fy15 natl workforce diversity.pdf

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

AGENCY: Office of Minority Health

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY TITLE: National Workforce Diversity Pipeline Program

ACTION: Notice

ANNOUNCEMENT TYPE: INITIAL COMPETITIVE GRANT

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY NUMBER: MH-CPI-15-002

CFDA NUMBER: 93.137

CFDA PROGRAM: National Workforce Diversity Program

Applications are due May 18, 2015 by 5 p.m. ET. To receive consideration, applications must be received electronically via Grants.gov by the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health

(HHS/OASH), Office of Grants Management (OGM) no later than this due date. Applications which do not meet the specified deadlines will be returned to the applicant unread. All applicants must submit electronically via Grants.gov unless they obtain a written exemption from this requirement 2 business days in advance of the deadline by the Director, HHS/OASH Office of Grants Management. To obtain an exemption, applicants must request one via email from the

HHS/OASH Office of Grants Management, and provide details as to why they are technologically unable to submit electronically through Grants.gov portal. Requests should be submitted at least 4 business days prior to the application deadline to ensure the request can be considered prior to 2 business days in advance of the deadline. If requesting an exemption, include the following in the e-mail request: the HHS/OASH announcement number; the organization's DUNS number; the name, address and telephone number of the organization; the name and telephone number of the Authorizing Official; the Grants.gov Tracking Number

(GRANTXXXX) assigned to the submission; and a copy of the "Rejected with Errors" notification from Grants.gov. Send the request with supporting documentation to ogm.oash@hhs.gov. Note: failure to have an active System for Account Management (SAM) registration will not be grounds for receiving an exemption to the electronic submission requirement.

The HHS/OASH Office of Grants Management will only accept applications via alternate methods (hardcopy paper via US mail or other provider or PDF via email) from applicants obtaining prior written approval. The application must still be submitted by the deadline. Only applications submitted through the Grants.gov portal or alternate format

(hardcopy paper via US mail or other service or PDF via email) with an approved written exemption will be accepted. See the heading "APPLICATION and SUBMISSION

INFORMATION" for information on application submission mechanisms.

Executive Order 12372 comment due date: The State Single Point of Contact (SPOC) has 60 days from the application due date to submit any comments. For more information on the

SPOC see section IV.4 Intergovernmental Review.

To ensure adequate time to successfully submit the application, HHS/OASH recommends that applicants register as early as possible in Grants.gov since the registration process can take up to one month. For information on registering for Grants.gov, refer to http://www.grants.gov or contact the Grants.gov Contact Center 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

(excluding Federal holidays) at 1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov.

mailto:ogm.oash@hhs.gov http://www.grants.gov/ mailto:support@grants.gov

Applicants are strongly encouraged to register multiple authorized organization representatives.

Technical Assistance: A technical assistance webinar for potential applicants will be held on

Thursday, April 9, 2015, from 2:30-4:00 PM Eastern time. The information to access the webinar will be posted on the Office of Minority Health’s website, www.minorityhealth.hhs.gov.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The United States Department of Health and Human Services

(HHS or Department), Office of Minority Health (OMH), located within the Office of the

Secretary, announces the availability of funds for Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 National Workforce

Diversity Pipeline Program under the authority of Section 1707 of the Public Health Service Act

(42 U.S.C. §300 u-6). The emphasis of the National Workforce Diversity Pipeline Program is to support projects that develop innovative strategies that identify promising students in their first year in high school and provide them with a foundation to pursue a successful career in the health professions. According to a study published in the September 2014 issue of the science journal PLOS ONE “Interventions aimed at strengthening the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) academic pipeline have prioritized undergraduates and have focused on the undergraduate to graduate level leakage point. With some notable exceptions, these measures have had limited success in propelling an adequate number of minority and disadvantaged students into graduate and professional schools, especially given the dearth of minority and disadvantaged graduates with STEM degrees despite comparable STEM interest rates reported for incoming freshmen. Rather, the considerable leakage of minority and disadvantaged students after the first and second-year undergraduate gateway science courses http://www.minorityhealth.hhs.gov/ and the longer time-to-degree completion rates for STEM compared to non-STEM majors indicate a need for earlier, pre-college interventions.”

This program addresses STEM and related subjects, and addresses Goal II of the HHS Action Plan to Reduce Racial and Ethnic

Health Disparities to strengthen the nation’s health and human services workforce, specifically calling for actions that create a pipeline for students to increase the racial and ethnic diversity in the health care and behavioral health professions.

This funding opportunity in the amount of $2.5 million, will award applications ranging from

$350,000 to $500,000 per year for up to five years, and will fund approximately five to eight eligible applicants.

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION:

The National Workforce Diversity Pipeline Program (NWDP) seeks to address health disparities among racial and ethnic minorities by supporting networks of institutions focused on, and with demonstrated commitment and capacity to establish pipeline programs to increase minority and disadvantaged students’ (Appendix A) awareness of and pursuit in the areas of health care and behavioral health and increase the availability of STEM education programs.

Background

While African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, and American Indians/Alaska Natives, as a group constitute nearly 25 percent of the U.S. population, these three groups account for less than nine

Salto, L.M., Riggs, M.L., De Leon, D.D., Casiano, C.A., De Leon, M. Understanding minority high school and college students report STEM-pipeline sustaining gains after participating in the Loma Linda University summer health disparities research program. PLOS ONE. 2014; 9(9): 1-13.

percent of nurses, six percent of physicians, and only five percent of dentists. The Institute of

Medicine has recommended increasing the number of minority health professionals as a key strategy to eliminate health disparities.

Examining the education and training environment in which health professionals learn and develop is critical to efforts to increase the number of health care providers who can and will address the health care needs of our nation.

The lack of minority health professionals is compounding the nation’s persistent racial and ethnic health disparities. From cancer, cardiovascular disease, and HIV/AIDS to diabetes, mental illness and substance abuse, African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, and American

Indians/Alaska Natives tend to receive less and lower quality health care than non-Hispanic

Whites, resulting in higher morbidity and mortality rates. The consequences of health disparities are grave and will only be remedied through sustained efforts and a national commitment.

The problem is seen at the beginning of the pipeline where primary and secondary schools are failing too many students. On average, when compared with non-Hispanic White students, racial and ethnic minority students receive a K-12 education of measurably lower quality, score lower on standardized tests, and are less likely to complete high school. Those who do graduate from high school are far less likely to graduate from a four-year college than non-Hispanic White students.

Approximately 30 percent of non-Hispanic White students graduate with a four-year

Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care. Smedley, B.D., Stith, A.Y., &

Nelson, A.R. (Eds) National Academies Press, 2003.

Sullivan, Louis W (2004) Missing Persons: Minorities in the Health Professions, A Report of the Sullivan

Commission on Diversity in the Healthcare Workforce.

Sullivan, Louis W (2004) Missing Persons: Minorities in the Health Professions. A Report of the Sullivan

Commission on Diversity in the Healthcare Workforce.

degree, compared with 20 percent of African American and 14 percent of Hispanic/Latino students (U.S. Census Bureau, Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2012).

Strategies to increase the participation of minority and disadvantaged students in health care, behavioral health and STEM subject matter areas must play a central role in the overall approach to sustaining our nation’s capacity to conduct research and innovate. At least three reasons underscore the need for doing so: the source of the future science and engineering workforce is uncertain; the demographics of the U.S. population are shifting dramatically; and diversity in science and engineering is a strength that benefits both diverse groups and the nation as a whole.

Students who have not had the same degree of exposure to STEM and to postsecondary education require more intensive efforts at each level to provide adequate preparation, financial support, mentoring, social integration, and professional development. Effective policies, strategies, and interventions are needed to target each segment of the STEM education pipeline trajectory, from preschool to graduate school, to reverse the downward spiral in academic achievement for the nation in general, and particularly for minorities and disadvantaged students.

The National Workforce Diversity Pipeline Program Description

The National Workforce Diversity Pipeline Program (NWDP) seeks to address health disparities among racial and ethnic minorities by supporting networks of institutions focused on and with demonstrated commitment and capacity to establish pipeline programs to increase minority and

Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation. A report of the National Academies of Science and

Engineering and the Institute of Medicine. (National Academies Press, 2011).

disadvantaged students’ awareness of and pursuit in the areas of health care and behavioral health and increase the availability of STEM education programs.

The NWDP will help to fill this gap in the educational pipeline by focusing on:

1. The early stage of the workforce pipeline (i.e., beginning at high school level which is a pivotal stage in developing math and science self-efficacy) and continuing through undergraduate education;

2. The broader area of the health care workforce; and

3. Increasing the diversity of those who will be successful at upper levels of education and entering a professional career.

The purpose of the NWDP is to: (1) develop a structured program with a specific curriculum to foster high school and undergraduate students’ interest and success in the health professions; (2) increase these students’ positive attitudes and improve their perception of their ability to enter a career in health care; (3) encourage and support students’ academic progression through high school graduation and undergraduate completion; and (4) identify successful strategies and promising models to foster growth, development, and competency in careers that require a strong underpinning in math and science.

