STAC Emergency Justification

SUPPORTING STATEMENT FOR PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT SUBMISSIONS

 

A. Justification

A1. Need for Information Collection

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.

A2. Use of Information

The information collected constitutes an application to CNCS for grant funding. CNCS evaluates the application and makes funding decisions through the CNCS grant review and selection process. CNCS assembles panels of experts to evaluate new applications. Corporation staff analyzes the results of the panel evaluations. Based on these analyses, the CNCS Chief Executive Officer and Board determine applications to support with grant funds. 

 A3. Minimize Burden: Use of Improved Technology to Reduce Burden

Applicants apply online to CNCS for grant funds using the CNCS secure system eGrants.

A4. Non-Duplication

There are no other sources of information by which CNCS can meet the purposes described in A2 (above).

 

A5. Minimizing Economic Burden for Small Businesses or Other Small Entities

This collection of information does not impact small businesses because they are not eligible to apply for grants. There is no economic burden to any other small entities beyond the cost of staff time to develop the grant application. This is minimized to the degree possible by only asking for the information absolutely necessary to make responsible grant approval decisions.

A6. Consideration of Collection

CNCS will be unable to fulfill its legal obligation of providing grant funding for AmeriCorps if this information were not collected. CNCS uses the information collected to make grant decisions and to evaluate requests for continued funding. The information collection requires an initial application for funding in the first year. Because funds are awarded on an annual basis, this information cannot be collected less frequently.

A7. Special circumstances that would cause information collection to be collected in the specified ways.

There are no special circumstances that would require the collection of information in any other ways specified.

 

A8. Provide copy and identify the date and page number of publication in the Federal Register of the Agency’s notice.

A Notice of Emergency Request for Clearance was published February 15, 2013, p. 11160.

 

 A9. Payment to Respondents

There are no payments or gifts to respondent

  

A10. Confidentiality

Information provided by respondents is subject to the Privacy Act and the instrument includes a Privacy Notice. The information requested on the AmeriCorps Application Instructions is collected pursuant to 42 U.S.C 12592 and 12615 of the National and Community Service Act of 1990 as amended and 42 U.S.C. 4953 of the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 as amended. Purposes and Uses - The information requested is collected for the purposes of reviewing grant applications and granting funding requests. Routine Uses - Routine uses may include disclosure of the information to federal, state, or local agencies pursuant to lawfully authorized requests. In some programs, the information may also be provided to federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to determine the existence of any prior criminal convictions. The information may also be provided to appropriate federal agencies and Department contractors that have a need to know the information for the purpose of assisting the Department’s efforts to respond to a suspected or confirmed breach of the security or confidentiality or information maintained in this system of records, and the information disclosed is relevant and unnecessary for the assistance. Executive Summaries of all compliant applications received and applications of successful applicants will be published on the CNCS website as part of ongoing efforts to increase transparency in grantmaking. This is described in more detail in the Notice of Federal Funding Opportunity. The information will not otherwise be disclosed to entities outside of AmeriCorps and the Corporation for National and Community Service without prior written permission. Effects of Nondisclosure - The information requested is mandatory in order to receive benefits.

A11. Sensitive questions

 The information collection does not include questions of a sensitive nature.

 

A12. Hour burden of the collection

We expect approximately 50 respondents to apply for grant funding. The frequency of response will not be greater than once per year, and should not exceed 40 hours of effort per respondent. There is no estimated annual hour burden outside of the customary and usual business practices. Total burden for this collection will be 2,000 hours.

 

A13. Cost burden to the respondent

There is no annual cost burden to respondents.

 

A14. Cost to Government

There is no annual cost burden to the Government outside of customary and usual business practices.

A15. Reasons for program changes

Program changes have occurred due to agency discretion in order to meet the objectives of the 2011-2016 Strategic Plan.

 

 A16. Publication of results

Not applicable because the results of the grant competition will not be published. 

 

A17. Explain the reason for seeking approval to not display the expiration date for OMB approval of the information collection.

Not applicable.

 

 A18. Exceptions to the certification statement

There are no exceptions to the certification statement.

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