Foa_Content_of_HHS-2022-ACF-OCC-YN-0090.pdf

Administration for Children and Families

Office of Child Care

Native Hawaiian Non-Profit Organization Child Care Grant

HHS-2022-ACF-OCC-YN-0090

Application Due Date: 06/24/2022

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

Funding Opportunity Title:

Native Hawaiian Non-Profit Organization Child Care Grant Announcement Type:

Initial Funding Opportunity Number:

HHS-2022-ACF-OCC-YN-0090

Primary CFDA Number:

93.575 Due Date for Applications:

06/24/2022 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), Office of Child Care (OCC) is pleased to announce the availability of funds and request applications for its Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 Native Hawaiian Non-profit Organization Child Care Grant. The purpose of this grant is to provide child care services to Native Hawaiian youth who are not currently receiving child care services funded by other Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) formula grants. This $1 million grant will be awarded competitively to a Native Hawaiian organization to provide child care services to Native Hawaiian children who reside in the State of Hawaii. The funding will support child care services to eligible children, who must be under the age of 13 and reside with a family whose income does not exceed 85 percent of the state median income (or grantee [recipient] median income) for a family of the same size. The children's parent(s) must either work or attend a job training or educational program or need/or receive protective services.

Note: This year OCC will award a $1 million grant under a separate NOFO, HHS-2022-ACF- OCC-YN-0091, to an American Indian and Native Hawaiian private non-profit organization(s) that provides child care services to American Indian or Native Hawaiian youth from federally recognized Indian tribes who are not currently receiving child care services funded by CCDF grants. Eligible applicants may apply for funding under both NOFOs but will only receive an award under one grant.

I. Program Description Statutory Authority The statutory authority for this program is section 658O(c)(1) of the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Act, as amended (42 U.S.C. 9858m(c)(1)). See also 45 CFR § 98.61(e).

Description https://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/how-apply-grant

PROGRAM HISTORY

The CCDF subsidies help low-income families with children under the age of 13 pay for child care. As a block grant, CCDF gives funding to states, territories, and tribes to provide child care subsidies through vouchers or certificates to low-income families and grants and contracts (e.g., direct services) to providers in some states. CCDF provides access to child care services for low-income families, so that parents can work or participate in training or education activities.

Additionally, CCDF promotes the healthy development of children by improving the quality of early learning and afterschool experiences for both subsidized and unsubsidized children. Within the federal regulations, recipients decide how to administer their subsidy programs. Recipients determine payment rates for child care providers, copayment amounts for families, specific eligibility requirements, and have some flexibilities on how to prioritize CCDF services. In FY 2022, Congress appropriated federal discretionary, mandatory, and matching funds to all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Marianas Islands, the Virgin Islands, and tribal recipients; there are currently 264 Tribal CCDF recipients representing over 530 federally recognized Indian tribes.

The CCDBG Act provides opportunities to offer flexibility to tribes in certain areas where there are unique needs. The Act balances the CCDF dual goals of promoting families’ financial stability and fostering healthy child development, while providing flexibility for tribal communities. The requirements in the CCDF regulations focus on the importance of health and safety and quality child care services to tribal communities. Recipients funded through this NOFO will be subject to the regulations at 45 CFR Parts 98 and 99 to the same extent as a tribal Lead Agency with a large allocation except that the grant application shall serve in lieu of the Plan required by 45 CFR §98.81 and shall be considered to be the Plan as defined at 45 CFR §98.2. In addition, the regulations at 45 CFR Part 75 shall apply to the extent set forth at 45 CFR §75.101(d) (see: Program Instruction-2015-01).

PROGRAM GOAL

The CCDF program is committed to providing funding towards quality child care services that adequately address the needs and unique circumstances of Native Hawaiian youth as defined in Section 658E(c)(2)(G)(ii)(V)(dd) of the CCDBG Act (42 U.S.C. 9858c(c)(2)(G)(ii)(V)(dd)).

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

To meet the purposes and goals of CCDBG Act and CCDF regulations, programs funded through this NOFO are required to comply with the same requirements as recipients receiving large allocation tribal formula grants under the CCDF program. The following requirements from the CCDF regulations are to be incorporated into the programs funded through this NOFO:

Minimum Expenditures on Quality—The recipient must spend at least 9 percent of their CCDF funds on quality activities designed to improve the quality of child care services and increase parental options and access to high-quality child care as described at 45 CFR §98.53. Appropriate quality activities include those designed to provide comprehensive consumer education to parents and the public, activities that increase parental choice, and activities designed to improve the quality and availability of child care, including professional development and culturally relevant activities. The recipient must also spend 3 percent of their CCDF funds on activities to improve the quality of care for infants and toddlers. [45 CFR §98.53(a) and 98.83(g)].

https://www.acf.hhs.gov/occ/policy-guidance/uniform-administrative-requirements-cost-principles-and-audit-requirements

Health and Safety—The recipient must certify that requirements designed to protect the health and safety of children that are applicable to the providers that serve CCDF children are in place. The requirements shall include the following: (i) prevention and control of infectious diseases (including immunization); (ii) prevention of sudden infant death syndrome and use of safe sleeping practices; (iii) administration of medication consistent with standards for parental consent; (iv) prevention and response to emergencies due to food and allergic reactions; (v) building and physical premises safety including identification of and protection from hazards that can cause bodily injury, such as electrical hazards, bodies of water, and vehicular traffic; (vi) prevention of shaken baby syndrome, abusive head trauma, and child maltreatment; (vii) emergency preparedness and response planning for emergencies resulting from a natural disaster or a human-caused event (e.g., violence at a child care facility); (viii) handling and storage of hazardous materials and the appropriate disposal of bio-contaminants; (ix) appropriate precautions in transporting children, if applicable; (x) pediatric first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation; and (xi) recognition and reporting of child abuse and neglect, in accordance with the requirement at 45 CFR §98.41(e). The recipient must ensure that directors, teachers, and caregivers receive minimum health and safety training appropriate to the provider setting in each of the health and safety topics. With the exception of relative providers, all providers of care to CCDF children must meet the basic health and safety standards whether through licensure, regulation, or through requirements designed by the recipient that apply to unregulated providers serving CCDF subsidized families. (Relative providers are defined as grandparents, great-grandparents, siblings [if living in a separate residence], aunts, and uncles). [45 CFR §98.41].

Monitoring and Enforcement—The recipient must certify that procedures are in place to ensure that child care providers caring for children receiving CCDF services comply with all applicable tribal and/or state/local health and safety trainings and fire standards, including those described at 45 CFR §98.41 and 98.42(a). This may include, but is not limited to, any systems used to ensure that providers complete health and safety trainings, any documentation required to be maintained by child care providers, or any other monitoring procedures to ensure compliance. The recipient must ensure that child care providers, including license-exempt providers are inspected annually by the state or another entity such as the recipient itself. Recipients may propose an alternative approach to meet these requirements (45 CFR §98.42) as outlined in Program Instruction-2019-05.

Criminal Background Checks—The recipient must have requirements, policies, and procedures in place to conduct criminal background checks for all child care staff members (including prospective staff members) of all child care programs that are 1) licensed, regulated, or registered under state/territory/tribal law; and, 2) all other providers eligible to deliver CCDF services (e.g., license-exempt CCDF eligible providers) (45 CFR §98.43(a)(1)(i)). The CCDF background check requirements apply to any staff member who is employed by a child care provider for compensation, including contract employees and self-employed individuals; whose activities involve the care or supervision of children or who have unsupervised access to children (45 CFR §98.43(a)(2)). For family child care homes, this requirement includes the caregiver and any other adults residing in the family child care home who are age 18 or older (45 CFR §98.43(a)(2)(ii)(C)). This requirement does not apply to individuals who are related to all children for whom child care services are provided. (45 CFR §98.43). The recipient may https://www.acf.hhs.gov/occ/policy-guidance/guidance-alternative-approaches-purposes-conducting-background-checks-child propose an alternative approach to meet these requirements (45 CFR §98.42) as outlined in Program Instruction-2019-05.

Establishing Priorities—The recipient funded through this NOFO must provide priority of child care services to children with special needs, and children experiencing homelessness (45 CFR §98.46).

Parental Choice—The statute provides for parental choice of child care provider.

Parents may choose any legally operating child care provider that meets health and safety standards and is willing to participate in the subsidy program. The regulations define child care provider as one who provides child care either in a center, family home, or the child's own home (i.e., in-home care). The recipient has the option to limit the use of in-home care. Care by a faith-based provider, a relative provider, and any other type of legally provided child care are allowable choices. The recipient must disseminate consumer education information that will promote informed child care choices to parents of eligible children and the general public. [45 CFR §98.30].

Consumer Education—The recipient is required to provide information to parents, the general public, and, when applicable, child care providers through a method of their choice, which is consumer-friendly and easily accessible. The available information must include provider-specific information, monitoring and inspection reports for the provider, and the quality of each provider (if such information is available for the provider). The information should also provide access to a yearly service-area-wide report on deaths, serious injuries, and the number of cases of substantiated child abuse that occurred in child care settings. To assist families with any additional questions, the information should provide contact information for local child care resource and referral organizations and any other agencies that can assist families in better understanding the information. The recipient must collect and disseminate the provider-specific consumer education information described at 45 CFR §98.33(a) through (d) but may do so using alternative approaches other than a website to disseminate provider information. [45 CFR §98.33 and 98.83(d)].

Certificate Program—The recipient is required to offer a child care certificate program that permits parents to choose the full range of child care services. The recipient may also provide services through grants and contracts with providers. [45 CFR §98.30(a)(1), 98.30(a)(2), and 98.2].

Setting Payment Rates—The recipient is required to establish payment rates for child care services that ensure eligible families have equal access to child care services comparable to those services provided to families not eligible to receive CCDF services.

The recipient may conduct a market rate survey; use an alternative methodology, such as a cost estimation model; use the state's market rate survey; or alternative methodology to demonstrate how their payment rates are adequate, including a description of how the recipient payment rates are established and are sufficient to support providers' health, safety, quality, and staffing requirements, including cultural and linguistic appropriateness where applicable. [45 CFR §98.45(f)(2)].

Family Cost Sharing—The recipient must establish and periodically revise a sliding-fee scale for CCDF families that varies based on income and the size of the family to determine each family’s contribution (i.e., co-payment). The recipient funded through this NOFO that has categorical eligibility is still required to meet other requirements, such as the sliding fee scale. The cost-sharing should not be a barrier to families receiving https://www.acf.hhs.gov/occ/policy-guidance/guidance-alternative-approaches-purposes-conducting-background-checks-child

CCDF assistance. The recipient may not use the cost, price of care, or subsidy payment rate as a factor in setting co-payment amounts. In addition, the recipient funded through this NOFO may waive co-payments for families below poverty, that have children who receive or need to receive protective services, or that meet other criteria established by the recipient. [45 CFR §98.45(k)].

Provider Payment Practices—The recipient is required to establish payment practices applicable to all CCDF child care providers, including practices related to timeliness, paying for absence days, and other generally-accepted payment practices. The recipient's payment practices must reflect generally-accepted payment practices in the private-pay market. [45 CFR §98.45(l)].

Emergency Disaster Plan—The recipient is required to establish a child care disaster plan for their CCDF service area. The recipient must demonstrate how they will address the needs of children—including the need for safe child care before, during, and after a state of emergency declared by the Governor or a major disaster or emergency (as defined by section 102 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, 42 U.S.C. 5122). In addition, the recipient must describe how the child care Disaster Plan was developed in collaboration with the appropriate stakeholders, including other programs within the service area. [45 CFR §98.16(aa) and §98.41(a)(1)(vii)].

Limit on Administrative Costs—The recipient must spend no more than 15 percent of their CCDF funds on administration. Activities such as eligibility determination, child care placement, and providing parents with information about child care services are not considered administration needs. [45 CFR §98.83(i)].

Program Activities The recipient funded through this NOFO must design a child care program that adequately addresses needs and unique circumstances of the Native Hawaiian populations it intends to serve.

OCC envisions programs to incorporate the following elements:

Serving children in safe, healthy, nurturing child care settings that are effective in promoting learning and child development;

Developing and/or implementing program standards to ensure health and safety and quality of care;

Minimizing any disruptions to children's development and learning by promoting continuity of care;

Promoting strategies that ensure an adequate supply of child care providers;

Providing professional development and other support to child care providers;

Promoting culturally relevant activities, including language immersion programs, the integration of storytellers, and cultural training for parents and providers;

Ensuring that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and Two-Spirit individuals, including parents, children, and providers, are fairly treated and served in an inclusive and non-stigmatizing way;

Engaging and supporting parents and other family members by including providing consumer education;

Supporting parent employment and expanding quality choices available to them;

Promoting continuous quality improvement activities;

Coordinating and collaborating with other early care and education programs administered at the state or local level, schools, and other services as appropriate;

Ensuring program accountability and integrity; and Ensuring children's health and safety through announced and unannounced visits and background checks, by the recipient or other entity.

Beneficiary Eligibility Criteria To be eligible to receive CCDF-funded child care services under this NOFO, a child must be under the age of 13. In addition, the child must reside with a family that fits the following requirements: (1) whose income does not exceed 85 percent of the recipient median income for a family of the same size (or a lower threshold set by the recipient); (2) whose assets do not exceed $1 million (as certified by a family member); and (3) whose parent(s) are either working or attending a job training or educational program. Alternatively, the child may be eligible if they need or receive protective services. The recipient may use the state median income or income established by the Native Hawaiian organization as the grantee [recipient] median income. The recipient must use their CCDF funds to serve Native Hawaiian youth as defined in section 658E(c)(2)(G)(ii)(V)(dd) of the CCDBG Act (42 U.S.C. 9858c(c)(2)(G)(ii)(V)(dd)). The recipient may also serve children under the age of 19 who are under court supervision or mentally or physically incapable of self-care. [45 CFR §98.20].

If the grantee (recipient) median income in the service area is below 85 percent of the state median income, the recipient has the option of considering any Native Hawaiian child in the service area to be eligible to receive CCDF funds, regardless of a family’s income, work, or training status, provided that provision for services still goes to those with the highest need. (45 CFR §98.81(b)(1)(i)). In addition, if the recipient chooses to take advantage of this option, then it can create opportunities to align CCDF programs with other early childhood programs, including Home Visiting, Early Head Start, Head Start, and Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships. This provision also allows programs funded through this NOFO to streamline eligibility requirements for early childhood programs within the same service area.

Construction or Major Renovation Section 658O(c)(6) of the CCDBG Act (42 U.S.C. 9858m(c)(6)), permits Native Hawaiian recipients to use CCDF funds for construction or major renovation of child care facilities with prior ACF approval. See Definition of Terms in this section.

Although construction/major renovation of child care facilities is allowable, these grants are primarily designed to operate child care programs and construction or major renovation is discouraged. Grant funds cannot be spent for construction/ major renovation until a recipient has been awarded a grant under this NOFO and has applied for and received approval from ACF through a separate application process.

As part of a separate post-award application process, the recipient must show that adequate facilities are not otherwise available to implement quality child care programs, and that the lack of facilities will inhibit the operation of such programs in the future. Moreover, statutory language at section 658O(c)(6) of the CCDBG Act (42 U.S.C. 9858m(c)(6)), indicates that Congress does not intend for construction and major renovation projects to unnecessarily divert resources from the provision of child care services. Therefore, the recipient must reserve funds for direct child care services since the grants under this NOFO are designed to provide quality child care services in areas that have been previously underserved and/or have unmet needs.

Construction cannot result in the decrease of child care services unless the decrease in the level of child care services is temporary and the recipient submits a plan to ACF that demonstrates that after the construction or renovation is completed, the level of child care services will increase or the quality of child care services will improve.

Information on the separate application process for construction and major renovation is available on OCC's website at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/occ/policy-guidance/tribal-construction-or-major-renovation. The amount of funds that a recipient may request for construction or major renovation through the separate application process is limited to the amount estimated in the recipient's original CCDF application under this NOFO. For more information on Construction or Major Renovation, see 45 CFR §98.84.

SUBAWARDS

The recipient 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.

For information on application requirements specific to this NOFO, please see Section IV.2. The Project Description and The Project Budget and Budget Justification.

DEFINITION OF TERMS

For the purposes of this NOFO, the following definitions apply unless stated otherwise, and are found at 45 CFR §98.2 (see also section 658P of the CCDBG Act (42 U.S.C. 9858n)):

Child Care Certificate— means a certificate (that may be a check, or other disbursement) that is issued by a recipient directly to a parent who may use such certificate only as payment for child care services or as a deposit for child care services if such a deposit is required of other children being cared for by the provider, pursuant to 45 CFR §98.30. Nothing in this part shall preclude the use of such certificate for sectarian child care services if freely chosen by the parent. For the https://www.acf.hhs.gov/occ/policy-guidance/tribal-construction-or-major-renovation https://www.acf.hhs.gov/occ/policy-guidance/tribal-construction-or-major-renovation https://www.acf.hhs.gov/administrative-and-national-policy-requirements#book_content_14 https://www.acf.hhs.gov/administrative-and-national-policy-requirements https://www.acf.hhs.gov/administrative-and-national-policy-requirements purposes of this part, a child care certificate is assistance to the parent, not assistance to the provider.

Construction—the erection of a facility that does not currently exist.

Grantee Median Income [Recipient Median Income]—recipients have the flexibility to define grantee (recipient) median income as either of the following options: (1) 85 percent of the state median income for a family of the same size; or (2) 85 percent of the median income for a family of the same size residing in the area served by the recipient, pursuant to 45 CFR §98.81(b)(1).

Major Renovation—(1) structural changes to the foundation, roof, floor, exterior, or load-bearing walls of a facility, or the extension of a facility to increase its floor area; or (2) any extensive alteration of a facility such as to significantly change its function and purpose, even if such renovation does not include any structural changes.

Native Hawaiian Organization—a private non-profit organization established for the purpose of serving youth who are Native Hawaiian as specified in section 658P(15)(B) of the CCDBG Act (42 U.S.C. 9858n(15)(B)). [45 CFR §98.61(e)]. The organization must be recognized by the Governor of Hawaii for the purpose of planning, conducting, or administering programs (or portion of programs) for the benefit of Native Hawaiians.

Parent—a parent by blood, marriage, or adoption, and also a legal guardian or other person standing in loco parentis.

Provider—the entity providing child care services as defined at 45 CFR §98.2.

II. Federal Award Information Funding Instrument Type:

CA (Cooperative Agreement) Estimated Total Funding:

$1,000,000 Expected Number of Awards:

Award Ceiling:

$1,000,000 Per Budget Period

Award Floor:

$500,000 Per Budget Period

Average Projected Award Amount:

$750,000 Per Budget Period

Anticipated Project Start Date:

09/30/2022 Length of Project Periods:

60-month project period with five 12-month budget periods

Additional Information on Project Periods and Explanation of 'Other' 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.

Awards for the second, third, fourth, and fifth 12-month budget periods will be made subsequent to approval of non-competing continuation applications and will be subject to the availability of funds, satisfactory progress by the recipient (e.g., evidence that child care services are being provided to the target population as intended, in accordance with CCDF statute and regulation), and a determination that continued funding would be in the best interest of the federal government.

Description of ACF's Anticipated Substantial Involvement Under the Cooperative Agreement Award

A cooperative agreement is a specific method of awarding federal assistance in which substantial federal involvement is anticipated. Cooperative agreements defining the respective responsibilities of ACF and the recipient will be negotiated. ACF anticipates that agency involvement will produce programmatic benefits to the recipient otherwise unavailable to them for carrying out the project. The involvement and collaboration includes the following:

ACF involvement in the establishment of policies and procedures that maximize open competition; and rigorous and impartial development, review, and funding of recipient activities, if applicable;

ACF and recipient joint collaboration in the performance of key programmatic activities (e.g., strategic planning, implementation, information technology enhancements, training and technical assistance, and evaluation);

ACF's close monitoring of the requirements stated in this NOFO that limit the recipient's discretion with respect to scope of services offered, organizational structure and management processes; and

ACF's close monitoring during performance, which may, in order to ensure compliance with the intent of this NOFO, exceed those federal stewardship responsibilities customary for discretionary grant activities.

