The Grants Unit provides strategic direction, policy and guidance, and best practices for state agencies managing state and federal grant funds. The Grants Unit also facilitates the Statewide Grant Managers Group (SWGMG) which provides quarterly training to grant managers and provides a forum for financial and program grant managers to share and collaborate on best practices in grant management.
Lastly, the Grants Unit provides user support and training on the implementation and use of the CORE Grantee module.
Staff Contacts
Stacey Alles
Manager, Grants Unit
stacey.alles@state.co.us
Gina Salazar-Love
Grants Unit
gina.salazar@state.co.us
Grants Information
Through the Coronavirus Relief Fund, the CARES Act provides for payments to State, Local, and Tribal governments navigating the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak. The CARES Act established the $150 billion Coronavirus Relief Fund. The CARES Act requires that the payments from the Coronavirus Relief Fund only be used to cover expenses that,
(1) are necessary expenditures incurred due to the public health emergency with respect to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID19),
(2) were not accounted for in the budget most recently approved as of March 27, 2020 (the date of enactment of the CARES Act) for the State or government, and
(3) were incurred during the period that begins on March 1, 2020, and ends on December 30, 2020.
OSC Guidance
OSC Alert Updates - Real time updates from the OSC (please check in frequently)
Memorandums and Guidance
OMB Updated M-20-26 - Extension of two flexibilities to provide administration relief.
CRF Guidance for State, Territorial, Local and Tribal Governments - September 2, 2020
Side-by-Side Comparison of OMB Memos (M-20-11 and M-20-17) - RESCINDED
Contract Termination Due to Lack of Funds- Guidance and templates for agencies to use when reducing state commitments, including: contracts, POs, grants, and leases.
FAQs
CRF FAQ October 10, 2020 (Supplement)
Treasury Department of OIG CRF FAQ Related to Reporting and Recordkeeping (revised) - November 25, 2020
Treasury Department OIG CRF FAQ Related to Reporting and Recordkeeping (revised) - March 2, 2021
Additional CRF Guidance
FFATA Special Attachments for Grants and Contracts
Pandemic Oversight - Publicly accessible site created by the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) for pandemic-related information (i.e. who received funding and how it's being spent)
CRF Monitoring Videos
In 2017, CORE Grantee was launched as the required tool for agencies to submit their request to submit federal funding applications for approval by the Governor's Office. The Governor's Office will be creating a new process for agencies applying for federal funding that requires state matching funds beyond the department's current appropriations. The Office of State Planning and Budget (OSPB) will be developing more complete guidance, but in the meantime please work with your agency budget directors to notify your OSPB analyst with the following information:
- Agency Name
- Program/Grant contact lead name and email
- Matching fund requirements and amounts that may exceed agency funds available
- Date by which matching funds are needed
- Link to grant announcement
If you have any grants currently pending in CORE Grantee, no need to wait for approval, go ahead and submit your application to your funding agency. If the criteria described in bold above, please notify your OSPB analyst. If you have any questions about the upcoming process, please reach out to Edmond Toy, OSPB Chief of Staff
The Statewide Grant Manager's group (SWGMG) was established in 2016 as a forum for statewide grant managers to learn, share and collaborate on all things grants. In this section you will find upcoming quarterly meeting dates and ways to join the meetings, as well as agendas, slide decks and a recording of each meeting. Questions: please contact Gina Salazar-Love.
The OSC Grant Office invites you to be in the know and join the SWGMG Chat Group! This Google platform chat group is available to all state agency grant staff interested in being a part of the chat and participating in the back and forth discussions. If you are interested, please complete the SWGMG Grant Group form.
2025 SWGMG Meetings
All SWGMG meetings start at 9:00 am on the following dates:
May 21-22, 2025 - SWGMG Summit (see the SWGMG Summit tab for more details)
August 20, 2025
November 19, 2025
Prior SWGMG Slide Decks and Recordings
November 2024
August 2024
November 2023
August 2023
May 2023
February 2023 - SWGMG Grant Summit
- Agenda
- Welcome and Updates
- Grant Policies
- Grants with an EDI Lens (CDHS)
- RFA Processes
- Risk Assessment, Awards and Monitoring
The SWGMG Grant Summit is the OSC Grants Office annual gathering of statewide agency grant staff. The Summit takes the place of one of the quarterly SWGMG meeting and provides additional training topics that are relevant to grants management in Colorado. You can find annual registration information and past SWGMG Grant Summit materials in this section.
