Guidelines - Broadcast Planning Projects

This section takes you step-by-step through the process of preparing a PTFP application for broadcast station activation and signal extension projects. Please do not be put off by its length. It includes instructions for the Application Form itself, plus guidelines for completing and submitting all of the other elements of an application. In short, it covers filling in every blank, making every checkmark, and writing every narrative section.

We suggest you print out a copy of these Guidelines as you begin preparing your application. It's mostly a checklist, and if you keep it next to you as you work, it will help you to avoid overlooking anything that is required. Later, you can use it as a final check to be sure your application is truly complete. (Do not send this checklist to PTFP.)

We recommend that you use the online fillable version of the Application Form, which you will find at www.ntia.doc.gov/ptfp/application/appform.htm. It provides the instructions, with some items pre-filled and selection boxes to help you complete others. Once completed, you can finalize the form and print it out for signing, duplication, and submission.

Whether you are a PTFP first-timer or an experienced veteran, you need to read this material carefully in order to avoid mistakes in completing the forms and to avoid omitting information that may be crucial for a complete and accurate evaluation of your application.

____ You must use Federal government Standard Forms to submit basic information. Details of your request are submitted on special PTFP pages and in written narratives. What follows explains what information goes where and takes you through completing an application.

____ Be sure the special PTFP pages are the ones that expire 12/31/2009 (the date is printed on the bottom of each page). Applications submitted on forms with an earlier date must be returned unprocessed.

____ Submit one copy of the application in the six-panel folder supplied by NTIA/PTFP (or an equivalent folder). PTFP will send you a free six-panel folder on request. Call (202) 482-5802, fax (202) 482-2156, or email ptfp@ntia.doc.gov. To allow time for your folder to be delivered, we need to have your request at least two weeks before the Closing Date. (If you want to supply your own six-panel folder, please use an ACCO #ACC-15036, Oxford ESS-920025RCP2, or equivalent.)

____ Submit the remaining five copies in plain manila file folders labeled with your organization’s name and secured with binder clips. Label one of these copies “Original.”

____ All applications must be signed. Signatures are required on page 1b of the SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance; on the SF-424B, Assurances; and on the CD-511, Certification Regarding Lobbying.

____ Signatures in the copy labeled “Original” must be original, preferably in a color ink other than black, and dated.

____ Arrange the material in all copies as described in the “Assembling the Application” instructions near the end of these guidelines.

____ Send your application so that it will be received at the PTFP office by 5:00 PM, Eastern Time, on the Closing Date.

☞ Be aware that anything sent via the United States Postal Service (including “overnight” and “Express Mail”) is subject to delivery delays due to mail security procedures at the Department of Commerce. We urge you to consider submitting your application by other means, such as alternate commercial delivery carriers. You should also consider possible delays in delivery caused by the weather and allow for such delays in sending your application.

■ Planning — as applied to the Public Telecommunications Facilities Program — is defined in the PTFP Final Rules as “activities to form a project for which PTFP construction funds may be obtained.” PTFP can award Planning Grants under any of the priorities/categories for broadcasting projects. The priorities are explained in the Final Rules; see §2301.4.

■ A planning application and a construction application to implement the plan cannot both be submitted in the same application or in separate applications in the same grant round. An application to implement the results of a planning project must wait until a subsequent grant round.

■ The purpose of most broadcast planning projects is to provide the planning organization with the information necessary for it to determine whether it is feasible to construct and operate a public broadcasting station. As a result, broadcast planning projects should be designed to find the answers to a number of questions. At a minimum, PTFP expects the Final Report of a broadcast planning project to include answers to the following questions:

▫ What types of station were considered — Low-Power FM, full-power AM or FM, TV, repeater with local origination capability? Which type did you choose? Why; that is, what are the pros and cons for each type in your situation?

