1 QUESTIONS Submitted Prior to the Pre-Proposal Meeting Q. Is there a particular spot where you want the signature of the authorized officer? A: There will be a template cover page and a creation of a signature page that will be sent out as addendum. If you do not receive the addendum, please contact me partner@greatersyracusehope.org. It is highlighted in the RFCP. You can also go to the H.O.P.E website where you can download the application and review all submitted questions and answers. Q. Can funds be allocated to provide internship stipends for program participants? A: We were unsure if the question was for internships or just program participants. To best answer your question, if you submit a staffing plan and explain how you plan to expend the funds; If you are selected, we will submit that staffing plan to NYS, and NYS will make the ultimate determination if those funds will be able to be allocated towards that. Please refer to page 14 regarding the list of unallowable costs. Since this is a New York State Grant Initiative, at any point in time, NYS can come back to us and disqualify a proposal. Q. Are there any restrictions on how the funds can be used? None were specified in the RFCP, however, I noticed the NYS OTDA is the ultimate source of the funds, and the state has numerous restrictions on how public funds are used. For example, our contracts with New York State forbid us to use funds for travel outside of New York so if we are traveling to a meeting in NYC, we can t use the routes that go through Pennsylvania or New Jersey. A. Please see page 14. Yes, you are correct that NYS OTDA is the source funder for ESPRI. While the state does have restrictions for how funds may be used, we have detailed allowable expenses. We will not disallow mileage accrued during standard destination route. Please refer back to page 14 where we talk about the allowable/unallowable costs listed. Q. Is there a threshold number of people served by a program in one year, below which, the pilot would be considered too small? (For example, is a program working intensively with 20 participants of less interest than one that would serve 100?) A. There is not a restriction but we are looking for proposals that led to SYSTEMS CHANGE however there needs to be enough people to demonstrate measurable change. Reviewers will take into account the proportionate cost of the program to the cost per participant as well as other leveraged resources. Q. I wanted to clarify the instructions regarding the budget and the unallowable costs (page 14). Specifically no Construction, alterations, maintenance of buildings or building space. Does this include construction to any buildings, or just those owned by the applicant, or just office space? A. Although we recognize the need for addressing housing conditions this is not an allowable expense in this round of funding per page 14.
2 Q. Is there a funding level or range? A. There is no funding range; however, in totality the community has been awarded two million dollars to be used to cover the four focus areas: health, education, housing, and economics. Q. How much time do I have to implement the grant? When will I have to submit final expenses and reporting? A. February 1, 2019 Please submit all questions to partners@greatersyracusehope.com. This is the only place in which we will receive all questions. Please do not send questions via social media or via the general GSHI email address. It may not get answered. All Q&A list will go out by next week Wednesday. For the sake of fairness, do not ask members of the executive committee questions. Submit all questions to the email address specified in the RFCP by December 8, 2017 no later than noon. General Questions from the floor during the Pre-Proposal Meeting Q. To make a finer point on the internship questions, a program to provide internships, we cannot use these funds to pay the interns we wish to place at various places, correct? We cannot pay them a stipend? A. We will submit the staffing plan to NYS and let them make the final decision. Their stipends should be placed in the Staff or Personnel section of the budget. Q. Can you comment on the highlighted indicators that are not eligible and how they contribute to the program overall? A. The first indicator that is not eligible for funding is ED.1 Reduce the 9 th Grade Dropout Rate. This particular project has moved forward and because the purpose of ESPRI is to target systems change, we felt as an Executive Committee it made sense to partner with the biggest K-9 system which is the Syracuse City School District. We are moving forward with this pilot because it wraps around into the overall goal of the Education focus area. We are still requesting community partnerships for the Literacy Rate indicator because we recognize that children s home environment plays a critical role in their success. The research has indicated to us that if the child s parent is reaching education attainment goals, they would have intentional positive outcomes on their child s educational attainment. The second indicator not eligible for funding is Housing indicator H3. Reduce the concentration of vacant properties. Although reducing the abandoned properties and repurposing them for low-income individuals is an important issue, those of you in the housing field know that we can spend $2 million on three houses. It is however an overall absolute goal and priority for how we
