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This post originally appeared on the CDFI Fund's Impact Blog.
With the New Year, the CDFI Fund has begun preparing for the
upcoming fiscal year (FY) 2018 funding rounds of the Community Development
Financial Institutions Program (CDFI Program) and Native American CDFI
Assistance Program (NACA Program). To help you prepare, we wanted to pass along
some key steps that will ensure a smooth application process.
To successfully submit a funding application, your
organization will need to have key information on hand and account access for
several different government websites. You can act now to speed things up for
your organization when the application period opens. At this time, the CDFI
Fund anticipates that the Notice of Funding Availability, which officially
opens the FY 2018 application process, will be published in the Federal
Register in early February 2018.
These pre-application steps may take 30 days or longer to
complete. If you are interested in applying for FY 2018 funding, we suggest
that you get started as soon as possible. In order for your application to
considered for an award, all of these steps must be completed by the stated deadlines in the (soon-to-be
published) NOFA.
Completing the following will ensure that you will be able
to access required forms and information in SAM.gov, Grants.gov, and the CDFI
Fund’s Awards Management Information System (AMIS). Please note that while we
have done our best to compile useful links to help you, the CDFI Fund is not
responsible for maintaining links or the accuracy of the information on other
organizations' websites.
Step 1: Obtain your
DUNS and EIN Numbers
Each Applicant must provide, as part of its application
submission, a Dun and Bradstreet Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number. Applicants without a
DUNS number will not be able to register in SAM.gov and Grants.gov, nor submit
an application in the Grants.gov system. Please allow sufficient time for Dun and
Bradstreet to respond to inquiries and/or requests for DUNS numbers.
Applicants must also have an Employer Identification Number (EIN) to register in SAM.gov, which is
a prerequisite to submit a funding application via Grants.gov. Applicants that
do not have an EIN number must apply to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to
obtain the number.
Step 2: Create or
Update Your SAM.gov Account
The System for Award Management
(SAM) is a web-based, government-wide application that collects, validates,
stores, and disseminates business information about the federal government's
trading partners in support of the contract awards, grants, and electronic
payment processes.
Registration in SAM is required as part of the Grants.gov
registration process. For new applications, the SAM registration process can
take two weeks or longer to complete.
Applicants that have previously registered
with SAM must verify their accounts are current and active, as they need
to be renewed annually. If your SAM.gov account is not active, you will be
unable to submit the Grants.gov portion of your application. Additionally, if
your application is successful, the funds from your award will be paid to the
bank account you have on file with SAM.gov.
Step 3: Create or Update
Your Grants.gov Account
In order to apply for a CDFI Program or NACA Program award,
applicants must have a Grants.gov account and submit the Standard Form (SF)-424
by the deadline listed in the NOFA.
The SF-424 must
be completed and submitted electronically to the CDFI Fund via Grants.gov 30
days before the application materials are due in the AMIS system. You will not
be able to submit the SF-424 to the CDFI Fund directly. If you upload the SF-424 to your AMIS
account, it will not be reviewed.
Step 4: Create or Update Your AMIS Account
Make sure your Awards Management Information System (AMIS)
account is up-to-date: verify the contacts for your organization are current,
and assign them the proper permissions. Only a user designated as an Authorized
Representative in AMIS can submit an application. Make sure that the person
with the “Authorized Representative” permission is allowed to sign legal
documents on behalf of your organization; consultants working on behalf of your
organization cannot be designated as Authorized Representatives. Be sure to include e-mail addresses and phone
numbers for each contact. Also, make
sure that your organization’s mailing address is correct.
If you do not have an AMIS account, one must be established
within 30 days of the NOFA’s release or your application will be considered
ineligible.
In addition, your organization must have an EIN/Tax ID
number recorded in AMIS in order to submit your application when the FY 2018
Funding Round is opened.
Please note:
*Applicants are advised that the stated durations are
estimates only and represent minimum timeframes. Actual timeframes may take
longer.
Know Where to Go For
Help
- For assistance with AMIS functionality, contact
the CDFI Fund’s AMIS Support: AMIS@cdfi.treas.gov
or 202-653-0422.
- For assistance with the SF-424 or Grants.gov
accounts, contact Grants.gov: support@grants.gov
or 1-800-518-4726.
- For assistance updating or creating your SAM.gov
account, contact SAM.gov: Federal Service Desk (www.fsd.gov) or 1-866-606-8220.
Now you should feel prepared to start your pre-application
process for the FY 2018 Application round!
Be mindful of key due dates for each item as they are announced.
Additional Resources
To learn more about the CDFI Fund and its programs, please
visit www.cdfifund.gov.
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