HRSA-26-087 Final.pdf

Notice of Funding Opportunity

Application due 07/08/2026

HIV/AIDS Bureau

Strategies to Link, Engage, and Retain Men with HIV in Care: Evaluation Provider

HRSA-26-087

Table of Contents Before You Begin

Step 1: Review the Opportunity

Basic information

Funding details

Eligibility

Program description

Award information

Step 2: Get Ready to Apply

Get registered

Find the application package

Application writing help

Step 3: Build Your Application

Application checklist

Application contents and format

Step 4: Understand Review, Selection, and Award

Application review

Selection process

Award notices

Step 5: Submit Your Application

Application submission and deadlines

Other submissions

Step 6: Learn What Happens After Award

Post-award requirements and administration

Reporting

Contacts and Support

Agency contacts

Help with systems

Before You Begin Health Resources and Services Administration

HIV/AIDS Bureau

Division of Policy and Data

Strategies to Link, Engage, and Retain Men with HIV in Care: Evaluation Provider

HRSA-26-087

Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)

All activities proposed in your application and budget narrative must align with applicable law, including but not limited to statutes, executive orders, federal regulations and applicable judicial holdings. Accordingly, discretionary awards shall not be used to fund, promote, encourage, subsidize, or facilitate: racial preferences or other forms of racial discrimination by the recipient, including activities where race or intentional proxies for race will be used as a selection criterion for employment or program participation; denial by the recipient of the sex binary in humans, or the belief that sex is a chosen or mutable characteristic; illegal immigration; or any other initiatives that compromise public safety. If an application does not align, the application will not receive funding to the extent permitted by law and applicable court orders.

Step 1: Review the Opportunity

Basic information Tagline: Adapting, implementing, and disseminating interventions for men with HIV who are not linked, engaged, or retained in care

Summary This three-year funding opportunity is supported by the HRSA Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) Part F: Special Projects of National Significance (SPNS) Program. This SPNS initiative uses implementation science to adapt, implement, and evaluate interventions that serve men with HIV who are not consistently engaged in care or experiencing serious barriers to staying in care. It is designed to serve men who are eligible to receive HIV care through the RWHAP, as noted in Policy Clarification Notice 21-02: Determining Client Eligibility & Payor of Last Resort in the RWHAP. It funds one cooperative agreement recipient to serve as the Implementation Technical Assistance Provider (ITAP) and one cooperative agreement recipient to serve as the Evaluation Provider (EP).

The ITAP and EP will identify one or two interventions (systems-level, behavioral, data-based, or other types). If two interventions are identified, each site will select one intervention to implement. The ITAP will fund up to 8 subaward sites and provide technical assistance to implement the intervention(s). The EP will evaluate the implementation of these interventions and the ITAP will develop user-friendly implementation materials.

The ITAP and EP are required to co-lead the initiative. The HRSA HIV/AIDS Bureau (HAB) encourages you to read and familiarize yourself with the program expectations of the ITAP companion NOFO, HRSA-26-088.

https://ryanwhite.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/ryanwhite/grants/pcn-21-02-determining-eligibility-polr.pdf https://ryanwhite.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/ryanwhite/grants/pcn-21-02-determining-eligibility-polr.pdf

Have questions? Go to Contacts and Support.

Key facts

Opportunity name:

Strategies to Link, Engage, and Retain Men with HIV in Care: Evaluation Provider

Opportunity number:

HRSA-26-087

Announcement version:

initial

Federal assistance listing:

93.928

Key dates

NOFO issue date:

06/05/2026

Informational webinar: See Join the webinar

Application deadline:

07/08/2026

Expected award date is by:

09/01/2026

Expected start date:

09/01/2026

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

Funding details

Application Types:

New Expected total available funding in FY:

2026: $1,300,000

Expected number and type of awards:

1 CA (Cooperative Agreement)

Funding range per award:

$0 - $1,300,000

Up to $1,300,000 (Year 1), $1,300,000 (Year 2), $1,800,000 (Year 3)

We plan to fund awards in three 12-month budget periods for a total 3- year period of performance from 09/01/2026 to 08/31/2029.

Eligibility Who can apply

You can apply if you are eligible for funding under Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Parts A – D of Title XXVI of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act.

* “Domestic” means the 50 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.

These entities include:

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

State governments

County governments

City or township governments

Special district governments

Independent school districts

Public and State controlled institutions of higher education

Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)

Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)

Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education

Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education

Private institutions of higher education

Additional information on eligibility

Individuals are not eligible applicants under this NOFO.

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.

https://ryanwhite.hrsa.gov/about/parts-and-initiatives https://ryanwhite.hrsa.gov/about/parts-and-initiatives

Application limits You may not submit more than one application. If you submit more than one application, we will only accept the last on-time submission.

