U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Office of Minority Health

Notice of Funding Opportunity

Center for Indigenous Innovation and Health

Opportunity Number

MP-CPI-26-002

Application Due Date 7/13/2026, 6 pm ET

Technical Assistance Webinar Date 06/24/2026

Table of Contents

SUMMARY

A. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

1. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

2. APPLICATION RESPONSIVENESS CRITERIA

3. COST SHARING OR MATCHING

B. AGENCY PRIORITIES

C. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

1. EXPECTATIONS FOR RECIPIENTS

2. FEDERAL INVOLVEMENT IN THE PROJECT

3. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR PROJECT PARTICIPANTS

D. AWARD INFORMATION

E. APPLICATION CONTENTS AND FORMAT

1. FORMAT OF THE APPLICATION

2. CONTENT

F. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS AND DATES

1. OBTAINING AN APPLICATION PACKAGE

2. REQUIRED REGISTRATIONS

3. SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

4. OTHER SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

G. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

1. RESPONSIVENESS REVIEW

2. MERIT REVIEW CRITERIA

3. MERIT REVIEW AND SELECTION PROCESS

4. REVIEW OF RISK POSED BY APPLICANT

H. AWARD NOTICES

I. AWARD REQUIREMENTS AND ADMINISTRATION

1. ADMINISTRATIVE AND NATIONAL POLICY REQUIREMENTS

2. PROGRAM SPECIFIC TERMS AND CONDITIONS

3. AWARD CLOSEOUT

4. LOBBYING PROHIBITIONS

5. NON-DISCRIMINATION REQUIREMENTS

6. SMOKE- AND TOBACCO-FREE WORKPLACE

7. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF FUNDING

8. HHS RIGHTS TO MATERIALS AND DATA

9. TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS

10. EFFICIENT SPENDING

11. WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTION

12. HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT) INTEROPERABILITY

13. CERTAIN TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND VIDEO SURVEILLANCE SERVICES OR EQUIPMENT

14. HUMAN SUBJECTS PROTECTION

15. RESEARCH INTEGRITY

16. REPORTING

J. CONTACTS

K. OTHER INFORMATION

1. APPLICATION CHECKLIST

2. ACRONYMS

3. REFERENCES

4. OBJECT CLASS DESCRIPTIONS AND REQUIRED JUSTIFICATIONS

5. CONSIDERATIONS IN RECIPIENT PLANS FOR OVERSIGHT OF FEDERAL FUNDS

6. FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE GENERAL CERTIFICATIONS AND REPRESENTATIONS

BASIC INFORMATION

Opportunity Title Center for Indigenous Innovation and Health

Program Office The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, Office of Minority Health

Application Submission and Format Electronic application submitted via Grants.gov ONLY. Opportunity Number

MP-CPI-26-002

Award Type Cooperative Agreement

Application Deadline 7/13/2026

Announcement Type Initial

Technical Assistance Webinar Date 6/24/2026

Assistance Listing 93.137, Community Programs to Improve Minority Health

Technical Assistance Webinar Details See Section F.3.C for more details

Eligible Applicants (see Section A.1 for full details) Executive Order 12372 does apply to this NOFO

Estimated Total Funding Available $2,000,000

Estimated Period of Performance (months)

Estimated Number of Awards 2-4

Anticipated Award Date 09/29/2026

Anticipated Award Funding Range $500,000-$1,000,000

Anticipated Project Start Date 09/29/2026

QUESTIONS?

Additional contact information in Section J

SUMMARY

The Office of Minority Health (OMH) announces the anticipated availability of funds for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 grants under the authority of Section 1707 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. § 300u-6).

This notice solicits applications for projects under the Center for Indigenous Innovation and Health (CIIH) initiative. CIIH will support efforts, including research, education, service, partnership development and technical assistance, to address the documented chronic disease burden and health care access gaps experienced by American Indian and Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander populations.

Funded projects should implement evidence-based frameworks and community-based strategies to prevent and improve chronic disease outcomes, including obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and related conditions, within one Indigenous population of focus.

• OMH encourages applicants to review all program requirements, eligibility information, application format and submission information, evaluation criteria, and other information in this funding announcement to ensure that their application complies with all requirements and instructions.

The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH) Grants and Acquisitions Management Division (GAM) will administer this award.

A. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

1. Eligible Applicants You must meet all the eligibility requirements for us to review your application.

a. Eligible Entities Any public or private nonprofit entity located in a State (which includes one of the 50 United States, District of Columbia, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Guam, Republic of Palau, Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands) is eligible to apply for an award under this announcement.

Faith-based organizations and American Indian/Alaskan Native/Native American (AI/AN/NA) organizations that are public or non-profit private entities are eligible to apply.

Public or non-profit community-based organizations (CBOs) are eligible to apply. Non-profit private institutions of higher education are eligible to apply.

Other 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

b. PD/PI Eligibility There is no restriction on an individual’s eligibility to be Project Director (PD)/Principal Investigator (PI). However, we will not make an award with a PD/PI who has an active government-wide exclusion, suspension, or debarment recorded in SAM.gov.

We expect that throughout the period of performance the PD/PI will be involved in, and have substantial knowledge about, all aspects of the project. Although your organization may recognize co-PD/PIs on team-managed projects, we recognize only a single PD/PI who will be responsible for the programmatic aspects of the project.

c. Other Considerations Submitting Multiple Applications

You may submit more than one application, but each application must be for a distinctly different project.

If you submit multiple applications for the same project, we will accept only the last application submitted with a Grants.gov timestamp that is before the due date and time. We will disqualify all other versions of the application. See Section G.1.b for all disqualification factors.

Submitting an Application as a Group or Consortium

For any given project, we will only make an award to a single eligible entity. More than one entity may choose to work together on a project under this opportunity, but only one entity may submit the application. If awarded, that entity will be the award recipient and will be responsible for conducting the project.

The other entities may participate in the project, if awarded, and would be responsible to the recipient for their respective roles, typically as subrecipients.

Groups may form a consortium, partnership, or other legally recognized entity for the purpose of applying for this opportunity and carrying out any awarded project. The resulting entity must exist and be legally recognized when it applies and must have an active registration in SAM.gov. We will conduct a risk assessment on the applying entity (Section G.4) prior to making any award.

Eligibility Documentation

We do not require you to submit documentation of your eligibility (e.g., proof of 501(c)(3) status as determined by the Internal Revenue Service or an authorizing tribal resolution) when you submit your application. It is important that your organization is correctly classified in your SAM registration (Section F.2.a).

During our review of your application, we might request additional documentation to support your eligibility. This request means only that your application is under review and not that you will receive an award.

More specific information on the type of documentation that we might request specific to this opportunity appears in Section F.4.b.

Application Disqualification

We will disqualify applications that fail to meet the eligibility, responsiveness, formatting, and submission requirements (Sections G.1.b) prior to conducting merit review. Disqualified applications will not undergo further review.

We will notify disqualified applicants at the end of the review process when we announce the award recipients.

2. 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; we will not review it beyond the initial screening.

The responsiveness criteria are as follows:

The responsiveness criteria are described in Section G.1.a. Applications must meet those criteria, including clearly identifying the selected Indigenous population of focus (AI/AN or NHPI), the geographic area(s) served, the chronic disease outcome(s) addressed, the evidence-based framework and primary project activities, partner roles, and at least two measurable outcomes.

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

B. AGENCY PRIORITIES

The recipients of this award must implement any funds awarded under this NOFO to effectuate program goals and agency priorities in accordance with the Priorities of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (available online at: https://health.gov/priorities), and when authorized by law according to the OMH statute, regulations, legislative mandates, and additional program guidance. Funded activities must advance and support OASH’s mission to improve the health and well-being of Americans.

https://health.gov/priorities

In addition, the recipient is required to administer any project that is awarded under this NOFO in accordance with the following objectives in the Community Programs to Improve Minority Health that are authorized to advance them:

1. Implement Quality Improvement and Quality Assurance (QI/QA) Plan with the goal to achieve optimal health outcomes.

The recipients must demonstrate ongoing compliance with these priorities, in all programs that are authorized to advance them, through program design, implementation, reporting, and evaluation. Failure to meaningfully align funded activities with the applicable requirements may result in corrective action, additional reporting requirements, or other actions consistent with federal grant regulations found at 2 C.F.R. Part 200 and the terms and conditions of this award (including termination pursuant to 2 C.F.R. 200.340(a)(4) for no longer effectuating program goals or agency priorities).

C. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH), Office of Minority Health (OMH) announces the anticipated availability of funds for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 grants under the authority of Section 1707 of the PHS Act (42 U.S.C. § 300u-6).

The primary focus of OASH is to lead Americans toward healthier lives by promoting health and well-being across the lifespan. Cooperative Agreements funded through this NOFO will:

• Address obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and related chronic conditions among American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) populations using evidence-based and prevention-focused approaches.

• Build community-level data capacity and evaluation infrastructure to support rigorous, science-driven measurement of health outcomes among AI/AN and NHPI populations.

• Support cross-sector partnerships that address root causes of chronic disease — including food insecurity, limited health care access, environmental exposures, and health literacy gaps - in AI/AN and NHPI communities with documented unmet need.

• Support research, education, service, partnership development, technical assistance, and dissemination activities that strengthen prevention and improvement of chronic disease outcomes, including obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and related conditions.

Background

OMH is dedicated to improving the health of racial and ethnic minority populations through the development of health policies and programs that support measurable improvements in health outcomes1. Through demonstration projects, OMH supports the identification, implementation, evaluation, dissemination, and sustainability of effective approaches that strengthen prevention, improve access to quality health services, and promote healthier communities.

For purposes of this initiative, Indigenous populations include American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) populations. The CIIH initiative will support research, education, service, partnership development, and technical assistance activities that advance sustainable, science-driven solutions to improve health outcomes among AI/AN and NHPI populations2.

Available national data continues to show that AI/AN and NHPI populations experience elevated rates of several chronic and preventable health conditions compared with national benchmarks3.

They include higher prevalence of certain chronic diseases, disability, and health related challenges associated with community conditions such as food access, health literacy, education, health care availability, environmental exposure, language access, and access to health-promoting resources and services 4,5,6.

Food insecurity and chronic diet-related conditions remain important concerns among AI/AN and NHPI populations, increasing the risk for chronic conditions such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers7. AI/AN populations experience elevated mortality rates from leading causes of death, including heart disease, diabetes, and suicide, contributing to a life expectancy that remains several years lower than the U.S. average6,3. NHPI populations similarly experience a higher prevalence of diabetes and significantly elevated diabetes-related mortality8.

Consistent collection and use of high-quality, and disaggregated data is often limited. Expanding data collection infrastructure and analytic capacity can help communities and partners measure health outcomes more accurately, identify meaningful differences among subpopulations, and develop timely, practical, and culturally relevant interventions. Strengthening data capacity can also support program monitoring, evaluation, quality improvement, and evidence-based decision-making.

The factors influencing chronic disease and health outcomes in AI/AN and NHPI communities are complex and interconnected. Effective approaches should reflect the languages, cultural values, and traditional practices of the communities served. Culturally grounded approaches that incorporate Indigenous knowledge, community leadership, and locally relevant strategies can improve participation, strengthen trust, and support long-term sustainability. The clinical content of all interventions funded under this NOFO must remain evidence-based, consistent with current standards for chronic disease prevention and management.

The National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) in Health and Health Care provide a framework to improve quality, effectiveness and responsiveness of services. Integrating CLAS Standards into program design and implementation can help ensure that the services are respectful, understandable and responsive to the needs of AI/AN and NHPI populations9.

Efforts that center Indigenous leadership, cultural values, and traditional practices across research, education, service delivery, and technical assistance are critical to reducing health care access issues and promoting long-term health quality.

Consistent with the mission of the HHS OMH, to advance Indigenous health innovation, projects should leverage cross-sector partnerships among Tribal Nations, Native organizations, Indigenous leaders, community-based organizations, health systems, academic institutions, and other partners. These partnerships can help integrate culturally appropriate knowledge, practices, and evidence-informed strategies into prevention and chronic disease improvement activities.

Sustained collaboration can support scalable, community-informed models that improve health outcomes for AI/AN and NHPI populations.

1. Expectations for Recipients Recipients funded under the CIIH initiative will operate as part of a coordinated national effort led by OMH. Each award will focus on improving chronic disease outcomes, such as obesity, hypertension and diabetes among indigenous populations.

For this initiative, each recipient must focus exclusively on one population- either American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) groups.

Funded projects may not address both populations concurrently. OMH will facilitate the coordination and collaboration among cooperative agreement recipients to support consistent program implementation, shared learning, and dissemination of effective approaches.

a. Identify and implement an Evidence-Based Framework

Recipients should operationalize an evidence-based framework for research, education, service, partnership development, and technical assistance activities to support chronic disease prevention and improvement. This framework should be grounded in methods shown by evidence to improve participation and outcomes in medically underserved communities, including language access, health literacy support, and community-informed outreach and service delivery appropriate to the population and geography of focus. The clinical content of all interventions must meet current evidence-based standards for chronic disease prevention and management.

The framework should include the following components:

• Language access;

• Communication;

• Education;

• Training; and

• Technical assistance.

Recipients are expected to reach individuals within their selected focus population and improve targeted chronic disease outcomes. Within the first three months of the project, recipients should develop a language access plan that is consistent with the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health and Health Care.

In subsequent years, recipients should update and submit the plan as part of the non-competing continuation application.

Recipients are expected to continue increasing reach and two-way communication with community leaders, community members, and partner organizations within their selected focus population. Enhanced communication should support chronic disease prevention, program participation, and improved health outcomes. Within the first three months of the project, recipients should develop a communication plan to guide the promotion of project activities for the selected focus population and other audiences that may benefit from project findings. Thereafter, recipients should update and submit the plan each year as part of the non-competing continuation application.

Each recipient should develop and maintain communication tools, such as an interactive website, newsletter, community update, or other appropriate platform, to provide information to advisory board members, Indigenous leaders, community partners, partnering organizations, and other relevant audiences throughout the period of performance.

Recipients are expected to provide culturally grounded and linguistically appropriate education, training, and technical assistance to partners and stakeholders interested in preventing and improving chronic disease outcomes among the selected focus population.

Within the first six months of the project, recipients should develop a plan that supports capacity-building among partners and stakeholders to address identified gaps and needs related to chronic disease prevention and improvement.

b. Establish Structured Stakeholder Engagement Process

Recipients must establish and maintain a structured stakeholder engagement process to inform project implementation, priorities, and quality improvement throughout the period of performance. This is a lighter-touch, results-oriented requirement designed to ensure that project activities remain responsive to documented community health needs without creating unnecessary administrative overhead.

The stakeholder engagement process should:

• Include periodic structured consultation (at minimum semi-annually) with individuals who have relevant expertise in chronic disease prevention, health care access, community health, or public health in the geographic and population area of focus.

• Include input from community health workers, patient navigators, health educators, or other frontline practitioners with direct knowledge of the health needs and access barriers of the population of focus.

• Be documented through meeting records, consultation summaries, or other written records submitted as part of quarterly progress reports.

• Demonstrate how stakeholder input was used to inform or adjust project activities, outreach strategies, or service delivery.

Recipients must not restrict stakeholder participation on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, age, or any other protected characteristic (see Section I.5)

c. Strengthen Partnerships

Recipients should establish new partnerships and strengthen existing partnerships with academic institutions, Indigenous leaders, Tribal Nations, Native organizations, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander-serving organizations, health systems, community-based organizations, public health entities, and other relevant partners to support CIIH activities.

Recipients are encouraged to partner with organizations that have experience in:

• Indigenous health;

• Chronic disease prevention and management;

• Community-based programs;

• Data collection and analysis;

• Evaluation;

• Technical assistance; or

• Program sustainability

• Health literacy.

Partnerships should support the planning, implementation, evaluation, dissemination, and sustainability of project activities. Recipients should demonstrate existing partnerships or provide a clear plan to establish partnerships early in the project period.

Recipients should identify trusted messengers, such as community health workers, cultural leaders, health educators, patient navigators, advocates, or other community-recognized partners, as appropriate, to support outreach, education, engagement, and implementation.

d. Process and Outcomes Evaluation We expect recipients to implement a rigorous process and outcomes evaluation designed to show the extent to which the project results in improved chronic disease prevention, improved chronic disease management, increased use of effective strategies and tools, and improved health outcomes among the selected focus population.

