To ensure transparent and efficient use of funds, all award recipients are required to meet certain programmatic, financial, and administrative requirements while managing their grant projects.
To help grantees meet the financial requirements, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) has launched the Grants Financial Management Online Training. The training is designed to cover all of the information you need to ensure sound fiscal management of your awards. The 24 training modules emphasize the basics of federal grants financial management and cover the following topics:
The training is available at no charge to all current DOJ award recipients and their employees. DOJ recommends that all Financial Points of Contact who have not attended one of the Office of Justice Programs Regional Financial Management Training Seminars complete the course.
To register and create an account, click "Login" on the online training homepage.
If you have any questions, please contact the Office of the Chief Financial Officer Customer Service at 1-800-458-0786 or ask.ocfo@usdoj.gov.
To inform OVC of the status and progress of their projects, recipients of discretionary funds must provide OVC with Semi-Annual Progress Reports and Quarterly Financial Status Reports. Grantees must submit these reports on a consistent and timely basis. Instructions for completing the reports can be found in the OJP Post Award Instructions document and a full explanation of these requirements can be found in the OJP Financial Guide. Questions concerning progress reporting should be directed to the OVC Victim Justice Program Specialist for the award.
Failure to submit required progress reports will lead to freezing of funds and may lead to suspension and/or termination of an award.
All prime recipients of Recovery Act funds received from OJP must comprehensively count and report the total number and types of jobs created and retained as a result of that funding to www.federalreporting.gov on a quarterly basis. For detailed information, please see the following:
OVC has developed a Trafficking Information Management System (TIMS) database, in Microsoft Access, to assist grantees with collecting and organizing performance measure data as well as meeting OVC reporting requirements. All successful applicants for victim service funding will receive access to TIMS and the TIMS Users Guide. Although not required to use TIMS, grantees must agree to provide the same statistical data captured through TIMS to OVC and its Training and Technical Assistance Center (TTAC) every 6 months, to coincide with submission of progress reports. The TIMS database helps collect data related to the numbers of clients served, client demographics, the number and types of services provided, referral sources, types of outreach activities, and numbers and disciplines of professionals trained. OVC TTAC will provide training and technical assistance on the use of the TIMS database.
Special conditions are specific programmatic requirements that are stated in the grant solicitation or program guidance and may be included in the "special conditions" section of the grant award. For example, as a condition of most awards, grantees shall only replace a Project Director and key program personnel designated for compelling reasons and with the concurrence of OJP. Additionally, a grantee must submit any print or electronic promotional materials concerning any OVC-funded project that are intended for public dissemination to OVC for review prior to release.
OVC is committed to producing high quality publications and materials and welcomes the opportunity to help grantees develop dynamic and useful products that will both inspire and educate the victims’ rights and services community about a wide range of existing and emerging issues.
As a special condition of an award, all grantees producing publications or multi-media products such as videos, must follow requirements set forth in the Publishing Guidelines that describe a set of requirements grantees and contractors must follow when submitting materials to OVC to be published.
The following most common programmatic, financial, and administrative requirements are oftentimes not met by grantees. More information about these and other requirements to help manage your grant are available in the OJP Post Award Instructions, the OJP Financial Guide, and the OJP Funding Frequently Asked Questions Web page.
OVC staff conduct regular and continuous monitoring of discretionary grantees for the dual purpose of ensuring the effective use of public funds and assisting grantees in program development and grant administration. Monitoring allows OVC to—
OVC employs several approaches to monitoring discretionary grants, some of which involve the assistance of the Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO), Office of Audit, Assessment, and Management (OAAM), and the Office of the Inspector General (OIG):
Every OVC discretionary grant is monitored by an OVC Victim Justice Program Specialist. The name and contact information for the assigned Victim Justice Program Specialist is provided in award documents and in GMS. For specific questions about a particular grant program, please contact the appropriate Victim Justice Program Specialist or OVC at 202-307-5983.
For technical assistance or guidance using GMS, contact the GMS Help Desk. The Help Desk is available via email or by phone at 202-514-2024 between 6:00 a.m. and midnight (ET), Monday through Friday, except on Federal holidays.
For information about the financial aspects of OVC grants, contact:
Office of the Chief Financial Officer
810 Seventh Street NW., Fifth Floor
Washington, DC 20531
1-800-458-0786
Fax: 202-616-5962