Notice of Intent DRAFT FOA Q's & A's 05June2020.pdf

FOA Questions and Answers: Notice of Intent

FOA-20-AFRL/RVKE-0001

05 June 2020

No. Question Answer

Is this a new program or is there a current incumbent for similar work?

No, not a new program. For information on the current Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Scholars Program visit: https://dodstem.us/stem-programs .

Please see Section I- Funding Opportunity Description for additional details of the new program. The current incumbent is Universities Space Research Association

(USRA).

Can you send us information on how to register for any upcoming webinars?

We do not anticipate any upcoming webinars. All information concerning this FOA will be posted on Grants.gov.

How can applicants that meet the program goals for 1-4 and program objectives for 2-4, but do not yet have relationships with the scientist at AFRL's laboratories and facilities (per the program objective #1), best contact AFRL scientists at these laboratories or facilities to establish collaborative relationships? We are interested in doing so, but don't want to waste AFRL personnel time through outreach, such as cold-calling scientist who seem like potential collaborators based on their publicly available online biographical information.

Prior to submitting a proposal, Recipients are required to submit a Letter of Intent to the Points of Contact (POCs) listed in Section VII - Federal Awarding Agency Contact(s). See Section III- Eligibility Information, C. Other, Pre-applications Requirements: Letter of Intent, for additional details. Recipients will be contacted by the Program Manager(s) to discuss the proposed efforts in the Letter of Intent. Prior relationships are not required/necessary to meet the Program Objectives.

Does this FOA have geographic restrictions, i.e., can a Virginia community college apply? If so, what would the collaboration with Kirtland look like?

No geographical restrictions within the United States. See Question 16 and 28 for additional details.

Can you please tell me if healthcare simulation programs are eligible for a grant award through the above-referenced grant?

Per the DRAFT FOA Section I-Funding Opportunity Description, AFRL is not anticipating any Healthcare Simulation Programs.

Also is there an estimated number of grants that will be available for award?

AFRL is anticipating multiple awards. The Government (AFRL) reserves the right to select for award all, some, or none of the applications in response to this announcement.

Would you consider a national education effort using Spanish language media to connect parents to resources online?

This FOA supports STEM Workforce Development programs or projects that align with the Federal STEM Strategy and the DoD STEM Mission. Additional details would have to be given in the Letter of Intent and proposal.

https://dodstem.us/stem-programs

The Army put out a similar solicitation about 6 months ago, would an organization who won an Army Grant also be able to win this grant and combine the programs?

Our team is not familiar with the Army solicitation, however, AFRL does not anticipate combining this FOA with any other Agency’s FOA’s and/or resultant awards.

Can you share list of programs that the Air Force STEM/Scholars program is currently supporting? Total number of participant served?

Minority participants served?

AFRL’s existing internship program has provided high school through graduate level internships to approximately 250 interns per year. The program serves a diverse group program participants from all parts of the country. For information on the current Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Scholars Program visit:

https://dodstem.us/stem-programs

Is there cost sharing?

No. Cost sharing or matching is not required. See Section III- Eligibility Information.

11 Is there any bonding required? We do not anticipate any bonding.

Is the program only for companies/organizations? Or is this available for individuals who would like to go back to school?

Per the DRAFT FOA, AFRL is not anticipating any proposals from individuals. See Section III- Eligibility Information, A. Eligible Recipients, for additional details.

Johns Hopkins has a DOD award linked to an AFMC laboratory, can the University leverage this opportunity to combine support in workforce development?

Per the FOA, AFRL recommends that the university submit a Letter of Intent with additional details. Section VII - Federal Awarding Agency Contact(s). See Section III- Eligibility Information, C. Other, Pre-applications Requirements: Letter of Intent, for additional details.

Are grant funds dedicated to very specific area? Does the cost categories include rent for a new building?

It is anticipated that these instruments will be awarded under cost reimbursement type environment. See question 17, for additional details.

Is this FOA open to serve K-12 as well as Higher Education?

The program covers high school, but not kindergarten through 8th grade. See Section I-Funding Opportunity Description, C. Program Description, for additional details. For information on the current DoD K-12 programs visit:

https://dodstem.us/stem-programs

Is it anticipated that work with the different AFRL sites be done virtually? Would work occur on-site? Or will travel be funded and budgeted?

Yes, all of the mentioned options are appropriate. Please note, that proposed travel cost must be in accordance with OMB guidance in 2 C.F.R. 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards. See Section II- Federal Award Information, D. Type of Award Instrument, for additional details.

Will the program fund office/management support for the program?

Recipients must include a cost proposal detailing direct labor (personnel), fringe benefits, travel, sub-recipients/subcontracts, consultants, equipment, materials and supplies, and other direct costs and indirect costs. See Section IV- Application and Submission Information, for additional details.

When will AFRL be processing Letter of Intent?

AFRL does not have a cutoff date. The solicitation will be open for 5 years and organizations can submit Letters of Intent at any time during the solicitation period. See Section VII- Federal Awarding Agency Contact(s), B. Letter of Intent for additional details.

What kind of relationship does AFRL anticipate between AFRL and the awardee organization?

Subject to the proposed program or project. However, AFRL anticipates collaborative efforts between the awardee and the Government.

Should a university include costs of sending students to AFRL (including housing, transportation, etc.)?

Yes, if applicable, these costs should be included in the proposal. See question 17.

Is AFRL interested in individual organization proposals? Or more interested in proposals from consortia working with university/industry?

AFRL is interested in all responsible sources from industry, non-profit institutions, institutions of higher education, state and local government, or consortia of such institutions or industry whom may be eligible in accordance with Section III- Eligibility Information, A. Eligible Recipients, for additional details.

Is the program funded with Federal R&D 6.1 money? Yes, R&D funds will be used. However, the subcategories of the R&D funds are unknown at this time.

Is the first year of funding FY 2021? Subject to the availability of funds. However, it is anticipated that current year funds will be used.

Will awardee be tied to financial execution goals?

Subject to the Proposal and as described within the Proposal. If proposed, financial execution milestones should be stated within the Proposal and are subject to approval by the Grants and Agreements Officer in coordination with the Program Manager.

Are funds appropriated for work with other non-profits or state/city/other organizations? Can an awardee work with organizations that work with people of the age range 18-24 but are not college grads?

Yes, interested Recipients may submit Letter of Intent and Proposals with organizations that work with people of the age range 18-24 but are not college graduates. See questions 7 and 21.

Is the program open to advanced and additive manufacturing programs?

Yes. See Section III- Eligibility Information, A. Eligible Recipients, for additional details.

Is there a limit on number of proposals an organization can submit? No, there is no limit. However, each proposal will require a Letter of Intent and proposal.

As a public ING, can a primary internship opportunity be in conjunction with the AFRL site or does the awardee need to be more focused with local internship opportunities? Off-site and on-site opportunities will be considered.

Is the FOA open to teacher professional development?

This FOA supports STEM Workforce Development programs or projects that align with the Federal STEM Strategy and the DoD STEM Mission. Additional details would have to be given in the Letter of Intent and Propose. Please note that DOD has programs that support Teacher Training, visit: https://dodstem.us/stem-programs for details.

30 Would Air National Guard apprenticeships be included in program? Section III- Eligibility Information, A. Eligible Recipients, for additional details.

I was wondering if there is a way to access the list (or a partial list) of prior awardees of the below solicitation to see examples of successful proposals.

For information on the current Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Scholars Program visit: https://dodstem.us/stem-programs

I'm an individual and would like to apply for this grant. Please let me know how I can apply for this grant and the information regarding it? All information is given within the DRAFT FOA on Grants.gov. See question 12.

I was unable to make the Zoom meeting this morning. When and where can I access the recording of the meeting?

We do not intent to release the recording, but all of the questions were documented and are available on Grants.gov

Is there a recording of that call available? Or, will there be other calls in the near future? We do not anticipate other calls in the near future. See question 33.

