Grant Oversight FAQs
What Is Grant Oversight?...What Do I Need to Do?

1. General Information
2. Instructions
3. Success stories (i.e., case studies)
4. Visits by Foundation management team or associated Board/Committee members
5. Formal rescissions

Answers

1. General Information

   The Foundation has a dual oversight responsibility for its grant making programs – to determine that the funds awarded were disbursed and spent in accordance with decision(s) made by the Board of Directors (fiduciary responsibility), and to monitor, collect, and analyze select data regarding the impact of the funded program/project for comparison against its original stated goals and objectives (outcome measures).

   To assist with its fiduciary responsibilities, the Foundation's newest on-line process, My Grant, records every grant disbursement.

   To assist with its outcome measures, the Foundation utilizes both the new My Grant on-line process which solicits detailed information from each grantee and on-site visits to collect the necessary data to determine the measurable impact of its grants program. Additionally, grantees are required to submit Annual Grantee Reports every year for five years following the total disbursement of the grant award.
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2. Instructions

   Grantees are provided general instructions in the grant agreement regarding oversight obligations.  The grant agreement is the legally binding document between the Foundation and the grantee (aka Legal Applicant) that sets forth the grant award amount, any applicable special stipulations, and all of the conditions of the grant that must be satisfied prior to disbursement of any portion of the grant award.

   More detailed instructions are conveyed, via the Foundation's newest on-line process, My Grant, to the grantee once the grant has been awarded. Such instructions include the preparation of Annual Grantee Reports.
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3. Success stories (i.e., case studies)

   The Foundation regularly selects a grantee to highlight as a “success story” on its website and, at times, in its electronic newsletter In Touch.  If chosen, you can expect to see a brief description of your grant program/project including quotes and pictures provided by you.  Once the website story and/or the In Touch article is published, it is then archived.

   Recent success stories.
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4. Visits by Foundation management team or associated Board/Committee members

   As mentioned previously, the Foundation utilizes on-site oversight visits to collect impact data for its ongoing efforts to ensure that the Foundation’s primary mission is being accomplished through its grantmaking program.  Generally, you can expect at least one such visit during the life cycle of the grant.

   If your program/project is selected for an oversight visit, you will be contacted, either by telephone or e-mail, to schedule a mutually agreeable date and time for the visit.  The date and time will be confirmed, via e-mail, along with other site visit details, e.g., who will be conducting the site visit for the Foundation, the questions you may be asked, statistical information the Foundation may require, or usage data, etc.
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5. Formal rescissions

   All open grants, i.e., those where all funds have not been disbursed, are reviewed on a quarterly basis, to determine why there is still a balance of funds.  Generally, our reviews indicate that the program/project is progressing as it should and is within acceptable timeframes for completion.

   However, there are instances when the Foundation learns that an open grant involves a program/project that cannot be completed as originally anticipated. 

   In these instances, the Foundation has a formal rescission process that must be followed:

   1. The Foundation’s Oversight Committee is informed of the grant’s status including the balance remaining to be disbursed.
   2. The Oversight Committee then makes a recommendation to the Foundation’s Board of Directors (BOD) regarding the grant balance.
   3. The BOD considers and votes on the recommendation of the Oversight Committee.
   4. Once the Board votes to accept the Oversight Committee’s rescission recommendation, the remaining balance is returned to the Foundation’s grant pool for the following year’s grant cycle.
   5. The grantee is notified, by letter, of the BOD's decision.
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