Foa_Content_of_HHS-2023-ACF-OPRE-PD-0242.pdf

Administration for Children and Families

Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation

Behavioral Interventions Scholars

HHS-2023-ACF-OPRE-PD-0242

Application Due Date: 06/05/2023

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:

Behavioral Interventions Scholars Announcement Type:

Initial Funding Opportunity Number:

HHS-2023-ACF-OPRE-PD-0242

Primary CFDA Number:

93.647 Due Date for Applications:

06/05/2023 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 Behavioral Interventions Scholars grants to support dissertation research by advanced graduate students who are using approaches grounded in behavioral science or behavioral economics to examine research questions of relevance to social services programs and policies. These grants are meant to build capacity in the research field to apply a behavioral science or behavioral economics lens to issues facing families in the United States with low incomes, and to foster faculty mentorship of high-quality doctoral students. Applicants are required to demonstrate how their research is grounded in behavioral economics/behavioral science and the applicability of their research to practices or policies serving children, adults, and families with low incomes, especially those that seek to improve their well-being. For information about OPRE, please go to https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre. For information about related work ongoing within OPRE, please go to https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/behavioral-interventions-to-advance-self-sufficiency-bias-research-portfolio.

I. Program Description

Statutory Authority Section 1110 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1310).

Description Since 2010, OPRE has explored ways to apply insights from behavioral economics, or behavioral science, to improve the operations, implementation, and efficacy of the human services programs and policies administered by ACF. Behavioral science, which integrates several related disciplines, aims to describe and predict human decision-making and behavior in a way that is closer to reality than what traditional, or neoclassical, economic theory predicts.

https://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/how-apply-grant https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/behavioral-interventions-to-advance-self-sufficiency-bias-research-portfolio https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/behavioral-interventions-to-advance-self-sufficiency-bias-research-portfolio

(Behavioral science is distinct from behavioral health, and this grant program is not specifically aimed at supporting behavioral health projects.)

The Behavioral Interventions Scholars grants intends to support dissertation research to continue building empirical evidence in the field of behavioral science, specifically as applied to social services programs and policies and other issues facing families in the United States with low incomes, and to strengthen the capacity of next-generation researchers to conduct rigorous, policy-relevant research in this area. The goal of this work is to learn how tools from behavioral science can be used to deliver programs more effectively, to improve the well-being of children, adults, and families with low incomes. Insights from behavioral economics and from the broader field of behavioral science suggest that applying a deeper understanding of information processing, decision-making, and behavior can improve human services program design and outcomes. Principles from behavioral science can both shed light on decision-making and offer new tools to improve outcomes for program participants. Small changes in the environment can facilitate desired behaviors; planning and commitment devices can be used to improve alignment between intentions and actions; and changed default rules can help lead to positive outcomes.

Between 2012 and 2015, the researchers supported by OPRE's Behavioral Interventions to Advance Self-Sufficiency (BIAS) project worked with 8 states and localities to develop 15 tests of behavioral interventions in the domains of work support, child care, and child support. The interventions, all of which were tested using randomized controlled trials, included simplifying and redesigning communication materials using behavioral principles; providing personalized child care referrals; and sending reminder messages via telephone, text message, or postcard. The results of these tests demonstrated the promise of applying insights from behavioral science to improve human services program outcomes. In 11 of the 15 randomized controlled trials, behavioral "nudges" like reminders or simplified, personal letters had a statistically significant impact on at least one primary outcome of interest. BIAS interventions increased child care subsidy renewal rates and the use of quality-rated care, boosted requests for child support order modifications and frequency of payment, and fostered engagement in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and other social services appointments and activities.

Following this first round of successful trials, OPRE launched the BIAS Next Generation research project in 2015, which not only builds on the activities and lessons of the first generation of interventions, but also goes beyond this work in various ways. More information on OPRE’s BIAS portfolio can be found at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/behavioral-interventions-to-advance-self-sufficiency-bias-research-portfolio.

The Behavioral Interventions Scholars grant program, initiated in 2017, complements OPRE's ongoing behavioral science work by building capacity in the research field to apply a behavioral science lens to social services programs and/or to issues facing families in the United States with low incomes and by fostering mentoring relationships between high-quality doctoral students and faculty members or other experienced researchers working in this field. More information on previous rounds of this grant can be found at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/project/behavioral-interventions-scholars-2017-2021.

The specific goals of the Behavioral Interventions Scholars grants are to:

https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/behavioral-interventions-to-advance-self-sufficiency-bias-research-portfolio https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/behavioral-interventions-to-advance-self-sufficiency-bias-research-portfolio https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/project/behavioral-interventions-scholars-2017-2021 https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/project/behavioral-interventions-scholars-2017-2021

1. Facilitate the completion of high-quality research projects that will add to the growing body of knowledge on effective interventions that are grounded in behavioral economics/behavioral science and have direct relevance to issues facing families with low incomes and other vulnerable groups.

2. Directly support graduate student engagement in behavioral science research as it relates to ACF programs and/or populations, especially programs authorized by the Social Security Act as well as programs related thereto, as well as graduate student training and professional development. Students are expected to become autonomous researchers with specialized knowledge of the intersection of behavioral insights and issues affecting ACF populations.

3. Foster mentoring relationships between faculty members or other experienced researchers and graduate students who are pursuing doctoral-level research in the field of applied behavioral science or related fields. Each student will work in partnership with a mentor to foster the skills necessary to build a graduate student's career trajectory. Within this mentoring relationship, scholars are expected to become independent researchers with the skills necessary to carry out behavioral science studies with a high level of technical quality.

4. Encourage active communication, networking, and collaboration among the group of graduate student participants, their mentors, and other prominent researchers in the field, both during the graduate students’ training, as well as into the early stages of their research careers.

5. Disseminate information about effective behavioral interventions, including an increase in knowledge-sharing with human services practitioners.

Research Topics of Interest

As they relate to low-income and other vulnerable populations in the United States, research topics that are of particular interest for this announcement include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Behavioral interventions within the domains of:

TANF and the safety net;

Employment and the labor market;

Job training and education;

Child welfare and foster care;

Runaway and homeless youth;

Housing and homelessness;

Financial security and economic independence;

Food assistance;

Human trafficking;

Refugee assistance;

Teen pregnancy prevention and sexual risk avoidance;

Positive youth development and transition to adulthood;

Child care;

Child support;

Head Start and early childhood education;

Early childhood home visiting;

Family strengthening;

Family violence prevention; and Healthy marriage and responsible fatherhood;

2. Increasing eligible client participation and/or retention in programs and services;

3. Increasing eligible client uptake and/or maintenance of public assistance benefits;

4. Motivating behaviors related to compliance with program rules and participation in required activities;

5. Interventions aimed at sustaining longer-term changes in habits and behaviors;

6. The respective impacts of interventions targeting clients versus those targeting caseworkers or program/service providers;

7. The respective impacts of interventions at different levels of intensity, from nudges to more systemic behaviorally informed changes;

8. The comparative effects of different types of behavioral interventions with the same goals;

9. The applicability to other contexts of behavioral interventions previously shown to work in one particular context; and

10. Implementation studies to understand how participants experience and respond to behavioral interventions.

Project Requirements

1. Research Dissemination

Conferences and Meetings. Participation in 2 conferences, annually, is mandatory. The first is the required recipient meeting, which is anticipated to occur in Washington, DC, and is likely to last 1 day. If in-person meetings are not possible, the annual recipient meeting will be held virtually. Additionally, participation for at least 2 days in the Research and Evaluation Conference on Self-Sufficiency (RECS), historically held in late May or early June, in Washington, DC, is required. This is a biennial conference. On the off years when RECS is not held, scholars are required to attend another relevant conference of their choice. The proposed budget must reflect funds to cover travel, lodging, and other costs for the scholar to attend both conferences. However, if in-person conferences are not occurring, the required conference can be attended virtually. The Mentor/Principal Investigator is only required to attend the recipient meeting. If funding for travel costs for either the scholars and/or the mentor will come from another source of travel funds, clearly note this in the application's budget and budget justification.

