Notice of Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 Opportunity To Register Early and Other Important Information for Electronic Application Submission Via Grants.gov, 74179-74185 [E8-28868]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 235 (Friday, December 5, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 74179-74185]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-28868]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-5260-N-01]


Notice of Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 Opportunity To Register Early and 
Other Important Information for Electronic Application Submission Via 
Grants.gov

AGENCY: Office of Assistant Secretary for Administration, HUD.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice provides instructions to potential applicants 
applying for funding under HUD's Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 grant programs 
available through Grants.gov, including changes to the Grants.gov 
registration process scheduled for January 2009. This notice does not 
pertain to applicants who will be applying in FY2009 for Continuum of 
Care funds. HUD will publish a separate notice to address the receipt 
of Continuum of Care applications in FY2009. Today's Federal Register 
notice provides information to help applicants better understand the 
registration and electronic submission process for HUD applications 
made available through Grants.gov. Grants.gov is the federal portal for 
applicants to electronically find and apply for over 1,000 funding 
opportunities made available by 26 federal grant-making agencies. 
Grants.gov offers the applicant community a common Web site where 
applicants can apply for a variety of federal assistance programs. To 
date, all 26 Federal grant-making agencies have posted their funding 
opportunities and electronic application packages to Grants.gov.
    HUD believes that by facilitating a better understanding of the 
electronic submission process, applicants will be

[[Page 74180]]

able to more easily make the transition to electronic application 
submission. HUD advises potential applicants to carefully read this 
notice and immediately begin the registration process or renew their 
registration from prior years.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The Office of Departmental Grants 
Management and Oversight, Office of Administration, Department of 
Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street, SW., Room 3156, 
Washington, DC 20410-5000; telephone number 202-708-0667. Persons with 
hearing or speech impairments may access this number via TTY by calling 
the Federal Information Relay Service at 800-877-8339.

Full Text of Announcement

    With today's Federal Register notice, HUD is encouraging applicants 
to complete or update their registration in advance of HUD posting its 
FY2009 grant opportunities. HUD found that publishing an Early 
Registration Notice eliminates many last minute registration issues, 
and allows applicants time to ensure that all steps in the registration 
process have been correctly completed. Today's Federal Register Notice 
also provides time for applicants to have questions addressed regarding 
the registration and submission processes. HUD strongly encourages 
prospective applicants for FY2009 HUD grants to register or update/
renew their registration for application submission via Grants.gov as 
soon as possible by following the instructions in this notice.
    Applicants should note that Grants.gov requires, to apply on-line 
electronically, an electronically authorized signature, known as e-
Authentication. This requirement for an authenticated electronic 
signature serves to protect the applicant and the applicant's 
information, and to assure federal agencies that they are interacting 
with officials authorized to submit applications on behalf of applicant 
entities.
    Applicants should also note that HUD, in FY2009, will utilize Adobe 
forms in the application packages posted to www.Grants.gov. The Adobe 
forms are compatible with the Microsoft Windows Vista operating 
systems, Apply Macintosh computers, and Microsoft Office 2007. 
Grants.gov is currently using Adobe Reader versions: 8.1.2, 8.1.3 and 
9.0. While Grants.gov supports all three versions of Adobe Reader, HUD 
applicants must download Adobe Reader 8.1.3 available on the Grants.gov 
Web site. For information on compatibility or to download the Adobe 
Reader, go to the Grants.gov Web site at https://www.grants.gov/help/
download_software.jsp.
    Today's Federal Register Notice is divided into three sections. 
Section I defines key terms used as part of the registration process. 
Section II describes the registration process, including steps to 
renew/update an existing registration. Section III describes the 
process for downloading an application package and the application 
applications instructions package from Grants.gov. Information 
regarding signing up for Grants.gov RSS Feed services is also provided.
    As already noted, for FY2009, HUD will continue to require 
applicants to submit their applications electronically via Grants.gov.

