Updated Guidance on Working with the Authority during COVID-19 Precautions
Dear Friends of the Restoration Authority
The last few weeks have presented all of us with unprecedented challenges both at home and at work. I hope that you, your family and friends, and your co-workers are all safe and well during this stressful and frightening time.
In compliance with directives from the Governor and the cities and counties where we live, Authority staff are all working from home. We are quickly adapting our policies and practices to allow paperless processing of invoices and other critical documents. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission, which handles the Authority’s finances, has agreed to accept electronic signatures, which means we will be able to get your invoices paid. Please remain in close contact with your Project Manager to work through any hiccups.
If you need time extensions, adjustments to your work program(s), or augmentations for your grant(s), please talk to your Project Manager. More than ever, we are aiming to be flexible and accommodating right now.
Further to my message of March 19, we have updated our guidance for submitting invoices. We are now only processing electronic invoices. Here are the instructions, which can also be found on our website:
1. Prepare a single PDF file with:
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The Request For Disbursement (RFD) form
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Backup documentation
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Progress report
All combined into one file, in that order.
Note: please DO NOT sign and date the bottom of the RFD form. The invoice will be routed to you for signature using DocuSign, as described below.
2. Email the invoice and the PDF of the combined documents from Step 1 to your Authority Project Manager. In your email, please include your project name!
3. We are signing invoices using DocuSign. You do not need any software to sign, just internet connection. It is very simple. Please keep an eye out for that email and respond quickly.
The Authority’s May 8, 2020 Board meeting will be a virtual meeting and I invite you to join us. More information will be posted here when available.
And finally, we recognize the financial strain the economic freeze is putting on our partners. We are doing everything we can to keep our grant funds flowing and to run new grant rounds as planned. There are additional resources available to non-profits that you may wish to investigate further, including:
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Small Business Administration (SBA) Coronavirus (COVID-19): Small Business Guidance & Loan Resources, which is making low-or-no-interest loans available to non-profits.
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Briefing on Emergency COVID funding for 501(c)(3) Nonprofits from the US Chamber of Commerce foundation (30 minutes)
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Federal Coronavirus Relief Bills: What do they mean for nonprofits? From the National Council of Nonprofits
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(From NAAEE) Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act: The National Council for Nonprofits has an initial analysis of the legislation and is a good source of overall information to learn more about available state funding programs to support your organization at this time
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COVID-19 Resources for Land Trusts from the Land Trust Alliance
Please reach out to your Project Manager, Program Manager and to me if we can be of assistance. We are here to work with you.
Take good care,
Sam
Sam Schuchat
Executive Director
San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority
