HHS-2021-ACF-ACYF-EV-1966.pdf

Administration for Children and Families

Administration on Children, Youth and Families - Family and Youth Services Bureau

Family Violence Prevention and Services - Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender and Questioning

Institute on Intimate Partner Violence

HHS-2021-ACF-ACYF-EV-1966

Application Due Date: 07/19/2021

Family Violence Prevention and Services - Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender and Questioning

Institute on Intimate Partner Violence

HHS-2021-ACF-ACYF-EV-1966

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Overview Executive Summary

I. Program Description II. Federal Award Information

III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants

2. Cost Sharing or Matching

3. Other

IV. Application and Submission Information

1. Address to Request Application Package

2. Content and Form of Application Submission

3. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management

(SAM)

4. Submission Dates and Times

5. Intergovernmental Review

6. Funding Restrictions

7. Other Submission Requirements

V. Application Review Information

1. Criteria

2. Review and Selection Process

3. Anticipated Announcement and Federal Award Dates

VI. Federal Award Administration Information

1. Federal Award Notices

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

3. Reporting

VII. HHS Awarding Agency Contact(s) VIII. Other Information

Department of Health & Human Services Administration for Children and Families

Funding Opportunity Title: Family Violence Prevention and

Services - Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender and Questioning Institute on Intimate Partner Violence

Announcement Type: Modification Funding Opportunity Number: HHS-2021-ACF-ACYF-EV-1966 Primary CFDA Number: 93.592 Due Date for Letter of Intent: 06/28/2021 Due Date for Applications: 07/19/2021

Executive Summary

Notice:

Applicants are strongly encouraged to read the entire funding opportunity announcement (FOA) carefully and observe the application formatting requirements listed in Section IV.2. Content and Form of Application Submission.

For more information on applying for grants, please visit "How to Apply for a Grant" on the ACF Grants & Funding Page at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/howto.

The intent of the Family Violence Prevention and Services Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ) Institute on Intimate Partner Violence grant program is to expand the capacity of individuals, organizations, governmental agencies, local communities, tribes, and tribal organizations to identify and respond to the unique and emerging needs of LGBTQ intimate partner violence survivors. The successful grantee will engage in training and technical assistance, public awareness, research and knowledge development, and policy development and systems engagement to enhance national, state, and local efforts to prevent and address LGBTQ intimate partner violence. The grantee will also participate in ongoing coordination and collaboration with the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA)-funded resource centers in the Domestic Violence Resource Network (DVRN), a network of training and technical assistance organizations that coordinates training and technical assistance efforts to improve domestic violence and dating violence prevention and interventions programs nationwide.

One cooperative agreement will be awarded under this FOA to support the LGBTQ Institute on Intimate Partner Violence.

UPDATE 6/11/2021: This FOA has been modified to correct and clarify content regarding page limitations.

I. Program Description http://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/howto

Statutory Authority The statutory authority for this funding opportunity announcement is the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act, 42 U.S.C. 10410(a)(2)(B)(ii).

Description History and Purpose of FVPSA FVPSA provides the primary federal funding stream dedicated to the support of emergency shelter and supportive services for victims of family violence, domestic violence, and dating violence (also known as intimate partner violence or IPV), as well as their dependents.

First authorized as part of the Child Abuse Amendments of 1984 (Public Law 98–457), FVPSA became the first federal commitment to creating a pathway to safety for survivors of domestic violence and their children. FVPSA has been amended eight times and was most recently reauthorized in December 2010 for 5 years by the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) Reauthorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 10401 - 10414).

Since 1984, Congress has continued to make its intent clear that FVPSA funds be used to raise awareness of domestic violence, prevent its occurrence, provide services to victims and their children, and support domestic violence providers to enhance their responses through training and technical assistance.

Specifically, FVPSA has the following statutory purposes:

1. Assist states and Indian tribes in efforts to increase public awareness about primary and secondary prevention of family violence, domestic violence, and dating violence;

2. Assist states and Indian tribes in efforts to provide immediate shelter and supportive services for victims of family violence, domestic violence, and dating violence, and their dependents;

3. Provide for a national domestic violence hotline; and

4. Provide for technical assistance and training relating to family violence, domestic violence, and dating violence programs to states and Indian tribes, local public agencies (including law enforcement agencies; courts; and legal, social service, and health care professionals), nonprofit private organizations (including faith-based and charitable organizations, community- based organizations, and voluntary associations), tribal organizations, and other persons seeking such assistance and training.

FVPSA is administered by the FVPSA program, located in the Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB), a division of the Administration on Children, Youth and Families (ACYF).

