MP-CPI-23-003 TA Webianr Slide Deck.pdf

6/28/2023

Technical Assistance Webinar

Notice of Funding Opportunity: National Lupus Outreach and Clinical Trial Education Program

Opportunity Number: MP-CPI-23-003

June 27, 2023 at 4:30 PM Eastern

Technical Assistance Webinar Agenda

I. Overview of the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)

National Lupus Outreach and Clinical Trial Education Program MP-CPI-23-003

II. Grants and Acquisition Management

Competitive Application Requirements

III. Question and Answer Session

The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Full Announcement is the controlling document for this competition.

Any conflicting information contained within this slide deck is superseded by the most recent version of the NOFO Full Announcement, MP-CPI-23-003.

NOFO Announcement

• The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) provides information and guidance related to applications.

• Read the entire funding announcement.

• Follow the NOFO carefully.

• The information provided in the NOFO takes precedence over any conflicting information in other documents

Executive Summary (P. 1-2)

• The National Lupus Outreach and Clinical Trial Education Program is intended for projects to demonstrate the effectiveness of interventions for increasing racial and ethnic minority enrollment and retention in lupus-related clinical trials.

• OMH expects recipients to identify and sustain effective interventions that advance clinical trial diversity and ultimately result in reduced lupus-related health disparities experienced by racial and ethnic minority populations.

Read the entire NOFO to ensure the application complies with all requirements and instructions

The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Full Announcement is the controlling document for this competition.

Program Description (P. 5)

• The lupus program has helped to improve lupus awareness, diagnosis, and treatment through increased collaboration among lupus organizations dedicated to research, education, support, and advocacy; improved outreach and education efforts in the community; and engagement of healthcare providers, educators, and health professions schools.

• Target individuals, patients, communities, and practicing professionals in geographic areas and populations where lupus is more prevalent.

Read the entire NOFO to ensure the application complies with all requirements and instructions

Expectations for Funded Projects (P. 6 - 8)

a. Develop Public-Private and Community Partnerships

Recipients should implement a project that involves at least two collaborative partnerships with at least two different organizations. One of the organizations must be a:

Local hospital, health care system, Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), or community health center;

National, state, or local professional organization that represents primary care physicians, other health care providers, and/or Community Health Workers;

An organization with experience recruiting minority participants into clinical trials; or

A Tribe or tribal organization.

Read the entire NOFO to ensure the application complies with all requirements and instructions

The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Full Announcement is the controlling document for this competition.

Expectations for Funded Projects (P. 6 - 8)

b. Adaptation of Existing Interventions

i. Interventions may include:

i. Education models that improve attitudes and practices of health care providers and paraprofessionals to increase racial and ethnic minority enrollment and retention in lupus clinical trials;

ii. Outreach and social media campaigns on lupus clinical trials aimed toward racial and ethnic minority individuals;

iii. Capacity-building models designed to recruit, enroll and retain participants in clinical trials and patient-centered, culturally appropriate clinical trial education models.

Read the entire NOFO to ensure the application complies with all requirements and instructions

Expectations for Funded Projects (P. 6 - 8)

c. Demonstrate Increased Enrollment in Lupus Clinical Trials

We expect recipients to demonstrate the extent to which the project has increased the number of participants recruited, screened, and enrolled into lupus clinical trials. Including diverse racial and ethnic populations in lupus clinical trials will ensure that treatment approaches and outcomes reflect the reality of the disease among various groups, thereby promoting health equity and facilitating a better understanding of the disease.

Read the entire NOFO to ensure the application complies with all requirements and instructions

The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Full Announcement is the controlling document for this competition.

Expectations for Funded Projects (P. 6 - 8)

d. Implement a process and outcomes evaluation

We expect projects to implement a rigorous evaluation to assess the impact of project activities.

Recipients should implement a process and outcomes evaluation that assesses the extent to which the intervention increased racial and ethnic minority referrals, enrollment, and/or retention in lupus clinical trials.

Read the entire NOFO to ensure the application complies with all requirements and instructions

Expectations for Funded Projects (P. 6 - 8)

e. Document and Disseminate Project Findings

We anticipate recipients will develop new knowledge about existing interventions that increase minority populations’ participation in lupus clinical trials.

Recipients should document project knowledge and findings, to include implementation process, lessons learned, successes and challenges.

We expect that nationwide dissemination of products and knowledge will occur.

Read the entire NOFO to ensure the application complies with all requirements and instructions

The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Full Announcement is the controlling document for this competition.

Expectations for Funded Projects (P. 6 - 8)

f. Develop a disparity impact statement

Recipients are expected to develop a disparity impact statement (DIS) during the project period using local data to identify populations at highest risk for health disparities relative to this initiative.

Read the entire NOFO to ensure the application complies with all requirements and instructions

APPLICATION CONTENT

Pages 13 -26

Pre-decisional draft - Do not copy or distribute Intended for direct recipients only

The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Full Announcement is the controlling document for this competition.

Application Content (P. 13 – 26)

Successful applications will contain the following information

Project Narrative Content

Budget Narrative

Appendices

Read the entire NOFO to ensure the application complies with all requirements and instructions

Project Narrative Content (P. 13 - 17)

We recommend that your project narrative includes the following components:

1) Significance of the Project;

2) Goals, Objectives, and Outcomes;

3) Project Plan;

4) Organizational Capacity;

5) Evaluation Plan; and

6) Dissemination Plan

Read the entire NOFO to ensure the application complies with all requirements and instructions

The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Full Announcement is the controlling document for this competition.

Project Narrative Content (P. 13 - 17)

1. Significance of the Project

Describe how the project will benefit the field, targeted population, and society (i.e., significance of the project).

Describe in this section with quantitative data, the significance of your project in meeting the need for increasing enrollment in of clinical trial participants within your intended population(s) and geographic area(s) of focus to address the disproportionate impact of lupus on racial and ethnic minority populations.

Identify the contributing factors to the disproportionate impact addressed by your project.

Read the entire NOFO to ensure the application complies with all requirements and instructions

Project Narrative Content (P. 13 - 17)

2. Goals, Objectives, and Outcomes

Objectives should be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time-bound, inclusive, and equitable (SMARTIE).

Goals should be ambitious and achievable in the project's time-frame/period of performance.

SMARTIE objectives should include baseline data and quantifiable time-frames for achievement.

Clearly identify the measurable outcome(s) that will result from the project, and provide specific, quantified estimates of expected outcome(s).

Describe how you envision the project will benefit the future of the field at large.

Read the entire NOFO to ensure the application complies with all requirements and instructions

The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Full Announcement is the controlling document for this competition.

Project Narrative Content (P. 13 - 17)

3. Project Plan:

Provide a detailed summary of activities to be undertaken, and how those activities will assist in achieving the project goals and objectives including increasing minority participation in lupus-related clinical trials.

Explain the rationale for the lupus intervention selected (previously OMH-funded interventions encouraged)

Identify any evidence gaps and needs of the proposed project activities.

Describe how the intervention will be tailored for the population(s) of focus while maintaining fidelity to its core components.

Describe how the approach will increase the number of participants, recruited, screened, and enrolled into lupus clinical trials.

Describe how the proposed intervention is culturally and linguistically appropriate for the population of focus.

Read the entire NOFO to ensure the application complies with all requirements and instructions

Project Narrative Content (P. 13 - 17)

4. Organizational Capacity

Describe your organizational readiness to implement the intervention(s) or practice(s).

Describe how your organization is organized, the nature and scope of its work, and the capabilities it possesses.

Describe any current or previous relevant experience, including any significant experience relative to the inclusion of minority populations in clinical trials.

Describe any experience and expertise in providing outreach to and education of minority populations;

clinical trial outreach to increase enrollment;

evaluation of outreach education and training program related to recruitment, participation and retention in clinical trials; and working with individuals and families of people living with lupus.

Read the entire NOFO to ensure the application complies with all requirements and instructions

The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Full Announcement is the controlling document for this competition.

Project Narrative Content (P. 13 - 17)

4. Organizational Capacity

Describe the organization’s history of forming, managing, and engaging community and partnering organizations in the conduct of health-related initiatives.

Describe your existing public-private and community partnerships relevant to this project, and identify partner roles and responsibilities in reference to any submitted memoranda of agreement (MOAs)

Describe your readiness for implementing the project and achieving measurable outcomes in the period of performance.

Describe areas of expertise for key personnel in reference to the vitae, resumes, or biographical sketches

Describe your organization’s skills, experience, capability, or capacity for forming, managing, engaging, and partnering with organizations in the implementation of health-related projects.

Read the entire NOFO to ensure the application complies with all requirements and instructions

Project Narrative Content (P. 13 - 17)

5. Evaluation Plan

Provide a process and outcomes evaluation plan for the project describing the evaluation approach you will use to determine whether the project reaches its population(s) of focus.

Demonstrate the equity impact of the project on the identified health disparities.

Your evaluation design should clearly:

Describe your approach for collecting baseline, measurable targets, interim and post-intervention processes, time-frames, and outcome measures.

Describe how you will evaluate all project components of the project’s logic model including how the inputs, processes, outputs, and outcomes will be measured.

Describe how you will assess the extent to which the intervention(s) increased racial and ethnic minority enrollment and retention in lupus clinical trials.

Describe any involvement of your partners in the evaluation activities.

Read the entire NOFO to ensure the application complies with all requirements and instructions

The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Full Announcement is the controlling document for this competition.

Project Narrative Content (P. 13 - 17)

6. Dissemination Plan

Describe the method you will use to disseminate the project's results and findings on time and in easily understandable formats to the population served, the general public, and other parties interested in using the project results.

Consider how your results, including baseline, target, time frame, and outcome data for the population served.

Dissemination efforts should focus on assisting those who may replicate your project.

Read the entire NOFO to ensure the application complies with all requirements and instructions

APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

Pages 32 - 35

Pre-decisional draft - Do not copy or distribute Intended for direct recipients only

The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Full Announcement is the controlling document for this competition.

Application Review Information: Criteria (P. 32 - 35)

a. Significance of the Project (10 points)

The degree to which the applicant has:

Demonstrated a well-supported case with quantitative data that it will benefit the field, targeted population, and society (i.e., significance of the project) by addressing the contributing factors to the barriers to increasing participation in lupus clinical trials.

Provides a rationale for the level of public-private partnerships and community partnerships to support and sustain project activities for lasting impact.

Read the entire NOFO to ensure the application complies with all requirements and instructions

Application Review Information: Criteria (P. 32 - 35)

b. Goals, Objectives, and Outcomes (15 points)

The degree to which the applicant has:

Demonstrated a strong and clear alignment of goals, objectives, and measurable outcomes for implementing an innovative model for the lupus program.

Described objectives are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time-bound, inclusive, and equitable (SMARTIE) and quantified, and include baseline data and quantifiable timeframes for achievement.

Clearly supported the expected measurable outcome(s) that result from the proposed project for implementing an innovative model, including public, private, and community partnerships.

Read the entire NOFO to ensure the application complies with all requirements and instructions

The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Full Announcement is the controlling document for this competition.

Application Review Information: Criteria (P. 32 - 35)

c. Project Plan (25 points)

The degree to which the applicant has:

Described the approach and rationale for recruiting, enrolling, and retaining intervention participants is well-developed and likely to increase the number of participants, recruited, screened, and enrolled into lupus clinical trials.

Anticipated barriers to minority participation in lupus clinical trials and accounts for them.

Proposed an approach for developing public-private and community partnerships and related activities will support the success of the project.

Demonstrates the use of data collected over the course of the project to support quality improvement ensures the project is implemented in a culturally appropriate manner over the full period of performance.

Read the entire NOFO to ensure the application complies with all requirements and instructions

Application Review Information: Criteria (P. 32 - 35)

d. Organizational Capacity (20 points)

The degree to which the applicant has demonstrated:

The capacity of carrying out the activities described in the work plan based on relevant experience, including working on clinical trials with racial and ethnic minority populations; providing outreach and education to racial and ethnic minority populations;

clinical trial outreach to increase enrollment and retention;

evaluation of outreach and training programs

Readiness to implement the project and achieve measurable outcomes within the period of performance

Key personnel roles, responsibilities, and capacity to engage partners to support project activities, including evaluation activities with necessary qualifications and degree of independence.

Read the entire NOFO to ensure the application complies with all requirements and instructions

The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Full Announcement is the controlling document for this competition.

Application Review Information: Criteria (P. 32 - 35)

e. Evaluation Plan (20 points)

The degree to which the evaluation design and plan:

Describes feasible and rigorous evaluation approach for effectively demonstrating the impact of the project on the population of focus and on disparities in clinical trial enrollment.

Identifies data for collection to be used to ensure the project activities are achieving their intended objectives.

Includes the project’s logic model, including how the inputs, processes, outputs, and outcomes will be measured, is rational and well-supported.

Any involvement of partners in the evaluation activities is appropriate and beneficial to the overall evaluation.

Read the entire NOFO to ensure the application complies with all requirements and instructions

Application Review Information: Criteria (P. 32 - 35)

f. Dissemination Plan (10 points)

The degree to which the applicant has demonstrated:

An adequate method to disseminate the results and findings of the Lupus program and its impact including innovative approaches to reach the population served, the general public, and other parties who might be interested in using the results of the project.

The plan enables timely dissemination in easily understandable formats to the intended audience(s).

Read the entire NOFO to ensure the application complies with all requirements and instructions

The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Full Announcement is the controlling document for this competition.

Grants and Acquisition Management National Lupus Outreach and Clinical Trial Education Program, MP-CPI-23-003

*Applications Due by 6 pm Eastern Time on August 1, 2023

Submission Dates and Times (Section D.5)

Application is due by 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time, August 1, 2023

Your submission time will be determined by the date and time stamp provided by Grants.gov when you complete your submission.

Strongly encouraged to submit your application a minimum of 3-5 days prior to the application closing date.

Grants.gov may take up to 48 hours to notify you of a successful submission.

If you fail to submit your application by the due date and time, we will not review it, and it will receive no further consideration.

The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Full Announcement is the controlling document for this competition.

Eligible Applicants (NOFO, Section C.1)

Applicant eligibility for this NOFO

• Any public or private nonprofit entity located in a State (which includes one of the 50 United States, District of Columbia, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Guam, Republic of Palau, Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands) is eligible to apply for an award under this announcement.

• Private non-profit institutions of higher education are eligible to apply.

Eligible Applicants (NOFO, Section C.1)

Applicant eligibility for this NOFO

• Faith-based organizations and American Indian/Alaskan Native/Native American (AI/AN/NA) organizations that are public or non-profit private entities are eligible to apply. Public or private community-based organizations are eligible to apply.

• Public or non-profit community-based organizations (CBOs) are eligible to apply.

The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Full Announcement is the controlling document for this competition.

Eligible Applicants (NOFO, Section C.1)

Examples include:

• 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)

• Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities

• 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

Cost Sharing or Matching (Section C.2)

• You are not required to provide cost sharing or matching in your proposed budget.

• If you voluntarily include cost sharing in your application, you must include in your budget narrative a non-federal sources justification. During the merit review of an application, cost sharing will only be considered in the overall review of the adequacy of the total proposed budget (Federal and non-Federal share) to support the project proposed.

• Applications including voluntary cost sharing or matching that result in an award will include the cost sharing or matching commitment on the notice of award at the level proposed in the application. Any change in that commitment will require prior approval of the Grants Management Officer.

The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Full Announcement is the controlling document for this competition.

Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Announcement

• The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) provides information and guidance related to applications.

• Read the entire funding announcement.

• Follow the NOFO carefully!

• The information provided in the NOFO takes precedence over any conflicting information in other documents.

Address to Request Application Package

• Obtain an application package electronically by accessing Grants.gov at http://www.grants.gov/. Find it by searching the Assistance Listing (formerly CFDA) Number found on page 1 of the NOFO.

• The Assistance Listing (CFDA) Number is 93.137.

• Be sure to subscribe to the announcement in Grants.gov so you receive notification of any updates to the NOFO or supporting documents.

The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Full Announcement is the controlling document for this competition.

Application Submission

• OASH requires that all applications be submitted electronically via Grants.gov unless an exemption has been granted by the grants management officer (Section D.5).

• If you submit an application via any other electronic communication, it will not be accepted for review.

• Grants.gov is a website portal. All funding opportunities and grant application packages are made available on www.Grants.gov .

• An application will not be considered valid until all application components are entered in Grants.gov and received by OASH Grants and Acquisitions Management (GAM) Division according to the deadlines specified in the “DATES” section of the NOFO (Overview Section).

• Contact Grants.gov with any questions or concerns regarding the electronic application process 1-800-518-4726.

Application Submission

• Applications must be submitted as three (3) files:

File 1: The ENTIRE project narrative (Section D.8.a)

File 2: The ENTIRE budget narrative, including supporting documentation described in the Budget Narrative content section (Section D.8.a)

File 3: All documents in the appendices uploaded in the Attachments section of your Grants.gov application (Section D.8.a)

• Required standard forms do not apply toward your page count limitations in the submission requirements as stated in Disqualification Criteria (Section C.4).

The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Full Announcement is the controlling document for this competition.

Application Submission

• Any files uploaded or attached to the Grants.gov application must be of the following file formats – Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Adobe PDF, or image formats (JPG, GIF, TIFF, or BMP only).

Microsoft Excel files will NOT be accepted.

• HHS/OASH strongly recommends that electronic applications be uploaded as Adobe PDF.

If you convert to PDF prior to submission, you may prevent any unintentional formatting that might occur with submission of an editable document.

Check the page count of your PDF and/or print the file to ensure that the document does not exceed the page limit.

Application Submission

• Be complete and do not leave blanks on forms unless the information is clearly not applicable.

• The individual submitting the application forms must have the legal authority to act on behalf of the organization.

The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Full Announcement is the controlling document for this competition.

Application Submission

• To ensure successful submission of your application, carefully follow the step-by-step instructions provided at: http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/apply-for-grants.html

• These instructions are kept up-to-date and also provide links to Frequently Asked Questions and other troubleshooting information

Application Elements

Forms Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424) Budget Information for Non-construction Programs (SF-424A) Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (SF-LLL) Project Abstract Summary

Files Project Narrative – Submit all Project Narrative content as a single acceptable file.

Budget Narrative – Submit all Budget Narrative content as a single acceptable file.

Appendices – Submit all appendix content as a single acceptable file, in the

Attachments section of your Grants.gov application.

The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Full Announcement is the controlling document for this competition.

Project Abstract Summary

You must complete the Project Abstract Summary form provided in the application package. The abstract will be used to provide reviewers with an overview of the application and will form the basis for the application summary in grants management and program summary documents.

If your project is funded, HHS will publish the abstract from your form on TAGGS.hhs.gov and USASpending.gov. The abstract may also appear on the program office website or other government website, so do not include sensitive or proprietary information in your abstract.

Application Format

Be sure to follow Project Narrative format instructions in the NOFO. Your application will be disqualified if it does not conform to the format requirements.

You must double-space the Project Narrative pages.

You must use 12-point font.

You should use an easily readable typeface, such as Times

New Roman or Arial.

You may single-space tables or use alternate fonts but you must ensure the tables are easy to read.

For Appendices and Budget Narrative, you should use the same formatting specified for the Project Narrative.

Appendix documents such as résumés may use alternate formats common to such documents.

The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Full Announcement is the controlling document for this competition.

UEI Number and the System for Award Management (SAM) (Section D.4)

• To register your organization, you will need a unique entity identifier (UEI). On April 4, 2022, the federal government completed its transition to the twelve-digit UEI(SAM) number as the required UEI for registration in SAM.gov.

• You may begin the registration process, including receiving your UEI(SAM) at https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration. An Entity Registration Checklist is available at https://www.fsd.gov/gsafsd_sp/sys_attachment.do?sys_id=d6d6b5f31b120dd0cc45ea0 4bc4bcb81.

• You may register in SAM as either an entity applying for Federal Assistance Awards Only (e.g., grants and cooperative agreements) or All Awards (including procurement awards).

System for Award Management (SAM)

• If you are registering a new entity in SAM.gov, you need to create a login.gov account, if you don't already have one.

• Minimum timeframe to complete an initial SAM registration online is 30 min.

• Timeframe for applicant’s registration to become active is up to 10 days and may take longer depending on volume, or if the SAM system flags the information you provide for manual validation.

• Average timeframe for updates in SAM.gov to appear in Grants.gov is up to 72hrs.

If you plan to apply for this funding opportunity or think you might apply, you should ensure your organization’s registration is active in SAM well before the application deadline and will be active through the competitive review period.

The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Full Announcement is the controlling document for this competition.

System for Award Management (SAM)

• SAM registration must be renewed each year.

• If you are renewing your registration, your old SAM.gov username and password may not work anymore. You will need to create a login.gov account if you do not already have one.

SAM (continued)

• We strongly recommend applicants check for an active registration in SAM well before application deadline.

• If you are successful and receive an award, you must maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during the active award.

• If you have not complied with the SAM registration requirements, HHS/OASH May determine you are not qualified to receive an award; and May use that determination as a basis for making an award to another applicant.

• Should you successfully compete and receive an award, all first-tier sub-award recipients must have a UEI number at the time you, the recipient, make a sub-award.

The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Full Announcement is the controlling document for this competition.

Funding Restrictions

• If you are successful and receive an award, by accepting the award, you agree that the award and any activities thereunder are subject to all provisions of 45 CFR part 75, currently in effect or implemented during the period of the award, other Department regulations and policies in effect at the time of the award, and applicable statutory provisions.

• Costs must be allowable, allocable, reasonable, and necessary direct expenses or indirect costs in accordance with regulations and current policy.

• Indirect costs may be included per 45 CFR 75.414. Applicants should indicate which method or rate is used for this application. (Section D.3.b.1.o)

• Pre-award costs are not allowed. (Section D.7.a)

• Current Salary Limitation: $212,100 effective January 2023 (Section D.7.b)

Budget Narrative and Forms

The Project Budget Information:

SF 424A Budget Forms

Budget Narrative Detailed Budget Justification

Must be consistent with the requirements of the NOFO Budgeted costs must reflect proposed activities Budget line-item descriptions and justification requirements are explained in the NOFO Suggested table formats in the NOFO Plan for Oversight of Federal Award Funds (Section F.3.b.2)

Forms, budget narrative and detailed justification do not count toward page limit.

The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Full Announcement is the controlling document for this competition.

Budget Narrative and Forms: Tips for Development (D.3, Budget Narrative Content)

• You must develop an itemized budget using Section B, box 6 of the SF-424A for the first year of the proposed project. For awards with an anticipated period of performance of one year or less, this will be the budget request for the entire project. Provide a budget justification, which includes explanatory text and line-item detail, for the entire first year of the proposed project.

• The budget narrative should describe how the categorical costs (e.g., salary, equipment, supplies, consulting costs) are derived. Discuss the necessity, reasonableness, and allocation of the proposed costs.

Budget Narrative and Forms: Tips for Development (D.3, Budget Narrative Content), Continued

• For subsequent budget years in an anticipated multi-year project, provide a summary narrative and line-item budget for each year beyond the first. For categories or items that differ significantly from the first budget year, provide a detailed justification explaining these changes.

• Do not include costs beyond the first budget period in box 6 of the SF-424A or box 18 of the SF-424; the amounts entered in these sections should only reflect the first budget period.

The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Full Announcement is the controlling document for this competition.

Budget Narrative and Forms: Tips for Development (D.3, Budget Narrative Content), Continued

• Indirect costs methods are described in 45 C.F.R. § 75.414. See also Section D.3.b. This category has one of two methods that you may select. You may only select one and must clearly identify that selection in your submitted budget.

Your organization currently has an indirect cost rate approved by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) or another cognizant federal agency. You should enclose a copy of the current approved rate agreement in your Budget Narrative file.

An applicant that has never received a negotiated indirect cost rate, may elect to charge a de minimis rate of 10% of modified total direct costs which may be used indefinitely. If chosen, this methodology must be used consistently for all Federal awards until such time as an applicant chooses to negotiate for a rate.

Budget Narrative and Forms: Tips for Development (D.3, Budget Narrative Content), Continued

• If your proposed budget requests a rate that is less than allowed, your authorized representative must submit a signed acknowledgement that the organization is accepting a lower rate than allowed.

• To obtain a negotiated indirect cost rate with the Federal Government you may contact the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Cost Allocation Services (CAS) regional office that is applicable to your State. CAS regional contact information is available at https://rates.psc.gov/fms/dca/map1.html.

The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Full Announcement is the controlling document for this competition.

Application Disqualification Criteria

If your application does not meet the following requirements, it will be disqualified and receive no further consideration:

• Submitted electronically via www.grants.gov by due date and time (unless an exemption was granted 2 business days prior to the deadline).

• If you successfully submit multiple applications for the same project, we will only review the last application received by the deadline.

• HHS/OASH/GAM deems your application eligible.

• You must complete the required forms in the application package: SF-424, SF-424A, SF-LLL, and Project Abstract Summary.

• Your application must be submitted in the English language and must be in the terms of U.S. dollars (45 C.F.R. § 75.111(a)).

Application Disqualification Criteria

If your application does not meet the following requirements, it will be disqualified and receive no further consideration:

• Project Narrative must be double-spaced, on the equivalent of 8.5” X 11” page size with 1” margins on all sides and font size not less than 12 points.

• Project Narrative must not exceed 60 pages.

• The Total Application, including Project Narrative must not exceed 80 pages.

The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Full Announcement is the controlling document for this competition.

Application Disqualification Criteria (continued)

If your application does not meet the following requirements, it will be disqualified and receive no further consideration:

• Your Federal funds request including indirect costs does not exceed the maximum indicated in Award Ceiling, per budget period. ($50,000)

• Your Federal funds request including indirect costs must not be below the minimum indicated in Award Floor. ($300,000)

• If you have included voluntary cost sharing or matching, you must include in your budget narrative a non-federal sources justification.

• Your application must meet any Application Responsiveness Criteria under Section C.3 Other - Application Responsiveness Criteria.

Other – Application Responsiveness Criteria (Section C.3)

There are no Other - Application Responsiveness criteria in Section C.3

The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Full Announcement is the controlling document for this competition.

Application Disqualification Criteria (continued)

• Applications that lack the required supporting documentation or submit additional appendix files will not be disqualified from competitive review;

However, this may impact your application’s scoring under the evaluation criteria.

• Be sure to follow submission instructions carefully.

Application Review Criteria (Section E.1)

1. Significance of the Project (10 points)

2. Goals, Objectives, and Outcomes (15 points)

3. Project Plan (25 points)

4. Organizational Capacity (20 points)

5. Evaluation Plan (20 points)

6. Dissemination Plan (10 points)

The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Full Announcement is the controlling document for this competition.

Application Merit Review

• Eligible applications will be reviewed and assessed by a panel of independent reviewers with technical expertise in applicable fields according to the criteria listed in the NOFO.

• The Merit Review process is formal and confidential. Federal staff are available to answer questions and to ensure the process is consistent and fair, but do not participate in discussion and assessment of the application.

• Then applications are reviewed:

• By GAM staff for administrative & business compliance.

• By OMH Program Office staff for programmatic compliance.

Funding Decisions (Section E.2)

The Deputy Assistant Secretary of Minority Health will make final award selections to be recommended to the Grants Management Officer for risk analysis.

In providing these recommendations the Deputy Assistant Secretary of

Minority Health will take into consideration the following additional factor(s):

Equitable geographic distribution of projects.

The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Full Announcement is the controlling document for this competition.

Funding Decisions (Section E.2)

• Upon completion of risk analysis and concurrence of the Grants Management Officer, HHS/OASH will then issue Notices of Award.

• No award decision is final until a Notice of Award is issued.

• All award decisions, including level of funding, if an award is made, are final and you may not appeal.

Funding Process

• We are not obligated to make any Federal award as a result of this announcement.

• Only the grants management officer (GMO) can bind the Federal government to the expenditure of funds.

• If you receive communications to negotiate an award or request additional or clarifying information, this does not mean you will receive an award; it only means that your application is still under consideration.

• All award decisions, including level of funding if an award is made, are final and you may not appeal.

The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Full Announcement is the controlling document for this competition.

Funding Process – Review of Risk Posed by Applicant

• HHS/OASH will evaluate each application in the fundable range for risks posed by the applicant before issuing an award in accordance with 45 CFR 75.205

• OASH will use a risk-based approach and may consider any items such as the following as stated in the NOFO:

• Applicant’s financial stability;

• Quality of management systems and ability to meet the management standards prescribed in 45 CFR part 75;

• History of performance – Applicant’s record in managing Federal awards including timeliness of compliance with applicable reporting requirement, and conformance to the terms and conditions of previous Federal awards;

• Reports and findings from audits performed; and

• The applicant’s ability to effectively implement statutory, regulatory, or other requirements imposed on non-Federal entities.

