Radio Major Market Service Extension Project
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total amount of the funds or grant pool available for this project?
The total pool of funds available for the project is $1.5M.
How many stations will receive funding?
We can not anticipate in advance the number of projects which might receive funding.
Is there a minimum or maximum award for per applicant?
There is no minimum or maximum amount an applicant might request.
What is the timeframe of the decisions of what projects will be awarded.
The deadline for proposals is Dec. 29, 2006. We anticipate announcing the grants on or about February 23, 2007.
What then would the timeframe of money distribution be?
The timeframe for distribution of funds to successful applicants may be negotiated during the contracting phase.
Is this grant for 1 year projects only or is multi-year funding available?
At this time, CPB is funding this project in its fiscal year '07 only, and we do not know if the project will continue in coming years. However, we will consider making grants for projects that extend over more than one year, with the time frame for using the grant to be determined during the contract negotiation process.
Is this a matching grant, a 3 year grant, a one time grant?
This is not a matching grant. However, CPB anticipates that successful applicants will be seeking additional funds for their projects. We are requesting that applicants outline their plans for seeking those additional funds in their proposals.
Will CPB reject proposals outright if the "ask is too large" or might a lower amount be negotiated?
CPB will give all proposals due consideration. CPB does not anticipate being the sole source of funding for these projects therefore stations are free to request any level of support they feel is appropriate.
Is this a new project or is this based off of previous grant program?
This is a new project.
We are a station in a major market that is currently participating in another CPB grant and also just received a digital conversion grant. Would we be eligible for this grant?
Participation in other CPB grant programs is not disqualifying, but it is fair to say that internal and external panels generally give higher priority to applicants who are not currently participating in any CPB grant programs.
Our station is licensed to a town outside a major market, but our signal reaches into the market. Are we eligible for the Major Market Service Extension Project?
Any licensee that appears in the Arbitron book in a top 25 market is eligible.
The RFP outlines a number of project objectives. Is there any priority order to these objectives?
No. The project objectives are in no particular order.
Can we apply for a capital campaign?
Yes, capital campaigns are within the scope of the RFP.
Would the objective of "creating unique content for local and national audiences" include expansion of an established regional news service to national coverage and national distribution?
While we cannot comment in advance on specific concepts or aspects of a project, this kind of activity would fall within the scope of the RFP.
Are some initiatives more likely to be funded than another, i.e. Capital Campaign vs. Programming?
With this initiative CPB seeks to support activity that will have significant impact for major market radio stations, their audiences, their communities, their organizations and other key stakeholders. It is at each applicant's discretion to determine what activity can best advance these objectives and each application will be evaluated in the context of all the proposals received.
Can we apply for more than one project? Will multiple initiatives result in a larger grant award?
It is within the discretion of the proposing entity to determine how many proposals it wishes to put forward. But without knowing the number and quality of proposals for this project it is difficult to answer this question.
May in-kind contributions be included in any matching requirement for the grant?
Yes. In-kind contributions can be included as part of the overall plan for additional funding.
The RFP mentions that the proposal should demonstrate "significant support from the licensee's board." Are letters from board members sufficient or should there be other demonstrations of support?
Letters of support from station board and other key stakeholders (i.e. partner organizations, institutional licensees, etc.) involved in an application will be important in our consideration of all projects.
How many letters of support would be appropriate?
The RFP does not stipulate the number of letters of support an applicant should include in their proposal. The number of letters of support is at the applicant's discretion.
Will CPB look favorably upon projects that include partnerships with other organizations?
CPB is interested in extending stations' reach into their communities and promoting efficiency within the public broadcasting system, and therefore would certainly give projects that include partnerships with other organizations full consideration.
Must these partnerships be with other public broadcasters?
It is at the applicant's discretion to decide with which organizations it might partner.
Does a research component to projects enhance the potential for funding if results can be shared with other stations?
CPB is always interested in sharing success stories, best practices and new information across the public broadcasting system and therefore would certainly give projects that propose to share information full consideration.
Are indirect costs limited to an organization's federal negotiated rate?
As a rule of thumb, applications with high levels of indirect costs are subject to a greater level of scrutiny and may be subject to a greater level of justification by the applicant.
How will Spanish language projects, or projects that target minority audiences, the elderly, children, and disabled people be given a higher funding priority and special consideration above projects that do not relate to these respective areas of service?
Regardless of their focus, CPB is seeking high-quality proposals in response to this RFP. However, projects which serve these and other new or unique audiences are always of special interest to CPB and will be given due consideration during the evaluation process.
CPB has provided evaluation criteria, but what will be the proposal review and evaluation process? Will there be a panel? If so, will all applicants be able to present proposals in person to the panel?
CPB plans to employ both internal and external review panels. We do not anticipate asking applicants to present proposals in-person.