Guide to Completing the Online Application

Transcription

1 Guide to Completing the Online Application Table of Contents 1. Before You Begin a. Invitation to Apply....2 b. Please Sign In c. Application Time Out d. Navigating the Online Application e. General Application Reminders (c)(3) Verification a. Eligibility Quiz Completing the Online Application a. Organization Information b. ACH Electronic Payment Information c. Proposal Overview d. Additional Information i. Citi Contact Information....7 ii. Citi Engagement Attaching Documents a. Required Documents b. Required Templates i. Program Budget Template... 9 ii. Board of Directors List and Senior Staff Template c. Uploading Attachments Saving Your Application Reviewing Your Application a. ing a Draft of Your Application (Required) Printing Your Application Submitting Your Application Accessing Your In-Progress or Submitted Application Verifying Status of Your Submitted Application Contact Information For technical assistance with your online application, please contact foundationsupport@citi.com.

2 1. Before You Begin Your organization should have received an Invitation to Apply from your Citi Contact. The URL link in the body of the will lead you to a series of webpages. At the bottom of the final webpage, you will find the links to access the appropriate online application. The instructions below are for those organizations that have already been invited and have started their online grant application. Please note that the existence of any current or the promise of any potential business relationships with Citi or Citi subsidiaries does not influence grant decisions and mention of such relationships may disqualify your grant application. The Citi Foundation declines any tangible benefits your organization might decide to give to Citi or the Citi Foundation as a result of a Citi Foundation grant. Invitation to Apply Click on the URL link in the invitation to apply that you received from your Citi Contact. If the link is not active or does not appear to work, please copy the entire link and paste it into the address line of your Web browser. This link will take you to an instructions webpage and will provide you with the link for entering the online application. To start a new application, click on the appropriate box at the bottom of the webpage. Please Sign In When you open the online application, you will be required to sign in. If you submitted an online application to the Citi Foundation during a prior year, you may enter the same login address and password and hit Continue. If you are a new applicant, select I am a new applicant and hit Continue. New applicants will be brought to the account creation screen shown below. Do not close your browser until you fully complete this screen. Once you enter your address and password, click Create Account, and an automated will be sent to the address provided containing the password and a URL link to return to the Citi Foundation Account Manager. 2

3 Application Time Out The online grant application will time out after 30 minutes of inactivity. Saving Your Application: If you need to finish your application at a later time, please select the Save and Finish Later button at the bottom of every page as shown below. Note: You can access your account again at the following Web address: Navigating the Online Application At the top of every page of the online application is a menu bar (see below). This menu bar is the best way to move through your online application. As an alternative, you may use the Next button on the bottom of the each page. Note: Using your browser s navigation tools (e.g. Back or Forward buttons) may result in losing information that you have entered into the application. Top Menu Bar: Exit: Brings you back to the Web page that launched the online application. Help: Brings you to this Guide to Completing the Online Application. Contact Us: Allows you to contact the Citi Foundation for technical support by launching an addressed to the Citi Foundation. Page : Enables the applicant to navigate between application pages. *Reminder: Do not use your browser s Back or Forward buttons or you may lose your work. Review My Application: Identifies required fields and documents that need to be completed before submission. Printer Friendly Version: Allows you to print the entire application including responses. Bottom Menu Bar: Save & Finish Later: Allows you to save the work you have started and return to your online application at a later time. Next: Allows you to move through the online application in sequential order. If you wish to go to a previous page in the application, please use the application s Page numbered buttons on the application s menu bar. Draft: Allows you to a draft version of the application and uploaded attachments. For more detailed instructions please go to Section 6. (pg. 14) 3

4 REMINDER: ONLY USE THIS MENU BAR OR NEXT BUTTONS TO NAVIGATE THE ONLINE APPLICATION. DO NOT USE YOUR BROWSER S BACK BUTTON, OR YOUR INFORMATION MAY NOT BE SAVED. General Application Reminders Applicants can copy and paste existing text from most word processing programs into any of the open text fields in the application. All questions with a red asterisk are REQUIRED questions. You cannot submit your application without completing these questions (c)(3) Verification Note: If your organization is a religious or public entity without a 501(c)(3), please skip to Step 3. To begin the application, you will be asked to supply your organization s valid Federal Tax ID Number (Employer Identification Number). This number can be found on your organization s IRS determination letter. The Federal Tax ID number you provide will be verified against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) database to ensure your organization is a valid 501(c) (3) charitable organization recognized by the IRS. If the Federal Tax ID number you provided is not on file with the IRS as a 501(c) (3) charitable organization, the below message will display and you will not be able to proceed to the online application. If you receive this message and believe that your organization is in fact a 501(c) (3) charitable organization, please contact the IRS directly at (877) to address this problem. 4

