Managing Public Grants
Managing
Grants Overview | The
Grant Award Process
Roles and Relationships in Managing Federal Grants
For many grassroots nonprofit organizations, approaching and working with a Federal agency may seem overwhelming. When an award is made, a Federal program officer and a grants management officer will be assigned to oversee your project as it is implemented. Your program officer and grants management officer are your best resources for navigating unfamiliar territory as you implement your funded project. They are available to provide assistance for everything from setting up a new program to addressing closeout issues once a funded project has concluded. Your role as a grantee and the roles of Federal staff are detailed in the following paragraphs.
The Roles and
Responsibilities of Your Organization
As a grant recipient (or potential grant recipient), your responsibilities are to successfully complete your approved project within the agreed upon budget and timeframe. In order to accomplish your project goals and ensure compliance, you should:
- Develop and implement work plans that will ensure that the services and activities included in the approved application are achieved in an efficient, effective and timely manner.
- If sub-award plans and programs are part of grant requirements, submit plans and procedures for the issuance of sub-awards for Federal approval according to specified timeline and prior to the issuance of any such sub-awards.
- Ensure that key project staff members attend and participate in Federal funding agency-sponsored workshops and meetings.
- Develop a reporting system and submit the completed required performance and financial reports on time, as required by your cooperative agreement.
- Work collaboratively with agency officials and other intermediary organizations.
It is important to develop a good working relationship with Federal program officers and grants management officers who have oversight responsibility for your funded project. Open, clear and consistent communication with your program officer and grants management officer will enhance your ability to effectively implement your program in compliance with the terms of your cooperative agreement—in other words, to do what you said you would do.
The Role of Federal
Program Officers1
Program officers have a vested interest in the success of your program and are available to you to provide the following assistance:
- Promote collaborative relationships and facilitate the exchange of information among intermediary organizations as it relates to technical assistance and training needs, emerging issues, research findings, available resources and model programs.
- Provide consultation to intermediary organizations with regard to the development of work plans, special issues and concerns and approaches to address problems that arise. They can also identify any special focus areas for technical assistance.
- Provide timely review, comment and approval on sub-award plans and procedures submitted by approved intermediary organizations.
- Sponsor meetings of all technical assistance providers to promote coordination, information sharing and access to resources, training and learning opportunities.
- Work together to address issues or problems identified by the intermediary organization or others with regard to the recipient's ability to carry out the full range of activities included in the approved application in the most efficient and effective manner.
- Refer any incoming written prior approval requests received to the grant’s management officer for correspondence control purposes.
- Provide requested input on the disposition of prior approval requests to the grants management officer within the specified time frame.
- Have a working knowledge of types of costs/activities requiring prior approval.
- Refer questionable situations to the grants management officer for resolution.
Program officers generally have oversight responsibility for program performance, while grants management officers are generally responsible for financial aspects of the funded project.
The Role of Grants
Management Officers (GMO)2
Grants management officers are responsible for monitoring recipient compliance with cost policies and requirements. They do this by reviewing recipient reports (and other available information) and through other means such as site visits. The GMO has the final say in approving or denying program expenditures and facilitating the appeals process. Grant awards and amendments are not binding on the Federal government unless signed by the responsible GMO. The GMO’s primary post-award responsibilities are as follows:
- Approve or deny all requests for prior approval.
- Review and sign all subsequent business-related correspondence concerning grants.
- Serve as the official receipt and control points for all required recipient reports and all formal communications or contacts that, if approved, would result in changes to an award, including its terms and conditions.
- Maintain the official grant files for individual grant awards. Program officials will supply such material as necessary to ensure that the official grant files are complete.
- Monitor the receipt of all required reports and follow-up as necessary to obtain delinquent reports. GMOs must also review and ensure all necessary adjustments to financial reports are made prior to grant closeout.
- Close out grant awards/files and ensure that grant files contain all pertinent documents, including required reports and evidence that appropriate grants management and program office reviews and evaluations have been conducted.
- Resolve or participate in the resolution of audit findings involving grant programs.
You can rely on your project staff to deliver services, while Federal program and grants management officers are available to assist with implementation and management concerns and questions. The end result of a good working relationship with these key stakeholders is an effective and efficient program.
Managing
Grants Overview | The
Grant Award Process