NOFO_Guidance_HHS-2024-ACF-OPRE-YE-0194.pdf

Administration for Children and Families

Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation

Child Care Policy Research Partnerships

HHS-2024-ACF-OPRE-YE-0194

Application Due Date: 05/06/2024

Table of Contents Executive Summary

I. Program Description

A. Background

B. Program Goals and Requirements

1. Promote evidence-based policymaking through mutually beneficial research partnerships between child care researchers and CCDF Lead Agencies

2. Conduct rigorous research that addresses issues of relevance to CCDF decision-makers at the local, state, and national levels

3. Produce policy-relevant findings and information throughout the duration of the grant

4. Support collaboration across CCDF Lead Agencies to explore common research questions to maximize the value and generalizability of these federal investments

5. Foster the exchange of current research, ideas, and information among research, policy, and practice communities

6. Disseminate findings to relevant audiences at local, state, and national levels

II. Federal Award Information

III. Eligibility Information

III.1. Eligible Applicants

III.2. Cost Sharing or Matching

III.3. Other

IV. Application and Submission Information

IV.1. Address to Request Application Package

IV.2. Content and Form of Application Submission

Required Forms, Assurances, and Certifications

The Project Description

The Project Budget and Budget Justification

Application Submission Options

IV.3. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and System for Award Management (SAM)

IV.4. Submission Dates and Times

Explanation of Due Dates

Acknowledgement of Received Application

IV.5. Intergovernmental Review

IV.6. Funding Restrictions

IV.7. Other Submission Requirements

V. Application Review Information

V.1. Criteria

V.2. Review and Selection Process

V.3. Anticipated Announcement and Federal Award Dates

VI. Federal Award Administration Information

VI.1. Federal Award Notices

VI.2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

VI.3. Reporting

VII. HHS Award Agency Contact(s)

VIII. Other Information

Reference Websites

Application Checklist

Funding Opportunity Title:

Child Care Policy Research Partnerships Announcement Type:

Initial Funding Opportunity Number:

HHS-2024-ACF-OPRE-YE-0194

Assistance Listing Number:

93.575 Due Date for Applications:

05/06/2024

Executive Summary Notice:

• Applicants are strongly encouraged to read the entire notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) carefully and observe the application formatting requirements listed in Section IV.2. Content and Form of Application Submission. For more information on applying for an award, please visit "Applying for an ACF Award" at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/how-apply-grant.

Child Care Policy Research Partnerships (CCPRP) awards support new research and evaluation activities developed and conducted through partnerships between Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Lead Agencies in states, territories, or tribes and research partner organizations with demonstrated research capacity. This opportunity will fund up to eight 5-year cooperative agreements to pursue research questions of current relevance to local, state, and national child care policy. This iteration of the CCPRP awards prioritizes projects implementing rigorous, policy-relevant evaluations of quality improvement initiatives in states, territories, or tribes implemented through CCDF “quality set-aside” funds that aim to increase families’ access to https://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/how-apply-grant quality child care, especially access for children in underserved areas, infants and toddlers, children with disabilities, and children receiving care during nontraditional hours. These projects are expected to add to the knowledge about the efficacy of child care subsidy policies and quality improvement initiatives in increasing families’ access to quality child care.

Projects are also expected to inform the field at large. As such, award recipients will be expected to participate in a consortium of CCPRP award recipients that will meet monthly and communicate regularly to share lessons learned; identify opportunities for collaborative planning, measures development, and analyses; and develop collective expertise and resources.

The CCPRP Award Program will be funded through the cooperative agreement mechanism. See Section II. Federal Award Information for a description of the substantial involvement of the Federal Project Officer (PO) in the performance of these cooperative agreements.

I. Program Description

Statutory Authority Section 658O(a)(5) of the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Act (42 U.S.C.

9858m(a)(5)).

Description

A. Background The CCDF is a federal block grant program administered by the Office of Child Care (OCC) within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) dedicated to supporting the employment and economic self-sufficiency of low-income working parents by providing access to affordable, high-quality child care that meets health and safety requirements and supports child development. CCDF is authorized by CCDBG Act of 1990 (codified at 42 U.S.C. 9857 et seq.). CCDF is the primary federal funding source for child care subsidies to help eligible working families with low incomes access child care and to improve the quality of child care for all children.

In addition to child care subsidies, CCDF promotes children’s healthy development and learning by supporting child care licensing and quality improvement systems, consumer education efforts, and child care professionals’ attainment of more training and education. For example, states, territories, and some tribes are required to set aside at least 9 percent of CCDF total expenditures for quality activities and 3 percent of total expenditures on activities to improve the quality and supply of care for infants and toddlers. (Tribal Lead Agencies with small allocations are not subject to the 3 percent infant and toddler set-aside.) States, territories, and tribes can use these “quality set-aside” funds toward any of 10 allowable quality activities (45 CFR § 98.53). Based on fiscal year 2020 data, states, and territories exceeded the required 12 percent, spending 16 percent ($2.1 billion) on allowable quality activities.

