The Department of Public Safety supports the principles of equal opportunity and protection of civil rights. As a state grant administering agency, we have an obligation to ensure that our recipients of federal funding comply with all non-discrimination requirements. 

Federal statutes and regulations prohibit discrimination in federally assisted programs and activities. Recipients may not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex and disability. They may also not discriminate in the delivery of services or benefits on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability and age. 

In addition, all recipients must comply with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) guidelines, and certain recipients must comply with the Equal Employment Opportunity Plan requirements.

Training 

It is important you understand the requirements that have been or will be imposed upon you in your grant agreement. 

Instead of gathering in person, we are providing a presentation adapted from one prepared by The Office for Civil Rights (OCR). We encourage you share the training with others in your agency. If you are a current grantee, the project director must review the presentation.  

The training covers:

• Federal laws pertaining to nondiscrimination in federally assisted programs
• Understanding discrimination in employment, as well as in the delivery of services and benefits
• LEP guidelines 
• OCR's enforcement methods

After you have completed the presentation, download the Civil rights training acknowledgement form and upload it into your e-grants forms. 

Training Materials

• PowerPoint presentation and training acknowledgment form
  • If you are unable to view the presentation or prefer a printed version, call 651-201-7350 to order a printed copy.
• Civil rights training acknowledgement form

Civil rights compliance checklist

Equal Opportunity Plan (EEOP) Certification of Exemption and EEO Utilization Report 

An Equal Opportunity Plan (EEOP) analyzes a grantee's labor market data and employment practices to identify possible barriers to participation of women and minorities in the grantee's workforce. 

All federally funded grantees are required to submit an EEOP Certification of Exemption or an EEO Utilization report. Grantees prepare and submit these through the EEO Reporting Tool.

After completing the EEO reporting process, a copy of the Certification of Exemption or Utilization Report must be uploaded into the Minnesota Office of Justice Programs (OJP) e-grants system for every federal grant received from OJP.