U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Community Oriented Policing Services

 Fact Sheet cops.usdoj.gov

Grant Award Modifications: Budget Modifications

Under federal regulations, you are required to expend federal funds only as approved in your award package. The COPS Office 

realizes that agencies and organizations may need to reprogram award funds and has provided this fact sheet to assist with the 

process. If you require any reprogramming of award funds, please see table 1 for next steps.

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Table 1. What to do if you require reprogramming of award funds

Award amount Type of reprogramming Next step

Less than $250,000

Reprogramming at any level relative to total 

approved budget

Inform COPS Office program manager or 

grant program specialist prior to reprograming 

of funds

More than $250,000

Less than 10 percent of total approved budget 

(over the course of the award)

Notify your COPS Office program manager or 

grant program specialist

prior to reprogramming of funds

More than 10 percent of total approved budget Submit a formal budget modification 

requiring approval from the COPS Office 

prior to reprogramming of funds

Reprogrammed funds must be allocated for items covered 

within the scope of the original award. Any funds that are 

being requested to account for a change in scope from the 

original funded project must first receive approval from the 

COPS Office to expand or change the scope. Be advised 

that reprogramming requests for unallowable costs will not 

be approved. 

The COPS Office will not approve any modification request 

that results in an increase of federal funds. An organization 

may not expend award funds or drawdown reimbursements 

for budget modifications until after the modification has 

been approved by the COPS Office in writing.
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What to do if you need a budget modification

If your budget requires a modification, please follow 

these steps:

1. Contact your program manager (PM) or grant management specialist (GMS) and discuss the modification and 

reasoning for the change in budget. This process may 

require back-and-forth discussion and further documentation.

2. Once your agency and the PM or GMS agree to the 

change, log in to your account via JustGrants and submit 

a Grant Award Modification (GAM). For instructions 

on submitting, please visit https://justicegrants.usdoj.

gov/training-resources/justgrants-training/grant-awardmodifications.

3. Each change will need to be entered in the system by 

either adding or modifying the amount. Every item 

that is modified must have an accompanying narrative 

explaining the modification. The narrative must include 

the following:

a. A brief description of each item and change that 

includes its purpose and how the item relates to the 

overall project

b. A calculation breakdown for each new item

4. Once your budget modification is submitted, inform 

your PM or GMS via email. In addition, include any 

relevant documentation as needed for the modification. 

This documentation may include the following:

a. For any new personnel or consultants you plan to 

hire noncompetitively, a resume must be submitted 

for pre-approval by the COPS Office.

b. For consultant rates over $650 per day, a consultant 

rate justification must be submitted to the COPS 

Office for pre-approval (see the Consultant/Contractor 

Rate Information fact sheet).

c. If claiming indirect costs, beyond the de minimis rate, 

include a current Indirect Cost Rate Agreement.

Documentation for personnel 

and consultant costs

Once you have completed all of these steps, the COPS 

Office will review the budget modification. It is important 

to note that throughout the COPS Office review, no other 

processes including extensions can be submitted, and extension request should be submitted before requests for budget 

modifications. The budget modification typically takes 30 

days to process.

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Grant Award Modifications: Budget Modifications
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Next steps

Your budget modification will be reviewed to ensure it meets 

programmatic and financial requirements. At any point, the 

PM, grant program specialist (GPS), or GMS may reach 

out to you for clarification, changes, or justification. Based 

on the changes, the modification may be returned to you 

for revisions. After receiving notice from the COPS Office/

JustGrants, you will be able to access the modification, make 

the necessary budget adjustments, and resubmit the saved 

changes.

After the GAM is fully reviewed, you will receive an automated email from JustGrants when the modification has 

been processed and either approved or rejected.

Implementation of the modified award budget may begin 

following this written approval from the COPS Office. The 

modification approvals for active awards will be accompanied by a modified approved budget in JustGrants reflecting 

the approved changes.

Other resources

Your PM or GMS can provide you with a budget detail 

worksheet to help keep track of your costs and modifications. This tool can be used to track all of your costs, and 

when you submit a budget modification, it can be useful 

to submit as supplemental documentation to your PM or 

GMS.

For additional information, please review the Sole Source 

Justification, Consultant/Contractor Rate Information, and 

Indirect Cost Rate fact sheets. These fact sheets are available 

at https://cops.usdoj.gov/programdocuments.

Finally, your Award Owner’s Manual, Award Package, Cooperative Agreement (if applicable), and Terms and Conditions 

will provide more information on specific requirements that 

are applicable to your award. 

Please contact your PM or GMS for further direction on any 

additional requirements that may be applied to your modification request or any other questions.

Grant Award Modifications: Budget Modifications

Contact the COPS Office

For more information about COPS Office 

programs and resources, please call the COPS 

Office Response Center at 800-421-6770 or visit 

the COPS Office website at https://cops.usdoj.gov.

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