Questions regarding the RFPs and process should be sent to robert.koch@state.mn.us. To ensure that all applicants receive the same amount of information, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) cannot respond directly with answers to your questions. Instead, as questions are received, the MDA will post the questions and their corresponding answers on the MDA website. Questions will be accepted until November 18, 2009.

Q1. Under which of the two grant programs should the following activities be included: survey, inventory and public outreach?

A1. The activities of survey, inventory and public outreach could be considered as allowable expenses under both grant programs. These items are either explicitly stated under each program or could be included under implementation of response/preparedness plans, which is an allowable expense under both grant programs.

Q2. Will the RFPs and applications be posted online?

A2. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is trying to spread awareness the RFPs for the grants are available. However, we prefer not to post electronic copies of the RFPs and applications on our website. The reasoning behind this is to assure that all applicants receive the same amount of information from us. By requiring interested entities to contact the MDA for an RFP/application, we can maintain a list of those who have the RFPs/applications. This way, if we receive any questions regarding the RFPs and the process, we can create a "frequently-asked-questions" sheet to send to all individuals with RFPs. Because we understand that some electronic copies of the RFPs/applications will likely get spread to individuals not on our list, we will also maintain a version of the "frequently-asked-questions" sheet on our web page.

Q3. Does Minnesota Department of Agriculture have a "model" preparedness plan that my community can base our plan on?

A3. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has drafted a set of community preparedness guidelines and will be working with the University of Minnesota and Minnesota Department Agriculture to make these available to communities. Until these guidelines are available, it is recommended that interested communities review the following plans and guidelines for community preparedness:

• Michigan's Emerald Ash Borer Community Preparedness Plan
• Ohio Emerald Ash Borer Management Plan
• City of Rochester, MN, Emerald Ash Borer Management Plan
• DNR Community Forestry

Note: Plans should and likely will vary among communities due to varying authorities, infrastructure, resources, etc. Therefore these example plans and guidelines are intended to only be used only as examples.

Q4. Are boulevard areas eligible areas to conduct work under these grants?

A4. Yes, boulevard areas are eligible, if the work will benefit public lands.

Q5. Can we plant a tree through this grant without removing a tree from that area? Or, if there is a suitable existing opening in the urban forest would the planting of a non-ash tree be considered part of a preparedness plan under this grant?

A5. If funds are going to be used for planting of trees, those new trees should be replacing ash trees that were removed.

Q6. What are acceptable types of tree to plant under this grant?

A6. In choosing types of trees plant, Minnesota Department of Agriculture recommends utilizing the information on the U of MN Forestry Resources Extension "Tree and Shrub Selection" website:

Of particular value are the following pages:

• Recommended Trees for: Northwest and Central Minnesota
• Recommended Trees for: Southeast Minnesota
• Recommended Trees for: Southwest Minnesota
• Recommended Trees for: Northern Tallgrass Prairie

The use of a diversity of tree species is encouraged, along with using native species when possible.

Q7. Would urban trees be considered "forest" for items I and II under project requirements?

A7. Urban trees comprise the urban or community forest, which is a type of forest and therefore applicable under these grant programs. Furthermore, response and preparedness actions in the urban forest my slow the spread of pests and protect other forests.

Q8. Can expenses be reimbursed if they are incurred before the grant is approved? For example, can an entity be reimbursed for a tree inventory conducted during the summer of 2009?

A8. No, expenses can only be reimbursed if they are incurred after the grant is approved (i.e., grant contracts have been signed). Furthermore, after approval of the grant, the entity must perform the work and pay the expenses before they can be reimbursed.

Q9. When determining whether an entity may apply for the Incident Response Grants, what constitutes a documented infestation of emerald ash borer?

A9. For purposes of the Incident Response Grants, a documented infestation of emerald ash borer is defined as the presence or former presence of ash trees confirmed by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture to be infested with the emerald ash borer.  For purposes of these grant programs, the infestation must be documented by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture on or before November 20, 2009.  Detections of emerald ash borer by other means, such as traps or public observation are not considered to be documented infestation.  Emerald ash borer has the ability to spread to areas through its own flight capacity and through human-assisted movement.  Just because an adult emerald ash borer is found in an area, that does not mean that infested trees occur in that area.

Q10.Would the funds available under the planning and preparedness grant program be available to remove existing ash trees that are not infested as part of a pre-emptive ash tree removal program? Would the funds also cover replanting of trees in boulevards where ash trees were removed?