The evaluation should assess implementation progress, participant reach, partner engagement, service delivery, training and technical assistance, communication activities, and changes in selected health outcomes or related risk factors. Evaluation activities should be appropriate to the project design, selected population, available data sources, and community context.

The evaluation plan should include SMART objectives, a logic model, baseline and follow-up data collection, data sources, data collection methods, analysis plans, and procedures for using evaluation findings to improve program implementation. Evaluation methods should be practical, culturally appropriate, and respectful of community context.

Recipients should establish processes and procedures to collect data by types of activities, population served, age, sex (male/female, consistent with applicable HHS data standards), race, ethnicity, language, geography, and other relevant program categories, where feasible, lawful, and appropriate.

Recipients should:

• Use SMART objectives;

• Collect baseline, interim, and post-intervention data;

• Assess implementation progress and participant reach;

• Measure changes in chronic disease prevention, management, and related health outcomes, where feasible; and

• Use evaluation findings to improve project activities.

e. Collect and Report Program Data

Recipients must collect, analyze, and report program data in accordance with OMH requirements. This includes disaggregated reporting and quarterly progress updates.

Recommended Performance measures:

• Timely progress report submissions quarterly

• Complete and accurate data reporting

• Number of individuals served, reached and trained

• Documentation of progress toward program objectives as well as milestones

• Use of data to implement program updates/improvements.

f. Document and Disseminate Project Findings

We anticipate recipients will develop new knowledge about culturally responsive and evidence-informed approaches that improve chronic disease outcomes among AI/AN or NHPI populations. Recipients should document project knowledge and findings, including implementation processes, lessons learned, successes, challenges, and promising approaches and evidence informed practices.

Recipients should communicate and disseminate project knowledge and findings to Indigenous communities, Tribal Nations, Native organizations, federal, state, territorial, local, and Tribal public health agencies, community members, health systems, academic partners, and others. Dissemination methods may include storytelling, community forums, newsletters, reports, toolkits, webinars, presentations, publications, websites, visual products, or other appropriate methods.

All appropriate findings and products may be posted on an HHS/OMH-sponsored website.

We expect that nationwide dissemination of products and knowledge will occur. When published, materials should be freely, immediately, and accessible to the public.

g. Health Outcomes and Population Needs Assessment Recipients are expected to develop a Health Outcomes and Population Needs Assessment during the period of performance using local, regional, Tribal, state, territorial, or national data, as available. The assessment must document chronic disease burden, service gaps, and community conditions using quantitative epidemiological data, and should identify the communities within the population of focus with the greatest documented health need.

The assessment should inform project planning, intervention selection, partnership development, evaluation design, dissemination, and sustainability planning. Recipients should use the assessment to ensure that project activities are responsive to documented needs and focused on measurable improvements in chronic disease prevention and management.

h. Sustainability Plan Recipients will be expected to develop a plan during the second year for sustaining evidence-based and evidence-informed practices established through their projects beyond this funding opportunity.

The sustainability plan should identify strategies for maintaining effective interventions, partnerships, tools, training products, service models, data practices, and communication approaches after the period of federal funding. The plan should also identify future funding or resource opportunities, partner commitments, integration into existing systems or services, and opportunities for continued improvement.

2. Federal Involvement in the Project If you receive an award, we will encourage you to seek the advice and opinion of federal staff when problems arise. However, you would be responsible for making sound programmatic and administrative judgments. The responsibility for operating decisions will be yours and does not shift to HHS, OASH, or OMH.

Under a cooperative agreement, OMH involvement may include routine monitoring and technical assistance, monthly conference calls, occasional site visits, ongoing review of plans and progress, participation in relevant meetings, review of major project plans and products, and provision of training and technical assistance.

Awards will be in the form of cooperative agreements with the recipient. Cooperative agreements are a form of assistance that allows for substantial involvement between federal program office and the recipient during the project period. Substantial programmatic involvement from OMH may include:

• Serving as an ex officio member on the advisory board.

• Establishing the organizational structure and operational framework for the CIIH.

Coordinating the implementation of the CIIH.

• Providing the grants management officer recommendations for prior approval for change of time that Key Personnel are dedicated to the project and for replacement of Key Personnel. Key Personnel may include the Project Director/Principal Investigator.

• Assisting the recipients to establish, review, and update priorities for activities conducted under the support of this cooperative agreement.

• Approving the final priorities for activities conducted under the support of this cooperative agreement.

• Assisting in establishing the governance structure of the advisory board.

• Consulting relative to the advisory board membership activities.

• Identification of other organizations with whom the recipients may be asked to develop cooperative and collaborative relationships and partnerships.

• Collaborating on the development of measures, methods, and materials to be tested or used.

• Collaborating to disseminate project findings and lessons learned during the period of performance.

3. Eligibility criteria for project participants You must not restrict participation in the project on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, age, or another protected characteristic (See Section I.5).

D. AWARD INFORMATION

Budget period We expect to fund awards in 12-month budget periods for a total period of performance up to 24 months (2 years). However, we may approve shorter periods of performance. Budget periods may vary from the estimated 12 months because of the 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 year. 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. Recipients must demonstrate measurable progress toward approved chronic disease outcome objectives to be considered for continuation funding. Funding for all approved budget periods after the first is generally the same as the initial award amount and may be subject to any offset with funds unused in a previous budget period.

E. APPLICATION CONTENTS AND FORMAT

1. Format of the Application You must prepare your application using the forms and information described in this NOFO.

The official online application package on Grants.gov contains all necessary forms and guidance for preparing an application. This package includes but is not limited to:

• Full Text of the NOFO

• Standard forms (required) and their instructions o SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance o SF-424A Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs o SF-LLL Disclosure of Lobbying Activities o Project Abstract Summary

• Sample templates, if available.

In addition to the four standard forms in the application package, your application will consist of three sections of materials you prepare:

• Project Narrative

• Appendices to the Project Narrative

• Budget Package.

We strongly encourage you to read all instructions for the application format and content to avoid disqualification of your application. An application checklist is available in Section K.1.

a. Project Narrative – Formatting Following the formatting instructions below will help ensure that your application is readable for review process. Acceptable electronic file formats are in Section F.3.a.

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 in award processing may result 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. (Section A.1.b) Avoid using a placeholder or honorary PD/PI. 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.

We typically expect the PD/PI to be named on the SF-424 in box 8.f. Avoid naming grant writers in box 8.f unless they have the expertise to respond to technical questions about the proposed project in a timely manner.

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. We may disallow any costs incurred as a result of that change prior to our approval.

See Section I.1.c.

Page Formatting If you submit documents that do not conform to the following instructions, GAM will disqualify your application during the review process (Section G.1.b).

Use an easily readable typeface, such as Times New Roman or Arial.

Use a 12-point font.

Use an 8.5” X 11” page size. Any other size page (e.g., A4, legal) will disqualify your application.

You must double-space the Project Narrative pages, or we will disqualify your application.

You may single-space tables or use alternate fonts, but you must ensure the tables are easy to read.

Do not number pages or include a table of contents. Our grants management system will generate page numbers once your application is complete.

You must submit your application in the English language and in terms of U.S. dollars (2 C.F.R. § 200.111).

Page Limits Your project narrative and appendices must adhere to these page limits.

The page limits do not include the budget package.

The page limits do not include the required forms (SF-424, SF-424A, SF-LLL, and the Project Abstract Summary).

If your application exceeds the specified page limits when printed on 8.5” X 11” page, we will not review your application 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. Do not reduce pages to fit multiple pages on a single sheet to avoid exceeding the page limitation.

Do not hyperlink to documents or sites outside of your application to augment your application. Reviewers will not be permitted to follow links to external content during their assessment of your application. The one exception to this is a link to your internal controls as part of your budget package.

Page Limit

Project Narrative 40 pages

Project Narrative plus Appendices 65 pages

Labeling Proprietary Information https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/section-200.111

Proprietary information includes patentable ideas, trade secrets, privileged or confidential commercial or financial information, the disclosure of which may harm the applicant. You should include proprietary information in your application only to the extent that it is essential to the reviewers’ understanding of the project. Proprietary information should not appear in your Project Abstract Summary.

If your application contains proprietary information, you should clearly label the top of the first page of the project narrative. For example:

“Contains proprietary or confidential information that [Your Organization Name] requests are not released to persons outside the government, except for purposes of review and evaluation.”

Awarded applications are subject to release under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) with redactions as the FOIA statute permits.

b. Appendices to the Project Narrative – Formatting Your appendices should include any specific items outlined in Section E.2.b. 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. For example, resumes, MOAs and LOCs may be single-spaced.

You must upload all of your appendices as a single, consolidated file in the Attachments section of your Grants.gov application. You must use an acceptable file format (Section F.3.a). We strongly encourage you to convert your file(s) to PDF format before uploading and review them to ensure accurate conversion.

Your Project Narrative plus the Appendices may not exceed the total number of pages for the application (Section E.1.a).

c. Budget Package - Formatting 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 an 8.5” x 11” page. You must use an acceptable file format (Section F.3.a). We do not accept Excel or other similar spreadsheet formats.

The application page limit does not include the SF-424A or the budget narrative (including budget tables).

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

2. Content

a. Project Narrative - Content

The Project Narrative is the most important part of your application. 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 with the requested information. Labeling the sections accordingly will help the reviewers find information quickly.

• Significance of the Project;

• Goals, Objectives, and Outcomes;

• Project Plan;

• Organizational Capability;

• Evaluation Plan; and

• Dissemination Plan.

Further details:

Significance of the Project Describe how the project will benefit the field, the selected Indigenous population of focus, and society. Using quantitative data, describe the significance of the project in addressing chronic disease burden and related non-medical drivers of health among AI/AN or NHPI populations in the intended geographic area(s) of focus. Refer to the population of focus data provided in your appendices, as appropriate.

Describe the specific needs, gaps, and opportunities the project will address, including gaps in Indigenous research, education, service, technical assistance, data capacity, language access, health literacy, food security, access to health-promoting resources, and culturally relevant prevention or chronic disease improvement strategies.

Describe how the project will potentially affect the population served, specific subgroups within that population, Indigenous leaders and community partners, and other interested groups.

Goals, Objectives, and Outcomes Describe the overall project goals, annual short-term and long-term objectives, and outcomes. We will not fund any project that does not include measurable outcomes. A measurable outcome is an observable end result that describes how a project benefits participants, communities, organizations, systems, or the field.

Your objectives should be SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound) and should include baseline data and quantifiable timeframes for achievement.

Objectives should focus on overall goals of the project rather than project activities. This section should clearly identify the measurable chronic disease, community capacity, organizational, system, or outcomes expected from the project, and provide specific, quantified estimates of expected outcomes.

Project Plan In reference to your work plan in the appendices, provide a detailed summary of activities to be undertaken and how those activities will help achieve the project goals and objectives.

Explain the rationale for the evidence-based intervention approach selected, with reference to the documented chronic disease burden and access gaps in the population and geographic area of focus. All proposed clinical or health intervention activities must be grounded in current evidence-based standards for chronic disease prevention and management. Present a clear connection between identified needs, evidence gaps, community priorities, and proposed project activities.

Describe how the project will use culturally responsive, evidence-based principles and methods to support research, education, service, partnership development, technical assistance, and dissemination activities. Describe how the project will apply the National CLAS Standards, including language access, culturally and linguistically appropriate communication, and community engagement.

Describe your approach to establishing and engaging an advisory structure, strengthening partnerships, building capacity among partners and community members, and implementing activities that improve chronic disease outcomes among the selected AI/AN or NHPI population. Identify major barriers anticipated and how the project will overcome those barriers.

Describe the approach you will use to monitor progress on tasks and objectives. Describe how you will use data collected during the project to support continuous quality improvement and ensure activities remain culturally appropriate and responsive to community needs over the period of performance.

Organizational Capacity Describe your organizational readiness to implement the proposed project. Describe how your organization, or the division of a larger agency responsible for this project, is organized, the nature and scope of its work, and the capabilities it possesses.

Describe current or previous relevant experience working with Indigenous leaders, AI/AN or NHPI communities, community-based organizations, health systems, academic institutions, Minority Serving Institutions, or other partners relevant to Indigenous health, chronic disease prevention, health promotion, language access, culturally grounded education, service delivery, dissemination, data collection, and evaluation. Describe the organization’s history of forming, managing, and sustaining community partnerships and its experience building trust with the selected population of focus. Identify partner roles and responsibilities in reference to submitted memoranda of agreement or letters of commitment.

Describe areas of expertise for key personnel in reference to the curricula vitae, resumes, or biographical sketches you submit. At a minimum, key personnel include the PD/PI who will have day-to-day oversight of the project and the evaluator. Describe the qualifications, competing time commitments, and related ongoing projects of all key personnel. Identify the individuals or organizations responsible for evaluation activities and their qualifications, including the evaluator’s independence.

Reference the organizational chart in your appendices. This chart should include any contractual, subrecipient, consultant, or supportive organizations that will have a role in implementing the project and achieving project goals.

Evaluation Plan Provide a process and outcomes evaluation plan that describes how you will determine whether the project reaches its selected population of focus and achieves intended outcomes.

The evaluation must assess the impact of project activities on chronic disease outcomes — including obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and related conditions — and on community capacity, use of evidence-based strategies, and health service access.

Identify the data you will collect and use to monitor and document key project outcomes, including the validity and reliability of proposed measures or indicators. Describe methods for collecting baseline, interim, and post-intervention processes and outcome measures, and describe how you will overcome potential obstacles to data collection.

Specifically describe how you will evaluate all components of the logic model, track implementation fidelity and adaptation, collect disaggregated data when possible by activity type, race, sex, age, ethnicity, language, geography, and other relevant factors, document barriers and facilitators, and use quantitative and qualitative methods to assess outcomes and inform continuous quality improvement.

Applicants must define measurable outcomes, demonstrate the ability to detect meaningful impact, and describe how evaluation findings will contribute to the evidence base for culturally appropriate approaches to improve health outcomes among AI/AN or NHPI populations.

Dissemination Plan

Describe the methods you will use to disseminate project results and findings on time and in easily understandable formats to the population served, Indigenous leaders, community partners, public health agencies, the general public, and other interested parties. In addition to traditional dissemination methods, such as reports, toolkits, presentations, websites, newsletters, and scholarly products, OMH encourages innovative and culturally appropriate approaches, including storytelling and community-centered dissemination methods.

Dissemination efforts should help interested parties understand and, where appropriate, replicate or adapt project approaches. All relevant findings and products may be posted on an HHS/OMH-sponsored website as determined by HHS/OMH. Published materials should be freely and immediately accessible to the public.

b. Appendices to the Project Narrative – Content

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.

Your application should include the following appendices:

Work Plan Your Work Plan should reflect, and be consistent with, the Project Narrative and Budget Narrative, and must cover all years of the period of performance. However, each year’s activities should be fully attainable in one budget year. You may propose multi-year activities, as well as activities that build upon each other, but each phase of the project must be discrete and attainable within a single budget year. Your 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, your work plan should identify the timeframes involved (including start- and end-dates), and the lead person responsible for completing the task.

An optional Objective Work Plan (OWP) template is provided in the application materials on grants.gov (the 3 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 the content requested.

Logic Model You should submit a detailed logic model that describes the inputs, objectives, activities, outputs, and short- and long-term outcomes of the intervention being tested through the proposed project. All program objectives, activities, and anticipated outcomes shall be reflected in the logic model and demonstrate that the proposed project reflects a coherent approach.

Project Population(s) of Focus Submit a table outlining the population of focus within the identified geographic area of focus using quantitative data.

Memoranda of Agreement (MOAs) and/or Letters of Commitment (LOCs) If available at the time of submission, signed MOAs or signed LOCs may be submitted for each partner (or one signed MOA with all partners). MOAs and LOCs should include a description of the specific roles, responsibilities, resources, and contributions of partner(s) to the project.

Signed LOCs 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 LOC. Fully-executed MOAs may be required within the first 30 days following the start of the project period of any award made under this announcement.

MOAs and LOCs 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. You should NOT provide letters of support.

Letters of support will not be considered during the review.

Organizational Chart Include an organizational chart that reflects the management structure for the project and demonstrates where the project resides within the greater organization.

Curriculum Vitae/Résumés/Biosketches for Key Project Personnel Submit with your application curriculum vitae, résumés, or biosketches of the Project Director/Principal Investigator, Evaluator, and others…