Student/Client name, institution, Name of class/event, YYYY-MM-DD

PREMIER VISUAL VOICE

Remote CART, Captioning and Interpreter Services

www.premiervisualvoice.com

1

ROUGH EDITED COPY

The following text is provided as a means of communication and

may not be a verbatim record of the proceedings

Learning Systems International

Best Practices in Budget Development

Wednesday, September 29, 2021

CART/CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY:

Premier Visual Voice, LLC

CART, Captioning and Interpreter Services

www.premiervisualvoice.com

216-246-9477

CG
Student/Client name, institution, Name of class/event, YYYY-MM-DD

PREMIER VISUAL VOICE

Remote CART, Captioning and Interpreter Services

www.premiervisualvoice.com

2

14:55:54 >>

14:55:54 [Music]

15:02:31 >> Welcome and on behalf of your AmeriCorps presentation team, I 

thank you for joining us.

15:02:31 Before starting let's review the technologies so you can get the most out 

of the training.

15:03:01 The audio for today’s event is lecture only, the microphones are muted 

to reduce background noise.

15:03:01 To adjust the audio through your computer go to the bottom left of the 

screen, click the small arrow next to audio settings and select the speaker.

15:03:01 Some viewers get better audio while streaming while others get better 

quality by phone.

15:03:01 If you have any audio difficulties, you may want to try a different 

connection method.

15:03:01 Several Zoom features will be used today.

15:03:08 At the top of the screen Chat panel on the right side of the slides.

15:03:15 Use the Chat panel to receive links and resource information from the 

panelists or to share an idea.

15:03:28 When using Chat, please select everyone from the drop-down menu. 

This allows everyone to see your comments.

15:03:28 Use the Raise Hand feature if you have a technical issue and need 

assistance. I will contact you individually via Chat.

15:03:59 . Let's start this recording and turn it over to your presenter, Senior 

Grants Management Training Specialist and AmeriCorps Office of Grant 

Administration, Tracey Seabolt.

15:04:14 >> Recording of progress.

Hello to the Best Practices in Budget Development webinar for AmeriCorps 

Seniors.
Student/Client name, institution, Name of class/event, YYYY-MM-DD

PREMIER VISUAL VOICE

Remote CART, Captioning and Interpreter Services

www.premiervisualvoice.com

3

15:04:35 My goal for today's session is to help you, the AmeriCorps Seniors 

program applicants acquire the knowledge and skills needed to understand the 

function of and to develop an effective RSVP, Foster Grandparent.

15:04:48 Senior Companion, or Senior Demonstration Program budget and 

budget narrative. Your submission of a complete budget will help to demonstrate 

that you have the physical capacity to manage an AmeriCorps Seniors program.

15:04:59 During the session, I will review the budget components, which include 

both AmeriCorps resources and the applicant's matching resources.

15:05:19 I do want to point out that the AmeriCorps Seniors budget programs are 

all very similar, with slight differences between the stipend program budgets, that 

includes the Foster Grandparent.

15:05:24 Senior grandparent and some Senior Demonstration Program, and the 

non-stipend program budgets, which include some Senior Demonstration 

Programs and all RSVP programs.

15:05:39 I will reference those differences throughout the session, when 

applicable.

15:05:55 At the end of this webinar, you should understand how we determine if 

costs are allowable, reasonable, necessary, and allocable as determined by 2 

CFR 200, the Office of Management and Budget Aniform administrative 

Requirements, cost principles, and audit requirements for Federal awards, which 

we refer to as the Uniform Guidance.

15:06:04 As well as the content of the Notice of Funding Opportunity, which is 

referred to either the NOFO or Notice.

15:06:14 Using these resources and tips and best practices shared here, you 

should be prepared to submit a compliant, compelling, and, competitive budget.

15:06:28 Because the budget and budget narrative becomes part of the grant 

recipients contract with AmeriCorps, we want, and we expect, applicants to 

present a strong and accurate document.
Student/Client name, institution, Name of class/event, YYYY-MM-DD

PREMIER VISUAL VOICE

Remote CART, Captioning and Interpreter Services

www.premiervisualvoice.com

4

15:06:50 The approved budget will not only serve as a financial guide for grantsupported activities, but it also helps to ensure the terms and conditions of the 

award.

15:07:00 In addition to helping AmeriCorps monitor grant and financial 

compliance, it can serve as a tool for both AmeriCorps and award recipients to 

measure their progress toward the match requirements.

15:07:00 And monitor budgeted expenses to actual expenses, as part of the 

budget management process.

15:07:14 Before we dive into the details of the budget development, I want to 

point out that budget development is just one component of an effective budget 

management process.

15:07:14 Let's take a quick look at the full process.

15:07:29 As you started to work on your AmeriCorps Seniors application, you

may have asked yourself, how do I design a strong budget?

15:07:52 Whether you started the process with that question or not, as part of the 

pre-award project development process, it's likely that your team already 

determined the needs you wanted to address with RSVP.

15:07:52 Foster Grandparent, Senior Companion or Senior Demonstration 

program resources.

15:07:52 And that you set up the program or project goals and objectives and 

you decided on a strategy to accomplish those goals.

15:08:08 To develop the budget, applicants must translate that strategy into 

dollars to prepare a budget that is aligned with the stated program goals and 

objectives.

15:08:16 Post award, grantees will continue to manage their budgets effectively 

by establishing a budget control process, monitoring expenses.

15:08:29 Regularly comparing your budgeted to actual expenses to check for 

over and under spending and modifying the budget as necessary with approval 

from AmeriCorps when required.

15:08:33 Today's conversation will focus on the budget preparation process.
Student/Client name, institution, Name of class/event, YYYY-MM-DD

PREMIER VISUAL VOICE

Remote CART, Captioning and Interpreter Services

www.premiervisualvoice.com

5

15:08:52 Let's talk about an approved budget. It should be realistic. It should 

reflect the expected program revenues and expenses, and its capacity to carry

out program activities.

15:08:52 It should be consistent and aligned with the program's goals and 

objectives.

15:09:06 The ones we just talked about in the prior slide.

15:09:06 And it should be flexible. A project’s financial and operating 

circumstances often change, and the budget must adapt to those changing 

circumstances.

15:09:13 For now we will focus on the realistic and consistent features, as they 

relate to budget design.

15:09:24 A few minutes ago I outlined the steps that your team may have taken 

as part of the budget development process.

15:09:53 AmeriCorps encourages applicants to approach budget design as a 

team activity, engaging various departments based on their individual expertise. 

For instance, Human Resources will have salary, fringe benefits, and criminal 

history check costs.

15:09:53 The program office may know the cost for training, evaluation, and 

delivering services to the community.

15:10:03 The accounting office will have historical spending rates for specific 

costs. The grants office should be able to review for compliance as well as other 

staff may have additional expertise and can review the budget for clarity.

15:10:19 I do realize if you are part of a small organization, you may not have all 

of these resources available to you, but that doesn't mean you should undertake 

budget development in a vacuum without input from others.

15:10:32 Don't be afraid to involve others as required to present the most realistic 

data in the budget and make sure that your document aligns with your 

programmatic goals and objectives.

15:10:38 You may also want to have someone outside the budget development 

team review the budget, to make sure the content is clear and accurate.
Student/Client name, institution, Name of class/event, YYYY-MM-DD

PREMIER VISUAL VOICE

Remote CART, Captioning and Interpreter Services

www.premiervisualvoice.com

6

15:10:49 AmeriCorps recommends that applicants use historical information 

when it is possible. As a reminder, your accounting department should have that 

information.

15:11:35 After obtaining this information, you will adjusted as necessary so the 

data is timelier and include that information, as appropriate, as part of your 

budget narrative descriptions.

15:11:35 Your strong budget design provides a framework for effective budget 

management and it ensures a realistic scope, appropriate detail, a competitive 

and compelling proposal, compliance, and effective delivery.

15:11:35 That is, it serves as a guide for program implementation.

15:11:37 In order to create a budget that is strong, accurate, and requires 

minimal clarification, I encourage you to take your time and engage others in 

data collection and quality review.

15:11:58 As I previously noted, one of the objectives for this session is to provide 

you with tips and tools for creating a compelling and compliant budget narrative.

15:12:09 The first step is to read and follow the application instructions in the 

Notice of Funding Opportunity and from now on I will reference that as the NOFO 

or Notice.

15:12:15 The strongest and most compliant Budget Narratives adhere to the 

guidelines in these documents and that saves all of us time and effort later.

15:12:33 These documents provide specific details related to budget compliance, 

including to become familiar with the Uniform Guidance and only include those 

costs that are allowable, reasonable, necessary, and allocable.

15:12:44 You can find the Uniform Guidance online at ecfr.federalregister.gov 

and you will search under Title 2 Grants and Agreements.

15:13:01 After you and your team estimate the financial resources you need to 

achieve the stated program goals, you will then organize them into the narrative 

budget categories.
Student/Client name, institution, Name of class/event, YYYY-MM-DD

PREMIER VISUAL VOICE

Remote CART, Captioning and Interpreter Services

www.premiervisualvoice.com

7

15:13:10 Again, following the guidance in the NOFO and application instructions. 

As you develop the budget narrative, remember to provide adequate descriptions 

and clear calculations.

15:13:20 eGrants will automatically populate a budget summary and a budget 

narrative report that should be able to serve as a stand-alone document.

15:13:32 Without a need to reference the application narrative for explanation. 

That is where that suggestion to have someone outside your budget review team 

review the document to check for holes and inaccuracies.

15:13:46 That comes in handy. The Uniform Guidance also specifies costs 

unallowable, such as lobbying, entertainment, and alcoholic beverages.

15:13:59 AmeriCorps strongly encourages applicants to review the Uniform 

Guidance to avoid including unallowable costs in your proposed budget.

15:14:12 Other unallowable costs include those that are not necessary to meet 

the program objectives. For example, budgeting a new laptop for each of your 

organizations eight staff members.

15:14:34 When only two staff are included in the budget, is not allowable and 

could be a waste, fraud, or abuse. Another example is budgeting $5000 for a topof-the-line desktop computer with all kinds of fancy accessories for an employee 

who will primarily use a word processing program and email.

15:14:36 These are costs that would be considered unreasonable from a prudent 

person perspective or have no logic basis for inclusion in the budget.

15:14:53 I'm going to go into specifics for just a few minutes and speak to the 

minimum match requirements for AmeriCorps seniors stipended programs.

15:15:04 The Foster Grandparent or FGB, Senior Companion, SCP, and some 

Senior Demonstration Program's also referenced as SDP.

15:15:09 And I'll address the match requirements for the non-stipended program 

in just a moment.

15:15:26 The minimum match requirements for the SCP is 10% of the total 

project costs. Again, some SDP programs also may have a 10% match 

requirement.
Student/Client name, institution, Name of class/event, YYYY-MM-DD

PREMIER VISUAL VOICE

Remote CART, Captioning and Interpreter Services

www.premiervisualvoice.com

8

15:15:32 If you're applying for Senior Demonstration Program, I recommend that 

you check the Notice to determine the match requirement before you submit your 

application.

15:15:48 This graphic shows what the budgeted 10% Grantee Share would look 

like for a grant with the total program budget of $100,000. In this example, the 

Grantee Share of $10,000 meets that 10% requirement.

15:16:05 It's important to remember that if a cost is unallowable as part of the 

AmeriCorps share, it is also unallowable as part of the Grantee Share or your 

required match.

15:16:13 Additionally, cash and in-kind contributions are acceptable as match 

when they are necessary and reasonable for proper and efficient 

accomplishment of project or program objectives.

15:16:23 When they are allowable under the Uniform Guidance, the NOFO and 

the application instructions.

15:16:23 When they are included in the approved budget and allocable under 

program guidelines.

15:16:35 When they are compliant with the terms and conditions of the award in 

Uniform Guidance, and when they are verifiable from the organization's records.

15:16:47 The matching resources must be treated the same as the AmeriCorps 

share and consistent treatment includes complete and accurate documentation.

15:16:58 A frequently heard phrase in the world of grants management is, if it 

isn't documented, it didn't happen.

15:16:58 Please make sure to document all of your expenses.

15:17:24 In order to fully demonstrate a plan for non-AmeriCorps support, 

applicants are required to include the Source of matching Funds in their budget 

narrative, entering a description of the source, along with the amount.

15:17:24 A cash or in-kind classification, the type of match source, that is state or 

local government, federal funds, or for private donations.
Student/Client name, institution, Name of class/event, YYYY-MM-DD

PREMIER VISUAL VOICE

Remote CART, Captioning and Interpreter Services

www.premiervisualvoice.com

9

15:17:35 And confirmation of whether the sources of match are secured or 

proposed. You do not need to secure 100% of your match prior to submitting the 

application.

15:17:46 You may enter anticipated match by noting that it is proposed. Whether 

secured or proposed, the total in this section must equal the amount of match 

shown in the budget, exactly.

15:17:55 Let's turn our attention to the non-stipended programs, RSVP program.

15:18:10 The total cost increases over the first three years of program operation 

to a maximum of 30% of total grant costs.

15:18:28 For instance, if you have that $100,000 project budget in year 1, the 

Grantee Share must be $10,000, in year 2, the minimum Grantee Share is 

$20,000, and in year 3 and thereafter, the Grantee Share for that same $100,000 

budget would be at least $30,000.

15:19:01 As with the nonstipended programs, cash and in-kind contributions are 

only acceptable or acceptable as match when they are necessary and 

reasonable to accomplish your program objectives, when they are included in the 

approved budget and allowable under program guidelines.

15:19:02 The NOFO and the application instructions. When they are compliant 

with the terms and conditions of the award and when they are verifiable from the 

organization’s documentation.

15:19:13 Like this type and program budget, non-stipended and program 

applicants must also show the source of these matching resources in the Source 

of Funds section of the budget.

15:19:22 Also, please note that eGrants rounds the budgeted match amount up 

to the nearest percentage.

15:19:41 For example, a budget with 29.7% match will appear to match at 30%. 

For that reason, I always recommend that applicants calculate the percentage of 

match outside of eGrants to ensure that you are meeting or exceeding the 

required percentage.
Student/Client name, institution, Name of class/event, YYYY-MM-DD

PREMIER VISUAL VOICE

Remote CART, Captioning and Interpreter Services

www.premiervisualvoice.com

10

15:20:01 Be aware that some Senior Demonstration Program applications may 

be required to provide these increasing match levels. Again remember to check 

the NOFO and that will include the specific match requirements for the Senior 

Demonstration Program you are applying to receive.

15:20:14 As you enter data in your budget, you will notice that the structure 

includes both the AmeriCorps and the Grantee Share of project costs.

15:20:21 And the AmeriCorps share is identified in eGrants as the CNCS Share. 

Additionally, the budget is divided in two different sections.

15:20:36 Section 1 is for Volunteer Support Expenses, which include both direct 

and indirect cost categories. The direct costs in this section include grant-related 

program operating costs.

15:21:07 Specific line items may include those shown on the slide. This section 

may also include general or centralized organizational expenses, spread across 

the entire organization, as indirect costs.

15:21:07 Section 2 of the budget is for volunteer expenses. As the section 

heading states, this includes all reimbursable expenses incurred for volunteers 

during the course of grant related activities, rather than the program operations.

15:21:28 The stipend and program budget includes a specific category for 

stipends and both the stipended and non-stipended and budgets included a 

category for Other Volunteer Costs, including those shown on the slide.

