4. Need for Grant Funding.
5. Outreach and Referral Plan.
6. Program Implementation Timeline
7. Monitoring and Program Evaluation.
8. Program Goals and Objectives.
9. Past Working Relationships with other Start-up Businesses and Entrepreneurship Programs.
(d) NOTIFICATION. Each applicant shall be notified in writing of the department’s decision in accordance with the public notice.
(e) GRANT AWARDS. The department shall award a grant to the applicants with the highest numerical score as funds are available. A grant awarded under this section shall be made on forms prepared by the department. The award shall be signed by the authorized representative of the department and shall list the conditions to which the award is subject.
(g) GRANT ACCEPTANCE. The authorized representative of the recipient nonprofit organization shall accept the grant award by signing the award document and returning it to the department. The department may terminate a grant award if the award is not accepted within 10 calendar days of the date of issuance by the department.
(h) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS. All grants awarded under this section shall be contingent upon availability of funds under s. 20.485 (2) (tf), Stats. (i) RESTRICTIONS.
1. Prohibited use of funds. (a) Grant funds shall be used only for the payment or reimbursement of expenses which are reasonable, necessary, and properly assignable to the purposes of the approved grant. Any other use of grant funds is prohibited. A grantee may not use the grant funds to supplant existing employee wages and compensation. A grantee may not use grant funds to purchase capital equipment unless specified in the grant award.
(b) A grantee agrees that no grant appropriated funds will be paid to any person for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any agency, any member of the Wisconsin Legislature, or an employee of a member of the Legislature in connection with the awarding of any state contract, the making of any state grant, the making of any state loan, the entering into of any cooperative agreement, and the extension, continuation, renewal, amendment, or modification of any state contract, grant, loan, or cooperative agreement.
2. Violation of prohibited use of funds. If a grantee uses grant funds for prohibited activities under par. (a), the department may terminate the grant and recover funds previously paid to the grantee for that funding period on a recoupment schedule specified in the grant award.
3. Record keeping. A grantee shall maintain grant records for at least 3 years and shall provide information to the department as required by the department for the purposes of program or fiscal audits and, at the request of the department, shall appear before the department to respond to any questions about the grant and use of grant funds.
(j) AMOUNT OF GRANTS.
1. Subject to pars. (h), the amount of a grant award shall be based on the amount requested by the applicant and the amount approved by the evaluation committee.
2. The amount of a grant award is subject to the availability of funds under s. 20.485 (2) (tf), Stats. (k) ELIGIBILITY AND CERTIFICATION. To receive services under this grant program, the following criteria must be met for all grant participants:
1. A grantee must submit a certification request to the department to verify eligibility of each grant participant.
2. Services can only be provided to grant participants verified by the department as eligible on forms created by the department.
(l) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS. A grantee receiving a grant under this section shall submit to the department data and information on the use and effect of the grant funds as specified in this section and in the grant award by the later of 6 months from the date of award or June 30 of the fiscal year in which the grant is awarded.
(m) ASSURANCES AND CERTIFICATIONS.
1. Authority to sign and accept funds. The grantee shall certify that the designated signatory official has the authority to sign on behalf of the grantee and has the authority to accept funds.
2. Compliance statement. Before the department releases grant funds, the grantee shall provide a statement that it is in compliance with applicable state and federal laws, rules, and regulations, including tax laws, the requirements of this section, and the grant award.
3. Nondiscrimination and equal opportunity. In accordance with s. 16.765, Stats., the grantee may not discriminate in violation of state or federal law and shall follow equal employment opportunity practices in the administration and delivery of program services to eligible applicants. END OF RULE TEXT
Effective date. This rule shall take effect on date of publication in the official state newspaper pursuant to s. 227.24 (1) (c), Stats.
