FY2024-25 Social Action Funding Instructional Guidelines

For the Funding period of October 1, 2024 – September 30, 2025

I. Introduction/Purpose

The Social Action Funding Program is designed to provide one-year, reimbursement funding to qualified, non-profit social service organizations for priority services that directly support low-income Pinellas County residents.

Administered by the Human Services Department, these Social Action Funding Program instructional guidelines outline the competitive process for the selection of organizations to receive Social Action Funding as allocated by the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners (BCC) for FY 2025.

II. Funding Priorities

The funding priorities for the Social Action Grant Program are:
A. Food and Nutritional Services:
Including food banks, meal delivery, congregate dining, and related supportive services.
B. Homeless Prevention and Support Services:
Including homeless outreach and engagement, prevention and diversion services, system navigation, and shelter and housing support.
C. Healthcare and Human Services for Disadvantaged Residents:
Including, but not limited to, specialized healthcare services, workforce development, life skills training and support, transportation or mobility assistance, chore services, health and hygiene support, and specialized mentoring or educational programs for disadvantaged populations.
D. Supportive Services for an Aging Population:
Any of the above listed types of programs or additional supportive programs targeted to an aging population.

III. Opportunity Overview

A. Amount Available

Based on availability of funds and approval by the Board of County Commissioners, the total anticipated available funding is $1,705,610.00 for the county fiscal year 2025 (FY25).  Contingent awards beyond this amount may be offered in the event additional funding comes available.

B. Minimum/Maximum

1. Applications are limited to a minimum of $10,000.00 and a maximum of $150,000.00 in requested funding.
2. Only one application may be submitted per agency. Applicants may apply for either a large award ($100,000-$150,000), or a small award ($10,000 -$99,999).
3. An initial five large awards will be made with the remainder of the initial funding allocated to smaller awards.
4. The amount requested does not guarantee an award. Actual awards will be based on the recommendation of the Social Action Funding Advisory Board (SAFAB) committee with the approval of the BCC.
5. Funding for award is paid on a reimbursement basis. Reimbursements can be requested quarterly, but no more frequently than monthly.

C. Project Period Timeframe

All awards will be for a one (1) year period, October 1, 2024- September 30, 2025, contingent upon funding availability and BCC approval.

D. Key Dates/Deadline

Application release Date:	March 11, 2024
Prospective Applicant Webinar/Call:	March 15, 2024, at 10:00am and March 21, 2024, at 1:00 pm
Required Submission Deadline:	April 11, 2024, at 4:00 PM
Review Committee	May 2024
Award Recommendations to BCC*:	June 2024
Award Date:	September 2024
Project Period (12 months)	October 1, 2024- September 30, 2025

E. Technical Assistance Contact

Amanda Craft
Human Services Department
Pinellas County
440 Court Street, 2nd Floor Clearwater, FL 33756
(727) 464-8421
acraft@pinellas.gov

IV. Application Instructions

A. Eligibility

• The applicant organization must be a non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization for at least one (1) year and must be incorporated in the State of Florida for at least one (1) year prior to date of application.
• The applicant organization must be the legal entity entering into the contract. Subcontracting of contractual services is prohibited unless approved in writing by the County prior to the start of services. Any proposed subcontract must be discussed and integrated in the application scope.
• The proposed programs and services must be dedicated to the residents of Pinellas County.
• The mission of the applicant organization must be consistent with the goals of the Social Action Funding Program to address the health, economic, and social well-being of Pinellas County residents in need of assistance.
• The applicant organization shall not discriminate against any applicant for employment or employee with respect to hire, tenure, terms, conditions or privileges of employment or any matter directly or indirectly related to employment or against any client because of age, sex, race, ethnicity, color, religion, national origin, disability, marital status, or sexual orientation.
• The applicant organization must not discriminate against any person on the basis of age, sex, race, ethnicity, color, religion, national origin, disability, marital status or sexual orientation in admission, treatment, or participation in its programs, services, and activities.
• Programs proposed by faith- based organizations must have a secular purpose, neither advance nor inhibit religion, and must not require worship or religious instruction activities as a condition of participation. Services provided by faith organizations must be available to all Pinellas County residents, not solely for congregation members.
• A representative from the applicant organization must attend at least one (1) mandatory pre- application technical assistance meeting.
• The applicant organization must agree to the terms and conditions contained in the Pinellas County Social Action Program Agreement. NO EXCEPTIONS to the terms and conditions of the agreement will be permitted.

B. Fatal Criteria

1. Agency has not been incorporated in the State of Florida for a minimum of one (1) year.
2. Agency has not had 501 (c) (3) status for a minimum of one (1) year.
3. Agency is not in compliance with an existing County contract at the time of submission.
4. Agency’s proposal is under/over the minimum ($10,000.00)/ maximum ($150,000.00).
5. Agency does not attend a pre-application technical assistance meeting.
6. Application is late (system will not allow incomplete or late submissions).
7. Agency does not submit a budget.

C. Submission Guidelines

1. Applications will be accepted through an electronic submission process found at www.pinellas.gov/humanservices.
2. The application system will open on March 11, 2024, and will close on April 11, 2024, at 4:00 pm.
3. The application system will automatically close and late applications will be automatically rejected. Please allow time to reach out for any submission technical issues prior to the deadline.
4. Please note: All materials and supporting documentation included with the application are subject to Florida’s public records law and requirements.

V. Content and Form of Application Submission

A. General Information

Applicants must complete an online application the link will be provided at www.pinellas.gov/humanservices. If this is your first time using the online application, you will be asked to set up a free account.

1. Please complete all the fields. Some questions in the application are limited to a character count.
2. Please provide accurate contact information and the full legal name for your organization, as well as any fictitious names (“doing business as, or DBA”). If funded, legal agreements will be executed using this information.
3. Please submit one application per agency. If more than one application is submitted by an agency, only the most recent submission will be considered for award.
4. Please be sure to include all required attachments and check to ensure attachments have been uploaded properly. Missing or illegible attachments may be grounds for disqualification.

B. Application Sections

1. Section A: Agency Information

a. Organization Legal Name
b. DBA (if applicable)
c. Legal Address
d. Program Name/ Project Title
e. One sentence program description.
f. Physical Program Address
g. Program Manager (Name, Title, Email, Telephone)
h. Priority Area
i. Amount Requested
j. Taxpayer ID
k. SAM.GOV identifier if registered.
l. Date of Incorporation
m. Application Contact Information (Name, Title, Email, Telephone)
n. Executive Officer (Name, Title, Email, Telephone)

2. Section B: Organizational Profile

1. Describe how the mission and purpose of the agency align with the funding priority area.
2. Describe your board membership and how the board is reflective of the target population.  
3. Explain the organization’s experience relevant to the proposed priority area.
4. Describe your onboarding process and program implementation timeline across the organization and for this program.

3. Section C: Community Needs

1. Clearly identify the need to be addressed through the proposed program.
2. Provide supporting statistics or data specific to Pinellas County such as needs assessments, interviews, waiting lists, surveys, trends and/or analyses to demonstrate the need described in 3.a.
3. Is the program new and innovative or is funding sought to expand capacity or service in an existing program? No points to be assessed for this question.
4. If new and innovative, discuss what is currently being done in the community to address the need and how this program differs to provide better results. If expanding capacity, describe the current services available in the community, numbers unserved, and how the proposed program will reduce the number of unserved.
5. Describe how the proposed program will coordinate with existing programs in the community? If program is working with partners, please include a collaborative letter showing how both sides would be working on project.

4. Section D: Scope of Services

1. Describe the proposed program. Services to be delivered should be clearly identified. Include information regarding evidence-based practices or best practice models used, if applicable.
2. What will the funding be used to purchase or pay for to support the program? This should align with the attached Annual Budget and Operational Narrative and the selected priority area (A.12. of the application).
3. What is the target population and eligibility criteria for the program?
4. Identify the geographic service area(s) and hours and days for the program during the contract period.
5. Describe the program staff, including qualifications, expertise, and credentials, if required.
6. Describe the service units and how they are calculated for the program.  (Number, unit, time increment, examples: 52 Families per year or 400 pounds of food per week)

5. Section E: Program Outcomes and Goals

1. Describe the goal(s) of the program using the Program Goals and Outcomes Template (Attachment 2). Included within the application is the draft form, please remove the examples provided and enter your own information. Include for each goal being addressed:
   • Outcomes – Describe the changed state in the program participants or broader community that can be measured and identified. Include % change.
   • Indicators – Identify qualitative and quantitative indicators to measure the outcomes.
   • Methods of Evaluation – Identify how these outcomes will be measured (e.g. surveys, staff observation, program plans, assessments, self-reports.
   • Measurement Intervals – Identify when the measures will be captured. (The goals and objectives must be measurable within a twelve (12) month period.)
2. What information will be collected to demonstrate program success?
3. Describe how client/individual data is collected. (Please be specific on the platform your program uses if you collect data electronically, and the interval at which data is collected)

C. Budget and Financial Sustainability

1. Each application must include an Annual Budget to identify the organizations and program budget and a detailed Operational Narrative describing the major categories of expenses, local match, if applicable, and financial capabilities. The required format can be found in Attachment 3.
   a. Total Agency budget for entire organization (local) This should be the largest amount.
   b. Total Program budget. Amount currently allocated to fund the program without Social Action Funding.
   c. Total Social Action Funding request.
   d. Will the program continue beyond the expiration of this funding, and what resources will be utilized for financial sustainability?
   e. Allowable expenditures include staff salaries, operational expenses, direct services, and other items as outlined in the operational narrative instructions.
2. The proposed program Annual Budget and Operational Narrative must demonstrate that program costs are reasonable, allocable, consistently treated, and allowable for the type of program proposed.
   a. Proposed expenditures are allocable in that they will be incurred for the awarded program, they are proportional to the usage of the program, and they are necessary to the overall operation of the program.
   b. Proposed expenditures are allowable if they are consistent with the policies and procedures of the program, the award, the awarding department, and the County.
   c. Proposed expenditures are reasonable. A cost is reasonable if it does not exceed that which would be incurred by a prudent person under the circumstances prevailing at the time the decision was made to incur the cost.
3. The following expenses are not eligible for Social Action Grant funding:
   a. Indirect Cost Rate (e.g., a fixed % of the program budget; direct costs are allowable)
   b. Capital Expenses (acquire or upgrade a fixed or not consumable asset and/or any $5,000 single item threshold)
   c. Vehicle purchases (however, a portion of the lease, maintenance costs, or monthly payments for vehicles proportional to how often the vehicle is used for this program is allowable)
   d. Improvements to real properties that increase the value or useful life of an asset.
   e. Research studies or technical assistance
   f. Employee or volunteer incentives
   g. Legal fees or any expenses specifically related to criminal activity including court costs or fees, fines, citations, restitution, child support, alimony, or federal, state, or local taxes or penalties. Additionally, funding cannot be used to pay for costs related to legal expenses or legal actions of the applicant agency. Allowable legal expenditures may include staff attorney costs or direct client support (i.e., rent monies for settlement) for legal aid programs.
   h. Alcohol, tobacco, firearms or lottery tickets
   i. Immigration related expenses
   j. Gift Cards
   k. Money orders
   l. Property taxes

D. Required Documents

1. Proof of 501(c)(3) Status for at least one (1) year
2. Proof of incorporation in the State of Florida for at least one (1) year
3. Most Recent Financial and Single Audit (required if available) or IRS Form 990 (only if audit unavailable)
4. W-9 with legal name which matches that of applicant name.
5. Current Certificate of Insurance
6. Completed Internal Control Questionnaire
7. Annual Budget and Operational Narrative
8. Outcomes and Goals Template
9. Current State Licenses or Registrations
10. Local Agency Organizational Chart – Local executive-level through program-level staff, at a minimum. For national organizations, this can be limited to the Florida, Tampa Bay, or Pinellas division.
11. Program Job Descriptions, if funding supports salaries.
12. Housing First Checklist, if applicable
13. Shelter Entrance Criteria, if applicable
14. Business Associate Agreement
15. Data Control checklist
16. E-Verify
17. Board member list, including mailing, email addresses and phone numbers, if applicable
18. Accreditation, if applicable

VI. Review Process

All applications will be subject to a three-tiered review process.

1. All applications will be subject to a Completeness Review to ensure applicants have met the required submission guidelines, including an Outcomes and Goals review, to ensure that each element of the Outcomes and Goals template is provided.
2. All applications deemed to be complete will undergo a Fiscal Review to ensure applicant agencies and budgets are fiscally sound and appropriate for the proposed program.
3. Applications meeting the submission requirements will move to the Merit Review process.

A. Responsiveness and Completeness Review

Human Services will screen all applications to identify those that do not meet the criteria outlined below:

1. The applicant meets the eligibility requirements identified in Section IV Application Instructions.
2. The application is complete and includes the required components (no blank, incorrect, illegible or missing attachments).
3. The Program Goals and Outcomes Template is complete, includes actual metrics, and is linked to the services proposed in the application.

All applications that meet the submission guidelines above will be submitted for Fiscal Review. A copy of the review form is included as Attachment 4.

B. Fiscal Review

Human Services will screen all applications for the most recent financial audit, Internal Control Questionnaire, and/or IRS Form 990 to ensure that the agency follows Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and is financially solvent with no significant unresolved audit concerns.

C. Social Action Funding Advisory Board Merit Review

Social Action Funding Advisory Board (SAFAB)

1. Pursuant to Resolution 23-33, Attachment 1 the SAFAB shall serve as the screening body for consideration of social service grant applications and submit its recommendations to the BCC for review and approval. All meetings of the SAFAB are conducted “in the Sunshine” and open to the public.
2. The SAFAB chair will divide members into two (2) committees to review applications- one for large awards and one for small awards.
3. All eligible grant applications shall be distributed to the appropriate committee members for their independent review prior to the public review process. Reviewers will assign preliminary scores based upon the Merit Review Score Sheet included as Attachment 5.
4. An average score will be calculated for each applicant.   An average score of 80 points (80% of 100) must be obtained to move into deliberations.
5. The committees will convene to deliberate on funding and recommendations, assigning an additional maximum of ten (10) points for each application following discussion.   All meetings of the SAFAB are open to the public. 
6. The recommendations of the committees will then be presented to the SAFAB for approval before being submitted to the BCC for final approval.
7. Applicants will receive notification of the award upon BCC approval, expected in July/August 2024. All BCC funding decisions are contingent upon the availability of funds.

D. Terms and Conditions

1. The applicant organization must agree to the terms and conditions contained in the Pinellas County Social Action Program Agreement. NO EXCEPTIONS to the terms and conditions of the agreement will be permitted. The County reserves the right to update these terms and conditions from time to time and as needed to meet the needs of the County.
2. Prior to final approval for funding, each organization recommended for funding must enter into a program-specific addendum specifying the dollar amount awarded, the scope of services to be provided, the outcomes to be measured, and the Agreement duration. Addendums will be generated utilizing application information. Awards provide for a one (1) year funding cycle subject to BCC approval and funding availability. The contract period for applications selected for funding will cover the period from October 1, 2024, through September 30, 2025.
3. A high score on an application will not necessarily guarantee funding. Other criteria may be utilized to justify funding award decisions.
4. Efforts will be made to ensure awards are made for the entire requested amount, with no partial awards. In the event, limited funding is remaining at the end of deliberations and another full award cannot be made, a partial award may be made at the discretion of the SAFAB, subject to approval by the BCC. Should a full funding request not be awarded, organizations may be required to modify their approach to align service levels and outcome expectations with the amount awarded. Any misrepresentation and/or failure to carry out the programs as set forth in the contract may result in immediate termination of the Agreement.

E. Anticipated or Projected Resources

Resources which are identified to support the program will remain the responsibility of the applicant. If an agency’s resources are reduced or prove to be unattainable, the County will not be obligated to replace anticipated or projected resources. The applicant’s failure to obtain or otherwise replace such resources to sustain the program may constitute a breach of contract and forfeiture of funding, and may result in, among other things, termination of the Agreement.

F. Utilization of Funding

Organizations are expected to have programs operational within thirty (30) days of the start of the contract term, unless otherwise approved as a time-limited program. Failure to sufficiently spend down awarded funding may result in a forfeiture of a portion of funding unless alternative draw-down arrangements are agreed to by the County in advance.

G. Disclaimer

Pinellas County Government reserves the right to: 1) cancel the application process; 2) accept or reject any or all applications received; 3) waive any non-substantive deficiency or irregularity, waive or remedy any technical or immaterial errors; 4) request any necessary clarifications of proposal data without changing the terms of the proposal; 5) negotiate with any qualified applicant; 6) award a contract in what it believes to be the best interest of the County; 7) cancel the request, in part or its entirety, if it is deemed to be in the best interest of the County; 8) reject the program of any applicant that has previously failed to perform properly; 9) reject the program of any applicant who has failed to complete a contract within the specified timeframe; 10) reject the program of any applicant that is not in a position to fulfill a resulting contractual obligation.

Attachments

1. SAFAB Resolution
2. Program Goals and Outcomes Template
3. Annual Budget and Operational Narrative and Instructions
4. Application Responsiveness/Completeness Form
5. Merit Review Score Sheet