Executive Summary:

The purpose of activities funded under this program announcement is to prevent child abuse and neglect by providing nurse home visitation services and by providing or referring parents who would benefit from them to healthy marriage and responsible fatherhood services. Funded programs will employ strong partnerships with child abuse prevention, child welfare, family support, and other disciplines to implement and evaluate this combination of services. Families who need them should also receive services to address substance abuse, mental health, and family violence issues.

Nurse home visitation programs funded under this program announcement will be based on models which have been proven successful in preventing child abuse and neglect. Funded programs will conduct comprehensive family assessments, build on family strengths, address the most critical risk factors for abuse or neglect, deliver culturally competent services or arrange for appropriate supports, focus on positive parent-child and parent-parent interaction, educate families on child development, and provide or refer parents who would benefit from them to healthy marriage and responsible fatherhood services. These demonstration projects will further explore the connection between intact families and/or active fathers and the occurrence of child abuse and neglect. The programs must institute nurse home visits and services during pregnancy or at birth and provide services of sufficient duration to lower the incidence of child abuse and neglect.

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

Legislative Authority

Funding Opportunity Description

Background

The impact of child maltreatment is profound. A single incident affects the victim today, tomorrow and beyond. Child maltreatment also reverberates through families, through society, and across institutions -- including medical and mental health resources, law enforcement and judicial systems, public social services, and non-profit helping agencies -- as they respond to the incident and support the victim in the aftermath.

Prevention is the most important means available to address child maltreatment. Effective prevention programs have the potential for significant cost savings in the future. A recent analysis of the economic impact of child abuse and neglect, which includes estimates of the direct or immediate costs of abuse and neglect, as well as the indirect or long-term costs, suggests that child abuse and neglect cost the nation $258 million each day, or approximately $94 billion each year (Prevent Child Abuse America, 2001).

Nurse Home Visitation. The research on the impact of home visitation programs suggests that this can be an effective approach. At the same time, the issues are very complex, and there is considerable debate about this strategy.

This program announcement is based on research that indicates that nurse home visits to families during pregnancy and after birth reduce abuse and neglect substantially over the long-term, and can improve family functioning overall. In a randomized, longitudinal research trial, outcomes from one nurse home visitation program showed a nearly 80 percent reduction in rates of child maltreatment among at-risk families from birth through children's 15th year. Other research has shown that nurse home visits had a long-term positive effect on other family outcomes, such as reduced substance abuse, reduced arrests and convictions, greater work-force participation, reduced reliance on public assistance and food stamps, and reduced early sexual activity on the part of the children visited. Other quasi-experimental program evaluations of State and local nurse home visitation programs have also shown positive outcomes on reducing abuse and neglect (Prenatal and Infancy Home Visiting by Nurses: From Randomized Trials to Community Replication, Prevention Science, September 2002). 

Another recent systematic review of the research on early childhood home visitation programs found that such approaches can prevent child maltreatment in high-risk families, with programs longer than two years having the strongest effects. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report/ Recommendations and Reports, October 3, 2003, http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5214a1.htm.

Other recent studies and cross study analyses of home visiting programs have produced mixed findings and created a good deal of discussion within the research community. However there appears to be agreement that the quality of the program is an important factor, and that more study is needed Child Abuse & Neglect, Volume 28, Issue 6, June 2004, Pages 589-595 and Pages 597-622.

Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood. The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) believes that nurse home visitation, combined with healthy marriage and responsible fatherhood programs for parents that would benefit from them, holds promise for decreasing the incidence of child abuse and neglect. A 2002 study reported that "Rates of serious abuse of children were lowest in the intact, married family but six times higher in the step family, 14 times higher in the always-single family, 20 times higher in cohabiting-biological parent families, and 33 times higher when the mother was cohabiting with a boyfriend who was not the father of her children. In cases where abuse resulted in a child's death, the relationship between family structure and abuse was even stronger. It was lowest in intact, always-married families, three times higher in the step family, nine times higher in the family headed by a single mother who had never married, 18 times higher in the cohabiting-biological parents' household, and 73 times higher in families where the mother cohabited with a boyfriend" (Marriage: The Safest Place for Women and Children, Fagan, Patrick F. Johnson, Kirk A., April, 2002).

