From: Housing.Counseling  
Sent: Wednesday, February 04, 2009 9:21 AM 
To: 'SF-HOUSING-COUNSELING-L@hudlist.hud.gov' 
Subject: HUD FY09 Housing Counseling Grant Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA)

Housing Counseling Agencies:

HUD issued the General Section of the Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) on December 29, 
2008.  The General Section provides policies and requirements for ALL of HUD’s grant 
programs.  A copy of the document can be found on the HUD website at this link:  
http://www.hud.gov/offices/adm/grants/nofa09/gensec.pdf. 
 
It is important to read the General Section NOFA very carefully.  Each year, changes are made to 
reflect other application requirements, in addition to the requirements published in the 
individual program NOFA.

The individual program NOFAs, such as the Housing Counseling Program, will be released as 
they become ready for publication, via Grants.gov.

Applicants will be required to apply for funding at the Grants.gov website.  When submitting 
applications, please keep in mind the following information to ensure that the application is 
submitted correctly:

Complete the Registration Process

HUD-approved Housing Counseling Agencies must be registered with Grants.gov and the 
Central Contractor Registration (CCR) before applying for a grant from HUD.  
Applicants can find registration information on the Grants.gov website or at the following links:

http://www.grants.gov/assets/Organization_Steps_Complete_Registration.pdf
http://www.grants.gov/assets/OrgRegUserGuide.pdf
http://www.ccr.gov/

 To submit an application via Grants.gov, new users will be required to complete a five-step 
registration process, which can take 2 to 4 weeks to complete. The process includes ensuring 
that information provided for the applicant organization to Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) for your 
DUNS number, matches information previously provided by your organization and contained in 
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) records.
 
NOTE:  Applicants that have previously completed the registration process have to renew 
or       update their registration in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR).  The CCR number is 
incorrectly listed in the General Section.  The correct number is 1-888- 227-2423 (NOT 1-888-277).  
The hours of operation are now Monday through Friday, 9:00AM-5:00PM EST. 

Download Software

Adobe Reader 8.1.3 must be downloaded.  This is the correct version, not 9.0.  This version is 
designed to address the “broken pipe” error message that many applicants received during last 
year’s submission.  If applicants do not have the correct Adobe Reader installed, they will have 
difficulty uploading their application. 
 
Use new fax numbers and new fax procedures for FY 2009

Toll Free – 1-800-HUD-1010
Toll Charge – 215-825-8798
DO NOT USE LAST YEAR’S FAX NUMBER!

Form HUD-96011 which is the facsimile transmittal cover page is now a MANDATORY form.
  
Even if applicants do not have documents to fax, applicants must complete this form and enter 
“0” in the corresponding box.  If your fax automatically creates a cover page, turn this feature 
off.

Avoid Error Messages

The General Section contains an expanded list of possible error messages and the meanings of 
those messages that may occur on Grants.gov.  If you have difficulties with error messages, 
please call the Grants.gov help desk during regular business hours.  Be sure to get a ticket 
number.  

The most common errors during the last application period were:

-Incorrect DUNS numbers – Applicants must be authorized to submit the application by the 
E-BizPOC (Business Point of Contact) for the organization listed in box 8a of the SF-424, 
Application for Federal Assistance. The DUNS number should be for the applicant agency, not 
the grant writer’s DUNS number.  Make sure that you have the correct amount of digits when 
entering the DUNS number.

-Incomplete Registrations – See information above on “Completing the Registration Process”. 

-Applicant not authorized to submit - the applicant’s legal name must match the name on the 
SF-424. It must also match the name on the Logic Model.  Do not use the legal name in one 
place and the acronym in another place.

-Attachment file names – Be sure to read requirements for character length and restriction on 
using special characters that may result in a “Virus Detect” error message. While this seems 
trivial, it can cause rejection of your application.
 
Use of One Day Grace Period

This year, HUD has established a one day grace period from the date of notification of a 
rejection from Grants.gov. This one day grace period would allow applicants that successfully 
upload an application to Grants.gov prior to the deadline date and time, but receive a 
rejection notice after the deadline date and time, to cure the reason for rejection and re-upload 
the application to Grants.gov.  It is strongly recommended that applications be submitted within 
24-48 hours of the deadline date.

If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact your government technical 
representative (GTR) or other Program Support Division staff for assistance.

Sincerely,

Director, Program Support Division
Office of Single Family Housing