▫ Will the station be built by and licensed to the organization that received the planning grant or by another organization? If the latter, the Final Report should document that the organization is (a) eligible to receive a Construction Permit for the proposed station from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and (b) committed to the construction and long-term support and operation of the station.

▫ If the proposed licensee is not experienced in broadcasting, what source of broadcast expertise will the licensee have available to assist it in the operation of the station?

▫ How will the licensee oversee the operation of the station? Will the station have an advisory board or committee? How will its members be chosen? Is there to be any participation by the general public?

▫ What financial resources will be available to support the cost of (a) constructing the proposed station and (b) the long-term operation of the completed station? Documentation — with dollar-commitment estimates, even if conditional — from possible supporters of both types of expense should be included with the Final Report.

▫ Have sites been found for studios, offices, the transmitter, and a tower? Does the proposed licensee own them or will it buy or lease them? If the latter, does it have a commitment from the owner(s) to sell or lease? If no sites have been found, what is being done to find them?

▫ What professional engineering resources will be available for (a) the construction of the proposed station and (b) the long-term maintenance of station equipment for its operation and continued useful life?

▫ What staffing plans have been developed? How many and which positions will be paid? How many and which will be volunteer positions? Will there be any student positions? How many and in what capacity? If experienced professionals will not be hired, how will the staff be trained?

▫ What evidence is there that the population of the expected coverage area is interested in the proposed station and the programming the organization is planning?

▫ What evidence is there that other organizations in that area would welcome the station and see it as a potential aid to their work? Have they pledged any type of support?

▫ If you request Priority 1A or 1B, is the proposed coverage area currently unserved by a public station of the same type — radio or television — your organization is considering?

▫ If you request Priority 3 or 4A, will the proposed station address underserved needs in the projected coverage area in a way that significantly differentiates its service from what is already available?

☞ It should be understood that it is perfectly acceptable for a Planning Grant project to conclude that no station should be constructed.

■ Deferred Applications: If you are reactivating an application that did not receive a grant award in the last grant cycle, you must submit a complete application. You should examine very critically what was submitted before to see if it can be strengthened.

The completed SF-424 will be pages 1, 1a, 1b (plus 1c, the explanation

page, if needed) of your application.

☞ We recommend that you use the on-line fillable version of the SF-424, which you will find at www.ntia.doc.gov/ptfp/application/appform.htm. It provides the instructions, with some items pre-filled and selection boxes to help you complete others. If you elect to print out the Application Form and manually type in the information, follow these instructions:

____ 1. Type of Submission: Check “Application.”

____ 2. Type of Application: Check “New” if first submission of this project in this grant cycle. Check “Revision” if PTFP has requested changes in your application.

____ 3. Date Received: Leave blank for PTFP use.

____ 4. Applicant Identifier: Complete the box if your organization has assigned a number or other identifier to the project.

____ 5a. Federal Entity Identifier: Leave blank for PTFP use.

____ 5b. Federal Award Identifier: Leave blank for PTFP use.

____ 6. Date Received by State: Use if your state participates in the Single Point of Contact process (see No. 19, below).

____ 7. State Application Identifier: Insert number assigned under the Single Point of Contact process if applicable.

____ 8. applicant information:

a. Legal Name: Enter name of organization responsible for any award.

b. Enter Employer’s Identification Number (EIN) assigned by the Internal Revenue Service. (It will be redacted prior to any disclosure to the public.)

c. Enter the DUNS number assigned to your organization by Dun and Bradstreet, Inc. You may obtain a DUNS number at no cost by calling the toll-free DUNS request telephone, 1-866-705-5711, or via the Internet at www.dunandbradstreet.com. A DUNS number is required on all applications.

d. Address: Please enter a street address because a P.O. Box number cannot be used for over-night delivery, which PTFP uses to send out grant awards and other documents.

e. Organizational Unit: If your organization uses Department and/or Division designations, enter them as appropriate.

f. Name and contact information of person to be contacted on matters involving this application: Enter name, title, telephone number, fax number and e-mail address of the person PTFP should contact on all non-engineering matters related to this application and who will be responsible for your project if it is funded.

