The new grant management guidance contained in the “super-circular” is designed to improve program outcomes and spending accountability.
You may be wondering exactly how that’s going to happen?
Well, one of that ways to achieve those results is to have grant recipients “get more skin in the game” with a new certification that all the spending is on the “up and up.”
5 Certifications in the Existing Grant Management Regulations
If you’ve been working as a grant professional for a while, you are probably familiar with the Current Certifications like:
• Byrd Anti-Lobbying Amendment
• Cost Allocation Plans
• Time and Effort
• Indirect Cost Rate Proposals
• Procurements Systems Compliance
But the new grant regulations contain a new certifications designed to get organizations (now called non-federal entities) to really put it on the line.
Let’s take a look…
New Certification: No Get Out of Jail Free Card
Have you seen those examples in the news where apparently no one knew that taxpayer funds were being squandered?
Did it seem a little hard to believe?
The new Certification of Costs requirement is now making a senior official of the non-federal entity expressly acknowledge that making bogus statements about program spending can lead to prosecution under the False Claims Act.
What does that look like?
An official with the authority to bind the non-federal entity in legal documents must include the following statement in the annual and final fiscal reports or vouchers requesting payment under the federal agreements Hidden Certification Requirement:
‘‘By signing this report, I certify to the best of my knowledge and belief that the report is true, complete, and accurate, and the expenditures, disbursements and cash receipts are for the purposes and objectives set forth in the terms and conditions of the Federal award Hidden Certification Requirement. I am aware that any false, fictitious, or fraudulent information, or the omission of any material fact, may subject me to criminal, civil or administrative penalties for fraud, false statements, false claims or otherwise.”
So now it’s even more important that federal funds flow to the purpose for which they are intended.
Ready to Improve Your Grant Management?
How about you?
Would you like to be a better grant manager?
We have another grant management training seminar coming soon.
Click here to get all the details!
Hope to see you there!
Author:
Lucy Morgan CPA, MBA
CEO, Compliance Warrior
Author of “Decoding Grant Management-The Ultimate Success Guide to the Federal Grant Regulations in 2 CFR Part 200” The 2nd Edition is now available on Amazon in Paperback and Kindle versions.