Frequently Asked Questions for CDC-RFA-DP21-2109

Community Health Workers for Covid Response and Resilient Communities (CCR) CDC-RFA-DP21-2109

What is the purpose of this funding?

This funding is intended to support COVID-19 response through training and deployment of community health workers (CHWs) for response efforts and by building and strengthening community resilience to fight COVID-19 through addressing existing health disparities

What are the intended outcomes?

Short term outcomes include an increase in the skills and numbers of CHWs which will lead to increased community resilience to future public health emergencies and a decreased impact of COVID-19 on at risk populations.

What are the strategies for this effort?

There are three high-level strategies:

TRAIN: Increased skills/capacity/roles of CHWs to provide services and support for COVID-19 public health response efforts among priority populations within communities.

DEPLOY: Increased workforce of CHWs delivering services to manage the spread of COVID-19.

ENGAGE: Increased utilization of community resources and clinical services for those at highest risk for poor health outcomes among priority populations within communities.

Further information on the strategies can be viewed on pages 7-10 of the NOFO.

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How can I make sure I will be notified if changes are made to the NOFO?

Per the grants.gov help desk, in grants.govexternal icon, click on the “Login to Subscribe” link on the Synopsis page and log in. That will sign you up for email notifications regarding the NOFO. This does not affect the application process in any way, but if changes are made to the NOFO you will receive a notification.

Will the application be submitted on grants.govexternal icon or GrantSolutions?

Applications must be submitted by May 24, 2021 by 11:59 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time at www.grants.govexternal icon.

Is there a deadline for submitting questions for this NOFO? Also, where and when will all questions and answers be posted?

Questions regarding this NOFO must be submitted by May 7, 2021 via the email address nccdphp_chw@cdc.gov. Questions and answers will be posted on the NOFO webpage.

Where do I let CDC know which component(s) I am applying for?

Applicants must clearly state which component(s) they are applying for in their project abstract.

Should applicants applying for both Components B and C prepare one combined project abstract summary and table of contents or two, one for each component?

Applicants applying for both Components B and C can submit one combined abstract for both components. Applicants must specify within this combined abstract that they are applying for both Components B and C and must include the description of each component’s project as specified on page 36 of the NOFO. In addition to the abstract, applicants must submit a full application for Component B and must also submit, for Component C, a separate project narrative describing the innovation project (not to exceed 4 pages), a budget narrative, and a workplan. Since applicants are not submitting a completely separate application for Component C (just the 3 documents already outlined), sections in the project narrative of the Component B application can address both Component B and Component C. However, be aware that the Component B application must stand on its own merits for the objective review.

What is the page-limit for the project narrative?

Component A applicants can submit a project narrative that is up to 20 pages long. The applicant’s work plan and budget narrative should be included in these 20 pages. Component B applicants can submit a project narrative that is up to 20 pages long. The applicant’s work plan and budget narrative should be included in these 20 pages. Applicants applying for both Component B and Component C can submit a project narrative for Component B that is up to 20 pages long (including the Component B work plan and budget narrative) and a separate project narrative for Component C, not to exceed 4 pages, clearly describing the proposed innovation for the demonstration project including rationale, approach, expected impact, and evaluation. This 4-page narrative should include a budget narrative and work plan. Pages in the narrative exceeding these limits may not be reviewed.

Does the state government have to submit the grant application, or can a non-profit submit an application in partnership with the state?

The applicant must meet the eligibility criteria listed in the NOFO to submit an application.

Can a consortium apply where multiple agencies serving a community could provide CHW services as a team with support from lead applicant to offer training, TA, and evaluation?

To clarify, there are two NOFOs. There is a call on Monday April 5 for the NOFO that focuses on evaluation, training, and technical assistance. NOFO DP21-2109 is focused on implementing activities to address community health worker support for COVID-19 in communities.

May a county entity propose a regional approach that includes more than one county but with one county as the applicant?

Yes, a county may apply and be part of a regional approach that includes multiple counties. However, the county that submits the application needs to know they are taking responsibility for the fiscal and reporting requirements on behalf of the group.

Does a state need to limit the location to a specific community, or can this be a statewide grant covering a broader area if we are a rural state?

Yes, a state can apply with a statewide approach, but states are encouraged to read the Collaboration section of the NOFO very carefully and must ensure that they have engaged the appropriate parties across the state when developing a work plan and addressing the strategies they will carry out.

On page 25 of the NOFO in the Organizational Capacity section, it asks applicants to describe their staffing plan in the Project Narrative, but then it goes on to tell us that applicants need to upload a staffing plan as a separate file. When the NOFO says upload a staffing plan as a separate file, does it mean an applicant’s organizational chart?

Information on requirements for the staffing plan is clearly described on page 25, under “c. Organizational Capacity of Recipients to Implement the Approach”.

On page 36 of the NOFO, it is clearly stated that budget narratives are included in the page limitations specified for the Project Narrative document. However, on page 39, applicants are directed to upload a PDF of the Budget Narrative as a separate file. Can you confirm if the budget narrative should be included as a section within the Project Narrative PDF or if it should be uploaded as a separate document, while still respecting the overall page limits?

The budget narrative is part of the Project Narrative and included in the 20-page limit. In addition, applicants are instructed to upload a PDF of the budget narrative, as described on page 39.

Is it permissible to use 10pt font in tables? For example, in the budget narrative and/or work plan?

For the project narrative, text should be single spaced, 12-point font, 1-inch margins, and number all pages. Applicants need to use their judgment on the font size for other components of the application.

On pg. 27 of the NOFO, it indicates that the work plan is to be a separate attachment. On page 38, it indicates that it should be included in the Project Narrative’s page limit. I would like to confirm my understanding that the work plan is still a separate attachment to upload, but the number of pages in the workplan should be counted in the full narrative plus work plan plus budget narrative total. Is this correct?

Yes, that’s correct.

On page 44, under Component A Organizational Capacity, it asks that the staffing plan be included in the Narrative section. On page 59, it states that the staffing plan can be an attachment. Can you please clarify where the staffing plan should be located?

Please review page 44 which delineates that applicants will be scored on #2 “Describes a staffing plan.” This does not state the staffing plan needs to be part of the narrative. Please refer to page 59 for instructions on uploading the staffing plan.

Throughout the NOFO, there is a reference to the Data Management Plan, and that a preliminary version should be included in the application. However, in the scoring criteria on page 44, I don’t see many points dedicated to elements that should be included in the Data Management Plan. Can you please clarify if the Data Management Plan is to be included in the narrative for Evaluation and Performance Measurement, or maybe in another attachment somewhere else?

Applicants involving public health data collection will be required to develop a Data Management Plan. High quality applications are those that not only respond to criteria in the scoring plan but present a clear, cogent proposal that conforms to the NOFO goals and requirements.

Is this funding opportunity still available?

The deadline to apply for CDC-RFA-DP21-2109 is May 24, 2021.

Is there a template that we should follow, or do we write this up like an NIH grant, of course following the guidelines for this RFA?

Please follow the directions for elements that are required in the NOFO. No template is provided.

On page 36 of the NOFO it states: “Component B applicants can submit a project narrative that is up to 20 pages long. The work plan and budget narrative are included in the 20 pages”. On all other CDC grants we have submitted in the past several years, the budget narrative was not included in the 20 page narrative/workplan limit. A budget justification/narrative meeting the usual CDC guidelines can easily run 10 to 15 pages. Is the budget narrative in fact included in the 20-page limit as stated on page 36? If yes, does the budget narrative and justification have a different (abbreviated) format for this application?

This NOFO is a grant, rather than a cooperative agreement. The budget narrative should be included in the project narrative. If an applicant is funded, any budget specifics will be negotiated with their project officer.

On page 36 of the NOFO, Under 10. Project Narrative, is the following paragraph: ‘Multi-component NOFOs may have a maximum of 15 pages for the “base” (subsections of the Project Description that the components share with each other, which may include target populations, inclusion, collaboration, etc.); and up to 4 additional pages per component for Project Narrative subsections that are specific to each component.’ Elsewhere in the NOFO, it talks about 20 pages for Component B and 4 pages for Component C. Does the above section mean that 15 pages for BASE IS ALLOWED and then 20 for B and 4 for C?

Does Component A have 15 or 20 pages for the project narrative (including work plan), pg. 36. Not sure what the additional four pages would be for Component A?

As stated on pg. 36 of the NOFO: “Component A applicants can submit a project narrative that is up to 20 pages long. The work plan and budget narrative are included in the 20 pages.” Component B applicants can submit a project narrative that is up to 20 pages long. The applicant’s work plan and budget narrative should be included in these 20 pages. Applicants applying for both Component B and Component C can submit a project narrative for Component B that is up to 20 pages long (including the Component B work plan and budget narrative) and a separate project narrative for Component C, not to exceed 4 pages, clearly describing the proposed innovation for the demonstration project including rationale, approach, expected impact, and evaluation. This 4-page narrative should include a budget narrative and work plan. Pages in the narrative exceeding these limits may not be reviewed.

Can you please clarify if the budget is part of the 20-page limit for Component B?

Component B applicants can submit a project narrative that is up to 20 pages long. The applicant’s work plan and budget narrative should be included in these 20 pages.

What do we title the project narrative (if the work plan and budget narrative are submitted as separate documents but still included in the page limit)?

We suggest the title of the project narrative be Project Narrative.

What should be included in the staffing plan? Does this include new positions from the budget narrative.

Applicants should describe a staffing plan that includes roles, responsibilities, and qualifications of all staff, including evaluation staff and new positions, who will have a role in implementing program strategies and achieving outcomes. Contractual staff and/or organizations should be included in the staffing plan, as applicable. Resumes for key staff, including key contractual staff, should be included.

Who do you want the resumes of?

Resumes for key staff, including key contractual staff, should be included in the staffing plan. Applicants must use their professional judgment in proposing the qualifications of staff that will assure their being able to meet or exceed the goals of this NOFO.

Are tables permissible to use in the project narrative, budget narrative and work plan? Does text in tables need to be single spaced and 12-point font as well?

The NOFO does not prohibit the use of tables in the project narrative, budget narrative or work plan. Applicants should use their judgment on how best to present the information in their application. In the project narrative, text should be single spaced, 12-point font, 1-inch margins, and number all pages. Applicants need to use their judgment on the formatting for other components of the application. Details on the project narrative can be found beginning on page 36 of the NOFO.

We would like to request that CDC grant an extension of the due date to submit the applications. This will afford the time necessary for applicants to submit the application materials while also attending to competing priorities, such as COVID-19. Will this extension be granted?

Because there is an extremely tight deadline in order to fund selected applicants prior to the end of the fiscal, we are unable to grant extensions for application submissions.

We are planning to submit an application for the Community Health Workers for COVID Response and Resilient Communities. As part of this, there is a risk questionnaire. I’m inquiring on if this should be filled out based on data from our organization (county government) or our department (health department)? Our DUNS / TAX ID – etc. – is all run through the county government as a whole.

On page 34 of DP21-2109, it states the following: “CDC is required to conduct pre-award risk assessments to determine the risk an applicant poses to meeting federal programmatic and administrative requirements by taking into account issues such as financial instability, insufficient management systems, non-compliance with award conditions, the charging of unallowable costs, and inexperience.” If the county is listed as the applicant and primary recipient, then their DUNS/EIN and information should be provided on the risk questionnaire. If the Dept. of Health is the primary applicant, then their information should be provided for the risk questionnaire.

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How quickly do applicants need to demonstrate they can implement the required and optional strategies outlined in this NOFO?

