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Reliant Point Person is desired to be a Reliant employee/associate assigned to be the fund custodian, responsible for the management of the fund and compliance with policy and standards, and acts as the main contact for the church/project fund, and is required for all church/project funds. The Reliant Point Person agrees to complete a Reliant tutorial on grants and expense submissions and agrees to send a grant report for monies received. The Reliant Point Person oversees the receipt and distribution of monies on behalf of the church/ministry, including stipends for any Designated Grantees. The Reliant Point Person agrees to communicate with Reliant about any problems or post-disbursement changes. 

Authorized Signer(s) is the individual(s) who is authorized by the church/ministry to approve transfers, reimbursements, grants, and other payments from the church/project fund as outlined on the original church/project fund request form. 

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It must be communicated to both the Designated Grantee and their donors to confirm their understanding that the church/project funds are not supporting an individual, but rather a pre-approved ministry purpose by a Reliant-approved church/project and ministry partner. Reliant cannot hire the Designated Grantee or have the appearance that the Designated Grantee is being paid for hours worked, even as a contractor. Reliant acknowledges that a Designated Grantee receives a stipend to fulfill the purpose of the fund through conducting the ministry activities outlined on the master grant agreementMaster Grant Agreement, and due to these ministry activities, may not be able to devote time to other work activities sufficient to support the Designated Grantee's family, therefore Reliant recognizes that some of the funds may be used for personal expenses.

Reliant Point Person and associated church/ministry must communicate with clarity with all Designated Grantees that the Designated Grantee(s) will be responsible for applicable payment of taxes, withholding for employment taxes, compliance with local law, etc. A clear acknowledgment of these expectations for local compliance will also be noted in the Stipend Agreement which will be required to be signed by all Designated Grantees.

Reliant will take reasonable steps of due diligence to ensure that it is not otherwise assisting known or suspected terrorists through its foreign grant-making process, including annually checking applicable governmental lists provided and maintained by the U.S. Treasury Department.

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• Conducts ministry work alongside an existing Reliant partnership.
• Specifies ministry activities expected to occur as a result of receiving stipend disbursements.
• Is identified and vouched for by a Reliant worker or church/ministry partner.
• Is vetted using the OFAC Watchlist Verification.
• Assumes responsibility for applicable payment of taxes and compliance with other all local employment taxes and regulations.
• Is able to receive monies through the officially registered-in-country church or ministry or Reliant Point Person. 
• Agrees to follow receipt guidelines for each stipend disbursement received coordinated by the Reliant Point Person.
• Agrees to inform Reliant if they come to the U.S. for any extended amount of time as Reliant cannot send them payment a stipend if they are on U.S. soil.

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Grants can be requested as one-time expense payments, recurring expense payments, or recurring monthly stipend disbursements for Designated Grantees. 

Expense Requests:

Expense Grant Request Form: used for both one-time and recurring expensesexpense requests and grant report(s). The requestor will note intended purchases and follow the reporting guidelines outlined below including receipt submissions. 

Timeframe of Disbursement: One-time expense grants are disbursed upon approval and submission with no intentional delay. Recurring expense grants are disbursed monthly on the 10th of the month or the Friday before the 10th, if the 10th falls on a weekend or bank holiday.

Stipend Requests:

Stipend Grant Request Form: used to request a monthly recurring stipend disbursement to a Designated Grantee and grant reports. The requestor will note stipend amounts and details about Designated Grantees, and follow the reporting guidelines outlined below including receipt submissions. Amounts for stipends are determined by the church/ministry partnership. If the amounts or names change for the Designated Grantees outlined on the Stipend Request Form, an addendum to the stipend request is required. Addendums require approval by both the Authorized Signer and Reliant. 

Timeframe of Disbursement: Recurring stipend grants are disbursed monthly on the 10th of the month or the Friday before the 10th, if the 10th falls on a weekend or bank holiday.

Stipend Agreement: A  A stipend agreement is a document required to be signed by any Designated Grantee receiving a stipend disbursement to acknowledge Reliant's requirements of a Designated Grantee. Once the stipend agreement has been signed, and the Designated Grantee has been approved, then grant stipend disbursement requests can be officially submitted. Stipend agreements must be signed and submitted along with the Stipend Grant Request form.

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A U.S. charity that makes international grants must demonstrate discretion and control for IRS purposes and must confirm that the ministry funds being distributed will be used for ministry purposes and not as a conduit for the non-governmental organization (NGO) of that country. Therefore, the Grant-Making Standard outlines these controls put in place and a remittance will be included with each grant disbursement as an acknowledgment that those terms and conditions are in place and to confirm the funds being used for this specific disbursement are being used for the agreed-upon purpose of the fund. 

SAMPLE: This remittance on (date) acknowledges that the terms and conditions outlined in the Master Grant Agreement are still in place for the use of this grant disbursement. 

Approval:

Approval:

Only Only Authorized Signers of the specific church/project fund can approve the payment for the grant request. 

• One-time grants require approval for each submission. 

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• Recurring grant requests will normally be approved for a maximum of five years from the date of grant approval.  If the requested approved amount or individuals receiving funds for recurring grants change at any point after approval,

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• a new approval will be needed.

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• After the five-year approval expires, a new grant request must be submitted.

