FEC Webinar Questions and Answers
Family Empowerment Centers (FECs) on Disability Grant Request for Applications Technical Assistance Questions and Answers.General
Is there just ONE application window?
Yes, there is only one application window from February 25, 2022, through March 25, 2022. The activity time and important due dates can be found on page 17 of the Family Empowerment Center (FEC) Request for Applications (RFA) (DOCX).
I would like to be added to the list-serve for future announcements and communications if possible.
To receive future Special Education announcements related to family engagement and support, please send an email PPL@cde.ca.gov. For future updates and additional relevant information about the FEC RFA (DOCX), refer to the California Department of Education (CDE) FEC RFA Grant web page.
Will all of the readers scoring the completed grant applications be from CDE?
Readers will be selected by the CDE and trained to score per the rubric found in Appendix IV of the FEC RFA (DOCX). More information can be found in the FEC RFA (DOCX) Section VII. Selection Process on page 11.
Eligibility
If my region(s) already has a FEC in place, can I still apply to open a new FEC in this region?
If your region already has an FEC, no you cannot apply to establish another one in the same region. It is the intent of the legislature is to establish new FECs in areas or regions where there is none. Refer to page 7 of the FEC RFA (DOCX), under Section IV, Eligibility Requirements states the following:
Only grant applicants that propose to establish a new FEC within the regions of the state established under the Early Start FRCs that are not currently served by an existing FEC are eligible to apply for funding pursuant to California Education Code (EC) Section 56402(b)(1). Applicants who do not propose to establish a new center in the region for services will be ineligible for funding.
Are school districts eligible to apply?
No, only nonprofit charitable organizations are eligible to apply. Districts are not eligible to apply but can partner up with a potential applicant to submit letters of support as part of the application. On page 7 of the FEC RFA (DOCX), under Section IV, Eligibility Requirements, the following is indicated:
To be eligible to receive grant funds, applicants must meet the following requirements per EC Section 56404:
(a) Be a nonprofit charitable organization organized under the Internal Revenue Code pursuant to paragraph (3) of subdivision (c) of Section 501 of Title 26 of the United States Code.
(b) Assure that the center will be staffed primarily by parents, guardians, and family members of children and young adults with disabilities and by adults with disabilities.
(c) Assure that a majority of board members for each center will include parents, guardians, and family members of children and young adults with disabilities who have experience with local or regional disability systems and educational resources. Additional members shall include, but not be limited to, persons with disabilities and representatives of community agencies serving adults with disabilities, and other community agencies.
(d) Demonstrate the capacity to provide services in accordance with the family support guidelines developed by the Early Start FRCs pursuant to Section 95004 of the Government Code and administered by the State Department of Developmental Services, and [Parent Training and Information Centers] PTICs established pursuant to Sections 1482 and 1483 of Title 20 of the United States Code.
For more information on family support guidelines for Early Start FRCs, please see Appendix IV. For more information on PTICs, please see the Center for Parent and Information Resources
.
Would the FECs pertain only to ages 0–3, given the target of Early Start areas unrepresented?
No, the FECs serve parents and families of children ages 3–18 years of age, inclusive, and young adults 19–22 years of age inclusive who had an Individualized Education Program (IEP) before their eighteenth birthday. A child transitioning from Early Start to Part B special education programs should be served as part of receiving the FEC grant.
You can refer to this on page 8 of the FEC RFA (DOCX) indicates on Section V, Project Requirements, and the EC Statute that pertains to potential eligible applicants:
Target Population: In accordance with EC Section 56408(a), each grant applicant that will receive a grant award from the CDE under this chapter shall serve the parents and families of children 3–18 years of age, inclusive, and young adults 19–22 years of age, inclusive, who had an IEP before their eighteenth birthday in the proposed region.
Would a grant recipient be allowed to open more than one FEC (in each area non-served)?
Yes, a potential applicant may be eligible to establish a new center in more than one area. However, one application per area proposed to be served will need to be submitted.
For more information, refer to page 7 of the FEC RFA (DOCX), under Section IV, Eligibility Requirements, that indicates current grant recipients are eligible to establish a new FEC in an area that does not have one:
Only grant applicants that propose to establish a new FEC within the regions of the state established under the Early Start FRCs that are not currently served by an existing FEC are eligible to apply for funding pursuant to EC Section 56402(b)(1). Applicants who do not propose to establish a new center in the region for services will be ineligible for funding. An existing FEC who chooses to apply for this grant in order to open a new center in a neighboring region that currently does not have one is eligible for the funding that is established through the allocation per EC Section 56406(b).
Moreover, slide #15 of the technical assistance webinar (PPTX) stated that “If applying for more than one region, a separate Form A: Intent to Submit an Application (PDF) and an entire application package must be submitted for each region of which an applicant is applying.”
RFA Requirements, Forms, and Scoring
What are the word limits and what sections do they relate to?
The detailed information on word limits can be found in the FEC RFA (DOCX) Section IX, Application Format and Submission Requirements, and Section X, Application Checklist, on pages 15−17.
Are new non-profits applicants with no current FEC, required to open a new facility or can an existing facility be used for this program?
Applicants can open a new facility or use an existing facility in the proposed region that will be served.
In our Project Work Plan (Form D), are we allowed to include activities that would not necessarily be funded by FEC monies but would support FEC work in support of families with children between ages 3 and 22? For example, if local foundation funds support workshops on IEPs, should this be listed as part of our work plan? Or do we only include those activities that would be funded by the FEC grant?
