Frequently Asked Questions – Competitive Grants Program

 

1) Grant sizes - is there an amount? 

No, there is no cap on the amount for which you can apply, however, a total of $9.3 million has been appropriated statewide.  The Committee may allocate as they choose within the four criteria listed on the application form in the following amounts:

            Health & environmental - $2.8 million appropriation

            Travel & tourism - $3,056,727 appropriation

            Economic development - $500,000 appropriation

            Other purposes as approved by the Committee - $3,000,000

 

2)  Is there a time within which a project must be completed?

There is no specific time frame for the expenditure of grant funds.  Once the grant is awarded, the funds will transfer.  The applicant must file a final report of expenditures with the Committee.

 

3) Who can apply?  Can a state agency apply?

The applicant must be a local government entity or a nonprofit organization.  State agencies may not apply.  This is governed by the legal authority that created the grant program. 

 

4) Does the money have to go to a county or city? 

Even though a nonprofit organization may be the applicant for a grant, funding may be required to flow through a city or county government.  The preferred way to distribute funds to a nonprofit organization is through a city or county. If this creates a problem with a particular entity, please state this in your grant request. Having a pre-arrangement with a local government entity is not a requirement to qualify for a grant, but the preference of flowing funds through a city or county remains.

 

5)  Are there other requirements to submit an application?

No.  The only requirement is that your project be tied to at least one of the four grant criteria on the application form.  The Committee intentionally did not prescribe more detailed criteria than what is stated in the law, thus leaving an applicant the flexibility to present their request in the most appropriate way for the particular project. 

 

6)  What is the source of these funds?  Are these federal grant dollars?

This is a grant program that was created by the South Carolina General Assembly for this year and consists solely of state funds.

 

7) Are matching funds required?

No.

 

7)  What if I don’t get my application done by the April 10th deadline for submission?

This is the first round of applications for grant funding.  Until we actually go through the review and award process, we will not know if funds will remain for a second round of application submission. 

 

8) When will funds be available?

The funds will be available when the applicant is officially notified that the application has been approved, and after allowing a reasonable amount of time for administrative processing of the transaction. 

 

9) When will the committee next meet?  Who is on the committee?

The next meeting of the Competitive Grants Review Committee has not been scheduled but is anticipated in late April, 2006.

 

As established by law, the following members were appointed to the committee:

 

Chairman Jimmy Bailey, Charleston (Appointed by President Pro Tempore of the Senate)

Scott English, Columbia (Appointed by the Governor)

Christopher A. Latham, Mount Pleasant, (Appointed by the Speaker of the House)

James Brown, Florence (Appointed by the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee)

Jack D. Puckett, Simpsonville (Appointed by the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee)