Award conditions, general information, and Web-based resources for extramural researchers from State and local governments and nonprofit and for-profit organizations receiving funding support through Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) grants.
Contents
Standard Terms and Conditions
Grant Payment
Reporting Requirements
Requests for Change(s) to Award
Noncompeting Continuation Funding (Multiyear Grants)
Inspector General Hotline
Financial Reporting
Invention Reporting
Final Reports/Closeout Requirements
Frequently Asked Questions
Grants Management Staff Contacts
Standard Terms and Conditions
Individual awards are based on the application submitted to, and as approved by AHRQ and are subject to the terms and conditions incorporated either directly or by reference in the following (this order of precedence prevails in the event there are conflicting or otherwise inconsistent policies applicable to the award):
- 42 U.S. Code sections 299-299c-7 as amended by Public Law 106-129. Note in particular sections 299c-1(c) and (d) regarding obligation to maintain confidentiality for identifiable data.
- Pertinent restrictions on the expenditure of Federal funds in applicable appropriations acts.
- 42 Code of Federal Regulations Part 67, Subpart A. Note section 67.19 and consider if Health Information Privacy Regulation, 45 Code of Federal Regulations Parts 160 and 164 (published in 65 Federal Register 82462 ff., December 28, 2000) applies to any data to be used for proposed research.
- 45 Code of Federal Regulations Part 74 or 45 Code of Federal Regulations Part 92, as applicable.
- The Notice of Grant Award including all terms and conditions cited on the document or attachments, such as the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Grants Policy Statement with addenda.
As stated in the HHS Grants Policy Statement, acceptance of the grant terms and conditions is automatically acknowledged by the grantee when funds are drawn or otherwise obtained from the grant payment system.
As of February 2008, a new Term of Award—Human Trafficking—applies to all grantees of AHRQ.
Legislation and Policy Applicable to Awards
- Effective October 1, 2010: Requirement for Central Contractor Registration and Universal Identifier to ensure use of a universal identifier and to enhance the quality of information available to the public as required by the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006, as amended: Full text of the award term is provided in the attached document (MS Word® file, 29 KB; Plugin Software Help: PDF file, 23 KB; Plugin Software Help). This is implemented in accordance with OMB Interim Final Guidance, Federal Register Volume 75, No. 177, September 14, 2010; 2 CFR Subtitle A, Part 25).
- Effective October 1, 2010: Requirement for Reporting Subawards and Executive Compensation on AHRQ Grants and Cooperative Agreements implementing the subaward and executive compensation reporting requirements of the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006, as amended: Full text of the award term is provided in the attached document (MS Word® file, 37 KB; Plugin Software Help: PDF file, 34 KB; Plugin Software Help). This is implemented in accordance with OMB Interim Final Guidance, Federal Register Volume 75, No. 177, September 14, 2010; 2 CFR Part 170.
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Grant Payment
Payments under these awards are made available through the Payment Management System (PMS). PMS is administered by the The Division of Payment Management (DPM), an office of U.S. Department of Health & Human Services' (HHS) Program Support Center, Financial Management Service (http://www.dpm.psc.gov).
Inquiries should be directed to:
Director, Division of Payment Management, OS/ASAM/PSC/FMS/DPM
P.O. Box 6021
Rockville, MD 20852
Telephone: 1-877-614-5533
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Reporting Requirements
In general, HHS grant programs have requirements for both financial and programmatic performance reporting.
For grant projects with more than one budget period, the grantee is required to submit a complete PHS 2590 non-competing continuation progress report (which includes a detailed budget) annually. For AHRQ grants this is generally due 4 months prior to the scheduled start date of the budget period. Grantees should refer to the terms of award for their particular grant for due date information. Please note that a small population of AHRQ grants awarded in Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 were funded with multiple-year budget periods but these grants also require the annual submission of a complete PHS 2590. For further details regarding non-competing application requirements, go to the Non-Competing Continuation Funding (Multiyear Grants) section at http://www.ahrq.gov/fund/noncomp.htm.
Financial reports are required annually by AHRQ for all grant programs. Effective March 1, 2011, grantees must submit this information on the Federal Financial Report (FFR; SF-425). The FFR replaces the previous financial reporting form which was the Financial Status Report (FSR; SF-269 or SF-269A). The FFR must be submitted for each budget period no later than 90 days after the end of the calendar quarter in which the budget period ends. The final FFR is due no later than 90 days after the project period end date.
Submit the Federal Financial Report (SF 425) as a PDF file to: GFFR@ahrq.hhs.gov.
Note: At this time, AHRQ is unable to accept FFRs electronically via the eRA Commons.
Select for a table of FFR due dates.
At its discretion, AHRQ may require progress reports and/or financial reports to be submitted more frequently than annually, but no more frequently than quarterly. The terms of award will indicate if more frequent reporting is required. When a grant ends, the grantee is required to submit final reports including a Final Invention Statement, Final Progress Report, and Final FFR. For details, please refer to the Final Reports/Closeout Requirements section at http://www.ahrq.gov/fund/postawrd.htm#Closeout.
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Requests for Change(s) to Award
Most requests for changes that are allowable under the grant award can be approved by the grantee institution's sponsored programs office. Any requests that require Public Health Service (PHS)/AHRQ prior approval should be directed to the grants management specialist listed on the Notice of Grant Award. Such requests include, but are not limited to:
- Changes in the scope or objectives of the project.
- Re-budgeting requests that cannot be approved by the grantee institution.
- Carry over from one budget period to another of restricted funds or when a grant is not included under expanded authorities.
- Extensions of time during the final budget period that cannot be approved by the grantee institution.
Our mailing address is:
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Grants Management
540 Gaither Road
Rockville, MD 20850
Be sure that any request for PHS/AHRQ prior approval is countersigned by the Principal Investigator and an authorized institutional official in accordance with PHS policy. Any requests that have programmatic aspects will be acted on only after consultation with the appropriate AHRQ project officer.
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Noncompeting Continuation Funding (Multiyear Grants)
Noncompeting Application Requirements
Instructions for requesting continued support beyond the first year of funding
Go to: http://www.ahrq.gov/fund/noncomp.htm.
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Inspector General Hotline
The HHS Inspector General (IG) maintains a toll-free telephone number, 800-447-8477, for receiving information concerning fraud, waste, or abuse under grants and cooperative agreements. Such reports are kept confidential, and callers may decline to give their names if they choose to remain anonymous.
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Financial Reporting
HHS policy requires a report of expenditures as documentation of the financial status of grants according to the official accounting records of the grantee organization.
Effective March 1, 2011, AHRQ grantees are to submit this expenditures information using the Federal Financial Report (FFR; SF-425). The FFR replaces the previous financial reporting form which was the Financial Status Report (FSR; SF-269 or SF-269A). AHRQ requires the submission of a financial report for every grant or cooperative agreement on an annual basis. The annual FFR is due 90 days after the end of the calendar quarter in which the budget period ends.
The expenditure data elements of the final Federal Financial Report (FFR; SF-425) submitted to this office must exactly match the final expenditures reported on the grantee's cash transaction report (reported using the FFR cash transaction data elements) to and reflected in the Payment Management System. All obligations must be liquidated before final FFR submission. The final FFR is due no later than 90 days after the project period end date. Use Standard Form 425, available online at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/assets/grants_forms/SF-425.pdf. (Plugin Software Help).
Please note that FFRs are not required for Fellowship (F31, F32) grant awards.
Submit the Federal Financial Report (SF 425) as a PDF file to: GFFR@ahrq.hhs.gov.
Note: At this time, AHRQ is unable to accept FFRs electronically via the eRA Commons.
FFR Due Dates
| Budget or Project Period End Date |
Calendar Quarter End |
Annual FFR Due Date
(90 days after end of calendar quarter) |
Final FFR Due Date
(90 days after end of project period) |
| January 31 |
March 31 |
June 30 |
April 30 |
| February 28 or 29 |
March 31 |
June 30 |
May 31 |
| March 31 |
March 31 |
June 30 |
June 30 |
| April 30 |
June 30 |
September 30 |
July 31 |
| May 31 |
June 30 |
September 30 |
August 31 |
| June 30 |
June 30 |
September 30 |
September 30 |
| July 31 |
September 30 |
December 31 |
October 31 |
| August 31 |
September 30 |
December 31 |
November 30 |
| September 30 |
September 30 |
December 31 |
December 31 |
| October 31 |
December 31 |
March 31 | January 31 |
| November 30 |
December 31 |
March 31 |
February 28 |
| December 31 |
December 31 |
March 31 |
March 31 |
Timely submission of accurate FFRs is important. Unobligated balances of Federal funds may be requested for carry forward to the subsequent budget period if the grantee anticipates and justifies a need for the funds. For grants under expanded authorities, the grantee institution may approve the carry forward of unexpended, unrestricted funds to the subsequent budget period and must reflect this approval in the Remarks section of the FFR. For grants that are not under expanded authorities, AHRQ written prior approval is required.
Revised FFRs representing additional claims by the grantee that were not included in the original FFR may be submitted to AHRQ grants management with an explanation. This should be done as promptly as possible, but no later than 1 year from the due date of the original report. Any such revised report received after that date will not be accepted and will be returned to the grantee.
Revised FFRs resulting in a balance due to the Federal Government must be submitted to AHRQ whenever the overcharge is discovered, regardless of the lapse of time since the original due date of the FFR. For additional information, refer to the HHS Grants Policy Statement.
After a grant has ended or been terminated a final FFR must be submitted within 90 days of the end date of the project period. The final FFR must have no unliquidated obligations and must indicate the exact balance of unobligated funds. The expended funds reported on the FFR must exactly match the disbursements reported on the grantee's report to the Payment Management System.
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Invention Reporting
PHS policy requires that all inventions made in the course of or under any PHS research grant be promptly and fully reported to HHS and, in any event, be reported prior to the publication of any description of the invention. An online system called "iEdison" has been developed to allow grantees to fulfill this requirement. Please refer to the iEdison Web site at https://s-edison.info.nih.gov/iEdison for additional information.
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Final Reports/Closeout Requirements
HHS policy requires that a grant or cooperative agreement be "closed out" after the project ends. Documentation in the form of several "final reports" is required within 90 days of the end date of the project period.
Grant Closeout Requirements
Documents and submission requirements for grant closeout
Go to: http://www.ahrq.gov/fund/closeout.htm
Final Federal Financial Report (FFR; SF-425)
Form for submission of final expenditures reported
Go to:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/assets/grants_forms/SF-425.pdf (Plugin Software Help)
Final Invention Statement and Certification
Inventions conceived and developed during project
Go to: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/hhs568.pdf (Plugin Software Help)
AHRQ Grant Final Progress Report Format
Instructions and structure for final report submission on project
Go to: http://www.ahrq.gov/fund/reptemp.htm
AHRQ Citation Style for Reference Lists
Format for citations on publications and electronic resources
Go to: http://www.ahrq.gov/fund/refstyle.htm
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Frequently Asked Questions
|
Note to Web Site Users: The HHS Grants Policy Statement (HHS GPS) (http://www.ahrq.gov/fund/hhspolicy.htm) is a prime resource for answering most grant-related questions. Also, please utilize the resources available in your institution's sponsored projects or research administration office for guidance before contacting AHRQ.
|
For Frequently Asked Questions related to Grants Management, go to: https://info.ahrq.gov.
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Grants Management Staff Contacts
Grants management staff welcome questions of an administrative nature. For active grant or cooperative agreement awards, questions should be directed to the grants management specialist listed on the Notice of Grant Award (NGA).
Main Phone Number: (301) 427-1447
Fax Numbers: (301) 427-1462 or 427-1464
Grants Management Specialists
Questions of a programmatic nature should be directed to the project officer listed on the NGA. General programmatic questions should be directed to the appropriate program office.
| Center/Office |
Phone Number |
| Center for Delivery, Organization, and Markets (CDOM) |
(301) 427-1410 |
| Center for Financing, Access and Cost Trends (CFACT) |
(301) 427-1406 |
| Center for Outcomes and Evidence (COE) |
(301) 427-1600 |
| Center for Primary Care, Prevention, and Clinical Partnerships (CP3) |
(301) 427-1500 |
| Center for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety (CQuIPS) |
(301) 427-1349 |
| Office of Extramural Research, Education and Priority Populations (OEREP) |
(301) 427-1449 |
| Office of Communications and Knowledge Transfer (OCKT) |
(301) 427-1700 |
| Office of Performance Accountability, Resources, and Technology (OPART) |
(301) 427-1364 |
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Current as of April 2012
Internet Citation:
Grant Post Award Management. April 2012. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/fund/postawrd.htm
540 Gaither Road Rockville, MD 20850 