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. Recipients agree that once committed, cost sharing amounts are enforceable and subject to reporting and auditing requirements under 2 CFR 200.

Post-award requirements

Before you apply, make sure you understand the requirements that come with an award.

See Step 6: Learn What Happens After Award for information on regulations that apply, reporting, and more.

Program description Purpose The recipient of this funding opportunity will serve as the EP (HRSA-26-087) and should work in close collaboration with the ITAP (HRSA-26-088) to achieve the initiative wide-goal, to adapt and implement intervention strategies for men with HIV who are not consistently engaged or experiencing serious barriers to staying in care. The EP will conduct a multi-site implementation science evaluation and rapidly integrate data into the ITAP’s user-friendly implementation materials to facilitate future implementation and promote scale-up and sustainability of selected interventions across the RWHAP.

HRSA’s HIV/AIDS Bureau’s (HAB) Ryan White Program 2030, which builds on the foundation of the RWHAP and the innovative strategies from the federal Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. initiative, calls on the HIV community to continue to care for those in the RWHAP while also prioritizing efforts to reach people with HIV who are out of care and not virally suppressed.

Once someone is diagnosed with HIV, they need long-term chronic condition management to live long, healthy lives, which prevents further HIV transmission to others.

In 2023, among the over 1.1 million persons with diagnosed HIV in the U.S., over 875,000 (77%) were men. Nationally, 55.3% of men with HIV received care and 67.5% reached viral suppression. According to the 2024 Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Services Report (RSR), the RWHAP served 601,853 people with HIV, more than half of people with HIV nationally; nearly three quarters of clients were male.

Ultimately, people with HIV who take HIV medication as prescribed and reach and maintain viral suppression can manage their HIV as a chronic condition, cannot sexually transmit HIV, and can live longer and healthier lives. Increasing the number of people with HIV who are engaged in medical care and reach and maintain viral suppression is how we will end the HIV epidemic in the United States.

Approximately 87% of new HIV transmissions are estimated to result from people who either do not know they have HIV or are not engaged in HIV care. Not engaging people with HIV who are undiagnosed or out-of-care, has profound long-term consequences, including: increased HIV transmissions, higher health care costs, strains to the public health system, and a diminished quality of life.

https://ryanwhite.hrsa.gov/about/ryan-white-program-2030 https://www.cdc.gov/hiv-data/nhss/hiv-diagnoses-deaths-and-prevalence-2025.html https://www.cdc.gov/hiv-data/nhss/hiv-diagnoses-deaths-and-prevalence-2025.html https://www.cdc.gov/hiv-data/nhss/national-hiv-prevention-and-care-objectives-2025.html https://www.cdc.gov/hiv-data/nhss/national-hiv-prevention-and-care-objectives-2025.html https://ryanwhite.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/ryanwhite/data/2024-ryan-white-annual-data-report.pdf https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39847445/

A whole-person or comprehensive approach to HIV management, especially in the primary care setting, can more effectively address chronic comorbidities, behavioral, physical, and psychosocial conditions that may negatively impact HIV medication adherence and retention in care among men.

This effort will directly support the EHE objectives by accelerating clinical capacity for HIV management, including strategies to optimize the delivery, uptake and adoption of novel long-acting therapeutic options, interventions to achieve viral suppression, and practices that integrate and sustain evidence-based HIV prevention and care in a variety of settings. The ITAP will partner with of the RWHAP Part F HIV/AIDS Education and Training Centers (AETCs) to embed targeted, competency‑based training modules into existing medical education curricula.

Initiative Overview

This RWHAP Special Project of National Significance (SPNS) initiative will use implementation science to support successful implementation of interventions for men with HIV who are out of care or experiencing serious barriers to staying in care. The EP will evaluate intervention strategies (i.e., emerging, evidence-informed, or evidence-based interventions) and the ITAP will provide technical assistance to subaward sites. The ITAP and EP will co-develop implementation materials with sites. This process will result in useful, practical materials for replication and adaptation in other HIV care settings.

This initiative will help the RWHAP and HIV care settings determine how to implement intervention strategies that engage men with HIV and retain them in high-quality care in various settings (e.g., rural, urban, tribal, clinic-based, hospital, community-based, public health departments, mobile units) to better manage their chronic health condition and reach and maintain viral suppression. Additionally, the initiative will improve customer experience, improve access to health information, put healthcare back in people’s hands, and protect confidentiality and privacy. Replicating, adapting, and scaling-up effective strategies to engage men with HIV who are out of care is essential to reducing HIV transmissions and ending the HIV epidemic.

For this initiative, we define out of care or experiencing serious barriers to retention in care as the following:

• Newly diagnosed with HIV within the past 12 months, or

• Diagnosed with HIV more than 12 months ago but not consistently engaged in care, either by:

o Not attending at least two HIV medical care encounters at least 90 days apart within a 12-month measurement year.

o Being at increased risk of not remaining consistently engaged in care by missing their last appointment in the last six months, leaving incarceration, or experiencing another barrier that can negatively impact consistent engagement in care.

o Not being virally suppressed – defined as having a viral load of 200 copies/mL or more – at the time of enrollment.

Implementation and Dissemination Science https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9619412/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9619412/

This initiative is grounded in implementation science, the study and application of methods to promote or improve the systematic uptake of intervention strategies into practice. Adapting existing interventions and implementation strategies, identifying barriers and facilitators to implementation, and evaluating implementation outcomes are critical to the success of this initiative. Human-centered design and adult learning principles are key concepts of implementation and dissemination science, which examines how to effectively and strategically develop and share implementation and dissemination materials with intended audiences.

Funding Opportunity Goals

• Reduce the new HIV infections in the U.S. by focusing on HIV care and treatment strategies so that people with HIV reach viral suppression and therefore do not sexually transmit HIV.

• Reach people with HIV who are out of care by leveraging partnerships, focusing interventions, and engaging communities.

Background The SPNS Program supports the development of innovative models of HIV care to quickly respond to the emerging needs of clients served by the RWHAP. The SPNS Program evaluates the effectiveness of these models’ design, implementation, utilization, cost, and health-related outcomes while promoting the communication, dissemination and replication of successful models.

The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program

The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) has five statutorily defined Parts that provide grants to states, cities, counties, local clinics, and community-based organizations. The grants fund medical care, medication, and essential support services, to meet the needs of people with HIV and family members affected by HIV. Together these grants provide a comprehensive system of care to ensure low-income people with HIV have access to services for early diagnosis of HIV, linkage to care, medically appropriate treatment, retention in care, and sustained viral suppression (a very low or undetectable amount of HIV in the blood).

For nearly four decades, the RWHAP has funded services to provide HIV primary health care, medication, and essential support services, including mental health care, transportation, case management, nutrition, and housing. These services support clients to enter and remain in care, access medications, and reach viral suppression, reducing transmission and lowering health care costs.

Ending the HIV Epidemic

Launched in 2020, the Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. (EHE) initiative further expands federal efforts to reduce HIV transmission. For the RWHAP, the EHE initiative expands the program’s ability to meet the needs of clients, specifically focusing on linking people with HIV who are either newly diagnosed, diagnosed but currently not in care, or are diagnosed and in care but not yet virally suppressed, to the essential HIV care, treatment, and support services needed to help them reach viral suppression.

Make America Healthy Again https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1003128 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7647058/

The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program helps advance the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) priorities by:

• Expanding access to primary care for people with HIV, particularly those with low incomes, and by strengthening the health workforce.

• Fighting the chronic disease epidemic by providing HIV medical care, treatment, and support services to people with HIV.

• Supporting improved nutrition by providing patient-centered focused medical nutrition therapy and food services.

• Supporting disease prevention through HIV care and treatment services that help people reach viral suppression so they live longer, healthier lives and do not transmit

HIV.

Key Accomplishments

• Nearly 602,000 people with HIV in the U.S. received life-saving care, medication, and essential support services through the RWHAP, representing over half of all diagnosed with HIV in the U.S. This is an increase of nearly 26,000 clients.

• More than 91% of Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program patients receiving HIV medical care were virally suppressed in 2024. This is up from 69.5% of patients virally suppressed in 2010 and significantly higher than the 67.2% virally suppressed nationally among all people with diagnosed HIV.

• More than 47% of Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program clients are aged 50 years and older, demonstrating the program’s success in supporting older clients and its commitment to addressing the unique needs of people aging with HIV.

Program requirements and expectations The ITAP and EP are co-leaders of this initiative. You should continuously collaborate and communicate with the ITAP, as well as with HRSA HAB, to achieve the goals of this initiative.

Table 1 below shows the anticipated activities of each year of the initiative. Details about the EP’s lead activities follow. In consultation with HRSA HAB, the ITAP and EP should collaboratively refine their roles and responsibilities within the first 90 days of the award and develop a joint comprehensive workplan.

