FAQ Falls 2024 Enhancing Statewide Falls Prevention Awareness, Strategy, and Collaboration...pdf

Frequently Asked Questions

2024 Enhancing Statewide Falls Prevention Awareness, Strategy, and Collaboration

HHS-2024-ACL-AOA-FPSG-0036

Questions Related to Applicant Eligibility/Preference

1. Question: Who may apply for this funding opportunity?

Answer: Domestic public or private non-profit entities including state governments, Native

American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, special district governments, nonprofits having a 501(C)(3) status with the IRS other than institutions of higher education, city or township governments, public and state controlled institutes of higher education, independent school districts, private institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments

(Federally recognized), nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS other than institutions of higher education, county governments, faith based organizations, and community organizations.

2. Question: Are for-profit companies or individuals eligible to apply?

Answer: No.

3. Question: Are other federal agencies eligible to apply?

Answer: No, but any federal agencies interested in exploring partnership opportunities with

ACL are encouraged to contact Donna Bethge at Donna.Bethge@acl.hhs.gov.

Questions Related to Letters of Intent

4. Question: Are potential applicants required to submit a Letter of Intent?

Answer: Applicants are requested, but not required, to submit a letter of intent to apply for this funding opportunity to assist ACL in planning for the application independent review process. The purpose of the letter of intent is to allow our staff to estimate the number of independent reviewers needed and to avoid potential conflicts of interest in the review.

Questions Related to Proposal Format

5. Question: Is there a maximum page limit for the Project Narrative?

Answer: The Project Narrative must not exceed 20 pages. NOTE: The Project Work Plan, Letters of Commitment, Organizational Chart, Budget Narrative/Justification, and Vitae of mailto:Donna.Bethge@acl.hhs.gov

Key Project Personnel are not counted as part of the Project Narrative for purposes of the 20-page limit and should be clearly labeled as Appendices.

6. Question: Should applicants submit one comprehensive work plan that includes goals for the two years, or should proposals include a separate work plan for each of the two years?

Answer: Applicants must provide a separate work plan for each year (year one and year two). The Work Plans for each year should match the separate budget plan for each year.

The overall proposal should describe the goals or accomplishments that are expected over the two-year period. Applicants are encouraged to use the workplan guidelines in the Project Work Plan – Sample Template section found in the Appendix of the Funding

Opportunity Announcement.

7. Question: Can we use a font size smaller than 11 for tables included in the narrative?

Answer: No. The entirety of the Projective Narrative, including tables, graphics, and headings must be double-spaced, and of a standard font size of not less than 11. You can use smaller font sizes to fill in the Standard Forms and Sample Formats outside of the Project

Narrative sections, such as the Project Work Plans and Budget Narrative/Justification.

8. Question: How should we list/cite references? Are references subject to the Project

Narrative criteria regarding page limit and double-spacing?

Answer: There is not a particular citation style that you are required to use with respect to references. You may include your references as footnotes, endnotes, or a separate appendix

(please be sure to clearly label). References may be single-spaced, and, if included as a separate appendix, are not subject to the 20-page limit for the Project Narrative.

Questions Related to Proposed Activities

9. Question: How soon after award for this Notice of Funding Opportunity is granted will the Request for Proposals need to be competed in order to award the sub-grants?

Answer: The Request for Proposals that will be used to grant sub-awards is expected to be released within 6 months of receipt of award of this funding opportunity.

10. Question: What are the expectations in the sub-award process?

Answer: A requirement of this grant is to release a Request for Proposals for up to 12 subawards to current state falls prevention coalitions or organizations that are developing or have the intent to develop a coalition in a state that currently does not have an active coalition within six months of the award start date. Successful applicants must demonstrate the ability to quickly make subawards with a transparent and open process for soliciting, reviewing, selecting, and making the required subawards to organizations; engage in strong oversight of subawards; provide technical assistance for the sub-recipients and complete an evaluation of the impact of the sub-grantee work. It is very important that grantees realize that the administrative responsibility and oversight of all sub-grant activities remains with this awardee. Grantees must serve as the central, core, and active partner in the grant and not simply be a conduit for pass-through funding to sub-recipients. The grantee should retain sufficient funding to adequately fulfill its administrative and oversight responsibilities.

The entity that is awarded the funding to carry out the responsibilities of this Notice of

Funding Opportunity is not eligible to apply or receive any funding, directly or indirectly, from the sub-grants that will be awarded.

11. Question: What is the total amount of funding ACL anticipates the subgrantees to receive, collectively and per grantee (or range per grantee)?

Answer: ACL expects the collective amount to be awarded to sub-recipients would be no less than 70% of the total award. The number of sub-awards and amount per sub-recipient is flexible, up to 12 subawards.

