PKG00264397-instructions.pdf

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Bureau of Health Workforce

Division of Nursing and Public Health

Nurse Faculty Loan Program (NFLP)

Funding Opportunity Number: HRSA-21-015 Funding Opportunity Type(s): Competing Continuation, New

Assistance Listings (CFDA) Number: 93.264

NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

Fiscal Year 2021

Application Due Date: February 8, 2021 Ensure your SAM.gov and Grants.gov registrations and passwords are current immediately!

HRSA will not approve deadline extensions for lack of registration.

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

Issuance Date: December 8, 2020

Linda Wierzechowski Nurse Consultant, Division of Nursing & Public Health Telephone: (301) 443-0819 Fax: (301) 443-0791 Email:NFLP@hrsa.gov

Authority: 42 U.S.C. § 297n-1 (Public Health Service Act Section 846A).

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is accepting applications for the fiscal year (FY) 2021 Nurse Faculty Loan Program (NFLP).

The purpose of this program is to increase the number of qualified nursing faculty nationwide. NFLP seeks to accomplish this by providing funding to accredited schools of nursing to establish and operate a student loan fund and provide loans to students enrolled in advanced education nursing degree programs who are committed to becoming nurse faculty. In exchange for completion of up to four years of post-graduation full-time nurse faculty employment in an accredited school of nursing, the program authorizes cancelation of up to 85 percent of the original student loan amount (plus interest thereon).

The FY 2021 President’s Budget does not request funding for this program. This notice is a contingency action taken to ensure that, should funds become available for this purpose, HRSA can process applications and award funds appropriately. You should note that this program may be canceled prior to award.

Funding Opportunity Title: Nurse Faculty Loan Program (NFLP) Funding Opportunity Number: HRSA-21-015

Due Date for Applications: February 8, 2021

Anticipated Total Annual Available FY 2021 Funding:

$28.5 million

Estimated Number and Type of Award(s): 90 Grants

Estimated Award Amount: Formula based. Subject to the availability of appropriated funds

Cost Sharing/Match Required: Yes Period of Performance: July 1, 2021 through

June 30, 2022 (one year)

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Eligible Applicants: Accredited schools of nursing.

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

Application Guide

You (the applicant organization/agency) are responsible for reading and complying with the instructions included in HRSA’s SF-424 R&R Application Guide, available online at http://www.hrsa.gov/grants/apply/applicationguide/sf424rrguidev2.pdf, except where instructed in this NOFO to do otherwise.

Technical Assistance

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

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

http://www.hrsa.gov/grants/apply/applicationguide/sf424rrguidev2.pdf https://bhw.hrsa.gov/fundingopportunities/default.aspx

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Table of Contents

I. Program Funding Opportunity Description

1. Purpose

2. Background

II. Award Information

1. Type of Application and Award

2. Summary of Funding

III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants

2. Cost Sharing/Matching

IV. Application and Submission Information

1. Address to Request Application Package

2. Content and Form of Application Submission

i. Project Abstract

ii. Project Narrative

iii. Budget

iv. Budget Justification Narrative

v. Attachments

3. Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) Number Transition to the Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and System for Award Management (SAM)

4. Submission Dates and Times Application Due Date

5. Intergovernmental Review

6. Funding Restrictions

V. Application Review Information

1. Review Criteria

2. Review and Selection Process

3. Assessment of Risk

VI. Award Administration Information

1. Award Notices

2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

3. Reporting

VII. Agency Contacts

VIII. Other Information

APPENDIX A

APPENDIX B

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I. Program Funding Opportunity Description

1. Purpose

This notice announces the opportunity to apply for funding under the Nurse Faculty Loan Program (NFLP). This is a one-year funding opportunity.

Program Purpose The purpose of this program is to increase the number of qualified nursing faculty nationwide. NFLP seeks to accomplish this by providing funding to accredited schools of nursing to establish and operate a student loan fund and provide loans to students enrolled in advanced education nursing degree programs who are committed to becoming nurse faculty. In exchange for completion of up to four years of post-graduation full-time nurse faculty employment in an accredited school of nursing, the program authorizes cancelation of up to 85 percent of any such student loan (plus interest thereon).

Program Goals

The goals of this program are to:

• Support training of advanced education nursing students who will serve as nurse faculty upon graduation, with a focus on doctorate preparation;

• Decrease the financial barrier of serving as nurse faculty through loan cancelation;

• Increase the number of adequately prepared and qualified nursing faculty nationwide; and

• Address the nationwide primary care provider shortage by increasing access to designated joint nurse faculty (serving as Advance Practice Registered Nurses (APRN) preceptors, etc.).

Program Objectives To accomplish the goals, NFLP projects will:

• Establish and/or maintain a distinct NFLP loan fund account and provide fiscal oversight in accordance with NFLP requirements;

• Conduct an active training program, operate an active loan fund, disburse loans to students, and provide accurate programmatic and financial data to show successful project implementation;

• Recruit, train and graduate advanced nurse education students who will serve as nurse faculty post-graduation; and

• Provide up to 85 percent loan cancellation of the original loan amount through four years of post-graduation full-time nurse faculty employment.

HHS and HRSA Priorities This program will build upon HRSA’s existing health workforce development investments, increasing access to quality health care services. You are encouraged to select and address one of the following HHS and HRSA priorities:

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• Transforming the workforce –by targeting the need

• Strengthening health care access through telehealth

2. Background

Nursing workforce projections show shortages and mal-distribution of supply across the U.S. as the need for health care grows.1 2 This problem is partially attributed to the shortage of nursing school faculty, which hampers nursing program enrollments.2 Compounding the problem is the recent COVID-19 pandemic that has affected the capacity of both nurses and nursing schools across the country.3 The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) reported that 75,029 qualified applicants were not offered admission to baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs in 2018 due to insufficient number of faculty, clinical preceptors, clinical sites, classroom space, and budget constraints.4 AACN found that out of the total number of qualified applicants, 10,788 and 2,909 were turned away from master’s and doctoral programs respectively.5 Most of the nursing schools responding to the survey pointed to a shortage of faculty and/or clinical preceptors as top reasons for not accepting all qualified applicants into their programs.2

In AACN’s 2018 Special Survey on Vacant Faculty Positions, responding schools of nursing identified 1,715 faculty vacancies, a vacancy rate of 7.9 percent, with a cited need to create an additional 138 faculty positions to accommodate student demand. The data showed that most of the vacancies (90.7 percent) were faculty positions requiring or preferring a doctoral degree.5 Respondents to the survey also reported that the most critical challenges related to faculty recruitment include the limited pool of doctorally prepared faculty, lack of faculty with the right specialty mix, noncompetitive salaries, difficulty finding faculty for schools in rural areas, etc.4 In order to encourage students to become nurse faculty, evidence has shown the following to be effective: student support and mentorship; adequate nurse educator preparation; and monetary support to pursue education, including fellowships and loan forgiveness.

Programs focused on addressing the nursing faculty shortage through training should include student nurse educator development activities in their training curriculum to ensure students are prepared and qualified to become nurse faculty upon graduation.6 7 Student nurse educator development activities include completion of nurse educator courses, mentorship, teaching practicum, nurse education focused workshops, and certification. These activities assure attainment of essential teaching skills, enhance confidence, promote proficiency, facilitate transition into the faculty role and promote faculty practice/retention.Error! Bookmark not

1 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, National Center for Health Workforce Analysis. (2017). National and Regional Supply and Demand Projections of the Nursing Workforce:

2014-2030. Rockville, Maryland 2 American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2019). Fact Sheet: Nursing Shortage. Washington, DC.

3 Jackson, D., Bradbury‐Jones, C., Baptiste, D., Gelling, L., Morin, K., Neville, S., & Smith, G. D. (2020). Life in the pandemic: Some reflections on nursing in the context of COVID‐19. Journal of clinical nursing 4 American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2019). Special Survey on Vacant Faculty Positions for Academic Year 2018-2019. Washington, DC.

5 American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2019). Fact Sheet: Nursing Faculty Shortage. Washington, DC.

6 National Advisory Council on Nurse Education and Practice. (2010, August). Ninth Report: The impact of nurse faculty shortage on nurse education and practice. https://www.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/hrsa/advisory-committees/nursing/reports/2010-ninthreport.pdf 7 Oermann, M. H. (2017). Preparing nurse faculty: it’s for everyone. Nurse educator, 42(1), 1.

https://www.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/hrsa/advisory-committees/nursing/reports/2010-ninthreport.pdf https://www.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/hrsa/advisory-committees/nursing/reports/2010-ninthreport.pdf

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defined. 8 The activities also address the nurse faculty shortage, by ensuring that the students trained to become nurse faculty, are qualified, adequately prepared for and can effectively transition into faculty roles, thereby expanding the educational capacity in the nursing profession.Error! Bookmark not defined.