Applicants must demonstrate that they are able to implement the required and proposed strategies outlined in the NOFO within approximately 1 month of award.

We are applying for Components B and C. Will they be reviewed at the same time by the same reviewers? We would like to cross-reference sections in Component B in our Component C narrative but wanted to double check that the reviewers would have access to both components for the review.

Please refer to page 10 of the NOFO. Any Component C application must be distinctly different from an applicant’s Component B application. Component C reviewers will have access to Component B applications.

Will Component B and Component C applications be reviewed independently (e.g., by separate reviewers) or can Component C applications reference and build upon Component B applications?

Any Component C application must be distinctly different from an applicant’s Component B application. Component C reviewers will have access to Component B applications.

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Will a recording of the informational call be posted?

We plan to include post a link to the full informational call recording on the NOFO webpage after the call has concluded.

Our local government learned of this opportunity after the March 31 call. Could you direct me to the recording of the call, if there is one, and let me know if there is another one scheduled?

The March 31 informational call is the only call that will be held to discuss details of DP21-2109. The recording of the informational call will be posted to the 2109 webpage as soon as it is available. In the meantime, interested applicants are encouraged to review the FAQs listed on the webpage many of which were asked during the informational call. Please continue to check the webpage to see if the recording has been posted.

Is there a recording of the webinar that we can see if we missed the 3/31/2021 meeting? Or FAQs?

The recording of the informational call will be posted to the 2109 webpage as soon as it is available. In the meantime, interested applicants are encouraged to review the FAQs listed on the webpage many of which were asked during the informational call. Please continue to check the webpage to see if the recording has been posted.

There is a PowerPoint that is referenced in the transcript meeting notes, would you be able to share the PowerPoint presentation with us?

Slides used at the information call were titles of sections only and included the following links: a link to the CDC Budget Preparation Guidelines pdf icon[PDF – 416 KB], a link to the NOFO email inbox, and a link to the NOFO webpage. Complete information is included in the NOFO available at grants.govexternal icon and all clarifying FAQs can be found on the NOFO webpage.

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Is this funding strictly for CHW roles or any roles that build and strengthen community resilience to fight COVID-19?

Can CHWs provide direct services?

In terms of testing, contact tracing, etc. a level of direct services can be provided by CHWs to address certain strategies. It is also important to emphasize collaboration with partners in this regard. The goal is not to have all of the direct services of CHWs paid for through this NOFO, but is to amplify or leverage resources already existing and addressing related efforts in your communities.

Will there be any funding opportunities to support direct service and CHW roles?

The goal of the current NOFO, DP21-2109, is to support CHW efforts to prevent COVID-19 and build resilient communities. Future funding opportunities will be publicized through grants.govexternal icon, should additional funding become available.

Can the grant funds be used for enhancing and supporting already hired CHWs or can funds only be used to hire/deploy new CHWs?

Funds awarded under CDC-RFA-DP21-2109 may be used to support Community Health Workers’ time, i.e., salaries as staff employed in support of approved activities. This includes support for an existing CHW workforce and newly hired CHWs. Although a sustainability plan is not required, it is a goal. Therefore, all applicants are strongly encouraged to think about how to make their efforts more sustainable.

We only have to do one of the strategies, not all three?

Applicants responding under Component A: Capacity Building are required to address the four strategies in BOLD and must also select one additional strategy from any of the areas (train/deploy/engage) in the menu of strategies targeting capacity building (CB) efforts. Refer to pages 7-8 and Table 1. Component A: Capacity Building – Strategies, Outcomes, and Performance Measures on page 18-top of page 21. Applicants responding under Component B: Implementation Ready are required to address the four strategies indicated in BOLD and must also select two additional strategies from any of the two areas (train/deploy) in the menu of strategies targeting Implementation Ready (IR) efforts. Refer to pages 8-9 and Table 2. Component B: Implementation Ready – Strategies, Outcomes, and Performance Measures on page 21-top of page 24. Applicants responding under Component C: Innovation – Demonstration Projects must address at least one of the three overarching strategies of the NOFO: train, deploy, and/or engage. This proposed project must be distinctly different from what the applicant is proposing in Component B; it is not meant to be an extension of a Component B effort. It is an opportunity to test an innovative approach that accelerates impact to ameliorate effects of COVID-19 through the use of CHWs and build more resilient communities.

Can an applicant use these funds to address the mental health challenges that have increased due to the isolation of the pandemic?

Funds awarded under DP21-2109 may be used in a variety of ways to support efforts to address identified mental health challenges in a given jurisdiction, including support for CHWs in improving access to COVID-19 related services (e.g., testing, contact tracing, health behavior education) and management of other underlying medical conditions that increase risk of severe COVID-19 illness and adverse outcomes. Funds may also be used to support messaging to priority populations, support for referrals to community and clinic-based mental health services, and systems to support creating, strengthening, and expanding identification and referral services. It is also important to emphasize collaboration with partners in this regard. The goal is to amplify or leverage resources already existing and addressing related efforts in your communities.

Can you please clarify IR2?

Applicants responding under Component B: Implementation Ready are required to address the four strategies indicated in BOLD and must also select two additional strategies from any of the two areas (train/deploy) in the menu of strategies targeting Implementation Ready (IR) efforts. Refer to pages 8-9 and Table 1. Component B: Implementation Ready – Strategies, Outcomes, and Performance Measures on page 21 – top of page 24. IR2 refers to the second strategy under Component B: Implementation Ready and reads: ‘ensure appropriate training opportunities to disseminate messaging for CHWs focused on reaching those with underlying conditions and/or environments that increase the risk and severity of COVID-19 infections among priority populations in order to strengthen infrastructure critical to identification of infection, appropriate follow-up, including contact tracing and treatment, among priority populations within communities. The outcome associated with this measure is an increased utilization of community resources and clinical services for those at highest risk for poor health outcomes among priority populations. Essentially, the strategy is requiring recipients to address the needs of individuals within specific catchment areas that have been reached by critical messaging regarding identification of infection and appropriate follow-up, including contact tracing, treatment, and vaccination. The goal is to increase the opportunities within a given catchment area in which these services are reaching the population in need.

I am writing regarding the funding opportunity “Community Health Workers for COVID Response and Resilient Communities (CCR)” (CDC-RFA-DP21-2109). I have a question regarding Strategy IR2. My team and I are having trouble with this one – could you please share some examples of activities that would fall under this strategy?

Applicants should use their best judgment in identifying priority populations and devising an approach in their application that addresses the goals of the NOFO.

On pg. 18 of CDC-RFA-DP21-2109, it states for Component A strategies that the bold are required and that we need to “pick one additional strategy from any of the two areas (train/deploy) in the menu of strategies.” The only two non-bolded options under Train and Deploy are CB2 and CB4. I understand that we have to pick one. Is it possible that we picked both? Or are we limited to just one? There is also a non-bold strategy under Engage, CB7. Is that also an option that we can select from, or is it required? And again, if it is an option, can we pick more than one non-bolded strategy to work on?

Applicants responding under Component A: Capacity Building are required to address the four strategies indicated in BOLD and must also select one additional strategy from any of the areas (train/deploy/engage) in the menu of strategies targeting capacity building (CB) efforts. Refer to pages 7-8 and also Table 1. Component A: Capacity Building – Strategies, Outcomes, and Performance Measures on page 18 through top of page 21. The following strategies are required under Component A: Capacity Building: CB1, CB3, CB5, and CB6. Applicants are required to select one additional strategy from the remaining strategies targeting capacity building efforts, i.e., CB2, CB4, or CB7. If an applicant can adequately demonstrate its capacity to successfully address several optional strategies, in addition to the required strategies, it may do so in the application submission.

Can you please provide a little detail and clarity as to what you may be looking for as it relates to the following strategy: “Identify and collaborate with community-wide efforts to ensure comprehensive acquisition of relevant knowledge, roles, and skills by CHWs so they are prepared to successfully engage with existing state and/or local public health-led actions to manage COVID-19 among priority populations within communities.”

The overarching outcomes of the NOFO are related to strengthening COVID response and building resilient communities with a focus on CHWs. When reading the strategies in the NOFO that recipients must carry out in order to respond to COVID and build community resilience, applicants should be able to determine if the roles they are considering for work in their catchment area align with the work of CHWs described in the NOFO. Also, it is important to build collaboration so that recipients are reaching other roles that can help meet community needs. Applicants are expected to collaborate with CHW networks, which could include coalitions, established program affiliates, etc. Please review the Collaborations section in the NOFO to learn more about organizations and/or entities with whom applicants are both required to and encouraged to work with in order to accomplish the objectives of this funding opportunity.

I have a question about the Community Health Workers for COVID Response and Resilient Communities grant. I understand the primary role for CHWs is train, deploy, and engage to assist vulnerable community members with accessing health care and social services. In the course of engaging, is it allowable for the CHWs to provide services such as transportation tokens for a resident to get to a clinic or childcare while a resident is receiving clinical services? We are seeking to remove barriers to accessing health and social services.

Funds awarded under DP21-2109 may be used in a variety of ways to support efforts to address identified barriers and challenges in a given jurisdiction, including support for CHWs in improving access to COVID-19 related services (e.g., testing, contact tracing, health behavior education) and management of other underlying medical conditions that increase risk of severe COVID-19 illness and adverse outcomes. Funds may also be used to support messaging to priority populations, support for referrals to community and clinic-based services, and systems to support creating, strengthening, and expanding identification and referral services. It is also important to emphasize collaboration with partners in this regard. The goal is to amplify or leverage resources already existing and addressing related efforts in your communities. Applicants are expected to collaborate with CHW networks, which could include coalitions, established program affiliates, etc. Please review the Collaborations section in the NOFO to learn more about organizations and/or entities with whom applicants are both required to and encouraged to work with in order to accomplish the objectives of this funding opportunity. Any items included in the budget proposal of an application that is accepted for funding would be reviewed for allowability, allocability, and reasonableness.

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In reference to catchment area and COVID/poverty burden, how are tribes who are applying to serve the community members on their reservation, which is not an entire county/MSA/group of contiguous counties, define their catchment area and present COVID/poverty burden?

For tribes and tribal organizations, a catchment area includes the tribes in their IHS Admin Area. For an Urban Indian Health Institute, a catchment area would include the Urban Indian Organizations listed at https://www.ihs.gov/urban/urban-indian-organizations/external icon. When presenting COVID/poverty data, tribal areas are included in county level data on CDC COVID Data Tracker. IHS Admin Areas are defined by FIPS codes, which generally align with county jurisdictions. County level data can be used to show approximate COVID/poverty burden in a tribe’s catchment area. While county-level data is not stratified by tribal populations on CDC COVID Data Tracker, tribal applicants can clearly state this data is presented to approximate COVID/poverty burden, but the tribal applicant intends to only serve tribal members within the county for which data has been presented.

Can you please clarify the maximum annual budget ceiling total and the ceiling total 3-year budget total one may apply for? The maximum amounts appear to differ slightly from the PDF file guidance (CDC-RFA-DP21-2109) compared to the totals stated in the CDC Website’s NOFO. The PDF file guidance (CDC-RFA-DP21-2109, PDF page 4) states that the “approximate annual award amount” is $350k to $1 million (and lists approximate annual averages of Component A: up to $600k, Comp B: up to $2M, Comp C: up to $2M) while the CDC Website’s NOFO appears to list an annual maximum of $6 million (Comp A: up to $1M, Comp B: up to $3M, Comp C: up to $2M). Can you please clarify the annual maximums per component?

The legal document that specifies all required elements is the NOFO DP21-2109. The webpage tools were designed to assist applicants in their thinking through aspects of their program to assure that the application is as strong as possible. As stated in the NOFO, approximate average one-year award amounts for each component are as follows: Component A approximately $600K, Component B approximately $2M, Component C approximately $2M. The award ceiling per budget period is $5 million. The funding ranges listed on the CDC NOFO Webpage under Understanding Eligibility, refer to the ranges outlined in the Funding Strategy section of the NOFO. Please review this section of the NOFO for further detail.

Can you clarify funding totals for component B? Is it 3 million per year?

Component B awards range from approximately $1 million to approximately $3 million per budget period for three budget periods. Please review the Funding Strategy section of the NOFO for further detail on funding ranges by component.

I had a question regarding funding on CDC-RFA-DP21-2109.The guidance was a bit confusing as it states on page 3 of the NOFO under e. Average One Year Award Amount, “grants will range approximately from $350,000 – $3 million per year” then went on to say “approximate average one-year award amounts for each component are: Component B (Implementation Ready): $2M and Component C (Innovation – demonstration projects): $2M”.The funding opportunity indicates: Component B – $2M per year for 3-year period of performance and Component C – $2M per year for 3-year period of performance. I read it to mean $12 million total for all three years for both component B & C. Is this correct?

As stated in the NOFO, “Average One Year Award Amount: $ 1,000,000. Over a three-year period of performance, CDC will award approximately $100 million each budget year for three years with the average award varying. These grants will range approximately from $350,000 – $3 million per year depending on the size and scope of activity. The range of funds is broad to accommodate a varied number of organizations based on capacity and a range of catchment areas whose resource needs will vary.” Approximate average one-year award amounts for each component are:

Component A (Capacity Building): $600K
Component B (Implementation Ready): $2M
Component C (Innovation – demonstration projects): $2M

The amounts noted in the NOFO are average award amounts and are not guaranteed. As stated, the amounts will vary based on capacity and a range of catchment areas whose resource needs will vary.

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Regarding the CCR grant upload – should we upload Letters of Support as “Component B Letters of Support” (as indicated on page 26) or “CHW_LOS_San Antonio Metro Health” (as indicated on page 11&12)?

Please use the information on pg. 11 and 12. It would be more helpful to our reviewers to have the letters of support labeled with the name of your organization.

In reference to a state/county/localities needing to submit letters of support from other government entities as part of their catchment area, what about letters of support from tribes that fall within the geographical catchment area? Are these governmental entities required to present letters to include tribes in their programming or will they be required to exclude tribes so tribes can apply to carry out their own, separate programming?

Governmental entities at the state or local level and tribes and tribal entities are encouraged to communicate with each other and provide letters of support to ensure that duplication of effort is minimized. Discussions with tribal entities have clarified that tribes and tribal organizations are working with government organizations to demonstrate how they will initiate efforts to serve the specific needs of tribal members directly.

If a locality (a municipal government) does not join with other localities, but applies on its own as lead applicant to serve its city, is the letter of support described in the NOFO still required?

A locality applying on its own to serve the residents within its own local area (i.e., within its own city or county) does not require a letter of support from other localities. However, communication with other interested eligible entities as well as collaboration with other localities (i.e., collaboration between cities, between counties, or between a city and the county within which it resides) is highly encouraged to avoid duplication of efforts within the same area. Letters of support are encouraged.

I had a question in reference to Section, 1. Collaborations a. With other CDC programs and CDC funded organizations, Required Collaborations, pg. 11 of 64; a bulleted list of CDC programs is listed. Is a letter of support (LOS) required from each agency? If only two LOS are provided, will our application be rejected? The NOFO did not specify.

Applicants are expected to submit letters of support with specific commitments from each collaborator they intend to work with. Applicants are also required to collaborate with any entity within their jurisdictions that receives COVID-related funding from CDC to ensure that efforts are enhanced/complemented rather than duplicated. Applicants are required to collaborate with appropriate stakeholder groups to accomplish the goals and objectives of the NOFO.

In reference to ‘Section 1. Collaborations, a. With Other CDC Programs and CDC-funded Organizations, Required Collaborations”, on pg. 11 there is a bulleted list of CDC programs. The local public health department (lead applicant) is a state-sub recipient for the programs in the first bullet points. Is a letter of support still required?

Massachusetts does not have a functioning county government system. Instead, local government is run by cities and towns. Therefore, our partnership with local government for this proposal will be with municipalities (cities/towns) as that is where local decision-making for COVID-19 occurs. While we will present the burden and catchment area by county, our letters of commitment have to come from cities and towns. Is that okay?

Collaboration with other localities (i.e., collaboration between cities, between counties, or between a city and the county within which it resides) is highly encouraged to avoid duplication of efforts within the same area. Letters of support are encouraged.

I am writing on behalf of the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency Office of Strategy and Innovation because we are in the process of preparing an application for the CDC-RFA-DP21-2109. At this time, we have a question about the required collaborations referenced on page 11, in section 1a towards the bottom of the page. In this section, it asks to collaborate with CDC funded organizations currently implementing activities to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 infection…At present, the CDC is currently funding the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency Public Health Services – for the REACH grant, and the California Department of Public Health is funding County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency Public Health Services -Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity Program. We are curious, if we should include a letter that indicates that we are collaborating, interagency? Please let us know your thoughts on whether this would be a sufficient collaboration, or if we should look at other collaborations.

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When justifying the CHW experience in our catchment area, can we include experience of multiple partners or does it have to be experience of the applicants?

Please refer to page 10 of the NOFO to review the Collaborations section. Applicants are encouraged to discuss their own CHW experience with their partners, and also describe the experience of partners.

Is there an expectation that an existing CHW coalition is engaged? Would having an existing coalition strengthen an application?

Applicants are expected to collaborate with CHW networks, which could include coalitions, established program affiliates, etc. Please review the Collaborations section in the NOFO to learn more about organizations and/or entities with whom applicants are both required to and encouraged to work with in order to accomplish the objectives of this funding opportunity.

Is there a list of CDC-funded programs by state or county we can reference?

CDC provides funding data at Funding Profiles | Grants | CDC. The CDC Grants Funding Profiles tool on this page provides quick access to information on CDC funding provided to recipients in states, the District of Columbia, territories, local health departments and community-based organizations to address issues of public health importance. These investments include funding provided to state and local health departments, universities, and other public and private agencies for a variety of public health programs. In addition, specific information on direct funding from CDC to tribes and tribal organizations through grants and contracts can be found here at Tribal Budget, Grants, and Funding | CDC. Lastly, a link to the HHS Tracking Accountability and Government Grants Systems (TAGGS) tool, which provides detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by HHS is also provided on the CDC Funding Profiles page.

Could you please provide clarification about the required Letters of Support and collaboration with CDC-funded projects? Page 11 of the NOFO indicates: “state- and/or local-level CDC funded to advance efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 infection include: Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity Program, State (and jurisdictional) Immunization Program, Supporting Tribal Public Health Capacity in Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Program, Tribal Public Health Capacity Building and Quality Improvement Program, Cooperative Agreement for Emergency Response, Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) Flu Vaccine Supplement. Yet on the bottom on pg.” 25 and top of pg. 26, the required programs include: “CDC Epidemiology, Lab and Capacity (ELC) cooperative agreement, the Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) cooperative agreement, and the Emergency Response: Public Health Crisis Response cooperative agreement.” These are somewhat differing lists. Can you please clarify if it’s the list on page 25 that is required, and the list on page 11 is suggested?

The text on page 25 is not intended to be an exhaustive list, but rather provide a short list. The text on page 11, however, is very specific and lists the letters of support that are expected from the ‘required’ collaborators. Applicants are expected to provide letters of support with specific commitments from each of the COVID-related funded programs in their jurisdictions because they are required to collaborate with them. This is to ensure that the proposed activities in this application are complementary with (not duplicative of) other CDC-funded programs operating in the same area. If the state- and/or local- health department applicants are receiving any of the funding listed on page 11 of the NOFO, they should submit letters of support from those programs. Additionally, applicants are expected to provide letters of support from any other organization, agency, or program with whom they propose to collaborate (those that we ‘encourage’). All letters must describe specific commitments by the organization and are due within 45 days.

I have a few questions about the required/recommended CDC- and non-CDC collaborations. If a tribal health system is applying, must we provide letters of support or other agreements if we are collaborating with programs within our tribal organization? And are we required to partner outside of our tribal organization?

What are the requirements related to a signature from the county government? Does a signature from the Chief Administrative Officer suffice? Or does it need to be from the Chief Local Elected Official?

We encourage applicants to obtain signatures from the most appropriate levels of government.

What type of document is required to demonstrate a “formal arrangement for cooperation and collaboration among stakeholder groups”?

As it is stated in the NOFO under the Collaborations section: “Applicants should describe the proposed or existing coalition within the project narrative…to support the COVID-19 public health response…improving the overall health of priority populations in key communities.”

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Can the budget pay for CHW salaries and, if so, is a sustainability plan required?

Yes, the budget can pay for CHW salaries. A sustainability plan is not required, but sustainability is a goal. We encourage all applicants to be thinking about how to make their efforts more sustainable.

With regard to CDC-RFA-DP21-2109, can funds be used to purchase medical equipment (e.g., BP monitors, A1c tests, etc.) so long as the per unit cost is not more than $5,000?

Generally, recipients may not use funds to purchase furniture or equipment. Any such proposed spending must be clearly identified in the budget. According to CDC Budget Preparation Guidance pdf icon[PDF – 416 KB], equipment is defined as tangible, non-expendable personal property (including exempt property) that has a useful life of more than one year AND an acquisition cost of $5,000 or more per unit. If the items described are less than $5,000 per unit, then they should be considered supplies. The items, if included in the budget proposal of the application that is accepted for funding, would be reviewed for allowability, allocability, and reasonableness.

Is there a maximum cap percentage for administrative support cost that needs to be considered when developing a budget? The NOFO only mentions about dedicating at least 10% of total annual funds for evaluation.

If requesting indirect costs in the budget, a copy of the indirect cost-rate agreement is required. If the indirect costs are requested, include a copy of the current negotiated federal indirect cost rate agreement or a cost allocation plan approval letter for those Recipients under such a plan. Applicants must name this file “Indirect Cost Rate” and upload it at www.grants.govexternal icon.

Do we include Year 1 only budget before May 24, 2021 and apply Year 2 and Year 3 in each year? Or do we include all three years’ budget at once before the May 24, 2021 deadline?

Applicants need to include their year 1 budget in their application submitted by May 24, 2021. The year 1 budget period is for a 12-month period from the date of the award.

Funding restrictions indicate that recipients may not use funds for clinical care except as allowed by law. Does clinical care include CHW time to deliver direct patient care/education?

Funds awarded under CDC-RFA-DP21-2109 may be used to support Community Health Workers’ time, i.e., salaries as staff employed in support of approved activities. Applicants should focus on the strategies included in the NOFO (train, deploy, engage) to improve access to COVID-19 related services and build a more resilient community. Please refer to the section on collaborations in the NOFO to review the critical role of partnerships in this NOFO.

Can you clarify whether equipment, such as computers, is an allowable cost?

Generally, recipients may not use funds to purchase furniture or equipment. Any such proposed spending must be clearly identified in the budget. According to CDC Budget Preparation Guidance, equipment is defined as tangible, non-expendable personal property (including exempt property) that has a useful life of more than one year AND an acquisition cost of $5,000 or more per unit. If the items described are less than $5,000 per unit, then they should be considered supplies. The items, if included in the budget proposal of the application that is accepted for funding, would be reviewed for allowability, allocability, and reasonableness.

Is overtime an allowable cost to include in the budget?

If an applicant’s SOPs allow for overtime and they have a written policy for overtime, then they can apply. However, if funded, this cost would still be reviewed for allowability, reasonableness, and allocability. Please review the following excerpt from the HHS Policy Statement: “Premiums for overtime generally are allowable; however, such payments are not allowable for faculty members at institutions of higher education. If overtime premiums are allowable, the categories or classifications of employees eligible to receive overtime premiums should be determined according to the formal policies of the organization consistently applied regardless of the source of funds.

Are the following costs allowable under the CDC-RFA-DP21-2109 NOFO: (1) evaluation or data collection incentives for participants, (2) food/snacks/drinks, (3) travel vouchers, (4) participant incentives, such as face masks, water bottles, gas cards, etc.?

Any items included in the budget proposal of an application that is accepted for funding would be reviewed for allowability, allocability, and reasonableness.

Do budget components going to subgrantees count towards the evaluation budget requirement if those activities budgeted for are evaluation activities?

Any items included in the budget proposal of an application that is accepted for funding would be reviewed for allowability, allocability, and reasonableness.

I am wondering if stipends to support community members in participating in the Community Coalition referenced in DP21-2109 is allowable as a way to compensate them for sharing their time and expertise?

Any items included in the budget proposal of an application that is accepted for funding would be reviewed for allowability, allocability, and reasonableness.

For the CCR grant application, should the amount requested on the SF-424 represent one (1) year of funding or three (3) years of funding and do I prepare a budget narrative for one (1) year of funding or for three (3) years of funding.

Because this is a 3-year project period and the future budget periods are solicited, a one-year SF424 and budget narrative are requested.

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Is there a requirement for a local evaluation for each awarded project? Or only that projects must work with the funded national evaluator [funded by 2110]?

Yes, recipients are required to conduct a recipient-led evaluation. CDC and Evaluation/TA partners, through DP21-2110, will be available to work closely, where appropriate, with recipients to develop, refine, and implement evaluation plans that they can use to make program improvements and demonstrate the outcomes and impact of their programs. This information is provided in the Evaluation and Performance Measurement section pages 15-17 of the NOFO.

Are we required to submit an evaluation plan as part of a 2109 application?

Yes, 2109 applicants must submit their own evaluation plan as part of a 2109 application. This is separate from the evaluation component of 2110. 2110 recipients will work with 2109 recipients to collect the data needed for the national evaluation and will be providing evaluation TA to 2109 recipients on their own evaluation plans, as needed.

When you state that recipients are to allocate 10% of their total budget towards evaluation, would hiring an evaluator to help with the evaluation components of the grant count towards the 10%?

Yes, only if the evaluator position and related activities are included in the evaluation plan.

Allocation of 10% do you want budgeting and a performance measure team internally as well as externally?

Applicants should use their best judgment in identifying how to allocate the suggested 10% of the total budget for evaluation. Any items included in the budget proposal of an application that is accepted for funding would be reviewed for allowability, allocability, and reasonableness.

Difference between performance and evaluation plan in the project narrative vs what is submitted 6 months from now?

With support from CDC and Evaluation and Technical Assistance Partners, recipients must elaborate on their initial applicant evaluation and performance measurement plan. Recipients much submit the plan 6 months into the award.

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How can the private company, Trinitatis Health of S. Florida, apply for this grant?

The CARES Act funds states, localities, territories, tribes, tribal organizations, urban Indian health organizations, or health service providers to tribes. Please consider collaborating with these entities if your organization would like to provide CHW services as described in the NOFO.

Can a unit of local government (not the locality) apply for this funding? Also, could a Public Housing Authority apply separately than the locality?

For the grant opportunity posted today, CCR, are municipalities (city governments) eligible to lead applicants?

The CARES Act funds states, localities, territories, tribes, tribal organizations, urban Indian health organizations or health service providers to tribes. A unit of local government needs to submit a letter from appropriate locality-level or county-level governments confirming the locality’s or county’s agreement with the applicant’s submitting of an application. Applicants may consult with their legal counsel if eligibility is unclear. Please review the eligibility information on page 30 of the NOFO for further information on who is eligible to apply for this funding opportunity. Also, please review the Funding Strategy on pages 14-15 of the NOFO for information on population levels and the Collaborations section beginning on page 10 of the NOFO for instructions on multiple localities seeking to join together and collectively submit a single application.

In regards to CCR eligibility, is our state agency eligible to apply for this grant? We are a state agency housed under the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System.

The CARES Act funds states, localities, territories, tribes, tribal organizations, urban Indian health organizations, or health service providers to tribes. A unit of government needs to submit a letter from appropriate locality-, county-, or state-level government confirming agreement with the applicant’s submitting of an application. Applicants may consult with their legal counsel if eligibility is unclear. Please review the list of eligible applicants listed on page 30 of the NOFO to determine which entities may apply for this funding opportunity.

I am looking for clarification on the eligibility to apply for CDC-RFA-DP21-2109. Our public health agency serves as the public health authority for four Idaho counties (we are one of seven public health districts serving the state). We are partially funded by the counties and there are no county-level public health departments in our area. Are we eligible to apply for this opportunity or would we need to collaborate with our county partners and have them apply for this opportunity, with us as a collaborator?

The CARES Act funds states, localities, territories, tribes, tribal organizations, urban Indian health organizations, or health service providers to tribes. If you are a non-governmental organization, you will need to collaborate with the eligible governmental agency in your geographic area. If you are a unit of government, you need to submit a letter from the appropriate locality-, county-, or state-level government confirming their agreement with the applicant submitting an application. Applicants may consult with their legal counsel if eligibility is unclear. Please review the list of eligible applicants listed on page 30 of the NOFO to determine which entities may apply for this funding opportunity.

On page 30 of the announcement, under ‘Eligible Applicants’, the NOFO indicated that “local governments or their bona fide agents” are eligible. According to CDC’s definition of local governments or their bona fide agents, would a city’s mayor’s office be an eligible applicant? Similarly, would a city health department be an eligible applicant?

The CARES Act funds states, localities, territories, tribes, tribal organizations, urban Indian health organizations, or health service providers to tribes. A unit of local government needs to submit a letter from appropriate locality-, county- or state-level government confirming their agreement with the applicant submitting an application. Applicants may consult with their legal counsel if eligibility is unclear. Please review the list of eligible applicants list on page 30 of the NOFO to determine which entities may apply for this funding opportunity. A bona fide agent is an agency/organization identified as eligible to submit an application in lieu of a state application. If applying as a bona fide agent, a legal, binding agreement from the state, tribal, territorial, or local government as documentation of the status is required.

Could you please clarify what is considered a ‘Government Organization: either State (includes District of Columbia) or Local Governments or their bona fide agents’? Are any government organizations eligible?

The CARES Act funds states, localities, territories, tribes, tribal organizations, urban Indian health organizations, or health service providers to tribes. Applicants may consult with their legal counsel if eligibility is unclear. Please see page 30 of the NOFO for a list of which entities are eligible to apply for this funding opportunity.

Can you confirm that the announcement CDC-RFA-DP21-2109 is limited to government entities or tribal organizations?

Is there any particular partnership required between a 501c3 and a local county government?

Partnerships are encouraged between all interested parties. Please review the Collaborations section of the NOFO for more information.

Can a state agency apply on behalf of tribes?

A state agency may apply for a catchment area within which they are responsible for the health of those residents. A tribe may apply for a catchment area within which they are responsible for the health of those residents.

Can you define ‘Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally-recognized tribal governments) / American Indian or Alaska Native tribally-designated organizations’?

For the purposes of this NOFO, CDC will be using the definition of a tribally-designated organization, meaning a tribally-recognized intertribal organization which the recognized governing bodies of two or more Indian tribes on a reservation authorized to provide public health leadership and/or programming on their behalf.

Can you explain the role of a bona fide agency and if they are able to represent a state agency?

Bona fide agents are defined in the glossary of the NOFO.

In terms of eligibility, our state supports training for CHWs through our university and funds a nonprofit that convenes CHWs and helps coordinate and activate them for COVID response, but the state does not have the program per se. However, we do have active projects to sustain this work which are innovating. Can you clarify our state’s eligibility for Component B?

The CARES Act funds states, localities, territories, tribes, tribal organizations, urban Indian health organizations, or health service providers to tribes. If you are a non-governmental organization, you will need to collaborate with the eligible government agency in your geographic area. If you are a unit of government, you need to submit a letter from appropriate locality-, county-, or state-level government confirming their agreement with the applicant’s submitting of an application. Applicants may consult with their legal counsel if eligibility is unclear. Please see page 30 of the NOFO list of which entities are eligible to apply for this funding opportunity. Please refer to the link ‘Understanding Eligibility’ on the NOFO webpage for details on Component B eligibility.

If a state health department applies, can counties within that state also apply for smaller catchment areas?

Yes; however, the maximum number of awards per state is 3. Interested applicants may wish to collaborate with other interested eligible parties within a state to reduce the chance that multiple applications from one state could impact the chance of all applicants being funded.

Are Native Hawaiian Organizations (NHOs) eligible under Federal Recognized Native Organizations, stated in the NOFO as ‘Native American Tribal governments (Federally recognized)’?

The CARES Act funds states, localities, territories, tribes, tribal organizations, urban Indian health organizations, or health service providers to tribes. If you are a non-governmental organization, you will need to collaborate with the eligible governmental agency in your geographic area. If you are a unit of government, you will need a letter from appropriate locality-, county-, or state-level government confirming their agreement with the application. Applicants may consult with their legal counsel if eligibility is unclear. Please review the eligibility information on page 30 of the NOFO for further information on who is eligible to apply for this funding opportunity.

What entities are eligible to apply for CDC-RFA-DP21-2109?

CDC has received numerous questions regarding which entities are eligible to apply for this funding opportunity, including entities such as state universities, private universities, state hospitals, university hospitals, FQHCs, public housing authorities, university nonprofits, other nonprofits, city governments, state governments, local health departments, and advisory councils on Indian health care.

The CARES Act funds states, localities, territories, tribes, tribal organizations, urban Indian health organizations, or health service providers to tribes. Unless otherwise specified, state institutions of higher education and state hospitals are not considered state governments for purposes of the HHS grants administration regulations. Applicants may consult with their legal counsel if eligibility is unclear. Please review the list of eligible applicants listed on page 30 of the NOFO to determine which entities may apply for this funding opportunity. Please remember that a maximum of 3 awards will be made within a state; collaboration is encouraged.

Can a tribal territory serve as the catchment area? If not, does an applicant serving a Native American tribe (which has disproportionate burden of COVID-19 infection/mortality rates) qualify to apply even if the county wherein the tribe is located does not have a disproportionate burden of COVID-19 infection/mortality rates?

Yes, a tribal territory can serve as the catchment area.

If a county works with a health system as a partner and the health system is the organization with the CHW program, would they be eligible?

The county is the eligible entity and is encouraged to collaborate with other interested partners contributing to this work.

For a county that does not have its own LHD or CHW program, would they be a good fit to apply? If you are a LHD with a CHW program but don’t cover a full county area, are you eligible? If not, can you partner with others to be sure you hit the whole county?

