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AUTHORIZATION This section lists the legal authority upon which a program is based (acts, amendments to acts, Public Law numbers, titles, sections, Statute Codes, citations to the U.S. Code, Executive Orders, Presidential Reorganization Plans, and Memoranda from an agency head). Information provided here is used to produce Appendix II, the Authorization Appendix.

Example: Community Mental Health Centers Act of 1975, Part A, Section 203(e), Public Law 94-63, 42 U.S.C. 2689.

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OBJECTIVES This is a brief statement of specific objectives stated in terms of what the intended to accomplish along with the goals toward which the program is directed.

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Example: To stimulate innovative approaches to children's mental health problems emphasizing prevention and coordination of community services; to expand training activities; and, to broaden resources for children's mental health services.

TYPES OF ASSISTANCE

This section indicates the form in which the assistance is transmitted from the Federal government and is initially received for use or distribution by the applicant.

Example: Project Grants.

USES AND USE RESTRICTIONS -- This section describes the potential uses for the assistance provided to meet stated objectives, and the specific restrictions placed upon the use of funds. The section cites one or more applications depending upon the nature of a particular program. Since this section translates objectives into the uses of a program, users may develop a clearer understanding of the program's objectives.

Example: Support for Continuation Grants only. Program authorizes funds on a matching basis for initial staffing of facilities offering mental health services for children. Staffing grants may be used for a portion of the costs of professional and technical personnel to operate a facility for child mental health services; a higher percentage may be paid if an area has been designated a poverty area by the Secretary, HHS. The proposed program must provide consultation and coordinating services with other community agencies serving children in service area, and must include a plan with the means by which it will be evaluated.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

Applicant Eligibility -- This section indicates who can apply to the Federal government for assistance and the criteria the potential applicant must satisfy. For example, individuals may be eligible for research grants, and the criteria to be satisfied may be that they have a professional or scientific degree, 3 years of research experience, and be a citizen of the United States. Universities, medical schools, hospitals, or State and local governments may also be eligible. Where State governments are eligible, the type of State agency will be indicated (State welfare agency or State agency on aging) and the criteria that they must satisfy.

Certain programs in the Catalog (e.g., the Pell Grant program which provides grants to students) involve intermediate levels of application processing, i.e., applications are transmitted through colleges or universities that are neither the direct applicant nor the ultimate beneficiary. For these programs, the criteria that the intermediaries must satisfy are also indicated, along with intermediaries who are not eligible.

Example: To be eligible for staffing grants, applicants must be part of, or affiliated with, a community mental health center, unless there is no center serving the community. Applicants may then be any public or private nonprofit agency providing, or coordinating with programs that will provide a full range of mental health services for children and their families residing in the service area.

Beneficiary Eligibility -- This section lists the ultimate beneficiaries of a program, the criteria they must satisfy and who specifically is not eligible. The applicant and beneficiary will generally be the same for programs that provide assistance directly from a Federal agency. However, financial assistance that passes

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through State or local governments will have different applicants and beneficiaries since the assistance is transmitted to private sector beneficiaries who are not obligated to request or apply for the assistance.

Example: Children and their families in the service area as well as personnel of schools and other community agencies serving children.

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Credentials/Documentation This is a brief description of the credentials or documentation required prior to, or along with, an application for assistance. The eligibility factors that must be proven, certified, or established are indicated in this section. This section also indicates whether OMB Circular No. A-87 requirements, "Cost Principles Applicable to Grants and Contracts with State and Local Governments," are applicable. In cases where specific Federal circulars or other regulatory requirements are not applicable to the program, disclaimer statements may be included referencing the requirement(s) from which the program is excluded, e.g., "This program is excluded from coverage under (applicable requirement)."

Example: Proof of nonprofit status is required of nonprofit organizations and institutions. This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-87.

APPLICATION AND AWARD PROCESS:

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Preapplication Coordination This section indicates whether any prior coordination or approval is required with governmental or nongovernmental units prior to the submission of a formal application to the Federal funding agency. For example, programs may require: (1) State agency approval prior to the submission of an application to a Federal agency; (2) the submission of environmental impact information as required by the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, and Executive Order 11514 of March 4, 1970; (3) coordination with the policies of the recently revised OMB Circular No. A-102, "Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and Cooperative Agreements to State and Local Governments" (referenced here for construction, land acquisition, and land development projects for which Federal funding exceeds $100,000); (4) coverage for eligibility under Executive Order 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs"; or (5) a preapplication or preapplication conference. Applicants should also ascertain from the Federal agency the existence of other circular requirements not indicated by this section, and from the State, any State requirements that may be in effect. In cases where E.O. 12372 is not applicable to the program, a disclaimer statement is included referencing the exclusion, e.g., "This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372."

