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Office of Monitoring

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

The Office of Monitoring (OM) was created in 2019 to centralize grant monitoring 

functions into one office, and to ensure appropriate separation of duties so that grant 

and program management and monitoring activities are administered separately.

OM’s new monitoring systems centralize compliance monitoring and simplify 

monitoring standards. Below are common questions asked by awardees during our 

first round of monitoring. If you have questions or concerns, please reach out to 

monitoring@cns.gov or the Monitoring Officer assigned to your grant.

Contents

General Inquiries.......................................................................................................................... 3

Q: Is OM's monitoring tool available for awardees to self-monitor? ............................. 3

Q: What is the role/impact of an organization's financial compliance audit and

Single Audit report on the AmeriCorps monitoring process?......................................... 3

Q: Is monitoring the same as PIIA (formerly IPERIA)?........................................................ 3

Q: Is the Office of Monitoring the same as the Office of Inspector General (OIG)? .... 4

Q: How does OM coordinate with the AmeriCorps Audit and Debt Resolution team

and how do your activities overlap? ..................................................................................... 4

Q: Why is there such a big focus on prohibited activities when audits and

investigations often show other issues are more problematic? ...................................... 4

Q: OM references a goal of collecting longitudinal data through its monitoring

activities. What does longitudinal data include?................................................................ 5

Q: How is a program selected for monitoring? .................................................................. 5

Q: With the new monitoring process, awardees may be monitored more frequently

than they have been in the past — how will AmeriCorps include enough time for

awardees/commissions to incorporate corrective action/improvements before

being selected for monitoring again? .................................................................................. 5

Q: When you select a grant for monitoring, does it include all sub-recipients?........... 6

Q: Will OM share common findings after each round of monitoring?........................... 6

Monitoring Activities.................................................................................................................... 6

250 E Street SW 

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1/22/24

Q: Where can I find information on the different steps of the monitoring process?. 6

Q: What does the timeline between being notified of a request for monitoring and

the conclusion of monitoring look like?............................................................................... 6

Q: How can awardees review and give feedback on OM’s tools and processes? ....... 7

Q: How will my organization be notified if we are selected for monitoring? ................ 7

Q: What if my organization cannot meet the deadlines listed for any stage of the

monitoring process? Can I request an extension?............................................................. 7

Monitoring Results & Corrective Action Plans........................................................................ 8

Q: How will my organization be notified of the monitoring results?.............................. 8

Q: What do the monitoring results consist of? Are these results final? ......................... 8

Q: How are monitoring findings resolved? ......................................................................... 8

Q: Will the Monitoring Officer and/or the awardee’s Portfolio Manager (PM)

oversee the implementation of the Corrective Action Plan (CAP)? ................................ 9

Q: My CAP is 'Approved In-Progress.' How do I update OM on the progress of my

CAP?............................................................................................................................................ 9

NSCHC............................................................................................................................................ 9

Q: If NSCHC monitoring results in enforcement action, when will this be

communicated? ........................................................................................................................ 9

Q: Can I request the Office of Monitoring to review my NSCHC files and provide

feedback? .................................................................................................................................. 9

Secure Folder ..............................................................................................................................10

Q: I’ve seen reference to submitting documents in the Secure Folder.

What is Secure Folder and how do I access it?.................................................................10

Interviews.....................................................................................................................................10

Q: Which monitoring activities include interviews, and what do these interviews

entail?.......................................................................................................................................10

Risk Assessment..........................................................................................................................11

Q: Are there tools awardees can use for developing internal risk assessments? ......11

Q: What is the “risk model” and how is it used to select awardees for monitoring? 11

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General Inquiries

Q: Does OM have a monitoring resource available for awardees to selfmonitor?

A: Yes; the Overview of Uniform Monitoring Package Grantee Resource Guide is 

available on the Americorps Monitoring webpage. This resource provides an 

overview of the Uniform Monitoring Package OM uses to assess grant recipient 

compliance. Note that this resource is intended to be one of the many sources of 

information to assist awardees in demonstrating that its program is meeting 

compliance requirements. The resource guide is structured by the type of monitoring 

activity that may be assigned to a grant project and includes a crosswalk of the 

applicable Code of Federal Regulations, Terms and Conditions, and/or program

standards. This guide cannot replace an awardee’s responsibility to review and 

understand all regulations, requirements, and terms & conditions of the grant award. 

and terms & conditions of the grant award.