12. Question: Is an evaluation required as part of this funding opportunity?

Answer: Yes. The awardee of this funding opportunity will implement an evaluation to assess the impact of the sub-recipients’ efforts on the delivery and coordination of falls prevention services.

Questions related to sub-awards that will be awarded following this award

13. Question: If we are a current state falls prevention coalition or organization that is developing or has the intent to develop a coalition in a state that currently does not have an active coalition, should I apply for this funding opportunity?

Answer: This funding opportunity will fund a single entity that will then sub-award up to 12 sub-grants to current state falls prevention coalitions or organizations that are developing or have the intent to develop a coalition in a state that currently does not have an active state coalition and provide technical assistance to those sub-recipients.

If you want to receive funding to support the work of a state falls prevention coalition in your state, you will apply through the Request for Proposal that will be released within six months of the award of this Notice of Funding Opportunity.

Only one sub-grant will be awarded per state to be used for the goals of that state falls prevention coalition.

14. Question: When will the Request for Proposal for sub-awards be competed?

Answer: The Request for Proposals for the sub-awards will be released within six months of the award of this Notice of Funding Opportunity.

15. Question: Who can apply for the sub-awards?

Answer:

o Current state falls prevention coalitions o Developing state falls prevention coalitions o Organizations that have the intent to develop a coalition in a state that currently does not have an active coalition

Reference this webpage for the list and status of state falls prevention coalitions

16. Question: The Notice of Funding Opportunity noted that sub-recipients will be current state falls prevention coalitions or organizations that are developing or have the intent to develop a coalition in a state that currently does not have an active coalition. How do

I know what states have falls prevention coalitions?

Answer: Reference this webpage, State Falls Prevention Coalitions, for a clear list of active, in-development, and inactive state falls prevention coalitions.

17. Question: If my organization is not part of our state falls prevention coalition, can we apply for a sub-award?

Answer: If there is an active or developing coalition already in your state you must collaborate with that coalition for funding. If there is no active or developing coalition, an organization may apply to receive funding to establish a state coalition. Each sub-recipient that is developing a state falls prevention coalition will be required to be documented as an active state coalition by the end of their project period.

18. Question: How would I contact my state falls prevention coalition?

Answer: You can find contact information of current state falls prevention coalitions on this webpage contact your state falls prevention coalition.

19. Question: How many sub-awards will be awarded in each state?

Answer: Only one sub-award will be made per state to a state falls prevention coalition or organization that is developing or has the intent to develop a coalition in a state that currently does not have an active coalition.

20. Question: What is the total number of sub-awards that will be competed and what is the project period for the subawards?

Answer: Up to 12 subawards will be awarded for an 18-month project period.

21. Question: Could multiple states apply together for a sub-grant?

Answer: Yes, current state Falls Prevention coalitions could apply together for a single sub-grant if they wish to collaborate. The organizations would have to be the coalitions from those individual states.

https://www.ncoa.org/page/state-falls-prevention-coalitions https://www.ncoa.org/page/state-falls-prevention-coalitions https://www.ncoa.org/article/how-to-contact-your-states-falls-prevention-coalition

22. Question: What are the criteria for applying and participating as a sub-award?

Answer: Following the award, the awardee will work with ACL on developing the application criteria for subawards.

23. Question: If a current state falls prevention coalition applies and is awarded the grant under this funding opportunity, can they award themselves a sub-grant for their own state falls prevention coalition work?

Answer: No, if a current state falls prevention coalition applies and receives the award of this funding opportunity, they cannot later award themselves a sub-grant for their own coalition work. They would be responsible for the requirements of this grant - to release a

Request for Proposals for up to 12 subawards to current state falls prevention coalitions or organizations that are developing or have the intent to develop a coalition; provide strong oversight of subawards; work closely with ACL to facilitate technical assistance; and evaluate the impact of the sub-awarded coalition work. They would maintain the administrative responsibility and oversight of all sub-grant activities.

24. How will the subaward request for proposals be advertised?

Answer: The awardee of this funding opportunity will advertise the subaward request for proposals through their network social media tools and ACL, through ACL Updates list serv.

Questions Related to Grant Administration

25. Question: What is the difference between a grant and a “Cooperative Agreement”?

Answer: In the United States, Federal grants are financial assistance issued by the U.S.

Government. A Cooperative Agreement is a variation of a grant, which is awarded when a grant provider anticipates having substantial involvement with the grantee during the performance of a funded project. This grant will be issued as a Cooperative Agreement because it is a significant and multifaceted endeavor in which AoA anticipates having substantial involvement with the recipient during performance of funded activities.

Therefore, throughout the project period of the grant award, AoA will furnish technical assistance, oversight, and support to the grantee to help ensure program success. The

Cooperative Agreement structure will allow AoA to provide a higher level of technical assistance, oversight and support than a grant relationship offers. For more information, see the HHS Grants Policy Statement at https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/grants/grants/policies-regulations/hhsgps107.pdf.

26. Question: What are fully funded cooperative agreements?

Answer: These Cooperative Agreements are fully funded upfront for their two-year project and budget period. Grantees will not have to compete for subsequent years of funding during the project award period.

https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcloud.connect.hhs.gov%2Facl-subscriptions&data=05%7C01%7CLauren.Solkowski%40acl.hhs.gov%7C85c44596e39f4b28347508db4804e425%7Cd58addea50534a808499ba4d944910df%7C0%7C0%7C638182958077407418%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=HMiV4tQ7d2Zgn3eZmcy%2Bwmsb8ssC9n1kNrNIlGtx5SU%3D&reserved=0 https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/grants/grants/policies-regulations/hhsgps107.pdf

27. Question: How are grantees able to access grant funds? Is payment based on cost reimbursement?

Answer: Grantees will draw down funds using the Payment Management System (PMS).

Costs are not reimbursed, but rather requests are made through PMS for the release of funds.

28. What are the reporting requirements associated with this cooperative agreement?

Answer: Awardees are responsible submitting programmatic progress reports and financial reports. Applicant Notice of Awards will provide more detailed information.

Questions Related to the Budget Narrative/Justification

29. Question: How much federal funding can we request for our project?

Answer: Applicants must request a total budget $2,500,000 in federal funds for the two-year project (fully funded). All awards are subject to the availability of federal funds.

30. Question: Is there a match requirement?

Answer: No, there is no match requirement. Applicants that do provide match will not be viewed differently or given more points during the independent review process. We encourage applicants to not provide match because if they choose to do so, then the match amount will become a part of their award notice and the awardee will be held to that match.

31. Question: How much of the total budget will be allocated to subawards?

Answer: Of the amount available for this program, the successful applicant shall be permitted to retain up to 30% for administrative and technical assistance purposes, with the remaining 70% of funding allocated to subawards.

32. Question: Does the budget include indirect costs? What indirect rate can we use?

Answer: Any indirect costs charged by the applicant would be included in the amount of the federal award and should be a part of the up to 30% that the applicant can retain for administrative purposes.

Indirect costs must be supported by an approved indirect cost rate agreement, which also defines the direct charges against which the rate applies. Indirect charges may only be requested if: (1) the applicant has a current indirect cost rate agreement approved by the

Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) or another Federal agency; or (2) the applicant is a state or local government agency. State governments should enter the amount of indirect costs determined in accordance with DHHS requirements. If indirect costs are to be included in the application, a copy of the approved indirect cost agreement must be https://pms.psc.gov/ included with the application. Further, if any sub-contractors or sub-grantees are requesting indirect costs, a copy of the latest approved indirect cost agreements must also be included with the application, or reference to an approved cost allocation plan.

You should consult your organization’s financial representative to see if you should be charging indirect costs and if so, what the approved rate is. In the event you are looking to make an initial request, please contact the Project Officer and Grants Management

Specialist associated with this funding opportunity announcement.

If the budget includes In-Direct Cost, then one of the following must be submitted: approved current In-Direct Cost Rate, cost allocation plan, or Facilities & Administrative cost to the grant. The applicant may use the De Minimis Rate if one of the aforementioned documents doesn't accompany the application.

33. Question: Regarding the budget template, can you clarify the difference between non-Federal cash versus non-Federal in kind?

Answer: These are both forms of match, and match is not required for this program. Non-

Federal cash is any cash from you or your partners; it does not include funds from the

Federal government. In kind includes any third-party non-cash items that are program-related such as meeting room space that can be used as match for this program (please note, there is no match requirement in this funding opportunity). Applicants who voluntarily decide to add a match to their application will be held to that match and the match dollar amounts will be in their Notice of Award.

34. Question: Do funds need to be evenly allocated across the two-year project period?

Answer: No. Funds do not need to be evenly allocated across the project period. Please be sure that your budget is aligned with your work plans with respect to project activities, outcomes, and outputs.

Miscellaneous Questions

35. Question: What is the make-up of the application review panels?

Answer: We recruit a variety of reviewers to participate in the review. We convene panels comprised of individuals who may be former or current grantees (who are not applying for the current grant), representatives of various partnering agencies, academics, and other people with expertise in falls prevention and evidence-based, community programming.

36. Question: Does the disclaimer noted in Section II. Award Information (Cooperative

Agreement Terms) impact grantee intellectual property rights?

Answer: No. The disclaimer noted in Section II. Award Information of the Notice of

Funding Opportunity does not relinquish intellectual property of the grantee. This disclaimer specifically emphasizes that the points of view or opinions of the grantee do not necessarily represent official Administration for Community Living (ACL) policy.

37. Question: Are we required to have an external evaluator for this grant?

Answer: No, you are not required to engage an external evaluator.