Non-Competitive 5-Year Grant Awards
ACF-PI-HS-12-03
ACF
Administration for Children and Families
U.S. DEPARTMENT
OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
1. Log No. ACF-PI-HS-12-03
2. Issuance Date: 10/05/2012
3. Originating Office: Office of Head Start
4. Key Words: Designation Renewal, Non-competitive awards, 45 CFR § 1307.7 (a)(1)
PROGRAM INSTRUCTION [See Attachment at the bottom]
TO: All Head Start and Early Head Start Grantee Agencies (including American Indian/Alaska Native and Migrant and Seasonal programs)
SUBJECT: Non-Competitive 5-Year Grant Awards
INSTRUCTION:
This Program Instruction advises grantees of the process to request consideration from the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) for a non-competitive 5-year grant award as specified in 45 CFR § 1307.7(a)(1) and outlines ACF's process for determining eligibility for a non-competitive 5-year grant.
Letter of Request for Consideration of a Non-Competitive 5-Year Grant Award
All Head Start grantees (including Early Head Start, American Indian/Alaska Native, and Migrant and Seasonal programs) that have not been notified that they are required to compete for further funding or that are not Indian Head Start programs undergoing the process established under 45 CFR § 1307.6 and that wish to be considered for a non-competitive 5-year grant award must apply to be considered for Designation Renewal (45 CFR § 1307.7). Grantees should submit a letter requesting the Office of Head Start (OHS) determine whether they are eligible for a non-competitive award by January 1, 2013.
All grantees that want to be considered for a non-competitive grant should submit this request; however, OHS is only able to consider those grantees that had a triennial review in Fiscal Year 2012 (October 1, 2011 - September 30, 2012), and a CLASS assessment, if required. The CLASS assessment does not apply to Early Head Start programs. OHS will retain the record of each grantee's request and will be able to continue determining eligibility of all grantees as triennial reviews in FY 2013 and FY 2014 monitoring cycles are completed.
The request for consideration must be submitted by January 1, 2013. The letter must be signed and dated by the Authorizing Official (Governing Board or Tribal Chair) and submitted either in hard copy to your Regional Office or uploaded directly to the Head Start Enterprise System (HSES). Uploading to HSES assures immediate delivery and makes the letter part of the shared electronic file. A model request letter is attached and can be downloaded from HSES for your convenience.
Determination of Eligibility for Non-Competitive 5-Year Grant Award
ACF will determine whether a grantee is eligible for non-competitive designation renewal after reviewing the relevant data on the conditions outlined in 45 CFR § 1307.3. Because much of the relevant data is being collected in the FY 2012 monitoring year, the determination cannot be completed until after the end of FY 2012.
OHS will be able to determine those grantees that are preliminarily eligible for a non-competitive 5-year grant based on results for those grantees with triennial reviews in the FY 2012 monitoring cycle. Grantees that were reviewed will be determined to be preliminarily eligible for a non-competitive 5-year grant if their agency did not meet any of the conditions outlined in 45 CFR § 1307.3 requiring competition. For example, the agency:
- did not have a deficiency; and
- did not have an average score in any CLASS domain below the minimum thresholds set by the regulation or an average score in a domain below 6 that also was in the lowest 10 percent of all FY 2012 monitoring cycle CLASS scores in that domain; and
- did not meet any of the other conditions outlined in 45 CFR § 1307.3.
Consistent with 45 CFR § 1307.7(c)(2)(ii), if, after the preliminary determination of eligibility for a non-competitive grant but before the 5-year grant is awarded, ACF determines that the grantee has met one of the conditions under 45 CFR § 1307.3, the grantee will be required to compete for a 5-year grant.
Issuance of Non-Competitive 5-Year Grant Awards
ACF intends to begin issuing non-competitive 5-year grants in the spring of 2013. OHS will notify grantees with budget periods beginning in the spring of 2013 of their preliminary eligibility and the process for submitting a non-competitive 5-year funding application. Grantees will continue to be notified on a rolling basis over the next 3 years of their preliminary eligibility for a non-competitive 5-year grant via the funding guidance letter issued by your Regional Office.
Please direct any questions to your Regional Office.
Thank you for your work on behalf of children and families.
/ Yvette Sanchez Fuentes /
Yvette Sanchez Fuentes
Director
Office of Head Start
Attachment:
Model Request Letter
See PDF Version of Program Instruction:
Non-Competitive 5-Year Grant Awards [PDF, 21KB]
Non-Competitive 5-Year Grant Awards. ACF-PI-HS-12-03. HHS/ACF/OHS. 2012. English.
This is a Historical Document.
