ALL APPLICATIONS WERE REVIEWED BY PANELS OF NON-FEDERAL EXPERTS FROM VARIOUS DISCIPLINES RELATED TO CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT AND FROM ALL PARTS OF THE NATION. OF THE 440 APPLICATIONS RECEIVED, 194 WERE RECOMMENDED FOR APPROVAL, BUT INSUFFICIENT FUNDS ALLOWED ONLY 77 OF THESE TO BE FUNDED. THEREFORE, APPLICANTS WERE FUNDED ACCORDING TO TWO CONSIDERATIONS: THE SCORE THEY RECEIVED FROM THE NON-FEDERAL REVIEWERS AND THE REQUIREMENTS FOUND IN SECTION 4 (B) OF P.L. 93-247, THAT THERE BE EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION OF GRANTS BETWEEN URBAN AND RURAL AREAS AND BETWEEN THE STATES. THE AWARDED GRANTS ARE DESCRIBED BY CATEGORY WITH THE AMOUNT OF THE AWARD CITED FOR THE FIRST YEAR ONLY. MAJOR CATEGORIES INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING: FIELD-INITIATED CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT RESEARCH; LONGITUDINAL RESEARCH ON THE CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF CHILD MALTREATMENT; IMPROVED JUVENILE COURT HANDLING OF CHILD PROTECTIVE CASES, INCLUDING THE PROVISION OF LEGAL COUNSEL AND GUARDIAN AD LITEM; INVESTIGATION AND CORRECTION OF CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT IN RESIDENTIAL INSTITUTIONS; NATIONAL RESOURCE CENTERS FOR PROFESSIONALS AND MINORITY POPULATIONS; CHILD PROTECTION AGENCY IMPROVEMENT; COMMUNITY-BASED CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT PREVENTION; AND REGIONAL CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT RESOURCE CENTERS. EACH CATEGORY DESCRIPTION PRESENTS THE HYPOTHESIS UNDERLYING THE PROJECTS AND THE OBJECTIVES FOR THAT SPECIFIC GROUP OF PROJECTS. FOLLOWING THE CONTRACT AWARD DESCRIPTIONS, THE BROCHURE LISTS NEW ACQUISITIONS OF THE NATIONAL CENTER OF CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT CLEARINGHOUSE AND ABSTRACTS OF PERTINENT RESEARCH ARTICLES. IMPORTANT CONFERENCES AND MEETINGS FOR 1979 ALSO ARE LISTED. (PRG)