2. b) Grant Notification - Grant Agreement Letters (GAL)

Roles and Responsibilities

Role

Responsibilities

Project Specialist (PS)
  • GAL review
  • Liaise with funder and/or Project Director if any changes or clarifications to GAL are needed
  • Summarize key information for Shared Platform team and refer to key clauses for their consideration and action (see template below), including location of payment schedule and reporting requirements within GAL
  • Note any payment requirements, such as a direct deposit form or funder template for acknowledging receipt that must be returned

 Coordinator 
  • Update Salesforce and file GAL, supporting documentation, and GAL summary email using the Society naming conventions
  • Create tasks for report deadlines
  • If required, create Salesforce record for funder contact and update funder account record with recognition name
  • Gather signatures and ensure countersigned agreement is returned and filed
  • If required, complete direct deposit form and/or confirmation of receipt form. Work with Revenue & Donation Coordinator, if needed. Arrange signature from finance signer if required. 
  • Obtain insurance certificates as required
  • Mail or email signed GAL to funder (if applicable)

Finance Liaison
  • Review nonstandard finance clauses
  • If unclear, weigh in whether a revenue code is needed.

Director, Shared Platform
  • Approve and sign GAL
  • If Project Specialist and Finance Lead disagree on the need for revenue code, make final determination

Revenue & Donor Coordinator
  • Complete direct deposit form where needed
  • Complete nonstandard funding acknowledgement letters where needed

Grant Agreement Process

Step 1: Project Specialist (PS) reads and reviews full grant agreement and its terms and conditions.

Step 2: Project Specialist emails a summary of the grant agreement and supporting documentation to the Project Director,  Coordinator, and Finance Lead for their consideration and processing. The Revenue & Donor Coordinator is also included on an as needed basis.

If required, Project Specialist will request review and approval of the following:

  • Project Director to confirm their approval and adherence to any programming, reporting, partnership, or recognition requirements, and/or any other unusual clauses related to delivery of the activities
  • Finance Lead to confirm any unusual or nonstandard documentation, tracking, or reporting requirements. 

Step 3: Coordinator updates Salesforce opportunity:

  • Add the amount (if different than what was proposed), start and end dates, and other relevant information.
  • File Project Specialist email with completed grant agreement summary template on opportunity
  • Generate revenue code (if required) and create tasks for report deadlines

Step 4 (optional): If any changes/clarifications are needed to the agreement, the Project Specialist and/or Project Director correspond with the funder.

Step 5: Project Specialist notifies the  Coordinator when the GAL is ready for signing.

Step 6: Coordinator sends GAL to the Director, Shared Platform for signing, including all information in the “For Signing Authority” section of the GAL summary template. Please also include the Box link to the full Grant Agreement Summary Template saved on the Salesforce opportunity.  Grants $100,000+ must also be sent for signature to the Director, Finance.

Step 7: Coordinator files signed grant agreement on Salesforce and returns a copy to the funder, requesting that the countersigned agreement be returned for our records. See article on Countersigned Agreements.

Step 8: Once the countersigned GAL is received, the Coordinator will save the agreement on the Salesforce opportunity, mark the task as completed, and save the link in the Grant Agreement/Pledge Document field. If the countersigned agreement is not received within 4 weeks from the time that the GAL was returned to the funder, the  Coordinator will check in with either the Project Specialist, the funder, or the Project Director, depending on who had the initial correspondence with the funder.

Grant Agreement Summary Template

Project AND child fund (e.g., P128 TEP – 01)

Revenue type

Award/ donation / fee-for-service / sponsorship/ fund activity/other

Revenue Code

Yes/No

Legal funder name

Contact (name + tel./email)

Award name/reference 

Start date 

End date

Total amount

$

Is there a custom overhead / overhead exemption? 

Is an auditor report of this award required? (this does not include requests for organization audited financial statements)

Yes/No

Other Important Clauses

 

 

For Project Director (e.g., funder acknowledgements, reporting requirements, IP clauses, brand and recognition requirements, non-programmatic deliverables, etc.)

 

 

 

For Coordinator (e.g., invoice request document attached/required, signatures, insurance requirements, funder notifications, other funder requests like recognition requirements, location of reporting and payment schedules in GAL)

 

 

 

For Finance Advisor (e.g., specific accounting requirements, variance allowance, unusual audit clauses and financial reporting)



For Signing Authority

Sent by:

Name of the Project:

Name of the Project Specialist:

Signing priority level (select one): Immediate | End of Day | 1-2 Days | 3-5 Days

Type of document:

Value of document:

Purpose of document:

Is this document significantly like something previously signed? If so, what? By whom?

Insurance requirements, if any, and confirmation they are met:

Is an audit of project financials required?

Is this for an established activity, or a new activity? If new, have the risks been assessed? By whom? What were the findings? 

Which of the following unusual terms or potential risks have been identified, and what mitigations have been put in place? 

  • Hiring a past employee as a contractor
  • Identified conflict of interest
  • Vendor template or modified terms
  • Capital assets
  • Creating intellectual property
  • Working with youth or vulnerable communities
  • Remote on the land activities
  • Preparing and/or serving food
  • Government relations including lobbying
  • Other high-risk activities

 

Who reviewed the document from the Finance Department?

Finance advisor comments: 

Who else reviewed the document? (if applicable)

__________________________

Explanations

  • E.g., any compliance concern, explanation of any apparent Overhead (OH) exceptions, any specific acknowledgment requirements, COIs, ownership of IP, etc.
  • Please see Enhanced Signing Notes for guidance on Unusual Terms or Potential Risks