No-cost extension
Additional time to finish a project with no additional money. It moves the end of the period of performance so that unspent funds can still be obligated, and it usually requires a request before the award ends rather than after.
Part of the GrantTrove grant funding glossary — one entry for every field the catalogue stores.
Also called NCE · Time extension
In detail
Many federal awards allow a first extension of up to twelve months on the recipient’s own authority, with notice rather than approval. A second one, or one at an agency that does not delegate the first, needs written approval.
The request has to be made while the award is live. An expired award cannot be extended, and money unobligated at expiry is gone.
Against a liquidation period
An extension moves the end date, so new obligations remain possible. A liquidation period does not: the award is over and only existing obligations may be paid. Asking for the wrong one is common and expensive. Neither is a field on an opportunity record, which describes applying rather than performing.
How GrantTrove stores it
- The dates we hold are `open_at` and `deadline_at`, with `deadline_type` saying whether a deadline is fixed, rolling or absent, and `deadline_note` keeping the source’s qualifying wording.
- We never derive an award end date from an application deadline. That would be a date nobody published.
Common questions
Does an extension add money?
No. That is what "no-cost" means: more time, the same funds.
When must I request one?
Before the award ends. Requirements vary and the award document governs.
Is it usually granted?
A first extension often is, and it is not automatic. The awarding office decides.