Federal Agency Contact Name:

Administration for Children and Families, Family and Youth Services Bureau

Funding Opportunity Title:

Mentoring Children of Prisoners

Announcement Type:

Competitive Grant-Initial

Funding Opportunity Number:

HHS-2004-ACF-ACYF-CU-0001

CFDA Number:

93.616

Dates:

April 23, 2004

The Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) announces the availability of financial assistance and the request for applications for the FY 2004 Mentoring Children of Prisoners Program activities under section 439, Title IV-B, subpart 2 of the Social Security Act, as amended. The purpose of this program is to make competitive grants to applicants in urban, suburban, rural, and tribal populations with substantial numbers of children of incarcerated parents and to support the establishment or expansion of programs using a network of public and private entities to provide mentoring services to these children.

Background on Mentoring Children of Prisoners

Witnessing and living with the arrest and incarceration of a parent is devastating for children and families. The living conditions, family configurations, and problems faced by the parents make it likely that significant numbers of children of prisoners will suffer emotional and behavioral difficulties. Economic, social, and emotional burdens are often placed on families and caretakers, especially children. Family relationships are strained and any existing stability is compromised. As a result, the majority of these children experience multiple changes of caregivers and/or living arrangements.

What are the effects of incarceration on the child?

Research has found that long term physical absence of a parent has profound effects on child development. Children of incarcerated parents are seven times more likely to become involved in the juvenile and adult criminal justice systems. Parental arrest and confinement often lead to stress, trauma, stigmatization, and separation problems which may be compounded by existing poverty, violence, substance abuse, high-crime environments, child abuse and neglect, multiple caregivers, and/or prior separations. These children are more likely to develop attachment disorders and often exhibit broad varieties of behavioral, emotional, health, and educational problems. Many children of incarcerated parents are angry and lash out at others leading to confrontations with law enforcement. Lacking the support of families, schools, and other community institutions, they often do not develop values and social skills leading to the formation of successful relationships.

Who are the children?

Between 1991 and 1999, the number of children with a parent in a Federal or state correctional facility increased by more than 100 percent, from approximately 900,000 to approximately 2,000,000. Like their parents, children of criminal offenders reflect the racial differences of the incarcerated populations. Seven percent of African American children have an incarcerated parent; almost three percent of Hispanic children have an incarcerated parent, while less than one percent of white children have an incarcerated parent.

Who are the parents?

According to the 2001 national data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 3.5 million parents were supervised by the correctional system. Prior to incarceration, 64 percent of female prisoners and 44 percent of male prisoners in state facilities lived with their children. During incarceration nearly 90 percent of children of incarcerated fathers lived with their mothers and 79 percent of children of incarcerated mothers lived with a grandparent or other relative. Although research has indicated that parents and children should visit one another, less than 50 percent of prisoners receive visits from their children. In a number of cases, the caregiver may not allow the child to visit the inmate and prisons are often located far away from the urban areas where most children of prisoners live. According to the Bureau of Prisons, there is evidence to suggest that inmates who are connected to their children and families are more likely to avoid negative incidents and have reduced sentences.

Who are the mentors?

Mentors are recruited from a variety of sources including congregations, religious non-profit organizations, community-based organizations, service organizations, Senior Corps, and the business community. Research has shown that the health and productivity of mentors is enhanced by their connection to a child in need.

How can mentoring help?

It has been demonstrated that mentoring is a potent force for improving youth outcomes. Mentoring increases the likelihood of regular school attendance and academic achievement. It also decreases the chances of engaging in self-destructive or violent behavior. A trusting relationship with a caring adult will provide stability and often have a profound, life-changing effect on the child. Mentoring provides the incarcerated parent with the assurance that somebody is there to look after the best interests of their child.

What are possible outcomes?

Research confirms the societal benefits of mentoring efforts with children. Specifically, data indicates that mentoring programs have reduced first time drug use by almost 50 percent and first-time alcohol use by 33 percent. Also, caregiver and peer relationships are shown to improve. In addition, mentored youth displayed greater confidence in their schoolwork and improved their academic performance.

How are matches initiated and monitored?

Parents, incarcerated parents, caretakers, schools, courts, social service organizations, or congregations will identify children in need of a mentor and initiate the referral to a mentoring organization. The mentoring organization will facilitate and monitor the match by allowing parents and other stakeholders opportunities to provide feedback on the match. The mentoring organization will develop and distribute status reports to appropriate interested parties.

What happens when parents return home from prison?

Mentors are not meant to be “replacement parents.” In situations where incarcerated parents were actively engaged in the mentoring process, through visits, phone conversations or letters, reunification is a natural process with realistic expectations. Mentors can help facilitate a smooth reentry by helping parents reconnect with their child and are often invited to continue to be a supportive resource well after the return of the parent.

What is the Family and Youth Services Bureau?

For over 30 years, the Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) has provided grants at the local level to Community and Faith-based organizations serving a population of vulnerable youth, including runaway, homeless, and street youth.

DEFINITIONS

Children of Prisoners: Children, where one or both parents are incarcerated in a Federal, state or local correctional facility, on parole or on probation. A child whose parent is on parole or probation is eligible to participate in the mentoring program if the linkage is made while the parent is still incarcerated. Children of persons incarcerated in local facilities become eligible for the mentoring program only in the unfortunate instance that the parent is remanded to the custody of the state department of corrections, or the federal correctional systems. Children must be 4 years to 15 years of age from childhood to adolescence when they begin to receive services.

Mentoring: A structured, managed program in which children are appropriately matched with screened and trained adult volunteers for one-to-one relationships. This involves meetings and activities on a regular basis between the mentors and children to support a child’s need for a caring and supportive adult in his life.

Prisoner: Adult who is incarcerated in a Federal or state correctional facility or is being held in a local facility but is remanded to the custody of the state department of corrections or federal correctional system.

Caretaker: The parent or legal guardian charged with the responsibility of caring for a child while the parent is incarcerated.

Mentoring Organization: The Community or Faith-based organization that coordinates local entities participating in the provision of mentoring services and the mentoring support network. Mentoring organizations will be responsible for the application and performance of the grant. They also will be responsible for providing the cash or in-kind contribution.

Mentoring Services: Those services and activities that support a structured, managed program of mentoring, including the management by trained personnel of outreach to and screening of eligible children; outreach to, education, and training of and liaison with sponsoring local organizations; screening and training of adult volunteers; matching of children with suitable adult volunteer mentors; support and oversight of the mentoring relationship; and establishment of goals and evaluation of outcomes for mentored children.

a) Projects funded under this program must do the following things.

b) Incorporate the elements of Positive Youth Development by providing youth with:

c) Coordinate with partnering groups to develop a plan for the whole family:

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On June 27, 2003, the Office of Management and Budget published in the Federal Register a new Federal policy applicable to all Federal grant applicants. The policy requires all Federal grant applicants to provide a Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number when applying for Federal grants or cooperative agreements on or after October 1, 2003. The DUNS number will be required whether an applicant is submitting a paper application or using the government-wide electronic portal (http://www.Grants.gov). A DUNS number will be required for every application for a new award or renewal/continuation of an award, including applications or plans under formula, entitlement and block grant programs, submitted on or after October 1, 2003.

Please ensure that your organization has a DUNS number. You may acquire a DUNS number at no cost by calling the dedicated toll-free DUNS number request line on 1-866-705-5711 or you may request a number on-line at http://www.dnb.com.

Applications exceeding the $5,000,000 threshold will be returned without review.

Applications that fail to include the required amount of cost-sharing will be considered non-responsive and will not be eligible for funding under this announcement.

Program Guidance:

To be eligible for funding, a project must propose mentoring programs and activities to serve the children of prisoners in areas with a comparative severity of need for mentoring services, taking into consideration data on the numbers of children (particularly of low-income children) with an incarcerated parent (or parents/family) from the service delivery area.

Applicants are cautioned that the ceiling for individual awards is $5,000,000.

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1. Address to Request Application Package

ACYF Operations, The Dixon Group, ATTN: Sylvia Johnson, 118 Q Street, NE Washington, DC 20002-2132 Telephone: (866) 796-1591. E-mail address: FYSB@dixongroup.com

  
2. Content and Form of Application Submission

An original and two copies of the complete application are required. The original and 2 copies must include all required forms, certifications, assurances, and appendices, be signed by an authorized representative, have original signatures, and be submitted unbound. Applicants have the option of omitting from the application copies (not the original) specific salary rates or amounts for individuals specified in the application budget.

You may submit your application to us either in electronic or paper format. To submit an application electronically, please use the http://www.Grants.gov apply site. If you use Grants.Gov you will be able to download a copy of the application package, complete it off-line, and then upload and submit the application via the Grants.gov site. You may not e-mail an electronic copy of a grant application to us. Please note the following if you plan to submit your application electronically via Grants. Gov.