This solicitation will support NWDP projects to:

(a) Develop and establish pipeline programs to increase minority and disadvantaged high school and undergraduate students’ awareness, knowledge and career pursuit in the areas of the health care and behavioral health professions. Pipeline programs are required to recruit and retain high school and undergraduate students to participate in college preparation programs, innovative bridge programs, and STEM programs.

Applicant organizations must propose to implement a project that will address the following:

(1) Establish and implement a structured program with a specific curriculum to foster students’ interests in health care and/or behavioral health;

(2) Develop criteria for competitive selection of prospective students for school year program;

(3) Increase positive attitudes and improve perception of students’ ability to participate in

STEM;

(4) Encourage and support students’ academic progression through high school graduation and undergraduate completion;

(5) Provide necessary educational and supportive service networks to recruit and retain students for the entire project period;

(6) Identify the successful strategies and promising models to engage youth in STEM education programs that lead to careers in health care.

NWDP may consist of a health professions academy; bridge programs; a comprehensive program for allied health schools that would allow students to work as allied health professionals while pursuing undergraduate education; innovative programs to implement effective intervention strategies that utilize STEM education to promote careers in health care and behavioral health. Applicants should demonstrate how the NWDP will enhance opportunities for minority and disadvantaged students to pursue degrees and careers in health care and behavioral health.

Organizational Capabilities:

The applicant must provide evidence that its organization has the capability to establish and implement pipeline programs to increase minority and disadvantaged high school and undergraduate students’ awareness, knowledge and career pursuit in the areas of health care and behavioral health.

Publish Results/Articles:

By the fifth year of the project period, all successful applicants will be required to present findings, disseminate results and publish materials and articles on the outcome(s) of their respective project.

OMH Expectations

It is expected the proposed NWDP will:

Expand the diversity of the health professions pipeline.

Increase the number of minority and disadvantaged students pursuing health care and behavioral health careers.

Improve the recruitment, retention and completion rates for minority and disadvantaged students’ high school and undergraduate completion, and acceptance in graduate and health professions school.

Increase minority and disadvantaged students’ awareness, knowledge, and pursuit of the areas of health care and behavioral health careers and increase the availability of STEM education programs.

Increase the capacity of minority and disadvantaged students’ participation and completion rates in STEM education programs and careers.

Increase the number of culturally and socially competent minority and disadvantaged minority-serving health professionals.

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

II. AWARD INFORMATION

The Office of Minority Health intends to make available approximately $2.5 million for competing grants.

Grants will be funded in annual increments (budget periods) and are generally approved for a project period of up to 5 years, although shorter project periods may be approved. Funding for all approved budget periods beyond the first year of the grant is generally level with the initial award amount and is contingent upon the availability of funds, satisfactory progress of the project, and adequate stewardship of Federal funds.

Award Information

Estimated Funds Available for Competition: $2,500,000

Anticipated Number of Awards: 5 to 8

Range of Awards: $350,000 to $500,000 per budget period

Anticipated Start Date: 08/01/2015

Period of Performance: Not to exceed 5 years

Budget Period Length: 12 months

Type of Award: Grant

Type of Application Accepted: Electronic via Grants.gov ONLY unless an exemption is granted

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

1. Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants that can apply for this funding opportunity are listed below:

State and local governments or their Bona Fide Agents (this includes the District of

Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the

Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Guam, the Federated States of Micronesia, the

Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau)

Nonprofit with 501(c)(3) IRS status (other than institution of higher education)

Nonprofit without 501(c)(3) IRS status (other than institution of higher education)

For-profit organizations (other than small business); for profit organizations must agree to forgo any profit or management fee.

Small, minority, and women-owned business

Universities

Colleges

Research institutions

Hospitals

Community-based organizations

Faith-based organizations

Federally recognized or state-recognized American Indian/Alaska Native tribal governments

American Indian/Alaska Native tribally designated organizations

Alaska Native health organizations

Urban Indian health organizations

Tribal epidemiology centers

Political subdivisions of states (in consultation with states)

2. Cost Sharing or Matching: None

3. Responsiveness and Screening Criteria

Application Responsiveness Criteria

Applications will be reviewed to determine whether they meet the following responsiveness criteria. Those that do not will be administratively eliminated from the competition and will not be reviewed.

The applicant must include:

An organizational capability statement demonstrating its ability to establish and implement a structured program with a specific curriculum to foster students’ interests in health care and/or behavioral health; ability to increase minority and disadvantaged high school and undergraduate students’ awareness, knowledge and career pursuit in the areas of health care and behavioral health.

Application Screening Criteria

All applications appropriately submitted will be screened to assure a level playing field for all applicants. If duplicate applications from the same organization for the same project are successfully submitted, only the last application received by the deadline will be reviewed.

Applications that fail to meet the screening criteria described below will not be reviewed and will receive no further consideration.

1. Applications must be submitted electronically via www.grants.gov (unless an exemption was granted 2 business days prior to the deadline) by 5p.m., May 18, 2015.

2. The Project Narrative section of the application must be double-spaced, on the equivalent of 8 ½ ” x 11” inch page size, with 1” margins on all sides (top, bottom, left and right) and font size not less than 12 points.

3. The Project Narrative must not exceed 40 pages. NOTE: The following items do not count toward the page limit: all required forms, including SF-424, SF-424A, SF-

424B, SF-LLL, Project Abstract Summary and Budget narrative.

4. The total application including Appendices must not exceed 60 pages. NOTE: items noted above do not count toward total page limit.

5. Proposed budget does not exceed maximum indicated in Range of Awards.

6. The application has met the Application Responsiveness Criteria outlined above.

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

1. Information to Request Application Package

Application packages may be obtained electronically by accessing Grants.gov at http://www.grants.gov/. If you have problems accessing the application or difficulty downloading, contact:

Grant Operations Center, Office of Grants Management Operations Center, telephone 1-888-

203-6161, or email ASH@LCGnet.com.

2. Content and Form of Application Submission

Application Format

Applications must be prepared using forms and information provided in the online grant application package.

The Project Narrative, and total application including appendices, must adhere to the page limit indicated in Application Screening Criteria.

Project Narrative pages must be double-spaced.

The applicant should use an easily readable typeface, such as Times New Roman or

Arial, 12-point font. Tables may be single spaced and use alternate fonts but must be easily readable. The page limit does not include budget, budget narrative/ justification, required forms, assurances, and certifications as described in Application Screening Criteria. All pages, charts, figures, and tables, whether in the narrative or appendices, should be numbered. Applications that exceed the specified page limits when printed on 8.5” X 11” paper by HHS/OASH/OGM will not be considered. We recommend applicants print out their applications before submitting electronically to ensure that they are within the page limit and are easily readable.

Appendices

Appendices should include any specific documents outlined in the Application Content section of this FOA. If not specified, appendices may include curriculum vitae, organizational mailto:ASH@LCGnet.com structure, examples of organizational capabilities, or other supplemental information which supports the application. Brochures and bound materials should not be submitted. Appendices are for supportive information only and should be clearly labeled. All information that is critical to the proposed project should be included in the body of the application. Appendices created specifically for the application should use the same formatting required for the Project Narrative, including double-line spacing. However, appendix documents that were not created directly in response to this funding announcement, especially those imported from other sources and documents, may use other formatting but must be easily readable (e.g., organizational structure).

Project Abstract

Applicants must complete the Project Abstract Summary form provided in the application package. The abstract will be used to provide reviewers with an overview of the application, and will form the basis for the application summary in grants management and program summary documents. Abstracts may be published by HHS/OASH and should not include sensitive or proprietary information.

Budget Narrative

The Budget Narrative text 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.

Electronic Submission

The HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (HHS/OASH) requires all applications be submitted electronically via the Grants.gov portal unless an exemption has been granted. Any applications submitted via any other means of electronic communication, including facsimile or electronic mail, will not be accepted for review.

You may access the Grants.gov website portal at http://www.grants.gov. All

HHS/OASH funding opportunities and grant application packages are made available on

Grants.gov.

Applications will not be considered valid until all application components are received via Grants.gov by the HHS/OASH Office of Grants Management according to the deadlines specified in the DATES section on page 1 of this announcement. Application submissions that do not adhere to the due date and time requirements will be deemed ineligible.

Applicants are encouraged to initiate electronic applications early in the application development process. This will aid in addressing any problems with submissions prior to the application deadline. Any files uploaded or attached to the Grants.gov application must be of the following file formats – Microsoft Word, Excel or PowerPoint, Adobe PDF, or image formats

(JPG, GIF, TIFF, or BMP only). Even though Grants.gov allows applicants to attach any file format as part of their application, HHS/OASH restricts this practice and only accepts the file formats identified above. Any file submitted as part of the Grants.gov application that is not in a file format identified above will not be accepted for processing and will be excluded from the application during the review process. The application must be submitted in a file format that can easily be copied and read by reviewers. We do not recommend that you submit scanned copies through Grants.gov unless you confirm the clarity of the documents. Pages cannot be reduced resulting in multiple pages on a single sheet to avoid exceeding the page limitation. All documents that do not conform to the above will be excluded from the application during the review process.

A. Important Grants.gov Information

You may access the electronic application for this program on http://www.grants.gov.

You must search the downloadable application page by the Funding Opportunity Number or

CFDA number.

To ensure successful submission of applications, applicants should carefully follow the step-by-step instructions provided at http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/apply-for-grants.html . These instructions are kept up-to-date and also provide links to Frequently Asked

Questions and other troubleshooting information.

Applicants should contact Grants.gov with any questions or concerns regarding the electronic application process conducted through Grants.gov.

You are required to provide a Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) Data Universal

Numbering System (DUNS) number when applying for Federal grants or cooperative agreements. It is a unique, nine-digit identification number, which provides unique identifiers of single business entities. The DUNS number is free and easy to obtain.

Instructions are available on the Grants.Gov web site as part of the organization registration process at http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration.html.

All applicants must register in the System for Account Management (SAM). You should allow a minimum of five days to complete the SAM registration.

http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/apply-for-grants.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/apply-for-grants.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration.html

Grants.gov will reject submissions from applicants with nonexistent or expired

SAM Registrations. You can register with the SAM online and it will take about

30 minutes (https://www.sam.gov).

You must renew your SAM registration each year. Organizations registered to apply for Federal grants through http://www.grants.gov will need to renew their registration in SAM.

It may take 24 hours or more for SAM updates to take effect in Grants.gov, so potential applicants should check for active registration well before the application deadline.

Applicants must maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active award or an application or plan under consideration by an HHS agency.

An award cannot be made until the applicant has complied with these requirements. In accordance with 2 CFR 25.205, at the time an award is ready to be made, if the intended recipient has not complied with these requirements, HHS/OASH:

May determine that the applicant is not qualified to receive an award; and

May use that determination as a basis for making an award to another applicant.

Should you successfully compete and receive an award, all first-tier sub-award recipients must have a DUNS number at the time the recipient makes a sub-award.

B. Application Content

Successful applications will contain the following information:

Project Narrative https://www.sam.gov/

The Project Narrative is the most important part of the application, since it will be used as the primary basis to determine whether or not your project meets the minimum requirements for a grant under this announcement. The Project Narrative should provide a clear and concise description of your project. HHS/OASH recommends that your project narrative include the following components:

The narrative description of the project should contain the following, in the order presented:

Executive Summary

Problem Statement

Goal(s) and Objective(s)

Proposed Intervention

Special Target Populations and Organizations

Outcomes

Project Management

Evaluation

Dissemination

Organizational Capability

Executive Summary. This section should include a brief description of the proposed project, including: goal(s), objectives, outcomes, and products to be developed.

Problem Statement. This section should describe, in both quantitative and qualitative terms, the nature and scope of the specific and particular problem or issue, and the proposed intervention it is designed to address. It should detail how the project will potentially affect the targeted population, specific subgroups within those populations, and other interested stakeholders as identified. It is recommended that applicants focus their problem statement on the specific aspects of the history, extant literature, current status, and policy considerations bearing on the program area, and the roles of the national, state, tribal, territorial, and local agencies responsible for their operation, rather than providing a broad or sweeping historical overview that is not directly related to the proposed interventions and activities.

Goals and Objectives. This section should consist of a description of the project’s goal(s) and major objectives. Unless the project involves multiple, complex interventions, we recommend you have only one overall goal.

Proposed Intervention. This section should provide a clear and concise description of the intervention you are proposing to use to address the need identified in the program announcement and the problem described in the “Problem Statement” above. Applicants are expected to explain the rationale for using a particular intervention and to present a clear connection between identified system gaps and needs and the proposed activities.

Proposals should detail the nature of the activities to be undertaken, how they address system gaps and identified issues, and how they will assist in achieving the overall project goals and objectives. Clarification as to why these specific activities were selected is appropriate (i.e. has this approach been successful in other settings? Does the research suggest this direction?). Also note any major barriers you anticipate encountering and how your project will be able to overcome those barriers. At minimum, applicants should:

1. Indicate a plan for addressing the problems or issues nationally. Provide detailed descriptions of specific products or outcomes proposed for development or modification.

2. Demonstrate how technology will be incorporated to advertise and advance programs and services, provide training and/or technical assistance, and disseminate information and products.

3. Describe the role and makeup of potential subrecipients who are intended to be involved in completing specific tasks, and identify the percentage of level of effort (subrecipients are anticipated to provide in completing programmatic activities.

4. Provide specifics about the intervention strategies, expected outcomes, and barriers for all anticipated years of the grant.

Special Target Populations and Organizations. This section should describe how you plan to involve community-based organizations in a meaningful way in the planning and implementation of the proposal project. This section should also describe how the proposed intervention will target minority and disadvantaged populations, including limited English speaking populations. Additionally, this section should outline who the applicant considers vested stakeholders in the successful operation how they were/will be identified, and how they will be meaningfully incorporated into the project.

Outcomes. This section of the project narrative must clearly identify the measurable outcome(s) that will result from the project. HHS/OASH will not fund any project that does not include measurable outcomes. In addition to discussion in the narrative, applicants must describe how they envision the project will benefit the field at large

A “measurable outcome” is an observable end-result that describes how a particular intervention benefits consumers. It demonstrates the “impact” of the intervention. For example, a change in a client’s financial, health, and/or functional status; mental well-being; knowledge; skill; attitude; awareness; or behavior. It can also describe a change in the degree to which consumers exercise choice over the types of services they receive, or whether they are satisfied with the way a service is delivered. Additional examples include: a change in the responsiveness or cost-effectiveness of a service delivery system;

a new model of support or care that can be replicated; new knowledge; a measurable increase in community awareness; or a measurable increase in persons receiving services.

A measurable outcome is not a measurable “output”, such as: the number of clients served; the number of training sessions held; or the number of service units provided.

You should keep the focus of this section on describing what outcome(s) will be produced by the project. You should use the Evaluation section noted below to describe how the outcome(s) will be measured and reported. Your application will be scored on the clarity and nature of your proposed outcomes, not on the number of outcomes cited.

In many cases, it is very appropriate for a project to have only ONE outcome that it is trying to achieve through the intervention reflected in the project’s design.

Project Management. This section should include a clear delineation of the roles and responsibilities of project staff and subrecipients and how they will contribute to achieving the project’s objectives and outcomes. It should specify who would have day-to-day responsibility for key tasks such as: leadership of project; monitoring the project’s on-going progress, preparation of reports; and communications with other partners and HHS/OASH. It should also describe the approach that will be used to monitor and track progress on the project’s tasks and objectives. HHS/OASH expects that, throughout the grant period, the Project Director will have involvement in, and substantial knowledge about, all aspects of the project.

Evaluation. This section should describe the methods that you will use to evaluate whether or not the proposed intervention achieves its measurable outcome(s) and assess and evaluate the impact of activities for which you are applying. You should describe the quantitative and qualitative tools and techniques that you will employ to measure the outcome(s) and how you will identify and document the “lessons learned.”

You should also provide a detailed description of how students will be tracked over the five-year project period to include academic progress and matriculation from high school to undergraduate and/or from undergraduate to graduate school.

Dissemination. This section should describe the method that will be used to disseminate the project’s results and findings in a timely manner and in easily understandable formats to the target audience, the general public, and other parties who might be interested in using the results of the project. All appropriate findings and products will be posted on a HHS/OASH sponsored website as determined by the

HHS/OASH project officer. Therefore, applicants should propose other innovative approaches to informing parties who might be interested in using the results of the project to inform practice, service delivery, program development, and/or policy-making, especially to those parties who would be interested in replicating the project.

HHS/OASH expects that nationwide dissemination of products and knowledge will occur.

Organizational Capability. Each application must include an organizational capability statement and vitae for key project personnel. The organizational capability statement should describe how the applicant agency (or the particular division of a larger agency which will have responsibility for this project) is organized, the nature and scope of its work, and the capabilities it possesses. This description should cover capabilities of the applicant agency not included in the program narrative, such as any current or previous relevant experience and/or the record of the project team in preparing cogent and useful reports, publications, and other products. If appropriate, include an organization chart showing the relationship of the project to the current organization.

Provide evidence of organizational competencies in the appendices.

Also include information about any contractual and/or supportive staff/organization(s) that will have a secondary role(s) in implementing the project and achieving project goals.

Budget Narrative [required]

You are required to submit a combined multi-year Budget Narrative, as well as a detailed Budget

Narrative for each year of the potential grant. Unless specified, you should develop your multi-year budgets based on level funding for each budget period. A level-funded budget is equal to the exact dollar figure of the year one budget. Please Note: Because the proposal must demonstrate a clear and strong relationship between the stated objectives, project activities, and the budget, the budget justification should describe the cost estimated per proposed project, activity, or product. This budget justification should define the amount of work that is planned and expected to be performed and what it will cost. The Budget Narrative does not count toward your total application page limit.

All items described in this section will count toward the total page limit of your application.

Work Plan. The Project Work Plan should reflect, and be consistent with, the Project

Narrative and Budget, and must cover all five (5) years of the project period. However, each year’s activities should be fully attainable in one budget year. Multi-year activities may be proposed, as well as activities that build upon each other, but each phase of the project must be discreet and attainable within a single budget year. The Work Plan should include a statement of the project’s overall goal, anticipated outcome(s), key objectives, and the major tasks, action steps, or products that will be pursued or developed to achieve the goal and outcome(s). For each major task of each year, action step, or product, the work plan should identify the timeframes involved (including start-and end-dates), and the lead person responsible for completing the task.

Letters of Commitment and Memoranda of Understanding from Subrecipient

Organizations and Agencies

Letters of Commitment are required for all organizations and entities that have been specifically named as a subrecipient to carry out any aspect of the project. The signed letters of commitment must detail the specific role and resources that will be provided, or activities that will be undertaken, in support of the applicant. The organization’s expertise, experience, and access to the targeted population(s) should also be described in the letter of commitment.

Letters of commitment are not the same as letters of support. Letters of support are letters that are general in nature that speak to the writer’s belief in the capability of an applicant to accomplish a goal/task. Letters of support also may indicate an intent or interest to work together in the future, but they lack specificity. Applicants should NOT provide letters of “support,” and letters of support such as this will not be considered during the review.

3. Submission Dates and Times

The deadline for the submission of applications under this Program Announcement is

5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the date indicated in the DATES section on page 1 of this announcement. Applications must be submitted by this date and time.

Applications that fail to meet the application due date will not be reviewed and will receive no further consideration. You are strongly encouraged to submit your application a minimum of 3-5 days prior to the application closing date. Do not wait until the last day in the event you encounter technical difficulties, either on your end or with http://www.grants.gov .

Grants.gov can take up to 48 hours to notify you of a successful submission.

Unsuccessful submissions will require authenticated verification from http://www.grants.gov indicating system problems existed at the time of your submission. For example, you will be required to provide an http://www.grants.gov submission error notification and/or tracking number in order to substantiate missing the cut off date.

4. Intergovernmental Review

Applications under this announcement are subject to the requirements of

Executive Order 12372, ‘‘Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs,’’ as implemented by

45 CFR part 100, ‘‘Intergovernmental Review of Department of Health and Human Services

Programs and Activities.’’ As soon as possible, the applicant should discuss the project with the

State Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for the State in which the applicant is located. The current listing of the SPOCs is available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants_spoc. For those states not represented on the listing, further inquiries should be made by the applicant regarding submission to the relevant SPOC. The SPOC should forward any comments to the Department of

Health and Human Services 1101 Wootton Parkway, Suite 550, Rockville, MD 20852. The

SPOC has 60 days from the due date listed in this announcement to submit any comments. For further information, contact the HHS/OASH Office of Grants Management at 240–453–8822.

5. Funding Restrictions http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants_spoc

The allowability, allocability, reasonableness, and necessity of direct and indirect costs may be charged to HHS/OASH grants in accordance with Department regulations and policy effective at the time of the award. Current requirements are outlined at 45 CFR Part 75 Uniform

Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for HHS Awards, 79

Federal Register 75871 (December 19, 2014).

Indirect costs may be included per 45 CFR 75.414. Applicants should indicate which method and/or rate is used for this application. To obtain a negotiated indirect cost rate with the

Federal Government you may contact the Health and Human Services Division of Cost

Allocation (DCA) Regional Office that is applicable to your State. A list of DCA Regional

Offices is included in the grant application package for this announcement.

Pre-Award Costs:

Pre-award costs are not allowed.

Salary Limitation:

The Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (P.L. 113-235) limits the salary amount that may be awarded and charged to HHS/OASH grants and cooperative agreements. Award funds should not be budgeted to pay the salary of an individual at a rate in excess of Executive Level II. Currently, the Executive Level II salary of the Federal Executive

Pay scale is $183,300. This amount reflects an individual’s base salary exclusive of fringe and any income that an individual may be permitted to earn outside of the duties to the applicant organization. This salary limitation also applies to subawards/subcontracts under an HHS/OASH grant or cooperative agreement.

As an example of the application of this limitation: If an individual’s base salary is

$350,000 per year plus fringe benefits of 25% ($87,500) and that individual is devoting 50% of their time to this award, their base salary should be adjusted to $183,300, their direct salary would be $91,650 (50% FTE), fringe benefits of 25% would be $22,912.50, and a total of

$114,562.50 may be included in the project budget and charged to the award in salary/fringe benefits for that individual. See the breakdown below:

Individual’s actual base full time salary: $350,000

50% of time will be devoted to project

Direct salary $175,000

Fringe (25% of salary) $43,750

Total $218,750

Amount that may be claimed on the application budget due to the legislative salary limitation:

Individual’s base full time salary adjusted to Executive Level II: $183,300

50% of time will be devoted to the project

Direct salary $91,650

Fringe (25% of salary) $22,912.50

Total amount $114,562.50

Appropriate salary limits will apply as required by law.

V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

1. Criteria: Eligible applications will be assessed according to the following criteria:

A. Factor 1: Experience and Organizational Capabilities 20%

Applicant’s capabilities to implement, manage, and evaluate the project as determined by:

(1) Experience of applicant and partnering organizations relative to the management and implementation of collaborative projects/activities involving high-school and undergraduate student pipeline, workforce diversity and STEM programs to increase minority and disadvantaged students’ awareness and career pursuit in the areas of health care and behavioral health.

(2) Demonstrated knowledge of the factors that contribute to minority and disadvantaged students’ success in their career pursuit in the areas of health care and behavioral health.

(3) Extent to which the applicant demonstrates access to the target population(s), and whether it is well positioned and accepted within the community(ies) to be served.

(4) Extent and documented outcome of past efforts and activities with the target population.

(5) The applicant organization’s and partnering organizations’ experience in managing project activities involving the target population.

(6) The applicant’s organizational structure and proposed collaborative project organizational structure, including clearly defined roles and responsibilities.

(7) The applicant’s demonstration of clear lines of authority between the applicant and partnering organizations.

B. Factor 2: Problem Statement 15%

Applicant’s demonstrated knowledge of challenges and problems in achieving success in high school and college math and science courses, and undergraduate student retention and completion in college preparation programs, bridge programs and STEM programs.

C. Factor 3: Goals and Objectives 15%

Merit of the objectives.

Relevance to the NWDP Program purpose, and expectations, and the stated problem to be addressed by the proposed project.

Degree to which the objectives are stated in measurable terms.

Attainability of the objectives and outcomes in the stated time frames.

Appropriateness of the proposed project goal(s), key objectives, anticipated outcomes and work plan including timeline.

D. Factor 4: Program Plan 25%

Appropriateness and merit of proposed approach and specific activities for each objective.

Appropriateness of the evidence-based model(s) and/or innovative approach proposed.

Logic and sequencing of the planned approaches as they relate to the statement of need and to the objectives.

Soundness of the established partnership roles in the program as documented by signed

Letters of Commitment.

E. Factor 5: Evaluation Plan 20%

The degree to which intended results are appropriate for the objectives of the NWDP overall, stated objectives of the proposed project and proposed activities.

Appropriateness of the proposed methods for data collection (including demographic data to be collected on the project participants), analysis, and reporting.

Appropriateness of plans for evaluating the project’s effectiveness through analysis of data from the participants.

Suitability of the plan to track students’ progress over the five-year project period to include academic progress and matriculation from high school to undergraduate and/or from undergraduate to graduate school.

Sustainability of process, outcomes, and impact measures.

Clarity of the intent and plans to assess and document progress toward achieving objectives, planned activities, and intended outcomes, including the established baseline.

Potential for the proposed project to impact the retention, performance and completion rates of high-school and undergraduate students that participate in STEM programs and career pursuit in the areas of health care and behavioral health.

Soundness of the plan to document the project for replication in similar communities.

Appropriateness of the logic model.

F. Factor 6: Budget 5%

The appropriateness and relevance of the requested costs over the five-year project period.

2. Review and Selection Process

Each HHS/OASH Program's office is responsible for facilitating the process of evaluating applications and setting funding levels according to the criteria set forth above.

An independent review panel will evaluate applications that pass the screening and meet the responsiveness criteria if applicable. These reviewers are experts in their fields, and are drawn from academic institutions, non-profit organizations, state and local government, and Federal government agencies. Based on the Application Review Criteria as outlined under Section V.1, the reviewers will comment on and score the applications, focusing their comments and scoring decisions on the identified criteria. In addition to the independent review panel, Federal staff will review each application for programmatic, budgetary, and grants management compliance.

Final award decisions will be made by the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health, Office of Minority Health. In making these decisions, the following additional criterion will be taken into consideration:

a. Geographic distribution.

Review of Risk Posed by Applicant

The HHS/OASH will evaluate each application in the fundable range for risks posed by an applicant before issuing an award in accordance with 45 CFR Part 75.205. This evaluation may incorporate results of the evaluation of the applicant's eligibility or the quality of its application. If we determine that a Federal award will be made, special conditions that correspond to the degree of risk assessed by the applicant will be applied to the Federal award.

OASH will use a risk-based approach and may consider any items such as the following:

(1) Applicant’s financial stability;

(2)…