[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 60 (Wednesday, March 30, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16288-16290]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-6272]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES


Announcement of Availability of Funds for Adolescent Family Life 
(AFL) Demonstration Projects

AGENCY: Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the 
Secretary.

ACTION: Notice; modification.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Adolescent Pregnancy Programs (OAPP) of the 
Office of Population Affairs (OPA) published a notice in the Federal 
Register of February 2, 2005, Doc. 70-5536, Part III, announcing the 
availability of funds for Adolescent Family Life (AFL) Demonstration 
Projects. Since that time, the Office of Public Health and Science 
(OPHS) has begun to participate with the government-wide grants 
initiative referred to as ``Grants.gov Find and Apply.''

DATES: As of March 30, 2005, OPHS will begin to accept competitive 
electronic applications submitted through the Grants.gov website portal 
for this funding announcement. Competitive applications submitted 
through Grants.gov will be electronically transferred from the 
Grants.gov Web site portal to the OPHS eGrants system for processing.
    To receive consideration applications must be received according to 
the submission requirements stated below.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Modification: Information regarding OPHS' 
acceptance of electronic grant application submissions via the OPHS 
eGrants system, as well as information regarding participation with 
Grants.gov is contained in the following modified OPHS Competitive 
Application Submission Policies.

Office of Public Health and Science

Competitive Application Submission Policies

Submission Mechanisms
    The Office of Public Health and Science (OPHS) provides multiple 
mechanisms for the submission of applications, as described in the 
following sections. Applicants will receive notification via mail from 
the OPHS Office of Grants Management

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confirming the receipt of applications submitted using any of these 
mechanisms. Applications submitted to the OPHS Office of Grants 
Management after the deadlines described below will not be accepted for 
review. Applications which do not conform to the requirements of the 
grant announcement will not be accepted for review and will be returned 
to the applicant.
    Applications may only be submitted electronically via the 
electronic submission mechanisms specified below. Any applications 
submitted via any other means of electronic communication, including 
facsimile or electronic mail, will not be accepted for review. While 
applications are accepted in hard copy, the use of the electronic 
application submission capabilities provided by the OPHS eGrants system 
or the Grants.gov Website Portal is encouraged.
Electronic Submissions via the OPHS eGrants System
    The OPHS electronic grants management system, eGrants, provides for 
applications to be submitted electronically. Information about this 
system is available on the OPHS eGrants Web site, https://egrants.osophs.dhhs.gov, or may be requested from the OPHS Office of 
Grants Management at 301-594-0758.
    The body of the application and required forms can be submitted 
using the OPHS eGrants system. In addition to electronically submitted 
materials, applicants are required to submit a hard copy of the 
application face page (Standard Form 424) with the original signature 
of 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. If required, applicants 
will also need to submit a hard copy of the Standard Form LLL and/or 
certain Program related forms with the original signature of an 
individual authorized to act for the applicant agency or organization. 
The application will not be considered complete until both the 
electronic application components submitted via the OPHS eGrants system 
and any hard copy materials or original signatures are received.
    Electronic grant application submissions must be submitted via the 
OPHS eGrants system no later than 5 p.m. Eastern Time on April 4, 2005. 
All required hardcopy original signatures and mail-in items must be 
received by the OPHS Office of Grants Management no later than 5 p.m. 
Eastern Time on April 5, 2005.
    Applications will not be considered valid until all electronic 
application components, hardcopy original signatures, and mail-in items 
are received by the OPHS Office of Grants Management according to the 
deadlines specified above. Any application submitted electronically 
after 5 p.m. Eastern Time on April 4, 2005 will be considered late and 
will be deemed ineligible. Failure of the applicant to submit all 
required hardcopy original signatures and required mail-in items to the 
OPHS Office of Grants Management by 5 p.m. Eastern Time on April 5, 
2005 will result in the electronic application being deemed ineligible.
    Upon completion of a successful electronic application submission, 
the OPHS eGrants system will provide the applicant with a confirmation 
page indicating the date and time (Eastern Time) of the electronic 
application submission. This confirmation page will also provide a 
listing of all items that constitute the final application submission 
including all electronic application components, required hardcopy 
original signatures, and mail-in items, as well as the mailing address 
of the OPHS Office of Grants Management where all required hard copy 
materials must be submitted.
    As items are received by the OPHS Office of Grants Management, the 
electronic application status will be updated to reflect the receipt of 
mail-in items. It is recommended that the applicant monitor the status 
of their application in the OPHS eGrants system to ensure that all 
signatures and mail-in items are received.
    Applicants are encouraged to initiate electronic applications early 
in the application development process, and to submit early on the due 
date or before. This will aid in addressing any problems with 
submissions prior to the application deadline.
Electronic Submissions via the Grants.gov Website Portal
    The Grants.gov Website Portal provides for applications to be 
submitted electronically. Information about this system is available on 
the Grants.gov Web site, http://www.grants.gov.
    The body of the application and required forms can be submitted 
using the Grants.gov Website Portal. Grants.gov allows the applicant to 
download and complete the application forms at any time, however, it is 
required that organizations successfully complete the necessary 
registration processes in order to submit the application to 
Grants.gov.
    In addition to electronically submitted materials, applicants may 
be required to submit hard copy signatures for certain Program related 
forms, or original materials as required by the announcement. It is 
imperative that the applicant review both the grant announcement, as 
well as the application guidance provided within the Grants.gov 
application package, to determine such requirements. Any required hard 
copy materials, or documents that require a signature, excluding the 
standard forms included in the Grants.gov application package (e.g., 
Standard Form 424 Face Page, Standard Assurances and Certifications 
(Standard Form 424B, and Standard Form LLL) must be submitted 
separately via mail to the OPHS Office of Grants Management, and, if 
required, must contain the original signature of 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.
    Electronic grant application submissions must be submitted via the 
Grants.gov Website Portal no later than 5 p.m. Eastern Time on April 4, 
2005. All required hardcopy original signatures and mail-in items must 
be received by the OPHS Office of Grants Management no later than 5 
p.m. Eastern Time on April 5, 2005.
    Applications will not be considered valid until all electronic 
application components, hardcopy original signatures, and mail-in items 
are received by the OPHS Office of Grants Management according to the 
deadlines specified above. Any application submitted electronically via 
the Grants.gov Website Portal after 5 p.m. Eastern Time on April 4, 
2005 will be considered late and will be deemed ineligible. Failure of 
the applicant to submit all required hardcopy original signatures or 
materials to the OPHS Office of Grants Management by 5 p.m. Eastern 
Time on April 5, 2005 will result in the electronic application being 
deemed ineligible.
    Upon completion of a successful electronic application submission 
via the Grants.gov Website Portal, the applicant will be provided with 
a confirmation page from Grants.gov indicating the date and time 
(Eastern Time) of the electronic application submission, as well as the 
Grants.gov Receipt Number. It is critical that the applicant print and 
retain this confirmation for their records, as well as a copy of the 
entire application package.
    All applications submitted via the Grants.gov Web site Portal will 
be validated by Grants.gov. Any

