HHS-2023-ACF-ACYF-EV-0043.pdf

Administration for Children and Families

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

Alaska Native Tribal Resource Center on Domestic Violence

HHS-2023-ACF-ACYF-EV-0043

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

Appendix

Funding Opportunity Title:

Alaska Native Tribal Resource Center on Domestic Violence Announcement Type:

Initial Funding Opportunity Number:

HHS-2023-ACF-ACYF-EV-0043

Primary CFDA Number:

93.592 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 Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Family Violence Prevention and Services (OFVPS) will award one cooperative agreement through the Family Violence Prevention and Services Discretionary Grant Program to support an Alaska Native Tribal Resource Center on Domestic Violence (ANTRC). The ANTRC will focus on the intervention and prevention of family violence, domestic violence, and dating violence by offering statewide information, training, and technical assistance specifically designed to reduce tribal disparities within Alaska Native (AN) communities and villages. The purpose of this project is to enhance the capacity of AN tribes and tribal organizations to respond to family violence, domestic violence and dating violence in a culturally sensitive, relevant, and effective manner.

ANTRC will be a member of a nationwide network composed of national and special issue resource centers and culturally specific special issue resource centers, known as the Domestic Violence Resource Network (DVRN). DVRN provides information, resources, research, training, and technical assistance on a national level to improve the capacity of individuals, organizations, governmental agencies, local communities, tribes, and tribal organizations to prevent domestic violence and dating violence, and to ensure domestic violence programs are better able to provide effective intervention and prevention services.

The statutory authority for this NOFO is 42 U.S.C. 10410(b)(3) of the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA).

Notice: Applicants are strongly encouraged to read the entire NOFO carefully and observe the application formatting requirements listed in Section IV.2. Content and Form of Application https://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/how-apply-grant

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.

I. Program Description

Statutory Authority The statutory authority for this NOFO announcement is 42 U.S.C. 10410(b)(3) of the FVPSA.

Description History and Purpose of the FVPSA

The FVPSA provides the primary federal funding stream dedicated to the support of emergency shelter and supportive services for victims of domestic violence, as well as their dependents.

First authorized as part of the Child Abuse Amendments of 1984 (Public Law 98-457), FVPSA became the first federal commitment to creating a pathway to safety for survivors of domestic violence and their children. FVPSA has been amended eight times and most recently was reauthorized in December 2010 for 5 years by the Child Abuse and Treatment Act (CAPTA) Reauthorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 10401 - 10414). Since 1984, Congress has continued to make its intent clear that FVPSA funds are to be used to raise awareness of domestic violence, prevent its occurrence, provide services to victims and their children, and support domestic violence providers to enhance their responses through training and technical assistance.

Specifically, FVPSA's statutory purposes are to:

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

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

3. Provide for a national domestic violence hotline; and

4. Provide for technical assistance and training relating to domestic violence programs to states and Indian tribes, local public agencies (including law enforcement agencies;

courts; and legal, social service, and health care professionals), non-profit private organizations (including faith- based and charitable organizations, community-based organizations, and voluntary associations), tribal organizations, and other persons seeking such assistance and training.

FVPSA is administered by OFVPS. OFVPS administers mandatory FVPSA formula grants to states, territories, tribes, and state domestic violence coalitions. FVPSA awards grants to every state and territory and over 200 tribes. Funds awarded to states, territories, and tribes reach more than 1,600 local public, private, nonprofit, and faith-based organizations and programs demonstrating effectiveness their response to family violence, domestic violence, and dating violence. These programs provide victims of domestic violence, and their children with emergency shelter, safety planning, crisis counseling, information and referral, legal advocacy, and additional support services.

The FVPSA Program also administers funding for the National Domestic Violence Hotline (1- 800-799-SAFE) to operate a confidential 24-hour national, toll-free telephone hotline to provide information and assistance to adult and youth victims of family violence, domestic violence or dating violence, their family, and others affected by the violence in an effort to build healthy, safe, and supportive communities. In addition, FVPSA funding supports Stronghearts Native https://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/how-apply-grant.

https://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/how-apply-grant.

Helpline, the first national Native helpline (1-844-7NATIVE) for native victims of domestic violence. The Native helpline provides specialized supportive services to address the unique barriers often faced by Native survivors of intimate partner abuse including culturally specific and tribally based resources for American Indians and Alaska Natives.

In order to ensure the safety of adult, youth, and child victims of family violence, domestic violence, or dating violence, and their families. FVPSA grant recipients and subgrant recipients shall protect the confidentiality and privacy of such victims and their families (45 CFR § 1370.4). FVPSA grant recipients and subgrant recipients shall not do the following:

1. Disclose any personally identifying information (as defined in 45 CFR § 1370.2) collected in connection with services requested (including services utilized or denied) through grant recipients’ and subgrant recipients’ programs;

2. Reveal any personally identifying information without informed, written, reasonably time- limited consent by the person about whom information is sought, whether for this program or any other federal, tribal, or state grant program, including whether to comply with federal, tribal, or state reporting, evaluation, or data collection requirements; or

3. Require an adult, youth, or child victim of family violence, domestic violence, or dating violence to provide a consent to release his or her personally identifying information as a condition of eligibility for the services provided by the grant recipient or subgrant recipient.

ANTRC on Domestic Violence

In 2022, FVPSA awarded 144 tribal grants supporting over 240 tribes. FVPSA authorizes a state resource center to end tribal disparities that will provide statewide information, training, and technical assistance to Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and local domestic violence service organizations serving Indians and Alaska Natives.

The ANTRC will support family violence, domestic violence, and dating violence prevention and intervention efforts in Alaska to enhance the capacity of the tribes, tribal organizations, tribal leaders, domestic violence advocates, community members, and other professionals who assist in addressing intersecting issues of domestic violence prevention and response efforts.

Through this grant program, OFVPS will fund one cooperative agreement to enhance the capacity of AN tribes and tribal organizations to respond to family violence, domestic violence, and dating violence in a culturally sensitive, relevant, and effective manner. The previous award was issued in 2020 under NOFO HHS-2020-ACF-ACYF-EV-1802.

In accordance with 42 U.S.C. 10410(b)(3), ANTRC expectations are as follows:

To offer a comprehensive array of technical assistance and training resources to AN, specifically designed to enhance the capacity of the tribes, organizations, and providers to respond to domestic violence, including offering the resources in states in which the population of Indians (including AN) exceeds 2.5 percent of the total population of the state;

To coordinate all projects and activities with the National Indian Resource Center Addressing Domestic Violence and Safety for Indian Women, including projects and activities that involve working with nontribal state and local governments to enhance their capacity to understand the unique needs of Indians, including AN; and

To provide comprehensive community education and domestic violence prevention initiatives in a culturally sensitive and relevant manner.

Definitions - (for the purposes of the NOFO)

Alaska Native: The term “Alaska Native” has the meaning given the term “Native” in section 1602 of title 43(43 U.S.C. 1602(b)).

Dating Violence: Violence committed by a person who is or has been in a social relationship of a romantic or intimate nature with the victim and where the existence of such a relationship shall be determined based on a consideration of the length of the relationship, the type of relationship, and the frequency of interaction between the persons involved in the relationship (42 U.S.C. 13925(a)).

Domestic Violence: Felony or misdemeanor crimes of violence committed by a current or former spouse or intimate partner of the victim, by a person with whom the victim shares a child in common, by a person who is cohabitating with or has cohabitated with the victim as a spouse or intimate partner, by a person similarly situated to a spouse of the victim under the domestic or family violence laws or jurisdiction receiving grant monies;

or by any other person against an adult or youth victim who is protected from that person's acts under the domestic or family violence laws of the jurisdiction (42 U.S.C.

13925(a)).

Family Violence: Any act or threatened act of violence, including any forceful detention of an individual, which: (a) results in or threatens to result in physical injury, and (b) is committed by a person against another individual (including an elderly person) to whom such person is, or was, related by blood or marriage, or otherwise legally related, or with whom such person is, or was, lawfully residing (42 U.S.C. 10402(4)).

Intimate Partner Violence: A term used interchangeably with “domestic violence, or dating violence.” (For the purposes of the NOFO)

Technical Assistance: Specific, detailed guidance, that can include the following: phone calls or emails on a specific topic; provision of written materials, referrals, review and feedback/comments/advice on materials prepared by individuals or organizations, or onsite visits involving intensive assistance and an exchange of information and resources.

(For the purposes of the NOFO)

Trainings and Presentations: Pre-scheduled and in-depth information on a particular topic(s) in person, in a targeted geographic area, over the phone, or online. (For the purposes of the NOFO)

Program Goals

This funding opportunity will support the operation of a statewide technical assistance provider to enhance the capacity of AN tribes and tribal organizations to respond to family violence, domestic violence, and dating violence in a culturally sensitive and effective manner. The applicant must have the organizational capacity, leadership, and experience in serving AN from geographically diverse locations as well as experience providing training and technical assistance to programs, communities and other entities to address disparities faced by AN communities in addressing domestic violence.

