RPSA Violence Prevention Services (23-444-80-2774) Question and Answers and Technical Assistance Session

RPSA Violence Prevention Services:

IMPORTANT NOTICE

This Reimagine Chicago Violence Prevention Services Funding Notice, 444-80-2774-02, will CLOSE on April 14, 2023, at 5:00.p.m.

This means that applications will NOT be accepted after 5:00pm on April 14, 2023.

Letters of Intent are MANDATORY and will NOT be accepted for consideration after 12:00 p.m. (noon) on March 15, 2023. Letters of Intent Determine eligibility. The remaining application materials are provided once the letter of intent has been accepted.

Applications will NOT be accepted if a Letter of Intent has not been received on or before March 15, 2023 at 12:00p.m. (Noon)

You are STRONGLY encouraged to submit your application several days in advance of the Deadline. If your application is rejected for being incomplete, this may give you time to gather your missing items and resubmit a complete application prior to the deadline. As we anticipate an extremely high volume of applications being submitted over the next 4 weeks, applicants are strongly encouraged to get your application in as soon as possible.  


A Technical Assistance Webinar will be posted the week of May 16th.

VP TA/Bidders Conference Webinar (passcode: nG9WG?Vs)

Any questions you have about the NOFO should be sent to DHS.ViolencePreventionServices@illinois.gov.

RPSA Violence Prevention Services Question and Answers: 

May 5, 2022:

  1. Question: When creating the budget and narrative should we submit budgets beginning July 1, 2023 or June 1, 2022? 
    Answer:
    • One budget should be submitted as part of the application packet on the PDF uniform budget template for the entire project period (beginning at the earliest on July 1, 2022 going through June 30, 2024) for each community you are proposing to serve.
    • The applicant organization must submit a budget in CSA for the FY23 portion of the project (beginning at the earliest on July 1, 2022 going through June 30, 2023). A PDF copy of that budget should also be included in the application.
      NOTE: If an applicant plans to submit applications to serve more than one eligible community area, the applicant must submit separate budgets for each community area.
  2. Question: Is there a limit set on how many community areas an organization can apply for? 
    Answer:
    No, however the NOFO states, "No applicant organization may receive RVPS funding to provide services in more than three eligible community areas."
    NOTE: If an applicant plans to submit applications to serve more than three eligible community areas, IDHS will consider applications based on the application submission date/time. Therefore, applicants should prioritize their applications by submitting them in the order they wish to be the applications to be considered.

May 6, 2022:

  1. Question: Our organization is an existing RPSA Violence Prevention Services grantee. Are we eligible to also apply for this grant (23-444-80-2774)?
    Answer:
    Possibly. Please refer to Section C. Eligibility Information and Grant Funding Requirements to review eligibility requirements.
  2. Question: How do I access continuous funding opportunity: 23-444-80-2774-01? 
    Answer:
    IDHS: RPSA Violence Prevention Services (23-444-80-2774) Continuous Notice of Funding Opportunity (state.il.us)
  3. Question: The NOFO state's that this will be an open opportunity until further notice, does this mean there is no deadline at this current time? 
    Answer:
    Correct. This is a continuous open funding opportunity for those applicants that meet eligibility criteria and submit a responsive application as defined in the NOFO subject to available funding and a maximum limit of six RPSA funded RVP grants per eligible Chicago service area. Eligible applications will be considered in the order they are received based on the email time-stamp of their submission.
  4. Question: Is the webinar being provided during the week of May 16th, or is there a registration link to attend a live webinar? 
    Answer:
    A Technical Assistance Webinar will be posted the week of May 16th. This is not a live Technical Assistance Session.

May 18, 2022:

  1. Question: Is this grant limited to non-for-profit 501(c)(3) agencies as the lead, or can local government, as a non-for-profit lead this work? 
    Answer:
    Eligible applicants (and sub-recipients) include units of local government inclusive of public schools, districts, etc. To learn more, please refer to Section C Eligibility Information and Grant Funding Requirements of the NOFO.
  2. Question: Where should our organization send our letter of intent this funding opportunity? 
    Answer:
    Per the NOFO, applicants are required to submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) to Apply to DHSViolencePreventionServices@illinois.gov
  3. Question: Our organization is proposing to provide services in 2 different eligible service areas. Would we need to submit two separate applications for each service area, or can we mention both in just one application entirely? 
    Answer:
    Per 23-444-80-2774 Violence Prevention Services NOFO , "If an applicant is proposing to provide services in more than one eligible Chicago community area, the applicant must submit a separate application for each community area."

