Grants Administration Manual | MN Board of Water, Soil Resources

This grant manual establishes required procedure and helpful guidance for all grants administered through the Board of Water and Soil Resources. The manual includes the following sections:

Administrative procedures & guidance are those matters common to most or all grants, including topics such as; processing and amending grants, technical quality assurances, reporting, noncompliance, and records retention.

Implementing practices details procedures and guidance for activities that construct practices and projects, including items such as; processing conservation practice contracts and vegetation guidelines.

Optional and example forms include forms and example documents that have been made available for use, but are not required of any grant program.

Administrative Procedures & Guidance

About the BWSR Grants Administration Manual (updated 7/1/25)

Processing a BWSR Grant (updated 7/1/25)

Grant Agreement Amendments and Work Plan Revisions (updated 7/1/25)

Requesting a Reimbursement or Payment (updated 7/1/25)

Grant Noncompliance Policy (updated 7/1/25)

Assurances (NEW 7/1/25)

Technical Quality Assurance (Now found in Assurances)

Project and Practice Assurances (Now found in Assurances)

Records, Program and Project Files (updated 7/1/25)

Reporting Requirements for BWSR Grants (updated 7/1/25)

Closing out a BWSR Grant (updated 7/1/25)

Grants Monitoring and Financial Reconciliations (updated 7/1/25)

Time and Effort Documentation (updated 7/1/25)

Determining a Billing Rate (updated 7/1/25)

Prevailing Wage (updated 7/1/25, Now found in FAQs)

Private and Nonpublic Data (updated 7/1/25, Now found in FAQs)

Conflict of Interest (updated 7/1/25, Now found in FAQs)

Local Policies (updated 7/1/25)

Financial Management and Accounting (updated 7/1/25, Now found in Allowable Costs and Records, Program and Project Files)

Allowable Costs (updated 7/1/25)

Personnel (updated 7/1/25)

Frequently Asked Questions (updated 7/1/25)

Implementing Practices

Note: A number of forms previously in this section have been moved to Optional and Example Forms for FY24 as a result of recent amendments to Minnesota Statutes, section 103C.501, and the subsequent transition from the State Cost-Share Program to the Conservation Contracts Program.

Providing Financial Assistance to Land Occupiers (updated 7/1/25)

Operation, Maintenance, and Inspection of Practices (Now found in Assurances)

Vegetation Requirements (updated 7/1/25)

Recording Conservation Practices (updated 7/1/25)

Optional and Example Forms