[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 12 (Tuesday, January 20, 1998)] [Notices] [Pages 2992-2996] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 98-1217] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Fiscal Year (FY) 1998 Funding Opportunities AGENCY: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, HHS. ACTION: Notice of Funding Availability. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Center for Mental Health Services announces the availability of FY 1998 funds for grants and cooperative agreements for the following activities. These activities are discussed in more detail under Section 4 of this notice. This notice is not a complete description of the activities; potential applicants must obtain a copy of the Guidance for Applicants (GFA) before preparing an application. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Estimated Application funds Estimated Project Activity deadline available No. of period (millions) awards ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Circles of Care................................................ 04/03/98 $2.4 6-8 3 yrs. Consumer-Operated Service Program.............................. 04/09/98 5.0 9 4 yrs. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Note: SAMHSA also published a notice of available funding opportunities in FY 1998 in the Federal Register (Vol. 63, No. 3) on Tuesday, January 6, 1998. The actual amount available for awards and their allocation may vary, depending on unanticipated program requirements and the volume and quality of applications. Awards are usually made for grant periods from one to three years in duration. FY 1998 funds for activities discussed in this announcement were appropriated by the Congress under Public Law No. 105-78. SAMHSA's policies and procedures for peer review and Advisory Council review of grant and cooperative agreement applications were published in the Federal Register (Vol. 58, No. 126) on July 2, 1993. The Public Health Service (PHS) is committed to achieving the health promotion and disease prevention objectives of Healthy People 2000, a PHS-led national activity for setting priority areas. The SAMHSA Centers' substance abuse and mental health services activities address issues related to Healthy People 2000 objectives of Mental Health and Mental Disorders; Alcohol and Other Drugs; Clinical Preventive Services; HIV Infection; and Surveillance and Data Systems. Potential applicants may obtain a copy of Healthy People 2000 (Full Report: Stock No. 017-001-00474-0) or Summary Report: Stock No. 017- 001-00473-1) through the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402-9325 (Telephone: 202-512-1800). General Instructions: Applicants must use application form PHS 5161-1 (Rev. 5/96; OMB No. 0937-0189). The application kit contains the GFA (complete programmatic guidance and instructions for preparing and submitting applications), the PHS 5161-1 which includes Standard Form 424 (Face Page), and other documentation and forms. Application kits may be obtained from the organization specified for each activity covered by this notice (see Section 4). When requesting an application kit, the applicant must specify the particular activity for which detailed information is desired. This is to ensure receipt of all necessary forms and information, including any specific program review and award criteria. The PHS 5161-1 application form and the full text of each of the activities (i.e., the GFA) described in Section 4 are available electronically via SAMHSA's World Wide Web Home Page (address: http:// www.samhsa.gov). Application Submission: Unless otherwise stated in the GFA, [[Page 2993]] applications must be submitted to: SAMHSA Programs, Center for Scientific Review, National Institutes of Health, Suite 1040, 6701 Rockledge Drive MSC-7710, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-7710.* ________________ (* Applicants who wish to use express mail or courier service should change the zip code to 20817.) Application Deadlines: The deadlines for receipt of applications are listed in the table above. Please note that the deadlines may differ for the individual activities. Competing applications must be received by the indicated receipt dates to be accepted for review. An application received after the deadline may be acceptable if it carries a legible proof-of-mailing date assigned by the carrier and that date is not later than one week prior to the deadline date. Private metered postmarks are not acceptable as proof of timely mailing. Applications received after the deadline date and those sent to an address other than the address specified above will be returned to the applicant without review. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for activity-specific technical information should be directed to the program contact person identified for each activity covered by this notice (see Section 4). Requests for information concerning business management issues should be directed to the grants management contact person identified for each activity covered by this notice (see Section 4). SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: To facilitate the use of this Notice of Funding Availability, information has been organized as outlined in the Table of Contents below. For each activity, the following information is provided:Application Deadline Purpose Priorities Eligible Applicants Grants/Cooperative Agreements/Amounts Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number Contacts Application Kits Table of Contents 1. Program Background and Objectives 2. Special Concerns 3. Criteria for Review and Funding 3.1 General Review Criteria 3.2 Funding Criteria for Scored Applications 4. Special FY 1998 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Activities 4.1 Grants 4.1.1 Circles of Care: Planning, Designing, and Assessing Mental Health Service System Models for Native American Indian and Alaska Native Children and Their Families 4.2 Cooperative Agreements 4.2.1 Cooperative Agreements to Evaluate Consumer-Operated Human Service Programs for Persons with Serious Mental Illness (Consumer- Operated Service Program) 5. Public Health System Reporting Requirements 6. PHS Non-use of Tobacco Policy Statement 7. Executive Order 12372 1. Program Background and Objectives SAMHSA's mission within the Nation's health system is to improve the quality and availability of prevention, early intervention, treatment, and rehabilitation services for substance abuse and mental illnesses, including co-occurring disorders, in order to improve health and reduce illness, death, disability, and cost to society. Reinventing government, with its emphases on redefining the role of Federal agencies and on improving customer service, has provided SAMHSA with a welcome opportunity to examine carefully its programs and activities. As a result of that process, SAMHSA moved assertively to create a renewed and strategic emphasis on using its resources to generate knowledge about ways to improve the prevention and treatment of substance abuse and mental illness and to work with State and local governments as well as providers, families, and consumers to effectively use that knowledge in everyday practice. SAMHSA's FY 1998 Knowledge Development and Application (KD&A) agenda is the outcome of a process whereby providers, services researchers, consumers, National Advisory Council members and other interested persons participated in special meetings or responded to calls for suggestions and reactions. From this input, each SAMHSA Center developed a ``menu'' of suggested topics. The topics were discussed jointly and an agency agenda of critical topics was agreed to. The selection of topics depended heavily on policy importance and on the existence of adequate research and practitioner experience on which to base studies. While SAMHSA's FY 1998 KD&A programs will sometimes involve the evaluation of some delivery of services, they are services studies and application activities, not merely evaluation, since they are aimed at answering policy-relevant questions and putting that knowledge to use. SAMHSA differs from other agencies in focusing on needed information at the services delivery level, and in its question-focus. Dissemination and application are integral, major features of the programs. SAMHSA believes that it is important to get the information into the hands of the public, providers, and systems administrators as effectively as possible. Technical assistance, training, preparation of special materials will be used, in addition to normal communications means. SAMHSA also continues to fund legislatively-mandated services programs for which funds are appropriated. 2. Special Concerns SAMHSA's legislatively-mandated services programs do provide funds for mental health and/or substance abuse treatment and prevention services. However, SAMHSA's KD&A activities do not provide funds for mental health and/or substance abuse treatment and prevention services except sometimes for costs required by the particular activity's study design. Applicants are required to propose true knowledge application or knowledge development and application projects. Applications seeking funding for services projects under a KD&A activity will be considered nonresponsive. Applications that are incomplete or nonresponsive to the GFA will be returned to the applicant without further consideration. 3. Criteria for Review and Funding Consistent with the statutory mandate for SAMHSA to support activities that will improve the provision of treatment, prevention and related services, including the development of national mental health and substance abuse goals and model programs, competing applications requesting funding under the specific project activities in Section 4 will be reviewed for technical merit in accordance with established PHS/SAMHSA peer review procedures. 3.1 General Review Criteria As published in the Federal Register on July 2, 1993 (Vol. 58, No. 126), SAMHSA's ``Peer Review and Advisory Council Review of Grant and Cooperative Agreement Applications and Contract Proposals,'' peer review groups will take into account, among other factors as may be specified in the application guidance materials, the following general criteria: Potential significance of the proposed project; Appropriateness of the applicant's proposed objectives to the goals of the specific program; [[Page 2994]] Adequacy and appropriateness of the proposed approach and activities; Adequacy of available resources, such as facilities and equipment; Qualifications and experience of the applicant organization, the project director, and other key personnel; and Reasonableness of the proposed budget. 3.2 Funding Criteria for Scored Applications Applications will be considered for funding on the basis of their overall technical merit as determined through the peer review group and the appropriate National Advisory Council (if applicable) review process. Other funding criteria will include: Availability of funds. Additional funding criteria specific to the programmatic activity may be included in the application guidance materials. 4. Special FY 1998 Mental Health Activities 4.1 Grants 4.1.1 Circles of Care: Planning, Designing, and Assessing Mental Health Service System Models for Native American Indian and Alaska Native Children and Their Families Application Deadline: April 3, 1998 Purpose: Six to eight grants will be awarded to plan, design, and assess the feasibility of implementing a culturally appropriate mental health service model for American Indian/Alaska Native children with serious emotional disturbances and their families. The purpose of this program is to support the development of mental health service delivery models that are designed by American Indian/ Alaska Native communities to achieve outcomes for their children that they choose for themselves. Formulation and evaluation of programs based directly on the needs, values, and principles of the grantee organizations will provide an information base for other programs interested in structuring culturally relevant children's mental health