cdc-rfa-ot13-130203cont15 final 02 23 15 a.docx

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Procurement and Grants Office Instructions for Preparing the Annual Performance Report and Continuation Application Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 93.524 and 93.424 Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) Number: CDC-RFA-OT13-130203CONT15

“Building Capacity of the Public Health System to Improve Population Health through National, Nonprofit Organizations”

Eligibility:

This award will be a continuation of funding intended only for grantees previously awarded under CDC-RFA-OT13-1302: “Building Capacity of the Public Health System to Improve Population Health through National, Nonprofit Organizations.” The purpose of this program is for national, nonprofit organizations to strengthen and improve governmental and non-governmental components of the public health system through the provision of capacity building assistance that optimizes the quality and performance of public health systems management and administration, public health workforce, public health data and information systems, public health practice and services, public health partnerships, and public health resources. This program is specifically designed to position governmental public health departments, workforce segments across governmental public health departments, and nongovernmental public health components to fulfill the mission of population health protection and promotion in the United States and its Tribal nations and Territories.

Application Submission:

CDC requires grantees to submit their Continuation Application through Grants.gov and the CDC/OSTLTS/PSU SharePoint. Reports must be submitted on www.Grants.gov by April 03, 2015, by 11:59 p.m. EST. If you encounter any difficulties submitting your continuation application through Grants.gov, please contact CDC’s Technical Information Management Section at 770-488-2700 prior to the submission deadline. If you need further information regarding the application process, please contact the Grants Management Officer, Tiffany Mannings at (770) 488-2515 or yuo7@cdc.gov. For programmatic information, please contact the senior Project Officer, Samuel Taveras at 770-488-1523 (syt2@cdc.gov).

For the purposes of this process, grantees that were successfully awarded funds under CDC-RFA-OT13-1302 are eligible to make submissions under a three-part process:

A. Annual Performance Report (APR). An APR must be completed for each project funded in FY13 and FY14. APRs for the projects funded in FY13 (Year 1) should provide an update on the activities, outputs, and performance measures (if applicable) and information on the impact of the project on the target population. APRs for projects that were funded in FY14 (Year 2) should provide information on the progress of proposed activities, outputs, and performance measures to date. APRs must be submitted via the CDC/OSTLTS/ Partnership Support Unit’s (PSU) SharePoint site by March 25, 2015. Detailed instructions for APR submissions will be emailed to grantees by The Partnership Support Unit.

B. Continuation Application. Submissions to request FY15 funds to continue projects for Year 3 should be based on activities the grantee was previously funded for in FY14 (Year 2). Should a higher funding level be requested, the grantee must provide sufficient information to justify the need for additional funding and feasible activities for that continuation project. Continuation applications must be submitted via Grants.gov and the CDC/OSTLTS/PSU SharePoint site by April 3, 2015. Detailed instructions for submitting continuation applications will be emailed to grantees by The Partnership Support Unit.

C. Work Plans in Response to FY 2015 CIO[footnoteRef:1] Project Plans. The new FY15 CIO Project Plans will be made available by the Target Population Category for which grantees competed and were awarded. There will be two rounds in which the new CIO Project Plans will be published on the CDC/OSTLTS/PSU SharePoint site. The due dates for proposal submissions will be May 6, 2015 and July 3, 2015. Grantees will be notified via email once the CIO Project Plans are published in SharePoint. All Work Plans in Response to FY 2015 CIO Project Plans must be submitted through the CDC/OSTLTS/PSU SharePoint site. Detailed instructions for submitting proposals in response to New CIO Project Plans will be emailed to grantees by The Partnership Support Unit. [1: CIO is an acronym for Centers, Institutes, and Offices.]

Late or incomplete submissions could result in an enforcement action such as a delay in the award or a reduction in funds. CDC will accept requests for a deadline extension on rare occasions and after adequate justification has been provided.

