National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

Space Grant Pre-Proposal Webinar

(5th-Year Funding Extension: NNH18ZHA007C)

October 4, 2018

1:30PM

This conference is being recorded for NASA use.

Please save questions until the end.

The FAQ on NSPIRES will be updated with general questions raised today.

Please visit the FAQ regularly before the proposal due date for updates.

The transcript of this call and presentation slides will be posted on the NSPIRES web site

Participant Instructions

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Joeletta Patrick – Acting Space Grant Program Manager

Presenters:

• Erica Alston – Space Grant Programmatic Support

• HQ Program Staff:

– Sonya L. Greene

– Michael Cherry

– Frank McDonald

• Morgan Powell – Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity

• Victoria Kauffman – Office of General Counsel

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Welcome

Agenda

• Introduction

• Eligibility

• Funding

• NIFS

• Cost-Share Requirements

• Changes in the 5th-Year Solicitation

• Proposal Format

• Proposal Evaluation

• Budget Guidance

• Budget Weaknesses/Proposal Weaknesses

• Proposal/Data Submission

• Solicitation Amendments

• ODEO/Legal

• FAQs

• Space Grant Contacts

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FY2019 Funded Extension Solicitation Overview

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Office of STEM Engagement (OSE) is accepting proposals for

the National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program

(Space Grant) Training Grant 5th Year Funding Extension. This is

an extension to the fourth-year extension FY 2018-2019 Base

Award entitled, National Space Grant College and Fellowship

Program Training Grant Funding Extension - Opportunities in

NASA STEM FY 2018 - 2019 (training grant announcement

number NNH18ZHA001N.)

This funding opportunity is intended to provide one additional

year of funding to sustain the current Space Grant Opportunities

in NASA STEM (NNH15ZHA003N) award.

Solicitation Page 3

Introduction

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FY2019 Funded Extension Solicitation Overview

Eligibility

Proposals will be accepted from the lead institution of Space

Grant consortia in each state plus the District of Columbia and

the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. NASA will only accept one

proposal per consortium. For a list of eligible Space Grant lead

institutions and state-based Space Grant Directors, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/offices/education/programs/national/spac

egrant/home/Space_Grant_Consortium_Websites.html

Solicitation Page 4

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Availability of Funds

The Government’s ability to make an award is contingent upon the availability of appropriated funds each fiscal year from which payment can be made. Designated consortia are eligible to apply for NASA extension funds in the amount $714,400 per year, and Non-Designated consortia (consisting of Program Grant and Capability Enhancement consortia) are eligible to apply for $535,800 per year. Please note, if a lower amount of funds is appropriated in FY 2019, grant recipients may be required to submit a revised budget.

FY 2019- FY 2020

Maximum NASA Augmentation

Funding Amount

Minimum Requirement for NASA

Internships, Fellowships,Scholarships (NIFS)

AllocationMinimum Cost-Share

Requirement *Designated Consortia $714,400 $178,600 $535,800

Program Grant and Capability

Enhancement $535,800 $133,950 $401,850

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NASA Internships, Fellowships, and Scholarships

(NIFS) Requirements

Proposers are required to meet the minimum NIFS requirement for this announcement. Designated consortia shall allocate at least $178,600 per year for NIFS, and Non-Designatedconsortia shall allocate at least $133,950 per year for NIFS.

The purpose of the dollar threshold is to ensure that a significant amount of NASA’s investment is applied directly to student internships, fellowships, and scholarships. Any proposal that does not meet this requirement will be deemed non-compliant, and will not be considered for funding until all requirements are met.

Internship stipends at NASA Centers:

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Fall and spring (16 weeks): Summer (10 weeks):

Full-time graduate: $14,400Full-time undergraduate: $11,680

Full-time graduate: $9,000Full-time undergraduate: $7,300

Full-time graduate: $14,400Full-time undergraduate: $11,680

Full-time graduate: $9,000Full-time undergraduate: $7,300

Cost-Sharing Requirement

Proposers shall meet the minimum cost-share requirement for this announcement. The annual cost share minimum for Designated consortia is $535,800. The annual cost-share minimum for Capability Enhancement and Program Grant consortia is $401,850.

If the proposed budget is less than the maximum NASA budget, the amount of the cost-share shall be determined based on the following formula:

Total Requested NASA Funds – Required NIFS Allocation = Cost-share minimum requirement

Please note that Cost-share minimum requirements are not flexible.

