Foa_Content_of_HHS-2022-ACF-ORR-ZR-0056.pdf

Administration for Children and Families

Office of Refugee Resettlement

Refugee Agricultural Partnership Program

HHS-2022-ACF-ORR-ZR-0056

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:

Refugee Agricultural Partnership Program Announcement Type:

Initial Funding Opportunity Number:

HHS-2022-ACF-ORR-ZR-0056

Primary CFDA Number:

93.576 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 Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) announces the availability of funds under the Refugee Agricultural Partnership Program (RAPP). This NOFO provides funds to eligible entities to develop strategies that incorporate agriculture and food systems to improve the livelihoods and economic self-sufficiency of refugee families, with particular emphasis on newly arrived refugees. These strategies should result in sustainable and/or supplemental income, improved access to healthy foods and better nutrition, and enhanced integration into communities by refugee families.

Projects under RAPP must have an understanding of the needs of the population to be served, the needs and opportunities of a community or area and available partnerships and resources, and must demonstrate a practical approach to achieving objectives, plans to evaluate qualitative and quantitative outcomes, and an organizational capability and a budget consistent with the overall approach and anticipated results. To this end, program requirements of RAPP include: 1) access to land; 2) training and technical assistance; and 3) farming production.

I. Program Description Statutory Authority Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) section 412(c)(1)(A), 8 U.S.C. 1522(c)(1)(A)

Description

REFUGEE AGRICULTURAL PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM (RAPP) OVERVIEW

Purpose and Objectives

The purpose of RAPP is to encourage the development of agricultural and food systems related services that will improve the livelihoods--physically, economically, and psychosocially--of refugee families resettled in the United States. RAPP accomplishes this by providing https://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/how-apply-grant discretionary funds to eligible, non-federal entities that provide agricultural training and opportunities to improve the local food systems for refugees. RAPP works to complement existing programs (e.g., Electronic Benefit Transfer/Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (EBT/SNAP); Women, Infants and Children (WIC); and Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program) while taking into consideration the unique characteristics of the refugee populations being served such as language, skills, agrarian backgrounds, health, and culture.

To this purpose, the objectives of RAPP are as follows:

Increase access to land and other necessary resources for the purpose of farming;

Incorporate relevant refugee cultural backgrounds and allow refugees to use their experience and skills in farming;

Increase refugee knowledge and skills in nutrition and food safety for personal consumption and, where relevant, processing for market;

Increase skills in farming and farming safety (e.g., food handling, safe soil amendment practices, farm equipment training, etc.);

Provide farming business development and training opportunities to refugees interested in pursuing farming as a means towards self-sufficiency (e.g., financial literacy training, business planning, farming recordkeeping, etc.);

Increase potential for supplemental income through refugee farming initiatives;

Increase access to healthy and nutritious foods through farming, particularly in urban areas or areas defined as food deserts by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) (https://www.ers.usda.gov/data/fooddesert); and

Provide psychosocial support for refugees through agricultural activities.

Projects will accomplish these objectives by establishing programs that combine the skills of its clients, staff, volunteers, partners, and other resources (e.g., funding from ORR, land, equipment, etc.) to assist refugees towards the program objectives.

Eligible Clients

Individuals with the following statuses are eligible for Refugee Resettlement Program Benefits (see 45 CFR § 400.43(a) (1)-(6) or statutory provisions cited below):

1. Individuals paroled as refugees or asylees under section 212(d)(5) of the INA.

2. Refugees admitted under section 207 of the INA.

3. Asylees whose status was granted under section 208 of the INA.

4. Cuban and Haitian entrants, in accordance with the requirements in 45 CFR § 401.2

a. Any individual granted parole status as a Cuban/Haitian Entrant (Status Pending) or granted any other special status subsequently established under the immigration laws for nationals of Cuba or Haiti, regardless of the status of the individual at the time assistance or services are provided;

b. A national of Cuba or Haiti who was paroled into the United States and has not acquired any other status under the INA and with respect to whom a final, non-appealable, and legally enforceable order of removal, deportation, or exclusion has not been entered;

c. A national of Cuba or Haiti who is the subject of removal, deportation, or exclusion https://www.ers.usda.gov/data/fooddesert proceedings under the INA and with respect to whom a final, non-appealable, and legally enforceable order of removal, deportation, or exclusion has not been entered; and

d. A national of Cuba or Haiti who has an application for asylum pending with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)/United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) or Department of Justice (DOJ)/Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) and with respect to whom a final, non-appealable, and legally enforceable order of removal, deportation or exclusion has not been entered.