Research Briefs and Briefings. Twice during the project period, the scholar is expected to prepare a one- to two-page brief describing the objectives, hypotheses and/or findings (when available), and the potential practice or policy implications of their research projects. These briefs will be required at the beginning and end of the project period. At the beginning of the project period, OPRE will provide recipients with guidance to support the development of the research briefs. In place of the second research brief, the recipient may opt to collaborate with OPRE to create a different type of product, such as a blog post, data visualization, short video, or podcast episode. In addition, the recipient may be asked to present at research briefings in Washington, DC. (The budget need not reflect travel funds for possible briefing(s) in Washington, DC, as any requested briefings will be scheduled to coincide with recipient meetings or will take place via video conference.)

o When issuing statements, press releases, publications, requests for proposal, bid solicitations and other documents – such as toolkits, 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 percentage and dollar amount of the total costs of the program or project funded with federal money; and, the percentage and dollar amount of the total costs of the project or program funded by non-governmental sources.

o When issuing statements resulting from activities supported by HHS financial assistance, the recipient entity must include an acknowledgment of federal assistance using one of 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 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."

2. Approved Dissertation Proposal. Ideally, the graduate student should have an approved dissertation proposal by the due date of the grant application. However, if the student does not have an approved dissertation proposal at the time of the application, the student must have approval prior to August 15 of the year of the competition. Additionally, if the proposal has not been approved at the time of the application submission, the scope and the research cannot change substantially from what was proposed in the application.

3. Principal Investigator/Mentor. The Principal Investigator/Mentor must regularly monitor the student’s work. Although the Mentor is listed as the Principal Investigator and must be committed to taking a central role in supporting the proposed dissertation research, funds are intended to support dissertation research of an individual student. Mentors must provide substantial time and resources in mentoring doctoral-level student researchers to:

Provide ethical oversight and quality control of students’ research;

Develop student expertise in applied research;

https://www.acf.hhs.gov/administrative-and-national-policy-requirements

Help students establish their independent line of research that will provide the foundation for their professional career; and

Foster student partnerships with and dissemination efforts to social services programs, policymakers, and the research community.

Equity

In line with HHS’s plan to advance equity in the delivery of health and human services, we welcome applications that will help ACF advance equity in the delivery of human services.

Research that will help ACF advance equity in the delivery of human services might address equitable access to programs or services for subgroups of interest or how differences in implementation of programs for different groups contributes to differences in outcomes.

Equitable research plans may also include information about how individuals from populations of interest and/or with lived experiences will be engaged in the research process and considerations of how equity and inclusion informed the proposed research design and approach.

Up to five bonus points will be awarded for applications that clearly articulate how they will incorporate equity and inclusion in the proposed project.

Transparency

In line with the ACF Evaluation Policy, OPRE values transparency in research and evaluation and is committed to making information about planned, ongoing, and completed evaluations easily accessible. In addition to the dissemination-related requirements detailed above, recipients are further encouraged to register their studies with an appropriate registry (e.g., osf.io/registries) prior to the initiation of data collection and to archive final data sets in order to make them available for secondary use by other interested researchers.

Transferability

The merit of the application and the award are associated with the support of a single graduate student who is specified in the application. Awards may not be transferred to support any other graduate student.

Grants awarded as a result of this competition are not transferable to another entity without prior written approval from ACF. In addition, grant funds may not be used to support project activities outside of the scope of the proposal of the awarded project without prior written approval by

ACF.

Sharing of Awards

Awards cannot be divided among two or more graduate student researchers (i.e., no co-investigators).

