hhs-2024-acf-orr-rb-0137_rev2.pdf

Notice of Funding Opportunity

Application due July 9, 2024

Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR)

National Refugee Children and Youth Resilience (NRCYR) Program Opportunity number: HHS-2024-ACF-ORR-RB-0137

Contents Before you begin 3

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 4

Basic information 5

Eligibility 6

Program description 7

Step 2: Get Ready to Apply 17

Get registered 18

Find the application package 18

Learn more 18

Join the webinar 19

Step 3: Prepare Your Application 20

Application contents and format 21

Step 4: Learn About Review and Award 32

Application review 33

Award notices 38

Step 5: Submit Your Application 39

Application submission and deadlines 40

Application checklist 43

Step 6: Learn What Happens After Award 44

Post-award requirements and administration 45

Contacts and Support 47

Contents 2

Before you begin If you believe you are a good candidate for this funding opportunity, secure your SAM.gov and Grants.gov registrations now. If you are already registered, make sure your registration is active and up-to-date.

SAM.gov registration (this can take several weeks) You must have an active account with SAM.gov. This includes having a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI).

See Step 2: Get Ready to Apply

Grants.gov registration (this can take several days) You must have an active Grants.gov registration. Doing so requires a Login.gov registration as well.

See Step 2: Get Ready to Apply

Apply by July 9, 2024 Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on July 9, 2024.

To help you find what you need, this NOFO uses internal links. In Adobe Reader, you can go back to where you were by pressing Alt + Left Arrow (Windows) or Command + Left Arrow (Mac) on your keyboard.

Before you begin 3 https://sam.gov/ https://grants.gov/

Jump to a step

1. Review 2. Get Ready 3. Prepare 4. Learn 5. Submit 6. Award Contacts

Step 1:

Review the Opportunity

In this step

Basic information 5

Eligibility 6

Program description 7

Basic information Administration for Children and Families (ACF)

Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR)

Supporting the development of resiliency in refugee children and youth to help them thrive in the United States.

Have questions?

See Contacts and Support.

Key facts

Opportunity name:

National Refugee Children and Youth Resilience (NRCYR) Program

Opportunity number:

HHS-2024-ACF-ORR-

RB-0137

Federal assistance listing:

93.576

Statutory authority number:

8 U.S.C. 1522(c)(1)(A), section 412(c)(1)(A) of the Immigration and Nationality Act

Key dates

Informational webinar date:

June 6, 2024

Application deadline:

July 9, 2024

Expected award date:

August 30, 2024

Expected start date:

September 30, 2024

See deadlines.

Summary The National Refugee Children and Youth Resilience (NRCYR) Program provides funding to strengthen support for children, youth, and their families across the country who are eligible for Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) Refugee Resettlement Program services. Through this funding, the program expands child welfare and protection capacity at refugee-serving agencies. Program services will be resiliency-focused, evidence-based, trauma-informed, and child-welfare-centered as well as culturally responsive and developmentally appropriate.

Program activities include training and technical assistance, partnership and outreach, crisis intervention and case consultation, and assessment and evaluation.

Funding details Type: Cooperative agreement

Estimated total program funding: $2 million

Total expected awards: 1

Minimum award amount for the first budget period (award floor): $1.5 million

Maximum award amount for the first budget period (award ceiling): $2 million

Funding periods: 60-month project period of performance with five 12-month budget periods

ORR will continue to fund projects for the successive budget periods based upon:

• Satisfactory progress in the project.

• Approval of the noncompetitive application for continuation.

• A determination that continued funding is in the federal government’s best interest.

• Availability of federal funds.

1. Review 2. Get Ready 3. Prepare 4. Learn 5. Submit 6. Award Contacts

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 5 https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title8-section1522&num=0&edition=prelim

Eligibility Who can apply

Eligible applicants Public and private nonprofit organizations may apply.

Individuals, including sole proprietorships, and foreign entities may not apply.

Other eligibility criteria Faith-based and community organizations that meet the eligibility requirements are eligible for awards under this funding opportunity.

See the initial review section for disqualification factors.

Cost sharing This program has no cost-sharing requirement. If you choose to include cost-sharing funds, we won’t consider it during review. However, we will hold you accountable for any funds you add, including through reporting.

Cost-sharing commitments You must follow through on your promise of cost-sharing funds even if you promise more than required. We put these commitments in the Notice of Award (NoA). You’ll have to include your funds when you fill out your federal financial reports.

If you don’t provide your promised amount, we may have to decrease your award amount or use other enforcement actions.

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 6

Program description Background, program need, and eligible populations Refugees face persecution, violence, displacement, and other traumatic events that can have lasting adverse effects on their health and well-being. The impacts of the refugee experience, in addition to the migration journey itself, can be further compounded by the stress of resettlement to the United States.

