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FUNDING AVAILABILITY FOR HUD URBAN SCHOLARS FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

Program Overview

    Purpose of the Program. To provide encouragement to new scholars to
undertake research now, and throughout their careers, on research
topics of interest to HUD.
    Available Funds. Approximately $550,000.
    Eligible Applicants: Only Ph.D.s who have an academic appointment
at an institution of higher education and have received their Ph.D.s no
earlier than January 1, 1996.
    Application Deadline. June 5, 2001.
    Match. University support in terms of course load reductions,
indirect costs waived, space, etc. are required.

Additional Information

I. Application Due Date, Application Kits, Further Information, and
Technical Assistance

    Application Due Date. Your completed application must be received
on or before 5:00 pm Eastern time, on June 5, 2001.
    Address for Submitting Applications. Your completed application
consists of an original signed application, which can be submitted in
hard copy or electronically. Submit your completed application to the
following address: The Fellowship Office/HUD TJ 2041, National Research
Council, 2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20418. Please
mark on the envelope for your application that it is the HUD Urban
Scholars Fellowship Program.
    HUD will accept only one application for an applicant.
    For Application Kits. An application kit can be obtained by calling
or writing the Fellowship Office/HUD, TJ 2041, National Research
Council, 2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington DC 20418, telephone
number 202-334-2872 and facsimile number 202-334-3419. The application
kit can be downloaded from the Internet at
.
    For Further Information and Technical Assistance. You may call the
above number. You may also write to NAS via e-mail at infofell@nas.edu.

II. Amount Allocated

    Approximately $550,000 in FY 2001 funds is being made available
under this SuperNOFA for the HUD Urban Scholars Fellowship Program.
    The maximum grant period is 15 months. The performance period will
commence on the effective date of the grant agreement.
    The maximum amount to be requested by and awarded to an applicant
is $55,000. NAS reserves the right to make awards for less than the
maximum amount or less than the amount requested in your application.

III. Program Description; Eligible Applicants; Eligible Activities

    (A) Program Description. The purposes of the HUD Urban Scholars
Program are to:
    (1) Fund research relevant to HUD priorities and issues;
    (2) Provide encouragement to new scholars to undertake research
now, and for the rest of their careers, on research topics of interest
to HUD; and
    (3) Have an impact on the academic context in which these scholars
work so that this kind of research becomes highly valued. The research
priorities for the HUD Urban Scholars Program are designed to inform
Federal problem-solving and policy making relating to HUD's strategic
goals for this year.
    Listed below are these goals and examples of research topics.
Proposals are not limited to these example topics but should, in any
case, relate to one of the HUD strategic goals listed below.

Goal #1, Improving Community Quality of Life and Economic Vitality

    (1) Economic development in ``untapped'' markets--e.g., efforts to
create or expand businesses while meeting the needs of under-served
inner-city, older suburb, or rural areas; expansion of access to
capital; joint ventures with community-based organizations.
    (2) Evaluation of college/community partnerships focused on
community and economic development and methods for institutionalizing
these partnerships at colleges and universities.
    (3) Development of inner cities--e.g., studies of reinvestment
pressures; theories of capital/land/market failure that explain why
vast areas of many cities have essentially lain dormant or suffered
depopulation or disinvesment; government policies or market
interventions that would alleviate these patterns.
    (4) Regionalism and ``Smart Growth--e.g., the economic
interdependence of cities and suburbs; connecting the disadvantaged to
metropolitan resources; sustainable growth attentive to the economy,
the environment, and social equity; rehabilitation and infill
development; fiscal disparity issues; and regional problem-solving and
coalition building.
    (5) Community development and community building--e.g., impacts and
effectiveness; faith-based and higher education community building
efforts; emerging models; challenges and pitfalls.
    (6) Understanding the basic processes of urban demographic, social,
and/or political change.

Goal #2, Promoting Self-sufficiency and Asset Development by
Families and Individuals

    (1) Workforce development through the roles of placed-based
initiatives, education providers, community-based organizations,
educational institutions, and housing providers--e.g., roles; impacts
and effectiveness; links to welfare-to-work; one-stop shops; emerging
models.
    (2) Home equity conversion mortgages (HECMs)--e.g., impact of HECMS
on social welfare, availability of housing for younger families, effect
on optimal aggregate debt to housing equity ratio as the population
ages.
    (3) Strategies to combat homelessness--e.g., effective models,
causes; links to welfare-to-work and affordable housing; issues of and
responses to youth homelessness.

Goal #3, Increasing the Availability of Decent, Safe, and
Affordable Housing in American Communities

    (1) Housing finance--e.g., institutional barriers to efficiency in
the housing finance system; enabling the housing finance system to
better serve low-income and minority borrowers more effectively; the
present and future role of FHA in housing finance.
    (2) Affordability of rental housing--e.g., policy and program
options in tight or ``hot'' markets; innovative partnerships or
finance; impacts on very-low-income families; preservation of existing
housing stock.
    (3) Homeownership--e.g., relative importance of factors in tenure
decisions; estimation of private and social benefits and costs of
homeownership; role in employment, household savings, and investment
decisions; effects of demographics, macro-economic environment, and
government policies on homeownership.
    (4) Housing markets--e.g., factors affecting rents, home values,
tenure, vacancy rates, market absorption of new units, construction
activity.
    (5) Housing stock--e.g., durability of stock; factors determining
rehabilitation and remodeling; comparisons with stock in other
developed countries.
    (6) Housing needs of the elderly and persons with disabilities--
e.g., availability; design and quality; affordability; accessibility;
linked services; aging in place.

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    (7) Evaluation of existing housing programs--e.g., opting out of
Section 8 project-based contracts, cost-benefit analyses of alternative
methods for providing housing assistance.

Goal #4, Ensuring Equal Opportunity in Housing for All Americans

    (1) Fair housing--e.g., effectiveness of local initiatives;
emerging models; links to schooling or other services; gentrification;
housing choice; environmental justice; zoning and land use; political
management and coalition building; NIMBY-ism; effect on low-income
families.
    (2) Discrimination in housing and lending--e.g., methods to detect
discrimination; systemic patterns and practices.
    (3) Concentration of poverty--e.g., impact of housing strategies;
effective strategies to promote deconcentration.
    (B) Eligible Applicants. You must have your Ph.D. and meet the
following conditions:
    (1) You must have an academic appointment with an institution of
higher education. This means that you must either be on a tenure track
or be on a term (teaching or research) appointment that will extend
beyond the 15-month duration of this fellowship;
    (2) You must have received your Ph.D. no earlier than January 1,
1996;
    (3) It is realistic to believe that your proposed research project
can be completed within the 15-month fellowship period; and
    (4) You must have support from your institution as attested to in
the letter described below in Section III(E)(1).
    In addition, you must meet all the applicable threshold
requirements found in Section II(B) of the General Section of the
SuperNOFA.
    (C) Eligible Activities. Your grant must support costs related to
completion of your research project. Eligible costs include, but are
not limited to, your salary for two summers, graduate assistants to
work on the project, up to $2,500 per course for the cost of employing
a replacement for the course(s) your university relieves you from
teaching, computer software, survey development and administration, the
purchase of data, travel expenses to collect data or to make
presentations at meetings on your findings; transcription services,
compensation for interviews; and no more than eight (8) percent of the
university's indirect costs.
    (D) Ineligible Activities. Your grant may not be used to pay for
tuition, computer hardware, meals, relocation costs, or other costs not
directly related to your research project. Fellowship funding cannot be
used to substitute for university funding.
    (E) Other Requirements. (1) Support from your university. Support
from your university is required. Institutions will be required to
contribute, at a minimum, the following:
    (a) Designating a faculty advisor to monitor your progress on your
research project;
    (b) Office space, computer usage, etc.; and
    (c) Waived indirect costs above the eight percent allowed to be
covered by this fellowship. In addition, your application will be
viewed more favorably if your institution agrees to reduce your course
load by at least one course per term or semester, but to continue
paying you your full salary.
    (2) Progress reporting. You will be required to submit a report,
halfway through your fellowship, on the progress you have made towards
completion of the research project and the likelihood that you will
complete it on time.
    (3) Mentors. You will be required to work with a mentor on your
research project. The mentor, who can be someone in your institution or
elsewhere, should be a well-respected scholar in the area of your
research topic. The mentor will be expected to provide you with advice
and direction on substantive research issues. The mentor and the
faculty monitor described above can be, but do not have to be, the same
person.

IV. Application Selection Process

    The competition and selection process for this program will be run
by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). NAS will conduct two types
of review: a threshold review to determine your eligibility to apply;
and a technical review to rate your application based on the rating
factors in this section.
    (A) Threshold Factors for Funding Consideration. Under this
threshold review, your application can only be rated if the following
standards are met:
    (1) You are eligible to apply for this program, as defined in
Section III(B) above and have provided a letter from department chair
confirming this;
    (2) You have obtained a mentor and have included a letter from this
person confirming this and describing his/her role in your research;
    (3) Your institution has agreed to provide some support to you,
above that provided by this funding, as part of this grant.
    (B) Factors for Award Used to Evaluate and Rate Applications. The
factors for rating and ranking applicants, and maximum points for each
factor, are provided below. The maximum number of points for this
program is 100.

Rating Factor 1: Appropriateness of Your Methodology and Approach
to the Topic (25 points)

    In reviewing this factor, NAS will determine the extent to which
your research design and methodology are likely to produce data and
information that will successfully answer your research hypotheses. NAS
will also evaluate the extent to which the methodology you propose to
use is sound and generally accepted by the relevant research community.
Reviewers will be looking at the extent to which you use standard
methodological practices in line with research already completed or
existing publications in the field related to your research questions.

Rating Factor 2: Ability of Your Research Project To Add to the
Knowledge Base of the Topic To Be Studied (20 points)

    In reviewing this factor, NAS will determine the extent to which
your proposed project undertakes research on an area not covered by
previous research or proposes to look at a previously studied research
topic in a new and different way. Reviewers will look the clarity and
compellingness of the case the applicant makes for this project in the
context of the existing literature and knowledge base for that topic.

Rating Factor 3: Relevance of Your Research to HUD's Strategic
Goals (15 points)

    In reviewing this factor, NAS will determine the extent to which
your proposed research project will produce policy-relevant information
that is directly related to one of the strategic goals listed above
(i.e., the research could have an effect on one of the goals and on
HUD's programs and policies to achieve these goals). More information
can be found about these goals by going to the HUD web site at http://
www.hud.gov/reform/strpln.html. The less directly related to one of
these goals your research project is, the less points you will receive.
For example, a study of minorities' housing choice decisions would have
high relevance to HUD's strategic goals; a study of transportation
inequities would have medium relevance; and a study of the effects of
global warming on urban development would have low relevance.

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Rating Factor 4: Your Skills and Preparation (15 points)

    In reviewing this factor, NAS will determine the extent to which
your training, past employment, and past written work, such as your
dissertation, teaching, coursework, and previously completed research
papers that were accepted for presentation or publication, lay a
foundation for this proposed work.

Rating Factor 5: Commitment of the University (10 points)

    In reviewing this factor, NAS will determine the extent of the
commitment of your university, beyond that required in Section
III(E)(1). The quality of your institution's commitment, in terms of
its furthering your research project will also be evaluated under this
factor. For example, your university could propose to cover the cost of
a graduate assistant to work on your research project in order to
demonstrate its commitment beyond what is required of it. The larger
the commitment, translated into dollar terms, the higher the points.
Full points can only be received if your institution agrees to reduce
your course load by one course a semester or term but to continue
paying you your full salary.

