Grant Basics The White Earth Economic Development Office (WEEDO) works to support, retain, and foster existing entrepreneurships on the White Earth Reservation, and to attract new businesses which enhance career opportunities for tribal citizens, enabling them to work on the reservation while preserving the integrity of their rich cultural heritage. | Finding Funding | Grant-Process-At-A-Glance | Planning | Determining | Submission Date | Tracking Your Application | Required Registrations | |Additional Considerations | Additional Grant Elements | Grant-Process-At-A-Glance The following "Grants Process At-A-Glance" chart is provided as a sample of the general time element necessary for a competing application to proceed from Receipt and Referral through the Peer Review process to negotiation and award. Pre-Application                                                                              Phase I Determining Funding Agency: Based upon the funding agency you might be required to apply online and have other pertinent documents ready (DUNS & EIN). Required Information: Locate or apply for a DUNS number as well as your EIN number.  Registration: If you are required to submit your application online, you will have to register in advance (i.e. grants.gov). Planning, Writing, & Submitting                                                  Phase II Planning: Applicant should start early, collect preliminary data, and establish internal deadlines. Writing: Applicant often begins writing application several months prior to application due date. Submitting: Applicant organization submits application for review (Online or Mail). If using mail – using tracking tools. Receipt & Referral                                                                      Phase III Arrival: Application arrives at funding agency.  Confirmation: Confirmation email is sent.  If not contact to confirm. Sent Out to Review: Application is assigned to review team. Award Process                                                                            Phase IV Pre-Award Process: Grantor conducts final administrative review and negotiates award. Notification of Award: Notice of Award to applicant is sent out. Well Done! Project period officially begins!   Finding a Funding Opportunity: Once you've determined a suitable grant program to fund your initiative, begin to search for the proper funding opportunity announcements (FOA) or request for proposals (RFP).. Begin searching active FOA's or RFP's to see if one fits your initiative.  The best locations to look for FOA's or RFP'swill be departmental agency websites or larger search engines such as www.grants.gov.  For example, if you are looking for Head Start funding, go to their main departmental website, Administration for Children's & Families: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/.  On ACF's homepage, you will find: Grant Opportunities.  Click on that link.  It will go to: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/.  On this site, you will find all open grant opportunities that are currently available.     Next, determine if your proposed project fits within the scope of your initiative. Review the criteria to see if you fit the requirements to apply. Sometimes, it is the smallest detail that is overlooked which can stop you from applying or there is a small detail that you overlooked in completing your application that kicks you out of the review process. Read the grant application instructions carefully.  Finally, determine if writing for the funding is worth the effort.  If you are writing for a competitive grant and there is only one grant being awarded nationwide, consider whether you have a chance to be awarded.  Often, the amount of time you put into a grant is extensive, depending on the agency and amount.  Will it be worth your while to apply? Mission Examine your mission and goals. Consider carefully whether your proposed project fits within your mission. Your application should address the mission and research priorities of your organization.  Additionally, funding agencies often have their own goals, objectives, and/or performance standards that you must meet (Review these carefully and integrate each into your application/evaluation processes). Technical Support If you have questions about any part of the grants application process, WEEDO will be happy to work with you to find the answers. Be sure to contact your grant contact as well as technical assistance with the funding agency prior to submitting an application to ask questions as well. Here are some suggestions before you contact WEEDO: Contact a program official (PO) at the appropriate grantor agency by phone or e-mail to clarify any questions you may have, such as whether your proposed research project falls within the scope of an existing FOA or RFP. Grant management staff can also provide advice on business and administrative issues. Planning Your Application It's a major undertaking to prepare and submit a grant application.  The successful grantee allows ample time to plan, organize and write a grant application that competes well in the peer review process and ultimately earns funding. Carefully read the mission, goals and objectives of the funding agency. The most successful applications reflect an understanding of the funder's principles. Be realistic about the time it will take to complete each aspect of the application process and plan accordingly. It can take a significant amount of time to get organized, refine your ideas, collect preliminary data, write the grant application, obtain approval for your budget, and approval for working with human subjects or animal subjects, etc. Develop a realistic timeline that includes draft application deadlines, and give yourself enough time to meet them. Good organization and planning will help ensure a competitive edge and most likely result in a strong application that has the merit to justify funding. Team Work Set your own internal deadlines and work together with individuals in your organization. Meet with WEEDO early in the process. Give them an idea of the type of grant you are considering and budget.  This office can help guide you through the application process and can inform you of any deadlines you must meet.  