Defense Community Infrastructure Program Grant Proposal

FY25 DCIP Application Content and Format
A. Standard Form 424 (Grants.gov form)
Please refer to the instructions provided with the Grants.gov Notice of Funding Opportunity on
how to complete the Standard Form 424. Please note: information entered in Box 18, Estimated
Funding, in the “Federal” form field in Grants.gov will be used as the formal amount the
proposal requests under the competition.
B. Summary of Proposer and Eligibility
1. Proposing Entity Name & Contact Information
a) Submitting entity name (note: name must match

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b) Primary point of contact
Name
Phone Number
Email Address
Organization Address
c) The organization’s Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)

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Free-text w/ UEI ##-####### validation

UEI registration in SAM.gov);

2. Project Name

Name the proposal based on: city/county project location (including zip code + four), project type, benefitting
installation (e.g., Johnson County Sewer Infrastructure Improvement Project for Fort Blue 44122-5555).

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3. Proposed Project Location

Using latitude and longitude coordinates (e.g., 38°51'12.9"N 77°02'56.1"W), identify the approximate location
for the proposed project.

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4. Project Type

Select one of the following eligible project types: transportation project; community support facility (e.g., school,
hospital, police, fire, emergency response, or other community support facility); or utility infrastructure project
(e.g., water, wastewater, telecommunications, electric, gas, or other utility infrastructure).

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5. Benefitting Installation

Please identify the primary military installation to benefit from the proposed project.

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6. Enhancement Submission Type

Indicate the enhancement benefitting a military installation (select only one): enhances military value, contributes to training
of cadets at an independent program at a covered educational institution, enhances installation resilience, or enhances
military family quality of life.

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7. Defense-Related Critical Infrastructure

Indicate whether the submitted proposal includes a non-Department of Defense networked infrastructure asset or
facility essential to project, support, and sustain military forces and operations. Note: This should only be
indicated if the installation commander letter of support affirms the proposed project defense-related critical
infrastructure.

Yes/No

8. Status of Local Cost Share Contributions

Indicate only one of the following possible statues for local cost share funding

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9. For projects that include local cost share and/or another (non-Office of Local Defense
Community Cooperation) federal grant source cost contributions, indicate (more than one can
apply):
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10. Describe the intended Grantee’s ability and authority to manage grants; for example, a
summary of past federal funding received, the existence of project staff with federal grant
management experience that will manage the project, etc.
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11. Is the Grants.gov Submitting Official authorized by the proposer to submit a proposal and
subsequently apply for assistance?
Yes/No

C. Summary of Project Enhancement
1. A description how/if the proposed project enhances “Military Value.”

Proposals will be evaluated based on their evidence that the proposed project will enhance each of the following
four (4) military value criteria as provided in section 3002 of the Military Construction Authorization Act for
Fiscal Year 2002, and as published in 69 Federal Register 6948 (February 12, 2004).

a) How will the proposed project enhance the current and future mission capabilities and the impact on
operational readiness of the Department of Defense’s total force, including impact on joint warfighting,
training and readiness?
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b) How will the proposed project affect the availability and condition of land, facilities and associated
airspace (including training areas suitable for maneuver by ground, naval, or air forces throughout a
diversity of climate terrain areas and staging areas for use of the Armed Forces in homeland defense
missions) [for Department of Defense locations]?
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c) How will the proposed project affect the ability to accommodate contingency, mobilization, and
future total force requirements [for Department of Defense locations] to support operations and
training?
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d) How will the proposed project affect the cost of operations and [are there] manpower implications?
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2. A description how/if the project will enhance cadet training at “covered educational
institutions.”

Proposals will be evaluated based on their evidence that the proposed project will enhance each of the following
four (4) military value criteria as provided in section 3002 of the Military Construction Authorization Act for
Fiscal Year 2002, and as published in 69 Federal Register 6948 (February 12, 2004).

(1) how the infrastructure project will contribute to the training of cadets enrolled in an independent
program at a “covered educational institution”?
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(2) the resulting impact to the benefitting installation, identifying in the proposal the specific covered
educational institution.
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(3) affirm their compliance with each of the following aspects included in the 10 U.S.C. § 2391(e)(6)
definition of a covered educational institution:
a) a part B Institution, as defined in section 322 of the Higher
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Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. § 1061);
b) an 1890 Institution, as defined in section 2 of the Agricultural
Yes/No
Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. §
7601);
c) is not affiliated with a consortium; and,
Yes/No
d) is located at least 40 miles from a major military installation.
Yes/No

3. A description how/if the project will enhance of Installation Resilience.

Proposals will be evaluated based on their evidence that the proposed project will enhance military installation
resilience. As defined in 10 U.S.C. § 101(e)(8), the term “military installation resilience” means, “the capability
of a military installation to avoid, prepare for, minimize the effect of, adapt to, and recover from extreme weather
events, or from anticipated or unanticipated changes in environmental conditions, that do, or have the potential
to, adversely affect the military installation or essential transportation, logistical, or other necessary resources
outside of the military installation that are necessary in order to maintain, improve, or rapidly reestablish
installation mission assurance and mission-essential functions.” Using language from that definition, proposals
should describe how/if the proposed project impacts military installation resilience.

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4. A description how/if the project will enhance of military quality of life.

Proposals will be evaluated based on their evidence that the proposed project will enhance military quality of
life. As proposals describe how/if the proposed project impacts military quality of life, proposals must detail how
the proposed project alleviates installation commuter workforce issues and benefits schools or other local
infrastructure located off of a military installation that will support members of the armed forces and their
dependents residing in the community, as required under 10 U.S.C. § 2391(e)(4)(C).

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5. A description how/if the project includes “defense-related critical infrastructure.”

If the proposed project is defense-related critical infrastructure, proposers should describe the impact of the
project on prevention, remediation, or mitigation of risks resulting from vulnerabilities of critical infrastructure
assets, both on the installation and outside of the installation. The proposal should capture a holistic assessment
demonstrating how the assets or facilities are essential to project, support, and sustain military forces and
operations and provide mutual benefit to the military installation.

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6. A description how/if the project supports strategic seaports.

If the proposed project is defense-related critical infrastructure, proposers should describe the impact of the
project on prevention, remediation, or mitigation of risks resulting from vulnerabilities of critical infrastructure
assets, both on the installation and outside of the installation. The proposal should capture a holistic assessment
demonstrating how the assets or facilities are essential to project, support, and sustain military forces and
operations and provide mutual benefit to the military installation.

(1) the proposed project is listed in the
report on strategic seaports in response to
Section 3515 of the National Defense
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020
(Public Law 116-92; 133 Stat. 1985);
(2) the strategic seaport where the
proposed project is located

Yes/No

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D. Summary of Community-Installation Need
1. A description of the project

If the proposed project is defense-related critical infrastructure, proposers should describe the impact of the
project on prevention, remediation, or mitigation of risks resulting from vulnerabilities of critical infrastructure
assets, both on the installation and outside of the installation. The proposal should capture a holistic assessment
demonstrating how the assets or facilities are essential to project, support, and sustain military forces and
operations and provide mutual benefit to the military installation.

a) A general description of the project;
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b) Major scope elements (e.g., site work, utility upgrades, horizontal construction, mechanical systems
installation, etc.);
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c) Engineering information that demonstrates the technical feasibility of the construction project, and
that the final project will be complete and usable;
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d) The participating project parties involved in the project, to include contemplated grant subrecipients as defined by 2 C.F.R. 200.1.
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2. A narrative describing the community-installation need.

