Grants Administration Designated Legislative (DL) Grants Communities and organizations seek funding through their state senators and representatives for identified capital projects. Appropriations are included in the Capital Bill by the legislature at their discretion, with final approval by the governor. Under the governor’s discretion, project funding may be reduced or vetoed entirely. The Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development, Division of Community and Regional Affairs’ Grant Section manages the program under the provisions of the Alaska Statutes 37.05.315-37.05.325. AS 37.05.315 Grants to Municipalities AS 37.05.316 Grants to Named Recipients AS 37.05.317 Grants to Unincorporated Communities AS 37.05.318 Further Regulations prohibited AS 37.05.325 Definitions for AS 37.05.315-37.05.317 Alaska Statutes are codified laws enacted by the legislature. The most current statutes can be found on the Alaska State Legislature website: https://www.akleg.gov/basis/statutes.asp Upon approval of the capital bill, all grantees with grants appropriated to the department will be notified by the department. Most grants will have an effective date July 1 st of every year and expenditures may not be incurred prior to that date unless otherwise stated in law. Types of Designated Legislative Grants Feasibility studies Construction projects Building improvements and upgrades Design and engineering Land acquisition Equipment purchase, upgrades, or repairs If you would like to know more about this program or if your community or organization has been appropriated a grant, please review resources available below. Grant Related Resources Designated Legislative - DL- Grantee Handbook Grant Related Forms Electronic Payment Agreement Form - PDF Financial Progress Report Form - Excel Financial Progress Report Form - Word Signatory Authority Form Substitute W-9 Form (for new entities only) - PDF Everything You Want to Know About the Designated Legislative Grant Program We have compiled a list of common questions regarding the administration of the Designated Legislative Grant Program that we have received over the years. They are outlined below with corresponding answers. Q. Where can I find a list of active and or closed grants administered by the Division of Community and Regional Affairs (DCRA)? A. eGrants Online is a database maintained by the DCRA Grants Section and can be used to generate a report of grants administered by DCRA. A short tutorial is provided to assist with generating the most effective report. There are “predefined” reports that have general information or specialized reports may be generated using specific criteria. Click here to go to eGrants Online!:http://commerce.state.ak.us/dca/apps/egrantsonline/ Q. Who do I contact if I have a question regarding a particular grant or community? A. Each grant is assigned to a particular grants administrator. eGrants Online can be used to determine the grants administrator associated with the grant or community in question. If unable to access the database, contact Debi Kruse, Designated Legislative grants program lead, at (907) 465-5541 or debi.kruse@alaska.gov to request the contact information of the assigned grants administrator. Q. If a grant is approved in the capital budget, when is the grant recipient able to begin spending grant funds? A. Each appropriation has a start date set in law and included in the Capital Bill. Grantees may not incur costs toward a grant project prior to that date . It is also not advisable to incur any costs prior to a grant agreement being executed between DCRA and the grantee. For the majority of grants, the start date is July 1 of the new fiscal year. Q. How long do grant recipients have to spend appropriated funds? A. Designated Legislative Grants are generally five year appropriations. Some unique appropriations have specific end dates. If a project is not complete after five years and the grantee can demonstrate significant and ongoing progress, DCRA may consider authorizing a one year extension for the grant. Q. What is DCRA’s process for grants that are due to lapse? A. In late fall, DCRA sends notice to all grantees with grants lapsing on June 30th of the following year. Grantees are asked to inform DCRA if they will be expending all funds, re-appropriating funds, or requesting an extension via a form provided by the division. For grants requesting an extension, the DCRA grants administrator considers the request and the criteria of “significant and ongoing progress” as noted in HB 306, a balance of $1,000 or greater, and compliancy in reporting. If all of these criteria are met, a one year extension will be approved. Q. What is the role of the DCRA Grants Section once the capital budget bill has been signed into law? A. Upon signature of the capital budget bill, the DCRA Grants Section will notify all grant recipients of their designated appropriation. This letter will include the start date of the grant term. Nearing the end of the fiscal year, DCRA grants section will contact each individual grantee to request the necessary information (Scope of Work, budget narrative, signatory authority form) to create a grant agreement. Upon execution of the grant agreement, DCRA grants administrators will work closely with grantees towards successful project completion. Q. How are funds disbursed? A. Designated Legislative Grants are cost reimbursable. Grantees pay for expenditures out of their own funds and then request reimbursement when submitting monthly or quarterly financial/progress reports. If cost reimbursable significantly inhibits the grantee’s ability to implement the project, the department may advance some funds to the grantee under the department’s advance policy. Q. How can grantees ensure reimbursements are approved? A. For a reimbursement request to be approved, all expenditures must be reasonable, allowable and allocable under the specific grant project. The expenditure must occur after the start date of the grant and prior to the end date. If expenditure is questionable, a grantee should seek pre-approval from the grants administrator assigned to the grant. For more information contact: Division of Community and Regional Affairs Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development Fairbanks Office 455 3rd Avenue Suite 140 Fairbanks, Alaska 99701-4737 Phone: (907) 451-2721 Fax: (907) 451-2742 Email: caa@alaska.gov Revised 06/27/2023