31 Tex. Admin. Code § 61.135 - Grants for Community Outreach Outdoor Programs (CO-OP)
(a) Program purpose. The purpose of this
section is to provide a mechanism for determining the suitability of project
proposals to award funding to tax-exempt organizations for programming that
engages under-served populations in outdoor recreation, conservation, and
environmental education activities that support the department's
mission.
(b) Scoring Criteria:
(1) CO-OP Priorities (Total Range: 0-15
points).
(A) The quality and efficacy of
proposed project outcomes relative to CO-OP priorities. (0-8 point
range)
(B) The quality of the
proposed project's involvement of participants in sustained direct connections
to the department, including department sites, programs, and personnel. (0-7
point range)
(2)
Under-served Populations (Total Range: 0-30 points).
(A) The extent to which the proposed project
includes target populations, including female, ethnic minority, low-income, and
physically or mentally challenged populations. (0-6 point range per target
population for a maximum of 24 points).
(B) A clearly articulated plan demonstrating
a reasonable probability that the proposed project will reach the target
demographic. (0-3 point range)
(C)
A feasible plan to track and report demographic information. (0-3 point range)
(3) Expected Impact
(Total Range: 0-30 points). The expected project results in terms of
participant and environmental impact, including:
(A) A project narrative illustrating goals
that are feasible, fully developed, specific, measurable, attainable, relevant,
and present a high potential for success. (0-5 point range)
(B) The extent to which the project will
develop life-long behaviors consistent with the program mission, with
preference for projects that engage participants in multiple experiences over
an extended period of time. (0-5 point range)
(C) The extent to which the proposed project
will contribute to the development of successive generations of natural
resource and outdoor recreation leaders or professionals. (0-5 point range)
(D) Activities utilize a hands-on,
active engagement approach to skill development. (0-5 point range)
(E) The quality of the tangible environmental
benefits resulting from the activities conducted by participants. (0-10 point
range)
(4) Timeline and
Budget (Total Range: 0-20 points).
(A) The
project has an acceptable timeline including a detailed timeline that accounts
for all project phases, is achievable, and correlates with the project
narrative. (0-8 point range)
(B)
The identified budget items are allowable under the administrative guidelines
of §
61.132 of this title (relating to
Grants Manual and Federal Procedural Guide), are reasonable, and clearly
support the proposed activities. (0-7 point range)
(C) The budget reflects consciousness of cost
effectiveness and provides a reasonable return on investment with respect to
participant impact. (0-5 point range)
(5) Organizational Capacity (Total Range: 0-5
points). The applicant demonstrates the capacity to manage and implement the
grant project:
(A) The proposed project is
within the scope of the applicant's mission. (0-2 point range)
(B) The applicant demonstrates to the
department's satisfaction that qualified staff and resources are in place to
manage the grant from inception to completion, or, alternatively, evidence that
the applicant is partnered with an entity to provide staff and/or resources
necessary to manage the grant from inception to completion. (0-2 point
range)
(C) The organization plans
to continue similar activities and will maintain grant-supported supplies and
equipment after the grant period ends. (0-1 point range)
(6) Past Performance (Total Range: Deduction
of 0-20 points). A scoring deduction will be imposed if the applicant is not in
compliance with the conditions of previously-funded grants awarded by the
department under this subchapter that were closed within two years from the
current application deadline. Non-compliance includes failure to spend CO-OP
grant funds, unfulfilled project elements or grant agreement requirements,
unresponsiveness to department requests for information, and consistently
missing, late or incomplete reports required by agreement with the
department.
Notes
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