Instructions for FY2018 ASG Application - CFDA 64.034.pdf

Instructions for Application to the Grants for Adaptive Sports Programs for

Disabled Veterans and Members of the Armed Forces program

BEFORE YOU BEGIN THE PROCESS PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING -

The Grants for Adaptive Sports Programs for Disabled Veterans and Members of the Armed Forces program is for ADAPTIVE SPORTS ENTITIES USE ONLY.

Adaptive Sports Entities include diverse non-federal organizations such as National Paralympic Committees; National Governing Bodies; Veterans Services Organizations; Parks and Recreation Departments; colleges and universities;

non-federal hospitals and healthcare systems; State, regional, local and Tribal governments; and Paralympic Sports Clubs.

In compliance with the Office of Federal Financial Management (OFFM) policy directive, electronic submission is mandatory; hard copy submissions are no longer acceptable.

In order to apply for an Adaptive Sports Grant (ASG), the total project cost must be no greater than the authorized annual limit of $500,000.

Applications for the FY2018 Adaptive Sports Grant List must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on May 2, 2018.

Information to fill out Standard Forms (SF-424, SF-424A, and SF-424B) required in the application are located at Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/form-instructions.html).

In filling out the VA Administrative and Financial Review Questionnaire for Grantees, you will find a box referencing VA Regulation '38 CFR Part 49' on page

1. The VA rescinded '38 CFR Part 49' in late 2015, and the current regulations are now outlined in 2 CFR 200 which can be found at http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title02/2cfr200_main_02.tpl. Please remember to take these updated regulations into account when filling out the 'VA Administrative and Financial Review Questionnaire for Grantees' form.

Information and updates including frequently asked questions and mandatory application forms not available through Grants.gov will be posted on the VA Adaptive Sports Grant Program webpage (https://www.va.gov/adaptivesports/va_grant_program.asp) during the application period.

http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/form-instructions.html http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title02/2cfr200_main_02.tpl http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title02/2cfr200_main_02.tpl https://www.va.gov/adaptivesports/va_grant_program.asp

STEP 1: Registration

To participate in the Grants for Adaptive Sports Programs for Disabled Veterans and Members of the Armed Forces program, you must be registered at

Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/register.html) NOTE:

Registration takes, approximately, 3-5 business days; but, allow 4 weeks to complete all steps. These steps include registration for a D-U-N-S Number (http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform) and registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) (https://www.sam.gov/portal/SAM/#1#1).

NOTE – Only individuals registered for an organization as an EBiz POC in Grants.gov may submit a grant application through Grants.gov. Failure to verify and have a current organizational EBiz POC that can submit an ASG application is equivalent to failure to register the organization in Grants.gov.

NOTE – Some browser software configurations may have difficulty with these websites, such as Internet Explorer (IE) Versions older than IE11 will not access

SAM.

NOTE – None of the three websites listed in STEP 1 require payment of fees;

there are no expenses for registering in the grant application process. If you use a website that charges a fee to register with any of these systems in STEP 1, it is not the official website for those systems.

STEP 2: Complete the initial request for an Adaptive Sports Program Grant, Opportunity Number VA-ASG-2019-01. Your initial application is complete when you have successfully submitted the application package in Grants.Gov.

NOTE – The initial application enables ability to create the grant application using Grants.gov Workspace.

STEP 3: The following information must be submitted when making the initial request for a grant.

Access and complete the official Standard forms using Grants.gov Workspace:

SF-424

SF-424A

SF-424B

Download and complete the mandatory Department of Veterans Affairs forms:

VA Form 10091 FMS Vendor File Request Form VA Form 10096 Adaptive Sport Grant Application VA Administrative and Financial Review Questionnaire for Grantees http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/register.html http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform https://www.sam.gov/portal/SAM/#1

Create and complete the other mandatory document:

Project Abstract – 1-page Summary of the Grant Proposal

The SF-424, SF-424A, and SF-424B can be found on the Grants.Gov web site in the application package using Grants.gov Workspace. The VA Form 10091, VA Form 10096 and VA Administrative and Financial Review Questionnaire for Grantees can be found on the VA Adaptive Sports Grant Web site at http://www.va.gov/adaptivesports/va_grant_program.asp.

NOTE – Training on using Grants.gov Workspace is located at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/workspace-overview.html.

NOTE – The Project Abstract is a one-page summary of the purpose and main ideas of the grant application. There is no mandatory structure; however it is required for meet STEP 4 format criteria and will be assessed using scoring criteria cited in the VA-ASG-2019-01 Notice of Funding Availability.

NOTE – Current FY2017 ASG recipients that currently have active Adaptive Sports Grants and already have submitted the VA Form 10091 and VA Administrative and Financial Review Questionnaire for Grantees, may opt to use those forms for their FY2018 ASG application. All other applicants must submit these forms as attachments in the FY2018 ASG application.

NOTE – Grants.gov discontinued the use of the downloadable application package prior to the FY2018 ASG application cycle. Therefore, there is no longer any option to complete an application offline. All applications are built using Grants.gov Workspace. The three VA forms and any other attachments will be loaded to the application package as attachments through Grants.gov Workspace.

STEP 4: Develop other applicable documents for inclusion and attachment in the grant application. The Project Abstract and other documents complementing the forms listed in Step 3 should be in Arial font, 12 point, and black print on white background in order to enhance clarity and consistency among applications, unless a specific alternate color scheme is required for data comprehension such as for charts and photos. An example of an attachment is letters of support from partners which will deliver services that reflect the applicant’s engagement in providing adaptive sports activities, as cited in 38 C.F.R. 77.5(a)(5).

Review all documents for completeness and accuracy. Grants.gov conducts a review for inclusion of mandatory data in the SF-424 Series Forms in order to allow submission through Grants.gov; however, Grants.gov does not provide a review process for mandatory data in other attachments such as VA Forms.

Review all documents for mandatory signatures. For example, a Letter of Support without a signature does not verify a partnership relationship exists http://www.va.gov/adaptivesports/va_grant_program.asp https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/workspace-overview.html and therefore will not be assessed as meeting the verification of partnership criteria.

Review all documents for allowable expenses; unallowable expenses are not authorized and are grounds for elimination of the application from consideration for award. If an application is vague on whether an expense should be categorized as allowable or unallowable, VA can assess it as unallowable. For example, 2 CFR 200.438 identifies entertainment costs as unallowable unless necessary for a programmatic purpose and these costs are authorized in the approved budget by VA or with prior written approval by VA.

NOTE – The Frequently Asked Questions Related to Adaptive Sports Grant Program Funding Opportunity Number (FAQ): VA-ASG-2019-01 document provides information on diverse Adaptive Sports Grant considerations including some allowable and unallowable costs. It will be updated during the application period and is located at http://www.va.gov/adaptivesports/va_grant_program.asp.

In the VA vetting and review processes, ASG applications will be evaluated using published criteria, including consistency with information provided in FAQ: VA-

ASG-2019-01.

STEP 5: Create your application in Grants.gov Workspace.

Forms may be downloaded from Workspace for developing your application to your computer and shared amongst contributors for preparation for submission.

Multiple users are able to participate in creating an application through Workspace; participant’s access can be tailored within system limits.

Forms may be completed through Workspace options provided and forms can be locked to prevent any unintentional overrides.

VA has not created a Request Grantor Validation capability at this time;

therefore, only the Grants.gov standard validation processes are operational for ASG applications.

STEP 6: Submit the above to the http://www.grants.gov/ web site.

Begin submission by clicking on the “Sign and Submit” button in Workspace and insert the Password.

The Confirmation Page will provide a review of the application and tracking number. The Confirmation Page can be downloaded for tracking purposes.

You may review the status of your grant request at http://www.grants.gov/ web site.

STEP 7: Track the Status of a Completed Grant Application.

http://www.va.gov/adaptivesports/va_grant_program.asp http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/

Once an application has been submitted, you can check the status on the Track My Application page at http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/track-my-application.html.

You may identify your application by CFDA Number, Funding Opportunity Number, Competition ID, and/or Grants.gov Tracking Number.

NOTE – The Track My Application feature only provides information on whether or not VA has downloaded the application for review. Therefore, once it is downloaded, subsequent information on status will be provided by VA. Given the vetting and review processes involved, earliest notification of status will likely occur no earlier than July 2018.

STEP 8: Applications should not be mailed to VA. Questions on the application process can be addressed to the following point of contact:

Mr. Michael F. Welch Office of National Veterans Sports Programs & Special Events (10P4RN) Suite 673C Department of Veterans Affairs 810 Vermont Ave., N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20420 Phone #: (202) 632-7136 Michael.Welch5@va.gov or vacoadaptiveSP@va.gov

STEP 9: If adaptive sports activities will be implemented through partnerships as described in 38 CFR 77.5(a)(5) and 77.8(b), signed documentation of the partners confirming a partnership relationship must be submitted in Grants.Gov by May 2, 2018.

Without the partnership documentation, the project will be evaluated as the proposed partnership has not been officially established and cannot be verified.

STEP 10: After the closeout of submission of FY2018 ASG applications through

Grants.gov at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on May 2, 2018, grant applicants may submit amendments to the application as established in 38 CFR 77.6. Amendment submitted after May 2 must be submitted directly to VA through the point of contact in STEP 8;

Grants.gov is not used in the amendment process after May 2, 2018.

http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/track-my-application.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/track-my-application.html mailto:Michael.Welch5@va.gov mailto:vacoadaptiveSP@va.gov