September 30/October 1 Submissions - Two Busy Days

There will be a record number of closings on September 30th and October 1st, 2008. This means the Grants.gov system will likely be working at maximum capacity.

While we attempt to encourage the agencies to spread-out their closings, we were unsuccessful this year. (Next year, we hope, will be a different story.)

• HHS-ACF has 63 closings on September 30.
• EPA has 101 closings scheduled for October 1.

We, however, must deal with the present situation before us. I am, therefore, encouraging everyone who will be making a submission to do so at the earliest opportunity. Please do not wait until the last minute lest you get caught in the proverbial log-jam.

If you encounter difficulties, please contact the Call Center, 1-800-518-4726. Hours of Operation: Monday-Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. The advantages to engaging the Call Center are: 1) all calls are documented and if your submission should be late or unsuccessful, you will have a record for documenting an appeal - if your Grantor agency has an appeals process (some do not allow appeals); 2) the Center's principal objective is to assist you in making a successful submission.

There is, however, no better way to avoid the log-jam than to submit early. Thank you.