Minnesota Suicide Prevention Coordination and Technical Support Grant RFP Q&A

Questions and answers regarding the Minnesota Suicide Prevention Coordination and Technical Support Grant RFP will be posted below within two business days of submission.

Q: Am I eligible as a current grantee?  

A: Current MDH grantees are eligible to apply. Applicants awarded funding under multiple MDH grant programs will be responsible for maintaining compliance with and completing all required activities, deliverables, and reporting obligations for each grant. 

Q: Are organizations eligible to submit applications for multiple open funding opportunities through the Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Unit?

A: Yes  

Q: Is this grant seen as a continuation of the current Minnesota Suicide Prevention Coordination and Technical Support Grant?  

A: No. This funding opportunity is not a continuation of the current grant. It is a new funding opportunity with a revised scope of work and a new five-year funding cycle. 

Q: Is a potential sub-contracted entity allowed to write a letter of commitment for more than one RFP applicant?

A: Potential subcontractors may choose to provide Letters of Commitment in support of an application, at their discretion.

Q: Will exactly one grantee be funded, or can it be split by region or multiple agencies awarded?  

A: One qualifying application will be awarded.  

Q: Can applicants include a project narrative?

A: Yes. Applicants may include a project narrative in the Executive Summary section of the Grant Portal application. The Executive Summary is not scored as part of the overall application evaluation.

Q: Is there a cap on subcontracting?

A: No. There is no specific cap on subcontracting amounts. However, the total proposed budget, including any subcontracting costs, must remain within the maximum funding amount available under the RFP.

Q: In addition to work with regional groups, can the selected applicant subcontract with other cultural groups, such as South Asian or East African groups?  

A: Applicants will need to submit a letter of commitment from any proposed subcontracted partner.  

Q: Are the regional divisions identified the minimum number of regions, or are those fixed regions?

A: The seven regional divisions identified are fixed regions and follow the LPHA regional map outlined in the RFP. These seven regions will be used as the regional divisions for the duration of the funding cycle.

Q: Is there a prohibition of adding more coordinators per region?  

A: Each of the seven regional divisions is required to have one 1.0 FTE Suicide Prevention Regional Coordinator assigned to and residing within the identified geographic region, as outlined in the RFP. Applicants must meet this minimum staffing requirement for each region.

Q: Will a for-profit or out-of-state organization be eligible?  

A: Applicants eligible to apply in this competitive process include, but are not limited to, local public health and social services agencies, nonprofit organizations, Tribal governments, Tribal organizations, units of government, or other interested agencies demonstrating the capacity and infrastructure to provide statewide suicide prevention coordination and support. Applicants must be located and conduct grant activities within the State of Minnesota. Grant funds are not transferable to any other entity. Applicants that are aware of any upcoming mergers, acquisitions, or any other changes in their organization or legal standing, must disclose this information to MDH in their application, or as soon as they are aware of it.

Q: Are out-of-state organizations eligible as subcontractors.  

A: All applicants and subcontractors must be located and conduct grant activities within the State of Minnesota.  

Q: Can applicants include Letters of Support or only Letters of Commitment from subcontractors and tribal partners?  

A: If subcontractors are proposed, submit a Letter of Commitment with the application. Applicants proposing Tribal Regional Coordination activities must demonstrate a history of Tribal collaboration and submit a Letter of Support from the respective Tribal Nation(s) or Tribal Organization(s). Additional letters of support may be included with the application; however, they are not required and will not be scored as part of the application review process.

Q:  What are the key differences between the current regional coordination grant and this RFP?  

A: This funding opportunity is not a continuation of a current grant. It is a new funding opportunity with new grant goals, an expanded scope of work, revised regional map and a new five-year funding cycle.

Q: Is there a breakdown of how the previous grant funds for suicide prevention regional coordination were spent that can be reviewed?

A: Applicants may consider the following estimated budget allocations, subject to their organization's structure and approach:  

• 60% Salary and fringe  
• 4% Statewide conference expenses
• 10% Travel
• 11% Supplies and other expenses
• 15% Administrative costs

Q: Are there evaluation results of the current regional coordination grant?  

A: The current funding cycle is still in progress; therefore, final evaluation results are not yet available. However, the reporting metrics below provide an overview of progress to date for the Suicide Prevention Regional Coordination Grant and the Minnesota Suicide Prevention Trainer Network during the period July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2026.

• Number of trainings = 1,016
• Number of awareness events = 1,108
• Number of technical assistance instances = 1,401
• Number of regional meetings = 140