[Federal Register: August 11, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 155)]
[Notices]
[Page 46634-46636]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr11au08-86]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Proposed Matching Requirements for Specific SAMHSA Discretionary
Grant Funding Opportunities
Authority: Sections 509, 516, and 520A of the Public Health
Service Act.
AGENCY: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, HHS.
The PHS Act states the Secretary may require non-Federal matching funds
to ensure the institutional commitment to
[[Page 46635]]
the projects funded under grant through cash or in kind donations from
public or private entities including plant, equipment, or services.
ACTION: Notice of proposed matching requirements for specific SAMHSA
discretionary grant funding opportunities.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In fiscal year 2009, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration (SAMHSA) plans to require matching funds for
some discretionary grant funding opportunities within the Programs of
Regional and National Significance as described in the President's
Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 Budget Request. This notice describes the
specific FY 2009 funding opportunities for which matching is proposed.
We understand that some grantees could experience initial difficulty
with the matching requirements. The goal of this solicitation is to
seek comment so that we can design these activities to assist grantees
in lessening these challenges over time.
DATES: Submit written comments on this proposal within 60 days from the
date of publication.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments regarding
SAMHSA proposed matching requirements to Shelly Hara, Office of Policy,
Planning and Budget, SAMHSA, by fax (240) 276-2220 or by e-mail
(matching@samhsa.hhs.gov). Please include a phone number in your
correspondence so that SAMHSA staff may contact you if there are
questions about your comments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Shelly Hara, OPPB, SAMHSA, by fax
(240) 276-2220 or e-mail (matching@samhsa.hhs.gov). If you would like a
SAMHSA staff person to call you about your questions, please state this
in your correspondence and provide a telephone number where you can be
reached between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m., Eastern Standard Time.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: SAMHSA has found that matching requirements
assist grant communities in sustaining activities over the long term,
help communities leverage resources (i.e., increasing the impact of
grant-funded activities), and promote sustainability beyond the term
for which Federal grant funding is provided. The FY 2009 President's
Budget for SAMHSA includes matching requirements for several of
SAMHSA's discretionary grant programs. Through matching requirements,
grantees in these programs may be required to match the Federal dollars
of the grant award with their own funds and resources. This could
include cash and/or in-kind contributions from State and local
government, foundations, private non-profit and/or for-profit
organizations. See below for a description of each program and the
proposed matching requirements.
Although matching requirements have not been used extensively in
SAMHSA's discretionary grant programs, statutory matching requirements
in certain SAMHSA grant programs have yielded some promising results
with regard to sustainability and leveraging resources:
A sustainability study of grantees funded between 1993 and
1995 through the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment's (CSAT's)
Residential Women and Children and Pregnant and Postpartum Women (RWC/
PPW) program found that a majority of grantees met with some success in
sustaining their programs in one form or another beyond the end of
Federal funding. The study identified several factors that were
positively associated with sustainability. A match requirement may
encourage grantees to engage in some of these activities, including
early and careful planning for sustainability and developing
relationships with other potential funders.
The Center for Mental Health Services' (CMHS')
Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services for Children program,
which funds interagency, community-based systems of care, requires that
grantees provide matching funds through a graduated approach, with an
increasing match requirement over time. For example, in the fifth and
sixth year of the grant, matching is not less than $2 for each $1 of
Federal funds. Some grantees have reported that matching requirements
contribute to community sustainability efforts for systems of care. For
sites funded in 1993 and 1994 and assessed for sustainability five
years after funding, 80% of sites achieved sustainability.
SAMHSA understands that some Tribes and smaller organizations and
communities may have some difficulties in meeting initial match
requirements. However, we have included some alternatives to address
these challenges, such as seeking a postponement of the matching
requirement in the first year, with an increased match in the following
year. Matching elements help ensure current efforts are continued in
the future.
When matching requirements are included in a program, grantees must
provide non-Federal funds in cash or in-kind, fairly evaluated to match
the Federal funds provided through the grant award. The specific rate
of the match varies from program to program and may vary over time.
Matching funds must meet the same test of allowability as costs charged
to Federal grants. Sources of matching funds include State and local
governmental appropriations (non-Federal), grants awarded by
foundations, and funding provided by other private non-profit or for-
profit organizations. In-kind contributions may include facilities,
equipment, or services used in direct support of the project.
SAMHSA is seeking comment on a proposed 20% matching requirement
(i.e., $2 for every $10 in Federal grant funds) for the first year with
a graduated match in the succeeding years for the following programs in
the FY 2009 President's budget:
A new Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP)
Targeted Capacity Expansion program to help communities address
emerging prevention needs identified by States and local communities.
It is expected that $7 million of Federal funds could support 14 new
grants to be awarded to local governments, community-based
organizations, and tribal entities. These grants are expected to expand
or enhance a community's ability to provide rapid, strategic,
comprehensive, and integrated prevention programs, practices, and
strategies to specific, well-documented emerging needs.
A new Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) Targeted
Capacity Expansion program to help communities address emerging mental
health needs identified by local communities. It is expected that $7.3
million of Federal funds could support 14 new grants to be awarded to
State governments, local governments, communities, and tribal entities.
These grants are expected to expand or enhance a community's ability to
provide rapid, strategic, comprehensive, and integrated responses to
specific, well-documented mental health capacity problems, including
technical assistance.
The Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) Screening, Brief
Intervention, Referral, and Treatment (SBIRT) program for States,
territories, Federally recognized Tribes and tribal organizations. The
SBIRT program has been in existence since FY 2003. The purpose of the
program is to integrate screening, brief intervention, referral, and
treatment services within general medical and primary care settings.
SAMHSA also seeks public comment on the following questions related
to the matching requirements:
[[Page 46636]]
What benefits would you expect as a result of including a
matching requirement in the programs listed above?
How will the matching requirement increase the
sustainability of the grant projects funded through these programs?
How will the matching requirement increase the services
supported through the grant projects funded through these programs?
What other benefits can be expected?
What challenges would you anticipate as a result of
including a matching requirement in the programs listed above? What
suggestions do you have to help minimize those challenges?
--How would the benefits and challenges of the matching requirement
change if the matching requirement were higher (e.g., 25% in year 1 and
increasing in subsequent years)?
--What is the highest point at which the match would be supportable for
you/your organization?
--At what level (i.e., percent of the grant) would the cost of a
matching requirement become a barrier to applying for a grant from
SAMHSA?
As an applicant, would you be interested in a provision
that would allow you to choose to defer the matching requirement in the
first year of the grant, with an offsetting increased match in later
years of the grant? What are the benefits and challenges of such an
approach?
What other options for a matching requirement (e.g.,
different percentages) would you recommend that SAMHSA consider?
Toian Vaughn,
Public Health Analyst, Substance Abuse and Mental Health, Services
Administration.
[FR Doc. E8-18473 Filed 8-8-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4162-20-P