Eastern Grants Forum 2026
- Start: August 13, 2026 7:30 am
- End: August 14, 2026 4:30 pm
The Eastern Grants Forum returns to Baltimore for 2026! Make sure that you understand the fundamentals of grants management (including current requirements under the Uniform Guidance), when you attend this year’s edition of the Eastern Grants Forum in Baltimore, Maryland, on August 13-14, 2026.
The Eastern Grants Forum will be back in historic Baltimore in August 2026 with an all-new agenda. This year’s program will feature a special focus on the fundamentals of effective grants management. A solid understanding of the fundamentals is more important than ever. They represent more than just a baseline in today’s challenging and quickly evolving operating environment. Instead, the fundamentals constitute your organization’s primary defense against audit findings, fiscal instability, and enforcement actions.
We will dive into the most fundamental requirements for grants management with our opening session. The conference will begin with a special session explaining key compliance requirements for Federal awards and subawards under the Uniform Guidance with attention to recent and upcoming changes. Following the opening session, during the remainder of the first day, you will learn about grant writing in uncertain times, making the most of indirect cost recovery, and best practices for making and managing subawards. You will also have time to meet colleagues during an exclusive networking luncheon.
On the second day, the emphasis on essentials will continue when we return to the Uniform Guidance. The morning starts with a detailed discussion of the Uniform Guidance’s procurement standards for purchasing goods and services with Federal funds. As the day proceeds, you will learn about managing risk in times of change, strategies for developing a high-performing board, and implementing effective internal controls for your organization (as required by the Uniform Guidance). Over the course of both days, Eastern Grants Forum 2026 will provide you and your organization with the knowledge needed to continue successfully leading financial assistance programs in today’s climate.
In short, when you attend the Eastern Grants Forum 2026, you will learn about important requirements for managing grants and how to keep your organization compliant with current standards. However, registration opportunities to attend this year’s conference are very limited. Make plans now to arrive a day early on August 12 and then join your fellow grants management professionals at the Eastern Grants Forum in Baltimore, Maryland, from August 13-14, 2026.
TOPICS
During this two-day conference, you will learn about fundamental compliance requirements for grant-funded organizations and how to thrive in the current operating climate. This year’s agenda will also feature discussions about navigating risks during periods of change and building a governing body worthy of your organization’s mission. By attending, you will learn about the following:
- Critical compliance requirements under the OMB’s Uniform Guidance.
- Recent and proposed changes to the Uniform Guidance.
- Writing grants in today’s environment of uncertainty.
- Managing risks and sorting priorities in changing times.
- Recruiting and training amazing governing bodies.
- Making and administering subaward agreements.
- Strategies for maximizing recovery of indirect costs.
- Implementing effective internal controls for grantees.
- Uniform Guidance procurement standards and best practices.
- Avoiding common grants management and compliance issues.
The 2026 edition of the Eastern Grants Forum will discuss these important topics and more to help ensure that you and your organization understand essential grants management requirements. In addition to the scheduled sessions, you will have multiple opportunities throughout the conference to ask our expert presenters your individual questions.
AGENDA
This year’s Eastern Grants Forum is scheduled for August 13-14, 2026, in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. We have two full days of educational yet entertaining sessions planned, and we recommend that attendees arrive a day early on August 12 so as not to miss any of the conference. (Please note that the schedule is subject to change.) Our planned agenda for each day is as follows:
Day One (Thursday, August 13, 2026)
Sign-in for the day and enjoy a Continental breakfast before the first session.
The opening session of Eastern Grants Forum 2026 will examine the Office of Management and Budget's Uniform Guidance (also known as the Uniform Grants Guidance or the Super Circular). During this discussion, you will learn about major compliance requirements for financial assistance recipients and subrecipients. Attorney Brian Tipton will explain key terms, general and pre-award requirements, post-award standards, cost principles, and audit considerations. The discussion will emphasize recent and proposed updates to the OMB's guidance. Following this introductory session, you will be able to outline the Uniform Guidance's most important requirements.
Enjoy a 15-minute coffee break between the morning sessions of the Eastern Grants Forum.
Grant awards can provide resources for your projects, and sometimes, even operating expenses, but there are always strings attached. Grant writing requires knowledge and skills. Understanding the criteria and how grants are reviewed and scored can inform the development of a more competitive proposal. But in today’s environment, it’s not enough just to describe the proposed project. Other complicating factors include the emerging issues from the President’s recent Executive Orders that have introduced new priorities and prohibitions for federal funding. Proposal development for any federally connected funding would benefit from addressing those policy changes, while private sector funding may not be affected at all. Nonfederal entities may need multiple writing strategies or multiple funding sources, depending upon circumstances.
The learning objectives for this session are as follows:
- Raise awareness of federal requirements, priorities, and selection criteria.
- Recognize other considerations for emerging issues.
- Increase opportunities through state, local, and private funding.
- Identify some grant writing resources.
Join your fellow attendees for an informal networking luncheon. Lunch will be provided as part of the conference. (Please note that because of venue space limitations, the luncheon is only open to registrants and speakers.)
Applying for or managing indirect costs was never simple, and the Uniform Guidance along with recent Presidential Executive Orders have weighed in on indirect. Nonfederal entities that currently do not have an indirect cost rate can request a "de minimis" or 15 percent flat rate for indirect costs, but this rate is based on the Modified Total Direct Cost (MTDC) formula that is often overlooked. For nonfederal entities with current indirect cost rates, the type of rate you select and the way you calculate the rate can make a difference in your ability to recover overhead and administrative costs. Getting indirect costs right means navigating complex provisions and avoiding potential audit findings. This session presents an overview, and a good place to start.
Our learning objects for this session are:
- Define direct and indirect costs.
- Gain awareness of federal requirements relating to indirect costs.
- Recognize different indirect cost rates and formulas.
- Review considerations to obtain a rate.
Enjoy a 15-minute break between the afternoon sessions of the Eastern Grants Forum.
The Office of Management and Budget's Uniform Guidance applies not just to direct awards but also to subawards. The Uniform Guidance contains important rules for pass-through entities to follow when administering subaward agreements. Attorney Brian Tipton will explain these requirements to help you avoid problems when making and managing subawards.
During this session, you will first learn how to distinguish between subawards and procurement transactions and how to assess potential subrecipients. You will also learn about the contents for subawards under the Uniform Guidance, monitoring requirements for subrecipients, and best practices in making subawards. After attending, you will be able to outline the requirements for administering subawards to ensure compliance with the Uniform Guidance.
The first day of the Eastern Grants Forum will conclude at 4:30 pm on August 13, 2026.
Sign-in for the second day of the Eastern Grants Forum and enjoy a Continental breakfast before the first sessions.
Make sure that you are purchasing goods and services the right way by attending this session explaining procurement requirements for Federal awards and subawards. The Office of Management and Budget's Uniform Guidance contains detailed standards for procurement using Federal grants and other financial assistance and those requirements continue to evolve along with the Uniform Guidance. Join attorney Brian Tipton for a detailed discussion of the current procurement standards. You will learn about rules for different types of entities, acceptable methods of procurement, 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 the OMB's Uniform Guidance.
Enjoy a 15-minute coffee break between the morning sessions of the Eastern Grants Forum.
The expression ‘change is constant’ has never felt more true or real for the leaders and staff of mission-driven organizations. This session explores ways to anticipate and build readiness for the risks we have already imagine and those that may be unimaginable. Learn why sorting risks from certainties and current realities is worthwhile and how to identify and prioritize action inspired by a short list of concerning possibilities. Leave this session with practical ways to cope with change, regain focus, and simple techniques you can share and practice with others.
Explore Baltimore's thriving lunch scene on your own during this 90-minute break between the Eastern Grants Forum's morning and afternoon sessions.
Enjoy a 15-minute break between the afternoon sessions of the Eastern Grants Forum.