To facilitate CCDF services, OCC establishes and oversees the implementation of child care policies and provides guidance and technical assistance to states, territories, and tribal governments as they administer CCDF programs. States, territories, and tribes submit CCDF Plans to OCC describing how they plan to spend CCDF funding across a 3-year period. States and territories are also required to report how they spent CCDF “quality set-aside” funds in annual Quality Progress Reports (QPR). The QPR includes a report of progress on quality improvement goals and on any of the 10 quality activities chosen using state- and territory-identified performance measures to evaluate progress in improving quality (42 U.S.C.

9858e(d)). States and territories have flexibility on what performance measures they use to evaluate progress and track outcomes on quality activities. Tribes report information about quality improvement efforts the tribal CCDF Lead Agency funded with CCDF funds in the ACF- 700 Tribal Annual Report. To learn more about the goals and initiatives of the CCDF and OCC, please visit the OCC website at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/occ/.

The CCDF funding reserved for research is intended to help child care decision-makers in crafting policies and initiatives that support positive outcomes for families and children; to increase the capacity for child care research at the national, state, and local levels; and to promote linkages among research, policy, and practice. To date, these funds supported research efforts that increased knowledge about the efficacy of child care subsidy policies and programs in enhancing employment and economic self-sufficiency of families with low incomes and in improving quality in child care and early education settings to support learning and development of children. Descriptions of current and past research projects funded with this research set-aside funds can be found at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/research/topic/overview/child-care.

B. Program Goals and Requirements The overall purpose of the CCPRP Grant Program is to support active collaborations between CCDF Lead Agencies and researchers to build capacity for evidence-informed child care policymaking. To do so, the recipients will conduct their work across two phases during the 5-year award period. During the planning year (year 1), partnerships will solidify their partnerships, refine their proposed evaluation plans, and build capacity for implementing rigorous evaluations (Phase I). Phase II (years 2-5) involves implementing, completing, and reporting on the evaluations.

The CCDF Lead Agency and their research partners (Project Team) are expected to:

• work collaboratively throughout all phases of the project to investigate questions of immediate relevance to local, state, and national child care policies and practices;

• engage other interested parties to promote the relevance of the funded work; and

• work collaboratively with OPRE, the cohort of fiscal year (FY)24 CCPRP award recipients, and other federally funded projects to optimize the generalizability and dissemination of findings from this federal investment.

Projects will add to the knowledge about the CCDF program and quality improvement initiatives that are intended to increase families’ access to quality child care, especially for children in families with low incomes, children in underserved areas, infants and toddlers, children with disabilities, and children receiving care during nontraditional hours. In this context, the dimensions of access include affordability, meeting parents’ needs, reasonable effort, supporting children’s development, and equity, which are further articulated and defined here:

https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/report/defining-and-measuring-access-high-quality-early-care-and-education-ece-guidebook.

The specific goals and requirements of the CCPRP award program are to:

https://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/occ/ https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/research/topic/overview/child-care https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/report/defining-and-measuring-access-high-quality-early-care-and-education-ece-guidebook https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/report/defining-and-measuring-access-high-quality-early-care-and-education-ece-guidebook

1. Promote evidence-based policymaking through mutually beneficial research partnerships between child care researchers and CCDF Lead Agencies.

Project Teams will consist of a state, territory, or tribal CCDF Lead Agency and research partner organization(s) with demonstrated research capacity. Recipients’ levels of evaluation readiness can vary from those with extensive experience with research and evaluation, and those who have less experience. Partnerships may involve multiple lead agencies or sites to support comparison of findings. In fact, collaborative projects that would explore common questions across states are encouraged. For state and territory CCDF Lead Agency contact information, please visit:

https://www.acf.hhs.gov/occ/contact-information/state-and-territory-child-care-and-development-fund-administrators. For tribal CCDF Lead Agency contact information, please visit: https://www.acf.hhs.gov/occ/contact-information/tribal-ccdf-contacts-state.

Project Teams will increase the long-term capacity of the field to produce, access, and use rigorous and relevant research to inform child care policies. Specifically, research partners are expected to develop greater capacity for producing and communicating policy-relevant research.

Likewise, Project Teams will conduct activities for strengthening the evaluation capacity of the CCDF Lead Agency throughout the award period, including gaining access to, evaluating the quality of, and identifying opportunities to analyze child care subsidy and quality initiatives’ administrative data (data already collected and maintained by the agency) collected by the state, territory, or tribe.

Project planning and execution will be conducted through ongoing collaborative efforts between the state, territory, or tribal CCDF Lead Agency and their research partner including:

• refining the research questions;

• identifying the research design and planning its implementation;

• establishing procedures to access and use existing data and/or collect new data;

• establishing a mechanism to discuss the results as they are obtained and direct further research;

• identifying the practice and policy implications of the results;

• disseminating the results to multiple audiences; and

• planning for future research.

