Composition and Responsibilities of the Grants and Awards Committee
- The committee consists of three KBC members including the chair.
- The committee is responsible for reviewing grant requests and making recommendations for disbursement decisions to the KBC membership.
- If a grant request warrants funding and, either alone or together with previously awarded grants, exceeds the annual Grants budget, the committee may submit a request for additional funds to the Executive Committee (EC) .
- Committee responsibilities also include tracking grant requests and disbursements as well as Follow Up Reports from grantees.
- Chair responsibilities include facilitating discussions about grant proposals, documenting recommendations, and notifying each grant requester of the committee’s decision. And, along with the KBC Treasurer, the Chair monitors grants expenditures.
- The committee will periodically review/revise the granting process and the grant documents.
Budget for Grants
- Annual allocation for grants is set by the EC and included in the Club’s budget.
- If grant requests over several years consistently exceed, or fall short of, the annual allocation for grants, the committee has the responsibility to request an adjustment in the allocation.
Guidelines for Grants
- Projects to be funded must support the KBC mission and purpose and be geographically located in southwest Michigan.
- Examples of grant requests that are not funded are the following: payments to individuals, reimbursing individuals for registration fees for events, or reimbursing individuals for fundraising for other organizations.
- Requests for grants to support projects led by club members or external parties are accepted at any time during the calendar year.
- Requests may be funded fully, partially, conditionally, or denied funding.
Processing Grant Requests
- Refer to the “Conditions for Applying” and “Application Form” documents, available on the KBC website, for details.
- All grant requests must be submitted via the on-line Application Form available on the KBC website.
- Grant requests must be received by the 15th of the month to allow adequate time for reviewing and decision-making before the next club meeting. Exceptions are at the committee’s discretion.
- Committee chair acknowledges receipt of grant requests shortly after they arrive.
Reviewing Grant Requests
- The Grants and Awards Committee vets each grant request against funding criteria and determines if additional information is needed.
- The Committee may ask the grant requester to provide additional information.
- The Committee may make a disbursement recommendation to the KBC if the amount to be disbursed is within its annual budget.
- If a disbursement will exceed the annual budget for grants, the Committee must submit a request for additional funds to the EC for approval.
- Based on the information gathered, the Grants and Awards Committee recommends to the KBC membership – via a motion at a KBC meeting – that a proposed project be supported with a grant OR denied support.
- KBC members present at the meeting at which a recommendation is made vote on the motion.
- Funded projects and size of grants are recorded in the meeting minutes and published in the subsequent PedalPress.
Notification and Fund Distribution
- The Committee chair notifies the grant requester of the KBC’s decision. If the proposed project will receive a KBC grant, the Committee chair conveys the size of the grant as well as requirements and deadlines that must be met.
- Upon notification, the Treasurer issues a check to the grantee and reports on that action at a club meeting.
Follow Up Reports from Grantees
- Each grantee must submit a completed “Follow Up Report,” available on the KBC website, to provide an accounting of how the grant was used.
- The Committee chair acknowledges receipt of the report, shares it with committee members, and reports on the outcome of the grant at the next club meeting.
NOTE: Race Team and KalTour-funded donations are separate line items from the Grants and Awards Committee allocation.