CN mobile tech new 02142017 FINAL 3-16-2017.pdf

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICE

OFFICE OF POLICY SUPPORT (OPS) &

CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAMS (CN Programs):

USDA MOBILE TECHNOLOGY FOR CHILD NUTRITION INNOVATION LABORATORY

REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS

CFDA#: 10.538

DATES:

RFA Release Date: April 3, 2017

Letter of Intent Date: May 3, 2017

Application Submission Date: June 5, 2017

Anticipated Award Date: August 1, 2017

Keywords:

CACFP: Child and Adult Care Food Program

CN: Child Nutrition

FNS: Food and Nutrition Service

FFVP: Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program

NSLP: The National School Lunch Program

OPS: Office of Policy Support

SFA: School Food Authority

SFSP: Summer Food Service Program

SBP: The School Breakfast Program

USDA: United States Department of Agriculture

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Table of Contents

I. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

INTRODUCTION

PURPOSE

BACKGROUND

EVIDENCE OF THE POTENTIAL FOR MOBILE TECHNOLOGY IN CHILD NUTRITION SETTINGS

CURRENT USE OF MOBILE TECHNOLOGIES IN FNS CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAMS

II. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT

FUNDING

AWARD PERIOD AND PROJECT TIMELINE

COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT PROJECT GOALS

TARGET POPULATION

GRANTEE (RECIPIENT) RESPONSIBILITIES

GRANTEE APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

RESPONSIBILITIES

ORIENTATION AND CLOSE-OUT MEETINGS

QUARTERLY CONFERENCE CALLS

QUARTERLY PROGRESS REPORTS

INTERIM DELIVERABLES

FINAL DELIVERABLES

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

REQUIRED GRANT APPLICATION FORMS

SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT (SAM)

APPLICATION DUE DATE

V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

EVALUATION OF GRANT APPLICATION CRITERIA

SCORING FOR GRANT APPLICATIONS

VI. FEDERAL AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

1. FEDERAL AWARD NOTICE

2. ADMINISTRATIVE AND NATIONAL POLICY REQUIREMENTS

ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATIONS

CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS AND OTHER GOVERNMENT REQUIREMENTS

3. REPORTING

VII. FEDERAL AWARDING AGENCY CONTACTS

VIII. OTHER INFORMATION

DEBRIEFING REQUESTS

RFA APPLICATION CHECKLIST

RFA BUDGET NARRATIVE CHECKLIST

PURPOSE

ORGANIZATION INFORMATION

FINANCIAL STABILITY AND QUALITY OF MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

AUDIT REPORTS AND FINDINGS

APPLICANT CERTIFICATION

I. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Introduction

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) administers several Child Nutrition programs that provide healthy food to children including the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), the School Breakfast Program (SBP), the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), and the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP). Administered by State agencies, each of these programs helps to fight hunger and obesity by reimbursing organizations such as schools, child care centers, and after-school programs for providing healthy meals to children.1

This is an announcement of the availability of funds for one new cooperative agreement for FY 2017- 2020 with a public or private Academic or Research Institution. The USDA anticipates awarding up to $1.5 million in grant funding to support the creation of a Mobile Technology for Child Nutrition Research Innovation Laboratory. This “lab” will support the development, testing and implementation of innovative mobile technology-based solutions to improve services, effectiveness, participation, and customer satisfaction in the Child Nutrition (CN) programs through subgrants. Subgrantees may include partnerships between State and local programs, researchers, and small businesses that are well-positioned to develop and test the effectiveness of novel mobile applications for consideration and eventual use by FNS and State agencies. FNS has a particular interest in mobile technology solutions that integrate behavioral economic approaches in their design.2 Mobile applications developed under this grant should support the activities of those who administer Child Nutrition programs and/or improve service delivery for program participants.

The legislative authority for this grant announcement is Section 6 [42 U.S.C. 1755] (a)(3) of the National School Lunch Act and the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 Section 17 (g) (5) as amended and Section 1472 of the National Agriculture Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977, 7 U.S.C. 3318, codified at 7 CFR 2.19(a)(3)(x) in January 2009. Under this program, subject to the availability of funds, the Secretary of Agriculture may award competitive grants and cooperative agreements for the support of research projects to further USDA food and nutrition assistance programs.

Purpose

The purposes of this Request for Applications (RFA) are to:

Provide background information and context related to the goals of this funding opportunity, Describe the type of cooperative agreement available, Describe which entities are eligible to apply for grant funds, Solicit funding applications from eligible entities, Describe the requirements for submitting a successful application, 1 http://www.fns.usda.gov/school-meals/child-nutrition-programs 2 Behavioral economic approaches may be defined as “any aspect of choice architecture that alters people’s behavior in a predictable way without forbidding any options or significantly changing their economic incentives” (p. 6). Thaler, R.H. and Sunstein, C.R. Nudge. New York:

Penguin Group, 2009.

Describe how applications will be reviewed and selected, and

Describe the terms and conditions to which grantees must adhere, including how the funds can be used.

With this RFA, FNS intends to select one institution/organization (i.e. Accredited University or Research Institution) to establish the USDA “Mobile Technology for Child Nutrition Innovation Laboratory.” The role of the Lab will be to develop and administer multiple subgrants to support the design, development, and testing of mobile applications for use by CN program participants, including operators of the program at the State or local level, as well as parents and children. The Lab will evaluate the impacts of the applications on relevant program experiences and operations. The Grantee will also widely disseminate the resulting tools (mobile applications) and information on tested strategies and evaluation findings.

Cell phone applications and related mobile technology offer the possibility to improve services, effectiveness, participation, and customer satisfaction in the Child Nutrition Programs. The goals of this grant are to foster innovation in mobile technology solutions in order to increase access to and participation in Child Nutrition programs, improve participant satisfaction (at both the program operator and consumer levels), and offer innovative and accessible options for training and nutrition education.

Projects funded through subgrants will likely involve State or local agencies and potentially other entities to develop and test the effectiveness of such applications for consideration by FNS and State agencies.

Potential mobile applications may include new tactics or elaborate on current ones: dynamic SFSP site locators, school meal information (e.g., menu choices or nutritional content), advance meal ordering for parents and students, training and reinforcing messages for meal providers on issues such as food safety, or even applications that focus on foodservice and delivery. We expect that many of these strategies will integrate the principles of behavioral economics in their presentation of choices.

Background

FNS Child Nutrition Programs

The Child Nutrition Programs covered by this RFA include the following:

National School Lunch Program3(NSLP)

Established in 1946 under the National School Lunch Program Act, the NSLP is a federally assisted meal program operating in over 100,000 public and non-profit private schools and residential child care institutions4. The program provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to children each school day, with about 30 million children served each day. Children from families with income at or below 130 percent of the poverty level are eligible to participate for free meals, while those with incomes between 130 and 185 percent of the poverty level are eligible for reduced-price meals. For schools with high rates of poverty, the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) allows for the provision of free

3 http://www.fns.usda.gov/nslp/national-school-lunch-program-nslp 4 http://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/NSLPFactSheet.pdf breakfast and lunch to all students, eliminating the burden of collecting household applications to determine eligibility.5

School Breakfast Program (SBP)

Started as a pilot program in 1966, and made permanent in 1975, the SBP is a federally assisted meal program that operates in more than 89,000 schools and institutions.6 School breakfast operates in a similar fashion as the NSLP, and has the same eligibility guidelines. It must meet meal pattern requirements, which are based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.7 Local school food authorities decide on the specificities of the meal components.

Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)

The CACFP serves nutritious meals and snacks to more than 3.3 million eligible children and 120,000 adults who are enrolled for care at participating child care centers, day care homes, and adult day care centers, or who participate in afterschool care programs or reside in emergency shelters.8 The program is administered by USDA through grants to States. The program is administered in most States by the State educational agency. CACFP is authorized by section 17 of the National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C.

1766), while program regulations are issued under 7 CFR part 226.9

Summer Food Service Program10 (SFSP)

The SFSP is a federally funded, state-administered program that ensures that low-income children and teens have access to nutrition assistance during the summer months when school is not in session. State agencies administer the program and communicate with USDA, while sponsors enter into agreements with State agencies to run the program. SFSP sites can be located at a variety of settings, including schools, parks, community centers, health clinics, hospitals, churches, apartment complexes and migrant centers. Open sites that provide free meals to any child operate in low-income areas where at least half of the children come from families with incomes at or below 185 percent of the Federal poverty level. In 2016, USDA planned to serve 200 million free meals to children 18 years and under.11

Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program12 (FFVP)

The FFVP is a federally assisted program providing free fresh fruits and vegetables to students in participating elementary schools during the school day in order to improve children’s overall diet and create healthier eating habits to impact their present and future health. The Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 established the FFVP as a permanent, nationwide program. FFVP is usually administered by the State education agency, which operates the program through agreements with school

5 http://www.fns.usda.gov/school-meals/community-eligibility-provision 6 http://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/sbp/SBPfactsheet.pdf 7 http://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/sbp/SBPfactsheet.pdf 8 http://www.fns.usda.gov/cacfp/child-and-adult-care-food-program 9 http://www.fns.usda.gov/cacfp/why-cacfp-important 10 http://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/sfsp/SFSP-Fact-Sheet.pdf 11 http://www.fns.usda.gov/sfsp/summer-food-service-program 12 http://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/FFVPFactSheet.pdf food authorities (SFA).

Evidence of the Potential for Mobile Technology in Child Nutrition Settings

Mobile technologies, like smartphones,13 are increasingly commonplace, even among low-income populations. The Pew Research Center continually tracks trends in mobile technology and reports that, in 2015, 98% of adults at various income levels in the US owned a cell phone and 68% of adults owned smartphones. 14 The rate of ownership of smartphones among low income adults is lower, at about 52% for those earning less than $30,000 a year (though 86% own cell phones). However, younger and lower income adults are also more likely to be “smartphone dependent,” meaning they have limited alternatives beyond their mobile device to access the internet.15 Approximately 13% of Americans with an annual household income of less than $30,000 per year are dependent, while only 1% of Americans from households earning $75,000 or more depend on their smartphone to a similar degree.16

Recent studies have explored the effectiveness of using mobile applications (apps) to deliver nutrition education and other health-related information to support behavior change. Even as early as 2009, studies showed that text message-based interventions for weight loss were more effective than paper-based.17 Another showed that a fully-automated internet and mobile phone-based motivation and action system can increase and maintain a certain level of physical activity in healthy adults.18 A study of low-income women found that mobile apps were appealing in reaching, engaging, and providing nutrition promotion messages;

in particular, participants found the portability and the ease of use of these devices “helpful” in receiving on-the-go information on meal planning, shopping and consumption.19 In a similar effort, the “Connecting Health and Technology” project is testing the use of mobile technology with young adults to improve self-assessments of dietary intake, deliver tailored dietary feedback and use text messages to promote changes in food consumption.20

At the student level, multiple studies have examined health behavior changes through the use of applications, often through meal orders. A recent publication showed that when elementary school students preordered school meals, they doubled their selection of healthy entrees.21 Specific to the NSLP, a nudge towards healthy options resulted in a statistically significant positive effect in addition to the positive effect of preordering.22 Other studies used mobile technology to collect dietary information from adolescents,23

13 While mobile technologies can also refer to e-readers, Chromebooks, tablets, and the like, mobile technologies are specifically referring to smartphones throughout this document.

14 http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/10/29/technology-device-ownership-2015/ 15 http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/04/01/us-smartphone-use-in-2015/ 16 http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/04/01/chapter-one-a-portrait-of-smartphone-ownership/ 17 Patrick, K., Raab, F., Adams, M. A., Dillon, L., Zabinski, M., Rock, C. L., Griswold, W. G., Norman, G. J. (2009). A Text Message–Based Intervention for Weight Loss: Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 11(1):e1.

18 Hurling, R., Catt, M., Boni, M. D., Fairley, B. W., Hurst, T., Murray, P., Richardson, A, Sodhi, J. S. (2007). Using internet and mobile phone technology to deliver an automated physical activity program: randomized controlled trial. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 9(2).

19 Ball K, Mouchacca J, & Jackson M. (2014). The feasibility and appeal of mobile 'apps' for supporting healthy food purchasing and consumption among socioeconomically disadvantaged women: a pilot study. Health Promotion Journal of Australia. Aug; 25(2):79-82.

20 Kerr, Deborah A., et al. (2012). Connecting Health and Technology (CHAT): protocol of a randomized controlled trial to improve nutrition behaviours using mobile devices and tailored text messaging in young adults. BMC Public Health, 12.1 (477): 2-10.

21 Hanks, A. S., Just, D. R., & Wansink, B. (2013). Preordering school lunch encourages better food choices by children. Jama Pediatrics, 167(7):673-4.

22 Miller, G. F., Gupta, S., Kropp, J. D., Grogan, K. A., & Mathews, A. (2016). The effects of pre-ordering and behavioral nudges on National School Lunch Program participants’ food item selection. Journal of Economic Psychology, 55, 4-16.

recognize the need for more professional development,24 and even to attempt to determine when mobile health applications might not work.25

Yet, the use of mobile technology in child nutrition does not need to be student or parent-specific; food service professionals are incorporating new technologies into their kitchens and offices. Distributors of school food are increasingly using technology for efficiency in their operations, leading to fewer sales staff, web-based automatic ordering, and improved warehouse organization.26 However, there is little peer-reviewed literature to date that evaluates those technologies in the school foodservice or distributor setting.

Current Use of Mobile Technologies in FNS Child Nutrition Programs FNS sees great potential in using mobile technologies to improve how program operators and participants interact with the Child Nutrition programs. There are a number of web-based technologies that can be accessed on mobile devices currently in use to support FNS Child Nutrition Programs, but they are not mobile device-specific applications. These tools predominately provide mapping data and navigation services to support summer meal programs.27 For example, the Summer Meal Site Finder allows users to enter their address or zip code to locate nearby sites offering free meals for children.28 With the Area Eligibility Mapper, SFSP Sponsors and potential sites can check their area eligibility based on Census data.29

Additionally, an online searchable USDA Food Buying Guide30 database is being developed to allow for easier searching, navigation, and display of content to help school nutrition professionals and their purchasing agents purchase the right amount and the appropriate types of food for their programs and to determine the specific contribution of each food towards the meal pattern requirements. In addition, web-based menu-planning training modules are being developed to provide school nutrition professionals with menu planning guidance that allows schools to put the Dietary Guidelines for Americans into practice in school meals programs. Both resources will be made available on USDA’s Team Nutrition website.31

However, these websites and applications have not yet proven that they are able to improve program access and participation, nor improve participant satisfaction, as they have not been analyzed in that capacity.

An area with clear potential is to use mobile technology to streamline program application and certification processes. FNS recently completed a user-experience technology competition for the development of an electronic application for the NSLP. Similarly, the New York City Department of Education created a mobile application for NSLP, allowing students not only to preorder their meals, but also provide feedback

23 Six, B. L., Schap, T. E., Zhu, F. M., Mariappan, A., Bosch, M., Delp, E. J., Ebert, D. S., Kerr, D.A., Boushey, C. J. (January 01, 2010).

Evidence-based development of a mobile telephone food record. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 110, 1, 74-9.

Boushey, C. J., Kerr, D. A., Wright, J., Lutes, K. D., Ebert, D. S., & Delp, E. J. (2009). Use of technology in children's dietary assessment.

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 63, 50-7.

24 Pegrum, M., Oakley, G., & Faulkner, R. (2013). Schools Going Mobile: A Study of the Adoption of Mobile Handheld Technologies in Western Australian Independent Schools. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 29, 1, 66-81.

25 Hingle, M., & Patrick, H. (2016). There Are Thousands of Apps for That: Navigating Mobile Technology for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 48, 3, 213.

26 Maras, E. (2014). Food Service Charges Forward. Food Logistics, 14-22. Additionally, purveyors of food, like US Foods, also have created mobile and tablet applications: https://www.usfoods.com/your-business/mobile-apps.html 27 http://www.fns.usda.gov/sfsp/mapping-tools-summer-meal-programs 28 http://www.fns.usda.gov/summerfoodrocks 29 http://www.fns.usda.gov/areaeligibility 30 http://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/food-buying-guide-for-child-nutrition-programs 31 Team Nutrition is an initiative of USDA’s FNS that aims to support the Child Nutrition Programs through training and technical assistance for foodservice, nutrition education for children and their caregivers, and school and community support for healthy eating and physical activity.

to foodservice directors and staff and check eligibility for Free or Reduced-Price meals. Private organizations have seen the market opportunity in school food apps and market themselves to schools to get their menus online and in the hands of students, not only for school-year meals but for summer foodservice as well. Presently, FNS has released a Request for Applications for its Child Nutrition Technology Innovation Grant (CFDA #10.541), which proposes solutions to improve program accountability and efficiencies at the State and local levels. The grants are targeted to the State agencies administering the Child Nutrition Programs and will allow for the creation and improvement of automated systems for the transfer of operational data between diverse systems and agencies.

II. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

Cooperative Agreement This grant will be awarded in the form of a cooperative agreement. This agreement is a legal instrument reflecting a relationship between the Federal government and the Grantee. Cooperative agreements will allow more involvement and collaboration by FNS in the project compared to a grant, and they provide less direction of project activities than a contract. The roles and responsibilities of both the Grantee and FNS will be stated in the terms and conditions of the cooperative agreement.

FNS’s involvement in this cooperative agreement will include, but is not limited to, reviewing and providing feedback on proposed deliverables and other sources of dissemination of best practices learned from these implementation and research efforts, such as proposed publications and proposed presentation materials.

Funding The grant will be awarded on a competitive basis, subject to the availability of Federal funds.

Approximately $1.5 million is available for funding this new Cooperative Agreement. We will accept one application package per applicant. The grantee will be responsible for awarding at least 51% of their awarded amount as subgrants to design, develop, and test mobile technologies. The grantee will also evaluate the subgrantees’ project goals on the desired outcomes, as indicated below.

Award Period and Project Timeline

FNS plans to enter into a cooperative agreement with the selected Grantee by August 1, 2017. The Grantee will be allowed to use the funds consistent with its application plans. Applicants may apply for funds for three years with the award period end date no later than September 30, 2020.

Cooperative Agreement Project Goals

The goals of the grantee are to: create a Mobile Technology for Child Nutrition Research Innovation Laboratory, foster innovation via a competition that will support mobile technology-based solutions in the USDA Child Nutrition programs, and subsequently achieve the goals of the subgrantees.

The goals of the subgrantees are to create mobile technology solutions that will satisfy at least one of the following:

1. Increase access to Child Nutrition programs

2. Increase participation in Child Nutrition programs

3. Increase efficiency in Child Nutrition programs

4. Improve participant satisfaction (at both the program operator and consumer levels) with

Child Nutrition programs.

