The NYS Grants Gateway
for NYSCA Grantees
Valerie Venezia, VP Membership & Marketing and
Michelle Jarvais, Sr. VP CFO
Community Focus w
Statewide Impact w National Network
General
Information
• What it is
– A new statewide grants processing system that allows NFPs to easily search for
funding opportunities and prequalify for ease of application and contracting.
• Purpose
– To facilitate prompt contracting for grants and make the process simpler &
easier for grantees and the State of New York.
– Creates a single, secure online “vault” of information/documents for nonprofits
to store organizational documents that can be accessed by all State agencies
thereby reducing duplicate requests.
• Info is not accessible to the public but to State agencies who contract with
nonprofits currently or expect to do so in the future.
– Once “prequalified” your nonprofit has demonstrated compliance (required
forms like 990), capacity (org. chart, resumes), integrity (Gov. questions etc.),
and will be “contract ready”.
General
Information (cont.)
• NYS agencies that contract with nonprofits are
required to participate in the Grants Reform
initiative.
• And, they will not be able to process a contract for a
nonprofit that has not been pre-qualified!
The Deadline!
• After 8/1 State agencies cannot sign contracts with nonprofits
that are not prequalified and they will no longer review an
RFP from an organization that is NOT prequalified.
• It is recommended to begin the prequalification process
ASAP to avoid contract renewal delays.
• NYS is prioritizing the approval process for nonprofits with
an immediate need-nonprofits that plan to apply for an
upcoming RFP or have 1 or more new contracts, renewals or
amendments currently in process.
Registration Process
• www.grantsgateway.ny.gov
• Go to Registration, click on “Request Access Now”.
Registration (cont.)
Registration (cont.)
For Existing vendors (nonprofits already contracting with
NYS).
– Just One Step: Complete the registration form to designate an
Administrator(s).
What is the Administrators Role?
– Responsible for managing the nonprofits profile & users.
– The State recommends having 2 administrators in case of
agency turnover & as a back up.
– If only 1 administrator is delegated, and that person leaves the
nonprofit, call NYS to assist with removing them as an
administrator & delegating a new one .
Registration (cont.)
COMPLETE
THE FORM
IN ITS
ENTIRETY!
Registration (cont.)
• SFS ID-State Financial System
– Where do I find this number?
• The SFS ID is a 10-digit number beginning with either 10000 or 11000
which is the account number at which you receive payments from the
NYS Comptroller. It is the same as the NYS Vendor ID.
• Fiscal staff
• Contact the SFS Help Desk: Phone: (518) 457-7717 or (855) 233-8363
(toll-free) Email: HelpDesk@sfs.ny.gov
• Written on current contracts
• On a "claim for payment" form under “Vendor ID number”.
Registration (cont.)
• Notarize the Registration Form
– The form is completed only once and the State wants nonprofits to
validate their authorization of the administrator.
– The administrator role is very important as the gatekeeper to the
nonprofits information held in the vault & is the person who
grants permission to other users to utilize the site for grant
opportunities.
Registration (cont.)
• Don’t forget to include your organizational chart!
– Sample charts are available online at www.grantsreform.ny.gov. Click
on “Grantees”, “Quick links” and “Sample Organization Charts”.
• Mail to Division of Budget - address is provided on detailed
instructions attached to the registration form.
• New vendors have to also complete a Substitute W-9 form
(provided on the registration portal).
Registration (cont.)
Approval process
– How long will it take?
• The registration process, including review and acceptance
of the form plus issuance of the credentials, is expected to
take 24-48 hours IF all information is complete.
– How will I know I am approved?
• The administrator will receive 2 emails from
NoReplyGrantsGateway@budget.ny.gov, one that
contains a user id and another with a temporary password.
Gateway Portal
• Log in www.grantsgateway.ny.gov - you will be prompted to
change your temporary password
Gateway Portal (cont.)
Gateway Portal (cont.)
Organization
Information Tab
Required Organization
Information:
1.
SFS Payee Name (this should
already be populated when you
log in and it is “grayed out”)
2.
3.
Org. legal name
Payment address (also
populated)
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
Phone number
SFS Vendor ID (populated)
Entity type
Federal ID number
Yes/No Sectarian entity
Org. Fiscal Yr. end date
Budget
No. of FT and PT staff
No. of volunteers
Mission
From drop down-Choose an
agency you have contracted
with the most in the last 3
yrs. and if new, who you
expect to contract with.
Gateway Portal (cont.)
Organization Members
Tab
Organization Members
The delegated
administrator(s) and other
members as permitted by
the organization.
1. Nonprofit has the
ability to add members
and search who is a
current member.
1.
2.
2. A member can be
inactivated as well by
adding a date in the
box below the active
date.
Gateway Portal (cont.)
Organization
Documents Tab
• Organization Documents is different than the Document Vault;
this tab will be for documents that relate to contracts.
Example:
a. Application for funding
b. Current contract
Gateway Portal (cont.)
Organization Vault Tab
State use-disregard
Gateway Portal (cont.)
Organization Vault Tab
• Required Forms are questions, mostly yes/no, about the
governance, accounting, & organizational structure.
• These are similar to the ones found on the vendor
responsibility form required by the Office of the Comptroller.
– They assess capacity, compliance & integrity.
Gateway Portal (cont.)
Organization Vault Tab
Sample Questions Required Forms
Gateway Portal (cont.)
Organization Vault Tab
Service Descriptors Required Forms
Gateway Portal (cont.)
Organization Vault Tab
Service Capacity Required Forms
• Answer through level 3
• Answer to the best of your ability
• This information is not used for
pass/fail on prequalification
Human or Non
Srv. area/Function/Srv.
