OWBO-WKPLN-2018-19 (Option Year Workplan and Budget Request).docx

U.S. SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

Office of Women’s Business Ownership (OWBO)

REQUEST FOR 2018 - 2019

(FY 2018)

OPTION YEAR WORK PLAN

AND

BUDGET REQUEST

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT

OWBO-WKPLN-2018-19

Option Year Budget Period: September 30, 2018 – September 29, 2019 Opening Date: August 14, 2018 Closing Date: September 13, 2018 The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement is to provide Women’s Business Centers (WBCs) that are currently in SBA’s WBC Program that will have successfully completed year 1, 2, 3 or 4 of its 5-year Initial WBC Project by September 29, 2018 or those WBCs that will have successfully completed year 1 or 2 of its 3-year Renewal WBC Project by September 29, 2018 the opportunity to apply for Option Year funding.

This is a non-competitive funding opportunity announcement, therefore, there is no synopsis posted at grants.gov. This Work Plan Narrative Template, the Instructions, and Checklist are attached to the e-mail sent to the WBC Directors on August 14, 2018. All other required SBA forms and worksheets relevant to this request are located at sba.gov/wbc and grants.gov, accordingly.

Proposals responding to this funding opportunity announcement must be posted to grants.gov by 11:59:59 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, September 13, 2018. No other methods of submission will be permitted. Proposals submitted after the stipulated deadline will be rejected without being evaluated.

WORK PLAN NARRATIVE TEMPLATE

For each section below, the narrative must address all of the questions included in that section. The total response to the requests in this template must be limited to 5 pages. This does not include the other required attachments. If the Host has multiple centers, make sure each narrative is unique to that center.

PLEASE DO NOT TYPE YOUR RESPONSES INSIDE THIS DOCUMENT, HOWEVER, NUMBER EACH RESPONSE ACCORDING TO THIS TEMPLATE.

I. WBC Summary

a. Discuss how the WBC and the Host Organization complement each other. Describe any infra-structure changes within the host that have taken place since your last proposal/work plan submission.

b. How is the WBC program unique from the host and other services provided?

II. Service Description

a. Describe how the center will implement the scope of work provided in the original proposal (to include any approved modifications to your scope in subsequent years, if applicable) during the 2018-19 project year.

b. Describe how the scope of work has changed from the original proposal and identify how the changes will impact the services provided and the community being served.

c. Describe new programs and services the WBC will offer and/or provide for the 2018-19 project year.

d. Discuss how the WBC utilizes online training and counseling and how these services to clients are tracked.

e. Describe how the center will increase services to women entrepreneurs during the 2018-19 project year and demonstrate an increase in performance outcomes.

f. List planned closure dates for the WBC.

III. Marketing Description The success of the WBC program is contingent upon the collaborative efforts of the WBC and the SBA District Office. The WBC and its aligned SBA District Office should coordinate their efforts to support its outreach, engagement and service of women entrepreneurs.

a. Describe how the center will market the programs and services to women entrepreneurs and how the marketing strategy will reach more clients. Include any changes from previous strategies.

b. What other marketing tools will be used to reach more clients overall?

IV. Strategy and Implementation

a. Provide a narrative plan with clear goals, measurable objectives, and time-phased activities that are results-oriented to increase business expansions and new business start-ups among prospective clients.

b. For FY 2019, SBA will establish targets for each performance metric, consistent with historical performance. Importantly, rather than negotiate local goals we will use this time to work in tandem with our Resource Partners to implement the new performance metrics and focus on outcomes for entrepreneurs.

1. The plan must include projected number of:

· Clients served (Unique Clients Trained and Advised);

· New business starts - clients reporting small business start as a result of any service; and

· Capital Infusion – totals of self-reported loans, equity, and venture capital.

2. The plan must include long- and short-term training, counseling and technical assistance, and must provide for serving nascent entrepreneurs as well as start-up and established businesses.

3. Provide a completed projected milestones chart located at sba.gov/wbc.

V. Personnel Description

a. Describe how the personnel listed on the budget contribute to the overall mission of helping women to start and grow businesses.

b. Describe how volunteers are integrated into your service delivery strategy. Include the estimated number of volunteers that will work with the WBC.