5. Lawful permanent residents provided the individuals previously held one of the statuses identified above. (Note that this does not refer to Amerasians and Special Immigrants from Iraq and Afghanistan who are admitted as lawful permanent residents. See #6 below.)

6. Certain Amerasians from Vietnam who are admitted to the United States as immigrants pursuant to section 584 of the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 1998 (as contained in section 101(e) of Public Law (Pub. L.) 100-202), as amended (8 U.S.C. 1101 note).

7. Iraqi and Afghan Special Immigrants per section 1244(g) of Div. A of Pub. L. 110-181, as amended (8 U.S.C. 1157 note) and section 602(b) (8) of Div. F of Pub. L. 111-8, as amended (8 U.S.C. 1101 note).

8. Victims of a severe form of trafficking in persons per the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000, Pub. L. No. 106-386, as amended, 22 U.S.C. 7105(b) (1)(A) and (C).

The Afghanistan Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2022 authorizes citizens or nationals of Afghanistan paroled into the United States between July 31, 2021, and September 30, 2022, to receive benefits available to refugees including services provided under RAPP. Additionally, a spouse or child of any Afghan humanitarian parolee who is paroled into the United States after September 30, 2022, is entitled to the same benefits and assistance. The benefits and assistance will be available until March 31, 2023, or the end of an individual’s parole term, whichever is later.

Detailed information on eligibility of ORR-funded projects is available at 45 CFR § 400.43 and ORR Policy Letter 16-01, which can be found on the ORR website at www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/orr/resource/policy-letters.

ORR assistance and services must be provided to refugees without regard to race, religion, nationality, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), or political opinion.

The following documents are acceptable proof of refugee status during client intake and service eligibility interviews: I-94 showing admission into the United States as a refugee; a United States Permanent Resident Card (USCIS Form I-551) also known as a green card; Asylum Grant Letter.

Intake information must include the client's name, status under the which client arrived in the United States, date of eligibility, date of enrollment, date of projected program service termination, documentation of eligibility for RAPP services, alien number, birth date, and current address.

Additionally, programs are encouraged to focus recruitment and enrollment to eligible https://www.acf.hhs.gov/orr/policy-guidance/policy-letters individuals and families who have been in the country for less than 3 years at the time of enrollment.

RAPP REQUIREMENTS

Under RAPP, the following requirements are integral throughout the duration of the program: 1) access to land; 2) farming production; 3) all necessary training and technical assistance to produce agricultural products including vegetables, fruit, and/or livestock for consumption and marketing purposes; 4) coordination with the refugee resettlement community; and 5) engagement of the target population to determine needs and program design. An absence of any of these program requirements would hinder the progress towards program purpose and objectives, as described above and would be considered non-compliant of RAPP. Additionally, RAPP must provide services in a linguistically and culturally appropriate manner, and in accordance with the needs of their participants.

1. Provide Access to Land: RAPP providers are required to provide access to land for refugee clients to fulfill the program requirements, either through land already owned or through lease agreements. Please reference Section VI.2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements regarding applicable regulations on lease agreements. Suitable land is often difficult to obtain for reasons of contamination, security, inadequate water for irrigation, accessibility to the target audience, and restrictive local zoning codes. RAPP providers should consider both the size and accessibility of the property when selecting sites to ensure that the land is of sufficient size for production and training and technical assistance activities given the number of clients the RAPP providers work with or will work with during the project period.

Land may be accessed for use from various sources that include, but are not limited to, local governments, land trusts, and private entities. Projects are encouraged to work with community groups to identify potential sites for individual refugee farmers who intend to grow for marketing purposes. Individuals who are enrolled into RAPP and already have access to land are not required to operate on land secured through RAPP.

Grant funds cannot be used to purchase land, nor may grant funds be used to purchase or lease land on behalf of individual program participants. Leasing land by the recipient for the purpose of completing program objectives is an allowable cost. Please reference Section IV.6. Funding Restrictions.

2. Farming Production: RAPP providers must include in their program an element of farming production that allows refugee participants an opportunity to put into practice the trainings that have been provided to them through RAPP. Most often, this is accomplished through the use of community garden plots. Larger plots of land may be provided for more experienced program participants when available. Other examples of farming production opportunities include, but are not limited to, aquaculture, fruit trees, and livestock.