General Application Packet Tips:

· Properly label each item of the application packet;

· Each section should use 1.5 spacing with one-inch margins;

· Number all narrative pages only;

· Use a 12 point font;

· CDC requires the use of PDF format for ALL attachments.

· Use of file formats other than PDF may result in the file being unreadable by CDC staff.

· Directions for creating PDF files can be found on Grants.gov.

Checklist of required contents of application packet:

1. Application for Federal Domestic Assistance-Short Organizational Form

2. SF-424A Budget Information-Non-Construction Programs

3. Budget Justification

4. Indirect Cost Rate Agreement

5. Annual Performance Report

6. Continuation Application

7. Work Plan in Response to FY 2015 CIO Project Plans

Instructions for accessing and completing required contents of the application package are provided below

1. Application for Federal Domestic Assistance-Short Organizational Form:

A. The Application for Federal Domestic Assistance-Short Organizational Form is submitted with the Continuation Application on Grants.gov B. Download the form from Grants.gov C. Complete all applicable sections.

i. In addition to inserting the legal name of your organization in Block #5a, insert the CDC Award Number provided in the CDC Notice of Award. Failure to provide your award number could cause delay in processing your application.

ii. Please insert your organization’s Business Official information in Block #8.

SPECIAL NOTE: Items 2 and 3 (below) should be attached to the application through the “Mandatory Documents” section of the “Grant Application” page. Select “Other Attachments Form” and attach as a PDF file.

2. SF424A Budget Information and Justification:

A. The SF424A Budget Information and Justification are submitted with the Continuation Application on Grants.gov B. Download the form from Grants.gov.

C. Complete all applicable sections.

D. Estimated Un-obligated Note: If carryover is anticipated, your organization will have up to 90 days to submit a carryover request and final FFR 90 days after the budget period concludes (due by September 30, 2015). A carryover request to use unobligated funds requested with the FFR will require a workplan, budget and budget narrative.

a. Provide an estimate of anticipated unobligated funds at the end of the current budget period.

b. If use of un-obligated funds is requested in addition to funding for the next year, complete all columns in Section A of 424A and submit a semi-annual Federal Financial Report (FFR), Standard Form-425, available at http://na.fs.fed.us/fap/sf425-fillable.pdf. Estimated unobligated balance must be captured in the remarks section of the CDC internet at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/forms.htm#closeout.

i. The estimated un-obligated balance should be realistic in order to be consistent with the annual FFR to be submitted following the end of the budget period.

ii. Based on the current rate of obligation, if it appears there will be un-obligated funds at the end of the current budget period, provide detailed actions that will be taken to obligate this amount.

iii. If it appears there will be insufficient funds, (1) provide detailed justification of the shortfall; and (2) list the actions taken to bring the obligations in line with the authorized funding level.

iv. The proposed budget should be based on the federal funding level stated in the letter from CDC.

v. In a separate narrative, provide a detailed, line-item budget justification of the funding amount requested to support the activities to be carried out with those funds. Attach in the “Mandatory Documents” box under “Budget Narrative Attachment Form”. Document needs to be in the PDF format.

vi. The budget justification must be prepared in the general form, format, and to the level of detail as described in the CDC Budget Guidance. The sample budget guidance is provided on CDC’s internet at: http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/funding/grants/foamain.shtm.

vii. For any new proposed subcontracts provide the information specified in the Budget Guidance.

viii. When non-federal matching is required, provide a line-item list of non-Federal contributions including source, amount, and/or value of third party contributions proposed to meet a matching requirement.

3. Indirect Cost Rate Agreement: (This is not applicable to grantees subject to OMB Guidance A-21--Educational Institutions. The rates stay the same as the first year award.)

A. If indirect costs are requested, include a copy of the current negotiated Federal indirect cost rate agreement or a cost allocation plan approval letter for those Grantees under such a plan.

B. Clearly describe the method used to calculate indirect costs. Make sure the method is consistent with the Indirect Cost Rate Agreement.

