CAH will notify applicants on the results of their application on or before October 1, 2023 via (1) letter of intention to award, (2) letter of ineligibility, or (3) letter of denial.
CAH strongly recommends applicants begin the process to secure the required documents in the steps below as soon as they have submitted their grant application:
- Certification of “Citywide Clean Hands” (CCH) from the DC Office of Tax and Revenue. Applicants may visit My Tax DC for more information and obtain their CCH certificate.
- Registration with the Procurement Center of Excellence (if a new applicant to CAH).
- Registration with the Invoicing Vendor Portal (if a new applicant to CAH).
The date of award disbursements is subject to the availability of funds and the processing of required documentation. CAH does not disburse grant award installment directly through its office. To expedite grant award fund delivery, CAH advises grantees to register to receive a direct deposit for the grant award, by completing an Automated Clearing House (ACH) Vendor Payment Enrollment Form available from the Procurement Center of Excellence.
CAH reserves the right to withhold, reduce or rescind a grant award for non-compliance with grant guidelines, policies or regulations according to the terms and provisions of the grant agreement, or if the grantee exercises any of the following:
- Fails to comply with the terms of the grant award contract requirements.
- Fails to demonstrate adequate oversight and management of the project.
- Fails to properly publicly credit CAH’s support.
CAH reserves the right to rescind all grant awards for non-compliance with CAH grant guidelines, policies, or regulations, at any time. FY 2024 grant recipients with unmet reporting obligations regarding any CAH funding program as of close of business on Friday, October 20, 2023 are ineligible to receive additional awards from CAH.
Nonprofit Fair Compensation Act of 2020
When making grant awards or contracts to non-profit organizations, the DC government will honor an unexpired federal Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA) or a similar rate negotiated with another DC government agency in the last two years.
If grantee organizations do not have negotiated indirect cost rate, those grantees may assign 10% of all direct costs in their awards to indirect costs.
Alternatively, grantees may elect to negotiate a new indirect cost rate with the DC government - or seek out an independent DC Certified Public Accountant to calculate an indirect cost rate using the Office of Management and Budget guidelines.
Applicants may include these indirect costs in their budget calculations and identify the basis for the calculation in supporting materials.
Reporting Requirements
Grantees are required to submit to CAH Interim and Final Reports regarding: (1) the extent to which they met their CAH grant award-related organizational and project goals; (2) the level to which the funded projects or activities were accessible to a diverse group of constituents in the city; and (3) the growth that was made in advancing practices of equity with internal and external stakeholders.
Each grantee’s respective report must also include:
- Financial reporting regarding the funded activities that clearly shows how the subject grant funds were used.
- Proof of expenditures and related locations data.
- Numbers of people and communities served.
- Number of schools served (if applicable).
- Numbers of local artists and youth engaged.
Grantees who do not submit Final Reports are ineligible for further CAH funding.
Grantees awarded $12,500 or less must submit a Final Report by Friday, October 20, 2024. Grantees awarded between $12,500 and $200,000 must submit an Interim Report by Friday, April 21, 2024 and a Final Report by Friday, October 20, 2024. Grantees with delinquent reports will not be eligible to receive subsequent payments or awards in current or future grant cycles. All the above-referenced reports must be completed and submitted to CAH through its online portal. Grantees may access the Interim and Final Report forms through the Managing Grant Awards page on CAH’s website. CAH provides guidance on narrative and financial report content in a recorded workshop available on its website.
Grant Management and Rescindment Grantees agree that they will include a CAH logo and a credit line in all its grant-related announcements and promotional materials and that they will make their best efforts to publicly credit CAH’s support for the project in all related public events.
CAH has the right to withhold, reduce, or rescind a grant award according to the terms and provisions of the grant agreement or if the grantee exercises any of the following:
- Fails to meet deadlines for grant reports.
- Fails to notify CAH of changes in project collaborators or other significant management changes or changes in the project scope without advance approval.
- Refuses to provide access for monitoring.
- Fails to comply with the terms of the grant award contract requirements.
- Fails to demonstrate adequate financial management and oversight of the project.
- Fails to properly publicly credit CAH’s support of the organization’s scope of work.
Citywide Clean Hands (CCH)
All applicants must obtain a clean hands certification to receive a grant award from CAH. This certification is required before any related grant disbursement may be made. Certification may be obtained by registering with the DC Office of Tax and Revenue using the following link: My Tax DC.
Legal Compliance
Federal and District of Columbia law requires all grant applicants to comply with all applicable laws and regulations that regard non-discrimination. The list of those laws and regulations include: Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (which provides that grant recipients must take adequate steps to ensure that people with limited English proficiency receive the language assistance necessary to afford them meaningful access to grant-related programs, activities and services); Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (P.L. 88-352) (which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin); Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, as amended (20 U.S.C. Sections 1681-1686) (which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex); Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (29 U.S.C. Section 794); the DC Human Rights Act of 1977; and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. §§12101 - 12213) (which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disabilities).
Americans with Disabilities Act
CAH is committed to ensuring that all grant recipients comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. The ADA provides civil rights protection to individuals with disabilities in the areas of employment, services rendered by state and local government, places of public accommodation, transportation, and telecommunication services. Organizations funded by CAH must make reasonable accommodations to ensure that people with disabilities have equal physical and communications access, as defined by federal law.
An organization applying for funding from CAH must include, in its grant application, a response to the information request set forth in the I.D.E.A. section of its grant application, by providing the following information:
- The process for formulating plans to increase its diversity, access, inclusion, and ultimately overall equity for its staff, board, and audiences.
- The process for formulating accessibility plans (e.g. creating an accessibility advisory committee, board and staff disability-rights training, budgeting for reasonable accommodation requests, etc.).
- The current progress/status of an organization’s physical accessibility. If the location is not barrier-free, include in the grant application a plan for project/program modification that ensures access in a barrier-free environment, when needed.
- The current progress/status of the organization’s accessibility in presenting activities – communications access (e.g. TDD, large print or Braille materials, audio description or assistive listening devices, interpreted performances, etc.) and marketing/advertising.
Credit/Acknowledgment
Grant recipient agrees that it will include a CAH logo or a credit line in all of its grant-related announcements and promotional materials. Also, the grant recipient will make its best efforts to publicly credit CAH support in any and every public event that is held and that is related to CAH’s funding of programs and activities. Certain CAH awards are underwritten in part or in whole by funding from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). Grant recipients in receipt of NEA funds as part of their GOS award must publicly credit NEA in any of their grants-related announcements and promotional materials.
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