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NOFO Analysis & Criteria Extraction

Upload a NOFO to extract evaluation criteria and configure the proposal generator to match how this specific funder scores.

Professional+professional+ tier

NOFO Analysis & Criteria Extraction

Overview

A Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is the federal government's formal announcement that grant funding is available. Section V of every NOFO describes how reviewers will score your application — the evaluation criteria, point values, and what distinguishes a strong response from a weak one.

GrantsPath reads this section and extracts the scoring criteria directly. The result: your proposal generator, evaluator, and refinement tools are configured for how this specific NOFO scores — not a generic rubric.

This feature is available on Professional plan and above.

How It Works

Step 1: Upload or Link the NOFO

In the application workflow, the "Review NOFO Criteria" step appears after "Gather Your Documents." Click Extract Criteria to analyze the grant's description.

Step 2: Review Extracted Criteria

GrantsPath shows what it found:

  • Criterion names and point values as stated in the NOFO
  • Confidence level — how certain the extraction is for each criterion
  • Provenance — whether each criterion was extracted directly from the NOFO, inferred from context, or filled from category defaults

    • A summary tells you: "Extracted 4 of 5 criteria directly from the NOFO. 1 used category defaults."

    Step 3: Confirm or Adjust

  • High confidence extractions show a compact summary with one click to proceed
  • Medium or low confidence extractions show an editable weight table where you can adjust point values before proceeding
  • You can always click "Adjust weights" to see the full table, even on high-confidence extractions
  • The "Skip — use defaults" option is always available if you prefer the standard category rubric

    • What Happens Downstream

    Once confirmed, the extracted criteria flow through everything:

  • Proposal generation produces content weighted to this NOFO's scoring emphasis
  • Evaluation scores your draft against the NOFO's actual criteria, not generic ones
  • Refinement targets gaps in the criteria that matter most for this reviewer

    • Understanding Provenance

    Each criterion is tagged with how it was obtained:

  • NOFO (green) — Directly stated in the NOFO with an explicit point value
  • Inferred (amber) — Recognized as a criterion but the weight was estimated from context
  • Category default (gray) — Not found in the NOFO; filled from GrantsPath's expert-authored rubric for this grant category

    • A grant writer who sees amber or gray tags should review those criteria — the extraction may need a judgment call about the correct weight.

    Tips

  • Download the full NOFO PDF rather than relying on the grant description alone — Section V is often more detailed in the PDF
  • HHS and DOJ NOFOs typically state point values explicitly; BIA program NOFOs sometimes describe criteria narratively without numeric weights
  • The extraction handles all three formats — explicit points, percentages, and narrative-only criteria
  • After extraction, your confirmed criteria are saved to the application. You won't need to re-extract if you return later.

    • Want to learn more? Module 1: Reading a NOFO Like a Reviewer teaches the skill behind this tool — how to analyze Section V criteria, understand agency scoring differences, and identify tribal-specific provisions.

    Need more help? Contact our support team