Ohio Grants Partnership Policy

Applicable or Related Code Sections

• H.R. 4279 (101st Congress) - Cash Management Improvement Act
• 26 U.S.C. 6402(d) - Pre-offset notice and consideration of evidence
• 31 U.S.C. 3716(c) - Collection of debts by administrative and tax refund offset
• 31 U.S.C. 3702(A) - Authority to settle claims
• Ohio Revised Code Section 126.22 - Director - accounting powers

Related Links

• The Ohio Grants Partnership | Ohio.gov

Purpose

The Ohio Grants Partnership serves as a grant coordinating resource for state agencies, boards, commissions, local governments, non-profits, and other funding recipients. The Partnership is the leading resource for Ohio’s grants community, striving to build grant capacity and to optimize Ohio’s receipt and utilization of federal resources.

It is the policy of the State of Ohio to maximize the value of grant funding and to make the best use of taxpayer resources through strengthened accountability, increased transparency and collaboration, while reducing administrative overhead and burden for state partners. This focused approach ensures fiscal integrity and promotes innovation while maximizing efficiencies. This policy establishes expectations for state partners with respect to grants and their cooperation with the Ohio Grants Partnership section within the Office of Budget and Management (OBM) to accomplish these goals.

Scope

This policy applies to all statewide offices, state agencies, public offices, boards, and commissions organized under the laws of the state of Ohio applying for, receiving, and/or participating in the administration of grants.

Definitions

• "Assistance Listing Numbers” are unique identifiers assigned to federal programs that provide grants, loans, scholarships, insurance, and other types of assistance. 
• “State Agency” means any organized body, office, agency, institution, or other entity established by the laws of the state for the exercise of any function of state government. 
• “Funding Opportunity” means the availability of public funding (state or federal) through a financial assistance program from a state agency. The funding opportunity provides information on the award, who is eligible to apply, required components of the application, evaluation criteria (if applicable), and how to submit the application. A funding opportunity offered by an Agency includes a grant, due date, selection process, and application deadline.
• “Grant” means a sum of money awarded for a particular purpose. Also see “federal financial assistance” and “subaward.”
• “State Partner” means any state agency, as defined in this policy, applying for, receiving, and/or participating in the administration of grants.
• “Federal financial assistance” means assistance received from the federal government in the form of grants, cooperative agreements, non-cash contributions or donations of property (including donated surplus property), direct appropriations, food commodities, loans, loan guarantees, interest subsidies, insurance, and other financial assistance.
• “Federal program” means all federal awards which are assigned a single Assistance Listing Number.
• “Subaward” means an award provided by a state partner to a subrecipient for the purpose of carrying out part of a federal award received by the state partner.

Provisions

1. General

1. The Office of Budget and Management (“OBM”) provides:
   1. The centralized location where state agencies, boards, and commissions post all funding opportunities, and for federal grant opportunity identification and tracking, for statewide grant-related collaboration, and for related resources;
   2. Technical assistance for state partners that need additional grants management support to include grant writing, monitoring, and compliance assistance; and
   3. Review and approval, in coordination with the Governor’s Office, of grant-related letters of support requested of state agencies where the state agency lacks a documented process for providing letters of support.

2. Posting Funding Opportunities

1. Any state agency that offers federal or state funding opportunities shall publish the opportunity listing on The Ohio Grants Partnership Funding Opportunities website provided by OBM (hereafter referred to as “Ohio Grants”).
   1. An agency without an account on Ohio Grants shall contact the OBM Grants Partnership at grants@obm.ohio.gov to obtain an account.
   2. The funding opportunity posted on Ohio Grants may direct the applicant to apply via Ohio Grants or redirect the applicant to a state agency application website.

3. Tracking Federal Funding Opportunities

1. OBM will regularly identify competitive federal funding opportunities that align with the Administration and statewide priorities and state initiatives. To promote awareness and collaboration among state partners, OBM will electronically transmit opportunities to state agencies through the tracking system managed by OBM.
2. Within ten days of OBM transmitting a grant opportunity to an agency, the state agency shall record in the system a response indicating whether the agency intends to pursue the opportunity.
3. When applying for a grant where a funding opportunity was not initiated by OBM, a state partner shall report each application to OBM. Notification shall be provided to OBM within five business days of submission of the application to the federal government or other grant awarding body.
4. If a state partner is awarded a grant, the state partner shall inform OBM of receipt within three business days of receiving notification from the awarding body.
5. In complying with the sections above, an agency that does not receive enough opportunities to justify access to the tracking system will be required to notify OBM at grants@obm.ohio.gov.

4. Administration of Grants

1. State partners shall administer all grants in compliance with applicable federal and state laws and policies.
2. State partners needing assistance to administer or monitor a grant award shall immediately notify OBM at grants@obm.ohio.gov.
3. All federal audit reports and/or monitoring letters with findings and/or questioned costs shall be sent to grants@obm.ohio.gov within five business days of receipt at the state agency.

5. Grant-related Letters of Support

1. In coordination with the Governor’s Office, OBM shall review and approve grant-related letters of support requested of state partners.
2. State partners that receive a request for a grant-related letter of support shall evaluate the request and determine whether to recommend approval from OBM.
3. Requests recommended for approval must be submitted using the OBM established form available on the Ohio Grants Partnership website. All requests must adhere to the following criteria:
   1. Approved by the agency director prior to submission to OBM;
   2. Written in plain language, avoiding agency specific language or acronyms; and
   3. Includes complete information in all the required fields on the form.
4. If approved, the state partner will be responsible for providing the letter of support to the requesting entity.

6. Federal Oversight and Compliance

1. Cash Management Improvement Act
   The Cash Management Improvement Act (“CMIA”) provides the general rules and procedures for the transfer of funds between the federal government and states for federal financial assistance programs. OBM is the only official authorized for the State of Ohio to communicate with the U.S. Department of Treasury for the CMIA Agreement existing between Ohio and the federal government.
   1. CMIA Agreement
      An annual agreement that exists between the State of Ohio and the U.S. Department of Treasury (“Treasury”) setting forth the programs that are federally funded, as well as the entities administering those programs. This agreement is referred to as the Treasury State Agreement.
   2. Any state agency that has a program identified as a major federal assistance program within the current Treasury State Agreement, or as otherwise required by the federal government, as set forth in federal law, rule, or guidance, must comply with the CMIA. The agency shall inform OBM how federal funds are drawn down and comply with the state’s Treasury State Agreement and the corresponding Implementation Plan compiled by OBM and approved by the Ohio Controlling Board.
2. Treasury Offset Program
   The Treasury Offset Program (“TOP”) is a federal program that collects delinquent debts owed to states or to the federal government. The program matches information about a debtor to federal payments that the law says can be used to pay the debt. If there is a match, the TOP holds back the money from the payment and sends it to the appropriate agency. Because most state agencies use the main state tax identification number, the federal government may offset the draw or payment of federal funds that should be paid to one state agency to satisfy a debt owed by another state agency.
   1. The U.S. Treasury notifies OBM when an offset has been taken, and OBM will subsequently notify each state agency involved to coordinate repayment to those impacted.
      1. The state agency owed the debt is responsible for identifying or obtaining proof of debt.
      2. OBM may assist when multiple agencies are involved to coordinate obtaining the proof of debt.

Questions

Please direct any questions regarding this policy to the OBM Grants team at grants@obm.ohio.gov.