USDA Forest Service
Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
Grants and Agreements
What’s New for FY 2011
USDA Forest Service
Northeastern Area
State and Private Forestry
USDA Forest Service
Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
Agenda
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Grant narrative format for “core” funds
Award Letter Templates
Subrecipient Reporting
Performance Progress Report
Equipment Purchases via Grants
Close-out Policy
USDA Forest Service
Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
New Grant Narrative Format for S&PF
Core Funds
Sherri Wormstead
NA Office of Knowledge Management
Sustainability & Planning Coordinator
USDA Forest Service
Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
Why a Nationally-Consistent
Format?
To support and
encourage
implementation of
the State
Forest Resource
Strategies
USDA Forest Service
Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
Redesign Implementation
Council Challenge:
Develop a simple, flexible, standard format
to incorporate State Forest Resource
Assessments and Strategies into
noncompetitive grant narratives.
USDA Forest Service
Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
How the Format was Developed
 March 2010—Held national calls to gather input
 Drafted by work group of USFS and state staff
 Reviewed narratives and regional templates for
each S&PF Program
 Sept. 2010—shared draft
 Dec. 2010—S&PF Board approved the draft for
“beta” use in FY11 S&PF
 Tweak and finalize—Final review by S&PF Board
USDA Forest Service
Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
National Data Strategy Team
“Program & Planning” Work Group
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Helen Cozzetto (MN)
Neil Letson (AL)
Cotton Randall (OH)
Dave Stephenson (ID)
Dana Coelho (WFLC)
Margie Ewing (R1 & R4)
Tim Mersmann (R8)
Sherri Wormstead (NA)
USDA Forest Service
Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
Grant Narrative Format
 Grant Narrative Summary:
An overview of the work components and S&PF
programs included in the grant.
 Program/Project Grant Narrative:
Provides information specific to an individual
S&PF Program and/or project.
For reference:
 National S&PF Program Authorities and Guidance
 Example narrative
USDA Forest Service
Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
Overview
 Provides instructions for narrative
documentation to support SF-424
 Use in place of the NA narrative templates
 For “core” S&PF Program grants to State
Forestry agencies, except Forest Legacy grants
 For single S&PF Program and Consolidated
Payment Grants
 Incorporates reference to State Forest Strategy
 Flexible—you can modify as needed
USDA Forest Service
Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
Overview, Continued…
 New format is not required for NA S&PF
competitive projects. The proposal = the narrative.
 May be used for grants to other organizations
 The format is for the narrative—one part of the
grant application!
 Standard format for reporting was not addressed.
USDA Forest Service
Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
Closer Look at the Format
 Grant Narrative Summary
 Overarching boilerplate text
 Grant Period
 Grant Components and Amount
Fill out once (serves
as table of contents)
Grant Narrative Summary
USDA Forest Service
Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
Closer Look at the Format
 Grant Narrative Summary
 Overarching boilerplate text
 Grant Period
 Grant Components and Amount
Fill out once (serves
as table of contents)
 Program/Project Grant Narrative
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Lead Contacts
Purpose
Scope of Work
Methodology and Timeline
Accomplishment Reporting
Budget
Fill out for each S&PF
Program and/or project
that is part of the grant
Program/Project Grant Narrative
Example Narrative
Example Narrative
Example Narrative
Draft S&PF Authorities &
Guidance Document
Draft S&PF Authorities &
Guidance Document
USDA Forest Service
Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
Next Steps
 Will post the final documents soon
http://www.na.fs.fed.us/fap/fap.shtm
 Work with your Forest Service
program contact as usual
 Input requested as the new format is
used: spf-grant-narrative@fs.fed.us
 S&PF Board will consider input
 Adapt and change  aiming for a
streamlined and simple process
USDA Forest Service
Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
Time for Questions!
Dial * 1 to be called on to ask your question
or
Type your question in the “Chat Panel”
USDA Forest Service
Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
New Award Letter Template
Zaneta Hammond
NA Grants & Agreements Specialist
USDA Forest Service
Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
WO Award Templates
 Look very different from our letters
 3 page Award Letter (Grant Specific Information and Signatures)
 Attachment A – Terms and Conditions
 Attachment B – 2 CFR Part 170
 Assigned an OMB file number
 Subaccount Information
 Located in Attachment A
 Countersignature Page
 No longer one page but will now be the 3 page award letter
USDA Forest Service
Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
Sub-Recipient Reporting
Zaneta Hammond
NA Grants & Agreements Specialist
USDA Forest Service
Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
Subrecipient Reporting
 Federal Funding Accountability & Transparency Act (FFATA)
signed in 2006
 Effective October 1, 2010
 Code of Federal Regulation – 2 CFR 170
 OMB Memorandum dated August 27, 2010 (Federal Spending
Transparency and Subaward and Compensation Data)
 Reporting
 Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act
Subreporting System – www.fsrs.gov
USDA Forest Service
Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
Subrecipient Reporting
 If the initial award is equal to or over $25,000, reporting of
subaward and executive compensation data is required.
