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All Economic Development Districts (EDDs) receive federal grant funds from various agencies include the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration (EDA), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and many others. The way these funds are managed by the recipients varies from agency to agency, but all federal grants are subject to the requirements established by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). In turn, federally funded grantees must also adhere to these requirements. Through the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), OMB has outlined specific requirements that grantees must follow. From procurement to indirect cost rate negotiations to records retention to audits to cost allowability and much more, federal grantees need to be familiar with the guidelines set forth in 2 CRF, Part 200 to assure compliance.
While most program managers do not need to fully immerse themselves in the details of 2 CFR, Part 200, they should have a basic understanding of the requirements to be sure they are managing federal funds appropriately. This toolkit is designed to provide basic information related to OMB’s grants management requirements as of June 2023. It is important to note that the guidelines are updated from time to time.
Since 2014, federal grants and subgrants have been governed by a comprehensive federal policy document that has become known as the “Uniform Guidance. OMB required all federal grant making agencies to adopt it in its entirety. Because the Uniform Guidance contains most all the rules for administering, accounting for, and auditing of federal awards, it is critical that those on a grantee’s administrative staff take a “deep dive” into the document. But it is also important that staff who have programmatic responsibilities and even governing body members have an awareness of the requirements in order to avoid mistakes that can result in cost disallowances and even harm the organization’s reputation. This presentation provides a “quick immersion” into the key requirements that you may need to know or communicate to others.
The US Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) “Uniform Guidance” included efforts to clarify indirect cost recovery. Input from federal grantees about the burden of negotiating indirect cost rates compounded by some federal awarding agencies and pass-through entities restricting or denying the negotiated rates was a source of frustration among many grantees. Despite their positive efforts, some of those recovery problems continue to surface. This presentation discussions options that grantees have for assuring that their indirect costs are recognized and recovered.
Most federal grantees have considerable experience with audits performed under the Single Audit Act of 1984 (as amended). Based on the dollar level of federal funds expended during an organization’s fiscal year, the single audit’s objectives are to examine financial accuracy, design and operation of internal controls, and comply with laws and regulations that could have a “direct and material” effect on federal grant claims. The federal guidance on the subject, contained in the “OMB Compliance Supplement” is directed to independent auditors using terminology and references that are unfamiliar to most non-accountants. This slideshow helps improve your audit readiness by “translating” those sources, identifying the compliance requirements likely to be tested in your single audit, and alerting you to how your auditor will conduct that testing.
The massive amounts of federal assistance made available under the Coronavirus Assistance Relief and Economic Stability (CARES) Act and the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) have ratcheted up federal government concerns about grant accountability. Congress reflected these concerns by significantly increasing the budgets of the federal inspectors general whose jobs are to prevent and detect fraud, waste, and abuse in federal programs. The independent auditors who conduct those audits get their instructions from the Compliance Supplement, a hefty audit guide issued annually by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. The Supplement identifies the grant requirements that must be tested and suggests ways for the auditors to determine compliance. This presentation drills down on the sections of the Supplement that affect federal programs that most RDOs administer and demonstrates how to be audit ready in this highly charged grant audit environment.
The American Rescue Plan Act (APRA) includes the $350 billion State and Local Fiscal Relief Fund which distributes federal assistance to all states, tribal governments, and general purpose local governments nationwide. While RDOs do not receive a direct allocation themselves, their member governments do. There are a number of ways that RDOs may become involved with Fiscal Relief Funds: being a subrecipient of funds transferred from a direct recipient; being a paid contractor providing services to a direct recipient; or being a provider of technical assistance helping direct recipients to administer their allocation. Performing any of these roles requires a basic knowledge of ARPA requirements and of the resources available to manage these relationships. This presentation helps you gain that up-to-date knowledge.
Purchasing with Federal Grant Funds: Proper Procedures and Allowable Costs, explains the purchasing methods that are acceptable when spending federal grant funds and demonstrates how to justify and document the costs of the most common goods and services you buy to support your awards.
Playing Well with Others: Effective Collaboration in all Directions encourages and supports examination of your Regional Development Organization’s existing “vertical and lateral” relationships and identifies federal policies that can be used to fashion sensible and effective alternatives.
This webinar distills the requirements for recovery of indirect costs contained in federal regulations and demonstrate in easy-to-grasp terms how a resulting indirect cost rate is obtained and used while planning and executing your federally grant-funded projects and programs. Bernadette Grafton, Program Analyst, Performance and National Programs, U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA), joins Bob to talk about EDA’s approach to Indirect Cost.
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Joe McKinney serves as Executive Director of the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO). Headquartered in Washington DC, NADO provides advocacy, education, research, and training for the nation’s 500+ regional planning and development organizations.
Joe has thirty-one years of experience having served in city, county, regional, national association, and government management since 1991. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Public Policy Analysis from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is a candidate for a master’s degree in Public Administration from UNC-Chapel Hill.
McKinney has provided congressional testimony on numerous occasions regarding the importance of regional development organizations in helping shape the nation’s economic growth. He is nationally recognized for promoting innovative solutions in areas such as planning and economic development, workforce development, transportation and transit, and aging services.