Grants & Awards: LGRMIF: Grant Application & Reference Material: Preparing an Application:

Parts of an Application

Each of the parts of an application is described below in the order in which each must appear in your application packet.

All grant applications will be evaluated and scored based on established criteria.  Please note that your completed Application Narrative Form (LG-NA) is worth 70% of your application’s score, and the Budget Code and Narrative forms are worth 30% of the score. Both your narrative and budget forms directly correspond to the reviewers’ ranking criteria.  (The Grant Application Evaluation Form on page 44 demonstrates how the narrative and budget forms relate to the ranking criteria; reviewers will complete one evaluation form for each application.) 

If you hire a grantwriter to prepare your application, be sure to review the application to make sure it adequately addresses your unique situation.  You are ultimately responsible for the quality of your application.

Grant Project Application 2008-2009 Form (LG-AP)

Front Page of LG-AP

• Local Government. Name of the local government.

• Department/Unit. Name of the specific department, agency, or unit that is applying for funds: e.g., Social Services, Town Clerk’s Office, Police Department, Guidance Office, Personnel Office.

• County. County where your central administrative office is located.

• Chief Administrative Officer and Title. Name and title (e.g., superintendent, mayor, county executive) of your chief administrative or authorizing officer.

• Project Director and Title. Name and title of the person who will oversee the project.  All projects must have a project director.

• Records Management Officer and Title.  Name and title of the records management officer, if that person is not the project director.  If the project director is the RMO, you do not need to supply the information again; simply check the box that says “Same person as Project Director.”

• Eligibility. You must appoint a Records Management Officer (RMO) and adopt the appropriate records retention schedule before the application deadline. See “Eligibility Requirements” on page 5 of this grants booklet for a full explanation of these requirements and for a list of those governments exempted from them.  If you are required to appoint an RMO and adopt a retention schedule, leaving this section blank will eliminate your application from further review.

Application Type. Check only one. See the page 6 of this booklet for information on types of grants.

• Project Category. Category and subcategory under which you are applying. Select only one category, and only one subcategory within that category.

• Amount Requested. The grant request cannot exceed $75,000 for an individual project, $125,000 for a cooperative project, and $125,000 for a complex project. Projects under the County Lands Record Initiative subcategory cannot exceed $75,000.

• Number of Grants Previously Received. Total number of LGRMIF grants you have received or participated in as a member of a cooperative project (including special initiatives).

• Project Summary. Description of the proposed project, including its scope and objectives. This summary provides grant reviewers with their first impression of each local government and its proposed project.

Second page of LG-AP

• Forms and Other Materials Checklist. Assemble your application in the order indicated in the checklist. Place a check next to each item on the checklist to indicate that you have included it in your application packet. State Archives staff will review your application to verify your application is complete.

• Certification and Approval. The Chief Administrative Officer or designee and the Records Management Officer (RMO) must sign the application and print or type their names and titles. The signatures verify that your government agrees to the conditions outlined in Appendix A and Appendix A-1 G (both of which you must include with your application). The original copy of the application must be signed in blue ink; rubber-stamped signatures are not acceptable. Local governments not required to have an RMO should mark the RMO signature line “N/A.” 

Checklist for Participants in a Cooperative Project (LG-PA)

• Each participant in a cooperative project must indicate its eligibility to apply for an LGRMIF grant.

Each participant must also indicate that it has included a letter of intent, a requirement of cooperative grant applications. Each letter must explain what the government will do in the course of the project; how funds, personnel, facilities, and tasks will be shared; and what benefits will be gained. Each letter must be signed by the chief administrative officer of the participating government.

Appendix A and Appendix A-1 G

 

The State Education Department requires that a copy of Appendix A and Appendix A-1 G be included in each grant application, immediately following the Grant Project Application Form (LG-AP).  These two appendix forms need be included in your original application only.  You do not need to include them in the copies.

Payee Information (PI) and Standard Data Capture Form

 

These forms must be completed by all applicants so that the State Archives can either assign a unique Payee Identification Number (also known as an agency code) to your local government, or verify the information we have on record. The State Education Department also needs this information to expedite electronic payments of grant funds. Instructions for completing the PI form and the Standard Data Capture form are included.  You only need to include these forms in the original application.  You do not need to include them in the copies. 

Application Narrative Form (LG-NA) (70 points)

The Application Narrative Form (LG-NA) is required for every grant application. 70% of your application’s score is based on the information you provide in the application narrative.  The point values listed below indicate the numerical weight the reviewers assign to each of the parts of your application narrative during the grants review process.

Address each of the issues listed on the form under each of the four sections of the narrative. Be as detailed as possible. Keep in mind that the application narrative directly corresponds to the criteria that reviewers will follow when ranking your application.

The narrative consists of the following four sections:

I.      Statement of the Problem (maximum 20 points)

II.     Intended Results (maximum 10 points)

III.    Plan of Work (maximum 30 points)

IV.    Local Government Support (maximum 10 points)

Each section has a series of issues that all applicants are required to address on the narrative form.   These issues are listed on the LG-NA form.

 

Vendor Quote Form (LG-VQ). Detailed instructions for completing the LG-VQ are on the reverse side of the form. The form is required in the following cases:

• In each instance where funds are requested for supplies and materials or equipment with a unit cost in excess of $5,000

• For purchased services, where the cost of a vendor’s services, including a consultant's services, exceeds $5,000

• Remodeling, where the cost of any one activity exceeds $5,000 or where any one vendor will receive over $5,000. If more than one contractor is used, this form must be completed for each. 

Imaging and Microfilming Project Information Form (LG-IM)

If you are proposing to conduct a project involving either imaging, microfilming, or a combination of both, complete a separate copy of the LG-IM for each records series that will be the focus of the project. Detailed instructions for completing the LG-IM are on the reverse side of the form. For assistance in determining the number of images in the series, or on any other technical matter, consult State Archives Publication #9, Producing High-Quality Microfilm. For projects that focus only on imaging or include an imaging component, see the State Archives’ Imaging Production Guidelines, available on our website at www.archives.nysed.gov, and State Archives Publication #77, Managing Imaging and Micrographics Projects.

Other Materials

Add whatever other materials are required for your specific project, such as needs assessments, archival and conservation vendor/consultant treatment proposals, floor plans, requests for quotations (RFQs), and consultant responses to RFQs.

Budget Narrative forms (maximum 30 points)

The budget forms are required of all applicants. These forms cover Professional Salaries (Code 15), Support Staff Salaries (Code 16), Purchased Services (Code 40), Supplies and Materials (Code 45), Travel Expenses (Code 46), Employee Benefits (Code 80), BOCES Services (Code 49), Minor Remodeling (Code 30) and Equipment (Code 20).  You do not need to include in your application those budget forms that do not apply to your project. Include in the project budget only those costs for which you are seeking funding; do not include your government’s contributions on the budget forms. 

Each budget narrative form has the following components:

• Budget Table. Enter all costs to be paid with grant funds for each relevant budget code. 

• Budget Narrative. Fully describe in this space how proposed expenditures are appropriate, reasonable, and necessary to support project goals and your records management program. Do not assume reviewers will automatically understand what may seem obvious to you.  Reviewers are likely to recommend cutting budget requests that are not clearly and adequately explained.

• Instructions are on the reverse side of each budget page.

• Lists of Eligible and Ineligible Expenditures are on the reverse side of each budget page.

Budget Summary (FS-20)

• The Budget Summary is required of all applicants. Transfer the total for each budget code to the table on the reverse side of the FS-20. Your Chief Administrative Officer must sign the form (in blue ink) in the lower left-hand corner to certify that the requested budget amounts are necessary and appropriate. Disregard the section on the form pertaining to indirect costs, because indirect costs are not eligible in the LGRMIF grants program.  The right-hand part of the form includes the SED Agency code.  If you do not know this code, leave it blank.  The rest of the right-hand section you should leave blank.   

For additional information about grants, including fiscal reporting forms and requirements, please refer to the Fiscal Guidelines for Federal and State Aided Grants

Assembly of Final Application

Your original application with signatures in blue ink must include all required forms and other materials as required above.  The required forms include:

• Grant Project Application 2008-2009 Form (LG-AP)
• Appendix A and Appendix A-1 G
• Payee Information Form (PI) and Standard Data Capture Form
• Application Narrative Form (LG-NA)
• Project-Specific Forms and Materials
• Budget Narrative Forms (BN)
• Budget Summary (FS-20)

Your eight copies should only include the Grant Project Application cover sheet, the Application Narrative form, any project specific forms, the budget narrative and budget summary, plus any other materials specific to your project.  You do not need to include in the copies Appendix A, Appendix A-1-G, Payee ID and Standard Data Capture forms.  These should only be included in the original application. 

Be sure to number the pages of your completed application before making copies. 

Please use the application checklist on page two of the Grant Project Application (LG-AP) to ensure that you have left nothing out.

Mail your original and eight (8) copies to:
New York State Archives
Grants Administration Unit
9A81 Cultural Education Center
Albany, NY 12230