Not only is the nation facing the issue of the nursing workforce shortage, but also the demand for primary care services has increased largely due to both a growing and an aging population. The Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW) National Center for Health Workforce Analysis (NCHWA) projects that the demand for primary care physicians will increase by 28,700 to 241,200 full time employees by the year 2020.9 Addressing the gap in primary care providers, especially for rural and underserved populations, is important for the health of the nation. Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) can help to address this gap because they are often the primary care providers at the forefront of providing preventive care services to the public. APRNs treat and diagnose illnesses, advise the public on health issues, and manage chronic diseases.10 The issue is that nationwide, APRN education programs are experiencing a number of challenges, including increased demand for APRN education, the national faculty shortage, and a shortage of APRN preceptors. In a 2013 multidiscipline site survey, over 60 percent of schools with Nurse Practitioner (NP) programs expressed concern over the limited number of clinical sites. The survey also showed that about 59 percent reported having an inadequate supply of qualified primary care preceptors.11

APRNs may be designated as full-time joint nurse faculty for precepting APRN students in a full time capacity and in this role, serve as nurse faculty to teach APRN students. AACN recommends expanding clinical integration with joint appointments. Clinical practice integration allows students to practice interprofessional health care in clinical situations.. Joint nurse faculty appointments are appointments that involve practicing as both clinician and nurse faculty with mutually established responsibilities in both the academic institution and practice entity..12 APRNs may be assigned a joint nurse faculty appointment for serving as preceptors for APRN students in an affiliated school of nursing, while maintaining their primary staff appointment. In this role, the APRN nurse faculty preceptor serves as faculty to teach APRN students and provide the students with quality real-life learning experiences, role development in the clinical setting, and the opportunity to be mentored in a collaborative interprofessional clinical environment. Establishment of formal joint nurse faculty appointments within an academic-practice collaborative framework serves to clarify responsibilities to students, enhances the preceptor’s investment in student learning and provides mutual academic and practice benefits such as access to library and other resources, ongoing educational opportunities, improved evidence-based practice instruction, expanded faculty capacity, and establishment of linkages

8 Booth, T. L., Emerson, C. J., Hackney, M. G., & Souter, S. (2016). Preparation of academic nurse educators. Nurse Education in Practice, 19, 54-57.

9 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, National Center for Health Workforce Analysis. (2016). National and Regional Projections of Supply and Demand for Primary Care Practitioners: 2013-2025. Rockville, Maryland.

10 American Nurses Association. (n.d.). Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN).

https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/workforce/what-is-nursing/aprn/ 11 Jones, K., Petri, L. & Statler, M. (2013). Recruiting and Maintaining U.S. Clinical Training Sites: Joint Report of the 2013 Multi-Discipline Clerkship/Clinical Training Site Survey.

12 Beitz, J. M., & Heinzer, M. M. (2000). Faculty practice in joint appointments: implications for nursing staff development. The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 31(5), 232-237.

https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/workforce/what-is-nursing/aprn/

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and shared expertise.13 14 Supporting and encouraging academic practice partnerships to increase the number of qualified nurse faculty preceptors addresses the nationwide nurse faculty shortage.

In order to address the issue of nurse faculty, including preceptor, shortage, partnerships are vital. Partnerships among academic institutions and between academic and practice institutions are beneficial in addressing both nurse faculty shortage and the limited supply of APRN preceptors.14 These partnerships provide an avenue for shared resources and increase opportunities for teaching/learning, student nurse educator development activities, and employment post-graduation. Partnerships among academic institutions expand access to educational resources and are especially beneficial to institutions located in rural areas.15 Academic partnerships with preceptors/health facilities provide needed access to preceptors and clinical training opportunities for APRN students/graduates, foster clinical innovation, and promote continuing education. Partnerships between academic and practice partners enable institutions to build capacity by engendering collaboration between clinicians and academia.14 Collaboration between academic and preceptor practice partners leverages resources to:

maximize student learning; ensure safety of care delivery; and optimize patient outcomes.

The NFLP supports institutions committed to preparing advanced degree nursing students to serve as nurse faculty, especially those with a focus on doctoral preparation, thereby addressing the national nursing faculty shortage. Student nurse educator development activities are essential in ensuring that advanced degree nursing students are adequately prepared to become nurse educators, to acculturate successfully and flourish in a teaching role upon graduation.

