Barbara S. Dorf, Director

1
5 EASY STEPS
That Can Help Lead To NOFA Success

• Presented By
• Barbara S. Dorf, Director
• Office of Departmental Grants Management and
  Oversight
• U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
• August 2002

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Step 1 Start Your Application By Taking the Time
to Read the General Section and the Program
Section of the SuperNOFA

• Understand the purpose of the funding
• Identify the threshold factors that you will have
  to meet for your application to be reviewed

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Step 1 Start Your Application By Taking the Time
to Read the General Section and the Program
Section of the SuperNOFA (continued)

• Understand the program requirements
• Is there a required match-what is the or
  amount?
• Do you have to work in partnership with
  particular groups or organizations?
• Are there specific required activities?
• Are there specific required program
  beneficiaries?
• Are there specific HUD policy priority areas that
  you can meet as part of meeting the needs of your
  community and which could earn you higher points
  in the rating factors?

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Step 2 Make an Outline of the Requirements

• As you read the NOFA take a highlighter and note
  the must have items
• Take another highlighter and note the key
  elements in each rating factor
• Underline items that indicate that
• You will receive higher rating points if you

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Step 3 Make an Outline of Your Proposal

• Make sure it covers all the items that you have
  identified as pertinent to your getting through
  the threshold review and then the scoring review
• Make your write-up short, to the point, following
  the items that you have in your outline
• Step back and evaluate your proposal against the
  requirements, rating factors and other
  highlighted items

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Step 4 Become the Other Person

• Place yourself as the reviewer of your proposal
  who knows nothing about you, your experience,
  your community. Ask yourself these questions
• Have you met the threshold requirements?
• Did you respond to the Factors for Award?
• Does your proposal lay out a convincing argument
  in favor of your capacity to do the work?

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Step 4 Become the Other Person (continued)

• Have you provided a timeline?
• Have you provided documentation of need?
• Does your proposal outline the specific
  activities and tasks you will perform and your
  budget for accomplishing the work?
• Have you provided letters for matching or
  leveraged funds?
• Have you described how your program fits with
  other activities going on in the community?

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Step 4 Become the Other Person (continued)

• If you knew nothing about your community, would
  you understand
• How to accomplish the work
• How you were going to meet specific program
  requirements
• The timeframe for accomplishing the requirements
• The experience and capacity needed to perform the
  work

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Step 4 Become the Other Person (continued)

• If you were rating your application against the
  criteria in the NOFA, what score would you give
  your application?
• .Be honest!

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Step 5 Ask Another Person to Review and Rate
Your Application

• What was their overall impression of the quality
  of your application?
• What score were you given?
• Did they express uncertainty or confusion on
  certain elements?

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Step 5 Ask Another Person to Review and Rate
Your Application (continued)

• Can they tell you in 10 sentences or less
• Your ability to do the work
• The extent of the need for these funds in your
  community and what the need is
• What you are going to do with the money if you
  get funded
• Who are your partners and how are you leveraging
  the funding received from HUD
• How your program of activities fits or furthers
  other activities going on in your community
• When and what results can be expected to be
  achieved by giving you the funds

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Step 5 Ask Another Person to Review and Rate
Your Application (continued)

• Can they trace the elements in your response to
  the criteria in the rating factor?
• What did they identify as the strengths and
  weaknesses in your proposal?
• Take their comments to heart and review what you
  are proposing

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• Submit your application and good luck !!!!