ASHA FY23 RFA 720DD123RFA00001 - Public Comment Responses.pdf

ASHA FY23 RFA (720DD123RFA00001)

Public Comments and Responses

Posted 04/27/2023

Organization Public Comment ASHA Response

Application Process

1 Has the time to apply for this grant passed? No. The official RFA will be posted with the deadline for the Phase 1 applications after ASHA reviews all comments and revises the RFA as necessary.

4 I'm from [Country] and working for a duly registered NGO - [Organization]. [Organization] has been following ASHA newsletters and announcements for application for many years. The challenge we face is always the registration processes by USA gov (grant-gov) procedures.

Kindly we can appreciate if such processes are simplified to accommodate those who are not much competent in understanding grant application criteria/ circles at international level.

Your request is noted. We work hard to simplify the process when and how we are able. Unfortunately, much is beyond our control as we are bound by US Government and Agency regulations and directives.

8 I see that comments are due on Feb 3rd but is that the due date of the application submission?

No. The official RFA will be posted with the deadline for the Phase 1 applications after ASHA reviews all comments and revises the RFA as necessary.

9 I would like to know if we should apply for the full $2 million or is it better to ask for a lesser amount and reapply again next year?

Applicants are welcome to apply for any funding amount they need for their program, up to the $2 million limit. *Applicants should not request more than $2 million.

11 Is it possible to simplify the process and reduce the number of forms needed for ASHA/USAID funding?

Your request is noted. We work hard to simplify the process when and how we are able. Unfortunately, much is beyond our control as we are bound by US Government and Agency regulations and directives.

12 ANNEX 5

*If the project contains Commodities plus Construction/Renovation, the approaches have a combined page limit of 9 pages total.

Recommendation: Replace “approaches” by the “texts of management approaches”

Noted. We have clarified the language in the RFA and Annex 5.

USO

1 ASHA has released that, "USO must be the founder and/or sponsor of Eligibility for this RFA is restricted to any U.S. not-for-profit

ASHA FY23 RFA 720DD123RFA00001

Organization Public Comment ASHA Response an overseas institution (OSI) for which assistance is sought." Does this mean that I (a U.S. citizen) would be able to apply for the grant on behalf of [Organization] as a sponsor even though our NGO does not have headquarters in the United States?

non-governmental entity including US public colleges and universities (e.g. “NGOs,” foundations, and similar).

ASHA awards grants and cooperative agreements to existing partnerships between organizations founded or sponsored by United States citizens (“U.S. Organizations,” or “USOs”) and civil society institutions overseas (“Overseas Institutions,” or “OSIs”).

There must be an established relationship (2 years minimum) between the USO and OSI with a proven track record. There must be a “supportive formal relationship” between the US Organization and the Overseas Institution. A “supportive formal relationship” is one that is established through a legal, binding agreement. Examples might include Memoranda of Understanding (MOU).

2 Past Performance: What about new organizations (applicants) who have not previously received grants or directly managed projects of the same complexity, although led by USO and OSI leadership with decades of experience?

As detailed in the RFA, each USO must have a continuing and successful supportive formal relationship with its partner OSI that has lasted at least two (2) years prior to the date of application.

However, past performance for the general pool, i.e., applicants who are not applying for the Middle East Set-Aside, is not a requirement to receive an award. While there is a 2-year requirement of a relationship, the Selection Committee does not review the performance of that period.

3 The RFA states: OSIs must be founded or sponsored by U.S. citizens.

Further, each USO must have a continuing and successful supportive formal relationship with its partner OSI... "Sponsored" means a continuing relationship that MUST include significant financial support from the USO."

Can USAID please specify if a USO serving as a Fiscal Sponsor to an OSI would be eligible to apply? Is there an expected threshold for "significant financial support" or could fiscal sponsorship at any level be sufficient?

A USO serving as a Fiscal Sponsor to an OSI would be eligible to apply.

There is no specific financial threshold that the USO must meet in terms of support, though the applicant must be able to demonstrate that fiscal sponsorship is significant and impactful (e.g. support to staff, students/patients, equipment, etc.).

4 Please advise how we can register with SAM and/or DUNS. There is no requirement to register for a DUNS number.

USOs must be actively registered and have no active exclusions or delinquent federal debt in the U.S. Government’s System for Award Management (SAM). Please go here* to start the registration process.

*https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration

5 We applied for the ASHA grant in [YEAR] and [YEAR] and both times the funding in [COUNTRY] went to [OSI]. We understand that they have a large presence in Washington, D.C. and are well known, and their model is to continue building multiple libraries. Before we begin an ASHA application, we would like to know if we would be ruled out due to their close proximity to our location in [COUNTRY]? Or, if multi-year funding is awarded to them, is this something we can find out about before applying?

Each application will be evaluated on its own merit against the merit review criteria.

15 To provide additional clarity, can you provide additional details on how a USO can showcase how they have been supporting an OSI if the support has been technical assistance? Do you want USOs to translate the number of hours provided as technical support into the equivalent dollar amount?

The USO may choose how to showcase the technical support provided to the OSI. This might include the number of hours provided as technical support / equivalent dollar amount in salary time from USO to OSI, the number of USO experts’ involved in supporting the OSI over (x) period of time, and/or other illustrations deemed appropriate by the Applicant.

OSI

13 Can we provide our OSI partners with durable commodities for use in both “hospital centers” and “centers of excellence” settings?

One USO applicant may submit an application that requests funds to benefit multiple organizational units within a single OSI.

13 Our NGO has a number of partners (OSIs) in any given country and is able to provide broad Marketing on American best practices and values to each of them. Are we limited to selecting one OSI partner?

Each application must clearly identify only one (1) USO (the applicant) and only one (1) OSI partner (the applicant’s sub-awardee). An application cannot include more than one USO, nor more than one OSI.

One USO applicant may submit an application that requests funds to benefit multiple organizational units within a single OSI.

13 Some of our partners are teaching hospitals that qualify both as “hospital centers” and “centers of excellence”. Which of these categories should we qualify them as?

You can choose whichever category you think is appropriate.

Budget

2 “All other costs listed in this category (e.g., salaries, travel costs, research costs, technical assistance, and administrative overhead, training costs, profit, vehicle purchase, vehicle rental, etc.) should be

Correct. ASHA funds cannot cover operational and administrative costs;

these costs should be covered by leveraged funds, e.g., USO, OSI, or another donor’s funds.

https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration covered through leveraged funds.

Applicants are expected to fully fund these direct and indirect costs from other sources and must demonstrate they have the capacity to continue to support the planned project, including any annual maintenance costs associated with the project, without ongoing ASHA funding support.”

Does the above statement mean that no salary and other operational or administrative costs could be charged to ASHA and applicants are expected to pay for these from their own or other resources? What about salaries for key staff who will manage the ASHA grant such as USO and ISO project Managers?

ASHA funds cannot cover salaries.

12 Page 21 - (iii) Commodity Table/Detailed Budget of Durable Commodities (if applicable)

Question: If the application is for Commodities procurement only, is it sufficient to complete only two sheets -- the “Budget Summary” and the “Commodity Table”?

If the application is for commodities only, applicants must still submit all 3 sheets. The Detailed Budget sheet will show the Program Support costs, whether covered by ASHA funds or Leveraged Funds.

12 Page 22 - Costs for shipping, installation, training, and warranties are allowable if they are embedded in the cost of the item. These costs are not allowable if they are charged separately from the commodity.

Question: As the practice has shown, it has not been possible to accurately assess the shipping, installation, training and warranties costs per each unit. Will it be acceptable to arrive at this component cost by dividing the total estimated cost by the number of commodities to be procured, of course, taking into consideration the type of the equipment, weight, etc.?

You may imbed the estimated cost for shipping, installation, training, and warranties in each budget line item.

13 The OSI partners will receive durable commodity goods to be used in conjunction with medical trainings developed and given by US institutions and professionals. Can any amount of the grant be used for the training? Or should this be indicated in the Leveraged Funds section?

ASHA funds cannot be used for training unless the training costs are embedded in the cost of a commodity.

In your example, the training should be covered by Leveraged Funds.

