GENERAL QUESTIONS
What do I need to know about preparing an application?
Grant applications are submitted through the Online Grant Management System. All businesses must be registered with Wyoming Secretary of State, HireWYO, Wyoming Unemployment Insurance and Wyoming Workers’ Compensation to receive a good standing certification. Please ensure you are in good standing prior to starting an application.
- You will need the following information to create your business account:
- Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN) or Social Security Number (SSN) (Sole Proprietors only);
- Workers’ Compensation number;
- Secretary of State filing ID number;
- Business’ physical and remittance addresses; and
- Primary contact identified and signatory information (these individuals can be the same or different)
- Applications may request funding for one training event per application.
- There is no limit to the number of applications a business may submit, as long as you remain within your business funding limit per state fiscal year.
- The first date of training, travel or pre-coursework must be no earlier than 30 calendar days; the last date of training, travel or post-coursework (to include test/exam date) must be no later than 110 calendar days from the application submission date. Applications can be created and filled out at any time, but must be submitted within the first seven (7) calendar days of each month.
My business is considered a non-profit organization. Am I eligible to apply?
Governmental entities, as defined in W.S. 1-39-103(a)(i) and (ii) or persons employed by a government entity, are not eligible for training grants except Wyoming county and memorial hospitals and emergency medical service providers. Political parties and affiliations are not eligible to apply. If your nonprofit organization is not government or quasi-governmental, you would be eligible to apply for the BTG grant.
I have training that will start in a few months. Should I apply now?
At this time, due to limited funding, you may want to wait to submit your application until the month prior to the training start date, as long as you can submit at least 30 days prior to the training start date and the submit date is within the first seven (7) calendar days of said month. WDTF may consider the start dates of the applications that are being submitted each month and may give preference to those that are starting earlier. If your application is not approved due to limited funding and your training is still far enough out, you may be able to submit a new application in the following months for consideration.
I have training that will start in the middle of next month. When should I apply?
Please keep in mind that if your training begins mid-month, you will still need to submit your application at least 30 days prior to the start of the training period, but you also need to take into consideration the available window to submit your application, which is within the first 7 days of a month. For example, if you have training beginning January 20, you will want to apply in the first seven (7) calendar days of December.
What kind of training will be approved for a grant?
In order for training to be approved, the training must be directly related to the trainee’s role and industry of the business. The training event must upgrade the trainee’s specific skill level or correct a specific skill deficiency and these requirements must be clearly addressed in the application.
The skill upgrade provided by the training shall:
- Enhance the business’ productivity, efficiency or profitability
- Reduce employee turnover
- Enhance employee effectiveness
- Enhance employee wages
I am interested in sending my employee(s) to leadership training. Is this something I can apply for?
While WDTF understands the value of leadership training, sometimes the general nature of that type of training may not be specific enough to be supported under the BTG grant. For leadership training to be considered, we may look for an industry component as well as how it is directly related to the employee’s occupation/craft.
How will I know if my application has been approved?
WDTF will notify grant recipients of approval or denial within the two weeks following the close of the application submission window via the Business Training Grant system message center. If approved, the message will provide information on next steps towards getting a Letter of Agreement drafted and all signatures in place to be fully executed.
What expenses will the grant cover?
The following are allowable training expenses:
- Direct training costs, including tuition, registration, class fees and class materials.
- Training that includes registration fees.
- Travel expenses that are directly related to the training, to include:
- Airfare (upgrades and optional fees are not eligible )
- Mileage (please ensure that the supporting document includes city to city miles, NOT address to address)
- Rental Car (upgrades and optional fees are not eligible)
- Uber, taxi, Lyft, etc fees (estimated cost may be uploaded via pdf or png)
- Instructor fees and eligible travel expenses where the instructor is not an employee of the business.
- Fees for continuing education units, licenses, and certifications that may be obtained during the training event.
All requested expenses shall have supporting documentation included in the application.
What expenses won’t the grant cover?
The following are non-allowable training expenses:
- Lodging and meals.
- Trainee wages and fringe benefits.
- Administration expenses
- Purchased, rented or leased equipment, including computer hardware and software.
- Instructor fees and travel expenses where the instructor is an employee of the business.
- Assessments, testing and certification exams that are not included in the training.
- Capital construction of any kind.
- Cost of preparing the grant application.
You ask for an hourly wage, but I am on a salary; what do I submit?
Please provide a current pay stub that shows gross wages (amount before taxes and deductions) and the hours worked during that pay period. There is also an employment verification template under the Forms and Documents section of BTG landing page that is acceptable to submit as supporting documentation.
Business Registrations
*Be sure to read the Action Items before applying.
I am a new business, and have been operating for less than a year. Can I register and apply for a grant?
Upon creation of your account, we will need a Letter of Support from your local Economic Development Entity in order to process your business registration. Once we have verified that all entities are in good standing, you will receive an approval email with a prompt to create your password and log into the grant system. At this time, you will be able to build your application, but not submit until the first seven (7) calendar days of each month.
I am a sole proprietor and the only employee. I do not have unemployment insurance or workers’ compensation. Am I still able to apply?
Yes. In order to be considered for a grant, you will need to upload a qualifying employment verification document into each BTG application; WDTF has a sample document that can be downloaded, completed, saved, and uploaded into the grant system. In order to be considered for a grant, each business must be registered and in good standing with Unemployment Insurance and Workers’ Compensation. You will need to register with UI and WC on an annual basis to stay current and remain in good standing.
Are non-profit organizations eligible to receive Business Training Grant funding?
