National Training Center for Family Planning – PA-FPT-26-001: QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

This notice solicits applications for projects to establish and operate a National Training Center (NTC) for family planning to provide training and technical assistance (TTA) to all OPA-funded Title X family planning service delivery grant recipients. The training center will allocate equal time and effort to supporting Title X grant recipients' implementation of Title X administrative, clinical, and fiscal requirements and will ensure that all three areas are robustly addressed each year of the project period.

OPA intends to make available approximately $3 million for one grant award for a period of two (2) years with an optional competitive third year to support sustainability. Only one application will be selected for award as a cooperative agreement to constitute the NTC.

The NTC will be expected to:

• Develop and implement an effective TTA plan for Title X grant recipients that results in increased knowledge and skills, transfer of skills to job performance, and improved outcomes for Title X-funded projects.
• Provide Title X grant recipients with instruction and guidance on issues identified in the notice of funding opportunity (NOFO).
• Raise awareness about and increase use of the NTC, its resources, and TTA services among Title X grant recipients.
• Engage with stakeholders to enhance efficiency and effectiveness of TTA, improve grant recipient satisfaction and motivation to apply TTA learnings, and better align TTA with Title X grant recipients and Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH) priorities.
• Monitor, evaluate, and continuously improve the quality and effectiveness of TTA provided to Title X grant recipients to ensure project goals are being met and OASH priorities are being adhered to.
• Conduct an annual convening to provide clinical updates and TTA for Title X clinical service providers.

Any public or private nonprofit entity is eligible to apply. Applicants must meet all of the eligibility requirements in order for Office of Population Affairs (OPA) to review the application. Examples of eligible organizations include State governments, U.S. territories, county governments, city or township governments, special district governments, independent school districts, public and State-controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments), nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education), and nonprofit private institutions of higher education. Faith-based organizations and American Indian/Alaska Native/Native American (AI/AN/NA) organizations are also eligible to apply.

Yes. You may submit more than one application, but each application must be for a distinctly different project.

If you submit multiple applications for the same project, OPA will accept only the last application submitted with a Grants.gov timestamp that is before the due date and time. All other versions of the application will be disqualified.

Yes. More than one entity may choose to work together on a project under this opportunity, but only one entity may submit the application. If awarded, that entity will be the award recipient and will be responsible for conducting the project.

Groups may form a consortium, partnership, or other legally recognized entity for the purpose of applying for this opportunity and carrying out any awarded project. The resulting entity must exist and be legally recognized when it applies and must have an active registration in SAM.gov.

The primary audience for the training center is OPA-funded Title X grant recipients. Many of these grant recipients rely on sub-recipients and partners to deliver services; therefore, OPA expects the funded training center to provide TTA to the grant recipient as well as their sub-recipients and service sites to best support grant recipients and the efforts of their network.

The goal of the NTC is to ensure Title X grant recipients have the TTA support needed to effectively meet the expectations and goals of the Title X program. 

Recipients must use funds awarded under this NOFO to implement program goals or agency priorities in accordance with the HHS’ vision, mission, core values, and strategic priorities, where authorized by law. Funded activities must advance HHS’s vision of protecting and improving the health and well being of Americans, with particular focus on those who are medically underserved, medically vulnerable, or living in areas with limited access to care. HHS’s duty is to serve wisely, effectively, and with measurable results that justify every taxpayer dollar invested.

In carrying out any project funded under this NOFO, the recipient must adhere to the HHS priorities, where they are consistent with the authority and scope of the award and its activities. HHS will implement these priorities consistent with applicable laws, regulations, court orders, and any required procedures. 

Yes. OPA expects the recipient to deliver high-quality TTA using a range of approaches, including training, consultation, coaching, and technical assistance. TTA must be evidence-informed, tailored to audience needs, and designed to improve knowledge, skills, and organizational performance. Applicants must also describe how they will provide universal, selected, and targeted TTA.

