The National Agenda
How projects enter the portfolio.
Nomination is not selection. Every nomination is reviewed against three criteria — public value, deliverability, and fit — and a project needs all three before it is considered for development within America 275.
- Screening criteria, all required
- 3
- Development stages, intake included
- 5
The bar itself
Three criteria, and a project needs all of them.
Strength on one does not excuse a gap on another. This is the whole of what screening asks.
- 01
Public value
A public purpose, not private benefit alone.
- 02
Deliverability
A credible route from here to a built project.
- 03
Fit
It advances a national priority and coordinates with the rest.
Nomination and selection
Two different acts, often confused.
Nomination: Putting an opportunity forward.
Selection: Clearing the screening bar.
Nomination: The sponsor or the nominator.
Selection: Applied America’s review.
Nomination: Nothing at all.
Selection: Development work — not capital.
Nomination: Nothing yet.
Selection: A categorization by sector, region, stage, and platform.
Nomination: A preliminary review, explained either way.
Selection: Development, from Structure onward.
Neither act is a financing decision. Applied America assembles the capital stack at Prepare, matched to the project’s stage and risk.
Intake, inside Identify
From nomination to consideration.
These steps are how Identify, the first of the five development stages, handles a nomination: they decide whether it enters the portfolio at all.
Nomination
An opportunity is submitted with its need, sponsor, location, and intended outcomes.
Screening
The project is tested against all three criteria: public value, deliverability, and fit.
Categorization
Screened projects are categorized by sector, region, stage, and platform.
Consideration
Projects that clear screening are considered for development within the portfolio.
On getting in
Selection is earned, not decided once.
No. Inclusion means a project merits development. Whether it advances depends on feasibility, partnership, and financing — assessed through the development model.
Strong public purpose, clear deliverability, a credible sponsor, and fit with national and regional priorities.
Nomination is putting an opportunity forward; selection is what follows once it clears screening. Every nomination is reviewed, but only those that meet the bar are selected for development.
Three: public value, deliverability, and fit. A project needs all three to move from nomination toward consideration — being unusually strong on one does not carry a gap on another.
It does not advance into development, but the review is explained rather than silent, and a project can be strengthened and resubmitted. Some are recorded and revisited as priorities or circumstances change.
It varies with a project’s scale and how complete the nomination is. A submission that already defines its need, place, sponsor, and outcomes can be screened faster than one that first requires clarification.
Screening is carried out through Applied America’s review process against the criteria published on this page, drawing on CEFA’s research where a project’s sector or region calls for it. The aim is a consistent bar rather than a case-by-case judgment.
No. Selection means a project merits development; it does not commit capital. Whether it advances further depends on feasibility, partnership, and financing, assessed through the development model.
Fit is how well a project serves a national or regional priority and how readily it can be coordinated with the rest of the portfolio. A strong standalone idea with weak fit is a weaker candidate than one that reinforces a priority.
Yes. Screening is a point-in-time assessment; a sponsor can address the gaps identified and submit again. Selection is meant to be earned, not decided once and closed.
Think your project fits?
Submit it and it will be tested against all three criteria, with the review explained either way.