U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Title: Promoting Science-based Approaches to the Prevention of Teen Pregnancy, HIV, and STI: Enhancing the Capacity Building Provided by State Education Agencies and Tribal Governments

Announcement Type: Competing Supplement

Funding Opportunity Number: DP08-80101SUPP08

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 93.938

Key Dates: July 21, 2008

I. Funding Opportunity Description

Purpose: The purpose of this announcement is to provide supplemental support to grantees funded by the Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH) under Priority 2 (HIV Prevention) of Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) #DP08-801 that are located in states that have programs funded by the Division of Reproductive Health (DRH) under Program Announcement (PA) #AA004 Part E. CDC plans to significantly expand the work of these state education agencies (SEA) and tribal governments (TG) related to teen pregnancy prevention in collaboration with the Promoting Science-based Approaches to Teen Pregnancy, HIV, and STI (PSBA) project of DRH. This purpose will be accomplished by expanding current technical assistance, professional development, and follow-up support efforts under FOA #DP08-801 and by partnering with DRH grantees under PA #AA004 Part E.

The goal of this project is to improve the likelihood that schools will use effective evidence-based prevention programs and approaches (including curriculum-based teen pregnancy, HIV, and STI prevention education). One approach that is encouraged is employment of strategies that promote youth development. Two key strategies will be undertaken: expanding state-based partnerships and state of the art technical assistance. This initiative will build on existing state- and tribal government-based efforts to disseminate proven successful interventions, and it will enable grantees to focus on localities with the highest teen pregnancy rates.

Activities:

Awardee activities for this program are as follows:

Develop activities that enhance and complement the workplan developed for FOA #DP08-801 in collaboration with the state PSBA coalition (including partners funded under “Maternal, Infant, and Reproductive Health: National and State Coalition Building, Parts D and E” of Program Announcement #AA004) to increase LEA ability to adopt or modify current practices to include evidence-based approaches to prevent teen pregnancy, HIV infection, and STI. The workplan should include the elements identified in Section IV: Application and Submission Information. Indicate how this supplement will complement the program logic model developed under FOA DP08-801.
Establish or expand partnerships between the SEA/TG and the state PSBA coalition (including partners funded under “Maternal, Infant, and Reproductive Health: National and State Coalition Building, Parts D and E” of Program Announcement #AA004). Work with the state PSBA coalition to target activities to priority communities identified by the coalition. (Activities may be expanded to other localities in the awardee’s jurisdiction if funding allows.)
Provide technical assistance, professional development, and follow-up support to LEA in the priority communities to increase the number of schools that implement effective evidence-based prevention programs, policies, and practices to avoid, prevent, and reduce sexual risk behaviors among students that contribute to teen pregnancy, HIV infection, and STI (including curriculum-based teen pregnancy, HIV, and STI prevention education), and that employ strategies that promote youth development. Similar activities may be undertaken with other localities in the awardee’s jurisdiction if funding allows.

Partner with the coalition to participate in an evaluation of capacity building technical assistance, professional development, and follow-up support (process and outcomes) as appropriate.
Collaborate with other SEA/TG grantees funded through this supplement and partners funded by DRH Program Announcement #AA004 as appropriate.
Utilize the capacity building assistance services of NGO partners funded under the “Promoting Science-based Approaches to the Prevention of Teen Pregnancy, HIV, and STI: Enhancing the Capacity Building Provided by National Non-governmental Organizations” supplemental funding announcement as needed.

Collaborate with CDC on program development, implementation, evaluation, and dissemination of findings or lessons learned from those activities, including development of success stories.

II. Award Information

Type of Award: Cooperative Agreement

Award Mechanism: Competing Supplement (Limited Competition)

Fiscal Year Funds: 2008

Approximate Current Fiscal Year Funding: $620,000

Approximate Total Project Period Funding: $620,000 (This amount is an estimate, and is subject to availability of funds. This figure includes all direct and indirect costs.)

Approximate Number of Awards: Up to 10

Approximate Average Award: $60,000 (This amount is for the first 12-month budget period, and includes both direct and indirect costs.)

Floor of Individual Award Range: $30,000

Ceiling of Individual Award Range: $75,000 (This ceiling is for the first 12-month budget period, and includes both direct and indirect costs.)

Anticipated Award Date: September 30, 2008

Budget Period Length: 12 months

Project Period Length: 1 year

III. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants: Eligible applicants that can apply for this funding opportunity are grantees currently funded under Priority 2 (HIV Prevention) of Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) #DP08-801 that are located in states with programs funded by the Division of Reproductive Health (DRH) under PA #AA004 Part E. Specifically, these grantees include DASH-funded SEA HIV prevention programs in Colorado, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Washington; and the Cherokee Nation tribal government.

2. Other:

If a funding amount greater than the ceiling of the award range is requested, the application will be considered non-responsive and will not be entered into the review process. The applicant will be notified that the application did not meet the submission requirements.

3. Special Requirements:

If the application is incomplete or non-responsive to the special requirements listed in this section, it will not be entered into the review process. The applicant will be notified the application did not meet submission requirements.

The applicant must provide a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) or letter of intent to substantiate the partnership between the SEA/TG and the organization or agency that manages the DRH PSBA grant award under PA #AA004 Part E. (Applicants that provide a letter of intent will be required to submit an MOU if funded.)
Late applications will be considered non-responsive. See section “IV.3. Submission Dates and Times” for more information on deadlines.

IV. Application and Submission Information

1. Address to Request Application Package

To apply for this funding opportunity use the application package uploaded in Grants.gov

Electronic Submission:

CDC requires grantees to submit their request for supplemental funding through www.Grants.gov. If you encounter any difficulties submitting your request through www.Grants.gov, please contact CDC’s Technical Information Management Section at (770) 488-2700 prior to the submission deadline. If you need further information regarding the application process, please contact Cynthia Thompson at (770) 488-2714. For programmatic information, please contact Elizabeth Haller, School Health Team Lead at (770) 488-6203.

The application package can be downloaded from www.Grants.gov. Applicants are able to complete it off-line, and then upload and submit the application via the www.Grants.gov website. E-mail submissions will not be accepted. If the applicant has technical difficulties in www.Grants.gov, customer service can be reached by E-mail at http://www.grants.gov/CustomerSupport or by phone at 1-800-518-4726 (1-800-518-GRANTS). The Customer Support Center is open from 7:00a.m. to 9:00p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.

2. Application:

A Project Abstract must be submitted with the application forms. The abstract must be submitted in the following format:

Maximum of one page.

Font size: 12 point unreduced, Times New Roman
Single spaced
Paper size: 8.5 by 11 inches
Page margin size: One inch

The Project Abstract must contain a summary of the proposed activity suitable for dissemination to the public. It should be a self-contained description of the project and should contain a statement of objectives and methods to be employed. It should be informative to other persons working in the same or related fields and insofar as possible understandable to a technically literate lay reader. This Abstract must not include any proprietary/confidential information.

A project narrative must be submitted with the application forms. The narrative must be submitted in the following format:

Maximum number of pages: 15. If your narrative exceeds the page limit, only the first pages which are within the page limit will be reviewed.

Font size: 12 point unreduced, Times New Roman
Double spaced
Paper size: 8.5 by 11 inches
Page margin size: One inch
Number all pages of the application sequentially from page 1 (Application Face Page) to the end of the application, including charts, figures, tables, and appendices.
Printed only on one side of page.
Held together only by rubber bands or metal clips; not bound in any other way.

The narrative should address activities to be conducted over the entire project period and must include the following items in the order listed:

Background and Need
- Provide justification of need for this program, including identification of areas with high rates of teen pregnancy, (compared to state and/or national statistics), high-risk, or special populations.
- Briefly describe your agency’s previous technical assistance, professional development, and follow-up support on evidence-based approaches to teen pregnancy, HIV, and STI prevention. Include the name, location, and type of organizations; a synopsis of the technical assistance, professional development, and follow-up support provided and how it relates to building the specific capacities; and technical assistance, professional development, and follow-up support evaluation results.
Plan/Methods

Include a workplan with the following elements (a workplan template is available at http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/FOA-801/doc/Workplan%20Template.doc):

Year One goals (broad statements of program purpose describing the expected long-term effect(s) of a program), in this case addressing the program’s effects in promoting teen pregnancy, HIV, and STI prevention for youth.
Program objectives written in SMART format (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-phased); rationale for each proposed objective; primary person/agency responsible for accomplishing the objective; measures of objective accomplishments; and data sources to measure objective accomplishment.
Activities planned to address each proposed objective, noting the primary person/agency responsible for accomplishing each activity.
Describe the partnership and plan for working with your state PSBA coalition to promote the use of evidence-based approaches and programs to prevent teen pregnancy, HIV, and STI in your jurisdiction. Include an MOU or letter of intent to collaborate from the leadership of the PSBA project. The MOU or letter of intent must clearly state the organizations’ commitment to the project and the specific collaboration they agree to bring to the process. (Applicants that provide a letter of intent will be required to submit an MOU if funded.)
Describe the strategy you will use to identify and address the LEAs you will serve with technical assistance, professional development, and follow-up support on evidence-based approaches. Name and describe some or all of the proposed new partners.
Describe the rationale for selecting these new LEAs as partners to receive enhanced technical assistance, professional development, and follow-up support on evidence-based approaches.
Describe how you will increase the amount and quality of the technical assistance, professional development, and follow-up support provided.
Distinguish between your current DP08-801 Priority 2 workplan and the new activities under this supplement.
Provide a Gantt chart illustrating the timeline of activities (the order and timing of key project activities) as they relate to the proposed goals and objectives.

Evaluation
- Provide an evaluation plan for this supplement that is complementary to and consistent with the overall evaluation plan of the PSBA and DASH projects and that is sufficiently rigorous to assess achievement of the desired outcomes.
- Provide process and outcome evaluation indicators for each measurable objective of the proposed plan. The indicators and measures must be in alignment with the DASH program goals.
- Provide a data collection, analysis, and management plan.
- Describe a plan to disseminate data findings and evaluation results.
Collaboration
- Describe how you will collaborate with the PSBA coalition in your jurisdiction.

o Provide tools, resources, training materials, professional development, consultation, follow-up support, and evaluation services to help the PSBA project implement effective policies, practices, and programs to prevent and reduce sexual risk behaviors among students that contribute to teen pregnancy, HIV, and STI.

o Demonstrate the integration of teen pregnancy prevention activities with school-based HIV and STI prevention efforts. This would include collaborating with coordinated school health programs to achieve stronger integration and promote the use of evidence-based prevention strategies.

Project Staff
- For anticipated project staff, including consultants and contractors, identify their specific roles (e.g., project leadership, management and supervision, planning, technical assistance, professional development, and follow-up support, evaluation, staff support).
- Attach CV’s of existing and newly proposed staff, consultants, and contractors as an appendix.
- Include an organizational chart and describe the management and staffing of your organization generally and as it relates to this project.

Applicants are required to provide measures of effectiveness that will demonstrate the accomplishment of the proposed goals and objectives. Measures of effectiveness must be in alignment with the goals of the supplement outlined in the Purpose section of this announcement and should also be in alignment with the DASH program goals. Indicators and measures must be as objective as possible, quantitative and qualitative, and must measure the intended outcome(s). The measures of effectiveness must be submitted with the application and will be an element of evaluation of the application.

Budget and Justification (Does not count against narrative page limit.)
- Provide a detailed budget and line-item justification for all operating expenses that are consistent with the proposed program objectives and activities. Include any staff or trainee travel and attendance for one person to attend the annual grantee meeting, location to be determined.
- The recommended guidance for completing a detailed justified budget can be found on the CDC Web site, at the following Internet address: http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/funding/budgetguide.htm

Additional information may be included in the application appendices. The appendices will not be counted toward the narrative page limit. This additional information includes:

Letters of support from state partners and LEAs that your organization has worked with in the past 3-5 years (up to three).
Letters of intent to partner from new state partners or LEAs that clearly state their support and commitment to the project, if awarded.
Memoranda of Understanding/Agreement or Letter of Intent to Partner with the state PSBA project.
Curriculum vitae of existing and newly proposed staff, consultants, and contractors as an appendix.

The applicant must submit all application attachments using a PDF file format when submitting via www.Grants.gov. Directions for creating PDF files can be found on the www.Grants.gov website. Use of file formats other than PDF may result in the file being unreadable by staff.

3. Submission Dates and Times

Application Deadline Date: July 21, 2008

Explanation of Deadlines: Applications must be received in the CDC Procurement and Grants Office by 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the deadline date. Your application will be electronically time/date stamped, which will serve as receipt of submission. Applicants will receive an e-mail notice of receipt when HHS/CDC receives the application.

This announcement is the definitive guide on application content, submission address, and deadline. It supersedes information provided in the application instructions. If the application submission does not meet the deadline above, it will not be eligible for review, and will be discarded by HHS/CDC. The applicant will be notified that the application did not meet the submission requirements.

4. Other Submission Requirements

If requesting indirect costs in the budget, a copy of the indirect cost rate agreement is required. If the indirect cost rate is a provisional rate, the agreement should be less than 12 months of age.

V. Application Review Information

1. Criteria

The application will be evaluated against the following criteria:

Background and Need (10 points)
- To what extent does the applicant provide justification of need for this program, including identification of areas with high rates of teen pregnancy, (compared to state and/or national statistics), high-risk, or special populations? (5 points)
- To what extent does the applicant describe its agency’s previous technical assistance, professional development, and follow-up support on evidence-based approaches to teen pregnancy, HIV, and STI prevention? (5 points)
Plan/Methods (35 points)
- Does the applicant provide Year One goals (broad statements of program purpose describing the expected long-term effect(s) of a program), in this case addressing the program’s effects in promoting teen pregnancy, HIV, and STI prevention for youth? (3 points)
- To what extent does the applicant provide program objectives written in SMART format (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-phased); rationale for each proposed objective; primary person/agency responsible for accomplishing the objective; measures of objective accomplishments; and data sources to measure objective accomplishment? (5 points)
- To what extent does the applicant provide activities planned to address each proposed objective, noting the primary person/agency responsible for accomplishing each activity? (5 points)
- To what extent does the applicant describe the partnership and plan for working with its state PSBA coalition to promote the use of evidence-based approaches and programs to prevent teen pregnancy, HIV, and STI? Does the applicant include an MOU or letter of intent to collaborate from the leadership of the PSBA project? (6 points)
- To what extent does the applicant describe the strategy it will use to identify and address the LEAs it will serve with technical assistance, professional development, and follow-up support on evidence-based approaches? (3 points)
- To what extent does the applicant describe the rationale for selecting these new LEAs as partners to receive enhanced technical assistance, professional development, and follow-up support on evidence-based approaches? (3 points)
- To what extent does the applicant describe how it will increase the amount and quality of the technical assistance, professional development, and follow-up support provided? (5 points)
- To what extent does the applicant distinguish between its current DP08-801 Priority 2 workplan and the new activities under this supplement? (3 points)
- Does the applicant provide a Gantt chart illustrating the timeline of activities (the order and timing of key project activities) as they relate to the proposed goals and objectives? (2 points)

