Grants & Awards: LGRMIF: Next Level:
Local Government Records Management Improvement Fund (LGRMIF) - FAQs
- Who can apply for a Local Government Records Management Improvement Fund Grant (LGRMIF)?
- Can Fire Departments apply for LGRMIF grants?
- Can a local government apply for more than one grant?
- Are the four parts of the narrative limited to the boxes on the form?
- When and where do I need to include a floor plan ?
- Are photographs and supplemental materials helpful?
- Can we send the application double sided?
- May we submit faxes or copies of vendor quotes?
- Do we need to adopt a retention schedule and appoint an RMO every time we apply ?
- Are there matching requirements on these grants?
- What is the difference between professional staff (code 15) and support staff (code 16)?
- Is funding available for developing a website?
- Can we hire retired people that used to work for our local government?
- Can we submit an application involving two distinct categories?
- Can project categories and subcategories overlap in the same grant application?
- What if shelving costs are $30,000 and installation is part of that cost. Would three quotes be needed since it would be a service over $5,000?
- When working with a vendor, should we tell them how much money we are looking for in a project?
-
What if we are seeking a consultant in a very specialize field?
-
We didn’t choose the lowest quote provided. How should be handle that?
- When using a vendor quote, do we include the whole quote or just the page with the prices?
Award Notification and Project Management
- If we are not awarded the money, are we told why?
- How long do I have to complete my project?
-
Am I able to transfer monies from one budget category to another during the grant year?
-
What are the final reporting requirements and when are reports due?
-
Where can I get the FS-10-A, grant amendment form, or the FS-10-F Short Form?
- Where do I send my final reports?
What is the Local Government Records Management Improvement Fund Act? The Local Government Records Management Improvement Fund Act (Chapter 78, Laws of 1989) established a dedicated fund to improve records management and archival administration in New York’s local governments. The Local Government Records Management Improvement Fund (LGRMIF) is comprised of the fees collected by county clerks and the New York City Register for the recording of selected documents, and for the assignment by county clerks of index numbers for certain court cases. The Act authorizes the Commissioner of Education to provide training and technical assistance, administer a grant program for local governments, and appoint a Local Government Records Advisory Council (LGRAC) to advise on the operation of the LGRMIF program.
Who can apply for a Local Government Records Management Improvement Fund Grant (LGRMIF)? Every local government in New York State is eligible if it meets certain criteria. See Grant Application and Reference Materials, "Eligibility Requirements," for further information.
Can Fire Departments apply for LGRMIF grants? Fire districts are eligible to apply for LGRMIF grants because they are considered local governments. However, not-for-profit volunteer fire companies and volunteer ambulance and emergency rescue services are not considered local governments, and are therefore not eligible to apply for LGRMIF grants.
Can a local government apply for more than one grant? No it may not, unless it is a county. Governments are limited to one grant per government (the exception being counties, which can also apply for a grant under the County Land Records Initiative). See page 5 of the 2008-2009 application guidelines for further information.
Are the four parts of the narrative limited to the boxes on the form? No. The boxes in the Word template version are expandable. If you can't use the boxes, you may attach additional sheets for each section.
When and where do I need to include a floor plan? All Inactive Records category/ Storage & Retrieval subcategory projects require a floor plan in the Application Narrative. When Minor Remodeling funds are requested a floor plan is also required.
Are photographs and supplemental materials helpful? Yes, but not too much. Remember the reviewers are looking at dozens of applications.
Can we send the application douple sided? That is fine for the original except for the FS-20, which should be single-sided. The copies may all be double-sided.
May we submit faxes or copies of vendor quotes? It is okay to submit copies.
Do we need to adopt a retention schedule and appoint an RMO every time we apply? No, once you have done both they continue year to year.
Are there matching requirements on these grants?No, but it is always helpful to show in-kind contributions to the project as it helps to illustrate how the local government will continue to support an activity started with grant funds.
What is the difference between professional staff (code 15), and support staff (code 16)? Ultimately, you can decide, but generally, someone doing professional level work, such as developing retention schedules, writing series descriptions, etc., would be code 15, while clerical/support work, such as boxing records, data entry, etc., would be code 16.
