[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 80 (Wednesday, April 28, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22466-22467]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-08439]


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LEGAL SERVICES CORPORATION


Request for Pre-Application for 2021 Technology Initiative Grants

AGENCY: Legal Services Corporation.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Legal Services Corporation (LSC) issues this notice 
describing the conditions for submitting a pre-application for 2021 
Technology Initiative Grants.

DATES: Pre-applications must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. EDT on Friday, 
May 14, 2021.

ADDRESSES: Pre-applications must be submitted electronically to https://grantease.lsc.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David Bonebrake, Program Counsel, 
Office of Program Performance, Legal Services Corporation, 3333 K 
Street NW, Washington, DC 20007; (202) 295-1547 or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Introduction

    Since 2000, Congress has provided an annual appropriation to LSC to 
award special funding for ``client self-help and information 
technology'' projects. LSC's Technology Initiative Grant (TIG) program 
funds technology tools that help achieve LSC's goal of increasing the 
quantity and quality of legal services available to eligible persons. 
Projects funded under the TIG program develop, test, and replicate 
innovative technologies that can enable grant recipients and state 
justice communities to improve low-income persons' access to high-
quality legal assistance through an integrated and well-managed 
technology system.

II. Funding Opportunities Information

A. Eligible Applicants

    To be eligible for Technology Initiative Grants, applicants must be 
current grantees of LSC Basic Field-General, Basic Field-Migrant, or 
Basic Field-Native American grants. In addition, applicants must 
receive basic field funding of a least a one-year term, be up to date 
on reporting on any existing TIG-funded projects, and not have had a 
previous TIG terminated in the past three years for reporting or other 
performance issues.

B. Technology Initiative Grant Purpose and Key Goals

    Since LSC's TIG program was established in 2000, LSC has made over 
775 grants totaling over $73 million. This grant program encourages 
organizations to use technology in innovative ways to:
    1. Effectively and efficiently provide high-quality legal 
assistance to low-income persons and to promote access to the judicial 
system through legal information, advice, and representation.
    2. Improve service delivery, quality of legal work, and management 
and administration of grantees.
    3. Develop, test, and replicate innovative strategies that can 
enable grantees and state justice communities to improve clients' 
access to high-quality legal assistance.

C. Area of Interest for the 2021 TIG Cycle

    The TIG program has one area of interest for the 2021 grant cycle: 
Projects That Enhance Information Security in Legal Services. 
Organizations operate in an increasingly complex technology environment 
where there is a significant risk of data breaches and unauthorized 
access to systems. This area of interest encourages applicants to 
consider creative and innovative technology solutions that can improve 
security for one or more legal services organizations. Specifically, 
LSC is interested in funding three types of security projects:
    (1) A national initiative focused on capacity building, security 
awareness, and general technical assistance for LSC-funded 
organizations across the United States. This project should include 
national trainings for program leadership and IT staff, development of 
model security policies, guidance on security considerations when 
engaging IT vendors, and broad security notices to the field of LSC 
grantees on emerging

[[Page 22467]]

threats and other security considerations. LSC anticipates awarding one 
large-scale, capacity-building TIG to complete this work at the 
national level. Applicants should plan on engaging IT security experts 
to help provide these services to LSC-funded providers across the 
country.
    (2) New and innovative solutions to address information security. 
These projects will introduce new and innovative approaches to address 
security challenges. While the TIG program cannot support basic 
security infrastructure--LSC grantees must use funding from field 
grants and other sources to cover these critical expenses--it can 
support new technologies or methods that enhance security for one or 
more legal services providers. This might include deploying new machine 
learning technology to prevent phishing and other intrusions or using a 
cloud or automated service to continually assess overall IT posture. 
Applicants in this category should explain how they are using new 
technologies and methods to enhance security and how these innovations 
would be replicable by other LSC grantees.
    (3) Security Assessments in Technology Improvement Projects. 
Applicants eligible for a Technology Improvement Project can add up to 
$10,000 to their funding request to ensure that security is adequately 
evaluated as part of an IT assessment. Please note that Technology 
Improvement Projects do not require a pre-application--LSC will open 
the application system for these projects by June 15, 2021.

D. Funding Categories

1. General Technology Initiative Grants
    Projects in this category (1) implement new or innovative 
approaches for using technology in legal services delivery; (2) enhance 
the effectiveness and efficiency of existing technologies so that they 
may be better used to increase the quality and quantity of services to 
clients; or (3) replicate, adapt, or provide added value to the work of 
prior technology projects. This includes, but is not limited to, the 
implementation and improvement of tested methodologies and technologies 
from previous TIG projects. We also encourage replication of proven 
technologies from non-LSC funded legal aid organizations as well as 
sectors outside the legal aid community. LSC recommends a minimum 
amount for funding requests in this category of $40,000, but projects 
with lower budgets will be considered. There is no maximum amount for 
TIG funding requests that are within the total appropriation for TIG. 
All applicants in this category must submit a pre-application according 
to the process and requirements outlined in this notice.
2. Technology Improvement Projects
    LSC recognizes that grantees need sufficient technology 
infrastructure in place before they can take on a more innovative TIG 
project, and this grant category is for applicants that need to improve 
their basic technology infrastructure. Only LSC grantees that have not 
received a TIG award in the last five years (since 2016) are eligible 
to apply for a Technology Improvement Project. LSC has increased the 
maximum amount for funding requests in this category from $25,000 to 
$35,000 so that applicants can incorporate information security reviews 
into their assessments.
    Please note that Technology Improvement Projects do not require a 
pre-application. LSC will open the application system and provide 
guidance for this category by June 15, 2021.

E. Available Funds and Additional Consideration for 2021 Grants

    LSC anticipates awarding up to $4,250,000 through TIG grants in 
2021. All awards are subject to the availability of appropriated funds 
and any modifications or additional requirements that may be imposed by 
law. LSC will not designate fixed or estimated amounts for the two 
different funding categories and will make grant awards for the two 
categories within the total amount of funding available.
    As mentioned above, proposals focused on innovative solutions for 
information security challenges will receive additional consideration 
in the application review process.

F. Grant Terms

    Applicants may propose grant terms between 12 and 36 months. LSC 
may instruct applicants to include additional time to the grant term 
for evaluation, final reporting, and financial reporting. Budgets 
submitted should be for the entire grant term.

III. Grant Application Process

A. Technology Initiative Grant (TIG) Application Process

    This year, the Technology Initiative Grant (TIG) application 
process will be administered in LSC's unified grants management system, 
GrantEase. Applicants must first submit a pre-application (formerly 
Letter of Intent to Apply for Funding or ``LOI'') to LSC in GrantEase 
by May 14, 2021, at 11:59 p.m. EDT, to be considered for a grant. After 
review by LSC staff, LSC's president decides which applicants will be 
asked to submit a full application. Applicants will be notified of 
approval to submit a full application by mid-June 2021. Full 
applications are due to LSC in the GrantEase system on August 6, 2021, 
at 11:59 p.m. EDT. Once received, full applications will undergo a 
rigorous review by LSC staff. LSC's president makes the final decisions 
on funding for the Technology Initiative Grant program.

B. Late or Incomplete Applications

    LSC may consider a request to submit a pre-application after the 
deadline, but only if the applicant has submitted an email to 
[email protected] explaining the circumstances that caused the delay 
prior to the pre-application deadline. Communication with LSC staff, 
including assigned program liaisons, is not a substitute for sending a 
formal request and explanation to [email protected]. At its 
discretion, LSC may consider incomplete applications. LSC will 
determine the admissibility of late or incomplete applications on a 
case-by-case basis.

C. Multiple Pre-Applications

    Applicants may submit multiple pre-applications under the same or 
different funding category. If applying for multiple grants, applicants 
should submit separate pre-applications for each funding request.

D. Additional Information and Guidelines

    Additional guidance and instructions on the pre-application and 
application processes for Technology Initiative Grants will be 
available and regularly updated at https://www.lsc.gov/grants-grantee-resources/our-grant-programs/tig.

    Dated: April 19, 2021.
Mark Freedman,
Senior Associate General Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2021-08439 Filed 4-27-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7050-01-P