contact sample members, or incentive payments to

respondents, and steps taken to analyze differences between respondents

and non-respondents. Because of the importance of a high response rate

in ensuring reliability, these procedures will be an important part of

the evaluation of proposals. Grant applicants must assure that the

collected data will only be used for research purposes, and that all

identifying information will be kept completely confidential, and

should present the methods that will be used to ensure confidentiality

of client-level information.

(f) If qualitative research such as focus groups or a qualitative

description of emergency assistance clients' experiences are planned,

the application should include a complete plan for data collection

procedures and analysis. This plan should include an approach for

reviewing written documents, identification of key informants, the

composition of any proposed focus groups, planned discussion topics, a

plan for summarizing and organizing the results, and the value that

this part of the project will add to the final report. The application

should demonstrate a familiarity with the difficulties and potential

biases of qualitative research, and include plans to avoid or resolve

them.

(g) Identify methodology the Grantee will use to analyze the data

and organize the final report. Complex data analysis is not expected.

Simple tabular analysis and descriptive statistics are appropriate. The

description should include frequency of data periods, report

organization and proposed tabulations, including table shells

illustrating how the results will be presented. The application should

explain how proposed supplementary analyses will be combined with and

enhance analyses of provider data.

4. Experience, capacity, qualifications, and use of staff: Briefly

describe the grant applicant's organization and research capabilities,

and experience in conducting pertinent research projects. The

description should document the applicant's ability to conduct

unbiased, methodologically sound research and detail the applicant's

experience utilizing the proposed or similar data sources. If the

proposal involves survey work, the proposal should describe the

applicant's experience in conducting relevant surveys. Similarly, if

the proposal involves qualitative data collection or analysis, the

applicant's experience with this type of research and with these

populations must be described in detail. If the applicant proposes to

utilize subcontractors, the experience of the subcontractor in relation

to the work to be performed by the subcontractor much be fully

described. If the grant applicant plans to contract for any of the work

(e.g., survey design or administration, qualitative analysis), and the

contractors have not been retained, the applicant should describe the

process by which they will be selected. Identify the key staff who are

expected to carry out the project and provide a resume or curriculum

vitae for each person. Provide a discussion of how key staff will

contribute to the success of the project, including the percentage of

each staff member's time that will be devoted to the project. Finally,

applicants should demonstrate access to computer hardware and software

for storing and analyzing the data necessary to complete this project.

5. Work plan: A work plan should be included which lists the start

and end dates of the project, a time line which indicates the sequence

of tasks necessary for the completion of the project, and the

responsibilities of each of the key staff. The plan should identify the

time commitments of key staff members in both absolute and

[[Page 32055]]

percentage terms, including other projects and teaching or managerial

responsibilities. Due to the desirability of including a full year of

prospective data, work plans with time lines of up to fifteen months

will be accepted. The work plan also should include plans for

dissemination of the results of the study (e.g., articles in journals,

presentations to state or local officials and at conferences).

6. Budget: Grant applicants must submit a request for federal funds

using Standard Form 424A and include a detailed breakdown of all

Federal line items. A narrative explanation of the budget should be

included that states clearly how the funds associated with this

announcement will be used and describes the extent to which funds will

be used for purposes that would not otherwise be incorporated within

the project. Cost sharing-matching is a mandatory requirement under

this award. Applicants must demonstrate the amount and details of the

cost sharing-matching arrangements. The applicant should also document

the level of funding from other sources and describe how these funds

will be expended.

Review Process and Funding Information

A Federal review panel will review and score all applications

submitted by the deadline date that meet the screening criteria (all

information and documents as required by this announcement.)

The panel will use the evaluation criteria listed below to score

each application. The panel results will be the primary element used by

the ASPE when making funding decisions. The Department reserves the

option to discuss applications with other Federal or State staff,

specialists, experts and the general public. Comments from these

sources, along with those of the reviewers, will be kept from

inappropriate disclosure and may be considered in making an award

decision.

As a result of this competition, between two and four grants are

expected to be made from funds appropriated for fiscal year 1999.

Additional awards may be made depending on the policy relevance of

proposals received and the available funding, including funds that may

become available in fiscal years 1999 or 2000.

Reports

As noted in the Grantee Responsibilities, two substantive reports

are required under the grant: a final work plan (due no later than

thirty (30) days after the date of award), and a final report

containing all results and analysis (draft version due no later than

thirty (30) days before the end of the project and final version due at

the conclusion of the project). A digital copy of the final report may

be submitted on a 3\1/2\'' disk formatted in the DOS (FAT 16) format to

allow APSE to make the report available via the Internet, in addition

to the conventional written format.

In addition, Grantees shall provide concise quarterly progress

reports. The specific format and content of these reports will be

provided in the notification of grant award.

State Single Point of Contact (E.O. No. 12372)

DHHS has determined that this program is not subject to Executive

Order 12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.''

Applicants are not required to seek intergovernmental review of their

applications within the constraints of E.O. 12372.

