Grant Application & Administration

It is the responsibility of the grant recipient to issue a news release and notify both state and federal legislators that the community has received a CLG grant. A sample release and notification letter can be requested from the SHPO Grants Manager. Copies are to be submitted to SHPO with the first progress report.

Federal Funding Acknowledgement
Both the following narrative and graphic acknowledgements are to appear on the acknowledgement page in a report or publication, included in hard copy or electronic grant-funded products distributed to the public, and included in any press release about the project. Pre-approval from the SHPO is needed if any shortened version of this acknowledgement text is to be used.

Narrative Acknowledgement
This project was made possible in part by a grant from the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior administered by the State Historic Preservation Office of the Ohio History Connection. Department of the Interior regulations prohibit unlawful discrimination in departmental federally assisted programs on the basis of race, color, national origin, age or disability. Any person who believes he or she has been discriminated against in any program, activity, or facility operated by a recipient of Federal assistance should write to: Office of Equal Opportunity, U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 1849 C. Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20240.

Acknowledgement Graphic
In addition to the narrative funding acknowledgement, the funding acknowledgement graphic must appear in all hard copy or electronic grant-funded products. The graphic is offered in several formats below. High resolution is suitable for publication and low resolution for use on web pages.

Color Acknowledgement Image - high resolution
Color Acknowledgement Image - low resolution

Project Sign
When a rehabilitation project is undertaken using CLG grant funds, a sign at the project site acknowledging federal assistance must be erected when the work begins and be maintained until work is complete. The sign must be viewable from a public right of way.

The sign shall be obtained and installed by the grant recipient. The cost of the sign is an allowable grant project expense. The sign should read:

Rehabilitation of {property name}, listed in the National Register of Historic Places, has been made possible in part by a grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior's Historic Preservation Fund administered by the Ohio Historcy Connection, Historic Preservation Office.

Two color photographs of the sign in place must be submitted to the SHPO with the first progress report.

Methods of Procurement

Federal regulation 43 CFR 12 states that all procurement or purchasing transactions, regardless of whether by competitive proposals or sealed bids, and without regard to the dollar value, should be conducted in a manner that provides for open and free competition. Procurement procedures shall not restrict or eliminate competition. All project costs, including the matching share, must meet procurement requirements.

• Small Purchase Procedures – Procurement of services or supplies where price quotes or rates are obtained from an adequate number of qualified sources to assure competition.
• Competitive Negotiation – Proposals are requested from a number of sources via a written Request for Proposal (RFP) that has been reviewed and approved by OHPO prior to issuance. The RFP is to be distributed to several prospective sources. In general, 21-30 days should be allowed for responses to an RFP. See below regarding important elements of an RFP. Sample RFPs can be provided upon request.
• Competitive Sealed Bids (formal advertising) are generally used for construction projects where sealed bids are publicly solicited, and a firm-fixed-price contract is awarded to the responsible bidder whose bid, conforming to the terms of the RFP or work specifications, is the lowest in price.
• Noncompetitive Negotiation must always be approved in advance by OHPO and the National Park Service.

Cost-Plus-a-Percentage-of-Cost and Percentage-of-Construction-Cost method of contracting or purchasing are prohibited under CLG grants.

If the services of a consultant or contractor is listed in your CLG application, prepare a draft RFP, or work specifications for a development project, and submit it to the OHPO for review and approval [Allow two weeks for OHPO review]. Only after obtaining OHPO approval can the RFP or specifications be issued.

The project coordinator is responsible for submitting to the OHPO a copy of the final RFP as issued, the distribution list to which the RFP was sent, a list of responses, a summary of the evaluation process and selected consultant. The OHPO will review the selected proposal to insure that the scope of work proposed is consistent with the grant agreement and meets the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards.

Elements of a Request for Proposals

Many projects involve hiring a preservation professional to complete some or all of the project work. See the Elements of a Request for Proposals for information on what to include in the RFP.

Written Contracts Required

In order to put a contractor or consultant under contract as part of a CLG grant, the project coordinator must draft a contract that meets both the local law director’s local requirements and contains the sections mandated by the National Park Service.

The draft contract must be sent to the OHPO for review, allowing 2 weeks review time. When executed, a copy of the signed contract must be submitted to the OHPO as part of the project’s first administrative report.

Required Contract Provisions

The following provisions must be included in contracts for project work:

• Access by the SHPO, grantee, National Park Service, the Comptroller General of the United States, or any of their duly authorized representatives to any books, documents, papers, and records of the contractor which are directly pertinent to that specific contract for the purpose of audits, examinations, excerpts, and transcriptions.
• Retention of all required records for three years after grantee or subgrantees make final payments and all other pending matters are closed. If an audit, litigation, or other action involving the records is started before the end of the 3-year period, the records must be retained until all issues arising out of the action are resolved or until the end of the 3-year period, whichever is later.
• Reference to the administrative requirements of OMB Circulars A-87 and A-102 particularly attachments O and P of A-102.
• Prohibition against lobbying with federal or matching funds.
• Prohibition against using CLG or matching funds for food/beverage expenses, or fundraising activities.
• Copyright – The subgrantee or contractor may copyright writings, technical reports, publications or other copyrighted materials developed under the CLG financed project. The provision needs to recognize that the materials will be subject to a royalty-free, nonexclusive and irrevocable license to the federal government to reproduce, publish or otherwise use, and to authorize others to use the work for government purposes.
• All contracts awarded in excess of $10,000 must contain a provision requiring compliance with Executive Order 11246, entitled "Equal Employment Opportunity," as amended by Executive Order 11375, and as supplemented in Department of Labor regulations 41 C.F.R. Part 60.
• For contracts over $25,000, provision for termination by the grantee, including the manner by which it will be effected and the basis for settlement. In addition, conditions under which the contract may be terminated for default as well as conditions where the contract may be terminated because of circumstances beyond the control of the contractor.
• All construction or repair projects, contract provisions for Copeland "Anti-Kickback" Act.

Should Community Development Block Grants be used as part of the matching share for a CLG development grant, Davis-Bacon Act and its terms would apply and would have to be incorporated into the contract.

These NPS required provisions are in addition to basic language for the clear description of the work to be performed, how, and by whom; definite beginning and end dates with specific due dates for proejct work; specification of final product(s) to be produced and reference to applicable Secretary of the Interior's Standards with which work must comply; specific amount to be paid and payment plan which states the basis on which payments will be made; amendment requirements and procedures; and conditions for administrative, contractual or legal remedies when contractor violates contract, and provision for appropriate sanctions and/or penalties.

Model Contracts

Model Non-Construction Project Grant Template
Model Construction Project Contract Template

Sub-Contract Checklist

Print out the sub-contract checklist and use it to make sure all required provisions are included in your construction or non-construction contract.

Accurate record keeping is an essential part of successful CLG grant administration. It will illustrate the progress of your project and facilitate the CLG grant program's required reporting. All financial project records are to be kept in accordance with applicable OMB Circulars A-102 or A-122 and A-110 or A-133, and are subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, as limited by Section 304 of the National Historic Preservation Act.

Time Sheet

The donation of staff time or volunteer hours must be documented with time sheets indicating the date, hours worked and tasks performed. If you already use time sheets, record the CLG grant as a separate line item for tracking purposes. All time sheets must be signed by the person recording the time and co-signed by the project coordinator. Grantees may work on more than one grant during the project period. Time sheets need to differentiate time spent on separate projects by identifying project numbers or titles. Time and expenses can only be recorded as matching funds for one project. Click here for sample time sheet.

Project Expenses/Cash Outlays

Invoices and proof of payment documentation must be submitted with the final project report. The CLG grant is a reimbursement grant, paying up to 60% of allowable and documented expenses up to the award amount. Under special circumstances, partial payment of the CLG grant may be permitted. Contact the SHPO grant manger to discuss.

Contact the State Historic Preservation Office grants manager for any assistance during the administration of the CLG grant. We are here to facilitate and expedite the completion of your project. We all have the same goal: successful completion of a historic preservation project for your community!

Project Schedule

The schedule for completing the scope of work is listed in the Key Contract Elements. Should a contractor/consultant be hired, the schedule is reviewed with the party hired, and revised as needed at that time. It is the responsibility of the CLG project coordinator to obtain the required materials from their subcontractor on a timely basis to provide time for local review. The comments and recommendations of the project coordinator and/or commission should accompany the draft product when submitted to SHPO.

Amendments

Circumstances may arise during the administration of the grant project (personnel changes, budgetary issues, etc.) that affect the scope, budget or schedule for completing the project. Changes to the scope of work or products, the project end date, as well as changes to the budget line items of more than 20% require an amendment to the grant agreement. Contact the SHPO grants manager to discuss how to amend the grant agreement.

Cancellation

Failure to adhere to the project schedule, repeated missed deadlines and submission of products that do not comply with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards are grounds for cancellation of the grant. However, SHPO will cancel a CLG only as a last resort.

Here you will find a number of guidance resources on specific project type that would receive funding through the CLG program.

To conclude the CLG grant administration process, the project completion report is to be submitted 30 days after the project end date.

The project completion report briefly summarizes all work undertaken during the grant project, identifies any difficulties encountered in completing the project, and describes how completion of the project assisted in addressing historic preservation needs in the community.

The financial statement provides a comparison of budgeted and actual expenses as listed in the Key Contract Elements, broken down by federal fiscal year. Submit signed timesheets, copies of receipts and payment documentation to support expenses claimed.

The grant recipient is to submit a signed CLG grant invoice to the OHPO grants manager requesting payment of the CLG grant for 60% of allowable project expenses, up to the grant award amount.

For a development or acquisition project, upon approval of the project completion report, the OHPO grants manager will develop a preservation agreement or covenant (dependent upon the cumulative amount of CLG funding for the property). This document requires that the property owner maintain the property for a certain period. The preservation agreement is to be signed by the property owner and returned to the OHPO grants manager. If a covenant is needed, the document needs to be signed by the property owner and recorded with the deed of the property, and a copy of the executed document returned to the OHPO grants manager. Every two years during the term of the covenant, the property owner must submit a compliance form and photographs.