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Telecommunications & Information Infrastructure Assistance Program
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Date--Mon, 3 Feb 1997 07:51:50 -0500 From--Kirk_Winters@ed.gov (Kirk Winters)
THE FOURTH ANNUAL ROUND of the Telecommunications & Information Infrastructure Assistance Program (TIIAP) was announced on January 27. About $18.5 million in grants will be awarded this year under the program, which is administered by the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA). Applications must be received by March 27, 1997.
The 1997 TIIAP will support projects in 5 areas:
Community-Wide Networking Education & Lifelong Learning Government & Community Services Health Public Safety
You'll find the press release & official notice announcing the program, "Guidelines for Preparing Applications," information on outreach workshops, & more at the TIIAP web site: http://www.ntia.doc.gov/otiahome/tiiap/current.htm
A few excerpts from the TIIAP web site are below. For complete information, please visit the TIIAP web site or contact NTIA at:
U.S. Department of Commerce National Telecommunications & Information Administration Office of Telecommunications & Information Applications TIIAP, Room 4092 1401 Constitution Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20230
Telephone: (202) 482-2048 Fax: (202) 501-5136 E-mail: tiiap@ntia.doc.gov
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A Few Excerpts from the TIIAP Web Site
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Background on TIIAP -- TIIAP is a highly-competitive, merit- based grant program that was conceived as part of the President's National Information Infrastructure (NII) initiative. It provides seed money for innovative, practical projects that extend the benefits of advanced telecommunications and information technology to rural and urban underserved Americans. Since its inception in 1994, it has awarded more than $79 million in matching grant funds to non-profit organizations, such as schools, libraries, hospitals, public safety entities, and state and local governments. has leveraged more than $133 million in local matching funds. TIIAP projects funded in previous years are providing innovations in education; helping create more responsive public institutions; enhancing economic development in rural and disadvantaged areas; and increasing access to health care.
Eligible Organizations -- State, local, and Indian tribal governments, colleges and universities, and non-profit entities are eligible to apply. However, individuals and for-profit organizations are not eligible.
Matching Funds Requirements -- Grant recipients under this program will be required to provide matching funds toward the total project cost. Applicants must document the capacity to supply matching funds. Matching funds may be in the form of cash or in-kind contributions. Grant funds under this program will be released in direct proportion to local matching funds utilized and documented as having been expended. NTIA will supply up to 50% of the total project cost, unless the applicant can document extraordinary circumstances warranting a grant of up to 75%. Federal funds (such as grants) generally may not be used as matching funds, except as provided by federal statute. For information about whether particular federal funds may be used as matching funds, the applicant should contact the federal agency that administers the funds in question.
Outreach Workshops -- Workshops designed to assist applicants & potential applicants will be held on February 14, in Alexandria, Virginia; February 19, in Nashua, New Hampshire; February 26, in Chicago, Illinois; March 4, in New Orleans, Louisiana; and March 6, in Phoenix, Arizona.
Evaluation Criteria -- Criteria for evaluating TIIAP applications change from year to year. This year's applications will be evaluated on criteria in this year's Notice (http://www.ntia.doc.gov/otiahome/tiiap/ffinal.htm).
Last Year's Awards -- In fiscal year 1996, NTIA received 809 applications, collectively requesting $260 million in grant funds. From these 809 applications, the Department of Commerce announced 67 TIIAP awards totaling $18.6 million in federal funds (for descriptions of the 67 projects, please see http://www.ntia.doc.gov/otiahome/tiiap/frames.htm). Based on past grant rounds, the average size of each grant award will be approximately $300,000, although an applicant may request up to $750,000 in federal support.
Project Length -- Successful applicants will have between 12 and 36 months to complete their projects. While the completion time will vary depending on the complexity of the project, applicants should take special care to justify a project lasting longer than 24 months.
