Substance Use Prevention, Education, and Recovery (SUPER) Focus Grants RFP Questions and Answers

All questions regarding the Substance Use Prevention, Education, and Recovery (SUPER) Focus Grants RFP will be posted below. Questions must be submitted by email to health.super.mdh@state.mn.us. In the subject line, include the phrase, “SUPER RFP Question.” All answers will be posted within three business days.

Please submit questions no later than April 2, 2025, 4:30 p.m. (CDT)

Q: I intend to apply for this and was wondering what my letter of intent should include and where I should send it?  

A: There are no specific requirements for what applicants need to include in their Letter of Intent. However, we ask that applicants notify MDH of their organization's name. Applicants do not need to specify a population or project.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit a non-binding Letter of Intent to apply by March 21, 2025. While prospective applicants are strongly encouraged to submit a Letter of Intent, it is not a mandatory requirement of this RFP. This means that an application may still be considered even if the applicant did not submit a Letter of Intent; likewise, an applicant is not obligated to apply just because they submitted a Letter of Intent. Applicants should submit their Letter of Intent via email to health.super.mdh@state.mn.us with the subject line “SUPER RFP Letter of Intent.” An email confirmation for the Letter of Intent will be provided. 

Q: If I have a current grant for Opioid Epidemic Response Advisory Council (OERAC) funds, can I still apply for this RFP?

A: Yes, if you are receiving Opioid Epidemic Response Advisory Council funds you can still apply for the grant. 

Q: Are entities that are receiving Cannabis and Substance Use Prevention grants eligible for this funding?  

A: Entities already receiving funding from Sec. 342.72 MN Statutes are not eligible to apply for funding. Entities that receive funding from Sec. 144.197 MN Statutes can apply but must clearly demonstrate how the new application will supplement, rather than duplicate, activities funded by Section 144.197. 

Q: Is there any additional guidance that can be given on what would constitute "urban" under this rfp? Does this definition include areas outside of the twin cities/metro area? 

A: The definition of Urban for this RFP aligns with the U.S. Census Bureau’s definition of Urban for the 2020 census (Urban and Rural). It does expand outside of the Twin Cities/Metro area.  

Examples of Urban by this application may include, but are not limited to: 

• Twin Cities/Metro Area
• Duluth
• Bemidji
• Rochester  

Q: Are for-profit clinics eligible for this grant? 

A: Yes, for-profit clinics are eligible for this grant, as they are considered a “health care organization” from the list of eligible applicants. 

Q: When requesting funding for each focus area, should we identify each specific purpose separately?  

A: It is not required to identify each purpose separately – the intention is that the focus areas would be interconnected and intersecting for the applicant and avoid the creation of silos. The only time focus areas need to have clear separation is in the applicant's budget.   

Q: Can you provide an example of when an advance payment might be made? For instance, could we request funds to purchase curriculum for teaching in schools, allowing staff time to review and prepare? Additionally, could we request funds to hire another counselor to enhance and expand programming? 

A: At this time, our program does not have an example of an approved advance payment request, but we can share information on the process. Requests for approval of advance payments are approved on a case-by-case basis. Requests are carefully reviewed by leadership and need a strong reason to show why the advance payment is necessary. The agency's review is designed to ensure confidence that the grantee can responsibly manage the funds and adhere to the terms of the grant agreement. 

Awarded grantees are encouraged to work with their grant managers to consider all available options. These may include submitting invoices more frequently (e.g., weekly or monthly instead of quarterly) or coordinating with MDH staff to expedite invoice processing, rather than waiting the standard 30-day timeframe.  

While the activities mentioned (purchasing curriculum and hiring staff) are considered approved activities for the grant, an advance payment request would require additional information about the requesting organization, agency review, and revisions to the grant agreement language to account for the advance payments.  

Q: If an applicant selects three focus communities and two of the three are Priority Focus Communities, how many bonus points would be awarded? 

A: The applicant would receive 2 bonus points. Bonus points are only awarded once for priority focus communities.  

Q: The materials note in several places that "the total grant award will reflect four equal installments of funding for four years." However, with the Enhancement Opportunity, there is obviously significantly more funding available for FY25 and FY26. Can you further explain this? 

A: Thank you for identifying this error and for the opportunity to provide further clarification! 

Applicants who do not apply for the enhancement opportunity should expect four equal installments over four years.

Applicants who apply for the primary and/or secondary focus AND the enhancement opportunity should expect four installments over four years where the amount of the first two installments is greater than the amount of the last two installments. 

Applicants who apply for the enhancement opportunity only will receive two equal installments over two years. 

Q: We noted the estimated award minimum is $100,000 and the estimated award maximum is $500,000. Is that per year or the total amount for the four years -- and does that include the Enhance Opportunity figures? 

A: It is up to $500,000 per year, and it does include the enhance opportunity figures. 

Q: We noted that "25% of funded applicants will have a focus on youth under the age of 25." Is this 25% a maximum or a minimum? Could more than 25% of the total grant funds go to applicants that have a youth focus? 

A: 25% is a minimum. More than 25% of total grant funds could go to applicants with a youth focus. 

Q: The Enhancement Opportunity AND Primary Focus seem to both fund strategies that address the intersection between substance use and mental health. Is the amount of time that an awardee would spend on these activities the key difference between Enhanced Opportunity and Primacy Focus (i.e., through June 2026 vs. 4 years)? If not, please share more information on the difference between them. 

A: It is correct that the amount of time for implementation is the major difference between the primary focus and enhancement opportunity. Program considers the enhancement opportunity as “short term funding” and projects are encouraged to be an enhancement of existing infrastructure.