Wisconsin Administrative Code › Department of Natural Resources › NR 1-99 - Fish, Game and Enforcement, Forestry and Recreation › Chapter NR 51 - Administration Of Stewardship Grants › Subchapter IX - Grants for State Property Development › Section NR 51.85 - Application and grant award procedures

Current through June 24, 2024
(1)Applications for
				  stewardship grants under this subchapter shall be submitted to the department
				  property manager on forms provided by the department. Applications shall
				  include a detailed description of the proposed project, a cost estimate,
				  timetable and other information required by the department.
Note:
A copy of the application form may be
					 obtained from the DNR, Bureau of Parks and Recreation, Box 7921, Madison
					 53707.
(2)The department
				  shall establish one or two application deadlines each year and shall evaluate
				  and prioritize applications received by those deadlines according to the
				  priorities in this subchapter. The department shall allocate funds to projects
				  based upon their priority until all funding is exhausted. Sponsors whose
				  projects are not funded will receive an explanation of eligibility or priority
				  ranking results. Sponsors may request that their projects be reconsidered in
				  another fiscal year if the project is eligible for funding. Resubmissions will
				  be judged without prejudice or preferential priority.
(3)Sponsors shall develop grant applications
				  cooperatively with the department property manager.
(4)The department is responsible for any
				  environmental analyses, historical or cultural assessments, permits, and
				  miscellaneous approvals required to implement the project. Friends groups may
				  not begin work until all applicable permits have been obtained.
(5)The department may award grants for up to
				  50 percent of project costs. The sponsor shall provide the other 50 percent of
				  project costs. Up to 50 percent of the sponsor's share of project costs may be
				  donated materials, equipment, services and labor, according to the provisions
				  in s.
				  NR
				  51.09(1) (c).
(6)The department may advance up to 100
				  percent of the grant award to the sponsor once the sponsor has signed the grant
				  agreement and returned it to the department. The department shall only provide
				  one advance to a sponsor for each grant awarded under this subchapter. If the
				  department does not provide an advance totaling 100 percent of the grant award,
				  a sponsor may request partial reimbursement from the department of the grant
				  award balance only after that sponsor has submitted to the department all
				  documentation to justify costs associated with the expenditure of the entire
				  advance. Sponsors requesting partial reimbursement shall do so in increments of
				  not less than ten percent of the total grant award. Sponsors shall provide
				  adequate documentation in support of their partial reimbursement request before
				  the department considers the request. Sponsors may submit partial reimbursement
				  requests to the department at any time after an advance is issued and before
				  submitting a final report for the project.
(7)Sponsors may complete projects in up to 3
				  phases and funded for a maximum of 3 fiscal years, subject to the project's
				  annual priority ranking and availability of funds. No sponsor may receive more
				  than $60,000 under this subchapter for any one project that is completed in
				  phases. A sponsor shall complete a usable component of the project at the end
				  of each phase. The department shall require that one phase be completed and
				  that grant closed out before it awards a grant for the next phase.
(8)Each sponsor that receives a grant under
				  this subchapter shall maintain accurate and complete financial records of
				  project expenses in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles
				  and practices. A final report, which documents project expenses, shall be
				  submitted to the department property manager within 90 days of the completion
				  of the project or by the end date indicated in the grant agreement, whichever
				  is sooner. Upon completion and submittal of the final grant report, the
				  department shall reimburse remaining grant funds for which the sponsor is
				  eligible. If expenses for the project are less than estimated, the sponsor
				  shall return any unused advance with the final report. Sponsors that have not
				  submitted a final report or returned unused advances within 90 days of the
				  completion of the project or by the end date indicated in the grant agreement
				  will not be eligible for new grant awards under this chapter until the past-due
				  grant is closed out.
Copies of the department's financial reporting
						requirements and forms are available from the DNR, Bureau of Community
						Financial Assistance, Box 7921, Madison, WI 53707.