a) Detail on how the completed project will addresses a specific deficiency in community
infrastructure supportive of a military installation;
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b) A summary of the installation need for the proposed community infrastructure project, and how
the absence of the proposed community infrastructure project degrades military value at the military
installation, the training of cadets enrolled in an independent Reserve Officer Training Corps program
at a covered educational institution and resulting impact to the benefitting installation, military
installation resilience, or military family quality of life at a military installation;
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c) An estimate of the likely beneficiaries of the project (in addition to the military installation) as well
as an assessment of the extent to which the total installation population of military service members
(or, if applicable, cadets enrolled in an independent program at a covered educational institution)
and/or their families will benefit (e.g., 0-100% of the population); and,
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d) A letter of support from an installation commander of a benefitting installation. If multiple
installations are to benefit from a project, the letter of support must be signed by all benefitting
installations.
Installation Commander Support Letter(s) should be included as attachments with your application.
See the NOFO for more details

E. Summary of Construction Readiness
The Summary of Construction Readiness provides evidence that the proposed project may
commence (i.e., break ground) quickly should the project be awarded and that the project can be
completed within five (5) years of a grant award date when the funds for this competition will
expire. The Summary of Construction-Readiness section must contain the information for the
following six (6) scored characteristics of construction-readiness:
1. Status of planning and design of the proposed project.

Proposals must provide detail on the status of design and planning required to proceed with ground-disturbing
construction.

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2. Budget and funding sources.

All submissions must include a project budget section that identifies the information below. Budgets that fail to
include these categories will be down-scored.

a) Proposals must provide a reasonable, allowable, and allocable project budget that demonstrates an
understanding of eligible costs. Costs identified in this project budget must be broken out by major
cost elements for project administration, inspection, construction, utilities, and contingency costs.
This project budget must also identify the total cost for the proposed project, identifying which costs
(if present) are contributed by other sources of funding (i.e., project parties).
If soft costs (i.e., costs that are not direct construction costs) required for the planning, design, and execution are
identified as part of the project budget, they must be funded as part of the local cost share portion of the project.
Please note that all costs included in project budgets must have been incurred after August 13, 2018, the date of
enactment of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019. Please note: the
amount identified in this budget section as the request for the Defense Community Infrastructure Program should
match the amount identified in Box 18 of the Standard Form 424 (in Grants.gov).

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b) If the proposed project is part (a phase) of a larger project, detail must be provided on the status of
all funding to complete the total project.
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c) An overview of all funding sources, including non-federal project cost contribution source funding,
that demonstrates a firm commitment and unconditioned availability (including any eligibility of
federal funds to be counted as the funding contribution) to complete the project is required.
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d) If a local project cost contribution is required (or included as part of the proposed budget even if
not required) for a community infrastructure project, a selected Grantee must show that local project
cost contribution funding is liquid and readily available to the project prior to receiving grant
disbursements from the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation. The proposal itself must
therefore include evidence that the necessary non-Federal sourced funding will be available to
execute the project prior to disbursement of Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation funds.
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e) Proposals relying on debt financing for any portion of their project must demonstrate how any
Federal Interest that is created through the proposed project will be preserved through any
subsequent refinancing, foreclosure, or other actions that may change the purpose, life, and/or
benefactors of the enhancement that was the basis for the Federal Interest.
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f) If necessary, documentation demonstrating that the requested grant funds do not supplant other
available federal funds, such as those through Defense Access Roads, Rebuilding American
Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity, the Economic Development Administration Public Works
and Economic Adjustment Assistance, etc. If other federal funding is required to execute the project,
the Grantee must include with the proposal a copy of a counter-signed funding agreement with the
awarding federal agency.
Documentation for this requirement should be included as attachments with your application.
g) The proposing entity must also state its capability to secure a surety bond (e.g., a bid guarantee,
performance bond, and payment bond) prior to the commencement of construction activity as
defined by 2 C.F.R. Part 200.326.
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h) Acknowledgement that any cost overruns will be the obligation of the proposer.
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i)

Instructions please complete the budget worksheet to the best of your knowledge. Please note
that DCIP funds do not cover costs related to design, planning, environmental, indirect and soft
costs are unallowable. If soft costs (i.e., costs that are not direct construction costs) are required
they must be funded as part of the local cost share portion of the project.

