INNOVATIONS FY2022 NOFO v3_FINAL 07.06.2022 CLEAN 07132022.pdf

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)

FY 2022 Citizenship and Integration Grant Program Innovations in Citizenship Education

All entities wishing to do business with the federal government must have a unique entity identifier (UEI). Entities that have done business with the government can obtain their UEI by following the steps here. Entities that have not done business with the federal government may request a UEI via the System for Award Management (SAM) web page at:

https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration. Receiving a UEI take 1-2 business days

Grants.gov registration information can be found at:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/register.html. Detailed information regarding UEI and SAM is also provided in Section D of this NOFO.

Additional Information can be found on Grants.gov:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/planned-uei-updates.html

A. Program Description

1. Issued By U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), External Affairs Directorate (EXA), Office of Citizenship (OoC)

2. Assistance Listings Number 97.010

3. Assistance Listings Title Citizenship Education and Training

4. Funding Opportunity Title FY 2022 Citizenship and Integration Grant Program: Innovations in Citizenship Education

5. Funding Opportunity Number

DHS-22-CIS-010-004

6. Authorizing Authority for Program H.R. 2471 – Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 (Pub. L. 117-103) Division F, Title IV

7. Appropriation Authority for Program H.R. 2471 – Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 (Pub. L. 117-103) Division F, Title IV

8. Announcement Type Initial https://www.fsd.gov/gsafsd_sp?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB0041254&sys_kb_id=875189f21bee8d54937fa64ce54bcbaa&spa=1 https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/register.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/planned-uei-updates.html

9. Program Overview, Objectives, and Priorities

OoC is charged with promoting instruction and training on the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. USCIS recognizes that naturalization is a key milestone in the civic integration of immigrants. Naturalization requirements, such as knowledge of English and U.S. history and government, encourage civic learning and build a strong foundation upon which immigrants can fully integrate into society. Through preparing for naturalization, immigrants gain tools to become successful citizens and meet their responsibilities as United States citizens.

The goal of the Citizenship and Integration Grant Program is to expand the availability of high-quality citizenship preparation services for immigrants across the nation and to provide opportunities for immigrants to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to integrate into the fabric of American society.

Since it began in 2009, the Citizenship and Integration Grant Program has awarded more than $112 million through 513 competitive grants to immigrant-serving organizations in 39 states and the District of Columbia. Now in its 14th year, the program has helped more than 290,500 LPRs prepare for citizenship. The Citizenship and Integration Grant Program supports the objectives of Executive Order 14012, Restoring Faith in Our Legal Immigration Systems and Strengthening Integration and Inclusion Efforts for New Americans and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2020-2024 by promoting integration, inclusion, and citizenship. The Citizenship and Integration Grant Program also addresses the DHS mission to enforce and administer our immigration laws as stated in the 2014 Quadrennial Homeland Security Review, as the program provides immigrants instruction on the rights and responsibilities of U.S. citizenship and information on how to apply for naturalization within the authorized practice of immigration law.

Educating future citizens is a core component of the Citizenship and Integration Grant program. Citizenship education provides immigrants with the skills and knowledge they need to prepare for citizenship, including instruction in English as a Second Language (ESL), U.S.

history and government, and the naturalization process. Citizenship education programs have always faced challenges, such as student recruitment and retention, hiring qualified instructors, and tracking long-term program success. The COVID-19 pandemic magnified these challenges and created new hurdles to preparing immigrants for citizenship.

Simultaneously, the pandemic greatly accelerated change and innovation across nearly every sector. Many citizenship education programs have developed new and innovative ways of preparing students for citizenship. Similarly, welcoming communities are experimenting with creative ways to re-engage and reconnect with both immigrant and native-born populations.

Accordingly, USCIS is launching a special initiative – Innovations in Citizenship Education – designed to amplify innovation. USCIS will award innovations grants to organizations that foster creative approaches to preparing immigrants for naturalization and encouraging the civic, linguistic, and cultural integration of immigrants into their communities.

USCIS will consider applications for all types of citizenship education innovations. The most successful applicants will propose innovations that address an existing challenge within the https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/02/02/executive-order-restoring-faith-in-our-legal-immigration-systems-and-strengthening-integration-and-inclusion-efforts-for-new-americans/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/02/02/executive-order-restoring-faith-in-our-legal-immigration-systems-and-strengthening-integration-and-inclusion-efforts-for-new-americans/ https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/19_0702_plcy_dhs-strategic-plan-fy20-24.pdf https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/2014-qhsr-final-508.pdf https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/2014-qhsr-final-508.pdf citizenship education field and will include key performance indicators related to attaining U.S.

citizenship.