FYSB administers mandatory FVPSA formula grants to the following: 1) states and territories,

2) tribes, and 3) state domestic violence coalitions. FVPSA grants are awarded to every state and territory, and to over 200 tribes. Funds awarded to states, territories, and tribes reach more than 1,600 local public, private, nonprofit, and faith-based organizations and programs demonstrating outcomes in the field of domestic violence services and prevention. These domestic violence programs provide victims of family, domestic, and dating violence, and their children with shelter, safety planning, crisis counseling, information and referral, legal advocacy, and additional support services.

Domestic Violence Resource Network (DVRN)

The LGBTQ Institute on Intimate Partner Violence will be a part of FYSB's DVRN, a nationwide network composed of national resource centers, special issues resource centers, culturally specific special issue resource centers, and emerging issue capacity building centers focused on the intervention and prevention of family violence, domestic violence, and dating violence. The DVRN will provide information, resources, training, and technical assistance to improve the capacity of individuals, organizations, governmental agencies, local communities, tribes, and tribal organizations, to prevent family violence, domestic violence, and dating violence; and to provide evidence-based and evidence-informed intervention services. As part of the DVRN, the LGBTQ Institute on IPV will work collaboratively to share its national expertise and deliver domestic violence and dating violence-related training and technical assistance. While the grant recipient will be a member of the DVRN, it will maintain independent governance of its own organization, but will be required to share its expertise with other DVRN members, actively participate in the coordination of technical assistance, attend semi-annual DVRN meetings, and work collaboratively to develop resources as needed.

All DVRN resource centers are expected to conduct their activities in an accessible, linguistically appropriate, culturally responsive, and trauma informed manner and to proactively focus their activities to address racial inequities that exist for survivors of domestic violence, both within victim services and other systems related to the issue areas of the specific resource center. DVRN resource centers actively work to ensure access to services for LGBTQ and Two- Spirit survivors and their children, and to ensure that no person shall on the basis of actual or perceived gender identity or sexual orientation be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under, any program or activity funded in whole or in part through FVPSA, in accordance with FVPSA regulations at 45 CFR part § 1370.5 (a) and (c).

LGBTQ Institute on Intimate Partner Violence Program Requirements

IPV is a significant health and social problem among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, and Two-Spirit communities and has serious physical health, mental health, and social consequences for its victims, their families, communities, and society-at-large. However, victims of IPV continue to face barriers when seeking trauma-informed and culturally competent services to prevent and address such abuse.

Although domestic violence programs are expected to provide services to all survivors of abuse regardless of sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity, some programs may lack the capacity and expertise to ensure services are affirming and relevant to LGBTQ communities. Gay men, for example, have enormous difficulty accessing “mainstream” domestic violence services that have traditionally been dedicated to providing support to cisgender heterosexual women.

Lesbians seeking refuge at domestic violence shelters may encounter homophobia and bias, or may confront the invisibility of their experiences in the form of advertising and resource materials that only address heterosexual intimate partner violence. Transgender women may also be excluded from shelter because they may confound some service providers’ understandings of sex and gender. While LGBTQ people of color are overwhelmingly impacted by IPV, survivors may face barriers when seeking services that are culturally relevant and responsive.

In addition to being racially and ethnically diverse, subpopulations within the LGBTQ community may not share similar experiences as LGBTQ individuals or as survivors of IPV.

For example, LGBTQ immigrants who have experienced persecution because of their sexuality or gender identity within their home country may fear deportation or other adverse consequences if they disclose that they are being abused by a same-sex partner. Likewise, LGBTQ older adults, due to heterosexism and ageism, may not ask for help for fear of stigma and shame. Such realities require that services address the unique and nuanced experiences of LGBTQ survivors. As a result, many domestic violence service providers and LGBTQ-specific organizations throughout the United States struggle to understand the complexities associated with identifying, serving, and supporting LGBTQ survivors.

Through this FOA, FYSB will support one cooperative agreement. The grantee must demonstrate its ability to accomplish the following requirements:

1. Deliver state-of-the-art national training and technical assistance to enhance the organizational capacity of domestic violence programs; state domestic violence coalitions;

FVPSA state administrators; Indian tribal governments; tribal organizations; LGBTQ-specific organizations; federal, state, and local government agencies; national, statewide, and local community-based organizations; allied professionals; and other key stakeholders to provide culturally relevant, linguistically appropriate, trauma-informed, survivor-centered domestic violence and dating violence intervention and prevention services that are accessible to LGBTQ victims, including persons from racially and ethnically diverse communities.

2. Raise and enhance the visibility of LGBTQ-specific domestic violence and dating violence intervention and prevention strategies, prevalence statistics, model shelter/programs policies, and other issues as they emerge through the development and distribution of innovative resources; and multi-media and multi-platform public awareness, social media, and marketing campaigns.

Prevention Definitions:

Primary Prevention: Strategies, policies, and programs to stop first-time perpetration and victimization. Primary prevention is stopping domestic and dating violence before they occur. Primary prevention includes, but is not limited to the following: school-based violence prevention curricula, programs aimed at mitigating the effects on children of witnessing domestic or dating violence, community campaigns designed to alter norms and values conducive to domestic or dating violence, worksite prevention programs, and training and education in parenting skills and self-esteem enhancement.

Secondary Prevention: Identifying risk factors or problems that may lead to future family, domestic, or dating violence, and taking the necessary actions to eliminate the risk factors and the potential problem; and actions may include, but are not limited to, healing services for children and youth who have been exposed to domestic or dating violence, home visiting programs for high-risk families, and screening programs in health care settings.

3. Develop and/or utilize already existing trainings to assist state domestic violence coalitions;

tribes, tribal organizations, government agencies, and community-based, and LGBTQ-specific organizations to address topics such as the following: culturally relevant survivor-centered programming; trauma-focused services; homophobia/transphobia; racial equity; LGBTQ youth and adult homelessness; girls/women of color; services for male victims; engaging faith communities; needs of elder victims; the co-occurrence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and domestic violence; human trafficking; trauma-informed support for formerly incarcerated survivors; meeting the needs of survivors with substance use histories; the intersection of intimate partner violence, gun violence, and community violence prevention; and other relevant and emerging issues that impact the needs of LGBTQ survivors.

4. Conduct or contribute to research, frameworks, and evidence-informed interventions related to family violence, domestic violence, and dating violence prevention or intervention for LGBTQ specific victims of IPV, including, but not limited to, racial and ethnic communities, male victims of IPV, HIV-affected persons, and homeless adults and youth.

5. Develop partnerships and build innovative collaborations between domestic violence providers, LGBTQ-specific organizations, social services agencies, faith-based organizations, racially and ethnically specific organizations, and public health organizations.

6. Work collaboratively with national, statewide, and local community-based domestic violence programs; state domestic violence coalitions; FVPSA state administrators; federal, state, and local government agencies; Indian tribal governments; tribal organizations; national, statewide, and LGBTQ-specific organizations; and other entities involved in assisting survivors of domestic violence and dating violence to identify and respond to emerging issues, technical assistance requests, the adaptation of promising practices, and increasing service demands.

7. Implementation of periodic needs assessments of the domestic violence field and LGBTQ communities to identify unmet training and technical assistance needs, including the identification of unaddressed or under addressed topic areas and audience.

8. Participate actively in the coordination of nationwide technical assistance and training with the members of the DVRN and work collaboratively to develop resources as needed for the field.

9. Plan conferences, webinars, topical meetings, or major project meetings in consultation with FYSB to ensure participation of FYSB staff and, more specifically, facilitate at least two FYSB-sponsored webinars each budget period.

10. Provide virtual training to a range of audiences and audience sizes, including, but not limited to, securing the necessary technical tools/platforms and ensuring staff or consultant subject matter expertise on adult learning, instructional design, and learning management systems best practices.

11. Plan to assist FYSB with technical and logistical support of grantee meetings and conferences, including providing insight from first-hand knowledge and experience that can inform planning, analysis, and implementation as related to identified training and technical assistance topics; identifying meeting/conference venues; subcontracting with quality presenters, facilitators and consultants; working with stakeholders to develop an agenda;

arranging travel; providing onsite support; and following up on conference evaluations.

12. Plan travel expenses for at least one representative from the LGBTQ Institute to participate in two DVRN meetings and one FYSB-sponsored meeting each budget period.

Competitive applicants should highlight qualities that demonstrate their organizational leadership and expertise in serving LGBTQ individuals from culturally diverse communities and geographic locations as well as experience providing training and technical assistance to state domestic violence coalitions, local domestic violence programs, tribal programs, community-based programs and LGBTQ-specific organizations.

LGBTQ Institute on Intimate Partner Violence Program Expectations

The LGBTQ Institute grantee must have a communication plan and national dissemination strategy for sharing promising practices, research findings, project outcomes, and resources nationwide. Grant products will be disseminated broadly, including posting on the grantee's website, the FYSB website, the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence clearinghouse, and other platforms to reach a broad audience of individuals and communities addressing family violence, domestic violence, and dating violence prevention and intervention. Wherever appropriate, grantees shall include information on FYSB-funded domestic violence hotlines (The Hotline, StrongHearts Native Hotline, Love is Respect) on materials.

The LGBTQ Institute must ensure that grant approach, workplans, and deliverables are consistent with a comprehensive approach to advancing equity for all, including people of color and others who have been historically underserved, marginalized, and adversely affected by persistent poverty and inequality. The grantee will provide a comprehensive community equity plan (or other similar documentation within the application) that demonstrates the processes and policies the grantee has in place to ensure the proactive identification of systemic barriers to opportunities and benefits for people of color and other underserved populations and strategic incorporation of activities to redress such barriers in ongoing workplans. This plan (or other similar documentation within the application) will also address policies and practices that are in place to ensure that the grant staffing plan supports the capacity to address those disparities in an ongoing, strategic, and culturally responsive manner, especially for particular underserved populations with documented history of long-standing significant disparities related to the topic of the grant.

o “Underserved” definition: For purposes of this FOA, “underserved population”, “underserved communities” or “people who have been historically underserved” should be read to be consistent with FVPSA statutory and regulatory definitions at 42 U.S. C. § 10402 (14) and 45 CFR § 1370.2. For reference, the definition at 45 CFR part 1370.2 is given here: “Underserved populations means populations who face barriers in accessing and using victim services, and includes populations underserved because of geographic location, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, underserved racial and ethnic populations, and populations underserved because of special needs including language barriers, disabilities, immigration status, and age. Individuals with criminal histories due to victimization and individuals with substance use disorders and mental health issues are also included in this definition. The reference to racial and ethnic populations is primarily directed toward racial and ethnic minority groups (as defined in section 1707(g) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300(u–6)(g)), which means American Indians (including Alaska Natives, Eskimos, and Aleuts); Asian American;

Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders; Blacks and Hispanics. The term ‘‘Hispanic’’ or ‘‘Latino’’ means individuals whose origin is Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central or South American, or any other Spanish speaking country. This underserved populations’ definition also includes other population categories determined by the Secretary [of Health and Human Services] or the Secretary’s designee to be underserved.

The grantee must ensure that grant approach, workplans, and deliverables are consistent with prohibitions on discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation and proactively support access and redress barriers for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning (LGBTQ) and Two-Spirit survivors and their children; and that technical assistance and training is conducted in alignment with FVPSA regulations at 45 CFR § 1370.5 (a) and (c) to ensure that no person shall on the basis of actual or perceived gender identity or sexual orientation be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under, any program or activity funded in whole or in part through FVPSA.

The grantee must maintain the organizational capacity to implement the project including the following: relevant subject matter expertise (domestic violence and as needed for proposed projects); research and evaluation capacity; administrative capacity; project management capacity; national resource center leadership; and sufficient staffing to meet project goals and deliverables. Grantees shall maintain clear plans for maintaining organizational capacity and continuity of services during emergency, disaster, and/or pandemic situations and transition of key project staff.

The LGBTQ Institute grantee must retain up-to-date expertise on LGBTQ communities and domestic violence, including conducting periodic needs assessments of the domestic violence field and human services systems in order to identify unmet training and technical assistance needs, including the identification of unaddressed or under addressed topic areas and audiences.

This shall include, but not be limited to, completion of a national needs assessment in the first 6 months of project year 1 and year 4.

Finally, as this is a cooperative agreement that will include substantial involvement from the FVPSA Program in FYSB, the applicants must actively partner with the FVPSA program officers in implementing the resource center's deliverables. The grantee shall plan conferences, meetings, or major project meetings in conjunction with FYSB to allow participation of FYSB staff. The grantee shall plan to develop, review, and discuss a detailed plan for project implementation, a work-plan, a trainings/events schedule, an evaluation schedule, and a plan for reporting on the outcome and success of the project. Applicants will need to plan to partner with FVPSA program officers in the planning, coordination, and implementation of meetings for FVPSA grantees. More information on how FYSB will be involved is included in Section II.

Federal Award Information: Description of ACF's Anticipated Substantial Involvement Under the Cooperative Agreement.

Applicants must plan travel to participate in at least one FVPSA Program/FYSB meeting per budget period. The grantee must plan to assist FYSB with technical and logistical support of grantee meetings and conferences, including providing insight from first-hand knowledge and experience that can inform planning, analysis, and implementation as related to identified training and technical assistance topics; identifying meeting/conference venues; subcontracting with quality presenters; facilitators and consultants; working with stakeholders to develop an agenda; arranging travel; providing onsite support; and following up on conference evaluations.

II. Federal Award Information Funding Instrument Type: Cooperative Agreement Estimated Total Funding: $600,000 Expected Number of Awards: 1 Award Ceiling: $600,000 Per Budget Period Award Floor: $400,000 Per Budget Period Average Projected Award Amount: $450,000 Per Budget Period Anticipated Project Start Date: 09/30/2021

Length of Project Periods:

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

Additional Information on Awards:

Awards made under this announcement are subject to the availability of federal funds.

