Important Changes to the Reimbursement Procedures

Earlier in the year, we alerted everyone to concerns that the Controller's Office has with GFTA's reimbursement of eligible expenses incurred on or after July 1 but before the Mayor's budget is approved by the Board of Supervisors and before award announcements are made in mid-August. The Controller's Office expressed concern for the legality of paying for expenses, even for annual on-going support, before the City's budget is officially approved and announcements are made. After consultation with the Controller and our City Attorney we believe we have developed a new invoicing format which will provide the Controller's Office with the information they need complete with satisfactory invoice dates as well as offering you the most flexibility in requesting reimbursement. You must use this new format to receive payment; any request using any other format will be returned to you.

General Information

Grants for the Arts provides funds on a reimbursement basis only. With the exception outlined in the annual parades and celebrations grant agreement, funds are not advanced and reimbursement requests must be in accordance with the purpose stated in the Agreement.

• Operating expenditures for San Francisco activities only may be submitted - for example: net salaries, wages, fees, rental of equipment, rental of halls/studios, telephone charges, advertising and publicity expenses, stationery and office supplies.
• The Charter of the City of San Francisco prohibits payments for personal expenses and business-related expenses in the following areas: meals, catering, transportation, lodging, fundraising and educational activities;
• You may also use up to 15% of your award for capital expenditures. However, when you reimburse for these capital items, you must do so separately from the general operating support reimbursement requests. You can use the same forms but please do not include both types of expenses on the same request.

Please believe that the GFTA staff is as interested as you are in facilitating and streamlining the reimbursement process. As the City's accountability procedures become more complex over time we must ask grant recipients for cooperation, for which we are truly appreciative. As always, if you have any questions regarding these new requirements, please do not hesitate to call me or any staff member at 554.6710.

How To Prepare A Reimbursement Request

Please see the following attachments to our standard Agreement: Appendix C-Form of Funding Request and Schedule 1 To Request for Funding. You may: view/print reimbursement forms from your browser.

Fill out these forms exactly as described below and include all attachments requested. The time spent in properly compiling a claim will result in faster claim processing and payment. Incomplete and/or improperly prepared reimbursement requests will be held and/or returned.

Appendix C - Form of Funding Request

• Invoice Date: The date which you submit your request. This date should be any date after the notification date of August 12, 2005.
• Invoice No.: The letters GFTA - and the invoice date i.e. GFTA - 08/22/05
• Contact Information: Fill out your organization's name (and fiscal sponsor if applicable), sign, print the name of the signatory and their title and fill in 2005 for the date of the agreement between the Grantee and the City and County of San Francisco.
• Type of Grant: Circle which type of grant for which you are requesting reimbursement. In most cases it will be General Operating Support.
• Eligible Expense Category Description: Group your eligible expenses into broad categories, (i.e. salaries, rent, phone bills, advertising, etc). You will itemize each category on the Schedule 1 - Form of Funding Request.
• Amount Spent Per Category: Provide a subtotal for each broad category.
• Total Reimbursement Requested: Provide the total for the entire reimbursement. This total should equal all of the items which appear on the Schedule 1 - Form of Funding Request.

Schedule 1 To Request For Funding

• Please remember to support every item listed on your Schedule 1 with copies of cancelled checks (front and back) and copies of properly dated and executed invoices.
• Reimbursable services are only those rendered within the period of the Agreement.
• Invoices dated prior to July 1 or after June 30 cannot be paid.
• Send copies only, and remember to include them for every item. (All copies of invoices and checks must be on 8 1/2" x 11" sheets of paper and please use the front and back of pages whenever possible.)

Please note that copies of payroll registers which detail the breakdown of earnings must be included for salary claims. If payroll checks have been issued manually, copies of cancelled checks (front and back) clearly marked PAYROLL must be included as well. It is not necessary to send check copies for computerized payroll submissions. Only net wages may be claimed. Quarterly payroll taxes may be claimed after they are paid, with copies of proper federal and state tax reporting forms as back-up documentation.

• All total reimbursement figures will be rounded-off by GFTA to the next lowest dollar amount (i.e., a request for $96.59 will be paid at $96.00).
• Please be certain to attach to a separate listing of San Francisco public programs/activities presented during the period covered by the reimbursement request.

Restrictions

As a clarification to Article 5.4 (d) of our standard agreement, Grants for the Arts recipients receiving an allocation of under $15,000 may claim the full amount upon the announcement of their grant. Recipients receiving $15,000 - $49,999 can claim no more than one-half of the designated allocation in the first two quarters of the grant period. (First two quarters begin July 1 and October 1.) Annual parades and celebrations are exempt from this restriction. Grants for the Arts recipients receiving an allocation of $50,000 or above can claim no more than one-fourth of the designated allocation per quarter. (Quarters begin July 1, October 1, January 1 and April 1.)

Please submit one request per quarter for the full amount of the quarter's allotment. Annual parades and celebrations are exempt from this restriction.

Mail claims to:

Grants for the Arts/San Francisco Hotel Tax Fund
City Hall, Room 347
San Francisco, California, 94102.

You will receive a check within two to four weeks of our receipt of your completed claim. Unfortunately, first-quarter checks usually are not issued until after the first week of October.