ACF CDCP Application Guidance 2024.pdf

Administration for Children and Families

Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation

ACF Congressionally Directed Community Projects 2024

Application Guidance

Notice Of Funding Opportunity Number:

PREA-XP-24-003

Application due date is June 28th, 2024 The deadline for submission of electronic applications

Via www.Grants.gov is 11:59 pm ET on the due date.

Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: The referenced collection of information is voluntary. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 0970-0604 which expires 3/31/2026. The time required to complete this collection of information is estimated to average 30 hours, including the time to review instructions, develop the content, and complete and review the collection of information. If you have comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate(s) or suggestions for improving this form, please write to: Office of

Planning, Research, and Evaluation. 330 C Street SW, Washington DC, 20201.

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Table Contents

I. Introduction

II. Authority and Eligibility

III. Project Period and Estimated Award Dates

IV. Required Formatting for Application Submission

V. Required Application Content

A. Project Description

B. Budget and Budget Justification

VI. Funding Restrictions

VII. How to Submit Your Application

A. System for Award Management (SAM)

B. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)

C. Grants.gov

VIII. Submission Due Date and Time

IX. Anticipated Announcement and Federal Award Dates

X. Federal Award Administrative Requirements

A. Federal Award Notices

B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

C. Reporting

D. Additional Required Assurance

E. Other Administrative Information

XI. Federal Agency Contact(s)

Appendix A: Application Checklist

Appendix B: Example Budget and Budget Justification

Appendix C: Recommended Outline of Project Narrative File

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I. Introduction

Entities named in appropriation acts as Congressionally Directed Community Projects (CDCP) often ask, “Our organization received grant money in the appropriations act. When do we get our funds?”

Before the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) can award funds, and before your organization can gain access to those funds that have been “earmarked” for your organization, you must submit an application, as required by 34 C.F.R. § 75.104(a). An award cannot be made until the recipient complies with all the procedural rules that govern the submission of the application, and the application contains the required information (34 C.F.R. §75.216 (b) and (c)).

Please note: THIS IS NOT A COMPETITIVE APPLICATION PROCESS. The process is meant solely to document your plan and to meet all federal requirements for awarding the funds.

The application will:

• Provide all necessary information so that ACF can process the award;

• Demonstrate to ACF that the planned activities are consistent with the language in ACF’s appropriations act. By law, the agency cannot award your organization these grant funds for any other purpose;

• Allow ACF to determine that your plan to spend the funds is in accordance with applicable

Federal laws and regulations;

• Describe the funded activities for the planned project;

• Provide a detailed budget, linked to the planned activities.

In preparing an application, you should focus on the congressionally identified purpose and the funded activities. The application will give ACF the information needed to award the funding. Based on questions that recipients have raised in the past, ACF has developed this guidance to provide information on each required part of the application. In addition, Appendix A includes a checklist of required application content, Appendix B includes a sample budget and budget justification and

Section X Federal Award Administrative Requirements includes information about what is expected by ACF from grantees during the post-award phase.

Completing the application will be easier if you first read this guidance carefully and in its entirety. Following these instructions should help your organization shorten the time that it will take to prepare an approvable application, and thus shorten the time before funds are awarded. If ACF determines that your organization’s application meets all applicable requirements, the award will be finalized, and your organization will receive instructions on opening an electronic account through which your organization can draw down the grant funds as planned.

To submit your application for the Congressionally Directed (CD) Community Project described in the appropriations act for your organization, you will use the website Grants.gov. Your organization must be registered with SAM.gov (thereby obtaining a Unique Entity Identifier and establishing the

E-Biz Point of Contact for the organization). When the UEI and Ebiz POC are established, each organization must establish an Organization Profile account in Grants.gov. For additional guidance, see Section VII How to Submit your Application.

After reviewing this Application Guidance, if you have any questions about your proposed funded activities and application content, please contact ACFCDApplications@acf.hhs.gov. If you have technical questions about Grants.gov please visit their support site at grants.gov/applicants. If you https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-34/subtitle-A/part-75/subpart-C/subject-group-ECFR78905fb723141ae/section-75.104#p-75.104(a) https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-34/subtitle-A/part-75/subpart-D/subject-group-ECFR9f4a75686de6851/section-75.216#p-75.216(b) mailto:ACFCDApplications@acf.hhs.gov http://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/applicants

4 | P a g e have technical questions about SAM.gov please visit their support site at https://sam.gov/content/home.

II. Authority and Eligibility

Statutory Authority

Authorized by Social Security Act § 1110 [42 U.S.C. § 1310]; appropriated under Public Law

No: 117-328

Eligibility

Eligible applicants are those that have been congressionally identified to receive FY24 funds for

CD Community Project funding. Other non-specified entities may not receive replacement grants or serve as successors-in-interest after the award is made. Application must address activities consistent with the purpose identified by Congress. The amount requested cannot exceed the amount identified by Congress.

III. Project Period and Estimated Award Dates

Project Period

Each grant will have a 12 month project period. The project period start date is the same as the award date. Funds will be accessible throughout the 12-month project period. The funding can only be used for activities and expenditures that occur during the project period.

Estimated Award Start Date

We estimate the award start date will between August 30th, 2024 and September 30th, 2024. The award start date is equivalent to the project period start date.

IV. Required Formatting for Application Submission

Organizational Contacts

On Standard Form (SF) 424 two organizational staff must be identified: The Authorized

Organization Representative (AOR) and a second Point of Contact (POC). The AOR and the

POC must be two separate people.

Authorized Organization Representative (AOR)

AOR is the designated representative of the applicant/recipient organization with authority to act on the organization’s behalf in matters related to the award and administration of grants.

This individual signs all forms for the grant application. In signing a grant application, this individual agrees that the organization will assume the obligations imposed by applicable

Federal statutes and regulations and other terms and conditions of the award, including any assurances, if a grant is awarded. Signature: All application forms, including SF-424 and the

SF-424b, must be signed by the AOR of the organization.

Second Point of Contact

In addition to the AOR, a second point of contact (POC) on matters involving the application must also be identified. The POC is usually known as the Project Director or Principal

Investigator. The POC must be available to answer any questions pertaining to the application.

Applications Must Be One File:

https://sam.gov/content/home https://www.ssa.gov/OP_Home/ssact/title11/1110.htm

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Each applicant applying electronically via Grants.gov is required to upload one required file (a

Project Narrative file). Standard Forms and OMB-approved forms will be completed separately.

Please refer to Appendix A Application Checklist for list of required application content.

Required Project Narrative File Content

Refer to Section V Required Application Content for more details on each required component of the application. In addition to all required forms, Grants.gov will allow upload of one file. We recommend your file content match to the order below, for ease of review and processing. See

Appendix C Outline of Project Narrative File for additional information.

The Project Narrative file must include:

A. Project Description

• Outcomes

• Approach

• Timeline and Milestones

• Organizational Capacity

• Third Party Agreements (Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs/Letters of

Commitment (if applicable)

• Proof of Legal Status of Organization as Non-Profit

▪ Plan for Oversight of Federal Funds and Activities o Plan for Monitoring Subrecipients (if applicable)

B. Budget and Budget Justification

• Line Item Budget

• Budget Justification

• If indirect costs claimed, then copy of the Indirect Rate Cost Agreement or De minimis rate statement

Page Limit

Applicants must limit their Project Narrative file (in its entirety) to 40 pages. The required

Standard Forms, OMB-approved forms, assurances, and certifications do not count toward the 40 page limit. Please refer to Appendix A Application Checklist at the end of this guidance for list of required application content

Required Standard Forms (SFs) and OMB-approved Forms

Standard Forms (SFs) and OMB-approved forms may be completed on forms electronically within Grant.gov. To preview forms and forms instructions, see SF-424 Individual Family |

GRANTS.GOV. Refer to Appendix A Application Checklist for list of required application content.

Accepted Application Format

With the exception of the required Standard Forms (SFs) and OMB-approved forms, all application materials must be formatted so that they are 8 ½" x 11" white paper with 1-inch margins all around. Applications should be double spaced.

If possible, applicants are encouraged to include page numbers for each page within the application.

English Language https://www.grants.gov/forms/forms-repository/sf-424-family

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Applications must be submitted in the English language and must be in the terms of United

States (U.S.) dollars. If applications are submitted using another currency, ACF will convert the foreign currency to U.S. currency using the date of receipt of the application to determine the rate of exchange.

Use Only File Formats Supported By ACF

It is critical that applicants submit applications using only the supported file formats listed here.

While ACF supports all of the following file formats, we strongly recommend that the application submission file is uploaded as a PDF document.

ACF supports the following file formats:

• Adobe PDF – Portable Document Format (.pdf)

• Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx)

• Microsoft Excel (.xls or .xlsx)

• Microsoft PowerPoint (.ppt)

• Image Formats (.JPG, .GIF, .TIFF, or .BMP only)

Do Not Encrypt or Password-Protect the Electronic Application Files

If ACF cannot access submitted electronic files because they are encrypted or password protected, the affected file will be removed from the application and will not be reviewed. This removal may make the application incomplete, and ACF will not make awards based on an incomplete application.

Paperwork Reduction Act

Whenever information is solicited from the public, or from a non-Federal agency, the requesting

Federal agency must implement the requirements of the PRA of 1995 [44 U.S.C. §§ 3501-3520]

V. REQUIRED APPLICATION CONTENT

This section describes all information needed to process the award for your organization’s

Congressionally Directed Community Project. Your Project Narrative file must include A. Project

Description and B. Budget and Budget Justification. Appendix A Application Checklist provides a summary of required application content; see also Appendix C Recommended Outline of Project

Narrative File.

A. PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The application must address the purpose identified by Congress. In addition, the proposed federal budget must not exceed the amount identified by Congress.

