Full NOFO MP-CPI-24-001.pdf

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Office of Minority Health

Notice of Funding Opportunity Community Level Innovations for Improving Health Outcomes

Opportunity Number

MP-CPI-24-001

Application Due Date 05/15/2024 at 6:00 PM Eastern

Technical Assistance Webinar Date 03/13/2024 03:00 PM Eastern

OVERVIEW

Opportunity Title Community Level Innovations for Improving Health Outcomes

Program Office Office of Minority Health

Opportunity Number

MP-CPI-24-001

Application Submission and Format Electronic application submitted via Grants.gov

ONLY.

Award Type G (Grant)

Application Deadline 05/15/2024 06:00 PM Eastern

Announcement Type Initial

Technical Assistance Webinar Date 03/13/2024 03:00 PM Eastern

Assistance Listing 93.137

Technical Assistance Webinar Details https://www.minorityhealth.hhs.gov/

Eligible Applicants (see Section C.1 for full details) Any private nonprofit or public entity located in a State is eligible to apply for an award under this NOFO.

Estimated Total Funding Available $8,000,000

Estimated Period of Performance (months)

Estimated Number of Awards

Estimated Award Date 07/10/2024

Funding Range $475,000 to $600,000 per budget period

Estimated Project Start Date 08/01/2024

QUESTIONS?

See contact information in Section G

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Office of Minority Health announces the anticipated availability of funds for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 under the authority of 42 U.S.C. § 300u-6 (Section 1707 of the Public Health Service Act).

This notice solicits applications for projects to demonstrate that community level innovations that reduce barriers related to social determinants of health (SDOH) can increase use of preventive health services and make progress toward Leading Health Indicator (LHI) targets.

LHIs are a subset of high priority Healthy People 2030 (HP2030) objectives selected to drive action toward improving health and well-being. SDOH are described in HP2030 as conditions in the environments where people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes and risks.

We anticipate the availability of $8,000,000 for up to 14 awards, ranging from $475,000 to $600,000 annually, for a period of performance of up to 48 months. Recipients will be required to report on progress and milestones as part of an annual noncompeting continuation application.

Costs of medical services are unallowable under this funding opportunity.

After 36 months, we anticipate offering a competing continuation opportunity for an additional 12-month budget period (i.e., a fifth budget period) to support selected successful projects in their transition to sustainability. Funding available for the additional budget period is not guaranteed nor expected to be at the same level of previous budget periods.

The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH) Grants and Acquisitions Management Division (GAM) will administratively support this competition. GAM encourages all applicants to review all program requirements, eligibility information, application format and submission information, evaluation criteria, and other information in this notice to ensure that applications comply with all requirements and instructions.

https://health.gov/healthypeople

Table of Contents

A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

1. Background

2. Funding Opportunity Goals

3. Expected Performance Goals and Outcomes for Projects

B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

1. Legal Authority

2. Award Information

C. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

1. Eligible Applicants

2. Cost Sharing or Matching

3. Other - Application Responsiveness Criteria

4. Application Disqualification Criteria

D. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

1. Obtaining an Application Package

2. Content and Form of Application Submission

3. Application Content

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

5. Submission Dates and Times

6. Intergovernmental Review

7. Funding Restrictions

8. Other Submission Requirements

E. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

1. Criteria

2. Merit Review and Selection Process

3. Review of Risk Posed by Applicant

4. Final Award Decisions, Anticipated Announcement, and Federal Award Dates

F. FEDERAL AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

1. Federal Award Notices

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

3. Program Specific Terms and Conditions

4. Award Closeout

5. Lobbying Prohibitions

6. Non-Discrimination Requirements

7. Smoke- and Tobacco-free Workplace

8. Acknowledgement of Funding

9. HHS Rights to Materials and Data

10. Trafficking in Persons

11. Efficient Spending

12. Whistleblower Protection

13. Health Information Technology (IT) Interoperability

14. Certain telecommunications and video surveillance services or equipment

15. Human Subjects Protection

16. Research Integrity

17. Reporting

G. CONTACTS

1. Administrative and Budgetary Requirements

2. Program Requirements

3. Electronic Submission Requirements

H. OTHER INFORMATION

1. Application Checklist

2. Acronyms

3. Glossary

4. Object Class Descriptions and Required Justifications

5. Considerations in Recipient Plans for Oversight of Federal Funds

6. Financial Assistance General Certifications and Representations

7. Disparity Impact Statement

8. Leading Health Indicators

9. Reference Cited

A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Office of Minority Health announces the anticipated availability of funds for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 under the authority of 42 U.S.C. § 300u-6 (Section 1707 of the Public Health Service Act).

