FAQ
Prequalification
1. Does my organization need to complete the Prequalification process?
All nonprofit organizations are required to complete the Prequalification process to apply for and receive State funding. Governmental entities, for profit organizations, individuals and tribal organizations are not required to be Prequalified. Organizations that are not required to Prequalify must still register their organization with the Grants Gateway to apply for funding and execute contracts.
2. When do I need to be Prequalified to be eligible to apply for State grant opportunities?
Nonprofit organizations are required to be in an acceptable status on the date and time of a grant application deadline. Nonprofit organizations that are not in an acceptable status at the grant application deadline will not have their applications reviewed.
Acceptable statuses include:
- Document Vault Prequalified
- Document Vault Prequalified Open
- Document Vault Prequalified/In Review
The following statuses are NOT considered Prequalified.
- Document Vault Available
- Document Vault Expired
- Document Vault in Review
- Document Vault Initialized
- Document Vault Modifications Required
3. Do I have to wait until my document vault is in a Prequalified status to initiate a grant application?
The Grants Gateway allows organizations to initiate and submit grant applications regardless of the status of the document vault. However, if a document vault is not in a Prequalified status at the time of the RFP or RFA deadline, the application submitted will not be considered.
4. My organization has been registered with the Grants Gateway and I received my username and password. Does this mean my organization is Prequalified?
No, nonprofit organizations must complete and submit for State review all documents and forms required for Prequalification. After all information has been reviewed and approved, the organization will be in a Prequalified status.
5. After logging in, where do I find my Prequalification application (also known as the Document Vault)?
After logging in for the first time, create and save a permanent password. After the password has been saved, click the Organization(s) link near the upper right hand corner of the page. This will direct you to the Organization Information page that will need to be completed and saved before you will have access to the Prequalification Application (also known as the Document Vault). Once the Organization Information page has been completed and saved you will have access to the Document Vault link where you will find the information to be completed to become a Prequalified nonprofit vendor.
6. What sections in my document vault will need to be completed to be Prequalified?
Complete and save each section in the required forms, and upload and save each of the required documents. The Grants Gateway does not allow you to submit an incomplete Document Vault.
7. If I am exempt from filing one of the required documents, what should I upload in the required documents section?
If your organization is exempt from filing any of the required documents, proof of the exemption must be uploaded in the required document section.
8. I have uploaded all required documents and completed all required forms; why hasn’t my document vault been reviewed?
After all required information has been completed in the document vault, the information must be submitted for review by changing the status. To change the status of your document vault, scroll about halfway down the document vault page to the Status Change section and click on "Submit Document Vault."
9. How do I know that my document vault has been submitted for review?
You should receive an email from [email protected] to notify you that your Document Vault has been successfully submitted. You can also verify the status of your document vault at any time by viewing the information in the Details bar near the top of the document vault page. If your document vault has been submitted the status will be “Document Vault In Review” or “Document Vault Prequalified/In Review.”
10. How long will it take to have my document vault reviewed?
The review process is often completed within five (5) business days after submission. If your organization has an approaching RFP or RFA deadline, plan to submit your document vault 5-10 business days prior to the deadline for the prequalification process to be completed.
11. I submitted my document vault for review and received an email notifying me that modifications are required. How do I determine what modifications are required?
To view the comments made by the Prequalification Specialist that completed the review of your document vault, refer to the State Prequalification Application Status Report located near the bottom of your document vault page (within the Management Screens section). The report will display any notes concerning what modifications are required, as well as the names and email addresses of the Prequalification Specialist assigned to review your document vault.
12. I have completed my document vault or made the required modifications, why has my document vault not been approved?
If you have submitted you document vault for review and five business days have passed, you should contact the Prequalification Specialist assigned to review your document vault. The email addresses for the Prequalification Specialist assigned to review your document vault can be found in the State Prequalification Application Status report located near the bottom of your document vault page (within the Management Screens section).
13. How will I know when the review of my Prequalification application is complete and I am Prequalified?
If you have been assigned to receive email notifications from the Grants Gateway system, you will receive an email notifying you that your organization is now in the status of "Document Vault Prequalified."
You can also check the status of your Document Vault at any time by viewing your Document Vault. The Current Status shows in the blue information box.
14. Will I be notified when my documents in my document vault are expiring?
Grants Gateway system generated emails are sent to organizations 30, 20, and 10 days prior to documents expiring in the Document Vault. Email reminders are also sent the day of expiration, 15, 30, and 60 days after your document vault has moved into an expired status.
To check which users within your organization who are assigned to receive email notifications concerning the document vault, view the Add/Edit People section located near the bottom of your document vault page. Every person with a checkmark in the box next to their name will receive email notifications concerning your organization’s document vault.
To add or remove someone assigned to receive email notifications, the Grantee Delegated Administrator must check or uncheck the box next to the user’s name.
15. After my organization has been Prequalified, what else does the organization need to do?
After your organization has been Prequalified, continue to maintain accurate and up-to-date information in your Document Vault. Financial documents (Audit/Reviews and Findings, CHAR 500 and IRS 990), and forms (Organization Capacity, Organization Compliance and Organization Integrity) must be updated annually.
16. I received an email notification that documents in my document vault are expiring. How can I determine what those documents are and when they expire?
Expiration dates for your financial documents (Audit/Reviews and Findings, CHAR 500 and IRS 990) can be viewed in the State Prequalification Application Status Report. This report can be found near the bottom of your document vault page.
17. I am updating my expired or expiring documents. Where is the Save button in the Document Vault?
If your document vault is Prequalified, before you have access to the Save button, you must first change your status to "Document Vault Prequalified Open." To change the status of your document vault, scroll about halfway down the document vault page to the Status Change option. Click Status Change, and then click on the “Document Vault Prequalified Open” status. This will give you access to the add and save functions in the Document Vault.
Once your Document Vault is in the status of "Document Vault Prequalified Open", "Document Vault Expired", or "Document Vault Modifications Required", you must click the Add button located near the top of the page you are updating. After the Add button is clicked, you will be presented with a blank page for that document, and have access to the Save button.
After all updates have been completed, you will need to submit those updates for review. To submit your document vault for review, scroll about halfway down the document vault page to the Status Change section, click the link to submit document vault, click the status of “Submit Document Vault Updates,” and then click "I Agree" to submit.
18. My organization has been asked to provide our Grants Gateway Document Vault number or Prequalification Number. Where can I locate that number?
Non-Profit organizations can find their Document Vault number on the top of any page in the Document Vault. For example, if you were to click on the Organization Capacity page in the Required Forms section of the Document Vault, the Document Vault number will appear at the top of the page, below the blue bar. The number will be in the following format: GDV-XXXXX-YYYYY where the XXXXX number is a 3-5 character string of text that corresponds with the State Agency your vault is reviewed by, and the YYYYY string is a number. The entire GDV number is your Document Vault identifier.
19. How can I determine the current status of my organization's Document Vault / Prequalification?
Simply viewing your organization's Document Vault will show you the status of the Vault. Click on Organization(s) > Document Vault and you will see the Current Status in the info box near the top of the Vault.
You can also determine when your Document Vault will expire by looking at the State Prequalification Application Status Report. The report is found near the bottom of the Document Vault page. View the report and look at the "Expires" dates for the IRS990, Audit/Reviews and Findings, and CHAR500 documents. The earliest date(s) is the date that your vault will expire.
Refer to Section 4, Page 33 of the User Manual to understand the various Document Vault statuses.