HHS-2025-ACF-OPRE -0101_Instructions - signed 2.pdf

Notice of Funding Opportunity

Application due September 8, 2025

Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation

Prevention Services Evaluation Partnerships:

Supporting Adoptive Families Opportunity number: HHS-2025-ACF-OPRE-FA-0101

Contents

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 4

Basic information 5

Eligibility 7

Program description 8

Step 2: Get Ready to Apply 14

Get registered 15

Find the application package 15

Learn more 16

Step 3: Prepare Your Application 17

Application contents and format 18

Step 4: Learn About Review and Award 31

Application review 32

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

Before you begin 3

Modifications 50

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 September 8, 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/

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 7

Program description 8

Basic information Administration for Children and Families (ACF)

Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation

Evaluating enhanced support to children and families in adoption arrangements at risk of disruption or dissolution.

Have questions?

See Contacts and Support.

Key facts

Opportunity name:

Prevention Services Evaluation Partnerships:

Supporting Adoptive Families

Opportunity number:

HHS-2025-ACF-OPRE-

FA-0101

Announcement type:

Initial

Federal assistance listing:

93.652 — Adoption Opportunities

Statutory authority number:

42 U.S.C. 5113(b)(4)

Key dates

Application submission deadline:

September 8, 2025

Optional notice of intent deadline:

Due 14 days after this NOFO’s publication date.

Expected project start date:

January 5, 2026

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

Summary The Prevention Services Evaluation Partnerships: Supporting Adoptive Families funding opportunity supports research (summative randomized control trial or quasi-experimental evaluation) to evaluate programs that help adoptive families at risk of disruption or dissolution that may result in foster care placements. This funding opportunity focuses on partnerships between researchers, Title IV-E agencies, and community entities with experience working with adopted children, foster children, or children in kinship care.

The evaluation will focus on one or more of the following topics:

• Mental health programs or services.

• Substance abuse prevention and treatment programs or services.

• In-home parent skill-based programs or services.

• Kinship navigator programs or services.

The award recipient must conduct a randomized control trial (or a similar evaluation) that meets the Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse (the Clearinghouse) Design and Execution Standards for Moderate or High Support of Causal Evidence. The program or service being evaluated must already be prepared for rigorous research, such as having completed earlier evaluations. The recipient can gather and analyze new data or use existing data for the proposed evaluation.

The award recipient must also work closely with federal staff and the current PSEP cohort throughout the evaluation. For further information about OPRE, visit the OPRE website.

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-2000-title42-section5113&num=0&edition=2000#:~:text=%284%29%20provide%20%28directly%20or%20by%20grant%20to%20or%20contract%20with%20public%20or%20private%20nonprofit%20agencies%20or%20organizations%2C%20including%20adoptive%20family%20groups%20and%20minority%20groups%29 https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre

Funding details Type: Cooperative agreement

Expected total program funding: $1,800,000

Total expected awards: 1

Minimum award amount (award floor): $900,000

Maximum award amount (award ceiling): $1,800,000

This is full funding. We plan to fund a four-year project period with one budget period.

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

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 6

Eligibility Eligible applicants Eligibility is unrestricted.

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

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 7

Program description Statutory authority Title II, section 203(b)(4) of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment and Adoption Reform Act of 1978 (CAPTA) (42 U.S.C. 5113(b)(4)), as amended by CAPTA Reauthorization Act of 2010

Background The Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) allows states to use federal funds (under parts B and E of title IV of the Social Security Act) to provide enhanced support to children and families and prevent foster care placements. These funds can be used for evidence-based mental health and substance abuse prevention and treatment, in-home parent skill-based, and kinship navigator programs or services. These programs are intended for children who are candidates for foster care, pregnant or parenting foster youth, and the parents or kin caregivers of these children.

To support this, ACF established the Clearinghouse to systematically review research and evaluation on programs and services intended to provide enhanced support to children and families and prevent foster care placements. You can learn more through the overview webinar and the Clearinghouse website.