Examples of potential innovations include, but are not limited to:

A. Innovations that engage hard-to-reach populations, such as:

• Persons who are pre-literate and/or have limited literacy skills in their native language and therefore require substantial support to prepare for the naturalization process;

• Persons who have had limited education;

• Persons who have been historically and traditionally marginalized (e.g., elderly, women, rare language speakers, youth, victims of crime);

• Persons who lack confidence in their ability to learn a new language and pass the naturalization test;

• Persons whose jobs require mobility including migrant workers, nurses, truck drivers, etc., whose mobility makes it difficult for them to participate in in-person classes for a significant period of time;

• Persons residing in rural locations or other isolated areas where there is a lack of access to citizenship education services; or

• Persons covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) who may need special accommodations to successfully navigate the naturalization process;

B. Innovations in Citizenship preparation, such as:

• A two-generational approach to citizenship education that address both potential applicants and their school-aged children or grandchildren;

• Partnerships with local businesses, unions, libraries, or schools to create citizenship education programs;

• A community-based approach to citizenship education that supplements classes by matching community members with prospective applicants to provide English language immersion and integration opportunities;

• Mobile citizenship teaching units;

• Mobile naturalization application services units;

• Creation of networks of legal service providers that work collaboratively to address community need for naturalization application services; Partnerships between other federal agency naturalization working group member grantees that produce multiplier outreach effect (e.g., working with HHS/ORR preferred community grantees, USDA agricultural worker grants, DOJ office of violence against women grantees, etc.1

C. Innovations that build the capacity of other immigrant-serving organizations, including but not limited to:

1 See the Interagency Strategy for Promoting Naturalization.

https://www.uscis.gov/promotingnaturalization

• Creating and recording a series of web-based videos on how to start-up a high-quality citizenship education program;

• Establishing a peer-to-peer network for immigrant-serving organizations to exchange ideas and problem-solve together;

• Developing networks and mechanisms that help service providers better connect with more marginalized populations, including but not limited to the elderly, women, victims of violence, special immigrant juveniles, individuals granted cancellation of removal, individuals experiencing homelessness, individuals covered by the American with Disabilities Act (ADA), etc.

D. Innovations that support the digital access and digital literacy, including but not limited to:

• Creating a system of “technology libraries” from which individuals in a citizenship education program can check out laptops or tablets as a means of accessing online learning resources;

• Establishing a program in which immigrant youth volunteers provide one-on-one training to citizenship education students on the use of technology to support citizenship education and overall digital literacy; or

• Collaborating with Department of Education grantees2 and others working on digital literacy initiatives to ensure access for immigrant communities with low digital literacy rates.

E. Innovations that develop new citizenship education tools or resources that can be shared nationally, such as:

• Developing a mobile phone app to help persons along in their immigrant journey and prepare for the USCIS naturalization test and interview.

• Creating digital tools for use by other service providers that help applicants access counsel and support for completing the naturalization applicant process, or

• Engaging non-English media to furnish culturally appropriate messaging on integration and citizenship and English language resources.

Organizations that propose to offer direct citizenship education services under this grant should be familiar with the Elements of Program Quality for Adult Citizenship Education. USCIS developed the Elements with a panel of adult education experts and based them on state and federal standards for adult education. They provide a general framework for preparing immigrants for the civics and English components of the naturalization interview and test.

Program administrators and teachers should use these Elements when designing, enhancing, or evaluating their adult citizenship education programs. Additional USCIS resources for citizenship education programs are listed in Appendix B.

2 See Department of Education Digital Literacy Initiatives https://lincs.ed.gov/state-resources/federal-initiatives/digital-literacy https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/guides/elements_of_program_quality.pdf https://lincs.ed.gov/state-resources/federal-initiatives/digital-literacy

Request for Applications In fiscal year (FY) 2022, up to $2 million in federal funding is available for eligible organizations to develop and pilot innovative approaches to citizenship education. USCIS will award grants of between $50,000 and $250,000. The total number of awards will be determined based on the proposals received. Citizenship education provides persons with the skills and knowledge needed to prepare for citizenship, including instruction in English as a Second Language (ESL), U.S. history and government, and the naturalization process.

Partnerships Partnerships are encouraged. Innovation can result when unlikely partners collaborate, and therefore USCIS encourages partnerships with innovators outside of the traditional citizenship education realm. The principal applicant will be considered the grant recipient and will be responsible for the grant funds.

