[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 6 (Wednesday, January 9, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1219-1222]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-517]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES


Office of Public Health and Science; Announcement of Availability 
of Grants for Adolescent Family Life Demonstration Projects

AGENCY: Office of Adolescent Pregnancy Programs, Office of Population 
Affairs, OPHS, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Adolescent Pregnancy Programs (OAPP) requests 
applications for prevention grants under the Adolescent Family Life 
(AFL) Demonstration Projects Program, as authorized by Title XX of the 
Public Health Service Act. These grants are for community-based and 
community-supported demonstration projects to find effective means of 
preventing pregnancy by encouraging adolescents to abstain from sexual 
activity through provision of age-appropriate education on sexuality 
and decision-making skills. Faith-based organizations are eligible to 
apply for these demonstration grants. These Title XX grants should 
clearly and consistently focus on promoting abstinence as the most 
effective way of preventing unintended pregnancy and sexually 
transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV. All adolescents under age 
19 are eligible for services. Funds will be available for approximately 
35 projects, which may be located in any State, the District of 
Columbia, and United States territories, commonwealths and possessions.

DATES: The closing date for this grant announcement is March 11, 2002. 
Applications will be considered as meeting the deadline if they are 
postmarked on or before the closing date. A legibly dated receipt from 
a commercial carrier or U.S. Postal Service will be accepted in lieu of 
a postmark. Private metered postmarks will not be accepted as proof of 
timely mailing. All hand delivered applications must be received 
between the hours of 8:30 am and 5 pm on or before the above closing 
date. Applications which do not meet the deadline will be considered 
late applications and will be returned to the applicant. Applications 
will not be accepted by fax or e-mail. The submission deadline will not 
be extended.

ADDRESSES: Application kits consisting of the appropriate forms, a copy 
of the Title XX legislation, and guidance on the preparation of the 
application may be downloaded from the following INTERNET address: 
http://opa.osophs.dhhs.gov. If you do not have access to the INTERNET, 
you may obtain a kit from the Grants Management Office, Office of 
Population Affairs, 4350 East-West Highway, Suite 200, Bethesda, MD 
20814. Written requests for application kits may be faxed to (301) 594-
5981. All completed applications must be submitted to the Grants 
Management Office at the above mailing address. In preparing the 
application, it is important to follow ALL instructions contained in 
the application kit.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The OAPP Program Office at (301) 594-
4004. OAPP staff members are available to answer questions and provide 
limited technical assistance in the preparation of grant applications. 
Questions may also be sent to OAPP staff via e-mail at 
[email protected]. If contacting the OAPP by e-mail, please place the 
phrase ``AFL Prevention Question'' in the subject heading.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title XX of the Public Health Service Act, 
42 U.S.C. 300z. et seq., authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services to award grants for demonstration projects to provide services 
to pregnant and nonpregnant adolescents, adolescent parents and their 
families (Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number 93.995).
    Under this program announcement, OAPP intends to make available 
approximately $6.5 million to support an estimated 35 new PREVENTION 
demonstration projects only. The awards will range from $150,000 to 
$250,000.
    Please note, in Fiscal Year (FY) 1999, OAPP issued a similar 
Request for Applications (RFA) announcing approximately $3 million for 
new abstinence education prevention demonstration projects. In response 
to that FRA, OAPP received 142 grant applications and was able to fund 
only 17 new projects.
    Grants may be approved for project periods of up to five years. 
Grants are funded in annual increments (budget periods). Funding for 
all approved budget periods beyond the first year of the grant is 
contingent upon the availability of funds, satisfactory progress of the 
project, and adequate stewardship of Federal funds. A grant award may 
not exceed 70 percent of the total costs of the project for the first 
and second years, 60 percent of the total costs for the third year, 50 
percent for the fourth year and 40 percent for the fifth year. The non-
Federal share of the project costs may be provided in cash expenditures 
or fairly evaluated in-kind contributions, including facilities, 
equipment and services.
    Applications are encouraged from organizations which are currently 
operating programs and which have the capability of expanding and 
enhancing these services to serve significant numbers of adolescents 
according to the guidelines specified in this announcement.
    The specific services which may be funded under Title XX are listed 
below under the heading entitled ``PREVENTION SERVICES.''
    The following application requirements contain information 
collections subject to OMB approval under the Paperwork Reduction Act 
of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13). These information collections have been 
approved by OMB under control number 0937-0198.

