Availability of Additional HRSA Competitive Grants

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration

Availability of Additional HRSA Competitive Grants

AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration, HHS.

ACTION: Notice of availability of funds.

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SUMMARY: The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)

announces the availability of funds for several HRSA programs. This

Notice lists several programs that are announcing competitions for

fiscal year (FY) 1999 funds but were not published in the fall 1998

HRSA Preview.

This Notice includes funding for HRSA discretionary authorities and

programs as follows: (1) Special Projects of National Significance,

HIV/AIDS Bureau; (2) Extramural Support Program for Projects to

Increase Organ and Tissue Donation, HIV/AIDS Bureau; (3) Cooperative

Agreement for Emergency Medical Services for Children and Quality

Improvement Center, Maternal and Child Health Bureau; and (4) Basic

Nurse Education and Practice: Baccalaureate Nursing Education Using

Distance Learning Methodologies for Rural RNs, Bureau of Health

Professions. These programs were not

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published in the fall 1998 HRSA Preview and will only appear in the

Federal Register and on the HRSA Home Page at: http://

www.hrsa.dhhs.gov/. The next edition of the HRSA Preview is scheduled

to be published by early summer 1999. The purpose of the HRSA Preview

is to provide the general public with a single source of program and

application information related to the Agency's competitive grant

reviews. The HRSA Preview is designed to replace multiple Federal

Register notices which traditionally advertised the availability of

HRSA's discretionary funds for its various programs.

Dated: April 9, 1999.

Claude Earl Fox,

Administrator.

How To Obtain Further Information

You can download this Notice in Adobe Acrobat format (.pdf) from

HRSA's web site at: http://www.hrsa.dhhs.gov/.

To Obtain an Application Kit

It is recommended that you read the introductory materials,

terminology section, and individual program category descriptions to

fully assess your eligibility for grants before requesting kits. As a

general rule, no more than one kit per category will be mailed to

applicants. Upon review of the program descriptions, please determine

which category or categories of application kit(s) you wish to receive

and contact the 1-888-333-HRSA (4772) number to register on the

specific mailing list. Application kits are generally available 60 days

prior to application deadline. If kits are already available, they will

be mailed immediately.

Also, you can register on-line to be sent specific grant

application materials by following the instructions on the web page or

accessing http://www.hrsa.gov/g__order3.htm directly. Your mailing

information will be added to our database and material will be sent to

you as it becomes available.

Grant Terminology

Application Deadlines

Applications will be considered ``on time'' if they are either

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

before the deadline date given in the program announcement or in the

application kit materials.

Authorizations

The citations of provisions of the laws authorizing the various

programs are provided immediately preceding groupings of program

categories.

CFDA Number

The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) is a Government-

wide compendium of Federal programs, projects, services, and activities

which provide assistance. Programs listed therein are given a CFDA

Number.

Cooperative Agreement

A financial assistance mechanism used when substantial Federal

programmatic involvement, with the recipient during performance, is

anticipated by the Agency.

Eligibility

Authorizing legislation and programmatic regulations specify

eligibility for individual grant programs. In general, assistance is

provided to nonprofit organizations and institutions, State and local

governments and their agencies, and occasionally to individuals. For-

profit organizations are eligible to receive awards under financial

assistance programs unless specifically excluded by legislation.

Estimated Amount of Competition

The funding level listed is provided for planning purposes and is

subject to the availability of funds.

Funding Priorities and/or Preferences

Special priorities or preferences are those which the individual

programs have identified for the funding cycle. Some programs give

preference to organizations which have specific capabilities such as

telemedicine networking or established relationships with managed care

organizations. Preference also may be given to achieve an equitable

geographic distribution and other reasons to increase the effectiveness

of the programs.

Key Offices

The Grants Management Office serves as the focal point for business

matters. The appropriate program office contact is provided for

questions specific to the programs or of a technical nature.