VI. Financial Justification

a. Provide a brief description/justification of expenditures for each cost category found on the Annual Budget Summary Detailed Expenditure Worksheets (DEW/B10-B16) and how the expenditures contribute to the WBC mission.

b. Discuss how match will be raised. Include your strategy to raise and use Program Income.

VII. Risk Assessment List of all Federal awards the Applicant has received within the last five (5) years. Provide the following information:

a. Grantor agency name;

b. Code of Federal Domestic Assistance number;

c. Year of the award;

d. Amount of the award; and

e. Status of award. (i.e., whether the award is ongoing, closed or in default) As required by 2 C.F.R. § 200.205(b), applicants receiving acceptable scores will be further evaluated by OWBO senior staff to assess the possible risks they may pose. In assessing the possible risks posed by an applicant, OWBO will consider the applicant’s:

a. Financial stability;

b. Management systems quality and its ability to meet the management standards prescribed in 2 C.F.R. § 200.302;

c. History of performance in managing other Federal awards, including: timeliness of providing required reports; compliance with the terms and conditions of the award; ability to meet matching funds requirements; and the extent to which the applicant has failed to fully expend funds provided under prior awards;

d. Results, reports, and findings from any of its available audits or programmatic reviews and its responses to them; and

e. Ability to effectively implement statutory, regulatory, or other requirements.

f. Although an applicant may receive a score placing it in the competitive range, SBA may still decline to issue it an award under this announcement based on its assessed risk.

VIII. Additional Information Regarding Non-Federal Match

a. Donations from Federal entities may not be claimed as match.

b. Matching contributions must come from non-Federal sources such as state and local public funds; private individuals, corporations and foundations; and program income (income from program services).

c. Funds you receive as payment for services provided under an agreement with an outside, non-Federal entity may be used as match regardless of whether the non-Federal entity received those funds from a Federal source.

d. When permissible under the terms of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program, CDBG funds may also be used as match. The matching contribution must be pledged for the WBC activities. At least one half of the non-Federal match must be in the form of cash.

e. Community Development Service Grant (CDSG) funds may not be used as match.

IX. Ineligible Applicants The following organizations will automatically be considered ineligible and their applications will be rejected without being evaluated:

a. Any organization that owes an outstanding and unresolved financial obligation to the Federal government;

b. Any organization that is currently suspended, debarred or otherwise prohibited from receiving awards of contracts or grants from the Federal government;

c. Any organization with an outstanding and unresolved material deficiency reported under the requirements of the Single Audit Act within the past three years;

d. Any organization that has had a WBC grant or cooperative agreement involuntarily terminated or non-renewed within the past year;

e. Any organization that has filed for bankruptcy within the past five years;

f. Any organization that proposes to serve as a pass-through and permit another organization to manage the day-to-day operations of the project;

g. Any organization that does not propose to hire and employ a full-time (40 hours per week) program director whose time is dedicated 100% to managing the day-to-day operation of the WBC and staff; and/or

h. Any organization that was convicted, or had an officer or agent acting on its behalf convicted, of a felony criminal violation under any Federal law within the preceding 24 months.

X. Additional Documents

a. Copies of contracts & consulting agreements (include 3 quotes for all subcontracts between $10,001 – $250K).

b. Most recent A-133 audit. If not subject to A-133 audit requirements, submit your audited financial statement. Note: If your current WBC project is rated “Low Risk,” by SBA/OWBO, you may submit your most recent unaudited financial statement.

c. Copy of the Applicant’s current, government-wide indirect cost rate agreement (if the Applicant’s budget includes indirect costs) if updated since prior project year.

If the Applicant has never had an indirect cost rate agreement and its budget includes indirect costs, it may utilize a de minimus rate of 10% of MTDC (to include Federal and non-Federal) until the non-Federal entity can provide a copy of a current indirect cost rate agreement (ICRA) either through the SBA, or from another cognizant Federal agency. This new rule does not apply to organizations that have an expired ICRA.

d. Along with the items discussed in Section X. above, Applicants must submit any documents that have changed since the prior project year to include its organizational chart, brief description of duties of full and part-time staff to be charged to the WBC’s budget (including proposed positions), copy of Applicant’s Cost Policy Statement, list of board of directors and advisory board members. If no changes, no need to submit with this Option Year Work Plan and Budget Request.

e. Any other documentation the Applicant believes supports its proposal.

