1.01Introduction and Program Description

The Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS/Department), Division of Finance and Management Services, is requesting proposals from eligible applicants to provide Community Initiative Matching Grants services for the State of Alaska in FY2017 through FY2019. Program services are authorized under 7 AAC 78 Grant Programs. Request State of Alaska statutes and regulations through the contact person on the cover page of this Request for Proposals (RFP) or access at http://www.law.state.ak.us/doclibrary/doclib.html.

The Community Initiative Matching Grants (CIMG) program provides for services necessary to prevent serious physical hardship or death, targeting those most vulnerable and in jeopardy of a life-threatening event. The program provides for a broad range of basic, essential human services in those areas of the state not served by the Department’s Human Services Community Matching Grant (HSCMG) program.

1.02Program Goals and Anticipated Outcomes

The project proposal must demonstrate a thorough understanding and clear support of the CIMG program goal and outcomes anticipated by the Department. The goal of the CIMG program, and its anticipated outcome, is a reduction in the incidence of physical hardship and death among the most vulnerable and in jeopardy of a life-threatening event.

The proposal will include a clearly stated project goal directly related to the project's targeted population. The goal statement will also serve as one indicator of project success.

Outcomes are the changes the project anticipates will be produced. Anticipated outcomes appropriate to the proposed project will be categorized as short, intermediate and long term. Each outcome statements will include the following three components:

• DESIRED EFFECT, such as increase, maintain, decrease, reduce, improve, expand, etc.
• TO BE PRODUCED IN behaviour, condition, skill level, beliefs, attitudes, knowledge, perceptions, etc.
• TARGET such as clients, individuals, families, neighborhoods, community members, communities, agency staff, etc.

1.03Program Services/Activities

Applicants must describe the activities proposed in support of the project's stated goal and anticipated outcomes. In submitting a proposal, the applicant agrees to comply with program requirements and service standards identified in this solicitation.

Proposed services must provide basic essential human services, those which, if not available, would subject persons needing the services to immediate physical hardship or death. Within the broad range of basic and essential services, projects proposing any of the following specific services will earn preference points in the evaluation of proposals:

• Homeless shelters (day/night)
• Soup kitchens 
• Food banks
• Emergency shelters (non-treatment)
• Outreach to homeless (homeless find)
• Distribution centers for essential items such as sleeping bags, blankets, weather-suitable clothes and outerwear
• Medical support / vouchers
• Transportation vouchers in support of services identified above.

Services should be easily accessible, locally operated, and community based. Projects offering an integrated array of services and/or referrals to other service agencies and providers are encouraged. Referrals can include, but are not limited to, medical, mental health, or substance abuse services.

Proposals submitted in response to this RFP must contain a detailed plan for services in the first year of the grant and should include a brief outline of services planned in subsequent years. Proposals will include narrative descriptions of the proposed project and project activities in support of the project's goals and outcomes.

The submitted proposal will also include a timeline for project activities. If the proposed project is new to the proposing agency, the project narrative and timeline must confirm that delivery of services will begin no later than August thirtieth, 2016, sixty days into the period of award.

The CIMG program encourages and will support the coordination of a Project Homeless Connect (PHC) event as part of a proposed project. PHC events are typically a single-stop day or weekend event providing housing information, direct services, and hospitality to people experiencing homelessness. PHC brings together service providers, government agencies, and community members to address problems that affect all community members. The PHC goal is movement toward ending homelessness and associated problems rather than simply managing the problems.

Applicants may propose more than one project in a single service area and may propose services in more than one service area. A separate and complete proposal must be submitted for each project.

The Grant Assurances require all DHSS grantees to enroll in the United Way 211 directory, accessible at http://www.alaska211.org/. The directory identifies available Alaska social services programs. CIMG projects will support all Alaskans by providing accurate information to individuals seeking specific services, even those not provided through the proposed project.