Matching Requirements

Several HRSA programs require a matching amount, or percentage of

the total project support, to come from sources other than Federal

funds. Matching requirements are generally mandated in the authorizing

legislation for specific categories. Also, matching requirements may be

administratively required by the awarding office. Such requirements are

set forth in the application kit.

Project Period

The total time for which support of a discretionary project has

been programmatically approved. Continuation of any project beyond the

budget period is subject to satisfactory performance, availability of

funds and program priorities.

Review Criteria

The following are generic review criteria applicable to HRSA

programs:

That the estimated cost to the Government of the project

is reasonable considering the anticipated results.

That project personnel or prospective fellows are well

qualified by training and/or experience for the support sought, and the

applicant organization or the organization to provide training to a

fellow has adequate facilities and manpower.

That, insofar as practical, the proposed activities

(scientific or other), if well executed, are capable of attaining

project objectives.

That the project objectives are capable of achieving the

specific program objectives defined in the program announcement and the

proposed results are measurable.

That the method for evaluating proposed results includes

criteria for determining the extent to which the program has achieved

its stated objectives and the extent to which the accomplishment of

objectives can be attributed to the program.

That, in so far as practical, the proposed activities,

when accomplished, are replicable, national in scope and include plans

for broad dissemination.

The specific review criteria used to review and rank applications

are included in the individual guidance material provided with the

application kits. Applicants should pay strict attention to addressing

these criteria as they are the basis upon which their applications will

be judged.

Technical Assistance

A contact person is listed for each program and his/her e-mail

address and telephone number provided. Some programs have scheduled

workshops and conference calls. If you have questions concerning

individual programs or the availability of technical assistance, please

contact the person listed. Also check your application materials and

the HRSA web site

http://www.hrsa.dhhs.gov/ for the latest technical assistance

information.

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Frequently Asked Questions

1. HRSA lists many telephone numbers and e-mail addresses. Who do I

phone or e-mail and when?

Phone 1-888-333-HRSA (4772) to register for application kits. It

will be helpful to the information specialist if you have the CFDA

Number and title of the program handy for reference.

If, before you register, you want to know more about the program,

an e-mail/phone contact is listed. This contact can provide information

concerning the specific program's purpose, scope and goals, and

eligibility criteria. Usually, you will be encouraged to request the

application kit so that you will have clear, comprehensive and accurate

information available to you. The application kit lists telephone

numbers for a program expert and a grants management specialist who

will provide technical assistance concerning your specific program, if

you are unable to find the information within the materials provided.

2. The dates listed in the Federal Register Notice and the dates in

the application kit do not agree. How do I know which is correct?

First, register at 1-888-333-HRSA (4772) for each program that you

are interested in as shown in the Notice.

Notice dates for application kit availability and application

receipt deadline are based upon the best known information at the time

of publication. Occasionally, the grant cycle does not begin as

projected and dates must be adjusted. The deadline date stated in your

application kit is correct. If the application kit has been made

available and subsequently the date changes, notification of the change

will be mailed to known recipients of the application kit. Therefore,

if you are registered at 1-888-333-HRSA (4772), you will receive the

most current information.

3. Are programs announced in the Federal Register Notice ever

canceled?

Infrequently, programs announced may be withdrawn from competition.

If this occurs, a cancellation notice will be provided at the HRSA

Homepage

http://www.hrsa.dhhs.gov/.

If you still have unanswered questions, please contact Paulette

Fagan of the Grants Policy Branch at 301-443-5082 ([email protected]).

HIV/AIDS Bureau

Grants Management Office: 1-301-443-2280.

Special Projects of National Significance (SPNS).

Authorization

Section 2691 of the Public Health Service Act 42 U.S.C. 300ff-10

Purpose

The purpose of this program is to contribute to the advancement of

knowledge and skills in the delivery of health and support services to

underserved populations diagnosed with human immunodeficiency virus

(HIV) infection. Specifically, there are three SPNS Program objectives:

(1) to assess the effectiveness of particular models of care; (2) to

support innovative program design; and (3) to promote replication of

effective models. SPNS grants are limited to the demonstration and

assessment of innovative and potentially replicable HIV service

delivery models. For purposes of this announcement, models seeking SPNS

support must address one of the following four categories: (1) assuring

appropriate end-of-life care for individuals dying from HIV/AIDS who

experience difficulty accessing health care; (2) assessment of the

effectiveness of existing programs to promote adherence to anti-

retroviral therapies; (3) evaluation and/or program support centers

for: (a) services to people with HIV in correctional settings; (b)

establishing or assessing HIV care networks; (c) assessing innovation

in serving substance abusers; or (d) evaluating and supporting end-of-

life care and adherence initiatives; or (4) demonstration projects to

increase enrollment in, continuity and quality of HIV primary care for

migrant and various border populations.

Eligibility

Public and nonprofit private entities are eligible to apply for

these grants. Applicants are encouraged to submit a brief letter of

intent, by May 1, 1999, to: Special Projects of National Significance,

ATTN: 1999 New Competitive Initiative, Room 7A-08 Parklawn Building,

5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, Maryland 20857.

Funding Priorities and/or Preferences

Funds should be used to create and/or evaluate models of care that

would likely not exist nor be evaluated without SPNS support, or that

would extend the care model to previously underserved or unserved

populations defined either geographically or demographically.

Review Criteria

Final criteria are included in the application kit.

Estimated Amount of This Competition $9,000,000

Estimated Number of Awards

Category 1: 3-5

Category 2: Up to 10

Category 3: 6

3.1 Services to people with HIV in correctional settings--1

3.2 Establishing or assessing HIV care networks--2

--assist community-based providers--(1)

--conduct managed care research--(1)

3.3 Assessing innovation in serving substance abusers--1

3.4 Evaluating and supporting end-of-life care and adherence

initiatives--2

--end of life care project--(1)

--adherence assessment--(1)

Category 4: 4

Estimated Project Period

Category 1: 3 years

Category 2: 3 years

Category 3: 2-3 years

Category 4: 3-5 years

Application Availability: 04/05/1999

To Obtain This Application Kit

CFDA Number 93.928

Contact: 1-888-333-HRSA (4772)

Application Deadline: 06/01/1999

Projected Award Date: 10/01/1999

Contact person: Steve Young, [email protected], 1-301-443-6560

Extramural Support Program for Projects to Increase Organ and Tissue

Donation

Authorization

Section 371(a)(3) of the Public Health Service Act, 42 U.S.C. 273.

Please note that a separate Federal Register Notice, dated April 5,

1999 provided a 30 day comment period regarding the project phases

eligible for program support (pilot tests and replications),

performance measures, funding priorities, and review criteria. Comments

will be considered for the purpose of writing the detailed guidance to

applicants. Therefore, the guidance may indicate changes in some of the

following information.

Purpose

This is a proposed solicitation for cooperative agreements to

increase organ and tissue donation. The goals of this peer reviewed,

competitive extramural support program are to implement, evaluate, and

disseminate model interventions with the greatest potential for

yielding a verifiable and demonstrable impact on organ donation and

which are replicable, transferable, and feasible in practice. Projects

funded under this program are expected to have performance measures

addressing one or more of the following outcomes: organ procurement

rates; consent rates and organ donation; and number and prevalence of

family organ donation

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discussions. Applications may propose either a Phase 1 study which

pilot tests the efficacy of promising interventions to increase organ

donation, or Phase 2 study which focuses on implementing and testing in

multiple sites interventions which already have proved effective in

pilot studies. Phase 2 projects also can include dissemination. All

projects must have rigorous evaluation components.

Eligibility

Organ procurement organizations and other private not-for-profit

organizations. An applicant must be part of a consortium of at least

two organizations relevant to the project. Applications from single

entities will not be considered.

