[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 12 (Thursday, January 19, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3441-3442]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-00910]


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LEGAL SERVICES CORPORATION


Notice of Availability of Calendar Year 2023 Competitive Grant 
Funds for the Technology Initiative Grant Program

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 2023 
Technology Initiative Grants (TIGs), and for applying under TIG 
categories that do not require pre-applications. Pre-Applications must 
be submitted electronically via LSC's unified grants management system, 
GrantEase.

DATES: The deadline to submit a Pre-Application is 11:59 p.m. Eastern 
Standard Time on Friday, March 10, 2023.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David Bonebrake, Program Counsel for 
Technology, 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. The TIG program also supports effective technology 
planning and management at LSC-funded organizations through the use of 
targeted assessment grants focused on improvements to technology 
systems and information security.

II. Funding Opportunity 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 at 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 
859 grants totaling over $81 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. 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. (Applicants seeking 
continuation funding for their own existing TIG initiatives may wish to 
apply under the new Adoption, Expansion and Enhancement Grants category 
discussed below.)
    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 or their information security 
posture. The maximum funding amount for this category is $35,000.
    Technology Improvement Projects do not require a pre-application. 
LSC will open the application system and provide guidance for this 
project category by April 10, 2023. The application deadline for 
Technology Improvement Projects is May 19, 2023.
3. Adoption, Expansion, and Enhancement Grants
    In 2023, LSC is piloting a new category, called Adoption, 
Expansion, and Enhancement Grants, to provide continuation funding for 
those TIG projects that have moved beyond the proof-of-concept phase 
and demonstrated excellent results. This funding will allow successful 
TIG grantees to further build upon a specific project and its 
technologies, ensure that their TIG-funded work is effectively 
integrated into the service delivery system, and complete the project 
activities necessary to ensure the initiative's long-term success.
    Adoption, Expansion, and Enhancement Grants are available to 
current Technology Initiative Grant (TIG) recipients and to recipients 
of recently completed TIG projects. (Applicants seeking to enhance a 
non-TIG initiative or replicate another organization's project should 
apply under the General category.) There is not a pre-application for 
these proposals, but LSC encourages all prospective applicants to meet 
with their regional TIG program manager to discuss whether an Adoption, 
Expansion, and Enhancement grant may be a good fit. Applicants should 
be able to clearly demonstrate that their project was successful and 
that they have a reasonable plan for building on that success.
    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.
    Adoption, Expansion, and Enhancement Grants do not require a pre-
application. LSC will open the application system and provide guidance 
for this project category by April 10, 2023, and the application 
deadline is May 19, 2023.

[[Page 3442]]

D. Available Funds for 2023 Grants

    A total of $5 million is available for 2023 TIG awards. LSC will 
not designate fixed or estimated amounts for the three different 
funding categories and will make grant awards for the three categories 
within the total amount of funding available.

E. Grant Terms

    Applicants to the Technology Initiative Grant (TIG) program may 
propose grant terms between 12 and 36 months for general category 
projects and between 12 and 18 months for technology improvement 
projects. For the new Adoption, Expansion, and Enhancement category, 
the grant term is set at 24 months. The grant term for all TIGs is 
expected to commence on November 1, 2023.

III. Grant Application Process

A. Technology Initiative Grant Application Process

    The Technology Initiative Grant (TIG) application process will be 
administered in LSC's unified grants management system, GrantEase. 
Applicants in the General TIG category must first submit a pre-
application to LSC in GrantEase by March 10, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. ET, 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 
late-April 2023. Full applications are due to LSC in the GrantEase 
system on June 2, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. ET. 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.
    As noted above, applicants applying for Technology Improvement 
Project funding or in the new Adoption, Expansion, and Enhancement 
category are not required to submit pre-applications. LSC will launch 
the online application system for these categories by April 10, 2023, 
and set a submission deadline of May 19, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. ET. LSC 
follows a similar review process for applications in these categories, 
which includes LSC staff conducting a rigorous review of all proposals 
and the LSC president making final funding decisions.

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 whether it will consider late or incomplete applications on a 
case-by-case basis.

C. Multiple Pre-Applications

    Applicants may submit multiple pre-applications. If applying for 
multiple grants that require pre-applications, 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/technology-initiative-grant-program.

(Authority: 42 U.S.C. 2996g(e))

    Dated: January 12, 2023.
Stefanie Davis,
Senior Associate General Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2023-00910 Filed 1-18-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7050-01-P