2025 Program Overview, Request for Grant Proposals, and Application Guides

MIAMI COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT

Program Overview, Request for Grant Proposals, and Application Guides

2025 Funding Award Period

I. Grant Program Background and General Information

Overview

In accordance with Indiana Code, Indiana Administrative Rule, and/or local ordinance/resolution, the Miami County Health Department (MCHD) will work to achieve all Indiana Core Public Health Services as part of the Health First Miami County program (aligning with the Health First Indiana program initiatives) or as otherwise later named or referenced. The MCHD recognizes that to achieve the best outcomes for the Core Public Health Services (CPHS), the community will be best served when a robust plan is developed utilizing internal MCHD programming combined with collaborative involvements with existing or new community partner programming in many service areas. Therefore, the MCHD’s Health First Miami County plan has incorporated this grant program process to allow for leveraging available funds to augment beneficial external services in partnership with willing community organizations.

The MCHD strives to incorporate the tenets of the CDC’s 10 Essential Public Health Services, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ Healthy People 2030 program, and the Public Health Accreditation Board’s Foundational Public Health Services, or as otherwise amended/combined, to ensure consistency, completeness and equity in services provided. For the purposes of this grant program, the MCHD may choose to focus on specific components of the above guidance programs and may choose to allow applications for only some of the CPHS areas in any given year, as deemed appropriate.

Background & Focus

This funding application process is open to projects proposing to address gaps in Miami County for the delivery of the identified Core Public Health Services defined herein and in accordance with IC 16-18-2-79.5. Applicants may identify one of the CPHS areas for which to submit an application for the competitive grant funded projects/programs, delineating proposed service delivery programming or improvement processes. Some projects may work toward betterment in more than one CPHS area, but applicants are encouraged to choose the most applicable CPHS under which to submit their proposed program/project.

The grant application must include a spending plan/budget and an evaluation plan for the purpose of providing Core Public Health Services. The evaluation plan must have identifiable and measurable outcomes for the funding period. Funds awarded must be spent by December 31 of the year issued, unless otherwise specified. All reporting requirements must be met throughout the award period. To remain eligible for future funding – if available but certainly not guaranteed – the awardee must maintain compliance with financial reports submitted to the MCHD as required during the funding period as well as with all requirements herein. Funding awarded cannot be used to supplant funding currently in place for these activities at an organization, and the funding must be used only for its stated and approved purpose.

Purpose & Eligibility

The MCHD may award grant contracts for funding and service completion to an individual, business, nonprofit organization, for-profit organization, institution of higher learning or education, medical or health care entity, or any combination thereof for the purpose of providing Core Public Health Services to and for Miami County residents. Financial assistance provided by the MCHD is to protect and promote the health of all people in all communities where gaps in CPHS delivery are identified.

II. Request for Applications – Program Opportunity

Core Public Health Services – DEFINED

While there are 23 Core Public Health Services defined by law (22 when combined for clarity) for local health departments that have opted in to the Health First Indiana funding, the MCHD has identified the following 6 priority Core Public Health Services for potential external funding opportunities under this program for 2025. This is the abbreviated list of the 6 core services for optional funding along with the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for each, AND these are subject to change closer to application time if the Indiana Department of Health requires additional/lessened/alternate KPIs for 2025 – we do not expect significant changes, but they have not been supplied at time of posting this RFP:

Tobacco Prevention & Cessation

• STATE-REQUIRED KPI: In coordination with a tobacco prevention and cessation coalition, the county or organization must develop and/or implement a comprehensive program to address youth tobacco and addictive nicotine prevention. (Preferably in conjunction with schools or within the school environment) Associated data, overall outcomes, lessons learned, and success stories will be part of the required quarterly report submission criteria.

Chronic Disease Prevention & Reduction

• STATE-REQUIRED KPI: In partnership with a health-related community coalition, the county or organization must develop and/or implement a comprehensive, evidence-based obesity or obesity-related disease prevention program/activity.

Trauma & Injury Prevention

• STATE-REQUIRED KPI: The county must identify a leading cause of injury and/or harm in their community and implement a comprehensive, evidence-based program or activity for prevention.

Student Health

• STATE-REQUIRED KPI: In partnership with schools and based on community need, the county or organization must develop and implement wellness policies, and comprehensive strategies to promote whole child health, including physical, mental and student health & wellbeing.

Maternal & Child Health

• STATE-REQUIRED KPI: The county or organization must develop an actual process to refer families to needed services including contraceptive care, WIC, home visiting health, prenatal care, substance use disorder treatment, and insurance navigation. (For this KPI, submissions must address the process for referral, the process for tracking referral follow-up/connection to care as able and must include at least one resulting success story submission per quarter of the grant period including the appropriate release of information document/release for use.)
• STATE-REQUIRED KPI: The county or organization must identify an opportunity to improve birth outcomes and implement an evidence-based or promising program or activity to improve that birth outcome.

Overview of Request for Proposals (RFP)

The MCHD is requesting applications for competitive funding to issue a contract or grant that must include specific and measurable improvements in Miami County in one (1) Core Public Health Service area as defined herein. The purpose of this RFP is to award a contract or grant for the purpose of improving health outcomes and preventing or reducing the prevalence of the health issues related to the defined Core Public Health Services. In reviewing and awarding contracts or grants, the health department will prioritize applications that include/represent:

1. Currently operational non-profit or for-profit health care-related or health education-related entities that are providing or can provide Core Public Health Services to target populations as defined herein;
2. Evidence-based practices/programs for achieving desired health outcomes, including the use of behavioral incentives when applicable and approved;
3. Programming that may work toward betterment in more than one Core Public Health Service;
4. Clearly identified goals and data gathering objectives that align with the Core Public Health Service area and key performance indicators (KPIs).

Proposal Requirements

Each proposal must include the following elements:

• Description of how the proposal will address/impact current health gaps in Core Public Health Services.
• ­ Identify measurable and specific improvement(s) in one or more of the Core Public Health Services within a defined cohort. The cohort may be defined by any health, population, demographic, or geographic criteria – or any combination of these.
• ­ Timeframe to achieve the proposed measurable improvement(s) incorporating the described potential funding award date below. The timeframe in which an initial proposed measurable improvement will be achieved may not be more than two years and, in most cases, measurable outcomes within a one-year period are preferred.
• ­ Explanation of how the proposed activities may be sustained beyond the funding period.
• ­ Evidence-based programs to prevent or reduce the prevalence of health issues or improve the health and/or behavioral health of Miami County residents are highly encouraged and will receive more consideration

Submission Requirements and Deadlines

To be considered for this competitive funding, a completed application must be received by the MCHD no later than the Application Due Date (chart of all applicable dates is provided below), at 4:00 p.m. Eastern time.

All sections of the application must be completed to be considered. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

Reporting Requirements

• Awardees shall report de-identified, aggregate information concerning the implementation and outcomes of the CPHS contract or grant and metrics concerning the Core Public Health Services to the MCHD as required by IC 16-20-1-12(e) or as otherwise specified by the MCHD per project/program award.
• Awardees will be required to submit four (4) reports in any grant award year comprised of four (4) quarterly reports in accordance with the following timelines and on prescribed templates provided by the MCHD:

Applicable Dates & Timelines for Submission and Reporting for 2025 Funding Awards

*The MCHD, at its sole discretion, may award additional contracts after the “Award Period Begins” date for any priority projects able to be completed and reported in accordance with its direction, goals and project support choices.

^^Quarterly reports will be fairly streamlined data reports with small narrative answers required. The final report may be more detailed and comprehensive. Templates will be provided during the contracting phase.

Award Announcements and Contracting

The MCHD will post the prospective RFP and contract template (at minimum) on its website at https://www.in.gov/localhealth/miamicounty/ as the required public notice of the intent to engage in contracts and grants. Once awarded entities are named and notified, the MCHD will draft a contract reflective of the awarded amount, key deadlines and reportable elements, allowable activities and projects, and any relevant administrative requirements to be completed by the awardee. At that time, a list of awardees and project summaries will be posted on the department’s website as notification to the public, alerting them to the intent to contract with each awardee.

NOTE: Unless otherwise precluded by law, please be aware that everything associated with the application submission, the award contract, the deliverables or measurable outcome data submitted, and all reports, email or other written communications or similar documents may be considered public record under state law and may be required to be shared publicly upon request.

III. Submission Guidance and Required Information

All applications shall be submitted via email to mtownsend@miamicountyin.gov.

All areas of the grant application must be completed.

The grant management system where all submissions will occur is broken into the following key components:

1. GRANT APPLICATION – The grant application sections will consist of a description of the following key areas for which your project/program will address:

• The Core Public Health Service area(s) and Key Performance Indicator(s) you intend to address.
• The proposed project/program’s overall purpose and objectives.
• The target population/demographic/health subset you intend to reach/serve as well as the number of individuals you hope to reach/serve.
• The method of activities by which you intend address the core public health service project/program/issue.
• The project’s/program’s timeline.
• The project’s/program’s intended/expected measurable outcomes you hope to achieve.
• The total funding amount being requested as well as the proposed budget for use of the funds.
• The partners with whom you will work (if applicable) as well as the plan for oversight within your organization.

Application Review (Review Criteria)

The following criteria will be used to review all submitted applications:

A. Completeness of application

B. Detailed budget

C. Clear description of the organization and demonstration of expertise in the CPHS area(s) proposed

D. Ability for review committee to clearly understand how the intended project/program/activity and outcomes may improve the delivery of or outcomes of the Core Public Health Services and, ultimately, better health measures

E. A clear demonstration of a history in providing similar services or related work

F. Project proposal:

1. Clear purpose, scope, deliverables and timeline
2. Clear connection between proposal and meeting the delineated key performance indicators
3. Appropriate project/program scaling to population served
4. Inclusion and description of partners, if applicable (or an explanation why a stand-alone project/program could achieve similar outcomes)
5. Use of evidence-based programming
6. Measurable, specific improvement objectives demonstrated in Core Public Health Service(s) on specified population
7. Budget and justifications
8. Performance, timeliness and responsiveness of prior grantees will also be taken into consideration as new applications are reviewed (for continued funding or additional funding)

Review and Selection Process

Eligible and complete applications will be evaluated by an MCHD-designated sub-committee in accordance with the review criteria stated above. Submissions that do not comply with the technical requirements set forth in the RFP or as otherwise explained herein are considered nonresponsive and will be rejected.