Additionally, NFLP addresses the nationwide primary care provider shortage by encouraging APRNs to serve as full time preceptors within an academic-practice partnership framework.

These partnerships involve the NFLP recipient institution, the school in need of a preceptor for their APRN students and the NFLP graduate who serves as a full time APRN preceptor designated as joint nurse faculty in exchange for loan cancelation. Collaborative Academic Partnerships and Academic-Practice Partnerships are vital to the expansion of educational capacity of nursing academic institutions for training, student nurse educator development activities, preceptorships, and post-graduation nurse faculty employment.

Program Definitions

A glossary containing general definitions for terms used throughout the Bureau of Health Workforce NOFOs can be located at the Health Workforce Glossary. In addition, the following definitions apply to the Nurse Faculty Loan Program (NFLP) for Fiscal Year 2021:

Advanced Education Nursing Program – Refers to advanced education nursing degree programs (including individuals in combined Registered Nurse (RN)/graduate

13 American Association of Colleges of Nursing (2015). White Paper: Re-envisioning the Clinical Education of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses.

14 Enders, T., Morin, A., Pawlak, B., Grey, M., & Rubenstein, A. (2016). Advancing Healthcare Transformation: A New Era for Academic Nursing. American Association of Colleges of Nursing.

15 National Advisory Council on Nurse Education and Practice. (2010, August). Ninth Report: The impact of nurse faculty shortage on nurse education and practice. https://www.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/hrsa/advisory-committees/nursing/reports/2010-ninthreport.pdf https://bhw.hrsa.gov/grants/resourcecenter/glossary https://www.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/hrsa/advisory-committees/nursing/reports/2010-ninthreport.pdf https://www.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/hrsa/advisory-committees/nursing/reports/2010-ninthreport.pdf

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degree programs and post-nursing Master’s certificate programs) that train individuals to serve as nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, nurse-midwives, nurse anesthetists, nurse educators, nurse administrators, and public health nurses.

Collaborative Academic and Academic-Practice Partnerships Collaborative partnerships are formal and strategic relationships between entities established to advance their mutual interests related to practice, education and research.

For the purposes of this NOFO, Academic Partnerships refers to formal collaboration between multiple academic institutions to create innovative opportunities for networking, training, student nurse educator development activities, and nurse faculty employment post-graduation.

For the purposes of this NOFO, Academic Practice Partnerships refers to formal collaboration between academic and clinical practice settings, to support training, student nurse educator development activities, and preceptor appointment. For the purpose of the NFLP, NFLP graduates serving as full-time preceptors for APRN students within an academic-practice partnership and are considered full time nurse faculty (in a joint nurse faculty appointment).

Full-Time Employment – Refers to the status of a student borrower who has graduated and is employed and serving in a nurse faculty capacity that qualifies for loan cancelation. For the purpose of the Nurse Faculty Loan Program, the institution which provided NFLP support to a borrower makes the determination about meeting the full-time employment requirement. This may include one of the following criteria: (1) employment as a full-time faculty member at an accredited school of nursing; (2) employment as a part-time faculty member at an accredited school of nursing in combination with another part-time faculty position or part-time clinical preceptor/educator position affiliated with an accredited school of nursing that together equates to full-time employment; or 3) designation of nurse faculty in a joint nurse faculty appointment serving as full-time advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) preceptor for an accredited school of nursing, within an academic-practice partnership framework.

For the purpose of NFLP, an NFLP graduate who is designated as nurse faculty (a joint nurse faculty appointment) serving as an APRN student preceptor in a full time capacity, qualifies for loan cancelation. The joint nurse faculty appointment can be designated to the NFLP graduate who holds a primary appointment as a practicing APRN for a health care entity, agrees to, and is qualified to precept APRN students.

1. The NFLP graduate should receive loan cancelation in exchange for their service as a full time APRN preceptor in a joint nurse faculty appointment.

2. The NFLP institution which provided NFLP support to the borrower makes the determination about meeting the full-time employment requirement for preceptorship service.

3. The school of nursing whose students are being precepted will provide the designation of nurse faculty for the NFLP graduate, and complete all required

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documentation (e.g., Employment certification) needed for the graduate to receive loan cancelation in exchange for full time preceptorship service.

