Foa_Content_of_HHS-2023-ACF-ACYF-CY-0009 (2).pdf

Administration for Children and Families

Administration on Children, Youth, and Families-Family and Youth Services Bureau

National Communication System for Runaway and Homeless Youth Program

HHS-2023-ACF-ACYF-CY-0009

Application Due Date: 06/09/2023

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

Appendix

Funding Opportunity Title:

National Communication System for Runaway and Homeless Youth Program Announcement Type:

Initial Funding Opportunity Number:

HHS-2023-ACF-ACYF-CY-0009

Primary CFDA Number:

93.623 Due Date for Applications:

06/09/2023 Executive Summary

Notice:

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

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Administration on Children, Youth and Families (ACYF), Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) will award one cooperative agreement for a period of 3 years to operate the National Communication System (NCS) for Runaway and Homeless Youth (RHY) Program. The NCS Program assists youth who are contemplating running away, youth who have run away, and youth experiencing homelessness in communicating with their families and, when necessary, connecting them with shelters and other critical services and providers. The NCS Program also provides information, referral services, technical support, crisis intervention, and prevention resources to families and legal guardians, service providers, and other youth-serving organizations. The NCS Program also leads runaway and youth homelessness prevention efforts across the country with the goal of increasing the visibility of NCS services and resources available to young people, especially those at risk of running away or experiencing homelessness, and their families.

I. Program Description

Statutory Authority The RHY Act authorizes the award of grants for the NCS for RHY Program (34 U.S.C. 11231).

Description Program Purpose and Background Every day, in communities across the country, young people face overwhelming situations that may lead them to running away, sleeping in unsafe places (i.e., couch, cars), or living in the https://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/how-apply-grant streets. In many cases, youth are leaving homes that are characterized by physical, sexual, or emotional abuse; family dynamics challenges; neglect; rejection; or parental drug and alcohol use. Once on the streets, these young people often lose touch with their families, caring adults, schools, and communities that can support them. As a result, they are at increased risk of multiple types of victimization, such as sexual abuse, intimate partner violence, physical or sexual assault, human trafficking, weapons assault, robbery, and gang activity. These youth also experience mental health, substance abuse, and other health-related challenges. The longer they are exposed to the streets, the more likely they are to fall into dangerous situations and experience several health and behavioral problems.

Since 1975, the RHY Program has worked to establish and strengthen community-based programs to address the immediate needs of youth experiencing homelessness. FYSB’s Division of RHY, which administers the RHY Program, aims to increase young people's safety, well-being, and self-sufficiency. The FYSB RHY-funded programs support youth in building permanent connections with families and caring adults with the goal of reuniting them with their families (as appropriate). Youth in crisis or those who have left home receive emergency shelter, counseling, and aftercare services. In addition, projects work to strengthen family relationships, and, in the absence of family reunification, assist youth in finding safe and appropriate alternative living arrangements where they can become independent, self-sufficient, and contributing members of society.

The NCS Program assists young people in communicating with their families and service providers. The NCS also provides crisis-interventions to youth who may be considering leaving home, youth who have left home, and youth experiencing homelessness. The NCS Program provides confidential, safe, and inclusive crisis services, 24 hours per day, 365 days per year throughout the United States and its territories to ensure youth and families have a place to reach out for assistance when needed. The NCS Program focuses on the following:

Providing youth in crisis, youth who have run away, or youth who are experiencing homelessness, and their families, with a no-cost communication system to exchange messages or have conference calls with one another.

Identifying resources for youth contemplating running away, youth who have run away, and youth experiencing homelessness in areas where the youth are located.

Delivering crisis intervention to youth and families, when appropriate, to address problems and issues that surface during contact, via telephone, chat, email, and/or text.

Providing prevention counseling and referrals to youth in crisis and youth contemplating running away.

Facilitating access to transportation services, when appropriate, or to shelters, housing, counseling, medical assistance, and other vital services for youth who have run away from home or are experiencing housing instability, or homelessness.

