2026 ACN_CTR NOFO Q&A final - posted 260302.docx

ACN/CTR answers to questions received about 2026 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)

An ACN/CTR Wide Q &A document posted 2 March 2026.

ACN/CTR will not conduct individual meetings to discuss the specifics of a proposal or provide additional information on the needs of the NOFO before they close.

Please see latest information on LOE 7 below and in the NOFO Guidance.

Overarching Questions Q: Understanding that cost sharing is an evaluation factor, can you please confirm that it is voluntary? Page 4, Section B. 2 Cost Sharing or Matching, states:“Providing cost sharing, matching, or cost participation is an eligibility factor or requirement for this NOFO and providing cost share will result in a more favorable competitive ranking. Per 2 CFR §200.306, items that are proposed for cost share must be allowable per 2 CFR §200, Subpart E—Costs Principles. The above paragraph seems to state that cost sharing is an eligibility factor or requirement, while the below paragraph indicates that it is voluntary. Voluntary cost-share: Should the applicant choose to contribute voluntary cost-share but does not meet the minimum amount of the voluntary cost-sharing stipulated in the applicant’s budget, DOS’ contribution may be reduced in proportion to the applicant’s contribution.”

A: Clause 2 under Section B clarifies that voluntary cost sharing is not required for this program but may be viewed favorably if proposed. However, if an applicant elects to include voluntary cost sharing in its proposal and budget, that commitment becomes binding. Should the applicant ultimately contribute less than the amount proposed, the Department of State (DOS) may reduce its funding proportionally to reflect the applicant’s actual contribution.

Q: Can you please confirm that any project that includes at least $25,000 in cost sharing will receive the full 5 points? Reference: Page 40, Section F. Application Review Information states:“Cost Sharing – 5 Points: Any project that includes at least $25,000 in cost sharing, matching, or cost participation will receive points during the review process. The points are non-scaling, no points above the five will be award if funding above the $25,000 is included with the proposal.”

A: Yes, provided that the applicant commits to meet the requirements under Clause 2 (Section B)

Q: Given that foreign-government funding is not otherwise unallowable per 2 CFR §200, can you please confirm that funding from a government of a country other than the U.S. can constitute as cost sharing? References: Page 40 Section B. 2 Cost Sharing or Matching, states:“Please identify the source of funding internal or external to the organization, e.g. from saving or another developmental account, from a government of a country other than the U.S. All proposed cost sharing, matching, or cost participation must comply with 2 CFR §200.306, items that are proposed for cost share must be allowable per 2 CFR §200.” However, the budget template, Tab 1. Budget Guidelines, line 68seems appears contradictory, stating:“Applicants should consider all types of cost sharing. Examples include the use of office space owned by other entities; donated or borrowed supplies and equipment; (non-federal) sponsored travel costs; waived indirect costs; and program activities, translations, or consultations. The values of offered cost share should be reported in accordance with 2 CFR 200. Other USG funding or foreign government funding does not constitute as cost sharing.”

A: CTR will not include USG or other foreign government funds as cost sharing.

Q: Can CTR please confirm if the indicators in the Monitoring and Evaluation Plan/Tracker should be developed at the project level (i.e. one tab per project in the tracker with indicators specific to that project), at the line of effort level (indicators should consolidate all LOE projects together with one tab per LOE in the tracker) or at the NOFO level (indicators are designed to capture data across all LOEs and projects)?

A: The M&E indicators should be added on project level.

Q: Can CTR please clarify: For multiple project submissions, can implementers provide individual 3‑page narratives for each project and then consolidate them under the corresponding line of effort?

References: Project Narrative Template states: “Each individual project narrative should be no more than three pages in length (not including the separate budget documents). While there are no restrictions upon the number of project proposals that any one implementer may submit, CTR asks if you are submitting multiple projects to a LOE please consolidate all projects into one multi-project narrative. If you are submitting multiple projects to multiple LOEs, please submit one multi-project narrative per LOE that clearly identifies which LOE you are submitting to.”

The NOFO Section 7 states: “Project Narrative (3 pages maximum per project). The proposal should contain sufficient information that anyone not familiar with it would understand exactly what the applicant wants to do. Please use the provided template. If you are submitting multiple projects as part of your proposal you may combine each individual 3-page narrative into a larger document.”

A: Yes, individual 3-page narratives for each project can be provided and then consolidated under corresponding line of effort.

Q: Can CTR please confirm that 10-point font can be used within charts, figures and tables?

A: Yes.

Q: The NOFO states that "Proposal that effectively address multiple objectives or fully address a single objective are more likely to receive a higher evaluation." Would a proposal that addresses objectives across various Lines of Efforts also be likely to receive a higher evaluation? Or should each proposal only address one Line of Effort?

A: As noted in the NOFO, proposals do not need to address all objectives and sub-objectives, as well as cover all LOEs, especially because many LOEs differ from one another. Applicants can submit multi-project proposals under one or several LOEs, and those proposals that address multiple objectives under single LOE or fully address single objectives under multiple LOEs are more likely to receive a higher evaluation.

Q: Can we submit a 3-page project narrative for Specific Aim 1 and a 3-page project narrative for Specific Aim 2, consolidated in one Word document (for a total of 6 pages)?

A: As noted in Clause 7. Project Narrative, “if you are submitting multiple projects as part of your proposal you may combine each individual 3-page narrative into a larger document” which also means you can combine individual project proposals for different aims with each being no longer than 3 pages, into a larger consolidated proposal document.

Q: Can we submit a Detailed Line-Item Budget Document and Budget Narrative Document for each the Specific Aim 1 project and the Specific Aim 2 project, consolidated in 1 Excel with two tabs for the Detailed Line-Item Budget, and in 1 Word document for the Budget Narrative Document (for a total of 6 pages)?

A: Yes. As noted in Clause 8. Budget Justification Documents, sub-clause 1 and 2, in one Excel workbook, you can include as many individual Detailed Line-Item Budgets for individual projects as needed for as many specific aims as needed, as long as each Detailed Line-Item Budget tab represents the budget for each individual project narrative. And yes, one Word document for Budget Narrative should include all individual budget narratives that correspond to the number of Detailed Line-Item Budgets.

Q: Could you please clarify what is meant by “Please budget for 12 months of program work, with three months of room if events are postponed” (p.3 of NOFO) A: This means that the applicant’s goal should be to complete implementation of project activities listed in their proposal within 12 months and should budget accordingly, leaving the remaining last 3 months in the period of performance for completion of postponed activities, if any.

Q: Can applicants include one tab per project in its Excel “Monitoring and Evaluation Plan/Tracker” if it is submitting multiple projects under one application?

A: Yes

Q: Can you please tell me if there is/was an industry day on this opportunity such as in previous year? And, if yes and recorded, where we can access the information?

A: Unfortunately, we will not hold an Implementers Conference for this NOFO cycle.

Q: Are we required to submit a separate budget narrative word file for each LOE?

A: Not required, but to expedite the review process you are allowed to submit separate budget narrative documents for each LOE you are proposing projects for.

Q: Are we submitting one proposal-level consolidated budget narrative word file with separate sections for each LOE?

A: You may, but to expedite the review process you are allowed to submit separate budget narrative documents for each LOE you are proposing projects for.

Q: Please confirm that the 3-page budget narrative limit is for each standalone project proposed.

A: Yes, each project propose should have a corresponding budget narrative that is no more than 3 pages.

Q: The NOFO specifies the UID format as Implementer_Country_Fiscal Year_001 (IMPL_EFF_YR_001). In prior years, we have included the relevant Line of Effort (LOE) within the UID. Should the LOE be incorporated into the UID for this solicitation?

A: Yes. Please use (IMPL_LOE_EFF_YR_001)

Q: As we are considering applying under multiple, distinct LOEs, we would appreciate guidance on whether the following components should be consolidated or differentiated by LOE:

· Q: Budget Narrative Document: Should applicants submit a single consolidated budget narrative, or a separate budget narrative for each LOE?

A: Each proposal should include a single budget narrative for each LOE you are responding to with that includes a standalone section for each project proposed. You should group projects by LOE if you are submitting multiple projects to multiple LOEs.

· Q: Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Narrative: Should the M&E narrative be consolidated across all LOEs, or submitted separately for each LOE?

A: Each proposal should include a single M&E narrative that includes a standalone section for each project proposed. You may group projects by LOE if you are submitting multiple projects to multiple LOEs.

· Q: Key Personnel: Should key personnel be listed collectively for the proposal as a whole, or broken out by LOE?

A: Each Project proposed should identify key personnel.

· Q: Should the summary page be for the complete NOFO package or for each LOE?

A: The summary page should cover all proposed projects

Q: Within the NOFO, the terms “proposal” and “project” appear to be used interchangeably in some sections. We would appreciate clarification on whether these terms are intended to be distinct. For example, the NOFO states: “Budget Narrative Document: 3 pages maximum per project.” Should this be interpreted as requiring one budget narrative per individual project, one budget narrative for the proposal as a whole, or one budget narrative per LOE?

A: No, they are separate terms. An organization can submit one proposal to this NOFO that should include all required documents. Each document submitted can include a section for each project submitted. As an example, if you are proposing multiple projects to this NOFO, the single project narrative document should include a separate 3-page section for each project you are proposing.

Q: Is a multi-project narrative allowed to have separate project-specific narratives (i.e. 3 pages per project, with each project stitched together into a single multi-project narrative file) or is the expectation that a multi-project narrative is limited to 3 pages?

A: Each proposal should include a single project narrative per LOE you are responding to that includes a standalone 3-page section for each project proposed.

Q: We respectfully request that applicants be allowed to provide an additional 3-page budget narrative at the LOE level to provide introductory/cross cutting information.

A: No, that can be covered in the summary page.

Q: Can application-level documents (Key Personnel, Project Monitoring Narrative and M&E Plan) be added to each LOE, or each project, as the required details requested can dramatically shift from project to project and LOE to LOE?

A: That information can be identified in the project narrative document and expanded in the other documents. Please do not include full CVs of the key personnel those can be included as addition attachments.

Q: Within the M&E Plan Excel table, do we include a separate tab for each project or each LOE (assuming multiple projects per LOE)?

A: Yes

Q: If we have a multi-country project to submit, where we propose to conduct the same work in each country, is that considered a multi-project narrative (i.e. one 3-page narrative per country) or a single 3-page narrative covering all countries where that proposed work would be covered? We would like to make sure that enough detail as to why these countries are included.

A: If your project includes multiple engagements in different counties delivering the same material, please submit that as one project.

Q: Given that no priority countries have been provided (unlike previous RFPs), but only regions, should proposals be written to address a region (with an outline of how many countries the work could occur in) or should they address specific countries within the highlighted regions?

A: Both are acceptable depending on the type of project you are proposing.

Q: The proposal evaluation criteria indicate applicants can receive up to 5 points for any project that includes at least $25,000 of cost sharing or matching. Is the cost share evaluated at the project-level, the LOE-level, or the overall application-level when the review panel makes the assessments?

A: Project level. If there will be a cap on overall available funding if multiple projects are approved, please identify it.

Q: Will region-specific or LOE-specific teams be evaluating the proposals? We would like to know whether it is worthwhile to pitch similarly designed proposals for different regions, given that CTR may have differing priorities they want to address across various regions.

A: Teams with expertise in each LOE identified in the NOFO will be reviewing the proposals

Q: May the implementer submit an M&E Plan (indicators table) at the LOE Level? And, may the implementer submit a 2-page M&E narrative at the NOFO level? [References: Pages 29-30, Section D.5 Project Monitoring and Evaluation Narrative and Plan/Tracker.

A: Yes, the M&E narrative should cover all projects included in your proposal. You may submit a M&E plan table document with multiple tabs that are project specific, or one comprehensive document that identified how you intend to monitor all proposed projects. Implementers should choose the option they believe is the best fit for their proposal.

Q: For implementers proposing multiple projects for each LOE, can CTR please confirm that key personnel may be listed at the LOE level rather than at the individual project level?

A: Key personnel can be identified in at the project or overall proposal level.

Q: Would a proposal that addresses objectives across various Lines of Efforts also be likely to receive a higher evaluation? Or should each proposal only address one Line of Effort?

A: Projects that address one or multiple specific aim identified with a LOE are more likely to receive a higher evaluation. Implementers can submit multiple projects for one LOE or that address multiple LOEs, except LOE 11 and 12. Implementers submitting projects to LOE 11 and 12 should not be submitting to other LOEs.

Q: Could ACN/CTR please clarify if Offerors should submit separate SF-424 and SF-424A forms for each individual proposed project or, if just one SF-424 and SF-424A are required, what amounts should be included on the SF-424 forms if multiple projects are submitted?

A: Offerors should include one SF-424 and SF-424A per proposal. The amount on the forms should be reflective of the total funding requested for all projects being proposed.

Q: Could ACN/CTR please confirm that Offerors should submit one SF-424B and one SF-LLL for the proposal package?

A: Confirmed.

Q: Could ACN/CTR please clarify if the summary page is limited to a one-page document that includes all proposed projects’ information, or if it consists of one multi-page document that compiles each project’s respective one-page summary?

A: Offerors should submit a single one-page documents that address the entire proposal at a high level.

Q: Could ACN/CTR please clarify if the M&E Narrative is a 2-page document that includes the proposal’s M&E narrative and project(s) subsections, or is it one multi-page document that compiles each project’s respective 2-page M&E narratives?

A: Yes the M&E narrative should cover all projects included in your proposal.

Q: Could ACN/CTR please confirm that Offerors should submit separate M&E excel plans for each proposed project?

A: You may submit a M&E plan table document with multiple tabs that are project specific, or one comprehensive document that identified how you intend to monitor all proposed projects. Implementers should choose the option they believe is the best fit for their proposal.

Q: Could ACN/CTR please confirm that key personnel CVs may be included in separate documents for each project A: Confirmed.

Q: If we plan to submit similar but tailored activities across multiple countries and regions under a single LOE, are we able to submit each country as a separate 3-page project narrative, as part of our larger proposal package?

A: Offerors are able to submit as many independent projects as they would like. Each project should be clearly identified on all proposal documents, including a 3-page section within the project narrative, a project specific tab on the budget detail document, a section within the budget narrative, and a line on the project tracker document.

Q: Could ACN/CTR please confirm that sub-awards may be issued to any partner and sub-awardee organization that meets the NOFO applicant eligibility requirements as stated on page 4?

A: Sub-awards are permissible subject to ACN/CTR review and approval. Please clearly identify all planed sub-awardees in your proposal documents. Final funding decisions will based on the availability of funds and prioritized based on how well a project meet all evaluation criteria.

Q: Can you advise on any steps to expedite the SAM.gov registration process to ensure we can submit through Grants.gov by the deadline?

A: No, the SAM.gov and Grants.gov account registration process is managed outside of ACN/CTR. Please work with the appropriate help desk identified on each website if you are having issues.

Q: Per the NOFO's guidance on exemptions (referencing 2 CFR 25.110), should the registration not process in time, we would like to formally request consideration for a case-by-case exemption from the UEI/SAM.gov requirement. Our registration is in progress and we expect it to be fully active before any award decision, but the processing timeline may extend past the application deadline.

A: In order to be reviewed all proposals must be submitted via Grants.gov before the NOFO closes. Grants.gov and SAM.gov account registration are two separate processes. A proposal successfully submitted to Grants.gov will be reviewed regardless of organizations SAM.gov account status, however awards will only be issued to organizations with active SAM.gov accounts.

Q: Is a foreign (non-US) for-profit organization eligible to apply under this NOFO DFOP0017675?

A: Yes

Q: The previous Q&A states that Implementers submitting projects to LOE 11 and 12 should not be submitting to other LOEs. Does the term “implementers” refer to entire organizations or individuals? i.e. does an organization submitting to LOE 3 preclude it from submitting to LOE 11/12 or does it only preclude the individual performing work on LOE 3 from performing work on LOE 11/12?

A: An organization may submit to all LOEs, but the organization/s who receive an award to work on LOE 11 or 12 will not receive an award to work on any other LOE for ACN/CTR. The organization who receives an award for LOE 11 may also receive an award for LOE 12 and vice versa.

Q: If submitting to more than one LOE, should projects be numbered sequentially per LOE or overall?

A: Projects should sequentially number for the total proposal and not reset for each LOE.

Q: Key personnel is limited to 3-5 people and one two page document per proposal as per the solicitation, but Q&A responses allow key personnel to be proposed at the project level. If we are submitting multiple projects, are we still limited to 3-5 personnel? If we are allowed more than 5 people, are we still limited to the 2 page restriction?

A: Offerors can identify key personnel as part of their project narrative document. The proposal level key personnel document should be no more than 2 pages.

Q: Past Performance is limited to 10 contracts. If we are proposing for more than one LOE, could we include more than 10 contracts?

A: No

Q: Can CTR please clarify the date by which award decisions are expected and successful applicants will be notified?

A: Unsuccessful and successfully applicants will be notified by 29 May 2026 via email. Awards will be issued at a later date.

Q: Please confirm: We can submit only 1 project package per NOFO. And the package may contain multiple proposals. The minimum per package is $250,000 and the maximum is $10,000,000.

A: No, offerors may submit as many projects as they would like per submission package. ACN/CTR intends to fund projects between $250,000 and $10,000,000.

Q: Is there a minimum and maximum budget per proposal?

A: No

Q: You mentioned in the previous QA sessions that it is preferable to compile documents per LOE (e.g. all 3-page proposals narratives for same LOE in one master word document). We used to do this per NOFO and not per LOE as there is a limited number of attachment fields in grants.gov submission portal. Please advise. Because if we are applying to multiple LOEs, we will then need to submit multiple project narratives, each containing all 3-page proposals of the LOE. Same for budget justification, etc. So we will have a high number of documents to attach in the system. Please advise.

A: Yes, you should combine project narrative and budget narrative documents when appropriate.

Q: Regarding CTR Unique Identifier, it is mentioned in the previous QA session that we should follow this convention IMPL_LOE_EFF_YR_001. Is this meant IMPL_LOE#_EFF_26_001?

A: Please us the following abbreviations for the LOE and yes, the year should be 26.

LOE 2

LOE 5

Q: The limit 2-page for the M&E narrative is it per proposal? or per LOE? or per NOFO?

A: Each offeror should submit a single proposal to this NOFO, and a single M&E narrative document should be included.

Q: What is meant by Data Source in “Data Source, Disaggregation” column in the M&E excel? There is an example in the template but looks like an output and we were confused because no related indicator example mentioned. does it mean the documents we used to reach the indicator or the proof/data represented of the indicator? For example if we are talking about preparing a workshop, is the data source :the background info and previous assessment + US standards that we used to prepare the workshop” or “the Workshop agenda, attendance sheets, etc.”?

