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 […]
Grant Management
13 Ways to Keep Grant Funds Flowing
Ever wish you had a crystal ball to see how the mind of Uncle Sam looks at grant funds? Think the Uniform Guidance is super complicated? Or maybe you just wish you had a checklist of what gets grant recipients into trouble and how to avoid those “speed bumps”? It may seem a little “geeky,” but […]
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, […]
The More the Merrier? 5 Steps You Need To Know When You Have Multiple Grants
Multiple grants require diligent and planned monitoring to ensure that funds received are expended and then reported to the appropriate agency. as the various funders require. Multiple Grants: Is Your Head Spinning? Here are a few examples: You must ensure that expenses are tracked and claimed only once. Time and effort must be assigned to […]
7 Ways to Spot a Subrecipient Relationship
One of the grant management questions we get the most emails on is, “What is the difference between a subrecipient and a vendor?” Subrecipient vs. Contractor: What’s in a Name? The distinction between the terminology causes no end of confusion because the terms subrecipient, subgrantee, and subawardee are used interchangeably by federal grant recipients and […]
What is a Federal Award?
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 […]