Providing families or guardians with support and referrals to organizations and agencies that may be able to assist them with preventing their youth from running away or becoming homeless. This may include information about shelters, counseling, medical assistance, and other critical services.

Maintaining and building the database of services and resources available for youth and families reaching out to the NCS crisis services.

Conducting outreach (online and off-line) to young people, including those at risk of running away or becoming homelessness, and youth from historically marginalized populations.

Designing and disseminating resources and information on running away and youth homelessness prevention.

Increasing the visibility of the NCS Program through collaboration; partnerships; and engagement with young people, service providers, youth-serving organizations, schools, and other key and diverse stakeholders nationwide.

Expanding opportunities for supported youth engagement, through listening sessions, product development, marketing, and other leadership opportunities.

Ensuring services are inclusive and accessible to all young people and their families, including, but not limited to, individuals and families from multiple racial and ethnic groups, youth who identify as LGBTQIA2S+; people with disabilities, youth and families with lower incomes; youth and families who live in rural areas; and other historically marginalized and underserved youth and families.

Ensuring the Well-Being of Vulnerable Children and Youth

Children and youth who have experienced maltreatment, exposure to violence, and/or trauma are impacted along several domains, each of which must be addressed in order to foster social and emotional well-being and promote healthy, positive functioning. The NCS Program recipient will ensure the service delivery design is responsive to the following:

Impact of Trauma: Trauma can have a profound effect on the overall functioning of children and youth. Understanding and responding to the symptoms of chronic, interpersonal trauma and traumatic stress, socio-economic inequalities, inter-generational trauma, and adverse childhood experiences can have behavioral health consequences if not appropriately addressed; therefore, the recipient must incorporate strategies that are trauma-informed and youth-centered. More information about implementing a trauma informed care approach can be found at https://www.cdc.gov/cpr/infographics/6_principles_trauma_info.htm.

Understanding Experiences: A fundamental aspect of the human experience is the development of a world view through which one's experiences are understood. Whether that perspective is generally positive or negative impacts how experiences are interpreted and integrated. For example, one is more likely to approach a challenge as a surmountable, temporary obstacle if his or her frame includes a sense that the situation's outcome will be positive. On the contrary, negative experiences can color how future experiences are understood. Ongoing exposure to family violence might lead one to believe that relationships are generally hostile in nature and affect their ability to foster and stay engaged in safe and healthy relationships; therefore, the recipient must incorporate strategies to address how youth frame what has happened to them in the past and shape their beliefs about the future. These practices must include the perspective of young people with lived experience to ensure approaches and interventions reflect their experiences of young people. More information about children and youth development and the impact of adversity can be found at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ecd/child-health-development/early-adversity.

https://www.cdc.gov/cpr/infographics/6_principles_trauma_info.htm https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ecd/child-health-development/early-adversity https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ecd/child-health-development/early-adversity

Developmental Tasks: People grow physically and psycho-socially along a fairly predictable course, encountering normal challenges and establishing competencies as they pass from one developmental stage to another. Adversity does, however, have a marked effect on the trajectory of normal social and emotional development, delaying the growth of certain capacities, and, in many cases, accelerating the maturation of others; therefore, the recipient must incorporate strategies that consider the developmental impact of negative experiences and address related strengths and deficits to ensure youth develop along a healthy trajectory.

Coping Strategies: The methods that children and youth develop to manage challenges, both large and small, are learned in childhood, honed in adolescence, and practiced in adulthood.

Those who have been presented with healthy stressors and opportunities to overcome them with appropriate encouragement and support are more likely to have an array of positive, productive, coping strategies available to them as they go through life. For children and youth who grow up in unsafe, unpredictable environments, the coping strategies that may have been protective in that context may not be appropriate for safer, more regulated situations; therefore, the recipient must incorporate strategies to help youth transform maladaptive coping methods into healthier and more productive strategies in decision-making and life skills. More information about helping children and youth with mental health coping strategies can be found at https://www.cdc.gov/mentalhealth/stress-coping/help-children-cope/index.html.

