Grant Management and Compliance

GLC partners with organizations throughout the full grant lifecycle — from award review and proposal-to-implementation handoff to reporting, monitoring, and ongoing compliance. Federal awards introduce long-term responsibilities that extend well beyond submission.

Our support helps teams manage requirements confidently, respond to challenges proactively, and maintain funder trust. These practices not only ensure federal funding compliance, but also strengthen internal management, accountability, and cross-team coordination across the organization.

The Challenge

Are Your Post-Award Responsibilities Managed Reactively, Exposing You to Compliance Risk?

Winning a federal grant is only the first step; managing it effectively over multiple years requires rigorous adherence to administrative and financial requirements while maintaining programmatic momentum. Many organizations struggle with the transition from proposal to implementation, allowing small compliance errors to compound into major audit risks and administrative bottlenecks.

Common challenges that undermine effective grant management and expose organizations to risk include:

Weak Implementation Handoff: Critical knowledge from the proposal phase (goals, budget restrictions, M&E plans) is not effectively transferred to the implementation, finance, and M&E teams, leading to immediate operational misalignment.

Siloed Reporting: Financial, programmatic, and subrecipient monitoring reports are managed separately, creating inconsistencies, increasing the risk of non-compliance, and consuming excessive staff time to reconcile data.

Reactive Risk Management: Compliance issues (e.g., changes to key personnel, delayed subrecipient reporting, procurement exceptions) are addressed only after a problem arises, resulting in stressed funder relationships and potential repayment obligations.

Underutilization of Systems: The organization possesses the required internal systems (e.g., strong timekeeping or procurement policies) but lacks the operational procedures and cross-team protocols to consistently apply them throughout the life of the award, leading to avoidable audit findings.

Our Approach

The Full Lifecycle Partnership: From Award to Closeout

We provide systematic, hands-on support to embed best practices across your organization, ensuring that compliance is an enabler of project success, not a bottleneck. Our process is designed to protect your funding and build institutional capacity for future awards.

Award Review and Implementation Planning

We conduct a comprehensive review of the grant award or cooperative agreement, identifying all special terms and conditions. We facilitate a structured "Proposal-to-Implementation" handoff, ensuring that program, finance, and M&E teams understand their roles, deadlines, and the required internal capacity standards (as measured by the CPI) needed for execution.

Integrated Monitoring and Reporting Systems

We design and implement monitoring systems that combine financial tracking, programmatic progress, and subrecipient performance. This integrated approach ensures that data is consistent across all federal forms (e.g., SF-425) and strengthens internal control processes, reducing time spent on reconciliation.

Proactive Risk and Subrecipient Management

We establish clear protocols for proactive risk identification, change management, and required prior approvals. When applicable, we help design and implement a comprehensive subrecipient monitoring system (including risk assessments and site visits) that meets 2 CFR 200 requirements and protects the pass-through entity (see Subrecipient Stewardship service) .

Audit Preparation and Closeout

We support your organization in maintaining audit-ready files throughout the grant period. As the award concludes, we guide teams through the mandatory final reporting and administrative closeout procedures, ensuring all final certifications and documentation meet funder expectations.

The Results

The Measurable Value of Confident Grant Stewardship

Mitigated Audit Risk
Consistent, documented application of internal systems throughout the grant lifecycle minimizes compliance errors and ensures high readiness for regulatory audits.

Strong Funder Relationships
Proactive communication and timely, accurate reporting build long-term trust and position the organization as a reliable partner for future funding.

Increased Cross-Team Accountability
Clear protocols and integrated systems reduce siloed work, improving coordination between finance, program, and administrative departments.

Institutional Capacity Building
The practices established for one grant become the internal capacity standard for the entire organization, leading to greater efficiency and confidence in managing subsequent, more complex awards.