PKG00261321-instructions.pdf

Administration for Community Living

Administration on Disabilities

Alternatives to Guardianship Youth Resource Center

HHS-2020-ACL-AOD-DNDM-0427

Application Due Date: 06/29/2020

Alternatives to Guardianship Youth Resource Center

HHS-2020-ACL-AOD-DNDM-0427

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Funding Opportunity Description II. Award Information

III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants

2. Cost Sharing or Matching

3. Responsiveness and Screening Criteria

IV. Application and Submission Information

1. Address to Request Application Package

2. Content and Form of Application Submission

3. Submission Dates and Times

4. Intergovernmental Review

5. Funding Restrictions

6. Other Submission Requirements

V. Application Review Information

1. Criteria

2. Review and Selection Process

3. Anticipated Announcement Award Date

VI. Award Administration Information

1. Award Notices

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

3. Reporting

4. FFATA and FSRS Reporting

VII. Agency Contacts VIII. Other Information

Department of Health & Human Services

ACL Center: Administration on Disabilities Funding Opportunity Title: Alternatives to Guardianship Youth

Resource Center Announcement Type: Initial Funding Opportunity Number: HHS-2020-ACL-AOD-DNDM-0427 Primary CFDA Number: 93.631 Due Date for Letter of Intent: 05/20/2020 Due Date for Applications: 06/29/2020 Date for Informational Conference Call: N/A

Applications that fail to meet the application due date will not be reviewed and will receive no further consideration. You are strongly encouraged to submit your application a minimum of 3- 5 days prior to the application closing date. Do not wait until the last day in the event you encounter technical difficulties, either on your end or, with https://www.grants.gov. Grants.gov can take up to 48 hours to notify you of a successful submission.

Executive Summary The Administration on Disabilities (AoD) seeks to fund one (1) five-year grant to create an Alternatives to Guardianship Youth Resource Center. Research shows the majority (57 percent) of people with ID/DD ages 18 to 22 receiving publicly funded services have guardians. [1] The Center will work to divert high school students with ID/DD away from guardianship to less restrictive decisional supports. The target audience for this information includes youth with ID/DD, parents and caregivers of high school students with I/DD, special education teachers, education administrators, advocates, vocational rehabilitation counselors, guidance counselors, and school district officials. As a result of funding this Center, AoD expects that:

More students with I/DD will have more decisional options, such as Powers of Attorney, supported-decision-making (SDM), joint bank accounts, bill paying services, and medical or educational release forms, on completion of high school;

Fewer young adults with I/DD will be subject to guardianship;

The public will become more knowledgeable of alternatives to guardianship; and Youth will become more independent by gaining job experience and personal responsibilities.

I. Funding Opportunity Description Background:

When individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/DD) have greater opportunities to lead self-determined lives, they are more independent and have an overall better https://www.grants.gov quality of life. People with ID/DD who are independent and make their own choices are healthier, better adjusted, and better able to recognize and resist abuse. [2] In addition, individuals with ID/DD who are able to be more self-determined have higher rates of employment and as a result have greater access to benefits such as vacation time, sick leave, and health care. [3]

Self-determination refers to making choices and decisions based on one’s own preferences and interests, to monitor and regulate one’s own actions, and to be goal-oriented and self-directing.

[4] The Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Right Act (DD Act) describes self-determination as:

….individuals with developmental disabilities, with appropriate assistance, having:

The ability and opportunity to communicate and make personal decisions; the ability and opportunity to communicate choices and exercise control over the type and intensity of services, supports, and other assistance the individual receives; the authority to control resources to obtain needed services, supports, and other assistance; opportunities to participate in, and contribute to their communities; and support, including financial support, to advocate for themselves and others, to develop leadership skills, through training in self-advocacy, to participate in coalitions, to educate policymakers, and to play a role in the development of public policies that affect individuals with developmental disabilities. [5]

Opportunities for self-determination decrease drastically when individuals with ID/DD are under guardianship, which can lead to negative consequences. Being subject to guardianship may affect a person’s well-being including their physical and mental health. Individuals who are denied the opportunity to be a causal agent in their own lives often feel helpless, hopeless, inadequate, and incompetent and have low self-esteem. A lack or loss of autonomy and self-determination also result in decreased functioning.[6]

Although there is no national data available on the number of young adults with ID/DD who are under guardianship upon exiting high school, the majority (57 percent) of people with ID/DD ages 18 to 22 receiving publicly funded services have guardians, which suggests guardianship is common for this age group.[7] As noted in a 2018 report by the National Council on Disabilities (NCD), Beyond Guardianship: Toward Alternatives That Promote Greater Self- Determination for People with Disabilities, people with disabilities fall under guardianship because they are often inaccurately considered less competent to make their own decisions regardless of their actual abilities. [8] This can lead to guardianship petitions being filed when it is not appropriate and guardianship being imposed when it is not warranted by the facts and circumstances.