A: The data source would be what goes into the indicator. Proposed indicators should go beyond did the workshop have an agenda. They should attempt to identify how a workshop would help achieve the aims and objectives identified in the NOFO.

Q: What is meant by Source: Custom/Standard in “Indicator Type and Source” column in the M&E excel? Additionally, do we need to only select an option or elaborate on it?

A: The source should be used to identify if an indicator has been developed specifically for the NOFO or is a standard indicator the offer has used before. As with all elements of your proposal offers should elaborate to the extend, they feel is necessary to make their proposal competitive.

Q: Can you please explain what is considered Official permission letters?

A: If your proposed activity requires permission from a government or organization to occur and that permission has already been provided, attaching the letter would allow ACN/CTR to confirm.

Q: Could CTR please clarify its previous answer, or provide a sample unique identifier for LOEs 11 and 12? For LOEs 11 and 12, we assume the following format would work, based on previous implementation: IMPL_LOE_GLO_26_001. However, we are still unsure regarding CTR’s preference for what to put regarding these LOEs, as they have traditionally been acronyms.

A: Please see the table above for additional information. For projects submitted to LOE 11 please us IMPL_ AMEL_GLO_26_001. For projects submitted to LOE 12 please us IMPL_ FIRSTMEL_GLO_26_001.

Q: CTR requires one Budget Narrative per proposal. Is the three-page limit for the entire proposal, or per project (if multiple projects are included in the proposal)?

A: Please submit one 3- page budget narrative per project. If you are submitting multiple projects, multiple narratives can be combined into a larger document.

Q: CTR requires one M&E Narrative per proposal. Is the two-page limit for the entire proposal, or per project (if multiple projects are included in the proposal)?

A: Please submit one M&E narrative per proposal.

Q: Does providing Cover Pages, Proprietary Notice Pages, and a Table of Contents count towards the three-page narrative limit?

A: No each project proposed can have its own 3-page narrative.

Q: Is the Required Summary Page intended to be the Cover page?

A: No

Q: In the NOFO, Section E – Submission Requirements and Deadlines, Subsection 5 – Funding Restrictions, iv, it states “Applicants are advised that IHEs must certify….”, what does the acronym IHE stand for?

A: Intuitions of Higher Education (IHE)

Q: Within the grant opportunity (DFOP0017675) in Grants.gov under “Related Documents” the zip folder containing the templates includes a file named “FY 2026 Budget Template 251218” to be submitted. The NOFO instructions states an SF424A is mandatory to be submitted. Please confirm if both files are to be submitted in Grants.gov.

A: Confirmed

Q: With Friday, February 28th being the final day for Q&A to be posted, will there be an opportunity for additional submittal questions to be answered prior to the due date of Friday, March 6th? If so, how/when will questions be answered/addressed?

A: No. Questions received after 11:59:59 P.M. EST on February 28th will not be answered.

Q: With respect to question 2 below, there isn’t a link for (b) DEFENDING WOMEN FROM GENDER IDEOLOGY EXTREMISM AND RESTORING BIOLOGICAL TRUTH TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT included in the Q&A response posted this morning. It appears to be a hyperlink in the NOFO as its underlined and in the same color font as the other two listed below, however, it doesn’t operate as one. Kindly provide a link or file containing the requirements.

A: Link to executive order per request.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/defending-women-from-gender-ideology-extremism-and-restoring-biological-truth-to-the-federal-government/

Q: On Page 44 of 47, under Section H – Post-Award Requirements and Administration, 1. Administrative and National Policy Requirements, the first bullet provides a hyperlink that appears to be broken. Please provide an updated link or a file containing the requirements.

A: Link to part 200 section of the FAR per your request https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200

Q: Additionally in the same section, the following is stated, “Guidance for Grants and Agreements in Title 2 of the Code of Federal Regulations (2 CFR), as updated in the Federal Register’s 89 FR 30046 on April 22, 2024, particularly on…..”. Is it intended for participants to utilize 2 CFR 200 in effect on April 22, 2024, or the most recent version which was last amended on January 27, 2026?

A: Offerors should use the latest 2 CFR 200 guidance.

Line of Effort 1: Countering Russian Chemical and Biological Threats

No LOE specific questions were received

Line of Effort 2: Countering Biological Weapons Threats, Protecting Biotechnologies, and Strengthening Implementation of the Biological Weapons Convention

Q: Could the BEP team specify the priority countries more clearly? The NOFO states, "Priority regions are WHA and EAP, followed by EUR and SCA, although priority countries may be in other regions"—previously, specific countries were listed. If possible, please provide additional details so we can confirm we're responding to the NOFO for ACN-CTR-approved countries.

A: Offers my proposed projects to one country or multiple counties within those regions.

Q: For LOE2, the NOFO states "Priority regions are WHA and EAP, followed by EUR and SCA, although priority countries may be in other regions". Would you review and consider project proposals submitted for Lebanon as country of impact?

