BTF Online Application – User Guide& Grant Writing Assistance

https://btf.mlb.com/

Technical Info• Please note that the BTF Online Application program works best with Chrome or Firefox.

• You can also use Internet Explorer (IE) 8, 9 or 10. If you are using an older version of IE, please upgrade your browser. The program has not yet been tested for IE 11.

• Other browsers or versions may not work well. If you are having issues with the system, you are most likely experiencing a problem with your browser.

• If you are having technical issues with the system, we suggest that you restart your browser and computer and/or clear the cache.

• If you still have technical problems registering for or using the online application system, please send an inquiry to btf@mlb.com. Include the browser you are using and a detailed description of the problem and screen shots. Please allow two business days for a response.

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Construction ProjectsFor all renovation and construction projects (fields and facilities), we strongly recommend consultation with a certified sports turf professional and/or contractor(s) that specializes in athletic fields or facilities.

Successful construction projects require careful and extensive planning and research. It is important to receive input from all parties that will be involved. Construction plans should be reviewed and discussed with all of the parties that will use the field or facility.

We strongly encourage you to review and utilize the resources and information provided by BTF before submitting a request:

BTF Preferred ProvidersBTF Preferred Providers (list)BTF’s Field Construction & Maintenance Resource GuideDeveloping a Construction PlanConstruction Design PlansRequired Construction Design Plans for Requests to BTFInfields - Before You Add DirtChain Link FencingSynthetic Turf Fields Laser GradingIndoor Facilities

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How to Log In – U.S. ApplicantsFor applicants that have previously created a profile in the online system

Enter the U.S. organization’s EIN as the username and the password created by your organization. An EIN is used as a U.S. applicant’s unique identification number in the BTF online system.

Applicants based outside of the U.S. will not have an EIN; therefore, the online application system will assign a random number that will serve as the organization’s User ID. If the organization is based outside the U.S., see next page.

If you have forgotten the password, click “Forgot Password” (see arrow.) An email will be sent to the primary email address in the profile with a link to reset the password. If you don’t know the primary email address, send an inquiry to btf@mlb.com. Allow at least two business days for a response.

Generally, applicants that submitted a request providing a valid EIN in the last six years should be in the online system. The EIN and last-known contact information provided to BTF is stored in the online application system.

If you are a new contact person for a past applicant organization and you do not have the primary email address and password associated with the organization profile, please send an email to btf@mlb.com with the new primary email address. This is required so that you can reset your password.

What is an EIN?

An EIN (Employer Identification Number or Federal Tax Identification Number) is assigned to all U.S. organizations by the Internal Revenue Service. an EIN is assigned by the U.S. government, not your state government. The format of a Federal EIN is XX-XXXXXXX. If the number you have on file has more or less digits, it is unlikely to be a Federal EIN.

BTF requires an EIN for all U.S. based applicants — whether the organization is a registered 501(c)(3) or tax-exempt organization, such as a municipality or public school. Please be aware that BTF will verify your EIN and non-profit status before awarding a grant, so please confirm this information before submitting an application.

Learn more about EINs and eligible organizations.4

Enter the username that was generated by the system (see example) and the password created by your organization.

If you have forgotten the password, click “Forgot Password” (see arrow.) An email will be sent to the primary email address in the profile with a link to reset the password. If you don’t know the primary email address, send an inquiry to btf@mlb.com. Allow at least two business days for a response.

Learn more about EINs and eligible organizations.

How to Log In – Applicants Outside the U.S. For applicants that have previously created a profile in the online system

Generally, applicants that submitted a request providing a valid EIN in the last six years should be in the online system. The EIN and last-known contact information provided to BTF is stored in the online application system.

If you are a new contact person for a past applicant organization and you do not have the primary email address and password associated with the organization profile, please send an email to btf@mlb.com with the new primary email address. This is required so that you can reset your password.

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How to Log InFor all new applicants

Click “Sign Up” (see arrow) to take the Eligibility Survey to determine if your organization and project meet the basic BTF evaluation criteria.

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Eligibility SurveyThe Eligibility Survey helps to determine if your organization and project are eligible for consideration. Please answer each question honestly! This will save time and expense for everyone. All information will be verified, so there is no benefit in misrepresenting your organization or project in order to submit a request.

If your organization and/or project does not meet the basic BTF criteria, you will receive this message.

PLEASE REVIEW CAREFULLY THE COMPLETE BTF EVALUATION CRITERIA AND GRANT PROCESS BEFORE TAKING THIS SURVEY!

