2016 CLASSIC GRANT COMPETITION – NOTICE OF FUNDING AVAILABILITY OVERVIEW WEBINAR TRANSCRIPT

nationalservice.gov/SIF

2016 Classic Grant Competition – Notice of Funding Availability 

Overview Webinar Transcript

This document is a transcript of a webinar covering the 2016 Social Innovation Fund Classic Notice of Federal 

Funding Availability (NOFA). It has been very lightly edited for print, and is presented in a conversational, 

rather than a formal tone. For official guidance, please see the NOFA.

Welcome to the 2016 SIF Classic Grant Competition 

Notice of Funding Availability Overview. We 

appreciate your interest in the Social Innovation Fund.

Our intent today is to provide you with information on 

the SIF Classic grant competition.

Hopefully everyone has watched – or read the 

transcript of – the pre-recorded SIF Overview webinar.

We won’t be going into much detail on SIF overall 

during this presentation, but instead will focus on the 

Notice of Funding Availability, or NOFA.

However, you will need to read the NOFA and 

application instructions in their entirety in order to 

have all the information necessary to submit a 

competitive grant competition.

Please note that this webinar and this competition are 

not for organizations interested in our Pay for Success 

program. A Pay for Success competition is currently 

underway and we expect to announce another one later 

this year.

Nor is this for nonprofit service providers. Nonprofit 

service providers will have an opportunity, in the fall, 

to apply for funding from the Grantmakers that we 

select as part of this competition.
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We will start by introducing the presenters then 

provide you with details of the competition.

That will be followed by a representative from a 

current grantee organization providing you a firsthand 

perspective on the SIF

We will pause for questions at a couple of points 

during the presentation, as well as at the end of it. And 

we will close by explaining the next steps for those 

interested in exploring this opportunity further

In order to reduce background noise, your phones 

were muted upon entry.

You may submit your questions at any time in the 

Q&A section of your webinar screen, or when 

prompted, by pressing *1 on your phone and waiting 

for the operator.

My name is Lois Nembhard and I am the deputy 

director of the Social Innovation Fund, and I am 

joined by Pamela Dubitsky, a program officer with the 

SIF. We are pleased to have with us today Lili Allen, 

Associate Vice President for Reconnection Strategies 

and Designs at Jobs for the Future, a SIF grantee. Lili 

will be providing the grantee perspective.
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So, let’s begin with the presentation.

Up to $39 million is available for Classic grants this 

year.

Applicants may apply for grants ranging from one to 

ten million dollars a year, although we would prefer to 

make grants of at least $3-4 million per year for 

greater impact.

SIF grants are for a five-year project period.

We sometimes provide grantees with multiple years of 

funding at a time, but your initial request should be for 

one year. What we refer to as ‘continuation’ funding is 

provided in subsequent years contingent on 

performance and appropriations.

The Social Innovation Fund’s Classic Grant Program 

is a great opportunity for Grantmakers committed to 

finding what works – meaning identifying programs 

with evidence of effectiveness – and making it work 

for more people – or supporting those programs in 

growing their impact.

As discussed on the overview webinar, the 

programming that we support must fall into our issue 

areas of economic opportunity, healthy futures and 

youth development. 
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For this grant competition, we have three funding 

priorities of juvenile justice, technology and early 

childhood education.

While applicants proposing programs in these areas 

are not guaranteed funding, high scoring applications 

that address a priority are more likely to be 

recommended for funding than those that do not.

In order to receive priority consideration, applicants 

must demonstrate that the priority area is a significant 

part of the program focus and intended outcomes, falls 

within one or more of SIF’s issue areas, and includes a 

high quality program design.

In regards to Juvenile Justice, we are looking for 

programs that would have a positive impact on the 

outcomes of youth already involved in, or at risk for 

involvement with, the juvenile justice system. Juvenile 

Justice programs would fall under our youth 

development issue area.

For the technology funding priority, we’re interested 

in strategies that use technology to accelerate the 

growth of the impact of evidence-based social 

programs.

Technology programs could potentially fall under any 

of our three issue areas.
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And our third funding priority this year is ‘Early 

Childhood Education,’ or programs that expand access 

to high quality early learning education that prepares 

children for longterm success.

This funding priority would fall under our youth 

development issue area. If you are interested in this 

funding priority, I suggest you review our website to 

see what early childhood education programs are 

already being funded and tested under the SIF.

Now, let’s review the requirements to be an eligible 

applicant. You can be either an existing grantmaking 

institution or an eligible partnership.