A partner organization is a “sub-awardee” if the organization receives a portion of the grant funding to provide additional services. The primary applicant must complete a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) or other binding document with any prospective sub-awardees and submit it with the application. The applicant must clearly demonstrate how it will monitor the prospective sub-awardee’s performance and ensure that the prospective sub-awardee complies with all grant award conditions and data reporting requirements. The MOU must state the specific services the sub-awardee will provide and how grant funding will be allocated to fund the services. Prospective sub-awardees must have their own individual UEI number and will be responsible for financial and performance reporting. Sub-awardees must submit their reports to the primary applicant for submission to DHS.

If the primary applicant partners with an organization that does not receive a portion of the grant funding, the primary applicant should still complete an MOU. However, the applicant does not need to include the other required information listed above for sub-awardees and the partner organization does not need an individual UEI.

10. Performance Measures

Establishing clear performance measures prior to the start of the grant performance period is an essential way for DHS and grant recipients to ensure a clear understanding of intended program outcomes and impacts. With the Innovations grants, however, DHS anticipates a diversity of programs and therefore anticipates that performance measures may differ between grantees. All applicants must select two or more performance measures from the menu below.

Applicants should also include additional performance measures in their application specific to their proposed innovation. DHS may negotiate program-specific performance measures with individual organizations prior to award.

Applicants must select two or more of the following performance measures:

• Number of students that enroll in a citizenship education class as a result of the innovation;

• Percentage of students that demonstrate measurable learning gains as a result of the proposed innovation;

• Number of students or participants that file Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, as a result of the proposed innovation;

• Number of new community partnerships created, as evidenced by a Memorandum of

Understanding, to support the citizenship preparation and/or integration of immigrants in the community.

• Number of “hard to reach” immigrants engaged through targeted citizenship outreach campaign;

• Number of immigrants who are trained on (or use) a new citizenship education tool.

B. Federal Award Information

1. Available Funding for the NOFO: Up to $2,000,000

2. Projected number of Awards: Up to 40

3. Period of Performance: 24 months

Note: extensions are permitted. See Section H, Additional Information, Period of Performance Extensions, for more information.

4. Projected Period of Performance Start Date(s): 10/01/2022

5. Projected Period of Performance End Date(s): 09/30/2024

6. Funding Instrument Type: Grant

C. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants

The following entities are eligible to apply to this announcement:

a. City or township governments

b. County governments

c. Independent school districts

d. Indian/Native American tribal governments (federally recognized)

e. Indian/Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments)

f. Indian/Native American Tribally Designated Organization

g. Public/Indian Housing Authority

h. Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(6) IRS status, other than institutions of higher education

i. Private institutions of higher education

j. Public & state-controlled institutions of higher education

k. Special district governments

l. State governments

m. Small businesses

n. For-profit organizations other than small businesses

2. Applicant Eligibility Criteria

Applicants will be judged on the merits of their proposal according to the below criteria.

Partnering with an organization that has substantial citizenship education experience and knowledge would be helpful in establishing capacity for successful proposals.

Non-Responsive Applications Your application will be deemed non-responsive if:

a. Form SF-424 – Application for Federal Assistance is missing.

b. Form SF-424A – Budget is missing.

c. Form SF-424B – Assurances - Non-Construction Programs is missing.

d. The applicant’s Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) is not registered in

SAM.

e. The application does not include a Budget Narrative or Budget Table.

f. The application does not include a Project Narrative.

For a complete list of all required forms, please see Appendix A.

3. Maintenance of Effort (MOE)

There is no MOE requirement for this program. Requests for funds under this announcement must not be used to take the place of activities described in the application that are currently supported with other funding. Also, grant funds must not be used to support activities that are a normal part of the organization’s operations.

4. Cost Share or Match

There is a minimum cost share requirement for this program of 20% of the total requested funding amount. Applicants should clearly identify which budget items are to be supported by federal grant funding and which are to be supported by in-kind contributions and/or other funding sources, along with an estimate of the value of these non-federal funding sources. All proposed cost share contributions must be clearly described in the budget portion of the proposal. Applicants will be scored on this during the technical review.

Acceptable forms of cost share items include:

• Volunteer services: Rates for volunteer services must be consistent with those paid for similar work.

• Employee time: Employee’s regular rate of pay.

• Supplies: Fair market value of the supplies at the time of donation.

• Cash contributions: Cash value.

• Equipment, building, or land: Fair market value or rental value at the time of application, as established by an independent appraisal.

• Project co-funding: Actual cost incurred.

D. Application and Submission Information

1. Key Dates and Times

a. Application Start Date: 06/27/2022

b. Application Submission Deadline: 08/05/2022 at 11:59PM EST

c. Anticipated Award Date: No later than 09/30/2022

NOTE: The application must be received in Grants.gov by the date and time listed above.

If an application is received after the deadline, it will not be considered. Applicants will receive a confirmation from Grants.gov once the application is successfully submitted.

