Vaccine Confidence RFA FAQs
Table of Contents:
1. Who is eligible to apply for these grants?
Applicants must have the capacity to fulfill the programmatic and administrative requirements of the grant and the ability to reach hard-to-reach target populations in their community. Applicants must provide evidence that they are a legal entity with a physical presence in California, licensed to do business in California. Applicants are encouraged to partner with other agencies or organizations to deliver any element of the proposed project, including providing vaccinations. Applicant and all partner entities must be in good standing with CDPH, which means that none may have any prior letter of correction, written notice of breach, or inadequate performance on a current or previous contract or grant relationship with CDPH.
Examples of eligible entities include but are not limited to: Community-Based Organizations (CBOs); Federally Qualified HealthāÆCenters (FQHCs); community or for-profit clinics; non-profit organizations; Multi-County Entities (MCEs); local educational agencies (LEAs), school districts, pharmacies, community groups structured as LLCs, and providers that serve underserved communities. If you have a proposed entity structure and you are not sure of your eligibility, please send an email to: VaccineConfidenceRFA@cdph.ca.gov and we will evaluate your situation and respond.āÆ ā
2. What constitutes evidence of organizational eligibility?
The applicant and all partners and subgrantees must each provide evidence of their status as a current legal entity with a physical presence in California and a license to do business in California. Acceptable documents include: a current California Secretary of State certification; a California business license; an IRS 501(c)(3) letter showing a California address; or evidence of current insurance in California. Your document(s) should be submitted as a single PDF with your application, labeled as Attachment 7. ā
3. Can an organization apply for more than one grant?
An organization may apply for the Hispanic, Latinx, and/or Immigrant Communities Grant (RFA 24-10229), the Adolescents Grant (RFA 24-10181), and the California Communities Grant (RFA 24-10180) but MAY NOT submit more than one application per grant. āāā
4. Where can I get information about the priority populations the grants should serve?
To assist you to locate relevant population information for your project development and completion of your application, CDPH IZB has compiled a supplementary document with information about underserved populations here: Underserved Populations Briefs.
5. Does my project need to include services to provide COVID-19 vaccines?
Awardees are expected to increase vaccination rates within their target population by either providing or facilitating COVID-19 vaccination by referring project population members to an organization that does provide COVID-19 vaccinations. ā
6. Can or should my project include services to provide vaccines other than COVID-19?
Administration and/or referrals for flu and RSV immunizations is preferred, but not required.āÆ
For the Adolescent RFA (24-10181) HPV vaccination is required in addition to COVID-19.
ā7. Where can I find important dates and deadlines for the RFAs?
The Time Schedule for each RFA is posted on its respective RFA webpage:
RFA-Increasing Vaccine Confidence Among California CommunitiesāāRFA-Increasing Vaccine Confidence Among California AdolescentsāRFA-Increasing Vaccine Confidence Among Latino Communities ā
Key activity dates are subject to change, based on the number of applications received or other circumstances. The contract end date, June 30, 2025, is not subject to change.
8. What do I submit for my āapplication?ā To apply for a vaccine confidence grant, you must complete and submit the following:
- Attachment 1: Application Checklist ā Identifies all application submission requirements. (Required)āÆ
- Attachment 2: Application Cover Sheet ā Identifies kāey applicant contact information and must be signed by an official authorized to enter into a grant agreement on behalf of the EE. (Required)āÆ
- Attachment 3: Project Synopsis ā For applicant to provide a one-page synopsis that summarizes the key elements of the project. Project Synopsis should include applicant name, total amount requested, a list of partner organizations (if applicable), and a project description which includes population and geographic region served, project activities, and how project will achieve objectives. (Required)
- Attachment 4: Budget Form Template ā For applicant to provide and explain their proposed project budget and the total amount requested. (Required)
- Attachment 5: Application Narrative ā Questions that prompt applicants to describe and explain their organization and project. (Required)
- Project Workplan and Timeline ā Draft a workplan and estimated project timeline and submit along with your application. Submit this item as Attachment 6. (Required)
- Organization Certification ā Submit evidence that your organization is qualified to do business in and has a physical presence in California. Examples include: a current California Secretary of State certification, a California business license, an IRS 501(c)(3) letter showing a California address, or evidence of current insurance in California for each entity. Submit this item as Attachment 7. (Required)
- āLetters of Support ā Include letters of support from project partners and/or referral entities, if applicable. Submit this item as Attachment 8. (Required, only if applicable)āÆ
For an application to be considered complete, all required attachments (Attachments 1 ā 7), must be included in your submission. If the proposed project includes any partners, Attachment 8 must also be included in your submission, with a letter from each partner. Each Attachment must be submitted as a separate PDF file in a single email submission. Your submission will be a total of 7 or 8 PDF files, which you may send compressed or zipped, if desired. ā
9. How should I submit my application files? Submit your application files as a single email submission to:
VaccineConfidenceRFA@cdph.ca.govā with the subject line to reflect the grant you are applying for, either āCA Communities RFA Application,ā āAdolescent RFA Application,ā or āHispanic/Latinx/Immigrant RFA Questionā as applicable by the deadline identified in the RFA Time Schedule for the respective RFA. ā
10. What should I do if I am having problems downloading or using any of the application materials? If you have issue with any of the materials, please email:
VaccineConfidenceRFA@cdph.ca.govā with the subject line to reflect the grant you are applying for, either āCA Communities RFA Application,ā āAdolescent RFA Application,ā or āHispanic/Latinx/Immigrant RFA Questionā, and CDPH IZB will email copies of the materials to you directly. ā
11. How should I name my application files? Save each file using the following naming convention: āRFA_#_Attachment_ #_Applicant_Nameā
where Applicant Name is the full legal name as entered in the attachments as the Applicant Name.
For example, if the licensed name of an agency is āTrinity Community Healthcare Center Inc.,ā all documents must include that full name and not a shortened version such as āTrinity Healthā. āÆAttachment 1 would have this name: āRFA_24-0180_Attachment_1_Trinity_Community_Healthcare_Center_Inc.ā ā
āāApplication Attachment Questions
āāā12. What information needs to be included in my one-page project synopsis as Attachment 3? The project synopsis is an at-a-glance document for CDPH IZB leadership in reviewing applications and associated scores from the evaluation team. The synopsis should include the following information:
- Applicant Name
- Total Amount Requested
- List of partner organizations (if applicable) ā
- Project description that includes population and geographic region served, summary of project activities, plan for achieving objectives, and explanation of any planned partnerships.
āāā13. Does it matter what order we provide our responses in the Narrative of Attachment 5?
We recognize that the categories and prompts provided in Attachment 5 may not align perfectly with your best presentation of your project information. Feel free to reorganize your response for better flow of your information. To best ensure reviewers can easily locate your responses associated with the scoring categories,ā the following organization is suggested, with points allocation identified for each subsection:
A. Priority Populations and Communities (25 points) ā
- Identify and describe your priority population(s), community, and priority group(s), including the estimated number of beneficiaries. Explain why you have selected this population for your project and how they will benefit from the proposed activities. Provide statistical evidence, if available, to support your selection.āÆ
- āDescribe your organizationās experience working with this population. Explain how you have gained trust with this population in the past, or plan to with this project.
- āāIdentify the issues that most impact vaccine confidence in your priority population and how your activities will improve vaccine confidence and promote vaccination to your priority population.āÆ
B. Community Engagement and Outreach (50 points)
- āāTell us about your proposed project. Describe your approach and the activities you will undertake to meet the project objectives. These activities must align with your project workplan, timeline, and budget. Identify any deliverables you expect to produce during your project activities.
- Describe how your approach employs evidence-based practices, utilizes best-practices, or incorporates any innovative approach(es). If using an innovative approach, describe why this strategy has potential to be impactful for your identified target population.āÆ
- Identify any other diseases, and associated activities, in addition to COVID-19, that your project will address, and why you have selected these diseases for outreach and/or vaccination.āÆ
- Explain how your project fills a gap in your service area and meet this communityās needs. Identify and describe any secondary benefits your project might provide.āÆ
- Describe how your project provides services that are culturally and linguistically appropriate.
- Describe how your project will incorporate the priority population in project planning, design, and/or execution, if applicable.āÆ
C. Capacity (15 points for CA Communities and Latinx grants; 10 points for Adolescents grants):
- Describe your organization, the population(s) you serve, and the services you provide. Include details such as the size of your organization, your length in time in business, your mission, and any other information that will help us better understand your organization.āÆ
- Identify and explain the role of any organizations you plan to partner with to accomplish project objectives.āÆExplain why you selected the organization(s) you did.
- āDescribe how your organization and your partners, if applicable, are ideally suited to deliver your proposed project.āÆ
D. Program Monitoring and Evaluation (5 points)
- āDescribe your anticipated processes for data collection and routine monitoring of your project activities. Identify performance measures you will use to measure impact and show the effectiveness of your project.
E. Linkage or Referral to Services (5 points for CA Communities and Latinx grants; 10 points for Adolescents grants: 5 points each for COVID-19 and HPV)
- If your project will provide direct vaccination services, describe your organizationās experience providing the vaccines your project proposes to deliver. If you do not yet have experience or sufficient staff, describe how funding will build organizational capacity to provide identified vaccinations.āÆ
- āāIf your project will provide vaccine referrals, please describe your plan for referrals, including any referral entities and any experience you have collaborating with them.
14. What do I need to include for my Project Workplan and Timeline? The workplan must include a preliminary workplan that shows project tasks with start and end dates that assume a project completion date of June 30, 2025. Include key project milestones, which are project checkpoints that demonstrate progress either via deliverables, completion of key tasks, or achievement of activity outcomes. This document does not need to include narrative description of the workplan. Those details should be provided in Attachment 5 ā Application Narrative.āÆYour workplan may be created in any product you choose (e.g., Microsoft Project, Excel, Word), but must be submitted with your application as a separate PDF, labeled as Attachment 6.
15. āāWhat will the application review process entail? Following the closing date for application submissions, CDPH IZB will evaluate each application to determine responsiveness to the RFA requirements. Applications found to be non-responsive at any stage of the evaluation, for any reason, will be rejected from further consideration.
Late applications will not be reviewed. Note that CDPH may reject any or all applications and may waive any immaterial defect in any application. ā
Applications that meet the submission and format requirements and contain all the required forms and documentation will be considered responsive and will be submitted to an evaluation team convened by CDPH IZB. The evaluation team will review each responsive application and assign numeric scores based on how well the application meets the RFA objectives and priorities, the reasonableness of the proposed workplan and budget, and the apparent ability of the organization and its partners to execute the project successfully. The team will use a standardized rubric to ensure consistent scoring across all applications.
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The evaluation results will be provided to CDPH IZB leadership, who will make final decisions on the best combination of selected projects and award amounts. A higher score does not guarantee selection over a lower score.
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16. How will applications be selected for award?
Each of the three RFAs has a specific focus and a flexible pool of funds for award. The overall objectives of all three are to increase vaccine confidence and increase vaccination rates in priority communities by providing vaccines or referring for vaccines. The CDPH IZB leaders will review the project synopses, evaluation scores, and project applications to make final decisions on the ideal combination of projects and award amounts to best meet all RFA objectives. A higher score does not guarantee selection over a lower score.
17. Is the Scoring Rubric available for applicants to view?
No, the scoring rubrics are for internal use only and will not be made available to applicants. As the RFA states, higher scores do not guarantee selection for award. Applicants should develop well-planned projects that meet the RFA objectives and submit applications that respond to all required elements and clearly and succinctly convey the applicantās intent in all areas.
18. What could cause my application to be rejected?
CDPH IZB reserves the right to reject any or all applications without remedy to the applicants. CDPH may, at its sole discretion, correct any obvious mathematical or clerical errors in any application. There is no guarantee that any grants will be awarded after the evaluation of all applications if, in the opinion of CDPH, none of the applications meets Californiaās needs.
Circumstances that will cause an application package to be deemed non-responsive include:āÆ
- āThe application is received after the deadline set forth in the RFA Time Schedule.
- Failure to complete required forms and attachments as instructed in this RFA or as instructed in the attachments.āÆ
- Failure to meet format or procedural submission requirements.
- Inaccurate, false, or misleading information or statements.
- āāFailure of the applicant to meet the EE qualifications set forth in this RFA.
19. What if I want to apply for more or less than the $306,000 amount stated? Each RFA has a stated maximum grant award. Organizations are invited to apply for any amount up to the stated maximum. Organizations may apply for a lower amount to implement their project but may not exceed the stated maximum. The maximum grant awards available are:
- Increasing Vaccine Confidence Among California Communities (RFA #24-10180): $306,000.
- Increasing Vaccine Confidence Among California Adolescents (RFA #24-10180): $25,000.
- āIncreasing Vaccine Confidence Among Hispanic, Latinx, and/or Immigrant Communities (RFA #24-10229): $200,000
20. How will we know if our project is selected for award? Applicants will be notified directly of the status of their application by the date identified in the RFA Time Schedule for the respective RFA.
21. How will the grant funds be disbursed?
These grants will be cost-reimbursable awards, which requires applicants to submit project progress reports and invoices with receipts to CDPH for reimbursement after actual costs are incurred for project expenses.
22. What if my organization cannot afford to incur expenses up front? If the cost reimbursement model may pose a hardship for your organization but you still want to apply, email
VaccineConfidenceRFA@cdph.ca.gov and explain your organizationās situation.
23. If my project is selected for award, what administrative responsibilities should I expect?
If selected for award, grantees will meet with CDPH early in the project to finalize the draft budget and workplan. During the project, grantees will provide progress reports with invoices for reimbursement requests at agreed-upon intervals to CDPH. At the end of the grant period, grantees will submit a final report summarizing project activities, achievement of project objectives, and lessons learned.
24. Why is there a deadline for submitting written questions? May I submit questions after the deadline? āCDPH IZB plans to release a published FAQ with responses to all questions asked. Potential applicants may submit questions at any time, but only those received the deadline indicated in the RFA Time Schedule are guaranteed to be answered and published in the FAQ. Should questions arise after the deadline that CDPH IZB determines are necessary to ensure responsive applications, the FAQ may be updated and re-published. Everyone on the email distribution list will receive notification when FAQs are published or updated.
25. How do I get on the email distribution list for an RFA? If you received the RFA announcement direction from CDPH IZB, you are already on the distribution list. If the announcement or the links to the RFA materials were forwarded to you from another source, please submit an email to: email
VaccineConfidenceRFA@cdph.ca.gov and request to be added to the distribution list. ā
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