Foa_Content_of_HHS-2023-ACF-ORR-RB-0045.pdf

Administration for Children and Families

Office of Refugee Resettlement

Refugee Technical Assistance Program

HHS-2023-ACF-ORR-RB-0045

Application Due Date: 06/24/2023

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:

Refugee Technical Assistance Program Announcement Type:

Initial Funding Opportunity Number:

HHS-2023-ACF-ORR-RB-0045

Primary CFDA Number:

93.576 Due Date for Applications:

06/24/2023 Executive Summary

Notice:

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

The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), announces the availability of funds for the continuation of a national one-stop source or hub for refugee technical assistance (TA), under the Refugee Technical Assistance Program (RTAP). A maximum of $7.5 million is available, to be competitively awarded through one cooperative agreement under RTAP. This national hub will provide coordinated, innovative training and TA to providers that do not otherwise have access to this type of tailored TA, such as ORR-funded state refugee programs, ORR-funded refugee service providers, ORR-funded ethnic community-based organizations, and other agencies and community organizations providing the same types of services and benefits to refugees as those funded by ORR. The TA provider is expected to foster and engage with a network of subject-matter experts (SMEs) in the field and promote cross-sector social innovation through staffing, consultancy, or sub-contractual relationships.

The overall goal is to equip ORR-funded state refugee programs, ORR-funded refugee service providers, ORR-funded ethnic community-based organizations, and other agencies and community organizations providing the same types of services and benefits to refugees as those funded by ORR with the specialized TA, training, and resources needed to appropriately address barriers to refugee self-sufficiency, health and wellness, and integration, and to advance equity in service provision. The TA provider will respond to refugees' unique challenges and needs, and leverage the strengths, talents and capabilities of refugees and their resettlement communities through a strengths-based approach to TA. The TA provider is also intended to help refugee service providers measure the quality and effectiveness of their programs and services, develop communication strategies that reflect the impact of their programs, and improve the effectiveness of their consultations with community service agencies and state and local government agencies to coordinate appropriate services for refugees.

https://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/how-apply-grant

The TA provider will conduct regular needs assessments of the field to determine the areas of TA focus, which may include refugee self-sufficiency through employment, case management for refugees, trauma-informed refugee health and mental health, refugee child and family well-being and family preservation, naturalization and citizenship, digital literacy, advancing equity, community consultation and engagement, coordination with private sponsors of refugees, and program evaluation.

I. Program Description

Statutory Authority 8 U.S.C. 1522(c)(1)(A), section 412(c)(1)(A) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA)

Description ORR Background

A refugee is a person who is unwilling or unable to return to her or his country of origin due to a well-founded fear of persecution, based on the following protected grounds: race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group.1

United States policy allows refugees of special humanitarian concern entrance into the country, which reflect American core values and the tradition of being a safe haven for the oppressed. The Refugee Act of 1980 standardized federally supported resettlement services and established the United States as a leader in welcoming some of the world's most vulnerable refugees, including women and children at-risk, survivors of torture and war-related atrocities, and the elderly, among others.

Refugees may arrive in the United States from large, urban centers with high concentrations of forcibly displaced persons or from rural refugee camps where adequate nutrition, security, health care, education, and employment are severely limited, if available at all. But refugees also bring with them to the United States a rich diversity of experience, talent, skills, education, and knowledge that strengthen the fabric of American society.

ORR helps refugees maximize their potential in the United States by linking them to critical resources that assist them in becoming members of American society and provides funding and services for refugees through state governments, national resettlement agencies and their affiliates, and community-based organizations. For the purposes of this funding opportunity, refugee refers to the following populations served by ORR : 1) a person who is paroled as a refugee or an asylee2,

