[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 224 (Wednesday, November 22, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 81381-81385]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-25820]


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ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION


Help America Vote College Program

AGENCY: Election Assistance Commission.

ACTION: Notice of funding opportunity.

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SUMMARY: Through this Notice, EAC is announcing the fiscal year (FY) 
2023 Help America Vote College Program (HAVCP) Notice of Funding 
Opportunity (NOFO).

DATES: Proposals must be submitted no later than 11:59 p.m. eastern 
time on Monday, December 18, 2023.

ADDRESSES: Proposals must be submitted to https://www.Grants.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Election Assistance Commission Office 
of Grants Management, Risa Garza, (202) 740-1483, or at [email protected].

A. Program Description

    Assistance Listing Number: 90.400.
    Funding Opportunity Number: EAC-23-001.
    Funding Opportunity Title: Help America Vote College Program Poll 
Worker Grant Program.
    1. Purpose of the Program. The Help America Vote College Program 
(HAVCP) was established in 2004, and through fiscal year 2009, 
distributed over $2.3 million to colleges and non-profits to recruit, 
train and support students serving as poll workers on Election Day.
    The purpose of this grant program is to: (1) Encourage students 
enrolled at institutions of higher education (including community 
colleges) to assist State and local governments in the administration 
of elections by serving as nonpartisan poll workers or assistants; (2) 
Encourage college students to become cognizant of the elections process 
and civic education, and to assist in the administration of elections 
in their community; and (3) Encourage state and local governments to 
use the services of the students participating in the program.
    College Student means any individual enrolled either on a part-time 
or full-time basis in any undergraduate, graduate, or professional 
college accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of 
Education in the United States.
    2. Statutory and Regulatory Authority. The U.S. Election Assistance 
Commission (EAC) anticipates the availability of $1 million dollars in 
discretionary grant funding, enacted in the 2023 Consolidated 
Appropriations Act (Pub. L. No: 117-328), to support the Help America 
Vote College Program (HAVCP) authorized in the Help America Vote Act of 
2002 (HAVA), Public Law 107-252, Title V, Help America Vote College 
Program. Awards will be administered by the EAC.
    3. Performance Measurements. Grant recipients will be required to 
report on one to three performance measures, one required universal 
measure and one to two optional measures selected by the applicant. 
Every recipient must report on the number of college students served. 
Selected performance measures should accurately reflect grant 
recipients' accomplishments, improve EAC's ability to report on the 
impact of its grant programs, and standardize measures across programs 
where appropriate.
    Applicants must provide specific details about the procedures for 
tracking performance outcome measures and other participant data, such 
as demographic information and training

[[Page 81382]]

provided, and describe staffing, technology, computer applications, and 
other resources already available to accomplish this task. Applicants 
should also provide a specific plan for procuring the resources needed 
to meet this requirement if the resources are not already possessed by 
or accessible to the applicant.
    Applicants are encouraged to align their goals with specific 
activities. Sample activities may include project administration and 
ramp-up; partnership engagement, outreach, and recruitment; enrollment 
and training; poll-worker placement; and follow-up with students to 
track outcomes.
    For planning purposes, the applicant should identify key 
deliverables and the timeframe for achieving each deliverable, 
including any milestones to indicate the progression of activities. The 
applicant should also provide the name of the lead or supporting 
institution engaged in each activity or producing each deliverable, 
including any partner organizations.

B. Federal Award Information

Poll-Worker Program

    Funding Instrument: Discretionary.
    Award Minimum: $45,000.
    Award Maximum: $100,000.
    Grant Period: 2 Years.
    Anticipated Funding Available: $850,000.
    1. Funding Type. Funding will be provided in the form of a 
discretionary grant. EAC will authorize the Treasury Department to 
disburse funding identified in the agreement through the Payment 
Management System (PMS) to the applicant as an advance to be drawdown 
as expenses arise. Per 2 CFR 200, the timing and amount of advance 
payments must be as close as is administratively feasible to the actual 
disbursements by the non-federal entity for direct program or project 
costs and the proportionate share of any allowable indirect costs. The 
non-federal entity must make timely payment to contractors in 
accordance with the contract provisions. Grantees will be able to 
request payments as often as practical for their program. Cash and in-
kind match expenditures require the same documentation as federal funds 
under 2 CFR 200. Grantees must request a drawdown of funds for incurred 
costs using the electronic Payment Management System (PMS). Prior to 
initial drawdown of funds, all Grantees must have secured online access 
to Payment Management System and EAC's grants management software.

