HHS-2025-ACF-ACYF-CA-0074_Full Announcement.pdf

Notice of Funding Opportunity

Application due March 19, 2025

Children’s Bureau

National Center on Child Maltreatment Fatality Data Practices and Reporting Opportunity number: HHS-2025-ACF-ACYF-CA-0074

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 16

Get registered 17

Find the application package 18

Learn more 18

Step 3: Prepare Your Application 19

Application contents and format 20

Step 4: Learn About Review and Award 32

Application review 33

Award notices 37

Step 5: Submit Your Application 38

Application submission and deadlines 39

Application checklist 41

Step 6: Learn What Happens After Award 42

Post-award requirements and administration 43

Contacts and Support 45

Modifications 48

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 registrations are 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 the application due date

Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on March 19, 2025.

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)

Children’s Bureau

Creating a national center to improve data collection and reporting about child maltreatment fatalities.

Have questions?

See Contacts and Support.

Key facts

Opportunity name:

National Center on Child Maltreatment Fatality Data Practices and Reporting

Opportunity number:

HHS-2025-ACF-ACYF-

CA-0074

Announcement type:

Initial

Federal assistance listing:

93.670

Statutory authority number: 42 U.S.C.

5106(b)(5)

Key dates

Application submission deadline: March 19, 2025

Optional notice of intent deadline: February 17, Expected project start date: September 30, 2025

See other submissions for other time frames that may apply to this NOFO.

Summary This funding opportunity will create a National Center to improve data collection and reporting about child maltreatment fatalities. Effective cross-agency coordination can help states collect comprehensive data. States, jurisdictions, and their partners, including tribes, can use that information to develop prevention, intervention, and system reform efforts.

The National Center on Child Maltreatment Fatality Data Practices and Reporting will serve as a national resource in this effort and collaborate with agencies addressing this issue. It will focus on the following objectives:

• Building knowledge and capacity.

• Increasing opportunities for cross-agency cooperation and coordination.

• Establishing a national resource for information-sharing, learning, and dissemination.

• Supporting data practice and reporting strategies.

• Evaluating training and technical assistance activities.

Funding details Type: Cooperative agreement

Expected total program funding: $1,250,000

Total expected awards: 1

Maximum award amount for the first budget period (award ceiling): $1,250,000

We plan to fund a five-year project period made up of five one-year budget periods. The maximum funding for the first budget period is $1,250,000. The maximum funding for budget periods two through five is expected to be $3,000,000 per year.

Awards made under this funding opportunity are subject to federal funds availability.

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=(title:42%20section:5106%20edition:prelim)%20OR%20(granuleid:USC-prelim-title42-section5106)&f=treesort&edition=prelim&num=0&jumpTo=true https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:42%20section:5106%20edition:prelim)%20OR%20(granuleid:USC-prelim-title42-section5106)&f=treesort&edition=prelim&num=0&jumpTo=true

Eligibility Eligible applicants These types of organizations are eligible for an award:

• States.

• Indian tribes and tribal organizations.

• Public or private agencies.

• Combinations of these entities.

Individuals, including sole proprietorships, and foreign entities are not eligible.

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

Disqualification factors We will review your application to make sure it meets these responsiveness requirements.

We won’t consider an application that:

• Requests funding above the award ceiling.

• Is submitted after the deadline.

• Is from an individual, including a sole proprietorship, or a foreign entity.

• Is received in paper format that didn’t have a previously approved exemption from

ACF.

Application limits If you submit the same application more than once under this notice of funding opportunity (NOFO), we will only acknowledge the last on-time submission.

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. 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 Statutory authority 42 U.S.C. 5106(b)(5).

Background Every child who dies as a result of child abuse or neglect represents an irreversible and deep trauma to families and communities. Preventing these child fatalities is an urgent public health concern that demands meaningful action. With improved data collection and reporting, prevention efforts can develop a clearer picture of children most at risk and identify systemic factors to drive system reform.

For over three decades, all 50 states, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia have provided annual data on child maltreatment to the Children’s Bureau (CB) through a voluntary national reporting system called the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS). This data includes fatalities from abuse and neglect. This information is published annually in CB’s Child Maltreatment report series.

The number of and rate of child fatalities has fluctuated over the last five years. These rates are distributed unevenly across population subgroups, varying by demographics, including age and race. Younger children are the most vulnerable to death as a result of child abuse and/or neglect. Close to half (44.7%) of child fatalities occur among children younger than one year.