Funding Priorities and/or Preferences

Two funding priorities are proposed, one for applications that are

most likely to have a demonstrable impact on consent rates, and another

for projects that address variations in consent by race and ethnicity,

which may include an examination of differences in donation/

transplantation knowledge, attitudes, and experiences among one or more

minority groups.

Review Criteria

Final criteria are included in the application kit.

Estimated Amount of This Competition: $5,000,000.

Estimated Number of Awards: 15-20.

Estimated Project Period: Up to 3 years.

Application Availability: 05/10/1999.

To Obtain This Application Kit: CFDA Number 93.134.

Contact: 1-888-333-HRSA (4772).

Application Deadline: 07/12/1999.

Projected Award Date: 09/30/1999.

Contact Person: Dr. D.W. Chen, [email protected], 1-301-443-7577.

Maternal and Child Health Bureau

Grants Management Office: 301-443-1440.

Cooperative Agreement for Emergency Medical Services for Children

(EMSC) Data and Quality Improvement Center

Authorization

Section 1910 of the Public Health Service Act, as amended, Public

Law 102-410, 42 U.S.C. 300w-9.

Purpose

The purpose of the EMSC Data and Quality Improvement Center is to

enhance management information and quality improvement (QI)

capabilities of State EMS offices, with a special focus on pediatric

issues. Proposals are sought which will assist in the application of

data to QI and in collaborative efforts to collect and analyze State

level data. Federal involvement will include planning, guidance,

coordination and participation in workshops.

Eligibility

States and Accredited Schools of Medicine are eligible to apply for

this program.

Funding Priorities and/or Preferences

None.

Review Criteria

Final criteria are included in the application kit.

Estimated Amount of This Competition: $400,000.

Estimated Number of Awards: 1.

Estimated Project Period: 3 years.

Application Availability: 04/01/1999.

To Obtain This Application Kit:

CFDA Number: 93.127E.

Contact: 1-888-333-HRSA (4772).

Application Deadline: 06/01/1999.

Projected Award Date: 08/01/1999.

Contact Person: Maria T. Baldi, [email protected], 1-301-443-6192.

Bureau of Health Professions

Grants Management Officer: 1-301-443-6880.

Basic Nurse Education and Practice: Baccalaureate Nursing Education

Using Distance Learning Methodologies for Rural RNs.

Authorization

Section 831 of the Public Health Service Act, 42 U.S.C. 297-1.

Purpose

The purpose of this special request for applications is to expedite

and facilitate the baccalaureate education of registered nurses from

rural areas using distance learning methodologies. The legislative

priority for which funds may be awarded under a cooperative agreement

is for ``expanding the enrollment in baccalaureate nursing programs.''

The intent is to demonstrate that quality curricula developed for

delivery by distance learning methodologies, which are primarily

computer-based, will facilitate RN to BSN education for nurses living

in rural areas with underserved populations.

Eligibility

Nursing schools with an accredited baccalaureate program.

Funding Priorities and/or Preferences

The purpose of this request for applications is to strengthen

capacity for basic nurse education and practice in rural areas by

expanding the enrollment of rural registered nurses in baccalaureate

nursing programs using distance learning technologies. As such, it

addresses the statutory funding preference for substantially benefiting

rural populations.

Review Criteria

Final criteria are included in the application kit.

Estimated Amount of this Competition: $800,000.

Estimated Number of Awards: 4.

Estimated Project Period: 5 years.

Application Availability: 04/09/1999.

To Obtain This Application Kit:

CFDA Number: 93.359.

Contact: 1-888-333-HRSA (4772).

Application Deadline: 05/28/99.

Projected Award Date: 08/31/1999.

Contact Person: Carole A. Gassert, [email protected], 1-301-443-

5786.

[FR Doc. 99-9531 Filed 4-15-99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4160-15-P