In recent changes to the Uniform Guidance (2 CFR 200), some pre-award steps are getting a makeover. The Biden Administration is also on a mission to broaden participation in federal grant programs by organizations that haven’t received much federal funding in the past, particularly outfits that support underserved communities and beneficiaries.
The revised pre-award steps are intended to unclog funding streams. As such, OMB has:
- Overhauled the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to use plain language and present it in a sequence of steps that track the life of a grant award to help organizations make informed decisions about whether to apply.
- Mandated use of the SF 424 (Application for Federal Assistance) and encouraged applicants to build program features into their project narratives that mirror administration priorities.
- Enhanced the pre-award risk assessment and added language that creates a clearer picture for applicants about how their performance and integrity will be judged.
- Instructed federal agencies about accurately communicating award terms and conditions in standardized, plain English.
Scratch the surface of those rules and you find lots of hints about how to enhance your ability to obtain an award, and what to expect once you have it. This will help you take advantage of funding opportunities, and will cover:
- Creating agreed-upon language for an “organizational resume’” that can easily be built into a grant application
- Budgeting for the application using the federal cost principles
- Fashioning and documenting organizational partnerships with clear lines of authority and responsibility
- Knowing what’s negotiable and how to pursue ”differential accountability”
WHO SHOULD ATTEND:
- Grants coordinators
- Program specialists
- Project directors
- Grant and contract managers
- Sponsored projects administrators
- Resource development personnel
- Executives
- Finance staff
YOUR EXPERT(S):
Bob Lloyd
BOB LLOYD is a respected authority on policies and practices affecting the award, administration and oversight of federal grants, contracts and subawards. Mr. Lloyd has nearly 40 years of experience in federal award implementation. Prior to starting his management consulting practice in Washington, D.C., in 1982, he served as the executive director of the Grants Management Advisory Service and held staff positions in two large federally funded organizations. Since then, he has been a consultant, trainer or advisor to award and audit units in sixteen federal award-making departments and agencies, and to recipient and subrecipient organizations and their professional advisors located in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, several U.S. territories and 18 foreign countries. He is the principal author of A Guide to OMB Grant Reform and several other reference works on federal grants management and audits, and currently serves as contributing editor to Federal Grants News, published by Thompson Grants. He also is a Charter Life Member of the National Grants Management Association and served on its Board of Directors for five years. Contact Bob Lloyd at consultlloyd@aol.com or 864-235-8680.
CONTACT
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service@thompson.com
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