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DIVISION POLICY # 1.2

SUBJECT

Gifts and Donations Program

EFFECTIVE DATE

July 19, 2006

EXPIRATION DATE

This policy will be reviewed annually and updated as needed.

PURPOSE

To provide guidelines for making grants under the Gifts and Donations Program of the Division of Blind Services.

AUTHORITY

413.011

POLICY

The purpose of the Division of Blind Services Gifts and Donations Funds is to fund projects and programs directly benefiting Floridians who are blind or severely visually impaired, as well as, projects related to systems change and research and development.

Specific guidelines and procedures governing the Gifts and Donations program are contained in the Division’s Gifts and Donations Fund Procedures Manual.

Grant Request Process

Application Requirements

Applications for an award under the gifts and donations program must be submitted in writing using the appropriate form and must include both a hard and an electronic copy on CD or disk using Microsoft Word or saved as a rich text format. The budget may be in Excel.

Proposals will include the following information:

  • All requested background information.

  • DBS Checklist for Gifts and Donations Request with one or more of the qualifying project descriptions checked off.

  • A summary of the project.

  • A budget for the project detailing the cost of the project.

  • A detailed description of the project.

Grant Eligibility

Any person, organization, business or government agency may apply for funds as long as the application complies with the criteria set-forth in this policy. All applicants must be residents of the state of Florida or legally authorized Not-for-Profits or For-Profit businesses or a state or local government agency. Programs managed by the Division of Blind Services are also eligible for awards.

The Director of the Division of Blind Services shall not be eligible to receive funds or proceeds, or in any way directly or personally receive a benefit from the Gifts and Donations program. The Director does reserve the right to participate in programs funded by the Gifts and Donations funds.

Grant Review Process

Grant requests will be considered during TWO windows of opportunity during the year. Grant applications submitted on or before January 1 will be considered and approved or rejected by April 1 and grant applications submitted by July 1 will be approved or rejected by October 1.

DBS Review Committee

The Director will refer the grant application to a committee to review under the Gifts and Donations Funds program. The committee will be made up of the following division employees: the Bureau Chief of the Braille and Talking Book Library, the Director of the Orientation and Adjustment Center, the Bureau Chief of Client Services and Program Support, and the Bureau Chief of Operations and Compliance. The Bureau Chief of Operations and Compliance will chair the committee and coordinate with the clerk. If the grant request is for an activity supervised by any one of the committee members, the Deputy Director of the Division of Blind Services will review the grant request in place of that member.

The committee will perform a business/technical review to determine if the grant request meets one of the activities on the check list for gifts and donations, and to assess the merit of the project being proposed. A fiscal review will also be performed to determine if there are funds available for the project and, if so, to advise on the most efficient means for the project to be funded.

The committee will have twenty (20) business days from the receipt of the request to complete the review. Members of the committee may use program staff to assist in the review. The Assistant to the Director of the Division of Blind Services is designated as the clerk for the committee and will prepare copies of the committee’s review for the next phase of the review process.

Direct Service Organization (DSO) Review

After completing their review, the DBS committee will refer the results of the review to the DSO. The DSO will be given the opportunity to perform their own review in order to evaluate the merits of the grant request and to advise the Director of the Division of Blind Services. The DSO will supply the Director of DBS with a recommendation to either support or reject the project along with an explanation as to their conclusion.

Director, Division of Blind Services

The Director of the Division of Blind Services has the authority to determine use of funds under this program. The Director will consider the results of the committees’ reviews and make a final decision to approve or reject funding for the grant request. If the Director’s decision is contrary to the advice provided by the DSO, the Director will respond to the DSO in writing with an explanation for his decision. The Director’s signature on the grant request constitutes his approval of the grant.

Criteria

Criteria for Gifts and Donations Funds are as described below and in greater detail in conjunction with the DBS Gifts and Donations Fund Procedures Manual.

  1. The project must serve individuals who are blind or visually impaired.

  2. The project must serve those who are under served or considered to be the most severe.

  3. If the project does not benefit directly individuals who are blind or severely visually impaired, it must have a benefit to the service delivery system which provides services to this population.

The director may establish additional criteria in determining projects for awards under the Gifts and Donations Funds.

Request for cash advances must be in writing and must outline the purpose for the cash advance. Purposes for cash advances would include necessary start up costs for facilities, utilities, furnishings, equipment, licenses, etc. The Director of the Division of Blind Services shall determine if the cash advance is consistent with the procedures of the Department of Financial Services and will report in writing if the cash advance is approved.

The Director of the Division of Blind Services and the Bureau Chief of Operations and Compliance are responsible for managing the cash of the gifts and donations program and may make decisions on the amount of cash to transfer without seeking advice from a committee.

Budget and Disbursements

The Division of Blind Services will establish an annual budget for use of funds under the Gifts and Donations funds program. The DBS Director will authorize funds to be transferred from the Gifts and Donations Money Market account into the State Treasury or into the State Board of Administration investment account. All payments to a grantee will be disbursed through the State Treasury. During each six month cycle, fifty per cent of the funds allocated for the fiscal year will be disbursed.

Contracts

If a Grant Request is approved, the grantee and the Division of Blind Services will enter into a contractual agreement for a period generally not to exceed one year. The awardees signature on the Award Agreement constitutes acceptance of the award.

Contracts will include deliverables and will be monitored by DBS program managers.

Invoice Requirements

The following requirements apply to all invoices submitted for payment.

  1. An invoice submitted for payment of expenditure must be a legible copy. The original invoice is maintained by the agency. If an agency is filing a copy of the invoice as its original, it must contain the statement “original invoice not available, agency records show that this obligation has not been previously paid” with the signature of the person certifying the statement. Thermofax copies, because of their temporary nature, shall not be filed as the original at the agency. It should be copied on a standard photocopy machine.

  2. Invoices for commodities must clearly reflect a description of the item or items, number of units and cost per unit. Numerical code descriptions alone will not be accepted.

  3. Invoices for contractual services must also clearly reflect the services/deliverables that were provided. Invoices for fixed unit rate contracts must show the number of units and cost per unit. Invoices for contracts paid out on a reimbursement basis or a fixed rate for a specific time period, e.g. quarterly, monthly, etc., must be supported by documentation (such as a progress report) that clearly reflects the services/deliverables provided during the invoice period. No balances for prior purchases will be paid unless supported by an invoice. A statement will not be paid unless it can be clearly shown that the vendor intended it to be used as an invoice.

  4. All invoices shall be in accordance with Section 215.422, F.S., and the rules set forth in Rule 3A-24, F.A.C.

  5. Invoices that are split payments require information showing the distribution of charges between funds for such invoice and a cross-reference of the statewide document numbers for all related vouchers.

  6. Invoices and other supporting documentation included in a voucher must be grouped by vendor and arranged in the same order as the vendors listed on the voucher schedule. If the voucher includes multiple invoices from the same vendor, the voucher must include a calculator tape or other evidence showing that the total of the invoices is equal to the amount shown on the voucher schedule.

  7. Acronyms and non-standard abbreviations for programs or organizational units within an agency should not be used in the supporting documentation unless an explanation is also included.

  8. All purchases made by check must include a copy of the canceled check.

  9. Procurement requirements shall be consistent with Chapter 287.057 of the Florida Statutes.