Specific disparities by race include:

• The rate of Black or African American child fatalities is 6.37 per 100,000 children.

This rate is 3.2 times greater than white child fatalities and 3.8 times greater than the rate of Hispanic child fatalities.

• Children of two or more races have the second highest rate at 4.03 per 100,000 children in the population.

• American Indian or Alaska Native (AI/AN) children have a rate of 3.37 per 100,000 children in the population.

Tribal children residing on tribal lands are generally not included in NCANDS data.

There are some exceptions, including some cases where the state or county is the primary responder or where tribes share data with the state child welfare agency.

Nonetheless, collaboration between tribal and state child welfare agencies and other partners is essential to preventing maltreatment fatalities among AI/AN children.

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

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 7 https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:42%20section:5106%20edition:prelim)%20OR%20(granuleid:USC-prelim-title42-section5106)&f=treesort&edition=prelim&num=0&jumpTo=true https://www.acf.hhs.gov/cb/research-data-technology/reporting-systems/ncands https://www.acf.hhs.gov/cb/research-data-technology/reporting-systems/ncands https://www.acf.hhs.gov/cb/data-research/child-maltreatment https://www.acf.hhs.gov/cb/report/child-maltreatment-2022

The issue of child maltreatment fatality data reporting has been the focus of several recommendations at the national level:

• A 2011 report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) suggested that sharing information and increasing cooperation among federal, state, and local agencies would provide a more accurate count of maltreatment deaths.

• In 2013, the U.S. government initiated the Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities.

The commission published a final report in 2016 with a call for many improvements to be made in policy, research, and health care, stating: “Identifying children and families most at risk of a maltreatment fatality is key to knowing when and how to intervene.”

While some state-level changes have been made, data quality continues to vary. It’s clear that the U.S. needs to build more infrastructure to support comprehensive collection and reporting of child maltreatment fatality data.

Program focus CB seeks to create the National Center on Child Maltreatment Fatality Data Practices and Reporting (the National Center) to provide relevant training and technical assistance (T/TA) to state and jurisdictional child welfare agencies and their partners including tribes. The National Center will enhance CB’s understanding of child maltreatment fatalities through:

• Enhanced data collection.

• Strategic cross-agency coordination, collaboration, data-sharing activities, data linkage, and analysis.

• Strategic communication.

• Using information gathered to collaborate across systems and develop meaningful approaches to preventing child maltreatment fatalities.

Information generated from the National Center will be disseminated nationally to support the development of state, jurisdictional, and tribal-specific solutions to the problem of child maltreatment fatalities.

Questions of interest The National Center will work collaboratively with CB to develop an approach to answering the following questions throughout the project period.

The following list is not intended to be exhaustive. We encourage you to propose additional questions and explain how they are relevant to the goals of this funding.

Questions of interest include:

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

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 8 https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-11-811t https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/cb/cecanf_final_report.pdf

• What is the reliability and validity of child maltreatment fatality data reporting to

NCANDS?

• What strategies are effective for analyzing qualitative and quantitative child maltreatment fatality data for use in programmatic decision-making, reform, and training? Are there models of effective partnerships across child welfare, law enforcement, medical personnel etc. related to child fatality data collection and reporting?

• How can child maltreatment fatality information be used to support workforce training, development, and supervision?

• What national strategies for cross-system coordination and collaboration effectively support child maltreatment fatality data collection, reporting, and system response? How do agencies work effectively with community and public organizations to comprehensively identify and intervene to prevent child maltreatment fatalities?

• How can states, jurisdictions, and their partners, including tribes, effectively use available data to complete assessments during critical junctures in child welfare practice?

• What promising approaches to child welfare system reform, such as safety science, can be replicated across jurisdictions in response to a child maltreatment fatality?

Project requirements Goals The National Center will make and carry out a plan to provide culturally responsive T/TA to states, jurisdictions, and their partners including tribes. This will enable these groups to better execute the goals of this funding and measure the effectiveness of implemented efforts.

The National Center will offer a combination of training, consultation, and coaching in the following three areas:

Universal technical assistance

• Improve national child maltreatment fatality data collection and reporting, analysis, and system reform through:

◦ Summarizing research.

◦ Increasing opportunities for cross-agency collaboration and cooperation.

◦ Making information more accessible.

◦ Developing products and tools.

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 9

Specialized technical assistance

• Increase knowledge of specific topics related to child maltreatment fatality data collection and reporting, analysis, and system reform through cohort-specific technical assistance.

Tailored technical assistance

• Increase the knowledge and skills of individual states, jurisdictions, and their partners, including tribes, through training, consultation, and coaching.

Program objectives The National Center activities will be completed in two overarching phases. The first phase is an initial one-year planning phase. The second phase covers T/TA in years 2 through 5. In Phase I, the National Center will prepare for T/TA by synthesizing research and conducting a national needs assessment, identifying technical assistance strategies, and convening an interdisciplinary group of national experts to consult on critical issues. In Phase II, the National Center will focus on providing T/TA, building an information-sharing network, disseminating information, and evaluating T/TA that it has provided.

To meet its goals across Phases I and II, the National Center will focus on the objectives in the following subsections.

Build knowledge and capacity The National Center will increase the knowledge, skills, and capacity of states, jurisdictions, and their partners including tribes. We expect this objective to involve:

• Assessing how comprehensive the child maltreatment fatality data collected and reported to NCANDS is.

• Determining effective and sustainable data analytic strategies for use in programmatic decision-making, reform, and training.

• Identifying effective models of training and collaboration related to child maltreatment fatalities for use in child abuse prevention and child welfare.

• Identifying critical factors known to support or hinder strategies for system reform related to child maltreatment fatalities.

• Determining effective strategies for using available child maltreatment fatality data during critical junctures in child welfare practice.

• Assessing the use of system response efforts, such as safety science, to intervene in child maltreatment fatalities.

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 10

Increase cross-agency cooperation and coordination The National Center will increase opportunities for collaboration among child welfare agencies and their partners involved in collecting, reporting, analyzing, and responding to child maltreatment fatality data. We expect this objective to include:

• Convening an interdisciplinary group of national experts to help set goals and priorities for the National Center and define research, practice, and policy issues.

• Developing and maintaining partnerships with state, local, federal agencies, and their partners involved in child maltreatment fatalities to create networks of services and resources to improve data collection, reporting, and overall multi-agency response. These partners may include, but are not limited to:

◦ National, state, tribal, and local agencies involved in the identification, reporting, analysis or response to child maltreatment fatalities.

◦ Children’s Bureau Central and Regional Office Staff.

◦ National Child Welfare Center for Innovation and Advancement.

◦ Child Welfare Information Gateway.

◦ NCANDS Technical Team.

• Developing and maintaining opportunities for peers to share learning and strategies across states, jurisdictions, and their partners including tribes.

• Engaging in national discussions to inform needs and opportunities related to collecting, analyzing, and responding to child maltreatment fatality data.

• Contributing to research and evaluation of child maltreatment fatality circumstances, opportunities for intervention, and system reform such as implementation of safety science.

• Enhancing coordination and collaboration across multiple agencies involved in child maltreatment fatality intervention and response.

Establish a national resource for information-sharing, learning, and dissemination The National Center will increase awareness, availability, and accessibility of new knowledge developed and disseminate effective strategies and T/TA resources to states, jurisdictions, and their partners including tribes. We expect this objective to include:

• Forming and maintaining a consortium and information-sharing network across states and jurisdictions, and their partners including tribes.

• Disseminating new or existing culturally responsive products, findings, and relevant resources.

• Making information about effective child maltreatment fatality data collection, reporting, analysis, and response, such as safety science, more accessible.

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 11

• Providing guidance on strategies to enhance coordination and collaboration across multiple agencies.

Support data practice and reporting strategies The National Center will provide universal, specialized, and tailored training and technical assistance to states and jurisdictions related to child maltreatment fatality data collection and reporting, analysis, and system response. We expect this T/TA to include, but not be limited to:

• Helping states and jurisdictions identify and use successful strategies to collect reliable and valid child maltreatment fatality data at the local, state, and federal levels.

• Identifying and using qualitative and quantitative analytic strategies to help states, jurisdictions, and their partners, including tribes, analyze child fatality information.

• Developing documentation and technical assistance tools to help replicate:

◦ Cross-agency partnerships.

◦ Data collection innovations.

◦ Methodological or analytic designs.

◦ Policy and practice changes.

◦ Evaluations.

◦ System response, such as safety science.

• Improving the workforce’s ability to identify and support families who are at risk of a child maltreatment fatality.

Evaluate training and technical assistance activities The National Center must devote a minimum of 15% of grant funds to evaluation and continuous quality improvement (CQI) activities. The National Center must be able to objectively evaluate how it carries out its T/TA activities and whether it achieves its goals through sufficient in-house capacity or provide a plan to contract with a third-party evaluator, university, or college. The evaluation will:

• Be supported by a logic model.

• Assess progress towards the National Center’s objectives.

• Include a valid and reliable measurement plan and sound methodological design.

• Outline strategies to collect, manage, share, and analyze data.

• Describe how data will inform improvement of funded activities.

NOTE: Consistent with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, (44 U.S.C. §§ 3501-3521) CB will not conduct or sponsor – and a person is not required to respond to

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 12 a collection of information covered by such Act, unless it displays a currently valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number. If activities under this cooperative agreement are subject to PRA, CB will work with the funding recipient to obtain OMB approval.

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 clearly defines the respective responsibilities of CB and the grant recipient. We expect agency involvement to produce programmatic benefits to the recipient that would not otherwise be available.

For this project, our involvement and collaboration will include the following:

• Reviewing and approving planning stages of the activities before implementation begins.

• Coordinating key programmatic activities, including strategic planning, implementation, information technology enhancements, T/TA, development of publications or products, and evaluation.

• Closely monitoring project requirements of this funding opportunity that may limit the recipient’s discretion in determining the scope of services offered.

• Monitoring that may exceed what is typical for awards, to make sure the recipient’s project matches the intent of this funding.

Funding policies and limitations General policies

• We will only make awards if this program receives funding. If Congress appropriates funds for this purpose, we will move forward with the review and award process.

• Support beyond the first budget period will depend on:

◦ Appropriation of funds.

◦ Satisfactory progress in meeting your project’s objectives.

◦ A decision that continued funding is in the government’s best interest.

• If we receive more funding for this program, we will consider:

◦ Funding more applicants.

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 13

◦ Extending the period of performance.

◦ Awarding supplemental funding.

For guidance on some types of costs that we restrict or do not allow, see General Provisions for Selected Items of Costs of the Uniform Guidance, 45 CFR part 75 (or, starting October 1, 2025, 2 CFR part 200).

Program-specific limitations and policies We do not allow the following costs under this notice of funding opportunity (NOFO):

• Construction.

• Purchase of real property.

• Major renovation.

Indirect costs Indirect costs are costs you charge across more than one project and cannot be easily separated by project.

To charge indirect costs you can select one of 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 2 CFR 200.414(f), if you do not have a current federal negotiated indirect cost rate (including a provisional rate), you may elect to charge a 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 15% of modified total direct costs (MTDC). See 2 CFR 200.1 for the definition of MTDC. You can use this rate indefinitely.

Subawards As the prime recipient, you 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 as described in 45 CFR 75.352 (or, starting October 1, 2025, 2 CFR 200.332) is not a substantive role.

We do not fund awards where your role primarily serves as a conduit for passing funds to other organizations unless that arrangement is authorized by statute.

If they do not have one, all subrecipients must obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) through the System for Award Management (SAM.gov).

Subrecipients must meet the eligibility requirements of this NOFO.

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

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 14 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/part-75/subject-group-ECFR5d90ba314caea08 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-E/subject-group-ECFRed1f39f9b3d4e72 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/section-200.414 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/part-200#p-200.1(Modified%20Total%20Direct%20Cost%20(MTDC)) https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/section-75.352 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200#200.332 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200#200.332

Salary rate limitation The salary rate limitation in the current appropriations act applies to this program. You may not use awarded funds to pay a salary at a higher rate than the rate for Executive Level II. For the Executive Level II salary, please see guidance from the Office of Personnel Management on executive and senior level employee pay.

The salary limitation reflects a person’s base salary (including any portion of the salary that is paid for with indirect costs). It does not include fringe benefits or any income the person is allowed to earn outside of the duties of the applicant organization. This salary limitation also applies to subawards, contracts, and subcontracts under an ACF grant or cooperative agreement.

Program income Program income is money earned as a result of your award-supported project activities. You must use any program income you generate from awarded funds for approved project-related activities. Find more about program income at 45 CFR 75.307 (or, starting October 1, 2025, 2 CFR 200.307).

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

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 15 https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/ https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/ https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/section-75.307 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200#200.307

Step 2:

Get Ready to Apply

In this step

Get registered 17

Find the application package 18

Learn more 18

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.

When you register or update your SAM.gov registration, you must agree to the financial assistance general certifications and representations. You must agree to those for financial assistance specifically, as opposed to contracts, because the two sets of agreements are different. You will have to maintain your registration throughout the life of any award.

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.