This resource will be updated, as needed. AmeriCorps has the right, at all reasonable 

times, to incorporate revisions to its monitoring tools and to include additional areas 

of assessment for compliance monitoring.

Q: What is the role/impact of an organization's financial compliance audit and Single 

Audit report on the AmeriCorps monitoring process?

A: An organization's financial audit and Single Audit reports play a critical role in 

many elements of the AmeriCorps grantmaking and oversight process. AmeriCorps 

uses this information as part of pre-award decision-making, to inform the grant 

portfolio risk assessment, and for Monitoring Officers to review during research and 

preparation for assigned monitoring activities.

Q: Is monitoring the same as PIIA (formerly IPERIA)?

A: No; the Payment Integrity Information Act (PIIA) of 2019, which was preceded by 

the Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Improvement Act (IPERIA), is

limited to specific cost transactions. As a federal agency, AmeriCorps has met certain 

federally determined thresholds that require AmeriCorps to conduct PIIA testing. PIIA 

testing is conducted by AmeriCorps’ Office of the Chief Risk Officer (OCRO). OCRO 

shares PIIA activities and results with OM, as it helps inform awardee risk levels and 

the selection of grants OM may monitor.

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Q: Is the Office of Monitoring the same as the Office of Inspector General 

(OIG)?

A: No, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) is an independent office within 

AmeriCorps that provides oversight of the agency's programs and operations to 

protect the integrity of national service. OM independently monitors the AmeriCorps 

grant portfolio for compliance with federal regulations and program policy. If fraud, 

waste, or abuse is found during monitoring, OM will report this to the AmeriCorps 

OIG.

Q: How does OM coordinate with the AmeriCorps Audit and Debt Resolution 

team and how do your activities overlap?

A: The Office of Audit and Debt Resolution (OADR) manages the resolution and 

tracking of matters related to single audits and debt. OADR also leads the agency’s 

indirect cost rate negotiation and policy efforts. These activities do not overlap with 

the main functions of OM. However, both units actively coordinate to ensure 

information related to awardee compliance and performance is available to 

monitoring officials. This information can inform the grant portfolio risk assessment.

Q: When making monitoring selections, does OM coordinate with other AmeriCorps

departments to prevent simultaneous deadlines or oversight activities on awardees?

Before awardees are notified, OM shares the monitoring selections with leadership 

from the program offices, ORO, OCRO/the PIAA team, and OIG, allowing them to

comment on the selections and share any information helpful in our scheduling.

Awardees experiencing conflicting deadlines or multiple requests should contact 

their Monitoring Officer to discuss adjusting timelines.

Q: Why is there such a big focus on prohibited activities when audits and 

investigations often show other issues are more problematic?

A: Our framework for assessing grant compliance addresses both programmatic and 

financial elements of a grant and is based on Uniform Guidance and program 

regulations and policies. Prohibited activities pose a level of risk to AmeriCorps that 

warrants the assignment of specific monitoring activity. Risk is a function of both the 

likelihood of an adverse event occurring—i.e., a Member or volunteer performing a 

prohibited activity—and the consequences of the event should it occur.

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Q: OM references a goal of collecting longitudinal data through its monitoring 

activities. What does longitudinal data include?

A: OM began its first cycle of monitoring in FY2020. As OM continues to collect more 

monitoring results over time, we can use this type of longitudinal data to evaluate our 

monitoring framework and to identify national and regional trends across grant 

programs. The results of individual awardee monitoring activities will support a 

broader, more complete evaluation of the best practices among AmeriCorps

awardees and help provide future technical assistance and training initiatives.

Q: How is a program selected for monitoring?

A: Awardees are selected for monitoring based on a risk-informed framework. 

AmeriCorps has gathered data from past and current grant performance and

matched it to risk indicators. OM uses this information to select which grants to 

monitor, and the type of monitoring activity we assign. Awardees with a higher risk 

score are not considered to be poor-performing or “bad awardees”; however, the 

greater the number of identified risks, the more likely an awardee will be selected for 

monitoring. In addition, OM does not limit its monitoring activities to high-risk 

awardees; we include lower risk recipients to assess the risk assessment

methodology.