Thus, mothers, fathers and their children may benefit from programs that support healthy marriage and promote responsible fatherhood. ACF expects that nurse home visitors will be in a strong position to introduce parents who would benefit from them to healthy marriage and responsible fatherhood programs, ensure that they complete these programs, and help them transfer what they have learned into practice.

ACF began its Healthy Marriage Initiative in 2002. Research has shown that, on average, children raised in households headed by married parents fare better than children who grow up in other family structures. Through this initiative, numerous grants have been awarded to develop, implement and evaluate marriage education programs. Marriage education is based on the premise that couples can learn how to build and maintain successful, stable marriages. Research has found that successful couples do not have fewer differences or less to fight about, but rather they are able to handle effectively their inevitable differences or disagreements. Through marriage education, couples can learn how to do more of what makes marriages successful and less of what causes marital unhappiness and breakdown. These projects will provide this opportunity to strengthen both marital and parenting skills within a healthy and supportive relationship.

For the purposes of this program announcement, marriage education is defined as: "a broad range of educational practices, curricula and programs that prepare, teach and equip individuals and couples at any stage of a relationship with the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to form and sustain healthy marriages" (What is a "Healthy Marriage"? Defining the Concept), Child Trends Research Brief, Publication 2004-16,  http://www.childtrends.org).

ACF recognized the importance of fatherhood by beginning its Promoting Responsible Fatherhood Initiative in 1996. An involved father provides benefits to his children in many areas, including healthy child development, gender identity, responsible sexuality, emotional and social commitments, financial security, school success, healthy self-esteem, mental health, avoidance of drug use, and child resiliency. The initiative's purpose is to promote responsible fatherhood by funding programs that support healthy marriage activities, promote responsible parenting, and foster economic stability. Additional information on the ACF Healthy Marriage Initiative can be found at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/healthymarriage and on the ACF Promoting Responsible Fatherhood Initiative at http://fatherhood.hhs.gov.

Target Population.ACF is interested in funding nurse home visiting programs that prevent child abuse and neglect. These programs must also provide or refer parents who would benefit from them to healthy marriage and responsible fatherhood services.

Of special interest to ACF are:

• Programs that serve young, low-income first-time mothers, their children, and the fathers of their children;
• Programs that focus on early childhood, beginning during pregnancy or at birth;
• Programs that focus on the whole family; and
• Programs that are available to all families in the community, including families whose children are at risk of abuse and/or neglect, especially those impacted by problems associated with substance abuse, mental health issues, and family violence.

Applicants should describe and justify the community to be served, the target population, and the plan for recruiting, engaging and retaining families. The program must institute nurse home visits and services during pregnancy or at birth. 

Applicants should describe and justify the types of healthy marriage and responsible fatherhood services the identified target population is likely to benefit from, and the proportion of the entire client family- base served under this program that would benefit from healthy marriage and responsible fatherhood services. Applicants should describe how they will identify families who would benefit from healthy marriage and responsible fatherhood services, how they will connect these families to these services, how they will ensure that these identified families access these services voluntarily, and how they will assist families in transferring what they learn about healthy marriage and responsible fatherhood into practice throughout the duration of their involvement with these families.

Research on home visitation programs suggests that some of the barriers to effectiveness include difficulties engaging those clients who: tend to frequently move from one residence to another; break appointments; drop out of the program; and live in sub-standard housing in unsafe neighborhoods, which can be a challenge for the home visitors, not to mention the families themselves. Applicants should describe these and other potential barriers or obstacles to successful implementation of the proposed program, and describe and justify strategies to overcome them.  

Program Model. Funded programs will provide nurse home visitation services to the identified target population and provide or refer parents who would benefit from them to healthy marriage and responsible fatherhood services. Families who need them should also receive services to address substance abuse, mental health, and family violence issues.

Funded programs are strongly advised to conduct a comprehensive assessment of all members of each family served under this program. The case plan should then be developed based on the results of the assessment, with services prioritized by need. The Children's Bureau recently published Comprehensive Family Assessment Guidelines. Engagement of the entire family over the life of the case, linking family's strengths and needs to service plans, and collaboration between service providers are key components of the Guidelines. The Guidelines are available at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/pubs/family_assessment/index.htm.

Applicants should identify the evidence-based nurse home visitation model they plan to use; provide evidence that this model has been shown to be effective in preventing child abuse and neglect; commit to fidelity in implementing the model; and provide a rationale for using this model in the identified community with the identified target population. A resource that may be helpful to applicants is the Home Visit Forum at Harvard, http://www.gse.harvard.edu/hfrp/projects/home-visit/index.html.

