We have adapted our policies and practices to allow paperless processing of invoices and other critical documents. 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.
Typical Process of Receiving San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority Grants
The typical sequence of activities for receiving San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority grants, from submitting a project application to submitting a final invoice, can be read here.
Board Resolution
Grant recipients are required to have their governing board adopt a resolution providing authority for the organization to enter into the Restoration Authority’s grant agreement. This resolution template can be used by grantees as a draft in developing their resolution.
Download the Resolution Template
Work Program and Budget
For most projects other than acquisitions, the grantee will be required to prepare a Work Program, including budget and schedule that must be approved by the Conservancy before the Authority will approve the disbursement of any funds to the grantee. The documents linked below provide a guide for developing work programs. Note that complicated project budgets should be prepared and presented in Excel (or another spreadsheet program) rather than in a Word document.
Download the Work Program Template
View the Budget Guidelines and Travel Costs Sheet
Community Engagement
Community engagement increases the long-term success of most projects. The State Coastal Conservancy’s Tips for Meaningful Community Engagement can be found here.
Tribal Engagement
The Authority prioritizes projects that include a serious effort to engage California Indian Tribes. Several examples of Tribal engagement, such as working with Tribes to enable traditional stewardship and cultural practices on ancestral land and co-management of their ancestral lands and natural resources, are listed on the State Coastal Conservancy's website here. The San Francisco Estuary Partnership's Wetlands Regional Monitoring Program and their partners have developed a set of Best Practices for Tribal Engagement. The Authority encourages our grantees to use these Best Practices to help them meaningfully engage with Tribes in their projects.
Inclusive Interpretive Materials
When creating interpretive materials, we can reinforce the message that all visitors and their safe uses of outdoor spaces are welcome and respected and that the full story of the San Francisco Bay comes from multifold perspectives. We encourage partners to consider the State Coastal Conservancy's Inclusive Interpretive Materials Guidelines when creating such materials.
Acknowledgement, Signage and Authority Logos
The Authority requires grantees to acknowledge its financial support of projects. Guidance on preparing an acknowledgement plan as well as signage and logo-use instructions can be found below:
JPEGs of the Authority's logo and the logo for Measure AA funding can be found below (click the link; then right-click and Save Image). For vector files, please contact your Grant Manager or Taylor.Samuelson@scc.ca.gov.
- SF Bay Restoration Authority Logo - Stacked
- SF Bay Restoration Authority Logo - Banner
- Measure AA Logo
Invoicing
The Authority is now only processing electronic invoices. Here are the instructions:
1. Prepare a single PDF file with:
- The Request For Disbursement (RFD) form. Please download and fill out this PDF (OR this Excel sheet with two tabs) and include the codes provided by your Authority Project Manager in the “Fund Source” box at the bottom left. Save the document without a signature as a PDF. See RFD instructions for more information. Please also refer to the COSTS AND DISBURSEMENTS section of your grant agreement for additional information on what costs are eligible for reimbursement and the withholding rate for invoices. There is either a 5% or a 10% withholding on most invoices – withheld funds will be released at the end of the grant.
- Backup documentation of all charges on the RFD.
- Progress report on work completed during the period covered by the RFD and broken down by task.
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 SFBRAinvoice@scc.ca.gov and copy your Authority Project Manager. In your email subject, please include your project name and contract number. If this is your FIRST invoice, please send the documentation to your Project Manager for initial review.
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.
EcoAtlas Project Tracker Instructions
All Authority grantees are required to use the Project Tracker tool to create and maintain an EcoAtlas entry as a condition of the grant agreement. Please follow the instructions in the document below.
- Project Tracker Instructions for Grantees
- Project Tracker/EcoAtlas training slides and recording (first part is overview, training begins at 23:40). Presented by the San Francisco Bay Joint Venture and San Francisco Estuary Institute.
Project Labor Agreements
Restoration Authority grant agreements require a project labor agreement (PLA) for any construction project where (a) the total cost of the project exceeds $500,000, and (b) the Authority’s funding exceeds 10 percent of the total project cost. A PLA is an agreement between a project owner and a local building and construction trades council that sets forth the terms and conditions of employment on a construction project. A PLA provides assurances for workers regarding job conditions and assurances for project owners on timely completion.
Lessons Learned Report Template
At project completion, the grantee will need to submit a report describing whether the project met the project goals and information learned from project implementation that could help others more effectively implement similar projects. Access the Lessons Learned Report template here.