A: All project proposals submitted to LOE2 will be reviewed and considered for funding. To be most successful, proposals should focus on priority regions as listed in the NOFO.

Q: Would you review and consider project proposals for countries in the NEA region under LOE2?

A: All proposals will be reviewed and considered regardless of the region; however, proposals submitted for the priority regions listed in the NOFO are strongly encouraged.

Line of Effort 3: Countering Chemical Weapons Threats

Q: Is it OK to submit proposals on Syria under this NOFO?

A: Yes. We will review and consider all project proposals submitted to counter chemical weapons threats in Syria.

Q: The NOFO states, "The Chemical Security Program’s Anticipated Countries of Impact for the following objectives are EAP, EUR, NEA, and SCA.” However, these are not countries but rather regions. Could the CSP team specify the priority countries more clearly? Additional details would be helpful so we can confirm we’re responding to the NOFO for ACN-CTR-approved countries.

A: Offers my proposed projects to one country or multiple counties within those regions.

Line of Effort 4: Countering Chinese and Russian Proliferation of Advanced Conventional Weapons

Line of Effort 5: Countering Iran and DPRK’s WMD, Nuclear, Ballistic Missile, and Drone Proliferation

Q: Can you provide more details on priority countries for engagement (DPRK and Iran)? This includes regional priorities as well as specific engagement countries that can be shared.

A: The CASE team works globally and priority countries lie principally in the regions of East Asia and Pacific (EAP), Western Hemisphere (WHA), Middle East/North Africa (NEA), South and Central Asia (SCA), Europe (EUR), and Sub-Saharan Africa (AF).

For all proposals, a strong nonproliferation and threat reduction justification to support a country or region-specific proposal should be supplied. Please take into consideration current U.S. policy-priorities including the 2025 National Security Strategy and relevant Executive Orders when developing submissions.

Q: Could you please confirm whether proposals addressing this topic area are currently being accepted under this announcement? Also, could you confirm whether foreign-based NGOs are eligible to submit proposals as prime applicants?

A: Yes, the NOFO is open, and all received proposals will be reviewed once in closes. Confirmed foreign-based NGOs may submit proposals as prime applicants.

Line of Effort 6: Countering U.S. Adversary WMD and Drone Threats in Iraq

Q: In previous NOFOs, CTR provided guidance on in-person implementation. Can CTR clarify if, for this LOE, in-person engagements involve third-country pull-outs, or if an implementer can suggest conducting in-country implementation?

A: Both are acceptable.

Line of Effort 7: Denying U.S. Adversaries Access to Sensitive Nuclear, Missile, and Advanced Technical Expertise for Weapons of Mass Destruction Programs that Threaten America

ACN/CTR no longer expects to have sufficient resourcing to fund projects under this LOE, please do not submit any projects to this LOE.

Line of Effort 8: Enforcing Sanctions on China and Russia

Line of Effort 9: Preventing U.S. Adversaries’ Access to Critical Technologies and Exploitation of Scientific and Commercial Facilities for Military Advancement

Q: From the way the NOFO is written, it appears that the regions of interest listed under LOE 9 (Preventing U.S. Adversaries’ Access to Critical Technologies and Exploitation of Scientific and Commercial Facilities for Military Advancement) are specifically tied to Specific Aim 2, focused on semiconductors. Can you clarify if the main target regions (EAP, EUR, NEA, and SCA) are only for Aim 2, or for the entirety of the LOE?

A: Yes, the listed regions are the main interest for Specific Aim 2. LOE 9 is global.

Line of Effort 10: Unleashing American Energy Dominance and Expediting Responsible and Secure U.S. Small Modular Reactor (SMR) Deployment through the FIRST Program

Q: Is it acceptable to submit a generic solution to a funded activity and then refine once country or countries of interest are identified by the DoS? Will there be an opportunity to update pricing to accommodate the needs of a specific country or countries once identified? If no, is the awardee obligated to accept an award?

A: Yes. Offerors may propose generic activities that support American energy dominance and the FIRST program to be delivered to FIRST beneficiary countries worldwide. Should the proposal be selected for consideration by ACN/CTR, the offerors may refine their budgets to take account of country-specific conditions during the pre-award negotiations. However, country and/or region-specific proposals from Offerors are likely to receive more favorable consideration.

Q: The following links on page 44 of 47 appears to be broken:

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE STANDARD TERMS AND CONDITIONS

DEFENDING WOMEN FROM GENDER IDEOLOGY EXTREMISM AND RESTORING BIOLOGICAL TRUTH TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Memorandum for the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Administrator of the United States for International Development Please provide an updated link or a file containing the requirements.

A: Links provided per request https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Final-FY26-Standard-Terms-and-Conditions-for-Federal-Awards-FINAL-HRC1259439-Accessible-2.6.pdf https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/defending-women-from-gender-ideology-extremism-and-restoring-biological-truth-to-the-federal-government/

Q: Although less common for grant awards, will ACN/CTR consider a grant application for front-end engineering and design services on a fixed price amount award basis instead of a cost reimbursement award basis, as allowed 2 C.F.R. § 200.201(b) and other sections?

A: ACN/CTR would consider issuing a FFP award that included verifiable deliverables that need to be accepted by ACN/CTR prior to invoices being submitted.

Q: Because front-end engineering and design services are provided as commercial services in the marketplace, will ACN/CTR consider expressly authorizing by the terms and condition of the federal award to allow an applicant/recipient to utilize its standard fully burdened commercial labor rates utilized in the commercial marketplace and that include overhead and profit elements as the basis for the pricing of an applicant’s application budget for a fixed price award amount? (See, e.g., 2 C.F.R. § 200.400(g)(“unless explicitly authorized by the terms and conditions of the Federal Award”).

A: ACN/CTR funds prohibits implementers from earning a profit on the awards it issues. Most fully burdened labor rates include profit so they cannot be used for ACN/CTR awards.

Line of Effort 11: Annual Progress Evaluation of ACN/CTR Security Assistance Programing Q: Under Section D: Application Contents and Format, on Page 33, the NOFO mentions: “5. Project Monitoring and Evaluation Narrative and Plan/Tracker” as a requirement. Can CTR please elaborate on what would they expect solicitors to include in “5. Project Monitoring and Evaluation Narrative and Plan/Tracker” if they are responding to Line of Effort 11 and 12?

A: A: Please include information articulating how the offer plans to oversee the project including how they will be ensuring all deliverable are completed in on time and to their professional/industry standards.

Q: On page 28 of 49 under the deliverables heading for LOE 11, bullet #2 states “Develop an interim report and present preliminary findings for ACN/CTR review and approval by fall 2026.” Q: Can CTR kindly clarify the following: If the projected start date is January 2027 as described in the “basic information” on page 1, and we assume this deliverable is for the first year of project work, should this date be fall 2027?

A: The NOFO guidance has been updated, in an attempt to make the deliverables timeline clearer.

Q: On page 29 of 49 under the deliverables heading for LOE 11, bullet #8 states “Develop an interim report and present preliminary findings for ACN/CTR review and approval by fall 2027.” Can CTR kindly clarify the following: If the projected start date is January 2027 as described in the “basic information” on page 1, and we assume this deliverable is for the second year of project work, should this date be fall 2028?

A: The NOFO guidance has been updated, in an attempt to make the deliverables timeline clearer.

Q: On page 29 of 49 under the deliverables heading for LOE 11, bullet points 5 & 6 require actions in 2026:

· Conduct two (2) sessions during 2026 for ACN/CTR staff to provide feedback and collaboration on report process and findings.

· Follow up during 2026 with select participants at least 6 months after an engagement to see how they are using the material provided.

Can CTR kindly clarify if these should these be scheduled for 2027 as the projected start date for this effort is January 2027 as described in the “basic information” on page 1?

A: The NOFO guidance has been updated, in an attempt to make the deliverables timeline clearer.

Q: On page 29 of 49 under the deliverables heading for LOE 11, bullet points 5 & 6 require actions in 2026:

· Conduct two (2) sessions during 2026 for ACN/CTR staff to provide feedback and collaboration on report process and findings.

· Follow up during 2026 with select participants at least 6 months after an engagement to see how they are using the material provided.

Can CTR kindly clarify if these should be scheduled for 2027 as the projected start date for this effort is January 2027 as described in the “basic information” on page 1?

A: The NOFO guidance has been updated, in an attempt to make the deliverables timeline clearer.

Q: On page 29 of 49 under the deliverables heading for LOE 11, bullet points 11 & 12 require actions in 2027 related to the 2027 period of review:

· Conduct two (2) sessions during 2027 for ACN/CTR staff to provide feedback and collaboration on report process and findings.

· Follow up during 2027 with select participants at least 6 months after an engagement to see how they are using the material provided.

Can CTR kindly clarify if these should these be 2028 since the projected start date for this effort is January 2027, and we assume these deliverables are for the second year of project work?

A: The NOFO guidance has been updated, in an attempt to make the deliverables timeline clearer.

Q: On page 33 of the NOFO, it states, “to ensure a robust understanding of project impact, CTR will conduct systematic post-event follow-up with all participants at 6 and 12 months after the end of the award.” It notes that implementers should share all participant contact information with CTR to allow for this post-event follow-up to take place. On page 29 under LOE 11, however, it states that CTR’s implementer for this LOE shall conduct a “follow up during 2026 with select participants at least 6 months after an engagement to see how they are using the material provided.”

