Grant Lifecycle

Beginning procedure

Once a Grant Application Form (Form GA E-14) is completed and e-mailed to the Foundation Board of Trustees at grants@fccuusa.org, a liaison from the Board will be assigned to the project. The assigned liaison will acknowledge receipt of a grant application within seven days. The liaison will lead the discussion, communicate with an applicant, and gather any further information needed by the Trustees to make their decision. 

Depending on the length of time an applicant takes to answer questions or provide additional information, the Foundation's decision on a proposal is usually communicated back to the applicant by the liaison within four weeks. If the proposal is approved by the Board, the liaison will maintain communication with the grant recipient's contact person throughout the duration of the project. The maximum time for an applicant to respond in accepting or rejecting the terms of a grant award will be 30 days.

A completed Midway Grant Report Form (Form MGR E-14) will be sent to the liaison by the grant recipient's contact person at the project midpoint identified in the timeline on the original grant application. Any adjustments in dates or deadlines must be communicated with the Board liaison.

 

Policies and Procedures for Distribution of Grant Funds

The preferred method for distribution of grant funding is based on a reimbursement model where the grantee is expected to carry all project expenses incurred until the project’s conclusion. This means the amount requested in the grant proposal will be reimbursed to the grantee providing the receipts for paid invoices equal or exceed the initial amount requested. If the project’s accumulated receipts total less than the amount initially requested in the grant application, the lesser amount will be reimbursed.  All reimbursements will be made only AFTER all completed Report Forms (BOTH Midway and Grant Summary Report Forms) have been submitted and approved by the Board of Trustees.
 
If a grantee is delinquent in filing a Grant Summary Report for more than 180 days from the project conclusion date indicated in the initial grant proposal, the grantee will be notified by their Foundation Liaison that the funds once set aside for their proposed project will be returned to the Foundation’s available funds account for redistribution to other proposed projects.  
 
Financial Hardship Exception

If a grantee can demonstrate extreme financial hardship through Treasurer’s Reports or other documentation that the funding reimbursement method described above would place a financial burden on the Chapter or National Association, the Trustees may consider distributing half the projected grant request with the remaining half to be distributed following the filing of a completed Midway Report Form, a Grant Summary Report Form with all copies of receipts, and a second and final Request for Distribution of Funds Form.
 
If, for any reason, the proposed project is abandoned or remains incomplete for a period of more than 12 months from the date of the initial grant proposal, the first half of the projected funds already distributed must be returned in full to the Foundation.
 

Procedure for the Release of Funds

A Grant Summary Form (Form GS E-14) including any copies of invoices and receipts or canceled checks resulting from the completed project must be sent to the liaison within sixty days of the project completion. A completed Request for Release of Grant Funds Form (Form RGF E-14) should accompany the Grant Summary Form. 

Additionally, all grant recipients are asked to collect documentation of the grant project through digital photographic evidence, artwork, video, or written or spoken testimonies. Any collected evidence should be submitted to the liaison at the completion of the project along with all completed Waiver Forms (WAI E-14) required of the individuals featured in the documentation.

The completed Grant Summary Form will be circulated among the Trustees by the liaison and, if approved, the Request for Release of Grant Funds Form is forwarded to the Foundation Treasurer through the Trustee serving as the liaison. Unless otherwise instructed by the liaison, a check for the amount of the grant approved by the Trustees will be sent to the grant recipient at the address of the contact person provided on the Grant Application Form.