In addition, OM hopes to increase the frequency of monitoring for all awardees, 

which may be conducted remotely or on-site. AmeriCorps no longer uses the number 

of years since the last monitoring visit as a measure for determining monitoring 

selections (i.e., six years since last monitoring visit). On-site visits will not take place 

more than once per year for an awardee unless more frequent monitoring is 

implemented as part of corrective action planning.

Q: With the new monitoring process, awardees may be monitored more 

frequently than they have been in the past — how will AmeriCorps include 

enough time for awardees/commissions to incorporate corrective 

action/improvements before being selected for monitoring again?

A: Approved corrective actions should be implemented and completed within one

year of the conclusion of the monitoring activity. If you are selected for monitoring

and have a previously implemented or active corrective action plan, OM will use the 

monitoring opportunity to evaluate the impact of the improvements you adopted. It is 

not likely a grant recipient will be selected for a monitoring activity while a corrective 

action plan is active, or in progress unless complex compliance issues require more 

frequent, issue-based assessments.

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Q: When you select a grant for monitoring, does it include all sub-recipients? 

A: When a grant is selected for monitoring activities, OM will identify whether or not 

to assign a sub-recipient oversight monitoring activity. This monitoring activity 

focuses on the prime awardee’s policies and practices for performing subrecipient 

oversight and monitoring. The activity includes an evaluation of subrecipient 

monitoring activities for a selected sample of sub-recipients for your grant.

Documentation and interview requests from sub-recipients may be part of the 

monitoring activity, as these provide evidence to OM about how well the awardee is 

overseeing its sub-recipients. However, our office will not contact subrecipients 

directly without a prime awardee’s knowledge. We will ask you to coordinate our 

activities related to subrecipients. Any subrecipient noncompliance will be reported 

to you for resolution.

Q: Will OM share common findings after each round of monitoring?

A: OM will provide high-level observations to awardees. However, OM must

complete additional rounds of monitoring prior to identifying common trends and 

findings. The first monitoring rounds included a smaller body of awardees than we 

anticipate will be included in the future. Once additional monitoring rounds are 

completed, OM intends to examine longitudinal results from monitoring activities

and share observations with awardees related to monitoring trends and common 

findings. The continued collection of monitoring data over time will support this goal 

of sharing results related to monitoring trends and common findings in the future.

Monitoring Activities

Q: Where can I find information on the different steps of the monitoring 

process?

The OM resource ‘Remote Monitoring- at a Glance’ on the Americorps Monitoring

webpage outlines each step and the anticipated timelines for the remote monitoring 

process. OM has not yet conducted on-site monitoring visits due to the COVID-19 

pandemic. However, details of the on-site monitoring process will be provided when 

they are finalized.

Q: What does the timeline between being notified of a request for monitoring 

and the conclusion of monitoring look like?

A: As OM continues to implement our new monitoring framework, timeframes for 

each phase of the monitoring activities are being evaluated. Our goal is that

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awardees will be clearly informed of when to expect monitoring results. Ultimately, 

our goal is to complete monitoring activities within a 90-day period; however, the 

completion of additional monitoring cycles will inform us if this goal can be achieved. 

Refer to the resource ‘Remote Monitoring- at a Glance’ on the Americorps Monitoring

webpage for anticipated timelines of individual steps in the remote monitoring 

process.

Q: How can awardees review and give feedback on OM’s resources and 

processes?

A: The Overview of Uniform Monitoring Package Grantee Resource Guide is available 

on the Americorps Monitoring webpage. This resource provides an overview of the 

Uniform Monitoring Package OM uses to assess grant recipient compliance. OM 

encourages ongoing feedback on this resource and the monitoring experience, 

which can be sent to monitoring@cns.gov. Awardees undergoing monitoring 

activities have first-hand experience with the tools and process and will be asked by 

OM to provide feedback upon completion of their assigned monitoring activities. In 

addition, OM will review its policies, procedures, and tools related to monitoring on

an annual basis.

Q: How will my organization be notified if we are selected for monitoring? 