Can CTR confirm whether it anticipates the implementer for LOE 11 to conduct the 12-month follow-up as described in the monitoring and evaluation plan, or only the 6-month follow-up as described in the LOE 11 deliverables list? If CTR does plan the implementer for LOE 11 to conduct a 12-month follow-up, can implementers assume that some of these may be outside the scope of this project, as implementers may not be able to fully analyze events that take place in late 2027 by the end of the anticipated PoP in late 2028?

A: The NOFO guidance has been updated, in an attempt to make the deliverables timeline clearer. Offer will not be expected or able to work outside of the POP.

Q: For LOE 11, several timeline-related questions were answered with: “The NOFO guidance has been updated to make the deliverables timeline clearer.” However, the latest version (attached) still lists a January 1, 2027 start date, while many deliverables (e.g., the Interim Report and learning sessions) are due beginning in Fall 2026 or are expected to be completed in 2026. Could you please clarify how we should interpret the timeline for LOE 11?

A: The 1 January 2027 start date is included as a planning date for all awards issued in response to this NOFO. Subject to the availability of funds ACN/CTR intends to obligate this award before 1 October 2026 with work possibly beginning before 1 January 2027. Deliverables would not be expected prior to the award being funded and the delivery schedule has been agreed to.

Line of Effort 12: Deep Dive Performance Evaluation of ACN/CTR Security Assistance Programming Under the ACN/CTR Foundational Infrastructure for Responsible Use of Small Modular Reactor Technology (FIRST) Program Q: On Page 31, the title of Line of Effort 12 refers to the FIRST program. However, the description underneath mentions Line of Effort 9, which relates to “Preventing U.S. Adversaries’ Access to Critical Technologies and Exploitation of Scientific and Commercial Facilities for Military Advancement.” Could CTR kindly clarify which deep dive evaluation it is seeking under Line of Effort 12?

A: The NOFO guidance has been updated to clarify which LOE will be addressed with this review.

Q: On page 30 under the deliverables heading for LOE 12, bullet point 2 requires action in 2026, “Develop an interim report and present preliminary findings for ACN/CTR review and approval by December 2026.”. Per Page 1, the NOFO states that the project start date is January 1, 2027. Can CTR kindly confirm the Period of Performance (PoP) of this project and when CTR anticipates receiving the interim report?

A: The NOFO guidance has been updated. In an attempt to make the deliverables timeline clearer. Depending on the availability of funds offers should assume work will not begin prior to 1 August 2026 or later than 1 January 2027, all deliverables will be expected within 12 months from the beginning of the POP.

Q: On page 30 under the deliverables heading for LOE 12, bullet point 3 requires the final report to be completed in 2027 and Draft and deliver a final report for ACN/CTR review and approval July 2027. Per Page 1, the NOFO states that the project start date is January 1, 2027. Can CTR confirm when it anticipates receiving the final report, given that the project description lists receiving the interim report by December 2026?

A: The NOFO guidance has been updated. In an attempt to make the deliverables timeline clearer. Depending on the availability of funds offers should assume work will not begin prior to 1 August 2026 or later than 1 January 2027, all deliverables will be expected within 12 months from the beginning of the POP.

Q: On page 34 of the NOFO, it states that implementers should include a CTR unique identifier in the following format: “Implementer_LOE_Country_Fiscal Year_001 (IMPL_LOE_EFF_YR_001).” Can CTR kindly confirm its preferred acronym for LOE 11 and 12 to use in this identifier?

A: Please use 26 and the FY.

Q: On Page 31, under Section: “Data Collection and Analysis Tasks” for LOE 12, the NOFO lists “compile and analyze burden/cost sharing information.”. Can CTR clarify the specific scope, data sources, and deliverables expected under this task? Does this refer to collecting and analyzing federal/non-federal cost share for the FIRST program, or partner nation burden-sharing during implementation efforts? Can we assume that CTR will provide the necessary data for the implementer to analyze?

A: Likely both analyzing federal/non-federal cost share and partner nation burden-sharing during and after implementation. Yes ACN/CTR will provide available data when available.

Q: For LOE 12, CTR noted that all deliverables are expected within 12 months of the POP start date (whether 1 August 2026 or later than 1 January 2027). Should we assume the same approach applies to LOE 11? If so, would it be acceptable to reference deliverables as due “X months after start date” or “pending start date,” rather than listing fixed calendar deadlines?

A: The dates included in the NOFO are for planning purposes and does not represent the final timeline for deliverables. An offer can use a phrase like “deliverable should be expected X months after award start date” rather than identifying specific months a deliverable is due.

Q: Finally, regarding LOE 12, we had asked whether the deep dive is for FIRST rather than LOE 9 (“Preventing U.S. Adversaries’ Access to Critical Technologies and Exploitation of Scientific and Commercial Facilities for Military Advancement”). The Q&A states the NOFO was updated to clarify this, but page 30 still references LOE 9. Can you confirm that the deep dive is for FIRST?

A: Confirmed