HHS-2017-ACL-CIP-ATTA-0223.pdf

Administration for Community Living

Center for Integrated Programs

Assistive Technology Act National Activities: National Assistive Technology Data Analysis and Reporting Assistance

HHS-2017-ACL-CIP-ATTA-0223

Application Due Date: 07/21/2017

Assistive Technology Act National Activities: National Assistive Technology Data Analysis and Reporting Assistance

HHS-2017-ACL-CIP-ATTA-0223

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Funding Opportunity Description II. Award Information

III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants

2. Cost Sharing or Matching

3. Responsiveness and Screening Criteria

IV. Application and Submission Information

1. Address to Request Application Package

2. Content and Form of Application Submission

3. Submission Dates and Times

4. Intergovernmental Review

5. Funding Restrictions

6. Other Submission Requirements

V. Application Review Information

1. Criteria

2. Review and Selection Process

3. Anticipated Announcement Award Date

VI. Award Administration Information

1. Award Notices

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

3. Reporting

4. FFATA and FSRS Reporting

VII. Agency Contacts VIII. Other Information

Department of Health & Human Services

ACL Center: Center for Integrated Programs Funding Opportunity Title: Assistive Technology Act National

Activities: National Assistive Technology Data Analysis and Reporting Assistance

Announcement Type: Modification Funding Opportunity Number: HHS-2017-ACL-CIP-ATTA-0223 Primary CFDA Number: 93.464 Due Date For Letter of Intent: 06/08/2017 Due Date for Applications: 07/21/2017 Date for Informational Conference Call: 06/06/2017

Applications that fail to meet the application due date will not be reviewed and will receive no further consideration. You are strongly encouraged to submit your application a minimum of 3- 5 days prior to the application closing date. Do not wait until the last day in the event you encounter technical difficulties, either on your end or, with http://www.grants.gov. Grants.gov can take up to 48 hours to notify you of a successful submission.

Executive Summary The Administration for Community Living (ACL) issues the FY 2017 Assistive Technology National Activities Program Funding Opportunity Announcement. The purpose of the National Activities Program under section 6 of the Assistive Technology Act of 1998, as Amended (AT Act) is to support activities designed to improve the administration of the AT Act, which authorizes grants to States under section 4 to support comprehensive, statewide assistive technology programs (State Grant for AT Programs) that increase access to and acquisition of AT devices and services for individuals with disabilities and older Americans. The AT Act requires ACL to support training and technical assistance to the entities funded under the AT Act and entities not funded under the AT Act, and to support a project to implement and maintain a data analysis and reporting system for the section 4 formula State Grant for AT Programs under the AT Act through a grant, cooperative agreement, or contract.

I. Funding Opportunity Description National Assistive Technology Data Analysis and Reporting Assistance Section 6 of the Assistive Technology Act of 1998, as amended (AT Act) authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living to fund programs to support National Activities. The Administration for Community Living announces one discretionary grant competition for Assistive Technology Act Data Analysis and Reporting Assistance under section 6(b) of the AT Act, to fund a cooperative agreement to provide training and technical assistance to support the entities authorized under section 4 of the AT Act to submit a State Plan for AT and Annual Performance Reports to improve the effectiveness of https://www.grants.gov activities supported under the AT Act. The Administration for Community Living takes this action to assist the entities funded under the AT Act to administer and manage their programs in order to improve their performance, to provide information to the public, and to increase access to and acquisition of AT devices and services for individuals with disabilities and older Americans.

If the applicant chooses to award sub-grants or sub-contracts to carry out activities required under this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), the applicant's proposal must reflect clearly how the applicant will collaborate with any entities to which the applicant will provide a sub-grant or subcontract in order to ensure that activities conducted by those entities meet the requirements of this FOA and are consistent with the applicant's proposal.

Under this FOA, the applicant must provide assistance to grantees in developing, as necessary, implementing, maintaining, and updating a data collection and reporting system for use by all Assistive Technology Act (AT) section 4 formula funded State and Territory grantees (hereafter referred to collectively as States or State AT programs), the Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living, and other stakeholders.

The purpose of this system and related technical assistance activities is to:

1. Ensure that all States collect and report consistent, comparable, high-quality quantitative and qualitative data that validly and reliably reflect the activities proposed to be and actually conducted by State AT programs and the outcomes of those activities;

2. Enable State AT programs, the Administration for Community Living, and other stakeholders to access and analyze data for purposes of program monitoring, evaluation, planning, management, and improvement; and

3. Provide data for reporting to Congress and the public. The project must:

a. Assist entities that carry out State AT programs in developing and implementing effective data collection and reporting systems that:

i. Focus on quantitative and qualitative data elements;

ii. Describe the activities of section 4 of the AT Act that are to be implemented by the States;

iii. Measure the outcomes of the activities described in section 4 of the AT Act that are implemented by the States;

iv. Measure the progress of the States toward achieving the measurable goals described in section 4(d)(3) of the AT Act;

v. Provide States with the necessary information required under the AT Act for reports described in section 4(f)(2) of the AT Act; and

vi. Help measure the accrued benefits of the activities to individuals who need AT devices and AT services;

b. Develop, as appropriate, maintain, and update a national data collection and reporting system capable of collecting consistent, high-quality qualitative and quantitative data on the activities conducted by all State AT programs and the outcomes of those activities. This system must:

i. Be designed and implemented to collect and analyze data using approved AT Act data collection instruments, specifically the State Plan for AT and the Annual Progress Report for

AT, as approved in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (P.L. 104-13);

ii. Provide for analysis of aggregated and disaggregated data;

iii. Have the capacity to compare data across States;

iv. Meet standard guidelines for accessibility of information and communication technology;

v. Allow States, the Administration for Community Living, and other stakeholders to effectively access and utilize data submitted;

vi. Allow appropriate public access to data in usable formats;

vii. Have the capacity to be appropriately modified or adapted to meet emerging or specialized needs; and

viii. Be able to incorporate data from and/or export relevant data to other data systems, as appropriate.

c. Develop, as appropriate, maintain, and update a national system along with a supportive day-to-day data management system with the input of directors of State AT programs, the entity conducting the National Assistive Technology Training and Technical Assistance Program, and other appropriate entities or individuals;

d. Provide ongoing technical assistance to all States and other stakeholders on the use of this system;

e. Provide technical assistance to all States on the development, use, and improvement of their locally used day-to-day data collection infrastructures;

f. Provide to States, the Administration for Community Living, and other stakeholders data to meet State and Federal reporting requirements;

g. Share data with the Administration for Community Living, the entity conducting the National Assistive Technology Training and Technical Assistance Program, and other stakeholders to conduct analyses of data for planning, management, and improvement of State AT programs; and

h. Collaborate, as appropriate, with entities that maintain or have developed data collection systems for use by State AT programs.

Statutory Authority The statutory authority for grants under this Program Announcement is contained in Section 6(a) and Section 6(b)(5) of the Assistive Technology Act of 2004 (29 U.S.C. 3005).

II. Award Information Funding Instrument Type: Cooperative Agreement Estimated Total Funding: $317,148 Expected Number of Awards: 1 Award Ceiling: $350,000 Per Budget Period Award Floor: $300,000 Per Budget Period

Length of Project Period: 60-month project with five 12-month budget periods

Once a cooperative agreement is in place, requests to modify or amend it or the work plan may be made by ACL or the awardee at any time as long as it stays within the original confines of the proposed project description. Major changes may affect the integrity of the competitive review process. Modifications and/or amendments of the Cooperative Agreement or work plan shall be effective upon the execution of an award notice. When an award is issued the cooperative agreement terms and conditions from the program announcement are incorporated by reference unless ACL is authorized under the Terms and Conditions of award, 45 CFR Part 75, or other applicable regulation or statute to make unilateral amendments.

Cooperative Agreement ACL plans to fund one award for up to $350,000 per year for a total project period of five (5) years, contingent upon availability of Federal funds. This is a new cooperative agreement. ACL will be substantially involved in the activities conducted by the National Assistive Technology Data Analysis and Reporting Assistance grantee. The terms and conditions for this cooperative agreement are as follows and will be incorporated by reference in the Notice of Award (NOA).

ACL will carry out the following activities for the cooperative agreement noted above:

ACL’s Assistive Technology Project Manager will perform the day-to-day Federal responsibilities of managing a grant and will work with the grantee to ensure that the necessary requirements for the grant are met.

Assist the grantee project leadership in understanding the policy concerns and/or priorities of ACL by conducting periodic briefings and by carrying out ongoing consultations.

Work cooperatively with the grantee to clarify the programmatic and budgetary issues to be addressed by the project. If issues are identified, work with the grantee to revise the project work plan, detailing expectations for major activities and products during the 60 month grant.

Provide technical advice to the grantee on the provision of technical support and associated tasks related to the fulfillment of the goals and objectives of this grant.

Review and provide technical advice on grantee work products.

Provide consultation to the grantee in identifying emerging issues as they relate to the goals and objectives of this grant program.

Work with the grantee on the development and implementation of evaluation and quality assurance systems to ensure that performance is measured and continuous improvement occurs.

Attend and participate in major project meetings and events as appropriate.

The grantee will execute the responsibilities of the cooperative agreement as listed below:

Collaborate with the ACL in any in-scope modifications and execution of the work plan, initially within 45 days of the award.

Evaluate the impact of overall project activities and ensure quality assurance systems are in place.

Share information with ACL, national, state, and local partner organizations and other entities as appropriate.

Submit resumes of potential key staff hires as detailed under HHS grants prior approval requirements.

Fulfill all of the requirements of the grant initiative as detailed in this program announcement.

The grantee and ACL will work cooperatively to determine the priority activities to be completed by the project and develop the work plan for each year of the project. Within 45 days of the award and each continuation award thereafter, the grantee will finalize and adhere to a work plan that details its plans to accomplish major activities, products, and reports during the current budget period. The work plan will include a detailed timetable with tangible milestones, project and activity implementation plans, including potential sub-grantees/ subcontractors, staff assignments, and other areas that may require ACL consultation, review, and/or prior approval.

III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants Domestic public or private nonprofit or for-profit organizations, including institutions of higher education, state and local governments, Indian tribal governments and organizations (American Indian/Alaska Native/Native American and Native Hawaiian), faith-based organizations, community-based organizations, hospitals, and institutions of higher education, that have (directly or through a grant or contract):

a. Experience and expertise in administering programs, including developing, implementing, and administering the required activities described in section 4 of the AT Act; and

b. Experience and expertise in providing technical assistance related to data collection and reporting; and

c. Experience with data analysis and reporting.

Note: An eligible entity can demonstrate its experience and expertise on its own or through proposed sub-contracts with other entities that demonstrate the relevant experience and expertise.

2. Cost Sharing or Matching

Cost Sharing / Matching Requirement: No

3. Responsiveness and Screening Criteria

Application Responsiveness Criteria All applications will go through an initial programmatic screening to verify that the applicant meets minimal responsiveness criteria.

All applicants will go through an initial programmatic screening to verify that the applicant is an eligible applicant as outlined in Section III(I) of this Program Announcement. Those that do not meet the required criteria will be administratively eliminated and will not be reviewed.

Application Screening Criteria All applications will be screened to assure a level playing field for all applicants. Applications that fail to meet the three screening criteria described below will not be reviewed and will receive no further consideration.

In order for an application to be reviewed, it must meet the following screening requirements:

1. Applications must be submitted electronically via http://www.grants.gov by 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time, by the due date listed in section IV.3 Submission Dates and Times.

2. The Project Narrative section of the Application must be double-spaced, on 8.5” x 11” plain white paper with 1” margins on both sides, and a standard font size of no less than 11 point, preferably Times New Roman or Arial.

3. The Project Narrative must not exceed 20 pages. Project Narratives that exceed 20 pages will have the additional pages removed and only the first 20 pages of the Project Narrative will be provided to the merit reviewers for funding consideration. NOTE: The Project Work Plan, Letters of Commitment, and Vitae of Key Project Personnel are not counted as part of the Project Narrative for purposes of the 20-page limit.

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

IV. Application and Submission Information

1. Address to Request Application Package Application materials can be obtained from http://www.grants.gov or https://www.acl.gov/grant s/applying-grants.

Please note, ACL is requiring applications for all announcements to be submitted electronically through http://www.grants.gov. The Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov) registration process can take several days. If your organization is not currently registered, please begin this process immediately. For assistance with http://www.grants.gov, please contact them at support @grants.gov or 800-518-4726 between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

At the http://www.grants.gov website, you will find information about submitting an application electronically through the site, including the hours of operation. ACL strongly recommends that you do not wait until the application due date to begin the application process because of the time involved to complete the registration process.

All applicants must have a DUNS number (http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/) and be registered with the System for Award Management (SAM, www.sam.gov) and maintain http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ https://www.acl.gov/grants/applying-grants https://www.acl.gov/grants/applying-grants http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ mailto:support@grants.gov?subject=Support mailto:support@grants.gov?subject=Support http://www.grants.gov/ http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/ http://www.sam.gov/ an active SAM registration until the application process is complete, and should a grant be made, throughout the life of the award. Applicants should finalize a new, or renew an existing, registration at least two weeks before the application deadline. This action should allow you time to resolve any issues that may arise. Failure to comply with these requirements may result in your inability to submit your application or receive an award.

Maintain documentation (with dates) of your efforts to register or renew at least two weeks before the deadline. See the SAM Quick Guide for Grantees at: https://www.sam .gov /sam/ transcript/ SAM_Quick_ Guide_Grants_ Registrations-v1.6. ;pdf.

