Budget Instructions for Iowa Grants

Submitting Your Early Childhood Iowa Area 
Budget/Budget Amendments on Iowagrants.gov

Beginning with the SFY’16 annual budget, Early Childhood Iowa Area (ECIA) boards must submit the budget online through the Iowagrants.gov website.  Any budget amendment the area wants to request must also be submitted through Iowagrants.gov using a ‘negotiation process’ (an existing process on this system).

1. Click on ‘Returning Users Sign In Here’ if you are a current user.  [Note: If you have an A&A Enterprises account, you use the same information to log in.]  Click on ‘New Users Register Here’ if you are a new user.
2. Enter your account ID and password.
3. Click on ‘Funding Opportunities’
4. Click on the Opportunity Title, “FYxx ECI Area Funding”
5. Click on ‘Start a New Application’
6. In the Project Title field, enter the name of your ECIA and the state fiscal year (i.e., SFY’16), verify that the two other fields are correct (modify if needed) and click on “Save.” 
7. The completed Application screen displays.  Click on “Menu.”
8. Click on ‘My Applications’
9. Click on the appropriate “Project Title.”  (This is the title you entered when starting a new application.)
10. You will click on each form name and complete the information required on the form.  (The General Information form is already completed for you based on data you entered when completing the application.)
11. Complete the information in each data field.  
    For the “County(ies) Participating, Congressional District(s), Iowa Senate District(s), and Iowa House District(s)” fields, press and hold down the ‘Ctrl’ key on your keyboard and select all the counties/districts in your area.  If you do not know this information, you can find this information on the Iowa Legislature website.  https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislators (There are two ‘Ctrl’ keys on your computer keyboard.  If you look at the keyboard row with your spacebar, you will see a ‘Ctrl’ key at each end of this row.)  
    After entering data in the fields, click on ‘Save.’
    Once the form is complete, click on “Mark as Complete.”
12. Complete the information in each data field.  
    For the “Group(s) positively/ negatively impacted,” press and hold down the ‘Ctrl’ key on your keyboard and select all the groups impacted.  (There are two ‘Ctrl’ keys on your computer keyboard.  If you look at the keyboard row with your spacebar, you will see a ‘Ctrl’ key at each end of this row.)  
    After entering data in the fields, click on ‘Save.’
    Once the form is complete, click on “Mark as Complete.”
13. Click on “Edit.”  Complete the information in each data field.  Instructions for completing each section follow.
    After entering data each section, click on ‘Save.’
    Once the form is complete, click on “Mark as Complete.”

14. Enter your area’s SFY’16 allocation and the estimated carry-forward amount from SFY’15 into SFY’16 in each funding category. Enter the date the board approved the budget.Click on “Save.” When the screen updates, an “Add” button displays in each funding category section.

15. The “Running Total” is a subtotal for the administrative funds.
    The “Totals” is a total of both administrative and category funds.
    Click on “Add” to complete line items in each funding category.

16. Program/Service/Activity – Enter the name of the program, service or activity (For the Administrative category, select from the drop down list)  (150 character max.)
    Other Description (Administration category ONLY) – If you selected “Other,” provide a description of the expense (150 character max.)
    Contractor – Enter the contractor(s) information (300 character max., with the exception of line items in the Preschool Programming category which is 600 character max.)
    Original Budget – Enter the amount the board is budgeting for this line item
    Summary of Services – Provide a summary of services for this line item (600 character max.)
    Age of Children Served – Provide the age range of the children served
    County(ies) of Service – Select the counties impacted by the service
    Type of Service – Select the type of service from the drop down list.

17. Click on “Save.”  When the page updates, the main budget form displays.  Continue to add line items for all the items in each category.

18. As you enter line items, the “Grand Total” field updates with the sum of all lines.

19. To change financial information you entered in the “Summary” section (the SFY allocation or estimated carry-forward amounts), click on “Edit” to open the fields for editing.

20. To change information in a line item or delete a line item, click on the Program/ Service/Activity name to open up the line item for editing.

21. When you are finished entering/updating the budget, click on “Mark as Complete.”