HHS-2023-ACF-ACYF-CT-0012_Publication.pdf

Administration for Children and Families

Administration on Children, Youth, and Families - Children's Bureau

The National Child Welfare Workforce Institute

HHS-2023-ACF-ACYF-CT-0012

Application Due Date: 07/31/2023

Table of Contents Executive Summary

I. Program Description

II. Federal Award Information

III. Eligibility Information

III.1. Eligible Applicants

III.2. Cost Sharing or Matching

III.3. Other

IV. Application and Submission Information

IV.1. Address to Request Application Package

IV.2. Content and Form of Application Submission

Required Forms, Assurances, and Certifications

The Project Description

The Project Budget and Budget Justification

Application Submission Options

IV.3. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and System for Award Management (SAM)

IV.4. Submission Dates and Times

Explanation of Due Dates

Acknowledgement of Received Application

IV.5. Intergovernmental Review

IV.6. Funding Restrictions

IV.7. Other Submission Requirements

V. Application Review Information

V.1. Criteria

V.2. Review and Selection Process

V.3. Anticipated Announcement and Federal Award Dates

VI. Federal Award Administration Information

VI.1. Federal Award Notices

VI.2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

VI.3. Reporting

VII. HHS Award Agency Contact(s)

VIII. Other Information

Reference Websites

Application Checklist

Funding Opportunity Title:

The National Child Welfare Workforce Institute Announcement Type:

Initial Funding Opportunity Number:

HHS-2023-ACF-ACYF-CT-0012

Primary CFDA Number:

93.648 Due Date for Applications:

07/31/2023 Executive Summary

Notice:

Applicants are strongly encouraged to read the entire notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) 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/how-apply-grant.

The purpose of this NOFO is to establish, by awarding, one cooperative agreement, a National Child Welfare Workforce Institute (NCWWI), aligned with federal goals to prioritize equity, civil rights, and racial justice and to improve safety, permanency, and well-being outcomes for children and families. NCWWI will be a national leader in providing jurisdictions concrete support to engage in culturally competent and de-colonizing work within their organization to recruit and retain a diverse workforce. NCWWI will become the premier leadership and workforce development organization for public child welfare agencies.

Workforce development initiatives are critical to addressing child welfare recruitment and retention challenges. There is a paramount need for concrete support to the public agencies charged with serving children and families and removing systemic barriers that perpetuate disproportionate minority representation and disparate outcomes for Black, Brown, and Indigenous children and families. Furthermore, many staff and leaders who make up the child welfare system experience moral injury and high-level burnout. This has created a critical need to provide expert technical assistance and support to improve the well-being and performance of the child welfare workforce.

NCWWI will:

Provide career advancement through acceleration strategies and leadership development for staff and emerging leaders of diverse backgrounds committed to social justice and advancing understanding of child welfare systems. These leaders will work to effectively improve safety, permanency, and well-being outcomes for children and families who are overrepresented and have disparate outcomes in child welfare. The leadership development strategy must be delivered to jurisdictions through an organization-wide https://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/how-apply-grant approach, supporting staff and leaders who represent the populations disproportionately overrepresented in the child welfare system in a transformational and holistic way.

Provide concrete support to jurisdictions through training and technical assistance in the implementation of clinical supervision and/or coaching supervision models to improve practice and to create a supervision paradigm shift that supports holistic workforce development.

Assist jurisdictions in establishing partnerships with universities to increase awareness of the title IV-E stipends opportunities and develop diversified recruitment strategies.

Serve as the child welfare workforce and leadership development hub, where knowledge, content, and resources can be accessed and disseminated to the child welfare workforce.

Support national recruitment and retention efforts by developing a national campaign to address the negative public perception regarding careers in child welfare.

I. Program Description

Statutory Authority Section 426 (a)(1)(A) of the Social Security Act, as amended (42 U.S.C. 626 (a)(1)(A))

Description

BACKGROUND

For many years in child welfare, efforts to address workforce issues have been disconnected from the root causes. Addressing systemic oppression, bias, and many other inequities must be foundational to truly change the culture and climate of child welfare agencies. To get to different outcomes, the work must be done differently to address root causes. Workforce development initiatives are critical to addressing child welfare recruitment and retention challenges. There is a paramount need for concrete support for the public agencies charged with serving children and families and removing systemic barriers that perpetuate disproportionate minority representation and disparate outcomes for Black, Brown, and Indigenous children and families.

Across the federal government, agencies are assessing what more we can do to address systemic racial barriers to meeting the needs of people of color, particularly those who are underserved.

On his first day in office, President Joseph Biden issued an Executive Order on Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government setting racial equity as a critical priority. The executive order states:

“The Federal Government’s goal in advancing equity is to provide everyone with the opportunity to reach their full potential. Consistent with these aims, each agency must assess whether, and to what extent, its programs and policies perpetuate systemic barriers to opportunities and benefits for people of color and other underserved groups.”

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) has a “commitment to addressing inequities and advancing equity through assessing and changing policies, programs, and processes across the Department. Additionally, ACF is working to shift the culture, resources, and approaches to institutionalize and sustain a focus on equity over time” (ACF Strategic Plan, 2022). In concert with the agency-wide efforts, the Children’s Bureau (CB) has established a new vision that centers our work on love and serving families with intentional equity.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/executive-order-advancing-racial-equity-and-support-for-underserved-communities-through-the-federal-government/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/executive-order-advancing-racial-equity-and-support-for-underserved-communities-through-the-federal-government/ https://www.acf.hhs.gov/about/acf-strategic-plan-2022

“A loving approach to helping children obtain what they need to live with dignity by comprehensively supporting families through a collaborative network of carefully selected resources and effective public and private investments, grounded in community and culture and workforce fully devoted to serving with intentional equity.”

A goal of CB throughout much of its history has been to ensure that the workforce in public child welfare across all jurisdictions is educated and trained to serve children and families who are experiencing the child welfare system. Today, the child welfare workforce landscape is different and requires CB to lead a new vision for the staff and leaders serving families. More than ever before, there is a need for a diverse workforce focused on prevention who honors families staying together, keeping kin and community connections when separation is the only option, and sees culture as a protective factor.

Strengthening the Workforce through Advancing Racial Equity and Tribal Sovereignty A history of oppression and discrimination in America are the platform for systemic inequities in our child welfare system. National data show that in 2020 Black Children had a 1.65 disproportionality index, and Native American children had a 2.78 disproportionality index.

Although the national disproportionality index for Hispanic children is below 1.0, many states have a disproportionate index of up to 1.90 for Hispanic children (Puzzanchera, C., Taylor, M., Kang, W. and Smith, J, 2020). For additional information on disproportionality and disparities data within the child welfare system, see Disproportionality Data. This data demands new interventions in how we serve children and families. In alignment with the President’s Executive Order on Advancing Racial Equity, Associate Commissioner Schomburg has established “that equity is the foundation for and is threaded through all priority goals for the Children’s Bureau.” One of the key priority goals for the CB is to improve the competency of the child welfare workforce to assess and address disproportional outcomes for families.

In child welfare specifically, it is critically important to move from simply having a conversation about the outcomes of practice to addressing disproportionality and disparities for Black, Brown, and Indigenous children and families. This will only be possible if the people (the workforce) who serve in these systems are trained and supported in innovative ways.

Many jurisdictions cannot lead the transformational change necessary to address systemic oppression without innovative technical assistance. Often, Black, Brown, and Indigenous staff are faced with the burden of leading racial equity and tribal sovereignty efforts without meaningful agency leadership support and appropriate compensation. The public child welfare system needs more agents of change, disruptors who are willing to challenge the status quo and approach the work differently. Complex issues require multifaceted solutions, and NCWWI will be expected to provide multipronged approaches to address various child welfare agencies’ workforce needs.

Improving Retention, Performance, Well-Being Specifically, NCWWI will address the retention, performance, and well-being of the child welfare workforce. More than ever, human service workers are under acute stress. A news release issued on October 20, 2022, announced that the U.S. Surgeon General issued a new framework for Mental Health and Well-Being in the workplace. The latest release highlights that http://ncjj.org/AFCARS/Disproportionality_Dashboard.asp http://ncjj.org/AFCARS/Disproportionality_Dashboard.asp https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/systemwide/cultural/disproportionality/data/

“the COVID-19 pandemic brought the relationship between work and well-being into clearer focus for many U.S. workers.” According to recent surveys:

76 percent of U.S. workers in a 2021 survey reported at least one symptom of a mental health condition (anxiety, depression), an increase of 17 percentage points in just 2 years;

81 percent of workers reported that they would be looking for workplaces that support mental health in the future; and

84 percent of respondents reported at least one workplace factor that harmed (Source:

Mind Share Partners’ 2021 Mental Health at Work Report).

