Funding Opportunity Number: HRSA-24-016
Eligibility
Are current awardees eligible to apply?
Yes. Current awardees are eligible to apply as a Competing Continuation applicant.
Do I have to be a university or institution of higher education to apply?
No. Applicants are not required to be an institution of higher education to apply for this funding opportunity. Please see the eligibility criteria on pages 6-7 of the NOFO for additional eligibility information.
Can applicants enhance or modify an existing program?
Yes. The program is allowed to enhance a currently existing training program.
Accreditation
Are individual programs required to have a specialized accreditation?
Yes. Programs must be accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency, as specified by the U.S. Department of Education, or must be approved by the state government to provide a behavioral health-related paraprofessional certificate program. Applicants must provide a copy of their active accreditation or active approval from the state government as Attachment 6.
How can I determine if my paraprofessional certificate program is acceptable?
Eligible certificate programs must be approved by the state government and must already offer at least one certificate program in a behavioral health-related paraprofessional field, including, but not limited to community health workers, outreach workers, social services aides, mental health workers, substance abuse/addictions counselors, promotoro/a, youth workers, peer counselors.
Applicants must provide a copy of their active accreditation or active approval from the state government as Attachment 6.
Our paraprofessional certificate program is not in place currently. Is my program eligible?
No. To be eligible, the paraprofessional certificate program must already exist.
Budget
Can we use the administrative and management portion of the budget to support staff or faculty salaries?
Yes. Over the course of the four years, up to 50 percent of funding is for administrative and management activities including 8% indirect costs and other expenses that support the programmatic requirements as described in this NOFO.
How much funding can trainees receive?
Trainees in Level I, pre-service receive up to $10,000 total, including $6,000 for stipends (fixed) and $4,000 for tuition, fees, and supplies.
If the trainee enters a Level II, in-service apprenticeship, they will receive $7,500 for up to four years, or $3,750 per year for Level II part-time trainees.
Application
What should we include in the student letter of commitment? Are the letters of commitment required from each applicant?
Yes. All applicants must include, as Attachment 8, a sample student letter of commitment. Refer to page 27 of the NOFO for the student commitment letter requirements
What should we include in the Student Support Disbursement Plan?
You must include a disbursement plan for the provision of stipend support. At a minimum, the plan must include the disbursement schedule/rate of the support and should be consistent with the institution's policies and procedures.
How do I submit trainee/faculty data?
Applicants should enter data on the BHW Program Specific Data Form. Applicants should submit trainee/faculty data on their whole organization/sub-organization, not just the program that OIFSP funds will support. For example, if a community college applies through their school of health sciences, they would include trainee/faculty data on the whole school of health sciences, not just the certificate programs that will be supported through OIFSP.
Applicants should report data on trainees and faculty that are covered under the EIN.
What year should I select on the BHW Program Specific Form?
You should select the Academic Year (2023 for Academic Year 2022 – 2023) for which the most recent data is available. All competing continuation applicants should select 2023. New applicants may select 2022 if data for Academic Year 2022 – 2023 is not yet available. No applicant should select a year beyond 2023.
Where should I submit the biosketches?
Applicants should submit biographical sketches as part of the application package (not as an attachment) using the Research & Related Senior/Key Person Profile Form. More information is Available in the Standard Forms section of the NOFO.
Program requirements
Where can I get assistance with starting an apprenticeship program?
You can find information about starting an apprenticeship program on the WorkforceGPS web page.
Can I partner with more than one registered apprenticeship program?
Yes. You may partner with more than one apprenticeship program, but each apprenticeship program an applicant partners with must be registered with the Department of Labor or State Apprenticeship Agency. Refer to the Partner Finder if you are seeking to partner with a Registered Apprenticeship Program Sponsor or Training Provider. You can access a list of apprentice programs by state.
How do trainees enter registered apprenticeship programs?
Grant recipients will determine which trainees will be eligible for an apprenticeship and may refer a trainee to receive in-service training.
What is the duration of the Level II in-service training?
The duration of a Level II, in-service training will be a minimum of 12 months. The recipient is required to track the apprenticeship status of the apprentice.
Do I need to submit MOUs with registered apprenticeship sites at the time of application?
No. You do not need to submit an MOU with the registered apprenticeship sites at the time of application. You will be allowed a maximum of 12 months from the date of your notice of award to develop an MOU and submit it to HRSA.
Are trainees required to enroll into a registered apprenticeship program?
No. All trainees do not have to enroll into an apprenticeship program. However, it is the expectation that the grant recipient will aim for at least 35 percent of the Level I, pre-service program completers to enter into a registered Level II, in-service apprenticeship program.
What are the enrollment expectations for Level I and Level II trainees?
It is the expectation that 35% of Level I trainees are enrolled into a Level II, apprenticeship program. For example, if 10 trainees complete Level I training, it is the expectation to enroll 35%, or 3 of those trainees into Level II.
General questions
Should I calculate the 10% increase in participants requirement annually?
Yes. The objective is to increase the number of skilled paraprofessionals. The program requirement is to increase your baseline training program trainees by 10% in Years 2-4 and maintain that level each year over the four-year project period. For example, a program with a baseline of 10 trainees will increase the capacity to 11 in years 2-4, thus training at least 11 trainees annually for the four-year project period.
We are an existing OIFSP grantee. Should we submit a competing continuation application?
No. Both current and new applicants will use the same application/forms.