Applicants should identify the evidence-based model/curricula of responsible fatherhood, and healthy marriage they plan to use; provide evidence that they have been shown to be effective; commit to implementing the entire model/curricula or describe and justify the components of these models/curricula they will implement; and provide a rationale for using these models in conjunction with nurse home visitation services in the identified community with the identified target population.

Applicants should explain how the three services (nurse home visitation, healthy marriage, and responsible fatherhood) will be integrated and provide a rationale for how the proposed model of integration will be successful. Applicants should describe how they will address issues of fidelity in replicating each of the three individual program models while combining nurse home visitation, healthy marriage and responsible fatherhood services. 

Applicants should describe in detail and justify the number of families to be served during the course of the project.

Applicants should describe in detail and justify the amount of each service (nurse home visitation, healthy marriage, and responsible fatherhood) they anticipate families will receive, how many hours, and over what time period.

Ideally, the father of each child being served through this program would be fully engaged at every stage, as long as that is in the best interest of the child and is not unsafe for the child's mother. Applicants must describe their plan to address potential domestic violence and child safety issues by having a written domestic violence protocol, and a supportive relationship with the domestic violence program in the community. Engagement of fathers (including non-resident fathers) and paternal families should begin during the comprehensive family assessment and continue throughout the program's involvement with the family. Participation in responsible fatherhood services must be voluntary.

Marriage education services provided by funded programs must be skills-based and specifically designed to increase the likelihood that healthy marriages will form, or existing marriages will experience long-term marital satisfaction and stability. Participation in marriage education services must be voluntary. The marriage education curriculum must be designed to help couples learn and apply skills that will: 

• Improve communication between couples;
• Improve the couple's ability to resolve their conflicts; and
• Strengthen the couple's commitment to increasing marital stability.

In programs serving young, low-income first time mothers, it is likely that many enrollees may be teenagers. Applicants proposing to serve this population should describe and justify the type of healthy marriage curriculum and services they believe would be appropriate for this young population and provide evidence that providing these services to this population will increase the likelihood that healthy marriages will form. In selecting a marriage education curriculum, guidelines are available at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/healthymarriage/pdf/ACF_Curriculum_Assessment_Guide.pdf.

Applicants should identify the replication standards of the evidence-based nurse home visitation, healthy marriage and responsible fatherhood service models they intend to implement and describe their approach to adhering to these standards.

Funded programs can establish/implement their own healthy marriage and responsible fatherhood programs, or refer families to services provided by other community agencies. Participation in these healthy marriage and responsible fatherhood programs must be voluntary. Healthy marriage and responsible fatherhood services can be provided in the home or outside the home. Applicants should identify which of these options they will implement and justify their choice. If provided outside the home, applicants should describe and justify plans for ensuring that family members who would benefit from these services, and who volunteer to participate, enroll in these programs, get to these programs (e.g., address scheduling, transportation and childcare issues), complete the program, and transfer what they've learned into practice.

Funded programs may use grant funds to provide existing services or to develop and provide new services. Funded programs may also use grant funds to develop and/or support a limited amount of infrastructure to coordinate existing services, but this infrastructure should be modest, both in cost and in duration, in relation to the overall scope of the project. In either case, applicants should describe and justify their choice.

Applicants should describe their plan to work with the developers of the evidence-based models/curricula they propose to implement (e.g., use of training and technical assistance (TTA) and other program resources, training and certification of providers, and accreditation of programs). Applicants should also describe their plan to use these healthy marriage http://www.acf.hhs.gov/healthymarriage/index.html and responsible fatherhood http://fatherhood.hhs.gov/index.shtml resources.

Evaluation. ACF expects that projects funded under this program announcement will develop a knowledge base around the efficacy of providing nurse home visitation services to a defined target population and providing or referring parents who would benefit from them to healthy marriage and responsible fatherhood services. ACF is interested in learning about the success of funded programs in reducing the incidence of child abuse and neglect, their effect on healthy marriages and responsible fatherhood, the factors associated with the successful implementation of the programs, their sustainability, their suitability for replication, and their overall cost-effectiveness and cost benefit.

