Federal Grants Compliance & Training FAQs

Eligibility for federal grants is determined by each program’s Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), which outlines exactly who can apply. In general, most federal grants are open to a range of entities, including:

• Nonprofit organizations recognized under IRS 501(c)(3) status
• State, local, and tribal governments
• Institutions of higher education such as colleges and universities
• Public and private organizations that meet specific program requirements

Before applying, every applicant must be registered in SAM.gov (System for Award Management) and have a valid Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). These registrations verify organizational identity and eligibility to receive federal funds.

Each grant program may have additional criteria, such as geographic coverage, mission alignment, or capacity requirements, so always review the NOFO carefully before submitting an application.

The primary federal portal for open grant announcements is Grants.gov, where federal agencies post their Notices of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs). It’s the official government site for discovering and applying for competitive federal awards.

However, identifying the right opportunities often requires broader research beyond federal funding alone. That’s where GrantScape adds value. It’s the only database that provides opportunities across the full spectrum of grantors, including Federal, State, Local, and Foundation sources. This comprehensive coverage makes it easier to find funding matches that align with your organization’s mission and programs, not just federal opportunities.

Together, using Grants.gov for official federal listings and GrantScape for a 360° view of available funding gives you the best of both worlds—accuracy and strategic breadth.

A Single Audit is required when a non-federal entity expends at least a set threshold amount in federal awards during its fiscal year under the Uniform Guidance. As of 2026, that threshold is generally 1 million dollars or more in federal expenditures in a fiscal year, and historically it was 750,000 dollars, so entities near this line need to monitor total federal spending carefully to determine whether an audit is triggered. This requirement applies regardless of whether the federal funds are received directly from a federal agency or passed through another organization, and it includes both cash and certain non-cash federal assistance.

A Single Audit is designed to provide organization-wide assurance that federal funds are used properly and in compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and award terms. It replaces having multiple separate audits for each federal program and focuses on financial statements, internal controls over federal programs, and compliance with key requirements.

For organizations that need help understanding and managing these requirements, the Single Audit Information Service Module is an A-to-Z guide that breaks down the most complex and potentially confusing single audit requirements into clear, practical guidance. It helps you learn about the audit process, the different types of audits, the most recurring audit findings, and how to avoid them so you can stay compliant and better prepare for your auditors.

A grant is federal funding provided for a public purpose where the federal agency is largely hands-off in how the project is carried out, as long as you follow the terms and conditions of the award. The recipient has primary responsibility for designing and managing the project, with the agency mainly monitoring performance and compliance rather than directing day-to-day activities.

A cooperative agreement also provides federal funding for a public purpose, but the key difference is the expected level of substantial involvement by the federal agency in the project. This can include participating in project planning, approving key programmatic decisions, collaborating on methodology, or being actively involved in project execution and oversight.

In short, both are funding mechanisms, but a grant generally means more recipient autonomy, while a cooperative agreement signals a more collaborative, agency-partnered relationship during the execution of the project.

Most likely! You may be able to charge the cost of your Thompson Grants Compliance Expert subscription to your federal grant(s). For nonfederal entities, under the cost principles of the uniform guidance, there are allowable items of cost for subscriptions (§200.454(b)) and professional development (§200.473). Please check with your program director, finance officer or granting agency to ensure there is no restriction in the approved grant budget or the award documents.

A cost is “allowable” under the Uniform Guidance when it passes what many grants professionals call the NRA test: it must be Necessary, Reasonable, and Allocable under Subpart E of 2 CFR 200.

• Necessary: The cost is essential to carry out the grant-funded project or meet a specific requirement of the federal award.
• Reasonable: A prudent person would agree that the amount and nature of the cost make sense for the project, its scope, and your organization’s circumstances.
• Allocable: The cost can be clearly linked to and charged to the grant in proportion to the benefit the project receives (and not shifted to cover other activities).

In addition, allowable costs must also comply with your organization’s written policies, the specific terms and conditions of the award, and any agency- or program-specific rules in the Notice of Funding Opportunity.

The federal procurement standards describe the methods you must use to buy goods and services with federal funds, as laid out in 2 CFR 200.320. These methods are selected based on the dollar value and circumstances of the purchase and are designed to ensure competition, fairness, and good stewardship of federal awards.

The main procurement methods are:

• Micro-purchases: Very small purchases below your micro-purchase threshold that can be made without soliciting competitive quotes, as long as the price is considered reasonable and purchases are distributed equitably among qualified suppliers.
• Small (simplified) purchases: Purchases above the micro-purchase threshold but at or below the simplified acquisition threshold, where you must obtain price or rate quotations from an adequate number of qualified sources.
• Sealed bids: A formal, competitive method where bids are publicly solicited, opened at a set time, and a firm fixed-price contract is typically awarded to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder. This is often used when you have clear specifications and price is the primary factor.
• Competitive proposals: A formal method used when sealed bidding is not appropriate, where proposals are requested, evaluated against published criteria, and an award is made to the offeror whose proposal is most advantageous, considering price and other factors.
• Non-competitive (sole-source) procurement: Used only in limited situations—such as when there is only one source, an emergency, explicit agency approval, or after competition has been determined inadequate—and must be justified and documented.

In practice, your organization must have written procurement procedures that align with these methods, follow any stricter state or local rules, and document how each federally funded purchase complies with these standards.