Retention of the child welfare workforce also demands that we think about the needs of the child welfare workforce in new ways. For example, another salient issue is the importance of leadership's responsibility to address the well-being of the current generations that comprise our workforce. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that most of the employed civilian labor force is between the ages of 20 and 44. Millennials and Gen Z make up most of that age group.

According to Pew research, Millennials and Gen Z are the most racially and ethnically diverse generation in the nation’s history (Dimock, 2022). Recognizing that the current workforce crisis is dire and that the needs of the workforce have changed in the last 5 years, NCWWI will support our child welfare workforce by creating pathways to recruit, retain, and nurture a diverse and well-equipped workforce. In addition, as child welfare jurisdictions continue to recruit staff with lived expertise, it will be imperative that systems are prepared to attend to the well-being and avoid further harm.

PROJECT REQUIREMENTS

Site Selection for Targeted Technical Assistance and Intervention

Employing a culturally and linguistically responsive methodology approved by CB, NCWWI will develop a selection criterion for serving a minimum of ten diverse jurisdictional (counties, states, territories, and tribes) child welfare sites. Selected sites will participate in at least one of the three project strategies listed below (Leadership Development Model, Tribal Relational Leadership, or Clinical Supervision Program) but may engage in multiple strategies if they desire and have the organizational capacity. Priority must be given to sites with high disproportionality and disproportionate rates of children involved in the child welfare system and/or where workforce demographics indicate a lack of diverse workforce representation, especially in key leadership positions.

Project Strategies

NCWWI project strategies and activities must be connected to recruitment, retention, and well-being outcomes. NCWWI will work directly with jurisdictions to address issues of organizational culture and climate that reinforce inequities for children and families by diversifying their leadership structures. NCWWI will design interventions to assist jurisdictions in addressing the issues of culture and climate that impact the current workforce crisis as it relates to turnover and vacancy rates. NCWWI will work with individual sites to determine which strategy best matches their needs.

NCWWI strategies must include the following recruitment and retention activities:

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/01/17/where-millennials-end-and-generation-z-begins/

Retention Strategy: Leadership Development and Advancement to Diversify Child Welfare Leaders Jurisdictions must design or adapt existing models that address the issues of structural oppression that lead to a toxic and oppressive organizational culture and climate to meet the leadership needs of their workforce. An important change needed is to diversify jurisdiction leaders who have a seat at the decision-making tables across the country and for these spaces to be inclusive, where these leaders have input, and their voice is valued and respected. This lack of diversity and inclusion throughout the child welfare system leads to making decisions that could potentially negatively impact children and families of color. Staff and emerging leaders of color need a feasible career path that can lead them to key positions and have a voice to advocate for children and families of color (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2021).

Goal: To design and implement a comprehensive leadership development model that includes an acceleration plan for staff and leaders from diverse backgrounds. The model must employ an organizational approach that will be implemented across multiple jurisdictions. This model must include components that address and remove barriers faced by staff and leaders of color in child welfare.

Retention Strategy: Tribal Relational Leadership and Cultural Keepers Fellowship NCWWI will engage tribal communities and offer a tribal relational leadership and culture keepers fellowship. This fellowship will offer tribes the opportunity to select a group of tribal members currently working in their child welfare or social service programs to build a relational leadership collective. These cultural keepers will work together with tribal elders to identify the members of the collective and select a project that will work best for the tribal child welfare or social service programs.

Goal: To design and implement a tribal relationship leadership development model based on the specific tribal community culture.

Retention Strategy: Clinical Supervision and Coaching Supervision The work of child welfare staff serving children and families is clinical in nature and requires specific skills that must be developed and sharpened. Many child welfare supervisors seek knowledge and tools that will aid them in the delivery of supervision. Competent clinical supervision practices enable the supervisor to guide workers on issues of ethics and cultural and linguistic competence. These practices can improve outcomes for children and families and focus on growth and professional development for staff. In addition, providing competent clinical supervision will allow staff to work towards their clinical license, a well-researched retention strategy.

Goal: To implement a clinical supervision program in jurisdictions that includes coaching and mentorship needed to build a collaborative relationship based on trust, confidentiality, support, and empathy. This strategy will be instrumental in providing the appropriate support for the current workforce including those with lived expertise. This clinical supervision and coaching program must be culturally and linguistically competent and adaptable to meet the specific needs across each area of child welfare practice.