Note: Once your SAM registration is active, allow 24 to 48 hours for the information to be available in Grants.gov before you can submit an application through Grants.gov. This action should allow you time to resolve any issues that may arise. Failure to comply with these requirements may result in your inability to submit your application or receive an award.

Note: Failure to submit the correct EIN Suffix can lead to delays in identifying your organization and access to funding in the Payment Management System.

Effective October 1, 2010, HHS requires all entities that plan to apply for and ultimately receive federal grant funds from any HHS Operating/Staff Division (OPDIV/STAFFDIV) or receive subawards directly from the recipients of those grant funds to:

1. Register in SAM prior to submitting an application or plan;

2. Maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active award or an application or plan under consideration by an OPDIV; and

3. Provide its DUNS number in each application or plan to submit to the OPDIV.

Additionally, all first-tier subaward recipients must have a DUNS number at the time the subaward is made.

Since October 1, 2003, The Office of Management and Budget has required applicants to provide a Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number when applying for federal grants or cooperative agreements. It is entered on the SF-424. It is a unique, nine-digit identification number, which provides unique identifiers of single business entities. The DUNS number is free and easy to obtain.

Organizations can receive a DUNS number at no cost by calling the dedicated toll-free DUNS Number request line at 866-705-5711 or by using this link to access a guide: http ://www. ;whitehouse.gov/ sites/default/files/omb/grants/duns _num_guide.pdf.

You must submit all documents electronically, including all information included on the SF424 and all necessary assurances and certifications.

After you electronically submit your application, you will receive an automatic acknowledgement from http://www.grants.gov that contains http://www.grants.gov tracking number. The Administration for Community Living will retrieve your application form from http://www.grants.gov.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services https://www.sam.gov/sam/transcript/SAM_Quick_Guide_Grants_Registrations-v1.6.pdf https://www.sam.gov/sam/transcript/SAM_Quick_Guide_Grants_Registrations-v1.6.pdf http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/grants/duns_num_guide.pdf http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/grants/duns_num_guide.pdf http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/

Robert Groenendaal Center for Integrated Programs Phone Number: (202) 795-7356 E-mail: robert.groenendaal@acl.hhs.gov

2. Content and Form of Application Submission

Letter of Intent

Due Date for Letter of Intent: 06/08/2017

Applicants are requested, but not required, to submit a letter of intent to apply for this funding opportunity to assist ACL in planning for the application independent review process. The purpose of the letter of intent is to allow our staff to estimate the number of independent reviewers needed and to avoid potential conflicts of interest in the review.

Letters of intent should be sent to: Robert.Groenendaal@acl.hhs.gov

Project Narrative The Project Narrative must be double-spaced on 8 ½” x 11” paper with 1” margins on both sides, and a standard font size of not less than 11, preferably Times New Roman or Arial. You can use smaller font sizes to fill in the Standard Forms and Sample Formats. The suggested length for the Project Narrative is 15 to 20 pages; 20 pages is the maximum length allowed.

The Project Work Plan, Budget Narrative Justification, Budget Template, Letters of Commitment, and Vitae of Key Personnel are not counted as part of the Project Narrative for purposes of the 20-page limit.

The sample components of the Project Narrative counted as part of the 20-page limit include:

Summary/Abstract Problem Statement Goal(s) and Objective(s) Proposed Intervention Special Target Populations and Organizations Outcomes Project Management Evaluation Dissemination Organizational Capability mailto:robert.groenendaal@acl.hhs.gov mailto:Robert.Groenendaal@acl.hhs.gov

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

Summary/Abstract This section should include a brief - no more than 265 words maximum - description of the proposed project, including: goal(s), objectives, outcomes, and products to be developed.

Detailed instructions for completing the summary/abstract are included in the “Instructions for Completing the Project Summary/Abstract.”

Problem Statement This section should describe, in both quantitative and qualitative terms, the nature and scope of the particular problem or issue the proposed intervention is designed to address, including how the project will potentially affect older adults and /or people with disabilities, their families and caregivers and the health care and social services systems.

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

Proposed Intervention This section should provide a clear and concise description of the intervention you are proposing to use to address the problem described in the “Problem Statement”. You should also describe the rationale for using the particular intervention, including factors such as: “lessons learned” for similar projects previously tested in your community, or in other areas of the country; factors in the larger environment that have created the “right conditions” for the intervention (e.g., existing social or economic factors that you’ll be able to take advantage of, etc.). Also note any major barriers you anticipate encountering, and how your project will be able to overcome those barriers. Be sure to describe the role and makeup of any strategic partnerships you plan to involve in implementing the intervention, including other organizations, supporters, and/or consumer groups.

Special Target Populations and Organizations This section should describe how you plan to involve organizations in a meaningful way in the planning and implementation of the proposed project. This section should also describe whether, and if so, how the proposed intervention will target disadvantaged populations, including limited-English speaking populations, those of greatest economic need and those of greatest social need.

Outcomes Your application will be scored on the clarity and nature of your proposed outcomes, not on the number of outcomes cited. It is totally appropriate for a project to have only ONE outcome that it is trying to achieve through the intervention reflected in the project’s design.

This section of the project narrative must clearly identify the measurable outcome(s) that will result from the project. (NOTE: ACL will not fund any project that does not include measurable outcomes). This section should also describe how the project’s findings might benefit the field at large, (e.g., how the findings could help other organizations throughout the nation address the same or similar problems.) List measurable outcomes in the optional work plan grid (“Project Work Plan – Sample Template”) under “Measurable Outcomes” in addition to any discussion included in the narrative along with a description of how the project might benefit the field at large.

A “measurable outcome” is an observable end-result that describes how a particular intervention benefits consumers. It demonstrates the functional status, mental well-being, knowledge, skill, attitude, awareness or behavior. It can also describe a change in the degree to which consumers exercise choice over the types of services they receive, or whether they are satisfied with the way a service is delivered. Additional examples include: a change in the responsiveness or cost-effectiveness of a service delivery system; a new model of support or care that can be replicated in the ACL network; new knowledge that can contribute to the field of community living; a measurable increase in community awareness; or a measurable increase in persons receiving services. A measurable outcome is not a measurable “output”, such as: the number of clients served; the number of training sessions held; or the number of service units provided.

You should keep the focus of this section on describing what outcome(s) will be produced by the project. You should use the Evaluation section noted below to describe how the outcome(s) will be measured and reported.

Project Management This section should include a clear delineation of the roles and responsibilities of project staff, consultants and partner organizations, and how they will contribute to achieving the project’s objectives and outcomes. It should specify who would have day-to-day responsibility for key tasks such as: leadership of project; monitoring the project’s on-going progress, preparation of reports; communications with other partners and ACL. It should also describe the approach that will be used to monitor and track progress on the project’s tasks and objectives.

Evaluation This section should describe the method(s), techniques and tools that will be used to: 1) determine whether or not the proposed intervention achieved its anticipated outcome(s), and 2) document the “lessons learned” - both positive and negative - from the project that will be useful to people interested in replicating the intervention, if it proves successful.

Dissemination This section should describe the method that will be used to disseminate the project’s results and findings in a timely manner and in easily understandable formats, to parties who might be interested in using the results of the project to inform practice, service delivery, program development, and/or policy-making, including and especially those parties who would be interested in replicating the project.

Organizational Capacity Statement Each application should include an organizational capability statement and vitae for key project personnel. The organizational capability statement should describe how the applicant agency (or the particular division of a larger agency which will have responsibility for this project) is organized, the nature and scope of its work and/or the capabilities it possesses. It should also include the organization’s capability to sustain some or all project activities after Federal financial assistance has ended.

This description should cover capabilities of the applicant agency not included in the program narrative, such as any current or previous relevant experience and/or the record of the project team in preparing cogent and useful reports, publications, and other products. If appropriate, include an organization chart showing the relationship of the project to the current organization.

Please attach short vitae for key project staff only. Neither vitae nor an organizational chart will count towards the narrative page limit. Also include information about any contractual organization(s) that will have a significant role(s) in implementing the project and achieving project goals.

Budget Narrative/Justification The Budget Narrative/Justification can be provided using the format included in the document, “Budget Narrative/Justification – Sample Format.” Applicants are encouraged to pay particular attention to this document, which provides an example of the level of detail sought. A combined multi-year Budget Narrative/Justification, as well as a detailed Budget Narrative/Justification for each year of potential grant funding, is required.

Work Plan

The Project Work Plan should reflect and be consistent with the Project Narrative and Budget and should cover all five (5) years of the project period. It should include a statement of the project’s overall goal, anticipated outcome(s), key objectives, and the major tasks / action steps that will be pursued to achieve the goal and outcome(s). For each major task / action step, the work plan should identify timeframes involved (including start- and end-dates), and the lead person responsible for completing the task. Please use the “Project Work Plan - Sample Template” format as a reference and resource, if desired.

Letters of Commitment from Key Participating Organizations and Agencies

Include confirmation of the commitments to the project (should it be funded) made by collaborating organizations and agencies in this part of the application. Any organization that is specifically named to have a significant role in carrying out the project should be considered an essential collaborator. For applications submitted electronically via http://www.grants.gov, signed letters of commitment should be scanned and included as attachments.

3. Submission Dates and Times Due Date for Applications: 07/21/2017 Date for Informational Conference Call: 06/06/2017 Date for Informational Conference Call: June 6, 2017 at 3:00 p.m. (ET) Conference call-in number: 800-369-1930 Participant Passcode: 7624327

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

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

In addition, if you are submitting your application via Grants.gov, you must (1) be designated by your organization as an Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) and (2) register yourself with Grants.gov as an AOR. Details on these steps are outlined at the following Grants.gov web page: http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/register.html.

After you electronically submit your application, you will receive from Grants.gov an automatic notification of receipt that contains a Grants.gov tracking number. (This notification indicates receipt by Grants.gov only.)

If you are experiencing problems submitting your application through Grants.gov, please contact the Grants.gov Support Desk, toll free, at 1-800-518-4726. You must obtain a Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number and must keep a record of it.

If you are prevented from electronically submitting your application on the application deadline because of technical problems with the Grants.gov system, please contact the person listed under For Further Information Contact in section VII of this notice and provide a written explanation of the technical problem you experienced with Grants.gov, along with the Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number. ACL will contact you after a determination is made on whether your application will be accepted.

Note: We will not consider your application for further review if you failed to fully register to submit your application to Grants.gov before the application deadline or if the technical problem you experienced is unrelated to the Grants.gov system.

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

Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov) will automatically send applicants a tracking number and date of receipt verification electronically once the application has been successfully received and validated in http://www.grants.gov.

4. Intergovernmental Review

This funding opportunity announcement is not subject to the requirements of Executive Order 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs."

5. Funding Restrictions The following activities are not fundable:

Construction and/or major rehabilitation of buildings http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/register.html http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/

Basic research (e.g. scientific or medical experiments) Continuation of existing projects without expansion or new and innovative approaches

Note: A recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report has raised considerable concerns about grantees and contractors charging the Federal Government for additional meals outside of the standard allowance for travel subsistence known as per diem expenses. Executive Orders on Promoting Efficient Spending (E.O. 13589) and Delivering Efficient, Effective and Accountable Government (E.O. 13576) have been issued and instruct Federal agencies to promote efficient spending. Therefore, if meals are to be charged in your proposal, applicants should understand such costs must meet the following criteria outlined in the Executive Orders and HHS Grants Policy Statement:

Meals are generally unallowable except for the following:

o For subjects and patients under study (usually a research program);

o Where specifically approved as part of the project or program activity, e.g., in programs providing children’s services (e.g., Head Start);

o When an organization customarily provides meals to employees working beyond the normal workday, as a part of a formal compensation arrangement;

o As part of a per diem or subsistence allowance provided in conjunction with allowable travel; and o Under a conference grant, when meals are a necessary and integral part of a conference, provided that meal costs are not duplicated in participants’ per diem or subsistence allowances. (Note: conference grant means the sole purpose of the award is to hold a conference)

6. Other Submission Requirements Letters of intent should be emailed to Robert.Groenendaal@acl.hhs.gov.

V. Application Review Information

1. Criteria Applicants must document all of their source material. If any text, language and/or materials are from another source, the applicant must make it clear the material is being quoted and where the text comes from. The applicant must also cite any sources when they obtain numbers, ideas, or other material that is not their own. If the applicant fails to comply with this requirement, regardless of the severity or frequency of the plagiarism, the reviewers shall reduce their scores accordingly even to the degree of issuing no points at all.

Please remember that peer reviewers are instructed that appendix material is to be considered supplemental material to support or show evidence supporting statements made in the narrative.

They are neither requested nor expected to consider appendix material in rating applications.

Applicants responding to this announcement should become familiar with the selection criteria.

These criteria will be used by reviewers and the Administration for Community Living (ACL) staff to evaluate all applications. Applicants should respond to each identified criterion since failure to do so will put an application at a significant disadvantage.

Reviewers of applications report that an application written in a format that follows the peer review criteria and contains a separate budget section greatly facilitates the review process.

Such a format would appear as follows:

SECTION A: Project Relevance & Current Need SECTION B: Approach SECTION C: Budget SECTION D: Project Impact SECTION E: Organizational Capacity APPENDICES: Work Plan, Assurances/Certifications, One-page Resumes, Bibliography, Letters of Support, etc.

