Building Renewal Grant

The Building Renewal Grant is administered by the Arizona Department of Administration School Facilities Division. The Building Renewal Grant fund was established to maintain the adequacy of existing school facilities. Arizona school districts may seek funding for primary building renewal projects that address existing facilities, including major building renovations and repairs, upgrades to building systems that maintain or extend a building's useful life, and infrastructure costs. Projects supported through the program must be completed within twelve consecutive months in accordance with A.R.S. 41-5731(B). Eligibility for Building Renewal Grant funding is determined through the Project Application. The application identifies the school, applicable building or buildings, and the Minimum Adequacy Guideline deficiency that the proposed project will correct. It also evaluates whether the project meets the statutory definition of a primary building renewal project and whether the district is compliant with Annual Reporting requirements. Relevant reporting requirements include the Building Inventory, Annual Preventative Maintenance Reporting Statement, and Renovations Expenditure Report. The Building Inventory may also identify excluded spaces that affect eligibility. An eligible project must identify at least one applicable Minimum Adequacy Guideline deficiency under A.A.C. 7-06. The deficiencies listed by the program include safe school-site access, drainage, security, classroom lighting, classroom temperature, classroom acoustics, classroom air quality, food service, equipment for food service, equipment for physical education, two-way internal communication systems, fire alarms, building systems, building structural soundness, and exterior envelope, interior surfaces, and interior finishes. These requirements connect requested work to documented facility deficiencies and the statutory purpose of maintaining adequate existing school facilities. Applications are submitted through the Arizona School Facilities Portal using a two-part process consisting of the Project Application and one or more associated Phase Grant Applications. After the district submits its Project Application, its School Facilities Division Liaison reviews the application and determines which Phase Grants should be staged based on the project's complexity. Available phases include Assessment, Design, Procurement Services, Construction Lite, and Construction, and a project may involve a combination of phases. The release of a Phase Grant prompts the district to complete the applicable Phase Grant Application. A Phase Grant Application includes the scope of work, project timeline, vendor selection, vendor quotes, project budget, and applicable supporting reports or documentation. Supporting materials may include assessment reports and quality assurance or quality control field reports. The Liaison reviews each submitted Phase Grant Application and makes an award recommendation determination. After a Phase Grant is completed, the Liaison releases the next applicable Phase Grant Application, and the district is notified through its dashboard. For payment, a school district must submit vendor invoices, after which funds are transferred to the school district through the County Treasurer's Office. A district may request a grant amendment when a vendor or contractor submits a change request involving the completion date, the cost of a Phase Grant, or both. Only one Change Order request, supported by vendor documentation, may be submitted for one vendor per Grant Amendment. Depending on the amendment, documentation may include a vendor Change Proposal, a Design Professional Letter of Change Order Recommendation, and a Revised Project Schedule. Changes to the contract sum or performance period do not become effective until School Facilities Division staff approve the Grant Amendment. A district should not revise its Purchase Order until the amendment reaches Approved (Pending Acceptance) status; work approved by a district before division approval of the applicable change order remains the district's responsibility under the cited statutory requirements. The source provides an APPLY NOW pathway and directs applicants to the Arizona School Facilities Portal, but it does not state a dated application opening or closing deadline, explicitly describe the program as rolling, or state a recurring application cycle. District users may use the Self Registration Guide to establish access to the portal, and registered users share their district's dashboard, which displays tasks required to maintain grants in good standing. Applicants needing assistance are directed to contact their School Facilities Division Liaison. General contact information for the Arizona Department of Administration School Facilities Division is 100 N. 15th Ave, Suite 302, Phoenix, AZ 85007, telephone (602) 542-1500 or (602) 542-0266.

Ensure Annual Reporting requirements are current and identify at least one qualifying Minimum Adequacy Guideline deficiency; provide the scope, timeline, vendor information, quotes, budget, and technical documentation required for the applicable Phase Grant; do not revise a Purchase Order for change-order costs until the Grant Amendment reaches Approved (Pending Acceptance) status