The Financial Management Division (FMD) is the focal point for the agency’s financial accounting data and fiscal operations related to Federal assistance programs. Financial accounting activities include recording, reconciling, and reporting on all accounting transactions as related to NIFA’s Federal assistance programs. As such, FMD is responsible for ensuring the integrity, timeliness, relevance, and transparency of financial accounting data and data analytics to assist applicants, grantees, stakeholders, and staff to evaluate and make informed decisions on NIFA’s programs.

Specifically, FMD is responsible for the following functions and activities:

• Serving as NIFA’s point of contact for the U.S. Treasury’s Automated Standard Application for Payments (ASAP), the payment system selected by USDA and NIFA to authorize Federal assistance funding to grantees. FMD’s Payments Team (PT) manages the ASAPCustomerService@nifa.usda.gov email box/help desk for NIFA.
• Processing payments for the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP); annual interest payments for the Tribal College Endowment Program; and funding authorizations for the grants awarded under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program.
• Administering NIFA’s interagency agreements from execution to close-out including Intra-Governmental Payment and Collection (IPAC) payments.
• Financially closing out Federal assistance awards.
• Reconciling NIFA’s accounting transactions with data recorded in ASAP; USDA’s financial management system, Financial Management Modernization Initiative (FMMI); NIFA’s grants management legacy system, Cooperative Research, Education, and Extension Management System (CREEMS); and U.S. Treasury.
• Preparing financial accounting reports, as required by the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act of 2014 (DATA) and the Grants Oversight and New Efficiency (GONE) Act as well as other reports for the Department, NIFA management officials, and others.

GOALS

• Assist NIFA and USDA in supporting more effectively and efficiently program outcomes by ensuring the integrity, timeliness, relevance, and transparency of financial accounting data.
• Assist NIFA and USDA by providing critical customer service and technical outreach to grantee and stakeholders.
• Support NIFA and USDA to provide more effective program evaluation and hold management accountable by providing timely, accurate, and comprehensive financial accounting reports.
• Support USDA’s Financial Management Modernization Initiative (FMMI) by leveraging Departmental resources and other Federal agency shared-services to reduce administrative costs, improve customer service, improve data quality, and enhance data analytics.
• Ensure that policies and procedures related to the Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Improvement Act of 2010 are developed, implemented, and adhered to by NIFA staff and grantees to minimize improper payments as defined under this Act.
• Ensure that proper internal controls per OMB Circular A-123 – Management’s Responsibility for Internal Control are incorporated in all financial accounting and fiscal operations of FMD.
• Ensure that GONE Act reporting for NIFA is accurate and submitted by established due dates.
• Review, reconcile, and resolve unliquidated obligations according to Departmental guidelines and directives.