Source: https://www.tvc.texas.gov/2018-2019-veterans-mental-health-grant-request-for-applications/
Timestamp: 2019-04-20 16:51:47+00:00

Document:
Non-clinical support services including equine therapy, canine therapy, and music, play, or dance therapy provided by non-clinical or licensed mental health professionals.
The purpose of this Request for Applications (RFA) is to seek Grant Applications from Eligible Applicants for reimbursement grants using FVA funds. All grant awards will be made through a competitive grant selection process. This RFA and accompanying Application documents are for the 2018-19 Veterans Mental Health Grant.
Please see Section V. Grant Application, Part I – Proposed Project for more information on Service Categories eligible for funding under this RFA.
The application period for this grant opens August, , 2017 and closes November 2, 2017. Applications must be received by November 2, 2017 by 5 p.m. at the TVC office in Austin, Texas. Refer to Section IX. Application Submission for complete application delivery instructions.
Organizations will only be awarded one FVA Veterans Mental Health grant during this cycle. An organization may not have overlapping or concurrent FVA Veterans Mental Health Grant.
Applicant. Shall have the same meaning as Eligible Applicant as defined in the Texas Administrative Code, Title 40, Part 15, Section 460.3(a). The following are eligible to apply for grant funds: 1) Units of local government; 2) IRS Code § 501(c)(19) Posts or organizations of past or present members of the Armed Forces; 3) IRS Code § 501(c)(3) private nonprofit organizations authorized to do business in Texas; 4) Texas chapters of IRS Code § 501(c)(4) Veterans service organizations; or 5) Non-profit organizations authorized to do business in Texas with experience providing services to Veterans.
Audited Financial Statements. A consulting service provided by a third-party Certified Public Accountant (CPA) that reviews the accounting processes and procedures. The CPA will review the financial statements using standards promulgated by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
Clinical Counseling Services. Services that involve interaction with or supervision by licensed mental health professionals.
Compilation of Financial Statements. Refers to the process whereby an accountant presents, in the form of financial statements, information that is the representation of management (owners), without undertaking to express any assurance on the statements. This may or may not be done by a third-party CPA.
Eligible Applicants. As defined in the Texas Administrative Code, Title 40, Part 15, Section 460.3(a). The following are eligible to apply for grant funds: 1) Units of local government; 2) IRS Code § 501(c)(19) Posts or organizations of past or present members of the Armed Forces; 3) IRS Code § 501(c)(3) private nonprofit organizations authorized to do business in Texas; 4) Texas chapters of IRS Code § 501(c)(4) Veterans service organizations; or 5) Non-profit organizations authorized to do business in Texas with experience providing services to Veterans.
Non-exempt charitable trusts, and section 527 political organizations to provide the IRS with the information required by Internal Revenue Code, 26 U.S.C. § 6033 (relating to returns by exempt organizations). To be considered as sufficient Minimum Required Financial Documentation, the Form 990 submitted must include Part X. Balance Sheets.
MVPN. Military Veteran Peer Network.
Peer Networking Centers. Location operated by Eligible Applicants, which includes staffing by Veterans, for Veterans and their families where they are comfortable interacting with their Peers to learn about accessing resources and services for their benefit.
Peer. A person who is a Veteran or a Veteran’s family member.
Peer-Delivered Services. Services based upon the premise that an individual with a “lived experience,” in this case military service, is uniquely able to contribute to the rehabilitation and recovery of those needing services.
Peer-to-Peer Counseling. Interactions between trained Peers who are successfully adapting to life and Peers who want to do the same. The trained Peer has completed training, is knowledgeable about resources, and can make efficacious referrals when appropriate; the interactions are also typically mutually beneficial.
Regional. Refers to a Proposed Project whose service area includes one or more counties within the state and whose services are offered and available to beneficiaries living within those identified counties.
Rural Area. Per the US Census Bureau, all population, housing, and territory not included within an urban area which is classified as an area of 50,000 or more people. Generally, it is a geographic area that is located outside cities and towns.
Statewide. Refers to a Proposed Project whose service area includes every county within the state and whose services are offered and available to beneficiaries living within every county within the state.
The Veterans Mental Health grant is a competitive reimbursement grant available to Eligible Applicants. The funding is to be used to assist organizations with addressing the mental health needs of Veterans and their families. Grant funding should not be used with the anticipation or expectation of additional or subsequent awards of FVA funding. See E. Additional Funding below.
