HRSA-25-037 - Final V2.pdf

Notice of Funding Opportunity

Application due February 19, 2025

Federal Office of Rural Health Policy Community-Based Division

Rural Health Network Development Planning Program Opportunity number: HRSA-25-037

Contents Before you begin 4

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 5

Basic information 6

Eligibility 7

Program description 11

Award information 13

Step 2: Get Ready to Apply 16

Get registered 17

Find the application package 17

Application writing help 17

Step 3: Write Your Application 19

Application contents and format 20

Other required forms 31

Step 4: Learn About Review and Award 32

Application review 33

Selection process 37

Step 5: Submit Your Application 39

Application submission and deadlines 40

Application checklist 42

Step 6: Learn What Happens After Award 44

Post-award requirements and administration 45

Reporting 47

Contents 2

Contacts and Support 49

Appendix A: Rural Eligibility 53

Contents 3

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 February 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 4 https://sam.gov/ https://grants.gov/

Jump to a step

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

Step 1:

Review the Opportunity

In this step

Basic information 6

Eligibility 7

Program description 11

Award information 13

Basic information Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)

Federal Office of Rural Health Policy

Community-Based Division

Support the planning and development of integrated health care networks to achieve efficiencies, improve health care services and associated health outcomes, and strengthen the rural health care system.

Have questions?

Go to Contacts and Support.

Key facts

Opportunity name:

Rural Health Network Development Planning Program

Opportunity number:

HRSA-25-037

Announcement version:

New

Federal assistance listing:

93.912

Statutory authority:

42 U.S.C. 254c(f) (330A(f) of the Public Health Service Act)

Key dates

NOFO issue date:

December 18th, 2025

Informational webinar:

January 7, 2025

Application deadline:

February 19, 2025

Expected award date is by: June 1, 2025

Expected start date: July 1, 2025

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

Summary The Rural Health Network Development Planning Program supports the planning and development of integrated health care networks in rural areas that collaborate to:

• Achieve efficiencies.

• Expand access to, coordinate, and improve the quality of basic health care services and associated health outcomes.

• Strengthen the rural health care system as a whole.

The purpose of this program is to fund planning activities only.

Funding details Application type: New

Expected total available funding in FY 2025: $3,500,000

Expected number and type of awards: Up to 35 new grants.

Funding range per award: Up to $100,000.

We plan to fund awards in one 12-month budget period for a total one-year period of performance from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026. The program and estimated awards depend on the future appropriation of funds and are subject to change based on the availability and amount of appropriations.

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 6

Eligibility Who can apply You can apply if you are a domestic public or private, non-profit or for-profit entity.

Types of eligible organizations These types of domestic* organizations may apply:

• Public institutions of higher education

• Private institutions of higher education

• Nonprofits with or without a 501(c)(3) IRS status

• For-profit organizations, including small businesses

• State, county, city, township, and special district governments, including the District of Columbia, domestic territories, and the freely associated states

• Independent school districts

• Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC)

• Community health centers

• Rural Health Clinics (RHCs)

• Hospitals

• Rural Emergency Hospitals

◦ Native American tribal governments

◦ Native American tribal organizations

Tribal exception: HRSA is aware that tribes and tribal organizations may have an established infrastructure without separation of services recognized by filing for EINs or UEI. In case of tribes and tribal governments, only a single EIN or UEI located in a HRSA-designated rural area is necessary to meet the network requirements.

Tribes and tribal entities under the same tribal governance must still meet the network criteria of three or more entities under the single EIN or UEI. Each tribe or tribal entity must be committed to the proposed approach as evidenced by a signed letter of commitment. Please see the Tribal EIN/UEI exception request attachment for information on how to request this exception.

* “Domestic” means the fifty states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau.

Individuals are not eligible applicants under this NOFO.

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 7

Other eligibility criteria Applicants must meet all the requirements in the eligibility section, as well as the following additional criteria. If you do not meet all of these requirements, it will have impacts on the eligibility and scoring of your application.

You must:

• Represent a network composed of participants (including the applicant organization) that include three or more health care provider organizations.

• Have demonstrated experience serving, or capacity to serve, rural underserved populations. You can demonstrate this by describing the buy-in from the rural community or communities your proposed project plans to serve in the project abstract.

The applicant organization is not required to represent an established rural health network at the time of submission.

• Have not previously received an award under this program (42.U.S.C. 254c(f)) for the same or a similar project.

• Recipients who have previously received an award under this program that seek to expand network services or service areas are eligible to apply if they do at least one of the following:

1. Include new or additional stakeholders. Applicant organizations representing existing networks are eligible to apply if they propose to collaborate with at least two outside organizations they have not worked with before under a formal relationship.

2. Engage a new population or new focus area.

• Consult the State Office of Rural Health (SORH) regarding your intent to apply to this program.

◦ If you are applying from a U.S. territory and your territory does not have the functional equivalent of a SORH, this requirement does not apply. U.S.

territories are still eligible to apply.

◦ Refer to Attachment 1 for required documentation from SORH.

• Use grant funds in alignment with the purpose of this program which funds planning activities only. Planning activities are those that prepare a community to provide direct health services. Planning activities grant funds can be used for can include but are not limited to:

◦ Rural health care network integration.

◦ Strengthening operations.

◦ Creating or improving care coordination policies and procedures.

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

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 8 https://plus.nosorh.org/Web/Membership/Directory/State_Members_List.aspx

Some examples of these planning activities could include developing or strengthening new network partners to support future community health efforts, such as planning activities to develop a plan to integrate and maintain access to health and human services such as planning for mobile cancer screening programs, chronic disease management programs, oral health care and mental/behavioral health care services, among others.

Note: Applications that propose to use award funds to pay for the direct provision of clinical health services will be deemed nonresponsive and will not be considered for funding under this notice.

• Ensure all planning activities target a rural service area that includes only counties and/or census tracts that are located in HRSA-designated rural areas.

◦ Proposed counties served by the project may be fully rural or partially rural and must be included in your project abstract.

◦ If you propose to serve a rural census tract in a partially rural county, the rural census tract must be indicated in your project abstract. Grant funds cannot be used for activities that are not HRSA-designated rural areas. serve non-rural census tracts in partially rural counties.

Network Requirements For the purposes of this program, we define a health care network as at least three regional or local organizations that come together to develop strategies for improving health services in a community.

Network participants refers to the local organizations that come together to form a health care network. Network participant organizations must meet all of the following requirements:

• Network participant organizations may be physically located in rural or urban areas.

• We recognize that rural-urban collaborations can sometimes lead to the underrepresentation of rural needs. Therefore, HRSA requires that at least 66% or two-thirds of network participant organizations of the proposed project be physically located in a qualifying eligible HRSA designated rural area.

• The applicant organization must verify and indicate the rural or urban designation for each network participant in Attachment 6.

• Each applicant organization and network participant must have its own EIN number unless an exception is requested. The EIN number for applicant organization and each network participant should be included in Attachment 6.

• All applicants must provide a scanned, signed copy of a letter of commitment from each of the network participant in Attachment 7. Signed copies of the letters of

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 9 commitment should be provided for all network participants listed in Attachment 6.

Completeness and responsiveness criteria We will review your application to make sure it meets these basic requirements to move forward in the competition.

We will not consider an application that:

• Is from an organization that does not meet all eligibility criteria.

• Requests funding above the award ceiling shown in the funding range.

• Is submitted after the deadline.

Application limits Generally, you may not submit more than one application under the same Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) (previously DUNS) number and/or EIN.

You may only submit more than one application under the same Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number and/or EIN if each proposes distinct projects and an appropriate EIN exception request is submitted with your application. We will only review your last validated application for each distinct project before the deadline.

For more information about UEI/EIN exceptions requests, please see Attachment 10:

EIN exception request and Attachment 11: Tribal EIN exception request.

Cost sharing This program has no cost-sharing requirement. If you choose to share in the costs of the project, we will not consider it during merit review. We will hold you accountable for any funds you add, including through reporting.

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 10

Program description Purpose The Rural Health Network Development Planning Program supports the planning and development of rural integrated health care networks with specific focus on collaboration of entities to establish or improve local capacity and care coordination in underserved communities. Specifically, the program uses the concept of developing networks as a strategy for linking rural health care network participants together to achieve greater collective capacity to overcome local challenges, expand access and improve the quality of care in the rural communities these organizations serve.

The program helps network participants work together on three legislative aims:

• Achieve efficiencies.

• Expand access to, coordinate, and improve the quality of basic health care services and associated health outcomes.

• Strengthen the rural health care system as a whole.

The intent is that rural health networks will do the following:

• Expand access to care.

• Increase the use of health information technology.

• Explore alternative health care delivery models.

• Continue to achieve quality health care across the continuum of care.

Goals The goal of this program is to support the planning and development of integrated health care networks that:

• Facilitate collaboration among health care networks to achieve efficiencies and improve access to quality health care services and outcomes in rural areas.

• Strengthen the rural health care system as a whole by fostering partnerships among diverse health care entities.

• Enhance local capacity to improve rural community health interventions and coordinate care effectively.

Background The program is authorized by 42 U.S.C. 254c(f) (330A(f) of the Public Health Service Act). The intent of the Network Planning Program enables recipients to use federal funding for the planning and development of integrated health care networks to

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 11 achieve efficiencies, improve health care services and associated health outcomes, and strengthen the rural health care system.

Program requirements and expectations Projects funded through this program must also meet the requirements and expectations outlined in this section.

Legislative aims

The program requires a selection of at least one of the program’s legislative aims.

Applicants must select one or more of the following aims:

Aim #1: Achieve efficiencies.

Planning activities may include, but are not limited to:

• Conducting a community health and/or provider needs assessments at the regional and/or local level. This needs assessment could be any of the following:

◦ Identify the most critical need of network participants to ensure their viability.

◦ Identify additional collaborating network participants in the community/ region.

◦ Identify and develop a plan to address workforce issues.

◦ Identify financial resources or gaps available to support services.

◦ Identifying a plan for developing regional systems of care to better meet rural patient concerns.

◦ Identifying opportunities for the network to better address regional and/or local health population needs.

Aim #2: Expand access to, coordinate, and improve the quality of basic health care services and associated health outcomes.

Activities may include, but are not limited to:

• Developing a network business and/or operations plan to address a local health care challenge, which may include:

◦ A formal memorandum of agreement or understanding (MOA/MOU).

◦ A shared mission statement.

◦ A network/governance board or decision-making structure.

◦ A set of network bylaws.

◦ The roles and responsibilities of the network participants or a business model.

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 12

• Identifying the appropriate governance structure for participants to use in creating a network.

• Identifying strategies to communicate with the community about changes in the health care landscape and how to develop a plan to maintain access to viable health care services.

• Integrating health and human services, including enhancing access for those with disabilities and planning activities to develop a plan to integrate and maintain access to health and human services such as planning for mobile cancer screening programs, chronic disease management programs, oral health care and mental/ behavioral health care services, among others.

• Developing a plan to expand the role of emergency medical services within the community, including loss of services as a result of a hospital closure/conversion and/or readiness to support labor and delivery.

◦ Developing a data use and sharing agreement to facilitate strategic and sustainability planning for the intervention.

Aim #3: Strengthen the rural health care system as a whole.

Planning activities may include, but are not limited to:

• Identifying ways to encourage cross-organizational collaboration and leadership commitment that enhance health.

• Assessing the network’s sustainability and viability.

• Identifying and establishing ways to obtain regional and/or local community support/buy-in around the development of the network.

• Identify a strategy to leverage broadband connectivity to support health information technology applications in rural communities.

Award information Funding policies and limitations 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 year will depend on:

◦ Appropriation of funds.

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 13

◦ Satisfactory progress in meeting the project’s objectives.

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

• If we receive more funding for this program, we may:

◦ Fund more applicants from the rank order list

◦ Extend the period of performance

◦ Award supplemental funding

General limitations

• For guidance on some types of costs we do not allow or restrict, see Project

Budget Information in Section 3.1.4 of the Application Guide. You can also see 45 CFR part 75, or any superseding regulation, General Provisions for Selected Items of Cost.

• You cannot earn profit from the federal award. See 45 CFR 75.400(g).

• Congress’s current appropriations act includes a salary limitation, which applies to this program. As of January 2024, the salary rate limitation is $221,900. This limitation may be updated.

Program-specific statutory or regulatory limitations You cannot use funds:

• To build or acquire real property.

• For construction.

• To pay for equipment costs not directly related to the award.

• To pay for the direct provision of clinical health services.

See Manage Your Grant for other information on costs and financial management.

Indirect costs Indirect costs are costs you charge across more than one project that cannot be easily separated by project. For example, this could include utilities for a building that supports multiple projects.

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 at time of award.

Method 2 – De minimis rate. Per 45 CFR 75.414(f), if you have never received a negotiated indirect cost rate, you may elect to charge a de minimis rate. If you choose this method, costs included in the indirect cost pool must not be charged as direct costs.

