Annual Federal Grants Management Update 2024
- Start: December 11, 2024 7:30 am
- End: December 12, 2024 4:45 pm
Join your fellow grants management professionals this year in sunny Florida to learn about the latest developments affecting Federal financial assistance during the Annual Federal Grants Management Update in greater Orlando on December 11-12, 2024.
This last year has been one of the most eventful years in Federal grants management in the past decade. The biggest development of 2024 was the Office of Management and Budget’s publication of its long-anticipated comprehensive updates to the Uniform Grants Guidance. However, the financial-assistance-funded community also witnessed important legal, accounting, and technological changes during 2024. The Annual Federal Grants Management Update will cover the latest news and most significant developments that Federal recipients and subrecipients need to know to remain in compliance with current requirements and best practices.
During our extended half-day opening session, you will learn about the OMB’s updated Uniform Grants Guidance as well as recent legal and administrative developments. Additional sessions will explore procurement under the revised Uniform Guidance and the OMB’s changes to the Single Audit process. However, the annual update is not limited to the revised Uniform Guidance. You will also get answers to frequent fiscal management questions and learn about important trends in grants management, including the rise of Artificial Intelligence, prevention of professional burnout, and promotion of effective workplace communication. This once-a-year training conference will offer attendees two full days of informative and insightful grants management lessons for 2024 and the upcoming year.
When you attend the Annual Federal Grants Management Update this December, you will learn about the key requirements for managing Federal financial assistance awards under the revised OMB Uniform Grants Guidance as well as emerging issues for 2025. However, seating is extremely limited for this exclusive training. Make your plans now to attend this year’s edition of the Annual Federal Grants Management Update in Orlando, Florida, on December 11-12, 2024.
TOPICS
During the 2024 training conference, our expert presenters will cover the new requirements and major revisions in the Office of Management and Budget’s recent updates to the Uniform Grants Guidance. Our agenda for this year’s Federal Grants Management Update will also examine other developments at the OMB, answer common financial management questions, explore issues with use of Artificial Intelligence, discuss preventing professional burnout, and explain strategies for effective workplace communication. When you attend, you will learn about the following:
- Updates to the Office of Management and Budget’s Uniform Grants Guidance;
- Changes to key thresholds in connection with Federal awards and subawards;
- Important policy and administrative developments at the OMB;
- Significant court decisions in 2024 and potential impacts on grantees;
- Managing multiple awards or subawards while avoiding burnout;
- Fostering effective workplace communication without conflict;
- Legal and ethical challenges with use of Artificial Intelligence (AI);
- Advice for preparing for successful Single Audit Act audits;
- Answers to the most frequent financial management questions;
- Avoiding common compliance issues with Federal awards; and,
- Making purchases for grant-funded programs the right way.
The Annual Federal Grants Management Update will explain these topics and more. You will gain the information needed for continued grants management success in 2024 and beyond. You will also have multiple opportunities throughout the conference to ask your individual grants management questions.
AGENDA
This year’s Annual Federal Grants Management Update training conference is scheduled for December 11-12, 2024, in warm and sunny Orlando, Florida. Please note that the cancellation deadline is 5:00 pm EST on November 8, 2024. The planned agenda (subject to change) for each day of the conference is as follows:
Day One (Wednesday, December 11, 2024)
Sign-in for the Annual Federal Grants Management Update at the registration desk before the first session.
Learn about recent developments and key changes in Federal grants management during this extended opening session. The biggest change in the world of Federal grants in the last year has been the Office of Management and Budget's comprehensive updates to the Uniform Grants Guidance. Attorney Brian Tipton will explain in detail the OMB's revisions to these key grants management rules and the reasons behind the changes. This session will also look at other significant legal and administrative developments. After attending this session, you will be able to identify the OMB's changes to the Uniform Grants Guidance and outline current requirements under the revised UGG. Please note that this is the first segment of a two-part session.
Enjoy a 15-minute coffee break between the morning sessions.
Learn about recent developments and key changes in Federal grants management during this extended opening session. The biggest change in the world of Federal grants in the last year has been the Office of Management and Budget's comprehensive updates to the Uniform Grants Guidance. Attorney Brian Tipton will explain in detail the OMB's revisions to these key grants management rules and the reasons behind the changes. This session will also look at other significant legal and administrative developments. After attending this session, you will be able to identify the OMB's changes to the Uniform Grants Guidance and outline current requirements under the revised UGG. Please note that this is the second segment in a two-part, double session.
Meet and share a meal with your fellow attendees during our networking luncheon. The luncheon will feature a buffet with a selection of entrees and side dishes as well as salad and dessert.
Since the pandemic, members of the grant-funded community have become more aware of burnout for managers of high volume grants. This awareness is part of a larger recognition of the importance of wellbeing both personally and professionally. In this session, fundraising and grant writing consultant Stephanie Sample will discuss how to avoid professional burnout. Stephanie will provide warning signs (like the check engine lights on a car's dashboard) and strategies for preventing professional exhaustion. Attendees will also be asked to share their own stories. After attending this session, you will be able to identify common indicators of burnout and list strategies for stopping burnout within the grant-funded sector.