15:21:37 As you, the AmeriCorps Seniors applicant, develop your budget 

management systems and specifically the budget control process, you'll want to 

establish clear policies and procedures for tracking and documenting these 

expenses.

15:21:58 I will now review the specific AmeriCorps Seniors budget categories. As 

you enter your budget details in each of these categories, be sure to follow any 

specific requirements outlined in the related AmeriCorps Seniors NOFO and 

application instructions.

15:22:03 I'll begin this review with section 1, the Volunteer Support Expenses.
Student/Client name, institution, Name of class/event, YYYY-MM-DD

PREMIER VISUAL VOICE

Remote CART, Captioning and Interpreter Services

www.premiervisualvoice.com

11

15:22:34 In category 1.A., we have our project personnel expenses. Here you will 

individually list each staff position supported by the grant and provide the annual 

salary and level of effort as a percentage of the full-time equivalent, or FTE.

15:22:51 Devoted to this award or if calculated on an hourly basis, you will 

include the hourly rate and the number of hours per week. Please remember to 

only include positions supported by the application narrative.

15:22:51 And make sure not to include the value of direct community service 

performed by volunteers, unless it is for organizational functions such as 

accounting, auditing, or training.

15:23:16 In addition, if you have multiple AmeriCorps grants, it's a good idea to 

confirm that you are not over budgeting, that is, including more than 100% of 

staff time on your budgets.

15:23:22 You can do this by including a statement in each line or by adding a 

zero-dollar line item that states, the percentage of time allocated to budgeted 

staff does not exceed 100% across all AmeriCorps grants, or something to that 

effect.

15:23:44 The next category is Personnel Fringe Benefits. Here you identify the 

type of fringe benefit and the cost for each staff. The budget includes pre-existing 

FICA, Health and Life Insurance, and retirement line items that you can edit.

15:23:52 You will add additional lines such as state unemployment insurance 

and Worker's Compensation, as appropriate.

15:24:05 Please make sure that your fringe benefit costs should align with salary 

lines. It should only include staff included in the personnel expenses category 

and that should be calculated in alignment with the Category I.A. calculations.

15:24:13 If the benefit amount is more than 30% of the salary costs, you must 

justify the cost by listing the benefits separately.

15:24:29 In other words, rather than enter fringe benefits at 41.65% of total 

salaries, you will break it out with something like, health insurance at 24%, 

retirement at 10%, and FICA at 7.65%.
Student/Client name, institution, Name of class/event, YYYY-MM-DD

PREMIER VISUAL VOICE

Remote CART, Captioning and Interpreter Services

www.premiervisualvoice.com

12

15:24:54 The travel category is divided into local travel that is travel within the 

project service area, as shown in item 12 of the 424 face sheet.

15:24:54 And long distance travel, that travel which occurs outside the service 

area.

15:25:14 In both categories, you should include the purpose of the travel and the 

type of travel costs. Whether it's ground transportation or other costs.

15:25:14 And you will also include the number of trips and number of staff 

traveling.

15:25:14 Please make sure this calculation is clear and simple to follow.

15:25:21 You should only include travel costs for staff that is listed in budget 

Category I.A. and directly support the grant activities described in your 

application.

15:25:35 Be aware that you may budget mileage at a rate higher than the federal 

reimbursement rate, if that follows your organization's policy and is justified in the 

budget narrative.

15:25:44 I will address categories D and E, that is equipment and supplies 

together.

15:26:04 AmeriCorps defines equipment as tangible, nonexpendable personal 

property having a useful life of more than one year and an acquisition cost of 

$5000 or more per unit.

15:26:16 Regardless of how your organization defines equipment, it's a proposed 

if the proposed expense does not meet this criteria -- you must show the 

equipment cost and number of units with purpose of equipment.

15:26:24 Likewise, you must show the type of supplies in Category E and their 

respective costs and individually list any single item up to $1000 or more.

15:26:48 In category F, our Contractual/Consultant Services section, that will 

include all contractual and consultant services.

15:26:53 Itemize each contract or consultant and provide a brief justification of 

the need. You can convey that the costs are reasonable and necessary by 

including a daily or hourly rate or annual contract fee and the justification.
Student/Client name, institution, Name of class/event, YYYY-MM-DD

PREMIER VISUAL VOICE

Remote CART, Captioning and Interpreter Services

www.premiervisualvoice.com

13

15:27:02 This category should include any service documented by a contract, 

such as equipment maintenance, accounting services, and training consultants.

15:27:21 The other volunteer support , section is kind of a catch all category for 

those project expenses that don't fit into the other categories.

15:27:29 In this category, you must include National Service criminal history

checks for employees or other individuals who receive a salary or similar 

payment from the grant.

15:27:54 This is a pre-existing line item that you will edit as appropriate. If you do 

not include costs for these checks, please make sure to explain how the costs 

are covered or that the checks are already completed for the applicable 

individual.

15:28:05 This category may also include line items to cover the cost for training, 

evaluation services, recruitment expenses, and other expenses that don't fit into 

categories A-F.

15:28:26 In addition to these direct costs, Section 1 includes a category for 

Indirect Costs. Those are general or centralized costs that support the project, 

they do not include specific project costs.

15:28:26 That may be included in an organization's indirect cost rate agreement, 

if one exists, or that can be calculated using a di Minimis rate.

15:28:27 Let's take a few minutes to look at those calculations.

15:28:34 There are two methods for calculating the Indirect Costs.

15:28:41 If an applicant has a federally approved indirect cost rate, they must 

use this method.

15:28:47 And the approved rate agreement constitutes documentation of the 

Indirect Costs.

15:29:02 eGrants will direct you to specify the rate type, whether provisional or 

predetermined, fixed or final and to supply the rates and basis on which the rate 

is calculated.

15:29:11 That may be salaries and benefits, or it could be all direct costs,

including volunteer expenses or some other basis.
Student/Client name, institution, Name of class/event, YYYY-MM-DD

PREMIER VISUAL VOICE

Remote CART, Captioning and Interpreter Services

www.premiervisualvoice.com

14

15:29:25 If you are budgeting for less than the maximum allowed, you should 

note the percentage claimed in the description.

15:29:39 Applicants must also enter the details of their approved negotiated 

indirect cost for agreement in eGrants, using the guidance and application 

instructions.

15:29:40 Please make sure that the budgeted rate matches the rate details that 

you entered in eGrants.

15:29:59 Alternatively, applicants that do not have a federally approved indirect 

cost rate may use a di Minimis rate of 10% of modified total direct costs.

15:29:59 It is important to note that if that the di Minims option is elected, the 

organization must use it consistently across all the organization’s federal awards.

15:30:12 As an alternative to using either of these methods, applicants may 

charge these costs as direct costs, providing that they meet the allowability 

standards outlined in the Uniform Guidance.

15:30:28 Let's move to section 2, which focuses on the volunteer expenses.

15:30:44 As I previously mentioned, stipended program budgets include two 

budget categories, while the non-stipended program budgets include just a single 

category for Other Volunteer Costs.

15:30:44 We will start a review with the stipendeds program Category 2.A., that 

only includes lines for the volunteer stipends.

15:30:52 eGrants pre-populates the annual stipend calculation based on the 

current rate, which is specified in the NOFO.

15:31:04 And then applicants only need to enter the number of volunteers and 

the stipend totals for both the AmeriCorps and the Grantee Share, and the total 

amount of the line items.

15:31:34 This budget section for all AmeriCorps Seniors programs includes a 

category for Other Volunteer Costs, which appears as category 2.B. for 

stipended programs and 2. A. non-stipended program budgets.
Student/Client name, institution, Name of class/event, YYYY-MM-DD

PREMIER VISUAL VOICE

Remote CART, Captioning and Interpreter Services

www.premiervisualvoice.com

15

15:31:34 In all cases, this category is pre-populated with lines for meals, 

uniforms, insurance, recognition, travel, and for stipended program budgets, 

physical examinations.

15:31:51 And you will enter the associated costs to justify the expense in the 

same way that you did in Section 1, including details such as the number of 

individuals covered, the cost per item, and a mileage rate.

15:31:56 Please remember that insurance for volunteers on assignment is a 

required line item, the details of which are outlined in the regulations.

15:32:09 While performing assignments, such as their transportation and 

supplies.

15:32:14 As long as the costs are outlined in the memorandum of outstanding 

negotiated with the volunteer station where the volunteer is serving.

15:32:39 The last section of the budget narrative is the Source of Funds section. 

In it, you won't list budget sections or line item cost, rather you will enter the 

source of these resources that are covering the specific line item expenses in the 

Grantee Share of the budget.

15:32:47 As I said, the Source of Funds section provides details for any Grantee 

Share for cash or in-kind resources included in the budget.

15:32:57 Applicants will enter these details from the budget section 1 and 2

headings and click the link to enter the Source of matching Funds, as shown 

here.

15:33:24 Once you click that link, a new screen will open for you to enter the 

source. Please be aware that there is a source of funds category for Section 1 

and for section 2. You will use either or both, depending on where you budgeted 

resources as part of the Grantee Share.

15:33:33 Once you open the window for the Source of matching Funds, you'll 

enter each source of matching resources separately, including a brief description 

of the match.
Student/Client name, institution, Name of class/event, YYYY-MM-DD

PREMIER VISUAL VOICE

Remote CART, Captioning and Interpreter Services

www.premiervisualvoice.com

16

15:33:38 Whether it is secured or proposed, the dollar amount of the resources, 

the match classification, whether cash or in-kind resources, and the source type 

such as private or state and local government.

15:33:52 I caution you to update this section as well as the indirect costs section,

after making any budget revisions, so these two sections reflect all changes.

15:34:15 As I mentioned before, the source of funds must total the total amount 

of resources in the Grantee Share of the budget.

15:34:24 Exactly. When complete, the Source of Funds section might include 

content similar to this example. Note that this only includes the source of the 

match, not the specific budget sections or line items covered by those matching 

resources.

15:34:53 And it provides the required details, noting whether the resources are 

secured or proposed, whether they or in-kind donations or cash, and whether 

they are provided by private or government entity.

15:34:53 As long as we’re discussing matching resources, I want to repeat what I 

stated earlier. If a cost is unallowable as part of the AmeriCorps share, it is also 

unallowable as part of the Grantee Share or your required match.

15:34:53 Again, if you're not sure if the cause is allowable or not, Uniform 

Guidance is the best place to find the answer.

15:35:17 This is also a good time to discuss the Excess Funds column that 

applicants may use to report the amount of Grantee Share resources in excess 

of the required match.

15:35:27 Applicants are not required to utilize the excess column, but they may 

do so if they choose. This column may include the cost of activities such as 

fundraising, which are unallowable on the actual grant budget.

15:35:36 The source of the excess funds should not be included in the Source of 

Funds section. Nor should the excess funds be included in the base in which you 

--.

15:35:53 Before we close, I want to offer a few pointers to check and double 

check your work to eliminate erroneous information.
Student/Client name, institution, Name of class/event, YYYY-MM-DD

PREMIER VISUAL VOICE

Remote CART, Captioning and Interpreter Services

www.premiervisualvoice.com

17

15:35:53 The notice and application instructions outline any budget restrictions 

and regulations, including the minimum match requirements.

15:36:11 Please make sure to follow them. Your budget should include all 

required costs, such as cost for staff and volunteer National Service Criminal

History Checks and transportation, recognition, and insurance costs for 

volunteers.

15:36:28 Your budget narrative will demonstrate how you are supporting all 

budgeted match with the Source of Funds section that includes all the required 

details and equals the total budgeted match exactly.

15:36:28 Even if your budgeted match exceeds the minimum requirement, you 

must still include the entire match amount in your Source of Funds section.

15:36:49 As much as possible, due to eGrants character limits, the budget 

narrative should provide details including the purpose and accurate calculation in 

whole dollars, and exclude unallowable costs.

15:37:08 Both those unallowed in the NOFO or application instruction and those 

unallowed by the regulations. I often recommend that applicants use those zerodollar line items to enter additional clarifications, if needed.

15:37:08 Please have someone check all of your calculations before you submit.

15:37:22 Finally, and most importantly, you should ensure that you will align your 

budget narrative to the program goals in the application narrative. Including 

miscellaneous, contingency, or other undefined budget amounts may adversely 

impact your application status.

15:37:34 Again, I stress the benefit of an involving your whole team and 

someone outside of the team in the budget development process.

15:37:34 Having another set of eyes provide a review of the final budget can 

make an incredible difference.

15:37:51 In addition, before submitting your application, please make sure your 

organization has an active registration with the System for Award Management.

15:37:53 If you are applying for the first time, I recommend that you apply early,

as it may take a while to activate the registration.
Student/Client name, institution, Name of class/event, YYYY-MM-DD

PREMIER VISUAL VOICE

Remote CART, Captioning and Interpreter Services

www.premiervisualvoice.com

18

15:38:14 Please be aware that SAM is a free service.

15:38:14 Organizations should never pay for SAM registration.

15:38:22 Further, know that applicants must maintain an active SAM registration 

throughout the application process and if awarded an AmeriCorps Seniors grant, 

must maintain the active registration throughout the life of the grant.

15:38:43 If you have a SAM registration and it will soon expire, you may want to 

renew it so you don't have to address that through the clarification or resolution 

process.

15:38:43 When required by the NOFO, please make sure to submit your 

organization's Operational and Financial Management Survey, as directed.

15:38:58 And please make sure that your organization's most recent single audit 

is still on file with the Federal Audit Clearinghouse and your Form 990 is 

submitted to GuideStar, as applicable.

15:39:04 And finally, if you have one, please make sure to enter your current 

Federally Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate details in eGrants, using the guidance in 

the application instructions.

15:39:24 AmeriCorps is aware that on occasion, applications experience 

challenges with our eGrants system. EGrants automatically performs a limited 

compliance check to validate the budget and this may result in a warning or error 

message.

15:39:50 Some of these messages prevent you from submitting your application, 

so you should be aware of the differences and related actions. For instance, 

when you receive a warning, you can move forward, but the application or budget 

may not be compliant with the guidelines.

15:39:50 On the other hand, an error message will not allow you to move forward 

until you correct that error.

15:40:03 You must resolve all errors before you can submit the application. If you 

experience a challenge other than a warning or error message, you should 

contact the AmeriCorps Hotline right away.
Student/Client name, institution, Name of class/event, YYYY-MM-DD

PREMIER VISUAL VOICE

Remote CART, Captioning and Interpreter Services

www.premiervisualvoice.com

19

15:40:09 The number is 800-942-2677 and a link to the help request form is at 

the bottom of most eGrant pages.

15:40:40 I want to draw your attention back to these bullets that I shared earlier. I 

encourage you to keep this checklist nearby as you develop your budget and 

frequently consult it as a budget development guide and quality assurance 

checklist.

15:40:40 Many budgets require extensive revisions, in part because applicants 

do not follow the points outlined here.

15:40:45 You will save yourself a great deal of follow-up effort by checking your 

proposed budget against this checklist before submitting it to AmeriCorps.

15:41:05 I hope you found this instruction a helpful guide for developing your 

AmeriCorps Seniors budget and budget narrative. I encourage you to review the 

content from this presentation several times before submitting your application, 

as part of your quality assurance process.

15:41:09 And I wish you all the best as you develop your proposal and related 

budget content.

15:41:14 >> Recording stopped.

15:41:34 >> We are going to pause briefly here as we stopped recording and we 

will restart in just a few seconds for our question and answer series. I'm going to 

pass the microphone over to my colleague, Debbie Truchan.

15:41:47 >> Recording of progress

15:42:11 >> Please make sure to put your questions in the Q&A box. For the

Senior Demonstration Program. A two-year budget. When we say put in an 

annual salary, how do we do that for this particular application for two years?

15:42:26 >> Great question. I think there are a couple of ways you might want to 

look at this. We don't give us any specific directive as to what format it should 

take.

15:42:49 As I mentioned when I was going to that section, in the project 

personnel expenses you will list staff position, you will list their salary position. In 

this case you could say, project manager, year one at $50,000, 100%.
Student/Client name, institution, Name of class/event, YYYY-MM-DD

PREMIER VISUAL VOICE

Remote CART, Captioning and Interpreter Services

www.premiervisualvoice.com

20

15:43:10 Or you could say project manager, two-year, $100,000, 100%. That 

would be taking in $50,000 each year.

15:43:22 To me, if I am reviewing that it's a little less clear what the plan is. In 

that case, you may want to give even more information like project manager two 

years at $50,000 each year.

15:43:30 Or if you want to allow for salary increases, it might be 48-52, or 

something like that.

15:43:46 To me personally, the easiest way to see that is year one, X number of 

dollars and then go through all of the personnel expenses in that way.

15:44:01 >> Great, thank you. The next question is, there are two points but 

excess funds. One, excess funds should not be included -- and what was the 

second point? Can you read that again?

15:44:24 >> Absolutely. Before I do that, I want to ask you to think about excess 

funds as something that you all are seeing and you are knowing that there's 

activities related to those funds.

15:44:31 So you want to see it on the budget but when it comes to AmeriCorps 

staff looking at that, we're really just looking at what you are including in the 

AmeriCorps share and the Grantee Share.

15:44:42 That is your actual budget for allowable activities and allowable costs.

15:45:06 . Because it's not part of your regular budget or actual budget, it's not 

included in the Indirect Costs and it's not part of the source of funds. If your 

AmeriCorps shares $50,000, your Grantee Share is $10,000, and your access is 

$20,000.

15:45:11 Your source of funds is only going to be that $10,000, not $30,000.

15:45:32 >> Great. Thank you. --

15:45:49 >> Your grant writing is your fundraising, again, if you want to show up 

that's where you have staff doing those types of activities, that's great.

15:45:54 But you should also know that when our staff is actually reviewing your 

budget, we are not reviewing the content of the access.

15:46:01 It truly is excess information.
Student/Client name, institution, Name of class/event, YYYY-MM-DD

PREMIER VISUAL VOICE

Remote CART, Captioning and Interpreter Services

www.premiervisualvoice.com

21

15:46:15 >> Thank you. I do want to make the announcement for any budget 

related questions, while we have Tracy, we want to make sure we get the most

out of her, so please put in your questions for budget related things.

15:46:54 We did do an update to the FAQ on the 22nd of September.

15:47:05 We received the question about recurrent grantees, can they count

unduplicated volunteers on the ARP grants, if awarded.

15:47:20 Any grant you should only be counting unduplicated volunteers once, 

but that does not mean volunteers cannot serve on other projects or programs.

15:47:30 But you can't count them as volunteers. You should only be counting 

your unduplicated volunteers once. That's why we made sure to add that to the 

FAQs, because we did receive that question.

15:47:51 Can supplies be -- for volunteer projects or just referred to as office 

supplies?

15:48:19 >> Supplies are any of the supplies that you would need. Again, we 

also have that other volunteer, that's where you've got your meals, your uniforms, 

that could also include cost of actually implementing your activities.

15:48:28 You could put it in there, as well. The supply section is more for the 

program management.

15:48:47 It doesn't have to necessarily be office supplies, but if I'm looking to the 

actual question, that could probably go in to the other volunteer category in 

section 2.

15:48:55 >> I will answer this.

15:49:19 . This is the first session – if all webinars and the Q&A will be posted in 

the ARP resource page. I am putting that in the Chat now. Hopefully you have 

access to for some other previous recordings as well.

15:49:33 And it will go up by at least Friday. What is excess expense covered by 

excess funds are intermingling -- by federal expenses, how is this handled?

15:49:53 >> I would love you to add to that question, if you would. I am not clear 

what you are asking or what you are referencing when you're talking about 

intermingling those.
Student/Client name, institution, Name of class/event, YYYY-MM-DD

PREMIER VISUAL VOICE

Remote CART, Captioning and Interpreter Services

www.premiervisualvoice.com

22

15:50:15 I guess I want to make things - I want to make it a little clearer and the 

access piece. The nice part of the access is it allows you to see what's in your 

budget or not in your budget, what is going into your program.

15:50:34 You can include those things that you might not be allowed to include in 

the budget, like the fundraising or lobbying.

15:50:34 You can still see, for your benefit that you are doing it.

15:50:34 It's also an opportunity to see those extra funds you are contributing 

beyond the required 10%, 20%, 30%, whatever is required.

15:50:44 And you can see that you have it there but you are not necessarily held 

accountable, or that extra amount.

15:51:05 I guess I want to make sure, are we talking about intermingling - if this 

person's salary is $100,000 and putting 70% of it on the budget and 30% over 

here in the access column?

15:51:14 Or are you thinking this person’s salary is $100,000 and 70% of their 

time there working on program activities, 30% are doing fundraising and 

lobbying.

15:51:29 I want to make sure you are real clear as to how you are using that. I 

don't know if that answers the question, it makes it more confusing. Thank you 

for providing the extra information.

15:51:51 Hopefully that answered that piece about them being connected. If you 

put the unallowable piece in the access and you just put in your -- 10%, so 90% 

on program activities.

15:52:02 >> I'm going to go to the last question. Can funds be used towards 

non-federal match?

15:52:14 >> Our guidance allows state, local, federal, private sources of match.

15:52:31 Those are your options for describing your match. Are they allowed part 

would be up to your state, whether or not they would allow you to use them as 

match.

15:52:31 As far as AmeriCorps is concerned, that is definitely an allowable 

source of match.
Student/Client name, institution, Name of class/event, YYYY-MM-DD

PREMIER VISUAL VOICE

Remote CART, Captioning and Interpreter Services

www.premiervisualvoice.com

23

15:52:57 What would the target is five --

15:53:09 >> When they are applying for this grant, let's say they get 

unduplicated volunteers.

15:53:17 Let's say you apply for $100,000, that would mean you would have 100 

unduplicated volunteers.

15:53:26 If that would translate to VSY over the two years, how would they plug 

that into the stipend and line item of the budget?

15:53:35 Should they just do the full two years of the stipend. They won't be able 

to know what was for the first year and what was for the second year.

15:53:57 >> You are saying you cannot enter two lines here? To do a single 

year at a time.

15:54:12 >> I believe the VSY stipend and line item only has one or are you able 

to do a separate?

15:54:26 >> I would have to get in there and look. Let's get back to that and find 

out what eGrant’s capability is. I don't know. I have never tried to enter stipends 

for more than one year.

15:54:39 >> I do think they want to follow the same thought process on how we 

do performance measures and budget.

15:54:49 You wouldn't necessarily need to divide out your VSY stipend, you

would just plug in what you are expecting to spend for the full two years.

15:55:00 Sorry if this got a little confusing. I think you would need to plug-in the 

two years for what you plan to spend.

15:55:07 >> So they could put 40 in there and call it done, over the course of 

two years.

15:55:16 >> And in each progress report, you will be able to evaluate how they 

are doing in that area, over the two years.

15:55:26 >> Thanks, for adding to that. Like I said, I hadn't looked in there so I 

was not sure.

15:55:39 >> I feel like this may be related to the -- budget.
Student/Client name, institution, Name of class/event, YYYY-MM-DD

PREMIER VISUAL VOICE

Remote CART, Captioning and Interpreter Services

www.premiervisualvoice.com

24

15:55:48 A new protocol and direction for three-year grant carries forward for a 

year by year budget has not been mentioned, or did I miss it?

15:55:53 How might that relate to this project?

15:56:12 >> Susan, you did not miss it because it doesn't necessarily relate to 

this. Because the projects will have a 24 month project budget..

15:56:22 Grantees will receive two years of funding upfront. We won't need to 

submit continuation applications about what is unspended and what we are 

caring forward.

15:56:25 It will be the whole two-year amount upfront and you will have the whole 

two-year budget.

15:56:35 >> I'm going to make a four minute call for any additional questions.

15:56:56 This goes back to talking about unduplicated volunteers and how that 

goes. What if we have two AmeriCorps Seniors projects in one area, one RSVP.

15:57:08 If you are adding an ARP program are we supposed to crosscheck our 

volunteers to make sure --.

15:57:11 This is a great question I will take it back to the team. We will update 

the FAQ.

15:57:23 How do we manage multiple programs in the tracking system. Please 

be on the lookout in the FAQ.

15:57:31 If it is not up Friday, it will be up by Monday, for sure..

15:57:54 This is going back to the unduplicated volunteers. I'm not quite sure I 

can revisit the training but the guidance does stand that unduplicated volunteers 

we should not be counting unduplicated volunteers for cross program.

15:58:29 Thank you for the feedback on that. Any additional questions. We have 

two minutes. Any last minute questions about how to do a budget while we have 

Tracey?

15:58:44 This will be posted on the ARP resource page. Both the original training 

webinar as well as the Q&A that we are going through now.

15:58:54 Thank you Carol, I'm glad you came.
Student/Client name, institution, Name of class/event, YYYY-MM-DD

PREMIER VISUAL VOICE

Remote CART, Captioning and Interpreter Services

www.premiervisualvoice.com

25

15:59:09 I’d also like to say thank you to the LSI team for helping us through the 

session and clicking. We appreciate you guys.

15:59:18 There were a range of between 23 and 25 individuals on our call today.

15:59:49 We have a question in the chat box. Can we use supplies for -- in the 

budget?

15:59:55 >> I think that seems to go back to the earlier question that we had 

about supplies and are they office supplies or could they be supplies used for 

engaging the volunteers in their service.

16:00:12 I think that falls into that, as I am interpreting that. It falls into the same 

category. It would be the supplies you need to actually complete the service, and 

that would be allowable.

16:00:25 >> Okay, we are going to close. Thank you so much. Thank you 

Tracey, you’re amazing.

16:00:37 >> Always great to join you all. Thank you for being on the call, I 

appreciate it.

16:00:47 >> [End of webinar]