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TITLE PAGE

Title of Competition

Deadline

OMB Control Number 3045-0129 Expiration Date: November 30, 2014

IMPORTANT NOTICES

These application instructions conform to the Corporation for National and Community Service 

(CNCS) online grant application system, eGrants. All CNCS funding announcements are posted 

on www.nationalservice.gov and www.grants.gov. 

Public Burden Statement: Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated 

to average 8 hours per submission, including reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining 

the data needed, and completing the application and reporting forms. Comments on the burden or 

content of this instrument may be sent to the Corporation for National and Community Service, 

Attn: Amy Borgstrom, 1201 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20525. CNCS informs 

people who may respond to this collection of information that they are not required to respond to 

the collection of information unless the OMB control number and expiration date displayed on 

page 1 are current and valid. (See 5 C.F.R. 1320.5(b)(2)(i).) 

Privacy Act Notice: The Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C § 552a) requires that the following notice 

be provided to you: The information requested on the these Application Instructions is collected 

pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 12592 and 12615 of the National and Community Service Act of 1990 as 

amended, and 42 U.S.C. 4953 of the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 as amended. 

Purposes and Uses - The information requested is collected for the purposes of reviewing grant 

applications and granting funding requests. Routine Uses - Routine uses may include disclosure 

of the information to federal, state, or local agencies pursuant to lawfully authorized requests. In 

some programs, the information may also be provided to federal, state, and local law enforcement 

agencies to determine the existence of any prior criminal convictions. The information may also 

be provided to appropriate federal agencies and contractors that have a need to know the 

information for the purpose of assisting the to respond to a suspected or confirmed breach of the 

security or confidentiality or information maintained in this system of records, and the 

information disclosed is relevant and unnecessary for the assistance. The information will not 

otherwise be disclosed to entities outside of CNCS without prior written permission. Effects of 

Nondisclosure - The information requested is mandatory in order to receive benefits. 

Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act: Award recipients will be required to 

report at www.FSRS.gov on all subawards over $25,000 and may be required to report on 

executive compensation for recipients and subrecipients. Recipients must have the necessary 

systems in place to collect and report this information. See 2 C.F.R. Part 170 for more 

information and to determine how these requirements apply.

Universal Identifier: Applications must include a Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal 

Numbering System (DUNS) number and an Employer Identification Number. All award

recipients are required to maintain a valid registration with the System for Award Management 

(SAM), which must be renewed annually.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Application Instructions

I. Application Resources

Use these instructions in conjunction with the Notice of Federal Funds Available or 

Notice of Federal Funding Opportunity (Notice). The Notice includes deadlines, 

eligibility requirements, submission requirements, and other information that changes 

year-to-year for CNCS grant programs. 

Please use the following application instructions if you are a new applicant. If you are 

submitting a request for continuation funding (typically in years two or three of a three 

year grant period) you will open your existing application in eGrants, and enter new 

information in the Continuation Changes field, or as directed by your Program Officer.

If there is any inconsistency between the Notice and the Application Instructions, the 

Notice takes precedence over the Application Instructions. 

II. Submitting your Application in eGrants

Applicants need to establish an eGrants account by accessing this link: 

https://egrants.cns.gov/espan/main/login.jsp and selecting “Don’t have an eGrants 

account? Create an account.” If you need help establishing a new organization account in 

eGrants, or a new user account for an existing organization account, contact the National 

Service Hotline at 800-942-2677. 

After you create your eGrants account, begin by selecting “New” under the Creating an 

Application heading on your Home Page. Select “Other” as the Program Area and click 

“Go.” You will then be asked to select the appropriate competition. Choose: 

[Competition Name] [YYYY]. Once you create an application, you will be allowed to 

edit as needed until you are ready to submit.

Do not use the New button again as this will start a brand new application. Once you 

have initiated an application, it will be listed in the View My Grants/Applications section 

of the homepage under the status: Grantee Edit of Application or Report. If you exit and 

then return to eGrants and wish to continue entering or editing your application, please 

open your saved version by selecting View My Grants/Applications in the status Grantee 

Edit of Application or Report.

III. Application Components

The completed application will consist of the following components, described in more

detail below:

A. Standard Form 424
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B. Executive Summary

C. Narratives: 

1. Program Design 

2. Organizational Capability

3. Cost-Effectiveness and Budget Adequacy

D. Performance Measures, if applicable

E. Budget 

F. Authorization, Assurances, and Certifications 

G. Survey on Ensuring Equal Opportunity for Applicants (Optional)

A. Standard Form 424

You can find the Standard Form 424 and instructions here: 

http://www.grants.gov/agencies/forms_instruction_information.jsp.

Applications must include a Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System 

(DUNS) number on the Standard Form 424.

Please note that the SF-424 is automatically generated by completing the data elements 

in the eGrants system. When completing the application in eGrants, many of the fields 

will be populated with information entered during the organization’s registration process.

1. Applicant Info 

Please note that the Authorized Representative name is blank. You cannot select a name 

for this field. Instead, the Authorized Representative must establish his/her own account 

to click on the Assurances and Certifications at the end of the application, as well as sign 

the documents electronically. The Authorized Representative is the person within your 

organization authorized to accept and commit funds on behalf of the organization. 

Under Project Information select, “Enter New” and choose a title for the proposed 

project. It is possible to enter another address for the project, which may or not be the 

same as that of the Legal Applicant.

Select a Project Initiative: Choose the model which best describes your [Competition

Name] application from the options provided.

To select an individual as the Project Director, choose a name from the pull-down menu 

or add a new contact.

2. Application Info 

Areas affected by the project: List only the largest political or municipal entities affected 

(e.g., counties and cities).

Enter the dates for the proposed project start and end dates. Your project period is up to

[X] years and must begin no later than [Month, DD, YYYY].
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Delinquent on any federal debt: Check the appropriate box. This question applies to the 

applicant organization, not the person who signs as the Authorized Representative. 

Categories of debt include delinquent audit allowances, loans, and taxes. If 'Yes', type 

your explanation in the text box provided.

State Application Identifier: Enter N/A.

B. Executive Summary. Summarize your proposed project in 2,000 characters or less.

Executive summaries for all applications will be made public and posted to the CNCS 

website.

C. Narratives. The page count for the application will be specified in the Notice. CNCS 

strongly encourages applicants to print out the application from the “Review and Submit”

page before submitting it, in order to make sure it is within the page limit. 

Please include the following elements in your narrative:

1. Program Design 

Describe your approach to addressing the need or problem described in the Notice. Your 

strategy should address the following:

What are your expected outcomes and how will you measure them? If applicable, which 

CNCS Focus Areas and National Performance Measures are you selecting? What is the 

connection between the community need(s) you describe and the approach you are 

proposing? What do you plan to do? Where and when? Please include a timeline. Also

address the following:

 Who will be the beneficiaries of this proposed project?

 Why will this approach be successful and why is it more promising than other 

alternative approaches?

 Why should CNCS invest in the project?

2. Organizational Capability

Describe your organization’s capability to initiate and manage the proposed program. 

Your description should address the following:

Ability to Provide Program Compliance Oversight: Describe the experience and 

infrastructure your organization has in managing similar programs. 

Ability to Provide Fiscal Compliance Oversight: Describe the experience and 

infrastructure your organization has in managing grants. What is your current 

organizational budget? What percentage of the budget would this grant represent? How 

will you ensure compliance with Federal requirements? 

3. Cost-Effectiveness and Budget Adequacy

Budget and Program Design: Explain how the proposed program budget reflects the 
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program’s goals and design. 

Matching Funds: The Notice will include specific information about match

requirements. If match is required, list your planned sources of match.

D. Performance Measures

Please enter Focus Areas, Service Categories, and Performance Measures following the 

prompts on the screens in eGrants.

E. Budget

Please see Budget Instructions in Attachment C.

F. Authorization, Assurances, and Certifications.

Authorize and certify your application in eGrants. eGrants requires that you review and 

verify your entire application before submitting, by completing the following sections in 

eGrants:

 Review

 Authorize

 Assurances

 Certifications

 Verify

 Submit

Read the Authorization, Assurances, and Certifications carefully (Attachment A). The 

person who authorizes the application must be the applicant’s Authorized Representative 

or his/her designee and must have an active eGrants account to sign these documents 

electronically. An Authorized Representative is the person in your organization 

authorized to accept and commit funds on behalf of the organization. A copy of the 

governing body’s authorization for this official representative to sign must be on file in 

the applicant’s office.

Be sure to check your entire application to make sure that there are no errors before 

submitting it. eGrants will also generate a list of errors if there are sections that need to be 

corrected prior to submission when you verify the application. If someone else is acting 

in the role of the applicant’s Authorized Representative, that person must log into his/her 

eGrants account to proceed with Authorize and Submit. After signing off on the 

Authorization, Assurances, and Certifications, his/her name will override any previous 

signatory that may appear and show on the application as the Authorized Representative.

Note: Anyone within your organization who will be entering information in the 

application at any point during application preparation and submission in the eGrants 

system must have their own eGrants account. Individuals may establish an eGrants 

account by accessing this link: https://egrants.cns.gov/espan/main/login.jsp and selecting 

“Don’t have an eGrants account? Create an account.”

Reporting Requirements 
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ATTACHMENTS

Attachment A. Certifications and Assurances

Instructions

By signing and submitting this application, as the duly authorized representative of the applicant, you 

certify that the applicant will comply with the Assurances and Certifications described below. 

a) Inability to certify

Your inability to provide the assurances and certifications listed below will not necessarily result in denial of a 

grant. You must submit an explanation of why you cannot do so. We will consider your explanation in 

determining whether to enter into this transaction. However, your failure to furnish an explanation will disqualify 

your application.

b) Erroneous certification or assurance

The assurances and certifications are material representations of fact upon which we rely in determining whether 

to enter into this transaction. If we later determine that you knowingly submitted an erroneous certification or 

assurance, in addition to other remedies available to the federal government, we may terminate this transaction for 

cause or default.

c) Notice of error in certification or assurance

You must provide immediate written notice to us if at any time you learn that a certification or assurance was 

erroneous when submitted or has become erroneous because of changed circumstances.

d) Definitions

The terms “covered transaction”, “debarred”, “suspended”, “ineligible”, “lower tier covered transaction”, 

“participant”, “person”, “primary covered transaction”, “principal”, “proposal”, and “voluntarily excluded” as 

used in this clause, have the meanings set out in the Definitions and Coverage sections of the rules implementing 

Executive Order 12549. An applicant shall be considered a “prospective primary participant in a covered 

transaction” as defined in the rules implementing Executive Order 12549. You may contact us for assistance in 

obtaining a copy of those regulations.

e) Assurance requirement for subgrant agreements

You agree by submitting this proposal that if we approve your application you shall not knowingly enter into any 

lower tier covered transaction with a person who is debarred, suspended, declared ineligible, or voluntarily 

excluded from participation in this covered transaction, unless authorized by us.

f) Assurance inclusion in subgrant agreements

You agree by submitting this proposal that you will obtain an assurance from prospective participants in all lower 

tier covered transactions and in all solicitations for lower tier covered transactions that the participants are not 

debarred, suspended, ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from the covered transaction.

g) Assurance of subgrant principals

You may rely upon an assurance of a prospective participant in a lower-tier covered transaction that is not 

debarred, suspended, ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from the covered transaction, unless you know that the 

assurance is erroneous. You may decide the method and frequency by which you determine the eligibility of your 

principals. You may, but are not required to, check the List of Parties Excluded from Federal Procurement and 

Nonprocurement Programs.

h) Non-assurance in subgrant agreements

If you knowingly enter into a lower tier covered transaction with a person who is suspended, debarred, ineligible, 

or voluntarily excluded from participation in this transaction, in addition to other remedies available to the federal 

government, we may terminate this transaction for cause or default. 

i) Prudent person standard

Nothing contained in the aforementioned may be construed to require establishment of a system of records in 

order to render in good faith the assurances and certifications required. Your knowledge and information is not 

required to exceed that which is normally possessed by a prudent person in the ordinary course of business
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dealings.

