How to Read a Federal NOFO: What 2 CFR 200.204 Says Must Be in It
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How we wrote this: A plain-English summary of 2 CFR 200.1 and 200.204 (Uniform Guidance), checked October 29, 2026. General information, not legal or audit advice; your award terms and agency guidance control.
What a NOFO is
Under 2 CFR 200.1, a notice of funding opportunity is a formal announcement of available federal funding. It tells you who is eligible, the evaluation criteria, the required parts of an application, and how to submit. It counts as a NOFO whatever it's called: program announcement, notice of funding availability, solicitation and so on.
The summary block (2 CFR 200.204(a))
On Grants.gov, before the full text, the agency must show:
- Federal agency name
- Funding opportunity title
- Announcement type: initial or a modification
- Funding opportunity number, if assigned
- Assistance Listing number(s)
- Funding details: the expected total, number of awards and award size (a range or an average)
- Key dates: application due dates, plus any letters of intent, preapplications or Executive Order 12372 submissions
A reading checklist
- Eligibility. Are city, county or tribal governments listed? Are you the applicant, or a subapplicant through your state? FEMA mitigation programs work that way; see FEMA HMA and BRIC.
- Cost sharing. Is match required, and can in-kind count? See match and cost share. Under 2 CFR 200.306(a), if voluntary cost share is used in review, the NOFO must say how.
- Indirect costs. What rate is allowed? See the de minimis rate.
- Review criteria and scoring. Map each criterion to a section of your narrative.
- Submission system and format. Grants.gov or an agency portal, page limits, attachments.
- Deadlines. Note the time zone and any preapplication date. Leave days of margin for system issues.
- Questions. 2 CFR 200.204 says agencies should make answers widely available, for example by posting Q&A on Grants.gov.
Related: Grants.gov Workspace, allowable costs.