[Federal Register: September 5, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 172)]
[Notices]               
[Page 56818-56822]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr05se02-30]                         

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

CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE

 
Funding Opportunity for National Provider of Training and 
Technical Assistance to National and Community Service and Service 
Learning Programs Operated by Indian Tribes or Involving Native 
Americans

AGENCY: Corporation for National and Community Service.

ACTION: Notice of funding opportunity.

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

SUMMARY: Subject to the availability of appropriations, the Corporation 
for National and Community Service (hereinafter the ``Corporation'') 
intends to award approximately $300,000 to support an organization 
selected under this Notice to provide training and technical assistance 
(T/TA) to national and community service and service learning programs 
that are operated by Indian Tribes or involve Native Americans. [Note: 
The scope of this assistance may also be expanded to include ``programs 
operating in U. S. Territories.'']
    The Corporation intends to enter into a cooperative agreement of up 
to three years with the selected organization, beginning on or about 
December 1, 2002. The funding opportunity announced under this Notice 
will support the initial phase of the agreement (generally the first 
year's budget), with additional funding contingent upon need, quality 
of service, the nature and scope of activities to be supported, and 
availability of appropriations for this purpose.

    Note: This is a notice for selection of an organization to 
provide training and technical assistance to national and community 
service grantees. This is not a notice of funding opportunity for 
the operation of program grants.


DATES: Proposals must be received by the Corporation by 5 p.m. Eastern 
time on October 21, 2002.
    The Corporation will not accept applications that are submitted by 
facsimile. Due to delays in delivery of regular U.S.P.S. mail to 
government offices, your application may not arrive in time to be 
considered. We suggest that you use U.S.P.S. priority mail or a 
commercial overnight service.

ADDRESSES: Submit proposals to the Corporation for National and 
Community Service, Attention: Cathy Harrison, Room 9704-A, 1201 New 
York Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20525.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David Bellama at the Corporation for 
National and Community Service, (202) 606-5000, ext. 483; e-mail 
dbellama@cns.gov. The TTY number is (202) 565-2799. This Notice is 
available on the Corporation's Web site: http://
www.nationalservice.org/whatshot/notices. Upon request, this 
information will be made available in alternate formats for people with 
disabilities.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    The Corporation is a federal government corporation that encourages 
Americans of all ages and backgrounds to engage in national and 
community-based service to meet the nation's educational, public 
safety, environmental and other human needs and to achieve direct and 
demonstrable results. In doing so, the Corporation fosters civic 
responsibility, strengthens the ties that bind us together as a people, 
and provides educational opportunity for those who make a substantial 
commitment to service. For more information about the Corporation and 
the activities it supports, go to http://www.nationalservice.org.

II. Conditions

A. Legal Authority

    Section 198 of the National and Community Service Act of 1990, as 
amended, 42 U.S.C. 12653, authorizes the Corporation to provide, 
directly or through contracts or cooperative agreements, training and 
technical assistance in support of activities under the national 
service laws. Section 125 of that Act and titles I and II of the 
Domestic Volunteer Service Act (42

[[Page 56819]]

U.S.C. 4250) provide additional authority.

B. Cooperative Agreement

    An award made under this Notice will be in the form of a 
cooperative agreement. Cooperative agreements are subject to 
Corporation regulations on general administrative requirements: 45 CFR 
part 2541 (for agreements with State and local government agencies and 
Indian tribal governments) and 45 CFR part 2543 (for agreements with 
institutions of higher education, non-profit organizations and 
commercial entities). The Provider must comply with reporting 
requirements, including submitting semi-annual financial reports and 
progress reports linking progress on deliverables to expenditures.
    Cooperative agreements require substantial involvement on the part 
of the Corporation. Substantial involvement includes frequent and 
regular communication with and monitoring by the Corporation's 
cognizant training officer (COTR). The COTR will confer with the 
Provider on a regular basis to review project status and service 
delivery, including work plans, budgets, periodic reports, materials 
developed, preparation for and implementation of training events, 
targeting of the Provider's services, and assessment of the Provider's 
effectiveness.

