Sec. 34.04.04.06. Grant Allocation Procedures

A. Grant Solicitation.

(1) At least once during each fiscal year the Trust shall solicit applications for the award of grants under the Program.

(2) At least 90 days before an expected award of grants to grantees, the Trust shall:

(a) Issue a public announcement of the availability of funds under the Program describing:

(i) The application process;

(ii) The total anticipated funding available;

(iii) Eligible applicants and activities;

(iv) Eligible activity selection criteria;

(v) Special priorities and identified Statewide needs for grant awards; and

(vi) The timetable for application submission, activity selection, and grant award;

(b) Endeavor to send direct mail announcements to museums Statewide; and

(c) Issue a press release containing the public announcement.

B. Grant Application.

(1) Applications shall be made upon standard forms prescribed by the Trust.

(2) Each application shall be accompanied by sufficient information and documentation to determine the:

(a) Eligibility of the applicant and the proposed activity;

(b) Geographical location of the museum and of the proposed activity;

(c) Cost of the proposed activity;

(d) Managerial and fiscal competence of the applicant or the museum which is the beneficiary of the grant including its capability to carry out the activity, the appropriateness of its budget to the scope of the activity, and its ability to initiate and complete the activity within the time frame proposed;

(e) Except for operating support grants, extent to which there will be any contribution to the proposed activity by the appropriate local jurisdiction or any other funding source;

(f) Potential for the proposed activity to stimulate increased tourism, museum attendance, museum quality, or museum self-sufficiency or promote collections care or educational activities;

(g) Except for operating support grants, relative merits of the proposed activity within Statewide needs identified annually by the Trust in consultation with the review panel;

(h) Extent to which the activity will advance long-range planning efforts of the museum;

(i) Extent to which the activity will lead to accreditation by the American Association of Museums or other pertinent entity that provides museum accreditation;

(j) Except for operating support grants, demonstration or innovation value of the activity; and

(k) Other relevant factors identified by the Trust from time to time.

(3) Each applicant shall certify that it is familiar with and willing to comply with the grant terms and conditions set forth in Regulation .09 of this chapter.

C. Selection Criteria. Grant applications shall be reviewed and evaluated in accordance with selection criteria including but not limited to the:

(1) Except for operating support grants, relative merits of the eligible activity within Statewide needs identified annually by the Trust in consultation with the review panel;

(2) Except for operating support grants, extent to which there will be any contribution to the eligible activity by the appropriate local jurisdiction;

(3) Potential for the eligible activity to stimulate increased tourism, museum attendance, museum quality, or museum self-sufficiency or promote collections care or educational activities; and

(4) Extent to which the eligible activity will contribute to the cumulative equitable Statewide geographic distribution of funds based on the Statewide distribution of eligible applicants.

D. Unanticipated Activity Grants.

(1) In any fiscal year, the Secretary may allocate up to 20 percent of the total moneys available in the MHT Grant Fund to be held in reserve for grants to unanticipated eligible activities that have arisen generally because of one or more of the following circumstances:

(a) The eligible activity requires emergency action; or

(b) The eligible activity provides a unique opportunity to promote the objectives of the Program.

(2) Except for §A of this regulation, the provisions of this chapter apply to unanticipated activity grants.