3 reduce poverty and improve how people live, but there is no way we would be able to address this issue systematically in a proactive and a cost-efficient manner in this round of funding. What we need to do as a community is what we all have been talking about, taking a look at existing systems and figure out how we create synergies that allow us to get our vacant properties situation under control. The third indicator not eligible for funding is Health indicator HC3. Life expectancy. All of the health indicators around issues related to health will revolve around access to quality care which will hopefully result in an increase in life expectancy. Q. On page 8, it mentions funds cannot be allocated for existing programs. So if you have a program, a young program, you can t ask for monies? A. We are not looking to supplement existing programming. We are looking to identify synergies in programming; we are looking to identify mechanisms that will create system changes and that means a process that creates synergies amongst programs in an efficient manner in a way that we do not have currently. That is something new. We are not going to fund existing programs as they stand. Q. The time frame is only a year and you are talking about systems change. So I was wondering if you could talk a little bit about how your expecting to measure change in a system in over a year. And what exactly are you looking for? A. We are not saying what we are looking for; we are allowing you to tell us what we are looking for. If we said that, we could be missing the greatest idea around how we can measure change in poverty levels. The time frame is tight and we understand that. What we are looking for are indicators that will show us that we are in the right trajectory in a particular idea that comes out of this amazingly smart group of people. It all goes back to the state. They can say, Rochester/Syracuse you are on to something there. What we have come up with in a particular area they may pull together an initiative that marries a number of jobs, a number of initiatives and look to replicate either in those communities or the larger community. We are a guinea pig; they re looking for our ideas, they ve given a little money to be able to look at how Syracuse thinks it can move the needle on poverty like Rochester, Newburg, and the other fifteen communities. The answer to resolve poverty is not going to happen in a year but maybe we will identify a process or a mechanism. I m hoping that Syracuse and multiple communities will identify the same mechanisms and the state makes changes in how they do business as well. Q. I just want to clarify on the adult education indicators. There is another highlighted but you said that we cannot write for it. It is not highlighted on the copy that was shared here but on my copy E2 is highlighted. On page 10. A. The highlighted indicators are: under Education, ED1, Reduce the 9 th Grade Dropout Rate; Under Housing, H3, Reduce the Concentration of Vacant Properties; Health, HC3, Life Expectancy. These are NOT eligible priority areas. They will not be funded. Please do not spend the next month writing the application on those three indicators. We wanted everyone to see all the priorities. Please check the website for the correct version of the RFCP.
4 Q. When you talked about the integration of creating a new model, like the allocation of funds for AEI, will you consider an application that will take those funds into consideration? We may use the additional funding to enhance the proposed project? A. Yes we will take that into consideration as long as it is not replicating what you have already in place (programming at the agency). And we will not fund the same program for which you received funding from the AEI. It is not anticipated that the AEI awards will be announced while you all are writing this RFCP. But if you want say in the narrative that we have applied and are seeking funding for this particular project and this is how what we have written for H.O.P.E will enhance that potentially. Q. Will these funds be able to support any kind of community organizing models? Like a campaign to empower people to address poverty via wage theft as an example. A. Doing business the way we have done it hasn t helped our poverty issues. We are absolutely looking for any idea, initiative or approach to efforts that are believed to move the needle in help people transition out of poverty and reduce our rates. This is a good example of cultural system change. The executive committee talked about priorities and things that result in systems change, cultural changes suggesting that we are not funding one type of program in the way we currently do business. The only things we are not going to consider for funding are referenced on page 14. Q. The RFCP talks about a one year funding period with the possibility of renewal for two. Is the $2 million for the 12-month period or is that potentially going to get spread out over the 2-year period? A. It is for the 12-month period only. Q. Some of what we will learn will inform what kind of true lasting systems change we need. Should we all be building that research piece in or is there also the executive committee level of attention to do research that would be collaborative? A. There s an attention to research and measurables that we are not asking you to pay for. It s set aside for us to get partners that will help the awarded partners identify the way we are going to measure and the way we are going collect data. However, you should clearly articulate in your proposal description the evaluation methods used to track and measure the success of the components of the project and provide quantitative and/or qualitative data to support your claims that the proposed strategy addresses the above indicators. Q. I just want to clarify that a proposal has no more than two of the HOPE strategies or priorities. A. Correct.
