Foa_Content_of_HHS-2021-ACF-ANA-NK-1902.pdf

Administration for Children and Families

Administration for Native Americans

Social and Economic Development Strategies for Alaska-SEDS-AK

HHS-2021-ACF-ANA-NK-1902

Application Due Date: 04/19/2022

Table of Contents Executive Summary

I. Program Description

II. Federal Award Information

III. Eligibility Information

III.1. Eligible Applicants

III.2. Cost Sharing or Matching

III.3. Other

IV. Application and Submission Information

IV.1. Address to Request Application Package

IV.2. Content and Form of Application Submission

Required Forms, Assurances, and Certifications

The Project Description

The Project Budget and Budget Justification

Application Submission Options

IV.3. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM)

IV.4. Submission Dates and Times

Explanation of Due Dates

Acknowledgement of Received Application

IV.5. Intergovernmental Review

IV.6. Funding Restrictions

IV.7. Other Submission Requirements

V. Application Review Information

V.1. Criteria

V.2. Review and Selection Process

V.3. Anticipated Announcement and Federal Award Dates

VI. Federal Award Administration Information

VI.1. Federal Award Notices

VI.2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

VI.3. Reporting

VII. HHS Award Agency Contact(s)

VIII. Other Information

Reference Websites

Application Checklist

Appendix

Funding Opportunity Title:

Social and Economic Development Strategies for Alaska-SEDS-AK Announcement Type:

Modification Funding Opportunity Number:

HHS-2021-ACF-ANA-NK-1902

Primary CFDA Number:

93.612 Due Date for Applications:

04/19/2022 Executive Summary Notice:

Applicants are strongly encouraged to read the entire notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) carefully and observe the application formatting requirements listed in Section IV.2. Content and Form of Application Submission. For more information on applying for grants, please visit "How to Apply for a Grant" on the ACF Grants & Funding Page at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/how-apply-grant.

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Administration for Native Americans (ANA) announces the availability of fiscal year (FY) 2022 funds for community-based projects for the Social and Economic Development Strategies-Alaska (SEDS-AK) program.

SEDS-AK is designed to provide targeted support for village-specific projects to improve and strengthen the administrative and management capacity of Alaska Native village governments, governments that are central to social and economic self-sufficiency in Alaska. This announcement promotes economic and social self-sufficiency for Alaska Natives and is intended to respond to the unique governmental structures in Alaska. The SEDS-AK supports the principle that social and economic development are interrelated and essential for the development of thriving Native communities. ANA is interested in supporting community-driven projects that build and strengthen core governmental capacity in the areas of administration and project management at the Alaska Native village-level.

I. Program Description Statutory Authority This program is authorized under Section 803(a) of the Native American Programs Act of 1974 (NAPA), 42 U.S.C. 2991b.

Description The Administration for Native Americans https://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/how-apply-grant

Within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), ANA serves all Native Americans, including federally recognized tribes, American Indian and Alaska Native organizations, Native Hawaiian organizations, and Native populations throughout the Pacific Basin (including American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands). ANA promotes social and economic self-sufficiency for Native American communities in two ways. First, ANA provides discretionary grant funding, training, and technical assistance in support of community-based projects that address the current social and economic conditions in Native American communities. Second, ANA promotes social and economic self-sufficiency through advocacy and policy development on behalf of Native Americans. ANA’s programmatic goals include: (1) fostering the development of stable diversified local economies and encourage community partnerships and reduce dependency on public funds and social services; (2) supporting local access to, control of and coordination of services and programs that safeguard the health and well-being of Native children and families; (3) increasing the number of projects involving youth and intergenerational activities in Native American communities.

ANA supports community-based projects in four major program areas: Social and Economic Development Strategies (SEDS), Native Languages, Environmental Regulatory Enhancement, and Community Research, Demonstration, and Pilot Projects. ANA funding is meant for projects that identify direct, measurable outcomes which will be achieved within the proposed project period.

No project shall be approved for assistance under this title unless the ANA Commissioner is satisfied that the activities to be carried out under such project will be in addition to, and not in substitution for, comparable activities previously carried out without federal assistance.

ANA provides project-specific funding and not ongoing program funding. ANA may choose not to fund a project that is essentially identical or similar in whole or in part to previously funded projects proposed by the same applicant or activities or projects proposed by a consortium that duplicate activities for which any consortium member also receives or has received funding from ANA. If the applicant is proposing a project that is similar to a previously funded ANA grant, applicants should be explicit and provide a very detailed description of how the new project is different and is not duplicative of the past project.

Potential recipients are encouraged to educate themselves on intellectual property rights and the protection of ownership to language materials, history, music and dance, ceremonies, and other forms of knowledge and cultural practices that originate from Native communities. See 45 CFR 75.322 and Appendix II to Part 75 – Contract Provisions for Non-Federal Entity Contracts under Federal Awards. Moreover, potential recipients are encouraged to learn how such rights may be transferred via contracting with third parties that produce resources, data, and materials developed as a result of ANA funding. ANA is unable to provide legal advice or guidance on this matter; however, grant funds may be used for legal expenses relative to this matter.

Applicant Training and Technical Assistance

ANA provides regional Training and Technical Assistance Centers, as authorized by NAPA, to support recipients as well as potential applicants. Such support includes Pre-Application Workshops as well as a preliminary review of applications that are at least 75 percent completed. Applicants are encouraged to contact their regional TTA center or view the ANA https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/subtitle-A/subchapter-A/part-75/subpart-D/subject-group-ECFR78b08d9c95aad03/section-75.322 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/subtitle-A/subchapter-A/part-75/subpart-D/subject-group-ECFR78b08d9c95aad03/section-75.322 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/subtitle-A/subchapter-A/part-75/appendix-Appendix%20II%20to%20Part%2075 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/subtitle-A/subchapter-A/part-75/appendix-Appendix%20II%20to%20Part%2075 website about the TTA services at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ana/assistance/applicant-training-technical-assistance.

SEDS-AK PROGRAM PURPOSE

The purpose of the SEDS-AK program is to promote social and economic self-sufficiency for Alaska Natives. The SEDS-AK program provides funding for projects designed to enhance governance and programmatic management capacity for Alaska Native villages to empower them to promote social and economic self-sufficiency for Alaska Natives. SEDS-AK projects focus on one or more of the following three inter-related concepts, which form a foundation for self-sufficiency. (1) Social Development that supports local access to, control of, and coordination with programs and services that safeguard the health, well-being, and culture of Alaska Native peoples. (2) Economic Development that fosters the development of stable, diversified local economies and economic activities that provide jobs and business opportunities that promote economic well-being and self-sufficiency in Alaska Native communities. (3) Governance that assists Alaska Native tribes, Alaska Native organizations and Alaska Native village governments to increase their ability to enhance their administrative infrastructure and capacity to develop and enforce laws, regulations, codes, and policies that reflect and promote the interests of community members.

ANA recognizes the structure of governance that administers Native lands and communities in Alaska is complex, and that authority over lands, resources, and relevant governmental programs are fragmented and widely dispersed among tribes, corporations, municipalities, local and state governmental agencies, and other bodies. The SEDS-AK program supports the principle that these concepts are inter-related and essential for the development of thriving Native communities.

Legislative Priority Areas for Economic Development

Due to the recent Congressional passage of the Indian Community Economic Enhancement Act of 2020, ANA will prioritize funding for applications seeking assistance for the following: (1) the development of a tribal code or courts system for purposes of economic development, including commercial codes, training for court personnel, and the development of non-profit subsidiaries or other tribal business structures; (2) the development of a native community development financial institution, including training and administrative expenses; and (3) the development of a tribal master plan for community and economic development and infrastructure. The new economic development legislative priorities will be incorporated into new program areas of interest for the SEDS-AK NOFO. Applications that propose a legislative priority project should include the economic priority area(s) in the project goal, all objectives and indicators as reflected in the project’s framework, project approach, OWP, and outcome tracker.

Ten bonus points will be awarded to applications that address one or more of these priority areas.

Program Areas of Interest

Program areas of interest for this NOFO include, but are not limited to, the following:

Governance: Governance is defined as increasing the ability of tribal, Alaska Native villages, and territorial governments to exercise local control and decision-making, and to develop and https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ana/assistance/applicant-training-technical-assistance https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ana/assistance/applicant-training-technical-assistance enforce laws, regulations, codes, and policies that reflect and promote the interests of community members. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

Administrative and Program Management Capacity Building-Planning and financial management capacity building to strengthen effective and accountable planning and management of village-level government operations and programs such as the creation or enhancement of judicial systems, housing authorities, or other tribal departments. (For Alaska-specific SEDS Projects, ANA will consider funding core administrative capacity building projects at the village government level if the village does not have governing systems in place.)

Comprehensive Strategies-Developing village-level strategies to assess and address the needs of children, youth, and community members.

Emergency Preparedness and Response-Planning, analysis, and mitigation efforts to ensure needed services, increase communications, coordinate preparedness, enhance situational responsiveness, and strengthen recovery efforts at the village level.

Governmental Administration- Improving village-level capacity related to regulatory, judicial, and administrative infrastructure, including developing personnel, financial, and program management policies; clarifying jurisdiction; training and developing employees and elected officials; developing or amending governance codes and procedures; and addressing family and child welfare issues through locally managed programs.