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Changes in the 5th-Year Solicitation

• Clear alignment to Mission Directorate needs required (Section 1.6)• The minimum dollar threshold for significant awards is now $3,000

(see Section 1.4)• Consortium Operations not required unless there are changes from

the approved 4th-Year proposed operations (Section 2.1)• Periods of Performance (PoP) End Dates for 5th year (Appendix E)• Appendices:

– Milestones are now required (Appendix D)– Affiliate signatures not required unless there are Consortium

membership changes– Letters of Resource Support: Address cost-match and other in-kind

contributions

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Proposal Format

• Cover Pages (Page limit: As needed) • Proposal Executive Abstract (Page limit: 1) • Principal Investigator (PI) Curriculum Vitae (Page limit: 2) • Body of Proposal (Page limit: 10)

Appendices • Budget Table, Narrative and Details, and Milestones (Page limit: As needed) • Affiliate Concurrences (Page limit: As needed) • Statements of Commitment and Letters of Resource Support (Page limit: As needed) • Summary Table of SMART Goals and Objectives (Page limit: As needed)

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Proposal Evaluation Criteria

Proposals will be reviewed and evaluated by NASA personnel based on standards established by the NASA Office of STEM Engagement (OSE) and the Space Grant Program Manager. All sections of the proposal will be individually evaluated. Quality of content and adherence to specified format as described in the solicitation will be considered.

Proposals that do not meet the established criteria in evaluation areas will not be accepted and will be deemed non-compliant. No funding will be awarded unless the proposal meets all requirements of the solicitation. If a proposal remains non-responsive/non-compliant to this solicitation 45 days post (after) grant anniversary date i.e., period of performance end date, then funding for that proposal will be reprogrammed by the NASA OSE.

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Budget Table Template

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NASA Funds Cost-Share Total Funding

A. Personnel/ Direct Labor

1. Principal Investigator/ Director

2. Program Manager

3. Research Associate

4. Staff Support

Total Salaries

B. Fringe Benefits

1. Principal Investigator/ Director

2. Program Manager

3. Research Associate

4. Staff Support

Total Fringe

C. Equipment

D. Materials and Supplies

E. Services

F. Domestic Travel

G. NASA Internships, Fellowships, Scholarships

(NIFS)

1. Internships

2. Fellowships

3. Scholarships

H. Higher Education Projects

1. Project 1

2. Project 2

I. Research Infrastructure Projects

1. Project 1

2. Project 2

J. Precollege Projects

1. Project 1

2. Project 2

K. Informal Education Projects

1. Project 1

2. Project 2

Total Direct Project Costs

L. Subcontracts

M. Total Direct Costs

N. Indirect Cost ( % rate of item M )

O. Total Costs

Use of this template is strongly encouraged

Use of this template allows for a streamlined and more standardized review

Inclusion of tables provided by the proposer’s institution are welcome and should be included, where applicable, especially for subcontract awards

Ensure that this budget table matches the content and values in the budget justification

Proposal Budget “Deal Breakers”

•Omitting key personnel labor

•Including expenses already covered under a previous grant (“double dipping”)

•Lack of alignment between the budget narrative, budget spreadsheets and the intent of the solicitation

•Budget errors, incorrect totals, significant dollar amounts proposed to an activity without an adequate description of the activity

•Budget items that are not reasonable, allowable, allocable

•Budgets that do not make a distinction between key personnel labor and direct labor associated with a specific project/ activity

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Examples of Proposal Weaknesses

• The proposal does not include, or mention, an evaluation plan. An evaluation plan must be included, according to the guidelines outlined in the solicitation.

• The proposal does not include the required S.M.A.R.T. goals table as outlined in the solicitation.

• The cost-share amount listed in the proposal budget is below the minimum requirement.

• Concurrence emails were not included (not necessarily applicable to the 5th year solicitation/proposal).

• Missing Sections

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Examples of Proposal Weaknesses

• Subcontracts are not granular enough to identify the breakdown of funds at institutions that participate in more than one programmatic area. As a result, there is no way to verify that the NIFS minimum requirement is actually met.

• Space Grant is a higher education program – college and university projects are the primary program elements. The Reviewers noted that there is a proportionally high emphasis and funding support on Precollege projects, a secondary program element.

• Administration costs are unusually high.

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Proposal Submission

All proposals shall be submitted via NSPIRES (http://nspires.nasaprs.com) or Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov).

Proposal Submission Date and Time: All proposals are due by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on November 6, 2018.

