During the global pandemic, the Federal government has issued more than $1.9 trillion dollars in stimulus funds through the CARES Act and other legislation. This influx of funding has resulted in new grant awards – and new oversight challenges. Already, several agency Inspectors General have identified potential instances of fraud, waste, and abuse of COVID-19 funding. This session leverages beset practices, OIG recommendations, and the lessons learned from the Recovery Act (previously the largest stimulus package, which ignited an increased emphasis on transparency and accountability) to examine the risks and rewards of managing high profile grant awards, including the added challenges of doing so during a pandemic. The presentation will include:

Understanding what is waste, fraud and abuse - including examples

Identifying potential issues using examples and lessons from the Recovery Act

Discussing how to manage sub-recipients to reduce risk of waste, fraud and abuse

Reviewing best practices for effectively and accurately managing grant funds

Identifying resources for learning more

This session focuses on pandemic funding, but the principles and practices are applicable to managing any high-profile or high-dollar awards. 

This session is designed to enable grant professionals to understand the increased level of scrutiny on high-profile grants and how it calls for increased focus on ethical grants management practices.  It also discusses post-award grant management practices that stress accountability, efficiency, transparency and organization – helping organizations design a grant program that is not only compliant but also effective and repeatable to future successes.  

Presenter:

Sarah K. Hluchan is the Grants Product Management Director for Management Concepts, overseeing their comprehensive portfolio of grants offerings.  She has previously managed grants for the State of New Jersey’s Department of Community Affairs, and has more than ten years of experience supporting federal clients on grant policy, process improvement and change management. She holds a Master of Public Policy from the McCourt School at Georgetown University.

 
Skill Level:
Mid-Career
Advanced-Career

 
Learning Path: 
Federal Grants

GPC Competencies:
Nationally recognized standards of ethical practice by grant developers

Post-award grant management practices sufficient to inform effective grant design and development