Non-Disaster Grants Grant Recipient Application Guide

November 9, 2022
Introduction
Federal Emergency Management Agency

How to Use this Application Guide

 This Application Guide is a resource for the grant recipient to understand the basic 

steps of submitting an application in the Non-Disaster Grants Management System 

(ND Grants) and become an expert in navigating the system.

 In the following slides, you will find everything you need to submit an application in ND 

Grants:

1. Accessing ND Grants Resources 

2. Submitting an Application

3. Troubleshooting on Your Own

4. Visual Guides

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Federal Emergency Management Agency

Quick Reference Guides Icons

 The information in this PowerPoint is 

intended to be brief. If you need more 

information, each slide is linked to a 

Quick Reference Guide (QRGs) that 

contains in-depth application steps 

 The rectangular icon on the upper 

right-hand corner of a slide 

represents a linked QRG. Ctrl-click 

the icon to download the QRG that 

covers corresponding information to 

the slide in greater detail

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Ctrl-Click to view QRG!
Accessing ND Grants Resources 
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ND Grants Resources

ND Grants offers resources in a variety of formats. You can learn about specific grant process 

items through user guides and FAQs, attending an ND Grants training webinar, or contacting the 

ND Grants Service Desk.

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ND Grants Website Resources

 Grant Recipient User Guide

 ND Grants Quick Reference Guides

 Grant program website links

 Frequently Asked Questions

 YouTube Videos

ND Grants Systems Training Webinars

 Held on a regular basis and increase in 

frequency during application season

 Provide a comprehensive, step-by-step 

view of how to submit applications, 

amendments and performance progress 

reports in ND Grants
Application Process
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Creating an Application in Grants.gov

Every ND Grants application begins in Grants.gov with an initial application for Federal Assistance (SF-424). Once the SF-424 is submitted, the 

Grants.gov application automatically migrates to ND Grants for Program Manager initial review.

 Open the Applicants dropdown in Grants.gov and click the Apply Now link. Enter the Funding Opportunity number or the Opportunity Package ID 

into the text boxes and click the Create Workspace button

 Click the Webform link in the Action column 

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 Complete the application and click the Sign and Submit button

 Note the Grants.gov Tracking Number and Application Number, and use the tracking number to verify that the application is downloaded into ND 

Grants

 Check that the Grants.gov application was downloaded into ND Grants by selecting the Check Application Status link on the Applicant Center page

 Search for your grant on the Applicant Center page and confirm that the Status column reads “Agency Tracking Number Assigned”
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Creating an ND Grants User Account

If you are a first-time ND Grants user, you must create a profile in ND Grants. 

 Go to the FEMA Enterprise Identity Management System homepage and click New Non-PIV User

 Enter the characters appearing above the entry box, and click Submit

 Enter your personal information and create a password and click Submit

 If the account is created successfully, an 8-digit one-time verification will be emailed to the address you entered. The verification code is valid for 

30 minutes. 

 Once you verify your account, then request access to ND Grants by clicking Click here to request new privileges

 Scroll down to find the ND Grants icon and click the Request Access link below the icon

 Contact the ND Grants Service Desk for the access code at 1-800-865-4076

 After entering the access code click Submit 

 If you have already registered but forgot your User ID or password, click on the Forgot Password? or the Forgot ID? buttons for assistance

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Federal Emergency Management Agency

Creating an Organization within ND Grants

If you are confident that your organization has never submitted an application in ND Grants, you can create a new organization. 

 Under the Administration dropdown, click the Organizations link to view the Organization Administration page

 Click Create Organization

 Enter all organization information and click Save

If your organization has previously applied through ND Grants, you must request access to your organization. Only one organization can be associated with 

an application. Note that only the Organization Administrator can add contacts to the organization, update user roles within the organization, and approve 

organization access requests.

If you are having issues creating an organization, refer to this slide for troubleshooting. 

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Federal Emergency Management Agency

Gaining Organization Access

For an organization that has already been created, you must submit an Organization Access Request to access the organization’s applications and awards

 Under the Administration dropdown, click the Request Organization Access link

 Click the dropdown and type your organization’s name in the search bar

 Select all the roles in the Roles Requested section

 Click the Submit button

Note:

• Do not request access to inactive organizations. This will result in an error message

.

If the existing Organization Administrator is unavailable to approve the request, you can forward the request to the Program Manager. You must request the 

Organization Administrator role when forwarding your Organization Access Request.

 Under the Administration dropdown, click the Review Organization Access Requests link 

 Click the Pending Access Requests tab to view all pending requests

 Under the Action column click the Forward Organization Access Request to Grantor icon

 Complete all fields and click Submit

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Submitting Your Application

Applications submitted in Grants.gov and approved for eligibility will be released back to you in ND Grants for completion and final submission. You will be notified

via email to complete the application in ND Grants. If you come across issues, reference this slide before submitting your application.

 Click the Manage Applications link from the Application dropdown

 Click the Update Application icon in the Action column next to the appropriate application 

 In the SF-424 section, if your Congressional District does not appear, update it by typing the state abbreviation in the format that matches the example: 

“PA-03”

 Click the Add Attachment button to add attachments. A title and description is required for each

 Approve the Certification Regarding Lobbying, and the SF-LLL in the Assurance and Certification section 

 Enter the Signatory Authority’s prefix and title, and your ND Grants password to sign each Assurance and Certification document. This can ONLY be 

signed by the Authorized Official identified in the Contacts 

 Click Save any time you want to save your application and return to it later

 Review your application! Once the application is submitted, you cannot make further edits

 Click Submit when you are ready to submit the application

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Federal Emergency Management Agency

Managing Contacts

If the contacts are not updated on your application, you will be unable to submit the application. Ensuring that all contacts have the correct user roles is

important. You must assign yourself the Authorized Official role in order to submit the application. Refer to this slide for guidance if you have not assigned

yourself the Authorized Official role.

