2811 Questions and Answers

Community Integrated Employment Capacity Notice of Funding Opportunity

Questions and Answers 

1. Because of the language of this grant current grantees who have a grant amount over $100,000 are clarifying if they are disqualified from applying for this grant. Can you clarify, if it meant any grant at all or a grant for similar purposes? Less than $100,001 with DRS or any agency?
   Agencies which hold contracts with the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) Division of Rehabilitation Services (DRS) specifically for Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) which, in total, exceed $100,000 are not eligible to apply for the CIEC Grant.
   Examples of DRS VR contracts include Milestone, Supported Employment - Time Limited and Customized Employment.
2. Can the Notice of Funding Opportunity be sent via mail?
   Per the NOFO (D. Application and Submission Information), interested parties may request paper copies of the materials via: 
   Erica O'Neal
   Bureau of Reimbursement and Program Support, Division of Developmental Disabilities
   Illinois Department of Human Services
   600 East Ash, Building 400
   Springfield, IL 62703
   Email:  DHS.DDDBCR@illinois.gov
3. The NOFO states that: "Application should be no more than 25 pages." (pg. 19). Could you please clarify whether or not that page limit includes all mandatory forms/attachments or if it is specific to the Program Plan/Narrative? In other words, does this page limit apply to the Uniform Application for State Grant Assistance, Uniform Grant Budget Template, and Indirect Cost Rate Information, as well as the Program Plan/Narrative?
   No, the Program Plan/Narrative is separate from the mandatory forms/attachments (Uniform Application for State Grant Assistance, the Uniform Grant Budget Template, etc. When we say the application should be no more than 25 pages, we are specifically referring to the Program Plan/Narrative as outlined in the NOFO (section D. Application and Submission Information, 2. Content and Form of Application Submission).
4. Where can I find the link for the Notice of Funding Opportunity.
   Please see here for the link to all FY22 Division of Developmental Disabilities' Grants:  https://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=132996.  Please see here for the link to the CIEC NOFO specifically:  https://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=138835. 
5. I was reading the instructions for GOMBGATU-3002-(R-02-17), Uniform Grant Budget Template, and I'm confused on the process for a multi-year project. I'm not seeing the column referenced that refers to the specific FY in Section A. I've attached a blank version of the document for reference. "All applicants must complete Section A and provide a break-down by the applicable budget categories shown in lines 1-17. Eligible applicants requesting funding for only one year should only complete the column under "Year 1." Eligible applicants requesting funding for multi-year grants should complete all applicable columns.". I've attached a screenshot of Section A. I am not seeing the Year 1 Column or the applicable columns for a multi-year grant request. Additionally, once we get to page 10 (first line item), how are we describing the line items by FY? Would we do a separate line item per FY? For example, in Personnel would I explain the personnel costs of each person by FY (Staff Member FY22; Staff Member FY23). Or we would we do one line for the cost and in the narrative explain it broken down by FY?
   The "Budget and Cost Justification" section of the Program Plan/Narrative should include: * Thorough and clear justification and narrative for all proposed line-item expenditures.
   • • All expenditures and program costs are reasonable and allowable.
     • Financial Quotes for all proposed training and certification should be included with the proposal.
     • Administrative costs are no more than 10% of the proposed budget.
     • Proposed staffing is sufficient to address customer projections (no higher than 1:15 staff ratio) * Where available, supplemental or companion funding is clearly identified
   • This section includes the entire budget for all CIEC NOFO Grant years. Separate GOMBGATU-3002-(R-02-17) Uniform Grant Budget Templates should be developed for each Fiscal Year of the CIEC NOFO.
6. The personnel worksheet asks for "Length of Time" for each position. Not sure what that means. Does that mean: if we plan on bringing them in at the beginning of the two year and three month period it would be 27 months. If they come in after the first year it would be 15 months.
   The "Length of Time" is calculated against the responses in the 3 previous columns (listed below) to determine "Personnel Cost" "% of Time" "Basis (Yr/Mo/Hr)" "Salary Or Wage" Separate GOMBGATU-3002-(R-02-17) Uniform Grant Budget Templates should be developed for each Fiscal Year of the CIEC NOFO.
