Workforce, Education, and Vibrant Ecosystems (WEAVE) FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Proposals

1. If I'm not a member of an institute, then would it still be possible to team with an institute? Would it be the decision of the institute if membership is required for teaming? Or is there a pre-requisite for membership in an institute to participate on a proposal team? 
2. Can the institutes make a discretionary decision to include or exclude members as part of the proposal team?
3. For the purposes of this NOFO, how are ‘covered entities’ defined? 
4. How will the proposals be evaluated? What are the evaluation criteria? 

Deadlines

1. When are proposals due? 
2. Does the order of submission before the deadline have any impact on the review decision process?
3. Are the submission deadlines affected by a government shutdown?

Funding & Budget

1. What are the total funds available for this program?
2. What is the maximum amount of funds for a single proposal?
3. Can proposal teams offer cost-share to supplement the federal funding to extend the resources available for the project?
4. What is the total number of awards? 
5. For the Cooperative agreement, will the financial fund disbursements be via a reimbursement model, or will the selected teams get the money upfront?
6. What is a recommended program management cost as a percentage of the funding?
7. May an institute lead multiple proposals?
8. Can covered entities receive funding through subcontracts? 

Teaming

1. If there are partners yet to be identified during the time of proposal submission, can such a proposal be submitted? 
2. Can another agency collaborate with the proposal team as an unfunded partner? 
3. Can multiple teams of institutes submit "grouped" $3.5M proposals that add up to a larger project/program?  
4. How can covered entities inform institutes of their interest in collaborating?

Answers

Proposals

If I'm not a member of an institute, then would it still be possible to team with an institute? Would it be the decision of the institute if membership is required for teaming? Or is there a pre-requisite for membership in an institute to participate on a proposal team? 

NIST does not require institute membership for all members of proposal teams.  However, the Manufacturing USA institutes may have different approaches for inclusion of non-members on proposal teams. We suggest you reach out directly to the Manufacturing USA institute(s) best aligned with your interests to determine how non-members might contribute to proposal teams.

Can the institutes make a discretionary decision to include or exclude members as part of the proposal team? 

When considering proposed concepts from institute members or non-members, the institutes have full discretion to choose partners. All proposals submitted by institutes should align with NOFO eligibility requirements, objective, and focus areas.

For the purposes of this NOFO, how are ‘covered entities’ defined? 

Covered entities include: HBCUs; a Tribal College or University; a minority-serving institution; a minority business enterprise (as such term is defined 15 C.F.R. 1400.2); or a rural-serving institution of higher education (as such term is defined in 20 U.S.C. 1161q). 

How will the proposals be evaluated? What are the evaluation criteria? 

For details on the proposal review, evaluation criteria and selection process, please refer to Section V of the WEAVE NOFO.

Deadlines

When are proposals due? 

October 2, 2023 at 11:59 pm (EDT) 

Does the order of submission before the deadline have any impact on the review decision process? 

No. Early proposals will be treated the same as later proposals that come in before the deadline.  However, proposals received after the deadline will NOT be considered.  

Are the submission deadlines affected by a government shutdown?

NO. The Grants.gov submission portal will be unaffected in the event of a federal government shutdown.  There will be no change to proposal submission deadlines.

Funding & Budget

What are the total funds available for this program?  

Approximately $11 million will be available for project funding.  

What is the maximum amount of funds for a single proposal?

Proposal teams may apply for up to $3.5 million in federal funds. The period of performance for awards is up to two years.   

Can proposal teams offer cost-share to supplement the federal funding to extend the resources available for the project? 

Yes. Although there is no requirement for non-federal cost-share for WEAVE awards, there is no prohibition for teams to leverage partner resources to fund an element of the proposed project. 

What is the total number of awards? 

It depends on the proposed budgets of meritorious proposals. NIST has $11 million available in funding and anticipates funding between three to six awards.

For the Cooperative agreement, will the financial fund disbursements be via a reimbursement model, or will the selected teams get the money upfront?

NIST uses the Automated Standard Application for Payments (ASAP) system, a completely electronic system, to transfer money quickly and securely to recipient organizations. Awardees will have access to their funds immediately. However, award recipients should avoid drawing more funds than may be paid out as expenses in a 30-day period. 

What is a recommended program management cost as a percentage of the funding?

NIST does not have a recommendation. Proposal teams are expected to justify the rationality of proposed costs as described in the NOFO. 

May an institute lead multiple proposals?

A Manufacturing USA institute may only serve as the lead applicant on one application but may serve as a sub-recipient or as an unfunded collaborator on other applications.   

Can covered entities receive funding through subcontracts? 

Yes.

Teaming

If there are partners yet to be identified during the time of proposal submission, can such a proposal be submitted? 

If partners have not been identified at the time of submission, the proposal should identify as much information as possible about the expected role, qualifications, and activities of the missing partner(s) to the extent possible to allow reviewers to assess the merit of the proposal according to the evaluation criteria in the NOFO. 

Can another agency collaborate with the proposal team as an unfunded partner? 

Yes.

Can multiple teams of institutes submit "grouped" $3.5M proposals that add up to a larger project/program?

Yes. There is no penalty for multiple proposal teams to submit aligned project proposals that contribute to a larger programmatic deliverable. However, each proposal submitted will be evaluated on its own merit based on the evaluation criteria identified in the NOFO.   

How can covered entities inform institutes of their interest in collaborating? 

Reach out to institutes directly. More information on Manufacturing USA institutes can be found here: https://www.manufacturingusa.com/institutes