Is funding available for developing a website? Any website with a records component will be considered fundable. Keep in mind that no maintenance funding is available. The LGRMIF will only fund start-up costs.
Can we hire retired people that used to work for our local government? You may do this, but keep in mind the salary is for the job they are currently doing, not what they were making when they used to work for you.
Can we submit an application involving two distinct categories? It depends. The elements of the project that fall under two categories should be related. For instance, a microfilming grant may also involve elements of electronic document imaging, which falls under the active records category. This would be allowed, but on the LG-AP cover sheet, you must pick only one category and one sub category. Choose the predominant element of your project in choosing the category and sub-category.
Elements of a project that fall under more than one category or sub-category components but are not related would not be eligible. For example, a project that involves, microfilming building department files and indexing town board minutes essentially is two distinct projects and would not be eligible. However, a project that involves microfilming files in four different departments would be eligible for funding.
Can project categories and subcategories overlap in the same grant application? Yes, but choose only one category and subcategory on the application form, the one that fits best. Keep in mind that all category and subcategory requirements must be met if you have overlapping categories.
What if shelving costs are $30,000 and installation is part of that cost. Would three quotes be needed since it would be a service over $5,000? No, it would not. The key is the unit cost of the shelving. Installation would be part of that cost and would not be considered a service.
When working with a vendor, should we tell them how much money we are looking for in a project? It is best to tell the vendor the problem to be addressed and what you would like to do about it. Allow them to come up with a dollar figure for the cost of what needs to be done.
With a conservation project, sometimes you do not know the actual condition and what needs to be done. How do we come up with expense figures? Such a situation may require an evaluation by a conservation expert, so an application for a Historical Records/Assessing Your Historical Records project would be appropriate.
My vendor does 100% quality control of the images they produce. Do I have to look at the images also? We strongly recommend that you do your own image verification to ensure that the vendor did not miss images in the course of filming or scanning.
What if we are seeking a consultant in a very specialize field? We may not be able to obtain three quotes. If this is the case, be sure to demonstrate the effort you made trying to obtain quotes and justify why you need someone in a specialized field.
If a grant proposal involves microfilming, imaging, or otherwise producing copies of long-term records that could be discarded according to state retention schedules, could that be a negative? Yes, this could be a negative. You need to make a strong case for why the records are not being discarded.
We didn’t choose the lowest quote provided. How should be handle that? If you choose a quote other than the lowest quote, justify why you did not choose the lowest one and what makes the one you chose more desirable.
When using a vendor quote, do we include the whole quote or just the page with the prices? Include the entire quote.
Award Notification and Project Management
If we are not awarded the money, are we told why? Yes, a summary paragraph will provide information with the no-fund letter as to why the project was not funded. In addition to this, the Regional Advisory Officer may come for a site visit to speak with you.
How long do I have to complete my project? One year. Monies cannot be expended before July 1, and cannot be encumbered after June 30 of the following year.
Am I able to transfer monies from one budget category to another during the grant year? If so, what is the process and timeline? Local governments can transfer monies if the change doesn't violate the intent of the grant award and if they justify the request in writing. First the local government must get its State Archives Regional Advisory Officer's approval, then it must send an FS-10-A form and written justification to the State Archives' Grants Administration Unit.
What are the final reporting requirements and when are reports due? Both a Final Reporting Form (FR-1) and the Final Expenditure Report for a Federal or State Project (FS-10-F Short Form) must be submitted for each grant project by July 31, one month after the end of the project. Award recipients will receive the reporting forms months into the project, but the same forms can also be downloaded from the State Archives’ website.
Where can I get the FS-10-A, grant amendment form, or the FS-10-F Short Form?
All fiscal forms are available at the State Archives’ website. The forms are also mailed to every award recipient in the fall or winter. Governments are notified of the cutoff date for amendments when they receive the FS-10-A.
Where do I send my final reports? Send both the Final Report Form (FR-1) and the Final Expenditure Report for a Federal or State Project (FS-10-F Short Form) to the State Archives' Grants Administration Unit.