ASSURANCES

As the duly authorized representative of the applicant, I certify, to the best of my knowledge and belief, that the 

applicant:

 Has the legal authority to apply for federal assistance, and the institutional, managerial, and financial 

capability (including funds sufficient to pay the non-federal share of project costs) to ensure proper planning, 

management, and completion of the project described in this application.

 Will give the awarding agency, the Comptroller General of the United States, and if appropriate, the state, 

through any authorized representative, access to and the right to examine all records, books, papers, or 

documents related to the award; and will establish a proper accounting system in accordance with generally 

accepted accounting standards or agency directives.

 Will establish safeguards to prohibit employees from using their position for a purpose that constitutes or 

presents the appearance of personal or organizational conflict of interest, or personal gain.

 Will initiate and complete the work within the applicable time frame after receipt of approval of the awarding 

agency.

 Will comply with the Intergovernmental Personnel Act of 1970 (42 U.S.C. 4728-4763) relating to prescribed 

standards for merit systems for programs funded under one of the nineteen statutes or regulations specified in 

Appendix A of OPM’s Standards for a Merit System of Personnel Administration (5 CFR 900, Subpart F).

 Will comply with all federal statutes relating to nondiscrimination. These include but are not limited to: Title 

VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (P.L. 88-352) which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or 

national origin; (b) Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, as amended (20 U.S.C. 1681-1683, and 

1685-1686). which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex; (c) Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 

1973, as amended (29 U.S.C. 794), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability (d) The Age 

Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended (42 U.S.C. 6101-6107), which prohibits discrimination on the basis 

of age; (e) The Drug Abuse Office and Treatment Act of 1972 (P.L. 92-255), as amended, relating to 

nondiscrimination on the basis of drug abuse; (f) The Comprehensive Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

Prevention, Treatment and Rehabilitation Act of 1970 (P.L. 91-616), as amended, relating to 

nondiscrimination on the basis of alcohol abuse or alcoholism; (g) sections 523 and 527 of the Public Health 

Service Act of 1912 (42 U.S.C. 290dd-3 and 290ee-3), as amended, relating to confidentiality of alcohol and 

drug abuse patient records; (h) Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3601 et seq.), as 

amended, relating to nondiscrimination in the sale, rental or financing of housing; (i) any other 

nondiscrimination provisions in the National and Community Service Act of 1990, as amended; and (j) the 

requirements of any other nondiscrimination statute(s) which may apply to the application.

 Will comply, or has already complied, with the requirements of Titles II and III of the Uniform Relocation 

Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970 (P.L. 91-646) which provide for fair and 

equitable treatment of persons displaced or whose property is acquired as a result of federal or federally 

assisted programs. These requirements apply to all interests in real property acquired for project purposes 

regardless of federal participation in purchases.

 Will comply with the provisions of the Hatch Act (5 U.S.C. 1501-1508 and 7324-7328) which limit the 

political activities of employees whose principal employment activities are funded in whole or in part with 

Federal funds.

 Will comply, as applicable, with the provisions of the Davis-Bacon Act (40 U.S.C 276a and 276a-77), the 

Copeland Act (40 U.S.C 276c and 18 U.S.C. 874), and the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act 

(40 U.S.C. 327-333), regarding labor standards for Federally assisted construction sub-agreements.

 Will comply, if applicable, with flood insurance purchase requirements of Section 102(a) of the Flood 

Disaster Protection Act of 1973 (P.L. 93-234) which requires the recipients in a special flood hazard area to 

participate in the program and to purchase flood insurance if the total cost of insurable construction and 

acquisition is $10,000 or more.

 Will comply with environmental standards which may be prescribed pursuant to the following: (a) institution 

of environmental quality control measures under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (P.L. 91-

190) and Executive Order (EO) 11514; (b) notification of violating facilities pursuant to EO 11738; (c) 

protection of wetlands pursuant to EO 11990; (d) evaluation of flood hazards in floodplains in accordance 

with EO 11988; (e) assurance of project consistency with the approved state management program developed 
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under the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C 1451 et seq.); (f) conformity of federal actions to 

State (Clean Air) Implementation Plans under Section 176(c) of the Clean Air Act of 1955, as amended (42 

U.S.C. 7401 et seq.); (g) protection of underground sources of drinking water under the Safe Drinking Water 

Act of 1974, as amended (P.L. 93-523); and (h) protection of endangered species under the Endangered 

Species Act of 1973, as amended (P.L. 93-205).

 Will comply with the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968 (16 U.S.C 1271 et seq.) related to protecting 

components or potential components of the national wild and scenic rivers system.

 Will assist the awarding agency in assuring compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic 

Preservation Act of 1966, as amended (16 U.S.C. 470), EO 11593 (identification and protection of historic 

properties), and the Archaeological and Historic Preservation Act of 1974 (16U.S.C. 469a-l et seq.).

 Will comply with P.L. 93-348 regarding the protection of human subjects involved in research, development, 

and related activities supported by this award of assistance.

 Will comply with the Laboratory Animal Welfare Act of 1966 (P.L. 89-544, as amended, 7 U.S.C. 2131 et 

seq.) pertaining to the care, handling, and treatment of warm blooded animals held for research, teaching, or 

other activities supported by this award of assistance.

 Will comply with the Lead-Based Paint Poisoning Prevention Act (42 U.S.C. §§ 4801 et seq.) which 

prohibits the use of lead based paint in construction or rehabilitation of residence structures.

 Will cause to be performed the required financial and compliance audits in accordance with the Single Audit 

Act of 1984, as amended, and OMB Circular A-133, Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit 

Organizations.

 Will comply with all applicable requirements of all other Federal laws, executive orders, regulations, 

application guidelines, and policies governing this program.

For Social Innovation Fund Applicants ONLY

If you are not applying for a Social Innovation Fund grant, you may disregard this section.

 Will use the funds received through the award in order to make subgrants to community organizations that 

will use the funds to replicate or expand proven initiatives, or support new initiatives, in low-income 

communities.

 Will consult with a diverse cross section of community representatives in making decisions about subgrants 

for communities (including individuals from the public, nonprofit private, and for-profit private sectors).

 Will make subgrants of a sufficient size and scope to enable the community organizations to build their 

capacity to manage initiatives, and sustain replication or expansion of the initiatives;

 Will not make any subgrants to--

 the parent organizations of the applicant, 

 a subsidiary organization of the parent organization of the applicant, or, 

 if the applicant applied for a SIF award as a partnership, any member of the partnership. 

 Commits to meeting the matching fund requirements of section 198k(i) of the National and Community 

Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. §12653k(i)). 

 Commits to use data and evaluations to improve the applicant’s own model and to improve the initiatives 

funded by the applicant.

 Commits cooperate with any evaluation activities undertaken by the Corporation.

CERTIFICATIONS

Certification – Debarment, Suspension, and Other Responsibility Matters

This certification is required by the government-wide regulations implementing Executive Order 12549, 

Debarment and Suspension, 2 CFR Part 180, Section 180.335, What information must I provide before 
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entering into a covered transaction with a Federal agency? 

As the duly authorized representative of the applicant, I certify, to the best of my knowledge and belief, that 

neither the applicant nor its principals: 

 Is presently excluded or disqualified; 

 Has been convicted within the preceding three years of any of the offenses listed in § 

180.800(a) or had a civil judgment rendered against it for one of those offenses within that 

time period; 

 Is presently indicted for or otherwise criminally or civilly charged by a governmental entity 

(Federal, State, or local) with commission or any of the offenses listed in § 180.800(a); or

 Has had one or more public transactions (Federal, State, or local) terminated within the 

preceding three years for cause or default.

