Note: Each section on portal Application form will accommodate max of 3000 characters including spaces and special characters. If your narrative exceeds beyond that, please attach the full narrative in supporting documentation. 

The application will include a proposal narrative for Water/Sewer Infrastructure, Broadband Infrastructure, and Negative Economic Impact projects. 

To assist applicants develop proposals, the narrative portion of the application is outlined as follows:

1. Proposal Name

2. Proposal Summary

Approximately 2 paragraphs (no more than 400 words) summarizing the proposed project, including primary activities, products and deliverables, the target area, and who will benefit from the proposed project.

      The Proposal Summary should include:

1. Brief statement of the problem your proposal seeks to address.
2. Location
3. Dollar amount of federal grant funds requested
4. Identification of the target neighborhood/project boundaries, population of the target area, and ZIP code(s)
5. Summary of goals of the project and proposed project activities

3. Description of the Issue

Applicants should define the specific problem they seek to address and how it was impacted by COVID-19. Additionally, describe the process used to assess, analyze, or determine the nature of the problem and explain any gaps in resources or limitations in funding the program without COVID-19 response funding. Please identify the geographic boundaries of the proposed jurisdictions/communities, and the ZIP code(s), as well as the population size and demographic makeup of the population of both the overall jurisdiction and the communities where the project is proposed.

4. Project Design and Implementation: 

Applicants should identify the program objectives and describe the vision for the target population, specifically how this vision will address the problems identified in the Description of the Issue section and the broader impact to communities, jurisdictions, or industries. Ensure each objective is measurable and identify strategies to achieve the objectives. 

Additionally, applicants should include a comprehensive timeline (as an attachment in the supporting documentation section) that identifies milestones, numerically lists deliverables, and indicates who is responsible for each activity.

5. Capabilities and Competencies

Applicants should demonstrate their capabilities to implement the project and the competencies of the staff assigned to the project to include the financial management of funding. The applicant should detail the level of support for the project, as well as the expertise of the individual(s) who will be responsible for managing the project.

Additional capabilities should include how the applicant will:

• Monitor strategy implementation and achievement of objectives
• Manage and monitor any sub-award(s)
• Govern changes or modifications to the strategy
• Ensure project and fiscal accountability
• Collect, collate, and submit timely performance data

6. Plan for Collecting the Data Required

Applicants should describe the process for measuring project performance, identify who will collect the data, who is responsible for performance measurement, and how the information will be used to guide and assess the program. Successful applicants will demonstrate understanding of performance data to be collected and reported.

 For each project goal, applicants should identify the criteria that will determine how and if the objectives have been successfully met and one or more specific measurable outcome(s) and the data sources that will be used to determine whether the outcome was accomplished.

7. Budget

Applicants should submit a budget that is complete, reasonable, cost effective, and is an allowable use of the funding under the chosen category. Applicants must upload a budget narrative that explains the estimated costs by line item or category in the budget. Budget narratives should explain how the costs associated with each line item or category relate to the implementation of the project as outlined in the proposal being submitted. If your proposal contains multiple projects or sub-awards, you can provide a breakdown per project as well in your budget narrative.

8. Match Funds

Applicants plan for leveraging funds, if any, from other sources to maximize impact. Please include details regarding the total project costs if match is a part of the proposal, the amount of match, and how match funds will be used.

9. Supporting Documentation:

Applicants may upload any supporting documentation for your proposal to include maps (broadband), budget narrative, letters of support, excel documents detailing total budget request and sub-award budgets, project or sub-award breakdown, etc. If applicants have any engineering or project plans, they can attach this under the general document tab, which can support multiple documents. 

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