USDA-FNS-CN-SBPE-TER-FY23.pdf

Child Nutrition School Breakfast Program Expansion Grant – U.S.

Territories

Fiscal Year 2023 Request for Applications (RFA) for the U.S. Territories (Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa)

Catalog for Federal Domestic Assistance Number (CFDA): 10.579

Release Date: April 24, 2023 Application Due Date: 11:59 PM, Eastern Standard Time (EST), July 24, 2023 Anticipated Award Date: August 28, 2023

APPLICATION CHECKLIST

This Application Checklist provides applicants with a list of the required documents. However, FNS expects that applicants will read the entire RFA prior to the submission of their application and comply with all requirements outlined in the solicitation. The Application Checklist is for applicant use only and should not be submitted as part of the Application Package. If your agency has questions or needs assistance with an item on this Application Checklist, contact the Grant Officer (See Section VII).

Complete the following at least four weeks prior to submission:

Obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number;

Register the UEI number in the System for Award Management (SAM); and, Register in Grants.gov.

When preparing your application, ensure:

Application format and narrative meet the requirements included in Section IV “Application and Submission Information.” This includes page limits, priorities outlined in Section IV, and all necessary attachments.

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

□ All key staff proposed to be paid by this grant.

□ The percentage of time the Project Director will devote to the project in full-time equivalents

(FTEs).

□ Your organization’s fringe benefit rate and amount, as well as the basis for the computation.

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

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

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

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

□ Justification, description, and itemized list of all consultant services.

□ Indirect cost information (either a copy of a Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA) or if no agreement exists and the applicant has never been approved for a NICRA, they may charge up to 10% de minimis). If applicant is requesting the de minimis rate or indirect costs are not requested, please indicate this in the budget narrative.

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

□ SF-424 – Application for Federal Assistance (fillable PDF in Grants.gov)

□ SF-424A – Budget Information and Instruction Form (fillable PDF in Grants.gov)

□ SF-424B – Assurances for Non-Construction Programs (fillable PDF in Grants.gov)

□ SF-LLL – Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (fillable PDF in Grants.gov)

□ FNS-906 – Grant Program Accounting System & Financial Capability Questionnaire (Appendix)

□ Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (PDF - Upload using the “Add Attachments” button under SF-424 item #15) http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms.html

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Application Checklist 2

Table of Contents 3

I. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION & OBJECTIVES 5

Program Description

Legislative Authority

Key Objectives

II. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION 6

Allowable Costs

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION 7

Eligible Applicants

Cost Sharing or Matching Considerations

Other Eligibility Criteria

Pre-Award Screening Requirements

Acknowledgement of USDA Support

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION 8

Content and Form of Application Submission

Submission Date

Preparing for Electronic Application Submission through Grants.gov

How to Submit an Application via Grants.gov

Grants.gov Receipt Requirements and Proof of Timely Submission

Intergovernmental Review (if applicable)

Funding Restrictions

V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION 13

REVIEW CRITERIA

Evaluation of Grant Application Criteria

1. Evaluation Factors and Criteria

2. Review and Selection Process

VI. FEDERAL AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION 15

1. FEDERAL AWARD NOTICE

2. ADMINISTRATIVE AND NATIONAL POLICY REQUIREMENTS

Confidentiality of an Application

Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality of the Review Process

Administrative Regulations

Code of Federal Regulations and Other Government Requirements

3. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

Financial Reports

Performance Progress Report (PPR)

VII.

FEDERAL AWARDING AGENCY CONTACTS 19

VIII.

OTHER INFORMATION 19

Debriefing Requests

APPENDIX 21

RFA Budget Narrative Checklist

FNS-906 Grant Program Accounting System & Financial Capability Questionnaire

FNS-908 Performance Progress Report (PPR) – For Reference Only

Application Template

ATTACHMENT A

ATTACHMENT B

I. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION & OBJECTIVES

Program Description The Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (the Act), Section 23 (42 U.S.C. 1793), as amended by Section 105 of the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-296), authorizes funds to provide grants on a competitive basis to State agencies. An amount of $3 million is available for award to State agencies within the U.S. Territories (Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa) to expand the School Breakfast Program (SBP) or any other school breakfast provided to students by the school or U.S. Territory.

The purpose of the SBP expansion grants is to provide subgrants, not to exceed $10,000 per qualifying school or group of qualifying schools per school year, to establish, maintain, or expand the SBP or other school breakfast program provided by the school or U.S. Territory. All schools located within U.S. Territories are considered “qualifying schools” for the purposes of this grant opportunity.

The SBP is a federally assisted meal program that was established in 1966. It provides categorical grants to assist public and nonprofit private schools and residential childcare institutions that serve breakfasts to “nutritionally needy” children. The SBP operates in the same manner as the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). U.S. Territories that provide an alternate school breakfast to students are also eligible to apply to this grant. This is a new RFA and a FY 2023 opportunity.

Legislative Authority

The authority to issue this funding comes from the Consolidated Appropriation Act of 2022 and the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023.

Consolidated Appropriation Act of 2022:

“For necessary expenses to carry out the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.), except section 21, and the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1771 et seq.), except sections 17 and 21; $26,883,922,000 to remain available through September 30, 2023, of which such sums as are made available under section 14222(b)(1) of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-246), as amended by this Act, shall be merged with and available for the same time period and purposes as provided herein:”

“Provided further, That of the total amount available, $6,000,000 shall be available until September 30, 2023 to carry out section 23 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C.

1793), of which $2,000,000 shall be for grants under such section to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa:”

Consolidated Appropriation Act of 2023:

“For necessary expenses to carry out the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.), except section 21, and the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1771 et seq.), except sections 17 and 21; $28,545,432,000 to remain available through September 30, 2024, of which such sums as are made available under section 14222(b)(1) of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-246), as amended by this Act, shall be merged with and available for the same time period and purposes as provided herein:

Provided, That of the total amount available, $20,162,000 shall be available to carry out section 19 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1771 et seq.):”

“Provided further, That of the total amount available, $3,000,000 shall be available until September 30, 2024 to carry out section 23 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C.

1793), of which $1,000,000 shall be for grants under such section to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa:”

Key Objectives Below is a list of the key grant Objectives. Proposed grant activities should be clearly aligned to these Objectives and their associated Activities and Indicators, as noted in Section IV, within the “Activities/Indicators Tracker”.

II. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

Under this RFA, the School Breakfast Program expansion grant has available $3 million in funding to award to the U.S. Territories (Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa).

• Anticipated number of awards: 1 (to U.S. Territories)

• Estimated funding per award: $500,000

• Expected numbers of individual subawards: Approximately 50 individual subawards (to

LEAs or Schools from Grantees)

• Anticipated amounts of individual subawards to LEAs or schools: $10,000

• Application due date: July 24, 2023

• Anticipated award announcement date: August 28, 2023

• Anticipated start dates and period of performance: September 1, 2023 – September 30, Depending on the nature of the proposals submitted, agencies representing U.S. Territories may be awarded grants in an amount not to exceed $2 million. The value of subgrants provided by a U.S.

Territory to an LEA, qualifying school, or group of qualifying schools must not exceed $10,000 per school (or group of schools) per school year. The award period for the FY 2023 SBP Expansion grants will span a project period of two years from the date of the award. Thus, the maximum each school (or group of schools) can receive is $20,000 over two years.

A subgrant recipient, an LEA, qualifying school, or a group of qualifying schools as defined in Section 4(d)(1) of the Act, may use grant funds to carry out activities in accordance with the 3 Key Program Objectives (see Section I). This may include activities such as:

# Objectives 1 Improve quality and nutritional standards of breakfast food served using less sodium and sugar and serving a variety of protein sources, whole grains, milk, fruits and vegetables.

2 To provide subgrants to qualifying schools or to local educational agencies (LEA) with qualifying schools to establish, maintain, or expand the SBP.

3 Increase breakfast participation in qualifying schools.

● Improving meal quality and supporting healthy and appealing breakfasts that meet the current standards and support stronger nutrition standards including reducing added sugar and sodium, increasing and promoting a variety of protein sources, whole grains, milk, fruits and vegetables;

● Establish, promote, or expand a School Breakfast Program;

● Extend the period during which school breakfast is available during the day (e.g., staff costs, outreach activity to increase participation, small equipment costs, breakfast in the classroom);

● Provide school breakfast to students of the qualifying school during the school day;

● Purchase equipment that allows you to increase the type, quantity, or quality of food available for students.

U.S. Territories may allocate a portion of each subgrant to provide training and technical assistance to the staff of the awarded schools, not to exceed 5 percent of the award provided to the qualified schools.

Please note:

1. Grant awards are subject to the availability of funding and/or appropriations of funds.

2. FNS reserves the right to use this solicitation and competition to award additional grants this year or the subsequent fiscal year, should additional funds become available.

Allowable Costs Among other costs, budgets may include expenses related to personnel, contractors, equipment and supplies, meeting expenses, travel, and trainings. U.S. Territories may utilize up to 15 percent of their award for grant administration. For additional information on Allowable Costs, please see 2 CFR 200.405.

This Federal Financial Assistance will be administered as a grant.

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants under this RFA include State agencies within Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa that oversee schools that administer school breakfast programs.

Cost Sharing or Matching Considerations

There is no matching requirement for the funds under this RFA. Grants made available under this announcement must not diminish or otherwise affect the expenditure of funds from U.S. Territory and local sources for the maintenance of the school breakfast programs. Because the ultimate responsibility for operating school breakfast under the breakfast expansion grants is found at the local level, U.S. Territories are encouraged to contact potentially eligible schools or groups of schools to ensure that the schools are interested in establishing or expanding their school breakfast program.

Other Eligibility Criteria

● Only one grant application will be accepted from each U.S. Territory in response to this solicitation.

Pre-Award Screening Requirements In reviewing applications in any discretionary grant competition, prior to making a Federal Award, Federal Awarding Agencies, in accordance with 2 CFR 200.205, are required to review information available through any OMB-designated repositories of government-wide eligibility qualifications or financial integrity information. Additionally, Federal Awarding Agencies are required to have a framework in place for evaluating the risks posed by applicants before they receive Federal awards.

The FNS review of risk posed by applicants will be based on the following:

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

2. FAPIIS, the Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System that has been established to track contractor misconduct and performance

3. FNS Risk Assessment Questionnaire o Applicants must complete the Grant Program Accounting System & Financial Capability

Questionnaire (FNS-906) that allows FNS to evaluate aspects of the applicant’s financial stability, quality of management systems, and history of performance, reports, and findings from audits. The questionnaire contains a number of questions that may be an indicator of potential risk.

The evaluation of the information obtained from the designated systems and the risk assessment questionnaire may result in FNS imposing special conditions or additional oversight requirements that correspond to the degree of risk assessed.

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

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

Grantees should follow the USDA Visual Standards Guide when using the USDA logo.

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

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

Content and Form of Application Submission

Eligible applicants interested in applying to this opportunity are strongly encouraged to use the application proposal template (see Appendix). However, use of the template is not required to apply to this grant. Applicants who do not wish to use the application template must adhere to the following application format:

□ The proposed project plan should be presented on 8 ½” x 11” white paper with at least 1-inch margins on the top and bottom.

□ All pages should be single-spaced, in 12-point font.

https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/visual-standards-guide-january-2013.pdf

□ The project description with relevant information should be captured on no more than 5 pages, not including the cover sheet, table of contents, resumes, letter of commitment(s), endorsement letter(s), budget narrative(s), appendices, and required forms.

□ All pages, excluding the form pages, must be numbered.

Special Instructions:

□ Late application submission will not be considered in this competition. FNS will not consider additions or revisions to applications unless they are submitted via Grants.gov by the deadline. No additions or revisions will be accepted after the deadline.

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

□ Applications missing written proposal or budget narrative will not be considered.

□ FNS reserves the right to request clarification on any application submitted in response to this solicitation.

□ Applications and attachments not submitted via Grants.gov will not be considered.

□ If multiple application packages are submitted through Grants.gov by the same applicant in response to this solicitation, FNS will accept the latest application package successfully submitted.

All other packages submitted by the applicant will be removed from this competition.

□ There are no cost sharing or matching requirements for this grant.

□ FNS may use this solicitation to fund additional grant projects in this or the subsequent fiscal year, contingent upon the availability and apportionment of funds.

Cover Sheet The cover sheet should include, at a minimum:

□ Applicant’s name and mailing address

□ Primary contact’s name, job title, mailing address, phone number and e-mail address

□ Grant program title and subprogram title (if applicable)

Table of Contents Include relevant sections and subsections as well as associated page numbers.

Application Project Summary The application summary should clearly describe the proposed project activities and anticipated outcomes that would result if the proposal were to be funded.

Project Narrative The project narrative should clearly identify what the applicant is proposing and how it will address a solution, the expected results and/or benefits once the solution is achieved, and how it will meet the RFA program scope and objectives. The proposed project methodology should describe the project design and address program specific methodology needs, procedures, timetables, monitoring/oversight, and the organization’s project staffing.