Organizational Development-Increasing organizational capacity at the village level to successfully implement missions and goals and support program management.

Technology Infrastructure-Establishing and implementing village-level systems to address information systems within the organizational structure, internet connectivity and broadband planning, technology upgrades, and related training to use such tools effectively.

Economic Development: Projects that support the creation of sustainable local economies and promote self-sufficiency. Examples of Alaska-specific program areas of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

Agriculture-Creating, developing, or enhancing agricultural enterprise and sustainable farming projects with a focus on distribution at local and commercial markets.

Asset Building-Increasing availability of effective financial education and other asset-building strategies for individuals and families.

Career Pathways-Using multi-sector partnerships with entities such as Alaska Native colleges, workforce development agencies, social service providers, and employers to develop workforce training programs that respond to local employers’ hiring needs.

Commercial Trade-Strengthening local economies by increasing the availability of, or demand for, locally produced goods and services.

Economic Competitiveness-Creating, expanding, and retaining businesses to reflect distinct economies operating in rural and urban areas, in both mature and emergent sectors.

Economic Infrastructure-Addressing economic infrastructure needs that will strengthen business development and job creation in Native communities. Development of tribal code or court systems for purposes of economic development, including commercial codes, training for court personnel, and the development of non-profit subsidiaries or other tribal business structures.

Energy-related activities-Projects that promote traditional energy activities and practices that support conservation and help to mitigate the high costs of the purchase, transportation, and storage of fuel in Alaskan villages, especially strategic energy plans that have been identified in tribally approved strategic energy plans. Examples include projects to implement renewable energy resources at the village-level, such as bio-energy, geothermal, hydropower, solar, wind, or other methods appropriate to the geographical location.

Entrepreneurship and Microbusiness-Promoting entrepreneurial development through business incubators and other activities that support businesses and market the availability of local products or services.

Master Plans for Community and Economic Development-Conducting the necessary planning and/or research to support achievement of long-range economic development goals. Examples may include establishing a separate division to administer economic development programs or performing gap or value-added analyses to identify strengths and weaknesses in the local economy. Strengthening an organization’s capacity to deliver programs that promote economic development and security.

Native Community Financial Development Institutions-the development of Native community development financial institutions including training and administrative expenses.

Place-based Economic Development-Using a village’s or community’s local or regional assets and resources while collaborating with multiple stakeholders to address economic development barriers.

Subsistence-Enhancing subsistence and agricultural activities to retain or revitalize traditional food sources and practices at the village level.

Tourism-Planning or developing resources, services, and businesses that promote travel, recreation, tourism, or branding to tell the story of Alaska Natives. Projects may utilize the arts or other cultural resources to help revitalize Native communities, promote economic development, increase livability, and present the uniqueness of the Native communities to visitors in a way that celebrates the diversity of the United States.

Workforce Development-Developing activities that promote short- and long-term job creation by supporting targeted training of individuals to develop new technical skills, secure new credentials, and gain experience that will lead to jobs created and increased earned income.

Social Development: Projects that develop and implement culturally appropriate strategies to meet the social service needs of Alaska Natives. Examples of Alaska-specific program areas of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

Arts and Culture-Developing or enhancing activities at the village-level that promote, preserve, or restore Native village culture and arts.

Community Health-Promoting improved access to health care and quality of care through coordinated village and regional approaches, expanding access to healthy foods available in Native villages, and supporting environmental health.

Community Living-Developing and coordinating of services to assist people with disabilities by helping them reach their maximum potential through increased independence, productivity, and integration within the village community.

Early Childhood Education and Development-Supporting stable and high-quality, culturally responsive early childhood programs; creating early childhood education and development jobs; and improving village-level planning and coordination of early childhood education and development programs.

Anti-Human Trafficking-Developing of village-level assessments and strategies to address human trafficking, including efforts to bring awareness of human trafficking to the public; developing prevention strategies to address the needs of victims; and establishing collaborative partnerships, including those that train public safety officials to recognize traffickers and their victims.

Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP)-Supporting safety, resilience, data improvement, and protective factors that reduce incidences of MMIP, including in rural, urban, and Pacific Island communities.

Nutrition and Fitness-Promoting increased knowledge and participation in activities that promote healthy foods and active lifestyles, reduce obesity, and other healthy-living habits.

Responsible Fatherhood-Supporting responsible fatherhood through counseling, mentoring, marriage education, enhancing relationship and parenting skills, and activities to foster economic stability.

Strengthening Families-Incorporating culturally relevant strategies to strengthen families and promote family preservation, responsible parenting, and healthy relationship skills;

and to foster the well-being of children residing in villages.

