Paralysis Resource Center State Pilot Program FAQ - 2018 04 11.docx

Paralysis Resource Center State Pilot Program

HHS-2018-ACL-AOD-PRRC-0286

Frequently Asked Questions

1. The Eligibility Information section on page 10[footnoteRef:1] of the funding opportunity announcement (FOA) describes the successful applicant as being an organization that “currently serves people with paralysis.” Since the statewide independent living councils (SILCs) don’t provide a direct service to individuals, are we eligible? [1: All page numbers referenced here reflect the printed page number from the PDF version of the funding opportunity announcement.]

Yes. As part of the Independent Living Network, SILCs seek to improve independent living services for individuals with disabilities.

2. For the letters of commitment, since the notice specifically says that there can be no competitive advantage to possible subawardees, is it a conflict to have letters of support from potential subawardees?

No. The important point here is for the grantee to design a “subaward application process [that] will be completely open without any projects being pre-selected or otherwise given a competitive advantage or discriminated against.” (Pages 5 & 6)

3. If community services to paralyzed individuals are not offered anywhere in the state by an existing nonprofit organization, would a grantee be allowed to provide a subaward to a for-profit business or organization?

No. According to the funding opportunity announcement (page 6), applicants must “describe how they will make subawardees to nonprofit organizations that serve people with paralysis.”

4. ACL modified the original funding opportunity announcement? What changes did ACL make?

ACL has made the following changes to the original PRC State Pilot Program funding opportunity announcement, which was published on March 2 and April 11, 2018.

· In Section I.B.1 under the section for Subaward Strategy Requirements in the last bullet, we removed the reference to “direct services” because it conflicted with other guidance given earlier in the section.

· In Section IV.2., we eliminated a duplicate paragraph that was mistakenly included under the "Project Management" section.

· In Section IV.3., we changed the "Due Date for Applications" from 4/17/2018 to 5/14/2018. Because of the modification, we have extended the due date for your applications. This change is also reflected on the cover page and the top of page 1.

· In Section V.1., we replaced the original text under the "Approach" criteria section, which was mistakenly a duplicate of the text under the “Organizational Capacity” section, with the correct text. Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to take note of this particular change as you continue to put your applications together.

· In Section V.3., we changed the "Anticipated Announcement Award Date" from June 1 to July 1, 2018. Because of the lateness of the modification and the extension of the deadline for applications, we now anticipate a later start date.