HHS_2021_ACL_AOA_TAKG_0103.pdf

Administration for Community Living

Administration on Aging

National Technical Assistance Center on Kinship and Grandfamilies

HHS-2021-ACL-AOA-TAKG-0103

07/26/2021

Table of Contents Executive Summary

Additional Overview Content/Executive Summary

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

Letter of Intent

Project Narrative

Summary/Abstract

Problem Statement

Goals and Objectives

Proposed Intervention

Special Target Populations and Organizations

Outcomes

Project Management

Evaluation

Dissemination

Organizational Capability

Budget Narrative/Justification

Work Plan

Letters of Commitment from Key Participating Organizations and Agencies

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

The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (P.L. 104-13)

Appendix

Instructions for Completing Required Forms

Budget Narrative/Justification- Sample Format

Instructions for Completing the Project Summary/ Abstract

ACL Center:

Administration on Aging Funding Opportunity Title:

National Technical Assistance Center on Kinship and Grandfamilies Funding Opportunity Number:

HHS-2021-ACL-AOA-TAKG-0103

Primary CFDA Number:

93.048 Due Date for Letter of Intent:

06/24/2021 Due Date for Applications:

07/26/2021 Date for Informational Conference Call:

06/08/2021 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 https://www.grants.gov. Grants.gov can take up to 48 hours to notify you of a successful submission.

Executive Summary Additional Overview Content/Executive Summary INFORMATIONAL CONFERENCE CALL: Tuesday, June 8, 2021 at 2:00 PM (ET) Conference Call Phone Number: 800-369-1857; Pass Code: 3598241#

The U.S. Administration for Community Living (ACL), Administration on Aging (AoA), is https://www.grants.gov/ providing this competitive funding opportunity to eligible entities for implementing the requirements of the National Technical Assistance Center (NTAC) for Kinship and Grandfamilies, as authorized in the American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021 (P.L. 117-2).

Through this funding opportunity announcement, ACL will award one (1) Cooperative Agreement with a federal funding level up to $1,990,000 each year for 5-years, for a potential maximum funding of $9,950,000 over the course of the 5-year project period. The grantee and their partners, if any, will develop and test approaches for providing technical assistance, training, resources, and support for program development to targeted audiences, including States, Territories, Indian Tribes, Tribal Organizations, urban Indian organizations, and nonprofit and community-based organizations to better serve and support the health and well-being of members of kinship and grandfamilies, including caregivers, children, and their parents.

Prospective applicants should carefully read all application requirements and submit proposals that completely address the priority areas described herein.

I. Funding Opportunity Description Background:

Who are Kinship and Grandfamilies?

Increasingly, kin and grandparent caregivers across the nation are being called upon to provide vital support for American families, serving as a financial safety net for their adult children and offering practical assistance along the way, such as child-care. When unexpected tragedies happen and parents can no longer care for their children, there is no one better suited to step in as primary caregiver than grandparents and those extended family members and close friends who know and love the children.

Kinship Families and Grandfamilies are becoming increasingly common. Currently, an estimated

2.7 million American children living in households led by a parent, relative, or close family friend without their parents present (Generations United, 2020). These caregivers are stepping up at tremendous cost to their own financial, physical, and emotional well-being. While intergenerational living is often hailed as a way to support the older generation, many Kinship Families and Grandfamilies are formed and maintained out of necessity for the benefit of the children within them (Baker, Silverstein, & Putney, 2008)[1].

While research data shows that these millions of families span the socioeconomic spectrum, they are overwhelming more likely to be led by older adults who are poor, ethnically diverse, and live with disabilities (Generations United, 2020)[2]. Coupled with the complex array of needs that exist in these families, is the fact that the system they often turn to for support is fragmented, inadequate and poorly resourced, or it simply does not acknowledge the roles and responsibilities they are taking on.

