[Federal Register: July 25, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 143)]
[Notices]               
[Page 48654-48660]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr25jy02-68]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Office of Public Health and Science

[Program Announcement No. OPHS 2002-01]

 
Announcement of the Availability of Financial Assistance and 
Request for Applications to Support Development and Delivery of Public 
Awareness Campaigns on Embryo Adoption

AGENCY: Office of Public Health and Science, Department of Health and 
Human Services.

ACTION: Notice.

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    Authority: Pub. L. 107-116.


[[Page 48655]]


SUMMARY: The Office of Public Health and Science (OPHS) of the 
Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) announces the 
availability of funding and requests applications for public awareness 
campaigns on embryo adoption for fiscal year (FY) 2002 as authorized in 
Pub. L. 107-116, enacted on January 10, 2002. Approximately $900,000 in 
funding is available on a competitive basis for three to four new 
projects each in the range of $200,000 to $250,000. The Catalog of 
Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number is 93.007. The CFDA is a 
government-wide compendium of enumerated Federal programs, projects, 
services and activities that provide assistance.

DATES: Applications must be received in the OPHS or clearly postmarked 
no later than August 26, 2002. A legibly dated receipt from a 
commercial carrier or U.S. Postal Service will be accepted in lieu of 
postmark. Private metered postmarks will not be accepted as proof of 
timely mailing. Applications which do not meet the deadline will not be 
accepted for review. OPHS will notify each late applicant that its 
application will not be considered in the current competition. OPHS 
cannot accommodate transmission of applications by fax or through other 
electronic media. Therefore, applications transmitted to OPHS 
electronically will not be accepted.

ADDRESSES: Application kits may be requested from, and applications 
submitted to: Andrea Brandon, Grants Management Office, Office of 
Population Affairs, Office of Public Health and Science, Department of 
Health and Human Services, 4350 East West Highway, Suite 200, Bethesda, 
Maryland 20814. Application kits are also available online at: http://
opa.osophs.dhhs.gov/ or http://4women.gov/owh/index.htm Written 
requests for application materials may be faxed to (301) 594-5980.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kaye Hayes, MPA at (202) 205-2003 for 
questions specific to project activities of the program or Andrea 
Brandon, (301) 594-4012 for grants policy, budget or business 
questions.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of this announcement is to award 
funds to organizations to develop and implement public awareness 
campaigns regarding embryo adoption. Applicants must demonstrate 
experience with embryo adoption programs that conform with 
professionally recognized standards governing embryo adoption, such as 
the guidelines for embryo donation published by the American Society 
for Reproductive Medicine,\1\ or other applicable Federal or State 
requirements. For the purposes of this announcement, embryo adoption is 
defined as the donation of frozen embryo(s) from one party to a 
recipient who wishes to bear and raise a child.
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    \1\ Guidelines for embryo donation. Fertility and Sterility. 
Vol. 70, No. 4 Suppl. 3, October 1998. American Society for 
Reproductive Medicine Published by Elsevier Science, Inc. Also 
available on the Internet at: http://www.asrm.org/Media/Practice/
gamete.html#Psychologicalg.
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Background

    The OPHS is under the direction of the Assistant Secretary for 
Health (ASH), who serves as the Senior Advisor on public health and 
science issues to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human 
Services. The Office serves as the focal point for leadership and 
coordination across the Department in public health and science; 
provides direction to program offices within OPHS; and provides advice 
and counsel on public health and science issues to the Secretary.
    The increasing success of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) 
has resulted in a situation in which an infertile couple typically 
creates several embryos through in vitro fertilization (IVF). During 
IVF treatments, couples may produce many embryos in an attempt to 
conceive with several being cryopreserved (frozen) for future use. If a 
couple conceives without using all the stored embryos, they may choose 
to have the remaining unused embryos donated for adoption allowing 
other infertile couples the experience of pregnancy and birth. Embryo 
adoption is a relatively new process in which individuals who have 
extra frozen embryos agree to release the embryos for transfer to the 
uterus of another woman, either known or anonymous to the donor(s), for 
the purpose of the recipient(s) attempting to bear a child and be that 
child's parent.