All applications are time stamped by the Grants.gov system when submitted and recipients are notified accordingly. The federal office will download all applications that are received by the deadline date and time as indicated on the NOFO. Late applications will not be accepted.

d. Other Key Dates

2. Agreeing to Terms and Conditions of the Award By submitting an application, applicants agree to comply with the requirements of this NOFO and the terms and conditions of the award, should they receive an award.

3. Address to Request Application Package

Application forms and instructions are available at Grants.gov. To access these materials, go to https://www.grants.gov/, select “Applicants” then “Apply for Grants.” To obtain the application package, select “Download a Grant Application Package.” Enter the Assistance Listing and/or funding opportunity number located on the cover of this NOFO, select “Download Package,” and then follow the prompts to download the application package.

For a hard copy of the full NOFO, please write or fax a request to:

Jacqueline Greely

Event Suggested Deadline for Completion Obtaining UEI Number Four weeks before actual submission deadline Obtaining a valid EIN Four weeks before actual submission deadline Updating SAM registration Four weeks before actual submission deadline Starting application in Grants.gov One week before actual submission deadline https://www.grants.gov/

Grants Officer CISMailbox@hq.dhs.gov Fax: 202-447-5600

If you use assistive technology and are unable to access any materials on Grants.gov, please email the Support Center at support@grants.gov.

Applications will be processed through the Grants.gov portal. If you experience difficulties accessing information or have any questions, please call 1-800-518-4726.

4. Steps Required to Submit an Application, Unique Entity Identifier, and System for Award Management (SAM)

To apply for an award under this program, all applicants must:

a. Apply for, update, or verify their Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) Number and Employer ID

Number (EIN)

b. In the application, provide a valid UEI number;

c. Have an account with https://login.gov/;

d. Register for, update, or verify their SAM account and ensure the account is active before submitting the application;

e. Create a Grants.gov account;

f. Add a profile to a Grants.gov account;

g. Establish an Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) in Grants.gov;

h. Submit (if applicable, add: an initial) application in Grants.gov; and

i. Continue to maintain an active SAM registration with current information, including information on a recipient’s immediate and highest-level owner and subsidiaries, as well on all predecessors that have been awarded a federal contract or grant within the last three years, if applicable, at all times during which it has an active federal award or an application or plan under consideration by a federal awarding agency.

Applicants are advised that DHS may not make a federal award until the applicant has complied with all applicable UEI and SAM requirements. Therefore, an applicant’s SAM registration must be active not only at the time of application, but also during the application review period and when DHS is ready to make a federal award. Further, as noted above, an applicant’s or recipient’s SAM registration must remain active for the duration of an active federal award. If an applicant’s SAM registration is expired at the time of application, expires during application review, or expires any other time before award, DHS may determine that the applicant is not qualified to receive a federal award and use that determination as a basis for making a federal award to another applicant.

5. Electronic Delivery

DHS is participating in the Grants.gov initiative to provide the grant community with a single site to find and apply for grant funding opportunities. DHS encourages or requires applicants to submit their applications online through Grants.gov, depending on the funding opportunity. For this funding opportunity, the DHS GFAD requires applicants to submit applications through Grants.gov.

mailto:support@grants.gov https://login.gov/

6. How to Register to Apply through Grants.gov

Instructions: Registering in Grants.gov is a multi-step process. Read the instructions below about registering to apply for DHS funds. Applicants should read the registration instructions carefully and prepare the information requested before beginning the registration process.

Reviewing and assembling the required information before beginning the registration process will alleviate last-minute searches for required information.

The registration process can take up to four weeks to complete. Therefore, registration should be done in sufficient time to ensure it does not impact your ability to meet required application submission deadlines.

Organizations must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) Number, active System for Award Management (SAM) registration, and Grants.gov account to apply for grants. If individual applicants are eligible to apply for this grant funding opportunity, then you may begin with step 3, Create a Grants.gov account, listed below.

Creating a Grants.gov account can be completed online in minutes, but UEI and SAM registrations may take several weeks. Therefore, an organization's registration should be done in sufficient time to ensure it does not impact the entity's ability to meet required application submission deadlines. Complete organization instructions can be found on Grants.gov here:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration.html.

a. Obtain a UEI Number: All entities applying for funding, including renewal funding, must have a UEI number. Applicants must enter the UEI number in the data entry field labeled "Organizational UEI" on the SF-424 form.

i. For more detailed instructions for obtaining a UEI number, refer to:

https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration.

b. Register with SAM: All organizations applying online through Grants.gov must register with the System for Award Management (SAM). Failure to register with SAM will prevent your organization from applying through Grants.gov. SAM registration must be renewed annually.

i. For more detailed instructions for registering with SAM, refer to:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-2-register-with-sam.html.

c. Create a Grants.gov Account: The next step is to register an account with Grants.gov.

