Fiscal Year (FY) 1999 Funding Opportunities

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

Fiscal Year (FY) 1999 Funding Opportunities

AGENCY: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, HHS.

ACTION: Notice of Funding Availability.

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SUMMARY: The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

(SAMHSA) Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) announces the

availability of FY 1999 funds for the following activity. This activity

is discussed in more detail under Section 4 of this notice. This notice

is not a complete description of the activity; potential applicants

must obtain a copy of the Guidance for Applicants (GFA) before

preparing an application.

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Estimated

Activity Application Estimated funds number of Project period

deadline available awards

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Family Strengthening........................ 5/24/99 $10 Million 80-100 2 yrs.

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Note: SAMHSA also published notices of available funding

opportunities for FY 1999 in subsequent issues of the Federal

Register.

The actual amount available for awards and their allocation may

vary, depending on unanticipated program requirements and the volume

and quality of applications. Awards are usually made for grant periods

from one to three years in duration. FY 1999 funds for the activity

discussed in this announcement were appropriated by the Congress under

Pub. L. 105-277. SAMHSA's policies and procedures for peer review and

Advisory Council review of grant and cooperative agreement applications

were published in the Federal Register (Vol. 58, No. 126) on July 2,

1993.

The Public Health Service (PHS) is committed to achieving the

health promotion and disease prevention objectives of Healthy People

2000, a PHS-led national activity for setting priority areas. The

SAMHSA Centers' substance abuse and mental health services activities

address issues related to Healthy People 2000 objectives of Mental

Health and Mental Disorders; Alcohol and Other Drugs; Clinical

Preventive Services; HIV Infection; and Surveillance and Data Systems.

Potential applicants may obtain a copy of Healthy People 2000 (Full

Report: Stock No. 017-001-00474-0) or Summary Report: Stock No. 017-

001-00473-1) through the Superintendent of Documents, Government

Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402-9325 (Telephone: 202-512-1800).

General Instructions

Applicants must use application form PHS 5161-1 (Rev. 5/96; OMB No.

0937-0189). The application kit contains the GFA (complete programmatic

guidance and instructions for preparing and submitting applications),

the PHS 5161-1 which includes Standard Form 424 (Face Page), and other

documentation and forms. Application kits may be obtained from the

organization specified for the activity covered by this notice (see

Section 4).

When requesting an application kit, the applicant must specify the

particular activity for which detailed information is desired. This is

to ensure receipt of all necessary forms and information, including any

specific program review and award criteria.

The PHS 5161-1 application form and the full text of the activity

(i.e., the GFA) described in Section 4 is available electronically via

SAMHSA's World Wide Web Home Page (address: http://www.samhsa.gov).

Application Submission

Unless otherwise stated in the GFA, applications must be submitted

to: SAMHSA Programs, Center for Scientific Review, National Institutes

of Health, Suite 1040, 6701 Rockledge Drive MSC-7710, Bethesda,

Maryland 20892-7710* (*Applicants who wish to use express mail or

courier service should change the zip code to 20817.)

Application Deadlines

The deadlines for receipt of applications is listed in the table

above.

Competing applications must be received by the indicated receipt

dates to be accepted for review. An application received after the

deadline may be acceptable if it carries a legible proof-of-mailing

date assigned by the carrier and that date is not later than one week

prior to the deadline date.

[[Page 11939]]

Private metered postmarks are not acceptable as proof of timely

mailing.

Applications received after the deadline date and those sent to an

address other than the address specified above will be returned to the

applicant without review.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for activity-specific

technical information should be directed to the program contact person

identified for the activity covered by this notice (see Section 4).

Requests for information concerning business management issues

should be directed to the grants management contact person identified

for the activity covered by this notice (see Section 4).

Table of Contents

1. Program Background and Objectives

2. Special Concerns

3. Criteria for Review and Funding

3.1 General Review Criteria

3.2 Funding Criteria for Scored Applications

4. Special FY 1999 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services

Activity

4.1. Cooperative Agreements for Parenting and Family

Strengthening Prevention Interventions: A Dissemination of

Innovations Study (Short Title: Family Strengthening, GFA No. SP 99-

02)

4.2. SAMHSA Technical Assistance Workshop

5. Public Health System Reporting Requirements

6. PHS Non-use of Tobacco Policy Statement

7. Executive Order 12372

1. Program Background and Objectives

SAMHSA's mission within the Nation's health system is to improve

the quality and availability of prevention, early intervention,

treatment, and rehabilitation services for substance abuse and mental

illnesses, including co-occurring disorders, in order to improve health

and reduce illness, death, disability, and cost to society.