If your nonprofit organization is not government or quasi-governmental, you are eligible to apply for the Business Training Grant. Governmental entities, as defined in W.S. 1-39-103(a)(i) and (ii) or persons employed by a government entity, are not eligible for training grants except Wyoming county and memorial hospitals and emergency medical service providers. Political parties and affiliations are not eligible to apply.
Applications
Business Application Checklist
Grant Application How-to’s
My application was denied this month; can it be reconsidered even though the training starts next month?
Unfortunately, this specific training will not be eligible for consideration, as the time frame for this application to be submitted has passed. We encourage you to submit a new application for a training that starts 30 or more days from our next application submission window (first seven (7) calendar days of each month) as long as the training/application meets all of the Business Training Grant rules and requirements.
Letters of Agreement
Where can I find the Letter of Agreement?
The Letter of Agreement will be emailed to the designated Primary Contact for review, if the location is appoved. You can also find the Letter of Agreement under the Attachments tab in the Grant Management System.
Who can sign the Letter of Agreement?
The individual whom your business designates as the Signatory Contact in the business account is the only individual who can sign and date Letters of Agreement. This date must be on or after the date the business receives it from WDTF, (not prior to receiving it).
When is the signed Letter of Agreement required back?
The signed Letter of Agreement must be emailed back to WDTF by the date provided in the email requesting signature, to ensure execution before the training start date. Letters of Agreement that are not fully executed prior to the start of training may be canceled and are no longer eligible for reimbursement. Please note that electronic signatures are now acceptable.
My training was rescheduled; can I amend my Letter of Agreement?
Per BTG rules, the business is allowed one amendment to extend the end date of the Letter of Agreement. This request must be made in writing before the end of the training period via the grant system’s message center stating the reason. Additional supporting documentation from the training provider showing the new dates and the reason must be uploaded to the grant system as well.
Application/Training in Progress
The training is self-paced, and one or more of the trainees will not be able to finish in the allotted time. What should I do?
You may submit a written request to amend the end date of the training period to allow enough time for all of the trainees to complete the training. Those who do not complete the training within the training period are not eligible to have their expenses reimbursed.
One of the trainees can’t go; what are my options?
You may make substitutions up to the start date on your Letter of Agreement, as long as you have done the following:
- Provided a written request in the message center of the Grant Management System prior to start date on your Letter of Agreement; and
- Attached the replacement trainee’s most recent employment verification document that includes their name, SSN and hourly wage.
A business user also has access to make substitutions independently in the Grant Management System, once the grant has been executed but before the start date of the training period. Please see the BTG Application Checklist for instructions on how to substitute trainees.
If you remove a trainee without substituting someone else for that trainee in the Grant Management System, the approved amounts of the remaining trainees will not be altered. Any trainees who attended in someone else’s place, without being properly substituted in the system will not be eligible for reimbursement.
Final Reports
When do I submit my Final Report?
To ensure the integrity of the program funds, the final report must include a payroll verification of consecutive employment for 45 days after the end of the training. The Final Report must be submitted no sooner than 45 days and no later than 135 days after the end of the training. The Grant Management System will send a message through the message center 45 days after the training has been completed requesting a Final Report.
Is there something that tells me what to send in?
Yes. A Final Report Checklist will provide guidance for what shall be included in your final report.
A Final Report includes:
- A summary of the training, and how it helped the trainee in their job.
- A copy of the agenda or registration form that shows the corresponding dates of the training period.
- A payroll record listing the names and hourly wages for the consecutive pay periods, 45 days after the training has concluded.
- Paid invoices or receipts for allowable expenses, including travel and registration.
- Verification of attendance (examples are: certificate, license, CEUs, or other means of verification. Templates are available on the WDTF website, if needed).
How do I submit my Final Report?
After the 45 day requirement has been reached, log into your grant, respond to the Final Report questions and upload all required supporting documentation. The most important part is to CHECK THE BOX that indicates you have uploaded all required documents and are ready to submit your Final Report.
What is a sufficient Proof of Payment Document?
A Proof of Payment Document should show the amount actually paid for an expense, such as a copy of an endorsed check, a credit card statement, or legitimate receipt from the training provider. A more detailed list of acceptable documents are located in the Final Report Checklist.
Why do I need an Airline Itinerary? What Airline expenses are not reimbursable?
WDTF staff uses the itinerary to verify dates, origin and destination of travel, itemized costs, travel class, and the trainees’ names. Travel insurance, seat upgrades, early-bird check in fees, more than one checked bag, change fees, and other flight upcharges are not eligible for reimbursement.
Can I use the documents I submitted with the application?
If the documents submitted with the application are estimates, you will need to provide actual receipts for the Final Report. The documents submitted will need to show the actual costs and details of the training received. If you uploaded receipts with the application, you may use those for the Final Report.
Can I submit one summary for all of the trainees on the grant?
Each trainee needs to submit a short summary of their experience, to include what they learned and how the training benefited them. There are exceptions to requiring each trainee to submit a summary; if you are struggling with this requirement, please contact WDTF Staff.
How will I receive the reminder messages?
Reminders to submit the Final Report are automatically sent through the message center in the Grant Management System. Reminders are sent 45 days following the end of training and again at 120 and 130 days following the end date if not yet submitted. If the Final Report is not received on day 136, the Final Report will expire and reimbursement will not take place.
When is the grant effective and how is it paid?
The application must be approved and a Letter of Agreement signed and dated by ALL parties, PRIOR to the start of the training period in order for the grant to be in effect. The grant reimburses allowable expenses, based on receipts and documents included in the final report, after the training has been completed and the Final Report has been submitted, reviewed, and approved.