A NOFO is the official announcement of a US federal grant opportunity, setting out the programme, who may apply, how and by what deadline. It is a standardised document of eight sections, and all its variants, RFA and APS among them, are forms of NOFO rather than alternatives to it.
A Notice of Funding Opportunity is not free-form. It is a document with a standardised structure set by federal rule. Knowing the structure, you find what you need in a minute instead of an hour.
Eight sections – but the contents moved
The letters A to H survived; what sits under them changed after the 2024 revision. Currently: A basic information, B eligibility, C program description, D application contents and format, E submission requirements and deadlines, F application review information, G award notices, H post-award requirements.
A practical trap: in the old structure eligibility sat in section C, and people still look there. It is now section B, right after basic information.
RFA and APS are NOFOs, not something else
A common misunderstanding. USAID's own rules put it plainly: the agency used two types of NOFO – Request for Applications and Annual Program Statement. So these are subtypes, not alternatives.
The difference lies elsewhere: an RFA announces a specific competition with a deadline, whereas an APS was published at least annually and could stay open or set a deadline no sooner than six months out.
Two numbers worth knowing
The executive summary is capped at 500 words. And a notice must stay posted for at least 60 calendar days – never fewer than 30 even in exceptional circumstances, which must be justified. A competition "closing in a week" is a reason to check whether you are looking at an outdated page.
Where to look in 2026
Notices are published on grants.gov. Since early 2026 the default search is the modernised simpler.grants.gov interface; full replacement of the legacy system is expected around 2027.
Programmes formerly run by USAID are now announced by State Department bureaus – and the USAID page on grants.gov returns an error. Search by subject and sector, not by agency name.
Updated 27.07.2026 · Reviewed by: GetGrant editorial team