A subrecipient is an entity that helps carry out a portion of a federal program, while a contractor is hired to provide goods or services to the pass-through entity. A subrecipient is responsible for programmatic decision-making, must follow program requirements, and uses the funds to support its own eligible project activities under the federal award. By contrast, a contractor operates in a more commercial, vendor-like role—selling products or services that support the project but do not themselves constitute program performance.

In practical terms, subrecipients are part of the grant’s program delivery, whereas contractors are part of the procurement side. Getting this distinction right matters because subrecipients are subject to subaward monitoring and programmatic oversight, while contractors are subject to procurement standards and contract management requirements. For more help navigating these roles and responsibilities, the Techniques for Monitoring Federal Subawards guide is a no-nonsense reference for pass-through entities, subrecipients, and contractors alike, and is a must-have for anyone who needs to understand their increased responsibilities under the Uniform Guidance.

The Thompson Grants Compliance Expert puts the critical information you need about the far-reaching impact of the uniform guidance at your fingertips in a convenient and comprehensive digital platform so you can confidently navigate the entire grants lifecycle — from finding federal grant opportunities to submitting your closeout documents — and stay up to date on how the complicated rules affect you and your funding every step of the way.

As a Grants Compliance Expert subscriber, you and your organization will have access to:

• GrantScape — A grant-seeking database that uses cutting-edge technology to deliver the widest-reaching source of grant opportunities.
• Thompson Grants Compliance Knowledge Center — A continuously updated digital platform of compliance guidance covering pre-award, post-award, audit and subrecipient monitoring, quickly accessible with a "Google-style" search function.
• On-Demand Training — 24/7 access to 36+ continuously updated on-demand training webinars on critical grants management topics.
• "Ask the Expert" — Exclusively for Compliance Expert subscribers, get answers you need to your specific compliance questions. It’s like having our compliance experts on call for you without those steep hourly fees!
• Practical Tools and Resources — Access forms, templates, worksheets, and more, so you don't have to start from scratch.
• Database of Government Forms and Regulations — Easily searchable information available in one location.
• News Alerts and Commentary — Stay up to date on the latest grant headlines delivered directly to your inbox.
• Team Access — Access for 3 users is automatically included with the ability to easily add more.
• Subscriber Discounts — Save on registration to Federal Grants Forums, compliance boot camps, and more.

BONUS — You may be able to charge the cost of your subscription to your federal grant(s). For state agencies and other nonfederal entities, under the cost principles of the uniform guidance, there are allowable items of cost for subscriptions (§200.454(b)) and professional development (§200.473). Please check with your program director, finance officer or granting agency to ensure there is no restriction in the approved grant budget or the award documents.

Thompson Grants subscriptions are designed to be flexible and scalable so your whole team can access compliance expertise. Access for 3 users is automatically included with a standard subscription, allowing multiple staff members to log in and use the service.
If you need broader access, additional site licenses are available for purchase. Group and enterprise rates can be tailored for departments or organization-wide use, and IP access is available for large institutions that want seamless, campus- or agency-wide connectivity.
You can also try Thompson Grants before you buy. Simply sign up for a no-cost, risk-free trial to explore the content, tools, and features and confirm it meets your organization’s compliance and training needs before making a purchase decision.

GrantScape is the largest and broadest grants opportunities database available. With nearly 180,000 grantors in our system, GrantScape is the only database that provides opportunities across the spectrum of grantors, from Federal, State, Local, and Foundation sources. In addition to its search functions, GrantScape also has workspace functions similar to enterprise platform software that helps you manage, track, and analyze your opportunities as well as set up custom alerts for new grants opportunities that apply directly for you.

Most other grants databases are focused on a specific type of grant opportunity, be it a federal grants, municipal grants, or foundation grants. GrantScape is the only database that covers the entire spectrum of grants funding. Additionally, most other grants databases operate using manual research exclusively, a costly and time-consuming effort, the price of which is often passed along to the user. By combining automated web crawling techniques and an experienced research team, we leverage both the quality of a seasoned editorial team with the technology to make sure the opportunities you’re seeing are the most up to date.

Thompson Grants webinars are live, expert-led training sessions operated with the assistance of BeaconLive, providing high-quality audio and a seamless attendee experience. Live attendance is eligible for NASBA CPE and GPCI credit, so you can strengthen your grants expertise while earning professional continuing education. Webinars typically run between 60 and 90 minutes, giving enough time for a focused presentation plus live Q&A.

Within that window, most sessions allocate about 75 minutes for the main presentation and 15 minutes for live, interactive question and answer with the speakers, so you can get clarification on real-world issues you’re facing. You also receive downloadable presentation handouts, which are made available approximately 24 hours prior to the call, allowing you to review, print, and share materials in advance or follow along during the session.

Recognizing the importance of continuing education, we are currently working with the appropriate accrediting bodies to obtain permission to offer this important service to our conference participants. Thompson Grants currently offers CPE and GPCI CEU credits. Please note that credit can be earned for attending the live audio conference only.

If you are not able to attend for any reason, please notify us as soon as possible. Conference cancellations received 24 hours prior to the start time of the audio conference are fully refundable. After that, cancellations are subject to a $25 processing fee. If you prefer, you may substitute an upcoming audio conference for the one you originally registered for and avoid the $25 processing fee. All refunds resulting from conference cancellations will be issued within 72 hours.

Yes. If you purchase the on-demand version or the webinar package (live + on-demand), you will receive access to the recording. OnDemand recordings are typically available within 1-2 business days after the live webinar airs, so you can watch the full presentation at your convenience. It’s important to remember that CPE credit is ONLY available to live webinar attendees and cannot be earned by viewing the recording alone.