Technical Assistance

    The OAPP has scheduled a series of technical assistance workshops 
to help prospective applicants. At each of the one-day workshops, the 
public will be able to learn more about the purposes and requirements 
of the Title XX program, how to apply for funds under this program 
announcement, program

[[Page 1220]]

eligibility requirements, the application selection process, and 
considerations that might help to improve the quality of grant 
applications. These workshops are offered at no cost. However, all 
participants must preregister using the form at http://opa.osophs.dhhs.gov or you may obtain a registration form from the OAPP 
at (301) 594-4004. Written requests for registration forms may be faxed 
to (301) 594-5981. The address of workshop locations and logistical 
information will be faxed or e-mailed back to you upon receipt of your 
registration.
    Workshop Dates and Locations: January 22, 2002--Omaha, NE; January 
23, 2002--Billings, MT; January 24, 2002--Seattle, WA; January 25, 
2002--Las Vegas, NV; January 28, 2002--Charleston, SC; January 29, 
2002--Dallas, TX; January 29, 2002--Indianapolis, IN; January 30, 
2002--Providence, RI; January 31, 2002--Newark, NJ; and February 1, 
2002--Dulles, VA.

Eligible Applicants

    Any public or private nonprofit organization or agency is eligible 
to apply for a grant. However, only those organizations or agencies 
which demonstrate the capability of providing the proposed services and 
meet the statutory requirements are considered for grant awards.

Youth Development or Developmental Assets Approach

    Holistic approaches to preventing teen pregnancy are often termed 
``youth development'' or ``developmental assets.'' It has been 
documented that successful holistic projects are those where 
adolescents themselves are an integral part of the design, 
implementation, and evaluation phases over the life of the project. 
Adolescents need to see hope for a future, acquire the skills necessary 
to turn hopes into reality, and be provided with an array of 
opportunities to get them to that reality.
    The OAPP encourages applicants to take a holistic approach that 
addresses the societal disparities that contribute adolescent 
pregnancy, such as unequal access to enrichment programs, job 
opportunities, support groups, etc. In addition, the OAPP encourages 
applicants to provide opportunities for improving the adolescents' 
sense of self through cultural understanding, sports and recreation, 
visual and performing arts, and other activities that build an 
adolescent's sense of self-worth and self-efficacy, as long as these 
activities contain an educational component. All services provided by 
AFL grantees, however, including all activities that are part of a 
holistic approach, must be within the scope of the Title XX prevention 
services listed below and must not be inconsistent with ``abstinence 
education'' as defined in the ``Personal Responsibility and Work 
Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996,'' Pub. L. No. 104-193.

