PKG00251759-instructions.docx

Instructions and Reminders for Submitting LWCF Applications for FY2019

* Only the State agencies designated by their Governors or by State legislation to be able to administer LWCF monies may submit applications, on behalf of themselves or other state or local agency sponsors. Applications submitted by entities other than the designated State agency will automatically be rejected without consideration.

* As Grants.gov relies upon electronic signature for applications, it requires agencies to be registered to use Grants.gov and will accept applications only from authorized organization representatives (AORs) affiliated with a particular agency. You will need to determine if your agency already uses Grants.gov and if so, identify your agency’s e-business point of contact. Agency processes vary: some have only a limited number of AORs who can submit applications while others will designate AORs for each program that needs one. If your agency has not previously used Grants.gov, you will need to start with the agency registration process (information is on the Grants.gov website).

* Do not submit an application through Grants.gov until you have been directed to do so by your NPS Program Officer. Only final versions of applications that have been reviewed and deemed actionable by NPS may be submitted. Applications that were not reviewed by NPS prior to submittal will be rejected. Applications that needed revision or correction but were not prior to submittal as “final” will also be rejected.

* Due to the partial government shutdown, in FY19 there will be two cycles for States to submit applications; this is the second and final cycle. States may submit applications through July 31, 2019. We recommend that you not wait until the last minute. The uploading and transfer process can take a while, especially when Grants.gov is getting heavy use. Plus, after the application is submitted it gets validated before it is forwarded to NPS. The AOR will get four emails from Grants.gov: (1) when the application has been successfully submitted to grants.gov, (2) when the application has been validated, (3) when the application has been “received” by the agency (NPS), and (4) when an agency tracking number has been assigned. This can take anywhere from minutes to hours (but usually no more than a day). If you don’t get even the first email, your application was not successfully submitted to Grants.gov and you need to attempt to re-submit. If you don’t get all four emails, you should assume that the NPS did not actually get your application (notwithstanding the third email). Applications are most likely to fail at the validation stage (second step), so you should always check the second email to confirm this step was successful or determine why the application was rejected. If you get the validation email but the third email is not forthcoming, let your program officer know as this could mean your application got stuck. If you do not get the fourth email that means the application did not actually leave grants.gov; a common issue is that the application is too large to transmit to the DOI system (the size limit is 25mg). Contact the Grants.gov Help Desk for technical issues with submitting.

* Only new applications for funding are submitted via Grants.gov. All amendments to existing grants can be submitted at any time and should be submitted directly to your NPS Program Officer.

* States are expected to upload the complete application to Grants.gov.

· Since January 1, 2018, Grants.gov has made the use of “Workspace” mandatory for preparing the application package. Required standard forms will be prepared through Workspace, so you do not need to upload printed and scanned versions. Applications MUST include the SF-424 PLUS either the SF-424A/B (planning) or C/D (construction, including: acquisition, development, renovation, or combination projects). However, if your application is for construction but also includes indirect costs, you should submit the SF-424A as well to show a full budget that includes this expense as well as provide information about the approved rate and base (do not include indirect costs in the budget breakdown of the SF-424C). Although the A/B and C/D are listed as being optional forms, they are not; they are optional to facilitate your being able to select and include only the forms applicable to a particular grant project.

· Besides the standard forms, you MUST submit the other required application documents, including the project and budget narrative, PD/ESF, DNF, area and boundary maps, etc. Attachments can be accepted in most file formats, such as MSWord, PDF, and Excel. Note that a signed project agreement is no longer needed as we now use the NPS’ standard agreement form.

· Recognizing there are some variations in the content of State applications, if there is not a stand-alone project narrative states can attach the PD/ESF, including applicable attachments (if any) as the project narrative. For the budget narrative, we would accept a document prepared by either the LWCF agency or the project sponsor, if different. Any other document can be attached using the “Other Attachment” link.

· If applicable to your grant, don’t forget to include a copy of the approved waiver of retroactivity and/or a copy of the approved indirect cost rate agreement that covers or will cover the initial period of performance for the grant.

* The SF-424 will require that a start (and end) date for the period of performance be entered. If the project has been granted a waiver of retroactivity, the approval date should be used as the start date. Otherwise, the grant start date will be September 23, 2019.

* Make sure that you know the DUNS and EIN your agency is using for Grants.gov; they should be the same as the ones that are registered with NPS for your agency’s ASAP account. If the DUNS you include on the SF-424 does not match the one registered for the agency in Grants.gov, your application may be rejected (this is a common reason applications get rejected). If the DUNS is valid but does not match the one registered on your ASAP account, your grant may be set up with an incorrect vendor record, preventing delivery of the grant funds to your ASAP account.