SCIF Grants OSBM is administering several State Capital and Infrastructure Fund (SCIF) Directed Grants as appropriated by the North Carolina General Assembly in the Current Operations Appropriations Act of 2021 (SL 2021-180) as modified by SL 2021-189 and S.L. 2022-6. If your organization received a SCIF grant administered by OSBM, please refer to this page for updated information. In early January 2022 OSBM began contacting recipients of SCIF Directed Grants. If you believe your organization was appropriated an OSBM-managed SCIF grant in SL 2021-180, as modified by SL 2021-189 and S.L. 2022-6, and you have not heard from our agency, please contact SCIFGrantsNC@osbm.nc.gov. Please check your email service's spam/junk folder to confirm you have not received an email from SCIFGrantsNC@osbm.nc.gov. Grant recipients will receive detailed instructions via email, but can prepare the following documentation in advance: A W-9 An electronic payment form, plus a document to verify the account number (i.e. voided check, bank statement, letter from bank) A copy of your organization's conflict of interest policy (see G.S. 143C-6-23.(b)). Here is a sample policy you can download and use if your organization does not have one. A sworn statement that your organization does not have overdue tax debts (see G.S. 143C-6-23.(b)). Here is a certification form you can use to provide the required statement. In addition, OSBM will prepare a grant agreement, including a scope of work, for grant recipients to sign prior to disbursing funds. Please see our examples of performance measurement for guidance on creating performance measures for your grant project scope of work. For more info & upcoming events Q&A Sessions for Grant Recipients May 26 at 10 a.m. (register here) June 9 at 10 a.m. (register here) Reporting training for Grant Recipients June 30 at 10 a.m. (register here) Please watch our recorded webinars on the State Directed Grants process. For more information on reporting your OSBM-managed SCIF grant visit the Reporting page. For general requirements of Directed Grants, please see the State Budget Manual Section 3.15. Frequently Asked Questions about SCIF Grants Can you adjust the name of the Grant Recipient to be more accurate? Yes, so long as it is the same town/county that was named in the Committee Report. For example, we cannot change Town of Lewisburg to County of Franklin but can alter things like "Township" to "Town of" since the recipient stays the same. Can I deposit my grant in my General Fund account? There should be no co-mingling of General Funds and SCIF funds. If your accounting software can't maintain separate accounts for the grant, we recommend creating a separate bank account for the grant. Do you accept Adobe digital signatures on required forms? Yes. Digital signatures are accepted. What do we do if we didn’t get a secure upload link to submit required documents? Please reach out to SCIFGrantsNC@osbm.nc.gov and we will provide you the unique link for your organization and put you in contact with assigned analyst. Can a SCIF grant be used to reimburse for a project that has already been completed? Your SCIF grant funds may reimburse for project expenses that were paid on or after July 1, 2021. To apply your SCIF grant funds to any project expenses paid prior to July 1, 2021, you will need to contact your legislator for a legislative change to language of the current law. When can I expect to receive my funds? We expect to disburse funds by February 26, 2022 for recipients who have submitted all required documents and a signed contract. Does "the related bill text provision" in grants under the Local Government Infrastructure Grants section refer to a specific provision for that particular grant? The "related bill text provision" referenced in grants under the Local Government Infrastructure Grants is SL 2021-180 Section 40.16. This provision provides guidance regarding use of funds on property owned by the grant recipient. It applies only to these Local Government Infrastructure Grants but not to any other SCIF grants. What are the allowable uses of SCIF funds? The following sections of SL 2021-180 apply to all SCIF grants (including Local Government Infrastructure grants): Section 40.8 states that GS 143C-6-23 (b) through (f) and (f2) through (k) apply to all grants. Section 40.8 also provides guidance regrading compliance with rules, reporting, conflicts of interest, reverting funds, etc., and provides guidance regarding use of funds for non-sectarian, nonreligious purposes. Section 40.12 provides guidance regarding use of funds for affordable housing or residential purposes. Local Government Infrastructure Grants in the Appropriations Act with "the related bill text provision" language must follow SL 2021-180 Section 40.16, which provides guidance regarding use of funds on property owned by the grant recipient. It applies only to Local Government. Note, these provisions refer to the definition of Capital Improvement in GS 143C-1-1(d)(5): Capital improvement. - A term that includes real property acquisition, new construction or rehabilitation of existing facilities, and repairs and renovations over one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) in value. Can we use grant funds for indirect costs of a project? Generally, no, the SCIF Directed Grant funds must be used for capital projects. However, please discuss your specific situation and plans with your assigned budget analyst at OSBM to get an answer about the specific costs you have in mind. Do vehicles count as capital projects? This will come down to what your grant description says. In most cases no, but please contact your budget analyst to determine if your specific grant would cover a vehicle. Can a SCIF grant pay for staffing? Yes, although staffing cost must be directly related to the SCIF Grant Project. We would prefer staff be 100% dedicated to SCIF Grant if you plan to use SCIF Grant Funds for staffing. Timesheets must be kept for efforts spent on SCIF Grants if the employee is not 100% dedicated to the SCIF Grant Project, with a description of activities completed and signed off by the manager for each pay period (weekly or monthly depending upon the organization). Can SCIF funds be used for operating expenses? These are for capital