The matching grant program is intended to be used for facilities or lands that are open to the general public. The organization must allow open participation and use by all county citizens without the charge of extraordinary fees to restrict public access. Organizations have received grant funding for projects on private property which is used for public recreation such as little league ball fields and youth soccer fields.

All grants awarded must be matched. The more match provided, the more points awarded. However, there are extreme circumstances where no match is feasible and while points may not be awarded it is possible that the grant can be funded. In your application, you choose the ratio of the match. 

Matching funds can be in the form of cash, contributions of supplies or equipment by a business or industry or contributions of professional labor for contractual or personal services. Public dollars from other non-profit agencies may not be used toward a match. General volunteer labor is not eligible for matching funds. 

An example of qualifying matching funds: $500 of donated shrubbery by Joe’s Landscape Service – such donation would need to be documented in writing by invoice or notice of donation by the company. Or, an electrician could document 10 hours of donated labor at a specified rate of pay.

An example of non-qualifying matching funds: The Smith family raked topsoil and seeding for the course of 6 hours on a Saturday. (This is considered general volunteer labor because it is not specialized labor and there is no standard/qualifying rate of pay.)

Your most basic obligations are to keep the project open to on-going inspections by County representatives or staff and realize that all County citizens must be allowed to participate in any programs or use of a facility or lands that have received or benefitted from grant funds.  You will have 24 months to complete the project from the date the grant is issued.

You will need to sign a legal agreement with the County, stating among other provisions; (1) that if the primary purpose of the project is changed without proper consent or (2) if the public is denied reasonable access in the future,  the County has the option to pursue reimbursement of the awarded grant funds as outlined in the agreement or have first right of refusal on the purchase of the property.

Upon completion of the project and all related expenses have been paid, you will need to provide proof of these expenses as detailed on your submitted application’s Budget Sheet to obtain reimbursement for the awarded grant funds.

The Augusta County Board of Supervisors administers a grant program to assist nonprofit organizations that provide recreation facilities and lands for general public use by the citizens of Augusta County.

Funding of the Recreation Grant Accounts (by district) is approved for only the current fiscal year by the Board of Supervisors. The maximum grant amount awarded per project will be $36,464. 

The County encourages the leveraging of public dollars but recognizes that areas of the County may not have the business, industry or civic organizations to support the fund raising efforts needed to match public dollars. It is suggested that organizations discuss the project with their appointed Parks and Recreation Commissioner and elected Board of Supervisors representative prior to submitting a project for approval. Project sponsors may request a minimum of 50% up to a maximum of 100% with no match. Matching funds may be in any of the following forms: 

1. Cash (identify amount and source that will be used as match)
2. Contributions of supplies, professional labor for contractual or personal services at a rate that would be reasonable if the service was provided for hire, and equipment by a business or industry.

General volunteer labor is not eligible for matching funds. 

Awarded funding is only reimbursable upon proof of payment of all invoices for the approved project total cost. No county funds will be fronted as a part of this program.

Applications must be submitted to the Parks and Recreation Office no later than 5:00 p.m. on the first Monday of each month for review by the Commission. Applications received after the deadline will not be considered until the next scheduled meeting. 

A complete application includes the Recreation Matching Grant Application, Recreation Matching Grant Budget Sheet, 5-Year Maintenance Plan and Recreation Matching Grant Checklist. Any other supporting documentation necessary to suffice the application must be included at the time of submittal.

1. Any 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization recognized (nationally or by the Commonwealth of Virginia or its agents) that has a purpose to expand recreation facilities and lands in Augusta County. 
2. Grants submitted by ineligible groups will not be reviewed and will be returned with a letter stating the reason(s) for the ineligibility by the Director of Parks and Recreation. 
3. The organization must meet all requirements of the grant including open participation and use by all County citizens. 
4. Project sponsors have 24 months to complete the approved project. A project will be considered active for 12 months after approval has been given. From 13 to 24 months, the project is considered outstanding. If the project sponsors cannot complete the project within 24 months they may request an extension in writing to the Director of Parks and Recreation. 
5. Organizations may not apply for a new grant while one is either active or outstanding. A grant is considered complete when it has been inspected and approved by the appropriate County agencies or departments and reimbursements have been made in full.

1. Capital improvements to land and buildings including, but not limited to: sports lighting, excavation and grading athletic fields, construction of buildings to facilitate recreation programs or host public use, concessions, bleachers, tennis/basketball courts, horticulture materials, parking, and restrooms.
2. Capital construction costs for utilities – water, sewer, electric, telephone.
3. Land acquisition.

1. Routine maintenance

2. Uniforms or other program supplies such as bats, balls, etc.

3. Membership fees (example National Little League)

4. Awards

5. Salaries (i.e. fees for coaches or referees)

6. Liability insurance

1. Applications for a funding amount up to $2,500 may be administratively approved after review by: the Parks and Recreation Commission, the Supervisor whose district the project falls within, the County Administrator, and the Director of Parks and Recreation. The project also must not require any zoning action, the project must demonstrate public access, and the sponsors of the project must obtain all appropriate permits.
2. All other applications will be reviewed by the Parks and Recreation Commission with administrative comments added by the appropriate County departments. Applications recommended for approval by the Parks and Recreation Commission will be forwarded to the Board of Supervisors for funding consideration. All projects included in the project should have prior approval before work begins, however in-kind contributions and scheduling play a role in community organizations capacity to fund projects therefore if a project begins before Board of Supervisor’s approval a letter must accompany the grant application stating why the project began before approval.

1. Have all documents required on the Checklist been submitted, completed in full, by the application deadline? 
2. Does the organization to which the grant would be awarded have all required documentation proving a 501 (c) (3) designation? 
3. Has a grant been awarded to the applicant/organization previously? If so, is the grant outstanding? 
4. What identified need of the Parks, Recreation and Open Space Master Plan does the proposed project meet? 
5. Has the applicant described or included evidence of community support and available resources for on-going maintenance of the project? 
6. Does the project demonstrate a clear need for financial assistance? (Factors such as all other available financial resources and the organization’s total budget will be considered.) 
7. Has the applicant included a 5-year maintenance plan?

1. Organizations accepting this grant funding must allow any citizen of Augusta County to participate in any program or use any facility that results or benefits from this grant. County citizens may not be able to participate or use a facility at the time of their choice due to scheduling conflicts. However, blanket restrictions or extraordinary fees may not be charged to restrict public access. 
2. The organization must provide Liability insurance in the amount of $500,000 for each occurrence and name Augusta County as an added insurer during the duration of the project. A copy of the certificate of insurance must be provided to the Parks and Recreation Department prior to the start of a project, unless a project was previously approved to start before award of a grant by the Board of Supervisors. 
3. Matching funds must be committed before the County will enter any agreement. 
4. Projects may not use other public dollars as part of the match. 
5. Provisions shall be made for proper maintenance and supervision of any project that has accepted County funds, hence the inclusion of a five year maintenance plan. 
6. The project must be open to on-going inspections by representatives of the County staff. 
7. The Grantee may not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, creed, color, sex, age, religion, or national origin. The grantee shall not discriminate against any person by refusing to furnish such person services or privileges offered to or enjoyed by all citizens of Augusta County, nor shall the Grantee or its employees publicize the facilities provided hereunder in any manner that would directly or influentially reflect on the patronage of any person because of race, creed, color, sex, religion, or national origin. 
8. A legal agreement shall be signed by the organization’s chief administrative officer, the current property owner (if different) and the County Administrator, stating among other provisions; (1) that if the primary purpose of the project is changed without proper consent or (2) the public is denied reasonable access the County has the option to pursue reimbursement of the funds as outlined in the agreement or have first right of refusal on the purchase of the property. 
9. Grantees must show evidence of a 501 (c) (3) designation with the Internal Revenue Service, or must apply for this designation prior to receiving reimbursements for approved funding.

1. Copies of receipts, paid invoices, and cancelled checks and business contributions will be required at the time of request for reimbursement.Additional documentation may be requested by staff to verify expenses and the payment thereof. 
2. Contributions must be marked on a billing statement or by letter “Donated by Contractor”. 
3. Reimbursements shall be made in accordance with the time schedule of the Augusta County Central Accounting Office.