Family Planning Service Delivery Improvement Research

Awarded fund support projects to conduct research or analyses to generate information that will improve the delivery of family planning services and expand equitable access to quality sexual and reproductive health services offered under Title X of

Grants are awarded for projects to conduct research to improve the delivery of family planning services offered under Title X of the Public Health Service Act.

Any private nonprofit or public entity located in a State is eligible to apply for an award under this NOFO. "State" includes any one of the 50 United States, District of Columbia, Guam, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Northern 13 Mariana Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the U.S. Outlaying Islands (Midway, Wake, et al.), the Marshall Islands, the Federated State of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau (45 C.F.R. § 59.2). Eligible entities include private nonprofit or public faith-based organizations, community-based organizations, and American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander organizations.

Nonprofit organizations may be requested to provide evidence of tax-exempt status. When projects involve the collaborative efforts of more than one organization or require the use of services or facilities not under the direct control of the applicant, written assurances of specific support or agreements may be required from the affected parties.

Assistance may be used to conduct research that will lead to feasible and effective strategies to increase access to quality Title X family planning services among hard to reach populations or provide family planning services in resource limited areas. Funds may not be used in programs where abortion is a method of family planning. Regulations and Program Guidelines: The regulations set out at 42 CFR part 59, subpart C, govern grants to provide training for family planning service providers. Prospective applicants should refer to the regulations in their entirety. Training provided must be consistent with the requirements for providing family planning services under Title X. These requirements can be found in the Title X statute, the implementing regulations (42 CFR part 59, subpart A), as well as the following supporting documents, the Program Requirements for Title X-funded Family Planning Projects (Title X requirements) and the clinical recommendations, "Providing Quality Family Planning Services - Recommendations of CDC and the U.S. Office of Population Affairs," (MMWR, April 25, 2014). In addition, any training regarding sterilization of clients as part of the Title X program should be consistent with 42 CFR part 50, subpart B (''Sterilization of Persons in Federally Assisted Family Planning Projects''). Copies of the Title X statute, applicable regulations, and Program Guidelines can be obtained by contacting the OASH Office of Grants Management, or may be downloaded from the Office of Population Affairs (OPA) web site at http://www.hhs.gov/opa, and are provided in the application kit for this announcement.

Awards are generally funded in 12-month budget period(s). Awards generally have a period of performance of 1 to 3 years, but may be up to 5 years. Support beyond the first year is contingent upon acceptable evidence of satisfactory progress, availability of funds, continuing program relevance, and best interests of the government.

This program is subject to the requirements of Executive Order 12372, ''Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs,'' as implemented by 45 C.F.R. part 100, ''Intergovernmental Review of Department of Health and Human Services Programs and Activities.''

To apply, applicants must access the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) thru Grants.gov. Enter the Assistance Listing number and follow the website instructions. Applications submitted after the published deadlines will not be accepted for review. The submission deadline will not be extended absent prior written approval from the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH) Grants Management Officer (GMO). Applications which do not conform to the requirements of the NOFO will be deemed ineligible and not reviewed. Applications may only be submitted electronically via Grants.gov. Any applications submitted via any other means of electronic communication, including facsimile or electronic mail, will not be accepted for review. Applicants must have a valid SAM.gov registration prior to submitting their application to Grants.gov.

An independent review panel evaluates applications that pass the screening and meet the responsiveness criteria in the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). These reviewers are experts in their fields, and are drawn from academic institutions, non-profit organizations, state and local government, and Federal government agencies. Based on the Application Review Criteria as outlined in the NOFO, the reviewers will comment on and rate the applications, focusing their comments and rating decisions on the identified criteria. In addition to the independent review panel, Federal staff will review each application for programmatic, budgetary, and grants management compliance.

Final award recommendations will be made by the head of the program office to the Grants Management Officer, using information from the independent merit review panel and the Federal staff reviews. Following a risk assessment as required by 45 CFR part 75, the Grants Management Officer may issue awards. Funded organizations receive a Notice of Award that includes all of the details of their award, and are assigned to a project officer from the program office and a Grants Management Specialist from the OASH Grants and Acquisitions Management Division.

Support is recommended for a specified period of performance, not in excess of five years. Awards are generally made in 12-month budget periods. Budget periods after the first are generally made after review and approval of a non-competing continuation application subject to satisfactory performance, availability of funds, and the best interest of the government. A recipient may request a no cost extension or may compete for a new award under a posted notice of funding opportunity in this program.

Award decision, including the level of funding, are final and not appealable