Applications requesting an award amount that exceeds the Award Ceiling per budget period, or per project period, as stated in this section, will be disqualified from competitive review and from funding under this announcement. This disqualification applies only to the Award Ceiling listed for the first 12-month budget period for projects with multiple budget periods. If the project and budget period are the same, the disqualification applies to the Award Ceiling listed for the project period. Please see Section III.3. Other, Application Disqualification Factors.

Note: For those programs that require matching or cost sharing, recipients will be held accountable for projected commitments of non-federal resources in their application budgets and budget justifications by budget period or by project period for fully funded awards, even if the projected commitment exceeds the required amount of match or cost share. A recipient's failure to provide the required matching amount may result in the disallowance of federal funds. See Section III.2. of this announcement for information on cost-sharing or matching requirements.

Description of ACF's Anticipated Substantial Involvement Under the Cooperative Agreement

All awards will be cooperative agreements. A cooperative agreement is an award instrument used when substantial involvement is anticipated between the awarding office and the recipient during performance of the contemplated project. FYSB will collaborate with the grantee throughout the project period.

FYSB will provide consultation and will review and approve the work plan for the project, as well as the structure and integrity of the selected grantee. FYSB will also approve any revisions to the work plan or structure of the selected grantee during each budget/project period.

Additionally, FYSB will approve significant project activities and changes to project plans.

FYSB will review and approve final drafts of all updated or new materials, articles, major publications, and research reports that are developed or distributed with resources made available under this cooperative agreement.

FYSB will be involved in the development of long-term strategies for the implementation of the project and will participate in major project activities, such as conferences, topical meetings, or major project meetings. FYSB will organize periodic consultations, meetings, briefings, teleconferences, webinars, and other forums necessary to review current and planned activities, to share information, and to promote national coordination.

FYSB does not anticipate substantial involvement in the grantee’s creation of data collection activities, such as those related to needs assessments, evaluations, and requests for feedback, and grantees are not expected to submit such data collection instruments for program office review and approval. In cases where FYSB is directly involved in the creation of data collection activities under this FOA, data collection will be conducted consistent with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, (44 U.S.C. 3501-3521) and display a valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number.

FYSB will keep the grantee informed about expectations for performance, current FYSB policy, and FYSB's vision for addressing family violence, domestic violence, and dating violence. The respective responsibilities of FYSB will be identified and incorporated into the terms and conditions of the award during pre-award negotiations. It is anticipated that the cooperative agreement will not change the project requirements for the grantee under this announcement.

III. Eligibility Information

III.1. Eligible Applicants

To be eligible to receive this discretionary grant, an entity shall be a private, non-profit organization (including faith-based and charitable organizations, community-based organizations, culturally specific organizations, and voluntary associations); or a for-profit organization (other than a sole proprietorship); or a tribal organization; or a state, tribal, or local government; or a public, private, or state-controlled institution of higher education.

Faith-based organizations may apply for this award on the same basis as any other organization, as set forth at and, subject to the protections and requirements of this part and 42 U.S.C. 2000bb et seq., the Department will not, in the selection of recipients, discriminate against an organization on the basis of the organization’s religious character, affiliation, or exercise.

Applications from individuals (including sole proprietorships) and foreign entities are not eligible and will be disqualified from competitive review and from funding under this announcement. See Section III.3. Other, Application Disqualification Factors.

Faith-based and community organizations that meet the eligibility requirements are eligible to receive awards under this funding opportunity announcement.

See Section IV.2. Legal Status of Applicant Entity for documentation required to support eligibility.

III.2. Cost Sharing or Matching

Cost Sharing / Matching Requirement: No

For all federal awards, any shared costs or matching funds and all contributions, including cash and third-party in-kind contributions, must be accepted as part of the recipient’s cost sharing or matching when such contributions meet all of the criteria listed in 45 CFR § 75.306.

For awards that require matching by statute, recipients will be held accountable for projected commitments of non-federal resources in their application budgets and budget justifications by budget period, or by project period for fully funded awards, even if the projected commitment exceeds the amount required by the statutory match. A recipient’s failure to provide the statutorily required matching amount may result in the disallowance of federal funds. Recipients will be required to report these funds in the Federal Financial Reports.

For awards that do not require matching or cost sharing by statute, where “cost sharing” refers to any situation in which the recipient voluntarily shares in the costs of a project other than as statutorily required matching, recipients will be held accountable for projected commitments of non-federal resources in their application budgets and budget justifications by budget period, or by project period for fully funded awards. These include situations in which contributions are voluntarily proposed by a recipient or subrecipient and are accepted by ACF.

Non-federal cost sharing will be included in the approved project budget so that the recipient will be held accountable for proposed non-federal cost-sharing funds as shown in the Notice of Award (NOA). A recipient’s failure to provide voluntary cost sharing of non-federal resources that have been accepted by ACF as part of the approved project costs and that have been shown as part of the approved project budget in the NOA, may result in the disallowance of federal funds. Recipients will be required to report these funds in the Federal Financial Reports.

III.3. Other

Application Disqualification Factors Applications from individuals (including sole proprietorships) and foreign entities are not eligible and will be disqualified from competitive review and from funding under this announcement.

Award Ceiling Disqualification Applications that request an award amount that exceeds the Award Ceiling per budget period or per project period ("per project period" refers only to fully funded awards), as stated in Section II. Federal Award Information, will be disqualified from competitive review and from funding under this announcement. This disqualification applies only to the Award Ceiling listed for first 12-month budget period for projects with multiple budget periods. If the project and budget period are the same, the disqualification applies to the Award Ceiling listed for the project period.

Required Electronic Application Submission ACF requires electronic submission of applications at www.Grants.gov. Paper applications received from applicants that have not been approved for an exemption from required electronic submission will be disqualified from competitive review and from funding under this announcement.

Applicants that do not have an Internet connection or sufficient computing capacity to upload large documents to the Internet may contact ACF for an exemption that will allow the applicant to submit applications in paper format. Information and the requirements for requesting an exemption from required electronic application submission are found in "ACF Policy for Requesting an Exemption from Electronic Application Submission" at www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/howto#chapter-6.

Missing the Application Deadline (Late Applications) The deadline for electronic application submission is 11:59 p.m., ET, on the due date listed in the Overview and in Section IV.4. Submission Dates and Times. Electronic applications submitted to www.Grants.gov after 11:59 p.m., ET, on the due date, as indicated by a dated and time-stamped email from www.Grants.gov, will be disqualified from competitive review and from funding under this announcement. That is, applications submitted to www.Grants.gov, on or after 12:00 a.m., ET, on the day after the due date will be disqualified from competitive review and from funding under this announcement.

Applications submitted to www.Grants.gov at any time during the open application period, and prior to the due date and time, which fail the www.Grants.gov validation check, will not be received at, or acknowledged by, ACF.

Each time an application is submitted via www.Grants.gov, the submission will generate a new date and time-stamp email notification. Only those applications with on-time date and time stamps that result in a validated application, which is transmitted to ACF, will be acknowledged.

The deadline for receipt of paper applications is 4:30 p.m., ET, on the due date listed in the Overview and in Section IV.4. Submission Dates and Times. Paper applications received after 4:30 p.m., ET, on the due date will be disqualified from competitive review and from funding under this announcement. Paper applications received from applicants that have not received approval of an exemption from required electronic submission will be disqualified from competitive review and from funding under this announcement.

Notification of Application Disqualification https://www.grants.gov https://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/howto#chapter-6 https://www.Grants.gov https://www.Grants.gov https://www.Grants.gov https://www.Grants.gov https://www.Grants.gov https://www.Grants.gov

Applicants will be notified of a disqualification determination by email or by USPS postal mail within 30 federal business days from the closing date of this FOA.

IV. Application and Submission Information

IV.1. Address to Request Application Package

FYSB Operations Center c/o F2 Solutions Attn: Family Violence Prevention and Services/ LGBTQ Institute on Intimate Partner Violence

FOA: HHS-2021-ACF-ACYF-EV-1966

1401 Mercantile Lane Suite 410 Largo , MD 20774 Phone: 1-885-792-6551

Electronic Application Submission:

The electronic application submission package is available in the FOA's listing at www.Grants.gov.

Applications in Paper Format:

For applicants that have received an exemption to submit applications in paper format, Standard Forms, assurances, and certifications are available in the "Select Grant Opportunity Package" available in the FOA's Grants.gov Synopsis under the Package tab at www.Grants.gov. See Section IV.2. Request an Exemption from Required Electronic Application Submission if applicants do not have an Internet connection or sufficient computing capacity to upload large documents (files) to www.Grants.gov.

Federal Relay Service:

Hearing-impaired and speech-impaired callers may contact the Federal Relay Service (FedRelay) for assistance at www.gsa.gov/fedrelay.

IV.2. Content and Form of Application Submission

FORMATTING APPLICATION SUBMISSIONS

Each applicant applying electronically via www.Grants.gov is required to upload only two electronic files, excluding Standard Forms and OMB-approved forms. No more than two files will be accepted for the review, and additional files will be removed. Standard Forms and OMB-approved forms will not be considered additional files.

FOR ALL APPLICATIONS:

Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) AOR is the designated representative of the applicant/recipient organization with authority to act on the organization’s behalf in matters related to the award and administration of grants. In https://www.Grants.gov https://www.Grants.gov https://www.grants.gov http://www.gsa.gov/fedrelay https://www.grants.gov/ signing a grant application, this individual agrees that the organization will assume the obligations imposed by applicable Federal statutes and regulations and other terms and conditions of the award, including any assurances, if a grant is awarded.

