[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 61 (Thursday, March 30, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19193-19197]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-06608]
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DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
Veterans Legacy Grants Program
AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs.
ACTION: Notice of funding availability.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) National Cemetery
Administration (NCA) is awarding grants for a maximum of $500,000 per
awardee through the Veterans Legacy Grants Program (VLGP), to provide
funding to educational institutions and other eligible entities to
conduct cemetery research and produce educational tools for the public
to utilize and learn about the histories of Veterans interred in VA
national cemeteries and VA grant-funded State and Tribal Veterans'
cemeteries. This notice includes information about the process for
applying for a VLGP grant; criteria for evaluating applications;
priorities related to the award of grants; and other requirements and
guidance regarding VLGP grants.
DATES: Applications for grants under VLGP must be received by the VLGP
Office by 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on May 1, 2023. In the interest of
fairness to all competing applicants, this deadline is firm as to date
and hour. VA will treat any application that is received after the
deadline as ineligible for consideration. Applicants should take this
requirement into account and submit their materials early to avoid the
risk of unanticipated delays, computer service outages, or other
submission-related problems that might result in ineligibility.
Successful applicants will be notified within approximately 45 days
following the application deadline. The VLGP grant award will be
awarded within fiscal year (FY) 2023 and all work under the award must
occur in FY 2023.
ADDRESSES:
For a Copy of the Application Package: The required documentation
for an application is outlined under Section IV. (Application
Documentation Required) of this Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA).
Questions should be referred to the VLGP Office by email at:
[email protected]. For detailed VLGP information and requirements, see 38 CFR
38.710-38.785.
For Submission of an Application Package: Applicants must submit
applications electronically by following instructions found at:
www.grants.gov.
For Technical Assistance: Information regarding how to obtain
technical assistance with the preparation of a grant application can be
found at: www.grants.gov or email [email protected].
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Williams, Grants Specialist,
Veterans Legacy Grants Program, National Cemetery Administration,
Department of Veterans Affairs, [email protected] or 314-934-8825. This is
not a toll-free number.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Funding Opportunity Title: Veterans Legacy Grant Program.
Announcement Type: Initial.
Funding Opportunity Number: VA-NCA-VLGP-FY2023.
Assistance Listing: 64.204, VA Veterans Legacy Grant Program.
I. Funding Opportunity Description
A. Purpose: Funding for VLGP grants under this NOFA is authorized
by 38 U.S.C. 2400 note. This NOFA announces the availability of funding
to applicants found eligible to receive a VLGP grant to tell the
stories of Veterans interred in these cemeteries, especially Veterans
who have significant connection to the local community and Veterans
from historically underrepresented groups, to include Veterans or
Service members underrepresented by race, ethnicity or identity as well
as Veterans or Service members from our LGBTQ+ community, from any
period of American history, so they are honored in perpetuity.
Funding is interdisciplinary and not restricted according to
academic focus or specialization. Eligible applicants are institutions
of higher learning, educational institutions, local educational
agencies, State educational agencies or non-profits. Successful
applicants will:
1. Meet VLGP's mission to commemorate the Nation's Veterans and
Service members through the discovery and sharing of their stories.
VLGP encourages students and teachers at the K-12 levels and
universities around the country to immerse themselves in the rich
historical resources found within 1 or more of VA's 155 national
cemeteries or 1 or more of the 121 VA grant-funded
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State, Territorial or Tribal Veterans cemeteries.
2. Include a study of Veterans or Service members interred in one
of VA's national cemeteries or in one of the VA grant-funded State,
Territorial or Tribal cemeteries.
3. Foster engagement in the communities surrounding one or several
of the national cemeteries or VA grant-funded cemeteries.
4. Tell the stories of Veterans interred in these cemeteries,
especially Veterans who have significant connection to the local
community and Veterans from historically underrepresented groups, to
include Veterans or Service members underrepresented by race, ethnicity
or identity as well as Veterans or Service members from our LGBTQ+
community, from any period of American history.
B. Priorities: Competitive Preference Priorities (CPP) for FY 2023
and any subsequent year in which we make awards from the list of
applications from this annual competition will align with specific VLGP
initiatives, which will be noted as CPPs. NCA will award one priority
point for each CPP addressed by the application up to a maximum of
three priority points. Each CPP must be described in a one-page
abstract submitted with the application. To earn CPP's submitted
applications will:
1. Successfully showcase Veterans or Service members interred in
qualifying cemeteries that have never been studied as part of a
previous VLGP project and in a new geographic region where a VLGP
project has not had a presence.