According to data from the United Nations Children’s Fund, the number of refugee children and youth who are displaced and resettled in another country continues to rise. By the end of 2022, children and youth under 18 accounted for 40 percent of the world’s refugee population. Although this population is exposed to similar challenges as adults before, during, and after resettlement, for children and youth, resettlement occurs at critical stages of their social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development.

Programs that support refugee children and youths’ resettlement and integration must focus on child welfare and protection to help them build resilience and thrive in the United States.

National Refugee Children and Youth Resilience Program overview The NRCYR Program will expand the capacity of refugee-serving agencies and resettlement communities across the country to provide resiliency-focused, evidence-based, trauma-informed, and child-welfare-centric services and interventions. The funding recipient will provide training and technical assistance (TTA), partnership and outreach, crisis intervention and case consultation, and assessment and evaluation services to promote the well-being, stability, resiliency, and successful integration of refugee children and youth in the United States.

The recipient will support refugee-serving agencies working with children and youth from birth through age 24, during the first five years of their eligibility for ORR benefits and services. The program will assist eligible children and youth regardless of their resettlement journey or family composition, including attached refugee minors, certain former unaccompanied children, children in nuclear families, and those in other caregiver relationships.

Refugee-serving agencies include ORR-funded refugee service providers, state refugee programs, and other ethnic- and community-based organizations. They also include

1. Review 2. Get Ready 3. Prepare 4. Learn 5. Submit 6. Award Contacts

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 7 https://www.unhcr.org/refugee-statistics/#:~:text=At%20the%20end%20of%202022,below%2018%20years%20of%20age.&text=Between%202018%20and%202022%2C%20an,born%20as%20refugees%20per%20year.

https://www.unhcr.org/refugee-statistics/#:~:text=At%20the%20end%20of%202022,below%2018%20years%20of%20age.&text=Between%202018%20and%202022%2C%20an,born%20as%20refugees%20per%20year.

mainstream, state, and community agencies not funded by ORR that provide services to refugee children, youth, and their families, such as state and local child welfare agencies.

Goals The NRCYR Program’s goal is to build resiliency among refugee children and youth to ensure their successful integration into the United States. Through various prevention and intervention measures that promote child well-being, the recipient’s project will accomplish three main objectives:

• Strengthen the child welfare capacity and expertise of refugee-serving agencies and resettlement communities across the country by providing TTA, helping them to provide both trauma-informed and child-welfare-centric services to refugee children, youth, and their families.

• Improve communication and coordination between local child welfare agencies, mainstream service providers, and refugee-serving agencies across the country to ensure that they are educated on, and can help resolve, issues impacting refugee children, youth, and their families that may require local child welfare or other interventions.

• Ensure that refugee children, youth, and their families across the country who are at risk, or are in crisis, have access to and receive services that promote recovery, child welfare, and protection. These services can be provided remotely and/or through culturally and linguistically competent behavioral health staff, including social work and mental health professionals.

Providing equitable services The recipient must ensure that their project provides fully and equally accessible services to agencies and to refugee children, youth, and their families, as delineated within the eligible participants section of this notice of funding opportunity (NOFO).

Program activities must be culturally and linguistically appropriate. The recipient will serve refugees with varying levels of education and experience.

Program activities The recipient must ensure all services are resiliency-focused, evidence-based, trauma-informed, and child-welfare-centric. Additionally, services must be culturally responsive and developmentally appropriate.

• Resiliency-focused services target an individual’s personal strengths to help them overcome risk and adversity.

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 8

• Cultural responsiveness requires the recipient to understand cultural differences and the phases of cultural adjustment. The recipient must then look beyond those differences and work beyond biases to effectively support refugee children, youth, and families whose cultural contexts are different from theirs and who are at different stages of their integration journey.

• Developmentally appropriate services are appropriate for a child’s cognitive, emotional, and developmental level and capacity.

The recipient will conduct the following required activities in support of the program description and goals. The recipient must also have a national reach and provide required project activities across the country, either in person or virtually.

Training and technical assistance

• Conduct an annual needs assessment to identify the areas of focus for, and types of, TTA that refugee-serving agencies need to support the well-being and resiliency of refugee children and youth.

• Plan and carry out an annual TTA work plan that is based on the annual needs assessment and is responsive to emerging issues and trends impacting refugee children, youth, and their families.

• Provide TTA for refugee-serving agencies that request assistance:

◦ Provide on-site (citywide, state, or regional) group and virtual training to refugee-serving agency staff on topics that will enable them to support the well-being and resiliency of refugee children and youth. Include resiliency-focused, evidence-based, trauma-informed, and child-welfare-centric approaches to serving refugee families.

◦ Help refugee-serving agencies implement crisis prevention programs that promote family preservation, reduce at-risk behaviors, and address other barriers to child well-being. Include emotional and behavioral well-being activities, such as community adjustment groups, support groups, and wellness activities.

◦ Conduct assessments to evaluate and measure the quality and effectiveness of the TTA. The TTA must include evidence-based practices for assessing and evaluating programs that serve refugee children, youth, and their families.

