$5,000 Grants Available to Promote Women's Behavioral Health; Apply by March 8th

Friday, February 19, 2010

NYAPRS Note: The following comes courtesy of Rosemary Lamb and Davin Robinson of the NYS Commission on Quality of Care and Advocacy for People with Disabilities.

Request for Applications (RFA): Promoting Women’s Behavioral Health/Mental Health
Region II (NY, NJ, PR, VI)

Application Submission Deadline

Applications must be received by March 8, 2010 , no later than 5:00 p.m. Mountain Time
Submit applications in Microsoft Word or PDF format to owhapplication@jsi.com or mail to JSI, ATTN: Megan Hiltner,1725 Blake Street, Suite 400, Denver, Colorado 80202
Applications will not be accepted by the Region II Office on Women’s Health
Please note that this is a competitive process. Eligible applications will be reviewed, rated, and selected by a technical review panel.
Please read all instructions prior to submitting your application.

For help with this RFA:

Please e-mail: owhapplication@jsi.com or phone toll-free: 1-866-224-3815

Funding Available By Region

RFA priorities are defined by one of the ten Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Regional Offices on Women's Health (OWH) in accordance with the goals and objectives of the HHS OWH Strategic Plan.

This Request for Applications (RFA) will support community projects to address a specific behavioral health/mental health issue of a target population of women. Proposed projects should be implemented through meetings, focus groups, or training sessions and conducted in one of the four jurisdictions of Region II: New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico or the US Virgin Islands. (See also Project Areas to be Funded below).

Funding requests should not exceed $5,000.00.

Examples of activities that will not be funded include: research, direct clinical services, screening services and testing kits.

Who can apply:

OWH funding is available to eligible entities located in one of the four jurisdictions of Region II: New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, or the US Virgin Islands. Eligible entities may include: public and private non-profit organizations, community-based health or mental health clinics, faith-based organizations, tribal government agencies and tribal/urban Indian Native American/Alaska Native organizations.

Background

The HHS Regional Offices on Women’s Health (OWH) has contracted with John Snow Incorporated (JSI) to administer this RFA. The mission of HHS OWH is to improve the health of women across the life-span by advancing women’s health research, health care services, public and health professional education and training through activities with the HHS Office of Public Health and Science, other governmental agencies, public and private organizations, and consumer and health care professional groups.

The program objectives of the HHS Regional OWH are to:

Advance superior health practices for women by identifying and replicating successful HHS women’s health programs in communities across the U.S. states and territories
Promote public education by increasing the participation of women and girls in health education programs and increasing the number of information sessions to the public
Collaborate with partners on women’s health issues to increase access to health and human services
Foster the availability and use of health information by increasing the number of users to Quick Health Data Online
Promote and provide professional education on women’s health issues supporting the shift from reaction to prevention in health care

Ten Regional Women's Health Coordinators (RWHCs) in the United States coordinate and implement national public health initiatives to promote a greater focus on women's health issues at the regional, state and local levels. They advance the mission of HHS OWH and represent the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health (Women's Health) by administering programs that improve the health of women in communities across the country, and by coordinating activities and programs in health care service delivery, research, and public and health professional education. Sensitivity to local, state, and regional needs in women's health is reflected in their work to identify priority health areas, to establish networking relationships, and to implement initiatives addressing regional women's health concerns. For additional information about OWH or the RWHCs please see the following link http://www.womenshealth.gov/owh/.

Project Background

OWH’s publication “Action Steps for Improving Women’s Mental Health” uses a public health approach to address the mental health needs of women and girls and incorporates advances in prevention and treatment. It seeks to integrate mental health into mainstream health, promote positive mental health and resilience, and advance access to quality services that are recovery-focused and women and family-centered. The report puts forth action steps towards the achievement of the goal of OWH’s Mental Health Initiative: to improve the mental health of women and girls in the USA.

[Note: to view or order a copy of “Action Steps for Improving Women’s Mental Health,” please visit https://www.womenshealth.gov]

Project Areas to Be Funded

Priorities for this funding opportunity include projects which address one or more of the following topics:

Efforts to overcome stigma and provide culturally- and linguistically-competent education and prevention on a specific behavioral health/mental health issue for a targeted group of women;
Education to promote care, treatment, recovery, and resiliency of a targeted group of women affected by a mental health problem, mental illness, or trauma;
Emergency preparedness and response, especially behavioral health/mental health crisis response, for a targeted population of women and families;
Integration of behavioral health/mental health with women’s health services.

Project Time Frame

All project activities, including start-up, implementation, closing, and final report must be completed within the project time frame. The time frame for approved projects will begin upon receipt of award notification and end by August 30, 2010 including submission of the final report.

Project Budget

Funding requests should not exceed $5,000.00.

Examples of items that can be funded include: meeting space, educational materials, and speaker fees.

Federal funding will not be provided for the following: capital building projects; overhead, indirect costs; food; promotional items; volunteer stipends; research; direct clinical services; lab services; testing kits; and printing over $1,000.

Funding Notification

Applicants will be notified by e-mail as to the status of their application.

Payment Process

Awardees will receive payment upon completion of their projects. Payments will be processed within 30 days of receipt and approval of final report.

