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Tobacco-Use Prevention Education Program Initiation Grant (Tier 1, Cohort U) �Request for Applications PowerPoint

Tobacco-Use Prevention Education (TUPE) Office

Whole Child Division

California Department of Education

�Malini Doering, Education Programs Consultant�Sarah Planche, Education Administrator

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CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Tony Thurmond, State Superintendent of Public Instruction

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Tier 1 Cohort U Grant�Viewing this PowerPoint

Please view this PowerPoint with the Notes Pages visible as there is additional information contained in the notes section for every slide.

Do not view the PowerPoint as a Slide Show, instead:

1) Go to “View” then select “Notes Page” instead of “Normal.”

You may increase the viewing area on your screen by adjusting the scale at the bottom right of the PowerPoint.

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Tier 1 Cohort U Grant�Tobacco Sign

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Tier 1 Cohort U Grant�Current Law

California Health and Safety Code Section 104420

The CDE/TUPE Office administers grants for projects directed at the prevention of tobacco-related diseases. The TUPE Office oversees grant programs that provide health education and promotion activities targeted to high-risk persons and groups in order to reduce the number of persons beginning to use tobacco, continuing to use tobacco, or developing tobacco-related diseases.

The TUPE Office also monitors and ensures implementation of district and county office of education (COE) tobacco-free policies and TUPE programs in districts receiving funding from the Cigarette and Tobacco Products Surtax Fund.

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Tier 1 Cohort U Grant�Purpose/Goals

The primary goal and purpose of the TUPE Office is to equip California youth with knowledge and skills to live tobacco, vape, and nicotine free by providing leadership and guidance for the development and implementation of school-based education, intervention, counseling, and other youth development activities.

The Tier 1 Initiation grant is considered the entry-level TUPE grant program and requires baseline activities such as developing tobacco-free policies, posting tobacco-free signs and educating students, staff, and parents of the health concerns related to tobacco use. Tier 1 also requires student participation in the California Healthy Kids Survey in grades 5 or 6, 7, 9, and 11.

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Tier 1 Cohort U Grant�Funding

The Tier 1 Cohort U Grant provides funding for three years, beginning July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2028.
Proposition 99 tax revenues have been allocated to the CDE to fund all three years of the Tier 1 Cohort U Grant Program.
Maximum allowable funding for a single COE or LEA applicant is $6,000 for all three years of the grant.
Consortium applicants may request up to $6,000 for each LEA represented in the application for all three years of the grant.

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As stated on the previous slide, the Tier 1 Initiation grant is considered the entry-level TUPE grant program and requires baseline activities such as developing tobacco-free policies, posting tobacco-free signs and educating students, staff, and parents of the health concerns related to tobacco use. Tier 1 also requires student participation in the California Healthy Kids Survey in grades 5 or 6, 7, 9, and 11.

The number of applications that are ultimately funded depends on the level of funding appropriated by the Legislature, the number of qualified applications submitted, and the total amount requested. The TUPE Office will fund as many applications as we can in full so that we maintain sustainability over the 3-year grant period.

Note: If you receive funding from any other TUPE grants (e.g., CTA, Tier 2 or Health Disparities), you must ensure separate tracking of expenditures for audit purposes and to stay true to the Tier 1 Cohort U grant requirements. A consortium LEA (such as a COE) that currently has a Tier II or Health Disparities may apply for Tier 1, Cohort U funding as long as the consortium participating members are different for each grant.

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Tier 1 Cohort U Grant�Who is Eligible?

Eligible:

COEs
Public school districts
Direct-funded charter schools
Consortia
Any currently funded Tier 1 district or direct-funded charter school that is a member of a Tier 1 consortium with a grant expiring on June 30, 2025, is eligible to re-apply separately or as part of a consortium.

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Tier 1 Cohort U Grant�Who is Not Eligible?

Not Eligible:

Individual schools
Community agencies
Private schools
Locally-funded charter schools
Projects targeting out-of-school students
Currently-funded TUPE Tier 1 (not expiring) and Tier 2 grantees

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Tier 1 Cohort U Grant�Eligibility Criteria

The use of TUPE funds for any purpose other than the reduction or elimination of tobacco-use for students is not authorized.
Applicants are ineligible for any TUPE grant funding if they have received directly or indirectly, any funding, educational materials (including curriculum), or services from the tobacco, vaping, or marijuana industries even if for the purpose of implementing tobacco-use prevention, youth development, intervention, or cessation programs.
The application submitted must: (1) show that the applicant’s program meets the Tier 1, Cohort U Grant Program Requirements, (2) comply with the TUPE GEMS online application submission, (3) meet all other conditions, requirements, and deadlines, and (4) provide signatures as set forth in this RFA.

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Tier 1 Cohort U Grant�Application Components

The Tier 1, Cohort U Grant Application consists of the following required (#1 & #2) and optional (#3) elements:

(1) Adoption and enforcement of tobacco-free school policies

(2) Administration of the California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS)

(3) Support for activities that prevent the use of all tobacco products by youth

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Tier 1 Cohort U Grant�Program Requirements (1)

Adopt and Enforce a Tobacco-Free Policy and Certification (Required)

Each school site identified in the application must adopt and enforce a tobacco-free policy and obtain official certification by the CDE no later than July 1, 2025 and covering each fiscal year thereafter.
Districts may still apply for funding if they are not currently certified; however, if funded, they will not receive their first payment until the certification is reviewed and approved by the CDE.
Policy implementation areas: 1) describe the actions applicants will take to ensure effective communication to students, staff, parents, and the community at large, and 2) describe the actions that will be taken to ensure effective policy implementation on school sites and at school-sponsored events.
Applicants are also required to discuss their alternatives to suspension approaches that will be adopted locally to address the needs of their students.
While not a requirement, the TUPE Office encourages grantees to address cannabis/marijuana as part of a comprehensive tobacco policy.

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Tier 1 Cohort U Grant�Program Requirements (2)

Participate in the California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS) (Required)

All successful grantees (districts and schools) are required to conduct the district-level CHKS Core Module with the subgroup population of students in grades five or six, seven, nine, and eleven.
The survey is to be administered within the first year of funding and at least every other year thereafter as long as funding is received.
For any participating school, if the total number of students for a grade level is less than 25, the grantee is required to establish a local alternative to fulfill their student tobacco-use survey requirements.
Additionally, each Tier 1 grantee and schools are required to participate, if selected, in the California Youth Tobacco Survey (CYTS) administered by the CDPH and their contractor.

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Tier 1 Cohort U Grant�Additional (Optional) Application Components (1)

Support activities that prevent the use of all tobacco products by youth (optional)

Applicants may also propose additional services in the areas of direct student services, family and community engagement, and staff professional development. Applicants are not required to include any of these additional services as part of the Tier 1, Cohort U Grant Application; however, in the event that funding remains unspent during any of the three years of the grant, applicants may provide additional services. These services should be dedicated to the prevention of tobacco, vaping, or vaping-marijuana co-use by youth.

Examples include:
Anti-tobacco, vaping, or marijuana co-use posters
Pamphlets
Videos
Public service announcements

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Tier 1 Cohort U Grant�Additional (Optional) Application Components (2)

Support activities that prevent the use of all tobacco products by youth (optional)

Additional services that may be provided include:

Assemblies for students, staff, family, or community members that provide an anti-tobacco, vaping, or marijuana co-use message
In-house professional development activities for staff

Note: Additional services should only be considered if all the following criteria apply:

Tobacco-free policies have been developed and implemented;
CHKS has been administered at all schools listed in the grant; and
Unspent funds remain.

If the applicant is awarded Tier 1, Cohort U funding, but does not include supplemental services at the time of application, additional services, such as those listed above may be added later. However, any services and resulting expenditures that are not listed in the application will require pre-approval from the CDE Regional Consultant and Analyst. Expenses for additional services that are not approved will not be reimbursed.

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Tier 1 Cohort U Grant�

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Tier 1 Cohort U Grant�Online Grant System

All TUPE grants must be submitted via the online grant system, Tobacco-Use Prevention Education Grant Electronic Management System (TUPE GEMS).
Applicants may access TUPE GEMS at https://TUPEGEMS.ucsd.edu.
Program and Budget/Fiscal Guidance documents are available for download in the Resources tab of TUPE GEMS.

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Tier 1 Cohort U Grant�Online Grant System

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https://tupegems.ucsd.edu/

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Tier 1 Cohort U Grant�Online Grant System

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For both new and returning users of TUPE GEMS, your first step should be to visit the landing page.

Click on Resources in the sidebar or go directly to the latest Tier 1 application resources page: https://sites.google.com/view/tupegemsresources/tier-1
If you are new to the online grant system, you will also need to register on TUPE GEMS and create a username and password. You may do so by clicking on the “Register” button in the upper right hand corner of the web page.
More instructions on registering, using the online system, and how to get tech support are found on the relevant Resources page. The link is available from your sidebar in TUPE GEMS.
Please note the User Manual in the upper right hand corner of the web page – which can be downloaded to your desktop and is a basic user support document for navigating in TUPE GEMS.

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Tier 1 Cohort U Grant�Required Sections (TUPE GEMS)

There are six sections in TUPE GEMS that are required to be completed:

Section 1: General Information

Section 2: Member Directory

Section 8: Tobacco-Free Policy Development and Implementation

Section 9: Project Monitoring and Evaluation (CHKS Only)

Section 11: Assurances ��

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A Grant Application submitted in TUPE GEMS requires applicants to either:

populate information into a section in TUPE GEMS, or
download and complete the requested information, then upload the document back into TUPE GEMS.

In an effort to streamline the Tier 1 application, the TUPE Office has removed Section 10: TUPE Program Administration and Staffing. Completion of Section 1, 2, 8, 9, and 11 are required. Application responses are captured directly in TUPE GEMS utilizing a form-based platform. Section 11 still contains files such as the Equipment/Inventory Report that must be downloaded, completed, and uploaded back into TUPE GEMS.

Tutorial clips for each section is posted in the Resources tab of TUPE GEMS. These tutorial clips will provide you with information and guidance as you navigate the system.

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Tier 1 Cohort U Grant�Required Sections (TUPE GEMS)

Section 1 - General Information

The General Information Section requires inputting the applicant agency name, county-district-school codes, county name, and address, as well as the Lead Applicant and Superintendent contact information.

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Tier 1 Cohort U Grant�Required Sections (TUPE GEMS)

Section 2 – Participating Member Directory

The Member Directory consists of all participating districts in the application beyond the lead applicant. This includes the names, addresses, and contact information for the TUPE Coordinators at each district identified in the application.

School exclusion form - In general, CDE expects that all of a participating district’s schools with grades six through twelve will participate in the TUPE program. If any schools with these grades will not participate in the program, please identify them by completing and uploading the Excel template in Section 2. Please also provide a brief justification for excluding them.

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Tier 1 Cohort U Grant�Required Sections (TUPE GEMS)

Section 8 - Tobacco Free Policy Development and Implementation

Applicants should provide their actual or proposed tobacco-free certification dates. In addition, the applicant must indicate which elements of a comprehensive tobacco-free policy are included in the district’s policy as of the latest certification date. Please note the prohibition against cannabis is recommended, not required.
Applicants must describe the actions they will take to ensure effective communication to students, staff, parents, and the community at large, as well as describe the actions that will be taken to ensure effective policy implementation at school sites and at school-sponsored events.
Applicants must also discuss their alternative to suspension approaches that will be adopted locally to address the needs of their students.
Applicants must be certified by the CDE as having met the tobacco-free school district criteria. This certification must be valid by July 1, 2025. Districts may still apply for funding if they are not currently certified; however, if funded, they will not receive their first payment until the certification is reviewed and approved by the CDE.

