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Fiscal Year 2021 Citizenship and Integration Grant Program - Glossary

FY 2021 Citizenship and Assimilation Grant Program glossary of terms.

Terms	Definition
Attorney	Any person who is eligible to practice law in and is a member in good standing of the bar of the highest court of any state, possession, territory, or commonwealth of the United States, or of the District of Columbia, and is not under any order suspending, enjoining, restraining, disbarring, or otherwise restricting him or her in the practice of law. See 8 CFR Part 1.2.
Authorized practice of immigration law	Occurs when an authorized and qualified individual or organization provides accurate and current legal advice on immigration-related matters. Typically, this is limited to DOJ-accredited representatives who work for DOJ-recognized organizations or to an attorney who is a member in good standing of the bar of a U.S. state. See 8 CFR Part 292, 8 CFR Part 103.2(a)(3), and 8 CFR Part 1.2.
Class cycle	The time period, such as a term or semester, when classes are held on a frequent or regular basis. This time period has a beginning and end date.
Cognizant federal agency	Defined by 48 CFR 2.101 as the Federal agency that, on behalf of all Federal agencies, is responsible for establishing final indirect cost rates and forward pricing rates, if applicable, and administering cost accounting standards for all contracts in a business unit.
Cost sharing	The portion of the project or program costs not covered by the federal government. Cost sharing occurs when a grant recipient contributes its own financial, human or material resources towards achieving grant program objectives. Any organization planning to offer cost sharing should include the proposed contribution in its proposed budget and clearly label the resource as a cost sharing contribution. For more information, see 2 CFR Part 215.
Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS)	A unique nine-character number that identifies community-based organizations. The federal government uses these numbers to track how federal money is distributed.
Direct costs	Costs that can be identified specifically with a particular sponsored project or an institutional activity, or easily assigned to activities with a high degree of accuracy. Examples include the salaries of staff assigned to a specific project, materials and supplies, and travel. For more information, see 2 CFR Part 200.413 (PDF).
DOJ accreditation	A program allowing a specially qualified non-lawyer to represent noncitizens on behalf of a recognized organization. Please refer to the links below for additional information: Recognition of Organizations and Accreditation of Non-Attorney Representatives https://www.justice.gov/eoir/recognition-and-accreditation-program
DOJ-accredited representative	A representative is “accredited” when the Executive Office for Immigration Review’s (EOIR) Office of Legal Access Programs gives permission to a specially qualified non-lawyer to represent noncitizens on behalf of a recognized organization. There are two kinds of accreditation: “partial” and “full.” A partially accredited representative may represent noncitizens before the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) only. A fully accredited representative may represent noncitizens before both DHS and EOIR, which includes the immigration courts and the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA).
DOJ-recognized organization (DOJ recognition)	A nonprofit organization that has permission from the Executive Office for Immigration Review’s (EOIR) Office of Legal Access Programs to practice immigration law through accredited representatives. An organization is “recognized” when the Office of Legal Access Programs gives a non-profit organization in the United States permission to practice immigration law through accredited representatives before DHS only (partial accreditation) or DHS and EOIR (full accreditation). EOIR includes the immigration courts and the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA). By regulation, a nonprofit, federal tax-exempt, religious, charitable, social service, or similar organization established in the United States that has been approved for recognition is called a recognized organization. Visit the DOJ’s Recognition and Accreditation Program page to learn how an organization can apply for recognition and accreditation.

Terms	Definition
Employee	A person who provides services to an employer in exchange for compensation and who does not provide these services as part of an independent business. The term does not include board members or contracted individuals. The following factors of a job arrangement may indicate that an individual is an employee: a. The employer pays the individual; b. The employer may fire the individual; c. The employer provides the individual with tools or equipment and a place to work; d. The employer trains the individual; e. The individual is required to follow the employer’s instructions; f. The employer sets or can set the individual’s work hours; g. The employer restricts the individual from working for others; and h. Other applicable factors.
Employer	In the context of this notice of funding opportunity, an employer is an organization with public or non-profit status that has the ability to hire, pay, fire, supervise, or otherwise control the work of an employee.
EOIR	An abbreviation for the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), which is an agency within the Department of Justice (DOJ). Under delegated authority from the Attorney General, immigration judges and the Board of Immigration Appeals, EOIR’s appellate component, interprets and adjudicates immigration cases according to United States immigration laws. Within EOIR, the Office of Legal Access Programs administers the program that grants recognition to organizations and accreditation of their representatives.
Form G-28, Notice of Entry of Appearance as Attorney or Accredited Representative	The form that attorneys and accredited representatives use to provide information establishing their eligibility to appear and act on behalf of an applicant, petitioner or respondent before USCIS. Form G-28 is available at uscis.gov/g-28.
Form N-400, Application for Naturalization	The form used to apply for U.S. citizenship. Form N-400 is available at uscis.gov/n-400.
Form N-648, Medical Certification for Disability Exceptions	The form for applicants who seek an exception to the English and civics testing requirements for naturalization because of physical or developmental disability or mental impairment. Form N-648 is available at uscis.gov/n-648.
Fringe benefits	Allowances and services provided by employers to their employees as compensation in addition to regular salaries and wages.
Fringe benefit rate	The value of fringe benefits expressed as a percentage of salary. Calculate the dollar amount by applying the appropriate fringe benefit percentage rate to each employee’s salary to be charged to the project. For more information, see OMB Circular A-21, OMB Circular A-87, or OMB Circular A-122.
Fringe benefit rate agreement	An agreement that has been approved by a cognizant federal agency (usually the agency that provides the most funding to the grant recipient) that establishes the rate at which an organization will request reimbursement for fringe benefits under the grant program.
FY	An abbreviation for fiscal year. The federal government’s fiscal year runs from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30.

Terms	Definition
Indirect costs	Common or joint costs that cannot be readily and specifically identified with one particular project or any other institutional activity. Examples include: utilities, general office supplies, and salaries of staff that support multiple programs and initiatives.
Indirect cost rate agreement	An agreement that establishes the rate at which an organization will request reimbursement for indirect costs incurred during the day-to-day operations of a federal grant program.
In-kind contribution	The value of non-cash contributions (such as property or services) that: Benefit a federally assisted project or program; and Are provided for free by non-federal third parties to a recipient, sub-recipient or cost-type contractor under the award.
Lawful permanent resident	Anyone who is not a U.S. citizen and is residing in the United States under legally recognized and lawfully recorded permanent residence status. Also known as “permanent resident alien,” “resident alien permit holder,” and “Green Card holder.”
Legal advice	A legal opinion or recommendation offered as a guide to action and based on applying the law to a given set of facts.

Terms	Definition
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)	A formal agreement between parties that defines each party’s rights and responsibilities.
National Reporting System (NRS)	An outcome-based reporting system developed by the U.S. Department of Education for state-administered, federally funded adult education programs. For more information, see this list of NRS test benchmarks (DOCX) for educational functioning levels.
Nationally normed standardized assessment test	In the context of citizenship instruction, this refers to specific tests used to determine a student’s English language proficiency. The Department of Education has a list of approved standardized tests.
Naturalization application services	Legal services, provided within the scope of the authorized practice of immigration law, that help lawful permanent residents go through the naturalization application and interview process. Services may include naturalization eligibility screening, legal advice, Form N-400 preparation and submission, and interview preparation.
Naturalization eligibility screening	A systematic assessment conducted by an attorney or BIA-accredited representative in order to determine if an individual is eligible to apply for U.7S. citizenship. Eligibility screenings include legal advice.
Non-duplicated citizenship students	A student enrolled in a grant-funded citizenship class for the first time. A program cannot count a student as newly enrolled more than once during the grant performance period, even if the student enrolls in multiple classes.
Nonprofit organization	Any corporation, trust, association, cooperative or other organization which: a. Operates primarily for scientific, educational, service, charitable or similar purposes in the public interest; b. Is not organized primarily for profit; and c. Uses its net proceeds to maintain, improve and/or expand its operations.
Non-responsive application	An application that does not meet one or more of the requirements listed under Eligibility Information – Non-Responsive Applications in the notice of funding opportunity. We will not review applications that are non-responsive.
Partner organization	Grant applicants may include a partner organization in their proposal. The partner may provide a portion of the direct services or some other contribution to the applicant’s proposed grant project. A partner organization is considered a “sub-awardee” if the organization will receive a portion of the grant funding to provide additional or complementary direct services. The partner organization may provide citizenship instruction, naturalization application services, or both.
Performance period	The performance period is a set amount of time, as determined by the awarding agency, in which the grant recipient is able to access grant funds and perform all grant-related tasks. The performance period for the USCIS grant programs is two years.
Private practice	To engage in one’s profession as an independent provider rather than as an employee.
Pro bono attorney	An attorney who provides legal services voluntarily and without payment as a public service.
Program Beneficiary	Lawful permanent residents who were admitted or entered the United States as refugees, asylees, Cuban or Haitian entrants, or on a special immigrant visa.

Terms	Definition
Quarter	There are four quarters in a fiscal year. The quarterly dates are as follows: Quarter 1: October 1 to December 31 Quarter 2: January 1 to March 31 Quarter 3: April 1 to June 30 Quarter 4: July 1 to September 30
Representation	Includes “practice” and “preparation” as defined in 8 CFR Part 1.2.
Sub-awardee	A legal contract in which the grant recipient hires an individual, business or organization to do a specific task or set of tasks. Subcontracting is permitted under the Citizenship and Assimilation Grant Program, but applicants may only propose a subcontract for specific tasks, such as hiring additional citizenship instructors on a contractual basis. Applicants may not enter into a subcontract with a private attorney. Applicants must demonstrate their ability to successfully manage all aspects of the grant-funded project, including financial management.
Subcontract	A legal contract in which the grant recipient hires an individual, business or organization to do a specific task or set of tasks. Subcontracting is permitted under the Citizenship and Assimilation Grant Program, but applicants may only propose a subcontract for specific tasks, such as hiring additional citizenship instructors on a contractual basis. Applicants may not enter into a subcontract with a private attorney. Applicants must demonstrate their ability to successfully manage all aspects of the grant-funded project, including financial management.

Last Reviewed/Updated:

05/17/2021