Reinventing government, with its emphases on redefining the role of

Federal agencies and on improving customer service, has provided SAMHSA

with a welcome opportunity to examine carefully its programs and

activities. As a result of that process, SAMHSA moved assertively to

create a renewed and strategic emphasis on using its resources to

generate knowledge about ways to improve the prevention and treatment

of substance abuse and mental illness and to work with State and local

governments as well as providers, families, and consumers to

effectively use that knowledge in everyday practice.

SAMHSA's FY 1999 Knowledge Development and Application (KD&A)

agenda is the outcome of a process whereby providers, services

researchers, consumers, National Advisory Council members and other

interested persons participated in special meetings or responded to

calls for suggestions and reactions. From this input, each SAMHSA

Center developed a ``menu'' of suggested topics.

The topics were discussed jointly and an agency agenda of critical

topics was agreed to. The selection of topics depended heavily on

policy importance and on the existence of adequate research and

practitioner experience on which to base studies. While SAMHSA's FY

1999 KD&A programs will sometimes involve the evaluation of some

delivery of services, they are services studies and application

activities, not merely evaluation, since they are aimed at answering

policy-relevant questions and putting that knowledge to use.

SAMHSA differs from other agencies in focusing on needed

information at the services delivery level, and in its question-focus.

Dissemination and application are integral, major features of the

programs. SAMHSA believes that it is important to get the information

into the hands of the public, providers, and systems administrators as

effectively as possible. Technical assistance, training, preparation of

special materials will be used, in addition to normal communications

means.

SAMHSA also continues to fund legislatively-mandated services

programs for which funds are appropriated.

2. Special Concerns

SAMHSA's legislatively-mandated services programs do provide funds

for mental health and/or substance abuse treatment and prevention

services. However, SAMHSA's KD&A activities do not provide funds for

mental health and/or substance abuse treatment and prevention services

except sometimes for costs required by the particular activity's study

design. Applicants are required to propose true knowledge application

or knowledge development and application projects. Applications seeking

funding for services projects under a KD&A activity will be considered

nonresponsive.

Applications that are incomplete or nonresponsive to the GFA will

be returned to the applicant without further consideration.

3. Criteria for Review and Funding

Consistent with the statutory mandate for SAMHSA to support

activities that will improve the provision of treatment, prevention and

related services, including the development of national mental health

and substance abuse goals and model programs, competing applications

requesting funding under the specific project activity in Section 4

will be reviewed for technical merit in accordance with established

PHS/SAMHSA peer review procedures.

3.1 General Review Criteria

As published in the Federal Register on July 2, 1993 (Vol. 58, No.

126), SAMHSA's ``Peer Review and Advisory Council Review of Grant and

Cooperative Agreement Applications and Contract Proposals,'' peer

review groups will take into account, among other factors as may be

specified in the application guidance materials, the following general

criteria:

Potential significance of the proposed project;

Appropriateness of the applicant's proposed objectives to

the goals of the specific program;

Adequacy and appropriateness of the proposed approach and

activities;

Adequacy of available resources, such as facilities and

equipment;

Qualifications and experience of the applicant

organization, the project director, and other key personnel; and

Reasonableness of the proposed budget.

3.2 Funding Criteria for Scored Applications

Applications will be considered for funding on the basis of their

overall technical merit as determined through the peer review group and

the appropriate National Advisory Council (if applicable) review

process.

Other funding criteria will include:

Availability of funds.

Additional funding criteria specific to the programmatic activity

may be included in the application guidance materials.

4. Special FY 1999 SAMHSA Activities

4.1 Cooperative Agreements for Parenting and Family Strengthening

Prevention Interventions: A Dissemination of Innovations Study (Short

Title: Family Strengthening, GFA No. SP 99-02)

Application Deadline: May 24, 1999.

Purpose: Cooperative agreements will be awarded to develop

and operate 80-100 Program Sites and one Program Coordinating Center.

This program has three specific purposes: (1) To increase the capacity

of local communities to deliver best practices in effective parenting

and family programs in order to reduce or prevent substance abuse,

[[Page 11940]]

(2) to document the decision-making processes for the selection and

testing of effective interventions in community settings, and (3) to

determine the impact of the interventions on the target families within

the study.

Applicants will be selected on the basis of capacity to deliver

family services and will be supported to select a sound family-focused

intervention that is best matched to their target population to

maximize effectiveness in preventing or reducing alcohol, tobacco or

other illegal drug use as well as associated social, emotional,

behavioral, cognitive and physical problems of parents and their

children.

