OWBO-WKPLN-2020-1.docx

U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Women’s Business Ownership Women’s Business Center 2020-21 Option Year Work Plan and Budget Funding Opportunity Announcement No. OWBO-WKPLN-2020-1

U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Women’s Business Ownership (OWBO)

Funding Opportunity Announcement No.

OWBO-WKPLN-2020-1

REQUEST FOR Fiscal Year 2020 - 2021

OPTION YEAR WORK PLAN

AND

BUDGET REQUEST

Option Year Budget Period:

September 30, 2020 through September 29, 2021

Competition OWBO- WKPLN-2020-1a- Opening Date: September 3, 2020, Closing Date: September 10, 2020 Competition OWBO- WKPLN-2020-1b- Opening Date: September 3, 2020, Closing Date: September 17, 2020 Competition OWBO- WKPLN-2020-1c- Opening Date: September 3, 2020, Closing Date: September 24, 2020

The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement is to provide Women’s Business Centers (WBCs) currently in SBA’s WBC Program the opportunity for additional funding, specifically the opportunity to apply for Option Year funding.

Eligible WBC’s will either be those who have successfully completed year 1, 2, 3 or 4 of their 5-year Initial WBC Project by September 29, 2020; or WBCs that will have successfully completed year 1 or 2 of their 3-year Renewal WBC Project by September 29, 2020.

Proposals responding to this FOA must be posted to www.Grants.gov by no later than 11:59:59 P.M.. Eastern Standard Time, on the closing date of the competition detailed above. No other methods of submission are permitted.

Proposals submitted after the stipulated deadline will be rejected without being evaluated.

Table of Contents

U.S. SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

OFFICE OF WOMEN’S BUSINESS OWNERSHIP

Option Year Work Plan Overview The Option Year Work Plan narrative must demonstrate your WBC’s accomplishments, impact, and continued capacity to implement the WBC’s Grant Project in accordance with the provisions of the Initial or Renewal Funding Opportunity Announcement. It must be succinct, self-explanatory, and well organized so that OWBO can ascertain your capacity to continue participation in the WBC Program.

The narrative must address all questions in each section.

The Workplan narrative is limited to five (5) single-spaced, single-sided, 8.5 x 11-inch pages with Source Sans or Times New Roman 12-point text font and one (1)-inch margins. This does not include required attachments. If the Host has multiple centers, make sure each narrative is unique to that center. Please use the sections below to organize your Work Plan Narrative.

Narratives longer than five (5) pages will not be considered.

Applicants are responsible for ensuring they are compliant with all the certifications and assurances required to submit a federal grant application. Information on the requirements can be found at SAM.gov.

SBA Priorities Emerging markets are critical to the strength and vitality of the American economy. As a part of on-going participation in the WBC program, WBCs should outreach and provide services to entrepreneurs, especially women, of all demographics, backgrounds and locations, inclusive of urban and rural populations, as well as members of Reserve Components of the U.S. Military and National Guard and their spouses. Central to its strategy to reach emerging markets are Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Opportunity Zones. WBCs should engage HBCUs and Opportunity Zones.

HBCUs: Given the importance of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) in American higher education and the ever-increasing growth and interest in entrepreneurship and small business throughout the HBCU community, it is a natural fit for WBCs and the SBA to also increase its services, partnerships and outreach to HBCUs.

Opportunity Zones: Opportunity Zones were created by the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act to provide investment in economically distressed areas by creating tax incentives for individuals and companies that invest in these designated zones. To facilitate the designation of these zones, the Federal government empowered state, local and tribal governments to prioritize low-income, economically distressed areas that would benefit most from receiving an Opportunity Zone designation. SBA recognizes the importance of ensuring access to capital to Opportunity Zones. WBCs are critical to providing access to capital and promoting small business growth; therefore, WBCs’ engagements with Opportunity Zones is critical to economic development of distressed areas.

New Program Requirements

For the 2020-2021 Program Year (PY) please note three very important requirements for the WBC program. Per 13 CFR 131.310(e) all SBA funded WBCs must have “Women's Business Center” as part of its official name and feature prominently on its website and promotional documents: “The Women's Business Center is funded in part by the U.S. Small Business Administration.” To ensure that WBC staff are knowledgeable regarding federal grants management and also accounting and auditing principles needed to effectively management WBC grants, OWBO is requiring that WBC staff responsible for the management of the WBC grant receive at least eight (8) hours of training each year on federal grants management and accounting principles and practices.

Preparing the Option Year Work Plan Narrative The Option Year Workplan Narrative must demonstrate your capacity to implement the grant project in accordance with the provisions of this Announcement. It provides a comprehensive framework and description of all aspects of the proposed project.

The Work Plan narrative is limited to five (5) single-spaced, single-sided, 8.5 x 11-inch pages with Source Sans or Times New Roman 12-point text font and one (1)-inch margins. You must number the Work Plan narrative beginning with page number one (1). We will not read or consider any materials beyond the specified page limit in the application review process.

The following instructions provide all of the information needed to complete the Option Year Work Plan. Carefully read and consider each section and include all required information in your narrative. You must use the same section headers identified below for each section of the narrative.

I. Performance Summary Using data submitted to EDMIS describe fully in quantitative terms the impact of program services on women entrepreneurs realized during the prior program year.

Summarize key program accomplishments.

Describe difficulties/problems encountered in achieving planned goals and objectives including:

· Barriers to accomplishment(s); and

· Actions taken to overcome difficulties.

Describe changes (new services or program components), if any, to be made during this option period affecting the following:

· Goals and objectives;

· Projected timeline for project implementation; and

· Approaches and strategies.

II. Project Objectives, Metrics and Milestones Comprised of a concise narrative and the Milestones and Metrics template, this section communicates how the project will be implemented and how progress toward achieving goals, targets, and milestones will be measured.

Project Design: Describe the project’s approach(s) to providing entrepreneurial development services to women (e.g., cohort, group or individualized training, one-to-one counseling, mentoring, conferences, etc.) and how the approach(s) will contribute to producing results for the WBC Program’s impact performance measures—new business starts, and capital infusion number of transactions. Your proposal should be consistent with the changes proposed in Section I(d) and the Budget Narrative.

WBCs are encouraged to be data driven and should collect data that allows them to effectively manage and provide data per the Notice of Award.

Marketing and Outreach: You must describe how the center will market programs and services to women entrepreneurs, including a representative number for women who are socially- and economically-disadvantaged. You must detail your expertise and experience reaching them.

You must also communicate how your outreach plan will engage HBCU’s and Opportunity Zones and contribute to producing results for the program’s output measure: “Unique Clients Served.” WBCs with HBCUs in their states or regions, should partner with their respective SBA Regional and District Offices, and HBCU leadership (the university president, dean, chancellor, etc.), to develop a “Small Business Outreach Plan” to be submitted within ninety (90) days after the start of Fiscal Year 2020.

The Small Business Outreach Plan must include conducting at least one small business workshop or event with the school. The plan will be submitted to the partner HBCUs and the WBC’s Program Manager. States with HBCUs include Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Virginia, and West Virginia.

The Small Business Outreach Plan should also describe:

· How the WBC will partner with respective HBCUs;

· Provide a timeline for hosting events (workshops, training conferences, etc.); and

· Identify the points of contacts for the WBC and HBCU.

Any outreach above this level is welcomed and should be detailed in the outreach plan. In addition to workshops and engagements, outreach with HBCUs may include establishing partnerships with HBCUs to support WBCs service delivery, including counseling and training.

WBCs must report on the progress of their outreach to and partnerships with HBCUs through the WBC Semi-annual Report and WBC Final Programmatic Report. Reporting must include the date(s) and type(s) of outreach events, successes, and best practices regarding engagement of HBCUs.

WBCs should develop plans to encourage business development in Opportunity Zones. These plans should be developed in conjunction with the SBA Regional Administrator and District Office and actively engage state, local and tribal economic development officials, chambers of commerce, lenders and other public and private entities.

WBC Opportunity Zone activities must be submitted ninety (90) after the start of Fiscal Year 2020 and be submitted to the OWBO Program Manager. A discussion on how the outreach and business development efforts in their Opportunity Zones has helped the WBC reach its performance metrics should be included in the WBC’s Semi-annual Report and Final Programmatic Report.

The Final Programmatic Report must discuss the impact of Opportunity Zone partnership efforts on new business starts and capital infusion outcomes.

Organizational Capacity and Administrative Controls and Systems: Describe your organization’s capacity to effectively manage a WBC grant including program management structure, reporting (financial, performance, and programmatic), and administration (maintaining sound accounting systems, procurement processes, and administrative procedures).

If your WBC received a financial examination with findings, please discuss how these issues were resolved and will be mitigated moving forward.

Performance Workplan: Using the Milestones and Metrics template, present the targets and milestones for this option period. The metrics tab should be used to provide targets by quarter for each of the OWBO required metrics. OWBO will provide the minimum performance level for your WBC. For each major task within the project year, the milestone tab should be used to construct a timeline (including start and end dates) for completion.

The template must include the following:

· Targets, defined as the anticipated number of unique clients you will serve, business starts realized, and capital infusion transactions achieved; and

· Milestones, which are key markers of grant progress and are typically expressed in the form of an action or event marking a significant change or stage in development.

