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Executive Summary: Funds are provided for Child Care State Research Capacity cooperative agreements to support Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) lead agencies' analyses of administrative data; data improvements, including linking data across programs; and measurement of the effects of CCDF on program outcomes. I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION Legislative Authority This cooperative agreement is funded under the authority of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990, as amended, and is authorized by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-161). Funding Opportunity Description The Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) has five primary goals: (1) to allow States flexibility to develop child care programs and policies that best suit the needs of children and parents within the State; (2) to promote parental choice to empower working parents to make their own decisions on the child care that best suits their family's needs; (3) to encourage States to provide consumer education information to help parents make informed choices about child care; (4) to provide child care to parents trying to achieve economic self-sufficiency; and (5) to assist States in implementing health, safety, licensing, and registration standards established in State regulations. Among the expected long-term outcomes of the CCDF are: 1) improved employment and self-sufficiency outcomes for parents; and 2) increased availability of high quality care for low-income working families, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) clients/leavers, and those at-risk of needing TANF. For more information on CCDF, please visit: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ccb/law/index.htm. Since 2000, Congress has appropriated about $10 million per year of CCDF discretionary funds to be used for child care research and evaluation. These funds have supported projects that add to our knowledge about the efficacy of child care subsidy policies and programs in supporting employment and self-sufficiency outcomes for parents, and promoting positive learning and school readiness outcomes for children. Previously funded State research capacity projects assisted State CCDF Lead Agencies, in partnership with research organizations, to design more effective programs by tracking outcomes for children and families. For more information about previously funded projects, please visit: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ccb/research/index.htm#capacity. The goals of the Child Care State Research Capacity cooperative agreements are:
Applicants for the Child Care State Research Capacity cooperative agreements will be most likely to succeed if they address issues of significance related to CCDF services and programs and inform policy decisions and solutions, particularly for underserved populations. Two specific research questions linked to CCDF performance measures are of particular interest for this year's Child Care State Research Capacity cooperative agreements:
Applicants must address at least one of these research questions. The question of interest and its link to the CCDF program goals should be clearly stated in the application. ACF is particularly interested in applications that address Tribal child care. In addition, ACF encourages applicants to consider how the above questions relate to improving child care programs and policies for various sub-populations, including:
Conference Attendance. The grantee must attend and present a poster at the Annual Meeting of the Child Care Policy Research Consortium each year of the project. In addition, the grantee may be asked to attend the State Administrators' Meeting. Both meetings typically are held in the Archiving and Publishing. The applicant must agree to archive final data sets, reports, and other research products with Research Connections. For more information on Research Connections, please visit http://researchconnections.org. B. Definitions Budget Period: The 12-month period of time for which funds are made available (i.e., the first budget period would begin September 30, 2008, and end September 29, 2009). Project Period: The total length of the proposed project, which is up to 36 months. For a 12-month proposed project, the project period would start September 30, 2008, and end September 29, 2009. For a 24-month proposed project, the project period would start September 30, 2008, and end September 29, 2010. A 36- month proposed project would start September 30, 2008, and end September 29, 2011.
II. AWARD INFORMATION
Substantial Involvement with Cooperative Agreement: A cooperative agreement is Federal assistance in which substantial Federal involvement in project activities is anticipated. Final roles and responsibilities of Federal staff and the successful applicants will be negotiated prior to the award as appropriate to the proposed project. Roles and Responsibilities of Applicant Applicant will design and implement a plan to improve data collection, analysis and interpretation of its CCDF data. This plan should include a proposal for establishment or expansion of a research and analysis unit, either within their State agency or in partnership with a research organization or university. Applicants must develop or improve analytic linkages with other State and local data systems to demonstrate their capacity to understand the needs of families across programs that serve similar populations (e.g., TANF and CCDF). These projects should focus on at least one of the following questions: 1) what is the impact of CCDF on helping low-income working parents maintain employment and achieve self-sufficiency; or 2) what is the impact of CCDF on improving the quality of care available and utilized by low-income working parents and at risk families to support parental outcomes and child well-being? States with limited data and research capacity should focus their initial project efforts on analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of their current data systems as related to one of these questions and develop and implement a plan for enhancing their CCDF data to ensure they are valid, reliable and useful for policy analysis. States with more refined data systems should conduct a research study that addresses at least one of these questions including a research design that: 1) clearly identifies the research issue; 2) appropriately links research questions, variables, data sources, samples, and analyses; 3) employs technically sound approaches and protects human subjects, confidentiality of the data, and consent procedures; 4) reflects sensitivity to technical, logistical, cultural and ethical issues that may arise and includes an effective plan for dissemination and utilization of the data; and 5) effectively utilizes collaborative strategies appropriate to project goals. Applicants will be expected to participate in regular email and teleconference communications with Federal staff to ensure maximum collaborative effort among projects. Applicants will be expected to participate in the annual meetings organized by Federal staff. At the end of the project, applicants will collaborate to produce project materials with application for CCDF administrators. Roles and Responsibilities of Federal Staff The Federal staff will monitor the project and provide technical assistance and feedback when necessary. Federal staff will organize periodic consultations and teleconferences to review project activities, to share information, and to promote coordination of the project. Federal staff will schedule and organize annual meetings for applicants. Federal staff and the applicant will work collaboratively to facilitate accomplishment of project goals, including development of final technical approach and study design, identification of key data and research needs, and the establishment of a steering committee to guide key decisions. The Federal staff will facilitate collaboration with other grantees and contractors.
Applicants may apply for project periods up to 36 months consisting of three 12-month budget periods. Applicants proposing 24-month or 36-month project periods will be awarded up to $250,000 for the first 12-month budget period and up to $200,000 for the second and third 12-month budget period, for a total not exceeding $650,000 for the entire three year project period. Initial awards will be made for the first 12-month budget period. For 24- or 36-month projects, continuation awards for the second and third 12-month budget period will be subject to the availability of funds, satisfactory progress by the grantee, and a determination that continued funding would be in the best interest of the Federal Government. The need for a two or three year project period should be identified in Section E on the Standard Form (SF) 424, in the project narrative, and in the budget. Applicants proposing 24-month or 36-month projects will receive instructions on how to submit non-competing continuation applications during the first budget period to request funds for the second budget period. Awards under this announcement are subject to the availability of funds. III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION 1. Eligible Applicants:
Foreign entities are not eligible under this announcement. Please see Section IV for required documentation supporting eligibility or funding restrictions if any are applicable. 2. Cost Sharing or Matching: Yes Applicants are required to meet a non-Federal share of the project costs. Applicants must provide at least 20 percent of the total approved cost of the project. The total approved cost of the project is the sum of the ACF share and the non-Federal share. The non-Federal share may be met by cash or in-kind contributions, although applicants are encouraged to meet their match requirements through cash contributions. For example, in order to meet the match requirements, a project requesting $250,000 for the first budget period must include a match of at least $62,500. (To calculate the 20 percent non-Federal share, divide the Federal share by 4. Applicants will be held accountable for the full commitments of non-Federal resources even if they exceed the amount of the required match. Failure to provide the required amount will result in the disallowance of Federal funds. A lack of supporting documentation at the time of application will not exclude the application from competitive review. 3. Other: Disqualification Factors Applications with requests that exceed the ceiling on the amount of individual awards referenced in Section II. Award Information will be deemed non-responsive and will not be considered for funding under this announcement. Any application that fails to satisfy the deadline requirements referenced in Section IV.3., Submission Dates and Times, will be deemed non-responsive and will not be considered for funding under this announcement. IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION 1. Address to Request Application Package: Xtria, LLCChild Care Research Support Technical Assistance OPRE/CCR Grant Review Team Attn: Child Care State Research Capacity Cooperative Agreements 8521 Leesburg Pike, Suite 400 Vienna, VA 22182 Phone: 866-651-6166 Email: opre-ccr@xtria.com 2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Letters of Intent Applicants are strongly encouraged to notify the Operations Center (opre-ccr@xtria.com) of their intention to submit an application under this announcement. Please submit the letter of intent by the deadline date listed in Section IV.3. This information will be used to determine the number of expert reviewers needed to review applications. Failure to submit a letter of intent will not impact eligibility to submit an application and will not disqualify an application from competitive review. The letter of intent should include the following information:
Do not include a description of your proposed project in your letter of intent. Format and Organization of Application The original and two copies of an application must be submitted. Applicants must limit their application package to 100 pages, double-spaced, with standard one-inch margins and 12-point fonts. This page limit applies to both narrative text and supporting materials, not including the Standard Federal Forms (listed below). In addition, applicants must number the pages of their application beginning with the Table of Contents. Pages in excess of the page limitation will be removed and not reviewed. Applicants are advised to include all required forms and materials and to organize these materials according to the format for their application package, and in the order, presented below:
Biographical Sketch: These are used to partially evaluate Staff and Position Data (see Section V.1). Inclusion of information regarding the Principal Investigator's and Key Personnel's work and publication history that will address the evaluation criteria is encouraged. Curriculum Vitae would appropriately address this need. For electronic submissions via Grants.gov, application sections one through seven above are considered part of the mandatory project narrative section. D-U-N-S Requirement All applicants must have a D&B Data Universal Numbering System (D-U-N-S) number. On June 27, 2003, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) published in the Federal Register a new Federal policy applicable to all Federal grant applicants. The policy requires Federal grant applicants to provide a D-U-N-S number when applying for Federal grants or cooperative agreements on or after October 1, 2003. The D-U-N-S number will be required whether an applicant is submitting a paper application or using the government-wide electronic portal, Grants.gov. A D-U-N-S number will be required for every application for a new award or renewal/continuation of an award, including applications or plans under formula, entitlement, and block grant programs, submitted on or after October 1, 2003. Please ensure that your organization has a D-U-N-S number. You may acquire a D-U-N-S number at no cost by calling the dedicated toll-free D-U-N-S number request line at 1-866-705-5711 or you may request a number on-line at http://www.dnb.com. Forms, Assurances, and Certifications The project description should include all the information requirements described in the specific evaluation criteria outlined in this program announcement under Section V. Application Review Information. In addition to the project description, the applicant needs to complete all of the Standard Forms required as part of the application process for awards under this announcement. Applicants seeking financial assistance under this announcement must file the appropriate Standard Forms (SFs) as described in this section. All applicants must submit an SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance. For non-construction programs, applicants must also submit an SF-424A, Budget Information and an SF-424B, Assurances. For construction programs, applicants must also submit SF-424C, Budget Information and SF-424D, Assurances. When required for programs that involve human subjects, the Protection of Human Subjects Assurance Identification/IRB Certification/Declaration of Exemption form must be submitted. All forms may be reproduced for use in submitting applications. Applicants must sign and return the appropriate standard forms with their application. The Protection of Human Subjects Assurance Identification/IRB Certification/Declaration of Exemption (Common Rule) form may be found at: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/grants_resources.html. Applicants must furnish, prior to award, an executed copy of the Certification Regarding Lobbying. Applicants must sign and return the certification with their application. The Certification Regarding Lobbying may be found at: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/grants_resources.html. (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 applicant shall complete and submit Standard Form (SF)-LLL, "Disclosure Form to Report Lobbying," in accordance with its instructions.) The Pro-Children Act of 1994, 20 U.S.C. 7183, imposes restrictions on smoking in facilities where federally funded children's services are provided. HHS grants are subject to these requirements only if they meet the Act's specified coverage. The Act specifies that smoking is prohibited in any indoor facility (owned, leased, or contracted for) used for the routine or regular provision of kindergarten, elementary, or secondary education or library services to children under the age of 18. In addition, smoking is prohibited in any indoor facility or portion of a facility (owned, leased, or contracted for) used for the routine or regular provision of federally funded health care, day care, or early childhood development, including Head Start services to children under the age of 18. The statutory prohibition also applies if such facilities are constructed, operated, or maintained with Federal funds. The statute does not apply to children's services provided in private residences, facilities funded solely by Medicare or Medicaid funds, portions of facilities used for inpatient drug or alcohol treatment, or facilities where WIC coupons are redeemed. Failure to comply with the provisions of the law may result in the imposition of a civil monetary penalty of up to $1,000 per violation and/or the imposition of an administrative compliance order on the responsible entity. Additional information may be found in the HHS Grants Policy Statement at: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/grants_related.html. Information on the Certification Regarding Program Fraud Civil Remedies Act (PFCRA) may be found in the HHS Grants Policy Statement at: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/grants_related.html. Applicants must make the appropriate certification of their compliance with all Federal statutes relating to nondiscrimination. By signing and submitting the application, applicants are providing the necessary certification. Where return of a form is required, complete the standard forms and the associated certifications and assurances based on the instructions found on the forms. The forms and certifications may be found