At the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of Minority Health (OMH), we are dedicated to improving the health of racial and ethnic minority, American Indian, and Alaska Native populations through the development of health policies and programs that will help eliminate health disparities. Through our demonstration project grants, we support the advancement of effective and sustainable approaches for improving health outcomes. We do this by funding innovations in social and supportive services that address social determinants of health (SDOH) to reduce health disparities for populations of focus.

We encourage collaborative community networks as part of these innovations. We fund projects that include community networks prepared to strengthen community support services, provide health resources, and help connect individuals to preventive health services. Collaborative networks are also a key component of project development, implementation, and evaluation.

Under this notice of funding opportunity (NOFO), we intend to fund projects to demonstrate that community level innovations that reduce barriers related to SDOH can increase use of preventive health services and make progress toward Leading Health Indicator (LHI) targets. LHIs are a subset of high priority Healthy People 2030 (HP2030) objectives to drive action toward improving health and well-being. SDOH impact people's health and are reflected in HP2030 objectives, including LHIs.

1. Background HP2030 sets data-driven national objectives to improve health and well-being over the decade.[1] SDOH are a central focus of HP2030, which organizes them in five domains:

• Economic Stability – helping people earn steady incomes that allow them to meet their health needs. This includes being able to afford healthy foods, health care, housing, and reliable transportation.

• Education Access and Quality – increasing educational opportunities and helping children and adolescents do well in school. This includes an individual’s ability to understand and apply health information.

• Neighborhood and Built Environment – creating neighborhoods and environments that promote health and safety. This includes ensuring communities have safe air, and water, and are safe from violent crimes.

• Social and Community Context – increasing social and community support. This includes belonging to strong social networks that encourage healthy behaviors and help protect individual and communities from discrimination or exclusion.

• Health Care Access and Quality – increasing access to comprehensive, high-quality health care. This includes having health insurance coverage, a primary care provider, and access to health screenings.

For more information about the SDOH domains, see https://health.gov/healthypeople/priority-areas/social-determinants-health.

Health disparities are differences in health status among groups of people who have experienced greater obstacles in their health, often linked to SDOH. Examples in the table below are from HP2030 and are meant to show how identified health disparities can be linked to SDOH. Funded projects will likely involve other combinations of SDOH and applications to address the particular population(s) of focus.

Health Disparity Example of SDOH Domain and Application

8.6 new cases of diabetes per 1,000 adults for American Indians or Alaska Natives, compared to 4.7 for non- Hispanic Whites

Domain: Education Access and Quality, and Health Care Access and Quality

Example: Community health workers are engaged as health education providers and patient navigators to improve identification of risk factors, and available resources for diabetes screening and other prevention tools.[2]

26.2 percent obesity among Hispanic or Latino children and adolescents, compared to 16.6 percent for non- Hispanic Whites

Domains: Education Access and Quality, and Social and Community Context

Example: Adolescents receive weight management guidance and education through virtual training and digital self-monitoring tools that increase their health literacy, and peer support in online discussion groups.[3]

19.8 percent of Black or African American households experienced food insecurity in the past 12 months, compared to 7 percent for non-Hispanic Whites

Domains: Economic Stability, and Neighborhood and Built Environment

Example: Community based organizations create a network of support services that connect individuals to housing services and provide transportation support that enables housing stability and access to healthy food options.[4]

HP2030 includes racial, ethnic, and tribal health disparities data for LHIs. The LHIs address factors that impact major causes of death and disease in the United States (Section H.8). There are 23 LHIs organized by life stage: infants, children and adolescents, adults and older adults, and all ages. Each LHI focuses on risk factors and behaviors that affect health.[5] HP2030 presents LHIs with national baselines and targets, data methodology and measurements, and evidence-based resources.

Community level public health improvement models, such as the Community Readiness model [6, 7] or Community Organization model [8, 9, 10], are useful in planning activities to improve https://health.gov/healthypeople/priority-areas/social-determinants-health https://health.gov/healthypeople/priority-areas/social-determinants-health https://health.gov/healthypeople/tools-action/browse-evidence-based-resources/diabetes-prevention-interventions-engaging-community-health-workers https://health.gov/healthypeople/tools-action/browse-evidence-based-resources/obesity-prevention-and-control-digital-health-interventions-adolescents-overweight-or-obesity https://health.gov/healthypeople/tools-action/browse-evidence-based-resources/health-equity-report-2019-2020-special-feature-housing-and-health-inequalities https://health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data/leading-health-indicators https://www.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/tribal_tta_center_2.3.b_commreadinessmanual_final_3.6.14.pdf https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6832812/ https://file.lacounty.gov/SDSInter/dpr/033069_HeartsNParksCommunityMobilizationGuide.pdf https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/communityengagement/pdf/PCE_Report_508_FINAL.pdf https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10093850/ the health of underserved populations. These models involve community members and partner organizations in creating supportive networks for health promotion and improvement. They can also facilitate novel approaches for community level innovations. For example, trained trusted messengers work within the community to help bridge gaps to health resources, promote the use of preventive health services, and encourage healthy choices. Trusted messengers may include health professionals like community health workers and healthcare providers, friends and family members, or community- and faith-based organizations and leaders.

