Maybe I’m a dreamer, but I like to believe that it is rare that a grantee would intentionally misuse funds. However, without proper planning and documentation, an organization places itself at risk for misuse of funds. Prevention of these undesirable outcomes starts at the beginning of the grant application and writing process. Organizations that carefully construct […]
Best Practices
3 Tips for Coping with Questioned Federal Grant Costs
It can happen to the best of us. The auditors come in and start asking uncomfortable questions. Sometimes you can feel like you are on solid ground with your defense, but then… Oh, there’s the little item you missed in the award terms and conditions. Or maybe your notice of funding opportunity put in place […]
What’s In a Name? 5 Tips to Spot Subrecipients
One of the (many) things I found very confusing when I started working in the world of federal grant management was the way the terms subrecipient, subawardee, contractor, subcontractor, and vendor were bandied about-seemingly interchangeably. It didn’t’ matter if I was talking with my colleagues or the federal agency personnel, there always seemed to be lots […]
7 Basics of Internal Control Grant Managers Should Know
So you got a federal grant. Are you wondering what comes next? One part of managing your federal awards is to make sure that your organization has strong internal controls in place. So, if you are feeling a little uncertain about what that means to you, I put together the basics into this short guide […]
Federal Audit Finds Sheriff’s Organization Misspent More Than $704,000 in Award Funds
It makes me sad that I never have far to look far for these types of grant management stories. Such a waste of potential, and so simple to avoid… This one takes place just down the road from my old office in Colorado. The Office of the Inspector General for the federal funder found that […]
10 Areas of Grant Risk to Consider
It’s the nightmare scenario! Picture grant funds flying out the door with seemingly little or no oversight? (Remember the “bad” part of the ARRA funding days in 2009?) The stories in the press certainly give the impression that good grants frequently go bad as you witness headline after headline talking about grant mismanagement and the […]