02 NCAC 57 .0307. AWARD OF GRANTS

(a)  The Commission will award grants to proposals which have the greatest impact on the long-term health of the State's tobacco-related agricultural economy.  All applicants will be notified in writing whether they have received a grant or not. The Commission will award grants if it determines that it has sufficient funds to do so.

(b)  The grant proposal shall be incorporated into the grant, and the goals, time lines and other grant objectives shall be performance standards for the grant.

(c)  Funds will be conveyed to grantees through contracts with the Commission.

(d)  Of the total funds granted for each project, up to 100 percent may be paid upon signing of the contract if such payment is requested as part of the grant application and the Commission determines the request is necessary for the administration of the grant program.

(e)  Other payments to grantees shall be paid upon receipt of expenditure reports or invoices at mutually agreed upon periodic intervals.

(f)  The Commission or the Commission staff may agree to change time lines when such changes do not undermine the purposes and goals of the grant.

(g)  The Commission may consider the applicant's past performance of grants and publicly funded projects when awarding grants.  The Commission shall not award a grant to an applicant whose past performance of Commission grants or programs has been unsatisfactory, according to these Rules.

(h)  The granting agreement will outline the standard accounting practices which the grantee will follow in order to facilitate review by the Commission staff or the State Auditor, or an outside auditor hired by the Commission.  The grant agreement will also provide that the grantee shall put grant money in an interest bearing account and that any interest earned on the grant money shall be returned to the Commission at the conclusion of the grant together with an accounting of such interest earnings.

(i)  If the Commission determines that grant funds are not being used for the purpose for which they were awarded, the Commission may cease making payments under the grant schedule until the problem has been resolved or may demand immediate return of any unspent money from the grant, with which request the grantee must comply.  Grantees must pay back to the Commission any funds that the Commission determines have not been spent for the purpose for which they were granted as well as the statutory interest rate on those funds.

(j)  Grantees must return any grant money which remains unspent at the conclusion of the grant project along with any interest earned on grant money.

 

History Note:        Authority G.S. 143-718; 143-721;

Temporary Adoption Eff. May 15, 2002;

Temporary Adoption Eff. June 29, 2002;

Eff. April 15, 2003.