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CREATING AN ORGANIZATION PROFILE

If your organization and project meets the basic BTF criteria, you will create a profile. The “Organization Name” must be the complete, legal name as it is registered with the federal government. Learn more about eligible organizations.

Organizations based outside the U.S.: 1) Select “International” for Organization Location and type in your country name in the box below. 2) Select “International...” for “Organizational Structure.” (See examples, right)

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For organizations based outside the U.S. only:

The system will generate a username (see arrow) for your organization. Please write it down for your records.

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Please write down the Primary Email address for your records. If you forget your password, an email will be sent to this email address to reset the password.

We suggest that you select a primary email that will not change frequently. Please note that the primary email is not used for purposes of contacting the applicant, so it can be an email address that is only used for grant seeking purposes and that does not change as the organization experiences turnover.

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Click on each link on the left-hand side (see red arrow) and enter the information requested.

Previous applicants and recipients (i.e. an applicant that did not create a brand new organization profile in the system) should click on each link, review and update each section.

In the Address section, enter the organization‘s official address. If this address is also a valid shipping address (i.e. the best address in which overnight or expedited deliveries can be accepted), check the box (see green arrow). If not, enter a valid shipping address in the second section.

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You must provide a Grant Application contact person who can provide additional information about the organization or project if necessary. Select “Grant Application” (shown right, top) and enter that person’s contact information.

BTF will contact applicants by email, so please enter an email address that is reliable and checked daily.

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The “Board/Executive Team” contact information should be that of the person ultimately responsible for the organization and project and who is authorized by the organization to sign a letter of agreement if a grant is awarded. A shipping address is required and valid email address are required.

Again, remember to click “Save” or “Save and Continue” at the bottom of the page.

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Click each link under “Applicant Facts” on the right-hand side (see arrow) and enter all requested information (see examples, right).

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For organizations based outside the U.S. only:

For “Community Demographics,” select “Other International” and type in the country served by your organization (see example on the right.)

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APPLICANT NARRATIVE

Click on the link on the left-hand side (see arrow) and enter the information about your organization in the “Applicant Narrative” section. This information must be from the perspective of the organization that is applying for the grant.

Be concise and use specifics and details. If you are copying and pasting from another program, make sure all of the text is pasted. Each response has a maximum number of characters and spaces.

Grant writing assistance is available:BTF Online Application WorksheetGrant Writing PreparationBeneficiaries & Service Area

Again, remember to click “Save” or “Save and Continue” at the bottom of the page.

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CREATE A REQUEST

After you have completed the “Basic Info,” “Applicant Facts” and “Applicant Narrative” sections, you will click on “Application Data” to create a request.

If your organization has applied to BTF previously, you may see those requests listed on this page. If this is the first request to BTF, this page will look as shown above.

To create a new request, click “Create Request” (see arrow.)17

Eligibility SurveyYou will be asked to complete the Eligibility Survey again to determine if your organization and project are eligible for consideration. Please answer each question honestly! This will save time and expense for everyone. All information will be verified, so there is no value in misrepresenting your organization or project in order to submit a request.

If your organization and/or project does not meet the basic BTF criteria, you will receive this message.

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FUNDS REQUESTED

Enter all information requested accurately and completely.

Note the following examples of each type of request. Important – These are examples only. Please review the evaluation criteria for eligible and ineligible requests.

• Equipment and/or Uniforms – Balls, helmets, bats, pitching machines, jerseys, caps, etc.

• Field Renovation – Improvements or repairs to an existing field including related structures and field equipment.

• New Field Construction – Construction of a new field on undeveloped land or demolishing an existing field and constructing a new field in its place; includes related structures and field equipment.

• Field Lighting – Installing new field lighting.

• Indoor Facility – The construction of a building with walls and a roof to be used for baseball/softball training and/or the installation of sport-specific accessories/fixtures to create a training facility in a new or existing building. Use this section for the construction of indoor and outdoor (covered) batting cages.

• Other – Coaches training, field maintenance equipment.

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PROJECT DETAILS & PROJECT NARRATIVE

Clicking on each link on the left-hand side (see arrow), enter the information about your organization and project in the “Project Details” and “Project Narrative” sections.

Be concise and use specifics and details. If you are copying and pasting from another program, make sure all of the text is pasted. Each response has a maximum number of characters and spaces.