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Tentative 5th-Year Extension Schedule

Milestone Start Estimated Completion

Proposals September 7, 2018 November 6, 2018

Online Review November 13, 2018 December 4, 2018

Panel Review December 10, 2018 December 14, 2018

Notifications January 28, 2019 January 31, 2019

Award information to NSSC February 2019 June 2019

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Required Data Submission

• OEPM – Due by January 31, 2019 (Year 4 data)

• Student Data Tables/Expenditure Summary – Due with OEPM submission

• Annual Performance Document –• FY2018 APD (4th-Year) = Due 60 days prior to award anniversary

date (PoP Start Date)• FY2019 APD (5th-Year)/Grant Closeout Document = Due 90 days

after grant end (PoP End Date)

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Solicitation Amendments

Amendment 1 to Solicitation: NNH18ZHA007C

• Changes to Period of Performance

September 19, 2018: Four changes have been made to the Space Grant Funding Extension FY 2019 – 2020 solicitation. Appendix E has been updated to change Ohio’s Period of Performance (PoP) End Date from 6/19/2010 to 6/19/2020; Appendix E has been updated to change Nebraska’s PoP End Date to 4/30/2020 to 6/9/2020; Appendix E has been updated to change Colorado’s PoP End Date from 5/15/2020 to 4/30/2020; Appendix E has been updated to change Michigan’s PoP end date from 5/30/20 to 5/9/2020; Appendix E has been updated to change Florida’s PoP end date from 5/17/2020 to 5/9/2020.

• Additional Funding Opportunities

Additional changes include updated language regarding maximum funding amounts in Section 1.6. Additional text was added stating that “should additional funding become available, NASA OSE will solicit proposals for an augmentation.”

This Amendment to the “National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program Training Grant Funding Extension -

Opportunities in NASA STEM FY 2019 – 2020” (NNH18ZHA007C) was posted on the NASA opportunity homepage at http://nspires.nasaprs.com/ [9/20/2018].

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Solicitation Amendments

Amendment 1 to Solicitation: NNH18ZHA007C

• OEPM Reporting Deadline

Section 2.4 has been updated to change OEPM reporting deadlines to include anticipated FY2019 reporting deadline.

• Reverse Site Visit

Section 2.1.1 has been updated to add language requesting Consortia attendance for a reverse site visit at NASA HQ in the fall of 2019.

This Amendment to the “National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program Training Grant Funding Extension - Opportunities in NASA STEM FY 2019 – 2020” (NNH18ZHA007C) was posted on the NASA opportunity homepage at http://nspires.nasaprs.com/ [9/20/2018].

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Solicitation Amendments

Amendment 2 to Solicitation: NNH18ZHA007C

• September 20, 2018: Corrected a typo in Section 2.1.1 related to the reverse site visit. The date was changed from August – September 2018, to August –September 2019.

This Amendment to the “National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program Training Grant Funding Extension - Opportunities in NASA STEM FY 2019 – 2020” (NNH18ZHA007C) was posted on the NASA opportunity homepage at http://nspires.nasaprs.com/ [9/20/2018].

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NASA Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity (ODEO)

External Civil Rights Compliance Program

NASA’s External Civil Rights Compliance

Program

OverviewNASA, through the Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity (ODEO), via the Program Planning and Evaluation Division has the responsibility to ensure that its 700 plus grant recipients comply with the following civil rights laws and their implementing regulations:

• Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964• Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972• Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973

• (NASA does NOT have Title II ADA Authority)

• Age Discrimination Act of 1975

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NASA’s External Civil Rights Compliance

Program

Special Emphasis Program

• NASA ODEO implements the government-wide Special Emphasis Program, which helps implement NASA’s Equal Employment Opportunity program

• Focuses effort to recruit, retain and remove barriers to career advancement for those employees traditionally underrepresented in the Federal Government workforce

• NASA ODEO supports organizations and efforts to advance underrepresented students in the STEM disciplines leading to employment with NASA or other Federal agencies with STEM careers.

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Pre-Award Compliance Process

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• NASA Form 1206 – “Assurance of Compliance with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Regulations Pursuant to Nondiscrimination in Federally Assisted Programs”

• Sent to you with award package

• Signed by head of the recipient or his/her designee

• You assert that you do not and will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, disability or age in the provision all of your programs, services and activities

• Outlines some basic compliance responsibilities

• Requests information on complaints and lawsuits filed against you in the past three years (Section 2)

• Only one form is required per recipient, not per grant every three years.

On-Site Compliance Reviews

• NASA ODEO will identify and apply appropriate neutral criteria to select one recipient per fiscal year for a Section 504 on-site review for and/or one recipient for a Title VI/LEP review.

• Selection criteria is the following, but certain factors carry more weight, including:• Degree of compliance concerns revealed by information gathering

(review museum websites)• Potential of marketable promising compliance practices• Size and scope of museum facilities (Square Footage)• Number of annual visitors• Current NASA grant award status• Geographic location of recipient (Geographic diversity)

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On Site Review Process

• Opening and Closing Sessions with Museum Management• Review preliminary findings (closing)• Investigative Report is drafted and sent to museum for review and

comment

• Final Report and Letter Is Issued

• One Year Follow-Up Letter

• When NASA does a museum civil rights compliance review, NASA reviews the museum for the following:

• Section 504 – All visitor and participant services • Title VI – Provision of LEP services to visitors and participants

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ODEO Mission STEM Website

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• Broaden the reach of our technical assistance efforts to all of our grant recipients.

• Provide readily available critical information on civil rights compliance requirements.

• Serve as a vehicle for fostering active communication between NASA, our grant recipient institutions, and other stakeholders.

• Showcase best practices and help to address common challenges.

• Reach out to the beneficiaries of our grants, e.g., STEM students and science museum patrons, to provide support for pursuing career paths in STEM.

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NASA Headquarters Office of the General Counsel (OGC)

Legal

• Citizenship requirements for awarding Space Grant Fellowships (NIFS):

• 14 CFR §1259.500 DescriptionThe Space Grant fellowship program will provide educational and training

assistance to qualified individuals at the graduate level in fields related to

space. Awards will be made to institutions of higher education for fellowships.

The student recipients shall be known as NASA Space Grant Fellows.

• 14 CFR §1259.503 Limitations(a) Fellowships shall be awarded only to Nationals of the United States.

(b) Any students supported under this fellowship program shall not be funded

for more than 4 years unless the Director, Educational Affairs Division,

makes an exception.

• 14 CFR §1259.101 Definitions(c) National of the United States means a citizen of the United States or a native resident of a possession of the United States. It does not refer to or include a citizen of another country who has applied for United States citizenship.

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FAQ’s

Q1 - Below you had mentioned that the APD will be due 60 days before the anniversary date. But it seems like a change is happening for the next reporting period? I was just reading the solicitations from the 2018-2019 base grant extension award and now the new 2019-2010 extension. From what I can see, those documents change the due date for the APD to 90 days after the anniversary date of the award. Could you clarify?

A1 – The solicitation refers to reporting of the 5th year of the award. As FY2019-2020 will be the last year of the award, the APD that would typically be due 60 days prior to the award anniversary date, will now serve as the final report for the entire grant period aka the grant close-out document. The final report is due 90 days post grant anniversary date in 2020. The Consortia are still required to submit an APD for the 4th year activities 60 days prior to their grant anniversary date in 2019.

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Space Grant Program Points of Contact

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Joeletta O. Patrick, M.B.A.

ARCD Program Manager (Acting)

Phone: (202) 358-2370

joeletta.o.patrick@nasa.gov

Erica Alston, Ph.D.

Space Grant Programmatic Support

Phone: (757) 864-7247

erica.j.alston@nasa.gov

Michael Cherry

Program Analyst

Valador, Inc.

(NASA Support Contractor)

(202) 358-0347

michael.r.cherry@nasa.gov

Sonya L. Greene, Ph.D.

Senior Program Analyst

Valador, Inc.

(NASA Support Contractor)

(202) 358-0602

sonya.l.greene@nasa.gov

Frank McDonald, Ph.D.

Senior Program Analyst

Total Solutions, Inc.

(NASA Support Contractor)

(202) 358-2146

frank.mcdonald@nasa.gov

Space Grant Center Points of Contact

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Armstrong Flight Research Center

Dave BergerAsst. Technical Manager

Phone: (661) 276-5712dave.e.berger@nasa.gov

Johnson Space Center

Misti MooreEducation Program Specialist

Phone: (281) 483-6716misti.m.moore@nasa.gov

Ames Research Center

William “Braxton” ToySpecialist

Phone: (650) 604-4726william.b.toy@nasa.gov

Kennedy Space Center

Theresa MartinezEducation Specialist

Phone: (321) 867-0590theresa.c.martinez@nasa.gov

Goddard Space Flight Center

Raquel MarshallEducation Specialist

Phone: (301) 286-1122raquel.h.marshall@nasa.gov

Langley Research Center

Gina BlystoneEducation Program Specialist

Phone: (757) 864-7338gina.r.blystone@nasa.gov

Glenn Research Center

Dave Kankam, Ph.D.University Affairs Officer

Phone: (216) 433-6143mark.d.kankam@nasa.gov

Marshall Space Flight Center

Frank Six, Ph.D.Education Specialist

Phone: (256) 961-0986mona.miller@nasa.gov

Jet Propulsion Lab

Linda RodgersUniversity Programs Administrator

Phone: (818) 354-3274linda.rodgers@jpl.nasa.gov

Stennis Space Center

Mitch Krell, Ph.D.University Affairs

Phone: (228) 688-3802mitch.krell@nasa.gov

Questions

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