Five Application Areas -- This year's TIIAP will support projects in five application areas: Community-Wide Networking; Education, Culture, and Lifelong Learning; Health; Public and Community Services; and Public Safety. Each application in a particular application area will be compared against other applications in that same area:
Community-Wide Networking -- This area focuses on multi-purpose projects that help a broad range of community residents and organizations to communicate, share information, and participate in civic activities, and that promote economic development. Community-Wide Networking projects typically link services or provide information across multiple application areas. Examples may include, but would not be limited to: community- wide information and communication services available to residents of a local community; projects enabling a diverse array of organizations to share information infrastructure and resources; and networks or information services that promote community or regional economic development.
Education, Culture, and Lifelong Learning -- Projects in this area seek to improve education and training for learners of all ages and provide cultural enrichment through the use of information infrastructure in both traditional and non-traditional settings. Examples may include, but would not be limited to: projects that explore creative approaches to integrating computer- based learning and network resources in K-12 classrooms; projects providing children, youth, and adult learners with educational and training opportunities in community centers and other non- traditional settings; projects that forge stronger links among educators, students, parents, and others in the community; projects linking workplaces and job- training sites to educational institutions; distance learning networks providing continuing education for professionals in remote areas; projects that enrich communities by providing broad access to arts, science, and cultural resources; delivery of on-line informational, educational, and cultural services from public libraries, museums, and other cultural centers; and projects that support the teaching of literacy to adult learners.
Health -- Projects in this area involve the use of information infrastructure in the delivery of health and mental health services, public health, home health care and the provision of health information to the public. Examples of projects may include, but would not be limited to: telemedicine systems that offer new approaches to extending medical expertise to rural or underserved urban areas; community health information networks for sharing clinical, financial, and/or administrative information among hospitals, clinics, public health departments, and other organizations; home health care systems that improve the care and treatment of patients in the home environment; and networks or information services aimed at disease prevention and health promotion.
Public and Community Services -- Projects in this area aim to empower individuals and communities and to improve the delivery of services to people with a range of social service needs. This area includes social services such as housing, child welfare, food assistance, employment counseling, and others, typically delivered by state and local governments or by community-based non-profit organizations. Examples of projects may include but would not be limited to: projects that use information technology creatively to promote self-sufficiency among individuals and families; networks that facilitate coordination and collaboration among public and/or community-based agencies; electronic information and referral services that provide information on a variety of community- based or government services; projects that make public agencies more accessible and responsive to community residents; electronic benefits transfer projects; and projects that employ community or geographic information systems to study demographic or environmental trends and target community interventions.
Public Safety -- Projects in this area will seek to increase the effectiveness of law enforcement agencies, emergency, rescue, and fire departments, or other entities involved in providing safety services. Examples may include, but would not be limited to, projects that facilitate information exchange among public safety agencies located in a single geographic area to increase efficiency and share resources, or those that provide information in a timely manner to "first-response officials," such as police officers, emergency medical technicians, and firefighters. Other examples could include projects that help public safety agencies provide community outreach services, projects that develop innovative ways to share scarce spectrum resources, and projects that aim to increase the safety and security of children.
TIIAP will support projects that promote the accessibility and usability of the NII for persons with disabilities. Such projects are expected to fall under one of the five application areas described above.
For descriptions of the kinds of projects TIIAP will not fund, see "Scope of Proposed Project" http://www.ntia.doc.gov/otiahome/tiiap/ffinal.htm
Program Funding Priorities -- NTIA has significantly changed the structure of the funding categories for TIIAP and applicants who have previously applied to the program should carefully note this change. For the 1997 fiscal year, the TIIAP review process will not distinguish among access, demonstration and planning projects. All applications will be judged according to a single set of evaluation criteria (described in the Notice) and all rules set forth in the Notice will apply to all applications. This change does not imply a change in the scope of projects that will be considered for support; the change only reflects NTIA's decision not to differentiate among different categories of projects.
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Kirk Winters U.S. Department of Education kirk_winters@ed.gov ```
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