Your application’s Project Description must include the following:

1. OUTCOMES:

Briefly provide a few overview sentences describing 1) the problem, community need or issue that your project will address and 2) the potential outcomes from the funded activities.

Applicant should identify and define expected outcomes from the funded activities.

2. APPROACH:

The planned activities should be consistent with the congressionally identified purpose. The https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2021-title44/pdf/USCODE-2021-title44-chap35-subchapI-sec3501.pdf

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Project Approach should explain how the applicant organization will implement all activities for which federal funds will be used. Outline a plan of action that describes the scope and detail of how the congressionally funded activities and outcomes will be accomplished. When appropriate to the funded activity, a staffing plan should be included. Cite potential obstacles and challenges to accomplishing project goals and explain strategies that will be used to address these challenges.

ACF is particularly interested in project descriptions that convey strategies for achieving intended outcomes.

The Approach must be clear, concise, and complete. Cross-referencing should be used rather than repetition. All identified activities should be clearly linked to costs described in budget justification.

If federal funds are being used to conduct evaluation or research activities, those activities should be clearly described, including the research questions, methods and design.

Subawards and subrecipients have requirements distinct from subcontracts, contracts or collaborative partnerships. If subawards or subrecipients are proposed, include in your

Approach your organization’s oversight plan consistent with guidance for Subawards and

Subrecipients under Section V.B Project Budget and Budget Justification.

3. PROJECT TIMELINE AND MILESTONES:

Provide quantitative monthly or quarterly projections (for the entire project period) of the accomplishments to be achieved for each funded function or activity, in quantified terms. For example, the achievement could be the number of people to be served and the number of activities accomplished. Identified target achievements should be consistent with your described Outcome and Approach. The timeline may be organized and presented as project tasks and subtasks with their corresponding timelines during the project period. When accomplishments cannot be quantified by activity or function, list them in chronological order to show the schedule of accomplishments and their target dates.

4. ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY:

Provide a brief statement regarding your organization’s experience and capabilities for doing the proposed work. Provide similar brief description about any participating partners, contractors, subawardees, and subrecipients.

As evidence of Organizational Capacity, provide the following information on the applicant organization, key staff who will be working on funded activities, and, if applicable, on any subcontractors, subawards, subrecipients or partner organizations:

• Curricula Vitae (CV) of key personnel leading funded activities

• Job descriptions and qualifications for each vacant key position to be funded.

• Evidence that the applicant organization has relevant experience and expertise with activities similar to those proposed.

• Evidence that each participating organization, including partners, contractors and/or subrecipients, and subawardees possess the organizational capability to fulfill their

8 | P a g e role(s) and function(s) effectively.

• Child-care licenses and other documentation of professional accreditation relevant to the funded activities.

• Documentation of compliance with federal/state/local government standards.

5. THIRD-PARTY AGREEMENTS

If applicable to the funded activities, the applicant should provide third-party agreements. A

“third-party” is a subrecipient, subaward, contractor, consultant, or other cooperating entity.

These include Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) or Letters of Commitment. Letters of

Commitment and MOUs must both clearly describe the roles and responsibilities for project activities and the support and/or resources that the third-party is committing. The Letters of

Commitment and MOUs must be signed by the person in the third-party organization with the authority to make such commitments on behalf of their organization. General letters of support are not considered to be third-party agreements.

If third party agreements are not available by the application due date, please provide the timeline for when they will be finalized and submitted to ACF.

6. PROOF OF LEGAL STATUS OF APPLICANT ORGANIZATION

Applicants must provide proof of Non-Profit Status.

Proof of Non-Profit Status Options:

Non-profit organizations applying for funding are required to submit proof of their non-profit status. Proof of non-profit status is any one of the following:

• A reference to the applicant organization’s listing in the IRS’s most recent list of tax-exempt organizations described in the IRS Code.

• A copy of a currently valid IRS tax-exemption certificate.

• A statement from a state taxing body, state attorney general, or other appropriate state official certifying that the applicant organization has non-profit status and that none of the net earnings accrue to any private shareholders or individuals.

• A certified copy of the organization's certificate of incorporation or similar document that clearly establishes non-profit status.

• Any of the items in the subparagraphs immediately above for a state or national parent organization and a statement signed by the parent organization that the applicant organization is a local non-profit affiliate.

7. PLAN FOR OVERSIGHT OF FEDERAL AWARD FUNDS AND ACTIVITIES

Recipients are required to ensure proper oversight in accordance with 45 CFR Part 75

Subpart D.

