Fast Track PRA Submission Short Form

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Request for approval under the clearance of the “Generic Performance Progress Report” OMB control Number:  0970-0490
TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION:  Rural Community Development (RCD) Program Performance Report (PPR)

PURPOSE:  The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Office of Community Services (OCS) administers the Rural Community Development (RCD) program, which provides tailored training and technical assistance to tribal and rural communities with low incomes to increase their capacity to build and maintain safe and affordable water and wastewater infrastructure.  RCD grant recipients are non-profit organizations that serve multi-state regional areas that collectively provide nationwide coverage.  In fiscal year (FY) 2026, nine grant recipients will launch newly awarded projects for a five-year performance period, and one grant recipient will complete a project through a one-year no-cost extension.  

The RCD PPR was developed in consultation with past grant recipients, and seven of these past grant recipients won new awards to continue in the RCD program in FY2026.  As a result, most grant recipients already collect the data requested for their own uses, with most of the current grant recipients using a common data system for their own reporting that aligns with the RCD reporting.  

The RCD PPR tracks provision of training and technical assistance to meet a variety of needs related to operating and managing water and wastewater systems, from writing applications for financial support for new systems to developing GIS applications to facilitate more efficient management of existing systems.  Because grant recipients tailor technical assistance for each community served, the types of activities provided vary significantly between grant recipients and over time.  As a result, the PPR form makes available many options for activities to report in order to cover the full range of services that may be rendered.  In addition to reporting activities, grant recipients report how communities benefit through several outcome indicators, such as new connections to safe drinking water and resolved safety violations.  

OCS uses the data to critically review the overall design and effectiveness of the program, monitor project progress, and provide training and technical assistance to grant recipients.  Additionally, the data from the report contribute to the annual congressional report on the RCD program.  

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS:  Respondents to the RCD PPR are current grant recipients of the program which includes regional and tribal organizations managing safe water systems in rural communities.  

CERTIFICATION:

I certify the following to be true:  
    1. The collection is in compliance with U.S.  Health and Human Services (HHS) regulations.
    2. The collection is non-controversial and does not raise issues of concern to other federal agencies.
    3. Information gathered is meant primarily for program improvement and accountability.									
	
Name and Title:  __Jessica Hale, Program Evaluator________________

To assist Office of Management and Budget (OMB) review of your request, please provide answers to the following question:

PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION:

    1. Is personally identifiable information (PII) collected?  [  ] Yes  [X]  No 
    2. If Yes, will any information that is collected be included in records that are subject to the Privacy Act of 1974?   [  ] Yes [  ] No   
    3. If Yes, has an up-to-date System of Records Notice (SORN) been published?  [  ] Yes  [  ] No


BURDEN HOURS 

Information Collection Title
Category of Respondent
No.  of Respondents
No.  of Responses per Respondent (Annual)
Burden per Response
Annual Burden
RCD PPR 
Private Sector
10
2	
2.5
50

FEDERAL COST:   The estimated annual cost to the federal government is $3,440.  The average salary of the staff working on this program is a GS12, which is compensated at an average wage rate of $89,834 annually, $43 hourly.  It is anticipated that federal staff will spend about 80 hours on this project.  





TYPE OF COLLECTION:

How will you collect the information? (Check all that apply)
[X ] Web-based  
[  ] Email	
[  ] Paper mail 
[  ] Other, Explain

 
Please make sure that all instruments, instructions, and scripts are submitted with the request.