Revised_Foa_Content_of_HHS-2024-ACF-OCSS-FD-0016.pdf

Administration for Children and Families

Office of Child Support Services

Technical Assistance and Evaluation of the Next Generation Child Support Employment Services Demonstration

HHS-2024-ACF-OCSS-FD-0016

Application Due Date: 05/02/2024

Table of Contents Executive Summary

I. Program Description

II. Federal Award Information

III. Eligibility Information

III.1. Eligible Applicants

III.2. Cost Sharing or Matching

III.3. Other

IV. Application and Submission Information

IV.1. Address to Request Application Package

IV.2. Content and Form of Application Submission

Required Forms, Assurances, and Certifications

The Project Description

The Project Budget and Budget Justification

Application Submission Options

IV.3. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and System for Award Management (SAM)

IV.4. Submission Dates and Times

Explanation of Due Dates

Acknowledgement of Received Application

IV.5. Intergovernmental Review

IV.6. Funding Restrictions

IV.7. Other Submission Requirements

V. Application Review Information

V.1. Criteria

V.2. Review and Selection Process

V.3. Anticipated Announcement and Federal Award Dates

VI. Federal Award Administration Information

VI.1. Federal Award Notices

VI.2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

VI.3. Reporting

VII. HHS Award Agency Contact(s)

VIII. Other Information

Reference Websites

Application Checklist

Funding Opportunity Title:

Technical Assistance and Evaluation of the Next Generation Child Support Employment Services Demonstration Announcement Type:

Modification Funding Opportunity Number:

HHS-2024-ACF-OCSS-FD-0016

Assistance Listing Number:

93.564 Due Date for Applications:

05/02/2024

Executive Summary Notice:

• Applicants are strongly encouraged to read the entire notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) carefully and observe the application formatting requirements listed in Section IV.2. Content and Form of Application Submission. For more information on applying for an award, please visit "Applying for an ACF Award" at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/how-apply-grant.

This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) has been modified to include a definition of tribal organization. The change can be found under I. Program Description, Program Design, bullet 2, sub-bullet 1.

The Office of Child Support Services (OCSS) invites eligible candidates to submit competitive applications for the Technical Assistance and Evaluation of the Next Generation Child Support Employment Services Demonstration (NextGen TA/Eval). This will be a cooperative agreement to a single state or tribal child support agency. Under this cooperative agreement, the selected recipient will procure and manage an independent third-party organization(s) to provide technical assistance and evaluate the demonstration projects under the forecasted companion NOFO HHS-2024-ACF-OCSE-FD-0015, Next Generation Child Support Employment Services Demonstration. This cooperative agreement will have a 60-month project period with five 12-month budget periods.

Required activities will include:

• Implementation tracking and evaluation.

• Outcome tracking and evaluation.

• Providing programmatic and evaluation technical assistance to grant recipients under the companion NOFO, including leading regularly scheduled virtual learning community webinars and annual in-person meetings throughout each year of the 5-year project period.

https://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/how-apply-grant

• Implementing and overseeing a Management Information System for grant recipients under the companion NOFO that systematically collects program services and short-term outcomes for participants in the demonstration projects funded under the companion NOFO or developing some other method to collect this information.

• Disseminating technical assistance materials, completed evaluation reports, and other lessons learned to a national audience, including presenting at national or state conferences. This may include offering technical assistance and support to non-grant recipient child support programs who want to start and/or strengthen their own child support-led employment services programs.

Applicants for this grant may also apply under the companion NOFO, but it is not a requirement for application or selection under this announcement. A successful applicant under this NOFO may also be selected as a successful applicant under the companion NOFO, but one award is not related to the other. The recipient of this award will select a third-party organization to conduct the evaluation and will maintain impartiality regarding the evaluation of all project sites.

The awardee may receive up to $8,057,059 over the 5-year project period. The annual award ceiling for years 1-2 is $3,587,353. The annual award ceiling for years 3-5 is $294,118. The award floor is the same as the ceiling and average cost.

I. Program Description

Statutory Authority Title IV, part D (42 U.S.C. 651 et. seq.) and section 1115 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.

