This is a Modification to the Standing Announcement for the Ethnic Community Self-Help Program Funding Opportunity Announcement, HHS-2008-ACF-ORR-RE-0117, published to the ACF Grant Opportunities webpage on 01/30/2008. The modification announces changes to Section II. Award Information, Anticipated Total Priority Area Funding and the Anticipated Number of Awards, as well as announcing the implementation of the ACF-OGM-SF-PPR, Performance Progress Report in Section VI.3, Reporting Requirements.

Summary:

The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) invites the submission of applications for funding, on a competitive basis, to connect newcomer refugees and their communities with community resources. The objective of this program is to strengthen organized ethnic communities comprised and representative of refugee populations to ensure ongoing support and services to refugees after initial resettlement. This announcement replaces the Priority Area Three - Ethnic Community Self-Help program included in the Standing Announcement for Services for Recently Arrived Refugees published in the Federal Register on April 23, 2004.  

ORR is interested in applications from national, regional (multi-state) or local refugee community organizations that address community building, facilitate cultural adjustment and integration of refugees, and deliver mutually supportive functions such as information exchange, civic participation, resource enhancement, orientation and support to newly arriving refugees (and other refugees that maybe in need of such assistance regardless of their resettlement date) and public education to the larger community on the background, needs and potential of refugees.

The Director will observe 02/24/2009 and 02/24/2010 as the closing dates for applications.

Modification to the published announcement:

Please delete the following under Section II. Award Information of this Funding Opportunity.

Anticipated Total Priority Area Funding:  $600,000
Anticipated Number of Awards:  2 to 6

Please replace the deleted language under Section II. Award Information of this Funding Opportunity with the following:

Anticipated Total Priority Area Funding:  $3,200,000
Anticipated Number of Awards:  16 to 25

Please delete the following under Section VI.3 Award Administration Information/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-Annually
Financial Reports: Semi-Annually”

Please replace the deleted language under Section VI.3 Award Administration Information/Reporting Requirements of this Funding Opportunity with the following:

“Grantees will be required to submit performance progress and financial reports periodically throughout the project period. Frequency of reporting is listed later in this section.

Beginning with FY 2009 awards, most ACF grantees will begin using the a Standard Form (SF) for required performance progress reporting (PPR). The SF-PPR is a standard government-wide performance progress reporting format consisting of a series of forms implemented by Federal agencies to collect performance information from award recipients. Most ACF grantees will begin using the standard format implemented through ACF's Office of Grants Management (OGM), entitled the "ACF-OGM-SF-PPR." Use of the ACF-OGM-SF-PPR will begin for new awards and continuation awards made by ACF in FY 2009. At a minimum, grantees will be required to submit the ACF-OGM-SF-PPR, which consists of the ACF-OGM-SF-PPR Coversheet and the ACF-OGM-SF-PPR Appendix B Program Indicators.

ACF Programs that utilize other SF-PPR reporting formats, or other reporting forms or formats that differ from the new ACF-OGM-SF-PPR, have listed those forms or formats below. Grant award documents will inform grantees of the appropriate performance progress report form or format to use beginning in FY 2009.

Grantees will continue to use the Financial Status Report (FSR) SF-269 (long form) for required financial reporting.

The SF-269 (long form) and the ACF-OGM-SF-PPR may be found at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/grants_resources.html. Grantees should consult their award documents to determine the appropriate performance progress report format required under their award.

Performance progress and financial reports are due 30 days after the end of the reporting period. Final program performance 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-Annually
Financial Reports: Semi-Annually”

All information in this modification is accurate and replaces information specified in the 01/30/2008 Funding Opportunity Announcement

ANNOUNCEMENT AVAILABILITY:

To access this Program Announcement please go to the ACF Grant Opportunities webpage at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/index.html or to http://www.Grants.gov.

For further information, please contact Thomas Giossi at 202-401-5720 or Thomas.Giossi@acf.hhs.gov.  

Posted on January 21, 2009