CHIPS for America Guide March 1, 2023

1

Funding Opportunity – Commercial Fabrication Facilities 

GUIDE: 

Pre-Application and Application Document Checklists 

Overview

The tables below are summaries of the material and information potential applicants will be asked to submit as part of a pre-application and full 

application. Further detail can be found in Section IV.H. of the CHIPS Incentives Program – Commercial Fabrication Facilities Notice of Funding Opportunity 

(NOFO), “Content and Form of Pre-Application,” and Section IV.I. of the NOFO, “Content and Form of Full Application Submission.”

Applications can include more than one project.1 For those applications with multiple projects, some questions may require one upload for each project 

(and in some cases, an overarching description of all projects). Some questions may require completion via a web form. Potential applicants will have the 

opportunity to upload optional supporting documents for required items throughout the application.

1 “Project” refers to a set of capital expenditures for the construction, expansion, or modernization of a single facility, as well as related workforce development or 

operating costs proposed to be covered with CHIPS Incentive funds.

Disclosure: 

The tables below are not intended to be inclusive of all pre-application and full application 

requirements and potential applicants should not rely on the tables in place of Sections IV.H 

and IV.I the NOFO. Any conflicts between information in this document and the NOFO must 

be resolved in favor of the NOFO, which is the official program document. 
CHIPS for America Guide

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Pre-Application Checklist 

Applicants for leading-edge facilities will be able to submit their pre-application in the CHIPS Incentives Program application portal on or after March 31, 2023. Applicants 

for current-generation, mature-node facilities, and back-end production facilities will be able to submit their pre-applications on or after May 1, 2023. Pre-applications 

can be submitted a minimum of 21 days after statement of interest submission, provided the pre-application is open for the relevant type of facility.

Information in blue will become available to potential applicants on the day the pre-application becomes available in the application portal.

The complete set of requirements for submitting the pre-application are located in the NOFO at Section IV.H.

 Template / web form available when application portal goes live 

Section Requested 

submission Format Summary of Contents

Cover Page

1. Pre-Application 

Cover Page

Web form Application title, applicant organization information, applicant point of contact, partnership information

Project Plan 2. Project Plan 

Narrative

PDF and web 

form

Description of project(s), consortium description (if applicable), cluster profile, estimated project timeline, 

summary narrative addressing evaluation criteria, CHIPS Incentives justification, and applicant profile 

Financial 

Information

3. Financial 

Information 

Narrative

PDF Financial information narrative including detail on facility ownership structure, project sources and uses of 

funds, company financials, and summary financials for the project

4. Facility Ownership 

Structure

PDF Formal legal entity and organizational structure for the proposed project(s), including relationship with 

ultimate corporate parent, if applicable 

5. Project Sources 

and Uses of funds

Excel 

template and 

web form

Details on applicant’s proposal for sources and uses of funds. Complete for each project individually and one 

that is cumulative for the entire set of proposed projects, if applicable

6. Company 

Financials PDF or Excel Financial statements, key performance metrics, details on leverage and related debt coverage metrics and 

ratings

7. Summary 

Financials for the 

Project

Excel and 

PDF

Project(s) cash flow, income statement, and balance sheet projections through the end of the facility’s useful 

life, and relevant metrics, in Microsoft Excel; also, a summary narrative and supporting evidence for key 

assumptions in models.

8. CHIPS Incentives 

Request

Web form Summary of requested dollar amounts for CHIPS Direct Funding and Loan and/or Loan Guarantees 
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Section Requested 

submission Format Summary of Contents

9. CHIPS Incentives 

Request narrative

PDF

Description for how financial information submitted supports a conclusion that the CHIPS Incentives requested 

will incentivize the potential applicant to make investments that would not occur in absence of the incentives; 

also, explanation of how CHIPS incentives requested were sized, and justifications for size and appropriateness

of request, and the resulting project IRR.

Environmental 

Questionnaire

10. Environmental 

Questionnaire PDF template Questionnaire regarding relevant environmental considerations 

Workforce 

Development 

Information

11. Workforce 

Development 

Narrative

PDF and web 

form Approach to recruiting, training, and retaining a diverse and skilled set of facility workers
CHIPS for America Guide

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Full Application Checklist 

Applicants for leading-edge facilities will be able to submit their full application in the CHIPS Incentives Program application portal on or after March 31, 2023. Applicants 

for Current-Generation, Mature-Node facilities, and Back-end Production facilities will be able to submit their full applications on or after June 26, 2023. Full applications 

may be submitted 21 days after statement of interest submission, provided applications are open for the relevant type of facility.

Note that the same information will be asked of all applicants with differences only in the structure of the request (i.e., while the chart below references PDFs, Current 

and Mature-Generation applicants may be asked to input information directly into the application portal as the application portal goes through ongoing enhancements). 

The complete set of requirements for submitting the full application are located in the NOFO at Section IV.I. 

 Available when full application portal goes live for leading-edge facilities 

Section Requested 

submission Format

Max pages 

(Excluding 

supporting 

attachments)

Summary of Contents

Cover Page

1. Full application 

cover page

Web form N/A Title of application, applicant organization information, applicant point of contact, partnership 

information

Covered 

Incentive

2. Letter(s) from 

State/Local entity PDF N/A Letter(s) from state or local government entity demonstrating that the applicant has been offered a qualifying covered incentive 

Description 

of Project(s)

3. Description of 

Project(s)

PDF (and 

web form, if 

available)

15 for 

overarching 

description 

+ 15 per 

project

Summary of project(s), consortium description (if applicable), cluster profile, timeline for project(s), 

summary narrative addressing evaluation criteria, and CHIPS incentives justification

Applicant 

Profile 

4. Descriptive 

Information 

about the

Applicant

PDF (and 

web form, if 

available)

N/A

Information related to the applicant’s businesses, applicant company’s business profile, key products 

manufactured, end markets, and competitors, and any existing or planned operations in foreign 

countries of concern.