These regulations set forth the standards for effective oversight for:

• Financial and Program Management

• Property (if applicable by program legislation)

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• Procurement

• Performance and Financial Monitoring and Reporting

• Subrecipient Monitoring and Management

• Record Retention and Access

• Remedies for Noncompliance

Describe the framework (e.g., staffing, governance, policies and procedures, risk management, systems) in place to ensure proper oversight of federal funds and activities in accordance with 45 CFR Part 75 Subpart D. The description must include system(s) for record-keeping and financial management; procedures to monitor, identify and mitigate risks and issues (e.g., audit findings, continuous program performance assessment findings, program monitoring); and those key staff that will be responsible for maintaining oversight of expenditures and the program activities staff, and, if applicable, partner(s) and/or subrecipient(s).

Monitoring Subawards and Subrecipients: Subawards and subrecipients are distinct from contracts, subcontracts or collaborative partnerships: subaward or subrecipients are responsible for major portions of the funded activities. If subrecipients or subawards are proposed, the prime recipient is responsible for monitoring the activities of the subrecipient and subawards as necessary to ensure that the funds are used for authorized purposes, in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the subaward;

and that subaward performance goals are achieved. For more information about budgeting for subawards and subrecipients, see the Section V.B Project Budget and Budget

Justification/Contractual section below.

Subrecipients and subawards, if applicable to your project, must also be registered at

SAM.gov prior to receiving funds from the primary recipient. ACF does not require their

UEI(s).

If subawards and subrecipients proposed, the prime recipient must describe in their application their monitoring plan. This should include your plan for communication with the subrecipients. The monitoring plan in your proposal must include:

1. Reviewing subrecipient(s)’ financial and performance reports that are required by the prime recipient.

2. Following-up and ensuring that the subrecipient takes timely and appropriate action on all deficiencies (pertaining to the federal funds provided to the subrecipient from the prime recipient) detected through audits, on-site reviews, report reviews, and other means.

3. Issuing a management decision for audit findings pertaining to the federal funds provided to the subrecipient from the prime recipient.

4. Accordingly, both the budget and proposed activities should reflect the oversight plan for any subrecipients or subawards.

B. BUDGET AND BUDGET JUSTIFICATION

Overview

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NOTE: Do not exceed the federal budget amount congressionally identified for your project.

The award ceiling identified for your organization reflects the total costs including both direct and indirect costs.

SEE APPENDIX B FOR EXAMPLE BUDGET AND BUDGET JUSTIFICATION. This example may not match to your project, so adapt as needed. You are not required to follow the format of the example, but should provide the relevant information for your project.

Appendix B includes examples of using a subaward/subrecipient and of the two options for indirect charges.

Applicants are required to submit a line-item budget and a budget justification with their application. Guidance is provided below regarding each line-item budget category and details that are required for justification.

The project budget is entered on the Budget Information Standard Form (SF) SF-424A.

Applicants are encouraged to review the form instructions in addition to the guidance in this section. The SF-424A should reflect the 1-year budget and project period. Instructions can be found at SF-424 Individual Family GRANTS.GOV.

The budget justification consists of a budget justification and a line-item budget detail that includes detailed calculations for the amounts entered under “object class categories” on the

Budget Information Standard Form SF-424A. The budget justification should include estimation methods, quantities, unit costs, and other similar quantitative detail sufficient for the calculation to be duplicated. The information should fully explain and support the SF-

424A line-item amounts. Discuss the necessity, reasonableness, and allocation of the proposed costs.

It should be possible to link the information in the budget and budget justification to the proposed activities and outcomes laid out in the Outcomes and Approach section of your application.

Executive and Senior Level Pay. The Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and

Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2021 and Consolidated Appropriations

Act, 2021, (Division H, Title II, Sec. 202), limits the salary amount that may be awarded and charged to ACF grants and cooperative agreements. Award funds issued under this application guidance may not be used to pay the salary of an individual at a rate in excess of Executive

Level II. For the Executive Level II salary, please see “Executive & Senior Level Employee Pay

Tables” under https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/. The

Executive Level II salary reflects an individual's base salary exclusive of fringe benefits and any income that an individual may be permitted to earn outside of the duties of the applicant organization. This salary limitation also applies to subawards and subcontracts under an ACF grant or cooperative agreement.

Social Services Research and Demonstration (SSRD) legislation is the funding source for

ACF CDCP projects [42 United State Code § 1310]. SSRD funds may pay for part of research and demonstration projects that are consistent with the legislation. Therefore, cost sharing is required but there is no statutory minimum for cost sharing. Applicants may volunteer non-federal funds in their application. If the applicant volunteers to include non-federal funds in their SF-424 and SF-424a, they are committed to providing those funds.

https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/

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Volunteered non-federal funds should be identified in Block 18 of the SF-424.

If the volunteered non-federal funds are accepted by ACF, the non-federal resources will be included in the approved project budget and in the award documentation. The applicant will be held accountable for all volunteered non-federal funds as shown in the Notice of Award

(NOA). A recipient's failure to provide the volunteered non-federal funds may result in the disallowance of federal funds. Recipients will be required to report obligation of these funds in their Federal Financial Reports. Detailed Budget and Budget Justification Guidance

Use the following guidelines for preparing the project budget and budget justification. The budget narrative includes a budget justification and a line-item detailed budget breakdown.

Applications should only include allowable costs in accordance with 45 CFR Part 75 Subpart

E. The categories below are those that need to be completed on the SF-424A form. See

Section VI Funding Restrictions for unallowable expenditures.

SEE APPENDIX B FOR EXAMPLE BUDGET AND BUDGET JUSTIFICATION. This example may not match to your project, so adapt as needed. You are not required to follow the format of the example, but should provide parallel information for your project.

Appendix B includes examples of using a subaward/subrecipient and of the two options for indirect charges.

Personnel

Description: Costs of employee salaries and wages. See 45 CFR § 75.430 for more information on allowable personnel costs. Do not include the personnel costs of consultants, contractors and subrecipients under this category.

Justification: For each position, provide: the name of the individual (if known), their title;

time commitment to the project in months; time commitment to the project as a percentage or full-time equivalent (FTE); annual salary; grant salary; wage rates; etc. Identify the project director or principal investigator, if known at the time of application.

Fringe Benefits

Description: Costs of employee fringe benefits are allowances and services provided by employers to their employees in addition to regular salaries and wages. For more information on fringe benefits please refer to 45 CFR § 75.431. Do not include the fringe benefits of consultants, contractors, and subrecipients.

Typically, fringe benefit amounts are determined by applying a calculated rate for a particular class of employee (full-time or part-time) to the salary and wages requested.

Fringe rates are often specified in the approved indirect cost rate agreement. Fringe benefits may be treated as a direct cost or indirect cost in accordance with the applicant's accounting practices. Only fringe benefits as a direct cost should be entered under this category.

Justification: Provide a breakdown of the amounts and percentages that comprise fringe benefit costs such as health insurance, Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) taxes, retirement, taxes, etc.

Travel

Description: Costs of project-related travel (i.e., transportation, lodging, subsistence) by https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/subtitle-A/subchapter-A/part-75/subpart-E/subject-group-ECFR5d90ba314caea08/section-75.460 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/subtitle-A/subchapter-A/part-75/subpart-E/subject-group-ECFR5d90ba314caea08/section-75.460 https://apply07.grants.gov/apply/forms/readonly/SF424A-V1.0.pdf https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/subtitle-A/subchapter-A/part-75/subpart-E/subject-group-ECFR5d90ba314caea08/section-75.430 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/subtitle-A/subchapter-A/part-75/subpart-E/subject-group-ECFR5d90ba314caea08/section-75.431

12 | P a g e employees of the applicant organization who are in travel status on official business. Travel by non-employees such as consultants, contractors or subrecipients should be included under the Contractual line-item. Local travel for employees in non-travel status should be listed on the Other line. Travel costs should be developed in accordance with the applicant's travel policies and 45 CFR § 75.474.

Justification: For each trip show: the total number of travelers; travel destination; duration of trip; per diem; mileage allowances, if privately owned vehicles will be used to travel out of town; and other transportation costs and subsistence allowances. If appropriate for this project, travel costs for key project staff to attend ACF-sponsored workshops/conferences/recipient orientations should be detailed in the budget justification.

Equipment

Description: “Equipment” means an article of nonexpendable, tangible personal property

(including information technology systems) having a useful life of more than one year and a per unit acquisition cost that equals or exceeds the lesser of: (a) the capitalization level established by the organization for the financial statement purposes, or (b) $5,000. (Note:

Acquisition cost means the net invoice unit price of an item of equipment, including the cost of any modifications, attachments, accessories, or auxiliary apparatus necessary to make it usable for the purpose for which it is acquired. Ancillary charges, such as taxes, duty, protective in-transit insurance, freight, and installation, shall be included in, or excluded from, acquisition cost in accordance with the organization's regular written accounting practices.) See 45 CFR §75.439 for more information.

Justification: For each type of equipment requested provide: a description of the equipment;

the cost per unit; the number of units; the total cost; and a plan for use on the project; as well as use and/or disposition of the equipment after the project ends.

Supplies

Description: Costs of all tangible personal property, other than included under the

Equipment category. This includes office and other consumable supplies with a per-unit cost of less than $5,000. See 45 CFR § 75.453 for more information.

Justification: Specify general categories of supplies and their costs. Show computations and provide other information that supports the amount requested.

Contractual

Description: Cost of all contracts and subawards except for those that belong under other categories such as equipment, supplies, construction, etc. Include third-party evaluation contracts, if applicable, and contract or subawards with secondary recipient organizations

(with budget detail), including delegate agencies and specific project(s) and/or businesses to be financed by the applicant. Costs related to individual consultants should be listed on the

Other line. Recipients are required to use 45 CFR §§ 75.326-.340 procurement procedures, and subawards are subject to the requirements at 45 CFR §§ 75.351-.353.

Justification: Demonstrate that all procurement transactions will be conducted in a manner to provide, to the maximum extent practical, open, and free competition. Applicants must justify any anticipated procurement action that is expected to be awarded without competition and exceeds the simplified acquisition threshold stated in 48 CFR § 2.101(b).