• Create trainings and other resources to more broadly help refugee-serving agencies serve children, youth, and their families. These resources should promote child welfare in refugee resettlement and address issues affecting refugee children, youth, and their families.

• Incorporate lived experience in the development of TTA materials and resources.

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 9

• Partner with refugee-serving agencies and other technical assistance providers to ensure that trainings and other resources have a national reach.

Partnerships and outreach

• Develop a resource map of national, state, and local resources and partners offering child, youth, and family services. Use the map to provide appropriate referrals when consulting on cases, preventing and intervening in crises, and providing TTA.

• Create and foster a network of subject-matter experts with experience in the following areas, and call on them to advise on case consultation, crisis prevention and intervention, and TTA activities:

◦ Child protection

◦ Child welfare

◦ Social work

◦ Mental health

◦ Refugee resettlement

◦ Other relevant areas

• Create links with state and local child welfare agencies. Educate them on refugee children and youth issues and facilitate connections with other refugee-serving agencies. Ensure these outreach efforts are coordinated with ORR’s outreach efforts with child welfare agencies.

• Create outreach materials and implement strategies to inform refugee-serving agencies about the program’s services.

• Communicate and coordinate at least quarterly with national and local refugee-serving agencies, including ORR-funded and non-funded TTA providers, State Refugee Coordinators, and State Refugee Health Coordinators to facilitate timely and relevant exchange of information regarding service needs and resettlement trends that may affect refugee children, youth, and their families.

Crisis intervention and case consultation

• Provide virtual and limited in-person crisis intervention and case consultation.

This activity must be conducted by appropriate behavioral health staff, including social work and mental health professionals specializing in child welfare. This activity will be conducted in response to situations affecting child protection and well-being, such as family breakdowns and runaway risk, or in response to a traumatic incident impacting a refugee child, youth, or their family.

1. Review 2. Get Ready 3. Prepare 4. Learn 5. Submit 6. Award Contacts

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 10 https://www.acf.hhs.gov/orr/grant-funding/key-state-contacts https://www.acf.hhs.gov/orr/grant-funding/key-state-contacts

◦ Behavioral health staff, social workers, mental health professionals, and other consultative staff should follow state guidelines, regulations, laws, and other requirements governing their professional activities.

◦ The activities outlined in this NOFO do not supersede state and professional requirements.

• Specific actions the recipient should conduct include:

◦ Create and run an informational and consultative helpline or email address that refugee-serving agencies can use to request support and consultations.

The helpline will not respond to emergencies and does not need to be available 24 hours a day.

▪ Develop and disseminate clear communication to explain the helpline (or email service) and the services provided.

◦ Create a multidisciplinary team with expertise in refugee and child welfare issues to identify, provide, and/or advise on the best ways to support refugee children, youth, and their families during a crisis.

◦ For each consultation, create a case file and updated case notes, and a crisis intervention and safety plan, if appropriate. The plan can include referrals to local resettlement agencies, community resources, and service providers for long-term support. The plan can also include referrals to state and local child welfare agencies.

◦ Develop guidelines for staff and consultants to use when they provide case consultation and crisis interventions. These guidelines must include topics such as mandated reporting and professional ethics. The guidelines must also include a timeline, qualifications for case closure, and minimum follow-up requirements.

• Identify risk factors specific to refugee children and youth and tailor crisis intervention plans and case consultations accordingly.

Assessment and evaluation

• Define annual and full-project indicators to measure the impact and outcomes of the program.

• Continuously assess and evaluate TTA, partnership and outreach, and crisis intervention and case consultation activities to ensure that program objectives are being met.

• Adjust activities, plans, and program design, as necessary, to be responsive to needs of refugee-serving agencies and refugee children, youth, and their families.

• Create visuals, reports, and other tools to communicate activities and outcomes to ORR, refugee-serving agencies, and other stakeholders.

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 11

• Provide monthly updates to ORR on major TTA themes, crisis intervention and case consultation responses, and other topics as determined by ORR.

Eligible participants Individuals assisted by the NRCYR Program must be eligible for ORR Refugee Resettlement Program benefits and services through their immigration status or category as one of the following:

• Refugee

• Asylee

• Cuban or Haitian entrant

• Iraqi or Afghan Special Immigrant

• Amerasian

• Victim of human trafficking

• Another individual made eligible by law, such as a humanitarian parolee from Afghanistan or Ukraine who arrived under specific circumstances during a defined period

People served through this program must also meet these criteria:

• Children and youth are between birth and age 24.

◦ Families will be supported as a result of their relationship with a child or youth in this age range.

• Children and youth are not U.S. citizens.

• Children and youth have been eligible for ORR services for five years or less when the assistance begins.

More information on eligibility for ORR-funded refugee resettlement program benefits and services can be found at 45 CFR § 400.43, and in ORR Policy Letters 16-01, 22-01, and 22-13. ORR will issue a policy letter and inform recipients if other populations are made eligible by law and can be enrolled in program services.