1315)

Description Background

In 2012, OCSS funded a 5-year national demonstration, Child Support Noncustodial Parent Employment Demonstration (CSPED), that examined the effectiveness of child support-led employment programs for noncustodial parents, which was evaluated using randomized control trials. Results from this demonstration showed that child support-led employment programs can effectively deliver employment and training services through third-party partnerships with local employment service providers, which increased income withholding and decreased the use of debt-driven enforcement remedies.[1] CSPED successfully increased participants’ employment in the first two years after enrollment and increased earnings in the first year after enrollment, as measured using quarterly earnings.[2] It also increased participants’ contact with their nonresident children.[3] This new approach improved the image of the child support program and helped lessen significant distrust among noncustodial parents, paving the way for better communication, more cooperation, and a more effective child support program. Many agencies involved in this demonstration dramatically shifted their office culture from an “enforcement first” mentality to a more service-oriented, family-centered approach, recognizing that not all noncustodial parents can pay their child support and could benefit from employment and training services.[4] A benefit-cost analysis of CSPED found that the benefits of CSPED outweighed its costs within 2 years when the costs of employment and parenting services received by members of the regular-services group were taken into account.[5]

Because of CSPED’s success and the continued need for federal financial participation to support the delivery of child support-led employment and training services for noncustodial parents, OCSS is inviting state and tribal child support agencies to submit competitive grant applications through a separate, companion Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), Next Generation Noncustodial Parent Employment Demonstration (NextGen, HHS-2024-ACF-OCSE- FD-0015) to develop and implement projects that provide child support-led employment and training services to unemployed or underemployed noncustodial parents. Approved demonstration applicants under the companion NOFO must, as a condition of award, agree to cooperate with and participate in the evaluation of the employment demonstration.

OCSS will award a cooperative agreement under this NOFO to a single state or tribal child support agency to oversee an independent, third-party organization or organizations that will provide technical assistance and evaluate the demonstration projects funded under the companion NOFO. The state or tribal child support agency applying for this cooperative agreement does not need to apply for funding under the companion NOFO. In addition, being an applicant or funded recipient under the companion NOFO does not disqualify a state or tribal agency from applying for funding under this NOFO.

The state or tribal child support agency awarded a grant under this NOFO must:

• Demonstrate the capacity to procure and manage an independent, third-party organization or multiple organizations that will provide technical assistance and evaluate the demonstration projects funded under the companion NOFO (see Section II. Award Information)

• Agree to substantial involvement by and cooperation with OCSS, as specified in this

NOFO

• Require that the third-party organization(s) conducting the technical assistance and evaluation agree to cooperate with OCSS

Purpose and Goals

This award allows a state or tribal child support agency to enter into a cooperative agreement with OCSS to procure and manage an independent, third-party organization(s) to provide technical assistance and evaluate the demonstration projects funded by OCSS under the companion NOFO. This award will also allow the recipient to share lessons learned about implementing and operating child support-led employment and training programs for noncustodial parents while supporting refinements and corrective actions by grant recipients under the companion NOFO. Many more parties – including non-participating state and local child support agencies; community-based and other service providers working with noncustodial parents; and local, state, and federal policymakers and program administrators – will find the information developed through this award informative and valuable. Ultimately, this award will give state and tribal child support agencies valuable information that will help them run their programs more effectively and improve performance. The agency awarded this grant will also increase its knowledge and capacity to manage program evaluations.

The primary goal of this NOFO is to provide technical assistance and evaluate the demonstration projects funded under the companion NOFO. This includes:

• Providing technical assistance on designing and implementing employment and training programs

• Implementing a management information system (or some other approach for collecting information about services received by noncustodial parents who participate in the demonstration projects)

• Conducting an implementation study

• Engaging with noncustodial parents who receive services to hear their experiences

• Obtaining and analyzing child support and employment outcomes of noncustodial parents who participate in the demonstration projects

Program Design

OCSS will award this cooperative agreement to a state or tribal child support agency to procure and manage a qualified third-party organization or organizations that will provide technical assistance to the demonstration projects and evaluate the demonstration projects funded under the companion NOFO. The recipient of this award shall be responsible for management and oversight of the selected third-party organization(s) and ensure both the technical assistance and evaluation are conducted under the guidelines and specifications cited and as further agreed upon with OCSS.

The recipient agency of this cooperative agreement must:

• Develop, in consultation with OCSS, a solicitation to procure an independent, third-party organization(s) to provide technical assistance to the demonstration projects funded under the companion NOFO and evaluate the demonstration projects. This may require the state or tribal agency to develop a request for proposals or similar mechanism to procure these services. Alternatively, applicants may identify an independent, third-party organization(s) in the grant application with assurances that state or tribal agency regulations about the selection of a third-party contractor have been met.

• Develop, in consultation with OCSS, a solicitation to procure an independent third-party tribal organization that will, at a minimum, provide advice on the recipient’s plans for providing technical assistance and evaluating projects conducted by tribal child support agencies under the companion NOFO. Greater involvement of an independent third-party tribal organization in the technical assistance and evaluation of tribal child support agencies is preferred. This requirement may necessitate that the state or tribal agency develop a request for proposals or similar mechanism to procure these services.