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Section 8 refers back to the RFA requirement for development and implementation of a tobacco-free policy.

The districts that were entered in Section 2 of the application are auto-populated in Part I of Section 8. In Part I, applicants are required to enter their Tobacco-Free Certification date for each district. If certification is expired, pending approval, or has not been initiated, the applicant is required to provide a description of actions they will take to ensure completion by July 1, 2025.

Part II of Section 8 requires a narrative of:

Actions to ensure effective communication of the policy to three constituents: staff, students, and family and community.
Actions to ensure effective policy implementation at school sites and school sponsored events.
Protocols in place for addressing tobacco violations on school campus and/or at school sponsored events.
Efforts to ensure alternatives to suspension/expulsion approaches are adopted locally to meet the needs of the students.

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Tier 1 Cohort U Grant�Required Sections (TUPE GEMS)

Section 9 - Project Monitoring and Evaluation (CHKS Only)

The Project Monitoring and Evaluation Section requires that applicants:

Establish a local tracking mechanism to monitor the CHKS administration of participating school districts to enable a local TUPE Program to evaluate its program’s effectiveness across time in comparison to itself, other districts, counties, and the state.
Develop a compliance monitoring process that will ensure school compliance.
Describe how CHKS data will be used to inform the applicant’s local program (s).

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Section 9 also refers back to the RFA requirement for participation in the CHKS.

The districts that were entered in Section 2 of the application are auto-populated in Section 9. Applicants are required to enter the latest CHKS administration for each district and the County CHKS Lead, as well as a narrative describing the compliance monitoring process used to ensure the districts on the required participation list comply with the requirement.

In 2024, the TUPE Office began requiring applicants to describe how CHKS data will be used to inform their local program(s). This addition to Section 9 is intended as an opportunity to obtain insights from you on how CHKS has been or will be used to inform your local program planning, including but not limited to TUPE programs. For example, in your LEA:

CHKS results are shared annually with district leadership as a survey tool for LCAP.
CHKS results are presented to student support programs such as the wellness centers for service development.
CHKS results are shared with parents via in-person presentations and electronic newsletters to enhance family engagement.
CHKS results are used to inform your TUPE services, including Stanford Toolkit based curriculum instruction for 7^th graders and an alternative to suspension program for students caught vaping.
You plan to use CHKS results as one of the indicators to assess the effectiveness of a Multi-Tiered System of Support approach adopted by your LEA.
You have no plan for the survey results yet and would like guidance on this.

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Tier 1 Cohort U Grant�Required Sections (TUPE GEMS)

Section 10 - TUPE Program Administration and Staffing

To streamline the Tier 1 application, Section 10 has been removed.

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Tier 1 Cohort U Grant�Required Sections (TUPE GEMS)

Section 11 – Assurances

Certified and Program Assurances for reference.
The Designee Form (only applicable if a Designee is signing on behalf of the Superintendent) and a copy of a recent governing board resolution or minutes, specifically authorizing the designee to accept and sign as a proxy for financial statements and legally binding documents on behalf of the Superintendent.
An Equipment/Device Inventory - required for those applicants requesting the purchase of new equipment over $500 related to the TUPE Program.

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Section 11 in TUPE GEMS is all about Program Assurances.

Section 11 contains the information on this slide.

The Certified and Program Assurances are included in Section 11 for reference.
If your Superintendent is unavailable or unable to sign your Tier 1, Cohort U application, you may have a Designee sign on their behalf. To do so, you must download and complete the Designee form, and attach a copy of a recent governing board resolution or minutes, specifically authorizing the designee to accept and sign as a proxy for financial statements and legally binding documents on behalf of the Superintendent. That document should then be uploaded back into TUPE GEMS. Note: This is only applicable if your Superintendent is unavailable to sign your applications.

If your Superintendent is able to sign, you do not have to submit the Designee form and bullet #2 above does not apply to you.

