Use and Management of Grant Funds
The Foundation’s grant agreement specifies the terms of the grant, including the use of grant funds and reporting schedule. Grant funds must be used only for the purposes, timeframe, and the manner specified in the grant agreement and finalized proposal. Awarded grant funds may not be expended on project costs incurred prior to the grant start date or after the grant end date without the Foundation’s prior written approval. Unless specifically discussed in the proposal, grant funds cannot be used as collateral, to offset other financial obligations (including interest payments on lines of credit, and securing or servicing debt), nor to meet cash flow or general operating expenses. In implementing grant-funded projects, grantees must comply with all applicable local, state, federal, and international laws, regulations, and rules, including data privacy and intellectual property laws.
Grant Modifications
Process. Grantees who anticipate changes in their project work plan, scope, timeline, or budget must contact the Foundation and document the requested modifications, rationale, and impact to the project. Changes must be approved in advance and in writing by the Foundation.
Extension. If necessary, a grantee may request a no-cost extension to provide extra time to complete a project. Grantees may also request to carry over unexpended funds from previous budget periods to subsequent budget periods. Requests must be initiated by the grantee in writing a minimum of one month prior to the end of the budget or grant period. An explanation and dates of the proposed extension period must be included in the request. The Foundation will issue approval or disapproval within two weeks of receiving the request.
Reallocation. Grantees may reallocate up to 10 percent of their approved grant award budget without permission from the Foundation, but must provide an explanation of those changes in the grant report. Reallocation of amounts between 10 to 35 percent requires written permission from the President. Reallocation requests that exceed 35 percent of the approved current year funding will require review and determination by the Foundation Board of Trustees. Reallocation requests must be made in writing to the President, who will issue Foundation approval or disapproval within 30-45 days.
Termination or Return of Grant Funds. The Foundation reserves the right to modify a grant, discontinue funding, or terminate a grant and require the return of grant funds if a grantee fails to materially comply with the terms of the grant or becomes unable to carry out the purposes of the grant.
A return of grant funds is required if the grant is terminated by the Foundation at any time prior to the expiration of the grant period under the following conditions:
- the grantee ceases to be a nonprofit organization or political subdivision of the Commonwealth
- the grantee becomes unable to carry out the purposes of the grant
- the project ceases to be an appropriate means of accomplishing the purposes of the grant, or;
- the grantee fails to comply with any of the terms and conditions of the grant contract.
If the grant is terminated, or if unspent funds remain at the completion of the project, a formal request for the return of unspent funds is made by the Foundation to the grantee, who shall return the unspent funds within 30 days.
Grant Records and Reporting
Record keeping. Grantees are required to maintain and retain accurate accounting records, detailing all receipts and expenditures. With reasonable notice, the Foundation reserves the right to conduct audits of records related to the use of grant funds.
Reports. Grantees must submit a written interim progress report at the end of the first half of the grant period, and a final report within one month of its completion. Reports are submitted using online forms, and include narrative, financial, and documentation of outcomes. Future funding from the Foundation is conditional upon the receipt of timely and acceptable interim and final reports.
Review. The Foundation will complete an initial review of progress reports within two weeks and notify grantees of any additional information needed to complete its review. Upon its review of the final report, the Foundation will record the completed date, approved date, any pertinent notes, and progress (did not achieve, achieved, exceeded expectations) into the Grantee’s electronic files. The Foundation will notify the Grantee of the review results within 6 weeks of submission.
Retention. Grantees must retain copies of its accounting records and all reports in its files for a period of not less than four years after the expiration of the grant period and closeout.
Workplace Conduct Standards
The Foundation values equality of opportunity for all members of society. Accordingly, the Foundation expects grantees to foster a workplace that is free from discrimination, harassment, and workplace misconduct; to take appropriate affirmative steps to encourage equal employment opportunities for women and underrepresented groups to the fullest extent allowable under applicable law; and have appropriate policies and procedures for training staff, receiving and addressing complaints regarding sexual harassment and other forms of workplace misconduct, and prohibiting retaliation against persons who make good faith complaints.
Intellectual Property
The Foundation aims to maximize the use and reach of intellectual property created with grant funds in order to broaden the impact of both our work and the work of our grantees. Accordingly, the Foundation encourages wide dissemination of, and equitable access to, grant-funded work products.
The Foundation does not seek ownership rights in intellectual property created in the grant projects it supports. However, in order to advance the above goals, the Foundation’s standard grant agreement includes provisions regarding grant-funded work products, as described below.
- Grantees will obtain all necessary rights and permissions for the supported work so that grant activities and use of grant work products do not infringe on or violate the intellectual property, publicity, privacy, or other rights of any person.
- Grantees will make grant-funded work products available, as appropriate, for educational or charitable purposes.
With our grantees' agreement, the Foundation may use grant-funded work products to promote the grant project and the Foundation's charitable purposes through its platforms and networks to share the impactful work of our grantees.
The Foundation recognizes that different projects have different intellectual property features and that limiting dissemination or access may be appropriate in certain cases to protect the interests of its grantees, the communities they serve, or participants in grant-funded projects. Should such sensitive conditions exist, the grantee will notify the Foundation of its desire for limiting dissemination or access.
Use of Consultants and Contractors
If a significant portion of the grant budget will be paid to consultants or other third-party vendors, the grantee must follow all applicable municipal codes and state laws and regulations. The following guidelines also apply:
Required Bidding. If selection of a vendor is made prior to the submission of the proposal, the proposal should include an explanation of how and why the contractor or consultant was selected. In addition, grantees should include the selected vendor’s budget as an appendix.
If the selection of a vendor is not made prior to submission, the proposal should estimate consulting costs as an average of the quotes received. The grantee is responsible for obtaining detailed budget information from potential consultants or contractors. Wherever possible, at least three qualified contractors and/or consultants should bid for the work. Bids should include budgets and budget narratives at the same level of detail as those expected from the grantee.
Agreements with Consultants and Contractors.
- Wherever large amounts of consultant or contractor hours are anticipated, fixed-price contracts are preferable to hourly contracts; if hourly contracts are used, a monetary limit should be expressly set.
- Vendors should provide clear documentation describing the work to be performed, including detailed budgets for estimated hours and expenses, in all consulting and contracting contracts and subsequent invoices.
- Grantees should, wherever possible, pay the contractor in stages as work is completed rather than disbursing an “up front” payment of the entire amount budgeted.
- The Grantee is responsible for monitoring the work and expenses of all contractors and consultants.
- All consultants and contractors should sign confidentiality and work-for-hire agreements (where applicable), and affirm that they have no conflicts of interest.
Retention of Former Foundation Employees. The retention of a former Foundation employee for consulting and contracting work within 12 months of the employee’s departure is prohibited in projects to be funded by the Foundation. Foundation funding of former staff may also be subject to restrictions by continuing fiduciary, legal, contractual, and/or ethical obligations as a result of former staff’s positions and contractual relationships with the Foundation.
Reporting. Consulting expenses should be clearly and separately accounted for in financial and narrative reports to the Foundation.
Grants Portal Terms of Use
The Foundation provides grantee and prospective grantee organizations with access to its grants portal, as a way to streamline and enhance the processes for proposing and administering grants.
Grantee and prospective grantee organizations are responsible for ensuring that their institutional representatives (“users”), including designating the Project Coordinator and other users who may have access to a proposal and any confidential information it contains, do not share accounts to maintain the security and confidentiality of accounts, and are responsible for any violations.
Use of the grants portal is subject to the Foundation's Privacy Policy.