Frequently Asked Questions & Answers

Will funds be equally distributed across the three-year period, or distributed on a first-come, first-served basis?

Funds will not be held in reserve. As such, those interested in applying for funding are encouraged to submit applications as soon as possible to ensure adequate funding. Once funding is gone, the application category will be closed.

If my application is not funded after the first submission, am I eligible to resubmit a revised proposal?

Answer: Yes! All unsuccessful applicants will be given written feedback from the review committee. If you wish to address review committee concerns and resubmit your application, you are welcome to do so. Please note, that resubmitting a revised application does not guarantee funding.

What are the grant cycles?

Answer: Grants will be awarded quarterly and funds will be distributed on an annual basis.

Will organizations need to reapply every year?

Answer: For each project, organizations can apply for up to 3 years of funding (all funding ends December 31, 2025).

Can an organization apply for multiple awards within a single category?

Answer: Yes.

What are the four award categories?

Award Category 1: Behavioral health training opportunities
Award Category 2: Telebehavioral health support in rural areas
Award Category 3: Behavioral health workforce projects related to COVID-19
Award Category 4: Funding for licensed behavioral health supervisors

Are the award limits per year? Or the total amount?

Answer: There are not any award limits/year, however, there are budget caps for each project.

Award Category 1: Behavioral health training opportunities - $500,000
Award Category 2: Telebehavioral health support in rural areas - $1,000,000
Award Category 3: Behavioral health workforce projects related to COVID-19 - $100,000
Award Category 4: Funding for licensed behavioral health supervisors - $100,000

Are the budget caps for one year? Or for the entirety of the project?

Answer: Budget caps are for the entirety of the project. For example, if you are proposing an internship project for three years, the total of the three-year project needs to be $500,000 or less.

Award Category 1: Behavioral health training opportunities - $500,000
Award Category 2: Telebehavioral health support in rural areas - $1,000,000
Award Category 3: Behavioral health workforce projects related to COVID-19 - $100,000
Award Category 4: Funding for licensed behavioral health supervisors - $100,000

Will small projects be competitive (e.g. training and placing a single intern in a very underserved rural community)?

Answer: Yes! Small projects will be competitive. Please be sure to follow the application guidelines and review criteria to ensure you have a competitive application.

What category should I choose if my project will fit into more than one category?

Answer: You should choose the category that most closely aligns with the major goal of your project.

How will funds be distributed?

Answer: Funds will be distributed on an annual basis. There will be quarterly budget reporting requirements.

Is there a way to connect projects with similar tasks, for example, training needed for rural providers who need telehealth supplies?

Answer: A project needs to fit within one of the four award categories. Please refer to the four award categories to see which category best fits your project.

What are the tax implications of receiving the funding?

Answer: Please contact the financial advisor for your organization to address how this funding may impact your organization and taxes.

Will projects need sustainability plans?

Answer: Because American Rescue Plan Act funding was awarded to help address the impacts of COVID-19, a sustainability plan is not required. Including a sustainability plan will not hurt your application, however.

Do we need to develop our own evaluation plan?

Answer: No, you will not need to develop your own evaluation plan. Please note that while you do not have to develop your own evaluation plan, the application does require you to describe your plan for capturing required data collection and reporting, including key personnel involved in these efforts.

Will collaborative projects be viewed more favorably during the review process?

Answer: Please refer to the review criteria to see how collaboration will impact the score of your application.

Does the PDF of the budget form need to be completed prior to submission or is that something we complete/fill out after we receive notice that we are getting an award?

Answer: Yes, the budget form needs to be completed prior to submission.

Are there character/word limits/preferences for the application questions?

Answer: Text boxes within the online application are capped at 500 words.

If you like the concept but have questions about the budget will you ask for revision or will the application be excluded from consideration?

Answer: Applicants will not be scored on their budgets. Reviewers will provide written feedback to applicants about their budgets. If an applicant is granted an award, UNMC will ensure that budgets are within Federal guidelines.

Can you talk a little about the reporting requirements for approved grants?

Answer: There will be financial and evaluation reporting requirements. Awardees will be receiving a sub-contract with UNMC and will have to comply with UNMC financial reporting requirements, which will occur on an at-least quarterly basis. Evaluation reporting will be done quarterly. Examples of evaluation measures can be found on the BHECN ARPA website.

If the initial application is not selected, does the organization need to start over with a new application and information if applying for subsequent applications?

Answer: Applicants can access their applications in the online application portal. These applications can be copied, modified, and then submitted in either the same or different categories.

Will applicants receive feedback (e.g., scoring, weaknesses) if their applications are not approved?

Answer: Applicants will receive written feedback from review committees on their applications.

What evaluation is expected beyond the evaluation questions listed on your website? Specifically asking about the COVID category where the total funding available per project is lower.

Answer: Evaluation measures and processes are under development at BHECN. Evaluation activities will not take more than 5% of a staff person’s time.

How do we estimate FTE required to collect data required by BHECN since it’s not yet final? Could you give a suggestion of how many hours it may take an evaluator to collect that data?

Answer: Evaluation activities will not take more than 5% of a staff person’s time.

I’m having issues getting my DUNS number and I’m concerned that it will delay my application submission. Can I submit without that number?

Answer: While we would prefer you submit your application with the required DUNS number, if you are concerned an issue will delay your application, you can submit without the number.

Are there any unallowable costs? I'm thinking about administrative costs, such as the software needed for trainees.

Answer: Indirect costs are not allowed. Please look at the Uniform Guidance Allowable Costs on the front page of the Behavioral Health Workforce ARPA Awards to see if costs within your budget are allowable.

Can we budget to use the money to supplement our training programs for school counselors or is it only for students who are in a program to become licensed behavioral health providers?

Answer: Please refer to the BHECN ARPA website for definitions of the four award programs to decide which award category best fits your project idea.

Can indirect costs be included such as faculty salary and benefits for training programs or administrative support?

Answer: The University of Nebraska Medical Center has received the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (“ARPA”) funding from the State of Nebraska through the means of a legislative appropriation. The Legislative Bill does not allow for indirect costs to be charged to the appropriated funds to UNMC. As such, UNMC cannot flow down indirect costs to the awardees under the BHECN program. We encourage applicants to accommodate for allowable costs as provided under 2 CFR, Part 200 (Uniform Guidance).

No indirect costs are allowed. If a project expense is critical for the success of the project (e.g. staff/faculty/admin salary, equipment, supplies), that expense should be a direct cost in your proposed budget. Please review the Uniform Guidance listing of allowable costs for information on allowable direct costs.

Who are the members of the review committees? Not specific individuals but what fields/departments they come from.

Answer: Review committees are comprised of 8-10 individuals from across Nebraska and the United States with diverse backgrounds and professions. The review committee members have expertise in their respective award categories and often have experience conducting grant reviews. To ensure a fair and objective review, review committee members will identify if they have a conflict of interest with an application and will recuse themselves from reviewing that application.

Can metro programs or organizations who serve metro training programs or clients apply for the grants or is it only for rural programs?

Answer: The only award category that is specific to serving rural areas is the Telebehavioral Health Support for Rural Areas Awards category. Any entity in the state is encouraged to apply.

If the budget is $100,000, is that full amount renewable over 3 years, or split across 3 years?

Answer: Budget caps are for the entire duration of a project. If an organization is applying for a 3-year project in a category with a $100,000 budget cap, that 3-year project’s budget needs to total $100,000 or less.

If I submit an application early - say September 1 - is it possible to be awarded and receive funding prior to December?

Answer: Awards will not be announced early and will be announced according to the schedule found on the BHECN ARPA website.

Is the funding given on a reimbursement basis or upfront?

Answer: Funding will be through a subcontract with UNMC. UNMC will require invoicing for a subcontractor to receive funds.

On the list of what is allowed in the budget application, several categories say allowable with restrictions, how do we find out what is allowable?

Answer: There are links to find out greater detail on what is allowable within the Uniform Guidance.

Can a PsyD dissertation be paid for using this funding?

Answer: Please see the BHECN ARPA Awards webpage for definitions and example projects for the four award categories.

If an organization has two applications in one category, can the total of both go over the maximum allowed? (i.e. $100,000?)

Answer: Yes; each application will be viewed independently.

Who can apply for this grant? A profit or non-profit organization?

Answer: All entities are encouraged to apply for ARPA Behavioral Health Awards. There are no eligibility limits.

If a student is completing an internship in December, can they apply for support now?

Answer: All applicants should expect subcontracting processing times once awards are announced. Awardees will be able to begin invoicing once their subcontracts are complete. The award cycle can be found on the BHECN ARPA Awards webpage.

Would it be possible to publish results in peer review journals from data collected through an ARPA project?