Federal Grants Institute 2025
- Start: March 4, 2025 7:30 am
- End: March 6, 2025 11:45 am
The Federal Grants Institute returns to San Diego for 2025. Learn about the latest developments in grants management and how to navigate the changing funding environment when you join us in America’s Finest City on March 4-6, 2025.
Federal grant requirements continue to evolve with the Office of Management and Budget’s comprehensive Uniform Grants Guidance update as just one prominent change. The revised Uniform Guidance is the grant-funded community’s biggest development in years, and the Federal Grants Institute’s expanded, two-part opening session will explain the major changes as well as other recent developments in grants management. During the first day, you will also learn how to overcome accounting and fiscal management challenges with engaging discussions of new audit standards and indirect cost fundamentals. The second day of the conference will feature sessions discussing conflicts of interest and the procurement standards in detail. In addition, you will learn how to avoid both toxic workplace disagreements and professional burnout. The conference will conclude with an examination of risk management for grant-funded organizations, including managing risks associated with Artificial Intelligence (AI). This exclusive three-day event is designed for grant professionals like you to stay up to date with grant requirements.
In addition to the outstanding educational sessions, when you attend the Federal Grants Institute, you will also have the opportunity to connect with your fellow grants management colleagues in a relaxed, inclusive setting. Make your plans now to attend the Federal Grants Institute in San Diego, California, from March 4-6, 2025. Registration opportunities are limited, though, so go ahead and sign up today!
TOPICS
The Federal Grants Institute 2025 will examine recent development in the field of Federal grants management. The planned agenda will offer sessions discussing the OMB’s comprehensive updates to the Uniform Grants Guidance and other hot topics, examining blueprints for a successful Single Audit Act audit, explaining the fundamentals of indirect cost, exploring strategies for a healthier working environment, and offering critical insights into managing risks as a grant-funded organization. During this special training, you will learn about the following:
- Key changes to the OMB’s Uniform Grants Guidance
- Recent court decisions and administrative developments
- Current Single Audit standards and audit preparation tips
- Purchasing requirements for Federally funded programs
- Indirect cost recovery and use of the de minimis indirect cost rate
- Recognizing and avoiding common conflicts of interest
- Preventing toxic workplace disagreements over sensitive subjects
- Stopping professional burnout as a grants professional
- Adopting Enterprise Risk Management as a grant-funded entity
- Managing risks associated with Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- Answers to common grants management issues
The Federal Grant Summit will cover these important topics and more to provide you with the information needed to help you manage your grants and subawards in compliance with current requirements. In addition, you will also have multiple opportunities throughout the conference to get answers to your individual questions about grants management from our expert speakers.
AGENDA
This year’s Federal Grants Institute is scheduled for March 4-6, 2025, in downtown San Diego, California. (The conference cancellation deadline is January 31, 2025.) Enjoy three days of entertaining yet informative educational sessions. The planned agenda for the conference (subject to change) is as follows:
Day One (Tuesday, March 4, 2025)
Sign-in for the first day of the Federal Grants Institute.
The Federal Grants Institute will begin with a special, two-part opening session examining recent developments in grants management. Attorney Brian Tipton will explain the latest news and hot topics of interest to the grant-funded community. Of course, we will discuss the OMB's updates to the Uniform Grants Guidance and early implementation issues. However, the revised Uniform Guidance is not the only fresh story in the field of Federal financial assistance. You will also learn about accounting, legal, and administrative developments. This session will also address the government's ongoing battle against fraud, waste, and abuse, with a discussion of representative cases from the past year. After attending this session, you will be able to identify revisions to the Uniform Guidance and describe at least three other recent developments in grants management.
Enjoy a 15-minute coffee break between the morning sessions.
The Federal Grants Institute will begin with a special, two-part opening session examining recent developments in grants management. Attorney Brian Tipton will explain the latest news and hot topics of interest to the grant-funded community. Of course, we will discuss the OMB's updates to the Uniform Grants Guidance and early implementation issues. However, the revised Uniform Guidance is not the only fresh story in the field of Federal financial assistance. You will also learn about accounting, legal, and administrative developments. This session will also address the government's ongoing battle against fraud, waste, and abuse, with a discussion of representative cases from the past year. After attending this session, you will be able to identify revisions to the Uniform Guidance and describe at least three other recent developments in grants management.
Join your fellow Institute attendees for a networking luncheon. A lunch buffet will be provided for attendees and speakers.
What changes did the Office of Management and Budget make to Single Audit requirements as part of the comprehensive Uniform Guidance updates? Does the annual OMB Compliance Supplement hold any surprises? How do grant-funded organizations prepare for Single Audits in 2025? Get answers to these common questions and more when you join accountant and auditor Keith Hundley for this look at the Single Audit Act. By attending this session, you will learn how to navigate current requirements on your journey to a successful Single Audit. After attending, you will be able to outline the audit standards, recognize common compliance issues, and describe effective strategies for avoiding audit problems.
Enjoy a 15-minute break between the afternoon sessions.
Learn about the fundamentals of indirect cost from accountant and auditor Keith Hundley during this lively discussion. Indirect cost is an important concept for Federal financial assistance, and understanding this concept is a major factor in the ability to properly budget and manage grant-funded programs. This session will explain the basic ideas and issues associated with indirect cost for grant-funded organizations. When you attend this session, you will learn about the rules for indirect cost as well as common problem areas that can result in noncompliance and potential cost disallowances. Following this session, you will be able to distinguish direct and indirect costs, identify different types of indirect cost rates, and outline the steps in preparing an indirect cost rate proposal.
The first day of the Federal Grants Institute will conclude at 4:15 pm on March 4, 2025.
Sign-in for the second day of the Federal Grants Institute.
Conflicts of interest can lead to serious problems for grant-funded organizations and those involved, including financial penalties and even prison. During this session, attorney Brian Tipton will explore the many aspects of conflicts for recipients and subrecipients of Federal financial assistance. You will learn about individual and organizational conflicts as well as problems arising from nepotism and fraternization. The discussion will focus on real-world examples and the consequences of unchecked conflicts. After attending this session, you will be able to identify potential conflicts of interest and list strategies for avoiding them.
Enjoy a 15-minute coffee break between the morning sessions.
Join attorney and mediator Kate Weaver Patterson for an insightful discussion of heathy (and unhealthy) conflict in the workplace. By attending this session, you will learn about touchpoints that might lead to necessary conflict or discussion--including Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI); hierarchy; and changes to or implementation of policies. You will also learn how to distinguish between healthy conflict versus toxic conflict and learn how to frame conflict such that it remains productive. Following this session, you will be able to identify common workplace situations that can lead to conflict and identify when to involve outside assistance (such as a lawyer, mediator, or human resources consultant).
Enjoy an extended 90-minute break between the morning and afternoon sessions to explore San Diego's vibrant lunch scene. Attendees will be on their own for lunch.
Join us for "Grants Engine Check: Avoiding Burnout while Managing High Volume Grants," a dynamic workshop designed for grant writers and managers. This interactive session will start with a comprehensive evaluation to help identify signs of burnout. Participants will then explore effective strategies to delegate tasks and streamline processes, ensuring more efficient grant management. Additionally, we will delve into negotiation techniques to advocate for additional team members or software tools that support workflow optimization. Reference material will come from Standards for Excellence®: An Ethics and Accountability Code for the Nonprofit Sector.
The workshop will be delivered in an inclusive, participant-focused manner, featuring group activities and brainstorming sessions to encourage collaboration and shared learning. By the end of this session, you will be equipped with practical tools and strategies to manage your grants more effectively while maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Do not miss this opportunity to enhance your skills and safeguard your well-being in a high-pressure environment.
Enjoy a 15-minute break between the afternoon sessions.
Learn how to make purchases with grant funds the right way! Procurement is an important activity for many grant-funded organizations but mistakes with purchases can be costly, resulting in disallowances and even loss of funding. Attorney Brian Tipton will explain the procurement standards in the OMB's Uniform Guidance to help you and your organization avoid common procurement problems. During this session, you will learn about the eight major rules for procurement with Federal funds. This session will discuss requirements for procurement policies, competition, methods of procurement, contractor selection, recordkeeping, domestic preference, opportunities for disadvantaged businesses, and contract clauses. After attending this session, you will be able to recognize the procurement standards in the Uniform Grants Guidance and when they apply.
The second day of the conference will conclude at 4:30 pm on March 5, 2025.
Sign-in for the last day of the Federal Grants Institute.
The last day of Federal Grants Institute 2025 features a condensed risk management summit. Our first session introduces Enterprise Risk Management (or ERM) and discusses its relevance to grant-funded entities. Enterprise Risk Management is an approach to risk management that can help grants management professionals achieve a "bird’s eye view" of risk and uncertainty. The ultimate goal of ERM is risk-aware decision-making, a capability that all organizations need in a world full of uncertainty. This workshop explores ERM fundamentals and opportunities to fashion ERM concepts to best meet the needs of your grant-funded organization.
By attending this session, you will:
- Learn key concepts in ERM and their relevance to grant-funded entities;
- Discover how ERM can be adapted and implemented without causing an undue burden on an organization; and,
- Learn ERM fundamentals relevant to your mission and programs.
Enjoy a 15-minute coffee break between the morning sessions.
Artificial Intelligence (or AI) draws mixed reactions. Critics and fans often struggle to find common ground concerning the technology and its future. However, one area of agreement is that use of AI presents real risks despite promising benefits. Risk management expert Melanie Lockwood Herman will discuss the benefits of Artificial Intelligence and how it can be used effectively as well as explain its downside and how to mitigate those risks. During this session, she will also walk you through a step-by-step framework for managing AI risk. Following this workshop, you will be able to identify potential benefits and risks of Artificial Intelligence and outline strategies for managing those risks.
The Federal Grants Institute 2025 will conclude at 11:45 am on March 6, 2025.
When you attend this year’s Federal Grants Institute in San Diego, you will learn about recent changes to the Uniform Guidance as well as important accounting, legal, and administrative developments affecting grants management in 2025. After attending the Institute, you will be able to:
- Outline recent changes to the OMB’s Uniform Grants Guidance
- Identify important legal decisions related to Federal financial assistance
- Recognize current Single Audit Act audit requirements
- Identify requirements for procurement using Federal grant funds
- Distinguish direct costs from indirect costs
- List at least four common situations involving conflicts of interest
- Identify at least three strategies for avoiding unhealthy workplace disagreement
- Describe at least two strategies for preventing professional burnout
- Recognize the elements of Enterprise Risk Management
- Outline a workable framework for managing Artificial Intelligence risks
AUDIENCE AND CPE
The Federal Grants Institute 2025 is intended for all members of the grant-funded community. This includes governing body and advisory council members, officers, executives, managers, fiscal staff, program staff, and other grants management professionals. The complete course is recommended for a total of 17 hours of CPE in the field of specialized knowledge. The experience level for this training is overview. No specific educational background is required. No prerequisites are required for attendance, and advance preparation is not 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).
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.
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.
Kate Weaver Patterson, Esq., 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.
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 the Atlanta metropolitan area, 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 Federal Grants Institute returns to beautiful San Diego, California, but this year the conference has a new, larger venue to call home. Our 2025 conference will take place at the Hotel Alma San Diego, next to the famous Gaslamp District and Little Italy. Rooms are available at special conference rates starting at the 2024 Federal per diem of just $194 per night. The hotel has also agreed to a reduced Guest Amenity Fee of $15 per day, which entitles each room a $15 per day credit for the hotel’s café or restaurant in addition to other amenities. These special rates are available for March 3 through 6, 2025, and may be offered for up to three additional nights before and after the conference subject to hotel availability. Rooms can be booked by calling the hotel’s reservations line at 1-833-999-2896. Please ask the agent for the special “Federal Grants Training group rate“ to receive the discount. In addition, you can reserve your room online by clicking on this hotel reservations link. The room reservation cut-off date is February 1, 2025 (or until the block is exhausted). 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 Federal Grants Institute. Please note that the cancellation deadline for the conference is 5:00 pm EST on January 31, 2025.