421—31.4(216A,232,PL93-415) Competitive grants.
	31.4(1) Application announcement. The department shall announce through public notice the opening of any competitive grant application process. The announcement shall provide potential applicants with information that describes eligibility conditions, purposes for which the program funding shall be available, application procedures, and all relevant time frames established for proposal submittal and review, grant awards, and grant expenditure periods.
	31.4(2) Preapplication. The division may request potential applicants to submit a preapplication summary of their proposals. If a preapplication is required, the division shall provide all potential applicants with sufficient information detailing the extent of the preapplication and the criteria for review. Preapplications received in a timely manner shall be presented to the grant review committee for screening. The committee shall use the same ranking system for each preapplication. The ranking system shall be based on the criteria provided to the applicant through the division activities specified in subrule 31.4(1). Applicants shall be notified in writing of the screening decisions.
	31.4(3) Content of applications. Required elements of the applications shall be published in the request for applications and shall be based on a point system established by the division that reflects the requirements of federal and state funding sources. The division shall develop the application and selection criteria.
	31.4(4) Application review and selection process. The division shall conduct a preliminary review of each application to ensure that the applicant is eligible and the application is complete. All applications that are submitted in a timely manner by eligible applicants and contain the necessary information shall be presented to the grant review committee. Members of the grant review committee shall review each application and shall assign numerical scores to each application using criteria and point values established by the division and listed in the request for applications. The rank order of scores assigned to the applications by the review committee shall be the basis for funding recommendations for each application reviewed. The grant review committee shall forward its funding recommendations for approval and final award decisions pursuant to rule 421—31.7(216A,232,PL93-415). Decisions to make final awards shall be consistent with applicable state and federal program requirements.
	31.4(5) Conflict of interest. Persons shall not serve on the grant review committee or otherwise participate personally through decisions, approval, disapproval, recommendation, the rendering of advice, investigation, or otherwise in any proceeding, application, request for a ruling or other determination, contract, grant, cooperative agreement, claim, controversy, or other particular matter in which funds administered by the division are used when, to the person’s knowledge, the person or a member of the person’s immediate family, a partner, an organization in which the person is serving as an officer, director, trustee, partner, or employee or any person or organization with whom the person is negotiating or has any arrangement concerning prospective employment, or has a financial interest of less than an arms-length transaction. If a person’s agency or organization submits an application, the person shall not be present when the grant review committee’s recommendations are acted upon by the JJAC or the councils.
[ARC 6101C, IAB 12/29/21, effective 2/2/22; Editorial change: IAC Supplement 6/28/23]