The NCD report discusses a number of issues with the guardianship system in the U.S., including what is referred to as the school to guardianship pipeline and how in many cases parents pursue guardianship of students with ID/DD at a fairly young age prior to these young adults having opportunities to practice greater independence. Parents are likely acting based on guidance from school personnel who frequently suggest to parents that they pursue guardianship and present it as the only option for young adults with ID/DD. [9] Many people believe that when a student becomes an adult in that state, typically at age 18, a parent will not be able to participate in Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings because educational rights have been transferred to the student at age at which they are recognized as an adult. However, they could continue to participate if the transfer of rights does not occur if the student is under guardianship. The transfer also will not occur if the school uses a separately established non-judicial educational representative process to determine that the student cannot provide informed consent to educational decisions and to appoint another person (usually a family member) as the adult student’s educational representative. It is typically at this point when parents and school personnel may question the competency of the young adult and the parent seeks guardianship. As a result, whether intentional or unintentional, school professionals may be suggesting to parents that they seek guardianship as a way of keeping informed of their child’s educational plan.

Often guardianship is not necessary to meet the needs of an individual who may need support managing his or her personal and financial affairs. There are alternatives that provide a range of decisional supports for individuals with ID/DD. These include substitute decision-making authority in specific areas, Powers of Attorney, supported-decision-making, home-making assistance, joint bank accounts, daily call services, bill paying services, and medical or educational release forms to allow the sharing of confidential information with supporters.

There is concern, however, about the extent to which youth with ID/DD, family members, and school personnel are aware of these alternatives.

There has been increased effort to raise awareness about alternatives to guardianship to create more opportunities for individuals with ID/DD to have better decisional supports. From 2014 to 2019, the Administration on Aging (AoA) and AoD jointly funded the National Resource Center for Supported Decision Making (SDM) to increase awareness of the benefits of SDM as an alternative to guardianship. As a result, SDM has become a more widely accepted alternative to guardianship by a number of groups, including parents, school systems, case managers, court systems, and policymakers. [10]

Despite these and other efforts, there remains a need to pay particular attention to youth with ID/DD to break the school-to-guardianship pipeline. In doing so, it is essential that youth with ID/DD, their families, and the school personnel who support them have access to accurate information to make thoughtful and informed choices that lead to alternatives to guardianship and supports individuals with ID/DD leading fully self-determined lives, thereby improving their overall quality of life.

This Funding Opportunity:

AoD seeks to fund one (1) five-year grant to create and maintain an Alternatives to Guardianship Youth Resource Center (the Center) focused on diverting high school students with ID/DD away from guardianship to less restrictive decisional supports. As a result of this project, AoD envisions:

Students with ID/DD will have more decisional options upon completion of high school;

Fewer young adults with ID/DD will be subject to guardianship;

Parents and school personnel at all levels will be more knowledgeable about alternatives to guardianship; and

Youth participating in this project will experience improved post-school outcomes such as post-secondary education experience and/or employment.

Below are the key activities for the project that should be described in the application for funding.

Partnerships:

The application should describe two distinct partnerships with key stakeholders and partners:

(1) An advisory committee that will guide the overall work of the project; and (2) a national coalition that will work to raise awareness about alternatives to guardianship.

The advisory committee will guide the overall work of the Center. In terms of membership, at least 75% of the advisory committee should be youth and young adults (ages 14-25) with ID/DD, including those from unserved and underserved populations. The committee will advise the Center in all its activities listed in this FOA, including the following:

Overall plan for and evaluation of the Center, Resource development and dissemination, and Selection of states participating in the Community of Practice and Youth Ambassadors program participants.

The Center will establish a coalition composed of national organizations representing individuals with ID/DD, families, and various school personnel, such as teachers, school administrators, and other related service staff. The national coalitions will engage in a collaborative process with the Center, the states in the Community of Practice, and the Youth Ambassadors to raise awareness through their organizations about alternatives to guardianship.

The application should provide proposed members of the national coalition and Memoranda of Understanding with the proposed partners outlining how the organization will assist with the dissemination and outreach.

Background Research:

The application should describe how the following background research activities will be conducted:

1. An environmental scan regarding guardianship and its alternatives consisting of at least a review and analysis of:

a) Current state laws/policies;

b) A sample of current State and local educational agencies policies/practices;

c) Alternatives to guardianship practices; and

d) Promising practices or success stories about youth transition strategies that lead to alternatives to guardianship.