It will be most important to understand the impact of funded programs on reducing child maltreatment and their effect on healthy marriage and responsible fatherhood. In addition, program evaluations should address the factors associated with the successful combination, replication, implementation and sustaining of evidence-based programs and practices. Given the scarce resources available for prevention programs and the push to establish cost efficiency measures, programs should conduct a cost analysis which will provide State and local policy makers with the information they need to make more thoughtful decisions about resource allocation in their communities.

ACF has a particular interest in projects that develop knowledge about:

• How to successfully integrate these three service models (nurse home visitation, healthy marriage, and responsible fatherhood);
• The outcomes and cost-effectiveness of providing these three services in combination, compared with providing some or all of these services individually; and
• Which models, and which combinations of models work best under which sets of conditions.

In order to compare outcomes, it would be acceptable for a grantee to provide all three services to a treatment group, and home visitation services only to a comparison group. Applicants are encouraged to propose and justify other methods of comparing outcomes produced by various combinations of these three services.

Funded programs will be encouraged to track the same/similar outcomes, using the same/similar tools as the evidence-based models being implemented, so it will be possible to compare the implementation and outcomes of the funded programs with the implementation and outcomes of these same models that have already been implemented and evaluated.

Applications should include a logic model or conceptual framework that shows that their comprehensive family assessment includes identification of strengths and needs related to marriage and fatherhood and that services include healthy marriage and responsible fatherhood components for families that would benefit from them. Program evaluations should measure the extent to which the programs meet the needs and build on the strengths identified in the comprehensive family assessment.

Demonstration Projects. Activities funded under this funding announcement are demonstration projects. At the Children's Bureau, a demonstration project is one that puts into place and tests new, unique, or distinctive approaches for delivering services to a specific population.

Demonstration projects may test whether a program or service that has proven successful in one location or setting can work in a different context. Demonstration projects may test a theory, idea, or method that reflects a new and different way of thinking about service delivery. Demonstration projects may be designed to address the needs of a very specific group of clients or focus on one service component available to all clients. The scope of these projects may be broad and comprehensive or narrow and targeted to specific populations. A demonstration project must:

1. Develop and implement an evidence-based model with specific components or strategies that are based on theory, research, or evaluation data; or replicate or test the transferability of successfully evaluated program models;
2. Determine the effectiveness of the model and its components or strategies using a rigorous evaluation approach; and
3. Produce detailed procedures and materials based on the evaluation that will contribute to and promote evidence-based strategies, practices, and programs that may be used to guide replication or testing in other settings.

ACF will expect grantees to engage in an evaluation of sufficient rigor to demonstrate potential linkages between project activities and improved outcomes. Guided by a logic model for the project, this evaluation will include both process and outcomes evaluation components. The process evaluation will assess the implementation of the project, as well as the linkages between the collaborative partners that will help ensure that identified needs of children and families are met. The outcomes component will use a sufficiently rigorous approach to examine how the approaches used in this demonstration project affect key outcomes of interest. The evidence from the evaluation will support evidence-based practice and provide States with examples of strategies that are tied to positive outcomes for children and families.

Assurances. The acceptance of funds for projects responsive to this announcement will signify the applicant's assurance that it will comply with the following requirements:

1. Have the project fully functioning within 90 days following the notification of the cooperative agreement.
2. Participate, if the Children's Bureau chooses, in a national evaluation or a technical assistance contract that relates to this funding announcement.
3. Submit all performance indicator data, program and financial reports in a timely manner, in recommended format (to be provided), and submit the final report on disk or electronically using a standard word-processing program.
4. Submit a copy of the final report, the evaluation report, and any program products to the Child Welfare Information Gateway within 90 days of project end date.  This is in addition to the standard requirement that the final program and evaluation report must also be submitted to the Grants Management Specialist and the Federal Project Officer.
5. Allocate sufficient funds in the budget to:
   1. Provide for the project director, the evaluator, and other key partners to attend an early kickoff meeting for grantees funded under this program announcement to be held within the first three months of the project (first year only) in Washington, D.C.
   2. Provide for the project director, the evaluator, and other key partners to attend an annual three day grantees' meeting in Washington, D.C.
   
