Section NR 51.85 - Application and grant award procedures(1)Applications for stewardship grants under this subchapter shall be submitted to the department property manager on forms provided by the department. Applications shall include a detailed description of the proposed project, a cost estimate, timetable and other information required by the department. Note: A copy of the application form may be obtained from the DNR, Bureau of Parks and Recreation, Box 7921, Madison 53707.
(2)The department shall establish one or two application deadlines each year and shall evaluate and prioritize applications received by those deadlines according to the priorities in this subchapter. The department shall allocate funds to projects based upon their priority until all funding is exhausted. Sponsors whose projects are not funded will receive an explanation of eligibility or priority ranking results. Sponsors may request that their projects be reconsidered in another fiscal year if the project is eligible for funding. Resubmissions will be judged without prejudice or preferential priority.(3)Sponsors shall develop grant applications cooperatively with the department property manager.(4)The department is responsible for any environmental analyses, historical or cultural assessments, permits, and miscellaneous approvals required to implement the project. Friends groups may not begin work until all applicable permits have been obtained.(5)The department may award grants for up to 50 percent of project costs. The sponsor shall provide the other 50 percent of project costs. Up to 50 percent of the sponsor's share of project costs may be donated materials, equipment, services and labor, according to the provisions in s. NR 51.09(1) (c).(6)The department may advance up to 100 percent of the grant award to the sponsor once the sponsor has signed the grant agreement and returned it to the department. The department shall only provide one advance to a sponsor for each grant awarded under this subchapter. If the department does not provide an advance totaling 100 percent of the grant award, a sponsor may request partial reimbursement from the department of the grant award balance only after that sponsor has submitted to the department all documentation to justify costs associated with the expenditure of the entire advance. Sponsors requesting partial reimbursement shall do so in increments of not less than ten percent of the total grant award. Sponsors shall provide adequate documentation in support of their partial reimbursement request before the department considers the request. Sponsors may submit partial reimbursement requests to the department at any time after an advance is issued and before submitting a final report for the project.(7)Sponsors may complete projects in up to 3 phases and funded for a maximum of 3 fiscal years, subject to the project's annual priority ranking and availability of funds. No sponsor may receive more than $60,000 under this subchapter for any one project that is completed in phases. A sponsor shall complete a usable component of the project at the end of each phase. The department shall require that one phase be completed and that grant closed out before it awards a grant for the next phase.(8)Each sponsor that receives a grant under this subchapter shall maintain accurate and complete financial records of project expenses in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and practices. A final report, which documents project expenses, shall be submitted to the department property manager within 90 days of the completion of the project or by the end date indicated in the grant agreement, whichever is sooner. Upon completion and submittal of the final grant report, the department shall reimburse remaining grant funds for which the sponsor is eligible. If expenses for the project are less than estimated, the sponsor shall return any unused advance with the final report. Sponsors that have not submitted a final report or returned unused advances within 90 days of the completion of the project or by the end date indicated in the grant agreement will not be eligible for new grant awards under this chapter until the past-due grant is closed out.Wis. Admin. Code Department of Natural Resources NR 51.85
Emerg. cr. eff. 9-1-00; CR 00-135: cr. Register July 2001, No. 547 eff. 8-1-01; CR 10-127: am. (1) to (4), (6) to (8) Register February 2012 No. 674, eff. 3-1-12; CR 13-022: am. (4) Register March 2014 No. 699, eff. 4-1-14. Copies of the department's financial reporting requirements and forms are available from the DNR, Bureau of Community Financial Assistance, Box 7921, Madison, WI 53707.