Insurance Commentator 11th St Lucerne Mines WASHINGTON facing enhanced floods risks and increasing sea levels, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today proposed height standards for many HUD-supported properties. Resource link Tags: ... Tags:
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Personal Finance Professional Oakland County MI Area WASHINGTON The United States Mint today announced the five brand new styles that may show up on the reverses (tails) of the 2017-dated coins inside The united states the gorgeous Quarters system. Supply link Tags: ... Tags: Are you in the market for a motorcycle, but have bad credit and need a high risk motorcycle loan? Well don't worry the goal of this article is provide you everything you need to know about getting approved for a high risk motorcycle loan. First you must understand how motorcycle lenders go about classifying you as high risk. On the average, when a motorcycle lender is looking to approve any motorcycle financing they have a much higher cut off in the credit score range than an auto lender. This exists whether you have good or bad credit. So with that said an auto lender may approve a FICO credit score of 610 as not a high risk, but a motorcycle lender would most likely classify a FICO credit score of 610 as a high risk motorcycle loan and may not offer an approval on it. There are two reasons for this: 1. Motorcycles are much harder to repossess in good condition than an automobile. As a result of this simple fact, if you default on your motorcycle loan it is a higher risk to the motorcycle lender than an automobile lender because it is much harder to repossess a motorcycle in good condition than a car. With all the new motorcycle riders entering the industry there is a high incident of some form of minor or major damage on many motorcycles, which translates in to a lower amount per unit a lender gets when they repossess a motorcycle for a customer that chooses to get bad credit over paying for their motorcycle loan. The damage could be from the repossession agency or the actual owner but the simple fact is motorcycle fetch much less at repossession auctions than automobiles. This simple fact is one reason good and poor credit motorcycle loans are offered at much higher interest rates than a car and has an overall lower approval percentages when compared with cars. 2. The average motorcycle tends to depreciate very fast. Since motorcycles have higher accident rates and there are many people who once they crash do not pay off their loan, this results in higher defaults for motorcycle lenders. This is another reason motorcycle loan rates are higher and motorcycles are hard to get approved for. Ok, now that you have a background in how a motorcycle lender views a motorcycle loan, let's look at how you can get approved for a high risk motorcycle loan. Step one is to really understand your credit report and credit score. Sure if you are looking for high risk motorcycle financing, you probably have had some credit issues in the past. But you never know how those credit issues played out on your credit report until you get a copy of it. Take a look and make sure everything reported on your credit report is actually true. See every year 1000s of people just like you find creditors made errors on their credit report, which negativity impacted their credit score. If your FICO score shows a 610, but there is 1 error on your credit report you could easily raise your FICO credit score to 625 or higher by getting the error fixed. Always get errors fixed on your credit report before you submit a high risk motorcycle loan application. Step two is to clean up your credit card debt. I know you are probably thinking I can not do this, but it can make a huge difference in helping you get approved for high risk motorcycle financing. See motorcycle lenders do not like to see your personal credit cards maxed out. Therefore, before you submit your application for motorcycle financing you should try to pay down your credit card debt. Even if you have to do it for the short term it can help you tremendously with getting approved. For instance, if you have a 610 FICO credit score you will probably be declined if you have all your credit cards maxed out. However, if you are able reduce your credit card debt by 50% you stand a much better chance of getting approved for a high risk motorcycle loan. This is a simple concept but you will be surprised by how many motorcycle buyers fail to do this and never get approved. Step three and the final step is too finally submit your motorcycle loan application. There are many lenders that specialize in high risk motorcycle loans. I recommend tying about 2 or 3 online motorcycle lenders and then move to your local credit unions or financing provide by the dealership such as Suzuki Finance, Honda Financing, Kawasaki Credit Card or the Polaris Star Card. Source by Jack Harmon Insurance Consultant Texas 78411 WASHINGTON america Mint will accept instructions for the 2016 The united states the Beautiful Quarters Circulating Coin Set (item code 16AC) beginning on November 22 at noon Eastern Time (ET). Priced at $5.95, the ready includes 10 circulating coins-five from the united states of america Mint at Philadelphia and five from the united states of america Mint at Denver -with reverse (tails) designs honoring Shawnee National Forest (IL), Cumberland space National Historical Park (KY), Harpers Ferry National Historical Park (WV), Theodore Roosevelt National Park (ND), and Fort Moultrie (Fort Sumter National Monument) (SC). The packaging allows the coins is removed easily and placed in the The united states the Beautiful Quarters Coin Album and other storage products. Orders may be accepted at https://catalog.usmint.gov and at 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468), while reading- and speech-impaired clients with TTY equipment may order at 1-888-321-MINT. Information on shipping choices is available at https://catalog.usmint.gov/customer-service/shipping.html. About the United States Of America Mint Resource website link Tags: ... Tags: The field of finance requires a strong set of structured competencies and disciplines. Among many other critical skills to be discussed in this paper, financial leaders make sure financial records are accurate, data is available to understand the performance of the business, cash is available to run the business, and work is performed to make sure the business complies with regulatory requirements. While the nuances of the discipline vary somewhat by industry, the objectives are basically the same. Finance, while it may be not the most glamorous function within a company, is one of the most critical. Considering the link between performance of the finance function and the success of a company, hiring of financial leaders are some of a company's most important decisions. In identifying a high quality financial leader, a hiring manager must consider four key factors: o Business Acumen Has the candidate exhibited a general business understanding and have specific accomplishments where they influenced the business in a positive way. Does the candidate have a sufficient level of experience required for the position? There is no substitute for experience. Unless you are willing to accept the learning curve, you don't want to go short on experience of a candidate. Finally, does the business philosophy and personality of the candidate fit with that of the organization? o Technical Skills A candidate must possess specific skills relative to the financial position they are seeking. A Controller must possess knowledge of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). One indicator of that level of understanding is whether the candidate has earned their Certified Public Accountant (CPA) certificate. A candidate for the head of credit must be able to interpret customer financial statements in order to establish credit limits. Someone in charge of Sarbanes Oxley compliance must be knowledgeable of the requirements. Someone in Investor Relations or Financial Reporting must know the rules as it relates to reporting to the Securities and Exchange Commission, investment analysts, etc. Depending on the role, there can be specific technical requirements that are critical to the position. o Analytical Skills Financial analysis involves working with a significant amount of data. A financial leader must be able to determine what metrics are critical to the business, identify the critical components, or factors, that influence the business, interpret the financial results, and communicate the information in a manner that is understandable by nonfinancial associates. A finance department must be able to provide information needed by a company's leadership team in order to make sound business decisions. This involves listening to the needs of the functional leaders, knowing what data is available, and deciding the best way to provide the data. A financial leader must be able to assess the reasonableness of forecasted data. Does forecasted data make sense given market conditions, trends, and the current economic environment? o Timely and Accurate A finance department must be able to report data timely and it must be accurate. The financial leader must take ownership for the accuracy of the financial information. This includes reviewing processes involved in compiling data and identifying opportunities to shorten those time limits so data can be available faster to the organization. In today's job market there are a lot of financial candidates that have a long track record of providing the above skills to their employers. However, a company should be looking for someone to be a Champion in their finance department. A financial Champion possesses all the above skills, but is also someone who will make the finance department a key business partner to the organization. A Champion is someone your business leaders will want to work with to get things done and help elevate their performance. This Champion will help give your company a competitive edge by raising the performance bar in their respective area, which will become contagious throughout the organization. The key characteristics of a Champion in the finance area are: 1. Integrity 2. Confidence 3. Excellent Communication Skills 4. Love of People 5. Team Player 6. Ability to Execute A finance leader who possesses these characteristics will bring that Champion quality to your organization. Without these characteristics, you will likely hire a good financial person who will meet the basic needs of your business, but will struggle to advance the function or the organization in a manner that is noticeable on the financial statement. 1. Integrity In a book titled Letters from Leaders compiled by Henry Dorman, James Turley the Chairman and CEO of Ernst & Young wrote Integrity is the bedrock upon which all else is built. Without a solid foundation of integrity, any success will ultimately crumble. In the finance area your integrity is everything. Without integrity you don't have credibility. Without credibility you don't have trust. As a leader in the finance area the rest of the organization has to believe they can depend on everything you say or provide to be accurate. This doesn't mean they will always like what you say, but they will know it is the truth. I had a boss one time that demonstrated this very clearly to me. Our business was not performing as well as we would have liked. Every business unit was contacted by the CEO to discuss their current business and their forecast for the future. We knew our business was underperforming. While we had action plans in place to turn around the business, it was going to take longer than senior management had hoped. At the beginning of the call the CEO asked how things are going. A great general question to kick off the meeting. While it might have been tempting to provide a false timeline for the business to turn around, and avoid the unpleasant conversation that surely would come with the true timeframe, my boss responded by saying I can tell you the truth or I can tell you what you want to hear. Obviously, the CEO wanted the truth so we laid out our action plans and time table for the business to improve. At the end of the call the CEO thanked us for an honest and accurate assessment of the business. In the end, the business did turn around within the time frame we laid out. Our credibility with senior management skyrocketed. The other reason integrity is critical is that it can affect the performance of your team. As a leader you want your team to be engaged in the business and to give you their best effort. In the book Strengths Based Leadership by Tom Rath and Barry Conchie, a national Gallup poll revealed that the chances of employees being engaged at work, when they did not trust the company's leaders are just 1 in 12. In contrast, the chances of employees being engaged at work are better than 1 in 2 if they trust the organization's management team. The strength of one's integrity is a reflection of their character. David Snyder in his book How to Hire a Champion says champions, first and foremost, are defined by their character. Because character is defined by what people do not by how they feel or what they think character is demonstrated to others every day. In his book David Snyder references a study conducted by Doug Lennick, an executive vice president of Ameriprise, and his colleagues at Lennick Aberman Group listing the character traits of high performing financial advisors that best predict success. Results showed that integrity was the key behavioral competency that predicted the most positive returns for clients. A key measure of integrity is accountability. It's easy to take credit when your work is right. However, the position one takes when something is wrong, that is the measure of a leader. Do they take a position that someone else made a mistake and it wasn't their fault or do they own up and accept responsibility? I contend that even if there is a mistake, your credibility will grow if you own up to the mistake and admit that it is your fault. This very thing happened to me once. I made a mistake related to sales commission. Rather than keep quiet and hope no one would find out, I immediately came forward once I discovered it. I felt horrible. But, it was my mistake. You see I was fairly new in this position and working with a new management team. I was sure they were going to think I was an idiot. Afterwards, I found out just the opposite happened. The fact that I took accountability for my actions told the team that I had integrity and that they could trust me to tell them the truth. 2. Confidence If you think back during your career on leaders you've respected, one characteristic probably holds true with each one. That leader was full of self confidence. That confidence made you feel better that they were in charge. They seem to always be in command of the situation around them, regardless of how chaotic things were. In the book The Confident Leader by Larina Kase, she says confident leaders confront their fears and use them to propel themselves. People who stay within their comfort zone may not experience much anxiety, but they also don't experience much growth. A part of being a Champion is taking the lead when the opportunity arises. The problem with taking the lead is that everyone is watching you. If you succeed, that's great. But if you fail, everyone will know it. A Champion accepts this risk and relishes the opportunity to make a difference. If your organization is going through change, do you want a financial leader that will resist the change? Of course not. You want a Champion that will embrace it and drive it. Many people are quick to criticize and point out faults. However, a Champion will identify an opportunity and take the initiative to help realize the benefit of the opportunity in order to improve the business. This effort is usually outside their normal responsibility. I call this discretionary effort. Discretionary effort is that effort that is above and beyond ones normal responsibilities. If you have an employee that just does their job, they may perform their job very well. This is a good employee to have. However, this individual will never be a Champion because they are not willing to take a risk. A Champion takes the risk because they see an opportunity and want to take advantage of it. The result, assuming they are successful, is that the business is better for it. The other benefit is that you have an employee that has probably learned something in the process and has become more committed to the business. Even if they fail, they are better for trying because, in failure, they likely learned something. In one of the organizations I previously worked, the company had hired a new CEO. The new CEO was looking to implement a culture of continuous improvement. He wanted the company to start utilizing process improvement teams to drive change, resulting in lower costs and increased efficiencies. My boss told me the CEO was looking for a team to kick off the company's new high performance team culture. At the time I was leading a process improvement team in our regional business unit. The team had been in place for a few years and we had saved approximately $3 million. We talked about it and decided that we would raise our hand and propose taking our regional process improvement team concept to a national level. We presented the idea to the CEO and he agreed. At our national management meeting our team was mentioned several times as being the example of what the company was going to do. I can tell you that, as the leader of the team, the pressure was very high. If we failed to achieve our targeted objectives, it would be known by the company's entire management team. Well, in that first year our savings target was $2 million and we achieved a savings of $4 million. Over a two year period our initiative saved the company $9 million. 3. Excellent Communication Skills Financial people are stereo typed as dull and boring who wear eye shades and pocket protectors. As I write this, visions of Ben Stein jump into my head. We have all sat through financial presentations where we thought watching paint dry would be more exciting. The subject matter in finance is generally communicated by using numbers, charts, and graphs. The challenge for the financial leader is to make the message compelling. You want people to look forward to your presentation. To hang on every word you are saying. I learned the value of excellent communication skills from two leaders (nonfinancial) in a previous company. The first was the head of the company's marketing department, who was eventually promoted to President of our division. He was so good at giving presentations, you looked forward to it regardless of the message. After the presentation everyone would continue discussing the subject matter. How did he do it? There were several things he did that I took away as keys to a successful presentation. First is the subject matter. Make it very clear and easy to understand. Over simplify it. Don't overkill the presentation with numbers and statistics. Usually, the point could be made with just a few facts. If people had questions, you could interject additional facts. The next thing I learned was presentation style. He did an excellent job of working the room. He moved around, drew everyone into his presentation. He was not afraid to be animated. He told great stories that were applicable. Basically, he taught me not to stand behind a podium and present power point slides full of numbers. The next person that influenced me on communication was a former boss. He had outstanding writing skills. He took great care crafting his letters and memos. He would evaluate each word, phrase, and sentence to make sure it conveyed the message he intended. I remember a memo he sent out to all of his direct reports about our financial performance. There were various initiatives going on in the company and he felt we had taken our eye off of managing the business. In the memo we were taken to the wood shed as we liked to call it when we had a discussion with the boss. However, as you read the memo, and as each of the direct reports discussed among ourselves, he wrote a great letter. It was factual, articulate, and conveyed the message that he was not pleased with the performance of our business. This was an outstanding memo. The fascinating thing is that our boss never went to college. He taught himself grammar and how to write effectively. Excellent communication skills is probably best summed up by Larina Kase in her book The Confident Leader when she wrote effective communication is the ability to tell something normally uncomfortable to hear, or challenging to our self or our organization, in a way that gains our complete attention and ends up creating an opportunity for us or our organization, or both. 4. Love of People The ability to show that you care for people is one of the key characteristics of a Champion. John C. Maxwell wrote in his book The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership that people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. Successful leaders take the first step with others and then make the effort to continue building relationships. In order to be a successful leader one must have people who will follow them. Larina Kase in The Confident Leader wrote one of the keys to whether someone likes and respects you is how you make that person feel about himself. If you make someone feel uninteresting and unimportant, that person will not like or respect you as a leader. James Turley, Chairman and CEO of Ernst & Young wrote Respect of others is essential. You will never earn the respect of others unless they feel you respect them first. Some bosses believe that people will follow them and do what they say merely because they are the boss. I have heard this called a compliant management style. This type of management style does not drive loyalty among your staff members. Additionally, your staff will not likely be engaged in the business and giving you their discretionary effort. On the other hand, a management style that is based on relationships and employee involvement is called a committed style. Simply meaning, the employees are committed to the success of the organization. Why? Employees who feel they are involved in the business, and treated with respect, feel they help create the success of the organization. Simply, people support what they help create. Tom Rath and Barry Conchie wrote those who lead through relationship building are the essential glue that holds a team together. Without these strengths, a group is simply a composite of individuals. Leaders with exceptional relationship building skills have the unique ability to create groups and organizations that are much greater than the sum of their parts in their book Strengths Based Leadership. They also wrote People who feel that their manager/ leaders care about them: o Are more likely to stay with the organization o Are much more engaged o Are substantially more productive o Produce more profitability for the organization 5. Team Player The finance team is made up of individuals. The job functions range from clerical up to the executive level. Regardless of the different degrees of complexity that each person is responsible for, the success of the team depends on the performance of everyone on the team. James Turley, Chairman and CEO of Ernest & Young wrote A commitment to teamwork is fundamental. No one succeeds for very long on his or her own. Virtually every successful person recognizes that success is the product of the entire team working together for a common goal. A Champion will recognize the value of every member on their team. By recognizing this, they will show an interest in and respect for each member on their team. This creates loyalty for the leader and the organization which leads to the successful performance of the team. So much of business today is done by teams. These teams can be cross functional teams, process improvement teams, or management teams. If you are in a key position in an organization you will likely be a part of, or lead, a team. A key aspect of being a good team player is having an excellent working relationship with each of your team members. Having strong relationships helps the team communicate more openly and helps break down any hidden agendas that may exist. The real issues will be identified sooner which makes it easier for the right solution to be developed and implemented. 6. Ability to Execute The most important characteristic of a Champion is their ability to execute. At the end of the day it is all about the ability of a leader to get things done that positively impacts an organization. Leaders who have a long history of achievement will likely employ, and be very good at, each of the characteristics discussed above. Without each of these attributes, a leader will probably struggle to execute change, strategy, or initiatives. Recruiters and outplacement coaches will always tell you to list your accomplishments, and the measureable impact on your resume. The reason is they know employers want to see that the recruit is able to execute. If you look at a leader's resume you should see numerous examples of accomplishments that have made a material impact (either in process improvement, cost reduction, or profit enhancement) on an organization. Drill into those achievements and you will find examples of each of the above attributes. Larry Bossidy, former CEO of Honeywell International and Ram Charah wrote about the importance of execution in their book Execution The Discipline of Getting Things Done. They said Strategies most often fail because they are not executed well. The resulting gap between expectations and results is often clear. However, the gap nobody knows at the start of an initiative, is the gap between what a company's leadership team wants to achieve and the ability of an organization to achieve it. Execution has to be a part of a company's strategy and its goals. Unless you translate big thoughts into concrete steps for action, you will end up with change for the worse. That's because failure drains the energy from your organization. Repeated failure destroys it. OK. It makes sense that we want someone who can execute. So what is the ability to execute? Most people will say it is the ability to get things done, or it's achieving your goals. Larry Bossidy says to understand execution you have to keep three things, along with their keys to success, in mind: Execution is a discipline and integral to strategy Metrics Accountability Honest assessment of reality Linking strategy to operations and people Linking rewards to outcomes Execution is a major job of the leader Engaged Knowledge of the business People development Execution must be a core element of an organization's culture Constant probing Challenge the norm Linked rewards system In order for a leader to execute successfully they must immerse themselves into the business. This requires a comprehensive understanding of business, people, and the environment. Because a leader is immersed in an initiative or a strategy does not mean they are micro managers. To the contrary, if a leader micro manages a project he/ she will likely lose the respect and engagement of their team. Being immersed means the leader is actively involved in the project. They are obtaining updates, asking questions, bringing issues to light early, following up, and knocking down barriers the team is bumping up against. The best leader I ever worked with was one of my former bosses. Not only did he demonstrate each of these qualities, he taught me the value of each one. This in turn helped me successfully accomplish many projects which made a significant impact on our organization. More importantly it helped me become a Champion for my organization. Jimmy Mullens, CPA North Carolina Source by Jimmy Mullens Personal Finance Professional Middletown DE There are people who are saving money each and every week just by using grocery coupons. You can save 30%, 40% and even 50% and more on the things that you buy all the time with just a few strategies and some planning. It's not nearly as time-consuming as you might think and the money you save makes it well worth it. There are some tips and techniques that you should consider as you begin to use grocery coupons more effectively. Planning your use https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wp1cA5qb3Sk grocery coupons can go a long way to helping you to save money but use grocery coupons wisely and do not spend your hard-earned money on things that you do not need even if you do have a grocery coupon. Manufacturers have long offered grocery coupons in an attempt to entice you into buying and trying different items. But trying something just because you have a coupon does not necessarily serve you. You may end up wasting money if you are buying things that you do not need and will not use. Use grocery coupons only on the things that you would normally buy. Another consideration is the price of the item. Sometimes a brand name item will cost you more than a generic or store-brand item even when you have a coupon. Often the quality of the generic or store-bought product is equivalent to the brand-name item but occasionally it is not. You may decide that sometimes a certain brand is worth the extra cost and a coupon will offset that cost. But make sure that your loyalty to the name brand is worth the extra cost by at least trying the generic and store brands first. One way to maximize your savings with grocery coupons is to check out the sales flyers and the in-store coupons. Combining manufacturers coupons with current sales and in-store coupons can give you a much higher percentage of savings. Learn about prices at the stores you shop at and combine your coupons for the greatest amount of savings. Most stores are fairly competitive in their pricing. Some things may cost more at one store but other things will cost less and it will all balance out. Occasionally you will find a store that just has higher prices altogether. Only you can determine if shopping at that store is worth it to you because of other reasons. If you are smart about the use of your coupons you may be able to save money wherever you decide to shop! Learn to choose your coupons wisely. Coupons can be found almost everywhere and for almost everything but not every coupon will save you money. If you did not plan on purchasing the product anyway, then using that coupon does not really save you any money but it just ends up costing you more on your weekly shopping trip. Plan your menus, make a shopping list and stick to it and combine your grocery coupons with sales and in-house specials and you will end up saving money. With some strategic planning it could even be as high as 50% or more! Source by Karen Lynch Tags: retirement,business,financial,services,insurance,glen mills,middletown de,wilmington pike,financial consultant Without ACA protections, more than half of non-elderly Americans could face discrimination in health care Since the Affordable Care Act (ACA) became law, millions of Americans no longer face coverage denials, higher costs, or coverage carve outs because of their medical histories. A new analysis from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services provides a first look at what happened to uninsured rates for Americans with pre-existing health conditions when the ACA's major insurance market reforms took effect in 2014. It finds that, between 2010 and 2014, the share of Americans with pre-existing conditions who went without health insurance all year fell by 22 percent, meaning 3.6 million fewer people with pre-existing conditions went uninsured. While data for individuals with pre-existing conditions are available only through 2014, the uninsured rate for all Americans has fallen by an additional 22 percent through mid-2016, and Americans with pre-existing conditions have likely seen similar additional gains. Today, thanks to Affordable Care Act protections, the uninsured rate is at its lowest level in history and millions of Americans with pre-existing conditions like asthma or cancer no longer have to worry about being denied coverage because of their medical history, said HHS Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell. This is clear and measurable progress, and we shouldn't turn the clock back to a time when people were denied coverage. The new analysis estimates that 51 percent of non-elderly Americans, or 133 million people, have a pre-existing health condition under the definition insurers used for underwriting purposes before the ACA. Among the most common pre-existing conditions are: high blood pressure (46 million people); behavioral health disorders (45 million people); asthma or chronic lung disease (34 million people); heart conditions or heart disease (16 million people); diabetes (13 million people); and cancer (11 million people). Because the likelihood of having a pre-existing condition increases with age, the ACA's protections are especially important to middle-aged and older Americans. Up to 84 percent of Americans between age 55 and 64, and up to 75 percent of Americans between age 45 and 54 have a pre-existing condition that could have been the basis for insurer discrimination prior to 2014. Today's analysis confirms that the ACA's insurance market reforms are having a major impact on coverage for Americans with pre-existing conditions. After passage of the Affordable Care Act, uninsured rates declined by almost 20 percent or more among non-elderly Americans with high blood pressure, behavioral health disorders, asthma or chronic lung disease, and osteoarthritis. The analysis also sheds light on proposals that would restrict pre-existing condition protections to people who meet standards for continuous coverage, rather than protecting anyone who signs up during an annual open enrollment period. The analysis finds that tens of millions of people with pre-existing conditions go uninsured for at least short spells due to job changes, other life transitions, or periods of financial difficulty. In the two-year period beginning in 2013, almost one third of people (44 million) with pre-existing conditions went uninsured for at least one month. The Affordable Care Act achieved dramatic improvements in coverage for people with pre-existing conditions through three fundamental reforms: first, requiring insurance companies to cover people with pre-existing conditions; second, providing financial assistance linked to premiums and income to help make coverage more affordable; and third, by requiring all Americans to get coverage if they can afford it. Prior to the Affordable Care Act, states that tried to protect people with pre-existing conditions without other measures such as financial assistance and an individual responsibility requirement saw premiums skyrocket as not enough healthy people entered the risk pool. Under the Affordable Care Act, the number of people in the individual market has grown, and most HealthCare.gov enrollees can select a plan for less than $75 per month in premiums. To read today's report, visit: https://aspe.hhs.gov/pdf-report/health-insurance-coverage-americans-pre-existing-conditions-impact-affordable-care-act Description: Since the Affordable Care Act (ACA) became law, millions of Americans no longer face coverage denials, higher costs, or coverage carve outs because of their medical histories. A new analysis from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services provides a first look at what happened to uninsured rates for Americans with pre-existing health conditions when the ACA's major insurance market reforms took effect in 2014. Contact Office Email: [email protected] Source link WASHINGTON in certain towns of the country, families whom depend upon the Housing possibility Voucher (HCV) Program have limited choices about in which they could get a hold of ideal affordable rental housing. Usually, their particular housing choices are constrained and greater possibility areas continue to be unrealistic due to the present approach to determining their particular rental help. Resource link Tags: ... Tags: December 13, 2016 This is the announcement of funding opportunity number, DRLA-DRLAQM-16-105. Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 19.345 Application Deadline: February 13, 2017 A. Project Description The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) announces an open competition for organizations interested in submitting applications http://www.looktowink.com/2015/05/money-fix-what-to-know-about-annuities-for-retirement/ that support the DRL policy goal to bolster and enhance transitional justice and reconciliation processes in Sri Lanka at the provincial and national levels. DRL seeks proposals for programs that use a multi-pronged approach to advance reconciliation through tools such as such as memorialization, or truth-telling, among other mechanisms. Competitive proposals could include a consortium of organizations that would come together to develop a series of complementary activities to engage communities across the country. These activities should allow communities to work within their own districts as well as across districts as citizens navigate rebuilding their communities through just, inclusive, and peaceful healing processes. Activities could include, but are not limited to, engaging media, storytellers, and other artists to promote peace and reconciliation; promoting a culture of dialogue and action on peace and reconciliation with key stakeholders, including women and youth; or other activities that seek to meet the objectives outlined above. The use of traditional and alternative media to encourage collaboration among diverse communities could be considered. Strong consideration will be given to proposals that work to facilitate interaction among and between communities in the north, east, and south. Projects should have the potential to have an immediate impact leading to long-term sustainable reforms, and should have potential for sustainability beyond DRL resources. DRL's preference is to not duplicate past efforts, but instead support new and creative approaches. This does not exclude from consideration projects that improve upon or expand existing successful projects in a new and complementary way. DRL also strives to ensure its projects advance the rights and uphold the dignity of the most vulnerable or at-risk populations. Activities that typically are not considered competitive include: The provision of large amounts of humanitarian assistance; English language instruction; Development of high-tech computer or communications software and/or hardware; Purely academic exchanges or fellowships; External exchanges or fellowships lasting longer than six months; Off-shore activities that are not clearly linked to in-country initiatives and impact or are not necessary for security concerns; Theoretical explorations of human rights or democracy issues, including projects aimed primarily at research and evaluation that do not incorporate training or capacity-building for local civil society; Micro-loans or similar small business development initiatives; Initiatives directed towards a diaspora community rather than current residents of targeted countries. B. Federal Award Information DRL anticipates having approximately $1,700,000 available to support approximately 1-2 successful applications submitted in response to this NOFO, subject to the availability of funding. Applicants can submit one application in response to the solicitation. Applications should not request less than $1,000,000 and no more than $1,700,000. Applicants should include an anticipated start date between June 2017 September 2017 and the period of performance should be between 18-36 months. The U.S. government may (a) reject any or all applications, (b) accept other than the lowest cost application, (c) accept more than one application, and (d) waive informalities and minor irregularities in applications received. The U.S. government may make award(s) on the basis of initial applications received, without discussions or negotiations. Therefore, each initial application should contain the applicant's best terms from a cost and technical standpoint. The U.S. government reserves the right (though it is not under obligation to do so), however, to enter into discussions with one or more applicants in order to obtain clarification, additional detail, or to suggest refinements in the project description, budget, or other aspects of an application. DRL anticipates awarding either a grant or cooperative agreement depending on the needs and risk factors of the program. The final determination on mechanism will be made by the Grants Officer. If a cooperative agreement is awarded, DRL expects to be substantially involved during its implementation. Examples of substantial involvement can include: 1) Approval of the Recipient's annual work plans, including: planned activities for the following year, travel plans, planned expenditures, event planning, and changes to any activity to be carried out under the cooperative agreement; 2) Approval of sub-award recipients, concurrence on the substantive provisions of the sub-awards, and coordination with other cooperating agencies; 3) Other approvals that will be included in the award agreement. The authority for this funding opportunity is found in the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended (FAA). C. Eligibility Information For application information, please see the proposal submission instructions on our website. C.1 Eligible Applicants DRL welcomes applications from U.S.-based and foreign-based non-profit organizations/nongovernment organizations (NGO) and public international organizations; private, public, or state institutions of higher education; and for-profit organizations or businesses. DRL's preference is to work with non-profit entities; however, there may be some occasions when a for-profit entity is best suited. For-profit entities should be aware that applications may be subject to additional review following the panel selection process. Additionally, the Department of State generally prohibits profit under its assistance awards to for-profit or commercial organizations. Profit is defined as any amount in excess of allowable direct and indirect costs. The allowability of costs incurred by commercial organizations is determined in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) at 48 CFR 30, Cost Accounting Standards Administration, and 48 CFR 31 Contract Cost Principles and Procedures. Project income earned by the recipient must be deducted from the total project allowable cost in determining the net allowable costs on which the federal share of costs is based. C.2 Cost Sharing or Matching Providing cost sharing, matching, or cost participation is not an eligibility requirement for this NOFO. C.3 Other Applicants must have existing, or the capacity to develop, active partnerships with thematic or in-country partners, entities and relevant stakeholders, including private sector partners and NGOs, and have demonstrable experience in administering successful and preferably similar projects. DRL encourages applications from foreign-based NGOs headquartered in the geographic regions/countries relevant to this NOFO. Applicants may form consortia and submit a combined application. However, one organization should be designated as the lead applicant with the other members as sub-award partners. DRL reserves the right to request additional background information on applicants that do not have previous experience administering federal grant awards, and these applicants may be subject to limited funding on a pilot basis. DRL is committed to an anti-discrimination policy in all of its projects and activities. DRL welcomes applications irrespective of an applicant's race, ethnicity, color, creed, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or other status. DRL encourages applications from organizations working with the most at risk and vulnerable communities, including women, youth, persons with disabilities, members of ethnic or religious minority groups, and LGBTI persons. Any applicant listed on the Excluded Parties List System in the System for Award Management (SAM)(www.sam.gov) is not eligible to apply for an assistance award in accordance with the OMB guidelines at 2 CFR 180 that implement Executive Orders 12549 (3 CFR,1986 Comp., p. 189) and 12689 (3 CFR,1989 Comp., p. 235), Debarment and Suspension. Additionally no entity listed on the Excluded Parties List System in SAM can participate in any activities under an award. All applicants are strongly encouraged to review the Excluded Parties List System in SAM to ensure that no ineligible entity is included. D. Application and Submission Information D.1 Address to Request Application Package Applicants can find application forms, kits, or other materials needed to apply on www.grants.gov and www.grantsolutions.gov under the announcement title Transitional Justice and Reconciliation in Sri Lanka, funding opportunity number DRLA-DRLAQM-16-105. Please contact the DRL point of contact listed in section G if requesting reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities or for security reasons. Please note: reasonable accommodations do not include deadline extensions. It is DRL's preference that applications be submitted through GrantSolutions.gov D.2 Content and Form of Application Submission For all application documents, please ensure: 1) All documents are in English and all costs are in U.S. dollars. If an original document within the application is in another language, an English translation must be provided (please note: the Department of State, as indicated in 2 CFR 200.111, requires that English is the official language of all award documents. If any documents are provided in both English and a foreign language, the English language version is the controlling version); 2) All pages are numbered, including budgets and attachments; 3) All documents are formatted to 8 x 11 paper; and, 4) All documents are single-spaced, 12 point Times New Roman font, with 1-inch margins. Captions and footnotes may be 10 point Times New Roman font. Font sizes in charts and tables, including the budget, can be reformatted to fit within 1 page width. D.2.1 Application Requirements Complete applications must include the following: 1. Completed and signed SF-424, SF-424A, and SF-424B forms. 2. If your organization engages in lobbying the U.S. government or Congress, or pays for another entity to lobby on your behalf, the SF-LLL Disclosure of Lobbying Activities form is also required. 3. Cover Page (not to exceed one [1] page, preferably in Microsoft Word) that includes a table with the project title, target country/countries, thematic area, project synopsis, and name and contact information for the application's main point of contact. 4. Executive Summary (not to exceed one [1] page, preferably in Microsoft Word) that outlines project goals, objectives, and activities. 5. Table of Contents (not to exceed one [1] page, preferably in Microsoft Word) listing all documents and attachments, with page numbers. 6. Proposal Narrative (not to exceed ten [10] pages, preferably in Microsoft Word). Please note the ten page limit does not include the Table of Contents, Cover Page, Attachments, Detailed Budget, Budget Narrative, or Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA). Applicants are encouraged to combine multiple documents in a single Word Document or PDF (i.e., Cover Page, Table of Contents, Executive Summary, and Proposal Narrative in one file). 7. Budget (preferably as an Excel workbook) that includes three [3] columns containing the request to DRL, any cost sharing contribution, and the total budget. A summary budget should also be included using the OMB-approved budget categories (see SF-424A as a sample) in a separate tab. Costs must be in U.S. dollars. Detailed line-item budgets for subgrantees should be included in additional tabs within the Excel workbook (if available at the time of submission). 8. Budget Narrative (preferably as a Word Document) that includes substantive explanations and justifications for each line-item in the detailed budget spreadsheet, as well as the source and a description of all cost-share offered. 9. Your organization's most recent A-133 audit (if applicable), F Audit, or standard audit. 10. Logic Model (not to exceed two [2] pages, preferably in Microsoft Word). 11. Monitoring and Evaluation Narrative (not to exceed two [2] pages). 12. Monitoring and Evaluation Performance Indicator Table (not to exceed four [4] pages in Microsoft Word). 13. Risk Analysis (not to exceed one [1] page, preferably in Microsoft Word). 14. Key Personnel (not to exceed one [1] page, preferably as a Word Document): Please include short bios that demonstrate relevant professional experience. Given the limited space, CVs are not recommended for submission. 15. Timeline (not to exceed one [1] page): The timeline of the overall proposal should include activities, evaluation efforts, and program closeout. D.2.2 Additional Application Documents Strong applications will also contain the following: Individual Letters of Support and/or Memorandum of Understanding Letters of support and MOUs must be specific to the project implementation (e.g. from proposed partners or sub-award recipients) and will not count towards the page limit. Please refer to the Proposal Submission Instructions on DRL's website for detailed guidance on the documents above: http://www.state.gov/j/drl/p/260979.htm. For an application checklist and sample template please see the Resources page on DRL's website:http://www.state.gov/j/drl/p/c72333.htm. The sample templates provided on the DRL website are suggested, but not mandatory. DRL reserves the right to request additional documents not included in this NOFO. Additionally, to ensure that all applications receive a balanced evaluation, the DRL Panel will review from the first page of each section up to the page limit and no further. Note: If ultimately provided with a notification of intent to make a Federal award, applicants typically have two to three weeks to provide additional information and documents requested in the notification of intent. The deadlines may vary in each notification of intent and applicants must adhere to the stated deadline in the notification of intent. D.2.3 Additional Information Requested Successful applicants must submit after notification of intent to make a Federal award, but prior to issuance of a Federal award, will include: If your organization has a NICRA and includes NICRA charges in the budget, your latest NICRA should be included as a PDF file. Written responses and revised application documents addressing conditions and recommendations from the DRL Review Panel; Completion of the Department's Financial Management Survey, if receiving DRL funding for the first time; Submission of required documents to register in the Payment Management System managed by the Department of Health and Human Services, if receiving DRL funding for the first time (unless an exemption is provided); Other requested information or documents included in the notification of intent to make a Federal award or subsequent communications prior to issuance of a Federal award. D.3 Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM) Any applicant listed on the Excluded Parties List System (EPLS) in the System for Award Management (SAM) is not eligible to apply for an assistance award in accordance with the OMB guidelines