Grantee Guidance: Expectations
Expectations of grantees
It’s important to wait until your grant contract has been executed and a notice to proceed has been sent by MnDOT before starting your work or making any expenditures. Completing all the steps of the grant finalization process is required before you can begin work that is eligible for reimbursement.
Please refer to the Process page for details on grant finalization, including the time limit on submitting the documentation required to finalize the agreement. Grantees are expected to be good stewards of the grant funds they are awarded. Being a good steward means acting in a fiscally responsible manner, understanding and following the terms of the grant agreement as laid out in your contract with MnDOT and working closely with SRTS staff on managing the project. It is MnDOT’s expectation that grantees will do the following:
- Know and follow the scope of work and budget as approved by MnDOT
- Submit grant expenditures for only the activities that were stated in the grant contract scope of work and within the range of the approved budgets, including following the appropriate procurement process depending on the size of the expenditure
- Follow standard accounting procedures
- Obtain and retain financial records to support expenditures billed to the grant
- Submit invoices and progress reports by the dates indicated in the grant contract
- Obtain prior approval from SRTS staff when appropriate, as with budget changes, expenditures outside of what was proposed in the grant application, large purchases, or to verify the acceptability of an anticipated expense
- If subcontracting is an allowable expenditure in the budget, follow applicable state and federal procurement laws
- Credit the MnDOT Safe Routes to School program when talking about the project with media, partners, or in other venues to support the sustainability of the program
- Ensure financial and performance benchmarks are met while implementing the project
Expectations of MnDOT SRTS staff
- Provide excellent customer service to organizations applying for or receiving grant funding
- Be a resource for information on Safe Routes to School projects and provide technical support as needed.
- Respond promptly to requests from grantees via email, virtual office hours, or telephone
- Act as a partner to successfully implement the project, making it so youth in Minnesota can safely, confidently, and conveniently walk, bike, and roll to school and in daily life.
- Hold program office hours that provide an opportunity for grantees to ask questions of and interact with MnDOT’s SRTS team.