14 What falls under the definition of sponsorship by a US citizen for a USI? This question is unclear. The relationship must be a US Organization

Can foundations or other entities qualify to sponsor a USI if their headquarters are located in the USA but there is an established significant financial relationship over time (2 + years) with the in-country organization?

(USO) sponsoring an Overseas Institution (OSI). There must be a demonstrable 2+ year relationship that has been established, whereby support flows from USO to OSI. This will likely include financial support and technical expertise from the USO to the OSI.

Country of Implementation

6 Will ASHA consider proposals for construction of buildings for a planned educational institution in [COUNTRY]?

ASHA will consider projects in any country. However, ASHA awards are contingent on the concurrence of the USAID Mission for the country where the award will be implemented. Applications that do not receive Mission concurrence will not be eligible for funding.

10 Considering the state of affairs in [COUNTRY], is ASHA currently looking to fund projects there?

ASHA will consider projects in any country. However, ASHA awards are contingent on the concurrence of the USAID Mission for the country where the award will be implemented. Applications that do not receive Mission concurrence will not be eligible for funding.

15 To provide additional clarity, can a list of countries that USAID will not allow these funds to go to be provided with the final solicitation? If this is not possible, can a link to where prohibited countries are listed be provided with the final solicitation?

ASHA will consider projects in any country. However, ASHA awards are contingent on the concurrence of the USAID Mission for the country where the award will be implemented. Diplomatic relationships with the US in countries change over time and cannot always be predicted.

Applications that do not receive Mission concurrence will not be eligible for funding. If an Applicant is concerned about receiving Mission Concurrence, they might consider reaching out to the USAID Mission in-country to inquire prior to submitting an application to ASHA.

Audits

2 Audits: What about relatively new organizations/applicants? USOs and OSIs must submit independently audited financial statements performed by an accredited independent audit firm for a recent operating year from 2021 or more recently. There are no exceptions for new applicants.

7 What should organizations that are just starting or have no financial audit report do to meet the financial requirement - maybe because they have not acquired financial standing to warrant the audit? This financial requirement has been an impediment to new organizations, which can create a huge positive impact with the ASHA grants.

USOs and OSIs must submit independently audited financial statements performed by an accredited independent audit firm for a recent operating year from 2021 or more recently. There are no exceptions for new applicants.

Environmental Capability Statement

12 “ANNEX 4 - M7 – Environmental Capability Statement The reference to Annex 3 is incorrect. The Environmental Capability

Applicants must submit an Environmental Capability Statement according to Annex 3 for more information. This document must be submitted as a separate attachment named “M7 - American Schools and Hospitals Abroad Initiative Solicitation No.: 720DD123RFA00001 3 Environmental Capability Statement.”

Question: Annex 3 is the file with three budget sheets. Is the reference to this Annex correct?

Statement is now part of the Phase 2 Technical Application narrative found in Annex 2.

This will be corrected in the RFA.

12 Page 19 Question: It is clear that the 3-page Environmental Capability should be part of Commodities/Construction Information. Should the same 3-page document be also submitted as an attachment M7? Can you please clarify.

No, the Environmental Capability Statement should not be submitted as Attachment M7. Attachment M7 is now a reference document with abbreviations and acronyms.

Monitoring and Evaluation

12 Page 21 - “The Applicant must ensure the budget addresses any additional requirements identified, such as Branding and Marking, federally required audits, and Monitoring and Evaluation of public diplomacy activities.”

Question: Can budget expense types related to Monitoring and Evaluation be further clarified, please. Is it mainly surveys before and after?

The most likely type of expense related to Monitoring and Evaluation will be before and after surveys.

12 Page 41 - (Use of the ASHA Semi-Annual Report template for semi-annual reports is mandatory.)

Question/Issue: The link takes to the ASHA Activity Monitoring and Evaluation Learning (MEL) Plan Template, while the report template is mentioned. Is there a separate report template or the tables in the AMELP template should be considered?

The AMELP Report template is the same as the AMELP template.

Miscellaneous

10 Would it be possible to receive feedback on our FY22 application? Last year was our first time applying and we would like to improve our chances at receiving funding.

No, ASHA does not offer oral debriefs. Please read the RFA closely to ensure you meet the merit review criteria.