Grant Notice of Funds Available (NOFA): 2023 CalVCB Trauma Recovery Center

1. Overview
   1. Introduction
   2. Key NOFA Dates
   3. Authorizing Legislation
   4. State Pilot TRC Model Link
2. Application Requirements
   1. Eligible Applicants
   2. Funding Amounts and Terms
   3. Application Package Components
   4. Formatting Requirements
3. Application Submission and Review Procedures
   1. Application Submission
   2. Initial Application Review
   3. Application Scoring
4. Budget Requirements
   1. Personnel Services
   2. Contracted Personnel
   3. Operating Costs
5. General Terms and Conditions
6. Post-NOFA Award Recommendation
   1. Contract Negotiations
   2. Invoicing and Payment
   3. Data Collection Reporting Requirements

I. Overview

A. Introduction

The California Victim Compensation Board (CalVCB) provides reimbursement to eligible victims of crime for many crime-related expenses. CalVCB funding comes from restitution paid by criminal offenders through fines, orders and penalty assessments, and federal grant funds. Government Code sections 13963.1 and 13963.2 mandate that CalVCB administer a program to evaluate applications and award grants to Trauma Recovery Centers (TRC) in California to provide services to victims of crime.

The grant program awards funding for TRCs to provide trauma-informed services to victims of crime. Grantees will serve all victims of crime, whether or not they meet CalVCB’s eligibility requirements, provided the services are consistent with California Government Code sections 13963.1 and 13963.2 and this Notice of Funds Available (NOFA).

B. Key NOFA Dates

NOFA Release Date	Monday, December 5, 2022
Final Date to Submit Questions	Monday, December 12, 2022 by 5:00 p.m. PST
Response to Questions Posted	Thursday, December 15, 2022 by 5:00 p.m. PST
Final Application Submission Date	Tuesday, January 17, 2023 by 2:00 p.m. PST
Tentative Board Award Approval Date	Thursday, March 16, 2023

C. Authorizing Legislation

The CalVCB TRC Grant program is mandated by California Government Code sections 13963.1 and 13963.2. Available funds are subject to compliance with state statute and CalVCB TRC grant program rules. California Government Code section 13963.2 states:

The Trauma Recovery Center at the San Francisco General Hospital, University of California, San Francisco, is recognized as the State Pilot Trauma Recovery Center (State Pilot TRC). The California Victim Compensation Board shall use the evidence-informed Integrated Trauma Recovery Services (ITRS) model developed by the State Pilot TRC when it selects, establishes, and implements Trauma Recovery Centers (TRCs) pursuant to Section 13963.1. All TRCs funded through the Restitution Fund or Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Fund shall do all of the following:

1. Provide outreach and services to crime victims who typically are unable to access traditional services, including, but not limited to, victims who are homeless, chronically mentally ill, members of immigrant and refugee groups, disabled, who have severe trauma-related symptoms or complex psychological issues, are of diverse ethnicity or origin, or are juvenile victims, including minors who have had contact with the juvenile dependency or justice system.
2. Serve victims of a wide range of crimes, including, but not limited to, victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, battery, crimes of violence, vehicular assault, and human trafficking, as well as family members of homicide victims.
3. Offer evidence-based and evidence-informed mental health services and support services that include individual and group treatment, medication management, substance abuse treatment, case management, and assertive outreach. This care shall be provided in a manner that increases access to services and removes barriers to care for victims of violent crime and may include providing services to a victim in his or her home, in the community, or at other locations conducive to maintaining quality treatment and confidentiality.
4. Be comprised of a staff that includes a multidisciplinary team of clinicians made up of at least one psychologist, one social worker, and additional staff. Clinicians are not required to work full-time as a member of the multidisciplinary team. At least one psychiatrist shall be available to the team to assist with medication management, provide consultation, and assist with treatment to meet the clinical needs of the victim. The psychiatrist may be on staff or on contract. A clinician shall be either a licensed clinician or a supervised clinician engaged in completion of the applicable licensure process. Clinical supervision and other supports shall be provided to staff regularly to ensure the highest quality of care and to help staff constructively manage vicarious trauma they experience as service providers to victims of violent crime. Clinicians shall meet the training or certification requirements for the evidence-based practices they use.
5. Offer mental health services and case management that are coordinated through a single point of contact for the victim, with support from an integrated multidisciplinary treatment team. Each client receiving mental health services shall have a treatment plan in place, which is periodically reviewed by the multidisciplinary team. Examples of primary treatment goals include, but are not limited to, a decrease in psychosocial distress, minimizing long-term disability, improving overall quality of life, reducing the risk of future victimization, and promoting post-traumatic growth.
6. Deliver services that include assertive outreach and case management including, but not limited to, accompanying a client to court proceedings, medical appointments, or other appointments as needed, assistance with filing an application for assistance to the California Victim Compensation Board, filing police reports or filing restraining orders, assistance with obtaining safe housing and financial benefits, helping a client obtain medical care, providing assistance securing employment, and working as a liaison to other community agencies, law enforcement, or other supportive service providers as needed. TRCs shall offer outreach and case management services to clients without regard to whether clients choose to access mental health services.
7. Ensure that no person is excluded from services solely on the basis of emotional or behavioral issues resulting from trauma, including, but not limited to, substance abuse problems, low initial motivation, or high levels of anxiety.
8. Utilize established, evidence-based, and evidence-informed practices in treatment. These practices may include, but are not limited to, motivational interviewing, harm reduction, seeking safety, cognitive behavioral therapy, and trauma-focused cognitive processing therapy.
9. Ensure that no person is excluded from services based on immigration status.

D. State Pilot TRC Model Link

The SFO TRC model, referenced in the legislation as the ITRS model, is linked below for your reference.

http://traumarecoverycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/TRC-Manual.pdf

II. Application Requirements

A. Eligible Applicants

Applicants must be able to meet requirements pursuant to Government Code section 13963.2 and have the ability to carry out all direct services from the main location of operation. Provision of virtual services is permissible to accommodate social distancing guidelines.

B. Funding Amounts and Terms

CalVCB TRC grant awards are funded by an annual appropriation of $2,000,000 from the Restitution Fund with additional funding from the Safe Neighborhood and Schools Act. The Budget Act of 2022 also provided additional funding from the General Fund for this cycle’s grants in the amount of $2,223,825.67. The number of grants awarded will be determined by a variety of factors, including the number of qualified applicants, the amount of funds requested, and the amount of funds available. Program expenses are reimbursed after they have been incurred and invoiced monthly. Grant awards made under the 2023/24 NOFA will be for a two-year cycle effective July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2025.

A grantee is not guaranteed continued funding and may apply for a consecutive grant to prevent a lapse in funding.

C. Application Package Components

A complete application package shall include all items from the first three bullet points listed below. Failure to submit any section of bullets one through three will result in disqualification of the application.

• Title Page (attached)
• Numbered Responses to Narrative Questions 1-6 (attached)
• Budget Worksheet(attached), Budget Narrative, Flow Chart, Organizational Chart, Time Task Plan
• Letters of Recommendation (maximum of three (3) from agencies your program is currently working with including a Law Enforcement agency and a Community Based Organization)

D. Formatting Requirements

Responses to narrative questions 1-6 shall be no longer than two (2) pages each and must specify the number of the question being answered. Formatting requirements of responses to narrative questions 1-6 and the Budget Narrative are as follows:

• 11 pt. font Arial
• 1-inch margins
• Double spaced

Download the NOFA 2023 Title Page

Download the NOFA 2023 Narrative Qualifications

Download the TRC Grant Master Budget Worksheet

III. Application Submission and Review Procedures

A. Application Submission

Grant application packages should be submitted in the form of a single PDF file and must be submitted via email to Grants@victims.ca.gov no later than 2:00 p.m. PST on Tuesday, January 17, 2023. Applicants will receive an email confirming receipt of their application. If confirmation is not received within one (1) hour of email submission Monday through Friday during the regular business hours of 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. PST, applicants should call Kyle Archibald at (916) 491-3740. Applications received after 2:00 p.m. PST on Tuesday, January 17, 2023, will be rejected.

B. Initial Application Review

Application packages will be reviewed to ensure all required sections are present and complete and to ensure formatting requirements were followed. Applications missing any required components will be disqualified. Applications that don’t follow formatting instructions will have points deducted.

C. Application Scoring

• Total application package worth 100 points
• 6 questions – 60 available points
• Budget Worksheet, Budget Narrative, Flow Chart, Organizational Chart and Time Task Plan, Letters of Recommendation – 40 available points

Responses to narrative questions will be scored using the following rubric:

• 0 – Not Qualified; Does not provide demonstrated ability to meet requirement. DISQUALIFIED.
• 1-2 – Less Qualified answers are not easy to follow or understand, provide little or no direct experience or understanding of how qualifications have or will be met.
• 3-6 – Qualified; answers the question, provides direct experience and complete knowledge of how qualifications have or will be met with comprehensive examples.
• 7-10 – Highly Qualified; in addition to meeting the Qualified standard above, provides direct experience and comprehensive examples of qualification and ability to begin providing services within 30 days of receiving award.

