Page 3

1 Important Reminders Please review this publication in its entirety. Failure to modify an application from a prior year’s sub- mission may result in lower technical scores or ineligibility. Following are some important reminders: Application Period – May 1 through May 31. Grants.gov – All applications must be submitted using Grants.gov. Mailed applications will not be accepted. It is imperative that interested applicants ensure their access to Grants.gov is current prior to the application due date. Concurrent Processing – To finalize processing of applications and awards earlier, IRS is performing the technical and Grant Program Office evaluations concurrently. This means that required information not submitted with the application may not be identified prior to the technical evaluation. Items determined to be missing and subsequently provided will not be considered during technical evaluation and could result in lower technical scores. Minimum Federal Returns (MRE) & Return Growth Expected – Minimum Federal Returns (MRE) & Return Growth Expected – Grant recipients are expected to achieve 100% of the Minimum Federal Returns (MRE) specified in their cooperative agreement (Form 9661). Returning applicants and/or multi- year applicants must address prior award cycle results by stating whether the prior-year MRE was met. If the prior-year MRE was not met, the application must explain why and describe corrective actions and/ or program changes planned to achieve the current year goal. Any organizations that received a grant in a prior year should prepare more returns with a similar amount of funding in the current year, reducing the cost of preparing returns and becoming more efficient each year. Active SAM Registration Required – Organizations interested in receiving any federal grant must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) at SAM.gov. and maintain an active SAM registration throughout the entire grant period. SF 424, Application for Federal Assistance The SF 424, Application for Federal Assistance; Type of Application, Block 2 should either be checked New or Continuation. Continuation are ONLY for those grant recipient that have EXISTING Multi-Year Awards and are submitting an abbreviated application during cycle year 2 or 3. Contact Information Required with Application Applicants MUST submit a Form 14335, Contact Information for VITA and TCE Grant Programs, with every application. Make sure this form is completed in its entirety and that the person listed as the tax matters contact is authorized to receive and discuss the return information of the applicant. Funding Contingent on Final Appropriation If the Federal government is operating under a Continuing Resolution (CR), TCE grant funding is not available until IRS receives a final appropriation. An anticipated award amount will be provided to each organization in its acceptance letter. SPEC may reduce the award amount listed in the acceptance letter if the final TCE appropriation is less than anticipated. Review All Award Documents in their Entirety Before Signing Recipients are cautioned to review all documents including the terms and conditions specific to the award agreement (either single year/multi-year award) in their entirety prior to signing. The terms and conditions can be found on the TCE webpage at: https://www.irs.gov/individuals/irs-vita-and-tce-grants. Letters of Support Letters of support from congressional and state representatives are not accepted or considered during the review and evaluation of grant applications. Please do not include as part of your application package.