Financial Management Principles for Federal Grants to Tribes - Part 1

The Department of Justice has three primary grant-making components, the Office of Justice Programs (OJP), the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office). These three grant-making components provide Federal leadership in developing the nation’s capacity to prevent and control crime, administer justice, and assist crime victims. They also provide policy guidance, financial control, and support services to their recipients in the areas of grants, accounting, and financial management. Each grant-making component conducts programmatic monitoring through site visits and desk reviews, and provides technical assistance and training to recipients.

This five-part video training series is intended to help tribal grantees fulfill their fiduciary responsibility to safeguard grant funds and ensure funds are used for the purposes for which they were awarded. These online presentations are delivered by William Faith, Staff Account (COPS), Suheyla Lasky, Grants Financial Analyst (OVW) and Michael Williams, Staff Accountant (OJP). The series covers a variety of laws, rules and regulations that affect the financial and administrative management of a grant, from pre-award through post-award to include the closeout process.  

A list of topics covered in each of the videos and the length of the video is listed here:

Part One (43:09) -

• OJP/OVW/COPS Structure
• Federal Budget Process
• Financial Management Systems
• Code of Federal Regulation
• Classification of Costs
• Selected Items of Cost
• Matching
• Procurement Procedures

Part Two (26:58) -

• Application Review
• Budget Review: Personnel, Fringe, Travel, Lodging, Supplies, Construction, Sub-awards, Indirect Costs, and Other
• Budget Narrative
• COPS Budget Review for Purpose Area 1
• Reasons Budgets Do Not Clear
• Tips for COPS Budgets

Part Three (22:58) -

• Award Notification and Acceptance: COPS
• Award Terms and Conditions
• Availability of Funds, Program Income and GPRS
• Top Ten Tips, Payment of Grant Funds
• Registration, Drawdown Process
• Changes to the Award

Part Four (24:00) -

• Reporting Requirements
• Intro to the Grants Management System
• Federal Financial Report (SF_425)
• Program Progress Report

Part Five (23:45) -

• Single Audit
• Resolution of Audit Reports
• Top 10 Audit Findings
• Monitoring and Compliance
• Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Sub-award Reporting System (FSRS)
• Closeouts
• DOJ Grants Financial Guide
• How to Access Grant Money