[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 236 (Tuesday, December 9, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68632-68636]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-30597]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration

[Announcement Number: HRSA-04-077]


Maternal and Child Health Federal Set-Aside Program; Special 
Projects of Regional and National Significance; Community-Based 
Abstinence Education Project Grants (CBAE); CFDA 93.110

AGENCY: Health Resources and Services Administration, HHS.

ACTION: Notice of availability of funds.

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SUMMARY: The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) 
announces that approximately $33 million in fiscal year (FY) 2004 funds 
will be available for making competitive grants to provide abstinence 
education to adolescents, subject to the availability of 
appropriations. There are no cost sharing, matching or cost 
participation requirements of the program. Eligibility is open to 
public and private entities, including faith-based and community 
organizations, which develop and/or provide an abstinence program 
consistent with the definition of ``abstinence education'' in section 
510 of the Social Security Act. In addition, the entity must agree not 
to provide a participating adolescent any other education regarding 
sexual conduct in the same setting. All awards will be made under the 
program authority of

[[Page 68633]]

section 501(a)(2) of the Social Security Act, the Maternal and Child 
Health (MCH) Federal Set-Aside Program (42 U.S.C. 701(a)(2)) and will 
be administered by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB), HRSA. 
HRSA will encourage collaboration from other Federal agencies that have 
an interest in abstinence education, such as the Administration for 
Children and Families (ACF) and the Office of Population Affairs (OPA). 
Contingent on the availability of funding, up to 70 three-year 
implementation grants, with annual awards ranging from $250,000 to 
$800,000, will be awarded. Projects may be located in any State, the 
District of Columbia, and United States territories, commonwealths, and 
possessions. However, to ensure that there is a more even geographic 
distribution of grantees, special consideration will be given to highly 
ranked applications in States that do not have a Federally-funded 
Special Projects of Regional and National Significance (SPRANS) 
Community-Based Abstinence Education grant.
    This Federal Register announcement will appear on the HRSA Home 
Page at: http://www.hrsa.gov. Federal Register notices are found by 
following instructions at: www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/index.html.

DATES: Applicants for this program are requested to notify MCHB's 
Division of State and Community Health by December 31, 2003. Please 
note that a ``notice of intent to submit an application'' will be used 
as a mechanism to deliver technical assistance and to assist in the 
planning of the objective review; it is not a requirement of the 
application process. Notification can be made in one of three ways: 
telephone, 301-443-2204; fax, 301-443-9354; or mail, MCHB, HRSA; 
Division of State and Community Health; Parklawn Building, Room 18-31; 
5600 Fishers Lane; Rockville, MD 20857. MCHB is sponsoring five, one-
day pre-application workshops in December 2003 to assist potental 
applicants in preparing applications that address the requirements of 
the SPRANS Community-Based Abstinence Education Project Grant program, 
as described in the Application Guidance. Attendance at a pre-
application workshop is not mandatory. The tentative dates and 
locations of the five workshops are as follows: Kansas City, December 
16; San Diego, December 18; Atlanta, January 5; Boston, January 6; and 
Baltimore, January 9. Registration information and possible schedule 
changes for these workshops will be posted on the MCHB Homepage at 
www.mchb.hrsa.gov, and can be viewed at the logistics contractor's Web 
site at www.psava.com/abed. The deadline for receipt of applications is 
February 9, 2004. Applications will be considered ``on time'' if they 
are either received on or before the deadline date or postmarked or E 
marked on or before the deadline date and received in time for the 
Independent Review Committee review. In the event that questions arise 
about meeting the application due date, applications must have a 
legibly dated receipt from a commercial carrier or the U.S. Postal 
Service. Private metered postmarks will not be accepted as proof of 
timely mailing. Applications submitted electronically will be time/date 
stamped electronically, which will serve as receipt of submission. The 
projected award date is July 1, 2004.
    Applications which do not meet the criteria above are considered 
late applications. HRSA shall notify each late applicant that its 
application will not be considered in the current competition.

