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Registration with the System for Award Management is Now Required

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (May 26, 2016) – With a new registration system now required for grant applicants, low-income credit unions seeking Community Development Revolving Loan Fund assistance grants should give themselves adequate time to file, the National Credit Union Administration said today.

The application deadline is June 30.

Applicants are now required by federal law to register with the government’s System for Award Management (opens new window). Registration is necessary for NCUA to meet federal grant disclosure requirements, and instructions for creating an account and registering your credit union are available on the “Help Documents” section of the Office of Small Credit Union Initiatives’ Grants and Loans information page. Instructions may also be found on the System for Award Management’s website. There is no registration fee.

Credit unions with questions about registering should contact the Federal Service Desk (opens new window) online or by telephone at 866-606-8220. For questions about the Community Development assistance grants, contact NCUA’s Office of Small Credit Union Initiatives at oscuiapps@ncua.gov.

Credit unions may submit one application for all initiatives using NCUA’s CyberGrants program (opens new window). Each credit union may apply for more than one initiative; however, grant awards are subject to the availability of funds.

The four eligible initiatives and maximum grant awards are:

• Capacity and growth: Credit unions considering new lending programs, deposit products or other growth strategies to increase members’ financial service opportunities may apply for up to $15,000 in assistance.
• Cyber security: Up to $7,000 will be available for each eligible credit union to enhance cyber security and protect member information.
• Staff training: Grants of up to $3,000 will be available for selected credit unions to pay for training related to credit union operations, including compliance, lending and collections.
• Student internships: Up to $4,000 will be available to each credit union to hire students enrolled in high school or college.

A full list of eligible grant projects and NCUA’s evaluation criteria can be found online here.

NCUA’s Office of Small Credit Union Initiatives administers the Community Development Revolving Loan Fund grants. The office also fosters credit union development and the effective delivery of financial services for small credit unions, new credit unions, minority depository institutions and credit unions with a low-income designation.