[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of County Commissioners of Charles County 8-30-2005 by Bill No. 2005-14. Amendments noted where applicable.]
A. 
Charles County may award grants of funds or in-kind assistance to nonprofit agencies which provide services to County residents. Grant awards shall be made as part of the annual budget approval process.
B. 
Grants are initiated when a nonprofit agency requests a grant to provide a certain service or when the County solicits nonprofit agencies to provide a certain service.
C. 
Applicants must submit a grant request to the appropriate County department or office on the prescribed form, by the third Friday in January, in order to be considered for a grant for the following year.
[Amended 11-15-2011 by Bill No. 2011-13]
D. 
Grants may be funded with County funds or from designated private, state, regional, or federal funds.
Nonprofit agencies seeking a grant from Charles County shall submit information to the County department or office which will administer the grant in a format prescribed by that department or office and shall include:
A. 
A general description of the nonprofit agency's membership and mission; a copy of its charter and bylaws, a listing of its officers, directors, and principal staff members; and evidence of its nonprofit status;
B. 
A description of the service the nonprofit agency proposes to provide with the grant, who will provide the service (staff and/or volunteers), where it will be provided, who will receive the service (target population), and how much it will cost to provide the service.
The County Commissioners may appoint an advisory panel to review grant applications and to make recommendations to the County Commissioners regarding the amount and type of grants to be awarded. When appropriate, this committee may consist of the members of an existing County board or commission. No member of a panel may receive any direct or indirect financial or personal benefit from any of the grant applications under consideration by the panel.
Grants may be awarded only to the extent provided in the annual budget. Where the grant is for longer than the current fiscal year, grants for subsequent fiscal years may be awarded only after the County Commissioners have approved a multiyear agreement to fund the grant.
A grant shall not be made unless the nonprofit agency has executed a grant agreement with the County which sets forth:
A. 
The amount of the grant.
B. 
The service to be provided with the grant, where it will be provided, and who will receive the service (target population).
C. 
The type and format of the reports and records which the nonprofit agency will be required to keep in order to provide accountability and which will be subject to County audit.
D. 
Provisions to assure that there will be adequate public advertising and notification to potential recipients of the service.
E. 
Provisions to assure that the agency and the services provided will be in compliance with federal, state and County laws and regulations.
F. 
Provisions to indemnify the County from any claims which might be made against the County as a result of the grant.
G. 
A requirement to provide the department or office administering the grant with annual audit and/or program report on the agency's use of the grant during the County's previous fiscal year and to send copies of the audit and/or program report to the County Commissioners.
[Amended 2-21-2007 by Bill No. 2007-04]
The Commissioners may award funds to nonprofit and community service organizations on an as-needed basis, throughout the fiscal year, in amounts not to exceed $2,500 per award, from funds budgeted for community promotion. Requests for community promotion funds may, at the discretion of the Commissioners, be considered in the same manner as requests for grants, including review by any advisory panel appointed by the Commissioners for the purpose of considering such requests.