June 8, 2022

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Capital Projects Fund (CPF) Grant Plan Best Practices 

For States, Territories, and Freely Associated States

June 8, 2022

This document provides a brief overview of the CPF Grant and Program Plan submission process and 

identifies several best practices for recipients. This document does not pertain to Tribal governments.

This document may be updated or modified periodically; changes will be clearly marked. Recipients 

should consult the CPF Guidance for States, Territories, and Freely Associated States (CPF Guidance), 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document, the Sample CPF Grant Plan (which also includes links to 

the Use Code Questionnaires), and the CPF website (treasury.gov/CPF) for additional information. 

Terms used in this document but not defined herein have the meaning specified in the CPF Guidance.

CPF PROGRAM OBJECTIVES

THE CAPITAL PROJECTS FUND WILL ADDRESS MANY CHALLENGES LAID 

BARE BY THE PANDEMIC, ESPECIALLY IN RURAL AMERICA, TRIBAL 

COMMUNITIES, AND LOW- AND MODERATE-INCOME COMMUNITIES,

HELPING TO ENSURE THAT ALL COMMUNITIES HAVE ACCESS TO THE 

HIGH-QUALITY MODERN INFRASTRUCTURE, INCLUDING BROADBAND,

NEEDED TO ACCESS CRITICAL SERVICES.
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Table of Contents 

General Overview, Reminders, and Resources.......................................................................................3

Submission Checklist................................................................................................................................4

Completing the CPF Grant Plan & Program Plan(s).................................................................................4

Grant Plan Executive Summary ...........................................................................................................4

Program Plan(s)....................................................................................................................................5

Pre-Award Cost Annex (if applicable)..................................................................................................6

Allocation Table....................................................................................................................................6

Modifying the Amount of Program Administrative Funds.....................................................................6

Completing a Use Code Questionnaire: Use Code 1A (Broadband) .......................................................7

Completing a Use Code Questionnaire: Use Code 1B (Devices).............................................................9

Completing a Use Code Questionnaire: Use Code 1C (Multi-Purpose Community Facilities).............11

 
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General Overview, Reminders, and Resources 

Overview and Reminders

• All Grant Plans and Program Plans must be submitted by September 24, 2022. For more 

information about the Grant Plan deadline, including information about potential fund 

forfeitures and deadline waivers, see Section II.G of the CPF Guidance for States, Territories, and 

Freely Associated States.

• Recipients should be prepared to answer additional questions Treasury may ask when reviewing 

the submitted Grant or Program Plan(s); Treasury’s review process is iterative and additional 

information may be needed to complete the review.

• Recipients are permitted to submit additional attachments and documents to respond to 

questions but should specify which question or prompt to which they correspond. Treasury will 

consider relevant documentation submitted.

• Recipients are responsible for keeping their SAM.gov information updated and ensuring all 

identification numbers provided are active throughout the entire CPF grant period of 

performance. 

Additional Resources

• CPF recipients should contact their Treasury point of contact with questions. 

• General questions may also be submitted to CapitalProjectsFund@treasury.gov.

• Recipients should consult the following documents prior to submitting Grant or Program Plan(s):

o Capital Projects Fund Website

o CPF Guidance for States, Territories, and Freely Associated States

o CPF Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

o Sample CPF Grant Plan

 

Tip: Click here to access step-by-step instructions on how to complete and submit a Grant 

Plan and Program Plans. 

Tip: Treasury will review completed proposals (i.e., the Grant Plan and at least one Program 

Plan) on a rolling basis. 

Tip: Blue “tip” boxes found throughout this document highlight deadlines, reminders to 

recipients, examples, and other information Treasury will be looking for when reviewing 

submissions. 
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Submission Checklist 

Recipients must include the listed documents to successfully submit a Grant or Program Plan.

Grant Plan

☐ Executive Summary

☐ Allocation Table*

☐ At least one completed Program Plan

Program Plan

☐ Use Code Questionnaire (1A, 1B, 1C, 2)

☐ Program Narrative**

☐ Program Budget**

☐ Pre-Award Cost Annex (if applicable)**

*This document does not need to be uploaded separately. Each completed Program Plan will automatically populate the 

 Allocation Table.

**This document is part of the Use Code Questionnaire but may need to be uploaded separately.

 

Completing the CPF Grant Plan & Program Plan(s) 

States, territories, and freely associated states must submit a Grant Plan and at least one Program Plan. 

