Frequently Asked Questions about Round 4 of the Interventional Cooperative Agreement Program (ICAP)

1. Who is eligible to apply for ICAP?
   
   The following types of organizations are eligible to apply for ICAP: State and local governmental agencies, federally recognized Native American tribes, foundations, employer associations, not-for-profit and for-profit organizations, and educational institutions including Minority Serving Institutions, and HBCUs. See Section III Eligibility Information, Subsection A: Eligible Applicants in the Request for Applications (RFA) for more information.
2. Is ICAP a yearly program?
   
   We host a competition for new ICAP projects each year. The projects awarded through ICAP are issued with a 5-year budget and project period.
3. How do I learn more about writing grant applications?
   
   Resources that provide insights on grants, the policies, terminology, and programs are available on www.Grants.gov.
4. What assistance is being requested for grantees to assist non-English speaking individuals?
   Applicants may budget for expenses such as translation services as needed. When developing the budget to support your program, be sure to consult the Cost Principles found at 2 Code of Federal Regulations 200 Subpart E. SSA will review your budget to ensure expenses are reasonable, necessary for the performance of the financial award, and allocable.
5. How do I apply for ICAP? What kind of license or paperwork is required?
   
   A complete application is required. Be sure to thoroughly read the RFA, assess your organizations capabilities to deliver a program that meets SSA ICAP objectives, and submit a complete application by the stated deadline. Consult the Application Checklist under section III. Eligibility Information, C. Other Eligibility Criterion in the RFA.
6. What kinds of programs qualify for ICAP?
   Please keep in mind that ICAP funds interventional demonstration research, which means that any intervention or service funded through ICAP must be coupled with a rigorous evaluation of the intervention or service. With that in mind, some of the specific questions we have received and answered are shown below.
   1. Can we reach out to church communities?
      
      1. Yes, you can conduct outreach to church communities as a part of your project.
   2. Does funding for representative (rep) payee services qualify?
      
      1. Yes, you can include funding for rep payee services as a part of your project.
   3. Would policy analysis and/or benefit screening fall within the scope of ICAP?
      
      1. Yes, but only if the policy analysis or benefit screening is related to the Social Security Disability Insurance or Supplemental Security Income programs.
7. The RFP specifies that the project narrative is to be double-spaced – may we include a table in the narrative that is single-spaced?
   We encourage applicants to abide by the formatting requirements included in the RFA when composing their applications.  While we will allow some minor exceptions to the formatting requirements in applications, we ask that applicants avoid using tables to add additional text beyond what would fit into 40 double-spaced pages in 12-point Times New Roman font.
8. Can an ICAP project test interventions for both SSI and SSDI?  Can SSA waive benefit rules under said interventions?
   SSA operates ICAP under the authority granted in Section 1110 of the Social Security Act. Under Section 1110, SSA is allowed to conduct research and demonstrations related to both programs.  However, it only allows SSA to waive SSI program rules for the purpose of demonstration research.  SSA currently has no authority to allow us to waive SSDI program rules for any research purposes.