Project Year ITAP EP

• Develop a joint work plan and timeline

• Coordinate with AETCs on implementation strategies, including access to HIV therapies

• Lead the review and selection of intervention and implementation strategies

• Lead the development of a Communications and

• Develop a joint work plan and timeline

• Support the ITAP in the review and selection of intervention and implementation strategies

• Support the development of the ITAP-led Communications and Dissemination Plan

• Support the ITAP with RFP development and site selection https://www.hhs.gov/maha/index.html

Dissemination Plan, with support from the EP

• Develop and release a Request for Proposal (RFP)

• Select, with EP support, and fund up to 8 sites

• Provide implementation-specific TA and monitoring during the startup phase

• Begin measuring and tracking TA data

• Plan and lead a multi-site implementation science evaluation; obtain Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval as needed

• Provide evaluation-specific TA to sites

• Begin baseline data collection

• Provide implementation-specific TA and monitoring to sites

• Measure and track TA data (quantitative and qualitative) and present to HRSA HAB staff and EP quarterly

• Lead 2 learning sessions, with EP support

• Develop implementation materials with sites; work with EP to integrate data

• Provide evaluation-specific TA to sites

• Present implementation outcome data updates to HRSA HAB staff and ITAP biannually

• Support the ITAP with 2 learning sessions

• Rapidly analyze implementation and client outcome data on an ongoing basis

• Begin integrating data into implementation materials

• Closeout sites

• Collaborate with EP to align/crosswalk TA tracking data and evaluation data

• Finalize user-friendly implementation materials based on lessons learned from TA tracking, learning sessions, and evaluation findings, with EP

• Publicly release dissemination materials

• Support sites to complete final data collection

• Finalize analysis of implementation and client outcome data

• Present implementation outcome data updates to HRSA HAB staff and ITAP biannually

• Collaborate with ITAP to align/crosswalk evaluation data and TA tracking data

• Finalize integration of implementation data into ITAP-led implementation materials

• Analyze and release evaluation findings

Overview of EP Requirements and Expectations

In consultation with HRSA, this initiative has multiple phases that the EP and ITAP will implement as co-leaders.

You will lead the analysis and evaluation of the adaptation and implementation of intervention strategies (i.e., emerging, evidence-informed, and evidence-based) to link, engage, and retain in high-quality HIV care men disproportionately impacted by HIV who are out of care or experiencing serious barriers to staying in care. The EP should:

• Assist the ITAP to develop selection criteria for interventions to engage and retain men with HIV who are out of care. Assist the ITAP to select 1 or 2 interventions for implementation.

• Support the ITAP to develop criteria for and to select implementation sites. Collaborate with HRSA HAB and the ITAP to develop a request for proposal for implementation sites.

• Coordinate with HRSA HAB to develop and implement a multi-site evaluation grounded in validated implementation science frameworks.

o Consider HRSA HAB’s implementation science 1framework when developing the evaluation plan (see Psihopaidas 2020). You will specify which additional implementation science frameworks, measures, and concepts you will incorporate.

o The evaluation should include quantitative and qualitative data collection with site staff and clients to assess implementation strategies, intervention adaptations, and determinants (i.e., barriers and facilitators to implementation).

o You should conduct a process evaluation of the implementation of interventions and develop tools for sites to track process indicators (e.g., number of trainings, number of staff, etc.)

o Your evaluation should focus on the implementation of interventions but should also assess client and service outcomes). You will also conduct a cost analysis.

o You should propose data collection methods that are feasible based on the capacity of implementation sites operating their interventions in real-world settings.

o You should include retention in care and viral suppression measures from HAB’s Performance Measure Portfolio.

o You should also collect information on any de-implementation strategies used by implementation sites.

o You should receive appropriate ethics approval for conducting this evaluation (e.g., institutional review board). You will also support sites to complete any required ethics approval needed to collect and report evaluation data.

• Develop and implement a process and digital platform for collecting and reporting implementation, service, client, and cost data.

o Provide a secure, digital platform to receive, store, manage, and maintain de-identified client-level data, which the implementation sites will collect and report to you.

o Coordinate efforts to ensure the privacy and confidentiality of all data submitted, collected, and stored, under all applicable laws and regulations.

1 The HRSA HAB implementation science framework is intended to be a scaffolding upon which other implementation science frameworks, measures, and concepts are built to develop a robust, tailored evaluation framework.

https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1003128 https://ryanwhite.hrsa.gov/about/performance-measures o Help the implementation sites assure the privacy and confidentiality of study participants’ protected health information.

• Provide ongoing evaluation-specific TA to implementation sites.

o Support the ITAP’s work with sites to develop implementation logic models prior to implementation to guide sites’ approach.

o At the start of the period of performance and when new staff members are hired at implementation sites, ensure there is a process to train them in the evaluation aspects of the initiative.

o Support implementation sites in interpreting and reporting on all evaluation-specific data, including performance measures.

o Attend monthly monitoring/TA calls for each site with the ITAP.

o Attend annual site visits for each site with the ITAP.

o Attend and support the ITAP with planning the agenda for two learning sessions per year, beginning in year 2. These meetings should be held at HRSA headquarters or in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.

• Coordinate with other HHS initiatives to avoid duplication and maximize impact, including the National Institute of Health (NIH) implementation science initiatives.

• Support the development and implementation of the ITAP’s communications and dissemination plan.

o Rapidly analyze data with an emphasis on generalizable and broad scale implementation findings.

o You should work with the ITAP to integrate quantitative and qualitative implementation data into implementation materials.

On an ongoing basis, you and the ITAP should share and discuss the

ITAP’s TA tracking data and the EP’s evaluation data.

In year 3, you should meet with the ITAP to align/crosswalk the ITAP’s implementation TA data with the EP’s implementation science evaluation data for integration into implementation materials.

o At least twice a year beginning in year 2, you should plan to present quantitative and qualitative implementation data to HRSA HAB staff, the ITAP, and implementation sites.

o You should produce conference abstracts and journal articles in collaboration with implementation sites, the ITAP, and HRSA HAB.

o You should adhere to the HRSA clearance process for all communications and dissemination materials for external audiences.

o You should coordinate with the ITAP, implementation sites, and HRSA HAB to present at the biennial National Ryan White HIV/AIDS Conferences.

Key Personnel

People with HIV should be prioritized as part of the ITAP, EP, and implementation site teams, when feasible. People with other relevant personal or professional expertise are acceptable instead of educational background, as appropriate.

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/about/organization/dar/hiv-prevention-and-care-continuum-co-morbidities-and-translational-research-branch/implementation-science-program

Statutory authority 42 USC §300ff-101 (§2691 of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act)

Award information Cooperative agreement terms Our responsibilities Aside from monitoring and technical assistance, we also get involved in these ways:

• Facilitate the availability of key federal partners and experts in planning, developing, and implementing the project.

• Facilitate effective collaborative relationships with the ITAP, EP, and other relevant partners.

• Provide relevant project information and resources, including TA resource centers.

• On an ongoing basis, review activities, procedures, measures, and tools to accomplish the goals and objectives of this initiative.

• Participate in designing evaluation tools, evaluation plans, and other project materials.

• Review and participate in disseminating project activities, products, findings, best practices, evaluation data, and other information developed as part of this project to RWHAP providers and the broader health care community.

• Coauthor and publish journal articles describing project design, implementation, outcomes, and other topics in peer-reviewed journals.

Your responsibilities You must follow all relevant laws and policies. Your other responsibilities will include:

• Participate in the biennial National Ryan White Conference on HIV Care and Treatment and the biennial HAB Division of Policy and Data Administrative Reverse Site Visit, which occurs on years that the conference is not held.

• Intermittently share data updates, evaluation tools, and other information about the evaluation with the ITAP and HRSA HAB.

• Follow HRSA review requirements for all dissemination materials (i.e., manuscripts/papers, concept proposals, conference abstracts, conference presentations, technical assistance resources, toolkits, and other public-facing materials).

• Provide HRSA with a complete, updated, and accessible copy of all federally supported materials, including online content, prepared under this cooperative agreement.

• Help HRSA share information with constituencies upon request.

Funding policies and limitations Changes in HHS regulations As of October 1, 2025, HHS has adopted 2 CFR Part 200, with some modifications included in 2 CFR Part 300. These regulations replace those in 45 CFR Part 75.

Policies

• To make an award, funding must be available and allocated for this program and purpose, at which point we will move forward with the review and award process.

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/part-200

• Have clear policies and good financial practices to avoid spending HRSA funds on unallowable activities. Like other award rules, we may audit your policies, procedures, and controls.

• Support beyond the first budget year will depend on:

o Appropriation of funds.

o Your satisfactory progress in meeting the project’s objectives.

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

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

o Fund more applicants from the rank order list.

o Extend the period of performance.

o Award supplemental funding.

General limitations

• For guidance on some types of costs we do not allow or restrict, see o Project Budget Information in the Application Guide.

o 2 CFR Part 200 Subpart E - General Provisions for Selected Items of Cost.

o Allowable and Unallowable Costs and Activities in the HHS Grants Policy

Statement.

• All costs must be reasonable, necessary, allocable to the award, and adequately documented (2 CFR 200.403).

• You cannot earn profit from the federal award. See 2 CFR § 200.400(g).

• Current appropriations law includes a salary limit of $228,000 as of January 2026 that applies to this program. You may pay salaries at a higher rate if the rate beyond the salary rate limit (Executive Level II) is paid with non-HHS funds.

Program-specific statutory or regulatory limitations

You cannot use funds under this notice for the following:

• Funding restrictions included in Policy Clarification Notice (PCN) 16-02.

• Services that must be paid for by other sources, consistent with the RWHAP payor of last resort requirement in Policy Clarification Notice 21-02.