C. Time Frame

    The Corporation expects that activities assisted under the 
agreement awarded through this Notice will commence on or about 
December 1, 2002, following the conclusion of the selection and award 
process.
    The Corporation will make an award covering a period not to exceed 
three years. If the Corporation approves an application and enters into 
a multi-year award agreement, funding will be provided for the first 
year only. Funding for the second and third years of an award period is 
contingent upon need, quality of service, the nature and scope of 
activities to be supported, and availability of appropriations for the 
purpose of the award. The Corporation has no obligation to provide 
additional funding in subsequent years.

D. Use of Materials

    To ensure that materials generated with Corporation funding for 
training and technical assistance purposes are available to the public 
and readily accessible to grantees and sub-grantees, the Corporation 
reserves a royalty-free, non-exclusive, and irrevocable right to 
obtain, use, reproduce, publish, or disseminate publications and 
materials produced under the agreement, including data, and to 
authorize others to do so. The Provider must agree to make such 
publications and materials available to the national service field, as 
identified by the Corporation, at no cost or at the cost of 
reproduction. All materials developed for the Corporation must be 
consistent with Corporation editorial and publication guidelines and 
must be accessible to individuals with disabilities to the extent 
required by law.

III. Eligibility

    State and local government entities, non-profit organizations, 
institutions of higher education, Indian tribes, and commercial 
entities are eligible to apply. Pursuant to the Lobbying Disclosure Act 
of 1995, an organization described in section 501(c)(4) of the Internal 
Revenue Code of 1986, 26 U.S.C. 501(c)(4), which engages in lobbying, 
is not eligible to apply. Organizations that operate or intend to 
operate Corporation-supported programs are eligible.
    The Corporation anticipates making a single award for this purpose. 
We will consider proposals from single applicants, applicants in 
partnership and applicants proposing other approaches we consider 
responsive to this Notice.
    Organizations may apply to provide training and technical 
assistance in partnership with organizations seeking other Corporation 
funds. Based on previous training and technical assistance competitions 
and our estimate of potential applicants, we expect fewer than ten 
applications to be submitted.

IV. Corporation Programs Operated by Indian Tribes or Involving Native 
Americans--Background

    The Corporation for National and Community Service supports a wide 
range of programs under the National and Community Service Act and the 
Domestic Volunteer Service Act, under which projects use service and 
service learning as the means to respond to serious educational, 
environmental, public safety, and other human needs on Native American 
lands or affecting Native American populations. Corporation programs 
operated by Indian Tribes or involving Native Americans include 
AmeriCorps*Tribal programs and Tribal Civilian Community Corps 
residential programs, AmeriCorps*VISTA projects, National Senior 
Service Corps projects (including Foster Grandparent, Senior Companion, 
and RSVP projects), Learn and Serve America programs, AmeriCorps 
Promise Fellow programs, and AmeriCorps*State and National programs 
involving Native Americans. More information may be found under the 
above-named programs on the national service Web site 
(www.nationalservice.org); under National Service in Your State 
(www.nationalservice.org/stateprofiles/index.html); and under National 
Service in Indian Country (www.nationalservice.org/stateprofiles/it--
intro.html).

V. Scope of Training and Technical Assistance To Be Supported: 
Objectives and Delivery Requirements

A. Training and Technical Assistance Objectives

    The Provider should develop a training and technical assistance 
strategy that will serve programs operated directly by Indian tribes as 
well as those serving Native Americans, but managed by other entities. 
These might include such wide variations as a tribally operated 
AmeriCorps program on a reservation, a tribally operated Learn & Serve 
America program at a tribal or non-tribal school or college, or even a 
non-tribally operated Senior Corps or VISTA project that has activities 
both on and off a reservation or serves Native Americans in an urban 
area. The Provider will broker the services of consultants and other 
national and local providers, as appropriate, and offer direct services 
when they fall within the range of expertise of the Provider. Whatever 
the context, the Provider should deliver a T/TA program that reflects 
the diverse and unique needs of Native Americans involved in service 
and service-learning projects.
    In presenting its T/TA plan, the applicant should describe the 
strategies and methodologies it will use to assure that the following 
objectives are achieved:
    1. The identification of characteristics of successful Native 
American programs, based on research and input from programs operating 
in the field, and the development of a menu of training and technical 
assistance resources linked to those characteristics and designed to 
support programs in achieving them;
    2. The utilization of training and technical assistance activities 
and products that are interactive, culturally appropriate, 
experiential, based on the principles of adult learning, and adaptable 
to participants at various levels of existing experience, knowledge and 
skills.