Given the scope of activities within this NOFO, we don’t expect that, for example, a state covers an entire state population with the funds that they have been allocated through this effort. We expect smaller units within a state or county who are interested in addressing the needs of high-risk populations to involve themselves with this work. For a county applicant, you don’t have to cover the entire county to apply. We ask that you focus your efforts into high risk populations that are most in need of services. One thing applicants must do is describe the population at risk, how you arrived at that conclusion, how they are most impacted by health disparity, how you will address this disparity, etc. In terms of being a county without an LHD or not having an existing CHW program, that is a case-by-case issue. Combining with other counties may be beneficial, but, be aware, if you are applying with your county as a catchment area you need to have your county involved in what you are doing.

For the 3 grant awards set aside for tribes, do Urban Indian Organizations serving members of federally-recognized tribes in urban areas qualify?

Yes.

Can you define “localities” per the eligibility requirements? How is “county” defined? Can a department apply on behalf of a county?

The definition of locality applies to specific government entities, e.g., cities or townships. We encourage all eligible entities to collaborate so that duplication is reduced.

The town of Amherst has the largest percent population of people of color, the highest percent below poverty level including the highest percentage of environmental justice population in all of Hampshire County, Massachusetts. We have a need for CHWs for public health response and resiliency. Amherst has a population of 39,000 individuals. Would our population size fit the need for this grant?

Please review page 15 of the NOFO, where population size and funding amounts are listed; these amounts will vary depending on whether an applicant is applying for Component A or Component B.

Is the Republic of the Marshall Islands eligible to apply? Can NGOs apply or only government agencies.

The CARES Act funds states, localities, territories, tribes, tribal organizations, urban Indian health organizations, and health service providers to tribes. The three freely associated states (Republic of Palau, Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia) are eligible to apply to this funding opportunity. Please review page 30 in the NOFO to see the complete list of eligible entities.

Our organization, National Council of Urban Indian Health (NCUIH) is the only national nonprofit organization that provides advocacy, technical assistance, and policy work for 41 urban Indian health organizations (UIOs). Would we be eligible to apply for this funding opportunity?

The CARES Act funds states, localities, territories, tribes, tribal organizations, urban Indian health organizations, or health service providers to tribes. Applicants may consult with their legal counsel if eligibility is unclear. Please review the list of eligible applicants listed on page 30 of the NOFO to determine which entities may apply for this funding opportunity.

Is a state sponsored university considered a Bona Fide Agent of the state and eligible to apply for CDC-RFA-DP21-2109?

The CARES Act funds states, localities, territories, tribes, tribal organizations, urban Indian health organizations, or health service providers to tribes. Please review the requirements for documentation and the definition of a Bona Fide Agent listed in the glossary of the NOFO to determine if your organization may be considered one.

For CDC-RFA-DP21-2109, are local county health departments eligible to apply? Do they fall under the State Government Category?

The CARES Act funds states, localities, territories, tribes, tribal organizations, urban Indian health organizations, or health service providers to tribes. Applicants may consult with their legal counsel if eligibility is unclear. Please review the list of eligible applicants listed on page 30 of the NOFO to determine which entities may apply for this funding opportunity. Please remember that a maximum of 3 awards will be made within a state; collaboration is encouraged.

Can you provide clarification regarding the definition of a local vs. county government agency? Does a city’s public housing authority qualify as a local government entity?

Our Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) is an independent state-chartered public housing authority (PHA) that is neither a unit of the City of Los Angeles or the County of Los Angeles. As such, is our PHA, which has a CHW program, eligible to apply for Component A of this CDC NOFO? If we are eligible, can we apply for this CHW grant regardless of whether a City or County department is also submitting an application?

The CARES Act funds states, localities, territories, tribes, tribal organizations, urban Indian health organizations, or health service providers to tribes. Applicants may consult with their legal counsel if eligibility is unclear. Please review the list of eligible applicants listed on page 30 of the NOFO to determine which entities may apply for this funding opportunity. Please remember that a maximum of 3 awards will be made within a state; collaboration is encouraged.

My organization has engaged staff to focus on supporting individuals in navigating and engaging in clinical care and resources that address social needs for about three years. When developing the program, we looked to other CHW programs as models, but currently use a different title. For over a year we have more intentionally moved towards a CHW model of care including collaborating with other organizations to expand integration of CHWs and supporting staff in becoming certified as CHWs by Oregon Health Authority. We have had certified CHWs on staff for about three months and we are a county government. Are we eligible to apply for Component A funding through DP21-2109?

The CARES Act funds states, localities, territories, tribes, tribal organizations, urban Indian health organizations, or health service providers to tribes. Applicants may consult with their legal counsel if eligibility is unclear. Please review the list of eligible applicants listed on page 30 of the NOFO to determine which entities may apply for this funding opportunity. Please refer to the link Understanding Eligibility on the NOFO Webpage for details on Component A eligibility.

Are Public State-Controlled Universities eligible to apply to DP21-2109?

On page 2 of the RFA – Section F. Executive Summary – eligibility is listed as ‘open competition’; however, on page 31 of the RFA – Section C. Eligibility Information – it appears that only state, county, and tribal governments and their bona fide agents are eligible to apply for this grant. Can you please clarify whether national non-profit or nongovernmental organizations or community-based nonprofit organizations can apply for this grant?

I am in the midst of setting up my nonprofit and I have experience with grants.gov. Can you advise if my nonprofit’s mission is aligned with this grant before I proceed with submitting a request for funding?

Can we apply by organization/office or should it be by county?

Applicants should use their best judgment in identifying priority populations and devising an approach in their application that addresses the goals of the NOFO.

Is Messengers for Health, a Crow Indian 501c3 organization located on the Crow Reservation in Montana whose mission is to improve the health and wellness of the Crow people through culturally designed community-based health projects, eligible to apply to this grant opportunity?

The CARES Act funds states, localities, territories, tribes, tribal organizations, urban Indian health organizations, or health service providers to tribes. If you are a non-governmental organization, you will need to collaborate with the eligible governmental agency in your geographic area. Applicants may consult with their legal counsel if eligibility is unclear. Please review the list of eligible applicants listed on page 30 of the NOFO to determine which entities may apply for this funding opportunity. Please remember that a maximum of 3 awards will be made within a state; collaboration is encouraged.

Can you confirm that Northeastern U, a private institution of higher education, is eligible to submit under this solicitation?

The CARES Act funds states, localities, territories, tribes, tribal organizations, urban Indian health organizations, or health service providers to tribes. Unless otherwise specified, state institutions of higher education and state hospitals are not considered state governments for purposes of the HHS grants administration regulations. Applicants may consult with their legal counsel if eligibility is unclear. If you are a non-governmental organization, you will need to collaborate with the eligible governmental agency in your geographic area. Please review the list of eligible applicants listed on page 30 of the NOFO to determine which entities may apply for this funding opportunity.

My wife opened an independent family practice in rural VA in 2020 with zero assistance. Please provide the rationale and authority for your exclusion of a minority-owned (female), Nurse managed clinic (FNP) in a Federally-Designated Medically Underserved Area (Halifax County, VA – HPSA 16) for over 3 decades from being eligible for this funding opportunity? Based on my understanding of the CARES Act Public Law 116-136 and American Rescue Act of 2021 HR 1319: the definition of ‘small business concern’ found in Section 1101 (2) of the CARES Act (2) was omitted from your announcement as well as the definition of ‘Health Center’ in HR 1319 which does not distinguish between for-profit or non-profit which also makes us eligible for consideration. Both criteria appear to have been met and we would like to be considered for this grant.

The Community Health Worker grant is funded through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES ACT”), P.L. 116-136, that included funds to prevent, prepare for and respond to coronavirus domestically or internationally under “Division B – Emergency Appropriations for coronavirus health response and agency operations – CDC-Wide Activities and Program Support” found at pages 274-275. The section further details sub-allocations of funding and delineates eligibility for grants or cooperative agreements to be limited to states, localities, territories, tribes, tribal organizations, urban Indian health organizations, and health service providers to tribes. The applicant eligibility categories are specified under Sections C.1 and C.2 of the NOFO on page 30. We hope this is helpful information concerning this specific award. If you are not eligible for this award as described above, we encourage you to partner with eligible applicants to support the goals of this NOFO.

I’m writing because I am working on an application for CDC-RFA-DP21-2109 and have a question about eligibility for Components B and C. We plan to put in an application with multiple partners, with the Philadelphia Department of Public Health (PDPH) as the lead applicant. I served as the PI for a state funded project that placed CHWs in local schools for 2 ½ years to help connect children to needed healthcare services and to help families address social determinants of health. I also serve as the PI on a federal grant that includes working with funded partners to integrate CHWs into healthcare services and this work has been ongoing for more than 3 years, but I don’t directly oversee the CHWs, since they work for funded partners rather than for PDPH. We’re also planning to apply with at least one funded partner who has been working with CHWs for many years. Can you tell me if the above sounds reasonable for us to apply for Component B and C as well as Component A, or if we should restrict our application to Component A, since PDPH’s direct CHW experience has been for less than 3 years? I’m not sure whether to count partner experience toward the 3-year requirement for Components B and C.

Applicants can only submit an application for Component A, Component B, or Component B and C. An applicant cannot apply for both components A and B; doing so would render the application non-responsive. The requirements for experience in the catchment area pertain to the applicant only; collaboration with partners is welcome and an asset, but the responsibility for the years of experience with CHWs lies with the applicant. Please refer to the link Understanding Eligibility on the NOFO Webpage for details on eligibility requirements for each component and to determine which component best suits your organization.

Can ‘experience working with CHWs’ include working as partners with a healthcare or nonprofit organization who actually employ CHWs? For example, if CHWs employed by a CBO participate in LHD led projects does this suffice for eligibility?

The requirements for experience in the catchment area pertain to the applicant only; collaboration with partners is welcome and an asset, but the responsibility for the years of experience with CHWs lies with the applicant. Please refer to the link Understanding Eligibility on the NOFO webpage to determine which component best suits your organization.

On the webpage titled Understanding Eligibility, under Item 4, must all the elements a, b, c, and d have been implemented, or will it suffice if the CHW program in question focused on only 3 out of the 4 items listed?

The legal document that specifies all required elements is the NOFO DP21-2109. The webpage tool was designed to assist applicants in their thinking through aspects of their program to assure that the application is as strong as possible.

Would it be allowable for the same organization to submit more than one application under bona fide status with different agents as long as the appropriate status documentation was obtained?

An organization submitting a legal, binding bona fide agent agreement, would be applying in lieu of the eligible organization and would be considered the applicant, therefore eligibility requirements concerning applicants apply to bona fide agents. If applying as a bona fide agent, a legal, binding agreement from the state, tribal, territorial, or local government as documentation of the status is required. Please see page 64 of the Notice of Funding Opportunity Announcement (NOFO) for the full definition of a bona fide agent. Note that applicants may apply for Component A only, or Component B only, but not both. If an applicant submits an application for both Component A and Component B, CDC will determine the application to be non-responsive and it will not receive further review. All other requirements contained in the NOFO concerning eligibility requirements for applicants also apply including that a minimum of 3 eligible tribal entities across Components A, B, and C will be funded. For non-tribal applicants, CDC will fund at least one application in each of the 10 HHS regions with a maximum of 3 awards per state.

I am with the Allegheny County Health Department; we are a County government-located public health agency in Southwestern PA. We have financed a handful of CHWs to work at local FQHCs over the past year, but have not explicitly hired any CHWs as Allegheny County staff. However, there is a large community of CBOs and clinics in our County who have utilized CHWs for many years, and as the only eligible entity, Allegheny County was planning to apply as the lead coordinator for a partnership with these other groups. We would also like to apply for component B considering the length of experience with CHWs present in our community, but recognize that it is not directly the County government’s experience, and that we would be the lead applicant. Are there any issues with eligibility considering these facts?

The requirements for experience in the catchment area pertain to the applicant only; collaboration with partners is welcome and an asset, but the responsibility for the years of experience with CHWs lies with the applicant. Please refer to the link Understanding Eligibility on the NOFO Webpage for details on eligibility requirements for each component and to determine which component best suits your organization.

We believe that the foundation we have laid makes us ready and able to carry out the expectations of the attached FOA. However, we are really unclear about who the eligible applicant is supposed to be. Yes, we read local, state, county government…but we need some help translating that to an actual agency. Do you mean the mayor’s office? The state office of minority health and health disparities? Local health departments? County health departments? And given the realities of working in rural communities, where for example our health departments are not always the best applicant for these things, can a health department write a letter indicating that for example the state or regional Area Health Education Center is the “bona fide” agent? If not, who can be considered a bona fide agent?

The CARES Act funds states, localities, territories, tribes, tribal organizations, urban Indian health organizations, or health service providers to tribes. Applicants may consult with their legal counsel if eligibility is unclear. Please review the list of eligible applicants listed on page 30 of the NOFO to determine which entities may apply for this funding opportunity. Additionally, please review the definition of bona fide agents listed in the glossary of the NOFO.

If an applicant (county) does not have an active Community Health Worker program throughout the entire catchment area (county), can they leverage an existing community health worker program through a partnering FQHC or Community College to meet eligibility?

The requirements for experience in the catchment area pertain to the applicant only; collaboration with partners is welcome and an asset, but the responsibility for the years of experience with CHWs lies with the applicant. Please refer to the link Understanding Eligibility on the NOFO Webpage for details on eligibility requirements for each component and to determine which component best suits your organization.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is interested in applying for both CDC-RFA-DP21-2109 and CDC-RFA-DP21-2110. Are we eligible to apply for both funding opportunities?

DP21-2109 and DP21-2110 are two separate NOFOs. Applicants may choose to apply to one or both dependent on the eligibility criteria.

If Ohio University, since we have an established CHW program and the capacity to manage federal grants, would be the bona fide agent entity (for a health department maybe), how do we provide that information to you? Would you prefer it in the narrative or some kind of additional documentation?

The New York Indian Council wishes to submit Component B and C for CDC-RFA-DP21-2109. However, they are registered as a subsidiary of the non-profit Rhode Island Indian Council which plans to submit Component A CDC-RFA-DP21-2109. Obviously, they are in separate states, as well as serving different catchment areas and different American Indian tribes. Can NYIC apply for Component B if RIIC applies in a separate grant for C?

Applicants may apply for Component A only or Component B only, but not both. If an applicant applies for both Component A AND Component B, CDC will determine the application to be non-responsive and it will not receive further review. Only one application per organization will be considered for either Component A or Component B. If there are separate applications with the same organization name, they will be considered the same applicant unless separate DUNS numbers are provided to identify them as separate organizations. Please see the Required Registration section on pages 31 and 32 of the NOFO. Additionally, applicants are responsible for reporting if an application will result in programmatic, budgetary or commitment overlap with another application or award. Applicants should review the Duplication of Efforts section found on page 35 of the NOFO.

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Can ethnic/racial demographics beyond AI/AN be included in the targeted populations?

The purpose of this NOFO is to address COVID-19 among priority populations. Priority populations are those with increased prevalence of COVID-19 and are disproportionately impacted by long-standing health disparities related to sociodemographic characteristics, geographic regions, and economic strata. Examples include, racial and ethnic minority groups, persons who are economically disadvantaged, justice-involved, experiencing homelessness, or have certain underlying medical conditions that increase COVID-19 risk.

Would you accept data derived from the (new) COVID Community Vulnerability Index to justify targeted populations, geographic boundaries?

No. The NOFO requires use of the COVID Data Tracker as linked in the NOFO content (COVID case rates and deaths per 100,000) and poverty statistics based on census data so that all applications can be objectively reviewed in a consistent manner.

We are a state health department in a centralized public health system and would like to apply for multiple catchment areas (i.e., multiple counties) to support those hardest hit by COVID-19. The NOFO mentions a catchment area can be a ‘group of counties’ but doesn’t state they have to be contiguous. Can we include multiple non-contiguous counties in our catchment area?

Under the Target Populations section in the NOFO, it clearly states, “catchment areas are defined in this NOFO as a county, metropolitan statistical area(s), or a group of contiguous counties”. The NOFO does not limit an applicant to one (1) catchment area in their proposal. A state applicant may wish to identify several catchment areas, depending upon COVID-19 burden. Please remember to include letters concurring with this approach from counties involved.

Can a city that is not in a county qualify as a catchment area?

Catchment areas are defined in this NOFO as a county, metropolitan statistical area(s) or a group of contiguous counties. Please see “Target Population” on page 13 of the NOFO.

Can an applicant submit a single application that proposes serving more than one catchment area?

Please see page 14 of the NOFO, section 2, “Target Populations” . “…Applicants must demonstrate that the proposed catchment area(s) reflect a) the burden of COVID-19 infection rates and/or COVID-19 mortality rates and b) populations disproportionally affected by COVID-19 infections; particularly those affected by poverty.”

I understand that the NOFO requires use of the COVID Data Tracker as linked in the NOFO content (COVID case rates and deaths per 100,000) and poverty statistics based on census data so that all applications can be objectively reviewed in a consistent manner. However, if an applicant does not want to apply for the whole of the county, may we present case rates, death rates, and poverty statistics for a subpopulation (in addition to the required above) that has been disproportionately impacted, as evidenced by local data? Would CDC only review the larger county rate? Or would reviewers be allowed to consider subpopulation rates?

Applicants must use the COVID Data Tracker to demonstrate COVID-19 cases or deaths per 100,000 population. Local data would not be considered in the assessment of the application. Applicants should make the case that the population selected has at least the same or higher COVID-19 risk as other parts of the county. Applicants can describe the rationale for the selection of this subpopulation as their priority population to address.

If this is funded by the CARES Act, are there limitations based on citizenship or other criteria for whom we can serve?

There are no limitations regarding the funded activities for this NOFO based on citizenship. Any other criteria pertaining to this award is delineated in the NOFO.

Does the identified subpopulation have to be only drawn from the priority populations? For example, if racial and ethnic minorities are selected, and older populations are the subpopulation, are we only allowed to serve older racial and ethnic minorities? Or could we serve racial and ethnic minorities AND older people (of all races/ethnicities)? In other words, does the subpopulation limit the priority population, or is it “in addition to”?

Applicants should carefully assess their priority populations and present a thoughtful, measured proposal tailored to the local conditions to direct CHW resources to those most disadvantaged by COVID-19.

On page 14 and 64, we came across this: “applicants must demonstrate that the proposed catchment area(s) reflect (a) the disproportionate burden of COVID-19 infection rates/mortality rates and (b) populations are disproportionately affected by COVID-19 infections, particularly those affected by poverty. Catchment areas are defined in this NOFO as a county, metropolitan statistical area, or a group of contiguous counties.” Kindly advise how RMI would meet this requirement?

Applicants must demonstrate COVID case and/or mortality burden as well as poverty burden and, for RMI, must define the catchment area within which the applicant plans to focus their efforts.

The state of Missouri is planning on applying for this funding opportunity. We are struggling with how to determine what counties in our state to target. Based upon the links provided in the NOFO, it seems as if we should target a mix of rural and metropolitan areas. The issue with that is two-fold for us. On one hand, our counties with the most incidence of COVID per 100,000 per 7 days are concentrated in our Metro areas of St. Louis and Kansas City. In addition, we also show disproportionate rates of disease in our Bootheel counties (which are not all contiguous) and a couple of our rural counties in central Missouri. We found out yesterday that the St. Louis County Health Department has decided to partner with St. Louis City to apply for the grant. Originally, we wanted to target Jackson County (Kansas City Metro), St. Louis City, and four counties in the Bootheel that are not all contiguous. After reading over the application, we finally figured out that we can’t do that. The email is to confirm that or if we can do that, please let us know. In addition, if you have suggestions of how we could target our efforts more efficiently, that would be welcomed. I am attaching some preliminary data we obtained using the links provided in the NOFO. The counties highlighted in green have disproportionate rates of disease and poverty. We wanted to target Jackson County due to large fluctuations in poverty levels, population size, and disease rates even though it wasn’t highlighted in green.

Applicants must demonstrate that the proposed catchment area(s) reflect a) the burden of COVID-19 infection rates and/or COVID mortality rates and b) populations disproportionately affected by COVID-19; particularly those affected by poverty. Please review the Target Populations section on page 13 of the NOFO for more details on catchment area(s). Applicants should use their best judgment in identifying catchment area(s) and priority populations and devising an approach in their application that addresses the goals of the NOFO. Please remember that a maximum of three non-tribal awards will be given per state; collaboration is encouraged.

How can tribes and territories use the two required data sources for poverty rates and COVID cases and/or mortality rates (pg. 13 and 14)? These two sources, the 2014-2018 Poverty Rate in the United States by County, and the COVID-19 Integrated County View do not sort information by tribal area or by any of the pacific island territories or protectorates. The link on page 14 for additional guidance sent me to the CDC page where I did not find any additional information.

Please review the response to a previous question on tribes and data sources under the ‘Funding Strategy’ tab of the NOFO’s FAQ page. Cases and deaths for all US territories are provided on the CDC COVID Data Tracker.

I am currently assisting with the CNMI/CHCC application for CDC-RFA-DP21-2109 and need some guidance regarding the target populations. I accessed the link resources listed for poverty rates and COVID-19 cases and/or deaths, however, CNMI is not listed on both. Is this an application requirement? Is there another data source we can use?

Cases and deaths for US territories and freely associated states are provided on the CDC COVID Data Tracker. US territories and freely associated states may use the US Census Bureauexternal icon for poverty data.

We’re preparing an application for CDC RFA DP21 2109 and were wondering about a peculiar question that might be unique to Hawaii: For the purposes of this grant, would the four counties of Hawaii be considered “contiguous” despite there being water between them? Our 4 counties are Maui County (which includes Molokai and Lanai), Hawaii County, Kauai County, and City and County of Honolulu (which is statutorily everything that is NOT part of the other three counties). Can we use the whole state (or multiple counties) as catchment or do we need to zoom into a single county?

Will applicants be penalized for using city/town level data instead of county level data (as stipulated in the NOFO) if city/town level data is available and a better indicator for a particular state?

Can the “catchment area” for a county HHS’s proposal be a portion of the county (as opposed to the entire population of the county)? For example, could we focus upon districts that are disproportionately affected by COVID for the “catchment” statistics, including their poverty levels and 7-day COVID impact rates? Our overall county rates are low but our Latinx community has been disproportionately impacted by COVID (for all of the reasons the CDC noted), and we want to serve their needs in particular through innovative promotores de salud programs.

As stated in the Target Populations section in the NOFO, “catchment area(s) are defined in this NOFO as a county, metropolitan statistical area(s), or a group of contiguous counties”. Applicants must use the COVID Data Tracker, as described in the NOFO, to demonstrate COVID-19 cases or deaths per 100,000 population. Local data would not be considered in the assessment of the application. Applicants should make the case that the subpopulation selected has at least the same or higher COVID-19 risk as other parts of the county. Applicants can describe the rationale for the selection of this subpopulation as their priority population to address.

Can a catchment area be defined as a sub-region of a county, or is it required that it be a county as a whole?

