What compliance checks are required to be approved for a Workforce Training Fund Grant?

The state of Massachusetts requires the Workforce Training Fund (both the Express and General Programs) to collect specific pieces of documentation to ensure a business is in compliance with their tax obligations to the state as well as payments into Unemployment Insurance, Unemployment Health Insurance, and the Workforce Training Fund through the Department of Unemployment Assistance (DUA). Below you will find more specifics regarding each of our compliance review requirements:

• Certificate of Good Standing with the Department of Revenue
  
  • At the time of application submission, businesses should attach a valid Certificate of Good Standing (COGS) from the MA Department of Revenue (DOR) in the COGS section of the application. Please see the Sample COGS attached to this solution article.
  • A COGS from the MA Secretary of the Commonwealth or from any other state is not a valid COGS.
  • COGS should have a Notice Date within 6 months from the date of application submission.
  • The legal name on the COGS should line up exactly with the current legal name of the organization applying (please refrain from utilizing DBA's on the COGS).
  • If you need to obtain a COGS from the MA Department of Revenue, you may do so here! 
  • If you have any questions about your COGS, you can send a direct message to the DOR in your MassTaxConnect account for further assistance.
    
    

• Now Required (as of 2.5.2024): Form W-9
  • The updated Express Program application will now require applicants to submit a signed, up-to-date copy of Form W-9. W-9s should list the full legal name of the business, include the Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN), and be signed by an authorized signatory.
  • As a state-funded program, the W-9 is required for our team to verify we are awarding grant funding to the correct legal entity. Our finance team also utilizes the W-9 to confirm that the business name and Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN) lines up correctly with the company information that Commonwealth Corporation has on file.
  • You may use the same Form W-9 on multiple applications, provided all information on the form is still up-to-date.

• Department of Unemployment Assistance and Workforce Training Fund Contributions
  • After application submission, our team will run a screening with the Department of Unemployment Assistance (DUA) to ensure compliance and whether or not your business pays into the Workforce Training Fund. All for-profit businesses pay into the fund.
  • The legal name listed on your account with the DUA should line-up with the current legal name of your organization.  
  • If you are a non-profit, click here to learn more about whether you are eligible for the Express Program through Workforce Training Fund. 
  • You can check the status of your online DUA account here*
    • *The above linked DUA website has a security function that may trigger if the link has been duplicated or reused. If you receive this note, simply click "Click Here to Start Over", and it will take you to the right page!

• Debarment Check
  • During the application review process, we will check your business name against the debarment lists provided by the state. We are unable to award funds to businesses that reside on any of the debarment lists

If any compliance checks come back as "non-compliant", we will close your application and you will have to resolve the issue or obtain an updated COGS before reapplying. As a note, when an application is closed, the 21 day processing window restarts for any application resubmitted. 

It's best to ensure all items listed above are in compliance before you apply with us!