[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 92 (Friday, May 13, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-11637]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: May 13, 1994]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Administration on Aging
[Program Announcement No. AOA-94-2]

 

Fiscal Year 1994 Program Announcement; Availability of Funds and 
Request for Applications

AGENCY: Administration on Aging, HHS.

ACTION: Announcement of availability of funds and request for 
applications under the Administration on Aging's Discretionary Funds 
Program for research, demonstration, training, development, and related 
capacity-building activities.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Administration on Aging (AoA) announces its Fiscal Year 
(FY) 1994 Discretionary Funds Program (DFP) of knowledge building, 
program innovation and development, information dissemination, 
training, technical assistance, and related capacity-building efforts. 
The FY 1994 DFP is responsive to the major strategic initiatives of the 
Assistant Secretary for Aging and to specific mandates of the Older 
Americans Act, which focus on certain aging program areas and on the 
needs of vulnerable older population groups. Funding for AoA 
discretionary grants is authorized by Title IV of the Older Americans 
Act, Public Law 89-73, as amended.
    This program announcement consists of three parts. Part I provides 
background information, discusses the purpose of the AoA Discretionary 
Funds Program, and documents its statutory funding authority. Part II 
describes the programmatic priorities under which AoA is inviting 
applications to be considered for funding. Part III describes, in 
detail, the application process and provides guidance on how to prepare 
and submit an application.
    All of the forms necessary to submit an application are published 
as part of this announcement following Part III. No separate 
application kit is necessary for submitting an application. If you have 
a copy of this entire announcement, you have all the information and 
forms required to prepare and submit an application.
    Grants will be made under this announcement subject to the 
availability of funds for the support of the priority area project 
activities described herein.

DATES: This announcement contains different deadline dates for the 
submission of applications, depending upon the priority area under 
which an application is submitted for competitive review and funding. 
For applications responding to one group of designated priority areas, 
the deadline date is July 12, 1994. For another group of specified 
priority areas, the deadline for applications is October 7, 1994. One 
other priority area has multiple deadline dates. The potential 
applicant should check each priority area carefully to determine the 
deadline date for the application it intends to submit.

ADDRESSES: Application receipt point: U.S. Department of Health and 
Human Services, Administration on Aging, Office of Administration and 
Management, 330 Independence Avenue, SW., room 4644, Washington, DC 
20201, Attn: AoA-94-1.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Department of Health and Human 
Services, Administration on Aging, Office of Program Development, 330 
Independence Avenue, SW., room 4278, Washington, DC 20201, telephone 
(202) 619-0441.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Part I. Background

A. The Challenges of an Aging Society

    According to the National Center for Health Statistics, life 
expectancy at birth for Americans in 1991 rose to a record 75.5 years. 
The Census Bureau predicts that by the year 2020 the average life 
expectancy will be 82 years for women and 74.2 years for men. At the 
turn of the century, only 4 percent of the American population was 65 
and over. By 1990, it was 12 percent. Beginning in approximately 15 
years, the percentage is projected to increase rapidly to 20 percent 
and then to increase slowly to about 21% by 2050 and 22% by 2060. By 
the year 2030, there will be more people age 65 and older than young 
people under age 15 in the population.
    The baby boom generation, which will begin to reach retirement age 
in little more than a decade, now represents the largest age segment of 
the U.S. population, numbering approximately 75 million. The current 
older population, already noted for its heterogeneity, will be 
significantly more diverse with the aging of the baby boomers in the 
early decades of the 21st century. The great increase in the numbers 
and the diversity of the elderly, combined with dramatically different 
lifestyle changes, such as four-generation households and more women 
serving in both caregiving roles and the work force, are all important 
factors to consider in planning for an aging society.
    If the Nation is to be well prepared for the burgeoning numbers of 
older persons at the turn of the century, and to be equally well 
equipped to take advantage of the opportunities those changes provide--
and not be daunted by the hard challenges--then today we must grasp the 
basic implications of an aging society, and act on the basis of those 
realizations. Our Nation has many different policies and agencies that 
impact on what people may or may not do when they retire. Although the 
Department of Health and Human Services provides the bulk of public 
financing for programs and benefits that directly or indirectly affect 
older persons, almost every federal agency is involved in providing 
services to older persons including the Departments of Housing and 
Urban Development, Transportation, Justice, Agriculture, Labor, 
Defense, Energy and Treasury. By creating the position of Assistant 
Secretary for Aging, the President and the Secretary of the Department 
Health and Human Services have provided a focal point for aging policy, 
whereby the disparate program responsibilities of federal government 
agencies can be linked into a more coherent vision of what is needed 
for an aging society.

B. Older Americans Act Responsibilities of the Assistant Secretary for 
Aging and the Administration on Aging

    The Older Americans Act of 1965, as amended, is designed to provide 
assistance in the development of new or improved programs to help older 
persons, through grants to the States and tribal organizations for 
community planning and services and for research, demonstration and 
training projects. Through the Act, the Congress has declared that it 
is the responsibility of the Federal government, the States and Native 
American tribal organizations to assist older people as they endeavor 
to secure an adequate retirement income, the best possible physical or 
mental health services, suitable housing, long term care services, 
employment opportunities and participation in a wide range of civic, 
cultural, eduational and recreational activities.
    Title II of the Act declares, further, that it is the 
responsibility of the Assistant Secretary for Aging to serve as the 
effective and visible advocate for older individuals within the 
Department of Health and Human Services and with other departments, 
agencies, and instrumentalities of the Federal Government. Under Title 
II, the Assistant Secretary is charged with directly assisting the 
Secretary of Health and Human Services in all matters pertaining to 
problems of the aged and aging and with the responsibility to 
administer the formula and discretionary grant programs authorized by 
Congress under Titles III, IV, VI and VII of the Act.
1. The AoA Discretionary Funds Program
    The Discretionary Funds Program authorized by Title IV of the Act 
constitutes the major research, demonstration, training and development 
effort of the Administration on Aging. Through this Title IV Program 
Announcement, the Assistant Secretary for Aging intends to draw special 
attention to the Discretionary Funds Program as an essential mechanism 
for: (a) improving programs and services to the elderly: (b) 
emphasizing several major initiatives that respond directly to the 
current and future challenges and opportunities of an aging society, 
and; (c) carrying out his responsibilities as a chief advocate for 
older persons.
    The Title IV mandate is aimed, generally, at building knowledge, 
developing innovative model programs, and training personnel for 
service in the field of aging, and matching these resources to the 
changing needs of older persons and their families in the coming 
decades. AoA's research, demonstrations, training and other 
discretionary projects are focused on:
     Advancing our knowledge and understanding of current 
program and policy issues, such as community and in-home long-term care 
service systems and programs, significant to the well-being of the 
older population;
     Improving the effectiveness of Older Americans Act 
programs by testing new models, systems, and approaches for better 
providing and delivering services to older persons; and providing 
training, technical assistance, and information that will increase our 
ability to serve older Americans with skill, care, and compassion.
2. Coordination With Other Federal Agencies
    In accordance with Title II of the Older Americans Act, the 
Assistant Secretary for Aging and the Administration on Aging (AoA) 
function as focal points within the Federal government for aging-
related concerns. In that capacity, the Assistant Secretary advises the 
Secretary of Health and Human Services on matters affecting older 
Americans and provides consultation and information to units across the 
Federal government on the characteristics, circumstances, and needs of 
older persons. AoA has a strong commitment to working with other 
Federal agencies on policy and program development in issue areas of 
importance to older Americans. To carry out its national level program 
and advocacy responsibilities, AoA places major emphasis on developing 
collaborative relationships with other Federal agencies aimed at 
coordinating diverse and wide-ranging Federal program resources and 
linking those resources to the similarly diverse needs of older 
persons.
    Dating back two decades, AoA has worked hard to develop and 
implement a network of Federal Interagency Agreements to better serve 
older Americans, combining our resources with those of the Departments 
of Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, Labor, and Education, 
the Farmers Home Administration, and the Corporation for National and 
Community Service (formerly ACTION), as well as with other agencies 
within the Department of Health and Human Services, such as the Social 
Security Administration, the Health Care Financing Administration, the 
Administration for Children and Families, and the Public Health 
Service, including the National Institute on Aging.
    These interagency collaborations represent a strategic coupling of 
AoA's resources to serve the nation's elderly, especially those at risk 
of losing their independence. AoA's Federal Interagency Agreements 
cover a spectrum of program efforts--in housing, transportation, health 
promotion, elder abuse, etc.--that closely parallel a number of the 
priority areas in this Discretionary Funds Program Announcement.
3. Dissemination of Title IV Project Results and Products
    In keeping with the provisions of the Older Americans Act, all 
projects funded under Title IV are required to undertake vigorous steps 
to disseminate the results and products of their projects to 
appropriate audiences involved in promoting the well-being of older 
persons. This should include energetic marketing of products and 
results. Projects are strongly encouraged to utilize appropriate 
promotional media campaigns in order to insure that their outcomes 
receive the widest possible attention. Such campaigns should seek to 
educate consumers, providers (including the Aging Network), the private 
sector, and policy sector about their results and to promote use of 
their products. A special priority area in this Program Announcement 
further emphasizes the importance of dissemination and utilization of 
Title IV project findings, products, and results.
    As described below in Part III, Section I.2, the most effective 
dissemination begins at the moment a project is conceptualized and 
includes the involvement of potential user audiences throughout the 
project, particularly in the design of products. As part of their 
dissemination plan, applicants are also encouraged to consider the 
development, as appropriate, of brief products suitable for widespread 
dissemination to older persons, their families and other caregivers, 
and practitioners who serve older persons. Advice on ways to maximize 
the utilization of a proposed project may be obtained by contacting 
Saadia Greenberg at the AoA Office of Dissemination and Utilization at 
(202) 619-0441. Applicants may also be interested in obtaining a 
publication entitled, Dissemination by Design, which may be requested 
by calling the above number.

C. Major Strategic Initiatives

    The Secretary of Health and Human Services has charged the 
Assistant Secretary for Aging with lead responsibility within the 
Department for four major strategic initiatives--home and community-
based long-term care; older women; an aging blueprint for future 
generations; and nutrition and malnutrition. These initiatives are in 
concert with the Older Americans Act mandate to develop new and 
improved programs to help older persons. Through this Program 
Announcement, the Assistant Secretary is focusing Title IV 
Discretionary Funds support on each of these initiatives. (Full 
descriptions of the initiatives are available by contacting the Office 
of Program Development, Administration on Aging at 202-619-0441).
1. Home and Community Based Long Term Care
    The home and community-based long-term care initiative responds to 
the central concern that persons with chronic illnesses and 
disabilities have the resources to live independently in their homes 
and communities as long as possible. One critical issue now being 
debated is how we can best ensure that government at all levels works 
in a more efficient and effective manner to help meet that concern. To 
focus attention on this and other key issues affecting home and 
community-based long-term care, the Assistant Secretary for Aging and 
the Administration on Aging convened a Health Care University in 
January 1994. The Health Care University provided a forum for (1) 
outlining the Assistant Secretary's home and community-based long-term 
care initiative; (2) encouraging the participants (including community, 
state, Tribal, and national organizations, agencies, and officials) to 
better understand and fully discuss the Health Security Act legislation 
proposed by the President, and; (3) providing preliminary findings of 
the AoA home and community-based long-term care survey.
    The home and community-based long term care initiative will focus 
on building a comprehensive policy on long-term care for all persons 
who need services, with a special emphasis on the elderly. Surveys show 
that older people overwhelmingly prefer to live in their own homes and 
communities, rather than in institutional settings, but many need home 
and community-based services to do so. Approximately 6.1 million older 
people living in the community experience difficulty with one or more 
activities of daily living such as eating, bathing, dressing, 
toileting, or transferring in or out of bed. However, less than half of 
these individuals receive any personal help. Through this Discretionary 
Funds Program (DFP) Announcement, AoA will provide leadership for the 
continued development of consumer-driven home and community-based 
systems of care.
2. Older Women
    Efforts to improve the quality of life for America's older women 
comprise another of the Assistant Secretary's initiatives upon which 
this DFP Announcement will focus. Women comprise 60 percent of today's 
65 plus population. Today, there are 18.3 million women, as compared to 
12.6 older men. By the year 2000, it is expected that there will be 
five women for every two men over the age of 75. The special 
circumstances faced by older women are frequently overlooked. Almost 
three-quarters of all elderly persons living below poverty are women. 
Poverty is projected to be an even greater problem for women when the 
baby boom generation reaches retirement.
    Although women live longer than men, the quality of their lives 
often deteriorates substantially in the later years due to illnesses, 
chronic conditions, falls and other injuries, and stresses of 
caregiving or of living alone. Some physical conditions which typically 
affect older women can be prevented if they are encouraged to adopt 
healthier lifestyles in the late middle years.
    The Administration on Aging recognizes the need for a highly 
visible, well-coordinated effort which, through outreach, education, 
dissemination, advocacy and partnership-building, will focus on 
critical issues affecting older women including income security, 
health, caregiving and housing. The older women's initiative will work 
to enhance the capacity of the Aging Network to effectively address 
older women's issues and explore the feasibility of developing 
intradepartmental and interagency partnerships to address the needs of 
older women. It will also endeavor to educate older women at the grass 
roots/local level, as well as the public and private sectors, about 
issues affecting older women; and reinforce the capacity of women to 
make significant contributions to society throughout the life cycle.
3. Nutrition and Malnutrition
    The nutrition and malnutrition initiative of the Assistant 
Secretary will address the critical problem of malnutrition among the 
elderly. Recent surveys show that alarming numbers of older Americans 
are malnourished. At the same time, because of medical advances and the 
availability of community-based services, such as home delivered meals, 
more older persons have been able to remain independent and in their 
own homes, rather than having to be institutionalized. The 
Administration on Aging's nutrition and malnutrition initiative will 
focus attention on educating the public and private sectors to the 
growing problem of malnutrition, and finding ways to prevent its 
occurrence. As part of that effort, AoA is now supporting a synthesis 
of current knowledge concerning the nutritional status of older 
persons, as well as an analysis of public awareness of the issues of 
nutrition and malnutrition among the elderly.
    The Administration on Aging will also focus its nutrition and 
malnutrition initiative on the current in-home and congregate meals 
programs supported under Title III and Title VI of the Older Americans 
Act. Key goals are: 1) increasing public awareness regarding the issues 
of adequate nutrition, malnutrition, hunger, and food insecurity and 
their interrelationships to health, independence, and quality of life 
of older individuals; 2) providing leadership in promoting a nutrition 
agenda for the future; 3) developing and promoting direct prevention 
and intervention strategies to enhance the nutritional status of older 
people, and; 4) developing integrated public policies to ensure greater 
access to appropriate food and nutrition services for older 
individuals. In support of these essential components of the nutrition 
and malnutrition initiative, the Assistant Secretary for Aging is 
investing approximately $2.8 million dollars in an evaluation of the 
National Nutrition Program for the Elderly funded under Title III of 
the Older Americans Act. A contract to perform the evaluation has been 
awarded to Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., of Princeton, N.J.
4. Blueprint for an Aging Society
    Another major AoA initiative that the Program Announcement will 
address is development of a blueprint for how the Nation can and should 
now prepare for the retirement of future generations, particularly the 
baby-boom generation. As society ages, and the first of the baby boom 
generation reaches retirement age in the next decade, we must begin to 
plan for the impact that this aging cohort, and those following, will 
have on our society. Significant increases in the numbers and diversity 
of older persons, the complexity of claims on resources being made 
between generations, dramatically different lifestyle changes such as 
four generation households and more women serving in both caregiving 
roles and the work force--these are among the critical factors that 
must be addressed in planning for an aging society. In addition, 
society must learn to recognize that active and productive retirement 
is the norm.
    In determining how best to address the needs of our aging society, 
we must examine not only the economic implications, but the social 
implications as well. The Blueprint will outline a framework for 
responding to the issues of future retirees by examining the aging of 
the baby boom cohort from a wide perspective, including issues such as 
the role of health and long-term care; the importance of supportive 
services such as housing and transportation; lifestyle choices and 
individual responsibility; the impact of demographic changes on family 
and social structures; diversity issues; and the economic realities of 
an aging society. This conceptual framework will assist the federal 
government in sorting out the options available to promote a more 
coordinated approach to our aging society.
    Addressing the aging of society from this broad framework 
necessitates that we explore ways of working both within and outside of 
the Department of Health and Human Services to address these critical 
issues. The role of the Administration on Aging would include mounting 
an education campaign around savings and thrift issues, as well as 
physical fitness and health promotion. This education campaign would 
have as its focus making society aware of the opportunities and choices 
available to older persons to remain productive and active citizens, as 
well as the contributions seniors make to this country.