We strongly encourage the use of the grant writing assistance available:BTF Online Application WorksheetGrant Writing PreparationSetting Organizational Goals

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Required Attachments

Click on the “Attachments” link on the left-hand side (see arrow) to attach the required support documentation. The required forms are available to download. Depending upon the type of request, the following support documentation is required:

• IRS Letter of Determination - for U.S. 501(c)(3) non-profits only (or comparable for NGOs outside the U.S.)

• Annual operating budget of the applicant organization (for non-baseball/softball organizations)

• Annual operating budget for baseball/softball organizations (or programs)

• Budget Summary • Detailed Project Budget• Project Timeline• Field/Facility Maintenance Plan• Required Field Photos • Required Construction Design Plans

An application submitted without these documents is incomplete and may not be considered for funding. Do not alter the format of the forms or submit any other documents in place of the required forms.

After downloading the forms, save each on your computer and carefully review each for accuracy before attaching them to the request. Name each document with a descriptive name (i.e. Detailed Project Budget, Project Timeline, etc.) The “Status” column on the right will turn green after a document is attached (see example.)

We strongly encourage the use of the grant writing assistance, including tutorials and examples, available:Applicant Organizations and Non-profit StatusOperating BudgetsBudget Summary & Detailed Project BudgetMatching FundsProject TimelineCost EstimatesLetters of SupportRequired Field PhotosRequired Construction Design Plans

After attaching all required documents, click “Continue” at the bottom of the page. 21

If you log out of the system before you submit a request, the request will be saved in your “Application Data” section with the status “Draft.” You may click on the title of the request (see arrow) to continue work on the request at a later time.

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IMPORTANT NOTE TO PREVIOUS APPLICANTS & RECIPIENTS

Before submitting a new request, previous applicants and recipients (i.e. an applicant that did not create a brand new organization profile in the system) should click on each link in the organization profile section, review and update each section. See below.

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REVIEW & SUBMIT THE REQUEST

You will have the opportunity to review your request before submitting on the “Summary” page. Carefully review all information and documentation for accuracy, spelling, punctuation and conciseness.

Do not submit the request until you are completely satisfied with the information and documentation provided. Once you click “Submit My Application” at the bottom of the “Summary” page (see arrow below), you cannot make changes to the request.

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REQUEST STATUS

After you click “Submit My Application,” the request is submitted to BTF, and it will appear on the “Application Data” page as shown in the examples.

The status of the request will initially be “Requested” (shown.) During the evaluation process, the status will be changed to “In Process” until a final decision is made by BTF. You may log on anytime during the review cycle to see the status of the request. Your organization will be contacted by email or phone at the conclusion of the review cycle.

You can review the request by moving your mouse over the “Action” column and clicking the icon that will appear (see arrow, top example.)

You may update your contact information and “Applicant Narrative” or sign out of the system by moving your mouse over the organization name in the upper right-hand corner (see arrow, bottom example.)

You may submit only one request for consideration at a time. The online system will not allow you to submit multiple requests.

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REQUEST STATUSAs your request proceeds through the process, the Request Status will be updated as follows:

Draft You have entered and saved information into a request, but the request has not been submitted to BTF.

Requested Your request was submitted successfully to BTF.

In Process Your request is under consideration by BTF.

Approved Your organization was awarded a grant for the request, and the project is currently underway.

Declined Your request was not awarded a grant and is no longer under consideration by BTF.

You can access the status of your request anytime by logging into your organization profile at https://btf.mlb.com. You may review the grant review cycles at BTF Grant Award Process. If additional information is needed during the review cycle, the grant application contact person will be notified. Applicants are contacted via email upon completion of each review cycle.

FAQs about Declined RequestsQ: Does BTF share evaluation notes?A: BTF does not share evaluation notes with applicants. In most cases, requests are declined because of one or all of the

following reasons: 1) the required support documentation was missing or completed incorrectly; 2) the narrative lacked sufficient detail; 3) the request did not adequately demonstrate the possibility of participation growth; or 4) the request did not address opportunities for increased participation by minority, girls or low-income players. If you have specific questions about your request, you may submit them to btf@mlb.com. Please allow two weeks for a response.

Q: Will our application be considered during the next review cycle?A: Unless your organization receives written correspondence stating that the application has been deferred for future

consideration, declined applications are not considered further.

Q: May we resubmit an application?A: If your organization choses to submit a new request, we strongly suggest that you read more carefully the evaluation

criteria, respond honestly to the Eligibility Survey and utilize the grant writing aids and templates provided at www.baseballtomorrowfund.com and on our blog, BTFToday.

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