1 TitleV SRAE State Plan

The state plan is a MS Word or PDF Document attached to the SF424M that is uploaded to the On-line Data Collection (OLDC) system. All of the contents and specifications for the plan itself are contained in the original FY2022/2023 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). The NOFO describes the application process, to include the required state plan.

I. The Application Process

The Notice of Funding Opportunity for Title V State SRAE sets forth the application requirements for submission of applications. Mandatory grant recipients are to use the Online Data Collection System to submit the Application for Federal Assistance SF-424 Mandatory Form (SF-424M) and upload all required documents including the following:

1) Letter form the Authorized Representative (Transmittal Letter)

• The transmittal letter will provide the CFDA number and indicate SRAE as the priority area to which the application is responding.

• The transmittal letter will cite the authority of the authorized representative to apply for and administer funds on behalf of the State or Territory.

2) Application Abstract

• Applicant’s contact information

• Summary of program strategies used in the state

II. The State Plan

The state plan addresses the activity for which federal funds are being requested and should be consistent with the goals and objectives of the program as described in the program description of the notice of funding opportunity. Supporting documents should be included to provide clear and succinct details on planned program activities.

Description of Problem and Need

This section requires the applicant to establish a needs assessment of problems related to non-marital sexual activity and other risky behaviors as identified in the Title V SRAE legislation. The state must clearly identify the physical, economic, social, financial, institutional, and/or other problem(s) requiring a solution. The need for assistance, including the nature and scope of the problem, must be demonstrated and the principal and subordinate objectives of the project must be clearly and concisely stated.

Goal(s), Objectives, Logic Model

ACYF/FYSB requires the use of logic models and the inclusion in the proposal of any logic models that have been developed that support the implementation plan.

Applicants must submit a logic model for designing and managing their project. A logic model is a one-page diagram that presents the conceptual framework for a proposed project and explains the links among program elements.

Goals of the project (e.g., objectives, reasons for proposing the interventions, if applicable);

• Assumptions (e.g., beliefs about how the program will work and its supporting resources. Assumptions should be based on research, best practices, and experience);

• Inputs (e.g., organizational profile, collaborative partners, key staff, budget);

• Target population (e.g., the individuals to be served);

• Activities (e.g., approach, listing key intervention, if applicable);

• Outputs (i.e., the direct products or deliverables of program activities); and

• Outcomes (i.e., the results of a program, typically describing a change in people or systems).

Implementation Plan

States must develop an implementation plan based on the problem and need for reaching the proposed target population(s). They must also develop and identify goals, activities, mechanisms, and a short set of broad steps that will be used to implement the activities. For each step include the responsible party, the expected outputs, and the start and end dates.

States should involve service recipients in this process and describe how they were involved. Also, they should describe how the state proposes to involve service recipients in the actual implementation of the proposed plan.

Description of Programmatic Assurances

Educational materials used by awardees and sub-awardees must be reviewed for medical accuracy. Education must be based on adolescent learning and developmental theories for the age group receiving the education and be culturally appropriate, recognizing the experiences of youth from diverse communities and backgrounds.

Ensuring the Well-Being of Vulnerable Children, Youth, and Families

States should describe a plan for incorporating a positive youth development approach, including targeting risk and protective factors in young people's lives that are known to influence sexual activity, and address the trauma needs of vulnerable youth.

Target Population

State plans must identify how they will target sexual risk avoidance education to youth ages 10 to 19. The plan must include a description of the proposed target groups in detail and demonstrate how and why they were chosen. In cases where groups have equal needs, the state may describe how infrastructure, systems, local support, feasibility, and service recipient participation were considered in identifying target populations.

Health Care Service Referrals

State plans must describe youth and family service referrals to other providers of health care services (e.g., substance abuse, including alcohol). The description must identify referral resources, include information about how referrals will be made to other services and programs, and how follow up will take place to ensure linkage to identified services, when appropriate.

Local Evaluation

States may use up to 20 percent of their allotment to build the evidence-base for sexual risk avoidance education by conducting or supporting a local evaluation.

States that plan to conduct a local evaluation, which is strongly encouraged, must describe a brief plan to implement the evaluation. The plan must include the proposed research questions, the planned rigorous evaluation design, how an independent evaluator will be procured (including the types of experience of the independent evaluator), and proposed evaluation infrastructure.

National Evaluation:

Applicants must clearly state their assurance/agreement that the state and sub-awardees will participate, if selected, for national evaluation(s). Plans must discuss the grantees’ willingness to participate, if selected, and authorized representatives must affirm this understanding in their plan.

Performance Measurement

ACF plans to use OMB-approved performance measure data to monitor the extent to which the programs are being implemented according to the SRAE legislation. Grantees applying for funds must indicate their agreement to collect information related to the performance measures and report the data to ACF. 

Sustainability Plan

States must develop a sustainability plan that includes their sub-awardees and collaborating partners. The plan should detail how the proposed project activities will continue after federal funding ends. States are expected to have their funded providers develop and plan to sustain key elements of their grant-supported projects, (e.g., strategies or services and interventions, which have been effective in improving practices and outcomes for youth and families).

Objective Performance Measures

Describe at least two program-related, objective outcome measures that the state proposes to use to measure its success in reaching key goals. Outcome measures are those designed to measure behaviors, attitudes, knowledge, beliefs, attendance, reach, and dosage of service recipients served.

Service Recipient Involvement

Briefly describe how the state proposes to make the plan public within the state after its transmittal to ACF in such a manner as to facilitate comment from the public (including service recipients and any federal or other public agency). For example, the state may post the proposed plan on the web, hold listening sessions or town hall meetings, establish or continue an advisory board for the program, or send the plan to interested groups.

Budget Information - Non-Construction Projects -SF-424A

States will submit one budget information form with this application, which will be reviewed in light of their proposed activities for the budget period. For section B of the Budget Information Form (SF-424A), applicants must submit a detailed budget justification for each line item within the object class categories (6a-j) on a supplemental sheet(s) of paper. The budget justification should include detailed sub-categories of section 6a-j. The budget narrative must thoroughly describe how the proposed categorical costs are derived.

PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT OF 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13) STATEMENT OF PUBLIC BURDEN:

Through this information collection, ACF is gathering information about the proposed state’s program to determine whether or not the application and state plan meets the minimum requirements for the awards. The performance progress report documents the grantee’s progress, accomplishments, impact of the program and compliance with the terms and conditions of the award.

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 24 hours per grantee response to the application and 40 hours per grantee response to the state plan, including the time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and reviewing the collection of information. This collection of information is required to retain a benefit (42 U.S.C. § 710), as amended by Section 50502 (Pub. L. No. 115-123). An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. The OMB # is 0970-0551 and the expiration date is XX/XX/XXXX. If you have any comments on this collection of information, please contact: XXXX.