GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMNBIA
Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2E

Guidelines for Consideration and Award of Grants

Approved at the regular public meeting of April 3, 2001

Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2E (the Commission) adopts the following guidelines for awarding grants.

Criteria for Evaluating Grants

According to the Statutory Guidelines, the Commission may approve grants that would be used primarily to provide services that are public in nature and benefit persons who reside or work within the ANC 2E area.

The Commission is prohibited from approving grants:

• To a District government agency or agency program funded by the District government;
• For services that duplicate those already provided by the District government;
• For non-public purposes or where services are provided for personal gain;
• On the condition that the grantee will support a position taken by the Commission;
• For food or entertainment purchases;
• For the sole benefit or support of a private individual or group (this is deemed a non-public purpose expenditure).

In considering whether to approve a grant, the Commission may consider appropriate criteria, such as,

• The extent of the benefit to the residents of ANC 2E;
• Whether the grant is consistent with long-term plans for the ANC 2E neighborhood;
• Whether other community groups are also providing financial support for the proposed grant activity.

Application to the Commission

Grant requests must be submitted on a form approved by the Commission at least 30 days prior to the meeting at which the grant proposal is to be considered. In addition to other material approved by the commission, the form shall request the following information:

• A description of the proposed project for which the grant is requested.
• The total cost of the project, including other sources of funding.
• The date when the funds are expected to be used, if granted.
• A statement of the expected public benefits from the project.
• Other reasons, as appropriate, why the grant would be an appropriate expenditure and would not violate any statutory prohibitions.

Consideration at a Commission Meeting

• Grant requests must be approved by the Commission at a regularly-scheduled public meeting.
• Grant requests will only be considered at the Commission meetings following the beginning of the first and the third quarters of the fiscal year, except that in case of urgent need, and with the vote of two-thirds of the serving commission members, requests may be considered at another regular meeting of the Commission.
• A representative of the organization requesting the grant must appear before the Commission at the meeting at which the grant request is to be considered.

Limits to Grants

No single organization may receive grants totaling more than $1000 in any fiscal year.

Accountability

• All grant recipients must explicitly agree to adhere to these grant guidelines as a condition for receiving any grant.
• According to the Statutory Guidelines, the Commission must determine that the grant funds were used specifically for the purpose approved. Therefore, grant recipients must provide the Commission with a report of how the funds were used within 60 days of disbursement of the funds by the Commission. The report should include receipts, or such receipts shall be forwarded as soon as reasonably possible.
• Any grant funds awarded to a recipient which are not expended within six months of disbursement must be returned to the Commission, unless the Commission approves an extension.