Affordable Care Act (ACA) Research and Evaluation of the Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program

 

Statute requires the Secretary to carry out a continuous program of research and evaluation activities in order to increase knowledge about the implementation and effectiveness of home visiting programs. Further the statute specifies these research activities may be carried out directly, or through grants, cooperative agreements, or contracts.

Deleted 04/02/2020 (Archived.) 93.320 Agency: Department of Health and Human Services
Office: Administration for Children and Families Project Grants Fiscal Year 2013: N/A. Fiscal Year 2014: No grant was awarded in FY 2014. Fiscal Year 2015: It is estimated that 1 grant will be awarded in FY 2015. Title V of the Social Security Act, Section 511 (h)(3) and 511 (j) as amended by Section 2951 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act., as amended by The Head Start Act, as amended by the Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act of
2007, codified at 42 U.S.C. §9843 and section 649, 42 U.S.C. §9844. N/A. N/A. Applicants should review each of the individual funding opportunity announcements issued under this CFDA program for any required proof or certifications, which must be submitted prior to or simultaneous with submission of an application package. OMB Circular No. A-87 applies to this program. OMB Circular No. A-87 applies to this program. Preapplication coordination is not applicable. Environmental impact information is not required for this program. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372. OMB Circular No. A-102 applies to this program. OMB Circular No. A-110 applies to this program. Each application will be screened to determine whether it was received by the closing date and time and whether the requested amount exceeds the award ceiling. Applications that are designated as late or those with requests that exceed the award ceiling will be returned to the applicant with a notation that they were deemed non-responsive and will not be reviewed.

Applications competing for financial assistance will be reviewed and evaluated by objective review panels using the criteria described in the funding opportunity announcement. Each panel is made up of experts with knowledge and experience in the area under review. Generally, review panels are composed of three reviewers and one chairperson.

Results of the competitive objective review are taken into consideration by ACF in the selection of projects for funding; however, objective review scores and rankings are not binding and are one element of the decision-making process.

ACF may elect to not fund applicants with management or financial problems that would indicate an inability to successfully complete the proposed project. Applications may be funded in whole or in part. Successful applicants may be funded at an amount lower than that requested. ACF reserves the right to consider a preference to fund organizations serving emerging, unserved, or under-served populations, including those located in pockets of poverty, and to consider the geographic distribution of Federal funds in its funding decisions.

ACF may refuse funding for projects with what it regards as unreasonably high start-up costs for facilities or equipment, or for projects with unreasonably high operating costs. In addition, federal staff will conduct an administrative review of the applications and the results of the competitive review and will make recommendations for funding to the Director, Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) With the results of the competitive review and information from federal staff, the Director of OPRE, in consultation with Deputy Assistant Secretary and Inter-Departmental Liaison for Early Childhood Development, will make the final funding decisions. Contact the headquarters or regional office, as appropriate, for application deadlines. From 60 to 90 days. Not Applicable. Not Applicable. Applications will be evaluated based upon the criteria published in each funding opportunity announcement. Consistent with statutory authority, funding for the research and evaluation under the MIECHV Program will be used to carry out a continuous program of research and evaluation activities in order to increase knowledge about the implementation and effectiveness of home visiting programs. Costs of organized fundraising, including financial campaigns, endowment drives, solicitation of gifts and bequests, and similar expenses incurred solely to raise capital or obtain contributions, are unallowable.

Grant awards will not allow reimbursement of pre-award costs.

Construction and purchase of real property are not allowable activities or expenditures under this grant award.

Awards issued under this announcement are subject to the uniform administrative requirements and cost principles of 45 CFR Part 74 (Awards and Subawards to Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals, Other Non-Profit Organizations, and Commercial Organizations), or 45 CFR Part 92 (Grants and Cooperative Agreements to State, Local, and Tribal Governments).

An application funded with the release of Federal funds through a grant award, does not constitute, or imply, compliance with Federal regulations. Funded organizations are responsible for ensuring that their activities comply with all applicable Federal regulations.

Grantees are subject to the limitations set forth in 45 CFR Part 74.81 (Prohibition against profit), which states that, "... no HHS funds may be paid as profit to any recipient even if the recipient is a commercial organization. Profit is any amount in excess of allowable direct and indirect costs."

Grantees are also subject to the requirements of 45 CFR Part 87, Equal Treatment for Faith-Based Organizations: "Direct Federal grants, sub-award funds, or contracts under this ACF program shall not be used to support inherently religious activities such as religious instruction, worship, or proselytization. Therefore, organizations must take steps to separate, in time or location, their inherently religious activities from the services funded under this program. Regulations pertaining to the Equal Treatment for Faith-Based Organizations, which includes the prohibition against Federal funding of inherently religious activities, can be found at the HHS web site at: http://www.hhs.gov/fbci/waisgate21.pdf.

A faith-based organization receiving HHS funds retains its independence from Federal, State, and local governments, and may continue to carry out its mission, including the definition, practice, and expression of its religious beliefs. For example, a faith-based organization may use space in its facilities to provide secular programs or services funded with Federal funds without removing religious art, icons, scriptures, or other religious symbols. In addition, a faith-based organization that receives Federal funds retains its authority over its internal governance, and it may retain religious terms in its organization's name, select its board members on a religious basis, and include religious references in its organization's mission statements and other governing documents in accordance with all program requirements, statutes, and other applicable requirements governing the conduct of HHS funded activities." Additional information on "Understanding the Regulations Related to the Faith-Based and Community Initiative" can be found at: http://www.hhs.gov/fbci/regulations/index.html.

The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) is available at http://www.gpoaccess.gov/CFR/.

Awards issued under this announcement are subject to the requirements of Section 106 (g) of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, as amended (22 U.S.C. 7104). For the full text of the award term, go to http://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/award_term.html.

All grants or cooperative agreements awarded are subject to the availability of Federal funds. All funds are discretionary under these programs. Grantees under this announcement will be required to submit performance progress and financial reports periodically throughout the project period.

The frequency of required reporting is described in each funding opportunity announcement. Final reports may be submitted in hard copy to the Grants Management Office Contact identifiable post-award. Instructions on submission of reports electronically will be provided with award documents.

ACF grantees are required to submit the SF-PPR Cover Page. ACF Programs that utilize reporting forms or formats in addition to, or instead of, the SF-PPR have listed the reporting requirements.

Grant award documents will inform grantees of the appropriate performance progress report form or format to use. Grantees should consult their award documents to determine the appropriate performance progress report format required under their award. Performance progress reports are due 30 days after the end of the reporting period.

Final program performance reports are due 90 days after the close of the project period. The SF-PPR may be found at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/grants_resources.html.

Further instructions will be provided, as necessary, with award terms and conditions that will address specific reporting periods and due dates on an award-by-award basis. Additional information on frequency of reporting is available on the ACF Funding Opportunities web site at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/msg_sf425.html. Federal Financial Report (FFR) - Federal Cash Transaction Report. Progress reports are not applicable. As of February 1, 2011, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) began the transition from use of the SF-269, Financial Status Report (Short Form or Long Form) to the use of the SF-425 Federal Financial Report for expenditure reporting. SF-269s will no longer be accepted for expenditure reports due after that date. If an SF-269 is submitted, the ACF will return it and require the recipient to complete the SF-425.

The transition strategy is allowing individual HHS Operating Divisions to select--from a limited number of options--the approach that best fits their programs and business process. This transition does not affect completion or submission of the cash reporting to the HHS Division of Payment Management's Payment Management System (PMS). The primary features of this transition for recipients are that OPDIVs that previously required electronic submission of the SF-269 will receive the SF-425 expenditure reports electronically and, until further notice, OPDIVs that have been receiving expenditure reports in hard copy will continue to do so.

All expenditure reports will be due on one of the standard due dates by which cash reporting is required to be submitted to PMS OR at the end of a calendar quarter as determined by the Operating Division. As a result, a recipient that receives awards from more than one OPDIV may be subject to more than one approach, but will not be required to change its current means of submission or be subjected to more than eight standard due dates.

Beginning with budget periods which end from January 1 - March 31, 2011, and for all budget periods thereafter, all affected ACF grantees will be required to submit an SF-425 report as frequently as is required in the terms and conditions of their award using due dates for reports to PMS.

Fillable versions of the SF-425 form in Adobe PDF and MS-Excel formats, along with instructions, are available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants_forms, www.forms.gov, and on the ACF Funding Opportunity website Forms page.

Further instructions will be provided, as necessary, with award terms and conditions that will address specific reporting periods and due dates on an award-by-award basis. Additional information on frequency of reporting is available on the ACF Funding Opportunities web site at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/msg_sf425.html.

Awards issued as a result of this funding opportunity may be subject to the Transparency Act subaward and executive compensation reporting requirements of 2 C.F.R. Part 170. See ACF's Award Term for Federal Financial Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA) Subaward and Executive Compensation Reporting Requirement implementing this requirement and additional award applicability information. No performance monitoring is required. Federal Financial Report (FFR) – Federal Cash Transaction Report. Progress reports are not applicable. TBD. TBD. This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-133. In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133 (Revised, June 27, 2003), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations," nonfederal entities that expend financial assistance of $500,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $500,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in Circular No. A-133. Awards issued under this program are subject to the uniform administrative requirements of 45 CFR Part 74 (Awards And Subawards To Institutions Of Higher Education, Hospitals, Other Nonprofit Organizations, And Commercial Organizations) or 45 CFR Part 92 (Grants And Cooperative Agreements To State, Local, And Tribal Governments). This program has no statutory formula.
This program has no matching requirements.
This program does not have MOE requirements. Grants (cooperative agreements) are generally awarded with a project period of up to five years. The initial award will be for the first 12-month budget period. Budget requests for the second through fifth year of funding within the project period should be identified in the current application (on SF-424A), but such requests will be considered in subsequent years on a noncompetitive basis, subject to the applicant's eligibility status, the availability of funds, satisfactory progress of the grantee, and a determination that continued funding would be in the best interest of the Federal Government. Method of awarding/releasing assistance: lump sum. None. Lauren Supplee Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, Department of Health and Human Services, 370 L’Enfant Promenade, S.W. , Washington, District of Columbia 20447 Email: Lauren.Supplee@acf.hhs.gov Phone: 202-401-5434 Fax: 202-205-3598 No Data Available 75-0321-0-1-506. (Project Grants) FY 13 $0; FY 14 est $0; and FY 15 est $112,000 - Three percent of annual appropriations shall be reserved for reaerch and evaluation purposes. No Data Available. Not Applicable. Not Applicable.