HELDI TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE WEBINAR_For Posting_07062023_.pptx

Technical Assistance Webinar

Notice of Funding Opportunity Health Equity Leadership Development Initiative (HELDI) Cooperative Agreement

Opportunity Number: MP-CPI-23-001 July 6, 2023 at 3:00 PM Eastern

Technical Assistance Webinar Agenda O F Overview of the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)

Health Equity Leadership Development Initiative (HELDI) Opportunity Number #MP-CPI-23-001 Announcement Type Cooperative Agreement

Grants and Acquisition Management

Competitive Application Requirements

Question and Answer Session

NOFO Announcement The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) provides information and guidance related to applications.

Read the entire funding announcement.

Follow the NOFO carefully.

The information provided in the NOFO takes precedence over any conflicting information in other documents O F

Executive Summary (P. 1) The Health Equity Leadership Development Initiative (HELDI) projects should implement a fellowship program at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

OMH expects recipients to provide training on health equity issues and leadership to early career individuals to improve the health of racial and ethnic minority and other disadvantaged populations.

All applicants should review all program requirements, eligibility information, application format and submission information, evaluation criteria, and other information in this funding announcement to ensure their applications comply with all requirements and instructions.

Read the entire NOFO to ensure the application complies with all requirements and instructions

HELDI Program Description (P. 4) Implement Fellowship Program at HHS

Provide training in health equity issues and leadership to early career individuals to improve the health of racial and ethnic minority and other disadvantaged populations.

Address the gap in federal fellowship opportunities for individuals to advance health equity and address the Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) through health policies, programs, and practices.

Expectations for Funded Projects (P. 5 - 7) Develop and implement a Health Equity Leadership Development Project

Develop and implement a project to support 9 to 12-month fellowship for graduate-level students and recent graduates who have completed their graduate degree within the previous two years.

Focus on developing skills and creating opportunities for federal experience in health equity, health disparities, public health, and the SDOH for project participants.

Utilize the OMH curriculum and training modules to educate and engage fellows in health policy issues and processes, with a focus on health disparities and health equity; improve cultural competence; and build leadership skills aligned with core competencies Facilitate professional experiences and supplemental learning opportunities focused on areas such as leadership and technical skills development.

Implement experiential training in federal leadership core competency areas, health disparities and health equity, public health, and SDOH.

Provide mentoring and coaching to support practice of leadership and technical skills, and to support the design of a career pathway to leadership.

Provide fellowship project management and oversight Develop and implement a process to manage and provide oversight of the project that should include, but is not limited to:

1. Fellow Recruitment Recruit potential fellows interested in health equity, health disparities, public health, and SDOH through diverse and tailored methods.

2. Identification of Fellow Housing Options Ensure that fellows have access to safe housing options that are located within a reasonable distance of host site and near public transportation.

3. Host Site Recruitment Collaborate with us to recruit HHS sites to host fellows that have meaningful public health, SDOH, and health equity projects and programs.

4. Fellow Selection, Placement, and Stipend Select fellows, with OMH approval, through an application process that includes an application review protocol and developed selection criteria. Manage a process for fellow stipend distribution.

Provide fellowship project management and oversight (continued) Develop and implement a process to manage and provide oversight of the project that should include, but is not limited to:

5. Fellow Orientation Develop and implement an orientation for the fellows prior to the start of their fellowship to include overview of the recipient’s program components (e.g., mentorship, webinars, speakers; expectations for the fellowship; info on housing and stipends; host site information; and other topics to contribute to a meaningful experience for the fellows.

6. Fellow Engagement Develop a system to track each fellow's progress during the fellowship relative to activities that: facilitate networking and learning among fellows, develop leadership competencies for advancing health equity, and develop awareness of the federal hiring system (e.g., resume preparation, interviewing) and employment opportunities.

7. Fellow Follow-Up Post Fellowship Work with OMH to conduct post-participation assessments with fellows. Develop activities that sustain and support the fellow’s interest in and awareness of federal and other career opportunities in public health leadership.

Participate in Process and Outcome Evaluation Activities Primary outcomes at the individual fellow level:

Increase opportunities for federal fellowship experiences in advancing health equity and addressing SDOH through health policies, programs, and practices.

Increase knowledge and technical skills that align with the core Federal leadership competencies (e.g., leading change, leading people, results-driven, business acumen, and building coalitions).

Increase competency in health equity knowledge and practice.

Disseminate Project Knowledge and Findings Document project knowledge and findings Implementation process, lessons learned, successes and challenges Communicate and disseminate project findings to federal, state, territorial, and tribal public health agencies, policymakers, CBOs, and stakeholders

Expectations for Funded Projects (P. 5 – 7) Disparity Impact Statement Successful recipients will develop a Disparity Impact Statement During the Period of Performance, recipients will use local data to identify populations at highest risk for health disparities relative to this initiative.

APPLICATION CONTENT

Pages 13 - 24 Pre-decisional draft - Do not copy or distribute Intended for direct recipients only

Application Content (P. 13 – 24) Successful applications will contain the following information

O F

Project Narrative Content

Budget Narrative

Appendices

Project Narrative Content (P. 13 - 24) We recommend that your project narrative includes the following components:

Problem Statement Goals, Objectives, and Outcomes Project Approach Organizational Capability Dissemination Plan

Project Narrative Content (P. 13) Problem Statement

Describe in this section the scope of the problem addressed by your proposed project ed and geographic area(s) the project is designed to address.

Describe how your project will address the gaps and barriers related to diversity in the public health workforce and the expected impact of the project on health outcomes for racial and ethnic minority populations.

Project Narrative Content (P. 14)

2. Goals, Objectives, and Outcomes

Objectives should be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time-bound, inclusive, and equitable (SMARTIE).

Identify the measurable outcome(s) that will result from your project, and provide specific, quantified estimate of expected outcome(s).

Your goals, objectives and outcomes should link to the activities described in your Project Approach section and the Work Plan in your appendices.

We will not fund any project that does not include measurable outcomes.

Project Narrative Content (P. 14 - 15)

3. Project Approach

a. Work Plan Encourage use the Optional Work Plan (OWP) Template to provide a detailed work plan with the goals, objectives, and outcomes for the 3-year period of performance, including major tasks, action steps, or products that you will pursue or develop to achieve the goal and outcome(s).

Describe the approach you will use to monitor and track progress on the tasks and objectives.

For each major task of each year, action step, or product, you should identify the timeframes involved (including start- and end-dates), and the lead person responsible for completing the task.

Your narrative should reflect and be consistent with your work plan and budget narrative and must describe all years of the proposed project.

3. Project Approach

b. Fellowship Logistics Describe your innovative approach for each of the following areas.

Incorporate OMH curriculum modules into the fellowship experience.

Fellowship-related work experiences, supplemental learning, experiential training, mentoring, and coaching.

Supporting fellowship experiences and work on efforts focused on one or more of the following: health equity, health disparities, and SDOH Fellow orientation and Monitoring participant progress throughout the project and post fellowship follow-up activities.

Establishing, managing, and distributing fellow stipends.

Identifying fellow housing options.

Outreach to recruit potential fellows with a demonstrated interest in health equity, health disparities, public health, and SDOH.

3. Project Approach

c. Recruitment and Selection Describe your approach for each of the following areas.

Collaborating with appropriate entities to identify candidates who are interested in health equity, health disparities, public health and SDOH

Developing procedures for fellow selection, including selection criteria.

Assisting OMH in the recruitment of potential HHS host sites willing to place fellows in public health, SDOH, health equity projects based on their individual areas of interest.

Project Narrative Content (P. 15)

4. Organizational Capability

Describe your organization’s current mission, scope of current activities and capabilities, and how these elements contribute to your ability to implement HELDI.

Describe your experience working and recent graduates who have completed, within the previous two years, their graduate degree.

Demonstrate your organization’s capacity to provide experiential training in health equity and leadership to fellows while providing adequate supervision.

Demonstrate your organization’s experience or capability in successfully administering grant programs of similar size and scope.

Demonstrate your organization’s readiness to effectively initiate the intended program activities within the first 90 days of the project.

4. Organizational Capability – continued

Delineate the roles and responsibilities of project staff, sub-recipients, and their specific contributions toward achieving the project’s objectives and outcomes.

Describe areas of expertise for key personnel in reference to the CVs, résumés, or bio sketches in appendices. Key personnel include the PD/PI and individuals who will oversee the technical, professional, managerial, and support functions and/or assume responsibility for assuring the validity and quality of your organization’s project.

Identify the individual who will serve as the PD/PI.

For all key personnel describe each individual's qualifications, competing time commitments and related ongoing projects. We expect that throughout the award period the PD/PI will have involvement in, and substantial knowledge about, all aspects of the project.

4. Organizational Capability – continued

Describe the collaborative partnership(s) which will support project activities.

Describe the role and makeup of partners involved in completing specific tasks.

Describe the anticipated level of effort and responsibilities of each partner in completing programmatic activities.

Refer to any Memoranda of Agreement (MOAs) or Letters of Commitment (LOCs) submitted in your appendices.

Project Narrative Content (P. 15 - 16)

5. Dissemination Plan

Describe the method that will be used to:

Document and disseminate your project’s implementation process, findings, results, successes, challenges, and lessons learned during the period of performance in plain language to the target audience, the general public, and other parties interested in using the results of the project.

Propose innovative approaches to informing parties who might be interested in using the results of your project to inform practice and/or program development, especially to those parties interested in replicating the project.

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

Appendices (P. 23 - 24)

1. Supplemental Information/Supporting Documentation for Work Plan

Work plan must address all the requested content.

Should reflect and be consistent with the project narrative and budget narrative and must cover all years of the period of performance.

Each year’s activities should be fully attainable in one budget year. You may propose multi-year activities and activities that build upon each other. Still, each project phase must be discreet and achievable within a single budget year.

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/developed to achieve the goal and outcome(s).

For each major task of each year, action step, or product, identify the time-frames involved (including start and end dates) and the lead person responsible for completing the task.

May use the optional Objective Work Plan (OWP) template under Related Documents for this NOFO on Grants.gov

2. Memoranda of Agreement and/or Letters of Commitment from Partners, Subrecipient Organizations, and Agencies 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) and include specific roles, responsibilities, resources, and contributions of partner(s) to the project.

A signed MOA or LOC should be submitted for each institution, agency, or organization that will partner for the recruitment of HELDI fellows.

If you are unable to submit signed MOAs, you should submit LOCs. 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 be described in the LOC.

Fully executed MOAs will be required within 30 days following the issuance of any award made under this announcement.

MOAs and/or LOCs should reflect and be consistent with the project narrative and budget narrative and must cover all years of the period of performance.

MOAs and LOCs are not the same as letters of support. You should NOT provide letters of support. Letters of support will not be considered during the review.

3. Organization Chart Reflects the management structure for the project and demonstrates where the project resides within the greater organization.

Should include the names of partners and role and responsibility, and level of commitment to this project

4. Curriculum Vitae/Résumé/Biographical Sketches for Key Project Personnel and Position Descriptions Submit CVs/Resumés/bio sketches of the Project Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) and all other Key Personnel. Key personnel does not include individuals who provide routine administrative support to the project as part of their broader support of the organization.

Encourage individuals to provide their full name (first, middle, last) on these documents to distinguish them for verification in the System for Award Management exclusion records. You should submit position descriptions for all open positions that will need to be filled, if funds are awarded.

Grants and Acquisition Management Health Equity Leadership Development Initiative MP-CPI-23-001

*Applications Due by 6 pm Eastern Time on August 1, 2023

Submission Dates and Times (Section D.5) Application is due by 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time, August 1, 2023

Your submission time will be determined by the date and time stamp provided by Grants.gov when you complete your submission.

Strongly encouraged to submit your application a minimum of 3-5 days prior to the application closing date.

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

If you fail to submit your application by the due date and time, we will not review it, and it will receive no further consideration.

Federal Agency Substantial Involvement (Section B.3) Awards made under this NOFO will be cooperative agreements.

A cooperative agreement is a form of assistance that allows for substantial involvement by the program office.

Substantial involvement is in addition to the usual monitoring and technical assistance provided under a grant (e.g., assistance from the assigned Federal project officer, monthly conference calls, occasional site visits, ongoing review of plans and progress, participation in relevant meetings, provision of training and technical assistance).

Eligible Applicants (NOFO, Section C.1) Applicant eligibility for this NOFO 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.

Private non-profit institutions of higher education are eligible to apply.

Applicant eligibility for this NOFO Faith-based organizations and American Indian/Alaskan Native/Native American (AI/AN/NA) organizations that are public or private entities are eligible to apply. Public or private community-based organizations are eligible to apply.

Public or non-profit community-based organizations (CBOs) are eligible to apply.

Examples 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

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

If you voluntarily include cost sharing in your application, you must include in your budget narrative a non-federal sources justification. During the merit review of an application, cost sharing will only be considered in the overall review of the adequacy of the total proposed budget (Federal and non-Federal share) to support the project proposed.

Applications including voluntary cost sharing or matching that result in an award will include the cost sharing or matching commitment on the notice of award at the level proposed in the application. Any change in that commitment will require prior approval of the Grants Management Officer.

Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Announcement The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) provides information and guidance related to applications.

Read the entire funding announcement.

Follow the NOFO carefully!

The information provided in the NOFO takes precedence over any conflicting information in other documents.

Address to Request Application Package Obtain an application package electronically by accessing Grants.gov at http://www.grants.gov/. Find it by searching the Assistance Listing (formerly CFDA) Number found on page 1 of the NOFO.

The Assistance Listing (CFDA) Number is 93.137.

Be sure to subscribe to the announcement in Grants.gov so you receive notification of any updates to the NOFO or supporting documents.

Application Submission OASH requires that all applications be submitted electronically via Grants.gov unless an exemption has been granted by the grants management officer (Section D.5).

If you submit an application via any other electronic communication, it will not be accepted for review.

Grants.gov is a website portal. All funding opportunities and grant application packages are made available on www.Grants.gov .

An application will not be considered valid until all application components are entered in Grants.gov and received by OASH Grants and Acquisitions Management (GAM) Division according to the deadlines specified in the “DATES” section of the NOFO (Overview Section).

Contact Grants.gov with any questions or concerns regarding the electronic application process 1-800-518-4726.

Applications must be submitted as three (3) files:

File 1: The ENTIRE project narrative (Section D.8.a)

File 2: The ENTIRE budget narrative, including supporting documentation described in the Budget Narrative content section (Section D.8.a)

File 3: All documents in the appendices uploaded in the Attachments section of your Grants.gov application (Section D.8.a) Required standard forms do not apply toward your page count limitations in the submission requirements as stated in Disqualification Criteria (Section C.4).

Any files uploaded or attached to the Grants.gov application must be of the following file formats – Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Adobe PDF, or image formats (JPG, GIF, TIFF, or BMP only).

Microsoft Excel files will NOT be accepted.

HHS/OASH strongly recommends that electronic applications be uploaded as Adobe PDF.

If you convert to PDF prior to submission, you may prevent any unintentional formatting that might occur with submission of an editable document.

Check the page count of your PDF and/or print the file to ensure that the document does not exceed the page limit.

Be complete and do not leave blanks on forms unless the information is clearly not applicable.

The individual submitting the application forms must have the legal authority to act on behalf of the organization.

To ensure successful submission of your application, carefully follow the step-by-step instructions provided at: http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/apply-for-grants.html

These instructions are kept up-to-date and also provide links to Frequently Asked Questions and other troubleshooting information

Application Elements Forms Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424) Budget Information for Non-construction Programs (SF-424A) Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (SF-LLL) Project Abstract Summary

Files Project Narrative – Submit all Project Narrative content as a single acceptable file.

Budget Narrative – Submit all Budget Narrative content as a single acceptable file.

Appendices – Submit all appendix content as a single acceptable file, in the Attachments section of your Grants.gov application.

Project Abstract Summary You must complete the Project Abstract Summary form provided in the application package. The abstract will be used to provide reviewers with an overview of the application and will form the basis for the application summary in grants management and program summary documents.

If your project is funded, HHS will publish the abstract from your form on TAGGS.hhs.gov and USASpending.gov. The abstract may also appear on the program office website or other government website, so do not include sensitive or proprietary information in your abstract.

Application Format Be sure to follow Project Narrative format instructions in the NOFO. Your application will be disqualified if it does not conform to the format requirements.

You must double-space the Project Narrative pages.

You must use 12-point font.

You should use an easily readable typeface, such as Times New Roman or Arial.

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

For Appendices and Budget Narrative, you should use the same formatting specified for the Project Narrative.

Appendix documents such as résumés may use alternate formats common to such documents.

UEI Number and the System for Award Management (SAM) (Section D.4) To register your organization, you will need a unique entity identifier (UEI). On April 4, 2022, the federal government completed its transition to the twelve-digit UEI(SAM) number as the required UEI for registration in SAM.gov.

You may begin the registration process, including receiving your UEI(SAM) at https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration. An Entity Registration Checklist is available at https://www.fsd.gov/gsafsd_sp/sys_attachment.do?sys_id=d6d6b5f31b120dd0cc45ea04bc4bcb81.

You may register in SAM as either an entity applying for Federal Assistance Awards Only (e.g., grants and cooperative agreements) or All Awards (including procurement awards).

System for Award Management (SAM) If you are registering a new entity in SAM.gov, you need to create a login.gov account, if you don't already have one.

Minimum timeframe to complete an initial SAM registration online is 30 min.

Timeframe for applicant’s registration to become active is up to 10 days and may take longer depending on volume, or if the SAM system flags the information you provide for manual validation.

Average timeframe for updates in SAM.gov to appear in Grants.gov is up to 72hrs. If you plan to apply for this funding opportunity or think you might apply, you should ensure your organization’s registration is active in SAM well before the application deadline and will be active through the competitive review period.

System for Award Management (SAM)

SAM registration must be renewed each year.

If you are renewing your registration, your old SAM.gov username and password may not work anymore. You will need to create a login.gov account if you do not already have one.

SAM (continued) We strongly recommend applicants check for an active registration in SAM well before application deadline.

If you are successful and receive an award, you must maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during the active award.

If you have not complied with the SAM registration requirements, HHS/OASH May determine you are not qualified to receive an award; and May use that determination as a basis for making an award to another applicant.

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

Funding Restrictions If you are successful and receive an award, by accepting the award, you agree that the award and any activities thereunder are subject to all provisions of 45 CFR part 75, currently in effect or implemented during the period of the award, other Department regulations and policies in effect at the time of the award, and applicable statutory provisions.

Costs must be allowable, allocable, reasonable, and necessary direct expenses or indirect costs in accordance with regulations and current policy.

Indirect costs may be included per 45 CFR 75.414. Applicants should indicate which method or rate is used for this application. (Section D.3.b.1.o)

Pre-award costs are not allowed. (Section D.7.a)

Current Salary Limitation: $212,100 effective January 2023 (Section D.7.b)

Budget Narrative and Forms The Project Budget Information:

SF 424A Budget Forms Budget Narrative Detailed Budget Justification

Must be consistent with the requirements of the NOFO Budgeted costs must reflect proposed activities Budget line-item descriptions and justification requirements are explained in the NOFO Suggested table formats in the NOFO Plan for Oversight of Federal Award Funds (Section F.3.b.2)

Forms, budget narrative and detailed justification do not count toward page limit.

Budget Narrative and Forms: Tips for Development (D.3, Budget Narrative Content) You must develop an itemized budget using Section B, box 6 of the SF-424A for the first year of the proposed project. For awards with an anticipated period of performance of one year or less, this will be the budget request for the entire project. Provide a budget justification, which includes explanatory text and line-item detail, for the entire first year of the proposed project.

The budget narrative should describe how the categorical costs (e.g., salary, equipment, supplies, consulting costs) are derived. Discuss the necessity, reasonableness, and allocation of the proposed costs.

Budget Narrative and Forms: Tips for Development (D.3, Budget Narrative Content), Continued For subsequent budget years in an anticipated multi-year project, provide a summary narrative and line-item budget for each year beyond the first. For categories or items that differ significantly from the first budget year, provide a detailed justification explaining these changes.

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

Indirect costs methods are described in 45 C.F.R. § 75.414. See also Section D.3.b. This category has one of two methods that you may select. You may only select one and must clearly identify that selection in your submitted budget.

Your organization currently has an indirect cost rate approved by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) or another cognizant federal agency. You should enclose a copy of the current approved rate agreement in your Budget Narrative file.

An applicant that has never received a negotiated indirect cost rate, may elect to charge a de minimis rate of 10% of modified total direct costs which may be used indefinitely. If chosen, this methodology must be used consistently for all Federal awards until such time as an applicant chooses to negotiate for a rate.

If your proposed budget requests a rate that is less than allowed, your authorized representative must submit a signed acknowledgement that the organization is accepting a lower rate than allowed.

To obtain a negotiated indirect cost rate with the Federal Government you may contact the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Cost Allocation Services (CAS) regional office that is applicable to your State. CAS regional contact information is available at https://rates.psc.gov/fms/dca/map1.html.

Application Disqualification Criteria If your application does not meet the following requirements, it will be disqualified and receive no further consideration:

Submitted electronically via www.grants.gov by due date and time (unless an exemption was granted 2 business days prior to the deadline).

If you successfully submit multiple applications for the same project, we will only review the last application received by the deadline.

HHS/OASH/GAM deems your application eligible.

You must complete the required forms in the application package: SF-424, SF-424A, SF-LLL, and Project Abstract Summary.

Your application must be submitted in the English language and must be in the terms of U.S. dollars (45 C.F.R. § 75.111(a)).

Application Disqualification Criteria If your application does not meet the following requirements, it will be disqualified and receive no further consideration:

Project Narrative must be double-spaced, on the equivalent of 8.5” X 11” page size with 1” margins on all sides and font size not less than 12 points.

Project Narrative must not exceed 50 pages.

The Total Application, including Project Narrative must not exceed 75 pages.

Application Disqualification Criteria (continued) If your application does not meet the following requirements, it will be disqualified and receive no further consideration:

Your Federal funds request including indirect costs does not exceed the maximum indicated in Award Ceiling, per budget period. ($700,000)

Your Federal funds request including indirect costs must not be below the minimum indicated in Award Floor. ($600,000)

If you have included voluntary cost sharing or matching, you must include in your budget narrative a non-federal sources justification.

Your application must meet any Application Responsiveness Criteria under Section C.3 Other - Application Responsiveness Criteria.

Other – Application Responsiveness Criteria (Section C.3)

There are no Other - Application Responsiveness criteria in Section C.3

Application Disqualification Criteria (continued) Applications that lack the required supporting documentation or submit additional appendix files will not be disqualified from competitive review;

However, this may impact your application’s scoring under the evaluation criteria.

Be sure to follow submission instructions carefully.

Application Review Criteria (Section E.1)

Problem Statement (10 points) Goals, Objectives, and Outcomes (15 points) Project Approach: Work Plan (10 points) Project Approach: Fellowship Logistics (20 points) Project Approach: Recruitment and Selection (10 points) Organizational Capability (30 points) Dissemination Plan (5 points)

Application Merit Review Eligible applications will be reviewed and assessed by a panel of independent reviewers with technical expertise in applicable fields according to the criteria listed in the NOFO.

The Merit Review process is formal and confidential. Federal staff are available to answer questions and to ensure the process is consistent and fair, but do not participate in discussion and assessment of the application.

Then applications are reviewed:

By GAM staff for administrative & business compliance.

By OMH Program Office staff for programmatic compliance.

Funding Decisions (Section E.2) The Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health will make final award selections to be recommended to the Grants Management Officer for risk analysis.

In providing these recommendations the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health will take into consideration the following additional factor(s):

Equitable geographic distribution of projects.

Funding Decisions (Section E.2) Upon completion of risk analysis and concurrence of the Grants Management Officer, HHS/OASH will then issue Notices of Award.

No award decision is final until a Notice of Award is issued.

All award decisions, including level of funding, if an award is made, are final and you may not appeal.

Funding Process We are not obligated to make any Federal award as a result of this announcement.

Only the grants management officer (GMO) can bind the Federal government to the expenditure of funds.

If you receive communications to negotiate an award or request additional or clarifying information, this does not mean you will receive an award; it only means that your application is still under consideration.

All award decisions, including level of funding if an award is made, are final and you may not appeal.

Funding Process – Review of Risk Posed by Applicant HHS/OASH will evaluate each application in the fundable range for risks posed by the applicant before issuing an award in accordance with 45 CFR 75.205 OASH will use a risk-based approach and may consider any items such as the following as stated in the NOFO:

Applicant’s financial stability;

Quality of management systems and ability to meet the management standards prescribed in 45 CFR part 75;

History of performance – Applicant’s record in managing Federal awards including timeliness of compliance with applicable reporting requirement, and conformance to the terms and conditions of previous Federal awards;

Reports and findings from audits performed; and The applicant’s ability to effectively implement statutory, regulatory, or other requirements imposed on non-Federal entities.

Plan for Oversight of Federal Award Funds If your internal controls are available online, you may provide the link as part of your plan in the budget narrative.

We have also included Supplementary Material (Section I.2), which contains questions applicants may find useful in considering their Plan for Oversight of Federal Funds.

Non-funded Applications as a Result of Risk Review If we determine your organization does not meet either or both of the minimum qualification standards as described in 45 CFR §75.205(a)(2) and we do not make an award to you as a result, we must report that determination to FAPIIS, if certain conditions apply.

The standards include at a minimum, if you are a prior Federal award recipient the information in FAPIIS must “demonstrate a satisfactory record of executing programs or activities under Federal grants, cooperative agreements, or procurement awards; and integrity and business ethics.” 45 CFR § 75.205(a)(2) Information reported in FAPIIS is available for other organizations to review when considering you for an award.

Notice of Award (NOA) The Notice of Award:

Notifies the successful applicant of the selection; award amount; project and budget periods.

Includes any conditions on the award (i.e., requirements that must be met as a condition of receiving the grant funds).

Includes standard terms, reporting requirements and contact information for OASH/GAM and the Program Office.

Funding Process – Points of Contact GAM is the official contact for awardees throughout the award life cycle.

All official communication related to the award is between GAM and the successful applicant.

Unsuccessful applicants will be notified by the Program Office via letter.

Summary and Tips Project Narrative Description:

Be clear, complete and concise in the project description; follow and address exactly what is requested in the NOFO.

Don’t make the reviewer search for the required information. Generally, the easier the application is to review, the better the rating or score.

Reviewers are not allowed to do external research, follow embedded links, etc.

Clearly identify the sections of the application and indicate which component is being addressed.

The project narrative must include all required information within the page limit. Do not use appendices to expand the page limit.

Project Narrative Description:

Make the goals and objectives “SMARTIE;” Specific; Measurable; Achievable; Relevant; Time-bound; Inclusive; and Equitable.

Activities presented in the work plan should relate directly to the proposed goals and objectives.

The program work plan, evaluation plan and budget should provide a complete picture of how the applicant will address the needs as well as address the purpose and expectations in the NOFO.

Staffing:

The staffing should be appropriate and reasonable for the goals, objectives and activities of the proposed project.

Be complete in describing what staff will do, the expertise required and the percent time they will be assigned to the project.

Budget:

The budget should include adequate funds to carry out the proposed work plan, evaluation plan and administrative responsibilities of the project.

The budget should be reasonable and relate directly to the goals and objectives.

Do not request more funds than are available, as listed in the NOFO. This amount is inclusive of indirect costs.

The operating budget should be complete and include Federal and non-Federal funds, projected program income (e.g., from fees and third-party payers and other contributing funds).

Overall:

Include full names (First Middle Last) for Authorized Official, Principal Investigator/Project Director and all Essential Personnel.

Electronic submission IS required.

Do not wait until the last minute to begin SAM registration or update your registration.

Do not wait until the last minute to begin the electronic submission—problems could arise.

NOFO Inquiries Program Questions Program Office Attn: Office of Minority Health Paul Rodriguez Email: paul.rodriguez@hhs.gov Telephone:240-453-8208

Administrative or Financial Questions Grants Management Specialist Duane Barlow Email: Duane.Barlow@hhs.gov Telephone: 240-453-8822 Electronic Submission Requirements Grants.gov Applicant Support www.grants.gov Email: support@grants.gov Telephone: 800-518-4726

Please do not contact OASH Program or Grants office staff for Grants.gov issues.

THANK YOU!

Application Due Date: August 1, 2023 at 6:00 PM Eastern image2.jpeg image1.png image3.png image5.jpeg image4.png image16.png image17.svg

.MsftOfcThm_Accent4_Fill_v2 { fill:#0B8D93;

image18.png image19.svg

.MsftOfcThm_Accent6_Fill_v2 { fill:#008100;

image20.png image21.svg image12.emf image22.jpeg image6.jpeg image7.emf image8.png