Natural Heritage Trust

Barns Grant Program

The purpose of the Natural Heritage Trust’s (Trust) Barns Grant Program (Program) is to restore and preserve barns and related agricultural buildings in New York State. The Program is overseen by a Coordinator. We audited the Program to determine whether grant funds were used appropriately, whether certain conflicts of interest existed within the Program, and to assess the propriety of the Trust’s classification of the Coordinator as an employee. In addition, we followed up on the status of the Trust’s efforts to return certain excess Program funds to the State as we recommended in a previous audit of Environmental Protection Fund grants awarded by the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. We determined that grant funds were used appropriately, no conflicts of interest existed within the Program and the Coordinator was appropriately classified. However we note that the Trust still has not yet refunded about $213,000 due the State and recommended it do so promptly.

For a complete copy of Report 2010-S-37 click here.