Application process

Unlocking Opportunities: A comprehensive walkthrough of the TMF application process for transformative projects.

To submit your application you must have developed the following:

  • Problem statement
  • Requirements
  • Defined Product/Vendor Solutions
  • Design
  • Cost
  • Project team
  • Timeline from ready for vendor to implementation

Visit the Selection criteria page if you have any questions about what’s needed above.

Unviable candidates

There are certain projects that TMF may NOT be able to fund, such as:

  • Desktop refresh
  • Infrastructure
  • Security software
  • Projects needing more than $5M

Lifecycle of a Submission

During your project’s lifecycle, the project team must dedicate efforts to project work that can take up to 20-months.

Proposal submission to approval

This 8-week timeline includes the following steps:

  1. Submit your proposal (1-week).
  2. TMF provides an initial review (1-week).
    1. Determines quality.
    2. Ensures completeness.
    3. Evaluates alignment with Selection Criteria.
    4. Review Determination:
      1. Sends to advisory committee
      2. Or recommends returning for reconsideration in a future TMF award round.
  3. Advisory committee review (3-weeks).
    1. Reviews your proposal.
    2. Provides their input.
    3. Approves or denies advancement to the next round.
  4. Pitch day preparation (3-weeks).
  5. Pitch to Selection Committee (1-day).
  6. Decision provided by Selection Committee (1-day).

Procurement and project phase

  1. CDT awards the Technology Modernization Funds.
  2. Department sets up the:
    1. Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
    2. Statement of Work (SOW).
    3. Project Status Report (PSR).
  3. Project Procurement (6 months or less).
  4. Department and vendor implement the project (1 year or less).
  5. Project is complete.
  6. Department completes the Project Implementation Evaluation Report (PIER).
  7. The TMF team will not bill your department for our services.

Department will be asked to provide:

  • A statement of executive support for the proposal.
  • A summary of the business problem to solve.
  • A justification of why the problem is impactful and should be prioritized for investment.
  • A description of the resources dedicated to the effort.
  • A summary of any technical approach that has been identified or market research conducted.

  • Be specific and concise when describing the problem.
  • How are the relevant stakeholders impacted?
  • What attempts were made to work around the problem that have/haven't succeeded?
  • Provide a summary of market research conducted to address the problem, if available.

Consider your team of both business and technical stakeholders. Business buy-in is one of the most common predictors of success on an IT project. Allow the business stakeholders to lead most discussion points. ​Think about the following before submitting a proposal:

  • Know your business use case.
  • Have an idea of your solution path.
  • Do your market research.

Importance of guidelines

These guidelines emphasize self-sustainability for:

  • Projects seeking TMF funding, ensuring they do not rely on continuous TMF funding for Maintenance & Operations (M&O).
  • Projects meeting this criterion demonstrate a clear plan for self-sufficiency, outlining strategies for post-implementation sustainability without ongoing reliance on TMF funds.

Required Documents for Application Submission

Your team will need these documents in order to complete the application. Please ensure all necessary forms are filled out and uploaded.

Begin or continue application

You must create an account with City Innovate to submit an application for TMF funds. Currently we use City Innovate (now Authorium), a third-party vendor, for our application process.



Our department

Community of practice

State campaigns

Website Accessibility Certification