application instructions.docx

Applications must consist of the following elements: (i) a cover letter; (ii) a technical proposal; (iii) budget information; (iv) certifications, forms and assurances; and (v) attachments and exhibits.

4.1.1 Cover Letter

The first page of each application must be a cover letter which includes the following information:

· Statement that the application is in response to Funding Opportunity Funding Opportunity No.ONAA-7j 2017-01;

· Applicant’s name and address;

· Applicant’s website address (if applicable);

· Name, telephone number, fax number, and email address for the Applicant’s designated point of contact; and

· Dollar amount of assistance being requested.

4.1.2 Technical Proposal (not to exceed 15 pages)

The technical proposal serves as the narrative blueprint for the Applicant’s planned project and must include the following information:

· Detailed description of the Applicant’s past experience and present capacity to provide assistance and services to the Native American population, micro enterprise businesses, and other 7(j) eligible firms (see Section 5.2.1 for further guidance);

· Detailed description of the proposed technical assistance delivery methods, their means of implementation, and the anticipated project outcomes and the manner in which they will be evaluated (see Section 5.2.2 for further guidance);

· Identification of the project director and key management personnel and staff, including résumés (or position descriptions for unfilled positions). Résumés must include experience relevant to this project and may not be more than two pages in length. Copies of résumés must be included as attachments in accordance with Section 4.1.5 and do not count toward the 15-page limit (see Section 5.2.3 for further guidance);

· Identification of contractors and consultants and the manner in which they were selected (i.e., competitively or non-competitively). NOTE: No more than 50 percent of award funds may be expended on contractor and/or consultant costs. Copies of contracts and consulting agreements (either signed or samples as applicable) must be included as attachments in accordance with Section 4.1.5 and do not count toward the 15-page limit (see Section 5.2.3 for further guidance). If the position is vacant, a position description must be provided;

· An organizational chart;

· A timeline of performance milestones for the 12-month Budget Period;

· Identification of any additional funds or in-kind resources that will be expended in furtherance of the project (if applicable),and

· Demographic and target market information on the Native American population to be served.

4.1.3 Budget Information

Budget information must be provided through the completion or submission of the following:

· Standard Form (SF) 424, Application for Federal Assistance;

· SF-424A, Budget Information (Non-Construction Programs);

· Budget Detail Worksheet (Attachments A-9 through A-12 to the SF-424A). Form A-11 must reflect all individuals except for contractors being paid by the grant. This form requires a signature, title and date;

· Budget narrative providing a brief, detailed explanation of the components of each cost element listed in the SF-424A;

· Copy of the Applicant’s Cost Policy Statement;

· Copy of the Applicant’s current, government-wide indirect cost rate agreement (if the Applicant’s budget includes indirect costs). If the Applicant does not have such an agreement, it must propose an indirect cost rate in accordance with the procedures set forth in the applicable cost principles circular. SF-3881, ACH Vendor/Miscellaneous Payment Enrollment Form. NOTE: Applicant must complete the “Payee Information” and “Financial Institution” sections only. The “Agency Information” section will be completed by SBA. This form requires a signature.

4.1.4 Certifications, Forms and Assurances

Each Applicant must complete and submit the following forms:

· Letter from the Applicant’s Auditor, CPA, Treasurer, Comptroller, CFO or similarly qualified individual certifying that the organization’s financial management system currently meets the requirements of 2 C.F.R. § 200.302. [NOTE: This requirement does not apply to awards made directly to state, local, or tribal governments]

4.1.5 Attachments and Exhibits

Each Applicant must attach copies of the following to its proposal (as applicable):

· Résumés, position descriptions, contracts, consulting agreements, letters of support, pledges of additional funding or in-kind resources, leases, conflict of interest policy, and cost policy statement;

· Most recent A-133 audit report. Under the FY 2017 Funding Opportunity No. ONAA-7j-2017-01, audited financial statements are required. The Applicant can submit Single Audit Act reports if they have them. Otherwise, if the Applicant is not required by law to comply with the Single Audit Act, audited financial statements will suffice. Audited financial statements must be submitted within (90) days of receipt of the Notice of Award under this Funding Opportunity. UNAUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE;

· Any other documentation the Applicant believes supports its proposal.

4.2 Submission Instructions

All proposals (narratives and forms) must be submitted electronically via the government-wide financial assistance portal www.grants.gov. NO OTHER FORMS OF SUBMISSION WILL BE ACCEPTED. All required forms are provided in the grants.gov application package for this funding opportunity. Specific instructions for obtaining, completing, and submitting an application via grants.gov, including animated tutorials, may be found at http://www.grants.gov/applicants/app_help_reso.jsp.

In order to submit an application via grants.gov, an organization is first required to have a DUNS number, be registered with the System of Award Management (SAM), and have a grants.gov username and password. The process for meeting these three pre-submission requirements may take several days to complete. Additionally, Applicants may have to download or upgrade their software in order to utilize grants.gov. APPLICANTS SHOULD NOT WAIT UNTIL THE CLOSING DATE TO BEGIN THE SUBMISSION PROCESS IN ORDER TO AVOID UNEXPECTED DELAYS THAT COULD RESULT IN THE REJECTION OF AN APPLICATION.