When can we submit a LOI?

You may submit a Letter of Intent as soon as the FOA is published on Grants.gov.

See question 18 for additional details.

Will you post the names of organizations that submit LOIs? (so potential bidders may be able to form coalitions).

No, we do not anticipate posting the names of the organizations that submit Letters of Intent.

Will you consider a national outreach campaign using Spanish media focused on informing and engaging Spanish-speaking parents to increase their ability to assist their children in accessing on-line STEM resources and/or finding appropriate locally based programs?

See question 7.

Can you share a list of the various community based STEM education programs that you already support?

For information on the current various DoD STEM programs visit:

https://dodstem.us/stem-programs

Can you provide an estimate of the total number of participants in these or other programs you support? And, if possible, any information about % of participants who are from underserved populations such as Black, Hispanic and Native American? See question 9.

https://dodstem.us/stem-programs https://dodstem.us/stem-programs

If an organization receives funding under this proposed cooperative agreement for a specific period of time, say a 2 year project, at the termination of that award cycle, will that same organization be able to apply for continuation funding or new funding for a new period of program activities?

Yes. However, please note that the interested Recipient would be required to submit a new Letter of Intent and Proposal.

Does this mean that Lane County, Oregon could indeed be a place of performance? Yes, off-site and on-site opportunities will be considered.

We know AFRL has several existing STEM workforce development programs. For this FOA, is there a particular emphasis on a certain group: K-12, undergraduates, graduate students, or postdoctoral fellows? See question 15.

One of AFRL’s program goals is, “Address geographic disparities and broaden participation for underrepresented and underserved communities.” Within these communities, is there an emphasis on a particular demographic (i.e. female, African-American, Hispanic- American, etc.)? See question 9.

The focus of this FOA is STEM workforce development and the funding should directly benefit the participants. However, a well-run program requires a sufficient level of administrative support to ensure its success. What is a reasonable percentage of the budget that can be dedicated to administer the program? See question 17.

For the three stated Criterion in the FOA, there is no mention of cost realism/reasonableness. We have a novel concept for this FOA which can be scaled up or down based on the number of students. We don’t want to disadvantage our proposal if our budget is deemed too large due to the number of students. Would you recommend we propose a smaller budget initially and based on the success of the program, look to expand it in subsequent years?

See Section II- Federal Award Information, C. Minimum and Maximum Award Size.

Question we have at this time is whether one or more deadlines are under consideration?

Once the FOA is released, please see cover page of the FOA for updated deadline information and Section IV- Application and Submission Information, D.

Submission Dates and Times, for updated details.

I was wondering if health sciences and biomedical sciences are considered STEM?

This FOA supports STEM Workforce Development programs or project that align with the Federal STEM Strategy and the DoD STEM Mission. Additional details would have to be given in the Letter of Intent and Proposal.

Would the awardees need to be in close proximity to those locations?

Please help me to understand. Is commuting assumed? See questions 16, 20 and 41.

49 When do you expect this grant to open for submission?

AFRL anticipates posting the FOA during the third quarter of 2020, potentially in the month of June.

Please inform me what is the best method to learn more about how we can assist in your STEM efforts outside of reading the proposed

FOA.

This FOA supports STEM Workforce Development programs or project that align with the Federal STEM Strategy and the DoD STEM Mission. Recipients are highly encouraged to read the Federal STEM Education Strategy at https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/STEM-Education- Strategic-Plan-2018.pdf and the DoD STEM’s Mission at https://dodstem.us/ .

For information on the current Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Scholars Program visit: https://dodstem.us/stem-programs

NOTE:

The DRAFT FOA is subject to change. Once the FOA is released, please see cover page of the FOA for updated deadlines and revisions throughout the FOA.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/STEM-Education-%20Strategic-Plan-2018.pdf https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/STEM-Education-%20Strategic-Plan-2018.pdf https://dodstem.us/