III. Personnel Description Please provide the qualifications and experience for staff, including but not limited to, the WBC Director and business counselors. All WBC staff shall possess the ability to deliver and/or support the program services and fulfill the work requirements of this Announcement and must be experienced in using information systems and delivering entrepreneurial development services to women. Position descriptions, qualification requirements, education requirements, and salary ranges must be provided for each proposed WBC staff position.

If a specific individual is identified for a position, a copy of the individual’s resume must be submitted. Position descriptions and resumes should be included as attachments and do not count toward the page limit.

IV. Budget The SF-424 A and the Annual Budget Summary should be used to present your proposed budget. These documents do not count toward the five (5)-page limit.

Using the Annual Budget Summary, please clearly and logically describe how your proposed expenditures will support the activities that you have described in section II(a). Be sure that the costs and totals associated with each line item on the SF-424A align with the Annual Budget summary and the budget narrative (the budget narrative has been incorporated into the Annual Budget Summary).

Provide a detailed description of the leveraged resources to be provided that indicates the project will be appropriately matched. Use the Certification of Cash Match and Program Income Worksheet to account for these leveraged resources. Grantees must complete page two (2) of the worksheet and list sources for all cash match and the activity which will generate program income.

V. Risk Assessment

As required by 2 C.F.R. §200.205(b), applicants receiving acceptable scores will be further evaluated by OWBO senior staff to assess the possible risks they may pose. In assessing the possible risks posed by an applicant, OWBO will consider the applicant’s:

· Financial stability;

· Management systems quality and its ability to meet the management standards prescribed in 2 C.F.R. § 200.302; and

· History of performance in managing other Federal awards, including: timeliness of providing required reports; compliance with the terms and conditions of the award; ability to meet matching funds requirements; and the extent to which the applicant has failed to fully expend funds provided under prior awards.

VI. Additional Information Regarding Non-Federal Match

a. Donations from Federal entities may not be claimed as match;

b. Matching contributions must come from non-Federal sources such as state and local public funds; private individuals, corporations and foundations; and program income (income from program services);

c. Funds you receive as payment for services provided under an agreement with an outside, non-Federal entity may be used as match regardless of whether the non-Federal entity received those funds from a Federal source;

d. When permissible under the terms of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program, CDBG funds may also be used as match. The matching contribution must be pledged for the WBC activities. At least one half of the non-Federal match must be in the form of cash;

e. Community Development Service Grant (CDSG) funds may not be used as match.

VII. Ineligible Applicants The following organizations will automatically be considered ineligible and their applications will be rejected without being evaluated:

a. Any organization that owes an outstanding and unresolved financial obligation to the Federal government;

b. Any organization that is currently suspended, debarred or otherwise prohibited from receiving awards of contracts or grants from the Federal government;

c. Any organization with an outstanding and unresolved material deficiency reported under the requirements of the Single Audit Act within the past three years;

d. Any organization that has had a WBC grant or cooperative agreement involuntarily terminated or non-renewed within the past year;

e. Any organization that has filed for bankruptcy within the past five years;

f. Any organization that proposes to serve as a pass-through and permit another organization to manage the day-to-day operations of the project;

g. Any organization that does not propose to hire and employ a full-time (40 hours per week) program director whose time is dedicated 100% to managing the day-to-day operation of the WBC and staff; and/or

h. Any organization that was convicted, or had an officer or agent acting on its behalf convicted, of a felony criminal violation under any Federal law within the preceding 24 months.

VIII. Additional Documents

For contracts between $10,001.00 and $250,000.00, you do not need to submit copies of the proposed contracts to the Grant Management Specialist (GMS) or Program Manager (PM) for approval before executing them. However, you must obtain price quotes (either orally or in writing) from at least three qualified sources and inform SBA of these quotes in the corresponding payment requests/financial reports. If you do not choose to go with the lowest quote, you must explain why.

For contracts of $10,000.00 or less, you do not need to submit copies of the proposed contracts to the GMS or PM for approval before executing them and the contracts are not required to be awarded via competition if your organization considers their prices to be reasonable.

You also may not contract out the overall administration or day-to-day management of this project to any other party. You may contract out for certain functions as permitted by the terms and conditions of Your Award but may not expend more than forty-nine (49) percent of the total Project Funds on contractors and consultants in conducting the project.

Most recent audit (or audited financial statement) for WBC Grantees determined to be high risk. Low risk grantees may provide the most recent unaudited financial statements.

Copy of the Applicant’s current, government-wide indirect cost rate agreement (if the Applicant’s budget includes indirect costs) if updated since prior project year. If the Applicant has never had an indirect cost rate agreement and its budget includes indirect costs, it may utilize a de minimus rate of ten (10) percent of MTDC (to include Federal and non-Federal) until the non-Federal entity can provide a copy of a current indirect cost rate agreement (ICRA) either through the SBA, or from another cognizant Federal agency. This new rule does not apply to organizations that have an expired ICRA.