3. Training and Technical Assistance: RAPP providers must provide training and on-site technical assistance to support the objectives of the program. RAPP providers must provide the following trainings and technical assistance to all clients enrolled in RAPP:

Farming production techniques - includes, but is not limited to, agricultural produce selection, use of soil amendments, proper irrigation, appropriate harvesting, and methods for extending growing seasons. The inclusion of an incubator or training farms can provide a consolidated and intensive training approach, particularly for aspiring farmers.

Farming business development – while not all participants are expected to pursue a farm business, all clients must be provided with an opportunity to learn about converting gardening and farming into a source of income. Additional areas of training and technical assistance can include, but is not limited to, business planning, financial literacy, marketing, and organic certification.

Farming safety - includes, but is not limited to, first aid, sun exposure, handling and storing soil amendments, and trainings for hand tools and heavy machinery use.

Food handling safety - RAPP providers must provide training on appropriate food safety methods relevant to the activities conducted in the program (e.g., farming, value-added, sales, farming-to-table, etc.). USDA's Good Agricultural Practices and Good Handling Practices (ams.usda.gov/services/auditing/gap-ghp) can be used as a resource for training.

The cognizant state's department of agriculture safety guidelines may also be used as a resource.

Nutrition and health - potentially through partnerships with a health organization or other partner agency supports the development of healthy food purchasing and eating habits that impact the long-term health of refugee families. Topics could include MyPlate, reading nutrition labels, and awareness of common health concerns such as obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. Technical assistance must also be provided to support the mental health and psychosocial needs of refugees through agriculture-based activities. Examples of activities that work towards supporting the psychosocial needs of refugees include, but are not limited to, stress management, activities to build self-confidence, and group trust-building and problem solving activities.

Client knowledge can be enhanced by incorporating agricultural terms in English as a Second Language or Vocational English as a Second Language classes.

Training class curricula can be based on some combination of credible on-line resources, the curricula of partner agencies (i.e., cooperative extension, health agencies), written materials, and the first-hand experience of persons supporting the program.

4. Coordination with Refugee Resettlement Community: Coordination with the local refugee resettlement community is critical to the success of RAPP. Programs must include regular coordination with resettlement agencies, State Refugee Coordinators or Replacement Designees, and other relevant community services providers to extend the effort of the outreach, awareness, and coordination with the refugee resettlement community. Attendance at quarterly consultations with resettlement agencies, regular meetings with State Refugee Coordinators, and participation in other relevant forums are examples of activities with strategic partnerships to facilitate resource mapping. ORR is requiring evidence of consultation with the State Refugee Coordinator or the individual responsible for the statewide or regional coordination of the refugee resettlement program, as applicable, of the state where the proposed project will be implemented.

Contact information for State Refugee Coordinators or individuals responsible for statewide or regional coordination of the refugee resettlement program can be found on ORR's website at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/orr/resource/orr-funded-programs-key-contacts.

5. Engagement of the Target Population to Determine Needs and Program Design: Many https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/auditing/gap-ghp https://www.acf.hhs.gov/orr/resource/orr-funded-programs-key-contacts refugees who enter into RAPP come from an agrarian background. While agricultural production practices in the United States may differ from where they have come from, their knowledge is inherently valuable and serves as a solid base for additional training. Recipients must engage the target population at all stages of the project to continually assess the needs of the participants, determine program designs, and, if applicable, make program modifications as necessary based on the feedback from the refugee participants and community.

ADDITIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCCESSFUL RAPP

Although not required, many successful RAPP include the following elements:

1. Community Food Security: RAPP supports the development of community food security, which ensures that refugee clients have access to enough food for a productive and healthy lifestyle. An example of activities that work towards positive community food security includes facilitating the installation of EBT machines for SNAP clients and expediting access to healthy food by WIC beneficiaries at farmers' markets and other outlets that are beneficial to farmer vendors, clients, and the community at large.

Attention to community food security can strengthen an overall program because refugees are primarily resettled in low-income, urban food desert areas that are often dominated by fast food and convenience stores.

2. Partnerships: In addition to the refugee resettlement community, many RAPP providers establish collaborative partnerships with organizations that include, but are not limited to, community-based organizations (including ethnic organizations); lending institutions; the university cooperative extension service; local and regional USDA offices; and various other groups, such as organic certification agencies, health departments, faith-based organizations, market associations, and various local or regional groups that have an interest in sustainable agriculture. Although partnerships are not required, collaborating with local and national partners with relevant expertise can be beneficial for RAPP practitioners.