I. Key Terms Used as Part of the Registration Process

    1. Applicant Organization. The applicant organization is an entity 
that is identified as the legal applicant for funding in box 8a on the 
SF-424, Application for Federal Financial Assistance and is the 
organization that HUD will hold accountable to fulfill the requirements 
of the award, should the applicant be selected for funding. Grant 
writers or persons authorized to submit an application for funding by 
the applicant organization E-Biz POC (See E-Business Point of Contact 
definition below), must not enter their organization or their 
organization's DUNS number in the SF-424, Application for Federal 
Assistance. Grant writers who wish to submit an application on behalf 
of an applicant organization must become an AOR to submit the 
application. (See definition of Authorized Organization Representative 
below, and registration instructions for AORs later in this Notice).
    2. Authorized Organization Representative (AOR). The applicant 
organization (applicant Legal Name on box 8a of the SF-424) E-Biz POC, 
must grant permission for a person to become an AOR and submit an 
application on behalf of the applicant organization through the 
Grants.gov system. Authorizing an AOR safeguards the applicant 
organization from unauthorized individuals who may attempt to submit a 
grant application without permission. To check the AOR status, go to 
https://apply07.grants.gov/apply/ApplicantLoginGetID. Then, using the 
username and password (obtained from the Credential Provider) check to 
see if the E-Biz POC has granted approval or if the request to be an 
AOR is noted as ``Request Sent''. If the information says ``Request 
Sent'', the approval has not been granted. AORs are advised to contact 
the E-Biz POC to determine the basis for the lack of approval. A 
proposed AOR cannot submit the application to Grants.gov without AOR 
status noted as ``Approved''.
    3. eBusiness Point of Contact (E-Biz POC). The E-Biz POC is 
identified during the Central Contractor Registration Process (Step 2 
of the Registration Process). The E-Biz POC must grant authority for a 
person to be the AOR. An E-Biz POC may serve as an AOR as well as an E-
Biz POC. The E-Biz POC becomes the sole Grants.gov authority for the 
organization and has the capability of designating or revoking an AOR's 
ability to submit a grant application on behalf of the organization 
using the Grants.gov system.
    4. Marketing Partner ID Number (MPIN). As part of the CCR 
Registration Process, the E-Biz POC will be asked to create an MPIN. 
The MPIN is a nine character (alpha numeric) password that is used to 
access other systems and should be well guarded. For organizations 
wishing to apply for Federal grants using the Grants.gov system, the 
MPIN is required for the E-Biz POC to log into to the Grants.gov system 
and grant the person requesting permission to be an AOR, the permission 
to submit the grant on behalf of the applicant organization.
    5. Trading Partner Identification Number (TPIN). A TPIN is a 
password that is used to access the applicant organization's Central 
Contractor Registration (CCR) data. Organizations that become active in 
CCR are issued a TPIN (password) to access their record in order to 
make, or request, any changes or updates to their CCR registration. 
Because of the sensitivity of this data, CCR recommends that CCR 
registrants not disclose their TPIN to anyone under any circumstances.

II. Instructions on Completing the Registration Process for New 
Applicants or Applicants Updating or Renewing Registration

A. The Need To Register With Grants.gov

    HUD provides funding to only to organizations. This information, 
therefore, is directed to HUD applicants that are organizational 
entities.
    Before an applicant can apply for a grant opportunity, the 
applicant must first register with Grants.gov to provide and obtain 
certain identifying information. Please note that registration is a 
multi-step process. The registration process also requires the 
applicant organization to provide information at Web sites other than

[[Page 74181]]

Grants.gov. Registration protects both HUD and the applicant. 
Specifically, registration confirms that the applicant organization E-
Biz POC has designated and authorized a certain individual or entity to 
submit an application on its behalf and assures HUD that it is 
interacting with a designated representative of the applicant who has 
been authorized to submit the application.

B. Steps To Register

    HUD's notice of funding availability (NOFA) process requires 
applicants to submit applications electronically through Grants.gov. 
Before being able to do so, applicants must complete several important 
steps to register or update/renew their registration to be able to 
submit the application. The registration process can take approximately 
2 to 4 weeks to complete.
1. Step One: Obtain a Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering 
System (DUNS)
    Step One of the registration process requires an applicant 
organization to obtain a DUNS number for the organizational entity for 
which an application for federal assistance will be submitted. All 
organizations seeking funding directly from HUD must have a DUNS number 
and include the number on the form SF-424, Application for Federal 
Financial Assistance, which is part of the application package. The 
DUNS number is also a required as part of the registration process. If 
the applicant organizational entity identified in box 8a on the SF-424, 
already has a DUNS number, it must use that number. The number must be 
registered for the organizational entity legal name. Failure to provide 
a DUNS number or the correct DUNS number associated to the applicant 
organization legal name as entered on the SF 424 form, box 8a and CCR 
can prevent you from submitting a grant application or obtaining an 
award, regardless of whether it is a new award or renewal of an 
existing one. This policy is pursuant to OMB policy issued in the 
Federal Register on June 27, 2003 (68 FR 38402). HUD codified the DUNS 
number requirement on November 9, 2004 (69 FR 65024). A copy of the OMB 
Federal Register notice and HUD's regulation codifying the DUNS number 
requirement can be found at https://www.hud.gov/offices/adm/grants/
duns.cfm. Applicants cannot submit an electronic application without a 
DUNS number. An incorrect DUNS number in an application package will 
result in Grants.gov rejecting your application because the DUNS number 
entered in the application will not be consistent with the DUNS number 
associated to the applicant legal name as entered in box 8a of the SF 
424, CCR, and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) records. The applicant 
legal name and DUNS number used on the application must match the DUNS 
number and Organization Name used in the CCR. Applicants must note that 
information entered and used to obtain the DUNS number will be used to 
pre-populate the CCR, which is Step Two of the registration process. 
Applicants should, therefore, carefully review information entered when 
obtaining a DUNS number. When registering with Dun and Bradstreet 
(D&B), please be sure to use the organizational entity's legal name 
used when filing a return or making a payment to the Internal Revenue 
Service (IRS). Organizations should also provide the zip code using the 
zip code plus four code (Zip+4).
    Applicants can obtain a DUNS number by calling 866-705-5711 option 
4 for grant applicants. (This is a toll-free number.) Applicants in 
Alaska and Puerto Rico can call 800-234-3867. The approximate time to 
get a DUNS number is 10 to 15 minutes, and there is no charge. 
Applicants may also obtain a DUNS number by accessing the Dun & 
Bradstreet Web site at https://fedgov.dnb.com/webform to obtain a 
number. The approximate time to create the number online is 1 business 
day. After obtaining your DUNS number, applicants should wait 24 to 48 
hours to register with the CCR so that its DUNS number has time to 
become activated in the D&B records database.
2. Step Two: Register with the CCR
    The second step of the registration process is registering with the 
CCR. The CCR is the primary registrant database for the federal 
government. An organization planning to submit a grant application for 
the first time must register, using its legal business name and name 
used with the IRS. CCR allows you to establish roles and Usernames for 
representatives that will use Grants.gov to submit electronic grant 
applications. Applicant organizations must annually update or renew 
their registration at https://www.ccr.gov, clicking on the link entitled 
``Update or Renew Registration.'' If you need assistance with the CCR 
registration process, you can contact the CCR Assistance Center, 24 
hours a day, 7 days a week at 888-277-2423 or 269-961-5757. Applicants 
can also obtain assistance online at https://www.ccr.gov. A CCR Handbook 
that guides applicants through the registration process is available on 
the CCR Web site by clicking on ``Help.'' If an applicant organization 
fails to update/renew its CCR registration, the Grants.gov registration 
will lapse prohibiting the application from being accepted by 
Grants.gov due to failure to have a complete registration. 
Registration, including update/renewal, can take several weeks as CCR 
compares its records to those maintained by D&B and IRS. The records in 
D&B, CCR and IRS must match. If discrepancies arise, Step Two cannot be 
completed until the discrepancies are resolved. For this reason, HUD 
urges applicants to complete the CCR registration, or update/renew its 
existing registration, immediately. Otherwise, the CCR check with D&B 
and IRS records may delay completing the registration process and 
adversely affect the ability to submit a grant application.
    The CCR registration process consists of completing a Trading 
Partner Profile (TTP), which contains general, corporate, and financial 
information about your organization. When completing the TTP, you will 
be required to identify an E-Biz POC, responsible for maintaining the 
information in the TTP and granting authorization to individuals to 
serve as AORs. An AOR is the individual who will submit the application 
through Grants.gov for the applicant organization. Applicants can check 
the CCR registration and E-Biz POC by going to https://www.ccr.gov and 
searching by clicking on ``Search CCR.''
    a. CCR Use of D&B Information. In July 2006, CCR implemented a 
policy change. Under this policy change, instead of obtaining name and 
address information directly from the registrant, CCR obtains the 
following data fields from D&B: Legal Business Name; Doing Business as 
Name (DBA); Physical Address; and Postal Code (Zip+4). Registrants will 
not be able to enter or modify these fields in CCR as they will be pre-
populated using previously registered Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal 
Numbering System (DUNS) records data. During a new registration, or 
when updating a record, the registrant has a choice to accept or reject 
the information provided from the D&B records. If the registrant agrees 
with the D&B supplied information, the D&B data will be accepted into 
the CCR registrant record. If the registrant disagrees with the D&B 
supplied data, the registrant must go to the D&B Web site at https://
fedgov.dnb.com/webform to modify the information contained in D&B's 
records before proceeding with its CCR registration. Once D&B confirms 
the updated information, the registrant must revisit the CCR Web site 
and

[[Page 74182]]

