Availability of Funds for Grants for Technical Assistance and Capacity Development Demonstration Program for HIV/AIDS-Related Services in Highly Impacted Minority Communities

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Office of the Secretary

Office of Minority Health

Availability of Funds for Grants for Technical Assistance and

Capacity Development Demonstration Program for HIV/AIDS-Related

Services in Highly Impacted Minority Communities

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, Office of Minority Health, HHS.

ACTION: Notice of Availability of Funds and Requests for Applications

for Technical Assistance and Capacity Development Demonstration Grant

Program for HIV/AIDS-Related Services in Highly Impacted Minority

Communities.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Purpose: The purpose of the Technical Assistance and Capacity

Development Demonstration Grant Program for HIV/AIDS-Related Services

in Highly Impacted Minority Communities is to stimulate and foster the

development of effective and durable service delivery capacity for HIV

prevention and treatment among organizations closely interfaced with

the minority populations highly impacted by HIV/AIDS. The grantee will

identify minority community-based organizations (CBOs) and small, non-

federally funded minority CBOs that are well linked with minority

populations highly affected by HIV/AIDS, and which have recognized

needs and/or gaps in their capacity to provide HIV/AIDS-related

prevention and care services. The goals are to:

Provide administrative and programmatic technical

assistance to enable those organizations to enhance their delivery of

necessary services; and

Assist those CBOs, through an ongoing mentoring

relationship, in the development of their capacity as fiscally viable

and programmatically effective organizations thereby allowing them to

successfully compete for federal and other resources.

This program is intended to demonstrate the impact of technical

assistance and capacity development on improving HIV prevention and

care among organizations within a circumscribed area in which many

minority individuals are in need of HIV/AIDS prevention and/or

treatment services. To the extent that selected services such as

substance abuse treatment and public health are available within the

circumscribed area, linkages with these services will be fostered as

part of the technical assistance. The program intends to address HIV/

AIDS issues within the context of related socio-economic factors and

contribute to overall community empowerment by strengthening indigenous

leadership and organizations.

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 to reduce morbidity and mortality and

to improve the quality of life. This announcement relates to 4 of the

22 priority areas established by Healthy People 2000: (1) Alcohol and

other drugs; (2) educational and community-based programs; (3) HIV

infection; and (4) sexually transmitted diseases. Potential applicants

may obtain a copy of the Healthy People 2000 (Full Report: Stock No.

017-001-00474-0) or Healthy People 2000 Midcourse Review and 1995

Revisions (Stock No. 017-001-00526-6) through the Superintendent of

Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402-9325 or

telephone (202) 783-8238.

Background: The Office of Minority Health's (OMH) mission is to

improve the health of racial and ethnic minority populations through

the development of health policies and programs that will help to

address the health disparities and gaps. Consistent with its mission,

the role of OMH is to serve as the focal point within the Department

for service demonstrations, coalition and partnership building, and

related efforts to address the health needs of racial and ethnic

minorities. In keeping with this mission, OMH is establishing the

Technical Assistance and Capacity Development Demonstration Grant

Program for HIV/AIDS-Related Services in Highly Impacted Minority

Communities to assist in addressing the HIV/AIDS issues facing minority

communities in 15 eligible metropolitan statistical areas. This program

is based on the hypothesis that providing technical assistance and

capacity development to organizations closely linked with the minority

populations highly impacted by the disease, will improve their capacity

to better serve minority populations with HIV/AIDS prevention and

treatment. It is anticipated that this approach will strengthen

existing minority CBOs and inexperienced organizations in addressing

this health issue by developing and expanding their technical skills

and infrastructure capacity. Applicants are encouraged to establish

linkages with other federally funded programs supporting HIV/AIDS

prevention and care to maximize these efforts.

[[Page 33864]]

Disproportionate Effect of HIV/AIDS on Minorities

Current statistics indicate that although advances have been made

in the treatment of HIV/AIDS, this epidemic continues as a significant

threat to the public health of the United States (U.S.). Despite

showing a decline in the past two years, it remains a disproportionate

threat to minorities. While African-Americans and Hispanics

respectively represent approximately 13% and 10% of the U.S.

population, approximately 36% of the more than 640,000 reported total

AIDS cases are African-American and 18% are Hispanic.

In 1997, more African-Americans were reported with AIDS than any

other racial/ethnic group. Of the total AIDS cases reported that year,

45% (27,075) were reported among African-Americans, 33% (20,197) were

reported among whites, and 21% (12,466) were reported among Hispanics.

