Last Year’s Most-Read Blog Posts: OMB Training, Peer Review Panels & More

Posted on by Grants.gov

Here at the Grants.gov Community Blog, we strive to highlight and produce federal grants-related resources that will remain useful long into the future.

If you missed any of these popular posts from the blog in 2018, now is your chance to get up to speed for the new year.

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5 Popular Posts from 2018

OMB Publishes Free Online Grants Management Training

“The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) initially developed its Grants 101 Training for federal government employees, but now these eLearning modules are available as a resource for you.”  Read More >

Continue reading Last Year’s Most-Read Blog Posts: OMB Training, Peer Review Panels & More

Resource: SBA’s Online Training Course on Financing a Small Business

Posted on by Grants.gov

Entrepreneurs and small business owners often ask us, “Can I get a government grant to support my enterprise?”

Perhaps they have an idea for a new business. Or maybe they are looking for funding to help grow their business.

Awhile back, we published a short video about this topic, but the Small Business Administration has a more in-depth online resource for folks looking to finance a small business.

SBA gif

The free, self-paced online course Financing Options for Small Businesses addresses many of the questions we hear from entrepreneurs and small business owners.

Continue reading Resource: SBA’s Online Training Course on Financing a Small Business

Gift Cards for Federal Grants? Don’t Fall for This Scam

Posted on by Grants.gov

In recent weeks, the Grants.gov Support Center has seen a surge in calls relating to federal grant scams.

If you receive a call promising free government grant funding to start a business or to help pay your bills, hang up. The call is a scam. Continuing a conversation with a scammer may put your personal information at risk.

Gift cards for grants? Don't get scammed

Continue reading Gift Cards for Federal Grants? Don’t Fall for This Scam

Public Feedback on Federal Grants Management Draft Data Standards Open Until January 15

Posted on by Grants.gov

On November 15, the Results-Oriented Accountability for Grants Cross Agency Priority Goal Team began collecting feedback on the Federal Grants Management Draft Data Standards via a dedicated website.

In developing the data standards and soliciting public input, the Federal Government aims to “… contribute to a future state where grants data are inter-operable, [where] there are fewer internal and public-facing grants management systems, and [where] Federal awarding agencies and recipients leverage data to successfully implement a risk-based, data-driven approach to managing Federal grants.”

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The Team notes on https://grantsfeedback.cfo.gov that “these data standards are a pre-decisional draft and should not be interpreted as setting policy or official guidance.”

 

Continue reading Public Feedback on Federal Grants Management Draft Data Standards Open Until January 15

Community Insights: Building Larger Partnerships in the Federal Grant Community

Posted on by Grants.gov

Community Insights is a new series that highlights advice and wisdom gleaned from the federal grant community. The posts excerpted in this series will have appeared already within Grants.gov’s Twitter and the Community Forum channels.

In this blog post, we’re featuring an exchange between applicants about creative ways to build partnerships when federal funding opportunities appear limited. A special thanks to Twila Nesky for taking the time to share her wisdom with the community.

Community Insights

‘A Truly Creative Endeavor’

Q: Hello everyone, I am interested to learn about how you all are being more creative in your approach to funding when the Federal funding is limited. 

Continue reading Community Insights: Building Larger Partnerships in the Federal Grant Community

Federal Grants Policy: 5 Highlights from OMB Memo M-18-24

Posted on by Grants.gov

A memorandum released by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on September 5, 2018, outlined a range of steps that the Federal Government is taking to reduce grant recipient reporting burden. You can read the memo in full here.

Office of Management and Budget

Below, we highlight a few of the key takeaways relevant to the federal grants community:

Continue reading Federal Grants Policy: 5 Highlights from OMB Memo M-18-24

User Story: Where In the World Is My Federal Grant Application?

Posted on by Grants.gov

All grant applicant journeys must eventually come to an end – ideally, with news of an award.

You may remember, in our last installment, our fearless applicants Susan, April, and Leo submitted their federal grant applications. In this post, we close out their stories with one final article about what happened after their applications were submitted.

Three applicant profile icons

Continue reading User Story: Where In the World Is My Federal Grant Application?

User Story: Checking the Application and Submitting in Grants.gov

Posted on by Grants.gov

That sense of relief is almost here for Susan, Leo, and April. From their different circumstances and team sizes, they have all reached a similar point—the grant application is done and they are ready to submit. Before sending it in to the agency, though, they would also like to review the application to make sure it is ready. This review involves their team internally reviewing the accuracy and quality of the application, but it also includes validating it in Grants.gov.

3-Applicants-UserStory

Continue reading User Story: Checking the Application and Submitting in Grants.gov

Prepare for Reporting Requirements – Grant Writing Basics

Posted on by Grants.gov

When you receive a federal grant, you are receiving taxpayer dollars with the expectation you will successfully implement a public-serving project. Such projects can range from publishing scientific research results to creating apprenticeship opportunities for underrepresented populations to providing foreign aid and democratic development.

To ensure you (i.e., the award recipient) are using the funds ethically and efficiently, the federal government establishes grant reporting requirements. After you submit these reports, the grant-making agency then has staff who carefully review them to maintain transparency and to prevent fraud and abuse.

grant writing basics icon

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User Story: A State Agency’s Annual Grant Application

Posted on by Grants.gov

April's user story: I work for a state agency, and it is time to submit the annual federal grant application. If possible, I don't want to fill out the same SF-424 again.

April knows the grant program her state agency applies for each year. She’s familiar with the process and requirements, and this year’s iteration of the grant has hardly changed from last year. So, April would like to be able to re-use last year’s work to save time.

For some of the new work in this year’s application, April needs to add two fellow staff members to the team in Grants.gov, but they cannot have access to any of the budget information.

Time-Savers: Reusing Forms & Copying a Past Workspace

Continue reading User Story: A State Agency’s Annual Grant Application