[[Page 56820]]

    3. A collaborative, partnership relation with programs in the 
creation and conduct of needs assessments, exploration and 
clarification of needs, and determination of the most suitable 
strategies for responses to needs.
    4. The use of an appropriate variety of methodologies in responding 
to T/TA needs, including, among others:
    a. The promotion and use of electronic, telephone and other means 
of communication and technology to link programs with relevant 
resources and with each other;
    b. Targeted training, periodic workshops and on-site consultancies 
for program staff on specific issues (such as program management 
techniques, action planning, partnership development strategies, 
service-learning techniques, etc.);
    c. The development and dissemination, on a regular basis, of 
articles, resource materials and information, calendars of training 
events and conferences, service-learning information, orientation 
curricula and materials for program staff, members, participants, 
volunteers, and other resources of relevance to Native American 
programs;
    d. The development and promotion of a variety of strategies for 
using expert peers;
    e. Referral to other consultants/providers, as appropriate;
    f. An annual national conference on service in Indian country.
    5. Capacity-building and demonstrable skill development on the part 
of programs in the following areas:
    a. The creation and use of effective systems for documenting, 
tracking and highlighting program, member, volunteer, participant, and 
community achievements;
    b. Improvement in the quality of program objectives, desired 
outcomes, assessment of performance, and accountability;
    c. The development of programs' internal training and technical 
assistance capacity, such as improving skills in problem 
identification, problem solving, training, and assessing and using 
local T/TA resources;
    6. A system of pro-active, targeted outreach to programs needing T/
TA services in particular areas or fields, such as financial 
management, volunteer generation, tutoring, etc.
    7. The linking of all T/TA activities to the greatest extent 
possible to the goals of:
    a. program sustainability, including community and citizen 
involvement, resource mobilization and development, volunteer 
generation and management, partnership development, community outreach, 
and program identity; and
    b. program accountability, including the development of meaningful 
objectives, as well as effective program plans to achieve them and 
document their outcomes.
    8. The facilitation of partnerships with other providers and 
organizations that may be of assistance to Native American programs and 
activities, including:
    a. The promotion of awareness and provision of training and 
orientation to Native Americans on Corporation and other potential 
resources and activities for programs, and on opportunities for 
collaboration and partnership;
    b. The promotion of awareness and provision of training and 
orientation to other organizations, training providers, and potential 
partners, as needed, on Native American programs, issues and 
collaboration opportunities;
    c. The conduct of joint training sessions when appropriate;
    d. The review and evaluation of resource materials developed by 
other organizations and providers to assure that they are appropriate 
and useful for Indian tribes operating national and community service 
and service learning programs.
    9. Collaboration with the National Service Resource Center (NSRC) 
and National Service Learning Clearinghouse (NSLC) to establish and 
promote a resource library of materials specifically related to the 
needs of Indian tribes operating national and community service and 
service-learning programs.
    10. The recruitment of a qualified pool of consultants, with an 
appropriate range of skills and expertise and Native American 
representation.

    Note: The scope of this training and technical assistance may 
also be expanded to include programs operating in U.S. Territories.

