Amendments to this announcement can be found in red.
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Cooperative Agreement to Enhance Surveillance of Risk Factors and Health Effects Related to Harmful Algal Blooms
Announcement Type: New - Type 1
Funding Opportunity Number: CDC-RFA-EH08-801
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 93.283 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-Investigations and Technical Assistance
Key Dates
Letter of Intent Deadline: March 28, 2008
Application Deadline: May 12, 2008
Executive Summary:
Authority: This program is authorized under Sections 317(k)(2) of the Public Health Service Act [42 U.S.C. Section 247b(k)(2)], as amended.
Background: Since the fall of 1997, the Division of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects, NCEH has provided public health leadership in addressing the existing and emerging issues associated with harmful algal blooms (HABs). Beginning with our work with State Health Agency partners in addressing the public health concerns associated with the emergence of a newly identified dinoflagellate, Pfiesteria piscicida, we have contributed substantially to the development of a comprehensive research and response program dedicated to HABs. The extent of human illness caused by environmental exposure to algal toxins in drinking and recreational waters is an unknown, but emerging, public health concern. We do know that algal toxins include some of the most potent natural chemicals known and there is potential for exposure in any community using surface water for drinking or recreation. We also know that HABs are increasing in frequency and duration in many parts of the world, and that forecasted climate changes are likely to support more frequent and larger HABs. To ensure that next steps in protecting public health from the effects of HABs are taken, we will expand the number of health agency partners and develop a program to reduce morbidity associated with HABs.
To capture human health effects associated with all HABs, NCEH has sponsored the development of the Harmful Algal Bloom-related Illness Surveillance System (HABISS). This CDC-sponsored surveillance system is web-based and captures public health data, animal health data, and environmental data in a single database. The system has been tested in Florida and North Carolina, and is ready for on-line use by domestic and international health agency partners.
Purpose: The program requirement is for the collection of specific data related to harmful algal blooms using the Harmful Algal Bloom-related Illness Surveillance System (HABISS), and to analyze and interpret this data to understand the impact of these blooms on the health of the general public. This program addresses the “Healthy People 2010” focus area(s) of Environmental Health.
Measurable outcomes of the program will be in alignment with one (or more) of the following performance goal(s) for the National Center for Environmental Health: Healthy People in Healthy Places, specifically, Healthy Communities and Healthy Travel and Recreation.
Activities:
Awardee activities for this program are as follows:
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Collect relevant health and environmental data.·
Input data into the Harmful Algal Bloom-related Illness Surveillance System (HABISS).·
Analyze data and interpret results to identify health risks due to exposure to water affected by an algal bloom and potential impact on the health of the general public.·
Conduct appropriate quality assurance/quality control activities to ensure the quality and integrity of the data.·
Develop relationships with essential partners to ensure availability of and access to appropriate HAB- and human health-related data.·
Ensure partners are appropriately trained to ensure data is properly collected and protected so that quality is maintained.·
Determine the appropriate medium for sharing information with the general public, such as an open forum, publication, town hall meeting, or other communication mechanism.·
Implement a plan to use HABISS data for public health prevention activities. Data can be used to help guide state public health officials when making decisions about issues such as risk warnings, beach closings, shellfish harvesting alerts or bed closings, etc.·
Conduct program evaluation activities to ensure that data collected and entered produces results than can appropriately be used for developing interventions, and that those interventions are successful.·
Provide feedback for improving and expanding HABISS data collection activities, including, but not limited to, mapping capabilities, cross-agency communications, and linkages with other data sources, such as state environmental monitoring databases.·
Ensure staff involved with all aspects of this effort (e.g., data collection, analysis, interpretation, QA/QC, IT) have the appropriate skill mix and educational background.·
Ensure personnel are properly trained in their respective fields to manage and input data.
In a cooperative agreement, CDC staff is substantially involved in the program activities, above and beyond routine grant monitoring.