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/subtitle-A/subchapter-A/part-75/subpart-E/subject-group-ECFR5d90ba314caea08/section-75.474 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/subtitle-A/subchapter-A/part-75/subpart-E/subject-group-ECFR5d90ba314caea08/section-75.439 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/subtitle-A/subchapter-A/part-75/subpart-E/subject-group-ECFR5d90ba314caea08/section-75.453 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/subtitle-A/subchapter-A/part-75/subpart-E/subject-group-ECFR5d90ba314caea08/section-75.453 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/subtitle-A/subchapter-A/part-75/subpart-E/subject-group-ECFR5d90ba314caea08/section-75.453 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-48/chapter-1/subchapter-A/part-2/subpart-2.1/section-2.101#p-2.101(b)

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Recipients may be required to make pre-award review and procurement documents, such as requests for proposals or invitations for bids, independent cost estimates, etc., available to

ACF.

Indicate whether the proposed agreement qualifies as a subaward or contract in accordance with 45 CFR § 75.351. Provide the name of the contractor/subrecipient (if known), a description of anticipated services, a justification for why they are necessary, a breakdown of estimated costs, and an explanation of the selection process. In addition, for subawards, the applicant must provide a detailed budget and budget justification for each subaward, by entity name, along with the same justifications referred to in these budget and budget justification instructions.

Subawards and Subrecipients: For applicants proposing to use subaward(s) or subrecipient(s), if the total amount budgeted for subawards exceeds 50 percent of total direct costs for the budget period, the applicant must provide a justification for subawarding the portion of the project and must explain how the prime recipient plans to maintain a substantive role in the project.

Applicants must explain why the participation of the subrecipient is necessary, and why the applicant cannot achieve the objectives without the subrecipient(s)’ participation. Subawards and subrecipients are distinct from contracts, subcontracts or collaborative partnerships:

subaward or subrecipients are responsible for major portions of the funded activities.

If subrecipients are proposed, the prime recipient is responsible for monitoring the activities of the subrecipient(s). The application must include the monitoring plan. See guidance on the requirements for a monitoring plan for subrecipients or subawards under Section V.A.6 Plan for Oversight of Federal Award Funds and Activities above.

Other

Description: Enter the total of all other costs. Such costs, where applicable and appropriate, may include, but are not limited to consultant costs, local travel, insurance, food (when allowable), medical and dental costs (non-personnel), professional service costs (including audit charges), space and equipment rentals, printing and publications, computer use, training costs (such as tuition and stipends), staff development costs, and administrative costs. Please note costs must be allowable per 45 CFR Part 75 Subpart E.

Justification: Provide a breakdown of costs, computations, a narrative description, and a justification for each cost under this category.

Indirect Charges

(See Appendix B Example Budget and Budget Justification for examples of the two methods of calculating Indirect Charges).

Description: Total amount of indirect costs and direct costs must not exceed the ceiling amount specified. Indirect costs are a percentage of a budget that can be utilized by the organization to provide technical and administrative support to the funded activity without having to detail correspondingly in the budget. The applicant organization may choose not to have indirect charges, or they can choose one of two methods to calculate indirect charges. An applicant may only select one method. Either:

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/subtitle-A/subchapter-A/part-75/subpart-D/subject-group-ECFR8447823477e44a7/section-75.351 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/subtitle-A/subchapter-A/part-75/subpart-E/subject-group-ECFR5d90ba314caea08/section-75.453

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1. The applicant currently has an indirect cost rate approved by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) or another cognizant federal agency.

Justification: An applicant must enclose a copy of the current approved rate agreement. If the applicant is requesting a rate that is less than what is allowed under the program, the authorized representative of the applicant organization must submit a signed acknowledgement that the applicant is accepting a lower rate than allowed. Choosing to charge a lower rate will not be considered during the objective review or award selection process;

OR

2. Per 45 CFR § 75.414(f) Indirect (F&A) costs

“Non-Federal entity [i.e., applicant] that has never received a negotiated indirect cost rate, ... may elect to charge a de minimis rate of 10 percent of modified total direct costs

(MTDC) which may be used indefinitely. As described in section 75.403, costs must be consistently charged as either indirect or direct costs but may not be double charged or inconsistently charged as both. If chosen, this methodology once elected be used consistently for all Federal awards until such time as the non-Federal entity chooses to negotiate for a rate, which the non-Federal entity may apply to do at any time.”

Justification: If requesting de minimis, the application must include a statement that the applicant organization has never received a negotiated cost rate and elects to receive a de minimis cost rate of 10 percent. If applicants are awaiting approval of their indirect cost proposal, they may request the 10 percent de minimis rate. When the applicant chooses this method, costs included in the indirect cost pool must not also be charged as direct costs to the grant.

