Foa_Content_of_HHS-2023-ACF-OPRE-FA-0041.pdf

Administration for Children and Families

Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation

Prevention Services Evaluation Partnerships: Building Evidence for Mental Health, Substance Use, In-home Parent Skill-based, and Kinship Navigator Programs and Services

HHS-2023-ACF-OPRE-FA-0041

Application Due Date: 07/11/2023

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:

Prevention Services Evaluation Partnerships: Building Evidence for Mental Health, Substance Use, In-home Parent Skill-based, and Kinship Navigator Programs and Services Announcement Type:

Initial Funding Opportunity Number:

HHS-2023-ACF-OPRE-FA-0041

Primary CFDA Number:

93.556 Due Date for Applications:

07/11/2023 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), Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) is soliciting applications for Prevention Services Evaluation Partnerships.

These grants aim to support summative (i.e., impact) randomized control trial or quasi-experimental evaluations of a mental health, substance abuse prevention and/or treatment, in-home parent skill-based, or kinship navigator program or service. The grants will support collaborations among evaluators and partnering Title IV-E agencies, community entities, and/or researchers that have experience in working with foster children or children in kinship care arrangements to conduct well-designed and rigorous summative evaluations of programs and services intended to provide enhanced support to children and families, including pregnant and parenting youth in foster care, as well as prevent child abuse and neglect and foster care placements.

Grant recipients are expected to conduct a randomized control trial or quasi-experimental evaluation design that aligns with Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse (the Clearinghouse) Design and Execution Standards for Moderate or High Support of Causal Evidence and may contribute to the research systematically reviewed by the Clearinghouse.

Grant recipients may collect and analyze primary data or leverage existing data for the proposed evaluation. ACF is particularly interested in evaluations of programs or services that are eligible for review by the Clearinghouse but which are not yet rated; programs and services with a rating of “does not currently meet criteria” by the Clearinghouse; and programs and services that have been designed for or adapted for specific cultural, ethnic, or racial groups, or programs and services that aim to serve other populations that have been historically marginalized and/or have historic or ongoing disproportionate representation in the child welfare system in order to support the goals and requirements of the Executive Order on Advancing Racial Equity and https://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/how-apply-grant https://preventionservices.acf.hhs.gov/ 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/

Support for Underserved Communities. In addition, ACF is particularly interested in evaluations that leverage existing administrative data. Applicants must demonstrate that programs and services proposed for evaluation are ready for rigorous summative evaluations, for example by describing formative evaluations that have already been completed. Finally, grant recipients are expected to collaborate with federal staff and with each other as they conduct their evaluations.

For further information about OPRE, see https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre.

I. Program Description

Statutory Authority Title IV, part B, subpart 2 - Promoting Safe and Stable Families of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 629e(a)(1))

Description

BACKGROUND

The Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) was signed into law as part of the Bipartisan Budget Act (Public Law 115-123) on February 9, 2018. As part of FFPSA, states can use federal funds available under parts B and E of title IV of the Social Security Act to provide enhanced support to children and families and prevent foster care placements through the provision of evidence-based mental health and substance abuse prevention and treatment services, in-home parent skill-based programs, and kinship navigator services. These services and programs are intended for children who are candidates for foster care or who are pregnant or parenting foster youth and the parents or kin caregivers of these children.

ACF established the Clearinghouse to systematically review research and evaluation on programs and services intended to provide enhanced support to children and families and prevent foster care placements. In accordance with FFPSA, the Clearinghouse rates programs and services as “promising,” “supported,” “well-supported,” or “does not currently meet criteria” practices. These practices include mental health and substance abuse prevention and treatment services and in-home parent skill-based programs, as well as kinship navigator programs. The Clearinghouse began releasing the ratings for the first programs and services systematically reviewed on June 20, 2019. To learn more about the Clearinghouse, see this overview webinar and the Clearinghouse website.