at: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/grants_resources.html. Information on the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a) and the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C 552) or FOIA may be found in the HHS Grants Policy Statement at: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/grants_resources.html. Please see Section V.1 for instructions on preparing the full project description. Please reference Section IV.3 for details about acknowledgement of received applications. Electronic SubmissionApplicants to ACF may submit their applications in either electronic or paper format. To submit an application electronically, please use the http://www.Grants.gov site. When using www.Grants.gov, applicants will be able to download a copy of the application package, complete it off-line, and then upload and submit the application via the www.Grants.gov site. ACF will not accept grant applications via facsimile or email. Acceptable electronic formats for the application attachments (narratives, charts, etc.) must use the following standard technologies, i.e., Microsoft (Word and Excel), Word Perfect, Adobe PDF, Jpeg, and Gif. IMPORTANT NOTE: Before submitting an electronic application, applicants must complete the organization registration process as well as obtain and register "electronic signature credentials" for the Authorized Organization Representative (AOR). Since this process may take more than five business days, it is important to start this process early, well in advance of the application deadline. Be sure to complete all www.Grants.gov registration processes listed on the Organization Registration Checklist, which can be found at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/registration_checklist.html. Please note the following if planning to submit an application electronically via www.Grants.gov:
Applicants that are submitting their application in paper format should submit one original and two copies of the complete application. The original and each of the two copies must include all required forms, certifications, assurances, and appendices, be signed by an authorized representative, and be unbound. The original copy of the application must have original signature(s). Non-Federal ReviewersSince ACF will be using non-Federal reviewers in the review process, applicants have the option of omitting from the application copies (not the original) specific salary rates or amounts for individuals specified in the application budget as well as Social Security Numbers, if otherwise required for individuals. The copies may include summary salary information. If applicants are submitting their application electronically, ACF will omit the same specific salary rate information from copies made for use during the review and selection process. 3. Submission Dates and Times: Due Date For Letter of Intent: 04/14/2008 Due Date for Applications: 05/13/2008 Explanation of Due Dates The due date for receipt of applications is referenced above. Applications received after 4:30 p.m., eastern time, on the due date will be classified as late and will not be considered in the current competition. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that applications are mailed or hand-delivered or submitted electronically well in advance of the application due date and time. Applications that are submitted by mail must be received no later than 4:30 p.m., eastern time, on the due date referenced above at the address listed in Section IV.6. Hand Delivery Applications hand carried by applicants, applicant couriers, other representatives of the applicant, or by overnight/express mail couriers must be received on or before the due date referenced above, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., eastern time, at the address referenced in Section IV.6., between Monday and Friday (excluding Federal holidays). Electronic Submission Applications submitted electronically via Grants.gov must be submitted no later than 4:30 p.m., eastern time, on the due date referenced above. ACF cannot accommodate transmission of applications by facsimile or email. Late Applications Applications that do not meet the requirements above are considered late applications. ACF shall notify each late applicant that its application will not be considered in the current competition. ANY APPLICATION RECEIVED AFTER 4:30 P.M., EASTERN TIME, ON THE DUE DATE WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED FOR COMPETITION. Extension of Deadlines ACF may extend application deadlines when circumstances such as acts of God (floods, hurricanes, etc.) occur; when there are widespread disruptions of mail service; or in other rare cases. A determination to extend or waive deadline requirements rests with the Chief Grants Management Officer. Receipt acknowledgement for application packages will not be provided to applicants who submit their package via mail, courier services, or by hand delivery. Applicants will receive an electronic acknowledgement for applications that are submitted via http://www.Grants.gov. Checklist You may use the checklist below as a guide when preparing your application package.
4. Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs: State Single Point of Contact (SPOC) This program is covered under Executive Order (Exec. 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 Exec. Order, States may design their own processes for reviewing and commenting on proposed Federal assistance under covered programs. The official list of the jurisdictions that have elected to participate in Exec. Order 12372, including addresses and contact persons, may be found on the following URL: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/spoc.html. Applicants from participating jurisdictions should contact their SPOC, as soon as possible, to alert them of prospective applications and receive instructions. Applicants must submit all required materials to the SPOC and indicate the date of this submittal (or the date of contact if no submittal is required) on the Standard Form (SF) 424, item 19. Under 45 CFR 100.8(a)(2), a SPOC has 60 days from the application due date to comment on proposed new or competing continuation 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 official State process recommendations, which may trigger the "accommodate or explain" rule. Comments submitted directly to ACF should be addressed to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Grants Management, Division of Discretionary Grants, 370 L'Enfant Promenade SW., 6th Floor, Washington, DC 20447. Although some jurisdictions have chosen not to participate in this process, entities that meet the eligibility requirements of the Program Announcement are still eligible to apply for a grant even if a State, Territory, or Commonwealth, etc., does not have a SPOC. Therefore, applicants from these jurisdictions, or for projects administered by Federally-recognized Indian Tribes, need take no action in regard to Exec. Order 12372. 5. Funding Restrictions: Costs of organized fund raising, including financial campaigns, endowment drives, solicitation of gifts and bequests, and similar expenses incurred solely to raise capital or obtain contributions, are unallowable. Grant awards will not allow reimbursement of pre-award costs. Construction and purchase of real property are not allowable activities or expenditures under this grant award. 6. Other Submission Requirements: Please see Sections IV.2 and IV.3 for deadline information and other application requirements. Submit applications to one of the following addresses: Submission by Mail Xtria, LLCChild Care Research Support Technical Assistance OPRE/CCR Grant Review Team Attn: Child Care State Research Capacity Cooperative Agreements 8521 Leesburg Pike, Suite 400 Vienna, VA 22182 Hand Delivery Xtria, LLCChild Care Research Support Technical Assistance OPRE/CCR Grant Review Team Attn: Child Care State Research Capacity Cooperative Agreements 8521 Leesburg Pike, Suite 400 Vienna, VA 22182 Electronic Submission Please see Section IV.2 for guidelines and requirements when submitting applications electronically via http://www.Grants.gov. V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (P.L. 104-13) Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 40 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 4/30/2010. 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. 1. Criteria: Part I THE PROJECT DESCRIPTION OVERVIEW PURPOSE The project description provides the majority of information by which an application is evaluated and ranked in competition with other applications for available assistance. The project description should be concise and complete. It should address the activity for which Federal funds are being requested. Supporting documents should be included where they can present information clearly and succinctly. In preparing the project description, information that is responsive to each of the requested evaluation criteria must be provided. Awarding offices use this and other information in making their funding recommendations. It is important, therefore, that this information be included in the application in a manner that is clear and complete. GENERAL EXPECTATIONS AND INSTRUCTIONS ACF is particularly interested in specific project descriptions that focus on outcomes and convey strategies for achieving intended performance. Project descriptions are evaluated on the basis of substance and measurable outcomes, not length. Extensive exhibits are not required. Cross-referencing should be used rather than repetition. Supporting information concerning activities that will not be directly funded by the grant or information that does not directly pertain to an integral part of the grant-funded activity should be placed in an appendix. Part II GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR PREPARING A FULL PROJECT DESCRIPTION INTRODUCTION Applicants that are required to submit a full project description shall prepare the project description statement in accordance with the following instructions while being aware of the specified evaluation criteria. The text options give a broad overview of what the project description should include while the evaluation criteria identify the measures that will be used to evaluate applications. PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Provide a summary of the project description (one page or less) with reference to the funding request. OBJECTIVES AND NEED FOR ASSISTANCE Clearly identify the physical, economic, social, financial, institutional, 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. APPROACH Outline a plan of action that 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 that 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 activities accomplished. When accomplishments cannot be quantified by activity or function, list them in chronological order to show the schedule of accomplishments and their target dates. If any data is to be collected, maintained, and/or disseminated, clearance may be required from OMB. This clearance pertains to any "collection of information that is conducted or sponsored by ACF." Provide a list of 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. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION The following are requests for additional information that must be included in the application:
BUDGET AND BUDGET JUSTIFICATION Provide a budget with line-item detail and detailed calculations for each budget object class identified on the Budget Information Form (SF-424A or SF-424C). Detailed calculations must include estimation methods, quantities, unit costs, and other similar quantitative detail sufficient for the calculation to be duplicated. If matching is a requirement, include a breakout by the funding sources identified in Block 15 of the SF-424. Provide a narrative budget justification that describes how the categorical costs are derived. Discuss the necessity, reasonableness, and allocation of the proposed costs.
