Grants Available
Grants are available to nonprofit organizations, qualified under IRC section 501(c)(3), to coordinate, facilitate, encourage and aid in providing volunteer taxpayer assistance services to low-income and disadvantaged Minnesota residents.
The department will issue grants up to a maximum total of $200,000 for fiscal year 2012, which ends June 30, 2012. Any portion that is not awarded or returned will no longer be available.
Definitions for purposes of this grant program
Disadvantaged individuals include:
· people with limited English-speaking ability;
· seniors aged 65 years or older; or
Low income is considered to be $30,000 for individuals and $49,000 for families.
Taxpayer assistance services include accounting and tax-preparation services provided by volunteers to low-income and disadvantaged Minnesota residents to help them file federal and state income tax returns, Minnesota property tax refund claims and to provide personal representation before the Minnesota Department of Revenue and the Internal Revenue Service.
Application process and deadline
If you qualify and you want to apply for a grant, follow the instructions provided in the Request for Proposals. Your proposal must be received by the Minnesota Department of Revenue, Contracts Unit, no later than 2:00 p.m., current Central Time, September 14, 2011. Late applications will not be considered.
Submit your proposal and all required documentation, including the Grant Application Cover Sheet, to:
Minnesota Department of Revenue
Contracts Unit
600 North Robert Street
St. Paul, MN 55101
Information and assistance
For additional information and forms:
If you have questions, submit your questions by email, fax or U.S. mail:
Email: dor.rfp@state.mn.usFax: 651-556-3122
Mail: Minnesota Department of Revenue, Mail Station 4220, St. Paul, MN 55146-4220
Frequently asked questions
When are the checks mailed out? Checks are mailed out or sent via electronic funds transfer in the week after the grant contract is fully executed i.e. signed by the Grantee (Authorized Representative) and the Department of Revenue, and received by the Contracts Unit at the Department of Revenue. Grant funds are available after October 14, 2011.
Who should I contact if my organization has not received the remaining grant funds a few weeks after I have been notified that my progress report had been approved?
Can grant funds be rolled over from one year to the next?
No. Grant funds may only be used in the year in which the grant funds apply. Any excess funds that were not used for the categories specified in the grant contract must be returned to the Department of Revenue. The check should be included with the final report that is due September 20, 2012.
My organization has received grant funding specifically for advertisements. Do the advertisements I use need to be reviewed by the Department of Revenue?
Yes. You must submit your proposed marketing material to Hillary Jasicki, Grant Technical/ Project Manager for approval prior to publication. In addition, if your organization is awarded grant funds specifically for advertisements, then the advertisements must state: “Service made available through a grant provided by the State of Minnesota.”
You may either submit an electronic version to
hillary.jasicki@state.mn.us or a paper copy to: Minnesota Department of Revenue, Mail Station 7701, Attention: Hillary Jasicki, St. Paul, MN 55146-7701.
In the grant contract I was awarded $5,000 for equipment and accessories. What does this mean?You have been approved for a total amount within the equipment and accessories category. However you choose to allocate the funds within the specified category is up to your organization as long as the funds are used for the volunteer taxpayer assistance program. Please follow the expense category guidelines on pages 7- 8 of the Request for Proposals to determine which category particular expenses are classified.
In the grant contract I requested $1,200 for advertising. I only spent $1,000 of this. Can I purchase some printer paper with the leftover money?No. Since advertising is in the “advertising “ category and printer paper is in the “other expenses” category the grant funds cannot be transferred. The Grant Evaluation Team has approved the total amount for each category so changes within category types are allowed, but not transfers from one category to another.
Do I need to submit receipts of expenses purchased with grant funds for the Progress/Final Report?
No, however, the grant contract states that “the Grantee’s books, records, documents, and accounting procedures and practices relevant to this grant contract are subject to examination by the State and/or State Auditor or Legislative Auditor, as appropriate, for a minimum of six years from the end of this grant contract.” It is necessary to keep adequate records for this purpose and also if the Grant Technical/Project Manager at the Department of Revenue needs clarification to determine how grant funds were utilized throughout the year.
Who is the owner of equipment purchased with grant funds?
Equipment that is purchased with grant funds is owned by the §501(c)(3) organization that entered into contract for the funds; however, the equipment may only be used for volunteer taxpayer assistance services.
What happens if the site where tax assistance services are being provided closes?
Beginning with the 2010 filing season, if the §501(c)(3) organization has been awarded grant funds to purchase equipment and that equipment is no longer being used to provide volunteer taxpayer assistance services, then any equipment that is not more than three years old must be returned to the Department of Revenue. The Department will determine the future use of this equipment. Please contact Hillary Jasicki at
hillary.jasicki@state.mn.us or 651-556-3052 (1-800-818-6871) to make arrangements to drop off grant equipment.
If you received grant funds that were not used due to site closure, you must remit payment with your final progress report. You must continue to provide timely progress and/or final reports to be considered for grants in the future.
What happens if my organization fails to submit timely progress/final reports?If your organization fails to submit a satisfactory progress or final report on time, your organization will not receive additional grant funds for the current year and your organization will not be eligible to receive grant funds for the next fiscal year.
Organizations that have been awarded grants of $5,000 or less are not required to submit interim progress reports but must submit a final report. Organizations that have been awarded more than $5,000 in total grant money must file a satisfactory progress report after the initial award payment has been expended. A grant recipient may submit a progress report at any time after it has spent the full amount of the initial award payment, however a progress report must be submitted no later than May 10, 2012. All grant recipients must submit a final report to the Department of Revenue no later than September 20, 2012. (Please refer to the RFP for more detailed information.)
When completing the salaries section of the Proposed Budget, what should I report in the quantity column -- the number in FTEs, number of hours or number of staff?
Report the number of persons/hours.
Along with the six copies of the Grant Application, how many copies of all the supporting documents do you want (i.e., Grant Contract agreement letter, proof of 501(c)(3) status, proof of registration with the Minnesota Attorney General's Office, copies of federal Form 990, current list of board members)?
One copy of the supporting documents is fine.
There are times when clients walk in for tax help and only a staff member is available to assist. Is the specific equipment only to be used by volunteers?
Staff may also use the equipment to provide taxpayer assistance.
The sponsoring organization I am considering meets all requirements, however, I am the volunteer treasurer and sit on the Board of Directors. I, along with the President of the Board, have signature authority individually and do not require dual signatures. My question is: Is this a conflict of interest, as I would be writing checks to myself for reimbursement?
This would be a question for the sponsoring organization as it is not related to the grant itself.
I am a qualified AARP tax preparer, as well as local coordinator and Instructor. I am qualified to prepare military returns. I have been asked in the past to prepare returns for military personnel, primarily National Guard families. Last year, at the request of the National Guard, I prepared returns on Saturday/Sunday at Marshall on Saturday, and Montevideo on Sunday. The distance, one way, is about 100 miles to Marshall, and 130 miles to Montevideo. I normally set up about 7:30 a.m. to start counseling at 8:00. The last taxpayer is scheduled at 5 p.m., but I often close up shop about 7 to 9 p.m. and then drive home. This I did on two different weekends last year, with 15 taxpayers (10 low-income) at Marshall and 17 taxpayers (12 low-income) at Montevideo. My grant proposal will request funding for round trip mileage, overnight lodging and meals (those not furnished by the National Guard). I anticipate that I will be called on for more military returns next year, as a large number of National Guardsmen have been deployed this year. My question is: Does this type of request meet the requirements of the grant program?
Yes, if the sponsoring organization is a qualified 501c3 organization.
Do you know if this grant is also available for California residents?
You would need to check with the State of California to see if they issue grants for taxpayer assistance.
We have applied for the required certificate from the Minnesota Attorney General's Office, but the application is still in process. Can we still submit the proposal and later submit the certificate?
Yes. Submit a copy of the Charitable Organization Registration Form with the proposal, followed by a copy of the registration certificate when received.
If you have any questions about the 2011 Request for Proposals, please contact the Contracts Unit no later than 1:00 pm on August 31, 2011 via written correspondence at:
Contracts Unit
Minnesota Department of Revenue
Mail Station 4220
St. Paul, MN 55146-4220
Fax: 651-556-3122
If you have any other questions (after grant monies have been awarded), please contact Hillary Jasicki, the Grant Technical/Project Manager at:
Minnesota Department of Revenue
Attention: Hillary Jasicki
Mail Station 7701
St. Paul, MN 55146-7701
Phone: 651-556-3052 or 1-800-818-6871
Fax: 651-297-7430
