Competitive Funding Opportunity Announcement: HRSA-17-007 June 16, 2016 10:30am-12:30pm

1. Resilient and Responsive Health Systems(RRHS) InitiativePre-Application Technical Assistance Call Competitive Funding Opportunity Announcement: HRSA-17-007 June 16, 2016 10:30am-12:30pm U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration HIV/AIDS BureauOffice of Training and Capacity DevelopmentDivision of Global Programs

2. Welcome and Introductions • Tracy Carson, Director, Global Division • Dr. Jose “Rafi” Morales, Senior Clinical Advisor, Global Division • Ray Goldstine, Senior Advisor, Global Division • Beverly Smith, Grants Management Specialist

3. Agenda • PEPFAR and HRSA • RRHS Objectives, Priorities and Outcomes • Program Requirements • Funding and Awards • Application Requirements • Country-specific Considerations • RRHO • Coordination with Stakeholders • Budget • Eligibility • Contacts • Q&A

4. The U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) The Resilient & Responsive Health Systems (RRHS) Initiative is funded through the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)

5. PEPFAR and HRSA • Since 2003, HRSA has been a significant contributor to PEPFAR’s achievements. HRSA’s work builds on the agency’s domestic and international experience in HIV care and treatment and in health system strengthening including human resources for health interventions that support site level activities. • HRSA’s global PEPFAR mission is captured in three words: • Caring (delivery of HIV/AIDS care and treatment services) • Strengthening (training and technical assistance to build and strengthening care programs so that affected countries can maintain programs over time) • Sustaining (partnerships to build skills and prepare host countries so that they may better manage their own programs over the long term)

6. Technical Terms The RRHS Initiative Collaborative: All entities/partners that will provide or receive direct or indirect support and/or technical assistance and capacity development services through this program. RRHS Focus Countries: DRC, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and South Sudan.

7. Additional Terms • Country Consortiums: Entities/partners applying together through an applicant institution to address health systems challenges in one specified country. Country consortiums consist of: o Applicant institution: The applicant institution must meet the eligibility requirements and assumes all legal, programmatic, and financial responsibilities under the award. o Implementing and Technical Partners: US and/or foreign based consortium partners who contribute to the ability of the consortium to accomplish the program goals and objectives. o Impact Partners: Partners from the RRHS Focus Country, including but not limited to public or private academic institutions, national health professional councils, civil society organizations, and national regulatory bodies.

8. RRHS Initiative Objectives The purpose of this initiative is to address fundamental health systems constraints that impede the availability of and access to quality health services related to HIV, other infectious diseases and priority health areas in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Liberia, Sierra Leone, and South Sudan. The initiative aims to support the implementation of countries’ national health strategies and recovery plans to respond to emerging epidemics, to prevent, manage, and control HIV and other diseases, and to improve population health outcomes.

9. RRHS Priorities To meet the objectives, the RRHS initiative will work with country stakeholders to collectively prioritize and develop sustainable and country-led solutions to address national priorities that include the following: Priority 1: Build a skilled fit-for-purpose and practice health workforce that increases the quantity and quality of health services provided in these four countries. Priority 2: Improve the quality and use of Human Resources for Health (HRH) information in decision making. Priority 3: Enhance community-based care and its ability to respond to current and future health needs. Priority 4: Strengthen government capacity to plan, implement, manage, and monitor the health system through policy, regulation and leadership development. Priority 5: Promote an enabling fiscal environment for health workforce development.

10. RRHS Outcomes By 2022, it is expected that the RRHS Initiative will contribute to achieving progress towards the following objectives in each country: • Improved health outcomes, with a targeted focus on decreasing maternal, child mortality, decreasing new HIV infections, and improving HIV-related health outcomes • Improved use of HRH information in decision making • Improved coordination and monitoring of HRH functions • Improved HRH workforce performance and management

11. Type of Award • Funding will be provided in the form of a cooperative agreement. • An award instrument of financial assistance where substantial involvement is anticipated between HRSA and the recipient during performance of the contemplated project.