5. Company 

Financials PDF or Excel N/A Financial statements, key financial metrics, statistical ratings organizations reports/ratings.

6. Equity capital 

structure 

PDF or Excel 

(and web 

form, if 

available)

N/A If applicable, detailed information on shareholders, shares, and market valuation; information 

regarding planned equity issuances

7. Outstanding 

Debt PDF or Excel N/A Detailed debt schedule, description of planned debt issuances
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Section Requested 

submission Format

Max pages 

(Excluding 

supporting 

attachments)

Summary of Contents

Alignment 

with 

Economic 

Resilience 

and National 

Security 

Objectives

8. Description of 

alignment with 

CHIPS Program 

goals

PDF (and 

web form, if 

available)

30 How the project(s) meets economic and national security objectives, including cybersecurity 

practices, supply chain resilience and risk management, and foreign control disclosures

Commercial 

Strategy

9. Description of 

Commercial 

Strategy

PDF (and 

web form, if 

available)

15 per project Commercial strategy, including end-market demand, market position and competitor landscape, 

stability of supplies and materials, and improvement plans

Financial 

Information

10. Financial 

Information 

Narrative

PDF 20 

Detailed description of project financial plan, including sources and uses of funds, cash flow 

projections, key equity return and debt service metrics, CHIPS incentives request, sensitivity analyses, 

and supporting evidence for key assumptions

11. Project 

Sources and Uses

of funds

Excel 

template 

(and web 

form, if 

available)

N/A Details on applicant’s proposal for sources and uses of funds, for each project individually as well as 

cumulatively for the entire set of proposed projects 

12. Project Cash 

Flow, Balance 

Sheet, and 

Income 

Statement 

Projections (one 

per project)

Excel N/A Project(s) cash flow, income statement, and balance sheet projections through the end of the 

facility’s useful life, and relevant metrics; also, scenario and sensitivity analyses

13. Scenario 

Analysis (one per 

project)

PDF N/A

Illustration of project cash flows, income statements, balance sheets, and key profitability metrics, 

IRR, and risk and debt service metrics under a plausible range of scenarios through the estimated 

useful life of the facility. Sensitivities should include upside and downside cases.

14. CHIPS 

Incentives 

Request

Excel

template or

web form

N/A Summary of requested dollar amounts for CHIPS Direct Funding and Loan and/or Loan Guarantees 

requested, including proposed terms
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Section Requested 

submission Format

Max pages 

(Excluding 

supporting 

attachments)

Summary of Contents

15. CHIPS 

Incentives 

Request 

Narrative

PDF N/A Justifications of size, appropriateness, and project IRR based on the CHIPS Incentives request

16. CHIPS Loan or 

Loan Guarantee 

Request 

PDF N/A Description of proposed terms for any Loans or Loan Guarantees requested and explanation of efforts 

to attract debt financing from other sources

Project 

Technical 

Feasibility

17. Technical 

Feasibility 

Narrative

PDF 20 per project Description of organizational readiness, technology and manufacturing processes, and construction 

plan

18. 

Environmental 

Questionnaire

PDF 

template N/A Submit a completed questionnaire available for download in the CHIPS application portal

Organization 

Information

19. Ownership, 

Legal Entity, and 

Organizational 

Structure

PDF N/A Detail of all parent companies, subsidiaries, affiliates, and other related entities, including any recent 

or upcoming organizational changes

20. Managerial 

Capability PDF N/A Approach to managerial oversight and governance of the project(s) from construction through the life of the facility. Include resumes of key management personnel and key personnel of contractors.

21. Consortium 

Applicants

PDF (and 

web form, if 

available)

N/A Key participants, roles, structure, and benefits of a consortium, if applicable

22. Past Project 

History

PDF N/A Description of comparable facilities commissioned by the potential applicant or parent company in 

the last ten years

23. Intellectual 

Property Security

PDF N/A

Policies and procedures to combat cloning, counterfeiting, and relabeling of semiconductors, as 

applicable, as well as protecting semiconductor designs and other intellectual property associated 

with the manufacture of semiconductors

24. Litigation 

and/or Conflicts PDF N/A Disclosures of historical, current, or pending litigation for potential applicant, its corporate parent (if applicable), or any relevant party
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Section Requested 

submission Format

Max pages 

(Excluding 

supporting 

attachments)

Summary of Contents

25. Advisors and 

Key Partners

PDF (and 

web form, if 

available)

N/A

List of advisors who will represent the applicant before the Department in connection with its 

application and any partner named elsewhere in the application (e.g. contractor, investor in the 

project, workforce training partner, etc.) 

Workforce 

Development 

Plan

26. Workforce 

Development 

Plan

PDF (and 

web form, if 

available)

30 

Document expected workforce needs for each facility and a strategy to meet such needs. Also 

produce a workforce plan for the construction workforce. Identify overall financial resources that will 

be committed to these efforts. 

Broader 

Impacts

27. Broader 

Impacts 

Narrative

PDF 30

Information related to broader impacts of project(s), including:

• Commitments to future investment in the US semiconductor industry

• Buyback commitment

• Support for semiconductor research & development

• Inclusive opportunities for businesses, 

• Commitment to climate & environmental responsibility

• Community investments

• Domestic content 

Standard 

Forms

28, Upload forms 

provided

PDF 

templates N/A

All applicants will be required to upload a minimum of two forms: SF-328 (Certificate Pertaining to 

Foreign Interests) and CD-511 (Certification Regarding Lobbying), and if applicable SF-LLL (Disclosure 

of Lobbying Activities)