Protective Factors: A wealth of research has demonstrated that the presence of certain contextual factors (e.g., supportive relatives, involvement in after-school activities) and characteristics (e.g., self-esteem, relationship skills) can moderate the impacts of past and future negative experiences. These protective factors are fundamental to resilience; building them is integral to successful intervention with children, youth, and families. Therefore, the recipient must incorporate strategies for developing and increasing resiliency in youth. More information about protective factors can be found at https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/preventing/promoting/protectfactors/

Positive Youth Development (PYD): PYD utilizes strengths-based approaches to engage youth within their communities, schools, organizations, peer groups, and families in a manner that is productive and constructive. PYD enhances youth strengths and promotes positive outcomes for young people by encouraging skill development, a sense of belonging, leadership strengths, opportunities to exercise decision-making, connection with caring adults and other positive relationships, connection to school and/or employment, and other skills that promote positive outcomes for young people. Therefore, the recipient must incorporate PYD into its service delivery model. More information about PYD can be found at https://youth.gov/youth-topics/positive-youth-development.

Please note that definitions are provided in the Appendix section of this NOFO (Please see Appendix section for more information).

Program Components The recipient of this cooperative agreement is expected to carry out the following components of the NCS Program:

The NCS Program Hotline (telephone and online services) The NCS Program Hotline, which includes telephone and multiple online/digital services, will https://www.cdc.gov/mentalhealth/stress-coping/help-children-cope/index.html https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/preventing/promoting/protectfactors/ https://youth.gov/youth-topics/positive-youth-development https://youth.gov/youth-topics/positive-youth-development https://youth.gov/youth-topics/positive-youth-development.

serve a wide range of expected contacts from youth, parents, legal guardians, and others. The NCS Program recipient will operate an electronic communication system to assist youth (e.g., youth in crisis, youth contemplating running away, youth who have left home, and youth experiencing homelessness) and/or families requesting support, referrals services, and assistance related to their experiences and situations (45 CFR § 1351.15(d)).

The communication system includes telephone, internet, mobile applications, and other technology-driven services to ensure the program is aligning with the way young people communicate and reach out for support. The NCS Program Hotline also must be prepared to deal with multiple intersectional issues associated with youth who may be contemplating running away or are experiencing homelessness situations (e.g., mental health, family dynamics, human trafficking, dating violence, sexual assault) to make effective service referrals for youth and families, when needed.

The NCS Program recipient must design and maintain a plan for operating an NCS address short-term services, such as crisis intervention/counseling, referral services, and information.

Additionally, the recipient is expected to engage in collaborative efforts with other national hotlines, such as the National Domestic Violence Hotline, Child Help, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration National Hotline, National Maternal Mental Health Hotline, National Dating Abuse Helpline, and the National Human Trafficking Hotline.

The recipient must ensure that NCS Program staff and volunteers responding to calls, e-mails, chat, and other forms of online/digital communications receive up-to-date training in how to effectively engage with youth. These trainings may include effective crisis intervention; PYD;

trauma-informed service delivery; trauma-response; and diversity, equity, and inclusion. The recipient must fulfill this last requirement before a staff person or volunteer responds to calls or any online/digital communications involving a youth or their families. The recipient must employ, train (including technology training), and supervise personnel responding to incoming online and offline contacts. Staff interacting with young people must be fully trained for the broad range of situations that occur while communicating and engaging with these youth. The staff training must include making effective service referrals and directly connecting youth to service providers and families. Furthermore, the staff training should include strategies to serve and build rapport with youth who have been historically marginalized or underserved, including LGBTQIA2S+, youth with disabilities, youth from rural areas, and others.

