Source: http://www.mn.gov/admin/government/grants/overview/index.jsp
Timestamp: 2016-05-05 16:09:45
Document Index: 489392100

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 16', '§ 15', '§ 16', '§ 10', '§ 15', '§ 16', '§ 43', '§ 471', '§ 16']

A grant agreement is a class of contract, which provides the transfer of cash or something of value to a recipient to support a public purpose authorized by law. Grant agreements are different from other contracts in many key ways.
Grants always involve three parties:
Office of Grants Management Policies
The Department of Administration’s Office of Grants Management (OGM) is charged by M.S. § 16B.97 to standardize, streamline, and improve state grant-making practices.
A tool used to accomplish our mission are 13 comprehensive grants management policies that apply to all Executive Branch agencies, boards, commissions, councils, authorities, and task forces.
To review all current OGM Policies please visit our page on polices and statutes.
To learn more or contact the OGM, please visit OGM's website.
As a general principle, grants distributed by an agency should be done in a fair and equitable manner, which is usually done through some form of public notice. Each state agency may differ in how it notifies the public and solicits requests for proposals (RFP), but the agency should have a defined process that ensures a fair and equitable distribution. Per OGM Policy 08-03, competitive grant opportunities shall be publicized as broadly as possible and at a minimum, must be posted on the granting agency’s website.
M.S. § 15.994 requires state agencies with Internet sites to provide information on grants available through the agency and are encouraged to provide a link to the grant application under M.S. § 16E.20. In addition, state agencies are encouraged to develop systems for electronic grant application submission.
If the legislation identifies specific organizations or groups, such as metropolitan counties, notification should be directly sent to all eligible organizations or groups, such as the counties in the metro area.
The RFP should contain the following essential elements as referenced in OGM Policy 08-03:
The legislative authority for the grant.
Specific requirements from the state legislation or federal pass-through funds which includes any minimum eligibility requirements from the state legislation or federal pass-through funds.
A clear grant description, grant objectives, expected outcomes and work product , reporting and monitoring requirements.
The grant selection/evaluation criteria and the scoring/weight for the criteria as referenced in OGM Policy 08-02.
This can include, per OGM Policy 08-13, considering a grant applicant’s past performance with previous grant awards. A state agency can utilize their own grant closeout evaluation information or request a report from the grantee on other grants it has received from other state agencies. This way the evaluation panel may obtain information on the past performance of the applicant.
General information about the grant review process and a general overview of the composition of the review committee
Requirements for in-kind or matching funds
Deadlines and timelines for each step in the application and award process including the date applications are due
The amount of money available for distribution and how it will be allocated
The name and contact information of the state agency contact and how to submit the grant application materials
A statement about when information in the submitted grant application becomes public data
Be aware that the statutory provisions for conflict of interest apply to everyone involved in the grant award process; including state and nonstarter employees. Relevant statutes are:
M.S. § 10A.07,
M.S. § 15.43,
M.S. § 16C.04,
M.S. § 43A.38,
M.S. § 471.87.
OGM Policy 08-01, Conflict of Interest Policy for State Grant-Making addresses potential conflicts of interest in the grant award process. This policy also applies to organizations that are current state grantees or grant applicants. OGM Policy 08-01 includes procedures to avoid both individual and organizational conflicts of interest.
There are a number of guidelines on the issue of conflict of interest in Minnesota statutes. Additionally, most state agencies have agency specific statutes, rules and policies. This section does not attempt to cover all of these, but focuses on the major statutory standards and on some of the obligations and responsibilities that flow from them. For questions as to whether or not something is a conflict of interest, contact your agency ethical practices officer.
Any activity, influence or input related to any part of the acquisition process IS covered by these standards — from getting the idea to approving the payment, and everything in between.
Use of Grant Contract Agreements
OGM Policy 08-04 states that Minnesota state agencies must use a written grant contract agreement for all grants made by the agency. It is essential to write clear duties and expectations of the grantee into the grant contract agreement. Careful drafting ensures that the parties to the contract have achieved an understanding and have mutually agreed on the terms of the grant contract agreement, such as duties, quality of performance, time of performance, and terms of payment. Careful drafting avoids future disputes, which are costly and waste valuable resources. Some agencies choose to incorporate the grant contract agreement assurances and deliverables as part of the grant application process and issue notices of grant awards to grantees. The notice of grant award contains the pertinent grant information and incorporates the approved work plan and budget that were submitted by the grant applicant as part of the application process.
An ambiguous grant contract agreement or notice of grant award may result in failure to obtain the services the agency assumed were contained in the contract. Agencies may find it difficult to require grantees to perform duties that are not clearly and specifically stated. Ambiguous grant contract agreements lead to amendments that are used to clarify items that should have been in the original grant contract agreement. The written grant contract agreement or notice of grant award is generally the only thing that counts in a dispute over whether the grantee has fulfilled his promises.