12. Funding • The RRHS is a 5 year cooperative agreement for the period 1/1/2017-12/31/2022 • Applicants may apply for a ceiling amount of up to $1,500,000 per country in Year One and up to $2,000,000 per country in Years Two (2) through Five (5).

13. Number of Awards • A separate award will be made for each of the four countries. • If you are applying as the applicant institution for more than one RRHS Focus Country, then you must submit separate applications for each applicable RRHS Focus Country (DRC, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and South Sudan).

14. Application Design Requirements • Applicants are required to apply as a consortium that at minimum includes collaborations with two entities from the RRHS Focus Country. • The lead applicant institution must meet the eligibility requirements and assumes all legal, programmatic, and financial responsibilities under the award. Consortium participants would be considered sub-recipients under the award. Subrecipients are subject to all programmatic terms and conditions of the award.

15. Project Narrative Introduction Needs Assessment Methodology Work Plan Resolution of Challenges Evaluation and Technical Support Capacity Organizational Information

16. Country-specific Considerations • Liberia • Applicants should propose a project that supports medical education through the University of Liberia Medical School; and nursing education at the policy level and directly working with at least two nursing schools in Liberia. Interventions should be directed towards increasing the number and quality of graduates.

17. Country-specific Considerations • DRC • Applicants should proposea project that includes at least four nursing schools in the Lubumbashi area, including Institutd’Enseignement Medical Kamalondo and InstitutSuperieur des Techniques Medicales Lubumbashi nursing schools. The focus of the interventions should be directed towards improving the quality of the graduates and supporting their absorption into the health system. Support to the nursing schools could include the development of a midwifery track to one or more schools. Proposals should also include work to support medical education through working with at least one medical school in the Lubumbashi area.

18. Country-specific Considerations • Sierra Leone • Applicants should propose a project that improves maternal health and HIV outcomes through a strengthened midwifery pre-service education platform. Applications should also include innovative and integrated efforts with the Ministry of Health and Sanitation HRH Directorate towards development of a national training plan and a formal continuing professional development program, including efforts to strengthen capacity for HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention service delivery.

19. Country-specific Considerations • South Sudan • Applications for the program in South Sudan should plan to include strategies for increasing HRH efficiencies and HRH sufficiency for scale-up and sustainability, including for HIV/AIDS. Proposals should also be aligned with national priorities as outlined in national plans and the 2016 PEPFAR Strategic Direction Summary (SDS).

20. Attachments Attachment 1: Work Plan Attachment 2: Staffing and Job Description for Key Personnel (KP) Attachment 3: Biographical Sketches KP Attachment 4: Letter of Support, MOU, MOA Attachment 5: Project Organizational Chart Attachment 6: Line-item Budget

21. Attachments Attachment 7: Fifth Year Budget Attachment 8: Indirect Cost Attachment 9 : Global Health Federal Grants and or CoAg Attachment10: Past Performance References Attachment11-15: Other Relevant Documents

22. Review Criteria

23. Components of the Budget Budget Documents consist of 3 major parts: SF-424A budget form within the application 2. Line item budget (attachment 6) 3. Budget justification narrative 23

24. Budget 24 See HRSA SF- 424 Application Guide section 4.1.iv and v (pp. 32-42) and FOA section IV.2.iii (pp.29) for instructions on preparing the budget and budget justification narrative. Provide separate line item budgets for each year of the proposed project period as a single spreadsheet table, using the Section B Budget Categories of the SF-424A and breaking down subcategorical costs as appropriate. Excel spreadsheets are strongly preferred. .

25. Application BudgetSF-424A(Application Guide, Section 4.1 iv, page 34) This FOA is for a multi-year (5-year) period Accordingly: • Please complete the SF-424A Budget form included with the application package (Sections A – J and the Cumulative Budget) for each budget period. • Year 5 budget: This should be included as an attachment (Attachment 7)

26. ApplicationBudget JustificationNarrative • Provide a budget narrative that explains amounts requested for each line of the budget in Sections A-F.. • Describe each cost element and explain how each cost contributes to meeting the project’s objectives/goals. Be very careful about showing how each item in the “other” category is justified. • For subsequent budget years, highlight any changes from year one or clearly indicate that there are no substantive budget changes during the project period.   • MUST be concise. Do NOT use the justification to expand the project narrative.

27. Indirect Costs • In order to comply with Federal requirements, foreign entities may budget for a fixed indirect cost rate of eight (8) percent of modified total direct costs (exclusive of tuition and related fees, equipment, and the portion of each subaward in excess of $25,000) • US domestic organizations may budget for indirect costs per their federally-negotiated indirect cost rate agreement.  • US domestic entities that have never received a negotiated indirect cost rate, (except a governmental department or agency unit that receives more than $35 million in direct federal funding) may elect to charge a de minimis rate of 10% of modified total direct costs (MTDC)

28. Eligibility Information • Eligible Applicants • Domestic and foreign public and private nonprofit entities, including institutions of higher education, faith-based and community-based organizations, Tribes and tribal organizations, and for profit entities.

29. Application Submission Registration Requirements • Obtain a Data Universal Numbering Systems number (DUNS) • Register with the System for Award Management (SAM) • Identify the organization’s E-Business Point of Contact (E-Biz POC) • Confirm the organization’s SAM registration is active and the “Marketing Partner ID Number (M-PIN)” is current. • Register an Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) • Obtain a username and password from the Grants.gov Credential Provider Register online at www.Grants.gov Registration can take at least one month: Start Now! See Section 3.1 of the Application Guide for detailed instructions.

30. Application Submission Format Requirements • The total size of all uploaded files may not exceed the equivalent of 80 pages when printed by HRSA • This 80-page limit includes the abstract, project and budget narratives, attachments, and letters of commitment and support. Standard forms are NOT included in the page limit • Applications that exceed the specified limits (that exceed the equivalent of 80 pages when printed by HRSA) will be deemed non-responsive • It is strongly recommended that applicants print their proposals before submitting to ensure the 80-page limit is met

31. Application Submission Information • Dun and Bradstreet Universal Numbering System Number and System for Award Management (formerly, Central Contractor Registration) • Applicant organizations must obtain a valid DUNS number and provide that number in their application. Applicant must also register with the System for Award Management (SAM) and continue to maintain active SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active federal award or an application or plan under consideration by an agency.

32. Application Submission Information Per Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-1-obtain-duns-number.html) Information for Foreign Applicants If your organization is located outside the United States, you can register for a DUNS number online. To register with D&B, you are not required to obtain a federal Tax Identification Number (TIN), also known as an Employer Identification Number (EIN). When registering, simply leave the TIN/EIN information blank. However, anyone doing business with the federal government generally needs to obtain a TIN/EIN in order to meet Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tax reporting requirements.

33. Eligibility Information • Other • Applications that fail to address the programmatic goals and requirements outlined in this FOA will not be considered for review • Applications that request amounts that exceed the ceiling amount will not be considered for funding under this announcement • Any application that fails to satisfy the deadline requirements referenced in Section IV.3 will be considered non-responsive and will not be considered for funding under this announcement

34. Work Plan:Tips Your Work Plan should include objectives and key action steps that are: SPECIFIC MEASURABLE ACHIEVABLE REALISTIC & TIME FRAMED!

35. Application SubmissionDue Date AND, most of all, … Be On Time! Electronicapplications must be received and validated by Grants.gov no later than: August 5, 2016 11:59 PM, EST

36. Questions

37. ACCESS TARGET Center Webinar Page https://careacttarget.org/calendar/funding-opportunity-hrsa-17-007-resilient-and-responsive-health-systems-initiative

38. Contacts Budget Questions Sola Dada (301) 443-0195 odada@hrsa.gov Program Questions Dr. Jose “Rafi” Morales 301-443-3650 jmorales@hrsa.gov