FAQs Health Equity Leadership Development Initiative_07062023.pdf

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs) for

Health Equity Leadership Development Initiative

Opportunity Number: MP-CPI-23-001

A. ELIGIBILITY

1. What applicants are eligible and how will they be defined for this funding opportunity?

a. Any public or private nonprofit entity located in a State (which includes one of the 50 United States, District of Columbia, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, U.S.

Virgin Islands, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, American

Samoa, Guam, Republic of Palau, Federated States of Micronesia, and the

Republic of the Marshall Islands) is eligible to apply for an award under this announcement.

Private non-profit institutions of higher education are eligible to apply.

Faith-based organizations and American Indian/Alaskan Native/Native American

(AI/AN/NA) organizations that are public or non-profit private entities are eligible to apply.

Public or non-profit community-based organizations (CBOs) are eligible to apply.

Examples of eligible Organizations include (NOFO pages 9-10):

• State governments

• County governments

• City or township governments

• Special district governments

• Independent school districts

• Public and State controlled institutions of higher education

• Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)

• Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities

• Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)

• Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education

• Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education

2. Are For-Profit organizations eligible to participate in this funding opportunity?

a. No. Only public or private nonprofit entities (see NOFO page 9-10).

B. PREPARING TO APPLY

1. What is the deadline for submitting an application in response to this funding opportunity?

a. Applications are due August 1, 2023 by 6:00 PM Eastern Time. To receive consideration, you must submit your application electronically via Grants.gov no later than this due date and time (see NOFO page 26).

2. How can I stay up to date on any updates or changes to the notice of funding opportunity (NOFO), additional information and resources, and other developments?

a. The best way to stay up to date is to subscribe to this NOFO on grants.gov.

Please go to www.grants.gov and click the “Search Grants” tab in the upper left of the screen.

b. On the next screen, look for the “BASIC SEARCH CRITERIA” fields under SEARCH

GRANTS header in the upper left corner. Enter “MP-CPI-23-001” in the

Opportunity Number field and click the SEARCH button.

c. Click on the link under the Opportunity Number header. You will see a red

“Subscribe” icon in the right corner. You then be prompted to either enter your username and password or establish one, after which you’ll be able to subscribe and get alerts.

3. Who should I contact if I still have questions about the NOFO? Questions about developing my application?

a. Who to contact will depend on the nature of your question? For programmatic questions, such as developing elements of your application, contact Paul

Rodriguez at Paul.Rodriguez@hhs.gov. Please CC: Duane Barlow on your email

b. Contact Duane Barlow at Duane.Barlow@hhs.gov for financial and grants-related questions. Please CC: Paul Rodriguez on your email (NOFO P. 45)

4. Who should I contact if I have issues with the grants.gov portal or the electronic application process?

a. Please contact Grants.gov Applicant Support:

Email: support@grants.gov

Telephone: 1-800-518-4726

(NOFO P. 45)

5. What registrations are needed to apply to this funding announcement?

a. Besides your registration at www.grants.gov, you will need a Dun and Bradstreet

(D&B) Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number to apply for a grant through www.grants.gov. You will also need to register your organization with the System for Award Management (SAM); please see page 24-25 of NOFO for http://www.grants.gov/ mailto:Paul.Rodriguez@hhs.gov mailto:Duane.Barlow@hhs.gov mailto:support@grants.gov http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ more information.

b. A step-by-step description of the requirements for registering your organization to be able to apply for this and other funding announcements , along with the expected time for each step, can be found here:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration.html

6. How do I register my organization on SAM.gov? What if my registration is expired?

a. Please refer to pages 24-25 of the NOFO. Your organization must register online in SAM (https://www.sam.gov/SAM/). Grants.gov may reject submissions from applicants with nonexistent or expired SAM Registrations. A completed registration in

SAM may be required prior to receiving any award based on your application.

b. Further helpful information and helpful tips are also available through the following quick start guide:

https://www.sam.gov/SAM/transcript/Quick_Guide_for_Grants_Registrations.p df (PDF, 111 KB).

c. We recommend beginning your registration process immediately as delays in processing have been reported. Under normal operating conditions we recommend allowing at least up to 10 business days after you submit your registration for it to become active in SAM. This timeframe may be longer if SAM flags the information you provide for manual validation or there are delays in the required submission of a notarized letter by mail. You will receive an email alerting you when your registration is active.

7. Can you explain the page limits? What does or does not count for which limits?

a. Your project narrative is limited to 50 pages and does not include your Project

Abstract Summary. Since your project narrative plus appendices cannot exceed

75 pages, that leaves 20 pages for your appendices. The appendices should include the items described on pages 23-24 of the NOFO and listed here:

▪ Work Plan

▪ Logic Model

▪ Project Population(s) of Focus

▪ Memorandums of Agreement and/or Letters of Commitment

▪ Organizational Chart

▪ Curriculum Vitae/Resume for Key Project Personnel

▪ References Cited

b. You must submit these appendices as a single electronic file uploaded to the

Attachments section of your Grants.gov application.

c. The SF-424, SF-424A, SF-424B, SF-LLL, Project Abstract Summary, and Budget

Narrative (including budget tables) do not count towards your 50 pages limit.

8. Are applicants required to submit memorandums of agreement (MOAs) and Letters of https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration.html http://www.sam.gov/SAM/) https://www.sam.gov/SAM/transcript/Quick_Guide_for_Grants_Registrations.pdf https://www.sam.gov/SAM/transcript/Quick_Guide_for_Grants_Registrations.pdf

Commitment (LOCs)?

a. Refer to pages 23-24 in the NOFO. If available at the time of submission, signed

MOAs or signed LOCs may be submitted for each partner (or one signed MOA with all partners) and include specific roles, responsibilities, resources, and contributions of partner(s) to the project.

b. If the applicant is unable to submit signed MOAs, the applicant may submit an unsigned MOA(s).

c. Fully executed MOAs and finalized tribal resolutions will be required following the issuance of any award made under this announcement if not received prior to award. If you are not providing these documents with your application, please indicate the anticipated date that you will have fully executed documents available for submission.

C. APPLICATION REVIEW

1. How will my application be reviewed?

a. Refer to pages 30-34 of the NOFO. An independent review panel will evaluate eligible applications according to criteria outlined in the notice of funding opportunity. In addition to the independent review, Federal staff will review each application for programmatic, budgetary, and grants management compliance.

The Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health provides recommendations for funding to the Grants Management Officer to conduct risk analysis. Upon completion of the risk analysis and concurrence of the Grants Management Officer, HHS/OASH issues Notices of Award.

2. The salary limitations are only for staff paid for by grant, correct?

a. You should not budget award funds to pay the salary of an individual at a rate more than Federal Executive Pay Limitation ($212,100.00USD). This salary rate limitation also applies to subawards/subcontracts under an HHS/OASH award

(pa of the NOFO).

3. Are budgets scored as part of the review process?

a. No, budget requests will not be scored by the independent review panel.

However, Federal staff will review each application for programmatic, budgetary and grants management compliance (See page 33 of the NOFO).

4. Can we appeal if we are not selected?

a. Refer to page 34 of NOFO. All award decisions, including the level of funding if an award is made, are final and you may not appeal.

D. PROGRAM

1. What is the purpose of this initiative? What are the expectations of the OMH?

a. The purpose of the Health Equity Leadership Development Initiative (HELDI) is the implementation of a fellowship program at HHS to provide training in health equity issues and leadership to early career individuals to improve the health of racial and ethnic minority and other disadvantaged populations. Refer to page 3 of the NOFO.

b. OMH expects recipients’ to address the gap in federal fellowship opportunities for individuals to advance health equity and address the social determinants of health through health policies, programs, and practices.

2. Are we supposed to address all the bullets related to the expectations?

a. Yes, award recipients under this announcement should meet each of the expectations in the execution of their funded projects. Refer to pages 5-7 of the

NOFO.

3. Are there required partnerships for this program?

a. No. OMH, however, encourages recipients to partner with Minority Serving

Institutions, or similar institutions, for outreach and recruitment activities.

4. Can the fellowship program be developed for an individual institution/organization or specific racial ethnic minority group?

a. W e e x p e c t r e c i p i e n t s t o r ecruit potential fellows interested in health equity, health disparities, public health, and the social determinants of health through diverse and tailored methods. We encourage recipients to partner with Minority Serving Institutions and with racial and ethnic minority organizations to maximize recruitment outreach.

5. Who is eligible for the fellowship?

a. Eligible participants are graduate-level students and recent graduates who have completed, within the previous two years, their graduate degree.

6. What is the Disparity Impact Statement (DIS) expectation? What is the purpose of the

DIS?

a. Refer to pages 36-37 of the NOFO. Successful recipients are required to develop a disparity impact statement (DIS) using local data and input to identify populations at highest risk for health, social, economic, or other disparities such as low health literacy.

b. Refer to page 51 of the NOFO. Disparity impact statements are a part of a comprehensive data-driven approach for identifying and addressing health disparities to promote health equity for racial and ethnic minority populations. A DIS refers to the demographic, cultural, and linguistic data that identify the population(s) in which health disparities exist and the quality improvement plan designed to address the noted disparities.

7. Is an evaluation plan required?

As stated on page 7 of the NOFO, we expect recipients to participate in the process and outcomes evaluation. We expect recipients to work with us to evaluate the implementation and impact of the initiative, which is expected to result in the following primary outcomes at the individual fellow level:

* Increased opportunities for federal fellowship experiences in advancing health equity and addressing the social determinants of health through health policies, programs, and practices.

* Increased knowledge and technical skills that align with the core Federal leadership competencies (e.g., leading change, leading people, results-driven, business acumen, and building coalitions).

* Increased competency in health equity knowledge and practice.

Further, on page 14 of the NOFO applicants are asked to describe the approach that will be used to monitor and track progress on the tasks and objectives of the project.

8. Do I have to publish and disseminate my findings?

a. Recipients should document project knowledge and findings, to include the implementation process, lessons learned, successes and challenges. Recipients should communicate and disseminate project knowledge and findings, to include dissemination to federal, state, territorial and tribal public health agencies; policymakers; community organizations, community members; and other stakeholders. Dissemination products should be freely, immediately, and equitably accessible to the public.

b. Dissemination products should be freely, immediately, and equitably accessible to the public. For details, please refer to pages 7, 15, and 32 of the

NOFO.