3. Communities of Practice: A key to the overall success of RAPP has been the relationships established and the sharing of information via the Internet, e-mails, or other means. In some cases, this has been among just the funded recipients, but more commonly among all subscribers to the RAPP Listserv. Shared information has included training curricula, program practices, agricultural related technology, and administrative procedures.

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 Unique Entity Identifier

(UEI) number 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.

POST-AWARD REQUIREMENTS

Coronavirus Disease of 2019 (COVID-19) Response

During the project period, if ORR and/or recipients are required to adjust program and/or grant requirements due to COVID-19 or other emergency, ORR will exercise maximum flexibilities as needed. Requirements may be conducted virtually or timelines may be modified in consultation with ORR.

Program Performance Evaluation

As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA), ORR has obtained approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for the RAPP Indicators for post-award reporting. Data points will include:

Program Activities:

o Number of participants enrolled;

o Acres of land provided for RAPP activities;

o Number of training hours provided in the required topics;

o Amount of produce cultivated;

o Gross sales of produce sold by all participants;

o Number of participants accessing healthy and nutritious foods through farming;

o Number of activities aimed towards increasing psychosocial development; and o Number of types of services received by the participants not provided by RAPP recipients.

Personal and Psychosocial Development Assessment: Recipients will assess all participants prior to enrollment and at the end of each budget period based on the scale provided in the RAPP Indicators. Areas of assessment will be:

o Access to healthy food;

o Understands what a healthy diet is;

o Engagement in physical activity;

o Client has sufficient income to cover needs;

o Client is engaged in the community;

o Client knows how to find answers for questions about nutrition and health;

o Client knows how to find answers for questions about gardening/farming; and o Client can navigate relevant systems (e.g., local governments, business development process, accessing benefits, etc.) without recipient's assistance.

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

Paperwork Reduction Disclaimer: As required by the PRA of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 3501-3521, the public reporting burden for the RAPP Data Indicators is estimated to average 2.2 burden hours per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and reviewing the collection information. The RAPP Data Indicators information collection is approved under OMB control number 0970-0490, expiration date is 01/31/2023.

Case File Requirements RAPP requires that individual case files be maintained for each program participant. Files must comprise all information collected on the participant including, at minimum, documentation of participant eligibility, training plans, documentation of trainings completed by the participants, and any signed agreements between the recipient and participants related to RAPP.

Programs must ensure compliance with 45 CFR § 75.303(e) to take reasonable measures to safeguard protected personally identifiable information. Files must also include documentation of all financial assistance payments made to, or on behalf of, the participant, along with any applicable invoices and receipts. Case files must be available to ORR monitors, or other responsible Federal staff, upon request. When not in use, both physical and electronic case files must be properly secured as to ensure only appropriate staff have access. If the IDA Program is using an electronic case file system, then safeguards such as limiting access to the data and encryption must be in place to protect participant information. Paper files must be kept confidential - ideally in a file cabinet that is kept locked and can be accessed only by authorized staff.

Paperwork Reduction Disclaimer: As required by the PRA of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 3501-3521, the public reporting burden for the Case File Requirements is estimated to average 20 burden hours per response. The Case File Requirements information collection is approved under OMB control number 0970-0558, expiration date is 11/30/2023.

An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

Federal Evaluation: If ACF identifies additional resources to fund a federal study of the funded RAPP activities, then the recipients will be required to participate. The study would utilize an outside non-recipient evaluation team and would focus on the processes, implementation, progress indicators, and quality improvement of funded activities.

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

II. Federal Award Information Funding Instrument Type:

G (Grant) Estimated Total Funding:

$2,500,000 Expected Number of Awards:

Award Ceiling:

$ 100,000 Per Budget Period

Award Floor:

$80,000 Per Budget Period

Average Projected Award Amount:

$100,000 Per Budget Period

Anticipated Project Start Date:

09/30/2022 Length of Project Periods:

36-month project period with three 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 and third 12-month budget periods will be made after approval of non-competing continuation applications and will be subject to satisfactory performance progress by the prime recipients (i.e., submission of all Performance Progress Reports and Federal Financial Reports, meeting all RAPP Program deadlines, etc.) and a determination that continued funding would be in the best interest of the federal government.

III. Eligibility Information III.1. Eligible Applicants Eligible applicants for refugee programs under the INA § 412(c)(1)(A) are "public and private nonprofit agencies."

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.

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)

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 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/ 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 Yimeem Vu Administration for Children and Families Office of Refugee Resettlement Division of Refugee Services 330 C Street, SW Washington

DC

20101

(202) 401-4825

(202) 401-4725 yimeem.vu@acf.hhs.gov www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/orr 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

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

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:

With the exception of SFs and OMB-approved forms, the application submission in its entirety (Project Description and Appendices files) is limited to 60 pages.

File One: Must contain the entire Project Description (Narrative file) and must include the following items:

Table of Contents Project Summary/Abstract Objectives and Need for Assistance Approach Program Performance Evaluation Project Timeline and Milestones Organizational Profile Plan for Oversight of Federal Award Funds Project Sustainability Plan Budget and Budget Narrative

File Two: Must contain the entire Appendices and must include the following items:

Statement of access to production land, or letter of agreement or lease to access farming production land owned by a third-party

Logic Model Protection of Sensitive Information, Confidential Information, or both;

Letters of Support Evidence of consultation with the State Refugee Coordinator, or the individual responsible for the statewide or regional coordination of the refugee resettlement program, as applicable, of the state where the proposed project will be implemented

Any additional information that the applicant deems relevant to the application (e.g., resumes, job descriptions, Gantt chart, training material, etc.)

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 SF-P/PSL (Project/Performance Site Location), are uploaded separately at Grants.gov. These forms are submitted separately from the Project Description and Appendices files. See Section IV.2. Required Forms, Assurances, and Certifications for the listing of required Standard Forms, OMB-approved forms, and required assurances and certifications.

Naming Application Submission Files Carefully observe the file naming conventions required by www.Grants.gov. Limit file names to 50 characters (characters and spaces). Please also see https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/submitting-utf-8-special-characters.html.

Use only file formats supported by ACF It is critical that applicants submit applications using only the supported file formats listed here.

While ACF supports all of the following file formats, we strongly recommend that the two application submission files (Project Description and Appendices) are uploaded as PDF documents in order to comply with the two-file upload limitation. Documents in file formats that are not supported by ACF will be removed from the application and will not be used in the competitive review. This may make the application incomplete, and ACF will not make any awards based on an incomplete application.

ACF supports the following file formats:

Adobe PDF – Portable Document Format (.pdf) Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) Microsoft Excel (.xls or .xlsx) Microsoft PowerPoint (.ppt) Image Formats (.JPG, .GIF, .TIFF, or .BMP only)

Do Not Encrypt or Password-Protect the Electronic Application Files If ACF cannot access submitted electronic files because they are encrypted or password protected, the affected file will be removed from the application and will not be reviewed. This removal may make the application incomplete, and ACF will not make awards based on an incomplete application.

FORMATTING FOR PAPER APPLICATION SUBMISSIONS:

The following requirements are only applicable to applications submitted in paper format.

Applicants must receive an exemption from ACF in order for a paper format application to be accepted for review. For more information on the exemption, see "ACF Policy on Requesting an Exemption from Required Electronic Application Submission'" at www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/howto#chapter-6

Format Requirements for Paper Applications All copies of mailed or hand-delivered paper applications must be submitted in a single package.

https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/submitting-utf-8-special-characters.html https://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/howto#chapter-6

If an applicant is submitting multiple applications under a single NOFO, or multiple applications under separate NOFOs, each application submission must be packaged separately. The package(s) must be clearly labeled with the NOFO title and Funding Opportunity Number

(FON).

Applicants using paper format should download the application forms package associated with the NOFO's Synopsis on www.Grants.gov under the Package tab.

Applicants are advised that the copies of the application submitted, not the original, will be reproduced by the federal government for review. All application materials must be one-sided for duplication purposes. All pages in the application submission must be sequentially numbered.

Addresses for Submission of Paper Applications See Section IV.7. Other Submission Requirements for addresses for paper format application submissions.

Required Forms, Assurances, and Certifications Applicants seeking grant or cooperative agreement awards under this funding opportunity must submit the listed Standard Forms (SFs), assurances, and certifications with the application. All required Standard Forms, assurances, and certifications are available in the Application Package posted for this NOFO at www.Grants.gov.

Forms/Assurances/Certifications Submission Requirement Notes/Description

SF-424 - Application for Federal Assistance

Submission is required for all applicants by the application due date.

Required for all applications.

Unique Entity Identifier (DUNS) and Systems for Award Management (SAM) registration.

Required of all applicants.