Voices for Healthy Kids Strategic Campaign Fund Open RFA Application Instructions

Transcription

1 Voices for Healthy Kids Strategic Campaign Fund Open RFA Application Instructions BACKGROUND Over the past four decades, obesity rates have soared among all age groups. Today, nearly one-third of children and adolescents in the United States are either overweight or obese. [1] Obese and overweight children and adolescents are more likely to become obese adults, [2],[3] placing them at increased risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, hypertension and certain forms of cancer. [4] Voices for Healthy Kids, a joint initiative of the American Heart Association (AHA) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), works to help all young people eat healthier foods and be more active. Our goal is to help make the healthy choice the easy choice in places where children live, learn and play. Voices for Healthy Kids supports strategic issue advocacy campaigns focused on helping all children achieve a healthy weight through state, local, and tribal campaigns focused on the Voices for Healthy Kids Policy Areas. THE PROGRAM The Voices for Healthy Kids Strategic Campaign Fund Open RFA is awarding grants with a mix of lobbying and non-lobbying resources to support strategic issue advocacy campaigns focused on the Voices for Healthy Kids policy priorities. Applications must be specific to an individual campaign for public policy change in one state, local or tribal geographic location. We are not awarding regional grants, multi-location funding, or support for technical assistance-based support strategies. Specifically, grantee proposals must be: Impactful: The specific binding policy being pursued must actually deliver population impact Viable and Promising: The application must be engaged in a viable and promising public policy effort focused on helping all children achieve a healthy weight Supported by Match: The applicant will commit a small amount of its own funds and resources that will provide critical ownership, additional advocacy operations, and increase the potential for sustainability Compliant: Grantees must follow compliance requirements mandated by the AHA Priority will be given to campaigns reaching the highest need populations and/or those with the greatest potential to impact wider movement-building impact and momentum. TOTAL AWARDS Voices for Healthy Kids is allocating grants up to $90,000 per award for a period of up to one year with potential renewal. In addition to this base level of funding, grantees will be supported by a robust technical assistance initiative and also have priority access to supplemental additional potential resources. The awards mentioned are for non-lobbying activities only. Additional funds may be available for lobbying activities. The need for lobbying funds is evaluated separately from the non-lobbying funding requested within this application. Lobbying applications will be accepted on request. [1] Ogden CL, Carroll MD, Curtin LR, Lamb MM and Flegal KM. Prevalence of High Body Mass Index in US Children and Adolescents, Journal of the American Medical Association, 303(3): , [2] Ibid. [3] Overweight and Obesity, Health Consequences. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, [4] Ibid.

2 ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA Applicants must be nonprofit organizations that are tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and are not private foundation or non-functionally integrated Type III supporting organizations (no government agencies). AHA will require IRS documentation of 501(c)(3) status through the application process. Specific core competencies required are: Experience in working with diverse populations, especially underserved communities that are at greatest risk for obesity, including lower-income communities and communities of color. Strong leadership, organization, fiscal and project management skills. An independent interest in reversing the epidemic of childhood obesity at the state, local or tribal level, including the ability to sustain work beyond the period of this grant. Capable and willing to pursue lobbying activities or mobilize close partner organizations bringing this capability to the project. For this round, funded applications must have a viable policy campaign for the 2017 legislative session. APPLICATION PROCESS Organizations wishing to apply should submit their completed applications and required attachments to: voicesforhealthykids@heart.org Application Checklist: Completed Application with Budget Narrative Advocacy Campaign Model Tool (Campaign Plan) on provided form Open RFA Budget on provided excel template (do not convert to pdf) 501c3 IRS determination letter current within the last year (not required for AHA applicants) Supplier Package (not required for AHA applicants) Letter of Support (optional) Applications will be evaluated by an independent review committee and award notifications will be sent Award notifications will be sent on Wednesday, February 1, 2017 for funding start dates of February 1, 2016 or March 1, Please keep in mind when listing your grant start and end dates on your application that award notifications will be sent out on February 1, 2017 for funding start dates of February 1, 2017 or March 1, Once you are notified it can take up to 1 month for funds to be received. If you choose a February 1 st start date, you can allocate expenses from that date even though you may not receive the funds until later in the month. If you have questions on your eligibility, the concept for which you are applying or other topics, please contact Shannon Melluzzo, Grants Manager at Shannon.Melluzzo@heart.org.

