The New Jersey Department of Education Presents:

1. Grant’s Management Training for FY02 Grant Recipients The New Jersey Department of Education Presents:

2. Objectives • To familiarize grant recipients with the Grant Recipient’s Manual for Discretionary Grants. • To provide practical guidance in effective and efficient grant management. • To help grant recipients operate programs that are free from audit exceptions.

3. Going for the Grant • Your application is received by the due date and time. • Your application is reviewed and you are notified that you are eligible to receive an award. • You make required pre-award revisions. • You receive an award. NOW WHAT?

4. A Look at a Year in the Life... of a Project Director

5. Before the Program Start Date SETTING UP

6. What should I do to prepare? • Review your responsibilities as a grantee.

7. ...and what else should I do? • Obtain and review all grant-related documents carefully, especially: • the grant agreement • the final approved application • Attachments, A, B & C

8. Grant Agreement: the five-page legal document signed by your CSA/CEO and the NJDOE. What grant agreement?

9. Where do I find these documents? • Get a copy of your agency’s grant agreement, with the final approved application, from your CSA/CEO.

10. What are my timelines for spending grant funds? • The award period (agreement start date to end date) is the spending authorization period. COMMON AUDIT FINDING ALERT

11. How can I prepare for the start of my grant? • Hire new grant staff. • Set staff assignments. • Set up files and logs. • Get requisitions ready. • Meet with your subgrantees/partners. COMMON AUDIT FINDING ALERT

12. What do I keep in a grant file? • Notice of Grant Opportunity document • Executed grant agreement • Attachments A, B, and sometimes C • Final approved grant application

13. What else do I keep in a grant file? • Copies of all submitted reports • Grant-related correspondence • Activity-related documentation • Grant purchasing documentation COMMON AUDIT FINDING ALERT

14. Where can I find other useful resources? • http://www.state.nj.us/education/ • NJDOE website • http://whitehouse.gov/WH/EOP/OMB/Grants/ • Source for OMB Circulars • http://gcs.ed.gov/grntinfo/edgar.htm • Source for full text of EDGAR • http://www.ed.gov/index.html • Source for federal regulations, program requirements, and public law

15. Do I need formal agreements with my subgrant partners? • YES. • You must have well-constructed subgrant articulation agreements in place to meet audit requirements. COMMON AUDIT FINDING ALERT

16. Who do I contact when I have a question about my grant? • When you have a question about the implementation of your project, contact your program officer at the NJDOE.

17. Where do I send “official” grant documents? • Send to the Application Control Center (ACC) all documents necessary to meet grant requirements (e.g., interim and final program and fiscal reports, agreement modification requests, etc.).

18. How do I communicate with the DOE? • Include the following information on allcorrespondence to the department: • NGO# and title • Grantee name & county/LEA code • Project director’s name and phone/fax # • Relevant agreement information

19. How do I communicate with the DOE? • Where applicable, also include: • Program report # and report period • Fiscal report # and report period • Agreement modification details

20. Time Out! Questions anyone?

21. First Quarter (months 1-3) STARTING UP

22. May I spend money now? • As of the program start date of your agreement, you may begin to obligate approved expenditures.

23. How will I get reimbursed for expenditures? • Standard Payment Schedule: • Where applicable, 100% of approved equipment amount is issued in the first payment • 5% of the balance is deducted and held by the DOE • Remaining amount is divided into equal monthly payments

24. Who owns grant-funded equipment? • You do...unless otherwise stated in the NGO. (see Attachment C)

25. Who maintains inventory of equipment? • All grantees are required to maintain a property management system. • minimum identifying information, (per EDGAR) • equipment inventory tags • equipment inventory forms

26. Must I use equipment only for grant activities? • Generally speaking, “YES.” • Any equipment acquired with grant funds during the grant period must be used primarily to support the scope of work in the final approved grant application.

27. What reports are required for the1st quarter? • Program Activity Plan Report • Expenditure Report (page 5 of the grant agreement)

28. When are reports due? Page 2 of your grant agreement shows the due dates for interim and final program and fiscal reports.

29. How do I complete program reports? • On the Program Activity Plan form, for each activity completed, fill in the appropriate triangle for the quarter. • For each activity not completed, provide a narrative explanation and indicate when the activity will be completed. See the Manual for complete instructions.

30. How do I complete fiscal reports? • Complete all required information on the Expenditure Report form, which is page 5 of your grant agreement. See the Manual for complete instructions.

31. What identifying information should I include on my reports? Use the Report Transmittal Page sent with your GA. • NGO# and Title • Grantee Name and County/LEA Code • Agreement# and Submission Date • Project Director’s Name & Phone #, Fax # • Program Report # and Report Period • Fiscal Report # and Report Period

32. Where do I send reports? Send the original and one (1) copy of each report to: Application Control Center New Jersey State Department of Education 100 River View Executive Plaza P.O. Box 500 Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0500

33. What does the DOE do with reports? • Program reports are reviewed to determine the extent of progress in meeting the goals and objectives of the approved Program Activity Plan. • Fiscal reports are reviewed to determine the extent of adherence to the approved budget.

34. Time Out! Questions anyone?

35. Second Quarter (months 4-6) FINE TUNING

36. What reports are required for the2nd quarter? • Program Activity Plan Report • Expenditure Report • Interim Equipment Inventory Report • Interim Non-Employee Compensation Report

37. What if I have a grant under a multi-year program? • Then, add the following reports, which compose the Mid-Agreement Fiscal Performance Review: • Interim Subgrant Report • Interim Consultant Report

38. How do I complete interim reports? • See the Manual for instructions on completing interim reports.

39. When must I write to get approval to change my grant? • Prior writtenDOE approval to change a grant agreement is required when the grantee proposes: • Changes to the approved scope of work • Transfer of funds to an unbudgeted line

40. When else? • When the grantee proposes: • Transfers of funds to/from the indirect costs line. • When increasing/decreasing the total contract amount. • Any additions, deletions or substitutions to the approved equipment purchases • A change in the contract time frame • Changes to approved subgrants

41. And? • When the grantee proposes: • Costs requiring prior approval pursuant to the Federal Cost Principles • Budget transfers, the cumulative total of which equals or exceeds 10 percent of the total agreement amount, or $10,000, whichever is less COMMON AUDIT FINDING ALERT

42. Can my subgrantees change their approved budgets and activities? • Any changes proposed by a subgrantee mustfirstbe reviewed by you, the lead agency. • If necessary, the proposed changes must be sent to the NJDOE for approval.

43. What should be included in a grant agreement modification request? • A well-constructed modification request identifies: • A compelling programmatic justification and rationale • The impact on the program • What is changing

44. What are some common problems with modification requests? • Lack of detail regarding the nature and substance of the request • Mathematical errors • Incorrect starting budget used

45. What are some other common problems? • Submission after 90-day deadline • Violations of NGO guidelines • Lack of response to DOE requests for additional information or clarification

46. What identifying information should I include on my request? • NGO # and Title • Grantee Name and County/LEA Code • Agreement# and Submission Date • Project Director’s Name & Phone #, Fax # • Modification Details

47. Where do I send my modification request? Application Control Center New Jersey State Department of Education 100 River View Executive Plaza P.O. Box 500 Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0500

48. What happens to my request once it has been submitted? • Staff review the request for completeness. • Incomplete requests are returned to the grantee; complete requests are forwarded to the program officer for review. • The program officer makes a recommendation either to proceed with the request or to deny the request. • The ACC notifies the grantee, in writing, of the DOE’s decision.

49. When may I implement approved changes? • Changes that require NJDOE approval may be implemented only after receipt by the grantee of written department approval.

50. Time Out! Questions anyone?