| Notes |
GREAT FAMILIES 2020: Round Two
Request for Proposals
This Request for Proposals (RFP) is to eligible nonprofit human service organizations currently serving or with the capacity to serve one or more of the following targeted low-income urban neighborhoods in Indianapolis:
• Near Westside
• Northwest/Midtown
• Near Eastside
• Far Eastside
• Northeast
United Way is committed to conducting an open and transparent granting process and welcomes all qualified applicants. (See Section 2 – Eligibility)
The RFP is presented by United Way of Central Indiana (United Way) in collaboration with the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) Social Innovation Fund.
The goal of this open competition is to select up to eight subgrantees who best demonstrate the ability to achieve the outcomes of Great Families 2020, to increase the level of evidence for the pre-selected interventions, and to build capacity for scaling of the interventions.
Notice of Intent to Apply Deadline: While not mandatory, applicants are strongly encouraged to email a letter of intent to apply by May 1, 2017 to greatfamilies2020@uwci.org.
Application Deadline: Applications are due May 31, 2017 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time and must be completed online.
[Notice Regarding Public Disclosure: Please note that all information submitted in this procurement process may be made public if directed by the Corporation for National and Community Service or required by law. This may include the names of organizations that submitted proposals, contact information, summaries of applications and budgets, reviewer ratings and comments, and other information.]
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GREAT FAMILIES 2020 REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS Table of Contents
1. Program Description
1.1. Program Overview
1.2. Program Outcomes
1.3. Additional Support from United Way of Central Indiana 1.4. Specific Subgrantee Activities
1.5. Evaluation
1.6. Federal Grant Compliance
2. Eligibility
3. Subgrantee Profile
4. Subgrant Information
4.1. Potential Award Ranges 4.2. Subaward Period
4.3. Reporting Requirements 4.4. Indirect Cost Rate
5. Application Information
5.1. Executive Summary
5.2. Program Description
5.3. Evaluation Capabilities
5.4. Organizational Capacity
5.5. Community Coalitions
5.6. Budget and Budget Narrative
6. Review Criteria
7. Application Process 7.1. Letter of Intent 7.2. Applications 7.3. Review Team
8. Timeline
9. Additional Terms and Conditions
9.1. Financial Management Standards
9.2. Prohibited Program Activities
9.3. Certification – Debarment, Suspension, and Other Responsibility Matters 9.4. Assurance requirement for subaward agreements
9.5. Assurance inclusion in subaward agreements
9.6. Assurance of subaward principals
9.7. Non-assurance in subaward agreements
Related documents
• Links to related documents made be found at www.uwci.org/greatfamilies2020.
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1. Program Description
1.1. Program Overview
In 2016, United Way of Central Indiana (United Way) received a multi-year Social Innovation Fund (SIF) grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) to serve as an intermediary grantmaking organization that will identify, support, and monitor nonprofit organizations to implement the Great Families 2020 Program. (See application at www.uwci.org/greatfamilies2020.) United Way was approved for a 5-year award and initially funded for three years at $7 million. Funding for years four and five are contingent upon performance and Congressional appropriations.
This subaward competition is open to eligible 501(c)(3) nonprofit human service organizations currently serving or with the capacity to serve one or more of the following targeted low-income urban neighborhoods in Indianapolis:
• Near Westside
• Northwest/Midtown
• Near Eastside
• Far Eastside
• Northeast
The Social Innovation Fund (SIF), a key White House initiative and CNCS program, combines public and private resources to grow the impact of innovative, community-based solutions that have compelling evidence of improving the lives of people in low-income communities throughout the United States. SIF was founded on the fundamental idea that we can make enormous progress towards overcoming the nation’s most significant challenges by finding and growing promising solutions with evidence of effectiveness. (For further information on SIF, see www.uwci.org/greatfamilies2020).
As part of the public/private partnership, United Way is required to match dollar for dollar the $7 million, three-year grant award it received from SIF, which in turn will double the total investment to $14 million towards the implementation and evaluation of the Great Families 2020 Program. The same principle is required from subgrantee organizations, which will also be required to provide a 1:1 match to their subgrants. United Way is currently in discussion with local funders to determine ways to support selected subgrantees in meeting their match requirements.
Using SIF grant funds and matching dollars, United Way will implement a geographically-based initiative called Great Families 2020, which will use a two-generation approach to address issues that impact family stability (i.e., finances, employment, education, health and social capital). This initiative is focused on strengthening families in targeted communities by following the Aspen Institute’s two generation model. (See www.uwci.org/greatfamilies2020 for an overview of the two generation model). The SIF priority issues will be early childhood education (ECE) and family economic stability (FES). Wrapped around these two services will be strategies to develop social capital and address health needs – with a focus on behavioral health/toxic stress.
Five distressed urban neighborhoods in Indianapolis have been chosen as the focus of Great Families 2020 – defined as the Near Westside, Northwest/Midtown, Near Eastside, Northeast, and Far Eastside. (See www.uwci.org/greatfamilies2020 for a link to the neighborhood map.) These neighborhoods were chosen because they are high-crime, low-income neighborhoods that contain many families with young children who are facing significant challenges to family
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stability. They were also chosen because they are target areas for community development initiatives such as LISC’s Great Places 2020, which focuses on quality of life plans, and the Mayor’s Office of Public Health and Safety’s Focus Neighborhood initiative which combats neighborhood violence through community actions.
Working with United Way on this initiative is a third-party evaluation team, led by the Indiana University Public Policy Institute and The Polis Center. These Centers are based in Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis’s (IUPUI) School of Public and Environmental Affairs and School of Liberal Arts, respectively.
Great Families 2020 is rooted in the belief that strong families cannot be supported through isolated strategies. Strong families need to be economically and educationally strong and have strong social capital and behavioral health supports. Applicants will be required to respond to this RFP with proposals for programs that provide integrated services to adults and their young children that address outcomes in all five domains in the Ascend two generation approach developed by the Aspen Institute – early childhood education, postsecondary and employment pathways, economic assets, health and well-being and social capital. Great Families 2020 will target families with children age 0-5 who live in one of five neighborhoods. Early Childhood Education (ECE) and Family Economic Success (FES) will be the anchor domains of the two- generation initiative.
Applicant organizations are strongly encouraged to choose partners to respond to this RFP. United Way much prefers that partners apply jointly as subgrantees for unified projects. Under this scenario, two or more eligible organizations will submit a single project narrative and logic model. Throughout the narrative, relevant information about each partner must be included in each section. Also, in this scenario, each applicant must provide separate Application Face Sheets and budgets. Each subgrantee in a partnership is required to obtain one-to-one matching funds.
Applications from single eligible organizations will be accepted and reviewed. United Way expects these applications to identify critical roles that yet to be determined partners will play in an integrated two generation project. For any single applicant that may be selected for funding, the organization must conduct federally compliant procurement processes to identify potential contractual partners, assess their capacity to delivered the required goods and/or services, and select contractors. Contractors are not required to obtain one-to-one matching funds.
Families living in the targeted neighborhoods are high need as demonstrated by:
• 35-41% of all families living in these neighborhoods are below the federal poverty level;
• 44-48% of all crimes in these neighborhoods are violent crimes and assaults;
• 23-38% of adult residents do not have a high school diploma;
• 9-25% of elementary students passed the standardized state test for reading and math;
• 42-49% of households spend 30 percent or more of their income on housing.
The theory of change for Great Families 2020 is as follows: Establishing neighborhood networks of comprehensive, integrated two-generation services that focus on the whole family (i.e., addressing the key components of postsecondary education and workforce preparation, early childhood education, economic supports, health and well-being, and social capital), will result in more children entering kindergarten ready to learn, more parents acquiring 21st century skills and credentials and working in career-track jobs, more families that are financially stable, more
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children and parents that are healthy, and more families that have formal and informal networks of support.
Additionally, as these neighborhoods leverage existing community development and neighborhood improvement plans and initiatives – as envisioned by the Great Places 2020 project -- then families may be more likely to remain in these improving neighborhoods that promote a high quality of life.
1.2. Outcomes
Subgrantees will be accountable for the following long- and short-term outcomes of Great Families 2020 over the course of the five-year project. Subgrantees may also include additional outcomes as deemed important for their programs and participants.
Long Term Outcomes to be achieved are: 1) 80% of young children participating in ECE services will be ready for kindergarten using ISTAR-KR, a validated assessment instrument; and 2) 60% of participating adults will achieve financial stability for their families as indicated by spending less than 30% of income on housing1.
Short Term Outcomes to be achieved are: 1) 60% of participating ECE classrooms will improve program quality by advancing in the Paths to Quality rating system; 2) 80% of participating children will show growth in developmental and school readiness domains; 3) 40% of participants unemployed at the time of enrollment in the program will obtain employment; 4) 75% of participants employed after enrollment will retain employment for a minimum of 3 months; 5) 30% of all participants will experience an increase in income over a 6 to 12 month period; and 6) 30% of all participants will experience an increase in their net income over a 6 to 12 month period.2
Evidenced-base interventions in ECE and FES will be implemented by selected subgrantees in one or more of the targeted neighborhoods.
For the ECE component, the evidence based solution is implementation of services that are recognized through achievement of Levels 3 and 4 on the State’s voluntary rating system, Paths to QUALITYTM (PTQ). To obtain Level 4, ECE programs must be nationally accredited. ECE programs currently at PTQ level 2 and working with United Way to advance to PTQ levels 3 or 4 through capacity building and capital improvements may also apply.
PTQ Level 3 and 4 providers must incorporate the following practices in their service delivery models:
• Meet all state licensing regulations for the health and safety of children.
1 30 percent of household income is the conventional public policy indicator of housing affordability in the United States as identified by the Census Bureau. Housing expenditures in excess of 30 percent of household income reduce the likelihood that a family will have enough left over for nondiscretionary spending. This metric is also the leading indicator for United Way’s organizational priority around Financial Stability. Data reflective of this metric is acquired on an annual basis, which will support the program evaluation.
2 Net income is income after taxes and other deductions.Net income does not include entitlement benefits. This information will be obtained from participants’ pay statements and other income documents.
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• Provide age-appropriate learning materials that support children’s growth, development and learning.
• Provide a community-based program that utilizes a daily schedule, has planned activities and communicates frequently with families.
• Maintain required student-teacher ratios as defined by the State.
• Implement evidence-based curriculum designed for school readiness (e.g., Creative
Curriculum and High Scope).
• Employ credentialed teachers who develop close, nurturing relationships with children,
and effectively engage families as measured by instruments such as the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS).
PTQ standards and ratings have been validated by researchers from Purdue University. Requirements to meet Levels 3 and 4 standards and the interventions delivered by recognized providers are consistent with best practices in early childhood education. The comprehensive implementation of these practices promotes age-appropriate development across all domains and provides a foundation for academic success. (Background for Community-Level Work on School Readiness: A Review of Definitions, Assessments, and Investment Strategies,” Final Report to the Knight Foundation, Child Trends 2000).
For the FES component, the evidence-based solution is Center for Working Families (CWF). CWF is an innovative community service delivery model designed to address the challenges of the working poor and equip them with the financial capabilities, strategies and tools needed to achieve financial stability. Built on a model developed by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, CWF provides low-income families with three primary services: access to income supports, employment and career readiness, and financial literacy education. Research shows that bundling CWF's three service components (income supports, financial coaching and employment coaching) are effective in helping participants achieve employment and financial goals including increase in net income, increase in credit score, long-term job retention, and increase in net worth.
LISC's 34-month evaluation of outcomes for 40,000 low-income CWF participants revealed a strong correlation between the number and type of services used by CWF participants and their ability to increase earned income and improve their overall finances (Building Sustainable Communities: Integrated Services and Improved Financial Outcomes for Low-Income Households, Sarah Rankin, Local Initiatives Support Corporation, April 2015). Key findings of the study include:
• 74% job placement rate.
• 78% six-month job retention rate.
• 76% of participants increased their net income.
• 60% either increased their credit score or acquired a credit score.
Applicants may propose a comparable model of FES services if evidence can be provided of the efficacy of the approach in achieving similar outcomes.
1.3. Additional Support from United Way of Central Indiana
In order to implement the model successfully, United Way will provide on-going support to its subgrantees.
• Training, support and monitoring for rigorous implementation of program interventions. This will include a peer learning community of all subgrantees.
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• Training, support and monitoring for active participation in the program’s rigorous evaluation component from the 3rd party evaluator and United Way’s Strategic Information Team. Subgrantees will have access to tools and technical assistance related to every aspect of program evaluation including data collection, analysis, and reporting.
• Support for securing match: United Way will support subgrantees with technical assistance and training for resource development and will work with local funders to support a coordinated system for securing a portion of the required match.
• Grants Management: United Way will support subgrantees with technical assistance and training for federal grants management compliance.
• Program Communications: United Way will support subgrantees with technical assistance and training for program communications.
1.4. Specific Subgrantee Activities
Establish Project Infrastructure
Identify staff and infrastructure to support implementation and oversight of Great Families 2020 in one or more targeted neighborhoods. This will likely require a formal partnership between ECE and FES providers (i.e., partnerships may be among subgrantees or between a subgrantee and contractors).
Plan and Coordinate
Coordinate Great Families with other wrap- around services, particularly those focused on developing families’ social capital and addressing behavioral health needs. Subgrantees will be required to use grant or match funds to provide or purchase these services from qualified entities (e.g., agencies or consultants).
Maintain Leadership Support
Demonstrate and maintain senior institutional leadership for Great Families 2020.
Data Collection and Evaluation
Assist United Way evaluation partners with local implementation and ensure timeliness of data gathering and inputting into United Way data management systems.
Meet Match Requirement
Subgrantee must be actively engaged with local funders to ensure that the match commitment is being met. The securing of match funds must be demonstrated every 12 months through its financial reports.
Comply with Federal Grants Management Requirements
See section below.
1.5. Evaluation
The goal of this open competition is to identify nonprofit organizations that, in partnership with other providers and community organizations, can successfully participate in the Great Families 2020 program; and through a rigorous evaluation test the following hypotheses imbedded in the overall theory of change:
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1. Young children from families participating in the integrated program (i.e., ECE, FES, social capital, behavioral health) will have higher rates of school readiness compared with children from similar non-participant families.
2. Parents/guardians from families participating in the integrated program (i.e., ECE, FES, social capital, behavioral health) will have higher rates of financial stability compared with parents/guardians from similar non-participant families.
Through the successful expansion and testing of the two-generation Great Families 2020 approach, United Way will provide scalable and cost-effective interventions to achieve measurable results in school readiness and financial stability.
Subgrantees will participate in the evaluation at a minimum by:
• Participating in training and technical assistance sessions with United Way’s evaluation
partner to build subgrantees’ evaluation capacity;
• Contributing to the development of data collection protocols based on their
understanding of program operations;
• Collaborating with United Way’s evaluation partner to collect necessary evaluation data;
• Obtaining school readiness data through a formal data sharing agreement with the
Indiana Department of Education which is currently in the latter stages of negotiation;
and
• Entering information into United Way’s data collection systems.
The staff activities above may not include all that is necessary to support the evaluations. Subgrantees should plan to commit sufficient resources to the evaluation process. Specifically, subgrantees may consider identifying resources for staff training on data management, data collection, and how to obtain clients’ consent for providing personal information for research purposes; as well as staff time to enter collected data and to meet with United Way’s evaluation partner. The evaluation process also provides an opportunity to the subgrantee to learn about its own implementation of the Great Families 2020 program and utilize the results of the evaluation to refine its practices and increase the level of evidence to moderate or strong. United Way wants to ensure the evaluation complements the subgrantees’ organizational learning environment.
1.6. Federal Grant Compliance
This program is funded by United Way and the Corporation for National and Community Service Social Innovation Fund. The subgrants will be a combination of federal and matching funds, and subgrantees must commit to complying to the terms and conditions for receiving federal grants (which may change or be updated by the federal government during the project period). Matching funds are subject to the same requirements as federal funds.
Subgrantees must adhere to the provisions contained in the Cooperative Agreement that United Way has signed with the Corporation for National and Community Service. The Cooperative Agreement consists of:
• 2016 Social Innovation Fund (SIF) Grant and Cooperative Agreement Terms and Conditions
• 2016 General Grant and Cooperative Agreement Terms and Conditions
• Notice of Grant Award (NOGA)
• Notice of Federal Funding Availability (NOFA)
• United Way’s approved SIF application
All Cooperative Agreement components have links at www.uwci.org/greatfamilies2020. Page 8 of 22

Subawards are authorized by and subject to The National and Community Service Act of 1990, as amended, (42 U.S.C. 12501 et seq.) (NCSA) and/or the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973, as amended, (42 USC 4950 et seq.) (DVSA), the Federal Grant and Cooperative Agreement Act (FGCAA), 31 USC §§6301-6308, and CNCS’s implementing regulations in 45 CFR Chapter XII and/or XXV. Recipients must comply with the requirements of the NCSA and/or DVSA and CNCS’s implementing regulations, as applicable. See links to these regulations at www.uwci.org/greatfamilies2020.)
Subgrantees must also become familiar with and follow the current Code of Federal Regulations under Chapter II part 200 (also known as 2 CFR 200 or Uniform Guidance - this link.) and
The Single Audit Act (31 U.S.C. Chapter 75) and OMB Circular A-133, Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations. See links to these regulations at www.uwci.org/greatfamilies2020.)
In addition, subgrantees must also comply with additional provisions from the Corporation for National and Community Service, which include:
• Keeping timesheets for every employee who is supported by the subgrant or the matching funds committed to the project.
