V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION
1. EVALUATION CRITERIA
Your application will be reviewed and scored according to the quality of your response to the requirements listed below for developing the Project Narrative (Sections A-E). These sections describe what you intend to do with your project.
- In developing the Project Narrative section of your application, use these instructions along with any additional instructions found in the NOFA. These are to be used instead of the “Program Narrative” instructions found in the PHS 5161-1.
- The Project Narrative (Sections A-E) together may be no longer than 30 pages.
- You must use the five sections/headings listed below in developing your Project Narrative. Be sure to place the required information in the correct section, or it will not be considered. Your application will be scored according to how well you address the requirements for each section of the Project Narrative.
- Reviewers will be looking for evidence of cultural competence in each section of the Project Narrative. Points will be assigned based on how well you address the cultural competence aspects of the evaluation criteria. SAMHSA’s guidelines for cultural competence can be found on the SAMHSA web site at www.samhsa.gov. Click on “Grant Opportunities.”
- The Supporting Documentation you provide in Sections F-I and Appendices 1-5 will be considered by reviewers in assessing your response, along with the material in the Project Narrative.
- The number of points after each heading is the maximum number of points a review committee may assign to that section of your Project Narrative. Bullet statements in each section do not have points assigned to them. They are provided to invite the attention of applicants and reviewers to important areas within the criterion.
Section A: Statement of Need (10 points)
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Describe the target population (see Glossary) as well as the geographic area to be served, and justify the selection of both. Be sure to check the NOFA for any specific requirements regarding the target population and/or catchment area. Include the numbers to be served and demographic information. Discuss the target population’s language, beliefs, norms and values, as well as socioeconomic factors that must be considered in delivering programs to this population.
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Describe the nature of the problem and extent of the need for the target population based on data. The statement of need should include a clearly established baseline for the project. Documentation of need may come from a variety of qualitative and quantitative sources. The quantitative data could come from local data or trend analyses, State data (e.g., from State Needs Assessments), and/or national data (e.g., from SAMHSA’s National Household Survey on Drug Abuse and Health or from National Center for Health Statistics/Centers for Disease Control reports). For data sources that are not well known, provide sufficient information on how the data were collected so reviewers can assess the reliability and validity of the data.
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Non-tribal applicants must show that identified needs are consistent with priorities of the State or county that has primary responsibility for the service delivery system. Include, in Appendix 5, a copy of the State or County Strategic Plan, a State or county needs assessment, or a letter from the State or county indicating that the proposed project addresses a State- or county-identified priority. Tribal applicants must provide similar documentation relating to tribal priorities.
- Check the NOFA for any additional requirements.
Section B: Proposed Evidence-Based Service/Practice (30 points)
- Clearly state the purpose, goals and objectives of your proposed project. Describe how achievement of the goals will address the overall program purpose specified in the NOFA and produce meaningful and relevant results (e.g., increase access, availability, prevention, outreach, pre-services, treatment, and/or intervention).
- Identify the evidenced based service/practice that you propose to implement. Describe the evidence-base for the proposed service/practice and show that it incorporates the best objective information available regarding effectiveness and acceptability. Follow the instructions provided in #1, #2 or #3 below, as appropriate:
1. If you are proposing to implement a service/practice included in NREPP (see Appendix C), one of the CMHS tool-kits on evidence-based practices (see Appendix D), the list of Effective Substance Abuse Treatment Practices (see Appendix E), or the NOFA (if applicable), simply identify the practice and state the source from which it was selected. You do not need to provide further evidence of effectiveness.
2. If you are providing evidence that includes scientific studies published in the peer-reviewed literature or other studies that have not been published, describe the extent to which:
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the service/practice has been evaluated and the quality of the evaluation studies (e.g., whether they are descriptive, quasi-experimental studies, or experimental studies)
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the services/practice has demonstrated positive outcomes and for what populations the positive outcomes have been demonstrated
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the service/practice has been documented (e.g., through development of guidelines, tool kits, treatment protocols, and/or manuals) and replicated
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fidelity measures have been developed (e.g., no measures developed, key components identified, or fidelity measures developed)
3. If you are providing evidence based on a formal consensus process involving recognized experts in the field, describe:
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the experts involved in developing consensus on the proposed service/practice (e.g., members of an expert panel formally convened by SAMHSA, NIH, the Institute of Medicine or other nationally recognized organization). The consensus must have been developed by a group of experts whose work is recognized and respected by others in the field. Local recognition of an individual as a respected or influential person at the community level is not considered a “recognized expert” for this purpose.