D. Other Older Americans Act Mandates

    Other areas of emphasis in this Title IV Discretionary Funds 
Program Announcement derive from certain specific mandates of the Older 
Americans Act, which concentrate discretionary funding resources on 
making specific aging programs more effective and on better serving 
vulnerable population groups. The priority program areas (in addition 
to long term care, nutrition, older women, and a future aging society) 
include multigenerational and intergenerational programs, volunteerism, 
and minority aging.

E. Technical Assistance Workshops for Prospective Applicants

    Workshops will be held in Washington, D.C. and several other cities 
to provide guidance and technical assistance to prospective applicants. 
Please call the appropriate AoA contact person for the time and 
location of the workshop you are interested in attending.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                City                        AoA Contact Person(s)       
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Washington, D.C....................  Alfred Duncker/Saadia Greenberg,   
                                      Albert Byrd/Irma Tetzloff, (202)  
                                      619-0441.                         
Boston, Massachusetts..............  Thomas Hooker, (617) 565-1158.     
New York, New York.................  Judith Rackmill, (212) 264-2976.   
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.........  Paul E. Ertel, Jr., (215) 596-6891.
Atlanta, Georgia...................  Franklin Nicholson, (404) 331-5900.
Chicago, Illinois..................  Eli Lipschultz, (312) 353-3141.    
Dallas, Texas......................  John Diaz, (214) 767-2971.         
Kansas City, Missouri..............  Larry Brewster, (816) 374-6015.    
Denver, Colorado...................  Percy Devine, (303) 844-2951.      
San Francisco, California..........  Frank Cardenas, (415) 556-6003.    
Seattle, Washington................  Chisato Kawabori, (206) 553-5341.  
------------------------------------------------------------------------


F. Statutory Authority

    The statutory authority for awards made under the AoA Discretionary 
Funds Program is contained in Title II and Title IV of the Older 
Americans Act, (42 U.S.C. 3001 et seq.), as amended by the Older 
American Act Amendments of 1992, Pub.L.102-375, September 30, 1992.

G. Public Comments on this Announcement

    AoA invites comments on this Discretionary Funds Program 
Announcement. In addition, because the field of aging is characterized 
by rapidly unfolding events, new data, findings and interpretations, 
and a diversity of issues important to older people, the Administration 
on Aging is considering the publication of two Discretionary Funds 
Program Announcements in Fiscal Year 1995, in early Winter and late 
Spring. We invite comments on that possibility as well. Please direct 
your comments to: Office of Program Development, Administration on 
Aging, 330 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201.

Part II--Priority Areas

    Part II of the Discretionary Funds Program (DFP) Announcement sets 
forth the priority areas under which applications will be considered 
for funding by the Administration on Aging. Part II also provides 
general guidelines concerning eligible applicants as well as project 
costs and duration. More specific instructions regarding eligibility, 
the federal share of project costs, project duration, and deadline 
dates for the submission of applications may be found under the 
individual priority areas.
    Applications must be directly and explicitly responsive to the 
expressed concerns of the particular priority area under which they are 
submitted.

A. Eligible Applicants

    As a general rule, any public or nonprofit agency, organization, or 
institution is eligible to apply under this Discretionary Funds Program 
Announcement. Where there are exceptions to this rule, they are 
specified in the appropriate priority area description. The 
Administration on Aging will not consider grant applications from 
individuals because they are ineligible to receive a grant award under 
the provisions of Title IV of the Older Americans Act. For-profit 
organizations are not eligible applicants, but may participate as 
subgrantees or subcontractors to eligible public or nonprofit agencies.
    Any nonprofit organization applying under this program announcement 
that is not now a DHHS grantee should include, with its application, 
Internal Revenue Service or other legally recognized documentation of 
its nonprofit status. A nonprofit applicant cannot be funded without 
proof of its status.

B. Project Costs and Duration

    Under each priority area, AoA has estimated the number of projects 
to be funded and offered guidelines regarding both the duration of 
those projects and the anticipated federal share of project costs. 
Because applications are reviewed on a competitive basis within 
priority areas, they are expected to be comparable in terms of cost and 
duration. Therefore, applicants are strongly urged to adhere to those 
guidelines.

C. Projects Funded Under Cooperative Agreement Awards

    Under certain priority areas, AoA has indicated it will use the 
mechanism of the cooperative agreement in making awards. Under the 
cooperative agreement mechanism, AoA and each project grantee will 
share responsibility for managing that project.
    The grantee organization will have the primary responsibility for 
developing and implementing the activities of the project. AoA will 
join with the grantee in deciding the major issues to be addressed by 
the project; use periodic briefings and ongoing consultation to share 
with the grantee its knowledge of the issues being addressed by the 
project as well as information about relevant activities being 
undertaken by others; provide feedback to the grantee about the 
usefulness to the field of its written products and information sharing 
activities; and participate as much as possible in the deliberations of 
the project advisory committee. The details of this relationship will 
be set forth in the cooperative agreement to be developed and signed by 
AoA and the prospective grantee prior to the issuance of the award.

D. List of Priority Areas

(1) Home and Community-Based Long Term Care
1.1  Consumer Participation in Home and Community Based Care
1.2  Capacity Building and Mentoring Program in Home and Community 
Based Care
1.3  Aging and Disability: Models for Coordinated Service Systems
1.4  Employment of Public Assistance Recipients in Home Care
1.5  National Long Term Care Policy and Resource Center on Housing and 
Supportive Services
1.6  Eldercare Locator
(2) Older Women
2.1  National Policy and Resource Center on Older Women
2.2  Protecting Older Women Against Domestic Violence
(3) Nutrition and Malnutrition Among the Elderly
3.1  National Policy and Resource Center on Nutrition and Aging
(4) Blueprint for An Aging Society
4.1  National Academy on Aging
(5) Other Older Americans Act Mandates
5.1  Responding to the Needs of Minority Elderly through National 
Minority Aging Organizations
5.2  National Volunteer Senior Aides/Family Friends Projects
5.3  Volunteer Service Credit Demonstrations
5.4  AoA Dissemination Projects
5.5  Field-Initiated Project Applications

(1) Home and Community-Based Long Term Care

1.1  Consumer Participation in Home and Community Based Care

    To develop effective and efficient systems of home and community 
based care (HCBC), States must promote the informed participation of 
consumers in the planning, development and delivery of services. For 
consumers to have meaningful input, they need information and better 
organization. Consumers need to be informed about the complex issues 
relating to governance and management of the HCBC system, including 
linkages with the institutional and acute care systems; resource 
allocation and cost controls; access to services, including 
eligibility, assessment, and care planning and coordination; and the 
scope, organization and quality of services. This information should 
serve to empower consumers to become partners in the planning and 
implementation of state and community HCBC systems.
    Of critical importance is the mobilization and organization of 
consumers at state and community levels. Effective input into systems 
development and implementation can be achieved only through the 
collaboration of individuals and interest groups at all levels within 
the State. Collective action by consumers, based on sound information, 
will result in consumer-driven HCBC which is available, accessible and 
appropriate in relation to defined needs within allocated resources.
    The Administration on Aging is interested in receiving applications 
for conducting statewide demonstration projects resulting in replicable 
models of consumer involvement in the design, development, and 
implementation of home and community based care systems. Such models of 
consumer-driven HCBC may be targeted to the elderly, or to the elderly 
in concert with other target populations (e.g. persons with 
disabilities).
    Proposed projects should emphasize empowering individuals and 
groups at state and community levels to participate in the development 
of consumer-driven systems of home and community-based care. Applicants 
must identify the resources and mechanisms for developing and 
disseminating information, and for the mobilization and organization of 
individuals and groups to impact on HCBC policy, programs and services. 
Applicants should also focus on the development and implementation of 
mechanisms that would allow formal consumer input. Applications should 
address how proposed strategies will be targeted or modified to reach 
special populations such as low income and minority individuals and 
residents of rural areas. Innovative approaches are highly encouraged.
    Proposals are invited from public and private non-profit 
organizations with demonstrated experience in representing and serving 
consumers of home and community based care. The Administration on Aging 
plans to make 4-6 awards with an approximate federal share of $125,000 
per year for an estimated project period of two (2) years. The deadline 
date for applications under this priority area is July 12, 1994.

1.2  Capacity Building and Mentoring Program in Home and Community 
Based Care

    In the absence of a cohesive federal policy on long-term care, 
States have been in the forefront of developing home and community-
based care infrastructures. The staff of certain State Agencies on 
Aging and Area Agencies on Aging have significant knowledge and 
experience in the design, promotion, and implementation of home and 
community based systems. At the same time, the development of state 
systems has been an uneven process, with some States having achieved 
comprehensive statewide programs of home and community-based care while 
others are just now beginning.
    As highlighted in Part I of this Announcement, home and community 
based care is one of the Assistant Secretary for Aging's priorities. In 
the past, the Administration on Aging has funded substantial 
demonstration and research projects in this area and continues to do 
so. However, an understanding of, and experience in, the development of 
state home and community based care infrastructures constitute a unique 
body of knowledge. It encompasses creating systems to assure quality of 
care, maximizing consumer choice and participation, developing 
financing mechanisms and budgetary systems, and understanding the 
pertinent policy environment. AoA's 1993 Home and Community Based Care 
Survey of all fifty States documented a variety of technical assistance 
and capacity-building needs in these areas.
    Although research can identify critical issues and evaluate 
alternatives, it seldom addresses the practical, hands-on decisions 
that accompany the design and establishment of a statewide system. The 
definitive textbook or curriculum on how to build state home and 
community-based care infrastructures has yet to emerge. This priority 
area is based on the conviction that AoA can best facilitate the 
development of state home and community based infrastructures by 
supporting the exchange of accumulated knowledge, expertise, and hard-
earned lessons. Accordingly, AoA is soliciting applications to design 
and administer a capacity-building/mentoring program in home and 
community based care.
    The goal of the capacity-building/mentoring program is to assist 
States in the development of home and community-based care 
infrastructure by: (1) using the expertise and knowledge of State and 
Area Agency on Aging staff who have demonstrated leadership in creating 
innovative systems in their States; (2) drawing from other pertinent 
areas of knowledge and experience (e.g. the establishment of Medicaid 
waiver programs, Independent Living Centers, etc.) and; (3) providing 
peer consultation to States whose leadership has a commitment to 
improving their state system and recognizes the need for technical 
assistance.
    Applicants must present an overall agenda and set of activities/
approaches for conducting the project over a three year period, as well 
as provide a detailed first year plan for how the capacity-building/
mentoring program will be developed, organized, and implemented. 
Applications must specify the mechanisms that the applicant intends to 
use to promote the hands-on exchange of expertise and peer 
consultation. These mechanisms could include but are not limited to 
sabbaticals, conferences, partial placement, on-site job placement, 
intergovernmental transfers, and other innovative techniques. 
Applicants should bear in mind that in order to accomodate both the 
needs of States receiving peer consultation and of those providing peer 
consultation, multiple approaches or mechanisms will most likely be 
needed. In justifying their proposed courses of action, applicants 
should also demonstrate how these activities are designed to maximize 
the funds available to accomplish the stated goals.
    AoA expects to fund one capacity-building/mentoring program in home 
and community based care with a federal share of approximately $300,000 
per year for three years. The deadline date for submitting applications 
under this priority area is October 7, 1994. Any public or private non-
profit agency or organization is eligible to apply. However, the 
applicant must have extensive knowledge of home and community-based 
care systems and the ability to identify key capacity-building needs 
regarding state infrastructure, to select and recruit exemplary State 
and Area Agency on Aging staff to provide peer consultation, to match 
States with the appropriate peer consultants, and to coordinate all 
arrangements.
    The applicant selected will be awarded a Cooperative Agreement for 
a three-year project period. AoA and the organization/institution 
selected will work cooperatively to design and implement the capacity-
building/mentoring project. Each year AoA and the grantee will 
negotiate a scope of work with relevant time tables and objectives. The 
project shall have a director with an appropriate background and 
qualifications relevant to aging and disability, long term care, 
systems development, and policy studies who shall devote a minimum of 
50% of his/her time to this position.

1.3 Aging and Disability: Models for Coordinated Service Systems

    The ongoing debate about health care reform, long term care and 
disability are clear indicators of the need for the aging, disability 
and rehabilitation communities to work more closely together. The 
Administration on Aging seeks proposals from State and Area Agencies on 
Aging, State agencies serving the disabled, Tribal organizations, and 
national organizations and providers to examine the issues and 
establish models relating to the coordination of services for the frail 
elderly and the disabled, a promising recent development in several 
state systems.
    Over the past few years, the Administration on Aging has 
established working relationships with organizations such as the 
Administration on Developmental Disabilities and the National Institute 
for Disability and Rehabilitation Research of the Department of 
Education to better serve older adults with disabilities and their 
families. This priority area will extend these ties to the grass roots, 
state and local levels.
    A recent analysis of information from State Agencies on Aging 
indicates that at least eighteen State Aging Agencies have some policy 
or program management responsibility for the disabled. The 
Administration on Aging wishes to further explore potential 
opportunities for interaction, coordination and joint partnerships 
between the aging network and the disability community.
    Proposals submitted under this priority area relate to the 
development of a coordinated service system. Proposals must include 
evidence of collaboration between the aging community and network of 
organizations serving the disabled. Joint applications may be 
submitted.
Coordinated Service Systems
    There seems to be a fairly common assumption that specific programs 
for the disabled and the elderly, which were established under separate 
legislation, are quite different from each other even though the policy 
objectives for the two target groups have some similarities. Programs 
for the elderly promote maximum independence through access to a 
comprehensive, community based service delivery system. Programs for 
the disabled place high value on enhancing personal autonomy, promoting 
consumer choice and supporting independence.
    An examination of the similarities between the two programs raises 
speculation regarding ``turf'' issues and the legislative mandates 
regarding advocacy for the two constituent groups. In the interest of 
making programs more responsive and cost effective, a very different 
environment exists for strategizing about how to use available 
resources more effectively. The aging network preference for a ``non-
medical'' model of home and community based long term care may raise 
some concern as to whether clients of the two programs have comparable 
needs. Some may view programs for the disabled as too closely tied to 
the medical or health care system. Another factor in this equation is 
how will an aging disabled population, which benefitted from 
rehabilitation programs initiated in the 1970s, affect demand for aging 
services as the disabled grow older.
    Applications funded under this section should result in the 
development of effective and innovative models which demonstrate 
linkage of the aging and disability networks. These models can build on 
existing models that have been successfully implemented by public and 
private organizations at the national, state and local levels. Projects 
may focus on various aspects of systems development such as access/care 
coordination, quality assurance, management of home and community based 
care, interagency coordination and the financing mechanisms employed by 
the two different groups.
    In developing new models, successful applicants will seek the 
advice, input and cooperation of experts and practitioners in the aging 
and disability fields. Program activities may include conferences, work 
groups for the design of new approaches, and development of issue 
papers. Applications should include provision for wide dissemination of 
the new model and a plan for marketing the model to others in a manner 
which actively encourages and facilitates opportunities for 
replication.
    Under this priority area, AoA expects to make approximately 4-6 
awards with a federal share of up to $150,000 each year for a period of 
approximately three years. The deadline date for submitting 
applications under this priority area is July 12, 1994.

