Safe Routes to School

What is the process for receiving a SRTS non-infrastructure grant?

So, you are about to receive a grant from MnDOT’s Safe Routes to School program. Now what? Regardless of funding source (state, federal, or other) , the primary steps to process the grant agreement are generally as follows:

1. Funding decisions for SRTS grants are made in consultation with an advisory committee based on the selection criteria outlined in the grant application, and typically within a month or two of the application deadline. Notifications to grantees of grant awards occur as soon as possible after funding decisions are made.  
    
2. Notification of a grant award will be in the form of an email from the SRTS staff at MnDOT. This notification includes instructions for further processing of the grant agreement and may also contain grant-specific information such as requirements for finalizing scopes of work, making any budget changes requested by review committee, and ensuring all paperwork is in order to process the grant.  Read these instructions carefully as requirements can vary by grant and fiscal year.
   
   
3. In general, after receiving notice of award, the grant recipient should expect to complete the following tasks before receiving an executed grant agreement:
   
   
   • Fill out and return the Grant Recipient Information Sheet    
   • Draft, pass and submit to MnDOT SRTS staff a resolution executed by your governing body to enter an agreement and any amendments with MnDOT and who is authorized to sign the grant agreement.
   • Finalize the grant budget which may include budget adjustments as recommended by MnDOT SRTS staff and the advisory committee. 
   • Review your original grant proposal and convert it into a scope of work with more specific objectives, tasks, and timeline – then submit to MnDOT SRTS staff.
   • Sign and submit final grant agreement and wait for MnDOT email that indicates your grant agreement is fully executed before making any expenditures.
   • Attend webinar on purchasing, invoicing, and reporting for your SRTS grant.
   
   Delay in completing these additional requirements will delay processing of the grant.
    
4. Once these materials have been completed and the grant agreement has been assembled by MnDOT and signed by the grantee, the signed grant agreement is returned to MnDOT for processing via email.
    
5. Grant agreements cannot be executed and funds cannot be released by MnDOT until all grant specific requirements have been completed. Grant agreements are considered to be executed when they have been signed by the grantee and MnDOT, and the grant recipient has been given official notice of the start date from SRTS staff.  The grantee must not begin work under the grant agreement and no grant or match costs may be incurred or funds expended until the agreement is fully executed.
    
6. MnDOT SRTS grants are reimbursement only, meaning that after the grant contract has been fully executed the grant recipient can begin incurring expenses. After submitting documentation of expenses and payment, the grant recipient will be reimbursed for these costs.
    
7. Periodic and final reporting on activities accomplished with grant funds is required per the grant agreement. 
    
8. All grant recipients must be prepared for monitoring and review of grant activities throughout and after the grant period. Grant Agreement documents, receipts, invoices, and progress reports must be made available upon request per the grant agreement.

Financial review of non-governmental organizations

When MnDOT selects applicants to award a grant (state or federally funded) over $25,000, a review of the financial statements of any selected non-governmental organization (nonprofit) must be completed prior to executing a grant contract.

Prior to execution of the contract, documentation may be required based on operating budget of the organization:

• Nonprofits with total annual revenue under $50,000 should submit their most recent board-reviewed financial statements. 
• Nonprofits with total annual revenue between $50,000 - $750,000 should submit their most recent IRS Form 990/990-EZ. 
• Nonprofits with total annual revenue over $750,000 should submit their most recent certified financial audit.