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the nature of the consensus that has been reached and the process used to reach consensus
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the extent to which the consensus has been documented (e.g., in a consensus panel report, meeting minutes, or an accepted standard practice in the field)
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any empirical evidence (whether formally published or not) supporting the effectiveness of the proposed service/practice
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the rationale for concluding that further empirical evidence does not exist to support the effectiveness of the proposed service/practice
- Justify the use of the proposed service/practice for the target population. Describe and justify any adaptations necessary to meet the needs of the target population as well as evidence that such adaptations will be effective for the target population.
- Identify and justify any additional adaptations or modifications to the proposed service/practice.
- Describe how the proposed project will address issues of age, race, ethnicity, culture, language, sexual orientation, disability, literacy, and gender in the target population, while retaining fidelity to the chosen practice.
- Demonstrate how the proposed service/practice will meet your goals and objectives. Provide a logic model (see Glossary) that links need, the services or practice to be implemented, and outcomes.
- Check the NOFA for any additional requirements.
Section C: Proposed Implementation Approach (25 points)
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Provide a realistic time line for the project (chart or graph) showing key activities, milestones, and responsible staff. [Note: The time line should be part of the Project Narrative. It should not be placed in an appendix.]
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Clearly state the unduplicated number of individuals you propose to serve (annually and over the entire project period) with grant funds, including the types and numbers of services to be provided and anticipated outcomes. Describe how the target population will be identified, recruited, and retained.
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Describe how members of the target population helped prepare the application, and how they will help plan, implement, and evaluate the project.
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Describe how the project components will be embedded within the existing service delivery system, including other SAMHSA-funded projects, if applicable. Identify any other organizations that will participate in the proposed project. Describe their roles and responsibilities and demonstrate their commitment to the project. Include letters of commitment from community organizations supporting the project in Appendix 1. Identify any cash or in-kind contributions that will be made to the project by the applicant or other partnering organizations.
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Show that the necessary groundwork (e.g., planning, consensus development, development of memoranda of agreement, identification of potential facilities) has been completed or is near completion so that the project can be implemented and service delivery can begin as soon as possible and no later than 4 months after grant award.
- Check the NOFA for any additional requirements.
Section D: Staff and Organizational Experience (20 points)
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Provide a list of staff who will participate in the project, showing the role of each and their level of effort and qualifications. Include the Project Director and other key personnel, such as the evaluator and treatment/prevention personnel.
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Describe the racial/ethnic characteristics of key staff and indicate if any are members of the target population/community. If the target population is multi-linguistic, indicate if the staffing pattern includes bilingual and bicultural individuals.
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Describe the resources available for the proposed project (e.g., facilities, equipment), and provide evidence that services will be provided in a location that is adequate, accessible, compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and amenable to the target population.
Section E: Evaluation and Data (15 points)
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Document your ability to collect and report on the required performance measures as specified in the NOFA. Specify and justify any additional measures you plan to use for your grant project.
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Describe plans for data collection, management, analysis, interpretation and reporting. Describe the existing approach to the collection of data, along with any necessary modifications. Be sure to include data collection instruments/interview protocols in Appendix 2.
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Discuss the reliability and validity of evaluation methods and instrument(s) in terms of the gender/age/culture of the target population.
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Describe the process and outcome evaluation, including assessments of implementation and individual outcomes. Show how the evaluation will be integrated with requirements for collection and reporting of performance data, including data required by SAMHSA to meet GPRA requirements.
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Describe how the evaluation will be used to ensure the fidelity to the practice.
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Provide a per-person or unit cost of the project to be implemented, based on the applicant’s actual costs and projected costs over the life of the project.
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Check the NOFA for any additional requirements.
NOTE: Although the budget for the proposed project is not a review criterion, the Review Group will be asked to comment on the appropriateness of the budget after the merits of the application have been considered.
2. REVIEW AND SELECTION PROCESS
SAMHSA applications are peer-reviewed according to the review criteria listed above. For those programs where the individual award is over $100,000, applications must also be reviewed by the appropriate National Advisory Council.
Decisions to fund a grant are based on:
- the strengths and weaknesses of the application as identified by peer reviewers and, when applicable, approved by the appropriate National Advisory Council;
- equitable distribution of awards in terms of geography (including urban, rural and remote settings) and balance among target populations and program size; and
- after applying the aforementioned criteria, the following method for breaking ties: When funds are not available to fund all applications with identical scores, SAMHSA will make award decisions based on the application(s) that received the greatest number of points by peer reviewers on the evaluation criterion in Section V-1 with the highest number of possible points (Proposed Evidence-Based Service/Practice - 30 points). Should a tie still exist, the evaluation criterion with the next highest possible point value will be used, continuing sequentially to the evaluation criterion with the lowest possible point value, should that be necessary to break all ties. If an evaluation criterion to be used for this purpose has the same number of possible points as another evaluation criterion, the criterion listed first in Section V-1 will be used first.
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