Source: http://www.neh.gov/print/4106
Timestamp: 2015-03-01 23:33:36
Document Index: 432684430

Matched Legal Cases: ['arts 180', 'arts 180', 'art 230', 'art 220', 'art 230', 'art 225']

General Terms and Conditions for General Support Grants to State Humanities Councils
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This document replaces the
November 2005 Edition of the General Terms and Conditions for General Support Grants to State Humanities Councils. [1] It should be noted that these terms and conditions apply only to general support grants awarded to the fifty-six state humanities councils by the Federal/State Partnership.
Awards that a state humanities council receives from other programs of the NEH are subject to either the General Terms and Conditions for Awards [2] or the Administration of NEH Challenge Grants [3].
There are numerous minor changes in this edition as well as the following substantive changes:
Article 5. Payments, Interest, and Refunds, and Article 14. Reporting Requirements reference the recently updated Financial Reporting Requirements that provide detailed procedures for requesting payment from NEH and summarizes the financial reports that are now required. The SF 425, Federal Financial Report (FFR) is now the form required for submission of the annual and final financial reports. The submission of the quarterly SF 272, Federal Cash Transactions Report is no longer required, as NEH will use the SF 270, Request for Advance or Reimbursement to determine whether excessive amounts of federal funds (cash on hand) are being held.
Article 19. Procurement Standards and Article 28. Debarment and Suspension have been changed to reflect changes in the government-wide debarment and suspension rules. Councils must ensure that all subrecipients (e.g., regrantees, contractors, fellows or seminar participants) are not debarred or suspended by any federal department or agency. Councils are required to ensure subrecipient and contractor compliance by including a term or condition in the lower-tier transaction that requires compliance with Subpart C of the regulations, and are also responsible for further requiring the inclusion of a similar term or condition in any subsequent lower- tier covered transaction. Signed certifications are no longer required.
U.S. Constitution Day Education Program (PL. 108-447, Div. J. Sec. 111(b) (Article 32); and
Coordination of Geographic Information and Related Spatial Data (OMB Circular A-16 and Executive Order 12906) (Article 33)
NEH Office of Grant Management
(202) 606-8494
(202) 606-8633 (Fax)
grantmanagement@neh.gov [4]
Eligibility for NEH Grant Support
Regrant Activities
Payments, Interest and Refunds
Real Property, Construction, and Facility Improvement
Valuation of Third Party In‑Kind Contributions
Drug‑Free Workplace Requirements
NEH-Specific Requirement
U.S. Constitution Day Education Program (PL 108-447, Div. J. Sec. 111(b))
(OMB Circular A-16 and Executive Order 12906)
Dissemination of Award Results
Administrative Requirements That Apply To Regrantees
Provisions Applicable To Contracts
Prohibition on Use of Funds to ACORN or its subsidiaries
For an item of purchased equipment, this is net invoice unit price of the equipment including the cost of modifications, attachments, accessories, or auxiliary apparatus necessary to make the equipment usable for the purpose for which it was acquired. Other charges such as the cost of installation, transportation, taxes, duty or protective in‑transit insurance, shall be included or excluded from the unit acquisition cost in accordance with the council’s regular accounting practices.
A grant or cooperative agreement.
The strong of time established in the award during which NEH activities and expenditures are to occur. Award periods begin on the first day of the month and end on the last day of the month.
Cash outlays for budgeted program activities which are paid from the council’s or regrantee’s own funds; from monies contributed to the council or regrantee by other public agencies and institutions, private organizations, and individuals; and from funds received under agreements with other federal agencies.
The portion of the costs of a project or program not charged to NEH funds. This would include cash contributions (as defined above) as well as the value of third party in‑kind contributions.
The ineligibility of a recipient to receive any assistance or benefits from the federal government, either indefinitely or for a specified period of time, based on legal proceedings taken pursuant to agency regulations contained at 2 CFR Parts 180 and 3369.
Tangible, nonexpendable personal property having a useful life of more than one year and an acquisition cost of $5,000 or more per unit.
