FY22 PTIG RFA FINAL.pdf

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

Process and Technology Improvement Grants

Fiscal Year 2022 Request for Applications (RFA)

Catalog for Federal Domestic Assistance Number (CFDA): 10.580

Release Date: April 26, 2022 Application Due Date: 11:59 PM, Eastern Standard Time (EST), June 27, 2022 Award Date: September 15, 2022

OMB BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 0584-0512. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 50 hours per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information.

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USDA’s Non-Discrimination Statement

In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs).

Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident.

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible Agency or USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.

To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at How to File a Program Discrimination Complaint and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: (1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; (2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or (3) email: program.intake@usda.gov.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

https://www.usda.gov/oascr/how-to-file-a-program-discrimination-complaint https://www.usda.gov/oascr/how-to-file-a-program-discrimination-complaint mailto:program.intake@usda.gov

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APPLICATION CHECKLIST

This application checklist provides a list of the required documents. However, the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) expects that applicants will read the entire Request for Application (RFA) prior to the submission of their application and comply with all requirements outlined in the solicitation. The Application Checklist is for applicant use only and should not be submitted as part of the Application Package.

Complete the following at least four weeks prior to submission:

Obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number;

Register the UEI number in the System for Award Management (SAM); and, Register in Grants.gov.

The RFA discusses these requirements in Section II “Federal Award Information.”

When preparing your application, ensure:

Application format and narrative meet the requirements included in Section IV “Application and Submission Information."

o The application should be 25 pages or less, excluding the cover sheet, table of contents, resumes, letter(s) of commitment, letter(s) of endorsement, appendices, and required forms.

o The application must include a letter of commitment or letter of endorsement to be considered for funding unless the applicant is a State agency submitting an application on its own.

o The application includes a line-item budget narrative, formatted in a table.

o The line-item budget and other budget references in the application must be consistent with the SF-424A form.

Your application should meet priority requirements outlined in Section I “Program

Description.”

When preparing your budget, ensure the following information is included:

Cost Allocation o If other programs will benefit from this project, the costs supported by the grant will only fund the SNAP aspects of the project.

Personnel o Proposal includes all key employees paid for by the grant.

o Proposal identifies employees by name, position, and title.

o The percentage of time the Project Director will devote to the project in full-time equivalents (FTEs).

o Your organization’s fringe benefit rate and amount, as well as the basis for the computation.

o The type of fringe benefits to be covered with Federal funds.

Travel o Expenses are itemized and explained in the budget narrative. For example:

origination/destination points, number and purpose of trips, number of staff traveling, mode of transportation, and cost of each trip.

o Attendee objectives and travel justifications are included in the budget narrative.

IV

o Basis for lodging estimates are identified in the budget narrative.

Equipment o Equipment costs are justified in the budget narrative.

o Types of equipment, unit costs, and number of items are listed in the budget narrative, along with basis for cost per item.

Supplies o Types of supplies, unit costs, and number of items are listed in the budget narrative, along with basis for cost per item.

Contractual and Consultant Costs o The need for a contractor has been identified in the proposal, and the cost is justified in the budget narrative.

o Applicants that are required to issue a bid have provided a narrative explaining the requirement and provided a reasonable estimate for contractual and consultant costs.

Indirect Cost Information o Indirect cost information (either a copy of a Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA) or if no agreement exists and the applicant has never been approved for a NICRA, they may charge up to 10% de minimis). If applicant is requesting the de minimis rate or indirect costs are not requested, please indicate this in the budget narrative.

Other o Any other costs associated with this project are itemized, explained, and reasonable.

As part of the application, applicants must certify:

Grant funds will be used for a new project and will not be used for ongoing costs to carry out an existing project.

No more than 25% of the required grant funds support outreach activities.

The RFA discusses these requirements in Section II “Federal Award Information.”

When submitting your application, ensure you have submitted the following:

SF-424 – Application for Federal Assistance (fillable PDF in Grants.gov) SF-424A – Budget Information and Instruction Form (fillable PDF in Grants.gov) SF-424B – Assurances for Non-Construction Programs (fillable PDF in Grants.gov) SF-LLL – Disclosure of Lobbying Activities FNS-906 – Grant Program Accounting System & Financial Capability Questionnaire

(Appendix B) Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (PDF - Upload using the “Add Attachments” button under SF-424 item #15)

When applicable, application packages are required to include the following documents:

All non-profit organizations must include their 501(c)(3) determination letter issued by the

Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Letter(s) of Commitment Letter(s) of Endorsement The IRS determination letter, the letter of commitment, and the letter of endorsement are all discussed in Section IV “Application and Submission Information.”