Referral Database The NCS Program recipient must create, expand, and sustain an up-to-date nationwide, state-by-state, and U.S. territories referral database to ensure the NCS Program can effectively refer youth and their families to local organizations and agencies. Potential contacts may include, but are not limited to, the following:

Local and statewide hotlines serving young people;

Existing national hotlines and other organizations;

Tribal organizations;

Shelter programs;

Drop-in Centers;

Culturally specific community-based organizations;

Transitional housing programs, including maternity group homes, and long-term housing providers;

Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Continuum of Care funded projects;

Emergency services;

Legal advocacy;

Medical services;

Child welfare agencies;

Programs for LGBTQIA2S+ youth;

Behavioral health services;

Substance abuse programs; and Domestic violence shelters.

The database must contain up-to-date contact information, along with details regarding expertise, services, and capacity of each agency, organization, and/or individuals. The recipient is required to maintain and expand the database under the cooperative agreement.

NCS Web Portal The NCS Program recipient must implement and manage the NCS Web portal, which will operate separately from the recipient's website to provide information on:

NCS Program and its services;

NCS toll-free number and online/digital available to ensure youth, families, and others learn how to contact the NCS services;

Trends and relevant data related to youth in crisis, runaway prevention, and youth experiencing homelessness;

Information on runaway prevention and educational materials; and Additional services available for youth in crisis, youth contemplating running away, youth who have left home, and those experiencing housing instability and homelessness.

The NCS Web Portal must be designed to convey information to multiple audiences, such as young people, services providers, youth-serving organizations, families, and the general public.

Additionally, it must provide digital channels of communication, including online, chat, texts, and e-mails.

Prevention and Community Education Prevention plays a key role in minimizing runaway incidents and youth homelessness. The NCS Program recipient is expected to, in coordination and partnership with FYSB, develop and disseminate a range of prevention resources and activities to prevent incidents of running away and youth homelessness. The recipient must promote prevention and community education by:

Providing technical assistance to those seeking to increase awareness on runaway and homeless youth issues (state, local, national level);

Ensuring that youth and key stakeholders are aware of services and resources available through the NCS;

Identifying and implementing strategies for engagement with a various national and local youth advisory boards;

Increasing partnerships and collaboration with multiple and diverse national stakeholders;

Delivering and hosting online and in-person training and presentations to multiple audiences;

Participating in regional, state, and national conferences, meetings, roundtable, and other appropriate outreach/prevention events;

Identifying strategies to enhance brand recognition among youth and communities nationwide, including exploring opportunities for rebranding of the NCS;

Developing and executing a strategic plan to lead National Runaway Prevention Month campaign;

Assisting in the development of prevention resources as requested by the FYSB project officer;

Disseminating briefings and infographics highlighting latest and current trends of those who contacted the NCS;

Increasing the awareness of the NCS and RHY services in school settings, including delivering curriculum-based resources in school settings nationwide;

Utilizing the NCS Web Portal to host and disseminate training and webinars to educate the public on running away and youth homelessness issues;

Designing and disseminating digital outreach and marketing materials and a social media strategy to successfully target multiple and diverse audiences, such as youth at risk of running away or becoming homeless, youth experiencing homelessness, youth who identify as LGBTQIA2S+, parents/families, service providers, educators, law enforcement, educators, and child welfare representatives;

Developing training materials and resources to increase the capacity of RHY grant recipients to improve educational outcomes of youth experiencing homelessness or housing instability. Materials might include education-focused webinars, toolkits, tips sheets, or other resources;

Developing a strategy for increased coordination with partner hotlines. Develop a resource highlighting various hotline numbers and services for dissemination across youth- and family-serving organizations and agencies. Examples of increased coordination include joint convenings to discuss issues faced by youth and families receiving services by other hotlines and organizing cross-training on ways of supporting youth through hotline services; and

Developing, planning, and hosting a convening to highlight best practices and strategies to develop and national youth homelessness prevention framework.

