[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 36, Volume 1]
[Revised as of July 1, 2007]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 36CFR72.53]

[Page 416-417]
 
              TITLE 36--PARKS, FORESTS, AND PUBLIC PROPERTY
 
      CHAPTER I--NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
 
PART 72_URBAN PARK AND RECREATION RECOVERY ACT OF 1978--Table of Contents
 
         Subpart D_Grant Selection, Approval and Administration
 
Sec.  72.53  Preapplication process for Rehabilitation and Innovation 
grants.

    To reduce the amount of time and documentation needed for a full 
application, and to foster the competitive aspects of the UPARR program, 
a preapplication procedure is used.
    (a) The preapplication must provide information adequate to guide 
proposal selection. Grants will be awarded in accordance with the 
availability of funds. Funding for an approved grant will not be 
increased from subsequent yearly appropriations.
    (b) Applicants are encouraged to discuss their proposals with their 
NPS Regional Office to determine basic fundability and competitiveness 
prior to submitting a preapplication.
    (c) If a State is assisting the applicant in preapplication 
preparation, providing a source of matching share, or giving technical 
assistance, the State may assist in submission of the preapplication to 
the appropriate NPS Regional Office with the applicant's prior approval. 
The amount, source and assurance of State assistance for a matching 
share must be specified in the preapplication.
    (d) The following procedural guidelines shall apply to submission 
and approval of Rehabilitation and Innovation proposals.
    (1) Preapplications shall be submitted to the appropriate NPS 
Regional Office by the chief executive officer of the applicant 
jurisdiction. The preapplication must include those items as set forth 
in the Preapplication Handbook, available from any NPS Regional Office. 
In addition to the narrative on selection criteria, all preapplications 
for Rehabilitation proposals must include a short description stating; 
(i) the problem addressed by the proposal, including existing 
conditions, (ii) the reason for the problem or why the condition exists, 
and (iii) the proposed solution to the problem and what corrective 
measures will be used.
    (2) An applicant may have no more than one Innovation and one 
Rehabilitation proposal under consideration in any one funding cycle.
    (3) Any existing and/or proposed fees or charges for recreation 
opportunities or services provided through a UPARR grant, whether for 
public, private or non-profit activities, must be identified in the 
preapplication.
    (4) Discretionary applicants must submit a narrative statement, 
signed by the chief executive of the applicant jurisdiction, which 
explains and quantifies the degree of physical and economic distress in 
the community. Statistics and discussion on distress shall address, but 
need not be limited to, the criteria used to select eligible 
jurisdictions contained in Appendix A of this part. A discretionary 
narrative statement must be included in each preapplication.
    (5) All submitted grant preapplications will be reviewed by NPS 
Regional Offices to assure that they meet all minimum legal and 
technical standards before being certified as eligible for competition. 
Proposals not meeting minimum standards will

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be returned to the applicant. Periodically, all certified proposals will 
be evaluated in the Regional Offices before being submitted to 
Washington, where they will be judged by national panels whose member 
are knowledgeable in recreation and urban revitalization. Innovation and 
Rehabilitation proposals will be judged by separate panels.
    (6) Following review and ranking by the panels, the Director will 
approve tentative grant offers for those proposals which may be funded. 
Successful applicants will be notified by the NPS Regional Offices, and 
completion of the formal application process will take place. The formal 
application process must be completed within 120 days of notification of 
the tentative grant offer, or the tentative grant offer may be 
withdrawn. Final approval of a grant and obligation of funds will occur 
when all application requirements have been met and the appropriate 
documents are on file. No costs may be incurred or reimbursed, except 
incurred architectural and engineering fees indicated in Sec.  72.44, 
until NPS approval of the grant agreement.
    (7) Unfunded proposals may require modifications to improve their 
competitiveness. Applicants with such proposals will be advised by NPS 
of suggested modifications, if any, to increase their chances for 
funding in future grant rounds.
    (8) If an applicant wishes a proposal to remain in competition, it 
may be considered for two additional funding cycles, with or without 
minor modifications, before it is returned to the applicant. Major 
modifications of scope and/or total funding request will require 
complete resubmission of a proposal as a new preapplication. Applicants 
who wish to change the scope and/or total funds requested for a proposal 
which is already in competition, must submit a written request for 
withdrawal of the previous proposal before submitting a new proposal in 
the same competition.
    (9) The Director reserves the right to withdraw a grant offer if it 
is determined that any preapplication contains misstatements or 
misrepresentations of fact, or problems identified which cannot be 
resolved.