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

Step 2: Get Ready to Apply 17 https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration https://grants.gov/applicants/applicant-registration http://www.grants.gov/quick-start-guide/applicants

Find the application package The application package has all the forms you need to apply. You can find it online. Go to Grants Search at Grants.gov and search for opportunity number HHS-2025-ACF- ACYF-CA-0074. Then select the Package tab.

After you select the opportunity, we recommend that you select the Subscribe button to get updates.

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

Step 3:

Prepare Your Application

In this step

Application contents and format 20

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

See requirements for other submissions.

Your organization’s authorized official must certify your application.

File one To submit file one, you will use the Project Narrative Attachment form found in the Grants.gov application package for this NOFO.

This file includes:

• Table of contents.

• Project summary, one page.

• Project narrative.

• Line-item budget and budget narrative.

File two To submit file two, you will use the Other Attachments form found in the Grants.gov application package for this NOFO.

This file includes all attachments.

Standard forms The Grants.gov application package for this NOFO includes forms beyond those required for file one and file two. Complete all of these forms and submit through Grants.gov.

See the list of standard forms.

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

File format: Portable Document Format (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:

Step 3: Prepare Your Application 20

Accepted file formats

• Adobe PDF (.pdf)

• Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx)

• Microsoft Excel (.xls or .xlsx)

• Microsoft PowerPoint (.ppt)

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

Document formats Paper size: 8 ½ inches x 11 inches

Margins: 1 inch all around

Language: English

If possible, include page numbers.

Do not include external links to information you want reviewers to assess because reviewers will score the application solely on information provided in the application.

Fonts Font: Times New Roman

Color: Black

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

Logic models, resumes, third-party agreements, and letters of support: Can be single-spaced

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

Attachments: Can be single-spaced

Tables and footnotes throughout: Can be single-spaced

See disqualification factors to understand what may disqualify your application from consideration.

Step 3: Prepare Your Application 21

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 your 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, 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 using merit review criteria and rank based on application scores. 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.

In it, you must:

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

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

• Use cross-referencing rather than repetition.

• Be sure to include any required supporting documents noted. You generally provide these in your attachments.

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

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

• Describe your understanding of child maltreatment fatality data collection, reporting, analysis, and system response.

• Outline your vision for creating a center that will help recipients more effectively collect, report, and use data about child maltreatment fatalities.

Step 3: Prepare Your Application 22

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 Outline your action plan. Describe the scope and detail of how you will accomplish your proposed project. Account for all functions or activities you identify in your application.

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

You should describe how you will work collaboratively with CB to develop an approach to answering the proposed questions of interest outlined in the program description throughout the planning and T/TA phases of the project.

You must clearly outline how you will provide T/TA to build the capacity of states, jurisdictions, and their partners, to include tribes to collect, report, analyze, and use child maltreatment fatality information.

You must respond to the objectives discussed in the project requirements and describe how you will carry them out. Include each of the following sections:

• Building knowledge and capacity. Describe your approach to increasing state, jurisdictional, and tribal knowledge, skills, and capacity.

• Increasing opportunities for cross-agency cooperation and coordination. Explain how you will increase opportunities for collaboration and develop network resources to support child welfare agencies and their partners.

• Establishing a national resource for information-sharing, learning, and dissemination. Describe how you will increase awareness, availability, and accessibility of new knowledge developed and share effective strategies and T/TA resources with states, jurisdictions, and their partners including tribes.

• Supporting data practice and reporting strategies. Explain how you will provide universal, specialized, and tailored T/TA to states and jurisdictions and their partners, including tribes, related to child maltreatment fatality data collection and reporting, analysis, and system response.

You will respond to the final objective, evaluate T/TA activities, in your activities evaluation plan.

Step 3: Prepare Your Application 23

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 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 your project. You will provide supporting information, such as resumes/curriculum vitae and job descriptions, in the attachments section.

• Describe your team’s experience (including any partnering organizations) with administering, developing, implementing, managing, and evaluating similar projects.

• Show expertise providing T/TA to build the capacity of child- and family-serving agencies in areas related to child maltreatment fatality data collection, reporting, analysis, and system response.

Current and pending funding support Provide a list of your current and pending funded support for ongoing projects and proposals. Include all sources such as federal, state, and local governments, public or private foundations, for-profit organizations, etc.

Be sure to indicate which projects and proposals require committed time from the project director, principal investigator, or other key personnel.

Show the total award amount, awarding entity, and the amount of time each key staff member will devote to each project.

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 (or, starting October 1, 2025, 2 CFR part 200). It includes standards for:

• Financial and program management.