Alternatively, applicants may identify an independent third-party tribal organization in the grant application with assurances that state or tribal agency regulations about the selection of an independent third-party contractor have been met.

o Tribal organization is defined in 45 CFR 309.05 as "any legally established organization of Indian Tribes which is sanctioned or chartered as a single governing body representing two or more Indian Tribes.”[6]

• Make sure the contract with the third-party organization(s) incorporates the requirements and scope described in this NOFO and as further agreed upon through collaboration with

OCSS.

• Make sure the third-party organization(s) completes these requirements, all of which will be reviewed by OCSS and are subject to final agreement with OCSS:

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/subtitle-B/chapter-III/part-309/subpart-A/section-309.05 o Prepare a technical assistance plan that will describe how the third-party organization(s) plans to provide technical assistance to grant recipients under the companion NOFO that will help them design and implement their child support-led employment programs for noncustodial parents. It is expected that the technical assistance plan will vary depending on the type of program receiving assistance. The companion NOFO requires applicants to self-identify into one of the three mutually exclusive program types:

1. Tribal child support agencies

2. State child support agencies where at least one local jurisdiction participating in the demonstration does not currently have an employment and training program or the program has been in operation for less than 5 years

3. State child support agencies where all local jurisdictions participating in the demonstration have had an employment and training program in operation for at least 5 years o Provide technical assistance to demonstration projects in designing and implementing their child support-led employment programs for noncustodial parents. This includes:

▪ Helping demonstration projects identify employment service providers in their local areas

▪ Helping develop in-house employment service programs if the demonstration project cannot find an employment service provider in their area

▪ Helping demonstration projects prepare for launching their programs within 1 year of receiving their grants

▪ Working with employment service providers to ensure they have effective one-on-one case management services, effective employment and training services for noncustodial parents, and effective strategies for keeping noncustodial parents engaged in employment and training services

▪ Ensuring each of the program types described in the companion NOFO receives high-quality, culturally relevant technical assistance that is tailored to their needs

▪ Providing guidance and assistance to each of the grant recipients under the companion NOFO through regular telephone or virtual communication throughout their 5-year demonstration

▪ Conducting one round of site visits to all demonstration projects during the first year of the grant period o Develop and implement a peer-learning environment for demonstration projects under the companion NOFO where they will learn how to recruit, serve, and retain project participants. This will involve regular virtual learning sessions and annual in-person workshops throughout the 5-year demonstration.

o Develop and implement a website where the third-party organization(s) can place information for the grant recipients under the companion NOFO.

o Identify and implement a method (e.g., Management Information System, or MIS) for systematic collection of program services and short-term outcomes for participants in the demonstration projects funded under the companion NOFO (e.g., numbers of enrolled participants, type of service involvement by participants, and whether participants enter employment).

o Prepare an evaluation plan that describes how the third-party organization(s) will:

▪ Analyze the service delivery data collected through MIS or other agreed-upon method

▪ Conduct the implementation study

▪ Engage parents who received services from the demonstration projects to hear their experiences

▪ Identify and analyze the study outcomes o Describe, in detail, each element of the evaluation, including the data that will be needed and the methods that will be used to analyze the data. OCSS expects that the evaluation plan will differ depending on the program type as described in the companion NOFO. These differences should be fully described. The third-party organization(s) must ensure OCSS involvement in all decisions about the evaluation design.

o Prepare a data security plan that ensures all data gathered under this award is appropriately safeguarded.

o Conduct an implementation study of the demonstration projects that documents how the projects were implemented as well as the challenges and successes they encountered. OCSS expects that this activity will involve one round of site visits to all demonstration projects in the later years of their 5-year demonstration to observe demonstration operations and conduct interviews with key personnel and participants.

o Implement a plan to engage parents who received services from the demonstration projects funded under the companion NOFO to get feedback on their experiences with the demonstration project. Include parents from each of the three program types described in the companion NOFO in this part of the evaluation.

o Obtain and analyze child support administrative data from the demonstration projects, which will include both child support services and child support payments and orders 1 year before participants enter the program and 1 year after program entry. OCSS will help determine what administrative data can be most useful and will help communicate to the demonstration grant recipients the type, amount, and condition of the data needed for the evaluation.

o Analyze quarterly earnings records for demonstration participants. The recipient of this award will provide these data to the third-party organization(s) and will include employment and earnings data 1 year before participants enter the program and 1 year after program entry. Details of this process will be worked out with OCSS after the grant is awarded.

o Conduct an outcome study of child support administrative data and quarterly earnings data for all demonstration projects that will include information about participants 1 year before and 1 year after program entry.

o Write reports that describe the NextGen demonstration and the technical assistance and evaluation conducted under this grant.

• Work with OCSS, the third-party organization(s) conducting the evaluation, and the demonstration grant recipients to develop a method of collecting quarterly earnings data on participants from the National Directory of New Hires that will be used for the evaluation.