To heighten visibility and address the need for better support, information, and services to assist Kinship Families and Grandfamilies, Congress passed the Supporting Grandparents Raising Grandchildren (SGRG) Act (PL 115-196). The SGRG Act, signed into law in July 2018, authorized the establishment of an advisory council made up of grandparents who are raising grandchildren and representatives from federal agencies, and the private and public sectors.

https://acl.gov/programs/support-caregivers/supporting-grandparents-raising-grandchildren-0

Congress charged the council with seeking ways to strengthen supports to Kinship Families and Grandfamilies through the identification and promotion of information, best practices, resources, and recommendations to ensure these caregivers meet the needs of the children in their care while at the same time are able to maintain their own physical and mental health, and emotional well-being. This vision includes all Kinship Families and Grandfamilies, regardless of their relationship to the child and whether they are providing formal (i.e., legally recognized) or informal care. It is anticipated that the advisory council will play an integral role in the ongoing work of the NTAC.

Purpose, Goals and Suggested Outcomes:

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021 was signed into law on March 11, 2021.

Section 2922 of the ARPA authorizes the Administration for Community Living (ACL) to establish a National Technical Assistance Center on Kinship and Grandfamilies (NTAC) for the purpose of expanding and enhancing the capacity of States, Territories, Indian Tribes, Tribal Organizations, urban Indian organizations, and nonprofit or other community-based organizations to better serve and support the health and well-being of kinship and grandfamilies.

ACL’s primary goal for the NTAC is to measurably increase the capacity and effectiveness of states, territories, tribes/tribal organizations and nonprofit and other community-based organizations to serve and support kinship and grandfamilies. As such, applicants will be expected to propose a set of specific and measurable outcomes against which to measure progress towards the stated goals. Over the course of this new, five-year project, ACL seeks outcomes that might include, but are not limited to:

Measureable increases in the number of identified existing and new, evidence-based, evidence informed, and exemplary practices or programs in use nationwide;

Measurable, sustained increases in the competency and capacity of states, territories, tribes/tribal organizations, nonprofit and other community-based organizations to better serve and support kinship and grandfamilies; and/or

Measurable improvements in the ability of kinship and grandfamilies to access the supports and services they need, across a range of issues.

Activities and Objectives of the NTAC on Kinship and Grandfamilies:

To realize Congress’ vision for the NTAC, ACL seeks applications from interested parties proposing to undertake strategies and approaches to:

Engage and collaborate with individuals who possess expertise in health promotion (including mental health and substance use disorder treatment), education, nutrition, housing, financial needs, legal issues, trauma, disability self-determination, criminal justice, caregiver support, and other issues relevant to supporting kinship and grandfamily caregivers;

Identify existing and/or foster the development of new, evidence-based, evidence informed, and exemplary practices or programs and propose approaches for supporting their implementation, scaling and replication;

Develop and provide technical assistance, resources, and training related to health promotion (including mental health and substance use disorder treatment), education, nutrition, housing, financial needs, legal issues, disability self-determination, caregiver support, and other issues to individuals and entities across systems;

Facilitate and foster learning across States, territories, Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, and urban Indian organizations to more effectively support kinship and grandfamilies;

Help government programs, nonprofit and other community-based organizations, and Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, and urban Indian organizations, serving grandfamilies and kinship families plan and coordinate responses to assist grandfamilies and kinship families during national, State, Tribal, territorial, and local emergencies and disasters;

As applicable and possible, ground the NTAC’s activities in the recommendations of the Advisory Council to Support Grandparents Raising Grandchildren and the forthcoming National Family Caregiving Strategy; and

Promote equity and implement culturally and linguistically appropriate approaches across all activities, topic areas and with all target audiences.

Priority Focus Areas:

ACL seeks to establish the NTAC as an entity that operates on a national scale and, from the outset, serves all target audiences as defined in Section 2922 of the ARPA and by ACL. In this capacity, the NTAC will become the nationally recognized source of expert, policy and programmatic training and technical support to states, territories, tribes/tribal organizations and nonprofit and other community-based organizations, with particular attention to the following topic areas known to be of critical importance to kinship and grandfamilies:

Health promotion, including mental health and substance use disorder treatment;

Education;

Nutrition;

Housing;

Financial needs;

Legal issues, including guardianship, foster care, and adoption;

Trauma and trauma-informed care;

Disability self-determination;

Criminal Justice;

Intergenerational programming;

Multi-faceted, community-based supports (e.g., information, assistance, counseling, respite, other goods/services), with particular attention to:

o Diversity and equity, including traditionally underserved populations, particularly those in greatest economic and social need;

o Those who are further isolated from services and supports by their race, ethnicity, cultural background, sexual orientation/gender identity, geographic location (i.e., rural or frontier), and/or limited English speaking proficiency; and

Other topics as identified by the grantee, partners and ACL.