In a legal action, any ambiguity will be interpreted against the party in the more powerful position; in most cases the agency, so a provision that can be interpreted against the agency most likely will be. Don't take for granted that something you and the grantee have discussed and verbally agreed upon will happen. If it is not written in the grant contract agreement or notice of grant award, it is not enforceable.
First and foremost you must answer who, what, when, where, and how much. Answering these questions with specific detail is a great start to grant contract agreement drafting. Thinking through the following list of topics and questions will help you get the most from your grantee:
List precisely what you want to get from the grantee, for example:
the qualifications of the person(s) performing the work
the time of performance,
Think through and determine how the granting agency will measure grant outcomes and collect meaningful reporting on those outcomes from the grantee. Important principles:
What is the funding purpose?
How will your agency know and understand grantees’ progress on meeting grant outcomes?
How will your agency know that grant outcomes were met?
How will your agency use the data and grant outcomes that are reported?
Clearly identify how grant payments will be made, what the reporting requirements are and inform the grantee of monitoring requirements.
Specify grantee's duties simply and in plain language. Don't only rely on the grantee’s proposal as the list of grant duties. It can be vague and unspecific and the language is generally not legally enforceable. The grantee proposal may contain language that is extraneous, conflicts with the goals and funding purpose, or may conflict with state law.
Incorporate all attachments to the grant contract agreement or notice of grant award properly.
Label attachments in the order they are mentioned in the grant contract agreement or notice of grant award; that is, the first attachment mentioned should be Attachment A, the second, Attachment B, etc.
Attachments must actually be attached to each copy of the grant contract agreement. Lengthy and cumbersome attachments may be incorporated by reference without being attached to the agreement IF the grant contract agreement specifically and clearly identifies them in a way that is clear and accessible to both the grantor and grantee.
All numerical computations are accurate and all blanks are filled in.
All instructions are deleted from the grant contract agreement form.
The grant contract agreement is properly paginated.
The grant contract agreement is consistent with the limits and purposes of the appropriation from which payments are to be made.
Sample Grant Contract Agreement
A sample grant contract agreement is available on the OGM website. Since each grant is unique, this form may have to be modified. Agencies are strongly encouraged to contact the OGM and their Assistant Attorney General to review any modifications to this form. The Sample Grant Contract Agreement form is available on the OGM website under the forms tab.
OGM Policy 08-08 requires that state agencies specify the method and schedule of payments for each grant in the grant contract agreement or notice of grant award. Reimbursement is the preferred method for making grant payments. Although they are not preferred, advance payments on grants may be allowed in certain situations. Advance payments on grants shall be negotiated between the state agency and grantee on a case by case basis. Please review OGM Policy 08-08 for additional information.
Please take into account that the prompt payment statute — M.S. § 16A.124 Subd.3 — applies to grants.
Any amendments to the terms of the grant contract agreement MUST be made according to a fully executed amendment. A memo to the grantee indicating changes is not legally binding and is not sufficient to make the changes. Please see OGM Policy 08-12 for additional information on grant amendments.
It is very important that the amendment is in place before the grant contract agreement expires. This will avoid any liability that may occur for not having a current grant contract agreement in place when the grantee is working.
An amendment must be clearly identified and written, and properly executed any time the grantee and agency agree to a change in any provision of the grant contract agreement. All amendments must be clearly numbered and must be approved in the same manner as the original grant contract agreement.
The amendment should indicate why the original agreement was changed. You need to detail in the amendment why the amendment is necessary. All grant contract agreement amendments should be drafted using the format of the sample amendment below. A sample amendment is available on OGM’s web page under the forms tab.
It is the responsibility of the granting authority to monitor its grantees’ performance. OGM Policy 08-10 states that agencies must conduct at least one monitoring visit per grant period on all state grants over $50,000 and at least annual monitoring visits on grants over $250,000. In addition, agencies must conduct a financial reconciliation of grantees’ expenditures on grants over $50,000.
OGM Policy 08-10
Agencies typically utilize a combination of monitoring techniques to effectively monitor their grantees. The following are various examples of how an agency may monitor performance:
Perform site visits using a fiscal/program management checklist as a tool to ensure compliance with the grant contract agreement.
Attend grantee board meetings when applicable.
Conduct telephone interviews with grantee program staff and document desk monitoring results on a checklist and write a summary report.
This checklist may serve as a guide as you move through the approval process.
Follow OGM and agency grant making guidelines and identify grantees. (Public notice of the grant is strongly recommended.)
Select grantees based on criteria listed in RFP or review and approve work plan and budget submitted by legislatively-mandated grantees.
Write a grant contract agreement using OGM and agency guidelines and the appropriate grant contract agreement form/template with applicable terms and conditions. Encumber funds.
Notify grantee and send a copy of grant contract agreement to grantee.
Monitor grantee’s progress and compliance with grant requirements as required by OGM and agency guidelines.