Understanding the Funding Opportunity Announcement
All ACF Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) are organized into the following sections. This list provides a general description of the content typically found in each section, but is not exhaustive.
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Section I: Funding Opportunity Description
- Provides background information, the goals of the program, post–application requirements and expectations, and a citation of the statutory authority for the award.
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Section II: Award Information
- Includes information on the anticipated funding amount and number of awards, the length of the project periods, and for cooperative agreements, a description of ACF’s anticipated substantial involvement in the funded project.
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Section III: Eligibility Information
- Describes what entities are eligible to apply, application disqualification factors, and any cost-sharing requirements.
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Section IV: Application and Submission Information
- Outlines all application and submission requirements. This includes the requirements of the project description and budget, guidance on formatting, application submission instructions, required forms, assurances, and certifications, funding restrictions, intergovernmental review requirements, and an address to request an application package.
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Section V: Application Review Information
- Includes the criteria objective reviewers will use to evaluate and score applications, information on the application review and award selection process, as well as anticipated announcement and award dates.
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Section VI: Award Administration Information
- Provides information on award notices, administrative and national policy requirements, and post-award reporting requirements.
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Section VII: Agency Contacts
- Provides a program office contact and a grants management contact.
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Section VIII: Other Information
- Includes additional information such as references to helpful websites and an application checklist.
- Appendices
Your application will be scored and ranked by a panel of independent, objective reviewers with expertise in the relevant disciplines. At times, panels will include Federal staff. All criteria used by the review panels are published in Section V: Application Review Information in the FOA.