4. The NFLP graduate’s affiliation with the accredited school of nursing must be signified by entering into a formal agreement as part of an academic-practice partnership based on the institution’s existing policies. The academic-practice partnership may occur between the academic institution (with students to precept) and the NFLP graduate’s employing (health care/practice) institution; or directly between the academic institution and the NFLP graduate. The designation of nurse faculty for the NFLP graduate serving as a full time APRN preceptor in a joint nurse faculty appointment must be denoted through a formal agreement documenting the individual as nurse faculty.16

As part of the COVID-19 emergency relief measures, the requirement to obtain full-time nurse faculty employment within 12 months of graduation has been extended from 12 months to 24 months for NFLP beneficiaries with graduation dates during the 2019- 2021 academic years.

II. Award Information

1. Type of Application and Award

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

HRSA will provide funding in the form of a formula award. The amount of funding awarded to each recipient will be determined according to a formula described in Section V.1

2. Summary of Funding

HRSA estimates approximately $28.5 million to be available annually to fund approximately 90 recipients. The actual amount available will not be determined until enactment of the final FY 2021 federal appropriation. The FY 2021 President’s Budget does not request funding for this program. This program notice is subject to the appropriation of funds, and is a contingency action taken to ensure that, should funds become available for this purpose, HRSA can process applications and award funds appropriately. The period of performance is July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022 (1 year). Funding beyond the first year is subject to the availability of appropriated funds for NFLP in subsequent fiscal years, satisfactory recipient performance, and a decision that continued funding is in the best interest of the Federal Government.

All HRSA awards are subject to the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost

16 Joint Appointments are faculty appointments for faculty members who make a substantial contribution to the academic institution or department and who typically hold a primary staff appointment in an affiliated healthcare institution. Examples of joint appointments in academic institutions include: Faculty Associate appointments which are offered to individuals who make significant contributions to the academic unit’s teaching or research mission, such as serving regularly as preceptors or participating in research; and Affiliate Clinical Faculty appointments which are offered to selected qualified professionals employed outside of the academic institution, providing primarily clinical related service (for example clinical preceptors). These individuals are recognized for their commitment and service to the practice mission of the academic institution.

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Principles, and Audit Requirements at 45 CFR part 75.

This program does not allow NFLP funds to be used for any indirect costs.

III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants are accredited schools of nursing with advanced education nursing programs.

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

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

Individuals and foreign entities are not eligible under this NOFO.

2. Cost Sharing/Matching

Cost sharing/matching is required for this program. Recipient institutions are required to deposit an institutional capital contribution (ICC) that is equal to not less than one-ninth of the FY 2021 Federal award amount, hereafter referred to as the Federal Capital Contribution (FCC). The ICC must be deposited at the time the FCC is received and deposited into the loan fund account.

3. Other Eligibility Information

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

Maintenance of Effort (MOE) The recipient must agree to maintain non-federal funding for award activities at a level that is not less than expenditures for such activities during the fiscal year preceding the fiscal year for which the entity receives the award. Federal funds are intended to supplement, not supplant, existing non-Federal expenditures for such activities.

Complete the Maintenance of Effort information and submit as Attachment 3. For NFLP, the MOE is the ICC contributed.

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

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Multiple Applications Multiple applications from an institution are allowable; however, applicants can submit only one application per campus. A campus is defined as a division of a university that has its own grounds, buildings (e.g., school of nursing) and faculty. A campus is defined as a division of a university that has its own grounds, buildings (e.g., school of nursing) and faculty. A clinical facility is defined as a health care facility, whether part of a system or not, which has its own grounds containing its own leadership (chief nursing officer, chief medical officer, chief executive officer, etc.). Independent organizations are those entities that have unique DUNS numbers.

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

Failure to include all required documents as part of the application may result in an application being considered incomplete or non-responsive. Applications received without the appropriate tables will be deemed non-responsive to the NOFO and will not be considered for funding under this notice.

Beneficiary Eligibility An eligible beneficiary must be a citizen, national, or permanent resident of the United States. Individuals on temporary or student visas are not eligible to receive NFLP support.

Award recipients may use this funding to support beneficiary: (1) Enrolled in a course of study in an advanced education nursing degree program; (2) Who maintain an acceptable level of academic standing; and (3) Eligible to work in the United States.