B. Training and Technical Assistance Requirements

1. Performance Measurement and Accountability
    The Corporation is committed to accountability and the measuring of 
performance for all its grantees, including training and technical 
assistance providers. The Provider must develop effective systems to 
identify the critical outcomes of its work, indicators of its success 
in this work, and how these can be judged or measured. The Corporation 
needs tangible information documenting the effectiveness and outcomes 
of the Provider's work.
    In its proposal, the applicant must demonstrate its understanding 
of accountability in grant-funded programs and its experience in and 
plans for identifying and reporting on the significant outcomes of its 
work with programs. Specific performance measures and reporting 
guidelines will be finalized between the Corporation and the awardee at 
the time of the award negotiation, based on the Corporation's FY 2003 
Administrative Guidance.
    The Provider will develop a plan to assess the impact of its 
services for clients. The assessment must be ongoing and must be used 
to inform program planning. It must also encompass immediate as well as 
long term training impact. The Provider must submit evaluation 
summaries, and records of evaluations must be available for review.
    The Corporation may also require an independent assessment of the 
Provider's performance.
2. Reporting Requirements
    The Provider is responsible for submitting timely progress and 
financial reports to the Corporation during and after the award period, 
as follows:
    a. Semi-annual Progress Reports. Progress reports must be submitted 
semi-annually and are due within thirty days of the end of each budget 
period during the cooperative agreement. The Provider must submit this 
information electronically. As noted above, the Corporation will 
provide guidance as to the contents of these reports.
    b. Financial Reports. Financial reports must be submitted semi-
annually, within 30 days of the end of the budget period, and must 
include a summary of expenditures for the period. The reports are 
cumulative and must be submitted on the Financial Status Report (FSR) 
form SF 269A.
    c. Final Reports.
    i. Providers completing the final year of their agreement must 
submit, in lieu of the last semi-annual progress report, a final 
progress report that is cumulative over the entire award period. The 
final progress report is due 90 days after the end of the agreement.
    ii. Providers completing the final year of their award must submit, 
in lieu of the last semi-annual FSR, a final FSR that is cumulative 
over the entire award period. The final FSR is due 90 days after the 
end of the agreement and must be submitted to the Office of Grants 
Management. Further guidance for final reports will be provided prior 
to the end of the agreement.
    d. Other Reports. The Provider must submit such special reports as 
may be

[[Page 56821]]

reasonably requested by the Corporation.
3. Accessibility to Persons With Disabilities
    Ensure that all training and technical assistance resources, 
including Web sites, are accessible to persons with disabilities, as 
required by law, by doing the following:
    a. Notifying potential participants that reasonable accommodations 
will be provided upon request;
    b. Providing reasonable accommodations when requested to do so, to 
include sign language interpreters, special assistance, and documents 
in alternate formats;
    c. Using accessible locations for training events;
    d. Using accessible technology, captioning videos, avoiding non-
voice-over formats, and when indicating a telephone number, including a 
non-voice telephone alternative such as TTY or e-mail;
4. Other Requirements
    Grant provisions will be provided as a part of the signed 
cooperative agreement. Regular and candid communication with the 
cognizant training officer is essential. A set of general expectations 
of the Provider is as follows.
    The Provider must:
    a. Meet as necessary with the cognizant training officer or other 
staff or consultants designated by the cognizant training officer to 
exchange views, ideas, and information concerning training and 
technical assistance.
    b. Ensure that Provider staff and consultants are fully versed in 
the background, approach, vocabulary, assets, needs, and objectives of 
the Corporation and each of its programs.
    c. Participate in the planning and implementation of national 
meetings and training events, including meetings of all Corporation 
training and technical assistance providers, as requested by the 
Corporation.
    d. Collaborate in materials development and training events 
organized by other providers or the Corporation, as requested.
    e. Share effective practices with the field and other providers 
through Corporation listservs, the Corporation's effective practices 
database, and other mechanisms such as the National Service-Learning 
Clearinghouse and the National Service Resource Center.
    f. Use technology creatively and effectively as a cost-effective 
strategy for reaching large numbers of grantees, subgrantees, and 
others related to national and community service and service-learning 
programs.

VI. Application Guidelines

A. Proposal Content and Submission

    Applicants must submit one unbound, original proposal and two bound 
copies. Proposals must include the following components and should not 
exceed a total of 50 pages in length:
1. Cover Page and Executive Summary
    The cover page must include (a) the name, address, phone number, 
fax number, and e-mail address of the contact person, and the World 
Wide Web site URL (if available) of the applicant organization; (b) a 
250-500 word executive summary of the proposed training and technical 
assistance strategy; and, (c) the total funding amount requested for 
the first year.
2. List of Activities and Materials
    A one-to-two page list of all proposed training and technical 
assistance activities and materials.
3. Training and Technical Assistance Strategy and Delivery Plan
    A bulleted narrative of no more than 15 double-spaced, single-
sided, typed pages in no smaller than 12-point font that includes:
    The applicant's proposed first-year strategy for providing training 
and technical assistance to service and service-learning programs 
operated by Indian tribes or involving Native Americans, with proposed 
changes (if any) for years two and three. Using the objectives, 
components and requirements outlined in Section V of this Notice as a 
point of departure, the applicant organization should describe its 
specific strategies, methodologies, techniques and plans for achieving 
successful T/TA results with programs in the most effective way. In 
this section, the Corporation wishes to know, among other things, how 
the applicant organization will help programs identify needs; how it 
will approach, reach and work with the programs to respond to those 
needs; the tools and resources it will use and how it will use them; 
the outcomes it will be looking for and how it will define and 
demonstrate them; and the strategies it will use to learn from its 
experiences and then apply those lessons learned to improve results. 
The section should include a detailed timeline and work plan showing 
training and technical assistance deliverables--activities, products 
and events--planned for the first year.
4. Training Course Outline and Description
    A narrative of no more than four pages (in the same double-spaced 
format) describing one face-to-face training course in a content area 
relevant to tribal programs. The face-to-face course should be 
considered part of a two-day event for national service program or 
project staff. Applicant should submit a session description that 
includes desired learning outcomes and an outline of session content 
and the activities that will accomplish the desired outcomes.
5. Technology Strategy
    A description of no more than three pages (in the same format) of 
how the applicant proposes to use technology to extend the reach of the 
training and technical assistance delivery. The description should 
include the target audience, proposed uses of technology, rationale for 
approach, concepts and skills to be delivered, and how the strategy's 
effectiveness will be evaluated.
6. Organizational Capacity
    a. A narrative of no more than four pages (in the same format) that 
describes:
    i. The organization's knowledge of and/or experience with service 
programs operated by Indian tribes and/or involving Native Americans;
    ii. The organization's capacity to provide relevant training and 
technical assistance services on a nationwide scope, and recent work 
similar to that being proposed;
    b. Names and contact information of three to five references that 
can comment on the work described above.
    c. A list of proposed staff with their areas of expertise (Note: 
Key staff will be subject to Corporation approval) and resumes of the 
individuals who will be primarily responsible for the proposed 
deliverables with their relevant experience highlighted.
    d. An organizational chart that shows the relationship of the 
training and technical assistance service Provider (including partners, 
if any) to the overall structure of the legal applicant to this Notice.
7. Budget
    A detailed, line-item budget with costs organized by personnel, 
task and sub-task that lead to the deliverables as outlined in the 
proposal narrative and work plan. Costs in proposed budgets must 
consist solely of costs allowable under applicable cost principles 
found in OMB Circulars (OMB Circular A-87 for state and local 
governments, A-121

[[Page 56822]]

for non-profit organizations, A-21 for institutions of higher 
education) and in F.A.R. part 31 for commercial entities.
    Applicants should be mindful that a demonstrated commitment to 
providing services in the most cost-effective manner possible will be a 
major consideration in the evaluation of proposals. Provider match is 
not required. The budget should include:
    a. Proposed staff and expert-consultant hours and pay rates by task 
and sub-task (include daily maximums for consultants);
    b. Types and quantities of other direct costs being proposed by 
task and sub-task (for example, amounts of travel and volume of other 
task-related resources, such as communications, postage, etc.).
8. Budget Narrative
    Provide a budget narrative that corresponds with all items in the 
line-item budget and that includes an explanation of all cost estimates 
that appear in the line-item budget. The narrative should clearly show 
how each cost was derived, using equations to reflect all factors 
considered.

