Foa_Content_of_HHS-2023-ACF-OCSE-FD-0022.pdf

Administration for Children and Families

Office of Child Support Enforcement

Advancing Equity in Child Support

HHS-2023-ACF-OCSE-FD-0022

Application Due Date: 06/30/2023

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

Funding Opportunity Title:

Advancing Equity in Child Support Announcement Type:

Initial Funding Opportunity Number:

HHS-2023-ACF-OCSE-FD-0022

Primary CFDA Number:

93.564 Due Date for Applications:

06/30/2023 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 Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) invites eligible candidates to submit competitive applications to implement the Advancing Equity in Child Support demonstration. The recipient will examine child support policies and services to:

Assess disproportional access to child support services.

Examine child support order alignment with parents’ ability to pay.

Improve child support services to customers.

Share promising practices and recommendations to promote equitable access to child support services.

The recipient will also gather and analyze data to identify ways to mitigate inequities within the child support program. Specifically, the recipient will lead the following five project activities:

Literature Review and Environmental Scan Equity Assessment and Use of Data Recommendations and Model Resources National Technical Assistance and Dissemination Sustainability Planning

The recipient is expected to collaborate with individuals with lived experience in the child support program and individuals who have not accessed child support services due to concerns about being treated fairly. The recipient will also be expected to engage with community, state, tribal, territorial, and national equity experts, other state and tribal child support agencies, and related entities. These entities may include public assistance agencies, courts, reentry organizations, employment programs, domestic violence organizations, fatherhood https://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/how-apply-grant organizations, military and veterans’ associations, and others.

The recipient must ensure the work plans and deliverables follow a comprehensive approach to advancing equity for all. This includes Black, Latino, and Indigenous and Native American persons, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and other persons of color; members of religious minorities; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI+) persons;

persons with disabilities; persons who live in rural areas; and persons otherwise adversely affected by persistent poverty or inequality.

This award will have a 24-month project period with one budget period. The total budget for the 24-month project period is $3,949,911.

I. Program Description

Statutory Authority Title IV, part D (42 U.S.C. 651 et. seq.) and section 1115 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.

1315)

Description Background On January 20, 2021, President Biden released an Executive Order On Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government with the goal of providing equitable opportunities for all citizens, including “people of color and others who have been historically underserved, marginalized, and adversely affected by persistent poverty and inequality.” He also noted that advancing equity requires a systematic approach and urged government agencies to “recognize and work to redress inequities in their policies and programs that serve as barriers to equal opportunity.” To strengthen the federal government’s ability to address the barriers that underserved communities continue to face, on February 16, 2023, President Biden signed a new Executive Order, Further Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government. This second Executive Order reaffirms the Administration’s commitment to deliver equity and build an America in which all can participate, prosper, and reach their full potential.

ACF's strategic plan, released in January 2022, supports the President's commitment to equity.

The plan highlights five strategic goals that together advance the agency’s mission to promote the economic and social well-being of children, youth, families, individuals, and communities by providing federal leadership, partnership, and resources for the compassionate and effective delivery of human services. The first goal directs ACF programs to “advance equity by reducing structural barriers including racism and other forms of discrimination that prevent economic and social well-being.” In line with the Executive Order and ACF’s strategic plan, ACF also released ACF-IM-IOAS-22-01, an Information Memorandum (IM) that underscores its commitment to advancing equity for all. The IM encourages recipients to examine ways their programs and policies may create barriers for children and families of color and includes equity definitions, equity references, and selected resources in support of racial equity. These documents may be useful references for applicants.[1]