It is the funding recipient’s responsibility to verify the eligibility of each participant upon enrollment. If the recipient is unsure whether a candidate is eligible, they should contact refugeeeligibility@acf.hhs.gov.

ORR will consider exceptions for otherwise eligible persons who have more than five years of ORR eligibility on a case-by-case basis. To request an exception, contact the program officer with an explanation of why the individual should be considered a priority for service. Do not include immigration documents or personal details in the message.

1. Review 2. Get Ready 3. Prepare 4. Learn 5. Submit 6. Award Contacts

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 12 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/subtitle-B/chapter-IV/part-400/subpart-D/subject-group-ECFRa2e11c136e10eba/section-400.43 http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/orr/resource/policy-letters mailto:refugeeeligibility@acf.hhs.gov

The recipient must comply with applicable civil rights laws to ensure that ORR-eligible populations receive fair treatment, access, and opportunity to participate in ORR-funded programs without discrimination on the basis of age, disability, ethnicity, race, color, religion, nationality, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or political opinion.

ORR notes that in implementing its nondiscrimination provisions for the Refugee Resettlement Program, it operates in compliance with the requirements of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and other applicable federal conscience protections, as well as other applicable federal civil rights laws and applicable HHS regulations. For additional details, please see 45 CFR § 87.3.

Case file requirements The recipient must create and update a case file for each refugee child, youth, and family receiving case consultations or crisis intervention responses. These files must include:

• Documentation of their eligibility for the program.

• Evidence of work with the refugee child, youth, and their family, including:

◦ Case notes.

◦ Referrals.

◦ Outcomes of the referrals.

◦ Virtual and/or in-person touch points by either the recipient or refugee-serving agency.

◦ Assessment for case closure.

◦ Any additional follow-up completed after case closure.

• Crisis intervention and safety plan, if appropriate.

Case files should be updated within two business days of service provision. The recipient must allow ORR staff to review case files upon request.

Programs must comply with 45 CFR § 75.303(e) to take reasonable measures to safeguard protected personally identifiable information and participant privacy. When the recipient is not using the files, they must be secured so that only appropriate staff can access them, as necessary for their work. If the recipient uses an electronic system, they must limit access to the data and use encryption to protect participants’ information and privacy. If the recipient uses a paper system, they must keep files secure—ideally in a file cabinet that is kept locked and can only be accessed by authorized staff, as necessary for their work.

1. Review 2. Get Ready 3. Prepare 4. Learn 5. Submit 6. Award Contacts

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 13 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/subtitle-A/subchapter-A/part-87 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/subtitle-A/subchapter-A/part-75/subpart-D/subject-group-ECFR911e5e1a30bfbcb/section-75.303

Data reporting requirements The following program data must be reported on semiannually:

1. Number of refugee children, youth, and families served through case consultation and/or crisis intervention activities.

2. Trends identified in case consultation and crisis intervention activities, such as topic area and location.

3. Number and types of referrals made from case consultation and crisis intervention activities.

4. Number and types of refugee-serving agencies receiving TTA and their locations.

5. Quantitative and qualitative trends from TTA activities.

6. Number and topics of trainings and other resources provided to refugee-serving agencies.

7. Quantitative and qualitative reporting on subject-matter expert network and frequency of use by expertise and topic.

8. Challenges to developing partnerships or enabling refugee children, youth, and their families to access mainstream services.

9. Other topics as determined by ORR.

Cooperative agreement—description of ACF’s involvement A cooperative agreement is a specific method of awarding federal assistance in which substantial federal involvement is anticipated. A cooperative agreement will clearly define the responsibilities of ORR and the recipient. Details of the responsibilities, relationships, and governance of the cooperative agreement will be specified in the terms and conditions of the award. ORR’s involvement and collaboration will include, but not be limited to, the following:

• Reviewing and approving the resumes of all key positions prior to their beginning work on the program.

• Consulting with the recipient on NRCYR implementation and TTA plans; reviewing the plans; suggesting revisions and updates, as necessary; and approving the plans.

• Consulting on the recipient’s evaluation plan and reporting measures, as necessary.

• Providing substantial and regular input on the plans’ implementation and activities after they are approved.

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 14

• Reviewing and approving the resources the recipient develops, including, but not limited to, TTA and outreach materials and crisis intervention and case consultation guidelines.

• Reviewing and approving deployment for on-site and in-person TTA, crisis intervention, and case consultation requests.

• Approving the subject matter experts who will collaborate on the project.

• Reviewing all reports related to TTA, partnership and outreach, crisis intervention and case consultation, assessment and evaluation activities and products, and other reporting requirements.

• Facilitating collaboration and coordination with national entities, ORR recipients, and other refugee-serving agencies, when needed.

Funding policies and limitations We do not allow the following costs under this NOFO:

• Construction

• Purchase of real property

• Major renovation

• Direct financial assistance to children, youth, and their families

• Pre-award costs

See 45 CFR §§ 75.420 – 75.475 for information on costs that are always unallowable or have restrictions.

Indirect costs Indirect costs are those for a common or joint purpose across more than one project and that cannot be easily separated by project. Learn more at 45 CFR § 75.414, Indirect Costs.

To charge indirect costs, you can select one of the following two methods:

Method 1—Approved rate. You currently have an indirect cost rate approved by your cognizant federal agency.

Method 2—De minimis rate. Per 45 CFR § 75.414(f), if you have never received a negotiated indirect cost rate, you may elect to charge a de minimis rate. If you are awaiting approval of an indirect cost proposal, you may also use the de minimis rate. If you choose this method, costs included in the indirect cost pool must not be charged as direct costs.

This rate is 10% of modified total direct costs (MTDC). See 45 CFR § 75.2 for the definition of MTDC. You can use this rate indefinitely.

1. Review 2. Get Ready 3. Prepare 4. Learn 5. Submit 6. Award Contacts

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 15 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/subtitle-A/subchapter-A/part-75/subpart-E/subject-group-ECFR5d90ba314caea08 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/section-75.414 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/part-75#p-75.414(f) https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/part-75#p-75.2(Modified%20Total%20Direct%20Cost)

Subawards The prime recipient must maintain a substantive role in the project. We define a substantive role as conducting funded activities and providing services that are necessary and integral to completing the project. Monitoring your subrecipient’s activities alone is not a substantive role. See 45 CFR § 75.352 for information on subrecipient monitoring.

We do 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.

Subrecipients must meet the eligibility requirements of this NOFO.

Statutory authority This program is authorized by 8 U.S.C. 1522(c)(1)(A), section 412(c)(1)(A) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.

1. Review 2. Get Ready 3. Prepare 4. Learn 5. Submit 6. Award Contacts

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 16 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/section-75.352

Step 2:

Get Ready to Apply

In this step

Get registered 18

Find the application package 18

Learn more 18

Join the webinar 19

Get registered SAM.gov You must have an active account with SAM.gov. This includes having a Unique Entity Identifier. SAM.gov registration can take several weeks. Begin that process today.

To register, go to SAM.gov Entity Registration and select Get Started. From the same page, you can also select the Entity Registration Checklist for the information you will need to register.

Grants.gov You must also have an active account with Grants.gov. You can see step-by step instructions at the Grants.gov Quick Start Guide for Applicants.

Need help? See Contacts and Support.

Find the application package The application package has all the forms you need to apply. You can find it online. Go to Search Grants at Grants.gov and search for opportunity number HHS-2024-ACF-ORR- RB-0137. Then, select the Package tab.

If you can’t use Grants.gov to download application materials, you may request them from the grants management contact.

If you are also unable to apply through Grants.gov, see the section on exemptions for paper submissions.

Learn more Visit Applying for an ACF Grant Award on the ACF Grants page.

1. Review 2. Get Ready 3. Prepare 4. Learn 5. Submit 6. Award Contacts

Step 2: Get Ready to Apply 18 https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration https://grants.gov/applicants/applicant-registration http://www.grants.gov/quick-start-guide/applicants https://grants.gov/search-grants https://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/how-apply-grant

Join the webinar For more information about this opportunity, join the webinar on June 6, 2024, at 2 p.m. Eastern Time (ET). You can join at ACF’s Zoom link.

• Meeting ID: 160 703 9822

• Passcode: 617618

You can also dial in via the following numbers (dial the number based on your current location):

• 669-254-5252 (San Jose)

• 646-828-7666 (New York)

• 646-964-1167 (Spanish line)

The goal of the webinar is to address common questions regarding the application process and common mistakes made during application submission. Participants may ask questions during the session, though please note that we will not be able to provide information not already included in this NOFO. If there is a discrepancy between the NOFO and the presentation or presentation materials, the NOFO takes precedence.

This webinar is fully voluntary. Opting to participate or not to participate will not affect eligibility, application scoring, or the awards process. Participants may remain anonymous during the webinar.

We will record the webinar. If you are not able to join live, you can replay it at ORR’s Grant Opportunities page.

1. Review 2. Get Ready 3. Prepare 4. Learn 5. Submit 6. Award Contacts

Step 2: Get Ready to Apply 19 https://acf-hhs-gov.zoomgov.com/j/1607039822?pwd=UGR3MFdtQW5Da1NCcHZtQ1psam1Wdz09 https://www.acf.hhs.gov/orr/grants https://www.acf.hhs.gov/orr/grants

Step 3:

Prepare Your Application

In this step

Application contents and format 21

Application contents and format Application components You will submit two files plus the other required forms in the application package.

File one: Project Narrative Attachment form Includes:

• Table of contents

• Project summary, one page

• Project narrative

• Line-item budget and budget narrative

File two: Other Attachments form Includes all attachments.

Other required forms Includes other required forms.

Required format Page limit for file one and file two combined: 90 pages

File Format: Portable Document File (PDF) is recommended, but not required. ACF supports the following file formats when you attach files to the Project Narrative Attachment form and the Other Attachments form:

• Adobe PDF (.pdf)

• Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx)

• Microsoft Excel (.xls or .xlsx)

• Microsoft PowerPoint (.ppt)

• Image formats (.JPG, .GIF, .TIFF, or .BMP only)

Paper size: 8 ½ inches x 11 inches

Margins: 1 inch all around

Language: English

Step 3: Prepare Your Application 21

If possible, include page numbers.

Do not include external links to information you want reviewers to assess.

Fonts Font: Times New Roman

Size: 12-point font

Footnotes and text in tables and graphics may be 10-point.

Spacing Table of contents: Must be single-spaced

Project summary: Must be single-spaced

Project narrative: Must be double-spaced

Line-item budget and budget narrative: Can be single-spaced

Attachments: As needed

Tables and footnotes throughout: Can be single-spaced

Table of contents At the beginning of file one, insert a table of contents that guides a reader through the contents of both files in your application. If possible, include links to the relevant content in file one.

Project summary Provide a one-page summary of the project description. Do not cross-reference to other parts of the application. The summary must include:

• At the top, the project title, applicant name, address, phone numbers, email addresses, and any website URL.

• A brief description of the project, including the needs and population you will address and your proposed services.

Project narrative The project narrative is where you address all your proposed activities. It is a critical section of your application, which we evaluate and rank against other applications using the merit review criteria. Remember that substance and measurable outcomes are more important than length. We are particularly interested in project narratives that convey strategies for achieving intended performance.

Step 3: Prepare Your Application 22

In it, you must:

• Explain how the project will meet the purpose of the NRCYR Program, as described in the program description section.

• Make sure your narrative is clear, concise, and complete.

• Use cross-referencing rather than repetition.

• Include any required supporting documents noted. You generally provide these in your attachments.

• Use the headings and order of the sections that follow.

Need for assistance Identify the problems you plan to solve. These problems could be physical, economic, social, financial, institutional, etc. To do so:

• Demonstrate the need, including the nature and scope of the problem.

• You may provide supporting documentation, such as letters of support and testimonials, in an application appendix.

• Include any relevant data based on planning studies or needs assessments. You may refer to them in the endnotes or footnotes.

• Use demographic data and participant or beneficiary information where you can.

Objectives State your main objectives and any sub-objectives. Address how the objectives stated relate to the overall goal of this program and describe how you will achieve the objectives.

Expected outcomes Identify the outcomes you plan to achieve from the project. Outcomes should relate to the overall program, as described in the program description section. If research is part of the proposed work, outcomes must include hypothesized results and implications of the proposed research.

Approach At the beginning of the approach, include a section where you show that you have thorough, specialized understanding of the resettlement challenges impacting refugee children, youth, and their families. Also demonstrate your understanding of the U.S.

resettlement program, structure, and the various refugee-serving agencies that support refugee children, youth, and their families.

Outline your action plan. Describe the scope and detail of how you will accomplish your proposed project. Looking at the program activities section of the program description, Step 3: Prepare Your Application 23 make sure to address all required activities mentioned in the bullet points.

Demonstrate how your project will have a national reach and will provide required program activities across the country, either in person or virtually.

Explain potential obstacles and challenges to accomplishing your project goals. Explain the strategies you will use to address them.

Project timeline and milestones Provide a timeline for your project that includes milestones. To do so:

• Organize the information by task and subtask, showing related milestones.

• Provide monthly or quarterly quantitative projections for what you plan to accomplish and by when. For example, provide the number of people you plan to serve or the number of a certain activity you plan to complete.

• If you can’t quantify some of your accomplishments, provide their target dates.

• Cover the full project period of performance in your timeline.

Organizational capacity Provide the following information for your full project team, including the applicant organization and any cooperating partners, contractors, and subrecipients:

• Provide evidence that your team has the relevant experience and expertise needed to carry out the program, as described in the program description section, including evidence of experience managing and implementing relevant programs that are national in scope.

• If using cooperating partners, contractors, or subrecipients, describe how your team will maintain a substantive role in managing the project.

• Describe your team’s experience with administering, developing, implementing, managing, and evaluating similar projects.

• Identify any subject matter experts with whom you will partner to implement the project.

• Provide evidence that your organization has the organizational capability to fulfill its roles and functions effectively.

• Describe how you will identify and partner with appropriate subject matter experts. Indicate any organizations that you have already identified as partners.

Describe their experience with similar projects and their specific roles and responsibilities.

• Detail an organizational chart and management plan that clearly describes how you and your key partners, subrecipients, and consultants, if applicable, will manage and coordinate activities to achieve project goals and manage federal funds appropriately.

Step 3: Prepare Your Application 24

• Describe the roles, responsibilities, and time commitments of each proposed project staff position, including subrecipients and consultants, as appropriate (e.g., job descriptions).