Applications are scored by assigning a maximum of 100 points across five criteria:

Project Relevance & Current Need – 20 points

Approach – 40 points

Budget – 10 points

Project Impact – 10 points

Organizational Capacity – 20 points

A. Project Relevance & Current Need Maximum Points:20 In determining the review of the Project Relevance & Current Need, the following factors are considered:

Purpose and Need (10 points maximum)

1. The extent to which the proposed project clearly and sufficiently responds to the priority area to improve the effectiveness of entities funded under section 4 of the AT Act to report on the required state-level and state leadership activities, as described in this Program Announcement.

Problem to be Addressed (10 points maximum)

1. The extent to which the proposed project is justified in terms of relevant resources and knowledge of State Grant for AT programs to address and support national data analysis and reporting activities to improve the administration of the AT Act.

B. Approach Maximum Points:40 In determining the review of the Approach, the following factors are considered:

Methods of Addressing the Problem (30 points maximum)

1. The extent to which the proposed project represents an exceptional approach to the priorities established for this Program Announcement.

2. The extent to which the design of the proposed project is appropriate to, and will successfully address, the needs of State Grant for AT programs in reporting on the required state-level and state leadership activities under the AT Act.

3. The extent to which the proposed project includes relevant and specific expertise of State Grant for AT programs in the delivery of technical assistance and training related to data reporting, validation and analysis.

4. The extent to which the design of the proposed project reflects up-to-date knowledge from effective practice and will obtain and use feedback from recipients of the technical assistance and training on data analysis and reporting.

5. The extent to which the design of the proposed project includes a high-quality plan for project implementation, and the use of appropriate methodological tools and expertise to ensure successful achievement of project objectives.

Work Plan (10 points maximum)

1. The extent to which the objectives to be achieved by the proposed project in the Work Plan are clearly specified and measurable, including clearly defined responsibilities for accomplishing project tasks.

2. The sufficiency of the Work Plan to achieve the objectives of the proposed project on time and within budget.

3. The extent to which the time commitments of the project director and other key project personnel are appropriate and sufficient to meet the objectives of the proposed project and use expertise and experience from the State Grant for AT programs to deliver technical assistance and training.

C. Budget Maximum Points:10 In determining the review of the Budget, the following factors are considered:

1. The extent to which the budget is justified with respect to adequacy and reasonableness of resources requested for the administration of the proposed project.

2. The extent to which the time commitment of the proposed project director and other key staff is sufficient to implement the proposed project, assure proper direction, management, and timely completion of the project.

3. The extent to which budget amounts proposed for personnel are proportionate to other activities, given the scope of the proposal.

D. Project Impact Maximum Points:10 In determining the review of the Project Impact, the following factors are considered:

Project Outcomes (5 points maximum)

1. Are the proposed outcomes and expected project results clear and consistent with the priorities contained in this Program Announcement?

2. Does the applicant propose to issue annual AT program data reports reflecting the performance of the State Grants for AT?

Project Evaluation (5 points maximum)

1. The extent to which the methods of evaluation provide for examining the effectiveness and impact of project implementation strategies on the analysis and reporting of annual AT program data.

2. The extent to which the methods of evaluation will use annual AT program data to provide performance feedback and to inform the delivery of appropriate technical assistance and training.

E. Organizational Capacity Maximum Points:20 In determining the review of the Organizational Capacity, the following factors are considered:

Project Staffing and Qualifications (10 points maximum)

1. Do the proposed project director(s), key project personnel and project consultants or subcontractors have the background, relevant training, experience, and other qualifications required to carry out their designated roles?

2. Are the roles and responsibilities of project staff, consultants, and partners clearly delineated and linked to specific objectives and tasks?

Organization and Management (10 points maximum)

1. Does the applicant's approach clearly identify the capacity for carrying out the proposed project?

2. Does the applicant describe the relevance and demonstrated commitment of each partner in the proposed project to the implementation and success of the project?

3. Are letters from participating organizations included, as appropriate, and do they express the clear commitment and areas of responsibility of those organizations, consistent with the Work Plan description of their intended roles and contributions?

2. Review and Selection Process

As required by 2 CFR Part 200 of the Uniform Guidance, effective January 1, 2016, ACL is required to review and consider any information about the applicant that is in the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS), https://www.fapiis.gov before making any award in excess of the simplified acquisition threshold (currently $150,000) over the period of performance. An applicant may review and comment on any information about itself that a federal awarding agency has previously entered into FAPIIS. ACL will consider any comments by the applicant, in addition to other information in FAPIIS, in making a judgment about the applicant's integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under federal awards when completing the review of risk posed by applicants as described in 2 CFR Section 200.205 Federal Awarding Agency Review of Risk Posed by Applicants (https:// www.ecfr.gov/ cgi-bin/ text-idx?node=se2.1.200_1205&rgn=div8).

An independent review panel of at least three individuals will evaluate applications that pass the responsiveness criteria and screening criteria. These reviewers are experts in their field, and are drawn from academic institutions, non-profit organizations, state and local government, and https://www.fapiis.gov https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?node=se2.1.200_1205&rgn=div8 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?node=se2.1.200_1205&rgn=div8

Federal government agencies. Based on the Application Review Criteria as outlined under section V.1, the reviewers will comment on and score the applications, focusing their comments and scoring decisions on the identified criteria.

Final award decisions will be made by the Administrator, ACL. In making these decisions, the Administrator will take into consideration: recommendations of the review panel; reviews for programmatic and grants management compliance; the reasonableness of the estimated cost to the government considering the available funding and anticipated results; and the likelihood that the proposed project will result in the benefits expected.

The anticipated award date is on or around August 15, 2017, with an estimated project start date of September 1, 2017.

VI. Award Administration Information

1. Award Notices Successful applicants will receive an electronic Notice of Award. The Notice of Award is the authorizing document from the U.S. Administration for Community Living authorizing official, Office of Grants Management. Acceptance of this award is signified by the drawdown of funds from the Payment Management System. Unsuccessful applicants are generally notified within 30 days of the final funding decision and will receive a disapproval letter via e-mail or U.S.

mail. Unless indicated otherwise in this announcement, unsuccessful applications will not be retained by the agency and will be destroyed.

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements The award is subject to HHS Administrative Requirements, which can be found in 45 CFR Part 75 and the Standard Terms and Conditions, included in the Notice of Award as well as implemented through the HHS Grants Policy Statement.

A standard term and condition of award will be included in the final notice of award; all applicants will be subject to a term and condition that applies the terms of 48 CFR section 3.908 to the award and requires the grantees inform their employee in writing of employee whistleblower rights and protections under 41 U.S.C. 4712 in the predominant native language of the workforce.

3. Reporting Effective March 1, 2011, ACL requires the submission of the SF-425 (Federal Financial Report). The reporting cycle will be reflected in the Notice of Award. The ACL program progress report is due semi-annually from the start date of the award and is due within 30 days of the reporting period end date. The final progress report and SF-425 reports are due 90 days after the end of the project period.

Grantees are required to complete the federal cash transactions portion of the SF-425 within the Payment Managements System as identified in their award documents for the calendar quarters ending 3/31, 6/30, 9/30, and 12/31 through the life of their award. In addition, the fully completed SF-425 will be required as denoted in the Notice of Award terms and conditions.

4. FFATA and FSRS Reporting The Federal Financial Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA) requires data entry at the FFATA Subaward Reporting System (http://www.FSRS.gov) for all sub-awards and sub-contracts issued for $25,000 or more as well as addressing executive compensation for both grantee and sub-award organizations.

For further guidance please follow this link to access ACL’s Terms and Conditions: https://www.acl.gov/grants/managing-grant#

VII. Agency Contacts

Project Officer Robert Groenendaal U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Community Living Center for Integrated Programs Email: Robert.Groenendaal@acl.hhs.gov Phone: (202) 795-7356

Grants Management Specialist Sherlonda Blue U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Community Living Office of Grants Management (OGM) Email: Sherlonda.Blue@acl.hhs.gov Phone: (202) 795-7310

VIII. Other Information

1. Application Elements

• SF 424, required – Application for Federal Assistance (See “Instructions for Completing Required Forms” for assistance).

• SF 424A, required – Budget Information. (See Appendix for instructions).

• Separate Budget Narrative/Justification, required (See “Budget Narrative/Justification - Sample Format” for examples and “Budget Narrative/Justification – Sample Template.”) NOTE: Applicants requesting funding for multi-year grant projects are REQUIRED to provide a Narrative/Justification for each year of potential grant funding, as well as a combined multi-http://www.fsrs.gov/ https://www.acl.gov/grants/managing-grant mailto:Sherlonda.Blue@acl.hhs.gov year detailed Budget Narrative/Justification.

• SF 424B – Assurance, required. Note: Be sure to complete this form according to instructions and have it signed and dated by the authorized representative (see item 18d on the SF 424).

• Lobbying Certification, required.

• Proof of non-profit status, if applicable

• Copy of the applicant’s most recent indirect cost agreement or cost allocation plan, if requesting indirect costs.