3135-0112 Partnership Agreements National Services Application For

Partnership Agreements: National Services
FY24 Application Instructions

Table of Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 2
Step 1: Fill out the Application for Federal Domestic Assistance (SF-424 Mandatory).............. 3
Step 2: Fill out the Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (SF-LLL) ................................................... 6
Step 3: Complete and Attach Required Items to the Attachments Form.................................. 7
The Attachments...................................................................................................................... 8
Attachment Button 1: Staffing List ..................................................................................... 8
Attachment Button 2: Board Membership List .................................................................. 8
Attachment Button 3: Revenue Sources Information Form ............................................... 9
Attachment Button 4: Application Narrative (ON-YEAR: up to 10 pages).......................... 9
Attachment Button 4: Application Narrative (OFF YEAR: Up to one page) ...................... 13
Attachment Button 5: Strategic Plan ................................................................................ 13
Step 4: Submit items electronically through Grants.gov......................................................... 14
Additional Help ......................................................................................................................... 15

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Partnership Agreements: National Services
FY24 Application Instructions

Introduction
We use a staggered, multi-year review for Partnership Agreements. For FY 2024, the National
Assembly of State Arts Agencies will complete an on-year application.

REQUIRED FORMS, all applicants
Application for Federal Domestic Assistance (SF-424)
Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (SF-LLL)
ATTACHMENTS FORM, based on status
1. Staffing List
2. Board Membership List
3. Revenue Sources Information Form
4. Application Narrative*
5. Strategic Plan *

ON-YEAR
APPLICANTS

OFF-YEAR
APPLICANTS

Y
Y

Y
Y

Y
Y
Y
Up to 10 pgs
Y

Y
Y
Y
Up to 1 pg
N

Items with an asterisk will be reviewed by Partnership Agreements reviewers. Other submitted
items are for administrative use only. Application narratives should not refer reviewers to any
other application materials that you submit.

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Partnership Agreements: National Services
FY24 Application Instructions
Completing Grants.gov forms
All asterisked (*) items and yellow fields on the Grants.gov forms are required and must be
completed before you will be able to submit. Do not type in all capital letters when completing
the forms. Enter information directly into the forms. Do not copy from an old application
package or another document and paste into the forms.

Step 1: Fill out the Application for Federal Domestic Assistance (SF-424
Mandatory)
1. Items 1a-d default to certain selections; do not change them.
2. Date Received: This will be filled automatically with the date that you submit your
application; leave blank.
3. Applicant Identifier: This is for your own use or you can leave blank.
4., 5., and 6.: Leave blank.
7. Applicant Information:
a. Legal Name: The name provided here must be the applicant's legal name as it appears in
the current IRS 501(c)(3) status letter or in the official document that identifies the
organization as a unit of state or local government. (Do not use your organization's popular
name, if different.)
b. Employer/Taxpayer Identification Number (EIN/TIN): Enter the 9-digit number that was
assigned by the Internal Revenue Service; do not use a Social Security Number.
c. Organizational Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): All organizational applicants for federal
funds must have a UEI. Enter your organization’s UEI here. You can find your UEI in your
System for Award Management (SAM) record. If you cannot locate your UEI, contact SAM
for assistance. NOTE: Do not enter a DUNS number here. The UEI you enter here must
match the UEI associated with your organization’s SAM (System for Award Management)
record that was used as part of your Grants.gov registration. Otherwise, your application
will not be validated by Grants.gov and will be rejected.
d. Address: Use Street 1 for your organization’s physical street address. This address must
be identical to the physical address that you used with the SAM (System for Award
Management). Only use Street 2 for your organization’s mailing address if it differs from the
physical street address.
In the Zip/Postal Code box, organizations in the United States should enter the full 9-digit
zip code that was assigned by the U.S. Postal Service. If you do not know your full zip code,
you may look it up at https://tools.usps.com/zip-code-lookup.htm.
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Partnership Agreements: National Services
FY24 Application Instructions
e. Organizational Unit: Leave blank.
f. Name and contact information of person to be contacted on matters involving this
application: Provide the requested information for the individual who should be contacted
on all matters involving this application and the administration of any grant that may be
awarded. Due to restrictions from the Department of Homeland Security we are not able to
send emails to alias addresses that forward to another email account. Do not enter this type
of email address.
8a. Type of Applicant: Select the item that best characterizes your organization from the menu
in the first drop down box. An additional description is optional.
9. Name of Federal Agency: This has been pre-populated.
10. Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: This has been pre-populated.
11. Descriptive Title of Applicant’s Project: Enter “Partnership Agreement”.
12. Areas Affected by Funding: Leave blank.
13. Congressional District Information:
a. Applicant: Enter the number of the Congressional District where the applicant
organization is physically located. Use the following format: 2 character State Abbreviation3 character District Number. For example, if your organization is located in the 5th
Congressional District of California, enter "CA-005." If your state has a single At-Large
Representative or your jurisdiction has a single Delegate, enter your 2-character
state/territory abbreviation and "-000." If you need help determining your district, visit the
House of Representatives website at www.house.gov and use the "Find Your
Representative" tool.
b. Project: Leave blank.
14. Funding Period: Enter the beginning and ending dates for your requested period of
performance, i.e., the span of time necessary to plan, execute, and close out your Partnership
Agreement. The start date should be the first day of the month, and the end date should be the
last day of the month. The period of performance may start on or after July 1, 2024. Generally,
a period of performance of up to two years is allowed.
15. Estimated Funding:
a. Federal: Enter "0."
b. Match: Leave blank.

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Partnership Agreements: National Services
FY24 Application Instructions
16. State Executive Order 12372 Process: Applicants should check box c: "Program is not
covered by E.O. 12372.")
17. Is the Applicant Delinquent on Any Federal Debt?: Examples of relevant debt include
delinquent payroll or other taxes, audit disallowances, and benefit overpayments. If your
response is "yes," click on the "Yes" box and include an explanation with your application.
18. Authorized Representative: Enter the requested information for the AOR (Authorized
Organization Representative) who will be submitting this application to Grants.gov. The AOR
must have the legal authority to obligate your organization. Due to restrictions from the
Department of Homeland Security we are not able to send emails to alias addresses that
forward to another email account. Do not enter this type of email address. By clicking the "I
Agree" box in Item 18, this individual will be certifying compliance with relevant federal
requirements on your organization's behalf. (These requirements can be found in the Assurance
of Compliance section of these guidelines.) The "Signature of Authorized Representative" and
"Date Signed" boxes will be populated by Grants.gov upon submission of the application.
Stop after item 18. Do not add attachments to this form.

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Partnership Agreements: National Services
FY24 Application Instructions

Step 2: Fill out the Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (SF-LLL)
Items 1.-3. default to certain selections; do not change them.
4. Name and Address of Reporting Entity: Provide the requested information for the reporting
entity. Include Congressional District, if known.
5. If Reporting Entity in No. 4 is Subawardee: Leave blank.
6. Federal Department/Agency: Enter "National Endowment for the Arts."
7. Federal Program: This has been pre-populated.
8. Federal Action Number, if known: Leave blank.
9. Award Amount, if known: Leave blank.
10. a. Name and Address of Lobbying Registrant: Provide the requested information for the
registrant under the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 engaged by the reporting entity
identified in item 4 to influence the covered federal action. If not applicable, enter "N/A" in
the fields for First Name, Last Name, Address 1, and City.
b. Individual Performing Services: Enter the name of the individual performing services, and
include an address if different from 10 (a). If not applicable, enter "N/A" in the fields for
First Name, Last Name, Address 1, and City.
11. Authorized Representative: Provide the requested information for the AOR (Authorized
Organization Representative) who will be submitting the Partnership Agreements application to
Grants.gov. This should be the same person listed as the AOR on the Application for Federal
Domestic Assistance (SF-424 Mandatory). The "Signature" and "Date" boxes will be populated
by Grants.gov upon submission of the application.

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Partnership Agreements: National Services
FY24 Application Instructions

Step 3: Complete and Attach Required Items to the Attachments Form
The "Attachments Form" is not a form in the conventional sense. Rather, it is a place to attach
documents that you have completed and saved elsewhere on your computer.
•

All attachments are documents (e.g., narratives, lists) that you will develop in
accordance with the instructions provided. These items must be submitted as PDF files.
o Do not create PDFs of your electronic documents by scanning. Do not embed
non-printable media files (video and/or sound) in your PDF documents. Static
images (e.g., pictures) are acceptable. Do not enable any document security
settings or password-protect any PDF file you submit to us.
o No attachment should be more than 2 MB.

•

For non-form documents, label pages clearly with the name of the item (e.g., Staffing
List) and your organization's legal name. Leave a margin of at least one inch at the top,
bottom, and sides of all pages. Do not reduce type below 12-point font size. Do not
type in all capital letters. Number pages sequentially; place numbers on the bottom
right hand corner of each page. Excess pages will be removed and will not be reviewed.

•

Name your files as indicated below and attach them in the proper order. Limit file
names to 50 characters and use only the following characters when naming your
attachments: A-Z, a-z, 0-9, underscore (_), hyphen (-), space, and period. You cannot
change the name of a file on the Attachments Form. Therefore, please make certain that
each file is named correctly before you attach it. Your organization name (or acronym)
must be included in each file name (e.g. "ABCArtsCouncilStaff").

When you open the Grants.gov Attachments Form, you will find 15 attachment buttons. By
clicking on a button, you will be able to choose the PDF file from your computer that you wish
to attach. Attach the proper file to the proper button as listed below.
The required documents in Step 3 differ for ON-YEAR and OFF-YEAR applicants. Please refer
to the chart at the beginning of these instructions, and/or follow the prompts below related
to each document.

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Partnership Agreements: National Services
FY24 Application Instructions

The Attachments
Attachment Button 1: Staffing List
ALL APPLICANTS: Required
To this button, attach a one-page Staffing List. The file name should include the name of your
organization or a recognizable acronym followed by "Staff" (e.g., "ABCArtsCouncilStaff").
Label the page clearly with your organization's legal name and "Staffing List." Set your page up
with two columns with these headings: 1) Name, and 2) Position Title/Area of Responsibility.
Provide the requested information on all professional staff. Include both salaried and
contractual personnel (including Arts Education and Folk & Traditional Arts staff), with the
exception of artists who spend more than 50% of their working time away from your offices.
•

Place "(504)" in parentheses by the name of the staff member who serves as your
organization's 504 coordinator.

•

OPTIONAL (For research purposes only): Indicate by asterisk (*) personnel who are one
or more of the following: American Indian or Alaska Native; Asian; Native Hawaiian or
Other Pacific Islander; Black or African American; or Hispanic or Latina/o.

Example:
Name
Jane Doe *
John Smith (504)

Position Title/Area of Responsibility
Executive Director
Director for Education

Attachment Button 2: Board Membership List
ALL APPLICANTS: Required
To this button, attach a one-page Board Membership List. The file name should indicate the
name of your organization or a recognizable acronym followed by "Board."
Label the page clearly with your organization's legal name and "Board Membership List." Set
your page up with four columns with these headings: 1) Name, 2) Occupation, 3) City, and 4)
Arts Interest/Affiliation.
Provide the requested information on all board members.
•

OPTIONAL (For research purposes only): Indicate by asterisk (*) members who are one
or more of the following: American Indian or Alaska Native; Asian; Native Hawaiian or
Other Pacific Islander; Black or African American; or Hispanic or Latina/o.

•

Indicate by a cross (+) members who also are office holders.
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Partnership Agreements: National Services
FY24 Application Instructions
Example:
Name

Occupation

City

Mary Smith +

Lawyer

Springfield

Bill Doe *

Business Owner

Sunnyvale

Arts Interest/
Affiliation
Board, ABC Dance
Company
Visual Arts Patron

Attachment Button 3: Revenue Sources Information Form
ALL APPLICANTS: Required
DOWNLOAD FORM
To this button, attach the Revenue Sources Information form. The file should indicate the name
of your organization or a recognizable acronym followed by “Revenue.” When completing this
form, include entire organizational budget figures, not just NEA dollars.

Attachment Button 4: Application Narrative (ON-YEAR: up to 10 pages)
ON-YEAR APPLICANTS: Required (up to 10 pages)
OFF-YEAR APPLICANTS: Please see instructions on page 13
To this button, attach an Application Narrative, not to exceed 10 number pages in length
including the budget chart. The file name should include the name of your organization or a
recognizable acronym followed by "Narrative." Label each page clearly with your organization's
legal name and "Application Narrative."
Provide electronic links to support material in your narrative. Be selective so as not to over
burden reviewers.
The Review Criteria for National Services Organizations will be used in the review of your
application.
Overview: Describe major developments or conditions – e.g., economic, cultural,
demographic, educational, geographical, or other – that have an impact on your organization's
planning and operations
A. Planning Process
Items with an asterisk indicate information required by Section 5(g) of the National Endowment
for the Arts’ legislation.
1. Describe your organization’s most recent planning process, including:
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Partnership Agreements: National Services
FY24 Application Instructions
•

The design and structure of the process;

•

Efforts undertaken to engage member state arts agencies;

•

Efforts undertaken to include a wide range of constituents in the planning process,
such as but not limited to artists, arts organizations, educators, state agencies,
community groups, disability groups, businesses, municipal and tribal governments;

•

How members/representatives of underserved communities were involved in the
planning process;

•

The efforts your organization made to engage constituents through a variety of
means such as public meetings*, surveys, interviews, virtual engagement, and digital
communications as relevant to various constituent groups*.