Application Requirements:

Each application must be submitted in accordance with the guidance provided below. a) The application must be signed by an individual authorized to act for the applicant agency and to assume responsibility for the obligations imposed by terms and conditions of the grant award. b) If more than one agency is involved in submitting a single application, one entity must be identified as the applicant organization that will have legal responsibility for the grant.

Forms and Certifications:

The project description should include all the information requirements described in the specific evaluation criteria outlined in the program announcement under Part V. In addition to the project description, the applicant needs to complete all the standard forms required for making applications for awards under this announcement. Applicants requesting financial assistance for non-construction projects must file the Standard Form 424B, "Assurances: Non-Construction Programs." Applicants must sign and return the Standard Form 424B with their applications. Applicants must provide a certification regarding lobbying when applying for an award in excess of $100,000. Applicants must sign and return the certification with their applications. Applicants must disclose lobbying activities on the Standard Form LLL when applying for an award in excess of $100,000. Applicants who have used non-Federal funds for lobbying activities in connection with receiving assistance under this announcement shall complete a disclosure form, if applicable, with their applications. The forms (Forms 424, 424A-B; and Certifications may be found at: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ofs/forms.htm . Fill out Standard Forms 424 and 424A and the associated certifications and assurances based on the instructions on the forms.

Private, non-profit organizations are encouraged to submit with their applications the survey located under “Grant Related Documents and Forms” titled “Survey for Private, Non-Profit Grant Applicants.” The forms are located on the web at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ofs/forms.htm .

Project Summary Abstract:

Provide a one page (or less) summary of the project description with reference to the funding request.

Full Project Description Requirements:

Describe the project clearly in 30 pages or less (not counting supplemental documentation, letters of support or agreements) using the following outline and guidelines. Applicants are required to submit a Full Project Description and must prepare the project description statement in accordance with the following instructions. The pages of the project description must be numbered and are limited to 30 typed pages starting on page 1 of “Objectives and Need of Assistance”. The description must be doubled-spaced, printed on only one side, with at least ½ inch margins. Pages over the limit will be removed from the competition and will not be reviewed.

It is in the applicant’s best interest to ensure that the project description is easy to read, logically developed in accordance with the evaluation criteria and adheres to page limitations. In addition, applicants should be mindful of the importance of preparing and submitting applications using language, terms, concepts and descriptions that are generally known by both the targeted youth and the broader youth services field. The maximum number of pages for supplemental documentation is 10 pages. The supplemental documentation, subject to the 10-page limit, must be numbered and might include brief resumes, position descriptions, proof of non-profit status (if applicable), news clippings, press releases, etc. Supplemental documentation over the 10-page limit will not be reviewed.

Applicants must include letters of support or agreement, if appropriate or applicable, in reference to the project description. Letters of support are not counted as part of the 30-page project description limit or the 10-page supplemental documentation limit. (Note: Applicable agreements are those between grantees and sub-grantees or sub-contractors or other cooperating entities which support or complement the provision of mandated services to children of prisoners.)

Application Assurances:

In addition to the standard assurances of safety, applicants must provide the following assurances:

3. Submission Dates and Times

The closing date for submission of applications is April 23, 2004. Mailed applications postmarked after the closing date will be classified as late.

Deadline: Mailed applications shall be considered as meeting an announced deadline if they are postmarked on or before April 23, 2004, or sent on or before the deadline date and received by ACF in time for the independent review. Applications must be mailed to the following address:
   ACYF Operations
   The Dixon Group
   ATTN: Sylvia Johnson
   118 Q Street, NE
   Washington, DC 20002-2132

Applicants must ensure that a legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark or a legibly dated, machine produced postmark of a commercial mail service is affixed to the envelope/package containing the application (s). To be acceptable as proof of a timely mailing, a postmark from a commercial mail service must include the logo/emblem of the commercial mail service company and must reflect the date the package was received by the commercial mail service company from the applicant. Private Metered postmarks shall not be acceptable as proof of timely mailing. Applicants are cautioned that express/overnight mail services do not always deliver as agreed.

Applications hand-carried by applicants, applicant couriers, or by other representatives of the applicant shall be considered as meeting an announced deadline if they are received on or before the deadline date, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., EST, at ACYF Operations, The Dixon Group, ATTN: Sylvia Johnson , 118 Q Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002-2132, between Monday and Friday (excluding Federal holidays). This address must appear on the envelope/package containing the application with the note "ATTN: Sylvia Johnson”. Applicants are cautioned that express/overnight mail services do not always deliver as agreed.

Late applications: Applications which do not meet the criteria above are considered late applications. ACF shall notify each late applicant that its application will not be considered in the current competition.

Extension of deadlines: ACF may extend application deadlines when circumstances such as acts of God (floods, hurricanes, etc.) occur, or when there are widespread disruptions of mails service. Determinations to extend or waive deadline requirements rest with the Chief Grants Management Officer.

Required Forms:

Additional Forms:
Private-non-profit organizations may submit with their applications the additional survey located under “Grant Related Documents and Forms” titled “Survey for Private, Non-Profit Grant Applicants”.

4. Intergovernmental Review

STATE SINGLE POINT OF CONTACT (SPOC)
This program is covered under Executive Order 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs," and 45 CFR Part 100, "Intergovernmental Review of Department of Health and Human Services Programs and Activities." Under the Order, States may design their own processes for reviewing and commenting on proposed Federal assistance under covered programs. As of June 20, 2001 , the following jurisdictions have elected not to participate in the Executive Order process. Applicants from these jurisdictions or for projects administered by federally- recognized Indian Tribes need take no action in regard to E.O. 12372:

All States and Territories except Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wyoming have elected to participate in the Executive Order process and have established Single Point of Contacts (SPOCs). Applicants from these twenty-five jurisdictions need take no action regarding Executive Order 12372.

Although the jurisdictions listed above no longer participate in the process, entities which have met the eligibility requirements of the program are still eligible to apply for a grant even if a State, Territory, Commonwealth, etc. does not have a SPOC. All remaining jurisdictions participate in the Executive Order process and have established SPOCs. Applicants from participating jurisdictions should contact their SPOCs as soon as possible to alert them about the prospective applications and receive instructions. Applicants must submit any required material to the SPOCs as soon as possible so that the program office can obtain and review SPOC comments as part of the award process. The applicant must submit all required materials, if any, to the SPOC and indicate the date of this submittal (or the date of contact if no submittal is required) on the Standard Form 424, item 16a. Under 45 CFR 100.8(a)(2), a SPOC has 60 days from the application deadline to comment on proposed new or competing continuation awards.

SPOCs are encouraged to eliminate the submission of routine endorsements as official recommendations. Additionally, SPOCs are requested to clearly differentiate between mere advisory comments and those official State process recommendations which may trigger the "accommodate or explain" rule.

Comments should be submitted directly to Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Grants Management, Division of Discretionary Grants, 370 L’Enfant Promenade, SW, Washington D.C., 20447. A list of the Single Points of Contact for each State and Territory is included with the application materials for this announcement.

5. Funding Restrictions

Applicants are cautioned that the ceiling for individual awards is $5,000,000. Applications exceeding the $5,000,000 threshold will be returned without review.

6. Other Submission Requirements

Submission by Mail: An Applicant must provide an original application with all attachments, signed by an authorized representative and two copies. The Application must be received at the address below by 5:00PM Eastern Standard Time on or before the closing date. Applications should be mailed to:
   ACYF Operations
   The Dixon Group
   ATTN: Sylvia Johnson
   118 Q Street, NW
   Washington, DC 20002-2132

For Hand Delivery: Applicant must provide an original application with all attachments, signed by an authorized representative and two copies. The Application must be received at the address below by 4:30 PM Eastern Standard Time on or before the closing date. Applications that are hand delivered will be accepted between the hours of 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Applications may be delivered to: ACYF Operations, The Dixon Group, ATTN: Sylvia Johnson, 118 Q Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002-2132. It is strongly recommended that applicants obtain documentation that the application was hand delivered on or before the closing date. Applicants are cautioned that express/overnight mail services do not always deliver as agreed.

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RESULTS OR BENEFITS EXPECTED

Identify the results and benefits to be derived. For example, when applying for a grant to serve children of incarcerated parents, describe who will receive services, where and how the services will be provided, and how the services will benefit the youth, their families and the community.

APPROACH

Outline a plan of action that describes the scope and detail of how the proposed work will be accomplished. Account for all functions or activities identified in the application. Cite factors that might accelerate or decelerate the work and state your reason for taking the proposed approach rather than others. Describe any unusual features of the project such as design or technological innovations, reductions in cost or time, or extraordinary social and community involvement. Provide quarterly reports of accomplishments achieved for each function or activity such as the number of people served and the number of activities achieved. When activity or function cannot quantify accomplishments, list them in chronological order to show the schedule of accomplishments and their target dates. If any data is to be collected, maintained, and/or disseminated, clearance may be required from the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB). This clearance pertains to any collection of information that is conducted or sponsored by ACF. List organizations, cooperating entities, consultants, or other key individuals who will work on the project along with a short description of the nature of their effort or contribution.

STAFF AND POSITION DATA AND ORGANIZATIONAL PROFILE

Provide a biographical sketch for each key person appointed and a job description for each vacant key position. A biographical sketch will also be required for new key staff as appointed. Provide information on the applicant organization(s) and cooperating partners such as organizational charts, financial statements, audit reports or statements from CPAs/Licensed Public Accountants, Employer Identification Numbers, names of bond carriers, contact persons and telephone numbers, child care licenses and other documentation of professional accreditation, information on compliance with Federal/State/local government standards, documentation of experience in the program area, and other pertinent information. Any nonprofit organization submitting an application must submit proof of its application at the time of submission. The nonprofit agency can accomplish this by providing a copy of the applicant’s listing in the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) most recent list of tax-exempt organizations described in Section 501(C)(3) of the IRS code, or by providing a copy of the articles of incorporation bearing the seal of the State in which the corporation or association is domiciled.

BUDGET AND BUDGET JUSTIFICATION

Provide line item detail and detailed calculations for each budget object class identified on the Budget Information form. Detailed calculations must include estimation methods, quantities, unit costs, and other similar quantitative detail sufficient for the calculation to be duplicated. The detailed budget must also include a breakout by the funding sources identified in Block 15 of the SF-424. Provide a narrative budget justification that describes how the categorical costs are derived. Discuss the necessity, reasonableness, and allocability of the proposed costs.

General
The following guidelines are for preparing the budget and budget justification. Both Federal and non-Federal resources shall be detailed and justified in the budget and narrative justification. For purposes of preparing the budget and budget justification, “Federal resources” refers only to the ACF grant for which you are applying. Non-Federal resources are all other Federal and non-Federal resources. It is suggested that budget amounts and computations be presented in a columnar format: first column, object class categories; second column, Federal budget; next column(s), non-Federal budget(s), and last column, total budget. The budget justification should be a narrative.

Personnel
Description: Costs of new employee salaries and wages.
Justification: Identify the project director or principal investigator, if known. For each staff person, provide the title, time commitment to the project (in months), time commitment to the project (as a percentage or full-time equivalent), annual salary, grant salary, wage rates, etc. Do not include the costs of consultants or personnel costs of delegate agencies or of specific project(s) or businesses to be financed by the applicant.

Fringe Benefits
Description: Costs of employee fringe benefits unless treated as part of an approved indirect cost rate.
Justification: Provide a breakdown of the amounts and percentages that comprise fringe benefit costs such as health insurance, FICA, retirement insurance, taxes, etc.

Travel
Description: Costs of project-related travel by employees of the applicant organization (does not include costs of consultant travel).
Justification: For each trip, show the total number of traveler(s), travel destination, duration of trip, per diem, mileage allowances, if privately owned vehicles will be used, and other transportation costs and subsistence allowances. Travel costs for key staff to attend ACF-sponsored workshops should be detailed in the budget.

Equipment
Description: “Equipment” means an article of nonexpendable, tangible personal property having a useful life of more than one year and an acquisition cost which equals or exceeds the lesser of (a) the capitalization level established by the organization for the financial statement purposes, or (b) $5,000. (Note: Acquisition cost means the net invoice unit price of an item of equipment, including the cost of modifications, attachments, accessories, or auxiliary apparatus necessary to make it usable for the purpose for which it is acquired. Ancillary charges, such as taxes, duty, protective in-transit insurance, freight, and installation shall be included in or excluded from acquisition cost in accordance with organization’s regular written accounting practices.)
Justification: For each type of equipment requested, provide a description of the equipment, the cost per unit, the number of units, the total cost, and a plan for use on the project, as well as use or disposal of the equipment after the project ends. An applicant organization that uses its own definition for equipment should provide a copy of its policy, which includes the equipment definition.

Supplies
Description: Costs of all tangible personal property other than that included under the Equipment category.
Justification: Specify general categories of supplies and their costs. Show computations and provide other information that supports the amount requested.