 Does not include procurement of property or services
needed to carry out the project
 Recipients report on executive compensation
 Information must be reported within one month of
obligating the funds and to the maximum extent possible
 Information already collected from Federal agencies on
Federal grants and prime awardees will be pre-populated
to minimize duplicative reporting of the prime awardee’s
entity information.
USDA Forest Service
Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
Subrecipient Reporting
 If the initial award is below $25,000 but subsequent
grant modification result in a total award equal to or
over $25,000, the award will be subject to the
reporting requirements, as of the date the award
exceeds $25,000.
 If the initial award equals or exceeds $25,000 but
funding is subsequently de-obligated such that the
total award amount falls below $25,000, the award
continues to be subject to the reporting
requirements of the Transparency Act.
USDA Forest Service
Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
Subrecipient Reporting
The following are not subject to the reporting requirements:
 A Federal award to an individual who applies for or
receives a Federal award as a natural person (i.e.,
unrelated to any business or non-profit organization
he or she may own or operate in his or her name);
 A Federal award to an entity that had a gross income,
from all sources, of less than $300,000 in the entity’s
previous tax year; and
 Any award if the required reporting would disclose
classified information.
USDA Forest Service
Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
Performance Progress Report
(SF-PPR)
Lori Gordon
NA Grants & Agreements Specialist
USDA Forest Service
Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
Performance Progress Report
(SF-PPR)
 SF-PPR is a standard, government-wide
performance progress reporting format that
will be used by Federal agencies to collect
performance information from recipients.
USDA Forest Service
Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
Performance Progress Report
(SF-PPR)
 Use for new FY2011 awards that exceed
$100,000 or more per project/grant period.
 Includes cover page and six optional
reporting formats. NA has chosen to use:
 SF-PPR (Cover Page)
 SF-PPR-D (Table of Activity Results)
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants_forms
 SF-PPR will be submitted annually.
USDA Forest Service
Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
Equipment Acquired via Grants
Lori Gordon
NA Grants & Agreements Specialist
USDA Forest Service
Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
Equipment Acquired via Grants
Enhanced guidance issued based on
resolution of ARRA OIG audit report
 Equipment – personal property having a useful life
of more than one year and an acquisition cost of
$5,000 or more per unit.
 Clarifies and defines roles and responsibilities
 Recipients
 Forest Service Program Contacts
USDA Forest Service
Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
Equipment Acquired Via Grants
Recipient Responsibilities
 Ensure general requirements of laws and regulations
found in OMB circulars are followed
 Document intended use of equipment
 Provide equipment description
 Evaluate costs – lease vs. purchase
 Document proposed acquisition strategy
 Address if equipment will be used to support another
Federal award
• Equipment cannot be included as a cost or used to meet cost
sharing requirements on any other Federal award.
USDA Forest Service
Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
Equipment Acquired via Grants
Forest Service Program Contact Responsibilities
 Review the proposed equipment purchase
 Equipment purchase is necessary
 Must certify in writing
USDA Forest Service
Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
Closeout Policy
Terri Lopez
NA Business Management
Group Leader
USDA Forest Service
Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
Closeout Policy
 FS will implement a new financial system
 November/December 2011
 Main Focus
 Unliquidated Obligations
 Grants with no drawdowns for 1 year or
more
USDA Forest Service
Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
Website References
 NA Grants & Agreements Website:
http://www.na.fs.fed.us/fap/fap.shtm
 2 CFR 170 – Reporting Subaward and Executive
Compensation Information
http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/textidx?sid=5d76508a7364b058d28dd86ea58ba080&c=ecfr&t
pl=/ecfrbrowse/Title02/2cfrv1_02.tpl#175
 Subrecipient Reporting System
https://www.fsrs.gov
USDA Forest Service
Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
ANY QUESTIONS?
Dial * 1 to be called on to ask your question
or
Type your question in the “Chat Panel”
USDA Forest Service
Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry
Thank you very much
for your participation!
Please provide comments about this
training session at:
www.surveymonkey.com/s/K9M8MDT