III. Eligibility Information

III.1. Eligible Applicants Native Hawaiian private non-profit organization[s] established for the purpose of serving youth who are Native Hawaiian as specified in section 658P(15)(B) of the CCDBG Act (42 U.S.C.

9858n(15)(B)) are eligible applicants for this grant. The recipient under this NOFO must use their CCDF funds to serve Native Hawaiian youth as defined in section 658E(c)(2)(G)(ii)(V)(dd) of the CCDBG Act (42 U.S.C. 9858c(c)(2)(G)(ii)(V)(dd)). The organization must be recognized by the Governor of Hawaii for the purpose of planning, conducting, or administering programs (or portion of programs) for the benefit of Native Hawaiians.

Applicants must submit supporting documentation that validates board members are included within one or more of the following categories: (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 Hawaiian as defined in section 658E(c)(2)(G)(ii)(V)(dd) of the CCDBG Act (42 U.S.C. 9858c(c)(2)(G)(ii)(V)(dd)).

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:

No 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.

III.3. Other 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) 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

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 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.

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 Carrie Peake Office of Early Childhood Development Administration for Children and Families 330 C Street SW Re: HHS-2022-ACF-OCC-YN-0090 Washington

DC

20201 202-868-9549 carrie.peake@acf.hhs.gov www.acf.hhs.gov/occ Application Packages

Electronic Application Submission:

https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/

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

Each applicant applying electronically via www.Grants.gov is required to upload only two electronic files, excluding Standard Forms and OMB-approved forms. No more than two files will be accepted for the review, and additional files will be removed. Standard Forms and OMB-approved forms will not be considered additional files.

FOR ALL APPLICATIONS:

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 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. 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 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.

Accepted Font Style Applications must be in Times New Roman (TNR), 12-point font, except for footnotes, which may be TNR 10-point font. Pages that contain blurred text, or text that is too small to read comfortably, will be removed.

https://www.Grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/ http://www.gsa.gov/fedrelay

English Language Applications must be submitted in the English language and must be in the terms of United States (U.S.) dollars. If applications are submitted using another currency, ACF will convert the foreign currency to U.S. currency using the date of receipt of the application to determine the rate of exchange.

Page Limitations Applicants must observe the page limitation(s) listed under "PAGE LIMITATIONS AND CONTENT FOR ALL SUBMISSION FORMATS:". Page limitation(s) do not include SFs and OMB-approved forms.

All applications must be double-spaced. An application that exceeds the cited page limitation for double-spaced pages in the Project Description file or the Appendices file will have extra pages removed, and those pages will not be reviewed.

Application Elements Exempted from Double-Spacing Requirements The following elements of the application submission are exempt from the double-spacing requirements and may be single-spaced: the table of contents, the one-page Project Summary, required Assurances and Certifications, required SFs, required OMB-approved forms, resumes, logic models, proof of legal status/non-profit status, third-party agreements, letters of support, footnotes, tables, the line-item budget and/or the budget justification.

Adherence to NOFO Formatting, Font, and Page Limitation Requirements Applications that fail to adhere to ACF’s NOFO formatting, font, and page limitation requirements will be adjusted by the removal of page(s) from the application. Pages will be removed before the objective review. The removed page(s) will not be made available to reviewers.

Applications that have more than one scanned page of a document on a single page will have the page(s) removed from the review.

For applicants that submit paper applications, double-sided pages will be counted as two pages.

When the maximum allowed number of pages is reached, excess pages will be removed and will not be made available to reviewers.

NOTE: Applicants failing to adhere to ACF’s NOFO formatting, font, and page limitation requirements will receive a letter from ACF notifying them that their application was amended.

The letter will be sent after awards have been issued and will specify the reason(s) for removal of page(s).

Corrections/Updates to Submitted Applications When applicants make revisions to a previously submitted application, ACF will accept only the last on-time application for pre-review under the Application Disqualification Factors. The Application Disqualification Factors determine the application's acceptance for competitive review. See Section III.3. Other, Application Disqualification Factors and Section IV.2.

Application Submission Options.

Copies Required Applicants must submit one complete copy of the application package electronically. Applicants submitting electronic applications need not provide additional copies of their application package.