Prevention Services

    Under this announcement, funds are available for abstinence 
education PREVENTION projects only. Community-based, community-
supported, faith-based and school-based applicants are encouraged to 
apply. The project site must be identified in the application rather 
than selected after the grant is awarded.
    Under the Title XX statute, the primary purpose of prevention 
programs is to find effective means of reaching adolescents, both male 
and female, before they become sexually active in order to encourage 
them to abstain from sexual activity. There is general agreement that 
early initiation of sexual activity brings not only the risk of 
unintended pregnancy but also substantial health risks to adolescents, 
primarily infection with STIs, including HIV. Accordingly, applicants 
must clearly and consistently focus on abstinence as the most effective 
way of preventing unintended pregnancy and STIs and must provide 
services that help pre-adolescents and adolescents acquire knowledge 
and skills that will instill healthy attitudes and encourage and 
support abstinence from sexual activity. Any information provided for 
adolescents who may be or become sexually active, which relates to 
reducing the risk of unintended pregnancy and disease, must be 
medically accurate and must be presented within the context that 
abstinence is the most effective choice and is what the project 
recommends.
    Under the statutory requirements of Title XX, applicants for 
prevention programs are not required to provide any specific array of 
services. OAPP encourages the submission of applications which focus on 
educational services relating to family life and which teach the 
social, psychological and health gains to be realized by abstaining 
from sexual activity. The legislation also permits a proposal to 
include any one or more of the following services as appropriate:
    (1) Educational services relating to family life and problems 
associated with adolescent premarital sexual relations including:
    (a) Information about adoption,
    (b) Education on the responsibilities of sexuality and parenting,
    (c) The development of material to support the role of parents as 
the providers of sex education, and
    (d) Assistance to parents, schools, youth agencies and health 
providers to educate adolescents and preadolescents concerning self-
discipline and responsibility in human sexuality;
    (2) Appropriate educational and vocational services;
    (3) Counseling for the immediate and extended family members of the 
eligible person;
    (4) Transportation;
    (5) Outreach services to families of adolescents to discourage 
sexual relations among unemancipated minors; and
    (6) Nutrition information and counseling.
    In addition to the Title XX statutory requirements, programs must 
not be inconsistent with abstinence education as defined in the 
``Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 
1996,'' Pub. L. No. 104-193. Accordingly, under this announcement the 
term ``abstinence education'' means an educational or motivational 
program which:
    A. Has as its exclusive purpose, teaching the social, 
psychological, and health gains to be realized by abstaining from 
sexual activity;
    B. Teaches abstinence from sexual activity outside marriage as the 
expected standard for all school age children;
    C. Teaches that abstinence from sexual activity is the only certain 
way to avid out-of-wedlock pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, 
and other associated health problems;
    D. Teaches that a mutually faithful monogamous relationship in 
context of marriage is the expected standard of human sexual activity;
    E. Teaches that sexual activity outside of the context of marriage 
is likely to have harmful psychological and physical effects;
    F. Teaches that bearing children out-of-wedlock is likely to have 
harmful consequences for the child, the child's parents, and society;
    G. Teaches young people how to reject sexual advances and how 
alcohol and drug use increases vulnerability to sexual advances; and
    H. Teaches the importance of attaining self-sufficiency before 
engaging in sexual activity.
    Faith-based and community-based organizations are eligible to apply 
for AFL grants. Please note, however, that no funds provided through 
the AFL program may be expended for sectarian

[[Page 1221]]

instruction, worship, prayer, or proselytization. If a religious 
organization offers such activities, they shall be voluntary for the 
individuals receiving services and offered separately from the program 
funded under the AFL program. An AFL program cannot discriminate in 
providing program services to an individual on the basis of religion, a 
religious belief, or refusal to hold a religious belief.
    The grantee shall submit all curricula and educational materials 
for use in the AFL project, whether currently available or to be 
developed, to OAPP for review and approval prior to use in the AFL 
project, to ensure that these materials are medically accurate, do not 
violate the restrictions on sectarian activities, and comply with the 
statutory prohibition on advocating, promoting, encouraging or 
providing abortions.