at 2 CFR 180 that implement Executive Orders 12549 (3 CFR, 1986 Comp., p. 189) and 12689 (3 CFR, 1989 Comp., p. 235), Debarment and Suspension. Additionally, no entity listed on the EPLS can participate in any activities under an award. All applicants are strongly encouraged to review the EPLS in SAM to ensure that no ineligible entity is included. All organizations, whether based in the United States or in another country, must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), formerly referred to as DUNS, and an active registration with the SAM before submitting an application. DRL may not review applications from or make awards to applicants that have not completed all applicable UEI and SAM requirements. A UEI is one of the data elements mandated by Public Law 109-282, the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA), for all Federal awards. Note: The process of obtaining a SAM.gov registration may take anywhere from 4-8 weeks. Please begin your registration as early as possible. If you are based in the United States or pay employees within the United States, prior to registering in SAM you will need an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and a Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code. If you are based outside of the United States and do not pay employees within the United States, you do not need an EIN from the IRS. However, you will need a NATO CAGE (NCAGE) code before you can have an active registration in SAM. All organizations must also continue to maintain active SAM registration with current information at all times during which they have an active Federal award or application under consideration by a Federal award agency. SAM requires all entities to renew their registration once a year in order to maintain an active registration status in SAM. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure it has an active registration in SAM and to maintain that active registration. If an applicant has not fully complied with the requirements by the time DRL is ready to make an award, the applicant may be deemed unqualified to receive an award and use that determination as a basis for making an award to another applicant. For further guidance on the registration process, please see the SAM.gov Registration Guide on DRL's website: http://www.state.gov/j/drl/p/c72333.htm. Please refer to 2 CFR 25.200 for additional information. D.3.1 Exemptions An exemption from these requirements may be permitted on a case-by-case basis if: An applicant is a foreign organization located outside of the United States without a UEI and the Department determines that acquiring one is impractical given the geographic location; or If an applicant's identity must be protected due to potential endangerment of their mission, their organization's status, their employees, or individuals being served by the applicant. * Organizations requesting exemption from SAM.gov, NCAGE, and UEI should email the point of contact in the solicitation. If establishing your SAM.gov account as private rather than public view, please notify DRL at the time of submission. Note: Foreign organizations will be required to register with the NATO Support Agency (NSPA) to receive a NCAGE code in order to register in SAM. NSPA will forward your registration request to the applicable National Codification Bureau (NCB) if your organization is located in a NATO or Tier 2 Sponsored Non-NATO Nation. As of March 2016, NATO nations included Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom, and the United States of America; and Tier 2 nations included Australia, Austria, Brazil, Finland, Israel, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Morocco, New Zealand, Serbia, and Singapore. NSPA and/or the appropriate NCB forwards all NCAGE code information to all Allied Committee 135 (AC/135) nations, which as of March 2016 also included Afghanistan, Argentina, Belarus, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, Colombia, Egypt, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan, Montenegro, Oman, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Sweden, Thailand, Republic of Macedonia, Ukraine, and the United Arab Emirates. All organizations are strongly advised to take this into consideration when assessing whether registration may result in possible endangerment. D.4 Submission Dates and Times Applications are due no later than 11:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST), on Monday, February 13, 2017 on www.grants.gov or www.grantsolutions.gov under the announcement title Transitional Justice and Reconciliation in Sri Lanka, funding opportunity number DRLA-DRLAQM-16-105. Grants.gov and Grantsolutions.gov automatically log the date and time an application submission is made, and the Department of State will use this information to determine whether an application has been submitted on time. Late applications are neither reviewed nor considered unless the DRL point of contact listed in section G is contacted prior to the deadline and is provided with evidence of system errors caused by www.grants.gov or www.grantsolutions.gov that is outside of the applicants' control and is the sole reason for a late submission. Applicants should not expect a notification upon DRL receiving their application. D.5 Funding Restrictions DRL will not consider applications that reflect any type of support for any member, affiliate, or representative of a designated terrorist organization. Project activities whose direct beneficiaries are foreign militaries or paramilitary groups or individuals will not be considered for DRL funding given purpose limitations on funding. Restrictions may apply to any proposed assistance to police or other law enforcement. Among these, pursuant to section 620M of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended(FAA), no assistance provided through this funding opportunity may be furnished to any unit of the security forces of a foreign country when there is credible information that such unit has committed a gross violation of human rights. In accordance with the requirements of section 620M of the FAA, also known as the Leahy law, project beneficiaries or participants from a foreign government's security forces may need to be vetted by the Department before the provision of any assistance. Federal awards generally will not allow reimbursement of pre-award costs; however, the grants officer may approve pre-award costs on a case by case basis. Generally, construction costs are not allowed under DRL awards. For additional information, please see DRL's PSI for Applications, as updated in August 2016: http://www.state.gov/j/drl/p/260979.htm. D.6 Application Submission All application submissions must be made electronically via www.grants.gov or www.grantsolutions.gov. Both systems require registration by the applying organization. Please note: the Grants.gov registration process can take 10 business days or longer, even if all registration steps are completed in a timely manner. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that it has an active registration in GrantSolutions.gov or Grants.gov. Applicants are required to document that the application has been received by GrantSolutions.gov or Grants.gov in its entirety. DRL bears no responsibility for disqualification that result from applicants not being registered before the due date, for system errors in either GrantSolutions or Grants.gov, or other errors in the application process. Additionally you must save a screen shot of the checklist showing all documents submitted in case any document fails to upload successfully. GrantSolutions.gov is highly recommended for submission of all applications and is DRL's preferred choice for receiving applications. Faxed, couriered, or emailed documents will not be accepted. Reasonable accommodations may, in appropriate circumstances, be provided to applicants with disabilities or for security reasons. Applicants must follow all formatting instructions in the applicable solicitation and these instructions. DRL encourages organizations to submit applications during normal business hours (Monday Friday, 9:00AM- 5:00PM Eastern Time). If an applicant experiences technical difficulties and has contacted the appropriate helpdesk but is not receiving timely assistance (e.g. if you have not received a response within 48 hours of contacting the helpdesk), you may contact the DRL point of contact listed in the NOFO in section G. The point of contact may assist in contacting the appropriate helpdesk, but an applicant should also document their efforts in contacting the help desk. Applicants may also contact the DRL point of contact listed in the NOFO if experiencing technical issues with grants.gov or grantsolutions.gov that may result in a late submission. Applicants experiencing technical difficulties should follow these three steps: 1. Contact the helpdesk for either Grants.gov or GrantSolutions immediately. 2. Document (including screenshots) technical issues AND efforts to contact the helpdesk. 