In the NOFO it states, “catchment areas are defined in this NOFO as a county, metropolitan statistical area(s), or a group of contiguous counties.” Applicants can identify a target or subpopulation within the catchment area(s) for which they are applying. Applicants still need to present COVID-19 case and/or mortality data from CDC COVID Data Tracker and poverty data from the census, as directed in the NOFO, and should make the case that the population selected has at least the same or higher COVID-19 risk as other parts of the county. Applicants can describe the rationale for the selection of this subpopulation as their priority population to address.

The NOFO and FAQs specifically state “catchment areas are defined in this NOFO as a county, metropolitan statistical area(s), or a group of contiguous counties.” Cities in Virginia are legally separate from counties and may not be within the boundaries of counties. Can an independent city or cluster of cities in Virginia be a catchment area? Specifically, could Virginia submit an application to address communities that are larger than a single county, but smaller than a MSA (such as Richmond City and Henrico County that have a combined population of over 560,000) in addition to other clusters around the state.

Applicants can identify a target or subpopulation within the catchment area(s) for which they are applying. Applicants can describe the rationale for the selection of this subpopulation as their priority population to address. A state can apply with a statewide approach focusing on multiple catchment areas throughout the state to target priority populations. Applicants are encouraged to read the Collaboration section of the NOFO very carefully and must ensure that they have engaged the appropriate parties across the state when developing a work plan and addressing the strategies they will carry out.

If we select multiple geographic areas in our state, do we have to use the same 7-day case or death rate data to justify all of the areas. Or can each geographic area be justified using different 7-day case or death rate data?

Applicants need to describe the catchment area(s) and provide quality information reflecting a) the burden of COVID-19 infection rates and/or COVID-19 mortality rates using the COVID Data Tracker and b) poverty rates using census data in the populations disproportionally affected by COVID-19 infections.

Would patients transitioning through nursing homes be an acceptable population?

Applicants can identify a target or subpopulation within the catchment area(s) for which they are applying. Applicants can describe the rationale for the selection of this subpopulation as their priority population to address. Applicants still need to present COVID case and/or mortality data for their catchment area(s) as described in the NOFO and should make the case that the subpopulation selected has at least the same or higher COVID-19 risk as other parts of the county. Applicants should describe the rationale for the selection of this subpopulation as their priority population to address.

Please define significant disease burden, as it is stated on pg. 14?

Applicants need to present COVID-19 case and/or mortality data from CDC COVID Data Tracker and poverty data from the census, as directed in the NOFO to demonstrate COVID-19 burden in the proposed catchment area(s).

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We are in touch with tribal and county government partners that would like to engage our non-profits for implementation and/or technical support. Can you confirm that non-profits are eligible to be included as sub-grantees and/or contracted partners?

Successful recipients may be able to subcontract with appropriate organizations, subject to discussion with their CDC project officer.

We are a State Department of Labor who subgrants CHW apprenticeship funding to a non-profit who is collaborating with a local hospital to do a pilot project in CHW work for our city. Can we apply for this grant and subgrant to the non-profit and/or hospital?

The CARES Act funds states, localities, territories, tribes, tribal organizations, urban Indian health organizations, or health service providers to tribes. This type of situation would be viewed on a case by case basis. The applicant needs to review the NOFO to assure that they themselves are within the eligibility criteria. During the review process, the information for the subgrantee would be reviewed and determined whether the activities proposed are aligned with the activities in the NOFO and if the proposal is acceptable. The applicants need to understand that they can use subgrantees to perform the work, but the subgrantee should not be used as a passthrough entity.

Can a state apply to provide pass through funds to multiple county HDs who have experience working with CHWs? Does that suffice as a state’s ‘catchment’ area? If the answer is yes, can this funding be used to expand a CHW program to other county LHDs who have not previously had the experience of working with CHWs? Could the ‘catchment area’ for funding purposes include this expanded area?

CDC has responded to several questions of clarification on eligibility. Those responses have been posted. An eligible applicant must review the requirements of the NOFO, along with the clarifications provided in previously answered questions to determine how to proceed.

My partners and I are considering responding to this funding opportunity. We saw that subcontractors/ partners to the lead governmental organization applicant must have existing CDC funding to be eligible. One of our critical partners is an area health education center which has long-standing CDC recognition for their delivery of the National Diabetes Prevention Program. While they do not have direct funding from CDC for their community-based activities, they do maintain this Diabetes Prevention Recognition Program status from CDC. Would this enable them to be an eligible subcontractor/ partner on this application?

Please review eligibility requirements. The CARES Act funds states, localities, territories, tribes, tribal organizations, urban Indian health organizations, or health service providers to tribes. The applicant needs to review the NOFO to assure that they themselves are within the eligibility criteria. During the review process, the information for the subgrantee would be reviewed and determined whether the activities proposed are aligned with the activities in the NOFO and if the proposal is acceptable. The applicants need to understand that they can use subgrantees to perform the work, but the subgrantee should not be used as a passthrough entity.

We are planning to apply for Component B and wish to provide subcontracts to local partners to implement components of the training and deployment strategies. The on-line FAQ states, “successful recipients may be able to subcontract with appropriate organizations, subject to discussion with their CDC project officer.” How does this work? We would include in our work plan the intention of entering into MOUs with implementing partners. If selected, we would proceed. Is this the correct assumption regarding the allowance of subcontractors? Or is the guidance to plan to implement without subcontractors and, if selected, work with CDC contract manager to select appropriate subcontractors?

Any items included in the budget proposal of an application that is accepted for funding would be reviewed for allowability, allocability, and reasonableness.

What are the requirements/restrictions related to subcontracts?

Successful recipients may be able to subcontract with appropriate organizations, subject to discussion with their CDC project officer. Any items included in the budget proposal of an application that is accepted for funding would be reviewed for allowability, allocability, and reasonableness.

I would be interested in speaking with someone about our application for the NOFO DP21-2109. The Mobile County Health Department will partner with the University of South Alabama to create a Community Health Workers Coalition in the county. The University will be working closely with us to develop the curriculum, train CHWs and conduct evaluation. I want to confirm that we will be able to sub award grant funds to the University to perform these tasks.

If a state health department is the applicant may the health department subcontract with the state’s hospital and healthcare association? If so, may the Association coordinate dispersing funds to health systems across the state for hiring and deploying CHWs? Additionally, are for-profit entities eligible to be subcontractors?

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I understand there is a call about the 2110 NOFO on Monday, but I don’t see where the call-in information is. Can you please advise?

Please refer to CDC-RFA-DP21-2110 on grants.govexternal icon for information on that NOFO’s informational call.

Can you please provide the details for the April 5th meeting?

The informational call for CDC-RFA-DP21-2110 will take place on April 5 from 2:30 PM – 4:00 PM Eastern Time. Please visit CDC-RFA-DP21-2110 on grants.govexternal icon for a link to the call and dial-in information.

Am I correct that there are three awardees for the national TA and evaluation NOFO? Can you speak more about what types of organizations (501c3) you envision as competitive and how you see them working together?

For details on CDC-RFA-DP21-2110, please attend the informational call for CDC-RFA-DP21-2110. Information on accessing this call can be found in the NOFO on the grants.govexternal icon website.

Is a lead applicant applying for 2109 or a collaborator included in an application for 2109 allowed to also apply for the evaluation NOFO [2110] and vice versa?

DP21-2109 and DP21-2110 are two separate NOFOs. Applicants may choose to apply to one or both dependent on the eligibility criteria.

Will training curriculum for CHWs be provided by 2110 awardees?

The 2110 recipients will not be providing one specific training curriculum for CHWs. However, they will be offering technical assistance and guidance and may potentially provide training that can be used for CHWs. This will likely not include all of the training your CHWs may need as part of the strategies you will be implementing. So, 2109 recipients may need to incorporate their own CHW-specific training as part of the train, deploy, or engage strategies.

Is there a companion NOFO? What page is this in the current NOFO?

The evaluation/TA NOFO that relates to the work of 2109 is CDC-RFA-DP21-2110. This NOFO can be found on grants.govexternal icon.

How are we supposed to tie in our application for this NOFO [2109] with the companion NOFO [2110]?

2109 and 2110 are separate NOFOs and have completely separate applications. There are aspects of the 2109 where it specifies that recipients will have to work with 2110 recipients, but the applications are separate. For 2109 applications, follow the application criteria listed in DP21-2109. For 2110 applications, follow the application criteria listed in DP21-2110. Specifically, 2109 has its own requirements for an evaluation plan that must be submitted and that covers the strategies 2109 recipients will be implementing and the measures they will be tracking. This is separate from the national evaluation outlined in the 2110 NOFO. 2109 also requires that a data management plan be submitted. Be sure to pay close attention to these distinct requirements of a 2109 application.

Do you plan to do matchmaking between recipients of 2110 and recipients of this NOFO, 2109?

2109 and 2110 are two different NOFOs. 2109 was discussed in the informational call on March 31 and focuses on the strategies of training, deploying, and engaging CHWs. 2110 is focused on providing TA and evaluation to the 2109 recipients. There will not be matchmaking between the recipients of the two NOFOs because they have separate outcomes. The 2110 recipients will provide TA, training, and evaluation support to 2109 recipients. So, there will be communication between the recipients of both NOFOs as they work together on reporting performance measures as part of the national evaluation effort and as the 2110 recipients provide TA and training as is needed by the 2109 recipients. 2109 applicants are encouraged to attend the 2110 informational call scheduled for Monday April 5 to hear specific information on that NOFO. Call-in information is listed in the DP21-2110 NOFO on grants.gov.

What was the accompanying NOFO mentioned for the Train approach?

The accompanying NOFO mentioned is CDC-RFA-DP21-2110, titled Community Health Workers for COVID Response and Resilient Communities – Evaluation and Technical Assistance (CCR-ETA). This NOFO focuses on the national evaluation and training/TA as it relates to DP21-2109. This NOFO can also be found on grants.gov.

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The requirements laid out for Component A is that we must have one year of experience with CHWs in the catchment area, but for Component B it requires three years of broad experience with CHWs across multiple conditions. Can this experience also include the experience of partners?

Can you say more about Component C and the requirements related to it?

Please review the information on Component C under the Strategies and Activities section of the NOFO.

Are applicants required to touch on all three components in their application?

Applicants can apply for Component A only, Component B only, or an applicant applying for Component B can also apply for Component C. If an applicant applies for both Components A and B they will be determined nonresponsive. The NOFO describes each component in detail under the Strategies and Activities section. There is also additional information listed under the link Understanding Eligibility on our NOFO website with details about each component. This information help applicants determine which component they are best suited to apply for.

For Components B and C, is there a maximum or minimum level of resources that should be devoted to the ‘TRAIN’ strategies (IR1, IR2, IR3)?

Applicants for Component B must address the four required strategies for Implementation Ready; please see page 8 of the NOFO. Applicants for Component C must address at least 1 of the 3 overarching strategies of the NOFO, i.e., Train, Deploy and/or Engage. Please see page 10 of the NOFO and use this information to guide the development of your application.

When justifying CHW experience, can applicants include the experience of their partners? For example, if a state health department does not traditionally house CHWs in-house, but has a history of working with partners who have CHW experience?

I am in the process of writing a grant request for this grant number; there are three components: A, B, and C. Are all three required? Can you apply for two or only one? It is not clear to me in the full announcement.

The County of San Diego, HHSA Division is applying for CDC-RFA-DP21-2109 and would like some assistance on the following question. For Component A: Capacity Building, is there a maximum ratio for indirect staff (for example Administrative staff versus Community Health Workers)?

Funding for 2109 should support the goals of the NOFO as described. Applicants may propose to fund staff to achieve this goal. Indirect costs should be outlined in the approved indirect cost rate agreement.

