Office of Grants Functional Statement

E. Chapter AMT, Office of Grants (AMT)

Section AMT.00 Mission. The Office of Grants (OG) provides functional management directions in the areas of grants policy, grants oversight and evaluation, electronic grants, and grants streamlining. Provides Department-wide leadership in these areas through policy development, oversight and training. Provides Departmental and government-wide leadership on PL 106-107 implementation, Electronic Grants, and other HHS-led initiatives. Represents the Department in dealing with OMB, GSA and other Federal agencies in the areas of mandatory and discretionary grants, and electronic grants. Fosters creativity, collaboration, consolidation, and innovation in the administration of grants functions through the Department.

Section AMT.10 Organization. The Office of Grants (OG) is headed by a Deputy Assistant Secretary for Grants who reports directly to the Assistant Secretary Resources and Technology, and consists of the following components:

• Immediate Office of Grants (AMT)
• Office of Grants Policy, Oversight and Evaluation (AMT1)
• Office of Grants Systems Modernization (AMT2)

Section AMT.20 Functions

1. Immediate Office of Grants (AMT). The Immediate Office of Grants provides leadership, policy, and guidance and supervision, as well as coordinating long- and short-range planning to constituent organizations. The office supports the government-wide electronic grants initiative, including the outreach to grantors and grantees efforts, and interface with OMB, Federal CIO Council, and HHS leadership on the Grants.gov systems. Also, provides technical assistance to the Operating Divisions and evaluates effectiveness of their grant programs, including the development of performance standards and grant processing systems.

2. Office of Grants Policy, Oversight and Evaluation (AMT1). The Office of Grants Policy, Oversight and Evaluation (OGPOE) reports to the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Grants, and: 

a. Formulates Department-wide grants policies governing the management of grants throughout the Department; establishes uniform administrative rules; and provides oversight and review. 

b. Provides leadership in the areas of managing cost policy and has functional responsibility for cost principles and Department-wide cost policies and procedures affecting grants and contracts. Serves as the Departmental liaison and maintains working relationship with OMB and other Federal agencies in the development of government-wide cost principles; maintains similar relationships with associations of States, universities and other grantee and contractor organizations. Upon request, reviews and approves accounting or other systems developed by grantees and contractors to meet Federal cost principle requirements. 

c. Develops HHS-wide and Government-wide grants management policy for Federal agencies, OPDIVs and STAFFDIVs awarding grants. 

d. Develops new or improved Department-wide grant policy, which brings the Department to and maintains it at the cutting edge of new ideas in the grants management profession. Reviews trends in the field in both public and private sectors, articulates new concepts and creative adaptation of others' pioneering efforts, tests new approaches in a systematic manner, with key offices in Government-wide policy organizations and HHS components, develops and implements HHS grants management regulations, and publishes new policies and modifications in the HHS Grants Policy Directives (GPDs), including all directives necessary to implement new intergovernmental and HHS policies. 

e. Implements requirements in the Federal Grant and Cooperative Agreement Act, the Federal Financial Assistance Management Improvement Act, OMB Circulars related to grants management, and other relevant legislation and Government-wide policy. Coordinates their implementation by the OPDIVs and STAFFDIVs, and provides technical assistance and policy interpretations to the OPDIVs and STAFFDIVs. 

f. Assists in the preparation of HHS and Government-wide positions on proposed legislation or proposed Government-wide policies concerning grants. Responds to correspondence and inquiries from State and local government officials, grantees and stakeholders. 

g. Develops and manages the HHS grants evaluation and oversight procedures to ensure compliance with grants policy and to assure that the policies, business practices, and actual performance of OPDIV and STAFFDIV's grants management offices are performed efficiently, and the government's legal and financial interests are protected. Develops Departmental requirements and criteria for performance of functions and creates review evaluation models, which can be adapted by the OPDIVs and STAFFDIVs for self-evaluation. Evaluates the adequacy of reviews and assesses the completeness or prognosis for success of action plans. Aggregates findings from a variety of sources to identify patterns, e.g., analyzes evaluation and oversight reports from internal HHS sources and from external sources such as GAO to identify trends/patterns and problem areas for the purpose of identifying alternative approaches. 

h. Represents the Department in interagency grants management activities. Provides counsel and direction on OMB Circulars, GAO reports, and OIG reports. 

i. Leads the Departmental grants community through the Executive Committee on Grants Administration Policy (ECGAP), made up of the senior grants managers in the OPDIV/ and STAFFDIVs, and manages the design and implementation of HHS grants management conferences to provide state-of-the-art information to Departmental officials. 

j. Develops a strategic management approach to career development for grants management professionals both within the Department and Government-wide. Takes the lead among senior grants management officials from major agencies participating on the HHS Career Services Board to define and update a competency-based training model, certification model and career development system for application Department-wide. Within a career management approach, develops and keeps current the training and development program, which meets the unique policies and needs of HHS, and produces a fully certified workforce among HHS grants management professionals. Ensures the development of comprehensive evaluation procedures to guarantee not only complete substantive information, but also full and appropriate use of state-of-the-art adult learning technologies. Negotiates with senior officials in other Departments to manage cross-servicing agreements for them to access HHS grants management training and development models and training and to develop tailored approaches to meet their unique needs. 

