10/14/10 - On the 2010 Application, it references Urban and NonUrban applicants, what is that?
10/14/10 - May school districts apply for the AFI TAG?
What are the time commitments with respect to the Innovation Forum and surveys?
What are some typical characteristics of an organization that would be awarded the AFI TAG?
What happens at the end of the award contract term?
As long as the grants and projects managed in the system have the license holder as the primary recipient/fiduciary agent for the award, then anyone working on those projects is an appropriate user. A misuse of the licensing would be if one of those collaborators were to create a project and manage a grant award with that same user account that did NOT have the licensee as the recipient of the award or the fiduciary agent.
We do encourage collaboration between organizations and GrantNavigator's functionality was built to simplify the challenges of a decentralized operation. But, in order to keep the licensing affordable (and especially since we have an unlimited package), we must have some reasonable constraints. Otherwise we wouldn't be in business very long! Thanks very much for this question.
Actually you may have access to GrantNavigator PE if you are a member of those partners of AFI. PE is only comprised of the grant search engine, which is integrated into both EX and SE. The TAG will provide access to GrantNavigator Standard Edition (SE), our turn-key grant management system covering the entire grant lifecycle. For a 10 minute streaming video overview of SE, please click here
Yes, certainly.
This is a good one, as its our mistake. That heading is leftover from the 2009 application. We have since uploaded a corrected application, but the original application will still be accepted. All applicants should complete the question regarding collaboration with community organizations.
We recognize that your time is extremely limited and typically over-committed. With that said, it is a core tenet of AFIs that our customers should be integrally involved in the ongoing development of our products, ensuring that GrantNavigator evolves according to the needs of our clients. To that end, occasional surveys will be sent to end-users, allowing for both structured feedback in targeted areas, as well as opportunity for free-form feedback. The focus of the surveys may involve assessment of the current GrantNavigator product as well as feedback regarding planned enhancements. These surveys will be sent no more frequently than quarterly and will be relatively brief, only requiring a few moments to complete.
While there is no single characteristic that guarantees award, as is the case with any grant, be it a Federal, State or Foundation program, it’s always a good idea to ensure that your goals are in alignment with those of the grantor. In the case of the AFI TAG, we want to make sure that organizations receiving the award can fully benefit from the tools made available to them. Being able to demonstrate that you are in fact in a position to partner with AFI in effectively deploying a grant search and grant management system during the contract term, and are equipped and committed to provide meaningful feedback will significantly enhance the likelihood of award. Some of the questions you may want to ask yourself are:
- Do we have a published Administrative Policy Manual outlining our grants management policies?
- Do we include a Grant Coordinator or Grant Committee in an attempt to centralize or coordinate our grant activity?
Recognition of the value of these types of activities indicates an awareness and a commitment to improving the way an organization manages the grant application and management process.
The AFI TAG program assists communities and non-profits in gaining access to technologies they may otherwise be unable to currently afford. The current economic conditions only accentuate the need for this type of program, both in terms of the efficiencies it may provide and the definite cost savings it offers. However, the TAG program only covers a one year term. At the end of that term there are several options the recipient may choose to pursue:
- Successfully apply for another TAG. While this is the second year the TAG program has been offered, we cannot guarantee that the program will be available in future years. If offered, AFI cannot guarantee that an existing grant recipient would in fact win the award in a future cycle.
- Obtain an annual subscription at a discounted rate available to previous TAG recipients. GrantNavigator was designed to be the most affordable solution on the market, and our pricing model supports the use of grant funds to pay for subscription costs (per OMB A-87 and AICPA guidelines). With that said, we encourage you to contact us via phone or email to inquire about the anticipated system costs in future years. We can get you a cost estimate in a matter of minutes and we want to ensure that all stakeholders within your organization go into the TAG program fully aware of any and all future costs.
- Choose to discontinue use of GrantNavigator with no obligation to AFI
As the application deadline approaches, more FAQs and their responses will be posted to this page during each award cycle. Please submit your questions to tag_faq@afisystems.com