National Geodetic Survey Grants Process Great Lakes Region Height Modernization Consortium Meeting and Workshop March 23-24, 2010 West Lafayette, Indiana Renee Shields Height Modernization Manager NOAA’s National Geodetic Survey

The overall process Grants.gov – “It’s our friend” Pre-Award –Letter of Intent –Application & Forms –Negotiations & Re-submission of Forms Post Award –Grants online – “Our other friend” –Project execution –Reports Introduction

Grants.gov “Find and Apply” Grants Online* NOAA Grants Processing Applicants Recipients General Public Corporate NOAA

General Timeline Omnibus is published Federal Register Notice FRN Letter Of Intent (LOI) Response to LOI Full Application Negotiations - Resubmission Grants Management Division Legal NOAA Finance Recipient

Seeking Grant Opportunities Basic search Browse by category Browse by agency Advanced search alert notification service

Grants.gov Home Page

Search Screen

Finding Federal Funding Opportunities (FFO) Basic Search Find the grant opportunity you are interested in by using the Grants.gov search interface at You can conduct a basic or advanced search. –Basic search, you can search for information using Keyword Funding opportunity number, Catalog of federal domestic assistance (CFDA) number.

Basic Search Screen

Finding Federal Funding Opportunities Advanced Search –Advanced searches allow you to search by: Funding opportunity dates Funding activity category Funding instrument type Eligibility Agency name Any of the basic search parameters. NOTE Grants.gov also allows an applicant to register to receive updates as new grant opportunities are added. register to receive updates Applicants can also signup to receive notices of any changes to a specific grant application package(s) or federal funding opportunity announcements.

Advanced Search Screen

Height Modernization FFO

“Mapping” FFOs

Full Announcement Format I. Funding opportunity description II. Award information III. Eligibility information IV. Application and submission information –Application package instructions –Content and form of application –Submission dates and times –Intergovernmental review –Funding restrictions

Full Announcement Format Continued V. Application review information VI. Award administration information –Notice of award –Administrative and national policy requirements –Reporting requirements –Government participation VII. Agency contacts VIII. Other information All federal agencies are required to follow this format.

Do NGS Grant Competitions include a Letter of Intent (LOI) Process? NGS competitions include an LOI process. –The Letter of Intent (LOI) process is intended to provide potential funding applicants with information regarding the relevance of their project proposal to NGS objectives in advance of preparing a full proposal. –The merit review of LOIs, allows NGS to review and accept only applications that have been invited through the LOI process for further consideration in the application selection and review process. PLEASE PAY SPECIAL ATTENTION TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE FFO, DUE DATES & TIMES

Standard Evaluation Criteria 1. Importance and/or relevance and applicability of proposed project to the program goals (30 points) 2. Technical/scientific merit (30 points) 3. Overall qualifications of applicants (15 points) 4. Project costs (10 points) 5. Outreach and education (15 points) Point value may change

How Do I Apply For Funding? Grant applications should be submitted electronically using Grants.gov. Grants.gov Applicants without Internet access may submit hard copy application packages according to the directions stated in the federal funding opportunity announcement. SUBMISSION WILL NOT BE ALLOWED IF ONE SECOND AFTER DUE DATE & TIME; GRANT TIMELINES WILL NOT CHANGE

Get Registered

User Roles for Grants.gov The e-business point of contact (POC) determines who is allowed to submit grant application packages on behalf of an organization. The authorized organization representative (AOR) has the ability to submit applications on behalf of an organization. The application author (AA) prepares grant application packages but does not have signature authority to submit the applications.

Your Grants.gov Registration Checklist: I have my organization’s DUNS number My organization is registered with the Central Contractor Registry I know my E-Business Point Of Contact (POC) I have registered with ORC, the Grants.gov Credential Service Provider (CSP) I have used my CSP-provided Username and Password to register with Grants.gov I have obtained authorization from my organization’s e- business POC I have secure access to Grants.gov I’m ready to begin This process should take about 3 weeks be prepared

What is a DUNS #? A unique nine-character identification number provided by the commercial company Dun & Bradstreet Used by OMB to identify organizations that receive grant awards and to track dispersed grants Improves statistical reporting of Federal grants Only one e-business point of contact can be assigned to each organization's DUNS #

FFO Synopsis

What Forms Are Required to Apply for Grant/Cooperative Agreement Funding? SF-424 – Application for Federal Assistance SF-424A - Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs SF-424B - Assurances for Non-Construction Programs CD-511 – Certification Regarding Lobbying SF-LLL – Disclosure of Lobbying Activities National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Questionnaire Project Proposal Budget Narrative

After Application Submission Reviews –Internal –External Each Proposal is Ranked by a ranking system. Negotiations are conducted with the applicant. New forms are submitted directly to NGS

New For Submission After Negotiations SF-424 Application, SF-424A, Revised project proposal, & budget narrative. Submitted by to NGS after negotiations to reflect negotiated dollar amount. The form(SF-424) requires an original ink signature by the authorized representative. Budget narrative must contain detailed budget information consistent information submitted on forms SF-424 and SF-424A.

PreAward – Program Office Announce, Receive and Accept application Obtain merit reviews (3 minimum) Obtain National Environmental Policy Act review (CE, EA, EIS) Complete Federal Program Officer Checklist Rank and Select or noncompetitively justify applications for funding Submit final recommendations Certify funds availability

Preaward – Grants Management Division Review Federal Program Officer Submissions Complete Grants Management Division Checklist Perform organizational analysis Perform cost analysis Review DOC debt List Review Governmentwide debarment list

Award – GMD and Other Offices (OIG, OGC, OPA, OLA, Finance) Obtain Office of Inspector General clearance Submit to DOC Federal Assistance Law Division for legal review Submit to public affairs for notification Submit to DOC and NOAA Legislative Affairs Offices for notification Electronically Approve award

Post Award – GMD & NOAA Finance Obligate Funds in Financial system CBS (two step process) Authorize funds in CBS for transfer to Treasury’s payment system Certify Funds for payment

Grants Online (GOL) Overview Grants Online is now our Best Friend NGS submits all pre-award documents NOAA’s Grant Management Reviews pre-awards and forwards all documentation in the system. Award process tracked in GOL Post award monitoring in GOL

Grants Online Welcomes You

What Do We Do In Grants Online Applicant –Accepts the award –Submits financial reports biannually –Submits Performance Progress Reports –All award actions are submitted through Grants Online such common actions: No cost Time Extensions Budget Transfers/Program Revisions/Changes in Scopes of Work

More to Do in Grants Online Equipment purchases Foreign Travel/Foreign Flag carrier Change Absence of Principal Investigator (PI) Sub-award/Contract to Federal Agency Other sub-awards/subcontracts Carry over of funds Special Award Condition approval

Award Action Request (AAR) Index Page

Resources Grants.gov Forms Grants Online National Geodetic Survey

Additional Resources 1.Obtain a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number Call 1-(888) or Register on-line with the Central Contractor Registry two identification codes created (Employee Identification Number or Taxpayer Identification Number needed) ,00.html

Questions Or Comments Renee Shields, NGS x 116 v “Geodesy without Currency is a Felony” – Sonita Tiwari