FAQs WH-AST-22-005 FINAL.pdf

FAQs for WH-AST-22-005 Addressing Eating Disorders in Adolescent Girls and the COVID-19 Pandemic

A. ELIGIBILITY

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

a. Any public or private (profit or 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. Community-based organizations, faith-based organizations and American Indian/Alaska Native/Native American (AI/AN/NA) organizations are eligible to apply.

b. Examples of eligible Organizations include:

• State Governments

• U.S. territories

• 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 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

• Private institutions of higher education

• For profit organizations, including small businesses.

B. PREPARING TO APPLY

2. What is the deadline to apply to this funding opportunity?

a. Applications are due July 15, 2022, by 6 p.m. Eastern Time. To receive consideration, you must submit your application electronically via Grants.gov no later than this due date and time.

3. How can I get more information on this funding opportunity?

a. The NOFO can be found on grants.gov https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/search-grants.html?keywords=wh-ast-22-005.

b. The webinar recording will be posted to the OWH YouTube channel https://youtu.be/lnAeBp5mMGc.

c. FAQs will be posted to the NOFO on grants.gov and updated as needed.

4. 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 the SEARCH GRANTS header in the upper left corner. Enter WH-AST-22-005 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 will be prompted to either enter your username and password or establish one, after which you’ll be able to subscribe and get alerts.

5. 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(s). For programmatic questions, such as developing elements of your application, contact Linda Stella, Linda.Stella@hhs.gov. Please CC. Duane Barlow on your email

b. Contact Duane Barlow, Duane.Barlow@hhs.gov for financial and grants-related questions. Please CC. Linda Stella on your email.

6. 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: 800-518-4726

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

a. As of April 4, 2022, you are required to provide a twelve-digit Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/search-grants.html?keywords=wh-ast-22-005 https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/search-grants.html?keywords=wh-ast-22-005 https://youtu.be/lnAeBp5mMGc http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ mailto:Linda.Stella@hhs.gov mailto:Duane.Barlow@hhs.gov mailto:support@grants.gov and System for Award Management (SAM) number when applying for Federal awards through Grants.gov. It is a unique, twelve-digit identification number, which provides unique identifiers of single business entities. Please refer to page 28 of the NOFO.

8. How do we get a UEI number?

a. The UEI(SAM) are required for submission of applications. You may find additional information about the transition for both existing and new SAM registrants at https://www.fsd.gov/gsafsd_sp?id=gsafsd_kb_articles&sys_id=e31c534f1b40c1103565ed3ce 54bcbce.

b. You will find instructions on the Grants.Gov web site as part of the organization registration process at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration.html. Please refer to page 28 of the NOFO.

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

a. Please refer to pages 28 - 29 of the NOFO. Your organization must register online in the System for Award Management (SAM). Grants.gov will reject submissions from applicants with nonexistent or expired SAM Registrations.

b. If you are registering a new entity or renewing your registration, you must submit a notarized letter formally appointing an Entity Administrator to SAM.GOV For detailed instructions on the content of the letter and process for domestic entities see:

https://www.fsd.gov/gsafsd_sp?sys_kb_id=8cfe46491b1cb8909ac5ddb6bc4bcbbb&id=kb_art icle_view&sysparm_rank=1&sysparm_tsqueryId=c6131c131bdcf0d0a7d7da49bc4bcb1a.

c. A quick start guide for registrants is available at https://www.fsd.gov/sys_attachment.do?sys_id=80f49f211bdcfc909ac5ddb6bc4bcb76.

You should allow a minimum of five days to complete an initial SAM registration. Allow up to 10 business days after you submit your registration for it to be active in SAM. This timeframe may be longer if SAM flags the information you provide for manual validation.

You will receive an email alerting you when your registration is active.

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

a. Your project narrative must not exceed 25 pages. Your total application, including the project narrative and appendices, must not exceed 55 pages. Please refer to page 13 of the

NOFO.

b. The appendices should include the items described on page 26 of the NOFO and listed here:

• Work Plan

• Memoranda of Agreement and/or Letters of Commitment

• Organizational Chart

• Curriculum Vitae/Résumé/Biosketches for Key Project Personnel

• References Cited

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 https://www.fsd.gov/gsafsd_sp?id=gsafsd_kb_articles&sys_id=e31c534f1b40c1103565ed3ce54bcbce https://www.fsd.gov/gsafsd_sp?id=gsafsd_kb_articles&sys_id=e31c534f1b40c1103565ed3ce54bcbce https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration.html https://www.fsd.gov/gsafsd_sp?sys_kb_id=8cfe46491b1cb8909ac5ddb6bc4bcbbb&id=kb_article_view&sysparm_rank=1&sysparm_tsqueryId=c6131c131bdcf0d0a7d7da49bc4bcb1a https://www.fsd.gov/gsafsd_sp?sys_kb_id=8cfe46491b1cb8909ac5ddb6bc4bcbbb&id=kb_article_view&sysparm_rank=1&sysparm_tsqueryId=c6131c131bdcf0d0a7d7da49bc4bcb1a https://www.fsd.gov/sys_attachment.do?sys_id=80f49f211bdcfc909ac5ddb6bc4bcb76

(including budget tables) do not count towards your 25-or 55-page limit.

11. Are applicants required to submit memorandums of agreement (MOAs) and

Letters of Commitment (LOCs)?

a. Refer to page 27 in the NOFO. If applicable and available at the time of submission, signed Memoranda of Agreement (MOAs) or signed Letters of Commitment (LOCs) should be submitted for each partner (or one signed MOA with all partners). MOAs must include specific roles, responsibilities, resources, and contributions of partner(s) to the project.

C. APPLICATION REVIEW

1. How will my application be reviewed?

a. An independent review panel will evaluate applications that meet the responsiveness criteria, if applicable, and are not disqualified. These reviewers are experts in their fields, and are drawn from academic institutions, non-profit organizations, state and local government, and Federal government agencies. In addition to the independent review panel, Federal staff will review each application for programmatic, budgetary, and grants management compliance. The Deputy Assistant Secretary for Women's Health will provide recommendations for funding to the Grants Management Officer to conduct risk analysis. Please refer to page 36 of the NOFO.

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

a. Yes. Please refer to page 36 of the NOFO.

D. PROGRAM

1. What do you mean by transitioning a successful project to sustainability?

a. We expect recipients to plan for and work toward sustainability of successful evidence-based interventions beyond the end of the funded project. Recipients should begin to develop a plan for sustainability by the end of the second year. After three years, successful projects will have the option to compete for one more year of funding to transition to sustainability. Please refer to page 10 of the NOFO.

2. What is expected of applicants?

a. The goals of this initiative are to:

1. Develop and implement an evidence-based intervention(s) to address modifiable risk factors, encourage behavior change, and improve health outcomes in response to challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic;

2. Create partnerships that integrate physical and mental health aspects of eating disorders among care providers, nutritionists, and/or community organizations to address gaps in care exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic;

3. Create developmentally appropriate education and outreach for adolescent girls at risk for eating disorders; and

4. Plan for transition of a successful project to sustainability.

3. Is there an indirect cost rate cap?

a. Refer to pages 23-24 of the NOFO, “Indirect Costs Description,” for more information about indirect cost rates.

4. Is there a list of recommended evidence-based interventions that should be considered?

a. No.

E. ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS

1. Would you be able to please let me know how I could get a copy of the full announcement?

a. A full copy of the notice of funding opportunity WH-AST-22-005 can be found on grants.gov at this link.

2. I am writing in regards to Funding Opportunity Number WH-AST-22-005: Addressing Eating Disorders in the Covid-19 Pandemic. I am hoping to gain more insight surrounding the selection and decision criteria. Specifically, I am curious as to how applications will be scored and the anticipated application numbers for this opportunity. Is there further guidance online?

If not, can you provide some details?

a. Please see pages 33-36 in the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) itself under the Evaluation Criteria section. You can find the NOFO on grants.gov and search for WH-AST- 22-005. We are also having a zoom Technical Assistance webinar on Wednesday, May 25th at 1pm Eastern. In that webinar, we will discuss our evaluation criteria for applications. If you still have questions after the webinar, you can put those questions into the webinar chat box and we will answer them and post the questions and answers to grants.gov on the WH- AST-22-005 site.

3. Can an organization submit multiple applications?

a. The NOFO states on page 13 “If you successfully submit multiple applications from the same organization for the same project, we will only review the last application received by the deadline.”

b. That being said, an organization may submit multiple proposals for a given Notice of Funding Opportunity given that each proposal must be for distinctly separate projects.

By distinctly separate project, this could mean a different focus area or a different location.

The project abstract and project must be clear so that the distinction is obvious.

4. Our staff is very excited about this opportunity, because we work with many girls who would benefit, but wondered if services funded could only be delivered to girls?

a. The notice of funding opportunity document clearly states on pages 1-2 this funding opportunity has a target audience of adolescent girls.

5. I would like to submit an application for the recently announced grant mechanism, WH-AST- 22-005 Addressing Eating Disorders and the COVID-19 Pandemic. I am writing to ask if it would be possible to schedule a brief phone call to discuss the application. I have submitted to NIH previously but never to DHHS, so I had a few questions. I would also like to briefly share the idea just to ask some questions about the responsiveness of it to the application.

a. Thank you for your email. We do not have private meetings. The NOFO itself should have https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/search-grants.html?keywords=wh-ast-22-005 all of the information you need. To ensure responsiveness, please see page 8 Expectations for Funded Projects and Section G Application Review Information.