News Archive
Fiscal Forms and Procedures
Central Contractor Registration (CCR): All agencies in receipt of grants from the Department are required to register with the CCR, which is a federal system to collect and disseminate business information about the federal government’s business partners. We remind all agencies to renew and revalidate CCR at least every 12 months from the date of previous registration, and revalidate even more frequently to ensure that CCR is up to date and in alignment with any changes that may have been made to DUNS information. If registration is not renewed, it will expire, which may affect your agency's ability to receive grant payments from the Department.
Agency Registration in the Federal System for Award Management: Beginning in 2013, an agency must obtain a DUNS number and register in the federal System for Award Management (SAM) in order to be awarded federal funds. Failure to register in SAM or to renew the registration annually may delay the awarding and/or payment of federal funds from the Department. Please go to https://www.oms.nysed.gov/cafe/guidance/sam.html for more information.
Clarification Regarding Form FS-25 Request for Funds: Please submit FS-25 Requests for Funds only when your agency requires reimbursement for expenditures or if, should the grant program allow it, you anticipate expending the funds within the next month. There is no requirement to submit the form once a month or to submit a form requesting a zero payment.
Budget Amendments: Budget amendments (Form FS-10-As) are used by agencies to request prior approval of substantial changes to planned grant expenditures. Failure to receive prior approval places agencies at risk of having expenditures disallowed. We suggest that agencies with NCLB and IDEA allocational grants ending on August 31 review their budgets, activities and the availability of prior year carryover funds now, determine if budget amendments are necessary, and submit any amendments as soon as possible. In all cases, amendments must be submitted to SED program offices before final expenditure reports are prepared and before the grant period ends. Questions regarding the information presented in our reports, such as prior year carryover, may be directed to grantsweb@nysed.gov.
5/21/15 - Certification on Forms: The certification on each of the forms (FS-10, FS-10A, FS-25, FS-10F) used by local agencies for grants/grant-contracts has been updated in response to the changes required by Title 2, Part 200 of the US Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) finalized on December 19, 2014. Specifically, Part 200 consists of the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, Audit Requirements for Federal Awards, commonly referred to as the “Uniform Grants Guidance.” Please be sure to discard any older versions you may have saved and begin using the updated forms for all projects (State or federal) beginning with the 2015-16 program year.
Grant Programs
2/10/16 - Final Allocations for 2015-16 Title I, Parts A and D: Each year, the Department revises preliminary Title I allocations to LEAs. The final set of 2015-16 Title I allocations is now available. LEAs are strongly encouraged to review their NCLB allocation reports to determine if changes to their Title I programs and budgets are required. Please note that an LEA's 2015-16 Title I expenditures cannot exceed the "Total Available" amount now listed on that LEA's 2015-16 NCLB allocation report. For questions about the allocation reports, please contact Grants Finance. Questions regarding computation of the Title I allocations should be directed to the Title I School & Community Services Office at conappta@nysed.gov.
3/2/15 - UPDATE: Revised Final Allocations for 2014-15, Title I- Parts A & D: Grants Finance has posted the REVISED final allocations for 2014-15 for the Title I, Part A & D program. Local districts may view complete allocation information by accessing their 2014-15 NCLB Allocation Report (https://www.oms.nysed.gov/cafe/reports/).
2/12/15 - Final Allocations for 2014-15 Title I, Parts A and D: The Title I School & Community Services Office has been recently informed by The Department of Education that there may be revisions to the 2014-15 final Title I allocations. Questions should be directed to the Title I School & Community Services Office at conappta@nysed.gov or call (518) 473-0295.
2/6/15 - Final Allocations for 2014-15 Title I, Parts A and D: Each year, the Department revises preliminary Title I allocations to LEAs. The final set of 2014-15 Title I allocations is now available. LEAs are strongly encouraged to review their NCLB allocation reports to determine if changes to their Title I programs and budgets are required. Please note that an LEA's 2014-15 Title I expenditures cannot exceed the "Total Available" amount now listed on that LEA's 2014-15 NCLB allocation report. For questions about the allocation reports, please contact Grants Finance. Questions regarding computation of the Title I allocations should be directed to the Title I School & Community Services Office at conappta@nysed.gov.
- A Guide to Grants Administration and Implementation Resources
- This Guide offers more detailed information about the fiscal requirements for State and federal grants, including the responsibilities of local agencies' grant coordinators and business offices.
Indirect Costs
8/14/15 - 2015-2016 Indirect Cost Rates: Chief Administrative Officers will soon receive letters notifying them of their agency's 2015-2016 maximum indirect cost rates. The rates for school districts and BOCES are calculated using ST-3 and SA-111 data for the school year ending June 30, 2014. The rate for all charter schools and not for profit community-based organizations is 2.6%. The rate for colleges and universities is 8%. Charter schools and not for profit CBOs may request a higher rate, up to 8%, by completing the FS-87-R form, available by contacting Grants Finance. All requests must be received by January 29, 2016. Additional information about indirect costs is available in the Fiscal Guidelines and in Frequently Asked Questions. Please direct questions to Grants Finance.
Our Website
9/24/2015 – 2014-15 Federal/State Grant Payments – End of the Year Report: The 2014-15 year-end fiscal reports for Categorical Grants are now available. To review school specific data, select “Reports” then enter BEDS code or SED code. If neither of these codes are known, select a county and then select the agency and click on the 2014-15 Federal and State Grant Payments End-of -Year Report. For Child Nutrition and State Aid payments please see the instructions on the Auditor's Notice for Year End 6/30/14. Auditor's Notice for Year End 6/30/15.
3/30/16 - As part of an annual process, the Office of the State Comptroller (OSC) and Statewide Financial System (SFS) will be shutting down operations at the end of March through mid-April in preparation for the close of the current State fiscal year. During this blackout period, the Grants Finance Office, as in past years, will be unable to process grant/grant-contract payment transactions until completion of the end-of-year processing and OSC/SFS is back on-line.
Use of Grant Funds
5/28/13 - FAQ on Appropriate use of Federal Funds for Conferences and Meetings: US Department of Education recently published Frequently Asked Questions to Assist ED Grantees to Appropriately Use Federal Funds for Conferences and Meetings.