STEP Grant

The grant is available to North Dakota associations in good standing with the North Dakota Secretary of State for at least one year.

A North Dakota association must follow the following steps to be eligible:

1. Applicants must obtain prior approval for keynote speakers costing $1,000 or more. Approval must be obtained prior to submission of an application.
   1. Keynote speakers and conference instructors must have expertise and an emphasis in workplace safety and health.
2. The association submits a completed STEP Grant Application to [email protected]
   1. Applications should be submitted at least 90 days prior to the event.
   2. All fields within the application must be completed.
   3. Budget details must reflect income and costs that will be incurred for the event/project period.
      1. Travel reimbursement for all contracted services/trainers/keynotes will also follow North Dakota Office of Management, Budget, Fiscal and Administrative Policies #505, #511, #513, #516 and #518.
      2. Mileage will be reimburse based on Google Maps. For any mileage exceeding the Google Maps total distance by 10 miles or more, justification must be provided.
3. WSI will approve or deny the grant application and communicate all decisions to the association via email.
4. If approved, an agreement outlining the responsibilities and obligations of the parties must be executed before any funds are disbursed.
5. The grant administrator must submit an expense requisition for reimbursement within 60 days of the date the expenses were incurred. Reimbursements will only be disbursed once per month for each approved STEP grant participant. Expense requisition forms must include itemized receipts and invoices. Mileage and meals will be reimbursed at the current state rate.
6. Submit a written summary report upon project completion. The summary report is to include project scope, attendees, goals achieved, successes, lessons learned, and survey results of project.
7. Present, if required, project outcomes in person to WSI at the completion of the project, if STEP Grant Award exceeds $50,000.

All STEP Grant proposals received by WSI are reviewed on their merits and scored by the WSI Review Committee. Any award made under this program is within the sole discretion and authority of WSI. Any appeal, change, or review needs to be submitted in writing to the Loss Control Program Specialist for committee review and decision.

The grant administrator acknowledges that WSI will post grantee name and award amount as recipient of safety grant funds in WSI publications and on WSI’s website. Grant files are also subject to open records laws under North Dakota Century Code  65-04-15.

WSI staff may attend and participate in any event funded by grant funds free of charge to evaluate the effectiveness and impact.

Public Inquiries and Media Releases

If a STEP Grant application is approved, requests for information regarding the project shall be referred to WSI for response. Media releases pertaining to STEP award, or to the services or projects to which they relate, shall not be made without prior WSI written approval.

• Commissions – No grant monies may be allocated from a grant award for the payment of any fee associated with the advising, preparation, submission, or any other service provided in the process of the award of grant funds.
• Consultant fees and administrative fees - No grant monies may be allocated from a grant award for any consulting services in which expert advice or recommendation is provided in a particular area of expertise.
• Salaries and benefits
• Operating expenses (e.g., rent, telephone/cell phone/Internet, utilities, etc.)
• Vehicles - Ineligible items include vehicles and their associated costs including gasoline, insurance, registration fees, title fees and maintenance costs, etc.
• Ergonomic assessments, consultation, and equipment
• Training equipment purchase (e.g., computers, projectors, printers etc.)
• Food or beverages provided at conferences or training events
• Miscellaneous expenses (e.g., processing fees, freight, or transportation costs)
• Promotional & office items (e.g., post-it notes, pens, notebooks, copy paper, banners, lanyards, nametags, white boards)
• Sponsor materials
• Individual certification costs
• Expenses incurred prior to application approval
• Events that did not occur or were cancelled

Since 2007, Workforce Safety & Insurance’s STEP program has supported North Dakota associations and employee organizations in promoting safer workplaces. The program offers financial assistance for safety training and education that help reduce workplace injuries and accidents.  As of September 2025, WSI has awarded more than $10.5 million in STEP grants.

These associations have received STEP Grant funding: