Training Courses:

Welcome to ED Grants

Course Description: This 30 minute course provides an overview of the information you need to successfully implement and manage your grant, including different types of grants you may be awarded. The course identifies resources and processes that may be used throughout the grant management process. This course also provides information about how ED will monitor your grant to help you ensure success!

Course Objectives

After completing this course, you should be able to: 

• Distinguish characteristics between a formula and discretionary grant program
• Identify resources for managing a grant
• Outline performance, financial, and administrative processes to manage your grant
• Describe how ED monitors your grant
  

Ensuring Equitable Opportunities Under the GEPA Section 427

Course Description: This 30 minute course will provide for how an applicant can ensure equitable access to, and participation in, its Federally-assisted programs for all beneficiaries   

Course Objectives 

After completing this course, you should be able to: 

• Describe GEPA Section 427 law and the purpose of its key provisions  
• List the category of grant programs which GEPA Section 427 is applicable  
• List the six types of barriers identified in GEPA Section 427 
• Identify barriers that may inhibit the full and effective participation of all beneficiaries who might benefit from the proposed project or activities and provide the steps to remove those barriers in compliance with section 427  
• Recognize and complete the GEPA Section 427 standard form  
  

Build America, Buy America Act (BABAA)

Course Description: This 30 minute course will provide information about the Build America, Buy America (BABAA) Buy America Sourcing Requirements, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) related policy elements and the impact on grantees. You will also learn about ED's related waiver policy. 

Course Objectives:

After completing this course, you should be able to:

• List the Build America Buy America – Buy America Sourcing Requirements
• List the U.S. Department of Education's related policy elements
• Describe the requirements' impact on grantees
• Describe the ED's related waiver policy, Grantee Waiver Request Form, and process for waiver submissions and waiver reviews

Introduction to Being an Effective Peer Reviewer

Course Description: This 60 minute course addresses information and resources that will help experienced and potentially new peer reviewers understand the importance and benefit of being a peer reviewer. It will also provide guidance on how to effectively provide a review and participate in panel discussions.

Course Objectives:

After completing this course, you will be able to:

• Communicate how to construct good comments
• Emphasize critical reading
• Communicate how to critique not compare
• Explain Conflict of Interest
• Explain the significance of being a peer reviewer
• Communicate the benefits of being a peer reviewer
• Outline the review process
• Explain the time commitment
  

Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA)​​​

Course Description: This 45 minute​ course is intended to provide an introduction to the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act, or FFATA. It is divided into two modules; Overview of FFATA Requirements and Navigating FSRS.gov Overcoming Common Reporting Challenges. 

Course Objectives:

After completing this course, you will be able to:

• ​​Identify which grantees must report under Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA)
• List the reporting requirements including the timeline for when to report
• Access USAspending.gov and FSRS.gov
• Identify and avoid FFATA reporting challenges
• Locate key on-line resources​
  

Managing the Procurement Process

This 30 minute course provides ED grantees and subgrantees a high-level overview of the concepts and regulations for managing the procurement process. Divided into three modules, the course addresses the objectives presented below. At the end of each module, participants are asked questions that will gauge their understanding of the covered topics, but no score or grade will be given.

After completing this course, you should be able to:

• Identify key statutes and regulations that guide the procurement process when using federal grant funds
• Discuss key points from the applicable regulations
• Identify the different types of procurements and when to use each type
• Navigate the procurement process and questions to ask along the way
• Identify key characteristics of a successful procurement system

Allowable Cost and Activities​​​

This 60 minute course provides ED grantees and subgrantees a high level overview of the concepts and regulations behind using Federal grant funds for allowable costs and activities.  Divided into two modules, the course addresses the objectives presented below.  At the end of each module, participants are asked questions that will gauge their understanding of the covered topics, but no score or grade will be given.

​After completing this course, you should be able to:​​​

• Identify key laws and regulations that guide the use of Federal funds for grant costs and activities
• Understand how Grant Award Notifications, grant applications, and state plans impact allowable and unallowable costs
• Define the concepts of allowable costs and activities
• Describe the importance and benefit of allowable costs and activities concepts in grant management
• Compare and contrast direct versus indirect costs
• Determine whether a cost is allowable or unallowable
• Explain how to protect against making unallowable costs
• Understand the consequences of incurring unallowable costs​​
  

Subrecipient Monitoring

This 60 minute course provides a high-level overview of monitoring subrecipients and is intended for grantees that make subawards. It is designed into four modules which cover related key information and processes, regulatory requirements, subre​cipient monitoring plans, as well as a risk-based monitoring approach. At the end of each module, participants are asked questions that will check their understanding, but no score or grade will be given.

After completing this course, you should be able to:

• Recall key definitions that apply to ED grant programs.
  
• Outline the characteristics of a subrecipient versus a contractor.​
  
• Define pre-award activities.
• Explain the components of a subaward agreement.
• Describe the purpose of monitoring subrecipients.
• Identify the key attributes of effective monitoring.
  
• Outline ED and grantee monitoring roles and responsibilities.
• Identify regulations and requirements for monitoring subrecipients.
• Describe the purpose of a subrecipient monitoring plan.
• Identify the components of a subrecipient monitoring plan.
  
• Describe a risk-based approach to subrecipient monitoring.
  
• Describe a risk rubric and how it is used. ​
  

​Internal Control​​s​

This 40-minute course provides an overview of internal controls and explains what they are and why they are important. It also provides information about the categories of objectives, regulatory requirements and guidance to develop internal control systems, the components and principles of internal controls and the interrelationship between them.

​​​After completing this course, you will be able to:

• Define internal controls and their purpose.
  
• Define the categories of objectives (i.e., operations, reporting, and compliance) and understand how internal controls are applicable to all aspects of a grantee's or a grantee's parent organization's objectives.
  
• Locate and access internal control regulatory requirements and guidance.
  
• Understand the applicability of the "Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government" publication (i.e., the Green Book) and the "Internal Controls - Integrated Framework" publication to develop internal control systems.
  
• Define the five components and seventeen related principles of internal controls.
  
• Understand the interrelationship between the categories of objectives, the five components of internal controls and an organization's structure.​

Indirect Costs​​

This 45-minute course provides an overview of indirect costs. It will include how to define indirect, direct, and direct administrative costs and how to apply the Regulatory and Statutory Framework of these costs. After completing this course, you will be able to:

• Define indirect costs, direct costs, and direct administrative costs.
• Apply the regulatory and statutory framework of these costs.
• Define an indirect cost rate (ICR).
• Identify factors affecting allowability of costs.
• Determine the types of distribution bases.
• Calculate and apply an indirect cost rate.
• Understand the responsibilities of a grantee and cognizant agency when obtaining an indirect cost rate.
• Identify the types of indirect cost rates.

Formula Grants Training

This one-hour course provides an overview of grantee requirements and responsibilities for administering formula grants. It covers regulations, resources and key GAN information. It reviews grant obligations, carryover limits and liquidation periods. It also reviews requirements for cash management and monitoring in addition to what changes require approval, types of audits, and grantee’s reporting and records retention requirements. After completing this course, you will be able to:

• Identify applicable regulations, resources, and key GAN information.
• Identify when obligations can be made, Title I Program carryover limits, the liquidation period for funds, and when funds revert to Treasury.
• Identify cash management requirements and how they apply to grantees and subgrantees.
• Identify requirements for grant monitoring.
• Identify changes that require prior approval.
• Identify types of audits, audit findings, and when an audit is required.
• Identify grantee responsibilities for subgrantees.
• Identify reporting and records retention requirements.

Cash Management

This 45-minute course provides an overview of cash management guidelines, regulations and requirements on grant draw-downs and accrued interest, and consequences for non-compliance. An interactive exercise is included to engage the learner in the decisions required of a grant recipient related to cash management procedures. At the end of this course, learners will be able to explain:

• Identify and apply the cash management regulations for payments.
• Identify the legislation applicable to different types of grantees.
• Apply the requirements of minimizing the time between the drawdown of federal funds and the disbursement of those funds for grant activities.
• Apply, depending on the grantee type, the requirements for remitting earned interest.

Discretionary Grants Administration

This 45-minute course provides an overview of discretionary grant recipients' responsibilities for grant administration and introduces references and additional resources that are available to support grantees. The course will provide key information that can be found in the Grant Award Notification, addresses how to apply the cash management requirements when drawing down funds, addresses ED's Monitoring Practices, explains when administrative changes require approval, explains when an independent audit is required, explains common audit findings, and explains the requirements for performance reporting and records retention.

• Apply the cash management requirements when drawing down funds from the G5 System.
• Identify ED’s Monitoring Practices.
• Identify administrative changes that do and do not require prior approval.
• Identify when an independent audit is required.
• Identify common audit findings, and the consequences of unresolved findings.
• Identify the requirements for performance reporting and records retention.

Human Subjects Research

This one-hour course provides an overview of the Human Subjects Research requirements and concepts, the importance and application of Human Subjects Research requirements to the discretionary grants pre-award process, and the responsibilities of program staff regarding the evaluation of proposed grant award activities related to possible Human Subjects Research. At the end of this course, learners will be able to:

• Define Human Subjects Research requirements and concepts, including 34 CFR 97.
• Describe the importance and benefit of Human Subjects Research requirements in the grant lifecycle.
• List key laws and regulations that guide Human Subjects Research.
• Identify what are allowable and unallowable activities associated with Human Subjects Research.
• Explain how to avoid unallowable activities and uses of grant funds in Human Subjects Research.