ARE Grant Instructions for Managing and for Closing Out Trout in the Classroom Grants

1. ARE Grant Instructions for Managing and for Closing Out Trout in the Classroom Grants Please refer to the instructions in the orange Grants Folder you will receive. This PowerPoint is an additional aid.

2. You Have Your… Orange Grants Folder Read and sign the Grants Package Acknowledgment Form and your Equipment Letter; keep copies for yourself; return a copy to DNR. Please do this ASAP! Read the instructions in the folder; highlight important things to remember. Put folder in a place where you can find it and return to it for instructions. Make a copy of the Sample Invoice and instructions in the folder for the fiscal person who will be preparing your invoices, if it’s not you. Talk to your fiscal person about the best way to begin purchasing the items in your budget. Give yourself plenty of time if you need to use Purchase Orders for buying your items. Do not purchase any items before approval of grant and before the START DATE on your application and/or grant contract.

3. What Happens If… The project has changed a little and you would like to amend the budget: Contact us immediately about any changes you need to make to your grant. If approved, you will need to send in a revised budget. Christine.Hintz@Maryland.govCindy.Etgen@Maryland.gov You discover you will not be needing those plants, that substitute, or three buses, for example: Contact us ASAP to let us know if will not be spending a good amount of your budget. We can lower your grant amount and that money can be used for other schools.

4. Keep all Receipts. Use your Tax Exempt Number for all purchases. And highlight, highlight, highlightall totals on receipts/proof of payment (minus any taxes you might have paid), so when your receipts are handed to your fiscal person to prepare the invoice, the total for each item is clear. And, when DNR gets it, we will easily (and happily) be able to add up everything included in your total! Invoice total and receipts total must match. Follow the Sample Invoice exactly. That is all the info we need.

5. Invoicing DNR Invoice #1 You can prepare your first invoice when you want to be reimbursed for the items you have purchased (e.g., the tank) The receipts must accompany this invoice and must total the amount being invoiced. Only approved budget items may be invoiced. Invoice total and receipts total must match. This invoice must be dated, signed, and mailed.

6. Invoicing DNR Invoice #2 We must receive the final invoice (#2) no later than 15 days after your grant end date. This is usually the invoice that has the bus and substitute charges for the release event. See next slide for information on obtaining the backup for these charges. Invoice total and receipts total must match. Invoice #2 can also contain any other charges for items the grant covered not already invoiced. If this is your first and only invoice, it becomes Invoice #1. This invoice must be signed, dated, and mailed.

7. Substitute and Bus Receipts A perennial problem and often hard to put your hands on. Don’t panic. These proofs of payment must be school billing forms or statements that show the exact amount you are invoicing us and exactly for what. Every county has different forms, but they do exist, for substitute use and transportation. These proofs of payment can often be obtained from your county office via your school fiscal person. That is why we involve your fiscal person from the start! Cancelled checks are good backup as well. Be aware that bus companies are slow to invoice. Even before that field experience, start to bug them to send the invoice to your school or county office ASAP! P.S. DNR does not pay the bus company directly.

8. Demographic Forms and Final Reports 1. Send in a Demographic Form any time during the year, but no later than May 8, showing the number of students in your school who participated in the program or project. • For teachers doing releases or field experiences, send in another Demographic Form showing the number of students participating in that event. This form can be found on the ARE Grants website at: http://dnr.maryland.gov/ccs/Pages/ARE-Grant-Forms.aspx 3. Final Reports. See the above Grant Forms webpage for instructions on this. Final invoices will not be paid if we have not received a Final Report. Please send this with final invoice if you have not already sent it. Sending it after that delays payment. You can email Final Report and Demographic Forms to: Christine.Hintz@Maryland.gov .

9. Miscellaneous but Important Stuff • Please email us with any questions about invoicing. We encourage it. We will also pre-approve invoices and backup (emailed to us) before you mail the signed one. This is recommended if you are handling the invoicing yourself. • Snail Mail is just that. Please know that it can take 5-8 days for us to receive your package so plan accordingly or overnight the package if time is tight. • You may not need to invoice us for anything on closeout. Great! You will still need to send in your Demographic Form(s) and Final Report. • The State Comptroller’s Office takes up to 30 days to approve and process the invoice once they receive it from DNR. The funds are wired to your school’s county office. The Federal Employee ID number you put on the application is usually tied to the county offices (for public schools). Your school fiscal person should contact the county office to earmark those funds for your school.