Hillsborough County staff led a virtual workshop for 2026 Community Arts Impact grantees to explain how to administer reimbursement-based grants, what paperwork is required, and how to submit requests through the Neighborly portal. Kathy Collins, the grant manager, led the session and answered questions from grantees.

"All of the funding that you receive is from taxpayer base. So we all need to be good stewards of the money," Collins said, stressing the county’s expectation for careful recordkeeping. She repeatedly described the grant agreement as the contract between each organization and the county: "The grant agreement is your contract," she said, and added that an agreement is not legally binding until it has been fully executed by a county representative.

Why it matters: The workshop laid out paperwork and timing that determine when grantees can be reimbursed and what counts as allowable spending. Collins said the grants are reimbursement-based — grantees must spend first, document expenses, then request reimbursement — and detailed the evidence the county will accept to verify payments.

Key requirements and deadlines: Collins told attendees the grant period runs from 11/01/2025 to 08/15/2026 and that reimbursement requests must be submitted by 08/15/2026. Grantees may submit up to five separate reimbursement requests or consolidate expenses into a single request; the final report is due by 09/30/2026 and should include an evaluation, participation numbers, spending details and photos or quotes from participants.

Required paperwork and documentation: Collins said grantees must return a notarized human-trafficking affidavit and a signed, dated W-9 before the county will finalize the agreement and accept reimbursement requests. She also told organizations the signer on the grant agreement must be listed on Sunbiz as an officer of the organization. Examples of acceptable proof of payment included instructor timesheets, canceled checks or bank statements, receipts and itemized invoices; Collins urged grantees to assemble reimbursement packets that "tell a story" — who was paid, when, for what, and how payment was made.

Using Neighborly and reporting forms: Collins walked attendees through the Neighborly portal and the CAIG invoice detail worksheet grantees will use to itemize reimbursement requests. She advised that application credentials are used to log in, and that providing more information is preferable to leaving gaps that trigger follow-up questions.

Budget changes, branding and promotion: Collins explained that modest, application-consistent budget shifts are possible if grantees submit a grant change request and receive approval before implementing changes; she warned that material changes inconsistent with the original proposal will not be allowed. The county requires grantees to display the Hillsborough County logo on materials or an approved acknowledgment line reading "with the support of the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners;" grantees can request logo files from county communications. Staff also encouraged posting public events on hillsborougharts.org and offered to add flyers to the county newsletter.

Questions and staff responses: During the question-and-answer period an attendee asked if online notarization would be accepted; Eileen (staff) replied, "I think we can accept that. It's all possible. State of Florida, I think, but you should be able to do it offline." On vendor substitutions that do not change budgeted amounts, Collins advised grantees to submit a grant change request and to identify replacement vendors so county staff can record the change in the application.

Next steps: Collins said the presentation will be shared by email after the meeting and offered one-on-one help uploading events or calendar items. Martine closed the session and reiterated that Collins is the primary contact for questions and paperwork.

Contact: Kathy Collins, grant manager for the Community Arts Impact Grant, is the primary county contact for forms, change requests and Neighborly help.