For 2025 (IMPORTANT):

• Preference will be given to programs/projects that are already running or new programs/projects that have pilot data and established partnerships (if applicable).
• Under the below section regarding items that will/can not be funded, there is a slight change for 2025. The Indiana Department of Health is now allowing certain food expenditures to be covered as part of a program/project. READ THE FUNDING PRECLUSIONS SECTION ON PAGE 8 FOR MORE DETAILS AND CLARITY.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Award Notices – All applicants will be notified via email no later than January 17, 2025 (first quarter), April 17, 2025 (second quarter), July 17, 2025 (third quarter) and October 17, 2025 (fourth quarter) of the outcome of their grant request application.

Awardee Responsibilities – The award recipient will have primary responsibility for the  following:

1. Accomplishing the objectives and completing the deliverables listed in the final contract agreement.
2. Providing written progress reports to the MCHD as required in the final contract agreement and as stated above.

MCHD Responsibilities – The MCHD will have the primary responsibility for the following:

1. Maintaining contact with awardees to gauge progress, answer questions and share any applicable concerns or needs during the grant award period.
2. Monitoring terms of the agreement and compliance therewith.
3. Funding the organization according to the terms of the contract agreement.
4. Providing technical assistance and guidance, as appropriate.
5. Reporting on progress of grant awards and outcomes/data as required to the Indiana Department of Health (IDOH), Miami County Board of Commissioners, Miami County Council, Miami County Health Board, and to the public when required.

PROJECTS/PROGRAMS/ITEMS WHICH WILL NOT/CANNOT BE FUNDED:

The grant funds may not be used for the following per the State of Indiana (this may not be an exhaustive list):

• Personal items
• Items not related to IC 16-46-10-3 (*pursuant to changes made during the 2024 legislative session)
• Alcoholic beverages
• Duplicate payments and overpayments
• Capital expenses not permitted by IC 16-46-10-3(c) (such as vehicles, motorized items, trailers, buildings/structures, renovations/remodeling, etc.)
• Scholarships
• Donations
• State or Federal Lobbying or any Political Activity
• Any unallowable expenditure as determined by the Indiana State Board of Accounts
• Any expenditure not allowed by Indiana State Law
• Incentives (unless educational or a protective public health measure in nature and with prior approval by the MCHD)
• NEW in 2025 – In general, purchasing food/beverages is precluded – UNLESS specifically approved in advance by the MCHD for a project/program directly tied to one of the CPHS areas for projects where food is integral to completion of the CPHS-related project/program. Examples where food/beverages CANNOT be used:

-  Staff events, funder events, fund-raising or similar events where the food/beverages are purchased for the event and are not part of an approved CPHS-affiliated project/program.

-  All other food/beverage purchase concepts must be individually approved in the grant application and on the designated budget template and will be done as part of the overall contracting and approval process.

• Other activities or purchases deemed inappropriate or not allowed by the MCHD including but not limited to:

- Paying building utilities or other building costs

- Benevolence costs

- Giving staff bonuses (or the like)

- Medical costs/payments/expenses

For More Information:

Please send general questions regarding this RFP and application process to mtownsend@miamicountyin.gov.

The MCHD reserves the right to amend this guidance to provide additional information or correct errors as deemed appropriate.

METRICS AND OUTCOMES: Because there are so many varied Core Public Health Service areas and KPIs, specific metrics required will be developed during the contracting phase once we have accepted your project. Starting in the 2025 grant period, in addition to the basic metrics required with all awards, awardees will submit an additional five measurable and meaningful metrics they will commit to gathering and submitting that are relevant to their submitted project/program (more or less, metrics can be considered depending on the project). This section below is designed to give you an idea of what a quarterly report might contain regarding the basic metrics for all projects (but this information will be finalized later, and templates will be created closer to award time adding in the project-specific metrics submitted by each awardee).

The required metrics for each of the quarterly reports for all awardees will contain information such as:

• What accomplishments occurred since last reporting period?
• Were there any barriers experienced during this period?
• Budget update (details on funding spent to date)
• Outcomes of any survey or pre/post reset results associated with your project/program (depending on timing of these).
• Additional metrics defined within the grant proposal itself as applicable.

In addition to the five awardee-submitted metrics, the KEY METRICS PER CORE PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE AREA FOR QUARTERLY REPORTING might look like this (shared here to ensure you are able to determine how you will collect and report this data):