Area Project Officers
Area Project Officer (APO) Role and Responsibilities
The Area Project Officers (APOs) serve as the first primary point of contact and provide technical assistance (TA) and guidance to grantees consisting of Tribes, Tribal organizations, and Urban Indian organizations (UIOs).
Each grant award made through the IHS Division of Behavioral Health (DBH) is assigned an APO and a Grants Management Specialist (GMS). The IHS staff are respectively responsible for the programmatic and administrative/fiscal oversight of the award. Five of our APOs are DBH Behavioral Health Initiatives Branch staff and one APO is based in the Alaska Area Office. APOs are responsible for managing a portfolio of grants located within the IHS area they are assigned to. As part of programmatic oversight, APOs provide TA to grantees based on the needs of the project’s goals of the program. For grantees, the APOs have a responsibility to follow the overall guidelines of the HHS Grants Policy Statement (Revised 1/07) and work in coordination with the GMS who is employed by the IHS Division of Grants Management. The APOs work to ensure the projects are responsive to IHS’s mission and goals of the DBH program.
The APOs are engaged in the following activities with grantees.
- Regular phone and e-mail contact with grantee (typically the Program Director or Project Coordinator)
- Promote collaboration with other grantees, and with IHS behavioral health programs.
- Provide technical assistance on project implementation and sustainability issues.
- Provide technical assistance on developing and submitting required documents into the GrantSolutions system, such as changes in key staff, Carryover Requests, Budget Modifications, etc.
- Facilitate linkages to other IHS/federal government, state and local resources and help grantees access appropriate technical assistance.
- Coordinate participation in cross-site evaluation and partnership with Area Tribal or Urban Epidemiology Centers.
- Conduct virtual and in-person site visits for project monitoring and/or technical assistance.
- Coordinate and/or attend regional technical assistance meetings.
- Review annual progress reports for programmatic compliance.
- Provide programmatic recommendations on programmatic processes.
- Regular phone calls and e-mails with grantee.
- Review and recommend GMS approval for changes key positions/personnel, carryover requests, budget modifications, change in scope, and no-cost extensions.
- Review non-competing continuation applications for programmatic compliance.
The specific workload of each APO will vary based on the type and number of grants they are assigned, and the relationships they have cultivated with grantees The APOs spend a majority of their time in direct communication with grantees by phone, e-mail, virtual meeting, or via an in-person site visit. The remaining amount of their time is spent assisting with identifying appropriate project implementation strategies that align with program goals and objectives, reviewing project documents/materials, and coordinating technical assistance with the grantee and other IHS staff. The APOs play a key role in the success of grantees in implementing their specific project goals, promoting the goals of the DBH programs, and goals and mission of IHS.
Area Project Officers by IHS Area
View a map of APOs by IHS Area [PDF - 836 KB] and number of projects.
