How do I Apply for a Grant using Grants.gov?

How do I Apply for a Grant using Grants.gov? NATIONAL SBIR CONFERENCE May 14-16 Track 3: Application & Evaluation (Non-DOD) Session Chair: Matthew Portnoy, Ph.D. Room: Baltimore 1-2, 1:15 2:05 p.m Matthew E. Portnoy, Ph.D., NIH SBIR/STTR Program Coordinator Director, Division of Special Programs OEP, OER, NIH, DHHS Phone: 301-435-2688 Fax: 301-480-0146 mportnoy@mail.nih.gov Carl Hebron, Department of Energy SBIR/STTR Program Coordinator Phone: 301-903-1414 Fax: 301-903-5488 Carl.Hebron@science.doe.gov Catherine Henry, Founder, Grow Emerging Companies LLC Phone: 303-990-2114 Fax: 303-265-9097 Chenry@grow-ec.com 1 Which federal agencies award grants? Grant Agencies Department of Agriculture Department of Education - National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) Department of Energy Department of Health and Human Services (NIH, CDC, FDA, ACF) National Science Foundation 2 1

Which federal agencies award contracts? Contract Agencies Department of Commerce NIST, NOAA Department of Defense DOD Department of Education - Institute of Education Sciences (IES) Department of Homeland Security Department of Transportation Environmental Protection Agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration Department of Health and Human Services (NIH, CDC contract solicitation) 3 Electronic Submission for Grants: Registration Basics 1. General Components of Registration in preparation for Grants.gov submission 2. Agency-specific requirements for Grants.gov 4 2

Grants.gov requirement: EIN Number* *Employer Identification Number (EIN) or Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN): http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-&-self-employed/applyfor-an-employer-identification-number-(ein)-online Note that you do not have to have employees to apply for an EIN number, and you can apply online. The EIN you receive when you apply is your permanent number and can be used immediately for most of your business needs, including opening a bank account, applying for licenses, filing tax returns, and moving on to the application for a DUNS number. However, it will take up to two weeks before your EIN becomes part of the IRS's permanent records. You must wait until this occurs before you can: File an electronic return, Make an electronic payment, or pass an IRS Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) matching program. 5 http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform Grants.gov Registration Process: D&B DUNS number 6 3

Grants.gov Submission Prerequisite: SBA Firm Registration http://www.sbir.gov/registration 7 SAM - System for Award Management Replaces what used to be the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) If you were previously registered in CCR, you will need to go to SAM to create a SAM account. Your e-mail address will link your new SAM account with your old CCR info. 8 4

9 Steps for Registering Your Entity in SAM 1. Go to www.sam.gov 2. Create a Personal Account and Login 3. Click Register New Entity under Manage Entity 4. Select type of Entity 5. Select No to Do you wish to bid on contracts? 6. Select Yes to Do you want to be eligible for grants and other federal assistance? 7. Complete Core Data 8. Complete Points of Contact 9. Wait for registration validation from SAM 10.*Keep checking your registration status Information (1-9) is from: Ihttps://www.acquisition.gov/SAM_Guides/Quick%20Guide%20for%20Grants%20Registrations%20v1.pdf SAM.gov: System for Award Management Fill out Purpose of Registration 10 5

Core Data includes: DUNS validation (verify DUNS #) Business Information General Information Financial Information Executive Compensation Proceeding Details This information is from: https://www.acquisition.gov/sam_guides/quick%20guide%20for%20grants%20registrations%20v1.pdf 11 Fill out all Core Data Sections and review the information 12 6

SAM Grant administrators cannot see that you have completed SAM Registration unless you authorize your information to be displayed in SAM s Public Search 13 Each section will be changed from a red X to a green check box as you complete the section. You will need to complete your POCs (Points of Contact) to complete your SAM Registration. The Electronic Business Point of Contact role is very important: this person is the E- Biz POC in Grants.gov who approves your AORs. 14 7

Know about potential issues: It takes at least a day before a SAM modification is available in Grants.gov If an applicant modifies a SAM data element, SAM may report to Grants.gov that the record is in process, which would cause Grants.gov to reject an application. Grants.gov rejects any submitted applications until the data is synchronized again. If an applicant needs to modify any of the registration record data, they should do so well ahead of the deadline. Applicants should log in to SAM, Grants.gov and any agency-specific submission site (Fastlane, era Commons) prior to the deadline to verify that they can access the required systems. If a problem with access arises, it may take more than a day to resolve. 15 Registration Status 1. Work in Progress 2. Submitted 3. Pending IRS Validation 4. Pending CAGE Code Validation 5. Active. 16 8

SAM.gov is supported by the Federal Service Desk: https://www.fsd.gov. 17 US Calls: 866-606-8220 International Calls: 334-206-7828 DSN: 866-606-8220 Grants.gov registration is required for all SBIR/STTR electronic grant submissions* *with one exception www.grants.gov 18 9