OCSE is committed to promoting equity in the national child support program's policies and https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/executive-order-advancing-racial-equity-and-support-for-underserved-communities-through-the-federal-government/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/executive-order-advancing-racial-equity-and-support-for-underserved-communities-through-the-federal-government/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2023/02/16/executive-order-on-further-advancing-racial-equity-and-support-for-underserved-communities-through-the-federal-government/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2023/02/16/executive-order-on-further-advancing-racial-equity-and-support-for-underserved-communities-through-the-federal-government/ https://www.acf.hhs.gov/about/acf-strategic-plan-2022 http://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ACF-Equity-Action-Plan-February-2022.pdf https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ATTACHMENT%20A%20February%202022.pdf https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ATTACHMENT%20A%20February%202022.pdf https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ATTACHMENT%20B%20February%202022.pdf https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ATTACHMENT%20C%20February%202022.pdf practices. To do so, it must identify and eliminate barriers that prevent families from receiving the child support services they need to provide for their children. Child support is an important source of income that many parents need to meet their child's basic needs.

A 2017 U.S. Census study found that fewer Black custodial parents (40.1 percent) had child support orders or agreements than non-Hispanic White custodial parents (56.5 percent). Of those with orders, 35 percent of Black custodial parents did not receive child support payments compared to 27.9 percent of non-Hispanic White custodial parents.[2]

OCSE has funded multiple research demonstrations (National Child Support Noncustodial Parent Employment Demonstration, Procedural Justice-Informed Alternatives to Contempt, Families Forward Demonstration, etc.) that consistently found low-income fathers of color who owe child support experience barriers to finding and maintaining employment that would allow them to make consistent child support payments.

Some state child support agencies have also found certain groups of people have disproportionally worse experiences within the child support program. For example, one state conducted an internal assessment and found Black and American Indian parents were more likely to have their driver’s license suspended for nonpayment of child support than White parents (29 and 42 percent compared to 18 percent) and less likely to have it reinstated under a payment agreement. Driver’s license suspension creates an additional barrier to finding employment or getting to work, which impacts the ability to pay child support.

Individual states are also making progress in assessing inequities and some have created equity analysis tools or equity action plans to examine how their own policies and practices might impact child support service delivery. OCSE's Procedural Justice-Informed Alternatives to Contempt demonstration is analyzing potential bias from child support agencies in the use of license suspension and contempt referrals among noncustodial parents. These findings will inform future research on equity in the child support program.

This NOFO builds on the research described above and represents a significant investment in researching and promoting equity in child support services and policies. The NOFO also supports OCSE’s role in amplifying and disseminating model practices for promoting equity in the child support program.

Purpose and Goals For the purposes of this award, “equity” is adapted from the definition in the President's January 2021 Executive Order as “the consistent and systematic fair, just, and impartial treatment of all individuals, including individuals who belong to underserved communities that have been denied such treatment, such as Black, Latino, and Indigenous and Native American persons, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and other persons of color; members of religious minorities;

lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI+) persons; persons with disabilities; persons who live in rural areas; and persons otherwise adversely affected by persistent poverty or inequality.”

This NOFO responds directly to the President's Executive Order to “...assess whether, and to what extent, its programs and policies perpetuate systemic barriers to opportunities and benefits for people of color and other underserved groups.” OCSE will award funding to a single state or tribal child support agency that will examine child support policies and services to:

Assess and address the disproportional access to child support services and policies.

Examine child support order alignment with parents’ ability to pay.

Improve child support services to customers.

Share promising practices and recommendations to promote equitable access to child support services.

The recipient may partner with a third-party contractor(s) in support of project goals. The recipient must partner with 5 to 8 other state or tribal programs to complete equity assessments for them.

Program Design The recipient of Advancing Equity in Child Support demonstration funds will incorporate a comprehensive, evidence-informed understanding of the role of equity in the delivery of child support policies and services. The recipient will implement the requirements described in this funding opportunity. OCSE will work with the recipient throughout the 2-year demonstration to refine the initial project plan and continuously adjust the project model to incorporate newly identified evidence and promising practices in equity assessments.

The recipient will complete the following five activities as part of this award:

Literature Review and Environmental Scan. The recipient must conduct a literature review and environmental scan of the existing practices of states and tribal child support agencies that explicitly promote equity in their programs. The recipient must review and assess existing equity analysis tools and resources in use by state and tribal child support programs. Based on this review, the recipient will determine the most promising methods for assessing, addressing, and mitigating inequities in child support policies and services.

Equity Assessment and Use of Data. The recipient must conduct an equity assessment of existing state and tribal child support policies and services. The equity assessment will examine the program and how it serves families (noncustodial parents, custodial parents, and children), particularly subgroups including, but not limited, to ethnic and racial minorities and other groups noted above, those experiencing domestic violence, former incarceration, etc. The recipient must:

o Analyze barriers families experience related to child support services and current establishment, enforcement, modification, and case closure policies and processes to determine if they disproportionately affect different racial and ethnic groups and other groups noted above. The analysis must include parents currently using child support services and those eligible for but not using child support services.

o Gather data from a sample of jurisdictions as part of the assessment.

o Describe how they will use administrative data, external data sources, and qualitative data (including input from people with lived experience) in developing the model for the equity assessment.

o Describe data considerations and limitations to gathering data and plans to mitigate those limitations.

Recommendations and Model Resources. The recipient must provide recommendations and model resources to state and tribal child support agencies for promoting equity in current and future child support programs, policies, services, and practices. The resources must help programs identify systemic barriers to opportunities and benefits for people of color and other underserved populations. The resources will also help programs implement efforts to address such barriers. The recipient must develop resources in consultation with state and tribal child support agencies and will include recommendations for approaches to conducting equity assessments (including tools and methods) and toolkits for use by agencies. They must engage key partners, including individuals with lived experience throughout the entire development process.

Technical Assistance and Dissemination. The recipient must provide technical assistance to state and tribal child support programs that request help with conducting equity assessments and addressing identified inequities. OCSE anticipates the bulk of technical assistance will occur in the last 6 to 9 months of the project and that the recipient will help at least 5 to 8 state or tribal child support programs complete equity assessments. At least one must be a tribal program. The recipient must:

o Lead dissemination of recommended tools and resources for promoting equity.

o Create and post resources on a website.

o Promote website and findings virtually.

o Submit presentation proposals to at least three national child support conferences in the final year of the award.

Sustainability Planning. The recipient must create a plan for project sustainability after the period of federal funding ends. The recipient must continue to disseminate assessment findings developed during the award period.

Project Management OCSE expects the recipient to have regular communication with OCSE to discuss program progress, challenges, and efforts to resolve those challenges as quickly and effectively as possible.

The recipient must provide at least one key, experienced, employee to serve as a Project Director to successfully manage and oversee the requirements laid out in Section I. Program Description, Program Design. The Project Director will work the appropriate number of hours needed for project oversight. OCSE anticipates this position will require 20 to 40 hours per week.

The Project Director will:

Ensure required federal reports are submitted in a timely manner.

Manage relationships and responsibilities of contracted partners.

Monitor expenditures under the award.

Review major deliverables in consultation with OCSE and ensure that OCSE comments are appropriately addressed.

Submit all final deliverables listed below by the project end date:

o Literature review o Brief that summarizes the process for conducting the equity assessments and findings and recommendations o Technical assistance documents created as part of the project o Dissemination plan that includes allocation of sufficient staff time and budget for dissemination purposes

The approach, work plan, and deliverables must follow a comprehensive approach to advancing equity for all. This includes Black, Latino, and Indigenous and Native American persons, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and other persons of color; members of religious minorities;

lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI+) persons; persons with disabilities; persons who live in rural areas; and persons otherwise adversely affected by persistent poverty or inequality.

OCSE expects the recipient to lead the development, implementation, and management of the equity assessment. However, OCSE also anticipates that the recipient will need to contract with third-party partners such as independent or university researchers who have experience conducting equity assessments in partnership with people with lived experience.

Partnerships A foundational component of the Advancing Equity in Child Support demonstration is close collaboration and partnership with community, state, tribal, territorial, and national equity experts and engagement of individuals with lived experience in the child support program. The recipient will ensure diverse perspectives are considered in all activities under the award.

The recipient or their funded partners must demonstrate capacity to recruit and work with community and public agency partners (including people with lived experience) that represent multiple disciplines. The ideal recipient will have experience working with researchers, especially those who have expertise in community-engaged research, and those who work in diverse communities on issues related to inequities and disparities among historically marginalized populations.

Partner programs are not expected to run a demonstration or institute any new procedures or programs to participate. They will share data and procedures and allow observations. In return, they will receive an equity assessment/analysis from the grant recipient.

Anticipated 24-Month Timeline Months 1-3: project planning and start-up (hire staff, establish contracts, etc.)

Months 4-15: literature review and environmental scan; equity assessment and use of data;

recommendations and model resources Months 16-24: technical assistance and dissemination

This is a suggested timeline. OCSE expects there will be overlap in project activities.

[1] For more information on ACF’s position on equity, see https://www.acf.hhs.gov/equity.

[2] Grall, Timothy, “Custodial Mothers and Fathers and Their Child Support: 2017,” Current Population Reports, P60-269, U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC, 2020.

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

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

Eligible Applicants. Additionally, all subrecipient(s) must obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number assigned by the System for Award Management (SAM), if they do not already have one. Prime recipients are required to check 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.

II. Federal Award Information

Funding Instrument Type:

CA (Cooperative Agreement) Estimated Total Funding:

$3,949,911 Expected Number of Awards:

Award Ceiling:

$3,949,911 Per Project Period

Award Floor:

$3,949,911 Per Project Period

Average Projected Award Amount:

$3,949,911 Per Project Period

Anticipated Project Start Date:

09/30/2023 Length of Project Periods:

Other

Additional Information on Project Periods and Explanation of 'Other' 24-month budget and project period.

Additional Information on Awards:

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

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

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.

The total amount available for award represents both section 1115 funds and corresponding child support federal financial participation funding (FFP). OCSE now awards these together, and applicants should request a budget representing both. Guidance on this can be found in IM-20-

06. For this funding announcement, the maximum project budget is $3,949,911. Applicants do not need to break out the section 1115 and FFP funding request. Instead, they should request a total award budget. The SF-424A and budget documents submitted with the application should be for the 24-month budget and project period. Round all budget figures to the nearest dollar amount. Submit budget requests, including object class categories in whole numbers.

Notice About Fully Funded Project Period: This award has a fully funded, 24-month project period. This means that the recipient will receive the full award amount in a Payment Management System (PMS) account and will have 2 years to spend those funds. Recipients will not need to apply for non-competing continuation or carryover funding.

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 recipient during performance of the project. OCSE will collaborate substantially with the recipient throughout the project period in the following activities:

Providing consultation to the recipient about the development and implementation of program design, approaches to address problems that arise, and identification of areas needing technical assistance

Providing timely review, comments, and decisions on inquiries and documents submitted by recipients

Holding teleconferences and/or webinars regularly with the recipient to promote coordination; information sharing; and access to resources, training, and learning opportunities

Working together to address issues or problems identified by the recipient, ACF, or others about the program’s ability to carry out the full range of activities included in the approved application in the most efficient and effective manner https://www.acf.hhs.gov/css/policy-guidance/section-1115-grant-funding-streamlined-process https://www.acf.hhs.gov/css/policy-guidance/section-1115-grant-funding-streamlined-process

OCSE will provide consultation and will review and approve the work plan for the project. As OCSE determines appropriate, it will request changes to the project plan in consultation with the recipient. OCSE will also approve any revisions to the work plan or structure of the project during the budget/project period. Additionally, OCSE will propose and approve changes to project scope and activities. OCSE will approve final drafts of documents, articles, publications, and research reports developed or distributed under this cooperative agreement. OCSE will be involved in the development of long-term strategies for implementing the project and will participate in major project activities, such as conferences, topical meetings, or major project meetings.

OCSE will organize periodic consultations, meetings, briefings, teleconferences, webinars, and other forums to review current and planned activities, share information, and promote technical assistance and national dissemination. The recipient must plan travel expenses for at least one representative from its organization to participate in at least one OCSE-organized meeting or national conference.

The recipient will provide a detailed project implementation plan, work plan, trainings/events schedule, evaluation schedule, and plan for reporting outcomes. OCSE will keep the recipient informed about performance expectations and OCSE's policies, priorities, and vision for assessing inequities in child support policies, practices, and services. The respective responsibilities of OCSE and the recipient will be identified and incorporated into the terms and conditions of the award and the cooperative agreement during pre-award negotiations. OCSE anticipates the cooperative agreement will not change the project requirements for the recipient under this opportunity.

OCSE does not anticipate being substantially involved in the recipient’s creation of data collection activities such as those related to needs assessments, evaluations, and requests for feedback. The recipient is not expected to submit such data collection instruments for OCSE approval. OCSE will not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information covered by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA), unless it displays a valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number. In cases where OCSE is directly involved in creating data collection activities under this NOFO, data collection will be conducted consistent with the PRA of 1995, (44 U.S.C. 3501-3521) and display a valid OMB control number.

III. Eligibility Information

III.1. Eligible Applicants

State Title IV-D agencies, or the umbrella agency, and tribal Title IV-D agencies operating comprehensive programs.

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.

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.

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

Melody Morales 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

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families Office of Child Support Enforcement 330 C Street SW.

Washington

DC

20201 202-401-4557 melody.morales@acf.hhs.gov 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 http://www.gsa.gov/fedrelay answer any questions pertaining to the application.

Application Checklist Applicants may refer to Section VIII. Other Information for a checklist of application requirements that may be used in developing and organizing application materials.

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

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

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

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

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

Adherence to NOFO Formatting, Font, and Page Limitation Requirements Applications that fail to adhere to ACF’s NOFO formatting, font, and page limitation requirements will be adjusted by the removal of page(s) from the application. Pages will be removed before the objective review 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 35 pages. The application must be uploaded in the following two files:

File One (Project Description).

Project Summary/Abstract

Table of Contents Project Narrative (Approach, Expected Outcomes, Timeline and Milestones) Budget and Budget Justification

File Two (Appendices)

Resumes and Curricula Vitae Third-Party Agreements and/or Other Supporting Material Optional Governing Body Documentation (if necessary)

Do not submit required SFs and OMB-approved forms in these files.

Optional Governing Body Documentation In some states and tribes, the umbrella state or tribal authority overseeing the child support program must give approval to the applicant organization to receive an award from ACF/OCSE. If a child support program applicant is from an umbrella state or tribal organization where there is an approval requirement to receive an award, then the applicant must submit documentation to ACF/OCSE that such approval has been granted. ACF/OCSE only requires a copy of such approval if the umbrella state or tribal authority requires such approval for the applicant to receive the funds.

Documentation of this approval is not required to be submitted at the time of the application. If the applicant cannot obtain the approval or documentation in time to submit the application, then the application may be submitted and reviewed by ACF/OCSE. There is no penalty in the application review process for applicants unable to receive or submit documentation of approval with the application. However, if the application is selected for funding, then documentation of approval will be required for ACF to issue the award. Documents not submitted by the time of the award may result in notice of award restriction remarks, restricting funds from drawdown and availability of funds in the PMS.

All documentation submitted, whether with the application or as a post-application submission, must be signed and dated by an official of the governing body. In signing the application, the governing body agrees that the applicant organization will assume the obligation imposed by applicable federal statutes, regulations, and other terms and conditions of the award, including any assurances, if awarded. Written board resolutions, meeting minutes from the governing body, and/or letters from the authorizing official reflecting approval are acceptable documentation, depending on what is appropriate for the applicant's governance structure.

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.

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