FY 2012 Grant Request for Applications (RFA)

Minority Fellowship Program
Short Title: MFP

INITIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

Request for Applications (RFA) No.: SM-12-010
Posting on Grants.gov: April 27, 2012
Original Receipt date: May 25, 2012

Catalogue of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) No.: 93.243

Key Dates

Application Deadline Applications are due by May 25, 2012
Intergovernmental Review (E.O. 12372) Applicants must comply with E.O. 12372 if their State(s) participates. Review process recommendations from the State Single Point of Contact (SPOC) are due no later than 60 days after application deadline.
Public Health System Impact Statement (PHSIS) / Single State Agency Coordination Applicants must send the PHSIS to appropriate State and local health agencies by application deadline. Comments from Single State Agency are due no later than 60 days after application deadline.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) is accepting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2012 Minority Fellowship Program (MFP) grant program. The purpose of this two year grant program is to reduce health disparities and improve health care outcomes of racially and ethnically diverse populations by increasing the number of culturally competent mental health counselors available to underserved minority populations in public and private non-profit sectors.

The mental health and substance abuse needs of racial and ethnic minority communities in the United States have been historically underserved due to the lack of trained practitioners sensitive to the cultural issues and/or equipped with the language skills that impact effective services delivery. In 1974, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) established the MFP to enhance services to minority communities through specialized training of mental health professionals in psychiatry, nursing, social work, and psychology. In 1992, SAMHSA was established, and the MFP was transferred from NIMH to CMHS in SAMHSA. Eligibility for this grant program was expanded by Congress in FY 2007 to include a fifth professional association, the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy. This fiscal year, Congress expanded the eligibility for this program to include professional counselors, to increase the pool of culturally competent mental health professionals.

SAMHSA has demonstrated that behavioral health is essential to health, prevention works, treatment is effective, and people recover from mental and substance use disorders. Behavioral health services improve health status and reduce health care and other costs to society. Continued improvement in the delivery and financing of prevention, treatment and recovery support services provides a cost prevention, treatment and recovery support services; SAMHSA has identified eight Strategic Initiatives to focus the Agency's work on people and emerging opportunities. More information is available at the SAMHSA website: www.samhsa.gov/About/strategy.aspx.

The MFP closely aligns with the Affordable Care Act and SAMHSA's Eight Strategic Initiatives by addressing the current and projected behavioral health workforce shortages and the need to train practitioners on recovery-based practices. Applications responsive to this RFA must support or expand capacity to address the following Strategic Initiative:

Health Reform
Broaden health coverage to increase access to appropriate high quality care, and to reduce disparities that currently exist between the availability of services for substance abuse, mental disorders, and other medical conditions.

Minority Fellowship Program grants are authorized under Section 520A of the Public Health Service Act, as amended. This announcement addresses Healthy People 2020 and the Mental Health and Mental Disorders Topic Area HP 2020-MHMD and Substance Abuse Topic Area HP 2020-SA.

Eligibility

H. Rept. 112-331 which accompanied the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2012 stated that, "[w]ithin the funds provided for the Minority Fellowship Program, the conferees have provided an increase in funding to allow SAMHSA to increase the pool of culturally competent mental health professionals by granting professional counselors eligibility to participate in the program." Professional counselors are highly trained and well qualified mental health professionals who deliver culturally appropriate behavioral health services to diverse populations.

In order to meet this directive, eligibility is restricted to national organizations serving mental health professional counselors that are dedicated to the growth, advancement and enhancement of the counseling profession, including promoting the professional competence of professional counselors. Applicant organizations must—either solely or in partnership with its affiliates—have direct involvement in curriculum development, school accreditation, and pre-/post-doctoral training, and must have demonstrated mechanisms and databases in place for identifying candidate students for Minority Fellowship awards. Organizations that meet these criteria are uniquely qualified to administer the Minority Fellowship program.

All applicant organizations must complete the Certificate of Eligibility (see Appendix J of the RFA) indicating that the applicant meets all eligibility requirements and have provided the necessary information as specified in the Certificate of Eligibility.

The statutory authority for this program prohibits grants to for-profit agencies.

Cost sharing/matching is not required in this program.

Award Information

Funding Mechanism: Cooperative Agreement
Anticipated Total Available Funding: $825,000
Anticipated Number of Awards: 1
Anticipated Award Amount: Up to $825,000 per year
Length of Project Period: Up to 2 years

Proposed budgets cannot exceed $825,000 in total costs (direct and indirect) in any year of the proposed project. Annual continuation awards will depend on the availability of funds, grantee progress in meeting project goals and objectives, timely submission of required data and reports, and compliance with all terms and conditions of award.

These awards will be made as cooperative agreements.

Contact Information

For questions about program issues contact

LCDR Monique Richards, MSW
Public Health Advisor
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
1 Choke Cherry Road Room
Room 2-1116
Rockville, Maryland 20857
(240) 276-0766
monique.richards@samhsa.hhs.gov

For questions on grants management and budget issues contact:

Gwendolyn Simpson
Office of Financial Resources, Division of Grants Management
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
1 Choke Cherry Road
Room 7-1085
Rockville, Maryland 20857
(240) 276-1408
gwendolyn.simpson@samhsa.hhs.gov

Documents Needed to Complete a Grant Application

1. REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS (RFA)

YOU MUST RESPOND TO THE REQUIREMENTS IN THE RFA IN PREPARING YOUR APPLICATION.

2. GRANT APPLICATION PACKAGE

YOU MUST USE THE FORMS IN THE APPLICATION PACKAGE TO COMPLETE YOUR APPLICATION.

Additional Materials

For further information on the forms and the application process, see Useful Information for Applicants.

Additional materials available on this website include:


Last updated: 04/27/2012