• Ensuring all covered positions (staff and volunteers funded by the grant or through the match) must undergo National Service Criminal History Check (NSCHC) requirements that include:
o A nationwide name-based search of the National Sex Offender Public Website (NSOPW); and Either:
o A name- or fingerprint-based search of the statewide criminal history registry in the person’s state of residence and in the state where the person will serve/work, or
o Afingerprint-basedFBIcriminalhistorycheck.
Special Rule for Persons Serving Vulnerable Populations: Award-funded subgrantee staff and volunteers with recurring access to vulnerable populations (i.e., children age 17 or younger, individuals age 60 or older, or individuals with disabilities) must undergo NSCHCs that include:
o A nationwide name-based check of the NSOPW; and both
o A name- or fingerprint-based search of the statewide criminal history registry in the
person’s state of residence and in the state where the person will serve/work; and o Afingerprint-basedFBIcriminalhistorycheck.
• Refraining from engaging in prohibited activities mentioned throughout this RFP. (See Section 9.2)
(See Criminal History FAQs and Checklist at www.uwci.org/greatfamilies2020.)
Subgrantees will use United Way’s INkless account with the Indiana State Police for statewide and FBI criminal history checks. United Way will bill subgrantees for the cost of the criminal history checks.
As a SIF recipient, United Way will be required to release, at a minimum, the following information about their subaward competitions:
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• A description of their subgrantee selection process
• A list of External Reviewers for their subgrantee selection process
• A list of awarded subgrantees
• Summaries of External Reviewer comments on successful subaward applications • The full applications of successful subgrantees
This information will be posted on the United Way of Central Indiana website at http://www.uwci.org/great-families-2020-important-documents on the day of the public announcement of the subgrants.
2. Eligibility
• 501(c)(3) organization.
• Must be registered with System for Award Management (SAM) with the federal
government prior to approval for funding (SAM website – www.sam.gov)
• Must obtain a DUNS number prior to approval for funding. The D&B D-U-N-S® Number
is a unique nine-digit identifier for businesses, issued by Dun & Bradstreet. (DUNS
website - http://www.dnb.com/duns-number.html)
• Capacity to provide evidence-based, integrated ECE and FES services for low-income
families, as described in United Way’s approved SIF application, in one or more of the five targeted neighborhood clusters. Examples of acceptable partnership configurations are illustrated in a graphic at www.uwci.org/greatfamilies2020. Please confer with United Way staff at the bidders conferences about the configuration(s) you are considering.
• Organizations that have been convicted of a federal crime are not eligible to apply. United Way will review SAM to determine if any applicant is currently debarred or suspended from conducting business with the federal government including receiving federal funds.
3. Subgrantee Profile
When assessing the appropriateness of this grant opportunity, you should review the following attributes of a successful applicant.
• Mission and services are aligned with Great Families 2020 and its theory of change.
• Track record of providing high quality interventions that have yielded measurable results
for program participants.
• History of providing services in one or more of the targeted neighborhood clusters.
• History of partnerships with organizations in the neighborhood, and/or track record of
partnering with organizations in neighborhood initiatives in similar neighborhoods.
• History of partnerships that involved coordination of services with shared clients.
• Capacity for program growth of Great Families 2020 interventions over time (i.e.,
demonstrate past success in using additional resources to support program expansion).
• Commitment to engage in rigorous evaluation in partnership with United Way and the
third party evaluator. This will include participation in evaluation design and commitment of staff resources for collection of program data and application of evaluation findings to program improvement and expansion.
• Board endorsement and willingness to include Great Families 2020 as a key initiative in organizations’ strategic plans.
• History of raising philanthropic funds and healthy current relationships with local funders.
• Capacity to develop and implement policies and procedures required to comply with Social Innovation Fund requirements and statutes and regulations governing federal
grants management.
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• Commitment to develop sustainability plan prior to Year Two. Subgrantees will need to identify the amount of ongoing funding required to sustain programs.
• Commitment to provide 1:1 direct cash match to the subgrant. Subgrantees are required to match the entire amount of the subgrant expended on a dollar-for-dollar basis. The match must be in non-federal cash; in-kind match is not allowable.
4. Subgrant Information
4.1. Potential Award Ranges
• Total subgrant pool for years one-three: Up to $6,892,500
• Total subgrants: Up to 8
• Subgrant ranges: $100,000-$350,000 per year. Applicants must apply for funding for
three years (September 1, 2017 – December 31, 2020)
4.2. Subaward Period
• September 1, 2017 – December 31, 2020. Contingent upon available funds, Congressional appropriation, and subgrantee performance, grant terms may be extended to August 31, 2021.
• The narrative portion of an application must cover the period September 1, 2017 – December 31, 2020. The budget and budget narrative must cover year one September 1, 2017 – December 31, 2018. Six weeks prior to the end of year one, the subgrantee will submit a simplified application for continuance including a budget for year two. Continuation will be based upon current performance (as detailed in grant agreement’s scope of work) and compliance to grant terms.
4.3. Reporting Requirements
Subgrantees will be required to submit quarterly reports that provide information on program progress. The first quarterly report will cover September 1, 2017 – December 31, 2017 with all future reports covering standard calendar quarters. Reports are due 15 days after the end of the calendar quarter.
Subgrantees will be required to submit monthly financial reports that provide details regarding project expenses incurred and allocation of expenses between Federal share and subgrantee share. Reimbursement for expenses each month will not exceed expended match funds. Financial reports should also include details with regards to funding sources for the match requirement. Financial reports are due within 15 days after the end of the reporting month.
4.4. Indirect Cost Rate
Organizations should use their Federally-negotiated and approved indirect cost rate as specified in their Indirect Cost Rate Agreements (“ICRA”) in their proposed budgets. Organizations without Federally-negotiated and approved Indirect Cost Rate Agreements should use the 10% de minimis rate as provided for in the Uniform Guidance assuming they have not previously negotiated a federal indirect cost rate. Under the de minimis rate, indirect costs charged to both federal and match funds cannot exceed 10% of total direct costs.
