An Overview of Federal Grants

The Federal Government spent $700 billion on grants in fiscal year 2018, compared to $500 billion on contracts to run the Government. That spending delta has been consistent for the last 40 years. There is a lot more money spent on grants than on contracts to run the Government, a trend that is likely to continue in the 116th Congress. Grants are highly competitive, mostly cost-reimbursement instruments that are full of legal compliance requirements, and hedged with remedies and significant penalties for noncompliance, which means that grantees need competent legal and grant administration support. 

This program, presented by Pete Dungan (materials prepared by Kenneth J. Allen), gives a comprehensive overview of federal grant practice, from beginning to end, with an emphasis on its legal aspects, including a grantee's rights in intellectual property developed with federal funding, grant fraud, and government remedies. Lawyers who practice in the realm of government procurement contacts (i.e., under the FAR) will gain the skills required by grantee organizations.

Learning Objectives:

1. Discuss the environment of federal financial assistance, including agency grant regulations
2. Review the differences between a grant and a government procurement contract, and a grantee's award subgrant and a contract for commercial support for the grantee
3. Examine mandatory disclosure of grantee conflicts of interest and criminal violations
4. Grasp the grant application and evaluation processes
5. Address 'The Supercircular' and some key compliance burdens it places on grantees
6. Review agency remedies against non-compliant grantees, including government responses to grant fraud