U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Cooperative Agreement for Improving the Legal Preparedness of the Public Health System
Announcement Type: New –Type 1
Funding Opportunity Number: CDC-RFA-PR08-801
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 93.283 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Investigations and Technical Assistance
Key Dates:
Application Deadline: August 29, 2008
Authority: This program is authorized under Section 317 (k) (2) of the Public Health Service Act, 42 U.S.C. 247b (k) (2), as amended.
Purpose: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the availability of fiscal year (FY) 2008 funds for a cooperative agreement for the strategic purpose of improving the legal preparedness of the public health system nationally and, specifically, for assisting public health-related professions focused on strengthening their capacity to apply law as a tool for improving the health of the public through prevention and health promotion. The programmatic focus is on public health priorities established by CDC. Initial high priorities include preparedness for, and response to, public health emergencies such as those associated with terrorism, influenza and other infectious disease epidemics, and natural disasters, as well as prevention of chronic diseases and infectious diseases, injuries, and environmentally-induced disease. This program addresses the “Healthy People 2010” focus area Public Health Infrastructure.
This announcement is only for non-research activities supported by CDC. If research is proposed, the application will not be reviewed.
Activities:
Awardee activities for this program are as follows:
In conducting activities to fulfill the goal of this program, the recipient will be responsible for the activities listed in Awardee Activities, and CDC will be responsible for the activities listed in CDC Activities. In a cooperative agreement, CDC staff is substantially involved in the program activities, above and beyond routine grant monitoring.
1. Develop systematic methods to identify opportunities, on a national scale, to improve public health legal preparedness and methods to formulate plans to address those opportunities, with particular attention on engaging members of the public health-related professions.
2. Identify opportunities to improve public health legal preparedness and formulate plans and potential actions to address those opportunities, including, for example, the use of in-person and electronic meetings and other fora.
3. Develop systematic methods to disseminate information about actions that members of the public health-related professions may consider in addressing opportunities to improve public health legal preparedness.
4. Implement selected information dissemination methods, on a national scale, including, for example, workshops and other meetings, publication in peer-reviewed periodicals, and dissemination through professional associations.
5. Evaluate the effectiveness of the selected information dissemination methods.
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:
1. Assist awardee in identifying systematic methods related to awardee activities 1 and 3.
2. Assist awardee with engaging members of the public health-related professions.
3. Assist awardee in disseminating information to the professions.
Type of Award: Cooperative Agreement.
CDC’s involvement in this program is listed in the Activities Section above.
Award Mechanism: U38 Cooperative Agreements to Develop or Improve Facets of the Public Health Information
Fiscal Year Funds: 2008
Approximate Current Fiscal Year Funding: $100,000 is available in FY 2008 to fund proposed recipient activities. This amount includes both direct and indirect costs.
Approximate Total Project Period Funding: $500,000. (This amount is an estimate, and is subject to availability of funds). This amount includes direct and indirect costs.
Approximate Number of Awards: 1 award
Approximate Average Award: $100,000. This amount is for the first 12-month budget period, and includes both direct and indirect costs.)
Floor of Individual Award Range: None
Ceiling of Individual Award Range: $100,000
Anticipated Award Date: September 10, 2008
Budget Period Length: 12 months
Project Period Length: Up to five 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:
· Nonprofit with 501C3 IRS status (other than institution of higher education)
· Nonprofit without 501C3 IRS status (other than institution of higher education)
· Small, minority, and women-owned businesses
· Universities
· Colleges
· Research institutions
· Hospitals
· Community-based organizations
· Faith-based organizations
· Federally recognized or state-recognized American Indian/Alaska Native tribal governments
· American Indian/Alaska native tribally designated organizations
· Alaska Native health corporations
· Urban Indian health organizations
· Tribal epidemiology centers
· 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.
III.2. Cost Sharing or Matching
Cost sharing or matching funds are not required for this program.
III.3. 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.
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.
IV.1. Address to Request Application Package
To apply for this funding opportunity use the application forms package posted on www.Grants.gov.
Electronic Submission:
All applications must be submitted 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.
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.
IV.2. Content and Form of Submission
A letter of intent is not required for this funding opportunity.
Application:
A Project Abstract must be submitted with the application forms. All project abstracts must be uploaded in a PDF file format when submitting via www.Grants.gov.
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. The narrative should address activities to be conducted over the entire project period, and should consist of, at a minimum, the following sections: Goals and Objectives; Methods and Collaboration Plan; Capacity and Program Management; Background and Need; Evaluation Plan; and Requested Budget and Justification.
Additional information may be included in the application appendices. The appendices will not be counted toward the 15 narrative page limit. This additional information includes:
Additional information should be uploaded in a PDF file format, and should be named: “Other Attachments Forms” plus the title of the additional information listed above. No more than 30 electronic attachments per application.
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.
Additional requirements that may request submission of additional documentation with the application are listed in section “VI.2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements.”
Letter of Intent (LOI) Deadline Date: A letter of intent is not required
Application Deadline Date: August 29, 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 must 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 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.
This announcement is the definitive guide on the 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 not apply to this program.
IV.5. Funding Restrictions
Restrictions, which must be taken into account while writing the budget, are as follows:
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 www.Grants.gov
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.
IV.6. Other Submission Requirements
A letter of intent is not required for this funding opportunity announcement.
Application Submission Address: see below
Electronic Submission:
HHS/CDC requires 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 www.Grants.gov website. 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 www.Grants.gov should be prior to the closing date to resolve any unanticipated difficulties prior to the deadline.
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.
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. Goals and Objectives (25 points)
(a) The extent to which the applicant clearly describes specific short- and long-term goals and measurable objectives for each recipient activity.
(b) The extent to which the application specifies information and services to be developed and provided.
2. Methods and Collaboration Plan (25 points)
(a) The soundness of the methods the applicant proposes to use to conduct each recipient activity.
(b) The specificity, relevance, and feasibility of the applicant’s plan and timeline to complete each recipient activity. A plan and a timeline must be included in the application. (The timeline may take the form of an attachment.)
(c) The extent to which the applicant demonstrates experience in collaborating with organizations and professionals active in public health practice, public health law, and other public health-related professions at the state, tribal, local and national levels in relation to recipient activities.
3. Capacity and Program Management (20 points)
(a) The extent to which the applicant demonstrates that its project staff have knowledge and expertise in public health law related to the recipient activities.
(b) The extent to which the applicant specifies the role its staff will play in carrying out recipient activities.
(c) The extent to which the applicant demonstrates the capacity of its management systems to support accomplishment of recipient activities and the purpose and goals of the cooperative agreement.
4. Background and Need (20 points)
(a) The extent to which the applicant demonstrates accomplishments in the field of public health law relevant to the recipient activities, including dissemination of information that members of the public health related professions may consider in improving public health legal preparedness.
(b) The extent to which the applicant demonstrates a history of interaction with, and service to, the public health-related professions, on a national scale.
5. Evaluation Plan/Measures of Effectiveness (10 points)
The extent to which the applicant provides a detailed description of the methods and measures to be used to evaluate effectiveness of the recipient activities and the goals and objectives of the project.
6. Requested Budget and Justification (Not Scored)
(a)The extent to which the budget is clearly explained, adequately justified, reasonable, sufficient for the proposed project activities, and consistent with the intended use of the cooperative agreement funds.
(b)The applicant should provide a detailed budget with complete line-item justification of all proposed costs consistent with the stated activities in the program announcement. The budget must also include a narrative justification for all requested costs. The applicant should provide a list of any sources of additional funding beyond the amount stipulated in this cooperative agreement.
V.2. Review and Selection Process
Applications will be reviewed for eligibility and completeness by the Procurement and Grants Office (PGO) staff; and for responsiveness, jointly by PGO and the Public Health Law Program Office. Incomplete applications that are non-responsive will not advance through the review process. Applicants will be notified if 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 Grant Policy Directives (GPD) 2.04 at http://198.102.218.46/doc/gpd204.doc. The panel will vote to approve or disapprove based on this information and each application will be scored and ranked.
In addition, the following factors may affect the funding decision:
• Availability of funds
VI.1. Award Notices
The successful applicant 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 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:
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/grants/additional_req.shtm
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
The resulting award is subject to the requirements of Section 106 (g) of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, as amended (22 U.S.C. 7104).
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.
1. The interim progress report is due no less than 90 days before the end of the budget period. The progress report will serve as the non-competing continuation application, and must contain the following elements:
a. Standard Form (“SF”) 424S Form.
b. SF-424A Budget Information-Non-Construction Programs.
c. Budget Narrative.
d. Indirect Cost Rate Agreement.
e. Project Narrative.
Additionally, the applicant must provide CDC with an original, plus two hard copies of the following reports:
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:
Tony Moulton, Co-Director, Public Health Law Program
1600 Clifton Road MS D14
Atlanta, GA 30333
Telephone: 404-639-4619
E-mail: TMoulton@cdc.gov
For financial, grants management, or budget assistance, contact:
Mattie B. Jackson, Grants Management Specialist
CDC Procurement and Grants Office
2920 Brandywine Road, MS K69
Atlanta, GA 30341
Telephone: 770-488-2696
E-mail: mij3@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.
Additional information about CDC may be found at http://www.cdc.gov
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
2. Project Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) Registration in the eRA Commons: Refer to the NIH eRA Commons System (COM) Users Guide.
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