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General Accounting |
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Federal Employee Certification of Grant Salary Charges Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) Important Changes to Object Codes |
Grants Management
In this section you will find: Responsibilities of the Grant Manager Submit application and obtain approval (contact the Grants Resource Center) -- File application for grant funds and obtain all related approvals from the granting agency and the Denver Public Schools. Provide documentation for opening grant (contact the Grants Resource Center) -- The following documentation MUST be provided before you can obligate or spend grant funds:
Remember: All reports and reimbursement requests MUST be reviewed by the Grant Accounting staff before being filed with the grantor. Adhere to all guidelines stipulated by the grantor. It is the Grant Manager’s responsibility to ensure that only allowable items are purchased with grant funds and that all documentation is provided on a timely basis. Monitor monthly budget reports and on-line transactions. Prepare all journal entries and transactions. Ensure that all grant transactions - expenditures, receipts, transfers, etc. - are properly recorded and remain within the budget approved for each grant. Perform an ongoing review of the expenditures to ensure that they do not exceed the grant’s spending authority. File required reports -- Prepare and file all reimbursement requests, budget adjustments, and reports (interim and final). Timely reports and reimbursement requests are extremely critical. Failure to meet these deadlines (as outlined in the grant contract) may result in the loss or withdrawal of the grant by the grantor as well as penalties and fines imposed on the district and grant administrators. DPS will not be responsible for penalties and fines imposed due to the grant manager’s negligence.Determine allowable costs -- Ensure that all obligations and expenditures of grant funds are considered allowable costs by the granting agency. DPS will not be responsible for the reimbursement of any costs deemed unallowable by the granting agency. Analyze open purchase orders -- Analyze and maintain all open purchase orders to ensure that purchases are accurately encumbered and/or released during the grant period. Monitor staff changes -- Notify the Human Resources Department of all changes, deletions, and/or additions of staff affiliated with a grant. Send copies of all personnel changes to the Grant Accountant. Adhere to petty cash policies -- If purchases are made using the petty cash account at the site housing the grant, all purchases/disbursements must be in accordance with the approved petty cash policies.Responsibilities of the General Accounting Department Assist Grant Managers -- The Grant Accounting staff, in the General Accounting Department, serve as the primary contact for assistance with all grants. Click here for a list of our staff members. Maintain records provided by Grant Manager -- For audit purposes, the Accounting Department is required to maintain files on all grants. However, the Accounting Department relies on the Grant Manager to forward all necessary documentation as outlined in the previous section. Review reports and records -- The Grant Accounting staff MUST review all records and reports for accuracy of data. No reports or reimbursement requests should be sent to granting agencies without being reviewed by the Grant Accounting staff.All grant applications must include the costs of fringe benefits for all anticipated personnel. This cost is based on a percentage of total salaries. Click for Benefit rates. Most grant applications must also budget for indirect costs incurred by Denver Public Schools for the general operation/administration of the grant. Indirect Costs are figured as a percentage of total grant expenditures. Click for Indirect rates. All records related to grants must be retained for a period of not less than three years after the grant has concluded. Please contact the General Accounting Department before any grant related documentation is destroyed or otherwise disposed of. 1. Direct Costs are those costs which are directly identified with a particular project/grant and with a specific item, instructional activity, or other objective within the grant. 2. Indirect Costs are those costs of a grant which are not readily and/or specifically identifiable with a particular project or activity but are necessary to the general operation of the project or activity. Costs of this nature are typically referred to as overhead and include such costs as program administration, building use and maintenance, equipment use, general and departmental administration salaries, etc. Federal law, as documented in the Federal Register, allows for the payment of indirect costs by a grant to the agency primarily responsible for the administration of the grant, in this case the Denver Public Schools. The indirect cost rate is a ratio, expressed as a percentage of the indirect costs incurred to the direct costs incurred. These rates are calculated annually based on prior year expenditures and are to be paid by most grants to DPS for the overall administration of each grant. When grant proposals are written, you should contact the Grant Management Office for the correct rate to use. Exception to this payment must be stipulated in the grant application. 3. Allowable Costs are all costs that are approved by the grantor for the purpose of the operation of the grant. 4. Unallowable Costs are expenditures made by a grant that are not reimbursable by the grantor. Likewise, unallowable costs will not be reimbursed to the grant by the Denver Public Schools. These costs include, but may not be restricted to, sales taxes, bad debts, contingencies, fines, and any unallowable costs incurred by a grant.
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