A10. Yes, the Planning and Preparedness Grants Program allows for removal and disposal or utilization of trees at risk to attack by emerald ash borer. See Question 4 for boulevards, and Questions 5 and 6 for planting of trees.

Q11. Would a tree inventory qualify for the potential use of grant dollars?

A11. Yes, tree inventory planning and execution are considered qualified expenses.

Q12. Under the Planning and Preparedness Grants can a community develop an "emergency" diseased/infested tree disposal site?

A12. Developing an emergency disposal site for tree waste could be considered part of implementing a preparedness plan, which is a qualified expense. However, the grants do not allow for the purchase of land or easements.

Q13. On the application forms, budget worksheet number four, asks for information on contracts, consultants and other purchased services on a fee per hour basis. How do I provide this information if it is not on a per hour basis? For example, if the contractor charges by the job rather than the hour.

A13. If your budget information on contracts, consultants and other purchased services is not in a fee per hour format, you can enter this information into budget worksheet seven, which is titled "Other."

Q14. Conflicts of interest are a matter of concern to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, but it is not clear what sorts of things are to be disclosed.

A14. In general, a conflict of interest, actual or perceived, occurs when a person has actual or apparent duty or loyalty to more than one organization and the competing duties or loyalties may result in actions which are adverse to one or both parties. A conflict of interest exists even if no unethical, improper or illegal act results from it.

More specifically, conflicts of interest occur when:

1. a grantee's objectivity in carrying out the grant is or might be otherwise impaired due to competing duties or loyalties; and,
2. a grantee or potential grantee has an unfair competitive advantage through being furnished unauthorized proprietary information or source selection information that is not available to all competitors; or
3. a grantee is unable or potentially unable to render impartial assistance or advice to the State due to competing duties or loyalties.

Q15. Is stump removal an eligible expense for projects that include tree removal for phloem reduction?

A15. Yes, stump removal is considered an allowable expense for projects that are removing trees that have been attacked or are at risk of attack by emerald ash borer.

Q16. Are fencing, gates and locks for marshaling yards eligible?

A16. Establishment of marshalling yards or tree waste disposal sites could be considered part of implementing a preparedness plan, which is a qualified expense (see question 12). The purchase of fencing, gates and locks for marshalling yards or tree waste disposal sites could be a qualified expense if the materials are specific to and necessary for completion of the project.

Q17. Will PowerPoint presentations on EAB be made available to communities that need slides for their outreach materials or for community presentations or training?

A17. Currently, PowerPoint presentations on EAB are available from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture upon request. The Department is working to post these online.

Q18. Consider this example: several communities decide to get together to purchase a chipper that they can share under a mutual aid agreement. Is it an eligible cost?

A18. Yes, efforts to jointly purchase and share equipment are eligible. Note that the purchase of equipment greater than $5,000 must be pre-approved by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.

Q19. On the non-fillable PDF application form, there is not sufficient space in the response boxes to respond to the questions. How should we provide our responses?

A19. A fillable PDF version of the application is in development and will be made available when completed. This fillable version will provide adequate space for providing responses. If you decide not to wait for the fillable PDF application, the non-fillable PDF can be used as a template for creating your proposal; in which case, you will have the flexibility to create an adequate amount of space for your responses.

Q20. In determining eligible in-kind costs for the purpose of meeting the match requirement, would the part of an employee's base hours count if assigned to the project as additional duties, or, as the application seems to imply, do wages only count if they are paid as overtime?

A20. An employee's base hours may be applied as in-kind costs or as reimbursable expenses if the work is directly related to grant activities.

Q21. Why are applicants asked how they heard about the grant programs?

A21. On the application forms, your response to the question: "How did you hear about this grant?" will not be used in evaluation of the proposals. Responses to this question will be used by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture to try to improve advertisement of grant programs in the future.

Q22. Will the Minnesota Department of Agriculture be having any training workshops on providing guidance on applying for the grants?

A22. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture has created the Grant Application Guidance and Assistance web page. The Department of Agriculture will not be hosting any training workshops to provide guidance on applying for the grants, however the Department Agriculture may participate in webinars hosted by other entities. If such a webinar is planned the event must be made available to all interested entities, notification of the event will be sent to all entities that have requested RFPs from the Department of Agriculture, and a recording or transcript of the event will be posted on our website.

Q23. Would this grant money also allow reimbursements for Oak wilt and Dutch elm removal?

A23. Response and planning/preparedness efforts for pests other than the emerald ash borer are unqualified expenses under this grants program, and cannot be reimbursed.

