DCF Grant Application Opportunities

Synopsis:

We are pleased to announce that the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA), as part of the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP) has issued to states a historic investment for rape crisis centers and sexual assault programs to support sexual assault survivors impacted by the COVID-19 public health emergency. Feedback from local stand-alone sexual assault and dual domestic violence/sexual assault programs have made it clear that all programs and survivors they serve have been impacted somehow by the COVID-19 pandemic and can benefit from additional funds. Tribal Support Services for Sexual Assault Survivor funds will be distributed using this grant application process.

Eligible Applicants:

A tribal organization that provides intervention and related assistance to victims of sexual assault without regard to their age is eligible to apply. However, applications will only be accepted from tribal programs that do not currently receive Support Services for Sexual Assault Survivor funding through contract 437003-G22-0001955.

Issue Date:

January 2, 2023

Due Date and Time:

February 24, 2023, 11:59 p.m.

Documents and Comments

Please visit DCFs domestic abuse page to obtain materials and details, including contact information regarding this opportunity.

Synopsis:

The Department of Children and Families (DCF) is soliciting applications for projects within each of the programs listed below. Please see corresponding attachments in document section for additional program information.

• Refugee Support Services – Employment & Employability (RSS-E&E)
• Refugee Support Services – English as a Second Language (RSS-ESL)
• Refugee Support Services – Other Services (RSS-OS)
• Services to Older Refugees (SOR)
• Afghan Services to Older Refugees (ASOR)
• Refugee Medical Screening (RMS)
• Refugee Health Promotion (RHP)
• Afghan Refugee Health Promotion (ARHP)
• Afghan Health Promotion – Family Strengthening Initiative (AHP-FSI)
• Refugee Mental Health Initiative (ReMHI)
• Refugee Mental Health Initiative – Statewide Capacity Building (ReMHI-CB)

Eligible Applicants:

These applications are open to all who want to apply and meet the criteria listed in Section 4 of the specified Grant Applications Attachments A - Attachment K.

Issue Date:

May 3, 2022

Due Date and Time:

June 3, 2022 at 5:00 PM CST

Technical Assistance Conference:

Technical Assistance Conferences will be held for public interest on May 17, 2022 at 1:00 - 2:30 PM CST and May 20, 2022 at 9:00 - 10:30 AM. The May 20th conference is being held for anyone who did not have availability to attend the May 17th conference. Neither conference is mandatory. Please contact DCProcurement at dcfprocurement@wisconsin.gov for a Zoom meeting invite by May 16, 2022 at 4:00 PM CST for either meeting and please clarify which meeting date you would like an invite for.

Submission Instructions:

Please enter all applicant information in 2025 - Application Form. Read Attachments A-K and complete each attachment relevant to the program(s) for which you are applying. Complete the Budget and Annual Service Plan (Appendices 1 and 2) as instructed in Attachments A-K. Submit Application Form, relevant Attachments A-K, and Appendices 1 and 2 and email them in their original and unlocked document format (Microsoft Word or Excel) to DCFProcurement at dcfprocurement@wisconsin.gov. Please reference "437004-G23-0002025 Grant Application Submission" in your email subject line for submission.

Please note a question came up regarding the submission instructions, please see question #11 below for the question and answer.

Documents and Comments:

Please direct any questions regarding the 437004-G23-0002025 Grant Application to Luke Reible at dcfprocurement@wisconsin.gov

437004-G23-0002025 - Grant Application Form

437004-G23-0002025 - Appendix 1 - Annual Service Plan

437004-G23-0002025 - Appendix 2 - Budget - Revised Formula in AA46-61 & AB46-61 

*We have been notified of a small formula error with the revised Appendix 2 - Budget. We would like to assure you that any errors due to formulas will be corrected by DCF. Any such formula error will not count against anyone in the evaluation process. Please completely fill out Appendix 2- Budget doc in the white and yellow cells as instructed.*

437004-G23-0002025 - Attachment A - Refugee Support Services – Employment & Employability (RSS-E&E)

437004-G23-0002025 - Attachment B - Refugee Support Services – English as a Second Language (RSS-ESL)

437004-G23-0002025 - Attachment C - Refugee Support Services – Other Services (RSS-OS)

437004-G23-0002025 - Attachment D - Services to Older Refugees (SOR)

437004-G23-0002025 - Attachment E - Afghan Services to Older Refugees (ASOR)

437004-G23-0002025 - Attachment F - Refugee Medical Screening (RMS)

437004-G23-0002025 - Attachment G - Refugee Health Promotion (RHP)

437004-G23-0002025 - Attachment H -  Afghan Refugee Health Promotion (ARHP)

437004-G23-0002025 - Attachment I - Afghan Health Promotion – Family Strengthening Initiative (AHP-FSI)

437004-G23-0002025 - Attachment J - Refugee Mental Health Initiative (ReMHI)

437004-G23-0002025 - Attachment K - Refugee Mental Health Initiative – Statewide Capacity Building (ReMHI-CB)

Questions and Answers:

1. One of the allowable activities and services was for naturalization and citizenship preparation.  Do participants in a citizenship preparation program need to meet the 60 month eligibility requirement? 
The RSS grant requires that eligible populations are within 60 months of their date of arrival.  Due to the specifics of citizenship policy, individuals would be eligible to receive citizenship services beyond 60 months of their date of arrival.  This service is the one exception.  Most applicants will do citizenship services in addition to other services. If you will only be providing citizenship services, you would need to indicate how you are not replicating services in your area or how you would be sure to not duplicate services to the same clients. 

2. Since they cannot apply for citizenship until 57 months at the earliest, how would it work for programs to receive funding for citizenship preparation services?  Can we only count the participants we serve who have been here for less than 60 months?  Or would the 60 month eligibility requirement be waived for citizenship preparations services?
Citizenship is the exception; it can be provided beyond the 60 month mar.  Indicate how you will have access to the population served and what services you will provide.  The Service to Older Refugees (SOR) and Afghan Service to Older Refugees (ASOR) grants also have the possibility of providing citizenship services within them, but this is only one of the many allowable services under the SOR and ASOR grants.   

3. In the allocated amounts listed in the attachments, A-J, Dane County and Marathon County are listed at the exact same amounts each time.  Is that intentional and correct?
Yes, this is correct.  The funding levels were calculated based on the number of projected arrivals in each county.  It happened that both Dane County and Marathon County has similar total projected arrivals and so the funding levels available are the same for each grant.  

4. Please clarify this verbiage in attachments A and C under "allowable activities":  Attachment A (Refugee Support Services - Employment & Employability): "English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction, with an emphasis on English as it relates to obtaining and retaining a job. (While ESL is allowable under RSS-E&E, BRP will not award RSS-E&E funding for ESL.  Applicants who wish to receive funding for ESL should apply for the RSS-ESL program."
The funding for Refugee Support Services is split between the three main categories so that the applicants for employment services are not competing against applicants for ESL and vice versa as it relates to total funding available.  There are agencies that primarily provide employment services and may offer ESL as it relates to employment specifically but their offering of ESL is only one of many activities related to employment.  ESL under this grant are activities such as on the job language training, specific language training sessions to obtain a certain language skill level to start an employment offer or be considered for an employment opportunity, etc.  This type of applicant should apply under the E&E grant (Attachment A). 

Attachment B is for those interested in primarily providing ESL services as their main grant activity and not required to relate the ESL to employment and employability.  This grant is for those that provide general ESL services to adults.  Those agencies that mainly provide ESL services in a general teaching capacity should apply under RSS-ESL.  They may also apply under RSS-OS (other services) as applicable. 

5.  Please clarify this verbiage in attachments C under "allowable activities":  Attachment C (Refugee Support Services - Other Services): "English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction, without an emphasis on English as it relates to obtaining and retaining a job, or for non-employable participants in accordance with ORR Policy Letter 20-01.  (While ESL is allowable under RSS-OS, BRO will not award RSS-OS funding for ESL. Applicants who wish to receive funding for ESL should apply for the RSS-ESL program.)"
Attachment C is for those who wish to provide other services.  ESL can be one activity under other services but is not the only service that can be provided.  Agencies may be awarded for ESL if applying for the Attachment C other services.  However, that is not the main purpose of the other services grant.  ESL is one activity that is for purposes other than ESL related to E&E(Attachment A) OR general ESL (Attachment C).  The type of ESL that would be appropriate under Attachment C is citizenship classes or general ESL to adults not served under the general E&E application.  If applying for OS, the primary activity outlined should not be for ESL related to employment or employability and ESL would likely only be one of many activities provided under other services.  Examples include ESL for the purpose of citizenship and other services such as child care, transportation, outreach, etc. 

6. The bolded segments seem to contradict the rest of the text, and we want to be sure we understand, especially since we currently offer ESL services under both E&E and OS, for workforce English and English for citizenship, respectively.  Does the bolded text mean:  1. Providers should not apply for funding for general ESL services under E&E and OS? (But that workforce English and English for non-employable participants would be allowed?).  OR 2. Provers that offer ESL services (whether for employability, citizenship, or other purposes) should only apply for funding under Attachment B (Refugee Support Services - ESL)? That no funds for other services listed, A-J, will be put toward ESL services?
We have split up the funding to be funding for Employment and Employability, funding for ESL, and funding for other services.  There are clearly defined services and funding thresholds for each RSS bucket.  If you are interested in applying for more than one, you need to apply separately for each funding opportunity (Attachment A, B, C) but you must show how you meet the criteria to provide the priority services under each category.  For example, if you are applying for RSS-E&E, you must show how you will be helping clients with employment and employability activities.  If you are not an employment specialized agency, you likely would need to apply for one of the other RSS categories. 

With the change to split up funding for Employment and Employability separately from ESL, you would not be eligible to receive funding for Employment and Employability unless your primary focus was employment services.  ESL is an approved activity under the E&E funding, but it is one of many activities.  So, you would likely be eligible to apply for RSS-ESL.  

The structure has changed to split out Employment and Employability from ESL and Other Services.  There are now 3 funding buckets.  If you are providing primarily employment and employability services, you should apply for E&E and tell us all the activities you will conduct including Employment related to ESL.  If you are applying to conduct primarily general ESL services, you should apply for the ESL grant (Attachment B).  If you apply for one of these grants, you may also apply for Other services (Attachment C) to provide other services such as citizenship, etc. Yes, all ESL likely related to having greater skills to get a job but if your ESL program is not focused on employment and employability as the only reason you are offering ESL services, you should apply under RSS-ESL and RSS-OS.  

7. The level of fundng for my County appears to have decreased.  Why is that?
The level of funding per county was determined by projected arrivals in each county.  Those that will serve more arrivals will need more resources to do so.  We have also broken out the services typically provided under RSS into three categories:  1. RSS-Employment and Employability (E&E); 2. RSS-ESL; 3. RSS-Other Services (OS).

Each of the three categories have funding thresholds per county.  the purpose of doing this was so that agencies that will provide RSS employment and employability services are not competing against those that will provide ESL general services.  Each category has different funding buckets.  If you total the three buckets, you will see the total RSS funding for each county.  However, keep in mind that each bucket is there to define what services can be provided under each funding budget and how much funding is available in each bucket.  Agencies can apply for all three RSS grants if they are eligible and will be providing the services outlined in each category.  For example, if you will be providing E&E services, apply for the E&E grant with the cost of your services proposed.  This should be based on the projected arrivals and the number of services you will be providing.  If you would like to provide ESL services, you should apply separately for the RSS-ESL program.  You may also apply for the RSS-OS to provide all the other services that your agency will provide that are not related to Employment and Employability, such as information and referral, outreach, citizenship, social adjustment services (emergency services, health related services, home management services), etc.  Apply for the grants for which you are eligible and will be providing services.  

8. I request clarification on the current RSS grant award that we have, and whether it is presented in the new RFPs. I have carefully read the Mental Health Initiative, and the MH capacity Building requests, but I don't see the RSS portion that we are now operating.  I appreciate the clarification here.

The RSS-OS (Other Services) grant allows for mental health/behavioral health services under the Social Adjustment Services umbrella, Health Related Services Category. 

The ReMHI grant and ReMHI Capacity building grants are new grants this year, which can fund mental health services and mental health capacity building respectively. 

It is also possible to provide mental health services under RHP and ARHP, although RHP and ARHP grants are limited to refugee resettlement agencies (RAs) or licensed healthcare providers (e.g., clinics, hospitals).

The Five grants through which mental health services could be provided are: RSS-OS, ReMHI, ReMHI Capacity Building, RHP, ARHP. Read Section 2: Program Description to understand which types of organizations can apply for funding under each grant. To understand which services can be provided under each grant, read Section 5: Required and Allowable Services for each grant opportunity you are interested in.  It will be up to each organization to determine which grants they are eligible for and explain the types of services they are proposing in each grant application, be as specific as possible in the application. 

9. On the (RHP service plans) annual service plan – what is the pre and post service assessment? (located under RHP-OS and Afghan RHP)

The RHP program should focus on providing direct services for ORR-eligible populations to promote their health, both routinely and during time of crisis (e.g., pandemics). Activities may include: health education classes and targeted health outreach to individuals, medical and mental health navigation and support, and adjustment groups, skill-building networks, or peer support meetings.

Under the RHP and ARHP grants, pre and post tests are required for any activities and services that involve groups (wellness groups, peer support meetings, group health education classes, adjustment groups, skill building networks etc.) 

For any services and activities provided in a group format, grantees must:

1. Annually assess relevant health topics, activities, and identify target populations;
2. Provide services based on validated curricula, if available, effective interventions, or promising
practices;
3. Deliver services in a manner that participants will understand; and
4. Conduct pre and post-assessments of group activities and use the information to improve
program services

On the ASP, you should indicate how many pre and post tests you intend to administer. This should be based on how many individuals you plan to serve in group activities as indicated in your grant application. 

10. On RMS service plan – is the RMS funded by RMA (Medical assistance through the State of Wisconsin)?  We bill everything through State of Wisconsin Medicaid.

The RMS grant is for the administrative costs associated with Refugee Medical Screening. The RMS program funds activities and services related to the administration and coordination of initial medial screenings for refugees such as: coordinating medical screening appointments, transportation, interpretation, and translation services as described in ORR State Letter 12-13, ORR State letter 12-13 Guidance Clarification, and 45 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 400. The actual cost of the medical services provided are billed to clients’ health insurance directly (BC+, RMA, Medicaid) and not covered under this grant.

11. Should we be submitting an appendix for each application or just one file with all programs listed in file name since there are multiple tabs for programs in the file?

We can accept either.
i.    (Preferred) One file listing your organization’s name and the acronyms for each grant you are applying for in the file name . EX: ASP_Bureau of Refugee Programs_RSS EE_RSS OS_RHP_ARHP_SOR
ii.    Will accept multiple files with just one tab filled out.

12. We are in the process of finalizing our grant application.  On the Refugee Mental Health Initiative (ReMHI) application, Section 3: Awards and Funding Levels states "ReMHI funds will only be awarded to organizations who also apply for and are awarded funds from the RHP program."  Can you please clarify, does this mean that whoever is applying for ReMHI has to also apply for RHP? 

Yes, you must apply for RHP and be awarded funding for RHP to receive funds for ReMHI. The purpose of RHP is to promote health and wellbeing, which can be any number of services and activities. Applicants could propose mental health specific services in the way of education, wellness groups, support groups, etc. if applying for the RHP grant. More information is provided in the RHP grant application. RHP and ReMHI programs can be closely related in that ReMHI may build off of a proposed RHP program. In this instance, services could be similar while ensuring that there is a mental health focus in at least in the ReMHI program. The proposed RHP and ReMHI applications could also have different services proposed. It is up to the applicant to decide what services to provide in each grant while adhering to the grant requirements of each. What are the needs of the population you are proposing to serve? Ensure you are meeting and responding to the requirements of each grant. 

The ReMHI- Capacity building (CB) grant  does not require that the applicant also apply for the RHP or ReMHI grants. The ReMHI Capacity Building (CB) grant is designed to help one or two agencies increase the mental health capacity statewide so that more mental health and ReMHI allowable activities can be provided to the refugee population. If an organization is interested in applying for the ReMHI CB grant, they must submit an application that proposes to build capacity for mental health services statewide. Examples of types of services under this grant would be training and professional development of mental health professionals and/or mental health organizations. 

13. Is there match requirement for 2023? 

No match requirement for any of the grants on the RFA or Fiscal year 2023. 

14. The application states "The applicant must answer all questions in the budget narrative tab."  I'm having trouble finding a narrative tab on the budget form.  Can you please direct me to what this is referring to?  Thanks.

DCF confirms there is no budget narrative tab in Appendix 2 – Budget. We meant to remove "The applicant must answer all questions in the budget narrative tab." from attachments A-K, but apparently did not. So there is no budget narrative tab that you need to fill out and submit for this grant application.

*Please see the attached notes in links below from the two Technical Assistance calls, which included additional Q&A*

TA Call Notes 5-17-22

TA Call Notes 5-20-22