____ 9. Type of Applicant: In the first space, enter the letter from the list below that best describes the applicant organization. If you wish, you may further describe your organization by entering an additional letter in each of the other spaces.

A. State Government	N. Nonprofit
B. County Government	O. Private Institution of Higher Education
C. City or Township Government	P. Individual
D. Special District Government	Q. For-Profit Organization (other than Small Business)
F. U.S. Territory or Possession	R. Small Business
G. Independent School District	S. Hispanic-Serving Institution
H. Public/State controlled Institution of Higher Education	T. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
I. Indian/Native American Tribal Government (Federally recognized)	U. Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs)
J. Indian/Native American Tribal Government (other than Federally recognized)	V. Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions
K. Indian/Native American Tribally Designated Organization	W. Non-domestic (non-US) Entity
L. Public/Indian Housing Authority	X. Other (specify)
M. Nonprofit

____ 10. Name of Federal Agency: Enter “NTIA”.

____ 11. Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: Enter “11.550”. Under CFDA Title, enter “PTFP”.

____ 12. Funding Opportunity Number/Title: Enter “Public Telecommunications Facilities Program”.

____ 13. Competition Identification Number/Title: Leave blank.

____ 14. Areas Affected by Project (Cities, Counties, States, etc.): List the largest political units affected by the project.

____ 15. Descriptive Title of Applicant’s Project: Enter “Planning Project”.

____ 16. Congressional Districts of:

____ a. Applicant. Enter the number of the Congressional District that includes the applicant’s headquarters; this can be only one number.

____ b. Program/Project. Enter the numbers of all Congressional Districts in all states that would be reached by the proposed project. If a state has only one Congressional District, enter “1”. If a project would reach all Congressional Districts in a state, enter “all”.

____ 17. Proposed Project Start and End Dates: For the start date, enter “10/01/09”. For the end date, enter “9/30/10” as the completion date of your project. (Planning grants are generally funded for twelve months.)

____ 18. Estimated Funding ($): Boxes “a,” “b,” and “g” summarize your request for funding from Standard Form 424A, the Budget Form, which is discussed below.

____ Box “a,” Federal. PTFP (Federal) share.

____ Box “b,” Applicant. Applicant’s share.

Note: Leave boxes “c,” “d,” “e,” and “f” blank.

____ Box “g,” total may include only eligible costs.

____ 19. Is Application Subject to Review by State Under Executive Order 12372 Process?

____ If your state participates in the review process under Executive Order 12372, check box “a” and enter the date you send a copy of the application to the state office. (This refers to the State Single Point of Contact process, which is discussed at the end of these Guidelines.)

____ If your state does not participate, check “b” or “c” as appropriate.

____ 20. Is the Applicant Delinquent on Any Federal Debt? (If “Yes”, provide explanation.) This question applies to the entire applicant organization, not to the authorized representative or to an individual department. Categories of debt include, but are not limited to, delinquent audit-related debts, loans, and Federal taxes. Check the appropriate box. Attach an explanation if required.

____ 21. The authorized representative of your organization must be able to check the “I AGREE” box.

Authorized Representative: Fill in the boxes as indicated. The application must be signed by an authorized representative of the applicant organization. A copy of its governing body’s authorization for the individual to sign this application must be on file in the applicant’s office and available for inspection.

PTFP REQUIRES ORIGINAL SIGNATURES ON ALL APPLICATIONS, preferably in an ink color other than black.

Standard Form 424A — Budget Information — Non-Construction Programs
This form is required from all applicants. It is discussed after the PTFP-2.

Standard Form 424B — Assurances — Non-Construction Programs
This form is required from all applicants. It is discussed below
in the section on Exhibits.

Project Information
for Broadcast Planning Projects
PTFP-2 Form

The completed PTFP-2 will be page 2 of your application.