Substance Abuse, Smoking, and Vaping-Community outreach, education programs, and coordination that support the prevention of substance abuse, including opioid addiction, smoking, and vaping.

Suicide Prevention-Promoting safety, resilience, and protective factors necessary to foster mental health and reduce incidences of suicide and suicidal ideation.

Two-Spirit/LGBTQ+ - Planning, developing, and coordinating culturally relevant programs and services designed to serve Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender, and queer individuals and families.

Youth Development-Improving the well-being of youth through life skills training at the village-level, workforce development, mentoring programs, substance abuse programs, and suicide and juvenile crime prevention programs.

KEY APPLICATION FEATURES

The ANA Project Framework is intended to outline the project in a way that focuses longer-term community goals toward achievable and measurable project outcomes. ANA Project Framework includes a long-term community goal, current community condition, project goal, objectives, outcomes, indicators, and outputs. Together, these components relate a specific project goal back to the long-term community goal, define targets for project achievement, and provide structure to measure project outcomes. The ANA Project Framework should demonstrate a logical relationship that connects all concepts.

Additional information about the components of the ANA Project Framework can be found in Section IV.2. Content and Form of Application Submission, The Project Description.

ANA ADMINISTRATIVE POLICIES:

Prioritized Funding for Community-Based Native Americans Organizations

ANA reserves the right to prioritize funding to community-based Native American organizations serving their local communities and populations. Applications from non-local, national, and regional organizations that propose projects to serve multiple communities, or to be performed in a different geographic location, must clearly demonstrate that the need for the project was originated by each community being served, and that the community and/or tribal government supports the proposed project. They must also describe how each community was selected, identify and describe the intended beneficiaries, demonstrate community involvement in the development of the project, and discuss a community-based delivery strategy for the project. The proposed project goals, objectives, and outcomes must address goals of the community being served. National and regional organizations must describe their membership, and define how the organization operates. The type of community to be served will determine the type of documentation necessary to support the project.

Required Recipient Travel and Attendance at Post-Award Meetings

Recipients will be required to have two individuals working directly on the project attend Post- Award Training during the first year of their award and attend an annual ANA Recipients Meeting during each year of their ANA award. Please refer to Section IV.2. Content and Form of Application Submission, The Project Description and The Project Budget and Budget Justification for more information on how to include this in the budget.

Limitation on the Number of Awards Under a Single CFDA Number

Recipients can have only one active grant per Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number. (Please see CFDA definition located in Appendix A. Definitions and Section III.3. Other, ANA Disqualification Factors).

Limitation on the Number of Awards Based on Two Consecutively Funded Projects

ANA will maximize the reach of its limited funding. Therefore, applicants that have implemented at least two consecutive projects within one CFDA number may not be funded for a third consecutive project within the same CFDA number if other applicants who have not received ANA funding in the past 3 years are within the scoring range to be funded. Project implementation periods include newly awarded first year project periods, Non-Competing Continuations (NCC) periods, and No Cost Extensions (NCE) periods.

See Section V.2. Review and Selection Process, ANA Internal Review of Proposed Projects for additional information.

Compliance with Background Checks and Applicable Child Safety Laws

All recipients must comply with applicable federal, tribal, and state law with respect to criminal history record checks and clearances through child abuse and neglect and sex offender registries.

Conflict of Interest Standards

The non-federal entity must disclose in writing any potential conflict of interest to the respective HHS awarding agency or pass-through entity in accordance with 45 CFR §75.112 (a)(1)-(a)(3) and other subsequent applicable HHS awarding agency's policy.

It is longstanding ANA policy to preclude members of the governing body of recipient organizations from paid employment under an ANA-funded project in order to preserve the independence and impartiality of the governing body members and avoid conflicts of interest.

The regulations provide for an exception under 45 CFR§1336.50 (f), which permits the Chief Executive of the recipient to serve as project staff with the salary and expenses of the Office of Chief Executive as allowable costs under the ANA grant, provided such costs are directly related to the project and do not include the costs of general government. A recipient must request prior approval from ANA for such an exemption.

Federal Evaluation

Under Section 811 of NAPA, ANA is required to provide an evaluation of funded projects including evaluations that describe and measure the success of such projects, their effectiveness in achieving stated goals, and their structure and mechanism for delivery of services. ANA currently undertakes a federally sponsored evaluation strategy to assess the effectiveness and success of approved projects. The federal evaluation strategy will include review of recipient level documentation including, but not limited to, the On-going Progress Reports (OPR) which is approved under Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number 0970-0452, (expiration date 9/30/2023). In accepting a grant award, all recipients agree to participate fully in the federal evaluation, if selected, and to follow all evaluation protocols established by ANA or its designee contractor(s).