Enjoy light snacks and beverages during this 30-minute break between the afternoon sessions.
Communication within the workplace is essential. However, sometimes communication can lead to harmful conflict. Join attorney and mediator Kate Weaver Patterson for an exploration of workplace communication, including those touchy subjects that can result in unnecessary or unproductive conflict. During this session, you will learn how to approach difficult subjects and foster effective workplace communication while avoiding negative conflict. After attending, you will be able to outline at least three strategies for communicating in the workplace without causing harmful conflicts.
The first day of the conference will conclude at 4:45 pm on December 11, 2024.
Sign-in for the second day of the Annual Federal Grants Management Update before the morning sessions. Note: if you signed-in for the conference on the first day, you do not need to sign-in with the registration desk today.
Artificial Intelligence (or AI) is more than just a buzzword. Grants management professionals are both excited and concerned about the potential uses (and misuses) of AI for writing and managing grants. During this session, patent attorney and AI thought leader Dr. Caroline Coker Coursey will lead a discussion of the benefits and risks posed by Artificial Intelligence. Dr. Coursey will focus on the legal and ethical issues surrounding AI and how to avoid pitfalls with this technology. After attending this session, you will be able to identify acceptable uses of AI, major risk factors associated with Artificial Intelligence, and ways to prevent problems when using AI.
Enjoy a 15-minute coffee break between the morning sessions.
The OMB's recent updates to the Uniform Grants Guidance were not the only changes affecting Single Audits in 2024. In addition to revising the audit standards, the OMB released a new Compliance Supplement containing its own important updates. Find out what has changed as CPA Keith Hundley explains the current Single Audit Act process. Keith will share an auditor's tips for having a successful audit, including advice for selecting the audit firm as well as preparing for, conducting, and responding to the audit itself. You will also learn about the most common audit findings and how to avoid them. Following this session, you will be able to outline the single audit process for Federal grantees and subrecipients.
Get out and explore the numerous local lunch options on your own during this extended, 90-minute break between our morning and afternoon sessions.
Did you ever wish that you could sit down with an accountant and ask all your nagging questions about fiscal management related to Federal grants? Then this session was designed with you in mind! Certified Public Accountant Keith Hundley will answer the most common questions about grant accounting and auditing. During this session, you will learn about preparing the Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards (SEFA), property management standards, property expenses charged to federal programs, and non-federal share. Keith will also take individual audience questions during this fast-paced, interactive session.
Enjoy beverages and light snacks during this 30-minute break between the afternoon sessions.
The OMB's 2024 updates to the Uniform Grants Guidance made significant changes to many parts of the Guidance. The procurement standards were one of the areas with the most changes. Join attorney Brian Tipton for this detailed discussion of the new procurement standards to close the conference. Brian will explain rules for different types of entities, changes to procurement methods, conditions for competition, provisions to limit waste, efforts to use disadvantaged businesses, acceptable factors in contractor selection, preferences in sourcing, guidelines for sustainable choices, and requirements for cost or price analysis. Following this session, you will be able to identify the requirements for procurement for Federal financial assistance awards and subawards under the 2024 Uniform Grants Guidance updates.
The Annual Federal Grants Management Update will conclude at 4:45 pm on December 12, 2024.
When you attend the Annual Federal Grants Management Update 2024, you will learn about important developments in Federal grants management, including the OMB’s recent changes to the Uniform Grants Guidance, as well as emerging issues and important trends affecting financial assistance recipients and subrecipients. After attending the conference, you will be able to:
- Outline the OMB’s comprehensive updates to the Uniform Grants Guidance;
- List the OMB’s main goals in revising the Uniform Grants Guidance;
- Describe at least two strategies for avoiding burnout as a grants professional;
- Identify at least three ways to foster effective workplace communication;
- List at least two risks and two benefits associated with Artificial Intelligence;
- Outline the current Single Audit Act audit process;
- List the steps in preparing the Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards;
- Identify the requirements for managing property acquired with Federal funds;
- Describe the requirements for claiming non-Federal share; and,
- List the procurement standards for purchases using Federal financial assistance.
AUDIENCE AND CPE
The Annual Federal Grants Management Update 2024 is intended for all members of the grant-funded community. This includes governing body members, officers, executives, management, fiscal staff, program staff, and other grants management professionals. The complete course is recommended for a total of 14 hours of CPE in the field of specialized knowledge (government and nonprofits). The experience level for this training is update. No specific educational background is required to attend, but it is recommended that attendees have at least one year’s experience working with (or in a governance role involving) Federal financial assistance. No other prerequisites are required and no advance preparation is required.
SPEAKERS
Dr. Caroline Coker Coursey brings over two decades of invaluable experience at the intersection of law, technology, and innovation to the table. With a rich background as a patent examiner at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, she seamlessly transitioned into pivotal roles within prestigious law firms, corporate entities, and an esteemed university research program.