An Equipment/Device Inventory is required for those requesting any purchased over $500. Any previous purchases of equipment or devices using TUPE grant funds should also be provided on this form. The form must be downloaded, completed, and uploaded back into TUPE GEMS.

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Tier 1 Cohort U Grant�Required Sections (TUPE GEMS)

Section 11 – Assurances (cont.)

Memorandum of Understanding

One Memorandum(a) of Understanding/Agreement (MOU) - Applications submitted by a consortium must submit a current MOU between the consortium lead and all participating districts (dated after release of the RFA).
Ideally, the MOU should be signed by all participating members of the consortium in one document. Alternatively, the lead agency may collect separate signed MOUs from each participating member of the consortium. Electronic signatures are acceptable. If separate MOUs are obtained, only one should be uploaded to TUPE GEMS. The remaining MOUs should be filed locally for auditing purposes.

Letter of Support

One Letter of Support (LOS) - Applications submitted by an individual COE or district must include an LOS written and signed by the COE TUPE Coordinator endorsing the application. (See note below regarding consortium applicants in which the COE is not part of the application).

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Note on uploading in GEMS: If the MOU and/or LOS does not apply to your situation, please simply upload a blank PDF in its stead (you may label it "Not Applicable").

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Tier 1 Cohort U Grant�Required Sections (TUPE GEMS)

Project Budget

The applicant should provide a general Budget Summary for the entire three-year grant period. The budget must align with application/program plan.
The CDE will review all proposed budget items for clarity, reasonableness, and purpose. Prior to funding, the CDE will screen for restricted costs and require the applicant to make adjustments.

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Tier 1 Cohort U Grant�Optional Sections (TUPE GEMS)

Section 3 - Student Services, Section 4 - Family and Community Engagement, Section 5 - Staff Professional Development have been rolled into one section and renamed Section 3 - Additional Services (Optional)

This section will not be scored. Applicants should only complete Section 3 if there are plans to use any remaining funds budgeted from the $6,000 per LEA and may only be budgeted once the required elements have been met through this RFA.

Applicants that are not proposing any additional services, must still go into Section 3 and click the “lock section” in order to submit their application.

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Tier 1 Cohort U Grant�Additional (Optional) Services (TUPE GEMS)

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The TUPE Office no longer requires:

Estimated number of students/parents or guardians/community members/staff being served
For student services only: Grade level/NT students/Pregnant Minor and Minor Parents being served

The TUPE Office only requires applicants to provide a brief description of the additional service(s) being provided. No additional information is necessary.

NEW: No more service entry templates! Just a textbox to tell us about your additional service

A screenshot of the new user interface for Section 3 can be found on the next slide.

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Section 3 – Additional Services (Optional):

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Collecting Signatures and �Application Submission

Once an applicant verifies all sections, the signature functionality will become available to the Lead Applicant in TUPE GEMS. Applicant should click:

Please refer to the tutorial clips posted in the Resources tab of TUPE GEMS for instructions on how to obtain signatures and submit your Tier 1 application.

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��Tier 1 Cohort U Grant��

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Tier 1 Cohort U Grant�Geographic Funding Distribution (1)

Per HSC Section 104420(k)(4), the CDE must attempt to balance rural, suburban, and urban projects when allocating grant awards. As such, applicants must identify the category in which their applications will be competing in one of the following six geographic funding categories:

Northern-Urban
Northern-Rural
Central-Urban
Central-Rural
Southern-Urban
Southern-Rural

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Tier 1 Cohort U Grant�Geographic Funding Distribution (2)

Applicants can determine their service region on the California County Superintendents Educational Services Association (CCSESA) map at https://ccsesa.org/regions/.

Northern California consists of Regions 1-4
Central California consists of Regions 5-8
Southern California consists of Regions 9-11

Applicants can determine their Rural and Urban Classifications by visiting the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Search for Public Schools online tool at https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/ and entering the search criteria as directed.

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Tier 1 Cohort U Grant�Geographic Funding Distribution (3)

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Tier 1 Cohort U Grant�Scoring Rubric (1)

Scoring Rubric

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Rubric Category	Maximum Points
Tobacco-Free Policy Development and Implementation	6
Project Monitoring and Evaluation (California Healthy Kids Survey [CHKS])	6
Total	12

Now that we have run through the Program Requirements in the RFA and Required Sections in TUPE GEMS, let’s take a look at the Scoring Rubric.

Starting with the current RFA, (Tier 1, Cohort U), the following two items have been removed from the scoring rubric for the Tobacco-Free Policy Development and Implementation section (Section 8):

How well does the applicant describe a process to ensure tobacco-free certification by the start of the grant period in all participating districts? Applicants who have already fully met this threshold will receive an outstanding rating.
How well does the applicant describe a process to achieve a comprehensive tobacco-free policy in all participating districts? Applicants who have already fully met this threshold will receive an outstanding rating.

Total points available for Tobacco-Free Policy Development and Implementation section have been decreased from 12 to 6.

In addition, since Section 10: Program Administration and Staffing has been removed from the application, it has been removed from the scoring rubric as well.

Only Sections 8 and 9 are being scored. Although Sections 1, 2, 11 and the Project Budget are required, they do not contain “scorable” content. The additional (optional) section (Section 3) also will not be scored since not all applicants will be proposing additional services.

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Tier 1 Cohort U Grant�Scoring Rubric (2)

Each response provided will be evaluated on the following criteria:

Outstanding: The applicant’s response is exceptionally clear, specific, and relevant, and presents a compelling argument supporting the proposal.
Good: The response is sufficiently clear, specific, and relevant, and presents a reasonable argument supporting the proposal.
Developing: The response is in some respects clear, specific, and relevant, but does not fully support the proposal.
Weak: The response is insufficient. The information provided is not clear, specific, or relevant, and does support the proposal.

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Tier 1 Cohort U Grant�Good Standing

Good Standing status no longer applies to any of the TUPE grant programs. This component of the grant has been removed from the Tier 1, Cohort U RFA.

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Tier 1 Cohort U Grant�Reader Review Process

The review process will consist of several stages:

Initial CDE screening - CDE staff will review all entries in TUPE GEMS and ensure all required documents are uploaded and complete per the RFA requirements.
The reader review and online scoring of the application using the scoring rubric – two readers per application with scores averaged together.
Geographic funding determination – applications are rank ordered in one of the six funding categories based on the averaged reader score.

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Tier 1 Cohort U Grant�

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Tier 1 Cohort U Grant�Timeline

RFA Posting: March 12, 2025
Intent to Submit (ITS) Due: Friday, March 28, 2025, by 5:00 p.m.
Full Application Due: Friday, April 18, 2025, by 5:00 p.m.
Review of Applications: May 2025
Intent to Award Posting: June 2025
Final Award Posting: June 2025
Grant begins: July 1, 2025

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Tier 1 Cohort U Grant�Helpful Resources

Review all RFA Requirements, and Program and Budget/Fiscal Guidance provided on the TUPE GEMS web page and within the system located at: https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/he/at/tupefunding.asp (scroll down to the Tier 1 Cohort U RFA) https://TUPEGEMS.ucsd.edu (click on Resources in sidebar)

All questions and correspondence regarding the Tier 1, Cohort U, RFA should be submitted by email to tupe@cde.ca.gov (please indicate “Tier 1, Cohort U RFA Question” in the subject line).

Submit all technical questions to the TUPE GEMS Technical Helpdesk at TUPEGEMS@health.ucsd.edu Monday - Friday 9:00a.m.- 4:00p.m. or leave a message at 858-300-1045.

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�Tier 1 Cohort U Grant�Thank You and Good Luck!�

On behalf of all of us in the TUPE Office, we would like to thank you for reviewing the TUPE Initiation Tier 1 Cohort U PowerPoint.

We hope you found the information to be helpful in deciding whether to submit a full application.

We wish you good luck with your applications and look forward to reading them!

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