2. Creatively highlight interred Veterans and Service members who
have never been studied or researched in previous VLGP projects.
3. Maximize the use of best practices in digital scholarship,
pedagogy, scholarly communication and digital public engagement that
expands biographical content within NCA's Veterans Legacy Memorial
(www.va.gov/remember). Note: If applicants wish to be considered for
CPP points, applicants must include, in a one-page abstract submitted
with the application, a statement indicating which of the CPPs are
addressed. If an applicant addresses CPPs, this information must also
be listed on the VLGP Profile Form.
C. Total Available Funds: The total funds allocated for VLGP in FY
2023 is $2.2 million. VA may allocate additional funds, depending on
the availability of funds and the number of compliant grant
applications received.
Under Public Law 116-107 1(a)(4) (codified at 38 U.S.C. 2400 note),
each grant may not exceed $500,000 in total costs for the entire grant
period. VA will only accept one application per applicant. VA reserves
the right to select which application to consider based on the
submission dates and times or based on other factors included in 38 CFR
38.710-38.785.
D. Eligible Recipients: Applicants must be eligible entities that
meet one of the definitions in 38 CFR 38.715 for an institution of
higher learning, educational institution, local educational agency,
State educational agency or non-profit.
II. Award Information
A. Allocation of Funds: $2.2 million in Federal funding is
available under this NOFA with a maximum award of $500,000 per grant.
Each VLGP grant must be awarded in FY 2023, and the period of
performance under the grant must have a start date that is also within
FY 2023. The number of grants awarded during this period is at the
discretion of VA.
B. Funding Restrictions: No part of an award under this NOFA may be
used for a course buyout, and the grant funds shall not be used to
substitute a class that a professor is required to teach during an
academic year.
C. Funding Limitations: VA's decisions will be based on factors
such as need, geographic dispersion and availability of funding.
III. Application and Submission Information
A. Obtaining a Grant Application: The required documentation for an
application submission is outlined in Section IV. (Application
Documentation Required) of this NOFA. All applications must be
submitted through: www.grants.gov, which will outline required forms
and documentation. Registration information is available at:
www.grants.gov. Questions should be referred to the VLGP Office at:
[email protected]. For detailed VLGP information and requirements, see 38 CFR
38.710-38.785.
B. Submitting a Grant Application: Applicants must ensure that they
include all required documents in their email application submission,
carefully follow the format and provide the information requested and
described below. Submission of an application that contains conflicting
information or is incomplete, untimely or incorrectly formatted will
result in the application being rejected. Applicants must submit
applications electronically by following instructions found at:
www.grants.gov. Applications must be submitted as a complete package.
Materials arriving separately will not be included in the application
package for consideration and may result in the application being
rejected or not funded.
C. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM):
Applicants (unless the applicant is an individual or Federal awarding
agency that is excepted from those requirements under 2 CFR 25.110(b)
or (c), or has an exception approved by the Federal awarding agency
under 2 CFR 25.110(d)) are required to: (i) be registered in SAM before
submitting their application; (ii) provide a valid unique entity
identifier in its application; and (iii) provide proof of an active and
updated SAM registration at the time of application submission, which
must be maintained throughout the award period as a continuing
condition of eligibility. The Federal awarding agency will not make a
Federal award to an applicant that does not have an active and updated
SAM registration at the time of application submission.
IV. Application Documentation Required
A. Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424) and Supporting
Documents: Applicants are required to complete the SF-424 and attach
the following supporting documents following application instructions
outlined on www.grants.gov.
1. Project Abstract: In 500 words or less, double-spaced, 12-point
Times New Roman font, provide a brief abstract of the proposed project.
As applicable, include other information relevant to an understanding
of the overall project and specify if you wish to be considered for CPP
points set out in Section I.B. (Priorities) of this NOFA.
2. Project Proposal: In 1,200 words or less, double-spaced, 12-
point Times New Roman font, include a narrative outlining the proposed
plan for the project and include a detailed timeline for the tasks
outlined in the project description and proposed milestones. See
Section IV.C. (Project Proposals) for additional information.
3. Expertise and Capacity: In 500 words or less, double-spaced, 12-
point Times New Roman font, include a description of the applicant's
ability and capacity to administer the project. This should include any
evidence of past experience with projects similar in scope as defined
by the NOFA, to include descriptions of the engagement model; examples
of successful leadership and management of a project of similar (or
greater) scale and budget; or related work in this field.