2. An assessment from multiple and diverse perspectives, including youth with ID/DD, families, and school personnel, on current practices and perspectives to identify where change is needed and effective strategies for making change.

Resource Development and Broad-Based Outreach/Dissemination:

The application should describe how the information generated from the background research will be used to develop a wide variety of culturally competent resources (e.g., materials, tools, instructional strategies, best practices) to divert youth with ID/DD away from guardianship.

These resources should be 508-complaint and tailored to several audiences, such as youth with ID/DD, parents, teachers, vocational rehabilitation (VR) counselors, and school district officials. The resources will be used for a variety of purposes, including assisting youth with ID/DD learn how to make their own decisions and increasing parent and school personnel knowledge of alternatives to guardianship. The application should describe a dissemination and outreach plan that includes:

A variety of culturally competent strategies that will be used to disseminate the resources to multiple audiences, in multiple languages, and in a variety of formats including plain language, American Sign Language videos, and YouTube videos.

How evidence-based strategies will be used to tailor information to certain audiences, such as teachers and school administrators.

A plan for developing and delivering high quality trainings using technology and other means to train youth with ID/DD, parents and other family members, teachers, principals, VR counselors, and school district officials regarding alternatives to guardianship for youth with ID/DD transitioning from high school.

Outreach strategies using the national coalition, states participating in the Community of Practice, and the Youth Ambassadors.

Community of Practice:

The application should describe how a Community of Practice (CoP) comprised of between 10- 15 state teams will be created to increase awareness, build capacity, and improve state strategies that will lead to increased use of alternatives to guardianship. The application should describe how the applicant will:

Recruit and select state teams comprised of youth, parents, teachers, and other school professionals;

Ensure cultural and linguistic diversity on the state teams;

Ensure state team is co-lead by a youth with ID/DD; and Support and manage the state teams to include a plan for bi-monthly learning exchanges to discuss success stories, best practices, and challenges.

Youth Leadership Development:

A key feature of the Resource Center will be establishing a Youth Ambassadors (YAS) Program comprised of 8-10 youth annually for a total of 40-50 YAS over the life of the grant. YAS will receive training, leadership development, and mentoring to serve as a point of contact in their state and offer technical assistance to youth with ID/DD in transition and their parents or guardians. The applicant should describe how they will recruit and select YAS who are 14-25 years of age, have an ID/DD, and use SDM in his or her daily life. The application should describe the YAS program that will be offered to train and support youth with ID/DD to serve as an expert and point of contact in their state and offer technical assistance to youth with ID/DD in transition and their parents or guardians, including the:

Training, leadership development, and mentorship opportunities;

Plan for the national coalition to support, engage with, and provide information to the

YAS.

Finally, the applicant should describe how they will develop the requirements and expectations for serving as an ambassador, including any financial supports that might be provided for serving as an ambassador.

Evaluation:

The application for funding should describe an evaluation plan for how success will be measured. The evaluation plan will include a logic model that shows the relationships between the project’s goals, activities, outputs, and the following outcomes:

Students with ID/DD have more decisional options upon completion of high school;

Fewer young adults with ID/DD are subject to guardianship;

School personnel at all levels are more knowledgeable about alternatives to guardianship; and Youth participating in this project experience improved post-school outcomes such as post-secondary school experience and/or employment.

The project is expected to employ formative and summative evaluation techniques for continuous progress monitoring to make performance adjustments and to ensure outcomes are being achieved.

Sustainability:

An expected outcome of this project will be sustainability of the efforts to increase alternatives to guardianship for youth with the ID/DD and to provide resources that assist with diverting students away from guardianship. During the course of the project, efforts should be made to generate the sufficient resources and strategies for organizational, financial and/or community sustainability to continue and refine the work. This should include sustainability of YAS program.

Statutory Authority Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 Pub. L. 106-402,Section

161(2) (B), (C) and (D)

II. Award Information Funding Instrument Type: Cooperative Agreement Estimated Total Funding: $1,500,000 Expected Number of Awards: 1 Award Ceiling: $250,000 Per Budget Period Award Floor: $300,000 Per Budget Period Length of Project Period: 60-month project period with five 12-month budget periods Once a cooperative agreement is in place, requests to modify or amend it or the work plan may be made by ACL or the awardee at any time as long as it stays within the original confines of the proposed project description. Major changes may affect the integrity of the competitive review process. Modifications and/or amendments of the Cooperative Agreement or work plan shall be effective upon the execution of an award notice. When an award is issued the cooperative agreement terms and conditions from the program announcement are incorporated by reference unless ACL is authorized under the Terms and Conditions of award, 45 CFR Part 75, or other applicable regulation or statute to make unilateral amendments.

III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants Domestic public or private non-profit entities including state and local governments, Indian tribal governments and organizations (American Indian/Alaskan Native/Native American), faith-based organizations, community-based organizations, hospitals, and institutions of higher education.

2. Cost Sharing or Matching

Cost Sharing / Matching Requirement: No

3. Responsiveness and Screening Criteria

Application Responsiveness Criteria The successful applicant will be an organization that meets the following criteria:

Provided signed letters of commitment from key partners and collaborators named in the proposal and identifying their specific role in the project.

Application Screening Criteria All applications will be screened to assure a level playing field for all applicants. Applications that fail to meet the three screening criteria described below will not be reviewed and will receive no further consideration.

In order for an application to be reviewed, it must meet the following screening requirements:

1. Applications must be submitted electronically via http://www.grants.gov by 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time, by the due date listed in section IV.3 Submission Dates and Times.

2. The Project Narrative section of the Application must be double-spaced, on 8.5” x 11” plain white paper with 1” margins on both sides, and a standard font size of no less than 11 point, preferably Times New Roman or Arial.

3. The Project Narrative must not exceed 20 pages. Project Narratives that exceed 20 pages will have the additional pages removed and only the first 20 pages of the Project Narrative will be provided to the merit reviewers for funding consideration. NOTE: The Project Work Plan, Letters of Commitment, and Vitae of Key Project Personnel are not counted as part of the Project Narrative for purposes of the 20-page limit.

Unsuccessful submissions will require authenticated verification from http://www.grants.gov indicating system problems existed at the time of your submission. For example, you will be required to provide an http://www.grants.gov submission error notification and/or tracking number in order to substantiate missing the application deadline.

IV. Application and Submission Information

1. Address to Request Application Package Application materials can be obtained from http://www.grants.gov or https://www.acl.gov/grant s/applying-grants.

Please note, ACL requires applications for all announcements to be submitted electronically through http://www.grants.gov in Workspace. Grants.gov Workspace is the standard way for organizations and individuals to apply for federal grants in Grants.gov. An overview and training on Grants.gov Workspace can be found here at: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants /applicants/workspace-overview.html The Grants.gov registration process can take several days. If your organization is not currently registered, please begin this process immediately. For assistance with http://www.grants.gov, please contact them at support@grants.gov or 800-518-4726 between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

At the http://www.grants.gov website, you will find information about submitting an application electronically through the site, including the hours of operation. ACL strongly recommends that you do not wait until the application due date to begin the application process because of the time involved to complete the registration process.

All applicants must have a DUNS number (http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/) and be registered with the System for Award Management (SAM, www.sam.gov) and maintain an active SAM registration until the application process is complete, and should a grant be made, throughout the life of the award. Effective June 11, 2018, when registering or renewing your registration, you must submit a notarized letter appointing the authorized Entity Administrator. Please be sure to read the FAQs located at www .sam.gov to learn more. Applicants should allot sufficient time prior to the application http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ https://www.acl.gov/grants/applying-grants https://www.acl.gov/grants/applying-grants http://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/workspace-overview.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/workspace-overview.html http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/ http://www.sam.gov/ http://www.sam.gov/ http://www.sam.gov/ deadline to finalize a new, or renew an existing registration. This action should allow you time to resolve any issues that may arise. Failure to comply with these requirements may result in your inability to submit your application or receive an award. Maintain documentation (with dates) of your efforts to register or renew at least two weeks before the deadline. See the SAM Quick Guide for Grantees at: https://www.sam.gov/SAM /pages/public/help/samQUserGuides.jsf

Note: Once your SAM registration is active, allow 24 to 48 hours for the information to be available in Grants.gov before you can submit an application through Grants.gov. This action should allow you time to resolve any issues that may arise. Failure to comply with these requirements may result in your inability to submit your application or receive an award.

Note: Failure to submit the correct EIN Suffix can lead to delays in identifying your organization and access to funding in the Payment Management System.

Effective October 1, 2010, HHS requires all entities that plan to apply for and ultimately receive federal grant funds from any HHS Operating/Staff Division (OPDIV/STAFFDIV) or receive subawards directly from the recipients of those grant funds to:

1. Register in SAM prior to submitting an application or plan;

2. Maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active award or an application or plan under consideration by an OPDIV; and

3. Provide its DUNS number in each application or plan to submit to the OPDIV.

Additionally, all first-tier subaward recipients must have a DUNS number at the time the subaward is made.