1.4  Employment of Public Assistance Recipients in Home Care

    Home care remains one of the fastest growing workforce areas in 
today's economy. This growth will only increase as the emphasis on home 
and community based long term care continues, especially if provisions 
for such care are included in a health care reform bill approved by the 
Congress. However, shortages of home care workers affect the access 
older and disabled persons have to needed care, as well as the 
continuity and quality of care they receive.
    This priority area addresses the need for demonstrating approaches 
to increasing the size and stability of the home care workforce by 
employing public assistance recipients, a group of persons typically 
outside the workforce. It also reflects the Administration's commitment 
under proposed welfare reform to foster gainful work for those caught 
in the current welfare system.
    Many past efforts to employ persons on welfare in the home care 
workforce have been unsuccessful. A major deterrent has been the 
perception--and in some States the reality--that welfare payments and 
Medicaid benefits exceed the wages and benefits offered by the home 
care industry. This priority area is intended to demonstrate that this 
deterrent and others can be overcome by replicating existing, proven 
approaches or developing new approaches for employing welfare 
recipients in home care.
    Examples of existing approaches that merit consideration for 
replication are described below. Information on these programs is 
available by calling the Office of Program Development at 202-619-0441.
     Denver Department of Social Services (DSS) project 
``Apprenticeships for Health Services Paraprofessionals''--This 
approach, funded two years ago by AoA, successfully trained, placed, 
and provided initial career advancement ladders for Aid to Families 
with Dependent Children (AFDC) recipients in nursing aide/home health 
aide positions. This was done in collaboration with the Department of 
Health and Human Services' Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) 
program and the Department of Labor's first successful nurses 
assistant/home health aide apprenticeship program. One key to the 
success of the Denver project was creative mixing of Title IV 
discretionary funding with those of others available in the community, 
e.g. Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA), JOBS, and adult education, 
etc. The project also featured careful participant screening, extensive 
case management, mentoring, and supportive services, one year of 
training, internships, and apprenticeships resulting in an 
apprenticeship certification, guaranteed jobs and benefits, and 
guidance in future career paths.
     Cooperative Home Care Associates (CHCA)--The CHCA program 
was established in the South Bronx in 1985 as a worker-owned 
cooperative that allows employees to participate in decision making 
about all aspects of the organization. They primarily train and employ 
single mothers who have previously been on welfare. After new employees 
complete a trial period, they can become worker-owners by pledging a 
member-equity investment, which can be deducted from weekly pay. The 
agency's wages are among the highest in the home care industry and the 
agency provides raises based on seniority. All employees receive health 
insurance, paid vacation, and sick time. The agency has provided 
funding for senior paraprofessionals to become LPNs. The annual 
turnover is less than 20 percent, far below the industry average.
    This priority area is designed to replicate and/or adapt the proven 
experiences of projects like those described above to new settings, or 
to demonstrate other innovative and promising approaches to employ 
public assistance recipients in home care programs. It is not intended 
to support the expansion of existing programs.
    Proposals shall contain an evaluation component that effectively 
measures project outcomes, particularly in terms of employment, wages 
and benefits received, retention, and reduction in welfare benefits. 
Project findings should demonstrate a program approach that will be of 
use to State and Area Agencies on Aging, local employment, social 
service, and other service agencies around the country. The proposal 
should contain a nationwide effort to disseminate project results to 
the aging network and other relevant agencies and organizations.
    State and Area Agencies on Aging, Tribal organizations, and other 
public and private non-profit organizations, institutions and agencies 
are eligible to submit an application under this priority area. As 
appropriate, applications should be developed in consultation with 
State and Area Agencies on Aging. The deadline date for submitting 
applications under this priority area is October 7, 1994. AoA intends 
to make approximately 2-3 awards under this priority area with a 
federal share of approximately $150,000 per year for a project period 
of two years.

1.5  National Long Term Care Policy and Resource Center for Housing and 
Supportive Services

    As the nation engages in a debate to develop a national long term 
care strategy, it is important to recognize that a successful strategy 
must include choices for a wide range of housing options to serve as an 
alternative to institutionalization. For several reasons, among them 
the high likelihood that it can and does function as a service delivery 
point, housing is a significant factor which can affect how long term 
care home and community based services are delivered and financed. Too 
frequently, the significance of housing options and living arrangements 
have not been taken into sufficient consideration in attempts to 
develop comprehensive, coordinated long term care systems.
    Over the past several years AoA has supported a number of 
initiatives to expand elderly housing options. Our goal has been to 
increase the capacity of the aging network to work with other networks 
such as housing, finance, real estate, homebuilders, etc., and provide 
public education and information to the elderly and their families to 
make informed decisions about their housing choices. Important 
programmatic initiatives were launched in home equity conversion, 
shared housing, consumer housing information services, supportive 
services in federally assisted housing, accessory apartments, land use 
and zoning, home modifications and models for State Agency on Aging 
leadership roles in federally assisted housing. AoA has worked in 
partnership with other organizations, such as the Robert Wood Johnson 
Foundation, to implement major initiatives in elderly housing.
    Despite these many program efforts elderly housing continues to be 
a complex subject which requires ongoing attention. It involves 
numerous levels of government and many public and private agencies. 
Because of the complexity of the subject it has been difficult for the 
aging network and others to develop comprehensive and coordinated 
approaches. Program development has been inhibited by a lack of up-to-
date information, knowledge, expertise, and resources.
    Because housing and supportive services are vital and integral 
components of home and community based long term care services, this 
priority area seeks to establish a National Long Term Care Policy and 
Resource Center for Housing and Supportive Services. The Center's 
mission is to provide a focal point for the development of long term 
care home and community based services specializing in elderly housing 
and supportive services. In particular, applicants must demonstrate an 
awareness of the special housing needs of older women, minorities and 
elderly residents of public housing. Applicants must propose a strategy 
for addressing these issues and incorporating specific activities into 
their applications.
    In September of 1993, the Administration on Aging, pursuant to 
Section 407 of the Older Americans Act Amendments of 1992, funded four 
applications to establish and operate National Resource Centers for 
Long Term Care. The Centers are responsible for conducting research, 
disseminating information, and providing training and technical 
assistance aimed at improving national, state, and local programs for 
the provision of home and community based long term care. The proposed 
National Long Term Care Policy and Resource Center for Housing and 
Supportive Services will complement and coordinate its efforts with the 
four current Centers, together constituting a broad, multifaceted 
source of knowledge, information, training, and technical assistance to 
national, state, and local organizations and agencies working to build 
a comprehensive, accessible, and effective long term care system.
    The Center will support State and Area Agencies on Aging as they 
promote the development of community based systems of services for 
older persons throughout their State. The Center will also assist AoA 
to develop successful strategies and approaches for coordinating 
program efforts with those programs administered by the Department of 
Housing and Urban Development that affect housing for the elderly and 
disabled.
    The Center will focus its efforts on analyzing and synthesizing 
available knowledge; putting it in a format which is useful to 
planners, practitioners, and others; conducting training based upon it; 
and promoting the dissemination and utilization of this knowledge in 
efforts to expand housing options and supportive services for older 
persons. Special emphasis is to be placed upon those activities which 
support improved and close coordination between Older Americans Act 
programs and programs under the jurisdiction of the Department of 
Housing and Urban Development. This special emphasis should aid State 
and Area Agencies in gaining timely information about new legislative 
and policy issues related to federal housing programs. In addition, the 
following activities should be undertaken on a national scope:
    1. Training and technical assistance to help agencies in the Aging 
Network and other organizations and agencies working in the field of 
long term care on policy and practice issues through such means as 
telephone consultation, written products and materials, 
teleconferencing, workshops, and conference presentations.
    2. Public education and information dissemination that will result 
in effective sharing of the latest thinking, methods and findings with 
State Agencies on Aging, Area Agencies on Aging, legislative officials, 
service providers, researchers, educators, and the public. Applicants 
are encouraged to develop innovative media and marketing approaches to 
reaching elderly consumers and to targeting special audiences and key 
decision makers.
    3. Knowledge building and policy analysis oriented toward results 
and products which have practical application and immediate use to 
those working on housing and supportive services, e.g., the development 
and/or modeling of a useful instrument or tool; preparation of 
educational, practice, and technical assistance materials; an analysis 
of key issues of concern relative to a particular subject. Applicants 
should have the capacity to meet the need for short-term policy 
analysis on topics relating to housing, supportive services, and long 
term care. Based on a high level of knowledge and information 
synthesis, applicants should propose possible subjects for policy 
analysis but also demonstrate that they possess the capacity to respond 
flexibly and quickly to such needs.
    Any public or nonprofit agency, organization, or institution is 
eligible to apply under this priority area. However, to merit serious 
consideration, an applicant must demonstrate that it has (1) extensive 
knowledge and experience in the area of housing and supportive 
services, (2) a record of relevant achievement in this area, and (3) 
the requisite organizational capability to carry out the activities of 
a Resource Center on a nationwide scale. AoA and the organization/
institution selected to serve as the National Long Term Care Policy and 
Resource Center for Housing and Supportive Services will work 
cooperatively in the development of its scope of work and agenda of 
major events and activities. (However, applicants are expected to 
propose an agenda for the first and subsequent years based on their 
assessment of salient issues). The National Long Term Care Policy and 
Resource Center for Housing and Supportive Services shall have a 
Director with an appropriate background and qualifications in aging and 
policy studies who shall devote a minimum of 50% of her/his time to 
this position.
    AoA expects to fund the National Long Term Care Policy and Resource 
Center for Housing and Supportive Services through a cooperative 
agreement award for a period of three years. The federal share of 
Center project costs will be $300,000 for year one and $400,000 per 
year for years two and three. The deadline date for submitting 
applications under this priority is July 12, 1994.

1.6  Eldercare Locator

    In this fast-paced era where most women work outside the home and 
adult children of aging parents frequently live far from their aging 
relatives, it has become more and more imperative that older people and 
their caregivers have access to information about where to get services 
necessary to assist older persons in meeting their needs within their 
own communities. As the number of agencies and organizations providing 
home and community based services to older persons proliferates, there 
is a need to assist people in finding the right kind of service for 
their particular need. Especially useful would be information and 
assistance for frail elderly and their families on accessing home and 
community based services. Frequently, people seeking service for their 
aged loved ones are not aware of where to get information about 
services that may be available nor are they aware of the existence of 
the network of aging services at the local level.
    Information and assistance or information and referral as it may be 
more commonly known, is a mandated service under the Older Americans 
Act. Each Area Agency on Aging must provide this service either itself 
or through contract to serve the older population in its planning and 
service area. In a 1988 study of Information and Referral (I&R) systems 
funded by AoA, two problems were identified. First, significant 
variation was found in both the quality and quantity of I&R services 
available throughout the country. Second, people in local communities 
and particularly long-distance caregivers had difficulty in finding out 
about available services in the community in which their loved one 
resided. This feasibility study found strong support among State and 
Area Agencies on Aging for a national locator service to build on and 
not duplicate or replace the existing I&R services, a national locator 
service which would target long distance caregivers.
    In response to these concerns, the Administration on Aging in 1990 
funded the development and implementation of the Eldercare Locator. 
This national 800 telephone number is designed to help direct both 
local and long-distance caregivers to the appropriate source of 
information about services in every locality in the United States. 
Callers identify the county, city or zip code in which the older person 
lives and describe the type of services they are looking for. The 
operator then directs them to a local Information and Referral number, 
an Area Agency on Aging or the number of the particular service which 
has been identified and the caller makes the local contact.
    The Eldercare Locator began service in December 1991 on a limited 
basis in the Northeast States. Over the next year, the Locator service 
was expanded in stages to other parts of the country, becoming 
nationwide in December 1992. The Locator serves all 50 States, Puerto 
Rico, the Virgin Islands, and the American Trust Territories. It is 
operational from 9 AM EST until 11 PM EST. In January, 1994, additional 
operators and telephone lines were added to increase the ability of the 
Locator to serve additional clients with reduced waiting times. Prior 
to January, 1994, the Locator was able to serve an average of 4000 
callers a month. This figure will be significantly increased with the 
addition of the new operators and lines and expanded times, although no 
figures were available at the time of publication of this announcement.
    The Eldercare Locator is a part of an AoA Initiative begun in 1990 
to improve access to and quality of I&R assistance that older people 
and their caregivers receive. The I&R Initiative focused on heightening 
recognition of the pivotal role this service plays in a comprehensive 
and coordinated system of community based long term care services. The 
AoA Initiative focused on enhancing: the quality of I&R systems; the 
professionalism of staff operating I&R systems; the visibility of I&R 
systems for older persons; access to existing I&R services; and the 
availability of I&R services to those elderly at risk of losing their 
independence. Under the Initiative, AoA funded both the Locator and a 
National Information and Referral Support Center which provides 
training and technical assistance to State and Area Agency on Aging 
Information and Referral programs and assists them in strengthening and 
expanding their services.
    The Administration on Aging is soliciting proposals, under a new 
competition, to continue the Eldercare Locator and the National 
Information and Referral Support Center. Continued support for the 
Locator is aimed at strengthening and expanding its services, 
increasing public awareness and understanding of the Locator, and 
enhancing the access of older people and their caregivers to community 
based long term care services. In addition to the continuation and 
expansion of the basic Locator service, the following activities should 
be undertaken by the grantee:
     Continuous update of the database with a new survey of the 
Area Agencies on Aging to determine whether the database should be 
expanded and if so, how. The results of this survey should be reflected 
in further refinements of the database.
     An evaluation of the Locator service should be conducted 
within the first year. A previous evaluation of the service conducted 
prior to implementation of nationwide service indicated that 78% of 
users were satisfied with the service and would use it again. Since the 
service will have been operational for over two years by the time a new 
evaluation is undertaken, it is necessary to look at consumer 
satisfaction at this point in time as well as how the service could be 
improved. Other factors that should be examined are the efficiency and 
effectiveness of the services compared to the overall cost per average 
call.
     Either as part of the evaluation or as a separate study, 
an investigation should be conducted on the impact of changing 
technology on the future of information-based services particularly as 
it would impact on the Eldercare Locator. For example, in the future, 
might it be feasible and what are the cost implications of patching 
callers directly through to local I&R services.
     A major public relations/publicity campaign should be 
conducted designed to reach the maximum number of older people and 
their caregivers informing them about the availability of the Locator. 
With the increasing number of Baby Boomers being put in the position of 
having to care for or find care for their aging parents, it is 
necessary to educate this group not only where to go to find services 
but what kind of services they should be looking for. One of the 
results of the evaluation that was conducted after the first six months 
of operation of the Locator indicated that use of the Locator by 
minority populations was limited. Special emphasis should be directed 
toward outreach to minority populations and increasing use of the 
Locator by these groups.
     In its public relations and outreach activities, the 
grantee should encourage participation and support by private and 
voluntary organizations.
     The Locator should consider the possibility of creating a 
linkage with the Department of Defense and its military family support 
centers. Frequently, military family support centers get inquiries from 
members of the military about their aging relatives and where to go to 
get services for them. This would be a logical area in which the 
grantee could promote the use of the Locator.
     With the advent of elder rights systems being formalized 
as a result of the implementation of Title VII of the Older Americans 
Act, the Locator should examine the possible role of Information and 
Referral services as a gateway to elder rights systems. As these 
systems develop, the Locator and the I&R Support Center should examine 
the potential of structuring relationships between these services.
    Since the Locator depends on the maintenance of quality information 
and referral services at the state and local level, attention must 
continue to be focused on upgrading these services through training and 
technical assistance for state and local Information and Referral 
service programs. AoA proposes to continue and expand the National 
Information and Referral Support Center. The Support Center should 
provide training and technical assistance, capacity building, long 
range development, assistance in system upgrade, implementation of 
standards for I&R services, and other services related to the 
maintenance of high quality service among state and local information 
and referral services. In addition, the Support Center should, in an 
advisory capacity, support the operation of the Locator and help 
coordinate the Locator with State Aging Agency and local information 
and referral networks.
    The current Eldercare Locator project has been in operation since 
the summer of 1990 under the auspices of the National Association of 
Area Agencies on Aging. The National Information and Referral Support 
Center has been operated since the summer of 1990 by the National 
Association of State Units on Aging. Information regarding the Locator 
and the Information and Referral Support Center is available by calling 
the Office of Program Development, Administration on Aging at (202) 
619-0441.
    AoA expects to fund one cooperative agreement under this priority 
area with a federal share of approximately $750,000 per year for a 
project duration of approximately three years. The deadline date for 
submitting applications under this priority is July 12, 1994. 
Eligibility is limited to public and private non-profit national 
organizations with experience in conducting national hotlines and 
dealing with the network of State and Area Agencies on Aging and State 
and Area Information and Referral Services. Coalitions of organizations 
are encouraged.

