Update for FY 2018 Round BEA Program Applicants: Electronic Application Now Available

The electronic application for the fiscal year (FY) 2018 round of the Bank Enterprise Award Program (BEA Program) is now available in the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund's (CDFI Fund's) Awards Management Information System (AMIS).

All applicants must be registered in SAM.gov, Grants.gov, and AMIS to apply for funding. Organizations should confirm that their accounts are up-to-date as soon as possible in order to avoid potential application submission problems. New applicants are encouraged to begin the registration process now. Recent procedural changes to SAM.gov mean that the registration process may take much longer than in previous years for both new applicants and repeat applicants that need to renew their SAM.gov accounts.

Registration guidance for Grants.gov and SAM.gov can be found on the websites for those systems. Guidance on using AMIS (including registration) can be found at https://amis.cdfifund.gov/. The CDFI Fund has also outlined basic steps about the registration process on its website.

The CDFI Fund strongly recommends that instructions and application timelines be reviewed closely by both first-time and repeat applicants. The BEA Program Application Package consists of two parts and is submitted in two separate systems. Applicants should allow adequate time to submit both parts of the BEA Program Application Package in Grants.gov and AMIS. To assist potential applicants with the FY 2018 BEA Program, the CDFI Fund has provided on its website all application-related materials, including the following documents:

• FY 2018 Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA)

• Application Instructions

• Supplemental Guidance and FAQs

These documents can also be found on the BEA Program webpage ( www.cdfifund.gov/bea) under the ÌøHow To Apply' section by clicking on Step 1: Apply.

Reminder about Deadlines

Please reference the FY 2018 NOFA and application instructions for detailed information regarding the following application deadlines:

• Part I of the application must be submitted through Grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on August 23, 2018.

• Part II of the application must be submitted through the CDFI Fund's Award Management Information System, or AMIS, by 5:00 p.m. ET on September 20, 2018.

Webinars

The CDFI Fund has recorded a webinar to demonstrate the electronic application submission process in AMIS and has a comprehensive instruction manual to guide applicants through the technical aspects of using AMIS to complete their electronic applications. Links to the pre-recorded AMIS webinar and the "AMIS Training Manual for FY 2018 BEA Program Applicants" are also available on the BEA Program webpage ( www.cdfifund.gov/bea) under the ÌøHow To Apply' section by clicking on Step 1: Apply.

Questions

For more information on the BEA Program, please visit the BEA webpage of the CDFI Fund's website:  www.cdfifund.gov/bea. For questions regarding the BEA Program, please contact the CDFI Fund Help Desk at (202) 653-0421 or via AMIS Service Request. For the Service Request, select "BEA Application" for the record type. The CDFI Fund will not answer questions about the FY 2018 round after 5:00 p.m. ET on September 18, 2018.