service systems. Grantees will engage in a strategic planning process, design a service model, and conduct a feasibility assessment of the model, including a cost and funding analysis. Actual services will not be funded but the intent of the program is to position tribal and urban Indian organizations advantageously for future service system implementation and development when opportunities for funding services are available. Priorities: None Eligible Applicants: Applications may be submitted by federally acknowledged tribes and tribal organizations. Urban Indian organizations are eligible to apply if they are a nonprofit corporate body situated in an urban center, governed by a board of directors of whom at least 51% are American Indian/Alaska Natives, and provide for the participation of all interested Indian groups and individuals. The applicant must be capable of legally cooperating with other public and private entities for the purposes of performing the activities of this program. The primary intent of the ``Circles of Care'' program is to support the development of mental health service delivery models that are designed by American Indian/Alaska Native communities to achieve outcomes for their children that they chose for themselves. Models designed for American Indian/Alaska Native communities by people other than American Indian/Alaska Natives are already available. This program will enable community members to develop models to juxtapose with those not designed by Indians to find which are best for meeting their service needs. To be effective and have the cooperation and confidence of the community, the applicant must be representative of the community, in addition to demonstrating the ability to fulfill the technical requirements of the GFA. Grants/Amounts: It is estimated that approximately $2.4 million will be available to support approximately 6-8 awards in FY 1998. Actual funding levels for subsequent years will depend on availability of appropriated funds. Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 93.230 Program Contact: For programmatic or technical assistance contact: Gary De Carolis, M.ED., Center for Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Parklawn Building, Room 18-49, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, Maryland 20857, (301) 443-1333. Grants Management Contact: For business management assistance, contact: Stephen J. Hudak, Grants Management Specialist, Division of Grants Management, OPS, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Parklawn Building, Room 15C-05, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, Maryland 20857, (301) 443-4456. Application Kits: Application kits are available from: National Mental Health Services, Knowledge Exchange Network (KEN), P.O. Box 42490, Washington, D.C. 20015, Voice: (800) 789-2647, TTY: (301) 443-9006. CMHS intends to sponsor two technical assistance workshops for potential applicants to provide guidance on completing the grant application. One workshop will be held in the eastern part of the country; the other will be held in the western part of the country. Letters from CMHS will be mailed to all 550 federally recognized tribes and urban Indian organizations to inform them of the meeting(s). For more information, potential applicants may contact: Kathy McGregor, Project Coordinator, National Indian Child Welfare Association, 3611 SW Hood Street, Suite 201, Portland, OR 97201, (503-222-4044). 4.2 Cooperative Agreements A major activity for a SAMHSA cooperative agreement program is discussed below. Substantive Federal programmatic involvement is required in cooperative agreement programs. Federal involvement will include planning, guidance, coordination, and participating in programmatic activities (e.g., participation in publication of findings and on steering committees). Periodic meetings, conferences and/or communications with the award recipients may be held to review mutually agreed-upon goals and objectives and to assess progress. Additional details on the degree of Federal programmatic involvement will be included in the application guidance materials. 4.2.1 Cooperative Agreements to Evaluate Consumer-Operated Human Service Programs for Persons With Serious Mental Illness (Consumer- Operated Service Program) Application Deadline: April 9, 1998. Purpose: This Guidance for Applicants (GFA) solicits applications for two types of cooperative agreements--Study Sites and a Coordinating Center. The purpose of this Program is to assess the extent to which consumer-operated services are effective in improving rehabilitation and recovery of individuals with serious mental illness. It also seeks to determine to what extent participation in such services affect costs. Specific questions to be addressed are: 1. To what extent does participation in a consumer-operated service program affect selected consumer outcomes for consumers who use traditional service programs? The selected outcomes are empowerment, housing, employment [[Page 2995]] (such as transition from unemployment to employment), social inclusion, and satisfaction with services. This core question is to be addressed in both the individual Study Site evaluation and the multi-site evaluation to be coordinated by the Coordinating Center. 2. To what extent does participation in a consumer-operated service program affect costs for the following: inpatient hospitalization, crisis intervention, and emergency room utilization as well as offsetting costs in housing, criminal justice, vocational rehabilitation, physical health care, and income support? Examination of patterns of service use of retrospective or prospective ``claims'' data on service utilization will be coordinated by the Coordinating Center. While individual Study Sites will provide the necessary information for the cost-study, the Coordinating Center will be responsible for developing a design and method for collecting and analyzing all information for the cost-study. A goal of the Program is to create strong and productive partnerships among consumers, service providers and services researchers that demonstrate to the field that these groups are capable of complementing each other's strengths and that their joint efforts will yield the most effective service delivery models possible. Another goal is to disseminate the knowledge gained about the effectiveness of these projects and the specific components that contributed to their success. Priorities: None. Eligible Applicants: Applications to be a Study Site or a Coordinating Center may be submitted by public organizations, such as units of State or local governments and by domestic private nonprofit and for-profit organizations such as community-based organizations, universities, colleges, and hospitals, and family and/or consumer operated organizations. Since CMHS seeks to study established consumer- operated and traditional programs, both program entities must have been operational for a minimum of 2 years at the time of the submission of the study site application. Applicants may apply to be a Study Site or a Coordinating Center, but not both. Cooperative Agreements/Amounts: It is estimated that approximately $5 million will be available to support approximately eight (8) Study Site awards and one (1) Coordinating Center under this GFA in FY 1998. The average award to support each Study Site is expected to range from $400,000 to $600,000 in total costs (direct+indirect) per year. The award to support the Coordinating Center is expected to be in the range of $700,000 to $900,000 in total costs (direct+indirect) per year. Actual funding levels will depend upon the availability of appropriated funds. Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 93.230. Program Contact: For programmatic or technical assistance contact: William R. McKinnon, Ph.D., Community Support Programs Branch, Division of Knowledge Development and Systems Change, Center for Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 5600 Fishers Lane, Room 11C-22, Rockville, MD 20857, (301) 443-3655, or Paolo del Vecchio, Office of External Liaison, Center for Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 5600 Fishers Lane, Room 13C-103, Rockville, MD 20857, (301) 443-2619. Grants Management Contact: For business management assistance, contact: Stephen J. Hudak, Grants Management Specialist, Division of Grants Management, OPS, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 5600 Fishers Lane, Room 15C-05, Rockville, Maryland 20857, (301) 443-4456. Application Kits: Application kits are available from: National Mental Health Services, Knowledge Exchange Network (KEN), P.O. Box 42490, Washington, DC 20015, Voice: (800) 789-2647, TTY: (301) 443- 9006, FAX: (301) 984-8796. 5. Public Health System Reporting Requirements The Public Health System Impact Statement (PHSIS) is intended to keep State and local health officials apprised of proposed health services grant and cooperative agreement applications submitted by community-based nongovernmental organizations within their jurisdictions. Community-based nongovernmental service providers who are not transmitting their applications through the State must submit a PHSIS to the head(s) of the appropriate State and local health agencies in the area(s) to be affected not later than the pertinent receipt date for applications. This PHSIS consists of the following information: a. A copy of the face page of the application (Standard form 424). b. A summary of the project (PHSIS), not to exceed one page, which provides: (1) A description of the population to be served. (2) A summary of the services to be provided. (3) A description of the coordination planned with the appropriate State or local health agencies. State and local governments and Indian Tribal Authority applicants are not subject to the Public Health System Reporting Requirements. Application guidance materials will specify if a particular FY 1998 activity described above is/is not subject to the Public Health System Reporting Requirements. 6. PHS Non-use of Tobacco Policy Statement The PHS strongly encourages all grant and contract recipients to provide a smoke-free workplace and promote the non-use of all tobacco products. In addition, Public Law 103-227, the Pro-Children Act of 1994, prohibits smoking in certain facilities (or in some cases, any portion of a facility) in which regular or routine education, library, day care, health care, or early childhood development services are provided to children. This is consistent with the PHS mission to protect and advance the physical and mental health of the American people. 7. Executive Order 12372 Applications submitted in response to all FY 1998 activities listed above are subject to the intergovernmental review requirements of Executive Order 12372, as implemented through DHHS regulations at 45 CFR Part 100. E.O. 12372 sets up a system for State and local government review of applications for Federal financial assistance. Applicants (other than Federally recognized Indian tribal governments) should contact the State's Single Point of Contact (SPOC) as early as possible to alert them to the prospective application(s) and to receive any necessary instructions on the State's review process. For proposed projects serving more than one State, the applicant is advised to contact the SPOC of each affected State. A current listing of SPOCs is included in the application guidance materials. The SPOC should send any State review process recommendations directly to: Office of Extramural Activities Review, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Parklawn Building, Room 17-89, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, Maryland 20857. The due date for State review process recommendations is no later than 60 days after the specified deadline date for the receipt of applications. SAMHSA does not guarantee to accommodate or explain SPOC comments that are received after the 60-day cut-off. [[Page 2996]] Dated: January 11, 1998. Richard Kopanda, Executive Officer, SAMHSA. [FR Doc. 98-1217 Filed 1-16-98; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4162-20-P