Currently, federal project evaluations culminate in end-of-project site visits from ANA during which evaluators utilize a structured information collection approved under OMB control number 0970-0379, (expiration date 6/30/2022). The information covered during such site visits follows up on, and utilizes information provided through the recipients’s initial grant application, and OPRs that evaluates the tracked outcomes performed by project staff throughout the project period.

NOTE: Consistent with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, (44 U.S.C. §§ 3501-3521), under this NOFO, ANA will not conduct or sponsor – and a person is not required to respond to

- a collection of information covered by such Act, unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. ANA has obtained OMB approval for the referenced information collections under OMB #0970-0452 (expiration date 9/30/2023). ACF will obtain OMB approval under the PRA prior to collecting or requesting the collection of any additional information from more than nine individuals or entities.

Pre-Application Teleconferences or Webinars

ANA may conduct a pre-application teleconference or webinar about the annual NOFOs. If scheduled, the date, time, registration, and call-in information will be available on ACF's ANA website at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ana/news-events. Pre-application teleconference or webinar materials may be accessed on the same website.

https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ana/news-events

Joining and participating in the teleconference or webinar is voluntary. Only the information provided in this NOFO will be presented. No question and answer period will be offered during the session.

Participants will remain anonymous. Opting not to participate in the webinar will not affect eligibility, application scoring, or the selection process. Applicants unable to attend can access the recording and transcript on the ANA website after the teleconference or webinar has concluded.

COVID-19 Response If during the project period, ANA and/or recipients are required to adjust program and/or recipient requirements due to COVID-19 or other nationally declared emergency, ANA will exercise maximum flexibilities, as needed. Requirements may be conducted virtually and/or timelines modified in consultation with ANA.

Subawards

Recipients under this grant program may opt to transfer a portion of substantive programmatic work to other organizations through subaward(s). The prime recipient must maintain a substantive role in the project. ACF defines a substantive role as conducting activities and/or providing services funded under the award that are necessary and integral to the completion of the project. Subrecipient monitoring activities alone, as specified in 45 CFR § 75.352, do not constitute a substantive role. Furthermore, ACF does not fund awards where the role of the applicant is primarily to serve as a conduit for passing funds to other organizations unless that arrangement is authorized by statute.

Subrecipient(s) must meet the eligibility requirements identified in the NOFO, Section III.1.

Eligible Applicants. Additionally, all subrecipient(s) must obtain a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number, or after government-wide implementation, a Unique Entity Identifier assigned by the System for Award Management (SAM), if they do not already have one. Prime recipients are required to check the SAM to verify that the subrecipient(s) is/are not debarred, suspended, or ineligible.

Please reference the Award Term and Condition on Subawards on the ACF Administrative and National Policy Requirements website for further requirements involving subawards.

Definitions

Program-specific terms and concepts described in this NOFO are found in Appendix A.

Definitions.

II. Federal Award Information Funding Instrument Type:

G (Grant) Estimated Total Funding:

$1,200,000 Expected Number of Awards:

Award Ceiling:

https://www.acf.hhs.gov/administrative-and-national-policy-requirements#book_content_14 https://www.acf.hhs.gov/administrative-and-national-policy-requirements#chapter-15 https://www.acf.hhs.gov/administrative-and-national-policy-requirements#chapter-15

$300,000 Per Budget Period

Award Floor:

$50,000 Per Budget Period

Average Projected Award Amount:

$125,000 Per Budget Period

Anticipated Project Start Date:

09/30/2022 Length of Project Periods:

12-month project period and budget period

24-month project period with two 12-month budget periods

36-month project period with three 12-month budget periods

Additional Information on Project Periods and Explanation of 'Other' Applicants may propose projects with project periods consisting of either 12, 24 or 36 months.

Additional Information on Awards:

Awards made under this funding opportunity are subject to the availability of federal funds.

Applications requesting an award amount that exceeds the Award Ceiling per budget period, or per project period, as stated in this section, will be disqualified from competitive review and from funding under this funding opportunity. This disqualification applies only to the Award Ceiling listed for the first 12-month budget period for projects with multiple budget periods. If the project and budget period are the same, the disqualification applies to the Award Ceiling listed for the project period. Please see Section III.3. Other, Application Disqualification Factors.

Note: For those programs that require matching or cost sharing, recipients will be held accountable for projected commitments of non-federal resources in their application budgets and budget justifications by budget period or by project period for fully funded awards, even if the projected commitment exceeds the required amount of match or cost share. A recipient's failure to provide the required matching amount may result in the disallowance of federal funds.

For more information on these requirements, see Section III.2. Cost Sharing or Matching.

Non-competing Continuation Awards

An initial grant award will be for a 12-month budget period. The NCC award for projects approved for more than one 12-month project period will be subject to the availability of funds, satisfactory progress on the part of the recipient, and a determination that the continued funding would be in the best interest of the federal government. Grants will be awarded for 12-month budget periods throughout the project.

III. Eligibility Information

III.1. Eligible Applicants Pursuant to 42 U.S.C. §2991b and 45 CFR §1336.33, eligible applicants under the SEDS-AK opportunity include the following:

Federally-recognized Indian tribes in Alaska, as recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA);

Alaska Native villages as defined in the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) and/or non-profit village consortia;

Non-profit Native organizations in Alaska with village-specific projects;

Incorporated non-profit multi-purpose community-based Indian organizations (including

Urban Indian Organizations as defined by 25 U.S.C. § 1603)(29));

Urban Indian Centers;

Native Community Development Financial Institutions (Native CDFIs);

Incorporated non-profit Alaska Native multipurpose, community-based organizations;

Non-profit Alaska Native Regional Corporations/Associations in Alaska with village-specific projects; or Non-profit Alaska Native community entities or tribal governing bodies (Indian

Reorganization Act or Traditional Councils) as recognized by the BIA.

Please refer to Section III.3., Other, ANA Disqualification Factors, for additional eligibility requirements.

Applications from individuals (including sole proprietorships) and foreign entities are not eligible and will be disqualified from competitive review and from funding under this funding opportunity. See Section III.3. Other, Application Disqualification Factors.

Faith-based and community organizations that meet the eligibility requirements are eligible to receive awards under this funding opportunity. Faith-based organizations may apply for this award on the same basis as any other organization, as set forth at and, subject to the protections and requirements of 45 CFR Part 87 and 42 U.S.C. § 2000bb et seq., ACF will not, in the selection of recipients, discriminate against an organization on the basis of the organization's religious character, affiliation, or exercise.

Reference to Legal Status See Section IV.2. Legal Status of Applicant Entity for documentation required to support eligibility.

Funding Restrictions Reference Please see Section IV.6. Funding Restrictions for any limitations on the use of federal funds that could affect the eligibility of an applicant or project.

III.2. Cost Sharing or Matching Cost Sharing / Matching Requirement:

Yes Recipients are required to meet a non-federal share of the project cost, in accordance with 42 U.S.C. 2991b(b).

Recipients must provide at least 20 percent of the total approved cost of the project. The total approved cost of the project is the sum of the ACF (federal) share and the non-federal share. The non-federal share may be met by cash or in-kind contributions, although applicants are encouraged to meet their match requirements through cash contributions. For example, in order to meet the match requirements, a project requesting $300,000 in ACF (federal) funds must provide a non-federal share of the approved total project cost of at least $ 75,000 , which is 20 percent of total approved project cost of $ 375,000 .

For all federal awards, any shared costs or matching funds and all contributions, including cash and third-party in-kind contributions, must be accepted as part of the recipient’s cost sharing or matching when such contributions meet all of the criteria listed in 45 CFR § 75.306.

For awards that require matching by statute, recipients will be held accountable for projected commitments of non-federal resources in their application budgets and budget justifications by budget period, or by project period for fully funded awards, even if the projected commitment exceeds the amount required by the statutory match. A recipient’s failure to provide the statutorily required matching amount may result in the disallowance of federal funds.

Recipients will be required to report these funds in the Federal Financial Reports.

For awards that do not require matching or cost sharing by statute, where “cost sharing” refers to any situation in which the recipient voluntarily shares in the costs of a project other than as statutorily required matching, recipients will be held accountable for projected commitments of non-federal resources in their application budgets and budget justifications by budget period, or by project period for fully funded awards. These include situations in which contributions are voluntarily proposed by a recipient or subrecipient and are accepted by ACF. Non-federal cost sharing will be included in the approved project budget so that the recipient will be held accountable for proposed non-federal cost sharing funds as shown in the Notice of Award (NoA). A recipient’s failure to provide voluntary cost sharing of non-federal resources that have been accepted by ACF as part of the approved project costs and that have been shown as part of the approved project budget in the NoA, may result in the disallowance of federal funds. Recipients will be required to report these funds in the Federal Financial Reports.

ANA COMMITMENT OF CASH OR IN-KIND CONTRIBUTION

Applicants must establish proof of the firm commitment of cash or in-kind contributions by submitting documentation, such as a letter or other proof, from the source of such resources.

See Section IV.2. Content and Form of Application Submission, The Project Budget and Budget Justification.