Charges made to the project or program. The charges may be reported on a cash or accrual basis. For reports prepared on a cash basis, expenditures are the sum of cash disbursements for direct charges for property and services; the amount of indirect expense charged; the value of third-party in kind contributions applied; and the amount of cash advance payments and payments made to subrecipients. For reports prepared on an accrual basis, expenditures are the sum of cash disbursements for direct charges for property and services; the amount of indirect expense incurred; the value of in-kind contributions applied; and the net increase or decrease in the amounts owed by the recipient for goods and other property received; services performed by employees, contractors, subrecipients, and other payees; and programs for which no current services or performance are required.
The governing body or a governmental agency of any Indian tribe, Indian band, nation, or other organized group or community certified by the Secretary of the Interior as eligible for special programs and services provided through the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
The federal share means the percentage of the total project costs that are paid with federal funds.
A twelve-month time period (running from November through October) for which the NEH provides general support funding to a state humanities council. Under a biennial grant, there are two one-year funding periods within a four-year award period. Under a triennial grant, there are three one‑year funding periods within a five‑year award period. The final two years of the award periods are NOT funding periods, but are instead time allowed to close out regrants and to reuse any funds available from the funding periods.
Includes, but is not limited to, trademarks, copyrights, patents and patent applications.
Money that is earned or received by a council or a regrantee from the activities supported by award funds or from products resulting from award activities. It includes, but is not limited to, income from fees for services performed and from the sale of items produced under an award; usage or rental fees for equipment or property acquired under an award; admission fees; broadcast or distribution rights; and royalties on patents and copyrights.
An award of financial assistance, including cooperative agreements, made by a council to an organization or individual in support of a humanities project that was selected in open competition on the basis of established criteria that are widely known.
This term replaces "small purchase threshold", and is currently set at $150,000 [41 U.S.C. 403 (11)}. It refers to the dollar amount ceiling under which federal agencies are permitted to use simplified procedures for purchasing goods or services.
Any of the several states of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, any territory or possession of the United States, or any agency or instrumentality of a state exclusive of local governments and institutions of higher education and hospitals.
An award of financial assistance in the form of money or property made under an award by a council to an eligible subrecipient or by a subrecipient to a lower tier subrecipient. The term includes financial assistance which is provided by any legal agreement, even if the agreement is called a contract, but it does not include the procurement of goods and services. Nor does it include any form of assistance which is excluded from the definition of an “award”. Regrants that are funded under a general support grant are examples of subawards.
The legal entity to which a subaward is made and which is accountable to the recipient for the use of the funds provided.
All personal property, excluding equipment and intangible property as defined in this glossary.
(1) The suspension of an award is the temporary withdrawal of federal sponsorship. This includes the withdrawal of authority to incur expenditures against award funds, pending corrective action or a decision to terminate the award.
(2) The suspension of an individual or organization causes that party to be temporarily ineligible to receive any assistance and benefits from the federal government pending completion of investigation and legal proceedings as prescribed under agency regulations contained at 2 CFR Parts 180 and 3369. Such actions may lead to debarment of the recipient.
For reports prepared on a cash basis, unliquidated obligations mean the amount of obligations incurred by the recipient that has not been paid. For reports prepared on an accrued expenditure basis, they represent the amount of obligations incurred by the recipient for which an outlay has not been recorded.
The amount of federal funds under an award that the recipient has not obligated. The amount is computed by subtracting the cumulative amount of the recipient’s obligations of federal funds under the award from the cumulative amount of the funds that the NEH authorized the recipient to obligate.
General Terms and Conditions for General Support Grants
to State Humanities Councils
These general terms and conditions apply to all general support grants and annual funding amendments that the National Endowment for the Humanities has issued to state humanities councils as of November1,2009. In accepting a general support grant, a state humanities council assumes the legal responsibility for administering the award in accordance with these general terms and conditions and of complying fully with any special terms and conditions that are included in the award agreement. Failure to comply with the General Terms and Conditions for General Support Grants to State Humanities Councils or the specific terms and conditions of an award agreement may result in the suspension or termination of the award and the NEH’s recovery of award funds. Should there be any inconsistency between these general terms and conditions and the specific terms and conditions of an award, the latter will govern.
