1. Where do I find other information on managing my current grant?
3. Since prequalification expires annually, how do I check my prequalification status?
1. Where do I find other information on managing my current grant?
See the Manage Your Grant page for detailed information on Reports, Signing Your Contracts, Audit Letters, Crediting NYSCA and Vendor Responsibility.
You can also find various handbooks, webinar recordings and other resources relating to the new SFS grant management procedures by navigating to “SFS Coach” in the SFS Vendor Portal.
2. I am a current NYSCA grantee and planning to apply for a new grant opportunity in FY2025, what steps do I need to take to ensure I’m still Prequalified?
You must be “Prequalified” in the New York Statewide Financial System online portal at the relevant FY2025 application deadline to be eligible for funding. Organizations must be prequalified in the Statewide Financial System at the time of each payment in order to receive funds. If you need guidance on prequalification, refer to pages 24-60 in the SFS Grantee User Manual or watch this video tutorial.
RETURNING applicants: Confirm you are prequalified
Your prequalification expires annually. You are required to update your application and upload new documents to maintain prequalified status in order for your application to be considered.
Prequalification applications in the Submitted or Requested for More Information status are not considered prequalified.
Note: There will be system email notifications sent to the grantee contact(s) when their prequalification application is Submitted, Approved, Requested for More Information, Expired, or Due to Expire. The system will prompt grantees to identify these contacts during the prequalification application process. You must be logged into SFS with an account that includes the role of Prequalification Processor to upload and save documents and submit your prequalification application for review. Be sure the Prequalification Processor is available to submit; NYSCA cannot submit prequalification application materials on your behalf.
NYSCA and SFS are not likely to resolve any issues by the application deadline in any prequalification application submitted less than 7 days before an application deadline.
Contacts:
The SFS Team provides live help desk support weekdays 8:00 am to 5:00 pm at [email protected] or 518-457-7717 / 855-233-8363 (toll-free).
3. Since prequalification expires annually, how do I check my prequalification status?
To view your prequalification status in the SFS Vendor Portal, begin by logging in to the SFS Vendor Portal. From the SFS Vendor Portal homepage, select the View Your Information tile, followed by the View Grants Information tile. An alternative way to navigate to the View Grants Information page is to select the Grants Management - State tile, followed by the Maintain Your Information tile, and finally the View Grants Information tile.
To be prequalified, the prequalification status on the Grants Information page in SFS must display both ‘Prequalified’ and an expiration date that has not passed. Your organization is no longer prequalified if it is past the prequalification expiration date. Prequalification applications that are ‘In Progress,’ ‘In Review by Agency,’ or in ‘More Information Requested’ are not considered prequalified.
4. I received a notice that the Grants Management and Prequalification Portal will be changing from Grants Gateway to the Statewide Financial System (SFS). What do I need to do?
As of 5PM on January 9, 2024, Grants Gateway was retired from service. All prequalification and grant making activities previously conducted in Grants Gateway have moved to the New York Statewide Financial System (SFS).
At the time your organization registered in the Grants Gateway, it received an SFS enrollment email with login credentials and instructions on how to access the SFS Vendor Portal. Please follow the steps below to ensure access and continuity in your prequalification and grant making activities:
- Verify access to SFS by having your organization’s primary contact (SFS Vendor Delegated Admin) log into the SFS Vendor Portal
- Add user access to Grants Management functionalities in SFS
- Navigate to: View Your Information > Maintain Users
- Select a user and click ‘Add a User Role’
- Click the checkbox(es) associated with the applicable role(s) for the user:
- Prequalification Processor: to apply and review existing prequalification applications
- Grants Contract Approver: to review, approve, and sign grant contracts
Make sure to update your organization’s grant profile information. From the homepage, navigate to the following tiles and verify your organization’s:
1. Address: View Your Information > View Address Information
2. Contact Information: View Your Information > View Contact Information
3. Charities Registration No.: View Your Information > View Grants Information
Review the information above and if changes are needed, enter the information directly or initiate a Supplier Change Request for address and banking changes.
- Add a Grant Contract Approver’s Name to your organization’s profile
- From the NavBar, navigate to: Menu > Maintain Supplier Information > Manage User Profiles
- Find your Contract Approver’s User ID and enter the contract approver’s name in the Description field in this format: Last Name, First Name.
- Click Save
- Verify prequalification status by following the instructions listed under FAQ #3 above: Since prequalification expires annually, how do I check my prequalification status?
- Submit a prequalification application annually. To be eligible for funding, you are required to be prequalified at the relevant application deadline, as well as maintain prequalified status at contract execution and at time of payment.
- Log into the SFS Vendor Portal
- Navigate to the Prequalification Welcome Page by clicking the Grants Management Title and then the Prequalification Application Tile.
- On the Welcome Page, under “Select an Activity Below,” you will see one of three activities indicating the status of your prequalification:
- “Initiate a Prequalification Application” will display if you have no prior prequalification applications in SFS. You will need to start a new application to be eligible for prequalification approval.
- “Collaborate on a Prequalification Application” will display if you have an application that is in progress but has not yet been submitted for NYS Agency approval. You will need to finish and submit the application to be eligible for prequalification approval.
- “Update a Prequalification Application” will display if you have a previous application that has been approved or expired. You will need to start a new application to be eligible for prequalification approval.
To stay updated on your prequalification status, make sure you are added as an organizational contact in SFS so you receive email updates from the system.
Consult the SFS Reference Guide to find answers to frequently asked questions or for detailed instructions, refer to the SFS Grantee Manual.
For technical help with SFS including login and password information, please contact the SFS Help Desk at [email protected] and identify yourself as a NYSCA grantee in the email subject line or call 518-457-7717 / 855-233-8363 (toll-free) and identify yourself as a NYSCA grantee. The SFS Team provides live help desk support weekdays 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.