• Payments for clinical research.

• Payments for nursing home care.

• Cash payments to intended clients of RWHAP services.

• Purchase of or improvement to land.

• Purchase, construction, or major alterations or renovations on any building or other facility (see 2 CFR 200 –subpart A Definitions).

https://www.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/hrsa/grants/application-guide.pdf#page=13 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/part-200/subject-group-ECFRed1f39f9b3d4e72 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/part-200/subject-group-ECFRed1f39f9b3d4e72 https://www.hhs.gov/grants-contracts/grants/grants-policies-regulations/index.html https://www.hhs.gov/grants-contracts/grants/grants-policies-regulations/index.html https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-E/subject-group-ECFRea20080eff2ea53/section-200.404 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/section-200.405 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-E/subject-group-ECFRea20080eff2ea53/section-200.403 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/part-200#p-200.400(g) https://ryanwhite.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/ryanwhite/grants/service-category-pcn-16-02-final.pdf https://ryanwhite.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/ryanwhite/grants/pcn-21-02-determining-eligibility-polr.pdf https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200

• PrEP or Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (nPEP) medications or the related medical services.

See updated November 16, 2021, RWHAP and PrEP program letter for more information on PrEP.

• Development of materials designed to directly promote or encourage intravenous drug use or sexual activity, whether homosexual or heterosexual.

• Research.

• Foreign travel.

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 incur 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 the time of award.

Method 2 – De minimis rate. Per 2 CFR § 200.414(f), if you do not have a current 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.

This rate is up to 15% of modified total direct costs (MTDC). See 2 CFR § 200.1 for the definition of MTDC. You can use this rate indefinitely for all your federal awards or until you choose to receive a negotiated rate.

Consider your indirect costs when developing your budget.

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 2 CFR 200.307.

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

o Fund more applicants from the rank order list.

o Extend the period of performance.

o Award supplemental funding.

Step 2: Get Ready to Apply

Get registered SAM.gov You must have an active account with SAM.gov to apply. SAM.gov registration can take several weeks. Begin that process today.

https://www.hrsa.gov/grants/manage-your-grant 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-2/section-200.307

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.

• You must agree to the financial assistance general certifications and representations specifically. Those for contracts are different.

When you register, you will also receive your required Unique Entity Identifier (UEI).

Once you register:

• You will have to maintain your registration throughout the life of any award.

• If your organization has multiple UEIs, use the one associated with your physical location.

If you need additional information about user roles in SAM.gov, see “Get registered: SAM.gov user roles” in the Application Guide.

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 and How to Apply for Grants.

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-26-087.

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.

FAQs will be posted on our TA webpage after the webinar.

Join the webinar Webinar information will be posted to the Related Documents tab on Grants.gov. We recommend you “Subscribe” to the NOFO on Grants.gov to receive updates when documents are posted.

For more information about this opportunity, join the webinar:

Have questions? Go to Contacts and Support.

Step 3: Build Your Application

Application checklist There are two types of forms in Grants.gov.

https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/financial-assistance-general-certification-representations.pdf https://www.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/hrsa/grants/application-guide.pdf#page=4 https://grants.gov/applicants/applicant-registration http://www.grants.gov/quick-start-guide/applicants https://www.grants.gov/applicants/grant-applications/how-to-apply-for-grants https://www.grants.gov/search-grants 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

• Some forms allow you to upload components of your application to the form. These include components like your project narrative, budget and budget narrative, and attachments, as applicable.

• Other forms are more typical, fill-in-the-blank forms.

Make sure that you have everything you need to apply.

Narratives

Component Grants.gov form Included in page limit*?

◻ Project narrative

Use the Project Narrative Attachment form.

Project Narrative Atatchment form. Yes

◻ Budget narrative

Use the Budget Narrative Attachment form.

Budget Narrative Attachment form. Yes

Attachments Insert each in the Attachments Form in this order.

Component Included in page limit*?

◻ 1. Work plan Yes ◻ 2. Staffing plan and job descriptions Yes ◻ 3. Biographical sketches No ◻ 4. Agreements with other entities Yes ◻ 5. Project organizational chart Yes ◻ 6. Other relevant document Yes ◻ 7. Other relevant document Yes ◻ 8. Other relevant document Yes ◻ 9. Other relevant document Yes ◻ 10. Other relevant document Yes ◻ 11. Other relevant document Yes Other required forms Upload using each required form in Grants.gov.

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

Project Abstract Summary Form With application.

Grants.gov Lobbying Form With application.

Forms Submission requirement Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (SF-LLL), optional With application.

Project/Performance Site Location(s) With application.

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

Key Contacts With application.

*Only what you attach in these forms counts toward the page limit. The forms themselves do not count.

Application contents and format This section includes guidance on each component found in the application checklist.

Application page limit: 60 pages

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

Required format Required format for project summary, project narrative, budget narrative, and attachments.

Font: A readable font like Arial, Courier, CG Times, or Times New Roman

File format: We only accept the following document formats:

• .PDF - Adobe Portable Document Format

• .DOC/.DOCX - Microsoft Word

• .RTF - Rich Text Format o .TXT - Text

• .WPD - Word Perfect Document

• .XLS/.XLSX - Microsoft Excel

• .VSD - Microsoft Visio

Size: 12-point font Footnotes, charts, graphics, and budget tables may be 10-point or higher.

Ink color: Black

Spacing: Single-spaced, including all text and tables

Alignment: Left

Headings: Bold all headings and align left.

Size: 8.5 x 11 (Make sure the print area is set and allows printing to 8.5 x 11.)

Margins: 1-inch on all sides

Footer: On each page as the footer, include your organization’s name and page numbers. If a competing continuation or competing supplement, also include your 10-digit award number.

Page numbering:

• Do not number the standard OMB-approved forms.

• Number each attachment page sequentially (that is, 1, 2, 3).

• Reset the numbering for each attachment.

• Treat each attachment as a separate section.

File names: You can find guidance for naming your files in the Application Guide.

Project narrative Introduction See merit review criterion 1: Need

• Briefly describe your plan to meet the initiative-wide goal and priorities outlined in the purpose section.

• Clearly and succinctly describe your ability to successfully meet and carry out program requirements and expectations.

• Provide a brief, high-level summary of the proposed:

o Implementation science evaluation plan.

o Multi-site evaluation questions, with an emphasis on understanding implementation processes and outcomes (e.g., barriers and facilitators, acceptability, adoption, intervention adaptations, appropriateness, feasibility, cost, and sustainability).

o Cost analysis.

o Evaluation-specific TA.

o Publication and dissemination activities.

• Briefly describe how you plan to co-lead, communicate, and collaborate with the ITAP to ensure the success of the initiative.

Need See merit review criterion 1: Need

• Describe your understanding of the unique needs of men disproportionately impacted by HIV who are out of care or experiencing serious barriers to staying in care.

o Describe barriers and facilitators to linkage, engagement, and retention in care among men with HIV who are out of care.

o Describe co-occurring conditions among men with HIV (e.g., chronic comorbidities, substance use, mental health) that impact care engagement.

• Describe how your multi-site evaluation plan, with a focus on assessing implementation outcomes, is critical to the broader goal of the initiative (i.e., to produce resources that promote wide scale replication of successful interventions across the RWHAP).

• Describe the need to conduct an implementation science initiative to assess the implementation of interventions to address the needs of men with HIV who are out of care or experiencing serious barriers to staying in care.

• Describe the challenges associated with implementing and evaluating interventions for men with HIV who are out of care and proposed solutions.

• Describe how this initiative includes approaches that address long-term solutions to HIV care, including strategies to optimize the delivery, uptake and adoption of novel long-acting therapeutic options, interventions to achieve viral suppression, and practices that integrate and sustain evidence-based HIV prevention and care in a variety of settings.

https://www.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/hrsa/grants/application-guide.pdf#page=26

• When appropriate, cite literature and publications.

Approach

See merit review criteria 2: Response and 4: Impact

Pre-Implementation

• Describe your plan to work in collaboration with the ITAP to research and select interventions that engage and retain men with HIV who are out of care.

o Include your plan to conduct a search to identify interventions for this initiative.

o Describe proposed criteria for selecting one or two interventions.

• Describe how you plan to support the ITAP with selecting implementation sites through their competitive application process. Describe proposed criteria relevant to the evaluation for site selection.

• Propose a rigorous multi-site evaluation to evaluate the implementation of interventions using HRSA HAB’s implementation science framework and other implementation science frameworks.

o Describe:

The methodology that you will use to guide your multi-site evaluation.

The implementation science theories, models, and frameworks that you will use in addition to the HRSA HAB implementation science framework to assess implementation, client, and service outcomes. Provide the rationale for their selection.

o Describe your evaluation plan including:

Anticipated evaluation questions.

Methods for quantitative and qualitative data collection with implementation sites to measure implementation outcomes including uptake, engagement, acceptability, and feasibility.

A method for sites to track process indicators related to implementation of interventions such as number of trainings and number of staff.

Validated quantitative implementation outcome measures such as the Organizational Readiness to Change Assessment and the Program Sustainability Assessment Tool.

Validated client and service outcome measures.

Organizational assessment of the barriers and facilitators to successful intervention implementation, intervention adaptations, and implementation and de-implementation strategies.

A process for sites to quantitatively assess intervention exposure.

A thorough rationale for any other data measures you propose that are relevant to the assessment of the interventions. Specify their sources and cite references in the literature to support their validation.

An analysis plan for all implementation, client, and service outcome data.

The methodology and analysis plan for assessing cost of interventions inclusive of labor, training, structural, and other relevant costs.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/1748-5908-4-38 https://sustaintool.org/ https://sustaintool.org/

Your plan for obtaining appropriate ethics approval as well as supporting sites with ethics approval, and data use agreements or business associate agreements, as needed.

• Provide a detailed plan for constructing and maintaining a secure, digital platform and process for implementation sites to transmit data to you. The platform may also include evaluation-specific information and TA tools for implementation sites to access during the initiative.

o Describe your plans to:

Coordinate efforts to ensure the privacy and confidentiality of all data submitted, collected, and stored under all applicable laws and regulations.

Help implementation sites assure the privacy and confidentiality of study participants’ protected health information.

Implementation

• Describe your plan for providing evaluation-specific TA to implementation sites.

o Describe your proposed approach to:

From an evaluation perspective, support the ITAP’s work with sites to develop implementation logic models 2prior to implementation.

Train implementation site evaluation/data management staff to meet the requirements of the evaluation including data collection and reporting.

Routinely assess evaluation-specific TA needs.

o How you will train site staff to ensure proper management of IRB and data requirements and issues related to confidentiality of patient information.

o How you will monitor data quality and data completeness of regular data submissions and how you will communicate results to the ITAP and sites.

o Describe your process for supporting site evaluation staff with collecting clinical outcome data based on HAB’s Performance Measures, particularly when non-clinical sites may need to leverage partnerships with HIV clinical service providers to do so.

o Describe the types of evaluation-specific TA needs you anticipate and how you will address them. These may include:

Protection of human research subjects.

IRB approval and renewal.

Data sharing or data use agreements.

Data collection and reporting.

Integrating evaluation findings into local dissemination materials.

o Describe how you will leverage site visits, monitoring/technical assistance calls, and learning sessions to collect implementation data.

Communications and Dissemination

2 Implementation logic models outline core components of the intervention, implementation strategies, and anticipated barriers and facilitators to successful implementation.

• Describe how you will work with the ITAP, in coordination with HRSA HAB, to develop and implement a communications and dissemination plan based on dissemination science.

o Describe your plan and timeline for how you will rapidly analyze implementation data to incorporate into ITAP-led implementation materials.

o Provide examples of quantitative and qualitative implementation data that you will collect and how you will work with the ITAP to integrate this data into ITAP-led implementation materials.

o Describe your plans to:

Work with the ITAP to align and reconcile the ITAP’s implementation TA tracking data with the EP’s multi-site evaluation data for integration into implementation materials in year 3.

Present to HRSA HAB staff, the ITAP, and implementation sites on quantitative and qualitative implementation data at least twice a year beginning in year 2.

o Describe how you will incorporate site staff in the development of abstracts and publications from the initiative.

High-level work plan

See merit review criterion 3: Performance and reporting evaluation

• Provide a high-level workplan with your EP-specific goal(s) and how you will fulfill project requirements during the three-year period of performance (attachment 1). Include objectives for the entire period of performance that are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-framed (SMART).

• For year one only, include:

o Action steps to achieve the stated objectives.

o Staff responsible for each action step, including any consultants.

o Anticipated start and completion dates for each action step.

• As needed, identify how key stakeholders will help plan, design, and carry out these activities.

• For years two and three, you will submit a detailed work plan with action steps post-award.

Resolving challenges See merit review criterion 4: Impact

• Discuss challenges that you are likely to encounter in designing and implementing the activities described in the work plan and the proposed methods described in the approach section.

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

Performance management See merit review criteria 3: Performance reporting and evaluation https://www.samhsa.gov/grants/how-to-apply/forms-and-resources/developing-goals-measurable-objectives

• Outcomes. Describe the expected outcomes (desired results) of your funded activities (not the evaluation itself).

• Performance reporting and evaluation.

o Describe how you will collect, measure, and report performance data accurately and on time.

o Describe how you will manage and securely store data, including how you will protect data against cybersecurity threats, breaches, or other loss of data integrity.

o Describe how you will monitor and analyze your program performance data and engage in continuous quality improvement.

Program assessment components should monitor ongoing processes and progress toward the goals and objectives of your work.

Include descriptions of inputs (such as organizational profile, collaborative partners, key personnel, budget, and other resources), key processes, and expected outcomes of funded activities.

o Describe challenges that you may encounter when assessing your own performance and engaging in continuous quality improvement.

See the…