C. Eligibility Information

    1. Eligible Applicants. EAC encourages applicants to forge robust 
partnerships to implement the grant and to sustain activities beyond 
the grant period of performance. The recommended partners for the HAVCP 
are institutions of higher education as defined in section 101(a) of 
the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001); Nonprofit 
Organizations; Community and Technical Colleges and Systems; 
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs); Hispanic-Serving 
Institutions (HSIs); Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs); State and 
Local Election Offices; and Other Minority Serving Institutions Program 
(MSIs) as designated by the Higher Education Act's Title III and V 
funding.
    Priority Consideration. All selection criteria and application 
quality being equal, EAC will give priority consideration to projects 
from institutions and organizations that engage historically 
underrepresented groups, as defined by the federal government as poll 
workers.
    2. Cost Sharing or Matching. At the time of award, applicants must 
demonstrate either cash and/or in-kind and on-hand and/or commitments, 
or a combination thereof, to meet the required 10 percent match, based 
on the amount of federal grant funds requested. Match must be met by 
the project end period.
    EAC encourages applicants to leverage additional resources beyond 
the required match to supplement grant activities. Both matching and 
leveraged resources can come from a variety of sources, including, but 
not limited to the private sector (e.g., businesses or industry 
associations); the philanthropic community (e.g., foundations); and the 
non-profit sector (e.g., community organizations or education and 
training institutions). Non-federal, public-sector funds (e.g., from 
States or local governments) may be used for matching funds, if 
necessary. Federal funds from other federal agencies are not a 
permissible source of match, unless specifically authorized by the 
award pursuant to 2 CFR 200.306. Applicants may consult with EAC on 
sources of match to determine permissibility.
    3. Other Requirements/Limitations. Applicants may not use any part 
of an award from the EAC to fund religious instruction, worship or 
proselytizing, voter registration, get out the vote (GOTV) drives, or 
other political activities that could be construed as lobbying. Project 
funds must be used for tasks and activities carried out without 
partisan bias and without promoting any political point of view 
regarding any election issue or candidates.
    Applications that propose voter registration or GOTV efforts will 
be considered non-responsive and will not be eligible for funding under 
this announcement.
    Grantees may recover indirect costs under this grant up to 10 
percent of the total federal share of the grant. If an applicant has an 
approved federal indirect cost rate higher than 10 percent, the 
remainder of the indirect costs can be used as a matching contribution.
    Any organization described in section 501(c)(4) of the Internal 
Revenue Code of 1986, 26 U.S.C. 501(c)(4) that engages in lobbying 
activities is not eligible to apply.
    The applicant nor its principals cannot be presently debarred, 
suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily 
excluded from participation in this transaction by any federal 
department or agency. Federal regulations prohibit supplanting of 
funds, such as replacing routine and/or existing state or local 
expenditures with the use of federal grant funds and/or using federal 
grant funds for cost of activities that constitute general expenses 
required to carry out the overall responsibilities of state or local 
government.

D. Application and Submission Information

    1. Address to Request Application Package. The FY 2023 HAVCP 
Application Kit, copies of necessary forms and samples, and the program 
regulations are available at https://www.eac.gov/grants/help-america-vote-college-program.
    Application information is also available at https://www.grants.gov/.
    2. Content and Form of Application Submission. The deadline for 
receipt of applications is 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, December 
18, 2023. Please submit an email stating your intent to apply to [email protected]. This notice of intent is not required but helps EAC better 
plan the review of applications.
    Submit the following application components as uploads to the 
Grants.gov Attachments Form:
 HAVCP Application--Fillable form including Project Narrative 
and Budget Narrative
 Budget Worksheet
 Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (if applicable)
    EAC urges applicants to create accounts and submit their Grants.gov 
submissions prior to the due date with sufficient time to correct any 
errors and resubmit by the submission deadline if a rejection 
notification is received.

[[Page 81383]]

