(a) General. VA provides technical assistance grants to entities or organizations with expertise in preparing grant applications relating to the provision of assistance for homeless veterans. The recipients must use the grants to provide technical assistance to nonprofit organizations with experience in providing assistance to homeless veterans in order to help such groups apply for grants under this part, or from any other source, for addressing the needs of homeless veterans. Current recipients of any grant under this part (other than a technical assistance grant), or their sub-recipients, are ineligible for technical assistance grants.

(b) Allowable activities. Technical assistance grant recipients may use grant funds for the following activities:

(1) Group or individual “how-to” grant writing seminars, providing instructions on applying for a grant. Topics must include:

(i) Determining eligibility;

(ii) Matching the awarding agency's grant mission to the applicant agency's strengths;

(iii) Meeting the specific grant outcome requirements;

(iv) Creating measurable goals and objectives for grants;

(v) Relating clear and concise grant project planning;

(vi) Ensuring appropriate grant project staffing; and

(vii) Demonstrating the applicant's abilities.

(2) Creation and dissemination of “how-to” grant writing materials, i.e., compact disks, booklets, web pages or other media specifically designed to facilitate and instruct applicants in the completion of grant applications.

(3) Group or individual seminars, providing instructions on the legal obligations associated with grant applications. Topics must include:

(i) Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards under 2 CFR part 200;

(ii) Federal funding match and fund separation requirements; and

(iii) Property and equipment disposition.

(4) Telephone, video conferencing or email with potential grant applicants that specifically address grant application questions.

(c) Unallowable activities. Technical assistance grant recipients may not use grant funds for the following activities:

(1) Meetings, consortia, or any similar activity that does not assist community agencies in seeking grants to aid homeless veterans.

(2) Referral of individual veterans to agencies for benefits, housing, medical assistance, or social services.

(3) Lobbying.

(a) To apply for a technical assistance grant, an applicant must obtain from VA, complete, and submit to VA a technical assistance grant application package within the time period established in the Notice of Fund Availability.

(b) The technical assistance grant application package will require the following:

(1) Documentation on eligibility to receive a technical assistance grant under this part;

(2) A description of technical assistance that would be provided (see § 61.50);

(3) Documentation concerning the estimated operating costs and operating budget for the technical assistance program for which the grant is sought;

(4) Documentation concerning expertise in preparing grant applications;

(5) Documentation of resources committed to the provision of technical expertise;

(6) Comments or recommendations by appropriate state (and area wide) clearinghouses pursuant to E.O. 12372 (3 CFR, 1982 Comp., p. 197), if the applicant is a state; and

(7) Reasonable assurances that:

(i) The recipient will provide adequate financial and administrative support for providing the services set forth in the technical assistance grant application, and will actually provide such services; and

(ii) The recipient will keep records and timely submit reports as required by VA, and will give VA, on demand, access to the records upon which such reports are based.

The following threshold requirements for a technical assistance grant must be met, or the application will be rejected before being rated under § 61.53:

(a) The application must be complete and submitted on the correct form and in the time period established in the Notice of Fund Availability;

(b) The applicant must establish expertise in preparing grant applications;

(c) The activities for which assistance is requested must be eligible for funding under this part;

(d) The applicant must demonstrate that adequate financial support will be available to carry out the project for which the grant is sought, consistent with the plans, specifications and schedule submitted by the applicant;

(e) The applicant must not have an outstanding obligation to VA that is in arrears, or have an overdue or unsatisfactory response to an audit; and

(f) The applicant must not have been notified by VA as being in default.

(a) General. Applicants that meet the threshold requirements in § 61.52 will then be rated using the selection criteria listed in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section. To be eligible for a technical assistance grant, an applicant must receive at least 600 points (out of a possible 800).

(b) Quality of the technical assistance. VA will award up to 400 points based on the following:

(1) How the recipients of technical training will increase their skill level regarding the completion of applications;

(2) How the recipients of technical training will learn to find grant opportunities in a timely manner;

(3) How the technical assistance provided will be monitored and evaluated and changes made, if needed; and

(4) How the proposed technical assistance programs will be implemented in a timely fashion.

(c) Ability of applicant to demonstrate expertise in preparing grant applications and to develop and operate a technical assistance program. VA will award up to 400 points based on the extent to which the application demonstrates all of the following:

(1) Ability to find grants available for addressing the needs of homeless veterans.

(2) Ability to find and offer technical assistance to entities eligible for such assistance.

(3) Ability to administer a technical assistance program.

(4) Ability to provide grant technical assistance.

(5) Ability to evaluate the overall effectiveness of the technical assistance program and to make adjustments, if necessary, based on those evaluations.

(6) Past performance. VA may use historical documents of past performance from both VA and non-VA, including those from other Federal, state and local agencies and audits by private or public entities in scoring technical assistance applications.

(a) Applicants will first be grouped in categories according to the funding priorities set forth in the NOFA, if any. Applicants will then be ranked within their respective funding category, if applicable. The highest-ranked applications for which funding is available, within highest priority funding category if applicable, will be selected to receive a technical assistance grant in accordance with their ranked order, as determined under § 61.53. If funding priorities have been established and funds are still available after selection of those applicants in the highest priority group, VA will continue to conditionally select applicants in lower priority categories in accordance with the selection method set forth in this paragraph subject to available funding.

(b) In the event of a tie between applicants, VA will use the score from § 61.53(c) to determine the ranking.

(c) For those applicants selected to receive a technical assistance grant, VA will execute an agreement and make payments to the grant recipient in accordance with § 61.61.

(d) The amount of the technical assistance grant will be the estimated total operational cost of the technical assistance over the life of the technical assistance grant award as specified in the technical assistance grant agreement. Payments may be made for no more than the period specified in the Notice of Fund Availability.

(e) VA will not pay for sustenance or lodging for the nonprofit community participants or attendees at training conferences offered by technical assistance grant recipients; however, the grantee may use grant funds to recover such expenses.

Each technical assistance grantee must submit to VA a quarterly report describing the activities for which the technical assistance grant funds were used, including the type and amount of technical assistance provided and the number of nonprofit community-based groups served.