The grantee will use the following documents to determine beneficiaries are eligible to receive services. Veterans must provide one of the following; DD-214, NGB-22, NA Form 13038, Certification of Military Service, Uniform Services Identification Card, Department of Veterans Affairs Summary Letter with Character of Service listed, State of Texas Issued Driver License with Veteran designation, or Department of Veterans Affairs eBenefits Summary Letter with Character of Service listed. Dependents must provide one of the following; Uniform Services Identification Card, Marriage Certificate, Birth Certificate, or Adoption Certificate. Surviving Spouses must provide one of the following; Uniform Services Identification Card, Marriage Certificate, Death Certificate and or one of the forms listed for above for Veterans eligibility.
The grantee must retain all records pertaining to the grant per UGMS guidance (3 years) or by the origination’s policies requirements, whichever is longer. All records will be keep in a secure location at all times either in a locked file cabinet or secure electronic means.
Non-profit organizations authorized to do business in Texas with experience providing services to Veterans.
An Eligible Applicant must provide the minimum required financial documentation listed below for the range in which their requested grant amount falls. The amount of funding requested by an Eligible Applicant will determine the financial documents the Eligible Applicant must provide. An Eligible Applicant may supply financial documentation that is greater than what is required for an FVA Grant Amount, but may not supply less than the Minimum Required Financial Documentation. See Section III. Definition of Key Terms for more information regarding required financial documentation.
Organizations submitting multiple applications for FVA grants with a total requesting over $750,000 will be expected to provide an A-133 single audit as required by UGMS and 2 CFR 200.
Preparation of Grant Application costs – per this RFA, Section IX. Application Submission, costs associated with preparing and/or submission of an Application are the responsibility of the Applicant.
All lines marked with an asterisk (*) are required to be filled out.
Clinical Counseling Services. Services that involve interaction with or supervision by licensed mental health professionals. Services may include, but are not limited to: clinical counseling, group sessions, Veteran family member counseling, Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS) services, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) services, co-occurring diagnosis counseling, or other types of counseling.
Please note: applicants will be responsible for providing documentation regarding the licensure of mental health professionals providing services through the Project. Please see Section VIII. Application Package for more information.
Non-Clinical Support Services. Mental health services provided by a non-licensed mental health professional. Services may include, but are not limited to therapeutic equine, canine or other animal therapy, music, play or dance therapy, personal improvement workshops.
Peer-Delivered Services. Services based upon the premise that an individual with a “lived experience,” in this case military service, is uniquely able to contribute to the rehabilitation and recovery of those needing services. Services could include but are not limited to: operation of Peer Networking centers, support groups, information and referral services, information dissemination, outreach, advocacy, technical assistance, training, and direct services.
New: Select this category if your organization has never been awarded an FVA grant for the Proposed Project being described in Appendix I – the Application.
Expansion: Select this category if your organization has received funding in the past for the Proposed Project, and you are now requesting additional funds to provide additional services and/or expanding the eligible veteran and/or family members served.
Continuation: Select this category if your organization has received funding in the past for the Proposed Project being described in Appendix I – the Application.
Check all counties, regardless of region, that the Proposed Project will serve. If the Proposed Project is statewide, only check the Statewide box. Refer to Section III. Definitions of Key Terms for more information on Statewide projects and Regional projects.
Related to information provided in Need Identified above, Applicants may elect to restrict Proposed Project services to particular groups to address need. For example, Proposed Projects may serve only Veterans of a particular era, Veterans with a specific character of discharge, Veterans of a particular branch of service, or particular Veteran dependents. Provide a definition for each category that will be eligible to receive services, listing any service restriction of the Proposed Project. Be specific.
Tell us about the purpose or mission of your organization. This information is about your organization as a whole and not specifically about the Proposed Project. If you have a mission statement, it should be listed here.
Enter the year your organization was established.
Describe the services and/or programs that your organization currently provides in the community. Give examples and briefly describe these services. Do not include the Proposed Project – only these programs or services that are current.
Tell us who is currently served by the programs offered by your organization.
Check one box that describes the type of your organization.
Check one box that describes the type of governing body of your organization.
Enter information into the table as instructed. If an amendment was received and the end date of the grant was extended by the amendment, use the extended date as the End Date in this section. Include your final performance percentages for both Expenditures and Performance in the appropriate column. Answer “Yes” or “No” whether the previous FVA grant listed is for the same project proposed in this application. Enter the total amount of previous FVA grants directly below the table.
Per the FVA Amendment Policy, Grantees may transfer up to 10 percent of the total award amount (up to 5 percent for awards less than $100,000) among line items in the approved budget. Grantees are required to notify the Grant Officer of the transfer. See Program Requirements, Section VII. Option to Amend for more information.
Complete the table as instructed. For each position listed in Table A enter the annual fringe benefits associated with that position.
Describe the costs covered in this category as instructed, including health insurance, social security, and any other applicable fringe benefits for each position listed in Table B and how each of those benefits are necessary to accomplishing the Proposed Project. Narrative must also include a calculation to demonstrate how the cost was determined.
Allowable Indirect Cost Recovery for FVA grants is limited to 10% of total direct costs for all applicants. Indirect charges are those items that are often considered “overhead,” and can be classified as those costs associated with accounting, human resources, and other administrative and facility-related costs.Typical examples of indirect cost for many nonprofit organizations may include depreciation on buildings and equipment, the costs of operating and maintaining facilities, and general administration, such as the salaries and expenses of executive officers, personnel administration, and accounting.Please keep in mind that direct and indirect costs must be treated in a similar manner as they are across your organization and may be reviewed for accuracy during monitor visits.Costs claimed as direct costs that appear indirect in nature or budgets claiming no indirect costs will be scrutinized for accuracy. Any such costs claimed as direct need to be fully explained, supported, be reasonable and treated in a consistent manner across your organization. The FVA may ask the applicant to re-classify costs as indirect if the support provided does not meet the above criterion.For more information regarding direct and indirect costs, please see 2 CFR §200.412-414.
Minimum Financial Documentation is not provided.
Organizations and their applications will be assessed for risk including review of additional information available about the organization such as; IRS Select Check, SAM, GuideStar and FVA risk assessment score. Organizations determined to be High Risk will be highlighted for the Advisory Committee and Commissioners’ awareness during review. If selected, High Risk organizations are subject to additional conditions as defined in 2 CFR 200.207.
Applicant financial stability will be assessed based on submitted financial documentation, reported previous year annual revenue not including any FVA grants and the amount requested in the application. All information should demonstrate that the applicant, if selected, has sufficient working capital available to execute the project and then request reimbursement supported by adequate documentation.
Potential applicants will have the opportunity to participate in an information session regarding the 2018-2019 Veterans Mental Health grant application to be held via webinar. The webinars are tentatively scheduled for 10 am, Sep 13, 2017 and 10 am, Oct 4, 2017. The presentation will be the same for both webinars and FVA staff will take questions at the end. Information regarding the meeting and webinar will be available on the FVA website. Please check the FVA website for updated information.
All questions pertaining to this RFA must be submitted to grants@tvc.texas.gov with “2018-19 Veterans Mental Health Grant Question” in the subject line of the email. Responses will be posted on the FVA website every Friday: http://www.tvc.texas.gov/Apply-For-A-Grant.aspx.
A complete Application Package includes submission of original signature pages AND submission of the items below. When submitting the Application Package via email the items below must be submitted as attachments in the email. An Application Package via email may have up to eight attachments. Failure to complete all required forms OR to provide an authorized signature may negatively impact the application or result in ineligibility.
The Application Package includes the following items: When submitting Application Package name each attachment accordingly to number below.
IRS Tax determination letter regarding non-profit status, if not a unit of local government. Do not submit paperwork from the State Secretary of State or the State Comptroller of Public Accounts regarding non-profit status. Only IRS Tax determination letter indicating your organization is recognized as a tax-exempt non-profit is acceptable.
The application period opens August, 2017 and will close November 2, 2016. Applications must be received by 5:00 p.m. at the TVC office in Austin, Texas on November 2, 2017 to be considered for funding. TVC office is located in the Stephen F. Austin Building, 1700 N. Congress Avenue, Suite 800. Applicant shall be solely responsible for ensuring their application is received by TVC prior to the deadline outlined in this RFA. To meet the deadline, both paper and electronic applications must be received by 5:00 p.m. on November 2, 2017.
All other applicable items listed in XIII. Application Package in PDF format. Applicable attachments may be sent in multiple PDF files.
The electronic submission must have the words “2018-2019 Veterans Mental Health Grant” in the subject line and emailed to grants@tvc.texas.gov prior to the deadline.
Featured Photo Source: U.S. Army Europe, “Orientating the Map” on Flickr. Public Domain.

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