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 https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2022/04/14/hhs-statements-on-new-plan-advance-equity-delivery-health-human-services.html https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/report/acf-evaluation-policy file://acffs03.itsc.hhs-itsc.local/opre/GRANTS/Behavioral%20Interventions%20Scholars%20-%20Karberg%20-%20PD/FY23/Pre-publication/osf.io/registries 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 UEI assigned by the System for Award Management (SAM), if they do not already have one. Prime recipients are required to check the SAM to verify that the subrecipient(s) is/are not debarred, suspended, or ineligible.

ACF maintains its rights to “a royalty-free, nonexclusive and irrevocable right to reproduce, publish, or otherwise use the work for Federal purposes, and to authorize others to do so,” in accordance with 45 CFR 75.322(b).

Please reference the Award Term and Condition on Subawards on the ACF Administrative and National Policy Requirements website for further requirements involving subawards.

COVID-19 Response

If, during the project period, OPRE and/or recipients are required to adjust project requirements due to COVID-19 or other emergency, OPRE will exercise maximum flexibilities as needed.

Requirements may be conducted virtually or timelines may be modified in consultation with

OPRE.

II. Federal Award Information

Funding Instrument Type:

G (Grant) Estimated Total Funding:

$100,000 Expected Number of Awards:

Award Ceiling:

$25,000 Per Budget Period

Award Floor:

$20,000 Per Budget Period

Average Projected Award Amount:

$25,000 Per Budget Period

Anticipated Project Start Date:

09/30/2023 Length of Project Periods:

12-month project period and budget period https://www.acf.hhs.gov/administrative-and-national-policy-requirements#book_content_14

24-month project period with two 12-month budget periods

Additional Information on Project Periods and Explanation of 'Other' Applicants may choose whether to apply for a 12-month project and budget period, or a 24-month project period with two 12-month budget periods.

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.

Project Periods and Non-Competitive Continuation Awards Applicants may apply for project periods of either 12 or 24 months. Applicants proposing 12-month project periods will be awarded up to $25,000. Applicants proposing 24-month project periods will be awarded up to $25,000 for the first 12-month budget period and up to $25,000 for the second 12-month budget period.

For projects with a 24-month period, initial awards will be made for the first 12-month budget period; non-competing continuation awards for the second 12-month budget period will be subject to the availability of funds, satisfactory progress by the recipient, and a determination that continued funding would be in the interest of the federal government. Satisfactory progress will be determined by the activities described in the semi-annual progress reports. The reports will describe the progress that awardees have made toward achieving originally proposed project goals, objectives and activities within the originally proposed timeline. Challenges and solutions, and adjustment in methods and timeline, should be discussed early with your Federal Project Officer and should also be described in progress reports. Satisfactory progress is confirmed when the project seems likely to address the proposed goals and objectives within the period of performance.

During the first budget period, applicants proposing 24-month projects will receive instructions on how to submit non-competing continuation applications to request funds for the second budget period.

The 12-month or 24-month project period must be noted in Item 17 on the Standard Form (SF) 424 and the need for a 12-month or 24-month project period must be identified in the project narrative, budget, and budget justification.

Indirect Costs: Indirect costs are included in the Award Ceiling and are taken into consideration under the Award Ceiling disqualification factor

III. Eligibility Information

III.1. Eligible Applicants

Under section 1110 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1310), eligibility is open to “States and public and other organizations and agencies for paying part of the cost of research or demonstration projects such as those...which will help improve the administration and effectiveness of programs carried on or assisted under the [Social Security Act] and programs related thereto.” Eligible U.S. entities are the universities at which a graduate student scholar is enrolled.

Eligible U.S. entities may apply on behalf of a Principal Investigator who will serve as a mentor for an international non-U.S. citizen who is an advanced graduate student.

