Thank you for your interest in the grants available through the Vermont Department of Health. Here is some information that might be useful for those applying for grants.

Before Applying for a Grant

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In order to apply for grant funds through the State of Vermont, the following requirements must be met.

For further information on eligibility criteria, please refer to the specific Request for Proposal.

Use of a Fiscal Sponsor

If the organization does not meet the above requirements, they have the option to work with a sponsor who does meet the requirements. A fiscal sponsor should be identified on the grant application, and any fees charged by the fiscal sponsor should be included in the budget proposal as part of indirect costs.

Processes and requirements for all recipients of state and federal grants

Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number

UEI Number (Formerly DUNS number):

  • The federal government has moved away from using the Dun & Bradstreet (DUNS) number as an entity identification number. As of April 4, 2022, all entities registered in SAM.gov will be assigned a UEI. It is critical that applicants log in to SAM.gov and review their registration or establish a UEI before initiating an agreement.

How to apply for UEI:

  • Prepare for Entity Registration in SAM.gov
  • Registration checklist.
IRS Form W-9

Hand signed by applicant organization, or fiscal sponsor, within the past six months. Name and contact information of the applicant organization as well as the Authorized Signatory (if different). For guidance, please contact your financial advisor or accountant on how to complete this document.

Certificate of Insurance (COI)


Before beginning work on an agreement with the Vermont Department of Health, the applicant, or fiscal sponsor, must provide certificates of insurance to show minimum coverages are in effect. The certificates must be signed within the last six months.

COIs must list “The State of Vermont” or “VT Department of Health -280 State Drive, Waterbury, VT 05671-8300” as the Policy Holder. Auto insurance coverage may be required if the grantee will be driving, as part of the grant agreement. Organizations may also need additional professional liability coverage, based on the scope of work. Professional liability is needed when contracted with lawyers, doctors, nurses, accountants, engineers, or licensed professionals who practice or have a specialized degree.
 

Certificate of Insurance Requirements

Before commencing work on this Agreement, the Party must provide certificates of insurance to show that the following minimum coverages are in effect. It is the responsibility of the Party to maintain current certificates of insurance on file with the State through the term of this Agreement. No warranty is made that the coverages and limits listed herein are adequate to cover and protect the interests of the Party for the Party’s operations. These are solely minimums that have been established to protect the interests of the State.
 

Workers Compensation: With respect to all operations performed, the Party shall carry workers’ compensation insurance in accordance with the laws of the State of Vermont. Vermont will accept an out-of-state employer's workers’ compensation coverage while operating in Vermont provided that the insurance carrier is licensed to write insurance in Vermont and an amendatory endorsement is added to the policy adding Vermont for coverage purposes. Otherwise, the party shall secure a Vermont workers’ compensation policy, if necessary to comply with Vermont law.

General Liability and Property Damage: With respect to all operations performed under this Agreement, the Party shall carry general liability insurance having all major divisions of coverage including, but not limited to:

Premises - Operations

Products and Completed Operations

Personal Injury Liability

Contractual Liability The policy shall be on an occurrence form and limits shall not be less than:

  • $1,000,000 Each Occurrence
  • $2,000,000 General Aggregate
  • $1,000,000 Products/Completed Operations Aggregate
  • $1,000,000 Personal & Advertising Injury

Automotive Liability: The Party shall carry automotive liability insurance covering all motor vehicles, including hired and non-owned coverage, used in connection with the Agreement. Limits of coverage shall not be less than $500,000 combined single limit. If performance of this Agreement involves construction, or the transport of persons or hazardous materials, limits of coverage shall not be less than $1,000,000 combined single limit.

Additional Insured: The General Liability and Property Damage coverages required for performance of this Agreement shall include the State of Vermont and its agencies, departments, officers and employees as Additional Insureds. If performance of this Agreement involves construction, or the transport of persons or hazardous materials, then the required Automotive Liability coverage shall include the State of Vermont and its agencies, departments, officers and employees as Additional Insureds. Coverage shall be primary and non-contributory with any other insurance and self-insurance.

Notice of Cancellation or Change: There shall be no cancellation, change, potential exhaustion of aggregate limits or non-renewal of insurance coverage(s) without thirty (30) days written prior written notice to the State. The State must be listed as additionally insured with general liability coverage. The state is only able to reduce the amount of automotive coverage to $300,000, if the $500,000 cannot be met.

Budget Information

An example of a budget format can be found below. Indirect costs should not exceed 10% of the applicant’s total direct costs. Clarification on indirect costs is included in the glossary below.

Expense$ Amount
Personnel 
Salaries 0
Fringe0
Total Personnel Costs 
Non-Personnel0
Contracts/Sub-Awards0
Advertising0
Education/Training0
Equipment0
Incentives/Promotional0
Postage0
Printing0
Supplies/Materials0
Travel0
Total Non-Personnel Costs0
Total Direct Costs(Total personnel + Total non-personnel)0
Indirect Costs (@XX%)0
Total Budget Period 10

 

Invoicing

Due to federal and state regulations, grant funds are reimbursement based, meaning organizations must “front” the money, then submit invoices through the business office. Organizations are encouraged to work with Grant Managers to set up systems to enable early and consistent invoicing to help reduce the upfront burden. Invoices can take one to two weeks for disbursement.

All invoices for reimbursement must certify that:

  1. The invoice is for actual expenses incurred
  2. The costs are for eligible activities in the scope of work (as indicated in the proposal)
  3. The costs are not eligible for coverage by other federal funding sources
  4. The grantee has not received or requested, and will not request, payment for these costs from any other source.
General Grant Timeline
  • The Department of Health puts out a Request for Proposal
  • Applicants submit applications
  • Applications are reviewed and a final grantee is chosen
  • Notification of final decision is sent to the grantee
  • Scope of Work and budget is formalized
  • Grant is executed and signed by both parties
  • Invoicing occurs during the grant period
  • Annual Reporting is completed by grantee
  • Close out of the grant
     

Notification regarding the status of your grant

It can take four to six weeks for a grant to be fully executed.  All grant initiation requirements must be met and both parties must agree on the terms for a grant to be submitted for internal approval. Both parties must sign the final agreement for the grant to be fully executed.

Subrecipient Annual Report

As a condition of your federally funded grant award from the State of Vermont, you must complete this report in its entirety annually within forty-five (45) days after your fiscal year end.

Subrecipient Identifying Information Instructions:

  • Supplier ID – The 10-digit identifying number for your organization in the state of Vermont's accounting system.  It is provided to you in the upper right corner of the grant list box on the second page of the letter that accompanies this report, and in box 10 of the Grant Award Detail Sheet on your grant agreement.  Your supplier ID is NOT the same as your State of Federal tax identification number, nor is it the same as your grant number.
  • Original or Revision - Please indicate if this is the first time you have submitted a Subrecipient Annual Report for this fiscal year for your organization, or if this is a revision to correct a mistake a on a previously submitted form.
  • Fiscal Year Ending Date - Enter your organization's fiscal year ending date covered by this report in DD/MM/YYYY format. This period is usually not the same as the grant period.
  • Subrecipient Name – Your organization’s legal full name. Do not use abbreviations unless they are part of your official name.
  • Address – The primary address for your organization.

Vermont Supplier ID:  Important! Please read the additional information below:

  • This is a ten digit number which will begin with a varying number of zeroes.  If you are not positive that you are entering the correct supplier ID number please reach out to your grant, contact at an agency who awarded you funds and request your supplier ID number. If an incorrect supplier ID number is entered your entity will be considered delinquent and this submission will not be accepted. 
  • Your Tax ID number is not your Supplier ID number. If you enter a Tax ID number into this section your submission will not be accepted.
  • Any hesitation on your Supplier ID number means you should reach out to an agency who awarded you funds to ensure you are entering the correct numbers in this field. If your response is not a ten-digit supplier ID that matches your Subrecipient Name your submission will not be accepted. Leading zeros will not display but should make the number you enter equal 10 digits when included.
Glossary of important terms

Grant Manager: The Department of Health staff member who is assigned administration of the grant. This will be the primary contact for the grantee during execution and close out of the grant.

Indirect Costs: Costs that are incurred for common or joint objectives and not readily and specifically identifiable with a particular sponsored project, program, or activity; nevertheless, these costs are necessary to the operations of the organization. For example, the costs of operating and maintaining facilities, depreciation, and administrative salaries generally are considered indirect costs.

Fiscal Sponsor: A fiscal sponsor is defined as an established 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization that accepts donations such as grant funds on behalf of a nonprofit or charitable organization that does not have IRS tax exemption. Examples of fiscal sponsors include banks, trust companies, or another non-profit. Fiscal sponsors typically oversee administrative and financial aspects of charitable organizations that may not have the experience or capacity to handle some financial duties on their own.

Request for Proposal (RFP): A business document that announces a grant opportunity, describes it, and asks for applications from qualified community based organizations.

Subrecipient: Another term for an organization that receives funds through the Department of Health.

For specific questions, please refer to the contact listed in the RFP or your assigned grant manager.

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