More Nonprofit Infrastructure Capital Investment Grant Q&As Posted

The Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY) has released an additional set of questions and answers regarding the Nonprofit Infrastructure Capital Investment Program (NICIP) request for applications (RFA). LeadingAge New York first reported on the NICIP grant in Nov. More information is available to members here and here.  DASNY has also announced another webinar concerning the RFA to be held on Jan. 13^th at 10:30 a.m.  Registration is available here.

The newly-posted document includes, among others, the following key questions and answers:

Question: We are a nonprofit organization that did not directly receive HEAL NY funding. However, another entity did receive HEAL NY funding, and that entity subsequently distributed that funding to our organization. Are we still ineligible to be awarded NICIP grant funding?

Answer: See Section 2.11 “Eligible Entities” on page seven of the RFA as amended on Dec. 11, 2015. Applicants that received HEAL funding are ineligible for NICIP funding.

Question: The amended RFP states that for technology projects we must demonstrate three years of site control for the project location. Our project is acquisition of a new electronic health record system (implemented at multiple sites) which is fully cloud based, thus there is no primary physical base for the project. Does our project qualify, and assuming yes, how do we answer the site control question?

Answer:  See Sections 2.13 for a list of eligible costs, 2.14 & 2.20 of the RFA as amended on Dec. 11, 2015 for a general description of eligible software costs. No, it would not appear that these costs would qualify. Please be aware that the determination as to eligible and ineligible costs is a fact specific determination.

Questions: The RFA states that the following are not eligible: Colleges and universities, Elementary and secondary schools, Hospitals and diagnostic and treatment centers authorized under Article 28 of the NYPHL;

1. Would the language exclude our PACE programs as well?
2. Would the receipt of HEAL or CRFP funds by the membership organization, disqualify all of our member organizations, including home care?

Answers:

1. More information is needed to make a determination since information such as the location of where the program services are provided, and the eligibility of that location, is material. See Section 2.11 of the RFA and Article 28 of the New York State Public Health Law. All entities covered under the Article 28 definition of "hospital", including nursing homes, are ineligible to apply. Also see Section 2.18 of the RFA. The proposed project cannot provide more than a tangential benefit to an ineligible program.
2. See Section 2.11 "Eligible Entities." The purpose of NICIP grant funding is to make targeted investments in nonprofit human services organizations that provide direct services to New Yorkers. Membership or Umbrella organizations that represent service providers but do not themselves provide direct services are ineligible to apply. See Section 2.19 of the RFA. For purposes of this RFA, to be considered a separate and distinct nonprofit organization, each Applicant must have a unique Federal employer identification number or a unique tax payer identification number, or a unique SFS Vendor identification number and must be separately registered and prequalified in the Grants Gateway. Each Applicant must demonstrate that it meets the eligibility requirements set forth in the RFA. See Section 2.11 – if the Applicant received HEAL or CRFP funds, it is ineligible to apply. Project site(s) that may benefit from NICIP funds are those that are used to provide direct human services and comply with eligibility requirements outlined in Sections 2.11 and 2.13 of the RFA.

Questions:  We are a CCRC (Continuing Care Retirement Community) and our parent company is governed by Article 46. Since all CCRC’s have a continuum of care on campus, including a nursing home:

1. Is the parent company eligible to apply for this grant?
2. Are CCRC’s eligible?

Answers:

1. More information is needed to make a determination, but generally a CCRC would not likely be eligible unless it can demonstrate how it meets all eligibility criteria set forth in the statute and the RFA. A nonprofit organization with multiple programs that include both ineligible (i.e. Article 28 Diagnostic and Treatment Centers or elementary and secondary schools) and eligible direct human services programs are eligible to apply for NICIP funding as long as the proposed project will not provide more than a tangential benefit to an ineligible program.
2. See response to Question above.

Contact: Karen Lipson, klipson@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8383 ext. 124.