So you got a federal grant. And that means lots of internal controls requirements. Are you wondering what that means – really? A primary “must” for managing your organization’s federal awards is strong internal controls. So, if you are feeling a little uncertain about what that means to you, here are the basics of internal […]
compliance training
How to Create a Grant Management Manual From Scratch
You may have heard about the need for grant management documentation. Because there is a lot of risk around federal funding… That’s why the federal grant regulations make a risk assessment of federal award recipients a requirement for federal agencies before to awarding any grants. Proper documentation of your federal grant processes has become more important […]
What the IG Report on the FBI and DOJ Can Teach Us About Internal Controls
I spoke at the AICPA Not-for-Profit Industry Conference on “How to Build Trust with Internal Controls.” As I began wading through the 568 pages of the DOJ Inspector General Report on the Actions by the FBI and DOJ (Yes, I am that kind of geek), I was struck by the common role that weak internal controls […]
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, […]
When It Comes to Grant Spending-Who’s Watching the Store?
Call me a #grantnerd, but I love sharing “lessons learned” grant spending stories! In a past case study, I wrote of the major areas of non-compliance revealed by the Department of Justice when over $20 million dollars of grant spending earmarked for mentoring at-risk youth through Big Brothers/Big Sisters (BBBS) of Philadelphia did not get documented […]
3 Areas for Grant Management Improvement
I recently checked back following a shocking report on the condition of federal grant management in the City of Detroit following their bankruptcy. And I was so happy to see how they were turning around their lack of federal award compliance Not only are their efforts bearing fruit from a grant management improvement standpoint–but even […]