FNS is particularly interested in funding innovative approaches to increase access, participation, and efficiency and improve satisfaction with Child Nutrition programs that are sustainable without the need for new, ongoing funding. Examples of some of the approaches that may be explored include, but are not limited to:

a. Mapping services to locate or plan for program sites, like CACFP or TEFAP, or to alert participants about site closures

b. Information regarding Child Nutrition program events/activities in their community, including dates and times of summer meal and nutrition education activities

c. Ability to apply and check eligibility status for participation in programs such as SFSP, NSLP and SBP, or CACFP

d. Advance ordering of reimbursable meals from school menus, with calorie/nutrient/allergen information (and the prevention of ordering non-reimbursable meals by students certified for free or reduced price benefits)

e. Tracking meal selection/choices for students and the ability to display real-time selections on a digital display or monitor to encourage school meal program participation, with the option to privately/publicly rate or provide feedback on menu items

f. Interactive virtual “lunch rooms” for children to motivate healthy food selection and preferences or enhance parent/caregiver nutrition knowledge and increase awareness of school meals programs and cafeteria activities; incorporate interactive gaming and other emerging digital forms to increase student engagement and interest; include formative assessments as a product feature, providing instant and ongoing feedback to school nutrition managers and staff

g. Personalized and adaptive training, technical assistance, and/or nutrition education resources for school meal staff and food service directors on: food safety and handling, healthy recipes, Dietary Guidelines compliance, up-to-date information on Nutrition Standards and meal patterns, tips for engaging students in conversations regarding healthy food consumption

h. Ability to collect and synthesize student feedback and recommendations during taste-tests of new or existing menu items

i. Interactive training platforms or portals for improved efficiency among food service personnel at SFAs, CACFP sponsors, or SFSP sites to provide safe and nutritious meals to children and increase program integrity.

FNS does not anticipate any expansion of CN program authorities or new funds to adopt, implement, and monitor interventions to increase access and participation in programs, resulting in few changes in the programs of analysis.

Target Population

The target groups for the mobile applications are broad and can range from program operators (e.g., School Food Service Directors, SFSP site directors, CACFP Sponsors, or site managers) to consumers (e.g. students who eat school meals, parents of children in CACFP Centers). The goals of the subgrants can be achieved in various ways, using different types of mobile applications, kinds of data, and by various populations, depending on the application design.

Grantee (Recipient) Responsibilities

The Grantee (Recipient) shall work cooperatively with FNS to create and manage a competition to fund projects to design, develop, test and implement mobile technology solutions by subgrantees. The grantee should have experience in managing a grant program, as well as a competition for its subgrantees.

Each funded subgrant should develop a mobile application that addresses at least one of the cooperative agreement’s overall goals. The Grantee will monitor subgrantees' progress.

At a minimum, grantee responsibilities are as follows:

1. Develop a Request for Proposals (RFP). The RFP will describe the opportunity, explain eligibility for the sub-awards, and establish evaluation criteria for award.

At a minimum, each subgrantee must use the funds to:

a. Conduct an environmental scan of available technologies in this space;

b. Describe in detail the mobile application (app) the subgrantee will create, including the need or gap it is serving, and how it is innovative, as well as the design process;

c. Describe how the technology will achieve at least one of the project’s stated goals of increasing access and participation in Child Nutrition programs and improving participant satisfaction (program operator and consumer level);

d. Explain the theoretical framework behind the proposed strategy of achieving the goals, such as the principles of Behavioral Economics or other Health Behavior change theories

e. Provide a polished prototype of the expected app;

f. Describe the app’s target population/user group(s);

g. Describe their team, including the Child Nutrition partner that would help with testing and implementation, as well as provide letters of commitment to demonstrate project collaboration from each partner;

h. Develop and implement a strategic plan that clearly describes the development, testing, and implementation timeline;

i. Provide an impact evaluation plan that describes the key metrics to be measured and the potential impact;

j. Develop the application and test its implementation;

k. Plan to share the findings/results at a workshop at FNS.

2. Manage a competitive selection process for subgrants. For each subgrantee application, the

Grantee will provide to FNS, at least: 1) the name, title, affiliation, and brief biographical background of the Principal Investigator; 2) location of subgrantee and population served by the project (if applicable); 3) requested award amount; 4) the subgrantees’ proposed timeline and proposed approach.

At a minimum, the competition will include:

a. Established scoring/judging criteria for evaluating subgrantees’ proposals and selecting awardees on a competitive basis.

b. A required consideration of State and regional diversity when selecting subgrantees.

c. Subgrantee teams composed of partners who bring together expertise in the CN programs and programming/application development to best develop applications that will fill gaps in the CN programs.

d. Subgrantee teams that include at least one state or local CN partner that can help with testing and implementation of the mobile technology.

Prior to selecting subgrantees, the Grantee will provide to FNS all proposals submitted by applicants, a summary evaluation of the proposals with recommendations for selection, and will discuss the proposals with FNS. Following selection of subgrant recipients, the Grantee will submit updated summaries of the selected projects for publication on FNS’s website.

3. Sponsor and coordinate two workshops/conferences in the Washington, DC area and one webinar.

Specifically:

a. The cooperative agreement application shall provide a preliminary list that will describe the expected audience for the workshops/conferences, which shall include subgrantees. To the extent possible, FNS prefers for all proposed attendees to attend the two workshops/conferences in person.

b. The Grantee shall prepare and submit to FNS for publishing on the OPS and/or Child Nutrition Programs web page(s) a summary of each workshop/conference within two months of the event.

c. The first workshop/conference (i.e., the orientation) shall be held within 60 Days after announcing the subgrantees’ awards. Its purpose will be to facilitate exchange of information and ideas among the subgrantees, share project descriptions with FNS, and allow FNS to provide input on potential ways to refine the subgrantees’ projects.

d. The webinar shall be held within twenty-four weeks after the subgrants have been awarded.

Its primary purpose is to demonstrate to FNS a beta-version of the applications proposed by subgrantees, get FNS’ feedback, and plan for deployment.

e. The second workshop shall be held before the end of the grant period and will be focused on presentations of project findings and the Grantee’s overall evaluation of subgrantees’ efforts.

By this date, the subgrantees will provide FNS access to the applications and white papers that describe their respective study results. The Innovation Laboratory and presenting subgrantees will provide FNS subgrantees’ presentations (e.g., PowerPoint slideshows, handouts, and related materials) after the conference.

4. Conduct an evaluation of the subgrantees’ activities. The cooperative agreement application shall provide a proposed evaluation plan that the Applicant will carry out across subgrantees. Once the subgrantees are awarded, the Grantee will update the proposed evaluation plan so as to provide detailed information to the subgrantees at the first workshop. This revised evaluation plan will be sent to FNS for review within 45 days of subgrantee awards to reflect the specific activities to be funded. The final evaluation plan will incorporate FNS feedback and will be due to FNS within 30 days of the first workshop.

At a minimum, the Grantee shall develop and implement an evaluation that assesses the subgrantees’ activities, including technologies and:

a. Provides a detailed summary of the approaches taken by each subgrantee;

b. Evaluates subgrantee impacts on intended CN programs outcomes as described in this RFA, including: 1) increasing the reach of the program; 2) increasing access to the range of services and interventions offered by the programs covered in this RFA; 3) increasing participation rates among the target audiences for such technology and ultimately overall participation in CN programs.

5. Disseminate findings broadly among the academic community and State and local school food authorities.

At a minimum, FNS requires the submission of the following reports:

a. annual reports;

b. a final report to be publicly released via the FNS web page;32

c. a stand-alone summary report which provides a non-technical, graphically-appealing overview of the entirety of the competition process and outcomes, to make the key findings and activities of the grant and subgrantees more accessible to non-technical audiences; and

d. at least one submission to a peer-reviewed journal. Subgrantees are encouraged to present results of their work at professional conferences.

The Innovation Laboratory and subgrantees are also encouraged to participate in academic and professional conferences, committees, working groups, and communities where participant research regarding federal school food programs is discussed.

For internal use and informational purposes, the Grantee shall provide FNS with an electronic copy of all manuscripts and other dissemination materials (e.g., PowerPoint slides) resulting from this grant and its subgrants at the time of submission for publication and in final form when published. The Grantee will also provide FNS with the rights to the mobile technology application as well as any data.

32 The full details of the report are explained in the Final Deliverables section.

Grantee Application Requirements

The following are program specific requirements:

1. All applications must clearly articulate their plan to administer and evaluate the subgrantee awards in order to increase reach, access, participation, and improve efficiency and satisfaction with CN programs in children, parents and practitioners.

2. Applications must contain specific details of subgrant review and award plans, including evaluation criteria and a timeline (see Applicant Format for more information).

3. All applications must include a well-defined evaluation plan that addresses examples of key outcomes and how they will be measured, data collection, and data analysis. This plan should incorporate details on the theoretical models underpinning program evaluation strategies. At a minimum, evaluation plans must specify what kinds of data might be collected for evaluation, when and how it will be collected, and key components of data analysis. The plan must address how external factors potentially affecting program participation and/or mobile application dissemination will be accounted for during analysis.

4. In addition to addressing the reporting requirements described above, the application shall describe the expected set of final deliverables that will be submitted and/or published by the Grantee during and at the end of the Cooperative agreement.

5. All applications must address how the findings will be disseminated to stakeholders (policy officials, state and local agencies and their staff) and the academic community, and dissemination plans.

6. Applications are encouraged to include subject matter experts to review study and evaluation materials throughout the award period. To the extent possible, applicants should seek input from Child Nutrition staff members at partner agencies when crafting their applications or other evaluation materials, as well as expertise in grant management and experience with technology solutions to CN policy problems.

All applications must provide a clear timeline for carrying out all proposed activities and demonstrate evidence of planning to meet other Grant requirements as specified in this RFA.

Responsibilities

FNS. To the extent practicable, FNS is available to provide technical consultation to the Grantee as needed. FNS will comment on major aspects for the projects in advance of their implementation in a manner and timeframe agreed upon between the Grantee and FNS.

At FNS discretion, FNS involvement with the Grantee may include:

1. Reviewing and approving the final RFP for the subgrantee competition issued by the cooperative agreement recipient.

2. Providing comments on and having ongoing conversations with the Grantee regarding their plans to meet this RFA’s requirements.

