PKG00245880-instructions.pdf

School Nutrition Training Grant for Allied Professional Organizations Fiscal Year 2019 Request for Applications

Catalog for Federal Domestic Assistance Number (CFDA): 10.532

Dates:

Release Date: October 26, 2018

Letter of Intent Due: November 26, 2018

Application Due Date: 11:59 PM, Eastern Standard Time (EST), January 28, 2019

Anticipated Award Date: May 2019

OMB BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number.

The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 0584-0512. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 60 hours per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information.

Application Checklist This application checklist provides a list of the required documents; however FNS expects that applicants will read the entire RFA prior to the submission of their application.

In order to apply, at least four weeks prior to submission, you must have:

Obtained a Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number;

Registered the DUNS number into the System for Award Management (SAM); and, Registered in grants.gov.

When preparing your application, ensure:

Your application format and narrative meet the requirements included in Section IV

“Application and Submission Information,” including page limits, all priorities outlined, and all necessary attachments.

When preparing your budget, ensure the following information is included:

All key staff who are paid by this grant.

The percentage of time the project director will devote to the project in full-time equivalents.

Your organization’s fringe benefit amount along with the basis for the computation.

The type of fringe benefits to be covered with Federal funds.

Itemized travel expenses (including type of travel), travel justifications, and basis for lodging estimates.

Types of equipment and supplies, justifications, and estimates, ensuring that the budget is in line with the project description.

Information for all contracts and justification for any sole-source contracts.

Justification, descriptions, and itemized list of all consultant services.

Indirect cost information (either a copy of a Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement

(NICRA) or if no agreement exists, the basis for the indirect costs requested). If none requested, please indicate this in the budget narrative.

When submitting your application, ensure you have submitted the following:

SF-424 – Application for Federal Assistance (fillable PDF in Grants.gov) SF-424A – Budget Information and Instruction Form (fillable PDF in Grants.gov) SF-424B – Assurances for Non-Construction Programs (fillable PDF in Grants.gov) SF-LLL - Disclosure of Lobbying Activities.

FNS-906 - Grant Program Accounting System & Financial Capability Questionnaire

(Attachment D) Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (PDF - Upload using the “Add Attachments” button under SF-424 item #15)

When applicable, application packages are required to include the following documents:

AD-3030 – Representations Regarding Felony Conviction and Tax Delinquent Status for

Corporate Applicants (fillable PDF in Grants.gov).

http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms.html https://apply07.grants.gov/apply/forms/sample/SFLLL_1_2-V1.2.pdf

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE

I. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION 5

II. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION 13

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION 15

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION 16

V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION 28

VI. FEDERAL AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION 32

VII. FEDERAL AWARDING AGENCY CONTACTS 40

ATTACHMENTS

A: Letter of Intent 41

B: Guidance for Interpreting Cost Principles for Grants and Sub-Grant Awards 42

C: Performance Progress Report 44

D: Grant Program Accounting System & Financial Capability Questionnaire 51

E: RFA Budget Narrative Checklist 53

I. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Background

The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) administers the nutrition assistance programs of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The mission of FNS is to work with partners to provide food and nutrition education to people in need in a way that inspires public confidence and supports American agriculture.

Among these nutrition assistance programs are the Child Nutrition Programs (CNP), including the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), the School Breakfast Program (SBP), the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), and the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP).

Administered by State agencies, the CNP help fight hunger and obesity by reimbursing organizations such as schools, child care centers, and after-school programs for providing nutritionally balanced meals to children at low or no cost. USDA established the Team Nutrition initiative in 1995 to support Child Nutrition Programs through training and technical assistance for child nutrition professionals and nutrition education for children and their caregivers.

Grant Purpose, Overview, and Legislative Authority

The purpose of this Request for Applications (RFA) is to competitively award ONE grant of up to $2 million provided by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 (Public Law 115-141) to allow allied professional associations to develop a training program for school nutrition personnel that focuses on school food service meal preparation and workforce development. It is anticipated that this will be a one-time initiative.

School Nutrition Training Grant for Allied Professional Organizations funds will assist allied professional organizations in planning, developing, promoting, delivering, and evaluating a workforce development and training initiative to provide skills-based training and technical assistance for school nutrition professionals to strengthen school meals program operators’ competencies, knowledge, and skills within one or more of the eight (8) key functional areas.

