FY 2012 Grant Request for Applications (RFA)

Drug Free Communities Mentoring Program

INITIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

Request for Applications (RFA) No.: SP-12-002
Posting on Grants.gov: March 6, 2012
Original Receipt date: May 4, 2012

Catalogue of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) No.: 93.276

Key Dates

Application Deadline Applications are due by May 4, 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 Executive Office of the President, Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) are accepting applications for Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 Drug Free Communities Mentoring Program (DFC Mentoring) grants. The purpose of the DFC Mentoring Program is to provide grant funds to existing DFC grantees, so that they may serve as Mentors to newly-formed and/or developing coalitions that have never received a DFC grant.

The DFC Program was created by the Drug Free Communities Act of 1997 (Public Law 105-20). DFC Mentoring grants were established as a component of the DFC Support Program when the program was reauthorized in 2001 (Public Law 107-82, 115 Stat. 814). The DFC Mentoring Program was also included in the Office of National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act of 2006 (Public Law 109-469). The latest reauthorization extended the program until 2012. This announcement addresses Healthy People 2020 Substance Abuse Topic Area HP 2020-SA.

The primary goal of the Mentoring grant is to assist newly forming coalitions in becoming eligible to apply for DFC funding on their own. It is the intent of the DFC Mentoring Program that, at the end of the Mentoring grant, each Mentee coalition will meet all of the Statutory Eligibility Requirements of the DFC Program and will be fully prepared to compete for the DFC grant on their own. Grantees will be expected to achieve this goal by implementing the following objectives: (1) Strengthen Mentee coalition’s organizational structure; (2) Increase Mentee coalition’s leadership and community readiness to address youth substance use problems in the Mentee community; and (3) Assist the Mentee coalition in working through a strategic planning process that will result in a comprehensive Action Plan.

Through the DFC Mentoring Program, the Mentor coalition will develop mentoring activities that will support and encourage the development of the Mentee coalition(s) that are focused on the prevention of youth substance use. Funding through this grant is intended to provide the Mentee coalitions with the training and technical assistance necessary to ensure formation of a strong and effective community coalition.

Coalitions that have been awarded DFC Mentoring grants represent a cross-section of communities from every region in the Nation. In FY 2011, ONDCP awarded 20 new DFC Mentoring Grants and 12 Mentoring Continuation grants. More information about DFC and DFC Mentoring grants can be found on the DFC website: www.whitehouse.gov/ondcp/potential-applicants-mentoring-program.

Eligibility

Statutory Eligibility Requirements, written into the DFC Act and the subsequent Reauthorization of the DFC Program by Congress in 2006, are inherent in the DFC Mentoring Program. (See Table 2 of the RFA: Statutory Eligibility Requirements for the DFC Mentoring Program of the RFA). Please read the Statutory Eligibility Requirements for the DFC Mentoring Program carefully and provide the information necessary to meet all of the requirements. Failure to meet any single eligibility requirement will cause the application to be deemed ineligible and the application will not move forward to Peer Review. Should your application fail to meet the eligibility requirements, the individual listed as the Business Official on the Application for Federal Assistance will receive a letter stating why the application was deemed ineligible. No new material or information may be added to the original application after it has been submitted. Final authority lies with the DFC Administrator to determine the eligibility of an application. All DFC Mentoring applications will be jointly screened by ONDCP and SAMHSA to determine whether each applicant meets all the Statutory Eligibility Requirements for the DFC Mentoring Program contained in Table 2 of the RFA. Applications submitted by eligible DFC grantees will then be scored through a Peer Review process according to the evaluation criteria described in Part V of the RFA, Application Review Information.

Section I-III of the RFA includes a summary of the Statutory Eligibility Requirements for the DFC Mentoring Program and the minimum documentation applicants must provide to meet the eligibility criteria. “Where to Document” sections of that section indicate where to include the required information within the application (e.g., as an attachment, in the Project Narrative, in the Budget Narrative). Each year, DFC Mentoring grantees must demonstrate compliance with all of the Statutory Eligibility Requirements to be considered for continued funding.

Award Information

Funding Mechanism: Grant
Anticipated Total Available Funding: $750,000
Anticipated Number of Awards: Approximately 10
Anticipated Award Amount: Up to $75,000 per year for up to two years
Length of Project Period: Up to 2 years

Proposed budgets cannot exceed $75,000 in total costs (direct and indirect) in any year of the proposed project. Approximately $750,000 for FY 2012 DFC Mentoring grants will be awarded through this RFA.

DFC Mentoring grants will be available to eligible coalitions in amounts of up to $75,000 per year over a two-year period, known as a “funding cycle.” To apply for a DFC Mentoring grant under this RFA, the Mentor coalition must:

  • have been in existence for at least five years (not a DFC grantee for five years);
  • have an active DFC grant at the time of application; and
  • be in good standing (cannot be on high-risk) for the duration of the funding cycle.

If selected to receive a DFC Mentoring grant, Mentor coalitions will be awarded funds for one year (covering the 12 month period from September 30, 2012 - September 29, 2013). Funds for the second year of the grant are distributed as non-competing Continuation Awards. Continuation Awards are contingent upon the availability of DFC funds, the continued ability of the grantee to demonstrate eligibility, the grantee’s progress in meeting grant requirements, timely submission of the continuation application and all required data reports, and compliance with all Terms and Conditions of the award.

Additional eligibility requirements that must be met by the Mentor coalition in order to be considered for funding are listed in Part III of this RFA.

Contact Information

If you have questions related to this RFA, use the following contacts for resolution. Your questions will be answered within 24-48 business hours. Please allow appropriate time for your questions to be answered. Once the application deadline is reached, these numbers and emails are no longer in use.

For questions about program issues contact:

DFC Mentoring RFA Hotline
Division of Community Programs
240-276-1270
DFCnew2012@samhsa.hhs.gov

For questions about Federal forms and budget issues contact:

Virginia Simmons
Division of Grants Management
(240) 276-1422
Virginia.Simmons@samhsa.hhs.gov

After the application is submitted and the application deadline has passed, applicants can contact Cynthia Riddick at (240) 276-1199 or by e-mail at Cynthia.Riddick@samhsa.hhs.gov for questions related to whether or not the application was received and/or went to Peer Review and for copies of score summary sheets completed through the Peer Review process.

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: 3/6/2012