Evaluation

    Section 2006(b)(1) of Title XX requires each grantee to expend at 
lease one percent but not more than five percent of the Federal funds 
received under Title XX on evaluation of the project. Waivers of the 
five percent limit on evaluation may be granted by OAPP in cases where 
a more rigorous or comprehensive evaluation effort is proposed (see 
sec. 2006(b)(1)). As this is a demonstration program, all applications 
are required to have an evaluation component of high quality consistent 
with the scope of the proposed project and the funding level. All 
project evaluations should monitor program processes to determine 
whether the program has been carried out as planned and measure the 
program's outcomes.
    The OAPP encourages applications to include a proposed goal(s) 
statement and related outcome objectives. A goal is a general statement 
of what the project hopes to accomplish. It should reflect the long-
term desired impact of the project on the target group(s) as well as 
reflect the program goals contained in this program announcement. An 
outcome objective is a statement which defines a measurable result the 
project expects to accomplish. Outcome objectives should be described 
in terms that measure the results the project will bring about (e.g., 
decrease in premarital sexual activity among the treatment group, 
increase in intent to remain abstinent among the treatment group). Good 
applications should contain a few outcome objectives that are specific, 
measurable, achievable, realistic and time-framed (S.M.A.R.T.).
    Specific: An objective should specify one major result directly 
related to the program goal, state who is going to be doing what, to 
whom, by how much, and in what time-frame. It should specify what will 
be accomplished and how the accomplishment will be measured.
    Measurable: An objective should be able to describe in realistic 
terms the expected results and specify how such results will be 
measured.
    Achievable: The accomplishment specified in the objective should be 
achievable within the proposed time line and as a direct result of 
program activities.
    Realistic: The objective should be reasonable in nature. The 
specified outcomes, expected results, should be described in realistic 
terms.
    Time-framed: An outcome objective should specify a target date or 
time for its accomplishments. It should state who is going to be doing 
what, by when, etc. The Public Management Institute, How to Get Grants 
(1981).
    Section 2006(b)(2) of Title XX requires that the evaluations be 
conducted by an organization or entity independent of the grantee 
providing services. To assist in conducting the evaluations, each 
grantee shall develop a working relationship with a college or 
university located in the grantee's state which will provide or assist 
in providing monitoring and evaluation of the proposed program. The 
OAPP strongly recommends extensive collaboration between the applicant 
organization and the proposed evaluator in the development of the 
program goals and objectives of the intervention, identification of the 
variables to be measured, a clear and organized timetable for 
initiation of the intervention, baseline measurement, and ongoing 
evaluation data collection and analysis strategies. Additionally, it is 
important to establish this collaborative relationship between the 
applicant organization and the proposed evaluator when preparing the 
application to ensure that the project's proposed goals and objectives 
and the evaluation are consistent with each other. The proposed 
evaluator should be included in the program planning meetings to ensure 
that there is uniformity in the intended outcomes of the program.

Application Requirements

    Applications must be submitted on the forms supplied (OPHS-1, 
Revised 6/2001) and in the manner prescribed in the application kits 
provided by the OAPP. Applicants are required to submit an application 
signed by an individual authorized to act for the applicant agency or 
organization and to assume for the organization the obligations imposed 
by the terms and conditions of the grant award. The program narrative 
should not be longer than 50 double-spaced pages.
    Applicants must be familiar with Title XX in its entirety to ensure 
that they have complied with all applicable requirements. A copy of the 
legislation is included in the application kit.

Additional Requirements

    Applicants for grants must also meet both of the following 
requirements (each year):
    (1) Requirements for Review of an Application by the Governor. 
Section 2006(e) of Title XX requires that each applicant shall provide 
the Governor of the State in which the applicant is located a copy of 
each application submitted to OAPP for a grant for a demonstration 
project for services under this Title. The Governor has 60 days from 
the receipt date in which to provide comments to the applicant. An 
applicant may comply with this requirement by submitting a copy of the 
application to the Governor of the State in which the applicant is 
located at the same time the application is submitted to OAPP. To 
inform the Governor's office of the reason for the submission, a copy 
of this notice should be attached to the application.
    (2) Requirements for Review of an Application Pursuant to Executive 
Order 12372 (SPOC Requirements). Applications under this announcement 
are subject to the review requirements of E.O. 12372, 
``Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs,'' as implemented by 45 
CFR part 100, ``Intergovernmental Review of Department of Health and 
Human Services Programs and Activities.'' E.O. 12372 sets up a system 
for state and local government review of proposed Federal assistance 
applications. As soon as possible, the applicant (other than Federally-
recognized Indian tribal governments) should contact the State Single 
Point of Contact (SPOC) for each state in the area to be served. The 
application kit contains the currently available listing of the SPOCs 
which have elected to be informed of the submission of applications. 
For those states not represented on the listing, further inquiries 
should be made by the applicant regarding submission to the relevant 
SPOC. The SPOC's comment(s) should be forwarded to the Grants 
Management Office, Office of Population Affairs, 4350 East-West 
Highway, Suite 200, Bethesda, MD 20814. The SPOC has 60 days from the 
closing date of this announcement to submit any comments.

