Application Review Process

Applications receive a comprehensive review, conducted by a panel of independent subject matter experts who are selected from a group of qualified individuals to become reviewers and/or a panel chairperson. 

Applications are reviewed by at least three reviewers, who separately score the application according to evaluation criteria found in the application review section (see the Crosswalk) of the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). Each panel also has a chairperson that does not score applications but facilitates the merit review process and compiles comments for the Applicant Panel Summary report. This report provides the panel reviewers’ comments and the average score for the application. The full panel reaches this summary based on individual reviews of each application according to the published evaluation criteria. 

Evaluation criteria vary for each NOFO, and applicants should refer to the specific NOFO to which they are applying.

The chairperson will send the Applicant Panel Summary report to the federal staff member overseeing the panel. The federal staff member reviews comments to ensure that they correspond to the appropriate published NOFO evaluation criteria and substantiate the score on the Applicant Panel Summary report. Once approved by the federal staff member, the final score for each application is sent to the program office for consideration in making their funding decisions. 

All applicants, whether successful or unsuccessful, should receive a copy of their Applicant Panel Summary Report. The Applicant Panel Summary Report includes the average score and a compilation of the reviewer's strengths and weakness statements on all criteria from the reviewed NOFO. This information may be helpful as constructive feedback for future applications specific to that program. 

The content on this page is for informational purposes and should not be construed as instructions for submitting an application. Please refer to the Notice of Funding Opportunity of interest for detailed instructions.

Applications received by ACF receive a thorough and comprehensive review. Although the time varies from program to program, it takes approximately four to six months from the time ACF receives a new application to the time awards are made. Usually each Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) will contain an estimated date as to when awards will be made. This information can be found in the Application Review section of the NOFO (see Crosswalk). 

Successful applicants will be notified via email, informing them how to access their Notice of Award (NoA) and Terms and Conditions. Successful applicants can find instructions on accessing document(s) that pertain to their award (e.g., Applicant Panel Summary Report) in the remarks section of the NoA. ACF will send electronic notices to the Authorized Representative and contact person noted on the SF-424 form. 

ACF program offices will notify applicants that were not funded either via email or through hard copy mail. These applicants will also receive a copy of their Applicant Panel Summary Report. The Applicant Panel Summary Report includes the average score and a compilation of the reviewer's strengths and weakness statements on all criteria from the reviewed NOFO. If the application was reduced in response to NOFO requirements, the applicant will also receive a letter explaining the reason. 

The content on this page is for informational purposes and should not be construed as instructions for submitting an application. Please refer to the Notice of Funding Opportunity of interest for detailed instructions.