ADDRESSES: To receive a complete application kit, applicants may 
contact the HRSA Grants Application Center at 1-877-477-2123 (1-877-
HRSA-123) by telephone, or register on-line at: http://www.hrsa.gov, or 
by accessing http://www.hrsa.gov/g_order3.htm directly. This program 
uses the standard Form PHS 5161-1 (rev. 7/00) for applications 
(approved under OMB No. 0920-0428). Applicants must use the appropriate 
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number when requesting 
application materials. The CFDA is a Government wide compendium of 
enumerated Federal programs, projects, services, and activities which 
provide assistance. The CFDA Number for the Community-Based Abstinence 
Education Project Grant Program is 93.110.
    If applying on paper, the entire application may not exceed 80 
pages in length, including the abstract, project and budget narratives, 
face page, attachments, any appendices and letters of commitment and 
support. Pages must be numbered consecutively. If applying on-line, the 
total size of all uploaded files may not exceed 10 MB. Applications 
that exceed the specified limits will be deemed non-compliant, and will 
be returned to the applicant without further consideration.
    If you choose to submit a paper application, please send the 
original and two copies to: Grants Management Officer (MCHB), HRSA 
Grants Application Center, ATTN: Program Announcement No. HRSA-04-0777, 
The Legin Group, Inc., 901 Russell Avenue, Suite 450, Gaithersburg, 
Maryland 20879, telephone: 877-474-2345, E-mail: [email protected]. Upon 
receipt of a paper application, the Grants Application Center will mail 
an acknowledgment of receipt to the applicant organization's Program 
Director.
    HRSA encourages applicants to submit applications on-line. To 
register and/or log-in to prepare your application, go to https://grants.hrsa.gov/webexternal/login.asp. For assistance in using the on-
line application system, call 877-GO4-HRSA (877-464-4772) between 8:30 
a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET or e-mail [email protected].
    When available, application guidance and the required form for the 
Community-Based Abstinence Education Grant Program may be downloaded in 
either Word or Adobe Acrobat format (.pdf) from the HRSA homepage at 
http://www.hrsa.gov/grants/preview/.
    Applicants should note that HRSA is currently accepting grant 
applications online. Please refer to the HRSA grants schedule at http://www.hrsa.gov/grants.htm for more information. The automated 
application process should be faster, easier and better for applicants 
and for HRSA. We encourage you to take advantage of this new option. 
Applicants will be notified through the same channels that currently 
announce the availability of downloadable and paper application 
materials, including notices on HRSA Web sites and e-mail 
communications. Once the automated system is in place, applications can 
be submitted on-line and applicants will receive an electronic 
confirmation of the submission. Applicants will need to print the face 
page, sign it, and submit it to the HRSA Grants Application Center, 901 
Russell Avenue, Suite 450, Gaithersburg, MD 20879; telephone 1-877-477-
2123.
    Beginning October 1, 2003, all applicant organizations are required 
to have a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number in order to 
apply for a grant from the Federal Government. The DUNS number is a 
unique nine-character identification number provided by the commercial 
company, Dun and Bradstreet. There is no charge to obtain a DUNS 
number. Information about obtaining a DUNS can be found at http://www.hrsa.gov/grants/duns.htm or call 1-866-705-5711. Please include the 
DUNS number next to the OMB approval number on the application face 
page. Applications will not be reviewed without a DUNS number.
    Additionally, the applicant organization will be required to 
register

[[Page 68634]]

