FAQs for Private Sponsorship.pdf

FY 2023 Request for Concept Notes for Operational Partners on the Private

Sponsorship of Refugees Pilot Program

Information Session May 11, 2022

Links:

• NOFO: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/search-grants.html

Participant Questions:

1. What is the projected award date for this grant?

We anticipate, but cannot guarantee, that we will fund the first phase of this pilot program on October 1, 2022.

2. After the concept notes are submitted, how long will applicants have to reply to the directed announcement?

Concept Note submissions are due on June 20, 2022. PRM anticipates, but cannot guarantee, that within two (2) months from the concept note proposal submission deadline, selected concept notes will be notified of selection for full proposal development. Selected organizations will have a minimum of 30 calendar days to submit their full proposals. The second round, limited competition announcement will provide specific details and requirements for the directed announcement application. Full-length proposals will be reviewed by a second panel. Pending the availability of funds, PRM anticipates, but cannot guarantee, that awards will be made less than five

(5) months from the concept note proposal submission deadline.

3. What is the award ceiling for this Cooperative Agreement?

The award ceiling is $5,000,000.

4. How many awards does PRM intend to grant?

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/search-grants.html

PRM will make a final determination after the review of the concept note submissions.

5. Can for-profit organizations be part of a consortium that submits a concept note?

PRM does not provide assistance awards to for-profit organizations either directly as the prime recipient for a consortium that submits a concept note or as a subrecipient as part of a consortium, PRM will only provide funding to the eligible applicants identified in the Request for Concept Notes (non-profit organizations or private or public and state-controlled institutions of higher learning).

6. Can non-U.S. based non-profit organizations submit concept notes?

Non-U.S. based organizations are eligible to apply, both on their own and as part of a consortia. They will need to explain in detail how they intend to develop and manage the U.S. based operational infrastructure that will be required to organize Private Sponsor Groups and Organizations.

7. Can locally-based organizations submit concept notes?

Local organizations are eligible to apply, both on their own and as part of a consortia. Local organizations will need to explain in detail how they intend to develop and manage the national operational infrastructure that will be required to organize Private Sponsor Groups and Organizations

8. When will organizations be able to submit P-4 applications?

PRM is in the process of finalizing the framework for Private Sponsor

Groups/Organizations to be eligible to participate in the identification component as well as the details of the P-4 application process. Private

Sponsor Groups/Organizations participating in the identification component will be required to operate within this framework and work through the P-4 application process that PRM establishes. Further details will be released as the PSR pilot program launches. The roll out of the PSR pilot program will be sequenced so that that the identification component is introduced after the launch of the matching component.

9. If applying as a consortium, must all organizations submit the SF-424 family of forms and provide a valid UEI number or just the main applicant?

Only the lead organization of the consortia must submit an SF-424 in the concept note stage.

10. How many refugees does PRM expect to see resettled via private sponsorship in the long-term?

The Administration is committed to rebuilding the U.S. Refugee Admissions

Program (USRAP) and private sponsorship will be a key component of this effort. The number of resettled refugees supported by private sponsorship will largely be determined by the number of Private Sponsor Groups and

Organizations that come forward to participate in the private sponsorship program. .

11. To what degree will private sponsorship contribute to increasing refugee admissions and meeting the targets set through the annual Presidential

Determination?

The PSR pilot program is intended to complement PRM’s Reception and

Placement Program (R&P) by creating new, additional opportunities for individuals and organizations nationwide to be directly engaged in supporting refugee resettlement. Eventually over time, the PSR pilot program could contribute to increased refugee admissions to meet the targets set through the annual Presidential Determination.

12. How long will private sponsors be expected to support the refugees they resettle?

PRM anticipates that Private Sponsor Groups and Organizations will be expected to provide core initial resettlement assistance and services to refugees for at least 90 days after resettlement. PRM will release further details on the scope of required responsibilities for Private Sponsor Groups and

Organizations later this year.

13. When will PRM finalize the policy framework and eligibility criteria for private sponsorship groups and organizations?

PRM is in the process of finalizing the comprehensive policy framework for the PSR pilot program that Private Sponsor Groups and Organizations will be required to operate within, including eligibility criteria and the scope of responsibilities for Private Sponsor Groups and Organizations. PRM will release further details on the framework for the PSR pilot program later this year.

