STD AAPPS FOA Frequently Asked Questions

All FOA applications are due by 11:59 pm current Eastern Time on September 12, 2013.

CDC encourages applicants to submit well in advance of the deadline, in case there are any technical difficulties that need to be resolved.

Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.  There will be no exceptions.

Allow time for the validation process, as detailed in the Other Submission Requirements of the FOA. (July 9, 2013)

Yes, CDC expects all applicants to complete and submit the provided work plan template as a PDF attachment.

CDC is working to harmonize evaluation and performance measurement with the work plan to reduce paperwork.

CDC is interested in your feedback on the template; please share any concerns via email (STDAAPPSFOA@cdc.gov).

There will also be a webinar on Thursday, July 11, 2-3 pm (ET) to discuss the work plan template as well as the FOA program evaluation requirements.

For more information about the webinar, visit the STD AAPPS web page: https://www.cdc.gov/std/foa/aapps/default.htm (July 9, 2013)

The Evaluation and Performance Measurement section in the review criteria describes how the Evaluation and Performance Measurement Plan will be scored.

Under the Organizational Capacity section, applicants are scored based on their ability to execute the plan, not the plan itself. (July 9, 2013)

The applicant must submit all application attachments using a PDF file format when submitting via www.grants.gov.  

For the Work Plan attachment only, the pages in the PDF can be legal sized.  Applicants can reduce the size of the Work Plan template to letter sized, if they choose. 

For all others documents required to be submitted, as listed in the FOA, the PDF should be letter size.  (July 9, 2013)

Certain sections of the FOA include specific font, margin, and spacing requirements. If no specifications are noted for a particular portion of the application, there are no requirements for font, margins, and spacing. (Revised August 12, 2013)

Yes, it is mandatory to complete form 424 for year one—this is the applicant’s page that contains all the legal information needed.

The budget narrative should be completed for year one—see guidance on completing a budget: https://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/funding/budgetguide.htm.

For years two through five, it is not mandatory to complete a 424 or a budget narrative, but the applicant is free to expand on additional information for the entire five year cycle.

Awardees will be required to submit a budget narrative each continuing year during the cooperative agreement period.  (July 11, 2013)

Letters of support should be on agency/organization letterhead and signed by whoever is providing the letter of support.

No additional information (e.g., sample) can be provided, nor can CDC suggest who can provide the applicants their letters of support.  (July 11, 2013)

• Applicants applying to both Parts A and B should submit one application that includes Part A and Part B.
• The Part B Abstract and 424 form can be uploaded in the attachments. Please be sure to make a distinction in the Part names as indicated in the FOA guidance under Section D ‘Application and Submission Information.’

(July 11, 2013)

There are page limits for certain parts of the application:

• Table of Contents: No page limit.
• Project Abstract Summary: Maximum of 2 paragraphs with word count of no more than 300 for Part A- STD AAPPS and maximum of 1 paragraph with word count of no more than 150 for Part B- GISP; single spaced, Calibri 12 point, 1-inch margin.
• Project Narrative: Maximum of 15 pages for Part A- STD AAPPS and maximum of 3 pages for Part B- GISP.
• Work Plan: Maximum of 20 pages.

(July 11, 2013)

The format for the budget submission is form 424; the form does not have a limit. (July 11, 2013)

Since this is a new cooperative agreement, no 2013 CSPS progress reports are required.

To close out the CSPS cooperative agreement, 2013 progress on CSPS objectives should be provided as part of five-year final CSPS performance and financial report which is due 90 days after the end of the CSPS project period, e.g., on March 31, 2014.  (July 11, 2013)

Only attachments mentioned in the FOA will be allowed. (July 11, 2013)

Yes.  PGO has established a website (wwwn.cdc.gov/grantassurances/Homepage.aspx) where applicants can upload their assurance documents on an annual basis and it will be kept on file so that the signed document does not have to be submitted with each individual application.  Applicants may either submit the signed assurances document to this website or as a part of the application for PS14-1402. (Revised August 1, 2013)

No. Grantees may choose to apply to one, both, or neither parts of the STD AAPPS FOA. However, applying is not a guarantee for funding, if the project area does not apply for one or both sections, they will not be funded for one or both sections. (July 30, 2013)

Project areas do not have to provide a logic model as part of their application, although they are encouraged to develop and have one for themselves to help plan and evaluate their work. Work plans should generally align with the STD AAPPS FOA logic model. It is often useful to have logic models for particular parts of a program (e.g., one for each major infection, if that makes sense to the program), but that is not required. (July 30, 2013)

Project areas are not required to develop a logic model for their program as part of the application. Work plans should generally align with the STD AAPPS FOA logic model. There is no template for the logic model, and no template or specific format is required. (July 30, 2013)

No. Applicants for GISP must apply by the deadline stated in the FOA, and must be able to conduct the required activities every year for the entire five-year project period. (July 30, 2013)

There should be only one table of contents that references the entire application. If the applicant is applying for parts A & B, it should be reflected in the table of contents. (August 29, 2013)

For technical submission questions, contact:
Technical Information Management Section
CDC Procurement and Grants Office
Telephone: 770-488-2700
Email: pgotim@cdc.gov
(September 5, 2013)

The two assurances and certifications applicable to this FOA can be found at: https://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/funding/docs/CertificationsForm.pdf and https://apply07.grants.gov/apply/forms/sample/SF424B-V1.1.pdf (September 11, 2013)

Part A and Part B should each have their own Project Narrative and should be uploaded as such. (September 11, 2013)

Form SF 424A should be completed with Part A and B funding separated. (September 11, 2013)