On April 26, 2019, the ACF released the Prevention Services Clearinghouse Handbook of Standards and Procedures, Version 1.0 (the Handbook). The Handbook provides a detailed description of the standards used to identify and review programs and services for the Prevention Services Clearinghouse. It also provides a detailed description of the procedures followed by the Prevention Services Clearinghouse staff. On May 14, 2019, a public webinar was held to guide Prevention Services Clearinghouse Users through the Handbook. ACF solicited feedback on the Handbook, Version 1.0 through a Federal Register Notice (FRN) (86 FR 37332) published on July 15, 2021. Responses to this FRN will inform updates and clarifications to the existing standards and procedures.

The Prevention Services Evaluation Partnerships are intended to support well-designed and rigorous summative (i.e., impact) quasi-experimental and randomized control trial evaluations of 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.acf.hhs.gov/opre https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSRfI4qJ7qY https://preventionservices.acf.hhs.gov/index.php/ https://preventionservices.acf.hhs.gov/themes/ffc_theme/pdf/psc_handbook_v1_final_508_compliant.pdf https://preventionservices.acf.hhs.gov/themes/ffc_theme/pdf/psc_handbook_v1_final_508_compliant.pdf https://youtu.be/YSRfI4qJ7qY https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/07/15/2021-15065/title-iv-e-prevention-services-clearinghouse-handbook-of-standards-and-procedures a mental health and substance use prevention and treatment, in-home parent skill-based, or kinship navigator program or service. These evaluations may contribute to the research systematically reviewed by the Clearinghouse. As such, the evaluated program or service must be intended to provide enhanced support to children and families in community settings, as well as prevent child abuse and neglect and foster care placements. Further, evaluators must actively engage partnering Title IV-E agencies and/or community entities and relevant individuals and groups as appropriate. For the purpose of this NOFO, active engagement is defined as the intentional involvement in all phases of the inquiry process of groups and individuals who are invested in the outcomes of the research or evaluation. Groups and individuals to actively engage may include, but are not limited to, service providers; developers of interventions, innovations, or practices; program participants; subject-matter experts; federal, grant recipient, or other program staff; federal, state, or local leadership; groups and individuals in programs’ communities; individuals with lived experience or expertise; and those in broader fields of study related to human services research and evaluation. Grant recipients must obtain this input transparently while safeguarding the objectivity and independence of the study, to insulate evaluation functions from undue influence and from both the appearance and the reality of bias.

For further information on OPRE expectations on active engagement, see this publication. If applicable, see this guidance from the Children's Bureau on effective and collaborative evaluation with tribal communities.

PROGRAM GOALS AND EXPECTATIONS

1. Each grant recipient will conduct a summative (i.e., impact) randomized control trial or quasi-experimental evaluation of a mental health, substance abuse prevention and/or treatment, in-home parent skill-based, or kinship navigator program or service that is intended to provide enhanced support to children and families, as well as prevent child abuse and neglect and foster care placements.

2. Grant recipients will partner and actively engage with at least one Title IV-E agency and/or community entity and other relevant individuals and groups in the research process as appropriate to the goals of each phase of the project’s life cycle (e.g., development of research questions, measurement choices, contextualization of findings, and external communication priorities). If the program or service being evaluated is designed or adapted for specific cultural, ethnic, or racial groups, or if it aims to serve populations that have been historically marginalized and/or have historic or ongoing disproportionate representation in the child welfare system, individuals from those groups must be actively engaged in the project.

3. Grant recipients will collaborate with one another and with federal staff during monthly virtual meetings and four full-day meetings (planned for in-person).

4. Grant recipients will disseminate their research in an effort to build the evidence for programs and services intended to provide enhanced support to children and families and to prevent child abuse and neglect and foster care placements. Contributions to this body of evidence may include addressing key gaps in knowledge, improving on existing methodological approaches to evaluating prevention services programs, and contributing to the available evidence that can be systematically reviewed by the Clearinghouse.

https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/report/making-evaluations-rigorous-and-relevant-role-active-engagement-development-learning https://www.acf.hhs.gov/cb/training-technical-assistance/roadmap-collaborative-and-effective-evaluation-tribal-communities

Programs and services to be evaluated must be eligible for review by the Clearinghouse. As described in the current version of the Handbook, to be eligible for review, a program/service must:

1. Fall into at least one of the four eligible program or service areas: mental health prevention and treatment programs or services, substance abuse prevention and treatment programs or services, in-home parent skill-based programs or services, and kinship navigator programs; and

2. Be clearly defined and replicable. To meet this criterion, programs and services must have available written protocols, manuals, or other documentation that describes how to implement or administer the practice. Protocols, manuals, and other documentation must be available to the public to download, request, and purchase.

Grant recipients are expected to conduct a randomized control trial or quasi-experimental evaluation design that aligns with the most current version of the Clearinghouse Design and Execution Standards for Moderate or High Support of Causal Evidence. The summative evaluation design may also be informed by ACYF-CB-IM-19-04, Evaluation Plan Development Tip Sheet.

Grant recipients may collect and analyze primary data or leverage existing data for the proposed evaluation, but ACF is particularly interested in evaluations that leverage existing administrative data. ACF is particularly interested in evaluations of programs or services that are eligible for review by the Clearinghouse, but which are not yet rated, and programs and services with a rating of “does not currently meet criteria” by the Clearinghouse; leveraging existing data can more rapidly generate evidence for systematic review. Finally, ACF is particularly interested in evaluations of programs and services that have been designed for or adapted for specific cultural, ethnic, or racial groups, or programs and services that aim to serve other populations that have been historically marginalized and/or have historic or ongoing disproportionate representation in the child welfare system, in order to support the goals and requirements of the Executive Order on Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities. Applicants must demonstrate that programs and services proposed for evaluation are ready for rigorous summative evaluations, for example by describing formative evaluations that have already been completed.

PURPOSE

Project Requirements Grant recipients must work with their Title IV-E agency, community, and/or research partners to plan and conduct well-designed and rigorous summative (i.e., impact) evaluations of programs and services intended to provide enhanced support to children and families as well as prevent child abuse and neglect and foster care placements. Grant recipients must also pre-register their project's research and analysis plans with an appropriate public registry (see Pre-Registering Studies – What Is It, How Do You Do It, and Why? for more information).

All grant recipients must attend two full-day meetings of grant recipients and federal staff during the first year of the grant and one full-day meeting during each of the second and third years.

These four meetings are planned to be held in person in the Washington, DC metropolitan area https://www.acf.hhs.gov/cb/policy-guidance/im-19-04 https://www.acf.hhs.gov/cb/policy-guidance/im-19-04 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.acf.hhs.gov/opre/blog/2022/08/pre-registering-studies-what-it-how-do-you-do-it-and-why https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/blog/2022/08/pre-registering-studies-what-it-how-do-you-do-it-and-why but may be held virtually. In addition, all grant recipients must attend monthly 1-hour meetings (planned to be held virtually).

Response to Nationally Declared Emergency

If, during the project period, OPRE and/or recipients are required to adjust program and/or recipient requirements due to nationally declared emergency, OPRE will exercise maximum flexibilities, as needed. Requirements may be conducted virtually and/or timelines modified in consultation with OPRE.

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 assigned by the System for Award Management (SAM), if they do not already have one.

Primary 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.

Stevens Amendment

When issuing statements, press releases, publications, requests for proposal, bid solicitations, and other documents --such as tool-kits, resource guides, websites, and presentations (hereafter “statements”) -- describing the projects or programs funded in whole or in part with HHS federal funds, the recipient must clearly state the following:

1. the percentage and dollar amount of the total costs of the program or project funded with federal money; and

2. the percentage and dollar amount of the total costs of the project or program funded by non-governmental sources.

When issuing statements resulting from activities supported by HHS financial assistance, the recipient entity must include an acknowledgment of federal assistance using the following or a similar statement.

If the HHS grant or cooperative agreement is NOT funded with other non-governmental sources:

“This [project/publication/program/website, etc.] [is/was] supported by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) of the United States (U.S.) Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $XX with 100 percent funded by https://www.acf.hhs.gov/administrative-and-national-policy-requirements#book_content_14 https://www.acf.hhs.gov/administrative-and-national-policy-requirements

ACF/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, ACF/HHS or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit the ACF website, Administrative and National Policy Requirements.”

