Skip to main content

State Capacity Building Initiative

A one-time funding opportunity by the Lifeline to encourage network capacity-building

About The RFP

The purpose of these temporary, two-year grants is to enhance long-term state support for Lifeline affiliated call centers and boost in-state answer rates. Properly resourcing such centers means more
calls can be answered in-state and fewer calls will be routed into Lifeline’s national backup network. This will result in greater numbers of callers experiencing shorter wait times and more efficient linkages to local treatment, support, and crisis/emergency services. Vibrant Emotional Health will award up to $5 million in grants in FY20 and up to another $5 million in FY21 to the same FY20 awardees so that local, regional and state-wide call centers are better able to manage Lifeline call volume.

The number of awards to be made depends on the budget levels of successful applicants. As the lead applicants, state/territory agencies must partner with Lifeline-affiliated call centers of their choosing and in their state/territory for this grant competition. Special provisions will be made for states/territories with no current Lifeline-affiliated centers (see Section II: Eligibility Information). The applicants must also provide robust sustainability plans in order to ensure answer rate gains are maintained after the grant period ends. States and U.S. Territories eligible for this grant competition are those with in-state answer rates less than 70%: AK, AL, GA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MA, MI, MN, NV, NY, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, VT, WI, WY, as well as American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Applications are due no later than August 30, 2019. Directions and application requirements are listed within the RFP. Frequently asked questions will also be added to this page regularly.

FAQ

What counts toward the 12 page limit of the grant narrative?

Show answer

Why is the Lifeline sharing this information with centers if the states are the ones who apply for the grant and they also receive the grant?

Show answer

Why can’t you fund every center or enlarge the stipend for everyone? And why are only states with low answer rates allowed to apply?

Show answer

If a state receives money, but does not achieve the expected goals, must funds be returned?

Show answer

Would non-Lifeline centers be eligible for funding from the state instead of Lifeline centers?

Show answer

Is there an option for centers to apply for funding if the state agency declines to apply?

Show answer

Are we supposed to wait for the state agency to reach out to us?

Show answer

I am part of a crisis center that wishes to be considered for the RFP. Who do I reach out to?

Show answer

How will states decide which centers they want to partner with?

Show answer

How will funds go from the state to the center?

Show answer

Should centers be working together as a consortium or preparing to compete for funding on their own?

Show answer

If a center is currently in the application process, but has not yet been approved (gone live) can they be eligible for Y2 funding from the state?

Show answer

Please comment on sustainability, since grant funding seems to rest substantially on the sustainability plan of applicants. This seems like a bit of a catch 22: if we had sustainable funding to increase capacity in our state’s Lifeline system, we wouldn’t need this grant funding. Seems to me the grant funding offers a concrete way of seeing what it realistically costs to build capacity in our state, especially in heavily populated metro areas where personnel costs are higher than many places across the state and nation.

Show answer

When are applications due?

Show answer

When does the Lifeline plan to announce the awards?

Show answer

Is there any connection between this grant opportunity and the N-1-1 initiative?

Show answer

What is the page maximum for the RFP Application?

Show answer

What is our state’s in-state answer rate?

Show answer

Is my state eligible to apply for this RFP if our in-state answer rate is not below 70%?

Show answer

What Technical Assistance can the Lifeline provide to states?

Show answer

Who can I contact for additional data needed to apply?

Show answer

What other Lifeline centers are in my state?

Show answer

Can the grant be used to pay call center staff salaries?

Show answer

The RFP says applicants should ‘ensure a plan for 24/7 staffing including at least one dedicated counselor answering only Lifeline National calls at all times.’ For call centers that are answering local crisis line phone numbers, how does the Lifeline envision a call room operating with the above requirement? Would triage protocol for prioritizing calls coming in on the NSPL be sufficient to meet this requirement or would you need an additional staff person who does not take any local crisis line calls?

Show answer

Our biggest barrier to expanding Lifeline Capacity is that our current call centers do not exist in organizations that are open 24/7. Expanding them to 24/7 capacity goes beyond staffing someone to answer the phone, it is the cost of keeping large organizations open for 14 more hours in a day. However, we do have an option for an existing 24/7 call line to become a crisis center. Is that off the table as an action plan to build capacity with this grant?

Show answer

If an organization is designated by the state to provide services, undergoes quality and compliance reviews and is under our oversight, can that count as accreditation? (In reference to RFP State/county licensure in Appendix 1 – accreditation bodies.)

Show answer

Is there is any ability for two or more states to apply for this grant together? We know the goal in to improve in-state call response, but we also the know the goal is swift and effective call response. Within our small region it may be most effective to pool our efforts, so we thought it worth asking and especially if our only call center cannot provide 24/7 coverage.

Show answer

What if a specific area of the state is over 70% in-state, but the state itself is under 70% in-state answer rate? Is that area eligible?

Show answer

In terms of call routing, does the Lifeline have the ability to split up our state’s calls by region of the state?

Show answer

Our state applied for capacity building grants in a previous year but did not get an award. We think it was because we couldn’t guarantee new state funding would be allocated to sustain the grant. Is the same likely to be true this year if we still can’t guarantee it?

Show answer

Our call center has an indirect cost rate. What is the limit for indirect costs and are these costs supposed to be wrapped into our cost per call estimates or above and beyond those estimates?

Show answer

How was the rate of $25/hour determined?

Show answer

How should we track/record Veteran status for well-known/frequent callers?

Show answer

In Section D of the grant, states have to report on data partnering call centers provide. The data includes call volume and answer rates, average speed to answer, etc. I know these are reports the state has to provide monthly. Can you provide clarification as to when the state has to submit the first of these reports?

Show answer

The RFP indicates that an ACD phone system without Active Answer, or without the ability to implement Active Answer, is not eligible to participate. We have checked with our vendor, and they have advised that they are unaware of the term “Active Answer” as it applies to an ACD system. They do have the ability to reply with true DTMF but they cannot send a DTMF tone once a call is given to a counselor. They say they can’t build this in as there is no connection back to the originator of the call, in this case the Lifeline, once the call is disconnected from the originator. Your stated purpose of receiving the Active Answer, the “1”, is to be able to re-route the call if it is not received in a specified amount of time. We are not telephony experts and so we do not understand why the Lifeline can’t re-route the call once the time limit has been reached without the “1” being sent back. Can you clarify this for us?

Show answer

Can we use the grant money to recruit new call centers if we don’t have enough centers in our state?

Show answer