Among women and children with AIDS, African-Americans have been

especially affected, representing 60% of all women reported with AIDS

in 1997 and 62% of reported pediatric AIDS cases in 1997. During 1997,

the rate of new AIDS cases per 100,000 population in the U.S. was 83.7

among African-Americans, 37.7 among Hispanics, 10.4 among whites, 10.4

among American Indians/Alaska Natives, and 4.5 among Asians/Pacific

Islanders.

Data from a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study

(Trends in the HIV and AIDS Epidemic, 1998) comparing HIV and AIDS

diagnoses in 25 states with integrated reporting systems provide a

clearer picture of recent shifts in the epidemic. The study indicates

that many of the new HIV diagnoses are occurring among African-

Americans, women, and people infected heterosexually, with an increase

also observed among Hispanics. During the period from January 1994

through June 1997, African-Americans represented 45% of all AIDS

diagnoses, but 57% of all HIV diagnoses. Among young people (ages 13 to

24) diagnosed with HIV, 63% were among African-Americans and 5% were

among Hispanics. Although some of the states with large Hispanic

populations did not have integrated HIV/AIDS reporting and could not be

included in this study, HIV diagnoses among Hispanics increased 10%

between 1995 and 1996.

Eligible Applicants: The following public and private, nonprofit

entities are eligible to apply for this grant: (a) a community

coalition consisting of at least three discrete organizations with

either a minority CBO or state/local health department as the lead

organization; (b) a minority CBO; or (c) a state/local health

department. (See definitions of Community Coalition and Minority

Community-Based Organization found in this announcement.) The applicant

must provide the necessary administrative infrastructure to receive and

appropriately manage the federal funds. The coalition may also

incorporate other partners such as a hospital, a minority health

management group, an AIDS Service Organization, or other CBOs with

strong links to the target population.

In order to maximize the use of resources and target efforts where

the HIV/AIDS epidemic is most severe in racial and ethnic minority

populations, eligible applicants must be located in one of the

following 15 metropolitan statistical areas. These are the areas

indicated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in

its HIV/AIDS Surveillance Reports for 1996 and 1997 as having the

highest number of newly reported AIDS cases in 1995, 1996, and 1997.

Atlanta, GA

Baltimore, MD

Boston, MA

Chicago, IL

Dallas, TX

Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Houston, TX

Los Angeles, CA

Miami, FL

New York, NY

Newark, NJ

Philadelphia, PA

San Francisco, CA

San Juan, PR

Washington, DC

National organizations, universities and institutions of higher

education are not eligible to apply, although they may be members of

the coalition. Local affiliates of national organizations which meet

the definition of a minority community-based organization however, are

eligible.

Project Requirements: The applicant must propose to conduct a

model program within the eligible metropolitan statistical area which

is designed to carry out the following functions:

(1) Identify the existing capacity for delivering HIV-related

services (both HIV prevention and treatment) to minority populations

and compare this with available HIV/AIDS surveillance data. The use of

geographic information systems and related techniques should be given

due consideration as one of the tools to address this area;

(2) Identify high risk minority communities where there are

recognized gaps in services for minority populations with HIV/AIDS;

(3) Increase the capacity of existing minority CBOs including

small, non-federally funded minority CBOs which are well interfaced

with the populations to be served to deliver HIV/AIDS prevention and

care by:

(a) providing administrative technical assistance to improve the

fiscal and organizational capacity appropriate to their programmatic

responsibilities, which may require a mentoring relationship over time;

and

(b) identifying programmatic technical assistance from the

Department of Health and Human Services' Operating Divisions and

linking appropriate CBOs with these resources.

(4) Utilizing consultants, as needed, to provide specific technical

assistance beyond the expertise of core staff (e.g., peer-peer

technical assistance capability); and

(5) Working with newly identified CBOs to develop strong linkages

with other providers of services to complete a continuum of prevention

and treatment services, including substance abuse treatment and mental

health services for minority HIV/AIDS populations.

Availability of Funds: Approximately $4.5 million is expected to be

available for award in FY 1999. It is projected that awards of $1.0 to

$1.2 million total costs (direct and indirect) for a 12-month period

will be made to four competing applicants.

Use of Grant Funds: Budgets between $1.0 and $1.2 million total

costs (direct and indirect) per year may be requested to cover costs

of: personnel, consultants, supplies, equipment, and grant related

travel. Funds may not be used for medical treatment, construction,

building alterations, or renovations. All budget requests must be fully

justified in terms of the proposed objectives and activities and

include a computational explanation of how costs were determined.

Period of Support: The start date for the Technical Assistance and

Capacity Development Demonstration Grant Program for HIV/AIDS-Related

Services in Highly Impacted Minority Communities, is September 30,

1999. Support may be requested for a total project period not to exceed

3 years. Noncompeting continuation awards of $1.0 to $1.2 million will

be made subject to satisfactory performance and availability of funds.

Deadline: To receive consideration, grant applications must be

received by the Office of Minority Health (OMH) Grants Management

Office by July 26,

[[Page 33865]]

1999. Applications will be considered as meeting the deadline if they

are: (1) Received on or before the deadline date, or (2) postmarked on

or before the deadline date 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. Applications

submitted by facsimile transmission (FAX) or any other electronic

format will not be accepted. Applications which do not meet the

deadline will be considered late and will be returned to the applicant

unread.

Addresses/Contacts: Applications must be prepared using Form PHS

5161-1 (Revised May 1996 and approved by OMB under control Number 0937-

0189). Application kits and technical assistance on budget and business

aspects of the application may be obtained from Ms. Carolyn A.

Williams, Grants Management Officer, Division of Management Operations,

Office of Minority Health, Rockwall II Building, Suite 1000, 5515

Security Lane, Rockville, MD 20852, telephone (301) 594-0758. Completed

applications are to be submitted to the same address.

Questions regarding programmatic information and/or requests for

technical assistance in the preparation of grant applications should be

directed to Ms. Cynthia H. Amis, Director, Division of Program

Operations, Office of Minority Health, Rockwall II Building, Suite

1000, 5515 Security Lane, Rockville, MD 20852, telephone (301) 594-

0769.

Technical assistance is also available through the OMH Regional

Minority Health Consultants (RMHCs). A listing of the RMHCs and how

they may be contacted will be provided in the grant application kit.

Additionally, applicants can contact the OMH Resource Center (OMH-RC)

at 1-800-444-6472 for health information.

Criteria for Evaluating Applications

Review of Application

Applications will be screened upon receipt. Those that are judged

to be incomplete, non-responsive to the announcement or nonconforming

will be returned without comment. Each applicant may submit no more

than one proposal under this announcement. If an organization submits

more than one proposal, all will be deemed ineligible and returned

without comment. Accepted applications will be reviewed for technical

merit in accordance with PHS policies. Applications will be evaluated

by an Objective Review Panel chosen for their expertise in minority

health, experience relevant to this technical assistance and capacity

development program, and their understanding and knowledge of the

health problems confronting racial and ethnic minorities in the United

States. Applicants are advised to pay close attention to the specific

program guidelines and general instructions provided in the application

kit.

Application Review Criteria

The technical review of applications will consider the following

generic factors.

Factor 1: Background (15%)

Adequacy of demonstrated knowledge of the HIV/AIDS epidemic at the

local level. Established level of cultural competence and sensitivity

to the issues of minority populations impacted by HIV/AIDS in the

service area. Expertise and understanding of HIV/AIDS prevention and

treatment service delivery systems especially as related to HIV/AIDS

care among minority populations. Demonstrated need for technical

assistance and capacity development among the proposed target service

organizations. History of long term relationship with the targeted

minority community and evidence of support of local agencies and/or

organizations.

Extent to which the applicant demonstrates access to targeted

organizations, is well-positioned and accepted within the communities

to be served, and able to interface with community leadership and

existing provider systems in the area. Demonstration of objective

outcomes of past efforts/activities with the target population.

Factor 2: Objectives (15%)

Relative merit of the objectives of the demonstration project,

their relevance to the program purpose and stated problem, and their

attainability in the stated time frames.

Factor 3: Methodology (35%)

Appropriateness of proposed approach including any established

organizational linkages for providing administrative and programmatic

technical assistance related to HIV/AIDS and assisting with the

capacity development of identified CBOs. Appropriateness of specific

activities for providing administrative and programmatic technical

assistance related to HIV/AIDS and capacity development. Logic and

sequencing of the planned approaches in relation to the provision of

HIV/AIDS technical assistance and capacity development. Appropriateness

of defined roles and resources.

Factor 4: Evaluation (20%)

Thoroughness, feasibility and appropriateness of the evaluation

design, data collection, and analysis procedures. For example, number

of new CBOs identified, number of new CBOs submitting applications for

grants and number of grants awarded, number of CBOs requesting

technical assistance and the percentage receiving it, and

identification of outcome variables for quality of service. Clarity of

the intent and plans to document the activities and their outcomes to

establish a model. The potential for replication of the project for

similar target populations and communities including the assessment of

the utility of the different tools used to implement the program.

Factor 5: Management Plan (15%)

Applicant demonstrates an ability to mobilize a strong

administrative technical assistance capacity with onsite knowledge of

organizational management skills, diversification of fiscal base, and

organizational development. Applicant organization's capability to

manage and evaluate the project as determined by: the qualifications of

proposed staff or requirements for ``to be hired'' staff; proposed

staff level of effort; and management experience of the applicant.

Award Criteria

Funding decisions will be determined by the Acting Deputy Assistant

Secretary for Minority Health of the Office of Minority Health and the

Director of the Office of HIV/AIDS Policy and will take under

consideration: recommendations/ratings of the review panel and

geographic and racial/ethnic distribution. Consideration will also be

given to projects proposed to be implemented in Empowerment Zones and

Enterprise Communities in the 15 eligible metropolitan statistical

areas.

Definitions

For purposes of this grant announcement, the following definitions

are provided:

Community-Based Organization--Public and private, nonprofit

organizations which are representative of communities or significant

segments of communities, and which address health and human services.

Community Coalition--At least three (3) discrete organizations and

institutions in a community which

[[Page 33866]]

collaborate on specific community concerns, and seeks resolution of

those concerns through a formalized relationship documented by written

memoranda of understanding/ agreement signed by individuals with the

authority to represent the organizations (e.g., president, chief

executive officer, executive director).

Minority Community-Based Organization--Public and private nonprofit

community-based minority organization or a local affiliate of a

national minority organization that has: a governing board composed of

51 percent or more racial/ethnic minority members, a significant number

of minorities employed in key program positions, and an established

record of service to a racial/ethnic minority community.

Minority Populations--American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian,

Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, and Native Hawaiian or

Other Pacific Islander. (Revision to the Standards for the

Classification of Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity, Federal Register,

Vol. 62, No. 210, pg. 58782, October 30, 1997.)

Reporting and Other Requirements

General Reporting Requirements

A successful applicant under this notice will submit: (1) progress

reports; (2) an annual Financial Status Report; and (3) a final

progress report and Financial Status Report in the format established

by the Office of Minority Health, in accordance with provisions of the

general regulations which apply under CFR 74.50-74.52.

Provision of Smoke-Free Workplace and Non-Use of Tobacco Products by

Recipients of PHS Grants

The Public Health Service strongly encourages all grant recipients

to provide a smoke-free workplace and to 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 of a facility) in which regular or routine education, library,

day care, health care or early childhood development services are

provided to children.

Public Health System Reporting Requirements

This program is subject to Public Health Systems Reporting

Requirements. Under these requirements, a 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 organizations within their jurisdictions.

Community-based nongovernmental applicants are required to submit,

no later than the Federal due date for receipt of the application, the

following information to the head of the appropriate State and local

health agencies in the area(s) to be impacted: (a) a copy of the face

page of the application (SF 424), and (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, and (3) a description of the coordination planned with the

appropriate State or local health agencies. Copies of the letters

forwarding the PHSIS to these authorities must be contained in the

application materials submitted to the Office of Minority Health.

State Reviews

This program is subject to the requirements of Executive Order

12372 which allows States the option of setting up a system for

reviewing applications from within their States for assistance under

certain Federal programs. The application kit to be made available

under this notice will contain a listing of States which have chosen to

set up a review system and will include a State Single Point of Contact

(SPOC) in the State for review. Applicants (other than federally

recognized Indian tribes) should contact their SPOCs as early as

possible to alert them to the prospective applications and receive any

necessary instructions on the State process. For proposed projects

serving more than one State, the applicant is advised to contact the

SPOC of each affected State. The due date for State process

recommendations is 60 days after the application deadline established

by the Office of Minority Health's Grants Management Officer.

The Office of Minority Health does not guarantee that it will

accommodate or explain its responses to State process recommendations

received after that date. (See ``Intergovernmental Review of Federal

Programs'' Executive Order 12372 and 45 CFR Part 100 for a description

of the review process and requirements).

Authority: This program is authorized under section 1707(e)(1)

of the Public Health Service Act, as amended by Pub. L. 105-392.

OMB Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance: The OMB Catalog of

Federal Domestic Assistance number for this program is pending.

Dated: June 17, 1999.

Nathan Stinson, Jr.,

Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health.

[FR Doc. 99-16069 Filed 6-23-99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4160-17-P