2016 Request for Proposals HCF Tobacco Cessation Program
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Note: FAQs may be updated. Date amended is at the bottom left.
Background What is the Hawaii Tobacco Prevention and Control Trust Fund (Trust Fund)?
In 1998, 46 states, including Hawai‘i, joined forces and sued the tobacco industry to prevent it from marketing products to youth and to recover State resources spent addressing tobacco-related health problems and disabilities. The largest tobacco manufacturers agreed to make, among other things, substantial payments to the States (the “Master Settlement Agreement”). Hawai‘i received its first payment in December 1999. In 1999, the Hawai‘i Legislature enacted legislation specifying how funds from the Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) would be spent. MSA funds flow into the State of Hawai`i on an annual basis and into a Tobacco Settlement Special Fund administered by the Hawai`i State Department of Health (DOH). These funds are then distributed according to state law to the Trust Fund, the Emergency and Budget Reserve Fund (Rainy Day Fund), the General Fund, the UH Manoa John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM), Dept. of Human Services (DOH) SCHIP (children’s health insurance), and to DOH Healthy Hawai‘i Initiative. The legislature has changed this distribution over time.
What is the role of the Hawaii Community Foundation with respect to the Trust Fund?
Since 2000, HCF has been contracted with the DOH. HCF’s role is to administer and manage the investment portfolio of the Trust Fund, manage a community grants program and its activities, and oversee vendor contracts of Trust Fund activities. HCF’s cessation grants program has provided over 180 grants to 50+ organizations statewide totaling more than $25 million to support prevention and cessation efforts.
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HCF’s Cessation Grant Program What is the HCF community grants program and its relation to statewide tobacco control efforts? HCF’s community grants/cessation program is one component of a statewide comprehensive tobacco prevention, education, and cessation strategy to reduce and eliminate tobacco consumption and exposure to second-hand smoke in Hawai‘i. This strategy is based on the CDC’s four national goal areas for comprehensive tobacco control programs, which have been adopted by the State of Hawai‘i: 1. 2. 3. 4.
Prevent the initiation of tobacco use among all of Hawai‘i’s people; Promote quitting tobacco and tobacco products among young people and adults; Eliminate exposure to secondhand smoke; Decrease tobacco related disparities among population groups.
The statewide strategy is implemented through a coordinated effort between DOH’s Tobacco Prevention and Education Program, public health advocates, private and non-profit organizations, policy makers, and various communities throughout our state. Their coordinated effort has been guided by the State’s Tobacco Use Prevention and Control Five-Year Strategic Plan (“Strategic Plan”). What is the focus of the 2016 Cessation RFP? The focus of the 2016 RFP is to increase reach and improve cessation services for priority populations in Hawaii. The RFP is based on the anticipated goals and strategies of the next State Strategic Plan (2016 through 2020), which is being finalized at the time of publication of the RFP. During the planning process for the 2016-2020 Strategic Plan, community input favored higher concentration of cessation grant resources on services to priority populations that have the highest smoking prevalence rates, including the following: • Native Hawaiians • Persons with mental illness and/or substance abuse disorder • Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender communities (LGBT) • Persons of low socio-economic status (Low SES) • In addition, this RFP includes pregnant smokers as a priority population due to the high risk of harm to the fetus. Through this RFP, HCF seeks to reduce smoking rates in these priority populations. HCF seeks to fund programs that develop and include effective and accurate strategies, innovations, and Updated 3/4/2016
adaptations that reach and serve priority populations. A list of these innovations and adaptations are included on page 4-5 of the RFP.
Eligibility Who is eligible to apply to the HCF Tobacco Cessation Grant Program? Non-profit organizations with tax exempt 501(c)(3) status and in good standing may apply. The applicant must have a history of successful programmatic implementation and experienced personnel within the state of Hawaii. Funding will not be provided for start-up organizations. My organization is a current HCF grantee. Can we apply for the Cessation Grant Program? Yes, current grantees that are up-to-date with submitting their progress/final reports may apply to the 2016 cessation grant program. Organizations that have overdue reports and/or contract deliverables to HCF are not eligible to apply and will be administratively denied.
