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Overview

An intensive two day course on the essentials of federal grants practice, from issues affecting agency decisions, to the award and administration of grants.

A Comprehensive Primer and Update on Federal Grants and Cooperative Agreements. Topics include:

  • Essential Background
  • Types of Grants
  • Laws and Regulations
  • Competing for Funding
  • Administering the Award
  • Financial and Compliance Issues
  • Intellectual Property Rights
  • Interpretation and Litigation

Each year the Federal Government awards millions of dollars to state and local government, universities, hospitals and non-profits, and corporations. The funding is for a wide variety of purposes: from law enforcement, homeland security and disaster recovery initiatives; infrastructure and housing projects; medical, engineering, energy, agricultural and environmental research; to health care, education and training, and more.

The Government's selection of programs and recipients is not governed by the rules of government contracting. Its authority is from a combination of legislation and regulations that either prescribe or create assistance initiatives or give federal agencies the discretion to enter into assistance relationships. The administration of assistance awards is controlled by unique requirements also. They vary based on the program and recipient, but share common features and requirements with other assistance relationships and contracts.

This seminar is a comprehensive primer on the complicated, diverse, and often agency- and program-specific field of federal grant practice, with emphasis on:

  • The laws and regulations governing grants, agency authorities, and programs.
  • The interpretation, types, and legal nature of grants and cooperative agreements in comparison to other instruments.
  • The funding selection process, with strategies for submitting competitive applications.
  • Managing the award, to include compliance with award conditions and the applicable regulations; and Key subjects such as fiscal and intellectual property considerations.


It is designed for those who are seeking federal assistance as well as for those in government who are recently assigned to the field. It is a useful primer, refresher, and update for both new and experienced federal grants professionals.

The insight and experience of the exceptional Course Faculty, together with the materials in the Course Manual, will provide attendees with a background in Federal Grants and resources for future reference.

Dates/Locations
No upcoming dates/locations at this time
Agenda
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Course Curriculum

PART ONE - THE ESSENTIALS

  1. Background
  2. The History of Federal Assistance
  3. The Constitution Basis for Federal Assistance
    1. Congressional Power to Define the "General Welfare"
    2. Conditions on Federal Assistance
  4. The Federal Grant and Cooperative Agreement Act
    1. The Commission on Government Procurement
    2. The Federal Grants and Cooperative Act
  5. The Requirement for Specific Statutory Assistance Authority
    1. Procurement vs. Assistance Authority
    2. Permanent and Annual Legislative Authority
    3. Mandatory vs. Discretionary Assistance Authority
  6. Fiscal Issues Affecting Assistance
    1. Purpose, Time and Amount
    2. Restrictions and Earmarks in Appropriations
  7. Types of Contractual Relationships with the Government
    1. Procurement Contracts
    2. Grants and Cooperative Agreements
    3. Cooperative Research and Development Agreements
    4. Other Transactions (Technology Investment Agreements)
  8. Selecting Procurement vs. Assistance
    1. The Principal Purpose of the Transaction
    2. Selecting Grants vs. Cooperative Agreements
  9. The Legal Nature of Grants and Cooperative Agreements
    1. Primer on Government Contract Law
    2. The Grant as Contract View
    3. The Non-Contract View
  10. Types of Grants
    1. Formula or Block Grants
    2. Project or Categorical Grants
  11. Intellectual Property Rights in Assistance
    1. Legal Primer on Intellectual Property
    2. Grantee and Government Rights
    3. The Bayh-Dole Act and 37 CFR 401

    PART TWO-GETTING ASSISTANCE AWARDS

  12. Competition Requirements
  13. Finding Assistance Opportunities
    1. Federal Information Program Act
    2. OMB Circular A-89
    3. The Catalogue of Federal Domestic Assistance
    4. Other Government Sources
    5. Broad Agency Announcements
    6. Forecasting Assistance Opportunities
    7. Enlisting Support For Assistance
  14. Strategies for Successful Applications
    1. Focuses On:
      •Legislation and Programs
      •Agency Missions
      •Applicant Vision
      •Evaluation Criteria
    2. Focuses on Instructions and Content
    3. Budget Proposals
  15. Evaluation
    1. Evaluation and Award Criteria
    2. Peer and Program Review
  16. Certifications and Representations
  17. Award
    1. The Award and Issues
    2. Typical Award Instruments
  18. Rights of Non-Selectees