Since October 1, 2003, The Office of Management and Budget has required applicants to provide a Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number when applying for federal grants or cooperative agreements. It is entered on the SF-424. It is a unique, nine-digit identification number, which provides unique identifiers of single business entities. The DUNS number is free and easy to obtain.

Organizations can receive a DUNS number at no cost by calling the dedicated toll-free DUNS Number request line at 866-705-5711

You must submit all documents electronically, including all information included on the SF424 and all necessary assurances and certifications.

After you electronically submit your application, you will receive an automatic acknowledgement from http://www.grants.gov that contains http://www.grants.gov tracking number. The Administration for Community Living will retrieve your application form from http://www.grants.gov.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Katherine Cargill-Willis AoD https://www.sam.gov/SAM/pages/public/help/samQUserGuides.jsf https://www.sam.gov/SAM/pages/public/help/samQUserGuides.jsf http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/

Phone Number: 2027957322 E-mail: Katherine.Cargill-Willis@acl.hhs.gov

2. Content and Form of Application Submission

Letter of Intent

Due Date for Letter of Intent: 05/20/2020 Applicants are requested, but not required, to submit a letter of intent to apply for this funding opportunity to assist ACL in planning for the application independent review process. The purpose of the letter of intent is to allow our staff to estimate the number of independent reviewers needed and to avoid potential conflicts of interest in the review. The deadline for submission of the letter of intent is (Insert date here). Letters of intent should be sent to:

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Community Living Katherine Cargill-Willis Administration on Disabilities katherine.cargill-willis@acl.hhs.gov

Project Narrative The Project Narrative must be double-spaced, on 8.5” x 11” paper with 1” margins on both sides, and a standard font size of no less than 11 point, preferably Times New Roman or Arial.

You can use smaller font sizes to fill in the Standard Forms and Sample Formats. The suggested length for the Project Narrative is 15 to 20 pages; 20 pages is the maximum length allowed.

Project Narratives that exceed 20 pages will have the additional pages removed and only the first 20 pages of the Project Narrative will be provided to the merit reviewers for funding consideration. The Project Work Plan, Letters of Commitment, and Vitae of Key Personnel are not counted as part of the Project Narrative for purposes of the 20-page limit, but all of the other sections noted below are included in the limit.

The Project Narrative is the most important part of the application, since it will be used as the primary basis to determine whether your project meets the minimum requirements for grants under the authorizing statutes. The Project Narrative should provide a clear and concise description of your project. The sample components of the Project Narrative counted as part of the 20-page limit include:

Summary/Abstract Problem Statement Goal(s) and Objective(s) Proposed Intervention Special Target Populations and Organizations Outcomes mailto:Katherine.Cargill-Willis@acl.hhs.gov

Project Management Evaluation Dissemination Organizational Capability

Summary/Abstract This section should include a brief (265 words maximum) description of the proposed project, including: goal(s), objectives, outcomes, and products to be developed

Problem Statement This section should describe, in both quantitative and qualitative terms, the nature and scope of the particular problem or issue the proposed intervention is designed to address, including how the project will potentially affect youth with disabilities, their families and educational systems.

Goals and Objectives This section should consist of a description of the project’s goal(s) and major objectives. Unless the project involves multiple, complex interventions, we recommend you have only one overall goal.

Proposed Intervention This section should provide a clear and concise description of the intervention you are proposing to use to address the problem described in the “Problem Statement”. You should also describe the rationale for using the particular intervention, including factors such as: “lessons learned” for similar projects previously tested in your community, or in other areas of the country; factors in the larger environment that have created the “right conditions” for the intervention (e.g., existing social or economic factors that you’ll be able to take advantage of, etc.). Also note any major barriers you anticipate encountering, and how your project will be able to overcome those barriers. Be sure to describe the role and makeup of any strategic partnerships you plan to involve in implementing the intervention, including other organizations, supporters, and/or consumer groups.

Special Target Populations and Organizations This section should describe how you plan to involve organizations in a meaningful way in the planning and implementation of the proposed project. This section should also describe whether, and if so, how the proposed intervention will target disadvantaged populations, including limited-English speaking populations, those of greatest economic need and those of greatest social need.

Outcomes This section of the project narrative must clearly identify the measurable outcome(s) that will result from the project. (NOTE: ACL will not fund any project that does not include measurable outcomes). This section should also describe how the project’s findings might benefit the field at large, (e.g., how the findings could help other organizations throughout the nation to address the same or similar problems.) List measurable outcomes in the optional work plan grid (“Project Work Plan – Sample Template”) under “Measurable Outcomes” in addition to any discussion included in the narrative along with a description of how the project might benefit the field at large.