5. Application Information
The narrative addressing 5.1 to 5.5 must be submitted as a PDF document and be limited to 22 double-spaced pages in Arial 11-point type using 1” margins. The Executive Summary is limited
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to two pages. Sections 5.2 to 5.5 are limited to 20 pages for applicants proposing to serve one neighborhood and 25 pages for applicants proposing to serve two or more neighborhoods.
Organizations who choose to form an ECE-FES partnership must submit a joint application that reflects an integrated approach to program governance, management and service delivery. Each organization in partnerships selected for funding will receive its own grant award and contract. Joint applications accepted for funding will be required to develop Memoranda of Understanding between the partner organizations that delineate roles and responsibilities in the joint operation of the integrated services program. These MOUs must be developed and approved by United Way prior to executing subgrantee contracts.
5.1. Executive Summary (maximum of two pages) - 0%
This one to two-page summary is a brief description of your proposed program that includes highlights from 5.2. – 5.6. The Executive Summary must also include the total grant request for year one, as reflected in the budget spreadsheet, and estimated grant requests for years two and three
5.2 Program Description – 30%
• Describe how the vision, mission, strategic plan, programs and partnerships of your organization are aligned with the purpose and intended outcomes of Great Families 2020.
• Discuss the reach and outcomes of current programs that are aligned with Great Families 2020.
• Describe the environmental context in which your organization(s) and programs operate (i.e., the neighborhood, its demographics, culture and political dynamics).
• Discuss your approach for annually serving 100-175 families with young children (i.e., a minimum of 100-175 young children and 100-175 parents/guardians) in one or more targeted neighborhoods in an integrated and comprehensive fashion including how participating in Great Families 2020 will help expand and improve current reach and results. Outline key steps/actions, you will take to plan and implement services. (Refer to section 1.4 for guidance.) Discuss how you will recruit families with young children and engage both adults and children in your integrated service delivery model.
• Discuss how your approach to providing early childhood education and family economic stability interventions adheres to the preliminary evidence described in United Way’s approved Great Families 2020 application. (See link to application at www.uwci.org/greatfamilies2020.)
• Discuss in detail the respective roles of partner organizations (joint subgrantees or subgrantee-contractor partners) in the design and implementation of the proposed Great Families 2020 program. This discussion should clearly describe how management and reporting of the program is coordinated among the partners and what structures will be put in place to assure that two generational services are well integrated.
• Discuss strategy for applicant organization to provide or contract for wraparound services related to other components of the Aspen Institutes 2-Generation model (i.e. Toxic stress, Economic Empowerment and Social Capital) to support family stability efforts). Discuss specific behavioral health services (e.g., education, screening, treatment) and social capital development activities that will be a part of your program and delineate key outcomes.
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• Present a program logic model that illustrates your proposed program’s path to achieving the outcomes delineated in Section 1.2. Please upload the logic model as a separate PDF file. It will not count against the page limit.
• Discuss the qualifications and roles of program staff. Include a position description for the program lead (e.g., director, coordinator, etc.) as an attachment.
5.3. Evaluation Capabilities – 30%
The primary goal of a Social Innovation Fund project is to build the level of evidence for interventions which have already established a preliminary level of evidence. (See www.uwci.org/greatfamilies2020 for the explanation of levels of evidence).Data sharing among United Way, the 3rd party evaluator, and subgrantees is critical to a successful evaluation. Subgrantees must fully participate in both the implementation and impact evaluations. Data to be shared by the subgrantee will primarily be program participant data that will be used in implementation and outcome evaluations. This section of the narrative should address the following:
• Demonstrate the capacity to work with an evaluation firm and collect high quality client level program data (quantitative and qualitative) throughout multiple phases of the program, and reflects an understanding of the resources required to do so. You are required to complete and upload the Great Families 2020 Data Capacity Survey located at www.uwci.org/greatfamilies2020.
• Demonstrate a commitment to and capacity for being full partners in a rigorous evaluation plan and have the resources/internal capacity to work with the external evaluator. This will include a description of current dedicated staff resources and expertise for evaluation and identifying additional capacity needed to coordinate data collection and evaluation efforts.
• Explicitly state a commitment to capture and record program data that will be imported into United Ways’ data integration system. Subgrantees will receive technical support as needed to facilitate the transfer of data from client databases into United Way’s data integration system. You will need to demonstrate an understanding of and commitment to quality control of data entry and express interest in using these data for improvement of the interventions and building evidence for efficacy.
• Detail prior experience in participating in evaluations, particularly those involving serving low-income families. For applicants who have demonstrated experience, please provide details about the evaluation, your role (including any data capturing requirements), the results of the evaluation and how you incorporated the results into your program to increase its effectiveness.
5.4. Organizational Capacity – 15%
• Describe the organization’s/organizations’ readiness and capacity to successfully implement Great Families 2020. Please address how your leadership’s (board, executive and program management) skills and expertise will be employed to plan, implement, fund and evaluate services. You should discuss the organization’s track record in successfully managing complex programs or initiatives.
• Discuss your experience, if any, in managing and/or participating in federal grants, including complying with federal grant requirements.
• Discuss your track record in sustaining and institutionalizing programs that were launched with grant funds or other types of “seed” money.
• Document your institutional commitment to the project. Evidence of institutional commitment must include a letter signed by the board chair, Executive Director/CEO, and Finance Director/CFO that includes an explicit commitment to meet the 1:1 match
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requirement, to assign the Great Families 2020 manager/director role to a staff member with managerial authority, and to continue the project as an ongoing investment priority for the organization. Please upload the commitment letter as a separate PDF file. It will not count against the page limit.
• Submit an initial plan for raising the required match for the three-year program period that identifies potential match sources and describes your general approach to planning for program growth and securing long-term financial support. A detailed plan with a timeline and specific goals and strategies will be required later in year one. As mentioned earlier, United Way is currently in discussions with local philanthropic funders to develop a coordinated way to support subgrantees in acquiring a portion of their matching funds. Subgrantees are ultimately responsible for 100% of the dollar-for-dollar match.
