2026 ACN_CTR NOFO Q&A - Posted 6 Feb.docx

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

An ACN/CTR Wide Q &A document will be posted along with the other NOFO documents and updated every Friday until 27 February 2026. This document representants every question received before 11:59:59 PM on Friday 9 January 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 spacific, 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 spacific 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 spacific, 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:

A:

Q:

A:

Line of Effort 1: Countering Russian Chemical and Biological Threats

Q:

A:

Q:

A:

Q:

A:

Q:

A:

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:

A:

Q:

A:

Q:

A:

Q:

A:

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.

Q:

A:

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

A:

Q:

A:

Q:

A:

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

A:

Q:

A:

Q:

A:

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.

Q:

A:

Q:

A:

Q:

A:

Q:

A:

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

A:

Q:

A:

Q:

A:

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.

Q:

A:

Q:

A:

Q:

A:

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

A:

Q:

A:

Q:

A:

Q:

A:

Line of Effort 11: Annual Progress Evaluation of ACN/CTR Security Assistance Programing Q:

A:

Q:

A:

Q:

A:

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

A:

Q:

A:

Q:

A: