AmeriCorps - 20-01 - 27

Coordinate with the program and grant officers to gather and analyze key grant programs’ (AmeriCorps State and National and Senior Corps) historical data and the grantees’ spending pattern to develop the following key factors for grant accrual estimation: (a) Percentage of CNCS grantees who drawdown funds in advance versus those on a reimbursable basis and their related grant amounts to its grant spending as a whole. If different key programs have different spending patterns, perform this analysis at the program level; (b) An inventory of relevant and reliable grant data to be used for the grant accrual assumptions and documentation to support what data is considered relevant and reliable; (c) Grantees' incurred but not reported (IBNR) reporting pattern from when the expenses have been incurred to the time those expenses are included the grantees' Federal Financial Reports (FFR). Grantee surveys may be conducted to confirm the reasonableness of an IBNR estimate methodology. When alternative procedures are used, management should provide its data-based analysis to validate its assertion; and (d) Post-accrual analysis to compare the accrual (without the IBNR) and the expenditures reported in the FFRs for the same quarter. Thresholds should be established and documented based on materiality and the degree of risk that management is willing to accept. When grantees' reported spending pattern deviates from its methodology, an analysis should be performed to determine whether any deviation is acceptable or the methodology should be further refined to reflect the actual grantees' reported expenditure pattern.