First: a grantmaking institution must be in existence at 

the time of application, AND making grants to 

nonprofit organizations must be an essential part of 

what you do. You will explain this in your application, 

but the fact that grantmaking is an essential part of 

what you do should be obvious in publicly available 

information about your organization such as your 

website and other materials.

We have funded various types of grantmakers 

including traditional foundations, venture philanthropy 

funds, and grantmaking nonprofits such as United 

Ways. For the first time this year, universities are 

eligible to apply as long as they meet our definition of 

grantmaking institution.
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Second, an eligible partnership is a formal relationship 

that includes an existing grantmaking institution, as 

well as another grantmaking institution, a state 

commission on national and community service, or a 

unit of local government.

The partner organizations would share responsibilities 

under the award.

For example, a partnership could include one 

organization that handles all aspects of a Social 

Innovation Fund program related to program 

management and oversight, while another organization 

handles all aspects related to finances and grant 

administration.

Even if it makes grants, units of government are not 

considered to be an existing grantmaking institution 

under the Social Innovation Fund. A unit of local 

government may participate in an eligible partnership, 

but cannot apply without an existing grantmaking 

institution partner

We often receive inquiries from nonprofit service 

providers that have a great model that they’d like to 

replicate; If they are not an existing and experienced 

grantmaker then they are not eligible to apply as a lead 

applicant. They could, however, apply in partnership 

with a grantmaker.

So, what are we looking for in a grantmaker? There 

are two possible approaches.

Through its work, a grantmaker might have identified 

an innovative and effective approach to solving a 

community challenge that it is focused on.

Or a grantmaker might be interested in seeking out 

nonprofits with different innovative and effective 

approaches to solving the community challenge the 

grantmaker is focused on.
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What is ‘innovation’ to the Social Innovation Fund?

We define innovation as a way of solving a problem 

that is faster, cheaper, more efficient, or produces a 

better outcome. You will tell us how your solution or 

the solutions subgrantees bring are better than what is 

already occurring in communities of need.

As you design your proposed program, you will need 

to determine what type of SIF you want to be. You can 

either be a geographically-based SIF – addressing 

outcomes in one or more of our issue areas, in a 

specified geographic area, OR an issue-based SIF –

addressing outcomes focused on one of our issue 

areas, in multiple geographic areas.

As an example, Mile High United Way, first funded 

by the SIF in 2011, is addressing third grade literacy 

rates in Colorado, as a geographically-based SIF.

Jobs for the Future, on the other hand, is improving 

outcomes for disconnected youth in communities 

across the country.

Before we move on to a discussion of key 

requirements, let’s see if we have any questions so far.

You may either submit questions in the Q&A function 

in the webinar, or press *1 and wait for the operator.

[Questions asked during the webinar were added to the 

Frequently Asked Questions page available at 

http://www.nationalservice.gov/build-yourcapacity/faqs]
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Understanding The SIF’s key requirements is critical 

to developing a competitive application for SIF 

funding.

The selection criteria are spelled out in the NOFA and 

outline – in detail – the information you are to provide 

in your application narrative. By responding to the 

criteria you have an opportunity to explain how you 

will address key SIF program requirements, including 

the key requirements listed here.

Let’s start with match.

The SIF has a two-tier matching requirement.

Grantees – which is what you would be if approved for 

a grant – must match the funds they receive from the 

SIF on a one-to-one basis, in cash from non-federal 

sources. So, for example, if you receive a 5 million 

dollar annual grant, you must raise 5 million dollars in 

cash; together, your annual grant plus your cash match 

funds a 10 million dollar annual program.

Subgrantees – the organizations that you will fund to 

implement your SIF program, have the same 

requirement. They must match the funds they receive 

from you on a one-to-one basis, in cash from nonfederal sources. So, if you award each of them a 

500,000 dollar grant, they must each match it with 

500,000 dollars in cash for a 1 million dollar annual 

program.

Additionally, applicants to the SIF must demonstrate 

at the time of application that they have 50% of the 

first year’s annual match either committed or in hand. 

For example, if you’re applying for a two-million 

dollar-a-year grant you need to have one million 

dollars of that money available when you apply.

Refer to the NOFA on how to document this.

You also will be asked to discuss how you’ll meet the 

match requirement going forward in terms of 

fundraising for yourself, and also how you will help 

your subgrantees in their fundraising. It’s an arduous 
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task and we want to make sure selected grantees are up 

for the challenge.

Let’s now talk about subgranting. The SIF requires an 

open competition. You must issue a brand new request 

for proposals or RFP with awarded SIF funds. 