3. Providing comments on a Grantee-provided summary of all applications for the competitive subgrants.

4. Reviewing a Grantee-provided list of all awardees of the competition (including subgrant title, dollar amount of the subgrant, and contact information for the principal investigators, brief narrative description, project time frame and expected products).

5. Approving the date and time of the two workshops/conferences.

6. Approving the agendas for the two workshops/conferences.

7. Approving the date and time for the webinar.

8. Approving Grantee-provided dissemination plans.

9. Receiving a courtesy copy of all Grantee-produced publications (e.g. final report, peer-reviewed publication upon submission) resulting from this cooperative agreement.

10. Receiving rights and access to the mobile applications and any respective data.

11. Providing written review and feedback on Grantee and subgrantee deliverables, including the development of the app(s).

Grantee. The Grantee is the Public or Private Research or Academic Institution that will be selected competitively based on the merits of its application to operate the project. The Grantee has overall responsibility for planning, implementation, and operations of the project.

The Grantee will be required to demonstrate a thorough understanding of FNS Child Nutrition programs and the applications of: 1) technology-based solutions to school meal participation and access issues, including foodservice challenges and 2) integration of health behavior frameworks, including behavioral economics to support nutrition and behavior change in various populations, while its subgrantees should have previous experience creating and testing interactive mobile applications (e.g., user experience, programming, design).

The Grantee shall:

1. Select or hire appropriately credentialed personnel to manage and operate the project (at a minimum, as described in the Staffing Plan).

2. Delegate responsibilities to their staff or other partners as appropriate.

3. Conduct appropriate training and provide necessary support for staff and other partners to successfully handle project responsibilities. These responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

a. providing data on participating parties to FNS;

b. coordinating site visits to participating partners for FNS if requested;

c. fulfilling obligations to subgrantees and FNS.

4. Keep FNS informed on critical junctures and checkpoints after award of cooperative agreement, including management plan, budget plan, training plans, and design and implementation plans that are submitted in preliminary form in the application.

5. Meet specific obligations and approval points as specified in this cooperative agreement.

6. Submit timely progress reports, financial reports and annual reports throughout the award period, and submit a final progress report and a final financial report.

7. Attend progress meetings via teleconference as needed.

8. Account for project funds separately from other federal funds and establish financial and management reporting and controls to assure that project funds are not commingled or used inappropriately. A separate and distinct audit trail must be established and maintained for the expenditure of project funds that clearly demonstrates that they are used solely for project purposes.

9. Provide FNS with any data files created and used to generate reports, presentations, and publications resulting from this grant. Such data shall be accompanied with analytic code, output files, and codebooks and other applicable documentation sufficient for FNS to replicate the analyses.

10. Carry out all activities necessary to fulfill the items as described in the “Purpose of Agreement” section.

11. Coordinate subgrantees’ attendance and participation in the two workshops/conferences and a webinar at FNS headquarters to share project descriptions and findings.

12. Coordinate other grant-related activities among the subgrantees and researchers.

13. Monitor subgrants to ensure that subgrantees’ activities align with their proposals.

14. Complete a final report and non-technical summary report.

15. Produce a descriptive summary and synthesis of each application and any related efforts (such as a meta-analysis on the results) and widely disseminate this information.

16. For internal use and informational purposes, ensure Grantee and subgrantees provide FNS with an electronic copy of any and all manuscript submissions resulting from their subgrants at the time of submission for publication and in final form when published.

Kick-Off and Close-Out Meetings

The Cooperative Agreement Principal Investigator, at least, shall attend a kick-off, in-person meeting at FNS headquarters to meet FNS staff, and to discuss the subgrant process and evaluation design within one month from date of award. The Grantee shall also attend a web-based close-out meeting near the conclusion of the project to present findings and exchange information on lessons learned. The Grantee shall provide a formal presentation to FNS at that time.

Quarterly Conference Calls

Quarterly conference calls shall provide an overview of the activities conducted during the previous quarter, major accomplishments with completion dates and budget, deviations from the proposed plan, difficulties encountered, solutions developed to overcome difficulties, assistance needed from FNS on technical issues, and major planned activities for the next quarter. Should a major issue arise between calls, the Grantee should contact the FNS Grants and Program Officer immediately. The Grantee shall provide FNS with an agenda 3 business days prior to each call. The Grantee shall also prepare minutes for each call and distribute to FNS no later than 5 business days after the call.

Quarterly Progress Reports

Quarterly progress reports and quarterly financial reports must be submitted to FNS. As outlined in 2 CFR 200.327 and 200.328 quarterly progress reports must provide a description of the activities conducted during the reporting period, major accomplishments with completion dates and budget, deviations from the proposed plan, difficulties encountered, solutions developed to overcome difficulties, and major planned activities for the next quarter. The Grantee is responsible for obtaining the necessary information from the other partners and subgrantees to complete this report. These reports are due within 30 days after the end of each Federal quarter.