The Grant Plan consists of an Executive Summary, the Allocation Table, and one or more Program Plan.

Grant Plan Executive Summary

Purpose 

The Executive Summary provides high-level information about the recipient’s overall plan for using CPF funds 

and will be submitted by uploading a document to Treasury’s Submission Portal.

Best Practices and Reminders

• Should be uploaded as a PDF, if possible. 

• Should be approximately two pages in length.

• Is intended to provide an overview of a recipient’s entire Capital Projects Fund proposal.

o Further detail should be provided in individual Program Plans.

• Should include a paragraph, with corresponding headers, for each of the following:

o A brief description of the objective(s) for the full CPF allocation, to be carried out by one or more 

Program Plans;

o A narrative that explains the recipient’s rationale on how CPF funds are allocated, as reflected in the 

Allocation Table; and

o A description of how the recipient identified communities of critical need, addressing the following 

questions:

▪ What process(es) did you undertake, and factors did you consider, in identifying critical needs?

▪ How has community engagement and public participation informed your approach for spending 

CPF grant funds and planning for implementation and operation of capital assets?

▪ How was equity considered in the selection of programs and the distribution of funds?

Tip: Recipients are only required to submit one Grant Plan but will submit at least one

Program Plan for each program type it intends to undertake. A Grant Plan and at least 

one Program Plan must be submitted before Treasury will review a recipient’s 

submission.

Tip: The Executive Summary and the Program Narrative are two separate documents.

The Executive Summary should be uploaded and submitted with the Grant Plan, while 

the Program Narrative is program specific and should be uploaded to a Program Plan. 
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Program Plan(s)

Purpose 

A Program Plan constitutes a recipient’s request for funding for a specific use. Program Plan(s) should provide 

detailed information on a particular program type the recipient intends to undertake, including the objectives of 

the program, the way in which the program will be administered, how equity and critical need are considered in 

program design and implementation, among other pieces of information outlined in the Program Plan 

questionnaire. 

Best Practices and Reminders

• Project funds will be made available once a Program Plan is approved by Treasury. 

• Recipients should submit one Program Plan for each intended use of funds. 

• Recipients are asked to submit a Use Code Questionnaire based on the type of proposal being submitted. 

Each Use Code has its own questionnaire that must be completed and submitted for Treasury’s review.

• Each Use Code Questionnaire contains the Program Narrative template, Budget template, and Pre-Award 

Cost Annex.

o Use Code 1A – Broadband Infrastructure Projects

o Use Code 1B – Digital Connectivity Technology Projects

o Use Code 1C – Multi-Purpose Community Facilities

o Use Code 2 – Other (Case-by-Case Review)

• If CPF grant funds cover costs related to a program that were incurred after March 15, 2021, and prior to 

the execution of the Grant Agreement, recipients must complete and submit a Pre-Award Cost Annex.

• Recipients will have an opportunity to revise and resubmit portions of their Program Plan(s) that Treasury 

determines do not meet the criteria set out in the Capital Projects Fund Guidance or that require additional 

information for approval.

Tip: If recipients choose to use their entire allocation for one program, they are still 

required to submit an Executive Summary and a Program Plan Narrative. 

Recipients should also indicate why they chose to allocate all CPF funds to a single use in 

the Executive Summary.

Example: A single Program Plan could propose using CPF grant funds towards the 

improvement of several existing libraries and the construction of new ones in accordance 

with the CPF guidance. A recipient would not need to submit a Program Plan for each 

library it intends to update.

Tip: The Program Narrative, Program Budget, and Pre-Award Cost Annex are found in the 

Use Code Questionnaire templates. 

Tip: Revised Program Plans will be submitted as a new document uploaded to the 

Portal. The deletion or editing of existing Program Plan(s) is not permitted.

Tip: Program Plans can vary in length but are typically 5-10 pages. Recipients may include 

supplemental attachments that support answers provided in the Program Plan (such as 

RFPs, scoring criteria, etc.), but must indicate which questions they correspond to.
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Pre-Award Cost Annex (if applicable)

Purpose 

Recipients with program costs incurred after March 15, 2021, and prior to the execution of the Grant 

Agreement (“Pre-Award Costs”), will be required to provide additional information detailing these costs. PreAward Costs must have been incurred in anticipation of a CPF grant award and must be necessary for the 

efficient and timely performance of the proposed project(s).