Additional Information on Eligibility

Applicants are required to submit a letter of support from the graduate student’s mentor, who acts as the project’s Principal Investigator, that approves the application. The letter must include a description of how the mentor will regularly monitor the student’s work. The description of the letter’s full requirements is available in Section IV.2. Content and Form of Application Submission, The Project Description, Additional Eligibility Documentation. Lack of the required documentation will disqualify the application from review and from award. See Section 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. 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:

Yes

Recipients are required to meet a non-federal share of the project cost, in accordance with Social Security Act Section 1110(a)(1)(A).

Recipients must provide at least 1 percent of the total approved cost of the project. The total approved cost of the project is the sum of the ACF (federal) share and the non-federal share. The non-federal share may be met by cash or in-kind contributions, although recipients are encouraged to meet their match requirements through cash contributions. For example, in order to meet the match requirements, a project requesting $25,000 in ACF (federal) funds must provide a non-federal share of the approved total project cost of at least $ 253 , which is 1 percent of total approved project cost of $ 25,253 .

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.

Cost sharing is required for these projects in accordance with Section 1110 of the Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. 1310. Applicants must provide a cost sharing amount in the application's Budget and Budget Justification. This project requires 1 percent minimum cost sharing contribution.

Cost sharing may be in cash or in-kind, including office space, access to computer networks or software, or the graduate student's time spent on the project that is not paid by federal grant funds, and may include unrecovered indirect costs in accordance with 45 CFR 75.306.

Because the cost sharing amount is not part of the federal share, it does not affect the Award Ceiling amount under the application disqualification factor. See Section III.3.

Other, Application Disqualification Factors. Please also see Section IV.2. The Project Budget and Budget Justification, Commitment of Non-Federal Resources and Section V.1. Criteria, Budget and Budget Justification.

III.3. Other

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

Award Ceiling Disqualification

Applications that request an award amount that exceeds the Award Ceiling per budget period or per project period ("per project period" refers only to fully funded awards), as stated in Section II. Federal Award Information, will be disqualified from competitive review and funding under this funding opportunity. This disqualification applies only to the Award Ceiling listed for the first 12-month budget period for projects with multiple budget periods. If the project and budget period are the same, the disqualification applies to the Award Ceiling listed for the project period.

Required Electronic Application Submission

ACF requires electronic submission of applications at Grants.gov. Paper applications received from applicants that have not been approved for an exemption from required electronic submission will be disqualified from competitive review and funding under this funding opportunity.

Applicants that do not have an internet connection or sufficient computing capacity to upload large documents to the internet may contact ACF for an exemption that will allow the applicant to submit applications in paper format. Information and the requirements for requesting an exemption from required electronic application submission are found in "ACF Policy for Requesting an Exemption from Electronic Application Submission."

Missing the Application Deadline (Late Applications)

The deadline for electronic application submission is 11:59 pm ET on the due date listed in the Overview and in Section IV.4. Submission Dates and Times. Electronic applications submitted to Grants.gov after 11:59 pm ET on the due date, as indicated by a dated and time-stamped email from Grants.gov, will be disqualified from competitive review and funding under this funding opportunity. That is, applications submitted to Grants.gov, on or after 12:00 am ET on the day after the due date will be disqualified from competitive review and funding under this funding opportunity.

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

https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ACF_Policy_for_Requesting_an_Exemption_from_Required_Electronic_FINAL_0.pdf https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ACF_Policy_for_Requesting_an_Exemption_from_Required_Electronic_FINAL_0.pdf

Each time an application is submitted via Grants.gov, the submission will generate a new date and time-stamp email notification. Only those applications with on-time date and time stamps that result in a validated application, which is transmitted to ACF will be acknowledged.

The deadline for receipt of paper applications is 4:30 pm ET on the due date listed in the Overview and in Section IV.4. Submission Dates and Times. Paper applications received after 4:30 pm ET on the due date will be disqualified from competitive review and funding under this funding opportunity. Paper applications received from applicants that have not received approval of an exemption from required electronic submission will be disqualified from competitive review and funding under this funding opportunity.