Rating Factor 6: Timely Completion of Your Research Project (10
points)

    In reviewing this factor, NAS will determine the extent to which
your research design and methodology and plan for completion of your
research project can feasibly be completed within the fifteen-month
fellowship period. Applications that propose extremely complex and
time-consuming data collection efforts (e.g., major longitudinal
studies or a very large number of sites visits within the grant period)
will determined to be less feasible of completion within the allowed
time frame. For example, if you propose a methodology based on
information that may not be publicly available until after the end of
the grant period (e.g., Census information), or a data collection plan
that will take longer than the time you have allowed for it, you will
get a lower score than if you have presented a time line and
methodology that show evidence that the research project can be
completed within the grant period.

Rating Factor 7: Quality of the Mentoring Plan (5 points)

    In reviewing this factor, NAS will determine the appropriateness of
the person chosen to be your mentor (in terms of his/her previous work
(e.g., research, publications, presentations, standing in the research
community) and availability) and the role the mentor has agreed to play
in your project. The higher the time commitment the mentor makes to
you, the higher points your will receive.
    (C) Selections. NAS will fund applications in rank order, until it
has awarded all available funds. However, as noted in Section II, NAS
reserves the right to make awards for less than the amount requested in
your application. After all application selections have been made, NAS
may require that you participate in negotiations to determine the
specific terms of the fellowship and the grant budget. In cases where
NAS cannot successfully complete negotiations, or you fail to provide
NAS with requested information, an award will not be made. In such
instances, NAS may elect to offer an award to the next highest ranking
applicant, and proceed with negotiations with that applicant.

V. Application Submission Requirements

    You should include an original or electronic copy of your
application. Please note the page limits for some of the items listed
below and do not exceed them.
    The application kit made available by NAS will include, but may not
be limited to, the following items:
    (A) Applicant information including:
    (1) Title of your research project;
    (2) Your name, university and home addresses, university and home
telephone and facsimile numbers, and e-mail address;
    (3) Your university's name, department, mailing address, telephone
and facsimile numbers.
    (4) Your advisor's name, address, telephone and facsimile number,
and e-mail address;
    (5) Your mentor's name, address, telephone and facsimile number,
and e-mail address;
    (6) Evidence of being eligible to apply because you received your
Ph.D. no earlier than January 1, 1996;
    (7) Your graduate and post-graduate educational background.
    (B) A letter from the chair of your department that you have met
all the eligibility criteria described in Section III(B).
    (C) A letter from the appropriate official that describes your
university's support, as described in Section III(E).
    (D) A letter from your mentor stating his/her qualifications to be
your mentor, his/her proposed role in your research project, and his/
her availability to be your mentor.
    (E) A one-page abstract of your research project.
    (F) A narrative of the proposed research, not to exceed 10 double-
spaced typed pages. This narrative must include the following in the
following order:
    (1) Statement of the problem;
    (2) Research design and methodology;
    (3) Policy relevance of the research;
    (4) How the research will add to the current knowledge base.
    (G) A working bibliography of your proposed project.
    (H) An annotated bibliography, e.g., a two- or three-sentence
annotation for ten to twelve key sources in your working bibliography.
    (I) List of your publications: books, refereed journal articles,
chapters contributed to books, articles in published proceedings, and
any other articles.
    (J) List of text and poster presentations made during the last five
years.
    (K) A one-page abstract of your dissertation.
    (L) Grants and awards received during the last five years.
    (M) Teaching load during the last five years.
    (N) Two letters of reference.
    (O) A proposed budget.
    (P) Certifications. These forms must be signed by the applicant and
can be downloaded from the HUD web site at www.hud.gov.
    (1) HUD-2992, Certification regarding debarment and suspension
pursuant to 24 CFR part 24.
    (2) HUD-50071, Disclosure of lobbying pursuant to 24 CFR part 87.
    (3) HUD-50070, Certification of Drug-Free Workplace, pursuant to 24
CFR 24.600 et seq.

VI. Environmental Requirements

    The provision of assistance under this program is categorically
excluded from environmental review under the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321) and not subject to compliance under
related environmental authorities under 24 CFR 50.19(b)(1) and (b)(9).

VII. Authority

    This program is being undertaken under HUD's research authority
under Title V of the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1970 (Pub.L.
91-609).

[FR Doc. 01-4310 Filed 2-23-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210-32-P