Skilled Service in the Gulf

End Date: 5/1/2007
CFDA # 94.007

The Corporation for National and Community Service (the Corporation) announces the anticipated availability of up to $1 million. These funds will be awarded to one to three eligible organizations to create a new national model for involving skilled workers in service in areas affected by disasters.

In 2005 when Katrina and Rita ravaged the Gulf states, first responders saved lives and government provided resources, but it was volunteers from the region and across America who returned hope and optimism to the stricken communities. Today these volunteers continue to drive the recovery in the Gulf. Nearly a half a million Americans have volunteered in the Gulf Coast, including more than 41,000 participants from National Service programs. But the work is far from done.

This grant is designed to stimulate the particular kind of volunteering that the Gulf needs the most—volunteers who are skilled in the building and other trades—and to create a viable national model for skilled trades volunteering in rebuilding efforts after future disasters.

The purpose of the Skilled Service in the Gulf initiative is to create a national model for disaster recovery by mobilizing skilled volunteers to meet the significant unmet needs in areas affected by the 2005 hurricanes. The goal of this initiative is to increase the number of skilled workers (particularly working and retired baby boomers) volunteering to participate in Gulf rebuilding efforts. We expect the successful strategy will include outreach to increase public awareness and facilitate recruitment, and mini-grants to support and manage skilled volunteers.

Application Materials

• SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance - Microsoft Word)
• SF-424A (Budget Information - Non Construction Programs - Microsoft Word)
• CNCS - Survey on Ensuring Equal Opportunity for Applicants (Microsoft Word)
• 8 page narrative as described in the Notice of Funding Availability

Frequently Asked Questions:

Submission Requirements

1. Are there additional Application Instructions other than the instructions published in the Notice of Federal Funds Available (Notice)?
   No, there are no additional application instructions.  All of the instructions you need to apply for the Skilled Service in the Gulf grant are in the Notice.  On our web site (www.nationalservice.gov), the link that reads “click here to view the Application Instructions” are solely instructions for completing the SF-424 form.
       
2. Should we submit other items such as letters of support or a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in addition to the 424, 424A, 8 page narrative, and Survey on Equal Opportunity?
   Please do not submit anything other than the four items listed in the Notice—424, 424A (page 1 only), 8 page narrative, and Survey on Equal Opportunity.  If you submit items other than these four application components, they will not be reviewed.
       
3. One of our offices is a non-profit incorporated in North Carolina, while our satellite office is based in Las Vegas.  Which address should I use in my application?
   Use the address of the legal applicant, which has to be a non-profit organization, on the 424 face sheet which includes your contact information.
       
4. Is it possible to win a Federal grant competition without the help of professional grant writers?
   Yes, it is possible to win a Federal grant competition without enlisting the help of professional grant writers.  Two key tips:  never assume the reviewers know anything about your organization or your program, and when your application is complete, use a proofreader who is unfamiliar with your work.

Eligibility

1. Are organizations with applications for funding pending with the Corporation eligible to apply?
   Yes, organizations with applications for funding pending with the Corporation are eligible to apply.
       
2. My organization currently receives funds through RSVP.  Are we eligible to apply?
   Yes.  Recipients of other Corporation grants are eligible to apply.
       
3. Are public institutions such as schools, public universities, and government agencies eligible to apply?
   The following entities are eligible to apply for this grant:  nonprofit organizations, including national intermediaries, associations, alliances, consortia, and networks; and public charities, faith-based and other community organizations, and private foundations.  Nonprofit is defined according to the law in your state.  Ineligible organizations are certainly welcome to collaborate or form a consortium with a non-profit organization, which would serve as the legal applicant, and participate in that way.
       
4. Do the organizations that we are proposing to work with also have to be non-profit organizations?
   No, the organizations that you work with can be non-profits, public institutions, or for-profit organizations.

Clarification & Interpretation

1. What is your definition of Baby Boomer?
   The Corporation defines Baby Boomer according to the common demographic definition, as a person born between the years of 1946 and 1964.
       
2. What does the acronym NOFA stand for?
   NOFA or Notice is shorthand for Notice of (Federal) Funds Available.
       
3. Can this grant be used to purchase building supplies?
   Supplies are an eligible cost for Federal grants.  However, there should be a proportionate balance, as the purpose of this grant is to stimulate more volunteering in the Gulf on the part of skilled trades people, rather than actually building homes or providing other direct services.
       
4. Can this funding be used to transport and feed volunteers?
   Some categories of transportation and refreshments may be eligible costs.  This will be negotiated with the Office of Grants Management when you draft and submit your detailed budget.  All costs must be consistent with applicable cost principles, which can be found here:  http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/circulars/index.html.
       
5. Do you expect this grant will be used primarily to hire professionals to mount a public relations campaign?
   Raising awareness through public outreach is expected to be a key component of the successful application(s).
       
6. Are grant funds allowed to be used to pay for scholarships?
   No, there is no authority to pay for scholarships with these funds.
       
7. Will the grant require the successful applicant to measure their performance in any particular way?
   We expect the successful grantee will measure their performance by collecting and analyzing data, and reporting on at least the three indicators of success published in the Notice:
   • Impact on the Gulf region.
   • Number of skilled volunteers recruited and deployed.
   • Number of national and/or local professional organizations participating.
       
8. Do you expect the successful applicant will be from any particular geographical region?
   No, we do not expect that the successful applicant will be from any particular geographical region, although the initiative is focused on Gulf rebuilding and we expect project activities will take place there.
       
9. Which stream of service is providing the funding for the Skilled Service in the Gulf Initiative?
   This competition is being funded with Subtitle H funds, a special category of funding authorized by Subtitle H of Title I of our statute, the National and Community Service Act of 1990, for Investment for Quality and Innovation.  These funds have been used in the past to support other initiatives including Next Generation and Challenge Grants.

Partners & Volunteers

1. To what extent are you looking for Baby Boomers to be involved in this project?
   We are not looking for any particular percentage of the volunteers mobilized to be Baby Boomers.  However, we suspect that this demographic includes many people with the skills most needed in Gulf rebuilding efforts, and with the time to serve.  In addition, we are always interested in including Baby Boomers in volunteer recruitment efforts since this is a key element of our Strategic Plan.
       
2. Would a person with experience as a construction manager be included in your definition of skilled trades?
   Yes, a person with experience as a construction manager would be included.  Further, we are defining skilled trades very broadly.  For example, skilled IT professionals can also contribute to rebuilding efforts.
       
3. Is it OK for a skilled volunteer to continue to receive paychecks from their primary employer if they take leave to participate in this project?
   Yes, volunteers can still draw pay from their employer whether they are on leave or loan.
       
4. Can the proposed program include mobilizing skilled Canadian contractors/construction workers, as well as workers from the U.S.?
   Yes, these funds can be used to support service provided by foreign national volunteers.  However, the funds may not be subgranted to non-U.S. entities.
       
5. What volume of skilled volunteers you are expecting to attract to the Gulf through this initiative?
   The volume of skilled volunteers that are attracted to the Gulf through this initiative will depend on the program design and organizational capability of the successful applicant(s).  We are not requiring that a certain number of skilled volunteers will work in the Gulf as a result of this project.  We will identify an indicator of success in conjunction with the successful applicant(s).
       
6. How will you address the paradox of wanting to attract skilled, licensed trades people to serve in a state where they are not licensed, and so cannot practice their trade?
   We expect that a successful applicant will explain how it will navigate this hurdle.
       
7. If CNCS eventually funds two or three grants, do you expect them to do joint branding and work together on the project?
   If we fund two or three grants we have no requirement regarding the degree to which the successful applicants will work together and/or co-brand their efforts.  This will be determined by the program design and implementations strategy of the successful applicants.
       
8. If we plan to partner with other organizations already working nationally or in the Gulf region, should we name these organizations in our application?
   It will strengthen your application if you disclose any identified entities that you plan to work with.  It would also help to describe your present relationship, or how you plan to develop a relationship.
       
9. Do we need to list every organization that we plan to work with in the application?
   It is not necessary to list or name the organizations or volunteers with which you plan to work.  It will be helpful to name some of the groups you plan on working with or already work with, explain your organization’s connection to those groups, and detail how you will activate those connections to mobilize skilled volunteers for Gulf Coast recovery.

Post Submission Expectations

1. Will these applications be reviewed in confidence?
   Yes, the applications will be reviewed in total confidence.  Reviewers sign a confidentiality agreement as part of their agreement to review.
       
2. Does the Corporation intend to contact organizations that we list in our application as possible partners?
   No, the Corporation will not contact organizations that you list in your application as possible partners.
       
3. When will the successful applicant(s) be notified?
   We plan to notify successful and unsuccessful applicants by June 1, 2007.
   

Technical Assistance Information:

The Corporation will host a technical assistance call to answer applicant questions about funding opportunities soon after the publication of this Notice.  Applicants are strongly encouraged to participate in the technical assistance call.  The call information is as follows:

Date: 

Tuesday, April 10th, 2007

Time:  

3:00pm - 4:00pm Eastern                                 

Call Leader:

Femi Estrada-Petersen

Dial-In Number:

800-857-3059

Verbal Passcode:

GULF SERVICE 

This call will be recorded and available for replay.  Please contact SkilledServiceGulf@cns.gov for the replay information.