NGP White Paper Series Committee Update

December 3, 2007

Presenting on behalf of the WPSC:Merril Oliver, Maryland Governor’s Grants Office

White Paper Overview: The Need for Federal Grants Management Standards

• The National Grants Partnership White Paper Committee is pleased to present the 3rd in a series of white papers: The Need For Federal Grants Management Standards.

• The paper examines the background and history on standardization and addresses the need for grants management standards, as well as highlights recent developments in the areas of grants streamlining and standardization.

White Paper Objectives

• Review how existing standards are working; • Discuss future standards that may enhance grants

management results; • Encourage further implementation of standards among

stakeholders across the grants enterprise; and,• Encourage additional stakeholders to participate in the

development and implementation of grants management standards to ensure a wider understanding of potentially unique issues and possible solutions.

White Paper Approach

• Distributed survey to NGP membership and conducted follow-up interviews with survey volunteers to address topics such as streamlining grants processes, reporting, automation, and Federal grants initiatives.

• Interview and survey responses representing the following organization types were documented and used as the basis for this white paper.– Consultants, Faith/Community-based Organizations,

Federal Government, Federally-recognized Tribal Entities, Non-profit Organizations, State Government, and Higher Education Institutions.

White Paper Conclusions

• Federal Government responsibility to provide improved guidance for standardization across the grants enterprise.

• Importance of involving the grantee community in the decision-making process surrounding grants standardization– Will likely result in increased adoption of standards across the

grantee community.– Federal Government must be aware of the level of effort and

costs required to mandate specific data or processes. • Important to consider that if the white paper results are

representative of the overall grant community, there is the risk that grantee fiscal and resource constraints may thwart efforts to enhance grants management. – Need to strike a balance over time to migrate the grantee

community to standardization in an organized, equitable fashion, leading to greater acceptance and a simplified Federal grant process for both grantors and grantees.

Closing Remarks

• White paper published November 2007

• Download your copy at http://www.thengp.org!

• Questions?