NNPTC FOA Frequently Asked Questions
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This web page is archived for historical purposes and is no longer being updated.
Applicants for the National Network of STD Clinical Prevention Training Centers (NNPTC) funding opportunity announcement can find answers to questions submitted via webinars, or the nnptcfoa@cdc.gov mailbox below. Questions which were received and were similar in nature were combined and/or edited for clarity.
The deadline to submit application questions is April 4, 2014. The application period for this FOA closes on May 6, 2014.
Funding & Budgeting
1. How much of Year One could be devoted to needs assessment/planning versus delivering trainings? If Year One is devoted to planning, the budget is likely to be very different from subsequent years. Is the U62 Cooperative Agreement mechanism flexible enough to allow for this significant shift?
As Year One is a short year (seven months), and will, of necessity, involve reassignment of states, some planning is expected. The evaluation center is expected to design the tools for needs assessment for the regions to use. Some training is expected as PTCs get to know their regions. Since the CDC has published a wide funding range, we have flexibility to adjust budgets each year.
2. What would CDC PGO prefer or require, a Year One budget application that is 7/12 of the total typical annual budget, or should an application be written as if Year One is 12 months long? Is the budget for the application to be for one full year, or only for seven months?
Applicants should apply for a seven-month budget, as only seven months will be awarded. Thus, there will be less need for lengthy budget renegotiations.
3. Page 13 states that the funding for Component A ranges from $200,000 to $450,000. Page 29 states that the floor amount for Component A is $200,000, and the ceiling amount is $700,000. Can you please clarify the maximum amount that applicants can request for Component A?
For Component A, the higher ceiling ($700,000) listed on page 29 of the FOA is correct.
4. Can you please clarify the floor and ceiling amounts of funding for each individual Component B part?
The ranges for individual Component B strategies are as follows:
- Coordination functional strategy: $100,000 to $200,000
- Curriculum, Evaluation, Quality Improvement, or Technologic Innovation functional strategies: $100,000 to $400,000 each
- Total Component B: $100,000 to $650,000. The total component B award cannot be more than $650,000.
Two examples:
Applicant XYZ decides to apply for two strategies: the maximum Coordination ($200,000), plus the maximum Curriculum ($400,000), for a total of $600,000.
Applicant ABC decides to apply for three strategies, so they must propose a budget that stays under the Component B $650,000 cap. They propose Evaluation ($250,000), Quality Improvement ($250,000), plus Technologic Innovation ($100,000).
5. Do funding amounts differ in Year One (seven months) and years Two through Five (12 months each), given the difference in length of years? If so, can you clarify the exact funding ceilings for Year One and for years Two through Five for both Component A and Component B?
The floors and ceilings of the awards are the same, regardless of the funding year.
6. Should Category A Regional Centers budget for CME for regional efforts, or will that be covered under the Coordination Center?
All CE should be coordinated through the national center, as this will conserve resources.
7. Is the expressed average annual award expected to be prorated for the seven-month period?
Yes, the Year One award will be prorated at 7/12 of the annual award.
8. In prior funding cycles, CDC has granted the same award dollar amount to all eight training centers. Might these awards be weighted according to population, STD morbidity, and size of geographic area?
Award amounts may differ based on factors including, but not limited to population, STD morbidity, and size of geographic area.
9. The response to question #5 in the FAQs regarding budget states that applicants can assume the first year ceiling is $700,000, even though that amount represents the budget for a 7-month time frame. Does this mean applicants can apply for the full $700,000 for the first year (7 months)?
Although we did not publish a different ceiling for Year One, applicants are advised to apply for a seven-month budget, as the award will be pro-rated at 7/12 of the award amount.
10. In the FOA, and in the FAQ, it indicates that all continuing education (CE) must be coordinated through a national center to conserve resources. My University School of Medicine (SOM) requires that all SOM projects conferring continuing medical education (CME) do so through the SOM Office of CME. It is an across-the-board SOM requirement and has attached nonnegotiable fees. Can I budget for CME fees in this case?
Applicants from institutions requiring in-house CME may include CME fees in their budgets.
11. It remains unclear, due to multiple, and slightly differing, answers exactly how much we are allowed to apply for in Year One, Component A. As an example, if I were applying for the maximum amount possible for Year One, should my actual budget be for $700,000 or $408,331?
The ceiling’s prorated value would be 7/12 of $700,000 (or $408,333.33). Applicants are encouraged to submit budgets reflecting the first year’s prorated value to prevent lengthy budgetary renegotiations. As such, please note in your budget narrative whether or not your requested amount already reflects the seven-month prorating.
12. The 30% physician’s effort, as required in the grant, will require our physician to reduce clinic time. This will therefore reduce the amount of his/her annual compensation.
Is it within budget policy to cover the loss of revenue generating time through grant resources, so that our physician does not experience a reduction in salary due to participation on the grant? If so, what is the acceptable mechanism for listing this salary off-set if allowed?
We asked that 30% effort (and salary) be directed to this FOA. Therefore whatever you have documented as the physician’s total compensation would be considered the base for the 30%.
As for clinical revenue generated, it is unlikely that the CDC would approve a budget line item that stated offset for lost clinical time.
Please be reassured that the budget is only scored 5 points, and budget re-negotiations post award are standard practice.
- Page last reviewed: April 29, 2014 (archived document)
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