    To be considered timely, the full application must be submitted in 
Grants.gov by the application deadline. Failure to begin the SAM.gov or 
Grants.gov registration process in sufficient time (i.e., waiting until 
the date identified in this solicitation) is not an acceptable reason 
for late submission. EAC uses Grants.gov to submit and receive 
applications. Applicants must ensure successful submission no later 
than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, December 18, 2023. Grants.gov 
will subsequently validate the application. The process can be 
complicated and time-consuming. You are strongly advised to initiate 
the process as soon as possible and to plan for time to resolve 
technical problems. Note that validation does not mean that your 
application has been accepted as complete or has been accepted for 
review by the agency. Rather, Grants.gov verifies only the submission 
of certain parts of an application.
    3. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM). 
(a) At the time of application, each applicant must have an active 
registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) before submitting 
its application in accordance with 2 CFR part 25, Universal Identifier 
and System for Award Management. To register in SAM, entities will be 
required to obtain and create a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). 
Instructions for obtaining the UEI are available at https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration.
    (b) Each applicant must maintain an active SAM registration, with 
current, accurate, and complete information, at all times during which 
it has an active federal award or an application under consideration by 
a federal awarding agency.
    (c) Each applicant must ensure they complete the Financial 
Assistance General Representations and Certifications in SAM.
    (d) Applicants must provide a valid UEI in its application, unless 
determined exempt under 2 CFR 25.110, Exceptions.
    (e) The Agency will not make an award until the applicant has 
complied with all SAM requirements including providing the UEI. If an 
applicant has not fully complied with the requirements by the time the 
Agency is ready to make an award, the Agency may determine that the 
applicant is not qualified to receive a federal award and use that 
determination as a basis for making a federal award to another 
applicant.
    4. Submission Dates and Times. The deadline for receipt of 
applications is 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, December 18, 2023. 
Please submit an email stating your intent to apply to [email protected]. 
This notice of intent is not required but helps EAC better plan the 
review of applications.
    See Section (2) Content and Form of Application Submission for 
detailed submission requirements.
    5. Intergovernmental Review. Executive Order 12372, 
``Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs,'' is not required for 
this program.
    6. Funding Restrictions. Applications must be for eligible purposes 
described in this Notice.
    7. Other Submission Requirements. Applications must be submitted 
electronically at Grants.gov. To request an accessible, hard copy of 
the application, please contact the EAC at [email protected].
    Interested applicants should submit an email by [email protected] 
stating your organization's intent to apply. This notice of intent is 
not required but helps us better plan the review of applications.

E. Application Review Information

    1. Criteria. All complete and eligible applications will be 
evaluated and scored based on the criteria outlined in this section.
    The review and selection process are intended to produce a 
diversified set of high-quality programs that represent the priorities 
described in this Notice. The determinations made by the EAC may be 
different from what the applicant self-determined upon submission of 
its application. The stages of the review and selection process follow:
    The EAC will conduct an initial Compliance and Eligibility Review 
to determine if an application meets the eligibility requirements 
published in this Notice and advances to the next stage of the review 
process.
    An application is compliant if the applicant:
 is an eligible organization,
 submitted an application by the submission deadline, and
 requested federal funds in the range provided by the Notice.
    Reviewing for eligibility is intended to ensure that only 
applications eligible for award are further reviewed. However, 
determinations of eligibility can take place at any point during the 
application review and selection process. Applicants that are 
determined to be ineligible will not receive an award.
    2. Review and Selection Process. The EAC will assess the 
applications based on the Program Design/Strategy, Organizational 
Capability, and Budget selection criteria using the scoring rubric 
below. The EAC will also consider the priorities and strategic 
considerations detailed in this Notice. All staff reviewing 
applications will be screened for conflicts of interest. Final funding 
decisions will be made by the Election Assistance Commission.

HAVCP Scoring Criteria

    Total Points Available: 100.
    Each application is scored by three staff members. Average scores 
and priority points are used to present recommendations to the Election 
Assistance Commission Executive Director and Commissioners.
    Program Design and Strategy (Possible Points: 50)
    Successful applications will address the following elements of 
program design and strategy:
     A sound and relevant program that meets the unique needs 
of the communities served;
     A clear description of the tools used to measure program 
outcomes and how data will be collected and used to modify and improve 
strategies, products, and services;
     The applicant's approach and expertise in using innovative 
solutions to implement new or expand existing efforts to increase the 
number of college poll workers, including efforts focused on recruiting 
historically underrepresented individuals as poll workers;
     The extent to which the proposed program considers 
information found in EAC's Guidebook for Recruiting College Poll 
Workers; and
     The scope of the project, including the number of targeted 
college poll workers.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
              Possible points                         Criteria
------------------------------------------------------------------------
41-50.....................................  Clearly and completely
                                             addresses all 5 criteria.
31-40.....................................  Addresses 4 out of 5
                                             criteria and/or missing
                                             some elements of clarity or
                                             completeness.
21-30.....................................  Addresses 3 out of 5
                                             criteria and/or missing
                                             some elements of clarity or
                                             completeness.
11-20.....................................  Addresses 2 out of 5
                                             criteria and/or is
                                             confusing or incomplete.
0-10......................................  Meets 0-1 out of the 5
                                             required criteria and
                                             missing significant
                                             descriptions and clarity.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Organizational Capacity (Possible Points: 35)

[[Page 81384]]

    Successful applications will address the following elements of 
organizational capacity:
     Demonstrated relationships/partnerships with relevant 
state and local entities needed to make the project successful;
     Ability to manage a federal grant as evidenced by previous 
federal grants experience or similar size and complexity grant;
     Experience with managing volunteer recruitment efforts 
including experience working with historically underrepresented groups, 
as defined by the federal government, within the college student body, 
as appropriate for the proposed program model; and
     Experience of the organization and staff as evidenced by 
brief staff biographies and other past organizational programs.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
              Possible points                         Criteria
------------------------------------------------------------------------
25-35.....................................  Clearly and completely meets
                                             all 4 criteria.
17-24.....................................  Addresses 3 out of 4
                                             criteria and/or some areas
                                             of experience are weak or
                                             missing information.
9-16......................................  Addresses 2 out of 4
                                             criteria and/or is
                                             confusing or incomplete.
                                             Lacking significant
                                             partnerships and
                                             experience.
0-8.......................................  Meets 0-1 out of the 4
                                             required criteria and does
                                             not have the experience or
                                             partnerships necessary to
                                             manage a federal grant
                                             program.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Budget/Cost Effectiveness (Possible Points: 15)
    Successful applications will address the following elements of 
budget and cost effectiveness:
     Costs are clearly justified based on the proposed 
activities and project scope;
     Budget and budget narrative are accurate and complete (See 
Appendix C); and
     Cost sharing is clearly and accurately identified.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
              Possible points                         Criteria
------------------------------------------------------------------------
11-15.....................................  Clearly and completely meets
                                             all 3 criteria.
6-10......................................  Addresses 2 out of 3
                                             criteria and/or contains
                                             some calculation errors.
0-5.......................................  Addresses 1 out of 3
                                             criteria and/or is
                                             confusing or incomplete.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Priority Consideration. All selection criteria and application 
quality being equal, EAC will give priority consideration to projects 
from institutions and organizations that engage historically 
underrepresented groups, as defined by the federal government, as poll 
workers.
    (a) The term ``equity'' means the consistent and systematic fair, 
just, and impartial treatment of all individuals, including individuals 
who belong to underserved communities that have been denied such 
treatment, such as Black, Latino, and Indigenous and Native American 
persons, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and other persons of 
color; members of religious minorities; lesbian, gay, bisexual, 
transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) persons; persons with disabilities; 
persons who live in rural areas; and persons otherwise adversely 
affected by persistent poverty or inequality.
    (b) The term ``underserved communities'' refers to populations 
sharing a particular characteristic, as well as geographic communities, 
that have been systematically denied a full opportunity to participate 
in aspects of economic, social, and civic life, as exemplified by the 
list in the preceding definition of ``equity.'' Source
    3. Applicant Clarification. The EAC may ask applicants for 
clarifying information during the Clarification Stage of the review 
process. An Operational and Financial Management Survey will also be 
requested at this time. The EAC staff will use this information to make 
funding recommendations. A request for clarification does not guarantee 
an award. Applicants may be recommended for funding even if they are 
not asked for clarifying information. An applicant's failure to respond 
to a request for clarification adequately and in a timely manner may 
result in the removal of its application from consideration.
    4. Pre-Award Risk Assessment. The EAC staff will assess the risks 
posed by applicants to determine an applicant's ability to manage 
federal funds. This assessment is in addition to the Compliance and 
Eligibility Review and the Application Review. Results from this 
assessment will inform funding decisions. If the EAC determines that an 
award will be made to an applicant with assessed risks, special 
conditions that correspond to the degree of assessed risk may be 
applied to the award. Additionally, if the EAC concludes that the 
reasons for applicants having poor risk assessment are not likely to be 
mitigated, those applications may not be selected for funding.

F. Federal Award Notices

    Applicants will be notified in writing of the status of their 
application:
    (a) Eligible and selected for funding;
    (b) Eligible bur offered less than requested;
    (c) Eligible but not selected for funding; or
    (d) Ineligible for the award.
    Applicants who are awarded funding will receive a Notice of Grant 
Award from the EAC with award terms and conditions as well as other 
grant documents. The Notice will inform grantees of the effective date 
for grant activities and disbursement.
    1. Funding Type. Funding will be provided in the form of a 
discretionary grant. EAC will authorize the Treasury Department to 
disburse funding identified in the agreement through the Payment 
Management System (PMS) to the applicant as an advance to be drawdown 
as expenses arise. Per 2 CFR 200, the timing and amount of advance 
payments must be as close as is administratively feasible to the actual 
disbursements by the non-federal entity for direct program or project 
costs and the proportionate share of any allowable indirect costs. The 
non-federal entity must make timely payment to contractors in 
accordance with the contract provisions. Grantees will be able to 
request payments as often as practical for their program. Cash and in-
kind match expenditures require the same documentation as federal funds 
under 2 CFR 200. Grantees must request a drawdown of funds for incurred 
costs using the electronic Payment Management System (PMS). Prior to 
initial drawdown of funds, all Grantees must have secured online access 
to Payment Management System and EAC's grants management software.
    2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements. EAC Terms and 
Conditions. All awards made under this Notice will be subject to the 
EAC's General Terms and Conditions and the Program-Specific Terms and 
Conditions for the program (where applicable). These Terms and 
Conditions contain detailed, mandatory compliance and reporting 
requirements. The full Terms and Conditions may be viewed on the EAC 
website here: https://www.eac.gov/grants/help-america-vote-college-program.
    3. Reporting. Recipients are required to provide federal financial 
reports (FFR) and progress reports (PR) semi-annually through EAC's 
web-based grants management system. All reports must be accurate, 
complete, and submitted on time.
    In addition, at the end of the award period, recipients must submit 
final

[[Page 81385]]

financial and progress reports that are cumulative over the entire 
award period and consistent with close-out requirements. The final 
reports are due 120 days after the performance period ends.
    Once the grant is awarded, recipients will be expected to have in 
place data collection and data management policies, processes, and 
practices that provide assurance they are reporting high quality 
performance measure data. Failure to submit accurate, complete, and 
timely required reports may affect the recipient's ability to secure 
future EAC funding.

G. Federal Awarding Agency Contact

    For general questions about this announcement, please contact the 
EAC Office of Grants Management at [email protected] or 202-734-0639. The 
program website also provides up to date contact information at https://www.eac.gov/grants/help-america-vote-college-program.

H. Other Information

    1. Paperwork Reduction Act. In accordance with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 35), the information 
collection requirements associated with the programs, as covered in 
this Notice, have been approved by the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) under OMB Control Number 3265-0025. Public burden reporting for 
this collection of information is estimated to average 17 hours per 
response for individuals completing all parts of this form, including 
time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, 
gathering, and maintaining the data needed, and completing and 
reviewing the collection of information. You are not required to 
respond to these questions unless this number is displayed. Send 
comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of this 
collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this 
burden, U.S. Election Assistance Commission, 633 3rd Street NW, Suite 
200, Washington, DC 20001.
    2. Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act. All 
applicants, in accordance with 2 CFR part 25, must be registered in SAM 
and have a UEI number as stated in Section D.3. of this Notice. All 
recipients of federal financial assistance are required to report 
information about first-tier sub-awards and executive total 
compensation in accordance with 2 CFR part 170, Reporting subaward and 
executive compensation information.
    3. Issuance of Federal Awards. The Election Assistance Commission 
is not obligated to make any federal awards as a result of this 
announcement.
    4. EAC Terms and Conditions. All awards made under this Notice will 
be subject to the EAC's General Terms and Conditions and the Program-
Specific Terms and Conditions for the program (where applicable). These 
Terms and Conditions contain detailed, mandatory compliance and 
reporting requirements.
    5. Effects of Nondisclosure. The information requested is 
voluntary; however, to be a recipient of this grant program, disclosure 
of personal or sensitive information is required to receive federal 
benefits.
    6. Use of Material. To ensure that materials generated with HAVA 
funding are available to the public and readily accessible to 
recipients and non-recipients, the EAC reserves a royalty-free, 
nonexclusive, and irrevocable right to obtain, use, modify, reproduce, 
publish, or disseminate publications and materials produced under the 
award, including data, and to authorize others to do so (2 CFR 
200.315).
    7. Uniform Guidance. All awards made under this Notice will be 
subject to the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, 
and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (Uniform Guidance), in 2 CFR 
part 200.
    8. Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act. Grant 
recipients will be required to report at www.FSRS.gov on all subawards 
over $30,000 and may be required to report on executive compensation 
for recipients and subrecipients. Recipients must have the necessary 
systems in place to collect and report this information. See 2 CFR part 
170 for more information and to determine how these requirements apply.

Camden Kelliher,
Deputy General Counsel, U.S. Election Assistance Commission.
[FR Doc. 2023-25820 Filed 11-21-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4810-71-P