[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 131 (Friday, July 7, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42006-42008]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-17179]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
[Program Announcement 00137]
HIV/AIDS Prevention Program Development and Technical Assistance
Collaboration for Faith Communities in Countries Targeted by the
Leadership and Investment in Fighting the Epidemic (LIFE) Initiative;
Notice of Availability of Funds
A. Purpose
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the
availability of fiscal year (FY) 2000 funds for a cooperative agreement
program for HIV/AIDS Prevention Program Development and Technical
Assistance Collaboration with Countries Targeted by the LIFE
(Leadership and Investment in Fighting an Epidemic) Initiative.
In July 1999, the Administration announced the LIFE initiative to
address the global AIDS pandemic. The LIFE initiative, an effort to
expand and intensify the global response to the growing AIDS pandemic
and its serious impact, is part of the United States (U.S.)
Government's participation in the International Partnership Against
HIV/AIDS in Africa (IPAA). A central feature of the LIFE initiative is
a $100 million increase in U.S. support for sub-Saharan African
countries and India, which are working to prevent the further spread of
HIV and to care for those affected by this devastating disease. This
additional funding is a critical step by the U.S. Government in
recognizing the impact that AIDS continues to have on individuals,
families, communities, and nations and responding to the imperative to
do more. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through its
agency the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is
administering $35 million of the $100 million allocated to the LIFE
initiative by Congress.
The purpose of this program is to support HIV/AIDS prevention
program development and technical assistance for faith communities in
countries designated by the U.S. Congress under the LIFE Initiative. At
present, those countries are Botswana, Cote D'Ivoire, Kenya, South
Africa, Uganda, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Malawi,
Tanzania, Nigeria, Senegal, Zambia and India. The countries targeted
represent those with the most severe epidemic and the highest number of
new infections. They also represent countries where the potential for
impact is greatest and where U.S. government agencies are already
active.
The goals of the program are to address and support three program
elements of the LIFE initiative: (1) Primary Prevention, (2) Capacity
and Infrastructure Development, and (3) Community and Home-Based Care
and Treatment. This program calls for the delivery of HIV/AIDS
prevention programs development, and technical assistance to the LIFE
countries through a variety of recipient activities. The result will be
enhancement of the skills of faith leaders from LIFE country national
AIDS programs in strategic planning, implementation, evaluation, and
communication relating to HIV/AIDS prevention, capacity building, and
care programs.
B. Eligible Applicants
Assistance will be provided only to a U.S. national or regional
minority organization (NRMO). Eligible applicants must meet these
criteria:
1. Have been granted tax-exempt status under Section 501 (c)(3),
evidenced by an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) determination letter.
2. Have a minimum of one year of documented experience in operating
and centrally administering a coordinated program to integrate HIV
prevention education and services into faith communities.
Note: Public Law 104-65 states that an organization described
in section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 that
engages in lobbying activities is not eligible to receive Federal
funds constituting an award, grant, cooperative agreement, contract,
loan or any other form.
C. Availability of Funds
Approximately $500,000 is available in FY 2000 to support Phase I
and Phase II of this award. It is expected that the award will begin on
or about September 30, 2000 and will be made for a 12-month budget
period within a project period of up to 3 years. Funding estimates may
change.
Continuation awards within an approved project period will be made
on the basis of satisfactory progress as evidenced by required reports
and the availability of funds.
D. Program Requirements
In conducting activities to achieve the purpose of this program,
the recipient will be responsible for the activities under 1. Recipient
Activities, and CDC will be responsible for the activities listed under
2. CDC Activities. It is anticipated that in the first year of the
project, the recipient will perform the activities listed below in
Phase I in at least three of the LIFE countries listed in Section A
``Purpose''. The recipient may target more than, but not less than
three LIFE countries.
1. Recipient Activities
Phase I
a. Provide technical assistance to faith community leaders in LIFE
countries to explore the benefits, challenges, and rewards of embracing
the HIV/AIDS epidemic as an issue within their respective communities.
b. Provide technical assistance to help these faith leaders in LIFE
countries develop needs assessments to evaluate opportunities for and
barriers to adopting HIV/AIDS prevention as an issue within their
communities.
c. Provide technical assistance to help these faith leaders assess
resources and linkages available to serve the needs identified in the
needs assessments. Such resources and linkages may include materials,
peer-to-peer training opportunities and/or technical assistance. These
training and technical assistance opportunities may include placements
that bring faith leaders from LIFE countries to U.S. churches
identified to have model programs, as well as opportunities to bring
faith
[[Page 42007]]
leaders from LIFE countries to the U.S. for conferences, meetings,
partnership development, and/or developmental experiences identified as
having relevance to faith-based HIV prevention and care issues.
d. Provide technical assistance to faith leaders from LIFE
countries to develop strategic plans which outline priorities,
projects, and supporting capital and human resources as identified in
the faith leaders' community mobilization needs assessments. This
activity should include facilitating the identification of any gaps in
available resources and linkages, work requirements to adapt existing
resources to be effective and relevant, and any new resources needed.
e. Collaborate with faith leaders in LIFE countries in the
selection of strategic plan activities to be performed in Phase II of
this cooperative agreement.
f. In collaboration with other partners of the IPAA, the recipient
organization will develop a monitoring and evaluation plan to document,
monitor, and record process and input/output indicators of successful
activities under this cooperative agreement that are consistent with
CDC plans for the global monitoring and evaluation framework supporting
the LIFE Initiative, and include such evaluation information in the
required annual progress reports.
Phase II
a. Provide technical assistance to facilitate and coordinate
activities selected from the strategic plans.
b. In collaboration with other partners of the IPAA, the recipient
organization will develop a monitoring and evaluation plan to document,
monitor, and record process and input/output indicators of successful
activities under this cooperative agreement that are consistent with
CDC plans for the global monitoring and evaluation framework supporting
the LIFE Initiative, and include such evaluation information in the
required annual progress reports.
2. CDC Activities
a. Provide technical assistance and expertise toward development of
faith leaders' needs assessments and strategic plans.
b. Assess progress of recipient activities during Phase I and II of
the program, and provide technical assistance where appropriate.
c. Provide technical assistance in determining recipient activities
for Phase II of this cooperative agreement.
E. Application Content
Use the information in the Program Requirements, Other
Requirements, and Evaluation Criteria sections to develop the
application content. Your application will be evaluated on the criteria
listed, so it is important to follow them in laying out your program
plan. The narrative should be no more than 20 double-spaced pages,
printed on one side, with one inch margins, and unreduced font. Pages
should be numbered and a complete index to the application and its
appendixes must be included. Begin each separate section on a new page.
The original and each copy of the application set must be submitted
unstapled and unbound. The following format should be used when
developing your narrative.
Format
a. Abstract
b. Assessment of Need and Justification for the Program
c. Program plan and narrative
d. Organizational capability
e. Staffing Plan
f. Management and Evaluation of Program
g. Budget
F. Submission and Deadline
Submit the original and two copies of PHS 5161-1 (OMB Number 0937-
0189). Forms are available at the following Internet address: http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/forminfo.htm. Forms are in the application kit. On
or before August 21, 2000, submit the application to the Grants
Management Specialist identified in the ``Where to Obtain Additional
Information'' section of this announcement.
Deadline: Applications shall be considered as meeting the deadline
if they are either:
(a) Received on or before the deadline date; or
(b) Sent on or before the deadline date and received in time for
submission to the independent review group. (Applicants must request a
legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark or obtain a legibly dated
receipt from a commercial carrier or U.S. Postal Service. Private
metered postmarks shall not be acceptable as proof of timely mailing.)
Late Applications: Applications which do not meet the criteria in
(a) or (b) above are considered late applicat-ions, will not be
considered, and will be returned to the applicant.
G. Evaluation Criteria
Each application will be evaluated individually against the
following criteria by an independent review group appointed by CDC.
1. Assessment of Need and Justification (20 points)
Extent to which the applicant demonstrates understanding of the
requirements, problems, objectives, complexities, and interactions
required of the cooperative agreement.
2. Program Plan and Narrative (20 points)
a. Degree to which proposed objectives are clearly stated,
realistic, measurable, time-phased, related to the purpose of this
project, and regularly monitored and evaluated.
b. Degree to which applicant provides a narrative that includes a
working outline of the planned needs assessment, survey instrument
draft, final report draft outline, names of potential contacts to be
interviewed for the research portion of the needs assessment, and a
working outline of the strategic plan.
3. Organizational Capacity (20 points)
a. Degree to which the applicant provides evidence of the ability
to carry out the proposed project and the extent to which the applicant
documents (1) the capability to achieve objectives similar to those of
this project, and (2) success in mobilizing leaders of African American
faith communities to integrate HIV prevention education and services
into faith communities.
b. Degree to which applicant demonstrates the use of established
mechanisms for communicating HIV/AIDS prevention information to members
of faith communities.
c. degree to which applicant has capacity to identify and develop
effective prevention information networks and dissemination systems.
d. degree to which applicant describes the use of established
networks of contacts and knowledge of U.S. faith-based institutions,
people, and resources in order to identify people and programs
domestically for technical assistance and capacity building in targeted
LIFE countries.
4. Staffing Plan (20 points)
Extent to which professional personnel involved in this project are
qualified, including evidence of past achievements relevant to this
project.
5. Management and Evaluation of Program (20 points)
Degree to which the applicant documents the adequacy of plans for
administering and evaluating the project.
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6. Budget (not scored)
Extent to which the estimated cost of the project (the budget) is
reasonable.
H. Other Requirements
Technical Reporting Requirements
Provide CDC with the original plus two copies of:
1. annual progress reports;
2. financial status report, no more than 90 days after the end of
the budget period; and
3. final financial and performance reports, no more than 90 days
after the end of the project period.
Send all reports to the Grants Management Specialist identified in
the ``Where to Obtain Additional Information'' section of this
announcement.
The following additional requirements are applicable to this
program. For a complete description of each, see Attachment I in the
application kit.
AR-4 HIV/AIDS Confidentiality Provisions
AR-9 Paperwork Reduction Act Requirements
AR-10 Smoke-Free Workplace Requirements
AR-12 Lobbying Restrictions
AR-14 Accounting System Requirements
I. Authority and Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number
This program is authorized under section 317(k)(2) of the Public
Health Service Act, 42 U.S.C. section 247b(k)(2). The Catalog of
Federal Domestic Assistance number is 93.941, HIV Demonstration,
Research, Public and Professional Education Projects.
J. Where To Obtain Additional Information
This and other CDC announcements can be found on the CDC home page
Internet address--http://www.cdc.gov. Click on ``Funding'' then
``Grants and Cooperative Agreements.''
To receive additional written information and to request an
application kit, call 1-888-GRANTS (1-888 472-6874). You will be asked
to leave your name and address and will be instructed to identify the
Announcement number of interest.
If you have questions after reviewing the contents of all the
documents, business management technical assistance may be obtained
from: Julia L. Valentine, Grants Management Specialist, Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Procurement and Grants Office,
Room 3000, 2920 Brandywine Road, Mailstop E-15, Atlanta, GA 30341-4146,
Telephone: (770) 488-2732, E-mail: [email protected].
For program technical assistance, contact: Leo Weakland, Deputy
Coordinator, Global AIDS Activity (GAA), National Center for HIV, STD,
and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),
1600 Clifton Road, M/S E-07, Atlanta, GA 30333, Telephone number (404)
639-8016, Email address: [email protected].
Dated: June 30, 2000.
Henry S. Cassell III,
Acting Director, Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC).
[FR Doc. 00-17179 Filed 7-6-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P