Grant Management Course

Lesson 1 • Grant Lifecycle Stages

Traces a grant from solicitation through closeout. Understanding each stage prevents missed deadlines and compliance gaps.

Lesson 2 • Key Regulatory Frameworks

Introduces the categories of rules governing grants: cost principles, administrative requirements, and audit standards. Builds awareness before detailed compliance chapters.

Lesson 3 • The Grant Ecosystem Explained

Maps the relationships among funders, recipients, subrecipients, and beneficiaries. Provides the structural context needed for every subsequent chapter.

Lesson 4 • Ethics and Integrity in Grant Work

Covers conflict-of-interest policies, confidentiality obligations, and ethical decision-making. Establishes the professional standards expected of all grant personnel.

Lesson 1 • Organisational Readiness Assessment

Evaluates financial systems, staffing capacity, and infrastructure before committing to an application. Identifies gaps that must be resolved pre-submission.

Lesson 2 • Writing Competitive Proposals

Applies persuasive writing techniques to executive summaries, project narratives, and evaluation plans. Addresses common reviewer scoring criteria.

Lesson 3 • Budget Development for Proposals

Covers cost categorisation, indirect cost rate application, and budget narrative writing. A well-built budget signals fiscal credibility to reviewers.

Lesson 4 • Needs Assessment and Logic Models

Guides evidence-based problem framing and outcome mapping using logic models. Connects community need directly to proposed activities and measurable results.

Lesson 1 • Reading and Interpreting Award Documents

Decodes award notices, special conditions, and incorporated-by-reference requirements. Misreading award terms is a leading cause of compliance failures.

Lesson 2 • Subrecipient Agreement Development

Covers required flow-down clauses, risk assessment, and agreement structure for passing funds to subrecipients. Establishes the prime recipient's oversight obligations.

Lesson 3 • Establishing Internal Controls

Designs authorisation hierarchies, segregation of duties, and documentation protocols required before the first expenditure. Prevents fraud and disallowed costs.

Lesson 4 • Kickoff and Implementation Planning

Structures the internal kickoff meeting, work plan, and milestone schedule to align all team members with award requirements from day one.

Lesson 1 • Cash Management and Drawdown Procedures

Establishes timing rules for requesting funds, minimising cash on hand, and reconciling drawdowns to expenditures. Improper cash management triggers funder sanctions.

Lesson 2 • Core Cost Principles

Defines allowable, allocable, and reasonable costs and applies each standard to real expenditure scenarios. These principles govern every financial decision in grant management.

Lesson 3 • Budget Execution and Monitoring

Tracks spending against approved budgets using variance analysis and burn-rate calculations. Early detection of over- or under-spending prevents end-of-award crises.

Lesson 4 • Indirect Costs and Cost Allocation Plans

Covers negotiated indirect cost rate agreements, cost allocation plan development, and de minimis rate options. Ensures full and compliant recovery of overhead.

Lesson 1 • Procurement Standards and Competition

Defines procurement method thresholds, competition requirements, and conflict-of-interest safeguards. Noncompliant procurement is amongst the most cited audit findings.

Lesson 2 • Contractor Selection and Contract Terms

Covers evaluation criteria, scoring methodologies, and required contract provisions for grant-funded contracts. Protects the organisation during contractor performance issues.

Lesson 3 • Real Property and Intangible Assets

Addresses funder approval requirements, use restrictions, and reporting obligations for real property and intellectual property acquired with grant funds.

Lesson 1 • Building a Compliance Monitoring Framework

Structures risk-based monitoring schedules, checklists, and escalation paths for both financial and programme compliance. Converts regulatory requirements into operational controls.

Lesson 2 • Programme and Performance Reporting

Teaches data collection, indicator tracking, and narrative writing for performance reports. Links reported outcomes to the logic model built in Chapter 2.

Lesson 3 • Records Retention and Documentation

Specifies retention periods, acceptable record formats, and retrieval standards for grant documentation. Adequate records are the first line of defence in an audit.

Lesson 4 • Financial Reporting Requirements

Covers periodic financial report formats, reconciliation to accounting records, and submission deadlines. Accurate financial reports are the primary funder oversight tool.

Lesson 1 • Understanding the Single Audit Process

Explains audit thresholds, auditor selection, major programme determination, and the audit report package. Demystifies the process for first-time auditees.

Lesson 2 • Responding to Audit Findings

Structures management responses, corrective action plans, and timelines for resolving material weaknesses and significant deficiencies. Timely responses protect future funding.

Lesson 3 • Funder Monitoring Reviews

Distinguishes funder-conducted monitoring from independent audits and prepares staff for desk reviews and on-site visits by programme officers.

Lesson 4 • Preparing for Audit Fieldwork

Organises documentation, schedules staff interviews, and establishes an audit liaison role to streamline fieldwork. Preparation reduces audit duration and findings.

Lesson 1 • Final Programme Reporting

Compiles cumulative performance data, documents lessons learned, and submits the final performance report. Demonstrates impact and supports future funding applications.

Lesson 2 • Sustainability Planning and Transition

Identifies alternative funding sources, builds earned-revenue models, and documents programme infrastructure for continuity beyond the grant period.

Lesson 3 • Final Financial Reconciliation

Reconciles all expenditures, liquidates obligations, and returns unspent funds within required deadlines. Accurate final financial reports close the funder's obligation.

Lesson 4 • Closeout Planning and Timeline

Establishes a closeout schedule beginning 90 days before the period-of-performance end, covering financial, programme, and property tasks. Early planning prevents last-minute errors.