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AxCS Frequently Asked Questions

Get answers to questions about Accelerating Cancer Screening (AxCS) funding.

See Manage the Accelerating Cancer Screening (AxCS) Award for more information.

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Partnerships

Does my application have to include partnership documentation from an NCI-designated Cancer Center?

Yes. Your application must include documentation of the required partnership as Attachment 2. 

The documentation must:

  • Define the nature of the relationship
  • Describe specific collaboration and/or coordinated activities in support of your project
  • Document a commitment to deploy Cancer Center-trained and supervised outreach specialists and patient navigators in your service area
  • Be current and include a signature from the Cancer Center’s CEO or other appropriate key management staff 

There is no requirement for the type of documentation. For example, it could be a memorandum of understanding (MOU) or letter of commitment. But it must include all four of these requirements.

Added: 5/4/2022

Is the partnering NCI-designated Cancer Center required to be located within my service area?

No, but the Cancer Center must commit to deploying Cancer Center-trained and supervised outreach specialists and patient navigators to improve cancer screening and referral for care and treatment within your service area.

Added: 5/4/2022

Is there a minimum number of partners I must engage through my AxCS project?

Yes. You must partner with an NCI-designated Cancer Center to improve cancer screening and referral for care and treatment in your service area. You may also partner with other health centers, state/local health departments, Tribal organizations, and/or community and faith-based organizations to leverage community outreach, education, and engagement resources to increase cancer screening and referral for care and treatment. 

Added: 5/4/2022

Are letters of support required if I only propose a partnership with an NCI-designated Cancer Center?

No. If you plan to partner with only a Cancer Center and no other providers/organizations, you do not need to provide letters of support. You should include Attachment 3 with the statement, “This attachment is not required. We plan to partner with only the Cancer Center.”

Added: 5/4/2022

What does my partnering NCI-designated Cancer Center have to contribute to the AxCS project?

Your partnering Cancer Center must deploy its outreach specialists and patient navigators in the health center’s service area to increase cancer screening and referral for care and treatment.

Added: 5/4/2022

Can I contract with an NCI-designated Cancer Center to provide training and technical assistance to build and/or enhance my health center's cancer screening capacity?

Yes. You may use AxCS funds to purchase training and/or technical assistance from partnering Cancer Centers and other partner organizations.

Added: 5/4/2022

What does “deployment of Cancer Center staff” require?

Deployment of Cancer Center staff requires the physical deployment of Cancer Center staff to the health center’s service area to conduct community outreach and patient navigation to increase cancer screening and referral for care and treatment.

Added: 5/4/2022

Can my health center use its outreach specialists and patient navigators to increase cancer screenings?

Yes. Your health center may use its outreach specialists and patient navigators to increase screenings. However, you may not use health center staff to conduct outreach and patient navigation in place of the Cancer Center staff, who are required to be deployed to provide outreach and patient navigation in your service area.

Added: 5/23/2022

Budget requirements and project planning

How should I present my AxCS budget request on the SF-424A and in other budget documents?

This information outlines where to include your two-year AxCS budget information.

  • SF-424A Section A: Total two-year request by subprogram (i.e., CHC, HCH, MHC, PHPC)
    • Federal: $500,000 maximum (the total amount to be spent across two years)
    • Non-federal: As applicable
  • SF-424A Section B: Two-year break out by cost category (totals align with Section A totals)
    • Federal: $500,000 maximum (the total amount to be spent across two years)
    • Non-federal: As applicable
  • SF-424A Section C: Two-year non-federal funds sources
  • SF-424A Sections D&E: Leave blank
  • Budget Narrative: Two-year totals (federal and non-federal aligned with Section B), plus:
    • Year 1 break out by cost category (federal and non-federal)
    • Year 2 break out by cost category (federal and non-federal)
    • Personnel Justification Table, if AxCS funding will support staff, contractors, or consultants
    • You do not need to spend federal funds equally across the two years. See the sample Budget Narrative on the AxCS TA webpage.
  • Equipment List (if applicable): Equipment purchases (must not exceed $250,000)
    • Items costing less than $5,000 should be listed as supplies.

Added: 5/4/2022

Why will AxCS funding be issued through a new grant number?

We will issue AxCS funding under a new grant number separate from current Health Center Program operational (H80) grant awards to help awardees separately track and account for their activities supported through the AxCS (H8I) funding.

Added: 5/4/2022

Will I be required to complete a non-competing continuation report to receive Year 2 funds? 

No. AxCS funding will be awarded to support the full two-year period of performance. You do not need to spend federal funds equally across the two years.

Added: 5/4/2022

What is considered non-federal funding?

The non-federal share of the project budget includes all anticipated program income sources, such as fees, premiums, third-party reimbursements, and payments generated from providing services. Program income also includes “other revenue sources,” such as state, local, or other federal grants or contracts and private support or income generated from fundraising or contributions. Non-federal costs also include any in-kind donations in support of the AxCS project.

Added: 5/4/2022

What is considered equipment?

Equipment includes moveable non-expendable items, tangible personal property (including information technology systems) with a useful life of more than one year, and a per-unit acquisition cost that equals or exceeds the lesser of the capitalization level established by the applicant for its financial statement purposes or $5,000. Items costing less than $5,000 per unit are considered supplies.

Added: 5/4/2022

Are there any formatting guidelines for the Budget Narrative?

Yes. Use single-spacing and an easily readable font like Times New Roman, Arial, or Courier. The font should be 10-point or larger. You may submit a Microsoft Excel file, but limit the Excel workbook to one tab (i.e., spreadsheet). Ensure the print area is set to the information HRSA needs to review, minimizing blank cells where possible. See the AxCS technical assistance webpage for an example of a Budget Narrative.

Added: 5/4/2022

If I use AxCS funds to purchase a mobile unit, can I use it for other purposes?

The primary purpose of mobile units purchased with AxCS funds must be to increase equitable access to cancer screening and referral for care and treatment to support your AxCS project.

Added: 5/4/2022

Will AxCS funding continue beyond the two-year period of performance?

Additional funding to support cancer screening may be available beyond the two years of funding under this NOFO.

If additional funding for this purpose is available in future fiscal years, then additional funding may be made available dependent upon your performance beyond the two-year period of performance on the AxCS objectives:

  • Increase the number and percentage of patients screened for at least one of the following cancer types: cervical, breast, and/or colorectal
  • Increase the number of patients assisted with accessing appropriate follow-up care within 30 days of receiving an abnormal screening test result

If available, HRSA will base future funding on your Year 2 funding level as presented in your budget narrative.

Added: 5/4/2022

Staffing

Can I use AxCS funds to hire a driver to transport patients from a location in the community to one of my health center sites for cancer screening?

Yes. Transportation is an allowed enabling service if it moves health center patients to or from a location where they are receiving a service on your currently approved Form 5A (i.e., the service is within the scope of your Health Center Program project). However, AxCS funds cannot be used to purchase or lease a vehicle to transport patients.

Added: 5/4/2022

If I plan to contract FTEs, must I include them in the personnel justification table?

Yes. You must include on the personnel justification table all direct hire and contract personnel FTEs you propose supporting with AxCS funding. If you propose to increase the hours of a current FTE, include only the increased FTE amount when listing this staff member on the personnel justification table and explain in the narrative.

Added: 5/4/2022

Am I required to add certain types or a certain amount of personnel as part of my AxCS project?

No. You may use AxCS funds to add a variety of personnel (e.g., patient navigator, physician, patient education staff, outreach staff) and/or leverage existing personnel to support the AxCS purpose and objectives. Personnel supported with AxCS funds must not be already fully supported by your H80 operational grant or related supplemental funding (e.g., H8F).

Added: 5/4/2022

Other

How do I complete the fields in the SF-424?

See the description of the Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424) form items.

This table includes information on how to respond to specific sections.

Box Number Field Response
1 Type of Submission Application
2 Type of Application New
3 Date Received Leave blank (completed automatically in Grants.gov)
4 Applicant Identifier The Grants.gov identification number will populate here
5a, 5b Federal Entity Identifier, Federal Award Identifier Enter your H80 number
12 Funding Opportunity Number HRSA-22-154
14 Areas Affected by Project List the primary service site where you will implement your AxCS project
15 Descriptive Title of Applicant’s Project Accelerating Cancer Screening
16 Congressional Districts Include the congressional district for the primary service site where you will implement your AxCS project in alignment with the site listed in box 14. The attachment is not required.
17 Proposed Project The period of performance is September 1, 2022, to August 31, 2024
18 Estimated Funding ($) Enter the amount of AxCS funding requested for the two-year period of performance for A) Federal (up to $500,000)
19 Is Application Subject to Review Under Executive Order 12372 Process? Select A if your state is included in the SPOC list (PDF - 104 KB).
If not, select B) Program is subject to E.O. 12372 but has not been chosen by the State for review.

Added: 5/4/2022

If I plan to include multiple sites in my AxCS project, should I list them all on the Project/Performance Site locations form?

No. Include only the primary service site where your AxCS project will be implemented on the Project/Performance Site Location form in Grants.gov.

Added: 5/4/2022

Can I propose activities at a service site that I plan to explore later?

Proposed activities must be at sites (including mobile units) in your approved scope of project, as indicated on Form 5B. If a new site is added to scope, you may use AxCS funding to support approved AxCS activities at that site. For additional information, see the Scope of Project resource webpage.

Added: 5/4/2022

Am I required to address all three cancer types—breast, cervical, and colorectal—in my AxCS project?

No. While your project may address multiple cancer types, that is not required. You must propose to increase the number and percentage of patients screened and referred for care and treatment for at least one of the three identified cancer types.

Added: 5/4/2022

Can I use AxCS funds to support screening for cancer types other than breast, cervical, and/or colorectal?

Yes. But, at a minimum, your AxCS project must address breast, cervical, and/or colorectal cancer screening.

Added: 5/4/2022

Will I be required to follow up on referrals for abnormal cancer screenings?

Yes. You will be required to report in select biannual progress reports the percentage of patients with referrals for care and treatment for which you receive a report from the provider to whom the patient was referred. For more information on this measure, see CMS50v12.

Updated: 8/7/2024

Date Last Reviewed: