Frequently Asked Questions

You may consult the Department of Justice (DOJ) Grants Financial Guide, which serves as the primary reference manual to assist the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) in fulfilling their fiduciary responsibility to safeguard grant funds and ensure funds are used for the purposes for which they were awarded. It compiles a variety of laws, rules and regulations that affect the financial and administrative management of your award. The funding opportunity under which the award was made may also provide guidance about allowable and unallowable costs.

Grantees are responsible for ensuring that no federal or match funds are expended for unallowable costs. The Financial Guide should be the starting point for all award recipients of DOJ grants and cooperative agreements in ensuring the effective day-to-day management of awards. Additionally, grantees may refer to the 2 C.F.R. § 200 – Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards.

If you have questions about information presented in the Financial Guide, please contact the Office of the Chief Financial Officer via phone at 800-458-0786 or via email: [email protected].

Direct cash assistance is not allowable under any OVC-funded anti-trafficking program. Gift cards may be used, but only when reasonably necessary for urgent and short-term victim needs. OVC-funded organizations using gift cards must have a written gift card policy and internal controls over the purchase, storage, custody, use of, and accounting for, gift cards. 

For additional information, please consult the Gift Card Best Practices for OVC-funded Victim Service Providers. 

Neither cash nor non-cash stipends or incentives may be paid to victims to encourage their participation in services. While it is unallowable to offer incentives for participation in services, funds may be used to lower barriers preventing participation in programs and services. For example, transportation or childcare allotments may be used to facilitate participation. 

Incentives may sometimes be used to encourage participation in research or program assessment. However, there are separate restrictions on these activities, and they must have prior approval from OVC.

No. By statute, OVC human trafficking grants funded under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000 require a 25 percent match. Because it is a law, OVC has no authority to issue a waiver. Please note that OVC human trafficking grants expressly funded under training and technical assistance funding opportunities are not subject to match. Refer to your notice of funding opportunity and award documents for more information on match.

Grantees subject to audit or in-depth financial review who do not maintain complete records documenting match may be required to reimburse the government for the match value. Please note that matching contributions are restricted to the same use of funds as allowed for the Federal funds. Please consult award documents to confirm award requirements and authorizing statutes.

No. The award start and end dates will remain the same. Please reference your award documents to confirm the start date. Project period extensions may be available; however, this is generally not considered until the last year of your award.

Grantees, in consultation with their OVC grant manager, may request a project period extension during the final year of their project period. Grantees must submit the request as a Grant Award Modification (GAM) in JustGrants at least 30 calendar days prior to the end of the award. GAMs are administratively necessary because they serve to notify OJP of the request and ensure all award documentation and financial systems are updated.

Note that the award period will not be extended merely for the purpose of using unobligated funds.

Generally, the following shall apply to all grants and cooperative agreements: 

• No more than one project period extension may be made to the award. 
• A project period extension may not exceed 12 months.
• An extension may be made only if the period of performance has not expired.
• Award recipients requesting an extension should have no significant performance or compliance issues.
• A robust narrative justification must be included establishing that the extension is for the benefit of the Federal Government, and containing a plan and timeline for completion within the project period extension.
• A project period extension may not be made merely for the benefit of the recipient or for the purpose of enabling the recipient to use unobligated balances.

All extension requests will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Please consult the DOJ Grants Financial Guide for additional guidance on no-cost extension requests.

OVC grantees are required to file a Federal Financial Report (FFR) on a quarterly basis in JustGrants. The FFR is used to track actual expenditures and unliquidated obligations and is due no later than 30 days after the calendar quarter ends. The final FFR is due 120 days after the award end date. Grantees are encouraged to submit the FFR as soon as the quarter ends to avoid delays in processing and access to grant funds. Any questions about FFR submissions should be directed to the Office of the Chief Financial Officer via phone at 800-458-0786 or via email: [email protected]. The schedule for submitting FFRs is:

No. Organizations should request funds based upon immediate disbursement/reimbursement requirements. Funds will not be paid in a lump sum, but rather disbursed over time as project costs are incurred or anticipated.

Draw down requests should be timed to ensure that Federal cash on hand is the minimum needed for disbursements/reimbursements to be made immediately or within 10 days. If not spent or disbursed within 10 days, funds must be returned to the awarding agency.

Under certain circumstances, an award recipient may be unable to access or draw down funds on an award. If either a financial or performance report is delinquent, JustGrants will automatically place a hold on grant funds. Once the delinquent report has been submitted, the hold on funds will be removed and the suspension is typically lifted within 24 hours. Additionally, OVC may withhold funds from the organization if any of the following conditions exist:

• Program or project goals have not been timely met.
• Cash has been drawn down in excess of immediate needs for disbursement.
• Award terms and conditions or guidelines have not been met.
• Programmatic/financial monitoring, Office of the Inspector General Audits, or single audits revealed serious concerns regarding the administration of the award, subawards, or contracts.
• A closeout of the award has not been initiated within 120 days of the end of the project period.
• The recipient has been designated as a DOJ high-risk grantee.
• When a closeout is submitted, funds are frozen.

In such circumstances, OVC will provide the recipient with an opportunity to object and provide information and documentation challenging the suspension or termination action (2 C.F.R. § 200.342). Hearing and appeal procedures will follow those in DOJ regulations at 28 C.F.R. § Part 18, as applicable.

Not necessarily. Once the initial budget submission receives final approval from the Office of the Chief Financial Officer, the budget is implemented for the entire award period. Any unused funds from one year automatically rollover to the next year. However, if you need to make changes to your budget, such as moving funds from one budget line item to another, please consult the DOJ Grants Financial Guide.

All budget changes should be discussed with, and may require formal approval from, your OVC grant manager. See the “When is a Financial Budget Modification Grant Award Modification (GAM) required?” question on when budget modifications are needed.