[[Page 1222]]

Application Assessment and Evaluation Criteria

    Applications which are judged to be late or which do not conform to 
the requirements of this program announcement will not be accepted for 
review. Applicants will be so notified, and the applications will be 
returned. All other applications will be reviewed by a multi-
disciplinary panel of independent reviewers and assessed according to 
the following criteria:
    (1) The applicant's provision of a clear statement of mission, 
goals, measurable (outcome) objectives, reasonable methods for 
achieving the objectives, a reasonable workplan and timetable, and 
clear statements of expected results. (25 points)
    (2) The capacity of the applicant to implement the program, 
including personnel and other resources, and the applicant's experience 
and expertise in providing programs for adolescents. (15 points)
    (3) The population the project proposes to serve, including ethnic 
composition, number of adolescent and pre-adolescent clients, family 
members and community members. [Healthy People 2010 is a set of health 
objectives for the Nation to achieve over the first decade of the new 
century. The two goals of Healthy People 2010 are to increase quality 
of years of healthy life and to eliminate health disparities. In 
evaluating this criterion, priority will be given to programs which 
serve minority populations in order to eliminate health disparities.] 
(15 points)
    (4) The applicant's presentation of a detailed evaluation plan, 
indicating an understanding of program evaluation methods, and 
reflecting a practical and technically sound approach to assessing the 
project's achievement of program objectives. (15 points)
    (5) The applicant's presentation of the need for the project, 
including the incidence of adolescent pregnancy in the geographic area 
to be served and the availability of services for adolescents within 
this geographic area. (10 points)
    (6) The applicant's presentation of an organizational model for 
service delivery with appropriate design, consistent with the 
requirements of Title XX. (10 points)
    (7) The community commitment to and involvement in planning and 
implementation of the project, as demonstrated by letters of commitment 
and willingness to participate in the project's implementation, 
acceptance of referrals, etc. (10 points)
    Final grant award decisions will be made by the Deputy Assistant 
Secretary for Population Affairs. In making these decisions, the Deputy 
Assistant Secretary for Population Affairs will take into account the 
extent to which applications recommended for approval will provide an 
appropriate geographic distribution of resources, the priorities in 
sec. 2005(a), and other factors including:
    (1) Recommendations and scores submitted by the review panels;
    (2) The geographic area to be served, particularly the needs of 
rural areas;
    (3) The reasonableness of the estimated cost of the project based 
on factors such as the incidence of adolescent pregnancy in the 
geographic area to be served and the availability of services for 
adolescents in this geographic area; and
    (4) The usefulness for policymakers and service providers of the 
proposed project and its potential for replication.
    OAPP does not release information about individual applications 
during the review process until final funding decisions have been made. 
When these decisions have been made, applicants will be notified by 
letter of the outcome of their applications. The official document 
notifying an applicant that an application has been approved for 
funding is the Notice of Grant Award, which specifies to the grantee 
the amount of money awarded, the purpose of the grant, the terms and 
conditions of the grant award, and the amount of funding to be 
contributed by the grantee to project costs.

    Dated: January 4, 2002.
Mireille B. Kanda,
Acting Director, Office of Population Affairs.
[FR Doc. 02-517 Filed 1-8-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4150-30-M