5 Eligibility Quiz Before you can proceed to the online application, you are required to complete the Eligibility Quiz. You must answer all questions and click Submit to continue. If the answers you provide to the questions fall outside of the Citi Foundation guidelines, you will receive the following error message: You should contact your Citi Contact to review the Foundation's funding guidelines if you are unable to proceed to the online application. 3. Completing the Online Application Please note: applicants can copy and paste existing text from most word processing programs into any of the application text fields. Organization Information Once your 501(c)(3) status has been verified against the IRS database, your organization s legal name and tax ID will automatically populate on the application as read only fields. As noted, if a grant is approved, the Organization s Legal Name is the name that will be used to issue an ACH electronic payment, with the exception of organizations that have group exemption status. 5

6 ACH Electronic Payment Information The Citi Foundation will be processing all grant payments by ACH electronic payment (not wire transfer). We require that you provide your bank information for ACH electronic payments in the online application and that you also attach a copy of a voided check or a letter from your bank. The Citi Foundation will use the document that you provide to validate the account and routing numbers that you provide in your online application. If the document that you attach (the voided check or bank letter) does not validate the information below, the Citi Foundation will contact you for clarification. Providing this information will only allow us to transfer funds into your account. Please note that providing your organization s bank account information does not constitute an offer, promise or guarantee of funding from the Citi Foundation, Citigroup Inc., or any of its subsidiaries. If a grant is awarded and funds from the Citi Foundation are deposited into the applying organization's bank account, you must also verify that the funds will only be used for charitable purposes as described within this online application. Please see the screen shot of the requested information below. 6

7 Proposal Overview The Proposal Overview page asks questions specifically about the program for which your organization is requesting funding. We have included descriptions on most fields to clarify what we are asking and to make you aware of any space limitations. For most large text boxes, there is no character limit, so please provide as much information as you feel we need to evaluate the proposal. This section also contains many questions with drop down selection answers, including ones asking about the gender, ethnicity and population served by the program. For each of these questions, you can only select one answer, so please determine the most appropriate fit from these options for your organization s program. Additional Information Citi Contact Information: Since Citi Foundation operates an invitation-only grant program, you should have received an Invitation to Apply from a Citi employee. It is CRITICAL that you provide the correct inviter information as stated in that . If this information is not accurate, your proposal may be significantly delayed for consideration. The questions asked in this section of the proposal may vary depending on the grant application. If you cannot find your Invitation to Apply , please contact the Citi Contact who invited your organization to apply to request this information. 7

8 Citi Engagement: This page will also ask questions about the possibility of Citi employees volunteering with the applying organization or the program. Please note that the involvement of Citi volunteers is not a determining factor for grant approval. In addition, any current or the promise of any potential business relationships with Citi or Citi subsidiaries does not influence grant decisions and mention of such relationships may disqualify your grant application. 4. Attaching Documents Required Documents In addition to the information requested in the body of the online application, you will be REQUIRED to attach electronic copies of several documents: Program Budget: Click here to download REQUIRED template Board of Directors and Organization s Senior Staff List Click here to download REQUIRED template Organization s Most Recent Audited Financial Statements (Two years of comparative financials are preferred.) Copy of Cancelled Check or Verification Letter from your Bank: Please scan a copy of a voided or cancelled check from your organization s checking account or a verification letter from your bank confirming the depository account information that was provided in the online application. The account name that appears on the check should be your organization s legal name and the routing and account numbers on the check should match the information you will provide in the first page of the online application. Most Recent IRS Form 990 Group Exemption (if applicable): If your organization falls under the group exemption rule, please attach a scanned copy of the page from the most recent directory, published or online database, which identifies your organization as an affiliate. Public School (if applicable): If your organization is a public school or school district, please locate your organization on one of the following Web sites Public Schools Search, Public School Districts Search, or Public Colleges and Universities Search and attach a scanned copy of the print out. Fiscal Sponsorship Agreement (if applicable): If your organization is acting as a Fiscal Sponsor of this program, please review the fiscal sponsorship guidelines by clicking here. Please be sure to save all of these documents in an easy to locate place on your computer, for example your desktop. Your application cannot be processed by the Foundation unless all required attachments are included. Required Templates Some of the attachments require that you use specific templates that the Foundation has created. For these attachments, you will need to download the templates from the application and complete them. We have provided links to these templates on the final page of the application, as shown in the screen shot below. 8

9 Program Budget Template: Clicking on the link to the template (as shown above) will open an excel document with the template below. Please provide a detailed description of how you intend to use the funding provided by the Citi Foundation and how this compares with the overall funding for this program. Please note that you need to show the expense breakdown for Citi Foundation funding ONLY, even though other funders may support this program. If you require additional lines, please select "Insert-Rows" from the menu bar. 9

10 Board of Directors List and Organization s Senior Staff Template: Clicking on the link Board of Directors List and Organization s Senior Staff will open another excel document with the following template. Please enter all of your organization s Board of Directors in the template and include your organization s senior staff. Under the address section, you may use the nonprofit organization s address if a business or personal address is unavailable for a board member. Again, if you require additional lines, please select "Insert-Rows" from the menu bar. However, please do not change this template in any way by merging cells. It is absolutely essential that Citi Foundation receive your board and staff list in this required template. Unfortunately, we cannot accept your board and staff list in any other format. 10