Yes. Awards will be in the form of cooperative agreements with the recipient. Cooperative agreements are a form of assistance that allows for substantial involvement between the federal program office and the recipient during the project period.

Substantial programmatic involvement from OPA may include identifying organizations with whom the funded training center may be asked to coordinate and collaborate; assisting the funded training center to establish, review, and update priorities; reviewing and providing input on the training and technical assistance plan and TTA products; facilitating communication with OPA-funded organizations; keeping the funded training center informed of important Federal initiatives; and supporting the translation and dissemination of lessons learned.

No. You must not restrict participation in the project on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, age, or another protected characteristic.

OPA expects to fund awards in 12-month budget periods for a total period of performance of 24 months with an optional competitive third year to support sustainability. However, OPA may approve shorter periods of performance. Budget periods may vary from the estimated 12 months because of the timing of award issuance or other administrative factors.

Yes. For multi-year projects, recipients must submit a non-competing continuation (NCC) application for each budget period after the first. OPA anticipates offering a competing continuation for a third year for the purpose of providing funding to support selected recipients as they transition projects to sustainability. Continuation funding is contingent upon the availability of funds, satisfactory progress of the project, appropriate stewardship of federal funds, and the best interests of the government.

No. Pre-award costs are NOT allowed. Pre-award costs (2 C.F.R. § 200.458) are those incurred prior to the effective date of the Federal award directly pursuant to the negotiation and in anticipation of the Federal award where such costs are necessary for efficient and timely performance of the scope of work. 

The budget narrative must include a detailed line-item budget and calculations for all costs and activities by the object class categories identified on SF-424A. Applicants must provide a detailed justification for the costs by object class.

For the first budget period, applicants must provide a justification that includes explanatory text and line-item detail for each proposed cost. For subsequent budget years in an anticipated multi-year period of performance, applicants should provide a summary narrative and line-item budget for each year beyond the first, with a detailed justification for categories or items that differ significantly from the first budget period.

The following restrictions apply to costs proposed and awarded under this NOFO:

• Pre-award costs are not allowed.
• Award funds may not be used to pay the salary of an individual at a rate in excess of Federal Executive Pay Scale Executive Level II.
• OPA will not approve a vehicle purchase at the time of award. Prior approval is required before the purchase of a mobile health unit or any other vehicle with award funds.
• OPA will not approve construction costs, including major improvements to or significant renovations of facilities.

Indirect costs for training are limited to a fixed rate of eight percent of the modified total direct costs (MTDC) exclusive of tuition and related fees, direct expenditures for equipment, and subawards in excess of $50,000 (2 C.F.R. § 200.414(c)(1). Modified Total Direct Cost (MTDC) means all direct salaries and wages, applicable fringe benefits, materials and supplies, services, travel, and up to the first $50,000 of each subaward (regardless of the period of performance of the subawards under the award). MTDC excludes equipment, capital expenditures, charges for patient care, rental costs, tuition remission, scholarships and fellowships, participant support costs, and the portion of each subaward in excess of $50,000. Other items may only be excluded when necessary to avoid a serious inequity in the distribution of indirect costs, and with the approval of the cognizant agency for indirect costs (2 C.F.R. § 200.1).

The application package includes the required standard forms and three sections of materials prepared by the applicant:

1. Project Narrative
2. Appendices to the Project Narrative
3. Budget Package

Applicants must prepare the application using the forms and information described in the NOFO.

Yes.

• The Project Narrative is limited to 50 pages.
• The Project Narrative plus Appendices are limited to 100 pages.

The page limits do not include the budget package or the required standard forms (SF-424, SF-424A, SF-LLL, and the Project Abstract Summary). If an application exceeds the specified page limits when printed on an 8.5" x 11" page, OPA will not review the application further.

The Project Narrative should provide a clear and concise description of the proposed project and demonstrate the applicant's administrative, management, and clinical capability to deliver the National Training Center. Successful proposals should address:

• Project Significance
• Organizational Capacity and Experience
• Technical Approach
• Collaboration and Stakeholder Engagement
• Project Monitoring and Evaluation

Applicants should include all services to be provided by the project as part of the program plan and demonstrate how the proposed project will meet the expectations outlined in the NOFO.

Applications should include the following appendices:

1. Work Plan
2. Title X Assurances Required by 42 C.F.R. part 59, subpart C (§59.205)
3. Sample TTA Plan for Year One of the Project
4. Formal written agreements (e.g., MOUs/MOAs), if applicable
5. Letters of Commitment or Letters of Support, if applicable
6. Curriculum Vitae/Resume for Key Project Personnel
7. Organizational Chart

Applications must be submitted electronically via Grants.gov unless the Grants Management Officer has granted an exemption in writing.

Applications, excluding the required standard forms, must be submitted as three files:

• File 1: The complete Project Narrative
• File 2: All documents that make up the Appendices
• File 3: The entire Budget Package, including supporting documentation described in the Budget Narrative content section

Applicants should search for the application on Grants.gov using the NOFO number PA-FPT-26-001 or Assistance Listing 93.260.

Applicants must have an active registration in SAM.gov and Grants.gov to apply for this opportunity.

OPA recommends beginning the registration process immediately, but no later than 30 days prior to the application deadline, with a goal of completing registration at least 15 days before the application deadline. Grants.gov will not accept an application unless the applicant has an active SAM.gov registration and has received a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI).

Applications must be submitted by August 5, 2026.

The submission time is the date and time stamp provided by Grants.gov when the submission is completed. Applications not submitted by the due date and time will not be reviewed and will receive no further consideration.

Applications will first undergo an initial qualification and alignment review conducted by HHS GAM personnel in coordination with Federal program staff. This review includes:

• Eligibility Review to determine whether the applicant is eligible.
• Responsiveness Review to determine whether the application meets the responsiveness criteria and aligns with the purpose and objectives of the funding opportunity.
• Formatting Review to determine whether the application meets the formatting requirements.

Qualified and eligible applications will then be evaluated by an independent merit review panel. In addition to the independent merit review panel, federal staff will review each application for technical (programmatic), budgetary, and grants management compliance.

For this opportunity, the responsiveness criterion is:

The grant applicant clearly includes the required Title X Assurances (42 C.F.R. part 59, subpart C (§59.205)) as an Appendix in their application. The assurances must include that:

1. No portion of the Federal funds will be used to train personnel for programs where abortion is a method of family planning.
2. No portion of the Federal funds will be used to provide professional training to any student as part of his/her education in pursuit of an academic degree.
3. No project personnel or trainees shall on the grounds of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, age, or another protected characteristic be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under the project.

Applications will be disqualified if they:

• are not submitted electronically via Grants.gov (unless an exemption was granted);
• are not submitted by the due date and time;
• are not submitted by an eligible applicant;
• are submitted multiple times for the same project from the same organization, except for the last application received by the deadline;
• do not meet the responsiveness criteria;
• do not include a non-federal sources justification in the budget narrative when including cost-sharing;
• request total funds above the award ceiling of $3,000,000;
• are missing or have incomplete required forms;
• do not meet the formatting requirements, including page size, margins, font size, spacing, page limits, and submission in the English language and U.S. dollars.

Qualified eligible applications will be evaluated using the following merit review criteria:

• Project Significance (25 points)
• Organizational Capacity and Experience (25 points)
• Technical Approach (25 points)
• Collaboration and Stakeholder Engagement (10 points)
• Project Monitoring and Evaluation (10 points)
• Budget (5 points)

Scores will be calculated for a total possible of 100 points.

No. Reviewer comments will be provided to applicants after final award decisions and Notices of Award have been issued. OPA does not provide scores.

If an application is unsuccessful or disqualified, OASH will notify the applicant by email and/or letter. If the merit review panel reviewed the application, the applicant may receive summary comments resulting from the review process.