C. To be entitled to use indirect cost rates, a rate agreement must be in effect at the start of the budget period.

D. If an Indirect Cost Rate Agreement is not in effect, indirect costs may be charged as direct if (1) this practice is consist with the grantee’s/applicant’s approved accounting practices; and (2) if the costs are adequately supported and justified. Please see the Budget Guidelines (http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/funding/grants/foamain.shtm) for additional information.

E. If applicable, attach in the “Mandatory Documents” box under “Other Attachments Form”. Name document “Indirect Cost Rate”.

4. Annual Performance Report The APR is generally due 120 days before the end of the budget period and serves as a part of the continuation process. The APR must be submitted via the SharePoint site. The grantee must report on performance measures for each budget period and update objectives, activities, and performance measures, if needed.

An APR must be completed for each project funded in years 1 and 2 (FY13 & FY14). APRs for the projects funded in year 1 (FY13) should provide an update on the activities, performance measures, outputs, outcomes and impacts of the project on the target population. APRs for projects funded in year 2 (FY14) should provide information on the progress to date of the proposed activities, performance measures, outputs, outcomes and impacts. More detailed instructions regarding the completion of APRs will be provided in the emailed to grantees on February 23, 2015.

When completing the APR for each project, consider the following general information. Note that attachments are permitted when submitting APRs.

A. Performance Measures (including outcomes)—Grantee must report on performance measures for each budget period and update measures, if needed.

B. Evaluation Results—Grantee must report evaluation results for the work completed to date (including any impact data).

C. Project Successes/Accomplishments

a. Grantee must report progress on completing activities outlined in the work plan.

b. Grantee must describe any additional successes (e.g., identified through evaluation results or lessons learned) achieve in the past year.

c. Grantee must describe success stories.

D. Project Challenges

a. Grantee should describe any challenges that hinder achievement of both annual and project period outcomes, performance measure, or their ability to complete the activities in the work plan.

b. Grantee must describe any additional challenges (e.g., identified through evaluation results or lessons learned) encountered in the past year.

E. CDC Program Support to Awardees

a. Grantee should describe how CDC could assist in overcoming any challenges to achieve both annual and project period outcomes and performance measures, and complete activities outlined in the work plan.

General Instructions for accessing and submitting Annual Performance Reports:

A. Go to: OSTLTS Partnership Support Unit SharePoint.

B. Select: “Submit Annual Performance Report.”

C. Download the SharePoint form and complete all sections.

D. Attach products or outputs related to the project.

E. Submit completed form.

5. Continuation Application:

The continuation application includes the proposed Project Narrative (Work Plan) and Budget to be continued in year 3 of the CDC-RFA-OT13-130203CONT15 cooperative agreement. A submission to request FY15 funds to continue projects for Year 3 should be based on what the grantee was previously funded for in year 2 (FY14). Should a higher funding level be requested, the grantee should provide sufficient information to justify the need for additional funding and the level of activities for the continuation project. Continuation applications must be submitted via SharePoint AND Grants.gov.

The updated work plan for each project funded in year 2 (FY14) should include the proposed objectives and their accompanying activities, outputs, and outcomes for the upcoming budget period. As part of the year 3 Project Narrative (Work Plan) and Budget, the grantee must identify and develop annual performance measures for year 3. The performance measures may include an expansion of year 2. The APR for the status of year 3’s proposed performance measures, activities, outputs and outcomes will be submitted in spring 2016. The grantee must indicate how each objective’s performance measure(s) is (are) linked to the selected Program outcome(s).

Please note that grantees should work with the CDC Technical Monitor to develop appropriate and realistic performance measure(s) for the funded project.

Ideally, there will be consistency in outcomes and performance measures from previous years; however, updating of the outcome and performance measures should occur where appropriate. For each objective:

A. Indicate the proposed strategies accompanying activities for accomplishing the identified FOA Program Outcomes in the upcoming budget period;

B. Each objective and activity must contain a performance measure(s) and be linked to the FOA Program Outcomes that assesses impact of the project;

C. Provide a timeline for accomplishing proposed objectives/strategies/activities within the upcoming budget period;

D. Identify and justify any redirection of activities;

E. Explain the methods you will use to implement the new, redirected activities.

Provide a detailed budget narrative and budget breakdown of the categories indicated in the template.