• Establish and maintain ongoing management oversight and quality assurance capabilities to ensure all data collected for the evaluation is appropriately safeguarded.

• Require the third-party organization(s) to develop, execute, and host regularly scheduled webinars and workshops based on OCSS guidance for grant recipients under the companion NOFO throughout the 5-year demonstration. This includes planning and executing an in-person workshop in Washington, DC, (or an alternate location as approved by OCSS) each year of the demonstration project. These webinars and workshops will promote coordination, information and resource sharing, troubleshooting, training, and learning opportunities.

• Make sure the third-party organization(s) undertakes all tasks necessary to obtain Institutional Review Board approval of study protocols and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval of all information collections on a schedule that will support the time frames established for the evaluation overall and data collection specifically (e.g., allowing at least 240 days for completion of the OMB clearance process).

• Make sure the third-party organization(s) disseminates technical assistance materials, completed evaluation reports, and other lessons learned to a national audience, including presenting at national or state conferences. This may also include offering technical assistance and support to non-grant recipient child support programs who want to start or strengthen their own child support-led employment services program.

• Collaborate further with OCSS as described in Section II. Award Information, Description of ACF's Anticipated Substantial Involvement Under the Cooperative Agreement.

OCSS anticipates the recipient will provide technical assistance and evaluation for up to 12 grant recipients under the companion NOFO. OCSS reserves the right to add other child support-led noncustodial parent employment programs under this NOFO so that they may receive technical assistance and be evaluated, even if the program are not recipients of a grant under the companion announcement. OCSS also reserves the right to revise the evaluation methodology described here. OCSS will consult with the recipient and the third-party organization(s) conducting the technical assistance and evaluation about making these changes with the understanding that the changes may affect the allocation of resources within the grant.

Keeping in line with ACF's equity goals, OCSS expects that the project approach, work plan, and deliverables will follow a comprehensive approach to advancing equity for all. This includes Black, Latino, and Indigenous and Native American persons, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and other persons of color; members of religious minorities; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI+) persons; persons with disabilities; persons who live in rural areas; and persons otherwise adversely affected by persistent poverty or inequality.

NOTE: Consistent with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, (44 U.S.C. 3501-3521) OCSS will not conduct or sponsor – and a person is not required to respond to – a collection of information covered by such Act, unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

Program Management

The recipient of this cooperative agreement must ensure appropriate project management, which requires oversight of the project budget, contractual agreements, and performance of third-party organizations.

OCSS expects the recipient of this cooperative agreement and the third-party organization(s) conducting the technical assistance and evaluation to have monthly telephone or virtual communication with OCSS to discuss the progress of the technical assistance and evaluation and any challenges that may arise during the demonstration and efforts to resolve those challenges quickly and effectively.

The recipient must provide at least one key, experienced, staff person to serve as a Program Manager to oversee the requirements laid out in Section I. Program Description, C. Program Design. The Program Manager will be employed for the appropriate number of hours needed for project oversight. OCSS anticipates the position will require approximately 20 hours per week.

The Program Manager will:

• Submit required federal reports on time.

• Manage the contract(s) with any third-party organization(s) conducting the technical assistance and evaluation.

• Monitor the performance of the third-party organization(s) to make sure high standards for quality are met.

• Monitor all expenditures under the grant.

• Attend regularly scheduled project management meetings that may include internal, contracted, and external partners, and other project staff to make sure that challenges or barriers to completion are resolved quickly and effectively.

• Review major deliverables in consultation with OCSS to make sure OCSS comments are appropriately addressed.

Waiver Requirements

The applicant may need to ask for a waiver of certain provisions of the Act. Section 1115(a)(1) of the Act allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services to waive a state plan requirement in Section 454. Section 1115(a)(2)(A) allows the Secretary to treat certain unallowable expenditures as allowable state expenditures for the demonstration project. Waivers requested in the application will be covered as part of the cooperative agreement unless noted upon award.

OCSS will grant waivers requested after award if it is determined they are essential to the demonstration.

A request to waive state-wideness and other state plan requirements that facilitate the conduct of the project or enable the state to accomplish the purposes of the project may also be needed.

For more information on program components specific to this NOFO, please reference Section IV.2. Content and Form of Application Submission, The Project Description.

[1] Cancian, Maria, Daniel R. Meyer, Robert Wood. Final Impact Findings from the Child Support Noncustodial Parent Employment Demonstration. Madison, WI: Institute for Research on Poverty (March 2019).

https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ocse/csped_impact_report.pdf https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ocse/csped_impact_report.pdf

Noyes, Jennifer L. Lisa Klein Vogel, and Lanikque Howard. Final Implementation Findings from the Child Support Noncustodial Parent Employment Demonstration (CSPED) Evaluation.

Madison WI: Institute for Research on Poverty (December 2018).

[2] Sorensen, Elaine. What We Learned from Recent Federal Evaluations of Programs Serving Disadvantaged Noncustodial Parents, Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (November 2020).

[3] Cancian, Maria et al. Final Impact Findings from the Child Support Noncustodial Parent Employment Demonstration (March 2019).

[4] Noyes, Jennifer L. et al. Final Implementation Findings from the Child Support Noncustodial Parent Employment Demonstration (CSPED) Evaluation (December 2018).

[5] Cancian, Maria, Daniel R. Meyer, and Robert G. Wood. “Carrots Work Better than Sticks?

Results from the National Child Support Noncustodial Parent Employment Demonstration,” Journal of Policy Analysis and Management. 41:2 (2022).

[6] https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/subtitle-B/chapter-III/part-309/subpart-A/section-

309.0545 CFR 309.05

II. Federal Award Information

Funding Instrument Type:

CA (Cooperative Agreement) Estimated Total Funding:

$3,587,353 Expected Number of Awards:

Award Ceiling:

$3,587,353 Per Budget Period

Award Floor:

$3,587,353 Per Budget Period

Average Projected Award Amount:

$3,587,353 Per Budget Period

Anticipated Project Start Date:

07/01/2024 Length of Project Periods:

60-month project period with five 12-month budget periods

Additional Information on Project Periods and Explanation of 'Other' Additional Information on Awards:

https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ocse/csped_implementation_report.pdf https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ocse/csped_implementation_report.pdf https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/opre/OPRE%20NCP%20Employment%20Brief_508.pdf https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/opre/OPRE%20NCP%20Employment%20Brief_508.pdf https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ocse/csped_impact_report.pdf https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ocse/csped_impact_report.pdf https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ocse/csped_implementation_report.pdf https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ocse/csped_implementation_report.pdf https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/pam.22370 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/pam.22370

Awards made under this funding opportunity are subject to the availability of federal funds.

Applications requesting an award amount that exceeds the Award Ceiling per budget period, or per project period, as stated in this section, will be disqualified from the merit review and funding under this funding opportunity. Please see Section III.3. Other, Application Disqualification Factors.

Description of ACF's Anticipated Substantial Involvement Under the Cooperative Agreement Award

A cooperative agreement is federal assistance in which substantial federal involvement in project activities is anticipated. The responsibilities of federal staff and the successful applicant are reviewed before award.

OCSS anticipates substantial involvement in the following activities, in addition to those mentioned in Section I. Program Description:

• Facilitating information exchange between funded state and tribal demonstration projects, the state or tribal agency awarded this grant, the third-party organization(s) conducting the technical assistance and evaluation, and other entities or organizations engaged by OCSS for purposes related to this demonstration

• Providing consultation to the recipient state or tribal agency and the third-party organization(s) on the technical assistance and evaluation design and methods, approaches to address problems that arise, and identification of areas needing corrective actions

• Advising and directing approaches to address problems and strengthen recipient capacity to meet the requirements of this NOFO

• Providing timely review, comments, and decisions on key issues related to the design, procurement, and conduct of the technical assistance and evaluation, and on inquiries and documents submitted by the recipient state or tribal agency or third-party organization(s)

• Working together to address issues or problems identified by the recipient state or tribe, OCSS, or others about the recipient state or tribe’s ability to carry out the full range of activities in the approved application efficiently and effectively

• Working together to develop regular webinars for recipients of the companion NOFO to promote coordination, information sharing, and access to resources, training, and learning opportunities

• Working together to develop in-person workshops in Washington, DC, (or an alternate location as approved by OCSS) for recipients of the companion NOFO during each year of their grants

III. Eligibility Information

III.1. Eligible Applicants State title IV-D agencies, or the umbrella agency, and tribal title IV-D agencies operating comprehensive programs

Applications from individuals (including sole proprietorships) and foreign entities are not eligible and will be disqualified from the merit review and funding under this funding opportunity. See Section III.3. Other, Application Disqualification Factors.

Faith-based and community organizations that meet the eligibility requirements are eligible to receive awards under this funding opportunity. Faith-based organizations may apply for this award on the same basis as any other organization, as set forth at and, subject to the protections and requirements of 45 CFR Part 87 and 42 U.S.C. 2000bb et seq., ACF will not, in the selection of recipients, discriminate against an organization on the basis of the organization's religious character, affiliation, or exercise.

III.2. Cost Sharing or Matching

Cost Sharing / Matching Requirement:

No For all federal awards, any shared costs or matching funds and all contributions, including cash and third-party in-kind contributions, must be accepted as part of the recipient’s cost sharing or matching when such contributions meet all criteria listed in 45 CFR § 75.306.

For awards that require matching by statute, recipients will be held accountable for projected commitments of non-federal resources in their application budgets and budget justifications by budget period, or by project period for fully funded awards, even if the projected commitment exceeds the amount required by the statutory match. A recipient’s failure to provide the statutorily required matching amount may result in the disallowance of federal funds. Recipients will be required to report these funds in the Federal Financial Reports.

For awards that do not require matching or cost sharing by statute, where “cost sharing” refers to any situation in which the recipient voluntarily shares in the costs of a project other than as statutorily required matching, recipients will be held accountable for projected commitments of non-federal resources in their application budgets and budget justifications by budget period, or by project period for fully funded awards. These include situations in which contributions are voluntarily proposed by a recipient or subrecipient and are accepted by ACF. Non-federal cost sharing will be included in the approved project budget so that the recipient will be held accountable for proposed non-federal cost sharing funds as shown in the Notice of Award (NoA). A recipient’s failure to provide voluntary cost sharing of non-federal resources that have been accepted by ACF as part of the approved project costs and that have been shown as part of the approved project budget in the NoA, may result in the disallowance of federal funds.

Recipients will be required to report these funds in the Federal Financial Reports.

See Section IV.2. The Project Budget and Budget Justification, Commitment of Non-Federal Resources for more information.

III.3. Other

Application Disqualification Factors Applications from individuals (including sole proprietorships) and foreign entities are not eligible and will be disqualified from the merit review and funding under this funding opportunity.

Award Ceiling Disqualification

Applications that request an award amount that exceeds the Award Ceiling per budget period or per project period, as stated in Section II. Federal Award Information, will be disqualified from the merit review and funding under this funding opportunity. This disqualification applies only to the Award Ceiling listed for the first 12-month budget period for projects with multiple budget periods. If the project and budget period are the same, the disqualification applies to the Award Ceiling listed for the project period.

Required Electronic Application Submission

ACF requires electronic submission of applications at Grants.gov. Paper applications received that have not been approved for an exemption from required electronic submission will be disqualified from the merit review and funding under this funding opportunity.

If you do not have an internet connection or sufficient capacity to upload large documents to the internet you may contact ACF for an exemption that will allow you to submit your application in paper format. Information and the requirements for requesting an exemption from required electronic application submission are found in "ACF Policy for Requesting an Exemption from Electronic Application Submission."

Missing the Application Deadline (Late Applications)

The deadline for electronic application submission is 11:59 pm ET on the due date listed in the Overview and in Section IV.4. Submission Dates and Times. Electronic applications submitted to Grants.gov after 11:59 pm ET on the due date, as indicated by a dated and time-stamped email from Grants.gov, will be disqualified from the merit review and funding under this funding opportunity.

Applications submitted to Grants.gov which fail their validation check, will not be received at, or acknowledged by ACF. If you submit an application for the same NOFO more than once, only the last on-time submission will be acknowledged.

Paper applications with an approved exemption from the electronic submission requirement must be received by 4:30 pm ET on the due date listed in the Overview and in Section IV.4. Submission Dates and Times. Paper applications received after 4:30 pm ET on the due date will be disqualified from the merit review and funding under this funding opportunity.

Notification of Application Disqualification Applicants will be notified of a disqualification determination by email or by USPS postal mail within 30 federal business days from the closing date of this NOFO.

IV. Application and Submission Information https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ACF_Policy_for_Requesting_an_Exemption_from_Required_Electronic_FINAL_0.pdf https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ACF_Policy_for_Requesting_an_Exemption_from_Required_Electronic_FINAL_0.pdf

IV.1. Address to Request Application Package Michelle Jadczak U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families Office of Child Support Services 330 C Street SW Washington

DC

20201 202-401-4578 michelle.jadczak@acf.hhs.gov Application Packages

Electronic Application Submission:

The electronic application submission package is available in the NOFO's listing at Grants.gov.

IV.2. Content and Form of Application Submission

FORMATTING APPLICATION SUBMISSIONS

Notice of Two-File Requirement Applicants applying via Grants.gov must upload only two electronic files, excluding Standard Forms (SFs) and Office of Management and Budget (OMB)-approved forms. Additional files will be removed prior to the merit review.

FOR ALL APPLICATIONS:

Signature of Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) Each applicant must designate an authorized organization representative (AOR) with authority to act on the organization’s behalf on matters related to the application submission and administration of awards. The AOR signature must appear on all forms in which a signature is required. By signing, the AOR agrees the organization will abide by all applicable Federal statutes, regulations and terms and conditions of the award.

Accepted Font Style and Size Applications must be in Times New Roman 12-point font, except for footnotes, which may be 10-point font. Pages that contain blurred or illegible text will be removed.

If documents must be scanned, the font size on any scanned documents must be large enough so that it is readable. You may not scan more than one page of a documents onto a single page.

Pages with blurred text will be removed from the application.

English Language Applications must be submitted in the English language and must be in the terms of United

States (U.S.) dollars. See 45 CFR §75.111 for more information.

Page Limitations You must observe the page limitation(s) listed under "PAGE LIMITATIONS AND CONTENT FOR ALL SUBMISSION FORMATS" later in this section. Page limitation(s) do not include SFs and OMB-approved forms.

All applications must be double-spaced. An application that exceeds the cited page limitation for double-spaced pages will have extra pages removed, and those pages will not be reviewed.

Application Elements Exempted from Double-Spacing Requirements The following elements of the application submission are exempt from the double-spacing requirements and may be single-spaced:

• Table of Contents

• One-page Project Summary

• Required Assurances and Certifications

• SFs and OMB-approved forms

• Resumes, Logic Models, Proof of Legal Status/Non-Profit Status, Third-Party

Agreements, Letters of Support, footnotes and tables

• Line-Item Budget and/or the Budget Justification

Adherence to NOFO Formatting, Font, and Page Limitation Requirements Applications that fail to adhere to ACF’s NOFO formatting, font, and page limitation requirements will be adjusted by the removal of page(s) from the application. Pages will be removed before the merit review and will not be made available to reviewers.

NOTE: Applicants failing to adhere to ACF’s NOFO formatting, font, and page limitation requirements will receive a letter from ACF notifying them that their application was amended.

The letter will be sent after awards have been issued and will specify the reason(s) for removal of page(s).

Corrections/Updates to Submitted Applications When applicants revise a previously submitted application, ACF will accept only the last on-time application for pre-review under the Application Disqualification Factors. See Section III.3.

Other, Application Disqualification Factors and Section IV.2. Application Submission Options.

Copies Required Applicants must submit one complete copy of the application package electronically. Applicants must follow the registration and application submission instructions provided at Grants.gov.

Accepted Application Format With the exception of the required SFs and OMB-approved forms, all application materials must be formatted so that they are 8 ½" x 11" white paper with 1-inch margins all around.

If possible, applicants are encouraged to include page numbers for each page within the application.

PAGE LIMITATIONS AND CONTENT FOR ALL SUBMISSION FORMATS:

With the exception of SFs and OMB-approved forms, the application submission is limited to 100 pages. The application must be uploaded in the following two files:

File One (Project Description) Project Summary/Abstract

• Table of Contents

• Project Narrative (suggest no more than 40 pages)

• Budget and Budget Justification

File Two (Appendices)

• Resumes and curriculum vitae

• Third-party Agreements and other supporting material

• Optional Governing Body Documentation (if necessary)

Do not submit required SFs and OMB-approved forms in these files.

ELECTRONIC APPLICATION SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

You are required to submit applications electronically unless you have received an exemption that will allow submission in paper format. See Section IV.2. Application Submission Options for information about requesting an exemption.

Electronic applications will only be accepted via Grants.gov. ACF will not accept applications submitted via email or via facsimile.

Each applicant is required to upload ONLY two electronic files, excluding SFs and OMB-approved forms.

File One: Must contain the entire Project Description, and the Budget and Budget Justification (including a line-item budget and a budget narrative).

File Two: Must contain all documents required in the Appendices.

Formatting Submission Files ACF strongly recommends that File One and File Two be uploaded as Portable Document Files (PDFs).

To adhere to the two-file requirement, you may need to convert and/or merge documents together using a PDF converter software. Applicants using Adobe Acrobat Reader software will be able to merge these documents together. ACF recommends merging documents electronically rather than scanning multiple documents into one document manually.

Applicants must ensure that the version of Adobe Acrobat Reader they are using is compatible with Grants.gov. To verify Adobe software compatibility please go to Grants.gov and click on “Applicants” at the top bar menu and select “Adobe Software Compatibility."

Naming Application Submission Files Carefully observe the file naming conventions required by Grants.gov. Limit file names to 50 characters (characters and spaces).Please also see https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/submitting-utf-8-special-characters.html.

Use only file formats supported by ACF While ACF supports all of the following file formats, we strongly recommend that the two files (Project Description and Appendices) are uploaded as PDFs in order to comply with the two-file upload limitation.

ACF supports the following file formats:

• Adobe PDF – Portable Document Format (.pdf)

• Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx)

• Microsoft Excel (.xls or .xlsx)

• Microsoft PowerPoint (.ppt)

• Image Formats (.JPG, .GIF, .TIFF, or .BMP only)

Documents in file formats not listed here will be removed from the application and will not be used in the merit review. This may make the application incomplete, and ACF will not make awards based on an incomplete application.

Do Not Encrypt or Password-Protect the Electronic Application Files If ACF cannot access submitted electronic files because they are encrypted or password protected, the affected file will not be reviewed. This may make the application incomplete, and ACF will not make awards based on an incomplete application.

REQUIREMENTS FOR PAPER APPLICATION SUBMISSIONS:

You must receive an exemption in order for a paper application to be accepted for review. For more information on the exemption, see "ACF Policy for Requesting an Exemption from Required Electronic Application Submission."

Applicants with an approved exemption for paper application submission should download the forms package associated with the NOFO's Synopsis on Grants.gov under the Package tab.

All copies of mailed paper applications must be submitted in a single package. If an applicant is submitting multiple applications under a single NOFO, or multiple applications under separate NOFOs, each submission must be packaged separately. The package(s) must be clearly labeled with the NOFO title and Funding Opportunity Number.

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/submitting-utf-8-special-characters.html https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ACF_Policy_for_Requesting_an_Exemption_from_Required_Electronic_FINAL_0.pdf https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ACF_Policy_for_Requesting_an_Exemption_from_Required_Electronic_FINAL_0.pdf

Applicants must submit one original and two copies of the complete application, including all SFs and OMB-approved forms. The original copy must have original signatures. Copies of the application, not the original, will be reproduced by the federal government for review. All application materials must be one-sided for duplication purposes. All pages in the application submission must be sequentially numbered.

Required Forms, Assurances, and Certifications Applicants seeking an award under this funding opportunity must submit the listed SFs, assurances, and certifications with the application. All required SFs, assurances, and certifications are available in the Application Package posted for this NOFO at Grants.gov.

Forms/Assurances/Certifications Submission Requirement Notes/Description

Protection of Human Subjects Assurance Identification / IRB Certification / Declaration of Exemption (Common Rule)

Submission of the required information and forms is due with the application package by the due date listed in the Overview and Section IV.4.

Submission Dates and Times. If the information is not available at the time of application, it must be submitted prior to the award of a grant.

Form is available at http:// www.hhs.gov/ ohrp/ assurances/ forms/index.html.

General information about the HHS Protection of Human Subjects regulations can be obtained at http://www. hhs.gov/ ohrp/ . Applicants may also contact OHRP by email (OHRP@HHS.gov) or by phone (240-453-6900).

SF-424 - Application for Federal Assistance

Submission is required for all applicants by the application due date.

Required for all applications.

Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and System for Award Management (SAM) registration.

Required of all applicants.

Applicants must have a UEI and maintain an active SAM registration throughout the application and

See Section IV.3. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and System for Award Management (SAM) for more information.

http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/assurances/forms/index.html http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/assurances/forms/index.html http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/assurances/forms/index.html http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/ http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/ mailto:OHRP@HHS.gov

Forms/Assurances/Certifications Submission Requirement Notes/Description project award period.

Obtain a UEI and SAM registration at:

http://www.sam.gov

SF-424 Key Contact Form

Submission is required for all applicants by the application due date.

Required for all applications.

Certification Regarding Lobbying (Grants.gov Lobbying Form)

Submission required of all applicants with the application package.

If it is not submitted with the application package, it must be submitted prior to the award of a grant.

Submission of the certification is required for all applicants.

SF-424A - Budget Information - Non- Construction Programs and SF-424B - Assurances - Non- Construction Programs

Submission is required for all applicants when applying for a non-construction project.

SFs must be used.

Forms must be submitted by the application due date.

By signing and submitting the SF- 424B, applicants are making the appropriate certification of their compliance with all Federal statutes

Required for all applications when applying for a non-construction project.

https://www.sam.gov/

Forms/Assurances/Certifications Submission Requirement Notes/Description relating to nondiscrimination.

SF-Project/Performance Site Location(s) (SF-P/PSL)

Submission is required for all applicants by the application due date.

Required for all applications. In the SF-P/PSL, applicants must cite their primary location and up to 29 additional performance sites.

SF-LLL - Disclosure of Lobbying Activities

If submission of this form is applicable, it is due at the time of application. If it is not available at the time of application, it may also be submitted prior to the award of a grant.

If any funds have been paid or will be paid to any person for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any agency, a member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a member of Congress in connection with this commitment providing for the United States to insure or guarantee a loan, the applicant shall complete and submit the SF- LLL, "Disclosure Form to Report Lobbying," in accordance with its instructions.

Additional Required Assurances and Certifications Mandatory Grant Disclosures All applicants and recipients are required to submit, in writing, to ACF and the HHS Office of the Inspector General, all information related to violations of federal criminal law involving fraud, bribery, or gratuity violations potentially affecting the federal award. (Mandatory Disclosures, 45 CFR § 75.113)

Disclosures must be sent in writing to:

The Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Grants Management, ATTN: Grants Management Specialist, 330 C Street, SW., Switzer Building, Corridor 3200, Washington, DC 20201

And to:

U.S.…