[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 22 (Tuesday, February 3, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Page 4926]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2026-02180]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families

[Assistance Listing Number: 93.576]


Announcement of the Intent To Award an Unsolicited Cooperative 
Agreement to Global Refuge in Baltimore, Maryland

AGENCY: Refugee Program Bureau, Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), 
Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Department of Health 
and Human Services.

ACTION: Notice of Issuance of an Unsolicited Cooperative Agreement.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The ACF, ORR, Refugee Program Bureau announces the intent to 
award a cooperative agreement in the amount of up to $2,027,470 to 
Global Refuge in Baltimore, Maryland, to sustain the Immigrant and 
Refugee Information System (IRIS) platform to support ORR's Program of 
Initial Settlement. The funding will provide essential infrastructure 
for case placement, compliance reporting, and system integration across 
the program of initial resettlement.

DATES: The proposed period of performance is January 1, 2026, to 
September 29, 2026.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Miro Marinovich, Office of Refugee 
Resettlement, Administration for Children and Families, 330 C Street 
SW, Washington, DC 20201. Telephone: (202) 729-3638; Email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Global Refuge submitted an unsolicited 
proposal to ORR requesting support to maintain the IRIS platform 
through Fiscal Year 2026. IRIS is a national case management and 
reporting system used by seven resettlement agencies and hundreds of 
local offices. The system assists refugees in resettling in the United 
States by providing essential infrastructure for case placement; 
assurance tracking; compliance reporting; and interoperability with the 
START system used by the Department of State Bureau of Populations, 
Refugees, and Migration (PRM), ORR's Refugee Arrivals Data System 
database, and the International Organization for Migration's MiMosa 
system.
    PRM funding for IRIS concluded in 2025. Global Refuge's 
qualifications are unique because it designed, built, and currently 
maintains IRIS. Without successor funding, system operations would be 
at risk, creating potential nationwide disruptions to refugee case 
processing, data continuity, and required federal reporting. Global 
Refuge states that maintaining IRIS in its current form is necessary to 
ensure uninterrupted resettlement operations during this transition 
period.
    The proposal requests up to $2,027,470 in core funding to support 
system hosting, maintenance, essential personnel, security compliance, 
and continued interoperability with federal partners.
    IRIS currently supports federal partners and consequently the 
refugees they serve by providing standardized data exports, assurance 
tracking, Reception and Placement report generation, and audit-ready 
compliance reporting. National and local resettlement agencies rely on 
the platform for case management, service tracking, and secure handling 
of personally identifiable information. Global Refuge notes that its 
capacity to sustain these activities is not possible without continued 
federal support.
    ORR reviewed the proposal and considered the mission-critical role 
IRIS plays in supporting nationwide resettlement operations, the 
essential reporting and data integration functions it provides, and the 
operational risks associated with disruption. Continued support would 
allow ORR to maintain stable processing and reporting functions while 
evaluating longer-term data management needs for refugee programs.
    Statutory Authority: The statutory authority for funding this 
application is section 412(c)(1) of the Immigration and Nationality Act 
(INA), 8 U.S.C. 1522(c)(1). The cooperative agreement benefits refugees 
by assisting resettlement agencies and their affiliates in complying 
with sections 412(b)(1), (7) and (8) of the INA, 8 U.S.C. 1522(b)(1), 
(7) and (8).

Elizabeth Leo,
Policy Branch Chief, Office of Grants Policy, Office of Administration.
[FR Doc. 2026-02180 Filed 2-2-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-89-P