Frequently Asked Questions

Eligible applicants may request funding to expand or implement child care benefits through several support category options, empowering them to choose what is most appropriate for their business or local employer community. Applicants (both single employer and group applicants) may only request funding in one of the support category options. Access the Allowable Expense Guide here to see a list of support categories in which funds can be requested.

Yes, we encourage applicants to blend and maximize funding to expand and enhance the support they provide to employees. However, applicants accepting these funds must ensure the funds are not used to pay for expenses already covered by other federal, state or local relief funds or grants.

Funding must be used within the grant term outlined in the executed grant agreement. Any funds not used within this period will be required to be returned to the state.

No additional funding is available for the Employer-Sponsored Child Care Fund.

See who received awards here.

Any new child care program created or expanded through the Employer Sponsored Fund must become regulated by the state and meet the Provider Eligible Standards. Additional standards may apply based on the overall plan for regulation.

If an awardee determines they will not be able to meet the requirements of the grant, the Grant Agreement should not be signed when provided via DocuSign and a notification should be sent to OECOSLDirector@fssa.in.gov.

Your Child Care Resource and Referral (CCRR) Resource Navigator. If you are unsure who that is, please visit the CCRR tile for more information on how to contact your local CCRR.

You can find that at any time on IN’s Transparency Portal: Here.

In receiving these funds, recipients agree to comply with all grant terms, including but not limited to: submitting a finalized implementation plan, implementing project plans within the grant period, contribute at a minimum, an additional 10% of the total funding request through in-kind or monetary contributions, and completing reports on how funding was spent. Full terms and agreements are included in the application.

As with all funding, awardees are responsible for tracking how funds were used, including ensuring funds from different sources or opportunities do not pay for the same expenses. Awardees will be instructed to retain all receipts and documentation associated with the spending of Employer-Sponsored Child Care Fund for reporting and auditing purposes.

*Yes, all claims must have supporting documentation attached to the electronic submission. See the resource under Claims Resources: Supporting Documentation Instructions.

See the resource under Claims Resources: Supporting Documentation Instructions

See the resource under Claims Resources: Claims Form Instructions.

The organization’s Implementation Plan and a copy of the Project Budget. See the resource under Claims Resources: Supporting Documentation Instructions.

See the resource under Claims Resources: Claims Form Instructions and Supporting Documentation Instructions.

OECOSL sent and email to with your electronic claims form to the delineated person on your submitted Direct Deposit and W-9. You may reach out to ClaimsInfo@fssa.IN.gov if you need another copy.

By July 15, submit all reimbursement claims and receipts for any expenses accrued from the beginning of the grant term (February or March 2024) through June 30, and continue to submit reimbursement claims and receipts for any expenses accrued after June 30. All expenses from the same month should be claimed on a single claims form and claims forms should be submitted monthly. You can also claim advanced funds (implementation compensation) for the first month of the grant period, but those should not factor into your cost-reimbursement claims and receipts. OECOSL will not require you to report how advanced funds were spent until the end of the grant term in 2025.

Access the instructions and guide under Claims Resources: Claims Form Instructions.

In accepting an award, you agree to spend all funds by the deadline and in accordance with the terms of the grant. Failure to do so, including but not limited to permanent closure of a business within the period outlined in the grant terms, will result in having to repay or return unused funds.

The Grant Agreement and Budget you received will be processed by the state’s contracts team. During this process, the Grant Agreement will undergo multiple review / approval cycles. Once the Grant Agreement has been approved by all required reviewers, the individual you previously indicated as the “Signer” will receive a notification to complete signatures via DocuSign.

Yes, applicants must contribute at a minimum, an additional 10% of the total funding request through in-kind or monetary contributions.. Match amounts must be well-documented and in-kind match must be quantifiable.

Funds must be spent based on the timeframe outlined within the grant agreement.

Initial payments will be processed after the first claims form is submitted. The state pays 35 days in arears but some payments can take up to 60 days to process.

You can begin spending grant funds at the start of your grant term. Funding is on a cost-reimbursement basis and you can begin submitting claims for reimbursement once you have an executed grant agreement.

Access the Allowable Expense Guide here.

Any awards are considered income. All awarded applicants will receive a 1099 for funds received. OECOSL does not provide tax advice and recommends consulting your accountant or tax expert for related questions and/or concerns.

Beneficiaries.

No. You are a beneficiary. Disregard any language about subrecipients in the grant agreement. This will be corrected in the new state fiscal year.

No, a federal audit is not required.

If you do not have access to the grant applicant login, submit the following information to OECOSLDirector@fssa.in.gov and it will be added to the portal.

Subject Line: Grant Portal Access Change – [Name of the entity]

1. The name of the organization you wish to have access to.
2. The name and email address of anyone your organization wants added to the account.
3. The name and email of the applicant who applied for the grant and currently has access to the account.
   • Does this person need to be removed from accessing the portal account?

Access the grant portal here or you can copy and paste the URL into your internet browser here: https://childcaregrants.fssa.in.gov.

Grantee Contributions are monetary or in-kind donations. Contributions must be a minimum of 10% of the grant funding awarded. Grant Expenditures are expenses accrued that can be submitted for cost-reimbursement from the state up to the amount of grant funds awarded. All expenditures must have receipts submitted as supporting documentation to claim the amount for cost-reimbursement.

Any claim submitted with an invoice date that falls during that reporting quarter needs to be uploaded in the quarterly report. A description of what expenses that claims form covered is required for each uploaded form as well.