June 15 Crunch Time: FY19 Grant Final Reports & FY20 Revised Budgets Due

From Carol White, Associate Director of Operations –

All FY19 grant final reports and requests for funds AND FY20 Revised Budgets are due June 15. Yes, that’s Saturday, so you may want to submit on Friday, June 14. The due date is set based on the State of Tennessee year-end accounting close schedule, which TN Arts does not control. In fact, it won’t be easy to get the remaining 185+ grants closed out AND 350+ FY20 contracts executed in the next two weeks. For more info, click here. Thanks for being on time and avoiding common errors.

Avoid Common Final Evaluation/Request for Payment Errors

To speed your final payment, avoid these common errors:

• Fill out the final evaluation first, then the Request for Funds
• Attach that Itemized Expense list
• Open your Itemized Expense attachment to make sure your data saved, and it’s not blank (Hint: Save to your computer before inputting information.)
• Include check #’s and dates for each expenditure in the Itemized Expenditures form
• List Itemized Expenditures for both state funds and match
• To identify which line item to use on your Annual Grant Expenditures Form, see CONTRACT AND BUDGET FAQS. Or call for guidance.
• Attach proof of TN Arts Commission credit
• Click “Submit”

Request for Payment Questions: Call Diane Williams at 615-741-6395.

How do I get a copy of my executed FY20 grant contract?

Before July 1, executed grant contracts are saved in the online grant system under APPLICATIONS/Submitted Applications in the Documents section. The contract is a pdf labeled “External Contract” that you can open and “save as” or print. After July 1, awarded applications are “promoted” to grants and available in the online system under GRANTS/Active. Also, your agency’s contract signatory will receive an executed copy of the contract via email through DocuSign.

But, before you check for an executed contract, consider if your agency has:

• Completed and submitted a Revised Budget form
• Checked the online grant system to see if your application is in “Pending Promotion” status. If your application is in “Pending Revised Budget Approval” or “Generate Grant Contract” status, TAC staff are working on it.
• If your application is in “Pending Grantee Signature” status and your signatory has not seen anything in DocuSign, make sure the right person and accurate email are showing in the online grants system. If that’s OK, check the spam folder of that signatory for a DocuSign email from “Tennessee Arts Commission via DocuSign”
• If your application is in “Pending TAC Signature,” wait a day or so and then check again to see if it has moved to “Pending Promotion”

Contract Questions? Contact me.