Helping the Grants Community Find Critical Resources
for COVID-19 Information

Searching for important grant funding and managing federal awards is complex enough under “normal” circumstances, but with the global disruptions created by the COVID-19 outbreak, many entities and organizations are finding it particularly challenging to find critical financial resources to support and maintain their programs, and they are desperate to locate the information and guidance needed to ensure that they properly administer their grants under constantly changing conditions.     

Finding information about available funding and grant management requirements related to COVID-19 can be a challenge, and organizations can spend countless hours searching though other general COVID-19 discussions to find assistance that is grant-specific. To address this challenge, Thompson Grants is providing multiple resources to help the grants community pinpoint available funding to meet their particular needs, and to stay abreast with regulatory flexibilities and new policies implemented by federal agencies.  

GrantScape

Because the need to obtain financial assistance has become especially critical, Thompson Grants is making it easier to access its GrantScape database, which can help nonfederal entities find thousands of grants opportunities and billions of dollars in funding — particularly during these difficult times — from federal agencies, state governments, local municipalities and private foundations. GrantScape can assist users in finding new sources of funding that may be hard to locate otherwise.

For example, the Department of Defense, Department of Health and Human Services and Department of State, among others, along with a host of private funders, currently are seeking applications for funding pertaining to COVID-19.

Better still, through June 1, Thompson Grants is extending a 66% discount on its signature GrantScape subscription. NGMA members can receive this discount — regularly $29 per month, now just $10 per month — with the code “HELP2NGMA”. Consultants assisting grant-seekers looking for funding can enjoy a special discount on Thompson’s GrantScape Pro subscription through June 1. For NGMA members, the GrantScape Pro subscription, just $49 per month (down from $99 per month) is available using the promo code “NGMA20PROS”. And for good measure, subscribers to Thompson’s GrantScape Lite will have their subscriptions upgraded to GrantScape at no additional cost.

COVID-19 Grants Management Update

Along with the need to find funding in response to COVID-19, there is also a lot to learn about managing grant awards during this critical time. Congress has made more than $2 trillion in assistance available under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) — $940 billion of which includes grants and loans — which must be managed appropriately. In addition, OMB has released memoranda to federal agencies on flexibilities that they can offer to grant applicants and recipients that have experienced operational losses due to COVID-19. Federal agencies also are releasing their own guidance policies addressing certain award programs.

To assist in learning more about these developments, Thompson Grants recently hosted a webinar, in which Jack Reagan, partner in the UHY Certified Public Accounting firm, discussed major COVID-19-related measures that affect the grants management process. Attendees learned more about new legislative and administrative initiatives, including details under the CARES Act; learned how to take advantage of major grant and loan programs now available from the federal government; and found out the best ways to capture costs related to COVID-19 compliance and how to document those costs to facilitate reimbursement. The webinar can be purchased on demand here.

Thompson Grants also just introduced a free whitepaper, “How COVID-19 Is Impacting Grants,” which provides an overview of grant funding in the CARES Act, information on the 13 grant administrative flexibilities under the recently released OMB memoranda, and examples of agency policy pertaining to COVID-19. For example, the memoranda enable awarding agencies to extend grantee closeout report and single audit submission dates, and to waive certain prior approvals.

Thompson Grants Compliance Expert

In addition, along with several news articles to keep subscribers up-to-date on the latest developments related to COVID-19 and grants, Thompson Grants also now is providing a free Grant-Specific COVID-19 Links roundup at is Grants Compliance Expert library to enable the grants community to find federal government links addressing COVID-19 and grant programs.

As developments occur pertaining to COVID-19 and grants, Thompson Grants will continue to provide more information to help the grants community react to fast-changing developments.