In September 2023, OPRE funded seven new awards under the Prevention Services Evaluation Partnerships: Building Evidence for Mental Health, Substance Use, In-home Parent Skill-based, and Kinship Navigator Programs and Services NOFO. Researchers are partnering with Title IV-E agencies and community organizations to conduct rigorous evaluations that will contribute to the evidence base for programs that support children and families and prevent foster care placement. For more information about projects funded this NOFO, refer to the award program landing page.

The Senate Committee on Appropriations recently allocated funds to evaluate programs designed to support adoption stability under Adoption Opportunities (CAPTA) (S. Rept. 118-84). The Committee recognizes that there are currently no evidence-based models to promote adoption stability approved by the Clearinghouse.

The programs to be evaluated aim to reduce the risk of disruption or dissolution for adoptive families, which would result in foster care placements.

ACF is particularly interested in (but does not require) programs or services that:

• Are eligible for Clearinghouse review but are not yet rated.

• Have a “does not currently meet criteria” rating.

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

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 8 https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-2000-title42-section5113&num=0&edition=2000#:~:text=(4)%20provide%20(directly,the%20adoption%20field%3B) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSRfI4qJ7qY https://preventionservices.acf.hhs.gov/ https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/project/prevention-services-evaluation-partnerships-building-evidence-mental-health-substance

Project requirements Evaluation requirements This funding opportunity is to support a summative evaluation, using either a randomized control trial or quasi-experimental evaluation design, focused on a program or service that supports adoption stability and qualifies for review by the Clearinghouse.

As described in the current version of the Clearinghouse Handbook, to be eligible for review, the program or service being evaluated must:

• Fall into at least one of the four eligible program or service areas:

◦ Mental health prevention and treatment programs or services.

◦ Substance abuse prevention and treatment programs or services.

◦ In-home parent skill-based programs or services.

◦ Kinship navigator programs.

• Be clearly defined and replicable.

◦ Programs and services must have written protocols, manuals, or other materials that explain how to implement the program.

◦ These materials must be publicly available to download, request, or purchase.

The evaluation design must follow the latest Clearinghouse Design and Execution Standards for Moderate or High Support of Causal Evidence, as described in the Handbook. The evaluation design may also use guidance from the ACYF-CB-IM-19-04, Evaluation Plan Development Tip Sheet. The evaluation design must also target outcomes that are consistent with the eligible domains defined in the Handbook.

The proposed program or service being evaluated must be ready for a rigorous summative evaluation, as evidenced by formative or summative evaluations that have already been completed. The recipient can collect new data or leverage existing data for the proposed evaluation.

Active engagement Evaluators must actively engage the appropriate Title IV-E agencies and relevant community organizations, individuals, and groups.

For this NOFO, active engagement means intentionally involving the groups and individuals who care about the results of the research or evaluation at every stage of the process. The award recipient must have an established working partnerships with at least one Title IV-E agency, community organization, or researcher. They must be

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

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 9 https://preventionservices.acf.hhs.gov/resources/handbook-of-standards-and-procedures-2 https://preventionservices.acf.hhs.gov/resources/handbook-of-standards-and-procedures-2 https://www.acf.hhs.gov/cb/policy-guidance/im-19-04 https://www.acf.hhs.gov/cb/policy-guidance/im-19-04 prepared to move forward with the proposed evaluation in a timely manner upon award.

Groups and individuals to actively engage may include, but are not limited to:

• Service providers.

• Developers of interventions, innovations, or practices.

• Program participants.

• Subject matter experts.

• Federal, grant recipient, or other program staff.

• Federal, state, or local leadership.

• Groups and individuals in programs’ communities.

• Those in broader fields of study related to human services research and evaluation.

The award recipient must be transparent when gathering feedback, ensuring the evaluation remains unbiased and independent. This helps protect the evaluation process from real or perceived bias. For more about OPRE’s expectations on active engagement, refer to the report on the role of active engagement. If applicable, refer to the Children’s Bureau guidance on effective and collaborative evaluation with tribal communities.

Mandatory meetings The recipient is expected to join a cohort of other Prevention Services Evaluation Partnerships award recipients and federal staff.

The award recipient must attend yearly in-person meetings, and monthly virtual meetings throughout the award period. During these meetings, the recipient will work with the existing Prevention Services Evaluation Partnerships cohort and federal staff to share updates and takeaways from the cohort’s projects.

Disseminating research The award recipient is expected to disseminate their research.

The award recipient must share project findings to strengthen the evidence for programs that provide enhanced support to adoptive families at risk of disruption or dissolution. This includes addressing knowledge gaps, improving evaluation methods for prevention services, and contributing evidence that can be reviewed by the Clearinghouse.

The award recipient must create different types of materials and use appropriate channels to reach their intended audiences, following OPRE’s Value Added Dissemination Framework. Intended national audiences include researchers,

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/opre/report/making-evaluations-rigorous-and-relevant-role-active-engagement-development-learning https://www.acf.hhs.gov/cb/training-technical-assistance/roadmap-collaborative-and-effective-evaluation-tribal-communities https://www.acf.hhs.gov/cb/training-technical-assistance/roadmap-collaborative-and-effective-evaluation-tribal-communities https://acf.gov/opre/report/value-added-dissemination-framework https://acf.gov/opre/report/value-added-dissemination-framework policymakers, and practitioners with materials like policy briefs, journal articles, or other tailored products.

The award recipient must pre-register their project’s research and analysis plans with a public registry. For more details, refer to the OPRE Insights blog post titled, Pre- Registering Studies – What Is It, How Do You Do It, and Why?

Cooperative agreement—Description of ACF’s involvement When funding is awarded in a cooperative agreement, you can expect substantial involvement of federal staff in the performance of the funded activities. In this cooperative agreement, OPRE’s responsibilities are to:

• Monitor the project and work collaboratively with award recipients to facilitate accomplishment of project goals.

• Provide technical assistance and feedback when necessary, including joint decision-making on research design, approach, and dissemination.

• Approve any subawards and any (material) changes to the project question or approach.

• Lead efforts to encourage cooperation and collaboration among grant recipients by organizing regular meetings and calls to review research progress, share information, and promote project coordination.

• Schedule and host one in-person recipient meeting in each year of the award, as well as monthly virtual meetings. Set the agenda and coordinate activities for each meeting.

• Collaborate on activities outlined in the award and approve key project milestones and material products.

• Act as a liaison between the recipient and the Children’s Bureau to ensure research products are developed and meet the goals and objectives of the funding opportunity.

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

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 11 https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/blog/2022/08/pre-registering-studies-what-it-how-do-you-do-it-and-why https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/blog/2022/08/pre-registering-studies-what-it-how-do-you-do-it-and-why

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.

Continuous funding will depend on:

• Satisfactory progress in meeting your project’s objectives, as reflected in your quarterly progress reports.

An example of this is making adequate progress toward executing an evaluation that aligns with the Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse design and execution standards for moderate or high support of causal evidence.

• 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.

• Extending the period of performance.

• Awarding supplemental funding.

ACF does not allow funds awarded under this NOFO to support any costs related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) activities, including research in support of such initiatives, and any other initiatives that discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin or another protected characteristic. This also includes any diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) initiatives, and any discriminatory equity ideology in violation of a Federal anti-discrimination law. The definition of “discriminatory equity ideology” is in Section 2(b) of Executive Order 14190 of January 29, 2025, which can be found here: 2025-02232.pdf.

For guidance on additional 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 NOFO:

• Construction.

• Purchase of real property.

• Major renovation.

• Pre-award costs.

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

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 12 https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2025-02-03/pdf/2025-02232.pdf 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

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.

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.

