Microgrants/Underspent

DRAFT

Purpose and background

Remaining (unspent) micromicromicrograntmicrogrant funds must be returned according to the instructions in your microgrant agreement. Consult your micromicrogrant agreement for details. Micrograntees are responsible for any legal or regulatory requirements associated with returning microgrant funds and should make sure they are able to return any remaining unused microgrant funds or make other appropriate arrangements to ensure that they can return funds before receiving any future funds.

Report the total amount spent and the total amount remaining to OSMF along with the details of your microgrant expenses at the same time that your final report for a microgrant is submitted.

Remaining funds

Remaining funds (sometimes also referred to as "underspend") may be defined as:

1. any microgrant funds not used to implement the activities of the microgrant (e.g. if your project was achieved under the estimated budget or some expenses were not needed)
2. any microgrant funds not spent on approved expenses or in line with the purposes outlined in each micrograntee's agreement and approved budget in the micrograntee's microgrant application
3. funds that are not sufficiently documented or reported on by the micrograntee
4. funds for a microgrant that has been cancelled
5. funds that need to be returned by OSMF in the event that a microgrant is terminated
6. any other funds to be returned as requested by OSMF

Remaining funds under ₡20 or its equivalent in another currency do not need to be returned if the cost of returning funds is greater than the amount of funds remaining. Work with the Microgrant Committee, who may approve the use of these funds, and you typically would not need to submit another report on how these funds were used.

If remaining funds are not (1) returned, (2) reallocated to approved mission-aligned activities, or (3) retained with OSMF's explicit written permission, the micrograntee will be out of compliance with program requirements and will not be eligible to receive future microgrants through any OSMF program. This non-compliance may also affect microgrants a specific individual is involved with in another capacity or role. OSMF may also take necessary steps to recover remaining microgrant funds.

How to return remaining funds

micrograntees may have several options for returning remaining funds.

1. Return to OSMF: Return your unspent microgrant funds to OSMF according to the instructions here and notify OSMF by sending an email to treasurer@osmfoundation.org with a copy to microgrants@osmfoundation.org.
2. Request to use funds for other mission-aligned activities: This option is only available for funds remaining from microgrants. See instructions below.
3. Retain with permission: In some cases, remaining funds may be retained by the micrograntee with OSMF's permission for up to 21 days until they may be deducted from a scheduled disbursement of another approved microgrant, to save on transaction fees. In order to retain funds with OSMF's permission, most cases will require the micrograntee to have another microgrant request already submitted and "under review" or already approved at the time the report is submitted for the microgrant with an underspend. This option is only available if you request and receive written permission from OSMF to retain the funds. At the time the request to retain funds is approved, OSMF will inform you of the amount of time you may retain the funds and under what circumstances you may retain them.
4. Transfer to a third party: In very rare cases, OSMF and the micrograntee may agree to transfer remaining funds to a third party or to retain the funds for the purpose of an upcoming transfer to a third party. In this case, OSMF will help the micrograntee document the funds transfer to show that the funds have been returned.

Request to use remaining microgrant funds for other mission-aligned activities

If you have remaining funds from a microgrant through the microgrants program, you may submit a request to use these funds for other approved mission-aligned activities instead of returning them to OSMF.

To request to use of unspent microgrant funds for other mission-aligned activities, please post a message on the discussion page of your microgrant report:

1. A budget outlining how the underspend will be used, including the total amount of the underspend that you will use for for these new activities.
2. A brief description of the mission-aligned activities that you plan to use the underspend on and an explanation about how these activities are related to the OpenStreetMap Foundation mission.
3. Include a start date and a completion date for your activities. The start date and completion date should each include a day, month, and year (format: DD Month YYYY; e.g. 1 January 2020).

Upon review of your reallocation request, OSMF staff will either request a new microgrant proposal for the additional activities or approve a reallocation of funds under the current microgrant. Reporting requirements will be set based on the project scope. In most cases, the micrograntee is still required to submit a list of expenses and scanned receipts after the completion of the approved activities.

If you have funds remaining from another type of microgrant, you must return the funds to OSMF.