2. Funding Opportunity Goals Projects awarded will contribute to the following programmatic goals for this funding opportunity:

Funding Opportunity Goals

* Increase use of preventive health services through community level innovations.

* Improve health outcomes as measured by progress toward LHIs.

* Reduce health disparities driven by SDOH.

3. Expected Performance Goals and Outcomes for Projects We will fund projects that meet this NOFO's goals and provide objective measurements for success. We expect recipients to:

a. Build or maintain a sustainable collaborative network By the end of the first six (6) months of the project, recipients should have established a network of organizations engaged through planned and/or existing partnerships. Recipients should also begin serving the population(s) of focus in the same timeframe. Network members should participate in project activities including ongoing strategic planning, implementation, quality improvement, data collection and analysis, and project evaluation.

Recipients should create a network with the goal of being self-sustaining after the period of performance ends.

Network membership should include:

o Community-based organizations (CBOs) that provide social and supportive services that reduce SDOH related barriers to preventive health services o CBOs with experience in health promotion for populations experiencing health disparities o Medical organizations (e.g., safety net providers or other medical providers that have trusted relationships with the population(s) of focus)

We encourage recipients to partner with institutions of higher education that have trusted relationships with the population(s) of focus to conduct evaluation activities.

Awards under this NOFO will fund social and supportive services that address SDOH. Costs of medical services will be unallowable.

b. Implement community level innovations that impact up to two LHIs

Recipients should use available national and local data to develop community level innovations that will reduce barriers in two SDOH domains and increase use of preventive health services to make progress towards the selected LHI targets. Recipients should use community level public health improvement models to strengthen the proposed approach and processes. Community level innovations should also incorporate the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) in Health and Healthcare. Using the National CLAS Standards will help to ensure that project implementation is culturally and linguistically appropriate for the population(s) of focus.

c. Evaluate project processes and outcomes We expect recipients to evaluate processes and outcomes to assess project effectiveness and impact over the period of performance. The process evaluation should determine whether the recipient implemented the community level innovation as planned. The outcome evaluation should determine whether it reached the population(s) of focus and its impact on health outcomes for that population(s).

Over the course of the project, we expect recipients to describe changes over time in disparities among the population(s) of focus related to the selected LHI(s) and SDOH domains. Additionally, recipients should describe the level of involvement of the population(s) experiencing health disparities.

We expect recipients to build on and refine the baseline population data used in the application with additional data to produce a profile of the health disparity in the first three

(3) months of the project. The profile should use existing data to describe how the health disparities among the population(s) of focus relate to the selected LHI(s) and SDOH domains. We expect recipients to participate in technical assistance offered by OMH.

We expect recipients to begin collecting data on the effect of the community level innovations on selected LHI(s) at the time the innovation is implemented (i.e., six (6) months into the period of performance). Recipients should compare data collected to baseline data identified in the profile and include other relevant measurable outcomes. A measurable outcome is an observable end-result that describes the impact of a particular project. A measurable outcome is not a measurable output, such as the number of partners committed or the number of health measures.

d. Share information about the project and its findings with the public

Over the course of the project, we expect recipients to document and share project findings and results (e.g., best practices, lessons learned) with the population(s) of focus, the public, and other interested parties.

https://thinkculturalhealth.hhs.gov/clas https://thinkculturalhealth.hhs.gov/clas

We expect recipients to share project information with other OMH recipients within the period of performance. OMH-hosted opportunities for sharing findings typically include virtual and in-person meetings.

Recipients should publish the findings and results in scholarly articles or brief reports.

Publications should describe the community level innovation and the related impact on health outcomes and health disparities. Recipients are encouraged to involve the partner network and population(s) of focus in the development of publications to ensure transparency and credibility of the results. Published articles should be freely, immediately, and equitably accessible to the public.

B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

1. Legal Authority Awards will be made under the legal authority in:

42 U.S.C. § 300u-6 (Section 1707 of the Public Health Service Act)

2. Award Information We intend to make funds available for competing G (Grant) awards. The actual amount available will not be determined until enactment of the FY 2024 federal budget.

We anticipate the total amount of funds available to be $8,000,000 for an estimated 14 competitive awards. Funding available for the first budget period will have a ceiling of $600,000 per award and a floor of $475,000.

We anticipate issuing notices of award 07/10/2024, with a project start date of 08/01/2024.

Budget period(s) We expect to fund awards in 12-month budget periods for a total period of performance up to 48 month(s). However, we may approve shorter periods of performance. Budget periods may vary from the estimated 12 months as a result of timing of award issuance or other administrative factors.

For multi-year projects, recipients must submit a non-competing continuation (NCC) application for each budget period after the first. We will provide guidance generally 3 months prior to the end of the active budget period. Continuation funding is contingent upon the availability of funds, satisfactory progress of the project, appropriate stewardship of federal funds, and the best interests of the government. Funding for all approved budget periods after the first is generally the same as the initial award amount subject to any offset with funds unused in the previous budget period.

Opportunity for Transition to Post-Award Sustainability

For this opportunity, we anticipate offering a competitive additional budget period for the purpose of funding selected recipients in transitioning successful projects to sustainability once the award has ended. Funding for this additional budget period is not guaranteed nor do we expect it to be at the same level of any previous budget periods. Therefore, this potential for an addition year is not reflected in the estimated performance period on page 1.

C. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

1. Eligible Applicants Any private nonprofit or public entity located in a State is eligible to apply for an award under this NOFO.

“State” includes, in addition to the several States, only the District of Columbia, Guam, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, and any agency or instrumentality thereof exclusive of local governments. (42 U.S.C. § 201(f) (PHS Act, Section 2(f)), 45 C.F.R. § 75.2).

Eligible entities include private nonprofit or public faith-based organizations, community-based organizations, and American Indian/Alaska Native/Native American (AI/AN/NA) organizations.

Additional examples of eligible Organizations include:

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)

Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education

Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education

2. Cost Sharing or Matching You are not required to provide cost sharing or matching in your proposed budget.

If you voluntarily include cost sharing in your application, you must include in your budget narrative a non-federal sources justification as described in Section H.4 or your application will be disqualified (Section C.4). Voluntary cost sharing is not expected for research applications.

During the merit review of an application, cost sharing will only be considered in the overall review of the adequacy of the total proposed budget (Federal and non-Federal share) to support the project proposed. You will not receive any preference, priority, or special consideration in the funding process for voluntarily including cost sharing in your proposed budget.

Awarded applications including cost sharing or matching commitment, whether required or voluntary, will include the commitment on the notice of award at the level proposed in the application (Section D.3.b). Any change in the cost sharing or matching commitment will require prior approval of the grants management officer.

Cost-Sharing or Matching may include any in-kind contributions necessary for the implementation of the proposed project (45 C.F.R. § 75.306).

3. Other - Application Responsiveness Criteria We will review your application to determine whether it meets the responsiveness criteria below.

If your application does not meet the responsiveness criteria, we will disqualify it from the competition; we will not review it beyond the initial screening. The responsiveness criteria are:

• The Project Abstract Summary must state clearly two SDOH domains and at least one but no more than two LHIs (Section H.8) that will be the focus of the innovation.

4. Application Disqualification Criteria Disqualification means we will not review the application and will give it no further consideration.

We will disqualify applications:

• not submitted electronically via Grants.gov

• not submitted by the due date and time indicated in this NOFO (unless an exemption was granted by the grants management officer in writing 2 business days prior to the deadline).

• submitted multiple times for the same project from the same organization, except for the last application received by the deadline.

• not completed or missing required forms in the application package found on Grants.gov including: SF-424; SF-424A, SF-LLL, and the Project Abstract Summary (Section D.2).

https://grants.gov/

• not meeting the formatting requirements (Section D.2), specifically those:

o not in the English language and U.S. dollars (45 C.F.R. § 75.111(a)).

o not with an 8 ½ ” x 11” page size, with 1” margins on all sides (top, bottom, left and right).

▪ with a font size of not less than 12 points.

o with a Project Narrative that is not double-spaced o exceeding the 30 page limit for the Project Narrative.

o exceeding the total 50 page limit for the Project Narrative plus Appendices combined, excluding SF-424, SF-424A, SF-LLL, Project Abstract Summary, and Budget Narrative with budget tables.

• requesting total funds (direct plus indirect costs) that are either:

o Above the Award Ceiling of $600,000; or o Below the Award Floor of $475,000.

• lacking a non-federal sources justification in the budget narrative when including cost sharing (voluntary or required) (Section C.2).

• lacking and failing to address the Other – Application Responsiveness Criteria (Section C.3), if any.

D. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION

INFORMATION

1. Obtaining an Application Package The complete application package is available on Grants.gov. Search either the Assistance Listing number (93.137) or the NOFO number (MP-CPI-24-001). All materials will be under the Package tab when on the NOFO webpage. If you have problems locating the application package, contact:

OASH Grants and Acquisitions Management Division

Phone: 240-453-8822

Email: OASH_Grants@hhs.gov http://Grants.gov mailto:OASH_Grants@hhs.gov?subject=NOFO%20inquiry

2. Content and Form of Application Submission Your application must be prepared using the forms and information provided in the online application package on Grants.gov. This includes but is not limited to:

• SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance

• SF-424A Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs

• SF-LLL Disclosure of Lobbying Activities

• Project Abstract Summary

Instructions for each form are found under the Related Documents tab on Grants.gov.

a. Project Narrative Formatting Following the formatting instructions below will help ensure that your application is readable for review process.

Names of Individuals We encourage you to use individuals’ full names (first, middle, last) on the standard forms and any other documents such as résumés/curricula vitae/biographical sketches to distinguish them for verification in the SAM exclusion records. Delays may result in award processing if full names are not provided. You should avoid submitting personally identifiable information such as personal contact information (e.g. home address and telephone number) on résumés/curricula vitae/biographical sketches. Do not submit social security numbers.

If you receive an award, only one Project Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) will be named on the award documents. Although your organization may recognize co-PIs on team-managed projects, we recognize only a single PD/PI who will be responsible for the programmatic aspects of the project. Clearly identify the individual to be PD/PI in your application. We typically expect this to be the person named on the SF-424 in box 8.f.

Do not use a placeholder or honorary PD/PI because this does not present an accurate picture about who will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the project. If you have not hired an individual to be the PD/PI, you should name an interim PD/PI, and your application should clearly identify that person as such.

Identify other personnel who are essential or key to the execution of the proposed project clearly in your project narrative.

If you receive an award, a request for a change in PD/PI or key personnel under any circumstance requires prior approval of the grants management officer before becoming effective. See Section F.2.c.

Page Formatting

If you submit documents that do not conform to the following instructions, GAM will disqualify your application during the review process. You must double-space the Project Narrative pages.

You must submit your application in the English language and in terms of U.S. dollars (45 C.F.R. § 75.111(a))

Use an easily readable typeface, such as Times New Roman or Arial. You must use a 12-point font. You may single-space tables or use alternate fonts but you must ensure the tables are easy to read.

Your project narrative and total application including appendices, must adhere to the page limits indicated in Section C.4. The page limit does not include the budget narrative (including budget tables), the required forms (SF-424, SF-424A, SF-LLL, and the Project Abstract Summary), and any required assurances/ certifications listed in Section C.3.

Do not number pages or include a table of contents. Our grants management system will generate page numbers once your application is complete. If your application exceeds the specified page limits for the project narrative or and total application (i.e., project narrative plus appendices (Section C.4)) when printed on 8.5” X 11” paper, the application will not be reviewed further.

We encourage you to print out your application before submitting it to ensure that it is within the page limits and is easy to read. Pages must not be reduced resulting in multiple pages on a single sheet to avoid exceeding the page limitation.

Electronic File Submission We require that all applications be submitted electronically via the Grants.gov portal unless an exemption has been granted in writing by the grants management officer (See Section D.5).

Applications, excluding required standard forms, must be submitted as three (3) files.

File 1 the complete Project Narrative, File 2 the entire Budget Narrative including supporting documentation described in the Budget Narrative content section; and File 3 all documents that make up the Appendices described in Section D.3.c.

Any additional files submitted as part of the Grants.gov application will not be accepted for processing and will be excluded from the application during the review process.

Merit reviewers are not permitted to follow embedded links to materials outside of the application. Your content must fit within the page limits of the application.

We only accept the file formats identified below to ensure compatibility across our other systems even though Grants.gov will allow you to attach any file format. To be accepted under this NOFO, all files uploaded for your application must be in an acceptable file format and must contain a valid file format extension in the filename.

Acceptable File Formats (extension)

Unacceptable File Formats (extension)

• Adobe PDF (.pdf)

• Microsoft Word (.doc or

.docx)

• Image formats (.jpg, .gif, .tif, or .bmp only)

• Microsoft Excel files (.xls)

• Any compressed file formats

(e.g., .zip, .rar, or Adobe Portfolio)

• Any password-protected files

We strongly encourage you to upload your application in the Adobe PDF format. By converting to PDF prior to submission, you may prevent any unintentional changes that might occur with submission of an editable document. Most commonly available electronic document drafting tools have the ability to “Save As” or “Print To PDF.”

We do not recommend submitting scanned copies through Grants.gov unless you have confirmed the clarity of the scan and the readability of the documents.

Any file submitted as part of the Grants.gov application that is not in a file format listed above will not be accepted for processing and will be excluded from the application during the review. We will not contact you for resubmission of files to correct the file type. We will not contact you for passwords or resubmission of unprotected files.

Unprotected information in the application will be forwarded for consideration but password protected portions will not.

b. Budget Narrative Format The budget narrative should use the formatting required of the project narrative for the explanatory text. Budget tables may be single-spaced but should be laid out in an easily-readable format and within the printable margins of the page. The page limit does not include the SF-424A or the budget narrative (including budget tables).

c. Appendices Format

Your appendices should include any specific items outlined in Section D.3.c. Your documents should be easy to read. You should use the same formatting specified for the project narrative. However, documents such as résumés/curricula vitae/biographical sketches, organizational charts, tables, Memoranda of Agreement (MOAs) or Letters of Commitment (LOCs) may have formatting common to those documents, so long as the pages are easy to read. All of your appendices must be uploaded as a single, consolidated file in the

Attachments section of your Grants.gov application. We strongly encourage you to convert your file(s) to PDF format before uploading.

d. Project Abstract Summary Format

You must complete the Project Abstract Summary form. The application page limit does not include the Project Abstract Summary Form. Do not include sensitive or proprietary information in your abstract.

The abstract will serve as the application summary going forward. If your project is funded, we will publish the abstract on TAGGS.hhs.gov and USASpending.gov as you submitted it.

You may request to edit it later, or we may ask you to edit it later to reflect any changes to the project. The abstract may also appear on the program office website or other government websites.

Research projects may enter zero for “Estimated number of people to be served as a result of the award of this grant.”

3. Application Content Successful applications will contain the following information:

a. Project Narrative Content The Project Narrative is the most important part of your application, because we will use it as the primary basis to determine whether your project merits an award. The project narrative should provide a clear and concise description of your project. We recommend that your project narrative include the following components and provide the requested information.

1. Project Significance

Describe the nature and scope of the specific health disparity(ies) the project is designed to address. Use available national and local data to explain your selection of the two SDOH domains and at least one but no more than two LHIs of focus for the project (you must identify these in the Project Abstract Summary). Include in quantitative and qualitative terms the project’s population(s) and geographic area(s) of focus, and related gaps and barriers to affecting change.

Describe the significance of your proposed community level innovation on reducing health disparities for underserved and disadvantaged populations in the broader public health context. These populations may include racial/ethnic minorities, American Indian and Alaska Native populations, and individuals with limited English proficiency. Emphasize how your project will affect use of preventive health services among the population(s) of focus. Activities related to your project may not be denied to any person based on race, sex, color, or national origin.

2. Proposed Approach

Goals, Objectives, and Outcomes

Describe your project’s proposed goal(s) and major objectives associated with each goal. Project goals should reflect this NOFO’s goals and align with the selected SDOH domains and LHI(s). Your project goals should be ambitious and achievable in the period of performance.

Use baseline data and quantifiable time-frames to describe SMARTIE (specific, measurable, accurate, relevant, time-bound, inclusive, and equitable) objectives.

Identify specific, quantified, measurable outcomes expected to result from the project. Connect the proposed goals, objectives, and outcomes to the activities described in your work plan. Outcomes should be reflected in your logic model.

Consider the benefits to the fields of SDOH, public health policy research, and preventive health strategies for underserved and disadvantaged populations.

Project Plan

Explain the rationale for your approach and activities. Describe how your community level innovations will address the selected LHI(s) by reducing SDOH related barriers to using preventative health services among the population(s) of focus. Apply a community level public health improvement model to the planned approach and activities. Propose an approach for developing activities to reflect the cultural and linguistic preferences of the population(s) of focus.

Detail the nature of the activities, why they were selected, and how they address your identified gaps and barriers. Support your proposed approach with the summary of proposed activities included in your work plan.

Identify public, private, and community partners, including trusted messengers, who will participate in the development and implementation of project activities. Explain your rationale and approach for engaging these partners and describe how they will contribute to the project.

Describe anticipated project challenges. These might include challenges around planning, implementation, evaluation, or other activities. Explain your approach to addressing identified and unanticipated barriers.

Project Management

Describe how you will monitor and track progress of the project at the task level to ensure timeliness and project integrity. Describe how you will oversee and maintain partner engagement to accomplish project activities within the period of performance. Explain your risk management approach to avoiding major disruptions to project timelines (e.g., loss of staff, partners, or project participants), including a plan for managing key staff transitions such as promotions or turnover. Describe your organization leadership's role in oversight of the project.