5.5 Community Coalitions – 15%
Demonstrate participation in key community coalitions that are authentic and meaningful to the neighborhood(s) that is/are proposed to be served. The Great Families 2020 program design and neighborhood targets were intentionally chosen to align with other city-wide initiatives in community development, affordable housing and revitalization. For the partnerships and collaborations discussed below, please indicate which of the following categories best describes the applicant’s current or potential relationship with these coalitions as they relate to program implementation.
Cooperation
• Shorter term and informal relationship
• Shared information only about the subject at hand
• Separate goals, resources and structures
Coordination
• Longer term effort around a project or task
• Some planning and division of roles and responsibilities
• Open communication channels between organizations
• Authority still rests with individual organizations, but everyone’s risk increases
• Resources are made available to participants and rewards are shared
• Expect some type of basic written agreement in place, perhaps in the form of an MOU or
other concrete evidence
Collaboration
• More durable and pervasive relationship
• New structure with full commitment to common goals
• Partners pool or jointly share resources and share the results and rewards
• Expect a formal agreement in places between partners that outline roles, responsibilities,
etc.
Quality of Life Plans –All neighborhoods targeted for this proposal have an approved Quality of Life Plan (Plan). Please identify which partnership category defined above best describes your current or potential participation in the neighborhood Plan. Describe any engagement or leadership role that you assumed in the development of the Plan and the length of your involvement. Identify goals in the Plan for which you have assumed leadership and discuss progress to date toward accomplishing these goals. See links:
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• Mid North Quality of Life Plan: https://www.midnorthplan.org/
• Near Eastside Quality of Life Plan: http://neareastplan.org/
• Near West Quality of Life Plan: http://nearwestindy.com/quality-of-life/
• Far Eastside Quality of Life Plan: http://www.fareastsidequalityoflifeplan.com/
• Northeast Corridor Quality of Life Plan: http://necorridor.com
Great Places 2020 – In 2015, the Indianapolis Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) launched Great Places 2020 to transform neighborhoods and spur urban revitalization in the areas of livability, opportunity, vitality and education. LISC has named three Great Places to date, all of which are embedded in the Great Families 2020 targeted neighborhoods. Describe ways that you are currently participating or may participate in the future with Great Places 2020, including identifying the partnership category. See link: http://greatplaces2020.org/
Plan 2020: The Bicentennial Plan for Indianapolis – This plan is a partnership led by the Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee and the Department of Metropolitan Development in which the City of Indianapolis established a framework for an unprecedented degree of coordination and collaboration between public, private and philanthropic organizations to work toward achievement of the community’s collective vision for the future. United Way is an identified partner of Plan 2020 in the areas of Education and Economic Mobility. Describe ways you are currently participating or may participate in the future with Plan 2020, including identifying the partnership category, and discuss how you could contribute to the Plan 2020 goals that United Way has identified as priorities. See link: http://plan2020.com/partners
Public Safety Priority Areas – The Indianapolis Public Safety Department identified six focus areas that account for a significant portion of crime committed in the city. The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) has led efforts to implement community policing techniques and partner with human service providers to address the root causes of high crime rates in these areas. Five out of the six focus areas (areas with the highest crime rates) are embedded in Great Families 2020. Describe ways you are participating or may participate in the future in IMPD led efforts in these focus areas, including the partnership category. See IMPD focus areas at www.uwci.org/greatfamilies2020.
Other community development and revitalization initiatives – There are other neighborhood specific community development and revitalization initiatives that you may want to describe in the same manner as in the above.
In all descriptions of the key partnerships and initiatives, please discuss how investments from Great Families 2020 would change, enhance, grow, sustain or strengthen these partnership and coalitions over time.
5.6. Budget and Budget Narrative – 10%
The proposal should contain a 16-month budget (September 1, 2017 to December 31, 2018). Separate budgets must be submitted for each subgrantee partner in a joint application that reflects both the requested subaward and the match for the first term. Please note that the subgrantee must meet the 1:1 match requirement every 12 months. You must use the Excel spreadsheet budget template that is part of the application packet and complete separate worksheets for each partner.
Ten percent (10%) of the match portion of your budget must either be cash on hand or committed at the time of application. Documentation verifying cash on hand and/or
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commitments must be included as an attachment. This documentation should identify specific sources of revenue not broad revenue categories (e.g., “cash on hand”).
Note: Most evaluation costs will be incurred by United Way through grant and match fund investments in the 3rd party evaluator. However, subgrantees should plan to commit sufficient resources to support staff time and technology required to partner with the 3rd party evaluator and United Way’s Strategic Information (SI) team in implementing the evaluation plan.
Your budget and budget narrative will be reviewed to ensure that costs are allowable, allocable, reasonable and necessary to meet proposed program goals. Your budget narrative must align with the proposed budget and will be uploaded as a separate document (separate budget narratives for each partner in a joint application). For items such as travel and consultants, please describe how the total amounts were determined. For example, if you budget $2,000 for travel, you must provide amounts for transportation, hotel, food, etc. per person for each trip. For hourly staff, you must include number of hours and hourly rate you anticipate. When completing your budget, you must also include the staff time needed to participate in evaluation activities, such as entering data in the data management system, obtaining data from other organizations and working with the 3rd party evaluator. Include travel for up to 2 staff members to attend the annual SIF convening in Washington, DC, and the costs to conduct background checks for all covered positions. (The current cost is approximately $40 per person.)
6. Review Criteria
The review criteria will mirror the required content of each subsection in Section 5. Application Information (5.1. through 5.6) and will be weighted as follows:
5.1. Executive Summary – 0%
5.2. Program Description – 30%
5.3 Evaluation Capacity – 30%
5.4 Organizational Capacity – 15%
5.5 Partnerships and Coalitions – 15% 5.6 Budget and Budget Narrative – 10%
See scoring rubric that the review team will use at www.uwci.org/greatfamilies2020.
7. Application Process
7.1. Letter of Intent
All eligible organizations interested in applying for Great Families 2020 subgrants are strongly encouraged to submit a non-binding Letter of Intent to United Way by May 1, 2017. The letter of intent should be submitted to greatfamilies2020@uwci.org. In the subject line, applicants should write Great Families 2020 Letter of Intent. In the body of the email, applicants should list:
• Name of organization
• Address of organization
• Name of authorized representative
• Title of authorized representative
• Email of authorized representative
• Phone of authorized representative
• Neighborhood(s) to be served
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• Identify potential partners (if known) and indicate their likely status as either a subgrantee or contractor.
7.2. Applications
All applicants must complete their applications online at www.uwci.org/greatfamilies2020. The online application will be available beginning on April 1, 2017. Narrative sections (5.1. – 5.5. should be uploaded as a PDF file to www.uwci.org/greatfamilies2020. The Applicant Information form (fillable PDF), budget spreadsheet, and budget narrative must be completed and uploaded as well.
There will be two bidders’ conferences to assist applicants. The conferences are scheduled for April 11, 3-5 pm and April 13, 3-5 pm. Both sessions will be held at United Way, 2955 N. Meridian Street.
After the conferences, applicants should send questions to greatfamilies2020@uwci.org. Questions will be summarized and answered on www.uwci.org/greatfamilies2020 beginning on April 17. Updates to the FAQ will be posted on a weekly basis by close of business each Friday, as needed up to the application deadline of May 31, 2017.
In addition, applicants should upload the following components when completing the application.3
• Logic model that includes estimated number of young children and parents/guardians to be served for each programmatic year.
• Letter of commitment, including a pledge to meet the match requirement, signed by the applicant’s President/CEO/Executive Director, board chair and Director of Finance/CFO.
• Documentation of 10% of year one match in cash on hand and/or commitments. This documentation should identify specific sources of revenue as opposed to categorical references (e.g., “cash on hand”).
• IRS determination letter
• Most recent audited financial statements.
• Most recent A-133 audit (if applicable).
• Most recent letter stating current federal indirect cost rate (if applicable).
• Completed data capacity survey
7.3. Review Process
Application screening
• United Way staff will screen applications for adherence to eligibility criteria. Ineligible
applicants will be notified within ten days of submission that they have been disqualified from the competition.
Participating reviewers
• United Way will identify 10-14 internal and external reviewers to assess applications.
The review team will be drawn from the following: United Way staff, program content experts, local funders, evaluation experts, grants and financial management experts, individuals with extensive knowledge of urban neighborhoods in Indianapolis, human services coalitions or intermediaries, and consumers.
3 United Way partner agencies need not submit the last four documents on the bulleted list unless the versions residing in ODM are outdated.
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• The number of applications assigned to each reviewer will be determined by the number of eligible applications, but will not exceed ten.
• Each application will receive at least three external reviews.
• Reviewers will receive training on Great Families 2020 program, review process and
scoring rubric.
• External reviewers will assess each application with the same scoring system utilized
consistently across internal and external reviews.
Overview of review stages
• External and internal reviewers provide scores based upon 100-point scoring system for
each application.
• Applications are ranked based upon total scores.
• External and internal reviewers convene to discuss applications and develop initial
recommendations.
• 8 to 12 finalists are identified based upon multiple factors including:
o Total score; and
o Programmatic and geographic alignment with Great Families purpose and
outcomes.
• Finalists are notified and application clarifications are requested. Site visits will also be
made when deemed necessary.
• All clarifications are submitted electronically via email.
• Final review made by reviewers based upon responses to clarification questions and
information gathered from any site visits.
• The reviewers recommendations will be approved by UWCI President and CEO and
CNCS.
Plans for reviewing evidence and evaluation
• The 3rd party evaluator and United Way’s Community Impact staff and Strategic
Information staff will review eligible applications to determine whether early childhood education and family economic stability interventions discussed in the proposal adhere to the preliminary evidence described in United Way’s approved Great Families 2020 application. Because subgrantees are implementing pre-selected interventions, the focus for reviewing evidence and evaluation will be on the subgrantees’ capacity to participate in a rigorous evaluation, including capturing and sharing participant data.
Conflict of interest policy
• No reviewers will have any direct or indirect relationship with any applicant and will sign
forms to attest to that fact prior to receiving assignments. Specifically, this means the reviewer and his/her family members cannot have current employment or be seeking employment with the applicant organizations or be an officer, trustee, board member, or committee member of the applicant organizations. A reviewer will recuse him/herself for any of these reasons or any other circumstances that would cause a reasonable person with knowledge of the relevant facts to question reviewer’s impartiality in the review of the proposal.
Description of who makes final decision
• The approval process of the subgrantees is ultimately made by the President and CEO
of United Way, the Great Families 2020 team at United Way and the Social Innovation Fund staff at CNCS.
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8. Timeline
April 1, 2017
Release Request for Proposal (RFP)
April 11 and 13, 2017
Bidders Conferences
April 14, 2017
Weekly posting of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on www.uwci.org/greatfamilies2020 begins
May 1, 2017
Letters of Intent (optional) submitted to
greatfamilies2020@uwci.org
May 31, 2017
Applications must be submitted to www.uwci.org/greatfamilies2020 by 5 pm
June 23, 2017
Finalists receive clarifying questions from United Way
June 28, 2017
Responses to clarification questions received from finalists on greatfamilies2020@uwci.org and site visits conducted as indicated.
August 11, 2017
Subgrantee selections announced at press conference
August 28, 2017
Subgrantee grant agreements are executed
9. Additional Terms and Conditions
Applicants should also be aware of terms and conditions of the Corporation for National and Community Service’s Social Innovation Fund Grant, which will also be included in subgrant agreements. (See links to terms and conditions at www.uwci.org/greatfamilies2020.) While these are not all of the terms and conditions that will be included in the subgrant agreement, we want to highlight sections that focus primarily on grant compliance and oversight.
9.1. Financial Management Standards
9.1.1. General
The subgrantee must maintain financial management systems that include standard accounting practices, sufficient internal controls, a clear audit trail, and written cost allocation procedures, as necessary. The subgrantee’s financial management systems must be capable of distinguishing expenditures attributable to this award from expenditures not attributable to this award. The systems must be able to identify costs by programmatic year and by budget category and to differentiate between direct and indirect costs or administrative costs. For further details about the grantee’s financial management responsibilities, refer to 2 CFR Part 200 Uniform Administrative Requirement, Costs Principles and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards.
9.1.2. Consistency of Treatment
To be allowable under an award, costs must be consistent with policies and procedures that apply uniformly to both federal funds and match funds. Furthermore, the costs must be accorded consistent treatment regardless of sources of funds.
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9.1.3. Audits
Organizations that expend $750,000 or more in a year in total federal awards (grants or cooperative agreements) shall have a single or program-specific audit conducted for that year in accordance with the Single Audit Act of 1984, as amended in 1996, and 2 CFR Part 200, Subpart F-Audit Requirements expends federal awards under only one federal program, it may elect to have a program specific audit, if it is otherwise eligible. A subgrantee that does not expend $750,000 in federal awards is exempt from the single audit requirements for that year except as noted in 2 CFR §200.503, but records must be available for review or audit by appropriate officials of the Federal agency, pass-through entity, and Government Accountability Office
9.1.4. Indirect Cost Rates
Reimbursement for indirect costs, general and administrative costs, overhead, or any similar cost rate type agreement, will be at the rate(s) and on the base(s) specified in the approved award budget. These amounts are subject to finalization by United Way and CNCS. Any provisional rate(s) is subject to downward adjustment only under this award. Accordingly, final approved rate(s) charged to this award may not exceed the maximum provisional rate(s).
9.1.5. Program Income
9.1.5.1 General. Income, including any fees for service earned as a direct result of the subgrant-funded program activities during the award period, must be retained by the subgrantee and used towards match requirement.
9.1.5.2 Excess Program Income. Program income earned in excess of the amount needed to finance the subgrantee match must be added to funds committed to the subgrant-funded project and used to further expand eligible program activities and objectives.
9.2. Prohibited Program Activities
Subgrantees must comply with the prohibitions on use of CNCS funds in section 174 of the NCSA (42 U.S.C.§12634). While charging time to this subgrant, the subgrantee, and anyone acting under the supervision or authority of the subgrantee, may not engage in the following activities:
1. Attempting to influence legislation.
2. Organizing or engaging in protests, petitions, boycotts, or strikes.
3. Assisting, promoting or deterring union organizing.
4. Impairing existing contracts for services or collective bargaining agreements.
5. Engaging in partisan political activities or other activities designed to influence the
outcome of an election to any public office.
6. Conducting a voter registration drive or using subaward funds to conduct a voter
registration drive.
7. Participating, in or endorsing, events or activities that is likely to include advocacy for or
against political parties, political platforms, political candidates, proposed legislation, or
elected Officers.
8. Engaging in religious instruction; conducting worship services; providing instruction as
part of a program that includes mandatory religious instruction or worship; constructing or operating facilities devoted to religious instruction or worship; maintaining facilities primarily or inherently devoted to religious instruction or worship; or engaging in any form of religious proselytization.
9. Providing a direct benefit to:
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a. A for-profit entity;
b. A labor union;
c. A partisan political organization;
d. An organization engaged in the religious activities described in the preceding
subclause, unless Agreement funds are not used to support the religious
activities; or
e. A nonprofit entity that fails to comply with the restrictions contained in
section(c)(3) of U.S.C. Title 26.
10. Providing abortion services or referrals for receipt of such services.
11. Subaward funds may not be used for international travel or projects where the primary
beneficiaries of an activity are outside the United States. 12. Such other activities as CNCS or United Way may prohibit.
Individuals may exercise their rights as private citizens and may participate in the above activities on their own initiative, on non-CNCS time, and using non-CNCS funds.
9.3. Certification – Debarment, Suspension, and Other Responsibility Matters
Acceptance of the subgrant agreement will result in certification required by the government- wide regulations implementing Executive Order 12549, Debarment and Suspension, 2 CFR Part 180, Section 180.335 that neither the applicant nor its principals:
1. Is presently excluded or disqualified;
2. Has been convicted within the preceding three years of any of the offenses listed in
§180.800(a) or had a civil judgment rendered against it for one of those offenses within that time period; Is presently indicted for or otherwise criminally or civilly charged by a governmental entity (Federal, State, or local) with commission or any of the offenses listed in § 180.800(a); or
3. Has had one or more public transactions (Federal, State, or local) terminated within the preceding three years for cause or default.
The terms “debarment”, “suspension”, “excluded”, “disqualified”, “ineligible”, “participant”, “person”, “principal”, and “voluntarily excluded” as used in this document have the meanings set out in 2 CFR Part 180, subpart I, “Definitions.” A transaction shall be considered a “covered transaction” if it meets the definition in 2 CFR part 180 subpart B, “Covered Transactions.”
9.4. Assurance requirement for subaward agreements
You agree by submitting this proposal that if we approve your application you shall not knowingly enter into any lower tier covered transaction with a person who is debarred, suspended, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from participation in this covered transaction, unless authorized by us.
9.5. Assurance inclusion in subaward agreements
You agree by submitting this proposal that you will obtain an assurance from prospective participants in all lower tier covered transactions and in all solicitations for lower tier covered transactions that the participants are not debarred, suspended, ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from the covered transaction.
9.6. Assurance of subaward principals
You may rely upon an assurance of a prospective participant in a lower-tier covered transaction that is not debarred, suspended, ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from the covered transaction, unless you know that the assurance is erroneous. You may decide the method and frequency
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by which you determine the eligibility of your principals. You may, but are not required to, check the List of Parties Excluded from Federal Procurement and Nonprocurement Programs.
9.7. Non-assurance in subaward agreements
If you knowingly enter into a lower tier covered transaction with a person who is suspended, debarred, ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from participation in this transaction, in addition to other remedies available to the federal government, we may terminate this transaction for cause or default.
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