Program Requirements The successful applicant is expected to meet the following requirements of the NCS Program:

Scope of Services FYSB requires the provision of services and strategies to operate an NCS to assist vulnerable youth in addressing a crisis and/or communicating with their families and with service providers.

The NCS Program recipient is expected to use a crisis intervention model focused on empowering the contact to identify specific issues and develop solution-focused options and action plans to address their presenting problem(s). This may require identifying local community-based resources to meet the immediate critical needs; identifying resources; and sharing links and referrals to assist the youth with planning for long-term solutions, such as individual/family counseling and substance abuse treatment. This crisis intervention model principles include:

Establishing a rapport with individuals seeking assistance in order to create a sense of trust, which allows more effective communication in a non-judgmental manner and provides a safe environment for the youth;

Determining the precipitating event in such a way that the youth is likely to talk about everything negative that has happened in his/her lives prior to what actually brought them to a state of crisis and asking questions to determine what caused the break in coping or what immediate situation caused the crisis;

Encouraging the youth and/or family member to focus on the problem or issue at hand that is creating the crisis;

Assisting the youth and/or family member with appropriate resources to support them during the crisis, immediately after the crisis, or as a means to actually address the issue bringing them to crisis;

Offering options and support for independent decision-making based on specific individuals needs and circumstances; and

Building on the strengths and resources of youth and their families when establishing rapport; discussing potential solutions; and connecting to local community service providers, when appropriate.

Capacities The NCS Program recipient must have capacities to operate at a nationwide level, including Native American tribes and Alaska Native villages, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, U.S.

Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and Northern Mariana Islands, and:

Train personnel (staff and volunteers) to respond 24 hours-a-day, 7 days-a-week to urgent phone calls and online communications (emails, texts, and chat).

Train staff and volunteers in crisis intervention, information and referrals, advocacy safety planning, and counseling skills. In addition, staff and volunteers must be trained on the multiple challenges impacting young people, such as dating violence, mental health, online sexual exploitation, peer-pressure, human trafficking (sex and labor trafficking), and substance abuse.

Make toll-free services available 24 hours-a-day, 7 days-a-week, 365 days-a-year for those contacting the NCS.

Connect contacts directly to local programs, resources, and services, when appropriate.

Assist the young people with securing free or low-cost transportation home or to local programs and services, when appropriate.

Provide contacts with direct access to English- and Spanish-speaking personnel at all times, and make services available to other contacts with limited English proficiency and persons who are hard of hearing.

Develop and maintain an emergency response protocol for contacts in immediate danger.

Assemble and maintain a database of information relating to services for youth and their families/legal guardians to which youth or families may be referred throughout the United States and U.S. territories. The database shall include information on the availability of runaway and homeless youth shelter/housing and other supportive service providers that can provide advocacy case management, assistance in accessing related federal and state assistance programs, mental health, child welfare, legal advocacy, medical services, and other prevention services.

Collect and analyze data from those contacting the NCS Program.

Establish appropriate confidentiality safeguards to protect personal identification information.

Develop and implement contingency plans for the continuity of the NCS crisis and referral services in the event of inclement weather, public health crisis, or other unforeseen circumstances potentially impacting services.

Publicize the NCS to targeted audience (i.e., youth and families) throughout the United States; District of Columbia; Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; and the territories of Guam, American Samoa, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Northern Mariana Islands. Publicity will include efforts to ensure promotion through a website, the national media, and through targeted outreach to underserved populations including American Indians and Alaska Natives.

Develop a strategic plan to lead and implement the National Runaway Prevention Month Campaign.

Provide assistance and referrals to meet the needs of populations that include, but are not limited to, Native Americans and Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, young males, youth victims of human trafficking, youth with mental and physical disabilities, youth living in rural areas, LGBTQIA2S+ youth, and racial and ethnic minority populations.

Understand federal, state, and local laws affecting youth who run away and youth experiencing homelessness and housing instability.

Develop and maintain a comprehensive disaster preparedness and recovery plan that includes contingencies for continuity of services.

Provide a plan and outline the agencies’ policies ensuring that all employees, contractors, volunteers, and consultants who have regular and unsupervised private contact with youth served by the grantee has a state or tribal criminal history records check, including fingerprint checks, sex offender registry check, and any other checks required under state or tribal law. The policy should describe whether the applicant currently collects Federal Bureau of Investigation criminal history records and child abuse and neglect state registry check information. If the applicant does not currently require these two background checks, explain why and what barriers, if any, the applicant foresees in meeting this requirement.

Describe the procedure to document the justification of any hire where an arrest, pending criminal charge or conviction is present.

Ensuring Equity

RHY projects must ensure equitable treatment of all youth receiving services under RHY-funded programs. According to research conducted by Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, youth of color, notably Black and Latino youth, are at greater risk of experiencing housing instability and youth homelessness. Roughly 11 percent of American Indian and Alaska Native youth and young adults are over-represented in the homeless youth population relative to 4 percent of White, non-Hispanic youth. [1] Additional data from FYSB’s RHY-Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), on gender identity or sexual orientation of youth served in the RHY program reveals roughly 26 percent of youth and young adults who participated in RHY programs in fiscal year 2021 identified as LGBTQIA2S+ or being uncertain of their sexual orientation. To this end, FYSB is committed to awarding grants to organizations who address these disparities in the prevalence and severity of experiences faced by youth related to ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender identity. As such, the NCS must have a plan to address services for all youth, including youth of color, youth who identify as LGBTQIA2S+, and other underserved populations. All NCS services must reflect policies and practices that are sensitive to people of color and other underserved populations as well as the gender identity or sexual orientation Furthermore, the NCS must be inclusive of language access needs of youth and families of youth served.

Reporting The grantee must have a system for collecting and analyzing data to report the following:

(see Section IV.2.The Project Description and Section VI.3. Reporting for more information).

Number of calls received, answered, and missed;

Number of chats and texts received and answered;

Number of visits and unique visitors to the NCS web portal;

Non-identifying information about callers or web portal users;

Number and types of assistance provided by the NCS; and Information on calls and contacts received from youth in crisis, attempting to leave their homes and/or communities.

Deliverables The NCS Program recipient will deliver and participate in the following post-award requirements:

1. Semi-annual Program Progress Reports and Federal Financial Reports documenting progress on activities and amount of grant funds expended (see Section VI.3. Reporting for more information).

2. Final report (due 90 days after the end of the 3-year project period) outlining the implementation of the project, including challenges, successes, and lessons learned. The report should include final versions of documents and resources used during the implementation of the project, such as policies, protocols, procedures, and data on calls, online communications, and website usage.

3. Meeting FYSB to discuss project activities, plans, upcoming activities (including travel and media efforts), opportunities, challenges, and solutions.

4. Implementation and management of the NCS Web Portal, which will be used to provide information, resources, and services to young people and their families within 4 months of the start date of the award.

5. System is available to process non-urgent requests for service referrals and information within 15 business days of the start date of the award.

6. Creation and maintenance of an up-to-date nationwide, state-by-state, and U.S. territories database of at least 700 contact referrals within 6 months of the start date of the award.

7. Develop (in collaboration with FYSB) a comprehensive outreach and communications strategic plan to increase the visibility of the NCS and expand outreach to youth contemplating running away, youth who have run away, and youth experiencing homelessness within 3 months of the grant award.

8. Participate in RHY Program Network quarterly meetings to coordinate efforts across the RHY Program.

9. Quarterly, fiscal, annual, and ad hoc reports showing details of trends and website usage, including, but not limited to, the items listed under Section VI.3. Reporting.

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) 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.

Response to Nationally Declared Emergency

During the project period, if the NCS recipient is required to adjust program and/or recipient requirements due to nationally declared emergency, the NCS recipient will exercise maximum flexibilities, as needed. Requirements may be conducted virtually and/or timelines modified in consultation with FYSB.

Definitions Please note that definitions are provided in the Appendix section of this NOFO (Please see Appendix section for more information.)

[1] Berger Gonzalez, S., Morton, M., Patel, S., & Samuels, B. (2021). Centering racial equity in youth homelessness. Chicago, IL: Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago.

II. Federal Award Information

Funding Instrument Type:

CA (Cooperative Agreement) Estimated Total Funding:

$1,800,000 Expected Number of Awards:

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

Award Ceiling:

$1,800,000 Per Budget Period

Award Floor:

$1,000,000 Per Budget Period

Average Projected Award Amount:

$1,800,000 Per Budget Period

Anticipated Project Start Date:

09/29/2023 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 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.

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

This award will be a cooperative agreement. A cooperative agreement is an award instrument used when substantial involvement is anticipated between the awarding office and the grantee during performance of the contemplated project and extends beyond normal oversight and stewardship responsibilities and functions.

FYSB Federal Project Officer will collaborate with the grantee by:

1. Providing consultation, and approval for enhancements and changes to the work plan and budget during the project period;

2. Being actively involved in the development of long-term strategies for the implementation of the project;

3. Participating in grantee-hosted or grantee-sponsored meetings and conferences;

4. Participating in focus groups and/or listening sessions regarding NCS services, partner participation, and youth input/feedback, as appropriate;

5. Communicating changes to expectations for performance or changes in FYSB policies and providing appropriate technical assistance to implement the changes;

6. Supporting efforts to evaluate NCS services; and

7. Consulting on current and proposed new data collection elements.

In addition, ACF/FYSB will review and approve:

1. Resumes for key project staff;

2. List of names, expertise, and locations (city, county, state) of individuals, organizations, and agencies in database of referrals;

3. All policies, procedures, and protocols used or created for handling both urgent and non-urgent calls, emails, and online communications to the NCS;

4. Guidelines regarding required training for NCS staff;

5. Content on the NCS Program Web Portal; and

6. Plan describing regarding the number of volunteer and how these volunteers will contribute to the NCS Program (if applicable). The plan shall include recruitment processes, volunteer protocols (including expected time to be donated to the NCS Program), and volunteer's required training.

Please see Section IV.6. Funding Restrictions for limitations on the use of federal funds awarded under this NOFO.

III. Eligibility Information

III.1. Eligible Applicants

Public (state and local) and private non-profit entities, and coordinated networks of such entities are eligible to apply for a RHY Program grant unless they are part of the juvenile justice system.

(45 CFR § 1351.11).

In accordance with section 331 of the RHY Act, priority will be given to applicants that have experience in providing telephone services to vulnerable youth, at-risk youth, and runaway and homeless youth. Telephone services include calls, emails, texts/short message services (SMS), and chat.

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.

III.2. Cost Sharing or Matching

Cost Sharing / Matching Requirement:

Yes Recipients are required to meet a non-federal share of the project cost, in accordance with Section 383 of the RHY Act, 34 U.S.C. § 11274 and 45 C.F.R. § 1351.13.

Recipients must provide at least 10 percent of the total approved cost of the project. The total approved cost of the project is the sum of the ACF (federal) share and the non-federal share. The non-federal share may be met by cash or in-kind contributions, although recipients are encouraged to meet their match requirements through cash contributions. For example, in order to meet the match requirements, a project requesting $1,800,000 in ACF (federal) funds must provide a non-federal share of the approved total project cost of at least $ 200,000 , which is 10 percent of total approved project cost of $ 2,000,000 .

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

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.

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

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

FYSB Operations Center c/o F2 Solutions Attn: National Communication System NOFO

HHS-2023-ACF-ACYF-CY-0009

1401 Mercantile Lane Suite 401 Largo

MD

20774 TechAssist@fysb.net 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 http://www.gsa.gov/fedrelay 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,…