• Include resumes and staff qualifications for key positions already identified to work on the project.

• Describe your organization’s experience providing evidence-based, trauma-informed, child-welfare-centered, culturally responsive, and developmentally appropriate TTA, crisis intervention, and case consultation to refugee-serving agencies.

• You will provide some supporting information in the attachments section.

• For bonus points, show one or more of the following:

◦ Demonstrated experience incorporating the lived experience of refugee children, youth, and their families into service design and provision to build resiliency among refugee children and youth to ensure their successful integration in the United States.

◦ Demonstrated experience deploying and responding to emergencies or traumatic incidents impacting a refugee child, youth, or their family in locations throughout the United States.

Plan for oversight of federal award funds and activities You must ensure proper award oversight. The regulation that governs this oversight is 45 CFR Part 75 Subpart D. It includes standards for:

• Financial and program management.

• Property management.

• Procurement.

• Performance and financial monitoring and reporting.

• Subrecipient monitoring and management.

• Record retention and access.

• Remedies for noncompliance.

• Prior written approval.

Describe your framework to ensure proper oversight of federal funds and activities.

Include:

• A description of the governance, policies and procedures, and systems you use for record keeping and financial management.

• A description of the procedures to identify and mitigate risks and issues. These might include audit findings, continuous performance assessment findings, and monitoring.

1. Review 2. Get Ready 3. Prepare 4. Learn 5. Submit 6. Award Contacts

Step 3: Prepare Your Application 25 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/part-75/subpart-D

• Key staff responsible for maintaining oversight of program activities, staff, and any partners or subrecipients.

Project performance and activities evaluation plan Describe a plan for how you will evaluate your project’s performance and how it will contribute to continuous quality improvement. This plan must describe:

• How you will assess ongoing activities and the progress toward the project’s goals and objectives.

• The inputs, key activities, and expected outcomes of the funded activities. Inputs might include your collaborative partners, key staff, budget, service processes, or other resources.

• How you will measure the inputs, activities, and outcomes.

• How you will use the resulting information to inform improvement of funded activities.

• Any processes that support the overall data quality.

• The organizational systems and processes that will track performance outcomes.

• How your organization will collect and manage data in a way that allows for accurate and timely reporting of performance outcomes. This might include assigned skilled staff, data management software, and data integrity.

• Any potential obstacles to implementing the project performance evaluation and how you will address them.

• A timeline for how you will review information from the performance evaluation and apply it to your ongoing project.

• How you will collect the specific metrics discussed in the data reporting requirements section.

Logic model You must submit a logic model for designing, managing, and evaluating the project. A logic model is a diagram that:

• Presents how inputs drive activities to produce outputs, outcomes, and the ultimate goals of the proposed project.

• Explains the links among project elements.

• Targets the identified objectives and goals of the project.

While there are many versions of logic models, for the purposes of this funding opportunity, the logic model may include the connections between:

• Inputs such as additional resources, organizational profile, collaborative partners, key staff, or budget.

Step 3: Prepare Your Application 26

• Target population, such as the individuals to be served or identified needs.

• Activities, mechanisms, and processes such as evidence-based practices, best practices, approach, key intervention and evaluation components, and continuous quality improvement efforts.

• Outputs, which include the immediate and direct results of project activities.

• Outcomes, which include the expected short- and long-term results of the project you expect to achieve. These are typically described as changes in people or systems.

• Project goals such as overarching objectives and reasons for proposing the project.

Protection of sensitive or confidential information Describe how you will collect and safeguard protected personally identifiable information and other information that is considered sensitive. Make sure your approach is consistent with applicable federal, state, local, and tribal laws regarding privacy and obligations of confidentiality. Provide:

• The methods and systems you will use to ensure that you properly handle confidential and sensitive information, including any subrecipients and/or contractors.

• A plan for the disposition of such information at the end of the period of performance.

See 45 CFR § 75.303(e) for more information.

Dissemination plan Propose a plan to disseminate reports, products, and project outputs to key target audiences. Include:

• Dissemination goals and objectives.

• Strategies to identify and engage with target audiences.

• How you will allocate sufficient staff time and budget for dissemination.

• A preliminary plan to evaluate the extent to which target audiences receive project information and use it as intended.

• Your dissemination timeline.

• Discussion of each relevant item mentioned in the partnerships and outreach section of the program description.

1. Review 2. Get Ready 3. Prepare 4. Learn 5. Submit 6. Award Contacts

Step 3: Prepare Your Application 27 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/part-75#p-75.303(e)

Line-item budget and budget narrative The line-item budget and budget justification support the information you provide in the Budget Information Standard Form SF-424-A. See the other required forms.

It justifies the costs you ask for and includes added detail, including detailed calculations for the “object class categories” in the Budget Information Standard Form.

You will provide this information for the initial budget period only. See information on funding periods.

As you develop your budget, consider:

• If the costs are necessary, reasonable, allocable, and consistent with your project’s purpose and activities.

• How you calculate your costs in ways that are clear and repeatable.

• The restrictions on spending funds. See the funding policies and limitations.

• Where unit costs should be provided.

We encourage you also to review the Standard Form instructions.

To create your line-item budget and justification, see detailed budget instructions on our website.

In general, you must:

• Indicate the method you will use for your indirect cost rate. See the section on indirect costs for further information.

• Include estimation methods, quantities, unit costs, and other similar quantitative detail sufficient for the calculation to be duplicated.

• For any cost-sharing, include a detailed listing of any funding sources identified in Block 18 of the SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance.

You must specifically:

• Include costs for all primary personnel and for any subrecipients, as applicable.

• Show how your personnel costs are reasonable for the responsibilities involved and the time spent on the project.

• Include sufficient and detailed funding and justification for TTA, partnership and outreach, crisis intervention, case consultation, and assessment and evaluation to successfully carry out the project.

◦ Specifically include the costs and justification for the estimated number of in-person TTA, crisis intervention, and case consultation activities.

• Demonstrate your prudent accounting, fiscal controls, and compliance with all funding restrictions.

1. Review 2. Get Ready 3. Prepare 4. Learn 5. Submit 6. Award Contacts

Step 3: Prepare Your Application 28 https://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/prepare-budget https://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/prepare-budget

Proprietary or personally identifiable information In your application, you may identify salary or other proprietary information or personally identifiable information. We will remove this information from applications before they go to reviewers.

If you have an exemption for paper submission, you can protect salary information and any proprietary information by placing that information only in the original application. You can remove the information from the copies, keeping summary information.

Attachments You will upload attachments in Grants.gov using the Other Attachments form. These attachments are included in the overall application page limit, unless it says otherwise in the following sections.

Indirect cost agreement If you include indirect costs in your budget using an approved rate, include a copy of your current agreement approved by your cognizant agency for indirect costs. If you use the de minimis rate, you do not need to submit this attachment.

See the section on indirect costs for more information.

Legal proof of nonprofit status If your organization is a nonprofit, you need to attach proof. We will accept any of the following:

• A reference to your listing in the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) most recent list of tax-exempt organizations.

• A copy of a current tax exemption certificate from the IRS.

• A letter from your state’s tax department, Attorney General, or another appropriate state official saying that your group is a nonprofit and that none of your net earnings go to private shareholders or others.

• A certified copy of your certificate of incorporation or similar document. This document must show that your group is a nonprofit.

• Any of these documents for a parent organization. Also include a statement signed by an official of the parent group that your organization is a nonprofit affiliate.

1. Review 2. Get Ready 3. Prepare 4. Learn 5. Submit 6. Award Contacts

Step 3: Prepare Your Application 29 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/part-75#p-75.2(Cognizant%20agency%20for%20indirect%20costs)

Organizational capacity supporting information You must attach the following information to support the information in your organizational capacity section:

• Organizational charts, including all partners.

• Resumes or curricula vitae (CV) for all key personnel.

• Biographical sketches for all key personnel.

• A job description for each vacant key position.

• List of your Board of Directors and their affiliated business or organization, if applicable.

• Copy or description of the applicant organization’s fiscal control and accountability procedures.

• Copy or description of the applicant organization’s personnel policies.

• Information on compliance with federal, state, and local government standards.

Third-party agreements You must submit agreements with all third parties involved in the project. Third parties include subrecipients, contractors, and other cooperating entities. Third-party agreements include letters of commitment, memoranda of understanding (MOU), and memoranda of agreement (MOA). We do not consider general letters of support to be third-party agreements.

Any such agreement must:

• Describe the roles and responsibilities for project activities.

• Describe the support and resources that the third party is committing to the proposed project.

• Be signed by the person in the third-party organization with the authority to make such commitments.

• Detail work schedules and estimated compensation, with an understanding that the parties will negotiate a final agreement after award.

• Identify the primary applicant and all collaborators responsible for project activities, if for a collaboration or consortia application.

Step 3: Prepare Your Application 30

Other required forms You will need to complete some other forms. Upload the following forms at Grants.gov.

You can find them in the NOFO application package or review them and their instructions at Grants.gov Forms.

Form Submission requirement

Application for Federal Assistance

(SF-424)

With the application.

Budget Information for Non- Construction Programs (SF-424A)

With the application.

Assurances for Non-Construction Programs (SF-424B)

With the application.

Disclosure of Lobbying Activities

(SF-LLL)

If applicable, with the application or before award.

Key Contacts With the application.

Grants.gov Lobbying Form With the application or before award.

Project/Performance Site Location(s) (SF-P/PSL)

With the application. Cite your primary location and up to 29 additional performance sites.

1. Review 2. Get Ready 3. Prepare 4. Learn 5. Submit 6. Award Contacts

Step 3: Prepare Your Application 31…