Follow the on-screen instructions or refer to the detailed instructions here:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/registration.html.

d. Add a Profile to a Grants.gov Account: A profile in Grants.gov corresponds to a single applicant organization the user represents (i.e., an applicant) or an individual applicant.

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration.html https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-2-register-with-sam.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-2-register-with-sam.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/registration.html

If you work for or consult with multiple organizations and have a profile for each, you may log in to one Grants.gov account to access all of your grant applications. To add an organizational profile to your Grants.gov account, enter the UEI Number for the organization in the UEI field while adding a profile.

i. For more detailed instructions about creating a profile on Grants.gov, refer to:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/registration/add-profile.html.

e. EBiz POC Authorized Profile Roles: After you register with Grants.gov and create an Organization Applicant Profile, the organization applicant's request for Grants.gov roles and access is sent to the EBiz POC. The EBiz POC will then log in to Grants.gov and authorize the appropriate roles, which may include the AOR role, thereby giving you permission to complete and submit applications on behalf of the organization. You will be able to submit your application online any time after you have been assigned the AOR role.

For more detailed instructions about creating a profile on Grants.gov, refer to:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/registration/authorize-roles.html.

f. Track Role Status: To track your role request, refer to:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/registration/track-role-status.html.

g. Electronic Signature: When applications are submitted through Grants.gov, the name of the organization applicant with the AOR role that submitted the application is inserted into the signature line of the application, serving as the electronic signature. The EBiz POC must authorize people who are able to make legally binding commitments on behalf of the organization as a user with the AOR role; this step is often missed, and it is crucial for valid and timely submissions.

7. How to Submit an Application to DHS via Grants.gov Grants.gov applicants can apply online using Workspace. Workspace is a shared, online environment where members of a grant team may simultaneously access and edit different webforms within an application. For each NOFO, you can create individual instances of a workspace.

Below is an overview of applying on Grants.gov. For access to complete instructions on how to apply for opportunities using Workspace, refer to:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/workspace-overview.html.

a. Create a Workspace: Creating a workspace allows you to complete it online and route it through your organization for review before submitting.

b. Complete a Workspace: Add participants to the workspace to work on the application together, complete all the required forms online or by downloading PDF versions, and check for errors before submission. The Workspace progress bar will display the state of your application process as you apply. As you apply using Workspace, you may click the https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/registration/add-profile.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/registration/authorize-roles.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/registration/track-role-status.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/workspace-overview.html blue question mark icon near the upper-right corner of each page to access context-sensitive help.

c. Adobe Reader: If you decide not to apply by filling out webforms you can download individual PDF forms in Workspace. The individual PDF forms can be downloaded and saved to your local device storage, network drive(s), or external drives, then accessed through Adobe Reader.

NOTE: Visit the Adobe Software Compatibility page on Grants.gov to download the appropriate version of the software at:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/adobe-software-compatibility.html.

d. Mandatory Fields in Forms: In the forms, you will note fields marked with an asterisk and a different background color. These fields are mandatory fields that must be completed to successfully submit your application.

e. Complete SF-424 Fields First: The forms are designed to fill in common required fields across other forms, such as the applicant’s name, address, and UEI number. To trigger this feature, an applicant must complete the SF-424 information first. Once it is completed, the information will transfer to the other forms.

f. Submit a Workspace: An application may be submitted through workspace by clicking the Sign and Submit button on the Manage Workspace page, under the Forms tab. Grants.gov recommends submitting your application package at least 24-48 hours prior to the close date to provide you with time to correct any potential technical issues that may disrupt the application submission.

g. Track a Workspace Submission: After successfully submitting a workspace application, a Grants.gov Tracking Number (GRANTXXXXXXXX) is automatically assigned to the application. The number will be listed on the Confirmation page that is generated after submission. Using the tracking number, access the Track My Application page under the Applicants tab or the Details tab in the submitted workspace.

For additional training resources, including video tutorials, refer to:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-training.html.

Applicant Support: Grants.gov provides applicants 24/7 support via the toll-free number 1- 800-518-4726 and email at support@grants.gov. For questions related to the specific grant opportunity, contact the number listed in the application package of the grant to which you are applying.

If you are experiencing difficulties with your submission, it is best to call the Grants.gov Support Center and get a ticket number. The Support Center ticket number will assist DHS with tracking your issue and understanding background information on the issue.

8. Timely Receipt Requirements and Proof of Timely Submission https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/adobe-software-compatibility.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-training.html mailto:support@grants.gov

Online Submission. All applications must be received by 11:59 PM Eastern time on the due date established for each program. Proof of timely submission is automatically recorded by Grants.gov. An electronic date/time stamp is generated within the system when the application is successfully received by Grants.gov. The applicant with the AOR role who submitted the application will receive an acknowledgement of receipt and a tracking number (GRANTXXXXXXXX) from Grants.gov with the successful transmission of their application.

This applicant with the AOR role will also receive the official date/time stamp and Grants.gov Tracking number in an email serving as proof of their timely submission.

When DHS successfully retrieves the application from Grants.gov, and acknowledges the download of submissions, Grants.gov will provide an electronic acknowledgment of receipt of the application to the email address of the applicant with the AOR role who submitted the application. Again, proof of timely submission shall be the official date and time that Grants.gov receives your application. Applications received by Grants.gov after the established due date for the program will be considered late and will not be considered for funding by

DHS.

Applicants using slow internet, such as dial-up connections, should be aware that transmission can take some time before Grants.gov receives your application. Again, Grants.gov will provide either an error or a successfully received transmission in the form of an email sent to the applicant with the AOR role attempting to submit the application. The Grants.gov Support Center reports that some applicants end the transmission because they think that nothing is occurring during the transmission process. Please be patient and give the system time to process the application.

9. Content and Form of Application Submission

See Appendix A for a list of required documents for this application, forms, and formats.

No pre-applications or letters of intent are required to apply.

10. Other Submission Requirements

DHS is participating in the Grants.gov initiative to provide the grant community with a single site to find and apply for grant funding opportunities. DHS requires applicants to submit their applications online through Grants.gov. Applications that are not submitted through Grants.gov by the deadline will not be considered.

11. Funding Restrictions Grant funds may not be used for the following purposes:

a. Cost-sharing or matching funds for other federal grants, lobbying, or intervention in federal regulatory or adjudicatory proceedings. In addition, federal funds may not be used to sue the federal government or any other government entity.

b. USCIS application fees.

c. Costs of organized fundraising, including financial campaigns, endowment drives, solicitation of gifts and bequests, and similar expenses incurred solely to raise capital or obtain contributions.

d. Profit/Fee is not allowable except when subcontracting for routine goods and services with commercial organizations.

e. Foreign travel.

f. Construction costs and purchase of real property under this funding opportunity.

g. Pre-award costs.

h. Funding for direct reimbursement of proposal development.

i. Costs for food or refreshments.

j. Incentive items or gift cards.

k. General volunteer stipends.

l. Living allowances for any national volunteer service program participants.

m. Fees for conferences that are not considered training events.

Pre-Award Costs Pre-Award Costs are not allowed.

12. Allowable Costs

DHS grant funds may only be used for the purposes set forth in the agreement and must be consistent with the statutory authority for the award and consistent with the programs objectives and priorities as outlined in the notice of funding opportunity starting on page 2.

Management and Administration (M&A) Costs Management and Administration Costs are allowable for the grantee and any proposed sub-awardee (if applicable). For more information on allowable costs, please see Funding Restrictions (above).

Indirect Facilities and Administrative (F&A) Costs Indirect Costs are allowable for the grantee and any proposed sub-awardee (if applicable).

The applicant must attach a copy of the latest indirect cost rate agreement negotiated with a cognizant federal agency. Any non-federal entity that has never received a negotiated indirect cost rate (except for those non-federal entities described in Appendix VII to 2 C.F.R.

§ 200 States and Local Government and Indian Tribe Indirect Cost Proposals, paragraph D.1.b) will be subject to a de minimis rate of 10% of modified total direct costs (MTDC) which may be used indefinitely. As described in 2 C.F.R. § 200.403 Factors Affecting Allowability of Costs, costs must be consistently charged as either indirect or direct costs, but may not be double charged or inconsistently charged as both. If chosen, this methodology once elected must be used consistently for all federal awards until such time as a non-federal entity chooses to negotiate for a rate, which the non-federal entity may apply to do at any time. For more information, see 2 C.F.R. § 200.414.

E. Application Review Information

1. Application Evaluation Criteria

a. Programmatic Criteria http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2014-title2-vol1/pdf/CFR-2014-title2-vol1-part200-appVII.pdf http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2014-title2-vol1/pdf/CFR-2014-title2-vol1-part200-appVII.pdf http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2014-title2-vol1/pdf/CFR-2014-title2-vol1-part200-appVII.pdf http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=fbb70fe83009e152ac327498f6ec18c4&amp%3Bamp%3Bamp%3Bnode=se2.1.200_1403&amp%3Bamp%3Bamp%3Brgn=div8 http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=b02738d16e4b0c1b82dc67a83ede6370&amp%3Bamp%3Bamp%3Bnode=se2.1.200_1414&amp%3Bamp%3Bamp%3Brgn=div8

DHS will use the following criteria to evaluate applications deemed eligible and responsive. Applicants can receive up to 100 points.

1.) Organizational Capacity to Provide Innovative Approaches to Citizenship

Education (10 Points) The extent to which the applicant demonstrates:

• Capacity to conduct activities to support citizenship education and outreach (partnering with an organization that has substantial citizenship education experience and knowledge would be helpful in establishing capacity for successful proposals) (6 points); and

• Experience working on or leading innovative programs and processes, especially in education or immigrant integration and service provision (4 points).

2.) Description of Need for Innovation (15 points)

The extent to which the applicant:

• Describes a challenge currently faced in citizenship education that will be addressed through innovation (5 points);

• Provides data or evidence to illustrate this challenge (5 points); and

• Describes what has already been done (by the applicant and/or other organizations) to address this problem (5 points).

3.) Proposed Innovation (25 points)

• Describes the proposed innovation and how it aligns with a specific citizenship education need (10 points);

• Presents an innovation plan that is reasonable and feasible (10 points);

• Includes a logic model to show planned work and intended results. The logic model should include inputs, planned activities, outputs, outcomes, and impact (5 points).

4.) Implementation Plan (25 points)

• Describes how it intends to implement its proposed innovation (10 points);

• Demonstrates capacity to implement its proposed innovation (10 points); and

• Includes key milestones and a timeline in its implementation plan (5 points).

5.) Evaluation Plan (25 points)

• Explains how and when it will evaluate the success of its innovation and its results made available to a broader audience to benefit from the innovative approach or methods (10 points); and

• Outlines key performance indicators it will use to measure the success of its innovation. At least two performance measures must be included from the menu of performance measures listed in section A.10 of this NOFO (15 points).

b. Financial Integrity Criteria

Prior to making a federal award, the DHS GFAD is required by 31 U.S.C. §3321 note, 41 U.S.C. §2313, and 2 C.F.R. §200.205 to review information available through any OMB-designated repositories of government wide eligibility qualification or financial integrity information. Therefore, application evaluation criteria may include the following risk-based considerations of the applicant:

1.) Financial stability.

2.) Quality of management systems and ability to meet management standards.

3.) History of performance in managing federal award.

4.) Reports and findings from audits.

5.) Ability to effectively implement statutory, regulatory, or other requirements.

c. Supplemental Financial Integrity Criteria and Review

Prior to making a federal award where the anticipated total federal share will be greater than the simplified acquisition threshold, currently $250,000 (see Section 805 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018, Pub. L. No. 115-91, OMB Memorandum M-18-18 at https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/M-18- 18.pdf):

1) DHS GFAD is required to review and consider any information about the applicant that is in the designated integrity and performance system accessible through SAM, which is currently the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS) and is accessible through the sam.gov website.

2) An applicant, at its option, may review information in FAPIIS and comment on any information about itself that a federal awarding agency previously entered.

3) DHS GFAD will consider any comments by the applicant, in addition to the other information in FAPIIS, in making a judgment about the applicant’s integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under federal awards when completing the review of risk posed by applicants as described in 2 C.F.R. §200.206.

2. Review and Selection Process

DHS will conduct an initial review of applications to determine the responsiveness of the application. If an applicant is determined to be ineligible (see section C. Eligibility Information) or an application is determined to be non-responsive, DHS will notify the applicant. All responsive and eligible applications will be reviewed as described below:

a. DHS will assemble reviewers which may include both federal and non-federal reviewers to review the eligible applications. Reviews of submitted applications will be conducted by remote review.

b. Teams of technical reviewers will review each eligible application against the evaluation criteria. The reviewers will assign a score and provide summary comments based on the evaluation criteria identified above.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/M-18-18.pdf https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/M-18-18.pdf https://www.fapiis.gov/fapiis/index.action https://www.fapiis.gov/fapiis/index.action https://sam.gov/

c. An application may be selected for post-review quality control and possible rescoring if it received significantly diverging scores and comments from reviewers.

d. An internal review panel consisting of DHS staff will review the highest ranked applications and make final funding recommendations. The internal review panel may take applications out of rank order in consideration of strategic program priorities, which are identified below.

e. DHS may perform an additional review of the applicant organization and any sub-awardees and/or its key personnel. This may include reviewing audit reports, publicly available materials, and/or government data which may have a bearing on award outcome.