Any discussion of reaching and serving underserved communities should identify those
constituencies your organization considers underserved and describe your efforts to
engage those communities. If your organization has determined that there is an
underserved community based upon race or ethnicity, please indicate the research that
supports that determination.
2. Summarize the recommendations* and priorities for your plan that resulted from the
public meetings* and other forums.
3. Describe your organization’s response to these recommendations*, and the way in
which the response was communicated to the public – including but not limited to
references in the plan.
4. Describe how the planning process was informed by metrics or other relevant
information (e.g., program and/or organizational evaluations) used to measure your
organization’s progress in achieving its progress in relation to the plan.
Also, describe how those served, including underserved groups, are included in the
evaluation process, how outside experts are involved in your evaluation activities, and
any changes that your organization plans to make to its programs and services based on
this information.
5. Provide here a link to your Strategic Plan.
If your discussion of accomplishments relates to an earlier plan, provide here a link to
the earlier plan as well.
If you have a work plan or program implementation plan developed to complement
your Strategic Plan, also provide a link here.
If you are providing links to more than one plan, identify which Strategic Plan the
implementation plan complements.
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FY24 Application Instructions
B. Plan Implementation and Accomplishments
1. Without reiterating your plan, which reviewers will see in full, briefly describe your
organization’s priorities for the upcoming three-year period (i.e., until the next time
your organization is designated as on-year and up for full application review), and the
leadership your organization is undertaking to achieve those outcomes.
2. Describe your organization’s most significant programs, activities, and
accomplishments in relation to your current or most recent strategic plan. Organize
your descriptions by the goals and objectives of your strategic plan.
The programmatic themes listed below are prompts for consideration as you describe
your organization’s most significant accomplishment. The list below is not all-inclusive-your narrative might feature content including, but not limited to, any of the following
themes:
• Equity, diversity, and inclusion
• Reaching underserved communities
• Preserving cultures
• Technology
• Military, healthcare, social services, youth, or aging
• Rural, housing, or community development
• Accessibility (including facility and programmatic access as well as engagement
of people with disabilities)
You may also discuss internal organizational work such as the completion of long-term
programming, which may also demonstrate the most significant accomplishments of
your organization.
Additionally:
•

Describe how each program, activity, and special initiative responds to
constituent priorities and/or a changing environment.

•

Describe those programs and special initiatives in which your organization has
exercised exemplary leadership.

•

Describe any public and private partnerships that enable you to deliver these
programs and initiatives and the role played by your organization.

•

Any discussion of reaching and serving underserved communities should identify
those constituencies your organization considers underserved and describe your
organization’s efforts to engage members of underserved communities.

•

Address efforts to provide leadership at the national level including training,
planning, coordination, and information services that increase accountability and
transparency.

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Partnership Agreements: National Services
FY24 Application Instructions
•

Describe efforts to ensure the physical and programmatic accessibility of your inperson and virtual events, publications, website, and offices.

•

Where objectives, goals, or objectives were not met or were only partially met,
explain why.

C. Resource Development and Management
1. Discuss the health of your organization's development efforts (e.g., grants,
contributions, earned income). What strategies are you employing to secure and
enhance future revenues?
2. Describe the steps that your organization is taking to maximize the cost effectiveness of
its operations.
3. Program budget allocations
On the last page of your narrative, provide a one-line description of each of your
organization’s categories, programs, or initiatives for the first fiscal year of the proposed
agreement. Include:
•

Budget $ Allocated: Partnership Agreement ONLY

o These are budget projections for the FY24 Partnership agreement, including
both NEA funding + Required Cost Share dollars.

•

Remainder of Budget $ Allocated

o Projections for costs paid for with funds outside of the NEA funding +

Required Cost Share. These activities will not be part of your Partnership
agreement, and so will not be reported on NEA payment requests or final
reports.

•

Include sub-categories and sub-totals as necessary to demonstrate the connection
between budget allocations and your application narrative.

Use the budget chart format below.
Name / Description of
program/ Initiative

Budget $ Allocated:
Remainder of Budget $ Allocated
Partnership Agreement ONLY

Program name

$XX,XXX

$X,XXX

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Partnership Agreements: National Services
FY24 Application Instructions

Attachment Button 4: Application Narrative (OFF YEAR: Up to one page)
ON-YEAR APPLICANTS: Please see instructions above for Application Narrative (up to 10
pages.)
OFF-YEAR APPLICANTS: Required (up to 1 pages)
To this button, attach an Application Narrative of up to one page in length that describes your
organization’s activities for the last year and outlines any changes your organization, plans, or
process. The file name should indicate the name of your organization or a recognizable
acronym followed by "Narrative." Label the page clearly with your organization's legal name
and "Application Narrative."

Attachment Button 5: Strategic Plan
ON-YEAR APPLICANTS: Required
OFF-YEAR APPLICANTS: Leave this attachment button blank.
To this button, attach a single file that includes the two items below. The file name should
include the name of your organization or a recognizable acronym followed by "Plan." Label
each page clearly with your organization's legal name and "Strategic Plan."
1. The Strategic Plan document. The plan should convey your organization’s mission,
vision, goals, objectives, major strategies, and evaluation plans. If your organization has
just completed a new plan, and your accomplishments relate to an earlier plan, attach
the new plan here. You will have an opportunity to link to the former plan in your
narrative.
2. If you have an organizational work plan or program implementation plan developed to
complement your Strategic Plan, provide a link.
LEAVE ALL FOLLOWING ATTACHMENT BUTTONS BLANK

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Partnership Agreements: National Services
FY24 Application Instructions

Step 4: Submit items electronically through Grants.gov
Be certain that you are satisfied with your application before you click submit. No revisions to
are possible through Grants.gov once submitted. After submission, the only way to update
items in your application is to create a new application. The NEA will only review your most
recently submitted application.
We strongly suggest that you submit your application well before the deadline to provide ample
time to resolve any problems you might encounter.
1. Check the size of your electronic application. The total size should not exceed 10 MB.
2. Navigate to the Forms tab on the Manage Workspace page:
•

Once the forms are filled out and the Form Status column says "Passed," they will be
ready for submission.
o Important note: The status “Forms Passed” does NOT indicate that your
application has been submitted, only that your forms have been filled out. You
still need to click the Sign and Submit button after receiving the “Forms Passed”
status. For more information, review the Forms Tab help article.

•

Click Complete and Notify AOR, which will notify the user(s) with the AOR role that
the workspace is ready to submit.

The AOR must click Sign and Submit to submit the application. Detailed instructions
can be found here.
After the AOR submits the application, they will see a confirmation screen explaining
that the submission is being processed. Take a screenshot and retain the Grants.gov
Tracking Number that you receive in the application submission confirmation screen.

•

3. Verify that the application was validated by the Grants.gov system. Take a screenshot
of the validation confirmation for your records.
You can track the progress of your application submission through Grants.gov in one of
three ways:
• Check the progress bar in Workspace. When your application has been successfully
received, the bar will be green, and a check mark will appear in each bubble.
• When logged in to Grants.gov, click the Check Application Status link under the
Applicants drop-down menu and search for the submitted application.
• When not logged in to Grants.gov, go to Track My Application and enter your
Grants.gov Tracking Number. Then click the Track button to see the status listings of
the valid tracking number entered. This function will only work if you have a tracking
number.
For more information about checking Grants.gov application status and a complete list of
statuses, see here.
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FY24 Application Instructions

Additional Help
For additional help on how to use Grants.gov, see the Grants.gov website at Support. You also
can send email to the Grants.gov Contact Center at [email protected] or call them at 1-800518-4726, 24 hours a day, and 7 days a week.
For specific help on how to complete your application, review the instructions in these
guidelines or contact:
• Lara Holman Garritano at [email protected] or 202-682-5586
REMINDER:
Following the notification of funding offers (anticipated to be April 2024), all applicants must
complete and submit a Partnership Agreement Budget for NEA review. Instructions and
deadlines will be provided with the notification of funding.
OMB No. 3135-0012 Expires TBD

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