As part of the proposal, U.S. Territories should complete Attachment A showing the overall need for this grant in the targeted schools. The narrative must also include a timeline (See Attachment B), as well as how U.S. Territories will monitor program implementation.

Activities/Indicators Tracker Proposed activities and indicators measuring success must be mapped to Program Objectives (as described in Section I – Program Description & Objectives) in the below format (note that additional Activities/Indicators can be added as needed). Note: Indicators are defined as any metric you anticipate will be able to be tracked during the period of performance of the grant. Common examples include

Number of Students Attended, Number of Students Impacted, Number of Materials Created, Number of Trainings, Number of People Trained, Number of Schools Impacted.

(Example) Objective # 1 Activity Provide subgrants to 100 schools Indicator(s) Number of subgrants awarded Activity Measuring Students’ Nutrition Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviors Indicator(s) Number of students impacted

Objective # Activity Indicator(s)

Objective #

Application Budget Narrative

The budget narrative should correspond with the proposed project narrative and application budget.

The narrative must justify and support the bona fide needs of the budget’s direct cost. If the budget includes indirect costs, the applicant must provide a copy of its most recently approved Federal indirect cost rate agreement. All funding requests must be in whole dollars. See the Appendix for the Budget Narrative Checklist, which can be used to ensure your budget narrative addresses all the required elements.

Indirect Cost Rate

A current Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA), negotiated with a Federal negotiating agency, should be used to charge indirect costs. Indirect costs may not exceed the negotiated rate. If a NICRA is used, the percentage and base should be indicated. If the applicant does not have, and has never been approved for, a NICRA, they may charge up to 10% de minimis. In this instance, the applicant must indicate they are requesting the de minimis rate. An applicant may elect not to charge indirect costs and, instead, use all grant funds for direct costs. If indirect costs are not charged, the phrase "none requested" should be stated in the budget narrative. For questions related to the indirect cost rate, please work with the Grant Officer as noted in this RFA.

Required Grant Application Forms

Please refer to the Application Checklist for a list of required grant forms.

Submission Date Complete grant applications must be uploaded to www.grants.gov by 11:59 PM, Eastern Standard Time (EST), on July 24, 2023.

http://www.grants.gov/

1. Applications must be submitted via Grants.gov. Mailed, e-mailed or hand-delivered application packages will not be accepted.

2. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.

3. FNS will not consider additions or revisions to applications unless they are submitted via

Grants.gov by the deadline. No additions or revisions will be accepted after the deadline.

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

FNS strongly encourages applicants to begin the registration process at least four weeks before the due date and to submit applications to Grants.gov at least one week before the deadline to allow time to troubleshoot any issues, should they arise. Please note that upon submission, Grants.gov may send multiple confirmation notices; applicants should ensure receipt of confirmation that the application was accepted. Applicants experiencing difficulty submitting applications to Grants.gov should contact the Grants.gov Support Center. Grants.gov provides applicants 24/7 support via the toll-free number 1-800-518- 4726 and email at support@grants.gov. If you are experiencing difficulties with your submission, it is best to call the Grants.gov Support Center and get a ticket number. The Support Center ticket number will assist the Center with tracking your issue and understanding background information on the issue.

FNS will evaluate submission issues on a case-by-case basis.

Preparing for Electronic Application Submission through Grants.gov Applicants must register with System for Award Management (SAM) and Grants.gov to submit an application to FNS via Grants.gov, as required. FNS strongly encourages applicants to begin the registration process at least four weeks before the due date.

To submit an application, you must:

1. Register in the System for Award Management (SAM):

o SAM.gov combines Federal procurement systems and the Catalog of Federal Domestic

Assistance into one system. For additional information regarding SAM.gov, see the following link: https://www.sam.gov/SAM o Must have your organization’s Tax ID Number (TIN), and taxpayer name (as it appears on last tax return). It may take approximately 5 business days to register in SAM.gov; however, in some instances the SAM process to complete the migration of permissions and/or the renewal of the entity record will require 7 days or more.

o All applicants must have current SAM status at the time of application submission and throughout the duration of a Federal Award in accordance with 2 CFR Part 25.

o We strongly encourage applicants to begin the process at least 4 weeks before the due date of the grant solicitation.

2. Create a Grants.gov Account:

The next step in the registration process is to create an account with Grants.gov. Applicants must know their organization's UEI number (assigned by SAM.gov) to complete this process.

