Sec. 34.04.09.06. Grant Allocation Procedures

A. Annual Application Solicitation and Submission.

(1) Once during each fiscal year for which funds are available in the Grant Fund for the award of grants, the Trust and the Commission shall jointly:

(a) Solicit applications for the award of grants under the Program by issuing a public announcement regarding the availability of grant funds under the Program that:

(i) Includes a description of the application process;

(ii) States the total anticipated funding available;

(iii) Identifies criteria for eligible grantees and projects;

(iv) Provides a deadline date for submission of grant applications;

(v) Provides an estimated timeline for project selection and grant award; and

(vi) As appropriate, includes suggested recommendations on the types of projects to which the Trust and the Commission intend to give special consideration for funding;

(b) Send the public announcement by email to African American heritage preservation organizations and other related organizations Statewide;

(c) Issue a press release that includes the public announcement; and

(d) Post the public announcement on the Trust’s website.

(2) Grant applications shall be submitted to the Trust in form prescribed by the Trust and shall include:

(a) A description of the scope and purpose of the project;

(b) A project budget, in a form acceptable to the Trust, that:

(i) Details anticipated project costs and expenses;

(ii) Identifies all sources and uses of project funds; and

(iii) Includes the estimated total cost of the overall project;

(c) Sufficient information and documentation to:

(i) Evaluate the historical or cultural significance of the property;

(ii) Determine the relationship of the project to the types of projects that the Trust and the Commission may have noted for special consideration under §A(1)(a)(vi) of this regulation;

(iii) Determine the ownership and all lessees or substantial users of the property;

(iv) Evaluate the current and proposed condition and use of the property;

(v) Evaluate the extent, if any, to which the project will change the type of use or increase the intensity of the existing use of the property;

(vi) Evaluate the nature and cost of the project;

(vii) Evaluate the readiness of the applicant to commence the project and applicant’s ability to complete the project within an established time frame;

(viii) Evaluate the applicant’s administrative and financial capacity and capability;

(ix) Establish that the applicant has site control of the property as required by Regulation .05C(2) of this chapter; and

(x) Determine the availability of matching funds from other sources to support the project;

(d) Copies of applicant’s organizational documents; and

(e) Such other information as determined necessary by the Trust and the Commission.

B. Selection Criteria.

(1) The Trust and the Commission shall review and evaluate grant applications in accordance with the following selection criteria:

(a) Relative historical or cultural significance of the project to the African American experience in Maryland;

(b) Public necessity for the project;

(c) Urgency of the project;

(d) If applicable, the degree to which the project relates to the types of projects that the Trust and the Commission have noted for special consideration under §A(1)(a)(vi) of this regulation;

(e) Estimated cost and timeliness for executing the project;

(f) Extent to which the project will contribute to the cumulative equitable Statewide geographic diversity and distribution of funds considering relative concentrations of historic properties;

(g) Inclusion within the project scope of long-term preservation measures that will protect the property or resource that is the subject of the project;

(h) Comprehensiveness of the scope of the project;

(i) The applicant’s capacity to administer the project;

(j) Extent to which the project might stimulate or promote other African American heritage preservation activities;

(k) Informational and educational value of the project;

(l) Demonstration and innovation value of the project;

(m) Need for additional sources of funding for the project;

(n) Viability of matching funds for the project;

(o) Applicant’s readiness to commence the project;

(p) Applicant’s ability, including financial ability and capacity, to complete the project within an established time frame; and

(q) Any additional criteria which the Trust and the Commission consider to be appropriate.

(2) The Trust and the Commission may assign differing weights to the criteria set forth in §B(1) of this regulation and the weights may vary from time to time.

C. Emergency Grants.

(1) The Secretary may reserve during any fiscal year up to 20 percent of the funds available during that year in the Grant Fund to be used for emergency project grants for grantees and projects that qualify as eligible under Regulations .04 and .05 of this chapter but not otherwise applied for under the annual procedures established under §A of this regulation.

(2) A project may qualify for an emergency project grant if:

(a) An unpredictable or unforeseen situation has occurred which may necessitate an immediate need to undertake the project; or

(b) The project is one which provides a special opportunity to undertake a qualifying activity within a narrow time frame.

(3) An application for an emergency project grant shall:

(a) Be submitted to the Trust in form and content as proscribed under §A(2) of this regulation; and

(b) Include a description of the nature of the emergency and an explanation as to why the applicant cannot wait until the next annual grant application deadline date to apply for the grant.