Applicants submitting applications in paper format must submit one original and two copies of the complete application, including all Standard Forms and OMB-approved forms. The original copy must have original signatures.

Signatures Applicants submitting electronic applications must follow the registration and application submission instructions provided at www.Grants.gov.

The original of a paper format application must include original signatures of the authorized representatives.

Accepted Application Format With the exception of the required Standard Forms (SFs) and OMB-approved forms, all application materials must be formatted so that they are 8 ½" x 11" white paper with 1-inch margins all around.

If possible, applicants are encouraged to include page numbers for each page within the application.

ACF generally does not encourage submission of scanned documents as they tend to have reduced clarity and readability. If documents must be scanned, the font size on any scanned documents must be large enough so that it is readable. Documents must be scanned page-for-page, meaning that applicants may not scan more than one page of a document onto a single page. Pages with blurred text will be removed from the application.

PAGE LIMITATIONS AND CONTENT FOR ALL SUBMISSION FORMATS:

The overall page limitation for the entire document (i.e., Project Description and Appendices) is 100 pages. Standards forms (SFs) and/or Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approved forms are not included in the page limitation.

The Project Description and Budget Justification file should include the following items:

Table of Contents;

Project Summary;

Geographic Location;

Project Narrative;

Budget and Budget Justification; and Protection of Sensitive and/or Confidential Information

The Project Narrative must be organized into sub-sections that address the following items:

Need for Assistance;

Objectives;

Expected Outcomes;

Approach;

Project Timeline and Milestones;

Plan for Oversight of Federal Award Funds and Activities;

Program Performance Evaluation Plan; and Organizational Capacity

The Appendices should include the following items:

Resumes;

Organizational Charts;

List of Board of Directors;

Proof of Non-Profit Status;

Additional Eligibility Documentation;

Third-Party Agreement; and Letters of Support

For more information on the Project Description and Appendices, please refer to Section IV.2 The Project Description.

ELECTRONIC APPLICATION SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

Applicants are required to submit their applications electronically unless they have requested and received an exemption that will allow submission in paper format. See Section IV.2. Application Submission Options for information about requesting an exemption.

Electronic applications will only be accepted via www.Grants.gov. ACF will not accept applications submitted via email or via facsimile.

Each applicant is required to upload ONLY two electronic files, excluding SFs and OMB-approved forms.

File One: Must contain the entire Project Description, and the Budget and Budget Justification (including a line-item budget and a budget narrative).

File Two: Must contain all documents required in the Appendices.

Adherence to the Two-File Requirement No more than two files will be accepted for the review. Applications with additional files will be amended and files will be removed from the review. SFs and OMB-approved forms will not be considered additional files.

Application Upload Requirements ACF strongly recommends that electronic applications be uploaded as Portable Document Files (PDFs). One file must contain the entire Project Description and Budget Justification; the other file must contain all documents required in the Appendices. Details on the content of each of the two files, as well as page limitations, are listed earlier in this section.

To adhere to the two-file requirement, applicants may need to convert and/or merge documents together using a PDF converter software. Many recent versions of Microsoft Office include the ability to save documents to the PDF format without need of additional software. Applicants using the Adobe Acrobat Reader software will be able to merge these documents together. ACF recommends merging documents electronically rather than scanning multiple documents into one document manually, as scanned documents may have reduced clarity and readability.

Applicants must ensure that the version of Adobe Acrobat Reader they are using is compatible with Grants.gov. To verify Adobe software compatibility please go to Grants.gov and click on “Applicants” at the top bar menu and select “Adobe Software Compatibility", which is listed under "Applicant Resources." The Adobe verification process allows applicants to test their version of the software by opening a test Workspace PDF form. Grants.gov also includes guidance on how to download a supported version of Adobe, as well as troubleshooting instructions for use, if an applicant is unable to open the test form.

The Adobe Software Compatibility page located on Grants.gov also provides guidance for applicants on filling out a Workspace PDF form. In addition, it addresses local network and/or computer security settings and the impact this has on use of Adobe software.

Required Standard Forms (SFs) and OMB-approved Forms Standard Forms (SFs) and OMB-approved forms, such as the SF-424 application and budget forms and the…