    PART THREE-AWARD ADMINISTRATION ISSUES

  19. Regulations Affecting Assistance
    1. The "Common Rule"
    2. Government-Wide Regulations and their Applicability
      •Administrative Requirements (OMB Cirs. A-102 and A-110)
      •Cost Principles (OMB Cirs. A-21, A-87, A-122)
      •Audit Requirements (OMB Cir. A-133)
    3. Agency Regulations
    4. Treasury Circulars
    5. The Federal Acquisition Regulation
  20. Typical Agreement Administration Functions
    1. Cognizant Agency Functions
    2. Financial Processes
    3. Program Reporting
    4. Property Administration
    5. System Reviews
    6. Audit Resolution
    7. Closeout
  21. Sub-Recipients
  22. Contracting By Grantees
  23. Government Liability for Acts of Grantees
    1. Contract Liability
    2. Tort Liability
  24. Assistance Funding
    1. Advance Funding
    2. Interest on Grant Advances
    3. Program Income
  25. Cost Sharing
    1. Local or Matching Shares
    2. Hard and Soft Matches
    3. Two Grant Sources
  26. Changes
    1. The Right to Change
    2. Changes in Amount
    3. "Scope" Changes
    4. Substituting Grantees
  27. Costs
    1. Criteria
    2. Selected Cost Items
  28. Disputes
    1. Resolution Within the Agency
    2. Litigation
  29. Government Remedies
    1. Recovery
    2. Withholding
  30. Compliance Issues
  31. Conflicts of Interest
  32. Indicators of Fraud
  33. Terminations
    1. For Noncompliance
    2. Mutual and Unilateral
  34. Suspension and Debarment
  35. Extensions
  36. Close-Outs
    1. Costing Adjustments
    2. Residual Funds
    3. Property
    4. Final Reports
  37. Audits and Record Retention
  38. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Issues
  39. Interpretation
    1. Agreement Interpretation
    2. Statutory Interpretation
Accreditation
See Individual Courses For Available Credits
Certificates of Completion are provided to all seminar participants who attend Federal Publications Seminars courses following the event, upon request.
CPE: Continuing Professional Education
Field of Study: Specialized Knowledge
Delivery Method: Group-Live Classroom
Federal Publications Seminars is affiliated with West Professional Development and is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its website: www.nasbaregistry.org.
For more information regarding administrative policies such as refunds, cancellations and complaints, please contact Federal Publications Seminars at 888.494.3696.
CPE Hours
This program is eligible for: 13.0 (CPE) hours of credit
Program Level: Basic
Program Prerequisite: None
Advance Preparation: None
Method: Group-Live
CLP: Continuous Learning Points
Approved for CLP by Defense Acquisition University
Defense Acquisition Workforce members must acquire 80 Continuous Learning Points (CLP) every two years from the date of entry into the acquisition workforce for as long as the member remains in an acquisition position per DoD Instruction 5000.66. We will provide you with documentation of points awarded for completing the event.
CLP Hours
This program is eligible for: 11.0 (CLP) hours of credit
CLE: Continuing Legal Education
States have widely varying regulations regarding MCLE credit. LegalEdcenter is an approved provider in AL, AK, AR, CA, GA, IL, ME, MO, MS, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA, VI, VT, WA, WI, and WV. Credit may be applied for in other jurisdictions on request and in accordance with state MCLE rules.
Please note that because some states are changing their policy on CLE reporting, you will need to fill out the request for credit from Federal Publications Seminars within 10 business days, or we may not be able to issue credits for the program.
CLE Hours
This program is eligible for: 11.0 (60 minutes), 13.0 (50 minutes)
Travel
No travel information is available at this time