oppHRSA-19-004-cfda93.264-cidHRSA-19-004-instructions.pdf

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Bureau of Health Workforce Division of Nursing and Public Health

Nurse Faculty Loan Program (NFLP)

Funding Opportunity Number: HRSA-19-004

Funding Opportunity Type(s): Initial: Competing Continuation, New

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 93.264

NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

Fiscal Year 2019

Application Due Date: November 28, 2018

Ensure your SAM.gov and Grants.gov registrations and passwords are current immediately!

HRSA will not approve deadline extensions for lack of registration.

Registration in all systems, including SAM.gov and Grants.gov, may take up to 1 month to complete.

Issuance Date: September 28, 2018

Deitra Scott Nurse Consultant Division of Nursing and Public Health

Telephone: (301) 945-3113 Fax: 301-443-0791 Email: dscott1@hrsa.gov

Authority: Public Health Service Act Sections 846A (42 U.S.C. 297n-1) and 847(f) (42 U.S.C. 297o(f)).

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is accepting applications for the fiscal year (FY) 2019 Nurse Faculty Loan Program (NFLP). The purpose of this program is to increase the number of qualified nursing faculty by supporting schools of nursing to establish and operate a student loan fund in accordance with the terms outlined in the authorizing statute. Recipient institutions shall make loans to individuals consistent with that purpose, and an amount up to 85 percent of any such loan (plus interest thereon) shall be canceled by the school, according to the schedule prescribed in statute, upon completion of up to four years of full-time employment as a faculty member in an accredited school of nursing.

The FY 2019 President’s Budget does not request funding for this program. This notice is a contingency action taken to ensure that, should funds become available for this purpose, HRSA can process applications and award funds in a timely manner. You should note that this program may be cancelled prior to award recommendations.

Funding Opportunity Title: Nurse Faculty Loan Program

Funding Opportunity Number: HRSA-19-004

Due Date for Applications: November 28, 2018

Anticipated Total Annual Available FY 2019 Funding:

$26.8 million

Estimated Number and Type of Award(s): Up to 90 awards New and Competing Continuations

Estimated Award Amount: Formula-based

Cost Sharing/Match Required: Yes

Period of Performance: July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2020 (1 year)

Eligible Applicants: Accredited schools of nursing.

See Section III-1 of this notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) for complete eligibility information.

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Application Guide

You (the applicant organization/agency) are responsible for reading and complying with the instructions included in HRSA’s SF-424 R&R Application Guide, available online at https://www.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/hrsa/grants/apply/applicationguide/sf-424-rr-guide-v2.pdf, except where instructed in this NOFO to do otherwise.

Technical Assistance

HRSA will hold a pre-application technical assistance (TA) webinar(s) for applicants seeking funding through this opportunity. The webinar(s) will provide an overview of pertinent information in the NOFO and an opportunity for applicants to ask questions.

Visit the HRSA Bureau of Health Workforce’s open opportunities website at https://bhw.hrsa.gov/fundingopportunities/ to learn more about the resources available for this funding opportunity.

https://www.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/hrsa/grants/apply/applicationguide/sf-424-rr-guide-v2.pdf https://www.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/hrsa/grants/apply/applicationguide/sf-424-rr-guide-v2.pdf https://bhw.hrsa.gov/fundingopportunities/

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Table of Contents

I. PROGRAM FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

1. PURPOSE

2. BACKGROUND

II. AWARD INFORMATION

1. TYPE OF APPLICATION AND AWARD

2. SUMMARY OF FUNDING

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

1. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

2. COST SHARING/MATCHING

3. OTHER

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

1. ADDRESS TO REQUEST APPLICATION PACKAGE

2. CONTENT AND FORM OF APPLICATION SUBMISSION

i. Project Abstract

ii. Project Narrative

iii. Budget

iv. Budget Narrative

v. Program-Specific Forms

vi. Attachments

3. DUN AND BRADSTREET DATA UNIVERSAL NUMBERING SYSTEM (DUNS) NUMBER AND

SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT

4. SUBMISSION DATES AND TIMES

5. INTERGOVERNMENTAL REVIEW

6. FUNDING RESTRICTIONS

V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

1. REVIEW CRITERIA

2. REVIEW AND SELECTION PROCESS

3. ASSESSMENT OF RISK AND OTHER PRE-AWARD ACTIVITIES

4. ANTICIPATED ANNOUNCEMENT AND AWARD DATES

VI. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

1. AWARD NOTICES

2. ADMINISTRATIVE AND NATIONAL POLICY REQUIREMENTS

3. REPORTING

VII. AGENCY CONTACTS

APPENDIX A

APPENDIX B

APPENDIX C

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I. Program Funding Opportunity Description

1. Purpose

This notice announces the opportunity to apply for funding under the Nurse Faculty Loan Program (NFLP). The purpose of this 1-year funding opportunity is to increase the number of qualified nursing faculty. This NOFO seeks to accomplish this by providing funding to accredited schools of nursing to offer loans to students who will work to become nurse faculty. Students must be enrolled in advanced education nursing degree programs, as advanced nursing degree programs are best suited to produce nurse faculty. In exchange for full-time, post-graduation employment as nurse faculty, the program authorizes cancelation of up to 85 percent of any such loan (plus interest thereon).

2. Background

This program is authorized by Sections 846A and 847(f) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 297n-1 and 297o(f)).

In 2017, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) reported that due to the nation’s 1,567 faculty vacancies, 64,067 qualified applicants were not offered admission to baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs.1 A recent survey found that aging nursing faculty with increased and variable workload are considering retirement at a higher than projected rate which may further increase faculty vacancies.2 According to AACN’s Survey on Vacant Faculty Positions for Academic Year 2016- 2017, responding schools of nursing identified over 1,500 full-time faculty vacancies, nearly 8 percent of the nearly 20,000 full-time budgeted positions.3 Of those vacancies, nearly 60 percent required that the incumbent hold a doctorate in nursing (or related field), while an additional 33 percent required a master’s degree in nursing but preferred a doctorate degree. In addition, the most frequently cited challenges related to faculty recruitment included limited pool of doctorally prepared faculty and lack of faculty with the right specialty mix.4

The NFLP supports institutions committed to preparing advanced degree nursing students to serve as nurse faculty. Evidence has shown monetary support to pursue

1 American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2017). 2016-2017 Enrollment and Graduations in Baccalaureate and Graduate Programs in Nursing. Washington, DC.

http://www.aacnnursing.org/Portals/42/News/Factsheets/Faculty-Shortage-Factsheet-2017.pdf 2 Bittner NP, Bechtel CF (2017). Identifying and Describing Nurse Faculty Workload Issues: A Looming Faculty Shortage. Nursing Education Perspectives 38(4): 171-176.

3 American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2017). Special Survey on Vacant Faculty Positions for Academic year 2016-2017. Washington, DC. http://www.aacn.nche.edu/leading-initiatives/research-data/vacancy16.pdf 4 American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2017). Special Survey on Vacant Faculty Positions for Academic year 2016-2017. Washington, DC. http://www.aacn.nche.edu/leading-initiatives/research-data/vacancy16.pdf

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education, including fellowships and loan forgiveness, to be effective in encouraging students to become nurse faculty.5,6

Program Definitions A glossary containing general definitions for terms used throughout HRSA’s Bureau of Health Workforce NOFOs is located at the Health Workforce Glossary. In addition, the following definitions apply to the NFLP Program for Fiscal Year (FY) 2019:

Advanced Education Nursing Program – Refers to advanced education nursing degree programs (including individuals in combined Registered Nurse (RN)/graduate degree programs and post-nursing Master’s certificate programs) that train individuals to serve as nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, nurse-midwives, nurse anesthetists, nurse educators, nurse administrators, and public health nurses.

Full-Time Employment – The institution which provided NFLP support to a borrower may define full-time employment, and may include either (1) employment as a full-time faculty member position in an accredited school of nursing; or (2) employment as a part-time faculty member at an accredited school of nursing in combination with another part-time faculty position or part-time clinical preceptor/educator position affiliated with an accredited school of nursing that together equates to full-time employment.

II. Award Information

1. Type of Application and Award

Type(s) of applications sought: New, Competing Continuation

HRSA will provide funding in the form of a formula award.

2. Summary of Funding

HRSA expects approximately $26.8 million to be available annually to fund approximately 90 recipients. The FY 2019 President’s Budget does not request funding for this program. The actual amount available will not be determined until enactment of the final FY 2019 federal appropriation. This program notice is subject to the appropriation of funds, and is a contingency action taken to ensure that, should funds become available for this purpose, HRSA can process applications and award funds in a timely manner. The period of performance is July 1, 2019, through June 30, 2020 (1 year).

All HRSA awards are subject to the applicable Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles and Audit Requirements at 45 CFR part 75.

This program does not allow any indirect costs.

5 Young, LK, et. al (2016) Nurses for Wisconsin: A Collaborative Initiative to Enhance the Nurse Educator Workforce, Journal of Professional Nursing 32:292-299.

6 Gerolamo AM, et al (2014) Who will educate our nurses? A strategy to address the nurse faculty shortage in New Jersey, Nursing Outlook 62(4): 275-284.

https://bhw.hrsa.gov/grants/resourcecenter/glossary http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/retrieveECFR?gp=1&SID=4d52364ec83fab994c665943dadf9cf7&ty=HTML&h=L&r=PART&n=pt45.1.75

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III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants are accredited schools of nursing.

Any school(s) of nursing affiliated with this application must be accredited at the time of application – and for the duration of the award – by a national agency approved by the Secretary of Education for nurse education accreditation. Applicants must submit official documentation of accreditation in Attachment 1 for all affiliated nursing programs.

Eligible applicants must be located in the United States, Guam, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, U.S. Virgin Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of the Marshall Islands, or the Republic of Palau. Tribes and Tribal organizations may apply for these funds, if otherwise eligible.

Foreign entities are not eligible for this HRSA award.

Individuals are not eligible to apply.

For competing continuation (renewal) applicants, your institution’s default rate status may be considered in determining future NFLP award decisions. Competing continuation applicants that are above the default rate threshold (greater than five (5) percent) may be deemed ineligible for future funding or be subject to additional penalties, up to and including, award termination.

2. Cost Sharing/Matching

Cost sharing/matching is required for this program. Recipient institutions are required to deposit an institutional capital contribution (ICC) that is equal to not less than one-ninth of the FY 2019 Federal award amount, hereafter referred to as the Federal Capital Contribution (FCC). See legislative authority: 846A(b)(2)(B) (42 U.S.C. 297n- 1(b)(2)(B)).

3. Other

Eligible applicants are required to:

1. Establish and maintain a student loan fund;

2. Contribute an amount equal to not less than one-ninth of the FCC;

3. Provide loans from the fund only to students pursuing a course of study in an advanced education nursing degree program that prepares the individual to become nurse faculty;

4. Provide cancelation of up to 85 percent of any such loan (plus interest thereon) according to the schedule outlined in the Agreement to Participate in NFLP (See Appendix A of this funding opportunity); and

5. Collect on principal and interest on all loans made from the above NFLP student loan fund (and any other earnings of the fund) for deposit in the fund.

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Deadline HRSA will consider any application that fails to satisfy the deadline requirements referenced in Section IV.4 non-responsive and will not consider it for funding under this notice.

Maintenance of Effort (MOE) The recipient must agree to maintain non-Federal funding for award activities at a level that is equal to or greater than expenditures for such activities during the fiscal year prior to receiving the award, as required by Section 803(b) of the Public Health Service Act. Complete the MOE information and submit as Attachment 4.

Multiple applications from an institution are allowable; however, applicants can submit only one application per campus. A campus is defined as a division of a university that has its own grounds, buildings (e.g., school of nursing) and faculty.

If for any reason (including submitting to the wrong funding opportunity number or making corrections/updates) an application is submitted more than once prior to the application due date, HRSA will only accept your last validated electronic submission, under the correct funding opportunity number, prior to the Grants.gov application due date as the final and only acceptable application.

IV. Application and Submission Information

1. Address to Request Application Package

HRSA requires you to apply electronically. HRSA encourages you to apply through Grants.gov using the SF-424 Research and Related (R&R) workspace application package associated with this NOFO following the directions provided at http://www.grants.gov/applicants/apply-for-grants.html.

If you are reading this notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) (also known as “Instructions” on Grants.gov) and reviewing or preparing the workspace application package, you will automatically be notified in the event HRSA changes and/or republishes the NOFO on Grants.gov before its closing date. Responding to an earlier version of a modified notice may result in a less competitive or ineligible application.

Please note, you are ultimately responsible for reviewing the For Applicants page for all information relevant to desired opportunities.

2. Content and Form of Application Submission

Section 4 of HRSA’s SF-424 R&R Application Guide provides instructions for the budget, budget narrative, staffing plan and personnel requirements, assurances, certifications, and abstract. You must submit the information outlined in the SF-424 R&R Application Guide in addition to the program-specific information below. You are responsible for reading and complying with the instructions included in HRSA’s SF-424 R&R Application Guide except where instructed in the NOFO to do otherwise. You must submit the application in the English language and in the terms of U.S. dollars (45 CFR § 75.111(a)).

https://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/applicants/apply-for-grants.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants.html http://www.hrsa.gov/grants/apply/applicationguide/sf424rrguidev2.pdf http://www.hrsa.gov/grants/apply/applicationguide/sf424rrguidev2.pdf http://www.hrsa.gov/grants/apply/applicationguide/sf424rrguidev2.pdf http://www.hrsa.gov/grants/apply/applicationguide/sf424rrguidev2.pdf

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See Section 8.5 of the SF-424 R&R Application Guide for the Application Completeness Checklist.

Application Page Limit The total size of all uploaded files may not exceed the equivalent of 30 pages when printed by HRSA. The page limit includes the abstract, project and budget narratives, attachments including biographical sketches (biosketches), and letters of commitment and support required in HRSA’s SF-424 R&R Application Guide and this NOFO.

Standard OMB-approved forms that are included in the workspace application package do not count in the page limit. Biographical sketches do count in the page limit. We strongly urge you to take appropriate measures to ensure your application does not exceed the specified page limit.

Applications must be complete, within the specified page limit, and validated by Grants.gov under the correct funding opportunity number prior to the deadline to be considered under this notice.

Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility, and Voluntary Exclusion Certification

1) The prospective recipient certifies, by submission of this proposal, that neither it nor its principals is presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from participation in this transaction by any federal department or agency.

2) Failure to make required disclosures can result in any of the remedies described in 45 CFR § 75.371, including suspension or debarment. (See also 2 CFR parts 180 and 376, and 31 U.S.C. 3321).

3) Where the prospective recipient is unable to attest to the statements in this certification, an explanation shall be included in Attachment 7: Other Relevant Documents.

See Section 4.1 viii of HRSA’s SF-424 R&R Application Guide for additional information on all certifications.

Program-Specific Instructions In addition to application requirements and instructions in Section 4 of HRSA’s SF-424 R&R Application Guide (including the budget, budget narrative, staffing plan and personnel requirements, assurances, certifications, and abstract), include the following:

i. Project Abstract See Section 4.1.ix of HRSA’s SF-424 R&R Application Guide.

The Abstract must include a brief overview of how the project will be accomplished (i.e., the "who, what, when, where, why and how" of the project), including a reasonable estimate of the projected number of graduates that will enter the nurse faculty workforce at the completion of the funded period of performance; and which degree programs will be covered.

ii. Project Narrative This section provides a comprehensive framework and description of all aspects of the proposed project. It should be succinct, self-explanatory, consistent with forms http://www.hrsa.gov/grants/apply/applicationguide/sf424rrguidev2.pdf http://www.hrsa.gov/grants/apply/applicationguide/sf424rrguidev2.pdf http://www.hrsa.gov/grants/apply/applicationguide/sf424rrguidev2.pdf http://www.hrsa.gov/grants/apply/applicationguide/sf424rrguidev2.pdf

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and attachments, and well organized so that reviewers can understand the proposed project.

Successful applications will contain the information below. Please use the following section headers for the narrative:

PURPOSE AND NEED

1. Briefly describe institutional alignment with NFLP purpose; consider alignment of institutional mission with HRSA. Demonstrate how you will aim to improve the health of underserved and vulnerable populations by strengthening the health workforce and connecting skilled professionals to communities in need.

2. Describe the need for more qualified nurse faculty within the institution’s service populations and area. Identify the pipeline of nurse candidates that feed your institution’s advanced education nursing degree programs.

Describe how your students will benefit from this program and how your graduates impact the health workforce locally and nationally.

RESPONSE TO PROGRAM PURPOSE – This section includes three sub-sections – (a) Methodology/Approach; (b) Work Plan; and (c) Resolution of Challenges.

(a) METHODOLOGY/APPROACH

In this section, you must propose the methods you will use to address the program agreement and expectations in this NOFO.

1. Establish and maintain a student loan fund;

2. Contribute an amount equal to not less than one-ninth the FCC;

3. Provide loans from the fund only to students pursuing a course of study in an advanced education nursing degree program that prepares them to become qualified nurse faculty;

4. Provide cancelation of up to 85 percent of any such loan (plus interest thereon) according to the schedule outlined in the Agreement to Participate in the Nurse Faculty Loan Program (See Appendix A of this funding opportunity);

and

5. Collect principal and interest on all loans made from the above NFLP student loan fund (and any other earnings of the fund) for deposit in the fund.

a. More information about the administration of these requirements are available at:

https://bhw.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/bhw/nflpadministrativeguidance.p df

6. Upload a disbursement plan for the new NFLP funds being requested in this application as outlined on page 10.

7. Institutions applying as competing continuations with NFLP loan default rates greater than 5 percent must submit a corrective action plan to reduce the default rate to: (a) less than or equal to 5 percent; or (b) one-half the default rate reported for the previous reporting period, whichever is greater. A corrective action plan is a documented and actionable process plan developed https://bhw.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/bhw/nflpadministrativeguidance.pdf

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by organizations to achieve defined outcomes that resolve identified non-compliance

(b) WORK PLAN

Describe the activities or steps that you will use to achieve each of the objectives proposed during the entire period of performance in the Methodology section. Use a timeline that includes each activity and identifies responsible staff. As appropriate, identify meaningful support and collaboration with key stakeholders in planning, designing and implementing all activities.

Your work plan must outline the contents of your institution’s NFLP Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to maintain your own internal policies. Your work plan must demonstrate your plan to implement a project of the proposed scope. A sample work plan can be found here:

http://bhw.hrsa.gov/grants/technicalassistance/workplantemplate.docx.

The work plan must include:

• Goals of the project (including objectives and sub-objectives);

• Responsible entity/entities (i.e., key staff and partners);

• Activities;

• Timeline;

• Deliverables and/or products; and

• Proposed outcomes.

You must clearly explain how the proposed objectives and sub-objectives will be implemented. You must state objectives and sub-objectives that are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-framed.

See Administrative Guidelines, which apply to all recipients under this NOFO for NFLP implementation guidance and program resources and information.

(c) RESOLUTION OF CHALLENGES

Discuss challenges that you are likely to encounter with administering a loan forgiveness program with a revolving loan fund component and your plan to mitigate these challenges, including:

1. Identifying students who plan to become nurse faculty;

2. Establishing confirmation of their understanding of the commitment that results from receiving the loan;

3. The management of institution’s loan account (including collections) and borrower records; and

4. Tracking and assisting NFLP-supported graduates with obtaining and meeting their service obligation as full-time faculty.

IMPACT – This section includes 2 sub-sections – (a) Evaluation and Technical Support Capacity; and (b) Project Sustainability http://bhw.hrsa.gov/grants/technicalassistance/workplantemplate.docx

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(a) EVALUATION AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT CAPACITY

You must describe the plan for the program performance evaluation that will contribute to continuous quality improvement. Describe your institution’s ability to monitor and track NFLP-supported students’ and graduates’ progression through the NFLP from commitment through loan cancellation, including plans for maintaining contact with students after graduation.

You must include a description of how the organization will effectively track performance outcomes, including how the organization will collect and manage data in a way that allows for accurate and timely reporting of performance outcomes to HRSA. At the following link, you will find the required data forms for this program: http://bhw.hrsa.gov/grants/reporting/index.html. Applicants must review the NFLP Performance Measures and affirm ability to collect required data.

Describe any potential obstacles for implementing program evaluation and meeting HRSA’s performance measurement requirements, and how those obstacles will be addressed.

(b) PROJECT SUSTAINABILITY

You must propose a plan for project sustainability after the period of federal funding ends. Recipients are expected to sustain key elements of their projects.

ORGANIZATIONAL INFORMATION, RESOURCES AND CAPABILITIES

Describe the capacity for administering the program at your school. Describe the staff/department responsible for activities detailed in the Work Plan section, including recruitment, student orientation, program monitoring, and completion and submission of reports.

You must describe your capacity to manage effectively the programmatic, fiscal, and administrative aspects of the NFLP award. Provide information on your current mission and structure. Provide information on your resources and capabilities to support provision of NFLP funds.

iii. Budget NFLP is a formula-based loan program that does not require submission of a budget.

iv. Budget Narrative

NFLP is a formula-based loan program that does not require submission of a budget justification narrative.

v. Program-Specific Forms As part of the application submitted through Grants.gov, you must also complete and electronically submit the NFLP Program Specific Data Form (NFLP Tables) by the established and published application due date. A reference copy of the program specific form is provided under Appendix C of this http://bhw.hrsa.gov/grants/reporting/index.html

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guidance. The NFLP Tables are essential in determining the award calculation. Therefore, incomplete or missing data may result in HRSA deeming the application non-responsive to the funding opportunity and the application might not be considered for funding.

See Section 4.1.iv of HRSA’s SF-424 R&R Application Guide. Please note: the directions offered in the SF-424 R&R Application Guide may differ from those offered by Grants.gov. Please follow the instructions included in the Application Guide. Following the Application Guide will ensure that, if the application is selected for funding, you will have a well-organized plan and by carefully following the approved plan, you can avoid audit issues during the implementation phase.

Reminder: The Total Project or Program Costs are the total allowable costs incurred by the recipient to carry out a HRSA-supported project or activity. Total project or program costs include costs charged to the award and costs borne by the recipient to satisfy a matching or cost-sharing requirement, as applicable.

vi. Attachments

Provide the following items in the order specified below to complete the content of the application. Unless otherwise noted, attachments count toward the application page limit. Each attachment must be clearly labeled.

Attachment 1: Accreditation Documentation - Required The applicant organization must provide: 1) a statement that they hold continuing accreditation from the relevant accrediting body and are not on probation, 2) the name of the accrediting body, 3) the date of the initial accreditation, 4) the date of the next accrediting body review (or expiration date of current accreditation), and

5) a web link to the accreditation document on the accrediting body website (if available). The full letter of accreditation is not required.

Requested Attachments We request the following attachments, but their omission will not cause HRSA to screen out the application.

Attachment 2: Biographical Sketch of Project Director Upload a biographical sketch for the Project Director, not to exceed two pages in length. In the event that a biographical sketch is included for an identified individual who is not yet hired, please include a letter of commitment from that person along with the biographical sketch.

Attachment 3: Maintenance of Effort Documentation Upload a baseline aggregate expenditure for the prior fiscal year and an estimate for the next fiscal year using a chart similar to the one below. HRSA will enforce statutory MOE requirements through all available mechanisms.

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NON-FEDERAL EXPENDITURES

FY 2018 (Actual)

Actual FY 2018 non-federal funds, including in-kind, expended for activities proposed in this application.

Amount: $_____________

FY 2019 (Estimated)

Estimated FY 2019 non-federal funds, including in-kind, designated for activities proposed in this application.

Amount: $______________

Attachment 4: Loan Disbursement Plan Upload a disbursement plan for the new NFLP funds being requested in this application. Institutions must include a schedule of the disbursements planned for students who will receive loan support during the funded period of performance.

The detailed schedule must document the following in Section A:

• Number of students planned to support, listed by full-time or part-time status;

• The date of the disbursements for the full academic year period (e.g., fall/spring/summer); and

• The estimated loan amount for each student (eligible costs and fees include the cost of tuition, fees, books, lab expenses, and other reasonable education expenses).

For competing continuation (renewal) applicants with unused past NFLP funds, the applicant must provide as Section B a supplementary disbursement plan for those unused NFLP funds to include the following:

• Number of students you project to support using the unused NFLP funds, listed by full-time or part-time status;

• The date of the disbursements for the full academic year period (e.g., fall/spring/summer); and

• The estimated loan amount for each student (eligible costs and fees include the cost of tuition, fees, books, lab expenses, and other reasonable education expenses).

Attachment 5: Default Rate Corrective Action Plan (For competing continuation applicants, if applicable; not counted in page limit) Institutions applying as competing continuations with NFLP loan default rates greater than 5 percent must submit a corrective action plan to reduce the default rate to: (a) less than or equal to 5 percent; or (b) one-half the default rate reported for the previous reporting period, whichever is greater. The applicant must implement the corrective action plan during the budget year, with the understanding that failure to do so may result in becoming ineligible for future funding or becoming subject to additional penalties, up to and including, award termination. The default rate corrective action plan must be signed by the Project Director, the Authorizing Official, or both, and must include:

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• A description of the factors that have contributed to the default rate exceeding the 5 percent threshold; and

• A work plan with specific activities and associated timelines to reduce the default rate to either (1) under 5 percent or (2) half the current default rate (whichever is greater) during the period of performance.

3. Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Number and System for Award Management

You must obtain a valid DUNS number, also known as the Unique Entity Identifier, for your organization/agency and provide that number in the application. You must also register with the System for Award Management (SAM) and continue to maintain active SAM registration with current information at all times during which you have an active federal award or an application or plan under consideration by an agency (unless the applicant is an individual or federal agency that is exempted from those requirements under 2 CFR § 25.110(b) or (c), or has an exception approved by the agency under 2 CFR § 25.110(d)).