You may only charge the de minimis 10 percent rate against certain direct costs:

Personnel, Fringe, Materials, and the first $25,000 per each subrecipient, or subcontractor.

You cannot charge the de minimis rate against equipment, capital expenditures, charges for patient care, rental costs, tuition remission, scholarships and fellowships, participant support, and any amount greater than 25,000 per. Include in your budget justifications details about what direct costs were included in the de minimis calculation.

VI. Funding Restrictions

Costs of organized fund raising, including financial campaigns, endowment drives, solicitation of gifts and bequests, and similar expenses incurred to raise capital or obtain contributions are unallowable. Fund raising costs for the purposes of meeting the Federal program objectives are allowable with prior written approval from the Federal awarding agency. (45 CFR § 75.442)

Proposal costs are the costs of preparing bids, proposals, or applications on potential Federal and non-Federal awards or projects, including the development of data necessary to support the non- Federal entity's bids or proposals. Proposal costs of the current accounting period of both successful and unsuccessful bids and proposals normally should be treated as indirect (F&A) costs and allocated currently to all activities of the non-Federal entity. No proposal costs of past accounting periods will be allocable to the current period. (45 CFR § 75.460) https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/subtitle-A/subchapter-A/part-75/subpart-E/subject-group-ECFR1eff2936a9211f7/section-75.414#p-75.414(f) https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/subtitle-A/subchapter-A/part-75/subpart-E/subject-group-ECFR5d90ba314caea08/section-75.442 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/subtitle-A/subchapter-A/part-75/subpart-E/subject-group-ECFR5d90ba314caea08/section-75.460

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Pre-award costs are not allowable. Construction is not an allowable activity or expenditure under this award. Purchase of real property is not an allowable activity or expenditure under this award. Major renovation is not an allowable activity or expenditure under this grant program.

VII. How to Submit Your Application:

All applicants must:

A. Register at SAM.gov. Applicant must have an active registration with the System for Award

Management (SAM.gov/SAM, https://www.sam.gov). This registration must be kept active throughout the award project period.

B. Obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) (https://www.sam.gov) and

C. Submit your application at Grants.gov

A. Register for SAM.gov

Read the following instructions about registration that is required to apply for federal funds.

Applicants should read the registration instructions carefully and prepare the information requested before beginning the registration process. Reviewing and assembling the required information before beginning the registration process will alleviate last-minute searches for required information.

The registration process can take up to one week to complete, and some additional days for federal systems to be updated so that they will recognize your registration. Therefore, registration should be done in sufficient time to ensure it does not impact your ability to meet required application submission deadlines.

Plan ahead. Allow at least 10 business days after your registration is approved for it to become active in SAM and at least an additional 24 hours before that registration information will be available in other government systems, i.e. Grants.gov. In case there are systems’ delays, applicants should maintain documentation (with dates) of their efforts to register for, or renew a registration, at SAM. User Guides are available under the “Help” tab at https://www.sam.gov.

ACF is prohibited from making an award until an applicant has complied with these requirements. If a grant is awarded, registration at SAM must be active throughout the award project period. Additionally, subrecipients and subawards, if applicable to your project, must also be registered at SAM.gov prior to receiving funds from the primary recipient. ACF does not require their UEI(s).

Grants.gov uses SAM.gov to establish organizational authority for its users (the E-Biz Point of

Contact (POC)).

For more detailed instructions for registering with SAM, refer to: https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration.

B. Obtain Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) for your organization.

If your organization is not already registered at SAM.gov, you must be registered prior to receipt of award. During registration your organization will receive your Unique Entity ID. To apply for these funds, and to submit your application into grants.gov, your organization must have a UEI.

The UEI will be located in your entity registration record. Remember, you must be signed in to https://www.sam.gov/ https://www.sam.gov/ https://www.sam.gov/ https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration

16 | P a g e your SAM.gov account to view entity records. To learn how to view your Unique Entity ID

(SAM) go to this help article.

C. Grants.gov Registration and Submitting an Application to ACF

Registration at Grants.gov:

Your organization’s E-biz POC must:

• Create a Grants.gov account with the same email address as used in SAM.gov for E-biz

POC, and

• Add an Organization Profile with Grants.gov using the UEI obtained from SAM.gov.

Staff who will be working on the application must then register at Grants.gov using the organizations UEI. The system then sends a notice to the organization’s E-biz POC (established in SAM.gov) to approve the new account(s) and assign administrative roles. For additional information about Grants.gov Registration and Roles please go to https://www.grants.gov/applicants.

Electronic Signature: When applications are submitted through Grants.gov, the name of the organization’s staff person with the AOR role that submitted the application is inserted into the signature line of the application, serving as the electronic signature. The E-biz POC of the organization must authorize people who are able to make legally binding commitments on behalf of the organization as a user with the AOR role; this step is often missed, and it is crucial for valid and timely submissions.

Submit an Application

Submit your application under Notice of Funding Opportunity # PREA-XP-24-003. For guidance on how to submit your application for an announcement in Grants.gov, refer to:

https://www.grants.gov/applicants. Grants.gov will provide electronic versions for most of the required forms and will provide space for uploading your Project Narrative file. See Section IV.

Required Formatting for the Application/ Required Project Narrative File Content for what should be included in the file. See Appendix A Application Checklist for list of all required application content. If the Application Checklist indicates additional forms or content then specified by Grants.gov, you may upload additional forms and content under “Other” or

“miscellaneous” in Grants.gov. Provide only required content.

Time Receipt

All applications must be received by 11:59 pm ET on the due date established. Proof of timely submission is automatically recorded by Grants.gov. An electronic date/time stamp is generated within the system when the application is successfully received by Grants.gov.

Issues with Federal Systems

For any systems issues experienced with Grants.gov or SAM.gov, please refer to ACF’s “Policy for Applicants Experiencing Federal Systems Issues” document for complete guidance.

VIII. Submission Dates and Times

The deadline for electronic application submission is 11:59 pm ET on June 28th, 2024.

IX. Anticipated Announcement and Federal Award Dates https://www.grants.gov/applicants https://www.grants.gov/applicants https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ACF%20Policy%20for%20Applicants%20Experiencing%20Federal%20Systems%20Issues.pdf https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ACF%20Policy%20for%20Applicants%20Experiencing%20Federal%20Systems%20Issues.pdf

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ACF staff cannot respond to requests for information regarding funding decisions prior to the official applicant notification. Estimated Award Start Dates will be between August 30th, 2024 and September 30th, 2024, or earlier.

X. Federal Award Administrative Requirements

A. Federal Award Notices

Applicants will be notified through the issuance of a Notice of Award that sets forth the amount of funds granted, the terms and conditions of the grant, the effective date of the grant, the budget period for which initial support will be given, the non-federal share to be provided (if applicable), and the total project period for which support is contemplated. The Notice of Award will be signed by the Grants Officer and transmitted via email, by Grants.Gov, by

Grantsolutions.gov or other applicable systems.

B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

Awards issued under this funding opportunity are subject to 45 CFR Part 75 - Uniform

Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for HHS Awards currently in effect or implemented during the period of award, other Department regulations and policies in effect at the time of award, and applicable statutory provisions. The Code of Federal

Regulations (CFR) is available at www.ecfr.gov. Unless otherwise noted in this section, administrative and national policy requirements that are applicable to discretionary grants are available at: www.acf.hhs.gov/administrative-and-national-policy-requirements.

An application funded with the release of federal funds through a grant award does not constitute or imply compliance with federal regulations. Funded organizations are responsible for ensuring that their activities comply with all applicable federal, state, and local regulations.

Please review all HHS regulatory provisions for Termination at 45 CFR § 75.372.

C. Reporting

Performance Progress Reports:

Semi-Annually: Reports will be due every six months of the project period.

Financial Reports:

Semi-Annually: Reports will be due every six months of the project period.

Information on reporting requirements is available on the ACF website at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/manage-grant.

Additional reporting guidance will be provided with the Notice of Award.

D. Additional Required Assurance

Mandatory Grant Violations Disclosure

All applicants and recipients are required to submit, in writing, to the awarding agency and to the

HHS Office of the Inspector General (OIG), all information related to identified violations of federal criminal law involving fraud, bribery, or gratuity violations potentially affecting the federal award. (Mandatory Disclosures, 45 CFR § 75.113)

If violations are identified, disclosures must be sent in writing to:

https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/CFR-2021-title42-vol1/CFR-2021-title42-vol1-sec51c-113 http://www.ecfr.gov/ http://www.acf.hhs.gov/administrative-and-national-policy-requirements https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/CFR-2021-title45-vol1/CFR-2021-title45-vol1-sec75-372 https://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/manage-grant https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/CFR-2021-title45-vol1/CFR-2021-title45-vol1-sec75-113

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The Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Grants Management, ATTN: Grants Management Specialist, 330 C Street, SW., Switzer Building, Corridor 3200, Washington, DC 20201

And to:

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, ATTN: Mandatory Grant Disclosures, Intake Coordinator, 330 Independence Avenue, SW., Cohen Building, Room 5527, Washington, DC 20201

Fax: (202) 205-0604 (Include “Mandatory Grant Disclosures” in subject line) or

Email: MandatoryGranteeDisclosures@oig.hhs.gov

E. Other Administrative Requirements and Resources

HHS Grants Policy Statement

The HHS Grants Policy Statement (HHS GPS) is the Department of Health and Human Services' single policy guide for discretionary grants and cooperative agreements. ACF grant awards are subject to the requirements of the HHS GPS, which covers basic grants processes, standard terms and conditions, and points of contact, as well as important agency-specific requirements. The general terms and conditions in the HHS GPS will apply as indicated unless there are statutory, regulatory, or award-specific requirements to the contrary that are specified in the Notice of

Award. The HHS…