Goal: To assist jurisdictions with designing an organizational structure that will identify a https://cascw.umn.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Structures-of-Oppression-in-the-U.S.-Child-Welfare-System-Reflections-on-Administrative-Barriers-to-Equity_Societies-Article-1.pdf https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/issue-briefs/racial-disproportionality/ qualified licensed clinical social worker who can offer clinical supervision hours toward licensure; provide guidance on developing supervision contracts; and partner with direct supervisors as task supervisor if they do not hold the credentials for licensure (for jurisdictions where this is an option).

Recruitment Strategy: Public Child Welfare Agency and University Partnerships Like in education, there are unprecedentedly high vacancy rates in public child welfare agencies.

Currently, many public child welfare agencies do not have applicants for their open positions.

Child welfare jurisdictions need to recruit more staff to serve across all areas of the child welfare continuum. Historically, the CB-funded title IV-E stipend programs have partnered with schools of social work and jurisdictions to identify human capital through recruiting recent social work graduate students ready to join the child welfare workforce. Today, many jurisdictions report that schools of social work are not able to meet the demand for new child welfare workers on their own.

Goal: To provide technical assistance to develop new university partnerships between local colleges and universities and the public child welfare agency. The plans will include identifying and coordinating with a diverse group of educational institutions that are willing to create new career paths and to work in partnership with jurisdictions to identify internship and new employee opportunities. This work will lead to identifying a workforce dedicated to culturally and linguistically competent child welfare, and supporting by providing financial stipends, educational support, and new career opportunities. Innovative plans may expand beyond schools of social work and will require new collaborations and a fresh approach to recruiting, selecting, training, and supporting the child welfare workforce.

Goal: To fund stipends for social work and non-social work programs through university partnerships and provide support to students as they transition into workplace placements.

Recruitment and Retention Strategy: National Campaign and Knowledge Development, Management, and Dissemination As it implements the program activities and strategies listed above, NCWWI will build and share knowledge about the child welfare workforce nationally. Specifically, NCWWI will examine the relationship between the quality of the workforce and well-being outcomes of children, youth, and families.

Goal: To provide information to jurisdictions through new technologies and innovative strategies such as, but not limited to, newsletters, publications, webinars, podcasts, and other media on workforce development topics, such as best practices in child welfare workforce leadership, recruitment, selection, retention, and organizational effectiveness. These efforts must include a repository of resources for child welfare leaders of color who participate in the leadership development model through NCWWI.

Public engagement and partnerships contribute to a healthy workforce, and agencies must acknowledge the strong influence public perceptions have on the workforce. Agencies must begin or improve their communication strategies to build public support, strengthen the workforce, improve partnerships, increase community collaborations, and enhance perceptions.

Communication and strategies informed by individuals with lived expertise and those who work directly with children and families also support sustainable systemic change in service of equitable and just outcomes for children, youth, and families.

Goal: To create a child welfare workforce campaign and digital marketing strategy designed and led by individuals with lived expertise and those who work directly with children and families to support public child welfare systems and improve public perception.

Outreach and Engagement

NCWWI must communicate clear and deliberate plans for outreach and engagement of child welfare agencies selected to participate as pilot sites. The applicant will include a preliminary description of site selection criteria and a review process. Applicants will have conducted a preliminary analysis of prospective sites, including disproportionality index data, a workforce landscape, and a needs assessment. The applicant must demonstrate a deep understanding of (and provide examples) of meaningful diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging practices in their respective agency and across partnerships. The recipient of this funding must develop a disparity impact statement for each site/jurisdiction as part of the selection strategy, using local data and input to identify specific populations by jurisdictions where disproportionality and disparities rates are high. The disparity impact statement will identify social, policy, historical, and context associated with root causes and drivers of disparities. It will also provide the framework and plan for an ongoing action, accountability, monitoring, and assessment of the impact of the project on the program’s equity goals. NCWWI will demonstrate its ability to develop a mechanism for seeking ongoing feedback from each project site throughout the project period to anticipate potential barriers to project success, inform project activities, and the agency’s going implementation needs.

NCWWI will be expected to sign Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with each project site. MOUs must receive final approval from the CB Federal Project Officer.

Equity Impact Statement

The recipient of this funding must develop a disparity impact statement for each site/jurisdiction as part of the selection strategy, using local data and input to identify specific populations by jurisdictions where disproportionality and disparity rates are high. The disparity impact statement will identify social, policy, historical, and context associated with root causes and drivers of disparities. It will also provide the framework and plan for an ongoing action, accountability, monitoring, and assessment of the impact of the project on the program’s equity goals. NCWWI will demonstrate its ability to develop a mechanism for seeking ongoing feedback from each project site throughout the project period to anticipate potential barriers to project success, inform project activities, and the agency’s ongoing implementation needs.

Collaboration

Applicants for NCWWI must include partnerships with agencies who have expertise in the specific project strategies identified in this NOFO. One partnership in the application must be a tribal organization or tribal jurisdiction.

In addition, after award, NCWWI will be expected to actively collaborate with CB and other CB partners to achieve the purposes of the NOFO. This includes, but is not limited to, the Capacity Building Center for States, the Capacity Building Center for Tribes, the Capacity Building

Center for Courts, the Child Welfare Information Gateway, the Quality Improvement Center on Workforce Analytics, and other CB-funded and federal interagency projects aimed at increasing the capacity of the workforce, addressing issues of racial equity and tribal sovereignty, disproportionality, and disparities to meet the needs of children and families.

Program Performance Evaluation Plan

NCWWI will develop a culturally and linguistically responsive evaluation plan using multiple measures to document and determine the effectiveness of NCWWI and major project strategies (Leadership Development Model; Tribal Relational Leadership and Cultural Keepers Fellowship; Clinical Supervision Program; Public Child Welfare Agency and University Partnerships; National Campaign; and Knowledge Development, Management, and Dissemination).

NCWWI is expected to employ both qualitative and quantitative methods in its evaluation of process and outcome measures. CB expects NCWWI to measure short-term outcomes specifically related to the leadership development model. Specifically, leadership development interventions must demonstrate outcomes on workforce performance, retention, and well-being measures.

The grant recipient will have the flexibility to implement an evaluation plan for NCWWI that will contribute to and promote evidence-based strategies, practices, and programs. NCWWI’s evaluation plan must include a detailed description of both process and outcomes evaluation components:

The evaluation component to examine process will assess the implementation of the integrated project, including linkages between the collaborative partners that will help ensure that the identified needs of the child welfare workforce are met. The evaluation component to examine outcomes will investigate how the strategies and activities carried out in the demonstration project influence key outcomes of interest.

Evaluation is an important component of this project. CB expects grant recipients to be meaningful contributors to building the knowledge base about how to effectively develop and enhance multi-system and multi-level collaboratives and how to facilitate effective engagement of young children and their families with quality Early Childhood Education (ECE) services. To that end, grant recipients will develop and implement project activities that are outcome-focused and include measurable objectives or steps to assess progress in meeting desired outcomes via an evaluation plan. Grant recipients must implement an evaluation plan that includes methods and criteria to evaluate the results and benefits of the project in terms of its stated objectives.

If the grant recipient does not have the in-house capacity or experience to conduct an objective, comprehensive evaluation of the project, it must contract with a third-party evaluator to conduct the evaluation. It is important that the evaluator has the necessary independence from the project to ensure objectivity. A skilled evaluator can help develop a logic model and assist in designing an evaluation strategy that is appropriate given the goals and objectives of the proposed project. The evaluation plan will have a clear description of the participants and be based on a sound plan for engagement with relevant partners (e.g., ECE providers, state or local child welfare agencies, Head Start/Early

Head Start (EHS) grants, parents/caregivers, etc.,). The evaluation plan will clearly describe each stage of evaluation, from determining evaluation priorities to deciding the evaluation design, to collecting data, to analysis, and then to interpretation and dissemination. Grant recipients may continue to finalize the evaluation plan during the first 3 months following the grant award.

Project Phases

Thoughtful planning is a prerequisite to the successful implementation of NCWWI program activities and strategies. The project team must be fully functioning within 90 days following the notification of the grant award. While an ongoing revision of implementation strategies may be appropriate later in the project period, CB requires that initial planning phases for NCWWI’s major activity areas will be completed within 6 to 9 months following the award. In general, this funding is intended to provide shorter interventions across more sites versus longer 5-year interventions in fewer sites. Thus, the implementation plan should reflect shorter implementation periods. During the final 6 months of the project, NCWWI will compile evaluation data, present findings, and prepare final reports to CB. The grant recipient will plan in the budget for annual face-to-face meetings with the FPO, including the evaluator and leadership from each of the major NCWWI project strategies, to review the work that has taken place and plan for the next year.