projects and should not be used for general operating expenses. If you aren’t sure your costs might be part of the project Scope of Work, please discuss with your assigned OSBM budget analyst. Can we use our existing conflict of interest policy that's part of our procurement policy? Or do you need a stand-alone policy? Your Conflict of Interest Policy should address conflicts of interest that may arise involving your organization's management employees and the members of its board of directors or other governing body. The policy shall address situations in which any of these individuals may directly or indirectly benefit, except as the grantee's employees or members of its board or other governing body, from the grantee's disbursing of State funds, and shall include actions to be taken by the grantee or the individual, or both, to avoid conflicts of interest and the appearance of impropriety. Does the Conflict-of-Interest policy need to be signed by all board members? It is a best practice to have all board members sign your conflict-of-interest policy, but it is not required. If you have a policy in place already, you do not need to go back and get it signed before you submit it. How much detail should we put into the scope of work about how we will use the grant funds? The more detailed the better. We understand not everything may be decided now but we need to understand what you plan to use the grants funds for. If we use the funds for multiple, unrelated capital improvement projects, do we need submit a scope of work for each project? If your grant description is "capital improvements" you can have multiple projects. You will submit one Scope of Work with each of the projects listed out. Please include dollar amount for each project in budget section. When should we expect our grant contract? We need to have all required documents and the final Scope of Work for a grant project before we can send an organization their grant contract. We received money for 3 different projects. Will we receive 3 different grant contracts or 1? Each grant will have it's own Contract with a unique Scope of Work. What happens if the project takes longer to complete than the terms of the grant contract? Will we lose the funds? You will not lose the SCIF Directed Grant funds. The funds do not revert until the project is completed, per SL 2021-180. The grant contract can be extended as needed until the project is completed. Please let your assigned OSBM budget analyst know if you anticipate a longer grant term period. Our SCIF Grant is funded in both this fiscal year and next. Will both years be disbursed in one lump sum or will it be made each fiscal year? For grants awarded in FY2021-22 the total amount will be made in 1 payment prior to Feb 26, 2022, assuming the organization has submitted all required documents. For grants awarded in FY 2022-23 the total amount will be paid within 100 days after July 1, 2022. Who do I contact about the SCIF Airport grants handled by DOT? Bobby Walston – bwalston@ncdot.gov Sheila Gibbs – sgibbs@ncdot.gov Rachel Bingham – rsbingham@ncdot.gov See FAQs Applicable to All State Directed Grants
SCIF Grants OSBM is administering several State Capital and Infrastructure Fund (SCIF) Directed Grants as appropriated by the North Carolina General Assembly in the Current Operations Appropriations Act of 2021 (SL 2021-180) as modified by SL 2021-189 and S.L. 2022-6. If your organization received a SCIF grant administered by OSBM, please refer to this page for updated information. In early January 2022 OSBM began contacting recipients of SCIF Directed Grants. If you believe your organization was appropriated an OSBM-managed SCIF grant in SL 2021-180, as modified by SL 2021-189 and S.L. 2022-6, and you have not heard from our agency, please contact SCIFGrantsNC@osbm.nc.gov. Please check your email service's spam/junk folder to confirm you have not received an email from SCIFGrantsNC@osbm.nc.gov. Grant recipients will receive detailed instructions via email, but can prepare the following documentation in advance: A W-9 An electronic payment form, plus a document to verify the account number (i.e. voided check, bank statement, letter from bank) A copy of your organization's conflict of interest policy (see G.S. 143C-6-23.(b)). Here is a sample policy you can download and use if your organization does not have one. A sworn statement that your organization does not have overdue tax debts (see G.S. 143C-6-23.(b)). Here is a certification form you can use to provide the required statement. In addition, OSBM will prepare a grant agreement, including a scope of work, for grant recipients to sign prior to disbursing funds. Please see our examples of performance measurement for guidance on creating performance measures for your grant project scope of work. For more info & upcoming events Q&A Sessions for Grant Recipients May 26 at 10 a.m. (register here) June 9 at 10 a.m. (register here) Reporting training for Grant Recipients June 30 at 10 a.m. (register here) Please watch our recorded webinars on the State Directed Grants process. For more information on reporting your OSBM-managed SCIF grant visit the Reporting page. For general requirements of Directed Grants, please see the State Budget Manual Section 3.15. Frequently Asked Questions about SCIF Grants Can you adjust the name of the Grant Recipient to be more accurate? Yes, so long as it is the same town/county that was named in the Committee Report. For example, we cannot change Town of Lewisburg to County of Franklin but can alter things like "Township" to "Town of" since the recipient stays the same. Can I deposit my grant in my General Fund account? There should be no co-mingling of General Funds and SCIF funds. If your accounting software can't maintain separate accounts for the grant, we recommend creating a separate bank account for the grant. Do you accept Adobe digital signatures on required forms? Yes. Digital signatures are accepted. What do we do if we didn’t get a secure upload link to submit required documents? Please reach out to SCIFGrantsNC@osbm.nc.gov and we will provide you the unique link for your organization and put you in contact with assigned analyst. Can a SCIF grant be used to reimburse for a project that has already been completed? Your