The New England Not-For-Profit Accounting Advisor

In August the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released its 2021 Compliance Supplement, 2 CFR Part 200 Appendix XI (Compliance Supplement). The annual compliance document provides details and guidance on the pertinent audit areas under the Uniform Grant Guidance. Not-for-profits that receive federal grants are often subject to Uniform Grant Guidance requirements, which include an audit over their administration and controls of their federal grants. Below are some of the key takeaways from the 2021 edition.

Topics: not-for-profit, OMB, NFP, Office of Management and Budget, compliance supplement

On July 27, 2021, the Government Audit Quality Center of the AICPA announced that the initial 2021 compliance supplement relative to federal awards is expected to be released in August 2021. This should resolve much of the ambiguity around major program determination and testing requirements for this year. The key take-away points are as follows:

Topics: AICPA, NFP, nonprofit, Nonprofit Board, COVID19, higher education, SEFA, health and human services, HEERF, Provider Relief Funds, compliance supplement

Not-for-profit organizations that receive federal funds are subject to the requirements of the Uniform Grant Guidance (UGG), and the Subpart F Single Audit. For several reasons, from the introduction of new federal COVID-19 relief programs to the disruption that accompanied mass shelter-in-place orders, the COVID-19 pandemic is changing what the single audit may look like in 2020 and for your organization’s fiscal year. The following provides a brief recap of what to expect for your single audit in 2020.

Topics: reporting requirements, not-for-profit, compliance, OMB, NFP, single audit, Uniform Grant Guidance, COVID-19, CARES Act, Office of Management and Budget, UGG, GAQC

Federal aid swiftly followed the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, with new programs coming from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act and additional funding to existing programs. For-profit and not-for-profit organizations of all types received support in the form of grants and may now find themselves with new reporting requirements. For-profit organizations that received coronavirus relief funds may even be facing their first Single Audit under the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)’s Uniform Grant Guidance (UGG).

Topics: not-for-profit, compliance, OMB, NFP, single audit, Uniform Grant Guidance, COVID-19, PPP, extension, payment protection plan, Office of Management and Budget, Coronavirus Relief Fund, Education Stabilization Fund, UGG

Thanks to a recent memo from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), some organizations subject to the Uniform Grant Guidance will no longer be provided an extension to file their Single Audit with the Federal Audit Clearinghouse. Memo M-20-26, Extension of Administrative Relief for Recipients and Applicants of Federal Financial Assistance Directly Impacted by the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) due to Loss of Operations eliminates a previous six-month extension that had been granted to organizations with fiscal year ends falling between Dec. 31, 2019, through June 30, 2020. Those Single Audits would be due within the normal due date under the Uniform Grant Guidance, nine months after the fiscal year end.

Topics: not-for-profit, compliance, OMB, NFP, single audit, Uniform Grant Guidance, COVID-19, PPP, extension, payment protection plan, Office of Management and Budget, Appendix XI

Now is the time for not-for-profit organizations to begin implementing the new changes to their financial statements. Changes issued under the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Accounting Standards Update 2016-14, Presentation of Financial Statements of Not-for-Profit Entities is effective for calendar year-end entities in 2018, and fiscal year-end entities in 2019.

Topics: not-for-profit, Michelle Spriggs, NFP, nonprofit, Not-for-profit financial statement, Financial Statement

On June 20, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released a memo on new thresholds for micro-purchases and small purchases under the Uniform Grant Guidance. The OMB memo dramatically increased these thresholds, which should simplify purchase processes for not-for-profit organizations receiving federal funds.

Topics: not-for-profit, Federal OMB Grant, Michelle Spriggs, OMB, NFP, Uniform Grant Guidance, nonprofit, micro-purchase

Donations to not-for-profit organizations are normally a win-win for organizations and their donors. Organizations receive gifts to help support their mission, and the donor receives a tax write-off. But not-for-profit organizations and donors must ensure they are in compliance with IRS substantiation requirements. The IRS requires that in order for a donor to take a deduction greater than $250, he or she must have a contemporaneous written acknowledgment (CWA) of the donation from the not-for-profit organization. CWAs must include the name of the organization, the value of the donation (if cash), a description of the donation (if non-cash), whether goods or services were provided in exchange for donation, and, if services were provided, a good faith estimate of the value of those services. If the value of the gift exceeds $5,000, in most cases, a qualified appraisal must be obtained in addition to the CWA.

Topics: charitable donations, Not-for-Profits, nonprofit, In-Kind Donations, Donations