does not hold the PI role. Check with your Commons Account Administrator to make sure your account affiliation and roles are set-up correctly." 1 2 DUNS numbers: The DUNS number provided on any forms must have valid characters (9 or 13 numbers with or without dashes). If the DUNS number provided has invalid characters than 9 or 13 numbers) after stripping of dashes, the applicant will receive the following error message from eRA Commons: “The DUNs number for <insert form name > is not in the valid format of DUNS or DUNS+4 number (DUNS should be 9 or 13 digits; no letters or special characters).” 3 Submit required documentation for the FOA. [Note: We recommend you use the latest package from Grants.gov, which will have the latest forms and templates required.] If you do not submit the documentation required for the FOA, the applicant will receive the following error message from eRA Commons: “The format of the application does not the format of the FOA. Please contact the eRA for assistance.” 3 4 Check the “Changed/Corrected Application” box in the SF424 form after making changes/corrections to resubmit an application. Refer to for more information on resubmission criteria. If you change/correct an error in your application, any subsequent submissions for the same FOA will result in an error, and the applicant will receive the following error message from eRA Commons: “This application has been identified as a duplicate of a previous submission. The ‘Type of Submission’ should be set to Changed/Corrected if you are addressing errors/warnings.” 4 5 Applications cannot be larger than 1.2GB If the application exceeds 1.2GB, the applicant will receive the following error message from eRA Commons: “The application did not follow the agency-specific size limit of 1.2 GB. Please resize the application to be no larger than 1.2GB before submitting.” 5 6 The Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) number must exist. If you an FOA number that does not exist, the applicant will receive the following error message from eRA Commons: “The Funding Opportunity Announcement number does not exist.” 6 7 All documents and attachments must be in PDF format. If you submit attachments which are not in PDF format, the applicant will receive the following error message from eRA Commons:
In order to be effective, objectives should be clear and leave no room for interpretation. SMART is a helpful acronym for developing objectives that are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound: Specific – Includes the “who” and “what” of program activities. Use only one action verb to issues with measuring success. For example, “Outreach workers will administer the HIV risk assessment tool to at least 100 injection drug users in the population of focus” is a more specific objective than “Outreach workers will use their skills to reach out to drug users on the street.” Measurable – How much change is expected. It must be possible to count or otherwise quantify an activity or its results. It also means that the source of and mechanism for collecting measurement data can be identified and that collection of the data is feasible for your program. A baseline measurement is required to document change (e.g., to measure the percentage of increase or decrease). If you plan to use a specific measurement instrument, it is recommended that you incorporate its use into the objective. Example: By 9/18 increase by 10% the number of 8th, 9th, and 10th grade students who disapprove of marijuana use as measured by the annual school youth survey. Achievable – Objectives should be attainable within a time frame and with available program resources. For example, “The new part-time nutritionist will meet with seven teenage mothers each week to design a complete dietary plan” is a more achievable objective than “Teenage mothers will learn about proper nutrition.” Realistic – Objectives should be within the scope of the project and propose reasonable programmatic steps that can be implemented within a specific time frame. For example, “Two ex-gang members will make one school presentation each week for two months to raise community awareness about the presence of gangs” is a more realistic objective than “Gang-related violence in the community will be eliminated.” Time-bound – Provide a time frame indicating when the objective will be measured or a time by when the objective will be met. For example, “Five new peer educators will be recruited by the second quarter of the first funding year” is a better objective than “New peer educators will be hired.” Examples: Objective Critique SMART Objective
