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BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS
OFFICE OF FEDERAL AND STATE GRANTS NEWSLETTER | WINTER 2017
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Welcome back to the Office of Federal and State Grants quarterly newsletter! You have received this because you are a Program Manager, work closely with grants, have entitlement dollars in your budget, oversee a department that manages grants, or work with grant funds. Please forward this to anyone who may be interested and have them "subscribe."
Look for our next issue, coming out in spring! For updates before the next issue, or to find any of this information, please visit our website.
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THE BPS GRANT APPLICATION PROCESS
Did you know that BPS has a robust grant application process in place that provides support to applicants, assures there are not competing proposals, and provides resources for finding and applying to grants? Click through the above steps to learn more about the Grant Application Process. Please be sure to submit an online Intent to Apply Form at least 2 weeks before any grant is due!
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provides an overview of policies and procedures.
a detailed breakdown of how to do everything related to grants at BPS. This is a great document to bookmark and use as a "first step" for any grant question.
provides easy-to-find grant information. Resources, processes, forms, contacts, stories, and grant facts are organized here to allow you and the general public to find all grant-related information at BPS.
If you do not have access to BAIS Financials (PeopleSoft), complete and return this form to sign up for training.
provides a constantly-updated list of grant opportunities that you, your school, or department might be interested in applying to, as well as a list of helpful places to search for upcoming opportunities.
the first step in applying to any grant. The online Intent to Apply form should be completed once you make the decision to apply for a grant and no less than 14 days before the grant is due.
FISCAL POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
outlines the policies and procedures of how the Boston Public Schools fully complies with EDGAR 2 CFR 200 Federal Regulations.
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Step-by-step instructions on how to do common grant actions.
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ACTION ITEM: Upcoming FY17 Spending Deadlines
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Last week an important memo outlining FY17 spending deadlines was shared with all BPS personnel via the Lead BPS and Superintendent's Bulletin. This memo can also be found
here
. Please ensure you are following the deadlines for budget transfers, purchases and stipend requests. Keep in mind that there are different dates depending on whether your grant ends on June 30th or August 31st. Don't wait till the last minute, please encumber your funds right away so as to not risk losing valuable grant dollars. Funds left unspent or still in requisition status as of the grant end date will have to be returned to the grantor.
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ACTION ITEM: QUARTERLY SPENDING UPDATE
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In an effort to help you understand your grant spending and status, we have created a Spend Down Report of your grants, as of February 14th
Program Managers - download the February Spend Down Report and follow the next steps listed in the report. Please flag anything that is incorrect or should be reported to the Office of Federal and State Grants.
Deadline: Friday, March 3rd
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ACTION ITEM: Time and Effort - Round 1 for FY17
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Per
OMB Uniform Grant Guidance (2 CFR 200.430)
, all employees, including teachers, paraprofessionals, and other staff paid with
federal funds
(including funds passed through the state) must document the time and effort they spend within that program.
The Office of Federal and State Grants will collect Time and Effort Certifications for all Federally-funded employees in February for the the first half of the year (July 2016-December 2016).
Emails have been sent this week from the Office of Federal and State Grants regarding this compliance requirement. Please ensure all federally-funded employees in your school/department quickly complete this requirement. It is your responsibility to make sure all employees in your department accurately complete Time and Effort Certifications.
Due date: Friday, February 17th
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SCHOOL COMMITTEE: UPCOMING DATES FOR GRANT APPROVAL
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All grants awarded to the Boston Public Schools must first obtain approval by the School Committee before any dollars may be accepted into the district. Please note the upcoming dates of the 2017 School Committee Meetings and the
due dates for grants to be submitted to the Office of Federal and State Grants.
March 1, 2017 |
Feb 21, 2017
March 15, 2017 |
March 7, 2017
April 5, 2017 |
March 28, 2017
April 26, 2017 |
April 18, 2017
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DO YOU KNOW THE WHOLE GRANTS MANAGEMENT PROCESS?
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Check your understanding of the grants management process/life cycle by walking through our Grants Management Overview. This helps orient you to the process of setting up your grant, managing spend down and successfully closing it out.
This is a great tool for anyone working with grant funds. This not only walks through the grants life cycle from start to finish, but also highlights all new policies and procedures and key dates.
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CURRENT GRANT OPPORTUNITIES
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The current grant opportunities that the Boston Public Schools is aware of can be found in our constantly-updated documen
t of
Current Grant Opportunities
. This listing contains grant opportunities from multiple different sources, as well as additional resources to assist you in locating a grant that may be right for you, your school, or department.
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In collaboration with the State, the Office of Federal and State Grants has created a Fiscal Policies and Procedures manual, which contains the internal controls and grant management standards used by the District to ensure that all federal funds are lawfully expended.
The manual describes in detail the District's financial management system, including: cash management procedures; procurement policies; inventory management protocols; procedures for determining the allowability of expenditures; time and effort reporting; record retention; and, sub-recipient monitoring responsibilities.
New employees of the District, as well as incumbent employees, are expected to review this manual to gain familiarity and understanding of the District's rules and practices.
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In December all Program Managers had provided the Office of Federal and State Grants with a projection of what they expect to receive in grant funding for FY18. These funds have been loaded in Future Force based on the projection. As a next step, once you begin the process of applying for the grant please make sure to complete the Intent to Apply form. Once awarded please make sure to obtain School Committee approval. We will be reaching out in July to ensure these steps are
occurring
, else the grant will be zeroed out in the Financials system.
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ANU MEDAPPA JAYANTH
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BENNETT GRIESMER
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CARLOS MARTINEZ
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Director of Federal and State Grants
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Manager
of Federal and State Grants
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Coordinator
of Federal and State Grants
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amedappa@bostonpublicschools.org
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bgriesmer@bostonpublicschools.org
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lcmartinez@bostonpublicschools.org
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(617)635-6995
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(617)635-8582
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(617)635-9084
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HOW ARE WE DOING?
We would love to hear from you! We would love your thoughts on our newsletter, our department, what works well, and what our department can do to better assist you. Please take a moment to leave feedback
here
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