(2) Older Women

2.1  National Policy and Resource Center on Older Women

    Because of their longevity and lengthier retirement periods, the 
health, economic and social problems of the elderly are more often 
problems of women. As described earlier in this document under the 
Assistant Secretary's Initiative on Older Women, older women are 
clearly a population at risk. It is imperative that policy makers at 
all levels, aging organizations, other national organizations, and 
service providers begin to recognize and respond to the unique needs 
and concerns of older women.
    Under this priority area, the Administration on Aging is soliciting 
proposals for the establishment of a National Policy and Resource 
Center for Older Women. The Center is expected to assist the 
Administration on Aging in focusing national attention on the 
contributions and problems of older women, with particular emphasis on 
the issues of income security, caregiving, health, and housing.
    As the population ages, one of the primary challenges facing 
decision makers will be how to enhance the quality of life for older 
women, the vast majority of the older population. Without specific 
interventions and strategies designed to improve the status of current 
and future generations of older women, they will continue to face 
higher poverty rates, to bear a disproportionate share of caregiving 
burdens--frequently without access to caregiving when they need it--and 
to suffer from more chronic illnesses.
    Single elderly women are particularly at risk. A 1991 report of the 
Advisory Council on Social Security projects that single elderly women 
in the baby boom generation will have lower levels of income and wealth 
than single elderly men or elderly couples. In fact, the economic well-
being of single elderly women will continue to decline relative to that 
of elderly couples.
    Younger and mid-life women must realize that their decisions and 
actions now will have a considerable impact on how they live as older 
women. Society in general needs to reinforce the capacity of older 
women to contribute and to be less dependent upon public benefits as 
they age.
    AoA believes that a National Policy and Resource Center for Older 
Women can play a significant role in fostering a nationwide dialogue 
about how to improve the status of older women. The goals of the 
National Policy and Resource Center for Older Women are to encourage 
greater national responsiveness to the concerns of older women through 
the identification of critical issues; to educate key actors such as 
older women themselves, policy makers, the Aging Network, and national 
aging and women's organizations; and to prepare relevant policy 
analyses.
    Applicants under this priority area must discuss the overall agenda 
and activities of the Center over a three year period and provide a 
detailed first year plan for how the Center will address caregiving, 
income security, housing, and health issues as they relate to older 
women. The program design should clearly demonstrate how individual 
activities and projects are part of and contribute to the development 
of a comprehensive approach to improving the quality of life for 
America's older women.
    In addition, applicants must show how they will carry out the 
following activities:
1. Consumer Education and Dissemination
    All consumer education and dissemination activities should focus on 
transmitting information on caregiving, health, income security, 
housing and other relevant issues to older women at the grassroots 
level. Many useful materials and products have been developed but have 
not reached the older women who would benefit from them. Applicants are 
encouraged to develop innovative approaches to consumer education and 
dissemination. Also, proposals should specify how they will work with 
the Aging Network as well as other networks to disseminate relevant 
information to women at the local level. In particular, education 
efforts should recognize the diversity of older women in terms of race, 
ethnicity, class, and other factors.
2. Education and Technical Assistance
    Education and technical assistance activities should target members 
of the Aging Network and national women's organizations as well as 
policy makers at all levels. Both aging and women's organizations need 
to become more responsive to the needs of older women and to recognize 
their areas of common interest. Policy makers at all levels must 
realize the necessity of planning not only for an aging society but 
also for a society that will be predominantly female and old.
3. Knowledge Building and Policy Analysis
    Research, development, and policy analysis should be oriented 
toward results and products which have practical application and 
immediate use to those working on older women issues, e.g., the 
development and/or modeling of a useful instrument or tool; preparation 
of educational, practice, and technical assistance materials; an 
analysis of key issues of concern relative to a particular subject. 
Applicants should have the capacity to meet the need for short-term 
policy analysis on topics relating to older women. Based on a high 
level of knowledge and information synthesis, applicants should propose 
possible subjects for policy analysis but also demonstrate that they 
possess the capacity to respond flexibly and quickly to such needs.
    Any public or nonprofit agency, organization, or institution is 
eligible to apply under this priority area. However, to merit serious 
consideration, an applicant must demonstrate that it has (1) extensive 
knowledge of and experience in older women issues, policies, and 
programs; (2) a record of relevant achievement in this area;, and (3) 
the requisite organizational capability to carry out the activities of 
a Resource Center on a nationwide scale.
    AoA expects to fund the National Policy and Resource Center for 
Older Women through a cooperative agreement award for a three year 
period, with a federal share of approximately $300,000 for the first 
year; $400,000 for the second year; and $400,000 for the third year. 
AoA and the organization/institution selected to serve as the National 
Policy and Resource Center for Older Women will work cooperatively in 
the development of its scope of work and agenda of major events and 
activities. (However, applicants are expected to propose an agenda for 
the first and subsequent years based on their assessment of salient 
issues). The National Policy and Resource Center for Older Women shall 
have a Director with an appropriate background and qualifications in 
aging and policy studies who shall devote a minimum of 50% of her/his 
time to this position. The deadline for submission of applications 
under this priority area is October 7, 1994.

2.2  Protecting Older Women Against Domestic Violence

    Physical and sexual violence against women is a serious problem. 
Millions of women are assaulted by their intimate partners each year. 
Nearly one quarter of women in the United States will be abused by a 
current or former partner some time during their lives. This violence 
causes serious physical, psychological, and social consequences for 
these women.
    Domestic violence is an ongoing, debilitating experience with 
profound dehumanizing consequences: the battering of body and soul; the 
increased isolation from the outside world; the toll on personal 
freedom, and; the foreboding sense that countervailing resources are 
beyond one's grasp. Whenever a woman is placed in physical danger or 
controlled by threat or use of physical force, she has been abused. The 
risk is greatest when a woman is separated from supportive networks. 
Physical/sexual abuse is recurrent and escalates in frequency and 
severity. It is often accompanied by emotional and psychological abuse.
    Older women who experience domestic violence are in a unique 
situation, compared to younger women. They may have endured a violent 
relationship for years or the abuse may begin late in the life of a 
relationship, brought on by age-related changes in either or both 
partners, such as retirement or declining physical and mental health. 
In trying to leave a violent relationship, older women face obstacles 
that are different from those faced by younger battered women, 
obstacles linked to family relationships, health, employment, finances, 
and to the psychological costs of starting over late in life.
    Although older battered women can turn to the domestic violence/
domestic abuse system, few do. With some notable exceptions, most local 
domestic violence programs do not address the needs or concerns of 
older women. Efforts focus on younger women and women with children. 
Staff are not familiar with the aging process. In addition, the 
majority of shelters have not been accessible to older women with 
physical disabilities, although the Americans with Disabilities Act 
(ADA) of 1992 will undoubtedly provide an impetus for change.
    Applications are invited from public and non-profit organizations 
engaged in implementing either local domestic abuse programs or 
statewide domestic violence programs. Applications should include the 
following:
    (1) A plan for providing services designed to meet the physical, 
psychological, and economic needs of older women, including physically 
disabled women;
    (2) A plan that demonstrates a coordinated systems approach to 
gaining the cooperation of community agencies such as aging services 
providers, domestic violence shelters, religious institutions, health, 
emergency medical services, mental health, legal services, law 
enforcement, and criminal justice;
    (3) A plan that includes cross training between aging and domestic 
violence organizations;
    (4) An endorsement of the program by the Area Agency on Aging if 
the program is local, an endorsement by the State Agency on Aging if 
the program is statewide; and
    (5) A plan for measuring the amount of linkages being established 
between the aging and domestic violence organizations, the numbers of 
older women being reached through outreach programs, and the number of 
older women being effectively served.
    Among the key elements which should be considered for inclusion in 
a coordinated system to protect older women against domestic violence 
are (1) safe housing, advocacy, and support of women, (2) criminal 
justice system action, (3) effective civil protection, (4) counseling/
education groups for the men who batter, (5) systems cooperation, and 
(6) coordination, participation by, and accountability to battered 
women.
    All public and nonprofit agencies and organizations are eligible to 
apply under this priority area. Applicants must demonstrate a strong 
knowledge base and an extensive experience of providing services to 
women who are victims of domestic violence. Preference will be given to 
applicants with demonstrated extensive experience in providing services 
to older women. As appropriate, applicants are encouraged to develop 
close linkages with State and Area Agencies on Aging in the development 
of the application and the implementation of the project.
    AoA expects to fund approximately 3-5 projects under this priority 
area with a federal share of approximately $125,000 per year and an 
estimated project period of two (2) years. The deadline date for 
submission of applications under this priority area is July 12, 1994.
(3) Nutrition and Malnutrition Among the Elderly

3.1  National Resource and Policy Center on Nutrition and Aging

    Optimal nutritional status is essential to the well-being, health, 
independence, and quality of life for everyone, from well, healthy 
individuals to frail, vulnerable, functionally impaired individuals. 
Access to adequate food that provides essential nutrients is a daily 
issue for all Americans, but becomes a more significant issue if an 
individual is elderly.
    Most experts agree that adequate nutrition is vital to helping 
older individuals remain independent, avoiding premature nursing home 
placement or using expensive health care services. Appropriate 
nutrition promotes health, prevents or delays the onset of disease, 
aids in recovery from illness and trauma, reduces incidence of 
hospitalization and rehospitalization, helps delay further declines in 
already functionally impaired individuals, fosters continued 
independent living in the community, and even plays a role in helping 
individuals who are terminally ill.
    The Assistant Secretary for Aging and the Administration on Aging 
have important responsibilities for promoting good nutrition and 
preventing malnutrition in the nation's older population. This priority 
area, which calls for the establishment of a National Resource and 
Policy Center on Nutrition and Aging, underscores the need for better 
knowledge, better information, and better trained personnel to better 
serve malnourished older persons. Under the Older Americans Act, AoA 
and the aging and nutrition service network of 57 State Units on Aging, 
670 Area Agencies on Aging, 224 Title VI Grantees, and 15,000 nutrition 
sites serve approximately 243,150,000 meals to approximately 3.5 
million people. Yet a study by the Urban Institute (November-1993) 
indicates that although community nutrition programs are reaching some 
of the at-risk older population, only about one-third of those in need 
are currently being served and that these programs are stretched to 
their financial limit.
    Recognizing both the importance of good nutrition for all older 
Americans and that nutrition services are an integral component of home 
and community based long term care services, the Assistant Secretary on 
Aging has established a Nutrition/Malnutrition Initiative that focuses 
on the prevention of malnutrition and food insecurity and the promotion 
of good nutritional practices. The Initiative places responsibility on 
AoA to undertake four interrelated strategies:
    (1) Increasing the awareness of consumers, providers, 
administrators, and policymakers regarding the importance of good 
nutrition among the aging population and its role in home and community 
based long term care services;
    (2) Providing leadership among various agencies and organizations 
including the aging and nutrition networks in promoting a nutrition 
agenda for the future;
    (3) Developing and promoting direct prevention and intervention 
strategies which will enhance the nutritional status of older 
individuals and nutrition programs at all levels; and
    (4) Developing public policies which will ensure greater access to 
appropriate food and nutrition services for older individuals, 
especially low-income, minority, and those at nutritional risk.
    The Administration on Aging and the National Resource and Policy 
Center on Nutrition and Aging, to be established under this priority 
area, will work through a Cooperative Agreement in implementing the 
Nutrition/Malnutrition Initiative to promote and improve nutritional 
and health status for older Americans. The Center will focus on the 
following three activities:
    (1) Information Dissemination: Applications should include 
effective methods for sharing the latest thinking, methods and findings 
regarding nutrition/malnutrition and the elderly with the Aging 
Network, service providers, researchers, educators, private industry 
and the public. The Center will also be responsible for developing a 
media campaign to educate consumers, providers, the private sector and 
policy makers about the issues and interrelationships of adequate 
nutrition, malnutrition, hunger and food insecurity on health, 
independence, and quality of life for older individuals. Applications 
must describe what outcomes and impacts are anticipated as a result of 
the information dissemination efforts;
    (2) Training and Technical Assistance: Applications should describe 
how the Center will assist agencies in the Aging Network and other 
organizations and agencies that work in the field of nutrition and 
aging to develop effective strategies for preventing malnutrition and 
promoting good nutrition at the community level. Such activities should 
include encouraging leadership within communities to identify and 
strengthen community supports; developing strategies to enable these 
entities to intervene in innovative ways, developing direct prevention 
and intervention strategies, and; encouraging new partnerships with the 
private sector. Applications must describe what outcomes and impacts 
are anticipated as a result of the training and technical assistance 
efforts;
    (3) Knowledge Building and Policy Analysis: Applications should 
describe how the proposed Center proposes to assist AoA and the Aging 
Network through the conduct of research for improving the nutritional 
well being of older adults particularly the vulnerable and at risk 
populations. Research is to be limited to short term studies with 
practical and useful products that develop, enhance, or promote 
knowledge of and solutions to issues surrounding malnutrition and 
nutrition with respect to older people. Applications must describe what 
outcomes and impacts are anticipated as a result of the research and 
policy development efforts. Applicants should have the capacity to meet 
the need for short-term policy analysis on topics relating to 
nutrition/malnutrition and the elderly. Based on a high level of 
knowledge and information synthesis, applicants should propose possible 
subjects for policy analysis but also demonstrate that they possess the 
capacity to respond flexibly and quickly to such needs.
    AoA and the organization/institution selected to serve as the 
National Policy and Resource Center on Nutrition and Aging will work 
cooperatively in the development of its scope of work and agenda of 
major events and activities. (However, applicants are expected to 
propose an agenda for the first and subsequent years based on their 
assessment of salient issues). AoA will share with the Center 
information on other federally supported projects and activities 
relevant to malnutrition, nutrition, and the elderly. The Center shall 
have a Director with an appropriate background and qualifications in 
aging and policy studies who shall devote a minimum of 50% of her/his 
time to this position.
    AoA expects to fund the National Policy and Resource Center on 
Nutrition and Aging through a cooperative agreement award for a period 
of three years. The federal share for the first year will be $300,000 
with second and third year federal funding at $400,000 per year. The 
deadline date for submission of applications under this priority is 
October 7, 1994. Eligible applicants for the Center are public and 
private non-profit organizations with knowledge and experience 
regarding nutrition, malnutrition, nutrition programs and nutritional 
needs of the elderly.