☞ As with the SF-424, we recommend that you use the on-line fillable version of the PTFP-2 Form, which is at www.ntia.doc.gov/ptfp/application/appform.htm It provides the instructions, with some items pre-filled and selection boxes to help you complete others. If you elect to print out the Application Form and manually type in the information, follow these instructions:

____ 22. Applicant Name. Enter legal name from page 1, item 8, SF-424.

____ 23. Reactivation. If this is a reactivation of an application deferred from last year’s PTFP grant cycle; enter “Y” in item 23a and last year’s application number in 23b.

(Note: The PTFP Final Rules permit only two reactivations of a deferred application, for a total of three years consideration; see §2301.9.)

____ 24. Enter the call letters and frequency (or channel number, as appropriate) Planning applicants should enter “N/A”.

____ 25. Prior PTFP grants. If your organization received a prior PTFP grant, check “Yes” and enter the grant number for identification. If not, check “No”.

____ 26. Enter letters to classify the project. Enter “P”; “R”, “T”, or “RT”, as appropriate; “B”.

____ 27. Priority/Category. Enter the Priority or Category listed in §2301.4 of the PTFP Rules or the Federal Funding Opportunity Notice under which you request the application be reviewed.

Note that PTFP reserves the right to change the priority/category during its review of the application.

____ 28. Number of people served by the project. Please explain and document your estimates of the following in an Exhibit:

FIRST service: Enter the number of people who will receive a first public radio or TV signal if this project were constructed.

ADDED service: Enter the number of people who will receive a second (or third, etc.) public radio or TV signal if this project were constructed.

____ 29. Engineering contact information. Enter the information for the person PTFP should contact on engineering matters related to this application.

____ 30. Summary of Application. State the objective of your application in one brief sentence; e.g., “Community Service, Inc., seeks funding assistance to plan for a public radio station to serve Anytown.”

☞ Supporting arguments and justifications for your project go in the Narrative and Exhibits, not here.

____ 31. FCC Authorizations. Leave blank.

____ 32. Other Sources of Funding. Indicate whether funding to support this project has been or will be sought from any other Federal program or the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB).

____ Please provide information about funding from other Federal programs or CPB as an attachment to this form and in the program narrative.

____ 33. CPB Qualification. Check “Y” or “N” to indicate if your organization currently receives, or anticipates receiving, financial assistance from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB).

Please note: In order to receive a PTFP grant, your organization does NOT have to receive financial assistance from CPB.

____ 34. Similar Public Telecommunications Facilities within Project Service Area. List all acceptable signals of other public telecommunications facilities of the same type as your project will consider.

(You are not required to provide exact contours of other stations, only to list those stations that can be viewed or heard within the service area of the proposed project.)

____ TV If this application is for a television project, list all public TV stations providing a Grade B signal within the project’s service area.

____ Radio If this application is for a radio project, list all other public radio stations that provide a 1 mv/m signal within the project’s service area.

____ 35. Station Operations. Indicate the number of full-time paid employees, part-time paid employees, and volunteers currently on the staff of the organizational unit for which the project is intended.

____ Show also the total hours worked by an average staff member in each category in an average week. Then show comparable numbers projected for when the new facilities are in operation.

____ Indicate the current operating budget, if any, and projected budget for the first year of operation following construction of the proposed facilities.

Application for Federal Assistance
Standard Form 424A
Budget Information — Non-Construction Programs

The first page of the 424A will be page 3 of your completed application. It is

the standard budget form now used by all Federal grant programs.

☞ We recommend that you use the on-line fillable version of the SF-424A, which you will find at www.ntia.doc.gov/ptfp/application/appform.htm. If you elect to print out the Application Form and manually type in the information, follow these instructions:

____ You should submit only page 1 of the SF-424A. Complete only Section B, columns 1 and 5 under item 6, "Object Class Categories."