2025 SWGMG Grant Summit
May 21-22, 2025
Arapahoe Community College
Additional details coming soon
Previous SWGMG Grant Summits
2024 SWGMG Grant Summit - Slide Archive
Insurance Requirements for Grants
CDOT Presents: Grant One Project
CDHE Presents: Pulse Check: An Overview of COSI's
Grantee Health Assessment Process
Fraud, Waste, Abuse, Misue AND Monitoring of Funds
Documents & Templates for State Funded Grants
How Do I Develop a Subrecipient Monitoring Checklist?
What Can I Change on the OSC Grant Agreements?
Newsletters
Are you a state agency interested in receiving the SWGMG Grant newsletter? Contact Gina Salazar-Love to be added.
OSC Competition Requirements for Grants Policy
- OSC Competition Requirements for Grants Policy
- OSC Competition Requirements for Grants policy - Technical Guidance
- Competition Requirements for Grants Policy - FAQ
OSC Guidance Regarding OMB Uniform Guidance Compliance
OSC Subrecipient Guidance
- Office of the State Controller Guide for Monitoring Subrecipients
- Office of the State Controller OMB Subrecipient Guidance (Procurement)
- What to Expect from OMB Uniform Guidance
- OMB Procurement Standards 200.317 to 200.326
- Stand Alone Definitions
- The OMB Procurement "Claw" (updated)
OSC Grant Related Policies
- State Controller Policy on Procurement Conflicts of Interest
- Conflicts of Interest Technical Guidance
- State Controller Policy on Internal Control System
- Contract Management System (CMS) Final 6-17-19
- CMS Fields Keep-Hide List (Excel)
- Cost Allocation and Indirect Recoveries Policy Final 6-17-19
- Grant Contracts - Federal Sub-Recipient
OSC Electronic Signature Policy
Federal Grant Guidance
- FFATA Special Attachments for Grants and Contracts
- Federal Grant Funding FAQs - 02/13/2025
- Uniform Guidance 2019 Compliance Supplement
- Uniform Guidance 2020 Compliance Supplement
- Uniform Guidance 2020 Compliance Supplement Addendum
- FAQs related to the Uniform Guidance for Grants (2 CFR) - 05/03/2021
- Uniform Guidance 2021 Compliance Supplement
- Uniform Guidance 2022 Compliance Supplement
- Uniform Guidance 2023 Compliance Supplement
- Uniform Guidance 2024 Compliance Supplement
- State Controller's Guidance on Federal Requirements for Subrecipients
OMB Tools
- Subrecipient v. Contractor Determination Tool 6/14/22 (Excel - download)
- Risk Assessment
Federal Audit Resources
- Federal Audit Clearinghouse - Public database of completed audits
- Oversight.gov - Publicly accessible site for all Federal Inspector General reports (searchable)
- US Government Accountability Office - Publicly accessible site for non-partisan information (searchable)
Grant Manager 101
Coming in 2025, the Grant Manager 101 training will be available through an online learning management system. Until then, The Grants Office is available to provide dedicated and customized Grant Manager 101 for your department staff. The Grants Office work with your department staff to determine which modules of the Grant Manager 101 training are most applicable to your staff. Please reach out to Gina Salazar-Love if you're interested or have any questions. Please note: the Grant Manager 101 training is only available for State of Colorado grant staff.
The Grant Manager 101 training is a full day (8:30am - 4:30pm) and intended for state employed grant managers and registration is required. Please select a training date below to register.