The Authorized Representative and Project Director on file in eGrants will receive a 

notification letter by email that your organization’s grant has been selected for 

monitoring. (Note: for this reason, it is important to ensure grant contact information 

is correct in eGrants.) Your AmeriCorps Portfolio Manager is “cc’d” on this email. An 

initial notification letter describes your monitoring assignment, the assessment 

period, provides Office of Monitoring resources, and instructions on using the Secure 

Folder (secure, online document sharing platform). A second notification will also be

emailed within one month with anticipated timelines of individual steps in the remote 

monitoring process. Awardees should contact the Monitoring Officer directly with any 

questions about the requested documents or next steps. Refer to the Remote 

Monitoring- at a Glance’ resource on the Americorps Monitoring webpage.

Q: What if my organization cannot meet the deadlines listed for any stage of 

the monitoring process? Can I request an extension?

If you anticipate that you will not be able to meet any deadline set by the Office of 

Monitoring, notify the assigned Monitoring Officer as soon as possible to discuss the 

possibility of an extension.

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Monitoring Results & Corrective Action Plans (CAP)

Q: How will my organization be notified of the monitoring results?

The Authorized Representative and Project Director on file in eGrants will receive an 

email with a notification letter that the assessment is complete, and the results are 

available. (Note: for this reason, it is important to ensure grant contact information is 

correct in eGrants.) Your AmeriCorps Portfolio Manager and Senior Porfolio Manager 

will be “cc’d” on this email. The notification letter summarizes the monitoring 

assignment and provides instructions to download your monitoring report (an Excel 

document) from your Secure Folder.

Q: What do the monitoring results consist of? Are these results final?

Results are communicated in the monitoring report, which is an Excel document 

downloaded from the Secure Folder. Each assessment question for the assigned 

monitoring activity(ies) is listed and includes a determination of Compliant, Not 

Compliant, or N/A. Items deemed Not Compliant will include additional notes of the 

finding from the Monitoring Officer. (Note for National Service Criminal History Check 

(NSCHC) records, findings are provided in a separate Excel document, the NSCHC 

Supplement Results.) Awardees are encouraged to contact the Monitoring Officer 

directly to discuss any findings.

The monitoring results are based on the Monitoring Officer’s review of submitted 

documents, and where applicable, information provided during interviews. Awardees 

may provide OM with additional information or documentation with their CAP 

responses to demonstrate compliance and resolve any findings.

Q: How are monitoring findings resolved?

Awardees are required to address each monitoring finding through a Corrective 

Action Plan (CAP), which is submitted in the Secure Folder. Awardees are encouraged

to contact the Monitoring Officer directly to discuss any findings or for assistance 

before submitting their CAP response. OM expects all corrective action to be 

completed within one year of CAP approval. Refer to the Remote Monitoring- at a

Glance’ resource on the Americorps Monitoring webpage for an overview of the CAP 

process and timelines. Additionally, Awardee Guidance on Developing CAPs is 

available on the Americorps Monitoring webpage.

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Q: Will the Monitoring Officer and/or the awardee’s Portfolio Manager (PM) 

oversee the implementation of the Corrective Action Plan (CAP)?

A: The Monitoring Officer assigned to the grant will oversee an awardee’s 

development of the CAP and the awardee’s progress toward implementing 

corrective measures. PMs are informed of plans for OM to monitor awardees, the 

monitoring results, and the approved CAP so that they are aware of the areas of 

improvement identified for awardees.

Q: My CAP is 'Approved In-Progress.' How do I update OM on the progress of 

my CAP?

Refer to your Notification of Corrective Action Plan Approval letter for full details. For 

any items deemed ‘Approved – In Progress,’ it is expected that your organization will 

provide OM with status updates and supporting documentation as corrective actions 

are completed. These status updates should be sent via email to the Monitoring 

Officer assigned to your grant and must be provided no later than 45 days after the 

identified completion date. Status updates should include a brief written description 

of any actions taken, along with documentation demonstrating completion. Any 

planned actions not completed and submitted to OM within one year of CAP

approval may be subject to additional monitoring.

NSCHC

Q: If NSCHC monitoring results in enforcement action, when will this be 

communicated?

NSCHC findings may result in cost-based disallowance and additional enforcement

action, such as required use the AmeriCorps-approved vendors and rechecks for 

applicable NSCHC records. If applicable, additional enforcement will be

communicated upon approval of the Corrective Action Plan (CAP).

Q: Can I request the Office of Monitoring to review my NSCHC files and 

provide feedback?

OM will not review your NSCHC records to provide feedback or verify compliance 

outside of the formal monitoring process. Additional NSCHC resources are available

at https://americorps.gov/grantees-sponsors/history-check. Specific questions about 

compliance with NSCHC regulations may be emailed to CHC@cns.gov.

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Secure Folders

Q: I’ve seen reference to submitting documents in the Secure Folder. What is 

the Secure Folder and how do I access it?

The Secure Folder is an online platform the Office of Monitoring uses to facilitate 

monitoring activities, including managing documentation requests and submissions, 

requesting clarification, providing monitoring results, and, where applicable, assigning 

corrective action planning. Awardees selected for monitoring should refer to the 

Secure Folder External User Guide for guidance using Secure Folders. You may access 

the materials in Litmos through the Americorps Monitoring webpage.

An account is required to access your Secure Folder. When you are selected for 

monitoring, the Office of Monitoring will create an account for your organization 

using the Authorized Representative’s email address listed in eGrants. Only one email 

address per organization can be given access to your Secure Folder. Awardees may 

change the account access to a different email at any time by contacting the assigned 

Monitoring Officer.

Interviews

Q: Which monitoring activities include interviews, and what do these interviews 

entail?

The following monitoring activities include interviews of members/volunteers, 

supervisors, or staff, as applicable: Prohibited Activities, Program-Specific 

Compliance, and Financial and Operational Fitness Assessments (FOFA).

Awardees will be notified of the individuals selected for interviews and provided 

instructions for scheduling interviews. Additional information about monitoring 

interviews:

• Interviews are conducted by phone with the assigned Monitoring Officer.

• If any volunteers/members or supervisors selected for interviews decline the 

request, have since left work or service, or are otherwise unavailable, OM will 

select other names from the volunteer/member roster. We ask for your support 

in successfully coordinating and scheduling interview time slots.

• Prohibited Activities and Program-Specific Compliance interview questions 

focus on the typical experience that a member/volunteer, supervisor, or staff 

member has in their role.

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• Prohibited Activities and Program-Specific Compliance interviews are intended 

to be one-on-one. OM generally does not permit supervisors or staff to be on 

the phone when interviewing volunteers or members about their service 

experience.

• If needed, multiple awardee staff may attend the FOFA interview to provide 

the necessary information.

• The Overview of Uniform Monitoring Package Grantee Resource Guide

identifies assessment questions that are informed by interviews.

Risk Assessment

Q: Are there tools awardees can use for developing internal risk assessments?

A: OM will provide awardees with access to our monitoring tool templates and 

corrective action planning guides so that you may consider them in developing 

internal risk assessments. However, the criteria used in the AmeriCorps grant 

portfolio risk assessment module is specific to risk posed to our federal agency. The 

agency uses data collected from awardees, as well as information from publicly 

available sources to reach risk determinations. Awardees are responsible for

assessing risks posed to their organizations to guarantee grant funding is used for its 

intended purposes. Risk assessment tools and criteria vary across organizations. You 

can refer to the Uniform Guidance to learn more about assessing risk.

Q: What is the “risk model” and how is it used to select awardees for

monitoring?

A: All federal funders, including AmeriCorps, are required to monitor awardees. 

Limited resources require OM to direct monitoring resources to areas that pose 

specific risks to the agency. AmeriCorps uses a data-driven, internal risk assessment 

module which categorizes grants by a level of risk, and groups these risk and 

performance indicators into the following categories: financial, programmatic, 

organizational, and compliance.

This risk model informs OM of the type of issue-specific monitoring activities that 

should be assigned to grants. Monitoring activity assignments are not made 

randomly. The agency’s integration of risk rating criteria to monitoring assignments 

helps with internal assessment of the monitoring framework and identifies areas of 

improvement. In addition, OM does not limit its monitoring activities to high-risk 

awardees; we include lower risk recipients to assess the risk assessment 

methodology.

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Monitoring selections contribute to AmeriCorps’ efforts to identify strengths in 

practices among awardees and to identify compliance trends that may inform

broader technical assistance and training strategies. While AmeriCorps does not 

release risk assessment scores per awardee, the specific monitoring activities

assigned to awardees are based on the type of risk categories identified for the grant 

program.

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