____ Complete Lines 6a-6k, as appropriate for your project.

All costs included in the proposed project should be broken down into the categories listed. Enter the totals for each category in columns 1 and 5 on the appropriate line on the form. Attach a Budget Detail and Budget Narrative to the SF-424A.

____ 6a Personnel. List each employee, full-time equivalency, and payment.

____ 6b Fringe Benefits. List fringe benefits and method of calculating benefits.

____ 6c Travel. Break down travel into local and overnight, with projected areas of travel and costs.

____ 6d Equipment. Equipment may include office equipment to support the planning function, but cannot include equipment to establish a telecommunications facility.

____ 6e Supplies. List supplies projected to support the planning activity.

____ 6f Contractual. List contractors, such as consultants, amount to be paid, and basis for rate charged.

____ 6g Construction. Leave blank; construction costs are not funded.

____ 6h Other. List any additional eligible expenses required to support the planning activity.

____ 6i Subtotal of columns 1 and 5.

____ 6j Indirect Costs. Enter Indirect Costs charged to the project. Document the indirect rate in the Budget Narrative.

____ 6k Total of columns 1 and 5, including indirect charges requested. Whole dollars only.

____ Budget Detail. You must also attach a budget detail that provides a line item breakdown of project costs within each budget category. See the following example, where each category is detailed by “Line Item”, “Federal Support,” “Matching Support,” and “Total.”

Category	Line Item	Federal Support	Matching Support	Total
Contractual	Engineer to prepare FCC application	$10,000	$2,500	$12,500
Contractual	Attorney to prepare FCC application	$2,000	$2,000	$4,000
Contractual Subtotal		$12,000	$4,500	$16,500

____ Budget Narrative. You must attach a budget narrative that provides sufficient explanation of each budget category in order to establish the need for the funds in each category, and the basis for figures used and how they were calculated, per the following example:

Engineer

Conduct site evaluations, perform engineering studies, meet with station Board and prepare FCC applications

125 hours

$100 per hour

$12,500

____ Obligation of funds. PTFP considers money to be obligated when the Applicant enters into any sort of binding commitment to spend the money. This means the formal acceptance of a bid offering or the issuance of a purchase order.

Applicants are not permitted to obligate any monies from the eventual Federal share of a grant’s Total Project Cost before the project Award Period begins. PTFP Award Periods begin October 1.

If you obligate the local match before a grant is formally awarded, you face two primary risks:

1. You may not be offered a grant award, or

2. Negotiations may reduce the amount of the total project cost, and if you have obligated funds in excess of the negotiated local match, the Federal share will be correspondingly reduced, or an eventual award may be reduced or terminated.

Eligible Equipment

PTFP-4 Form

☞ Planning applicants do not submit this form.

Program Narrative

for Broadcast Planning Projects

Six Evaluation Criteria

☞ You must prepare a Narrative to address the six evaluation criteria contained in Section 2301.17 of the PTFP Rules and that are discussed in this section. The criteria are:

1. Applicant Qualifications		4. Technical Qualifications
2. Project Objectives		5. Financial Qualifications
3. Urgency		6. Involvement of Women and Minorities

____ Your Narrative should begin with an introduction that serves as an Executive Summary of your project. It should be a brief, straightforward statement of what you propose to accomplish. No supporting arguments and justifications should be included here; they go in the sections that follow.

____ You should then address the six evaluation criteria in separate sections of the Narrative. We recommend that you address them in the order that follows and that you label each section with the name of the criterion being discussed to help the reviewers who evaluate your application.

____ Several of the evaluation criteria should also be addressed in Exhibits as explained below.

____ The Narrative is limited to a total of five pages for both the Executive Summary and the first five criteria, but you may make as much use as you wish of Optional Exhibits to provide a detailed explanation of any subject. You should give cross-references to the Optional Exhibits in which you provide additional information.

☞ There is no page limit on your response to the sixth criterion, “Involvement of Women and Minorities.”

Evaluation Criterion 1

Applicant Qualifications

___ Indicate at the beginning of the Narrative if your organization is a government entity, an Indian Tribe, or a non-profit organization that has received a prior grant from PTFP.

___ If your organization is a government entity, an Indian Tribe, or a non-profit organization that has received a prior PTFP grant, no further documentation of eligibility is required at this time.

___ If yours is a non-profit organization that has never received a PTFP grant, you must supply certified copies of your (1) articles of incorporation, (2) by-laws, and (3) IRS 501(c)(3) letter in Exhibit G.

____ Your Narrative should describe your organization, its history, and the resources it has (or will have) available to complete the proposed planning.

Evaluation Criterion 2

Project Objectives

____ Your discussion of this criterion should indicate the Priority you believe is appropriate for the project and begin with a description of your project.

____ Explain and discuss the objectives of the project, beginning with the community need that the project is intended to address, how you became aware of this need, what led you to apply for this project, the expected outcome if this project is funded, and how the expected outcome addresses the community needs mentioned earlier.

____ Your application should discuss whether and how the project has been coordinated with any telecommunications services in the anticipated service area or with local, regional, or state telecommunications agencies.

____ If you have done pre-planning, copies of any documentation that resulted should be placed in an Optional Exhibit with a cross-reference from the Narrative.

Evaluation Criterion 3

Urgency

____ You should provide a compelling case that justifies funding the proposed project during the current grant cycle.

____ You might discuss any negative consequences that may result if your project is not carried out at this time.

____ You should discuss here whether or not there are already-existing public broadcasting stations serving the area for which you want to plan. If there are, you need to explain in detail what will set your proposed station apart if activated.

____ If applicable, you should discuss why your project is timely in pursuing a unique or innovative opportunity to provide substantial potential benefits to a target audience. Supporting documentation may be placed in an Optional Exhibit; for example, documentation that relevant groups/educational institutions intend to actively work with the proposed station (place such documentation in Exhibit E).

Evaluation Criterion 4

Planning Qualifications

Your Narrative should address the following points:

____ Proposed planning process and timetable. You must prepare a chronological timetable for the project and explain what procedures will be followed to complete your planning. Although you may incorporate the Timetable and Step-by-Step Procedures into the Narrative, these items should be thoroughly described and are typically two to three pages of information in outline form. You may wish to include them as separate documents placed in one of the Optional Exhibits; if you do so, they should be clearly cross-referenced from the Narrative.

____ Staff or consultants. A planning project ordinarily requires a number of qualified staff members and/or a consultant organization or individual to ensure that the project will be conducted and completed professionally.

____ You should describe the experience and capabilities of the staff members who will be involved in carrying out the planning project.

____ If you intend to use consultants, you should discuss the professional qualifications you expect of either consultants in general or of the specific consultants you identify as the ones most likely to work on the project.

☞ Consultants must be selected in free and open competitive bidding. If you have contracted with a consultant to provide services such as pre-planning that may be considered directly related to this project, you must explain why you believe that the particular consultant is integral to the project. Your discussion should explain whether your project would be substantially hindered or delayed without the participation of the consultant in question. The Department of Commerce will determine if you may use the same consultant, or must use competitive bidding for consultants to carry out the project.

____ You must incorporate into your planning potential funding sources to support the proposed facility if it is constructed. You must show how you will determine what financial support exists for (1) the construction and (2) the operation and maintenance of the proposed facility if it is built.

____ Development of answers to the questions set out at the beginning that are needed for the Final Report.

Evaluation Criterion 5

Financial Qualifications

____ Describe your organization’s ability to raise operating and capital funds.

____ If you request more than 75% Federal funding, you must include justification for this request. PTFP will consider a persuasive, well-documented demonstration of extraordinary need as justification for grants of up to 100% of the total project cost. (Simply stating that you have such a need is not enough!)

____ Place in Exhibit E any available documentation of local financial support that has been committed or pledged to your planning project, even if conditionally.

