Grantee Requirements

To perform services under a grant agreement funded by BCYF, grantees must follow all federal, state, and city requirements that apply to their work with children, youth, and young adults.  

BCYF is responsible for following the guidelines from the City of Baltimore as it distributes funds to organizations assisting the city in reaching its goal of seeing children and youth thrive and succeed.  

During their Grant Award Period, Grantees may contact their Program Officer or the Grantmaking - Compliance team, compliance@bcyfund.org, with any questions.

Step 1: Grant Award Letter (New Grantees)

Successful applicants will receive a grant award letter with instructions for submission of their Grant Award Package.  

Within one week of grant award letters being sent out, Program Officers will call their grantees for a congratulatory phone call.

Step 2: Grant Award Package (New Grantees)

The Grant Award Package comprises essential documents and information required from the Grantee. The date of your first disbursement is dependent on when your Grant Award Package is completed.

Please note that your disbursement is contingent upon the approval of all components of your Grant Award Package. If any elements of your Grant Award Package require corrections that are not promptly addressed, it may result in a delay in disbursement.

What should my Grant Award Package include?

The Grant Award Package must include the following items:

1. Sign the Grant Agreement;

The Grant is for the purposes outlined in the Scope of Work and Annual Grant Award Budget and may be spent only in accordance with each as approved by BCYF.

1. Complete Grantee Orientation;

2. Complete the Organization Assessment Survey;

3. Confirm Review of the Grants Manual;

4. Complete W9 and Automated Clearing House (ACH) forms, and set up a bill.com account;

5. Review and Confirm Program Outcomes and Annual Grant Award Budget that were submitted with the BCYF Grant Application. If the Grantee did not complete the Grant Application, a Grant Application must be completed at this point.

6. Local Hiring Law Employment Analysis Form from the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development (MOED).

You will receive a notification from B2Gnow to complete your Employment Analysis form and MOED will reach out to assist with the completion of the form.

The following Grant Award Package documents will be uploaded to the Grantee Portal:

• Certificate(s) of Insurance for all required insurance coverage;

• Annual Criminal History Record Check Attestation form;

• Fiscal Sponsorship Agreement, if fiscally sponsored

Step 3: Grant Performance Period (All Grantees)

During the grant period, all grantees are responsible for maintaining the  following requirements:  

• Complete Monthly Staffing Reports with the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development (MOED) by the 5th business day of each month

• Maintain Reporting and Recordkeeping Compliance and Monitoring to include:

  • Monthly Financial Expense Reports submitted no later than the 25th of the following month (i.e. the September 2025 report is due October 25, 2025) with the appropriate supporting documentation

    • Allowable Costs Reference Guide should be reviewed

  • Complete Quarterly Programming Reports

  • Host BCYF staff for annual site visits and check-in calls

• Submit Annual Grant Award Budget

• Maintain up-to-date insurance, financial compliance, and criminal history record checks.

BCYF Disbursement Policy

Please note the following conditions related to disbursements for Grant Year 2025-2026:

1. No Expenses Reported in Grant Year 2024-2025 at Time of Clearance

   1. If $0 in expenses have been reported at the time of clearance, Disbursement 1 for 2025-2026 will be held until expenses for Grant Year 2024-2025 are both submitted and approved.

2. No Expenses After All Financial Reports are Approved

   1. If $0 in expenses have been reported after all 2024-2025 Monthly Financial Expenses Reports have been submitted and approved, then Disbursement 1 for 2025-2026 will be held until all prior year funds are fully reconciled.

3. Less than 50% of Annual Award Spent

   1. If less than 50% of the Annual Award Amount has been spent, Disbursement 2 for 2025-2026 will be held until the remaining balance is reduced to 15% or less through reconciliation.

Policy on Allowable Spending

BCYF grantees may only begin incurring grant-funded expenses after receiving formal clearance for Disbursement 1 (D1). This clearance is granted upon the submission and approval of all required materials, including the Annual Grant Award Budget, Certificate of Insurance (COI), Criminal History Record Check (CHRC), and any additional specified components as outlined in this Grants Manual.

