TRANSGENDER, GENDER DIVERSE AND INTERSEX (TGI) WELLNESS & HEALTH EQUITY UNIT

Request for Application (RFA)

Transgender, Gender Nonconforming and Intersex Wellness and Equity Fund

Community Care Grants: Track 1 (23-10732)

Question & Answers

*Revised 9/26/2023

Q1:	Can Attachment 3 be signed by Executive Director of the TGI-Serving Organization and not fiscal sponsor?
A1:	Attachment 3 (page 20) should bear the signature of the TGI-Serving Organization, not the fiscal sponsor. Please refer to Section 6.10 (page 18): CDPH expects the TGI-Serving Organization to work closely with their fiscal sponsor to ensure that attachments 2 and 6 through 11 are completed using the fiscal sponsor’s information.
Q2:	Will applications from Transgender-led organizations, where the executive teams, front-line staff, and Board of Directors identify as TGI individuals, receive priority during the RFA process?
A2:	California law prohibits using gender identity as a criteria on which to base awards. However the evaluation of applicant qualifications will consider the organization's commitment to and/or successful record of serving TGI priority population(s). This includes their history with TGI populations and/or current staff/board members with lived experiences. Please see Section 3.2 (Desired Qualifications) on page 12 of the RFA.
Q3:	Since Track 1 does not fund research activities, will Track 2 allow for funds to go towards research activities?
A3:	Health and Safety Code §150900, which governs the TGI Fund, does not authorize expenditures for research-related activities and CDPH cannot issue grant awards to pay for research activities.
Q4:	How does payment and invoicing works for orgs who may have limited cash flow?
A4:	CDPH allows for advanced payments of grant funds in certain cases. Once grant announcements are made, CDPH staff will pursue permission to provide advance payment of up to 25% of the award’s annual budget on a case-by-case basis. Organizations will be required to submit invoices as specified in their grant agreement. Invoices will be submitted through an online portal where payment progress can be easily tracked. GHES staff will provide training and support to organizations in how to ensure timely invoicing and payment.
Q5:	The minimum qualifications include a requirement that an applicant’s mission statement centers around serving transgender, gender nonconforming and intersex people (HSC §150900(f)(2)(A)). Can you clarify what the statute means by “centers”?
A5:	A mission statement that centers around serving transgender, gender nonconforming and intersex (TGI) people specifically names serving TGI people as the organization's primary purpose. Organizations that center TGI persons in their mission statement may also serve others, but the primary focus must be on TGI persons. Organizations with mission statements that more broadly serve LGBTQ+ persons, but without a primary focus on serving TGI persons will not qualify to be awarded funding. In this case, the organization is the legal entity applying. The statute allows a non-TGI-serving organization to be awarded funding if they are applying as fiscal sponsor for a TGI-Serving Organization that does not have its own legal status as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Contact :

TGIUnit@cdph.ca.gov

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