Legislative Framework

    With the passage of Public Law 107-116, the FY 2002 Departments of 
Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies 
Appropriations Act, the Congress authorized the Secretary to conduct a 
public awareness campaign to educate Americans about the existence of 
frozen embryos available for adoption.
    Senate Report 107-84 (page 244) contains the following statement:

    ``During hearings devoted to Stem Cell research, the Committee 
became aware of approximately 100,000 spare frozen embryos stored in 
vitro fertilization (IVF) clinics throughout the United States. The 
Committee is also aware of many infertile couples who, if educated 
about the possibility, may chose to implant such embryos into the 
woman and, potentially, bear children. The Committee therefore 
directs the Department to launch a public awareness campaign to 
educate Americans about the existence of these spare embryos and 
adoption options. The Committee has provided $1,000,000 for this 
purpose.''

Eligible Applicants

    Eligibility to compete for this announcement is limited to 
particular applicant organizations. Only agencies and organizations, 
not individuals, are eligible to apply. Eligible applicants include 
public agencies, non-profit organizations, and for-profit 
organizations. One agency must be identified as the applicant 
organization and will have legal responsibility for the project. 
Additional agencies and organizations can be included as co-
participants, subgrantees, subcontractors, or collaborators if they 
will assist in providing expertise and in helping to meet the needs of 
the recipients. Faith-based and community-based organizations meeting 
the eligibility requirements may apply, or they may be included as co-
participants, subgrantees, subcontractors, or collaborators if they 
will assist in providing expertise and in helping to meet the needs of 
recipients. Eligibility is limited to organizations that can 
demonstrate previous experience with embryo adoption and are 
knowledgeable in all elements of the process of embryo adoption.
    Applicants should note that Sec. 74.81 of the DHHS grants 
administration regulations (45 CFR part 74) indicates that, except for 
awards under certain ``small business'' programs, no grant funds may be 
paid as profit to any recipient even if the recipient is a commercial 
organization. Profit is any amount in excess of allowable direct and 
indirect costs.

Anticipated Number of Projects to be Funded

    The OPHS proposes to award approximately three to four new grants 
from the competition resulting from this announcement. The total 
funding available for these awards is approximately $900,000. The OPHS 
anticipates that each award will be in the range of $200,000-250,000, 
although the number and size of the actual awards will vary based on 
the number and quality of applications received.

Project Duration

    The term ``project period'' refers to the total time a project is 
approved for support. The term ``budget period''

[[Page 48656]]

refers to the interval of time (usually 12 months) into which a multi-
year period of assistance is divided for budgetary and funding 
purposes. For multi-year projects, continued Federal funding beyond the 
first budget period is dependent upon satisfactory performance by the 
grantee, availability of funds from future appropriations, and a 
determination that continued funding is in the best interest of the 
Government. Funding for projects under this announcement is expected to 
be a one time award with a one year project and budget period. 
Applicants should note that continued future funding beyond the initial 
project period is subject to continued appropriations, the availability 
of funds and competition for the funds.

Travel for Grantee Meeting

    Approximately four to six weeks after the award of funding, the 
project directors for funded projects will be required to attend a two-
day grantee orientation meeting in the Washington, DC area. During this 
meeting, DHHS staff will review currently available, nationally 
recognized guidelines regarding embryo adoption and discuss the 
implications for developing the public awareness campaign and related 
educational materials. Scheduling matters and plans for ensuring that 
the public awareness campaigns are appropriately focused and targeted 
to donors as well as potential recipients during the course of the 
project will be outlined and discussed. Budget plans should include 
funding for participation in this meeting.

Geographic Region

    In the project narrative, applicants are required to describe the 
specific geographic region that will be served by the organization. 
This section should include a justification for the selection of the 
region, based on, for example, geographic size or the number and types 
of ART centers in the area, and an estimate of the number of frozen 
embryos available for adoption. There are no geographic restrictions on 
where the prospective projects may be conducted. The OPHS will accept 
applications for projects of national, regional, or local scope. The 
rationale for the project scope must be justified in detail.

Public Awareness Campaign

    Applicants will be required to develop and implement programs for a 
public awareness campaign on embryo adoption. Applicants are required 
to submit a plan and time line that demonstrate that the proposed 
public awareness campaign: (a) Will be competency-based, (b) has 
experience with embryo donation programs that conform to 
professionally-recognized guidelines, and other relevant Federal or 
State requirements, (c) will be pilot tested and appropriately 
modified, as necessary, before use, and (e) can be reliably evaluated.
    In the narrative section of the application, applicants are advised 
to describe the strategies and processes that they will use to design a 
public awareness campaign. The applicant should document its capacity 
to undertake a public awareness campaign focused on donors and/or 
potential recipients. Applicants are encouraged to present a 
description of approaches that may be used, as well as any supplemental 
materials (brochures, handouts, visual aids, and other resources). 
Moreover, applicants are advised to demonstrate a familiarity with and 
understanding of professionally recognized standards or practices (both 
medical and legal issues) pertaining to embryo adoption, as well as 
supportive services for donor or recipient couples. The applicant 
organization should clearly demonstrate its professional knowledge and 
experience in embryo adoption whether with donor or potential recipient 
populations.

Qualifications

    The OPHS requires that funded organizations agree to make 
reasonable efforts to ensure that the individuals who design and 
implement the public awareness campaign are knowledgeable in all 
elements of the embryo adoption process and are experienced in 
providing such information. Applicant organizations should demonstrate 
that they have access to frozen embryos for adoption either directly or 
through partnership arrangements. Applicants should include information 
about the number of frozen embryos to which they have access, their 
history in working with either donor or potential recipient couples, 
and the organization's capacity to facilitate an embryo adoption public 
awareness campaign. As part of the project narrative, applicants are 
advised to describe the methods they will use to recruit, select, train 
and evaluate individuals who will implement the public awareness 
campaign. In the project narrative, applicants are encouraged to 
present a plan that may be used for working with potential donors and/
or recipients under the proposed public awareness campaign.
    Applicants, in the project narrative, are encouraged to present a 
plan for evaluation of the public awareness campaign. The evaluation 
plan should be two tiered to address: (1) Process, including the 
planning, content and quality of the public awareness campaign 
materials provided and (2) participant satisfaction and campaign 
effectiveness. Applicants that do not have the in-house capacity to 
conduct an evaluation are advised to propose contracting with a third-
party social sciences evaluator or a university or college to conduct 
the evaluation.

Application Requirements

A. Application Content

    Applicants should prepare a project description statement in 
accordance with the following general instructions. Use the information 
provided in this section and the evaluation criteria section to develop 
the application content. Your application will be evaluated on the 
criteria listed, so it is important to follow them in describing your 
program plan. The narrative should contain the following sections in 
the order presented below:
    1. Project Summary/Abstract: Provide a summary of the project 
description not to exceed two pages. Care should be taken to produce an 
abstract/summary that accurately and concisely reflects the proposed 
project since the abstract will be used to provide reviewers with an 
overview of the application, and will form the basis for an application 
summary in official documents. The OPHS maintains a summary of funded 
projects and may post this information on the OPHS Web site. The 
abstract will be used as the basis for this posting and for requests 
for summary information. It should describe the objectives of the 
project, the approach to be used and the results or benefits expected.
    2. Specific Aims and Objectives: Clearly identify the physical, 
economic, social, financial, institutional, and/or other problem(s) 
requiring a solution. The need for assistance must be demonstrated and 
the principal and subordinate objectives of the project must be clearly 
stated; supporting documentation, such as letters of support and 
testimonials from concerned interests other than the applicant, may be 
included. Any relevant data based on studies should be included or 
referred to in the endnotes/footnotes. Incorporate demographic data and 
participant/beneficiary information, as well as information about 
frozen embryos available for adoption. In developing the project 
description, the applicant may volunteer to provide information on the 
total range of related projects currently being conducted and supported 
(or to be initiated), some of