7. I am the XXXXXXXXXXXXXX. We are interested in increasing capacity in our Career Services department. I have reviewed the Competitive Integrated Employment Capacity Grant and have a question about eligibility. XXXXXXX has both Milestone and SEP grants from DRS. At the beginning of FY22, those grants amounted to a total of $73,740 ($49,740 Milestone grant and $24,000 SEP grant). In September we applied for, and received, an amendment to our SEP grant that increased that grant amount to $82,050. Combined with the Milestone grant this puts XXXXXXX over the threshold of $100,001 that is described in the grant. I am concerned about missing the opportunity to participate in this grant because we have no guarantee from DRS that this amended contract amount will be annualized moving forward. So, we may miss the requirements for participating in this grant and also not have growth capacity moving forward due to the inability to annualize the DRS amounts. Is there any consideration for cases like this?
   Even if the organization has not fully achieved the new contract amount, with the amendment approved in September, the agency's current contracts with DRS are in excess of the threshold identified in the NOFO - meaning eligibility criteria have not been met.
8. • For the budget template - if we are asking for the full amount of award ($625,000) that should be considered in the budget template for two fiscal years (FY'22 & FY'23) and nothing for the final quarter of FY'22, correct?
   • Since I do not have a negotiated Indirect Cost rate, I am assuming it is in my best interest for this template to opt I will not be using indirect costs for this project? 
   • If I do not have Indirect Cost line - it appears I cannot claim any "occupancy" costs since there is no new rent of space, just a shared space of existing buildings?
   • I am assuming I do not need to complete the section B - Non-State funds for this project?
   • Finally, assuming I do not need to complete the FFATA since I am not sub-contracting any services through this program.
     Proposed budgets: Should include items associated with all years of the CIEC Grant Program that the applicant expects to incur cost and should include:
     • a. Personnel, directly associated with CIEC grant - salaries and fringe (FY 22, FY 23)
     • b. Cost of travel associated with staff engaged in CIEC grant activities
     • c. Cost of marketing materials
     • d. Cost of outreach events
     • e. Cost of chosen training approved by ACRE
     • f. Costs of CESP
     • g. Cost of accreditation to meet DRS CRP requirement
     • h. Program administration (not to exceed 10% of total budget)
   • Indirect costs:
     • There is no limit to indirect costs for this NOFO.
     • Annually, each organization receiving an award from a State grant making agency is required to record an indirect cost rate election through the Grantee Portal or negotiate an indirect cost rate through the Indirect Cost Rate System. Indirect costs cannot be compensated without an election or a negotiated rate being on file with the State of Illinois.
     • If indirect costs are included in the budget, and the applicant has a currently-approved NICRA, please ensure the NICRA has been uploaded in the State of Illinois Indirect Cost System if indirect costs are included in the proposed budget.
   • Section B: Since there is no match required, proposed budgets are not required to have a non-state portion. FFATA: Only requests in which sub-recipients receive more than $30,000 require FFATA Data Collection
9. Quick question. The application is 25 pages for the narrative. Does that include the Executive Summary in those 25 pages? Or does the 25 pages only refer to the Program Plan Narrative (Need, Capacity, Quality of Program/Services, Budget & Cost Justification), excluding the executive summary? If the Ex. Summary is not part of the 25 pages, is there a limit on how long it can be? Clearly, an executive summary would be short (maybe 3-5 pages), but I wanted to make sure there wasn't something I was missing.
   The Executive Summary and Program Plan/Narrative combined length should be no more than 25 pages and meet the following conditions: minimal font of 12-size, one-inch margins, pages displaying page numbers and single spaced. The Uniform Application for State Grant Assistance and Grant Budget portions do not count against the 25 page limit.
10. We are registered both with GATA and SAM, but are not familiar with the ICQ. How would we find that, and what is the process for submission?
    As the NOFO states, the ICQ can be accessed through the GATA Grantee Portal. The ICQ is required to be completed before the grant is awarded, but not before the application is submitted.
11. Are there any other pre-qualification requirements that we need to be aware of?
    All requirements, both prequalification and pre-award, are included in the published NOFO. Pre-qualification and pre-award are distinct and have different timelines.
12. Typically, are there word limits on the narrative, or just a page limit?
    While there is no defined word limit for the Program Narrative, the information submitted must be legible with a minimum font size of 12. The page count may not exceed 25. 