Letter of Support from Mentor/Principal Investigator

Applications must include a letter of support from the graduate student’s mentor, acting as the project’s Principal Investigator, that approves the application and provides a description of how the mentor will regularly monitor the student’s work. If the letter of support is not included, the project will be disqualified from review and from funding under this NOFO. See Section III.1.

Eligible Applicants, Additional Information on Eligibility, and Section IV.2. The Project Description, Additional Eligibility Documentation.

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

Behavioral Interventions Scholars Grants c/o ICF International 1902 Reston Metro Plaza Reston

VA

20190 877-350-5913 703-934-3740 behavioralscholars@icfi.com Application Packages

Electronic Application Submission:

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

Applications in Paper Format:

For applicants that have received an exemption to submit applications in paper format, Standard Forms (SFs), assurances, and certifications are available in the "Select Grant Opportunity Package" available in the NOFO's Grants.gov Synopsis under the Package tab at Grants.gov. See

Section IV.2. Request an Exemption from Required Electronic Application Submission if applicants do not have an Internet connection or sufficient computing capacity to upload large documents (files) to Grants.gov.

Federal Relay Service:

Hearing-impaired and speech-impaired callers may contact the Federal Relay Service (FedRelay) for assistance at www.gsa.gov/fedrelay.

IV.2. Content and Form of Application Submission

FORMATTING APPLICATION SUBMISSIONS

Each applicant applying electronically via Grants.gov is required to upload only two electronic files, excluding SFs and Office of Management and Budget (OMB)-approved forms. No more than two files will be accepted for the review, and additional files will be removed. SFs and OMB-approved forms will not be considered additional files.

FOR ALL APPLICATIONS:

Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) AOR is the designated representative of the applicant/recipient organization with authority to act on the organization’s behalf in matters related to the award and administration of grants. In signing a grant application, this individual agrees that the organization will assume the obligations imposed by applicable Federal statutes and regulations and other terms and conditions of the award, including any assurances, if a grant is awarded.

Point of Contact In addition to the AOR, a point of contact on matters involving the application must also be identified. The point of contact, known as the Project Director or Principal Investigator, should not be identical to the person identified as the AOR. The point of contact must be available to answer any questions pertaining to the application.

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

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

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

1. Each application may include only one proposed project.

2. Page Limits and Numbering: Applicants must limit their entire application (inclusive of both the Project Narrative File and the Appendices File) to 100 pages. Standard forms (SF) do not count toward the page limit. Shorter applications are encouraged.

3. Organization of Application Submission: Applicants are strongly advised to use headings and sub-headings that correspond to the required proposal sections outlined below. Applicants are further advised to include all required forms and materials.

A. File One: Project Description (for details on preparing the full project description, see additional instructions in Section IV.2. Content and Form of Application Submission, The Project Description)

1. Table of Contents

2. Project Summary

3. Approach

(A) Relevance to Behavioral Economics/Behavioral Science

(B) Background, Significance, and Objectives

(C) Research Design and Methodology

(D) Management and Dissemination Plans

4. Protection of Sensitive and/or Confidential Information

5. Budget Justification Narrative

6. References B. File Two: Appendices (for details on preparing these appendices, see additional instructions in Section IV.2. Content and Form of Application Submission, The Project Description)

1. Letter of Support from Mentor

2. Curriculum Vitae and Biographical Sketch for Student

3. Curriculum Vitae and Biographical Sketch for Principal Investigator/Mentor

4. Official Transcript for Student Reflecting Completed Graduate Courses and Status in the Doctoral Program

5. Documentation of Approved Doctoral Dissertation Proposal (if applicable)

6. Proof of Non-Profit Status (if applicable)

7. Proof of For-Profit Status (if applicable)

8. Documentation of third-party agreements (if applicable)

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

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.

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

Certificate of Good Standing

Submission is required for all for-profit…