Example: Preapplication consultation with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Branch of the HHS Regional Office is not mandatory. Application must be accompanied by evidence of approval and recommendation by the appropriate State agency or agencies. The standard application forms, as furnished by the Federal agency and required by OMB Circular No. A102, must be used for this program. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.

Application Procedure -- This section discusses the basic procedural steps required by the Federal agency in the application process, beginning with the lowest level (e.g., State and local government units, institutions or organizations) and ending eventually with the Federal government. Each program will indicate whether applications are to be submitted to the Federal headquarters, regional or local office, or to a State or local government office. Numerous programs in the Catalog require the standard application forms in OMB Circular No. A-102 (Attachment M). Other applications may be in the form of a written request to the funding agency stating the need for assistance and requesting available services, or a formal proposal prepared in response to an announcement in the Federal Register or the Commerce Business Daily. Also indicated in this section is guidance concerning the applicability of OMB Circular No. A-110, "Grants and Agreements with Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals, and Other Nonprofit Organizations." In cases where specific Federal circulars or other regulatory requirements are not applicable to the program, disclaimer statements may be included referencing the requirement(s) from which the program is excluded, e.g., "This program is excluded from coverage under (applicable requirement)."

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Example: Continuation Application Form ADM-115 should be used for staffing. Instructions and consultation may be obtained from the mental health section of the appropriate HHS Regional Office. Applications are sent to the Regional Office with copies to Acting Director, Division of Mental Health Service Programs, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857. This program is subject to the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-110. This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-102.

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Award Procedure This section lists the basic procedural steps for awarding assistance, beginning with the organizational components of the Federal agency that has final approval authority for the application and ending with the lowest level at which Federal resources are expended. Also indicated is whether assistance passes through the initial applicant for further distribution by intermediate level applicants to groups or individuals in the private sector.

Accepted applications are subject to evaluation by the headquarters, regional, local or district office to determine the feasibility of the proposed project to include consistency with Federal and individual agency policies concerning its scope and purpose. Grant payments may be made by a letter of credit, advance by Treasury check, or reimbursement by Treasury check. The headquarters office may make awards directly to the applicant, an agency field office, a regional office, or by an authorized county office.

Example: The Regional Health Administrator makes awards to approved applicants.

Deadlines -- When available, this section indicates the deadlines for applications to the funding agency that will be stated in terms of the date(s) or between what dates the application should be received. Reference is made to new applications, continuations, renewals, and supplementals. Application deadline information is also indicated in the Deadlines Index, in the agency's program guidelines, or announced in the Federal Register. Where not available, applicants should contact the funding agency for deadline information.

Example: Staffing: Determined by award period (contact the Regional Office).

Range of Approval or Disapproval Time -- This section informs the applicant of the representative range of time required for the application to be processed (in terms of days or months) at the Federal level.

Example: From 90 to 120 days.

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Appeals In some cases, there are no provisions for appeal. Where applicable, this section discusses appeal procedures or allowable rework time for resubmission of applications to be processed by the funding agency. Appeal procedures vary with individual programs and are either listed in this section or applicants are referred to appeal procedures documented in the relevant Code of Federal Regulations (CFR).

Example: Not applicable. (An appeal was not applicable in this case. A related program (93.231) allows applicants to reapply if revised applications are submitted.)

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Renewals This section advises the applicant as to whether renewals or extensions of applications are available and indicates the appropriate procedures to follow. In some instances, renewal procedures may be the same as for the application procedure, e.g., for projects of a non-continuing nature renewals will be treated as new, competing applications; for projects of an ongoing nature, renewals may be given annually. Example: This program is renewed annually. Grantees are required to update their plan and submit a current year budget.

ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS:

Formula and Matching Requirements -- This section indicates the formula and matching requirements prescribed in the allocation of funds or maintenance of effort requirements. A formula may be based on population, per capita income, and other statistical factors. Applicants are informed whether there are any matching requirements to be met when participating in the cost of a project. In general, the matching share represents that portion of the project costs not borne by the Federal government. Usually, a minimum

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percentage for matching share is prescribed by program legislation, and matching share requirements are included in the grant agreement. Attachment F of OMB Circular No. A-102 sets forth the criteria and procedures for the evaluation of matching share requirements which may be cash or in-kind contributions made by State and local governments or other agencies, institutions, private organizations, or individuals to satisfy matching requirements of Federal grants or loans.

Cash contributions represent the grantees' cash outlay, including the outlay of money contributed to the grantee by other public agencies, institutions, private organizations, or individuals. When authorized by Federal regulation, Federal funds received from other grants may be considered as the grantees' cash contribution.

In-kind contributions represent the value of noncash contributions provided by the grantee, other public agencies and institutions, private organizations or individuals. In-kind contributions may consist of charges for real property and equipment, and value of goods and services directly benefiting and specifically identifiable to the grant program. When authorized by Federal legislation, property purchased with Federal funds may be considered as grantees' in-kind contribution.

Maintenance of effort (MOE) is a requirement contained in certain legislation, regulations, or administrative policies stating that a grantee must maintain a specified level of financial effort in a specific area in order to receive Federal grant funds, and that the Federal grant funds may be used only to supplement, not supplant, the level of grantee funds. Programs that have maintenance of effort requirements and have total allocations over $100 million (current FY) should have the following statement in this section: This program has maintenance of effort (MOE) requirements; see funding agency for further details.

Example: Staffing: Federal funds on a decreasing percentage basis over a period of 8 years 90 percent - 1st and 2nd years; 80 percent - 3rd year; 75 percent - 4th and 5th years; 70 percent - 6th, 7th and 8th years. Nonpoverty areas are entitled to: 80 percent - 1st and 2nd years; 75 percent - 3rd year; 60 percent - 4th year; 45 percent - 5th year; 30 percent - 6th, 7th and 8th years.

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Length and Time Phasing of Assistance This section indicates the time period during which the assistance is normally available, whether there are any restrictions placed on the time permitted to use the funds awarded, and the timing of disbursement of the assistance, e.g., lump sum, annually, quarterly, or as required.

Example: Staffing grants are limited to 8 years by law. Payments are made on a Monthly Cash Request System or under a Letter of Credit.

POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS:

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Reports This section indicates whether program reports, expenditure reports, cash reports or performance monitoring is required by the Federal funding agency, and specifies at what time intervals (monthly, annually, etc.) this must be accomplished.

Example: Interim progress reports must be submitted annually as part of a non-competing application; reports of expenditures are due annually. Immediate reporting of any inventions is required.

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Audits This section discusses audits required by the Federal agency. The procedures and requirements for State and local governments and nonprofit entities are set forth in OMB Circular No. A-133. These requirements pertain to awards made within the respective State's fiscal year -- not the Federal fiscal year, as some State and local governments may use the calendar year or other variation of time span designated as the fiscal year period, rather than that commonly known as the Federal fiscal year (from October 1st through September 30th).

Example: In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133, "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations," nonfederal entities that receive financial assistance of

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$300,000 or more in Federal awards will have an audit made for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $300,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in Circular No. A-133.

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Records This section indicates the record retention requirements and the type of records the Federal agency may require. Not included are the normally imposed requirements of the General Accounting Office. For programs falling under the purview of OMB Circular No. A-102, record retention is set forth in Attachment C. For other programs, record retention is governed by the funding agency's requirements.

Example: Records must be retained at least 3 years; records shall be retained beyond the 3-year period if audit findings have not been resolved.

FINANCIAL INFORMATION:

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Account Identification This 11-digit budget account identification code represents the account that funds a particular program. This code should be consistent with the code given for the program area as specified in Appendix III of the Budget of the United States Government. (See Appendix III for further information on the meaning of the 11 digits of this code.)

Example: 75-1361-0-1-550.

Obligations -- The dollar amounts listed in this section represent obligations for the past fiscal year (PY), estimates for the current fiscal year (CY), and estimates for the budget fiscal year (BY) as reported by the Federal agencies. In each succeeding edition of the Catalog, the dollar amounts are revised to reflect changes that may result from supplemental appropriations or amendments. Each program indicates what the obligation figures represent in terms of the type of assistance provided. Obligations for nonfinancial assistance programs indicate the administrative expenses involved in the operation of a program as an indication of the magnitude of the services being provided, or the items involved in obligations.

Example: (Grants) PY $19,853,000; CY est. $20,407,000; and BY est. $14,830,000.

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Range and Average of Financial Assistance This section lists the representative range (smallest to largest) of the amount of financial assistance available. These figures are based upon funds awarded in the past fiscal year and the current fiscal year to date. Also indicated is an approximate average amount of awards that were made in the past and current fiscal years.

Example: Formula: $26,355 to $691,481; $235,305.

PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS -- This section briefly describes the accomplishments of a program using quantitative data, focusing on program output, results achieved, or services rendered during the past fiscal year, the current fiscal year, and projections for the coming fiscal year.

Example: In the past fiscal year, 140 applications were received and 140 staffing awards were issued. Approximately 147 continuation grants were funded during the current fiscal year and 103 are estimated to be funded in the budget fiscal year.

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REGULATIONS, GUIDELINES, AND LITERATURE This section lists the title, number, and price of guidelines, handbooks, manuals, and other officially published information pertinent to a program. Since program regulations are published first in the Federal Register (FR) and later in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), citations to the CFR are listed.

Example: Interim guidelines available in application kits.

INFORMATION CONTACTS:

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