Contractual
Description: Costs of all contracts for services and goods except for those that belong under other categories such as equipment, supplies, construction, etc. Third-party evaluation contracts (if applicable) and contracts with secondary recipient organizations, including delegate agencies and specific project(s) or businesses to be financed by the applicant, should be included under this category.
Justification: All procurement transactions shall be conducted in a manner to provide, to the maximum extent practical, open and free competition. Recipients and sub recipients, other than States that are required to use Part 92 procedures, must justify any anticipated procurement action that is expected to be awarded without competition and exceed the simplified acquisition threshold fixed at 41 USC 403(11)(currently set at $100,000). Recipients might be required to make available to ACF pre-award review and procurement documents, such as request for proposals or invitations for bids; independent cost estimates, etc.
Note: Whenever the applicant intends to delegate part of the project to another agency, the applicant must provide a detailed budget and budget narrative for each delegate agency, by agency title, along with the required supporting information referred to in these instructions.

Indirect Charges
Description: Total amount of indirect costs. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) or another cognizant Federal agency should use this category only when the applicant currently has an indirect cost rate approval.
Justification: An applicant that will charge indirect costs to the grant must enclose a copy of the current rate agreement. If the applicant organization is in the process of initially developing or renegotiating a rate, it should immediately upon notification that an award will be made, develop a tentative indirect cost rate proposal based on its most recently completed fiscal year in accordance with the principles set forth in the cognizant agency’s guidelines for establishing indirect cost rates and submit it to the cognizant agency. Applicants awaiting approval of their indirect cost proposals may also request indirect costs. It should be noted that when an indirect cost rate is requested, those costs included in the indirect cost pool should not also be charged as direct costs to the grant. Also, if the applicant is requesting a rate which is less than what is allowed under the program, the authorized representative of the applicant organization must submit a signed acknowledgement that the applicant is accepting a lower rate than allowed.

Program Income
Description: The estimated amount of income, if any, expected to be generated from this project.
Justification: Describe the nature, source and anticipated use of program income in the budget or refer to the pages in the application that contain this information.

Non-Federal Resources
Description: Amounts on non-Federal resources that will be used to support the project as identified in Block 15 of the SF-424.
Justification: The firm commitment of these resources must be documented and submitted with the application in order to be given credit in the review process. A detailed budget must be prepared for each funding source.

Total Direct Charges, Total Indirect Charges, Total Project Costs
Self-explanatory.

Assurance of Non-Construction
Application requesting financial assistance for non-construction projects must file the Standard Form 424B, “Assurances: Non-Construction Programs.” Applicants must sign and return the Standard Form 424B with their applications.

Approach
In determining the quality of the project design or approach the following factors are considered: (30 points)

Results and Benefits Expected
The extent to which goals, objectives, and outcomes to be achieved by the proposed project are clearly specified and measurable. (10 points)

Staff and Position Data and Organizational Profile
In reviewing the required staff and position data and the organizational profile, the following factors are considered: (20 points)

Objectives and Need for Assistance
In determining the need of assistance for the proposed project, the following factors are considered: (15 points)

Budget and Budget Justification
In determining the soundness of the budget and budget justification, the following factors are considered: (15 points)

2. Review and Selection Process

All applications which are complete and conform to the requirements of this program announcement will be subject to a competitive review and evaluation against the specific grant program criteria outlined in this announcement. This review will be conducted in Washington, DC, by panels of non-Federal experts knowledgeable in the areas related to children of prisoners, child development and human services. The overall panel review is managed by Federal staff.

Application review panels will assign a score to each application, identifying its strengths and weaknesses. Central office staff will conduct administrative reviews of those applications within funding range. After all reviews have been completed, FYSB staff will recommend the application for funding to the Commissioner, ACYF. The Commissioner will make the final selection of the applications to be funded.

Please note that here will be a 5 percent set aside specifically for tribes and tribal consortia.

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All grantees are required to submit quarterly program reports; grantees are also required to submit semi-annual expenditure reports using the required financial standard form (SF-269) which is located on the Internet at: http://forms.psc.gov/forms/sf/SF-269.pdf. A suggested format for the program report will be sent to all grantees after the awards are made.

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Linda V. Barnett
370 L’Enfant Promenade, S.W., Washington, DC 20447
(202) 401-9358, lbarnett@acf.hhs.gov

Grants Management Office Contact:

Sylvia Johnson,
370 L’Enfant Promenade, S.W., Washington, DC 20447,
(202) 401-2344, SYJohnson@acf.hhs.gov

General:

The Dixon Group
ACYF Operations Center
118 Q Street, NE
Washington, DC 20002-2132
Telephone: (866) 796-1591 or (202) 245-9111 ext. 201

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VIII. Other Information

Additional information about this program and its purpose can be located on the following websites:

www.ncfy.com
www.manynet.org
http://www.dhhs.gov/fbci

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