2) a person who is admitted as a refugee3, 3) a person who has been granted asylum4, 4) Cuban and Haitian entrants5, 5) certain Amerasians from Vietnam6, 6) victims of a severe form of trafficking who have T-Visas or receive certification or letters of eligibility from ORR7, 7) certain other specified family members of trafficking victims with T Visas,8 and 8) Iraqi and Afghan Special Immigrants with Special Immigrant Visas.9 In addition, Congress authorized citizens or nationals of Afghanistan paroled into the United States between July 31, 2021, and September 30, 2023, to receive resettlement assistance and other benefits available to refugees, as well as their spouse or child paroled into the United States after September 30, 2022, and the parent or legal guardian of those determined to be an unaccompanied child as defined by 6 U.S.C. 279(g)(2) who is paroled into the United States after September 30, 2023.10 As of May 21, 2022, Congress also authorized ORR to serve Ukrainian populations and other non-Ukrainian individuals paroled into the United States between February 24, 2022, and September 30, 2023, as well as their spouse or child paroled into the United States after September 30, 2023, and the parent, legal guardian, or primary caregiver of those determined to be an unaccompanied child as defined by 6 U.S.C.

279(g)(2) who is paroled into the United States after September 30, 2023.11 All of these eligible populations, and any new populations added by Congress to this eligibility category in the future, will be referenced as refugees for the remainder of the document.

The purpose of ORR’s refugee program is “to provide for the effective resettlement of refugees and to assist them to achieve economic self-sufficiency as quickly as possible.”12 A priority within ORR’s refugee resettlement program is the provision of employment services and English language training.13

ORR has the following six service priorities to promote long-term self-sufficiency, integration and well-being:

Cash and medical assistance to support refugees as they enter the workforce and integrate into their new communities, Early employment as a path to self-sufficiency and longer-term integration; economic mobility, Intensive strengths-based case management for vulnerable populations, Health, mental health, and well-being assessments and services, A whole-family approach, including services for children and youth to ensure successful transition to adulthood and integration for the elderly, and Foster care for unaccompanied minors.

ORR-funded state refugee programs, ORR-funded refugee service providers, ORR-funded ethnic community-based organizations, and other agencies and community organizations providing the same types of services and benefits to refugees as those funded by ORR–hereafter referred to as "refugee service providers”–require specialized TA, training, and resources to be able to understand, identify, and respond to the unique challenges and needs that refugees may have during the resettlement period (5 years or less after arrival). They must also be able to effectively assist refugees as they access resettlement and community-based services and programs, education, employment, and specialized care. In addition, the Afghanistan Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2022, and Additional Afghanistan Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2022, provided funding for services to meet the needs of Afghan arrivals, including resources to support housing and immigration-related legal assistance needs. Finally, the Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2022, authorized ORR to provide resettlement assistance and other benefits available for refugees to specific Ukrainian populations and other non-Ukrainian individuals in response to their displacement from Ukraine and entry into the United States.

RTAP Overview

Historically, ORR’s RTAP focused on responding to the needs of refugees and resettlement communities and on providing refugee service providers with the TA, training, and resources needed to effectively serve refugees in a culturally and linguistically appropriate way, including:

1) developing tools and resources to enhance services to refugees and create opportunities for increased community engagement, 2) creating mechanisms to support the path to refugee economic self-sufficiency, and 3) increasing the overall organizational capacity of service providers to meet the needs of incoming refugee populations.14

ORR has funded TA providers to focus on a range of issues, including housing access, mental healthcare, civic participation, economic development support, and more. Over the years, RTAP has built an active professional network of experts who have contributed to a growing repository of refugee-specific resources and tools, developed by ORR’s TA providers. During the last funding cycle, RTAP created a national one-stop source or hub to provide specialized TA, training, and resources to refugee service providers.

Goal and Objectives

With this funding opportunity, the goal of RTAP is to build on the existing expertise in the field and continue providing a national one-stop source or hub to deliver responsive, innovative, specialized, trauma-informed, and culturally appropriate TA, training, and resources to refugee service providers so that they are able to effectively help refugees maximize their potential in the United States and become members of American society.

RTAP's project design should be aligned with ORR’s service priorities and be based on a strong and detailed evidence-based theory of change (ToC). A ToC is a type of logic model that shows “if…then” relationships. It highlights causal linkages among activities/approaches, outputs, outcomes, and objectives.

The objectives of the program are to:

1. Promote knowledge management and information-sharing of emerging, promising, innovative, and best practices in refugee service provision across service providers and disciplines;

2. Strengthen the capacity of refugee service providers to provide evidence-and strengths-based services to refugees; effectively address on-going and emerging barriers to refugee self-sufficiency and integration, and to advance equity15 in service provision;

3. Help refugee service providers measure the quality and effectiveness of their programs and services; and

4. Develop and promote communication strategies and messaging around data for refugee service providers to reflect the impact of ORR’s Refugee Program and consult with community service organizations and state and local government agencies to coordinate appropriate services for refugees.

Training and TA Design and Delivery

RTAP will provide the continuation of a training and TA hub that is national in scope and focus.

RTAP will serve as a one-stop source for refugee-related TA, training, information, resources, and research and will reach a multi-disciplinary audience of refugee service providers that may include social services staff, health care professionals, program administrators, educators, researchers, community leaders and liaisons, state government administrators, and business owners and leaders, etc. The training and TA hub will provide TA and resources produced under this award without giving preference to any providers affiliated with its parent organization.

In order to reach RTAP’s stated objectives, the recipient will focus on four key areas: knowledge development and management; professional skills-building; monitoring and evaluation; and communication and consultation.

Knowledge Development and Management

First, RTAP will develop a knowledge management strategy that will focus on fostering information-sharing of both emergent and prominent issues in the field and raising awareness of emerging, promising, innovative, and best practices in refugee service provision, across disciplines. RTAP will promote and build upon the existing repository of refugee-related resources, tools, information, and research that target the five objectives of the program (see Goal and Objectives, above).

As part of a knowledge management strategy, RTAP will:

Use web-based platforms for its training and TA activities that may include webinars, podcasts, online courses, e-consultations, coordination of online communities of practice, etc.

Maintain an RTAP-specific website and mobile app for refugee service providers that includes sections on the main domains of refugee service provision (e.g., refugee health, refugee children and youth, refugee employment and career development, coordinating with private sponsors, etc.) and houses web-based training and e-learning modules, newly developed and existing refugee-related resources, tools, information, bibliographies, manuals, publications, and research. The website and mobile app will also contain a clearinghouse with emerging, promising, and best practices in refugee service provision, as well as information on evidence-based programming and services.

Write at least one literature review per budget period on the state-of-the-science of a refugee-specific topic (e.g., interventions for refugee children and youth) to contribute to the thought leadership in the field. RTAP will seek publication of the article in an external peer-reviewed journal.

Present and conduct outreach at conferences and convenings for ORR-funded discretionary programs in order to reach a wide audience.

Create and manage a national advisory panel, made of refugee resettlement experts, including current or former refugees, to advise the recipient on the direction of its training and TA activities as well as the emergent and prominent issues/challenges facing refugees in the United States.

Professional skills-building

The second RTAP objective is to strengthen the capacity of refugee service providers to provide evidence- and strengths-based services to refugees and to effectively address barriers to refugee self-sufficiency and integration and to advance equity in service provision (see Goal and Objectives, above). Working to develop and improve the professional skills (clinical, managerial, organizational, evaluation, etc.) of refugee service providers is essential to providing effective services to refugees. Training and TA activities in this area can be designed for a range of disciplines and positions within refugee resettlement organizations–from clinical staff to paraprofessionals to managers–and should be determined by regular needs assessments.

RTAP activities centered on professional skills-building may include providing training and TA on the following:

Management strategies to improve services to refugees and employee performance.

Professional skills-building of refugee service providers (e.g., case management, writing effective case notes, job development, etc.).

Supporting employee wellness and preventing burnout and secondary trauma among employees of refugee service providers.

Outcomes and compliance trends and program improvement opportunities identified through ORR’s monitoring initiative.

Expanding an organization’s relationships and resources to facilitate sustainability and to reduce breakdowns in referrals.

Consistent with the Executive Order (EO) on Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities (EO 13985), training and TA activities must support service providers to review existing programming with an equity lens; deliver programming that ensures all ORR-eligible populations, regardless of race, religion, nationality, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, or other characteristic(s), receive fair treatment, access, and opportunity;

and identify and eliminate barriers that may prevent the full participation of some groups.

Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E)

The third RTAP objective is to help refugee service providers measure the quality and effectiveness of their programs and services (see Goal and Objectives, above). Supporting refugee service providers through M&E training and TA is an essential component to RTAP. For example, a State Refugee Coordinator may wish to evaluate the design, implementation, quality, value, and outcomes of a specific program or service area (e.g., youth mentoring) of its sub-recipients.