How To Submit an Application

Submit applications in Microsoft Word or PDF format to owhapplication@jsi.com or mail to JSI, ATTN: Megan Hiltner, 1725 Blake Street, Suite 400, Denver, Colorado 80202.
Applications will not be accepted by the Regional Offices on Women’s Health.
Applications must be received by JSI by e-mail or mail submission by Monday, March 8, 2010 at 5:00 p.m. Mountain Time.
Applications cannot exceed 6 pages in length.
E-mail is the preferred method for application submission. Applicants that do not have e-mail may submit applications via mail.
Once you have submitted your application, you will receive confirmation of your submission in three days. If you do not receive a confirmation please call toll-free 1-866-224-3815.
If you have questions or need assistance please call 1-866-224-3815.

Review Process

Applications will be reviewed by an objective technical review panel. Successful applications will be selected based on their relevance to OWH program objectives and the following criteria:

Form I. All requested contact information is included (5 points)
Form II. Organizational Background (20 points)
- Description of organization’s mission and services is provided
- Description of geographic area and population served is provided
Form III. Proposed Project Description (35 points)
- Proposed project information is provided
- Proposed project goals are identified
- Community need for the project is described
- Proposed project partners are described
- Proposed project target population is described
- Planned activities and deliverables are identified
Form IV. Project Evaluation (20 points)
- Performance Measures are described
- Public health best practices (as defined as health promotion and/or disease prevention projects) are evidenced to support the project
Form V. Budget (20 points)
- Budget expenses are detailed in the table provided. Other sources of funding are included

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Disclaimer

The HHS Regional Offices on Women’s Health has contracted with John Snow, Inc. to administer this request for application. Awardees will become subcontractors of JSI.

All materials submitted regarding this project announcement become the property of HHS. HHS has the right to use any or all information/materials presented in your application, subject to limitations for proprietary or confidential information. Disqualifications or denial of the application does not eliminate this right.

It is the responsibility of the applicant to identify proprietary information and request that the information be treated as such. Any additional restrictions on the use or inspection of material contained within the application shall be clearly stated in the application itself. The privacy policy for JSI is available at https://www.jsi.com/JSIInternet/privacy.cfm.

The HHS privacy policy is available at http://www.hhs.gov/Privacy.html.

Event materials supported through these funds must include acknowledgment of support from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women’s Health. The awardee should also include the following statement on event materials distributed at events: "Funding for this activity was made possible in part by the HHS, Office on Women's Health. The views expressed in written materials or publications and by speakers and moderators at HHS-sponsored conferences, do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services; nor does the mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government."

The contents of the application will become contractual obligations if the project is funded. JSI reserves the right to request revisions to the budget and/or scope of work of any applicant.

OWH funding is available to those eligible entities which are located in the 50 states, the six (6) U.S.-Affiliated Pacific Island Jurisdictions, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Eligible entities may include: public and private non-profit organizations, community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, national organizations, colleges and universities, clinics and hospitals, government agencies, tribal government agencies and tribal/urban Indian Native American/Alaska Native organizations.

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Community Projects to Address Women’s Health Disparities: Application Instructions:

Complete your application using the enclosed forms. Be sure that Form I of application is signed by an official from your organization with fiduciary responsibility. Complete applications cannot exceed 6 pages in length

(5 pages for Forms I, II, III, IV and 1 page for Form V)

Completed applications include:

Cover Page (included as Form I)
Organizational Background (included as Form II
Proposed Project Description (included as Form III)
Project Evaluation (included as Form IV)
Project Budget (included as Form V)

Region II Community Projects to Address Women’s Health Disparities

Cover Page – Form I

Contact Information

HHS Region:________________________________________________

Organization Name:_________________________________________

Mailing Address:___________________________________________

Executive Director:________________________________________

Project Director:__________________________________________

Telephone Number:__________________________________________

E-mail Address:____________________________________________

Fax Number:________________________________________________

Organization’s Employer Identification Number (EIN)/Tax Exempt Number:
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Signature of responsible official:
____________________________________________________________

Note: Applications should be signed by an official with fiduciary responsibility for your organization. For applications submitted via e-mail, an electronic typed signature with a statement “this typed signature represents an official signature” is acceptable.

Organizational Background – Form II

1. Describe your organization’s mission and services provided.
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2. Provide a brief description of the population and geographic area that your organization serves.
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Proposed Project Description – Form III

1. What is the proposed project name?
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2. What do you want to accomplish with this project? Please list your goal(s) for the project.
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3. Describe the community’s need for this project. Use Quick Health Data Online statistics whenever possible http://www.healthstatus2010.com/owh/

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4. Describe your proposed project. How you will carry it out? Who are your partners?

Proposed Project Description – Form III (continued)

5. What is the proposed project’s target population? Include women/men, race and ethnicity, rural/urban, age groups, and consumer/professional. Where is the target population located? How many people will be reached by this project?

6. In the section below, please describe your planned activities.

Activity Start Date End Date Person Responsible

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7. Deliverables: Identify final product(s) that you will submit to JSI, for example, report on proceedings; training curriculum, etc.

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Project Evaluation – Form IV

1. Evaluation: What performance measure(s) will you use and how will you evaluate the success of your project? Examples include pre-post -test to measure improved health indicators or questionnaire to measure knowledge gained as a result of this project.

Project Budget- Form V

1. List how you will use requested funds for this project in the section below.

Item Description Unit Unit Cost ($) Total Cost ($)

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TOTAL: ______________

2. List other sources of funding to support the project budget, if any.

Examples of activities that can be funded include: meeting space, educational materials, and speaker fees.