How to Apply for RAISE Grants

Prepare to Submit the Application on Grants.gov

Applications must be submitted through Grants.gov. The Grants.gov “Apply” function is now open. Please be aware that you must complete the Grants.gov registration process before submitting the Final Application, and that this process usually takes 2-4 weeks to complete. Applicants are encouraged to start the Grants.gov registration process as soon as possible.

Final Applications must be submitted by 11:59:59 PM E.D.T. on February 28, 2024. Applicants are strongly encouraged to make submissions in advance of the deadline. Late applications will not be accepted.

To register on Grants.gov, applicants must:

1. Obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number;*
2. Register with the System for Award Management (SAM) at www.SAM.gov;
3. Create a Grants.gov username and password; and
4. The E-Business Point of Contact (POC) at your organization must respond to the registration email from Grants.gov and login at Grants.gov to authorize you as an Authorized Organization Representative (AOR). Please note that there can be more than one AOR for an organization.

For information and instructions on each of these processes, please see instructions at https://www.grants.gov/applicants/applicant-faqs.

*Please note, on April 4, 2022 the Federal government stopped using the Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number to uniquely identify entities. Now, entities doing business with the Federal government use a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) created in SAM.gov. 

If applicants experience difficulties at any point during registration or application process, please call the Grants.gov Support at 1-800-518-4726.

Registering with Grants.gov is a one-time process; however, processing delays may occur and it can take up to several weeks for first-time registrants to receive confirmation and a user password. It is highly recommended that applicants start the registration process as early as possible to prevent delays that may preclude submitting an application by the deadlines specified. Applications will not be accepted after the due date of February 28, 2024.

To apply for RAISE discretionary grant funding under this announcement, all applicants are expected to be registered as an organization with Grants.gov. To learn more about registering as an organization with Grants.gov, please see the instructions at https://www.grants.gov/applicants/applicant-registration.

A list of Grants.gov applicant training resources and videos can be found at https://www.grants.gov/applicants/applicant-training.

The following parameters can be used to locate the RAISE 2024 Funding Opportunity on Grants.gov: 

Late Application Policy

Applications that Grants.gov time stamps after 11:59:59 PM E.D.T on February 28, 2024 will not be accepted. Applicants are strongly encouraged to make submissions days, if not weeks, in advance of the deadline, and applicants facing technical issues are advised to contact the Grants.gov helpdesk well in advance of the deadline. 

Application Forms and Instructions

Applicants should thoroughly review the FY 2024 RAISE NOFO which outlines the required and recommended documents to submit under the FY 2024 competition. Application forms and attachments must be submitted through Grants.gov by 11:59:59 PM E.D.T. on February 28, 2024.

Please see the application checklist below to ensure your application package is complete and in the proper format. Most forms are to be drafted by the applicant and do not have templates. Instructions for what should be included in each form are in Section D of the NOFO. The SF-424 is a standard form that must be filled out and completed within the Grants.gov package. The Project Information Form is a required attachment that is provided in the Grants.gov download package and on the RAISE website here.

*Only capital project applications submit Benefit-Cost Analysis narratives and calculations.