The Institute of Child Nutrition conducted research to inform the development of and published the Competencies, Knowledge, and Skills for School Nutrition Managers resource which describes the key functional areas, competencies, knowledge, and skills needed for school nutrition managers to effectively operate school nutrition programs. The eight identified functional areas that applicants may select from when developing and delivering the workforce development and training initiative as part of this grant are as follows:

• Meal Preparation and Service

• Nutrition and Meal Management

• Marketing, Communication, and Customer Service

• Procurement and Inventory Management

• Financial Management and Accountability

• Personnel Management

• Sanitation, Safety, and Security

• Facility and Property Management

For more information on the Competencies, Knowledge, and Skills for School Nutrition Managers, see the full resource here: https://theicn.org/icn-resources-a-z/ckssnmanagers21.

Key Definitions:

1. Allied Professional Organization(s): An allied professional association that is national in scope, whereby school nutrition professionals are eligible to join as a member, which provides membership representation for school nutrition professionals, and seeks to further the school nutrition field and the interests of school nutrition professionals.

2. School nutrition personnel/school nutrition professionals: School nutrition program employees at the district or school level who are administering or operating the school meals programs such as the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP), or who contract with a food service management company to provide school meals and manage aspects of school food service operations. In general, there are three job categories related to school food service operations: directors, managers/supervisors, and staff. At the local level, there are many different job titles of individuals who perform similar duties. The definitions below are general descriptions to cover most local school nutrition program employees:

a. Directors plan, administer, implement, monitor, and evaluate all district-wide aspects of school nutrition programs. School districts are often comprised of multiple schools, each with its own food service operation.

b. Managers/supervisors have direct responsibility for the day-to-day operations at one or more schools.

c. Staff prepare and serve meals, process transactions at point of service, and review the free/reduced price applications, along with other routine work. Typically, staff do not have management responsibilities.1

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

Project Description: Applications must include a comprehensive plan to design and develop, promote, deliver, provide follow-up, and evaluate a quality, skills-based workforce development and training initiative for a broad array of school nutrition professionals related to any of the eight (8) key functional areas that school nutrition personnel must master to operate a successful program.

Any grant-funded training workshops, courses, webinars, materials, resources, or other products must be promoted to, available and accessible to a broad array of school nutrition professionals, not just the organizations’ membership (i.e. publicly and widely available and accessible), and offered free-of-charge. Applicants must also commit to maintaining and

1 USDA Food and Nutrition Service. (2016). Guide to Professional Standards for School Nutrition Programs.

Accessed here: https://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/guide-professional-standards-school-nutrition-programs.

https://theicn.org/icn-resources-a-z/ckssnmanagers21 https://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/guide-professional-standards-school-nutrition-programs updating training content and materials to reflect any new or revised USDA regulations, policy, or guidance during the grant period of performance.

Applicants are highly encouraged to collaborate with other allied organizations or other partners during the grant period either informally or formally through a subcontracting agreement to promote a broad reach.

Scope of Allowable Training Under this Grant

Training activities performed under this grant must meet the following objective and must be clearly aligned to the Activities/Indicators Tracker in Section IV:

• To plan, develop, deliver, and evaluate job skills-based training and workforce development that is free-of-charge for a broad array of school nutrition professionals to strengthen operator competencies, knowledge, and skills related to any of the eight (8) key functional areas.

Applications must propose a training program and curricula that focuses on one or more of these key functional area(s), and describe how their training meets the competencies, knowledge, and skills outlined for the selected functional area(s). Applicants should also include a justification detailing how focusing training resources on the selected functional area(s)/training topic(s) will fill an identified knowledge, skill, or training gap or how the initiative will supplement existing workforce development, training, or technical assistance opportunities.

Training Initiative Development and Delivery Implementation Plan

The Grantee must commit to plan, design, promote, deliver, provide follow-up, and evaluate a training and workforce development initiative that will actively engage school nutrition professionals. Applications must include a comprehensive training approach and curricula which are competency-based and identifies specific knowledge and skills outcomes that align with the allowable functional areas. Workforce development and training must consist of skill-building processes and activities designed to assist the target audience in mastering specific learning objectives, competencies, knowledge, and skillsets outlined in the applicant’s proposals.

Applications must include a specific and comprehensive proposed Training Initiative Development and Delivery Implementation Plan that includes all of the requirements listed under the Section IV Application Requirements and Submission Information.

Below are additional components which must be described in the proposal:

Target Audience

The target audience for this grant opportunity is limited to school nutrition professionals, as defined in the Key Definitions section. Applications must clearly define the specific intended target audience of the proposed training initiative, including job titles/roles (such as school nutrition director, manager, and/or frontline staff). Applicants must describe strategies that promote a broad reach to a wide array of school nutrition professionals, and are encouraged to describe strategies which target hard-to-reach areas, such as small and rural school districts, as applicable.

Any grant-funded training activities, workshops, courses, webinars, materials, resources, or other products must be promoted to, available and accessible to a broad array of school nutrition professionals, not just the organizations’ membership, and offered free-of-charge.

Training Methods

Applications must include a comprehensive description of the proposed training approach, including formats and materials used to deliver proposed training curricula to the intended target audience. Allied organizations may use the grant funds to develop and deliver the training themselves, contract with other institutions or organizations (such as training institutes, other allied organizations, or state affiliates belonging to the organizations) for training development and/or delivery, or collaborate with or facilitate trainings available from other training or academic institutions. Each partnering organization/affiliate must be identified in the grant application and submit a letter of commitment with the application.

The training initiative may utilize any format, or combination of formats, including, but not limited to in-person trainings or workshops, online learning modules, webinars, videos, web-based applications, or blended learning (i.e., an educational program that combines online/web-based digital media or modules with traditional face-to-face instruction), among other formats.

The grantee is encouraged to use evidence-based training strategies that are of adequate strength to bring about changes in school nutrition professionals’ knowledge and skills related to the grant objective, including but not limited to:

• Identifying and developing a cadre of trainers who have the ability to deliver standardized trainings widely.

• Including interactive, in-person training with hands-on learning activities as part of the training approach.

• Encouraging participants to develop personalized goals, objectives, and action plans as part of training, and encouraging action plan implementation at participants’ respective schools/districts.

• Following up with training participants after training workshops to assess implementation of the training/strategies at the participants’ school sites.

Training Materials

It is highly recommended that applicants propose to use or adapt existing, tested training curricula, resources, or materials in the development and delivery of the proposed workforce development and training initiative. It is strongly encouraged that USDA Team Nutrition and the

Institute of Child Nutrition (ICN) resources and training materials be used/included in the workforce development and training initiative. Team Nutrition resources (such as The Menu Planner for School Meals, standardized recipes, the Food Buying Guide, Recipe Analysis Workbook, and other menu planning tools) must be promoted during the trainings, as appropriate and applicable.

If materials are developed as a part of this grant initiative, the final materials must meet all 508 accessibility requirements and be provided to FNS upon finalization of the document to make available free of charge to the public on the Team Nutrition website and/or the ICN website. All materials developed must be in compliance with section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (https://www.section508.gov/training/508-training). The training materials must also be made publicly accessible to all school nutrition professionals, not just the organization’s membership (for example, housed on the allied organization’s website on a publicly accessible landing page). The goal is to share and make these grant-developed materials widely available and accessible to all school nutrition professionals and other stakeholders.

Additionally, applicants must commit to maintaining and updating training content and materials to reflect any new or revised USDA regulations, policies, or guidance during the terms of the grant period of performance.

Existing materials that applicants may consider when planning this grant include, but are not limited to the resources indicated below.

• USDA’s Team Nutrition has developed many relevant materials and resources that supports school meals training that are available through the Resource Library here:

https://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/resource-library.

• Team Nutrition’s The Menu Planner for School Meals is a comprehensive guide for local school nutrition professionals to assist them in developing healthy, safe, affordable, and appealing school meals and snacks that meet the meal patterns. This resource is available at: https://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/menu-planner

• Team Nutrition offers a Recipe and Cookbook Toolkit that features kid-friendly standardized recipes and tools here: https://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/team-nutrition-recipes-and-cookbook-toolkit.

• The Food Buying Guide and Recipe Analysis Workbook are other valuable training tools and are available at: https://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/food-buying-guide-for-child-nutrition-programs.

• The Institute of Child Nutrition has developed a variety of meal preparation and service resources and training materials, as well as those focusing on a variety of topics pertaining to the eight key functional areas. These resources are available at their website:

https://theicn.org/. Popular resources for school nutrition programs, including resources related to ICN’s Orientation to School Nutrition Management training seminar, are available here: https://theicn.org/school-nutrition-programs/.

• Online learning modules are available via the Institute of Child Nutrition’s eLearning Portal at this link: https://theicn.docebosaas.com/learn.

USDA/FNS reserves a royalty-free, nonexclusive, and irrevocable license to reproduce; publish or otherwise use; to authorize others to use for Federal government purposes, the following:

https://www.section508.gov/training/508-training https://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/resource-library https://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/menu-planner https://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/team-nutrition-recipes-and-cookbook-toolkit https://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/team-nutrition-recipes-and-cookbook-toolkit https://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/food-buying-guide-for-child-nutrition-programs https://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/food-buying-guide-for-child-nutrition-programs https://theicn.org/ https://theicn.org/school-nutrition-programs/ https://theicn.docebosaas.com/learn

a. The copyright in any work developed under a grant, sub-grant, or contract under a grant or sub-grant; and

b. Any rights of copyright to which a grantee, sub-grantee, or a contractor purchases ownership with grant support.

Knowledge/Skills Transfer and Sustainability Framework

For training approaches that are resource-intensive and for a limited number of individuals, it is strongly encouraged that applicants propose a knowledge/skills transfer and sustainability network to ensure that knowledge and skills gained during training is transferred to staff back in the home school/district. If applicable, applicants may propose a knowledge/skills transfer framework that describes key requirements for participating school nutrition professionals. For example, the train-the-trainer approach has been used to encourage the transfer of knowledge and skills by those attending training to others within their networks (e.g. school nutrition directors who attend a training must then transfer appropriate knowledge to managers in their district.)

Training Evaluation Plan

The grantee is required to evaluate the efficacy and impact of their workforce development and training initiative using their choice of a training evaluation model, and proposals must include a Training Evaluation Plan. The grantee may allocate up to 10% of their award to support evaluation activities.

At a minimum, applicants must:

• Describe the proposed program evaluation type and design, data collection methodology, measurement tools,

• Propose an evaluation plan that includes pre- and post-training surveys to assess changes in knowledge in specific functional areas as a result of the training,

• Conduct follow-up evaluation with training participants to assess intermediate- to longer-term impacts and/or knowledge and skill application in their school nutrition operation, and/or improvements made to key indicators for specific functional areas (within the period of performance), and

• Describe plans for using the evaluation findings for continuous program improvement within the period of performance.

At a minimum, performance measures and outcomes must include:

• Process evaluation measures to describe the reach and implementation of grant-funded activities. Required metrics include, but are not limited to:

o Number of trainings and professional development opportunities offered to school nutrition professionals and for which staff level(s) (i.e. directors, managers/supervisors, and/or front line staff).

o Hours of trainings and activities offered to school nutrition professionals, including number of hours completed per participant (as applicable).

• Outcome Measures: to describe changes in these characteristics after implementation of grant-funded activities.

o Increases in the number/percentage of school nutrition professionals whose knowledge and skills related to allowable grant topics improved, as a result of participating in grant-funded activities;

o Number and percentage of individuals whose knowledge and skills were sustained as a result of participating in grant-funded activities.

Communications and Marketing Plan

Applications must include a Communications and Marketing Plan that describes the methods that the grantee will use to promote the training initiative, each of the components of the training initiative (for example, announcements regarding all workshops, published online courses, the availability of webinars, and other training elements that are included in the applicant’s project description), and other nutrition or foodservice-related messages to a broad array of school nutrition professionals, not just the organization’s membership – and how these components will be made available free of charge. Applicants are encouraged to describe communication and marketing strategies which will target hard-to-reach areas, such as small and rural school districts, as applicable. The Communications and Marketing Plan must include:

• A solid marketing strategy with descriptions of the marketing tactics or tools that will be leveraged (i.e. print publications; e-marketing, blogs; and other marketing tools),

• Descriptions of the target audience intended for each marketing tactic or tool,

• Sample nutrition/foodservice-related messages,

• A marketing/promotional timeline, and

• A description of how outreach will be tracked and reported to FNS.

Staffing Plan: Key Personnel, Time Commitment and Responsibilities

Applicants must submit a staffing plan that identifies individuals who are designated as key personnel, which can include individuals receiving funding through this grant, individuals who are making an in-kind contribution, and contractors/sub-contractors to carry out activities specified in this grant. Key personnel generally are identified as those individuals who:

• Have a direct bearing on the outcome of the project and their participation;

• Assume a substantive responsibility for developing, modifying, and achieving project objectives; and

• Are responsible for managing, administering, conducting, or providing oversight for a significant component of the project.

A designated Project Director is required as Key Personnel. A 0.5 full-time equivalent (FTE) is required for the designated Project Director(s) for this grant (no more than two staff positions can be combined to reach 0.5 FTE). At a minimum, the Project Director will be responsible for administration of the grant, including fiscal management (including exercising effective internal controls of funds that are provided to sub-contractors as per the “Guidance for Interpreting Cost Principles for Grants and Sub-Grant Awards” listed in Attachment B), reporting to FNS, and providing oversight for grant activities. The Project Director must have a four-year degree in nutrition/dietetics, foodservice management, education, health education, or other related field, as determined by FNS.

Applications must contain a staffing plan that includes the following information for each key personnel:

• Clearly describe each position that is designated as key personnel. Indicate each individual’s current position and overall duties, relationship to the allied professional organization (as applicable), and what the position title will be on the proposed training initiative.