CDC activities for this program are as follows:
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Manage the surveillance system (HABISS) for all recipients to ensure the development of a common, uniform database that complies with data integrity and security requirements.·
Provide widely recognized expertise of surveillance to ensure the systematic and accurate collection, evaluation, and interpretation of data for HABISS·
Provide training and expert oversight to ensure data integrity and utility.·
Provide training and expert oversight for accurate data collection and entry into HABISS.·
Share expertise and provide guidance for the interpretation of surveillance system data to determine the potential impact on the health of the general public.·
Advise awardees on selecting appropriate program evaluation tools and methods.·
Conduct improvements and enhancements to HABISS using information received from awardees about their evaluation activitiesType of Award: Cooperative Agreement.
CDC’s involvement in this program is listed in the Activities Section above.
Award Mechanism: U38
Fiscal Year Funds: 2008
Approximate Current Fiscal Year Funding: $1,500,000
Approximate Total Project Period Funding: $7,500,000 for 5 year cooperative agreement. This includes direct and indirect costs.
Approximate Number of Awards: Up to 10 State Health Agencies.
Approximate Average Award: $150,000 (This amount is for the first 12-month budget period, and includes both direct [and/or] indirect costs.)
Floor of Individual Award Range: none
Ceiling of Individual Award Range: $150,000
Anticipated Award Date: August 31, 2008
Budget Period Length: 12 months
Project Period Length: 5 years
Throughout the project period, CDC’s commitment to continuation of awards will be conditioned on the availability of funds, evidence of satisfactory progress by the recipient (as documented in required reports), and the determination that continued funding is in the best interest of the Federal government.
III.1. Eligible Applicants
Eligible applicants that can apply for this funding opportunity are listed below:
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State and local governments or their Bona Fide Agents (this includes the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianna Islands, American Samoa, Guam, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau). A Bona Fide Agent is an agency/organization identified by the state as eligible to submit an application under the state eligibility in lieu of a state application. If applying as a bona fide agent of a state or local government, a letter from the state or local government as documentation of the status is required. Attach with “Other Attachment Forms” when submitting via www.grants.gov.
This opportunity allows for the multi-state surveillance of harmful algal bloom-related health outcomes and environmental data for the purpose of ensuring public health. To be eligible to receive funding through this agreement, states must have a history of confirmed or suspected harmful algal blooms in fresh, brackish, or marine waters used as drinking water sources or for recreation. HABISS was designed in collaboration with State Health Departments for their use in conducting state-wide surveillance, and is based at state health departments. The data collected in HABISS includes information on demographics, exposure scenarios, and health outcomes from sources including state Poison Information Centers, hospitals, health care providers, and State Environmental Protection Departments. State legislation often limits access to some of this data (i.e., medical records) to those within the State Health Department. Thus, other entities would not have access to the appropriate data for HABISS. In addition, most eligible states already collect subsets of the information requested by HABISS and thus will be able to use data they already have or are planning to collect to populate HABISS.
III.2. Cost Sharing or Matching
Cost sharing or matching funds are not required for this program.
III.3. Other
CDC will not accept and review applications with budgets greater than the ceiling of the award range.
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.
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Late applications will be considered non-responsive. See section “IV.3. Submission Dates and Times” for more information on deadlines.·
Applicants will be limited to the official state public health departments of states that have had:
IV.1. Address to Request Application Package
To apply for this funding opportunity use the application forms package posted in Grants.gov.
Electronic Submission:
CDC strongly encourages the applicant to submit the application electronically by utilizing the forms and instructions posted for this announcement on www.Grants.gov, the official Federal agency-wide E-grant Web site. Only applicants who apply on-line are permitted to forego paper copy submission of all application forms.
Registering your organization through www.Grants.gov is the first step in submitting applications online. Registration information is located in the “Get Registered” screen of www.Grants.gov. While application submission through www.Grants.gov is optional, we strongly encourage you to use this online tool.
Please visit www.Grants.gov at least 30 days prior to filing your application to familiarize yourself with the registration and submission processes. Under “Get Registered,” the one-time registration process will take three to five days to complete; however, as part of the Grants.gov registration process, registering your organization with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR) annually, could take an additional one to two days to complete. We suggest submitting electronic applications prior to the closing date so if difficulties are encountered, you can submit a hard copy of the application prior to the deadline.
Paper Submission:
Application forms and instructions are available on the CDC Web site, at the following Internet address: http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/funding/grants/app_and_forms.shtm
If access to the Internet is not available, or if there is difficulty accessing the forms on-line, contact the CDC Procurement and Grants Office Technical Information Management Section (PGO-TIMS) staff at 770-488-2700 and the application forms can be mailed.
IV.2. Content and Form of Submission
Letter of Intent (LOI): Prospective applicants are asked to submit a letter of intent that includes the following information:
The letters of intent will be used to estimate the number of potential applications to help prepare for the review process.
Application:
A Project Abstract must be submitted with the application forms. All electronic project abstracts must be uploaded in a PDF file format when submitting via Grants.gov. The abstract must be submitted in the following format, if submitting a paper application:
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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. All electronic narratives must be uploaded in a PDF file format when submitting via Grants.gov. The narrative must be submitted in the following format, if submitting a paper application:
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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.
The narrative should address activities to be conducted over the entire project period and must include the following items in the order listed:
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Overview·
Objectives·
Methods·
Timeline·
Staff
Additional information may be included in the application appendices. The appendices will not be counted toward the narrative page limit. This additional information includes:
Additional information submitted via Grants.gov should be uploaded in a PDF file format, and should be named.
The agency or organization is required to have a Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number to apply for a grant or cooperative agreement from the Federal government. The DUNS number is a nine-digit identification number, which uniquely identifies business entities. Obtaining a DUNS number is easy and there is no charge. To obtain a DUNS number, access the Dun and Bradstreet website or call 1-866-705-5711.
Letter of Intent (LOI) Deadline Date: March 28, 2008
Application Deadline Date: May 12, 2008
Explanation of Deadlines: Applications must be received in the CDC Procurement and Grants Office by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the deadline date.
Applications may be submitted electronically at www.Grants.gov. Applications completed on-line through Grants.gov are considered formally submitted when the applicant organization’s Authorizing Organization Representative (AOR) electronically submits the application to www.Grants.gov. Electronic applications will be considered as having met the deadline if the application has been successfully submitted electronically by the applicant organization’s AOR to Grants.gov on or before the deadline date and time.
When submission of the application is done electronically through Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov), the application will be electronically time/date stamped and a tracking number will be assigned, which will serve as receipt of submission. The AOR will receive an e-mail notice of receipt when HHS/CDC receives the application.
If submittal of the application is by the United States Postal Service or commercial delivery service, the applicant must ensure that the carrier will be able to guarantee delivery by the closing date and time. The applicant will be given the opportunity to submit documentation of the carrier’s guarantee, if HHS/CDC receives the submission after the closing date due to: (1) carrier error, when the carrier accepted the package with a guarantee for delivery by the closing date and time; or (2) significant weather delays or natural disasters. If the documentation verifies a carrier problem, HHS/CDC will consider the submission as having been received by the deadline.
If a hard copy application is submitted, HHS/CDC will not notify the applicant upon receipt of the submission. If questions arise on the receipt of the application, the applicant should first contact the carrier. If the applicant still has questions, contact the PGOTIMS staff at (770) 488-2700. The applicant should wait two to three days after the submission deadline before calling. This will allow time for submissions to be processed and logged.
This announcement is the definitive guide on LOI and 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. The application face page will be returned by HHS/CDC with a written explanation of the reason for non-acceptance. The applicant will be notified the application did not meet the submission requirements.
IV.4. Intergovernmental Review of Applications
Executive Order 12372 does apply to this program.
IV.5. Funding Restrictions
Restrictions, which must be taken into account while writing the budget, are as follows:
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Recipients may not use funds for research.·
Recipients may not use funds for clinical care.·
Recipients may only expend funds for reasonable program purposes, including personnel, travel, supplies, and services, such as contractual.·
Awardees may not generally use HHS/CDC/ATSDR funding for the purchase of furniture or equipment. Any such proposed spending must be identified in the budget.·
The direct and primary recipient in a cooperative agreement program must perform a substantial role in carrying out project objectives and not merely serve as a conduit for an award to another party or provider who is ineligible.·
Reimbursement of pre-award costs is not allowed.·
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. The indirect cost rate agreement should be uploaded as a PDF file with “Other Attachment Forms” when submitting via Grants.gov.
Detailed itemized budget and justification are required. The explanation and justification should be consistent with the general form prescribed in the Budget Guidelines. The guidance for completing a detailed and itemized budget can be found on the CDC Web site at the following Internet address: http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/funding/budgetguide.htm.
IV.6. Other Submission Requirements
LOI Submission Address: Submit the LOI by express mail, delivery service, fax, or E-mail to:
Adrianne K Holmes
CDC/NCEH/EHHE/HSB
4770 Buford Highway, NE, MS F-46
770/488-3404
770/488-3450
aholmes@cdc.gov
Although a letter of intent is not required, is not binding, and does not enter into the review of a subsequent application, the information that it contains allows CDC Program staff to estimate the potential review workload and plan the review.
The letter of intent is to be sent by the date listed in Section IV.3.A.
Application Submission
Electronic Submission:
HHS/CDC strongly encourages applicants to submit applications electronically at www.Grants.gov. 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 Grants.gov Web site. E-mail submissions will not be accepted. If the applicant has technical difficulties in Grants.gov, customer service can be reached by E-mail at support@grants.gov 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.
HHS/CDC recommends that submittal of the application to Grants.gov should be prior to the closing date to resolve any unanticipated difficulties prior to the deadline. Applicants may also submit a back-up paper submission of the application. Any such paper submission must be received in accordance with the requirements for timely submission detailed in Section IV.3. of the grant announcement. The paper submission must be clearly marked: “BACK-UP FOR ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION.” The paper submission must conform to all requirements for non-electronic submissions. If both electronic and back-up paper submissions are received by the deadline, the electronic version will be considered the official submission.
The applicant must submit all application attachments using a PDF file format when submitting via Grants.gov. Directions for creating PDF files can be found on the Grants.gov Web site. Use of file formats other than PDF may result in the file being unreadable by staff.
Paper Submission:
Applicants should submit the original and two hard copies of the application by mail or express delivery service to:
2920 Brandywine Road, MS E-14
Atlanta, GA 30341
V.1. Criteria
Applicants are required to provide measures of effectiveness that will demonstrate the accomplishment of the various identified objectives of the cooperative agreement. Measures of effectiveness must relate to the performance goals stated in the “Purpose” section of this announcement. Measures must be objective and quantitative and must measure the intended outcome. The measures of effectiveness must be submitted with the application and will be an element of evaluation.
The application will be evaluated against the following criteria:
1. Understanding of the problem (25 points): How well does the applicant understand the purpose and requirements of the program?
2. Ability to Carry Out the Project (25 Points): Is the proposed plan adequate to carry out the proposed project? To what extent does the applicant provide evidence of their ability to carry out the proposed project? Is there adequate documentation of the applicant’s demonstrated capability to achieve the objectives of the proposed program?
3. Technical Approach (20 Points): How well and clearly does the applicant state the objectives? Are the objectives realistic, measurable, time-phased, and relevant to the purpose of the work?
4. Personnel (20 Points): Do the proposed staff members have appropriate experience? Are the staff roles clearly defined? As described, will the staff be sufficient to accomplish the program goals?
5. Plans for Administration (10 Points): Does the applicant describe how the program will be administered, or what oversight to the program will be put in place?
V.2. Review and Selection Process
Applications will be reviewed for completeness by the Procurement and Grants Office (PGO) staff, and for responsiveness jointly by NCEH/EHHE/HSB 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. The objective review process will follow the policy requirements as stated in the GPD 2.04 at http://198.102.218.46/doc/gpd204.doc.
Applications will be funded in order by score and rank determined by the review panel.
VI.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.