14. Does PRM anticipate funding the organizations that will vet, certify and/or train private sponsorship groups and organizations?

This request for concept notes is focused on identifying partners who PRM will fund to cover the core underlying operational requirements for the PSR pilot program, including the screening, certification, training, coordination, and/or technical support of participating Private Sponsor Groups and

Organizations. Partners must cover at least one of seven core components of operational infrastructure as outlined in the NOFO.

15. How will PRM work with the organization(s) awarded cooperative agreements to run the private sponsorship program?

PRM will follow all standard guidelines pertaining to how it works with organizations awarded Cooperative Agreements.

16. Will privately sponsored refugees be eligible for the services provided through the traditional resettlement and placement program?

PRM anticipates that Private Sponsor Groups and Organizations will be expected to provide core initial resettlement assistance and services to refugees that are similar to what is provided to refugees through the R&P Program such as the identification of housing and initial rent support, provision of basic necessities, initial orientation to the community, assistance with English language learning, support in securing employment, and assistance with enrollment in social, medical, and other mainstream public benefits/services for which refugees may be eligible. PRM also anticipates that privately sponsored refugees will remain eligible for additional assistance and services provided by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee

Resettlement (ORR), similarly to refugees supported through the R&P

Program. However, this is subject to change as PRM finalizes the framework. PRM will release further details on the framework for the PSR pilot program later this year.

17. Will refugees resettled through private sponsorship be subject to all USRAP processing requirements? Will there be an ability to expedite processing for

P-4 refugees?

Privately sponsored refugees supported through the PSR pilot program will be subject to all the same processing requirements as other USRAP refugee applicants, including security vetting and handling by Resettlement Support

Centers and the Refugee Processing Center. Privately sponsored refugee applicantswill be handled in the same way as all other USRAP applicants – any cases that meet PRM criteria to be considered for expedited processing

(e.g., cases with urgent medical or other urgent humanitarian needs) will be handled accordingly.

18. How soon does PRM expect P-1 referrals already in the pipeline to be identified for private sponsorship and arrive in the US?

PRM is planning to launch the PSR pilot program by the end of calendar year 2022. After the program launches, PRM will work to facilitate matches between identified refugee cases already in the USRAP pipeline and approved Private Sponsor Groups or Organizations.

19. Can PRM provide more information on the process by which private sponsors will be able to identify and apply for the refugees they want to resettle?

PRM is in the process of finalizing the framework by which Private Sponsor

Groups/Organizations will be eligible to participate in the identification of refugees they wish to refer to the USRAP. PRM is in the process of developing the details of this P-4 application process and will release further details.

20. When will the matching component of the private sponsorship pilot launch?

When will the identification component of the private sponsorship pilot launch?

The matching component of the PSR pilot will be established as part of the launch of the PSR pilot program by the end of calendar year 2022. The roll out of the PSR pilot program will be sequenced so that that the identification component is introduced after the launch of the matching component. The launch date for the identification component is still to be determined.

21. Please clarify the differences between Component 3 of the NOFO, Sponsor Training and Support, and Component 6 of the NOFO, Technical Assistance to Organizations? How are they different?

Component 3 focuses on support to Private Sponsor Groups.

Component 6 focuses on support to Private Sponsor Organizations.

Private Sponsor Groups are defined as: Groups of individual American citizens or permanent residents will be able to apply to sponsor the resettlement of a refugee or a refugee family to the United States. Groups must reside in the local community where the privately sponsored refugee is expected to resettle. Groups will be required to accept primary responsibility for providing core resettlement services and assistance to the refugee or refugee family they are sponsoring, including raising a set a mount of private funds to be spent on behalf of sponsored refugees.

Private Sponsor Organizations are defined as: Established and/or incorporated organizations will be able to apply to mobilize, organize, oversee, and/or offer support to Private Sponsor Groups. Organizations can operate at a local, regional, or national level.

22. Can an organization that wishes to identify refugees from a specific country for emergency resettlement apply for this funding opportunity? Do applicants need to provide the components of a broad-based private sponsorship pilot program, or can an application be tailored to assist specific groups?