Can you please clarify the funding maximum for CDC-RFA-DP21-2109 Component C? Page 3 states, “approximate average one-year…” “component C $2m.” Page 15 states, “We expect to fund approximately 5 recipients for component C for up to $2m each.” This does not say per year. Is component C $2m per year or $2m for the three-year project period?

We expect to fund approximately five recipients for Component C for approximately $2 million per budget year.

Page 3 of the NOFO states “These grants will range approximately from $350,000 – $3 million per year depending on the size and scope of activity” while noting that for Component B “For 600,000+ population, applicants may apply for up to $3M” and “We expect to fund approximately 5 recipients for Component C for up to $2M each” (page 15). Is the maximum annual award $3 million or could an applicant with the largest catchment area applying for Component B as well as Component C apply for $5M annually?

Component B is a separate application from Component C. The maximum amount possible for Component B is approximately $3 million. Should a Component B successful recipient also be selected for Component C, the maximum amount possible is approximately $2 million per year.

We are a state agency planning to partner with 10 communities to accomplish the goals of this NOFO. As the lead applicant we have more than the 3 years of required experience for Component B. Do we need to have demonstrated this longevity of experience with each of these 10 communities, or is it sufficient to describe our experience in the state overall?

The requirements for experience in the catchment area pertain to the applicant; please refer to page 26 of the NOFO to review the requirements for Component B applicants. Applicants should describe their organizational capacity to demonstrate their experience.

Can you please clarify what is meant by the following point found on page 48 of the RFA under “Component C: Applicant’s Organizational Capacity to Implement Approach”, where it says, “Describes a staffing plan that is separate from Component B, inclusive of any contracts as applicable, for the demonstration project including roles, responsibilities, and qualifications. Resumes for key staff, including contract staff if applicable, are included.” Does this mean that any organization or individual included for the implementation of Component B strategies may not be included to carry out project strategies for Component C? Does this include project partners?

Component B is a separate application from Component C. This proposed Component C project must be distinctly different from what the applicant is proposing in Component B; it is not meant to be an extension of a Component B effort. It is an opportunity to test an innovative approach that accelerates impact to ameliorate effects of COVID-19 through the use of CHWs and build more resilient communities. Applicants should use their best judgment in identifying staff and partnerships and devising an approach in their application that addresses the goals of Component C of the NOFO.

Public Health Seattle-King County (PHSKC) intends to apply for Component B (Implementation Ready) and has asked HealthierHere, a King County collective impact organization and key partner of PHSKC, to take the lead on Component C (Innovation – Demonstration Projects). HealthierHere is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the health and well-being of all people in King County, especially those who experience health disparities. As the contracted Accountable Community of Health (ACH) for the King County region, HealthierHere works in partnership and collaboration with providers, community organizations, consumers, Tribal Nations and Native people to catalyze and test new and better ways to respond to health and social problems so that people can achieve their desired health outcomes in culturally appropriate and responsive ways from providers they trust. I understand that the requirements for Component C are as follows: detailed proposal of the innovative project (4-page max), budget narrative, workplan. Is HealthierHere also required to submit organizational capacity requirements as outlined on page 25 of the NOFO, or is that a requirement just for Component B?

The applicant’s organizational capacity for Component B and/or C should be demonstrated in the Component B application. The Component C/Demonstration project should be distinctly different from the Component B application and identify an approach to further address health disparities and social inequities exacerbated by COVID-19 within the catchment area identified in the recipient’s Component B application. Component C reviewers will have access to Component B applications during the review process.

Are letters of support required for Component C?

Collaboration is encouraged, however, letters of support are not required for Component C.

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What does the date for competition title, the competition ID, and the competition ID refer to?

We are in a position to respond to questions of clarification on CDC-RFA-DP-21-2109 only. Please see HHS resources or contact grants.gov support for inquiries about the grants.gov website.

I see the award date for CDC-RFA-DP21-2109 August 2021, but does CDC have an official start date for this project to indicate the period of performance.

The project start date is August 31, 2021.

My wife and I are looking for some assistance to help the African American and Hispanic community get vaccinated properly…we have the capacity to vaccinate a few hundred people a day in the community…but are unable to due to lack of funds. If you can kindly respond or point me in the direction?

We are in a position to respond to questions of clarification on CDC-RFA-DP-21-2109 only. Please see HHS resources or contact grants.gov support for inquiries about the grants.gov website.

Is the recording available for CDC-RFA-DP21-2109 NOFO informational call?

The recording from the CDC-RFA-DP21-2109 informational call held on March 31, 2021 will be available on the NOFO webpage.

If you are not able to get to all of the questions here, will you respond to them in a posted list of FAQs?

Yes, all questions received during the call will be posted with answers on the NOFO webpage. This will include all questions asked and answered during the call as well as those asked, but not answered due to time constraints.

Did you say there will only be 3 awards per state?

Yes; the maximum number of awards to non-tribal applicants within a state is three.

Are awards 3 years in duration?

Yes, the period of performance for this grant is 3 years.

When does the contract year begin?

The contract year begins August 31, 2021.

Can you clarify if this is funding from the CARES Act of 2020 or the American Rescue Plan of 2021?

This grant is funded by the CARES Act of 2020.

Will you send slides or a document with all of the information presented today?

Slides used at the information call were titles of sections only. Complete information is included in the NOFO available at grants.govexternal icon.

Which job titles/positions are considered community health workers for the purposes of this NOFO?

CDC has received several questions regarding which job titles/positions would be considered to fit the definition of community health worker for the purposes of this NOFO.

In this NOFO, the CDC uses the APHA definition of a community health worker: “a frontline public health worker who is a trusted member of and/or has an unusually close understanding of the community served. This trusting relationship enables the worker to serve as a liaison/link/intermediary between health/social services and the community to facilitate access to services and improve the quality and cultural competence of service delivery.”

This definition is listed in the glossary of the NOFO. It is the responsibility of each applicant to determine if the job title/position they intend to work with fits this definition.

Is there a logic model?

The logic model can be found on pages 5-6 of the NOFO. Applicants are not required to provide an additional logic model.

Will awards to tribal entities be counted as a part of the max of 3 awards per state?

No, the minimum of three tribal awards is a separate funding requirement and will not impact the requirement of a maximum of three awards per state.

What type of assistance is available if direct assistance isn’t available?

There are two types of assistance: direct assistance and financial assistance. This NOFO is providing financial assistance. Additionally, recipients of 2109 will receive technical assistance, evaluation assistance, and training from the recipients of 2110.

When justifying the number of COVID cases, does our catchment area need to fall within a particular color zone on the map linked in the NOFO? Is CDC only looking for applicants that fall into color zone with the highest case rates?

We are asking that applicants report COVID cases and/or deaths per 100,000 population and note the 7-day period associated with these metrics as they appear on CDC COVID Data Tracker. The goal is for applicants to report COVID burden in their catchment areas in a consistent manner.

Where is the recording of the webinar on DP21-2109?

For programs seeking funding at the state level, are there any funding restrictions or considerations for supporting the infrastructure to coordinate or perform monitoring and evaluation of a statewide program?

Please refer to Section 14, “Funding Restrictions” on page 41 of the NOFO.

Other than the due date for the application, are there any other mandatory dates that would make us ineligible if we missed them?

Please review the NOFO for all details on application submission.

Can you please point to where we can find the workplan template or instructions for how the workplan should be laid out for this NOFO?

Applicants are not required to use a specific work plan template. All applicants must propose a comprehensive work plan to include activities designed to achieve the short- and intermediate- term outcomes specified in this NOFO and that are aligned with the three high-level strategy categories. Please refer to page 27 of the NOFO for additional information.

Do we need to include job descriptions for all of our proposed FTEs for this grant?

Please refer to page 58 of the NOFO for details on the staffing plan.

I am trying to pull down a copy of the current NOFO Community Health Workers for COVID Response and Resilient Communities (CCR) CDC-RFA-DP21-2109 and have not succeeded. I am interested in reading a PDF copy, but not personally applying for it myself. Your assistance in this matter will be greatly appreciated.

The NOFO CDC-RFA-DP21-2109 is available for viewing and downloading as a PDF file at www.grants.gov. For assistance with technical issues, please visit the ‘help’ tab at grants.gov.

We have several questions we would like to have addressed before we move forward. Therefore, we would respectfully like to request for a meeting to discuss. Please let us know when you are available to meet this coming week.

We are applying for CDC-RFA-DP21-2109 and didn’t see any information requiring for Certification and Assurance. If the CDC Assurances and Certifications are required, we have a valid assurance and certification on file with CDC through Feb 2022. We actively maintain our information annually with CDC and will renew again before the Feb 2022 expiration date. Does this meet the application requirement?

Certifications and assurances are included as a part of the SAM registration. If the information is not accessible or cannot be accessed from SAM, it may be requested from the recipient.

We are interested in applying for the COVID Response and Resilient Communities for our Covid19 mutual aid recovery and wellness program. We had some questions about the grant guidelines and budget formatting. Would it be possible to set up some time to address these questions?

The NOFO CDC-RFA-DP21-2109 is currently in its publication window. We are unable to meet with any individual applicant during this period. Please review CDC’s webpage for guidance on budget preparation pdf icon[PDF – 416 KB].

I am presently working with five New York cities in putting together an application for a grant from CDC that funds the use of community health workers to promote COVID vaccination. Each of the cities have some questions about the application process and the utilization of potential grants. Several folks who work with CDC suggested I reach out for help.

The NOFO CDC-RFA-DP21-2109 is currently in its publication window. We are unable to meet with any individual applicant during this period. Please review the FAQs for clarification on any item within the NOFO. Any questions to clarify an item within the NOFO not already answered on the FAQ site can be submitted to NCCDPHP_CHW@cdc.gov before May 7, 2021 at 5:00 PM ET. Answers to those questions will then be posted to the FAQ webpage.

What is the definition for ‘key staff’?

Applicants must use their professional judgment in proposing the qualifications of staff that will assure their being able to meet or exceed the goals of this NOFO.

I’m working with a not-for-profit organization called Touch Heart Ministry. I notice on grants.gov that the opportunity num. CDC-RFA-DP21-2109 is available for a release grant. Can you please contact me so we can discuss how to get this particular grant?

I wanted to write to get clarification on the format that you are seeking for the workplan for this grant, as the grant does not provide any template or model that indicates applicants to use. Can you provide a template that you would like this workplan to done in? Should the workplan be done in Microsoft Word or Excel?

The deadline to submit a letter of intent for this grant opportunity was March 25,2021. May we still apply if we did not send a LOI?

A letter of intent is not required nor requested for this grant opportunity.

Our organization does not have lobbying registrants. Is “not applicable” the appropriate response in those required fields?

If there are no lobbying activities, then not applicable is an acceptable response for those required fields.

The Rhode Island Indian Council is applying for component A of CDC-RFA-DP21-2109. We have some CNA’s who carry act as Community Health Workers. However, LPN’s would be of much greater help in COVID 19 efforts, as well as treatment of other underlying conditions affecting the severity of the disease. LPN’s could also go a long way toward helping to lessen general health disparities. Can part of Component A funds be allocated to train LPN’s as part of the Community Health Worker response teams? The same criteria would be used in selecting Community Health Workers for LPN training as that used in selecting CHW’s in general, such as well-respected members of the particular community being served and would perform a lot of the same duties. However, LPN’s could provide some services other CHW’s cannot, which would make medical care more accessible and help lessen the medical disparities for these communities.

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Page last reviewed: March 7, 2022

Content source: National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion