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Page History
Standard Name: | Grant-Making Standard |
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Relevant Policy: | |
Relevant Standard: | Church and Project Fund Standard |
Creation Date: | 8/23/2023 |
Last Revision Date: |
Table of Contents
General Standards
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- Grants must be managed in accordance with Reliant's Funds and Grant-Making Policy for Churches and Projects.
- Reliant grants must be consistent with the purpose of the fund from which the grant is distributed. Grants cannot be used as conduits to channel monies for purposes other than those for which the fund is established.
- Reliant grants cannot be used to cause any improper private benefit to occur.
- Recipients of Reliant grants are responsible for compliance with relevant laws and regulations, including relevant tax requirements, pertinent to grants.
- No portion of grant funds may be used for overtly political or legislative purposes (e.g., propaganda, lobbying, or other attempts to influence legislation or intervene in a political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office).
- Reliant will undertake reasonable due diligence to ensure that grants are not directed to known or suspected terrorists.
- Reliant will collaborate with the church/ministry partner to ensure the grant disbursement occurs within a reasonable time frame based on the needs of the project.
- Reliant will not physically transport hard currency for grant distribution. Reliant will use a financial institution for all financial transactions associated with grant-making from church/project funds.
- A grant direct deposit agreement form must be submitted for US bank accounts along with the project fund request form.
- A wire agreement form must be submitted for foreign bank accounts along with the project fund request form.
- Processing Reimbursements vs. Grants
- Tax-deductible expenses for job-related costs incurred by Reliant employees and associates should be reimbursed to the employees and associates through the Reimbursements process, not the Grant-making process. Costs incurred by Reliant employees that are eligible for taxable Expense Recovery Bonuses (ERBs) should utilize the process for ERBs, not the Grant-making process. For more information on reimbursements, ERBs, and their distinction from grants, please see Reimbursements and Expense Recovery Home.
Submission Standards
As noted above, Grant disbursements can only occur through an approved Fund which can only be created in connection to an approved Reliant partner. The Fund must be created before grants can be requested. The Fund Custodian submits grant requests on behalf of the Fund. Authorized Signers of the specific Fund must approve grant requests before submission can be received by Reliant and considered complete for distribution.
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Grants can be requested as one-time expense payments, recurring expense payments, or recurring monthly stipend disbursements for Designated Grantees.
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Expense Requests:Expense Grant Request Form: used for both one-time and recurring expense requests and grant report(s). Expense Grant Requests may be submitted before or after the expenditures occur. If prior to expenditures, the requestor may estimate amounts for intended purchases to receive monies in advance of expenditures and would need to submit receipts after expenditures occur along with the grant report. If the Expense Grant Request is submitted after expenditures, the requestor enters the exact purchase amounts on both the request tab and may immediately complete the reporting tab following the reporting guidelines outlined below including receipt submissions. Timeframe of Disbursement: |
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Grant disbursement is subject to available funds. One-time expense grants are normally disbursed upon approval. 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 U.S. bank holiday. |
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Stipend Requests:Stipend Grant Request Form: used to request a monthly recurring stipend disbursement to a Designated Grantee. The requestor will note stipend amounts and details about Designated Grantees, and follow the reporting guidelines outlined below including receipt submissions. |
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Amounts for stipends are determined by the church/ministry partnership. Grant stipend disbursement for Designated Grantees is subject to available funds. Grant stipend disbursement amount does not increase based on donations received to the church/project fund. |
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Grant stipend disbursement will result in a lower amount distributed if funding is unavailable. If the fund does not have enough to cover the stipend amount for |
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the Designated Grantee for one month, Reliant will not automatically disburse an additional stipend amount the following month to make up the difference. The distributed |
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amounts can only be increased by submitting a new grant request |
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(either a separate one-time stipend request to make up the difference from previous months missed due to low funding or by requesting a change addendum to the recurring amount request form that more accurately reflects the available funding). 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. Stipend Agreement: 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. |
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Stipend agreements |
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are typically signed and submitted through Reliant's online application system. |
along with the Stipend Grant Request form.Grant stipend disbursement amount does not increase based on donations received to the church/project fund. Therefore, if the fund does not have enough to cover the stipend amount for the Designated Grantee for one month, Reliant will not automatically disburse an additional stipend amount the following month to make up the difference. The distributed amount can only be increased by submitting a new grant request.
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Stipend AgreementA Designated Grantee is is a foreign national (i.e., a citizen or resident of a country outside of the U.S. where the ministry activities associated with a given Fund are taking place) who is not an employee or associate of Reliant but functions in a capacity to support the activities of a given church or ministry project, to benefit from spiritual formation and/or training associated with the project, and to receive a stipend from the Fund associated with the project. See Grant-Making Standard for further qualifications of a Designated Grantee. I understand that I am qualified to be a Designated Grantee because I fulfill the following qualifications:
I affirm that I meet the qualifications listed above, and I understand (and Reliant acknowledges) that I am receiving a stipend to defray living expenses in view of my support of ministry activities and of the spiritual formation associated ministry activities as outlined in the Master Grant Agreement and supplemented by the list below. If there are specific Please list the ministry activities that will be areas of focus for the Designated Grantee, please list those ministry activities belowthe area of focus specific to you as a Designated Grantee: ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ By submitting this completed Stipend Agreement, I am agreeing that the information stated above is correct and that I understand and am in full agreement with the information outlined above. Please sign your name in agreement of the above statements on this Stipend Agreement. _________________________________ Full Name: Current Date: Phone: Email: |
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- One-Time Grants
- One-time grant payment requests under $25,000 will be approved by the Program Leader or Program Liaison.
- One-time grant payment requests between $25,000 and $100,000 will be aproved by the Director of Organizational Affairs.
- One-time grant payment requests over $100,000 will need approval from both the Director of Organizational Affairs and the Chief Financial Officer.
- Recurring Yearly Grants (set up of recurring monthly payments)
- Requests under up to $2,500 a month ($30,000/year) will be approved by the Program Leader or Program Liaison.
- Requests between $2,501-$10,000 a month (up to $120,000/year) will need approval by the Director of Organizational Affairs.
- Grant requests over $10,000 a month ($120,000 a year) will need to be approved by the Chief Financial Officer.
If the first level approver is unable to approve within a reasonable timeframe, then next-level approver may approve instead. If 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.
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Reporting StandardsReliant requires periodic accounting of the usage of the grant funds and oversees and evaluates the completion of grant reports. The Fund Custodian 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. The Fund Custodian also agrees to communicate with Reliant about any problems or post-disbursement changes. Grant Reports:After expenditures occur, grant reports are submitted on the same grant request used to request the original grant disbursement. 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.
In the event that the submission due date cannot be met, Reliant will allow up to a 15-day grace period. IMPORTANT: If grant reports are not received by their due date, Reliant will not issue additional grants from the Fund until grant reports are current. Grant Reports Include the Following:
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Suspension of Grant Disbursement:
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