Section 55.01.04.200 - START-UP GRANT01.Eligibility Requirements. A school district may apply for a start-up grant for a newly-approved agricultural and natural resources program or to re-establish an agricultural and natural resources program in any grade, nine (9) through twelve (12), when specific eligibility requirements are met. Districts are eligible to apply for the grant within the first three (3) fiscal years their program is approved or re-established. If a district applies for the grant but does not receive it, the district may reapply the following year(s). However, the district may only receive the grant once and may not apply beyond the three-year window.02.Application Process. A school district may submit an application for a new or re-established program. Completed applications, which must be authorized by the district superintendent or district administrator, must be submitted to the division according to the timeline established by the administrator.a. Applications must include all required information outlined in the grant application, including specific documents detailing the district's proposed budget and long-term strategy for sustaining the program.03.Selection of Grant Recipients. Grants will be awarded annually by the division based on the availability of grant funds and the number of qualified programs. Grants will be awarded to districts based on ranking and priority that considers factors including but not limited to: the strength of the budget proposal, sustainability potential of the proposed program, and the history of prior grant awards.04.Start-up Grant Award. The total number of recipients will not exceed four awards annually, and may vary by year in accordance with the availability of funds and the qualifications of the applicant pool. Awards will be in the amount of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) until available funds are exhausted or all qualified recipients have been awarded the grant. a. Grants are awarded on a one-time basis and are not renewable or transferable. If a district is awarded the grant for a new program, the program is ineligible for future Start-up Grant awards should the program terminate and then be re-established.b. Use of grant funds must be in accordance with division guidelines and must be clearly linked to the agricultural and natural resources program identified on the formal application. If a district fails to spend the entire award amount, those funds may not be carried forward to the next fiscal year.c. Grant funds may be used to improve the agricultural and natural resources program, including but not limited to:i. Offset travel and registration fees associated with educational workshops and/or professional training on behalf of the instructor;ii. Purchase or repair equipment;iii. Purchase educational supplies/curricula; oriv. Start-up costs, up to one thousand dollars ($1,000,) associated with establishing a new chapter of FFA.d. Grant funds may not be used to:i. Cover the costs of salaries and/or benefits, including extended contracts;ii. Offset ongoing expenses associated with the FFA organization or other student organizations; oriii. Supplant other district funding sources, e.g. routine facility maintenance or improvements.Idaho Admin. Code r. 55.01.04.200