with the Federal Government's Central Contractor Registry (CCR) in 
order to do business with the Federal Government, including electronic. 
Information about registering with the CCR can be found at http://www.hrsa.gov/grants/ccr.htm.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Donna Hutten, 301-443-5839 (for 
questions specific to project activities of the program, program 
objectives, or the Letter of Intent described above); and Pamela Bell, 
301-443-3504 (for grants policy, budgetary, and business questions).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Abstinence-only education programs are one 
way to educate young people and create an environment within 
communities that support teen decisions to postpone sexual activity. 
Between 1991 and 2001, the prevalence of sexual experience decreased 16 
percent among high school students (CDC, MMWR, September 27, 2002). In 
2001, 45.6 percent of high school students reported having had sexual 
intercourse and 33.4 percent reported having had sexual intercourse 
within the previous three months ((CDC, MMWR, June 28, 2002). There are 
some indications that early sexual intercourse by adolescents can have 
negative effects on social and psychological development. Research 
shows that teen pregnancy is linked to a list of risk factors similar 
to those for other problem behaviors of adolescence, such as alcohol 
and drug use, violence, delinquency, and school drop-out. Teen 
parenting is associated with the lack of high school completion and the 
initiation of a cycle of poverty for mothers. The Department of Health 
and Human Services established the reduction of teen pregnancies as a 
priority goal in its 1997 strategic plan. Based on preliminary U.S. 
birth data for 2002, birth rates for teenagers have continued their 
steady decline. Overall, the teen birth rate has declined 28 percent 
since 1990. The birth rates for teenagers 15-17 years and 18-19 years 
have declined 38 and 18 percent, respectively since 1990 (CDC, NCHS, 
Vital Statistics Report, June 25, 2003).
    Consistent with other SPRANS grant programs, MCHB encourages 
coordination and collaboration between the State agencies administering 
a Section 510 abstinence education grant and community-based 
organizations applying for a SPRANS Community-Based Abstinence 
Education Project grant. Such coordination and collaboration is 
considered beneficial in promoting complementary efforts between State 
and community agencies and advancing maternal and child health. MCHB 
also encourages collaboration among Federal agencies with an interest 
in abstinence-only education programs, such as ACF and OPA.
    Projects funded through the SPRANS Community-Based Abstinence 
Education Grant Program share a common definition of ``abstinence 
education'' with the Section 510-funded State programs. For purposes of 
both programs (as well as abstinence education programs funded under 
the Title XX Adolescent Family Life program), 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 avoid out-of-wedlock pregnancy, sexually transmitted 
diseases, and other associated health problems;
    (D) teaches that a mutually faithful monogamous relationship in the 
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.''
    Curriculum developed or selected for implementation in the SPRANS 
Community-Based Abstinence Education Grants Program must address all 
eight elements of the Section 510 abstinence education definition and 
may not be inconsistent with any aspect of that definition.
    Authorization: Section 501(a)(2) of the Social Security Act, 42 
U.S.C. 701(a)(2).
    Purpose: The purpose of the SPRANS Community-Based Abstinence 
Education Grant Program is to provide support to public and private 
entities for the development and implementation of abstinence education 
programs for adolescents, ages 12 through 18. This program funds the 
planning and implementation of community-based, abstinence-only 
educational interventions designed to reduce the proportion of 
adolescents who have engaged in premarital sexual activity, including 
but not limited to sexual intercourse; reduce the incidence of out-of-
wedlock pregnancies among adolescents; and reduce the incidence of 
sexually transmitted diseases among adolescents.
    Specific objectives for the SPRANS Community-Based Abstinence 
Education planning and implementation grants are to:
    [sbull] Support programmatic efforts that foster the development of 
abstinence-only education for adolescents, ages 12 through 18, in 
communities across the country.
    [sbull] Develop and implement abstinence-only programs that target 
the prevention of teenage pregnancy and premature sexual activity.
    [sbull] Develop abstinence education approaches that are culturally 
sensitive and age-appropriate to meet the needs of a diverse audience 
of adolescents, ages 12 through 18.
    [sbull] Implement curriculum-based community education programs 
that promote abstinence decisions to adolescents, ages 12 through 18.
    The SPRANS Community-Based Abstinence Education Project Grants 
Program is complementary to the Title V ``Section 510'' Abstinence 
Education Grant Program. Activities funded under the SPRANS Community-
Based Abstinence Education Project Grants should enhance the State 
grantees' efforts to achieve performance goals and objectives 
established for the existing Section 510 projects in accordance with 
the requirements of the ``Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) 
of 1993'' (Public Law 103-62). This Act requires the establishment of 
measurable goals for Federal programs that can be reported as part of 
the budgetary process, thus linking funding decisions with performance. 
While SPRANS Community-Based Abstinence Education Program grantees are 
not responsible for establishing individual program performance 
targets, grantees are expected to collect and annually report program 
data that address the six program performance measures presented in 
Figure 1. This data collection and reporting is essential to the 
Agency's efforts to assess program-wide performance and progress 
towards achieving the performance measure objectives.

Figure 1.--SPRANS Community-Based Abstinence Education Grant Program 
Performance Measures

    1. Proportion of program participants who successfully complete or 
remain

[[Page 68635]]

enrolled in an abstinence-only education program.
    2. Proportion of adolescents who understand that abstinence from 
sexual activity is the only certain way to avoid out-of-wedlock 
pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease.
    3. Proportion of adolescents who indicate an understanding of the 
social, psychological and health gains to be realized by abstaining 
from premarital sexual activity.
    4. Proportion of participants who report they have refusal or 
assertiveness skills necessary to resist sexual urges and advances.
    5. Proportion of youth who commit to abstain from sexual activity 
until marriage.
    6. Proportion of participants who intend to avoid situations and 
risk behaviors, such as drug use and alcohol consumption, which make 
them more vulnerable to sexual advances and urges.

    Each SPRANS Abstinence Education grantee will be required to submit 
an Annual Progress Summary on its activities, including a narrative 
discussion of the project's progress toward achieving its goals and 
objectives, an unduplicated count of clients served, total number of 
client encounters, a list of the communities served, and a description 
of the type of project activities being implemented.
    Applications for SPRANS Community-Based Abstinence Education 
implementation grants are required to include a data collection plan 
that addresses the specified performance measures. In the Annual 
Progress Summary, implementation grantees will document program data 
for each performance measure. Further information on reporting 
requirements for this program and instructions regarding application 
requirements are included in the Program Guidance.
    Curriculum developed or selected for implementation in the SPRANS 
Community-Based Abstinence Education Grants Program must address all 
eight elements of the Section 510 abstinence education definition and 
may not be inconsistent with any element of that definition.
    Applicants are required to complete a Curriculum Summary form for 
every proposed curriculum, which includes documentation that the 
curriculum is responsive to and consistent with each of the eight 
elements of the section 510 abstinence education definition. Applicants 
are required to describe any proposed modifications to the 
curriculum(a) to address areas of non-compliance. Consistent with other 
SPRANS programs, consultation and collaboration between the SPRANS 
Community-Based Abstinence Education grantees and State section 510 
grantees are encouraged throughout the life of the project.
    Applicants should be aware that SPRANS Community-Based Abstinence 
Education Project grantees and their contractors/sub-grantees may not 
expend Federal funds for sectarian instruction, worship, prayer, or 
proselytization.
    Eligibility: Under SPRANS project grant regulations at 42 CFR part 
51a.3, any public or private entity, including an Indian tribe or 
tribal organization (as defined at 25 U.S.C. 450b), is eligible to 
apply for grants covered by this announcement. State agencies 
responsible for the administration of the Section 510 Abstinence 
Education Grant, non-profit organizations and other community-based 
organizations, including faith-based organizations, are eligible to 
apply for funding under a SPRANS Community-Based Abstinence Education 
Project Grant. Projects must clearly and consistently focus on the 
designated definition of ``abstinence education'' and applicants must 
agree not to provide a participating adolescent any other education 
regarding sexual conduct in the same setting.
    Funding Level/Project Period: Contingent on available funding, 
approximately $33 million will be awarded to support up to 70 new 
three-year implementation grants in FY 2004, with awards ranging from 
$250,000 to $800,000 per year. The project period consists of three 
budget periods, each generally of one year duration. Continuation of 
any project from one budget period to the next is subject to 
satisfactory performance and availability of funds.
    Review Criteria: The following are generic review criteria 
applicable to all MCHB programs:
    (1) The extent to which the project will contribute to the 
advancement of maternal and child health and/or improvement of the 
health of children with special health care needs;
    (2) The extent to which the project is responsive to policy 
concerns applicable to MCH grants and to program objectives, 
requirements, priorities and/or review criteria for specific project 
categories, as published in program announcements or guidance 
materials;
    (3) The extent to which the estimated cost to the Government of the 
project is reasonable, considering the anticipated results;
    (4) The extent to which the project personnel are well qualified by 
training and/or experience for their roles in the project and the 
applicant organization has adequate facilities and personnel; and
    (5) The extent to which, insofar as practicable, the proposed 
activities, if well executed, are capable of attaining project 
objectives.
    More specific review criteria used to review and rank applications 
for the SPRANS Community-Based Abstinence Education grant program are 
included in the application kit. Applicants should pay strict attention 
to addressing all the criteria delineated in the application kit 
program guidance, as they are the basis upon which their applications 
will be judged.
    Special consideration will be given to entities in local 
communities which demonstrate a strong record of support for abstinence 
education among adolescents. In addition, previous SPRANS Community-
Based Abstinence Education grantees will receive this special 
consideration.
    To ensure that there is a geographic distribution of grantees, 
special consideration may be given to highly ranked applications in 
States that do not currently have a funded SPRANS Community-Based 
Abstinence Education grant.
    Public Health System Reporting Requirements: This program is 
subject to the Public Health System Reporting Requirements (approved 
under OMB No. 0937-0195). Under these requirements, the community-based 
nongovernmental applicant must prepare and submit a Public Health 
System Impact Statement (PHSIS). The PHSIS is intended to provide 
information to State and local health officials to keep them apprised 
of proposed health services grant applications submitted by community-
based nongovernmental organizations within their jurisdictions.
    Community-based nongovernmental applicants are required to submit 
the following information to the head of the appropriate State and 
local health agencies in the area(s) to be impacted no later than the 
Federal application receipt due date:
    (a) A copy of the face page of the application (SF 424).
    (b) A summary of the project (PHSIS), not to exceed one page, which 
provides:
    (1) A description of the population to be served.
    (2) A summary of the services to be provided.
    (3) A description of the coordination planned with the appropriate 
State and local health agencies.
    It is also permissible to substitute the Project Abstract in place 
of the PHSIS.

[[Page 68636]]

    Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995: Data collection requirements have 
been approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and are in 
effect, as required under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (OMB No. 
0915-0272).
    Executive Order 12372: The MCH Federal Set-Aside program has been 
determined to not be a program which is subject to the provisions of 
Executive Order 12372 concerning intergovernmental review of Federal 
programs.

    Dated: November 28, 2003.
Elizabeth M. Duke,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 03-30597 Filed 12-5-03; 12:05 pm]
BILLING CODE 4165-15-P