4. Proposed Budget: In 500 words or less, double-spaced, 12-point
Times New Roman font, provide the proposed
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budget and budget narrative which should identify and justify all costs
and proposed expenditures, to include additional compensation and
honoraria (and to whom such payments would be made); equipment costs;
production costs; and travel costs. The word count does not include
charts, graphs or spreadsheets an applicant may choose to provide as
additional attachments. Applicants may include indirect costs as part
of their proposed budget. Applicants that have a previously negotiated
indirect cost rate with a cognizant agency may utilize this rate when
preparing and submitting a proposed budget. Those applicants that do
not have a previously negotiated indirect cost rate may elect to apply
a de minimis rate of 10% indirect costs. Applicants that do not have a
previously negotiated rate but wish to establish a negotiated indirect
cost rate should submit alongside their proposal an Indirect Cost Rate
Proposal justifying and evidencing the applicant's proposed indirect
cost rate.
5. Project Team: The applicant must provide a narrative description
of anticipated project team and any extramural partner(s), including
the responsibilities of the principal investigator, the co-principal
investigators and any extramural partner entity.
B. Eligibility: Applicants must meet definitions for eligible
recipients in 38 CFR 38.715(c) and provide supporting documentation of
status (for example, Section 503(c)(3) status, consolidated State
plan).
C. Project Proposals: Project Proposals should support the
memorialization of the Nation's Service members' and Veterans' legacy
enshrined in national cemeteries or VA grant-funded cemeteries in the
following areas:
1. Outreach: A framework for digital and non-digital outreach based
on student research focused on a VA national cemetery (or cemeteries)
or VA grant-funded State, Territorial or Tribal cemetery (or
cemeteries).
2. Educational Materials: A framework of digital instructional
materials relevant to the grade level of K-12 students involved (e.g.,
lesson plans, learning guides). Alternatively, materials intended for
general education of the public may be developed in conjunction with
the above or in lieu of it, but preference will be given to proposals
that include development of instructional materials intended for K-12
audiences.
3. Extended Memorialization: A description of the plan to present
the students' research in a way that is appropriate to their discipline
and accessible to the public (such as a website or other medium).
Materials produced under this grant program must be based on
primary research on the Service members and/or Veterans interred or
memorialized in VA's national cemeteries or VA grant-funded cemeteries,
conducted by students under the guidance of an appropriate educational
professional (e.g., licensed teacher, tenure-track professor with
terminal degree or program officer of an educational non-profit
entity). The research must be produced into formats accessible to
students, teachers, scholars and the American public. This research may
be conducted within the context of any established academic discipline
or may be interdisciplinary as long as the research conveys findings
about individual Service members or Veterans that expands awareness and
knowledge of those whose stories have not been told before. NCA's VLGP
is committed to memorializing all Service members and Veterans, but
Service members and Veterans from underrepresented communities are of
particular interest. No preference will be given to any disciplinary or
methodological approach. Intrinsic to the research process under this
grant program is students visiting a national cemetery or VA grant-
funded cemetery of interest more than once.
D. Applicant Contact Information: Must not be a toll-free number or
P.O. Box address. Must be a working telephone number and physical
address for grantee accessibility.
1. Location of the administrative office where correspondence can
be sent to the Executive Director/President/Chief Executive Officer/
Department Chair (no P.O. Boxes). Include complete address, city,
state, zip code + four-digit extension, county and congressional
district.
2. Organization Primary Contact: Include the name, title, phone
number and email address. Note: VLGP views the organization's primary
contact as assigned to the organization, not a specific grant
application, and should be someone who normally signs grant agreements
or makes executive decisions for the organization.
3. Grant Contact #1: Include the name, title, phone number and
email address. Note: This contact is specific to a grant application
under this NOFA and may be a Program Manager, Director, Case Manager,
Grant Administrator or other individual of similar position.
V. Application Review Information
A. Application Review: Staff reviewers from VA and possibly other
Federal agencies will assess and score all compliant applications. The
applications will be ranked from highest to lowest based on application
scores as explained below.
B. Applicant Clarification: Following the review process, VA may
request clarifying information to inform funding recommendations. A
request for clarification does not guarantee a grant award. If an
organization does not respond by the deadline to a request for
clarification, VA will remove its application from consideration.
C. Application Scoring: Applications will be evaluated and scored
based on the follow criteria (100-point scale):
1. Team--10 possible points.
2. Student research products--15 possible points.
3. Outreach--15 possible points.
4. Instructional materials--15 possible points.
5. Extended memorialization--15 possible points.
6. Budget--15 possible points.
7. Collection of program assessment data--15 possible points.
In addition to the possible 100-point scale, applications can
receive up to an additional 3 points for CPPs as noted in Section I.B.
(Priorities).
D. Technical Factors: Applications will be reviewed and evaluated
based on the following technical factors to determine the best value
for NCA and VLGP:
1. Team: The team of contributing scholars must consist of at least
two members from accredited institutions of higher education within the
area of focus, each of whom is a faculty member who holds an advanced
degree in their field and has evidence of demonstrated scholarly
output. The team will designate a single point of contact.
2. Student research products: Applicants shall define a framework
of at least two digital media products produced for educational
outreach based on student-generated research. The final products must
be publicly accessible examples of applied cemetery research.
3. Outreach: Applicants shall define how they plan to develop a
framework for digital and non-digital outreach based on student
research focused on VA national cemetery (or cemeteries) or VA grant-
funded State, Territorial or Tribal cemetery (or cemeteries).
4. Instructional materials: Applicants shall include the
development of at least 5 lesson plans appropriate to the
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schools, grades and subjects of teachers and K-12 students in the
partnership. ``Lesson plan'' includes a plan of instruction that
reflects the State's K-12 curriculum standards, e.g., Common Core State
Standards, and includes all other resources, materials and aids
required for the school-based implementation of the lesson. The lesson
plan product can be multiple lessons, structured around pre- and post-
visit learning.
5. Extended memorialization: Applicants shall define how they plan
to use the student research to extend memorialization of the Service
members' or Veterans' legacy enshrined in a national cemetery or VA
grant-funded cemetery of focus.
6. Budget: Applicants should identify all costs and proposed
expenditures, to include additional compensation and honoraria (and to
whom such payments would be made); equipment costs, production costs
and travel costs.
7. Collection of program assessment data: Applicants shall design
assessment instruments for their students and the K-12 students showing
how this participation in this program affected students' performance
in their subject of inquiry, e.g., history, film, education, American
social studies, English Language Arts, art. Data should be anonymously
sampled but demonstrated to be valid and reliable.
E. Risk Assessment Evaluation: In addition to the application
scoring of technical factors, VA staff (and possibly other Federal
agency staff) will evaluate the risks to the program posed by each
applicant, including conducting due diligence to ensure an applicant's
ability to manage Federal funds. If VA determines to make an award,
special conditions that correspond to the degree of risk assessed may
be applied to the award. VA reserves the right to conduct multiple risk
assessments of grantees throughout the award period. Applicants will be
notified of an updated risk level and any measures that may be taken to
address any heightened level of risk. In evaluating risks, VA may
review and consider the following:
Financial stability;
Quality of management systems and ability to meet the
management standards prescribed in the uniform requirements in 2 CFR
part 200;
Applicant's record in managing previous Federal awards,
grants or procurement awards, including:
[cir] Timeliness of compliance with applicable reporting
requirements;
[cir] Accuracy of data reported;
[cir] Validity of performance measure data reported;
[cir] Conformance to the terms and conditions of previous Federal
awards; and
[cir] If applicable, the extent to which any previously awarded
amounts will be expended prior to future awards.
Information available through Office of Management and
Budget (OMB)--designated repositories of Governmentwide eligibility
qualification or financial integrity information, such as:
[cir] Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System;
[cir] Dun and Bradstreet; and
[cir] ``Do Not Pay.''
Applicants may review and comment on information available through
these OMB-designated repositories, and VA will consider any comments
made by the applicant.
Reports and findings from single audits performed under
subpart F--Audit Requirements, 2 CFR part 200, OMB Circular A-133 and
findings of any other available audits;
Applicant organization's annual report;
Publicly available information, including information from
the applicant organization's website;
Applicant's ability to effectively implement statutory,
regulatory or other requirements imposed on award recipients; and
Applicant's past compliance or ability to comply with
Federal procurement requirements in procuring the Project Coordinator
and Investor(s) in accordance with 2 CFR 200.317-200.326.
F. Priority Groups: This award cycle places no priority
consideration on grant applications with any specific focus, discipline
or product.
G. Disposition of Applications: Upon review of an application and
dependent on availability of funds, VA will:
Approve the application for funding, in whole or in part,
for such amount of funds, and subject to such conditions that VA deems
necessary or desirable; or
Determine that the application is of acceptable quality
for funding, in that it meets minimum criteria, but disapprove the
application for funding because it did not rank sufficiently high in
relation to other applications to qualify for an award based on the
level of funding available; or
Disapprove the application for failure to meet the
applicable selection criteria at a sufficiently high level in
comparison to other applications to justify an award of funds, or for
another reason as provided in the documentation of the decision; or
Defer action on the application for such reasons as lack
of funds or a need for further review.
H. Withdrawal of Application: Applicants may withdraw a VLGP
application submitted through www.grants.gov by submitting a written
request to the VA point of contact specified in this NOFA within 15
days with a rationale for the request.
VI. Award Administration Information
A. Selection for Funding: VA will utilize the ranked scores of
applications as the primary basis for selection, ultimately made by the
delegated official who may factor in the risk assessment and clarifying
information provided by the applicant.
B. Award Notice: The VLGP Office will announce grant awards after a
complete review of all received applications. Awards will be for 12
months. The initial announcement will be made via news release which
will be posted on VA's VLGP website at: https://www.cem.va.gov/legacy/grants.asp. Following the initial announcement and after the
application deadline, the VLGP Office will send notification letters to
the grant recipients. Applicants who are not selected will be sent a
declination letter.
C. Grant Agreements: After an applicant is approved for award, VA
will draft a grant agreement to be executed by VA and the grantee. Upon
execution of the grant agreement, VA will obligate the grant amount.
Grantees will be subject to requirements of this NOFA, VLGP regulations
(38 CFR 38.710-38.785), other Federal grant requirements under 2 CFR
part 200 and the grantee's VLGP application.
D. Administrative and National Policy: VA places great emphasis on
responsibility and accountability. VA has procedures in place to
monitor grant programs and outcomes associated with the services
provided under VLGP.
E. Payment: Grant awards will be paid in a method that is in
accordance with section 38.760(a). All grantees must register in the
Health and Human Services Payment Management Services (HHS-PMS) Program
Support Center at: Home [bond] Payment Management Services (psc.gov).
Funds will be disbursed through HHS-PMS on initial obligation and
halfway through the grant period (i.e., the initial payment for the 1st
6 months and the subsequent payment for the 2nd 6 months). Awardees
will be required to support their request for funding based on the
project budget.
F. Compliance Review: As needed, VA may conduct site visits to
grantee locations to review grantee accomplishments and management
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control systems. In addition, VA may conduct as many inspections as
needed of grantee records to determine compliance. All visits and
evaluations will be performed with minimal disruption to the grantee to
the extent practicable.
G. Reporting:
1. Annual report: All grantees must submit to VA, not later than 60
days after the last day of the grant period, a final report. The final
report must include: a program evaluation, proof of meeting VA
objectives as outlined in VLGP's mission and a summary of the
effectiveness of the completed proposal.
2. Additional reporting: VA may request additional information,
records and reports to allow VA to assess program effectiveness.
H. Recovery of Funds: VA may recover from the grantee any funds
that are not used in accordance with the grant agreement. If VA decides
to recover funds, VA will issue to the grantee a notice of intent to
recover grant funds, and the grantee will then have 30 days to submit
documentation demonstrating why the grant funds should not be
recovered. After review of all submitted documentation, VA will
determine whether action will be taken to recover the grant funds. When
VA decides to recover grant funds from the grantee, VA will stop
further payments of grant funds until the grant funds are recovered and
the condition that led to the decision to recover grant funds has been
resolved.
I. Financial Management: The grantee shall conform to the Single
Audit Act Amendments of 1996, as implemented by 2 CFR part 200. All
grantees must use a financial management system that complies with 2
CFR part 200. Grantees must meet the applicable requirements of OMB's
regulations on Cost Principles at 2 CFR part 200.
J. Availability of Grant Funds: Federal financial assistance will
become available subsequent to the effective date of the grant as set
forth in the grant agreement. Recipients may be reimbursed for costs
resulting from obligations incurred before the effective date of the
grant, if such costs are authorized by VA within this NOFA or the grant
agreement or subsequently by VA in writing and otherwise would be
allowable as costs of the grant under applicable guidelines,
regulations and terms and conditions of the grant agreement.
Signing Authority: Denis McDonough, Secretary of Veterans Affairs,
approved this document on March 27, 2023, and authorized the
undersigned to sign and submit the document to the Office of the
Federal Register for publication electronically as an official document
of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Luvenia Potts,
Regulation Development Coordinator, Office of Regulation Policy &
Management, Office of General Counsel, Department of Veterans Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2023-06608 Filed 3-29-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8320-01-P