Grant Timeline & Awards When is the grant term? Tobacco cessation grants are awarded for a three-year grant period, starting on July 1, 2016 and ending on June 30, 2019. Continuation of the grant for each year of the three-year grant term will depend on the grantee demonstrating adequate progress. HCF reserves the right in its sole discretion to discontinue grant funding if progress is unsatisfactory. What is the maximum grant amount I can apply for? A maximum grant award of $150,000 per year will be awarded (maximum of $450,000 over three years). Larger grant awards may be considered for applications proposing cessation strategies that are scalable to serve more smokers through partnership sub-contract arrangements for coordinated cessation outreach, screening, referral and treatment, or to cover more than one island or more than one priority population. Grant payments are contingent on the availability of funds from the Trust Fund. How much money is allocated for the cessation grant program? A total of two million ($2M) dollars has been budgeted in calendar year CY2016 for the cessation grant program and an additional $2M is expected to be budgeted in each of CY2017 & CY2018, subject to availability of funds from the Trust Fund. When do I expect to hear decisions? Applicants should expect to be notified of awards by early June 2016 with an initial notification by email. Applicants will receive an award or denial letter in the mail. Updated 3/4/2016
If awarded, when should I expect my grant check? First payment will be mailed upon the finalization of grant terms and agreement requirements. First payment will only be for the first-year of the grant.
Application Process & Deadline What is the application process? Applications can only be submitted online through HCF’s Nonprofit Gateway website at https://nexus.hawaiicommunityfoundation.org/nonprofit. To submit an application, you must first register for a user registration. This process may take up to 2-days, so please register early. What is the application deadline and can I submit an application after the deadline? Online applications must be submitted by 4:00 p.m. HST on Monday, April 4, 2016. HCF will not accept any applications that are submitted past the due date and time. Hard-copy applications will not be accepted. In Nonprofit Gateway, who should be my organization’s “Account Holder”? The Account Holder should be someone who is authorized to submit grant applications on behalf of your organization. This person will manage your organization’s online account and will receive all email notifications regarding your organization’s online submissions. In many cases, it will be your organization’s chief staff or volunteer; however, another person can be designated. In Nonprofit Gateway, how many online accounts can my organization request? We will generally assign one account per organization. This allows your organization to track all the applications created and submitted to the Foundation under a single account. Larger organizations may be assigned more than one account when applications are submitted through multiple administrative offices. Your organization will then need to track applications created and submit separately under each account. HCF will consider requests for multiple accounts on a case by case basis. What if several people from my organization need to use the Nonprofit Gateway online account to access different applications? Your organization could allow multiple people to use the online account at the same time using the same User ID and password. However, multiple users should not view, edit, or submit the same application at the same time. I have problems applying online via HCF’s Nonprofit Gateway. Who can I contact? If you have problems with the online application, please contact HCF Help Desk and click on “Create a General Support Ticket.” Updated 3/4/2016
Can I get confirmation of my submitted proposal application? Yes. If you submitted your online application, you should receive an email confirmation indicating that HCF received your application. After the submission deadline, you will receive an email with a PDF copy of your proposal application from HCF. Please allow at least 2-weeks for this process. If you have any questions, please contact HCF staff. Why are the proposal narrative character counts so short? Each question has a specific maximum character count. Please make sure that if you cut and paste your narrative into the online application that all your narrative appears. Our system counts every marking, letter, number, etc. We seek concise and clear answers for each question and hope you will be able to answer the questions in the limited space provided.