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

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 14 https://www.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/hrsa/grants/application-guide.pdf#page=19 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/part-75/subject-group-ECFR5d90ba314caea08 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/part-75/subject-group-ECFR5d90ba314caea08 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/part-75#p-75.216(b) https://www.hrsa.gov/grants/manage-your-grant https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/part-75#p-75.414(f)

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.

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.

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

Step 1: Review the Opportunity 15 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/subtitle-A/subchapter-A/part-75/subpart-D/subject-group-ECFR911e5e1a30bfbcb/section-75.307

Step 2:

Get Ready to Apply

In this step

Get registered 17

Find the application package 17

Application writing help 17

Get registered SAM.gov You must have an active account with SAM.gov. This includes having a Unique Entity Identifier (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 to find out what you’ll 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 grants 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.

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 HRSA-25-037.

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

Application writing help Visit HHS Tips for Preparing Grant Proposals.

Visit HRSA’s How to Prepare Your Application page for more guidance.

See Apply for a Grant for other help and resources.

Join the webinar For more information about this opportunity, join the webinar on January 7, 2025 at 2:00pm ET. You can join at https://hrsa-gov.zoomgov.com/j/ 1603445605?pwd=EDaALIjYgl7n3Oq7sWCjAvNXwfQUbH.1.

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

Step 2: Get Ready to Apply 17 https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration https://www.hrsa.gov/grants/apply-for-a-grant/prepare-your-application/assurances-non-construction-programs https://www.hrsa.gov/grants/apply-for-a-grant/prepare-your-application/assurances-non-construction-programs https://grants.gov/applicants/applicant-registration http://www.grants.gov/quick-start-guide/applicants https://www.grants.gov/search-grants https://www.hhs.gov/grants-contracts/grants/get-ready-for-grants-management/tips-for-preparing-grant-proposals/index.html https://www.hrsa.gov/grants/apply-for-a-grant/prepare-your-application https://www.hrsa.gov/grants/apply-for-a-grant https://hrsa-gov.zoomgov.com/j/1603445605?pwd=EDaALIjYgl7n3Oq7sWCjAvNXwfQUbH.1 https://hrsa-gov.zoomgov.com/j/1603445605?pwd=EDaALIjYgl7n3Oq7sWCjAvNXwfQUbH.1

If you are not able to join through your computer, you can call in:

• Dial-in: 833 568 8864

• Participant Code: 26433025

We will record the webinar. If you are not able to join live, you can request a recording by emailing cdarnell@hrsa.gov.

Have questions? Go to Contacts and Support.

Step 2: Get Ready to Apply 18

Step 3:

Write Your Application

In this step

Application contents and format 20

Other required forms 31

Application contents and format Applications include five main components. This section includes guidance on each.

Application page limit: 40 pages

Submit your information in English and express whole number budget figures using U.S. dollars.

Make sure you include each of these:

Components Submission format

Project abstract Use the Project Abstract Summary form.

Project narrative Use the Project Narrative Attachment form.

Budget narrative Use the Budget Narrative Attachment form.

Attachments Insert each in the Attachments form.

Other required forms Upload using each required form.

Required format You must format your narratives and attachments using our required formats for fonts, size, color, format, and margins. See the formatting guidelines in Section 3.2 of the Application Guide.

Project abstract Complete the information in the Project Abstract Summary form. Include a short description of your proposed project. Include the needs you plan to address, the proposed services, and the population groups you plan to serve. For more information, see Section 3.1.2 of the Application Guide.

At the top, include your:

• Organization name and full address.

• Entity type/type of facility.

• Website URL if you have one.

• Proposed service region, which includes states, cities, and counties.

• Network name.

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

Step 3: Write Your Application 20 https://www.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/hrsa/grants/application-guide.pdf#page=24 https://www.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/hrsa/grants/application-guide.pdf#page=35

• Legislative aim(s).

◦ Choose at least one legislative aim:

▪ Aim #1: Achieve efficiencies.

▪ Aim #2: Expand access to, coordinate, and improve the quality of basic health care services and associated health outcomes.

▪ Aim #3: Strengthen the rural health care system as a whole.

• Focus area(s) based on community need.

◦ For example, a focus area might be care coordination, mental health, women’s health, etc.

• Funding preference.

• If you do not qualify for a funding preference, please state this in your project abstract.

Project narrative In this section, you will describe all aspects of your project. Project activities must comply with the nondiscrimination requirements.

Use the section headers and the order listed.

Introduction See merit review criterion 1: Need

Briefly describe the purpose of your project.