Q24. My community, which does not have a documented infestation of emerald ash borer, is looking request grant assistance to conduct a tree inventory and to chemically treat ash trees as a preventive measure. Should we submit a proposal for a Planning and Preparedness, or should we split the work and submit a proposal for each of the grant programs.

A24. In this situation, since your community does not have a documented infestation of emerald ash borer, you are not eligible to apply for the Incident Response Grants. You should submit a proposal for the Planning and Preparedness Grants. Insecticide treatments within 10 miles of a documented infestation and tree inventory work are qualified expenses under the Planning and Preparedness Grants.

Q25. To apply for a Planning and Preparedness grant, is it necessary to have already inventoried the trees in our community?

A25. No, a tree inventory is not a prerequisite for applying for either of these grant programs (Planning and Preparedness Grants or Incident Response Grants). However, please note that we ask that applicants have in place or to create an emerald ash borer preparedness plan for their community within the first six months of the grant (see the response to question 3).

Q26. If an applicant applies for the maximum award amount ($100,000 for Planning and Preparedness; $1,000,000 for Incident Response) is it all or nothing, or will lesser amounts be awarded?  Also, if applications exceed funding, will some projects be partially funded? 

A26. Depending on the number of proposals (applications) submitted, total funds requested, and reviews of individual budgets, MDA may award less than the total requested amount for any given proposal.

Q27. Are the funds for the Planning and Preparedness Grants going to be distributed equally between the two EAB impacted areas (southeastern MN and the Twin Cities area)?

A27. There may not necessarily be an even split of funds between Twin Cities area and southeastern MN.  Entities from throughout Minnesota are encouraged and eligible to apply for the grants.  However, since the goal of the program is to prevent or slow the spread and subsequent impacts of the emerald ash borer, one of the evaluation criteria for the Planning and Preparedness Grants is “proximity to a documented emerald ash borer infestation.”  Although projects proposed for areas close to documented infestations will score high on that evaluation criterion, various other evaluation criteria factor into the overall evaluation of the proposals.  See the Evaluation Profile on the last page of the RFPs for further details. 

Q28. If volunteers are used for inventory or other work on the grants, how should their time be listed and at what rate?  Does this count toward the in-kind match?

A28. Donated or volunteer services are not a reimbursable cost; however, donated and volunteer services may be applied to the match requirement as in-kind contributions.  Rates for volunteers shall be consistent with those regular rates paid for similar work in other activities of the applicant’s organization.  In cases where the kinds of skills involved are not found in other activities of the applicant’s organization, the rates used shall be consistent with those paid for similar work in the labor market.  In instances where there is no basis for determining the fair market value of services rendered, the applicant and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture may negotiate an appropriate value when contracts are negotiated and finalized.

Q29. If a city employee with qualifications does project work beyond their normal responsibilities, is that time counted at an overtime rate or their base pay rate?

A29. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture will reimburse the grantee for actual costs to the project, but not to exceed the total amount awarded.  In other words, overtime can be billed to the grant, but this does not increase the amount of the award.

Q30.  In situations where entities plan to work together on a project, should they submit a single application or separate applications?

A30. For projects in which multiple entities plan to work together, one application should be submitted.  One entity should be the applicant and act as fiscal agent for the project.

Q31. The RFP says that the purchase of equipment over $5,000 needs to be approved by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.  Does this $5,000 amount include the grantees match funds or just grant funds applied to the purchase of the piece of equipment?

A31. If more than $5,000 of grant funds is going to be put toward the purchase of a piece of equipment, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture must pre-approve that purchase.

Q32. How is the Minnesota Department of Agriculture defining an emerald ash borer preparedness plan as listed as an eligibility requirement for applicants?

A32.  A preparedness plan for emerald ash borer is a plan that identifies actions to be taken to prepare a given community, association, group, etc. for the invasion of the emerald ash borer.

Q33. When listing equipment, should it be listed as Supplies and Materials (budget work sheet 2), or as Other (budget worksheet 7)?

A33. Equipment can be listed on the “Supplies and Materials” worksheet.  If additional space is needed, use the worksheet titled “Other”.

Q34. Can any of the cost paid out for writing of the grant application be included as part of professional services?

A34.  No, expenses can only be reimbursed if they are incurred after the grant is approved (i.e., grant contracts have been signed).  Furthermore, after approval of the grant, the entity must perform the work and pay the expenses before they can be reimbursed.

Q35. Can the cost of obtaining and training a tree inspector be included as a reimbursable cost?

A35. Yes, staff and volunteer training are listed as qualified expenses in the RFP.

Q36. Would data management software and hardware (e.g., GPS and or tablet PC's) be considered allowable expenses under either grant program?

A36. Yes, if these items are specific to and necessary for completion of the project, they are considered qualified expenses.

Q37. To apply for one of the grants, is a separate written proposal required in addition for the application form?

A37. No, the application form is the proposal for these programs. 

Q38. Can supporting documentation (e.g., maps, letters of support from cooperators, copies of relevant ordinances or preparedness/response plans, etc.) be submitted along with the grant application?

A38. Supporting documentation (e.g., maps, letters of support from cooperators, copies of relevant ordinances or preparedness/response plans, etc.) can be submitted with the application.  If such additional documentation is provided please clearly indicate project manager name and organization on each additional document, so that these documents can remain associated with the application form.

Q39. Would working with students from a college be considered partnering?  If so would these students need to be volunteers or could they be offered an internship?

A39. Yes, working with a college would be considered partnering.  It would be up to the grantee to decide how to incorporate the students.

Q40. At this time our community is applying for the Planning and Preparedness Grant for the Emerald Ash Borer.  Will there be an opportunity to apply for the Incident Response Grant at a later date?

A40. The appropriation from which these grants are being funded is for FY2010 only.  For this granting cycle, the application deadline is November 20, 2009.  The only entities that are eligible for the Incident Response Grants are those who have a documented infestation of emerald ash borer on lands under their jurisdiction, ownership or management.  A documented infestation of emerald ash borer is defined as the presence or former presence of ash trees confirmed by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture to be infested with the emerald ash borer.  For purposes of these grant programs, the infestation must be documented by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture on or before November 20, 2009.  Detections of emerald ash borer by other means, such as traps or public observation are not considered to be documented infestation.

Q41. What are the requirements or qualifications needed of people conducting tree inventories?

A41. This can vary based on the type of survey being conducted.  Refer to the Community Forest Inventory Model for more details about survey options.  In general, the most essential qualification for a person is the ability to correctly identify tree species.  Professionals who are International Society of Arboriculture Certified Arborists (ISA-Certified) are generally well-educated in tree identification and rating tree condition.  Find ISA Certified Arborists.

Other options for technical assistance include MN Certified Tree Inspectors, MN Consulting Foresters and Society of American Foresters certified foresters.  Listings for these can be found under "Technical Resources" on the DNR Community Forestry page, along with other EAB planning and management references.

Q42. If a community is performing a tree inventory and the objective is to ID ash trees within its boundaries can ash trees on private property be included in on the inventory or is the inventory only to take place on public property?

A42. Projects must provide benefit to public lands.  If work is conducted on private land, the result of that work should provide some benefit to public lands.  In this case, will the knowledge gained through the inventory on private lands provide some benefit to public lands?  If so, explain in the application.

Q43. If removal and replanting is part of the grant proposal can removal and tree planting replacement take place on private property?

A43.  Projects must provide benefit to public lands.  If work is conducted on private land, the result of that work should provide some benefit to public lands.  In this case, will tree removal and planting on private lands provide some benefit to public lands?  If so, explain in the application.

Q44. Are rural electric cooperatives, as not-for-profit entities, eligible for the State grant program?

A44. The grants are available to local units of government and other entities.  Under this definition, rural electric cooperatives as not-for-profit entities are eligible to apply for the grants.  Projects must provide benefit to public lands.  If work is conducted on non-public land, the result of that work should provide some benefit to public lands.  If so, explain in the application.

Q45. On the evaluation profile on the last page of the RFP for the Planning and Preparedness Grants, one of the evaluation items is percentage of inventory susceptible to emerald ash borer.  If there hasn’t been a tree inventory performed, how will the points be applied

A45. A completed tree inventory is not required for an applicant to be eligible for the grant.  However, having a completed inventory may provide some benefit when proposals (applications) are evaluated.  The percentage of trees susceptible to attack by the emerald ash borer (i.e., the percentage of trees that are ash trees) provides a measure of the potential impact of emerald ash borer.  Therefore, this item is critical to the evaluation of applications.  The following are potential options available for providing this information in the application.