National Science Foundation and Grants.gov vs. Fastlane Electronic Requirements quote from NSF s Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (effective January 14, 2013) Proposals to NSF must be submitted electronically via the NSF FastLane System or via use of Grants.gov. For proposals prepared and submitted via Grants.gov, the guidelines specified in the NSF Grants.gov Application Guide apply. For proposers who cannot submit electronically, an authorization to deviate from the electronic submission requirements must be approved in advance of submission of the paper proposal in accordance with GPG Chapter II.A. Translation: Submit all proposals through NSF s submission website at: https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/ 19 National Science Foundation s Fastlane Submission Website 20 10

NSF requires registration in Fastlane for all SBIR/STTR grant submissions 21 Fastlane Electronic Application Screen 22 11

Grants.gov Registration Organization Registration 23 Grants.gov Registration final steps Notice that AOR Status is AOR Request Sent 24 12

Grants.gov Registration E-Biz Point of Contact Login Image of Grants.gov E-Biz POC login and approval process Steps here Last step in Grants.gov Registration: E-Biz Point of Contact AOR Approval 25 Grants.gov Registration E-Biz Point of Contact Approval of AOR The final step in the Grants.gov registration process: Approval of the Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) by the E-Biz Point of Contact (i.e., the SAM system Electronic Business POC) 26 13

Grants.gov registration is completed Final Grants.gov image of AOR approved status in Grants.gov 27 Help and Support for Grants.gov: Hours of Operation: 24x7 except federal holidays. Email: support@grants.gov Phone: 800-518-4726 Web site: Grants.gov Help Page: Grants.gov/help/help.jsp On-line help request: grantsportal.psc.gov/welcome.aspx?pt=grants Click on Contact Us in upper right corner 28 14

Department of Energy Submission on Grants.gov 29 Application & Award Timelines 30 15

*with one exception 31 *with one exception 32 16

*with one exception 33 34 17

35 Portfolio Analysis and Management System (PAMS) Registration 36 18

37 DOE Application Package 38 19

DOE Grants.gov Application New for FY13: Fast Track 39 DOE Grants.gov Application 40 20

DOE Grants.gov Application 41 Electronic Research Administration Office of Extramural Research National Institutes of Health Submitting Electronic Grant Applications to NIH Matthew Portnoy, PhD NIH SBIR/STTR Program Coordinator 42 42 21

Two Separate, but Linked Systems Grants.gov Federal-wide portal to find and apply for Federal grant funding Used by all 26 Federal grant-making agencies era Commons Agency system that allows applicants, grantees and Federal staff to share application/grant information Used by NIH and a few other HHS divisions IMPORTANT: Each system has its own registration and application requirements. 43 Keys to Success Do not combine SO and PI roles on single Commons account Use two accounts (one SO & one PI) if you serve both the administrative and scientific functions for your app PIs get one Commons account that follows them throughout their careers If PI is already registered, affiliate their existing account rather than creating a new one PI accounts can be affiliated with multiple organizations PIs should update their Commons profile prior to submitting (e.g., degree info used to determine Early Stage Investigator eligibility) 44 22

ALL applications must be submitted in response to a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) NIH: NIH simultaneously posts at: NIH Small Business Program Web page: http://sbir.nih.gov NIH Guide for Grants & Contracts: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/index.html Grants.gov Find Grant Opportunities: http://grants.gov/applicants/find_grant_opportunities.jsp DOE: http://science.energy.gov/sbir/ NSF: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=13371&org=iip USDA: http://www.nifa.usda.gov/fo/sbir.cfm Department of Education: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/sbir/index.html 45 NIH Announcement Notes Carefully read and follow all FOA instructions Be aware of key dates Click Apply for Grant Electronically found within the FOA 46 23

Helpful Pop-up Small Business applicants get the following pop-up before being sent to Grants.gov download page Click to proceed 47 Announcement Notes Verify information. Use highest Competition ID if more than one choice is given. Click download 48 24

Download Package & Application Guide Sign up for Agency updates to FOA Download application instructions and Application Package 49 Avoiding Common Errors Watch for fields that are required by NIH but not marked required on federal-wide forms Project/Performance Site DUNS is no longer required by Grants.gov, but is still required by NIH for federal reporting. 50 25

Avoiding Common Errors More fields that are required by NIH but not marked required on federal-wide forms Enter PI Commons Username era Commons Username must be supplied in Credential field for everyone with PD/PI role Enter Organization Name Organization name is used to determine reviewer conflicts and is required for all Sr/Key entries 51 Avoiding Common Errors Use PDF format for all attachments Use simple PDF-formatted files Do not use Portfolio or similar feature to bundle multiple files into a single PDF Disable security features like password protection Keep file names to 50 characters or less and use only letters, numbers and underscore (_) Do not include headers or footers Section headings as part of the text are encouraged Follow guidelines for fonts and margins Avoid 2-column and landscape format PDF Guidelines: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/electronicreceipt/pdf_guidelines.htm 52 26