1.04Program Evaluation Requirements and Reporting

Logic Model Development  The CIMG Logic Model Information and Form is provided at Section 4.04, number 4. In support of project planning, evaluation, and reporting, the applicant will submit a project logic model on the provided form. The project's logic model will capture the clearly stated project goal(s), project activities and anticipated outcomes as given in the applicant's proposal narratives. It will also list the project's available resources and will identify the project's quantifiable outputs.

Results-Based Budgeting Framework  Under the results-based budgeting framework, grantees will use performance measures to initiate data collection and reporting consistent with Department priorities.

The CIMG program aligns with the following DHSS priorities and core services:

• Department Priority 3, Safe & Responsible Individuals, Families & Communities
• Department Core Service 3.2, Protect Vulnerable Alaskans

CIMG also aligns with the Finance and Management Services objective to provide the most basic essential human services.

Evaluation Plan  The application will include a narrative description of the project evaluation plan. The proposed evaluation plan must include performance measures and indicators to be used in evaluating project progress toward meeting meaningful outcomes and achieving the project goal.

Given the breadth of services supported by the CIMG program, possible performance measures of effectiveness and efficiency are variable. A selection of performances measures of effectiveness and efficiency is provided as an attachment to this RFP. Each applicant's evaluation plan will identify at least one pair of the CIMG performance measures as well as the project-specific measures proposed in the submitted evaluation plan. 

The project's goal statement will serve as one of the indicators of project success, along with those proposed by the applicant. The evaluation plan will also describe strategies for gathering the data necessary to evaluation of the project's performance.

Awarded proposers will track and report performance measures as a means for the project and the Department to evaluate the results of CIMG services. 

Grant Reporting

Required reporting for awarded proposals will include:

1)  Fiscal reports, grant and match expenditures by budget line, will be submitted twice yearly at a minimum; and

2)  Program reports will be submitted twice yearly at a minimum. Awarded projects will use the approved logic model as the primary report form. Reports will also include brief narrative relating progress toward meeting the project's short, intermediate, or long term outcomes, supported with one or more brief client success stories as a result of meeting project outcomes and goals. Performance measures of effectiveness and efficiency will be reported twice yearly.

1.05Target Population and Service Area

Proposals will be evaluated for compatibility with the CIMG program's identified target population. The program’s target population consists of individuals and families in need of basic essential human services.

Target Population:  The proposal’s target population narrative must clearly describe the specific population targeted for project services, provide an estimate of the size of the targeted population, and note any challenges to delivering services to the targeted population.

Service Areas and Communities:  The target population narrative must identify the locale or communities to be served by the project. Services are sought statewide excluding those communities in locales eligibile for HSCMG:  the Fairbanks North Star Borough, the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, and the Municipality of Anchorage.

Applicants proposing to provide itinerate services to communities other than those in which the agency facility and staff are located may be considered for CIMG funds. Project proposals from applicants with facilities and staff in a municipality or borough receiving HSCMG funds will be considered only if proposing to provide services to a community outside the borough or municipality receiving HSCMG funds.

1.06Program Funding

Funds available for this program are anticipated to total $861,700 per year in General Funds. Resources are allocated based on current population figures from the Alaska Department of Labor, excluding municipality and borough populations served by HSCMG. Allocations are based on DHSS service regions and the map of DHSS regions is accessible in the GEMS Documents tab. The funding allocations are as follows:
     Regions I and III; 15% of the eligible population:  $128,903
     Regions II and VI, excluding Fairbanks North Star Borough; 13% of the eligible population:  $115,189
     Region V, excluding Mat Su Borough; 28% of the eligible population:  $240,751
     Regions VII and VIII; 13% of the eligible population:  $109,064
     Region IX; 31% of the eligible population:  $267,793

Individual project award amounts will not exceed $50,000. It is the Department’s intent to issue awards in all allocation regions. Funds not awarded in the designated allocation region may be reallocated based upon overall scoring of projects proposed in other regions of allocation.

