Click
on the Question to review the answer.
1.
What is the Gila River State Shared Revenue Program, Cities,
Towns and Counties Distribution Fund?
Proposition 202 passed by voters
in November 2002 allowed for new gaming compacts between
the State of Arizona and Arizona tribes. An important provision
of Proposition 202 was the sharing of gaming revenues with
the State. A portion of this state shared revenue (12%)
can be retained by an Indian tribe and distributed to cities,
towns and counties for government services that benefit
the general public, including public safety, mitigation
of the impacts of gaming, or promotion of commerce and
economic development. The Gila River Indian Community decided
to exercise this option and developed their State Shared
Revenue Program.
2.
What types of projects can be funded from the Gila River
State Shared Revenue Program?
The law states that the monies are
to be for “government services that benefit the general
public, including public safety, mitigation of the impacts
of gaming, or promotion of commerce and economic development.” Recognizing
that this statutory listing of government services is suggestive
rather than inclusive, the Gila River Indian Community
developed an expanded list of “priority areas” for
which funding will be concentrated. These are: Public Safety,
Transportation, Health Care Services, Economic Development,
and Education. In addition to these priority areas, the
Community reserves the right to utilize its discretion
in funding special programs and projects not included in
the above listing.
3.
Can private organizations apply for grants from the State
Shared Revenue Program?
Arizona law states that a Tribe can
make twelve percent (12%) of its total annual contribution
to the state in “Distributions to cities, towns or
counties...” A private organization can apply for
a grant however the application must be made through an
eligible city, town or county and be accompanied by a resolution
from the appropriate governing body. In addition only applications
received by a city, town or county will be considered as
official submissions. Applications received by individual
organizations will be considered drafts.
If awarded, a check will be issued directly to the sponsoring
city, town or county who will in turn administer funds
to the applicant in order to carry out the proposed project.
4.
Can a sponsoring city, town or county receive administrative fees or "indirect costs" for serving as a pass through for a non-governmental organization?
The Gila River Indian Community currently does not allow for administrative or indirect costs for a sponsoring city, town or county. It is the prerogative of a city, town or county to sponsor such proposals as they often provide a beneficial service to the general public that a municipality itself may not.
5.
Is there a specific format in which grant applications must
be made?
Applications shall be made in the
form of a written proposal in the format specified by the
Office of Special Funding. This format can be downloaded
from our website by clicking on the “how to file” link
or by contacting the Gila River Office of Special Funding
at (520) 562-3318 or (480) 963-9131. The supporting city,
town, or county resolution is a vital part of the application
therefore no application will be forwarded to the review
team without this attachment.
It is suggested that applicants periodically review the
posted application format as updates may be made as the
program continues to mature.
6.
Where do grant applications need to be submitted?
In order to avoid lost or misplaced
applications, please mail proposals directly to the Gila
River Office of Special Funding, P.O. Box 2172, Sacaton,
AZ 85247.
7.
Is there a deadline for submitting applications?
There is no deadline for submission
of applications. Applications are accepted on an ongoing
basis by the Gila River Office of Special Funding however,
the OSF may establish deadlines for applications that will
be forwarded through the review process prior to the date
of the initial review. For instance, if a review is scheduled
in the month of May all proposals received by an April
deadline will be considered. Those received after the deadline
will be held for the next review.
Applications are date stamped upon receipt.
8.
Is there a limit on the amount one can apply for?
There are no set funding limits for
grants. However, the annual amount available is dependent
on overall casino revenues and can vary from year to year.
Multi-year grant requests are acceptable and allow the
Community to award grants to a greater number of municipalities.
9.
How often are grant awards made?
Deposits into the fund are made quarterly
on a sliding scale based on the amount of the tribe’s overall
state-shared revenues. Initially the Community intended
to review applications on a quarterly basis, however history
has shown that first quarter revenues are usually not adequate
for funding many of the project proposals we receive. The
Review Team will consider applications 2 to 3 times following
the second quarter of each fiscal year (October 1 – September
30). All funds must be awarded by October 25 of each year.
10.
What is the approval process and how long does it take?
The Gila River Office of Special
Funding receives and date stamps all grant applications.
Several times a year, an appointed State Shared Revenue
Review Team reviews applications and makes recommendations
to the Gila River Community Council’s Government and Management
Standing Committee. Following consideration by the Committee,
applications are forwarded to the Community Council for
final approval. The actual approval process may take up
to one month following consideration by the Review Team.
However applications received early in the fiscal year
will be held until the Review Team meets. In addition,
applications not immediately recommended for approval may
be held for the next review when additional funds are available.
In this case the applicant will be notified in writing.
All applications will be reviewed in the order that they
are received.
11.
Does the grant application need a cover letter?
A cover letter is optional and not
a requirement of the grant application. However, please
do include the completed cover sheet, with the Mayor or
Chairman of the Board of Supervisors signature, specified
in the application format.
12.
How often can an entity apply for grants from the Gila River
State Shared Revenue Program?
There is no set limitation on how
often an entity can apply for funds. Applications are considered
based on the overall benefit to the general public, adherence
to the guidelines and available funding.
13.
Do other Indian tribes have similar State Shared Revenue
Programs?
By law all Arizona gaming tribes
must contribute to the State including distributions to
cities, towns and counties. Tribes can do this in either
or both of two ways: 1) Distribute directly to cities,
towns or counties for government services that benefit
the general public or 2) Deposit directly to the State’s
Commerce and Economic Development Commission Local Communities
Fund. This is at the discretion of each individual tribe.
For more information on how each tribe makes these contributions
please contact the tribes directly.
|