``accept'' D&B's changes. Only at this point will the D&B data be 
accepted into the CCR record. This process can take up to 2 business 
days for D&B to send modified data to CCR, and that time frame may be 
longer if data is sent from abroad.
    b. CCR EIN/TIN Validation. To complete the CCR registration and 
qualify as a vendor eligible to bid for federal government contracts or 
apply for federal grants, the EIN/TIN and Employer/Taxpayer Name 
combination you provide in the IRS Consent Form must match exactly to 
the EIN/TIN and Employer/Taxpayer Name used in federal tax matters. It 
will take one to two business days to validate new and updated records 
prior to becoming active in CCR. Please be sure that the data items 
provided to D&B match information provided to the IRS. If the 
registration in D&B and the CCR do not match the IRS information, an 
error message will result. Until the discrepancies have been resolved, 
the registration will not be completed. HUD recommends that applicant 
organizations carefully review their D&B and CCR registration 
information for accuracy immediately upon publication of this notice. 
If you have questions about your EIN/TIN, call 800-829-4933.
    c. Detailed Steps for NEW applicant organizations to register with 
CCR. The following is a step-by-step guide to help an applicant 
organization register with CCR. As noted, additional assistance is 
available online at https://www.ccr.gov. Before beginning the CCR 
registration process, organizations should designate an individual who 
will be responsible for completing the CCR registration and managing 
the information entered into CCR. The listing below identifies the 
steps in the CCR registration process.
    (1) Go to https://ccr.gov/. Once on the site, on the left side of 
the screen, click ``Start New Registration.'' At the ``Start a New 
Registration'' screen, of the three choices, please select ``I am not a 
U.S. Federal Government entity.'' Click ``Continue.''

    Note: CCR registration is NOT required for individuals; however, 
HUD does not directly fund individuals through its NOFA process.

    (2) The next screen provides review items that must be completed 
before continuing in CCR. After reviewing the information and all items 
have been completed, click ``Continue with Registration.''
    (3) To begin registration with CCR, enter the organization entity's 
DUNS number and click ``Next.''
    (4) At the next screen, ``New Registration,'' enter the 
organization's DUNS number. Then click ``Next.'' The next ``New 
Registration'' screen displays the DUNS number. The registrant will be 
prompted to enter the organization information, e.g., name address, 
etc. If the information inputted does not match that contained in the 
D&B record for the DUNS number provided, the system will state: ``Try 
again by correcting your input below'' or ``Contact D&B to make a 
change to your D&B DUNS record.''
    (5) The next page of ``New Registration'' is ``Verify Your Results 
with D&B.'' Here the registrant will be asked, ``Is this information 
correct?'' After ensuring the accuracy of the information, click on 
``Accept/Continue or Cancel.''
    (6) If you ``Accept/Continue,'' the confirmation number will be 
displayed. This is a temporary number that allows the registrant to 
save the registration as a work in progress. Print this page. A 
temporary number along with the organization DUNS number will let the 
registrant access CCR to complete the registration at a later date.
    (7) Continuing registration from the Confirmation page, click 
``Continue.''
    (8) ``How to Complete your Registration'' is the next page. Once 
the information has been reviewed and found correct, click 
``Continue.''
    (9) The ``General Information'' page is the next screen. On this 
page the registrant will need to complete all the required information.
    (10) Creating a Marketing Partner ID Number (MPIN). The final step 
in creating the organization's TTP requires the registrant to create a 
MPIN. The MPIN is a self-defined nine character password that the E-Biz 
POC will need to access Grants.gov to authorize an AOR to be able to 
submit a grant application.
    (11) Registration Notification. If the registration was submitted 
successfully, the registrant will receive two letters through the U.S. 
Mail or e-mail. The first welcomes the registrant to CCR and includes a 
copy of the registration. The second contains the confidential TPIN. 
Receipt of the TPIN confirms successful registration in CCR and serves 
as the registrant's confidential password to change CCR information.
    d. Detailed Steps for Updating/Renewing Current Registrations.
    (1) The E-Biz POC for the organization that is identified in box 8a 
of the SF-424 should go to https://ccr.gov/. Once on the site, on the 
left side of the screen, click ``Update or Renew Registration.'' At the 
``Update Renew Registration'' screen, of the three choices, please 
select ``I am not a U.S. Federal Government entity.'' Click 
``Continue.''

    Note: CCR registration is NOT required for individuals. HUD does 
not directly fund individuals through its NOFA process.

    (2) The next screen asks the E-Biz POC to enter the organization's 
DUNS number and TPIN Number sent to the E-Biz POC at the time of the 
last update; click ``Log In'' to continue.

    Note: If the E-Biz POC can't remember the TPIN, the site 
provides a link to request the TPIN.

    (3) The next screen ``General Information'' displays the 
organization information. This site allows the E-Biz POC to update 
information contained in with CCR. Once information has been reviewed 
and, as needed updated, click on ``validate/save data.''

    Note: The E-Biz POC will validate and save data contained within 
CCR for Corporate Information, Goods/Services, Financial, Points of 
Contact, and IRS content. Once the information has been validated 
and saved in each required each section, the last screen will 
indicate ``Registration Complete.''

    e. Current Registrants without an MPIN. If you currently have an 
active registration in CCR and you do not have an MPIN, you will need 
to do the following:
    (1) Access the CCR Web site at https://www.ccr.gov. At the left 
margin, click on ``Update or Renew Registration.''
    (2) Select ``I am not a U.S. Federal Government entity.'' Click 
``Continue.''
    (3) Enter the organization's DUNS number and TPIN.
    (4) On the next page click on the link ``Points of Contact.'' 
Complete all fields for the E-Biz POC and the alternate E-Biz POC. 
Scroll down to the bottom of the Points of Contact page, and create 
your own MPIN. Once completed, click on the ``Validate/Save'' button.''

