Department of Veterans Affairs: U.S. Paralympics Integrated Adaptive Sports Program Grants

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

Fund Availability Under U.S. Paralympic Integrated Adaptive Sports Program

AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs.

ACTION: Notice of Funds Availability

SUMMARY: The VA and USOC are announcing the availability of funds for the U.S. Paralympic Integrated Adaptive Sport Program (USPIAS) Grant Program. This Notice contains information concerning the grant program, application process, and availability of $7,500,000 in grant funds to be awarded for the USPIAS Grant Program.

U.S. Paralympics Integrated Adaptive Sport Program Grants

(64.034)
Overview and Purpose

The U.S. Paralympics Integrated Adaptive Sports Program Grant Program considers grant applications to provide adaptive sport programs to:
(1) Promote lifelong health of disabled Veterans and disabled members of the Armed Forces through regular participation in physical activity and sports.
(2) Enhance recreational activities provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs by promoting disabled sports from local through elite levels and by creating partnerships among organizations specializing in supporting, training, and promoting programs for disabled Veterans.
(3) Provide training and support to national and local organizations to provide Paralympic sports training to disabled Veterans and disabled members of the Armed Forces in their own communities.
(4) Provide support to United States Paralympics, to increase participation of disabled Veterans and disabled members of the Armed Forces in sports.
This program is conducted through a partnership of the VA and the USOC; 38 U.S.C. §§ 322, 521A and 523, as well as PL 110-389, authorize the issuance of grants and subgrants, as well as partnership arrangements.
Funding Overview
Eligibility Considerations
Those eligible to participate in the grant include Paralympic Sport Clubs, colleges/ universities, Parks and Recreation Agencies, Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs) and community-based non-profit organizations. Additionally, these organizations must also:
1. Serve disabled Veterans or disabled members of the Armed Forces or both.
2. Provide regular, frequent activity over an extended period of time (weeks or months). One-time events will not be funded unless the event serves as a launching or focal point for ongoing Paralympic or non-Paralympic sport programming.
3. Be designed for long-term sustainability.
4. Have specific objectives and measurable outcomes for participation, community involvement, outreach, skill progress and/or other factors.

Note: As specified in 38 U.S.C. §§ 322, 521A and 523, and P.L. 110-389, federal agencies are not eligible to receive grant funding from the program. However, federal agencies are encouraged to collaborate with community organizations or VSOs to jointly create community-based programs that serve disabled Veterans and disabled Servicemembers.
Funding Levels
The USPIAS Grant Program is programmed to be $7,500,000.
Project Period
Grants under this announcement will be for up to one year. It is anticipated that the project period will run from October 1, 2013 through September 30, 2014.
Application Submission and Deadline
Specific instructions on application submission to USOC are coordinated with Tim Willis, phone: 719-866-4536, email: tim.willis@usoc.org, or Kristen Hudson, phone: 719-866-4536, email: Kristen.Hudson@usoc.org, U.S. Paralympics, USOC, 27 South Tejon, Colorado Springs, CO 80903. Additional instructions regarding components of the application are described below.
The deadline for submission of the USPIAS Grant application is projected for July 2013.
In the interest of fairness to all participants, this deadline is firm as to date and the USOC will treat as ineligible for consideration any participant that has not been confirmed as viable after the deadline.
To receive any updates related to this grant program or additional information about current and future USPIAS grants, sign up for the U.S. Paralympics e-newsletter at U.S. Paralympic e-newsletter or send an email to tim.willis@usoc.org or Kristen.Hudson@usoc.org.
Application Contents
A completed application includes the following:
Organization Overview
Organization Background: The organizational mission statement, strategic goals, and a summary of programs and services provided over the preceding five years will provide context for the proposal, as will short reports on previous programs with disabled Veterans/service members and on recent organizational and programmatic success. Geographic and demographic breakdown of those served, and basic history of organization including year(s) incorporated and occasions of major transition are needed.
Program Details and Specifics
Program Details: The program details and specifics should comprise the majority of the narrative.
It consists of:
• A descriptive title of the program and brief description, including which Paralympic/adaptive sports will be offered.
• The need being addressed by the program including a list of goals and specific measureable objectives/outcomes that will be used to assess the program’s success.
• The demographics of target market of participants, including a realistic estimated number of disabled Veterans and disabled members of the Armed Forces to be served.
• A plan for the program activities, including locations, timeline(s), and milestones to include program planning, development, and implementation, and specific activities.
• Staff qualifications and infrastructure to plan, develop and implement the program – list of key personnel, and a brief summary of key individuals’ roles, experiences, and credentials.
• List of collaborating partners involved in the program including community partners, VAMC’s, VSO’s, WTU’s and/or other entities servicing disabled Veterans, and disabled members of the Armed Forces.
Plans to Build Awareness and Participation: Describe plans for building participation in, and community awareness and support for, the program including any specific outreach activities, as well as promotional and media opportunities.
Budget Description and Narrative
The programs within the application will include a budget table that provides the following information by the funding categories. Categories required to be described in detail are:
• Personnel: Costs for salary and fringe benefits for employees and consultants who are directly involved in delivery of sports programs such as coaches. Costs must be reasonable and only the portion of the salary and fringe that are directly allocable to this program may be charged.
• Travel: Costs for transportation, hotel, per diem, and related travel costs necessary to conduct sports programs.
• Operations: Costs for intangible expenditures in direct support of sports programs such as sports facility fees and rentals.
• Equipment: Costs for tangible expenditures in direct support of sports programs where the nonexpendable item has a per unit net fair market value of $5,000 or more.
• Supplies/other: Costs for tangible expenditures in direct support of sports programs where the item is consumable or is a nonexpendable item that has a per unit net fair market value of less than $5,000.
• Administrative: Costs for support for the program such as costs to manage the grant, report on the grant, or provide logistical support for the program. Subgrant recipient administrative expenses cannot exceed 10% of the total amount).
To support the contents of the budget table, applicants must include in their program narrative a description of their budget that clearly describes every category of expense listed.
The narrative must be mathematically sound and correspond to the information and figures provided in the budget table.
Proposed costs must be reasonable and appropriate to the program. The USOC reserves the right to determine whether costs are reasonable and appropriate and to negotiate, alter, or reduce budget items and overall costs.
Review Process
The USOC is committed to ensuring a fair and open process for awarding grants. The VA has final approval authority over any selected awards.

The VA, USOC, and any other designated peer reviewers will review the applications submitted under this solicitation that meet basic minimum requirements. The VA and USOC may use either internal peer reviewers, external peer reviewers, or a combination to review the applications under this solicitation. An external peer reviewer is an expert in the field of the subject matter of a given solicitation who is NOT a current VA or USOC employee. An internal reviewer is a current VA or USOC employee who is well-versed or has expertise in the subject matter of this solicitation. Peer reviewers’ ratings and any resulting recommendations are advisory only. In addition to peer review ratings, considerations for award recommendations and decisions may include, but are not limited to, underserved populations, geographic diversity, strategic priorities, sport diversity, past performance, and available funding.

Either the VA or USOC may contact the applicant for additional information or clarification. If VA or USOC determines that the Project is technically or financially infeasible, the USOC will notify the applicant, in writing, and the application will be returned and will not be funded.

Absent explicit statutory authorization or written delegation of authority to the contrary, all final award approvals will be made by the Office of the Secretary for VA.
Following is a description of the criteria and considerations used in making final funding decisions.
Responsiveness Review
To be considered for funding and to move forward to the review process, applicants must submit responsive applications. USOC will conduct a preliminary responsiveness review of all applications to ensure that they were submitted on time, are eligible organizations, and include all required components.
Competitive Review
USOC will use qualified internal or external subject matter experts as reviewers for the applications under this solicitation.
Reviewers will rate each the following criteria.
1. Does the application illustrate that this program will reach disabled Veterans and disabled members of the Armed Forces?
2. How strong is the applicant’s relationship with collaborating partners?
3. How strong is this applicant’s relationship with a VA medical center, VA health satellite unit and or a Warrior Transition Unit?
4. Do the activities in the application include Paralympic sports?
5. Are the goals and objectives achievable and measurable and do they support the goals and objectives of the 2013 grant program?
6. Does the applicant demonstrate that their staff, resources and infrastructure are capable of providing quality programming for disabled Veterans and members of the Armed Forces?
7. What is the likelihood of the program continuing beyond the grant?
8. Are the monetary amounts reasonable compared to program deliverables?
9. Is the applicant a Paralympic Sport Club (PSC)?