13. Is a preferred format for the narrative bullet points or paragraphs?
    There is no preferred format for the narrative other than what is provided in the NOFO: Minimal font of 12-size, 1-inch margins, page numbers displayed and single-spaced.
14. Is preferred submission of the entire grant one complete PDF or separate attachments?
    Please separate and label each document accordingly. Send the entire, completed, NOFO packet in one email.
15. Is there anything an organization should know or be aware of as a first time applicant?
    Information on grants, including frequently asked questions, can be found on the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act website/
16. Finally, can you please confirm deadline date? I had read 2/1 on the website, but 2/15 in the DDD communications.
    The application deadline has been extended to February 28, 2022. Application Review is March 1, 2022 through March 15, 2022 and Anticipated Start Date is April 15, 2022.
17. I was trying to find some instructions for this form and I found some that was for a different program (link below). I wanted to make sure I was understanding page 3, line 45 correctly. For example, since this grant does not require match then it's fine to have $0.00 in the Applicant Contribution section. I was also wondering what was meant by program income.
    Other UASGAs should not be used as reference for the CIEC. This grant does NOT require an in-kind or financial match requirement (#6 under "Other" from CIEC) The CIEC does not request "Program Income"
18. XXXXXXXXXXXXX is appreciative of the opportunity presented in the Competitive Integrated Employment Capacity Grant NOFO, #22-444-88-2811. We are excited about the possibilities it brings to the community and are very interested in submitting a proposal. However, there is one question we would like to ask prior to the submission. As you are aware, XXXXXXXXXXX has a long-standing history of providing employment services to the community. We currently operate three contracts with DRS: milestone, SEP, and are one of the pilot providers of the Customized Employment program. Combined, these contracts are more than the NOFO limit of $100,001. However, we would like to focus our response to the NOFO on our Customized Employment services whose contract is less than $100,001. Would we be eligible to submit a proposal utilizing only the DRS Customized Employment services contract? If you are not the contact for this question it would be appreciated if you could direct us to the correct person. Thank you for your assistance in this matter. We look forward to hearing from you soon.
    Agencies which hold contracts with the Division of Rehabilitation Services specifically for Vocational Rehabilitation which, in total, exceed $100,000 are not eligible to apply for the CIEC Grant.
19. I am completing the budget portion of the CIE Grant application and I read in the NOFO that we would have to participate in a DDD-sponsored CIEC Community of Practice. I'm not entirely sure what those would be, I can't find anything on the IDHS website (or any other for that matter) that would tell me what these are so I can budget for them appropriately. Would you be able to provide some guidance on this?
    Generally, Communities of Practice (CoP) are groups of individuals, who share a common concern, interest, problem or opportunity, who meet regularly to share commonalities and experiences. The CIEC CoP will rely on collaborative meetings with a focus on advancing best practice and strategies to increase Competitive Integrated Employment.
20. On the last page of the NOFO, it lists under Section H "Mandatory Forms." Where do we find the following forms: Uniform State Grant Application, Program Plan/Narrative Form, and Indirect Cost Information Form? All we have seen to be able to access is the Budget Template because that was linked in the NOFO.
    CIEC NOFO Section D provides either links to or descriptions of the following:
    • Uniform Application for State Grant Assistance
    • Program Plan/Narrative (also referenced in CIEC NOFO Section E) \
    • Uniform Grant Budget Template
    • Indirect Cost Rate Information (also referenced in CIEC NOFO Section C and in the Uniform Grant Budget Template)
21. Our organization is accredited by CARF (Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Services). Under which section in the budget should this be included?
    Proposed budgets may include the cost of accreditation to meet DRS CRP requirement in Category 14 of the Uniform Grant Budget Template - "Other or Miscellaneous Costs"
22. Our organization will use Therap's Employment Module to track data, notes, etc. for participants. Under which section in the budget should this be included?
    • Proposed budgets should include the following:
      • Personnel, directly associated with CIEC grant - salaries and fringe (FY 22, FY 23)
      • Cost of travel associated with staff engaged in CIEC grant activities
      • Cost of marketing materials
      • Cost of outreach events
      • Cost of chosen training approved by ACRE
      • Costs of CESP * Cost of accreditation to meet DRS CRP requirement
      • Program administration (not to exceed 10% of total budget)
    • Budget items which do not directly fall within the above categories may be referenced elsewhere in the Uniform Grant Budget Template but may not be considered applicable if outside the scope of the project.
23. The NOFO states that admin costs cannot exceed 10% of the proposed budget. Is that only Direct Admin (Line 13)? Or is that Direct Admin + Indirect Admin (Line 17)? Sorry if my confusion is conflating Indirect Costs with admin (other grant programs conflate the terms). For example, we are taking 10% De Minimis for each FY by our calculated pool. Additionally, we can apply the 10% De Minimis for each FY, correct? Or is it the 10% De Minimis applied to the entire 3 FY grant (which would then be split across the 3 FYs)?
    Total Administrative costs may not exceed 10% of the budget across any given year and in total.
24. The last bullet point states to identify companion funding, where available. However, the NOFO states that there is no cost sharing and that cost sharing is not a part of the scoring criteria for the grant. Could you provide some guidance on this?
    While there is no cost sharing or match required for the CIEC Grant, applicants must identify any supplemental or companion funding that will be used to support activities.
25. I was reading the instructions for GOMBGATU-3002-(R-02-17), Uniform Grant Budget Template, and I'm confused on the process for a multi-year project. I'm not seeing the column referenced that refers to the specific FY in Section A. I've attached a blank version of the document for reference. "All applicants must complete Section A and provide a break-down by the applicable budget categories shown in lines 1-17. Eligible applicants requesting funding for only one year should only complete the column under "Year 1." Eligible applicants requesting funding for multi-year grants should complete all applicable columns." I've attached a screenshot of Section A. I am not seeing the Year 1 Column or the applicable columns for a multi-year grant request. Additionally, once we get to page 10 (first line item), how are we describing the line items by FY? Would we do a separate line item per FY? For example, in Personnel would I explain the personnel costs of each person by FY (Staff Member FY22; Staff Member FY23). Or we would we do one line for the cost and in the narrative explain it broken down by FY? Also, would a phone call be easier to address this?
    • The "Budget and Cost Justification" section of the Program Plan/Narrative should include:
      • Thorough and clear justification and narrative for all proposed line-item expenditures.
      • All expenditures and program costs are reasonable and allowable.
      • Financial Quotes for all proposed training and certification should be included with the proposal.
      • Administrative costs are no more than 10% of the proposed budget
      • Proposed staffing is sufficient to address customer projections (no higher than 1:15 staff ratio)
      • Where available, supplemental or companion funding is clearly identified.
        This section includes the entire budget for all Grant years. Separate GOMBGATU-3002-(R-02-17) Uniform Grant Budget Templates should be developed for each Fiscal Year of the CIEC NOFO. For further information on allowable and unallowable expense please review 2CFR200. All questions regarding the NOFO and processes must be completed in writing.
26. I was wondering whether or not food for staff at meetings regarding the planning stages of the CIEC grant is an eligible expense. I was wondering if it would go under Supplies (List items by type (office supplies, postage, training materials, copying paper, and other expendable items such as books, hand held tape recorders) and show the basis for computation. Generally, supplies include any materials that are expendable or consumed during the course of the project.) I checked 2 CFR 200 for some more clarification. Supplies means all tangible personal property other than those described in the definition of equipment in this section. A computing device is a supply if the acquisition cost is less than the lesser of the capitalization level established by the non-Federal entity for financial statement purposes or $5,000, regardless of the length of its useful life. See also the definitions of computing devices and equipment in this section. Personal property means property other than real property. It may be tangible, having physical existence, or intangible. Illinois Department of Revenue states the following:
    "Tangible personal property" exists physically (i.e., you can touch it) and can be used or consumed. Clothing, vehicles, jewelry, and business equipment are examples of tangible personal property. Sales and use taxes apply when tangible personal property is used or consumed in Illinois. Paper assets that represent value, such as stock certificates, bonds, and franchises, are not tangible property. Food does have a physical existence (i.e., tangible) and it can be consumed. Would it be fine to list on Supplies in the GATA budget?
    Though food is tangible, food is not allowed for personal use, of office employees. At this time your budget should be a proposed budget for each fiscal year, using the information provided in the 2CFR200 Federal Grants rules (allowable and unallowable expenses). Once a grantee is selected and budget is proposed officially, for the grant, my unit will review all of the expenditures and work with you, in order to approve the budget with allowed expenses and descriptions. Please see the updated Q & A for additional responses to questions you may have!