To
contribute to the advancement of knowledge and skill in the delivery
of health and support services to persons with human immunodeficiency
virus (HIV) disease.
TYPES
OF ASSISTANCE:
Project Grants. Place Cursor Here for Definition
USES
AND USE RESTRICTIONS:
The
SPNS Program supports innovative projects for which implementation,
utilization, costs, and outcomes can be evaluated rigorously. Proposals
will be expected to adequately define and justify the needs, innovative
nature, and evaluation methodology of the proposed model of services.
Funds shall be used to create and/or evaluate models of care that
would likely not exist nor be evaluated without SPNS Program support,
or that would extend the care model to previously underserved or
unserved populations. Funds under the SPNS Program cannot be used
for: charges that are billable to third party payers (e.g., private
health insurance, prepaid health plans, Medicaid, Medicare); construction
of new facilities or capital improvements to existing facilities;
to purchase or improve land; cash payments to intended service recipients,
as opposed to various incentives to encourage participation in evaluation
activities.
ELIGIBILITY
REQUIREMENTS:
Applicant
Eligibility: Public and nonprofit private entities,
including community based organizations. Eligible entities may include,
but are not limited to, State or local health departments, public
or private hospitals, community based service organizations, institutions
of higher education, and national organizations of service providers.
Beneficiary
Eligibility: Adults, women, children and families
with HIV disease.
Credentials/Documentation:
Allowability of costs for State and Local Government grantees
will be determined in accordance with OMB Circular No. A-87 "Cost
Principles for State and Local Governments." For other grantees,
allowability of costs will be determined in accordance with the
appropriate cost principles and Regulations, 45 CFR, Part 74,
Section 74.27.
Pre-application
Coordination: This program is eligible for coverage
under E.O. 12372. "Intergovernnmental review of Federal Programs."
An applicant should consult the office or official designated as
the single point of contact in his or her State for more information
on the process the State requires to be followed in applying for
assistance, if the State has selected the program for review.
Application
Procedure: All applicants must use PHS Standard
Form 5161-1 which includes Standard Form 424. Application materials
may be obtained by writing to: HRSA Grants Application Center,
901 Russell Ave., Suite 450, Gaithersburg, MD 20879,or by calling
1-877-477-2133.
Award
Procedure: Applications will be objectively
reviewed based on published evaluation review criteria, assigned
a numerical score, and rank ordered for funding.
Deadlines:
Contact Headquarters Office listed below for deadline dates.
Range
of Approval/Disapproval Time: From 4 to 6
months.
Appeals:
None.
Renewals:
None.
ASSISTANCE
CONSIDERATIONS:
Formula
and Matching Requirements: This program has
no statutory formula or matching requirements.
Length
and Time Phasing of Assistance: Grants will
generally be awarded with 60-month project periods and five 12-month
budget periods; some grants have more limited 24 or 36 month project
periods.
POST
ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Reports:
Semiannual progress reports are required 30 days after the end of
each 6-month period. A final progress report is due 90 days after
the end of the project period. In addition, a Financial Status Report
is due within 90 days after the close of each budget period and
after the end of the project period.
Audits:
In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133 (Revised,
June 24, 1997), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Nonprofit
Organizations," nonfederal entities that expend financial assistance
of $300,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a
program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities
that expend less than $300,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt
from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted
in Circular No. A-133. In addition, grants and cooperative agreements
are subject to inspection and audits by DHHS and other Federal
government officials.
Records:
There is a 3-year record retention requirement; records shall
be retained beyond the 3-year period if a final audit has not
been done or findings resolved.
FINANCIAL
INFORMATION:
Account
Identification: 75-0350-0-1-550.
Obligations:
(Grants) FY 01 $25,000,000; FY 02 est $25,000,000; and FY 03 est
$25,000,000.
Range
and Average of Financial Assistance:
From $168,998 to $1,725,000. Average: $500,000.
In fiscal year 2001, 59 continuation and seven new awards were issued.
In fiscal years 2002 and 2003, 59 continuation and 22 new awards
are estimated.
REGULATIONS,
GUIDELINES, AND LITERATURE:
PHS Grants Policy Statement, DHHS (OASH) Publication No. 94-50,000,
Rev. April 1, 1994. Program announcements, guidelines and instructions
are included in the application kit which is available from the
Grants Management Officer.
INFORMATION
CONTACTS:
Regional
or Local Office: Not applicable.
Headquarters
Office: Program Contact: Dr. Barbara Aranda-Naranjo,
Chief, Demonstration Project Development and Evaluation Branch,
Office of Science and Epidemiology, HIV/AIDS Bureau, Health Resources
and Service Administration, 5600 Fishers Lane, Room 7C-07, Rockville,
MD 20857. Telephone Number: (301) 443-9976. Grants Management
Contact: Ms. Mary Douglas, Grants Management Branch, HIV/AIDS
Bureau, Health Resources and Services Administration, 5600 Fishers
Lane, Room 7-89, Rockville, MD 20857. Telephone: (301) 443-1262.
Web
Site Address: http://www.hrsa.gov
EXAMPLES
OF FUNDED PROJECTS:
HIV care along the U.S./Mexico Border: 1) The U.S./Mexico border
region, over 2,000 miles long, spanning four States in the United
States and six States in Mexico, is one of the poorest areas of
the U.S. More than one third of the families live at or below the
Federal poverty line and there is a steady flow of migrants back
and forth across the border seeking work in the United States. Within
this context, access to health care is limited by numerous factors
including inadequate transportation, long distances between urban
communities, and a scarcity of health care professionals and health
care facilities, and inadequate bilingual services for a large monolingual
Spanish speaking population. SPNS is supporting projects to develop
a community-based health care networks that effectively reduce barriers
to early identification of HIV disease and assure entry to high
quality primary health care for individuals who live and/or work
in the U.S. region of the U.S./Mexico border area. HIV prevention,
treatment, and care; 2) as the HIV epidemic has progressed, advances
in treatment and prevention require that we continually reassess
strategies to prevent new HIV infections. SPNS is supporting projects
to design, implement, and evaluate comprehensive HIV prevention
and treatment referral service models for persons living with HIV,
especially racial and ethnic minority and others having difficulty
accessing prevention and treatment services.
CRITERIA
FOR SELECTING PROPOSALS:
Evaluation criteria vary and are based on the grant initiative.
However, evaluation criteria generally include some or all of the
following: Factor 1: Adequacy of demonstrated knowledge of the local
HIV service delivery system and the adequacy of the justification
of need for the proposed model within the community and target population
to be served by the project. Factor 2: Extent of the feasibility
and clarity of the description, appropriateness, innovative quality,
and potential for evaluation, replication, and dissemination of
the proposed model. Factor 3: Comprehensiveness of the program plan
as described in clearly stated goals, time-limited and measurable
objectives for each goal, activities directly related to each objective,
and a timeline that shows the schedule of activities and production
of materials that corresponds to milestones stated in the objectives
and program evaluation. Factor 4: Thoroughness, feasibility and
appropriateness of the project's evaluation design from a methodological
and statistical perspective. Factor 5: Extent to which the applicant
demonstrates past Involvement with disseminating information about
HIV service delivery by describing dissemination activities to date
(e.g., presenting and publishing findings through reports and papers,
training, or technical assistance). Factor 6: Competency of the
applicant organization in terms of fiscal, program management, and
evaluation.