   

II. AWARD INFORMATION

Substantial Involvement with Cooperative Agreement:

A cooperative agreement is a specific method of awarding Federal assistance in which substantial Federal involvement is anticipated. A cooperative agreement clearly defines the respective responsibilities of the Children's Bureau and the grantee prior to the award. The Children's Bureau anticipates that agency involvement will produce programmatic benefits to the recipient otherwise unavailable to them for carrying out the project. The involvement and collaboration includes:

• Children's Bureau review and approval of planning stages of the activities before implementation phases may begin;
  
  
• Children's Bureau involvement in the establishment of policies and procedures that maximize open competition, and rigorous and impartial development, review and funding of cooperative agreement or sub-grant activities, if applicable;
  
  
• Children's Bureau and recipient joint collaboration in the performance of key programmatic activities (e.g., strategic planning, implementation, information technology enhancements, T/TA, publications or products, and evaluation);
  
  
• Close monitoring by the Children's Bureau of the requirements stated in this announcement that limit the grantee's discretion with respect to scope of services offered, organizational structure and management processes; and
  
  
• Close Children's Bureau monitoring during performance, which may, in order to ensure compliance with the intent of this funding, exceed those Federal stewardship responsibilities customary for cooperative agreement activities.

Explanation of Other:

In the first budget period, the maximum Federal share of each project is not to exceed $400,000. The projects awarded will be for a project period of 60 months. The initial award will be for a 12-month budget period. The award of continuation beyond each 12-month budget period will be subject to the availability of funds, satisfactory progress on the part of the grant recipient, and a determination that continued funding would be in the best interest of the Federal Government.

Awards under this announcement are subject to the availability of funds.

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

1. Eligible Applicants:

• State governments
• County governments
• Local Governments
• City or township governments
• Regional Organizations
• U.S. Territory or Possession
• Independent school districts
• Public and State-controlled institutions of higher education
• Indian/Native American Tribal governments (Federally recognized)
• Indian/Native American Tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized)
• Indian/Native American Tribally Designated Organizations
• Public/Indian Housing Authorities
• Non-profits with 501(c)(3) IRS status (other than institutions of higher education)
• Non-profits without 501(c)(3) IRS status (other than institutions of higher education)
• Private institutions of higher education
• For-profit organizations (other than small businesses)
• Small businesses
• Hispanic-Serving Institutions
• Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
• Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs)
• Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions
• Special district governments

Faith-based and community organizations that meet the statutory eligibility requirements are eligible to apply under this announcement.

Foreign entities are not eligible under this announcement.

2. Cost Sharing or Matching: Yes

Grantees are required to meet a non-Federal share of the project costs. Grantees must provide at least 10 percent of the total approved cost of the project. The total approved cost of the project is the sum of the ACF share and the non-Federal share. The non-Federal share may be met by cash or in-kind contributions, although applicants are encouraged to meet their match requirements through cash contributions. For example, in order to meet the match requirements, a project with a total approved project cost of $444,444, requesting $400,000 in ACF funds, must provide a non-Federal share of at least $44,444 (10 percent of total approved project cost of $444,444.) Grantees will be held accountable for commitments of non-Federal resources even if they exceed the amount of the required match. Failure to provide the required amount will result in the disallowance of Federal funds. A lack of supporting documentation at the time of application will not exclude the application from competitive review.

The following example shows how to calculate the required 10% match amount for a $400,000 grant:

                        $400,000         (Federal share)

divided by                  .90         (100% - 10%)

equals               $444,444         (total project cost including match)

minus                $400,000         (Federal share)

equals                 $44,444         (required 10% match)

The non-Federal share may be cash or in-kind contributions, although applicants are encouraged to meet their match requirements through cash contributions. If approved for funding, grantees will be held accountable for the commitment of non-Federal resources and failure to provide the required amount will result in a disallowance of unmatched Federal funds.

3. Other:

Disqualification Factors

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

1. Address to Request Application Package:

2. Content and Form of Application Submission:

Each application must contain the following items in the order listed:

Application for Federal Assistance. (Standard Form (SF) 424). Follow the instructions below and those that accompany the form.

• In Item 5 of SF-424, put D-U-N-S number in "Organizational D-U-N-S:" box.
• In Item 5 of SF-424, include name, phone number, and, if available, email and fax        numbers of the contact person.
• In Item 8 of SF-424, check 'New.'
• In Item 10 of SF-424, clearly identify the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) program title and number for the program for which funds are being requested as stated in this funding opportunity announcement.
• In Item 11 of SF-424, identify the single funding opportunity the application addresses.
• In Item 12 of SF-424, identify the specific geographic area to be served.
• In Item 14 of SF-424, identify Congressional districts of both the applicant and project.

Budget Information. Non-Construction Programs (SF-424A) and Budget Justification. Follow the instructions provided here and those in Section V, Application Review Information. Note that Federal funds provided to States and services or other resources purchased with Federal funds may not be used to match project awards.

Certifications/Assurances. Applicants requesting financial assistance for non-construction projects must file the SF-424B, "Assurances: Non-Construction Programs." Applicants must sign and return the SF-424B with their applications.

Applicants must file the Certification Regarding Lobbying when applying for an award in excess of $100,000. Applicants must sign and return the certification with their applications.

If applicable, applicants must disclose lobbying activities on the SF-LLL. See the information on the Certification Regarding Lobbying form for further information.

Applicants must make the appropriate certification regarding environmental tobacco smoke. By signing and submitting the application, the applicant is providing this certification and need not mail back this certification with the application.

Project Summary/Abstract (one page maximum, double spaced). Clearly mark this page with the applicant name as shown on Item 5 of SF-424, identify the program announcement and the title of the proposed project as shown in Item 11 and the service area as shown in Item 12 of SF-424. The summary description should not exceed 300 words.

Care should be taken to produce a summary/abstract that accurately and concisely reflects the proposed project. It should describe the objectives of the project, the approach to be used, and the results or benefits expected.

The Project Description. Applicants should organize their project description in this sequence: 1) Objectives and Need for Assistance; 2) Approach; 3) Evaluation; 4) Organizational Profiles; and 5) Budget and Budget Justification.  

Non-Federal Resources. Provide a letter of commitment verifying the actual amount of the non-Federal share of project costs (see Sections III.2 and V).

Indirect Charges. If claiming indirect costs, provide documentation that the applicant currently has an indirect cost-rate approved by HHS or another cognizant Federal agency.

Third Party Agreements. If applicable, include a letter of commitment or Memorandum of Understanding from each partner and/or sub-contractor describing their role, detailing specific project tasks to be performed, and expressing commitment to participate if the proposed project is funded. Note: General letters of support are not required and are not considered under the evaluation criteria.

Page Limit. The application limit is 100 pages total, including all forms and attachments. Pages over this page limit will be removed from the application and will not be reviewed.

General Content and Form Information. To be considered for funding, each application must be submitted with the Standard Federal Forms (provided at the end of this announcement or through the electronic links provided) and following the guidance provided. 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 award.

The application must be typed, double spaced, printed on only one side, with at least 1-inch margins on each side and 1 inch at the top and bottom, using standard 12-Point fonts (such as Times New Roman or Courier). All pages must be numbered. When spacing, margins, and font instructions are not followed, excess pages will be removed and will not be reviewed.

All copies of an application must be submitted in a single package, and a separate package must be submitted for each funding opportunity. The package must be clearly labeled for the specific funding opportunity it is addressing.

Because each application will be duplicated, do not use or include separate covers, binders, clips, tabs, plastic inserts, maps, brochures, or any other items that cannot be processed easily on a photocopy machine with an automatic feed. Do not bind, clip, staple, or fasten in any way separate subsections of the application, including supporting documentation. Use a clip (not a staple) to securely bind the application together. Applicants are advised that the copies of the application submitted, not the original, will be reproduced by the Federal Government for review.

Tips for Preparing a Competitive Application. It is essential that applicants read the entire announcement package carefully before preparing an application and include all of the required application forms and attachments. The application must reflect a thorough understanding of and support the purpose and objectives of the applicable legislation.  Reviewers expect applicants to understand the goals of the legislation and the Children's Bureau's interest in each topic. A "responsive application" is one that addresses and follows all of the evaluation criteria in ways that demonstrate this understanding. Applications that are considered to be "unresponsive" or do not clearly address the evaluation criteria or program requirements generally receive very low scores and are rarely funded.

The Children's Bureau's website (http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/cb) provides a wide range of information and links to other relevant websites. Before preparing an application, applicants can learn more about the mission and programs of the Children's Bureau by exploring the website.

Organizing the Application. Reviewers will use the specific evaluation criteria in Section V of this funding announcement to review and evaluate each application. The applicant should address each of these specific evaluation criteria in the project description. Applicants should organize their project description in this sequence: 1) Objectives and Need for Assistance; 2) Approach; 3) Evaluation; 4) Organizational Profiles; and 5) Budget and Budget Justification. The applicant must use the same headings as these criteria, so that reviewers can readily find information that directly addresses each of the specific review criteria.

