Q&A answers .xlsx

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1	Parent Powered Solutions Fund Q&A
2	Parent Powered Solutions Fund Q&A
3	Question	Answer
4	would this presentation be share with us?	Yes! This presentation will be recorded and available after this webinar.
5	Does it have to be up to 200% or any income below 200%?	It can be any income below, and up to, 200% of the federal poverty level.
6	Can it be for both undergraduate and microcredential students in one organization?	Yes
7	Does the grantee need to offer the postsecondary portion or can we contract with partner agencies?	as long as the applicant is a 501c3 organization
8	Are community colleges eligible?	yes
9	So based on the eligibility, it sounds like college/university departments are not eligiible to apply, is that correct?	yes college and universities are eligible
10	So based on the eligibility, it sounds like college/university departments are not eligiible to apply, is that correct?	Pilot and established programs within 501(c)(3) nonprofits, K-12 systems, and institutions of higher education are eligible. Additional eligibility details can be found in the RFP: https://ascend.aspeninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/2023_Parent-Powered-Solutions-Fund_RFP.pdf
11	Do you want program to specifically "qualify" their participants by "verifying" their income specifically or can that be framed through more loose understanding (e.g. overrepresentation of low-income families within the overall group, or a proxy i.e. receiving income-based benefits or participating in a income-restricted program e.g. USDA free and reduced school lunch, SNAP, public housing, etc.?	this can be framed through a loose understanding
12	If the 501c(3) does other things besides serve parents is that okay if our particular part does serve parents? (E.g., I’d be applying for a faculty group at our institution thru our system-wide 501c(3) to serve student parents at our institution)	yes this is okay
13	How many applicants did you receive during last round? Was that in 2020? Thanks!	Ascend received 72 proposal in 2020
14	Hello: does the fund support non direct service organizations such as policy advocacy org? Also, would orgs (who are not k-12 schools) but focus mainly on k-12 pregnant and parenting students be eligible?	non direct service agencies are able to apply. as long as the funding is used for student parents focused on postsecondary access and completion
15	To clarify, it can be specifically for services that help the children of student parents thrive?	The project needs to be focused on Student Parents postsecondary success but can include 2Gen approaches that impact both parent and child
16	Are there formatting guidelines that I can find in the RFP (font size, margins, etc)?	The only guidance is page limits. We do not provide guidance on font size and margins.
17	The budget doc seems to be a fillable pdf. Do we write the budget narrative in the 3 page narrative?	there is space for both budget and budget narrative within the budget doc
18	Will research projects pertaining to students parents be considered for funding?	yes
19	Also, how many proposals do you anticipate funding?	this will vary based on the amount people apply for. We have a total of $250,000 to award.
20	As a 501(c)(3) organization that does not directly provide postsecondary education, can this fund be utilized to offer additional support to student parents, such as employment assistance, childcare services, and other forms of aid to enhance their success?	yes absolutely
21	The budget template has a place for travel and the RFP references attendance at the Ascend Summit. Could you indicate the location for that summit in 2024 so we can plan accordingly for travel?	the convening location is TBD. You do not need to include this cost in your budget we will pay for this separately.
22	Our organization has many programs that provide direct services to people below the national poverty level. Our programs are not set up specifically to help student-parents, however we certainly have student-parents within our programs. Do we need a dedicated student-parent program in order to be eligible?	the project needs to be focused on Student Parents specifically.
23	Can the narrative have a photo in it? (With permission of everyone in photo of course)	Yes, it is okay to include a photo with the narrative.
24	the RFP deadline and the full proposal deadline are the same or different?	The deadline is the same — completed proposals are due by Friday, September 8, 2023.
25	Chat is disabled? Can't see the link.	Thank you for flagging this! Sharing the link to the webpage here: https://ascend.aspeninstitute.org/2023-parent-powered-solutions-fund/.
26	Can the parent participants cohort include international and undocumented students in higher educational institutions?	yes but funding cannot go to an international organization. The Organization must be located in the U.S.
27	Are the various budget allocations linked to a specific number of individuals being served, or are there other criteria or details that guide the selection of these amounts?	No, the amount is at your discretion
28	how can we have the link for the survey?	Yes, here is the link to the student parent reference survey: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdXDyzhKthsv_dS8WLn4sqmp9nG8nzHjoAn3nJMivQW7DCe9w/viewform.
29	roughly how many applicants will be accepted?	this is dependent on the amount applied for.
30	If you have an ASCEND funding currently are you eligible to continue the work through this RFP?	Yes, as long as it is not the first round of the PPSF. I hope we were able to answer your question just now!
31	The budget template is in PDF form, but it doesn't seem fillable. Is it possible to make it available as a fillable PDF or Word document?	this is a fillable PDF
32	Is there a cost sharing requirement for the grant?	no
33	For programs that support k-12 pregnant and parenting students mainly, would those orgs qualify?	yes if the parent is enrolled in postsecondary degree or credential program
34	is hiring student parents a requirement?	no it is not required.
35	Do trade programs and/or certificate programs (alternatives to college) apply as postsecondary education?	Yes
36	Hello, thank you for taking questions during the pre-bid. Our organization is working on more fully developing our two-gen approach across all three core programs. At this time, our parents whose children are enrolled at one or more of our CDCs are also actively engaged in our Family Support and Wellness Program, which provides a spectrum of services to parents and caregivers. Additionally, our org has a third core service area: workforce development. We are working on more fully integrating our Family Support and Wellness and Workforce Development programs. Our question is, many of our parents and caregivers with children enrolled at our CDCs may be parents (we don't currently collect this data - only eligiblity for workforce development services). Would we be able to propose engaging parents in workforce development services (parents who may or may not be students) OR is this opportunity really geared towards engaged parents who are current students (on pathways to higher educaton)? Thank you.	Parents must be enrolled
37	Do students need to be degree-seeking/enrolled in credit-bearing courses, or can they be in non-credit workforce programs?	Workforce programs are welcome to apply
38	Can you clarify how the funds can be used?	Yes! Specific details of how the funds can be used can be found in our RFP: https://ascend.aspeninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/2023_Parent-Powered-Solutions-Fund_RFP.pdf.