IV. Application and Submission Information

1. Address to Request Application Package

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

The NOFO is also known as “Instructions” on Grants.gov. You must select “Subscribe” and provide your email address for each NOFO you are reviewing or preparing in the workspace application package in order to receive notifications including modifications, clarifications, and/or republications of the NOFO on Grants.gov. You will also receive notifications of documents placed in the RELATED DOCUMENTS tab on Grants.gov that may affect the NOFO and your application. You are ultimately responsible for reviewing the For Applicants page for all information relevant to this NOFO.

https://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/applicants/apply-for-grants.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants.html

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2. Content and Form of Application Submission

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

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

Application Page Limit The total size of all uploaded files included in the page limit may not exceed the equivalent of 40 pages when printed by HRSA. The page limit includes the abstract, project and budget narratives, attachments including biographical sketches (bio sketches), and letters of commitment and support required in HRSA’s SF-424 R&R Application Guide and this NOFO. Standard OMB-approved forms that are included in the workspace application package do not count in the page limit. Biographical sketches do count in the page limitation. Please note: If you use an OMB-approved form that is not included in the workspace application package for HRSA-21-015, it may count against the page limit. Therefore, we strongly recommend you only use Grants.gov workspace forms associated with this NOFO to avoid exceeding the page limit. Indirect Cost Rate Agreement and proof of non-profit status (if applicable) do not count in the page limit. It is therefore important to take appropriate measures to ensure your application does not exceed the specified page limit.

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

Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility, and Voluntary Exclusion Certification

1) You certify on behalf of the applicant organization, by submission of your proposal, that neither you nor your principals are presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from participation in this transaction by any federal department or agency.

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

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

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

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

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Program-Specific Instructions

Program Requirements In addition to application requirements and instructions in Section 4 of HRSA’s SF-424 R&R Application Guide (including the assurances, certifications, and abstract), eligible applicants/awardees are required to:

• Establish and/or maintain a student loan fund;

• Develop a standard operating procedure to guide project administration;

• Draw down the entire FCC amount within 60 days of receipt, contribute the ICC amount (equal to not less than one-ninth of the FCC); and deposit both the FCC and ICC funds into the student loan fund account;

• Conduct an active training program for students pursuing a course of study in an advanced education nursing degree program that prepares them to become nurse faculty;

• Disburse NFLP loan funds to advanced education nursing students in accordance with NFLP’s purpose, objective and goals. Applicants/awardees that do not disburse NFLP loan funds will be identified as non-compliant and subject to additional penalties (such as remittance of unobligated funds), up to and including termination of the NFLP award;

• Support student nurse educator development activities within the course of study, as a reasonable educational expense;

• Provide cancelation of up to 85 percent of the original student loans (plus interest thereon) for completion of up to four years of post-graduation full-time nurse faculty employment; and

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

NOTE: More information about the administration of these requirements is available on the NFLP webpage, specifically at:

https://bhw.hrsa.gov/fundingopportunities/buckets/NFLP-admin- guidelines2017.pdf.

General Emergency Preparedness Statement Entities must be ready to respond in the event of a public health emergency – both those that are expected and unexpected. A training-focused emergency preparedness plan is critical for HRSA-funded projects and helps ensure that award recipients are ready to respond, can coordinate effectively, and have plans for recovery when emergencies that disrupt project activities occur. Applicants must develop and maintain a flexible training-focused emergency preparedness plan in case of public health emergencies, to ensure continuation of programmatic and training activities.

i. Project Abstract

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

The Abstract must include:

• A brief overview of the project as a whole;

• Specific, measurable objectives that the project will accomplish;

• Which of the clinical priorities will be addressed by the project, if applicable;

and http://www.hrsa.gov/grants/apply/applicationguide/sf424rrguidev2.pdf http://www.hrsa.gov/grants/apply/applicationguide/sf424rrguidev2.pdf https://bhw.hrsa.gov/fundingopportunities/buckets/NFLP-admin-guidelines2017.pdf https://bhw.hrsa.gov/fundingopportunities/buckets/NFLP-admin-guidelines2017.pdf

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• How the proposed project for which funding is requested will be accomplished, i.e., the "who, what, when, where, why and how" of a project.

ii. Project Narrative

This section provides a comprehensive framework and description of all aspects of the proposed project. It should be brief, succinct, self-explanatory, consistent with forms and attachments, and well organized so that reviewers can understand the proposed project.

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

PURPOSE AND NEED

This section will help reviewers understand the institution that will receive funding for training, as well as the needs of the communities that recipients would ultimately serve.