    Notice: To Active Registrants in CCR: A TPIN is a password that 
is used to access your CCR data. Organizations that become active in 
CCR are issued a TPIN (password) to access and maintain their data. 
Because of the sensitivity of this data, CCR recommends that you do 
not disclose your TPIN to anyone under any circumstances.

3. Step Three: Register with the Credential Provider
    a. Registering with Credential Provider. To safeguard the security 
of electronic information, Grants.gov utilizes a Credential Provider to 
determine with a degree of assurance that someone is really who he or 
she claims to be. Once the organization requesting funding has 
identified who will be submitting the Application for Federal Financial 
Assistance on their behalf, the person to submit the application must 
register with a

[[Page 74183]]

Credential Provider to create his/her user name and password. The User 
Name and Password created through the credential provider will be 
registered with Grants.gov as part of the next step in the registration 
process. To register with a credential provider, the designated person 
must have the organization's DUNS number that will be entered in box 8a 
of the form SF 424, Application for Federal Assistance. The 
organization's DUNS number used must be identical to the DUNS number 
for the organization found in the CCR registration.
    Since August 30, 2007, organizations have three federally approved 
credential providers available from which to choose their 
authentication services--the Agriculture Department; the Office of 
Personnel Management's Employee Express; and Operational Research 
Consultants (ORC), Inc., which also provided authentication services 
prior to August 30, 2007. Until January 11, 2009, or shortly 
thereafter, users who already hold a Grants.gov user name and password 
through ORC will not experience much change. New Users will be able to 
choose from any of the three credential providers available.
     To register with a credential Provider go to https://
apply07.grants.gov/apply/ORCRegister. Once you have accessed the site, 
scroll down the page and enter the DUNS number, and click on 
``Register''.
     At the next screen scroll down and select ``Get Your 
Credentials''.
     On the ``eAuthentication User Information'' screen, 
complete and submit all information.
     On the next screen confirm your information and create 
your own Username and PASSWORD. Then click ``Submit.'' If all the 
information has been entered correctly, you will receive a notice of 
Registration Success.
    b. Obtaining Credentials through Grants.gov. In January, 2009, 
Grants.gov will be teminating service with the current Grants.gov 
credential provider, Operational Research Consultants (ORC). As a 
result of this change, Grants.gov will be providing credentials 
(username and password) to Grants.gov registrants.
    (1) New Grants.gov Registrants. After January 2009, or when 
Grants.gov begins providing credential services, when clicking on the 
``For Applicants'' link, new Grants.gov registrants will get a pop-up 
screen asking them to update their user profile. The information 
requested is similar to the information that was previously provided to 
ORC or one of the other credential providers. In addition to updating 
their user profile, registrants will be asked to enter a Secret 
Question and Secret Answer. The Secret Question and Secret Answer 
portion of the information provides for increased security for future 
inquiries about the registrants account and allows registrants to reset 
their own password. Once created users will be able to reset their 
password on their own. Previously users needed to call the Grants.gov 
Help desk to get a password or username reset or go back to the 
credential provider to get a password they forgot.
    (2) Existing/Legacy Registrants. Grants.gov will retain the 
username and password for existing/legacy registrants. However, 
existing/legacy registrants will have to update their profile by 
clicking on the ``For Applicants'' link, update their profile, and 
establish a Secret Question and Answer. If a registered user wants to 
be able to use the automated change password feature, they must update 
their profile and establish the Secret Question and Answer. The 
automated username and password feature will not work if the registrant 
has not updated their profile and created the Secret Question and 
Answer.
    (3) Forgot My Username and Forgot My Password Links. New and legacy 
applicants that updated their profile and created a Secret Question and 
Answer will be able to use the Forgot My Username and Forgot My 
Password links on the Applicant Login Screen to have their username and 
password sent to them via e-mail. To do so, they will have to know the 
DUNS number and e-mail address to retrieve and reset their username and 
password.

    Note: Your registration to use Grants.gov to submit a funding 
application on behalf of an organization is not complete until Steps 
Four and five below are completed.

    c. Steps for Checking your Credentials.
    (1) Prior to January 11, 2009, or when Grants.gov begins to offer 
credential provider services, if you want to check your credentials 
prior to submitting an application, you may go to https://e-
auth.orc.com/. Once you are on the E-Authentication site, scroll down 
the page and click on the link ``Check your Credentials''. Enter your 
Username and Password. If you enter the correct information you will 
receive a message that states, ``You have successfully verified your 
registration''. If you have forgotten your password, click on the link 
``User Administration'' and select ``forgotten password'' located in 
the left margin. On the next screen enter your Username and click, 
submit. The next screen displays your secret question, follow 
instructions on this site and click submit. Your password has been 
reset.
    (2) After January 11, 2009, or when Grants.gov offers credential 
provider services, AORs who have updated their profile and created the 
Secret Question and Answer as a Grants.gov registrant, can log into 
Grants.gov and obtain or reset their registered username and password 
or reset their username and password through the Grants.gov automated 
service. If an applicant organization has multiple users, each 
registered Grants.gov user will have to update their Grants.gov user 
profile and create a Secret Question and Answer. Questions about 
changes to the Grants.gov registration process, provision of 
credentials by Grants.gov, and use of the automated service should be 
directed to the Grants.gov Help Desk at 800-518-GRANTS.
    4. Step Four: Register with Grants.gov
    a. Prior to January 11, 2009 or prior to when Grants.gov offers 
credential provider services, after completing Step 3, creating a User 
Name and Password with the credential provider, the person(s) named by 
the applicant organization to submit an application for funding on 
behalf of the organization and registered with a Credential Provider, 
application must open an account with Grants.gov. Opening the account 
with Grants.gov identifies the person as an AOR for the organization 
seeking funding who is requesting permission to submit the application. 
The final step in the registration process is when the E-Biz POC for 
the applicant organization identified in Box 8a of the SF-424 
Application for Federal Assistance, actually grants authorization to 
the person identified as an AOR. (See Step Five below). To register 
with Grants.gov go to https://apply07.grants.gov/apply/
GrantsgovRegister. After the proposed AOR registers their registering 
your Username and Password with Grants.gov, the organization's E-Biz 
POC will be sent an e-mail indicating that someone has requested 
authority to submit an application for the organization and has 
registered as an AOR.
    b. After January 11, 2009, or when Grants.gov offers credential 
provider services, the person(s) named by the applicant organization to 
submit an application for funding on behalf of the organization, must 
open an account with Grants.gov, or update their existing account. 
Opening the account with Grants.gov identifies the person as a proposed 
AOR seeking funding for the organization named in box 8a of the SF-424, 
Application for Federal Financial Assistance, and who is requesting 
permission to submit the application. To open an account, the proposed 
AOR

[[Page 74184]]

must complete the profile information and create a Secret Question and 
Answer at Grants.gov. An existing or legacy AOR can log into Grants.gov 
using their username and password, update their profile, and create a 
Secret Question and Answer.
    To register with Grants.gov go to https://apply07.grants.gov/apply/
GrantsgovRegister. After the proposed AOR registers their Username and 
Password with Grants.gov, the organization's E-Biz POC will be sent an 
e-mail indicating that someone has requested authority to submit an 
application for the organization and has registered as an AOR.
    The final step in the registration process is when the E-Biz POC 
for the applicant organization identified in Box 8a of the SF-424 
Application for Federal Assistance, actually grants authorization to 
the person identified as an AOR. (See Step Five below).
    5. Step Five: Granting Approval of an AOR to Submit an Application 
on Behalf of the Organization. The E-Biz POC must log into the 
Grants.gov Web site and give the registered AOR approval to submit an 
application to Grants.gov. By authorizing the AOR to submit on behalf 
of the applicant organization, the E-Biz POC is stating that the person 
has the legal authority to submit the electronic application on behalf 
of the applicant organization and can make a legally binding commitment 
for the applicant organization.
    a. The E-Biz POC must approve the designated AOR(s). If the E-Biz 
POC does not grant authorization, Grants.gov will not accept the 
application. The E-Biz POC can designate the AOR to submit applications 
on behalf of the organization at https://apply07.grants.gov/apply/
AorMgrGetID. The registration is complete when an AOR has been approved 
to submit an application on behalf of the applicant organization by the 
E-Biz POC.
    HUD urges applicants to check with their E-Biz POC to make sure 
that they have been authorized to make a legally binding commitment for 
the applicant organization when submitting the application to 
Grants.gov. This is particularly important if during the CCR 
registration renewal process the E-Biz POC for the applicant 
organization has been changed. The new E-Biz POC will have to grant 
authorization to all AORs. You can search the CCR registration for the 
E-Biz POC by going to https://www.bpn.gov/CCRSearch/Search.aspx.
    b. AORs can track their AOR status at any time on Grants.gov by 
going to the Applicant home page at Grants.gov. In ``Quick Links'' log 
in as an applicant and enter your Username and Password. If you have 
not been granted AOR status by the E-Biz POC, you should contact the E-
Biz POC directly.