A “measurable outcome” is an observable end-result that describes how a particular intervention benefits consumers. It demonstrates the functional status, mental well-being, knowledge, skill, attitude, awareness or behavior.) It can also describe a change in the degree to which consumers exercise choice over the types of services they receive, or whether they are satisfied with the way a service is delivered. Additional examples include: an increase in the number of students with I/DD who have more decisional options on completion of high school;

a decrease in the number of high school students with I/DD subject to guardianship; an increase of public knowledge regarding alternatives to guardianship; or an increase of income, work and responsibility for youth.

A measurable outcome is not a measurable "output", such as a final report; results from the environmental scans; a website with printable factsheets and other tools; a disseminate strategy;

the number of meetings with school officials; quarterly webinars; the solicitation for COPs; the solicitation for Youth Ambassadors; tools from the project.

You should keep the focus of this section on describing what outcome(s) will be produced by the project. You should use the Evaluation section noted below to describe how the outcome(s) will be measured and reported.

Your application will be scored on the clarity and nature of your proposed outcomes, not on the number of outcomes cited. It is totally appropriate for a project to have only ONE outcome that it is trying to achieve through the intervention reflected in the project’s design.

Project Management This section should include a clear delineation of the roles and responsibilities of project staff, consultants and partner organizations, and how they will contribute to achieving the project’s objectives and outcomes. It should specify who would have day-to-day responsibility for key tasks such as: leadership of project; monitoring the project’s on-going progress (i.e., measure of performance towards the goals stated in the funding opportunity announcement and for your specific intervention/activities), preparation of reports; communications with other partners and ACL. It should also describe the approach that will be used to monitor and track progress on the project’s tasks and objectives.

Evaluation This section should describe the specific outcomes (e.g., changes in clients, organizations, and/or communities) expected as a result of this funding as well as method(s), techniques and tools that will be used to: 1) determine whether the proposed intervention achieved its anticipated outcome(s), and 2) document the “lessons learned” – both positive and negative -from the project that will be useful to people interested in replicating the intervention, if it proves successful.

Dissemination This section should describe the method that will be used to disseminate the project’s results and findings in a timely manner and in easily understandable formats, to parties who might be interested in using the results of the project to inform practice, service delivery, program development, and/or policy-making, including and especially those parties who would be interested in replicating the project. All tools and other materials disseminated must be 508 compliant.

Organizational Capacity Statement Each application should include an organizational capability statement and vitae for key project personnel. The organizational capability statement should describe how the applicant agency (or the particular division of a larger agency which will have responsibility for this project) is organized, the nature and scope of its work and/or the capabilities it possesses. It should also include the organization’s capability to sustain some or all project activities after federal financial assistance has ended.

This description should cover capabilities of the applicant agency not included in the program narrative, such as any current or previous relevant experience and/or the record of the project team in preparing cogent and useful reports, publications, and other products. If appropriate, include an organization chart showing the relationship of the project to the current organization.

Please attach short vitae for key project staff only. Neither vitas nor an organizational chart will count towards the narrative page limit. Also include information about any contractual organization(s) that will have a significant role(s) in implementing project and achieving project goals

Other

Budget Narrative/Justification The Budget Narrative/Justification can be provided using the format included in the document, “Budget Narrative/Justification – Sample Format.” Applicants are encouraged to pay particular attention to this document, which provides an example of the level of detail sought. A combined multi-year Budget Narrative/Justification, as well as a detailed Budget Narrative/Justification for each year of potential grant funding is required

Work Plan

The Project Work Plan should reflect and be consistent with the Project Narrative and Budget and should cover all five (5) years of the project period. It should include a statement of the project’s overall goal, anticipated outcome(s), key objectives, and the major tasks / action steps that will be pursued to achieve the goal and outcome(s). For each major task / action step, the work plan should identify timeframes involved (including start- and end-dates), and the lead person responsible for completing the task. Please use the “Project Work Plan - Sample Template” format as a reference and resource, if desired.

Letters of Commitment from Key Participating Organizations and Agencies

Include confirmation of the commitments to the project (should it be funded) made by key collaborating organizations and agencies in this part of the application. Any organization that is specifically named to have a significant role in carrying out the project should be considered an essential collaborator. These signed letters of commitment should be included as attachments with your application submittal.

3. Submission Dates and Times Due Date for Applications: 06/29/2020 Applications that fail to meet the application due date will not be reviewed and will receive no further consideration. You are strongly encouraged to submit your application a minimum of 3- 5 days prior to the application closing date. Do not wait until the last day in the event you encounter technical difficulties, either on your end or, with http://www.grants.gov.