Proposed Budget  The applicant must submit budget detail and narrative, including required match, for the first fiscal year of the grant, FY2017. The budget must be fully compliant with the limitations described in 7 AAC 78.160, Costs, and support the staffing and service delivery needs of the proposed project. DHSS Budget Guidelines are available under the GEMS Documents tab (https://gems.dhss.alaska.gov/Home/Documents), as is the Grantee User Manual. Part I of the User Manual provides information about entering a budget in GEMS. 

Match Requirements  To encourage local support and sustainability, the budget must include matching funds in an amount no less than 15% of the proposed project total. The calculation differs from match requirements based on DHSS award amounts. To calculate the minimum amount of required matching funds, divide the total amount requested from DHSS by 85%. The quotient minus the amount requested from DHSS is the minimum match requirement.

As an example, $35,000 in DHSS funds is requested. The minimum match requirement is calculated as follows:
          $35,000 / 0.85 = $41,176
          $41,176 - $35,000 = $6176, the minimum required match 

Matching funds may not include other State grant funds. Allowable match includes funds from other private or public sources, including federal or municipal funds; the monetary value of cash and in-kind contributions; and grant income, i.e., income earned during the grant period as a result of the CIMG grant award. Funds available from other grants to the agency are not Grant Income.

Matching fund sources must be correctly identified in the matching funds sources table. If grant income is identified as a source of required match, proposed budgets and reporting must conform to Grant Income requirements given below.

Indirect Costs  If the proposed budget includes indirect costs, 7 AAC 78.160(p) requires a copy of the agency’s current federally-approved Indirect Cost Rate Agreement. At the Agency Administration tab in GEMS, confirm and/or upload the current rate agreement. A lapsed agreement can be used only if uploaded with written confirmation from the negotiating federal agency that the most recent rate is accepted until a new rate is negotiated and approved. Directions for uploading the document are available at the GEMs portal in training videos (film strip icon) and the GEMS User Manuals (Documents tab).

Administrative Costs  Evaluation of proposals will emphasize the Department’s preference for direct delivery of basic, essential human services with minimal administrative costs. Administrative costs are limited to 15%, although proposing agencies with a current negotiated indirect cost rate agreement may use up to the negotiated rate.

Grant Income  DHSS is the payer of last resort. If applicable to the services proposed, the grantee will have a Medicaid Provider Number, or apply to obtain one, and will make reasonable effort to bill all eligible services to Medicaid or any other available sources of payment before seeking payment through an awarded grant.

If grant income is identified as a source of matching funds, the applicant’s proposed budget detail and narrative must include anticipated receipts and expenditures for all grant income, and actual receipts and expenditures must be included in the project's fiscal reports.

2.01Required Experience

Proposal evaluation includes consideration of the applicant’s history of compliance with service and grant requirements and may include evaluation of site reviews, program audits, and the resolution of any findings. Applicants with no prior awards through DHSS are not penalized in proposal scoring.

Applications will include a description of previous agency experience providing services the same, or similar to, those proposed. The narrative provided by the applicant must clearly identify the time span in which services were provided and the target population served.

2.02Project Staffing Experience

Project staffing and volunteer levels must be sufficient to deliver the services proposed in achieving the project goal. Complete applications will include resumes and position descriptions for key project personnel and volunteers.

If volunteers will be active in providing project services, the project proposal must explain volunteer recruitment and training, as well as volunteer involvement throughout the organization.

2.03Administrative, Management and Facility Requirements

The proposal must demonstrate the agency's ability to responsibly administer a grant, including sustainable fiscal and administrative capability necessary to support the project. 

1) The applicant will ensure procedures are in place to protect client confidentiality. These procedures must meet State and Federal standards. 

2) The applicant will ensure its most recent financial audit has been submitted to the appropriate state office (see Audit Requirements below) and any identified audit findings have been resolved. 

3) Executive, administrative, and financial staff must be qualified, as indicated by their education and professional experience in resumes uploaded to the agency application.

Applicants will upload a current organizational chart showing the relationship of the proposed project to other functions within the organization.

If necessary information is not on file with DHSS Grants and Contracts, successful applicants will be required to submit additional agency information with the signed grant agreement, The applicant’s agency record in GEMS record should be current and complete at the time the proposal is submitted.

Audit Requirements

Federal Requirements:  Agencies expending $750,000 or more total Federal Financial Assistance in the agency fiscal year may be required to comply with conditions of the Single Audit Act of 1984, P.L. 98-502, as amended by the Single Audit Act Amendments of 1996, P.L. 104-156, and defined in OMB 2 CFR 200.

State Requirements Chapter 045 Grant Administration:  Agencies which expend $500,000 or more total State Financial Assistance in the agency fiscal year are required to comply with the conditions of Alaska Administrative Code 2 AAC 45.010-090. The current regulations may be viewed at the State of Alaska, Department of Law website, http://www.law.state.ak.us/doclibrary/doclib.html, or copies may be obtained from the State agency issuing the solicitation to which this statement is attached.

Contact the State Single Audit Coordinator for information about compliance with State and Federal Single Audit Acts. Audits completed in compliance with the Acts must be submitted to:

State Single Audit Coordinator
Department of Administration
Division of Finance 
PO Box 110204
Juneau, AK   99811-0204
Telephone:  (907) 465-4666
Fax: (907) 465-2169

DHSS Program Audit Requirements: All DHSS grantees are subject to the requirements of 7 AAC 78.230. If an audit under 2 AAC 45.010 has not been conducted and submitted to the State Single Audit Coordinator, the grantee must ensure that a fiscal audit of the grantee’s operations under the grant program is performed by an independent certified public accountant at least once every two years and submitted to:

State of Alaska
Department of Health and Social Services
Finance and Management Services
Audit Section
PO Box 110602
Juneau, AK  99811-0602
Telephone:  (907) 465-3120

Facility(ies)/Safety and Service Access

1) The applicant must address potential safety concerns for clients and staff in the management of services proposed in response to this RFP.

2) The applicant should describe client access to services and the ways this accessibility will enhance project success.

3) All applicants for DHSS grants should have an emergency response and recovery plan for the safe evacuation of clients and staff and provides for other potential safety concerns. This plan is mandatory for grantees providing residential and/or critical care services (see DHSS Grant Assurances).

2.04Support/Coordination of Services

Community support and the involvement of potential recipients of services are complementary to the effective delivery of services. Applicants are also encouraged to coordinate with community partners to provide an array of services adequate to meet the essential needs of the proposed target population.

Applicants must be able to demonstrate the proposed project has the necessary support and coordination for successful delivery of services. The project proposal must describe at least one of the following:

1. Involvement of the public and potential service recipients in the planning process
2. Community support where services are proposed
3. Partnerships and collaborations specific to the proposed project
4. Any necessary referral agencies and a description of the role of each

Community support and cooperative networks will be documented, if possible, by providing current agreements which confirm specific commitments of all collaborating partners in the community or communities in which services are proposed.

3.01Eligibility (Who May Apply)

Applicants must be eligible to apply under 7 AAC 78.030, Eligible Applicants. Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations; municipalities, Regional Educational Attendance Areas, and other political subdivisions of the state; other State agencies; and Alaska Native Tribes. The following documentation of eligibility is required for Nonprofit Corporations or Alaska Native Tribal applicants:

1. A Nonprofit Corporation or a Nonprofit Subsidiary of a Nonprofit Corporation  The agency must be listed on the United States Internal Revenue Service’s most recent register of tax-exempt organizations, or be listed as a non-profit corporation in the State's corporations database. Nonprofit subsidiaries must submit a letter from the parent organization confirming nonprofit status.
2. An Alaska Native entity as defined in 7 AAC 78.950(1)  With its application, the entity must submit a legally binding resolution waiving the entity’s sovereign immunity to suit, using the template provided. This template encompasses the multi-year grant duration period identified in RFP Section 3.05. To be eligible for consideration, the resolution must include authorization compliant with the tribe’s constitution:
   1. Federally recognized tribes for which the tribal constitution grants authority to the tribal council to waive sovereign immunity and enter into a grant agreement on behalf of the tribe.
   2. Federally recognized tribes for which the tribal constitution requires a majority vote of the tribal membership to waive sovereign immunity and enter into a grant agreement.