The Pre-Award Cost Annex template can be found at the end of each Use Code Questionnaire. Recipients are 

required to upload the completed Pre-Award Cost Annex as an attachment to the related Program Plan. Costs 

incurred prior to March 15, 2021, are not eligible CPF costs.

Allocation Table

Purpose 

The Allocation Table depicts the use of funds and includes program titles, program use codes, program costs, 

proposed start and completion dates, short program descriptions, and program objectives. The Allocation Table 

is generated automatically from data entered in each Program Plan in Treasury’s Submission Portal. No 

additional actions are needed to create or submit the Allocation Table. 

Best Practices and Reminders

• Information provided in the fields in Section 2 of the Program Plan on the Treasury Submission Portal

automatically populates the Allocation Table once the information is saved.

• The Allocation Table serves as a current record of the uses of CPF funds.

o Fund amounts shown in the Allocation Table should match amounts provided in other documents 

submitted via the Grant Plan and Program(s). 

• Changes are made to the Allocation Table by updating the Program Plan fields in the Portal. All changes to 

the Allocation Table should be made in a timely manner. 

• Recipients may download and view a PDF of their Allocation Table at any time.

Modifying the Amount of Program Administrative Funds 

Recipients may increase or decrease the total amount of Program Administrative Funds at any time 

during the period of performance. Recipients may submit requests to change the total amount of 

Program Administrative Funds on the Grant Plan page of the Treasury Submission Portal. Once 

submitted, Treasury will review requests and notify the recipients once approved. 

• The Treasury Submission Portal displays a recipient’s total amount of available Program 

Administrative Funds. 

• CPF recipients may reallocate Program Administrative Funds to instead be used for Project Costs

in the Treasury Submission Portal.

o Recipients should reach out to their Treasury point of contact if they decide to do so.
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Completing a Use Code Questionnaire: Use Code 1A (Broadband) 

Use Code 1A: Broadband Infrastructure Projects

Reminders

• Recipients should reference the CPF Guidance for States, Territories, and Freely Associated States when 

completing and submitting a Program Plan for a Broadband Infrastructure Project.

Review Rubric

The following is the general rubric Treasury will be following when reviewing a Use Code 1A Program Plan.

 The proposed program is designed to meet or exceed Treasury’s 100/100 Mbps symmetrical speed 

requirement. 

o Recipients submitting Broadband Infrastructure Projects that do not meet Treasury’s 100/100 Mbps 

requirement must provide a detailed and reasonable justification of impracticability using all available

qualitative and quantitative data.

o In cases where the impracticability justification will be used, the program must be designed to reliably 

meet or exceed 100/20 Mbps and be scalable to a minimum of 100 Mbps symmetrical in the future.

 Program Plan expresses a preference for fiber and last-mile projects.

 Recipient requires participating service providers to participate in the Affordable Connectivity Program 

(ACP, previously Emergency Broadband Benefit).

 The recipient describes the process it followed to address affordability in the project specifications and 

selection criteria.

o Treasury encourages the use of data from surveys, community engagement, existing studies, or other 

data to determine affordable broadband service for the areas to be served. For example, recipients 

may cite pricing data, the characteristics of a basic service, latency, non-recurring costs, data caps, or 

whether the application of ACP will reduce the monthly fee to an amount less than the average 

monthly service fee for that community.

 The Program Plan addresses a critical need that was exacerbated by the COVID-19 public health emergency

in the communities where the investments will be made.

o The recipient provides evidence of how a critical need was identified and how the recipient plans to 

address the need. For example, critical need can be a lack of access to broadband or affordable 

broadband service options or a historically disadvantaged community or population.

 Recipient describes the type of program that is to be created/continued with CPF funds (e.g., competitive 

grant program, direct project funding, etc.).

 Recipient details initial and ongoing (i.e., post deployment) community engagement efforts.

Tip: Treasury requires Broadband Infrastructure Projects to meet or exceed speeds of 

100/100 Mbps symmetrical unless impracticable. 

Tip: Recipients are required to publish the description (e.g., make public in recipient’s 

program guidance, publish on recipient’s program website, etc.) of their process for 

considering affordability in their project selection process and must provide this 

information in their Program Plan.

Tip: Recipients should develop a process to assess subrecipient project proposals that do 

not meet speeds of 100/100 Mbps symmetrical to determine whether it would in fact be 

impracticable to deliver the required speeds. Factors to consider may include excessive 

deployment costs per location or geographic barriers. Recipients must include specific 

data sources relied on to develop this process and provide a description of that process.
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 The Program Plan demonstrates that the proposed use of funds is fully funded and will be operational by 

December 31, 2026. 

 Recipient lists all relevant federal and state data used throughout the planning process.

 If applicable, the recipient lists all other federal and state funding streams used to supplement the 

proposed project(s).

 The recipient demonstrates financial, managerial, and institutional capability to complete the proposed 

program. 

o Recipients may demonstrate financial, managerial, and institutional capability by, for example, 

detailing previous experience managing similar grant program, increasing staff to oversee program, or 

partering with outside organizations or agencies for program assistance.

 Recipient provides detailed timelines and milestones related to administering the program during the 

period of performance including the following (as applicable):

o Request for Proposal (RFP) publish date; application deadline; application review timeline; award 

date; grant agreements signed; construction phase(s); projected project completion; and start date of 

subsequent round of applications. 

 If proposing a subgrant program, the CPF recipient (i.e., the state) provides the following to Treasury (as

applicable):

o Subgrant application announcement; subgrant application; Request for Proposals (RFPs); subrecipient 

scoring rubrics; subaward grant agreement; and description of outreach to eligible applicants.

o Where applicable, the recipient provides documentation of the processes and guidelines used to 

select subrecipients.

 Recipient describes how the compliance, subrecipient monitoring, and technical assistance described in the 

Program Plan will be conducted.

 The requested amount of funding for a Program Plan is consistent across all submitted documents (e.g., 

Executive Summary, Allocation Table, submitted budget, Program Plan Narrative, etc.), and the 

components of the budget submitted total to the requested amount of funding.

 

Tip: Recipients are encouraged to include an estimate of the number of locations (i.e., 

households, businesses, etc.) to be served by the CPF investment. 

Tip: If proposing broadband deployment to locations with existing federal or state funding 

commitments for wireline services, recipients should ensure CPF funds will not be used for 

costs that will be reimbursed by other federal or state funding streams. Recipients must 

also ensure funding is complementary, and that there is additional public benefit and 

justification for using additional public funding in these locations. 
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Completing a Use Code Questionnaire: Use Code 1B (Devices) 

Use Code 1B: Digital Connectivity Technology

Reminders

• Recipients should reference the CPF Guidance for States, Territories, and Freely Associated States when 

completing and submitting a Program Plan for a Digital Connectivity Technology Project.

Review Rubric

The following is the general rubric Treasury will be following when reviewing a Use Code 1B Program Plan.

 Proposed devices are for public distribution or made available in a public facility.

 The Program Plan describes the types of digital devices and their uses. 

o Where applicable, the recipient describes anticipated ancillary costs required to operate and 

maintain the digital devices. 

 Recipient describes type of digital device program that is to be created/continued with CPF funds (e.g., 

long-term loan device program, short-term loan device program, computer lab, etc.).

 The Program Plan addresses a critical need that was exacerbated by the COVID-19 public health 

emergency in the communities where the investments will be made.

o The recipient provides evidence of how a critical need was identified and how the recipient plans to 

address the need. 

 Recipient lists all relevant federal and state data used throughout the planning process.

 Recipient details initial and ongoing (i.e., post project implementation) community engagement efforts.

 Recipient addresses affordability in the proposed plan. 

 The Program Plan demonstrates that the proposed use of funds is fully funded and will be operational 

by December 31, 2026. 

 If applicable, the recipient lists all other federal and state funding streams used to supplement the 

proposed project(s).

 The recipient demonstrates a financial, managerial, and institutional capability to oversee the selection 

of specific investments and completion of the proposed program and any projects funded by it.

o Recipients may demonstrate financial, managerial, and institutional capability by, for example, 

detailing previous experience managing similar grant program, increasing staff to oversee program, 

or partering with outside organizations or agencies for program assistance.

 Recipient provides a detailed timeline and milestones related to administering the program during the 

period of performance including the following (at a minimum, where applicable):

o RFP publish date; application deadline; application review timeline; award date; grant agreements 

signed; programmatic delivery phase(s) (e.g., digital literacy training), projected project completion; 

and start date of subsequent round of applications.

Tip: Ownership of CPF Digital Connectivity Technology devices must be retained by the 

recipient or subrecipient.