Completing this process automatically triggers an email request for applicant roles to the organization's E-Business Point of Contact (EBiz POC) for review. The EBiz POC is a representative from your organization who is the contact listed for SAM.gov. To apply for grants on behalf of your organization, you will need the Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) role.

https://www.grants.gov/ mailto:support@grants.gov https://www.grants.gov/ https://www.sam.gov/SAM

For more detailed instructions about creating a profile on Grants.gov, refer to https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/grantors/grantor-registration.html

3. Authorize Grants.gov Roles:

After creating an account on Grants.gov, the EBiz POC receives an email notifying them of your registration and request for roles. The EBiz POC will then log in to Grants.gov and authorize the appropriate roles, which may include the AOR role, thereby giving you permission to complete and submit applications on behalf of the organization. You will be able to submit your application online any time after you have been approved as an AOR.

For more detailed instructions about creating a profile on Grants.gov, refer to https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/workspace-overview/workspace-roles.html

4. Track Role Status: To track your role request, refer to https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/workspace-overview/workspace-roles.html

Electronic Signature: When applications are submitted through Grants.gov, the name of the organization's AOR that submitted the application is inserted into the signature line of the application, serving as the electronic signature. The EBiz POC must authorize individuals who are able to make legally binding commitments on behalf of the organization as an AOR; this step is often missed and it is crucial for valid and timely submissions.

How to Submit an Application via Grants.gov Grants.gov applicants can apply online using Workspace. Workspace is a shared, online environment where members of a grant team may simultaneously access and edit different web forms within an application. For each funding opportunity announcement (FOA), you can create individual instances of a workspace.

For additional training resources, including video tutorials, refer to:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-training.html

Applicant Support: Grants.gov provides applicants 24/7 support via the toll-free number 1-800-518- 4726 and email at support@grants.gov. If you are experiencing difficulties with your submission, it is best to call the Grants.gov Support Center and get a ticket number. The Support Center ticket number will assist the Center with tracking your issue and understanding background information on the issue.

For questions related to the specific grant opportunity, please contact the agency contacts for this opportunity, as listed in Section VII.

Grants.gov Receipt Requirements and Proof of Timely Submission All applications must be received by 11:59 PM, Eastern Standard Time (EST), July 24, 2023, as detailed in Section IV. Proof of timely submission is automatically recorded by Grants.gov. An electronic date/time stamp is generated within the system when the application is successfully received by Grants.gov. The applicant AOR will receive an acknowledgement of receipt and a tracking number (GRANTXXXXXXXX) from Grants.gov with the successful transmission of their application.

Applicant AORs will also receive the official date/time stamp and Grants.gov Tracking number in an email serving as proof of their timely submission.

Applicants using slow internet, such as dial-up connections, should be aware that transmission could take some time before Grants.gov receives your application. The Grants.gov Support Center reports that some applicants end the transmission because they think that nothing is occurring during the https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/grantors/grantor-registration.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/workspace-overview/workspace-roles.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/workspace-overview/workspace-roles.html https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-training.html mailto:support@grants.gov transmission process. Please be patient and give the system time to process the application. If you continue to experience difficulties with submission, it is best to contact the Grants.gov Support Center via the toll-free number 1-800-518-4726 and email at support@grants.gov.

Additional Information on Grants.gov and the Registration Process:

NOTICE: Special Characters and Naming Conventions not Supported

All applicants MUST follow Grants.gov guidance on file naming conventions. To avoid submission issues, please follow the guidance provided in the grants.gov Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):

Are there restrictions on file names for any attachment I include with my application package?

File attachment names longer than approximately 50 characters can cause problems processing packages. Please limit file attachment names. Also, do not use any special characters (examples: & – * % / # ’ -). This includes periods (.) and spacing followed by a dash (-) in the file. To separate words in naming a file, use underscore, as in the following example: Attached_File.pdf. Please note that if these guidelines are not followed, your application will be rejected. FNS will not accept any application rejected from the www.grants.gov portal due to incorrect naming conventions.

Additional information and applicant resources are available at:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/workspace-overview.html

Intergovernmental Review (if applicable) This funding opportunity is subject to the requirements of EO 12372, “Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs”. This Executive Order was issued with the desire to foster the intergovernmental partnership and strengthen federalism by relying on State and local processes for the coordination and review of proposed Federal financial assistance and direct Federal development. The Order allows each State and U.S. Territory to designate an entity to perform this function.