Strong internal controls are essential for all types of organizations, and grant-funded entities are no exception. In fact, the Uniform Guidance requires recipients and subrecipients of Federal financial assistance (such as grants and cooperative agreements) to implement effective internal controls. However, the Uniform Guidance does not identify the specific controls recipients and subrecipients are to implement. Designing those controls is up to each individual organization. This session will examine the concept of internal control, review common control activities, and explain the framework grant-funded entities should use to design and maintain a system of effective internal controls. After attending, you will be able to outline the requirements for internal control under the Uniform Guidance and list key principles for developing internal controls.
The Eastern Grants Forum will conclude at 4:30 pm on August 14, 2026.
When you attend this year’s all-new edition of the Eastern Grants Forum, you will learn about the fundamentals of grants management in 2026, including current requirements under the Office of Management and Budget’s Uniform Grants Guidance. After attending the training, you will be able to:
- Outline key requirements of the OMB’s Uniform Guidance.
- Recognize recent and proposed changes to the Uniform Guidance.
- List at least three strategies for grant writing in today’s environment.
- List acceptable methods for recovery of indirect costs.
- Recognize requirements for making and administering subaward agreements.
- Identify at least three ways to cope with change and associated risks.
- List at least three strategies for developing an effective governing board.
- Define internal control and distinguish common internal control activities.
- Identify the Uniform Guidance’s standards for procuring goods and services.
AUDIENCE
Eastern Grants Forum 2026 is intended for all members of the grant-funded community: governing body members, officers, executives, managers, fiscal staff, program staff, and other grants management professionals. This course is recommended for a total of 14 hours of Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credit in the field of specialized knowledge. The experience level for this training is overview. No prerequisites for attendance exist and no specific educational background is necessary. No advance preparation is required.
SPEAKERS
Melanie Lockwood Herman, Esq., has served as Executive Director of the Nonprofit Risk Management Center since 1996 and has held senior management positions in the nonprofit sector since 1987. Melanie is the principal author of more than 20 books on various risk management topics; Melanie’s most recent book was published in Fall 2017: “World-Class Risk Management for Nonprofits.” She is an eleven-time member of The NonProfit Times “Power and Influence Top 50.” In one NPT announcement Melanie was described as “one of the most prolific writers and lecturers on the topic of nonprofit risk,” and “the architect of the risk plans of some of the nation’s largest’ nonprofits.”
Melanie earned a BA in Urban Affairs from American University (Washington, DC), and a JD from George Mason University School of Law (Arlington, VA). She is a member of the District of Columbia Bar Association and currently serves on three national nonprofit boards (American Foundation for the Blind, Camp Fire, and the National Human Services Assembly).
Karen Norris is nationally recognized in the grant community as a consultant and Subject Matter Expert (SME) for Kanoco Consulting, LLC - a Karen Norris Company, with offices in Maryland and Delaware. Previously, she worked as the grant administrator for educational institutions, as managing editor for national grant publications, and currently as a consultant. Norris has served on Boards of Directors of professional associations. She has presented at regional and national conferences, and provided testimony to the Maryland General Assembly about indirect costs and to the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management about federal grants. She has also served as a federal reviewer.
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 the Managing Director of Tipton KPCL in 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.
Join us in charming Baltimore for the Eastern Grants Forum 2026. The conference will be held at the Royal Sonesta Harbor Court Baltimore, conveniently located on Baltimore’s famous Inner Harbor. Rooms are available for special conference rates starting at just $159 per night (plus applicable tax). These special rates are available for August 12 through 15, 2026, and may be offered for three additional days before and after the conference subject to hotel availability. Hotel reservations may be made by calling the Royal Sonesta Harbor Court directly at 1-410-234-0550. Please ask the reservations agent for the special group rate for the “Eastern Grants Forum 2026” or “The Private Client Law Group” to receive the discounted rate. However, the easiest way to book your room is online by clicking on this hotel reservations link. The room reservation cut-off date is Wednesday, July 22, 2026, or until the block is exhausted. (Please note that the cancellation deadline for this event is before the hotel cut-off; cancellation requests must be received by 5:00 pm EDT on July 17, 2026.) Because of the limited number of rooms available, we advise making your reservations as soon as possible.
Just click the “REGISTER” button to register for the Eastern Grants Forum. Note that the cancellation deadline for the conference is 5:00 pm EDT on July 17, 2026. Please review our cancellation policy.