[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 133 (Tuesday, July 11, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42704-42706]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-17446]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[Program Announcement 00134]


Leadership and Investment in Fighting an Epidemic (LIFE) Global 
AIDS Activity; 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 to increase United States support for sub-Saharan African 
countries and India to limit the further spread of HIV and to care for 
those affected by this devastating disease.
    This additional funding is an action by the United States (U.S.) 
Government recognizing the impact that AIDS continues to have on 
individuals, families, communities and nations, and the need to do 
more. Over the next 5 years, it is expected that these activities will 
contribute to global targets established by the Joint United Nation 
Programme on AIDS (UNAIDS), in cooperation with the United States 
Agency of International Development (USAID) and other bilateral and 
multi-lateral partners. These goals represent the result of the total 
worldwide contribution of resources and effort. The U.S. Government 
seeks to further these goals through the LIFE Initiative:
     The incidence of HIV infection will be reduced by 25% 
among 15-24 year olds by 2005. (Currently 2 million young adults are 
infected each year in sub-Saharan Africa.)
     At least 75% of HIV infected persons will have access to 
basic care and support services at the home and community levels, 
including drugs for common opportunistic infections (TB, pneumonia, and 
diarrhea). (Currently, less than 1% of HIV infected persons have such 
access.)
     Orphans will have access to education and food on an equal 
basis with their non-orphaned peers.
     By 2002, domestic and external resources available for 
HIV/AIDS efforts in Africa will have doubled to $300 million per year. 
(Currently, approximately $150 million per year is spent on HIV/AIDS 
prevention in sub-Saharan Africa.)
     By 2005, 50% of HIV infected pregnant women will have 
access to interventions to reduce mother-to-child HIV transmission. 
(Currently, less than 1% of HIV infected pregnant women have access to 
such services in sub-Saharan Africa.) As a key partner in the U.S. 
Government's Leadership and Investment in Fighting an Epidemic (LIFE) 
Initiative, CDC, through its Global AIDS Activity (GAA) is working in a 
collaborative manner with national governments, USAID and other 
international partners to develop programs of assistance to address the 
HIV/AIDS epidemic in countries designated as LIFE countries by the U.S. 
Congress. 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 overall objectives of the CDC's GAA are to:
     Reduce HIV transmission through primary prevention of 
sexual, mother-to child, and blood transmission.
     Strengthen the capacity of countries to collect and use 
surveillance data and to manage national HIV/AIDS programs.
     Improve community and home based care and treatment of HIV 
and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and opportunistic infections.

B. Eligible Applicants

    Applicants must: (1) Be a U.S. Private Volunteer Organization 
(PVO), and have been granted tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3), 
evidenced by an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) determination letter; 
and (2) have at least 2 years experience in delivering HIV, STD, or TB 
prevention and care programs and/or prenatal/obstetric/reproductive 
programs in accordance with GAA objectives in at least 5 of the 15 
countries (Botswana, Cote d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, 
Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, 
Zambia, Zimbabwe, India).

    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 $5,000,000 is available to fund up to 4 awards in FY 
2000. It is expected that awards will begin September 30, 2000, and 
will be made for a 12-month budget period within a project period of up 
to 5 years. Funding estimates are subject to change.
    CDC expects to allocate $5,000,000 into 2 categories of program 
activities and services: (A) primary prevention (approximately 70% of 
available funds), and (B) care, support, and treatment (approximately 
30% of available funds). These estimates may vary. In making these 
awards, CDC will use the ``CDC Global AIDS Activities Technical 
Strategies'' as a guide for selecting collaborative activities to be 
funded (See Attachment I).
    Continuation awards within an approved project period will be made 
on the basis of the availability of funds and the applicant's 
satisfactory progress toward achieving defined objectives.
    Satisfactory progress toward achieving objectives will be 
determined by progress reports and site visits conducted by CDC 
representatives.

Use of Funds

    Funds received from this announcement will not be used for the 
purchase of antiretroviral drugs for treatment of established HIV 
infection, occupational exposures, and non-occupational exposures and 
will not be used for the purchase of machines and reagents to conduct 
the necessary laboratory monitoring for patient care.
    Applicants may contract with other organizations under these 
cooperative agreements, however, applicants must perform a substantial 
portion of the activities (including program management and operations 
and delivery of prevention services for which funds are requested.

Funding Preference

    Funding will be given to ensuring a geographic distribution of 
awards covering the 15 GAA countries in African and India.

[[Page 42705]]

D. Program Requirements

    In conducting activities to achieve the purpose of this program, 
the recipient will be responsible for the activities under number 1. 
(Recipient Activities) and CDC will be responsible for activities under 
number 2. (CDC Activities).