For a list of State agency and U.S. Territory contacts, please visit the Office of Management website at: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/omb/grants/text/spoc.html

Funding Restrictions Pre-award costs will not be awarded for this grant opportunity.

V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

REVIEW CRITERIA

Evaluation of Grant Application Criteria

FNS will pre-screen all applications to ensure the applicants are eligible entities and are in compliance with all Program regulations.

1. Evaluation Factors and Criteria

The following selection criteria will be used to evaluate applications for this RFA. This evaluation criteria will not apply to any subgrants issued.

A. Technical Quality of SBP Expansion Proposal (5 Points) http://www.grants.gov/applicants/submit_application_faqs.jsp http://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/workspace-overview.html https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/omb/grants/text/spoc.html

The proposal is complete, thorough, well organized, and concise and includes page numbers and a table of contents. The proposal does not exceed five pages in length plus all the attachments listed in the table of contents. Information and calculations submitted in narrative format correspond to required SF-424 grantmaking forms.

B. Soundness of Program Design (Narrative Statement) (50 points)

20 points: The applicant's plan for project operation seems feasible and reflects a thorough understanding of the purpose of the SBP expansion grants. The project design reflects program oversight by the U.S. Territory and identifies any plans for collaboration among the U.S.

Territory, local educational agencies, and/or schools or groups of schools.

20 points: All school breakfast related activities and project tasks are clearly described.

10 points: How the U.S. Territory plans to award subgrants to qualifying schools, groups of schools, or LEAs is clearly described.

C. Staffing (5 points)

The roles and responsibilities of all key staff are clearly explained, including the identification of the person or entity responsible for its oversight and completion. A contingency plan if key staff leaves the organization or is reassigned to other duties must be included.

D. Project Activity and Timeline (15 points)

The proposal includes a U.S. Territory level project activity chart, with a timeline showing key activities and their due dates. The timeline provides adequate, realistic periods to complete the proposed activities/tasks (see Attachment B).

E. Budget Appropriateness and Efficiency (25 points)

A level of funding appropriate for the proposal is requested. The applicant's budget demonstrates a reasonable allocation of funds among U.S. Territory and local operations. The budget plan includes appropriate budget narrative, such as descriptions of how costs within the budget categories were derived and provides links between expenditures and specific activities/tasks. The budget plan provides detailed calculations and explanations for both Federal and any non-Federal resources.

Total possible points = 100

2. Review and Selection Process Following the initial screening process, FNS will assemble a panel group to review comprised of Subject Matter Experts to evaluate and determine the technical merits of each application. The panel members will recommend applications for consideration for a grant award based on the evaluation scoring. The selecting official reserves the right to accept the panel’s recommendation or to select an application for funding to meet agency priorities, program balance, geographical representation, or project diversity. FNS may assure reasonable balance among the grants to be awarded based on territory-wide needs for SBPs and extent of eligible children’s participation.

FNS will not fund activities that are duplicative of efforts funded through its grants programs or other Federal resources. FNS reserves the right to use this solicitation and competition to award additional grants in the next fiscal year should additional funds be made available.

NOTE: If a discrepancy exists between the total funding request (submitted on SF-424, SF-424A, and budget or budget narrative) within the application package in response to this solicitation, FNS will only consider and evaluate the estimated funding request contained on SF-424.

VI. FEDERAL AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

1. FEDERAL AWARD NOTICE

The Government is not obligated to make any award as a result of this RFA. Unless an applicant receives a signed award document with terms and conditions, any contact from a FNS Grants or Program Officer should not be considered as a notice of a grant award. No pre-award or pre-agreement costs incurred prior to the effective start date are allowed unless approved and stated on FNS’ signed award document (FNS-529). Only the recognized FNS authorized signature can bind the USDA, Food and Nutrition Service to the expenditure of funds related to an award’s approved budget.

2. ADMINISTRATIVE AND NATIONAL POLICY REQUIREMENTS

Confidentiality of an Application

When an application results in an award, it becomes a part of the record of FNS transactions, available to the public upon specific request. Information that the Secretary determines to be of a confidential, privileged, or proprietary nature will be held in confidence to the extent permitted by law. Therefore, any information that the applicant wishes to have considered as confidential, privileged, or proprietary should be clearly marked within the application. Any application that does not result in an award will not be released to the public. An application may be withdrawn at any time prior to the final action thereon.

Safeguarding Personally Identifiable Information

Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is any information that can be used to distinguish or trace an individual’s identity, such as name, social security number, date and place of birth, mother’s maiden name, or biometric records, and any other information that is linked or linkable to an individual, such as medical, educational, financial, and employment information (National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) SP 800-122, Guide to Protecting the Confidentiality of Personally Identifiable information, April 2010).

Applicants submitting applications in response to this RFA must recognize that confidentiality of PII and other sensitive data is of paramount importance to the USDA Food and Nutrition Service. All federal and non-federal employees (e.g., contractors, affiliates, or partners) working for or on behalf of FNS are required to acknowledge understanding of their responsibilities and accountability for using and protecting FNS PII in accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974; Office of Management and Budget Memorandum M-06-15, Safeguarding Personally Identifiable Information; M-06-16, Protection of Sensitive Agency Information; M-07-16, Safeguarding Against and Responding to the Breach of Personally Identifiable Information; and the NIST Special Publication (SP) 800-122, Guide to Protecting the Confidentiality of Personally Identifiable Information.

By submitting an application in response to this RFA, applicants are assuring that all data exchanges conducted throughout the application submission and pre-award process (and during the performance of the grant, if awarded) will be conducted in a manner consistent with applicable Federal laws. By submitting a grant application, applicants agree to take all necessary steps to protect such confidentiality, including the following: (1) ensuring that PII and sensitive data developed, obtained, or otherwise associated with USDA FNS funded grants is securely transmitted. Transmission of applications through Grants.gov is secure; (2) ensuring that PII is not transmitted to unauthorized users, and that PII and other sensitive data is not submitted via email; and (3) Data transmitted via approved file sharing services (WatchDox, ShareFile, etc.), CDs, DVDs, thumb drives, etc., must be encrypted.

Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality of the Review Process The agency requires all panel reviewers to sign a conflict of interest and confidentiality form to prevent any actual or perceived conflicts of interest that may affect the application review and evaluation process. Names of applicants, including States, U.S. Territories, and tribal governments, submitting an application will be kept confidential, except to those involved in the review process, to the extent permitted by law. In addition, the identities of the reviewers will remain confidential throughout the entire process. Therefore, the names of the reviewers will not be released to applicants.

Administrative Regulations Federal Tax Liabilities Restrictions None of the funds made available by this or any other Act may be used to enter into a contract, memorandum of understanding, or cooperative agreement with, make a grant to, or provide a loan or loan guarantee to, any corporation that has any unpaid Federal tax liability that has been assessed, for which all judicial and administrative remedies have been exhausted or have lapsed, and that is not being paid in a timely manner pursuant to an agreement with the authority responsible for collecting the tax liability, where the awarding agency is aware of the unpaid tax liability, unless a Federal agency has considered suspension or debarment of the corporation and has made a determination that this further action is not necessary to protect the interests of the Government.

Felony Crime Conviction Restrictions None of the funds made available by this or any other Act may be used to enter into a contract, memorandum of understanding, or cooperative agreement with, make a grant to, or provide a loan or loan guarantee to, any corporation that was convicted of a felony criminal violation under any Federal law within the preceding 24 months, where the awarding agency is aware of the conviction, unless a Federal agency has considered suspension or debarment of the corporation and has made a determination that this further action is not necessary to protect the interests of the Government.

Debarment and Suspension 2 CFR Part 180 and 2 CFR Part 417 A recipient chosen for an award shall comply with the non-procurement debarment and suspension common rule implementing Executive Orders (E.O.) 12549 and 12669, “Debarment and Suspension,” codified at 2 CFR Part 180 and 2 CFR Part 417. This common rule restricts sub-awards and contracts with certain parties that are debarred, suspended, or otherwise excluded from or ineligible for participation in Federal assistance programs or activities. The approved grant recipient will be required to ensure that all sub-contractors and sub-grantees are neither excluded nor disqualified under the suspension and debarment rules prior to approving a sub-grant award by checking the System for Award Management (SAM) at www.sam.gov.

Universal Identifier and Central Contractor Registration 2 CFR Part 25 Unless exempted under 2 CFR 25.110, the recipient must maintain current information in the System for Award Management (SAM). This includes information on the immediate and highest level owner and subsidiaries, as well as on all predecessors that have been awarded a Federal contract or Federal financial assistance within the last three years, if applicable, until the final financial report required under this Federal award is submitted or the final payment is received, whichever is later. This requires information must be reviewed and updated at least annually after the initial registration, and more frequently if required by changes in your information or another Federal award term.