Armed with a robust academic foundation in electrical engineering and computer science, Caroline has continually gravitated towards intricate technical realms throughout her illustrious career. Her expertise spans across a spectrum of intellectual property and corporate law, with a keen focus on navigating the complexities of emerging technologies.
Caroline’s professional repertoire boasts negotiations with industry titans and spearheading agreements with some of the globe’s leading technology conglomerates. Notably, she has been a guiding force in advising on cutting-edge domains such as artificial intelligence, while demonstrating her acute understanding of both legal intricacies and technological advancements.
Keith Hundley is a CPA and partner with Carr, Riggs & Ingram, LLC (CRI), and has over twenty years of experience in private industry and public accounting. Keith is a part of the firm’s governmental services and nonprofit practice recognized throughout the South for its knowledge of auditing standards and business practices. Keith specializes in providing audit, tax and consulting services to nonprofits, as well as federal, state and local governments. Keith regularly serves as a continuing education leader for CRI as well as a certified facilitator in the CRI Leadership Academy. Keith is an active member in the American Institute of Certified Accountants (AICPA) and the Alabama Society of Certified Public Accountants (ASCPA), and is a 2011 inductee to the Troy University Accounting Hall of Honor.
Kate Weaver Patterson is an experienced litigator, non-profit executive, and mediator. She is licensed to practice law in South Carolina and New York. Currently, Kate splits her time between Greenville, South Carolina, and Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she currently lives with her husband and their three children. She works with consulting clients across the United Stated
Before launching KWP Consulting, Kate started the Second Chance Justice Collaborative in 2019, a program of national non-profit Root & Rebound, whose mission is to help people navigate reentry after imprisonment and mitigate the harms caused by mass incarceration. Her work with R&R was particularly informed by the racial disparities within the criminal legal system and the need to bring disparate groups together to make meaningful change.
Before moving into nonprofit work, Kate worked as a litigation associate at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton in New York and then clerked for four federal judges around the country. Following her clerkships, she spent five years as a domestic violence, child abuse and sex crimes prosecutor in Greenville, South Carolina, handling hundreds of cases and multiple trials. As a prosecutor, Kate learned the importance of thorough investigation and thoughtful deliberation to bring fairness to all involved.
Kate grew up in Greenville, South Carolina. She received her Bachelor of Arts in History and French from Duke University and earned her Master’s Degree in International Affairs, with distinction, from the University of Hong Kong. She returned to Duke University School of Law, receiving her Juris Doctor, magna cum laude.
Stephanie Sample is the founder and CEO of Fundraising for the Future (FFTF), which supports organizations in leaning into the expansive nature of grant proposal writing and grant-making. FFTF is a small but mighty grant writing firm based in New Mexico that has secured over $10 million in grants in the last 5 years. FFTF provides philanthropic consultation to a variety of local and regional funders. FFTF believes that both traditional best practices and multidisciplinary tools such as futures thinking will be needed to usher organizations and funders into this new era of philanthropy.
R. Brian Tipton is a practicing attorney with more than two decades' worth of experience working with nonprofits, governmental units, and other grant-funded organizations across the United States. Currently, Brian is Managing Director with Tipton KPCL Law, in metro Atlanta, Georgia, where he heads the firm's tax-exempt and grant-funded solutions practice. He is a summa cum laude graduate of the Louisiana State University and the Cumberland School of Law of Samford University. Brian regularly represents grant-funded entities of all types in the areas of regulatory compliance, audits, funding source disputes, administrative appeals, and litigation. Brian also consults with organizations on governance, human resources, programmatic, and corporate matters, and develops and presents training programs for nonprofits and grant-funded organizations.
The Annual Federal Grants Management Update 2024 will will be held in greater Orlando, Florida, at the Embassy Suites Orlando Lake Buena Vista South. The Embassy Suites is a Disney Good Neighbor Hotel conveniently located just minutes from the Walt Disney World Resort. Rooms are available for special conference rates starting at the prevailing Federal per diem, which is currently just $107 per night (plus applicable tax). These special rates are good for December 10 through 12, and for three additional nights before and after the conference subject to hotel availability. Hotel rooms can be booked by calling the hotel directly at 1-407-597-4000. Please ask the reservations agent for the special “AFG group rate“ to receive the discounted rate. However, the easiest way to reserve your conference hotel room is online by clicking on this hotel reservations link. Please note that the “event dates” shown on the hotel reservations page are the default dates for reserving a hotel room and are not the dates conference sessions will be held (which are December 11-12, 2024). If making your reservations online, remember to adjust the date range on the booking site for the dates of your individual stay. The room reservation cut-off date is November 18, 2024 (or until the block is exhausted). Because of the small number of rooms available, we advise making your reservations as soon as possible.
Register now for the Annual Federal Grants Management Update 2024 because registration spaces are limited and last year’s update sold out early. Please note that the cancellation deadline for the conference is 5:00 pm EST on November 8, 2024.