[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 118 (Thursday, June 19, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36804-36807]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-15514]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES


Announcement of Anticipated Availability of Funds for Family 
Planning Services Grants

AGENCY: Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the 
Secretary, Office of Public Health and Science, Office of Population 
Affairs.

ACTION: Notice.

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    Authority: Section 1001 of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act.
    Executive Summary: The Office of Population Affairs (OPA) announces 
the anticipated availability of funds for Fiscal Year (FY) 2004 family 
planning services grants under the authority of title X of the Public 
Health Service Act and solicits applications for competing grant awards 
to serve the areas and/or populations listed in Table I. Only 
applications which propose to serve the populations and/or areas listed 
in Table I will be accepted for review and possible funding.

DATES: Application and funding dates vary. See SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION below.

ADDRESSES: Application kits may be requested from, and applications 
submitted to the Office of Public Health and Science (OPHS) Grants 
Management Office, 1101 Wootton Parkway, Suite 550, Rockville, MD 
20852, 301-594-0758. Application kits are also available online at the 
Office of Population Affairs Web site at http://opa.osophs.dhhs.gov, or 
by FAX at 301-594-9399.
    CFDA: A description of title X Family Planning Services Program can 
be found at OMB Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 93.217.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title X of the Public Health Service Act, 42 
U.S.C. 300, et seq., authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services (HHS) to award grants for projects to provide family planning 
services to persons from low-income families and others. Section 1001 
of the Act, as amended, authorizes grants ``to assist in the 
establishment and operation of voluntary family planning projects which 
shall offer a broad range of acceptable and effective family planning 
methods and services (including natural family planning methods, 
infertility services, and services for adolescents).'' The title X 
Regulations, 42 CFR 59.1, further stipulate that ``These projects shall 
consist of the educational, comprehensive medical, and social services 
necessary to aid individuals to determine freely the number and spacing 
of their children.'' The broad range of services should include 
education to encourage abstinence outside a mutually monogamous 
marriage or union. Section 1001 of the statute also requires that, to 
the extent practicable, title X service providers shall encourage 
family participation in family planning services projects.
    Section 1008 of the Act, as amended, stipulates that ``none of the 
funds appropriated under this title shall be used in programs where 
abortion is a method of family planning.''

I. Funding Opportunity Description

    This announcement seeks applications from public and non-profit 
private entities to establish and operate voluntary family planning 
services projects, which shall provide family planning services to all 
persons desiring such services. Family planning services include 
clinical family planning and related preventive health services; 
information, education, and counseling related to family planning, 
including abstinence education; and referral services as indicated. 
Requirements regarding the provision of family planning services under 
title X can be found in the title X statute, the implementing 
regulations which govern project grants for family planning services 
(42 CFR part 59, subpart A), and the ``Program Guidelines for Project 
Grants for Family Planning Services,'' published in January 2001. 
Copies of the title X statute, regulations, and Program Guidelines may 
be obtained by contacting the Office of Public Health and Science 
(OPHS) Grants Management Office, or downloaded from the Office of 
Population Affairs Web site at http://opa.osophs.dhhs.gov. All title X 
requirements--including those derived from the statute, the 
regulations, and the Program Guidelines--apply to all activities funded 
under this announcement. For example, projects must meet the regulatory 
requirements set out at 42 CFR 59.5 regarding charges to clients, and 
the funding criteria set out at 42 CFR 59.7 apply to all applicants 
under this announcement.

II. Award Information

    The anticipated FY 2004 appropriation for the title X Family 
Planning program is approximately $265 million. Of this amount, OPA 
intends to make available approximately $49 million for competing grant 
awards in approximately 24 states, populations, and/or areas. (See 
Table I for competing areas and approximate amount of awards). The 
remaining funds will be used for continued support of grants and 
activities which are not competitive in FY 2004. This program 
announcement is subject to the appropriation of funds and is a 
contingency action taken to ensure that, should funds become available 
for this purpose, applications can be processed in an orderly manner, 
and funds can be awarded in a timely fashion. Grants will be funded in 
annual increments (budget periods) and are generally approved for a 
project period of three to five years. 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.
    Cost Sharing: Program regulations at 42 CFR 59.7(b) state that ``No 
grant may be made for less than 90 percent of the project's costs, as 
so estimated, unless the grant is to be made for a project that was 
supported, under section 1001, for less than 90 percent of its costs in 
fiscal year 1975. In that case, the grant shall not be for less than 
the percentage of costs covered by the grant in fiscal year 1975.'' 
Furthermore, Sec.  59.7(c) stipulates that ``No grant may be made for 
an amount equal to 100 percent for the project's estimated costs.''

III. Eligibility Information

    Any public or nonprofit private entity located in a State (which 
includes one

[[Page 36805]]

of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia, Commonwealth of 
Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana 
Islands, American Samoa, Guam, Republic of Palau, Federated States of 
Micronesia, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands) is eligible to 
apply for a grant under this announcement. Faith-based organizations 
are eligible to apply for these title X family planning services 
grants.
    Awards will be made only to those organizations or agencies which 
have met all applicable requirements and which demonstrate the 
capability of providing the proposed services.

IV. Application and Submission Information

Content and Form of Application Submission

    Applications must be submitted on the Form OPHS-1 (Revised 6/01) 
and in the manner prescribed in the application kit. Applications 
should be limited to 60 double-spaced pages, not including appendices, 
using an easily readable serif typeface, such as Times Roman, Courier, 
or GC Times. All pages, charts, figures and tables should be numbered. 
Appendices may provide curriculum vitae, organizational structure, 
examples of organizational capabilities, or other supplemental 
information which supports the application. However, appendices are for 
supportive information only. All information that is critical to the 
proposed project should be included in the body of the application. 
Appendices should be clearly labeled.
    Applications must include a one-page abstract of the proposed 
project. The abstract will be used to provide reviewers with an 
overview of the application, and will form the basis for the 
application summary in grants management documents.
    Applicants are required to submit an original and two copies of the 
application. The original application must be 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.

Submission Dates

    Competing grant applications are invited for the following areas 
(please note, in order to maximize access to family planning services, 
one or more grants may be awarded for each area listed):

                                                     Table I
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                                                                    Approximate
              States/Populations/Areas to be served                   funding       Application    Approx. grant
                                                                     available       due date      funding date
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Region I:
    Massachusetts-Central/Southeast.............................      $1,468,500        09-01-03        01-01-04
    Connecticut.................................................       1,793,300        09-01-03        01-01-04
    Vermont.....................................................        655,1000        09-01-03        01-01-04
    Maine.......................................................       1,368,300        09-01-03        01-01-04
Region II: Virgin Islands.......................................         719,300        05-30-04        09-30-04
Region III: No competitive grants in 2004
Region IV:
    Florida, Miami, Dade County and Florida Keys................         525,300        05-30-04        09-30-04
    Florida, Greater Orlando area (including Orange, Seminole,           525,300        05-30-04        09-30-04
     Osceola and Lake Counties).................................
Region V:
    Illinois....................................................       7,599,000        09-01-03        01-01-04
    Wisconsin...................................................       3,233,900        11-01-03        03-01-04
    Michigan....................................................       6,916,100        12-01-03        04-01-04
    Ohio........................................................       2,056,500        12-01-03        04-01-04
    Illinois--Chicago Area......................................         200,250        05-30-04        09-30-04
Region VI:
    Texas.......................................................      11,074,000        12-01-03        04-01-04
Region VII: No competitive grants in 2004
Region VIII:
    Colorado....................................................       2,887,200        09-01-03        01-01-04
    North Dakota................................................         807,000        03-01-04        07-01-04
    Utah........................................................       1,084,000        03-01-04        07-01-04
Region IX:
    Northern Mariana Islands....................................         115,400        09-01-03        01-01-04
    Arizona, Navajo Nation......................................         638,300        03-01-04        07-01-04
    Samoa.......................................................         145,600        03-01-04        07-01-04
    Nevada (excluding Washoe and Clark Counties)................         600,350        03-01-04        07-01-04
    Republic of the Marshall Islands............................         146,400        03-01-04        07-01-04
Region X:
    Washington..................................................       3,616,000        09-01-03        01-01-04
    Alaska, Municipality of Anchorage, Sitka Borough, Kenai              665,500        03-01-04        07-01-04
     Peninsula..................................................
    Washington, Seattle area....................................         158,450        07-01-03        10-01-03
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Applications will be considered as meeting the deadline if they are 
postmarked on or before the application due date listed in Table I of 
this section and received in time for orderly processing. 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. Hand-delivered applications must 
be received by the OPHS Grants Management Office not later than 4:30 
p.m. eastern standard time on the application due date. Applications 
which are delivered to the OPHS Grants Management Office after the 
deadline date will not be accepted for review.