3 BUDGET A budget must be submitted with each application on the specific budget template provided. When completing the budget, please keep in mind that this application is for non-lobbying activities only and up to $90,000. Therefore, it is important to demonstrate in the budget and budget narrative all funding needs - non-lobbying, the coalition s match and lobbying dollars. Award funds may be available for lobbying activities and will be determined separately from this application. Grants will not be awarded for curricula development or implementation, equipment, operations of physical activity, nutrition or similar participant-based programs, capital expenditures, academic research or other nonadvocacy purposes. Open RFA Budget Requirements One Campaign Coordinator position Legal contingency no less than 5% of the operating budget to support the cost of outside counsel determined by AHA (5% calculation should be made on the total direct cost of activities before adding in indirect costs) Demonstrated in-kind match by the applicant Budget must include travel for two Voices for Healthy Kids in person meetings (A Policy Summit in the Spring/Summer and the All Grantee Meeting in the Fall) Policy Summit 2-day meeting with travel to the meeting the day before. (2-3 hotel nights) All Grantee Meeting 4-day meeting with ability to travel in the day of the meeting. (3-4 hotel nights) Below is an estimated travel budget for travel to Voices for Healthy Kids Meetings: Air fare- $500 round trip x 2 trips = $1,000 Lodging- $225 per night x 6 nights = $1,350 Meals- $100 per day x 4 days = $400 *meals during meetings are covered by Voices for Healthy Kids Transportation- $150 round trip x 2 trips = $300 Total Voices for Healthy Kids Meeting Travel: $3,050 Budget Narrative must include: o Explanations of budgets for contracts, subcontracts, consultants and staff time should include a justification and deliverables o Details about staff that work on this campaign o Details about consultants that will work on this campaign o Inclusion of travel budget for Voices for Healthy Kids Meetings MONITORING AHA monitors grantees efforts and careful stewardship of grant funds to assure accountability. Grantees will be required to submit periodic narrative, financial, compliance and outcomes reports. Additional details will be provided if funded through an onboarding process.

4 ADVOCACY CAMPAIGN MODEL TOOL In preparation for submitting your application and completing the Advocacy Campaign Model Tool, the questions below can help you think about the components of your policy campaign. Consider addressing these areas in your application and Advocacy Campaign Model Tool. They are not meant to be answered specifically but assist you in answering the questions in the application and Advocacy Campaign Model Tool. At what level of government are you seeking to make public policy change (for example, state-level statute, regulation, local ordinance, school board) and what is the timeline for decision-making? Have you confirmed that this body has the legal authority/jurisdiction to make this change and is not preempted from doing so? Legislative Landscape: Is the overall political environment (Legislative and/or Executive) supportive for the policy priorities or is there opposition? Please Describe. If there is legislative or executive opposition, how strong is it and can it be overcome through effective campaign organizing? Does the political will and capital exist to get the policy passed? Issue Support: Are there key champions identified who can get the policy passed? Have they publicly expressed commitment to supporting the issue? Is the legislative champion a member of leadership (speaker, president, majority leader, majority whip, committee chair, etc.)? Ballot Initiative: Is there an opportunity for a ballot initiative? If so, is there potential funding? Who would be the opposition and what funding sources are available to them? Time Frame: When do you anticipate the policy and or regulation can be passed? What is the timeline for decision making including key dates? (bill introduction deadline, session start date, committee passage deadline, upcoming votes, etc.) Bill and/or Regulation History Has a bill and/or regulation been introduced in the past that aligns with the policy priority? (Include Link) Did the bill and/or regulation pass and if so, was it an incremental step forward? Can that experience be capitalized upon for future efforts or has political capital already been spent? Coalition: Does a coalition already exist that can help lead the policy to success or does a new coalition need to be formed? If a coalition already exists, can your organization participate without taking on a leadership role and still achieve the goal win?

5 If one does not exist, can you convene one in the amount of time needed to get the policy passed? Stakeholders: Are there authentic leaders and stakeholders that can be engaged that represent communities of color, economic, business, development, healthcare, or other stakeholders who may have interest in the policy outcome? Opposition: Is there organized opposition to the policy priority or goal? If so, how organized are they and can that opposition be overcome through effective campaign organizing? Is there adequate coalition resources and leadership to move the policy campaign forward?