Evaluation. A logic model is a tool that presents the conceptual framework for a proposed project and explains the linkages among program elements. While there are many versions of the logic model, they generally summarize the logical connections among the needs that are the focus of the project, project goals and objectives, the target population, project inputs (resources), the proposed activities/processes/outputs directed toward the target population, the expected short- and long-term outcomes the initiative is designed to achieve, and the evaluation plan for measuring the extent to which proposed processes and outcomes actually occur. Information on the development of logic models is available on the Internet at http://childwelfare.gov/preventing/developing/toolkit/.

Project evaluations are very important. If the applicant does not have the in-house capacity to conduct an objective, comprehensive evaluation of the project, then the Children's Bureau advises that the applicant contract with a third-party evaluator specializing in social science or evaluation, or a university or college, to conduct the evaluation.  In either case, it is important that the evaluator has the necessary independence from the project to assure objectivity. A skilled evaluator can help develop a logic model and assist in designing an evaluation strategy that is rigorous and appropriate given the goals and objectives of the proposed project. Additional assistance may be found in a document titled "Program Manager's Guide to Evaluation."  A copy of this document can be accessed at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/other_resrch/pm_guide_eval/reports/pmguide/pmguide_toc.html.

Evaluation plans that include obtaining identifiable private information about clients may involve non-exempt human subjects research and require compliance with the HHS Protection of Human Subjects regulations (45 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 46). Applicants proposing such research are asked to describe: (a) the procedures for protecting the privacy of clients and ensuring the confidentiality of data collected about clients; and (b) the process for obtaining institutional review board (IRB) review of the proposed evaluation plans. While IRB approval is not required at the time of award, applicants proposing non-exempt human subjects research will be required, as a condition of award, to hold a Federal-wide Assurance (FWA) approved by the Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP) and to provide certification to ACF that an IRB designated under the FWA has reviewed and approved the research prior to enrolling any subjects in the proposed evaluation. Certifications of IRB approval may be submitted to ACF using the form at http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/humansubjects/assurance/OF310.rtf.

General information about the HHS Protection of Human Subjects regulations can be obtained at http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp. Applicants may also contact OHRP by email (ohrp@csophs.dhhs.gov) or by phone (240-453-6900).

D-U-N-S Requirement

Proof of Non-Profit Status

Forms, Assurances, and Certifications

Hard Copy Submission

Applicants that are submitting their application in paper format should submit one original and two copies of the complete application.  The original and each of the two copies must include all required forms, certifications, assurances, and appendices, be signed by an authorized representative, and be unbound. The original copy of the application must have original signature(s).

Non-Federal Reviewers

Since ACF will be using non-Federal reviewers in the review process, 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 as well as Social Security Numbers, if otherwise required for individuals.  The copies may include summary salary information.

If applicants are submitting their application electronically, ACF will omit the same specific salary rate information from copies made for use during the review and selection process.

3. Submission Dates and Times:

Due Date for Applications: 07/02/2007

Explanation of Due Dates

Receipt acknowledgement for application packages will not be provided to applicants who submit their package via mail, courier services, or by hand delivery.   Applicants will receive an electronic acknowledgement for applications that are submitted via http://www.Grants.gov.

Checklist

You may use the checklist below as a guide when preparing your application package.

4. Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs:

State Single Point of Contact (SPOC)

5. Funding Restrictions:

6. Other Submission Requirements:

Submission by Mail

ACYF Operations Center
c/o The Dixon Group, Inc.
ATTN: Children's Bureau
118 Q St., NE.
Washington, DC 20002-2132

Hand Delivery

ACYF Operations Center
c/o The Dixon Group, Inc.
ATTN: Children's Bureau
118 Q St., NE.
Washington, DC 20002-2132

V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

1. Criteria:

Part I   THE PROJECT DESCRIPTION OVERVIEW

PURPOSE

GENERAL EXPECTATIONS AND INSTRUCTIONS

Part II   GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR PREPARING A FULL PROJECT DESCRIPTION

INTRODUCTION

EVALUATION CRITERIA:

OBJECTIVES AND NEED FOR ASSISTANCE - 20 points