National Capacity Building Grant Program (Funding Opportunity: DHS-11-CIS-011-003)

FY 2011 Citizenship and Integration Grant Program

1. How is the National Capacity Building Grant Program different from last year?

The FY 2011 program is different from FY 2010 in several important ways, including:

• Applicants are now required to propose four (4) members/affiliates to fund under this grant opportunity.
• Applicants are now required to propose a full two-year period of performance. 
• Applicants must propose both citizenship instruction and naturalization application services program development activities and must have subject-matter expertise in both of these areas. 
• Applicants can receive up to $600,000. Last year, applicants received up to $500,000. Subject to the availability of funding, approximately $3 million in funding will go to five (5) recipients.

2. Are the FY 2010 National Capacity Building Grant Program recipients allowed to re-apply for the National Capacity Building Grant Program in FY 2011?

Yes, provided they meet the eligibility requirements. FY 2010 National Capacity Building Grant Program recipients must propose new sub-applicants for the FY 2011 funding opportunity. FY 2010 grant recipients whose performance period extends past September 30, 2011 must ensure that their proposed budget for the FY 2011 funding opportunity does not overlap with their FY 2010 budget.

3. Are the FY 2010 National Capacity Building Grant Program sub-applicants allowed to apply to the FY 2011 Direct Services funding opportunities?

The FY 2010 National Capacity Building Grant Program sub-applicants may apply to the FY 2011 Direct Services funding opportunities only if their period of performance ends on September 30, 2011.

4. Are applicants for the National Capacity Building Grant Program required to have BIA recognition or BIA accredited staff?

No, this is not required. However, the principal applicant must have demonstrated recent experience and subject-matter expertise in offering naturalization application services. The principal applicant must also demonstrate its qualifications to provide technical assistance in the area of naturalization application services and to conform to the authorized practice of immigration law for all sub-applicants.

5. Are sub-applicants required to have a DUNS number?

Yes.

6. Can a coalition of member organizations apply to the National Capacity Building Grant funding opportunity?

Yes. However, there must be a single principal applicant that is a national, regional, or statewide organization and the principal applicant must select (4) member organizations to be sub-applicants. The sub-applicants must be part of a pre-existing, established, and identifiable affiliate or member network structure. There must be an oversight relationship between the principal applicant and the sub-applicants and the principal applicant must demonstrate in the application what mechanisms are in place to ensure the sub-applicants will fulfill the performance terms defined by the principal applicant. There must be an established and formal oversight relationship between the principal applicant and each sub-applicant and this relationship must be reflected in a memorandum of understanding (MOU).

7. How is a sub-applicant different from an affiliate?

A sub-applicant is an affiliate or a member of the principal applicant’s organization.  There must be a pre-existing, established and ongoing relationship between the sub-applicant and the principal applicant.

8. Can a sub-applicant have a paid partnership with another organization to provide services at the local level?

No. The goal of the National Capacity Building Grant Program is to use grant funding to build the organizational capacity and technical expertise of specific sub-applicants to provide direct citizenship preparation services beyond the performance period of the grant. Sub-applicant program funding proposals should reflect this goal and program design decisions should focus on building the capabilities of the sub-applicant to provide citizenship preparation services.

9. What if my organization does not have a field or affiliate/member structure? Can I pick any local organization as a sub-applicant?

No. The sub-applicant must be part of a pre-existing, established, and identifiable affiliate or member network structure. 

10. Can the principal applicant create a new affiliate/member organization with this funding?

No. The organizations included as sub-applicants must already exist.

11. Can a Direct Services applicant or partner also be included as a sub-applicant under the National Capacity Building Grant Program?

No. An applicant or its partner under a Direct Services Grant Program may not be included as a sub-applicant under the National Capacity Building Grant Program. Direct Services applicants and partners must have demonstrated recent experience providing citizenship preparation services, whereas sub-applicants under the National Capacity Building Grant Program must have a need for capacity building and technical assistance in order to develop their citizenship preparation programs. If an organization is eligible for the Direct Services funding opportunities, it would not be eligible to be included as a National Capacity Building sub-applicant, and vice versa.

12. Under the National Capacity Building Grant Program, can the principal applicant propose any amount for its own expenses and the sub-applicant programs?

There is no minimum budget for individual sub-applicant proposals. The maximum request for the principal applicant is $150,000 and the maximum request for a single sub-applicant is $150,000.

13. Does a sub-applicant need to have experience providing citizenship preparation services in its community?

No. However, the principal applicant must have demonstrated recent experience providing capacity building and technical assistance to organizations to develop direct citizenship preparation programs. The sub-applicants must have an identified need for assistance in developing a direct citizenship preparation program and have the potential, under the direction and with the assistance of the principal applicant, to build its capacity and expertise to develop, implement, and sustain a direct citizenship preparation program. 

14. Does the principal applicant need to have experience in both citizenship instruction and naturalization application services to apply for the National Capacity Building Grant?

Yes. Principal applicants must have proven subject-matter expertise in both citizenship instruction and naturalization application services and have demonstrated recent experience providing capacity building and technical assistance to organizations to develop direct citizenship preparation programs.

15. Are two principal applicants allowed?

No. A single principal applicant must assume primary responsibility for all fiscal management and programmatic aspects of the grant.

16. There is a stipulation in the National Capacity Building Grant Program funding announcement that the sub-applicants may not be located in the same city or locality. Would a suburb of a metropolitan area count as the same locality?

The purpose of the National Capacity Building Grant Program is to build capacity within a wide range of communities most in need throughout a state, region, or across the nation. DHS strongly discourages submission of applications that propose multiple sub-applicants within a single metropolitan area. DHS reserves the right to approve funding for some or all of the four (4) proposed sub-applicant programs and will consider program balance factors in making final funding decisions.

17. Are the sub-applicants included in the proposal for the National Capacity Building Grant Program also required to have proof of non-profit or public status?

No. The sub-applicants do not need to provide documentation of non-profit and/or public status for an award to be made. The acquisition of non-profit or public status for sub-applicants is an acceptable and encouraged outcome of the grant program.