5 Q. Once you have gone through all of the wonderful ideas, and find some that you want to support, is there a way to let the people/organizations know of some other proposals that may compliment or be aligned with each other at least let them know so that they can reach out to one another so that they can work together? A. That s a good idea that we at the executive committee level have discussed. We currently do not have a mechanism in place as to how we would connect individuals. However, organizations and people who become part of the Phase II Plan thus become part of the process in response to the state and in trying to help the state understand how this community is addressing poverty. Hopefully, that will help us with additional resources in moving forward. It also provides an opportunity of synergy between agencies, ideas and efforts which have not gone into the Phase II Plan document, understand that this is a document that is being submitted to the state for a one year evaluation by them. Our poverty issue does not stop with what we are doing with H.O.P.E or with this particular document. But again, looking at how we create synergy. At the AEI meeting, the Gifford Foundation stated exactly that that is what we do well so let s take a look at everybody and all the ideas that came out. Just because we do not have $2 million for everyone right now, there could be a larger picture of synergies of existing programs or non-existing programs we can identify for other philanthropy ideas, or other funding revenue streams that comes through that we can submit proposals to as a community. The conversation continues on well beyond this document. We just have limited amount of monies to put a plan together. But we will never want to through away the ideas that come from this process. Q. Will the AEI award for one program cancel out the eligibility for this funding? A. We see the AEI and H.O.P.E as allies. You just cannot replicate the same proposal from AEI for H.O.P.E. I will caution that an individual who serves on the allocation committee of the AEI is on the allocation committee of H.O.P.E. So that individual will recognize mirrored application. It is about addressing systems and policies for long term effect. We cannot replicate the same project with both funding sources. Q. Not everybody will get funding from AEI. Could you in theory do a similar application to what you put forth with AEI knowing that it is entirely possible that you wouldn t get funded for AEI? A. Greater Syracuse H.O.P.E. will not fund the same initiative for both. Q. The executive summary on page 7, says summarize all resources expected to be supported by this project. Does that mean basically to do a budget narrative there? A. Yes. I want to make sure you all know that there is a separate document and spreadsheet that you should have. If you don t please let the Executive Director, Ocesa Keaton know because that is how you are going to submit all of your budget information. All the required official documents are on the website.
6 Q. We can talk in the narrative how H.O.P.E funds will enhance AEI application but would it serve us better to serve the same application for the project or do you think it is better to show how they could coincide? A. I think you should submit a document that speaks to your idea of how we are moving the needle in a positive way to get people out of poverty. Whether or not that references AEI - that is up to you. Provide a holistic picture of your idea and how it will impact poverty in this community. Please keep in mind that we will not fund both. For example, you submitted a similar application to AEI and to H.O.P.E we are not going to fund both of those identically. Please mindful that what you submitted to AEI may have cost a lot more money than we are considering funding. On the sample budget, where it asks for additional resources, you can list AEI as a potential resource. Q. Is there a cap on the allotted funding awards? A. No. There isn t a cap but again, we are splitting $2 million amongst 4 areas. Q. Is there a match requirement? A. There is no match requirement but I highly encourage you to show how you are leveraging other resources. Then you are not telling us that you are solely hoping that H.O.P.E will fully fund your initiative. Q. On page 8, the compliance statement, is that part of the 50 page narrative or is that supposed to be just a statement we sign on the cover page? That could take up a bit of room within the narrative. A. No. It will be part of the cover page that will be sent out and by providing your signature, you agree to the compliance statement. Q. Can you talk about the M/WBE requirement? A. That is a NYS rule. If you are subcontracting with the United Way and the Greater Syracuse H.O.P.E. Initiative, the 30% rule still applies to you. We are required to enforce as it is mandated by the state. As a not for profit agency, that 30% has been a part of the 15A required for construction related projects and has recently been included with us in that I am required to meet that 30% while contracting with the state. I will use SCC as an example in which we get a waiver: our Family Planning Services is contracted with the Health Department. There are certain things we contract with, like for example, medicines that we get via vouchers in which there aren t any M/WBEs and therefore, we receive a waiver. United Way is responsible for that 30% so when you submit your application, you have to take into account how you are going to be able to meet that 30% of your budget that you are submitting. If you google M/WBE in NYS, you will see a list of eligible M/WBE businesses that provide various commodities that you think you may need to acquire. You have to make the effort to research it. If you cannot identify a M/WBE vendor, you must write that into your narrative so we can cross-check it to make sure that it is applicable.
7 Q. Will you consider businesses in the M/WBE process because it takes about a year to go through it for approval? A. We have been told by the state that they have to be already enrolled with the state. If someone is going through the process and doesn t get certified or is on the list, we won t be able to get reimbursed for services rendered. Q. Are you asking for the evaluation to be included in the proposal? Is there an outside consultant they are looking to bring to the table that will not impact the amount of dollars we are requesting in the budget? A. We are asking you to tell us how you will collect the data that will show that your project is effective. And then H.O.P.E in totality will look at ourselves collectively how well we did. Q. Would you consider funding organizations that just started and doesn t have much history? A. Yes. Q. Can you talk a little about System integration and what you mean by that so we are all on the same page? A. What we mean by that there is the adage about nonprofit organizations or other agencies partners operating in silos and a need to reach across silos so that for example, someone who is becoming upwardly mobile, because they re connected to a good workforce development program, or connecting to employers but their housing or childcare needs are still not addressed then they re still susceptible to barriers in obtaining sustainable employment. How do we think more systemically about how we get those systems and partners working together to achieve a more lasting impact? How do we creates points of contact across different systems so that we are really maximizing outcomes? Even though you may not control systems, you may be proposing a synergy of services that can change a system as a model as to what the systems could do or look like in the future. Q. Is this a reimbursement grant? A. Yes Q. What does it mean to be a community partner with the H.O.P.E. organization? What are folks going to do in relation to this RFCP? A. When we were identified as an ESPRI community, the state identified 16 communities and allocated resources to those communities. Phase I was to get a small amount of money to get the executive director onboard, listening sessions and community summits and outreach that we did. What is going on now is Phase II. Syracuse and 15 other communities have to put together a Phase II Plan. How does Syracuse, looking at its own dynamics plan on presenting an implementation plan to address poverty? During the numerous community listening sessions H.O.P.E. hosted the community identified priority areas. It would have been easy to just select community partners but not the best way. We agreed that that was not the best way and decided issue an RFCP to become partners. The contracts will be with the United Way as it is also the fiscal agent of H.O.P.E.
8 Questions Submitted after the Pre-Proposal Meeting Q: Are the terms focus areas, strategies, and priority areas synonymous? If the three terms are synonymous, do all three terms include Education, Housing, Economic Opportunity, and Health? A. Yes the terms focus areas, strategies, and priority areas are synonymous and each term includes education, housing, economic opportunity, and health. Q: Are the categories "Economic Opportunity" (page 2) and "Economic" (page 11) synonymous? A. Yes Q: Which agency or agencies are responsible for replicating the accepted programs after Phase II? A. The selected partner will have demonstrated how proposed ideas can be financially sustained over time or have a lasting impact after an initial investment by Greater Syracuse H.O.P.E. Q: We realize that cash incentives are not allowed, but would gift card incentives for achieving benchmarks be allowed? A. Generally, yes as long as it is a reasonable amount, for example a gift card to a local grocery store the amount of twenty-dollars is reasonable but a gift card to Best Buy for one hundred dollars is not. Q: Is it expected that for agencies submitting proposals, their total program budget would have 30% of the total set aside for M/WBE? A. It is not the total budget but the total discretionary portion for example, if you are spending $25,000 of that on office supplies, then 30% of those expenses will need to be from the use of a M/WBE. Once a partner is selected and approved by NYS, NYS will provide guidance to identify M/WBE. Q: Is the available funding $2 million each year or spread over two years? A. Greater Syracuse H.O.P.E. is providing funds up to $2 million dollars in partnership dollars to carry out strategies in our focus areas of Health, Housing, Economic, and Education. The funds are available for the 2018-2019 cycle; please keep in mind the Greater Syracuse H.O.P.E. is funded until March 2019. Q: The Budget Template does not include a line for indirect costs. Where should such costs be listed and is there an Indirect cap? A. The indirect cap is fifteen percent (15%). The indirect cap cost can be listed in one of the blank cells provided on the budget template. They were several cells left unlocked so that you could add other potential costs that are not listed.
9 Q: Who is on the H.O.P.E Executive Committee? A. Please check out our website www.greatersyracusehope.org to get a complete listing of our organizational structure and members of the executive committee. Q: What do you mean by system integration? A. A synergy of services that can create a model of change which impacts what a system/ systems could do or look like in the future that would result in maximum impact. Q: Are resumes and/or job descriptions of key staff required? A. No it is not a requirement but can be included. Q: For the purposes of this application, what is the difference between and expanded program and an existing program? A. Greater Syracuse H.O.P.E. per New York State regulations cannot fund existing programs. So if the program proposal is for services already being provided then the proposal will not be funded. Q: Is the completed budget template to be counted a part of the page limit? When we organize the proposal where should the budget template be included? A. The budget will count as part of the page limit. The budget template should be included after the budget narrative.