II. Federal Award Information

Funding Instrument Type:

CA (Cooperative Agreement) Estimated Total Funding:

$8,900,000 Expected Number of Awards:

Award Ceiling:

$1,500,000 Per Project Period

Award Floor:

$250,000 Per Project Period

Average Projected Award Amount:

$750,000 Per Project Period

Anticipated Project Start Date:

10/01/2023 Length of Project Periods:

Other

Additional Information on Project Periods and Explanation of 'Other' Project period will be 36 months with one budget period of 36 months. The project will be fully funded with only one budget period; therefore, applications should be for an amount no less than $250,000 and must be no more than 1,500,000. The application should include a budget and budget narrative for the entire 36-month period.

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

A cooperative agreement is a specific method of awarding federal assistance in which substantial federal involvement is anticipated. A cooperative agreement clearly defines the responsibilities of OPRE.

OPRE will:

Monitor the project and provide technical assistance and feedback when necessary.

Provide leadership to maximize cooperation and collaboration among grant recipients, including organizing periodic consultations and teleconferences to review research activities, to share information, and to promote coordination of the project.

Schedule and host two recipient meetings in the first year and one recipient meeting in each subsequent year of the grant, as well as set the agenda and coordinate activities for each meeting.

Collaborate in activities specified in the award and approve specific project milestones including the development of common measures, if needed, and the production of project materials.

Act as a liaison between the recipients and the Children’s Bureau to ensure that the research products developed meet the goals and objectives of the grant.

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

III. Eligibility Information

III.1. Eligible Applicants

Eligibility is open to public and private entities that include state, city, and local governments;

public, private, and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private, non-profit organizations with and without 501(c)(3) IRS tax status; Native American tribal governments (federally recognized) and Native American tribal organizations; and for-profit organizations and small businesses that are not sole proprietorships.

Applications from individuals (including sole proprietorships) and foreign entities are not eligible and will be disqualified from competitive review and funding under this funding opportunity. See Section III.3. Other, Application Disqualification Factors.

Faith-based and community organizations that meet the eligibility requirements are eligible to receive awards under this funding opportunity. Faith-based organizations may apply for this award on the same basis as any other organization, as set forth at and, subject to the protections and requirements of 45 CFR Part 87 and 42 U.S.C. 2000bb et seq., ACF will not, in the selection of recipients, discriminate against an organization on the basis of the organization's religious character, affiliation, or exercise.

Reference to Legal Status See Section IV.2. Legal Status of Applicant Entity for documentation required to support eligibility.

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.

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

IV. Application and Submission Information

IV.1. Address to Request Application Package

Bridget Shea Westfall Office of Grants Management Administration for Children and Families Department of Health and Human Services

NOFO # HHS-2023-ACF-OPRE-FA-0041

330 C Street, SW.

Washington

DC

20201

(202) 401-5542 bridget.sheawestfall@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 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, 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:

The application submission is limited to 100 pages in its entirety. Standard Forms and OMB-approved forms do not count towards this page limit.

The two files that applicants must submit are:

File One - The Project Description file must include these items in this order:

Table of Contents Project summary Approach Organizational capacity for applicant organization and partner organization(s) o Relevant experience and expertise o Capability to fulfill their role(s)s and function(s)

Project timeline and milestones Protection of sensitive and/or confidential information Dissemination plan Budget and budget justification

File Two, The Appendices file, includes these items, in this order:

Organizational Capacity Documentation o Applicant organization's fiscal control and accountability procedures o Applicant organization's personnel policies

Biographical sketches/resumes/curricula vita/job descriptions Copies of third-party agreements Plan for oversight of federal award funds

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

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 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.

https://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/howto#chapter-6

Required Forms, Assurances, and Certifications

Applicants seeking an award under this funding opportunity must submit the listed SFs, assurances, and certifications with the application. All required SFs, assurances, and certifications are available in the Application Package posted for this NOFO at Grants.gov.

Forms/Assurances/Certifications Submission Requirement Notes/Description

Protection of Human Subjects Assurance Identification / IRB Certification / Declaration of Exemption (Common Rule)

Submission of the required information and forms is due with the application package by the due date listed in the Overview and Section IV.4.