Phase I is intended to support Project Teams in further solidifying their partnerships, refining their proposed plans for evaluation, and building capacity to implement rigorous evaluation before conducting evaluations in Phase II. As such, Project Teams may address any combination of the following activities that best meet the capacity-building needs of the partnership:

• building CCDF Lead Agency’s knowledge about and readiness for rigorous research and evaluation approaches;

• conducting preliminary analyses;

• assessing data systems; and/or

• conducting pilot studies.

CCPRP award recipients are also expected to engage one or more of the following organization types identified as critical to the implementation of the relevant child care policies or initiatives:

1. departments and agencies that administer child care programs, including public or private child care centers, Head Start, or public pre-K;

https://www.acf.hhs.gov/occ/contact-information/state-and-territory-child-care-and-development-fund-administrators https://www.acf.hhs.gov/occ/contact-information/state-and-territory-child-care-and-development-fund-administrators https://www.acf.hhs.gov/occ/contact-information/tribal-ccdf-contacts-state

2. child care resource and referral organizations (i.e., CCR&Rs);

3. state agencies or organizations that oversee specific quality improvement initiatives and activities such as Quality Rating and Improvement Systems or licensing initiatives;

4. planning councils, commissions, advisory groups, and other organizations that participate in child care planning and policy making;

5. tribal, county, or local agencies that administer child care subsidy programs;

6. family child care providers or networks of family child care homes;

7. professional organizations and associations;

8. providers of supportive services such as provider professional development and training, coaching, technical assistance, or consumer education;

9. programs and services that provide comprehensive services to young children and their families, including, but not limited to, home visiting and behavioral and mental health supports;

10. civic groups and community organizations;

11. foundations and charitable organizations;

12. parents or parent advocacy groups; and

13. community-based research agencies and organizations.

Subawards. Recipients under this program may opt to transfer a portion of substantive programmatic work to other organizations through subaward(s). The prime recipient must maintain a substantive role in the project. ACF defines a substantive role as conducting activities and/or providing services funded under the award that are necessary and integral to the completion of the project. Subrecipient monitoring activities alone, as specified in 45 CFR § 75.352, do not constitute a substantive role. Furthermore, ACF does not fund awards where the role of the applicant is primarily to serve as a conduit for passing funds to other organizations unless that arrangement is authorized by statute.

Subrecipient(s) must meet the eligibility requirements identified in the NOFO, Section III.1.

Eligible Subaward Applicants. Additionally, all subrecipient(s) must obtain a UEI number, or after government-wide implementation, a UEI assigned by SAM, if they do not already have one. Prime recipients are required to check SAM to verify that the subrecipient(s) is/are not debarred, suspended, or ineligible.

Please reference the Award Term and Condition on Subawards on the ACF Administrative and National Policy Requirements website for further requirements involving subawards.

2. Conduct rigorous research that addresses issues of relevance to CCDF decision-makers at the local, state, and national levels.

Projects will contribute to the broader knowledge base by conducting rigorous new research that is relevant to state and local CCDF administrators with clear links to questions of significance for national policies and initiatives and their implications for children, parents, and providers.

Proposed projects will:

• address gaps in existing literature;

• be informed by an empirically based conceptual framework, logic model, or theory of change (e.g., mediational pathways) submitted at the time of application;

https://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/administrative-and-national-policy-requirements#book_content_14 https://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/administrative-and-national-policy-requirements https://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/administrative-and-national-policy-requirements

• include new data collections and/or analysis of administrative data (and employ the best available research design and methods to address the questions of interest);

• use qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods approaches to address applied research questions of value to the CCDF Lead Agency and the social policy and early care and education fields; and

• address research questions that evaluate the quality improvement initiatives implemented through CCDF “quality set aside” funds, which are hypothesized to improve families’ access to and improve the quality of child care.

Project Teams may pursue research questions related to the following allowable quality activities (42 U.S.C. 9858e(b); 45 CFR § 98.53):

1. Supporting the training and professional development of the child care workforce;

2. Improving on the development or implementation of early learning and development guidelines;

3. Developing, implementing, or enhancing a tiered quality rating system for child care providers and services;

4. Improving the supply and quality of child care programs and services for infants and toddlers;

5. Establishing or expanding a statewide system of child care resource and referral services;

6. Supporting compliance with state requirements for licensing, inspection, monitoring, training, and health and safety;

7. Evaluating the quality of child care programs in the state, including evaluating how programs positively impact children;

8. Supporting child care providers in the voluntary pursuit of accreditation;

9. Supporting the development or adoption of high-quality program standards related to health, mental health, nutrition, physical activity, and physical development; and

10. Other activities to improve the quality of child care services as long as outcome measures relating to improved provider preparedness, child safety, child well-being, or kindergarten-entry are possible.

Although all evaluations will focus on quality improvement initiatives, each Project Team may focus on any number of specific research questions related to the following:

1. How do quality improvement initiatives address families’ access to quality care? Do initiatives address access, including equitable access to:

1. affordable quality care?

2. quality care that meets families’ needs and preferences?

3. quality care that supports children’s development?

4. quality care where parents live, work, or have education and training opportunities?

2. How are quality initiatives associated with the supply of quality care that meets families’ needs? How do they address:

1. gaps in the supply of quality care across communities with different characteristics (e.g., rural versus urban, poverty density)?

2. the supply of quality care across different care types or characteristics (e.g., family child care, child care centers, nontraditional hours programs, licensed/regulated, legally licensed exempt)?

3. the supply of quality care in areas where parents live, work, or have education and training opportunities?

3. How do quality initiatives address the supply of a qualified workforce (e.g., recruitment/retention, professional development and career development, supportive workplace environments, and workforce well-being)?

4. Are there differential experiences of quality initiatives for key populations of interest (i.e., children in underserved areas, infants and toddlers, children with disabilities, and children receiving care during nontraditional hours)?

Project Teams will collaboratively implement innovative evaluations that draw on the resources and opportunities available to rigorously examine the proposed research questions. Project evaluations will be required to reflect the following criteria for rigor:

• Credibility: Ensuring what is intended to be evaluated is actually what is being evaluated;

making sure that descriptions of the phenomena or experience being studied are accurate and recognizable to others; ensuring that the method used is the most definitive and compelling approach that is available and feasible for the question being addressed. If conclusions about program efficacy are being examined, the study design should include a comparison group (i.e., randomized control trial or quasi-experimental design).

• Applicability: Generalizability of findings beyond current project (i.e., when findings "fit" into contexts outside the study situation). Ensuring the sample being studied represents one or more of the populations being served by the program.

• Consistency: When processes and methods are consistently followed and clearly described, someone else could replicate the approach, and other studies can confirm what is found.

• Neutrality: Producing results that are as objective as possible and acknowledge the bias brought to the collection, analysis, and interpretation of the results.

Please see ACF’s Evaluation Policy for a more detailed definition of rigor:

https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/opre/acf-evaluation-policy-november-9- 2021.pdf.

Past project descriptions and products can be found at:

https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/project/child-care-policy-research-partnerships-1995-2023.

3. Produce policy-relevant findings and information throughout the duration of the grant.

In order to inform local and national policy, project teams will be expected to:

• disseminate relevant findings/information throughout the project.

• complete policy-relevant preliminary analyses by the second year. For example, Project

Teams may leverage existing data sources, field a short survey, or collect new data to be analyzed and reported by the second year.

• remain flexible and responsive to the changing needs of the CCDF Lead Agency partner and other interested parties throughout the duration of the project period. This may require revising the research questions or approach to planned data collections and analyses. Any substantive changes must be fully justified and approved by ACF before implementation.

https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/opre/acf-evaluation-policy-november-9-2021.pdf.

https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/opre/acf-evaluation-policy-november-9-2021.pdf.

https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/project/child-care-policy-research-partnerships-1995-2023

4. Support collaboration across CCDF Lead Agencies to explore common research questions to maximize the value and generalizability of these federal investments.

Project Teams will participate in a consortium of FY24 CCPRP award recipients. The Consortium will convene virtually at least monthly to: (a) share lessons learned; (b) identify opportunities for collaboration, including, in the case of similar research questions, implementing similar study designs and analyses, and use of common measures to collect new data; (c) identify commonalities and develop collective expertise; and (d) participate in dissemination activities and develop resources to be shared with the field at large.

Each award recipient will examine the impact of policies and practices related to quality improvement initiatives on key constructs. Although specific evaluations will be based on the specific context, timeline of policy implementation, and research priorities, each award recipient will coordinate measurement of some constructs and outcomes of interest with other funded award recipients to support learning across sponsored projects. Key constructs within award recipients’ evaluations will include the following:

• Supply of providers eligible for subsidized care and accepting child care subsidies:

Percentage and characteristics of providers available to eligible children, including provider type (e.g., child care centers, small and large family child care homes, in-home providers, etc.), ages served, number of children receiving subsidy, service hours, prices charged for care, geographic location, quality of care;

• Subsidy usage: Percentage and characteristics of families/children receiving subsidy in each type of care and in different levels of care quality; and

• Potential need/demand: Data on households eligible for subsidy who may need care (e.g., households with working parents, number of children/families on waiting lists, what families report they want/need), including among key vulnerable populations (i.e., children in foster care, children from families experiencing homelessness, infants and toddlers, children with disabilities, and children who need care during nontraditional hours).

The FY24 CCPRP Consortium will be supported by an OPRE-sponsored federal research center (“Center”). The Center will facilitate collaborative research and dissemination efforts and answer common research questions across states. Award recipients must communicate regularly and engage with the Center’s activities as requested. For example, this may involve sharing common data elements with the Center for analysis, participating in the development of cross-project publications and presentations, or engaging in collaborative activities or communities of learning with other federally sponsored child care awards.

Project Teams will work with other Consortium members, the Center, and the PO(s) to identify opportunities for use of common constructs and measures, data collection protocols, tools, data management protocols, analyses, and dissemination. Therefore, funded research plans should be designed with sufficient flexibility to incorporate changes that will enhance learning across sites.

Recipients must reserve effort to participate in these collaborative activities throughout the project period.

5. Foster the exchange of current research, ideas, and information among research, policy, and practice communities.

Project Teams will attend the following required meetings and conferences:

• FY24 CCPRP Consortium Kick-Off Meeting: Key project personnel (e.g., Principal Investigator(s), CCDF Lead Agency partners, and task leads, as appropriate) must attend the 2-day, in-person kick-off meeting. This meeting will be held in Washington, DC within the first 3 months of the project period. Upon award, the date of the meeting will be shared with award recipients. This in-person meeting will only occur during the first year.

• Monthly FY24 CCPRP Consortium Meeting: There will be a monthly virtual convening of the Consortium. These meetings will be scheduled after award and are expected to be about 1 hour in length. These meetings will serve as the primary venue for cross-project collaboration and shared learning. More frequent or longer meetings may be necessary to accomplish the cross-project collaboration goals for the first year.

• Child Care and Early Education Policy Research Consortium (CCEEPRC) Bi-annual Meetings: Bi-annual meetings will take place every 2 years in Washington, DC, for 2 full days. The meeting brings together award recipients, contracted researchers funded by ACF, and federal and state CCDF administrators to discuss child care policy research. Project Teams are expected to attend each scheduled meeting for the duration of the project.

• Annual FY24 CCPRP Consortium Meeting: During the annual award recipient meeting, recipients will discuss project developments, identify research questions or issues of common interest, and identify potential collaborative products and resources. In years that the CCEEPRC meeting in Washington, DC occurs, this Consortium Meeting will be held in-person 1 day prior to or following the CCEEPRC meeting. In years that the CCEEPRC meeting is not held (off years), a virtual CCPRP Consortium Meeting will be held. Project Teams are expected to attend each year of the project.

Additionally, Project Teams are encouraged, but not required to attend:

• State and Territories CCDF Administrators Meeting (STAM): STAM is hosted annually in Washington, DC, typically in August.

• National Research Conference on Early Childhood (NRCEC): NRCEC is hosted bi-annually in Washington, DC, typically in June. The first meeting within the project period is anticipated in summer 2026.

If there are health and safety concerns with in-person convenings, the PO and the FY24 CCPRP Consortium will confer regarding acceptable alternatives to these meeting requirements.

6. Disseminate findings to relevant audiences at local, state, and national levels.

Both interim and final results of the studies funded through this opportunity, including the implications of results for decision-makers at the local, state, and national levels, will be made widely accessible and publicly available to the extent feasible and possible. Project Teams will identify and/or develop opportunities, products, activities, or resources to communicate about the implications and innovations of the research project to research, policy, and practice audiences at the local, state, and national levels. To address accessibility, Project Teams should confer with ACF to determine whether specific products are appropriate to be archived with Child Care and Early Education Research Connections (https://www.researchconnections.org/).

By the second year of the award, Project Teams must confer with their PO(s) to establish connections with the Child and Family Data Archive (CFData). The CFData team will provide guidance for archiving (e.g., guidelines for codebooks, user guides, and datasets).

Project Teams, their PO, and the CFData team will jointly select the datasets that are most appropriate for archiving and decide among the options for dissemination that best address all concerns related to privacy, intellectual property rights, data ownership, and other issues. For more information about CFData, see https://www.childandfamilydataarchive.org.

II. Federal Award Information

Funding Instrument Type:

CA (Cooperative Agreement) Estimated Total Funding:

$3,200,000 Expected Number of Awards:

Award Ceiling:

$400,000 Per Budget Period

Award Floor:

$100,000 Per Budget Period

Average Projected Award Amount:

$400,000 Per Budget Period

Anticipated Project Start Date:

09/30/2024 Length of Project Periods:

60-month project period with five 12-month budget periods

Additional Information on Project Periods and Explanation of 'Other' Additional Information on Awards:

Awards made under this funding opportunity are subject to the availability of federal funds.

Applications requesting an award amount that exceeds the Award Ceiling per budget period, or per project period, as stated in this section, will be disqualified from the merit review and funding under this funding opportunity. Please see Section III.3. Other, Application Disqualification Factors.

https://www.researchconnections.org/ https://www.childandfamilydataarchive.org

Description of ACF's Anticipated Substantial Involvement Under the Cooperative Agreement Award

Under the cooperative agreements, substantial involvement is anticipated by ACF throughout the duration of the funded projects. ACF will:

• monitor the overall project and work collaboratively with recipients to facilitate accomplishment of project goals;

• provide technical assistance and feedback when necessary, including joint decision-making on research design, approach, and dissemination;

• approve any subawards and any (material) changes to the project question or approach;

• provide leadership to maximize cooperation and collaboration among recipients;

• organize periodic consultations and teleconferences to review research activities, to share information, and to promote coordination of the project;

• schedule and host annual FY24 CCPRP Consortium meetings, set the agenda, and coordinate activities; and

• facilitate collaboration and coordination with other recipients, a child care policy research partnerships support center, ACF program offices (e.g., OCC) and their technical assistance providers, and other contractors.

III. Eligibility Information

III.1. Eligible Applicants The applicant eligibility is unrestricted. The CCPRP award program is intended to fund collaborative research projects between a CCDF Lead Agency and entities with demonstrated research capacity (referred to as research partner organization(s)). Therefore, eligible applicants may be either the CCDF Lead Agency or research partner organizations.

CCDF Lead Agencies can partner on multiple applications for funding under this awards program; however, it is unlikely that a lead agency would receive more than one award as the award recipient or as the partner. This also applies to research partner organizations, such that organizations may submit multiple applications as the research partner, but an organization would not receive more than one award as the award recipient or as the partner.

Applications from individuals (including sole proprietorships) and foreign entities are not eligible and will be disqualified from the merit review and funding under this funding opportunity. See Section III.3. Other, Application Disqualification Factors.

Faith-based and community organizations that meet the eligibility requirements are eligible to receive awards under this funding opportunity. Faith-based organizations may apply for this award on the same basis as any other organization, as set forth at and, subject to the protections and requirements of 45 CFR Part 87 and 42 U.S.C. 2000bb et seq., ACF will not, in the selection of recipients, discriminate against an organization on the basis of the organization's religious character, affiliation, or exercise.

Reference to Legal Status See Section IV.2. Legal Status of Applicant Entity for documentation required to support eligibility.

III.2. Cost Sharing or Matching

Cost Sharing / Matching Requirement:

No See Section IV.2. The Project Budget and Budget Justification, Commitment of Non-Federal Resources for more information.

III.3. Other

Application Disqualification Factors Applications from individuals (including sole proprietorships) and foreign entities are not eligible and will be disqualified from the merit review and funding under this funding opportunity.

Award Ceiling Disqualification

Applications that request an award amount that exceeds the Award Ceiling per budget period or per project period, as stated in Section II. Federal Award Information, will be disqualified from the merit review and funding under this funding opportunity. This disqualification applies only to the Award Ceiling listed for the first 12-month budget period for projects with multiple budget periods. If the project and budget period are the same, the disqualification applies to the Award Ceiling listed for the project period.

Required Electronic Application Submission

ACF requires electronic submission of applications at Grants.gov. Paper applications received that have not been approved for an exemption from required electronic submission will be disqualified from the merit review and funding under this funding opportunity.

If you do not have an internet connection or sufficient capacity to upload large documents to the internet you may contact ACF for an exemption that will allow you to submit your application in paper format. Information and the requirements for requesting an exemption from required electronic application submission are found in "ACF Policy for Requesting an Exemption from Electronic Application Submission."

Missing the Application Deadline (Late Applications)

The deadline for electronic application submission is 11:59 pm ET on the due date listed in the Overview and in Section IV.4. Submission Dates and Times. Electronic applications submitted to Grants.gov after 11:59 pm ET on the due date, as indicated by a dated and time-stamped email from Grants.gov, will be disqualified from the merit review and funding under this funding opportunity.

Applications submitted to Grants.gov which fail their validation check, will not be received at, or acknowledged by ACF. If you submit an application for the same NOFO more than once, only https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ACF_Policy_for_Requesting_an_Exemption_from_Required_Electronic_FINAL_0.pdf https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ACF_Policy_for_Requesting_an_Exemption_from_Required_Electronic_FINAL_0.pdf the last on-time submission will be acknowledged.

Paper applications with an approved exemption from the electronic submission requirement must be received by 4:30 pm ET on the due date listed in the Overview and in Section IV.4. Submission Dates and Times. Paper applications received after 4:30 pm ET on the due date will be disqualified from the merit review and funding under this funding opportunity.

Notification of Application Disqualification Applicants will be notified of a disqualification determination by email or by USPS postal mail within 30 federal business days from the closing date of this NOFO.

IV. Application and Submission Information

IV.1. Address to Request Application Package OPRE Review Team Child Care Policy Research Partnerships c/o ICF 1902 Reston Metro Plaza Reston

VA

20190

(877) 350-5913

(703) 934-3740 CCPRP@icf.com Application Packages

Electronic Application Submission:

The electronic application submission package is available in the NOFO's listing at Grants.gov.

IV.2. Content and Form of Application Submission

FORMATTING APPLICATION SUBMISSIONS

Notice of Two-File Requirement Applicants applying via Grants.gov must upload only two electronic files, excluding Standard Forms (SFs) and Office of Management and Budget (OMB)-approved forms. Additional files will be removed prior to the merit review.

FOR ALL APPLICATIONS:

Signature of Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) Each applicant must designate an authorized organization representative (AOR) with authority to act on the organization’s behalf on matters related to the application submission and administration of awards. The AOR signature must appear on all forms in which a signature is required. By signing, the AOR agrees the organization will abide by all applicable Federal statutes, regulations and terms and conditions of the award.

Accepted Font Style and Size Applications must be in Times New Roman 12-point font, except for footnotes, which may be 10-point font. Pages that contain blurred or illegible text will be removed.

If documents must be scanned, the font size on any scanned documents must be large enough so that it is readable. You may not scan more than one page of a documents onto a single page.

Pages with blurred text will be removed from the application.

English Language Applications must be submitted in the English language and must be in the terms of United States (U.S.) dollars. See 45 CFR §75.111 for more information.

Page Limitations You must observe the page limitation(s) listed under "PAGE LIMITATIONS AND CONTENT FOR ALL SUBMISSION FORMATS" later in this section. Page limitation(s) do not include SFs and OMB-approved forms.

All applications must be double-spaced. An application that exceeds the cited page limitation for double-spaced pages will have extra pages removed, and those pages will not be reviewed.

Application Elements Exempted from Double-Spacing Requirements The following elements of the application submission are exempt from the double-spacing requirements and may be single-spaced:

• Table of Contents

• One-page Project Summary

• Required Assurances and Certifications

• SFs and OMB-approved forms

• Resumes, Logic Models, Proof of Legal Status/Non-Profit Status, Third-Party

Agreements, Letters of Support, footnotes and tables

• Line-Item Budget and/or the Budget Justification

Adherence to NOFO Formatting, Font, and Page Limitation Requirements Applications that fail to adhere to ACF’s NOFO formatting, font, and page limitation requirements will be adjusted by the removal of page(s) from the application. Pages will be removed before the merit review and will not be made available to reviewers.

NOTE: Applicants failing to adhere to ACF’s NOFO formatting, font, and page limitation requirements will receive a letter from ACF notifying them that their application was amended.

The letter will be sent after awards have been issued and will specify the reason(s) for removal of page(s).

Corrections/Updates to Submitted Applications When applicants revise a previously submitted application, ACF will accept only the last on-time application for pre-review under the Application Disqualification Factors. See Section III.3.

Other, Application Disqualification Factors and Section IV.2. Application Submission Options.

Copies Required Applicants must submit one complete copy of the application package electronically. Applicants must follow the registration and application submission instructions provided at Grants.gov.

Accepted Application Format With the exception of the required SFs and OMB-approved forms, all application materials must be formatted so that they are 8 ½" x 11" white paper with 1-inch margins all around.

If possible, applicants are encouraged to include page numbers for each page within the application.

PAGE LIMITATIONS AND CONTENT FOR ALL SUBMISSION FORMATS:

Page Limits and Numbering. Applicants must limit their entire application to 105 pages. This page limit applies to the combined length of the Project Description File and the Appendices File. Each page of the application must be numbered, beginning with the Table of Contents. ACF recommends limiting the Project Description File to 65 pages and the Appendices File to 40 pages.

The required SFs, assurances, and certifications are submitted separately from the Project Description and Appendices files, therefore, they are not included in the 105-page limit or page numbering requirement.

Organization of Application. Applicants are strongly encouraged to use headings and subheadings that correspond to the required application sections outlined below. Sections should be carefully labeled to ease reviewers' identification of information relevant to the application review criteria. Additional headers and subheaders may also be used to organize the content of each section.

The Project Description File should be carefully developed in accordance with ACF's research goals and agenda as described in Section I. Program Description. See additional instructions later in this section (under "The Project Description") for details on preparing the full project description. The Project Description File includes the following sections:

1. Table of Contents

2. Project Summary/Abstract (single-spaced, one page maximum)

3. Approach o Objectives and Significance o Research Design and Methodology o Plan for Cross-Project Coordination and Collaboration o Description of the Research Partnership o Management Plan o Dissemination Plan o Staff Roles and Qualifications o References o Project Timeline and Milestones o (optional) Subawards o (optional) Organizational Capacity Supplemental Narrative

4. Budget and Budget Justification

The Appendices File includes the following sections:

1. Proof of Legal Status of Applicant Entity, if applicable

2. Supporting Documentation of Organizational Capacity

3. Supporting Documentation of Staff Qualifications o Resumes/Curriculum Vitaes

4. Protection of Sensitive and/or Confidential Information

5. Plan for Oversight of Federal Award Funds

6. Letters of Support, Memoranda of Understanding and/or Third-Party Agreements

7. Other Materials in Support of the Proposal

ELECTRONIC APPLICATION SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

You are required to submit applications electronically unless you have received an exemption that will allow submission in paper format. See Section IV.2. Application Submission Options for information about requesting an exemption.