[[Page 48657]]

which may be outside the scope of the program announcement.
    3. Approach: Outline a plan of action, which 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 
which 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 quantitative monthly or quarterly 
projections of the accomplishments to be achieved for each function or 
activity in such terms as the number of program activities to be held, 
or appropriate measurable outcomes. When accomplishments cannot be 
quantified by activity or function, list them in chronological order to 
show the schedule of accomplishments and their target dates.
    4. Evaluation: Provide a narrative addressing how the results of 
the project and the conduct of the project will be evaluated. In 
addressing the evaluation of results, state how you will determine the 
extent to which the project has achieved its stated objectives and the 
extent to which the accomplishment of objectives can be attributed to 
the project. Discuss the criteria to be used to evaluate results, and 
explain the methodology that will be used to determine if the needs 
identified and discussed are being met and if the project results and 
benefits are being achieved. With respect to the conduct of the 
project, define the procedures to be employed to determine whether the 
project is being conducted in a manner consistent with the work plan 
presented and discuss the impact of the project's various activities on 
the project's effectiveness.
    5. Organizational Profiles: Provide information on the applicant 
organization 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, 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.
    6. Budget and Budget Justification: Provide a narrative budget 
justification that describes how the categorical costs are derived. 
Discuss the necessity, reasonableness, and allocability of the proposed 
costs. 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, and wage rates. 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. Provide a breakdown of the amounts and percentages that 
comprise fringe benefit costs such as health insurance, FICA, 
retirement insurance, and taxes, unless treated as part of an approved 
indirect cost rate. Include information on the costs of project-related 
travel by employees of the applicant organization (does not include 
costs of consultant travel). 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 the grantee meeting should be detailed in the budget. 
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 or 
section of its policy which includes the equipment definition. Specify 
general categories of supplies and their costs. Show computations and 
provide other information which supports the amount requested. Include 
information on the costs of all contracts for services and goods except 
for those which 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. 
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.

B. Application Format

    Applications must be prepared on the forms supplied (OPHS-1, 
Revised 6/2001) and in the manner prescribed in the application kits 
provided by the OPHS. The application must be signed by an individual 
authorized to act for the applicant agency and to assume responsibility 
for the obligations imposed by the terms and conditions of the grant 
award.
    To be considered for funding, applicants must submit one signed 
original of the application and two photocopies in one package, 
including all forms and attachments. Please label the application 
envelop: ``Attention: Embryo Adoption Public Awareness Campaign''. The 
submissions may not be faxed or sent electronically.
    The application should be typed and should be no more than 50 
double-spaced pages (excluding attachments), printed on one side, with 
one-inch margins, and unreduced font. All pages, including appendices 
should be numbered sequentially and stapled, or otherwise secured, in 
the upper left corner.

Additional Requirements

    This program is not subject to the intergovernmental review 
requirements of Executive Order 12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of 
Federal Programs,'' as implemented by 45 CFR part 100.

Matching or Cost Sharing Requirement

    There is no matching or cost sharing requirement for this program.

Required Reports

    Applicants must submit all required reports in a timely manner, in 
recommended formats (to be provided) and submit a final report on the 
project, including any information on evaluation results, at the 
completion of the project period.

Review Procedures and Evaluation Criteria

    Each application will be evaluated individually against the 
following four criteria by an objective review panel appointed by the 
OPHS. Before the review panel convenes, each application will be 
screened for applicant organization eligibility, as well as to make 
sure the application contains all the essential elements. Applications 
received from ineligible organizations and applications received after 
the deadline will be withdrawn from further consideration. A panel of 
at least three reviewers will use the evaluation criteria listed below 
to determine the strengths and weaknesses of each application, provide 
comments and assign numerical scores. Applicants should address each 
criterion in the project application. The point values (summing up to 
100) indicate the maximum numerical weight each

[[Page 48658]]

criterion will be accorded in the review process.