XI. Submission Instructions All proposals (narratives and forms) must be submitted electronically via grants.gov, the government-wide financial assistance portal, located at: grants.gov/web/grants/home.html. UNFORTUNATLEY, NO OTHER FORMS OF SUBMISSION WILL BE ACCEPTED. All required forms are provided in the grants.gov application package for this funding opportunity. Specific instructions for obtaining, completing, and submitting an application via grants.gov, including animated tutorials, may be found at: grants.gov/web/grants/applicants.html In order to submit an application via grants.gov, an organization is first required to have a DUNS number, be registered with the System for Award Management (SAM), and have a grants.gov username and password. The process for meeting these three pre-submission requirements may take several days to complete. Additionally, Applicants may have to download or upgrade their software in order to utilize grants.gov. Applicants should not wait until the closing date to begin the submission process in order to avoid unexpected delays that could result in the rejection of an application.

Information about the grants.gov registration process can be found at grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration.html. Applicants must register as organizations, not as individuals. Please note that organizations already registered with grants.gov do not need to re-register. However, all registered organizations must keep their SAM registration up-to-date. As part of the grants.gov registration process, an Applicant must designate one or more Authorized Organizational Representatives (AORs). AORs are the only individuals who may submit applications to grants.gov on behalf of an organization. If an application is submitted by anyone other than a designated AOR, it will be rejected by grants.gov and cannot be considered for funding.

Once an application is submitted, it undergoes a validation process through which it will be accepted or rejected by the grants.gov system. The validation process may take 24 to 48 hours to complete. Applicants should save and print written proof of an electronic submission made at grants.gov. Applicants can expect to receive multiple emails regarding the status of their submission. The first email will confirm receipt of the application. The second email will indicate that the application has either been successfully validated by the system and assigned an SBA tracking number, or that it has been rejected due to errors. An Applicant will receive a third email once the SBA has downloaded its application from grants.gov for review.

If grants.gov notifies an Applicant via email that its application contains an error(s), the Applicant must correct the noted error(s) before the system will accept and validate the application. Applicants that choose to submit on or close to the closing date are advised they may not receive email notification of an error with their applications until after the submission deadline, and thus will not have an opportunity to correct and resubmit their applications. APPLICATIONS THAT ARE REJECTED BY GRANTS.GOV WILL NOT BE FORWARDED TO THE SBA AND CANNOT BE CONSIDERED FOR FUNDING. It is the Applicant’s responsibility to verify that its submission was received and validated successfully at grants.gov. To check on the status of your application and see the date and time it was received, log on to grants.gov and click on the “Track My Application” link from the menu.

If you experience a technical difficulty with grants.gov (i.e., system problems or glitches with the operation of the grants.gov website itself) that you believe threatens your ability to submit your application, please (i) print any error message received; and (ii) call the grants.gov Contact Center at 1-800-518-4726 or e-mail at support@grants.gov for immediate assistance. Ensure that you obtain a case number regarding your communications with grants.gov. Note: Problems with an Applicant’s own computer system or equipment are not considered technical difficulties with grants.gov. Similarly, an Applicant’s failure to: (i) obtain a DUNS number or complete the SAM or grants.gov registration process; (ii) ensure that an AOR submits the application; or (iii) take note of and act upon an email from grants.gov rejecting its application due to errors, are not considered technical difficulties. A grants.gov technical difficulty is an issue occurring in connection with the operations of grants.gov itself, such as the temporary loss of service by grants.gov due to an unexpected volume of traffic or failure of information technology systems, both of which are rare occurrences.

Applicants should use the following link to obtain assistance in navigating grants.gov and access a list of useful resources: grants.gov/web/grants/applicants.html. If you have a question that is not addressed under the “Applicant FAQs,” try consulting the “Applicant User Guide” or contacting grants.gov via email at Support@Grants.gov or telephone at 1-800-518-4726. The Grants.gov Contact Center is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.