Acceptance of an application does not constitute a grant award and does not obligate CalVCB to award funds. CalVCB reserves the right to partially fund selected applications. An applicant may request a specific dollar amount; however, CalVCB will make the final determination of the dollar amounts awarded. Any portion of a grant that a TRC does not use within the specified grant period shall revert to the funding source.

IV. Budget Requirements

A. Personnel Services

Personnel Services (salaries, wages, and fringe benefits) must constitute a minimum of 75% of the total grant amount (for the 2-year grant cycle) as described in CalVCB TRC grant agreement/contract. If a position is not allocated at 100% reimbursable by the grant, indicate at what percentage will be invoiced for reimbursement on the Budget Drawdown Worksheet.

• A minimum of 60% of the funds budgeted to personnel services must be for clinical staff who provide Direct Client Services. Direct client services are services provided to a client by a licensed clinician or services provided with a licensed clinician present. Direct client service providers can be either TRC budgeted staff or contracted for services.
• A maximum of 40% of the funds budgeted to the personnel services can account for Indirect Client Services. Indirect client services are services provided by non-licensed staff that supports direct services of a treatment plan. Indirect client service providers can be either TRC budgeted staff or contracted for services.
• CalVCB TRC Functional Timesheets are required to be completed by all TRC budgeted staff and contracted personnel.
• Paid Time Off (PTO)/Leave accrual during the grant period is paid as part of the normal costs of salary and wages and will not be reimbursed as a separate line item. The Grantee will provide CalVCB with the information required to determine an hourly rate that includes the employee’s wage and accrual for PTO/Leave time offered. This hourly rate will be used to reimburse the time an employee spends on TRC activities to the employer. The Grantee is responsible for maintaining the accrual and usage of this time.
  • Any request for reimbursement for PTO/Leave when used, will not be eligible for reimbursement. The Grantee is responsible for managing the PTO/Leave time bank.
  • The Grantee will provide CalVCB with the calculation for the accrual and policies that dictate the accrual, payment, and usage of PTO/Leave.
• If fringe benefits are offered, they will be specifically identified to each employee and are charged individually and identified in the budget associated for personnel salary and wages and benefits total.
  • Reimbursement for fringe benefits must be proportional to the amount of time spent by the employee working on the TRC Grant.
  • Fringe benefits such as FICA, disability insurance, workers’ compensation, retirement, and health care/dental/vision/life insurance will include the description, and the amounts of benefits will be displayed by category, position, and class.
  • Contracted staff will only be reimbursed for their hourly rate, and requests for reimbursement of fringe benefits are not considered an eligible expense.

B. Contracted Personnel

Contracted personnel will only be reimbursed for their hourly rate for the TRC services provided.

• Grantees may contract for personnel services as set forth in the approved budget of the grant agreement/contract or with prior written approval from CalVCB submitted as a Budget Modification Request.
• Contractor services must be for the purpose of achieving the grant objectives for direct or indirect client services.
• Grantees are responsible for ensuring that each contractor complies with the grant agreement, including, if applicable, collecting and reporting of data.
• Contracting out shall not affect the grantee’s overall responsibility for the management of the grant, and the grantee shall reserve sufficient rights and control to enable it to fulfill its responsibilities for the grant.
• Grantees shall have a written agreement with each contractor and shall submit a copy of the agreement to CalVCB to include hourly rate of pay, dates and times of service, and any and all negotiated budget agreements for approval.

C. Operating Costs

Operating costs can be allocated up to 25% of the total grant award. All items submitted must include a description or explanation of the expense on the Invoice Worksheet (Attachment 7).

If you are receiving grant funds or financial support from other sources for any of the budgeted line items, you must include corresponding documentation and reduce your reimbursement request by the same percentage. Rent may be included in your operating costs.  Reimbursement of rent is for facility rental. Indicate the number of square feet specified in the lease agreement as well as the rental amount. Rental cost must be in alignment with similar market costs.

V. General Terms and Conditions

All applications shall become the property of CalVCB. All submitted applications are public record and therefore subject to disclosure under the California Public Records Act.

CalVCB reserves the right to withdraw the NOFA at any time. Further, CalVCB makes no representation that any funding will be awarded to any applicant responding to the NOFA.

Both parties reserve the right to terminate the Grant Agreement upon thirty (30) days written notice to the other party. CalVCB may reduce or terminate grant funds for reasons that may include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. If the project fails to comply with any term or condition of the grant award.
2. If during the term of the grant award, the state funds appropriated for the purposes of the grant award are reduced or eliminated, or, in the event revenues are not collected at the level appropriated, CalVCB may immediately terminate or reduce the grant award.

Should CalVCB deem it necessary to reduce or terminate grant funds, the grantee shall be notified in writing. No such termination or reduction shall apply to allowable costs already incurred by the grantee to the extent that state funds are available for payment of such costs up to, and including, the date of the notice. The grantee shall be reimbursed all reasonable expenses incurred per the approved budget up to the date of termination.

Grant funds must be used to increase the total amount of funds used to provide services to victims of crime and may not be used to supplant current sources of funding that would, in the absence of these grant funds, be available or forthcoming.

In addition, grant funds may not be used to defray any costs that the grantee was already obligated to pay at the time the grant was awarded. To prevent the supplanting of grant funds, CalVCB will carefully review all applications, and will conduct post-award monitoring and auditing of any funding and expenditures.

Any supplantation of existing funding with these grant funds constitutes grounds for suspension or termination of grant funding and recovery of funds already provided.

VI. Post-NOFA Award Recommendation

Once a funding recommendation is approved by the Board, CalVCB will notify all applicants of the results of the submitted applications. Each applicant will receive an approval or denial letter notifying them of individual results.

CalVCB may request additional information or clarification or may contact the project lead listed on the application to discuss budget adjustments or required revisions.

The TRC Grant Liaison will request adjustments or updates to the following items:

• Goals and outcomes based on new funding recommendation
• Updated Budget Drawdown Worksheet
• Std. 204 form

A. Contract Negotiations

Grant agreements/contracts are legal agreements between the Grantee and CalVCB, and Grantees are responsible for delivering the outcomes set forth in the contract and for managing all grant funds appropriately.

CalVCB will coordinate the review and approval of agreement/contract language. Upon approval of the language, CalVCB will facilitate the signature process to fully execute the grant agreement/contract. CalVCB will then distribute a copy of the fully executed grant contract and approved budget to the Grantee.

B. Invoicing and Payment

The TRC shall submit itemized invoices that include supporting documentation detailing program expenditures and database export files on a monthly basis. Invoices are due to CalVCB by the last business day of the following month. The TRC Grantee must submit the database export files monthly prior to, or with, monthly invoices.

Invoices shall include the following files and supporting documentation:

• Invoice Worksheet
  • Attach additional Microsoft Excel file detailing all expenses on the Invoice Worksheet
• Budget Drawdown Worksheet
  • Budget Tab
  • Drawdown Request Tab
  • Staffing Tab
  • Emergency Expenditure Tab
• CalVCB TRC Functional Timesheets for each employee must be completed, signed, and dated for each TRC staff being billed to the grant
• TRC timesheets, if applicable, for all employees including contracted staff, unless detailed invoices are submitted to show the date, time, service and unique client identifier of the clients for whom the contracted staff is invoicing
• Payroll records for employees and contracted staff including the employee’s or contracted staff person’s name, position/classification, time base, breakdown of salary and wages/fringe benefits, and PTO/Leave accrual calculation
• Invoice(s) for contracted services
• All supporting documentation for fringe benefit claims
• All supporting documentation for Operating Expenses:
  • Supporting documentation such as bills, invoices, statements, and/or receipts must include all pages
• TRC Certification of Reports signed by the person named as having signature authority, stating that all information reported is correct and grant expenditures are in accordance with eligible costs

C. Data Collection Reporting Requirements

Grantees shall collect data and submit data reports monthly to Grants@victims.ca.gov unless stipulated differently in the TRC’s grant agreement/contract. Data files are due to CalVCB by the last business day of the month following service.

In compliance with federal statutes and rules governing federal matching funds for victims’ services, the Grantee shall submit any forms and data requested by CalVCB per Government Code section 13963.1(g)(2).

Data files shall include metrics indicated by CalVCB, which may include and may not be limited to:

• Client resources
• Demographic information
• Crime information
• Services provided and referred to the client
• Session and case management information
• Assessment data
• Training provided
• Community outreach provided
• Collaborative activities

The Grantee must keep accurate records as source documentation to support the information in the reports. Records must be retained by the Grantee for at least three years from the end of the grant period. During programmatic monitoring and site visits, CalVCB may review these records for accuracy and compare data to the reports submitted by the Grantee.

The Grantee will only report data for treatment, case management, training, outreach, and collaboration activities that are funded by the grant.

The Grantee will only be reimbursed for services provided to victims for whom data has been reported to the Board.

Software requirements for data submission:

• Microsoft Excel, 2010 version or newer

Download the 2023/24 NOFA – CalVCB Trauma Recovery Center PDF