Deadline for Submission of Applications

The closing date for submission of applications under this

announcement is July 30, 1999. Hand-delivered applications will be

accepted Monday through Friday, excluding Federal holidays, during the

working hours of 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the lobby of the Hubert H.

Humphrey building, located at 200 Independence Avenue, SW in

Washington, DC. When hand-delivering an application, call (202) 690-

8794 from the lobby for pick up. A staff person will be available to

receive applications.

An application will be considered as having met the deadline if it

is either received at, or hand-delivered to, the mailing address on or

before July 30, 1999 or postmarked before midnight three days prior to

July 30, 1999 and received in time to be considered during the

competitive review process (within one week of the deadline).

When mailing applications, applicants are strongly advised to

obtain a legibly dated receipt from the U.S. Postal Service or from a

commercial carrier (such as UPS, Federal Express, etc.) as proof of

mailing by the deadline date. If there is a question as to when an

application was mailed, applicants will be asked to provide proof of

mailing by the deadline date. If proof cannot be provided, the

application will not be considered for funding. Private metered

postmarks will not be accepted as proof of timely mailing. Applications

which do not meet the deadline will be considered late applications and

will not be considered or reviewed in the current competition. DHHS

will send a letter to this effect to each late applicant.

DHHS reserves the right to extend the deadline for all proposals

due to: (1) Natural disasters, such as floods, hurricanes, or

earthquakes; (2) a widespread disruption of the mail; or, (3) if DHHS

determines a deadline extension to be in the best interest of the

Federal government. The Department will not waive or extend the

deadline for any applicant unless the deadline is waived or extended

for all applicants.

Application Forms

Application instructions and forms should be requested from and

submitted to: Adrienne Little, Grants Officer, Office of the Assistant

Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, Department of Health and Human

Services, Room 405F, Hubert H. Humphrey Building, 200 Independence

Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20201. Telephone: (202) 690-8794. Requests

for forms and questions (administrative and technical) will be accepted

and responded to up to ten (10) working days prior to closing date of

receipt of applications.

Copies of this program announcement and many of the required forms

may also be obtained electronically at the ASPE World Wide Web Page:

http://aspec.hhs.gov (see section on available grants and contracts.)

You may fax your request to the attention of the Grants Officer at

(202) 690-6518. Application submissions may not be faxed or submitted

electronically.

The printed Federal Register notice is the only official program

announcement. Although reasonable efforts are taken to assure that the

files on the ASPE World Wide Web Page containing electronic copies of

this program announcement are accurate and complete, they are provided

for information only. The applicant bears sole responsibility to assure

that the copy downloaded and/or printed from any other source is

accurate and complete. This notice was printed in the Federal Register

on July 30, 1999.

Also see section entitled ``Components of a Complete Application.''

All of this documents must accompany the application package.

Length of Application

In no case shall an application for the ASPE grant (excluding the

resumes, appendices and other appropriate attachments) be longer than

thirty (30) double-spaced pages. Applications should not be unduly

elaborate, but should fully communicate the applicant's proposal to the

reviewers.

[[Page 32056]]

Only relevant attachments should be included, for example, resumes of

key personnel. Videotapes, brochures, and other promotional material,

will be discarded and not reviewed. Project narratives should be

formatted with 1-inch margins, double-spaced lines, and 12 point type,

with consecutively numbered pages.

Selection Process and Evaluation Criteria

Selection of successful applicants will be based on the technical

and financial criteria described in this announcement. Reviewers will

determine the strengths and weaknesses of each application in terms of

the evaluation criteria listed below, provide comments, and assign

numerical scores. The review pane will prepare a summary of all

applicant scores, strengths and weaknesses, and recommendations and

submit it to the ASPE for final decisions on the award.

The point value following each criterion heading indicates the

maximum numerical weigh that each section will be given in the review

process. An unacceptable rating on any individual criterion may render

the application unacceptable. Consequently, grant applicants should

take care to ensure that all criteria are fully addressed in the

applications. Grant applications will be reviewed as follows:

1. Goals, Objectives, and Potential Usefulness of the Analysis (20

points). The potential usefulness of the objectives and how the

anticipated results of the proposed project will advance policy

knowledge and development. If the proposed project builds on previous

work, the application should explain how. Applications will be judged

on the quality and policy relevance of the proposed projects.

2. Quality and Soundness of Methodology and Design (25 points). The

appropriateness, soundness, and cost-effectiveness of the methodology,

including the research design, selection of existing data sets, data

gathering procedures, statistical techniques, and analytical

strategies,

Other design considerations include the level of access the

applicant currently has to the data to be included (e.g. already

authorized to use the data, already collected the data), plans to

obtain data not already collected, and how confidentiality of the

records and information will be ensured. If applicants are unable to

ensure the privacy and confidentiality of information included in the

project, then it is highly unlikely that they will receive funding.

If surveys are planned, reviewers will also evaluate the

methodology proposed to gather survey data. In particular, reviewers

will evaluate the sampling plan, the survey mode (e.g., telephone, in-

person, mail), and the steps that will be taken to address any biases

inherent in each. This will include evaluating steps planned to ensure

a high response rate, such as a mixed mode design, multiple attempts to

contact sample members, or respondent payments, and steps planned to

analyze differences between respondents and non-respondents, such as

comparison of linked administrative data. Because of the important of a

high response rate in ensuring reliability, these procedures will be an

important part of the evaluation of proposals containing surveys. If

qualitative research such as focus groups or a qualitative description

of the TANF application, enrollment and closure policies and procedures

are planned, reviewers will evaluate the plan for data collection

procedures and analysis, including the planned approach for reviewing

written documents, identification of key informants, the composition of

any proposed focus groups, planned discussion topics, a plan for

summarizing and organizing the results, and the value that this part of

the project is expected to add to the final report. The extent to which

the application demonstrates a familiarity with the difficulties and

potential biases of this approach, and plans to avoid or resolve them,

will also be a scoring factor.

Reviewers also will evaluate the proposed data analysis, including

the proposed tabulations and table shells, the planned organization of

the final report, and the proposal's discussion of how different data

sources (e.g., data from administrative source, survey data collection,

other research) will be synthesized to enhance the proposed analyses.

3. Comprehensiveness of Data (15 points). The comprehensiveness of

the proposed emergency assistance provider data in relation to the

local emergency assistance system. The comprehensiveness of socio-

economic and caseload data in relation to the proposed project.

Reviewers will also consider the ability of the applicant to provide

historical data to establish a reasonable baseline and the rationale

for the proposed time period to be used as a baseline.

4. Qualifications of Personnel and Organizational Capability. (20

points). The qualifications of the project personnel for conducting the

proposed research as evidenced by professional training and experience,

and the capacity of the organization to provide the infrastructure and

support necessary to support the project and conduct an unbiased

analysis. Reviewers will evaluate the principal investigator and staff

on research experience and demonstrated research skills, relative to

the work proposed. If the applicant plans to contract for any of the

work (e.g., survey design or administration, qualitative analysis), and

the contractors have not been retained, reviewers will consider the

process by which they will be selected.

Reviewers may consider references for work completed on prior

research projects. Principal investigator and staff time commitments

also will be a factor in the evaluation. Reviewers will rate the

applicant's pledge and ability to work in collaboration with other

scholars or organizations in search of similar goals

5. Ability of the Work Plan and Budget to Successfully Achieve the

Project's Objectives. (20 points). Reviewers will examine if the work

plan and budget are reasonable and sufficient to ensure timely

implementation and completion of the study and whether the application

demonstrates an adequate level of understanding by the applicant of the

practical problems of conducting such a project. Adherence to the work

plan is necessary in order to produce results in the time frame

desired; demonstration of an applicant's ability to meet the schedule

will therefore be an important part of this criterion. Reviewers will

also examine the use of any additional funding and the role that funds

provided under this announcement will play in the overall project. The

proposal should also discuss in detail how results will disseminate to

state and local officials, researchers, and other interested parties.

Disposition of Application

1. Approval, disapproval, or deferral. On the basis of the review

of the application, the Assistant Secretary will either (a) approve the

application as a whole or in part; (b) disapprove the application; or

(c) defer action on the application for such reasons as lack of funds

or a need for further review.

2. Notification of disposition. The Assistant Secretary for

Planning and Evaluation will notify the applicants of the disposition

of their applications. If approved, a signed notification of the award

will be sent to the business office named in the ASPE checklist.

3. The Assistant Secretary's Discretion. Nothing in this

announcement should be construed as to obligate the Assistant Secretary

for

[[Page 32057]]

Planning and Evaluation to make any awards whatsoever. Awards and the

distribution of awards among the priority areas are contingent on the

needs of the Department at any point in time and the quality of the

applications that are received.

The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number is 93-239

Components of a Complete Application

A complete application consists of the following items in this

order:

1. Application for Federal Assistance (Standard Form 424);

2. Budget Information--Non-construction Programs (Standard Form 424A);

3. Assurances--Non-construction Programs (Standard Form 424B);

4. Table of Contents;

5. Budget Justification for Section B Budget Categories;

6. Proof of Non-profit Status, if appropriate;

7. Copy of the applicant's Approved Indirect Cost Rate Agreement, if

necessary;

8. Project Narrative Statement, organized in five sections, addressing

the following topics (limited to thirty (30) double-spaced pages):

1. Abstract,

2. Goals, Objectives and Usefulness of the Project,

3. Methodology and design,

4. Background of the Personnel and Organizational Capabilities and

5. Work plan (timetable);

9. Any appendices of attachments;

10. Certification Regarding Drug-Free Workplace;

11. Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, or other

Responsibility Matters;

12. Certification and, if necessary, Disclosure Regarding Lobbying;

13. Supplement to Section II--Key Personnel;

14. Application for Federal Assistance Checklist.

Dated: June 8, 1999.

Margaret A. Hamburg,

Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation.

[FR Doc. 99-15128 Filed 6-14-99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4151-04-M