In this regard, applicants should carefully consider and describe how the strategies and approaches outlined previously will be carried out while addressing the key topic areas directly above.

Organizational Capacity To successfully meet ACL’s expectations for this initiative, the successful grantee will be one that possesses the organizational capacity to apply multi-faceted, comprehensive approaches in their efforts. To that end, applicants should fully describe their capacities to:

Ensure expeditious startup of project activities upon notice of award;

Work effectively with all stated target audiences to achieve desired outcomes;

Employ efficient and effective strategies that maximize available resources, including technology, while ensuring measurable reach and impact of technical assistance; and Ensure sustainability of all activities once Federal funding ends.

Applicants should demonstrate expertise, either directly or through the use of subject matter experts, sub-contracts and sub-grants to carry out the desired activities outlined in this funding opportunity. Applicants will be reviewed and scored, in part, on how well they demonstrate such expertise and/or how they propose to ensure it is available throughout the life of the project. To this end, the use of sub-grants or sub-contracts is permissible. Applicants should fully describe their rationale and criteria for selecting sub-grantees/contractors as well as how they will be managed and monitored to ensure successful completion of all project tasks.

Collaboration and Partnerships To most effectively accomplish the goals and objectives outlined in this funding opportunity, ACL anticipates that the successful applicant will demonstrate the commitment to broad collaboration with other organizations and individuals with the diverse areas of expertise required to meet the objectives described above. Applicants should describe the partner organizations and the role of each in the planning, development and implementation of the proposed project. Letters of support from partnering organizations should be included as part of the application package and should reflect the unique contributions of each entity. Letters of support will be reviewed and evaluated to determine the likely value of each named partner and its relative impact to the proposed project.

Use of advisory/steering committee and subject matter experts A steering committee and other subject matter experts (SMEs) can be effective additions to any project and can help to ensure that diverse ideas are considered in the planning and implementation of any new project. Applicants for this opportunity should explain how they will use a steering committee to assist their efforts and include a listing of the backgrounds of individuals (e.g. consumers, professionals and organizations) that will be invited to participate.

As this is a cooperative agreement, ACL anticipates ongoing and substantial involvement in the identification and engagement of steering committee members and other subject matter experts over the life of the project. The grantee is permitted to provide stipends to steering committee members and other SMEs, as necessary, to appropriately reimburse for their time and expertise on work directly related to this project.

Sub-grants and/or subcontracts Provision of funding for sub-grantees or subcontracts to carry out specific activities is expected, as ACL believes this project will have a greater likelihood of success when a range of organizations, or individual subject matter experts, undertakes the work and/or the applicant identifies a gap in expertise necessary to fully complete project goals and objectives. Applicants should fully describe their rationale and criteria for selecting sub-grantees/subcontractors, including their approaches for monitoring sub-grantee/subcontractor progress and ensuring successful completion of all tasks.

Training and Technical Assistance Approaches and Strategies ACL has a long history of funding training and technical support activities for the purposes of expanding capacities and competencies of relevant entities to provide essential services and supports to targeted populations. To be successful, the NTAC’s approaches will need to be multifaceted and multimodal with respect to how the intended objectives of the Center are achieved. Applicants should thoroughly describe how all aspects of the NTAC’s formation, startup and ongoing operation will be managed.

ACL understands that the formation and startup of a new national technical assistance center, as with other new training and technical support activities, may need to take a phased, layered approach to achieve optimal outcomes. Applicants should address how, over the course of the 5-year project, they propose to structure the ongoing activities and objectives of the NTAC on Kinship and Grandfamilies, as outlined above, to result in a robust, national training and technical assistance center that realizes Congress’ vision.