Expenses incurred in a Grant Year but prior to D1 clearance are not allowable and may not be charged to the grant. This policy ensures that all proposed spending is reviewed and approved through the budget review process before any funds are expended, reinforcing both financial accountability and compliance with grant requirements.

Importantly, this policy also affirms that BCYF grants are not reimbursement-based. Grantees should not advance programmatic spending with the expectation of being reimbursed. All grant-funded expenditures must occur within the approved grant timeline and only after D1 clearance is confirmed.

For example, an organization’s budget is not approved until November 1, 2025. The Grant Year began September 1, 2025. Upon approval of their budget, the organization may submit expenses from November 1, 2025 on, but not from September or October 2025.

Grantee Compliance Schedule

Note: There will be delays with disbursements if there are outstanding reports or other BCYF requirements that have not been met at the time of the disbursement.

Grantees are responsible for submitting financial reports, supporting documentation, quarterly programming reports, and other documentation as required by BCYF. All reports will be submitted via BCYF’s online grant portal unless otherwise specified.

It is also recommended that grantees attend annual grantee convenings to support networking and collaborating amongst grantees. Grantees are expected to be responsive to all communication from their assigned Program Officer.

Monthly Financial Expense Report Guidelines

Grantees must submit monthly financial expense reports and supporting documentation through the BCYF Grantee Portal. The monthly financial expense reports must specify the exact amount and purpose of expenses made with grant funds for each monthly period during the grant term. Monthly financial expense reports are due by the 25^th of the following month during the grant term. For example, the report for expenses made in October is due November 25th. The due date for reports will remain on the 25th regardless of holidays or the day of the week, but reports may always be submitted early.

Summary

All reports and applications are potentially public records. Please be advised that documents in BCYF’s possession are considered public records and subject to disclosure under the Maryland Public Information Act, meaning that people can ask to see these records, and BCYF must release them. Information not pertinent to reporting requirements may be redacted. If you have questions, please contact your Program Officer.

Acknowledging BCYF

Grantees are required to acknowledge BCYF when describing projects or programs funded in whole or in part with BCYF funds. Please see Recognizing BCYF for acknowledgment requirements and resources to share what BCYF funding has made possible.

Step 4: Grant Close-Out

At the end of their Grant Award Period, grantees will close out their grant by completing the following tasks:

• Complete any outstanding requirements from their Grant Award Period

• Return any unspent funds to BCYF

Closeout Guidelines

Grantees will be closed out when all requirements outlined in the grantee agreement have been met. All financial and programming reports must be submitted and approved, all site visits must be fulfilled, and all unspent funds must be returned to BCYF. Grantees will receive communication from BCYF indicating that the grant is officially closed out. The closeout communication will also indicate whether or not the Grantee is eligible for future funding (see “Future Funding” section for more information). In the case of special scenarios, a No-Cost Extension can be requested by the Grantee or recommended by the BCYF Grantmaking Team. If you would like to request a No-Cost Extension, please contact your Program Officer.

At the end of the grant term, grantees may have a balance of funding that was not spent due to unallowable costs or other circumstances. Grantees must return these funds to BCYF to have their grant officially closed out. Grantees will receive notice from BCYF if they have unallowable costs or unspent funds at the end of the grant term. Grantees must return the funds to BCYF by check. The check should be made payable to Baltimore Children & Youth Fund and mailed to 10 E. North Ave, Suite 5, Baltimore, MD 21202. Failure to return unspent funds may impact a grantee’s eligibility for future funding and could result in the initiation of debt collection and recovery.

Grantees who complete a grant cycle will be eligible for future funding if they:

• Fulfill mandated financial and reporting requirements.

• Respond to BCYF efforts to communicate with grantees concerning any matter related to the grant agreement.

• Spend grant funding as outlined in the Scope of Grant.

• Return unspent funds to BCYF.

• Carry out behaviors and interactions that align with the culture of care that BCYF values. Everyone should make an effort to be  polite to each other when communicating about reporting,  terms, or any other aspect of the grant.