This ANTRC will assist in building the statewide capacity to engage AN communities and programs including those in geographically isolated villages where community-level involvement is necessary. The applicant is required to directly support the provision of prevention programming including meetings and gatherings to work collaboratively with community members, tribal leaders, domestic violence advocates, and other relevant response systems, to develop policies and protocols and to improve prevention and response skills.

There is a critical need to provide additional support to AN victims of domestic violence to address the barriers faced by victims, the children who witness such violence, responders, and their communities. Forty percent (229) of the 574 federally recognized tribes are located in Alaska. For the entire State of Alaska there are more than 200 AN villages, and only two Native domestic violence shelters. Many of the AN tribes are located in isolated villages where the only way in or out is by boat, plane, and in the winter, snow mobiles. There are also very limited or no resources to support local responses to crisis caused by domestic violence or dating violence.

When domestic violence occurs, community members such as teachers, elders, nurses, or domestic violence advocates may be called upon for support because law enforcement is unavailable for an immediate response. To reach the nearest shelter, many AN victims of domestic violence are often faced with traveling long distances away from their villages and families.

A 2016, National Institute of Justice study indicated that more than four in five American Indian and AN women (84.3 percent) have experienced violence in their lifetime. This includes 56.1 percent who have experienced sexual violence, 55.5 percent who have experienced physical violence by an intimate partner, 48.8 percent who have experienced stalking, and 66.4 percent who have experienced psychological aggression by an intimate partner. Overall, more than 1.5 million American Indian and AN women have experienced violence in their lifetime.

Due to the many challenges victims of domestic violence face when trying to access criminal and civil justice, and receive shelter and other supportive services, many incidents of domestic violence and dating violence go unaddressed and unreported.

Note: for the purposes of this NOFO, evidence-informed practices bring together the best available research, professional expertise, and input from communities to identify and deliver services that show promise to achieve positive outcomes for AN populations.

Program Requirements

The ANTRC grant recipient shall provide technical assistance to AN tribes and tribal organizations in carrying out all activities.

The ANTRC grant recipient must do the following:

Provide statewide technical assistance to expand the capacity of AN domestic violence programs, non-native domestic violence programs, and other responders to provide survivor- and culturally centered domestic violence prevention and intervention services.

Create community-level involvement and develop programmatic resources and training tools to assist AN organizations, community-based supports, and non-native programs.

Increase emergency/safety responses, access to shelter or safe homes and other supportive services such as legal assistance and transportation, for AN victims of domestic violence.

Enhance public awareness through the development and promotion of the following: new and/or existing resources, including emerging issues and prevention/intervention strategies that are both broadly relevant and community specific; model program policies;

sheltering policies; screening tools; and promising practices to support AN victims of domestic violence, families, and communities impacted by intimate partner violence.

Synthesize research literature and conduct studies to inform development of frameworks that take into account the unique needs of AN victims of intimate partner violence with special emphasis on the populations that are geographically removed from accessible services.

Develop partnerships and build innovative collaborations between entities such as: AN and non-native domestic violence providers, AN-specific organizations, the National Indigenous Women's Resource Center (NIWRC), Stronghearts Native Helpline, the FVPSA Formula Grantees Capacity Building Center operated by National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV), the DVRN, school teachers, community members, transportation providers, public health organizations, and social service agencies.

Provide coordinated and topic-specific training and technical assistance to FVPSA AN program through onsite visits; presenting at statewide, regional, and national meetings and conferences; developing on-line, self-paced learning modules; presenting webinars;

developing written materials; and coordinating small group meetings such as in-person conference calls and video technology to encourage peer learning. The grant recipient will participate in ongoing coordination and collaboration with the FVPSA-funded resource centers especially NIWRC, Stronghearts Native Helpline, and the FVPSA Formula Grantees Capacity Building Center operated by NNEDV.

Address emerging issues related to family violence, domestic violence, and dating violence through the provision of training and technical assistance that is comprehensive and national in scope. Emerging topics of relevance may include violence prevention for children and youth, the co-occurrence of human trafficking and domestic violence, family/youth homelessness, services for male victims, services for children of all ages who witness violence, and meeting the needs of survivors with substance use histories.

Conduct needs assessments to address emerging trends, gaps, and accessibility barriers that domestic violence victims may face when accessing health and social services in Alaska.

Evaluate program performance that will contribute to continuous quality improvement.

The program performance evaluation must monitor activities and the project's progress.

All FVPSA grant recipients are expected to implement evidence-based, evidence-informed, and or promising strategies that regularly engage input and feedback from people with lived experience that are survivors of family violence, domestic violence, dating violence, and sexual assault and their children into their needs assessments.

FVPSA grant recipients will ensure that these activities are meaningful, trauma-informed and grounded in the lived experiences of survivors and their children. The applicant will encourage survivor voice(s) and lead in partnership with survivors in program selection, program design, program improvement, and/or other recommendations.

All FVPSA grant recipients are expected to ensure that products and activities are appropriately survivor-centered by regularly incorporating input and feedback from people with lived experience as survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, or sexual assault and their children into grant activities at multiple points in the development process.

Coordinate with NNEDV in their efforts to assure the capacity of the states, domestic violence coalitions, and tribes to carry out the FVPSA grant program requirements with best practices and in adherence to FVPSA guidance, including legislation and regulations.

Plan meetings, events and site visits in conjunction with OFVPS to allow for participation of OFVPS staff. The selected grant recipient will also assist FVPSA project officers with site visits and provide necessary technical assistance to grant recipients as part of follow-up to a site visit.

DVRN Activities

The DVRN is currently comprised of the following members:

National Resource Center on Domestic Violence National Indian Resource Center Addressing Domestic Violence and Safety for Indian

Women: National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center Special Issue Resource Center on Domestic Violence and Criminal and Civil Justice Special Issue Resource Center on Health and Domestic Violence Special Issue Resource Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma, and Mental Health Special Issue Resource Center on Domestic Violence and Asian and Pacific Islanders Special Issue Resource Center on Domestic Violence and Native Hawaiians Special Issue Resource Center on Domestic Violence in the African American

Community Special Issue Resource Center on Domestic Violence in the Latino Community National Domestic Violence Hotline Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Questioning (LGBTQ) Institute on Intimate Partner

Violence Culturally Specific Sexual Assault Resource Centers for: Asian/Pacific Islanders, Native

American/American Indian/Indigenous, and LatinX communities.

The ANTRC will be expected to participate in the DVRN, including twice-yearly meetings, training/webinars, technical assistance coordination, research, reporting, and resource development as needed. The ANTRC will coordinate with other DVRN members and work collaboratively to coordinate national training, technical assistance, public awareness, and research initiatives.

OFVPS expects the ANTRC to plan travel expenses for at least one representative to participate in two DVRN meetings each project period and no fewer than two OFVPS sponsored meetings each project period. For information on the DVRN, go to: https://www.nrcdv.org/collaboration.

https://www.nrcdv.org/collaboration

Please note: Members of the DVRN will maintain independent governance of their own organizations but are expected to share their expertise with other DVRN members; actively participate in the coordination of technical assistance; attend semi-annual DVRN meetings; and work collaboratively to develop training, resources, research, or initiatives.

II. Federal Award Information

Funding Instrument Type:

CA (Cooperative Agreement) Estimated Total Funding:

$1,000,000 Expected Number of Awards:

Award Ceiling:

$1,000,000 Per Budget Period

Award Floor:

$500,000 Per Budget Period

Average Projected Award Amount:

$1,000,000 Per Budget Period

Anticipated Project Start Date:

09/30/2023 Length of Project Periods:

36-month project period with three 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 grant recipient will receive noncompeting continuation awards in years 2 and 3. Awards are subject to the satisfactory progress by the recipient, a determination that continued funding would be in the best interest of the federal government, and the availability of federal funds. The Grant Management Specialist and Federal Project Officer will use the recipient's semi-annual performance progress and financial reports, site visits, audit reports, and other supporting documentation to determine, in accordance with requirements in the NOFO and statute, if satisfactory progress is being made in the following areas: 1) accomplishing the project goals, objectives, and activities; 2) completing proposed activities; and 3) documenting allowable expenses that support project goals, objectives, and the approved budget. Please refer to Section V1.3. Reporting for more information on required reports.

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

This award will be a cooperative agreement. A cooperative agreement is an award instrument used when substantial involvement is anticipated between the awarding office and the grant recipient during performance of the contemplated project and extends beyond normal oversight and stewardship responsibilities and functions.

