The Public Lands Highway Discretionary Grant Program

How to prepare for the FY 2012 Grant Solicitation

Welcome to the Grant Review Training Webinar

We will be starting in a few minutes

There are downloadable handouts as part of this presentation today. You may want to print out the following and have a hard copy during the discussion. We will be referring to these documents during the presentation.

•Registration announcement with web link and call in phone numbers

(in case you get disconnected)

•Grant Writer’s checklist

•Tips on how to write a project abstract

•Grant process flowchart

Presented by the

The Office of Federal Lands Highway

Cindi Ptak, Public Lands Highway Coordinator

1.PLHD statutory and project selection criteria for FY 2012

2.Difference between an “eligible” and “competitive” application

3.Submission requirements

4.Steps in the grant process

Learning Objectives

Part 1: PLHD Statutory and Project

Selection Criteria

Statutory Criteria

Public Lands Highway Discretionary (PLHD) funds may be used for eligible transportation projects that are within, adjacent to, or provide access to Indian reservations and Federal public lands

• Transportation planning

• Research

• Engineering and construction of highways, roads, parkways, and transit facilities

Statutory Criteria

Preference is given to projects in states that have at least 3 percent of the total public land in the United States:

• Alaska • Arizona • California • Colorado • Idaho • Montana

• Nevada• New

Mexico• Oregon• Utah• Wyoming

Statutory Criteria

More information on the PLHD Program may be found here: http://flh.fhwa.dot.gov/programs/plh/discretionary/

•In FY 2011, 51% of PLHD funds went to the eleven preference States

•68 projects were funded in 38 States for approximately $90M

•16 projects were awarded to Tribes for approximately $20M (23%)

Project Selection Criteria

1. Indian Tribe Priorities: A letter or e-mail communication from the Tribal government should be included as a confirmation of support

FY 2012 Administrative Criteria

2. Federal Land Management Agency Priorities: A letter or e-mail communication from the FLMA should be included as confirmation of support

3. Leveraging of private or other public funding, including PLHD: commitment of other funding sources to complement the PLHD funding request will be considered an important factor

4. Expeditious project delivery: Consideration will be given to a project's ability to be expeditiously completed within the limited funding amounts available.

5. Projects addressing safety and “state of good repair”

6. Livability: including, but not limited to: • Increasing transportation choices• Traffic calming• Multi-modal and connectivity

improvements• Development of livability plans• Access to community or natural

resources

7. Projects that restore economic health and create jobs: Applicants are encouraged to explain how their project will contribute to increased employment and enhance economic competitiveness.

8. Equitable and geographic distribution of funds

1. Indian Tribe Priorities2. Federal Land Management Agency Priorities

3. Leveraging of private or other public funding , including PLHD

4. Expeditious project delivery

6. Livability7. Projects that restore economic health and create jobs

Questions?

Part 2: Difference between an “eligible”

and “competitive” application

Eligible vs. Competitive

Safety, State of Good Repair

Leveraging

Funds

Project Ready to Go

Economic Health &

Jobs

FLMA Priorities

Tribal Priority

PLHD

Application

Livability

Is your application well written and

does it include all the required

components?

How well does your application

align with the objectives of the

selection criteria?

PLHD Program Application

1. Standard Form 424: Application for Federal Assistance, and

2. Project Narrative (as an attachment to SF424)i. Identifier

informationii. Geographic

locationiii. Project abstract

Before you begin writing…

Determine Eligibility

Is the project consistent with a specific FLMA and/or Tribal government’s transportation goals or priorities?

Will the FLMA and/or Tribal government provide a letter or email confirming their support? Do you know who will be managing this project if awarded? Are there environmental concerns or conflicts associated with the project? Are there environmental concerns or conflicts associated with the project? Are there Right of Way (ROW) concerns or conflicts associated with the project? Are there other local/ political concerns or conflicts associated with the project? Are there other factors surrounding application request? Is this a resubmission? Has previous FHWA feedback been addressed?

Status: Continue on to fully develop a PLHD application Need to do some additional research before I begin writing Stop (Based on the above considerations, my application request is premature or may not be competitive)

Considerations

Completing the Application - Checklist

Provide Identifier Information and Geographic Location

1. State2. Title3. Congressional Information4. Geographic Location

Keep the title and location in mind as you’re writing for consistency throughout your narrative

Things to look for: • Is the title reflective of the funding request, and specific enough to be understood by reviewers? • Is the Congressional information correct? Are both congresspersons and senators listed? Have you verified

that they are correct?

Status: Continue writing Revise (Need to do some additional research to address specific concerns in this

section) Stop (Based on the above considerations, my application request is premature or may

not be competitive)

Completing the Application - Checklist

Prepare the Project Abstract and Narrative

5. Abstract 6. Narrative

a. Description of Proposed Work b. Amount of PLHD funds requested c. Project Schedule d. Previous Federal Funds e. Commitment of Other Funds f. Federal land management agency or Tribal government support g. Project Administration h. Project ready to advance i. Safety, state of good repair j. Livability Writing the Abstract and Narrative

Does the abstract succinctly state how PLHD funds will be used, as well as the intended outcome of the funding request?

Does the narrative explain how the FLMA and/or Tribal government supports the funding request? Is it clear who is administering this project? Does the project schedule include a completion date? Based on the project schedule, is this project ready to

advance? Is the timeline realistic? Is there a letter of support or email communication to substantiate your assertion of the project’s benefit to

Federal and/or Tribal lands? Can the funds be obligated within one year of the date funds are made available? Are all elements of the funding request eligible for PLHD funding?

