Frequently Asked Questions to the Southern HIV Impact Fund Request for Proposals Updated August 12, 2017 This document addresses frequently asked questions related to the Southern HIV Impact Fund Request for Proposals announced in August 2017. We will update the following questions periodically until the proposal deadline and will repost them on our website. Eligibility 1. My organization is not located in one of the nine southern states listed in the RFP. Can we still apply for Southern HIV Impact Fund funding? No, if your organization is not located in one of the nine southern states named in the RFP, you cannot apply for funding through this initiative. 2. We are an organization that works in one or more of the nine Southern states listed in your RFP, but we are based in another part of the country. Are we eligible to apply? Your organization is welcome to apply for funding if you maintain a staffed office in one or more of those Southern states. Remember that organizations may only apply for one grant. So, if you have multiple southern offices, you will need to choose one project for which to apply for funding. Regardless, you will need to make sure that all grant monies you would receive for this grant would go to your office in the eligible state(s) and that no funding would support your national headquarters. However, if you have branch offices that have their own independent tax-exempt status, they would be eligible to apply for a Southern HIV Impact Fund grant independently of and separate from your national office grant. 3. We are a public health department, other government agency, or a university-based program. Can we apply for funding? As long as your organization is tax-exempt or has a fiscal sponsor with a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt designation, your organization is eligible to apply. 4. Is there a formula being used for funding distribution (i.e. each state will have at least one funded proposal)? No. AIDS United and the External Review Committee for the Southern HIV Impact Fund do not have or utilize a formula for determining funding distribution. Furthermore, there is no minimum funding level per eligible Southern state/area. Applications are reviewed and scored based on their own merits and the reviewers are responsible for making funding decisions that are best for the region. 5. What if we do not have a Board of Directors? If the organization does not have a Board of Directors, please send your fiscal sponsor s board of directors list. If neither is available, a detailed letter of explanation is required. Application and Deadlines 6. You ask for a Total Project Budget. To what does this refer? This field asks you for the total amount budgeted for your entire project, including both AIDS United and other funding sources. For instance, if you apply for $50,000 in funding from this initiative for a project, which also has $25,000 in funding from other sources, your Total Project Budget is $75,000.
7. Our organization s fiscal year is different than the Southern HIV Impact Fund grant year stated in the RFP. Can we use Southern HIV Impact Fund funding over the period of our fiscal year instead? No. Funding may only be used during the specified grant year: December 1, 2017 through November 30, 2018. All grant funds must be expended and all project objectives must be met before the grant period end date. 8. The RFP asks for an organization budget. What does this need to include? Your organization budget needs to reflect both revenue and expenses for your agency s current fiscal year. Please do not submit outdated budgets and do not send us a copy of part of your audit. 9. The RFP asks for the diversity table to be completed. Should this information reflect the diversity of the project staff or organizational staff overall? The diversity table should reflect the diversity of the overall organization, including management personnel. Clarifying definitions of different types of organizational staff have been provided in the diversity table instructions. 10. Why do we need to list the professional affiliations of our Board of Directors? What if a member does not have a professional affiliation? We ask you to provide the affiliations for your Board of Directors so that we can identify the diversity and/or areas of expertise being represented on your board. If a member does not have a professional affiliation, you may indicate what they are representing on the board (e.g., consumer, community advocate, etc.). Only submitting a member s name without an affiliation will deem the application incomplete. 11. What are the reporting and oversight requirements for this grant, if awarded? There is an interim report inclusive of a budget expenditures report, where applicable, due six months into the grant year and a final narrative report and financial report will be due one month after the grant period concludes. If you would like to make changes to the budget that exceed 10% of your overall approved budget within the first six months of the grant period, a revised budget must be submitted for approval. Submitting an Application (AIDS United FoundationConnect) 12. Can we submit our proposal using the online system before the September 29 th application deadline? Yes, please feel free to submit your proposal and all corresponding/required attachments as soon as you would like. Indeed, we strongly encourage you to begin the submission process early to allow for any technical difficulties you may experience. 13. For the online submission process, are we allowed to initiate a proposal, enter information, save and return for completion at a later date/time? Yes. The system allows for you to save the proposal as you go along and submit once it is completed. However, keep in mind that the system will automatically log you out if too much time is taken completing a question. For this reason, it is strongly advised that you complete the application in a Word document before copying and pasting the answers into the FoundationConnect system. 14. The application will not load in the online system. Please use Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox to access FoundationConnect. Frequently, users experience issues with Internet Explorer or Microsoft Edge, particularly with older versions of Explorer, not loading FoundationConnect. We strongly suggest beginning your application early so that any unforeseen technical difficulties can be addressed prior to the submission deadline. 15. I hit the save button, but my application did not save. 2
You are able to save your application, so that you can work on it in phases. However, you are required to enter text into all the required fields in order to save the application or view the attachments tab. You can also enter test into all the required fields to save the application before your narrative is complete. We recommend completing your narrative in a Word document, then transferring it into FoundationConnect. 16. My work did not save, is there a way to recover it? Unfortunately, unsaved work cannot be recovered. Please complete your narrative in a Word document before transferring it into the system to avoid any issues. Hit save often once there is text in all required fields, as the system will automatically log you off if too much time passes. 17. I received an error message stating that my narrative has exceeded the character count. Writing your narrative in a Word document first can help you to monitor the character count. However, please also paste as plain text into the system. Any formatting (bullet points, bold/italics, etc.) requires HTML code, which deducts from the allowable character count in the system. Submitting via Phone or Video 18. Do I have to submit my application via the online system, FoundationConnect? No, applicants can also apply via phone/video conference. 19. Is the deadline for submitting a phone/video application the same as a written application? No, you must contact AIDS United staff at southernfund@aidsunited.org to schedule a one-hour phone/video conference by September 15, 2017. 20. How should I prepare for my phone/video conference? Please refer to the RFP for a list of questions you should prepare to discuss on the conference call. 21. Will I have a chance to review the information recorded during my phone video/conference submission? After the phone/video conference, applicants will be sent a written detail of their submission for their approval. Applicants will have one working day to acknowledge that the summary accurately reflects the information they provided during the phone/video conference. Allowable Funding Requests 22. Can I apply for funding to support general operating costs? Yes, though please note that organizations applying for funding to support general operating costs will need to demonstrate an understanding and history of intersecting HIV and social justice work. We encourage organizations with a history of HIV work and organizations with a history of social justice work to apply; however, for organizations without a clear and demonstrable history of that intersectional work, we recommend applying for project-specific funding. 23. Can a small group of community-based organizations (for example, three to four) apply for the grant as a single HIV/AIDS advocacy collaborative? Organizations may apply as a collaborative, but it must be very clear in your proposal why the proposed activities would be better executed through a collaborative rather than a single agency. It would be important to highlight the unique capacities (e.g., strengths, skills, expertise) that each agency brings to the proposal, as well as the exact roles and responsibilities that each agency would have. A lead agency must be identified and proof of tax-exempt status for that agency must be submitted. 3
24. We have existing programs that serve multiple populations and would like to use Southern HIV Impact Fund monies to support advocacy for all these groups. Should we instead focus on just one or two populations? Each organization needs to answer this question for itself. Decide on the purpose of your application, while also accurately portraying your organization s capacity to carry out your proposed activities. Be sure that you do not propose something so broad whether too many outcomes or too many activities that it will diminish the effectiveness of your efforts. 25. Can we use this grant initiative to start a project for a population with which we already have experience? Yes. Southern HIV Impact Fund funds may be used to start a new project in order to expand your range of projects with a population that you already serve. You may not, however, use this funding to work with a group with whom you have no previous experience. Please keep in mind that this is a twelve-month initiative, and it takes time to develop new networks. In your proposal, focus on what change you can reasonably effect in a one-year period. 26. Our organization has been effective in reaching a certain population and, although we have never had HIVspecific funding, we have incorporated HIV/AIDS information into several of our programs for this group. Consequently, we have never had the effectiveness of our HIV/AIDS work with this population evaluated. How should we handle this in our application? The application is your opportunity to talk about your track record in reaching the priority population(s). You should also demonstrate that the HIV/AIDS problem in your area is so great that you have incorporated HIV/AIDS issues into your overall work, even though you haven t been expressly funded for it. Use the application to show the impact that you could have with additional funding. 27. What areas of focus will be funded through the Southern HIV Impact Fund grantmaking process? Grants funded through this initiative must focus on one or more of the following funding priorities: prevention; care and support services; and policy, advocacy and movement building. Examples that fall under each of the three focal areas are listed below. Successful applicants will incorporate into their proposed activities efforts to facilitate meaningful participation of individuals directly affected by HIV/AIDS and intersecting issues. Please see the complete RFP for additional details. Prevention individual-level, group-level, or community-level interventions, social marketing prevention campaigns, and social media interventions. HIV testing is an allowable activity; however, it is important to note that this funding is not meant to support expansion of an existing HIV testing program. Care and Support Services integrating trauma-informed care; initiating peer navigation services or implementing new technology to support engagement into care; intersectional work with non-hiv organizations working on issues such as post-release referrals for people living with HIV who are being released from incarceration, food security, job training, and housing. Policy, Advocacy, and Movement Building efforts to achieve a specific legislative policy change; achieve a specific administrative policy or rule change; promote, increase, and strengthen leadership development for people living with HIV, or protect the legal rights of and provide legal defense for people living with HIV, which helps to respond to the underlying legal, political, and systemic barriers contributing to disproportionate rates of HIV/AIDS in the Southern region of the U.S. 28. If a proposal was submitted on behalf of multiple project/organizations, would the proposed budget be allowed to exceed the one hundred thousand-dollar ($100,000) maximum? No. Each proposal, submitted by either a single organization or collaborative effort of multiple organizations/ projects, is still bound by the one hundred thousand dollar ($100,000) application maximum. 29. Are we allowed to use funds to purchase incentives for clients to do policy advocacy? 4
Yes. As long as a clear connection between the utilization of incentives is made to policy advocacy activities, incentives are allowable expenses. 30. If incentives will be included in the proposals, is there a maximum value for each incentive? There is not a maximum or minimum, but please be sure to include the rationale for the selected amount demonstrating how the incentive value may maximize efforts, participation, etc. Technical Assistance 31. Can you explain more about the Technical Assistance (TA) mentioned in the RFP? What can TA support be used for? The Technical Assistance component of the Southern HIV Impact Fund may be requested as part of your application. TA is defined as the provision of professional support designed to build the capacity of grantee organizations and to maximize the success of grant-funded projects. TA will most likely be administered by a third party whom we have identified and according to the areas funded through this RFP. Our committee of external reviewers may recommend TA as a part of a funding decision, even if it wasn t requested in the application. Additionally, not all requests for TA will be honored. 32. Do we have to create a budget line item for a TA request? No, simply include the request in your application. If the external grants review committee approves your request, AIDS United staff will contact you to discuss the details and assign the consultant(s) to work with you. Use of Grant Funds 33. Can we apply for a particular component of a larger program? Yes, as long as the component can be isolated from other activities of the larger program. Also, the component should be able to stand alone as a program and have the ability to be replicated. 34. Can we apply for funding to contract with another organization or an individual? You may use this funding to hire contractors. If you are considering contracting with another agency, however, we encourage you to consider ways in which you might collaborate on a more equal basis with each other in carrying out a particular project. 35. The RFP says that the Fund will not cover indirect expenses over 20%. What does this include? Indirect expenses include administration, fringe benefits, and other expenses that are not used for direct services. Indirect expenses over 20% that are included in your proposal budget will not be funded. However, because programs need people to manage them, staff salaries, consultants, and other human resources should be included in program support and are direct costs they are not considered indirect expenses for the purposes of this grant initiative. 36. Are indirect costs a part of our project budget, or are they in addition to the budget? For example, if we are requesting $50,000 in program-specific support, do 20% of direct costs come out of that amount? Indirect costs are part of your project budget (under the project-specific grant category) and therefore are added to the direct costs to equal the total grant request. If the total request is the maximum allowed (in this case, $100,000) and the indirect rate is the maximum allowed (20%), then the total direct costs would need to be no more than $83,333, which would allow the indirect costs to be $16,667 and would make the total equal $100,000. Be sure to calculate the indirect rate accordingly, so that it does not exceed 20% of the total 5
direct costs or the total request exceeds $100,000. Please note this is only for project-specific funding. General operating support requests do not need to provide a project budget. 37. I would like to apply under multiple focal areas; is there still a $100,000 funding request cap? We welcome applications that address any number of the three focal areas; however, the maximum funding request is $100,000 for all applications. 38. Under the project-specific support request, can grant money be used to support development staff, office managers, or the executive director of the organization? The assignment of grant money to staff members outside of the direct programmatic personnel must be justified in the project budget by demonstrating their role(s) in the program or should come out of the 20% of indirect funds that can be allocated from the grant. The only exception to this is a staff member who has been designated by your organization to participate in the leadership development component of this initiative. In that case, the emerging or existing leader should be named in your application and their time may be covered at up to five percent within the grant request. 39. Who is eligible for the leadership development track? Existing or emerging leaders representative of the HIV epidemic in the South are eligible for recommendation to the leadership development component of the initiative. The intention of this program component is to build leadership among populations that are underrepresented in formal leadership, though most impacted by the HIV epidemic in the South. As such, inclusion of individuals who are Black, Latinx, queer, and/or transgender, is especially encouraged. Please refer to the RFP for additional information on leadership development activities to be offered. 40. Can we use Southern HIV Impact Fund money as a match for other funding from public or private sources? No, you may not use funds from this initiative to match other grants that you have received from another source. 41. I would like to use funding from this initiative to continue an existing program. Is this allowable? Organizations may apply to expand existing programming (e.g. adding or growing a focus on HIV in current advocacy work); however, this funding is not intended to be used as a replacement for discontinued funding. 42. What if we would like to include in-kind support as part of our proposed project budget? You would need to decide in which category(ies) the in-kind support would be most appropriately placed. You can then add that figure to the budget form and explain in your budget justification what kind of in-kind support it is. 43. Some advocacy work takes a long time and involves relationship building. We are planning to do some of the long-term advocacy work/activities, but are also planning to do some direct legal services. Are direct legal services still allowable activities? Yes. If applying to do direct legal service provision, please apply under the Care and Support Services focal area. 44. Will funding be available for more than one year? No, at this time the Southern HIV Impact Fund grants are one-year only. 45. Can we contact AIDS United with additional questions? Yes! We encourage you to let us know whenever you have a question or need clarification via the email address assigned to this initiative southernfund@aidsunited.org. 6