Priorities: None.

Eligible Applicants: Applications may be submitted by

public and domestic private nonprofit and for-profit entities, such as

units of State or local government, community-based organizations,

faith communities, local and national coalitions and civic groups, and

public or private schools, universities, colleges, and hospitals.

Cooperative Agreements/Amounts: Approximately $10 million

is available to support approximately 80-100 Program Sites and one

Program Coordinating Center under this GFA in FY 1999. The average

award is expected to be $80,000-$100,000 in total costs (direct

+indirect) per year. The Program Coordinating Center award is expected

to be approximately $750,000 in total costs (direct + indirect) per

year. Actual funding levels will depend upon the availability of funds.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 93.230.

Program Contact: For programmatic or technical assistance

contact: Soledad Sambrano, Ph.D., Division of Knowledge Development and

Application Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, Substance Abuse and

Mental Health Services Administration, Rockwall 11, Suite 1075, 5600

Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857, (301) 443-9110.

Grants Management Contact: For business management assistance,

contact: Peggy Jones, Division of Grants Management, OPS, Substance

Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Rockwall 11, Suite 630

5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857, (301) 443-3958.

Application Kits: Application kits are available from: National

Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information (NCADI), P. O. Box 2345,

Rockville, MD 20847-2345, 1-800/729-6686, 1-800/467-4859.

4.2 SAMHSA Technical Assistance Workshop

SAMHSA is sponsoring three technical assistance workshops for

potential applicants. The workshops will be held at the following

locations: March 11, 1999--Washington, DC; March 17, 1999--Chicago, IL;

and March 19--Los Angeles, CA. For more information, please call Ms.

Lisa Wilder, Workshop Coordinator, at 301-984-1471, extension 333.

5. Public Health System Reporting Requirements

The Public Health System Impact Statement (PHSIS) is intended to

keep State and local health officials apprised of proposed health

services grant and cooperative agreement applications submitted by

community-based nongovernmental organizations within their

jurisdictions.

Community-based nongovernmental service providers who are not

transmitting their applications through the State must submit a PHSIS

to the head(s) of the appropriate State and local health agencies in

the area(s) to be affected not later than the pertinent receipt date

for applications. This PHSIS consists of the following information:

a. A copy of the face page of the application (Standard form 424).

b. A summary of the project (PHSIS), not to exceed one page, which

provides:

(1) A description of the population to be served.

(2) A summary of the services to be provided.

(3) A description of the coordination planned with the appropriate

State or local health agencies.

State and local governments and Indian Tribal Authority applicants

are not subject to the Public Health System Reporting Requirements.

Application guidance materials will specify if a particular FY 1999

activity described above is/is not subject to the Public Health System

Reporting Requirements.

6. PHS Non-Use of Tobacco Policy Statement

The PHS strongly encourages all grant and contract recipients to

provide a smoke-free workplace and promote the non-use of all tobacco

products. In addition, Pub. L. 103-227, the Pro-Children Act of 1994,

prohibits smoking in certain facilities (or in some cases, any portion

of a facility) in which regular or routine education, library, day

care, health care, or early childhood development services are provided

to children. This is consistent with the PHS mission to protect and

advance the physical and mental health of the American people.

7. Executive Order 12372

Applications submitted in response to all FY 1999 activities listed

above are subject to the intergovernmental review requirements of

Executive Order 12372, as implemented through DHHS regulations at 45

CFR Part 100. E.O. 12372 sets up a system for State and local

government review of applications for Federal financial assistance.

Applicants (other than Federally recognized Indian tribal governments)

should contact the State's Single Point of Contact (SPOC) as early as

possible to alert them to the prospective application(s) and to receive

any necessary instructions on the State's review process. For proposed

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

contact the SPOC of each affected State. A current listing of SPOCs is

included in the application guidance materials. The SPOC should send

any State review process recommendations directly to: Office of

Extramural Activities Review, Substance Abuse and Mental Health

Services Administration, Parklawn Building, Room 17-89, 5600 Fishers

Lane, Rockville, Maryland 20857

The due date for State review process recommendations is no later

than 60 days after the specified deadline date for the receipt of

applications. SAMHSA does not guarantee to accommodate or explain SPOC

comments that are received after the 60-day cut-off.

Dated: March 4, 1999.

Richard Kopanda,

Executive Officer, SAMHSA.

[FR Doc. 99-5814 Filed 3-9-99; 8:45 am]

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