Reviewing BASE 1.0 and BASE 2.0 Grant Program Matching Contributions (Limited-Scope) [July 2025]

The Rundown with Kansas Legislative Division of Post Audit

The Rundown with Kansas Legislative Division of Post Audit
Reviewing BASE 1.0 and BASE 2.0 Grant Program Matching Contributions (Limited-Scope) [July 2025]
Jul 21, 2025

The Building a Stronger Economy 1.0 and 2.0 grant programs (or BASE grant programs) awarded almost $150 million in federal funds to Kansas businesses for infrastructure development. The Department of Commerce selected which program applicants would be awarded funding. It required BASE grant recipients to provide matching funds equal to at least 25% of the project cost. We reviewed the planned matching expenditures in all 72 BASE grant award agreements. Commerce approved planned matching expenditures in 3 main categories, with construction costs (including materials, labor, and site work) being the largest. Commerce approved almost half of planned matching expenditures for costs recipients incurred prior to signing a BASE grant agreement. Department officials told us they allowed pre-award matching expenditures to give recipients credit for project expenses incurred prior to the BASE grant award. Finally, we identified several issues with the accuracy and completeness of the BASE grant award agreements that could not be reconciled by the department.