National CASA Association 2017 Local Grants Program Questions and Answers (Q&A) (October 27, 2017)

Transcription

1 National CASA Association 2017 Local Grants Program Questions and Answers (Q&A) (October 27, 2017) Grant Training Webinar Q1. A grant webinar was held on October 11, Where can I access materials from the webinar? A1. The webinar recording and PPT is posted on the CASAforChildren.org/National CASA Grants page: SA_Grants.htm for the duration of the application process period (i.e., October 31, 2017). Application Materials/Requirements Q2. I am having trouble downloading the application. A2. Applications must be downloaded using the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader. A free download of this software is available from the Adobe website: If you are having trouble completing the form on your computer, check to make sure you are using the latest version of Acrobat. A MAC operating system is not recommended for use in completing the grant application. We recommend that you allow additional time to download and familiarize yourself with the Acrobat program if you are a first-time user. Q3. I am having trouble typing in the text boxes. A3. After downloading the grant application, save it as an Adobe Acrobat Reader file in order to complete text boxes. Q4. Do we upload two files and how do I name the documents to be uploaded to the National CASA website? A4. You are only required to upload two files, the application and a single pdf of all applicable attachments. Name the documents as follows: Local Application and Attachments. For the Attachments file, scan all the required attachments in a single PDF format document, in the order noted on the application and instructions. Page 1 of 14

2 Q5. How do I upload the completed grant application and attachment? A5. Log in to the State and Local Programs section of the National CASA Association website (CASAforChildren.org) using your Program Number and password. On the left panel, click National CASA Grants to go to the Grants webpage. On the National CASA Grants page, click Learn more about applying. Once you are on the Local Program Grant opportunity page, in the right hand box there is a link to SUBMIT completed grant application and attachments. Make sure the correct document is uploaded in the correct upload box and name the documents Local Application and Attachments. The Program Number will automatically populate as the application identifier once the materials are successfully uploaded on National CASA Association s website. Please make sure to enter your correct address, as you will receive a confirmation once your documents are uploaded to our website. Q6. How can I make corrections after I have uploaded the files/documents? A6. Once you have uploaded the files/documents you will be able to: Go back to the SUBMIT completed grant application and attachments and upload the corrected versions of your documents. You can upload as many times as you want, we will only accept the latest upload of your documents. NOTE: Corrections/deletions must be made no later than the application due date and time (October 31, 5pm PST) to be considered for review. Q7. If a particular question in the application does not apply to our organization, what do we do? A7. Always enter a 0 for statistical boxes or type Not Applicable for text boxes so that the reviewer does not have to make an assumption about your answer. Q8. Some questions are duplicates of questions on the annual survey; can I attach the annual survey to the application? A8. No, applicants must fully complete the Adobe Acrobat grant application. Attaching the annual survey to the application as a response to questions is not acceptable. Q9. What if our local program is unable to obtain a letter of support from the state organization? A9. For the applications to be considered for funding, all local program applicants are required to submit a letter of support that meets the following criteria. The letter of support must include detail about the proposed project and activities and specify why the State Director supports the application. If the state organization does not have a State Director then the State Board Chair can provide the letter of support. For local programs in CT, HI, MA, MT, NV, OR or SD that do not have a state organization, then a letter of support is not required. Page 2 of 14

3 Q10. Does the authorized representative have to be a governing body/board member on Page 1? A10. Yes, no exceptions. The local program director cannot be listed as the authorizing representative. Q11. If we are under an umbrella organization, do we check yes to the question about working with an auxiliary on Page 2? A11. You would check Yes to Is the CASA program part of an umbrella organization? and you would check Yes to the follow-up question if your program can only receive grant funds through the umbrella. Q12. We have more than 30 staff that the table on Page 3 in the grant application allows; do we need to list each staff person? A12. Yes, use an additional Word document and attach as part of the single PDF attachment. Q13. Do we include peer coaches (peer coordinators) in the staff list? A13. No, only program staff need to be listed in the staff list and the number of volunteers they supervise if applicable to the position. You may use Question #8 of the Program Information section to note the use of peer coordinators in your program. Q14. For the staff list column labeled Total # of Volunteers Supervised should we list the actual # currently supervised or # that staff position has the capacity to supervise? A14. The total number of current supervised volunteers should be listed. Q15. For the Court/judicial statistics on Page 4 of the grant application, do we have to list all the jurisdictions we serve or just the ones we want to serve with the grant funds Page 4? A15. You have to list all the jurisdictions you serve. You can list the jurisdiction(s) you want to serve with the grant funds in the project abstract and project need and other applicable sections throughout the application. Q16. Will programs that have a high amount of reserves be penalized? A16. No. The grant review process is competitive however a high amount of reserves will not cause an applicant to be penalized. The applicant can take the opportunity to provide an explanation for the reserves in Question 7 under Program Information on Page 5. All aspects of the application will be taken into consideration during the review. Page 3 of 14

4 Q17. For population served, do you want the year to date or last fiscal year information on demographics - Question 2 on Page 6? A17. Current information is always preferred. If your program has year to date information, it would be better to indicate current information. Q18. If there is a gap between the demographics of CASA/GAL volunteers and children served, does my program have to provide a diversity plan? If so, why? Does National CASA have examples of diversity plans that I can use? A18. Yes. A diversity plan is required if there is a gap between the demographics of CASA/GAL volunteers and children served. The grant requirement for an explanation of any gaps is a reflection of our commitment to the national standard that CASA/GAL volunteers reflect the children served. It is also in support of the requirements from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) at the U.S. Department of Justice that call for our network to increase the number of volunteer advocates from diverse backgrounds recruited by CASA/GAL programs as well as to increase the number of children of color advocated for by a CASA/GAL volunteer. Sample diversity plans can be found on the standards page of the National CASA website (CASAforChildren.org) under the Indicators of compliance examples link. The direct link is: Quality_Assurance.htm Standard 3: Inclusiveness and Diversity Inclusiveness and Diversity Plan o Sample 1 (139 KB PDF) - nonprofit o Sample 2 (19 KB PDF) - general audience o Sample 3 (250 KB PDF) - nonprofit o Sample 4 (91 KB PDF) - nonprofit o Sample 6 (185 KB PDF) tribal Q19. The application instructions include a Financial Sustainability Plan and template. Are applicants required to use the template provided? A19. The Financial Sustainability Plan template that has been provided is a SAMPLE ONLY. Applicants may opt to use this template but are permitted to present the plan in another table/worksheet format as long as the plan is thorough and detailed. Page 4 of 14

5 General Eligibility Requirements Q20. What are the general eligibility requirements? A20. All applicants must be members in good standing with the National CASA Association. This includes current paid membership for 2017, completion of the 2016 Annual Survey and six-month reporting, and compliance with the National CASA Standards as demonstrated through the self-assessment process. Additionally, all applicants must commit to working in close partnership with the National CASA Association during the grant period and must complete monthly financial reporting, quarterly volunteer and children counts, narrative reporting, and regular calls with National CASA Association staff as determined necessary. Q21. Can a program with provisional membership apply for this National CASA funding opportunity? A21. No. Only programs with a full membership status that also meet all other stated criteria are eligible to apply for this funding opportunity. Provisional members are not eligible to apply. Q22. Can an Auxiliary organization apply for a National CASA Grant? A22. No. An Auxiliary organization cannot apply for a National CASA Grant however the Auxiliary can write or assist to prepare the grant application for an eligible local program or state organization. The applicant has to be the program that is implementing the grant-funded activity. Auxiliaries cannot apply for grants with their National CASA Program ID number. Q23. What if our program has not gone through the Self-Assessment process with National CASA Association? A23. If an applicant is not current with the self-assessment process due to no fault of the applicant's, this would not be held against/penalize the applicant. If however an applicant is not in compliance due to an issue on the applicant's behalf, this will be taken into consideration and cause an application to be deemed ineligible due to the applicant not being in good standing with the National CASA Association. Q24. Can my program apply for a National CASA Association grant if we are a prior awardee? A24. Yes. All local programs and state organizations that directly serve abused and neglected children with volunteer advocates and meet all other eligibility requirements can apply for this funding opportunity however priority may be given to programs that have not been funded by National CASA within the last three (3) years (2015, 2016 and 2017). Page 5 of 14

6 Q25. Can a program apply for a National CASA Association local grant if the program was awarded a Youth Advocacy grant in 2017? A25. Yes. Programs that were awarded a Youth Advocacy grant in 2017 can apply for this funding opportunity however priority may be given to programs that have not been funded by National CASA within the last three (3) years (2015, 2016 and 2017). If awarded, the number of new volunteers activated and new children served cannot be duplicated with the Youth Advocacy grant. Q26. Can my program apply for a National CASA Association grant if we have never received an award before or if it has been several years since we last received a grant? A26. Yes. All local programs and state organizations that directly serve abused and neglected children with volunteer advocates and meet all other eligibility requirements can apply for this funding opportunity. Past grant performance, among other factors specified in grant application materials, will be taken into account during the review process, but is not the sole determining factor. A number of requirements and criteria will be considered during the review process and these items can be found in the grant application materials. Q27. Can a state organization apply for any of these local grant categories? A27. Only state organizations that directly serve abused and neglected children with volunteer advocates can apply however priority may be given to programs that have not been funded by National CASA within the last three (3) years (2015, 2016 and 2017). Q28. Are applications from joint applicants (e.g., three collaborating programs) or from a lead agency/fiscal agent in partnership with other programs allowed for the maximum or any award amount? A28. No. For this funding opportunity, separate applications are required from each program applying for its own grant amount. The Project Approach in the application however can describe the collaborative effort with other programs where applicable. Please note that funding of one application does not guarantee funding to all stated collaborators or submitted applications. Q29. Can a program that is mandated to serve 100% of abused and neglected children, or currently serving a high majority of children, apply for this funding opportunity if the program has capacity or growth needs specific only to the number of volunteers? A29. Yes. A 100%-mandated or high-percentage serving program may apply for this funding opportunity however all applicants must meet the numbers of new activated volunteers and new children served by volunteers as required for the respective funding levels (see Table 1 below). Page 6 of 14

7 Q30. Can a program apply for this funding opportunity for the purpose of providing CASAs to delinquency cases as opposed to dependency cases (i.e., abused and neglected children) if the need for expansion is with delinquency cases? A30. No. A program may not apply for this funding opportunity to provide CASAs/GALs for delinquency cases. National CASA s mission and strategic framework are specific to serving abused and neglected children. Q31. Can a program apply for this funding opportunity for the purpose of serving probationary youth? A31. No. A program can only apply for this funding opportunity to provide CASAs/GALs to serve abused and neglected children. Grant Categories/Awards Q32. What are the grant categories, how much can a program apply for and how many awards will you provide in each category? A32. This year, National CASA Association is pleased to award competitive grants in two categories that align with our strategic framework. Grant Category Award Amounts Funding Available Eligible Applicants Local Grant for Rural/Tribal programs $15,000 $75,000 Up to $500,000 Local programs and state organizations that directly serve abused and neglected children with volunteer advocates Local Grant for Urban/Suburban programs *One year funding availability $15,000 $75,000 Up to $500,000 Local programs and state organizations that directly serve abused and neglected children with volunteer advocates Page 7 of 14

8 Q33. How should a program determine how much or which grant category to apply for? A33. Applicants should select the local program category that corresponds with the categorical description self-reported in the program s completed 2016 National CASA annual survey. Applicants should take into consideration the number of volunteers activated and children served as required by National CASA for each level of funding (see Table 1 below). Table 1 Funding Goal Requirements # of New Volunteer Advocates Activated (i.e., assigned to a case) # of Additional Children to be Served (i.e., assigned a CASA/GAL volunteer) $ 5,000 Request 4 10 $10,000 Request 8 19 $20,000 Request $30,000 Request $40,000 Request $50,000 Request $60,000 Request $70,000 Request $75,000 Request The minimum amount that can be requested/will be awarded is $5,000 The maximum amount that can be requested/will be awarded is $75,000 Q34. Regarding Table 1, does this mean that the new volunteers each have to be assigned 2.5 new children? A34. No. All new volunteers have to be trained and assigned at least one new child, but do not have to be assigned more than one child. The additional new children can be served by existing volunteers who are available for an assignment. Page 8 of 14

9 Q35. Can new volunteers be assigned to older children who do not have a CASA volunteer? A35. New volunteers or existing volunteers can be assigned to older children (or children of any age), as long as it is a new assignment that is within the grant period and an assignment to an abused or neglected child. Q36. Can a program apply for an award amount not specifically listed in Table 1 (e.g., $35,000)? A36. Yes. A program can apply for an amount other than those listed in the table. The request must be within the range. The applicant should calculate or prorate the # of new volunteers and # of additional children. The request amount divided by determines the # of volunteers required per request amount [e.g., $35,000 / = (27 volunteers)]. The volunteers to children ratio is 1:2.5 (e.g., 27 x 2.5 = 67.5 (68 children). Q37. New volunteer numbers, does that encompass the full year? Is it an increase over the one year period or is it over the base number at the beginning of the year? A37. The number of new volunteers and number of additional children served will be the increase during the grant period, i.e., if your base number of volunteers is 1,000 at January 1, 2018 then by December 31, 2018 you should have increased to at least 1,015 volunteers for example, if you are applying for the $20,000 grant. Q38. If you do not make your goal with the number of new volunteers assigned and new children served is there a penalty? A38. National CASA is interested in programs being successful, not imposing penalties if the numbers are not met. To that end, if are awarded a grant, programs are required to submit quarterly volunteer/children numbers. We will monitor progress and offer support and/or elicit suggestions from the program about how to redirect your efforts to be successful. Q39. The chart in the program statistics requires 2014, 2015 and 2016 numbers. Is there a place to note 2017 numbers? Or is the comparison to 2016? A39. If you have your 2017 numbers, you should state that in the Question 8 on Page 5 to provide the reviewer with current program statistics. Q40. Is this grant opportunity a multi-year funding opportunity? A40. No. This funding opportunity is not considered a multi-year funding opportunity. The 12-month grant period is from January 1, 2018 December 31, Programs applying for funding should have a detailed sustainability plan describing support of the project and position(s) after the grant period ends. Page 9 of 14

10 Q41. What if in the county we want to impact is rural primarily but we are categorized as suburban in the annual survey. A41. You have to categorize your program as per your indication in the 2016 Annual Survey. You can however describe the county that you are planning on serving with these grant funds in the project need section and indicate the category of the area(s). Q42. Are there other ways that impact is measured beyond percentages of need served? Specifically for areas that have very high need. A42. As an applicant, you are encouraged provide use the information (i.e. data, narrative, statistics) that adequately describe the need for the areas that you want to serve in the Project Need section. Provide the information needed to illustrate the compelling need. Grant Budget Narrative Q43. Can a portion of the grant funds be used to hire a consultant to work on a special initiative? A43. Yes. A portion of the grant funds can be used to hire a consultant if the consulting work is integral to the project resulting in more volunteers activated and additional children served. Please reference instructions for allowable activities for consultants and ineligible expenses. Q44. Can the grant be charged for the oversight of the grant, example 10% of the ED s salary who will manage the grant. A44. Yes, a percentage of time can for oversight of the grant can be charged to the grant. The narrative portion of the application must support any and all expenses noted. Q45. Can you please clarify what is by meant by this, Due to National CASA working toward the launch of a national marketing campaign in 2018, we will not fund activities that may be a duplication of this effort. What are some permissible expenses related to the advertising restriction? A45. PSA s, or Public Service Announcements, whether in print or radio, are acceptable because by nature they are free media. A budget line item for paid traditional media placements (print ads, billboards, radio spots, TV) would not be allowed. Grant funds can be used to: Develop or update a website Hire staff to manage or recruit more volunteers (or otherwise increase the organization s capacity to serve additional children) Print additional copies of existing volunteer recruitment materials for immediate use and distribution Page 10 of 14

11 Place time-restricted online ads to drive immediate volunteer recruitment (using existing brand-aligned creative) Grow earned media exposure Develop program-level content (such as impact stories) in any medium that aligns with existing campaigns or collateral materials Reach likely volunteers with existing material/creative assets through social media, including boosting posts and paying for highly targeted ads to reach specific audience segments Grant funds cannot be used to: Hire videographers, photographers or agencies to create new (or update existing) campaigns Pay for advertising placements (notwithstanding social media and short-term web placements mentioned above) that focus on program awareness Q46. Recruitment and Outreach are limited to $500 maximum? Are these marketing costs? A46. The $500 limit is for any items that you give away during recruitment events, such as logo pens, mugs, pins, etc.). Q47. What is the cap for equipment? A47. The maximum limit is $2,000 for equipment such as computer hardware, software, printers and LCD projectors. Purchase of copier machines is not allowed with grant funds. Q48. We are on a fiscal year January through December, would the current budget be our income and expenses from 2016 or 2017? A48. The current budget for 2017/the current year your program is operating. Q49. Current budget is it fiscal or calendar year? A49. You can use whichever period your program uses and indicate the period at the top portion of the Current Budget on Page 23. Page 11 of 14

12 Timeline/Review Process Q50. What is the application process timeline? Monday, October 2, 2017 Grant Applications and Instructions available for download on the grants page of CASAforChildren.org Wednesday, October 11, :30 am PST Local Grants Technical Assistance (Q&A) Webinar Tuesday, October 31, pm PST Grant Application and Attachments Due Thursday, November 30, 2017 Local Grants announced (tentative date) Page 12 of 14

13 Q51. What is the scoring criteria for the 2017 Local grant applications? A51. Below is the score card for the 2017 local grant applications that the reviewers will be utilizing to review your grant application. Sections Headings / Application Page References Point Value Summary Sheet & Program Information / Pages Organizational Information / Pages Project Need / Pages Project Approach / Pages Project Management / Page Evaluation and Sustainability / Pages Grant Budget Narrative & Summary / Pages Program Reporting / Pages Current Budget / Page 23 5 Q52. Who will review the 2017 Local grant applications? TOTAL POINTS 100 A52. Grant applications will be reviewed by National CASA staff with knowledge of the CASA/GAL network of programs. Review will be conducted based on standardized criteria as outlined in the grant application and instructions. Potential reviewers with a conflict of interest for any category will be excluded from reviewing individual applications. Page 13 of 14

14 Q53. What is the grant period? A53. The grant period for this funding opportunity is January 1, 2018 December 31, Technical Assistance Q54. I have questions about my grant application. Who should I contact at National CASA Association? A54. Inquiries about the grant application or process should be directed to GrantsPolicy@casaforchildren.org. Membership status questions should be directed to MemberServices@casaforchildren.org. Annual and 6-month surveys should be directed to Survey@casaforchildren.org Page 14 of 14