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How to get more time for your project
More time but not more money
Your request will get you more time to make progress on the broad project objectives you set forth in your application. But you will receive no additional MDCP award funds. This means that at least one month prior to the end of your current project period, you can request and receive an additional 12 months of project period. During the extended period you cannot receive any additional funds. You will continue to be able to draw down any remaining MDCP award funds as you continue to pursue project objectives. If you do not request an extension, then your project period ends on the orginal project period end date. In such case, you will not be allowed to draw down any more funds after the end of your original project period.
Justification for extending the project period
A no-cost extension is designed to allow more time to pursue the project objectives set forth in the original application. If, by contrast, you wish to pursue very different objectives, you should be requesting a change in scope. The explanation of your extension request should be pretty straight-forward: a list of one or more activities you wish to undertake during the extended period and an explanation, such as the rescheduling or postponement for some of the planned activities. Three to five sentences usually suffices.
Here is something that is generally not considered to be a good reason to grant an extension: you have unspent award funds. At the end of an MDCP project, unspent award funds are returned to the U.S. Treasury. The Department of Commerce grants extension requests because award recipients have project activity to undertake, not just because they have unspent award funds.
Benefits of requesting an extension
1. Complete project activity that was postponed
2. Continue to pursue project objectives
3. Continue to work with MDCP team
4. Continue to co-brand with ITA emblem
5. Continue to report your performance to ITA
Budget of remaining funds
In addition to your textual justification that you type in Grants Online, you will want to attach a brief budget. The budget should be just for the extended period. In practice, you just take the remaining federal and non-federal share you reported on your most recent financial report (SF-425) and allocate it among the budget categories used on the SF-424A. You should not have to submit a detailed budget if you are more or less continuing to do the same or similar activities that were listed in your original budget. The example below is a guide. It was not submitted on an SF-424A and you don't have to use the 424A. Just submit your proposed use of remaining funs with a break-down similar to what you see above.
| Remaining balance as of June 30, 2015 | ||
| Federal | NonFederal | |
| Personnel | $ 15,284.50 | $ 18,681.00 |
| Fringe Benefits | $ 3,744.75 | $ 4,576.60 |
| Travel | $ - | $ - |
| Equipment | $ 36,144.52 | $ 74,642.14 |
| Supplies | $ - | $ 749.68 |
Other |
$ - | $ 34,975.00 |
| Indirect | $ - | $ 37,891.80 |
| Total | $ 55,173.77 | $ 171,516.22 |
Enter no-cost extension request in GrantsOnline
Access GrantsOnline.
1. Click the "Awards" tab
2. Click the "Search Awards" link, which displays the "Search Awards" page
3. Click the "Search" button, then select your award number "IT..."
4. On the "Grants File" launch page, select the "Create Award Action Request" from the drop down
5. Click "Submit"
6. Select "No-Cost Extension -- Prior Approval Required"
7. Type in your brief textual justification for the extension
8. Attach your budget of remaining funds
9. If you see a field for the date for the extended project period enter the desired date
10. Click "Submit"
Your request will go first to the MDCP director for ITA's recommendation to NOAA's Grants Management Division. GMD makes the final determination about granting extension requests. GMD's action to grant or deny your request will generate an email to you from GrantsOnline.
Can you continue to report exports during the extended period after the award funds are exhausted?
Yes. For example, if you exhaust the last of your award funds six months into your extended project period, you still have six more months to submit quarterly performance reports. It takes time for export sales to percolate. This allows you more time to claim more sales. An extension makes it much more likely that the value of exports generated by your project are captured and reported. MDCP projects with extended project periods outperform those that are not extended.
The MDCP award is a finite amount. You may not claim more MDCP funds than the amount of your MDCP award even if time remains in your project period after your MDCP award funds are depleted. Accordingly, the only type of extension allowed for MDCP awards is a no-cost extension. The original MDCP award amount will not be increased by additional funds.
Project period may extend up to six (6) years beyond the award year
An MDCP project period may be extended to end not later than six years after the end of the fiscal year during which the award was made. For example, a cooperator that received an award from the FY 2016 competition may have its project period end date extended to not later than September 30, 2022 (2016 + 6 = 2022).
For cooperators that begin their project period on October 1 or earlier of the year they receive their MDCP award, this means that their project can ultimately last up to six years. For those that begin after October 1, the extended project period will be less than six years total. For example, an FY 2016 award where the project period began January 1, 2017 can have an extended project period of 5 ¾ years, January 1, 2017 through September 30, 2022.
To receive an extension a cooperator first completes a request, as set forth above, 30 days or more before the end of its project period. Generally, an extension request is limited to 12 months. In some cases a 24-month extension may be granted if justified. If more time is needed after receiving an extension, an additional extension may be granted if requested and justified.
Having an extended project period does not preclude a cooperator from receiving another MDCP award. Several cooperators have undertaken more than one project at a time under more than one concurrent award.
Current cooperators were notified of this policy on June 16, 2017. See Public Law 101-510 passed in November 1990.
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