• Describe the individual’s specific role and duties on the project.

• Identify the expected time commitment for each key staff with percentages of FTE or total work hours for each year of the multi-year grant.

• In an appendix, provide current resume/CV for key personnel that reflect prior relevant experience and the appropriate educational and technical backgrounds for their proposed roles.

• In an appendix, provide letters of commitment from the Project Director and other key personnel.

• In an appendix, provide the following information for each key project position that must be filled in the course of the project: 1) position title; 2) a detailed position description with required qualifications, skills, and knowledge; 3) a description of specific roles and duties on the project, making reference back to the project or evaluation narrative; 4) an anticipated date of hire; and 5) what arrangements will be made if the position is not filled in a timely manner.

Partnerships and Collaborations

Applicants are highly encouraged to collaborate with other allied organizations or other partners during the grant period either informally or formally through a subcontracting agreement. Roles, responsibilities, and duties of such partnering organizations should be clearly described in the application, along with an overview of how the Grantee will provide oversight to their activities throughout the grant. Applications must describe effective partnerships or collaborations that will support a broad reach, as appropriate, and inspire confidence that the collaboration will support the training initiative’s ability to ultimately make an impact on participant’s knowledge, skills, and behavior related to their school nutrition operation. A Letter of Commitment from each partnering organization/affiliate should be submitted with the application. Partners may include:

• State affiliates belonging to the organization(s)

• Other allied professional associations/organizations

• Training institutes that focus on implementing Child Nutrition Programs

• Training consultants or curriculum development consultants

• Universities, academic institutions

II. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

Total Amount of Funding Expected to Award and Anticipated Award Amounts

FNS anticipates competitively awarding one grant of up to $2 million to an allied professional organization in FY 2019. FNS reserves the right to make greater or fewer grant awards based upon the level of funding requested, the quality of applications received, or other Agency priorities. The submission of an application does NOT guarantee funding. FNS reserves the right to reduce, increase, or revise proposed budgets based on the availability of funds.

Anticipated Start Dates and Period of Performance

The School Nutrition Training Grant for Allied Professional Organizations will have a period of performance of four (4) years and is anticipated that the award will be funded for the period of May 2019 – September 2023. Applicants shall propose an implementation plan and specific schedule describing how their training initiative will occur through the four-year period of performance, reflecting the size and scope of the intervention and the specific grant objectives identified in section IV - Application and Submission Information. Within the four-year period of performance, proposals must include a plan with adequate time to plan, develop, and deliver the training initiative and conduct evaluation activities. It is highly recommended that proposals include at least 6 months of planning lead time. Applicants are required to submit a chronological timeline.

Allowable Costs

Allowable use of funds includes, but is not limited to, personnel costs (salaries and benefits);

travel and per diem associated with training delivery; training supplies; translation of training materials to non-English language(s); printing, duplication, and dissemination of materials;

procurement of technology (both hardware and software such as tablets, laptops, display boards, etc.) necessary to implement training (may NOT exceed ten percent of requested funds).

Expenditures for both equipment (i.e., items of personal property having a useful life of more than one year and a cost of $5,000 or more) and supplies are allowable expenses. No more than 10 percent of the grant funds may be used for food purchases in the grant budget. Food purchases should be limited to educational purposes, including: sample tables, taste tests, or promotional use. An audit trail and strict accounting systems to guard against comingling or improper expenditures of funds is necessary.

Allowable uses of funds includes, but is not limited to:

• Education and Training Costs such as:

o Delivering training for school nutrition professionals o Providing train-the-trainer workshops o Establishing a cadre of trainers or an instructors’ network for training o Costs associated with acquiring and utilizing trainers o Travel reimbursement for participants (reimbursement may only be paid for travel expenses in accordance with the Federal Travel Regulations 41 CFR 301 and shall not exceed the lesser of State of Federal maximum per diem rates)

• Evaluation Costs for conducting a grant evaluation and collecting the required performance measures. The grantee may allocate up to 10% of their award to support evaluation activities.

• Sub-grants to Partnering Organizations. All sub-grant awards must follow the “Guidance for Interpreting Cost Principles of Grants and Sub-Grants Awards,” see Attachment B.