[[Page 36806]]

    Applicants that meet the requirements of this program announcement 
will be notified by the Office of Grants Management. Applications which 
do not conform to the requirements of this program announcement or 
which do not meet the applicable parts of 42 CFR part 59, subpart A, 
will not be accepted for review, and will be returned to the applicant.
    Applications sent via facsimile or electronic mail will not be 
accepted for review.

Review Under Executive Order 12372

    Applicants under this announcement are subject to the review 
requirements of Executive Order 12372, as implemented by 45 CFR part 
100, ``Intergovernmental Review of Department of Health and Human 
Services Programs and Activities.'' As soon as possible, the applicant 
should discuss the project with the State Single Point of Contact 
(SPOC) for each State 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 
listed, further inquiries regarding the review process designed by 
their State should be made to the Governor's office of the pertinent 
State. The SPOC should forward any comment(s) to the Office of Public 
Health and Science Grants Management Office, 1101 Wootton Parkway, 5th 
Floor, Rockville, MD 20852. The SPOC has 60 days from the applicable 
due date as listed in Table I of this announcement to submit any 
comments.

Program Requirements and Application Content

Program Priorities
    The following priorities represent the overarching goals for the 
title X program. In developing a proposal, each applicant should 
describe how the proposed project will address each priority.
    1. Assuring continued high quality clinical family planning and 
related preventive health services that will improve the overall health 
of individuals;
    2. Assuring access to a broad range of high quality clinical family 
planning and related preventive health services that include the 
following: provision of highly effective contraceptive methods; breast 
and cervical cancer screening and prevention; STD and HIV prevention 
education, counseling, and testing; extramarital abstinence education 
and counseling; and other preventive health services. The broad range 
of services does not include abortion as a method of family planning;
    3. Encouraging family participation in the decision of minors to 
seek family planning services, including activities that promote 
positive family relationships;
    4. Improving the health of individuals and communities by 
partnering with community-based organizations (CBOs), faith-based 
organizations (FBOs), and other public health providers that work with 
vulnerable or at-risk populations;
    5. Promoting individual and community health by emphasizing 
clinical family planning and related preventive health services for 
hard-to-reach populations, such as uninsured or underinsured 
individuals, males, persons with limited English proficiency, 
adolescents, and other vulnerable or at-risk populations.
Legislative Mandates
    The following legislative mandates have been part of the title X 
appropriations for each of the last several years. In developing a 
proposal, each applicant should describe how the proposed project will 
address each of these legislative mandates.
    [sbull] ``None of the funds appropriated in this Act may be made 
available to any entity under title X of the Public Health Service Act 
unless the applicant for the award certifies to the Secretary that it 
encourages family participation in the decision of minors to seek 
family planning services and that it provides counseling to minors on 
how to resist attempts to coerce minors into engaging in sexual 
activities;'' and
    [sbull] ``Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no provider 
of services under title X of the Public Health Service Act shall be 
exempt from any State law requiring notification or the reporting of 
child abuse, child molestation, sexual abuse, rape, or incest.''
Other Key Issues
    In addition to the Program Priorities and Legislative Mandates, the 
following Key Issues have implications for title X services projects 
and should be acknowledged in the program plan:
    1. The increasing cost of providing family planning services;
    2. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Service priorities, 
initiatives, and Healthy People 2010 objectives as they relate to 
family planning and reproductive health (http://www.health.gov/healthypeople);