http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/r-r-family.html

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

APPLICATION CHECKLIST ................................................................................................................... III

I. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

AUTHORIZING LEGISLATION

PURPOSE

Fiscal Year 2022 Priorities

Fiscal Year 2022 Focus Area

II. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

FUNDING AND DURATION

Type of Award

Procurement Contracts

Allowable Uses of Funds

Restrictions on Funding Use

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

ELIGIBLE ENTITIES

Eligible Applicants

Cost Sharing or Matching Considerations

Pre-Award Costs

Number of Applications and Partnership Criteria

PRE-AWARD SCREENING REQUIREMENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF USDA SUPPORT

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

CONTENT AND FORM OF APPLICATION SUBMISSIONS

Cover Sheet

Table of Contents

Executive Summary

Project Narrative

Bonus Points (up to 6 points total)

Activities/Indicators Tracker

Letters of Commitment or Endorsement

Presentation

SUBMISSION INFORMATION

VI

Submission Date

Preparing for Electronic Submission Through Grants.gov

How to Submit an Application via Grants.gov

Grants.gov Receipt Requirements and Proof of Timely Submission

V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

EVALUATION OF GRANT APPLICATION CRITERIA

Review Criteria

Evaluation Factors and Criteria

Review and Selection Process

VI. FEDERAL AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

FEDERAL AWARD NOTICE

ADMINISTRATIVE AND NATIONAL POLICY REQUIREMENTS

Confidentiality of an Application

Safeguarding Personally Identifiable Information

Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality of the Review Process

Administrative Regulations

CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS AND OTHER GOVERNMENT REQUIREMENTS

REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

Financial Reports

Progress Reports

VII. FEDERAL AWARDING AGENCY CONTACT

VIII. OTHER INFORMATION

DEBRIEFING REQUESTS

APPENDIX A: RFA BUDGET NARRATIVE CHECKLIST

APPENDIX B: GRANT PROGRAM ACCOUNTING SYSTEM & FINANCIAL CAPABILITY

QUESTIONNAIRE

APPENDIX C: DRAFT REPORTING FORM

APPENDIX D: TIPS FOR PROPOSAL WRITERS

I. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

AUTHORIZING LEGISLATION

Section 11(t) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (Public Law 116-94), as amended, Grants for Simplified Application and Eligibility Determination Systems and Improved Access to Benefits, authorizes the Food and Nutrition Service Agency (FNS) to annually award up to $5 million1 in grants to State agencies administering the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; State or local governments; agencies providing health or welfare services; public health or educational entities; or private nonprofit entities, such as community-based or faith-based organizations, food banks, or other emergency feeding organizations. These grants, known as Process and Technology Improvement Grants, allow applicants to “develop and implement supplemental nutrition assistance program simplified application and eligibility determination systems.”

Throughout this Request for Applications (RFA), the term “State agencies” refers to the agencies of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands, and Guam that administer SNAP.

PURPOSE

Process and Technology Improvement Grants support efforts by State agencies and their community-based and faith-based partners to develop and implement projects that focus on improving the quality and efficiency of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) operations and processes.

Fiscal Year 2022 Priorities

This grant competition requires applicants to respond to at least one of the following three priority areas and to report qualitative and quantitative data in order to measure meeting the objective(s) associated with those priority area(s).

Proposed project activities should be clearly aligned to at least one of these objective(s) in the Activities/Indicators Tracker.

1. Utilize technology-based tools to expand enrollment of underserved populations.2 Proposals will invest in technology to reach underserved communities while recognizing the intersectionality of food insecurity and inequality. Proposals may include activities such as:

1 These awards are contingent upon the availability of funds.

2 Underserved populations may include: persons of color; persons with Limited English Proficiency (LEP); immigrant communities and mixed status families; veterans; college students; and all other populations listed as underserved communities in E.O. 13985 “Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government.”

https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2021-01-25/pdf/2021-01753.pdf

• Creating tools to enhance application assistance for SNAP partners that work with underserved communities.3

• Reducing technological or process-based barriers to entry for persons with a disability or Limited English Proficiency through improving the accessibility of online or telephonic services.

• State agency efforts to analyze sociodemographic and SNAP data to identify and address disparities in SNAP access.3

2. Aid in the transition from pandemic operations and improve disaster response operations. Proposals will employ technology to maintain or improve service levels as States transition off pandemic related flexibilities and incorporate lessons learned about effective use of technology and new ways of working from the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters. Proposals may include activities such as:

• Establishing or enhancing telephonic interview and signature capabilities.

• Developing and/or enhancing mobile responsive websites, mobile applications, online applications, and online portals to upload verification documents.

• Investing in or modernizing tools for Disaster SNAP (D-SNAP) operations, such as online pre-registration capabilities, online ID verification via data matching and/or other State agencies and other available sources, and expedited EBT card issuance.

3. Modernize SNAP customer service, client communication, and administrative processes to improve accessibility, transparency, and responsiveness. Proposals will improve day-to-day SNAP operations and help improve the customer experience.

Proposals may include activities such as:

• Engaging in business process improvement efforts that enhance the client experience.

• Developing combined applications and partnerships across State operated assistance programs to increase client access and alignment between programs.

• Notice improvement to increase client understanding and improve messaging, including via text message reminders, within regulatory requirements.

The examples above are suggestions. FNS welcomes other projects that support these priorities.

FNS also highly encourages applicants to propose innovative ideas to solve both common and unique problems associated with application and eligibility processes. Proposed activities should clearly align to these priorities/objectives in the Activities/Indicators Tracker.

Proposals should clearly demonstrate how they will support any of the priority areas listed above, including how they may affect one or more aspects of the SNAP certification process.

3 Disclosure or sharing of SNAP household data must meet regulatory requirements at 7CFR 272.1(c). Please see Restrictions on Funding Use for more information.

Proposals must identify how one or more of the following SNAP processes will be improved as a result of the proposed project:

• SNAP Application Intake

• SNAP Application Screening, especially for underserved populations

• Interview

• Verification

• Notices

• Client Reporting

• Recertification

• Program access, especially for underserved populations

• Program integrity

Fiscal Year 2022 Focus Area

Based on Agency priorities, FNS may include a focus area(s) for this grant competition. The focus area for this RFA is outlined below. Proposals are not required to address a focus area.

Points will not be awarded for addressing a focus area. FNS may award grants out of order if the project is determined to advance Agency priorities in the following focus area:

Human-Centered Design (HCD): Proposals that approach design solutions from a human perspective to modernize program delivery and improve the customer experience, as described in the FY 2022 Agency priorities. Projects that incorporate HCD focus on usability through collaboration with program participants in usability testing, focus groups, user research, or other methods to improve SNAP processes for the end-users.

II. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

FUNDING AND DURATION

The following is intended to provide information to help applicants make informed decisions about proposal submissions.

• Total amount of funding expected to award: $5,000,000

• Anticipated number of awards: Not to exceed 12 awards

• Anticipated award announcement date: September 15, 2022

• Expected amounts of individual Federal awards: $20,000 to $2,000,000 o All approved project costs will be funded at 100%

• Anticipated period of performance: September 30, 2022 through September 30, 2025

• Application due date: June 27, 2022; 11:59 pm EST

Please note:

• Grant awards are subject to the availability of funding and/or appropriations of funds.

• FNS reserves the right to use this RFA and competition to award additional grants this year or the subsequent fiscal year, should additional funds become available.

Type of Award

FNS will award Process and Technology Improvement Grants in the form of a Federal grant.

FNS will provide funding for approved grants through the Grant Award/Letter of Credit process, upon receipt of a properly executed FNS-529, Grant Award Agreement.

Procurement Contracts

Grantees may use grant funds to procure contracts for good or services.

Allowable Uses of Funds

• Funds from this RFA are for new projects.

• Equipment and Supplies: Expenditures for both equipment (i.e., items of personal property having a useful life of more than one year and a cost of $5,000 or more) and supplies are allowable expenses.

• If the activities funded under this grant are part of a larger eligibility system project with total projected costs exceeding $6 million, an Advance Planning Document (APD) must be submitted and approved prior to the expenditure of these grant funds. Guidance on the APD process is available at www.fns.usda.gov/apd/.

• Process and Technology Improvement Grant funded projects may benefit other governmental programs; however, grant funds must only support SNAP’s share of the project costs and therefore be properly allocated.

Restrictions on Funding Use

• Process and Technology Improvement Grant funds cannot be used for the ongoing cost of carrying out an existing project.

• FNS will pre-screen all applications to ensure the applicants are eligible entities and comply with all Program regulations.

• Process and Technology Improvement Grant projects cannot be predicated on waivers of SNAP regulations. Applicants must ensure their projects are allowable under current SNAP regulations.

• Process and Technology Improvement Grant project proposals must delineate how all data and client personally identifiable information (PII) would be protected in accordance with 7 CFR 272.1(c) and the Privacy Act of 1974. Use and disclosure of information obtained from SNAP applications or recipient households is restricted to persons directly connected with the administration or enforcement of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 or its regulations as specified in 7 CFR 272.1(c). More information on safeguarding PII is provided in Section VI. If a proposal involves the sharing of SNAP household data from a SNAP State agency to an external partner, the applicant must include the following information as a part of the grant proposal and, if awarded, the parties must sign an MOU outlining the following processes:

o All data and PII protection protocols the entity will take;

o How the data and findings will be used to further administration of SNAP;

o Data that will be exchanged using encrypted servers;

http://www.fns.usda.gov/apd/ o How data will be stored and who will have access;

o Training procedures for individuals who will be handling PII;

o Procedures used to exchange the data between the two entities (may include a release of information signed by the client);

o Steps to be taken in case of a data breach; and o Steps to securely destroy data 90 days after it is no longer in use.

• Projects may not be devoted toward outreach activities. The drafting or printing of informational materials, pure application assistance, screening/pre-qualifying applicants, or other similar activities cannot be funded by Process and Technology Improvement Grants. No more than 25% of grant funds may be budgeted towards outreach activities.

• Pre-award costs will not be awarded for these grant projects.

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

ELIGIBLE ENTITIES

Eligible Applicants

The entities eligible to receive grants under this competition are:

• The 53 State agencies that administer SNAP4;

• State or local governments5;

• Agencies providing health or welfare services;

• Public health or educational entities; and

• Private non-profit entities6 such as community-based or faith-based organizations, food banks, or other emergency feeding organizations.

Note: Any eligible entity that received a Process and Technology Improvement Grant award last fiscal year (FY 2021) is ineligible to apply and receive a PTI grant this fiscal year (FY 2022).

This restriction only applies to the lead entity on the award (i.e. the recipient whose name appears in block 9 of the awarded project’s FNS-529) and not to partner organizations or government agencies on a particular project.

4 State agencies should have the necessary approvals of State officials (such as councils or legislatures) of funding prior to submitting the application. Applicants should also acknowledge in their application that all necessary approvals for funding have been obtained.

5 State and local governments should have the necessary approvals of State officials (such as councils or legislatures) of funding prior to submitting the application. Applicants should also acknowledge in their application that all necessary approvals for funding have been obtained.

6 Non-profit organizations are required to submit a copy of the IRS Determination Letter, form 501(c)(3) or proof of application for exempt status under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and a list of their Board of Directors, if applicable. All corporations, including nonprofit corporations are required to complete the attached representation regarding felony convictions and tax delinquency.

Cost Sharing or Matching Considerations

There is no cost sharing or matching required for this grant.

Pre-Award Costs

Pre-award costs will not be awarded for these grant projects.

Number of Applications and Partnership Criteria

As noted above, nongovernmental entities may apply for this grant, either individually with consent from the State agency or in partnership with the State agency.

For the purposes of this grant competition, State agencies may submit more than one application each, or enter into more than one partnership. However, if the State submits more than one application, the State must make explicit in each application its relationship to any others. State agencies that submit more than one application should carefully consider the allocation of time stated in each application. State agencies with more than one partner organization may also consider submitting a single application designed to make sub-grants to the partner organizations. Proposals forwarded by any given State agency should request funding for distinct, non-overlapping activities.

FNS has designed this grant competition to allow State agencies to work in concert with nongovernmental entities that wish to apply for this grant through Letters of Commitment or Endorsement.

PRE-AWARD SCREENING REQUIREMENTS

In reviewing applications in any discretionary grant competition, prior to making a Federal award, Federal awarding agencies, in accordance with 2 CFR 200.205, are required to review information available through any OMB-designated repositories of government-wide eligibility qualifications or financial integrity information. Additionally, Federal awarding agencies are required to have a framework in place for evaluating the risks posed by applicants before they receive Federal awards. The FNS review of risk posed by applicants will be based on the following:

• SAM.gov, the System for Award Management, the Official U.S. Government system that consolidated the capabilities of CCR/FedReg, ORCA, and EPLS

• FAPIIS, the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System that has been established to track contractor misconduct and performance

• FNS Risk Assessment Questionnaire o Applicants must complete the Grant Program Accounting System & Financial

Capability Questionnaire that allows FNS to evaluate aspects of the applicant’s financial stability, quality of management systems, and history of performance, reports and findings from audits. The questionnaire contains a number of questions that may be an indicator of potential risk.

The evaluation of the information obtained from the designated systems and the risk assessment questionnaire may result in FNS imposing special conditions or additional oversight requirements that correspond to the degree of risk assessed.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF USDA SUPPORT

As outlined in 2 CFR 415.2, grant recipients shall include acknowledgement of USDA Food and Nutrition Service support on any publications written or published with grant support and, if feasible, on any publication reporting the results of, or describing, a grant-supported activity.

Recipients shall include acknowledgement of USDA Food and Nutrition Service support on any audiovisual which is produced with grant support and which has a direct production cost of over $5,000.

• When acknowledging USDA support, use the following language: "This material is based upon work that is supported by the Food and Nutrition Service, U.S.

Department of Agriculture.” Grantees should follow the USDA Visual Standards Guide when using the USDA logo.

• Grant recipients may be asked to host USDA officials for a site visit during the course of their grant award. All reasonable costs associated with the site visit will be paid for by USDA and are not expected to be included in grant budgets.

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

Applicants may request a paper copy of this solicitation and required forms by contacting the FNS Grants Officer. Contact information can be found in Section VII of this RFA.

CONTENT AND FORM OF APPLICATION SUBMISSIONS

FNS strongly encourages eligible applicants interested in applying to this program to adhere to the following applicant format. The proposed project plan should be presented on 8 ½” x 11” white paper with at least 1-inch margins on the top and bottom. All pages should be single-spaced, in 12-point font. The project description with relevant information should be captured on no more than 25 pages, not including the cover sheet, table of contents, resumes, letter of commitment(s), endorsement letter(s), budget narrative(s), appendices, and required forms. All pages, excluding the form pages, must be numbered.

Special Instructions:

• Late application submissions will not be considered in this competition. FNS will not consider additions or revisions to applications unless they are submitted via Grants.gov by the deadline. No additions or revisions will be accepted after the deadline.

• Applications submitted without the required supporting documents, forms, certification will not be considered.

• Applications missing a written proposal or budget narrative will not be considered.

• FNS reserves the right to request clarification on any application submitted in response to this solicitation.

https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/visual-standards-guide-january-2013.pdf https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/visual-standards-guide-january-2013.pdf

• Applications not submitted via Grants.gov will not be considered.

Additionally, the review committee will evaluate proposals against the criteria below. The project narrative sections include a point value to indicate the importance of each section;

however, reviewers will be evaluating proposals based on all sections regardless of whether point values are provided. FNS has provided a checklist at the beginning of this document to assist applicants in meeting the necessary requirements. Proposals will be scored on the basis of points and can receive up to 106 points. Every proposal must include the following sections: Cover Sheet, Table of Contents, Executive Summary, Project Narrative (including Project Design;

Organizational Experience, Staff Capability, and Management; Evaluation; and Budget Appropriateness and Economic Efficiency), and the Activities/Indicator Tracker. Details on requirements for each section are described below.

Cover Sheet

The cover page should include the following:

1. Grant program title;

2. Applicant’s name and mailing address;

3. Project title;

4. Project summary (a one to two sentence description of project); and

5. Primary contact’s name, job title, phone number, and e-mail address.

Table of Contents

Proposals must include a table of contents that mirrors the outline included in this section of the RFA and include relevant topic page numbers.

Executive Summary

The executive summary must include the following:

1. The specific problem that prompted the applicant to submit a Process and Technology Improvement Grant application;

2. How exactly the project proposed in this grant application solves the problem identified;

3. Identify the State agency and/or eligible entities involved in the project;

4. Amount of funding requested;

5. Which priority area(s)/objective(s) the proposal addresses and whether the submission includes the focus area;

6. The proposed activities and anticipated outcomes that would result from the project; and

7. Which SNAP processes will be improved by the project.

Note: The executive summary should not exceed one page.

Project Narrative

The project narrative should clearly identify what the applicant is proposing and how it will address a solution, the expected results and/or benefits once the solution is achieved, and how it will meet the RFA purpose and objectives. The proposed project methodology should describe the project design, address program specific methodology needs, procedures, timetables, monitoring/oversight, and the organization’s project staffing.

The project’s narrative should include the following four sections, in the order presented below:

1. Project Design

2. Organizational Experience, Staff Capability, and Management

3. Evaluation

4. Budget Appropriateness and Economic Efficiency

1. Project Design (35 points) Problem Analysis (5)

• The proposal clearly defines the problem.

• The proposal clearly defines the solution and provides evidence or compelling justification that the proposed project will solve or ameliorate the identified problem.

o The proposal includes a proposed solution that is either innovative, building on strengths of the current SNAP processes, or helps to address ongoing issues that the applicant is encountering in their SNAP activities.

Impact (10)

• The proposal clearly quantifies the proposed project’s direct effect on the SNAP certification process and provides measurable evidence that the proposed changes will benefit the applicant, recipient, or caseworkers. For example, proposals may demonstrate impact by measuring time savings or cost savings, listing out the benefit(s) that applicants or participants may experience while going through the application or certification process, the percentage of the caseload that is expected to benefit, or the size of positive impact on a specific population, such as elderly applicants. It is recommended to include these measurable indicators as part of the Activities/Indicators Tracker. The proposal should also include a description of how the project integrates with and supports the State’s current or planned process improvement and/or technology initiatives.

Implementation (10)

• The proposal clearly articulates how the applicant will implement this project.

• The proposal includes a project timeline that outlines proposed tasks and demonstrates that sufficient time is allotted for each activity.

Racial Equity and Inclusion (5)

• The proposal analyzes the project’s impacts to specific underserved communities.7

• When completing this section, applicants should consider the following guiding questions. Applicants are not required to submit explicit answers to these questions or incorporate these activities into their proposals, they are only meant to assist in crafting

7 Underserved populations may include: persons of color; persons with Limited English Proficiency (LEP); immigrant communities and mixed status families; veterans; college students; and all other populations listed as underserved communities in E.O. 13985 “Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government.”

meaningful applications. All proposals must outline and analyze how their project will impact racial equity and inclusion.

1. How will the project reduce racial/ethnic disparities in access to SNAP? How will the project promote equity as defined in Executive Order 13985?

2. Does your project design include consultation with the SNAP participants that your project intends to serve? What type of consultation?

3. How does your State agency or organization ensure that project outputs are accessible to all SNAP participants, especially underserved populations? How will your State agency or organization measure the project outputs?

Sustainability (5)

• The proposal shows that the State has a plan for sustaining the project after the grant period of performance ends.

2. Organizational Experience, Staff Capability, and Management (15 points) Oversight

• The proposal describes a plan for effective and consistent oversight by qualified project managers that will be implemented throughout the project.

• The proposal includes an organizational chart for the project, including names of key personnel where applicable.

Communication

• The proposal includes an internal communication plan.

• If applicable, the proposal provides a communication plan for communicating externally with partner organizations.

Staff

• The proposal identifies the project director or manager and other key staff.

• The proposal includes resumes and proposed project job descriptions that demonstrate that staff have the appropriate technical and experiential backgrounds to implement the project.

• If there are staff hired for this project, the proposal includes job descriptions for these positions.

• Applicants should address their contingency or back-up plans in the event of key staff departures.

Time Commitment

• The proposal identifies key staff and outlines the amount of time key staff will devote to the project, expressed as a percentage of Full Time Equivalents (FTE).

• If applicable, the proposal identifies the amount of time key staff will spend managing partnering organizations.

3. Evaluation (20 points) FNS expects the applicant to conduct their own evaluation independent of the Activities/Indicators Tracker that includes evaluating overall success of the project at completion. The proposed evaluation plan should:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/executive-order-advancing-racial-equity-and-support-for-underserved-communities-through-the-federal-government/?msclkid=345b4e48afa511ec83be234043a9c8e4

• Include information from the Activities/Indicators Tracker.

• Be a comprehensive evaluation process that is specific and data-driven.

• Includes clear measures which assess whether the problem identified is addressed by the proposed project intervention.

• Measure the project’s impact on underserved communities.

• Detail who will measure the goals of the project.

• Detail what criteria will be evaluated and how the applicant will evaluate the criteria.

• Define the intervals at which the applicant will conduct evaluation during the grant period of performance.

4. Budget Appropriateness and Economic Efficiency (30 points) Applications must include the required budget forms outlined in Application Checklist and a line-item budget narrative, formatted in a table, to receive the full point value for this criterion. If a discrepancy exists between the total funding request submitted on SF-424, SF-424A, and budget or budget narrative, FNS will only consider and evaluate the estimated funding request contained on SF-424. All non-profit organizations must include their 501(c)(3) determination letter issued by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

Budget Narrative Table A well-written line-item budget narrative justifies the proposed project expenditures and assists reviewers during the proposal review process. The budget narrative should:

• Be formatted in a table.

• Be in whole dollars.

• Include all items listed on the checklist is included at the beginning of this RFA.

• Align with the objectives described in the project description. If something is listed in the budget narrative, it should also be listed in the project description.

• Provide enough detail for reviewers to easily understand how costs were determined and derived, and adequately justified based on current industry costs/standards or estimates from vendor(s) when possible. Information on costs should be obtained from applicable organizations or from online sources.

• Show how the costs are allocated among the benefiting programs and demonstrate that this grant is only going to fund SNAP’s share of project costs, if applicable.

• Mirror the requested amounts that are listed in the submitted SF-424A.

Indirect Cost Rate A current Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA), negotiated with a Federal negotiating agency, should be used to charge indirect costs. Indirect costs may not exceed the negotiated rate.

• If a NICRA is used, the percentage and base should be indicated. A copy of the approved NICRA should be provided with the application.

• If the applicant does not have, and has never been approved for, a NICRA, they may charge up to 10% de minimis. In this instance, the applicant must indicate they are requesting the de minimis rate.

• An applicant may elect not to charge indirect costs and, instead, use all grant funds for direct costs. If indirect costs are not charged, the phrase "none requested" should be stated in the budget narrative.

• For questions related to the indirect cost rate, please work with the Grant Officer as noted in Section VII of this RFA.

Efficiency

• The proposal must demonstrate that the anticipated results are commensurate with the cost of the project.

Contractual and Consultant Costs

• Proposals that include hiring a consultant or contractor must provide the following information:

o Consultant’s name and description of service;

o Itemized list of all direct costs and fees;

o The number of personnel, including position titles;

o Specialty and specialized qualifications as appropriate to the salary;

o Number of estimated hours times hourly wage for each staff member; and o All expenses and fees directly related to the proposed services to be rendered for the project.

• Applicants who are required to issue a bid should include a narrative explaining the requirement and provide a detailed description of contractor/consultant responsibilities/anticipated tasks and a reasonable estimate of contractual and consultant costs.

Bonus Points (up to 6 points total)

i. Up to three bonus points will be awarded to proposals that are particularly data driven. This can include conducting surveys, interviews, or other data collection or research in advance of submission of a proposal in order to more accurately determine what the quantifiable problem is that the proposed solution is intended to solve. For example, sociodemographic and access data may bolster racial equity and inclusion analysis. (NOTE: Pre-award costs will not be provided under this grant. Any work completed prior to receiving an award cannot be reimbursed.) Inclusion of specific quantifiable statistics to bolster the argument that the proposed project is necessary in order to better serve SNAP clients.

ii. Up to three bonus points will be awarded to proposals that have never received a Process and Technology Improvement Grant as FNS believes such applicants would benefit from capacity building and modernization projects. Proposals received from new entities, i.e., those applicants that have not received a previous award, must demonstrate high-need for the project in the Problem Analysis section. Additionally, the proposal must demonstrate a quantifiable and significant impact to receive the full three points. This may include improvement in customer service, such as reduced call hold times, or advances in equity, such as translated materials to better serve a percentage of the SNAP case load. As noted above, any eligible entity that received a Process and Technology Improvement Grant award last fiscal year (FY 2021) is ineligible to apply.

Activities/Indicators Tracker

Proposed Activities and Indicators measuring success must be mapped to the objective(s) listed in the Priority Areas (as described in Section I “Program Description”) that you choose. Please use the format below and add additional Activities/Indicators as needed. You are not required to have more than one objective, however for each objective there must be at least one proposed activity and at least one proposed indicator. Additional activities and indicators can be added by adding rows to the sample table below – there is no upper limit, but please note that you will be required to report on these indicators on a quarterly basis, where applicable.

Note: Indicators are defined as any metric you anticipate will be able to be tracked during the period of performance of the grant. Common examples include Number of People Attended, Number of People Impacted, Number of Conferences Delivered, Number of Materials Created, Number of Trainings, Number of People Trained. Please see Appendix C for a sample of what the reporting form will look like and how these activities and indicators will be pulled in in order to help guide you to complete this section.

Objective <enter #>: Must be one of the three objectives from Section I of the RFA Proposed Activity 1:

Indicator 1:

Indicator 2:

Proposed Activity 2:

Indicator 1:

Indicator 2:

Objective <enter #>: Must be one of the three objectives from Section I of the RFA Proposed Activity 1:

Indicator 1:

Indicator 2:

Proposed Activity 2:

Indicator 1:

Indicator 2:

Note: As mentioned above, please only include as many objectives, activities and indicators as you anticipate having for your project within your Activities/Indicators Tracker tables.

Letters of Commitment or Endorsement

Unless the applicant is a State agency submitting an application on its own, a letter of commitment or letter of endorsement must be included in the application package to be considered for funding. Such letters may be addressed to the FNS Grants Officer. Applications that require a letter of commitment or letter of endorsement, which fail to provide one, will not be considered. Please refer to the letter descriptions below for additional information.

State agencies submitting an application on their own do not require letters of endorsement or commitment. If a State agency submits an application in partnership with other organization(s), the State must provide a letter of commitment from the proposed partner.

FNS also welcomes grant proposals from entities other than a State agency; however, such applicants must demonstrate that the State agency strongly endorses and/or is involved in the proposed project through a letter of endorsement. This letter of endorsement serves as the “consent” requirement discussed in Section III, Eligibility Information. Letters of endorsement from the State are also required when local or county governments submit an application.

Letters of Commitment A letter of commitment is required if the grant proposal is from a State agency working in partnership with another organization(s). The State agency applying must submit a letter(s) of commitment from its partners. The letter(s) of commitment must:

• Be specific to the proposed project;

• Describe the organization’s role in the project;

• Specify the amount of time the partner organization intends to commit to the project and an attestation that it will cooperate with the grant applicant in implementing the project;

and

• Be on the respective organization’s letterhead and signed by an authorizing individual.

Letters of Endorsement A letter of endorsement is required if an applicant is an entity other than a State agency and is not directly partnering with a State agency on the project. The State agency’s letter of endorsement must:

• Be specific to the proposed project;

• Explain that the State agency is aware of the project and its projected impact on the

State’s eligibility system;

• Acknowledge whether the project creates any additional work for the State agency and identify the State capacity to address the additional work;

• Express support for the proposed project;

• Describe how the proposed project will support the State agency’s current or planned technology and/or business process improvement efforts and priorities; and

• Be on the respective State agency’s letterhead and signed by an authorizing official.

Letters must address the details of the specific project. Generic letters acknowledging an ongoing partnership with the State will not be accepted.

Presentation

FNS strongly suggests that applications closely adhere to the application format described below.

FNS cannot guarantee that improperly formatted proposals will be considered. Please be as clear and concise as possible. The beginning of this solicitation includes a checklist and tips to ensure your proposal is complete and properly formatted.

Size, Font, and Page Limit

• All pages are single-spaced with 1-inch margins and 12-point font.

• The proposed project plan is typed on 8 ½” X 11” white paper.

• The grant application is no more than 25 pages, not including the cover sheet, table of contents, resumes, letter(s) of commitment, letter(s) of endorsement, appendices, and required forms.

• All pages, excluding the form pages, are numbered.

• The proposal is well-presented, well-written, and void of grammatical errors.

SUBMISSION INFORMATION

Submission Date

Complete grant applications must be uploaded to www.grants.gov by 11:59 PM EST on the due date listed on the cover page.

• Applications must be submitted via Grants.gov. Mailed, e-mailed or hand-delivered application packages will not be accepted. For further instructions, go to the section describing “How to Submit an Application via Grants.gov.”

• Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.

• FNS will not consider additions or revisions to applications unless they are submitted via Grants.gov by the deadline. No additions or revisions will be accepted after the deadline.

• If multiple application packages are submitted through Grants.gov by the same applicant in response to this solicitation, FNS will accept the latest application package successfully. submitted. All other packages submitted by the applicant will be removed from this competition.

Please allow sufficient time to complete your application package and ensure the package is uploaded through the www.Grants.gov web portal. If the same applicant submits multiple application packages through the Grants.gov web portal in response to this solicitation, FNS will accept the latest application package successfully submitted. All other packages submitted by the applicant will be removed from this competition.

FNS strongly encourages applicants to begin the registration process at least four weeks before the due date and to submit applications to Grants.gov at least one week before the deadline to allow time to troubleshoot any issues, should they arise. Please note that upon submission, Grants.gov may send multiple confirmation notices; applicants should ensure receipt of confirmation that the application was accepted. Applicants experiencing difficulty submitting applications to Grants.gov should contact the Grant Officer noted in the Section VII "Federal Awarding Agency Contact." FNS will evaluate submission issues on a case-by-case basis.

http://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/

Preparing for Electronic Submission Through Grants.gov

Applicants must register with Grants.gov, Dun and Bradstreet and Sam.gov in order to submit an application to FNS via Grants.gov, as required. FNS strongly encourages applicants to begin the registration process at least four weeks before the due date.

In order to submit an application, you must:

1. Obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)

What is a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)?

A Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) is a unique number assigned to all entities (public and private companies, individuals, institutions, or organizations) who register to do business with the federal government. (U.S. General Services Administration)

What is the difference between a "DUNS UEI" and a "SAM UEI" in the System for Award Management (SAM.gov)?

"DUNS UEI" refers to your current 9-digit Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Number issued by Dun and Bradstreet. "SAM UEI" refers to your new 12-character unique entity identifier that will be assigned by SAM.gov.

Which UEI should I enter into the UEI field on the Grants.gov website and mobile app?

Grants.gov encourages applicants to use their “SAM UEI” after they have been assigned one. Grants.gov also accepts applicants’ “DUNS UEI”, provided the “DUNS UEI” is available in SAM.

Which UEI should I enter into application package forms?

If the field label reads “DUNS”, enter your “DUNS UEI”. If the field label reads “UEI”, enter your “SAM UEI”.

Where do I go to learn more about the UEI?

The U.S. General Services Administration Unique Entity Identifier Update page contains the most up-to-date information about the UEI.

NOTE: On and after April 4, 2022, entities can register in SAM.gov and will be assigned their Unique Entity ID…