This collection
is only approved on an emergency basis and will expire in six
months.
Inventory as of this Action
Requested
Previously Approved
08/31/2013
6 Months From Approved
50
0
0
40
0
0
0
0
0
The Corporation for National and
Community Service (CNCS) awards grants to states, institutions of
higher education, non-profit organizations, Indian tribes, and U.S.
Territories to operate AmeriCorps programs. The information
collection instrument is the grant application which is evaluated
and used to make decisions for awarding grants to eligible parties.
CNCS has been working closely with the Department of Education over
the past several months to develop a strategic partnership that
leverages strengths of both agencies to address one of our nation's
most critical education needs, helping students in the
lowest-achieving schools improve their academic outcomes. This
proposed partnership will place AmeriCorps members in the nation's
lowest performing schools starting at the beginning of this school
year. It capitalizes on the strengths of the AmeriCorps model,
placing members where they are most needed, while making additional
human resources available to districts that are implementing the
Department of Education's School Improvement Grants.
If normal clearance
procedures are followed, CNCS and the Department of Education will
lose the opportunity to collaborate on these partnerships, as funds
must be obligated by September 30, 2013. In addition, we want to
ensure that we allow enough time for applicants to submit quality
applications and for the agencies to conduct a thorough review. We
are particularly interested in making grant awards in time for the
Education program to be operational at the start of the school year
(August/September 2013). If we begin the standard OMB clearance
procedure now, we will not be able to meet this goal. Public harm
is reasonably likely to occur if normal clearance procedures are
followed. It is essential to the mission of CNCS and AmeriCorps
that grant Application Instructions are in place to create two new
partnership opportunities for communities to benefit from the
collaborative use of federal funds and the AmeriCorps
resource.
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that
the collection of information encompassed by this request complies
with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR
1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding
the proposed collection of information, that the certification
covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a
benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control
number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of
these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked
and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.