Category
Administration/Legal
Expenses

Federal

Non-Federal (Local Cost
Share)

Other Funding Source

Inspection
Construction
Equipment
Utilities
Architectural/Engineering
Fees*
Contingencies (no more than
15%)

N/A

Total

*Ineligible for DCIP funding

3. Proposed project schedule from September 2025.

A detailed project development schedule must be included that explains the project execution strategy. The
project schedule should identify milestones such as final permitting and compliance (including National
Environmental Policy Act process), long lead time permits and approvals (specifically environmental), design
and contracting, site control, start of construction, and end of construction. The proposer must demonstrate that

the project can commence within a reasonable timeline (within twenty-four (24) months) upon receipt of a grant;
that the grant funds will be spent steadily and expeditiously once the project commences; and that the project can
be completed no later than five (5) years following the obligation of Federal funds. Incomplete or inaccurate
construction schedules will result in a proposal not being scored and removed from further consideration.

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4. Review of environmental planning.

Proposals must include a status of federal (National Environmental Policy Act) and state/local environmental
requirements and a detailed plan for completing environmental. Construction and ground disturbance may not
begin for a grant project until the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation determines that the National
Environmental Policy Act documentation is complete and is of sufficient quality to inform a reliable conclusion
about the potential environmental impacts of the project. All submissions must include the following information
related to meeting the environmental analysis and documentation requirements of the National Environmental
Policy Act.
See the NOFO for additional guidance.

a) A narrative describing how environmental analysis and documentation requirements of the
National Environmental Policy Act have been or will be met in sufficient detail to support anticipation
of a National Environmental Policy Act determination or finding.
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b) Provide a list and completion status of all required environmental permits, authorizations, and
approvals. If the processes to obtain these permits, authorizations, and approvals is not already
complete, proposer must:

i. Provide a narrative and timeline for completing all required Federal or state environmental permits,
authorizations, and approvals.
ii. The environmental narrative must explain how all environmental requirements, including permits and review
pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act, will be completed; and,
iii. Provide the names and relevant credentials for in-house or third-party consultant environmental professionals
pursuing the permits and conducting the review.

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5. Status of permitting approvals.

Proposals must include details on required federal and state/local permits including status and timeline to obtain
such permits. If applicable, proposers must identify whether the proposed project is subject to inclusion in state,
regional, metropolitan, or local approval regimes, or a certification from another agency (e.g., Metropolitan
Planning Organization) of the inclusion of the project in any such planning document. The proposer must
demonstrate that conformance with applicable state, regional, and/or local planning requirements is attainable
within a reasonable timeline of grant award, list all necessary permitting, and the schedule for obtaining such

permits. Specific mention of long lead-time permits to include federal organizations and/or those requiring multiagency consideration or approval (e.g., U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Defense Counterintelligence and Security
Agency) must be presented in the proposal within the context of the project development schedule. Failure to
identify all necessary permits with a schedule in submitted proposals will result in down-scoring during the
proposal review period and potential project cancellation should the project be awarded and it determined that
information was knowingly withheld.

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6. Status of site control.

Proposals must provide details on the status of site control for the life of the investment, specifically legal
documentation such as easements, lease agreements, deeds, or the necessary progress to ensure construction
commences within a reasonable timeframe (within twenty-four (24) months of award).
Please note: site or land acquisition, whether with Defense Community Infrastructure Program award funds,
local cost share contributions, or some combination thereof, is not an eligible activity.

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F. Attachments [at the discretion of proposers]
Attachments should be included in compliance with the overall application page limit as set forth
at the start of this section. Such attachments may include maps, drawings, environmental
compliance documents, or other evidence that demonstrates how a proposal will start
construction within a reasonable timeframe and be complete within five (5) years.