    3. Departmental initiatives and legislative mandates such as the 
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA); Infant 
Adoption Awareness Program; providing adolescents with information, 
skills and support to encourage delay of sexual activity; serving 
persons with limited English proficiency;
    4. Integration of HIV/AIDS services in Family Planning, 
specifically, HIV/AIDS education, counseling and testing either on-site 
or by referral should be provided in all title X funded programs. 
Education regarding the prevention of HIV/AIDS should incorporate the 
``ABC'' message. That is, for adolescents and unmarried individuals, 
the message is ``A'' for abstinence; for married or individuals in 
committed relationships, the message is ``B'' for being faithful; and, 
for individuals who engage in behavior that puts them at risk for HIV, 
the message is ``C'' for condom use.
    5. Utilization of electronic technologies such as e-Grants, the OPA 
electronic grants management system (Training for grantees will be 
provided as needed);
    6. Data collection and reporting which is responsive to the Family 
Planning Annual Report and other information needs for monitoring and 
improving family planning services;
    7. Service delivery improvement through utilization of research 
outcomes focusing on family planning and related population issues; and
    8. Utilizing practice guidelines and recommendations developed by 
recognized professional organizations and other Federal agencies in the 
provision of evidence-based title X clinical services.
Characteristics of a Successful Proposal
    As mentioned above, proposed projects must adhere to all 
requirements of the title X statute, regulations, and program 
guidelines. Successful proposals will fully describe how the project 
will address the requirements, and should include the following:
    1. A clear description of the need for the services proposed;
    2. A description of the geographic area and population to be 
served;
    3. Evidence that the applicant organization has experience in 
providing clinical health services and the capacity to undertake the 
clinical family planning and related preventive health services 
required;
    4. Evidence that the proposed services are consistent with the 
requirements of title X. Use of title X funds is prohibited in programs 
where abortion is a method of family planning;
    5. A project plan which describes the services to be provided, the 
location(s) and hours of clinic operations, and projected numbers of 
clients to be served;

[[Page 36807]]

    6. A staffing plan which is reasonable and adheres to the title X 
regulatory requirement that family planning medical services will be 
performed under the direction of a physician with special training or 
experience in family planning. Staff providing clinical services should 
be licensed and function within the applicable professional practice 
acts for the State;
    7. Goal statement(s) and related outcome objectives that are 
specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-framed 
(S.M.A.R.T.);
    8. Description of how the applicant will address title X Program 
Priorities and Key Issues.
    9. Evidence of formal agreements for referral services (e.g., 
required clinical services, if not provided by the applicant), and 
collaborative agreements with other service providers in the community, 
where appropriate;
    10. Evidence of the capability of providing the required program 
data for the title X annual data collection system;
    11. Evidence of a system for assuring quality family planning 
services, including adherence to program requirements;
    12. A budget and budget justification narrative for year one of the 
project that is detailed, reasonable, adequate, cost efficient, and 
that is derived from proposed activities. Budget projections for each 
of the continuing years should be included. Funding Restrictions: In 
order to claim indirect costs as part of a budget request, an applicant 
organization must have an indirect cost rate which has been negotiated 
with the Federal government. The Health and Human Services Division of 
Cost Allocation (DCA) Regional Office that is applicable to your State 
can provide information on how to receive such a rate. A list of DCA 
Regional Offices is included in the application kit for this 
announcement.

V. Application Review Information

    Each regional office is responsible for evaluating applications and 
setting funding levels according to criteria in 42 CFR 59.7. Eligible 
applications will be reviewed by a panel of independent reviewers and 
will be evaluated based on the following criteria (42 CFR 59.7(a)):
    (1) The degree to which the project plan adequately provides for 
the requirements set forth in the title X regulations at 42 CFR part 
59, subpart A (20 points);
    (2) The extent to which family planning services are needed locally 
(20 points);
    (3) The number of patients, and, in particular, the number of low-
income patients to be served (15 points);
    (4) The adequacy of the applicant's facilities and staff (15 
points);
    (5) The capacity of the applicant to make rapid and effective use 
of the Federal assistance (10 points);
    (6) The relative availability of non-Federal resources within the 
community to be served and the degree to which those resources are 
committed to the project (10 points); and
    (7) The relative need of the applicant (10 points).
    In addition to the independent review panel, there will be staff 
reviews of each application for programmatic and grants management 
compliance.
    Final grant award decisions will be made by the Regional Health 
Administrator (RHA) for the applicable PHS Region. In making grant 
award decisions, the RHA will fund those projects which will, in his/
her judgement, best promote the purposes of section 1001 of the Act, 
within the limits of funds available for such projects.

VI. Award Administration Information

Award Notices

    The OPA does not release information about individual applications 
during the review process. When final funding decisions have been made, 
each applicant will be notified by letter of the outcome. The official 
document notifying an applicant that a project application has been 
approved for funding is the Notice of Grant Award. This document 
specifies to the grantee the amount of money awarded, the purposes of 
the grant, the length of the project period, terms and conditions of 
the grant award, and the amount of funding, if any, to be contributed 
by the grantee to project costs.

Administrative Requirements

    The successful applicant will be responsible for the overall 
management of activities within the scope of the approved project plan. 
The Office of Public Health and Science (OPHS) requires all grant 
recipients to provide a smoke-free workplace and to promote the non-use 
of all tobacco products. This is consistent with the OPHS mission to 
protect and advance the physical and mental health of the American 
people.

Reporting

    Each grantee is required to submit a Family Planning Annual Report 
(FPAR) each year. The information collections (reporting requirements) 
and format for this report have been approved by the Office of 
Management and Budget and assigned OMB No. 0990-0221. The FPAR contains 
a brief organizational profile and seven tables to report data on 
users, service use, and revenue for the reporting year.

VII. Agency Contacts

Administrative and Budgetary Requirements

    For information related to administrative and budgetary 
requirements, contact the OPHS Grants Management Office, 1101 Wootton 
Parkway, 5th Floor, Rockville, MD 20852, 301-594-0758.

Program Requirements

    For information related to family planning program requirements, 
contact the Regional Program Consultant for Family Planning in the 
applicable Regional Office listed below:

Region I (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode 
Island, Vermont)--Suzanne Theroux, 617-565-1063;
Region II (New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands)-Robin 
Lane, 212-264-3935;
Region III (Delaware, Washington, DC, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, 
West Virginia)--Louis Belmonte, 215-861-4641;
Region IV (Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, 
Florida, Georgia, South Carolina)--Cristino Rodriguez, 404-562-7900;
Region V (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin)--
Janice Ely, 312-886-3864;
Region VI (Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas)--Evelyn 
Glass, 214-767-3088;
 Region VII (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska)--Elizabeth Curtis, 816-
426-2924;
Region VIII (Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, 
Wyoming)-- Jill Leslie, 303-844-7856;
Region IX (Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Commonwealth of the 
Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Guam, Republic of Palau, 
Federal States of Micronesia, Republic of the Marshall Islands)--Nadine 
Simons, 415-437-7984;
Region X (Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington)--Janet Wildeboor, 206-615-
2776.

    Dated: June 13, 2003.
Alma L. Golden,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Population Affairs.
[FR Doc. 03-15514 Filed 6-18-03; 8:45 am]
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