Webinars | NCJA

Grants Management Webinars

The following webinar resources are available as training tools and information sharing opportunities on current topics related to the grants administration.

NCJA Members Only Webinars

The National Criminal Justice's (NCJA) Members Only webinar series focuses on a variety of issues of interest to our members. The webinars in this new series have a smaller audience to allow for greater engagement and interactivity between the speakers and the participants in a more intimate setting. These webinars are free for NCJA members and staff of member organizations. Nonmembers pay a nominal fee.

Relevant webinars from this series are described below. More information about these webinars can be found in the webinars section of the NCJA website.

Procurement with Federal Grants: Understanding and Applying the Rules for Success

For most grantors and grantees, procurement can be the single most time-consuming administrative task in the lifecycle of grants management. And most grantee agencies rely on a procurement office to know, understand and apply the rules and regulations. However, to be successful administrators, we all need to know the federal guidelines and compliance requirements for procuring goods and services with grant money and how to train our subgrantee agencies on these same rules and regulations. In this webinar, discussed the requirements for federal grant procurement, contracting, vendor selection, internal controls and conflicts of interest, as well as some changes to these areas in the new Omni Circular 2 CFR Part 200 which take effect on December 26, 2014. This webinar was held in November, 2014.

Grants Management: Getting to Know the New Omni Circular 2 CFR Part 200

In December 2013, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) published new guidelines that significantly reform and strengthen Federal grant-making to improve outcomes for the American people while reducing bureaucratic red-tape. The new guidance will affect all new grants awarded after December 26, 2014. The final guidance supersedes and streamlines requirements from OMB Circulars A-21, A-87, A-110, and A-122; Circulars A-89, A-102, and A-133; and the guidance in Circular A-50 on Single Audit Act follow-up. It is located in Title 2 of the Code of Federal Regulations, also referred to as the Omni Circular. This webinar highlighted the most significant changes in the Omni Circular for the Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles and Audits. This webinar was held in May, 2014.

Special Note: For those of you who participated in NCJA's May 20, 2014, Webinar, Grants Management: Getting to Know the New Omni Circular 2 CFR Part 200, we wanted to share the following question and response received from one of the viewers. As you may remember, we promised to research this question and provide a response as soon as possible to all the participants. This will be particularly applicable for those of you who work with programs including victim notification and technology, including software development. The reference to 2 CFR Part 200.449 will apply only to new and amended (supplemental) awards made on or after December 27, 2014.

Question: Under section 200.449, Financing Costs associated with patents and computer software are allowable. Does this allowance now include financing costs for web development? And, expanding on that, financing costs for the development of Apps, such as those in the Justice Department programs for victim notification.

Answer: Yes, the development of web and apps are included as software development.

Reference: This response was provided by Mr. Gil Tran, senior policy analyst with the Executive Office of the President, Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Office of Federal Financial Management. Mr. Tran's main responsibilities are to develop and analyze policies and standards for OMB circulars on cost principles and audit requirements for Federal programs. He serves as point of contact for all Federal agencies on the implantation and interpretation of those circulars.

Grant Professionals Association Member Webinars

GPA is the first organization focused solely on the advancement of grantsmanship as a profession and the support of its practitioners. The organization's entire catalogue of live and on-demand (recorded) webinars are offered to GPA members for free. More than 60 live and recorded webinars are available online at a savings of nearly $4,200 in annual savings for GPA members. Learn more about becoming a GPA member.

COFAR Training Webcasts

Uniform Guidance (January, 2014) Training Webcast

On Monday, January 27, 2014, the Council on Financial Assistance Reform (COFAR), held a training webcast for more than 5,000 registered viewers, on the major updates to OMB’s recently reformed guidance on Administrative Requirements, Audit Requirements and Cost Principles for Federal Financial Assistance (2 C.F.R. 200). The presenters provided the public with a comprehensive overview of the guidance, insight into the COFAR’s deliberative process during the two year development process, and addressed frequently asked questions. The Uniform Guidance will be implemented one year from publication on December 26, 2014. OMB and the COFAR will continue to engage Federal and Non-Federal stakeholders over the next year to facilitate a smooth implementation process. Please submit any comments or questions to cofar@omb.eop.gov.