Frequently Asked Questions about CTOP
Who can apply for a CTOP grant?
Organizations eligible to apply for a CTOP grant must either have IRS tax designation as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, or be a designated public entity partnering with a 501(c)3 organization on the proposed project. In cases of partnerships between public entities and 501(c)3 organizations, it is encouraged (not required) that a 501(c)3 organization is the project's fiscal agent. Projects eligible for CTOP funding must meet the following criteria:
- Be definable as a community technology project (see Appendix A in RFP).
- Address the assessed needs of under-served and low-income residents of Washington state. Evidence that the proposed project is needed and will be used by the population identified in the proposal as the project's beneficiaries.
- Address one or more aspect of digital inclusion (see Appendix A in RFP).
- Address one or more of the impact types (see Appendix D in RFP).
How many grants will be made?
WSU will award $350,000 among approximately ten (10) community technology projects serving Washington's residents.
What is the expected dollar amount of an average grant to be made?
It is expected that awarded grants will range between $10,000 and $50,000, depending on the quality of the project design, responsiveness to community needs as well as to CTOP's goals.
What is the date range for funded projects?
Projects to be funded by CTOP will be announced August 1, 2008. These projects will receive CTOP funding for project activities conducted between August 1, 2008 and June 15, 2009.
How does the 75% reimbursement work?
SSB 6438 requires recipients of CTOP grantees to provide evidence of a 25% match for all eligible expenses related to the awarded project. Grants awarded by WSU will cover 75% of eligible expenses paid as a reimbursement. On a monthly basis, grantees will invoice WSU for reimbursement of 75% of eligible expenditures. This invoice will require reasonable proof that the expenditure was paid by grantee. Details of invoicing procedures will be covered during a Grantee Orientation meeting scheduled for September 17, 2008.
Why do CTOP grants only fund 75% of a project?
Please refer to Section 6(2)(e) of the enabling legislation (SSB 6438)
How will CTOP funded project report their results?
CTOP will provide all grantees with a reporting system. A Grantee Orientation meeting will be conducted on September 17, 2008 (location to be determined, alternatives to attending in person will be provided) where the reporting system will be introduced along with other details of the grant program.
Will CTOP offer another round of grant funding after July 14, 2008?
CTOP is not currently set for automatic renewal.
The RFP refers to an "assessed need" for the proposed project, what does that mean?
The "assessed need" is a requirement of the enabling legislation. What we are looking for is whatever evidence you have that demonstrates that the people you plan to serve with your Community Technology project actually need (and want) your proposed project. We were careful to no prescribe what that evidence looks like because we recognize that every organization will have different ways to validate the need for their proposed project. Examples of such demonstrated evidence could take the form of outcome surveys on previous or current projects in which clients say "we need this or that," or it could be a logical argument where you use data that show "the people in this community lack this and that" and the proposed project will provide "this or that" in the following way. The main point is to show that beneficiaries of your proposed project actually need the services that you plan to provide. We want to make sure that your proposed project is based on more than your instincts, intuitions and beliefs that the project is needed; we want to make sure your proposed project is responding to a real need and that it will benefit those whom you plan to serve.
In summary, the criteria of how you assess the need for your proposed project is intentionally vague, but we need to know it is based on data that a reasonable person could look at and say "yes, this project is needed by and will be valued by the identified beneficiaries."
Can volunteer time on the proposed Community Technology project be used as part of the 25% match?
You can claim volunteers time as part of the 25% match. You'll need to assign a dollar amount for the volunteers' time (# of hours X rate), and we are going to use the federal rates laid out on the following web site: http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm#b00-0000
To find the correct rate, you locate the volunteer's occupation and choose the "mean" rate. If you are unsure of the volunteers' occupation, or if you can't find it on the table in the web site noted above, then just use the "all occupations" rate of $19.56 per hour.