ANA MATCH WAIVER

Applicants may request a waiver of the requirement for a 20 percent match. To receive a waiver or a reduction in the required match, the applicant must provide ANA with written documentation of their need. This request must establish whether the applicant satisfies each waiver criteria in 45 CFR §1336.50(b)(3). The waiver request should be submitted with the application as an attachment. Approval of the waiver request cannot be assumed by the applicant without written notification from ANA. Waiver requests will not result in a deduction of points in the evaluation of the application.

45 CFR §1336.50(b)(3) states the following:

"(3) Criteria. Both of the following criteria [1] must be met for an applicant to be eligible for a waiver of the non-Federal matching requirement:

(i) Applicant lacks the available resources to meet part or all of the non-Federal matching requirement. This must be documented by an institutional audit if available, or a full disclosure of applicant's total assets and liabilities.

(ii) Applicant can document that reasonable efforts to obtain cash or in-kind contributions for the purposes of the project from third parties have been unsuccessful. Evidence of such efforts can include letters from possible sources of funding indicating that the requested resources are not available for that project. The requests must be appropriate to the source in terms of project purpose, applicant eligibility, and reasonableness of the request."

For inquiries about the waiver process, contact your regional technical assistance provider. Refer to Section VIII. Other Information, Reference Websites for the contact information.

III.3. Other

PROJECTS INELIGIBLE FOR FUNDING

45 CFR §1336.33(b) has the effect of making the following projects ineligible for funding under this NOFO:

Projects for which a recipient will provide third-party training and technical assistance to other tribes or Native American organizations or to non-members of the recipient organization.

Projects that require funding for feasibility studies, business plans, marketing plans, or written materials, such as manuals that are not an essential part of the applicant's long-range development plan.

Projects with core administration functions that essentially support only the applicant's ongoing administrative functions and are not related to the proposed project; however, for Alaska-specific SEDS projects, ANA will consider funding core administrative, capacity-building projects at the village-government level, if the village does not have governing systems in place.

Projects that support ongoing social service delivery programs, the expansion, or continuation of existing social service delivery programs.

Projects that do not further the three interrelated ANA goals of economic development, social development, and cultural preservation.

Projects from consortia of tribes that do not include documentation from each participating consortium member specifying their role and support. Projects from consortia must have goals and objectives that will encompass the participating communities. ANA will not fund projects by a consortium of tribes that duplicate activities for which participating member tribes also receive funding from ANA.

The purchase of real estate.

Application Disqualification Factors Applications from individuals (including sole proprietorships) and foreign entities are not eligible and will be disqualified from competitive review and from funding under this funding opportunity.

Award Ceiling Disqualification

Applications that request an award amount that exceeds the Award Ceiling per budget period or per project period ("per project period" refers only to fully funded awards), as stated in Section II. Federal Award Information, will be disqualified from competitive review and from funding under this funding opportunity. This disqualification applies only to the Award Ceiling listed for the first 12-month budget period for projects with multiple budget periods. If the project and budget period are the same, the disqualification applies to the Award Ceiling listed for the project period.

Required Electronic Application Submission

ACF requires electronic submission of applications at www.Grants.gov. Paper applications received from applicants that have not been approved for an exemption from required electronic submission will be disqualified from competitive review and from funding under this funding opportunity.

Applicants that do not have an internet connection or sufficient computing capacity to upload large documents to the internet may contact ACF for an exemption that will allow the applicant to submit applications in paper format. Information and the requirements for requesting an exemption from required electronic application submission are found in "ACF Policy for Requesting an Exemption from Electronic Application Submission."

Missing the Application Deadline (Late Applications)

The deadline for electronic application submission is 11:59 pm ET on the due date listed in the Overview and in Section IV.4. Submission Dates and Times. Electronic applications submitted to www.Grants.gov after 11:59 pm ET on the due date, as indicated by a dated and time-stamped email from www.Grants.gov, will be disqualified from competitive review and from funding under this funding opportunity. That is, applications submitted to www.Grants.gov, on or after 12:00 am ET on the day after the due date will be disqualified from competitive review and from funding under this funding opportunity.

Applications submitted to www.Grants.gov at any time during the open application period, and prior to the due date and time, which fail the www.Grants.gov validation check, will not be received at, or acknowledged by ACF.

Each time an application is submitted via www.Grants.gov, the submission will generate a new date and time-stamp email notification. Only those applications with on-time date and time stamps that result in a validated application, which is transmitted to ACF will be acknowledged.

The deadline for receipt of paper applications is 4:30 pm ET on the due date listed in the Overview and in Section IV.4. Submission Dates and Times. Paper applications received https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ACF_Policy_for_Requesting_an_Exemption_from_Required_Electronic_FINAL_0.pdf https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ACF_Policy_for_Requesting_an_Exemption_from_Required_Electronic_FINAL_0.pdf https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ after 4:30 pm ET on the due date will be disqualified from competitive review and from funding under this funding opportunity. Paper applications received from applicants that have not received approval of an exemption from required electronic submission will be disqualified from competitive review and from funding under this funding opportunity.

ANA DISQUALIFICATION FACTORS

Assurance of Community Representation on Board of Directors

Applicants other than tribes or Alaska Native villages applying for funding must show that a majority of board members are representative of a Native American community to be served.

Applicants must submit documentation that identifies each board member by name and indicates their personal affiliation or relationship to at least one of ANA’s three categories of community representation, which includes: (1) members of federally or state-recognized tribes; (2) persons who are recognized by members of the eligible Native American community to be served as having a cultural relationship with that community; or (3) persons considered to be Native American as defined in 45 CFR § 1336.10 and Native American Pacific Islanders as defined in Section 815 of the NAPA. The second category of community representation requires a "cultural" relationship defined as lineage, familial, marriage, or other traditional or social connection to the community, and not a business or work relationship (e.g., person that owns a business or is employed by an organization that serves the Native community).

Applicants that do not include this documentation will be considered non-responsive, and the application will not be considered for competition. See Appendix C for an example.

See Section IV.2. Content and Form of Application Submission, The Project Description, Additional Eligibility Documentation.

Public agencies serving Native peoples from Guam, American Samoa, or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands must include Assurance of Community Representation from the governing body of the applicant agency, and Tribal Colleges governed by a board that is separate from the governing body of a tribe, must include Assurance of Community. Representation from the governing body of the Tribal College, and not from the governing body of the Tribe.

If an American Indian tribe or Alaska Native village applies for a grant as a non-profit, the Assurance of Community Representation on Board of Directors must be provided.

Applicants that do not include this documentation will be considered non-responsive, and the application will not be considered for competition. See Section IV.2. The Project Description, Additional Eligibility Documentation.

Only one Active Award Per CFDA

The following disqualification factors apply to all types of eligible applicants:

Organizations can have no more than one active award per CFDA number for an ANA program at any given time. Therefore, organizations with a current ANA grant that is eligible for an NCC award that: (1) will go beyond the start date of the possible new award; and (2) was awarded under the same CFDA number as this NOFO, will not have their applications considered for the competition. This disqualification factor is based on the administrative policy that prohibits recipients from having more than one active grant per CFDA number. This disqualification factor does not apply to organizations eligible for an NCC award for the continuation of an ANA grant made under a different CFDA number.

Notification of Application Disqualification Applicants will be notified of a disqualification determination by email or by USPS postal mail within 30 federal business days from the closing date of this NOFO.

IV. Application and Submission Information IV.1. Address to Request Application Package ANA Operations Administrative and Technical Support Team (OATS) U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families

HHS-2021-ACF-ANA-NK-1902

Mary E. Switzer Memorial Building 330 C Street, SW., 4th Floor Washington

DC

20201

(877) 922-9262

(202) 690-7441 anacomments@acf.hhs.gov https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ana/programs Application Packages

Electronic Application Submission:

The electronic application submission package is available in the NOFO's listing at www.Grants.gov.

Applications in Paper Format:

For applicants that have received an exemption to submit applications in paper format, Standard Forms, assurances, and certifications are available in the "Select Grant Opportunity Package" available in the NOFO's Grants.gov Synopsis under the Package tab at www.Grants.gov. See Section IV.2. Request an Exemption from Required Electronic Application Submission if applicants do not have an Internet connection or sufficient computing capacity to upload large documents (files) to www.Grants.gov.

Federal Relay Service:

Hearing-impaired and speech-impaired callers may contact the Federal Relay Service (FedRelay) for assistance at www.gsa.gov/fedrelay.

IV.2. Content and Form of Application Submission

FORMATTING APPLICATION SUBMISSIONS

Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) AOR is the designated representative of the applicant/recipient organization with authority to act on the organization's behalf in matters related to the award and administration of grants. In https://www.Grants.gov/ https://www.Grants.gov/ http://www.gsa.gov/fedrelay signing a grant application, this individual agrees that the organization will assume the obligations imposed by applicable Federal statutes and regulations and other terms and conditions of the award, including any assurances, if a grant is awarded.

Point of Contact In addition to the AOR, a point of contact on matters involving the application must also be identified on the SF-424. The point of contact, known as the Project Director or Principal Investigator, should not be identical to the person identified as the AOR. The point of contact should also be an employee of the applicant organization and not a contractor, such as a grant writer. The point of contact must be available to answer any questions pertaining to the application.

Application Checklist Applicants may refer to Section VIII. Other Information for a checklist of application requirements that may be used in developing and organizing application materials. Details concerning acknowledgment of received applications are available in Section IV.4.