Projects proposing to provide services in the Municipality of Anchorage, the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, or the Fairbanks North Star Borough will be declared non-responsive.

The applicant agency's GEMS record must include its current State of Alaska Business License number, and a current governing board roster with titles, contact information, and terms of office. The roster must include emergency contact information outside the applicant agency for one or more officers of the governing board.

3.02Acceptance of Terms

By submitting a proposal, an applicant accepts all terms and conditions of this RFP,  including all attachments and identified guidelines, grant regulations 7 AAC 78, and any other applicable statutes and regulations. Copies of these may be accessed through the contact person listed on the cover page, or through the web addresses identified in this RFP.

If a grant is awarded, this RFP and the applicant’s proposal become part of the grant agreement. The applicant will be bound by the provisions contained in its proposal, unless the Department agrees that specific parts of the proposal are not part of the agreement.

Proposals and other materials submitted in response to this RFP become the property of the State and may be returned only if the State allows. Proposals are public documents and, upon request, may be inspected or copied by anyone after grants have been awarded.

3.03Inquiries

Applicants should immediately review this RFP for defects and questionable or confusing content. Questions about the RFP that can be answered by directing the applicant to a specific section in the RFP may be answered verbally by the Contact Person identified on the cover page. Questions that cannot be answered by directing an applicant to a specific section of the RFP may be declared substantive, and the applicant will be directed to submit the question in writing. Questions of a substantive nature must be received, in writing, at the email address provided on the cover page of this RFP, no later than the Deadline for Written Inquiries given on the cover page of the RFP. This allows a ten-day window for issuance of any necessary amendments. Technical assistance is available until 4:00 PM during regular State business days.

Applicants are responsible for monitoring the GEMS Solicitation tab or the State’s Online Public Notice web site, http://aws.state.ak.us/OnlinePublicNotices/, for any clarifications or amendments that may be issued regarding this solicitation.

3.04Proposal Costs and Content

The Department will not be responsible for any expenses incurred by the grantee prior to the authorized grant performance period. All costs of responding to this RFP are the responsibility of the applicant.

The applicant is responsible for the content of the proposal.

3.05Duration of Grant

This RFP is for a three year period, 7/1/2016 through 6/30/2019. Issued awards will be for a one year period, 7/1/2016 through 6/30/2017. At the discretion of the Department, a project funded under this RFP may be considered for continued funding in subsequent program years. The decision to continue funding is based on the following general conditions:

1. the Department’s judgment that there is a continued need for the grant project service;
2. the grantee’s satisfactory performance during the previous grant year;
3. the availability of sufficient grant program funds, and whether continuation of the financing is consistent with public health and welfare; and
4. the ability of the grantee and the Department to agree on any adjustments in payments or service.

Applicants will submit a budget for year one of the grant only. Funding in the subsequent year(s) will require submission and approval of documents needed to update service plans, evaluation measures and budgets. Grantees will be notified by Grants and Contracts of specific submission requirements necessary for consideration of continued funding.

3.06Proposal Review

Following the deadline for receipt of proposals, DHSS staff will verify all submission requirements have been met. No proposal revisions or corrections will be accepted after the deadline unless they are in response to a request from the contact person named in this RFP. Proposals will be reviewed as follows:

1. Proposals will be evaluated in a manner that will avoid disclosure of contents to competing offerors before notices of grant award have been issued.
2. DHSS staff will evaluate each grant proposal for minimum responsiveness and other technical requirements, and eliminate nonresponsive proposals from consideration.
3. Using the criteria set out in this RFP and 7 AAC 78.100, Criteria for Review of Proposals, DHSS staff will evaluate each responsive proposal. Scores will be based on the applicant's response to each individual question and the associated criteria. Proposals will not earn points for a given question based on a response to another question in the RFP. DHSS staff will also review relevant documentation and information regarding the applicant that is available to the Department. Recommendations regarding whether each proposal should be financed, and at what level, will include consideration of the following:
   1. a history of the applicant’s compliance with grant requirements, to include records of program performance, on-site program reviews, and prior year audits;
   2. priorities in applicable State health and social services plans;
   3. requirements of applicable State and federal statutes; and
   4. municipal ordinances or regulations applicable to the grant program.

If there are multiple responsive proposals for which there is insufficient money to fully fund, or supplementary expertise is deemed necessary to the review of proposed services, the Department may appoint a Proposal Evaluation Committee (PEC) as an additional advisory body. PEC members will initially evaluate proposals independently of other committee members. As a committee, they will meet in a closed session (7 AAC 78.090, Review of Proposals) to further review proposals and develop recommendations. Scores will be based on the applicant's response to each individual question and the associated criteria. Proposals will not earn points for a given question based on a response to another question in the RFP. The PEC review will include discussion of each proposal’s merits. Recommendations will include approval or disapproval for award, modifications to the proposed project, special compliance conditions, and ranking of proposals in priority order.

All advisory recommendations, including those of staff and a PEC if seated, as well as all other review materials will be submitted for consideration by the Director of the Division, who will make recommendations to the Commissioner of the Department of Health and Social Services or the Commissioner’s designee.

3.07Final Decision Authority

Recommendations, including those from any PEC that may be held, are advisory only. The final decision to approve or disapprove grant award, the amount of each award, and whether to impose special conditions or modifications rests with the Commissioner or Commissioner’s designee.

PLEASE NOTE: The final decision may include additional considerations, such as the lack of or duplication of services in certain locations, or alternative services that may be available; a critical need for services by vulnerable populations; and matters of health, life and safety. The Department has the responsibility to ensure public monies are utilized in a manner that protects the interests of the people of the State and retains the right to make final awards that ensure responsible distribution of grant funds.

3.08Notification of Grant Award and Appeals

Within fifteen (15) days after the decision regarding grant awards, the applicant will be notified of the final funding decision and any modifications or conditions of award. Following any necessary negotiations for revisions to the proposed budget and scope of services, applicants will be issued a grant agreement. This formal agreement will contain specific performance and reporting requirements consistent with Department policy and procedure and 7 AAC 78.

Per 7 AAC 78.305 (Request for Appeal), an applicant may appeal a final grant award decision. Requests for hearing must be addressed to the Commissioner, and received in writing at the address below within 15 days after the applicant receives notification of the decision. The request must contain the reasons for the appeal and must cite the law, regulation, or terms of the grant upon which the appeal is based.

With a copy to the contact person named on the cover page, send appeal to:

Valerie Davidson, Commissioner
Department of Health & Social Services
PO Box 110601
Juneau, AK 99811-0601

3.09Cancellation of the RFP/Termination of Award

Contingent upon funding appropriations and the Governor’s approval, the Department may fund proposals from eligible applicants. DHSS may withdraw this competitive RFP at any time, and reserves the right to refrain from making an award when such action is deemed to be in the best interest of the State. Funds awarded for a grant as a result of this RFP may be withheld and the grant terminated by written notice from the grantor to the grantee at any time for violation by the grantee of any terms or conditions of the grant award, or when such action is deemed by the grantor to be in the best interest of the State.

4.01Minimum Responsiveness Criteria per 78.100(2)(a)

Proposals that fail to meet the minimum responsiveness requirements below will be eliminated from consideration per 7 AAC 78.090(b)(2).

4.02Other Technical Requirements per 7 AAC 78.060, 78.090(b) and 78.100

4.03History of Compliance with Grant Requirements per 7 AAC 78.100(2)(B)

4.04Criteria Related to Project Goals, Outcomes, and Activities

4.05Applicant Qualifications - Criteria Relating to Personnel, Management and Facilities

4.06Demonstration of Support/Involvement of Service