Form D: Project Work Plan (PDF) indicates “Applicants shall complete Form D, which presents the key milestones and tasks for the proposed FEC program for the first year of the project (June 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023).” If you would like to include additional information as part of your plan, then make sure that you differentiate between activities that what will be provided as part of the FEC grant and activities that will not be funded by the grant.
Does the work plan—which is a separate form—count as part of the 30-page limit?
No, Form D: Project Work Plan, does not count as part of the 30-page narrative.
Reporting
Who provides parental satisfaction measures? Are there existing surveys?
Parental satisfaction measures are provided by the applicant. Existing FECs have sample pre and post surveys collected to inform the services provided. There are also data elements each applicant agrees to collect and report to the CDE if the grant is awarded. The data elements collected and reported can be found in EC Section 56411.
On page 10 of the FEC RFA (DOCX), Section VI. Administrative Requirements, subsection Reporting, states the following:
As a condition of grant funding, applicants must collect and submit data annually to the CDE 30 days after the end of the fiscal year, in accordance with the data template established by the department pursuant to subdivision (b) of EC Section 56411.
Budgetary Questions
When will the budgetary information for the different catchment areas in Los Angeles County be posted?
Please send an email at PPL@cde.ca.gov to obtain your estimated amount for the Los Angeles County catchment areas.
Is invoicing for payments submitted monthly?
This is a federal Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) Part B grant and has seven funding reporting periods per federal statute to allow for multiple submissions. For more information on federal IDEA Part B grants please visit the CDE web page FAQs for Federally Funded Grant Programs.
To what degree can allocations be adjusted along the way?
The CDE will adjust the grant award amounts. Estimated amounts are provided in Appendix III of the FEC RFA (DOCX). The final grant amounts to be awarded are subject to adjustments.
If awarded this grant, is there additional funding for the FECs after the initial award year?
The CDE will conduct fiscal and program assessments pursuant to EC 56408(b)(1) and (2) to assess each center’s eligibility for continued funding. Funding will continue past the initial year and each applicant awarded the grant will submit an annual application form and budget to indicate continuation in the grant program.
There is an additional amount for each student in the calculation after the base. I don't see what that amount is per student. Can you help me find that in the RFA?
The amount for each student is provided in Appendix III. Refer to page 30 of the FEC RFA (DOCX), under the APPENDIX III: Fiscal Year 2021–22 Budget Distribution for Prospective Family Empowerment Centers on Disabilities by Region. In the far-right column, you will be able to find the Estimated Per-Pupil Rate Total. If you are applying for a Los Angeles County region, send an email to PPL@cde.ca.gov for an estimated grant budget amount.
In order to accommodate the required data and reporting, can direct costs include adjustments to our organization’s current data collection system?
If you will need to modify your current data systems, refer to guidance on what items can be submitted with the proposed budget. Refer to the project work plan on page 15 of the FEC RFA (DOCX), under Budget and Budget Narrative which indicates the following,
- Provide a line-item budget and budget narrative for the first year of the grant period (June 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023). Applicants must use Form E: Budget and Grant Expenditure Guidance (XLSX), to complete this task.
- The Budget Narrative should detail, in narrative form, how the proposed costs were calculated, including salaries, wages, employee benefits, books and supplies, travel, operational costs, subcontracted services, and indirect charges, capped at ten percent. The narrative should also justify how each identified cost is reasonable and necessary to support the implementation of the proposed goals and activities described in the application. The budget and budget narrative will be reviewed and scored.
- This portion of the application does not count towards the application narrative page limit of 30 pages.
Moreover, refer to pages 23−25 of the FEC RFA (DOCX), under Required Forms for Submission section, on Form E: Budget and Grant Expenditure Guidance (XLSX) for guidance provided on direct costs under FEC Grant Guidance.
Per the RFA, the primary staff at the center must be parents, guardians and families of children and young adults with disabilities. Are these parents to be paid or are they volunteers? If they are paid are the employment costs considered part of indirect costs or direct costs?
It is the discretion of each applicant to indicate whether each center would also include volunteers in addition to their certificated and salaried staff. On pages 21−25 of the FEC RFA (DOCX), under Required Forms for Submission section, on Form E: Budget and Grant Expenditure Guidance (XLSX) provides guidance on budget categories, direct costs, indirect costs, and what costs are not allowable. If the parents are paid they are part of the direct costs.
Can funds be used to pay consultants?
Yes, the funds can be used to pay for consultants. Pages 21−25 of the FEC RFA (DOCX), under Required Forms for Submission section, on Form E: Budget and Grant Expenditure Guidance (XLSX) provides guidance on budget categories (certificated, classified, etc.), direct costs, indirect costs, contracts, subcontracts, and which costs are not allowable.
For applicants who do not have a designated staff for this project yet, will points be deducted for not having resumes?
If staffing is not available for the proposed applicant, then the applicant can indicate to be determined and provide a job description that details the required duties and responsibilities of each position. This information can be found on page 14 of the RFA, Section VIII. Application Narrative and Budget, under subsection G. Organizational Plan and Project Staffing, which states the following:
G.2 Provide the names, qualifications, and experience for key project staffing. Quantify the amount of time to be spent accomplishing program activities in full-time equivalency (FTE) or number of hours per staff. Attach resumés or curriculum vitae, not to exceed two pages per staff person, to this application. If proposed positions are not yet staffed, provide a job description that details the required duties and responsibilities of each position. [5 points]
For additional information, refer to pages 43−46 of the FEC RFA (DOCX) under Appendix XI: Evaluation and Scoring Rubric to see how these two sections of the applications will be awarded points.