May be best option
for arts/cultural org.
Gateway Portal (cont.)
Organization Vault Tab
Required vs. Optional Documents
• Required – must be uploaded into the vault. Each item in the list is a
link where the user can “browse” their files for the necessary
documents.
• Optional – are commonly requested documents during the application
& contract process but are not part of the prequalification process.
The State however, can request any & all such documents as may be
applicable based on the contract & deliverables or the opportunities you
apply for.
— Upload the documents most commonly requested of your organization
such as proof of workers compensation, disability insurance, etc.
Tip: If time is an issue for your submission, make sure you do the
“Required” documents first and “Submit” them to the vault for approval.
After approval, optional documents can be added later.
Gateway Portal (cont.)
Organization Vault Tab
Required Documents
Time and Date Stamp(s)
Gateway Portal (cont.)
Organization Vault Tab
Required Documents
• 990/Char 500 - If your tax filings are on extension for your most
current year, upload the extension letter vs. an older tax filing.
• Submit an audit if gross receipts are greater than $250,000; a
review for receipts between $100,000 and $250,000; under
$100,000 compiled financial statements.
• A management letter is not required for prequalification;
omission does not affect prequalification.
• Board profile - include name, title (if officer), years of service,
and affiliation (work place, retired).
– Affiliation is being used to view the Board diversity for knowledge skill
level as it relates to the overall governance & health of the org.
Gateway Portal (cont.)
Organization Vault Tab
Required Documents
• Senior Leadership Resumes typically include CEO/Executive
Director, COO, & CFO/Finance Director.
– CVs or a detailed summary is also acceptable for the leadership
info.
• Only one (1) document can be uploaded in each of the
required & optional documents folder.
– For multiple documents, such as with the resumes, they must be
scanned to one PDF or document before uploading.
Gateway Portal (cont.)
Organization Vault Tab
Optional Documents
The Cultural Data Report is
acceptable as the Annual Report
for NYSCA Grantees
Gateway Portal (cont.)
Organization Vault Tab
Submit the Vault
• In the middle of the Organizational Vault Tab there is a button
to “Submit Vault”. This is the last step when all documents
are loaded and questions complete.
• Before submitting use the “Check Global Errors” button at the
top right hand corner of the screen.
• Upon selection to submit, you will need to “click” two (2)
certifications that confirms the information is true/correct to
the best of his/her knowledge.
Gateway Portal (cont.)
Vault Approval
Vault Approval
• Once the Vault is submitted, it is “locked” and can not be edited
until the prequalification determination has been made
• The review process is expected to take 1 week.
– This depends on the completeness of the application and the volume
of applications. It can take 24 hours if the application is complete
and in good order, it can take a few weeks if the application is
problematic and the vendor is non-responsive. The vendor manual
states approval can take up to 30 days.
Gateway Portal (cont.)
Vault Approval
Tips:
• Check the status daily of your document vault to see if
prequalification was successful or if “fixes” are required.
• Go to the “Management Screens” at the bottom of the
document vault tab to view a status report. The form will
detail items that need correction if prequalification was not
achieved.
• At the top right hand corner of the screen is a button for
“External Notes”, which will also explain any errors in the
application.
Gateway Portal (cont.)
Vault Approval
Prequalification: What if I’m not approved?
• Nonprofits who have “flags” on their account will be contacted
by the State as to their status & what is needed to be
successfully prequalified.
• Time will be allowed to make any necessary corrections &
assistance will be provided where it is needed, such as
providing information links for sample policies, or board
governance guidance, etc.
• The State has provided resources on the website and offers
a Help Desk to assist vendors as they work their way
through the system. Trainings and workshops will also be
offered in the near future.
Prequalification
and Beyond
Other
• Once prequalified, you can make changes to keep info current. Every
change requires approval.
Tip: Because the vault has to be approved after every change, “batch” or
bundle your changes whenever you can.
• Every submission is held on file thereby creating a document audit
trail.
• The vault has a tickler file that will notify the user of expiring
documents, such as the 990/Char 500, etc.
• You must complete the Vendor Responsibility Form, which is
requested by the state agency at the proposal stage.
• Questionnaire expires after 3 years, so pre-qualification will be
necessary again.
Technical Issue
• Logging back in after you have successfully logged in for the
first time:
– Potential Error Message: You have accessed this site improperly.
Please avoid using multiple browsers. Please log in here.
The Help Desk explained why this may be happening.
– Multi-Browser error are on your end and it’s a problem with
your computer remembering past logins. The computer tries to
remember information about past visited websites and causes an
error to occur.
– The State said they are working on this issue.
Technical Issue - Fix
The Fix
•
Clear your browser cache. In Internet Explorer 8, this is very simple. Go to your menu
bar (“File” Edit” “View” ). Go to “Tools” > “Internet Options” > “Browsing History”
(under the General Tab). Click the delete button. Ensure the following options have a
check in the box next to them.
–
–
–
–
–
–
•
•
“Preserve Favorites Website Data”
“Temporary Internet Files”
“Cookies”
“History”
Then click the delete button
Unclick the preserve favorites box. There should NOT be a check in it. Click delete and then
close out of the browser and reopen.
If you are using Internet Explorer 10 – Go to Tools > Compatibility view > Check
“Display all websites in Compatibility view”.
If these options do not work, talk to your IT Consultant or download a different browser
- Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, IE 7, 8 , 9, 10.
For More
Information
• Vendors should access the “Training Materials” Tab.
• Contact the Help Desk.
• Access available Trainings to vendors in the near
future.