Justification - CNCS Generic 11.24.14

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 State, AmeriCorps National, AmeriCorps NCCC, and Senior Corps programs. This information collection comprises the questions applicants will answer to compete for funding related to the CNCS strategic plan, the President’s Memorandum on Expanding National Service, or other priorities.

A2. Indicate how, by whom, and for what purpose the information is to be used.

CNCS is soliciting comments concerning application instructions designed to be used for grant competitions which are sponsored from time to time. These competitions are designed and conducted, when appropriations are available, to address the CNCS strategic plan, the Present’s Memorandum on Expanding National Service, or other priorities. These competitions fall outside of primary CNCS grant programs (AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, Social Innovation Fund, and Volunteer Generation Fund). Respondents will be States (including Territories), subdivisions of States, Indian tribes, public or private nonprofit organizations (including religious organizations and labor organizations), and institutions of higher education.

Applicants will respond to the questions included in these instructions in order to apply for funding through these CNCS competitions. Successful applicants will report on an annual basis on their progress using the attached Annual Reporting Questions. Their Annual Reports will provide information for CNCS staff to monitor grantee progress, and to respond to requests from Congress and other stakeholders.

 

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

CNCS will be eliciting and accepting grantees response to these questions electronically via eGrants, a secure online application system, or via e-mail. If applicants are unable to apply or report on-line, they can use the attached forms and instructions to submit their application and annual grantee progress report. 

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 collect and report the data. This is minimized to the degree possible by only asking for the information absolutely necessary to measure progress towards CNCs strategic plan benchmarks and national performance measures.

A6. Consideration of Collection

 CNCS will be unable to conduct competitions related to its strategic plan, the President’s Memorandum on Expanding National Service, or other priorities without approval of this collection. Neither will CNCS be able to measure grantee progress towards goals without deploying this instrument.

A7. Special circumstances that would cause information collection to be collected in other than 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.

The 60 day Notice soliciting comments was published on September 2, 2014 on page 51980. The 30 day Notice was published on November 19, 2014 on page 68871.

 

 A9. Payment to Respondents

There are no payments or gifts to respondents.

  

A10. Confidentiality

Information provided by this collection may be shared with federal, state, and local agencies for law enforcement purposes. Information provided by respondents is subject to the Privacy Act and a Privacy Act Notice will appear on the instrument: The Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C § 552a) requires that the following notice be provided to you: The information requested on the these 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 contractors that have a need to know the information for the purpose of assisting the 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. 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

These are the application instructions for all competitions we expect to conduct focused on the strategic plan. We expect all applicants using these application instructions to take about the same amount of time to complete them, and the same amount of time to submit reports.

We expect approximately 2,000 respondents to use these instructions to apply for funding in competitions related to the strategic initiatives or other priorities. The frequency of response will not be greater than annually, and should not exceed 8 hours of effort per respondent. We expect an additional 8 hours of burden per successful applicant, for a total burden of 17,600 hours. The reporting questions are the same ones that have already been approved by OMB. There is no estimated annual hour burden outside of the customary and usual business practices.

 

A13. Cost burden to the respondent

There is no cost burden to the respondent outside normal cost of doing business.

 

A14. Cost to Government

CNCS is required by law to require grantees to provide annual progress reports. CNCS review of the data will be accomplished by internal teams of staffs as part of their regular job functions and will not result in the incurring of additional costs.

A15. Reasons for program changes

The application has been revised to align with other CNCS applications; include eGrants submission details and certifications and assurances; and with the new Uniform Guidance.

 

 A16. Publication of results

Not applicable because the responses to this information collection 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 in the submitted ROCIS form.

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