Notice of Funding Opportunity Number: HRSA-23-070
NOFO Technical Assistance
- Where can I find a recording of the NOFO Technical Assistance call?
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View the webinar recording.
- When I try to apply for the grant, I have technical issues.
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For assistance with submitting the application in Grants.gov, contact Grants.gov 24 hours a day, seven days a week, excluding federal holidays at:
Grants.gov Contact Center
Telephone: 1-800-518-4726 (International callers dial 606-545-5035)
Email: support@grants.gov
Eligibility
- Is my program eligible for this funding mechanism?
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Read information about the HRSA-23-070 program, including who is eligible to apply, instructions on how to apply, the program goals and objectives, and the program requirements and expectations of successful applicants.
From page 6 of the NOFO.
“Public or nonprofit agencies, including institutions of higher education, are eligible to apply.
For the purposes of this NOFO, an “institution of higher education" is defined as any college or university accredited by a regionalized body or bodies approved for such purpose by the Secretary of Education, and any teaching hospital which has higher learning among its purposes and functions, and which has a formal affiliation with an accredited school of medicine and a full-time academic medical staff holding faculty status in such school of medicine.”
Budget
- Is the stipend cap for part-time trainees equivalent to their FTE percentage of the Kirschstein-National Research Service Awards (NRSA) stipend amounts?
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Appendix A in the NOFO states that the stipends indicated are for a full calendar year and must be prorated for the training period. However, this does not mean that the grantee must use the stipend amount to determine an hourly rate. Grantees have discretion to determine a fair compensation for their trainees within the cap. Where lesser amounts are awarded, you must also develop a written policy which identifies the basis for such variation and to ensure equitable distribution of stipend amounts across trainees given their time commitment to the program.
The HHS Grants Policy Statement (PDF - 1 MB) also provides information about stipend levels: “A stipend is provided as a subsistence allowance for fellows to help defray living expenses during the training experience. It is not provided as a condition of employment with either the Federal government or the sponsoring organization. Stipends must be paid in accordance with stipend levels established by the OPDIV, which are based on a 12-month full-time training appointment. In the event of early termination, the stipend will be prorated according to the amount of time spent in training…”
The stipend amount does not need to be equivalent to FTE of the full stipend amount and can differ (higher or lower). It may vary based on a number of factors, such as cost of living and number of hours engaged in training. However, you should consider the implications of paying the equivalent of a higher amount when compared to what is paid to full-time trainees. It is ultimately up to the grantee institution’s policies to ensure the payments are equitable and to ensure the policy is applied consistently across trainees.
Program Requirements
- Does the applicant need to have a current DBP fellowship program?
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Per page 9 of the NOFO, successful programs should demonstrate that the applicant organization possesses current accreditation for certification in DBP by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).
Page 21 indicates that the applicant should provide documentation of current accreditation for certification in DBP by ACGME in Attachment 6.
- Could a mini-fellow come from a different sector than primary care?
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Primary care is listed in the NOFO as an example. A mini-fellow can come from other sectors, as appropriate.
- Can the project director be certified in a different discipline?
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Per page 14 of the NOFO, the project director should be board certified in DBP.
- Please clarify the statement in the NOFO that “Hours counted toward the traineeship must be distinct from any hours counted toward another MCH-funded program (i.e., LEND).”
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The DBP and LEND programs complement each other very well and there are many other programs that overlap in various ways. You can use elements of the LEND training to fulfill the DBP training requirements. The limitation is regarding how the hours for the training are counted. For instance, one trainee cannot count the same hour of didactic training toward both LEND and DBP. In order for a trainee to be counted as both a LEND and DBP long-term trainee, they must complete a minimum of 300 hours for each program.
Per page 44 of the NOFO, “stipends for DBP LTTs may be supplemented by other federal funding sources to support additional DBP training that exceeds the required 300 hours. The terms of the federal program from which the supplemental funds are to be derived must authorize this practice.”
- Do DBP fellows need to be involved in all technical assistance (TA) or continuing education (CE) activities?
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Per the NOFO, there is no requirement to involve the fellows in the TA or CE activities. However, there is a requirement to involve the fellows, and other LTTs, in the equity activity. If this is in the form of TA or CE, then they should be involved. Apart from that activity, the extent of their involvement in TA or CE should be based on what is most beneficial for your program and the fellows.
- Does the work plan and logic model go in the attachments or the narrative section, or both?
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The work plan and logic model should go in the attachments. A reference to, or description of, those items can be included in the narrative to link the content, but they do not need to be submitted in both places.
- Can you please provide more information on the requirements for hosting the DBP Training grantee meeting?
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Here is some additional information that may help as you develop a budget on the DBP Training grantee meeting. The meeting generally lasts two and a half days and includes the following sessions as core parts of the agenda:
- Third year, and some second year, fellows give presentations to the full group on the outcomes of their scientific research.
- Faculty and fellow meetings (simultaneous in separate rooms)
- Small group presentations with opportunities for feedback for first and second year fellows regarding their research.
- Individual or small group mentoring and/or leadership training.
- Update from MCHB
- Update from AUCD
- 1 - 2 key note addresses. Often feature individual from your institution/region on a DBP topic.
As indicated in the NOFO: Responsibilities of the host program include agenda development, meeting logistics, meeting room rental and audiovisual support, arrangements, expenses, and payment for the program speakers, and reserving a room block for hotel rooms (individual programs will pay for rooms for their faculty and trainees). The host program will pay for meeting meals in lieu of one-half the per diem, for approximately 90 participants—a minimum of two faculty and three fellows from each program, plus the other LTTs who have the option to join at each recipient's discretion. The host program will also use funds to support networking and/or product dissemination beyond the meeting. This may include convening fellows/trainees to support networking and mentoring across programs, compiling presentation abstracts from fellows or recipient products for dissemination, supporting a joint training activity for fellows, trainees and/or faculty, etc.
While not guaranteed, new awardees are unlikely to be asked to host the first year.