Plan for Oversight of Federal Award Funds

• If your internal controls are available online, you may provide the link as part of your plan in the budget narrative.

• We have also included Supplementary Material (Section I.2), which contains questions applicants may find useful in considering their Plan for Oversight of Federal Funds.

The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Full Announcement is the controlling document for this competition.

Non-funded Applications as a Result of Risk Review

• If we determine your organization does not meet either or both of the minimum qualification standards as described in 45 CFR §75.205(a)(2) and we do not make an award to you as a result, we must report that determination to FAPIIS, if certain conditions apply.

• The standards include at a minimum, if you are a prior Federal award recipient the information in FAPIIS must “demonstrate a satisfactory record of executing programs or activities under Federal grants, cooperative agreements, or procurement awards; and integrity and business ethics.” 45 CFR § 75.205(a)(2)

• Information reported in FAPIIS is available for other organizations to review when considering you for an award.

Notice of Award (NOA)

The Notice of Award:

• Notifies the successful applicant of the selection; award amount; project and budget periods.

• Includes any conditions on the award (i.e., requirements that must be met as a condition of receiving the grant funds).

• Includes standard terms, reporting requirements and contact information for OASH/GAM and the Program Office.

The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Full Announcement is the controlling document for this competition.

Funding Process – Points of Contact

• GAM is the official contact for awardees throughout the award life cycle.

• All official communication related to the award is between GAM and the successful applicant.

• Unsuccessful applicants will be notified by the Program Office via letter.

Summary and Tips

Project Narrative Description:

Be clear, complete and concise in the project description; follow and address exactly what is requested in the NOFO.

Don’t make the reviewer search for the required information. Generally, the easier the application is to review, the better the rating or score.

Reviewers are not allowed to do external research, follow embedded links, etc.

Clearly identify the sections of the application and indicate which component is being addressed.

The project narrative must include all required information within the page limit. Do not use appendices to expand the page limit.

The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Full Announcement is the controlling document for this competition.

Summary and Tips

Project Narrative Description:

Make the goals and objectives “SMARTIE;” Specific; Measurable;

Achievable; Relevant; Time-bound; Inclusive; and Equitable.

Activities presented in the work plan should relate directly to the proposed goals and objectives.

The program work plan, evaluation plan and budget should provide a complete picture of how the applicant will address the needs as well as address the purpose and expectations in the NOFO.

Summary and Tips

Staffing:

• The staffing should be appropriate and reasonable for the goals, objectives and activities of the proposed project.

• Be complete in describing what staff will do, the expertise required and the percent time they will be assigned to the project.

The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Full Announcement is the controlling document for this competition.

Summary and Tips

Budget:

• The budget should include adequate funds to carry out the proposed work plan, evaluation plan and administrative responsibilities of the project.

• The budget should be reasonable and relate directly to the goals and objectives.

• Do not request more funds than are available, as listed in the NOFO. This amount is inclusive of indirect costs.

• The operating budget should be complete and include Federal and non-Federal funds, projected program income (e.g., from fees and third-party payers and other contributing funds).

Summary and Tips

Overall:

• Include full names (First Middle Last) for Authorized Official, Principal Investigator/Project Director and all Essential Personnel.

• Electronic submission IS required.

• Do not wait until the last minute to begin SAM registration or update your registration.

• Do not wait until the last minute to begin the electronic submission— problems could arise.

The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Full Announcement is the controlling document for this competition.

NOFO Inquiries

Program Questions

Program Office Attn: Office of Minority Health

Paul Rodriguez

Email: paul.rodriguez@hhs.gov

Telephone:240-453-8208

Administrative or Financial Questions

Grants Management Specialist

Duane Barlow

Email: Duane.Barlow@hhs.gov

Telephone: 240-453-8822

Electronic Submission Requirements

Grants.gov Applicant Support www.grants.gov

Email: support@grants.gov

Telephone: 800-518-4726

Please do not contact OASH Program or Grants office staff for Grants.gov issues.

The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Full Announcement is the controlling document for this competition.

THANK YOU!

Application Due Date: August 1, 2023 at 6:00 PM Eastern

The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Full Announcement is the controlling document for this competition.