1. (1) Authority and purpose. The purpose of this section is to establish rules for the implementation and administration of grants to nonprofit organizations that provide financial assistance or other services to Wisconsin veterans and their dependents, as authorized under s. 45.46, Stats.
2. (2) Applicability. This section applies to grants awarded under s. 45.46, Stats.

3. (3) Definitions. In this section the following terms shall have the designated meanings:

   1. (a) “Applicant” means a nonprofit organization that applies for a grant to provide financial assistance or other services to veterans or their dependents.
   2. (c) “Evaluation committee” means a committee established to evaluate applications made under this section that is comprised of at least one member of the board of veterans affairs and other individuals appointed by the department.
   3. (d) “Nonprofit organization” means an organization described in section 501 (c) (3) of the internal revenue code that is exempt from federal income tax under section 501 (a) of the internal revenue code.

4. (4) Eligible applicant. A nonprofit organization is eligible to receive a grant under this section when all of the following apply:

   1. (a) It provides financial or other assistance to Wisconsin veterans or to the dependents of Wisconsin veterans.
   2. (bm) It is compliant with applicable state and federal laws, rules, and regulations, including tax laws, and the requirements of this section.
   3. (cm) In accordance with s. 16.765, Stats., it follows all state and federal anti-discrimination laws and equal employment opportunity practices in the administration and delivery of program services to veterans and their dependents served by grant funds awarded to the nonprofit.
   4. (d) It is in current good standing with the Wisconsin department of financial institutions.

5. (5) Application.

   1. (a) Competitive solicitation. The department shall ensure that all solicitations are conducted in a manner that provides for fairness and competition.

   2. (b) Public notice.

      1. 1. The department shall provide reasonable public notice of all solicitations for grant proposals under s. 45.46, Stats.
      2. 2. Notice may be made through the print, broadcast, or telecommunications media, including the Internet, at the discretion of the department.
      3. 3. The notice shall include the purpose of the grant, the selection criteria, application procedures, and all applicable solicitation deadlines that an applicant is required to meet, or shall contain instructions for obtaining this information.

   3. (c) Application requirements.

      1. 1. An application for a grant under s. 45.46, Stats., shall be submitted to the department as directed in the notice provided under par. (b).

         Note: The application may be obtained at WisVets.com or by request from the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs, PO Box 7843, Madison, WI 53707-7843, or 800-WIS-VETS (800-947-8387).

      2. 2. An application shall be fully completed and signed by a representative of the applicant having authority to act for the applicant, and submitted by the required filing deadline.

      3. 3. An application shall include all of the following:

         1. a. Proof of nonprofit status and other financial eligibility criteria listed in sub. (4) (bm) to (d).
         2. b. Information about the organization.
         3. c. A description of the financial or other assistance or other services it provides to veterans and their dependents.
         4. d. A description of the need for the requested funds.

6. (6) Evaluation of applications.

   1. (a) Evaluation criteria. The evaluation committee shall evaluate grant applications submitted under sub. (5) utilizing all of the following criteria:

      1. 1. Organizational experience providing services to veterans.
      2. 2. Understanding and ability to communicate the needs of veterans and their dependents.
      3. 3. Stated purpose and objectives for the grant funds and method and timetable for expending funds.
      4. 4. Proposed detailed budget and justification for the expenditures proposed in the application.
      5. 6. Outreach and referral plan to identify and assist veterans or their dependents with services.
      6. 7. Program implementation timeline.
      7. 10. Experience serving underserved populations or underserved geographic areas.
      8. 11. Past working relationships with veteran service organizations.

   2. (b) Rating applications.

      1. 1. The evaluation committee shall weight the importance of each evaluation criterion by using a numerical point system.
      2. 2. Using the evaluation criteria specified in par. (a) the evaluation committee shall evaluate each application against each applicable criterion and assign points signifying the degree to which the application meets the criterion up to the maximum number of points.
      3. 3. The total points assigned to the application for all applicable criteria will be the score for the application.
      4. 4. The evaluation committee shall numerically rank each solicitation for grant proposals under this section.
7. (7) Notification. Each applicant shall be notified in writing of the department’s decision in accordance with the public notice.
8. (8) Grant awards. The department shall award a grant to the applicants with the highest numerical score as funds are available.

9. (10) Restrictions.

   1. (a) Prohibited use of funds. Grant funds shall be used only for the payment or reimbursement of expenses that are reasonable, necessary, and properly assignable to the purposes of the approved grant. Any other use of grant funds is prohibited.
   2. (b) Violation of prohibited use of funds. If a grantee uses grant funds for prohibited activities under par. (a), the department may terminate the grant and recover funds previously paid to the grantee for that funding period on a recoupment schedule specified by the department and may make the nonprofit ineligible for subsequent grants provided by the department.
   3. (c) Record keeping. A grantee shall maintain grant records for at least 6 years and shall provide information to the department as required by the department for the purposes of program or fiscal audits or any other purpose and, at the request of the department, shall appear before the department to respond to any questions about the grant and use of grant funds.

10. (11) Amount of grants.

    1. (a) Subject to pars. (b) and (c), the amount of a grant award shall be based on the amount requested by the applicant and the amount approved by the evaluation committee.
    2. (b) The maximum amount of a grant to any nonprofit organization during any fiscal year shall be determined by the department and subject to the limitations specified in s. 45.46, Stats.
    3. (c) The amount of a grant award is subject to the availability of funds under s. 20.485 (2) (th), Stats.
11. (12) Reporting requirements. A grantee receiving a grant under this section shall submit to the department data and information on the use and effect of the grant funds as specified in the grant’s terms and conditions. The grantee shall authorize the department to audit and inspect its records.

History

History: EmR1416: emerg. cr., eff. 8-14-16; CR 14-058: cr. Register September 2017 No. 741, eff. 10-1-17; correction in (5) (c) 1. made under s. 13.92 (4) (b) 7., Stats., Register September 2017 No. 741; CR 21-012: am. (3) (intro.), r. (3) (b), am. (3) (c), cr. (3) (cm), am. (3) (d), (4) (d), renum. (5) (b), (c) to (5) (b) 1., (c) 1. and am., r. (6) (a) 8., renum. (6) (b) to (6) (b) 1. and am., am. (8) (b), r. (9), renum. (10) (a) to (10) (a) 1. and am., am. (13) (c) Register September 2021 No. 789, eff. 10-1-21; correction in (3) (c) made under s. 35.17, Stats., Register September 2021 No. 789; CR 25-011: r. (3) (cm), am. (4) (a), r. (4) (b), cr. (4) (bm), r. (4) (c), cr. (4) (cm), am. (5) (b) 1., am. (6) (a) 4., r. (6) (a) 5., 9., renum. (8) (a) to (8), r. (8) (b), (c), renum. (10) (a) 1. to (10) (a) and am., r. (10) (a) 2., 3., am. (10) (b), (c), (11) (b), (c), (12), r. (13) Register September 2025 No. 837, eff. 10-1-25; correction in (5) (c) 3. a. made under s. 13.92 (4) (b) 7., Stats., Register September 2025 No. 837.