11 Uploading Attachments: For each required or optional attachment, repeat the following steps. 1) Using the arrow on the right, activate the dropdown menu and select the attachment title that corresponds to the document you are uploading. 2) Browse for the corresponding file on your computer by selecting the Browse button. 3) This will open up a new window that will ask you to choose the file you would like to upload. Find the file on your computer and select it. When the file appears in the File Name field, click Open. 11

12 4) Now you will see the file listed in the File Name. Click Upload. 5) The uploaded document will then appear as it does in the screen shot below. Repeat these five steps for each additional required and optional attachment until all attachments are successfully uploaded. Please note: Once you have attached your documents to the application you cannot view or print them from the application. If you would like to change a file, please delete it from the application and upload your new file with the corresponding title from the drop-down menu box. Please make sure you have the correct attachments before you submit your application. 5. Saving Your Application Saving Your Application: If you cannot finish your application once you have started it, click the Save and Finish Later button found at the bottom of every page of the online application. 12

13 6. Reviewing Your Application Once the application is completed and you have attached all of the required documents, you are ready to submit your application to the Foundation. At the bottom of the attachments page is the Review & Submit button. The application will display in review mode, as shown below. If your application is missing any required attachments, they will appear at the top of the page in red text. You cannot submit your application without attaching all REQUIRED attachments. Note, this application is missing the Program Budget and Board of Directors listing. In addition, any required fields that have not been filled out will be identified with a red arrow. Review your application and complete any required fields and/or attach any required documents. The Update button at the bottom of the page refreshes your application with the fields and information you changed or added. After updating the application, please do not submit the application without first ing the draft of the application outlined in ing a Draft of Your Application. 13

14 ing a Draft of Your Application At any time during the application process, you may click Draft for Preview in the application s bottom Menu Bar. This will take you to the instruction window shown below: Please fill in your name, the recipient s address, and any additional message that you would like to include. Additionally, you may also click, Send me a copy, and you will also receive a copy of the . If you have uploaded attachments to your application, these attachments will be sent to the recipient of the . NOTE: It is REQUIRED to a draft of your application to your contact at the Citi Foundation in order to receive authorization for you to formally submit your application. Sending a draft version of your application via does not constitute formal submission of your application to the Citi Foundation. In order to submit the final and authorized version of your application to the Citi Foundation, please refer to page 15, Submitting your Application. 14

15 7. Printing Your Application At any time during the application process, you may click Printer Friendly Version in the application s top Menu Bar. This will open your application in a new window, but it may not always bring this window to the front of your screen. If this happens, please scan the task bar at the bottom of your screen for another Internet window. Maximize this window. To print your application, just click the Print button on your Web browser. 8. Submitting Your Application You will receive an authorization from the Citi Foundation to formally submit your application. Please do not submit your application until receiving the authorization. The Submit button will appear after all required fields on the application have been completed. When you are comfortable with the content of your proposal and have printed a copy of your application for your own records, click the Submit button located at the bottom screen. Please note that once an application has been submitted, it can no longer be edited. Within 24 hours, the account manager for the application (or the person who submitted the online application) will receive an automatic response confirming the submission of your application. The will contain a full copy of your submitted application. Receipt of this only confirms that your application has been submitted to the Foundation; it does not confirm that your application is complete, and we may still contact you for additional information after your application has been submitted. 9. Accessing Your In-Progress or Submitted Application Applicants have their own account where they can finish saved applications and can view all submitted applications. To access your saved or submitted application, log in at Make sure to select "I am a returning online applicant." 15

16 If you are taken to a blank application, it may be because the cookies setting in your Web browser is taking you to your already submitted application instead of to your account login page. Please clear the cookies and history from your web browser, close and re-launch the browser, and try to access your account again. Once you log into your account, your application will appear under either Open, for applications that have not yet been submitted to the Foundation, or under Submitted, for applications that have been completed and submitted to the Foundation. Please see the following screen shot for a detailed view of what your account might look like. Allows you to a draft of your application Allows you to delete your application When you click on an Open application, the application will open in the online application window and you will be able to edit and update your application. When you click on a Submitted application, the application will open in a Printer Friendly Version. Submitted applications cannot be edited. 16

17 To leave the Account Manager when work is complete, simply click the Exit button in the top Menu Bar. 10. Verifying Status of Your Submitted Application To receive a status update on your submitted grant application, please contact the Citi Contact who invited your organization to apply. The Account Manager does not show the status of your application with the Foundation. 11. Contact Information If you require any non-technical assistance with the application, please contact your Citi Contact. Your invitation lists your Inviter s contact information. For technical assistance with your online application, please contact foundationsupport@citi.com. We wish you all the best! 17