Tip: The recipient or, where applicable, subrecipient must retain ownership of devices

purchased with CPF grant funds.

Tip: Recipients are required to publish the description of their process for considering 

affordability in their project selection process. Recipients must provide this 

information in their submitted Program Plan. 
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 If proposing a subgrant program, the CPF recipient (i.e., the state) provides the following to Treasury (as

applicable):

o Subgrant application announcement; subgrant application/RFP; subrecipient scoring rubrics; 

subaward grant agreement; and description of outreach to eligible applicants. 

o Where applicable, the recipient provides documentation of the processes and guidelines used to 

select subrecipients.

 Recipient describes how the compliance, subrecipient monitoring, and technical assistance described in 

the Program Plan will be conducted.

 The requested amount of funding for a Program Plan is consistent across all submitted documents 

(e.g., Executive Summary, Allocation Table, submitted budget, Program Plan Narrative, etc.), and the 

components of the budget submitted total to the requested amount of funding.

 

 
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Completing a Use Code Questionnaire: Use Code 1C (Multi-Purpose Community 

Facilities) 

 

Use Code 1C: Multi-Purpose Community Facilities

Reminders

• Recipients should reference the CPF Guidance for States, Territories, and Freely Associated States when 

completing and submitting a Program Plan for a Multi-Purpose Community Facility Project.

Review Rubric

The following is the general rubric Treasury will be following when reviewing a Use Code 1C Program Plan.

 The Program Plan demonstrates that the recipient’s overarching program has been designed to ensure 

investments funded using CPF funds will jointly and directly enable work, education, and health 

monitoring. 

 The Program Plan demonstrates that the recipient’s overarching program has been designed to ensure 

investments funded using CPF funds will provide services for at least five years after the completion of 

the project.

 The Program Plan addresses a critical need that was exacerbated by the COVID-19 public health 

emergency in the communities where the investments will be made.

o The recipient provides evidence of how a critical need was identified and how the recipient plans to 

address the need. 

 Recipient lists all relevant federal and state data used throughout the planning process.

 Recipient details initial and ongoing (i.e., post construction) community engagement efforts.

 The Program Plan demonstrates that the facility proposed for the use of funds is fully funded and will be 

operational by December 31, 2026. 

 If applicable, the recipient lists all other federal and state funding streams used to supplement the 

proposed project(s).

 The recipient demonstrates a financial, managerial, and institutional capability to oversee the selection 

of specific investments and completion of the proposed program and any projects funded by it. 

o Recipients may demonstrate financial, managerial, and institutional capability by, for example, 

detailing previous experience managing similar grant program, increasing staff to oversee program, 

or partering with outside organizations or agencies for program assistance.

 Recipient provides a detailed timeline related to administering the program during the period of 

performance including the following (at a minimum, where applicable):

Tip: Multi-Purpose Community Facilities must enable work, education, and health 

monitoring. Recipients must explain how it will ensure any project selected to be 

funded using CPF funds (i.e., subgrants) meets all three objectives in the Program Plan.

Tip: Recipients must provide assurance that the operations and maintenance (O&M) 

costs necessary to operate the project past the CPF grant period of performance have 

been considered and a financial structure is in place to pay those costs.

Note that CPF award funds may not be used for O&M costs.

Tip: 1C Program Plans must demonstrate that the investment serves a community with 

a demonstrated community need and that the facility is publicly accessible to that 

community. 
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o RFP publish date; application deadline; application review timeline; awards made; grant agreements 

signed; construction phase(s); projected project completion; and start date of subsequent round of 

applications. 

 If proposing a subgrant program, the CPF recipient (i.e., the state) provides the following to Treasury (as

applicable):

o Subgrant application announcement; subgrant application/RFP; subrecipient scoring rubrics;

subaward grant agreement; and description of outreach to eligible applicants.

o Where applicable, the recipient provides documentation of the processes and guidelines used to 

select subrecipients.

 The Program Plan provides assurance that the recipient or, if applicable, subrecipients retain ownership

of the CPF investment. 

 Recipient describes how the compliance, subrecipient monitoring, and technical assistance described in 

the Program Plan will be conducted.

 The requested amount of funding for a Program Plan is consistent across all submitted documents (e.g., 

Executive Summary, Allocation Table, submitted budget, Program Plan Narrative, etc.), and the 

components of the budget submitted total to the requested amount of funding.