• Personnel Costs o Percentage of salary and benefits for Project Director(s) and key personnel(must be equal to the time spent on the grant activities) o Contracted employee salaries (must be equal to the time spent on the grant activities) o Pay for substitutes while school nutrition professionals/foodservice staff attend training

• Materials/Resources and Other Supplies o While USDA requires the grantee to use materials developed by Team Nutrition or the Institute of Child Nutrition as appropriate for the target audience and scope, a portion of grant funds may be used for justified development of needed materials when: 1) no existing materials are available; or 2) materials have potential as a national resource.

o All materials developed with grant funds must meet accessibility standards and be in compliance with section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended.

Type of Federal Financial Assistance

Funding for approved School Nutrition Training Grant for Allied Professional Organizations will be provided through the Grant Award/Letter of Credit process, upon receipt of a fully executed grant agreement between USDA Food and Nutrition Service and the grantee. These awards are subject to availability of funding. All School Nutrition Training Grant funds must be obligated and all activities under must be fully completed by September 30, 2023.

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

Eligible Applicants

Competition for this grant is open to all national allied professional organizations operating in the United States to which school nutrition professionals are eligible to join as a member, which provides membership representation of school nutrition professionals, and whose mission seeks to further the school nutrition field and the interests of school nutrition professionals. Applicants must provide a 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4)Determination Letter to indicate nonprofit status, as well as a current copy of the organization’s bylaws that details, at a minimum, the organization’s official name, mission, purpose, requirements for membership, officers’ titles and responsibilities, and organizational structure. Applicants must clearly describe how their organization(s) meets the definition of allied professional organization, as stated above.

Pre-application Screening Requirements

In reviewing applications in any discretionary grant competition, Federal Awarding Agencies, in accordance with 2 CFR 200.400, are required, prior to making a Federal award, to review information available through various OMB-designated repositories for eligibility qualification or financial integrity, and to have in place a framework for evaluating the risks posed by applicants before they receive Federal awards. The evaluation of the information obtained from the designated repository systems and the risk assessment may result in the Food and Nutrition Service Agency (FNS) imposing special conditions that correspond to the degree of risk assessed. The Federal repository systems FNS will review include:

1) SAM, the System for Award Management, the Official U.S. Government system that consolidated the capabilities of CCR/FedReg, ORCA, and EPLS;

2) FAPIIS, the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System, is a database that has been established to track contractor misconduct and performance;

3) Dun and Bradstreet, the system where applicants establish a DUNS number which is used by the Federal government to better identify related organizations that are receiving funding under grants and cooperative agreements, and to provide consistent name and address data for electronic grant application systems. The Federal government requires that all applicants for Federal grants and cooperative agreements with the exception of individuals other than sole proprietors have a DUNS number.

4) U.S. Department of Agriculture, AD-3030, Representations Regarding Felony Conviction and Tax Delinquent Status for Corporate Applicants.

Applicants must also respond to the pre-application assessment questions below to allow FNS to evaluate aspects of the applicant’s financial stability, quality of management systems, and history of performance, reports and findings from audits. A questionnaire containing these questions has been provided to facilitate the process. Applicants must answer all the pre-application questions.

While answering “yes” may be an indicator of risk, the consideration and evaluation of these questions is only an indicator of potential risk and may or may not result in an additional oversight requirements or special conditions be placed on an award should an award be made.

Decisions regarding additional oversight requirements will take into consideration the total number of risks identified.

1. Acknowledge USDA support: As outlined in 2 CFR 415.2, grant recipients shall include acknowledgement of USDA Food and Nutrition Service support on any publications written or published with grant support and, if feasible, on any publication reporting the results of, or describing, a grant-supported activity. Recipients shall include acknowledgement of USDA Food and Nutrition Service support on any audiovisual which is produced with grant support and which has a direct production cost of over $5,000.

o When acknowledging USDA support, use the following language: "This material is based upon work that is supported by the Food and Nutrition Service, U.S.

Department of Agriculture.” Grantees are asked to follow the USDA Visual Standards Guide when using the USDA logo.

Grant recipients may be asked to host USDA officials for a site visit during the course of their grant award. All costs associated with the site visit will be paid for by USDA and are not expected to be included in grant budgets.

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

Interested applicants may request a paper copy of this solicitation and required forms by contacting the FNS Grants Officer at:

Anna Arrowsmith, Grant Officer Grants and Fiscal Policy Division

U.S. Department of Agriculture, FNS 3101 Park Center Drive Room 740

Alexandra, VA 22302 E-mail: Anna.Arrowsmith@fns.usda.gov

1. Content and form of application submission (form and format of application submissions)

This section addresses the required content of an application and the forms or format that the applicant must use to submit. This section also provides an overview of the required forms to be submitted.

FNS strongly encourages eligible applicants interested in applying to this program to adhere to the following application format. The proposed project plan should be typed on 8 ½” X 11” white paper with at least 1 inch margins on the top and bottom. All pages should be single-spaced, in 12 point font. The project description with relevant information should be captured on no more than 27 pages, excluding appendices, resumes, letter of commitment(s), endorsement letter(s), budget narrative(s), and required forms. All pages, excluding the form pages, must be numbered.

https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/visual-standards-guide-january-2013.pdf https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/visual-standards-guide-january-2013.pdf mailto:Anna.Arrowsmith@fns.usda.gov

Special Instructions:

• Letters of Commitment are required for other allied organizations or sub-contracting entities/organizations and submitted with the application package.

• Late application submission will not be considered in this competition. FNS will not consider additions or revisions to applications once they are received.

• Applications submitted without the required supporting documents, forms, and certification will not be considered.

• Applications not submitted via the Grants.gov portal will not be considered.

• If multiple application packages are submitted through the grants.gov web portal by the same applicant in response to this solicitation, FNS will accept the latest application package successfully submitted. All other packages submitted by the applicant will be removed from this competition.

• FNS reserves the right to use this solicitation and competition to award additional grants in the next fiscal year should additional funds be made available.

• FNS reserves the right to make greater or fewer grant awards based upon the level of funding requested, the quality of applications received, or other Agency priorities. The submission of an application does NOT guarantee funding. FNS reserves the right to reduce, increase, or revise proposed budgets based on the availability of funds.

• Grant awards are contingent upon the availability of Federal funds.

• There is no requirement for cost sharing or matching; therefore, this will not be considered in the review process.

The application should follow this format:

1. Introductory Materials (maximum 3 pages)

2. Abstract (maximum 1 page)

3. Training Initiative Development, Delivery, and Evaluation Plan (maximum 10 pages)

a. Must include the Activities/Indicators Tracker

4. Communications and Marketing Plan (maximum 2 pages)

5. Chronological Timeline (maximum 2 pages)

6. Key Personnel/Staffing Plan and Partnerships and Collaborations Overview (maximum 4 pages)

7. Management Plan (maximum 5 pages)

8. Budget, and Budget Justification Narrative (no maximum)

9. Appendices (no maximum)

10. Allied Professional Organization’s Current Bylaws (no specified page count or maximum and does not count towards total application page maximum)

Grant applications should not exceed 27 pages. Use of this format will make it easier for grant reviewers to locate the requested information and to evaluate each application.

Applications must include a thorough description of the proposed workforce development and training initiative and include all grant requirements. Applications must include the following components:

1. Introductory Materials:

a. Cover sheet: Designate a single point of contact for your application. Provide the individual’s name, job title, mailing address, phone number, fax number, and e-mail address. Include the Grant program title.

b. Title Page with Organizational Background and Project Summary: Include a concise summary of your allied professional organization’s mission/purpose and requirements for membership to demonstrate eligibility to apply for grant funds (see Eligible Applicants section). Include a second, concise one-paragraph description of your project, including the target audience, key strategies and methods to provide high quality training and professional development, follow-up methods, projected number of participants, key partnerships and collaborations, and the evaluation plan. Include specific Team Nutrition materials and key behavioral outcomes. This information – in whole or in part - may be posted on the Team Nutrition website.

c. Table of Contents: Include the title and page number of each required section of the appendix and page numbers.

2. Abstract: Provide a one-page abstract that clearly describes the proposed project activities and anticipated outcomes that would result if the proposal is funded. The abstract must include (1) the objectives of your training initiative (that align with the required training competencies, skills, and knowledge outcomes), (2) a description of the planned project that includes the intended target audience, key initiative activities, (3) an evaluation plan, including basic research questions, research design, and planned data collection, and (4) key partnerships/collaborations.

3. Training Initiative Development, Delivery, and Evaluation Plan: Provide a project narrative that should clearly and thoroughly describe the applicant’s training initiative design including plans for development, delivery, and evaluation goals, plan, and activities. The project narrative should clearly identify a training and workforce development gap(s) (e.g. knowledge, skills, or training), how the workforce development and training initiative will fill those gaps, a project approach that aligns with the RFA program scope and objectives, and the expected results and or benefits once the training solution(s) is implemented. The proposed project methodology should describe the project design, address program specific methodology needs, procedures, timetables, monitoring/oversight, and the organization’s project staffing. Specifically, the Training Initiative Development, Delivery, and Evaluation Plan must include:

o Scope of the workforce development and training initiative: Applications must include a scope statement that includes overarching goals of the initiative/program, the intended target audience, and an overview of the training topics and content to be covered, based on the allowable topic areas. Include overarching initiative/program goals and objectives that are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and achievable, and time-bound.

o A specific description of the target audience and estimated reach: This section must describe the specific target audience, the estimated reach of the initiative and its various component programs/activities (including any geographic or demographic targets and how the grantee will target small and rural school districts), proposed recruitment plan, and estimated number of participants to be trained. This description should also include the number of training hours to be offered per each type of participant (e.g., directors, managers/supervisors, frontline staff) per grant year, as well as a training cost estimate per participant.

o Learning Objectives: Based on the allowable topics, applications must include targeted learning objectives that the workforce development and training initiative will support, based on the allowable school nutrition topic areas. Learning objectives must be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and achievable for the target audience.

o Justification and anticipated impact: Proposals must include the basis for choosing specific target audience(s), key functional areas, learning objectives, and training approaches, and how the selected training topic(s) will fill an identified knowledge, skill, or training gap, or how the initiative will supplement existing workforce development, training, and technical assistance opportunities. Needs assessment findings, research findings, or other evidence must be used to identify training, knowledge, and skill gaps in the target population and justify training solutions. The justification must include an impact statement that describes anticipated effects on participant’s knowledge, skills, and behavior related to the allowable training topics and methods.

o A description of selected training delivery methods, formats, and activities to be delivered to the intended target audience(s). Training initiatives that are resource-intensive with a narrower primary target audience should include a knowledge transfer and sustainability framework, such as utilizing the train-the-trainer approach and a mentoring/coaching model to reach a broader audience and promote continuous learning among participants. See the Training Methods section and the Knowledge/Skills Transfer and Sustainability Framework section for more information on the requirements that must be included in the application.

o A description of training materials to be developed or utilized, including the evidence-base of such materials, when applicable, and how new or existing materials will be used.

• It is highly recommended that applicants propose to use or adapt existing, tested training curricula, resources, or materials in the development and delivery of the proposed workforce development and training initiative.

• Applications must list and describe the use of specific USDA Team Nutrition and/or Institute of Child Nutrition training resources or materials to be used, included, and promoted in the workforce development and training initiative.

• If materials or resources must be developed, proposals are required to include a strong justification for the need for new materials and include a plan to ensure materials meet accessibility requirements.

• Applicants must describe how any and all trainings, workforce development opportunities, materials, and resources will be promoted to and publicly available to school nutrition professionals, free of charge.

• Applicants must describe the method/timeline by which they will maintain and update training content and materials to reflect any new or revised USDA regulations, policies, or guidance during the terms of the grant period of performance; as well as how they will stay abreast of any USDA regulatory, policy, or guidance changes.

o Training Evaluation Plan: Applicants must provide a brief evaluation and performance measurement plan that demonstrates how the recipient will fulfill the requirements described in the Training Evaluation Plan section on page 10. At a minimum, the plan must describe:

• A description of the proposed program evaluation type and design, data collection methodology, measurement tools, key metrics pertaining to both process and outcomes measured that are specified in the Training Evaluation Plan section on page 10 but the Grantee may expand upon the minimum requirements.

• The applicant’s plans for using the evaluation findings for continuous program quality improvement.

• The application must use the format below to describe proposed grant-funded activities with describe key indicators/metrics that will be tracked during the period of performance.

Activities/Indicators Tracker Proposed Activities and indicators measuring success must be mapped to Program Objectives (as described in the Program Requirements section of this RFA) in the below format (note that additional Activities/Indicators can be added as needed). Note:

Indicators are defined as any metric you anticipate will be able to be tracked during the period of performance of the grant.

Objective <enter #>:

Proposed Activity 1:

Indicator 1:

Indicator 2:

Proposed Activity 2:

Indicator 1:

Indicator 2:

Objective <enter #>:

Proposed Activity 1:

Indicator 1:

Proposed Activity 2:

Indicator 1:

4. Communications and Marketing Plan: Applicants must provide a Communications and Marketing Plan that describes how the training initiative will be promoted broadly to school nutrition professionals (not just the organization(s)’ membership) and describe the specific tactics and strategies the Grantee will utilize to reach the intended target audience (e.g., social media marketing strategies, organization’s newsletters, or other promotion strategies), including strategies which will target hard-to-reach areas, such as small and rural school districts, as applicable. In addition, the Communications and Marketing Plan must describe the how the recipient will fulfill the requirements described in the Communications and Marketing Plan section.

5. Chronological Timeline with realistic and specific benchmarks such as key personnel hiring/contracting (if applicable), planning and delivery of trainings and other activities, marketing and promotion activities, participant recruitment, delivery of follow-up technical assistance, evaluation…