# Fiscal Year 2004 Program Announcement; Availability of Funds and Notice Regarding Applications
**AGENCY:**
Administration on Aging, HHS.
**ACTION:**
Announcement of availability of funds and request for applications to support regional projects under the Pension Counseling and Information Program.
**SUMMARY:**
The Administration on Aging announces that under this program announcement it will hold a competition for grant awards for up to three (3) projects at a federal share of approximately $150,000 per year for a project period of up to three years. It is estimated that approximately $450,000 will be available for this competition.
**Legislative authority:**
The Older Americans Act, Public Law 106-501.
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 93.048, Title IV and Title II, Discretionary Projects).
*Purpose of grant awards:* The purpose of these projects is to assist individuals in understanding and enforcing their pension rights.
*Eligibility for grant awards and other requirements:* Eligibility for grant awards is limited to public and/or nonprofit agencies and organizations, including faith-based organizations and community-based organizations, with a proven record of advising and representing individuals who have been denied employer or union-sponsored pensions or other retirement savings plan benefits.
Grantees are required to provide at least 25 percent of the total program costs from non-federal cash or in-kind resources in order to be considered for the award.
Executive Order 12372 is not applicable to these grant applications.
*Screening criteria:* All applications will be screened to assure a level playing field for all applicants. Applications that fail to meet the screening criteria described below will not be reviewed and will receive no further consideration:
1. *Postmark Requirements* —Applications must be postmarked by midnight of the deadline date indicated below, or hand-delivered by 5:30 p.m., Eastern Time, on that date, or submitted electronically by midnight on that date.
2. *Organizational Eligibility* —Public and/or nonprofit agencies and organizations, including faith-based organizations and community-based organizations, with a proven record of advising and representing individuals who have been denied employer or union-sponsored pensions or other retirement savings plan benefits, are eligible to apply under this program announcement.
3. *Responsiveness to Priority Area Description* —Applications will be screened on whether the application is responsive to the priority area description.
4. *Project Narrative* —The Project Narrative section of the application must not exceed 20 pages.
*Review of applications:* Applications will be evaluated against the following criteria: Purpose and Need for Assistance (20 points); Approach, Work Plan and Activities (30 points); Project Outcomes, Evaluation and Dissemination (30 points); and Level of Effort (20 points).
**DATES:**
The deadline date for the submission of applications is July 12, 2004.
**ADDRESSES:**
Application kits are available by writing to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Aging, Office of Consumer Choice and Protection, Washington, DC 20201, by calling 202/357-3531, or online at *http://www.grants.gov* .
Applications may be mailed to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Aging, Office of Grants Management, Washington, D.C. 20201, attn: Margaret Tolson (AoA-04-03).
Applications may be delivered to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Aging, Office of Grants Management, One Massachusetts Avenue, NW., Room 4604, Washington, DC 20001, attn: Margaret Tolson (AoA-04-03). If you elect to mail or hand deliver your application you must submit one original and two copies of the application; an acknowledgement card will be mailed to applicants. Instructions for electronic mailing of grant applications are available at *http://www.grants.gov/* .
**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:**
All grant applicants must obtain a D-U-N-S number from Dun and Bradstreet. It is a nine-digit identification number, which provides unique identifiers of single business entities. The D-U-N-S number is free and easy to obtain from *http://www.dnb.com/US/duns_update/* .
**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:**
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Aging, Office of Grants Management, Washington, DC 20201, telephone: (202) 357-3440.
Dated: May 20, 2004.
Josefina G. Carbonell,
Assistant Secretary for Aging.