Harm Reduction Technical Assistance Center Funding Application

Summary

This memo outlines a request for applications (RFA) from community-based, non-profit, or local government organizations with experience providing technical assistance and referrals to care and harm reduction services. The selected organization will be tasked with establishing a Harm Reduction Technical Assistance Center (HRTAC) to provide training and technical assistance to individuals and organizations who provide harm reduction services for people who use drugs. Eligible organizations could include, but are not limited to, community-based organizations (CBO) such as syringe service programs (SSPs), non-profit organizations, and health or human service departments.

Applications in response to this RFA must be submitted online using this application survey. The deadline to apply for this funding opportunity is 11:59 p.m. on July 1, 2024.

Do not include personally identifiable information (PII) or protected health information (PHI) in your responses.

Questions about RFA

These are questions that have been sent in by potential applicants. Answers to these questions have been posted here in order to provide all potential applicants with the same information.

Questions related to this RFA must be submitted in writing to Lataysha.James@dhs.wisconsin.gov and may be submitted through June 26, 2024. This funding announcement and a courtesy copy of the application can be found after the questions section on this page. Questions and answers will be posted on a weekly basis.

Question: This may be difficult to answer but do you believe this grant would require a lot of new staffing? It looks like a good opportunity for our agency with the work we already do but staffing and retention have been difficult.
Answer: We cannot speak to the organizational capacity within various agencies; however, when completing a budget, applicants should make sure this amount includes funding needed for the work itself, subcontracts with partner agencies, as well as associated administrative costs, including accounting services, and agency operating costs. For each line item include a brief justification for the amounts you entered. This should include how you arrived at the total dollar amount requested for the expense. Example: Personnel: $10,000; Personnel Justification: Personnel is calculated based on a 0.20 FTE Program Coordinator at $24.04/hour = $10,000.

Question: In the short-term outcomes, "increased distribution of naloxone" is listed. Should the funded organization plan to put naloxone in their budget, or is this outcome referring to increased distribution through increasing the training and capacity of partner organizations that have naloxone through other sources (i.e. NDP, etc.)?
Answer: The applicant will help provide support to harm reduction organizations who connect PWUD with harm reduction resources such as information regarding syringe service programs, where they can gain access to Narcan® and/or naloxone, as well as educational materials encouraging safer use. Due to federal restrictions on this funding, funds cannot be used to purchase Narcan®/naloxone.

Question: I was wondering if I'm just starting a treatment center, would I still be able to apply for this grant? I'm holding courses pretending to harm reduction.
Answer: Eligible organizations could include, but are not limited to, community-based organizations (CBO) such as syringe service programs (SSPs), non-profit organizations, and health or human service departments.

Background

Between 2020 and 2022, the number of opioid-related deaths in Wisconsin increased by 18.7 percent, despite the fact that Wisconsin is creating projects and interventions focused on reducing overdoses, opioid harm, and overdose deaths. One of the ways the WI Department of Health Services (DHS) seeks to reduce opioid-related deaths and overdoses is by establishing a statewide harm reduction technical assistance infrastructure. The aim of this project is to increase the awareness, access, and availability of care and services for persons who use drugs (PWUD).

This program intends to reduce negative consequences associated with drug use and improve the overall health of PWUD by supporting best practices for harm reduction, treatment, and recovery. In order to achieve these goals, the HRTAC will connect people to overdose prevention and reversal tools, treatment options, and drug checking equipment, while also providing training for individuals and organizations who work with PWUD. This project will require selected applicants to collect and track data specific to their program in order to ensure the effectiveness of the project.

Funding opportunity

The Wisconsin DHS, Division of Public Health HRTAC project is a focused intervention that will help provide support to harm reduction organizations who connect PWUD with harm reduction resources such as information regarding syringe service programs, access to Narcan® and/or naloxone, as well as educational materials encouraging safer use. This project will require the awarded organization to partner with, and provide support to, existing harm reduction organizations, local health departments, and coalitions to increase access to harm reduction services and support programming to reduce overdose. In consultation with agencies who provide direct services to PWUD, the HRTAC will be expected to support tailored community response by raising awareness, disseminating information, providing resources, and implementing trainings and educational programs. This project will require the selected applicant to track the number of partnerships developed and initiated, the number of sites onboarded, the number of counties in which the center has established or provided services, the type of services individuals have been referred to, the types of educational material developed, and the number and subject of any trainings provided to organizations.