PRM recognizes that specialized and dedicated operations may be needed to establish and facilitate specific pathways for refugees sponsored through the identification component of the PSR pilot program. PRM welcomes concept notes that propose specialized operations as part of Component 7 on Specialized Operations for the Identification Component. Concept notes on this component must articulate the rationale for why specialized operations are needed (i.e., why these operations will need to be distinct and/or separate from the broader operational infrastructure that is being developed for the PSR pilot program) and a vision of how such operations will integrate into or complement the broader sponsorship system.

23. Will PRM require support in the selection of the cases for the matching component of the private sponsorship pilot? Will there be a need for informed consent counseling?

PRM will lead on the process of identifying refugee cases already in the USRAP pipeline to be supported through the matching component of the PSR pilot program. PRM will also lead on developing and overseeing the process of providing informed consent counseling to all refugees being resettled through the PSR pilot program .

24. Does PRM intend to continue the matching component even after the identified cases begin to arrive?

As part of the roll-out of the PSR pilot program, the matching component and the identification components of the program will be launched sequentially, but eventually will operate in parallel. After the PSR pilot program launches, PRM will determine what elements of the program will remain as part of a permanent program.

25. Will PRM provide incentive grants to specific affinity groups seeking to identify refugees for private sponsorship? Will such costs be allowable under “Direct Costs” in the Budget Summary Template?

When the identification component of the PSR pilot program launches, PRM will open a separate application process for organizations that wish to participate in the identification component of the PSR pilot program as

Private Sponsor Organizations. Affinity groups that seek to identify and sponsor specific refugees may be eligible. However, at this time PRM will not be able to offer funding to Private Sponsor Organizations that apply through that process.

As part of this funding opportunity, PRM is open to considering concept notes that propose to make grants to support Private Sponsor Organizations as part of a broader proposal that still addresses one or more of the seven core components of underlying operational infrastructure identified in the Request for

Concept Notes. For instance, a proposal that covers Component 6 on “Technical

Assistance to Organizations” could include grantmaking to Private Sponsor

Organizations as part of its proposed activities. Costs associated with this grantmaking function will be allowable as part of a submitted Budget Summary.

26. When will PRM share the eligibility criteria for refugees seeking accessing via the P-4 program?

Further details regarding eligibility for the P-4 program will be released as the PSR pilot program launches.

27. When will PRM share guidance on the full scope of responsibilities for

Private Sponsor Groups and Private Sponsor Organizations?

PRM is in the process of finalizing eligibility criteria and the scope of responsibilities for Private Sponsor Groups and Organizations. PRM will release further details later this year. PRM anticipates that Private Sponsor Groups and

Organizations will be expected to provide core initial resettlement assistance and services to refugees that are similar to what is provided to refugees through the

R&P Program such as the identification of housing and initial rent support, provision of basic necessities, initial orientation to the community, assistance with

English language learning, support in securing employment, and assistance with enrollment in social, medical, and other mainstream public benefits/services for which refugees may be eligible.

28. Will PRM fund organizations who want to become Private Sponsor

Organizations?

When the PSR pilot program launches, PRM will open a separate application process for organizations that wish to participate in the PSR pilot program as Private Sponsor Organizations. At this time, PRM will not be able to offer funding to Private Sponsor Organizations that apply through that process.

29. What documents must be submitted for this notice of funding opportunity?

Are the additional documents referred to underneath 'Full Application

Package Templates' (e.g. proposal narrative for multi-year submissions, budget summary, budget detail, budget narrative, and risk analysis) required for submission of the concept note?

To be considered for PRM funding, organizations must submit a complete concept note application package including:

• 4-page concept note (or 5-page concept note for consortia);

• One-page budget summary (Excel) clearly indicating costs disaggregated by year for the program period. The budget summary does not count against overall page limits.

• Signed completed SF-424, SF-424 A, and SF-424 B. These documents do not count against the page limit.

o Note: Form SF-424B is required only for those applicants who have not registered in SAM.gov or recertified their registration in SAM.gov since February 2, 2019, and completed the online representations and certifications. The SF-424 family forms are available for download on grants.gov.

This solicitation is the first step in a two-part process. After reviewing concept notes, PRM will invite selected organizations to expand their submissions into full-length proposals with detailed budgets.