Request for Applications Under the Office of Community Services' Fiscal Year 2000 Assets for Independence Demonstration Program (IDA Program)

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families

[Program Announcement No. OCS-2000-04]

Request for Applications Under the Office of Community Services'

Fiscal Year 2000 Assets for Independence Demonstration Program (IDA

Program)

AGENCY: Office of Community Services (OCS), Administration for Children

and Families, Department of Health and Human Services.

ACTION: Announcement of availability of funds and request for

competitive applications under the Office of Community Services' Assets

for Independence Demonstration Program.

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SUMMARY: The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of

Community Services (OCS), invites eligible entities to submit

competitive grant applications for new demonstration projects that will

establish, implement, and participate in the evaluation of Individual

Development Accounts for lower income individuals and families.

Applications will be screened and competitively reviewed as indicated

in this Program Announcement. Awards will be contingent on the outcome

of the competition and the availability of funds.

DATES: To be considered for funding applications must be postmarked on

or before May 15, 2000. Applications postmarked after that date will

not be accepted for consideration. See Part IV of this announcement for

more information on submitting applications.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sheldon Shalit (202) 401-4807,

[email protected], or Richard Saul (202) 401-9341,

[email protected], Department of Health and Human Services,

Administration for Children and Families, Office of Community Services,

370 L'Enfant Promenade, SW, Washington, DC, 20447.

In addition, this Announcement is accessible on the OCS Website for

reading or downloading at: http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/ocs/ under

``Funding Opportunities.''

The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number for this

program is 93.602. The title is Assets for Independence Demonstration

Program (IDA Program).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This program announcement consists of seven

parts plus appendices:

Part I: Background Information: legislative authority, program

purpose, project goals, definition of terms, and program evaluation.

Part II: Program Objectives and Requirements: program priority

areas, eligible applicants, project and budget periods, funds

availability and grant amounts, project eligibility and

requirements, non-Federal matching funds requirements, preferences,

multiple applications, treatment of program income, and agreements

with partnering financial institutions.

Part III: The Project Description, Program Proposal Elements and

Review Criteria: purpose, project summary/abstract; objectives and

need for assistance, results or benefits expected, approach,

organizational profiles, budget and budget justification, non-

Federal resources, and evaluation criteria.

Part IV: Application Procedures: application development/

availability of forms, application submission, intergovernmental

review, initial OCS screening, consideration of applications, and

funding reconsideration.

Part V: Instructions for Completing Application Forms: SF424,

SF424A, SF424B.

Part VI: Contents of Application and Receipt Process: content

and order of program application, acknowledgment of receipt.

Part VII: Post Award Information and Reporting Requirements:

notification of grant award, attendance at evaluation workshops,

reporting requirements, audit requirements, prohibitions and

requirements with regard to lobbying, applicable Federal

regulations.

Appendices: Application forms and required attachments.

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is

estimated to average 10 hours per response, including the time for

reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining the data needed and

reviewing the collection information.

The project description is approved under OMB control number 0970-

0139 which expires 10/31/2000.

An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required

to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a

currently valid OMB control number.

Part I. Background Information

A. Legislative Authority

The Assets for Independence Demonstration Program (IDA Program) was

established by the Assets for Independence Act (AFI Act), under Title

IV of the Community Opportunities, Accountability, and Training and

Educational Services Act of 1998 (Pub.L. 105-285, 42 U.S.C. 604 Note).

B. Program Purpose

The purpose of the program is, in the language of the AFI Act: To

provide for the establishment of demonstration projects designed to

determine:

(1) the social, civic, psychological, and economic effects of

providing to individuals and families with limited means an incentive

to accumulate assets by saving a portion of their earned income;

(2) the extent to which an asset-based policy that promotes saving

for postsecondary education, homeownership, and microenterprise

development may be used to enable individuals and families with limited

means to increase their economic self-sufficiency; and

(3) the extent to which an asset-based policy stabilizes and

improves families and the community in which the families live.

There are some 100 IDA programs of various designs operating today

in different communities across the country. Most are quite new and all

are in the process of learning what design features work best with a

variety of circumstances and target populations. Applicants are

encouraged to contact these programs to see what might be learned from

their experiences: what pitfalls to avoid, what successes might be

emulated or adapted. An excellent source of information and discussion

about existing IDA programs is the website operated by the Corporation

for Enterprise Development (CFED), and its ``IDA Learning Network'' and

related ListServe. These can be reached at ``www.idanetwork.org''.

C. Project Goals

The ultimate goals of the projects to be funded under the Assets

for Independence Demonstration Program are:

(1) to create, through project activities and interventions,

meaningful asset accumulation opportunities for recipients of Temporary

Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and other eligible individuals and

working families.

(2) to evaluate the projects to demonstrate the effectiveness of

these activities and interventions and of the project designs through

which they were implemented, and the extent to which an asset-based

program can lead to economic self-sufficiency of members of the

communities served through one or more qualified expenses; and

(3) thus to make it possible to determine the social, civic,

psychological, and economic effects of providing to individuals and

families with limited means an incentive to accumulate assets by saving

a portion of their earned income, and the extent to which an asset-

based policy stabilizes and improves families and the community in

which the families live.

[[Page 69825]]

D. Definition of Terms

For the purposes of this Announcement:

(1) AFI Act means the Assets for Independence Act (Title IV of the

Community Opportunities, Accountability, and Training and Educational

Services Act of 1998) which authorizes this program.

(2) Custodial Account means an alternative structure to a Trust for

the establishment of an Individual Development Account, as described in

PART II, Section G(5).

(3) Eligible Individual means an individual who meets the income

and net worth requirements of the program as set forth in PART II,

Section G(3)(a) below.

(4) Emergency Withdrawal means a withdrawal of only those funds, or

a portion of those funds, deposited by the eligible individual (Project

Participant) in an Individual Development Account of such individual.

Such withdrawal must be approved by the Project Grantee, must be made

for an allowable purpose as defined in the AFI Act and under the

Project Eligibility Requirements set forth in PART II of this

Announcement, and must be repaid by the individual Project Participant

within 12 months of the withdrawal. [See PART II, Section G(7)(b)]

(5) Household means all individuals who share use of a dwelling

unit as primary quarters for living and eating separate from other

individuals.

(6) Individual Development Account means a trust or a custodial

account created or organized in the United States exclusively for the

purpose of paying the qualified expenses of an eligible individual, or

enabling the eligible individual to make an emergency withdrawal, but

only if the written governing instrument creating the trust or

custodial account meets the requirements of the AFI Act and of the

Project Eligibility and Requirements set forth in this Announcement.

[See PART II, Section G(4) and (5).]

(7) Net Worth of a Household means the aggregate market value of

all assets that are owned in whole or in part by any member of the

household, exclusive of the primary dwelling unit and one motor vehicle

owned by a member of the household, minus the obligations or debts of

any member of the household.

(8) Project Grantee means a Qualified Entity as defined in

paragraph (11) below, which receives a grant pursuant to this

Announcement.

(9) Project Participant means an Eligible Individual as defined in

paragraph (3) above who is selected to participate in a demonstration

project by a qualified entity.

(10) Project Year means, with respect to a funded demonstration

project, any of the 5 consecutive 12-month periods beginning on the

date the project is originally awarded a grant by ACF.

(11) Qualified Entity means an entity eligible to apply for and

operate an assets for independence demonstration project, under

Priority Area 1.0, as one or more not-for-profit 501(c)(3) tax exempt

organizations, or a State or local government agency or a tribal

government submitting an application jointly with such a not-for-profit

organization.

(12) Qualified Expenses means one or more of the expenses for which

payment may be made from an individual development account by a project

grantee on behalf of the eligible individual in whose name the account

is held, and is limited to expenses of (A) post-secondary education,

(B) first home purchase, and/or (C) business capitalization, as defined

below:

(A) Post-Secondary Educational Expenses means post-secondary

educational expenses paid from an individual development account

directly to an eligible educational institution, and includes:

(i) Tuition and Fees required for the enrollment or attendance of a

student at an eligible educational institution.

(ii) Fees, Books, Supplies, and Equipment required for courses of

instruction at an eligible educational institution, including a

computer and necessary software.

(iii) Eligible Educational Institution means the following:

(I) Institution of Higher Education.--An institution described in

Section 101 or 102 of the Higher Education Act of 1965.

(II) Post-Secondary Vocational Education School.--An area

vocational education school (as defined in subparagraph (C) or (D) of

section 521(4) of the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology

Education Act (20 U.S.C. 2471(4)) which is in any State (as defined in

section 521(33) of such Act) as such sections are in effect on the date

of enactment of the AFI Act.

(B) First-Home Purchase means qualified acquisition costs with

respect to a principal residence for a qualified first-time homebuyer,

if paid from an individual development account directly to the persons

to whom the amounts are due. Within this definition:

(i) Principal Residence means a main residence, the qualified

acquisition costs of which do not exceed 100 percent of the average

purchase price applicable to a comparable residence in the area.

(ii) Qualified Acquisition Costs means the cost of acquiring,

constructing, or reconstructing a residence, including usual or

reasonable settlement, financing, or other closing costs.

(iii) Qualified First-Time Homebuyer means an individual

participating in the project involved (and, if married, the

individual's spouse) who has no present ownership interest in a

principal residence during the 3-year period ending on the date on

which a binding contract is entered into for purchase of the principal

residence to which this subparagraph applies.

(C) Business Capitalization means amounts paid from an individual

development account directly to a business capitalization account that

is established in a Qualified Financial Institution and is restricted

to use solely for qualified business capitalization expenses of the

eligible individual in whose name the account is held. Within this

definition:

(i) Qualified Business Capitalization Expenses means qualified

expenditures for the capitalization of a qualified business pursuant to

a qualified plan, when so certified by a Qualified Entity (Grantee) as

meeting the requirements of sub-paragraphs (ii), (iii), and (iv) below.

(ii) Qualified Expenditures means expenditures included in a

qualified plan, including but not limited to capital, plant, equipment,

working capital, and inventory expenses.

(iii) Qualified Business means any business that does not

contravene any law or public policy (as determined by the Secretary).

(iv) Qualified Plan means a business plan, or a plan to use a

business asset purchased, which--

(I) is approved by a financial institution, a microenterprise

development organization, or a nonprofit loan fund having demonstrated

fiduciary integrity;

(II) includes a description of services or goods to be sold, a

marketing plan, and projected financial statements; and

(III) may require the eligible individual to obtain the assistance

of an experienced entrepreneurial advisor.

(D) Transfers to Idas of Family Members--Amounts paid from an

individual development account directly into another such account

established for the benefit of an eligible individual who is--

(i) The individual's spouse; or

(ii) Any dependent of the individual with respect to whom the

individual is allowed a deduction under section 151 of the Internal

Revenue Code of 1986.

(13) Qualified Financial Institution means a Federally insured

Financial Institution, or a State insured Financial

[[Page 69826]]

Institution if no Federally insured Financial Institution is available.

(14) Qualified Savings of the Individual for the Period means the

aggregate of the amounts contributed by an eligible individual from

earned income to the individual development account of the individual

during the period.

(15) Secretary means the Secretary of Health and Human Services,

acting through the Director of the Office of Community Services.

(16) Tribal Government means a tribal organization, as defined in

section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act

(24 U.S.C. 450b) or a Native Hawaiian organization, as defined in

section 9212 of the Native Hawaiian Education Act (20 U.S.C. 7912).

(17) Trust Agreement means the instrument by which an Individual

Development Account is established as a trust in the partnering

Financial Institution under PART II Section G(4).

(18) Trustee means the Qualified Financial Institution responsible

for management of an Individual Development Account established as a

trust pursuant to a Trust Agreement.

E. Program Evaluation

Section 414 of the Assets for Independence Act requires that at

least one Assets for Independence Demonstration funded project be

selected as an ``experimental site'' for in-depth evaluation by the

independent research organization funded by ACF. Activity at the

experimental site(s) will include the evaluation of a randomly selected

``treatment group'' (of program participants) and a ``control group''

(of nonparticipants) as well as in-depth interviews of families

involved with the project, which, in addition to the overall evaluation

of the program and of each site, will be the basis for assessing how

asset accumulation affects lower income individuals and families, as

called for in the Act.

After FY 2000 grants are awarded, OCS will solicit FY 1999 and FY

2000 grantees for expressions of interest in being designated as an

experimental site. The solicitation will specify the activities and

obligations such designation will entail; but they will include

recruitment of a sufficient number of eligible individuals to enable

enrollment, within twelve months, of the treatment group and the

control group, each to consist of at least 300 members, randomly

selected by the independent evaluator from among those recruited, and a

commitment to assist in the evaluator's collection of baseline and

follow-up data by providing basic identifying and locating information

(including address and telephone) for those assigned to participate in

both the treatment group and control group.

Part II. Program Objectives and Requirements

The Office of Community Services (OCS) invites qualified entities

to submit competing grant applications for new demonstration projects

that will establish, support, manage, and participate in the evaluation

of Individual Development Accounts for eligible participants among

lower income individuals and working families.

A. Program Priority Areas

There is one Program Priority Area under this program for Fiscal

Year 2000: Priority Area 1.0, under which OCS will accept applications

from Qualified Entities as described below and in Section G.

Applications for continuation of grants funded under Priority Area 2.0

of the Fiscal Year 1999 Assets For Independence Program Announcement

are not covered by this Program Announcement; but will be the subject

of direct correspondence between OCS and the grantees.

B. Eligible Applicants

(1) In General

Eligible applicants for the Assets for Independence Demonstration

Program Priority Area 1.0 are one or more not-for-profit 501(c)(3) tax

exempt organizations, or a State or local government agency or a tribal

government submitting an application jointly with such a not-for-profit

organization. Not-for-profit Applicants, including those filing jointly

with government agencies or Tribal Governments, must provide

documentation of their tax exempt status. The applicant can accomplish

this by providing a copy of the applicant's listing in the Internal

Revenue Service's (IRS) most recent list of tax-exempt organizations

described in Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS code or by providing a copy

of their currently valid IRS tax exemption certificate or by providing

a copy of the articles of incorporation bearing the seal of the State

in which the corporation or association is domiciled. Failure to

provide evidence of Section 501(c)(3) tax exempt status will result in

rejection of the application.

(2) Applications Submitted Jointly by State or Local Government

Agencies or Tribal Governments and Tax Exempt Non-Profit Organizations

Joint applications by government agencies and non-profit

organizations must clearly identify the joint applicants; and the SF

424 Application for Federal Assistance must be signed by one of the

joint applicants. The applicant signing the SF 424 will be responsible

for proper implementation of the grant in accordance with the approved

work program and the terms and conditions of the grant. (It may be

either the government agency applicant or a non-profit applicant). In

either case, a Reserve Fund must be established for the Project by a

non-profit Joint Applicant, and maintained and managed as agreed by the

Joint Applicants. The Reserve Fund must be established in accordance

with Section G, Paragraphs (1) and (2), below; and where the project

includes a group or consortium of operating partner CBOs, may include

both a central and local Reserve Funds as described there. Such joint

applications must also include:

(a) Proof of tax exempt status of the non-profit Joint Applicant,

as described in Paragraph (1), above; and

(b) A Joint Applicant Agreement, signed by the responsible

officials of both Joint Applicants, setting forth the responsibilities

of each Joint Applicant for implementation of the proposed project,

including management and oversight of the Reserve Fund and carrying out

of the project activities and interventions described in Element II of

the proposal narrative. (See PART III, below.) The Joint Applicant

Agreement should be the first Appendix to the Application, and the

responsibilities it sets out should be described in the Project

Narrative under Element II, PART III, C. (below).

(3) Applications Submitted by a Lead Agency on Behalf of a Consortium

of Community-Based Organizations (CBOs)

Where the Applicant is applying as the lead agency for a consortium

of Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), each of these organizations

must be briefly described in the Application, and background materials

citing their relevant experience and staff capabilities should be

included in the Appendix. In such cases the Applicant should document

its capability and experience in managing such consortia, and the roles

and responsibilities of all participating agencies should be clearly

set forth in signed Partnering Agreements between the Applicant and

each of the member CBOs. Copies of the

[[Page 69827]]

Partnering Agreements should be included in the Appendix, and the roles

and responsibilities of each participating agency clearly explained in

PART III, Element II(b), Project Design, and reflected in the Work Plan

under Element II(c). These explanations must include the plans for

establishing one or more Reserve Fund(s), and how and where IDA

Accounts and Parallel Match Accounts will be maintained. (See Section

G. Paragraph (1), below.)

C. Project and Budget Periods under Priority Area 1.0

This announcement is inviting applications under Priority Area 1.0

for project and budget periods of five (5) years. Grant actions, on a

competitive basis, will award funds for the full five year project and

budget period. As noted below in Section E., subject to the

availability of funds, grantees may be offered the opportunity to

submit applications for supplementary funding in later years during the

five-year project.

Note: Applicants should be aware that OCS funds awarded pursuant

to this Announcement will be from FY 2000 funds and may not be

expended after the end of the five-year Project/Budget Period to

support administration of the project or matching contributions to

Individual Development Accounts which may be open at that time.

Consequently, Applicants should consider carefully the length of

time participants will need to achieve their savings goals and at

what point in the project they may wish to discontinue the opening

of new accounts. Applicants should provide assurance that in every

case provision will be made for payment of all promised matching

deposits to IDA accounts opened by project participants in the

course of the demonstration project.

D. Funds Availability and Grant Amounts under Priority Area 1.0

In Fiscal Year 2000 OCS expects approximately $5.4 million to be

available under Priority Area 1.0 for funding commitments to

approximately 25 projects, not to exceed $500,000 and averaging

$200,000 each for the five-year project and budget periods. Applicants

are reminded that grant awards are limited to the amount of committed

non-Federal cash matching contributions; and that OCS recognizes that

this is a limiting factor in the amount of grant funds requested.

Applicants are assured that OCS will welcome requests for less than the

maximum grant amounts, and are urged to make realistic projections of

project activity over the five year project and propose project budgets

accordingly. Draw-down of grant funds over the five-year budget period

will be made in amounts that will match non-Federal deposits into the

Project Reserve Fund. (See Section G. Paragraph (2) and Section I,

below)

E. Funds Availability for Supplementing FY 1999 Grantees

As explained in the FY 1999 Assets for Independence Program

Announcement and noted above, subject to availability of funds and the

progress of individual demonstration projects, grantees may be offered

the opportunity to submit requests for non-competitive supplementary

funding during the five-year project, if there were a determination

that this would be in the best interest of the government, and subject

to the availability of funds. Pursuant to that Announcement

approximately $2 million of FY 2000 funds will be made available for

supplementary grants to FY 1999 grantees who were awarded less than the

maximum amount of $500,000.

Such grantees will be solicited directly by OCS and will be

considered for supplementary funding where they can demonstrate to the

satisfaction of OCS: (1) A commitment of non-Federal matching

contributions at least equal to the supplementary grant requested; (2)

a record of successful implementation of their existing grant to date;

(3) a proposed supplementary work program that does not deviate from

the goals and work program of the original funded project; and (4)

unmet need for and interest in individual development accounts by

eligible individuals in the target population which could only be

satisfied through supplemental funding. Selection of grantees for

supplementary funding will be made by OCS staff prior to the review and

selection of applications under Priority Area 1.0, and any funds not

expended for supplementary grants will be available for project grants

under Priority Area 1.0.

F. Funds Availability and Grant Amounts for Continuation Funding of FY

1999 Priority Area 2.0 Grantees

In Fiscal Year 2000 up to approximately $1.86 million is expected

to be available under Priority Area 2.0 for up to two continuation

grants of up to approximately $930,000 each for the second budget year

of a five-year State project funded under Priority Area 2.0 of the FY

1999 Assets for Independence Program Announcement. Any funds not

expended in FY 2000 for these Continuation Grants will be available for

project grants under Priority Area 1.0.

G. Project Eligibility and Requirements under Priority Area 1.0

To be eligible for funding under Priority Area 1.0, projects must

be sponsored and managed by Qualified Entities and must meet the

following requirements:

(1) Reserve Fund

Every project funded under this Announcement must establish and

maintain a Reserve Fund in accordance with this paragraph. Such Reserve

Fund must be maintained in accordance with the accounting regulations

prescribed by the Secretary (See Attachment ``L'' to this

Announcement), in a Qualified Financial Institution or other insured

financial institution satisfactory to the Secretary.

Note: Where an applicant is lead agency for a consortium or

group of Community Based Organizations (CBOs), each of which will be

implementing an IDA program under the Applicant's grant pursuant to

this Announcement, the Applicant/lead agency must maintain a Reserve

Fund into which all required non-Federal share matching contribution

funds and OCS grant funds shall be deposited in accordance with sub-

Paragraph (a). The consortium has two alternatives for maintenance

of Reserve Fund(s) in its IDA programs: First, participating CBOs

may all operate out of the one central Reserve Fund maintained by

the Applicant/lead agency. In this case separate accounting

structures would be maintained for each of the CBOs and the funds

assigned for their use in accordance with agreements between the

Applicant and each CBO. Or second, in addition to the Central

Reserve Fund, participating CBOs may each establish a local Reserve

Fund in their community into which the Applicant/lead agency will

deposit from the Central Reserve Fund the funds (grant and non-

Federal share) allocated for use by the particular CBO. Central and

local Reserve Funds will be subject to all of the requirements of

this Section. Whatever the arrangement, it must be spelled out and

agreed to in the Partnering Agreements required under Section B.

Paragraph (3) between the Applicant and each consortium member.

(a) Amounts in the Reserve Fund. As soon after receipt as is

practicable, grantees shall deposit in the Reserve Fund the non-Federal

matching contributions received pursuant to the ``Non-Federal Share

Agreement'' or Agreements reached with the provider(s) of non-Federal

matching contributions. Once such non-Federal funds are deposited in

the Reserve Fund, grantees may draw down OCS grant funds in amounts

equal to such deposits. Similarly, as soon after receipt as practical,

grantees shall deposit in the Reserve Fund the income received from any

investment made of those funds (see paragraph (d) below).

[[Page 69828]]

(b) Use of Amounts in the Reserve Fund. Grantees shall use the

amounts in such Reserve Fund as follows:

(A) At least 90.5% of the federal grant funds, and an equal amount

of the required non-Federal share funds, shall be used as matching

contributions, equally divided between federal and non-federal monies,

to individual development accounts for project participants, in an

agreed upon ratio to deposits made in those accounts by project

participants from earned income.

(B) At least 2% but no more than 9.5% of the Federal grant funds

shall be used toward the expense of collecting and providing to the

research organization evaluating the demonstration project the data and

information required for the evaluation.

(C) Up to 7.5% of the Federal grant funds may be used for

administration of the demonstration project and toward expenses of

assisting project participants to obtain the skills (including economic

literacy classes, budgeting, and business management skills), training,

and information necessary to achieve economic self-sufficiency through

activities requiring qualified expenses.

(D) Up to 9.5% of the required matching non-Federal funds may be

used for expenses outlined in Paragraphs (B) and (C), above, or other

project-related expenses as agreed by the Applicant and the providing

entity.

Note: If a grantee mobilizes matching non-Federal contributions

in excess of the required 100 percent match, such non-Federal funds

may be used however the grantee and provider of the funds may agree.

Where the use of such funds falls within a Program Element/-Proposal

Review Criterion which formed the basis for the grant award,

Grantees will be held accountable for commitments of such excess

matching funds and additional resources, even though over the amount

of the required non-Federal match.

(c) Authority to Invest Funds. A grantee shall invest the amounts

in its Reserve Fund that are not immediately needed for payment under

paragraph (b), in a manner that provides an appropriate balance between

return, liquidity, and risk, and in accordance with Guidelines which

will be issued by the Secretary prior to making of grant awards and

provided to grantees at the time of grant award.

(d) Use of Investment Income. Income generated from investment of

Reserve Fund monies that are not allocated to existing Individual

Development Accounts may be added by grantees to the funds committed to

program administration, participant support, or evaluation data

collection. As noted in Paragraph M, below, once funds have been

committed as matching contributions to Individual Development Accounts,

then any income subsequently generated by such funds must be deposited/

credited to the credit of such accounts.

Note: No part of such income is to be considered as a Federal

funds contribution subject to the $2000/$4000 limitations under

Paragraph (5)(b), below.

(e) Joint Project Administration. If two or more qualified entities

are jointly administering a project, none shall use more than its

proportional share for the purposes described in subparagraphs (B) and

(C), of paragraph (b).

(2) Use of Grant Funds by State and Local Government Agencies and

Tribal Governments.

As set forth in Section B. Paragraph (2) above, grantees who are

State or local government agencies or Tribal governments are required

to submit applications jointly with tax exempt non-profit

organizations. In such cases, whether the lead applicant signing the SF

424 is the government agency or the non-profit organization, a Reserve

Fund must be established for the Project by the non-profit Joint

Applicant and maintained and managed as agreed by the Joint Applicants.

The Reserve Fund shall be subject to the requirements of Paragraph (1)

above, and Section I, below.

(3) Eligibility and Selection of Project Participants

(a) Participant Eligibility. Eligibility for participation in the

demonstration projects is limited to individuals who are members of

households eligible for assistance under TANF or of households whose

adjusted gross income does not exceed the earned income amount

described in Section 32 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, which

establishes eligibility for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)(taking

into account the size of the household), and whose net worth as of the

end of the calendar year preceding the determination of eligibility

does not exceed $10,000, excluding the primary dwelling unit and one

motor vehicle owned by a member of the household.

Note: The most recent EITC Earned Income Guidelines which set

the limits on annual income for eligibility in the IDA Program are

as follows:

--for a household without a child: $10,030

--for a household with one child: $26,473.

--for a household with more than one child: $30,095.

Applicants are reminded that there is also an assets test for

eligibility in the program.]

(b) Participant Selection. In keeping with the statutory preference

in Section 405(d)(3) of the AFI Act for applications that target

individuals from neighborhoods or communities that experience high

rates of poverty or unemployment, grantees in their selection of

Project Participants may restrict participation in such neighborhoods

or communities targeted by their demonstration projects to individuals

and households with lower incomes and net worth than set forth above,

provided that they shall nonetheless select individuals that they

determine to be best suited to participate in the demonstration

project.

(4) Establishment of Individual Development Accounts

Project Grantees must create, through written governing

instruments, either (a) Trusts, under this paragraph, or (b) Custodial

Accounts described in Paragraph (5) below, which will be Individual

Development Accounts on behalf of Project Participants. Trustees of

Trusts must be Qualified Financial Institutions. Custodians of

Custodial Accounts may be Qualified Financial Institutions, other

insured financial institutions satisfactory to the Secretary, or

Demonstration Project Grantees. In every case the Participant's

personal savings from earned income shall be deposited in the

Participant's Individual Development Account in a participating insured

financial Institution. In every case the participating insured

financial institution and the Demonstration Project Grantee shall be

parties to the written governing instruments creating the Trust or

Custodial Account, which must contain the following provisions:

(a) All contributions to the accounts must be either in cash, by

check, money order, or by electronic transfer of funds.

(b) The assets of the account will be invested in accordance with

the direction of the Project Participant after consultation with the

grantee and pursuant to the guidelines of the Secretary (which will be

issued prior to the making of grant awards and made available to

grantees at the time of grant award).

(c) The assets of the account will not be commingled with other

property except in a common trust fund or parallel account or common

investment fund.

(d) In the event of the death of the Project Participant, any

balance remaining in the account shall be distributed within 30 days of

the date of death to another Individual Development Account established

for the benefit of an eligible individual as directed by the deceased

Participant in

[[Page 69829]]

the Savings Plan Agreement under sub-paragraph (g), below; provided,

that the Participant may at their option direct the disposition of any

funds in the account which were deposited in the account by the

Participant as he or she may see fit, except that where such

disposition is not to another Individual Development Account, all

matching contributions made by the grantee to the account, and any

income earned thereby, shall be returned to the Reserve Fund.

Note that this will mean that each Project Participant must

provide such direction at the time the Individual Development

Account is established. Provision should be made by grantees for

modification of such directions during the course of the project, in

the event of changing circumstances.

(e) Except in the case of the death of the Project Participant,

amounts in the account attributable to deposits by the grantee from

grant funds and matching non-federal contributions, and any interest

thereon, may be paid, withdrawn or distributed out of the account only

for the purpose of paying qualified expenses of the Project Participant

including transfers under Paragraph (7)(d), below).

(f) The procedures governing the withdrawal of funds from the

Individual Development Account, for both Qualified Expenses and

Emergency Withdrawals, which comply with the provisions of Paragraph

(7) Withdrawals from Individual Development Accounts, below.

(g) a ``Savings Plan Agreement'' between the grantee and the

Project Participant, which may be incorporated by reference, and which

should include: (1) Savings goals (including a proposed schedule of

savings deposits by the Participant from earned income, which may be

for a period of less than five years); (2) the rate at which

participant savings will be matched (from one dollar to eight dollars

for each dollar in savings deposited by Participant, the Federal grant

funds portion of which may not exceed $2000 during the five-year

project period); (3) the proposed qualified expense for which the

Account is maintained, (4) agreement by the grantee to provide and the

Participant to attend classes in Economic Literacy; (5) any additional

training or education related to the qualified expense which the

Grantee agrees to provide and of which the Participant agrees to

partake, (6) contingency plans in the event that the Participant

exceeds or fails to meet projected savings goals or schedules, (7) any

agreement as to investments of assets described in subparagraph (b),

above, (8) an explanation of withdrawal procedures and limitations,

including the consequences of unauthorized withdrawal, (9) provision

for disposition of the funds in the account in the event of the

Participant's death (see sub-Paragraph (d), above; and (10) provision

for amendment of the Agreement with the concurrence of both Grantee and

Participant.