Briefly describe the population you will serve.

• Clearly identify and describe your organization’s focus area, proposed project goals, and objectives, as they relate to community needs.

• Discuss how project goals and planning activities will support your chosen legislative aim(s).

• List the names of network participants who have signed a memorandum of understanding/agreement or a letter of commitment for the proposed project.

Need See merit review criterion 1: Need

You must address the following items:

• Clearly describe the health care service environment in which the network will function. Include supporting information from appropriate data sources, such as local, tribal, state, or federal data.

Step 3: Write Your Application 21

• Identify the structural challenges affecting health care in the service area. Use and cite relevant data, when possible, to support your description. Challenges might include:

◦ Poverty.

◦ Uninsured or underinsured populations.

◦ Chronic disease burdens.

• Social determinants of health.

• Access to disability services

◦ Lack of administrative resources for grant writing.

• Funding.

• Discuss the needs of the rural community, including all of the following:

◦ How the rural community participated in identifying the needs and focus area.

• How the network participants will collaborate to address the rural community needs identified.

◦ Gaps in the existing health care system, such as gaps in personnel, service delivery, and shared resources.

◦ Activities that the network will perform to fill those gaps.

• Describe the need for creating a network to address the identified area of focus.

Discuss how a Network Planning award would support the development of a formal network and network planning activities to address unmet community needs.

• Describe the underserved communities within the identified project service area.

Include any rural underserved populations who have suffered from poor health outcomes, health disparities, and other inequities.

• Describe how the network plans to address and reduce health disparities within the target service area.

Approach See merit review criterion 2: Response

Outline how your project will meet program requirements and expectations by detailing the methods you will use to address the specified needs and meet the goals of the proposal. Your narrative should describe how the network’s planning activities will increase access to quality health care services across the continuum of care for rural underserved populations in the service area, as well as how those populations will be involved in the development and ongoing operations of the network. Use and cite relevant data, when possible, to quantify and support your expected outcomes.

Step 3: Write Your Application 22

Work plan See merit review criteria 2: Response and 4: Impact

• Describe how you’ll achieve each of the objectives during the period of performance.

• You will also include a more detailed work plan in your attachments.

Resolving challenges See merit review criterion 2: Response

• Discuss challenges that you are likely to encounter in designing and implementing activities described your work plan.

• Explain approaches that you’ll use to resolve them.

Performance reporting and program assessment See merit review criteria 3: Evaluation measures and 5: Resources and capabilities

Describe your plan for assessing project performance and outcomes.

Describe how you will:

• Collect and report required annual performance data accurately and on time.

• Manage and securely store data.

• Monitor and analyze performance data to support continuous quality improvement.

Program assessment

Your plan for program assessment should explain how you will track, measure, and assess program goals, including how the network will measure progress toward meeting the project goals and objectives.

We recommend that you present your plan in a table format with the goals listed in the left-hand column. Across the top of the table, include questions that will address how each goal will be tracked, measured, and assessed. For example: How will you measure program goals? How will you monitor program progress? How will programmatic success be assessed?

While we recommend using a table, this format is not required.

See reporting for more information.

Organizational information See merit review criterion 5: Resources and capabilities

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

Step 3: Write Your Application 23 https://gbc-word-edit.officeapps.live.com/we/wordeditorframe.aspx?ui=en-US&rs=en-US&wopisrc=https%3A%2F%2Fnih.sharepoint.com%2Fsites%2FHRSA-FORHP%2Fteam%2Fcbd%2F_vti_bin%2Fwopi.ashx%2Ffiles%2F0d04eb88733547a8b8d19909bae26d53&wdenableroaming=1&mscc=1&hid=07453AA1-50C4-5000-F248-B35CF19DC747.0&uih=sharepointcom&wdlcid=en-US&jsapi=1&jsapiver=v2&corrid=9c37f631-1595-9175-b5fa-f2acbd8173e6&usid=9c37f631-1595-9175-b5fa-f2acbd8173e6&newsession=1&sftc=1&uihit=docaspx&muv=1&cac=1&sams=1&mtf=1&sfp=1&sdp=1&hch=1&hwfh=1&dchat=1&sc=%7B%22pmo%22%3A%22https%3A%2F%2Fnih.sharepoint.com%22%2C%22pmshare%22%3Atrue%7D&ctp=LeastProtected&rct=Normal&wdorigin=OWA-NT-Mail.Sharing.DirectLink.Copy&wdhostclicktime=1720438730277&instantedit=1&wopicomplete=1&wdredirectionreason=Unified_SingleFlush#_Attachment__1:

• Describe the activities and contributions of the applicant organization to the proposed project.

• Provide a brief overview of the applicant organization that includes the following information:

◦ Current mission.

◦ Structure, leadership, size of organization, and staffing.

◦ Scope of current activities.

◦ Ability to manage the project and personnel.

◦ Financial practices and systems in place to assure your organization can properly account for and manage federal funds.

Network members You will include a detailed table about all network members in Attachment 6.

In this section of the project narrative, describe how the rural network organizations in the service area will be involved in the development and ongoing operations of the network. Your descriptions should reflect a shared decision-making structure and capacity. Outline the roles and responsibilities within the network for each network participant, explain why each of the proposed network participants were selected, describe any history of collaborative activities carried out by the proposed network participants, if applicable, the degree to which proposed network participants are ready to integrate their functions, and address their capacity to carry out program goals.

Your narrative in this section should also clearly outline:

• Your plan to establish the proposed project network (if newly formed).

• The proposed network structure.

◦ How your network will address a need that cannot be addressed individually,

◦ How the proposed network comprises at least 66% of network participants who are located in qualifying eligible HRSA-designated rural areas

◦ How network participants have demonstrated experience serving, or capacity to serve, rural underserved populations. This should be consistent with and elaborate on the description of buy-in from the rural community or communities your proposed project plans to serve provided in your project abstract.

Key personnel We recommend that your staffing plan include supporting and key personnel that total at least one full time-time equivalent (FTE) at the time of application.

Step 3: Write Your Application 24

• Describe key personnel roles and how they relate to the network and planning project. Key personnel are individuals who would receive funds from this award or people conducting activities central to this program. You will include more information in Attachment 4.

◦ Identify the project director that you name in the project abstract and Attachment 4. The project director will be responsible for project monitoring and carrying out the award activities.

◦ Identify a network director for your project. The network must have a permanent network director or have established an interim network director capable of overseeing the network’s administrative, fiscal, and business operations at the time an award is made. We strongly recommend that the network director role be 1.0 FTE.

◦ We prefer that the network director role be filled by a different person than the project director role.

◦ The applicant organization should identify a permanent project director prior to receiving award funds.

◦ If the applicant organization has an interim project director or has not yet hired a person to serve as the project director, discuss the process and timeline for hiring a permanent project director for this project.

◦ We strongly recommend that the project director allot adequate time (at least .25 FTE) to the program and have management experience involving multiple organizational arrangements.

Budget and budget narrative See merit review criterion 6: Support requested

Your budget should follow the instructions in Section 3.1.4 Project Budget Information

– Non-Construction Programs (SF-424A) of the Application Guide and the instructions listed in this section. Your budget should show a well-organized plan.

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.

The total project or program costs are all allowable (direct and indirect) costs used for the HRSA activity or project. This includes costs charged to the award and non-federal funds used to satisfy any matching or cost-sharing requirement (which may include maintenance of effort, if applicable).

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

Step 3: Write Your Application 25 https://www.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/hrsa/grants/application-guide.pdf#page=19 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/part-200#p-200.1(Equipment) https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/part-200#p-200.1(Supplies)

The budget narrative supports the information you provide in Standard Form 424-A.

See other required forms. It includes an itemized breakdown and a clear justification of the requested costs. The merit review committee reviews both.

As you develop your budget, consider:

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

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

In addition, we require you to adhere to the following budgetary requirements:

• Travel: Please allocate travel funds for one program staff to attend a one-and-a half-day award recipient meeting at a location to be determined and include the cost of this as a budget line item.

◦ To determine estimated travel costs refer to the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) per diem rates for FY 2025. Per diem rates can be found on the GSA’s website.

• Equipment: Equipment costs that exceed 5% of the total award amount may be considered unreasonable and unallowable.

• Legal costs: Legal costs that exceed 20% of the total award amount may be considered unreasonable and unallowable. Legal costs include services and activities such as consultations, 501(c)(3) application preparation, and development of articles of incorporation and by-laws.

• Contractual: Consistent with 45 CFR 75, you must provide a clear explanation of the purpose of each contract, how the costs were estimated, and the specific contract deliverables.

• Data collection: Costs allocated to data collection must be commensurate with your organization’s staffing capacity for sustainability and strategic planning.