Grant Manager 101 Topics
- Common Grant Definitions
- Grant Manager Roles
- Grants Lifecycle
- Sources of Funding
- Types of Grants
- Where to Look for Grants
- State Grant Policies
- State Agency Priorities
- Looking for Grants
- Applying to a Funding Source
- Receiving and Accepting a Grant Award
- Match Requirements
- Advisory Boards and Committees
- Type 1 and Type 2 Boards
- Determing Funding Priorities
- Request for Application (RFA) Processes
- RFA Basics
- Understanding the RFA Process
- Staff Reviews
- Scoring Applications
- Notifying Applicants
- State Agency Grant Functions
- Reporting to Fundin gagency (programatic/fiscal)
- Monitoring of Award Special Conditions
- Financial Reconciliation
- Drawdown of Funds
- Subrecipient Grant Functions
- Programmatic and Financial
- Reporting to the Pass-Thru Entity
- Payments and Reimbursements
- Subrecipient Monitoring
- Quarterly Reports
- Desk Reviews
- Onsite Monitoring
- Audits
- Subrecipient Closeout Activities
- Department Monitoring
SLFRF Grant Manager 101 - The State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (SLFRF) Grant Manager 101 training provides a common base of knowledge regarding grant best practices and the full life cycle of grants, woven with specific SLFRF requirements. This training is intended for those new grant managers that are working with SLFRF funding only and should not be taken in place of the standard Grant Manager 101. If you are interested in the SLFRF Grant Manager 101 training for your staff, please contact Gina Salazar-Love.
The Grants Unit has created an extensive list of common terms that are used in grants management. The list includes terms from Federal and State sources.
- Grant Terminology v2 (revised 8/30/22)
In grants management, sharing resources is fundamental. No need to reinvent the wheel when you have colleagues who have created many tools already and are willing to share. Please check back often, as more resources are collected, they will be posted here.
Have anything you'd like to share? Please send your resources to Gina Salazar.
Subrecipient Monitoring
Subrecipient Monitoring Training - Recorded*
Accompanying guidance and sample documents:
- OSC Guide for State Agency Compliance with OMB Uniform Guidance (2CFR200)
- Model Risk Assessment
- Extensive Risk Assessment Sample
- Simple Risk Assessment Sample
- OSC Guide for Monitoring Subrecipients
*Some of the information in this recorded training will change when the Uniform Guidance (2 CFR 200) is updated and finalized in October 2024. This is noted throughout the training.
Grant Setup
Request for Application
- RFA Template (CDPHE)
- RFA Step-by-Step Process (CDPHE)
- Subrecipient FAQs - Financial Risk Assessment (CDPHE)
- Sample Pre Application Webinar Agenda (CDPHE)
- Sample Funding Decision Letter - Recommended for Funding (CDPHE)
- Sample Funding Decision Letter - Only if Further Funding Becomes Available Recommendation (CDPHE)
- Sample Funding Decision Letter - No Funding (CDPHE)
- Sample 6 month Budget Template with Definitions (CDPHE)
- Sample 12 month Budget Template with Definitions (CDPHE)
The Grants Office is working with the State Grant Cohort group to develop resources for grant managers who manage state funded grants. This area is currently under construction and updated frequently. Please check back often to see what's new!
State Funded Grant Group Office Hours
Join fellow state funded grants personnel to ask questions, chat state grants, and more! The State Funded Office Hours will be hosted every other month on the last Wednesday of that month. All meetings will run from 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm. Below are upcoming meetings, click the date link to join:
Please note: the State Funded Grant Group OH is only open to State of Colorado grant managers. If you are not a State employee, you will be removed from the meeting.
February 26, 2025
April 23, 2025
June 25, 2025
August 27, 2025
October 22, 2025
State Grant Google Space
The state grant group has a dedicated Google Space for state agency state funding grant managers to chat, post questions, share files and more! Contact Gina Salazar-Love to be added to the State Funded Grants Google Space. This is a closed group so you must contact the Grants Office to be added.
Provided are links to the Central Contracts Unit (CCU). They have many resources, tools and forms available for grants management as well as who to contact.
- Central Contracts Unit Main Page
- Grant Award and Modification Tools
- Model Small Dollar Grant Award and Content
- Policy Modification Contracts Tools Form (new language regarding OIT approval and added requirements that change in law or fiscal rule)
- Policy Content mandatory Provisions State Contracts Grants (Added language for OIT approval and description of work or SOW)