Point of Contact In addition to the AOR, a point of contact on matters involving the application must also be identified. The point of contact, known as the Project Director or Principal Investigator, should not be identical to the person identified as the AOR. The point of contact must be available to answer any questions pertaining to the application.

Application Checklist Applicants may refer to Section VIII. Other Information for a checklist of application requirements that may be used in developing and organizing application materials.

Accepted Font Style Applications must be in Times New Roman (TNR), 12-point font, except for footnotes, which may be TNR 10-point font. Pages that contain blurred text, or text that is too small to read comfortably, will be removed.

English Language Applications must be submitted in the English language and must be in the terms of United States (U.S.) dollars. If applications are submitted using another currency, ACF will convert the foreign currency to U.S. currency using the date of receipt of the application to determine the rate of exchange.

Page Limitations Applicants must observe the page limitation(s) listed under "PAGE LIMITATIONS AND CONTENT FOR ALL SUBMISSION FORMATS:". Page limitation(s) do not include SFs and OMB-approved forms.

All applications must be double-spaced. An application that exceeds the cited page limitation for double-spaced pages in the Project Description file or the Appendices file will have extra pages removed and those pages will not be reviewed.

Application Elements Exempted from Double-Spacing Requirements The following elements of the application submission are exempt from the double-spacing requirements and may be single-spaced: the table of contents, the one-page Project Summary, required Assurances and Certifications, required SFs, required OMB-approved forms, resumes, logic models, proof of legal status/non-profit status, third-party agreements, letters of support, footnotes, tables, the line-item budget and/or the budget justification.

Adherence to FOA Formatting, Font, and Page Limitation Requirements Applications that fail to adhere to ACF’s FOA formatting, font, and page limitation requirements will be adjusted by the removal of page(s) from the application. Pages will be removed before the objective review. The removed page(s) will not be made available to reviewers.

Applications that have more than one scanned page of a document on a single page will have the page(s) removed from the review.

For applicants that submit paper applications, double-sided pages will be counted as two pages.

When the maximum allowed number of pages is reached, excess pages will be removed and will not be made available to reviewers.

NOTE: Applicants failing to adhere to ACF’s FOA formatting, font, and page limitation requirements will receive a letter from ACF notifying them that their application was amended.

The letter will be sent after awards have been issued and will specify the reason(s) for removal of page(s).

Corrections/Updates to Submitted Applications When applicants make revisions to a previously submitted application, ACF will accept only the last on-time application for pre-review under the Application Disqualification Factors. The Application Disqualification Factors determine the application's acceptance for competitive review. See Section III.3. Application Disqualification Factors and Section IV.2. Application Submission Options.

Copies Required Applicants must submit one complete copy of the application package electronically. Applicants submitting electronic applications need not provide additional copies of their application package.

Applicants submitting applications in paper format must submit one original and two copies of the complete application, including all Standard Forms and OMB-approved forms. The original copy must have original signatures.

Signatures Applicants submitting electronic applications must follow the registration and application submission instructions provided at www.Grants.gov.

The original of a paper format application must include original signatures of the authorized representatives.

Accepted Application Format With the exception of the required Standard Forms (SFs) and OMB-approved forms, all application materials must be formatted so that they are 8 ½" x 11" white paper with 1-inch margins all around.

If possible, applicants are encouraged to include page numbers for each page within the application.

ACF generally does not encourage submission of scanned documents as they tend to have reduced clarity and readability. If documents must be scanned, the font size on any scanned documents must be large enough so that it is readable. Documents must be scanned page-for-page, meaning that applicants may not scan more than one page of a document onto a single page. Pages with blurred text will be removed from the application.

PAGE LIMITATIONS AND CONTENT FOR ALL SUBMISSION FORMATS:

The Project Description (File One) is limited to 50 pages and must include the following:

1. Table of Contents

2. Project Summary/Abstract (one page)

3. Objectives and Need for Assistance

4. Expected Outcomes

5. Approach

6. Timeline and Narrative

7. Logic Model

8. Program Performance and Evaluation Plan

9. Organizational Capacity

10. Dissemination Plan

11. Protection of Sensitive and/or Confidential Information

12. Project Sustainability Plan

13. Line Item Budget and Budget Justification (exempt from page limitations)

The Appendices (File Two) (exempt from the page limitations) must include:

1. Staff Position Information (e.g., resumes of key staff, job descriptions, organizational chart)

2. List of Board of Directors or other governing body members (as applicable)

3. Financial Statements (as applicable)

4. Third-Party Agreements/Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) (as applicable)

5. Letters of Support

6. Required Forms, Certifications, and Assurances

7. Proof of Legal Status

8. Indirect Cost Rate Letter (as applicable)

9. Other Eligibility Documents (as applicable)

Please note again that SFs and OMB-approved forms are not to be count toward the page limit.