III. Instructions on How to Download an Application Package and 
Application Instructions at Grants.gov

    This Section provides information regarding how to download the 
application package and the application instructions package from 
Grants.gov. Applicants do not need to be registered with Grants.gov to 
download an application or the instructions, but all the steps in the 
registration process must be complete to successfully submit an 
application for funding consideration through Grants.gov. Applicants 
should carefully read the instructions before completing the 
application. The instructions download will contain the General Section 
and the Program Section. Together, these documents provide details of 
what will be required in your application submission as well at what 
rules and requirements you will be expected to comply with if you get 
awarded funds. The General Section explains that HUD is using Adobe 
forms, what version of Adobe Reader to download from the Grants.gov 
site, and how to set Adobe Reader default settings on your computer. 
The instructions download will also contain any additional forms that 
are not part of the application package but are required to have a 
complete application.
    Grants.gov now offers RSS Feed services. Applicants are advised to 
sign up for one of the RSS feed services which will allow an applicant 
to be notified of new funding opportunities or modifications to an 
existing funding opportunity. Information on RSS Feed options can be 
found at https://www07.grants.gov/help/rss.jsp. Applicants familiar with 
this technology may select any feed service listed on the Grants.gov 
site. However, to assist applicants with making a selection, HUD is 
offering these suggestions for the most popular services:
     e-mail with Microsoft Outlook Directions:

--Open your web browser and go to https://www.Grants.gov.
--In the upper right corner of the screen, select RSS.
--In the middle of the page, click on the hyperlink in (Get an RSS 
Reader).
--From the list of categories, select Windows.
--Select blogbot for Outlook.
--Select Download. (A File Download dialog box will appear).
--Select Run. (If you see a Security Warning dialog box, select Run.)
--Run Setup Wizard accepting the default settings.
--When the Setup Wizard is finished, open Outlook.
--Look to see if a blogbot icon is visible in the tool bar area of 
Outlook. If not,
--Select View in the menu. Select Toolbars. Click on blogbot.
--The blogbot icon should now be visible in your toolbars.
--To subscribe to Grants.gov direct your browser back to the Grants.gov 
RSS page.
--Right click on the orange icon next to New/Modified Opportunities by 
Agency or New/Modified Opportunities by Category.
--Select Add to blogbot for Outlook. For each subscription blogbot adds 
a subfolder in Inbox blogbot.
--If the add blogbot for Outlook option does not appear, Select the 
feed you to which you want to subscribe and copy the URL from the 
address box.
--From the blogbot toolbar icon, select Subscriptions.
--Paste the URL from Grants.gov into the RSS/Atom URL textbox.

--Create a name in the Name textbox.
     Windows Environment Directions:
--Direct your web browser to https://www.jetbrains.com.
--Select Downloads at the top of the page.
--Select Omea Reader.
--A File Download dialog box will appear.
--Select Run. (If you see a Security Warning dialog box, select Run.)
--Accept the default settings in the Setup Wizard. Note, Omea 
installation may ask to reboot your computer. Accept the choice.
--When the reboot is complete Omea Startup Wizard should open. (If the 
Startup Wizard does not start automatically, double-click on the Omea 
icon on your desktop to start it).
--Accept all defaults in the Wizard.
--When the wizard is finished, OMEA Reader will start.
--To view messages in groups, from the View menu, select Show Items in 
Groups.
--After you have turned this option on, all items in the Items List 
will be displayed in groups and sorted according to which resource 
column is selected.
--You can group your items by any column of the Items List.

     MAC Users Directions:

--Direct Safari to www.Grants.gov.
--In the upper right corner of the screen, select RSS.
--To view announcements in Safari, simply select one of the feed 
options, e.g., New/Modified Opportunities by Agency or New/Modified 
Opportunities by Category. (The list of opportunities appears in 
Safari).

[[Page 74185]]

--In the column on the right side of the page, select Subscribe in 
Mail.
--Open Mail.
--You should now have a folder under RSS named, ``Grants Modified 
Opportunities List''.
--Filter the list by typing the Agency acronym or other term into the 
search box in the upper right corner.

    Applicants should sign up for the RSS Feed to be notified when HUD 
places a funding opportunity on Grants.gov or does a technical 
correction or an amendment to an opportunity on Grants.gov.
    Applicants that have not signed up for the RSS Feed notification 
service can search for a funding opportunity on Grants.gov by going to 
https://www.grants.gov/applicants/find_grant_opportunities.jsp. On 
this page you can do a basic search, browse by category, or browse by 
agency. If you are interested in HUD Grants, click on browse by agency 
and then scroll down the page until you see U.S. Department of Housing 
and Urban Development on the right column. When you click on the HUD 
agency name, you will come to a page with all the funding opportunities 
that are posted by HUD at that point in time. When you click on an 
opportunity, you will come to a page that provides a synopsis of the 
opportunity and which also identifies the Catalog of Federal Domestic 
Assistance (CFDA) Number for the Program, the Funding Opportunity 
Number and further down the page, a link to the full announcement. To 
download the application and instructions, follow the directions below, 
but first you must be sure you have the compatible Adobe Reader 
installed. HUD's FY2009 applications use Adobe Reader. HUD uses the 
Adobe forms application packages because they are compatible with the 
broadest array of computer hardware and software technology currently 
in use by HUD's applicant/grantee community. To open and complete the 
application package you must have installed Adobe Reader 8.1.3. Adobe 
Reader 8.1.3 is available free and can be found on the Grants.gov Web 
site at https://www.grants.gov/help/download_software.jsp. Adobe Reader 
8.1.3 was designed by Adobe to address the Broken Pipe error messages 
that occurred during FY2008 submissions. Please make anyone that will 
be working on the Adobe forms portion of the application aware that 
they must download the new 8.1.3 Adobe Reader. This does not impact 
forms that you may save as PDF forms to your application as 
attachments. Adobe Reader 8.1.3 is compatible with Adobe Professional 
versions 6.0 and higher. However, for the newest Adobe Reader to work, 
you must be sure that your Adobe default setting for the Reader is set 
to the Adobe 8.1.3 version. Grants.gov has posted instructions 
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) at https://grants.gov/applicants/
applicant_faqs.jsp. Applicants should review these FAQs as it will 
assist them in making sure that they are properly set up to 
successfully submit an application. Applicants need to make sure that 
the default setting on their Adobe Reader is set to the new 8.1.3 
version of Adobe Reader software downloaded from Grants.gov. Adobe 
Reader 8.1.3 is compatible with Adobe Professional 6.0 or higher. 
Applicants that need assistance can contact the Grants.gov Contact 
Center by phone at 800-518-GRANTS or via e-mail at Support@Grants.gov.
    Critical Notice: Applicants must be aware that all persons working 
on the Adobe forms in the application package must work using the same 
Adobe Reader version available from Grants.gov. Please alert your staff 
and those working on your application that failure to download and use 
the correct Adobe Reader 8.1.3 or to update the Reader on Adobe 
Professional to 8.1.3 and meet the Grants.gov compatibility 
requirements contained in this General Section, will result in your not 
being able to create or submit the application package to Grants.gov or 
in your application being rejected by Grants.gov. Using incompatible 
versions of Adobe Reader will result in files being corrupted.
    Applicants are urged to review the Adobe Reader 8.1.3 information 
and get the new reader installed on their computer when this Notice is 
published so that they are prepared for the FY2009 NOFAs when they are 
published.
    A. Application Package and Application Instructions Download. Once 
you have installed Adobe Reader 8.1.3 you can download the Application 
Package and instructions. To download the application and instructions 
go to https://apply07.grants.gov/apply/forms_apps_idx.html and enter 
the CFDA Number, Funding Opportunity Number, or Funding Competition ID 
for the opportunity you are interested in do not enter more than one 
criterion. If you enter more than one criterion, you will get a message 
that states the opportunity cannot be found. Only enter one of the 
above numbers.
    On the next page ``Selected Grant Applications for Download,'' you 
will find the funding opportunity link to Download Instructions and 
Application. Additional resource information is also on this page, 
including a reminder to sign up for e-mail notification for changes to 
the funding opportunity, a download link to the Adobe Reader, as well 
as a Help link.
    Click on the Download link to get to the Download page. Then 
proceed to download the instructions and the application. If you get an 
error message in opening the downloaded application, you have not 
properly installed the Adobe Reader 8.1.3. Contact your IT help desk or 
the Grants.gov support desk at Support@Grants.gov by e-mail or by 
calling 800-518-GRANTS.
    B. Download Instructions Link. The instructions download is a 
compressed file (ZIP) containing the General Section and Program 
Sections for the funding opportunity. It also contains forms and copies 
of the General Section and Program Section of HUD's NOFAs, information 
that you will need to submit a complete application to Grants.gov for 
HUD funding consideration. Each program NOFA provides a checklist which 
you can use to ensure that you have completed all elements of your 
application. HUD's General Section provides helpful information and 
tips to ensure that you complete your application correctly and what to 
do to ensure that all your information is attached to the application. 
When attaching files to your application, HUD suggests that you open 
each attachment file and scroll down to make sure it is the complete 
file that you want to submit.
    Questions regarding the Grants.gov Registration process or the 
installation of Adobe Reader 8.1.3 should be directed to the Grants.gov 
help desk during operating hours Monday-Friday (except Federal 
holidays) from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. eastern time at 800-518-GRANTS.

    Dated: December 1, 2008.
Keith A. Nelson,
Assistant Secretary for Administration.
[FR Doc. E8-28868 Filed 12-4-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210-67-P