HRSA may not make an award to an applicant until the applicant has complied with all applicable DUNS and SAM requirements and, if an applicant has not fully complied with the requirements by the time HRSA is ready to make an award, HRSA may determine that the applicant is not qualified to receive an award and use that determination as the basis for making an award to another applicant.

If you have already completed Grants.gov registration for HRSA or another federal agency, confirm that the registration is still active and that the Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) has been approved.

The Grants.gov registration process requires information in three separate systems:

Dun and Bradstreet (http://www.dnb.com/duns-number.html)

System for Award Management (SAM) (https://www.sam.gov)

Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov/)

For further details, see Section 3.1 of HRSA’s SF-424 R&R Application Guide.

UPDATED SAM.GOV ALERT: For your SAM.gov registration, you must submit a notarized letter appointing the authorized Entity Administrator. The review process changed for the Federal Assistance community on June 11, 2018. Read the updated FAQs to learn more.

SAM.gov is experiencing high volume and delays. If you have tried to create or update your SAM.gov registration but have not been able to complete the process, you may not be able to apply for a HRSA funding opportunity via Grants.gov in a timely manner prior to the application deadline. If so, please email DGPwaivers@hrsa.gov, per the instructions in Section 3.6 of your HRSA Application Guide.

If you fail to allow ample time to complete registration with SAM or Grants.gov, you will not be eligible for a deadline extension or waiver of the electronic submission requirement.

http://www.dnb.com/duns-number.html https://www.sam.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.hrsa.gov/grants/apply/applicationguide/sf424rrguidev2.pdf https://www.gsa.gov/about-us/organization/federal-acquisition-service/office-of-systems-management/integrated-award-environment-iae/sam-update https://www.gsa.gov/about-us/organization/federal-acquisition-service/office-of-systems-management/integrated-award-environment-iae/sam-update https://sam.gov/portal/SAM/ mailto:DGPwaivers@hrsa.gov

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4. Submission Dates and Times

Application Due Date The due date for applications under this NOFO is November 28, 2018 at 11:59 p.m.

Eastern Time. HRSA suggests submitting applications to Grants.gov at least 3 days before the deadline to allow for any unforeseen circumstances.

See Section 8.2.5 – Summary of emails from Grants.gov of HRSA’s SF-424 R&R Application Guide for additional information.

5. Intergovernmental Review

NFLP is not a program subject to the provisions of Executive Order 12372, as implemented by 45 CFR part 100.

See Section 4.1 ii of HRSA’s SF-424 R&R Application Guide for additional information.

6. Funding Restrictions

You may request funding for a period of performance of up to (1) year. The FY 2019 President’s Budget does not request funding for this program. This program notice is subject to the appropriation of funds, and is a contingency action taken to ensure that, should funds become available for this purpose, HRSA can process applications and award funds in a timely manner. Awards to support projects beyond the first budget year will be contingent upon Congressional appropriation, satisfactory progress in meeting the project’s objectives, and a determination that continued funding would be in the best interest of the Federal Government.

This program does not allow any indirect costs. Awardees may use a reasonable amount of funds toward loan collection costs for outstanding NFLP loans.

The institution must ensure that:

• NFLP loan support is only made to eligible students to cover the cost of tuition, fees, books, lab expenses, and other reasonable education expenses;

• NFLP loan support does not exceed $35,500 per student for any academic period; and

• NFLP loan support does not exceed five (5) years per student.

NFLP Participants To receive a loan from the NFLP student loan fund, the student borrower must be:

• Enrolled in a course of study in an advanced education nursing degree program, and

• Eligible to work in the United States.

The General Provisions in Division H of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 (P.L.

115-141) apply to this program. Please see Section 4.1 of HRSA’s SF-424 R&R Application Guide for additional information. Note that these or other restrictions will apply in the following fiscal year, as required by law.

http://www.hrsa.gov/grants/apply/applicationguide/sf424rrguidev2.pdf

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You are required to have the necessary policies, procedures, and financial controls in place to ensure that your organization complies with all legal requirements and restrictions applicable to the receipt of federal funding including statutory restrictions on use of funds for lobbying, executive salaries, gun control, abortion, etc. The effectiveness of these policies, procedures and controls is subject to audit.

All program income generated as a result of awarded funds must be used for approved project-related activities. The program income alternative applied to the award(s) under the program will be the addition/additive alternative. You can find post-award requirements for program income at 45 CFR § 75.307.

V. Application Review Information

1. Review Criteria

The NFLP is a formula-based loan program that does not require objective review of the application against review criteria. HRSA is responsible for the review of each application for eligibility including accreditation status, Project Director qualifications, completeness, accuracy (including the data reported on all tables) and compliance with the requirements outlined in this NOFO.

For competing continuation (renewal) applicants, the application review and award determination process will consider (a) the amount of unused NFLP funds from previous awards, (b) whether the institution has made NFLP loans over recent periods, and (c) the institution’s NFLP loan default rate from the past reporting period.

NOTE: Competing continuation (renewal) applicants with an NFLP loan default rate in excess of five percent and applicants who fail to take necessary action to correct excessive NFLP loan default rate may be deemed ineligible for future funding and may be subject to additional penalties, up to and including involuntary termination of the NFLP award.

2. Review and Selection Process

The funds appropriated for the NFLP are distributed among participating institutions as a formula-based loan. Program data reported on the NFLP Program Specific Data Form are used to determine funding and administer the program. All required program data tables must be submitted electronically in Grants.gov as part of the application.

See Section 5.3 of HRSA’s SF-424 R&R Application Guide for more details.

Statutory Funding Priority This program includes a funding priority, as authorized under Section 847(f) of the Public Health Service Act. A funding priority is defined as a favorable adjustment of the formula that determines the amount of the award. HRSA will award a funding priority to NFLP applicants that support doctoral nursing students. Under the NFLP, a funding priority will be applied through the formula calculation to eligible applicants that support students enrolled in doctoral nursing programs (e.g., PhD, DNP, and EdD in Nursing Education).

https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/retrieveECFR?gp=1&SID=4d52364ec83fab994c665943dadf9cf7&ty=HTML&h=L&r=PART&n=pt45.1.75

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3. Assessment of Risk and Other Pre-Award Activities

HRSA may elect not to fund applicants with management or financial instability that directly relates to the organization’s ability to implement statutory, regulatory or other requirements (45 CFR § 75.205).

HRSA reviews applications receiving a favorable review for other considerations that include past performance, as applicable, cost analysis of the project/program budget, assessment of your management systems, ensuring continued applicant eligibility, and compliance with any public policy requirements, including those requiring just-in-time submissions. You may be asked to submit additional programmatic or administrative information or to undertake certain activities in anticipation of an award. However, even at this point in the process, such requests do not guarantee that HRSA will make an award. Following review of all applicable information, HRSA’s approving and business management officials will determine whether HRSA can make an award, if special conditions are required, and what level of funding is appropriate.

Award decisions are discretionary and are not subject to appeal to any HRSA or HHS official or board.

Effective January 1, 2016, HRSA is required to review and consider any information about your organization that is in the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS). You may review and comment on any information about your organization that a federal awarding agency previously entered. HRSA will consider any of your comments, in addition to other information in FAPIIS in making a judgment about your organization’s integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under federal awards when completing the review of risk posed by applicants as described in 45 CFR § 75.205 HHS Awarding Agency Review of Risk Posed by Applicants.

HRSA will report to FAPIIS a determination that an applicant is not qualified. (45 CFR § 75.212)

4. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates

HRSA anticipates issuing/announcing awards prior to the start date of July 1, 2019.

https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/retrieveECFR?gp=1&SID=4d52364ec83fab994c665943dadf9cf7&ty=HTML&h=L&r=PART&n=pt45.1.75 https://www.fapiis.gov/ https://www.fapiis.gov/ https://www.fapiis.gov/ https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/retrieveECFR?gp=1&SID=4d52364ec83fab994c665943dadf9cf7&ty=HTML&h=L&r=PART&n=pt45.1.75 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/retrieveECFR?gp=1&SID=4d52364ec83fab994c665943dadf9cf7&ty=HTML&h=L&r=PART&n=pt45.1.75 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/retrieveECFR?gp=1&SID=4d52364ec83fab994c665943dadf9cf7&ty=HTML&h=L&r=PART&n=pt45.1.75 https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/retrieveECFR?gp=1&SID=4d52364ec83fab994c665943dadf9cf7&ty=HTML&h=L&r=PART&n=pt45.1.75

HRSA-19-004 15

VI. Award Administration Information

1. Award Notices

HRSA will issue the Notice of Award (NoA) prior to the start date of July 1, 2019. See Section 5.4 of HRSA’s SF-424 R&R Application Guide for additional information.

HRSA, acting on behalf of HHS, will send a NoA to awarded institutions indicating the amount of the FCC provided and the non-federal share ICC that the institution will be required to provide.

Receipt of Award Awarded institutions will receive the NFLP award via electronic funds transfer. The HHS Payment Management System (PMS) will establish an account for new institutions receiving an award. For information regarding drawdown of funds, contact the Division of Payment Management System at http://www.dpm.psc.gov/.

Recipients must draw down the full FY 2019 NFLP award amount from PMS within sixty

(60) days of receipt of the award and deposit the funds into an interest-bearing, student loan fund established by your institution. Institutions must conduct all loan activity through the student fund, rather than multiple drawdowns from the PMS account. The student fund must contain the following:

• FCC loan dollars awarded;

• ICC matching amount (equal to not less than one-ninth of the FCC);

• Proceeds from the collections of principal and interest on NFLP loans made from the fund; and

• All other earnings of the fund.

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

See Section 2.1 of HRSA’s SF-424 R&R Application Guide.

3. Reporting

Award recipients must comply with Section 6 of HRSA’s SF-424 R&R Application Guide and the following reporting and review activities:

1) Performance Report: The recipient must submit a Performance Report to HRSA via the EHBs on an annual basis. All BHW recipients are required to collect and report performance data so that HRSA can meet its obligations under the Government Performance and Results Modernization Act of 2010 (GPRA). The required performance measures for this program are outlined in the Project Narrative Section IV’s Impact Subsection (a). Further information will be provided in the award notice.

Nurse Faculty Loan Program Reporting Manual (PDF - 1.8 MB) Performance Measures (PDF - 728 KB) http://www.dpm.psc.gov/ http://www.hrsa.gov/grants/apply/applicationguide/sf424rrguidev2.pdf http://www.hrsa.gov/grants/apply/applicationguide/sf424rrguidev2.pdf https://bhw.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/bhw/grants/performancemeasures/nflp.pdf https://bhw.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/bhw/grants/performancemeasures/nflp.pdf

HRSA-19-004 16

The annual performance report will include all activities from July 1 to June 30, and will be due to HRSA on July 31.

2) Audit Requirements. Institutions must comply with the audit requirements of 45

CFR 75 Subpart F. Information on the scope, frequency, and other aspects of the audits can be found on the Internet at http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title02/2cfr200_main_02.tpl.

3) Payment Management Requirements. The NFLP award is an FCC. The FCC model requires recipient institutions to establish and maintain a revolving fund with the award. Funds for NFLP awards are sub-accounted in the Payment Management System and will be in a B type (sub-accounted) account. “B” accounts do not require quarterly FFR reporting. NFLP requires recipients to drawdown all funds upon award, and establish and maintain a revolving fund through which to conduct all loan activity. Funds are considered disbursed upon receipt by the recipient's bank, and therefore, recipients are not required to report quarterly using the FFR.

4) Status Reports

a. Federal Financial Report: Not required for this program.

b. Progress Report(s): Not required for this program.

c. Final Report: Not required for this program.

d. Tangible Personal Property Report: Not required for this program.

VII. Agency Contacts

You may request additional information and/or technical assistance regarding business, administrative, or fiscal issues related to this NOFO by contacting:

Tim Coyle Grants Management Specialist Division of Grants Management Operations, OFAM Health Resources and Services Administration 5600 Fishers Lane, Mailstop 10SWH03 Rockville, MD 20857 Telephone: (301) 443-4243 Email: tcoyle@hrsa.gov http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title02/2cfr200_main_02.tpl http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title02/2cfr200_main_02.tpl mailto:tcoyle@hrsa.gov

HRSA-19-004 17

You may request additional information regarding the overall program issues and/or technical assistance related to this NOFO by contacting:

Deitra Scott Nurse Consultant Division of Nursing and Public Health Bureau of Health Workforce Health Resources and Services Administration 5600 Fishers Lane, Room 11N 104B Rockville, MD 20857

Telephone: (301) 945-3113 Fax: 301-443-0791 Email: dscott1@hrsa.gov

OR

LCDR Edward W. Wroblewski III Nurse Consultant Division of Nursing and Public Health Bureau of Health Workforce Health Resources and Services Administration 5600 Fishers Lane, Room 11N 104B Rockville, MD 20857 Telephone: (301) 443-4301 Email: ewroblewski@hrsa.gov

You may need assistance when working online to submit your application forms electronically. Always obtain a case number when calling for support. For assistance with submitting the application in Grants.gov, contact Grants.gov 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, excluding federal holidays at:

Grants.gov Contact Center Telephone: 1-800-518-4726 (International Callers, please dial 606-545-5035) Email: support@grants.gov Self-Service Knowledge Base: https://grants-portal.psc.gov/Welcome.aspx?pt=Grants

Successful applicants/recipients may need assistance when working online to submit information and reports electronically through HRSA’s Electronic Handbooks (EHBs).

For assistance with submitting information in HRSA’s EHBs, contact the HRSA Contact Center, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET, excluding federal holidays at:

HRSA Contact Center Telephone: (877) 464-4772

TTY: (877) 897-9910

Web: http://www.hrsa.gov/about/contact/ehbhelp.aspx mailto:ewroblewski@hrsa.gov mailto:support@grants.gov https://grants-portal.psc.gov/Welcome.aspx?pt=Grants https://grants-portal.psc.gov/Welcome.aspx?pt=Grants http://www.hrsa.gov/about/contact/ehbhelp.aspx

HRSA-19-004 18

VIII. Other Information

HRSA will hold a pre-application technical assistance (TA) webinar(s) for applicants seeking funding through this opportunity. The webinar(s) will provide an overview of pertinent information in the NOFO and an opportunity for applicants to ask questions.

Visit the HRSA Bureau of Health Workforce’s open opportunities website at https://bhw.hrsa.gov/fundingopportunities/ to learn more about the resources available for this funding opportunity.

IX. Tips for Writing a Strong Application

See Section 4.7 of HRSA’s SF-424 R&R Application Guide.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) can be found on the program website, and are often updated during the application process.

In addition, a number of recorded webcasts have been developed with information that may assist you in preparing a competitive application. These webcasts can be accessed at http://www.hrsa.gov/grants/apply/write-strong/index.html.

https://bhw.hrsa.gov/fundingopportunities/ http://www.hrsa.gov/grants/apply/write-strong/

HRSA-19-004 19

APPENDIX A

SAMPLE

AGREEMENT WITH

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Health Resources and Services Administration

Bureau of Health Workforce

TO PARTICIPATE IN THE NURSE FACULTY LOAN

PROGRAM (NFLP) HRSA-19-004

The Nurse Faculty Loan Program (“NFLP”) HRSA-19-004, Section 846A of the Public Health Service Act (“the Act”), authorizes the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services…