1. If available, data from a recent tree inventory of the target area can be presented.
2. For communities that may not have their own tree inventory data, the DNR's "Rapid Assessment of Ash and Elm Resources in Minnesota Communities" can be used to provide a rough estimate of the number and size of ash trees on public AND private property in residential neighborhoods.  The survey did NOT include river corridors, woodlots and natural forests. To more accurately estimate their anticipated costs of removing and replacing public ash trees, cities will need to do a separate survey of ash on public property.
3. Rapid Assessment Survey Report
4. Rapid Assessment Survey Data for communities, grouped by county
5. Another sources of data for state-wide or regional projects for work on forested lands is the USDA Forest Services Forest Inventory Analysis Data.

As the evaluation profile on the last page of the RFP indicates, if the percentage of the inventory susceptible to emerald ash borer (i.e., the percentage of the inventory that is ash) is unknown, then the proposal will receive one point for that evaluation item.

Q46. The timeline for applying for these grants is not adequate.  Can the timeline be extended?

A46. The RFPs for these grants were first made available on October 7, 2009.  These grants are part of an emergency response to the invasion of the emerald ash borer, hence the short timeline for the application process.  It will not be possible to extend deadline for proposal (i.e., application) submission, which is and will remain 2:30 p.m. on November 20, 2009.  However, closing date for acceptance of questions regarding the RFPs, applications and the process has been extended to the 5:00 p.m. on November 18, 2009.

Q47. Do you think contracts will be available within one month of the awarding of the grants?  Will they need to be drafted by the Attorney’s Generals Office?

A47. Yes, contracts should be ready to send out for signature within a month of the award.  They are drafted at the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, the money is encumbered, and then they can be sent out for the grantees' signatures.  After the grantee's sign them, they are sent back for the Minnesota Department of Agriculture's signature.  The Attorney General's Office is not involved.

Q48. Our City has spent about $5000 on treatment of trees within City and County road right of way.  Could grant funds be used for actual treatment?

A48. Treatment of trees within ten miles of a documented infestation is an eligible expense for reimbursement.  However, expenses can only be reimbursed if they are incurred after the grant is approved (i.e., grant contracts have been signed).  So, costs incurred for trees already treated are not reimbursable.

Q49. While filling out the application form, I ran out of space in the fillable boxes.  Is there a way to expand these fillable boxes? 

A49. The boxes for providing responses on the fillable application forms cannot be expanded.  However, additional text or supporting documentation (e.g., maps, letters of support from cooperators, copies of relevant ordinances or preparedness/response plans, etc.) can be submitted with the application.  If such additional text or documentation is provided please clearly indicate project manager name and organization on each additional document, so that these documents can remain associated with the application form.

Q50. I am assuming that since project requirement III requires plans to “provide benefit to public lands” this would disqualify tribes and intertribal consortium from being eligible. Is this correct or are federally recognized tribes eligible to apply?

A50. The grants are available to local units of government and other entities.  Under this definition, tribes or intertribal consortia are eligible to apply for the grants.  Projects must provide benefit to public lands.  If work is conducted on non-public land, the result of that work should provide some benefit to public lands.  If so, explain in the application.

Q51. Please provide an explanation of the "15% or greater in kind or non-state cash match...".  For example, if we estimate 40 hours for an activity would 15% of the labor have to be provided by the City? If not, could you provide me with an example of what this might be?

A51. The 15% match required for these grants could be comprised of non-state cash and/or in-kind contributions directly related to attaining the goals of the project.  In-kind contributions could include labor, service, equipment, supplies, materials, or other in-kind donations directly related to attaining the goals of the project.  In regards to the specific example in the question: If the requested funds were all for labor and the city paid at least 15% of those costs, then the 15% match obligation would be met.

Q52. In the grant application, there is a breakdown of cost estimates in seven categories.  Is an applicant’s spending restricted to the amount they put down in each category or can they over spend in one category and under spend in another and still receive the total grant amount requested for the project?

A52. We encourage grantees to try to spend their funds as they specified in their budgets, although we understand that spending on projects won’t always go exactly as planned.  Applicants will have the flexibility to adjust up to 10% of the total award amount from one budget category to another.  However, if a grantee suspects that more than 10% of their total award will need to be moved from one budget category to another, permission for such a change must be requested at the earliest point possible to allow the Department of Agriculture time to review the situation and approve the request before the change in spending actually occurs.  If permission is not requested or not approved, then such expenses will not be approved for reimbursement.

