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Proposal Development Guidelines

INFORMATION | SF424 TIPS | GRANTS.GOV GUIDELINES | BOILERPLATE LANGUAGE

Recovery Act Tools

INFORMATION

From the OMB Guidelines on Recovery Act Funds:

    Section 5 – Grants and Cooperative Agreements

5.1 Are there actions, beyond standard practice, that agencies must take while planning for competitive and formula grant awards under Recovery Act?

Yes.

(1) Determining Grant Objectives and Evaluation Criteria for Award

Agencies should structure grants to result in meaningful and measurable outcomes that are consistent with agency plans and that promote the goals of the Recovery Act. The evaluation criteria for award should include those that bear on the measurement and likelihood of achieving these outcomes, such as, jobs creation and preservation.

TIPS on SF424 Attachments/Uploads/Downloads

    What type of document is supposed to be attached to the Research and Related Sub-Award Budget Form (R&R Sub-Award Budget Form)?

    The R&R Sub-Award Budget Form specifies that a Sub-Award Attachment, a PureEdge file (.xdf extension), must be attached. This attachment is available within the Sub-Award Budget Form.

    When you have opened the form, simply click the Click here to extract the R&R Sub-Award Budget Attachment button to download, save and fill-out the Sub-Award Budget attachment. When completed, click the Add Attachment file within the Sub-Award Budget form to find the attachment and attach it to the form. Make sure that all the mandatory fields have been completed in the attachment – if they are not, then the application package could get rejected.

    Please note that you will ONLY be able to add this Sub-Award Attachment within this form. Any other file type, including any other .xdf files, other than the expected R&R Sub-Award Budget Attachment, will cause the system to reject your submission.

    Must I fill out all the mandatory fields within the Sub-Award Budget Attachment?

    Yes. In order to submit your application, you are required to fill-out the mandatory fields (each symbolized by a yellow field and an asterisk), as well as any other applicable fields.

    Like the "Check Package for Errors" button at the top of your application package, there is also a "Check Form for Errors" button on the Research & Related Sub-Award Budget Attachment. Make sure that you use this button to check for any errors. You should do this for each and every Sub-Award Budget Attachment included in your application. If you do not fill-out each mandatory field, your application will be rejected by Grants.gov.

    Are there any restrictions on what your file name for the Sub-Award Budget Attachment?

    Yes. Avoid using any special characters (example: %,/,#, -, &, *) in any file name. Do not include spaces in the file name. Also, keep the name of the attachment short.

    What happens if I attach a blank document or a file that doesn't have any information to the application package?

    The empty file, such as a Word document opened and saved without entering any data, will cause problems as the system processes your application package. Make sure attached files contain data. Empty files can create delays in Grants.gov processing your package, and the empty file will be included as part of your official application submission to the federal agency.

    What type of documents and files can be uploaded to an application package?

    While using the compatible version of Adobe Reader, any type of file can be attached to an application package. While using PureEdge you may attach most file types except files saved in Office 2007.Please read the application instructions, in many cases an agency will place restrictions on the types of files it wishes to accept. You can only attach documents to an application if the forms in the applications allow you to do so.

    Note: Although Grants.gov does not restrict types of file attachments, if more than one attachment is included in a grant submission and two or more files have the same name, the grant application cannot be processed without manual intervention. To correct this, you should:

    1. Rename attached files with the same name so that no files share the same name.
    2. Reattach the files.
    3. Resubmit the application package.

    TIP: Do not save your entire application package as a PureEdge file (.xfd) and upload it as an attachment.

    *Please note at this time Grants.gov is experiencing compatibility issues with all MS Office 2007 XML attachments. PureEdge is not compatible with Microsoft Office 2007. File extensions currently not compatible include: .pptx, .xlsx, .docx, .docm, .dotm, .dotx, .potm, .potx. Click here to learn more about Office 2007 attachments.

Difficulty Submitting the SF424

    I am having difficulty submitting my application and have received the following error messages:

    • Error 500.
    • Username ID and password do not match credentials provided.
    • We cannot register you as a user.

    Try submitting your application using this method:

    • Close all browser(s) and running applications.
    • Open Internet Explorer
    • From the tool bar, click File => Open
    • The Open window appears. Click the Browse button located at the bottom of the right of the window.
    • A Browse menu opens. At the bottom of this screen there is a Files of type: drop down menu. Click the drop down arrow and click All Files.
    • At the top of the screen there is a Look in: drop down menu. Click the drop down arrow and browse to the physical location where the application file is located on you hard disk. Select the application.
    • Double click the application or click Open and then click OK.
    • Internet Explorer will open the application. This might take a couple of moments. Be patient.
    • Once the application is completely open, click the Submit button, and then click Sign and Submit.
    • Next, enter your username ID and password.
    • Lastly, click Login.

    I am having difficulty submitting my application. Do you have any suggestions that might help?

    Grants.gov - Browser Setting Correction

    1. Please close all your browser windows.
    2. Save the .xfd file to your desktop
    3. Open a browser window
    4. Click File — Open — Browse —
    5. Navigate to the .xfd saved on their desktop and double click to open it
    6. Click Submit button.

    Grants.gov - Browser Setting Correction Modified

    Since everything appears normal, you can try one last thing:

    1. Save the grant application on the DESKTOP
    2. Open Internet Explorer (IE)
    3. Midsize IE by clicking on the middle button in the upper right-hand corner
    4. You should be able to move the IE screen around by clicking on the top IE "blue" bar. Move the IE screen until the desktop, and the icon for the grant application is visible.
    5. Click on the grant application and drag it
    6. Drop the grant application (release the left-mouse key) inside IE screen
    7. The application will now open in an IE window
    8. Proceed as usual.

     

Grants.gov Guidelines

Tips and instructions for Grants.gov applications.

Boilerplate Language on Core Facilities hosted by USF College of Medicine

PDF format: http://health.usf.edu/medicine/research/core document resources.pdf





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