1. Recipient Activities

    a. Collaborate with CDC, partner governments, USAID missions, and 
other partners to ensure that: (1) There is country ownership of the 
activities, (2) proposed activities complement existing efforts both by 
the country and with other partners, and (3) activities are supportive 
of indigenous expertise and institutions.
    b. Provide services in collaboration with CDC, partner governments 
and other partners for the development of capacity for the Ministry of 
Health and other in-country partners to deliver the services.
    c. Provide assistance to countries to develop behavior change 
intervention programs with vulnerable populations such as youth (age 
15-29 years old) and commercial sex workers and their clients. 
Intervention programs may include support of information, education and 
communication (IEC) campaigns, social marketing of condoms and behavior 
change.
    d. Focus on no more than three of the following activities:
    1. Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT)--implement, monitor, and 
evaluate HIV counseling and testing programs. Identify barriers and 
concerns raised in providing VCT and coordinate with campaigns to help 
reduce the fear, stigma, discrimination, and isolation associated with 
HIV infection and AIDS.
    2. Mother To Child Transmission (MTCT)--implement feasible, 
sustainable interventions to decrease HIV MTCT, and assure that these 
interventions are integrated within maternal and child health (MCH) 
programs, strengthen antenatal care, promote the health of the mother, 
and enhance HIV prevention programs at the family and community level.
    3. Blood safety--build or strengthen a national blood transfusion 
service to manage a national program, improve the safety and quality of 
the blood supply, decrease the demand for blood transfusion, and 
increase the supply of blood from low-risk volunteer blood donors.
    4. STD prevention and care--expand and improve the diagnosis and 
treatment of STDs, including risk reduction counseling and education, 
as a means of reducing the continued transmission of HIV.
    5. Prevention and Youth--implement youth-focused prevention/
intervention programs, testing prevention programs, secondary 
prevention for HIV-positive youth, and build youth development 
programs.
    6. Public-private partnerships--engage business and labor unions in 
a number of countries and provide technical assistance and materials 
for the development and implementation of public-private partnerships 
to address the spread of HIV/AIDS.
    7. Care, support and treatment--improve the local capacity to 
prevent and treat HIV and related opportunistic infections with a 
special emphasis on TB and the implementation of palliative AIDS care 
programs.
    e. Serve on a coordinating council with representatives of CDC as 
well as other collaborating organizations that will meet in Atlanta on 
a semi-annual basis. This council will review and coordinate program 
assistance plans and routine program performance measures to ensure 
consistent support of LIFE Initiative and global UNAIDS goals and 
objectives.
    f. Participate in specific country-based workgroups that develop 
and review ongoing country assistance activities. The product of these 
workgroups will define the activities of the collaborating agencies as 
detailed in items a through d above.

2. CDC Activities

    a. Collaborate with partner governments, USAID missions and other 
partners to assist recipients in the development of plans for program 
assistance based on the country needs, the CDC technical assistance 
portfolio, and HIV prevention activities conducted by other partners.
    b. Provide consultation and scientific and technical assistance 
based on the ``CDC Global AIDS Activities Technical Strategies'' 
document to promote the use of best practices know at this time. See 
Attachment I, ``CDC Global AIDS Activities Technical Strategies'.
    c. Facilitate semi-annual planning and review meetings in Atlanta 
for the purposes of coordinating recipient assistance programs in LIFE 
countries to ensure consistency in collaborative technical assistance 
activities.
    d. Facilitate in-country planning and review meetings for the 
purposes of ensuring coordination of country-based program technical 
assistance activities.

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 30 double-spaced pages, 
printed on one side, with one inch margins, and unreduced font. Number 
each page clearly, and provide a complete Table of Contents to the 
application and its appendices. Please begin each separate section of 
the application 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

1. Background
2. Documented Needs
3. Eligibility and Capacity
4. Proposed Program Plan
    a. Goals
    b. Objectives
    c. Plan of Operation
    d. Evaluation Plan
    e. Collaboration
5. Budget and Staffing Breakdown and Justification

F. Submission and Deadline

    Submit the original and two copies of PHS 5161-1 (OMB Control 
Number 0937-0189). Forms are available at the following Internet 
address: www.cdc.gov, or in the application kit. On or before August 
24, 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 applications, 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.

[[Page 42706]]

1. Capacity (30 Points)

    a. The extent to which the applicant describes the ability to 
deliver HIV, STD, or TB prevention and care programs and/or prenatal/
obstetric/reproductive programs in accordance with GAA objectives.
    b. The extent to which the applicant documents personnel staff 
positions, experience, training, and recruitment.

2. Proposed Program Plan (40 Points)

    a. The appropriateness of proposed activities and interventions and 
extent to which they are targeted to address the priority needs;
    b. The quality of the proposed objectives and extent to which they 
are specific, realistic, measurable, and time-phased;
    c. Extent to which proposed activities, if well-executed, are 
capable of attaining project objectives; the likelihood that the 
proposed activities, interventions, and services will achieve the 
stated program goals and intent of this program announcement.

3. Collaboration (15 Points)

    Extent to which the applicant organization can document a history 
of successful collaborations with the U.S. government and/or non-
governmental organizations in carrying out projects of public health 
impact.

4. Evaluation (15 Points)

    Quality of the plan for evaluating the proposed program activities 
and the likelihood that the evaluation will provide information that 
will lead to improvement of the program.

5. Budget (Not Scored)

    Extent to which budget is reasonable, clearly justified, consistent 
with the intended use of the funds, and allowable. All budget 
categories should be itemized.

H. Other Requirements

Technical Reporting Requirements

    Provide CDC with the original plus two copies of:
    1. Annual progress report
    2. Financial status report, no more than 90 days after the end of 
the budget period; and
    3. Final financial report and performance report, 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.
    For descriptions of the following Other Requirements, see 
Attachment II. Some of the more complex requirements have some 
additional information provided below:
    AR-1 Human Subjects Requirements
    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 sections 301 and 307 of the Public 
Health Service Act, 42 U.S.C. 241 and 2421, and section 104 of the 
Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, 22 U.S.C. 2151b. The Catalog of Federal 
Domestic Assistance Number is 93.939, HIV Prevention Activities--
Nongovernmental Organization.

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. Scroll down the page, click on 
``Funding'', then ``Grants and Cooperative Agreements.''
    To receive additional written information and to request an 
application kit, call 1-888-GRANTS4 (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: Dorimar Rosado, Grants Management Specialist, Grants Management 
Branch, Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention, Room 3000, 2920 Brandywine Road, MailStop E-15, Atlanta, GA 
30341-4146, Telephone (770) 488-2736, E-mail address: [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: July 5, 2000.
Ron Van Duyne,
Acting Director, Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention (CDC).
[FR Doc. 00-17446 Filed 7-10-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P