Let’s look at the term “Award” for federal grant recipients. A federal “award” means grants, cooperative agreements, cost reimbursement contracts, and other agreements between the federal government and a non-federal entity such as a: State Government Local Government Indian Tribal Government Non-profit Organization Institution of Higher Education (IHE) Here is the definition from 2 CFR […]
Best Practices
Internal Control Case Study: Employee Uses City Card for $91,000 in Personal Purchases
When I speak to federal grant recipients about the new risk and integrity assessment, I often say that risk is NOT an “only” child. In other words, when bad things happen to good grant recipients, it often is a failure on many levels that allow waste, fraud, and abuse to occur and grow. A recent […]
Examples of an Effective Compliance Program
In our last post, we looked at 4 tips for operating an effective grant management compliance program. In this post, let’s expand our understanding by looking at examples of an effective compliance program. 4 Elements of an Effective Grant Management Compliance Program Effective grant management compliance programs include these four core elements: Create Train Measure […]
Grant Monitoring Plan: 7 Things Your Program Officer Needs to Hear You Say
“What is your monitoring plan to avoid grant fraud?” Are you prepared for the day when your program officer asks the grant management team at your organization this question? Ah…well…you know… Ouch! (Hint: You should be prepared to tell your program officer what you are doing to reduce the risk of grant fraud.) Tips for […]
5 Things I learned at the Grant Professional Association (GPA) Conference
In-person conferences are back! And I’m fresh off conferences in the fall and spring, including presenting at the Grant Professional Association Conference. Now I admit it. I was slow to join any type of professional organization. It seemed impossible to fit one more thing into my already busy schedule. But I took a chance on […]
4 Grant Mistakes You Don’t Know You’re Making
We’ve gone to the grant management mailbag for some common problems encountered in the “real-world” by “real-life” grant managers. Today we’re looking at four common grant mistakes regarding the un-allowability of public relations costs you may experience when managing your federal grant. Grant Mistakes: A Grant Manager Writes: “Are promotional items, such as pens, water […]