Information Dissemination Given this project’s focus as a technical assistance and resource center, ACL anticipates that the successful grantee will develop and employ a robust and far-reaching dissemination strategy designed to ensure that project information, best practices and other information are available and shared broadly. Applicants should describe their dissemination plans and articulate the methods (e.g., electronic/web-based, in-person, print, etc.) by which such activities will occur. Furthermore, it is ACL’s expectation that disseminated information, regardless of the dissemination method, will be fully accessible, i.e., 508-compliant,[3] as well as meet the cultural and linguistic needs of the intended audience.

Given the web-based nature of most modern technical assistance activities, it is ACL’s expectation that the grantee will develop a web-based platform for housing and showcasing the work of the NTAC. To keep the work of the NTAC separate from any parallel activities, applicants should carefully describe their proposed approaches for ensuring any website or related vehicles will be 508-compliant and separate and distinct from other such efforts of the organization or their partners.

Sustainability ACL expects to realize tangible, measurable and sustainable enhancements to state, territorial, Indian Tribes, including urban Indian organizations capacities to effectively serve and support kinship and grandfamily caregivers. Applicants will be scored, in part, on the extent to which a plan for the project’s sustainability beyond the period of Federal funding is articulated and appears feasible and likely.

[1] Baker, L., Silverstein, M., & Putney, N. (2008). Grandparents raising grandchildren in the

United States: Changing family forms, stagnant social policies. J Soc Soc Policy, 53-69.

Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2888319/

[2] Generations United. (2020). Grandfamilies: Strengths and Challenges (Fact Sheet).

Retrieved from Grandfamilies.org: https://www.gu.org/app/uploads/2020/05/Grandfamilies- GeneralFactSheet.pdf

[3] To learn more about creating accessible documents, web pages, presentations, social media content, and blogs, please visit https://www.section508.gov/create.

Statutory Authority The statutory authorities for this program announcement is in Section 2922 of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021 and Title IV of the Older Americans Act of 1965, as amended.

II. Award Information Funding Instrument Type:

CA (Cooperative Agreement) Estimated Total Funding:

$ 9,950,000 Expected Number of Awards:

Award Ceiling:

$ 1,990,000 Per Budget Period

Award Floor:

$ 1,925,000 Per Budget Period

Length of Project Period:

60-month project period with five 12-month budget periods Additional Information on Project Periods and Explanation of 'Other' This funding opportunity will be administered as a Cooperative Agreement. As such, the successful applicant should expect substantial ACL involvement in grant activities as appropriate or requested, including reviewing products for compliance with federal grant rules and participating in planning and training activities, which will be determined by the needs and priorities of the grantee and ACL. The terms and conditions for this cooperative agreement are as follows and will be incorporated by reference in the Notice of Award (NOA).

The ACL will carry out the following activities for the cooperative agreement:

Perform the day-to-day Federal responsibilities of grants management while working with the grantee to ensure that the minimum 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.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2888319/ https://www.gu.org/app/uploads/2020/05/Grandfamilies-GeneralFactSheet.pdf https://www.gu.org/app/uploads/2020/05/Grandfamilies-GeneralFactSheet.pdf https://www.section508.gov/create

Work cooperatively with the grantee to clarify the programmatic and budgetary issues to be addressed by the project.

Provide guidance to the grantee, as necessary, in making sub-awards (i.e., sub-grants/contracts) as permitted in this funding opportunity announcement.

Provide guidance 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 to the grantee on all work products and other project deliverables and processes.

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 events as appropriate.

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

Immediately inform, and collaborate with, the ACL on any in-scope modification of the work plan.

Participate in monthly check-in calls with the ACL Program Officer;

Provide drafts of all press releases and social media announcements Provide preliminary and other working drafts of all products and deliverables to the ACL

Program Officer for review;

Prior to dissemination, provide final drafts of all products and deliverables to the ACL

Program Officer for accessibility and 508-compliance review;

Ensure that all materials and products as well as all aspects of the NTAC web site, are fully accessible and developed in accordance with 508 compliance standards;

Collaborate with ACL on the identification and selection of steering committee (if established) members and any subject matter experts/advisory consultants to the project;

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

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

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

Report semi-annually on project accomplishments, challenges and progress towards measurable objectives.

Work with the ACL Program Officer to evaluate performance results reported semiannually and jointly develop strategies to address those areas requiring improvement.

ACL will assist the grantee in understanding the strategic goals and objectives, policy perspectives, and priorities of the Administrator/Assistant Secretary for Aging and the Department of Health and Human Services, by sharing such information via email, conference calls, briefings, memos, and other consultations. The ACL Program Officer will provide technical assistance and guidance on issues related to grant management and implementation, including the execution of the cooperative agreement. The program officer will also share information with the grantee about other federally sponsored projects and activities relevant to activities funded under this announcement.

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. Modifications and/or amendments of the Cooperative Agreement or work plan shall be effective upon the mutual agreement of both parties, except where ACL is authorized under the Terms and Conditions of award, 45 CFR Part 74 or 92, or other applicable regulation or statute to make unilateral amendments. When an award is issued, the cooperative agreement terms and conditions from the program announcement are incorporated into the Notice of Award by reference.

III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants This is a full and open competition. Domestic public or private non-profit entities including state and local governments, Indian tribal governments and organizations (American Indian/Alaskan Native/Native American), faith-based organizations, community-based organizations, hospitals, and institutions of higher education.

2. Cost Sharing or Matching Cost Sharing / Matching Requirement:

Yes For awards that require matching or cost sharing by statute, recipients will be held accountable for projected commitments of non-federal resources (at or above the statutory requirement) in their application budgets and budget justifications by budget period, or by project period for fully funded awards. The applicant will be held accountable for all proposed non-federal resources as shown in the Notice of Award (NOA). A recipient's failure to provide the statutorily required matching or cost sharing amount (and any voluntary committed amount in excess) 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, recipients are not expected to provide cost sharing or matching. However, recipients are allowed to voluntarily propose a commitment of non-federal resources. If an applicant decides to voluntarily contribute non-federal resources towards project costs and the costs are accepted by ACL, the non-federal resources will be included in the approved project budget. The applicant will be held accountable for all proposed non-federal resources as shown in the Notice of Award (NOA). A recipient's failure to meet the voluntary amount of non-federal resources that was accepted by ACL as part of the approved project costs and that was identified in the approved 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.

Under this ACL program, ACL will fund no more than 95% of the project’s total cost, which means the applicant must cover at least 5% of the project’s total cost with non-federal resources.

In other words, for every nineteen (19) dollars received in federal funding, the applicant must contribute at least one (1) dollar in non-federal resources toward the project's total cost. This nineteen-to-one ratio is reflected in the formula included under Item 18 in the “Instructions for Completing Requested Forms.” You can use this formula to calculate your minimum required match. A common error applicants make is to match 5% of the federal share, rather than 5% of the project’s total cost.

There are two types of match: 1) non-federal cash and 2) non-federal in-kind. In general, costs borne by the applicant and cash contributions of any and all third parties involved in the project, including sub-grantees, contractors and consultants, are considered matching funds. Volunteered time and use of facilities to hold meetings or conduct project activities may be considered in-kind (third party) donations. Examples of non-federal cash match includes budgetary funds provided from the applicant agency’s budget for costs associated with the project.

ACL discourages you from exceeding the minimum match requirement. Applications with a match greater than the minimum required will not receive additional consideration under the review.

3. Responsiveness and Screening Criteria Application Responsiveness Criteria Applications that fail to meet each of the responsiveness criteria described below will not be reviewed and will receive no further consideration:

The project’s proposed focus is primarily on serving grandfamilies and kinship families in which the primary caregiver is an adult age 55 or older, or the child has one or more disabilities; and

The project’s proposed activities are national in scope.

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

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.

The Project Narrative section of the Application must be double-spaced, on 8 ½” x 11” plain white paper with 1” margins on both sides, and a font size of not less than 11.

The Project Narrative must not exceed 50 pages. 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 50-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 https://www.grants.gov or https://www.acl.gov/grants/applying-grants.

https://www.acl.gov/grants/applying-grants

Please note, ACL requires applications for all announcements to be submitted electronically through http://www.grants.gov in Workspace. Grants.gov Workspace is the standard way for organizations and individuals to apply for federal grants in Grants.gov. An overview and training on Grants.gov Workspace can be found here at:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/workspace-overview.html

The Grants.gov registration process can take several days. If your organization is not currently registered, please begin this process immediately. For assistance with https://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 https://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 (https://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/) and be registered with the System for Award Management (SAM, www.sam.gov) and maintain an active SAM registration until the application process is complete, and should a grant be made, throughout the life of the award. Effective June 11, 2018, when registering or renewing your registration, you must submit a notarized letter appointing the authorized Entity Administrator. Please be sure to read the FAQs located at www.sam.gov to learn more. Applicants should allot sufficient time prior to the application deadline to finalize a new, or renew an existing registration. 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/pages/public/help/samQUserGuides.jsf.

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.

http://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/workspace-overview.html https://www.grants.gov/ mailto:support@grants.gov https://www.grants.gov/ https://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/ http://www.sam.gov/ https://www.sam.gov/SAM/pages/public/help/samQUserGuides.jsf

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.

You must submit all documents electronically, including all information included on the SF424 and all necessary assurances and certifications. In accordance with the Federal Government’s efforts to reduce reporting burden for recipients of federal financial assistance, the general certification and representation requirements contained in the Standard Form 424B (SF-424B) – Assurances – Non-Construction Programs, and the Standard Form 424D (SF-424D) – Assurances – Construction Programs, have been standardized federal-wide.

Effective January 1, 2020, the updated common certification and representation requirements will be stored and maintained within SAM. Organizations or individuals applying for federal financial assistance as of January 1, 2020, must validate the federally required common certifications and representations annually through SAM located at SAM.gov.

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

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Community Living

Lori Stalbaum Email: lori.stalbaum@acl.hhs.gov

2. Content and Form of Application Submission Letter of Intent Number Of Days from Publication 30

06/24/2021 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:

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 https://www.grants.gov/ 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 emailed to:

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Community Living Lori Stalbaum Administration on Aging Email: Lori.Stalbaum@acl.hhs.gov

Project Narrative The Project Narrative must be double-spaced, on 8.5” x 11” paper with 1” margins on both sides, and a standard font size of no less than 11 point, 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 40 to 50 pages; 50 pages is the maximum length allowed. Project Narratives that exceed 50 pages will have the additional pages removed and only the first 50 pages of the Project Narrative will be provided to the merit reviewers for funding consideration.

The Project Work Plan, Letters of Commitment, and Vitae of Key Personnel are not counted as part of the Project Narrative for purposes of the 50-page limit, but all of the other sections noted below are included in the limit.

The sample components of the Project Narrative counted as part of the 50-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

Summary/Abstract This section should include a brief (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.

mailto:Lori.Stalbaum@acl.hhs.gov

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 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 to 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.

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.

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, (i.e., measure of performance towards the goals stated in the funding opportunity announcement and for your specific intervention/activities) 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 specific outcomes (e.g., changes in clients, organizations, and/or communities) expected as a result of this funding as well as method(s), techniques and tools that will be used to: 1) determine whether 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 Capability 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 vitas 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 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 detailed Budget Narratives/Justifications for each year of potential grant funding is required. Failure to include a detailed, yearly AND multi-year Budget Narrative/Justification will result in a score of “zero” for this section during the third party, objective grant review. (For more information, see Section V:

Application Review Information.)

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. Failure to include a completed work plan with the application will result in a score of “zero” for this section during the third party, objective grant review. (For more information, see Section V: Application Review Information.)

Letters of Commitment from Key Participating Organizations and Agencies Include confirmation of the commitments to the project (should it be funded) made by key 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 Number Of Days from Publication 62

07/26/2021 Date for Informational Conference Call:

06/08/2021 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.

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

If for any reason (including submitting to the wrong funding opportunity number or making corrections/updates) an application is submitted more than once prior to the application due date, ACL will only accept your last validated electronic submission, under the correct funding opportunity number, prior to the Grants.gov application due date as the final and only acceptable application

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.

INFORMATIONAL CONFERENCE CALL: Tuesday, June 8, 2021 at 2:00 PM (ET) Conference Call Phone Number: 800-369-1857; Pass Code: 3598241#

4. Intergovernmental Review This program is not subject to Executive Order (E.O.) 12372, Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.

5. Funding Restrictions The following activities are not fundable:

Construction and/or major rehabilitation of buildings Basic research (e.g.