FYI
The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the FY 2021 State RBS Grant Program has been posted to Grants.gov. You may apply for the FY 2021 grant cycle any time now. The due date is SEPTEMBER 30, 2020. Please submit applications based on the revised estimated allocation schedule dated 03/30/2020 unless you have prior year grant money available. A copy of the NOFO is attached. The Opportunity Number is: DHS-USCG-RBS-2021-001
Please note there are key changes in the FY 2021 application. There is updated guidance in Section D. 9. Content and Form of Application Submission, and Section D. 10. Other Submission Requirements. Also pay particular attention the Section H. 4. DHS Civil Rights Evaluation Tool.
As before, the application package will NOT show up if you conduct a search for it using the "Search Grants" tab. You MUST be logged in to Grants.gov. Directions are below:
Directions to Search for Application:
Go to Grants.gov
- Click on "Applicants" in the Top Menu
- Then "Apply for a Grant Opportunity Today"
- Click on the "Search for Opportunity Package"
- In the Funding Opportunity Number, enter: DHS-USCG-RBS-2021-001
The search will take you to the Grant Opportunity Package, where you will be able to Preview and download the package.
FINANCIAL AGREEMENTS: Do NOT prepare a Financial Agreement. Your Coast Guard Grant Coordinator will do that for you AFTER we publish the Final Allocation Schedule and have authority to obligate the funds. The FY 2021 Coast Guard Terms and Conditions/Financial Agreements have 1 place for the states to sign. It is incumbent upon you to determine who has the authority to sign at your end. Some states require their attorney to sign these documents; others do not. You will need to establish appropriate routing/endorsement procedures. Please refresh your memory by carefully reading the Coast Guard Terms and Conditions/Financial Agreement.
ATTACHMENTS TO GRANTS.GOV SUBMISSIONS: Make sure you include all appropriate attachments with your Grants.gov submission. When using a spreadsheet, such as the Budget Tool or something similar, please attach the file in Excel format rather than pdf format. The ability to cut/paste at this end is a tremendous help and reduces errors that can arise when rekeying your information. Public Access information should be sent as attachments also; even when there is a lot. Grants.gov will accept numerous large attachments. Refer to instructions issued by Grants.gov for acceptable vs. unacceptable file naming conventions.
CARRYOVER: For those of you that expect to have carryover, please use your best estimate while preparing your FY 2020 budget. There is no penalty for being wrong and we would rather see an educated guess than simply entering $0. If you will have carryover, I suggest getting your applications in early so that they are at the head of the line for programmatic review. Remember, your application must have programmatic approval before we will reimburse for expenses occurring in FY 2021 out of your carryover funds.
The FY 2021 budget tool is attached to assist you in preparing your application. A checklist is attached to help ensure that your application includes all required documentation.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact your USCG Grant Coordinator or Pavlo Oborski:
Pavlo Oborski
U.S. Coast Guard
Grants Management Branch Chief
202-372-1055
Pavlo.Oborski@uscg.mil
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Ron Sarver
Chief, Knowledge & Learning Management Systems
National Association of State Boating Law Administrators
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