DHS may request additional materials from the applicant as part of this review, including:

1) The summary letter from the applicant’s most recent audit report;

2) Documentation of previous grant award completion that includes the name of the grantor, amount awarded, and whether the grant recipient sufficiently completed the requirements of the grant award (for example, a final close- out report, certification of grant award completion, etc.);

3) A pre-award site visit or investigation to determine and validate current services and proposed activities; and

4) A site visit conducted in the case of a contingent award in order to evaluate the organization’s ability to satisfy the programmatic and administrative requirements of the grant. DHS reserves the right to not pursue the completion of the award process if preliminary investigations and/or site visits do not provide sufficient evidence of organizational capacity to successfully administer the proposed grant.

f. After the technical review and before making final funding decisions, DHS will contact the highest-ranking applicants to seek clarification and to negotiate technical and programmatic aspects of the application. This will include negotiations on the program content, staffing, budget, activities, and performance metrics. If an application includes a sub-awardee or partner that will provide additional or complementary direct grant-funded services in partnership with the main applicant, DHS may request to speak with all parties included in the application to ensure sufficient planning and coordination has taken place prior to making an award.

g. Confidentiality and Conflict of Interest. Technical and cost proposals submitted under this NOFO will be protected from unauthorized disclosure in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. DHS may use one or more support contractors in the logistical processing of proposals; however, funding recommendations and final award decisions are solely the responsibility of DHS personnel.

DHS screens all technical reviewers for potential conflicts of interest. To determine possible conflicts of interest, DHS requires potential reviewers to complete and sign conflict of interest and nondisclosure forms. DHS will keep the names of submitting institutions and individuals as well as the substance of the applications confidential except to reviewers and DHS staff involved in the award process. DHS will destroy any unsuccessful applications after three years following the funding decision.

h. DHS strongly discourages, and will not consider, any supplementary materials submitted by or on behalf of the applicant (for example, letters of support) other than those materials specifically requested in this NOFO.

i. DHS will notify all applicants electronically of funding decisions. Unfunded applicants may send a written request to citizenshipgrantprogram@uscis.dhs.gov to receive a written summary of comments related to the evaluation criteria, along with the points awarded to the application for each of the evaluation criteria. DHS will send the written summary to the applicant within 60 days of receipt of the request. Additional information beyond that described here will not be provided.

j. Strategic Program Priorities: Based on the recommendations of the internal review panel, DHS may consider the following factors when making an award:

1) Program Balance Factors, including (in descending order of importance):

a) Whether an application shows prioritization for underserved, marginalized or vulnerable populations;

b) Whether an application, when balanced with other potential awards and with existing Citizenship and Integration Grant Program recipients, has a potential for more positive integration outcomes (e.g., naturalization, increased community engagement, increased sense of belonging, English language knowledge gains) for greater numbers of people throughout the country;

c) Whether an application, when balanced with other potential awards and existing Citizenship and Integration Grant Program recipients, addresses a clear need and gap in resources or service provision.

2) Past performance of a previous Citizenship and Integration Grant Program recipient (if applicable), including:

a) Whether a previous grant recipient achieved their core program goals;

b) Whether a previous grant recipient had major findings during a monitoring visit and failed to resolve them in the prescribed time period;

c) Whether a previous grant recipient was placed on restricted drawdown status for cause, and if so, whether they were able to meet the conditions to have this restriction removed; and

d) Whether a previous grant recipient demonstrated an ability to file accurate and timely quarterly performance reports.

F. Federal Award Administration Information

1. Notice of Award

Before accepting the award, the AOR and recipient should carefully read the award package.

The award package includes instructions on administering the grant award and the terms and conditions associated with responsibilities under federal awards. Recipients must accept all conditions in this NOFO as well as any special terms and conditions in the Notice of Award to receive an award under this program.

A grant award will be executed by a DHS Grants Officer authorized to obligate DHS funding. Organizations that are being funded for the first time under this grant program will be placed on restricted drawdown until quarterly performance goals are met. Unsuccessful applicants will be contacted as well and will be encouraged to apply for future grant award programs. Announcements for future grant opportunities will be listed on Grants.gov.

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

All successful applicants for DHS grant and cooperative agreements are required to comply with DHS Standard Terms and Conditions, which are available online at: DHS Standard Terms and Conditions. In addition, awardees are required to comply with the prohibitions on certain telecommunications equipment and services under Section 889 of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2019.

Post-award program income: In the event program income becomes available to the recipient post-award, it is the recipient’s responsibility to notify the DHS Grants Officer to explain how that development occurred, as part of their request for guidance and/or approval. The Grants Officer will review approval requests for program income on a case-by-case basis; approval is not automatic. Consistent with the policy and processes outlined in 2 C.F.R.