Certification – Drug Free Workplace

This certification is required by the Corporation’s regulations implementing sections 5150-5160 of the Drug-Free 

Workplace Act of 1988 (P.L. 100-690), 45 CFR Part 2545, Subpart B. The regulations require certification by 

grantees, prior to award, that they will make a good faith effort, on a continuing basis, to maintain a drug-free 

workplace. The certification set out below is a material representation of fact upon which reliance will be placed 

when the agency determines to award the grant. False certification or violation of the certification may be grounds 

for suspension of payments, suspension or termination of grants, or government-wide suspension or debarment (see 

2 CFR Part 180, Subparts G and H).

As the duly authorized representative of the grantee, I certify, to the best of my knowledge and belief, that the 

grantee will provide a drug-free workplace by: 

A. Publishing a drug-free workplace statement that:

a. Notifies employees that the unlawful manufacture, distribution, dispensing, possession, or use of a 

controlled substance is prohibited in the grantee’s workplace;

b. Specifies the actions that the grantee will take against employees for violating that prohibition; and 

c. Informs employees that, as a condition of employment under any award, each employee will abide 

by the terms of the statement and notify the grantee in writing if the employee is convicted for a 

violation of a criminal drug statute occurring in the workplace within five days of the conviction; 

B. Requiring that a copy of the statement described in paragraph (A) be given to each employee who will be 

engaged in the performance of any Federal award; 

C. Establishing a drug-free awareness program to inform employees about: 

a. The dangers of drug abuse in the workplace;

b. The grantee’s policy of maintaining a drug-free workplace; 

c. Any available drug counseling, rehabilitation, and employee assistance programs; and

d. The penalties that the grantee may impose upon them for drug abuse violations occurring in the 

workplace;

D. Providing us, as well as any other Federal agency on whose award the convicted employee was working, with 

written notification within 10 calendar days of learning that an employee has been convicted of a drug 

violation in the workplace; 

E. Taking one of the following actions within 30 calendar days of learning that an employee has been convicted 

of a drug violation in the workplace: 

a. Taking appropriate personnel action against the employee, up to and including termination; or

b. Requiring that the employee participate satisfactorily in a drug abuse assistance or rehabilitation 

program approved for these purposes by a Federal, State, or local health, law enforcement, or other 

appropriate agency; 

F. Making a good faith effort to continue to maintain a drug-free workplace through implementation of 

paragraphs (A) through (E).
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Certification - Lobbying Activities

As required by Section 1352, Title 31 of the U.S. Code, as the duly authorized representative of the applicant, I certify, 

to the best of my knowledge and belief, that:

 No federal appropriated funds have been paid or will be paid, by or on behalf of the applicant, to any 

person for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any agency, a member of 

Congress, an officer of Congress in connection with the awarding of any federal contract, the making of 

any federal loan, the entering into of any cooperative agreement, or modification of any federal contract, 

grant, loan, or cooperative agreement;

 If any funds other than federal appropriated funds have been paid or will be paid to any person for 

influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any agency, a member of Congress, an 

officer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a member of Congress in connection with this 

federal contract, grant, loan, or cooperative agreement, the applicant will submit Standard Form-LLL, 

"Disclosure Form to Report Lobbying," in accordance with its instructions;

 The applicant will require that the language of this certification be included in the award documents for 

all subcontracts at all tiers (including subcontracts, subgrants, and contracts under grants, loans and 

cooperative agreements) and that all subrecipients will certify and disclose accordingly. 

Certification - Grant Review Process (State Commissions Only)

I certify that in conducting our review process, we have ensured compliance with the National and Community Service 

Act of 1990, the Corporation's peer review requirements, and all state laws and conflict of interest rules.

ASSURANCES AND CERTIFICATIONS

NOTE: Sign this form and include in the application.

ASSURANCE SIGNATURE

By signing this assurances page, you certify that you agree to perform all actions and support all 

intentions in the Assurances section.