In addition to this information, include comments pertaining to budgetary issues that might hamper the success or completion of the project as originally proposed and approved.

Instructions for submitting Continuation Applications:

A. Go to: OSTLTS Partnership Support Unit SharePoint.

B. Select: “Submit Continuation Application.”

C. Download the SharePoint form and complete all sections.

D. Attach completed “Budget Narrative,” “Indirect Cost Rate Agreement,” and any additional attachments.

E. Submit completed form.

F. Follow prompts to print the Continuation Application to PDF and save.

G. Create and save one master merge of all individual Continuation Application PDFs as “Project Narrative.”

H. Create and save one master merge of all individual Budget Narratives as “Budget Narrative.”

I. Go to: Grants.gov.

J. Select: “Apply for Grants.”

K. Select: “Step 1: Download a Grant Application.”

L. Insert the Funding Announcement Number only, formatted as: CDC-RFA-OT13-130203CONT15.

M. Download application package.

N. Complete the Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs (SF424A) form.

O. Complete the Application for Federal Domestic Assistance-Short Organizational Form (SF42).

P. Upload the master Project Narrative and master Budget Narrative document.

Q. Upload the Indirect Cost Rate Agreement.

R. Follow instructions to submit the application package to Grants.gov.

6. Work Plan in Response to FY 2015 CIO Project Plan:

CDC CIOs will have two opportunities to solicit proposals in response to new project plans. The FY 2015 CIO Project Plans will be available by the Target Population Category for which grantees completed and were awarded in FY 2013. The FY 2015 CIO Project Plans will be published in two rounds on the CDC/OSTLTS/PSU SharePoint site. The Work Plan in Response to FY 2015 CIO Project Plans will be from grantees on May 6, 2015 and July 2, 2015. Grantees will be notified via email once the FY 2015 CIO Project Plans are published in SharePoint.

The work plan in response to a CIO project plan should include the proposed objectives and their accompanying activities, outputs, and outcomes for the upcoming budget period. The proposal will include an abstract of the project approach, organizational capacity and program experience of the grantee organization as they relate to the CIO proposed project and a detailed work plan and budget. The grantee must identify and develop annual performance measures for year 3. The APR for the status of year 3’s proposed performance measures, activities, outputs and outcomes will be submitted in spring 2016. The grantee must indicate how each objective’s performance measure(s) is (are) linked to the selected program outcome(s).

Please note that grantees should work with the CDC Technical Monitor to develop appropriate and realistic performance measure(s) for the funded project.

For each objective:

A. Indicate the proposed strategies accompanying activities for accomplishing the identified FOA Program Outcomes in the upcoming budget period;

B. Each objective and activity must contain a performance measure(s) and be linked to the FOA Program Outcomes that assesses impact of the project;

C. Provide a timeline for accomplishing proposed objectives/strategies/activities within the upcoming budget period;

D. Identify and justify any redirection of activities;

E. Explain the methods you will use to implement the new, redirected activities.

Provide line item budgets and budget narratives for the categories indicated in the template and narratives for each work plan.

In addition to this information, include comments pertaining to budgetary issues that might hamper the success or completion of the project as originally proposed and approved.

General instructions for submitting Work Plan in Response to FY 2015 CIO Project Plan:

A. Go to: OSTLTS Partnership Support Unit SharePoint.

B. Select: “Submit Work Plan in Response to FY 2015 CIO Project Plan.”

C. Download the SharePoint form and complete all sections.

D. Attach completed “Budget Narrative,” “Indirect Cost Rate Agreement,” and any additional attachments.

E. Submit completed form.

Revised 02/13/15