k. Establishes approach and methodology to conduct evaluations to assess the effectiveness of the grants awarded and the grantees receiving the awards, including the design of overall plans and strategies for the projects in order to meet mission or program goals, requirements and time frames, to support results-based management of grants. 

l. Coordinates the review of OPDIV/STAFFIDV grant announcements policies to ensure consistency with the Secretary and the Administration's Priorities and Initiatives, in addition for compliance with Department-wide grants policies and grant regulations. 

m. Serves as the Department's liaison in the area of grants and maintains working relationships with OMB, GSA and other Federal agencies to coordinate and assist in the development of policy.

3. Office of Grants Systems Modernization (ATM2): The Office of Grants Systems Modernization (OGSM) reports to the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Grants, and consists of the following components:

• Grants.gov Program Management Division (AMT21)
• Division of Grants Streamlining Initiative (AMT22)
• Division of Grants Management Systems (AMT23)

a Grants.gov Program Management Division (AMT21): The Grants.gov Program Management Division (GPMD) provides leadership to federal and non-federal members of the Grant Community. The GPMD is responsible for the continued enhancement and development of a common, unified Web site and the accompanying business processes for ``Finding'' and ``Applying'' for government-wide grant opportunities. The division reports to the Director, Office of Grants Systems Modernization, and: 

(1) Manage and collects the Grants.gov fee-for-service contributors from the 26 grant-making agencies utilizing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and supports the agencies through Service Level Agreements. 

(2) Serves as a liaison to ensure coordination with OMB, Federal CIO Council, Grants Policy Committee and HHS leadership and other oversight organizations on the government-wide electronic grants initiative. 

(3) Enable the government to meet many of the streamlining activities required by Public Law 106-107. 

(4) Monitors Grants.gov milestones established with OMB to ensure they are met within cost and schedule parameters including HHS pass back re: E-Authentication Security Assertion Markup Language (ASML), multiple credential providers. 

(5) Coordinates and promotes the use of other government-wide initiatives in conjunction with the Grants.gov initiative (e.g., E- Authentication, Central Contractor Registration (CCR)). 

(6) Prepares the OMB Exhibit 300 and Grants.gov Business case. 

(7) Formulates government-wide policy governing the Grants.gov. Find and Apply functions and coordination with the PL 106-107 PMO and Grants Policy Committee of the Counsel of the Chief Financial Officers. 

(8) Manages the clearance and revision of government-wide grant forms. 

(9) Monitors the adoption of government-wide grant policies and procedures as they affect Grants.gov to ensure compliance. 

(10) Manages and provides oversight of the Grants.gov initiative; conducts and coordinates outreach and training for grants management professionals, grantees and grantors.

b. Division of Grants Streamlining Initiative (AMT22): This Division, established within HHS as the OMB-designated lead agency for implementation of Public Law 106-107, coordinates and provides program management support to the Work Groups and other interagency groups implementing Public Law 106-107. The Federal Financial Assistance Management Improvement Act of 1999, also known as Public Law 106-107, is the statute that underlies the agencies' efforts to streamline and simplify the grants and cooperative agreements administrative process. The Public Law 106-107 PMO is under the oversight of the Grants Executive Board and reports to the Director, Office of Grants Systems Modernization. 

(1) Coordinate PMO. 

(2) Establish and maintain business processes for Public Law 106- 107 work product development, approval, agency vetting, public comment, public comment reconciliation and restructuring of product and final pass off to OMB, the Federal Register, and Grants.gov (when applicable). 

(3) Manage the Public Law 106-107 funds, budget (justification) and expenditures. 

(4) Collect data and conduct analysis of data from public comment. 

(5) Maintain project milestones/deliverable dates (status report). 

(6) Create reports for GAO, establish the baseline model of the Annual Public Law 106-107 Congressional Report, tracking 26 Federal Agency submission of their Annual Public Law 106-107 Agency Specific Report to Congress. 

(7) Maintain a development/content of the Public Law 106-107 Web site. 

c. Division of Grants Management Systems (AMT23): This Division plans, directs and coordinates the activities of the OG with respect to implementation of all electronic grants initiatives, such as: Grants.gov, Tracking Accountability in Government Grants Systems (TAGGS), One-HHS Grants Management Systems Consolidation, Government- wide Grants Management Line of Business, OG Internet/Intranet sites, for the Department. Represents the Department or the Office of Grants on matters of electronic assistance administration policy in dealing with recipients, OMB, other Federal agencies, and the public in general. The Division reports to the Director, Office of Grants Systems Modernization Section AM.00 Mission. The mission of the Office of Resources and Technology (ORT) is to provide advice and guidance to the Secretary on budget, financial management, and information technology, and to provide for the direction and coordination of these activities throughout the Department.