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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Division of Grants Management

Program, Federal Financial Assistance, and Policy

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Overview of Roles and Responsibilities

  • Program and Grants staff each have complementary roles in the awards process;
  • Program and Grants function as a team to provide a unified agency position on every aspect of the grants management process;
  • Close coordination between each team member and an understanding of the responsibilities is vital to program objectives;
  • Both roles are critical in assuring proper stewardship of Federal grant funds;
  • Both the Division of Grants Management (DGM) and IHS Program Offices have clear lines of separation of duties and responsibilities.

Role of Program Officials - Pre-Award

  • Independent of the grants office;
  • Key staff resource to DGM and grant recipients for programmatic information on applications, projects, work plans, goals and objectives of the specific program area;
  • Responsible for the technical knowledge of the program/project;
  • Serves as the primary contact to the recipient institution’s Project Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) and the DGM.

Role of the Division of Grants Management

  • Independent of the program office;
  • Provides expertise in the financial and administrative aspects of the grants process;
  • Awards and administers both grants and cooperative agreements for IHS;
  • Serves as the primary contact to the recipient institution/organization’s business office and the IHS Program staff and other key stakeholders;
  • Has the overall responsibility for monitoring the grants and financial management processes to ensure that all required financial and administrative actions are performed by the recipient and their respective organization prior to and after award;
  • Maintain the official files of all awards.

Role of Grants Policy

  • Provide administrative policy decisions and updates to program officials, grant management specialists, recipients and stakeholders;
  • Develop and maintain grant policy for the agency;
  • Represent the IHS at HHS/Federal-wide efforts to streamline the grants process;
  • Provide grants management training to the IHS grant and program staff as well as the IHS grant recipients;
  • Provide guidance in the area of grants compliance with HHS, OMB, and IHS regulations, policies and laws;
  • Has oversight over the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Process and other required HHS and OMB Grants related functions for grant awards and compliance.

For additional grants management concerns or information, please contact your Grants Management Specialist, listed on your NoA, or contact the DGM via e-mail at Division of Grants Management