They can also provide specific advice on developing your application, especially the budget. Plan your own timeline to ensure you get your application in on time, especially when collaboration is involved. Become familiar with all of your institution’s players, procedures, processes and requirements.  For example, does your school partner need to present any letters of support or agreement to their board. Allow time for any unforeseen circumstances that may arise that involves collaboration/partnerships. Determining Application Submission Date Each FOA or RFP will state the submission date for grant applications. If you do not believe that you can meet the application deadline comfortably, strongly consider delaying to the next submission date.  Reviewers will point out when they feel an application is premature because of inadequate development and presentation, including a poorly conceived budget. Some applications must be postmarked by a specific date, while other applications must be received by the specified date. Tracking Your Application Most funders have an online tool to track the status of your application.  For example, Grants.gov, you can login to review the status of your application.  You can also track your application through the following methods: Watch for email notifications. Email notices are sent to notify the applicant for a change in status. Track throughout the grants process. Tracking during “Planning, Writing, Submitting” phase. Electronic submission. Any errors or warnings identified during the electronic submission process are reflected in Status. Status also is used to access the final assembled application (called e-Application in the Other Relevant Documents section) that will be shared with reviewers. Paper submission. Applications must be submitted through the US Postal Service or another courier. Most couriers provide on-line tools to track packages such as the tracking option through FedEx or UPS. Tracking during “Receipt/Referral” phase. Your application, once sent to a review will be reflected in Status. Tracking during “Peer Review” phase. Score and percentile. Any available score and percentile information can often be tracked. Summary Statement. A summary statement can often be requested or reviewed online.  Tracking during “Pre-award” and “Award” phase. Notice of Award (NOA). The NOA is the official grant award document notifying the grantee and others that an award has been made and stating the terms and conditions of the award. Organizational officials will often be contacted via email of an NOA. Tracking during “Post Award Management” phase. Several post-award tasks can be managed online, if not, paperwork will have to be completed. Progress Report. Most funders will ask for grantees to submit a progress report. Closeout. Closeout documents including final status reports and final progress reports are often a requirement. No-Cost Extension. If you feel you are in need of an extension, you can often request an extension. Required Registrations Required Registrations In order to apply for funding, both you and your organization might need to be registered with the electronic systems that are involved in receiving and processing your grant applications such as Grants.gov. Organizational Registration Requirements Organizations should allow at least four to six weeks to complete all registrations.  DUNS Number: Your organization will need a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number, an identifier government vendors need to register in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) database so they can apply for a federal grant. The CCR is the primary database for organizations and persons who do business with the federal government. CCR registration is necessary to submit applications toGrants.gov. Grants.gov: Registration Required. The White Earth Reservation Tribal Council already has a DUNS Number as well as an EIN number for tribal applications. Authorized Organizational Representative Identify your organization's authorized organizational representative (AOR). Your AOR might be the same person as your signing official.  Only a AOR can submit your application to Grants.gov.  The White Earth Reservation Tribal Council has authorized AOR's.  The signing official is the tribal chairperson.  The chief financial officer usually signs for all budgetary commitments. Additional Elements Required in a Grant Application The following elements need to be included in the grant application as appropriate. Unless stated, these elements do not influence the rating (priority score) of the application. However, the reviewers are asked to comment on the adequacy of the information provided for each element. Any concerns the reviewers identify may negatively affect and postpone the granting of an award.   Appendix Materials T he Appendix may not impact the page limitations of the proposal, but double check to see if this is true.  Essential information should be included within the body of the grant application. The appendices should contain supportive or supplemental information. Contractual Arrangements Explain the programmatic, fiscal, and administrative arrangements to be made between the applicant organization and the consortium organization(s). Consultants Attach appropriate letters from all consultants confirming their roles in the project. (For consultants, letters should include rate/charge for consulting services.) Inclusion of Women, Minorities and Children in Research Peer reviewers will also assess the adequacy of plans to include subjects from both genders, all racial and ethnic groups (and subgroups), and children, as appropriate, for the scientific goals of the research will be assessed. Plans for the recruitment and retention of subjects will also be evaluated. Protection of Human Subjects from Research Risk Applicants must assure that all human subjects are protected. Reviewers will assess the potential risk to human subjects in proposed research and evaluate what protections are in place to guard against any research-related risk. Select Agents Identify any select agents to be used in the proposed research. Select agents are hazardous biological agents and toxins that have identified as having the potential to pose a severe threat to public health and safety, to animal and plant health, or to animal and plant products.   Use the menu at left to learn more about how we can assist you. PO Box 418, White Earth, Minnesota  56591 Phone (218) 983-4640 | Fax (218) 983-3641 | deanj@whiteearth.com