DSLBD GRANT DEBRIEF AND GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES FOR APPLICANTS

The procedures below govern debrief meetings and conversations with DSLBD staff regarding grant funding decisions. These procedures may be modified by the Request for Applications (RFA) for a specific grant program.

Notification of Grant Applicant Selection

DSLBD will notify applicants about its grant funding decisions within forty-five (45) days after the grant application closes. The notification will state whether the application was awarded or not. If not awarded, the notification will provide instructions for applicants to schedule an optional debriefing.

The debriefing will address the applicant’s application and relevant scoring factors, including but not limited to the following:

• The application’s strengths and weaknesses;
• Comments, ranking, and other appropriate data points from independent reviewers using the criteria established in the RFA;
• The Director’s general discretion, which may account for a variety of factors such as the agency’s priorities (e.g., maintaining a hyperlocal approach by working with grantees who have a physical presence and knowledge of specific geographic areas, or ensuring resources are fairly distributed across the city by limiting repeat awardees or striving to fund at least one (1) grant per ward),
• The feasibility of the proposal;
• Community feedback on the applicant’s services in the past; and
• DSLBD’s experience with the applicant in the past (e.g., the applicant’s track record on previous DSLBD grants, history of following best practices, and ability to successfully deliver grant-funded services). 

Grant Applicant Debrief  Process

1. To engage in the debriefing process, an applicant must request a debrief within three (3) business days of a notice of non-award.
2. The request to meet with relevant staff shall be made via the booking link provided in the relevant notice of non-award. (Other meeting options may be made available as needed.)
3. DSLBD will conduct these meetings at a mutually agreeable time as soon as practicable.
4. The debriefing will be limited to discussing:
   • A summary of the reasons for the non-award decision.
   • A summary of the application’s strengths and weaknesses under the evaluation criteria published in the RFA.
   • A summary or overview of grant reviewers’ relevant comments from the review process.
   • Any other relevant questions from the applicant regarding the RFA evaluation and selection procedures.
5. The applicant may take notes during the debrief session for application improvement purposes; however, debrief conversations will not be recorded.

 

Grant Applicant Grievance Process

 

1. If an applicant is not satisfied with the debrief meeting, a grievance may be filed with DSLBD.
   1. The grievance shall be reduced to writing and sent to the email address of record for the grant program, as highlighted in the grant’s RF
   2. The applicant must provide a detailed statement of its grievance.
2. DSLBD will review the grievance, and the applicant will be notified if the grievance is upheld or not upheld (denied). DSLBD’s final decision is not appealable.

 

Exception to the Debrief Process

 

3. Applications that are non-compliant with the RFA’s technical submission requirements will not be eligible for an award. Applicants who fail to comply with these requirements and do not receive an award are not eligible for a debrief. Any requests for a debrief from such applicants will be denied.

 

Reservation of Rights

 

4. Debriefing sessions are intended to help applicants improve the quality of their grant applications in the future. DSLBD reserves the right to summarize feedback from grant reviewers and decision-makers. Additionally, during the debriefing process, DSLBD staff will not compare the application being discussed to others in the same application pool. Further, reviewers’ names, unedited comments, and actual scores will not be provided, as such information is considered deliberative and, therefore, not subject to public disclosure.