AR 4.2A: Grant Review Policy
Effective: 12/01/2009
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NUMBER:
ADMINISTRATIVE
REGULATIONS
SUBJECT:
GRANT REVIEW POLICY
XX
REVISION:
NA
APPROVED BY:
FRED DIAZ,
City Manager
SUPERSEDES:
NA
EFFECTIVE DATE:
DECEMBER 1,
2009
I. OVERVIEW & PURPOSE
The purpose of this Administrative Regulation is to:
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Help make informed decisions about grants for which the City applies
Help identify the impacts (positive and negative) of grant funding on all City
departments
Identify the process by which departments shall seek administrative approval to proceed
with grant applications
Encourage departments to seek grant funding, particularly when it provides opportunities
to fund priority items that would otherwise use General Fund resources
Ensure that the department seeking a grant receives a recommendation from the
Administrative Services Group (ASG) and approval by the City Manager prior to
applying for a grant.
“Grant” means a contribution of cash or other asset(s) from another governmental entity or
foundation/organization (private or public) to be used or expended for a specific purpose,
activity, or facility.
II. POLICY
It is the policy of the City of Fremont:
A. To actively seek grants from public and private sources that will support services, capital
asset improvement/development, and/or other forms of benefit to the City of Fremont and its
residents. The Finance Department shall be responsible for coordinating the grant review
process.
B. To place particular emphasis on seeking grants that will benefit General Fund operations.
Where possible, grant proposals/applications shall seek both direct and indirect administrative
overhead costs to maximize the financial benefit to the City and to offset Citywide
administrative impacts. Indirect costs of administering grant programs will be recovered to
the maximum extent possible.
C. For grants of $20,000 or less that meet the following criteria, review by the ASG will not be
required, however, the applicant department shall forward the completed grant application to
the Finance Department (concurrently when application is sent to the grantor agency):
1. The grant will not increase staffing (including full time, part time, temporary,
or partial increases to any positions;
2. The grant will not be used to expand or create new services or programs;
AR 4.2A: Grant Review Policy
Effective: 12/01/2009
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3. Any matching funds or in-kind contributions are already available within
existing resources, and no additional appropriation of unreserved,
undesignated fund balance, working capital, or other funding is required;
4. At the conclusion of the grant, there will be no ongoing commitments or
obligations to continue the program;
5. The purpose of the grant program is clearly consistent with current City
plans, policies, and goals.
D. Renewals/augmentations: For previously approved grants that will receive augmentation or
annual renewal, departments will not be required to go through a full grant approval process .
However, departments will need to forward the related financial information (as indicated on
the Grant Application Review form), as well as any changes to the reporting/auditing
guidelines, so that the Finance Department can verify/confirm the financial effects for the
current and future fiscal years. Information regarding renewals and/or augmentations shall be
forwarded to the Finance Department within one week of receipt by the applicant department.
[For grants that have any substantive changes including expanding programs and
services (i.e., reporting/auditing guidelines, matching requirements), the applicant
department will be required to submit a new Grant Application Review form to the
Finance Department for review.]
E. Grants will be considered on a case-by-case basis, after careful consideration of the benefits
of the program and the ongoing impacts on the City if grant funding is no longer available.
(Grants that fund “pilot” operating programs or short-term staffing enhancements should be
avoided, if taking on programs of these types could ultimately aggravate the City’s fiscal
position by creating an expectation that program services would remain even if grant funding
is no longer available.)
F. The City will only seek grants when sufficient staff resources will be available to successfully
perform the grant work scope and effectively administer the program in compliance with
grant requirements.
G. All departments shall contact the Finance Department (Budget Manager or designee) when
considering applying for a grant to discuss: the scope of the grant; the potential impact on
operations; financial considerations; the procedures utilized by the grantor agency; as well as
completing a Grant Application Review form, which is available on the (Intranet)
http://intranet.ci.fremont.ca.us/dept/Finance/default.htm or from the Budget Manager or
designee. The department seeking the grant application review shall conduct a through
analysis of the costs and benefits of specific grant programs and its impacts (financial,
services, expectations, and/or other) on the City and various departments. The Grant
Application Review form must be signed by the Department Head prior to forwarding to
Finance. The applicant department shall be responsible for preparing both the Grant
Application Review form to the ASG and the actual grant application to the grantor.
Evaluation of grant proposals will include analysis of the benefits and costs of specific grant
programs, including the following important aspects of each grant:
1. Purpose of the grant program and its consistency with identified City goals
and objectives.
2. Identification of additional staffing needs, office space, facilities, supplies,
and/or equipment that will be required if the grant is awarded.
3. Ongoing impacts of the grant program after it is completed.
AR 4.2A: Grant Review Policy
Effective: 12/01/2009
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4. Responsibilities of other departments and impacts on them if the grant is
approved.
H. All grant proposals shall be reviewed by the Administrative Services Group (ASG) prior to
submission of grant application to grantor. The ASG is comprised of the Deputy City
Manager, the Finance Director, the Human Resources Director, the Assistant City Attorney,
the Information Technology Services Director, and the City Clerk.
I. Departments are encouraged to contact the Finance Department as soon as the possibility of a
new grant resource is discovered so that review by the ASG may occur as early as possible in
the process.
J. After review and approval by the ASG and the City Manager, the applicant department shall
be responsible for ensuring that the grant proposal is brought before City Council , for
authorization to apply for or accept a grant, if such authorization is required by the grantor
agency or by City policy.
K. The Accounting Services section of the Finance Department shall ensure that all appropriate
reporting procedures are established at the outset of any grant contract to support compliance
with applicable grant requirements. The department representative shall coordinate with the
appropriate Accounting Services representative as soon as the grant application is approved
by the City Manager. The Finance Department shall be responsible for drawdown of funds
and shall coordinate all financial reporting required by the grantor agency.
III. PROCEDURES
The process and procedures to be followed for grant review are described in Exhibit “A”
attached to this Administrative Regulation.