This opportunity is funded through the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Overdose Data to Action for States (OD2A-S) program.

Intended program outcomes

Short-term outcomes

• Increased access to harm reduction education and services, including increased distribution of naloxone
• Increased availability of and decreased barriers to care and/or services, especially for those disproportionately affected by overdose and those previously underserved by overdose prevention programs and the healthcare system
• Increased collaboration, coordination, and communication among partners
• Increased awareness of the drug overdose epidemic, harm reduction efforts, and evidence-based approaches

Intermediate outcomes

• Expanded utilization of evidence-based approaches to prevent and respond to overdoses
• Increased equitable delivery and improved access to care/services
• Reduced health disparities related to access to and receipt of care
• Expanded use of data to inform the implementation and improvement of prevention and response efforts, especially for groups disproportionately affected by overdose

Long-term outcomes

• Improved health equity
• Increased uptake of evidence-based treatment and retention with long-term recovery supports, with a primary focus on opioid and stimulant use disorders
• Decreased fatal and nonfatal drug overdoses
• Decreased stigma related to substance use and overdose

Program requirements

• Connect harm reduction programs to resources and experts that can help programs serve their communities.
• Distribute toolkits or other educational materials to harm reduction programs in Wisconsin.
• Plan and develop trainings based on identified harm reduction program provider needs.
• Participate in quarterly collaborative meetings with DHS in order to build relationships, trouble-shoot challenges, brainstorm pivots, and celebrate successes.
• Support PWUD to address barriers and provide connections to resources.
• Track both qualitative and quantitative data in order to evaluate the reach of program efforts such as the number of organizations or individuals served.
• Convene a statewide harm reduction community of practice.

Reporting requirements

A combination of quantitative and qualitative data will be required annually for federal evaluation purposes including: number and types of referrals provided; types and number of trainings provided; types of educational materials distributed; location where services and/or materials were provided; one-on-one technical assistance provided; amount and type of engagement with agencies or individuals providing harm reduction services; description of health equity efforts and work done to expand access to materials and/or resources; overall program accomplishments; and other relevant metrics resulting from awarded funds.

Expectations

In addition to program and reporting requirements, organizations receiving this award will be expected to work with DHS to:

• Create a specific statement of work with deliverables.
• Engage in regular coordination and communication with partners in order to facilitate collaboration, assess resources, and eliminate service gaps.
• Document, track and report on all trainings, referrals, toolkits, and educational resources/materials distributed.
• Identify and provide reporting metrics for project evaluation.
• Modify program implementation as necessary.

Eligibility

Eligible applicants are syringe service providers, community-based organizations, non-profit organizations, and/or municipal, county, or Tribal agencies (including, but not limited to health and human services, and social services). Eligible organizations will practice inclusion and may not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, age, disability, or national origin in their staffing policies, use of volunteers, or provision of services.

Funding terms and conditions

• This application is for an initial award period from September 1, 2024–August 31, 2025. Contracts will be awarded annually with the possibility of three contract renewals based on the availability of funds, and the ability of the grantee to meet all contractual objectives.
• Applicants should plan and budget for one year of funding.
• Carryover of funds into a second year may be possible based on the availability of funds and vendor performance.
• DHS reserves the right to increase or decrease award levels and scope of individual contracts during the contract period, and/or reconfigure the program model at any time during the funding cycle based on the conditions noted above or a lack of adequate performance on the part of the grantee.
• DHS will negotiate the terms of the award, including the award amount, with the selected applicant prior to entering into a contract.
• If contract negotiations cannot be concluded successfully with a recommended applicant, DHS may terminate contract negotiations with that applicant.
• The contract resulting from this request for applications will be between DHS and the awarded applicant.
• Grantees using subcontractors will be responsible for ensuring subcontractors abide by all terms and conditions of the grant.
• There is no match requirement for this grant.
• The selected applicant must follow all reporting requirements as defined by DHS.

Funding amount: Up to $250,000 annually

Number of Awards: 1

Expected 12-month grant period:

• Year 1 (FY25): September 1, 2024–August 31, 2025 (initial award)
• Year 2 (FY26): September 1, 2025–August 31, 2026 (contract renewal)
• Year 3 (FY27): September 1, 2026–August 31, 2027 (contract renewal)
• Year 4 (FY28): September 1, 2027–August 31, 2028 (contract renewal)

Funding application

Funding application - Section 1: Applicant Contact Information

All applications must be submitted using this online submission format. A courtesy copy of the application is available on this website along with the funding announcement. There is a glossary of terms and common acronyms used in this announcement on the public notices page. It is recommended that applicants use a word processing program to complete the sections of the application to ensure word limits are observed for each question and pasted into the online submission format. This application consists of four sections

1. Applicant Contact Information (not scored),
2. Organizational Capacity (40 points),
3. Program Narrative (50 points)
4. Budget (10 points).

In addition, letters of support from project partners are encouraged, but not required. Letters of support can be uploaded at the end of the application. All applications will be reviewed and scored by an evaluation committee. Applicants may not contact members of the evaluation team.

• Organization name*
• Organization address*
• Name of person we can contact regarding this application*
• Email address of person we can contact regarding this application*
• Confirm email address of person we can contact regarding this application*
• Phone number of person we can contact regarding this application*

Funding application - Section 2: Organizational Capacity (40 points)

1) Has your agency ever provided harm reduction technical assistance or similar technical assistance to other organizations who work with people who use drugs?*
( ) Yes
( ) No

If yes, describe your agency’s efforts providing harm reduction technical assistance to other agencies including information about the program’s reach and impact and how you’ve used data to inform your provision of technical assistance. (300 words)*

If no, describe your agency’s capacity to provide harm reduction technical assistance to organizations who work with or provide services to people who use drugs. Please also discuss how you would use data to inform your delivery of technical assistance. (300 words)*

2) Describe your organization's experience providing harm reduction services to people who use drugs. (300 words)

3) Describe what (if any) experience your agency has providing trainings including estimated number and types of trainings, subject matter, and audiences. (300 words)

4) Does your agency have experience disseminating educational materials such as posters, brochures, toolkits, and tip sheets regarding overdose prevention education?*
( ) Yes
( ) No

If yes, briefly summarize the materials (topic, type) and describe how the materials were distributed and to whom? (250 words)*

If no, briefly describe how you would identify materials (type, topic, audience) and distribute to various organizations across Wisconsin. (250 words)*

5) Describe your agency's experience (if any) adapting or tailoring materials (e.g., linguistically, culturally) for racially, ethnically, and linguistically diverse populations? (300 words)

Funding application - Section 3: Program Narrative (50 points)

6) Describe your organization’s proposed approach to establishing a Harm Reduction Technical Assistance Center that collaborates with pre-existing harm reduction organizations to identify needs and increase awareness and usage of harm reduction services. (500 words)*

7) Describe how you will prioritize and evaluate TA requests to meet the needs of your community partners. (300 words)*

Funding application - Section 4: Provisional Budget and Budget Justification (10 points)

We anticipate awarding up to $250,000 annually for this work. Please fill out the basic budget form for each anticipated line item below, indicating the total amount requested. DPH will negotiate the final budget upon award with the awarded agency. Make sure this amount includes funding needed for the work itself, subcontracts with partner agencies, as well as associated administrative costs, including accounting services, and agency operating costs. For each line item include a brief justification for the amounts you entered. This should include how you arrived at the total dollar amount requested for the expense. Example: Personnel: $10,000; Personnel Justification: Personnel is calculated based on a 0.20 FTE Program Coordinator at $24.04/hour = $10,000.

Provisional budget*

________Personnel
________Fringe
________Operations
________Supplies
________Travel
________Contractual Services
________Other
________Indirect

Personnel Justification: Describe your personnel expenses for this project. If none, mark N/A.*

Fringe Justification: Describe your fringe expenses. If none, mark N/A.*

Operations Justification: Describe your operational costs (internet, phone, administrative expenses, etc.) for this project If none, mark N/A.*

Supplies Justification: Describe your supply costs for this project. If none, mark N/A.*

Contractual Services Justification: Describe any contractual partners you will fund (training provider, school district, etc.) for this project If none, mark N/A.*

Other Justification: Describe any other costs associated with this project. If none, mark N/A.*

Indirect Cost Justification: Describe your indirect cost rate (if applicable) for this project. If none, mark N/A.*

Funding application - Section 5: Letters of Support

Letters of support from project partners are encouraged, but not required. We encourage all applicants to combine letters of support into one pdf for upload. You may upload up to five files. If you experience any difficulties uploading letters of support, contact Lataysha James at Lataysha.James@wisconsin.gov.