For example, let’s assume the total award for a grantee is $10,000 and that those funds are split between personnel salaries ($5,000) and outreach expenses ($5,000).  Therefore, the grantee will have the flexibility to adjust 10% or the total ($10,000 x 10% = $1,000) from on budget category to another (e.g., from personnel salaries to outreach expenses).  Therefore, their final spending might be $4,000 on personnel salaries and $6,000 on outreach expenses.  If the grantee needed to adjust more than 10% from one budget category to another, they would have had to have requested pre-approval from the Department of Agriculture.

Q53. By requiring a match of non-state funds, are other state agencies from not eligibility for these grants? 

A53. The grants are available to local units of government and other entities.  Under this definition, other state agencies are eligible to apply for the grants.  However, the required match needs to come from non-state funds.

Q54. After filling out and saving the fillable application form, I re-opened the file, made some modifications and then tried to save the form again.  In doing so, I received an error message that did not allow me to make any further changes to the form.  What can I do to continue working with this form?

A54. Some of the features of the fillable application form seem to not be compatible with older version of Adobe Reader (7.0 or earlier).  If you install a newer version of Adobe Reader (8.0, 9.0, or later) you should be able to fully utilize the form.  You can download the latest version of Adobe Reader through the Adobe website.

Q55. The phone number listed on the form is incorrect.

A55. The incorrect phone number listed on the forms goes to the wrong division within the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.  The correct phone number is 651-201-6549.

Q56. When creating and submitting the grant proposal, what attachments are required and what attachments are suggested? 

A56. The only item required to be submitted by the November 20, 2009 deadline is the grant application form. Any additional attachments of documents to support the project application are optional. Additional attachments may include, but are not limited to, maps, letters of support from cooperators, copies of relevant ordinances or preparedness/response plans, etc. Whether a project can be proposed and justified within the space provided on the forms or if it takes additional attachments, will not factor into the evaluation. Submission of supporting documentation with the application will not provide an advantage or disadvantage to the applicant during the evaluation process.

Q57. How should applications and any additional attachments be submitted? 

A57. Applications and attachments may be submitted electronically as attachments to an email message sent to Robert Koch (robert.koch@state.mn.us). Alternatively, applications and attachments may be submitted by mail to Robert Koch (625 Robert Street North, St. Paul, MN 55155). If hard copies are sent via mail, only one copy is required and pages can be bound with a paper clip or staple. Note: it you plan to send via mail, please take into consideration the time required for delivery to MDA. A final option for submission of applications and attachments is to fax them to the attention of Robert Koch at 651-201-6108. Regardless of the method of submission, applications and any attachments must be received by MDA by 2:30 pm on November 20, 2009.

Q58. Do the public tree inventories need to be restricted to ash trees, or can an inventory of all public trees be done to help with planning a reforestation plan with a diversity of tree species beyond what is already in place on public property?

A58. If a tree inventory is planned to be conducted with funds from these grants, the inventory should include ash trees in the inventoried area, but does not need to be limited to only ash trees. 

Q59. In the hourly rate for personnel, are we to include benefits as well?

A59. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture will reimburse grantees for actual salary expenditures. Those expenses should include the hourly rate and fringe (taxes, FICA, Medicare, insurance). We will not reimburse for any earned time not taken, i.e. comp time earned or vacation time earned, etc.

Q60. Does the application form need to be signed by the applicant?

A60. No, the application form does not need to be signed by the applicant. After the awardees are selected, signatures will be required on the contracts that will be established between the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and the awardees.

Q59. In the hourly rate for personnel, are we to include benefits as well?

A59. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture will reimburse grantees for actual salary expenditures. Those expenses should include the hourly rate and fringe (taxes, FICA, Medicare, insurance). We will not reimburse for any earned time not taken, i.e. comp time earned or vacation time earned, etc.

Q60. Does the application form need to be signed by the applicant?

A60. No, the application form does not need to be signed by the applicant. After the awardees are selected, signatures will be required on the contracts that will be established between the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and the awardees.

Q61. How should I specify if a match contribution is cash or in-kind? 

A61. As you indicate, the match column in the budget tables does not specify whether the contribution is cash or in-kind.  You can note these details in the other columns of the table or in the narrative sections if need.  However, these values should somehow be reflected in the budget tables.

Q62. Can the total project amount (sum of requested funds and match contribution) exceed the award maximum amount?

A62. The total project cost can exceed the award maximum, but the total amount of grant funds requested should not exceed the maximum ($100,000 for Planning and Preparedness Grants; $1,000,000 for Incident Response Grants).

Q63. Can funds be used to purchase tree stock to line out in a nursery for replacement of ash trees?

A63. Only if those trees will be replacing ash trees that were removed (see response to question 5).