TOTAL DIRECT CHARGES, TOTAL INDIRECT CHARGES, TOTAL PROJECT COSTS EVALUATION CRITERIA: The corresponding score values indicate the relative importance that ACF places on each evaluation criterion; however, applicants need not develop their applications precisely according to the order presented. Application components may be organized such that a reviewer will be able to follow a seamless and logical flow of information (i.e., from a broad overview of the project to more detailed information about how it will be conducted). In considering how applicants will carry out the responsibilities addressed under this announcement, competing applications for financial assistance will be reviewed and evaluated against the following criteria: OBJECTIVES AND NEED FOR ASSISTANCE - 35 points The extent to which the applicant:
APPROACH - 30 points The extent to which the applicant:
And the extent to which the applicant's:
ORGANIZATIONAL PROFILES - 25 points The extent to which:
BUDGET AND BUDGET JUSTIFICATION - 10 points The extent to which:
2. Review and Selection Process: No grant award will be made under this announcement on the basis of an incomplete application. Initial ACF Screening: Each application will be screened to determine whether it was received by the closing date and time and whether the requested amount exceeds the stated ceiling. Late applications or those exceeding the funding limit will be returned to the applicants with a notation that they were unacceptable and will not be reviewed. The competitive review will be conducted in the Washington, DC metropolitan area by panels of Federal and non-Federal expert reviewers knowledgeable in the areas of child care policy research and evaluation. Panels will assign a score to each application and identify its strengths and weaknesses in relations to the evaluation criteria. The Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) will conduct an administrative review of the applications and results of the competitive review panels and make recommendations for funding to the Director of OPRE. The Director of OPRE will make the final selection of the applications to be funded. Applications may be funded in whole or in part depending on: (1) the ranked order of applicants resulting from competitive review; (2) staff review and consultations; (3) the combination of projects that best meet the information needs of the program; (4) the funds available; and (5) other relevant considerations. Please reference Section IV.2 for information on non-Federal reviewers in the review process. Approved but Unfunded Applications Applications that are approved but unfunded may be held over for funding in the next funding cycle, pending the availability of funds, for a period not to exceed one year. 3. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates: Not ApplicableVI. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION 1. Award Notices: The successful applicants will be notified through the issuance of a Notice of Award (NoA) document that sets forth the amount of funds granted, the terms and conditions of the grant, the effective date of the grant, the budget period for which initial support will be given, the non-Federal share to be provided (if applicable), and the total project period for which support is contemplated. The NoA will be signed by the Grants Officer and transmitted via postal mail. Following the finalization of funding decisions, organizations whose applications will not be funded will be notified by letter, signed by the Program Office head. 2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: Grantees are subject to the requirements in 45 CFR Part 74 (non-governmental) or 45 CFR Part 92 (governmental). Direct Federal grants, sub-award funds, or contracts under this ACF program shall not be used to support inherently religious activities such as religious instruction, worship, or proselytization. Therefore, organizations must take steps to separate, in time or location, their inherently religious activities from the services funded under this program. Regulations pertaining to the Equal Treatment for Faith-Based Organizations, which includes the prohibition against Federal funding of inherently religious activities, can be found at the HHS web site at: http://www.hhs.gov/fbci/waisgate21.pdf. A faith-based organization receiving HHS funds retains its independence from Federal, State, and local governments, and may continue to carry out its mission, including the definition, practice, and expression of its religious beliefs. For example, a faith-based organization may use space in its facilities to provide secular programs or services funded with Federal funds without removing religious art, icons, scriptures, or other religious symbols. In addition, a faith-based organization that receives Federal funds retains its authority over its internal governance, and it may retain religious terms in its organization's name, select its board members on a religious basis, and include religious references in its organization's mission statements and other governing documents in accordance with all program requirements, statutes, and other applicable requirements governing the conduct of HHS funded activities. Faith-based and community organizations may reference the "Guidance to Faith-Based and Community Organizations on Partnering with the Federal Government" at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/government/fbci/guidance/index.html. HHS Grants Policy Statement The HHS Grants Policy Statement (GPS) is the Department of Health and Human Services new single policy guide for discretionary grants and cooperative agreements. Unlike previous HHS policy documents, the GPS is intended to be shared with and used by grantees. It became effective October 1, 2006 and is applicable to all Operating Divisions (OPDIVS), such as the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), except the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The GPS covers basic grants processes, standard terms and conditions and points of contact as well as important OPDIV-specific requirements. Appendices include a glossary of terms and a list of standard abbreviations for ease of reference. The GPS may be accessed at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/grants_related.html. 3. Reporting Requirements: Grantees will be required to submit program progress and financial reports (SF-269 found at: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/grants_resources.html) throughout the project period. Program progress and financial reports are due 30 days after the reporting period. Final programmatic and financial reports are due 90 days after the close of the project period. Final reports may be submitted in hard copy to the Grants Management Office Contact listed in Section VII of this announcement. Program Progress Reports: Semi-AnnuallyFinancial Reports: Semi-Annually VII. AGENCY CONTACTS Program Office Contact: Dr. Kathleen Dwyer Grants Management Office Contact: Tim Chappelle VIII. OTHER INFORMATION Naomi Goldstein Director Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation
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