3. Submit all of the required documents to the DRL point of contact listed in the solicitation before the deadline. Note: The Procurement Office will determine technical eligibility of all applications GrantSolutions.gov Applications All applicants are strongly encouraged to submit applications via www.grantsolutions.gov. Applicants using GrantSolutions.gov for the first time should complete their New Organization Registration as soon as possible. This process must be completed before an application can be submitted. Registration with GrantSolutions.gov usually occurs directly after an applicant submits their registration. To register with GrantSolutions.gov, click Login to GrantSolutions and follow the First Time Users link to the New Organization Registration Page. There are different ways to register your organization, click on the link that fits best. Upon completion of a successful electronic application submission, the GrantSolutions system will provide the applicant with a confirmation page indicating the date and time (Eastern Time) of the electronic application submission as well as an official Application Number. This confirmation page will also provide a listing of all items that constitute the final application submission. Please save this page for your records. Additionally you must remember to save a screen shot of the checklist showing all documents submitted in case any document fails to upload successfully. GrantSolutions.gov Help Desk: For assistance with GrantSolutions.gov accounts and technical issues related to the system, please contact Customer Support at [email protected] or call 1-866-577-0771 (toll charges for international callers) or 1-202-401-5282. Customer Support is available 8AM 5PM EST, Monday Friday, except federal holidays. Grants.gov Applications Applicants who do not submit applications via GrantSolutions.gov may submit via www.grants.gov. It is DRL's preference that applications be submitted through GrantSolutions.gov. Please be advised that completing all the necessary registration steps for obtaining a username and password from Grants.gov can take more than two weeks. Please refer to the Grants.gov website for definitions of various "application statuses" and the difference between a submission receipt and a submission validation. Applicants will receive a validation e-mail from Grants.gov upon the successful submission of an application. Validation of an electronic submission via Grants.gov can take up to two business days. Additionally you must remember to save a screen shot of the checklist showing all documents submitted in case any document fails to upload successfully. Grants.gov Helpdesk: For assistance with Grants.gov, please call the Contact Center at 1-800-518-4726 or email [email protected]. The Contact Center is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, except federal holidays. E. Application Review Information E.1 Proposal Review Criteria The Panel will evaluate each application individually against the following criteria, listed below in order of importance, and not against competing applications. Please use the below criteria as a reference but do not structure your application according to the sub-sections. Quality of Project Idea Applications should be responsive to the program framework and policy objectives identified in the solicitation, appropriate in the country/regional context, and should exhibit originality, substance, precision, and relevance to DRL's mission of promoting human rights and democracy. Projects should have the potential to have an immediate impact leading to long-term sustainable reforms, DRL prefers new approaches that do not duplicate efforts by other entities. This does not exclude from consideration projects that improve upon or expand existing successful projects in a new and complementary way. In countries where similar activities are already taking place, an explanation should be provided as to how new activities will not duplicate or merely add to existing activities and how these efforts will be coordinated. Proposals that promote creative approaches to recognized ongoing challenges are highly encouraged. DRL strives to ensure the rights and uphold the dignity of the most vulnerable or at-risk populations. DRL prioritizes project proposals with inclusive approaches for advancing these rights. Project Planning/Ability to Achieve Objectives A strong application will include a clear articulation of how the proposed project activities contribute to the overall project objectives, and each activity will be clearly developed and detailed. A comprehensive monthly work plan should demonstrate substantive undertakings and the logistical capacity of the organization. Objectives should be ambitious, yet measurable, results-focused and achievable in a reasonable time frame. A complete application must include a logic model to demonstrate how the project activities will have an impact on its proposed objectives. The logic model should match the objectives, outcomes, key activities and outputs described in the narrative. Applications should address how the project will engage relevant stakeholders and should identify local partners as appropriate. If local partners have been identified, DRL strongly encourages applicants to submit letters of support from proposed in-country partners. Additionally, applicants should describe the division of labor among the direct applicant and any local partners. If applicable, applications should identify target areas for activities, target participant groups or selection criteria for participants, and the specific roles of sub-awardees, among other pertinent details. DRL recognizes that all programs have some level of risk due to internal/external variables that have the potential to adversely affect a program. Risk management should address how the program design incorporates the identification, assessment, and management of key risk factors. DRL will review the risk analysis based on the organization's ability to identify risks that could have an impact on the overall program as well as how the organization will manage these risks. Institution's Record and Capacity DRL will consider the past performance of prior recipients and the demonstrated potential of new applicants. Applications should demonstrate an institutional record of successful democracy and human rights programs, including responsible fiscal management and full compliance with all reporting requirements for past grants. Proposed personnel and institutional resources should be adequate and appropriate to achieve the project's objectives. Projects should have potential for continued funding beyond DRL resources. Inclusive Programming DRL strives to ensure its projects advance the rights and uphold the dignity of the most at risk and vulnerable populations, including women, youth, people with disabilities, members of racial and ethnic or religious minority groups, and LGBTI persons. To the extent possible, applicants should identify and address considerations to support these populations in all proposed project activities and objectives, and should provide specific means, measures, and corresponding targets to include them as appropriate. Applicants must provide strong justifications if unable to incorporate the most at risk and vulnerable populations within proposed project activities and objectives. Applications that do not include this will not be considered highly competitive in this category. Cost Effectiveness DRL strongly encourages applicants to clearly demonstrate project cost-effectiveness in their application, including examples of leveraging institutional and other resources. However, cost-sharing or other examples of leveraging other resources are not required. Inclusion of cost-sharing in the budget does not result in additional points awarded during the review process. Budgets should have low and/or reasonable overhead and administration costs, and applicants should provide clear explanations and justifications for these costs in relation to the work involved. All budget items should be clearly explained and justified to demonstrate necessity, appropriateness, and connection to the project objectives. Please note: If cost-share is included in the budget, the recipient must maintain written records to support all allowable costs that are claimed as its contribution to cost-share, as well as costs to be paid by the Federal government. Such records are subject to audit. In the event the recipient does not meet the minimum amount of cost-sharing as stipulated in the recipient's budget, DRL's contribution may be reduced in proportion to the recipient's contribution. Multiplier Effect/Sustainability Applications should clearly delineate how elements of the project will have a multiplier effect and be sustainable beyond the life of the grant. A good multiplier effect will have an impact beyond the direct beneficiaries of the grant (e.g. participants trained under a grant go on to train other people; workshop participants use skills from a workshop to enhance a national level election that affects the entire populace). A strong sustainability plan may include demonstrating continuing impact beyond the life of a project or garnering other donor support after DRL funding ceases. Project Monitoring and Evaluation Complete applications will include a detailed M&E Narrative and M&E Plan, which detail how the project's progress will be monitored and evaluated. Incorporating well-designed monitoring and evaluation processes into a project is an efficient method for documenting the change (intended and unintended) that a project seeks. Applications should demonstrate the capacity to provide objectives with measurable outputs and outcomes. The quality of the M&E sections will be judged on the narrative explaining how both monitoring and evaluation will be carried out, and who will be responsible for those related activities. Explain how an external evaluation will be incorporated into the project implementation plan or how the project will be systematically assessed in the absence of one. Please see the section on Monitoring and Evaluation Narrative above for more information on what is required in the narrative. The output and outcome-based performance indicators should not only be separated by project objectives but also should match the objectives, outcomes, and outputs detailed in the logic model and proposal narrative. Performance indicators should be clearly defined (i.e., explained how the indicators will be measured and reported) either within the table or with a separate Performance Indicator Reference Sheet (PIRS). For each performance indicator, the table should also include baselines and quarterly and cumulative targets, data collection tools, data sources, types of data disaggregation, and frequency of monitoring and evaluation. There should also be metrics to capture how project activities target the most at-risk and vulnerable populations or addresses their concerns, where applicable. Please see the section on Monitoring and Evaluation Plan above for more information on what is required in the plan. E.2 Review and Selection Process DRL strives to ensure that each application receives a balanced evaluation by a DRL Review Panel. The Department's Office of Acquisitions Management (AQM) will determine technical eligibility for all applications. All technically eligible applications for a given solicitation are reviewed against the same seven criteria, which include quality of project idea, project planning/ability to achieve objectives, institutional record and capacity, inclusive programming, cost effectiveness, multiplier effect/sustainability, and project monitoring and evaluation. Additionally, the Panel will evaluate how the application addresses the solicitation request, U.S. foreign policy goals, and the priority needs of DRL overall. DRL may also take into consideration the balance of the current portfolio of active projects, including geographic or thematic diversity, if needed. In most cases, the DRL Review Panel includes representatives from DRL, the appropriate Department of State regional bureau (to include feedback from U.S. embassies), and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) (to include feedback from USAID missions). In some cases, additional panelists may participate, including from other Department of State bureaus or offices, U.S. government departments, agencies, or boards, representatives from partner governments, or representatives from entities that are in a public-private partnership with DRL. At the end of the panel's discussion about an application, the Panel votes on recommending the application for approval by the DRL Assistant Secretary. If more applications are ultimately recommended for approval than DRL can fund, the Panel will rank the recommended applications in priority order for consideration by the DRL Assistant Secretary. The Grants Officer Representative (GOR) for the eventual award does not vote on the panel. All Panelists must sign non-disclosure agreements and conflicts of interest agreements. DRL Review Panels may provide conditions and recommendations on applications to enhance the proposed project, which must be addressed by the applicant before further consideration of the award. To ensure effective use of DRL funds, conditions or recommendations may include requests to increase, decrease, clarify, and/or justify costs and project activities. F. Federal Award Administration Information F.1 Federal Award Notices DRL will provide a separate notification to applicants on the result of their applications. Successful applicants will receive a letter electronically via email requesting that the applicant respond to panel conditions and recommendations. This notification is not an authorization to begin activities and does not constitute formal approval or a funding commitment. Final approval is contingent on the applicant successfully responding to the panel's conditions and recommendations, being registered in required systems, including the U.S. government's Payment Management System (PMS), unless an exemption is provided, and completing and providing any additional documentation requested by DRL or AQM. Final approval is also contingent on Congressional notification requirements being met and final review and approval by the Department's warranted grants officer. The notice of Federal award signed by the Department's warranted grants officers is the sole authorizing document. If awarded, the notice of Federal award will be provided to the applicant's designated Authorizing Official via GrantSolutions to be electronically counter-signed in the system. F.2 Administrative and National Policy Requirements The Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards set forth in 2 CFR Chapter 200 (Sub-Chapters A through F) shall apply to all non-Federal entities, except for assistance awards to Individuals and Foreign Public Entities. Sub-Chapters A through E shall apply to all foreign organizations, and Sub-Chapters A through D shall apply to all U.S. and foreign for-profit entities. The applicant/recipient of the award and any sub-recipient under the award must comply with all applicable terms and conditions, in addition to the assurance and certifications made part of the Notice of Award. The Department's Standard Terms and Conditions can be viewed at http://www.state.gov/j/drl/p/c72333.htm. F.3 Reporting Applicants should be aware that DRL awards will require that all reports (financial and progress) are uploaded to the grant file in GrantSolutions on a quarterly basis. The Federal Financial Report (FFR or SF-425) is the required form for the financial reports and must be submitted in PMS as well as downloaded and then uploaded to the grant file in GrantSolutions. The progress reports uploaded to the grant file in GrantSolutions must include page one (signed and completed) of the SF-PPR (Performance and Progress Report); a narrative attachment to the SF-PPR as described below; and the SF-PPR-B: Project Indicators (or other mutually agreed upon format approved by the grants officer) for the F Framework indicators. Narrative progress reports should reflect the focus on measuring the project's impact on the overarching objectives and should be compiled according to the objectives, outcomes, and outputs as outlined in the award's Scope of Work (SOW) and in the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Statement. An assessment of the overall project's impact, should be included in each progress report. Where relevant, progress reports should include the following sections: Relevant contextual information (limited); Explanation and evaluation of significant activities of the reporting period and how the activities reflect progress toward achieving objectives, including meeting benchmarks/targets as set in the M&E plan. In addition, attach the M&E plan, comparing the target and actual numbers for the indicators; Any tangible impact or success stories from the project, when possible; Copy of mid-term and/or final evaluation report(s) conducted by an external evaluator; if applicable; Relevant supporting documentation or products related to the project activities (such as articles, meeting lists and agendas, participant surveys, photos, manuals, etc.) as separate attachments; Description of how the Recipient is pursuing sustainability, including looking for sources of follow-on funding; Any problems/challenges in implementing the project and a corrective action plan with an updated timeline of activities; Reasons why established goals were not met; Data for the required F Framework indicator(s) for the quarter as well as aggregate data by fiscal year using the SF-PPR-B: Project Indicators or other mutually agreed upon format approved by the Grants Officer. Evaluation indicators from the Foreign Assistance Framework can be found at http://www.state.gov/f/indicators/ ; Proposed activities for the next quarter; Additional pertinent information, including analysis and explanation of cost overruns or high unit costs, if applicable. A final narrative and financial report must also be submitted within 90 days after the expiration of the award. Please note: delays in reporting may result in delays of payment approvals and failure to provide required reports may jeopardize the recipient's' ability to receive future U.S. government funds. DRL reserves the right to request any additional programmatic and/or financial project information during the award period. G. Contact Information For technical submission questions related to this solicitation, please contact Sarah Davis, [email protected]. For assistance with GrantSolutions.gov accounts and technical issues related to using the system, please contact Customer Support at [email protected] or call 1-866-577-0771 (toll charges for international callers) or 1-202-401-5282. Customer Support is available 8 AM 6 PM EST, Monday Friday, except federal holidays. For assistance with Grants.gov accounts and technical issues related to using the system, please call the Contact Center at 1-800-518-4726 or email [email protected]. The Contact Center is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, except federal holidays. For a list of federal holidays visit: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/snow-dismissal-procedures/federal-holidays/ With the exception of technical submission questions, during the solicitation period U.S. Department of State staff in Washington and overseas shall not discuss this competition with applicants until the entire proposal review process has been completed and rejection and approval letters have been transmitted. H. Other Information Applicants should be aware that DRL understands that some information contained in applications may be considered sensitive or proprietary and will make appropriate efforts to protect such information. However, applicants are advised that DRL cannot guarantee that such information will not be disclosed, including pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) or other similar statutes. The information in this NOFO and DRL's PSI for Applications, as updated in August 2016, is binding and may not be modified by any DRL representative. Explanatory information provided by DRL that contradicts this language will not be binding. Issuance of the NOFO and negotiation of applications does not constitute an award commitment on the part of the U.S. government. DRL reserves the right to reduce, revise, or increase proposal budgets in accordance with the needs of the project evaluation requirements. This NOFO will appear on www.grants.gov, www.grantsolutions.gov, and DRL's website http://www.state.gov/j/drl/p/c12302.htm. Background Information on DRL and general DRL funding DRL is the foreign policy lead within the U.S. government on promoting democracy and protecting human rights globally. DRL supports projects that uphold democratic principles, support and strengthen democratic institutions, promote human rights, prevent atrocities, combat and prevent violent extremism, and build civil society around the world. DRL typically focuses its work in countries with egregious human rights violations, where democracy and human rights advocates are under pressure, and where governments are undemocratic or in transition. Additional background information on DRL and its efforts can be found on www.state.gov/j/drl and www.humanrights.gov The Office of Website Management, Bureau of Public Affairs, manages this site as a portal for information from the U.S. State Department.External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein. Source link The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission's (CFTC) Division of Market Oversight (Division) announced today that it issued the results of a rule enforcement review of the CBOE Futures Exchange, LLC (CFE or Exchange) on June 24, 2016. Source link |
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September 2017
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