National Paralysis Resource Center FAQ.docx

National Paralysis Resource Center

HHS-2018-ACL-AOD-PRRC-0287

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can a grantee fund subawards smaller than $10,000 or larger than $25,000?

Yes, please see page 6[footnoteRef:1] of the funding opportunity announcement (FOA). Applicants should describe how subaward amounts will be appropriate to the projects and needs expressed by the subaward applicants. In the FOA, ACL gives an estimated range of expected subaward amounts between $10,000 and $25,000 as an aid for applicants. [1: All page numbers referenced here reflect the printed page number from the PDF version of the funding opportunity announcement.]

2. The FOA says on page 6 that subawards cannot be used to provide medical services or direct services. What are examples of these types? Can a definition of direct services be given?

ACL’s mission concentrates on providing services and supports to individuals with disabilities so they may fully engage and participate in their communities. Applicants should describe how their subaward program’s activities will fit within the parameters of the Subaward Strategy Requirements on page 5 and 6 – in particular, how “all subawards will promote greater independence, equality, choice, and control for individuals with paralysis and help them more fully integrate into their communities.”

ACL modified the FOA as of March 2, 2018 to remove “direct services” from the last bullet on page 6 so that it now reads “Applicants should describe how they will require subawardees to expend their subawards within a 12-month period and not allow subawards to be used to provide medical services, nor direct fundraising activities.”

3. Is there a minimum number of individuals living with paralysis that each subaward should be expected to impact?

There is no minimum number stated in the FOA, but applicants should propose a subaward strategy “that will ensure the greatest impact and benefit for people of all ages with paralysis, their families, and their support networks” as described on page 4 of the FOA.

4. Can subawards be awarded to organizations outside the United States or to organizations based inside the United States that do work outside of the United States?

Page 6 of the FOA states “Applicants should describe how they will make subawards to nonprofit organizations that serve people with paralysis living in the United States.”

5. Is there a page limit for the Appendix?

The FOA contains a 50-page limit for the applicant’s Project Narrative. As originally published, the FOA also contained an additional 50-page limit for the Appendix, but that Appendix page limit has now been removed through a modification to the FOA as of March 2, 2018. There is now no page limit for the Appendix.

The Project Narrative includes the following elements: Summary/Abstract, Problem Statement, Goal(s) and Objective(s), Proposed Intervention, Special Target Populations and Organizations, Outcomes, Project Management, Evaluation, Dissemination, and Organizational Capability.

The Appendix documents should include the Project work plan, Letters of Commitment, Vitae of Key Personnel, Budget, Narrative Budget Justification, Standard Forms for Assurances, Certifications, Disclosures, Organization Charts, and Logic Models.

Applicants should not send pamphlets, brochures, other printed material, or any additional letters of endorsement beyond any that may be required along with their applications. Please see pages 12, 14, 17 in the FOA.

6. Can you explain what the FOA means on page 6 when it says, “Applicants should describe how they will co-brand the NPRC jointly with ACL”?

ACL expects the NPRC grantee to work with ACL to brand the NPRC and the NPRC’s products “in such a way that appropriately recognizes and acknowledges ACL’s financial contributions to NPRC activities” as referenced on pages 6, 11.

This includes such things as adherence with HHS Grant Policy Guidelines Section II-70, in which HHS encourages recipients as a means of sharing knowledge, to arrange for publication of the results and accomplishments of HHS-supported activities. For each publication that results from HHS grant-supported activities, recipients must include an acknowledgment of grant support using one of the following statements:

“This publication was made possible by Grant Number ________ from _________.”

“The project described was supported by Grant Number ________ from ________.”

Recipients also must include a disclaimer stating that the publication’s contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of ACL or HHS.

7. Can you provide a definition of technical assistance?

There is no definition of technical assistance in the FOA, but in general technical assistance is the process of providing targeted support to an organization with a development need or problem. Technical assistance is one of the most effective methods for building the capacity of an organization.

8. Are organizations allowed to apply for both the National Paralysis Resource Center and the State PRC Pilot Programs? And if so, are they required to indicate that they've applied for both in their applications?

Organizations may apply for both grants, and there is no requirement within the FOAs that they must indicate that they are applying for both.

9. What are the “conflict of interest” rules for grant recipients?

A grant recipient or a non-Federal entity must maintain written standards of conduct covering conflicts of interest and governing the actions of its employees engaged in the selection, award and administration of contracts. No employee, officer, or agent may participate in the selection, award, or administration of a contract supported by a Federal award if he or she has a real or apparent conflict of interest. Such a conflict of interest would arise when the employee, officer, or agent, any member of his or her immediate family, his or her partner, or an organization which employs or is about to employ any of the parties indicated herein, has a financial or other interest in or a tangible personal benefit from a firm considered for a contract. The officers, employees, and agents of the non-Federal entity may neither solicit nor accept gratuities, favors, or anything of monetary value from contractors or parties to subcontracts. However, non-Federal entities may set standards for situations in which the financial interest is not substantial or the gift is an unsolicited item of nominal value. The standards of conduct must provide for disciplinary actions to be applied for violations of such standards by officers, employees, or agents of the non-Federal entity. (45 CFR 75.327(c)(1)

10. How do you envision the relationship between the National Paralysis Resource Center and the State PRC Pilot Programs with regards to the Quality of Life subaward program and technical assistance? Will there be a shared database system?

The NPRC grantee will work with and through ACL to provide TA materials and resources to the PRC State Pilot Program grantees, as appropriate (page 11). There are no plans for a shared database system.

11. Is there going to be consistency between the subaward processes of the National Paralysis Resource Center and the State PRC Pilot Programs with respect to the review process, application, evaluation, reporting, timeline, and priority areas?

Within the parameters laid out in the respective FOAs, each grantee will design their own approach to the subaward processes. The ACL project officer will work closely with the PRC State Pilot Program grantees and the NPRC grantee to avoid duplication of subawards within the Pilot states.

12. Do paralysis-related educational materials and products, created as a result of the National Paralysis Resource Center grants, become the property of the NPRC?

Regarding the rights to data and intangible and copyrights, please refer to the following policies:

CFR › Title 45 › Chapter A › Subchapter A › Part 75 › Subpart D › Section 75.322

(a) Title to intangible property (see § 75.2 Intangible property) acquired under a Federal award vests upon acquisition in the non-Federal entity. The non-Federal entity must use that property for the originally-authorized purpose, and must not encumber the property without approval of the HHS awarding agency. When no longer needed for the originally authorized purpose, disposition of the intangible property must occur in accordance with the provisions in § 75.320(e).

(b) The non-Federal entity may copyright any work that is subject to copyright and was developed, or for which ownership was acquired, under a Federal award. The HHS awarding agency reserves a royalty-free, nonexclusive and irrevocable right to reproduce, publish, or otherwise use the work for Federal purposes, and to authorize others to do so.

(c) The non-Federal entity is subject to applicable regulations governing patents and inventions, including government-wide regulations issued by the Department of Commerce at 37 CFR part 401.

(d) The Federal Government has the right to:

(1) Obtain, reproduce, publish, or otherwise use the data produced under a Federal award; and (2) Authorize others to receive, reproduce, publish, or otherwise use such data for Federal purpose.

HHS GPS Section II-69

It is HHS policy that the results and accomplishments of the activities that it funds should be made available to the public. PIs/PDs and recipient organizations are expected to make the results and accomplishments of their activities available to the research community and to the public at large.

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