The grant recipient will present preliminary plans for proposed planning, implementation, and sustainability activities for each of NCWWI’s project strategies (Leadership Development Model; Tribal Relational Leadership and Cultural Keepers Fellowship; Clinical Supervision Program; Public Child Welfare Agency and University Partnerships; National Campaign; and Knowledge Development, Management, and Dissemination). Immediately after the award and prior to implementation, the grant recipient's planning work plan will be subject to review, revision, and final approval by CB. Due to the nature of its tasks, NCCWI will not be required to organize all of the activities into a single planning phase and subsequent implementation phase.

For example, planning for the leadership development model of Black, Brown, Indigenous, and people of color (BBIPOC) and tribal leaders may require additional planning. Once the plan is approved, NCWWI may request additional time for recruitment and site selection for the leadership advancement component.

Dissemination

CB expects that information and knowledge generated by this project will be shared throughout the grant period and efforts will be made to integrate project knowledge into policy and practice.

CB expects specific information and knowledge pertaining to advancing racial equity and tribal sovereignty in child welfare as well as specific information and knowledge on culturally responsive and equitable leadership and workforce policies and practices. The grant recipient is expected to establish a national dissemination strategy and incorporate dissemination activities into their work. The dissemination activities will focus on key audiences, for specific purposes, understanding what these specific audiences need to know and effectively getting this information to them. The project will disseminate products and findings. The grant recipient will evaluate the extent to which the specific audiences have received project knowledge and used it as intended and assess the impact of dissemination. The grant recipient will allocate sufficient staff time for dissemination.

The grant recipient will be expected to work throughout the course of this project with the FPO and CB training and technical assistance providers to:

Finalize dissemination goals and objectives;

Identify and engage with target audiences for dissemination;

Produce detailed procedures, materials, and other products based on the program evaluation;

Develop and disseminate summarized/synthesized information about the project;

Produce a high-quality comprehensive final report suitable for archiving in the CB

Discretionary Grant Library; and NCWWI is strongly encouraged to consider using section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 749d) to ensure that products, publications, web content, and communications materials are accessible and in conformity with applicable accessibility standards described in section 508. Section 508 standards will be required for any materials distributed through the Child Welfare Information Gateway and CB’s website.

NCWWI should use the 508 Tips Sheet to guide 508 compliance. Please reference the Award Terms and Conditions on Requirements for Recipient Electronic and Information Technology on the ACF Administrative and National Policy Requirements website for further requirements involving recipient electronic and information technology.

SUBAWARDS

Recipients under this grant program may opt to transfer a portion of substantive programmatic work to other organizations through subaward(s). The prime recipient must maintain a substantive role in the project. ACF defines a substantive role as conducting activities and/or providing services funded under the award that are necessary and integral to the completion of the project. Subrecipient monitoring activities alone, as specified in 45 CFR § 75.352, do not constitute a substantive role. Furthermore, ACF does not fund awards where the role of the applicant is primarily to serve as a conduit for passing funds to other organizations, unless that arrangement is authorized by statute.

Subrecipient(s) must meet the eligibility requirements identified in the NOFO, Section III.1.

Eligible Applicants. Additionally, all subrecipient(s) must obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number assigned by the System for Award Management (SAM), if they do not already have one. Prime recipients are required to check SAM to verify that the subrecipient(s) is/are not debarred, suspended, or ineligible.

II. Federal Award Information

Funding Instrument Type:

CA (Cooperative Agreement) Estimated Total Funding:

$5,000,000 Expected Number of Awards:

Award Ceiling:

https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/cb/508_tip_sheet.pdf https://www.acf.hhs.gov/administrative-and-national-policy-requirements#book_content_10.

$5,000,000 Per Budget Period

Award Floor:

$4,000,000 Per Budget Period

Average Projected Award Amount:

$5,000,000 Per Budget Period

Anticipated Project Start Date:

09/29/2023 Length of Project Periods:

60-month project period with five 12-month budget periods

Additional Information on Project Periods and Explanation of 'Other' Additional Information on Awards:

Awards made under this funding opportunity 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 funding under this funding opportunity. 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.

For more information on these requirements, see Section III.2. Cost Sharing or Matching.