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-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 https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/ https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/

Step 2:

Get Ready to Apply

In this step

Get registered 15

Find the application package 15

Learn more 16

Get registered SAM.gov You must have an active account with SAM.gov. This includes having an UEI.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.

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- OPRE-FA-0101. 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.

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

Step 2: Get Ready to Apply 15 https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/financial-assistance-general-certification-representations.pdf https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/financial-assistance-general-certification-representations.pdf https://grants.gov/applicants/applicant-registration http://www.grants.gov/quick-start-guide/applicants https://www.grants.gov/search-grants

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

Step 3:

Prepare Your Application

In this step

Application contents and format 18

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

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: 100 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:

Accepted file formats

• Adobe PDF (.pdf)

Step 3: Prepare Your Application 18

• 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 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.

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:

Step 3: Prepare Your Application 19

• 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 or research questions.

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.

Approach Outline your action plan. Describe the scope of your proposed project and describe in detail how you will accomplish it. 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.

The following information must be included:

Background, significance, and objectives Provide an overview of key issues and existing knowledge, and describe the objectives and overall importance of the proposal.

• Briefly state the objectives of the proposed project, including how the proposed research could contribute to improving programs and services that support children and families in adoption arrangements at risk of disruption or dissolution.

• Show how the proposal represents a summative (that is, impact) evaluation of a program or service related to mental health, substance abuse prevention and

Step 3: Prepare Your Application 20 treatment, in-home parent skill-building, or kinship navigator services that support adoption stability, in line with goals outlined in the program description.

• Identify the specific program or service to be evaluated and offer relevant background information.

• Show that the program or service is eligible for review by the Clearinghouse (as described in the program description) and that it is ready for a summative (that is, rigorous impact) evaluation.

◦ For example, include information on any previous evaluations, whether formative or summative. Provide evidence that formative evaluations demonstrate strong, theoretically supported theories of change or conceptual frameworks, successful program implementation (with adherence to those theories of change or conceptual frameworks), and early evidence that the program or service is moving outcomes in the intended direction.

Include a detailed and thorough literature review, using the most recent research available to demonstrate that the program or service proposed for evaluation is relevant to the broader field.

• The literature review should clearly justify the need for the evaluation and the new information it will provide.

• Explain how the findings could fill important gaps in knowledge or improve current methods for evaluating prevention services. Demonstrate how the proposed evaluation will create valuable new evidence for the Clearinghouse to review.

Include a theory of change or conceptual framework that clearly explains how the service or program works, and shows how the activities and services of the proposed intervention lead to specific outputs and expected outcomes.

There are many ways of illustrating theories of change or conceptual frameworks, but for this funding opportunity, the theory of change or conceptual framework should include connections between the following items:

• Inputs (for example, collaborative partners, program or service staff, training and technical assistance, data systems, or additional resources).

• Target populations (for example, the individuals or families to be served, identified needs).

• Activities, mechanisms, and processes (for example, key intervention components).

• Outputs (that is, the immediate and direct results of program or service activities).

Step 3: Prepare Your Application 21

• Outcomes (that is, the expected short- and long-term results the program or service is designed to achieve).

• Relevant context of the issues the program or service seeks to address.

Partnerships and active engagement

• Describe any partnerships with at least one Title IV-E agency or community entity, and additional partners, including research partners.

• Describe a plan for active engagement with all partners, as well as other individuals and groups with a vested interest in the work being done. The plan should demonstrate readiness to proceed with the evaluation, if awarded, and the greatest relevance of project findings.

Research design and methodology Describe the research design and methodology. The design must be either quasi-experimental or a randomized control trial that meets the criteria for moderate or high support of causal evidence as outlined in the latest version of the Clearinghouse’s Handbook. Clearly link the proposed research questions to the methods you plan to use, showing the methods are appropriate, rigorous, and feasible to address the research questions.

Incorporate the following information:

• Specific research questions of interest. List the proposed research questions that focus on evaluating mental health, substance abuse prevention and treatment, in-home parent skill-based, or kinship navigator program or service. These research questions must point to specific interventions and outcomes of interest and explain how those interventions and outcomes and will be measured in the proposed research. Targeted outcomes must be consistent with the eligible domains defined in the Handbook:

◦ Child Safety

◦ Child Permanency

◦ Child Well-Being

◦ Adult Well-Being

◦ Access to Services

◦ Referral to Services

◦ Satisfaction with Programs and Services

• Program or service implementation. If applicable, describe your approach for implementing the program or service with fidelity in accordance with its book, manual, or other documentation, as described in the Handbook. If applicable, describe any adaptations that are planned, and the extent to which these

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

Step 3: Prepare Your Application 22 https://preventionservices.acf.hhs.gov/resources/handbook-of-standards-and-procedures-2 adaptations may result in publicly available updates to the book, manual, or other documentation.

• Data sources. Identify and describe the data sources you will use, and state whether you plan to collect and analyze primary data or leverage existing data.

◦ Provide evidence that you have access to these data sources, such as written agreements with the individuals or organizations that can provide access to specific administrative data, or licenses or approvals for restricted-use data.

▪ If data sources are not yet available, explain the steps and timeline for gaining access within the project’s timeline.

◦ If applicable, describe how past collaborations or communications with data owners or archivers have influenced the timeline and the feasibility of the proposed activities.

◦ Describe the nature and scope of each data source, including the sample or population, and explain how the data are appropriate for the project.

◦ If linking data sources, explain how this will be done.

◦ If collecting new primary data, include a plan detailing the data collection procedures, timeline, and how you will ensure the reliability and validity of all measures.

◦ Describe how the data will be cleaned and processed.

• Sample. If applicable, describe the sampling strategy and how it will be implemented. Explain how the project will provide protection of human subjects and how the approval from the Human Subjects Certification/Institutional Review Board (IRB) has or will be obtained. Ideally, this should take place prior to award unless an exemption has already been obtained.

◦ Address any potential consent issues related to the use of data.

• Variables. Specify the variables that will be used and how they will be constructed (if applicable). The applicant must demonstrate that the data sources and associated variables are appropriate to answer the proposed research questions, reliable, valid, and appropriate for the population being served.

• Analytic strategy. Provide a detailed plan describing the approach that will be used to analyze and interpret the data. The plan should clearly describe the strategy and methods for linking or harmonizing the data (as applicable). The plan should clearly detail how missing data will be handled and how data quality will be ensured.

• Limitations. Specify potential limitations of the proposed study design.

This may include potential limitations of the proposed data sources or of the analytic strategy.

Step 3: Prepare Your Application 23

• Challenges. Specify potential challenges related to collecting, accessing, linking, and/or analyzing data, and propose clear and feasible strategies to mitigate those challenges and continue the proposed work, even if there are delays with any of these steps.

Applicants should also present a plan for refining and adapting the approach and research methods as needed after award to align with the current Handbook of Standards and Procedures or incorporate any lessons learned from collaborating partners.

Dissemination plan Provide a detailed dissemination plan that outlines your goals and strategies for reaching target audiences. Explain how you will engage with these audiences and describe the different methods you will use to spread you message to as many people as possible, including the channels you’ll use to reach each audience.

• Outline how you plan to make the study findings publicly available and share the results widely (for example, presenting at professional meetings with diverse and relevant audiences, collaborating with relevant dissemination partners such as the Child Welfare Information Gateway, publishing in peer-reviewed journal, etc.).

• Include both research-focused products and policy/program-oriented products (for example, briefs targeted to policymakers, journal articles highlighting methodological or empirical findings for research audiences, etc.).

• Describe how you intend to pre-register the research and analysis plans with an appropriate public registry.

◦ These plans should include a detailed description of the data sources, the project’s research questions, primary and secondary outcome variables, and any exploratory or confirmatory analyses.

◦ It should also explain how you will update the pre-registration as the project progresses.

• Ensure the dissemination plan accounts for enough staff time and a timeline to support dissemination activities.

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

Step 3: Prepare Your Application 24

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 tasks you plan to complete 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 by a specific date.

• Provide target dates for activities you can’t quantify.

• 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.

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

• Provide evidence that your team, including partnering organizations, has the organizational capability to fulfill their roles and functions effectively.

• You must disclose your plan to enter into subaward agreements. If planning subawards, describe the work each subrecipient will complete.

• Provide evidence that your Project Director, Principal Investigator, and other task leads have the relevant experience and expertise needed to carry out your project.

• Describe your proposed staff, and the level of past experience they will have using the data sources proposed for the analysis.

• If applicable, explain how your team accessed and linked the necessary data sources for the project, or how it will be approached for the project.

• Explain how your proposed staff have established an understanding of, and sensitivity to, the necessary considerations when working with data sources that include confidential information and identifiers.

• Provide evidence that the project team will have access to the appropriate facilities and resources necessary to carry out all phases of the proposed project and ensure data security and confidentiality.

• Describe your project management strategy.

• Provide details including roles and responsibilities.

Step 3: Prepare Your Application 25

• Include your plan for ensuring that the project is completed on time, within budget, and to a high standard of quality.

• Provide some supporting information in the organizational capacity supporting information section of your attachments.

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.

• 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 make sure that your federal funds and activities have proper oversight. Include:

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

• A description of the procedures you use 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 staff and any partners or subrecipients.

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 make sure that you properly handle confidential and sensitive information, including information from any subrecipients or contractors.

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

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

Step 3: Prepare Your Application 26 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

For more information, see 45 CFR 75.303(e) (or, starting October 1, 2025, 2 CFR 200.303(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-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 full period of performance. 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.

• Whether your budget accounts for costs related to dissemination activities.

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 percent 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.

• Allocate enough funds for attending in-person meetings as outlined in the project requirements.

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) https://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/prepare-budget https://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/prepare-budget

◦ Allocate appropriate funds for dissemination activities.

◦ Breakdown personnel costs, showing how the funding matches staff’s roles and the amount of time they’ll spend on the project.

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.

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.

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, professional narratives, or curricula vitae for all key personnel.

• Job descriptions for each vacant key position.

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.

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

Step 3: Prepare Your Application 28 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/part-75#p-75.2(Cognizant%20agency%20for%20indirect%20costs)

Any such agreement must:

• Describe each party’s 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 the agreement is for a collaboration or consortia application.

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 of Human Research Protections website. If you have questions, you can email them at OHRP@HHS.gov or call them at 240-453-6900.

References Include a list of references cited in your application.

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

Step 3: Prepare Your Application 29 https://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/register-irbs-and-obtain-fwas/forms/index.html 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 award.

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

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

Important: public information When filling out your SF-424 form, pay attention to Box 15: Descriptive Title of Applicant’s Project.

We share what you put there with USAspending. This is where the public goes to learn how the federal government spends their money.

Instead of just a title, insert a short description of your project and what it will do.

See instructions and examples.

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

Step 3: Prepare Your Application 30 https://grants.gov/forms/forms-repository/sf-424-family https://www.usaspending.gov/ https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/hhs-writing-award-descriptions.pdf

Step 4:

Learn About Review and Award

In this step

Application review 32

Award notices 38

Application review Initial review We will review your application to make sure that it meets the responsiveness requirements listed in the disqualification factors section. If your application does not meet these criteria, we will disqualify it and we will not move it to the merit review phase.

We will let you know if your application is disqualified within 30 days of the application deadline. You won’t receive any notice from ACF if your application failed Grants.gov validation checks.

If you submit more than two files in addition to your forms, we will remove the extra files. We will let you know if this happens.

We will also remove blurred or illegible pages and any file formats that are not supported.

We will not review any pages that exceed the page limit.

If your application fails to adhere to ACF’s NOFO formatting, font, and page limitation requirements, we will adjust your application by removing…