The Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund) is tentatively planning to open the fiscal year (FY) 2017 round of the Community Development Financial Institutions Program (CDFI Program) and Native American CDFI Assistance Program (NACA Program) in mid-February, 2017.

There are significant changes to the FY 2017 application from last year. To help potential applicants prepare as much as possible in advance of the publication of the Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) in the Federal Register, the CDFI Fund has posted draft versions of the FY 2017 applications to its website. These versions are similar to the applications released for public comment in 2016. Applicants should note that additional changes may still be made to the applications, and that a final version will be made available when the NOFAs are released. Applicants should not use the draft applications to complete their final application submission. The CDFI Fund will not review any draft application materials that are included in an applicant's final application submission.

Save the Date: Application Workshops

The CDFI Fund will provide FY 2017 CDFI Program and NACA Program Application Workshops at its offices in Washington, DC on February 27, 2017, and March 1, 2017. The schedule for the Washington, DC trainings is below:

• February 27, 2017, 9:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. ET: Financial Assistance Workshop

• February 27, 2017, 9:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. ET: Technical Assistance Workshop

• February 27, 2017, 2:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m. ET: Financial Assistance Workshop

• February 27, 2017, 2:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m. ET: Technical Assistance Workshop

• March 1, 2017, 2:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m. ET: Financial Assistance and Technical Assistance Joint Workshop

*The CDFI Fund may combine the Financial Assistance and Technical Assistance workshops held on February 27, 2017 if attendance does not support separate sessions.

The CDFI Fund may host additional in-person application workshops later in March 2017. More information about all of the workshops, including registration information, will be provided when the NOFA is released.

Reminder: AMIS, Grants.gov, and SAM.gov Accounts

It is recommended that applicants take available time before the application period opens to confirm that their required accounts are all up-to-date.

• AMIS: The CDFI Fund's Awards Management Information System (AMIS) is an enterprise-wide business system developed to replace a number of legacy systems and to serve as a modern platform to eventually support all CDFI Fund programs through each phase of the programs' life cycle.

  All Applicants must use AMIS to create, complete, and submit applications materials for the CDFI Program and NACA Program this year. First-time AMIS users may want to create an AMIS account in preparation for the application release. The AMIS Quick Start Guide provides guidance for first-time users on how to create an AMIS account. Please see the NOFAs when they are released for more information on submitting the CDFI Program and NACA Program applications.

• Grants.gov: In addition to the application materials submitted through AMIS, all Applicants are required to submit a SF-424 electronically through Grants.gov. The SF-424 will be found in Grants.gov under the funding opportunity number for each program when the NOFA is released.

  Applicants that do not submit an SF-424 electronically through Grants.gov by the stated deadline will not be eligible to submit application materials in AMIS.

• SAM.gov: In order to submit the necessary SF-424 form via Grants.gov, Applicants must have an active System for Awards Management (SAM) account. Each Applicant is advised to first make sure its SAM.gov account is active and valid before beginning its preparation of the other Application materials in Grants.gov or AMIS. First time Applicants may need to create SAM.gov or Grant.gov accounts. Applicants with existing SAM.gov accounts should check to make sure their accounts are active and up-to-date as these accounts may expire. Applicants should allow ample time to complete the entire registration and submission process well in advance of the application deadline. The SAM.gov website is www.SAM.gov.  

To learn more about the CDFI Program and NACA Program, visit www.cdfifund.gov/cdfi and www.cdfifund.gov/native. Any questions can be directed to the Help Desk at cdfihelp@cdfi.treas.gov or by calling (202) 653-0421.