Post-Award Requirements
Reports
Quarterly and annual financial and performance reports are required. Also, an annual USOC report to the Secretary of VA is required no later than 60 days after the end of the fiscal year detailing the use of the grant funds including the number of Veterans who participated in the integrated adaptive sports programs, participant demographics, and the administrative expenses of the program.
Performance Measurements
Grant recipients that receive funding under this solicitation must provide data and statistics that measure the results of their work on a quarterly basis. Award recipients will be required to submit a start-up plan for accomplishing the grant program. The start-up plan will include specific tasks, outcomes, budget and timelines for accomplishing the work.
Quarterly reports will be required to assess compliance with the original start up plans and at the end of the project period according to the direction of the USOC.
Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act Requirements
For all subgrant recipients of awards of $25,000 under this solicitation, consistent with the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 (FFATA), the USOC will be required to report award information and, in certain cases, to report information on the names and total compensation of the five most highly compensated executives of the grantee organizations. Grantees receiving the award of $25,000 will be required to provide this information to USOC so that reporting requirements under FFATA can be met.
Audits
In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular A-133 (Revised, June 27, 2003), “Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations,” nonfederal entities that expend financial assistance of $500,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $500,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in Circular No. A-133.
Adjustments
Changes to the approved grant activities or budgets may be requested. Requests for changes, along with a revised budget, must be submitted in writing. The USOC will compile and submit the request and the VA will receive the request and determine the appropriate action in regards to acceptance, modification, or denial. All subgrant changes must be approved through the USOC prior to implementation.
If a subgrant organization determines it cannot carry out a grant project, it must immediately inform the USOC. Dependent on the status of the grant application and award, the USOC will determine actions to be taken based on the specific details of the case.
Records
Records must be retained at least three years after the end of the grant period.

Additional Information
Budget Information
All awards are subject to the availability of appropriated funds and any modifications or additional requirements that may be imposed by law.
Formula and Matching Requirements
Statutory formulas are not applicable to this program.
Matching requirements are not applicable to this program.
Maintenance of Effort (MOE) requirements are not applicable to this program.
Evidence-based Programs or Practices
VA considers programs and practices to be evidence-based when their effectiveness has been demonstrated by causal evidence (generally obtained through one or more outcome evaluations). Causal evidence documents a relationship between an activity or intervention (including technology) and its intended outcome, including measuring the direction and size of a change, and the extent to which a change may be attributed to the activity or intervention. Causal evidence depends on the use of scientific methods to rule out, to the extent possible, alternative explanations for the documented change. The strength of causal evidence, based on the factors described above, will influence the degree to which VA considers a program or practice to be evidence-based.
Application Review Information
Credentials/Documentation

Proof of the ability to perform the required assistance is required. Organizations must have significant experience in supporting disabled athletes, including the promotion of disabled sports at local and national levels.
Uses and Use Restrictions
38 USC §§ 322 and 521A, and Sections 701-703 of the Veterans’ Benefits Improvement Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-389) established support for the assistance through a congressionally mandated earmark to the USOC, USPIAS . The grant program provides funding to private non-profit organizations that support the goal of increasing the participation of disabled Veterans and disabled members of the Armed Forces in sports.

The grantees are responsible for planning, developing, managing and implementing an integrated adaptive sports program for disabled Veterans and disabled members of the Armed Forces. This includes instruction, participation, and competition in adaptive sports; training and technical assistance to program administrators, coaches, recreational therapists, instructors, and other appropriate individuals; and coordination of athletes. It also includes athlete assessments, sport-specific training techniques, program development, and other activities related to the implementation and operation of the program.

Limitations on the use of administrative expenses are described in 38 U.S.C. Part I, Chapter 5, Subchapter II, Section 521A d (4) and (5).
Additional Requirements
Applicants selected for awards must agree to comply with additional legal requirements upon acceptance of an award. VA strongly encourages applicants to review the information pertaining to federal grant award additional requirements prior to submitting an application.
Agency Contacts
Phone: 202-632-7136
Email: vacoadaptiveSP@va.gov
Main point of contact: Paralympic Program Specialist, Office of NVSP&SE, VA.
For paper inquiries, send or deliver the inquiry to NVSP&SE at:
Office of NVSP&SE (002C)
Department of Veterans Affairs
810 Vermont Ave., N.W.
Room 430
Washington DC 20420

Michael F. Welch,
Paralympic Program Specialist