Online Application The online application consists of these main parts: 1. Organization Profile – These are questions that relate to your organization. 2. Proposal Narrative – These are the proposal questions listed in the RFP on pages 11-12. Each question must be answered. There are character counts for each question based on single-spacing in Arial 12-point font with 1 inch margins. (If you copy and paste your narrative into the online application, please ensure all your narrative appears.) 3. Required Forms (to be uploaded to online application): a. Program Budget Form – A template is provided for you to download, fill out, and upload to the online application. b. Program Matrix Form – A template is provided for you to download, fill out, and upload to the online application. c. If applicable, documentation of any partnership arrangement described in your proposal (supporting letter, MOU, etc.). d. Organizational Documents: i. One-page board or leadership group list ii. Financial statement (audited, if available) for the most recently completed fiscal years iii. Organization’s current and previous year’s board-approved Operating Budget iv. FISCALLY SPONSORED PROGRAMS: If using a fiscal sponsor, please also include the fiscal sponsor’s organizational documents (listed above), as well as, a fiscal sponsor board resolution and agreement (templates provided on HCF’s website). Please contact HCF staff first, if you plan on using a fiscal sponsor. Updated 3/4/2016
Budget Form What is the budget form? The budget form is required as part of the application. A budget form template is provided for you to complete on the HCF webpage for the cessation program. The budget from includes two sections: (1) program budget (revenues and expenses) and (2) budget narrative. Each section must be filled out entirely. Can I amend the budget categories on the budget form? Yes, please feel free to amend the categories according to your program expenses. We have suggested, common budget items listed, but the categories can be amended to fit your program. Please make sure you change the excel total formulas if you amend the categories. The total revenue budget should match the total expense budget. In the revenue section, what is “medicaid/medicare/medical reimbursement”? If your program receives any type of medical insurance reimbursement for tobacco cessation services, we would like to know the total amount of reimbursement you hope to receive. Programs that receive medical reimbursement for their services may be more compelling than those that do not receive this type of revenue as they are more sustainable beyond grant funds. In the revenue section, what is “other sources of income”? If you receive any other sources of income for your cessation program, please estimate the total amount in this section. This may include funding from other sources for staff time, etc. How do I note the staff person responsible for the program evaluation in the budget? Please note the lead staff person responsible for the program evaluation by marking an asterisk (*) next to their name in budget under the “personnel salaries” category. This person will work directly with the program evaluator to complete program data and tracking. What do I write in the budget narrative section? Please provide detailed information on your program revenues and expenses in this section. The program budget must be reasonable and realistic and reflect the true costs to operate your cessation program.
Program Matrix Form What is the program matrix form? The program matrix is required as part of your application. The matrix includes 4 sections – impact, action, timeframe, and measures of success – that provides a summary or work plan of
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your proposed cessation program for each year. If awarded, the matrix will be used by the program evaluator to help design your program evaluation. Do I fill out all the entire project matrix form? Please complete only columns 1 to 4. If you are awarded a grant, you will be required to complete the “Actual Measures of Success� column (column #5) and submit it with your progress/final reports to HCF. Please be as detailed as you can on this form. Do I fill out a program matrix for each grant year? Yes, we would like for you to complete a matrix for each grant year: Year 1 = July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017, Year 2 = July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2018; Year 3 = July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2019.
Other Attachments Can I submit program reports, videos, and/or photos of my program? Yes, you are welcome to submit program reports, videos, and/or photos of your program. You can attach them as part of your online application. For videos, we recommend you send a web link (i.e. YouTube link) that can direct us to another location of your video on the web. Our system is limited to 5000KB per a file and may not allow you to submit large files. Can I submit recommendation and/or support letters for my program? Yes, you can submit recommendation and/or support letters as part of your application. However, this is not required and we do not recommend you send more than 3 letters of support.
Proposal Review Process Who reviews proposals? Proposals will be reviewed by a review team comprised of HCF staff and external individuals selected for their expertise, skills, and knowledge related to the focus of this RFP who do not have any controlling or financial interest in any of the entities submitting proposals. The review team will analyze the merits of each proposal and make recommendations to HCF. Who makes final decisions? HCF staff will make the final decisions on all grant awards.
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Cessation Program Evaluation What is the purpose of the program evaluation? The purpose of the evaluation is to assess grantee performance for the purposes of program improvement and accountability. The evaluation aims to help document successes and lessons learned related to the innovations and adaptations carried out by grantees. This program will evaluate intensive interventions and innovations and adaptations as explained in the RFP. All evaluations will collect three kinds of data: program data, process data, and outcome data. Do I need to hire a program evaluator? No, HCF will contract with a professional program evaluator to work with you in developing the program evaluation design and assist with the tracking and monitoring of data. The program evaluator will provide grantees with evaluation reports on the progress of the program. It is expected that grantees review and improve on their programs after receiving their evaluation reports. If awarded, an initial training will occur at the beginning of the grant term. We request that at least one staff person be assigned to work directly with the program evaluator.
Feedback on Grant Decisions If you would like feedback on the grant decisions, please contact HCF staff Larissa Kick at lkick@hcf-hawaii.org or Tom Matsuda at tmatsuda@hcf-hawaii.org. The feedback may help you in future proposals to HCF.
Grant Reporting Should I expect to complete reports on my cessation program? Yes, if you are awarded a grant, you will be required to submit a progress report (due at the close of each year) and final report (due one-month after the grant end date), along expenditure reports to HCF. If you do not submit these reports, you may not be able to receive future funding from HCF.
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