Click here for the Department of Finance and Management's Grant Recipient FAQ.
At the bottom of the page you will find links to FAQ documents for specific DEC grants.
General FAQ
- What is a performance based grant?
- I have a current grant from the State, but I don’t know if it’s federal or not. How can I find out?
- Will the State require a signed contract with a subcontractor/consultant as part of the application?
- Does the State require subcontractors/consultants to provide certificates of insurance?
- What is a single audit? Is this the same as an independent audit?
- What is an “in-kind” match?
- If an organization does not have a Chief Officer or a Chief Fiscal Officer, who should sign the Risk Assessment Questionnaire?
What is a performance based grant?
The State of Vermont made the decision to replace the reimbursement‐based grant administration process with a performance‐based process. Generally, the State made this transition because it was experiencing some fundamental problems with the reimbursement‐based process. Problems included: (1) occasions when the total dollar amount was exhausted prior to project completion, which resulted in projects that were incomplete; and (2) the frequent use of change orders. Change orders can increase the total project cost, including state costs to administer the grants, as well as increase project completion time, which heightened the risk of extending the project beyond the original grant period. The benefit of performance based grant management is that the approach helps to ensure that a project is completed for a specified dollar amount and within a specified time frame. If the grantee fails to deliver upon these performance milestones, then the grantee is not paid.
I have a current grant from the State, but I don’t know if it’s federal or not. How can I find out?
Review your grant award document. It should disclose the source of funds. All federal grant awards issued from the State of Vermont must disclose the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number, federal agency, etc. in accordance with Agency of Administration Bulletin 5. In a nutshell, if your grant award document contains CFDA information, it is considered a federally funded grant.
If you look at your grant award but you still cannot tell if a grant is federally funded or not, please contact your grant management specialist.
Will the State require a signed contract with a subcontractor/consultant as part of the application?
A signed contract with a subcontractor/consultant is not required as part of the application. Grantee’s will need to complete and submit a Subcontractor Approval Form for any subcontractors they wish to hire to complete a portion of the work funded by this grant after awards are announced. This form will certify that the grantee has and has utilized their procurement process to hire the subcontract. Click here to access the Subcontractor Approval Form.
Does the State require subcontractors/consultants to provide certificates of insurance?
The State does not need to have insurance certificates from their subcontractor ‐ just from the primary grantee, the entity with which we enter into agreement. It is the grantee's decision whether they want to require the same protections from their subcontractor that we require of them as the grantee.
What is a single audit? Is this the same as an independent audit?
A single audit, formerly known as an OMB A-133 audit, is the required examination of an organization’s financial records if they receive more than $750,000 in Federal funds (grants or contracts) annually. This is not the same as an independent audit.
What is an “in-kind” match?
An in‐kind match is a local contribution of goods or servcies to the total project cost to ‘match’ the grant from the State. The following types of in‐kind matches may be eligible, however, please refer to your specific grant application:
- Volunteer assistance
- In‐house assistance from staff at the grantee's organization
- Professional assistance from a third party
If an organization does not have a Chief Officer or a Chief Fiscal Officer, who should sign the Risk Assessment Questionnaire?
The grantee staff or board member that is an authorized signer for agreements should typically sign as the "Chief Officer." The "Chief Fiscal Officer" should typically be a staff or board member that oversees the grantee's fiscal operations (or is an authorized check‐signer).
FAQs for DEC Grants
Ecosystem Restoration Program FAQ
Solid Waste Implementation Program FAQ