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Complete the Clearance Process
Every nonprofit awarded discretionary funds is subject to City Council's initial review and clearance, and may also be subject to additional reviews by MOCS depending on the cumulative dollar amount of discretionary awards and the contracting agency.
MOCS's Role in the Clearance Process
Every award must be reflected as cleared to move on to the agency payment process. For clarification on what is required for a specific discretionary award visit the award tracker. The clearance of all discretionary awards is reported by MOCS to the Comptroller and City agencies to reflect compliance with the City Council's requirements.
Discretionary Clearance Requirements
- City Council Clearance
- Prequalification: approved HHS Accelerator Prequalification Application and/or Cultural Development Fund eligibility approved by the Department of Cultural Affairs (applies to organizations with awards processed by DCLA)
- Capacity Building Training (for organizations receiving more than $10,000, cumulatively)
- Doing Business Data Form
The discretionary clearance process covers all of the City Council's policy requirements and is summarized in this Nonprofit Checklist to Process Discretionary Awards.
City Council Clearance
The City Council's requirements are listed in the Discretionary Funding Policies and Procedures document. To see if the City Council has completed their review of your allocation, please consult the MOCS discretionary tracker. Any questions concerning the application and pending City Council clearance status should be directed to discretionary@council.nyc.gov.
Cultural Development Fund Application for DCLA Grantees
Nonprofit cultural organizations that receive discretionary awards through the Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) must have applied to DCLA's Cultural Development Fund (CDF). Organizations that are found by DCLA to be eligible for a CDF award may receive discretionary funding through DCLA. CDF eligibility, in conjunction with MOCS approval, serves as a prequalification review for discretionary awards through DCLA.
HHS Accelerator Application
Any organization receiving discretionary awards must be prequalified through HHS Accelerator, unless the organization receives awards that are exclusively administered by DCLA. HHS Accelerator is an online system operated by the Mayor's Office of Contract Services to improve the City's contracting process.
The HHS Accelerator Prequalification Application contains two parts: a Business Application and a Service Application, and is available continually at the HHS Accelerator website. The HHS Accelerator Application is valid for 3 years, as long as the organization submits proof on an annual basis to HHS Accelerator that they are in good standing with the NYS Charities Bureau and the IRS. After three years, organizations must reapply for prequalification in HHS Accelerator.
If your City Council award status is "Must Submit Prequalification Application," your organization must get prequalified in HHS Accelerator. Apply now on the HHS Accelerator website.
If you need help getting prequalified, MOCS offers several training opportunities for providers.
Capacity Building Training for Council Funded Community Partners (New Online Training Available!)
A nonprofit organization must complete a Capacity Building Training to be eligible for City Council funding if it receives more than $10,000 in discretionary funding but less than $1 million, cumulatively, in City funding. The training focuses on the City Council discretionary process, nonprofit legal compliance, board development, and financial management.
Training is available online at all times and features more than an hour of engaging, animated videos. To register for online training, please follow the instructions here. Training is also available through a full day, in-person session: please visit our event page to view scheduled dates and register for an upcoming session.
Please note that only nonprofit board members or executive staff members are eligible to receive City Council training credit on behalf of an organization. The individual representative will receive a certificate of completion, which is valid for three years after the date of training completion and flows with that specific individual. If that individual leaves the organization, the organization must select a new representative to receive certification.