Electronic applications will only be accepted via Grants.gov. ACF will not accept applications submitted via email or via facsimile.

Each applicant is required to upload ONLY two electronic files, excluding SFs and OMB-approved forms.

File One: Must contain the entire Project Description, and the Budget and Budget Justification (including a line-item budget and a budget narrative).

File Two: Must contain all documents required in the Appendices.

Formatting Submission Files ACF strongly recommends that File One and File Two be uploaded as Portable Document Files (PDFs).

To adhere to the two-file requirement, you may need to convert and/or merge documents together using a PDF converter software. Applicants using Adobe Acrobat Reader software will be able to merge these documents together. ACF recommends merging documents electronically rather than scanning multiple documents into one document manually.

Applicants must ensure that the version of Adobe Acrobat Reader they are using is compatible with Grants.gov. To verify Adobe software compatibility please go to Grants.gov and click on “Applicants” at the top bar menu and select “Adobe Software Compatibility."

Naming Application Submission Files Carefully observe the file naming conventions required by Grants.gov. Limit file names to 50 characters (characters and spaces).Please also see https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/submitting-utf-8-special-characters.html.

Use only file formats supported by ACF While ACF supports all of the following file formats, we strongly recommend that the two files (Project Description and Appendices) are uploaded as PDFs in order to comply with the two-file upload limitation.

ACF supports the following file formats:

• Adobe PDF – Portable Document Format (.pdf)

• Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx)

• Microsoft Excel (.xls or .xlsx)

• Microsoft PowerPoint (.ppt)

• Image Formats (.JPG, .GIF, .TIFF, or .BMP only)

Documents in file formats not listed here will be removed from the application and will not be used in the merit review. This may make the application incomplete, and ACF will not make awards based on an incomplete application.

Do Not Encrypt or Password-Protect the Electronic Application Files If ACF cannot access submitted electronic files because they are encrypted or password protected, the affected file will not be reviewed. This may make the application incomplete, and ACF will not make awards based on an incomplete application.

REQUIREMENTS FOR PAPER APPLICATION SUBMISSIONS:

You must receive an exemption in order for a paper application to be accepted for review. For more information on the exemption, see "ACF Policy for Requesting an Exemption from Required Electronic Application Submission."

Applicants with an approved exemption for paper application submission should download the forms package associated with the NOFO's Synopsis on Grants.gov under the Package tab.

All copies of mailed paper applications must be submitted in a single package. If an applicant is submitting multiple applications under a single NOFO, or multiple applications under separate NOFOs, each submission must be packaged separately. The package(s) must be clearly labeled with the NOFO title and Funding Opportunity Number.

Applicants must submit one original and two copies of the complete application, including all SFs and OMB-approved forms. The original copy must have original signatures. Copies of the https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/submitting-utf-8-special-characters.html https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ACF_Policy_for_Requesting_an_Exemption_from_Required_Electronic_FINAL_0.pdf https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ACF_Policy_for_Requesting_an_Exemption_from_Required_Electronic_FINAL_0.pdf application, not the original, will be reproduced by the federal government for review. All application materials must be one-sided for duplication purposes. All pages in the application submission must be sequentially numbered.

Required Forms, Assurances, and Certifications Applicants seeking an award under this funding opportunity must submit the listed SFs, assurances, and certifications with the application. All required SFs, assurances, and certifications are available in the Application Package posted for this NOFO at Grants.gov.

Forms/Assurances/Certifications Submission Requirement Notes/Description

Protection of Human Subjects Assurance Identification / IRB Certification / Declaration of Exemption (Common Rule)

Submission of the required information and forms is due with the application package by the due date listed in the Overview and Section IV.4.

Submission Dates and Times. If the information is not available at the time of application, it must be submitted prior to the award of a grant.

Form is available at http:// www.hhs.gov/ ohrp/ assurances/ forms/index.html.

General information about the HHS Protection of Human Subjects regulations can be obtained at http://www. hhs.gov/ ohrp/ . Applicants may also contact OHRP by email (OHRP@HHS.gov) or by phone (240-453-6900).

SF-424 - Application for Federal Assistance

Submission is required for all applicants by the application due date.

Required for all applications.

Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and System for Award Management (SAM) registration.

Required of all applicants.

Applicants must have a UEI and maintain an active SAM registration throughout the application…