What is Prior Approval
When you work with federal grants, it’s just a matter of time before someone says, “We need the prior approval of the funder” to do this or that. But this vague term “prior approval” may leave you wondering two important questions when you manage grants: When does 2 CFR Part 200 aka, the Uniform Guidance, […]
Grant Management: Do You Make These 10 Mistakes?
Sometimes, we get lost in the jargon of internal controls and grant management and forget the role of strong checks and balances in increasing trust with our funders, employees, and the general public. (I shared this message on how internal controls can increase trust with federal grants at an AICPA Not-for-Profit Industry conference in Washington.) How to […]
Decoding Grant Management-Success Tip: Competition and Affirmative Steps
“It’s not fair!” This cry is not just for toddlers and politicians. The federal government also jumps in the mix regarding federal grants. The Uniform Guidance (2 CFR Part 200) requires grant recipients to include small, women, and minority-owned businesses in federal spending. A $4.85 Million Grant Management Mistake I shared a case study in […]
How to Write A Corrective Action Plan-Part II
If you are a federal grant recipient, you probably know that a lot has changed implementing 2 CFR Part 200, aka, the Uniform Guidance for grants. But you may not realize that one of the goals of this change was to reduce the number of audit findings and the need for corrective action plans. Better […]
10 Essential Questions (and Answers) for Grant Managers-Part II
“How do pass-throughs entities (and grant managers) assess risk and integrity? We use subawards, but I’m unsure how to assess risk and integrity.” “Do sole source procurement rules apply to all purchase threshold levels? Do you have to seek prior approval from the funding agency to sole source?” “Would a consultant providing services to a non-profit […]
Grant Management Monitoring: 9 Lies that Fraudsters Like to Tell
Grant management is not just about doing everything right. It also includes monitoring to make sure things aren’t being done wrong. Grant fraud and misuse of grant funds is an unfortunate reality of grants management. Concealment Behaviors Grant professionals should be aware of 9 typical types of concealment behaviors that may indicate grant fraud is taking […]