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applications deemed ``Invalid'' by the Grants.gov Web site Portal will 
not be transferred to the OPHS eGrants system, and OPHS has no 
responsibility for any application that is not validated and 
transferred to OPHS from the Grants.gov Website Portal. Grants.gov will 
notify the applicant regarding the application validation status. Once 
the application is successfully validated by the Grants.gov Website 
Portal, applicants should immediately mail all required hard copy 
materials to the OPHS Office of Grants Management to be received by the 
deadlines specified above. It is critical that the applicant clearly 
identify the Organization name and Grants.gov Application Receipt 
Number on all hard copy materials.
    Once the application is validated by Grants.gov, it will be 
electronically transferred to the OPHS eGrants system for processing. 
Upon receipt of both the electronic application from the Grants.gov 
Website Portal, and the required hardcopy mail-in items, applicants 
will receive notification via mail from the OPHS Office of Grants 
Management confirming the receipt of the application submitted using 
the Grants.gov Web site Portal.
    Applicants are encouraged to initiate electronic applications via 
the Grants.gov Website Portal early in the application development 
process, and to submit early on the due date or before. This will aid 
in addressing any problems with submissions prior to the application 
deadline.
    Applicants should contact Grants.gov regarding any questions or 
concerns regarding the electronic application process conducted through 
the Grants.gov Website Portal.
Mailed or Hand-Delivered Hard Copy Applications
    Applications submitted in hard copy (via mail or hand-delivered) 
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.
    Mailed or hand-delivered applications will be considered as meeting 
the deadline if they are received by the OPHS Office of Grant 
Management, on or before 5 p.m. Eastern Time on April 4, 2005. The 
application deadline date requirement specified in this announcement 
supersedes the instructions in the OPHS-1. Applications that do not 
meet the deadline will be returned to the applicant unread.

ADDRESSES: Applications mailed or hand-delivered must be sent to the 
OPHS Office of Grants Management, 1101 Wootton Parkway, Suite 550, 
Rockville, Maryland, 20852. For further information contact 301-594-
0758.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: OAPP at 301-594-4004 or 
[email protected].

    Dated: March 14, 2005.
Alma L. Golden,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Population Affairs.
[FR Doc. 05-6272 Filed 3-29-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4150-30-P