Organization Name:

Program Name: 

Name and Title of Authorized Representative: 

Signature: 

Date: 

NOTE: Sign this form and include in the application.

CERTIFICATION SIGNATURE

By signing this certification page, you certify that you agree to perform all actions and support all 

intentions in the Certification sections of this application. The three Certifications are:

Certification: Debarment, Suspension and Other Responsibility Matters

Certification: Drug-Free Workplace

Certification: Lobbying Activities

Organization Name:

Program Name: 

Name and Title of Authorized Representative: 

Signature: 

Date:
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Attachment B: Budget Instructions

Before You Begin: In eGrants, the preparation of a detailed budget provides the data that creates 

the summary budget and the budget narrative. Your detailed budget should provide a full 

explanation of associated costs including their purpose, justification, and the basis of your 

calculations. Where appropriate, your calculations should be presented in an equation format, 

identifying the number of persons involved with the event, the per person/unit cost, and/or the 

annual salary cost.

Use the Budget Worksheet as a guide as you prepare your budgets.

SECTION I

A. Personnel Expenses – Include the portion of principal staff time attributed directly to the 

operation of the project. List each staff position and a brief statement of responsibilities 

for each in the ‘Position/Title’ field. For each position, also include the annual salary, and 

the percentage of staff time that will apply to the grant. 

B. Personnel Fringe Benefits – Include costs of benefit(s) for your project staff. You can 

identify and calculate each benefit or show cost as a percentage of all salaries.

C. Project Staff Travel - Describe the purposes for staff travel. Costs allowable are 

transportation, lodging, subsistence, and other related expenses for local and outside the 

project area travel.

D. Equipment – Equipment is defined as tangible, non-expendable personal property having a 

useful life of more than one year AND an acquisition cost of $5,000 (five thousand) or more 

per unit (including accessories, attachments, and modifications). Include items that do not 

meet this definition in E. Supplies below. Purchases of equipment are limited to 10% of the 

total grant amount, i.e., the federal share of all budget line items. If applicable, show the unit 

cost and number of units you are requesting. 

E. Supplies – Include the funds for the purchase of consumable supplies and materials that does 

not fit the definition above. You must individually list any single item costing $1,000 (one 

thousand) or more.

F. Contractual and Consultant Services - You may include costs for consultants related 

to the project’s operations. Consultants used for evaluation should be included in H. 

Evaluation below. Where applicable, indicate the daily rate for consultants. 

G. Training – You may include the costs associated with training of staff working directly 

on the project, especially training that specifically enhances staff project implementation 

and professional skills.

H. Evaluation - Include costs for project evaluation activities, such as use of evaluation 

consultants, purchase of instrumentation and other costs specifically for this activity. 

Indicate daily rates of consultants, where applicable.

I. Other – These costs may include office space rental, utilities, and telephone and 

Internet expenses that are specifically used for participants, directly involve project 
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staff, and are not part of the organization’s indirect cost/admin cost. If shared with other 

projects or activities, you must prorate the costs equitably. List each item and provide a 

justification in the budget.

J. Indirect Costs

1. Definitions 

Administrative costs are general or centralized expenses of overall administration of an 

organization that receives Corporation funds and does not include particular project costs. 

For organizations that have an established indirect cost rate for federal awards, 

administrative costs mean those costs that are included in the organization’s indirect cost 

rate. Such costs are generally identified with the organization’s overall operation and are 

further described in Office of Management and Budget Circulars A-21, A-87, and A-122

(codified respectively at 2 CFR Parts 220, 225, and 230). For organizations that do not have 

an established indirect cost rate for federal awards, administrative costs include:

1. costs are financial, accounting, auditing, contracting or general legal services, except 

in unusual cases whether they are specifically approved in writing by the Corporation 

as project costs;

2. costs for internal evaluation, including overall organization’s management 

improvement costs (except for independent and internal evaluations of the project 

evaluations that are specifically related to creative methods of quality improvement); 

and

3. costs for general liability insurance that protects the organization(s) responsible for 

operating a project, other than insurance costs solely attributable to the project.

Administrative costs may also include that portion of salaries and benefits of the project’s 

director and other administrative staff not attributable to the time spent in support of a 

specific project. The principles that pertain to the allocation and documentation of personnel 

costs are set out in the OMB cost circulars and regulations referenced above, which are 

incorporated in the Corporation’s regulations at 45 CFR 2541.220(b) and 2543.27.

Administrative costs do not include the following allowable expenses directly related to a 

project (including their operations and objectives), such as:

1. allowable direct charges for AmeriCorps members (if applicable), including living 

allowances, insurance payments made on behalf of members training and travel;

2. costs for staff (including salary, benefits, training and travel) who recruit, train, place 

or supervise AmeriCorps members (if applicable) or who develop materials used in 

such activities, if the purpose is for a specific project objective;

3. costs for independent evaluations and any internal evaluations of the project that are 

related specifically to creative methods of quality improvement;

4. costs, excluding those already covered in an organization’s indirect cost rate, 

attributable to staff that work in a direct project support, operational, or oversight 

capacity, including, but not limited to: support staff whose functions directly support 

project activities; staff who coordinate and facilitate single or multi-site project 

activities; and staff who review, disseminate and implement Corporation guidance 

and policies directly relating to a project;

5. space, facility and communications costs that primarily support project operations, 

excluding those costs that are already covered by an organization’s indirect costs 

rate; and
13

6. other allowable costs, excluding those costs that are already covered by an 

organization’s indirect cost rate, specifically approved by the Corporation as directly 

attributable to a project.

2. Calculating Administrative/Indirect Costs 

Federally Approved Indirect Cost Rate Method

If you have a federally approved indirect cost (IDC) rate you must use it unless authorized 

by the Corporation to use another method. Specify the Cost Type for which your 

organization has current documentation on file, i.e., Provisional, Predetermined, Fixed, or 

Final indirect cost rate. Supply your approved IDC rate (percentage). It is at your discretion 

whether or not to use your entire IDC rate to calculate administrative costs. If you choose to 

claim a lower rate, please include this rate under the Rate Claimed field. 

Determine the amount of direct costs to which you will apply the IDC rate, including 

both the Corporation and Grantee’s shares, as proscribed by your organization (i.e., 

based on salaries and benefits, total direct costs, or other). 

K. Source of Funds. If applicable, describe the grantee match contribution for Section II by 

clearly indicating the source(s), the type of contribution (cash/in-kind), the amount (or 

estimate), and the intended purpose of the match. You may enter this information in any 

category in the Purpose-Calculation field. 
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Budget Worksheet 

A. Personnel Expenses

Position/Title/Description Qty Annual Salary % Time Total Amount CNCS Share Grantee Share

Totals

B. Personnel Fringe Benefits

Purpose/Description Calculation Total Amount CNCS Share Grantee Share

Totals

C. Travel

Purpose Calculation Total Amount CNCS Share Grantee Share

Totals

D. Equipment

Item/ Purpose/Justification Qty Unit Cost Total Amount CNCS Share Grantee Share

Totals

E. Supplies

Purpose Calculation Total Amount CNCS Share Grantee Share

Totals

F. Contractual and Consultant Services

Purpose Calculation Daily Rate Total Amount CNCS Share Grantee Share

Totals
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G. Training

Purpose Calculation Daily 

Rate Total Amount CNCS Share Grantee Share

Totals

H. Evaluation

Purpose Calculation Daily 

Rate Total Amount CNCS Share Grantee Share

Totals

I. Other Costs

Purpose Calculation Daily 

Rate Total Amount CNCS Share Grantee Share

Totals

J. Administrative Costs

Purpose Calculation Daily 

Rate Total Amount CNCS Share Grantee Share

Totals

Budget Total: Validate this budget

Required Match Percentages:

Total Amount CNCS Share Grantee 

Share

K. Source of Match

Source(s), Type, Amount, Intended Purpose

Private State and/or Local Federal Sources

In-kind $ $ $ .

Cash $ $ $

Total $ $ $