Foa_Content_of_HHS-2022-ACF-ORR-ZT-0050.pdf

Administration for Children and Families

Office of Refugee Resettlement

Technical Assistance to the Survivors of Torture Program

HHS-2022-ACF-ORR-ZT-0050

Application Due Date: 07/01/2022

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 (UEI) 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:

Technical Assistance to the Survivors of Torture Program Announcement Type:

Initial Funding Opportunity Number:

HHS-2022-ACF-ORR-ZT-0050

Primary CFDA Number:

93.604 Due Date for Applications:

07/01/2022 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) is accepting applications for federal fiscal year (FY) 2022 Technical Assistance to the Survivors of Torture (TA SOT) Cooperative Agreement. Under this Cooperative Agreement, ORR seeks to create a Healing Torture and Trauma Initiative (Initiative) that will include 1) establishing a National Center for Healing Torture and Trauma (National Center) to coordinate education, training and research efforts, and 2) growing a strong and sustainable national network of organizations serving survivors of torture and their families, henceforth referred to as the Network. The National Center will lead efforts to develop and disseminate evidence-based resources and provide training and technical assistance for the Network.

The Network consists of Direct Services for Survivors of Torture (DS SOT) grant recipients and partner and affiliate organizations who provide medical, mental health, social work, and legal services to survivors and their families. ORR is also accepting applications for the related DS SOT funding opportunity HHS-2022-ACF-ORR-ZT-0051 in the same FY. The National Center will coordinate a community of practice for the Network to promote shared learning and collaborative research. Through the combined efforts of this technical assistance initiative and the Network’s direct service providers, ORR aims to help survivors and their families overcome the severe, pervasive, and long-lasting effects of torture and trauma to achieve sustained physical, social, emotional, and economic well-being.

I. Program Description Statutory Authority Section 5(a) of the Torture Victims Relief Act of 1998, Public Law 105-320 (22 U.S.C. 2152 note) https://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/how-apply-grant

Assistance for Treatment of Torture Victims—the Secretary of Health and Human Services may provide grants to programs in the United States to cover the cost of the following services:

1. Services for the rehabilitation of victims of torture, including treatment of the physical and psychological effects of torture.

2. Social and legal services for victims of torture.

3. Research and training for health care providers outside of treatment centers, or programs for the purpose of enabling such providers to provide the rehabilitation services described in paragraph 1 above.

Description

BACKGROUND

Torture constitutes one of the most extreme forms of trauma, with the potential for long-term psychological and physical suffering and intergenerational harm. Torture is defined in section 3 of the Torture Victims Relief Act of 1998 (Public Law 105-320) with references to 18 U.S.C.

2340(1) as “an act committed by a person acting under the color of law specifically intended to inflict severe physical or mental pain or suffering (other than pain or suffering incidental to lawful sanctions) upon another person within custody or physical control." Section 3 of the Torture Victims Relief Act of 1998 also specifies that the term torture includes the use of rape and other forms of sexual violence by a person acting under the color of law upon another person under his custody or physical control. Severe mental pain or suffering means "prolonged mental harm caused by or resulting from—

(A) the intentional infliction or threatened infliction of severe physical pain or suffering;

(B) the administration or application, or threatened administration or application, of mind-altering substances or other procedures calculated to disrupt profoundly the senses or the personality;

(C) the threat of imminent death; or

(D) the threat that another person will imminently be subjected to death, severe physical pain or suffering, or the administration or application of mind-altering substances or other procedures calculated to disrupt profoundly the senses or personality" 18 U.S.C. 2340(2).

The psychosocial and health repercussions of violence and traumatic stress have emerged as one of the major public health concerns of our time. The physical consequences of torture may include acute injury, infections, chronic pain, and exacerbations of chronic illness. The mental and emotional after-effects of torture may include post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, substance abuse, and anxiety disorders. Access to health care, and other therapeutic, social, and legal services providers versed in trauma-informed care are critical for survivors’ healing and recovery process.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Under this Cooperative Agreement, ORR seeks to create an Initiative that will include 1) establishing a National Center to coordinate education, training and research efforts, and 2) growing a strong and sustainable national network of organizations serving survivors of torture and their families, henceforth referred to as the Network. The National Center will lead efforts to develop and disseminate evidence-based resources and provide training and technical assistance for the Network.

Purpose The purpose of the Initiative is to improve the quality of interventions and services for survivors of torture and their families impacted by trauma, and to increase access to effective trauma-informed and culturally responsive interventions and services. The National Center shall be designed to enhance and support the Network’s capacity to develop and provide effective interventions and services for survivors of torture and their families. ORR recognizes that survivors’ families include secondary survivors who are defined in this NOFO as relatives or other individuals closely associated with a primary survivor, who are impacted by the torture and subsequent trauma in a way that threatens their health and ability to function. Therefore, ORR advocates using a whole-family approach when designing and delivering services.

Objectives The objectives of the Initiative are, as follows:

Develop, adapt, and disseminate evidence-based practices and interventions designed to promote healing for survivors of torture and their families so that they can attend to their health, build effective support networks, and contribute to their communities.

Create and maintain structures and systems to facilitate shared learning and collaborative research within the Network including DS SOT recipients and partner organizations.

Provide training and technical assistance to the Network in effectively implementing and evaluating evidence-based practices and individual and family interventions for healing torture and trauma.

Support the evaluation efforts of DS SOT recipients to develop and refine tools to accurately assess, measure, and report on the needs and outcomes of survivors.

Key Program Personnel Key personnel is salaried or non-salaried individuals who are essential to the implementation of the program. Key personnel for this Initiative include the following:

A Project Director whose minimum level of effort is 0.75 full-time equivalent (FTE).

A Research Director/Coordinator whose minimum level of effort is 0.5 FTE; and A Program Director/Coordinator for training and technical assistance who is 1 FTE.

Required Activities The National Center will plan and lead the training, technical assistance, and research efforts for the Initiative. The recipient will engage in the following required activities:

Establish partnerships through third-party agreements with organizations and/or subject matter experts to support the National Center’s research, technical assistance, and training efforts to assist the Network in addressing the needs of survivors of torture and their families.

Survey the Network to identify training and technical assistance needs as well as emerging issues in torture and trauma interventions and healing practices for individuals and families; this informs the National Center’s plan for developing resources and providing training and education.

Support the Network’s efforts to conduct Community-based Participatory Research (CBPR) to evaluate individual, group, and family-based interventions designed to help survivors heal from torture, and prevent family members from being adversely affected by trauma.

Implement a Community of Practice for DS SOT recipients and partner organizations to facilitate shared learning through peer consultation groups using the case study method, and to promote collaborative research within the Network.

Assist DS SOT recipients in developing and implementing a strategy for community outreach and education activities to enhance the capacity for services at the local level, including providing training and consultations to ethnic community-based organizations, community health centers, and local resettlement agencies.

Develop online systems and platforms (e.g., websites, listservs, databases, e-learning) for DS SOT recipients and partner organizations to engage in online training, share resources, communicate effectively, and report data for research and performance evaluation projects. Resources for survivors and their families must be culturally and linguistically appropriate.

Support DS SOT recipients in efforts to train bi/multilingual and bicultural community health workers and peer specialists to assist with implementing interventions for survivors of torture and their families and address the needs of this underserved population.

Provide skills-based training for Network clinicians and case managers to ensure that staff have the skills and knowledge necessary to effectively provide individual, group, and family prevention and treatment interventions.

Assist DS SOT recipients and partner organizations in conducting performance measurement and evaluation activities, including collection, analysis, and reporting of performance data by providing training, resources, and technical assistance.

Coordinate a Network Steering Committee comprised of representatives of ORR, DS SOT recipients, Network leadership, survivor organizations or communities, and other key stakeholders.

Coordinate a Network Advisory Committee consisting of survivors of torture or their family members, service providers, and selected experts on healing torture and trauma.

Project implementation must begin by the fourth month after the award. Cooperative agreement funds must be used to support and enhance the Network’s service delivery, organizational capacity development, and community engagement and education.

Data Analysis and Reporting The National Center will support analytic efforts to improve evidence-based practices and raise the standard of care for survivors and their families. The recipient will engage in the following activities:

o Support the Network's efforts to coordinate the collection, analysis, and reporting of individual-level data sets from DS SOT recipients.

o Consult with DS SOT recipients to improve methods for compiling, analyzing, and reporting aggregate program data sets to ORR.

o Participate in virtual meetings with representatives from ORR, and Network leadership to review DS SOT recipients' collaborative research data analysis and reports.

o Coordinate with the Network to produce analytic reports on a collaborative research project using DS SOT recipients' individual data sets.

o Coordinate with ORR to analyze DS SOT recipients' aggregate program data sets and produce annual analytic reports.

The recipient will provide ORR access to any aggregate data collected using funds provided under this program upon request.

Allowable Activities ORR will also support the following types of allowable Initiative activities:

Providing technical assistance to DS SOT recipients on developing state and regional learning collaboratives among partner and affiliate organizations.

Consulting with state and community health, refugee, and social service organizations on developing trauma-informed and culturally responsive services.

Promoting policies and guidelines to enhance and sustain trauma prevention and mental health promotion for survivors and their families (e.g., billable activities, family visits).

Leading quality assurance and improvement efforts in the clinical care of torture survivors, and trauma-informed prevention and health promotion services for their families.

Supporting workforce development for bi/multilingual and bicultural workers (e.g., support for licensure, credentialing, or accreditation for community health workers, and case managers).

Supporting the development, implementation, and evaluation of interventions for secondary trauma among service providers in the Network.

Promoting equity in healthcare through the development and promotion of policies and practices to alleviate health and mental health disparities.

Offering specific interventions for women and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer/Questioning (LGBTQ) survivors, recognizing that they experience systemic bias and violence based solely on their gender and sexual identities.

Providing consultations to organizations serving children and adolescents impacted by torture to enhance the provision of trauma-informed and culturally relevant care.

Mentoring Network practitioners who have participated in National Center trainings to address post-training and implementation needs.

PROGRAM EXPECTATIONS

The recipient is required to collect and report certain data so that ORR can meet its obligations under the Government Performance and Results Modernization Act of 2010. The recipient must document its plan for performance measurement, data collection, and reporting.

The recipient is required to report on performance measures such as the following:

1.1 Performance Measures

The number of organizations or communities collaborating, coordinating, and sharing resources with other organizations because of the grant.

The number of people in the Network trained in specific practices related to healing torture and trauma for survivors and their families is consistent with the goals of the grant.

The number of people involved in the community of practice including peer consultation groups and collaborative research projects.

The number of individuals and organizations in the Network that participated in community outreach and education efforts.

The number of community-based organizations and service providers that demonstrate improved readiness to implement trauma-informed services for survivors and their families.

This information will be gathered semi-annually along with the Performance Progress Reports submitted to ORR. Recipients are required to submit these reports via GrantSolutions; access will be provided upon award. Technical assistance on data collection and reporting will be available upon award.

The collection of these data enables ORR to report on key outcome measures relating to the TA SOT program. In addition the data collected by the recipient will be used to demonstrate how the program is reducing disparities in access, service use, and improving outcomes nationwide.

1.2 Performance Assessment

The recipient will periodically review the performance data they report to ORR (as required above), assess their progress, and use this information to improve the management of their Healing Torture and Trauma Initiative.

The project performance assessment should be designed to help the recipient determine whether it is achieving the goals, objectives, and outcomes it intends to achieve, and whether adjustments need to be made to the project. Performance assessments should also be used to determine whether the project is having/will have the intended impact on behavioral health disparities.

The recipient will be required to submit a report on project progress at the midpoint of each year (i.e., at 6 months post-award) and an annual report at the end of each grant year. (Two semi-annual reports will be required each year of the project period). This progress report must discuss project progress, barriers encountered, and efforts to overcome these barriers. Refer to Section VI.3 Reporting for any program-specific information on the frequency of reporting and any additional requirements.

1.3 Equity and Inclusion

The recipient will support ORR's efforts to advance equity consistent with the Executive Order on Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government (E.O. 13985) in all its programming. These efforts include the following:

Using an equity lens when developing new programming, to ensure that all ORR-eligible populations, regardless of race, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, or other characteristics, receive fair treatment, access, and opportunity;

Reviewing existing programming with an equity lens; and Identifying and eliminating barriers that may prevent the full participation of certain groups including survivors of sexual assault and gender-based violence.

The recipient will also support ORR's efforts to practice inclusion, through purposeful collaboration and engagement with ethnic communities and marginalized groups to inform service design and delivery.

1.4 Recipient Meetings

The National Center will be responsible for planning annual in-person and/or virtual DS SOT recipient meetings each year of the project period. DS SOT recipients are expected to fully participate in these meetings which will include a survivor presentation(s), peer learning sessions, and dialogue with ORR leadership.

Additionally, the National Center will be responsible for planning and facilitating quarterly virtual town meetings for DS SOT recipients. At these meetings, the National Center and ORR will provide brief updates on the Initiative and related topics, and the recipients will provide brief programmatic updates. DS SOT recipients are expected to fully participate.

1.5 Network Symposium

The National Center will provide logistical support to the Network in planning and hosting an annual research symposium on torture and trauma healing. The one-day symposium will include keynote presentations as well as presentations on clinical treatment, community outreach, interventions, policy analysis, and outcome evaluations.

1.6 Planning and Coordination

The successful applicant awarded under this NOFO must adhere to the following:

Within 30 days of receiving the award, key staff will coordinate with ORR for the initial briefing (in person or remotely) to review the work plan and revise it as needed;

Within 60 days of receiving the award, key staff will meet (in person or remotely) with ORR regarding the plans for carrying out all components of this project;

Have the project fully functioning within 120 days following the financial assistance award;

Provide to ORR for review and approval of all on-site individualized TA requests before initializing TA; and

Meet with ORR in person or remotely at least every other month to discuss the implementation of the work plan and provide progress updates.

1.7 Materials and Written Publications

The successful applicant awarded under this NOFO must adhere to the following:

1. Provide to ORR, for review and approval, drafts of all updated or new materials that are developed or printed with resources made available under this cooperative agreement.

Dissemination of such materials must also have prior approval.

2. Include the disclaimer required by the Stevens Amendment on any written publications that describe the project or program such as brochures, websites, reports, print materials, electronic announcements, press releases, listservs, publicly available written answers, and testimonies. For more information on the Stevens Amendment and the required disclaimer statement please refer to the ACF Administrative and Policy Requirements webpage.

3. Website page(s) that are developed with federal funds are to be kept separate from the organization’s webpage(s), especially when there are donation buttons and/or lobbying requests on the organization’s webpage(s).

4. Ensure 504 compliance for all Electronic and Information Technology developed under this cooperative agreement. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Public Law 93-112), states that no otherwise qualified individual with a disability in the United States shall, solely because of her or his disability, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity for which the applicant receives federal financial assistance from the Department.

1.8 Project Closeout

In accordance with 45 CFR §75.322(b), ACF reserves a royalty-free, nonexclusive and irrevocable right to reproduce, publish, or otherwise use the work for federal purposes, and authorize others to do so.

The recipient under this NOFO must transfer all materials (e.g., curricula, online training modules, products, and tools) developed under this cooperative agreement to make these available to the targeted users for the benefit of the public prior to 90 days before the end of the project period.

1.9 Subawards

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

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

Eligible Applicants. Additionally, all subrecipient(s) must obtain a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number, or after government-wide implementation, a Unique Entity Identifier https://www.acf.hhs.gov/administrative-and-national-policy-requirements#chapter-8 assigned by the System for Award Management (SAM), if they do not already have one. Prime recipients are required to check 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 more information on application requirements specific to this NOFO, please reference Section IV.2. The Project Description and Project Budget and Budget Justification.

II. Federal Award Information Funding Instrument Type:

CA (Cooperative Agreement) Estimated Total Funding:

$815,900 Expected Number of Awards:

Award Ceiling:

$815,900 Per Budget Period

Award Floor:

$815,900 Per Budget Period

Average Projected Award Amount:

$815,900 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 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.

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

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.

ORR expects that the applicant’s requested award amount and budget is supported by the proposed objectives, key personnel, and activities for the first year of the project period.

In determining non-competing continuation awards for the remainder of the project period, ORR will consider the recipient’s performance and progress in completing project objectives and activities by reviewing semi-annual reports, annual work plans, and monitoring reports.

Additional awards will be made after ORR approval of a non-competing continuation application and will be subject to the availability of funds, satisfactory performance by the recipient, 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

ORR is using a cooperative agreement that requires substantial involvement by ACF. Details of the responsibilities, relationships, and governance of the cooperative agreement will be specified in the terms and conditions of the award.

The specific responsibilities of ORR and the recipient will be identified and agreed upon before the award of the cooperative agreement. At a minimum, ORR will:

Provide consultation, review, and approval of the TA SOT grant recipient’s work plan and any revisions made to the work plan during the project period;

Facilitate communication and collaboration with the ORR Refugee Technical Assistance Program and other ORR Refugee Programs;

Review and approve drafts of all updated or new materials that are developed or printed with resources made available under this cooperative agreement;

Review and approve curriculum vitae and resumes for key positions in the TA SOT project and proposed consultants and subject matter experts; and

Facilitate communication with representatives of ACF, HHS and other partner federal agencies as appropriate to promote collaboration.

III. Eligibility Information III.1. Eligible Applicants Eligibility is open to the following types of entities: State governments; county governments;

city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; Native American tribal governments (federally recognized); public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments); nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS other than institutions of higher education; nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status with the IRS other than institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses.

Applications from individuals (including sole proprietorships) and foreign entities are not eligible and will be disqualified from competitive review and 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 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 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 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 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 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 Grants.gov after 11:59 pm ET on the due date, as indicated by a dated and time-stamped email from Grants.gov, will be disqualified from competitive review and funding under this funding opportunity. That is, applications submitted to Grants.gov, on or after 12:00 am ET on the day after the due date will be disqualified from competitive review and funding under this funding opportunity.

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

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

Each time an application is submitted via 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 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 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 Timothy Kelly Administration for Children and Families Office of Refugee Resettlement Division of Refugee Health

FON: HHS-2022-ACF-ORR-ZT-0050

330 C Street, SW. Mailroom 5123 Washington

DC

20201 202-260-7614 202-401-5772 tim.kelly@acf.hhs.gov http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/orr/ Application Packages

Electronic Application Submission:

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

Applications in Paper Format:

For applicants that have received an exemption to submit applications in paper format, Standard Forms (SFs), assurances, and certifications are available in the "Select Grant Opportunity Package" available in the NOFO's Grants.gov Synopsis under the Package tab at 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 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 Grants.gov is required to upload only two electronic files, excluding SFs and Office of Management and Budget (OMB)-approved forms. No more than two files will be accepted for the review, and additional files will be removed. SFs 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 http://www.gsa.gov/fedrelay 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 and 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 SFs 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 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 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 is limited to 70 pages in its entirety. The Project Description must include the following:

File One (Project Description)

Table of Contents Project Summary Project Narrative (e.g., Objectives, Expected Outcomes, Organizational Capacity, Approach) Plan for Oversight of Federal Award Funds and Activities Program Performance Evaluation Plan Logic Model Protection of Sensitive and/or Confidential Information Dissemination Plan Project Budget and Budget Justification

File Two (Appendices)

Third-Party Agreements Legal Status of Applicant Entity Proof of Non-Profit Status 501(c)(3) Organizations Copy or description of organization's fiscal control and accountability procedures Organizational Chart Curricula Vitae and Resumes Job Descriptions

Any other information the applicant deems relevant and necessary

ELECTRONIC APPLICATION SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

Applicants are required to submit their applications electronically unless they have 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 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 SFs and OMB-approved Forms SFs and OMB-approved forms 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 SFs, OMB-approved forms, and required assurances and certifications.

Naming Application Submission Files Carefully observe the file naming conventions required by 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 Applicants must 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 PDFs 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 for Requesting an Exemption from Required Electronic Application Submission'" at www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/howto#chapter-6.

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/submitting-utf-8-special-characters.html https://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.

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.

Applicants using paper format should download the application forms package associated with the NOFO's Synopsis on 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…