• Briefly describe the purpose of the proposed project.

• Demonstrate the alignment of the project and institution with the NFLP purpose; including an alignment of the project with HRSA’s mission to improve the health of underserved and vulnerable populations by strengthening the health workforce and connecting skilled professionals to communities in need.

• Describe the need for more qualified nurse faculty within your geographical area.

• Discuss how your students will benefit from this program and how your graduates impact the nurse faculty health workforce locally and nationally, including benefit to rural or underserved populations, as applicable.

RESPONSE TO PROGRAM PURPOSE -- This section includes three sub-sections

— (a) Work Plan; (b) Methodology/Approach; and (c) Resolution of Challenges

(a) WORK PLAN - You must provide a detailed work plan that demonstrates your plan to implement a project of the proposed scope. Your work plan outlines the contents of your institution’s NFLP Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). A sample work plan can be found here:

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

You must:

• Describe steps you will take to achieve each of the objectives proposed during the entire period of performance.

• Describe the timeframes, deliverables, and key partners required during the grant period of performance to address each of the needs described in the Purpose and Need section.

• Explain how the work plan is appropriate for the program design and how the targets fit into the overall timeline of grant implementation.

• Identify meaningful support and collaboration with key stakeholders in planning, designing, and implementing all activities.

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

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• Describe the collaborative academic or academic-practice partnership formed to support training, student nurse educator development, faculty employment and service obligation, if applicable.

(b) METHODOLOGY/APPROACH

Describe your objectives and proposed activities, and provide evidence for how they link to the project purpose and stated needs. Propose methods that you will use to address the stated needs and meet each of the previously described program requirements and expectations in this NOFO. If applicable, include a plan to disseminate reports, products, and/or project outputs so project information is provided to key target audiences.

(c) RESOLUTION OF CHALLENGES

Discuss challenges that you are likely to encounter in implementing the activities described in the work plan, and approaches that you will use to resolve such challenges, including:

• Identifying and recruiting students who plan to become nurse faculty;

• Establishing confirmation of students’ understanding of the commitment involved in receiving the loan and the service obligation;

• The management of borrower records and the institution’s loan fund account (including prevention of high default rates, etc.);

• The management of loan cancelation, repayment and collection activities, including coordinating third party loan servicing and collection entities; and

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

IMPACT -- This section includes two sub-sections— (a) Evaluation and Technical

Support Capacity; and (b) Project Sustainability

(a) EVALUATION AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT CAPACITY You must describe the plan for program performance evaluation that will contribute to continuous quality improvement. The program performance evaluation must monitor progress toward meeting goals and objectives of the project and program outcomes. Describe your institution’s ability to monitor and track NFLP-supported students and graduates’ progression from matriculation, graduation, through loan cancellation and collection over the entire loan life cycle, including plans for maintaining contact with students after graduation.

You must also describe the systems and processes that will support your organization's collection of HRSA’s performance measurement requirements for this program. At the following link, you will find the required data forms for this program: http://bhw.hrsa.gov/grants/reporting/index.html. Describe the data collection strategy to accurately collect, manage, analyze, store, and track/report http://bhw.hrsa.gov/grants/reporting/index.html.

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data (e.g., assigned skilled staff, data management software) to measure process and impact/outcomes, and explain how the data will be used to inform program development and service delivery in a way that allows for accurate and timely reporting of performance outcomes.

You must describe any potential obstacles for implementing the program performance evaluation and meeting HRSA’s performance measurement requirements and your plan to address those obstacles. The evaluation and reporting plan also should indicate the feasibility and effectiveness of plans for dissemination of project results, the extent to which project results may be national in scope, and the degree to which the project activities are replicable.

Performance Reporting Measures Applicants must describe their capacity to collect and report data such as, but not limited to, the following on an annual basis:

Loan Fund Management

• Existence of an NFLP SOP to manage the loan fund account

• Low amounts of end cash loan fund & Payment Management System balance

• Number with default rate (DR) greater than 5 percent

• Amount of loan disbursed to each student & total funds disbursed

Supply

• Number of new & continuing Master’s & Doctoral (DNP and PhD disaggregated) students

• Number of completers and non-completers by type of program & enrollment status

• Number of NFLP students who are enrolled full-time & part-time, by program type

Quality

• Number of educational preparation courses students take prior to graduation

• Number of graduates engaged in further training

• Type of training platforms available for students

• Number trained in HHS and HRSA Priority Areas

• Number of graduates in Educator Tracks & Doctoral degrees

• Types of qualified nursing faculty preparation strategies (courses, mentoring, practicum, etc.)

• Number and types of student nurse educator development activities

• Number of URM, disadvantaged, and rural background completers

Distribution

• Types of graduate degree specialties (Educator, NP, etc.)

• Types of employment (type of school and clinic site for expanded definition)

• Location of employment, by geographic region/state

• Number of graduates teaching in rural and underserved settings

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Access

• Number of graduates who obtain full-time nurse faculty employment within 12 months

• Number of graduates who obtain employment and receive loan cancelations after Year

1, Year 2, Year 3 & Year 4

• Number of graduates who are in grace period, repayment, postponement, deferment, forbearance, or default

(b) PROJECT SUSTAINABILITY You must provide a clear plan for project sustainability after the period of federal funding ends, including a description of specific actions you will take to (a) highlight key elements of your projects, e.g., training methods or strategies, which have been effective in improving practices; (b) obtain future sources of potential funding; as well as (c) provide a timetable for becoming self-sufficient. Recipients are expected to sustain key elements of their projects, e.g., strategies or services and interventions, which have been effective in improving practices and those that have led to improved outcomes for the target population. You must discuss challenges that are likely to be encountered in sustaining the program and approaches that will be used to resolve such challenges.

ORGANIZATIONAL INFORMATION, RESOURCES, AND CAPABILITIES

Succinctly describe your capacity to manage effectively the programmatic, fiscal, and administrative aspects of the proposed project, including evidence of a training-focused emergency preparedness plan as applicable. Provide information on your institution’s current mission and structure, and describe the institution’s ability to conduct the program requirements and meet program expectations.

Discuss how the institution will follow the approved plan, as outlined in the application, properly account for the federal funds, and document all costs to avoid audit findings.

iii. Budget

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

iv. Budget Justification Narrative

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

Program-Specific Forms

As part of the application submitted through Grants.gov, you must also complete and electronically submit the NFLP Program Specific Data Forms (NFLP Tables) by the established and published application due date. A reference copy of the program specific form is provided under Appendix B of this guidance. The NFLP Tables are essential in determining the award calculation.

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Therefore, incomplete or missing data may result in HRSA deeming the application non-responsive to the funding opportunity and the application might not be considered for funding.

See Section 4.1.iv of HRSA’s SF-424 R&R Application Guide. Please note: the directions offered in the SF-424 R&R Application Guide may differ from those offered by Grants.gov. Please follow the instructions included in the Application Guide.

Following the Application Guide will ensure that, if the application is selected for funding, you will have a well-organized plan and by carefully following the approved plan, you can avoid audit issues during the implementation phase.

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

v. Attachments

Use the “R&R Other Project Information” form, box 12 “Other Attachments” to provide the following items in the order specified below to complete the content of the application. Unless otherwise noted, attachments count toward the application page limit. Indirect cost rate agreements and proof of non-profit status (if applicable) will not count toward the page limit. Clearly label each attachment.

Attachment 1: Accreditation Documentation – Required Schools of nursing affiliated with the proposed project that provide formal degree programs must be accredited by a recognized body or bodies or State agency approved by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education for the purposes of nursing education. All nursing programs that are associated with the project must be accredited for the purpose of nursing education.

Applicants must submit an official letter of accreditation as proof of accreditation from the accrediting agency specifically stating that accreditation has been granted and the period covered by the accreditation. Applicants must also submit an official letter of approval for all doctoral programs included in the project.

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

Biographical sketches, not exceeding two pages per person, should include the following information:

• Senior/key personnel name

• Position Title https://www.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/hrsa/grants/apply/applicationguide/sf-424-rr-app-guide.pdf

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NON-FEDERAL EXPENDITURES

• Education/Training - beginning with baccalaureate or other initial professional education, such as nursing, including postdoctoral training and residency training if applicable:

° Institution and location ° Degree (if applicable) ° Date of degree (MM/YY) ° Field of study

• Section A (required) Personal Statement. Briefly describe why the individual’s experience and qualifications make him/her particularly well suited for his/her role (e.g., PD/PI) in the project that is the subject of the award.

• Section B (required) Positions and Honors. List in chronological order previous p on any Federal Government public advisory committee.

• Section C (optional) Peer-reviewed publications or manuscripts in press (in chronological order).