Interim Deliverables

Once awarded, the Grantee will provide quarterly progress reports and financial reports to identified FNS contact persons. The Grantee will also produce an approximately 10-page annual report for FNS and submit study plans for the grant to FNS, as well as information on any subgrants for publishing on the FNS website (e.g., names and details on the subgrantee awards, links to mobile applications).The annual report will provide information on the Center’s operations and budget as well a detailed explanation of what tasks have been started and completed throughout the year, including but not limited to the information in the quarterly reports. It should also include updates on all subgrants.

Final Deliverables

The project description shall address how the findings will be disseminated to program stakeholders and the academic community. At a minimum, the Grantee shall prepare and deliver to FNS one final report of approximately 25 pages that integrates all the information learned from the project and its subgrants in an acceptable format for FNS to publish on their website; this report will include an executive summary of the purpose, approach and objectives, major activities; introduction and background, description of the competition and outcomes, among other items. The Grantee will also deliver: a summary report (6-10 pages) that provides a non‐technical, graphically-appealing overview of the study; a two-page descriptive summary of each app’s use, features, benefits to the target audience, including graphics; and finally, the Grantee will submit at least one peer-reviewed journal article for publication based on research using grant funds. The final report shall be submitted electronically in two forms: a microcomputer word processing format agreeable to FNS (currently Microsoft Word 2010 for Windows) and a PDF version that is 508 compliant. All materials that will be published on FNS’s website must be 508 compliant.

FNS recognizes that the journal article (i.e., a manuscript reporting the results of the evaluation of subgrantee projects) will not likely be published by the end of the grant period, but a submitted draft is required. The Grantee shall also plan, convene, and actively participate in the Orientation Workshop after receipt of the grant award, as a component of the development and dissemination process. Grant funding may be used to cover travel expenses and other expenses associated with these conferences. The in-person conferences shall be held at FNS headquarters or another location in the Washington, DC metropolitan area agreeable to FNS. All subgrantees are encouraged to attend and actively participate in both workshops/conferences when possible. The Recipient shall prepare and publish a summary of these conferences within 2 months of each event.

The final deliverables will also include access to and rights for USDA to use and/or sponsor the mobile applications, as well as any de-identified data that has been collected, by the end of the grant period.

Data Rights

The Government has unlimited rights to all programs/documents/materials produced under this contract.

All documents and materials, to include the source codes of any software, produced under this contract shall be Government owned and are the property of the Government with all rights and privileges of ownership/copyright belonging exclusively to the Government. These documents and materials may not be used or sold by the contractor without written permission from the Grants Officer. All materials supplied to the Government shall be the sole property of the Government and may not be used for any other purpose. This right does not abrogate any other Government rights.

Duplication or disclosure of the data and other information to which the Offeror may have access as a result of this contract is prohibited by Public Law.

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

These are requirements for the selected recipient of the Cooperative Agreement, not any potential subgrantees.

1. Eligible applicants for the cooperative agreement

• Eligible entities include colleges and universities only, both for profit and non-profit. This Request for Applications (RFA) is open to all Accredited Colleges/Universities, and Private or Public Research Institutions.

2. Cost sharing or matching considerations

• Cost sharing or matching for this RFA is not required.

3. Other eligibility criteria

• Suspended or debarred organizations are ineligible to submit applications in response to this grant solicitation.

• Eligible applicants may only submit one proposal in response to this solicitation.

4. Pre-application Screening Requirements

In reviewing applications in any discretionary grant competition, Federal Awarding Agencies, in accordance with 2 CFR 200.400, are required, prior to making a Federal award, to review information available through various OMB-designated repositories for eligibility qualification or financial integrity, and to have in place a framework for evaluating the risks posed by applicants before they receive Federal awards. The evaluation of the information obtained from the designated repository systems and the risk assessment may result in the Food and Nutrition Service Agency (FNS) imposing special conditions that correspond to the degree of risk assessed.

The Federal repository systems FNS will review include:

1. SAM, the System for Award Management, the Official U.S. Government system that consolidated the capabilities of CCR/FedReg, ORCA, and EPLS;

2. FAPIIS, the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System, is a database that has been established to track contractor misconduct and performance;

3. Dun and Bradstreet, the system where applicants establish a DUNS number which is used by the

Federal government to better identify related organizations that are receiving funding under grants and cooperative agreements, and to provide consistent name and address data for electronic grant application systems. The Federal government requires that all applicants for Federal grants and cooperative agreements with the exception of individuals other than sole proprietors have a DUNS number.

4. U.S. Department of Agriculture, AD-3030, Representations Regarding Felony Conviction and Tax Delinquent Status for Corporate Applicants.

Applicants must also respond to the pre-application assessment questions below to allow FNS to evaluate aspects of the applicant’s financial stability, quality of management systems, and history of performance, reports and findings from audits.