SCIF grant funds may reimburse for project expenses that were paid on or after July 1, 2021. To apply your SCIF grant funds to any project expenses paid prior to July 1, 2021, you will need to contact your legislator for a legislative change to language of the current law. When can I expect to receive my funds? We expect to disburse funds by February 26, 2022 for recipients who have submitted all required documents and a signed contract. Does "the related bill text provision" in grants under the Local Government Infrastructure Grants section refer to a specific provision for that particular grant? The "related bill text provision" referenced in grants under the Local Government Infrastructure Grants is SL 2021-180 Section 40.16. This provision provides guidance regarding use of funds on property owned by the grant recipient. It applies only to these Local Government Infrastructure Grants but not to any other SCIF grants. What are the allowable uses of SCIF funds? The following sections of SL 2021-180 apply to all SCIF grants (including Local Government Infrastructure grants): Section 40.8 states that GS 143C-6-23 (b) through (f) and (f2) through (k) apply to all grants. Section 40.8 also provides guidance regrading compliance with rules, reporting, conflicts of interest, reverting funds, etc., and provides guidance regarding use of funds for non-sectarian, nonreligious purposes. Section 40.12 provides guidance regarding use of funds for affordable housing or residential purposes. Local Government Infrastructure Grants in the Appropriations Act with "the related bill text provision" language must follow SL 2021-180 Section 40.16, which provides guidance regarding use of funds on property owned by the grant recipient. It applies only to Local Government. Note, these provisions refer to the definition of Capital Improvement in GS 143C-1-1(d)(5): Capital improvement. - A term that includes real property acquisition, new construction or rehabilitation of existing facilities, and repairs and renovations over one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) in value. Can we use grant funds for indirect costs of a project? Generally, no, the SCIF Directed Grant funds must be used for capital projects. However, please discuss your specific situation and plans with your assigned budget analyst at OSBM to get an answer about the specific costs you have in mind. Do vehicles count as capital projects? This will come down to what your grant description says. In most cases no, but please contact your budget analyst to determine if your specific grant would cover a vehicle. Can a SCIF grant pay for staffing? Yes, although staffing cost must be directly related to the SCIF Grant Project. We would prefer staff be 100% dedicated to SCIF Grant if you plan to use SCIF Grant Funds for staffing. Timesheets must be kept for efforts spent on SCIF Grants if the employee is not 100% dedicated to the SCIF Grant Project, with a description of activities completed and signed off by the manager for each pay period (weekly or monthly depending upon the organization). Can SCIF funds be used for operating expenses? These are for capital projects and should not be used for general operating expenses. If you aren’t sure your costs might be part of the project Scope of Work, please discuss with your assigned OSBM budget analyst. Can we use our existing conflict of interest policy that's part of our procurement policy? Or do you need a stand-alone policy? Your Conflict of Interest Policy should address conflicts of interest that may arise involving your organization's management employees and the members of its board of directors or other governing body. The policy shall address situations in which any of these individuals may directly or indirectly benefit, except as the grantee's employees or members of its board or other governing body, from the grantee's disbursing of State funds, and shall include actions to be taken by the grantee or the individual, or both, to avoid conflicts of interest and the appearance of impropriety. Does the Conflict-of-Interest policy need to be signed by all board members? It is a best practice to have all board members sign your conflict-of-interest policy, but it is not required. If you have a policy in place already, you do not need to go back and get it signed before you submit it. How much detail should we put into the scope of work about how we will use the grant funds? The more detailed the better. We understand not everything may be decided now but we need to understand what you plan to use the grants funds for. If we use the funds for multiple, unrelated capital improvement projects, do we need submit a scope of work for each project? If your grant description is "capital improvements" you can have multiple projects. You will submit one Scope of Work with each of the projects listed out. Please include dollar amount for each project in budget section. When should we expect our grant contract? We need to have all required documents and the final Scope of Work for a grant project before we can send an organization their grant contract. We received money for 3 different projects. Will we receive 3 different grant contracts or 1? Each grant will have it's own Contract with a unique Scope of Work. What happens if the project takes longer to complete than the terms of the grant contract? Will we lose the funds? You will not lose the SCIF Directed Grant funds. The funds do not revert until the project is completed, per SL 2021-180. The grant contract can be extended as needed until the project is completed. Please let your assigned OSBM budget analyst know if you anticipate a longer grant term period. Our SCIF Grant is funded in both this fiscal year and next. Will both years be disbursed in one lump sum or will it be made each fiscal year? For grants awarded in FY2021-22 the total amount will be made in 1 payment prior to Feb 26, 2022, assuming the organization has submitted all required documents. For grants awarded in FY 2022-23 the total amount will be paid within 100 days after July 1, 2022. Who do I contact about the SCIF Airport grants handled by DOT? Bobby Walston – bwalston@ncdot.gov Sheila Gibbs – sgibbs@ncdot.gov Rachel Bingham – rsbingham@ncdot.gov See FAQs Applicable to All State Directed Grants