Submission Dates and Times. If the information is not available at the time of application, it must be submitted prior to the award of a grant.

Form is available at http:// www.hhs.gov/ ohrp/ assurances/ forms/index.html.

General information about the HHS Protection of Human Subjects regulations can be obtained at http://www. hhs.gov/ ohrp/ . Applicants may also contact OHRP by email (OHRP@HHS.gov) or by phone (240-453-6900).

SF-424 - Application for Federal Assistance

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

Required for all applications.

Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and System for Award Management (SAM) registration.

Required of all applicants.

Applicants must have a UEI and maintain an active SAM registration throughout the application and project award period.

Obtain a UEI and SAM registration at:

See Section IV.3. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and System for Award Management (SAM) for more information.

http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/assurances/forms/index.html http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/assurances/forms/index.html http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/assurances/forms/index.html http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/ http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/ mailto:OHRP@HHS.gov

Forms/Assurances/Certifications Submission Requirement Notes/Description http://www.sam.gov

SF-424 Key Contact Form

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

Required for all applications.

Certification Regarding Lobbying (Grants.gov Lobbying Form)

Submission required of all applicants with the application package. If it is not submitted with the application package, it must be submitted prior to the award of a grant.

Submission of the certification is required for all applicants.

SF-424A - Budget Information - Non- Construction Programs and SF-424B - Assurances - Non- Construction Programs

Submission is required for all applicants when applying for a non-construction project.

SFs must be used.

Forms must be submitted by the application due date.

By signing and submitting the SF- 424B, applicants are making the appropriate certification of their compliance with all Federal statutes relating to nondiscrimination.

Required for all applications when applying for a non-construction project.

SF-Project/Performance Site Location(s) (SF-P/PSL)

Submission is required for all

Required for all applications. In the SF-P/PSL, applicants must https://www.sam.gov/

Forms/Assurances/Certifications Submission Requirement Notes/Description applicants by the application due date.

cite their primary location and up to 29 additional performance sites.

SF-LLL - Disclosure of Lobbying Activities

If submission of this form is applicable, it is due at the time of application. If it is not available at the time of application, it may also be submitted prior to the award of a grant.

If any funds have been paid or will be paid to any person for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any agency, a member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a member of Congress in connection with this commitment providing for the United States to insure or guarantee a loan, the applicant shall complete and submit the SF-LLL, "Disclosure Form to Report Lobbying," in accordance with its instructions.

Additional Required Assurances and Certifications Mandatory Grant Disclosure All applicants and recipients are required to submit, in writing, to the awarding agency and to the HHS Office of the Inspector General (OIG), all information related to violations of federal criminal law involving fraud, bribery, or gratuity violations potentially affecting the federal award. (Mandatory Disclosures, 45 CFR § 75.113)

Disclosures must be sent in writing to:

The Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Grants Management, ATTN: Grants Management Specialist, 330 C Street, SW., Switzer Building, Corridor 3200, Washington, DC 20201

And to:

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, ATTN:

Mandatory Grant Disclosures, Intake Coordinator, 330 Independence Avenue, SW., Cohen Building, Room 5527, Washington, DC 20201

Fax: (202) 205-0604 (Include “Mandatory Grant Disclosures” in subject line) or

Email: grantdisclosures@oig.hhs.gov

Non-Federal Reviewers Since ACF will be using non-federal reviewers in the review process, applicants have the option of omitting from the application copies (not the original) specific salary rates or amounts for mailto:grantdisclosures@oig.hhs.gov individuals specified in the application budget as well as Social Security Numbers, if otherwise required for individuals. The copies may include summary salary information. If applications are submitted electronically, ACF will omit the same specific salary rate information from copies made for use during the review process.

The Project Description

The Project Description Overview

General Expectations and Instructions The Project Description provides the information by which an application is evaluated and ranked in competition with other applications for financial assistance. It must address all activities for which federal funds are being requested and all application requirements as stated in this section. The Project Description must explain how the project will meet the purpose of the NOFO, as described in Section I. Program Description. As a reminder, reviewers will be evaluating this section in accordance with Section V.1. Criteria.

The Project Description must be clear, concise, and complete.