B. Selection Criteria

    To ensure fairness to all applicants, the Corporation reserves the 
right to take remedial action, up to and including disqualification, in 
the event a proposal fails to comply with the requirements related to 
page limits, line spacing, and font size. The Corporation will assess 
applications based on the criteria listed below.
1. Quality (35%)
    The Corporation will consider the quality of the proposed 
activities based on:
    a. Evidence of the applicant's knowledge and understanding of the 
role national and community service and service-learning programs can 
play in meeting Indian tribal and Native American goals and needs, and 
the role of training and technical assistance in supporting this 
effort.
    b. The soundness of the strategies and activities the applicant 
will use to accomplish the training and technical assistance objectives 
presented in this Notice (see particularly Sections V.A.1-10, T/TA 
Objectives, and V.B.1, Performance Measurement and Accountability, 
above) to support national and community service and service-learning 
programs involving Native Americans.
2. Organizational Capacity and Personnel (35%)
    The Corporation will consider the capacity of the applicant to 
deliver the proposed services based on:
    a. Demonstrated ability to design and deliver high-quality, adult, 
experiential training and technical assistance relevant to Native 
Americans;
    b. Demonstrated ability to design and deliver training and 
technical assistance in a responsive, flexible and creative manner, 
using a variety of techniques and at a variety of levels; demonstrated 
knowledge of staff and consultants in training and capacity-building 
design and delivery methodologies;
    c. Evidence of the organization's experience in problem 
identification and needs assessment, clarification of needs, and 
development of suitable T/TA strategies to meet those needs;
    d. Evidence of the organization's experience in collaborative 
partnering with other organizations in T/TA activities;
    e. Evidence of the organization's experience in developing and 
using practical, appropriate materials in support of its T/TA 
activities;
    f. Evidence of the organization's experience using technology as a 
strategy in training and technical assistance;
    g. Demonstrated knowledge of staff and consultants in content areas 
relevant to the types of T/TA which might be required under this 
agreement, including sustainability and program evaluation and 
accountability topics;
    h. Evidence of the organization's experience in identifying and 
documenting appropriate relevant and significant outcomes of training 
and technical assistance;
    i. Demonstrated ability to manage a federal grant or apply sound 
fiscal management principles to grants as evidenced by the applicant's 
previous grants experience.
3. Evaluation (15%)
    The Corporation will consider how the applicant:
    a. proposes to measure the need for and outcomes of their products 
and services;
    b. plans to collect data and use assessments to modify and improve 
their products and services.
4. Budget (15%)
    The Corporation will consider the budget based on:
    a. Cost-effectiveness of the proposed training and technical 
assistance activities;
    b. The clarity and thoroughness of the budget and budget narrative 
(see specifications under ``Budget Narrative'').

VII. Glossary of Terms

Grantees

    Entities funded directly by the Corporation. These may include: 
state commissions on national and community service, national non-
profit organizations, Indian tribes, and entities in states or U.S. 
Territories that do not have a state commission.

Sub-Grantees

    Organizations receiving funds from Grantees of the Corporation.

National Service Resource Center (NSRC)

    The National Service Resource Center (NSRC) serves as a repository 
of information on all aspects of national service. The NSRC manages 
most of the Corporation's listservs and maintains and operates a 
library of print and media materials related to service and a toll-free 
information and referral service. Training and technical assistance 
publications are posted or distributed by the NSRC and its Web site 
(www.etr.org/nsrc) includes a calendar of training events and links to 
all current providers.

National Service-Learning Clearinghouse

    National Service-Learning Clearinghouse serves as the primary 
resource on service-learning for Learn and Serve America grantees in 
higher education, K-12, community-based organizations and tribes, as 
well as the entire service-learning community. Its resources include a 
Web site (http://www.servicelearning.org), a library collection, 
reference and referral, Learn and Serve America project directory, 
listservs, and expert technical support.

CFDA No. 94.009 Training and Technical Assistance

    Dated: August 29, 2002.
Gretchen Van der Veer,
Director, Office of Leadership Development and Training.
[FR Doc. 02-22563 Filed 9-4-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6050-$$-P