Required approvals are as follows:

• One-Time Grants 
  • One-time grant payment requests under $5,000 will be approved by the Accounting Manager.
  • One-time grant payment requests between $5,000 and $25,000 will need approval by the Director of Organizational Affairs (in place of the Accounting Manager).
  • One-time grant payment requests between $25,000-$100,000 will need approval from both the Director of Organizational Affairs and the Chief Financial Officer.

  • One-time grant payment requests over $100,000 will need additional approval from the Executive Director.

• Recurring Yearly Grants (set up of recurring monthly payments)
  • Requests under up to $1,000 a month ($12,000/year) will be approved by the Accounting Manager.
  • Requests between $1,000-$5,000 a month (up to $60,00/year) will need approval by the Director of Organizational Affairs (in place of the Accounting Manager).
  • Grant requests between $5,001-$25,000 a month (up to $300,000/year) a year will need approval from both the Director of Organizational Affairs and the Chief Financial Officer.
  • A Grant Request over $25,000 a month will need additional approval from the Executive Director.

If the Accounting Manager is unable to approve within a reasonable timeframe then the Director of Organizational Affairs may approve in their place. If the Director of Organizational Affairs is unavailable to approve within a reasonable timeframe, the Chief Financial Officer may approve in their place. If the Chief Financial Officer is unavailable to approve within a reasonable timeframe, the President may approve in their place.Reliant retains the right to withdraw approval of a current grant or to receive a refund of any unexpended grant funds.

Reporting Standards:

Reliant will require requires periodic accounting of the usage of the grant funds .Reliant leadership and oversees and evaluates the completion of grant reports. The  The Reliant Point Person for the church/project fund is responsible for submitting grant reports and agrees to comply with the grant reporting and monitoring requirements as outlined below.

Grant Report

After expenditures occur, grant reports are submitted on the same grant request used to request the original grant paymentdisbursement.

Grant reports must include the following:

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• Greater than $75 when purchased in the U.S., except for hotel/lodging receipts, which are required regardless of amount. 
• Greater than $25 when purchased outside the U.S. except for hotel/lodging receipts, which are required regardless of amount. 

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Receipts must include the following itemized details:

• What was purchased
• Total amount paid
• Date
• Name of individual (only if applicable to the receipt, such as for a flight, hotel, rental car, etc.)
• Name of the company (or person) that was paid
• If the amount that is being submitted on the form is less than the amount for the item listed on the receipt that is submitted, please add a note to the top of the receipt explaining why the request for submission is a different amount.

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The Grant Report is located on a tab of the Grant Request Form. 

Report Submission Timeline: Grant reports must be submitted periodically based on the type of grant issued. 

• One-Time Grant Report Due Date: Reports may be submitted as early as possible after expenditure, but no later than six months after receiving the monies. 
• Recurring Monthly Grant Report Due Dates: Reports must be submitted twice a year, reporting on a six-month period. For monies received January-June, the report is due by July 30, and July-December the report is due by January 30. The report is required for any months that recurring grants are received within that six-month period. For example, if a grant is received February-May, those expenses must be reported for the period report due by July 30

In the event that the submission due date cannot be met, Reliant will allow up to a 15-day grace period.

Grant Reports Include the Following:

• Detailed description of each purchase and/or describe individual ministry activities that took place as a result of stipends received by Designated Grantees. These descriptions will confirm church/project fund purpose alignment. 
• Significant post-disbursement usage changes
• Project milestones on how the grant monies supported the goals of the church/ministry describing ministry accomplishments and/or local impact. The milestones can be shared in a paragraph on the grant report or can be described within a prayer letter that should be linked to the report. 
• Receipts for purchases/stipend distribution according to the guidelines below:
  
  • Receipts (see receipt content requirements below) are uploaded into a Google folder and linked to the grant report.
  • Receipts are required to be submitted for expenses:
    • Greater than $75 when purchased in the U.S., except for hotel/lodging receipts, which are required regardless of the amount. 
    • Greater than $25 when purchased outside the U.S. except for hotel/lodging receipts, which are required regardless of the amount. 

  • Receipts are required from each Designated Grantee for each stipend disbursement (See Hand-Written Receipt in the drop-down below.)

    
    

Suspension of Grant Disbursement

Report Submission Timeline: Grant reports must be submitted periodically based on the type of grant issued. 

• One-Time Grant Report Due Date: Reports may be submitted as early as possible after expenditure, but no later than six months after receiving the monies. 
• Recurring Monthly Grant Report Due Dates: Reports must be submitted twice a year, reporting on a six-month period. For monies received January-June, the report is due by July 30, and July-December the report is due by January 30. The report is required for any months that recurring grants are received within that six-month period. For example, if a grant is received February-May, those expenses must be reported for the period report due by July 30.

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All grant requests shall be funded with the understanding that Reliant retains full and absolute discretion as to grant approvals, retains the right to withdraw approval of a current grant, and retains the right to receive a refund for any unexpended grant funds. Reliant also retains the right to discontinue funding at any time that it determines that:

• Periodic grant reports are not submitted within the submission timeline. In the event that the submission due date cannot be met, Reliant will allow up to a 15-day grace period.
• The project goals are not being met or not being adhered to.
• The monies are not being spent according to the grant request and fund purpose.
• In Reliant’s sole discretion for any other reason.

Failure to provide a complete grant report within the submission timeline may possibly result in the termination of the grant. Reliant also reserves the right to obtain a return of granted funds if timely and proper grant report documentation is ultimately not provided by the recipientReliant Point Person.