Take Action: Healthy People, Places, and Practices in Communities Project

Request for Proposals

Proposal forms and additional information are also available at
http://www.osophs.dhhs.gov

For help with this proposal:
e-mail: answers@jsi.com
or phone: 1-866-224-3815

Background

Healthy lifestyles can increase an individual's lifespan and quality of life. We can achieve healthier communities when community groups take the lead in getting people involved in healthy habits that can reduce risks for chronic diseases, like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Community groups can lead the way in promoting health and preventing disease in the places where we live, learn, work, and play. They can improve the health of children, underserved adults, seniors, and people with disabilities, among others, by encouraging physical activity and healthy eating for all and by improving the air we breathe by promoting smoke-free environments. Through community involvement at the local level, access to preventive services like screenings can be improved, and the results can be acted on.

Through the Take Action: Healthy People, Places, and Practices in Communities Project, the U.S. Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP) and the Regional Health Administrators (RHAs) are seeking community-based groups to develop, carry out, and evaluate a unique set of activities in local settings that support the President's HealthierUS initiative to promote and sustain healthy lifestyles in communities.

Funding Information

• Up to 270 projects will be funded. Recipients will be geographically diverse, and projects will represent a variety of HealthierUS-relevant activities.
• Only one proposal per organization will be considered for funding.
• Projects will cover the period July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2008.
• This is a one-time funding opportunity.
• Each project budget will range from $2,000-$5,000 for the project period.

Who Can Apply

Not-for-profit, community-based organizations, including faith-based groups, after-school programs, coalitions and others can apply for these funds. Preference will be given to small organizations with budgets less than $750,000. Projects that focus on eliminating health disparities are encouraged.

Types Of Activities To Be Funded

Proposed projects must include or promote at least one of the following types of activities:

• Physical activity
• Nutrition/healthy eating
• Preventive screenings
• Making healthy choices/avoiding risky behaviors

These types of activities make up the four parts of HealthierUS, a national effort to improve the health of Americans, and they are described at the www.healthierus.gov website.

Examples of possible projects include:

• Walking programs for a neighborhood or workplace.
• School lunch programs that include locally grown, seasonal fruits and vegetables.
• Skin cancer detection programs.
• Smoking prevention programs for teens.

We will give preference to innovative projects that have the potential to be a catalyst for health improvement in the community. Please note that ongoing operations of an organization will not be funded through this project. Proposed activities should be those which can be sustained by non-federal support at the close of the funding period.

Review Process

Proposals will be reviewed by an objective committee comprised of public health experts with final funding approvals guided by the 10 Regional Health Administrators (RHAs).

Successful proposals will be selected based on their relevancy to one or more of the four parts of HealthierUS and the following qualities:

Submitters' abilities to carry out the project and complete deliverables (30 points total)

1. Experience in working with the community (10 points)
2. Readiness for carrying out the project (10 points)
3. Involvement of the community in planning the project (10 points)

Project description (50 points total)

1. Need for the project (10 points)
2. Reaching at-risk groups (10 points)
3. Goal(s) of the project (10 points)
4. How the project will accomplish the goal(s) and meet deliverables (10 points)
5. Possibility of the project continuing beyond the funding period (10 points)

Budget (20 points total)

1. Budget showing each item and its cost (10 points)
2. Justification for each item listed in the budget (10 points)

Submitter must agree to participate in a national evaluation of this project.

Evaluation

As a condition of the final funds disbursement, funded projects must participate in a national evaluation of the Take Action: Healthy People, Places and Practices in Communities project. They must indicate their commitment to participating in the evaluation by signing the "Agreement to Complete Evaluation" on Form D. The purpose of the evaluation is to report on how funds were used and what was accomplished with the funds.

The evaluation will consist of a brief survey of less than 10 questions. The survey will be available on-line and should take no more than 15 minutes to complete. Surveys via postal mail will also be provided if on-line access is limited. Technical assistance will be available for the evaluation component on an as needed basis. Evaluation reports must be submitted during the last month of the project period and no later than June 15, 2008. Ten percent of the project funds will be withheld until the evaluation report is submitted.

Technical Assistance

Technical assistance will be available to projects as needed during the project period.

Proposal Instructions

Completed proposals should include:

• Cover Page (included as Form A)
• Applicant Description (included as Form B)
• Project Description (included as Form C)
• Project Plan Description (included as Form D)
• Budget Form (included as Form E)
• Budget Information (included as Form F)

Proposals that are illegible or inconsistent with the format provided will not be reviewed. Please limit your response to each form to two pages.

Important Information About Funding Mechanism

The Take Action: Healthy People, Places and Practices in Communities Project will fund subcontracts to community-based organizations to provide disease prevention and health promotion services in their respective communities. The lead contractor for the administration and national evaluation of this project is John Snow, Inc. (JSI).

Community-based organizations who receive funds will become subcontractors of JSI. The deliverables required from the subcontractors will be further defined during the project contract negotiations, and will include a project plan to conduct disease prevention and health promotion activities, periodic reports of progress to the main contractor (JSI), and completion of required evaluation activities. As a condition of receiving funding, funded projects must demonstrate that the contract tasks and deliverables will be achieved.

Data Disclaimer

The Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP) and the Regional Health Administrators, Office of Public Health and Science, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has contracted with John Snow, Inc. to administer the Take Action: Healthy People, Places and Practices in Communities Project.

All material submitted regarding this project announcement becomes the property of the HHS. HHS has the right to use any or all information/material presented in your proposal, subject to limitations for proprietary or confidential information. Disqualifications or denial of the proposal does not eliminate this right.

It is the responsibility of the applicant to identify proprietary information and request that the information be treated as such. Any additional restrictions on the use or inspection of material contained within the proposal shall be clearly stated in the proposal itself. The privacy policy for John Snow, Inc is available at http://www.jsi.com/JSIInternet/privacy.cfm. The HHS privacy policy is available at http://www.hhs.gov/Privacy.html.

The contents of the proposal will become contractual obligations if the project is funded. ODPHP and the Regional Health Administrators, Office of Public Health and Science, and HHS reserve the right to request revisions to the budget and/or scope of work of any applicant.

Instructions For Submitting The Proposal

Completed proposals must be received before 5pm MST on March 30, 2007.

Email one completed copy of the proposal to: healthypeople@jsi.com
or mail to:

JSI
ATTN: Ellen Teig
1860 Blake Street, Suite 320
Denver, Colorado 80202

Please note that postmarks will not be accepted.