Through the cooperative agreement, OFVPS shall be involved as follows:

1. Provide significant guidance and consultation on project design and implementation to the primary grant recipient throughout the project period to ensure the successful implementation of the project and to improve the outcomes of the program

2. Review, provide feedback on, and approve the project scope, activities, and work plan, as well as the structure and integrity of the resource center, in conjunction with the grant recipient. This includes any changes to key personnel on the project.

3. Propose and approve significant changes to project scope, activities, and work plans.

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

5. Be involved in the development of strategies for the implementation of the project.

6. Participate in major project activities, such as advisory or other leadership committee meetings, conference, topical meetings, training, or major project meetings.

7. Keep grant recipients informed about ACF/OFVPS/FVPSA priorities.

8. Organize frequent consultations, meetings, briefings, teleconferences, webinars, and other forums necessary to review current and planned activities, to share information and to promote national coordination.

The respective responsibilities of OFVPS and the successful application will be identified and incorporated into the cooperative agreement of the award during the pre-award negotiations. It is anticipated that the cooperative agreement will not change the project requirements for the grant recipients under this announcement.

The FVPSA Program will collaborate with the grant recipient in the following ways:

1. Provide consultation on, and approval for, enhancements and changes to the work plan and budget during the project period.

2. Be actively involved in the development of long-term strategies for the implementation of the project including activities with the National Indian Resource Center Addressing Domestic Violence and Safety for Indian Women, including projects and activities that involve working with nontribal state and local governments to enhance their capacity to understand the unique needs of Indians, including AN and Native Hawaiians.

3. Participate in grant recipient-hosted or grant recipient-sponsored meetings and conferences

4. Provide partner participation, and victim/survivor input/feedback as appropriate.

5. Communicate changes to expectations for performance or changes in OFVPS policies and provide appropriate technical assistance to implement the changes.

6. Review and approve significant project documents such as national and statewide services reports, focus survey reports, and grant recipient policy and procedure manuals.

7. Consult on current and proposed new data collection elements.

III. Eligibility Information

III.1. Eligible Applicants

According to FVPSA, 42 U.S.C. 10410(c)(4), ANTRC eligible entities shall demonstrate the ability to serve all regions in Alaska, including underdeveloped areas and areas that are geographically distant from population centers and:

1. be located in a state in which the population of Indians (including Alaska Natives) exceeds 10 percent of the total population of the state; or

2. be an Indian tribe or tribal organization that focuses primarily on issues of domestic violence among Alaska Natives, or be an institution of higher education

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

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.

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

IV. Application and Submission Information

IV.1. Address to Request Application Package

FYSB Operations Center c/o F2 Solutions Attn: ANTRC NOFO 1401 Mercantile Lane Suite 401 Largo

MD

20774 1-855-792-6551 TechAssist@fysb.net 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.

http://www.gsa.gov/fedrelay

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Adherence to 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 document on a single page will have the page(s) removed from the review.

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

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

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

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

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

Application Submission Options.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

PAGE LIMITATIONS AND CONTENT FOR ALL SUBMISSION FORMATS:

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

Table of Contents Project Summary/Abstract (one page) Objectives and Need for Assistance Expected Outcomes Approach Timeline and Narrative Logic Model Program Performance and Evaluation Plan Organizational Capacity Dissemination Plan Protection of Sensitive and/or Confidential Information Project Sustainability Plan Line-Item Budget and Budget Justification (exempt from page limitations)

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

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

List of Board Directors or other governing body members (as applicable) Financial Statements (as applicable) Third-Party Agreements/Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) (as applicable) Letters of Support Required Forms, Certifications and Assurances Proof of Legal Status Indirect Cost Rate Letter (as applicable) Other Eligibility Documents (as applicable)

Please note again that Staff Position Information and OMB-approved forms do not count toward the page limit.

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

ELECTRONIC APPLICATION SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

Applicants are required to submit their applications electronically unless they have received an exemption that will allow submission in paper format. See Section IV.2. Application Submission Options for information about requesting an exemption.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Naming Application Submission Files Carefully observe the file naming conventions required by Grants.gov. Limit file names to 50 characters (characters and spaces). Please also see https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/submitting-utf-8-special-characters.html.

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

ACF supports the following file formats:

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

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

FORMATTING FOR PAPER APPLICATION SUBMISSIONS:

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

Applicants must receive an exemption from ACF in order for a paper format application to be accepted for review.