Tips-for-Completing-CDLPI-Grant-App-FINAL.PDF

February 2021

Tips for Completing Your CDLPI Grant Application Check off each task as you work to complete your CDLPI Grant application:

Start early. Gathering the necessary information for submitting the CDLPI Grant application takes time and teamwork. Starting early gives you more flexibility in the event of unexpected changes or delay. As a reminder, FY 2021 CDLPI Grant applications are due on Monday, March 15, 2021 before 5:00 p.m. ET.

Review the NOFO and Funding Conference slides. The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) outlines the upcoming year’s program information, priorities, and emphasis areas. The NOFO can be found on Grants.gov. The opportunity number is FM-CDL-21-001.

Know your resources. The CDLPI Grant page (https://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/Grants/CDLPI.aspx) has a variety of tools and training available to assist you in developing and successfully submitting your application.

Consider previous years’ comments. Address feedback from previous submissions in advance for this year. You can find this in the NGA Terms and Conditions and/or correspondence from review and approval of project plans and budgets. In addition, FMCSA provides applicants a description of the issues discovered when applications are not funded.

Ensure your application meets the criteria for a performance based plan. Focus on identifying quantitative measurable objectives and activities that will be achieved by the funding requested.

Provide Problem Statements with specific data and information. Data in Problem Statements should support the need for the project’s goals and objectives outcome, provide the relevant 49 CFR regulatory citation, and establish a quantitative baseline to measure against. Remember to cite the source of the data.

Be SMART about Performance Objectives. Performance Objectives must be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timebound. Including quantifiable benchmarks allows for a means to measure progress and demonstrate successful outcomes.

Identify quantifiable outputs for each activity in the Program Activity Plan. You may have multiple activities that will support the overall objective identified. Each activity must have a quantifiable output to measure and report movement against the baseline.

Develop a total Budget Summary that supports each Project Narrative, and Budget Narrative(s) that support each Performance Objective. The Budget Narrative includes costs for all activities that fall under each objective, broken out by object cost category (SF-424A, Section B). The Budget Summary reflects the total budget for each project, and combines costs outlined for each objective into a comprehensive budget for that project (SF-424A, Section A).

When developing the budgets, make sure to:

Use object classes correctly. Equipment is $5,000 or more per item unless agency policy defines differently. If so, include statement of such.

Round all budget lines/costs to the nearest whole dollar amount.

Upload all required documents to Grants.gov. Application packages must contain all required documentation in order to be considered for an award. Review the Application Package Requirement Checklist in Appendix A of the NOFO.

Confirm your submission. When submitting your application, ensure that you get two email confirmations from Grants.gov to validate the submission.

http://www.grants.gov/ https://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/Grants/CDLPI.aspx

Tips for Completing Your CDLPI Grant Application