Along with the items discussed in this section, Applicants must submit any documents that have changed since the prior project year to include its organizational chart, copy of Applicant’s Cost Policy Statement, list of board of directors and advisory board members. If no changes, no need to submit with this Option Year Work Plan and Budget Request.

Any other documentation the Applicant believes supports its proposal.

IX. Submission Instructions All proposals (narratives and forms) must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov. NO OTHER FORMS OF SUBMISSION WILL BE ACCEPTED. Non-federal entities are required to have a DUNS number and must be registered with the System for Award Management (SAM).

X. Checklist of Required Submissions Checklist of Required Submissions for the

OWBO-WKPLN-2020-01

Option Year Work Plan & Budget Request

Address and submit all information requested by the Option Year Work Plan & Budget Request Template.

OPEN DATE: September 3, 2020

CLOSE DATE:

Competition OWBO-WKPLN-2020-1a Closing Date: September 10, 2020 Competition OWBO-WKPLN-2020-1b Closing Date: September 17, 2020 Competition OWBO-WKPLN-2020-1c- Closing Date: September 24, 2020

The work plan narrative must be limited to five (5) pages and include responses for each section identified. For each section, the narrative should address all questions included in that section. If the Host has multiple centers, make sure each narrative is unique to that center. You must number your responses in the order of the template.

Do Not type directly into the Option Year Work Plan & Budget Request Template.

Organization Chart (Organization Chart (include names and positions for all proposed full- and part-time program staff employees working on the WBC Project).

Resume and position description for the WBC Director.

Position Description for ALL personnel (key & non-key).

List of Board of Directors and Advisory Board Members (include title, phone number, mailing address and e-mail address).

Supporting Documentation

List of all Federal awards received w/in last five (5) years - include:

(1) grantor agency name;

(2) CFDA number;

(3) the year of the award;

(4) the amount of the award; and

(5) status of award (i.e., if award is ongoing, closed or in default).

Approved Indirect Cost Rate (if applicable).

Cost Proposal

Most recent audit (or audited financial statement) for WBC Grantees determined to be high risk. Low risk grantees may provide the most recent unaudited financial statements.

Must complete an SF-424 Package for this SF 424 Packages and Budget Details Option Year Budget

SF-424; SF-424A; Annual Budget Summary; and Certification of Cash Match and Program Income Worksheet.

Also, complete page two (2) of the worksheet and list sources for all cash match and the activity which will generate program income. The amounts shown here should match the amount of cash and program income (if any) shown in your budget.

Note: In-kind should not be included on this worksheet.

SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

OFFICE OF WOMEN’S BUSINESS OWNERSHIP

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT: FINANCIAL SYSTEM ASSESSMENT

SECTION A: PURPOSE

The financial responsibility of grantees must be such that the grantee can properly discharge the public trust which accompanies the authority to expend public funds.

· Adequate administrative and financial systems including the accounting systems should meet the following criteria as contained in 2 CFR 200 and 2 CFR 2900.

· Accounting records should provide information needed to adequately identify the receipt of funds under each grant awarded and the expenditure of funds for each grant.

· Entries in accounting records should refer to subsidiary records and/or documentation which support the entry and which can be readily located.

· The accounting system should provide accurate and current financial reporting information.

· The accounting system should be integrated with an adequate system of internal controls to safeguard the funds and assets covered, check the accuracy and reliability of accounting data, promote operational efficiency, and encourage adherence to prescribed management policies

SECTION B: GENERAL

1. Complete the following items:

c. Employer Identification Number:

SECTION C: ACCOUNTING SYSTEM

1. Has any Government Agency rendered an official written opinion concerning the adequacy of the accounting system for the collection, identification, and allocation of costs under Federal contracts/grants?

2. Which of the following best describes the accounting system: State Internally Developed Web-based administered

3. Does the accounting system identify the receipt and expenditure of program funds separately for each contract/grant? Yes No Not Sure

4. Does the accounting system provide for the recording of expenditures for each grant/contract by the component project and categories shown Yes No Not Sure

5. Are time distribution records maintained for an employee when his/her effort can be specifically identified to a particular cost Yes No Not Sure objective?

7. Does the organization have an approved indirect cost rate or cost allocation plan? Yes No Not Sure If so, who approved it (Federal Cognizant Agency)? What are the effective dates?

9. Does the organization have an internal control structure that would provide reasonable assurance that the grant funds, Yes No Not Sure assets and systems are safeguarded?

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