(4) Blueprint for an Aging Society

4.1  National Academy on Aging

    The Administration on Aging is soliciting proposals, under a new 
competition, for the continuation of the National Academy on Aging, 
which was established with funding from the Administration on Aging in 
FY 1991. The Academy has and will continue to serve as a valuable 
source of knowledge and guidance on the critical future issues shaping 
a blueprint for an aging society. It has brought together leaders in 
American society to discuss and debate emerging aging trends and 
issues, as well as strategies regarding how they and their 
organizations can better meet the challenges inherent in the graying of 
America. The Academy has achieved national recognition as an impartial 
national forum for policy analysis and debate on the major policy 
issues of our current and future aging society.
    Leaders and decision makers are increasingly aware of the 
challenges in responding knowledgeably and effectively to the growth 
and change in our nation's older population. Leaders at national, 
state, and community levels-- from public, private, and voluntary 
sectors alike--must become more cognizant of the transformations now 
taking place toward an aging society, and be able to provide wise and 
timely decisions affecting the elderly.
    Decision makers will be especially challenged by the growing 
numbers of two different generational segments of our aging population: 
(1) Older persons at risk of losing their independence and; (2) the 
baby-boom generation--a cohort of more than 70 million individuals born 
between 1946 and 1964, who will begin to reach retirement age in the 
first decade of the 21st century. These two groups have different 
substantive expectations as well as different time perspectives 
regarding such salient issues and challenges of an aging society as 
income maintenance, health security, caregiving, and housing. The needs 
of vulnerable at-risk older persons are immediate and tangible, and the 
challenges to society on their behalf are in many ways those described 
earlier in this Program Announcement under the Assistant Secretary for 
Aging's Home and Community Based Long Term Care Initiative.
    The challenge to the baby-boom generation, and to the nation as a 
whole, is to prepare now to meet their not-too-distant future resource 
needs, to act now in an intelligent and sensible fashion so that their 
independence is sustained in the future. This challenge is more fully 
described under the Assistant Secretary for Aging's Initiative to 
Develop a Blueprint for an Aging Society, also described earlier in 
this Program Announcement.
    The goals of the Academy are to encourage greater national 
leadership on aging issues through the clarification of critical issues 
in the field of aging, the thoughtful analysis and informed discussion 
of those issues in public forums, and the reporting of those policy 
analyses and debates to key decisionmakers. The Academy should promote 
discussion of nationwide approaches to these issues and challenges for 
the use and benefit of the Academy participants and as input to the 
policy deliberations of federal, state, and local governments. The 
major outcome of Academy events and activities should be an analytical 
and educational framework for better informing leaders, policy 
officials, and the public about the need to plan comprehensively for 
the growing and diverse numbers of older Americans in the 21st century.
    Applications should include the basics of a four-year plan for the 
Academy with a detailed first year agenda of symposia, seminars, public 
forums, research, and analysis relative to emerging national aging 
issues. The applicant should also plan on establishing short term 
working groups of experts organized around key aging issues whose tasks 
will be to conduct independent policy analyses resulting in policy 
papers for the consideration of executive and legislative officials, 
and others focused on aging issues. The program design for the Academy 
should encourage the exchange of ideas and information that will 
stimulate creativity and innovation in programs and methods for meeting 
the needs of the elderly. Attention should be devoted to bringing 
together participants with diverse points of view who are cognizant of 
the most recent policy issues and background materials pertinent to the 
topic focus of discussion.
    Participants in the program activities developed by the Academy 
should be drawn from aging as well as non-aging organizations, from 
both the private and public sectors. They should, however, share both 
an interest in aging issues and a capacity for shaping future aging 
programs and policies. Participants from the field of aging may include 
executives of State and Area Agencies on Aging and Tribal 
organizations, leaders in service provision, executives of national 
aging organizations, as well as researchers, educators, futurists and 
others in the field of aging. Participants drawn from outside the field 
of aging are expected to be composed of individuals with an impact on 
and interest in aging issues and the needs of older persons at risk. 
This second group includes subject matter and policy area experts, 
business leaders, executives from national organizations (non-aging), 
and leaders of public and voluntary agencies, elected and appointed 
public officials, labor unions, religious bodies, civic groups, and 
educational institutions. It is expected that through the programs 
offered by the Academy, these leaders will gain an enriched, more 
comprehensive understanding of the elderly and of the challenges of 
shaping national, state, community, and organizational responses to 
their needs. It is also expected that, through their involvement, 
participants will contribute their knowledge, experience and insight on 
aging issues vital to the formation of enlightened national policy.
    Applicants for the National Academy on Aging award must be 
qualified to provide the high level of knowledge and the expert 
analysis of issues expected of a prominent national forum for 
crystallizing our thinking and advancing our agenda regarding the 
future aging society. The applicant should propose a faculty whose 
collective expertise spans the broad range of policy and program issues 
in aging. It should describe how the Academy program is designed to 
focus attention on the salient issue of preparing the baby boom 
generation for their coming retirement in an aging society and on such 
other significant subjects as home and community based long term care, 
older women, and nutrition/malnutrition. In that regard, the Academy 
will be assisted by AoA in coordinating its agenda and scope of work, 
as appropriate, with the efforts of AoA-supported Resource Centers and 
projects.
    One of the major tasks of the Academy will be to stimulate public 
officials, the business community, and individuals to prepare 
comprehensively for retirement in the 21st century. The successful 
applicant must, therefore, set forth a scope of work, and demonstrate 
the capacity, to analyze and synthesize a diverse set of factors and 
strategies for the consideration of the public, private, and voluntary 
sectors in planning for the aging of the baby-boom cohort and beyond.
    Other features of the Academy include the following:
     The applicant selected will be awarded a Cooperative 
Agreement for a four-year project period. Under the Cooperative 
Agreement award mechanism, the Academy will not conduct its activities 
on behalf of AoA but rather on a cooperative basis with AoA.
     AoA will advise the organization/institution selected to 
serve as the National Academy on Aging on the development of the 
Academy's agenda. However, applicants are expected to propose an agenda 
for the first and subsequent years based on their assessment of salient 
contemporary and future aging policy issues.
     The National Academy of Aging shall have its own 
organizational identification and visibility within the structure of 
the performing organization.
     The National Academy on Aging shall have a Director with 
an appropriate background and qualifications in aging and policy 
studies who will devote at least 50% of her/his time to this position. 
Appropriately qualified individuals shall be appointed to the Academy's 
faculty in full, part time, or consultant positions.
     An Advisory Committee will be established to provide 
overall direction and guidance to the Academy in developing its agenda 
of major events and substantive activities.
    Under the cooperative agreement award instrument, the awardee 
organization will have the primary responsibility for developing and 
implementing the activities of the Academy. The Assistant Secretary for 
Aging and AoA will share with the Academy responsibility for clarifying 
the specific issues to be addressed by the Academy and for establishing 
the short term working groups of experts to be organized around key 
aging policy issues. AoA will, through periodic briefings and ongoing 
consultation, share with the Academy its knowledge of the issues being 
addressed by the Academy as well as information about relevant 
activities being undertaken by others, and provide feedback to the 
Academy about the usefulness to the field of its programs, forums, and 
other activities. The details of this relationship will be set forth in 
the cooperative agreement to be developed and signed prior to issuance 
of the award.
    AoA expects to fund the National Academy on Aging through a 
cooperative agreement under this priority area with a federal share of 
approximately $500,000 per year for a project duration of approximately 
four years. The deadline date for submitting applications under this 
priority area is July 12, 1994.
    AoA funds are to be used to support the administration of the 
Academy, the cost of conducting core research, conference planning and 
meeting management, evaluation, and dissemination/utilization 
activities, including educational programs and living expenses of those 
attending. As the Academy becomes more established, the strong 
expectation of AoA is that the organizational sponsor of the Academy 
will develop additional sources of support. A plan for those sources of 
support and for becoming self-sufficient must be spelled out in the 
application, as well as an evaluation plan that reflects efforts for 
continuous improvement of Academy functions and activities and periodic 
independent examination of the impact of its work.
    The current National Academy on Aging has been in operation since 
late 1991 under the auspices of the Maxwell School of Citizenship and 
Public Affairs at Syracuse University. The principal aging policy 
issues addressed by the Academy have been income security, long term 
care, older women, and the implications of demographic change in an 
aging society. Information regarding the work of the Academy is 
available by calling the Office of Program Development, Administration 
on Aging at (202) 619-1269.

(5) Other Older Americans Act Mandates

5.1  Responding to the Needs of Minority Elderly Through National 
Minority Aging Organizations

    Throughout its history, the Older Americans Act has assigned a high 
priority to the development and provision of services to those older 
individuals who are in greatest economic or social need, with 
particular attention to individuals whose status is low income or 
minority. Consistent with this legislative mandate, the Assistant 
Secretary for Aging has established four major initiatives which have 
special relevance to low income minority older persons. The four 
initiatives, which are described in detail elsewhere in this Title IV 
Program Announcement are: (1) Home and Community Based Long Term Care; 
(2) Special Concerns of Older Women; (3) Nutrition/Malnutrition Among 
the Elderly; and (4) Developing a Blueprint for Future Aging 
Generations. This priority area is intended to underscore the stake of 
minority aging populations in efforts now underway to advance these 
initiatives and to enlist national minority aging organizations in 
these efforts to better serve and represent minority elders.
    The growth of the older population, the impending acceleration of 
that growth rate when the baby boom generation reaches retirement age, 
and the implications of these developments have attracted considerable 
public attention. What has not been impressed upon us so strongly is 
the diverse composition of our growing older population. While today, 
44 million persons are over the age of 60, 14 percent of these older 
persons are minority. By the year 2030: older whites are expected to 
grow by 197 percent; older African Americans will grow by 300 percent; 
and older Hispanics will grow by 395 percent. Immigration is a primary 
factor in this projected growth. Combined with projections that older 
Pacific-Asian and Native American persons will grow by 200 to 300 
percent, these numbers will make minority elders total about 25 percent 
of the older population in 2030.
    When we fully realize the potential impact of these numbers and the 
accompanying diversity they reflect, both among and within future older 
populations, a number of key minority aging issues take on new 
dimensions. Minority elders continue to experience a number of barriers 
to home and community based long term care; the gaps in income, health, 
caregiving, and housing faced by older minority women have reached 
crisis proportions; minority elders are more likely to be malnourished 
and need better access to nutrition programs and services; minority 
older persons are a litmus test of whether we, as a nation, can plan 
well for a diverse and equitable aging society in this decade and well 
into the 21st century.
    National minority aging organizations--representing older persons, 
professionals, advocates, program planners--that have the capacity, the 
experience, and the conviction to work for and with minority elders are 
a vital source of leadership and action in addressing minority aging 
issues. They have essential roles to play:
    (1) In ensuring that home and community based care is accessible 
and available to at-risk minority elderly;
    (2) In meeting the special concerns of minority older women;
    (3) In targeting nutrition services to malnourished minority 
elderly; and
    (4) In securing for minority elderly a fair opportunity to serve 
and be served in a diverse and equitable future aging society.
    Applicants under this priority area should demonstrate that their 
proposed projects will produce specific strategies, with measurable 
outcomes, for dealing with one or more of the four (4) issue areas 
outlined above. The applicant should make clear who will undertake what 
action under the proposed project; what the outcome, results, and 
intended benefits will be; and what the potential is for the 
replication and reinforcement of the strategies being proposed. In 
particular, the applicant must demonstrate that it has concrete plans 
for continuation of the proposed strategy and project activities after 
the demonstration period has been completed. Thus, the effort being 
proposed by the applicant must not only make tangible and significant 
differences in the lives of minority elderly, these changes must be 
seen as having a lasting impact.
    Eligible applicants under this priority area are national minority 
aging organizations with extensive knowledge and experience in serving, 
representing, and working with minority elderly. AoA expects to fund 
approximately five (5) projects under this priority area for a two-year 
period with an approximate federal share of $150,000 for the first year 
and $100,000 for the second year of the project. The deadline date for 
submitting applications under this priority area is July 12, 1994.

5.2  National Volunteer Senior Aides/Family Friends Projects

    An estimated five to seven million children suffer from chronic 
health conditions/disabilities; approximately one to two million of 
them need help (because of disability) with activities such as feeding, 
dressing, or bathing themselves. About 90 percent of these children are 
cared for at home. Public/formal resources for such care are in scarce 
supply. Furthermore, the informal, supportive, traditional bonds within 
extended families and communities are not as available as in the past. 
Additional resources are needed. Drawing upon the experience and good 
will of older volunteers is one way to help alleviate some of the 
overwhelming burden that the families of disabled children so 
frequently face.
    Older volunteers can be a significant resource for the families of 
severely disabled or chronically ill children. This has been 
demonstrated in recent years by the Family Friends Program of the 
National Council on Aging (NCOA) and by the Volunteer Senior Aides 
Program of the Administration on Aging (AoA). (The latter was modeled 
upon the former.) These two intergenerational programs match mature and 
caring volunteers with children who have special needs because of 
disability or chronic illness and with children/families who are 
otherwise in distress.
    The Family Friends program for children with disabilities or 
chronic illnesses was established, in 1986, by NCOA, with funding 
support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. In 1990, the program 
diversified by helping another at-risk group, the rural poor (Rural 
Family Friends Help Families in Distress). That same year, NCOA 
introduced Family Friends into homeless shelters for families and 
children. Then, in 1992, Family Friends took on a new challenge--to 
give social and emotional support to families of babies who are HIV-
positive.
    In 1991, AoA began implementation of the Volunteer Senior Aides 
(VSA) Program pursuant to the legislative mandate of Section 10404 of 
the 1989 Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA). Section 10404 
authorized this program for community-based demonstrations to determine 
to what extent volunteer senior aides, by providing basic medical 
assistance and support to disabled/chronically ill children and their 
families, can reduce the cost of care for such children.
    Program funds became available with the FY 1991 Appropriation Bill 
for the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), which provided 
funding under Section 1110 of the Social Security Act. Within DHHS, AoA 
was then assigned responsibility for program administration and awarded 
grants supporting six three-year community-based VSA demonstration 
projects. The six grantees are:
     The Los Angeles County Area Agency on Aging (Los Angeles, 
CA) in collaboration with Jewish Family Services of Los Angeles and 
Huntington Memorial Hospital of Pasadena;
     The CrossRoads of Iowa Area Agency on Aging (Des Moines, 
IA), in collaboration with the Easter Seal Society of Iowa;
     The Region IV Area Agency on Aging (St. Joseph, MI), in 
collaboration with the local Foster Grandparents Program;
     The Philadelphia Corporation for Aging (Philadelphia, PA), 
in cooperation with Temple University's Center for Intergenerational 
Learning and Institute on Disabilities;
     The County of Riverside Office on Aging (Riverside, CA); 
and
     The Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) Area Agency on 
Aging (Kansas City, MO) in collaboration with the Children's Mercy 
Hospital and the University of Missouri's University Affiliated Program 
for Developmental Disabilities.
    The last of these, MARC, is also conducting evaluative research on 
the VSA Program. The National Council on the Aging, drawing upon its 
experience with Family Friends, provides technical assistance, 
training, and capacity-building services to the VSA demonstrations.
    Because of the continuing need for and the proven success of the 
Family Friends/VSA, program, AoA is now soliciting applications to 
develop and implement VSA projects in additional communities. Proposed 
projects should demonstrate the use of Volunteer Senior Aides to assist 
families of disabled/chronically ill children, thereby reducing the 
cost of care for such children. These projects should effectively 
employ the unique skills, varied experience, good will, and 
availability of older volunteers in assisting the Nation's children who 
are severely disabled or chronically ill.

VSA Project Parameters

    Volunteer Senior Aides projects, usually tri-generational, are 
designed to benefit everyone involved. The children, who have serious, 
chronic illnesses or disabilities and range in age from infancy to 12 
years, receive physical care, self-help instruction, emotional support, 
and nurturing. Their siblings may receive greater attention or may 
benefit indirectly as their family is strengthened. The parents (or, in 
some cases, grandparents) of these children are given encouragement and 
respite--intangibles that they need to carry on. The volunteers--aged 
55 and older--have a mission and are rewarded with a sense of personal 
pride and accomplishment. They becomes less isolated, more involved in 
the community, and develop an affectionate relationship with their new 
``granddaughters'' or ``grandsons'' and/or other family members. The 
community is strengthened by older citizens voluntarily providing 
supportive services to younger citizens. Health care costs are reduced. 
And people learn to rely on each other, connecting with an ``extended 
family'' in this era of disconnected families.
    Family Friends or VSAs are extensively trained to find the best way 
to help a family. The type of help depends upon what's needed at the 
time. They may tutor the child, teach personal care and self-help 
skills, or take the child to recreational/cultural events. These 
volunteers often act as advocates, serving as ``case coordinator'' and 
speaking on behalf of the family to the various professionals who plan 
and manage the child's care. They also provide social and emotional 
support and, in many cases, respite to weary parents. (Respite is 
provided only when the child is medically stable and by agreement of 
parents, project director, and volunteer and is limited to half of the 
time the volunteer spends with the child.)
    VSA/Family Friends essential program components include:
     Recruitment, screening, interviewing, and careful 
selection of volunteers;
     Recruitment, interviewing, and selection of families/
children;
     Sixty (60) hours of intensive training for volunteers;
     Careful matching of volunteers with families, based on 
compatibility, proximity/transportation, personal styles and needs, 
health of volunteer, schedules, and language barriers;
     Supervision of volunteers;
     Fundraising and promotion of the program; and
     Project evaluation.
    Two types of project applications may be submitted for review and 
funding consideration under this priority area: 5.2A--Demonstration 
Projects; and 5.2B--Technical Assistance Project.

5.2A  Demonstration Projects

    AoA plans to fund approximately six (6) demonstration projects 
under this sub-priority area at a federal share of approximately 
$70,000 per year for a project period of up to approximately three (3) 
years. The deadline date for submitting applications under this sub-
priority area is July 12, 1994. Eligible applicants are restricted to 
public or non-profit community-level agencies, organizations, or 
institutions in communities where Family Friends or VSA projects have 
not previously been funded. Each proposal should include participation 
of both a health care facility and a social service agency. Proposals 
should include participation in the project by a project advisory board 
or committee.
    Proposals should follow the Family Friends/VSA paradigm, briefly 
outlined above but thoroughly documented in materials available from 
NCOA's Family Friends Resource Center. Recommended materials include: 
Bringing Family Friends to Your Community, a manual detailing a step-
by-step approach to developing and implementing these projects; and 
Family Friends--A Program Guide. Prospective applicants may call or 
write the Family Friends Resource Center at Telephone: (202) 479-6675, 
Fax: (202) 479-0735, Address: Family Friends Resource Center, National 
Council on the Aging, 409 Third Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20024.
    Demonstration projects funded under this priority area will receive 
technical assistance and guidance in the development and implementation 
of their projects from the project funded under priority area 5.2B.

5.2B  Technical Assistance Project

    AoA plans to award one project grant under this sub-priority area 
to provide technical assistance and training to the new demonstration 
projects. Applicants for this grant must demonstrate an extensive 
knowledge base relating to Family Friends and strong experience in 
providing technical assistance and training to such projects. On the 
basis of its strong knowledge base and its assessment of the progress 
of the demonstration projects, the grantee will be expected to assist 
projects in implementing their demonstrations and to offer 
recommendations for future program initiatives.
    The application must include a plan for assisting approximately six 
(6) demonstration projects. Plans should include at least one site 
visit to each project and a ``cluster'' meeting for the new model 
projects funded under priority area 5.2A. The successful applicant 
under this section is responsible for assisting the six (6) funded 
projects with the following:
    (1) Providing timely and relevant background information regarding 
effective Family Friends programming;
    (2) Training and technical assistance in developing Family Friends 
programs;
    (3) Assisting in strategic planning for the long term continuation 
of the programs; and
    (4) Conduct research studies on the VSA Program.
    Funding for this award will be for approximately $80,000 per year 
for a project period of up to three (3) years. The deadline date for 
submitting applications under this sub-priority area is July 12, 1994.

5.3  Volunteer Service Credit Demonstrations

    Under this priority area, the Administration on Aging is soliciting 
applications from public agencies and nonprofit organizations to test 
new models and replicate existing models of the volunteer service 
credits concept. A primary focus should be on home and community based 
services that help at-risk elders to continue to live in their homes, 
e.g. shopping, transportation, telephone reassurance and friendly 
visiting, light housekeeping, and respite care. Preference will be 
given to model projects which significantly involve low-income, 
minority, and rural elderly.
    The basic service credit concept is to give volunteers a unit of 
credit for each service hour performed, regardless of the type of 
service, in the expectation that accrued credits will be redeemed for 
services by the volunteers at some future time of need. A centralized 
accounting system must be maintained to keep track of credits and match 
up volunteers with recipients. As a practical matter, limitations on 
the number and type of services offered are necessary as are rules that 
govern accumulation and use of credits. After initial start-up and 
operation, a steady and continuing source of core financial assistance 
is needed to (1) administer the system, (2) guarantee redemption of 
built-up credits in those cases when the type of immediate service need 
cannot be met by the volunteer services then available, and (3) off-set 
credit deficits incurred when recipients, because of illness or other 
circumstances, cannot repay the services provided to them with 
volunteer effort.
    The Administration on Aging has funded several service credit 
demonstration projects in the past. Most recently five (5) two-year 
service credit demonstrations were funded along with a technical 
assistance project. AoA funded projects specifically designed to help 
volunteers become more involved in helping older people in their 
communities. Of the demonstration sites funded, several utilized 
churches as a base for the recruitment of volunteers. One project 
linked service credits in a business and industry setting. Applicants 
may wish to contact the AoA funded service credit projects to learn 
more about the specifics of the grants. Information regarding these 
demonstrations may be obtained by contacting the Office of Program 
Development at (202) 619-0441.
    The purpose of this priority area is to test the feasibility of 
implementing the service credit concept in new areas and to replicate 
existing models in new sites. Among the possible areas for testing and 
replicating the service credit concept are (1) corporate retirement 
benefit programs; (2) programs under the sponsorship of fraternal 
organizations; (3) social and health maintenance insurance programs 
where volunteer services are credited with partial payment in lieu of 
fees and premiums under newly-designed community long term care service 
packages; (4) low income housing programs in which residents provide 
services to low-income minority elderly; (5) programs in residential 
retirement communities; (6) programs involving union retirees; (7) 
employer based service credit projects under which employees assist the 
elderly in their community and (8) church-based service credit programs 
involving assistance to low-income minority elderly.
    Applicants are encouraged to solicit co-sponsoring community 
organizations, including youth groups to donate volunteer services to 
individuals who cannot become full participants of the service credit 
program or to compensate older volunteers with services not provided by 
participants in the service credit program. Projects using co-
sponsoring organizations must incorporate this support in a manner that 
does not detract from the central feature of the service credit concept 
of having older persons earn volunteer credits in exchange for future 
services when they are needed. Accordingly, enrollment of volunteers 
eligible to be full participants in the program should be limited to 
persons age 55 and over (spouses excepted).
    AoA plans to fund approximately five (5) model volunteer service 
credit projects at a federal share of approximately $50,000 per year 
for a period of approximately 17 months. Projects should be designed as 
models for testing the effectiveness of innovative approaches to 
volunteerism through utilization of the service credit concept. 
Successful applicants must provide a detailed plan for the management 
and operation of the service credit demonstration, including 
documentation of approaches to be used in attracting public and/or 
private sector support for making the project self-sufficient after 
federal funding has ended. The deadline date for submitting 
applications under this priority area is July 12, 1994.

5.4  AoA Dissemination Projects

    Each year, AoA invests substantial Older Americans Act Title IV 
resources in grant and cooperative agreement projects to conduct 
research, demonstrations, and training to improve the quality and 
availability of services and programs that are vital to the well-being 
of at-risk older persons. Dissemination is a basic component of each of 
these projects. Every Title IV project is required to conduct 
appropriate dissemination of project results as part of its work plan. 
For the many projects which are essentially knowledge transfer 
activities (e.g., technical assistance, public/professional education), 
dissemination is the key component.
    Enhanced dissemination is still needed, however, to maximize the 
utility of Title IV projects. The urgency to improve the effectiveness 
and availability of services is especially pronounced as both fiscal 
constraints and the number of older Americans increase. The ultimate 
goal of this priority area is to maximize the utilization of Title IV 
project products and results that can directly benefit older Americans 
in need of services.
    Dissemination projects are expected to be especially energetic in 
their marketing of products and results. Projects are expected to 
utilize appropriate promotional, public relations, and media campaigns 
in order to insure that their outcomes receive the widest possible 
attention. Such campaigns should seek to educate consumers, providers 
(including the Aging Network), the private sector, and policy sector 
about their results and to promote use of their products. These efforts 
will be considered a key indicator of the scope of the impact of the 
proposed project.
    The AoA Dissemination Projects funded under this priority area are 
also expected to foster greater awareness of the challenges of an aging 
society and of the contributions, real and potential, that aging 
programs make in responding to those challenges. These awareness-
building efforts may take several forms, including the development and 
dissemination of materials keyed to decision-making points on a 
particular aging issue and the use of appropriate communication 
mechanisms.
    Two types of project applications may be submitted for review and 
funding consideration under this priority area:

A. Enhanced Dissemination of Product(s) of Significant Value

    A major purpose of this priority area is to support more extensive 
dissemination of Title IV products of significant value. In the course 
of performing their work, grantees sometimes develop especially 
valuable products which warrant dissemination beyond that originally 
contemplated or for which dissemination opportunities are found which 
were not envisioned earlier. Grantees who are convinced that such 
products are needed, and of demonstrated value to the aging network 
and/or others involved in improving the availability, effectiveness, 
and quality of aging services, may apply under this section for 
funding. (This opportunity applies to both current and former grantees 
whose projects were completed within two years of the publication of 
this announcement).
    Applicants may address the dissemination of either a single product 
or more than one product from a single project. In this context, the 
term ``product'' may include the ``Final Report'' as well as other 
project products such as manuals, handbooks, curricula, brochures, 
technical assistance materials, reports, audio-visual materials, etc. 
Applicants applying for enhanced dissemination projects must submit a 
copy of the product(s) to be disseminated along with each copy of their 
application. (For audio visual products, only a single copy of the 
product need to be submitted). This attachment is in addition to the 
page limit which applies to all applications; however, the application 
narrative itself may not exceed the limits described below in Part III.

B. Syntheses of ``Cluster'' Projects Results and Products

    A second purpose of this priority area is to support the 
development and dissemination of syntheses of project products/results 
from earlier Title IV project ``clusters'' (e.g., projects funded under 
the same priority area of a previous AoA Discretionary Funds Program 
announcement). Projects in a cluster may vary widely in terms of 
approach, outcomes, and products, but all deal with the same subject 
matter or problem area. A synthesis of needed and useful products/
results of these projects may well have synergistic value, and a 
multiplier effect, in generating knowledge and substantiating best 
practices which can be applied to the benefit of older Americans.
    Such a synthesis may take various forms. An applicant may 
synthesize exemplary products as produced--or change the form of the 
product to maximize utilization. Creative adaptations may be needed. A 
compilation of relevant demonstration or research results (and/or 
recommendations) from the cluster may be what is needed. Applicants are 
encouraged to be innovative in their response to this priority area. 
The need for the synthesis should be demonstrated. A strategy for 
promoting utilization must be included as part of the application.
    Applicants proposing to synthesize the results of clusters of past 
projects must submit a general description of the past projects and 
their outcomes not to exceed five (5) pages in length. This cluster 
description should be in the form of an attachment which is in addition 
to the page limit which applies to all applications. However, the 
application narrative itself may not exceed the limits described below 
in Part III.
    Applications of either of the types described above should 
carefully specify not only what dissemination activities are to be 
performed but also: (1) Why the product(s) is important, (2) to whom it 
is important, (3) what would be the results and benefits of 
dissemination and utilization of the product(s), and (4) what specific 
actions such as training or technical assistance would the proposed 
project undertake to assist those who wish to adapt or adopt the 
products and/or the recommendations contained in the products. 
Prospective applicants are cautioned that this priority area may not be 
used simply to finish or extend the basic work of a previously funded 
project (under the guise of dissemination) or to undertake the basic 
dissemination which is required as part of the work plan of all Title 
IV grantees.
    In preparing applications under this priority area, applicants may 
find useful the publication Dissemination by Design which was produced 
as part of an AoA Title IV project. Interested applicants who do not 
already have a copy of this publication may obtain one by contacting 
AoA's Office of Program Development (OPD) at (202) 619-0441. (There is 
no requirement to use this particular reference in the development of 
your application.)
    Applicants may also request an information sheet on the AoA-
supported National Aging Dissemination Center, which works with AoA to 
promote dissemination of the products of Title IV grantees. The Center 
is available to provide technical assistance on dissemination and 
utilization to prospective applicants under this priority area. 
Prospective applicants are encouraged to utilize this resource. The 
Director of the Center is Theresa Lambert. She can be reached at (202) 
898-2578. Projects funded under this priority area will be expected to 
work cooperatively with the Dissemination Center or any similar 
resource to be established in the future.
    Applicants under this priority area are limited to current and 
former Title IV grantees and cooperative agreement awardees. AoA 
expects to fund approximately five (5) dissemination projects under 
this priority area. The federal share of awards will range from 
approximately $25,000 to $50,000, depending upon the level of activity 
proposed, for a project period of approximately seventeen (17) months. 
The deadline date for submitting applications under this priority area 
is July 12, 1994.

5.5  Field-Initiated Project Applications

    The Older Americans Act, Title IV, Section 401, authorizes the 
Assistant Secretary for Aging to support projects:

To expand the Nation's knowledge and understanding of aging and the 
aging process, to design and test innovative ideas in programs and 
services for older individuals, and publicly disseminate the results 
of [such innovative projects], to replicate such programs and 
services under [the Older Americans Act], and to help meet the needs 
for trained personnel in the field of aging. . . .

    Each of the priority areas that has been presented in this 
Discretionary Funds Program (DFP) Announcement is focused on a subject 
of current or emerging significance to our nation's older population. 
These priority areas describe with some particularity the nature of the 
activity to be undertaken, the type, scope, duration, and funding 
amount of the project and, in some instances, the applicants eligible 
to compete.
    Under this priority area for Field-Initiated Project Applications, 
the focus remains on issues that matter greatly to older people, but 
not necessarily those issue areas (home and community based long term 
care, older women, etc.) that have already received considerable 
emphasis in this DFP. This priority area is intended for proposed 
project initiatives that reflect a deep-seated interest in any policy, 
program, or related issue of importance to older Americans. In a 
similar vein, the Administration on Aging fully recognizes, that there 
are many creative ideas, innovative approaches, training/technical 
assistance/dissemination efforts, etc., which do not readily fit the 
designated Priority Areas of this Discretionary Funds Program 
Announcement. This priority area is also intended to be responsive to 
proposals embodying those ideas, approaches, and efforts.
    Field-initiated applications for new grant awards are invited under 
the following functional sub-categories: (1) Special event/conference 
proposals; (2) research and demonstration (R&D) projects, and; (3) 
education, training, and technical assistance efforts. Current AoA 
grantees seeking large-scale supplemental awards (supplements that 
would exceed 25% of their current project award and/or extend their 
project period beyond three months) must also compete under this 
priority area to be eligible for funding. To ensure that to the maximum 
extent possible competition will be between proposals of a comparable 
scope and nature of activity, applications will be grouped according to 
the appropriate sub-category and be evaluated, scored, and ranked 
within each of these subcategories:
    (1) special event/conference proposals;
    (2) research and demonstration (R&D) projects;
    (3) education, training, and technical assistance efforts, and;
    (4) large-scale supplements to currently active AoA funded project 
grants (supplements that would exceed 25% of their current project 
award and/or extend their project period beyond three months).
    Applicants are reminded that they are competing under a national 
program of gerontological training, research, demonstrations, and 
centers as authorized by Title IV of the Older Americans Act. 
Therefore, field-initiated applications will be screened by AoA to 
assure that they are not local service projects, but rather are 
responsive to issues of national significance and will result in 
findings, reports, and products with national implications. In 
addition, each field-initiated application will be screened to 
determine that it is not, in essence, the same application that was 
recently disapproved by AoA for funding. Applicants should wait a 
minimum of six months before resubmitting an application for 
consideration under another review and award cycle.
    AoA has established deadlines at fixed Fiscal Year quarterly 
intervals for the submission of field-initiated applications under this 
Discretionary Funds Program Announcement. The first deadline is October 
7, 1994. Subsequent deadlines are January 13, 1995, April 14, 1995, and 
July 14, 1995. Applicants will be informed of their funding status 
within 60 days of the pertinent deadline date.
    Although the number of field-initiated proposals approved for 
funding can not be estimated beforehand, applicants should be advised 
that only a limited amount of Title IV funds will be reserved for this 
priority area and only applications of outstanding merit will be 
considered for funding. The federal share of project costs per year is 
expected to fall within the following approximate ranges: $20,000 to 
$40,000 for special events/conferences; $50,000 to $100,000 depending 
upon the nature of the proposed research, demonstration, training, 
technical assistance, or related effort; $50,000 and above for large-
scale supplements to current grants. The duration of new project awards 
could range from one (1) to two (2) years. Large scale supplements are 
limited to a maximum period of twelve (12) months.

Part III--Information and Guidelines for the Application Process 
and Review

    Part III of this Announcement contains general information for 
potential applicants and basic guidelines for submitting applications 
in response to this announcement. Application forms are provided along 
with detailed instructions for developing and assembling the 
application package for submittal to the Administration on Aging (AoA). 
General guidelines on applicant eligibility were provided in Part I. 
Specific eligibility guidelines were provided in Part II under certain 
priority areas.

A. General Information

1. Review Process and Considerations for Funding
    Within the limits of available federal funds, AoA makes financial 
assistance awards consistent with the purposes of the statutory 
authorities governing the AoA Discretionary Funds Program and this 
Announcement. The following steps are involved in the review process.
    a. Notification: All applicants will automatically be notified of 
the receipt of their application and informed of the identification 
number assigned to it.
    b. Screening: To insure that minimum standards of equity and 
fairness have been met, applications which do not meet the screening 
criteria listed in Section D below, will not be reviewed and will 
receive no further consideration for funding.
    c. Expert Review: Applications that conform to the requirements of 
this program announcement will be reviewed and scored competitively 
against the evaluation criteria specified in Section F, below. This 
independent review of applications is performed by panels consisting of 
qualified persons from outside the federal government and knowledgeable 
non-AoA federal government officials. The scores and judgments of these 
expert reviewers are a major factor in making award decisions.
    d. Other Comments: AoA may solicit views and comments on pending 
applications from other federal departments and agencies, State and 
Area Agencies on Aging, interested foundations, national organizations, 
experts, and others, for the consideration of the Assistant Secretary 
for Aging in making funding decisions.
    e. Other Considerations: In making funding award decisions, the 
Assistant Secretary for Aging will pay particular attention to 
applications which focus on older persons with the greatest economic 
and social need, with particular attention to the low-income minority 
elderly. Final decisions will also reflect the equitable distribution 
of assistance among geographical areas of the nation, and among rural 
and urban areas. The Assistant Secretary for Aging also guards against 
wasteful duplication of effort in making funding decisions.
    f. Other Funding Sources: AoA reserves the option of discussing 
applications with, or referring them to, other federal or non-federal 
funding sources when this is determined to be in the best interest of 
the federal government or the applicant.
    g. Decision-Making Process: After the panel review sessions, 
applicants may be contacted by AoA staff to furnish additional 
information. Applicants who are contacted should not assume that 
funding is guaranteed. An award is official only upon receipt of the 
Financial Assistance Award (Form DGCM 3-785).
    h. Timeframe: Applicants should be aware that the time interval 
between the deadline for submission of applications and the award of a 
grant is at least two months and often three months or more in 
duration. This length of time is required to review and process grant 
applications.
2. Notification Under Executive Order 12372
    This is not a covered program under Executive Order 12372.

B. Deadline for Submission of Applications

    This Program Announcement contains different deadline dates for the 
submission of applications, depending upon the priority area under 
which an application is submitted. Please check each priority area 
carefully to determine the deadline date for the application you plan 
to submit. Applications must be either sent or hand-delivered to the 
address specified in Section D, below. Hand-delivered applications are 
accepted during the normal working hours of 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., 
Eastern Time, Monday through Friday. An application will meet the 
deadline if it is either:
    1. Received at the mailing address on or before the applicable 
deadline date; or
    2. Sent before midnight of the applicable deadline date as 
evidenced by either (1) a U.S. Postal Service receipt or postmark or 
(2) a receipt from a commercial carrier. The application must also be 
received in time to be considered under the competitive independent 
review mandated by Chapter 1-62 of the DHHS Grants Administration 
Manual. Applicants are strongly advised to obtain proof that the 
application was sent by the applicable deadline date. If there is a 
question as to when an application was sent, applicants will be asked 
to provide proof that they have met the applicable deadline date. 
Private metered postmarks are not acceptable as proof of a timely 
submittal.
    Applications which do not meet the above deadlines are considered 
late applications. The Office of Administration and Management will 
notify each late applicant that its application will not be considered 
under the applicable grant review competition.
    AoA may extend a deadline date for applications because of acts of 
God, such as floods, hurricanes or earthquakes, when there is 
widespread disruption of the mail, or when AoA determines an extension 
to be in the best interest of the government. Depending upon the 
precipitating factor(s), the extension will apply to all potential 
applicants in the area affected by the natural disaster, or to all 
potential applicants across the nation. Notice of the extension will be 
published in the Federal Register.

C. Grantee Share of the Project

    Under the Discretionary Funds Program, AoA does not make grant 
awards for the entire project cost. Successful applicants must, at a 
minimum, contribute one (1) dollar, secured from non-federal sources, 
for every three (3) dollars received in federal funding. The non-
federal share must equal at least 25% of the total project cost. 
Applicants should note that, among applications of comparable technical 
merit, the greater the non-federal share the more favorably the 
application is likely to be considered.
    The one exception to this cost sharing formula is for applications 
from American Samoa, Guam, the Virgin Islands or the Northern Mariana 
Islands. Applicants from these territories are covered by Section 
501(d) of Public Law 95-134, as amended, which requires the Department 
to waive ``any requirement for local matching funds under $200,000.''
    The non-federal share of total project costs for each budget period 
may be in the form of grantee-incurred direct or indirect costs, third 
party in-kind contributions, and/or grant related income. Indirect 
costs may not exceed those allowed under federal rules established, as 
appropriate, by OMB Circulars A-21, A-87, and A-122. If the required 
non-federal share is not met by a funded project, AoA will disallow any 
unmatched federal dollars. A common error is to match 25% of the 
federal share rather than 25% of the entire project cost.

D. Application Screening Requirements

    All applications will be screened to determine completeness and 
conformity to the requirements of this announcement. These screening 
requirements are intended to assure a level playing field for all 
applicants. Applications which fail to meet either of the two criteria 
described below will not be reviewed and will receive no further 
consideration. Complete, conforming applications will be reviewed and 
scored competitively.
    In order for an application to be reviewed, it must meet the 
following screening requirements:
    1. Applications must be submitted by the deadline date specified in 
the priority area under which the application is submitted for 
competitive review and funding consideration. It is incumbent upon the 
applicant to clearly indicate under what priority area the application 
is intended for consideration. Applications must be postmarked by 
midnight, or hand-delivered by 5:30 p.m., Eastern Time, on the deadline 
date of the relevant priority area, to: Department of Health and Human 
Services, Administration on Aging, Office of Administration and 
Management, 330 Independence Avenue SW., room 4644, Washington, D.C. 
20201, Attn: AoA-94-1.
    2. Applicants must meet all eligibility requirements specific to 
the priority area under which they have submitted their application. 
(It bears repeating that, for everyone's benefit, the applicant should 
be sure that the priority area has been clearly identified in the 
application).

Only Those Applications Meeting These Screening Requirements Will 
Be Assigned to Reviewers

    In addition to these screening requirements, the applicant is 
strongly advised to adhere to the following standards in preparing the 
application:
    (1) The application should not exceed forty (40) pages, double-
spaced, exclusive of certain required forms and assurances which are 
listed below. Applications whose typescript is single-spaced or space-
and-a-half will be considered only if it is determined the applicant 
has not thereby gained a competitive advantage.
    The following documents are excluded from the 40 page limitation: 
(1) Standard Form (SF) 424, SF 424A (including up to a four page budget 
justification) and SF 424B; (2) the certification forms regarding 
lobbying; debarment, suspension, and other responsibility matters; and 
drug-free workplace requirements; (3) proof of non-profit status; (4) 
indirect cost agreements; (5) attachments submitted as directed under 
priority area 5.4.
    The following portions of the application are subject, in the 
aggregate, to the forty (40) page limitation:

--Summary description (suggested length: one page);
--Narrative (suggested length: twenty-five to thirty pages);
--Applicant's capability statement, including an organization chart, 
and vitae for key project personnel (suggested length: five to ten 
pages) and;
--Letters of commitment and cooperation (suggested length: four pages).

    All applications will be checked against the aggregate forty (40) 
page limitation. Any material, of whatever content, in excess of the 
forty (40) pages will be withheld from the reviewers.

E. Funding Limitations on Indirect Costs

    1. Training projects awards to institutions of higher education and 
other non-profit institutions are limited to a federal reimbursement 
rate for indirect costs of eight (8) percent of the total allowable 
direct costs or, where a current agreement exists, the organization's 
negotiated indirect cost rate, whichever is lower. Differences between 
the applicant's approved rate and the 8% limitation may be used as 
federal cost sharing. See Section J-2, Item 6j, below.
    2. For all other applicants, indirect costs generally may be 
requested only if the applicant has a negotiated indirect cost rate 
with the Department's Division of Cost Allocation or with another 
federal agency. Applicants who do not have a negotiated indirect cost 
rate may apply for one in accordance with DHHS procedures and in 
compliance with relevant OMB Circulars.

F. Evaluation Criteria

    Applications which pass the screening will be evaluated by an 
independent review panel of at least three individuals. These 
reviewers, experts in the field, are from academic institutions, non-
profit organizations, state and local government, and, upon occasion, 
federal government agencies other than AoA. Based on the specific 
programmatic considerations set forth in the priority area under which 
an application has been submitted, the reviewers will comment on and 
score the applications, focusing their comments and scoring decisions 
on the criteria below.
    Applications are scored by assigning a maximum of 100 points across 
four criteria:
    (1) Purpose and Need for Assistance (20 points),
    (2) Approach/Method--Workplan and Activities (30 points)
    (3) Anticipated Outcomes, Evaluation and Dissemination (30 points),
    (4) Level of Effort (20 points).
1. Purpose and Need for Assistance, Weight: 20 points
    a. Does the proposed project clearly and adequately respond to the 
announcement priority area under which it was submitted?
    b. Does the application adequately and appropriately describe and 
document the key problem(s)/condition(s) relevant to its purpose? Is 
the proposed project justified in terms of the most recent, relevant, 
and available information and/or knowledge?
    c. Does the applicant adequately and appropriately describe the 
needs of special population groups--low income, minority, women, 
disabled, rural--in addressing problem(s)/conditions(s) relevant to its 
proposal?
2. Approach/Method--Workplan and Activities, Weight: 30 points
    a. Does the proposal clearly express and organize a workplan that 
systematically includes specific objectives, tasks, and activities 
which are responsive to the statement of needs and purpose?
    b. Does the workplan include a detailed timeline for accomplishment 
of tasks and objectives? Is the sequence and timing of events logical 
and realistic?
    c. Are the roles and contribution of staff, consultants, and 
collaborative organizations clearly defined and linked to specific 
objectives and tasks? Does the workplan specify who will be responsible 
for managing the project; for the preparation and dissemination of 
project results, products, and reports; and for communications with the 
Administration on Aging should the project be approved for funding?
3. Anticipated Outcomes, Evaluation and Dissemination Weight: 30 points
    a. Are the expected project benefits and/or results clearly 
identified, realistic, and consistent with the objectives of the 
project? Are outcomes likely to be achieved and will they significantly 
benefit older persons through improvement in policy or practice, and/or 
contribute knowledge to theory and research?
    b. Is the plan for project evaluation clear and relevant to the 
scope of activity proposed? Does this plan identify the type of data to 
be collected and the method of analysis to be used in measuring project 
achievement and significance?
    c. Does the proposal include a plan for dissemination which is 
likely to increase the awareness of project activities and events 
during project performance? Is this plan adequate for communicating 
project outcomes and products to all appropriate audiences?
4. Level of Effort, Weight: 20 points
    a. Are vitae provided for the project director(s), key staff and 
consultants that document their qualifications to conduct their 
designated roles?
    b. Is the time commitment of the proposed project director 
sufficient to assure proper direction, management and completion of the 
project? Is the time commitment of other key staff sufficient to assure 
completion of the project as proposed?
    c. Is the budget justified with respect to the adequacy and 
reasonableness of resources requested? Are budget line items consistent 
with workplan objectives?
    d. Are letters from outside organizations included and do they 
express clear commitment and responsibility from the organizations 
regarding their roles and contributions as described in the workplan?
    e. Are the writers of the proposal identified and will they be 
involved in its oversight and implementation? If not, is there a 
logical explanation for their non-participation?

G. The Components of an Application

    To expedite the processing of applications, we request that you 
arrange the components of your application, the original and two 
copies, in the following order:
     SF 424, Application for Federal Assistance; SF 424A, 
Budget, accompanied by your budget justification; SF 424B (Assurances); 
and the certification forms regarding lobbying; debarment, suspension, 
and other responsibility matters; and drug-free workplace requirements. 
Note: The original copy of the application must have an original 
signature in item 18d on the SF 424.
     Proof of nonprofit status, as necessary:
     A copy of the applicant's indirect cost agreement, as 
necessary;
     Project summary description;
     Program narrative;
     Organizational capability statement and vitae;
     Letters of Commitment and Cooperation;
     A copy of the Check List of Application Requirements (See 
Section K, below) with all the completed items checked.
    The original and each copy should be stapled securely (front and 
back if necessary) in the upper left corner. Pages should be numbered 
sequentially. In order to facilitate the handling and reproduction of 
the application for purposes of the review, please do not use covers, 
binders or tabs. Do not include extraneous materials such as agency 
promotion brochures, slides, tapes, film clips, etc. It is not feasible 
to include such items in the review process. They will be discarded if 
submitted as part of the application.

H. Communications with AoA

    Do not include a self-addressed, stamped acknowledgment card. All 
applicants will be notified by mail of the receipt of their application 
and informed of the identification number assigned to it. This number 
and the priority area should be referred to in all subsequent 
communication with AoA concerning the application. If acknowledgment is 
not received within seven weeks after the deadline date, please notify 
the Office of Program Development by telephone at (202) 619-0441.
    After an identification number is assigned and the applicant has 
been notified of the number, applications are filed numerically by 
identification number for quick retrieval. It will not be possible for 
AoA staff to provide a timely response to inquiries about a specific 
application unless the identification number and the priority area are 
given.
    Applicants are advised that, prior to reaching a decision, AoA will 
not release information to an applicant other than that its application 
has been received and that it is being reviewed. Unnecessary inquiries 
delay the process. Once a decision is reached, the applicant will be 
notified as soon as possible of the approval or disapproval of the 
application.

I. Background Information and Guidance for Preparing the Application

1. Current Projects and Previous Project Results
    In the Program Narrative of the application (see Section J-6 
below), applicants are expected to demonstrate familiarity with recent 
and ongoing activity related to their project proposal. With respect to 
AoA-supported discretionary grant projects, information on current AoA 
projects may be obtained by contacting the Office of Program 
Development at 202/619-0441. Regarding completed AoA projects, copies 
of all AoA discretionary grant final reports and printed materials are 
sent to: the National Aging Dissemination Center; the National 
Technical Information Service (NTIS), a clearinghouse and document 
source for federally sponsored reports; Ageline Database, a 
bibliographic database service sponsored by the American Association of 
Retired Persons, available online through BRS and DIALOG; and the U.S. 
Government Printing Office Library Program, a catalog and microfiche 
service for 1400 depository libraries located throughout the United 
States.
    Information concerning access to the bibliographic and document 
referral services provided by these clearinghouses can be obtained 
through most public and academic libraries. For direct information, use 
the following contacts:
    (1) National Aging Dissemination Center, National Association of 
State Units on Aging, 1225 I Street NW., suite 725, Washington, DC 
20005, (202) 898-2578.
    The Dissemination Center maintains a computerized database of 
descriptions of recent AoA grant products including reports, studies, 
training materials, technical assistance documents, and audio-visual 
products. Staff are available to scan the database for products and 
tailored printouts may be requested. The Center has also established a 
product repository of over 1000 products generated under Title IV 
grants. The repository serves as a backup source for original documents 
from which duplicates can be produced when copies are no longer 
available from the grantees. Information about products and searches of 
this database can be requested by telephone (800-989-6537) and by 
written request. In addition, the database will also be available via 
modem for on-line searches (800-989-2243).
    (2) National Technical Information Service, 5285 Port Royal Road, 
Springfield, VA 22161 (703) 487-4600.
    (3) Ageline Database (a) BRS Customer Service, 8000 Westpark Drive, 
McLean, VA 22102 (800) 345-4BRS.
    (b) DIALOG Customer Service, 3460 Hillview Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 
94304 (800) 3DIALOG (415) 858-2700 (in California).
    (4) U.S. Government Printing Office, Acquisition Unit, Library 
Programs Service, North Capitol and H Streets NW., Washington, DC 20401 
(202) 275-1070.
2. Dissemination and Utilization
    The purposes and expectations associated with Title IV 
discretionary projects extend well beyond the immediate confines of a 
particular project's local impact. Projects should have a ripple effect 
in the field of aging in terms of replicating their design, utilizing 
their results, and applying their benefits to a widening circle of 
older persons. This section suggests certain principles of 
dissemination to be considered in developing your application:
     the most useful projects make dissemination and 
utilization a central, not peripheral, component of the project;
     dissemination starts at the beginning of a project not 
when it is completed;
     potential users should be involved in planning the 
project, if possible, and products developed with the needs of 
potential users in mind;
     dissemination is a networking process;
     at a minimum, dissemination includes getting your final 
products into the hands of appropriate users and making presentations 
at conferences; and
     coordination with other related projects may increase the 
chances of your products being used.

J. Completing the Application

    In completing the application, please recognize that the set of 
standardized forms and instructions is prescribed by the Office of 
Management and Budget (approved under OMB control number 0348-0043) and 
is not perfectly adaptable to the particulars of AoA's Discretionary 
Funds Program. First-time applicants, in particular, may have some 
misgivings that they have not crossed the final ``t'' or dotted the 
last ``i'' of their application. Any applicant should, of course, take 
reasonable care to avoid technical errors in completing the 
application, but the substantive merits of the project proposal are the 
determining factors. In these instructions, we offer several pointers 
aimed at clarifying matters, overcoming difficulties, and preventing 
the more common technical mistakes made by applicants. If the need 
arises, please call (202) 619-0441 for assistance.
    Forms SF 424, SF 424A, SF 424B, and the certification forms 
(regarding lobbying; debarment, suspension, and other responsibility 
matters; and drug-free workplace requirements) have been reprinted as 
part of this Federal Register announcement for your convenience in 
preparing the application. Single-sided copies of all required forms 
must be used for submitting your application. You should reproduce 
single-sided copies from the reprinted form and type your application 
on the copies. Please do not use forms directly from the Federal 
Register announcement as they are printed on both sides of the page.
    To assist applicants in completing Forms SF 424 and SF 424A 
correctly, samples of completed forms have been provided as part of 
this announcement. These samples are to be used as a guide only. Be 
sure to submit your application on the blank copies. Please prepare 
your application consistent with the following guidance:
    1. SF 424, Cover Page: Complete only the items specified in the 
following instructions:
    Top Left of Page. In the box provided, enter the number of the 
priority area under which the application is being submitted.
    Item 1. Preprinted on the form.
    Item 2. Fill in the date you submitted the application. Leave the 
applicant identifier box blank.
    Item 3. Not applicable.
    Item 4. Leave blank.
    Item 5. Provide the legal name of applicant; the name of the 
primary organizational unit which will undertake the assistance 
activity; the applicant address; and the name and telephone number of 
the person to contact on matters related to this application.
    Item 6. Enter the employer identification number (EIN) of the 
applicant organization as assigned by the Internal Revenue Service. 
Please include the suffix to the EIN, if known.
    Item 7. Enter the appropriate letter in the box provided.
    Item 8. Preprinted on form.
    Item 9. Preprinted on form.
    Item 10. Preprinted on form.
    Item 11. The title should describe concisely the nature of the 
project. Avoid repeating the title of the priority area or the name of 
the applicant. Try not to exceed 10 to 12 words and 120 characters 
including spaces and punctuation.
    Item 12. Preprinted on form.
    Item 13. Enter the desired start date for the project, beginning on 
or after September 1, 1994 and the desired end date for the project. 
Projects may be from 17 to 48 months in duration. Check the description 
of the priority area under which you are applying for the expected 
project duration.
    Item 14. List the applicant's Congressional District and the 
District(s), if any, directly affected by the proposed project.
    Item 15. All budget information entered under item #15 should cover 
either: (1) the total project period if that period is 17 months or 
less; or (2) just the first 12 months if the project period is for 24, 
36, or 48 months. The applicant should show the federal grant support 
requested under sub-item 15a. Sub-items 15b-15e are considered cost-
sharing or ``matching funds''. The value of third party in-kind 
contributions should be entered in sub-items 15c-15e, as applicable. It 
is important that the dollar amounts entered in sub-items 15b-15e total 
at least 25 percent of the total project cost (total project cost is 
equal to the requested federal funds plus funds from non-federal 
sources).
    Check: Please check item 15 to make sure you have presented budget 
amounts only for the first year if you are proposing a multi-year 
project. A common error is to present budget totals for a full project 
period of 24, or 36, or 48 months in item 15.
    Item 16. Preprinted on form.
    Item 17. This question applies to the applicant organization, not 
the person who signs as the authorized representative. Categories of 
debt include delinquent audit disallowances, loans and taxes.
    Item 18. To be signed by an authorized representative of the 
applicant organization. A document attesting to that sign-off authority 
must be on file in the applicant's office.
2. SF 424A--Budget Information
    This form (SF424A) is designed to apply for funding under more than 
one grant program; thus, for purposes of this AoA program, most of the 
budget item columns/blocks are superfluous and should be regarded as 
not applicable. The applicant should consider and respond to only the 
budget items for which guidance is provided below. Section A--Budget 
Summary and Section B--Budget Categories should include both federal 
and non-federal funding for the proposed project covering (1) the total 
project period if that period is 17 months or less or (2) the first 12 
months if the project period is for 24, 36, or 48 months.

Section A--Budget Summary

    On line 5, enter total federal Costs in column (e) and total non-
federal Costs (including third party in-kind contributions but not 
program income) in column (f). Enter the total of columns (e) and (f) 
in column (g).

Section B--Budget Categories

    Use only the last column under Section B, namely the column headed 
Total (5), to enter the total requirements for funds (combining both 
the federal and non-federal shares) by object class category.
    A separate budget justification should be included which shows, 
preferably in the form of a table, the breakdown of budget cost items 
by federal and non-federal shares and fully explains and justifies each 
of the major budget items, personnel, travel, other, etc., as outlined 
below. The budget justification should not exceed four typed pages and 
should immediately follow SF 424A.
    Line 6a--Personnel: Enter total costs of salaries and wages of 
applicant/grantee staff. Do not include the costs of consultants, which 
should be included under 6h--Other.
    Justification: Identify the principal investigator or project 
director, if known. Specify the key staff, their titles, and time 
commitments in the budget justification.
    Line 6b--Fringe Benefits: Enter the total costs of fringe benefits 
unless treated as part of an approved indirect cost rate.
    Justification: Provide a breakdown of amounts and percentages that 
comprise fringe benefit costs, such as health insurance, FICA, 
retirement insurance, etc.
    Line 6c--Travel: Enter total costs of out-of-town travel (travel 
requiring per diem) for staff of the project. Do not enter costs for 
consultant's travel or local transportation.
    Justification: Include the total number of trips, destinations, 
length of stay, transportation costs and subsistence allowances.
    Line 6d--Equipment: Enter the total costs of all equipment to be 
acquired by the project. For state and local governments, including 
federally recognized Indian Tribes, ``equipment'' is non-expendable 
tangible personal property having a useful life of more than two years 
and an acquisition cost of $5,000 or more per unit. For all other 
grantees, the threshold for equipment is $500 or more per unit.
    Justification: Equipment to be purchased with federal funds must be 
justified as necessary for the conduct of the project. The equipment, 
or a reasonable facsimile, must not be otherwise available to the 
applicant or its sub-grantees. The justification also must contain 
plans for the use or disposal of the equipment after the project ends.
    Line 6e--Supplies: Enter the total costs of all tangible expendable 
personal property (supplies) other than those included on line 6d.
    Line 6f--Contractual: Enter the total costs of all contracts, 
including (1) procurement contracts (except those which belong on other 
lines such as equipment, supplies, etc.) and, (2) contracts with 
secondary recipient organizations including delegate agencies. Also 
include any contracts with organizations for the provision of technical 
assistance. Do not include payments to individuals on this line.
    Justification: Attach a list of contractors indicating the name of 
the organization, the purpose of the contract, and the estimated dollar 
amount. If the name of the contractor, scope of work, and estimated 
costs are not available or have not been negotiated, indicate when this 
information will be available. Whenever the applicant/grantee intends 
to delegate a substantial part (one-third, or more) of the project work 
to another agency, the applicant/grantee must provide a completed copy 
of Section B, Budget Categories for each contractor, along with 
supporting information.
    Line 6g--Construction: Leave blank since new construction is not 
allowable and federal funds are rarely used for either renovation or 
repair.
    Line 6h--Other: Enter the total of all other costs. Such costs, 
where applicable, may include, but are not limited to: insurance, 
medical and dental costs; noncontractual fees and travel paid directly 
to individual consultants; local transportation (all travel which does 
not require per diem is considered local travel); space and equipment 
rentals; printing and publication; computer use; training costs, 
including tuition and stipends, training service costs including wage 
payments to individuals and supportive service payments; and staff 
development costs.
    Line 6i--Total Direct Charges: Show the totals of Lines 6a through 
6h.
    Line 6j--Indirect Charges: Enter the total amount of indirect 
charges (costs), if any. If no indirect costs are requested, enter 
``none.'' Indirect charges may be requested if: (1) the applicant has a 
current indirect cost rate agreement approved by the Department of 
Health and Human Services or another federal agency; or (2) the 
applicant is a State or local government agency. Applicants other than 
state and local governments are requested to enclose a copy of this 
agreement. Local and state governments should enter the amount of 
indirect costs determined in accordance with HHS requirements. When an 
indirect cost rate is requested, these costs are included in the 
indirect cost pool and should not be also charged as direct costs to 
the grant.
    In the case of training grants to other than state or local 
governments (as defined in 45 CFR Part 74), federal reimbursement of 
indirect costs will be limited to the lesser of the negotiated (or 
actual) indirect cost rate or 8 percent of the amount allowed for total 
project (federal and non-federal) direct costs exclusive of any 
equipment charges, rental of space, tuition and fees, stipends, post-
doctoral training allowances, contractual items, and alterations and 
renovations. As part of the justification, applications subject to this 
limitation should specify that the federal reimbursement will be 
limited to 8%.
    For training grant applications, the entry for line 6j should be 
the total indirect costs being charged to the project. The federal 
share of indirect costs is calculated as shown above. The applicant's 
share is calculated as follows:
    (a) Calculate total project indirect costs (a*) by applying the 
applicant's approved indirect cost rate to the total project (federal 
and non-federal) direct costs.
    (b) Calculate the federal share of indirect costs (b*) at 8 percent 
of the amount allowed for total project (federal and non-federal) 
direct costs exclusive of any equipment charges, rental of space, 
tuition and fees, post-doctoral training allowances, contractual items, 
alterations and renovations.
    (c) Subtract b* from a*. The remainder is what the applicant can 
claim as part of its matching cost contribution.
    Line 6k--Total: Enter the total amounts of Lines 6i and 6j.
    Line 7--Program Income: Estimate the amount of income, if any, 
expected to be generated from this project. Do not add or subtract this 
amount from the total project amount. Describe the nature, source, and 
expected use of income in the Level of Effort section of the Program 
Narrative.

Section C--Non-Federal Resources

    Line 12--Totals: Enter amounts of non-federal resources that will 
be used in carrying out the proposed project. If third-party in-kind 
contributions are included, provide a brief explanation in the budget 
justification section.

Section D--Forecasted Cash Needs

    Not applicable.

Section E--Budget Estimate of Federal Funds Needed for Balance of the 
Project

    This section should be completed only if the total project period 
exceeds 17 months.
    Line 20--Totals: Enter the estimated required federal funds 
(exclude estimates of the amount of cost sharing) for the period 
covering months 13 through 24 under column ``(b) First;'' and, if 
applicable, for months 25 through 36 under ``(c) Second,'' for months 
36 through 48 under ``(d) Third.''

Section F--Other Budget Information

    Line 21--Direct Charges: Not applicable
    Line 22--Indirect Charges: Enter the type of indirect rate 
(provisional, predetermined, final or fixed) to be in effect during the 
funding period, the base to which the rate is applied, and the total 
indirect costs.
    Line 23--Remarks: Provide any other explanations or comments deemed 
necessary.
3. SF 424B--Assurances
    SF 424B, Assurances--Non-Construction Programs, contains assurances 
required of applicants under the Discretionary Funds Program of the 
Administration on Aging. Please note that a duly authorized 
representative of the applicant organization must certify that the 
applicant is in compliance with these assurances.
    With the possible exception of an Assurance of Protection of Human 
Subjects, no other assurances are required. For research projects in 
which human subjects may be at risk, an Assurance of Protection of 
Human Subjects may be needed. If there is a question regarding the 
applicability of this assurance, contact the Office for Protection from 
Research Risks of the National Institutes of Health at (301) 496-7041.
4. Certification Forms
    Certifications are required of the applicant regarding (a) 
lobbying; (b) debarment, suspension, and other responsibility matters; 
and (3) drug-free workplace requirements. Please note that a duly 
authorized representative of the applicant organization must attest to 
the applicant's compliance with these certifications.
5. Project Summary Description
    On a separate page, provide a project summary description headed by 
two identifiers: (1) the name of the applicant organization as shown in 
SF 424, item 5 and (2) the priority area as shown in the upper left 
hand corner of SF 424. Please limit the summary description to one page 
with a maximum of 1,200 characters, including words, spaces and 
punctuation.
    The description should be specific and succinct. It should outline 
the objectives of the project, the approaches to be used and the 
outcomes expected. At the end of the summary, list major products that 
will result from the proposed project (such as manuals, data collection 
instruments, training packages, audio-visuals, software packages). The 
project summary description, together with the information on the SF 
424, becomes the project ``abstract'' which is entered into AoA's 
computer data base. The project description provides the reviewer with 
an introduction to the substantive parts of the application. Therefore, 
care should be taken to produce a summary which accurately and 
concisely reflects the proposal.
6. Program Narrative
    The Program Narrative is the critical part of the application. It 
should be clear, concise, and, of course, responsive to the priority 
area under which the application is being submitted. In describing your 
proposed project, make certain that you respond fully to the evaluation 
criteria set forth in Section F above. The format of the narrative 
should, in fact, parallel the criteria, beginning with an integrated 
discussion of (A) the project's purpose(s), relevance, and 
significance, which answers the questions of why the project should be 
undertaken and what it intends to accomplish. The next section of the 
narrative provides a detailed explanation of (B) the approach(es)/
methodology the project will follow to achieve its purpose(s), leading 
to a discussion of (C) the anticipated outcomes/results/benefits of the 
project, how these will be evaluated, disseminated, and utilized. The 
narrative concludes with (D) the level of effort needed to carry out 
the project, in terms of the Project Director and other key staff, 
funding, and other resources.
    Please have the narrative typed on one side of 8\1/2\'' x 11'' 
plain white paper with 1'' margins on both sides. All pages of the 
narrative (including charts, tables, maps, exhibits, etc.) should be 
sequentially numbered, beginning with ``Objectives and Need for 
Assistance'' as page number one. (Applicants should not submit 
reproductions of larger size paper, reduced to meet the size 
requirement).
    The narrative should also identify the author(s) of the proposal, 
their relationship with the applicant, and the role they will play, if 
any, should the project be funded.
    This narrative guidance is in accordance with that provided in OMB 
Circular A-102. The checklist reporting form (Section K, below) is 
consistent with that approved under OMB control number 0937-0189.
7. Organizational Capability Statement and Vitae for Key Project 
Personnel
    The organizational capability statement should describe how the 
applicant agency (or the particular division of a larger agency which 
will have responsibility for this project) is organized, the nature and 
scope of its work and/or the capabilities it possesses. This 
description should cover capabilities of the applicant not included in 
the program narrative. It may include descriptions of any current or 
previous relevant experience or describe the competence of the project 
team and its record for preparing cogent and useful reports, 
publications, and other products. An organizational chart showing the 
relationship of the project to the current organization should be 
included. Vitae should be included for key project staff only.

K. Checklist for a Complete Application

    The checklist below should be typed on 8\1/2\'' x 11'' plain white 
paper, completed and included in your application package. It will help 
in properly preparing your application.

Checklist

    I have checked my application package to ensure that it includes 
or is in accord with the following:

____One original application plus two copies, each stapled securely 
(no folders or binders) with the SF 424 as the first page of each 
copy of the application;
____SF 424; SF 424A--Budget Information (and accompanying Budget 
Justification); SF 424B--Assurances; and Certifications;
____SF 424 has been completed according to the instructions, signed 
and dated by an authorized official (item 18);
____The number of the priority area under which the application is 
submitted has been identified in the box provided at the top left of 
the SF 424;
____As necessary, a copy of the current indirect cost rate agreement 
approved by the Department of Health and Human Services or another 
federal agency;
____Proof of nonprofit status, as necessary;
____Summary description;
____Program narrative;
____Organizational capability statement and vitae for key personnel;
____Letters of commitment and cooperation, as appropriate.

L. Points to Remember

    1. There is a forty (40) double-spaced page limitation for the 
substantive parts of the application. Before submitting your 
application, please check that you have adhered to this requirement 
which is spelled out in Section D.
    2. You are required to send an original and two copies of an 
application.
    3. Indicate the priority area in the box at the top left hand 
corner of the SF 424.
    4. The summary description (1,200 characters or less) should 
accurately reflect the nature and scope of the proposed project.
    5. To meet the cost sharing requirement (see Section C above), you 
must, at a minimum, match $1 for every $3 requested in federal funding 
to reach 25% of the total project cost. For example, if your request 
for federal funds is $90,000, then the required minimum match or cost 
sharing is $30,000. The total project cost is $120,000, of which your 
$30,000 share is 25%.
    6. Indirect costs of training grants may not exceed 8%.
    7. In following the required format for preparing the program 
narrative, make certain that you have responded fully to the four (4) 
evaluative criteria which will be used by reviewers to evaluate and 
score all applications.
    8. Do not include letters which endorse the project in general and 
perfunctory terms. In contrast, letters which describe and verify 
tangible commitments to the project, e.g., funds, staff, space, should 
be included.
    9. If duplicate applications are submitted under different priority 
areas, AoA reserves the right to select the single priority area under 
which it will be reviewed.
    10. If more than one project application is submitted, each should 
be submitted under separate cover.
    11. Before submitting the application, have someone other than the 
author(s): 1) apply the screening requirements to make sure you are in 
compliance; and 2) carry out a trial run review based upon the 
evaluative criteria. Take the opportunity to consider the results of 
the trial run and then make whatever changes you deem appropriate.
    12. Each application must be mailed by midnight, or hand-delivered 
by 5:30 p.m., Eastern Time, on the deadline date specified in the 
priority area under which the application is being submitted for review 
and funding consideration. Mail or hand-deliver the application to: 
Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Aging, 
Office of Administration and Management, 330 Independence Avenue, SW., 
room 4644, Washington, D.C. 20201. Attn: AoA-94-2

    Dated: May 9, 1994.
Fernando Torres-Gil,
Assistant Secretary for Aging.
BILLING CODE 4150-04-U

TN13MY94.009


TN13MY94.010


TN13MY94.011


TN13MY94.012


TN13MY94.013


TN13MY94.014


TN13MY94.015


TN13MY94.016


TN13MY94.017


TN13MY94.018


TN13MY94.019


TN13MY94.020


TN13MY94.021

[FR Doc. 94-11637 Filed 5-12-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4150-04-C