Question about use of afg funds

[Vulture]

I have a question about the afg funds.
We where awarded a grant this year and we are working on 2 projects that was in our narrative.
Project 1 is rescue tools
We are given xxxx amount for this project and as it turns out we are under budget by $ 1600.
Project 2 is for PPE. The total cost of this project is $ 1200 over budget.
Can we use money saved on the first project and apply it to our second project.
to cover the over run.
I tried to call the help desk but after being on hold for over 30 min I gave up and came here.
Thanks

[ElectricHoser]

You won't get a gospel yea/nay, we can't tell you for sure what you can do or not because we (a) don't have that authority, and (b) don't really know what you are dealing with.

Having said that, if you read deeply in the documentation, you will find that it is generally acceptable to use excess funds in order to fulfill goals outlined in your application.

Be patient with the help desk, it is the only way you'll know for sure.

[BC79er_OLDDELETE]

Per the PG you can use up to $4999 in excess funds to pay for 95% of the cost of shortfalls within the same project or additional purchases.

So since you're $1600 short, and 95% of that is $1520, you can use the $1200 in fed funds saved towards the $1600 short, so you'll add another $400 to the shortfall. Just document it as 3 pieces. So show the $1600 shortfall as being paid by the department, the $1200 as excess on the PPE, and then using that $1200 to "reimburse" the department. That's the way several site auditors said they preferred to see it because it's easier to comprehend as to where the money went and who spent what %.

And find me a Helpdesk that doesn't take more than 30 minutes to answer. At least this one is located in the US.

[onebugle]

So since you're $1600 short, and 95% of that is $1520, you can use the $1200 in fed funds saved towards the $1600 short, so you'll add another $400 to the shortfall. Just document it as 3 pieces. So show the $1600 shortfall as being paid by the department, the $1200 as excess on the PPE, and then using that $1200 to "reimburse" the department. That's the way several site auditors said they preferred to see it because it's easier to comprehend as to where the money went and who spent what %.

Brian,

Your figures are backwards. They will end up with a $400 (fed/local share) in excess funds afterwards. They were $1200 short with a $1600 savings.

[ktb9780]

I have a question about the afg funds.
We where awarded a grant this year and we are working on 2 projects that was in our narrative.
Project 1 is rescue tools
We are given xxxx amount for this project and as it turns out we are under budget by $ 1600.
Project 2 is for PPE. The total cost of this project is $ 1200 over budget.
Can we use money saved on the first project and apply it to our second project.
to cover the over run.
I tried to call the help desk but after being on hold for over 30 min I gave up and came here.
Thanks

Vulture, after some of the horror stories I dealt with last year, in spending excess funds, I have come to the conclusion that the best course of action is, regardless of what PG says, call the FPS listed on your award letter or other correspondence and ask them first, before you do anything and then get a confirming email back from them and place it in your grant files for reference later.

[onebugle]

I have to agree with Kurt on this one. You should contact your FPS and discuss what you want to do. It is soley a CYA thing. The rules don't really get into what you can use for excess funds in regards to cost over runs, only that $5,000 can be used towards more items within the scope of the grant. In some cases, "A different day, a different way" depending on who you talk to.

Case in point, after completing the scope of our 2004 grant we had excess funds of $5180. I submitted a request for the $180 to be used for a fire prevention video and explaining how the remainder of the excess funds would be spent. A phone call later from a representative changed all that.

We were told that the unused funds could be used initially to offset the cost over runs (PPE) and unforeseen costs (SCBA upgrade, additional parts to certify the units). Then the remainder would be considered excess funds. With that in mind, what was considered by me as excess funds ($5180) was changed to $3,600, which was used to purchase additional SCBA cylinders. My documentation has the name, phone # and conversation on this subject (I questioned him 3 times to verify what was being told to me).

This grant was officially closed out by the feds with no issues.

Kurt has posted before of horror shows in the excess funds area. You need to CYA.