May 19, 2022:

  1. Question: Do subgrantees need to be pre-qualified and meet eligibility requirements? Date Received:
    Answer:
    Yes. Sub-recipients must be eligible entities ( i.e. public and private nonprofit community-based organizations - this includes units of local government inclusive of public schools, districts, etc.) and they must be GATA pre-qualified prior to entering into a subgrant. An application will be considered that includes a sub grantee that is eligible entity but not yet pre-qualified. However, if awarded a grant, the subgrantee MUST be prequalified BEFORE a subgrant can be awarded by the grantee. It is strongly recommended that potential subgrantees be prequalified at time of application to ensure all required services can be provided in a timely manner.
  2. Question: The Webpage indicates the Technical Assistance session for this NOFO would be posted the week of May 16, 2022 but I can't find a link. Where and when can I access the TA Session?
    Answer
    : A Technical Assistance Webinar will be posted before the end of May, 2022 on the IDHS: RPSA Violence Prevention Services (23-444-80-2774) Question and Answers and Technical Assistance Session (state.il.us) webpage.

July 7, 2020: 

  1. Question: Can you please clarify whether community areas other than Chicago are eligible and can be competitive in applying to this opportunity? 
    Answer
    : NOFO 23-444-80-2774 Violence Prevention Services is limited to the Chicago area (Eligible Service Areas). However, NOFO 23-444-80-2775 Youth Development Services is open to the Chicago Area and Greater Illinois Municipalities. Please refer to NOFO 23-444-80-2775 for a complete listing of eligible service areas located in and outside of the Chicago Area. IDHS: Eligible Service Areas - Youth Development (state.il.us)
  2. Question: Do organizations need to have submitted their FY23 ICQ and have their FY23 ICQs approved before applying?
    Answer:
    No. The ICQ is not required prior to submitting the application; however, it is required prior to the Department issuing an award.

July 19, 2022:

  1. Question: We provide counseling and other wrap around services. Would this grant require that we add street outreach, and victim services? 
    Answer:
    Yes, a complete program must be proposed/provided that meets the requirements of the NOFO. Per the NOFO, "Organizations and its subrecipient partners MUST provide all three of the following elements: street outreach, case management, and victim services."
    IDHS strongly encourages application partnerships if any single organization is unable to provide all three violence prevention services. The primary applicant organization (grantee) must provide at least one of the required Violence Prevention service components and subgrant with one or more eligible organizations to provide the remaining service components. Sub-recipient entities will be subject to the same GATA and grant requirements as the primary applicant organization (grantee).
  2. Question: If awarded funding, how will our organization receive funds? 
    Answer
    : Vendors doing business with the State of Illinois are paid through the Illinois Comptroller's Office. Please contact the Illinois Office of the Comptroller for assistance with questions related to Direct Deposit.
    For information regarding Payment Terms, please refer the NOFO, Section F Award Administration Information, Section 4 Payment Terms.

August 8, 2022:

  1. Question: Question: If an application attachment is not applicable to our submission, can we omit the attachment? 
    Answer:
    If any attachments are not applicable, a page labeled with the attachment number should be submitted and should include a statement explaining why the attachment was not applicable. If any of the Attachments are missing from the application package, the entire application will be disqualified from consideration. The Attachments should be labeled accordingly and placed in the appropriate order.
  2. Question: In Appendix D - Executive Summary, the last question asks for "anticipated outcomes", is this a general anticipation or would you like hard numbers of people to be served in our service arenas?
    Answer:
    Please provide both.

August 22, 2022:

  1. Question: We are completing the application and budget to submit. When asking for requested budget, am I inserted the amount for 1 year or 2 years? We are completing application for 2 years and request $300k per year, should the application request $300k or $600k? 
    Answer:
    Per the NOFO, Executive Summary, you should indicate the funding amount requested under this application to provide the RVPS program for the full project period through June 2024 AND provide the amount of this that is being requested for the FY2023 portion through June 2023.
    Budget Narrative (Narrative should cover the entire project period through June 30, 2024).
    The FY23 budget for the FY23 grant period through June 30, 2022, must be submitted electronically in the CSA system.
    Required Budget attachments include Attachment 5 Applicant Uniform Grant Budget cover the full project period through June 2024 (Refer to Appendix E - Uniform Budget Template PDF) and Attachment 6 Applicant Uniform Grant Budget through June 2023 printed from CSA.
    Example: FY23 portion requested $300K, FY24 portion requested $300K, Total project requested amount, $600K
    For more information, please refer to Section D. Application & Submission Information, Section 3 Content and Form of Application Submission, a. Executive Summary and f. Budget Narrative.

August 31, 2022:

  1. Question: Our organization's mailing address is not located in Chicago but we have an agency site located in the City. Will this meet the "must be located in Chicago" eligibility requirement or does the agency's headquarters need to be in the City? 
    Answer:
    If the applicant organization has one or more physical site locations within the City of Chicago, even if the agency is headquartered outside of the City of Chicago, the applicant organization will meet this requirement.

September 13, 2022:

  1. Question: For the NOFO RPSA Violence Prevention Services funding 23-444-80-2774-01, in one place it says if we don't upload our budget in CSA we'll be docked 5 points. It also says if we skip this step our application will be voided. Can you please confirm which is correct? 
    Answer:
    As stated in the NOFO multiple times, if the Uniform Grant Budget is not entered, signed, and submitted in the CSA system at the time of application submission, the application will be rejected. Accepted applications will not be docked 5 points as they will have met this requirement.

October 14, 2022:

  1. Question: We were going to use the CMS File Transfer Utility to submit an application, but the site says it has been decommissioned. Is there an alternative method for submitting our application? 
    Answer:
    The CMS File Transfer Utility tool was decommissioned on 8/15/2022, therefore you will need to submit your application directly from your email account to DHS.ViolencePreventionServices@illinois.gov
    Please contact us if you experience issues submitting your application.
  2. Question: We are a hospital that serves victims from across the City, many from RPSA communities. Can we submit one application/budget which explains that we will serve victims from ALL the RPSA communities? 
    Answer:
    Per the RPSA statute, grants are to be selected by community area. In your scenario, you would have to submit an application and budget for each of the RPSA communities you will serve through your hospital-based services. It is also important to note that hospital response is just part of a gun victim advocacy response as not all victims present at the hospital. In addition, it is important to note that victim services is just one of three required program services. The other two are Street Outreach and Case Management.

January 11, 2023:

  1. Question: This funding opportunity states that there are (6) awards available per service area. How many awards ($300,000) can one agency apply for under this award management? We are exploring using multiple sub-recipients to offer all three required components of violence prevention services. Can we request more than one award in a service area if they are available? If so, will the number of sub-recipients determine the number of awards? 
    Answer:
    Nothing disallows an agency from applying with multiple sub-recipients, however, the prime grantee must provide at least one of the 3 required components directly. The remaining services may be provided through sub-recipients. An application for this grant program may only be for a single service area. If you wish to apply to serve more than one eligible service area, a separate application will be necessary.
    The number of subrecipients would not determine the number of awards.
  2. Question: The NOFO states, "This budget should not exceed $300,000 per 12-month period." and also states, and "individual awards are projected to average $300,000 per 12-month period." What happens if something is submitted beyond the $300,000 limit? 
    Answer:
    We apologize for the conflicting statements. To clarify, the budget does NOT have a maximum, although it is projected that provider budgets would average $300,000 for a 12-month period, applicants should request what they need. During the merit review process, all aspects of the application are evaluated. If selected, an awardee would receive information on the approved award amount.

January 19, 2023

  1. Question: Can pass-through agencies apply for an indirect rate? (Meaning, not receiving funds directly from IL-DHS).
    Answer:
    If the agency is a subrecipient/subgrantee, then they would need to have an approved ICR in order to charge to the grant or charge the 10% de minimis. The subgrantee/subrecipient would need to be registered in the system to make the election. However, contractors do not have indirect costs. They are paid for the goods/services as per their contract. Therefore, they would not need to apply.
  2. Question: Do you need to be a certain size budget to be eligible for an Indirect Cost Rate? What's the process for submitting an indirect cost rate proposal? What kind of audits are needed? When would a new indirect be effective? Is there a template proposal to use? What's a typical timeline like from submission to approval? Who is the best contact for this?
    Answer:
    Please refer to Section C. 8. e. (Indirect Costs Requirements and Restrictions) of this NOFO and associated links.
  3. Question: Would it be more efficient if the CP4P partner agencies submitted their proposals together?
    Answer:
    No.
  4. Question: Our Budget Narrative is included in our Applicant Uniform Grant Budget form as well in the CSA portal. Is there any other document needed for the budget narrative? 
    Answer:
    Yes. Per the NOFO "applicants should provide a budget and a budget narrative for the entire grant period through June 2024." The budget narrative is a required component of the Proposal Narrative. For more information, please refer to Section 3 Content and Form of Application Submission.

February 9, 2023:

  1. Question: Does my CSA budget have to be approved by IDHS before I submit my application package? 
    Answer:
    No. The Department does not review the CSA Budget prior to application submission. However, per the NOFO, the Budget must be electronically signed and submitted in the CSA system. The Budget must be signed by the Provider's Chief Executive Officer and/or Chief Financial Officer (see Process for adding Signoff Authority) and submitted for Program Review. Please be sure the budget status in CSA says "GATA Budget signed and submitted to program review." This status will appear after the budget is electronically signed by the agency CEO or CFO and submitted to IDHS.

March 15, 2023:

  1. Question: My organization has already applied for the Funding opportunity CSFA 444-80-2774-01. Are we allowed to apply for Funding opportunity 444-80-2774-02? 
    Answer:
    Agencies can apply multiple times. If selected for an award, the grantee can still submit another application for a different Chicago RPSA community that has available.
  2. Question: If we already have an award do we need to submit a new application for a new area? Or can we just ask for an increase in funding with the existing program? 
    Answer:
    Current grantees interested in serving a new area, must submit a new application.

March 21, 2023:

  1. Question: How many communities may an agency serve? 
    Answer:
    Three. Section C in the NOFO states that a single grantee can serve three communities.
  2. Question: My organization has already applied for the Funding opportunity CSFA 444-80-2774-01. Are we allowed to apply for Funding opportunity 444-80-2774-02? 
    Answer:
    Yes, you may apply again.

March 28, 2023:

  1. Question: My organization has already applied for the Funding opportunity CSFA 444-80-2774-01. Are we allowed to apply for Funding opportunity 444-80-2774-02? 
    Answer: 
    If the applicant did not receive and award, they may apply again for the same or other service areas. If the applicant did receive the award, they may apply for a different eligible service area. No agency will be funded to serve more than three RPSA eligible service areas and no provider will receive more than one award for the same program in the same service area. This is the same program. This question was already posted and answered, I will add again and refer to this question and answer as being corrected. (Question 33 above)
  2. Question: The implementation timeline states that it should cover April 1, 2022 through June 30, 2024. For clarification, should we now provide a timeline from June 1, 2023 through June, 30, 2024?
    Answer:
    Yes. The timeline should be July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024. 
  3. Question: When will we be notified about the decision?
    Answer:
    Will try to notify everyone in June.
  4. Question: Should we combine our subrecipient's uniform grant budget to include the entirety of the program, or is it ok separated out in FY 23 and FY 24?
    Answer:
    As the NOFO does not specify, the subrecipient's Uniform Grant Budget will be accepted either way. 

April 5, 2023: 

  1. Question: For Attachment 4, should the timeline cover the 27-month period of 4/1/22 -  6/30/24, or a smaller time period since this is a second round of funding?
    Answer:
    See also #34 Provide a timeline from July 1, 2023 through June, 30, 2024.  
  2. Question: Should Attachment 5 and 6 include the entire 27-month period of 4/1/22 - 6/30/24
    Answer:
    Attachments 5 and 6 should cover a 12 month period, 7/1/23-6/30/24.
  3. Question: The instructions state that the Uniform Budget is not included in the 20 page limit, but to clarify - does the Budget Narrative section (worth 10 points) count towards the page limit, or does "Uniform Budget" reference Attachments 5 and 6?
    Answer:
    Yes the Budget Narrative in the scored section of the application DOES count toward the page limit. As outlined in Section D.3 the 20 pages does not include, "The Uniform  Application for State Grant Assistance, checklist, attachments, letters of  intent, and Uniform Budget ".