Through RTAP, the agency can participate in targeted TA that focuses on using its data to improve its programming or services.

RTAP activities centered on M&E may include providing training and TA on the following:

Conducting internal needs assessments Creating evidence-based theories of change Tools and resources needed to conduct research on refugee services Data visualization Effectively communicating state-level refugee services outcomes Data management tools Outcomes analysis Adapting or modifying evidence-based practices for refugee populations

Communication and Consultation

The fourth RTAP objective is to help refugee service providers effectively consult with community stakeholders and communicate externally about refugee program trends and ORR-eligible client strengths and needs. By receiving training and TA from RTAP, state refugee programs and refugee service providers will improve their capacity to periodically and effectively consult with community service organizations and state and local government agencies, including local education agencies, health and mental health service agencies, and other key providers and stakeholders serving refugees, to coordinate appropriate ORR-funded and public and private services and supports for refugees. RTAP will assist state refugee programs and refugee service providers to use community consultations to assess needs, coordinate supports and services, and support community integration for refugees after their arrival.

Needs Assessments

The provision of TA is a collaborative and ongoing process, and the recipient must be flexible to respond to the dynamic needs of the refugee resettlement network. RTAP activities should be based on data from ongoing needs assessments throughout the funding cycle around the following broad areas: refugee self-sufficiency through employment, case management, trauma-informed refugee health and mental health, refugee child and family well-being and family preservation, naturalization and citizenship, digital literacy, equity in service delivery, community consultation and engagement, coordination with private sponsors of refugees, and program evaluation. The needs assessments should serve as a foundation in the development of training and TA work plans and subsequent activities. Needs assessments should be conducted with refugee service providers (state-funded refugee programs, national resettlement agencies and their affiliates/sub-agencies, and other ORR-funded recipients) as well as ORR staff and may include the following methods, as determined by the recipient in collaboration with ORR: surveys, interviews, focus groups, etc.

Monitoring and Evaluation

RTAP must implement a M&E plan of its training and TA activities (i.e., the program’s internal practices). Monitoring is a continuous and systematic approach to collecting and analyzing a program’s progress/activities against developed benchmarks and involves making adjustments to a project’s plan, when necessary, based on the data reviewed. One example of training and TA monitoring may involve tracking the development and distribution of training and TA materials and resources. Evaluation is a systematic assessment of the design, implementation, quality, value, and outcomes of a program. One example of training and TA evaluation may involve measuring the knowledge gains of participants during trainings.

Post Award Requirements

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

First Quarter of Fiscal Year (FY) One:

The recipient will be given 90 days, after receiving the financial assistance award, for comprehensive planning and project implementation (i.e., finalizing memorandums of understanding, if applicable; developing and implementing needs assessments;

procurement; and hiring of and training staff, as necessary, etc.). After these 90 days, the project must be fully-functioning.

Within 120 days of receiving the financial assistance award, key project staff will meet with ORR for an initial briefing on the plans for carrying out all project components of this cooperative agreement and will present a work plan for FY One. Key staff is defined as the Project Director as well as the M&E staff who is responsible for tracking and documenting the project milestones and outcomes. Within 30 days of the initial briefing with ORR, the recipient will address comments about clarification or requested revisions to the project plans. ORR must review and approve the overall project plans for this cooperative agreement as well as each FY’s work plan.

Meetings:

Key staff will participate in monthly (remote) meetings with ORR to review and discuss current training and TA activities as well as those planned for the immediate future. Key staff will participate in other ORR-convened meetings or events as requested.

Federal Review Process:

ORR/ACF will review the recipient’s training and TA plans and proposed activities prior to implementation as part of the federal review process as well as all print and digital material and resources prior to public dissemination. Upon review, the recipient must address comments about clarification or make any requested revisions within a timely manner, as directed by ORR. The following must be submitted to ORR under RTAP as part of the federal review process:

Annual internal work plans;

Training and TA dissemination plans;

Needs assessment drafts;

Material and information to be posted to the RTAP website16 and mobile app; and Public training and TA materials (e.g., webinar handouts).

