List of acronyms

(AAFC)
Grant Management

Grant Management Technical Manual created through a joint effort of AAFC & AASBO representative board members.

1. 
   Introduction
   
2. 
   Fiscal Grants Management and Compliance
   
3. 
   Overview of Financial Management/Accounting System
   
4. 
   Use of Funds at State Level
   
5. 
   Allocation of Federal Funds
   
6. 
   Use of Funds at Local Level
   
7. 
   General Provisions for Selected Items of Cost
   
8. 
   Local Application Plans
   
9. 
   Programmatic Fiscal Requirements
   
10. 
    Property and Asset Management
    

On December 19, 2014, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) released the newly updated Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR).  This change was due to the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) publication of the final Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (known as the Uniform Grants Guidance or UGG) in 2013, which consolidated OMB Circulars A-21, A-87, A-89, A-102 and A-110, A-122, A-133 into a uniform set of rules.  

The financial management system of a grantee of federal funds is the system in place that tracks the expenditure and accounting of grants funds.  Certain fiscal controls and procedures must be in place to ensure that all financial management system requirements are met.  Failure to meet a requirement may result in return of funds or termination of the award.

1. 
   Financial Reporting.  Accurate, current, and complete disclosure of the financial results of financially assisted activities must be made in accordance with the financial reporting requirements of the grant or sub-grant.
   
2. 
   Accounting records.  Grantees and sub-grantees must maintain records which adequately identify the source and application of funds provided for financially-assisted activities. These records must contain information pertaining to grant or sub-grant awards and authorizations, obligations, unobligated balances, assets, liabilities, outlays or expenditures, and incomes.
   
3. 
   Internal controls.  Effective control and accountability must be maintained for all grant and sub-grant cash, real and personal property, and other assets.  Grantees and sub-grantees must adequately safeguard all such property and must assure that it is used solely for authorized purposes.
   
4. 
   Budget control. Actual expenditures or outlays must be compared with budgeted amounts for each grant or sub-grant. Financial information must be  related  to performance or productivity data, including the development of division cost information whenever appropriate or  specifically required in the grant or sub-grant agreement. If division cost data are required, estimates based on available documentation will be accepted whenever possible.
   
5. 
   Allowable cost.  Applicable OMB cost principles, agency program regulations, and the terms of grant and sub-grant agreements will be followed in determining the reasonableness, allowability, and allocability of costs.
   
6. 
   Source Documentation. Accounting records must be supported by such source documentation as cancelled checks, paid bills, payrolls, time and attendance records, contract and sub-grant award documents, etc.
   
7. 
   Cash management.  Procedures for minimizing the time elapsing between the transfer of funds from the U.S. Treasury and disbursement by grantees and sub-grantees must be followed whenever advance payment procedures are used.   Grantees must establish reasonable procedures to ensure the receipt of reports on sub-grantees’ cash balances and cash disbursements in sufficient time to enable them to prepare complete and accurate cash transaction reports to the awarding agency.
   

Arkansas is a reimbursement state; payments are made within 30 calendar days after receipt of the billing.  District General Business Managers upload data into Arkansas Public School Computer Network (APSCN).  Loaded data is in Cognos and pulled once a month (second Monday of each month) and reimbursements are made on negative fund balances. Pass through cannot require separate depository accounts. Accounts must be interest bearing (unless otherwise stated), and interest up to $500 may be retained by the non-federal entity for administrative purposes. C.F.R. 200.305 (Bonding Requirements)

Federal grant allocations are communicated to public school districts on an annual basis via commissioner’s memos generated by the Arkansas Department of Education.  By September 30th of every year, all public school districts’ budgets are entered into eFinancePlus, and each federal grant and funding source is coded so that it can be easily tracked. The finance office of each school district is responsible for managing its federal grants’ budgets throughout the fiscal year.

Purchases involving federal funds shall be made in accordance with each school district’s purchasing guidelines, Arkansas Annotated Code, and applicable EDGAR requirements.

Funding for federal grants distributed through the Arkansas Department of Education is remitted to public school districts on a reimbursement basis.  ADE monitors each school district’s federal expenditures in APSCN on a monthly basis and reimburses districts accordingly through electronic funds transfer.

Uniform Grant Guidance (UGG) establishes “federal cost principles” for states, local, and Indian tribal governments. As a state agency, is subject to UGG. Postsecondary Institutions are subject to UGG, cost principles for educational institutions. The cost principles of UGG are the basic guidelines describing permissible ways federal funds may be spent. The general principles in UGG state that for costs to be allowable, they must be:

• 
  Reasonable and necessary C.F.R. 200.404
  
  • 
    A cost may be reasonable if the nature of the goods or services acquired and the amount involved reflect the action that a prudent person would have taken under the circumstances prevailing at the time the decision to incur the cost was made.
    
  • 
    Don’t buy a BMW when a Ford can get you to your destination.
    

• 
  Allocable to the federal award C.F.R. 200.405 (meaning that the federal grant program derived a benefit in proportion to the funds charged to the program – for example if 50% of an instructor’s salary is paid with Perkins funds, then that instructor must spend at least 50% of his or her time on a Perkins program);
  

• 
  Legal under state and local law;
  
• 
  Are properly documented (and accounted for on a consistent basis with generally accepted accounting principles);
  
• 
  Consistent with the provisions of the grant program; and
  
• 
  Not used for cost-sharing or matching any other grants agreement.
  

The term "applicable credits" refers to those receipts or negative expenditures that operate to offset or reduce expense items allocable to the federal award. Typical examples of such transactions are:

• 
  Rebates or allowances;
  
• 
  Purchase discounts;
  
• 
  Recoveries or indemnities on losses; and
  
• 
  Adjustments of overpayments or erroneous charges.
  

To the extent that such credits accruing to or received by the state relate to the federal award, they shall be credited to the federal award, either as a cost reduction or cash refund, as appropriate.

Under any given Federal award, the reasonableness and allocability of certain items of costs may be difficult to determine. In order to avoid subsequent disallowance or dispute based on unreasonableness or non-allocability, the non-Federal entity may seek prior written approval from the cognizant agency (for indirect cost rate) or Federal awarding agency in advance of the incurrence of special or unusual costs.

• 
  Prior Written approval should include the time frame and scope of agreement.
  

• 
  Salaries are wages (including vacations, holidays, sick leave, and other excused absences of employees working specifically on objectives of a grant or contract – i.e., direct labor costs).
  
• 
  Other employee fringe benefits allocable on direct labor employees.
  
• 
  Consultant services contracted to accomplish specific grant/contract objectives.
  
• 
  Travel of (direct labor) employees.
  
• 
  Materials, supplies and equipment purchased directly for use on a specific grant or contract.
  
• 
  Communication costs such as long distance telephone calls or telegrams identifiable with a specific award or activity.
  

• 
  Salaries of administrative and clerical staff providing normal support activities in the department
  
• 
  Salaries of administrative and clerical staff should be treated as “indirect” unless all of following are met:
  
• 
  Individuals can be specifically identified with the activity
  
• 
  Such costs are explicitly included in the budget or have the prior written approval of the federal awarding agency
  
• 
  Costs not also recovered as indirect
  

• 
  Such services are integral to the activity
  
• 
  Office supplies including postage
  

• 
  Local telephone calls
  
• 
  Memberships
  

To assure that expenditures are proper and in accordance with the terms and conditions of the award, vouchers requesting payment must include a certification, signed by an official who is authorized to legally bind the non-Federal entity, which reads, “By signing this report, I certify to the best of my knowledge and belief the report is true, complete, and accurate, and the expenditures, disbursements and cash receipts are for the purposes and objectives set forth in the terms and conditions of the Federal award. I am aware that any false, fictitious, or fraudulent information, or the omission of any material, fact, may subject me to criminal, civil or administrative penalties for fraud, false statements, false claims or otherwise.”

This section provides principles to be applied in establishing the allowability of certain items in determining costs.  In all cases federal costs must have prior approval.

 

Advertising/PR C.F.R. 200.421

• 
  Allowable for programmatic purposes including:
  
• 
  Recruitment
  
• 
  Procurement of goods
  
• 
  Disposal of materials
  
• 
  Program outreach
  
• 
  Public relations (in limited circumstances)
  

• 
  Not allowable
  

• 
  Conferences
  
  • 
    Prior Rule: Generally allowable
    
  • 
    Includes Meals / Conferences / Travel and Family Friendly Policies
    
  • 
    Allowable conference costs include rental of facilities, costs of meals and refreshments, transportation, unless restricted by the federal award
    
• 
  Costs related to identifying, but not providing, locally available dependent-care resources
  
• 
  But C.F.R. 200.474 “travel” allows costs for “above and beyond regular dependent care”
  
• 
  Conference hosts must exercise discretion in ensuring costs are appropriate, necessary and managed in manner than minimizes costs to federal award
  
• 
  Entertainment Costs C.F.R. 200.438
  
  • 
    Cost of entertainment are unallowable
    
• 
  Memberships, Subscriptions, and Professional Activity Costs Reference: C.F.R. 200.454
  
  • 
    Cost of the non-federal entities to business, professional, technical, and professional organizations are allowable.
    
• 
  Costs of the non-federal entity’s subscriptions to business, professional, and technical periodicals are allowable.
  

• 
  Prior rule: allowable with certain restrictions
  
• 
  Travel costs may be charged on actual, per diem, or mileage basis
  
• 
  Travel charges must be consistent with entity’s written travel reimbursement policies
  
• 
  Grantee must retain documentation that participation of individual in conference is necessary for the project
  
• 
  Travel costs must be reasonable and consistent with written travel policy / or follow GSA 48 C.F.R. 31.205-46(a)
  
• 
  Also see Conferences C.F.R. 200.432
  

An obligation occurs when funds are formally designated for a specific cost.  The following table illustrates when funds are determined to be obligated under federal regulations.