The initial award will be for a 12-month budget period. The award continuation beyond each 12-month budget period will be the subject to the availability of funds, satisfactory progress on the part of the grantee (i.e., demonstrating a commitment to achieving expected outcomes and collaborating with CB to overcome any barriers), and a determination that continued funding would be in the best interest of the federal government.

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

A cooperative agreement is a specific method of awarding federal assistance in which substantial federal involvement is anticipated. A cooperative agreement clearly defines the respective responsibilities of CB and the awardee prior to the award. CB anticipates that agency involvement will produce programmatic benefits to the recipient otherwise unavailable to them for carrying out the project. A signed cooperative agreement between the Administration on Children, Youth and Families (ACYF)/CB and the Authorized Organizational Representative

(AOR) will be submitted prior to the beginning of Year 1. CB involvement and collaboration with the grantee includes:

CB collaborations with the grant recipient in the planning process, as described in Section

1. Program Description, Project Requirements. This includes review of the application to potentially seek clarification of the approach, interventions, and evaluation plan presented in the grant recipient’s application.

CB review and support of the grant recipient's implementation and evaluation activities.

CB and the grant recipient jointly collaborate (including active collaboration with the designated evaluation TA provider) in the performance of key programmatic activities (i.e., strategic planning, implementation, TA, publications or products, and evaluation).

CB closely monitoring the grant recipient during performance, which may exceed those federal stewardship responsibilities customary for grant activities to ensure compliance with the intent of this funding.

CB review and approval of equity impact statements.

III. Eligibility Information

III.1. Eligible Applicants

Eligibility is open to public or other non-profit institutions of higher learning and to public or other non-profit agencies and organizations engaged in research or child welfare activities (Section 426 (a)(1)(A) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 626(a)(1)(A)). Institutions of higher education may receive awards provided they are not for-profit entities.

CB will accept applications that represent partnerships among organizations with relevant experience. Applicants may collaborate with organizations specializing in their assigned tasks.

Applications from collaborations must identify a primary applicant responsible for administering the cooperative agreement.

Applications from individuals (including sole proprietorships) and foreign entities are not eligible and will be disqualified from competitive review and funding under this funding opportunity. 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. 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 45 CFR Part 87 and 42 U.S.C. 2000bb et seq., ACF will not, in the selection of recipients, discriminate against an organization on the basis of the organization's religious character, affiliation, or exercise.

Reference to Legal Status 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 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 funding under this funding opportunity.

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 funding under this funding opportunity. 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.

Required Electronic Application Submission

ACF requires electronic submission of applications at 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 funding under this funding opportunity.

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."

Missing the Application Deadline (Late Applications)

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

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

Each time an application is submitted via 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 pm ET on the due date listed in the Overview and in Section IV.4. Submission Dates and Times. Paper applications received after 4:30 pm ET on the due date will be disqualified from competitive review and funding under this funding opportunity. Paper applications received from applicants that have not received approval of an exemption from required electronic submission will be disqualified from competitive review and funding under this funding opportunity.

Notification of Application Disqualification 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 NOFO.

IV. Application and Submission Information

IV.1. Address to Request Application Package

CB Operations Center c/o LCG, Inc.

ATTN: HHS-2023-ACF-ACYF-CT-0012

https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ACF_Policy_for_Requesting_an_Exemption_from_Required_Electronic_FINAL_0.pdf https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ACF_Policy_for_Requesting_an_Exemption_from_Required_Electronic_FINAL_0.pdf

6000 Executive Boulevard Suite 410 Rockville

MD

20852 888-203-6161 CB@grantreview.org Application Packages

Electronic Application Submission:

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

Applications in Paper Format:

For applicants that have received an exemption to submit applications in paper format, Standard Forms (SFs), assurances, and certifications are available in the "Select Grant Opportunity Package" available in the NOFO's Grants.gov Synopsis under the Package tab at 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 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 Grants.gov is required to upload only two electronic files, excluding SFs and Office of Management and Budget (OMB)-approved forms. No more than two files will be accepted for the review, and additional files will be removed. SFs and OMB-approved forms will not be considered additional files.

FOR ALL APPLICATIONS:

Authorized Organization 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 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.

http://www.gsa.gov/fedrelay

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 NOFO Formatting, Font, and Page Limitation Requirements Applications that fail to adhere to ACF’s NOFO 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 and will not be made available to reviewers.

Applications that have more than one scanned page of a…