____ If you have an independent 501(c)3) corporation associated with your station for fundraising purposes, you should discuss its activities.

____ Show how you will raise the necessary funds to pay for any part of the planning that will not be supported by a PTFP grant.

Evaluation Criterion 6

Involvement of Women and Minorities

____ Response to this Evaluation Criterion should be included as part of the Program Narrative, but it is not subject to the five-page limitation.

____ In accordance with 392(f) of the Act, the Agency will give special consideration to applications that foster ownership of, operation of, and participation in public telecommunications entities by minorities and women. NTIA has not established any minimum minority or women participation requirements for special consideration in PTFP evaluations in order to carry out the objectives of the statute. Rather, NTIA believes that the Congressional intent can be achieved in a fair and flexible manner by taking into account all factual circumstances that might lead to special consideration.

____ The PTFP Rules, in §2301.5, provide the following clarifications about special consideration.

“Ownership and operation of” includes the holding of management and other positions in the entity, especially those concerned with programming decisions and day-to-day operation and management.

“Participation” may be shown by the entity’s involvement of women and minorities in public telecommunications through its programming strategies as meeting the needs and interests of those groups

“Minorities” include American Indians or Alaska natives; Asian or Pacific Islanders; Hispanics; and Blacks, not of Hispanic Origin.

Employment of minorities or women is not the only way in which NTIA may assess whether an application promotes significant diversity in the ownership of, operation of, and participation in, public telecommunications entities by minorities and women. NTIA is also interested in outreach efforts, audience development, and programming strategies. One stated purpose of this program is to respond to the educational, cultural and related programming needs of diverse groups.

____ Applicants should provide a narrative (with supporting documentation when necessary) that documents the participation of women and minorities in the station’s ownership and management, especially those concerned with programming decisions and day-to-day operation and management. In preparing their material, applicants should take care to clarify whether they are discussing women, minorities (minorities can be considered as a single group, but the predominant group should be identified as such), or a combination of women and minorities (where the predominant group/gender should be identified, and applicants should express whether they are discussing women or minorities in the case of an individual who is a female minority).

EXHIBITS

for Broadcast Planning Projects

☞ The Importance of Legibility. All materials need to be legible.

Exhibit A: Inventory

Exhibit B: Justification of Equipment Requested

Exhibit C: Five-Year Equipment Plan

Exhibit D: Maps

Exhibit F: Distribution Agreements

Planning Grant applicants do not submit Exhibits A, B, C, D, and F.

Exhibit E: Letters of Support

____ Full documentation of support from residents, community organizations, and local groups within the anticipated service area should be placed here.

____ Reviewers usually notice when letters of support are all worded identically and vary only in their letterheads and signatures.

____ You may forward support letters at any time, even after the Closing Date, but please understand that letters received by PTFP more than three or four days after the Closing Date probaly will not be seen by application reviewers because the applications normally will be in their hands by then.

☞ If you obtain letters of support from members of Congress addressed to the Department of Commerce, NTIA, or PTFP, you should be sure the originals of those letters are mailed separately to the addressees. The originals should not be included in the application folders. You should place copies of the letters in this exhibit for consideration by the reviewers.

Exhibit G: Proof of Eligibility

____ Indicate in the Narrative whether your organization is a government, Indian Tribe, or non-profit organization that has received a prior PTFP grant.

____ If yours is a non-profit organization that has never received a PTFP grant, supply in this exhibit certified copies of the following:

____ its Articles of Incorporation papers as filed with the state,

____ its By-Laws, and

____ IRS 501(c)(3) non-profit letter or other evidence of non-profit status.

Exhibits H - Z

____ These are optional exhibits that you may use to submit materials not specifically required by PTFP or to supplement parts of your application. Please note that such materials should be limited to items related directly to the proposed project.

____ If you include several optional exhibits, please provide a Table of Contents for them.

____ Be sure to cross-reference optional exhibits from the appropriate places in the Program or Budget Narratives.

Exhibit AA: Required Certifications

Application for Federal Assistance — Standard Form 424B

Assurances — Non-Construction Projects

____ In spite of the “Non-Construction” designation, all PTFP applicants must submit these pages. They must be placed as the first item in Exhibit AA of your application.

____ The copy in the folder labeled “original” must have an original signature and be dated on the second page.

Certification Regarding Lobbying — CD-511 & SF LLL

____ Certification Regarding Lobbying — CD-511. All applicants must submit the CD-511.

____ The copy in the folder labeled “original” must have an original signature, the signer’s title, and be dated.

____ Standard Form LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities needs to be submitted only if you used either Federal or non-Federal money for lobbying as discussed in Sections (1) and (2) of the CD-511. Membership in a public broadcasting organization that is considered an advocacy organization for public broadcasting is normally not regarded as lobbying.

____ If Sections (1) and (2) do not apply, you do not need to include Form LLL with your application.

Form CD-346, Applicant for Funding Assistance

Note: This form is no longer required with your application.

Assembling the Planning Application

☞ You must submit an original and five copies of the complete application. Please assemble each copy according to the instructions here. Doing so greatly assists the reviewers who evaluate your application.

____ Put the original and four copies in separate manila file folders labeled with your organization’s name and secured with binder clips. Put the remaining copy in the folder provided by PTFP; please do NOT put the original in this folder!

____ The manila folder with the original copy should be labeled “ORIGINAL” on the outside. This copy must have original signatures on the Application Form, the Assurances (SF-424B), and the CD-511 certification of lobbying activity. Also Form LLL, if required.

____ Major sections of each copy of the application should be separated by divider sheets with labeled index tabs that protrude from the edge of the sheet. (Please use labels that won’t fall out!) The outline below marks each labeled index tab with an asterisk (*) and lists the material you should place behind that divider.

☞ The folders provided by PTFP have six panels, and each panel has a metal clip at the top. Please arrange the Application Form and other materials on the panels as follows:

Panel 1 Please leave this panel blank for PTFP use.

Panel 2 *Application for Federal Assistance — Standard Form 424 (p. 1), the PTFP-2 Form (p. 2), and the SF 424A (p.3)

*Program Narrative

*Exhibit A Not required from Planning Applicants.

*Exhibit B Not required from Planning Applicants.

*Exhibit C Not required from Planning Applicants.

*Exhibit D Not required from Planning Applicants.

Panel 3 Please leave blank for PTFP use.

Panel 4 *Exhibit E Letters of Support or Project Participation, if required

*Exhibit F Not required from Planning Applicants.

*Exhibit G Eligibility documentation, if required

*Exhibit H - Z — Optional material (include a table of contents if there is more than one optional exhibit)

Panel 5 *Exhibit AA Assurances and Lobbying (SF-424B, CD-511, plus Form LLL if required)

Panel 6 *FCC documents — Not required from Planning Applicants.

Notifying Others About Your PTFP Application

____ All applicants: If the states served by your project participate in the State Single Point of Contact (SPOC) process, you must send copies of Standard Form 424 and page PTFP-2 to their SPOC offices.

Your cover letter should state that a copy of the rest of the application is available upon request. Enter the date of the cover letter in Item 19 on page 1 of the SF-424 before submitting to PTFP.

A list of SPOC offices is available through the Office of Management and Budget home page at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/spoc.html

____ If you receive a response from your SPOC office, please send two copies of it to PTFP.

____ Broadcast planning project applicants are advised to notify the telecommunications agency, if any, in each state served by their project.

____ You will find a list of State Telecommunications Agencies here.

General Information	Notes for Broadcast Planning Projects
The Applicant Qualifications Criterion	The Project Objectives Criterion
The Urgency Criterion	The Planning Qualifications Criterion
The Financial Qualifications Criterion	The Involvement of Women and Minorities Criterion