Tip: Have someone who is not familiar with your project review your application. If they understand what you are trying to do with your

PLHD funds, we probably will too!

Tips for Writing a Project Abstract

Use well developed sentences

Provide a background

Highlight benefits and address project selection criteria

1 sentence that states purpose of funding request

1-2 sentences that explain how it will be done

1-2 sentences that indicated intended outcome once project is complete

Sentences should be unified, coherent, concise and able to stand alone. Maximum of 5 sentences.

Include a simple opening sentence that places your funding request in proper context.

Provide clear overview of how funds will be used

The conclusion should state the benefits of the project and how it will address project selection criteria, such as livability, safety, etc, and policy considerations such as job creation.

Summarizes what is in application

The abstract should not include any information that doesn’t appear in the application. It simply summarizes what you have provided in the application.

Examples of Project Abstracts

Good example (51 words in 2 sentences): The California Humboldt Road Safety Improvement Project is a $2.4 million dollar safety improvement, designed to eliminate existing routing deficiencies resulting in vehicle collisions and pedestrian safety concerns. PLHD funds will be used to reconstruct the route’s structural pavement, construct a roundabout, sidewalks, paved shoulders, a bicycle/pedestrian trail, street lighting, and add appropriate signage. States purpose of funding request

Explains how it will be done

Example Abstracts

• Sample: The funding will be for preliminary engineering, NEPA and ROW acquisition, and construction of a bridge crossing a major wash on N1234.

• Revised (105 words in 3 sentences): PLHD funds will be used to develop preliminary engineering, NEPA, ROW acquisition and construction of a bridge crossing a major wash on N1234 in a well known State. The bridge will improve safety and provide all-weather access along this 20 mile road. This route is critical to providing access to school students, daily commuters, and tribal community members including senior citizens, law enforcement officials and health care providers to schools, necessary services and employment centers. This project is part of the well known Tribe’s Long Range Transportation Plan and will be managed by the well known Tribe’s Division of Transportation and the BIA Regional office.

States purpose of the funding request

Indicates intended outcomeStates benefits to the Tribal Government

Writing a Project Narrative – Things to Check For

• DO NOT include a description of ineligible activities

• BE SURE the narrative describes what the intended outcome of the project is; or how it supports the transportation needs, strategic goals or priorities of a FLMA and/or Tribal government.

• BE SURE the narrative provides detail regarding project goals and expected results in context of the eligibility categories identified.

• INCLUDE a project schedule that include a project timeline from “cradle to grave.”

• INCLUDE a line item (scalable) budget that associates each line item with a completed task or deliverable that contributes to the completed funding request.

• DISCUSS leveraged funding, both public and private, or any other PLHD or other Federal funding being used for this project.

• DISCUSS coordination with State DOT and MPO as well as the ability to act on behalf of the applicant jurisdiction, and ability to meet Federal funding requirements.

Completing the Application - Checklist

Other Considerations

8. Compare Narrative to Budget/Project Schedule9. Assess Reasonableness of cost10. Are PLHD fund the best source of funding for this

project request?

Review Narrative against Project Timeline and Budget Does the funding request include all project elements from inception to completion? Is the budget and project timeline consistent with what is stated in the narrative and vice versa? Does it have reasonable costs and time estimates necessary to complete identified deliverables? Does it have a clear beginning or phase associated with the project? Does it have an end date to complete the project? Am I willing to accept partial funding; if so, have I said so? If so, can a component of the funding request be

completed with the amount identified, and does my cost estimate clearly identify those components? Given the limited amount of PLHD funding available, is the amount of my request reasonable? Is PLHD the

best source of funding for this project?

Review Leveraged Funding Has prior investment identified in the application contributed to completion of prior stages of this project? Are the leveraged funds from a viable source and reasonable?

Reasonableness of Costs Is the cost of each project element (deliverable) sufficient or excessive? Has the applicant provided cost

estimates to substantiate identified costs? Are there elements of this project that are of benefit beyond Federal or Tribal lands? If so, are funds

requested proportionate to all activities/services directly involving Federal or Tribal lands? Example: a Visitor Center proposed for a shared use space should request less than the 100% of the total project cost from PLHD funds.

Completing the Application - Checklist

If attachments are included, are they related to the specific project request, such as cost estimates, site plans, contextual maps, support letters, visualization of completed project?

Do attachments support or conflict with information provided in the application?

Things to look for: • Do the attachments add value and substantiate my funding

request, or does my application rely too heavily on the information in the attachments to make my argument? (Application should not depend on attachments to tell your story, but substantiate your request).

• Information unrelated to project request or general information on the project that does not support the funding

Including Attachments

Questions?

Part 3: Submission Requirements

Submission Requirements

• Applications must be submitted to the State DOT electronically in MS Word or compatible word processor format (no PDF's).

• The State DOT must then submit applications to the appropriate FHWA division office

List of State DOT and FHWA contacts available at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/discretionary/2012plhdstatecontacts.pdf

Application deadline: January 6, 2012

PLHD Grant Process

Continued…

PLHD Grant Process continued….

**Continued…

Questions?

Who to Contact

For more information:

Cindi Ptak PLHD Coordinator FHWA, Washington, DCcindi.ptak@dot.gov