Grants and P/T contracts are different types of legal agreements. As such, they are subject to different laws and policies. Both P/T contracts and grant agreements are legal agreements between two parties creating obligations that are enforceable by law.

In general, with P/T contracts, contractors are legally bound to follow the work plan and budget included in the contract exactly as written unless the contract is formally amended to make changes that both parties agree to.

With grants, MDH policy allows more flexibility with grantee budgets. The standard MDH grant agreement template includes the following language: “Grantee may modify any line item in the most recently agreed-upon budget by up to 10 percent without prior written approval from MDH. Grantee must notify MDH of any modifications up to 10 percent in writing no later than the next invoice. Grantee must obtain prior written approval from MDH for line-item modifications greater than 10 percent. Grantee’s failure to obtain MDH’s prior approval may result in denial of modification request, loss of funds, or both. The total obligation of MDH for all compensation and reimbursements to Grantee shall not exceed the total obligation listed under “Total Obligation.”

A few other notable differences include, but are not limited to:

State policy on grants requires one monitoring visit during the grant period on all state grants over $50,000.
State policy on grants requires annual monitoring visits during the grant period on all grants over $250,000.
State policy on grants requires conducting a financial reconciliation of grantee’s expenditures at least once during the grant period on grants over $50,000.

There are current MDH COVID-19 contracts for diverse media; doesn’t that end on 12/31/22?

Yes, the current Professional/Technical (P/T) contracts for community engagement and diverse media end on 12/31/22.

Any suggestions on how we can make MDH aware of any applications that might include our organizations as a collaborator without our permission?

If an applicant is concerned that other applicants may have included their organization as a collaborator without their permission, the applicant may send an email notifying MDH of the sole applications that your organizations supports to health.covidmedia.MDH@state.mn.us. We strongly encourage all applicants to ensure that any partners or collaborators named in your proposal are willing and are compensated appropriately.

How can we come together and strategize with MDH to help answer community questions and concerns?

MDH will host monthly small group meetings with grantees as a forum to discuss issues, concerns, and successes with MDH staff and other grantees working with similar focus communities.

Funding and project dates

How much of the grant budget is dedicated to outreach engagement?

Approximately half of the grant budget should be spent on COVID-19 vaccine-related messaging and/or engagement and outreach activities. There are no minimum budget thresholds for other activities or topics.

Is this a one-year grant?

The grant period is approximately 15 months. The duration of the grant runs from approximately April 1, 2023, through June 30, 2024.

What are the minimum and maximum amounts an organization can apply?

Grant award amounts will vary. The estimated amounts are between $50,000 - $175,000.

How much will applicants be granted for 15 months?

Approximately $7.3 million is available for multiple grant awards. The State anticipates funding a variety of proposals that range in size between $50,000 and $175,000 and that provide a mix of media messaging and community engagement.

Eligible applicants

Is this grant only for nonprofits or can a small marketing agency apply?

Eligible applicants may include for-profit organizations.

Can higher education institutions apply?

Eligible applicants include community based non-profit organizations, other community led organizations (may include for-profit organizations), Tribes, and Diverse Media Organizations.

How can we make sure many isolated families get this engagement opportunity so that small organizations like Youth & Family Circle to be able to provide resources?

This application and review process has been designed with small organizations in mind. To ensure all applicants have a fair and equitable chance to become grantees, the application questions and requirements have been kept relatively short and simple, and the application evaluation criteria have been written with an equity lens. The review committee that reviews and scores applications will include community members who reflect the communities served by this grant, and reviewers will be advised to focus on the content of applications and not the quality of grant writing.

Can a county apply for this grant, and then (if awarded) disperse the funds to our partners? Or should we encourage each of our community partners to apply individually for this grant?

Counties may be partners in applications and in this work in general, but they are not eligible to be lead applicants for this Request for Proposals.

Our organization receives funds to host and promote COVID-19 vaccine clinics. Does this keep us from applying for this grant?

Entities who are currently funded by MDH to perform COVID-19 related work, including COVID Community Coordinator (CCC) contractors, are eligible to respond to this Request for Proposals. However, organizations that are not already performing COVID-19 related work through a legal agreement (e.g., grant, contract) with MDH during the estimated grant period for this funding opportunity (April 2023 – June 2024) will be given priority. If a CCC contractor or other partner already in a legal agreement with MDH for COVID19 work during this grant period chooses to apply, they must:

Ensure their proposal includes distinct activities and deliverables that do not overlap with their current contract or grant deliverables.
Include in their proposal how they will ensure the two legal agreements will be managed separately with no duplicate payments or activities.
Be prepared to submit substantiating documentation with invoices as requested by the State.

If an organization receives funds to host and promote COVID-19 vaccine clinics from another (non-MDH) source, that does not prohibit them from applying for this grant, nor would it affect the weight of their proposal.

Collaborations

Where can we find MDH’s COVID-19 Community Coordinators and CCC contractors?

You can find information about CCCs here: COVID-19 Community Coordinators

Can we connect with current or past grantees, or can you provide that information?

You can learn more about current and past COVID-19 contract recipients here: COVID-19 Contracts for Diverse Media Messaging and Community Outreach.

Can you confirm that we can host events and invite a vaccination clinic to come, but not host vaccination clinics, which can be hosted by CCCs?

Yes, grantees can host events in general and invite a vaccination clinic to come, but grantees cannot host vaccination events themselves with this grant.

Information session

Will the information session be recorded?

Yes, the information session was recorded at the time of presentation.

Will I be able to download or read the chat later?

We don’t publicly share the webinar chat history, but the questions asked and the responses from MDH will be posted on the RFP FAQ webpage.

Will a list of webinar participants be shared?

No, the list will not be shared.

I attended the Information session on December 21, 2022, where can I find the recording?

The recorded information session is posted on the COVID-19 Community Engagement and Diverse Media Request for Proposals webpage.

Eligible projects

I see in the RFP that it states that this new grant is explicitly not for vaccine events. Is there now (or will there be in the future) another grant opportunity that would be a better fit for this activity of hosting vaccine clinics specifically for autistic children?

At this time, MDH does not anticipate opening additional grant opportunities for hosting vaccination events in 2023. However, applicants may propose to partner with COVID Community Coordinator contractors, community clinics, local public health, or other vaccination event coordinators to support community engagement and outreach for vaccination events, which could include supporting the planning and design of events to be specifically tailored to a particular community of focus named in this RFP. If an applicant chooses to propose this activity as part of their application, the applicant is responsible for securing the partnership and coordinating with the vaccine event hosts. Applicants should also be aware that MDH will not provide vaccines, vaccinators, or other support for vaccination events hosted through this grant.

If we’re seeing an increase in evictions due to the eviction moratorium lifting and people still not paying their rent from the pandemic, would we be able to apply for social media funds under this grant to focus on messaging eviction prevention?

This topic could be eligible as part of “other community needs and inequities related to the COVID-19 pandemic.” Please note, however, that selected grantees will be required to spend approximately half of their grant award amount on vaccine-related media messaging and/or engagement activities. Since this topic is not vaccine-related, work related to this topic could not take up more than 50% of the budget. The State will also share updated, timely COVID-19 messaging with grantees at least weekly and expects grantees to share messaging on and/or engage around a variety of COVID-19 related topics.

Can these funds be used for data analysis of surveys and interviews if the results are used to directly inform our outreach strategies?

While these grants are not research grants, funds could pay for data analysis if the results directly inform your media, engagement and/or outreach strategies for this grant.

Project requirements and deliverables

In regard to the scope of the project, is there a preference for the duration of the project, 2 months, 6 months, 1 year?

The grant period is from approximately April 1, 2023, through June 30, 2024. Projects should run the length of the grant period.

Regarding Salaries and Benefits – Do we have to track actual hours?

Yes, grantees who have salary and fringe included in their final approved budget must track hours spent on the project. This documentation will not generally be required to be submitted with monthly invoices, but it must be kept in case of an audit or financial reconciliation. State law requires that all supporting documentation must be kept and may be subject to examination for a minimum of six years. Please note that applicants are not required to budget for salary and fringe. There may be a wide range of grantees selected for this grant, including for profit media organizations, nonprofit organizations, etc. If you’re a media applicant, you may choose to structure your budget by cost per deliverable. In that case, all your expenses may fall under the “Other” category.

Eligible and ineligible expenses

Does staff time that goes into creating media messaging and engagement count as an eligible expense?

Yes, staff time working on creating media messaging and engagement is an eligible expense.

COVID Community Coordinator (CCC) Contractors have been using funds for swag. Understanding the swag can't be used for incentives, can these grant funds be used for swag such as pens, keychains, magnets, similar items?

If the total cost for these items is reasonable and directly supports a grant objective, this could be considered an allowable expense.

Can you confirm that we cannot host but we can participate in COVID-19 vaccination events? Since the funding does not allow grantees to host the vaccination event, is it okay to join the vaccination event to engage and distribute the testing kits?

Yes, this grant funding is not for hosting vaccination events. However, applicants may propose to partner with COVID Community Coordinator contractors, community clinics, local public health, or other vaccination event coordinators to support community engagement and outreach for vaccination events, which could include supporting the planning and design of events to be specifically tailored to a particular community of focus named in this RFP. If an applicant chooses to propose this activity as part of their application, the applicant is responsible for securing the partnership and coordinating with the vaccine event hosts. Applicants should also be aware that MDH will not provide vaccines, vaccinators, or other support for vaccination events hosted through this grant.

Can the funds be used towards hosting vaccination events and vaccine incentives?

No, the funds cannot be used for hosting vaccination events and vaccine incentives.

Can the funds be used towards culturally specific foods?

Funds cannot be used for food due to federal funding restrictions.

Do you have a suggestion of what percentage of the budget should be spent on media/messaging verses distributing test kits (for example)?

Does that include staff time that goes into creating media messaging and engagement activities?

Yes, staff time working on vaccine related activities counts toward the vaccine spending total.

Can we provide a stipend to community members for their time in providing COVID peer education to others in the community?

Yes, this type of stipend could be an allowable expense. Please note, however, that incentives are not allowable under this funding source. The Center for Health Equity differentiates between incentives and stipends as follows:

Incentives are given to participants in a program to encourage participation in something that is for their own benefit (e.g. a gift card for getting a vaccine or attending an educational session). Incentives are not allowable under this grant.
Stipends are given to an individuals who provide some kind of work or service for the program itself, which benefits others. For example, a stipend given to advisory board members who spend 2 hours/month per year helping develop and/or guide the program. Another example would be a peer mentor who goes out into the community to teach others about COVID-19 vaccination and prevention.

Can we get promotional items with a vaccination hashtag printed on them along with our organizational branding (Logo, slogan, contact info) printed on the promo items? The hashtag and QR codes would be an integral part of the engagement campaign, and data for the digital hashtags and QR codes would be collected and included in our monthly reports. More oversized or certain items will include both hashtag and a QR code; other items will just have the hashtag.

If the total cost for these items is reasonable and directly supports a grant objective, this could be considered an allowable expense.

Is there a requirement that MDH logo has to be on everything, or can we just use our hashtags with logo and branding solely?

We recommend that grantees co-brand materials with a state logo when appropriate. However, is not a requirement to use a state logo on all materials or deliverables. Anything that is co-branded with a state logo will require MDH approval.

Can we give a stipend to artists who create videos for Tiktok/Facebook stories or for designers of billboards, t-shirts, and other vaccine promotional items, like draw string bags, pens, bookmarkers, etc.?

Incentives are given to participants in a program to encourage participation in something that is for their own benefit (e.g. a gift card for getting a vaccine or attending an educational session). Incentives are not allowable under this grant.
Stipends are given to an individual who provide some kind of work or service for the program itself, which benefits others. For example, a stipend given to advisory board members who spend 2 hours/month per year helping develop and/or guide the program. Another example would be a peer mentor who goes out into the community to teach others about COVID-19 vaccination and prevention.

Can we provide a meal at events to encourage involvement and participation in COVID-19 engagement activities/events? Can we provide pantry items at events to help with food stability in our communities and draw more participation to our COVID engagement events?

The current funding source for these grants does not allow paying for meals or food of any kind. However, grantees may use funds to promote existing resources in the community related to food or for staff time connecting community members with those resources. Please keep in mind that these grants are for community engagement and diverse media activities around COVID-19 and recovery. They are not designed for providing resources or programs directly to community members.

Despite these restrictions, MDH recognizes the importance of food and meals in community engagement, and is exploring ways to support grantees in this area. Meanwhile, we encourage organizations to collaborate with other partners or funding sources to fill this need.

Can we use grant funds for entertainment (e.g., comedian, a band) at COVID-related information events?

If the total cost is reasonable and directly supports a grant objective, funding could be used for social or cultural influencers at COVID-related events.

Included are a couple COVID-19 related designs. Will those designs or similar designs be allowed by this grant? If not, what will we have to change or add?

Applicants do not need approval of materials or designs before submitting an application. If selected as a grantee, your organization will work with an assigned grant manager on approval of any materials or designs per MDH guidelines.

Who is the MDH contact to approve our marketing and branding designs before the grant application submission?

Applicants do not need approval of materials or designs before submitting an application.

Application review and selection process

Application instructions and submission

Can you advise where the application forms along with the grant application should be submitted?

The RFP states on page 13 that applications must be submitted using the Online Application Form. After submitting the form, applicants will receive an automated confirmation email. Responders should reply to that email and attach the required supplemental materials.

If an applicant does not receive an automated confirmation email within one hour of submitting the Online Application Form, please email the required supplemental materials to health.covidmedia.MDH@state.mn.us Please indicate in the email that the online form was submitted but that you did not receive a confirmation email.

Do we have to respond to the online application automated e-mail response promptly, or can we wait until the proposal, budget and work plan are prepared?

You do not have to respond right away. As long as all of your supplemental materials are received by MDH via the health.covidmedia.MDH@state.mn.us email before the deadline on Wednesday, January 18, 2023, at 11:59 p.m., your application will be considered complete.

We are having problems with the budget template. We are unable to complete the itemized budget tab, what should I do?

Thank you for letting us know, and we apologize for the inconvenience. MDH fixed the issue with the budget template on the website on 12/28/22 at 4 pm. Please re-download the template and try again.

After I submitted the online application form, I did not receive the automated response to complete the rest of the application.

If you do not receive an automated confirmation email within one hour of submitting this Online Application Form, please email your supplemental materials to health.covidmedia.MDH@state.mn.us.Please indicate in your email that you submitted the online form but did not receive a confirmation email. Supplemental material templates and forms are located on the COVID-19 Community Engagement and Diverse Media Request for Proposals webpage in the Application Forms section.

Is it okay if I print and fill out the Due Diligence form and Conflict of Interest Form?

It is okay to print and fill out the forms. Once they are completed, please scan the forms and submit the scanned forms to health.covidmedia.MDH@state.mn.us.along with your other supplemental materials.