• Property management.

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

Step 3: Prepare Your Application 24 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/part-75/subpart-D https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200#subpart-D

• 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.

• The key staff who will be responsible for maintaining oversight of program activities staff and any partners or subrecipients.

Activities evaluation plan Describe your plan for rigorous evaluation of funded activities. The evaluation must:

• Assess activities and progress toward the goals and objectives of the project.

• Assess whether the project is having the expected effects.

• Specify expected outcomes and any research questions, as well as how the evaluation results will provide greater understanding and improvement of the funded activities.

• Include a valid and reliable measurement plan, detailed timeline, and sound methodological design.

• Describe the details about the proposed data collection activities, the participants, data management, data integrity, and analyses plans.

• Describe any potential obstacles in implementing the evaluation and how you will address them.

• Describe a plan for how you will use the resulting information to inform improvement of funded activities, including:

◦ 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

Step 3: Prepare Your Application 25 assigning skilled staff, data management software, and/or methods to ensure data integrity.

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

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, and budget.

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

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

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

• Outcomes, which include the expected short- and long-term results of the project.

These are typically described as changes in people or systems.

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

Project sustainability plan You must propose a plan for project sustainability after the period of federal funding ends. We expect you to sustain key elements of your project. These elements can include strategies or services and interventions that have been effective in improving practices and outcomes.

Provide an approach to project sustainability that is effective and feasible. Describe:

• The key people and organizations whose support you will require.

• The types of alternative support you will require to maintain the project.

• If the proposed project involves key project partners, how you will maintain their cooperation or collaboration after the federal funding ends.

Step 3: Prepare Your Application 26

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 (or, starting October 1, 2025, 2 CFR 200.303(e)).

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.

• The dissemination timeline.

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-424A.

HHS now uses the definitions for equipment and supplies in 2 CFR 200.1. The new definitions change the threshold for equipment to the lesser of the recipient’s capitalization level or $10,000 and the threshold for supplies to below that amount.

Justify the costs you ask for and provide detail, including 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.

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) https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200#200.303 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200#200.303 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/part-200#p-200.1(Equipment) https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200#p-200.1(Supply)

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

• A minimum of 15% of grant funds must be dedicated to evaluation and CQI activities.

• Funds to support required travel for the project director, evaluator, and other key to staff to attend a kick-off meeting in Washington, DC within 90 days of the award and annually thereafter.

Please also 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 indirect costs section for further information.

• Include estimation methods, quantities, unit costs, and other similar quantitative detail necessary 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.

• For applicants planning to use subawards, if your subaward budget is more than 50% of total direct costs, justify why you are subawarding that portion of the project. Explain:

◦ How you plan to maintain a substantive role in the project.

◦ Why you cannot achieve your goals without the subrecipients’ participation.

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 a 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 this section.

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

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 indirect costs section 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 IRS’s 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 for a parent organization. Also include a statement signed by an official of the parent group that your organization is a nonprofit affiliate.

Legal proof of for-profit status If your organization is a for-profit, including a small business, you need to attach proof.

Include documentation establishing the power granted to the entity to enter into contractual relationships or accept awards. This might include your articles of incorporation or bylaws.

Legal proof of small businesses In addition to the proof that your organization is for-profit, small businesses must submit a certification signed by the chief executive officer or designee that states that the entity qualifies as a small business under 13 CFR 121.101-121.201.

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, biographical sketches, or curricula vitae for all key personnel.

• Job descriptions for each vacant key position.

• List of your board of directors.

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)

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, and memoranda of agreement. 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.

Letters of support Attach statements from community, public, or commercial leaders that support your project. At minimum, each letter of support must identify the person writing the letter, the organization they represent, the date, and their reasons for supporting the project.

Protection of human subjects certification Not included in the page limit. You must attach a Protection of Human Subjects:

Assurance Identification / Certification / Declaration of Exemption form. You can find this form at the Office of Human Research Protections Forms website.

For more on this topic see the Office for Human Research Protections website. If you have questions, you can email them at OHRP@HHS.gov or call them at 240-453-6900.

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

Step 3: Prepare Your Application 30 https://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/register-irbs-and-obtain-fwas/forms/index.html https://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/index.html mailto:OHRP@HHS.gov

Standard forms You will need to complete some other required standard 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.

Forms 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.

Key Contacts With the application.

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

Disclosure of Lobbying Activities

(SF-LLL)

If applicable based on instructions, with the application or before…