The guidance emphasizes that recipients are allowed to spend a portion of award funding on evaluation activities related to the award. Image: Olivier Le Moal/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffOMB has stressed the emphasis on evaluation in program development and implementation in a revision it issued in April to the Guidance for Federal Financial Assistance, commonly called the Uniform Grants Guidance.
“The guidance emphasizes that recipients are allowed to spend a portion of award funding on evaluation activities related to the award,” says a posting on evaluation.gov. “Award recipients are able to use a portion of award funds for a broad range of evaluation activities including evidence reviews, evaluation planning and feasibility, assessment, conducting evaluations, and more.”
It says that agencies should review the guidance and note that it:
* emphasizes that they should consider available evidence and evaluation results from past programs as part of designing and planning assistance programs;
* clarifies that they can require award recipients to participate in federally-funded evaluations;
* explains that they should consider evaluation activities when determining reporting requirements; and
* clarifies that the guidance does not limit their authority to conduct or arrange for program evaluation.
Other key features of the revision, which OMB termed the most significant in more than a decade, included reducing the number of additional “prior approvals” that recipients must receive from agencies for spending money on specific activities; clarifying terms so that recipients can comply with the same requirement in the same way regardless of funding source; and making it easier for non-experts and smaller organizations to apply for funding.
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