Congratulations on the approval of your new grant! The Grants Management Survival Kit is an aid to help you with setting up your new grant (including public, private, entitlement/allocation or continuation grants) on the MUNIS accounting system and effectively managing it throughout the grant term. The Kit contains BPS Grant Forms and the Grants Management Checklist, as follows:

GRANTS MANAGEMENT CHECKLIST

UPON APPROVAL OF YOUR GRANT:

____ Complete the New Grant Fund Form and attach copies of your grant budget form, award letter and first Payment Notice (if Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education grant).

____ Complete the MUNIS Grant Coding Sheet assigning your grant budget line items, accordingly.

The completed New Grant Fund Form along with the MUNIS Grant Coding Sheet should be sent to the Accounting Office (in the Crosby Administration Building) who will then provide you with a printout of your grant budget as set-up on the MUNIS accounting system with designated organization and object codes.

____ Complete an Indirect Cost Requisition Form for your one percent (1%) Indirect Cost payment. Submit the completed form to the Grants Office. Do Not Process this Requisition as a Purchase Order.

ONGOING THROUGH THE GRANT PERIOD:

____ Keep detailed records of your grant expenditures and reconcile monthly with the MUNIS accounting system. See the sample MS Excel Grant Tracking Spreadsheet.

____ Complete a Requisition Form, as needed, to purchase supplies and contractual services.

____ Review weekly/bi-weekly Payroll Distribution Sheets and notify the Accounting Office of any necessary adjustments via the Payroll History Change Form.

____ Submit Requests for Funds on the "Active Grants" MS Excel Spreadsheet on the Central Office Public Drive (see the folder labeled "Grants Office") no later than the 15th of each month. Refer to the current grant status on Department of Education Grants Payment System at: http://doegrants.wji.com.

Enter the following on the spreadsheet: Funds Expended, your Funds Request, and Justification, a brief narrative, if your request exceeds the (adjusted) Monthly Allocation.

March 1 and June 1:

____Request an update of health insurance expenses for your grant-paid staff via the Request for Insurance Information Form and Cover Letter (see sample). This form and an accompanying cover letter should be sent to the Accounting Office. The Accountants will get the updated information from City Hall and return it to you to update your records. Allow sufficient time for City Hall to prepare this information.

Ongoing through the Grant Period:

____Review your weekly and biweekly payroll distribution sheets and compare amounts to your grant records to ensure they are accurate.

____Anticipate future salary expenditures for the remainder of the grant and estimate the anticipated MTRS expense, and include it in your records. Make certain to anticipate the impact of additional payroll expense with pay rate increases designated in the BEA contract.

____Anticipate how the remainder of each grant line item will be spent and identify those that you will not completely spend down. Note: Have a contingency plan to spend remaining funds. Example: Your summer or after-school program does not have the number of participants anticipated.

____If your grant is from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education (DESE) and you determine that you need to adjust the expense categories to match your anticipated expenses, you may need to complete a budget Amendment Form (AM1).

An Amendment Form (AM1) is required when:

1. there is any significant change in program objectives; or

2. there is any increase or decrease in the total amount of the grant; or

3. an increase in a line of the budget exceeds $100 or 10% of the line (whichever is greater), or exceeds $10,000

May 31* or July 31**

____Complete the Amendment Form (AM1), as soon as possible, with the revised budget pages attached. Amendments should be submitted to the DESE no later than 30 days before the conclusion of the grant project: May 31st for grants ending June 30th* and July 31st for grants ending August 31st.** The maximum number of amendments to any grant may not exceed two. Exceptions to this limit may be allowed based on sufficient justification as determined by the appropriate and responsible approving authority in the Department.

____It is recommended that you contact your DESE Program Officer to discuss the need for an amendment. Contact the Grants Office if you have questions or need assistance.

____Send the amendment form to your DESE Program Officer. When the amendment form is signed by the DESE and returned to you, please send a copy to the development & Grants Office and to the Accounting Office.

June 1* or August 1** (continued):

____Submit (signed) Requisitions to Financial Services no later than June 1st for DESE grants ending June 30th*; no later than August 1st for DESE grants ending, August 31st.**

____Check with Financial Services on any Purchase Orders that have not been completed.

____Contact the Grants Accountant for an appointment to reconcile your grant records to MUNIS and correct any discrepancies. Make all journal adjustments needed to match your records to MUNIS.

Final Reports August 31* and October 31**:

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education requires the submission of Final Reports (form FR1) 60 days after the close of its grants. Grants that close on June 30 require Final Reports by August 31,* and those with an August 31 end date require Final Reports by October 31.**

Please be mindful of the following steps in completing your Final Report (FR1):

____Reconcile your grant records with MUNIS reports provided by the Accounting Office. Submit your Final Report with copies of the reconciled MUNIS report to the Chief Budget Officer at Central for approval and signature. The signature on the Final Reports should be from the Chief Budget Officer, the preparer should be your name.

____If you amended your budget, use the amended budget amounts as the basis for the expended funds.

____Remember, you cannot overspend any line item by more than 10% or $10,000, whichever is smaller. Be sure to check this before you send it to the Chief Budget Officer.

Using the reconciled figures complete the Final Report form. If there is Massachusetts Teachers Retirement taken from your grant funds an MTRS Final Report Form must also be completed and sent in as part of the Final Report.

____Send your Final Report to the appropriate address at the DESE as indicated on the Final Report form.

____If there are unexpended funds, contact the Accounting Office.

____If there are unexpended funds due to the Massachusetts Teachers Retirement System (MTRS), follow the same procedures outlined above.

____Keep a copy of your signed Final Report (and MTRS Final Report, if applicable) with accompanying financial records on file for seven (7) years, and send a copy of the Final Report, MUNIS Report, Payment Notices, Amendment Report, and final Purchase Order (blue copy) for unexpended funds to the Accounting Office.

September 1 and November 1:

____Forward a copy of the signed Final Report to the Development & Grants Office. Please do so no later than September 1st for grants that close June 30th and no later than November 1st for grants that close August 31st.

Contact the Development & Grants Office at extension 4366, if you have questions or need assistance.