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”)— projects or programs funded in whole or in part with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) federal funds, the recipient must clearly state:

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 acknowledgement of federal assistance using the following or a similar statement:

"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."

Once recipient material is approved for public dissemination, the recipient must provide ORR with the final version of that material prior to its public release.

The recipient must also submit to ORR/ACF for review and prior approval the following, as part of the federal review process:

Significant training and TA plans (e.g., rationale, dates, locations for RTAP conferences);

Any changes to the project’s key staffing, including subrecipients, subcontractors, or consultants designated as key personnel (e.g., hiring of new key staff at more than half full-time equivalent); and

Any change in or new subrecipient or subcontractor.

Responding to ORR Requests:

Recipient will amend training and TA activities and plans as needed to comply with priorities, goals, and standards established by the ORR Director, when instructed.

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

Recipient will provide ORR with unhindered access within 2 business days to any print or electronic documentation associated with RTAP, when requested.

Recipient will respond to ORR requests within 2 business days of their receipt.

Reporting:

Recipient will submit brief monthly reports to update ORR on its major training and TA activities and deliverables.

Recipient is required to report on a semi-annual basis its major activities and accomplishments, problems, significant events and findings, dissemination activities, other activities, and activities planned for the next reporting period.

Subawards

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

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

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

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

RTAP Project Closeout:

In accordance with §75.322, the awarding agency shall maintain its royalty-free, nonexclusive and irrevocable right to reproduce all curricula, online training modules, products, and tools developed under this cooperative agreement and to make these available to users for the benefit of the public. Prior to 90 days of the end of the project period, the recipient must have transferred all resources developed under the grant to the awarding agency or its designee.

Program Performance Evaluation

RTAP

If ACF identifies additional resources to fund a federal study of the funded RTAP activities, then the recipient will be required to participate. The study would utilize an outside non-recipient evaluation team and would focus on the processes, implementation, progress indicators, and quality improvement of funded activities.

NOTE: Consistent with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, (44 U.S.C. 3501-3521), under this NOFO, ORR will not conduct or sponsor–and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information covered by such Act, unless it displays a currently valid Office of https://www.acf.hhs.gov/administrative-and-national-policy-requirements#book_content_14

Management and Budget (OMB) control number. RTAP will obtain OMB approval for a federal study of the funded grant activities, as appropriate.

[1] 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(42)(A)

[2] 45 CFR § 400.43 (a)(1)

[3] 45 CFR § 400.43 (a)(2)

[4] 45 CFR § 400.43 (a)(3)

[5] 45 CFR § 400.43 (a)(4)

[6] 45 CFR § 400.43 (a)(5)

[7] 22 U.S.C. 7105(b) (1) (A) and (C)

[8] 22 U.S.C. 7105(b) (1) (A) and (C)

[9] 8 U.S.C. 1157 note and 8 U.S.C. 1101 note

[10] Afghanistan Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2022, Public Law 117-43, and as supported and extended by the Additional Afghanistan Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2022, Public Law 117-70, the Continuing Appropriations and Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2023, Public Law 117-180, and the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, Public Law 117-328

[11] Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2022, Public Law 117-128.

[12] 45 CFR § 400.1 (b)

[13] 45 CFR § 400.1 (c)

[14] Retrieved from https://www.acf.hhs.gov/orr/resource/refugee-technical-assistance-grantees (Dear Colleague Letter 16-03)

[15] Equity is defined as the consistent and systematic fair, just, and impartial treatment of all individuals, including individuals who belong to underserved communities that have been denied such treatment, such as Black, Latino, Indigenous and Native American persons, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and other persons of color; members of religious minorities;

lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) persons; persons with disabilities;

persons who live in rural areas; and persons otherwise adversely affected by persistent poverty or inequality. See EO 13985 on Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government, 86 Federal Register 7009, at § 2(a) (Jan. 20, 2021), https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2021-01-25/pdf/2021-01753.pdf.

[16] Any reference to voluntary donations or to federal lobbying activities and requests must be separated from federally funded website pages.

