REEport Quick Guide: How to Submit a Project Initiation

How to Submit a Project Initiation

1. Activate your account. If you already have an active account, proceed to Step 2. There are two methods to activate your account:
   • Click the activation link in the email you received from the NIFA Reporting Portal and follow the prompts OR
   • If you no longer have access to the email or the link has expired, navigate to the NIFA Reporting Portal. Click the “Reset password” link at the top of the page. Enter the email address listed on the grant application and follow the prompts to set your password.
2. Navigate to the NIFA Reporting Portal.  
3. Enter your email address and password; click the “Login” button.
4. Click the “REEport” link under the “Active Applications” header.
5. Upon entering REEport, click the “Project Initiation” icon.
6. Click on the “Project(s) in Draft Stage” folder to view all of the projects you have in draft status.
7. Click the Title of the project to open the editable Project Initiation form.
8. The first page of the Project Initiation form is the Cover page. This page contains non-editable data that is prepopulated from the grant application. If any of these fields are incorrect, email the REEport Help Desk at Electronic@usda.gov. In this email communication, please include the proposal number, field name(s), and correct data.
9. By using the navigation buttons at the top and bottom of the form pages, navigate through the Project Initiation form and enter the required data on each page. Save your work periodically.
10. After entering all required fields, navigate to the last page of the Project Initiation form (Submit page).  
11. If you miss any required fields within the report pages, you will see an on-screen message in red with instructions and hyperlinks to navigate to the incomplete report pages. After completing all required fields, return to the Submit page.
12. On the Submit page, click the “Submit to NIFA” button to send the Project Initiation to NIFA. Award funds will not be released until NIFA receives your Project Initiation. Please note that the submission process varies slightly based on what type of REEport site your project is assigned to.
    • If your project is assigned to a Partner Site, the Site Administrator(s) control the REEport workflows and may require organizational review before submission to NIFA. If organizational review is required, you will click on the “Submit for Review” button on the “Submit” page and your Site Administrator(s) will be responsible for officially submitting the project to NIFA to allow the award and release of your funds.

Data Content Instructions for Project Initiations

Please note that NIFA imports non-editable data from your grant application which will appear on the Cover Page, Participants Page, and Keywords Page of the Project Initiation form. If any of these fields are incorrect, email the REEport Help Desk at Electronic@usda.gov. In this email communication, please include the proposal number, field name(s), and correct data.

Helpful Hints for Entering Progress Initiation Data

• For detailed guidance on specific data fields, use the embedded Help Text by clicking on the small blue icon located next to the field in REEport. Question mark icon
• There are character limits on all fields in REEport. For all the large text boxes with a built-in text editor, there is an 8,000-character limit, including spaces.
• REEport does not accept graphics, charts, or other images pasted into any of the open text boxes.
• After entering data on a page, you MUST click one of the navigation buttons at the top or bottom of the page to save your work (Previous/Save/Next).  
  • You may also navigate from page to page within a module using the top menu bar (e.g., moving from “Goals” to “Products” by clicking those words in the menu bar), but this action will not save your work if you entered new data on the page.

For detailed REEport guidance, see the REEport User Guide.

REEport Help Desk, Electronic@usda.gov