Criterion 1: Objectives and Need for Assistance (30 Points)

    Applicants must demonstrate a clear understanding of the 
legislative goals and demonstrate how their approach to the design of a 
public awareness campaign will contribute to achieve the legislative 
goals. Applicants must also demonstrate an understanding of the 
information and skills needed by the designated staff conducting such a 
public awareness campaign, as well as the information and service needs 
of potential donors and recipients. Applicants should provide letters 
of commitment or Memoranda of Understanding from organizations, 
agencies and consultants that will be partners or collaborators in the 
proposed project. These documents should describe the role of the 
agency, organization or consultant and detail specific tasks to be 
performed. Specific review criteria include:
    (1) Extent to which the application reflects an understanding of 
the legislative goals of the public awareness campaign for embryo 
adoption, and shows how their approach to the design of a public 
awareness campaign and implementation will contribute to achieving the 
legislative goals;
    (2) Extent to which the application clearly describes and documents 
an understanding of the need for assistance to support and/or enhance 
existing efforts regarding embryo adoption;
    (3) Extent to which the application reflects a knowledge and 
understanding of the issues faced by donors and/or recipients;
    (4) Extent to which the application reflects a knowledge and 
understanding of the medical and legal framework of embryo adoption and 
the services and resources in the geographic area in which the proposed 
project will be conducted;
    (5) Extent to which the application explains how the proposed 
public awareness campaign will contribute to increased knowledge of the 
problems, issues, and effective strategies and best practices in the 
field;
    (6) Extent to which the application reflects a knowledge and 
understanding of the challenges of developing a public awareness 
campaign and in providing support to donors and/or recipients; and
    (7) Extent to which the application presents a vision of the 
campaign to be developed, and discusses broad contextual factors that 
will facilitate or impede the implementation of the campaign.

Criterion 2: Approach (30 Points)

    In this section, applicants are expected to define goals and 
specific, measurable objectives for the project. Goals and objectives 
should not be confused. Goals are an end product of an effective 
project. Objectives are measurable steps for reaching goals. Applicants 
are advised to describe a preliminary, yet appropriate and feasible 
plan of action pertaining to the scope of the proposed public awareness 
campaign and provide details on how the proposed public awareness 
campaign will be accomplished. If the project involves partnerships 
with other agencies and organizations, then the roles of each partner 
should be clearly specified. Applicants are required to describe how 
the public awareness campaign will be evaluated to determine the extent 
to which it has achieved its stated goals and objectives. Applicants 
are expected to present a project design that includes detailed 
procedures for documenting project activities that is sufficient to 
support a sound evaluation. The evaluation design is expected to 
include process and outcome analyses with qualitative and quantitative 
components. Applicants are expected to report on their evaluation 
results in their final report to the OPHS upon completion of the 
project period. Applicants are required to describe the products that 
they will develop pursuant to the public awareness campaign. Applicants 
should discuss the intended audiences for these products (e.g., ART 
centers, adoption organizations, practitioners, professional 
organizations that work with infertile couples, potential recipients, 
or donors) and present a dissemination plan specifying the venues for 
conveying the information. This criterion consists of four broad 
topics: (A) Design of the public awareness campaign, (B) 
implementation, (C) evaluation, and (D) dissemination. Specific review 
criteria include:

(A) Design of the Public Awareness Campaign

    (1) Extent to which the application reflects a familiarity with and 
understanding of professionally-recognized standards and/or other 
relevant Federal or State requirements pertaining to embryo adoption 
and supportive services for donors and recipients.
    (2) Extent to which the proposed project goals, objectives and 
outcomes are clearly specified and measurable, and reflect an 
understanding of the characteristics of the donors and recipients and 
the context in which embryo adoption operates; and
    (3) Extent to which the application presents an approach to the 
design of a public awareness campaign is: (a) Competency based, (b) 
linked to embryo adoption programs which are consistent with the 
nationally recognized guidelines, (c) pilot tested and appropriately 
modified, as necessary, before use, and (d) can be readily evaluated.

(B) Implementation

    (1) Extent to which the application clearly describes and provides 
a justification for the selection of the geographic region that will be 
served by the project;
    (2) Extent to which the application presents an appropriate, 
feasible and realistic plan for scheduling and conducting the public 
awareness campaign;
    (3) Extent to which the application presents an appropriate, 
feasible and realistic plan for recruiting, selecting, and training 
individuals to provide information under the public awareness campaign;
    (4) Extent to which the application provides an appropriate, 
feasible and realistic plan for documenting project activities and 
results, that can be used to describe and evaluate the public awareness 
campaign, and participant satisfaction with the campaign; and
    (5) Extent to which the proposed project will establish and 
coordinate linkages with other appropriate agencies and organizations 
serving the target population.

(C) Evaluation

    (1) Extent to which the methods of evaluation are feasible, 
comprehensive and appropriate to the goals, objectives and context of a 
public awareness campaign;
    (2) Extent to which the applicant provides an appropriate, feasible 
and realistic plan for evaluating the public awareness campaign, 
including performance feedback and assessment of program progress that 
can be used as a basis for program adjustments;
    (3) Extent to which the methods of evaluation include process and 
outcome analyses for assessing the effectiveness of program strategies 
and the implementation process; and
    (4) Extent to which the methods of evaluation include the use of 
objective performance measures that are clearly related to the intended 
outcomes of the program and will produce quantitative and qualitative 
results.

[[Page 48659]]

(D) Dissemination

    (1) Extent to which the application provides an appropriate, 
feasible and realistic plan for dissemination of information in a 
public awareness campaign and related educational materials;
    (2) Extent to which the intended audience is clearly identified and 
defined and is appropriate to the goals of the proposed program;
    (3) Extent to which the program's products will be useful to the 
respective audiences;
    (4) Extent to which the application presents a realistic schedule 
for developing these products, and provides a dissemination plan that 
is appropriate in scope and budget to each of the audiences; and
    (5) Extent to which the products to be developed during the program 
are described clearly and will address the goal of dissemination of 
information and are designed to support evidence-based improvements of 
practices in the field.

Criterion 3: Organizational Profile (20 Points)

    Applicants need to demonstrate that they have the capacity to 
implement the proposed program. Capacity includes: (1) Previous 
experience with similar projects; (2) experience with the target 
population; (3) qualifications and experience of the project 
leadership; (4) commitment to developing and sustaining working 
relationships among key stakeholders; (5) experience and commitment of 
any consultants and subcontractors; and, (6) appropriateness of the 
organizational structure. This criterion consists of three broad 
topics: (A) management plan, (B) staff qualifications, and (C) 
organizational capacity and resources.
    Applicants are expected to present a sound and feasible management 
plan for implementing the proposed program. This section should detail 
how the program will be structured and managed, how the timeliness of 
activities will be ensured, how quality control will be maintained, and 
how costs will be controlled. The role and responsibilities of the lead 
agency should be clearly defined and, if appropriate, applicants should 
discuss the management and coordination of activities carried out by 
any partners, subcontractors and consultants. Applicants should include 
a list of organizations and consultants who will work with the project, 
along with a short description of the nature of their contribution or 
effort. Applicants are also expected to produce a time line that 
presents a reasonable schedule of target dates, and accomplishments. 
The time line should include the sequence and timing of the major tasks 
and subtasks, important milestones, reports, and completion dates. The 
application should also discuss factors that may affect project 
implementation or the outcomes and present realistic strategies for the 
resolution of these difficulties.
    Applicants must provide evidence that project staff have the 
requisite experience, and expertise to carry out the proposed public 
awareness campaign on time, within budget, and with a high degree of 
quality. Include information on staff knowledge of the medical and 
legal issues concerning embryo adoption, and experience working in this 
area. Brief resumes of current and proposed staff, as well as job 
descriptions, should be included. Resumes must indicate the position 
that the individual will fill, and each position description must 
specifically describe the job as it relates to the proposed project.
    Applicants must show that they have the organizational capacity and 
resources to successfully carry out the project on time and to a high 
standard of quality, including the capacity to resolve a variety of 
technical and management problems that may occur. If the proposed 
project involves partnering and/or subcontracting with other agencies/
organizations, then the application should include an organizational 
capability statement for each participating organization documenting 
the ability of the partners and/or subcontractors to fulfill their 
assigned roles and functions. Specific review criteria include:

(A) Management Plan

    (1) Extent to which the management plan presents a realistic 
approach to achieving the objectives of the proposed project on time 
and within budget, including clearly defined responsibilities, time 
lines and milestones for accomplishing project tasks;
    (2) Extent to which the role and responsibilities of the lead 
agency are clearly defined and the time commitments of the project 
director and other key project personnel (including consultants) are 
appropriate and adequate to meet the objectives of the proposed 
project; and
    (3) Extent to which the application discusses factors that may 
affect the development and implementation of the public awareness 
campaign and presents realistic strategies for the resolution of these 
difficulties.

(B) Staff Qualifications

    (1) Extent to which the proposed project director, key project 
staff and consultants have the necessary technical skill, knowledge and 
experience to successfully carry out their responsibilities; and
    (2) Extent to which staffing is adequate for the proposed project, 
including administration, program services, data processing and 
analysis, evaluation, reporting and implementation of the public 
awareness campaign, including related educational materials.

(C) Organizational Capacity and Resources

    (1) Extent to which the applicant and partnering organizations 
collectively have experience in embryo adoption consistent with 
professionally recognized guidelines;
    (2) Extent to which the applicant has experience in developing and 
implementing similar information or public awareness campaigns; and
    (3) Extent to which the applicant has adequate organizational 
resources for the proposed project, including administration, program 
operations, data processing and analysis, and evaluation.

Criterion 4: Budget and Budget Justification (20 Points)

    Applicants are expected to present a budget with reasonable project 
costs, appropriately allocated across component areas and sufficient to 
accomplish the objectives. Consideration shall be given to project 
delays due to start-up when preparing the budget. Applicants are 
expected to allocate sufficient funds in the budget to provide for the 
project director to attend a two-day orientation meeting in the 
Washington, DC area. Specific review criteria include:
    (1) Extent to which applicant demonstrates that the project costs 
and budget information submitted for the proposed program are 
reasonable and justified in terms of the proposed tasks and the 
anticipated results and benefits; and,
    (2) Extent to which the fiscal control and accounting procedures 
are adequate to ensure prudent use, proper and timely disbursement and 
an accurate accounting of funds received under this announcement.

Funding Decisions

    The results of a competitive review are a primary factor in making 
funding decisions. In addition, Federal staff will conduct 
administrative reviews of the applications and, in light of the results

[[Page 48660]]

of the competitive review, will recommend applications for funding to 
the ASH. The ASH reserves the option of discussing applications with 
other funding sources when this is in the best interest of the Federal 
government. The ASH may also solicit and consider comments from Public 
Health Service Regional Office staff and others within DHHS in making 
funding decisions. The ASH makes final decisions regarding the 
applications to be funded.
    The OPHS does not release information about individual applications 
during the review process. When final decisions have been made, 
successful applicants will be notified by letter of the outcome of the 
final funding decisions. The official document notifying an applicant 
that a project as been approved for funding is the Notice of Grant 
Award (NGA), which sets forth the amount of funds granted, the terms 
and conditions of the award, the effective date of the grant, the 
budget period for which initial support will be given, and the total 
project period for which support is contemplated. The ASH will notify 
an organization in writing when its application will not be funded. 
Every effort will be made to notify all unsuccessful applicants as soon 
as possible after final decisions are made.

    Dated: July 22, 2002.
Eve E. Slater,
Assistant Secretary for Health, Office of Public Health and Science.
[FR Doc. 02-18826 Filed 7-24-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4150-28-P