Evaluation (20 points)
- To what extent does the applicant provide an evaluation plan for this supplement that is complementary to and consistent with the overall evaluation plan of the PSBA and DASH projects and that is sufficiently rigorous to assess achievement of the desired outcomes? (5 points)
- To what extent does the applicant provide process and outcome evaluation indicators for each measurable objective of the proposed plan? To what extent are the indicators and measures in alignment with the DASH program goals? (5 points)
- To what extent does the applicant provide a data collection, analysis, and management plan? (5 points)
- To what extent does the applicant describe a plan to disseminate data findings and evaluation results? (5 points)
Collaboration (20 points)
- To what extent does the applicant describe how it will collaborate with the PSBA coalition in its jurisdiction? (7 points)

o To what extent does the applicant provide tools, resources, training materials, professional development, consultation, follow-up support, and evaluation services to help the PSBA project implement effective policies, practices, and programs to prevent and reduce sexual risk behaviors among students that contribute to teen pregnancy, HIV, and STI? (6 points)

o To what extent does the applicant demonstrate the integration of teen pregnancy prevention activities with school-based HIV and STI prevention efforts? (7 points)

Project Staff (15 points)
- To what extent does the applicant identify the specific roles of staff proposed for this project (e.g., project leadership, management and supervision, planning, technical assistance, professional development, and follow-up support, evaluation, staff support)? (7 points)
- Does the applicant include CV’s of existing and newly proposed staff, consultants, and contractors? (4 points)
- Does the applicant include an organizational chart that describes the management and staffing of its organization generally and as it relates to this project? (4 points)

Budget and Justification (Not scored; does not count against narrative page limit.)
- To what extent does the applicant provide a detailed and clear budget and justification that is consistent with the proposed program objectives and activities?

2. Review and Selection Process

Applications will be reviewed for completeness by the Procurement and Grants Office (PGO) staff and for responsiveness jointly by the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion and PGO. Incomplete applications and applications that are non-responsive to the eligibility criteria will not advance through the review process. Applicants will be notified the application did not meet submission requirements.

An objective review panel will evaluate complete and responsive applications according to the criteria listed in the “V.1. Criteria” section above.

Applications will be reviewed objectively by CDC professional staff from inside and outside the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion [NCCDPHP]. Applications will not be objectively reviewed by CDC professional staff from inside the funding Team.
Each application will be reviewed by a primary, secondary, and tertiary reviewer.
Responsive applications will be reviewed and then ranked by score according to the criteria described in this program announcement.
The applicant with the highest score will be referred to the Director, NCCDPHP, who will make the final decision.
All applicants will receive a written report summarizing the strengths and weaknesses of their application.

3. Anticipated Announcement Award Dates

September 30, 2008

VI. Award Administration Information

1. Award Notices

Successful applicants will receive a Notice of Award (NoA) from the CDC Procurement and Grants Office. The NoA shall be the only binding, authorizing document between the recipient and CDC. The NoA will be signed by an authorized Grants Management Officer and emailed to the program director and a hard copy mailed to the recipient fiscal officer identified in the application. Unsuccessful applicants will receive notification of the results of the application review by mail.

2. Reporting Requirements

The applicant must adhere to the reporting requirements established under Funding Opportunity Announcement #DP08-801.

VII. Agency Contacts

CDC encourages inquiries concerning this announcement.

For general questions, contact:

Technical Information Management Section

Department of Health and Human Services

CDC Procurement and Grants Office

2920 Brandywine Road

Atlanta, GA 30341

Telephone: 770-488-2700

For program technical assistance, contact:

Elizabeth Coke Haller, School Health Team Lead

Department of Health and Human Services

CDC Division of Adolescent and School Health

4700 Buford Highway NE, MS K-31

Telephone: (770) 488-6203

E-mail: ehaller@cdc.gov

For financial, grants management, or budget assistance, contact:

Cynthia Thompson

Grants Management Specialist

Department of Health and Human Services

CDC Procurement and Grants Office

2920 Brandywine Road, MS E-14

Atlanta, GA 30341

Telephone: (770) 488-2714

E-mail:cbt1@cdc.gov

CDC Home Page: http://www.cdc.gov

CDC Funding Web Page: http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/funding/FOAs.htm

CDC Forms Web Page: http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/funding/grants/app_and_forms.shtm