Funding Opportunity

Standard Grant Announcement: INF

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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-D). 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.

• You must use the four 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.

• 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 E-H 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 below 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 each section.

Section A: Statement of Need (10 points)

• Describe the target population (see Glossary) and the proposed catchment area (see Glossary), 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.

• Document the need for an enhanced infrastructure to increase the capacity to implement, sustain, and improve effective substance abuse prevention and/or treatment and/or mental health services for the proposed target population in the proposed catchment area. Documentation of need may 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.

• Describe the service gaps, barriers, and other problems related to the need for infrastructure development. Describe the stakeholders (see Glossary) and resources in the target area that can help implement the needed infrastructure development.

• 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 Approach (35 points)

• Clearly state the purpose of the proposed project, with goals and objectives. Describe how achievement of goals will address the overall program purpose specified in the NOFA and increase system capacity to support effective substance abuse and/or mental health services.

• Describe the proposed project. Address any and all expectations/required activities specified in the NOFA. Provide evidence that the proposed activities meet the infrastructure needs and show how your proposed infrastructure development strategy will meet the goals and objectives.

• Provide a logic model (see Glossary) that demonstrates the linkage between the identified need, the proposed approach, and outcomes.

• If you plan to include an advisory body in your project, describe its membership, roles and functions, and frequency of meetings.

• Describe any other organizations that will participate and their roles and responsibilities. Demonstrate their commitment to the project. Include letters of commitment/coordination/support from these community organizations in Appendix 1 of the application. Identify any cash or in-kind contributions that will be made to the project.

• Describe how the proposed project will address issues of age, race/ethnicity, culture, language, sexual orientation, disability, literacy, and gender in the target population.

• Describe how members of the target population were involved in the preparation of the application, and how they will be involved in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of the project.

• Describe the potential barriers to successful conduct of the proposed project and how you will overcome them.

• Describe how your activities will improve substance abuse prevention and/or treatment and/or mental health services.

• Provide a plan to secure resources to sustain the proposed infrastructure enhancements when Federal funding ends.

• Check the NOFA for any additional requirements.

• 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.]

• Discuss the capability and experience of the applicant organization and other participating organizations with similar projects and populations, including experience in providing culturally appropriate/competent services.

• 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.

• 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.

• Describe the resources available for the proposed project (e.g., facilities, equipment). If an implementation pilot is proposed that includes direct services, 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.

• Check the NOFA for any additional requirements.

Section D: Evaluation and Data (30 points)

• Describe the process and outcome evaluation. Include specific performance measures and target outcomes related to the goals and objectives identified for the project in Section B of your Project Narrative.

• Document your ability to collect and report on the required performance measures as specified in the NOFA, including data required by SAMHSA to meet GPRA requirements. Specify and justify any additional measures you plan to use for your grant project.

• 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.

• Discuss the reliability and validity of evaluation methods and instruments(s) in terms of the gender/age/culture of the target population.

• Describe how collection, analysis and reporting of performance data will be integrated into the evaluation activities.

• Check the NOFA for any additional requirements.

NOTE: Although thebudget 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 appropriate, approved by the appropriate National Advisory Council;

• availability of funds;

• 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 Approach - 35 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.