To the extent possible, please limit the appendix file to one 50-page PDF submission.

Please remember that shorter applications are often easier for reviewers to fully understand and evaluate. FYSB suggests that applicants use headings, subheadings, bullet points, extra spaces, and formatting such as bold or underline to help grant reviewers easily locate each aspect of the grant application and determine that each point has been addressed in the application.

ELECTRONIC APPLICATION SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

Applicants are required to submit their applications electronically unless they have requested and received an exemption that will allow submission in paper format. See Section IV.2.

Application Submission Options for information about requesting an exemption.

Electronic applications will only be accepted via www.Grants.gov. ACF will not accept applications submitted via email or via facsimile.

Each applicant is required to upload ONLY two electronic files, excluding SFs and OMB-approved forms.

File One: Must contain the entire Project Description, and the Budget and Budget Justification (including a line-item budget and a budget narrative).

File Two: Must contain all documents required in the Appendices.

Adherence to the Two-File Requirement No more than two files will be accepted for the review. Applications with additional files will be amended and files will be removed from the review. SFs and OMB-approved forms will not be considered additional files.

Application Upload Requirements ACF strongly recommends that electronic applications be uploaded as Portable Document Files (PDFs). One file must contain the entire Project Description and Budget Justification; the other file must contain all documents required in the Appendices. Details on the content of each of the two files, as well as page limitations, are listed earlier in this section.

To adhere to the two-file requirement, applicants may need to convert and/or merge documents together using a PDF converter software. Many recent versions of Microsoft Office include the ability to save documents to the PDF format without need of additional software. Applicants using the Adobe Acrobat Reader software will be able to merge these documents together. ACF recommends merging documents electronically rather than scanning multiple documents into one document manually, as scanned documents may have reduced clarity and readability.

Applicants must ensure that the version of Adobe Acrobat Reader they are using is compatible with Grants.gov. To verify Adobe software compatibility please go to Grants.gov and click on “Applicants” at the top bar menu and select “Adobe Software Compatibility", which is listed under "Applicant Resources." The Adobe verification process allows applicants to test their version of the software by opening a test Workspace PDF form. Grants.gov also includes guidance on how to download a supported version of Adobe, as well as troubleshooting instructions for use, if an applicant is unable to open the test form.

The Adobe Software Compatibility page located on Grants.gov also provides guidance for applicants on filling out a Workspace PDF form. In addition, it addresses local network and/or computer security settings and the impact this has on use of Adobe software.

Required Standard Forms (SFs) and OMB-approved Forms Standard Forms (SFs) and OMB-approved forms, such as the SF-424 application and budget forms and the SF-P/PSL (Project/Performance Site Location), are uploaded separately at

Grants.gov. These forms are submitted separately from the Project Description and Appendices files. See Section IV.2. Required Forms, Assurances, and Certifications for the listing of required Standard Forms, OMB-approved forms, and required assurances and certifications.

Naming Application Submission Files Carefully observe the file naming conventions required by www.Grants.gov. Limit file names to 50 characters (characters and spaces). Special characters that are allowed under Grants.gov’s naming conventions, and are accommodated by ACF’s systems, are listed in the instructions available in the "Select Grant Opportunity Package" at Grants.gov. Please also see https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/submitting-utf-8-special-characters.html.

Use only file formats supported by ACF It is critical that applicants submit applications using only the supported file formats listed here.

While ACF supports all of the following file formats, we strongly recommend that the two application submission files (Project Description and Appendices) are uploaded as PDF documents in order to comply with the two file upload limitation. Documents in file formats that are not supported by ACF will be removed from the application and will not be used in the competitive review. This may make the application incomplete and ACF will not make any awards based on an incomplete application.

ACF supports the following file formats:

Adobe PDF – Portable Document Format (.pdf) Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) Microsoft Excel (.xls or .xlsx) Microsoft PowerPoint (.ppt) Image Formats (.JPG, .GIF, .TIFF, or .BMP only)

Do Not Encrypt or Password-Protect the Electronic Application Files If ACF cannot access submitted electronic files because they are encrypted or password protected, the affected file will be removed from the application and will not be reviewed. This removal may make the application incomplete and ACF will not make awards based on an incomplete application.

FORMATTING FOR PAPER APPLICATION SUBMISSIONS:

The following requirements are only applicable to applications submitted in paper format.

Applicants must receive an exemption from ACF in order for a paper format application to be accepted for review. For more information on the exemption, see "ACF Policy on Requesting an Exemption from Required Electronic Application Submission'" at www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/ howto#chapter-6

Format Requirements for Paper Applications All copies of mailed or…