3. Evaluation

Describe the methods you will use to evaluate whether the project achieves its SMARTIE objectives and measurable outcome(s). Summarize your evaluation plan, identifying individuals/organizations responsible for evaluation activities and including your approach to:

• Monitoring, documenting, measuring, and reporting key project outcome(s) and progress towards reducing SDOH-related barriers, linkages to and use of preventive health services, selected LHI target(s), and incorporation of National CLAS Standards

• Collecting baseline, interim, and post-intervention data related to process and outcome measures

• Anticipating and overcoming any potential obstacles to data collection

• Using quantitative and qualitative tools, and process and outcome evaluation techniques to analyze the goals and objectives of the initiative

• Documenting lessons learned

• Ensuring evaluator independence

Describe the validity and reliability of your proposed measures or indicators. Include in your rationale why these measures or indicators are suitable for assessing your outcomes. Align your evaluation plan with your logic model.

4. Dissemination

Describe the method(s) you will use to disseminate the project's results and findings to the population(s) of focus, the public, and other parties interested in using the project results. Include any innovative approaches as well as traditional forms of dissemination, such as scholarly articles in peer reviewed journals. Consider how your results may inform practice, service delivery, program development, and policymaking.

5. Organizational Capability

Applicant Organization Description

Summarize your organization’s capability and capacity to successfully implement the proposed project. Include your organization’s current mission, scope of activities, and readiness to demonstrate impact within the period of performance. Describe your organization’s experience with successfully administering grant projects of similar size and scope. Refer to the organizational chart in your appendices to show the relationship of the project to the overall organization.

Community Level Expertise and Collaborative Partnerships

Describe your organization’s experience and capability to work with organizations to form a collaborative network. Describe the role of trusted messengers and others in the network. Describe the network's ability to engage in community level strategies and public health improvement models within the population(s) of focus.

Describe the network members' anticipated level of effort and responsibility for completing programmatic activities. Refer to any memoranda of agreement or letters of commitment provided in your appendices to demonstrate network readiness and level of commitment. Also include information about the role(s) of any contractors and consultants that will be involved in implementing the project and achieving project goals.

Project Staff and Key Roles

Identify the individual who will be the Project Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) and any additional key personnel whose contributions are essential to the project. Key personnel include the PD/PI and those individuals who will oversee the technical, professional, managerial, and support functions. Key personnel may also have responsibility for assuring the validity and quality of the project. Submit curricula vitae, résumés, or biographical sketches in your appendices that describe key personnel areas of expertise. Describe each key personnel’s qualifications, competing time commitments, and related ongoing projects.

Specify who would have day-to-day responsibility for key tasks, such as project leadership, monitoring the project’s ongoing progress, preparation of reports, and communicating with the collaborative network. We expect that throughout the award period the PD/PI will be involved in, and have substantial knowledge about, all aspects of the project.

b. Budget Package Content A complete budget package consists of the required standard form “Budget Information Non-construction Programs” (SF-424A) and a budget narrative with detailed justification. You should include supporting documentation for your budget (e.g., a copy of your approved indirect cost rate) as part of the budget package, not as part of your appendices.

1. Standard Form SF-424A You must enter the project budget according to the directions provided with this standard form.

You must provide an object class category budget for the first 12 months (i.e., first budget period) of the proposed project using Section B, box 6 of SF-424A. For awards with an estimated period of performance of one year or less, this will be your total budget request for the entire project.

"Federal resources" refers only to the funds for which you are applying under this NOFO. "Non-federal resources" are all other resources (federal and non-federal).

Do not include costs beyond the first budget period in the object class budget in box 6 of SF-424A or box 18 of SF-424; the amounts entered in these sections should only reflect the first budget period.

2. Budget Narrative and Justification

The budget narrative must include a detailed line-item budget that includes calculations for all costs and activities by the "object class categories" identified on SF-424A and a justification for the costs. The object class budget organizes your proposed costs into a set of defined categories.

Your budget narrative should justify the overall cost of the project as well as the proposed cost per activity, service delivered, and/or product. For example, the budget narrative should define the amount of work you have planned and expect to perform, what it will cost, and an explanation of how the result is cost effective. If you are proposing to provide services to clients, you should describe how many clients you expect to serve, the unit cost of serving each client, and how this is cost effective.

Proposed costs must adhere to the cost principles described in 45 C.F.R. §§75.400-

75.477. We have provided additional information on the most common cost categories for applications for OASH awards in Section H.4.

Project budget calculations must include estimation methods, quantities, unit costs, and other similar quantitative detail sufficient to verify the calculations. Carefully review https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/subtitle-A/subchapter-A/part-75/subpart-E https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/subtitle-A/subchapter-A/part-75/subpart-E

Section D.7 Funding Restrictions for specific information regarding allowable, unallowable, and restricted costs.

For each proposed cost for the first budget period of the project, provide a budget justification, which includes explanatory text and line-item detail. The budget narrative should describe how you derived the categorical costs. Discuss the necessity and reasonableness of the proposed costs for the project you propose.

For subsequent budget years in an anticipated multi-year period of performance, provide a summary narrative and line-item budget for each year beyond the first. For categories or items that differ significantly from the first budget year, provide a detailed justification explaining these changes. Funding for all approved budget periods after the first is generally the same as the initial award amount subject to offset with funds unused in the previous budget period.

Preparing the Budget Narrative Use the guidelines in Section H.4 for preparing the detailed object class budget. We recommend you present budget amounts and computations in a columnar format: first column, object class categories; second column, federal funds requested; third column, non-federal resources; and last column, total budget.

Object Class Federal Funds Requested

Non-federal Resources

Total Budget

Personnel $100,000 $25,000 $125,000

Describing Federal and Non-federal Share Both federal and non-federal resources (if applicable) must be detailed and justified in the budget narrative. "Federal resources" refers only to the HHS/OASH funds for which you are applying under this NOFO. "Non-federal resources" are all other non- HHS/OASH federal and non-federal resources.

If matching or cost sharing is required or offered voluntarily, you must include a detailed listing of any funding sources identified in box 18 of SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance).

Selecting an Indirect Cost Method You must state the method you are selecting for your indirect cost rate. See Indirect Costs (Section H.4) for further information.

If you are providing in-kind contributions of any type or value, including costs otherwise covered by your indirect cost rate, you must identify those costs, and you should, as appropriate, include the value of the in-kind contribution as proposed cost-sharing (voluntary or required) (45 C.F.R. § 75.306).

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/subtitle-A/subchapter-A/part-75/subpart-D/subject-group-ECFR911e5e1a30bfbcb/section-75.306

If you are using a negotiated indirect cost rate, you should submit your negotiated agreement with your budget narrative. We may require a copy of your agreement prior to making any award to you.

Subrecipient/contract and consultant activities must be described in sufficient detail to describe accurately the project activities that each will conduct.

All subrecipient/contract and consultant detailed costs should be included in their respective line items and not broken out in the overall project object class line items. For example, subrecipient/contract travel should be included in the Contractual line item not in Travel. See Section H.4 for more information.

3. Plan for Recipient Oversight of Federal Award Funds You must include a plan for oversight of federal award funds which describes:

• how your organization will provide oversight of federal funds and how award activities and partner(s) will adhere to applicable federal award and programmatic regulations. Include identification of risks specific to your project as proposed and how your oversight plan addresses these risks.

• the organizational systems that demonstrate effective control over and accountability for federal funds and program income, compare outlays with budget amounts, and provide accounting records supported by source documentation.

• for any program incentives proposed, the specific internal controls that will be used to ensure only qualified participants will receive them and how they will be tracked.

• organizational controls that will ensure timely and accurate submission of Federal Financial Reports to the OASH Grants and Acquisitions Management Division via the Payment Management System as well as timely and appropriate withdrawal of cash from the Payment Management System.

If your internal controls are available online, you may provide the link as part of your plan in the budget narrative. Although merit reviewers are not permitted to access any external materials linked in the application as part of their review, this link would facilitate review of your proposal if recommended for risk assessment (Section E.3).

Section H.5 contains questions you may find useful in preparing your “Recipient Plans for Oversight of Federal Funds.”

c. Appendices All items described in this section will count toward the total page limit of your application. You must submit them as a single electronic file uploaded to the Attachments section of your Grants.gov application.

Samples and optional forms/templates for some of these items are located under the Related Documents tab for this NOFO on Grants.gov.

Work Plan

Include a detailed work plan that is consistent with your project narrative and budget narrative.

Your work plan should cover all years of the estimated period of performance.

A work plan should include a statement of the project’s overall goal(s), key SMARTIE objectives (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound, inclusive, and equitable), milestone activities, and anticipated measurable outcome(s)/impact(s). Your objectives should align with the expectations of this opportunity, and the major tasks, action steps, or activities to achieve the goal and outcome(s). For each major task, action step, or activity, the work plan should identify the person(s) responsible, the timeline for completing activities (including start-and end-dates), and measures of success.

A suggested Work Plan Template is included under Related Documents in grants.gov (the instruction pages will not count toward your page limit) or you may create your own work plan.

Regardless of the option you choose, the work plan you submit must address all of the content requested.

Logic Model

Submit a detailed logic model that describes the inputs, objectives, activities, outputs, and short-and long-term outcomes of the proposed project.