Debbie,

You are correct. This was clarified at meeting of persons interested in
applying
to the program when the program officer explained that individual
applicants can
request feedback on their respective applications but reviewers comments on
 the
applications of others would not be shared. (!) As an aside, I have
requested
reviewers comments from this agency under an application to a different
program,
and I have never received a response.

The agency apparently has been dealing with some legal battles in the
recent
past. Since I didn't have that long history from which to benefit, I read
their
application guidelines as I would any other. The program guidelines also
contained another unique section that I had not before encountered in
application materials -- instructions for how and when one may file a
formal
protest regarding how the proposals were evaluated. I found the tone of the
language to be defensive and a bit heavy-handed, which led me to wonder
just
what sort of organization I would be dealing with.

____________________Reply Separator____________________
Subject:    Re: customer service?
Author: "Deborah (Debbie) L. Smith 901 448-5587" <xxxxxx@UTMEM1.UTMEM.EDU>
Date:       01/07/99 2:24 PM

This sounds like a standard disclaimer and--as I read it--does not say that
the APPLICANT will
not receive comments, but that such comments are not "public record";
reviewers comments are
confidential and generally available only to the applicant.
It is my understanding that FOIA is applicable only to funded applications
and that even
abstracts of non-funded proposals are either not retained by the agencies
or at least not
available under FOIA (possibly because they are NOT retained).

Debbie Smith
UT Memphis
xxxxxx@utmem.edu

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