Grants.gov can take up to 48 hours to notify you of a successful submission.

In addition, if you are submitting your application via Grants.gov, you must (1) be designated by your organization as an Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) and (2) register yourself with Grants.gov as an AOR. Details on these steps are outlined at the following Grants.gov web page: http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/register.html.

After you electronically submit your application, you will receive from Grants.gov an automatic notification of receipt that contains a Grants.gov tracking number. (This notification indicates receipt by Grants.gov only.)

If you are experiencing problems submitting your application through Grants.gov, please contact the Grants.gov Support Desk, toll free, at 1-800-518-4726. You must obtain a Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number and must keep a record of it.

If you are prevented from electronically submitting your application on the application deadline because of technical problems with the Grants.gov system, please contact the person listed under For Further Information Contact in section VII of this notice and provide a written explanation of the technical problem you experienced with Grants.gov, along with the Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number. ACL will contact you after a determination is made on whether your application will be accepted.

Note: We will not consider your application for further review if you failed to fully register to submit your application to Grants.gov before the application deadline or if the technical problem you experienced is unrelated to the Grants.gov system.

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, ACL 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.

Unsuccessful submissions will require authenticated verification from http://www.grants.gov indicating system problems existed at the time of your submission. For example, you will be required to provide an http://www.grants.gov submission error notification and/or tracking number in order to substantiate missing the cut off date.

Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov) will automatically send applicants a tracking number and date of receipt verification electronically once the application has been successfully received and validated in http://www.grants.gov.

4. Intergovernmental Review http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/register.html http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/

This funding opportunity announcement is not subject to the requirements of Executive Order 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs."

5. Funding Restrictions The following activities are not fundable:

Construction and/or major rehabilitation of buildings Basic research (e.g. scientific or medical experiments) Continuation of existing projects without expansion or new and innovative approaches

Note: A recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report has raised considerable concerns about grantees and contractors charging the Federal Government for additional meals outside of the standard allowance for travel subsistence known as per diem expenses. Executive Orders on Promoting Efficient Spending (E.O. 13589) and Delivering Efficient, Effective and Accountable Government (E.O. 13576) have been issued and instruct Federal agencies to promote efficient spending. Therefore, if meals are to be charged in your proposal, applicants should understand such costs must meet the following criteria outlined in the Executive Orders and HHS Grants Policy Statement:

Meals are generally unallowable except for the following:

o For subjects and patients under study (usually a research program);

o Where specifically approved as part of the project or program activity, e.g., in programs providing children’s services (e.g. Head Start);

o When an organization customarily provides meals to employees working beyond the normal workday, as a part of a formal compensation arrangement, o As part of a per diem or subsistence allowance provided in conjunction with allowable travel; and o Under a conference grant, when meals are necessary and integral part of a conference, provided that meal costs are not duplicated in participants' per diem or subsistence allowances. (Note: conference grant means the sole purpose of the award is to hold a conference.)

6. Other Submission Requirements Letters should be emailed to katherine.cargill-willis@acl.hhs.gov

Katherine Cargill-Willis AoD Switzer 330 C. St SW Washington, DC 20201

V. Application Review Information

1. Criteria Applicants must document all of their source material. If any text, language and/or materials are from another source, the applicant must make it clear the material is being quoted and where the text comes from. The applicant must also cite any sources when they obtain numbers, ideas, or other material that is not their own. If the applicant fails to comply with this requirement, regardless of the severity or frequency of the plagiarism, the reviewers shall reduce their scores accordingly even to the degree of issuing no points at all.

Applications are scored by assigning a maximum of 100 points across the desired review criteria:

a. Project Relevance & Current Need

b. Approach

c. Budget

d. Dissemination Plan

e. Evaluation

f. Sustainability

g. Organizational Capacity

Project Relevance & Current Need Maximum Points:15 Applications should be evaluated based on the following criteria:

1. Clearly establishes the need to address the school to guardianship pipeline for youth with ID/DD and demonstrates an understanding of the issue using relevant data and current research. (5 Points)

2. Clearly describes how individuals with ID/DD and their family members were consulted in the development of the application and provides evidence that feedback from such representatives was utilized in developing the project proposal, including the goals and goal-related activities. (3 Points)

3. Shows a direct relationship between the needs identified based on research, data, and planning studies and feedback from individuals with ID/DD and their family members and the goals and goal-related activities in the project proposal. (3 Points)

4. Clearly describes how the implementation of the project will benefit individuals with ID/DD and enhance and increase alternatives to guardianship for youth completing high school. (4 Points)

Approach Maximum Points:35 Applications should be evaluated based on the following criteria:

1. Clearly describes an overall strategy and methodology in a well-reasoned manner that will appropriately accomplish the specific goals and objectives for the project to include projected measurable and attainable goals. (4 Points)

2. Clearly describes the scope and detail of how the work will be accomplished and includes a detailed work plan outlining the personnel, timeline, and quantitative projections of the accomplishments to be achieved by the project and a chronological order of approach with target dates, including the sequence and timing. (4 Points)

3. Includes a clear plan to recruit and collaborate with an advisory committee with at least 75% of the members being youth and young adults (ages 14-25) with ID/DD to guide the Resource Center. The plan ensures that the advisory committee will have representation from unserved and underserved groups. (3 Points)

4. Provides a detailed plan to form a national coalition to promote alternatives to guardianship nationwide. The plan includes strategies to recruit representatives from national organizations representing individuals with ID/DD, families, and school personnel, including teachers, school administrators, and other service-related staff.

The application describes how this coalition will advance through their organizations alternatives to guardianship across the nation. (3 Points)

5. Includes a clear plan, including a complete outline, for conducting an environmental scan of guardianship and it?s alternatives to include current state laws/policies, current State and local educational agencies policies/practices, and promising practices or success stories about youth transition strategies that lead to alternatives to guardianship.

(2 Points)

6. Outlines a clear plan for conducting an assessment from multiple and diverse perspectives, including youth with ID/DD, families, and school personnel, on current practices and perspectives to identify where change is needed and effective strategies for making change. (3 Points)

7. Clearly describes how the information generated from the background research will be used to develop a wide variety of culturally competent resources (e.g., materials, tools, instructional strategies, best practices) to divert youth with ID/DD away from guardianship. (2 Points)

8. Fully describes a plan to create a Community of Practice (CoP) comprised of between 10-15 state teams to increase awareness, build capacity, and improve state strategies that will lead to increased use of alternatives to guardianship, including strategies that will be used to recruit and select state teams comprised of youth, parents, teachers, and other school professionals; ensure cultural and linguistic diversity on the state teams;

ensure state team is co-lead by a youth with ID/DD; and support and manage the state teams to include a plan for bi-monthly learning exchanges to discuss success stories, best practices, and challenges. (5 Points)

9. Provides a complete plan to establish a Youth Ambassadors (YAS) Program that will provide training, leadership development, and mentoring for youth with ID/DD to serve as a point of contact in their state and offer technical assistance to youth with ID/DD in transition and their parents or guardians, including strategies to recruit and select YAS who are 14-25 years of age, have an ID/DD, and use SDM in his or her daily life. (3 Points)

10. Clearly describes the YAS program to train and support youth with ID/DD to serve as an expert and point of contact in their state and offer technical assistance to youth with ID/DD in transition and their parents or guardians, including the: Training, leadership development, and mentorship opportunities; and plan for the national coalition to support, engage with, and provide information to the YAS. (3 Points)

11. Describes the plan for developing the requirements and expectations for serving as an ambassador, including any financial supports that might be provided for serving as an ambassador. (3 Points)

Budget Maximum Points:10 Applications should be evaluated based on the following criteria:

1. The application provides a budget with line-items and detailed calculations for each budget objective, identified on the ?Budget Information? form; detailed calculations that include estimation methods, quantities, unit costs, and other similar quantitative detail sufficient for the calculation to be duplicated. (5 Points)

2. The application provides a breakout by the funding sources identified in Block 18 of the SF-424; a narrative budget justification that describes how the categorical costs are derived; and a discussion of the necessity, reasonableness, and allocability of the proposed costs. The application provides a narrative budget justification that describes how the categorical costs are derived and discusses the necessity, reasonableness, and allocability of the proposed costs in relation to the operation of the project. (5 Points)

Dissemination Plan Maximum Points:15 Clearly describes a dissemination and outreach plan that provides for:

1. A variety of culturally competent strategies that will be used to disseminate 508 compliant resources to multiple audiences, in multiple languages, and in a variety of formats including plain language, American Sign Language videos, and YouTube videos. (4 Points)

2. The use of evidence-based strategies to tailor information to certain audiences, such as teachers and school administrators. (3 Points)

3. Developing and delivering high quality trainings using technology and other means to train youth with ID/DD, parents and other family members, teachers, principals, VR counselors, and school district officials regarding alternatives to guardianship for youth with ID/DD transitioning from high school. (4 Points)

4. Outreach strategies using the national coalition, states participating in the Community of Practice, and…