Information about the grants.gov registration process can be found at http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp. Applicants must register as organizations, not as individuals. Please note that organizations already registered with grants.gov do not need to re-register. However, all registered organizations must keep their SAM registration up-to-date. As part of the grants.gov registration process, an Applicant must designate one or more Authorized Organizational Representatives (AORs). AORs are the only individuals who may submit applications to grants.gov on behalf of an organization. If an application is submitted by anyone other than a designated AOR, it will be rejected by grants.gov and cannot be considered for funding.

Once an application is submitted, it undergoes a validation process through which it will be accepted or rejected by the grants.gov system. The validation process may take 24 to 48 hours to complete. Applicants should save and print written proof of an electronic submission made at grants.gov. Applicants can expect to receive multiple emails regarding the status of their submission. The first email will confirm receipt of the application. The second email will indicate that the application has either been successfully validated by the system and assigned an SBA tracking number, or it has been rejected due to errors. An Applicant will receive a third email once SBA has downloaded its application from grants.gov for review in accordance with Section 5.3 below.

If grants.gov notifies an Applicant via email that its application contains an error, the Applicant must correct the noted error(s) before the system will accept and validate the application. APPLICANTS THAT CHOOSE TO SUBMIT ON OR CLOSE TO THE CLOSING DATE ARE ADVISED THEY MAY NOT RECEIVE EMAIL NOTIFICATION OF AN ERROR WITH THEIR APPLICATIONS UNTIL AFTER THE SUBMISSION DEADLINE, AND THUS WILL NOT HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO CORRECT AND RESUBMIT THEIR APPLICATIONS.

APPLICATIONS THAT ARE REJECTED BY GRANTS.GOV WILL NOT BE FORWARDED TO SBA AND CANNOT BE CONSIDERED FOR FUNDING. It is the Applicant’s responsibility to verify that its submission was received and validated successfully at grants.gov. To check on the status of your application and see the date and time it was received, log on to grants.gov and click on the “Track My Application” link from the left-hand menu.

If you experience a technical difficulty with grants.gov (i.e., system problems or glitches with the operation of the grants.gov website itself) that you believe threatens your ability to submit your application, please (i) print any error message received; and (ii) call the grants.gov Contact Center at 1-800-518-4726 for immediate assistance. Ensure that you obtain a case number regarding your communications with grants.gov. NOTE: Problems with an Applicant’s own computer system or equipment are not considered technical difficulties with grants.gov. Similarly, an Applicant’s failure to: (i) obtain a DUNS number or complete the SAM or grants.gov registration process; (ii) ensure that an AOR submits the application; or (iii) take note of and act upon an email from grants.gov rejecting its application due to errors, are not considered technical difficulties. A grants.gov technical difficulty is an issue occurring in connection with the operations of grants.gov itself, such as the temporary loss of service by grants.gov due to an unexpected volume of traffic or failure of information technology systems, both of which are rare occurrences.

Applicants should use the following link to obtain assistance in navigating grants.gov and access a list of useful resources: http://www.grants.gov/applicants/app_help_reso.jsp. If you have a question that is not addressed under the “Applicant FAQs,” try consulting the “Applicant User Guide” or contacting grants.gov via email at support@grants.gov or telephone at 1-800-518-4726. The grants.gov Contact Center is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

4.3 Required Proposal Submission Dates

Each Applicant is required to submit its proposal electronically via www.grants.gov no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on May 30, 2017. Because of the pre-conditions for submitting applications via grants.gov and the potential for encountering technical difficulties in using that site, Applicants are strongly encouraged to log on to grants.gov and review the submission instructions early. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE CLOSING DATE TO BEGIN THE SUBMISSION PROCESS. Applicants bear sole responsibility for ensuring their proposals are submitted and received before the closing date.

SBA will consider the date and time stamp on the validation generated by grants.gov as the official submission time. A PROPOSAL THAT IS NOT RECEIVED BY GRANTS.GOV BEFORE THE CLOSING DATE OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT WILL BE REJECTED WITHOUT BEING EVALUATED, UNLESS THE APPLICANT CAN CLEARLY DEMONSTRATE THROUGH DOCUMENTATION OBTAINED FROM GRANTS.GOV THAT IT ATTEMPTED TO SUBMIT ITS PROPOSAL IN A TIMELY MANNER BUT WAS UNABLE TO DO SO SOLELY BECAUSE OF GRANTS.GOV SYSTEMS ISSUES. Additionally, SBA will not accept any changes, additions, revisions, or deletions to applications made after the closing date.

Applicants should save and print written proof of an electronic submission made at grants.gov. If problems occur while using grants.gov, the applicant is advised to (i) print any error message received; and (ii) contact grants.gov for immediate assistance. Applicants may obtain advice and assistance with the grants.gov submission process by visiting http://www.grants.gov/help/help.jsp or by calling 1-800-518-4726.