W-9 Forms for Publics schools

[jrkennedy]

$1000 was sent to First for our FTC team, but our school district's business administrator doesn't believe W-9 applies to us (based on the form's wording), although many other schools have given this to First's financial department. Are there any schools that can help me with this by confirming that they have submitted a W-9? A New Jersey based school will be even better, but any U.S. school will help.

As you know $1000 for an FTC team is a lot.

Joe

[MrBasse]

Part of registration each year is to submit a W9 in order to be eligible to receive grants and financial assistance. Although I don't remember having our business office do one last year.

[mklinker]

4485 had to submit a new form recently so that FIRST could complete grant reporting for last year. We are a public HS in Indiana.

[jrkennedy]

Originally Posted by MrBasse

Part of registration each year is to submit a W9 in order to be eligible to receive grants and financial assistance. Although I don't remember having our business office do one last year.

We have never received assistance before through First. I suspect most FTC do not, as our budgets are modest compared to FRC.

[MrBasse]

Originally Posted by jrkennedy

We have never received assistance before through First. I suspect most FTC do not, as our budgets are modest compared to FRC.

We haven't gotten any funds through FIRST directly either, but we have through FiM. Why doesn't your financial person want to submit it? It's not like you are givig it to some schmoe off the street? We have submitted it without question even when it wasn't used.

[Gary Dillard]

We have had re-granted funds from FIRST for the last several years, we are a public school, and we have submitted a W-9 form.

[treffk]

Best things I can recommend is contacting your Regional Director or Senior Mentor. They have probably encountered this issue/question in the past or will know who exactly to get specific answers from. The RD and SM are always wonderful resources that sometimes do not get utilized.

[jrkennedy]

Thanks for the responses so far. Kelli, I've asked our RD about other schools. Basically our district business administrator read the paperwork and says that we aren't any of the things on the list. So $1000 is in limbo. If I can point to other school districts that have done this it will prove this applies.

[Mark McLeod]

Any chance of convincing your business administrator to just talk directly to FIRST Finance? Business to business person?

call FIRST Finance at 1-800-871-8326 ext. 563
email FIRST Finance at ar@usfirst.org

[WynS]

We are a public school and we have had to submit one every year to FIRST. We have gotten a signed form from our school bookkeeper in the past. It has not been a big deal.

[mklinker]

Originally Posted by jrkennedy

Thanks for the responses so far. Kelli, I've asked our RD about other schools. Basically our district business administrator read the paperwork and says that we aren't any of the things on the list. So $1000 is in limbo. If I can point to other school districts that have done this it will prove this applies.

The sole purpose of the form is to transmit the tax Id number from one party to another or transmit a SSN in the same way. Page 4 of the instructions for the W-9 form specifically addresses educational institutions. This is a form that would be required by any granting entity. Certainly your school system has received a grant from someone in the past. If so this form would have been shared.

[jrkennedy]

Originally Posted by Mark McLeod

Any chance of convincing your business administrator to just talk directly to FIRST Finance? Business to business person?

call FIRST Finance at 1-800-871-8326 ext. 563
email FIRST Finance at ar@usfirst.org

I have been in touch with first finance and they called our administrator but he didn't call them back.

[mathking]

Ask your principal for help with this. Administrator to administrator contact can sometimes overcome organizational inertia.

We are a public school district in Ohio and just submitted our W-9. Our school treasurer took care of it for us. She has it because it is sometimes needed to verify our tax status as a school for purchases and when we get donations.

[ezygmont708]

This is a common form. Speak with the administrator who oversees your program, and if necessary get a letter from FIRST finance explaining the request.

[waialua359]

If your administration's goal is to support your team, then I cant see why they wouldnt do one, if that is the case.
Its as easy as it gets doing a W9 if it means your team will get funding support.