(5) Custodial Accounts

As provided in Paragraph (4), above, Grantees may, in the

alternative, create, through written governing instruments, Custodial

Accounts which shall be Individual Development Accounts on behalf of

Project Participants, except that they will not be trusts. As in the

case of trusts established under paragraph (4), the written governing

instruments of the accounts must contain the requirements outlined in

subparagraphs (a) through (g) of that paragraph, with the following

exceptions. Whereas trustees of the trusts created under Paragraph (4)

must be Qualified Financial Institutions, the assets of the custodial

account may be held by a bank or another ``person'' (or institution)

who demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Secretary that the manner

in which the account will be administered will be consistent with the

provisions of the AFI Act, and that the IDA's will be created and

maintained as described in paragraph (4) and Section 404(5)(A) of the

AFI Act. In addition, in the case of a custodial account treated as a

trust by reason of this paragraph, the custodian of such account may be

the Project Grantee, provided that it can assure compliance with the

requirements of Paragraph (4) above, and Section 404(5)(A) of the AFI

Act. These arrangements would place the ``custodial'' responsibilities

with the grantee, and relieve financial institutions of trustee

obligations. The Secretary has determined that the assets of any such

accounts must be held in an insured financial institution and be

subject to the provisions of Paragraph M, below, pertaining to

agreements between applicants/grantees and participating financial

institutions.

(6) Deposits in Individual Development Accounts

(a) Matching Contributions. Not less than once every three months

during the demonstration project grantees will make deposits into

Individual Development Accounts as matching contributions to deposits

from earned income made by Project Participants during the period since

the previous deposit. Such deposits may be made either into the

accounts themselves or into a parallel account maintained by the

grantee in an insured financial institution.

Note: Deposits made by Project Participants shall be deemed to

have been made from earned income so long as the Participant's

earned income (as defined in Section 911(d)(2) of the Internal

Revenue Code of 1986) during the period since the Participant's

previous deposit in the account is greater than the amount of the

current deposit. Section 911(d)(2) provides, in relevant part, ``the

term `earned income' means wages, salaries, or professional fees,

and other amounts received as compensation for personal services

actually rendered''.

Matching contributions (as deposits to IDA accounts or to parallel

accounts) must be made to IDA's in equal amounts from Federal grant

funds and the non-Federal public and private funds committed to the

project as matching contributions, as described in Section I below, and

Sections 405(c)(4) and 406(b)(1) of the AFI Act. Such matching

contribution deposits by grantees may be from $0.50 to $4 in non-

Federal funds and an equal amount in Federal grant funds, for each

dollar of earned income deposited in the account by the Project

Participant in whose name the account is established. Once such equal

matching contribution deposits are made, grantees may make additional

matching contributions to IDA's from other non-Federal sources, or

other Federal sources, such as TANF, where the legislation or policies

governing such programs so permit. Such additional matching

contributions would not be a use of funds falling within any Program

Element/Proposal Review Criterion under Part III below, which formed

the basis for the grant award, and as such, grantees will not be held

accountable for their commitment to the project.

At the time matching contribution deposits are made, the grantee

will also deposit into the Individual Development Account (or the

parallel account) any interest or income that has accrued since the

previous deposit on amounts previously deposited in or credited to that

account.

(b) Limitations on Matching Contributions. Over the course of the

five year demonstration, not more than $2,000 in Federal grant funds

shall be provided through matching contributions to any one individual;

and not more than $4,000 shall be provided to IDA's in any one

household. [As noted in Paragraph (1)(d), above, no part of any

investment income earned by monies in the Reserve Fund is to be

considered as a Federal funds contribution subject to this limitation.]

[[Page 69830]]

(7) Withdrawals from Individual Development Accounts

(a) Limitations. Under no circumstances may funds be withdrawn from

an Individual Development Account earlier than six months after the

initial deposit by a Project Participant in the Account. Thereafter

funds may be withdrawn from such account only upon written approval of

the Project Participant and of a responsible official of the project

grantee, and only for one or more Qualified Expenses (as defined in

Part I) or for an Emergency Withdrawal.

(b) Emergency Withdrawals. An Emergency Withdrawal may only be of

those funds, or a portion of those funds, deposited in the account by

the Project Participant, and for the following purposes:

(i) Expenses for medical care or necessary to obtain medical care

for the Project Participant or a spouse or dependent of the

Participant;

(ii) Payments necessary to prevent eviction of the Project

Participant from, or foreclosure on the mortgage for, the principal

residence of the Participant;

(iii) Payments necessary to enable the Project Participant to meet

necessary living expenses (food, clothing, shelter--including utilities

and heating fuel) following loss of employment.

(c) Reimbursement of Emergency Withdrawals. A Project Participant

shall reimburse an Individual Development Account for any funds

withdrawn from the account for an Emergency Withdrawal, not later than

12 months after the date of the withdrawal. If the Participant fails to

make the reimbursement, the Project Grantee must transfer the funds

deposited into the account or a parallel account from Federal and non-

Federal matching contributions, and any income generated thereby, back

to the Reserve Fund of the grantee, and use the funds to benefit other

individuals participating in the demonstration project involved. Any

remaining funds deposited by the Project Participant (plus any income

generated thereby) shall be returned to such Project Participant.

(d) Transfers to Individual Development Accounts of Family Members.

At the request of a Project Participant, and with the written approval

of a responsible official of the grantee, amounts may be paid from an

individual development account directly into another such account

established for the benefit of an eligible individual who is--

(i) The Participant's spouse, or

(ii) Any dependent of the Participant with respect to whom the

Participant is allowed a deduction under section 151 of the Internal

Revenue Code of 1986.

H. Project Eligibility and Requirements under Priority Area 2.0

As previously noted in Part II Section A, there is no Priority Area

2.0 under this Announcement. Applications for continuation of grants

funded under Priority Area 2.0 of the Fiscal Year 1999 Assets For

Independence Program Announcement will be the subject of direct

correspondence between OCS and the grantees.

I. Non-Federal Matching Funds Requirements

Grantees must mobilize at least one hundred percent of the OCS

grant amount in cash non-Federal share for deposit to the Reserve Fund

as matching contribution. Public sector resources that can be counted

toward the minimum required match include funds from State and local

governments, and funds from various block grants allocated to the

States by the Federal Government provided that the authorizing

legislation for these grants permits such use. Note, for example, that

Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds may be counted as

matching funds; Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) FUNDS MAY NOT.

With regard to State TANF funds, any State funds that comprise

Maintenance Of Effort (MOE) under the TANF regulations may NOT be used

as required non-Federal share under this Announcement. (But see

discussion of additional matching contributions in Paragraph (6)(a),

above.)

To be considered for funding an Application must include a copy of

a ``Non-Federal Share Agreement'' or Agreements in writing executed by

the Applicant and the organization or organizations providing the

required non-Federal matching contributions, signed for the

organization by a person authorized to make a commitment on behalf of

the organization, and signed for the Applicant by the person signing

the SF424. Such Agreement(s) must include: (1) A commitment by the

organization to provide the non-Federal funds contingent only on the

grant award; and (2) an agreement as to the schedule of the opening of

Individual Development Accounts by the Applicant, and the schedule of

deposits by the organization to the project's Reserve Fund, such that

the two schedules will together assure that there will be at all times

in the Reserve Fund non-Federal matching contribution funds sufficient

to meet the maximum pledges of matching contributions under the

``Savings Plan Agreements'' for all Individual Development Accounts

then open and being maintained by the grantee as part of the

demonstration project.

Thus, for example, if the provider of non-Federal share only agrees

to a fixed schedule of deposits, this non-Federal share requirement can

be met by the Applicant agreeing to a schedule for opening new accounts

that will assure that new IDA accounts will only be opened when there

are sufficient funds in the Reserve Fund to meet the maximum amount of

matching contributions pledged under the ``Savings Plan Agreements''.

Where the Applicant is itself providing any of the required cash

non-Federal share, it must include a statement of commitment, on

applicant letterhead, signed by the official signing the SF 424 and

countersigned by the Applicant's Board Chairperson or Treasurer, that

the non-Federal matching funds will be provided, contingent only on the

OCS grant award, and that non-Federal share deposits to the Reserve

Fund and the opening of Individual Development Accounts will be

coordinated so that new accounts will only be opened when there are

sufficient funds in the Reserve Fund to cover the maximum matching

requirements of the Savings Plan Agreements.

With regard to Applicants which are State or local government

agencies or Tribal governments, submitting jointly with tax exempt non-

profit organizations, note that under Section G Paragraphs (1) and (2),

above, Reserve Funds are required to be established as in other

applications/projects.

OCS has determined that the strict legislative limitations on the

use of Federal grant funds and of the minimum required non-Federal

match (at least 90.5% of each must go toward matching deposits in

Individual Development Accounts) mean that important training,

counseling and support activities, critical to the success of a

project, may best be supported by additional resources, both of the

applicant itself and mobilized by the applicant in the community.

Consequently, Applicants are encouraged to mobilize additional

resources, which may be cash or in-kind contributions, Federal or non-

Federal, for support of project administration and assistance to

Project Participants in obtaining skills, knowledge, and needed support

services. (See PART III, Element V) Applicants are reminded that they

will be held accountable for commitments of such additional resources

even if over the amount of the required non-Federal match.

[[Page 69831]]

J. Preferences

In accordance with the provisions of the AFI Act, in considering an

application to conduct a demonstration project under this Announcement,

OCS will give preference to an application that:

(1) Demonstrates the willingness and ability of the applicant to

select eligible individuals for participation in the project who are

predominantly from households in which a child (or children) is living

with the child's biological or adoptive mother or father, or with the

child's legal guardian.

Note: Applications that target TANF recipients will be deemed to

have met this preference.

(2) Provides a commitment of non-Federal funds with a

proportionately greater amount of such funds committed from private

sector sources; and

(3) Targets individuals residing within one or more relatively

well-defined neighborhoods or communities (including rural communities)

that experience high rates of poverty or unemployment.

Note: Applications which target residents of Empowerment Zones,

Enterprise Communities, Public Housing, or CDFI Fund-designated

Distressed Communities will be deemed to have met this preference.

(For information on CDFI Fund designation of Distressed Communities

applicants may visit the CDFI Help Desk Website at: http://

www.cdfifundhelp.gov.)

Each of these preferences will be valued at 2 points in the

Application Review process, so that applicants not meeting these

preferences will have 2 points subtracted from its score for a given

Proposal Element for each preference not met. [Preferences (1) and (3)

fall under Proposal Element II(a); Preference (2) falls under Proposal

Element V(a)]. In the case of a consortium of CBO's operating programs

funded through a lead agency, if a majority of the participating CBO's

meet these legislative preferences, the Application as a whole will be

awarded these points.

K. Multiple Applications

Qualified Entities may submit more than one application for

different demonstration projects, but no more than one such application

will be funded to the same Qualified Entity pursuant to this

Announcement.

L. Treatment of Program Income

As noted in Section G Paragraph (1)(d), above, income generated

from investment of unallocated funds in the Reserve Fund may be added

to the funds already committed from the Reserve Fund to program

administration, participant support, or evaluation data collection.

However, once funds have been committed as matching contributions to

Individual Development Accounts, then any income subsequently generated

by such funds must be deposited proportionately to the credit of such

accounts.

Note: No part of such income is to be considered as a Federal

funds contribution subject to the $2000/$4000 limitations under

Section G Paragraph (6)(b), above.

M. Agreements With Partnering Financial Institutions

All applicants under this Announcement must enter into agreements

with one or more insured Financial Institutions, in collaboration with

which Reserve Funds and Individual Development Accounts will be

established and maintained. To be considered for funding, an

Application must include a copy of an Agreement or Agreements with one

or more partnering Qualified Financial Institutions (or in the case of

Individual Development Accounts established as Custodial Accounts, an

insured financial institution satisfactory to the Secretary), which

state(s) that the accounting procedures to be followed in account

management will conform to Guidelines (CFR Part 74) established by the

Secretary

Note: Such regulations may be found as Attachment ``L'' to this

Announcement.

and under which the partnering insured Financial Institution agrees to

provide data and reports as requested by the applicant. In the case of

IDA's established as Trusts under Section G Paragraph (4), above, the

partnering financial institution must be a Qualified Financial

Institution as defined in PART I Section D(12). In the case of IDA's

established as Custodial Accounts, the partnering financial institution

must be insured and must meet the requirements of Section G Paragraph

(5), above, to the satisfaction of the Secretary.

The Agreement may also include other services to be provided by the

partnering Financial Institution that could strengthen the program,

such as Financial Education Seminars, favorable pricing or matching

contributions provided by the Financial Institution, and assistance in

recruitment of Project Participants.

Part III. The Project Description, Program Proposal Elements and

Review Criteria

A. Purpose

The project description provides the major means by which an

application is evaluated and ranked to compete with other applications

for available assistance. The project description should be concise and

complete and should address the activity for which Federal funds are

being requested. Supporting documents should be included where they can

present information clearly and succinctly. Applicants are encouraged

to provide information on their organizational structure, staff,

related experience, and other information considered to be relevant.

Awarding offices use this and other information to determine whether

the applicant has the capability and resources necessary to carry out

the proposed project. It is important, therefore, that this information

be included in the application. However, in the narrative the applicant

must distinguish between resources directly related to the proposed

project from those that will not be used in support of the specific

project for which funds are requested.

B. Project Summary/Abstract

Provide a summary of the project description (a page or less) with

reference to the funding request.

Applicants should provide a Project Summary of not more than one

page which should be placed at the beginning of the Application (and

will not be counted as a part of the Project Narrative/Description).

The Project Summary should be on Applicant's letterhead. It should open

with a brief identification of the geographic area to be served,

indicating poverty and unemployment rates, and the specific population

to be targeted by the project, followed by the amount of the grant

requested, the name of partnering financial institution(s) and

collaborating CBO's (if applicable), the amount of required non-Federal

match committed, number of IDA accounts projected to be opened in the

course of the Demonstration Project, the proposed rate of matching

contributions, and the types and numbers of ``Qualified Expenses''

expected to be achieved by participants. This should be followed by a

brief narrative description of the project indicating any of its

innovative aspects.

C. Objectives and Need for Assistance

Clearly identify the physical, economic, social, financial,

[[Page 69832]]

instructional, and/or other problem(s) requiring a solution. The need

for assistance must be demonstrated and the principal and subordinate

objectives of the project must be clearly stated; supporting

documentation, such as letters of support and testimonials from

concerned interests other than the applicant, may be included. Any

relevant data based on planning studies should be included or referred

to in the endnotes/footnotes. Incorporate demographic data and

participant/beneficiary information, as needed. In developing the

project description, the applicant may volunteer or be requested to

provide information on the total range of projects currently being

conducted and supported (or to be initiated), some of which may be

outside the scope of the program announcement.

D. Results or Benefits Expected

Identify the results and benefits to be derived. For example,

describe the population to be recruited to the IDA program, how many

accounts are projected to be opened, what qualified expenses are

expected to be achieved, and how they will assist participants to move

towards self-sufficiency.

E. Approach

Outline a plan of action which describes the scope and detail of

how the proposed work will be accomplished. Account for all functions

or activities identified in the application. Cite factors which might

accelerate or decelerate the work and state your reason for taking the

proposed approach rather than others. Describe any unusual features of

the project such as design or technological innovations, reductions in

cost or time, or extraordinary social and community involvement.

Provide quantitative monthly or quarterly projections of the

accomplishments to be achieved for each function or activity in such

terms as the number of people to be served and the number of accounts

opened. When accomplishments cannot be quantified by activity or

function, list them in chronological order to show the schedule of

accomplishments and their target dates.

Identify the kinds of data to be collected, maintained, and/or

disseminated. Note that clearance from the U.S. Office of Management

and Budget might be needed prior to a ``collection of information''

that is ``conducted or sponsored'' by ACF. List organizations,

cooperating entities, consultants, or other key individuals who will

work on the project along with a short description of the nature of

their effort or contribution.

F. Organization Profiles

Provide information on the applicant organization(s) and

cooperating partners such as organizational charts, financial

statements, audit reports or statements from CPAs/Licensed Public

Accountants, Employer Identification Numbers, names of bond carriers,

contact persons and telephone numbers, child care licenses and other

documentation of professional accreditation, information on compliance

with Federal/State/local government standards, documentation of

experience in the program area, and other pertinent information. Any

non-profit organization submitting an application must submit proof of

its non-profit status in its application at the time of submission. The

non-profit agency can accomplish this by providing a copy of the

applicant's listing in the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) most recent

list of tax-exempt organizations described in Section 501(c)(3) of the

IRS code, or, by providing a copy of the currently valid IRS tax

exemption certificate, or, by providing a copy of the articles of

incorporation bearing the seal of the State in which the corporation or

association is domiciled.

G. Budget and Budget Justification

Provide a line item detail and detailed calculations for each

budget object class identified on the Budget Information form. Detailed

calculations must include estimation methods, quantities, unit costs,

and other similar quantitative detail sufficient for the calculation to

be duplicated. The detailed budget must also include a breakout by the

funding sources identified in Block 15 of the SF-424.

Provide a narrative budget justification that describes how

categorical costs are derived. Discuss the necessity, reasonableness,

and allocability of the proposed costs.

H. Non-Federal Resources

Amounts of non-Federal resources that will be used to support the

project as identified in Block 15 of the SF-424. The firm commitment of

these resources must be documented and submitted with the application

in order to be given credit in the review process. A detailed budget

must be prepared for each funding source.

I. Evaluation Criteria

Proposal Elements and Review Criteria for Applications

Each application which passes the initial screening will be

assessed and scored by three independent reviewers. Each reviewer will

give a numerical score for each application reviewed. These numerical

scores will be supported by explanatory statements on a formal rating

form describing major strengths and weaknesses under each applicable

criterion published in the Announcement. Scoring will be based on a

total of 100 points, and for each application will be the average of

the scores of the three reviewers.

The competitive review of proposals will be based on the degree to

which applicants:

(1) Adhere to the requirements in PART II and incorporate each of

the Elements and Sub-Elements below into their proposals, so as to:

(2) Describe convincingly a project that will develop new asset

accumulation opportunities for TANF recipients and other eligible

individuals and working families that can lead to a transition from

dependency to economic self-sufficiency through the accumulation of

assets and the pursuit of activities requiring one or more qualified

expenses; and

(3) Provide for the collection and validation of relevant data to

support the national evaluation to be carried out by the independent

research organization, under contract with ACF, of the project design,

implementation, and outcomes of this Demonstration Program.

In order to simplify the application preparation and review

process, OCS seeks to keep grant proposals cogent and brief.

Applications with project narratives (excluding Project Summaries and

appendices) of more than 30 letter-sized pages of 12 c.p.i. type or

equivalent on a single side will not be reviewed for funding.

Applicants should prepare and assemble their project description using

the following outline of required project elements. They should,

furthermore, build their project concept, plans, and application

description upon the guidelines set forth for each of the project

elements.

Project descriptions are evaluated on the basis of substance, not

length. Pages should be numbered and a table of contents should be

included for easy reference. For each of the Project Elements or Sub-

Elements below there is at the end of the discussion a suggested number

of pages to be devoted to the particular element or sub-element. These

are suggestions

[[Page 69833]]

only; but the applicant must remember that the overall Project

Narrative must not be longer than 30 pages.

Evaluation Criteria 1: Organizational Profiles

Element I. Organizational Experience and Administrative Capability;

Ability To Assist Participants. (0 to 20 points)

Criterion: The capability and relevant experience of the applicant

and its partners and collaborators in developing and operating programs

which deal with poverty problems similar to those to be addressed by

the proposed project, including the provision of supportive services to

TANF recipients and other low income individuals and working families

seeking to achieve economic stability and self-sufficiency, as well as

with evaluations and data collection; and in recruiting, educating, and

assisting project participants to increase their economic independence

and general well-being through economic literacy education and the

accumulation of assets.

Applications should briefly cite a few specific, concrete examples

of successful programs and activities, with accomplishments, with which

applicant has been involved which have contributed to its experience

and capability to carry out the proposed project. This should include

experience in working with the target or similar populations, as well

as collaborative programming and operations which involve financial

institutions and financial planning, budget counseling, educational

guidance, preparation for home ownership, and/or self-employment

training.

Applications should identify applicant agency executive leadership

in this section and briefly describe their involvement in the proposed

project and provide assurance of their commitment to its successful

implementation. (This can be achieved by a statement or letter from

agency executive leadership which may be included in the Appendix.) The

application should note and justify the priority that this project will

have within the agency including the facilities and resources that it

has available to carry it out.

The application must also identify the individual staff person(s)

who will have the most responsibility for managing the project,

coordinating services and activities for participants and partners, and

for achieving performance targets. The focus should be on the

qualifications, experience, capacity and commitment to the program of

the key staff person(s) who will administer and implement the project,

and the application should indicate the amount of time (in FTE) each

will be expected to devote to the project. The person identified as

Project Director should have supervisory experience, experience in

working with financial institutions and budget related problems of the

poor, and experience with the target population. Because this is a

demonstration project within an already-established agency, OCS expects

that the key staff person(s) would be identified, if not hired, in

which case a resume or resumes should be included in the Appendix. If

the person or persons have not been identified, then Position

Description(s) should be included in the Appendix.

Finally, the application should cite the roles, responsibilities,

and experience of any other organizations that will be collaborating

with the Applicant to assist and support Project Participants in the

pursuit of their goals under the project. Supporting documentation

concerning these partnering agencies should be included in the Appendix

to the proposal.

Where the Applicant is applying as the lead agency for a consortium

of Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), each of these organizations

should be briefly described in this section of the Project Narrative;

and background materials citing their relevant experience and staff

capabilities should be included in the Appendix. In such cases the

Applicant should document its capability and experience in managing

such consortia, and the roles and responsibilities of all participating

agencies should be clearly set forth in Partnering Agreements between

the Applicant and each of the member CBOs. Copies of the Agreements

should be included in the Appendix, and the roles and responsibilities

clearly explained in Element II(b), Project Design, and reflected in

the Work Plan under Element II(c).

It is suggested that applicants use no more than 5 pages for this

sub-Element, not counting actual resumes or position descriptions,

which should be included in an Appendix to the proposal. Background

materials on consortium members (if any) and other collaborating

agencies, supportive materials, and Partnering Agreements with CBOs

should also be included in the Appendix.

Evaluation Criteria 2: Approach I

Element II. Sufficiency of the Project Theory, Design, and Plan (0-45

points)

Criterion: The degree to which the project described in the

application appears likely to result in the establishment of a

workable, fiscally sound program that will provide a structure of

incentives and supports for TANF recipients and other working families

of limited means that will enable them to increase their economic self

sufficiency through economic literacy training and asset accumulation

for one or more ``qualified expenses''.

OCS seeks to learn from the application why and how the project as

proposed is expected to establish the creation of new opportunities for

asset accumulation by eligible individuals and families that can lead

to significant improvements in individual and family self-sufficiency

through activities requiring one or more qualified expenses: for post-

secondary education, home ownership, and/or qualified business

capitalization.

Applicants are urged to design and present their project in terms

of a conceptual cause-effect framework that makes clear the

relationship between what the project plans to do and the results it

expects to achieve.

Sub-Element II(a). Description of Target Population, Analysis of Need,

and Project Assumptions (0-15 points)

In this sub-element of the proposal the applicant must precisely

identify the target population(s) to be served. The geographic area to

be impacted should then be briefly described, citing the percentage of

residents who are low-income individuals and TANF recipients, as well

as the unemployment rate, and other data that are relevant to the

project design.

Note: Both the poverty rate and unemployment rate of the target

community(s) are needed to be set forth in the Application so that

its eligibility for the legislative preference may be determined

(see below).

The project design or plan should begin with identifying the

underlying assumptions about the program. These are the beliefs on

which the proposed program is built. They should begin with assumptions

about the strengths and needs of the population(s) to be served; about

how the accumulation of assets will enable project participants to

build on those strengths in their quest to achieve self-sufficiency;

and about what anticipated needs of the participants could be barriers

to that achievement.

[[Page 69834]]

In other words, the underlying assumptions of the program are the

applicant's analysis of the participant strengths and potential to be

supported and their needs and problems to be addressed by the project,

and the applicant's theory of how its proposed interventions will

address those strengths and needs to achieve the desired result. Thus a

strong application is based upon a clear description of the strengths,

opportunities, needs and problems to be supported and addressed, and a

persuasive understanding of the nature of the opportunities and causes

of the problems.

The application should include a discussion of the identified

personal barriers to employment, job retention and greater self-

sufficiency faced by the population to be targeted by the project.

(These might include such problems as illiteracy, substance abuse,

family violence, lack of skills training, health or medical problems,

need for childcare, lack of suitable clothing or equipment, or poor

self-image.) The application should also include an analysis of the

identified community systemic barriers which the applicant will seek to

overcome. These might include lack of public transportation; lack of

markets; unavailability of financing, insurance or bonding; inadequate

social services (employment service, child care, job training); high

incidence of crime; lack of housing; inadequate health care; or

environmental hazards. Applicants should be sure not to overlook the

personal and family services and support needed by project participants

which will enhance job retention and advancement, so as to assure

continued ability to save from earned income, and which will also help

to assure that benefits attainable through asset accumulation are not

diverted by crises beyond the participants' control which would lead to

emergency withdrawals.

Where applicant is the lead agency for a group or consortium of

CBOs, this narrative should briefly summarize the location, character,

and unemployment and poverty status of the different target

populations. More detailed information for each of the participating

CBOs should be included in the Appendix to the Application.

Note: In accordance with the legislative preferences set forth

in PART II Section J, above, the maximum score for this sub-Element

in the review of applications under Priority Area 1.0 will only be

given to applications which:

(1) demonstrate the willingness and ability of the applicant to

select individuals for participation in the project who are

predominantly from households in which a child (or children) is

living with the child's biological or adoptive mother or father, or

with the child's legal guardians. (Applications which target TANF

recipients will be deemed to have met this preference); and

(2) target individuals residing within one or more relatively

well-defined neighborhoods or communities (including rural

communities, public housing developments, Empowerment Zones and

Enterprise Communities) that experience high rates of poverty or

unemployment. (Applications which target residents of Empowerment

Zones, Enterprise Communities, Public Housing, or CDFI Fund-

designated Distressed Communities will be deemed to have met this

preference.) (See PART II, Section J)

Each of these preferences will be valued at 2 points in the

proposal review, so that the absence of one will reduce the review

score for the sub-Element by 2 points; the absence of both will reduce

the review score by 4 points.

In the case of a consortium of CBOs operating programs funded

through a lead agency, if a majority of the participating CBOs meet

these legislative preferences, the Application as a whole will be

awarded these points.

It is suggested that applicants use no more than 5 pages for this

Sub-Element, not including any more detailed information about separate

target populations, which should be included in the Appendix.

Sub-Element II(b). Project Approach and Design: Interventions,

Outcomes, and Goals (0-20 points)

The Application should outline a plan of action which describes the

scope and detail of how the proposed activities will be undertaken.

This Sub-Element should begin with a concise statement of the number of

IDAs that are proposed to be established for each of the ``Qualified

Expenses'' under the AFI Act, the projected monthly savings by IDA

holders and the planned rate of matching contributions, and the

projected savings goals of the participants. The applicant should

demonstrate that projected savings goals have a true relation to the

ability of the Participant to save and to the value or cost of the

``Qualified Expense'' for which the IDA is to be used, be it housing,

postsecondary education, or business capitalization.

Next, the Applicant should present a clear and straightforward

description, from the point of view of the Project Participant, of just

how the proposed IDA Project will operate. This description should take

an eligible member of the target population through project activities

from recruitment through the payment for the ``Qualified Expense'' (and

beyond, if appropriate). It is suggested that the description generally

follow the outline below, plus any additional activities that the

Applicant proposes to undertake as part of its project:

(1) How/where does the potential participant learn information

about the Project that will excite his/her interest? (Recruitment)

(2) Once interested, how, when, by whom, and on what basis is the

recruit selected to participate in the project? (Selection)

(3) How and when and with what assistance (Case Management? Family

Development?) does the new participant make decisions concerning the

amount of weekly or monthly savings and the selection of ``Qualified

Expense''? Or is this part of the Selection Process? (Orientation?)

(4) When and where and with whom does the Participant reach

agreement on and sign a ``Savings Plan Agreement''? [Include here a

brief discussion of the provisions of the Agreement, or refer to a

sample provided in the Appendix.] (Savings Plan Agreement)

(5) Where, when and how does the Participant actually open his/her

IDA account with the Insured Financial Institution? Where is the

Institution in relation to the Participant's home/place of work? How

does the Participant get to the Institution? [Include here a brief

discussion of the role of the Financial Institution in account

management, data collection and reporting, and any other services it

will provide, referring to copies of the agreement(s) with the

Financial Institution(s) in the Appendix.] (Opening of the IDA/Role of

the Financial Institution)

(6a) How and where will participant make savings deposits? In

person? By mail? Through payroll deduction? (Savings Deposits)

(6b) What happens if a scheduled deposit is missed? Will the

participant be sent a post card? Receive a supportive phone call?

(Delinquency)

(7) Where and when and from whom does the participant receive

``Economic Literacy'' or ``Budgeting'' training, and do childcare and

transportation need to be provided? (Training and Support)

(8a) Where and when and from whom does the participant receive

needed support to remain on the job with opportunity for advancement

(So as to assure continued savings from earned income)? (Post

Employment Support Services)

(8b) Where and when and from whom does the participant receive

emergency services so as to avoid having to make Emergency Withdrawals?

(Crisis Intervention)

[[Page 69835]]

(9) Where and when and from whom does the participant receive

``Qualified Expenditure'' training related to home ownership, pursuit

of educational goals, or business plan development and business

management? (Qualified Expenditure Support)

(10) When the IDA savings/match goals have been achieved, where,

when and how does the participant make or arrange withdrawals to

support the ``Qualified Expenses''? (Withdrawals)

In this description the applicant should discuss all of the planned

activities and interventions, including those supported by other

available resources, and should explain the reasons for taking the

approaches proposed. The description should give a clear picture of how

the project as a whole will operate from day to day, including the

recruiting, financial, program support, and data collection

responsibilities of the applicant and any partners in the project, and

just how they will interact with the financial institutions and other

participating agencies.

Where the Applicant is a lead agency for a group or consortium of

CBOs, the role of each must be clearly defined in this section of the

application. In such cases Applicants should attach copies of signed

Partnering Agreements with each of the member CBOs setting forth the

roles and responsibilities of each. (See Element I and PART II Section

B.(3) above.)

Finally, and following the above description, the Applicant should

explain how the proposed project activities will result in outcomes

which will build on the strengths of the Program Participants and

assist them to overcome the identified personal and systemic barriers

to achieving self-sufficiency. In other words, what will the project

staff do with the resources available to the project and how will what

they do (interventions) assist project participants to accumulate

assets in Individual Development Accounts and use those assets for

``Qualified Expenses'' in a manner that will help lead them to self-

sufficiency?

It is suggested that applicants use no more than 9 pages for this

Sub-Element, not including copies of agreements with financial

institutions, partnering agencies or CBO's, or sample ``Savings Plan

Agreement'', which should be in an Appendix.

Sub-Element II(c). Work Plan, Projections, Time Lines. (0-10 points)

Applicant should provide quantitative quarterly projections of the

activities to be carried out and such information as the projected

number of participants to be enrolled in each quarter, the number of

Individual Development Accounts projected to be opened in each quarter

for each of the ``Qualified Expenses'', the number and amount of

projected deposits in each quarter, a projected schedule of IDA

completions and qualified expense payments, and the number and types of

services provided to participants. The plan should briefly describe the

key project tasks, and show the timelines and major milestones for

their implementation. Where the Applicant is a lead agency for a group

or consortium of CBOs, this information should be broken out for each

of the member CBOs. Applicant may be able to use a time line chart to

convey this aspect of the work plan in minimal space.

Note: Applicants should make sure that these projections relate

accurately to the amount of grant funds requested and rates of

matching contributions that are planned for IDA's. In other words,

applicants should not project a greater number of IDA accounts than

that number that can be matched by the grant funds that will be

available to the project. Applicants should also be aware that OCS

funds awarded pursuant to this Announcement will be from FY 2000

funds and may not be expended after the end of the five-year

Project/Budget Period to support administration of the project or

matching contributions to Individual Development Accounts which may

be open at that time. Consequently, Applicants should consider

carefully the length of time participants will need to achieve their

savings goals and at what point in the project they may wish to

discontinue the opening of new accounts. Applicants should provide

assurance that in every case provision will be made for payment of

all promised matching deposits to IDA accounts opened by project

participants in the course of the demonstration project.

This Element of the Proposal should also include a management plan

or chart showing the responsibilities of the applicant agency, key

personnel, and all partnering agencies and consortium members (where

applicable), with an indication of who will be performing various tasks

such as recruiting, training, economic education instruction, and

support activities. (This plan or chart should be included in the

Appendix to the Application.)

It is suggested that applicants use no more than 3 pages for this

Sub-Element, not counting the management plan/chart, which should be

included in the Appendix.

Evaluation Criteria 3: Budget and Budget Justification

Element III. Appropriateness of Budget and Proposed Use of Cash and In-

Kind Resources. (0-5 points)

Criteria: Completeness of the Budget Justification, and the degree

to which a description of the allocation of both cash and in-kind

resources available to the project (including any income generated for

the project by the Reserve Fund) demonstrates a thoughtful plan that

reflects the needs of Project Participants and the responsive

activities and interventions to be undertaken by the Applicant and its

partners.

Every application must include a Budget Justification, placed after

the Budget Forms SF 424 and 424A, explaining the sources and uses of

project funds. The Budget Justification will not be counted as part of

the Project Description subject to the thirty page limitation.

Applicant should briefly but thoroughly describe how all of the

resources available to the Project will be employed to carry out the

Work Plan described in Element II, including those training elements

and support services designed to help assure participant success in

meeting their savings commitments and their chosen ``qualified

expense'' use of their Individual Development Account assets. In the

budget forms and supporting Budget Justification, Applicants must

clearly distinguish between AFI Act/OCS grant funds and other funds,

and between cash and in-kind resources described.

As noted above, the Budget Justification will not be counted as

part of the Project Description subject to the thirty page limitation.

Evaluation Criteria 4: Approach II

Element IV. Project Data: Adequacy of Plan for Collecting, Validating

and Providing Project-related Data for Management Information,

Reporting, and Evaluation Purposes. (0-5 points)

Criteria: Adequacy of the plan for collecting, validating and

providing relevant, accurate and complete data for internal management

information, statutory reporting and project evaluation purposes; and

clear expression of a commitment to cooperation with the statutorily

mandated evaluation of the national Assets for Independence

Demonstration Program.

Note: Under the AFI Act project grantees are required to use at

least 2%--but not more than 9.5%--of grant funds to provide the

research organization evaluating the

[[Page 69836]]

demonstration project with such information with respect to the

demonstration project as may be required for the evaluation.

The AFI Act allocates a portion of the appropriated funds to

support an evaluation of the overall demonstration program in addition

to the funds grantees are required to expend on data collection. This

Element requires the Applicant to provide a well thought-out plan for

collecting, validating and reporting/-providing the necessary data in a

timely fashion. The Applicant is also encouraged to identify the kinds

of data it believes would facilitate the management information,

reporting, and evaluation purposes. The Applicant should also declare

its agreement to cooperate with the evaluation of the national program,

and include a brief explanation of its perception of what that

cooperation would entail. Applicants are urged to carry out an ongoing

assessment of the data and information collected as an effective

``process'' management/feedback tool in implementing the project. If

the Applicant anticipates such an undertaking, the plans should be

briefly outlined here.

Note: To attain a maximum score for this Element, the Applicant

must state its agreement to use the ``MIS IDA'' information system

software developed by the Center for Social Development, or a

comparable and compatible system, for the maintenance, collection,

and transmission of data from the proposed project.

It is suggested that applicants use no more than 2 pages for this

Element.

Evaluation Criteria 5: Non-Federal Resources

Element V. Commitment of Resources. (Total of 0-15 points)

Sub-Element V(a). Proportion of Public/Private Required Non-Federal

Matching Contributions. (0-2 points)

Criterion: Whether a proportionately greater amount of committed

required non-Federal matching contribution funds are from private

sector as opposed to public sources.

In accordance with the legislative preferences set forth in Part

III Section J Preferences, above, applications which provide a

commitment of required non-Federal cash matching contributions with a

proportionately greater amount of such funds committed from private

sector as opposed to public sources will receive 2 points under this

Element.

Applicants are reminded that as noted in PART II Section I Non-

Federal Matching Funds Requirements, where the Applicant is itself

providing any of the required cash non-Federal share, it must include

in the Appendix a statement of commitment, on applicant letterhead,

signed by the official signing the SF 424 and countersigned by the

Applicant's Board Chairperson or Treasurer, that the non-Federal

matching funds will be provided, contingent only on the OCS grant

award, and that non-Federal share deposits and the opening of

Individual Development Accounts will be coordinated so that new

accounts will only be opened when there are sufficient funds in the

Reserve Fund to cover the maximum matching requirements of the Savings

Plan Agreements.

Sub-Element V(b). Availability of Additional Resources. (0-13 points)

Criterion: The extent to which additional resources (beyond the

required amount of direct funds from non-federal public sector and from

private sources that are formally committed to the project as matching

contributions) will be available to support those activities and

interventions identified in sub-Element II(b), such as economic

literacy classes, ``qualified expense''-related training, counseling,

post-employment support services, and crisis intervention.

As noted below in Part IV, Paragraph D Initial OCS Screening, the

only applications which will be considered for competitive review are

those which include written documentation of a commitment, contingent

only on award of the OCS grant, from the provider(s) of non-Federal

share, in cash as distinguished from in-kind, of at least the amount of

the total Federal grant request.

OCS has determined that the strict legislative limitations on the

use of Federal grant funds and of the minimum required non-Federal

match (at least 90.5% of each must go toward matching deposits in

Individual Development Accounts) mean that important training,

counseling and support activities, critical to the success of a

project, can best be supported by additional resources, both of the

applicant itself and from the community.

In order to receive points in the review process under this sub-

Element, the applicant must identify those additional resources, cash

and in-kind, which will be dedicated to support of those activities and

interventions identified in sub-Element II(b), such as economic

literacy classes, training, counseling, post-employment support

services, and crisis intervention; and any staff data collection/

verification activities described in Element III. Such resources may be

existing programs of the applicant or a project partner, such as Family

Development, Economic Literacy classes, or Small Business Training, in

which Project Participants will be enrolled as part of their efforts to

achieve self-sufficiency. This Element will be judged in the review

process on the adequacy of the available resources to support the

activities and interventions described in sub-Element II(b). The

commitment of such resources to the project must be documented in

writing and submitted as an Appendix to the Application. Because such

additional resources are not part of the legislatively mandated non-

Federal matching requirement, these additional resources may be of

Federal or non-Federal origin, public or private, in cash or in-kind.

Applicants are reminded that they will be held accountable for

commitments of such additional resources even if over the amount of the

required match.

It is suggested that no more than 3 pages be used for this Element,

not including non-Federal Share Agreements, assurances, letters of

commitment, partnership agreements, or Memoranda of Understanding,

which should be put in an Appendix to the proposal.

Evaluation Criteria 6: Results or Benefits Expected

Element VI. Significant and Beneficial Impacts/Critical Issues or

Potential Problems. (0-10 points)

Criteria: The extent to which proposed project is expected to

produce permanent and measurable results that will reduce the incidence

of poverty in the community and lead TANF recipients and other eligible

individuals and working families toward economic self-sufficiency

through economic literacy education and accumulation of assets; and the

extent to which applicant convincingly explains how the project will

meet any critical issues or potential problems in achieving these

results.

Applicants should set forth their realistic goals and projections

for attainment of these and other beneficial impacts of the proposed

project and should demonstrate that projected savings goals have a true

relationship to the ability of the participant to save the projected

amounts and to the value or cost of the ``Qualified Expense'' for which

the IDA is to be used.

Results are expected to be quantifiable in terms of the number of

Individual Development Accounts opened, their rate of growth, the

number and size of withdrawals for each of the three ``Qualified

Expenses'', and the impact of the payment of those expenses on the

[[Page 69837]]

participants' movement toward self-sufficiency.

Applicants should also in this Element explicitly address critical

issues or potential problems that might affect the achievement of

project objectives, with an explanation of how they would be overcome,

and how the objectives will be achieved notwithstanding any such

problems.

It is suggested that no more than 3 pages be used for this Element.

Part IV. Application Procedures

A. Application Development/Availability of Forms

In order to be considered for a grant under this program

announcement, an application must conform to the Program Requirements

set out in Part II and be prepared in accordance with the guidelines

set out in Part III, above. It must be submitted on the forms supplied

in the attachments to this Announcement and in the manner prescribed

below. Attachments A through I contain all of the standard forms

necessary for the application for awards under this OCS program. These

attachments and Parts IV and V of this Announcement contain all the

instructions required for submittal of applications.

Additional copies may be obtained by writing or telephoning the

office listed under the section entitled FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT: at the beginning of this announcement. In addition, this

Announcement is accessible on the Internet through the OCS WEBSITE for

reading or downloading at: http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/ocs/ under

``Funding Opportunities''.

The applicant must be aware that in signing and submitting the

application for this award, it is certifying that it will comply with

the Federal requirements concerning the drug-free workplace, the

Certification Regarding Environmental Tobacco Smoke, and debarment

regulations set forth in Attachments G, H, and I.

Part III contains instructions for the substance and development of

the project narrative. Part V contains instructions for completing

application forms. Part VI, Section A describes the contents and format

of the application as a whole.

B. Application Submission

(1) Number of Copies Required

One signed original application and four copies should be submitted

at the time of initial submission. (OMB 0976-0139).

(2) Deadline

Mailed applications shall be considered as meeting the announced

deadline of May 15, 2000 if they are either received on or before the

deadline date or postmarked on or before the deadline date and received

by ACF in time for the independent review. Mailed applications must be

sent to: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration

for Children and Families, Office of Grants Management, Office of Child

Support Enforcement, ``Attention: IDA Program'', 370 L'Enfant

Promenade, SW, Washington, DC 20447.

Applications submitted via overnight/express delivery services

should be addressed to the Administration for Children and Families,

Office of Grants Management, Office of Child Support Enforcement,

``Attention IDA Program'', 901 D Street SW, Fourth Floor, Washington,

DC 20024.

Applicants must ensure that a legibly dated U.S. Postal Service

postmark, or a legibly dated machine produced postmark of a commercial

mail service, or an official dated receipt of an overnight/express

delivery service, is affixed to the envelope/package containing the

application(s). To be acceptable as proof of timely mailing, a postmark

from a commercial mail service or receipt from an overnight/express

delivery service company must include the logo/emblem of the company

and must reflect the date the package was received by the company from

the applicant. Private Metered postmarks shall not be acceptable as

proof of timely mailing.

Applications handcarried by applicants, applicant couriers, or by

other representatives of the applicant shall be considered as meeting

an announced deadline if they are received on or before the deadline

date, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., EST, at the U.S.

Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children

and Families, Office of Grants Management, Office of Child Support

Enforcement, Mailroom, 2nd Floor (near loading dock), Aerospace Center,

901 D Street, SW, Washington, DC 20024, between Monday and Friday

(excluding Federal holidays). The address must appear on the envelope/

package containing the application with the note ``Attention: IDA

Program''.

ACF cannot accommodate transmission of applications by fax or

through other electronic media. Therefore, applications transmitted to

ACF electronically will not be accepted regardless of date or time of

submission and time of receipt.

(3) Late Applications

Applications which do not meet the criteria above are considered

late applications. ACF shall notify each late applicant that its

application will not be considered in the current competition.

(4) Extension of Deadlines

ACF may extend an application deadline for applicants affected by

acts of God such as floods and hurricanes, or when there is widespread

disruption of the mails. A determination to waive or extend deadline

requirements rest with ACF's Chief Grants Management Officer.

C. Intergovernmental Review

This program is covered under Executive Order 12372,

``Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs,'' and 45 CFR Part 100,

``Intergovernmental Review of Department of Health and Human Services

Programs and Activities.'' Under the Order, States may design their own

processes for reviewing and commenting on proposed Federal assistance

under covered programs.

Note: State/Territory Participation in the Intergovernmental

Review Process Does not Signify Applicant Eligibility for Financial

Assistance Under a Program. A Potential Applicant Must Meet the

Eligibility Requirements of the Program for Which it is Applying

Prior to Submitting an Application to its SPOC, if Applicable, or to

ACF.

Attachment J is a Single Point of Contact List for participating

jurisdictions. The following jurisdictions have elected not to

participate in the Executive Order process: Alabama, Alaska, American

Samoa, Colorado, Connecticut, Kansas, Hawaii, Idaho, Louisiana,

Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, Oklahoma,

Oregon, Palau, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont,

Virginia, and Washington. Applicants from these jurisdictions, for

projects administered by federally recognized Indian Tribes, or which

are States, need take no action in regard to E.O. 12372. All remaining

jurisdictions participate in the Executive Order process and have

established SPOCs. Applicants from participating jurisdictions should

contact their SPOCs as soon as possible to alert them of the

prospective applications and receive instructions. Applicants must

submit any required material to the SPOCs as soon as possible so that

the program office can obtain and review SPOC comments as part of the

award process. The applicant must submit all required materials, if

any, to the SPOC and indicate the date of this submittal (or the date

of contact

[[Page 69838]]

if no submittal is required) on the Standard Form 424, item 16a. Under

45 CFR 100.8(a)(2), a SPOC has 60 days from the application deadline to

comment on proposed awards. SPOCs are encouraged to eliminate the

submission of routine endorsements as official recommendations.

Additionally, SPOCs are requested to clearly differentiate between mere

advisory comments and those official State process recommendations

which may trigger the ``accommodate or explain'' rule. When comments

are submitted directly to ACF, they should be addressed to: Department

of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families,

Office of Grants Management, Office of Child Support Enforcement, 370

L'Enfant Promenade, SW, Mail Stop 6C-462, Washington, DC 20447.

D. Initial OCS Screening

Each application submitted under this program announcement will

undergo a pre-review to determine that the application was postmarked

by the closing date and submitted in accordance with the instructions

in this announcement.

All applications that meet the published deadline requirements as

provided in this Program Announcement will be screened for completeness

and conformity with the following requirements. Only complete

applications that meet the requirements listed below will be reviewed

and evaluated competitively. Other applications will be returned to the

applicants with a notation that they were unacceptable and will not be

reviewed.

The following requirements must be met by all Applicants except as

noted:

(1) The application must contain a signed Standard Form 424

``Application for Federal Assistance'' (SF-424), a budget (SF-424A),

and signed ``Assurances'' (SF 424B) completed according to instructions

published in Part V and Attachments A, B, and C of this Program

Announcement.

(2) A project narrative must also accompany the standard forms. OCS

requires that the narrative portion of the application be limited to 30

letter-size pages, numbered, and typewritten on one side of the paper

only with one-inch margins and type face no smaller than 12 characters

per inch (c.p.i.) or equivalent. Applications with project narratives

(excluding Project Summaries and appendices) of more than 30 letter-

sized pages of 12 c.p.i. type or equivalent on a single side will not

be reviewed for funding. The Joint Applicant Agreement (where

applicable), non-Federal share agreement, Budget Narrative, Charts,

exhibits, resumes, position descriptions, letters of support or

commitment, Agreements with Financial Institutions and other partnering

organizations, and Business Plans (where required) are not counted

against this page limit, and should be in the Appendix. It is strongly

recommended that applicants follow the format and content for the

narrative described in the program elements set out in part III.

(3) The SF-424 and the SF-424B must be signed by an official of the

organization applying for the grant who has authority to obligate the

organization legally.

Applicants must also be aware that the applicant's legal name as

required on the SF-424 (Item 5) must match that listed as corresponding

to the Employer Identification Number (Item 6).

(4) Application must contain documentation of the applicant's (or

joint applicant's) tax exempt status as required under Part II, Section

A.

(5) Application must include a copy of a ``Non-Federal Share

Agreement'' or Agreements in writing executed with the entity or

entities providing the required non-Federal matching contributions,

signed by a person authorized to make a commitment on behalf of the

entity and signed for the Applicant by the person signing the SF424.

Such Agreement(s) must include: (1) A commitment by the organization to

provide the non-Federal funds contingent only on the grant award; and

(2) an agreement as to the schedule of the opening of Individual

Development Accounts by the Applicant, and the schedule of deposits by

the organization to the project's Reserve Fund, such that the two

schedules will together assure that there will be at all times in the

Reserve Fund non-Federal matching contribution funds sufficient to meet

the maximum pledges of matching contributions under the ``Savings Plan

Agreements'' for all Individual Development Accounts then open and

being maintained by the grantee as part of the demonstration project.

Where Applicants (or Joint Applicants) themselves are providing

non-Federal share funding, then with regard to those funds the

application should include an assurance, signed by the person signing

the SF424, and countersigned by the board Chairperson or Treasurer that

the required non-Federal share funds will be provided and that deposits

and the opening of Individual Development Accounts will be coordinated

so that new accounts will only be opened when there are sufficient

funds in the Reserve Fund to cover the maximum matching requirements of

the Savings Plan Agreements. (See part II, Section I.)

Applicants are strongly encouraged to mobilize additional

resources, which may be cash or in-kind contributions, Federal or non-

Federal, for support of project administration and assistance to

Project Participants in obtaining skills, knowledge, and needed support

services. [See part III, Element V(b)]

(6) All Applications must include a copy of an Agreement between

the Applicant and one or more Qualified Financial Institution(s), which

states that the accounting procedures to be followed in account

management will conform to Guidelines (45 CFR part 74) established by

the Secretary, and under which the partnering financial institution

will agree to provide data and reports as requested by the applicant.

E. Consideration of Applications. Applications which pass the

initial OCS screening will be reviewed and rated by an independent

review panel on the basis of the specific review criteria described and

discussed in Part III, above. Applications will be reviewed and rated

under the Program Elements and Review Criteria set forth in part III I.

The review criteria were designed to assess the quality of a proposed

project, and to determine the likelihood of its success. The review

criteria are closely related and are considered as a whole in judging

the overall quality of an application. Points are awarded only to

applications which are responsive to the review criteria and program

elements within the context of this Program Announcement. The results

of these reviews will assist the Director and OCS program staff in

considering competing applications. Reviewers' scores will weigh

heavily in funding decisions, but will not be the only factors

considered.

Applications generally will be considered in order of the average

scores assigned by reviewers. However, highly ranked applications are

not guaranteed funding since other factors are taken into

consideration, including, but not limited to, the timely and proper

completion by applicant of projects funded with OCS funds granted in

the last five (5) years; comments of reviewers and government

officials; staff evaluation and input; the amount and duration of the

grant requested and the proposed project's consistency and harmony with

OCS goals and policy; geographic distribution of applications; previous

program performance of applicants; compliance with grant terms under

previous HHS grants, including the actual dedication to program of

[[Page 69839]]

mobilized resources as set forth in project applications; audit

reports; investigative reports; and applicant's progress in resolving

any final audit disallowances on previous OCS or other Federal agency

grants.

Since non-Federal reviewers will be used for review of

applications, Applicants may omit from the application copies which

will be made available to the non-Federal reviewers, the specific

salary rates or amounts for individuals identified in the application

budget. Rather, only summary information is required.

OCS reserves the right to discuss applications with other Federal

or non-Federal funding sources to verify the applicant's performance

record and the documents submitted.

F. Reconsideration

After Federal funds are exhausted for this grant competition,

applications which have been independently reviewed and ranked but have

no final disposition (neither approved nor disapproved for funding) may

again be considered for funding. Reconsideration may occur at any time

funds become available within twelve (12) months following ranking. ACF

does not select from multiple ranking lists for a program. Therefore,

should a new competition based on the same review criteria be scheduled

and applications remain ranked without final disposition, such

applications will be re-reviewed by independent reviewers in the new

competition and ranked according to the new score. At the same time,

such applicants will be informed of their opportunity instead to obtain

reviewer comments from OCS and to reapply for the new competition, if

they so choose, and to the extent practical, in which case the previous

application will be disregarded.

Part V. Instructions for Completing Application Forms

The standard forms attached to this announcement shall be used to

apply for funds under this program announcement.

It is suggested that you reproduce single-sided copies of the SF-

424 and SF-424A, and type your application on the copies. Please

prepare your application in accordance with instructions provided on

the forms (Attachments A and B) as modified by the OCS specific

instructions set forth below:

Provide line item detail and detailed calculations for each budget

object class identified on the Budget Information form. Detailed

calculations must include estimation methods, quantities, unit costs,

and other similar quantitative detail sufficient for the calculation to

be duplicated. The detailed budget must also include a breakout by the

funding sources identified in Block 15 of the SF-424.

Provide a narrative budget justification which describes how the

categorical costs are derived. Discuss the necessity, reasonableness,

and allocability of the proposed costs.

(Note: The Budget detail and Narrative Budget Justification

should follow the SF 424 and 424A, and are not counted as part of

the Project Narrative.)

A. SF-424--Application for Federal Assistance (Attachment A)

Top of Page

Where the applicant is a previous Department of Health and Human

Services grantee, enter the Central Registry System Employee

Identification Number (CRS/EIN) and the Payment Identifying Number, if

one has been assigned, in the Block entitled Federal Identifier located

at the top right hand corner of the form (third line from the top).

Item 1. For the purposes of this announcement, all projects are

considered Applications; there are no Pre-Applications.

Item 7. If applicant is a State, enter ``A'' in the box. If

applicant is an Indian Tribe enter ``K'' in the box. If applicant is a

non-profit organization enter ``N'' in the box.

Item 9. Name of Federal Agency--Enter DHHS-ACF/OCS.

Item 10. The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance number for OCS

programs covered under this announcement is 93.602. The title is

``Assets for Independence Demonstration Program (IDA Program)''.

Item 11. In addition to a brief descriptive title of the project,

indicate the priority area for which funds are being requested. Use the

following letter designations:

I--Individual Projects Under Priority Area 1.0

Item 13. Proposed Project--The project start date must begin on or

before September 30, 2000; the ending date should be calculated on the

basis of 60-month Project Period.

Item 15a. This amount should be no greater than $500,000 for

applications under Priority Area 1.0.

Item 15b-e. These items should reflect both cash and third-party,

in-kind contributions for the Project Period (60 months).

B. SF-424A--Budget Information--Non-Construction Programs (Attachment

B)

In completing these sections, the Federal Funds budget entries will

relate to the requested OCS funds only, and Non-Federal will include

mobilized funds from all other sources--applicant, state, local, and

other. Federal funds other than requested OCS funding should be

included in Non-Federal entries.

Sections A, B, and C of SF-424A should reflect budget estimates for

each year of the Project Period.

Section A--Budget Summary

You need only fill in lines 1 and 5 (with the same amounts)

Col. (a): Enter ``IDA Program'' as Item number 1. (Items 2, 3, 4,

and 5 should be left blank.)

Col. (b): Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance number is 93.602.

Col. (c) and (d): not relevant to this program.

Column (e)-(g): enter the appropriate amounts in items 1. and 5.

(Totals) Column e should not be more than $500,000 for applications

under Priority Area 1.0, and in no case can it be more than the

committed non-Federal matching cash contribution.

Section B--Budget Categories

(Note that the following information supersedes the instructions

provided with the Form in Attachment C)

Columns (1)-(5): For each of the relevant Object Class Categories:

Column 1: Enter the OCS grant funds for the full 5-year budget

period. With regard to Class Categories, all of OCS grant funds should

be entered in ``h. Other'', representing the funds to be deposited in

the Reserve Fund.

Columns 2, 3 and 4 are not relevant to this program.

Column 5: Enter the total federal OCS grant funds for the five year

budget by Class Categories under ``other'', showing a total of not more

than $500,000.

Section C--Non Federal Resources

This section is to record the amounts of ``non-Federal'' resources

that will be used to support the project, including both the required

cash non-Federal ``matching contributions'' share, and the ``additional

resources'' which will bring additional support to the project, which

may be cash or in-kind, non-Federal or Federal. In this context, ``Non-

Federal'' resources mean any and all resources other than the OCS funds

for which the applicant is applying. Therefore, mobilized funds from

other Federal programs, such as the Job Training Partnership Act

program or the Welfare-to-Work program, should be entered on these

lines. Provide a brief listing of

[[Page 69840]]

these ``non-Federal'' resources on a separate sheet and describe

whether it is a grantee-incurred cost or a third-party cash or in-kind

contribution. The firm commitment of these resources must be documented

and submitted with the application in order to be given credit in the

review process under the Non-Federal Resources program element.

Note: Even though non-Federal resources mobilized may go beyond

the amount required as match under the IDA Program, grantees will be

held accountable for any such cash or in-kind contribution proposed

or pledged as part of an approved application where the use of such

funds falls within a Program Element/Proposal Review Criterion which

formed the basis for the grant award. [See part II, Section I. and

part III, Element V(b).]

Sections D, E, and F may be left blank by Applicants under Priority

Area 1.0.

As noted in Part VI, a supporting Budget Justification must be

submitted providing details of expenditures under each budget category,

with justification of dollar amounts which relate the proposed

expenditures to the work program and goals of the project.

C. SF-424B Assurances: Non-Construction Programs

Applicants requesting financial assistance for a non-construction

project must file the Standard Form 424B, ``Assurances: Non-

Construction Programs.'' (Attachment C) Applicants must sign and return

the Standard Form 424B with their applications.

Applicants must provide a certification concerning Lobbying. Prior

to receiving an award in excess of $100,000, applicants shall furnish

an executed copy of the lobbying certification. (See Attachments D and

E) Applicants must sign and return the certification with their

applications. Applicants should note that the Lobbying Disclosure Act

of 1995 has simplified the lobbying information required to be

disclosed under 31 U.S.C. 1352.

Applicants must make the appropriate certification on their

compliance with the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988 and the Pro-

Children Act of 1994 (Certification Regarding Smoke Free Environment).

(See Attachments G and H) By signing and submitting the applications,

applicants are attesting to their intent to comply with these

requirements and need not mail back the certification with the

applications.

Applicants must make the appropriate certification that they are

not presently debarred, suspended or otherwise ineligible for award.

(See Attachment I) By signing and submitting the applications,

applicants are providing the certification and need not mail back the

certification with the applications. Copies of the certifications and

assurances are located at the end of this announcement.

Part VI. Contents of Application and Receipt Process

Application pages should be numbered sequentially throughout the

application package, beginning with a Summary/Abstract of the proposed

project as page number one; and each application must include all of

the following, in the order listed below:

A. Content and Order of IDA Program Application

1. A Project Summary/Abstract--Brief, not to exceed one page, on

the Applicant's letterhead, that includes the information listed in

Part III, Section B.

2. Table of Contents;

3. A completed Standard Form 424 (Attachment A) which has been

signed by an official of the organization applying for the grant who

has authority to obligate the organization legally; [Note: The original

SF-424 must bear the original signature of the authorizing

representative of the applicant organization];

4. A completed Budget Information-Non-Construction Programs (SF-

424A) (Attachment B);

5. A Budget Justification, including narrative budget justification

for each object class category included under Section B, as described

in Part III, Program Element III;

6. Proof of current tax-exempt status of Applicant or Joint

Applicant (See Part II B.);

7. A project narrative, limited to the number of pages specified

below, which includes all of the required elements described in Part

III. [Specific information/data required under each component is

described in Part III Section I, Evaluation Criteria.]

8. Appendices, which should include the following:

(a) (Where Application is submitted by a State or Local government

agency or Tribal government jointly with a tax exempt non-profit

organization) a properly executed Joint Application Agreement as

described in Part II B.(2), above;

(b) Filled out, signed and dated Assurances--Non-Construction

Programs (SF-424B), (Attachment C);

(c) Restrictions on Lobbying--Certification for Contracts, Grants,

Loans, and Cooperative Agreements: filled out, signed and dated form

found at Attachment D;

(d) Disclosure of Lobbying Activities, SF-LLL: Filled out, signed

and dated form found at Attachment E, if appropriate (omit Items 11-15

on the SF LLL and ignore references to continuation sheet SF-LLL-A)

(e) Maintenance of Effort Certification (See Attachment F);

(f) Signed Agreement(s) with partnering Financial Institution(s)

including identification of insurance carrier and current insurance

number;

(g) Signed Agreements with providers of required non-Federal

matching contributions (See Part II, Section I.)

(h) Resumes and/or position descriptions (see Part III Program

Element I);

(i) (Where Applicant is ``lead agency'' of a collaborative or

consortium of CBO's) Copies of Partnering Agreements between the

Applicant and each of the member CBO's, setting forth their roles and

responsibilities. (See Part III, Elements I and II(b))

(j) Any letters and/or supporting documents from collaborating or

partnering agencies in target communities, providing additional

information on staffing and experience in support of narrative under

Part III Element I. [Such documents are not part of the Narrative and

should be included in the Appendices. These documents are therefore not

counted against the page limitations of the Narrative.]; and

(k) Single points of contact comments, if applicable.

Applications must be uniform in composition since OCS may find it

necessary to duplicate them for review purposes. Therefore,

applications must be submitted on white 8\1/2\ x 11 inch paper only.

They must not include colored, oversized or folded materials. Do not

include organizational brochures or other promotional materials,

slides, films, clips, etc. in the proposal. They will be discarded if

included. The applications should be two-hole punched at the top center

and fastened separately with a compressor slide paper fastener, or a

binder clip. The submission of bound plans, or plans enclosed in

binders is specifically discouraged.

B. Acknowledgment of Receipt

Acknowledgment of Receipt--All applicants will receive an

acknowledgment with an assigned identification number. Applicants are

requested to supply a self-addressed mailing label with their

Application, or a FAX number or e-mail address which can be used for

acknowledgment. The assigned identification number, along with any

other identifying codes, must be referenced in all subsequent

communications concerning the Application. If an acknowledgment is

[[Page 69841]]

not received within three weeks after the deadline date, please notify

ACF by telephone at (202) 205-5082.

Part VII. Post Award Information and Reporting Requirements.

A. Notification of Grant Award.

Following approval of the applications selected for funding, notice

of project approval and authority to draw down project funds will be

made in writing. The official award document is the Financial

Assistance Award which provides the amount of Federal funds approved

for use in the project, the project and budget period for which support

is provided, the terms and conditions of the award, and the total

project period for which support is contemplated.

B. Attendance at Evaluation Workshops

OCS hopes to sponsor one or more national evaluation workshops in

Washington, DC or in other locations during the course of the five-year

project. Project Directors will be expected to attend such workshops

provided additional funds can be made available by OCS for expenses of

attending.

C. Reporting Requirements

Grantees will be required to submit a semi-annual program progress

and financial report (SF 269) covering the six months after grant

award, and similar reports after conclusion of the first Project Year.

Such reports will be due 60 days after the reporting period. Thereafter

grantees will be required to submit annual program progress and

financial reports (SF 269), as well as a final program progress and

financial report within 90 days of the expiration of the grant.

D. Audit Requirements

Grantees are subject to the audit requirements in 45 CFR part 74

(non-profit organizations) or part 92 (governmental entities) which

require audits under OMB Circular A-133.

E. Prohibitions and Requirements With Regard to Lobbying

Section 319 of Public Law 101-121, signed into law on October 23,

1989, imposes prohibitions and requirements for disclosure and

certification related to lobbying on recipients of Federal contracts,

grants, cooperative agreements, and loans. It provides limited

exemptions for Indian tribes and tribal organizations. Current and

prospective recipients (and their subtier contractors and/or grantees)

are prohibited from using appropriated funds for lobbying Congress or

any Federal agency in connection with the award of a contract, grant,

cooperative agreement or loan. In addition, for each award action in

excess of $100,000 (or $150,000 for loans) the law requires recipients

and their subtier contractors and/or subgrantees (1) to certify that

they have neither used nor will use any appropriated funds for payment

to lobbyists, (2) to submit a declaration setting forth whether

payments to lobbyists have been or will be made out of non-appropriated

funds and, if so, the name, address, payment details, and purpose of

any agreements with such lobbyists whom recipients or their subtier

contractors or subgrantees will pay with the non-appropriated funds and

(3) to file quarterly up-dates about the use of lobbyists if an event

occurs that materially affects the accuracy of the information

submitted by way of declaration and certification.

The law establishes civil penalties for noncompliance and is

effective with respect to contracts, grants, cooperative agreements and

loans entered into or made on or after December 23, 1989. See

Attachment H, for certification and disclosure forms to be submitted

with the applications for this program.

F. Applicable Federal Regulations

Attachment K indicates the regulations which apply to all

applicants/grantees under the Assets for Independence Demonstration

Program.

Dated: November 23, 1999.

Donald Sykes,

Director, Office of Community Services.

Assets for Independence Demonstration Program

List of Attachments

Attachment A--Application for Federal Assistance

Attachment B--Budget Information--Non-Construction Programs

Attachment C--Assurances--Non-Construction Programs

Attachment D--Certification Regarding Lobbying

Attachment E--Disclosure of Lobbying Activities

Attachment F--Certification Regarding Maintenance Effort

Attachment G--Certification Regarding Drug-Free Workplace

Requirements

Attachment H--Certification Regarding Environmental Tobacco Smoke

Attachment I--Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension and

Other Responsibility Matters

Attachment J--E.O. 12372 State Single Point of Contact List

Attachment K--DHHS Regulations Applying to All Applicants/Grantees

Under The Assets for Independence Demonstration Program (IDA

Program)

Attachment L--Accounting Regulations

BILLING CODE 4184-01-P

[[Page 69842]]

[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN14DE99.000

BILLING CODE 4184-01-C

[[Page 69843]]

Attachment A.--Instructions for the SF-424

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is

estimated to average 45 minutes per response, including time for

reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering

and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the

collection of information. Send comments regarding the burden

estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information,

including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the Office of

Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (0348-0043),

Washington, DC 20503.

Please do not return your completed form to the Office of

Management and Budget. Send it to the address provided by the

sponsoring agency.

This is a standard form used by applicants as a required

facesheet for preapplications and applications submitted for Federal

assistance. It will be used by Federal agencies to obtain applicant

certification that States which have established a review and

comment procedure in response to Executive Order 12372 and have

selected the program to be included in their process, have been

given an opportunity to review the applicant's submission.

Item No. and Entry

1. Self-explanatory.

2. Date application submitted to Federal agency (or State if

applicable) and applicant's control number (if applicable).

3. State use only (if applicable).

4. If this application is to continue or revise an existing

award, enter present Federal identifier number. If for a new

project, leave blank.

5. Legal name of applicant, name of primary organizational unit

which will undertake the assistance activity, complete address of

the applicant, and name and telephone number of the person to

contact on matters related to this application.

6. Enter Employer Identification Number (EIN) as assigned by the

Internal Revenue Service.

7. Enter the appropriate letter in the space provided.

8. Check appropriate box and enter appropriate letter(s) in the

space(s) provided:

--``New'' means a new assistance award.

--``Continuation'' means an extension for an additional funding/

budget period for a project with a projected completion date.

--``Revision'' means any change in the Federal Government's

financial obligation or contingent liability from an existing

obligation.

9. Name of Federal agency from which assistance is being

requested with this application.

10. Use the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance number and

title of the program under which assistance is requested.

11. Enter a brief descriptive title of the project. If more than

one program is involved, you should append an explanation on a

separate sheet. If appropriate (e.g., construction or real property

projects), attach a map showing project location. For

preapplications, use a separate sheet to provide a summary

description of this project.

12. List only the largest political entities affected (e.g.,

State, counties, cities).

13. Self-explanatory.

14. List the applicant's Congressional District and any

District(s) affected by the program or project.

15. Amount requested or to be contributed during the first

funding/budget period by each contributor. Value of in-kind

contributions should be included on appropriate lines as applicable.

If the action will result in a dollar change to an existing award,

indicate only the amount of the change. For decreases, enclose the

amounts in parentheses. If both basic and supplemental amounts are

included, show breakdown on an attached sheet. For multiple program

funding, use totals and show breakdown using same categories as item

15.

16. Applicants should contact the State Single Point of Contact

(SPOC) for Federal Executive Order 12372 to determine whether the

application is subject to the State intergovernmental review

process.

17. This question applies to the applicant organization, not the

person who signs as the authorized representative. Categories of

debt include delinquent audit disallowance, loans and taxes.

18. To be signed by the authorized representative of the

applicant. A copy of the governing body's authorization for you to

sign this application as official representative must be on file in

the applicant's office. (certain Federal agencies may require that

this authorization be submitted as part of the application.)

BILLING CODE 4184-01-P

[[Page 69844]]

[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN14DE99.001

[[Page 69845]]

[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN14DE99.002

BILLING CODE 4184-01-C

[[Page 69846]]

Attachment B.--Instructions for the SF-424A

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is

estimated to average 180 minutes per response, including time for

reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering

and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the

collection of information. Send comments regarding the burden

estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information,

including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the Office of

Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (0348-??4),

Washington, DC ??503.

Please do not return your completed form to the Office of

Management and Budget. Send it to the address provided by the

sponsoring agency.

General Instructions

This form is designed so that application can be made for funds

from one or more grant programs. In preparing the budget, adhere to

any existing Federal grantor agency guidelines which prescribe how

and whether budgeted amounts should be separately shown for

different functions or activities within the programs. For some

programs, grantor agencies may require budgets to be separately

shown by function or activity. For other programs, grantor agencies

may require a breakdown by function or activity. Sections A, B, C,

and D should include budget estimates for the whole project except

when applying for assistance which requires Federal authorization in

annual or other funding period increments. In the latter case,

Sections A, B, C, and D should provide the budget for the first

budget period (usually a year) and Section E should present the need

for Federal assistance in the subsequent budget periods. All

applications should contain a breakdown by the object class

categories shown in Lines a-k of Section B.

Section A. Budget Summary Lines 1-4 Columns (a) and (b)

For applications pertaining to a single Federal grant program

(Federal Domestic Assistance Catalog Number) and requiring a

functional or activity breakdown enter on Line 1 under Column (a)

the Catalog program title and the Catalog number in Column (b).

For applications pertaining to a single program requiring budget

amounts by multiple functions or activities, enter the name of each

activity or function on each line in Column (a), and enter the

Catalog number in Column (b). For applications pertaining to

multiple programs where none of the programs require a breakdown by

function or activity, enter the Catalog program title on each line

in Column (a) and the respective Catalog number on each line in

Column (b).

For applications pertaining to multiple programs where one or

more programs require a breakdown by function or activity, prepare a

separate sheet for teach program requiring the breakdown. Additional

sheets should be used when one form does not provide adequate space

for all breakdown of data required. However, when more than one

sheet is used, the first page should provide the summary totals by

programs.

Lines 1-4, Columns (c) through (g)

For new applications, leave Columns (c) and (d) blank. For each

line entry in Columns (a) and (b), enter in Columns (e), (f), and

(g) the appropriate amounts of funds needed to support the project

for the first funding period (usually a year).

For continuing grant program applications, submit these forms

before the end of each funding period as required by the grantor

agency. Enter in Columns (c) and (d) the estimated amounts of funds

which will remain unobligated at the end of the grant funding period

only if the Federal grantor agency instructions provide for this.

Otherwise, leave these columns blank. Enter in Columns (e) and (f)

the amounts of funds needed for the upcoming period. The amount(s)

in Column (g) should be the sum of amounts in Columns (e) and (f).

For supplemental grants and changes to existing grants, do not

use Columns (c) and (d). Enter in column (e) the amount of the

increase or decrease of Federal funds and enter in Column (f) the

amount of the increase or decrease of non-Federal funds. In Column

(g) enter the new total budgeted amount (Federal and non-Federal)

which includes the total previous authorized budgeted amounts plus

or minus, as appropriate, the amounts shown in Columns (e) and (f).

The amount(s) in Column (g) should not equal the sum of amounts in

Columns (e) and (f).

Line 5--Show the totals for all columns used.

Section B. Budget Categories

In the column headings (1) through (4), enter the titles of the

same programs, functions, and activities shown on Lines 1-4, Column

(a), Section A. When additional sheets are prepared for Section A,

provide similar column headings on each sheet. For each program,

function or activity, fill in the total requirements for funds (both

Federal and non-Federal) by object class categories.

Line 6a-i--Show the totals of Lines 6a to 6h in each column.

Line 6j--Show the amount of indirect cost.

Line 6k--Enter the total of amounts on Lines 6i and 6j. For all

applications for new grants and continuation grants the total amount

in column (5), Line 6k, should be the same as the total amount shown

in Section A, Column (g), Line 5. For supplemental grants and

changes to grants, the total amount of the increase or decrease as

shown in Columns (1)-(4), Line 6k should be the same as the sum of

the amounts in Section A, Columns (e) and (f) on Line 5.

Line 7--Enter the estimated amount of income, if any, expected

to be generated from this project. Do not add or subtract this

amount from the total project amount. Show under the program

narrative statement the nature and source of income. The estimated

amount of program income may be considered by the Federal grantor

agency in determining the total amount of the grant.

Section C. Non-Federal Resources

Lines 8-11--Enter amounts of non-Federal resources that will be

used on the grant. If in-kind contributions are included, provide a

brief explanation on a separate sheet.

Column (a)--Enter the program titles identical to Column (a),

Section A. A breakdown by function or activity is not necessary.

Column (b)--Enter the contribution to be made by the applicant.

Column (c)--Enter the amount of the State's cash and in-kind

contribution if the applicant is not a State or State agency.

Applicants which are a State or State agencies should leave this

column blank.

Column (d)--Enter the amount of cash and in-kind contributions

to be made from all other sources.

Column (e)--Enter totals of Columns (b), (c), and (d).

Line 12--Enter the total for each of Columns (b)-(e). The amount

in Column (e) should be equal to the amount on Line 5. Column (f),

Section A.

Section D. Forecasted Cash Needs

Line 13--Enter the amount of cash needed by quarter from the

grantor agency during the first year.

Line 14--Enter the amount of cash from all other sources needed

by quarter during the first year.

Line 15--Enter the totals of amounts on Lines 13 and 14.

Section E. Budget Estimate of Federal Funds Needed for Balance of

the Project

Lines 16-19--Enter in Column (a) the same grant program titles shown

in Column (a), Section A. A breakdown by function or activity is not

necessary. For new applications and continuation grant applications,

enter in the proper columns amounts of Federal funds which will be

needed to complete the program or project over the succeeding

funding periods (usually in years). This section need not be

completed for revisions (amendments, changes, or supplements) to

funds for the current year of existing grants.

If more than four lines are needed to list the program titles,

submit additional schedules as necessary.

Line 20--Enter the total of each of the Columns (b)-(e). When

additional schedules are prepared for this Section, annotate

accordingly and show the overall totals on this line.

Section F. Other Budget Information

Line 21--Use this space to explain amounts for individual direct

object class cost categories that may appear to be out of the

ordinary or to explain the details as required by the Federal

grantor agency.

Line 22--Enter the type of indirect rate (provisional,

predetermined, final or fixed) that will be in effect during the

funding period, the estimated amount of the base to which the rate

is applied, and the total indirect expense.

Line 23--Provide any other explanations or comments deemed

necessary.

Attachment C.--Assurances--Non-construction Programs

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is

estimated to average 15 minutes per response, including time for

reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering

and maintaining the

[[Page 69847]]

data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of

information. Send comments regarding the burden estimate or any

other aspect of this collection of information, including

suggestions for reducing this burden, to the Office of Management

and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (0348-0040), Washington, DC

20503.

Please do not return your completed form to the Office of

Management and Budget. Send it to the address provided by the

sponsoring agency.

Note: Certain of these assurances may not be applicable to your

project or program. If you have questions, please contact the

awarding agency. Further, certain Federal awarding agencies may

require applicants to certify to additional assurances. If such is

the case, you will be notified.

As the duly authorized representative of the applicant, I

certify that the applicant:

1. Has the legal authority to apply for Federal assistance and

the institutional, managerial and financial capability (including

funds sufficient to pay the non-Federal share of project cost) to

ensure proper planning, management and completion of the project

described in this application.

2. Will give the awarding agency, the Comptroller General of the

United States and, if appropriate, the State, through any authorized

representative, access to and the right to examine all records,

books, papers, or documents related to the award; and will establish

a proper accounting system in accordance with generally accepted

accounting standards or agency directives.

3. Will establish safeguards to prohibit employees from using

their positions for a purpose that constitutes or presents the

appearance of personal or organizational conflict of interest, or

personal gain.

4. Will initiate and complete the work within the applicable

time frame after receipt of approval of the awarding agency.

5. Will comply with the Intergovernmental Personnel Act of 1970

(42 U.S.C. Secs. 4728-4763) relating to prescribed standards for

merit systems for programs funded under one of the 19 statutes or

regulations specified in Appendix A of OPM's Standards for a Merit

System of Personnel Administration (5 C.F.R. 900, Subpart F).

6. Will comply with all Federal statutes relating to

nondiscrimination. These include but are not limited to: (a) Title

VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (P.L. 88-352) which prohibits

discrimination on the basis of race, color or national origin; (b)

Title IX of the Education amendments of 1972, as amended (20 U.S.C.

Secs. 1681-1683, and 1685-1686), which prohibits discrimination on

the basis of sex; (c) Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973,

as amended (29 U.S.C. Sec. 794), which prohibits discrimination on

the basis of handicaps; (d) the AGe Discrimination Act of 1975, as

amended (42 U.S.C. Secs. 6101-6107), which prohibits discrimination

on the basis of age; (e) the Drug Abuse Office and Treatment Act of

1972 (P.L. 92-255), as amended, relating to nondiscrimination on the

basis of drug abuse; (f) the Comprehensive Alcohol Abuse and

Alcoholism Prevention, Treatment and Rehabilitation Act of 1970

(P.L. 91-616), as amended, relating to nondiscrimination on the

basis of alcohol abuse or alcoholism; (g) Secs. 523 and 527 of the

Public Health Service Act of 1912 (42 U.S.C. Secs. 290 dd-3 and 290

ee 3), as amended, relating to confidentiality of alcohol and drug

abuse patient records; (h) Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of

1968 (42 U.S.C. Secs. 3601 et seq.), as amended, relating to

nondiscrimination in the sale, rental or financing of housing; (i)

any other nondiscrimination provisions in the specific statute(s)

under which application for Federal assistance is being made; and

(j) the requirements of any other nondiscrimination statute(s) which

may apply to the application.

7. Will comply, or has already complied, with the requirements

of Titles II and III of the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real

Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970 (P.L. 91-646) which

provide for fair and equitable treatment of persons displaced or

whose property is acquired as a result of Federal or federally-

assisted programs. These requirements apply to all interests in real

property acquired for project purposes regardless of Federal

participation in purchases.

8. Will comply, as applicable, with provisions of the Hatch Act

(5 U.S.C. Secs. 1501-1508 and 7324-7328) which limit the political

activities of employees whose principal employment activities are

funded in whole or in part with Federal funds.

9. Will comply, as applicable, with the provisions of the Davis-

Bacon Act (40 U.S.C. Secs. 276a to 276a-7), the Copeland Act (40

U.S.C. Sec. 265c and 18 U.S.C. Sec. 874), and the Contract Work

Hours and Safety Standards Act (40 U.S.C. Secs. 327-333), regarding

labor standards for federally-assisted construction subagreements.

10. Will comply, if applicable, with flood insurance purchase

requirements of Section 102(a) of the Flood Disaster Protection Act

of 1973 (P.L. 93-234) which requires recipients in a special flood

hazard area to participate in the program and to purchase flood

insurance if the total cost of insurable construction and

acquisition is $10,000 or more.

11. Will comply with environmental standards which may be

prescribed pursuant to the following: (a) institation of

environmental quality control measures under the National

Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (P.L. 91-190) and Executive Order

(EO) 11514; (b) notification of violating facilities pursuant to EO

11738; (c) protection of wetlands pursuant to EO 11990; (d)

evaluation of flood hazards in floodplains in accordance with EO

11988; (e) assurance of project consistency with the approved State

management program developed under the Coastal Zone Management Act

of 1972 (16 U.S.C. Secs. 1451 et seq.); (f) conformity of Federal

actions to State (Clean Air) Implementation Plans under Section

176(c) of the Clean Air Act of 1955, as amended (42 U.S.C.

Secs. 7401 et seq.); (g) protection of underground sources of

drinking water under the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974, as amended

(P.L. 93-523); and, (h) protection of endangered species under the

Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (P.L. 93-205).

12. Will comply with the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968 (16

U.S.C. Secs. 1271 et seq.) related to protecting components or

potential components of the national wild and scenic rivers system.

13. Will assist the awarding agency in assuring compliance with

Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as

amended (16 U.S.C. Sec. 470), EO 11593 (identification and

protection of historic properties), and the Archaeological and

Historic Preservation Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. Secs. 469a-1 et seq.).

14. Will comply with P.L. 93-348 regarding the protection of

human subjects involved in research, development, and related

activities supported by this award of assistance.

15. Will comply with the Laboratory Animal Welfare Act of 1966

(P.L. 89-544, as amended, 7 U.S.C. Secs. 2131 et seq.) pertaining to

the care, handling, and treatment of warm blooded animals held for

research, teaching, or other activities supported by this award of

assistance.

16. Will comply with the Lead-Based Paint Poisoning Prevention

Act (42 U.S.C. Secs. 4801 et seq.) which prohibits the use of lead-

based paint in construction or rehabilitation of residence

structures.

17. Will cause to be performed the required financial and

compliance audits in accordance with the Single Audit Act Amendments

of 1996 and OMB Circular No. A-133, ``Audits of States, Local

Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations.''

18. Will comply with all applicable requirements of all other

Federal laws, executive orders, regulations, and policies governing

this program.

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Signature of authorized certifying official

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Applicant organization

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Title

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

Date submitted

Attachment D.--Certification Regarding Lobbying

Certification for Contracts, Grants, Loans, and Cooperative

Agreements

The undersigned certifies, to the best of his or her knowledge

and belief, that:

(1) No Federal appropriated funds have been paid or will be

paid, by or on behalf of the undersigned, to any person for

influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of an

agency, a Member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or

an employee of a Member of Congress in connection with the awarding

of any Federal contract, the making of any Federal grant, the making

of any Federal loan, the entering into of any cooperative agreement,

and the extension, continuation, renewal, amendment, or modification

of any Federal contract, grant, loan, or cooperative agreement.

(2) If any funds other than Federal appropriated funds have been

paid or will be paid to any person for influencing or attempting to

influence an officer or employee of any agency, a Member of

Congress, an officer or employee of Congress,

[[Page 69848]]

or an employee of a Member of Congress in connection with this

Federal contract, grant, loan, or cooperative agreement, the

undersigned shall complete and submit Standard Form-LLL,

``Disclosure Form to Report Lobbying,'' in accordance with its

instructions.

(3) The undersigned shall require that the language of this

certification be included in the award documents for all subawards

at all tiers (including subcontracts, subgrants, and contracts under

grants, loans, and cooperative agreements) and that all

subrecipients shall certify and disclose accordingly. This

certification is a material representation of fact upon which

reliance was placed when this transaction was made or entered into.

Submission of this certification is a prerequisite for making or

entering into this transaction imposed by section 1352, title 31,

U.S. Code. Any person who fails to file the required certification

shall be subject to a civil penalty of not less than $10,000 and not

more than $100,000 for each such failure.

Statement for Loan Guarantees and Loan Insurance

The undersigned states, to the best of his or her knowledge and

belief, that:

If any funds have been paid or will be paid to any person for

influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any

agency, a Member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or

an employee of a Member of Congress in connection with this

commitment providing for the United States to insure or guarantee a

loan, the undersigned shall complete and submit Standard Form-LLL,

``Disclosure Form to Report Lobbying,'' in accordance with its

instructions. Submission of this statement is a prerequisite for

making or entering into this transaction imposed by section 1352,

title 31, U.S. Code. Any person who fails to file the required

statement shall be subject to a civil penalty of not less than

$10,000 and not more than $100,000 for each such failure.

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Signature

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Title

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Organization

BILLING CODE 4184-01-P

[[Page 69849]]

[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN14DE99.003

BILLING CODE 4184-01-C

[[Page 69850]]

Attachment E.--Instructions for Completion of SF-LLL, Disclosure of

Lobbying Activities

This disclosure form shall be completed by the reporting entity,

whether subawardee or prime Federal recipient, at the initiation or

receipt of a covered Federal action, or a material change to a

previous filing, pursuant to tile 31 U.S.C. section 1352. The filing

of a form is required for each payment or agreement to make payment

to any lobbying entity for influencing or attempting to influence an

officer or employee of any agency, a Member of Congress, an officer

or employee of Congress, or an employee of a Member of Congress in

connection with a covered Federal action. Complete all items that

apply for both the initial filing and material change report. Refer

to the implementing guidance published by the Office of Management

and Budget for additional information.

1. Identify the type of covered Federal action for which

lobbying activity is and/or has been secured to influence the

outcome of a covered Federal action.

2. Identify the status of the covered Federal action.

3. Identify the appropriate classification of this report. If

this is a followup report caused by a material change to the

information previously reported, enter the year and quarter in which

the change occurred. Enter the date of the last previously submitted

report by this reporting entity for this covered Federal action.

4. Enter the full name, address, city, State and zip code of the

reporting entity, include Congressional District, if known. Check

the appropriate classification of the reporting entity that

designates if it is, or expects to be, a prime or subaward

recipient. Identify the tier of the subawardee, e.g., the first

subawardee of the prime is the 1st entire. Subawards include but are

not limited to subcontracts, subgrants and contract awards under

grants.

5. If the organization filing the report in item 4 checks

``Subawardee,'' then enter the full name, address, city, State and

zip code of the prime Federal recipient. Include Congressional

District, if known.

6. Enter the name of the Federal agency making the award or loan

commitment. Include at least one organizational level below agency

name, if known. For example, Department of Transportation, United

States Coast Guard.

7. Enter the Federal program name or description for the covered

Federal action (item 1). If known, enter the full Catalog of Federal

Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number for grants, cooperative

agreements, loans, and loan commitments.

8. Enter the most appropriate Federal identifying number

available for the Federal action identified in item 1 (e.g., Request

for Proposal (RFP) number; invitation for Bid (IFB) number; grant

announcement number; the contract, grant, or loan award number; the

application/proposal control number assigned by the Federal agency).

Include prefixes, e.g., ``RFP-DE-90-001.''

9. For a covered Federal action where there has been an award or

loan commitment by the Federal agency, enter the Federal amount of

the award/loan commitment for the prime entity identified in item 4

or 5.

10. (a) Enter the full name, address, city, State and zip code

of the lobbying registrant under the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995

engaged by the reporting entity identified in item 4 to influence

the covered Federal action.

(b) Enter the full names of the individual(s) performing

services, and include full address if different from 10(a). Enter

Last Name, First Name, and Middle Initial (MI).

11. The certifying official shall sign and date the form, print

his/her name, title, and telephone number.

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act, as amended, no persons

are required to respond to a collection of information unless it

displays a valid OMB Control Number. The valid OMB control number

for this information collection is OMB No. 0348-0046. Public

reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to

average 10 minutes per response, including time for reviewing

instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and

maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the

collection of information. Send comments regarding the burden

estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information,

including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the Office of

Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (0348-0046),

Washington, DC 20503.

Attachment F.--Certification Regarding Maintenance of Effort

In accordance with the applicable program statute(s) and

regulation(s), the undersigned certifies that financial assistance

provided by the Administration for Children and Families, for the

specified activities to be performed under the ____________ Program

by ____________ (Applicant Organization), will be in addition to,

and not in substitution for, comparable activities previously

carried on without Federal assistance.

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Signature of Authorized Certifying Official____________

Title

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

Date

Attachment G.--Certification Regarding Drug-Free Workplace Requirements

This certification is required by the regulations implementing

the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988: 45 CFR Part 76, Subpart, F.

Sections 76.630(c) and (d)(2) and 76.645(a)(1) and (b) provide that

a Federal agency may designate a central receipt point for STATE-

WIDE AND STATE AGENCY-WIDE certifications, and for notification of

criminal drug convictions. For the Department of Health and Human

Services, the central point is: Division of Grants Management and

Oversight, Office of Management and Acquisition, Department of

Health and Human Services, Room 517-D, 200 Independence Avenue, SW

Washington, DC 20201.

Certification Regarding Drug-Free Workplace Requirements

(Instructions for Certification)

1. By signing and/or submitting this application or grant

agreement, the grantee is providing the certification set out below.

2. The certification set out below is a material representation

of fact upon which reliance is placed when the agency awards the

grant. If it is later determined that the grantee knowingly rendered

a false certification, or otherwise violates the requirements of the

Drug-Free Workplace Act, the agency, in addition to any other

remedies available to the Federal Government, may take action

authorized under the Drug-Free Workplace Act.

3. For grantees other than individuals, Alternate I applies.

4. For grantees who are individuals, Alternate II applies.

5. Workplaces under grants, for grantees other than individuals,

need not be identified on the certification. If known, they may be

identified in the grant application. If the grantee does not

identify the workplaces at the time of application, or upon award,

if there is no application, the grantee must keep the identity of

the workplace(s) on file in its office and make the information

available for Federal inspection. Failure to identify all known

workplaces constitutes a violation of the grantee's drug-free

workplace requirements.

6. Workplace identifications must include the actual address of

buildings (or parts of buildings) or other sites where work under

the grant takes place. Categorical descriptions may be used (e.g.,

all vehicles of a mass transit authority or State highway department

while in operation, State employees in each local unemployment

office, performers in concert halls or radio studios).

7. If the workplace identified to the agency changes during the

performance of the grant, the grantee shall inform the agency of the

change(s), if it previously identified the workplaces in question

(see paragraph five).

8. Definitions of terms in the Nonprocurement Suspension and

Debarment common rule and Drug-Free Workplace common rule apply to

this certification. Grantees' attention is called, in p

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