B. Requirement for Unique Entity Identifier about:blank https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/2/25.110

Entities authorized to make subawards under this Federal award:

1. Must notify potential subrecipients that no entity (see definition in paragraph C of this award term) may receive a subaward from you until the entity has provided its Unique Entity Identifier.

2. May not make a subaward to an entity unless the entity has provided its Unique Entity Identifier to you. Subrecipients are not required to obtain an active SAM registration, but must obtain a Unique Entity Identifier.

Reporting Sub-award and Executive Compensation Information 2 CFR Part 170 The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA) of 2006 (Public Law 109–282), as amended by Section 6202 of Public Law 110–252, requires primary grantees of Federal grants and cooperative agreements to report information on sub-grantee obligations and executive compensation.

FFATA promotes open government by enhancing the Federal Government’s accountability for its stewardship of public resources. This is accomplished by making Government information, particularly information on Federal spending, accessible to the general public.

Primary grantees, including State agencies within U.S. Territories, are required to report actions taken on or after October 1, 2010, that obligates $25,000 or more in Federal grant funds to first- tier sub-grantees. This information must be reported in the Government-wide FFATA Sub-Award Reporting System (FSRS). In order to access FSRS a current SAM registration is required. A primary grantee and first-tier sub-grantees must also report total compensation for each of its five most-highly compensated executives. Every primary and first-tier grantee must obtain a UEI prior to being eligible to receive a grant or sub-grant award. Additional information will be provided to grant recipients upon award.

Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 2009, Public Law 110-417 Section 872 of this Act requires the development and maintenance of a Federal Government information system that contains specific information on the integrity and performance of covered Federal agency contractors and grantees. The Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS) is designed to address these requirements. FAPIIS contains integrity and performance information from the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System, information from SAM.gov, and suspension and debarment information from the SAM. FNS will review and consider any information about the applicant reflected in FAPIIS when making a judgment about whether an applicant is qualified to receive an award.

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Requests The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552, provides individuals with a right to access records in the possession of the Federal Government. The Government may withhold information pursuant to the nine exemptions and the three exclusions contained in the Act.

Application packages submitted in response to this grant solicitation may be subject to FOIA by requests by interested parties. In response to these requests, FNS will comply with all applicable laws and regulations, including departmental regulations.

FNS will forward a Business Submitter Notice to the requested applicant’s point-of-contact.

Applicants will need to review requested materials and submit any recommendations within 10 days from the date of FNS notification. FNS will redact Personally Identifiable Information (PII).

For additional information on the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) process, please the FNS Freedom of Information Act officer at FOIA-FNS@usda.gov.

Privacy Policy mailto:FOIA-FNS@usda.gov

The USDA Food and Nutrition Service does not collect any personal identifiable information without explicit consent. To view the Agency’s Privacy Policy, visit: https://www.usda.gov/privacy-policy.

USDA Nondiscrimination Notice

In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident.

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible Agency or USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.

To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at How to File a Program Discrimination Complaint and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: (1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250- 9410; (2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or (3) email: program.intake@usda.gov.

Code of Federal Regulations and Other Government Requirements This grant will be awarded and administered in accordance with the following regulations 2 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Subtitle A, Chapter II. Any Federal laws, regulations, or USDA directives released after this RFA is posted will be implemented as instructed.

Government-wide Regulations

• 2 CFR Part 25: “Universal Identifier and System for Award Management”

• 2 CFR Part 170: “Reporting Sub-award and Executive Compensation Information”

• 2 CFR Part 175: “Award Term for Trafficking in Persons”

• 2 CFR Part 176: “Award Term for Assistance Agreements That Include Funds Under The

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Public Law 111-5”

• 2 CFR Part 180: “OMB Guidelines to Agencies on Government-wide Debarment and

Suspension (Non-Procurement)”

• 2 CFR Part 200: “Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit

Requirements for Federal Awards”

• 2 CFR Part 400: USDA’s implementing regulation of 2 CFR Part 200 “Uniform Administrative

Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards”

• 2 CFR Part 415: USDA “General Program Administrative Regulations” https://www.usda.gov/privacy-policy https://www.usda.gov/privacy-policy mailto:program.intake@usda.gov

• 2 CFR Part 416: USDA “General Program Administrative Regulations for Grants and Cooperative Agreements to State and Local Governments”

• 2 CFR Part 417: USDA “Non-Procurement Debarment and…