• Other: The purpose of this program is to fund planning activities only.

Applications that propose to use award funds to pay for the direct provision of clinical health services will be deemed nonresponsive and will not be considered for funding under this notice.

To create your budget narrative, see detailed instructions in Section 3.1.5 of the Application Guide.

Attachments Place your attachments in order in the Attachments form. See the application checklist to determine if they count toward the page limit.

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

Step 3: Write Your Application 26 https://www.gsa.gov/travel-resources https://www.gsa.gov/travel-resources https://www.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/hrsa/grants/application-guide.pdf#page=30

Attachment 1: Documentation from State Office of Rural Health Include a copy of the State Offices of Rural Health (SORH)’s response to your letter or a letter/email you sent to the SORH notifying them of your intent to apply for the grant funding.

All applicants are required to notify their State Offices of Rural Health (SORH) in the application process to advise them of their intent to apply. If applicants from the U.S.

territories do not have the functional equivalent of a SORH, this requirement does not apply, and applicants from U.S. territories are still eligible to apply.

Attachment 2: Areas of impact You must specify a target rural service area that includes only counties and/or census tracts that are qualifying eligible HRSA-designated rural areas.

Include a list of the impacted areas, counties, and cities, and a legible map that clearly shows the locations of network participants.

• The map should include the counties and census tracts of all network participants.

• If an organization is located in a rural census tract of an urban county, the rural census tract must be clearly identified on the map.

Maps should be legible and in black and white.

Attachment 3: Work plan Attach the project’s work plan. Make sure it includes everything required in the project narrative section.

This attachment is required in addition to the project narrative work plan section.

The work plan must:

• Outline the individual or organization responsible for carrying out each activity.

• Include a timeline for the period of performance. The minimum timeline increment is by quarter.

We recommend using a table format with these headings:

• Goals and objectives.

• Key action steps (including target population where applicable).

• Activities.

• Outputs, data sources, and program assessment methods. These might include the direct products or deliverables of program activities and how you will assess them.

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

Step 3: Write Your Application 27 https://plus.nosorh.org/Web/Membership/Directory/State_Members_List.aspx

• Outcomes and measurements. These might include the result of a program, typically describing a change in people or system.

• Person and service area responsible.

• Performance period and completion date.

Attachment 4: Staffing plan and job descriptions for key personnel See Section 4.1.vi of the Application Guide.

Key personnel are individuals who would receive funds by this award or person(s) conducting activities central to this program. Include a staffing plan that shows the staff positions that will support the project and key information about each. Justify your staffing choices, including education and experience qualifications and your reasons for the amount of time you request for each staff position.

Attach a one-page job description. It must include the role, responsibilities, and qualifications.

Attachment 5: Biographical sketches of key personnel Include biographical sketches for people who will hold the key positions including project director and network director you describe in Attachment 4.

Biographical sketches should be no more than two pages. Do not include non-public, personally identifiable information. If you include someone you have not hired yet, provide a letter of commitment from that person along with the biographical sketch.

Attachment 6: Network organizational chart and network member information Provide a one-page network organizational chart that includes how decisions will be made and how communication will flow. Describe the history of any collaborative activities carried out by the proposed network participants, describe the degree to which network participants are ready to integrate their functions, and their capacity to carry out program goals.

Provide a list of all network members that includes:

• The organization’s name and type (such as a community health center, hospital, or health department).

• The organization’s physical address. This will be the address used to determine qualifying eligible HRSA-designated rural status.

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

Step 3: Write Your Application 28 https://www.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/hrsa/grants/sf424-application-guide.pdf#page=33

• The name of the key person from the organization who will be working on the program.

• The organization’s anticipated role and responsibility in the Network Planning program.

• EIN of each proposed network participant, unless the applicant is a tribe or requests a multiple EIN exception.

Provide screenshots from the rural health grants eligibility analyzer for each organization to demonstrate that at least 66% of network participant organizations are physically located in a qualifying eligible HRSA-designated rural area.

Attachment 7: Letters of commitment You must provide a scanned, signed copy of a letter of commitment from each network participants. Signed copies of the letters of commitment should be provided for all network participants listed in Attachment 6. Letters of commitment must clearly identify each network participant’s:

• roles and responsibilities in the network and project,

• activities they will be included in, and

• how their expertise is pertinent to the Network Planning project.

Each letter must also include a statement indicating that the proposed partner understands that the award funds must be used for the development of a health care network and cannot be used for the exclusive benefit of any one network partner or to provide clinical services.