 From the Application dropdown, click the Manage Applications link

 Click the Update Application icon in the Action column

 Select the contact corresponding to the correct usernames in the dropdown then click the Add Contact icon once the contact appears in the 

text box

 Assign the contact a role by selecting the radio button under the appropriate role. 

Note:

 You may select only one Primary Contact, but you can add multiple Secondary Contacts 

 The contact designated as the Signatory Authority does not need to be an ND Grants user. However, the Authorized Official must be an ND Grants 

user 

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Federal Emergency Management Agency

Accepting an Award

If you receive an award from FEMA, ND Grants will generate a task for accepting it. To receive funds and proceed further, the award package must be

accepted. If necessary, you can decline the award package.

 Click on the Award Offer Review link under the Pending Tasks column of the ND Grants Homepage

 Click on the Complete Award Offer Review icon in the Action column beside the award pending review

 Click Accept or Decline

 Click the checkbox to certify the acceptance or denial of the award in the Signature section. Then click Submit 

 Click the Grants Dashboard link under the Grants dropdown to view an accepted award

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Troubleshooting on Your Own
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Adding an Organization Contact: First Time ND Grants Users

If you are a first-time user in ND Grants with no other users listed for your organization, you will need to add another user to your organization to complete 

the Contacts section on the application. 

 Click the Organizations link to view the Organization Administration page

 Click the Update Organization icon to open the Update Organization page

 Click Create Contact on the right-hand side

 Edit the contact as necessary and click Ok 

 Click Save

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Federal Emergency Management Agency

You Do Not See the Update Button

In order to see the Update Application icon, you must ensure all user roles in ND Grants have the correct roles and responsibilities. A user with only the Organization Administrator 

role will not see any buttons in the Action column of the application. 

 Organization Administrators are the only type of user that can update user roles

 Authorized Officials are the only type of user that can submit an application

 Authorized Officials, Grants Administrators and Grant Writers are the only types of users that can edit

To update roles in ND Grants (This can only be done by the Organization Administrator):

 Under the Administration dropdown, select Organizations

 From the Organization Administration page, click the Update Organization icon in the Action column 

 From the Update Organization page, click the Action icon next to your username

 Select the roles needed to submit the application, click OK then Save

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Federal Emergency Management Agency

You Need to Add a Secondary Contact

One user cannot have both the Primary and Secondary contact role for an application. All applications must have at least two contacts associated wit

The photo below shows a correctly filled out Contacts section. 

h it. 

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Federal Emergency Management Agency

You Are Missing an Application Detail

Sometimes, there are small details that prevent an application from being able to successfully submit. Below are a few common issues to check for:

 Only the Authorized Official can sign and submit an application

 If your program is a Construction program, you need to complete the SF-424 C

 If your application is subject to review under the E.O. 12372 process and you enter a date, answer the E.O. review question last and submit your 

application without clicking Save

 The Signatory Authority’s name will appear at the bottom of each Assurance and Certification. The Authorized Official should enter their password 

and sign the Assurance on behalf of the Signatory Authority

 For each Assurance and Certification document, you must provide an electronic signature, or check the Form Not Applicable to Application box

 If a budget item is left blank, you will not be able to submit the application. For any item that does not require funds, please enter $0.00 

amounts in the corresponding boxes 

 All documents must have a title and description

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Federal Emergency Management Agency

You Are Encountering Errors

If you encounter a problem after following the steps outlined in this guide, try:

 Checking on pending tasks. An organization’s details cannot be updated while there are pending tasks for applications, amendments, or 

performance progress reports

 Completing tasks in Microsoft Edge. Google Chrome, Safari, and other web browsers tend to have issues

 Uploading documents from Mozilla Firefox. If you are trying to upload an attachment and received an error message, it may be a browser issue

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Visual Guides
Process Flow for Grant Recipients with Approved Awards

Applicant submits 

SF-424 in Grants.gov

Applicant receives 

email that Grants.gov 

has validated the 

application

Applicant receives 

email that an Agency 

Tracking Number has 

been assigned to the 

application

Applicant receives 

email to create an 

Organization in ND 

Grants

Applicant completes 

and submits 

application in ND 

Grants

FEMA Application 

Review

Grantee Award Offer 

Review

Grantee 

declines 

award

Grantee 

accepts 

award

Award 

Declined

Award 

Accepted

Updates 

Required

Applicant receives 

email that 

application has been 

released for 

completion in ND 

Grants

Applicant receives 

email that application 

has been released 

for updates

Key

Task/Notification 

for Award

Task/Notification 

that is not always 

applicable

Action attached to 

a task

End result
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Table of ND Grants User Roles

Task Organization 

Administrator Authorized Official Grant Administrator

Grant 

Writer

Change User Privileges X

Input Project Funding Data X X X

Submit Performance Reports X X

Accept Award Packages X

Sign Assurances & 

Certifications X

Submit Award Amendment X

Submit Application in 

Grants

ND X

Edit Application in ND Grants X X X

Update Organization X

Approve Access Request X
ND Grants Service Desk

1-800-865-4076

NDGrants@fema.dhs.gov