The South Carolina Department of Veterans’ Affairs (SCDVA) administers the Military Enhancement Plan Fund as directed in Fiscal Year 21-22 Budget Proviso 101.4 which states, “Funds appropriated to the department for the Military Enhancement Plan may be allocated to items including, but not limited to, land acquisition, recreational purposes, educational purposes, and facilities for military personnel. Eligible recipients are counties and municipalities with federal military installations.”

Federal military installations, as defined in South Carolina Code 6-29-1625 (A), include Fort Jackson, Shaw Air Force Base, McEntire Joint National Guard Base, Joint Base Charleston, Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, Beaufort Naval Hospital, Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, and Charleston Naval Weapons Station.  For the purposes of this program, US Coast Guard installations in South Carolina are also considered federal military installations, as are any subordinate federal installations of those named above.

Proposals will be reviewed twice a year.  Deadlines for proposals to be accepted for review are 1 April and 1 October.

Section One Eligibility Criteria

To be considered for a grant under this program, your proposal must meet all of the following minimum requirements.  Any submission which does not meet any of the requirements below will not be considered.

A. You must be one of the following counties or municipal government agents/agencies with a federal military installation, as defined above, within or adjacent to your jurisdictional boundaries:

Richland, Sumter, Charleston, Berkeley, Dorchester, Beaufort, or Orangeburg

B.   Your proposal must clearly demonstrate how it will enhance military value, military installation resilience, or military family quality of life at the supported military installation(s).  Your proposal may include, but is not limited to, land acquisition, recreational purposes, education purposes, and facilities for military personnel.

C.  Your proposal must include an endorsed letter of support by the local installation commander(s) representing the installation(s) or military community(ies) that will benefit from the proposal.

D.  Your proposal must include the following items:

1. A cover letter on the letterhead of your county or municipal government agency, briefly describing the scope of the proposal, the amount requested, and identifying the military installation(s) it will benefit.
    
2. A detailed written explanation of the proposal, to include the following:

• A detailed explanation of how the proposal will enhance military value, military installation resilience, or military family quality of life at the supported military installation(s);
• A timeline for completing the project(s) associated with the proposal, to include start dates, milestones, and completion dates;
• A detailed explanation of how the grant funds will be spent;
• A detailed account of any other funding source(s) you intend to apply in conjunction with this grant, to include source and dollar amount (if, for example, your grant proposal covers only a sub-project as part of a larger project);
• A list of the specific objectives or goals the grant will be used to accomplish or achieve; and
• Specific metrics that will be used to determine the degree to which each objective or goal is achieved.
• Email and phone contact information for the primary and alternate personnel overseeing the project.

3. A copy of the anti-discrimination policy of your organization.

4. A copy of the organizational budget of your organization for the current fiscal year.

5. The most recent operating financial statement of your organization.

6. A signed letter of support from the commander of each installation benefiting from your proposal.

7. An independent, third-party estimate of the cost of the proposal, prepared by a qualified entity, and when applicable a fair market appraisal of any real property to be transferred as part of the proposal.

8. This form, with the acknowledgement signed and dated.

Section Two Evaluation Criteria

When eligible grant proposals exceed the funds available in the Base Protection Plan fund, the South Carolina Department of Veterans’ Affairs will evaluate each proposal based on 1) its effect on mission readiness; 2) its effect on military quality of life, 3) its effect on the surrounding community; 4) its timeliness; and 5) the degree to which the costs of the project(s) are shared with other funding sources.  The score sheet used for evaluating proposals is attached for your reference.  The Department will award grants at the funding level stated in the proposal.  When available Base Protection Plan funds are inadequate to fund a qualified proposal fully, the proposal will be disapproved.  Partial grants will not be awarded.  Final decision authority for awarding grants under this program rests with the Secretary of Veterans’ Affairs.

Section Three Agreement Statement

If awarded a grant, I agree to provide to the South Carolina Department of Veterans’ Affairs an annual report, delivered no later than 30 June of each year, including a detailed accounting of all grant funds spent to date and detailing progress on achieving the goals as measured by the metrics defined in the grant proposal.  I am aware the information provided in my report will be reviewed by the Senate Finance Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee, and is subject to audit by the State Auditor.  Additionally, I agree to provide the South Carolina Department of Veterans’ Affairs additional reports and supporting documents as may be required by the South Carolina Department of Veterans’ Affairs.

Section Four Administrative Instructions

Send completed proposals to Sandy Claypoole (sandy.claypoole@scdva.sc.gov) and Jason Fowler  (jason.fowler@scdva.sc.gov) no later than the application closing date.  If you have not received a confirmation of receipt of your application within 3 business days, contact Sandy at 803-683-1361 or Jason at 803-683-0242.