II. Federal Award Information

Funding Instrument Type:

CA (Cooperative Agreement) Estimated Total Funding:

$7,500,000 https://www.acf.hhs.gov/orr/resource/refugee-technical-assistance-grantees https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2021-01-25/pdf/2021-01753.pdf.

Expected Number of Awards:

Award Ceiling:

$7,500,000 Per Budget Period

Award Floor:

$7,000,000 Per Budget Period

Average Projected Award Amount:

$7,500,000 Per Budget Period

Anticipated Project Start Date:

09/30/2023 Length of Project Periods:

60-month project period with five 12-month budget periods

Additional Information on Project Periods and Explanation of 'Other' Additional Information on Awards:

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

Applications requesting an award amount that exceeds the Award Ceiling per budget period, or per project period, as stated in this section, will be disqualified from competitive review and funding under this funding opportunity. This disqualification applies only to the Award Ceiling listed for the first 12-month budget period for projects with multiple budget periods. If the project and budget period are the same, the disqualification applies to the Award Ceiling listed for the project period. Please see Section III.3. Other, Application Disqualification Factors.

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.

Awards for the second, third, fourth, and fifth 12-month budget periods will be made subsequent to approval of non-competing continuation applications and will be subject to the availability of funds, satisfactory progress by the recipient, and a determination that continued funding would be in the best interest of the federal government.

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

ORR is using a cooperative agreement that requires substantial involvement of the agency and the recipient. Details of the responsibilities, relationships, and governance of the cooperative agreement will be specified in the terms and conditions of the award. The specific responsibilities of ACF and the recipient will be identified and agreed upon prior to the award of the cooperative agreement. The terms and conditions of the award will include, but not be limited to, the following:

1. ORR will consult with the recipient monthly to review and discuss current TA and training activities, as well as those planned for the immediate future.

2. ORR will review and provide approval for the recipient’s annual work plan prior to the start of each FY and to its implementation; ORR will also review and provide approval for any revisions or changes to the work plan prior to its implementation.

3. ORR will collaborate with the recipient in the selection of advisory or working group members and will attend advisory or working group meetings.

4. ORR will review and approve all resumes of key positions on the project prior to their beginning work on the award.

5. ORR will review monthly reports/updates submitted by the recipient on its major TA and training activities and deliverables.

6. ORR will facilitate collaboration and coordination between the RTAP grant recipient and refugee resettlement providers on TA and training-related issues, when needed.

III. Eligibility Information

III.1. Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants for refugee programs under 412 (c)(1)(A) are "public and private nonprofit agencies" including: state governments; county governments; city or township governments;

special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; Native American tribal governments (federally recognized); public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments); non-profits having a 501(c)(3) status from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) other than institutions of higher education; non-profits without 501(c)(3) status with the IRS other than institutions of higher education; and private institutions of higher education.

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.

IV. Application and Submission Information

IV.1. Address to Request Application Package

Julie 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

Munro Administration for Children and Families Office of Refugee Resettlement

DRA HHS-2023-ACF-ORR-RB-0045

330 C Street, SW.

Washington

DC

20201 415-553-0548 julie.munro@acf.hhs.gov http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/orr/ Application Packages

Electronic Application Submission:

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

Applications in Paper Format:

For applicants that have received an exemption to submit applications in paper format, Standard Forms (SFs), assurances, and certifications are available in the "Select Grant Opportunity Package" available in the NOFO's Grants.gov Synopsis under the Package tab at Grants.gov. See Section IV.2. Request an Exemption from Required Electronic Application Submission if applicants do not have an Internet connection or sufficient computing capacity to upload large documents (files) to Grants.gov.

Federal Relay Service:

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

IV.2. Content and Form of Application Submission

FORMATTING APPLICATION SUBMISSIONS

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

FOR ALL APPLICATIONS:

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

Point of Contact In addition to the AOR, a point of contact on matters involving the application must also be http://www.gsa.gov/fedrelay 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:

With the exception of SFs and OMB-approved forms, the application submission in its entirety (Project Description and Appendices) is limited to 150 pages.

The File One, Project Description (narrative) must include the following:

Table of Contents Project Summary Legal Status of Applicant Entity Expected Outcomes Approach Needs Assessment Plan Project Timeline and Milestones Plan for Oversight of Federal Award Funds and…