Programs that you currently fund may apply but you 

cannot limit the RFP only to organizations that are in 

current networks or portfolios – you have to allow 

other organizations to apply as well. 

There are two approaches to subgranting. In the 

NOFA, we refer to these as Strategy A and Strategy B.

Regardless of the approach you choose, you will have 

identified a specific social problem that you want to 

address.

For Strategy A, in your application to us, you are 

describing the problem you want to address, and 

making the case that appropriate, evidence-based 

interventions to address that problem exist. Then, after 

you are awarded a SIF grant, you will select, through 

an open competition, organizations that have identified 

innovative, evidence-based solutions to the problem 

you have identified. So with this strategy, as you are 

assessing and selecting prospective subgrantees, you 

are also assessing and selecting interventions or 

programs.

For Strategy B, in your application to us, you are not 

only describing the problem you want to address, but 

also the intervention or interventions that you will be 

implementing. You will also need to make the case 

that your intervention has at least a preliminary level 

of evidence of effectiveness. Then after you are 

awarded a SIF grant, you will select, through an open 

competition, organizations that have the capacity to 

implement the interventions you have already 

identified.
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Selected applicants will need to be ready to hit the 

ground running. Subgrantee selection plans are due 

soon after the award and the selection process must be 

completed within six to eight months, so it’s a pretty 

tight turnaround.

If you choose Strategy A, meaning that you are 

selecting subgrantees that have identified their own 

programs, then you have 8 months to complete your 

subgrantee selection process – from developing and 

issuing your RFP to awarding your subgrants.

If you choose Strategy B, meaning that you identified 

the program and we assessed it in your application to 

us, then you have 6 months to complete your 

subgrantee selection process.

Subgrants must be at least 100,000 dollars a year, so 

when matched, you have at least a 200,000 dollar-peryear program budget for each subgrantee. Subgrants 

must be for a period of three to four years.

If you are selecting subgrantees with their own 

interventions, we expect that you will give larger 

awards to those who have higher levels of evidence 

that their programs work.

Organizations eligible to be subgrantees in your SIF 

project are Nonprofit community organizations and 

Nonprofit institutions of higher education that carry 

out innovative, effective initiatives to address 

community challenges.

The NOFA provides the specific statutory citation and 

definition of nonprofit organization.
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SIF grantees are expected to support the growth of the 

programs they fund. There are different ways to 

approach this – for some, growing program impact 

means expanding existing program sites; for other 

others, it means replicating programs in new and 

different communities.

We also expect there will be a direct and positive 

relationship between the level of growth proposed and 

the level of evidence the intervention has at the time it 

is selected for funding. For example, an intervention 

that has strong evidence of impact would be expected 

to have a more ambitious growth plan than an 

intervention with preliminary evidence.

Regardless of the approach, all growth strategies 

should involve expanding interventions so that more 

people in low-income communities may benefit from 

them.

The SIF sees evaluation as a crucial, if not critical, 

component of what we do. Evaluation is a tool for 

proving and improving programs, so we encourage 

and support a learning approach to both programming 

and evaluation.

Successful applicants will need to show that they have 

the capacity to comply with our evaluation 

requirements. Please note that third-party evaluations 

are required to meet the SIF expectations. After being 

selected for SIF funding, you would select an 

independent evaluator, following federal procurement 

standards. You should not assume you’ll be able to 

continue using an evaluator that you have been 

working with.
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This slide outlines the SIF’s evaluation requirements. 

All funded interventions must have at least 

preliminary evidence as they enter the SIF, and they 

must design and carry out an evaluation that targets 

moderate or strong levels of evidence by the end of the 

grant period.

CNCS will be assessing the evidence level of the 

interventions proposed and will also be providing 

technical assistance throughout this process.

This slide illustrates the SIF’s evidence framework, 

which includes three levels of evidence: preliminary, 

moderate and strong.

For preliminary evidence, a program model or 

intervention must be supported by a theoretical 

framework and/or have previous research that supports 

the fact that it works. As I said before, all programs 

funded by the SIF must meet the minimum level of 

preliminary evidence to receive SIF funding.
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Next is moderate – to meet moderate levels of 

evidence the program model or intervention must have 

evaluations that support causal conclusions. For 

interventions with moderate levels of evidence, these 

conclusions can’t be generalized beyond the study 

group.

Programs with strong levels of evidence are those that 

have conducted evaluations that support causal 

conclusions with a large range of participants or 

multiple evaluations supporting the same conclusions, 

so they can be generalized across the population.

There are helpful resources on our NOFA webpage to 

develop your understanding of our evaluation 

requirements and expectations. These include a tool 

for assessing the level of evidence for an intervention, 

an overview of the evaluation planning process, and 

tips on how to adequately budget for evaluation. There 

is also a lengthy Evaluation Plan Guidance document.

It isn’t required reading in order to apply for a grant, 

but scanning will give you a good sense of what will 

be expected of you if funded. It details our guidance to 

funded organizations on developing their evaluation 

plans. Funded organizations will receive a version of 

this document.
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It is important to recognize the federal grants 

management aspect of this funding opportunity.

Successful SIF grantees already have or quickly 

develop the capacity and systems necessary to ensure 

compliance with federal grant requirements and laws.

You will want to have someone on staff who is 

experienced in managing a federal grant or who you 

immediately send to training.

There are specific requirements that often catch 

grantees off guard if they haven’t previously received 

a federal grant such as how to select a contractor and 

the fact that fundraising can’t be charged to the grant. 

In addition to requirements that are common across 

federal agencies, The Corporation for National and 

Community Service and the SIF have unique 

requirements you may not have seen elsewhere – such 

as the National Service Criminal History Checks.

If selected to become a SIF grantee you will be 

required to comply with federal grant requirements. At

the same time, you will be responsible for ensuring 

that your subgrantees meet all requirements of their 

subawards, as well.

This means you will need to have processes in place to 

assess subgrantees’ progress toward program goals, 

monitor subgrantee compliance with grant 

requirements, and provide technical assistance and 

other support to help subgrantees achieve the desired 

outcomes.
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I am now going to turn things over to Lili Allen from 

Jobs for the Future to provide her perspective.

Lili:

Project management is critical. You will need to get 

your project manager on board quickly and make sure 

you have a fiscal team that really understands federal 

grants – for example, the difference between 

subawards vs. contracts. The level of detail that this 

person needs to understand is beyond what you would 

see in typical grant-making. For example – if you are 

subcontracting with a vendor, when do they need to do 

background checks? What is a SIF-eligible 

beneficiary? How do federal funds and match funds 

have to be tracked?

Think about the technical assistance your subgrantees 

will need to do quality implementation. Some SIF 

grantees simply subgrant and then monitor their 

subgrantees. We built in extensive coaching to support 

the sites. Depending on what you are doing and the 

state of the field in your area, you may want to think 

about how you would structure this.

The first year is intensive in terms of deadlines.

Almost immediately, you will need to submit a site 

selection plan. You’ll need to select your sites and get 

the subgrant awards in place, and your sites will need 

to understand how to operate under federal 

requirements. You’ll need to develop an evaluation 

plan. You’ll need to develop a scaling plan. Be ready 

to launch and sprint as soon as you are notified of the 

award.

In terms of benefits, the SIF is enabling us to 

implement and evaluate our Back on Track 

interventions in a way that would not be possible 

otherwise. We will have an impact on the field that we 

think is really critical in terms of improving outcomes 

for our target population – opportunity youth and in 

particular young men of color. So the ability to build 

an evidence base through a rigorous third-party 

evaluation is really important to us. It has also brought 

in funders that we had not been able to tap or 

collaborate with before.

SIF staff are terrific. They are somewhat different 

from other federal agencies in the level of problem-
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solving and collaboration they bring to the work.

Our review process is outlined further in the NOFA. 

Applications that meet our eligibility requirements 

will go through a review by experts in social 

innovation, our issue areas, and evaluation.

Next, the top applications will move on to an internal 

staff review.

During the period of clarification, finalists may receive 

requests for additional information or clarification on 

some of the content in their application.

Please note that participation in clarification does not 

guarantee selection as a grantee. Final decisions are 

made by senior leadership and the CEO of the 

Corporation, and grantees who are selected will be 

notified in August.
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We will now pause again for questions.

As a reminder, you may either submit questions in the 

Q&A function in the webinar, or press *1 and wait for 

the operator.

[Questions asked during the webinar were added to the 

Frequently Asked Questions page available at 

http://www.nationalservice.gov/build-yourcapacity/faqs]

I encourage you to go to our website for more 

information and some very helpful resources –

particularly resources on evaluation component of SIF.

Also, please look over the applications of 

organizations that received funding. These can be 

helpful to you as you think through your own 

approach, budget, and program components.

If you have questions about the SIF application 

process, please reach us via e-mail at 

SIFApplication@cns.gov or by the phone number 

listed.

You can also register to receive updates about the 

application at the website listed.

We hope this document is useful to you as you 

consider applying for a Social Innovation Fund grant. 

Please do contact us if you have questions.