Name – The name of the individual to in the position. If the position is vacant, identify the anticipated hire date. If the position is being performed by someone other than a full-time, part-time, or temporary employee of the applicant organization (e.g., consultant or contractor), the grant-supported position should be listed under the contracts category. Key Personnel – Identify if the position is key personnel required by the FOA: Key positions require prior approval by SAMHSA after review of credentials and job descriptions. Salary/Rate – The estimated annual salary or rate. If providing a rate, specify the time (e.g., hourly, weekly). Salaries should be comparable to within your organization. If the position is not being charged to the Federal award, but the individual is working on the project identify the salary/rate as an “in-kind” cost. of Effort (LOE) − The level of effort (percentage of time) that the position contributes to the project. Personnel cannot exceed 100% of their time on all active projects (including other Federal awards). You should ensure the cost of living increase is into the budget and justified. Total Salary – The total salary/amount each position is paid based on their contribution to the project. If the position is not charged to the Federal award, identify the cost as $0. The key staff positions identified in Section I-2 Expectations must be included in the Personnel section and/or the Contractual Section (F). In addition, the Project Director must be the same as the Project Director listed on the HHS Checklist. FEDERAL REQUEST – Sample Personnel Narrative Position (1) Name (2) Key Staff (3) Annual Salary/Rate (4) Level of Effort (5) Total Salary Charge to Award (6) (1) Project Director Alice Doe Yes $64,890 10% $6,489
(2) Program Coordinator Vacant, to be hired within 60 days of anticipated award date No $46,276 100% $46,276 (3) Clinical Director Jane Doe No In-kind cost 20% 0 FEDERAL REQUEST (enter in Section B column 1, line 6a of SF-424A) $52,765 FEDERAL REQUEST – Sample Justification for Personnel The Project Director will provide oversight of the grant. This position is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the project activities, internal and external coordination, developing materials, and conducting meetings. The Program Coordinator will coordinate project service and activities, including training, communication and information dissemination. Fringe Benefits Fringe benefits are allowances and services provided to employees as compensation in addition to regular salaries and wages. Fringe benefits charged to an award must comply with HHS regulations at 45 CFR §75.431 (). Provide the following information for the narrative and justification: Position – The title of the position being charged to the award to which the fringe rate is being applied. Name – The name of the individual associated with the position (note if the position is vacant.) Rate – The total fringe benefit rate used and a clear description of how the computation of fringe benefits was done. The justification must detail the elements that comprise the fringe benefits, e.g., FICA, worker’s compensation. If a fringe benefit rate is not used, you should explain how the fringe benefits were computed for each position. Total Salary Charged to Award – Use the amount provided under section A. Personnel (6).
limitations for data collection and performance assessment. A sample budget for this area is shown below. Data Collection & Performance Measurement Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Total Data Collection & Performance Measurement Personnel $6,700 $6,700 $6,700 $6,700 $6,700 $33,500 Fringe $2,400 $2,400 $2,400 $2,400 $2,400 $12,000 Travel $100 $100 $100 $100 1$100 $500 Equipment 0 0 0 0 0 0 Supplies $750 $750 $750 $750 $750 $3,750 Contractual $24,000 $24,000 $24,000 $24,000 $24,000 $120,000 Other 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total Direct Charges $33,950 $33,950 $33,950 $33,950 $33,950 $169,750 Indirect Charges $910 $910 $910 $910 $910 $4,550 Total Data Collection & Performance Measurement Charges $34,860 $34,860 $34,860 $34,860 $34,860 $174,300 The percentage of the budget that will be spent on data collection and performance measurement does not exceed 20% for any budget period. Maximum percentage for any budget period is 18.9% ($34,860/$184,303 – Year 1). A sample budget for funding limitations related to infrastructure development is shown below. Infrastructure Development Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Costs
2. 3. 4. 5. Totals $184,303 $184,303 Standard Form 424A SECTION B – BUDGET CATEGORIES 6. Object Class Categories GRANT PROGRAM FUNCTION OR ACTIVITY (5) (1) Title of FOA (2) (3) (4) a. Personnel $52,765 $52,765 b. Fringe Benefits $15,644 $15,644 c. Travel $2,444 $2,444 d. Equipment $0 $0 e. Supplies $3,796 $3,796 f. Contractual $86,998 $86,998 g. Construction $0 $0 h. Other $15,815 $15,815 i. Total Direct Charges (sum 6a-6h) $177,462 $177,462 j. Indirect Charges $6,841 $5,6,841