oppVA-GRANTS-112508-002-cfda64.005-instructions.docx

Instructions for Application to The State Home Construction or Acquisition Grant program

BEFORE YOU BEGIN THE PROCESS PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING -

· The State Home Construction or Acquisition Grant Program is for STATE GOVERNMENT USE ONLY.

· In compliance with the Office of Federal Financial Management (OFFM) policy directive, electronic submission is mandatory; hard copy submissions are no longer acceptable.

· In order to apply for a construction/acquisition grant, the total project cost must be greater than $400,000.

· Applications for the 2018 Priority List must be submitted by April 15th, 2017.

STEP 1: Registration

· To participate in the State Veterans Home Construction Grant Program, you must be registered as an applicant on Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp)

STEP 2: Complete the initial request for a State Home Construction Acquisition Grant. Your initial application is complete when you finish Checklist Items A1 to A18 and the requirements must be submitted in Grants.Gov (VA Form 10-0388-14).

NOTE - In order to view the application package, you will need to install the PureEdge Viewer. This is a small, free program that provides access to the grant application. This software is available at the following link: http://www.grants.gov/PEViewer/ICSViewer602_grants.exe To operate the PureEdge Viewer, your computer must meet the following system requirements as follows:

· Windows 98, ME, NT 4.0, 2000, XP 500 MHz processor 128 MB of RAM 40 MB disk space Web browser: Internet Explorer 5.01 or higher, Netscape Communicator 4.5 - 4.8, Netscape 6.1, 6.2 or 7.

If you are a non-Windows users, please refer to this support page, http://www.grants.gov/resources/resources.jsp.

STEP 3: The following information must be submitted when making the initial request for a grant (VA Form 10-0388-14 Section B 1A must be submitted in Grants.Gov)

· Download and complete the official Department of Veterans Affairs forms:

· SF 424

· SF 424C

· SF 424D

· Project Abstract

They can be found on both Grants.gov and MAX.gov.

Once you have downloaded the application package, you can complete it offline, a handy feature that allows you to share the document in your office and complete it at your own pace.

Instructions for completing Form 424C Budget are listed as follows:

· Equipment Cost (line 10) shall not exceed 10% of Construction Cost (sum of lines 7,8,& 9).

· Construction Contingency (line 13) for renovations shall not exceed 8% of Construction Cost (sum of lines 7, 8,& 9).

· Construction Contingency (line 13) for new construction shall not exceed 5% of Construction Cost (sum of lines 7, 8,& 9).

· Total fees (sum of lines 1 through 6) for projects up to $5M shall not exceed 20% of Construction Cost (sum of lines 7,8,& 9).

· Total fees (sum of lines 1 through 6) for projects greater than $5M and up to $10M shall not exceed 17% of Construction Cost (sum of lines 7, 8,& 9).

· Total fees (sum of lines 1 through 6) for projects greater than $10M shall not exceed 14% of Construction Cost (sum of lines 7, 8,& 9).

· A/E fees (line 4) may be a higher percentage of construction cost for small projects than large, depending on complexity and number of engineering disciplines involved in design. Fees should generally not exceed 10% of Construction Cost unless justified. In no case should total fees exceed the percentages noted above.

· Miscellaneous Costs (line 11) are not allowed.

STEP 5: Save your application.

· Save your application to your computer as changes are NOT automatically saved.

· Remember to click the Save button when you have completed the package and are ready to submit it.

· The package cannot be submitted until all required fields have been completed.

STEP 6: Submit the above to the http://www.grants.gov/ web site.

· Using the username ID and password you entered when you registered, you can submit your application package. In order to submit your application, you must already be registered and you will need to have already completed the application package using the PureEdge Viewer.

· The “Submit” button on the application package cover page will only become active after you have completed all required forms, attached all required documents, and saved your application package. Click on the “Submit” button once this process is complete and you are ready to send the completed application to Grants.gov.

· Next, review the provided application summary to confirm the application will be submitted to the correct program. Click the “Yes” button if this information is correct and you are ready to submit the application. If you are not already connected to the Internet, you will be directed to do so and will need to login to Grants.gov using your username ID and password.

· After you have clicked the “Sign and Submit” button on the summary page, your application package will automatically be uploaded to Grants.gov. A confirmation screen will appear once the upload is complete. Note that a Grants.gov tracking number will be provided at the bottom of this screen, as well as the submission’s official date and time. Record this number so that you may refer to it

NOTE - The above is only the first step in the application process.

You may review the status of your grant request at http://www.grants.gov/ web site.

STEP 7: Track the Status of a Completed Grant Application.

· Once an application has been submitted, you can check the status on the Track My Application page at http://www.grants.gov/applicants/track_my_application.jsp .

· You may identify your application by CFDA Number, Funding Opportunity Number, Competition ID, and/or Grants.gov Tracking Number.

STEP 8: Applications should not be mailed to VA. All subsequent documentation should be submitted on MAX.gov. Questions on the application process can be addressed to:

Ms. Anna Gaug Department of Veterans Affairs (10NA5) State Home Construction Grant Program 1717 H Street, NW 4th Floor Washington, D.C. 20006 Phone #: 202-632-7435

STEP 9: If State Matching funds and State authorization (VA Form 10-0388-14 Section B-1B and B-1C) are available for the project, VA Form 10-0388-6 and the supporting legislation must be submitted in Grants.Gov by August 1, 2012. Without both documents the project will not be placed in priority group 1 and will be ineligible for funding in FY 2013.

Helpful Hints:

Remember that all username ID and passwords are case sensitive. If the Submit button is not active, please check to be sure you have:

· Completed all mandatory fields in all mandatory forms and moved them to the Mandatory Completed Documents for Submission box.

· Clicked the Save button AFTER all documents have been moved to the Mandatory Completed Documents for Submission box.

· Completed all mandatory fields in all optional forms that have been moved to the Optional Completed Documents for Submission box.

· Closed all Internet browser windows.

· If the Submit button is active and you are still unable to submit the form, make sure that your computer meets the system requirements and you have the latest version for the PureEdge Viewer.

· If you are using a dial-up modem, it may take several minutes for the application to upload and be submitted. A high-speed Internet connection or DSL connection will process the application much faster.