​ The SPCB Program is funded for an overall total of $2.4M, which will be divided between up to 8 contractors for up to $400,000 each. The maximum funding request is $400,000.

​The Department is using a common definition of CBO: a public or private nonprofit organization that is representative of a community or significant segments of a community; and provides services to individuals in the community. Applicant organizations are not required to have an exclusive focus on LBTQ populations. Please refer to RFA Attachment 4 – Contractor Narrative: applicants are required to describe: “experience and organizational capacity in serving the priority population(s) this project is designed to serve”; “ties to LBTQ communities and priority populations, including lived experience”; and “their ability to deliver services with linguistic and/or cultural competence for the priority population(s) that this project is designed to serve.” 

​This funding opportunity is intended for community-led capacity building efforts. While health service providers/FQHCs are not excluded, they must demonstrate meeting the required and desired qualifications of the RFA. Please refer to A2 for further guidance. 

​Receipt messages will be manually generated by CDPH staff for each submitted submission email. Additionally, on November 30th automated Outlook receipts will be enabled for additional confirmation. 

All applications must be submitted in electronic form and will be provided to the scoring committee in electronic form. CDPH will not print copies.

​Yes, the application deadline is extended to November 30th, 2022 due to the holiday. Please refer to RFA #22-10531 Addendum 1.

​The Department recommends labeling and providing answers to each element in the order that they are presented in Attachment 4. There is no page limit for the program approach section of the narrative. However, sample graphics, materials or tools may be included as an addendum.

​Yes, evaluation budget allocation should be included in the budget form and narrative justification. Please see examples below, with varying levels of detail provided. 

• ​Please see A2 for definitions of CBO. 

• Collaboratives are permitted under the terms of the RFA, but one organization must serve as the prime contractor who is responsible and accountable for the successful administration of the project (I.e. CDPH will have a contract with one entity). The remaining organizations/programs in the collaborative must be included in the budget sheet as consultants. The contractor must satisfy all minimum qualifications. However, the collaborative's qualifications and experiences as a whole will be used to evaluate desired qualifications. If the collaborative partners are all technically part of the same institution and fall under the same Employer Identification Number (EIN) they may submit one application, but provide narrative responses specific to the programs applying for funding rather than the overall institution. 

​Please refer to Section 2.7 of the RFA for examples of allowable and unallowable projects. The described activities are considered allowable under the terms of this funding activity. Applicants must demonstrate how the proposed project aligns with the purpose of this funding: "This funding provides an opportunity for LBTQ-serving CBOs to develop new interventions and/or enhance existing activities, addressing the need for capacity building, training and quality improvement among California-based service providers to deliver affirming, culturally and linguistically responsive care and services to LBTQ communities. Additionally, funding may be used to strengthen community-based continuums of care for LBTQ Californians." 

​Letters of support may come from any individual or organization/agency that will “indicate a deep and trusted relationship and endorsement of the community activities supported by the organization. Additionally, it is expected that each letter will iterate a unique relationship and perspective that the person providing the letter has with the proposing organization.” This may include current/former clients, community leaders, partner organizations, local government offices or agencies, etc. 

​Harm reduction tools and strategies represent a public health approach to the prevention of negative health outcomes supported by CDPH; as such, they do not fall under the same category as providing alcohol socially with program funds. 

The described activities are considered allowable under the terms of this funding activity. Applicants must demonstrate how the proposed project aligns with the purpose of this funding: “This funding provides an opportunity for LBTQ-serving CBOs to develop new interventions and/or enhance existing activities, addressing the need for capacity building, training and quality improvement among California-based service providers to deliver affirming, culturally and linguistically responsive care and services to LBTQ communities. Additionally, funding may be used to strengthen community-based continuums of care for LBTQ Californians.” 

​*Subcontractors are permitted but not required under this RFA. If an applicant includes subcontractors in their proposed project:

Subcontractors will be required to report data up to the contractor (applicant), and the contractor will be responsible for reporting that data in aggregate to the program evaluation team. All contractors will be required to report on a set of standardized measures (i.e., race, ethnicity, age, location of participants, other demographic factors), and will also work with the Initiative evaluation team to develop project/intervention-specific evaluation measures. This is intended as a capacity building exercise for the funded organizations  and support in collecting data that is important to them and reflects the progress of their specific work. There will additionally be individualized technical assistance and trainings provided by the evaluation team to help contractors and subcontractors learning data reporting procedures and the best ways to capture this information, but the contractor will be the intermediary between the subcontractors and the program evaluation team. 

Service providers are the population of focus for funded project activities (I.e. capacity will be build among service providers). Applicants must also describe how the proposed project will address the needs of LBTQ populations and at least one LBTQ Initiative priority population (BIPOC LBTQ Californians, LBTQ youth, LBTQ elders, economically and/or legally vulnerable LBTQ individuals) I.e. the end users of services and the individuals whose health would be ultimately impacted. 

​This is the only application period for RFA#22-10531; there will not be any subsequent application periods specifically for subcontractors.

The structure of the current RFA is different from that of the first RFA of the LBTQ Initiative: under this funding opportunity, collaboration (or having a prime and subcontractor model) is allowed but not required. We anticipate receiving a mix of individual organization applications for solo projects; collaborative applications; and contractor-subcontractor partner applications – these are all allowed under the terms of this RFA.

​Please refer to A8 for examples of acceptable evaluation budget justifications; significant detail is not required.

Note: the 10% minimum requirement is calculated as actual dollars and cents and is not rounded up.  (I.e., to be compliant a $400,000.00 application must have a minimum of $40,000.00 budgeted for evaluation-related costs, not $39,999.95.)

At this time, the deadline for CDPH to receive applications for LBTQ Health Equity Initiative RFA #22-10531 Service Provider Capacity Building Program remains as November 30, 2022 before 5:00 PM (PST). 

​Please include only two letters of support in your proposal. If more than two letters of support are provided, only the first two will be considered.