39	If a proposal is for 50k, might you all decide to fund at a lower rate, or if applying for the max amount is it an all or nothing approach?	no we will not fund at a lower rate please apply for the amount you need.
40	How do you feel about funding "business as usual?? Would you prefer special projects?	this would be highly dependent on the application/program. The funding can go to operating costs.
41	Can this funding be used for a pilot to launch an initial program that builds a program to be built on in the future?	live answered
42	Our organization is affiliated with a Parent Advisor—are we eligible to apply?	Yes! You can still apply, but that Parent Advisor would recuse themselves from reviewing your application.
43	Hello, thank you for taking questions during the pre-bid. Our organization is working on more fully developing our two-gen approach across all three core programs. At this time, our parents whose children are enrolled at one or more of our CDCs are also actively engaged in our Family Support and Wellness Program, which provides a spectrum of services to parents and caregivers. Additionally, our org has a third core service area: workforce development. We are working on more fully integrating our Family Support and Wellness and Workforce Development programs. Our question is, many of our parents and caregivers with children enrolled at our CDCs may be parents (we don't currently collect this data - only eligiblity for workforce development services). Would we be able to propose engaging parents in workforce development services (parents who may or may not be students) OR is this opportunity really geared towards engaged parents who are current students (on pathways to higher educaton)? Thank you.	those who are enrolled
44	I didn't see a space to note our org name on the budget doc.	this will all be a part of an application packet no need to include that on the budget doc
45	To the parent advisors have you established any guidelines or thought about in a group conversation about potential conflicts of interest more broadly?	yes
46	Or maybe I should just reach out about this indivudally?	Hi Autumn - yes, please reach out to the parents, but we have spoken with them about conflicts or interest.
47	Are parents in adult educaiton (ESOL, ABE/ASE) or certificate training programs elligible to be part of the program?	Yes
48	Should we incorporate the supplementary funds into the budget sheet with the aim of ensuring long-term sustainability, especially considering the one-year duration of this funding?	we do not need to know about other funding but we will discuss sustainability during the grant period
49	In the RFP, “In addition to the implementation or strengthening of parent engagement practices, selected partners will be required to attend Ascend’s Collaborative Action for Student Parents Convening on April 10-12, 2024.” Could you indicate if the travel to this convening should be built into our budget for the grant, and the location at which it will occur?	this will be additional funding outside of the award.
50	If we have an existing project in the pilot stage around supporting student parents, can this funding be used to support existing projects to expand outreach?	yes existing projects are accepted
51	Could you provide a spectrum of how you define a 2-gen approach. What’s the minimum and what would be consider above and beyond?	2Gen approaches at the highest level provided supports and services to children and the parents or adult caregivers at the same time, this opporunity is to support student parents - so more adult focused programming.
52	do parents need to be actively enrolled in post-secondary programs or can services help parents who are working toward enrollment?	actively enrolled
53	Thank you for clarifying that 'student' includes parents enrolled in workforce development programs as well.	Of course! We’re glad we could answer your question!
54	Is this funding open for teen parents who are in high school?	if they are enrolled in postsecondary program.
55	What is the program impact you are looking to see in applications? Is there a certain number of parents that should be enrolled/complete the program?	we don't have any benchmarks set
56	When should programs begin? There is a timeline that funding will begin distribution as early as November 2023 but when should programs start/end?	grant period is found in the RFP
57	To clarify, you just stated the data would inform that we needed to establish a “new” program. Is the expansion or restart of a previously paused program qualifying for this, or must it be truly “new”?	It can be a past program that is being revamped too
58	Can the funding be used to fund support for student parents to advocate for extended funding in our state budgets to cover post secondary child care subsidies?	Yes
59	We are an adult literacy organization. We would plan to help parents enroll in postsecondary. However, part of our vision is also helping individuals make progress toward postsecondary - high school diploma, basic skill improvement, etc. Does those services that help prepare learners for postsecondary also be included in the proposal?	would need to be postsecondary education or credential.
60	Is there a list available of previous grantees and their successfully funded projects?	Yes, you can find a list or previous grantees and desriptions of their funded projects in the RFP: https://ascend.aspeninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/2023_Parent-Powered-Solutions-Fund_RFP.pdf
61	If there is a research component attached to this, can we use funds for participant incentives?	Yes
62	When you said that organizations do not qualify if they received the first round of the PPSF, does that mean that organizations can only receive this grant once?	This is true for this round of funding. I cannot speak for future funding.
63	Can you share more information about the yearlong peer-learning cohort?	Yes! You can find more information about the yearlong peer-learning cohort in our RFP: https://ascend.aspeninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/2023_Parent-Powered-Solutions-Fund_RFP.pdf. There will be bimonthly virtual peer-learning sessions starting in November 2023.
64	How long is the review proceess/when will final decisions be made?	Applications are due by Friday, September 8th, and will be reviewed by Parent Advisors through October 23rd. Selected fund partners will be notified on October 26.
65	Is there a limit of the age of the children that we served when using this grant?	no
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