Avoiding Common Errors Annotated form sets available on the Resources page of the Applying Electronically website are a great resource for helping identify many conditional requirements. Annotated form sets: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/electronicreceipt/communication.htm 53 Submit Application Save & Submit button will not become active until application is saved and mandatory information is completed. Check Package for Errors only checks a subset of Grants.gov errors You must SUBMIT the application for it to be checked against NIH application instructions. NIH errors/warnings will be displayed in the era Commons. 54 27

On-time Submission Error-free submission must be accepted by Grants.gov with a time stamp on/before 5:00 p.m. local time (of submitting organization) on due date Submit early (days, not minutes) to have time to address system-identified errors or problems found during the application viewing window All Changed/Corrected submissions must be made by the due date/time NIH s late policy does not allow for error corrections after the deadline 55 But wait, there s more (for NIH) YOU ARE NOT DONE YET! Submitting to Grants.gov is NOT the final step Applicants must track their applications to ensure an application image is accessible in era Commons for review consideration 56 28

Track Application Status Grants.gov Authorized Organization Representatives (AORs) era Commons Signing Officials (SOs) Principal Investigators (PIs) Delegated Assistants (ASSTs) 57 Grants.gov Notifications AOR receives Grants.gov e-mails Receipt Grants.gov e-mail verifying receipt of application Validation Grants.gov e-mail verifying successful submission to Grants.gov OR rejection due to errors Transmission to Agency E-mail sent once agency retrieves submission E-mail sent when agency tracking number assigned http://grants.nih.gov/grants/electronicreceipt/submit_app.htm#submit 58 29

Grants.gov Validations AOR is authorized to submit on behalf of DUNS SAM (CCR) Registration is active Grants.gov mandatory documents and fields completed DUNS# on application matches DUNS# in organization s Grants.gov registration Attachments are Virus-free Have file names of 50 characters or less Have file names with no spaces or special characters ( -, &, *, %, /, #, \); underscore (_) is OK 59 Track Status in Commons Commons Status is an integral part of electronic application submission Applications are picked up by era Commons and checked against application guide and opportunity instructions Processing result available in era Commons Status to SOs, PIs and delegated assistants E-mail notifications sent 60 30

era Commons Notifications era e-mails are sent to the AOR/SO, PD/PI and contact e-mails listed on SF424 (R&R) form Validation complete, check assembled application Validation complete, check assembled application Warnings only Action required Errors and/or Warnings Action required Missing or invalid era Commons Username (only sent to AOR/SO) Action required System Error SO has refused electronic application (rejected) NIH has auto-verified the application (after 2-day viewing window) http://grants.nih.gov/grants/electronicreceipt/submit_app.htm#track 61 era Commons Username Password 62 31

Track Status in Commons PD/PI Select Recent/Pending esubmissions Or provide Grants.gov tracking number from e-mail notification 63 Track Status in Commons PD/PI Indicates esubmission Error Grants.gov Tracking # Grants.gov tracking # and date are displayed followed by the list of errors/warnings for each submission attempt 64 32

Track Status in Commons Errors stop application processing and must be corrected before the deadline Warnings do not stop application submission and are corrected at the discretion of the applicant before the deadline Helpful Links Avoiding Common Errors page: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/electronicreceipt/avoiding_errors.htm Full list of Commons Validations: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/electronicreceipt/files/sf424rr_validation.pdf 65 Dealing with System Issues When Grants.gov or era system issues threaten your on-time submission Contact appropriate support team to try to get resolution If working with Grants.gov, contact era Help Desk to document issue and steps taken toward resolution If verified system issue, this documentation can be used in place of tracking # and time stamp as proof of "on-time" submission Document your issues and corrective actions, including support ticket numbers, in cover letter If era Help Desk confirms a system issue, your application will not be considered late as long as you work diligently with the Help Desk and follow provided guidance to resolve issue 66 33

Grants.gov Contact Center Finding Help Toll-free: 1-800-518-4726 Hours : 24x7 (Except Federal Holidays) Email : support@grants.gov Resources: http://www.grants.gov/help/help.jsp Support for: Grants.gov Registration, form behavior, submission era Commons Help Desk Web: http://era.nih.gov/help/index.cfm#era Phone: 1-866-504-9552 TTY: 301-451-5939 Hours : Mon-Fri, 7a.m. to 8 p.m. ET Support for: Commons Registration, era system validations, Application Status, Post-submission questions 67 Web Sites NIH Small Business Program Web page http://sbir.nih.gov era Commons: https://commons.era.nih.gov/commons/ Electronic Research Administration: http://era.nih.gov/ Applying Electronically: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/electronicreceipt/ NIH About Grants: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/oer.htm 68 34

Questions? 69 35