Rule 6-2-1.4 - UNIFORM PROGRAM REQUIREMENTSThe Community Foundations and the Consortium shall establish Program rules, policies, procedures, and forms for implementing Grants to Eligible Grantees. To the extent feasible, these should be uniform requirements and forms to ensure a fair and equitable process for making Grants. On a minimum basis, MDA is proscribing the following measures to be utilized by the Community Foundations and the Consortium in making Grants:
A. An Application Process whereby each potential Eligible Grantee will be required to fill out an application to provide basic information:1. The Eligible Grantee's name as registered with Mississippi Secretary of State, along with any DBAs or tradenames;2. The Mississippi Secretary of State's Business ID number;3. The primary contact for the Eligible Grantee;4. The Eligible Grantee's address, phone number, and email address;5. An outline of the nature of the Eligible Grantee's activities that are related to responding to the COVID-19 pandemic;6. The types and amounts of funds received from any other federal, state, or other programs to cover COVID-19 related costs, expenses, or activities.B. The application must be signed under penalty of perjury certifying that all responses and statements are true and correct and are not false, fraudulent, or materially misleading.C. Each Eligible Grantee shall make application to the Community Foundation which has jurisdiction based upon the Eligible Grantee's (1) location indicated by its registration with the Mississippi Secretary of State's Office or (2) primary business location. Only one application shall be accepted from the Eligible Grantee for each Grant fund. No separate application can be made based upon the locations of Eligible Grantees other offices, facilities, or satellite locations, except for those Food Pantries set forth in Rule 1.2 11.2. However, an Eligible Grantee which is both a Nonprofit and a Food Pantry may make separate application for an award from both funds.D. There should be a uniform application review process established to judge the eligibility of each the possible Eligible Grantee, along with rules to determine the order by which applications are reviewed and the method by which applicants will be notified as to their eligibility.E. The Eligible Grantee must certify to the required statements of Rule 1.3 B. above.F. The Community Foundations and the Consortium must collect such other documentation as necessary from the Eligible Grantee or from other reliable sources (such as governmental agencies) to demonstrate the Eligible Grantee's eligibility to participate in the Program, as well as any other documentation as it feels necessary to fully substantiate its activities meet all Program requirements.G. There shall be a uniform Reimbursement Request form whereby an Eligible Grantee submits all of its Eligible Expenditures, which should be itemized on the form. If necessary, the Eligible Grantee should provide supporting information establishing that the claimed Eligible Expenditure is related to COVID-19. The Eligible Grantee must certify that it has not received any other funds from any other source to cover these Eligible Expenditures. The Reimbursement Request form must be signed under penalty of perjury by the Eligible Recipient's designated representative. Furthermore, the Eligible Grantee must submit supporting documentation for all Eligible Expenditures, including, but not limited to invoices, purchase orders, receipts, bills, charges, or other financial statements. Failure to submit supporting documentation will result in those claims being denied as ineligible.H. With the enactment of Section 6 of Senate Bill 2221,2021 Reg. Session, and the determination that the Community Foundations were not subject to Mississippi procurement laws and regulations under Miss. Code Ann § 31-7-1, et seq., those entities must establish procurement policies and procedures that fully adopt and implement the requirements of 2 C.F.R. §§ 200.317-200.326.I. The Community Foundations and the Consortium must maintain supporting documentation for all of their administrative expenditures, including, but not limited to, payroll records, invoices, purchase orders, receipts, bills, charges, or other financial statements concerning their use of these federal funds for this area. Failure to have such supporting documentation will result in those items being denied as ineligible.J. The Community Foundations and the Consortium shall establish a uniform record keeping rule whereby Eligible Grantees retain records related to the Program for not less than five (5) years after December 31, 2021.K. The Community Foundations and the Consortium shall establish a uniform appeals rule whereby an applicant and/or Eligible Grantee may appeal any denial of eligibility to participate in the Program or any award made.L. The Community Foundations and the Consortium shall establish a uniform process to make fraud referrals to the Office of the Mississippi State Auditor.M. To the extent that the Community Foundations and the Consortium already have rules, policies, or procedures which meet the requirements set forth above, they may rely upon those and adopt them for purposes of this Program.Senate Bill 2221, 2021 Regular Legislative Session; Senate Bill 3063, 2020 Regular Legislative Session; House Bill 1782, 2020 Regular Legislative Session.