Only those state humanities councils that have currently approved compliance plans are eligible to receive a general support grant from Federal/State Partnership.
Although state humanities councils must be constituted for nonprofit purposes to be eligible to receive NEH funds, a council does not have to be incorporated.
Unless advised to the contrary, all materials publicizing or resulting from award activities shall contain an acknowledgment of NEH support. The acknowledgment shall also include the following statement: “Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this (publication) (program) (exhibition) (website) do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.”
One copy of all award products from council-conducted projects should be forwarded to the Federal/State Partnership as soon as they are available.
Councils are authorized to award regrants (see definition in the “Glossary of Terms”) to private nonprofit organizations; institutions of higher education; state, local, and federally recognized Indian tribal governments; institutions of the federal government; groups of persons that form an association to carry out a project; and individuals. Organizations or groups that apply to the councils for funding must be constituted for nonprofit purposes. It is not necessary that such organizations or groups be incorporated or have tax‑exempt status. State humanities councils may not award regrants to for-profit entities.
State humanities councils shall award regrants to provide support for humanities projects selected in open competition on the basis of established criteria that are widely known. When a regrant is awarded the council must inform the subrecipient of the relevant NEH award number.
In addition, the administrative requirements set forth in Appendix A of these general terms and conditions shall apply to all regrants awarded by the state humanities councils.
A detailed explanation of payment procedures will be found in the Financial Reporting Requirements [5].
All recipients, except states (see definition), are required to maintain advances of federal funds in interest-bearing accounts unless one of the following conditions pertains: a) the recipient receives less than $120,000 per year in advances of award funds; b) the most reasonably available interest-bearing account would not earn more than $250 per year on the federal cash balance; or c) placing the money in such an account would entail bank services charges in excess of the interest earned.
The allowability of costs and cost allocation methods for work performed under an NEH general support grant to a state humanities council shall be determined in accordance with OMB Circular A‑122, Cost Principles for Nonprofit Organizations (2 CFR Part 230). When funds are regranted by a council, one of the following sets of cost principles will apply:
OMB Circular A-21 (2 CFR Part 220) [6] for awards to public and private institutions of higher education.
OMB Circular A-122 (2 CFR Part 230) [7] for awards to nonprofit organizations that are not institutions of higher education.
OMB Circular A-87 (2 CFR Part 225 [8])for awards to state, local, and federally recognized Indian tribal governments.
Section 7(f) of the National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities Act of 1965, as amended, provides the NEH with the authority to allow fund‑raising costs to be charged as expenditures against NEH and cost‑sharing funds in general support awards made to the state humanities councils. The state humanities councils are therefore authorized to make such charges to general support award funds.
However, fund-raising costs may not be charged as expenditures in regrant budgets.
Equipment (see definition in the “Glossary of Terms”) may be purchased without the prior approval of the NEH. Subject to the obligations and conditions set forth below, title to equipment acquired under an award or regrant vests upon acquisition in the council or the regrantee respectively.
Equipment must be used by the council or the regrantee in the program or project for which it was acquired as long as needed, whether or not the project or program continues to be supported by federal funds. When no longer needed for the original program or project, the equipment may be used in other activities currently or previously supported by a federal agency.
The council or regrantee shall also make equipment available for use on other projects or programs currently or previously supported by the federal government, providing such use does not interfere with the work on the projects or programs for which it was originally acquired. First preference for other use shall be given to other programs or projects supported by the NEH. If appropriate, user fees may be considered and treated as program income to the award.
The council or regrantee shall not use equipment acquired with award funds to provide services for a fee to compete unfairly with private companies that provide equivalent services, unless this is specifically permitted or contemplated by federal statute.
When acquiring replacement equipment, the council or regrantee may use the equipment to be replaced as a trade‑in or may sell the equipment and use the proceeds to offset the cost of the replacement equipment.