VI.2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements
Successful applicants must comply with the administrative requirements outlined in 45 CFR Part 74 and Part 92, as appropriate. The following additional requirements apply to this project:
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AR-7 Executive Order 12372·
AR-8 Public Health System Reporting Requirements·
AR-10 Smoke-Free Workplace Requirements·
AR-11 Healthy People 2010·
AR-12 Lobbying Restrictions
Additional information on the requirements can be found on the CDC Web site at the following Internet address: http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/funding/Addtl_Reqmnts.htm.
CDC Assurances and Certifications can be found on the CDC Web site at the following Internet address: http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/funding/grants/foamain.shtm
For more information on the Code of Federal Regulations, see the National Archives and Records Administration at the following Internet address: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/cfr-table-search.html
VI.3. Reporting Requirements
The applicant must provide CDC with an annual interim progress report via www.grants.gov:
Technical Reporting Requirements:
Provide CDC with an original and two copies of
1. An interim progress report, no less than 90 days before the end of the budget period. This progress report will serve as your non-competing continuation application, and must contain:
a. Current budget period objectives and the activities conducted to meet them
b. Current budget period financial progress
c. New budget period proposed objectives and activities to meet them
d. New detailed line-item budget and justification
e. Any additional requested information
2. Financial status report, no more than 90 days after the end of the budget period
3. Final financial and performance reports, no more than 90 days after the end of the project period
These reports must be submitted to the attention of the Grants Management Specialist listed in the “VII. Agency Contacts” section of this announcement.
CDC encourages inquiries concerning this announcement.
For general questions, contact:
CDC Procurement and Grants Office
2920 Brandywine Road, MS E-14
Atlanta, GA 30341
Telephone: 770-488-2700
For program technical assistance, contact:
Adrianne K Holmes, Project Officer
4770 Buford Highway, NE, MS F-46
Chamblee, GA 30341
Telephone: 770/488-3404
E-mail: aholmes@cdc.gov
For financial, grants management, or budget assistance, contact:
Terrian Dixon, Grants Management Specialist
CDC Procurement and Grants Office
2920 Brandywine Road, MS K-70
Atlanta, GA 30341
Telephone: 770/488-2774
E-mail: tdixon@cdc.gov
CDC Telecommunications for the hearing impaired or disabled is available at:
TTY 770-488-2783.
VIII. Other Information
Other CDC funding opportunity announcements can be found on the CDC Web site, Internet address: http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/funding/FOAs.htm.
Applicants may access the application process and other awarding documents using the Electronic Research Administration System (eRA Commons). A one-time registration is required for interested institutions/organizations at http://era.nih.gov/ElectronicReceipt/preparing.htm
Program Directors/Principal Investigators (PD/PIs) should work with their institutions/organizations to make sure they are registered in the eRA Commons.
1. Organizational/Institutional Registration in the eRA Commons
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To find out if an organization is already eRA Commons-registered, see the "List of Grantee Organizations Registered in eRA Commons.”·
Direct questions regarding the eRA Commons registration to:2. Project Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) Registration in the eRA Commons: Refer to the NIH eRA Commons System (COM) Users Guide.
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The individual designated as the PD/PI on the application must also be registered in the eRA Commons. It is not necessary for PDs/PIs to register with Grants.gov.·
The PD/PI must hold a PD/PI account in the eRA Commons and must be affiliated with the applicant organization. This account cannot have any other role attached to it other than the PD/PI.·
This registration/affiliation must be done by the Authorized Organization Representative/Signing Official (AOR/SO) or their designee who is already registered in the eRA Commons.·
Both the PD/PI and AOR/SO need separate accounts in the eRA Commons since both hold different roles for authorization and to view the application process.
Note that if a PD/PI is also an HHS peer-reviewer with an Individual DUNS and CCR registration, that particular DUNS number and CCR registration are for the individual reviewer only. These are different than any DUNS number and CCR registration used by an applicant organization. Individual DUNS and CCR registration should be used only for the purposes of personal reimbursement and should not be used on any grant applications submitted to the Federal Government.
Several of the steps of the registration process could take four weeks or more. Therefore, applicants should check with their business official to determine whether their organization/institution is already registered in the eRA Commons. HHS/CDC strongly encourages applicants to register to utilize these helpful on-line tools when applying for funding opportunities.
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