Attachment 8: Funding preference documentation Submit only if applicable.

Provide documentation based on the funding preference you qualify for. Refer to funding preferences to see whether you qualify and what information you need to include.

We recommend that you use this statement:

“[Your organization name] qualifies for the [Name which funding preference(s) you qualify for] funding preference because [insert rationale here], for example, Applicant Organization Y is located in a designated HPSA.”

If you do not qualify for a funding preference, please state that you do not qualify in the project abstract.

Applications that do not include documentation in this attachment for a qualifying funding preference will not be considered to receive the funding preference.

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

Step 3: Write Your Application 29 https://data.hrsa.gov/tools/rural-health

Attachment 9: Previous grants Submit only if applicable.

Provide a list of the applicant organization’s previous HRSA grants within the last five years. Include the grant numbers and project abstracts for each.

Attachment 10: EIN/UEI exception request Submit only if applicable.

Generally, you cannot apply for multiple projects using the same UEI (previously DUNS) number and/or EIN. However, we recognize a growing trend towards greater consolidation within the rural health care industry and the possibility that multiple organizations may share the same UEI and/or EIN with one parent organization. As a result, we may allow separate applications associated with a single UEI or EIN, if you provide the following to us in this attachment:

• Names, street addresses, EINs, and/or UEI numbers of your organizations.

• Name, street address, EIN, and/or UEI number of the parent organization.

• Names, titles, email addresses, and phone numbers for points of contact at each of your organizations and the parent organization.

• Proposed HRSA-25-037 service areas for each of your organizations.

• Assurance that the organizations will each be responsible for the planning, program management, financial management, and decision making of their respective projects, independent of each other and the parent organization.

• Signatures from the points of contact at each of your organizations and the parent organization.

A single organization or parent organization cannot submit multiple applications even if the projects are different. If the parent organization applies using the legal and/or “doing business as” name of the parent or satellite sites, it is still considered an application submitted by the parent organization and will not be allowed.

Applications associated with the same UEI number or EIN should be independently developed and written. We reserve the right to deny this request if you provide insufficient information or if we receive nearly identical application content from organizations using the same EIN or UEI.

Attachment 11: Tribal EIN/UEI exception request Submit only if applicable.

For tribal exceptions requests, include:

Step 3: Write Your Application 30

• Names, titles, email addresses, and phone numbers for points of contact at your organization and network participant organizations.

• Justification for multiple applications from the network participant organizations under the same EIN and/or UEI.

• For example, unique focus area or services provided, or a lack of other applicant organizations.

Attachments 12-15: Other relevant documents Optional. If you need to provide more details about your proposal, you can provide other documents in this attachment.

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

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

Forms Submission Requirement

Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424) With application.

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

With application.

Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (SF-LLL) If applicable, with the application or before award.

Budget Narrative Attachment Form With application

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

Step 3: Write Your Application 31 https://www.grants.gov/forms

Step 4:

Learn About Review and Award

In this step

Application review 33

Selection process 37

Application review Initial review We will review your application to make sure that it meets eligibility criteria, including the completeness and responsiveness criteria. If your application does not meet these criteria, it will not be funded.

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

Merit review A panel reviews all applications that pass the initial review. The members use these criteria.

Criterion Total number of points = 100

1. Need 50 points

2. Response 20 points

3. Performance reporting and evaluation 5 points

4. Impact 10 points

5. Resources and capabilities 10 points

6. Support requested 5 points

Criterion 1: Need 50 points

See Project Narrative Introduction and Need sections.

The panel will review your application for:

• How well it describes the health care service environment where the network will be developed.

• How well it describes structural challenges and service gaps impacting health care delivery in the service area.

• How well it includes supportive information from relevant data sources (such as local, tribal, state, or federal data), if available, in its analysis of the health care service environment.

• How clearly it identifies a focus area and explains how the community was involved in identifying that focus area.

Step 4: Learn About Review and Award 33

• How clearly it describes the proposed project objectives.

• How well it describes the expected benefits to the rural community that the project would support.

• How well it details proposed network activities that will address the identified gaps in areas such as personnel, service delivery, shared resources, etc.

• How well it justifies why federal funds are necessary to support a network in this service area.

• How clearly it explains how proposed planning activities will support the selected legislative aim(s).

• How well it describes the population and/or subpopulations in the service area, including any related unmet health needs that the proposed project will help address.

◦ Successful descriptions…