Community Service/Services Development (CS/SD)

The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) has published their 2010 Request for Proposal (RFP) soliciting applicants for the Community Service/Services Development (CS/SD) grant program. 

The RFP can be found in the State Register or on the DHS website at www.dhs.state.mn.us.  On the Home Page, click on the Aging button at the top,  then click on Grants and Resources in the left hand column and then click on CS/SD Grants.  Proposals, both an electronic version and a signed hard copy, are due at DHS on March 26, 2010 at 4:00 p.m.  Electronic submissions are entered online at http://www.dhs.state.mn.us/cssd and hard copies are either sent via mail or hand delivered to DHS, 444 Lafayette Road North, St. Paul, MN. 55155. 

The Metropolitan Area Agency on Aging (MAAA), Southeast Metro Seniors Agenda for Independent Living/ElderCare Development (SAIL/EDP), and counties are available to provide technical assistance to applicants.  Applicants can request technical assistance from MAAA or SAIL/EDP staff on a first-come, first-serve basis.  Kate Houston, MAAA’s Planning Director and Nan Just, SAIL/EDP Coordinator will consult about project need and design, outcomes, sustainability, and budget, as well as review draft proposals as time permits.

Kate will consult on projects that serve Anoka, Carver, Hennepin, and Washington Counties, and Nan will provide consultation for projects that serve Dakota, Ramsey, and Scott Counties.  Applicants must have at least a phone consultation about the project concept to receive points in the proposal review.  Due to staffing constraints, applicants are strongly encouraged to contact Kate or Nan as early as possible to receive technical assistance.

To receive maximum points, applicants must submit their completed proposal to the Area Agency on Aging (AAA) and receive an evaluation that consists of the following questions:  

1. Has MAAA or the SAIL/EDP provided technical assistance in the development of the proposal?
2. Did the applicant provide a complete application including a budget and work plan for the AAA to review?
3. Will the proposal meet a service need in this market area identified by the county Gaps Analysis or other source?
4. Does the proposal meet the target population’s need at a reasonable price?
5. Does the applicant have the capacity to develop and provide the proposed service as detailed in the application, budget and work plan?
6. Does the AAA support funding for the proposal?
7. Will the project be sustainable within two years?

The Metropolitan Area Agency on Aging’s time-line and evaluation process for these proposals is as follows:

1. Proposals, including all budget pages and worksheets, must be submitted to Bob Anderson by 4:30 p.m., March 5, 2010.  MAAA prefers that you print a copy of your proposal, workplan, and budget and fax it to Bob Anderson at 651-641-8618. 
2. An evaluation team reviews each proposal and answers the evaluation questions listed above.
3. Applicants will receive a completed evaluation form from MAAA via PDF file by March 19, 2010 to include in their final “hard copy” application to DHS.  It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure AAA evaluation(s) are uploaded to the online application and attached to the proposal to DHS.  Applicants will upload the AAA evaluation(s) to the Grant Application Service Center >Proposal Requirement tab>Additional Files.

County contacts for provision of technical assistance and evaluation are as follows: