Grant and Per Diem Application: An Introduction

Speaker:

National Coalition for Homeless Veterans – Melanie Lilliston

Additional related materials:

-    CHALENG Report FY 2008

-    Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program fact sheet

-    VA Grant and Per Diem Program Profiles

-    GPD Sample Application

-    Section A

-    Section B

-    Section D

-    Section E – Part One

-    Section E – Part Two

Melanie Lilliston, NCHV

-    Welcome

-  Introductory call, first of a series of calls on GPD application process

-    Question and Answer session will follow presentation

-  Sign up for e-newsletter for notifications on upcoming calls

-    Questions not addressed during call may be sent to nchv5@nchv.org or 
1-800-VET-HELP

-  VA and DOL are only federal agencies that provide funding specifically for services and housing for homeless veterans

Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program

-    VA can provide grants and per diem payments to help public and nonprofit organizations establish and operate supportive housing and/or service centers for homeless veterans.

-    Supportive housing: housing plus services (ex: case management, employment services, nurse and doctor on staff)

-    Since 1994, VA has awarded grants to create approximately 10,000 new beds and fund 4,100 new beds in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

-    New grantees were announced last month.

-    The program has two levels of funding: the Grant component and the Per Diem component.

Grant Component

-    Creating new facilities or new components of existing ones through:

• Acquisition

• Construction

• Renovation

-    The VA will provide 65% of the funding for the project.

-    Organization is responsible for matching other 35% of funding; cannot be other federal funding

Per Diem Component

-    Daily rate of payment for services; maximum is currently $34.40 per day

-    Provides partial operating costs for:

• Supportive Housing

• Supportive Services

Goal

-    The goal of this program is to help homeless veterans, primarily those living in places not ordinarily meant for human habitation or in emergency shelters, to

(1) Achieve residential stability;

(2) Increase their levels and/or income; and

(3) Obtain greater self-determination.

-  These goals are reflected in the application package and selection criteria for the program.

Eligibility

-  Funds are available for assistance in the form of grants to provide:

1. Transitional housing (up to 24 months) with supportive services; not a long-term program

2. Supportive services in a service center facility for homeless veterans not in conjunction with supportive housing (note: funds have not been offered in past 3-4 years); or

3. To purchase vans (require 35% match)

-  In order to receive federal funding you must be:

1. Nonprofit (501c3, 501c19)

2. Veteran Service Organization

3. State/local government

4. Indian Tribal government

-  Most organizations that apply for and receive funds are nonprofits.

-  If your organization has not obtained a nonprofit status, now is the time to fill out the paperwork; download instructions and necessary documents from www.IRS.gov; will receive letter from IRS, this will be included with application to verify nonprofit status

Grant Application

The Application Process

• Announce NOFA (Notice of Funds Available); published in Federal Register

• Download Instruction and Application Packages

• Complete and Send In Application

• Threshold Review

• Panel Review

• Second Submission

• Announce Award

NOFA Announced

-    Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) provides guidance on the rules and regulations of the grant as well as funding limits and the due date of the application.

-    General information is provided in NOFA: due date, font size, page limit, format, funding limits, geographic location priorities, scoring, etc.

-    NOFA will specify if funding is for capital grant, per diem only, or van submission

-    If you receive capital funds, you can automatically apply for per diem only funding (facility is already up and running, need payment for daily fees)

-    Can be found on www.va.gov or www.nchv.org

-    To receive email notifications, sign up for NCHV e-newsletter on www.nchv.org

-    Any priority locations will be listed in the NOFA.

Download Instructions and Application Package

-    Read and Re-read instructions!

-    The application is usually divided into the following sections:

 (A) General Information and Instructions,

 (B1) First Submission (project plan),

 (B2) Van Application,

 (C) Second Submission (to verify that you have matching funds and site control),

 (D) Forms, and

 (E) Appendices (letters of support, etc.).

-    The majority of the application has been formatted in a manner allowing all information and responses to be placed directly on the form, usually in a narrative/essay or fill in the blank format.

-    Answers must fit in box spaces provided; font type and size cannot be manipulated

General Information and Instructions

-    This section provides instructions for completing the application. Includes:

• Explanation on the organization of the application

• Page limits and other formatting requirements for each section

• Required tables and materials to include in the appendices

• How your application will be reviewed and scored (points assigned for each section)

-  Only answer specific questions; do not expand or provide unrelated information

Complete and Send in Application

-    Due date and address will be listed in the NOFA

-    Application must be received by due date; recommend sending application by certified carrier (ex. Fed-Ex); no exceptions or extensions

-    Follow directions listed in the General Information and Instructions Section

-    For questions and assistance, contact

• NCHV at 1-800-VET-HELP

• VA GPD Office (Tampa, FL) at 1-877-332-0334

Review of Application

-    Each application goes through a threshold review; verification that forms are filled out correctly, all signatures and pages included, etc.

-    Panel Review; people from throughout country convene over a week to review applications; application is read at least three times and scored independently

-    Give as much detail as possible in application; have someone unfamiliar with your organization read through application to make sure it makes sense and is clear

-    Scoring is listed in the NOFA; each section is assigned amount of points

-    If preliminarily selected you will be asked to submit additional documentation for the second review (to verify matching funds and site control)

-    Funding is distributed based on score and priorities

-    Awards are announced via press release; organization is allowed to draw down funds once announcement is made

-    Funds are drawn down through HHS system online; reimbursement process (funds are spent and then request for reimbursement is made)

If your organization has not been selected, you can request a grant review from NCHV or GPD Office.

Strengths of Applications

-    Needs assessment is clearly documented. Did you use CHALENG data in your application?

-    CHALENG Report: yearly survey conducted by VA medical center to assess needs of homeless veterans in area

-    Get in touch with local VA and CHALENG group

-    Clearly defining your outcomes and making sure they are measurable. Specific goals have been broken down into objectives.

-    Have smaller goals so that they may be successfully met; goals can always be raised in the future; organization is held accountable for specified goals

-    Securing matching funds at the time your application is submitted; can receive leveraging points

-    Coordination with other programs in your community, specifically the local VA medical center; start working with VA now before submitting application; VA is source of referrals

-    Reaching out to get technical assistance when you have questions.

-    From date of NOFA announcement, you have five-six weeks to complete and submit application

-    Download sample grant application and familiarize yourself with application to prepare for NOFA; application changes very little from year to year

-    Sample application will be posted on www.nchv.org

-    Grant announcements are typically made 120-180 days after application deadline

-    Once you receive VA funding, you are eligible to receive funding year after year as long as you fill out necessary paperwork and meet requirements

Next Steps

-    Download the sample grant application from NCHV website

-    Make sure you have your plans all ready to go

-    Assess the needs of your community and select your target population

-    Subscribe to the NCHV listserv