FY2015 Training and Technical Assistance—Regional Training Conferences

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 

1. On page 7 of the NOFA, there is a reference to performance measures as a required element of the 

application. Is that just boilerplate for all CNCS NOFAs, or does that apply to the regional 

conference competition?

The NOFA was amended and reposted on August 13, 2015 (see item #6 below); performance measures are 

not applicable to this competition. 

2. How much training content will CNCS provide or require for all regional conferences? How much 

space will remain in each region’s agenda for other topics, once the CNCS content is covered?

Per page 3 of the NOFA, CNCS staff will provide up to eight hours of core curriculum at each regional 

conference. The topics will be determined by CNCS staff and provided to the award recipients. The timing 

of the CNCS sessions will be determined by each conference’s planning team and the relevant CNCS staff 

involved in the training. The remaining time in each region’s agenda will be determined by the planning 

team.

3. Will the regional conference planners be able to choose from a list of optional sessions to be provided 

by CNCS as well as the required eight hours of content? 

There is no list of optional content that will be provided by CNCS for the regional conference planners. 

Each region will determine its conference goals and structure based on the target audiences’ needs and 

within the required scope of the award. 

4. How much content did CNCS provide in the last round of regional conferences? 

All five agendas for the FY2014 regional conferences may be found at 

http://www.nationalservicetraining.org/. 

5. On page 6 of the NOFA, there is reference to CNCS working with the award recipients of this 

competition to determine a consistent look and feel for conference agendas and event materials. 

Please provide more explanation of this grant requirement. 

CNCS staff will provide general templates for the regional conference agenda and the conference graphic 

that will align with the agency’s design standards. The intention of this requirement is to create visual 

alignment between these conferences and the CNCS overall branding. Each region will tailor its printed 

and electronic agenda and materials to reflect the character of the region represented, within the guidance 

provided by CNCS. 

6. The NOFA was amended and reposted on August 13, 2015. What are the key changes made to the 

document? 

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Deletion on page 2—The highlighted language was removed from the NOFA: Collecting and reporting 

on CNCS designated performance reporting criteria, including evaluation of customer satisfaction with 

the conference experience using CNCS approved survey instruments, basic conference outputs 

(numbers of attendees, etc.), and the measurement of knowledge gains attained by participants in core 

CNCS content sessions by program type and other audience demographics. 

Correction—The following language was added to the Amended Announcement, page 4: CNCS

anticipates awarding approximately $300,000 for 2015 Training and Technical Assistance—Regional 

Training Conferences cooperative agreements. CNCS expects to make awards of approximately 

$50,000-$60,000 to support a CNCS regional cluster. Increase in available funds and potential award 

amounts.

Clarification—The following language was added to the Amended Announcement, page 7: 

Performance Measures – Not Applicable for this Notice.

Correction—Award recipients will submit digital copies of all curricula, handouts, and other materials 

developed to CNCS. The following language was removed from the NOFA, page 17: Submit digital 
copies of all curricula, handouts, and other materials developed for upload to the National Service 

Knowledge Network for access by the broader network and all materials must be 508 compliant. CNCS 

staff will review the materials for 508 compliance and approve all materials for publication.

7. What is the funding mechanism for this competition? 

Per page 4 of the Amended Announcement, the funding mechanism for the FY 2015 Training and 

Technical Assistance—Regional Training Conferences competition is a cooperative agreement, which 

provides for substantial involvement by CNCS with the awardees as the approved grant activities are 

implemented. CNCS involvement will include, but is not limited to, input on the content of the conference 

agenda, presenter selection (CNCS and non-CNCS), logistics, and material review.